Last weekend my boyfriend and I got on his boat for the first time all spring/summer. The monsoon rains here in the Midwest have raised the lake 25 feet. Docks are inaccessible unless you swim to the boat. There is no electricity to operate the boat lifts. Many folks have not even taken their boats out of storage. Finally we said “the heck with it!” and got the boat out anyway. The boat ramp was a sea of mud. I played “fetch the stick in the water” with all the dogs while Alan swam out to the boat. By the time he returned with the boat, the dogs were filthy. We lifted them over the bow, trashing the boat in the process. But off we went! Very few people were on the lake.
The dock is a long way off…
I had the opportunity to water ski again! Last summer I skied for the first time in over 40 years. I managed to get up on one ski by the end of the summer. Of course, I hoped for the same success last weekend but after three failed attempts, I settled for using two skis. My back is complaining… chiropractor appointment tomorrow. Additionally, my shoulders are sore… skiing requires strong arms. And then this morning, I rode Finn for 6 miles. Alan and I are going to spend a week riding in Colorado in mid-August and I need to get my guys legged up! In the light of all this exercise, I’m tired!
As I mentioned in my four-part series Does Your Horse Respect You? I had a great deal of work to do with my relatively-new-to-me horse Finn. He was five when I bought him; he’s 7 now. The gal I rode with this morning marveled at the improvement she saw in Finn. She rode with me and witnessed the behaviors I described in that blog series written over a year ago. To begin with, Finn refused to cross water and argued with many of my requests.
In Finnigan’s Folly I wrote about Finn’s reticence to load nicely and predictably into the trailer. I haven’t loaded him in a couple of weeks. I wasn’t sure what to expect this morning. He initially resisted; consequently, we had a “discussion”. He made better choices and loaded within minutes. Only a slight hesitation for loading to return home. On the trail, he was great. No issues with mud. The bugs were horrible. By the end of the six miles, his head tossing had, for the most part, abated. I was proud of him.
I have 4 weeks to get him out at least a few times a week. A tired horse is a cooperative horse! Next week we’ll hit the “Rails to Trails” that has some amazing bridges to cross. Stay tuned for photos! There is an amazing overhead trellis bridge.
Lastly, enjoy your independence but do so safely! New RIDER tags will be available on Amazon within the week. Provide emergency personnel with your blood type, allergies, and other critical information in the event of an accident or misstep. Stay safe!
