Reassembling my Life

Coming back home has been refreshing. As I moved here four years ago end of November, I wondered, "What am I thinking? This is too far from anything I've known. I can't be this far from everything I am used to. Family being so far is bad enough... I'm not like anybody here."

I've quickly fit in, got a good job, and good friends - All things I didn't have much luck at in South Carolina. Here, I get ribbed with Yankee jokes, get jostled for being a little girl learning how to grow up, and it's all in jest. Nobody seriously insults me, or jabs me for being single, independant, and addicted to my horses. My pets are my life - They're four legged children, and they know it.

I was off work Wednesday, and decided the day was theirs. All of them... for being in the pasture with basic care and no affection, and for being locked up in little vet pens, with food & potty breaks. I walked the dogs, loved ferociously on the cats, and played with the horses.

I caught Chewie, and planned on only free-lunging him in the arena. He was such a champ, I moved him all over the arena in varying circle sizes. Since that wasn't a big issue for him, I decided to make it more of a challenge, and put four ground poles along one rail. He trotted them, walked them, jumped two or three at a time, and even cantered a couple. He was having a blast, and I was having fun watching him. His total work was about 40 minutes. He did a lot of licking & chewing during the work, so I think it was a good time for all.

Tacked Romeo up, and kind of braced for a fast ride. I planned to ride him as long as it took for an easy canter I could sit comfortably, both leads. When I asked for his first canter, I thought, "I didn't warm him up long enough at the trot, and he's probably going to fly, but here goes nothing." He was a dream. Romeo cantered on like he'd never had a day off, and within about six strides, I gave up the saddle horn, and focused on where he was headed. We cantered left, cantered right, and finished up working on speed adjustment to the left. In twenty minutes' time, I had his full attention, a canter I was sitting in securely, and his brakes were amazing. We finished up the work with a long walk and a little trot on the side of the road. I even got good trot on the roadside, something he wouldn't agreeably do in the past.

A great Wednesday with the kids...