Yee Haw

I finally had enough energy after work to head out to the barn on Monday evening to visit the ponies. I've been trying really hard to get to bed earlier than normal so that I can get 8ish hours of sleep. This is the first time in years that I probably could ride a few times a week based on my work schedule - I have a few days a week that my evenings are free. The problem is having enough energy to do so!

Our weather has been pretty crap this winter fall. There has been a bunch of warm/cold cycles where it rains and then the temperature drops well below freezing. Thus the ground is frozen and it's pretty icy. Especially out at the barn. So the horses aren't moving around too much outside.

Which means that horses who aren't getting ridden have way too much energy stored up.

Phantom's head loses its shape in the winter due to the amount of winter hair she grows.

I'm hoping to get on someone this week. Likely Phantom. So she needed a chance to get her sillies out before I throw a leg over.

That was Monday's plan. When I arrived at the barn the arena was empty. Perfect! She could run loose.

Except that when I took her into the arena someone was in there. Boo. So lunging it was!

Chin hairs happen to all women as they get older. Trust me. 

I knew she was going to be silly on the lunge. It took a whole lap and a half at a trot before she tucked her tail between her butt cheeks and scooted off.

Phantom has zero desire to gallop circles around me. She is much more of a scoot, maybe throw the front legs around a bit or do her sad attempt at a buck (a weird hind leg towards her ear move), then bounce to a stop and stare at me with her head straight up. Then I have to stop laughing and try to get her back out on the circle, at which point she gets to the same point on the circle and does it again.

Her clip is already growing back. You can kind of see it on her shoulder here.

The good thing is that she stays right out at the end of the lunge on as big a circle as I can give her. Nowhere near me.

So we did a few minutes on the lunge, which got less enthusiastic pretty quickly. The other person left the arena before I was done, so I got a chance to let Phantom get in a couple of good loose gallops before walking her off.

It's so fluffy!

I'm hoping this will tide her over until Wednesday when I'm hoping to get on. I don't care if I just get on and just walk for 20 minutes - I'd just like to get on!