Hot Hot Heat

 It's gonna get sweaty.

Up here in the prairies of the Great White North we tend to average only 4 days a year over 30 degrees Celsius. We're not used to really hot weather.

We currently have a forecast for 8 days in a row of 30 + temperatures. We might even break a heat record this week. The record high temperature for my city is 37.2. Wednesday's forecast is 40. That will be the hottest temperature I've ever experienced.

The temperatures get higher every time I look at the forecast.

The horses are not getting ridden this week.

I rode on Friday night, when it was only 28 degrees, so that I wouldn't feel too guilty about not riding for the next 7 or 8 days. I don't do well in high temperatures, Phantom doesn't do well in high temperatures with her asthma, and I'm pretty sure Cisco is not a fan either. 

It was still hot enough that I really didn't want to do much. But I had something simple we could work on - walk/halt transitions. 

So simple. 

I realized recently that Cisco sucks at them. I mean, he stops easily. He just doesn't stop straight. He always has to put in one last step sideways before parking. 

We kept to the rail so that he could only wiggle one direction. My goal for myself was to use less hand and have him halt using my thighs and my core. 

After the first couple, when I realized that I might be partially responsible for the step out with the right front leg by using more left thigh than right thigh. Oops. Once I got that sorted out the halts got much straighter. 

Greenhawk had an amazing sale on these Textilene fly sheets - they were only $43! I ordered two for Cisco for when he trashes his Kensington suits of armor. The brown plaid looks better than I thought it would, although I think Cisco is not a fan.

Then it was time for some lateral work - some leg yields down the wall - which he was pretty good about - and some haunches in - which I am not very good about. Ugh. Total pretzel on my part. 

I'm not anticipating getting back in the saddle until next week, when I have the week off. Hopefully, it's much cooler than this week or I won't get anything done that involves leaving air conditioning!