I got up this morning knowing that it is now the onset of spring. A good day, I thought, to go for a ride. I couldn’t take off right away – I had to work some more on my proposal. Now, I’m near done. Knowing this made me antsy, as did the beautiful weather. I found it difficult to concentrate. A few day of rain would make it easier to get indoor work done.

Once outside, I took the dogs for a walk, in part so I could check out the condition of the trails. Smart me, doing two manageable tasks at once. I determined that they were still okay for riding, but going fast. I let the dogs bound around a bit, then returned home and with Pete’s assistance saddled up Raudi and Lifre.

This time we tied them close together rather than farther apart, as we’ve done in the past. This worked very well Piggy Raudi even allowed her new boyfriend to eat out of “her” feed bucket.

We began our afternoon jaunt by having Pete pony Raudi – and I walked behind. It quickly became obvious that Lifre was fine with ponying her. For me, another piece of the puzzle fell into use. When Nick owed Rauder, he ponied him off of his buddy. So, Lifre never had to go out alone. I got up on Raudi on Samovar and we rode the upper loop road to the trails These walkways are now mushy, so it was a bit of a slog for both. However, this only served to make both horses more deliberate. We next rode to the Murphy Road turnoff – Raudi was uncharacteristically chipper going out and back. I was really pleased with her for this has not always been the case. On the return trip home we walked, trotted, and cantered.

However, the day was no yet over. We next got Tinni and Hrimmi out, and took the pair around the loop. What I know about horsemanship is that the days are a success if one retains their patience. Tinni was antsy, Hrimmi was mouthy – It also helped that Pete was on hand to both urge Hrimmi forward and to pick up the lead when I dropped it while ponying her.

I later told Pete that things must have gone well because it’s now spring, to which he agreed. What I didn’t say what that this was not the entire reasoning. Our having ridden our three and taken Loaner guy was what made the difference. I’m now convinced that consistency enables horses and riders to do well over the long haul.

Next: 106. 4/16/14: Sloshing in my Galoshes