Well it’s been a while since I made an update. Not intentionally, but there is only so much you can complain about the arenas being closed to rain. I wish I could have gotten more riding in in February but it is what it is.
I left off after Ezio has gotten his first chiro appointment. I hadn’t ridden him yet but did shortly after that post. He felt so connected. I could just feel a whole line from his head to his tail that I hadn’t felt in a while. He was very well behaved during that ride. And he stayed like that the next couple of weeks. He was so much more relaxed and able to listen.
We had a super long section of rain at the end of Feb. Presidents day was the last day I was able to ride until March. It wasn’t a lesson but we had the best ride in a long time. He was relaxed and willing. We ended up getting four full figure 8s at the trot which is the most trot I’ve gotten with him in a while.
Adding the figures to our rides has had such an impact on Ezio. Circles make him tense and he worries. Figure 8s and serpentines apparently work better for his brain. He settles in and I get good work without having to fight for his focus. It even helps at the trot. I was worried it would overwhelm him with things to focus on but I think it’s occupying his brain enough that he can’t worry about other stuff.
It was nice to have a very good ride as the last ride before the rain took over. I did my best to get Ezio out and hand walk him when it was possible. He doesn’t like getting rained on at all so I only took him out during the short dry patches. I groomed him a lot in his stall. One of my theories I’ve been working on for his behavior during grooming is him being more thin skinned than I knew. I switched to just using a body brush and the tiny side of a jelly bath scrubber to substitute for a curry comb. He seems to be handling grooming better. My trainer also agrees. It makes cleaning him harder but he’s just that sensitive.
During all the rain, Ezio got his second chiro adjustment. It was on one of the most rainy days so I was very nervous about how he would react. He blew up twice while we walked the short distance from his stall to the flat covered part of the barn. He didn’t run me over though so that was a win. Once out of the rain, he started very up but gradually relaxed more as he was being adjusted. You can just tell when something works for him because he really relaxes into it. The chiro was pleased with how easily he adjusts and we’re going to follow up in a month.
After the rain finally stopped, I ended up lunging him twice before we ever rode. He did have some feelings about it but kept himself together impressively well. I just have to be quicker on catching when he starts to brace with his head as that’s when he ends up being naughty. But he behaved better than some of the much older horses so I was really happy.
Getting to ride again was so nice, even if nothing much happened past walking. I just needed it for my mental health. Unfortunately, it looks like we’ve got some more showers on the forecast. I’m just hoping it doesn’t put much down. We’ve got a lot of water this year. Yosemite has 40 inches of snow already. We’re good for a bit. It can wait and let me enjoy my horse again.
The Horse Dream 