Wednesday and Thursday I didn't have much time for a long trail ride so they were both short but interesting. On Wednesday I got an early start cleaning the barn and the paddocks...so I was done by 8am and was on the trail by 8:30. It was a summer time schedule at the end of December. Anyway when I usually leave to ride on Wednesdays about 9:30 I run into a group of walkers leaving the trails as I'm getting on the trails. It is a group of older men, there used to be just 3 of them (I called them the Tres Amigos) but now it is up to 5 I'm told. So today there were just 2. They were on the trail ahead of me (about 1/2 the cow pasture ahead) and we ended up going on the same trails the whole time we were out there. Zoe noticed them, was curious-not sure but we kept going and we ended up right behind them on the way out. Once she realized it was just people they were pretty boring.
Thursday I headed out about 1:30-kind of a late start for me. On this ride we kept meeting other horses. 2 at the beginning and 2 on the way home in the cow pasture. On this second meeting Zoe got a little barn sour and called, had a little too much energy going home. So we decided to go home but work at the same time. Sidepassing, collecting, figure 8's. Soon she was calmer and we just walked home nicely.
One nice thing about both of these rides was a collected canter. The first day I asked for a lope going up the racetrack. Zoe collected right away. She tossed her head a bit and I asked her to push thru that emotion and do it calmly. She did. I've never felt her so smooth, calm and collected. It was like we were flowing together. Wow. I've never had that before. Thursday I asked again and she did it again. Not sure if this will happen with other horses around but it was nice these times.
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