Should haves

Today I should have lunged my horse before I rode her out on the trail.  I felt like I was riding a wound up rubber band.  She was trying to be good and she was good for the most part.  But it was a day when I had to be careful with my boundries.  For example if I starting trotting, I think I would have been sorry.  We would have had bucks, spins, more "woo hoo" moments than I would have cared for-especially with the trail conditions.  It was a very cold day and the trail was not good for trotting.  If it wasn't wet and slippery, it was very hard-like walking on icy ground.  So walking was appropriate.  So when we got back, the arena was good for going fast.  So we unsaddled and lunged the horse after I went on the trail.  Now she was having a good time:  trotting, loping, bucking, spinning.  Thanks go to my trail partners for the day that understood that walking was about all we could do safely-for Zoe's mindset, and for all of the horses for the trail conditions.  When we were coming back from the trail and we got back to Lomida, I got off and walked because my left foot was asleep.  I was thinking that if Zoe did something that required me to use my left foot, it wouldn't work-the foot was useless.  I should have rode for a bit with my foot out of the stirrup that way it wouldn't have been such "dead weight".  And I didn't realize it but my right hand was so cold that it couldn't hold onto anything.  Should have used my gloves or switched hands around, because my left hand was fine.  I guess some "pre-focusing" would have been appropriate.