One Week to Go!

One week to go with the "31 Days of Dublin" project and I am woefully behind schedule. It's amazing how life can get in the way of the best intentions. This week it has been Mother's Day, which I host here at my house, getting that article written for the Horse Journal, and then yesterday I played hooky to go riding at Pt Reyes. And of course, there is always that work thing.

But Dublin did get some focused work on Saturday, including getting the saddle on. He really doesn't mind the saddle, but the saddle is heavy and the horse is tall, so it is does add a layer of complexity that doesn't exist if I just work him on line. Since time was short, as usual, I worked him in my pasture rather than taking him and the saddle over to Laura's arena. While Dublin is showing no signs of lameness any more, he does still have a tendency to trip over his own feet, so the rough ground in the pasture made me really think twice about pushing him. He was also a bit cranky because I turned Cowboy out to eat grass while I worked him. Unfair, I admit. Also distracting. So I did not make him canter, but we did get a lot of trotting in, with direction changes and gait changes. We also worked on sidestepping and he is finally getting it! Dublin is a forward-thinking kind of guy, and the idea of moving sideways just doesn't click with him. But he has finally obliged to move sideways, whether he can see the logic of it or not. I have been trying to follow Julia's directions about really paying attention to the details and refining how I work with Dublin. It's a lot of work but like all things, the more attention you pay to it, the easier and more natural it becomes.

After we wrapped up, I turned him out in Laura's pasture while Laura and I enjoyed a little arena riding on Cowboy and Dexter. When it was time to head home, I brilliantly decided to try to catch Dublin while riding Cowboy (with a bareback pad, after having had a beer). Dublin was pretty cagey about it and led us a merry (but slow) chase. Finally he got tired of it and took off. Cowboy, who by now was in the spirit of the whole thing, took off after him. I was fumbling with Dublin's halter and not paying attention, so when Cowboy headed left after Dublin, I headed right toward the ground. I'm not sure if the beer was a help or a hindrance--it's possible I would have stuck with the horse without it, but I was nice and relaxed by the time I hit the ground, undoubtedly saving me from some serious injury. As it was, the back of helmet (which hit the ground with a pretty good thud, relaxed or not) got quite scuffed up. Which is why I wear a helmet. Could have been my head that got scuffed up. Lesson: if you are going to drink beer while riding a horse, wear a helmet. And remember that if it you have a nagging thought that your brilliant idea may not be all that brilliant, you are probably right.

Anyway, Dublin got 2 days off for Mother's Day and the Pt Reyes ride (that's Cowboy's job), but today he got saddled and worked in Laura's arena. This time it included a fair amount of cantering and a bit of jumping with the saddle on. No problem. He looks great. I can drive him while walking next to him and he yields his front and hind quarters. So although I haven't worked with him as much as I planned at the start of the 31 days, I may still be on track to get on him. He has passed all tests with flying colors. So stay tuned!