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Exercise program - Take 2
Apr. 10th, 2005 07:01 pmHmmmm. Day 2 did Not go as I expected. Apparantly, Mr. Stud-muffin is a lot smarter than I've given him credit for. *g*
The aerobic portion of the workout was not as strenuous as it was yesterday. Apparantly, he remembers that if you only make a token resistance, the ride portion is a)easier and b)shorter. So, instead of leading me on a merry chase, he ambled (AMBLED, of all things!) around the hay 3 times, pushed himself into a trot once, up to the gate, then walked up to me and shoved his head into my arm, demanding the halter. Now. Surprised, I did as he requested. The other horses grumpily watched us go out the gate, and stood there glaring as we did the pre-ride checklist (brush, pull out some cockleburrs, saddle, bridle, remove halter) then wandered off to munch on the yummy hay.
Because there was no child-care provided today, I decided to work him in the front yard. It's about the size of a standard arena, so it's plenty big enough for a basic workout. (I determined today it's also big enough for a small hunter course...so now I need to get the jumps painted so I can set them up finally.) The dogs, of course, went nuts, because the horse is *obviously* up to No Good, forcing me onto his back and all.
The ride went well - only 2 spooks (both of which I stayed on) a little trotting, a wee bit of a canter (and a wee bit of a temper tantrum). I'm not worried about Dusty tossing me - he and I have an agreement that goes way back. He can't attempt to dump me unless we have an audience of 5 or more - and the audience *has* to be people, not cows or dogs or birds or horses. This agreement, plus the fact that he Never learned how to buck (no, seriously - he can't buck. He hasn't figured out the "front end on the ground and back end up in the air, then hop, twist, switch, and repeat" pattern. All he can do is hop like a demented rabbit, and that's pretty easy to stick on to. At almost 19, I don't think he'll figure it out.) He's stiff, but so am I.
The kids got to sit on him a few minutes each after I untacked him. Himself was a bit frightened - "I'm up so HIGH. I want down now." while Herself could just giggle. I am assuming it's because she was in her church dress...and horse hair tickles. A lot. Dusty's a champ.....that's why he's still entire.
I am hoping to keep this up. Even without the "you can't catch me" game, riding is a pretty good workout. Once I get in a little better shape (and reclaim most of my balance) I can start to work with the 2 green mares and the 1 unbroke mare. THEN, I can get the kids started on the pony. Maybe......
I am a bit sore today. My hip hurts where I hit yesterday, and my ankles are stiff. Must keep it up, though!
The aerobic portion of the workout was not as strenuous as it was yesterday. Apparantly, he remembers that if you only make a token resistance, the ride portion is a)easier and b)shorter. So, instead of leading me on a merry chase, he ambled (AMBLED, of all things!) around the hay 3 times, pushed himself into a trot once, up to the gate, then walked up to me and shoved his head into my arm, demanding the halter. Now. Surprised, I did as he requested. The other horses grumpily watched us go out the gate, and stood there glaring as we did the pre-ride checklist (brush, pull out some cockleburrs, saddle, bridle, remove halter) then wandered off to munch on the yummy hay.
Because there was no child-care provided today, I decided to work him in the front yard. It's about the size of a standard arena, so it's plenty big enough for a basic workout. (I determined today it's also big enough for a small hunter course...so now I need to get the jumps painted so I can set them up finally.) The dogs, of course, went nuts, because the horse is *obviously* up to No Good, forcing me onto his back and all.
The ride went well - only 2 spooks (both of which I stayed on) a little trotting, a wee bit of a canter (and a wee bit of a temper tantrum). I'm not worried about Dusty tossing me - he and I have an agreement that goes way back. He can't attempt to dump me unless we have an audience of 5 or more - and the audience *has* to be people, not cows or dogs or birds or horses. This agreement, plus the fact that he Never learned how to buck (no, seriously - he can't buck. He hasn't figured out the "front end on the ground and back end up in the air, then hop, twist, switch, and repeat" pattern. All he can do is hop like a demented rabbit, and that's pretty easy to stick on to. At almost 19, I don't think he'll figure it out.) He's stiff, but so am I.
The kids got to sit on him a few minutes each after I untacked him. Himself was a bit frightened - "I'm up so HIGH. I want down now." while Herself could just giggle. I am assuming it's because she was in her church dress...and horse hair tickles. A lot. Dusty's a champ.....that's why he's still entire.
I am hoping to keep this up. Even without the "you can't catch me" game, riding is a pretty good workout. Once I get in a little better shape (and reclaim most of my balance) I can start to work with the 2 green mares and the 1 unbroke mare. THEN, I can get the kids started on the pony. Maybe......
I am a bit sore today. My hip hurts where I hit yesterday, and my ankles are stiff. Must keep it up, though!
