simple amusements

Our no-saddle kick extended through the weekend, just to be completely safe and allow the welts to fully heal. So I bopped around the arena bareback again on Sunday. 

I was actually thisclose to skipping the ride all together, but it was a relatively nice day and Sundays are typically my only chance to ride in Isabel's home arena during daylight. So. Off we went to ride. 

Izzy was a tad sassy and we had more than a couple moments where her nose was straight up in the air and she was set completely against my hand. But other than that (and some random spooking bc apparently our arena in daylight has become so unfamiliar that it's the scariest place evar), it was a mostly fun ride and we even popped over a little X a couple times. 

After I hopped off tho, I decided to have a little fun with the pedestal that lives in our ring. In a recorded bio-mechanics session I watched earlier this fall (details here), Dr. Deb Bennett said that standing a horse on a pedestal was actually really beneficial for stretching out their toplines and feeling that lift in their shoulders and neck. 

Plus, I am amused by simple things. So. Obviously we had to try it out lol. 

It actually didn't take much effort to get Izzy up there - since it's pretty much the same as when I ask her to step up onto the trailer. She had to sniff and paw at it a little bit, but then stepped right up and just stood there for a couple minutes. Posing. Ya know, like she does. (clearly she didn't deign to look at the camera tho, lol). 

She was really stretching out through her spine too - so I think I'll repeat this little exercise a few times. Maybe during the dark too - as it might be a good low-pressure way to introduce trailer loading at nighttime. Eventually, I'd like to be able to get her up there while riding, bc how cool would that be?? lol

In any case, it was a pretty relaxing day that we wrapped up with some grass therapy and quality barn cat time. Can't beat that!