staying above water

I gotta say, Charlie really likes this whole "time off" thing. Like, I still see him just about every day to groom him and give him treats and tell him he's pretty (plus, ya know, apply some splint juice to that one leg.... details...).

And he just eats it right up! He thinks he's really living the life haha.

this is basically what we all think we look like while riding, right? right?!? lol.... seriously tho i ended up walking around new-to-me parts of DC earlier this week after a really tragic accident closed down the amtrak line and i had to go wandering around looking for alternative ways to get back to baltimore, while simultaneously not getting mowed down by the mobs of angry commuters.... at least the walk was very pretty tho!

Just as luckily, I never really worry or stress out about giving Charlie time off. At least, not in the sense that I worry about us backsliding in our training. (Tho the reverse definitely does happen, when I stress out bc the time off prevents us from progressing the way I wanted....)

And I mean, we've had plenty of practice with coming back from time off anyway, right?? Lol... So at least I feel kinda used to it?

still tho, i much prefer the serenity of the barn to all that commuter nonsense haha

But seriously tho, he's a pretty reliable horse even with time off. Even coming off lengthy stall rest from his surgery, he was still safe enough to hop on and hack around during the earliest days of his rehab. I'm extremely grateful that he doesn't ever need to be drugged or lunged or worked down. He just... bounces right back. I dig it!

even if charlie was kinda nonplussed by this whole "bath" thing. it didn't help that the spring water was still chillllllly

This has been true in regard to Charlie's schooling too. I mean, sure, without regular riding we become rustier and obviously fall out of practice. But that's natural right? The thing I appreciate is that Charlie doesn't seem to forget anything.

he looked good after tho! and also looked a bit like a goat haha

We don't have to reset the parameters or hash out old arguments when getting back into work. Rather, it's more like just knocking off the dust.

And actually, if anything, Charlie seems to have come out on the other side of his fall and winter layups (so many layups tho, whyyyyyy) somehow better than he was last summer. 

It's as if the time off allows him to forget all the little bits of fussiness that crop up in training, while still retaining the actual trained skill. If that makes sense.

seriously tho, despite how awkward this horse is, he can balance surprisingly well on hills apparently lol

I mean, obviously the time off still bugs me. I miss riding my horse. And it makes me sad when we have to scratch from horse shows (like Loch Moy's second spring starter this past weekend). Plus nobody ever loves losing show entries entirely - like from FMF two weekends ago when I withdrew after dressage.

the lush grass was well worth it i guess. also check out his jealous neighbor eyeing him through the window haha

But I'm feeling a little more zen about things this time around. Partly bc it's my choice. Charlie's new splint continues to look like basically nothing. And Charlie's rest period right now is not vet-directed. It's just me being overprotective.

poor Cain, he really wanted some grass too!!

I'm also feeling zen bc I'm honestly really happy with where Charlie is in his general schooling these days. The dinosaur is still lurking, and probably always will. But lately it's felt so much more like a partnership. Like we've built enough trust to where he lets me push him more on the flat.

We have a real two-way conversation happening now in our riding and it feels great. Charlie really feels like he understands that all my noise in the saddle might actually be trying to tell him something, and he's no longer worrying when he doesn't understand bc he knows I'll give him a chance to figure it out. Which, likewise, it's becoming easier for me to keep asking for more while trusting him to not throw down a tantrum with every increase in pressure.

alas the warmth didn't last long, and we got some RAIN. including at brita's show this weekend. thank goodness there's room to hang out and stay dry in the trailer!

And the jumping..... Ah, the jumping. There's really no complaints for our rides over fences right now. Charlie legit feels easy and schooled.

His auto changes are finally back in action after going dormant for a while after his surgery rehab. He understands that bending lines happen in stadium jumping and thus has become more rideable on the backside of fences. And while I wouldn't go so far as to call him "adjustable" yet, those seeds are planted and maybe beginning to germinate.

Plus I'm optimistic about some of the bitting changes we've made to help smooth things out while we work on that adjustability and rideability from a training perspective.

and thank goodness for having multiple light weight blanketing layers so princess never had to stay damp for long haha

So it's been easy to sit back and relax a little bit while hopefully giving Charlie's latest ding its best chance to recover fully. The plan is to get back on him this coming weekend (so, he will have had two full weeks off) and start hacking again. Hopefully with a whole bunch of bloggers at Fair Hill - something I've been wanting to do for ages and ages now.

Then just a steady climb back up to normal work, while obviously keeping an eye on the leg to see if it has anything to say about all that haha. I'm optimistic tho. I think he'll be fine. And until then, it's just lots of quiet time spent grooming and pampering. My inner 12yo is jusssst fine with this haha.

Have you had to spend time bringing horses back into work after time off? Whether from a rehab situation or just little spurts of time off here or there? Does your horse come back well or is it usually a little more of a process?