Take every chance to exercise

I walked to work this morning, because I had the time and it wasn’t too cold. This evening I was supposed to go for a riding lesson, but the plans went awry.

First there was a big accident on the highway, with stop-and-go-traffic. I called my coach and cancelled which turned out to be a good idea. I got to the barn early enough that I might have been able to have a slightly late lesson if I caught my horse right away. On a night as cold as tonight, that shoul have been easy. Instead, I spent almost an hour trying to convince her to let me get close enough to put her halter on. I really needed to get her into an extra blanket because it is getting really cold tonight. She has other horses and a warm shelter, but she is also getting older and the weather is supposed to stay really cold for the next few days. Also, when she is misbehaving, it is important not to let her get away with it.

Maybe the real lesson here is that horses can be a great form of exercise - hauling feed, mucking stalls, mending fences. But if you are counting on getting your exercise from riding, don’t count on it!

Here’s a picture of Fancy and me on a happier (and obviously warmer) evening.