interuptions! DAY 8 - 6/5

I left work and raced home to get Cas ready for his second lunge saddled. I know, not a big deal for some, but it was for me. I'm going to ride him in a couple days. Again, not a big deal for some, but it is for me. I haven't ridden in....well...I can't tell you when! and this also fits into my get healthier plans too. Outside, being active, doing things.....is good for us all! So, it's important to me that I stay on 'schedule' and continue heading in the right direction as far as Cas and I are concerned.

DH was running late this am, so I threw the dogs out to potty and got stuff ready to lunge Cas. Thinking he'd be home before I was done dressing the beast, I left the dogs out. Right after I started to lunge Cas, one of the dogs took to barking and digging by the gate like a fool!! ugh. Didn't want her to keep barking, or dig out, or hurt herself, or anything.....so I stopped Cas, tied him back to the tree and ran inside to let them in. I also threw them some food while I was in there and grabbed the little dogs and put them outside. I felt bad making Cas stop when he had already gotten going, but I figured it was for the best.

He has an uneventful lunge after that. Walk, trot, canter, both directions. Ever a creature of habit, he decided he knew when to change direction. Wrong answer buddy, back the way you came! The temps were apparently milder this am, I'm guessing lower humidity maybe? because Cas wasn't even sweaty when we got done. Un-tacked and brushed him off, and let him stand at the tree while I put his goodies away and tended to the fountain and the garden. Let the other horses finish eating, and the untied Cas and let him have his well deserved breakfast too!! :) He was happy after that.

After a long sleep I got up and went to work on the "arena". Cas has drug up some more sticks and logs and such, so I wanted to clean it up. Being it is much hotter at 4:30 pm than at 6am, I only lasted an hour and had to take a break. Went inside and enjoyed some pink lemonade and a popsicle, and went back outside to work some more.  When I got back outside, I found DH, in the arena on the tractor with the box blade attempting to level out the high spots. He did a pretty good job! We then hooked up our makeshift drag (a roll of chain-link fence) to the tractor and evened out some of the hills he'd made. That worked pretty well too! I have a short video clip I'll try to post in a couple of days.

I wasn't able to work outside as long as I wanted. I had to stop before I got to pick up sticks/logs/twigs/metal pieces? from the arena post drag so I could get ready for work. Gotta pay the bills to keep these critters fed and healthy, ya know? 

Happy Horsin'!

And so, it begins!

I even have the band-aid covered blisters to prove it!!! Ha!

No, I was not lunging a horse to have the line ripped through my tender paws taking layers of skin with it. My hands fell prey to the wrath of a garden rake and lots of limbs/sticks. I've spent about 4 hours over the past 2 days cleaning a small 'arena' in which to ride Casper in the front paddock/pasture.
It is nothing fancy, so don't get too excited. I walked it, and it appears to be about 40 feet by 40 feet. It is pretty square. What started out as an "ill just go pick up the limbs/sticks" adventure turned into an all out 'cleaning' of that section of the pasture. There were many more little sticks/twigs that Cas shouldn't step on than I thought. So, away went the ideas of just picking stuff up by hand and out came the rake.

3 bandage changes later the area is finally clean. DH just needs to move 2 piles of chopped wood back about 2 feet, and then break out the box blade to level it up a bit. It is suitable to lunge him, as I plan on doing the next few days. But once I get on and start riding, it should probably be a bit more level.
The footing will be nothing fancy, just the dirt that is in the pasture. If we keep this up, might get a load of sand or two dumped in there and let DH play with the tractor some more. But for now, to get started, it'll be great! Better than I've had since we moved to our current home. Correction, MORE than I've had since we moved to our new home!

 

So, these are a bit blurry, but you get the idea!!