Play back six hours to after lunch, early this afternoon. Sunday is the one day of the week I am inspired to make a big breakfast for the kids. Today was a combination of pancakes and french toast. Then my husband and I had a nice long talk catching up on business issues (we own a start up biotech company CH3 BioSystems) and finally it was time to go to the barn!
This weekend was warm, dry and sunny. Most of the leaves have fallen and the sun begins its decent early in the day. The ground was mushy in the low spots from a wet week but a walk-about outside was possible.
Annie and I prefer a good hack under the sky. Even though the footing was too slick to trot, much less canter, we traded a physical workout in the indoor ring for a psychological workout outside.
Since moving to Maple Row, Annie and I have learned to relax with each other so that now I can ride her out by ourselves. It used to be she always had to have a companion horse with her. We enjoy our little walk-abouts and I always try to push her just a little bit beyond her comfort zone. That way we both increase our sense of mastery and it's fun.
There's a strip of green between an old upper barn and one of the paddocks. Every time I try to walk her down that path she balks when the barn door comes into view. Today she walked on by! All that good work was paying off.
She did so well I decided to walk her on the long side of the indoor ring. We got half way down that path when another big door got in her sights. Another balk. 'Geez, Annie, it's just a stupid door.' Whatever, she wasn't going near it and I know her well enough not to force her, so we took another path.
That's when we ran into Duchess. Duchess is a grand old Warm Blood Clydesdale cross. At 18+ hands, trained in dressage and proud, she's magnificently and aptly named. We stopped to chat and I explained what Annie and I had been up to.

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