What did you do today?

[Nanno]

I had a very nice ride on Pepperjack this afternoon--our longest ride yet actually! I rode him down to the post office and back, which is about six miles round-trip. He's been that direction a few times before when I ponied him off my other horse, but we haven't gone that way since last spring, and I've never ridden him that way so it all felt very new to him. Pepperjack was more rattled than usual but that's not surprising given the excitement of our last ride, and the fact that I've almost always ridden with a friend, and the fact that he really hasn't been out more than a handful of times since Thanksgiving. I haven't ridden him along the road much and never toward town where things are busy (well, busiER--this is Rye after all). He did very well with all the cars and trucks, barking dogs, blowing plastic bags, manhole covers, cows, a mule, prancing horses, deer, and even some wild turkeys! He stopped and looked a lot on the way out, and he spooked at a few things but he's clearly not a runaway, or a bucker, balker, or hothead.

We had several opportunities to practice trotting downhill and transitioning to a walk or stop on a slope. With stirrups it's so much easier to help the horse rock back and balance himself on those forehand-heavy transitions! When we got back to my driveway, Dusty was racing around, snorting, and kicking up snow in all directions. Pepperjack got high-headed and a little prancy so it was the perfect time to initiate an intentional spook. I reached back, picked up the empty saddlebag, and slapped it down hard on his butt. He bolted immediately, but this time I was ready for him. I had stirrups to brace against and we were going uphill, so Pepperjack was set up to succeed at slowing down this time. And he did slow down. He didn't respond to the reins as quickly as I'd have liked, but when I said "Woah!" he stopped almost immediately. I tried the exercise again but the next time I slapped the saddlebag he just trotted a few steps, and when I kept slapping it he stopped on his own accord and looked back at me with an accusing glare that said, "Well now you're just messing with me!"
Every horse I ride has to get used to being messed with.