Early Morning Ride

~ nbohl

Yesterday morning I went out and rode Mabou before work… which is my weapon of choice against the lack of daylight during winter.  There is something so peaceful about being there early when the world is still quiet, and starting my day with some horse time.

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He felt wonderful– soft and working through his back, easy to bend, and just listening to everything I asked of him.  I ended up only riding for maybe 15 minutes.  When he is being so good, and is doing everything that I could ask for, I always end our rides early.  Short and sweet rides are some of our best rides.  Mabou has such a naturally good work ethic I try very hard not to drill him or make work unenjoyable.  When he is great, his work ends pretty quickly and usually results in a walk through the trails (when I am not time pressed before work)

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Does anyone else follow this train of thought?  Or do you work on more advanced things when your horse is being good?  Just curious about other people’s methods!

8 thoughts on “Early Morning Ride”

  1. Sometimes I get a little overeager when my ride is going so well. I think they can handle a little more but I try to balance between ending super early and pushing it so I end up “ruining” the good stuff.

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  2. I am a big “quit while you’re ahead” and “reward for good behavior” type. If he’s great, we do just enough to get some decent schooling in and then we call it a day. I usually reward him with a nice long walk around the property or something. Their brains need stuff like that.

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  3. good for you on getting out to the barn before work! and yea, i tend to keep it easy and light when the horse is working really well, tho sometimes i think we should capitalize on those opportunities to challenge ourselves and push our boundaries… i guess it’s all just a balance tho

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