Real Riding Challenge Day 4 – Riding Somewhere Different

Welcome back to the real riding challenge day 4! And I think I have already veered off of what I wanted to do, but that’s ok! I’m doing something, and that’s what counts.

For the challenge day 4, I decided to take Frisby somewhere I don’t usually ride, in the pasture.

You see, my horses have a small pasture that they get turned out into several times a week. But it’s separate from their usual turn out area. I am trying to keep grass in the area and I don’t want them to eat it down to just dirt.

But it’s also a really nice area to ride in. The ground is soft, and there are hills to work both my horse as well as myself. So today I decided to get out into the pasture.

I also have a secondary reason for moving out into the pasture. I want to take Frisby out on the trail. But Ethan has a severe case of separation anxiety. And anytime he can’t see Frisby, and he is left alone, he freaks out. Which is why I can’t ride him right now anyway. He hurt his hoof when the farrier came out last time when he kicked through the back wall of his stall, again.

Pasture Riding With a Reason

So I am riding in the pasture to get out of the arena, and also to get Ethan used to the fact that he will be ok, even if Frisby isn’t next to him, or even in the same pasture. Because eventually, I want to take Frisby out by himself on the trail behind my house.

And getting out and doing something different is a good thing. And Frisby is a very mellow guy, so he is easy to take away from home.

But because I haven’t done this in a long time with him, I like to do it in little increments.

So first I took him out into the pasture (with Ethan close behind, literally) And we walked around the pasture. No big deal.

Then I tacked him up at the hitching post, and then we went back out into the pasture to walk around some more. Again, not a big deal.

I had already brought out my mounting block, so after checking Frisby’s girth one last time, I got into the saddle. Again, Frisby was unphased by this. This is one of the reasons Frisby is my heart horse. He just does it without any drama.

Keeping Track Of My Riding

And I almost forgot to share this with you! I have started using the Equilab app while I am riding. This app is sooooo much fun! And it has gotten better since the last time I used it over a year ago.

Equilab keeps track of your riding/training and it also tracks what you do.

So you can see the patterns of what you rode, when you were riding. I love this app!

I am an iClone, so I am not sure if the app works for android phones. But if you too own an iPhone, the app is fantastic! It tracks your ride time as well as what gaits you rode, and for how long. It is a really fun app, and it’s free! Yes, it does have a premium portion, but I am happy with the free version. It’s really helpful and fun!

If you enable the app to know where you are riding, you can even see where you rode. I know, a little creepy, but it’s still pretty cool!

Riding In The Pasture

Riding in the pasture was good for both Frisby, and myself. We did hill work, we went in all different directions, and we just hung out. I mean doing hills is a great exercise, and while the hills in the pasture aren’t huge, they do make Frisby work, which is a good thing.

And it’s fun! It’s something different than always being in the arena. And I have the space, so I might as well use it right?

And I am so lucky to live where I do. And even luckier that the greenbelt, aka horse trail is right out my back door. I want to get out there with Frisby! But I want to make sure I am safe to do it too. So this is my baby steps out into the big world with my horse.

And hopefully Ethan will be ok with it, eventually too.

So the pasture is my baby step to the trail. I am thinking that in the next few days I will have Ethan in the pasture, and take Frisby out on the trail, but stay where Ethan can see him, for awhile. And then venture a little further, and further away. I’m sure he will freak out at first, but in time he should be able to accept being by himself for a bit.

And as I have for the past several posts, if you want to participate in the challenge, and get notified every time I have a new post come out, you can download the workbook and sign up for my email list in this blog post.

Happy riding!