Lessons from Non-Riding Vacations

Happy to be home--everyone has four legs, and the barn is tidy.
Went out to ride today for the first time in 13 days, and found that other than general stiffness, Baleno felt pretty good. He immediately developed a nice foam mustache (doesn't happen often with Mr. Teeth Clencher) and really wanted to be round. So I was thinking about it how nice it is to ride after a long break (because face it, even though we love horses, it's nice to take a break now and then), and came across these post-vacation thoughts on riding:

1) After a vacation, both you and the horse are more relaxed. For nearly two weeks, I spent minimal time sitting in front of a computer--at most an hour every other day to check email, vs. at home where it's more like 9 or 10 hours crunched up, staring at a screen. Hence no "computer neck" or back stiffness.

2) The horse is fresh, too. He's energetic and ready to go, and probably will welcome the attention of a good grooming to get him in the mood. He's had a while to forget about the monotony of arena work. If he's a bit, well, dull, he's liable to be forward, which is an extra benefit.

3) You can pretend its the first time you've ridden him. Even if you ridden him for years, a few week break makes it all feel somehow new and fresh again. You (or I, as the case may be) can work on the all the bad habits and pretend you're starting from scratch. Stretch those legs down. Open those hip flexors! It's all "new" again.

4) It's a nice reminder that you can (and should) go back to basics frequently to reinforce them. After a long break, or even a short one, neither me nor B is up for canter half pass or flying changes. We work on simple stuff, and it's fun (see #3)