So long summer...

I meant to write this a few days ago, but it's been a rough last

P. Parker

week with our oldest (and smallest) dog Parker, who had a bit of a (not mean) run in with two very enthusiastic Labrador retrievers last Sunday, resulting in what we think are a few bruised ribs, and as a result of the medications he was put on, developed some nasty side effects, Michael and I have been a little busy and not getting a whole lot of sleep, trying to deal with them and help the little (old) guy feel better. Fingers crossed, he's on the upswing, but it has really been a tiring week.

Summer is winding to a slow, still hot and & humid close here in GA, with college classes starting back up this past Wednesday online, and on Monday for lecture, so my schedule has done a complete 180, unfortunately with the horse time taking the largest hit. I think for a lot of us, our horse time is our 'sanity time' where we get to escape a little, and it's certainly no different for me; unfortunately with school starting back up, and my part time campus job switching to the days I don't have class, the mornings of starting my day at the barn with Madison, Bedford or Marshall are a thing of the past, except on weekends now, which, I'll admit, leaves me a little sad.

Big Momma in the morning <3

Having these three horses to ride steadily over the summer gave me a chance to really work with each one, both their strengths, and many weaknesses that plague us all, from not wanting to bend to finding the right rhythm to a jump, whether it's a small log on the ground or a 3' coop. Tuesday of this week was no different, and all three horses must have known (or I'm just saying they did) that it would be my last *good* morning of riding them, and I had everything from a fantastic gallop down the lane on Madison, a Bedford who was consistently nailing the spots to every jump I asked him to take, to a Marshall going on a steady, relaxed trotting trail ride, popping over small jumps and maintaining balance before and after.

I'm not going to lie, on the drive home from the barn, I kinda got a little misty-eyed; not just because I had three REALLY GOOD rides in a row, which is kind of a rarity, but because these horses mean so much to me, and I feel/felt so invested in their riding/training program (if you can call it a program). I'm happy to be back in classes and having something 'real' to do during the day, but at the same time, I'm really going to miss my little morning routine with them, even if I did hate hearing the alarm go off each morning that I did go out there.