Our July play date landed right in the middle of a heat wave – mid 90’s. We got an early start playing on the ground in the cool wooded trail course, starting with the horses on line. I played with Maia, with Lindsey playing with Mystic and Katie playing with Tori, perfecting their communication with the obstacles, backing the L, stepping up on or over or jumping over logs, going up stairs, bridges and teeter-totter, squeezing through the car wash and through narrow trees.
As the horses synced in with us, we turned them loose at liberty. Maia was the star there. She was eager to play with obstacles and would race away at a canter when I asked her to go and then fly back toward me when I called her with the same enthusiasm. Our horses were in a partnership frame of mind
We started out riding with a new team sport – herding geese. Tori, Maia and Mystic proved that the same skills needed for herding horses work for herding geese. Once we had evicted the geese from our section of the pasture, we started playing in the pond. The day was hot, but the well fed, fresh water pond was so refreshing, we enjoyed the heat. We started out just riding through the pond and letting the horses splash us and themselves and drink their fill. We then dismounted and I walked into the pond and took first Maia and then Tori down to the deep end of the pond where Maia and Tori had to swim. I think this was Katie’s first time riding a swimming horse! Jenny did some playing with Sandor in the pond too.
We turned the horses loose to roll and enjoy their pasture and we adjourned for our potluck lunch. As usual, the food was excellent, the companionship the best and the talk all about horses.
Life is very good.