Lovely weather today. Sunny, and not too hot. 


I sat on the wooden mounting block of the indoor riding arena and listened to the birds chirping and the squeaking of the saddle leather as my friend rode her dressage patterns. There is something relaxing about being surrounded by horses and the smell of dust and hay. For a brief period it's like a step into another world, that offers relaxation through work and peaceful solitude. It was a great place to pray, and having concerns on my mind, pray I did.


When my friend finished she gave a lesson. This is the third time I've ridden him. I've been riding for less than a year, but every new horse I ride I often feel like it's again my first lesson. Leo, was no different. However, little by little I'm beginning to feel comfortable on him. Trained up to a second level dressage horse, none-the-less, my lack of ability to communicate has kept our progress slow. But he is willing to listen, and I'm willing to learn, so even though there were some miscues, and he wanted to head toward the gate we both stayed focus and ended up having a good ride. (A good ride relative to my experience level.)


While we worked on circles and straight lines, the foundation for many dressage patterns, I tried to keep coordinated and make sure that my hips and shoulders were moving in the same direction. It's not as easy as it sounds, but I felt good about my efforts, and enjoyed the opportunity.