Today there was a wind advisory all day long, and we had winds pushing 40 mph. I waited until about 4:00 when things had died down enough that no more branches were likely to fall down during our ride. I planned to play it by ear and not do anything ambitious.
Maddie came out calm and was a pleasure to tack up. Chuck had a lawnmower in pieces right outside the stable and she basically paid it no mind, including when he started it up while she was in the cross ties. I'm really pleased she can handle this stuff now. Riding out she was tuned up but sensible. At this point I can keep her on a very loose rein and trust her, which really helps. Riding a nervous horse can be a "chicken and egg" question, where you need to give the horse the benefit of a loose rein in order to relax, but giving it a lot of rein can mean it will take longer to rein it in if it bolts.
We worked in the woods bending around trees, then went into the smaller hay fields behind the stable where the wind was partially blocked. We did a lot of canter departs, working on picking up leads on a straight line. At this point, my riding skills are more of a limitation than her training level. But I could mostly get the leads I was asking for.
She walked and trotted past a bunch of spooky spots with ease. I did a lot of shoulder in and haunches in, and also zig zag half pass when the trail was wide enough. She is starting to give me lateral work at the trot. Funny, she would not back well today, which I think is a challenge when she is wanting to bolt on a windy day.
Walking through the woods she danced once or twice over small twigs. This is one hole in her schooling--she is still ticklish on her undercarriage. On a calmer day I need to hop off and rub her with some branches again.
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