Double whuffle, day of rest

This English "summer" is giving me the pip!

Another day, started off fine and bright, for moments, it seemed, and then the wind picked up and the heavens opened. More rain, and more rain and still more rain.

Got to the yard around half two, running late because of working a bit of overtime and then a few errands to run. And while I ran, I thought about Max, and what we could do in this bad weather.

I've been wanting to try a bit of riding in his Dually, in the safety of the indoor school, but my back isn't up to riding yet, and the thought of another dusty session going round and round in circles at trot didn't thrill me, and I knew Max wouldn't be keen either.

So, I weighed things up, went home and had some lunch and decided what would suit both of us, but especially Max, would be to just let him go be a horse for the afternoon.

I had a day off from both my jobs yesterday, and as a consequence spent three hours with my boy, over an hour of which was in the school, long-lining, and then in hand. That's a lot of schooling for him in one go, and I thought he was reaching saturation point.

Whenever we try something new, a new bit, a new technique, a new head collar, he is grand for the first few days, and then, as he gets used to it, he loses his enthusiasm. I can understand that. Yesterday, he lacked energy, and I had to really chase after him to keep him moving. He'd trot on whenn asked, then sigh and settle down to a poky walk.

"Move on, sir!" I'd bark.

"Move on your own self!" he'd harrumph back.

So a break is a good idea at this point. If I could have ridden him out, I would have. A walk in hand? Well yes, perhaps we should have gritted out teeth against the wind and rain, but we'd both have been pretty miserable, and what's the point in that?

I was prepared to change my mind if he looked really eager to play. I approached his box and saw him head down, eating straw. His head snapped up at my approach and he gave me a welcoming whuffle.

I was empty handed, bar a cut up pear to throw in his feed bowl after I'd checked him over. Went to get a handful of pony nuts to see him through a bit of clicker training picking his feet up, and when I returned, another gentle whuffle.

I looked at his eyes, his stance, assessed his vibe and thought, yes, an early release to his field was exactly what was called for.

Hopefully the weather will improve a bit soon, and we can start playing in the sunshine again. As I type, the rain has let up, the sun is trying to peek through. I left Max in a contented huddle with his three field mates, so I hope he enjoys his lazy afternoon with nobody asking him to do anything but be a horse.