If you can't dance, have fun in the sun!

Stella might not be a suitable 'dancing partner' for dressage but of course we still 'partner,' sometimes schooling in the arena and sometimes riding around the hill. My goal continues to be riding her in a way  that preserves and promotes long-term soundness and encourages relaxation. To do that, I have to keep the bugs out of her ears. The 'ear gnats' are really bad this year and I haven't found a repellant that works great, so when we're riding I use this ear bonnet:

Another goal is to increase Stella's and my levels of enjoyment. To that end, at the end of June I reached out to an acquaintance who in the past has posted photos from endurance training rides, wondering if she ever rides close to home and if she'd like company. She responded that she has lost all her riding buddies and would love to put on some miles with someone! We compared schedules and within a week, met up at Perrydale Trails on a gorgeous afternoon. Besides availing ourselves of the many obstacles to ride on/over/through, we spent quite a bit of time just riding the trails through the overgrown Christmas trees and along the mowed fields, putting on miles.

Christine and Lark check out one of the water obstacles

Stella and I consider the 'curtain' of hard plastic slats

Christine and Lark check out the fake llama

Two weeks later, we hauled our horses to Pacific City on another perfect day for a ride. This was Stella's first experience at the coast, and she was AWESOME. 😁

Teamwork makes the dream work; Christine's truck and my trailer

We crested the dune and Stella got her first look at an ocean

Christine & Lark on the right; a lady who came by herself on the left

Stella's ears show her uncertainty in spite of Lark's example

getting better!

Christine kindly took the following photos of Stella and me, documenting our progress from "ocean observant" to bombing through the shallows. Stella loves to go, so she really seemed to relish the long stretches of trotting (and some cantering).

After reaching the bay to the south, shown above, we turned around and headed back. Stella still had a lot  of "go," but – dare I say it? She actually r-e-l-a-x-e-d a little!

heading back through the trees to the parking lot

This was my first beach ride in years, and it made me SO happy. The only thing that could have made it better would have been an outgoing tide for a broader swath of packed sand to ride on, but with Stella's willingness to get her feet wet, we managed just fine. How I would love to live close enough to do this every week!

Our next ride with Christine will have to wait until mid-August after she returns from a trip. In the meantime, the two rides we've had have helped my outlook immensely, and given me more to look forward to with my beautiful, hot mare.