sunshine & butterflies

Just a few days ago I posted about Koda's progress, and how much I was looking forward to riding outside...who knew that day would come so soon! Saturday's forecast was cloudy and 50's (F), which in Wisconsin means - bring layers. By the time we got to the barn, the sun started peaking out and it was pretty clear that the forecast was wrong...

riding in the sunshine

As we headed to the outdoor, I couldn't help but think "it's Spring, first time riding outside, the potential for crazy is higher..." but that quickly subsided. Sure makes a person wonder, where do those darn fear thoughts stem from?! I had no reason to think them up. Koda had been very sweet as his legs cooked (referring to when Koda wears his hocks wraps) and even gave me one of his extended horsey hugs. It's amazing how heavy horses heads are! Regardless we started our ride cautiously. Koda was really good. We added 5 minutes to our time under saddle and spent a glorious 35 minutes riding in the sunshine! 

Everyone was so happy to be outdoors, look at all the room. I'm not even taking the photo close to the rail. There is plenty of room to not be in the way when a lesson is going on. It helps me focus on what I am trying to achieve vs trying to stay out of the way.

Brad riding Cierra,
our trainer with her dog Happy curled up sleeping in the sun,
and Nemo in the pasture pretending not to watch...

when in fact, Nemo is keeping a close eye on his human

What happened after our ride is something that makes my heart sing, maybe even more then riding...stay tuned for part two.