Winters in New England, while beautiful, can be brutal. I think it’s safe to say that riders everywhere in my area are getting excited to ride outside after the winter that never seemed to end. This past weekend, I had a chance to ride Nemo outside for the first time since fall, and while those first rides can be a bit challenging, we had so much fun.

As we got to the barn, I was so excited to find that it was just about 60 degrees out and I could ride without a jacket. This is always such an awesome feeling, and after a long winter, gives hope that summer is on its way. I walked out to Nemo’s paddock, and found him happily sunbathing, clearly enjoying the warm weather too. We walked into the barn, and I realized I had my work cut out for me.

Nemo always seems to be the last horse to start shedding at the barn. He also has a super fluffy, dense Morgan winter coat, and this past weekend, it finally started letting go and shedding out. Needless to say, I spent quite a bit of time currying him, and getting as much hair off of him, (and as little on me and in my car) as possible. I always love watching his ears and facial expressions as I give him a thorough grooming; he always looks so happy and content when I catch his “itchy spots” especially under his long double mane. Next, I brushed him off, and started tacking up. I couldn’t wait to get outside.

One of the many things I love about my barn, is that I always have a friend to ride with. This past weekend was no exception, and we were all there ready to ride and enjoy the awesome weather. As we headed to the outdoor ring, I noticed Nemo was particularly energetic, as he arched his neck up over me and started prancing next to me. As riders, we all know horses can be particularly excitable during weather changes, and for the first outside ride of spring, so I made sure to start planning ideas for my ride at that moment.

Nemo had spent the winter riding in the indoor, with little outside distractions, so I knew he’d have a lot to look at today. We have woods along the side and back of the outdoor arena, and Nemo has a knack for finding something, anything (including chipmunks, squirrels, and falling leaves) to spook at. Knowing this, I planned to keep his energy focused on me, and work on circles, bending, flexion, riding quarter lines, and really any other arena exercises I could think of to work on to keep him moving forward and focused. This is a great way to keep his attention on me, and keep his mind focused on the task at hand. After fifteen minutes, he was more relaxed, so I started incorporating some canter work in. He can get quick at the canter, so I also made sure to do lots of transitions to keep his weight on his hindquarters and his attention on me.

As I was riding, I couldn’t help but notice that, even though Nemo was excited and animated, he was trying hard to focus in on me and the task at hand. His ears were perked forward, and I could feel him grinning and just being happy to be outside on a beautiful day. This is something I try to be sure to focus on when we have a ride that may be particularly challenging, or a new setting for him, and I stay tuned in to his attitude, and also his willingness and honest attempt at the task at hand. While he was a bit quick at times, I could tell he was really tuned into me and trying, and he was genuinely happy to be outside, which made me happy.

We ended the ride with jumping a few fences; Nemo’s favorite, and heading out on the ¼ mile track to cool out. While I was cooling Nemo out, I couldn’t help but grin along with him, knowing that we had a great ride, with beautiful weather, and that it is only going to get nicer as we head towards summer. All in all, it was a really fun day, and a great ride.