Taking a deep breath

It’s after noon on January 20, 2021. Joe Biden is officially President of the United States, currently delivering an excellent inaugural address. I spent the morning cleaning my house and blitzing through various small tasks – and breathing.

There is a soft, thick snow coming down outside. The storm over the weekend stuck to the trees, and everything looks like a postcard.

Last night, I had a very good ride: just a bareback pad and a quarter sheet, mostly at the walk, but focusing on staying soft and marching in contact. My homework from my lesson was to work on soft flexion, lots of giving. During our walk break we worked on deep long stretching, and then when I picked him up again and asked for trot, sitting soft but deep, he just…flexed and stepped up through his withers, light and happy.

It was a good feeling. All of this is a good feeling.