Back to riding and so far, so good...

A beautiful post-storm sunset (and a soaked outdoor arena).

...knock on wood!  I resumed riding Limerick regularly the week of the Kentucky Derby. I have ridden her an average of twice a week since that time, all in the indoor arena.

I don't remember the last time I rode her regularly. It was probably late last summer, before the avalanche of problems and snow of fall and winter. This means she is out of shape, and given her age--23--I have been easing her back into regular work very slowly. My primary focus for now is getting her to move forward nicely and use her back. That's it--no fancy footwork.

Since the insects are bad and she can get worked up in the outdoor arena during the first few rides there, I have not yet ridden in that big sandy oval and I am really missing it! The indoor arena is okay but it's small, spooky, and full of endlessly squawking pigeons and starlings. And frankly, boring.

I was going to ride in the outdoor arena this evening but isolated thunderstorms moved through earlier, drenching the area yet again, so it's probably an unusable quagmire. We'll see.