Who are you?

I've ridden Moon more since his move to W's then ever before. I've wondered, as many of you have, if he needs a day off or if the 1 hour of work he has to put in is really that tiring?

Last Wednesday he had his lesson, Thursday he spent two hours walking in the park, Friday 4 hours going up and down hills, and Saturday and Sunday just over an hour doing ring work. Ditto on tomorrow. Tuesday, another trail ride, Wednesday lesson, Thursday hopefully one last ring ride before I leave for Thanksgiving holidays. 9 days of riding.

When I met Moon in the spring of 2010 he was a tubby little quarter horse. Steady but perhaps a bit flighty. I pretty instantly felt safe and secure on him. He was the kind of horse that spooked on the spot. He had a love for running, but not for running away. He was tolerant, energetic but a little lazy. Everything that was necessary in a horse that I needed.

I still remember going out to see him in January for the first time after learning he was mine. His faults shone brightly, the dipped back, the haybelly, the excess fat and the overgrown hooves. He ran with his head in the air. I wasn't sure if he could develop into more then what he was, but still, in all of that lay the personality and the heart that drew me to him in the first place. Curious but apprehensive, a horse with a desire to experience freedom but never leave me behind.

He is today, the same horse at heart. But he is also not the same horse. I never before realized how much learning, building muscle and having new experiences could enhance a horse. He's not changed. He's grown.

Every time I'm on him lately, I feel a horse that grows stronger, more capable and more athletic then the time before. He can trot and trot and trot now, hardly breaking a sweat. He loves to canter long distances, and will truly gallop. I think that he FEELs good. Healthy.

I've noticed that after a ride, his tendons are super tight. He seems softer and more flexible. That's when he finally starts to run out of a little energy. He still has go.

When I look at him in W's paddock, I don't see the same horse I saw last summer. And I'm so proud of that fact. Heck, people even ask me what his breed is sometimes, as gone is the stocky QH. He is to me, gorgeous. And not because of how he looks, but because who we have become together. And every day, I'm excited to go out and ride with him.