Training: Scary indoor riding.

Tonight was super windy so I thought it was the perfect time to get Max in the indoor to see if he could mentally handle all the noise and ruckus. It was our first time riding in there at night, and on a stormy night to boot.

The indoor is a coverall which is awesome for staying warm and keeping the wind out. On the other hand it is loud! The shutters were banging, the big metal door clanged and creaked, there was the occasional thump from debris being blown about, and the wind moaned and groaned all around us. It literally sounded like a zombie attack..which I guess is appropriate for Halloween.

Max was a real ghost buster tonight and I'm so very proud of him. He lost his mind just once while I was prepping him at the mounting block. His behind was facing the metal door and when it gave a big clatter he spun around, his eyes bulging! Poor fellow. He came to his senses in a couple of seconds though and I turned him around and hopped on.

Needless to say he was forward. He would move nicely off my leg and the canter departs hardly needed any aids. He'd just go. We did a lot of serpentines and circles, with lots of over flexing to keep his mind focused on work. There was one huge bang that startled him and I could literally feel him ready to take off, then almost like he checked himself, he went back to work. Seriously...such a good dude!

I felt like we could head out into the old west and ride across the plains on a stormy night on some urgent errand, protecting each other from danger. I am indeed so blessed to have found such a wonderful riding partner!