Cool Down {open}

It was the last round in the day, and of course, all eyes were on me and Pie to see if we'd knock over any rails again. In our defense though, that last rail had caught us off guard, and I just hadn't put enough effort behind my squeeze since, well, let's get serious here, all the blame for that certainly is on me and not my horse. Collecting my reins, I nudged Pie forward with my heels, asking him for a trot before going into a canter. We handled the first three jumps with ease, and had one that was a near knock down before approaching the final. In my head, I counted the strides and then squeezed Pie, urging him over it. His ears twitched at the command but then he took a leap of faith, tucking his legs underneath him and we went right over with a triumphant land on the other side. It was in that moment where I just felt myself smile as I pulled back on the reins, bringing Pie back down to a walk. Getting the nod of approval, the class was released and so I dismounted, bringing Pie back to his stall. After untacking him though, I decided that he needed a bit more of a reward than that, "Hey, how about a nice path?" I asked him now, stroking his large neck as I took him to the wash stall and did the cross ties. Pie watched me curiously as I dumped a bucket of water on his back and dribbled some more around his neck. Watching the water cascade and roll down his sides for a moment, I then took to shampoo, lathering up the suds. A content sigh escaped my horse now and I couldn't help but to laugh, "Enjoying yourself, huh?"