Zelda hates bugs. She hates bugs more than any other horse I’ve ridden. The days when we are beset with deer flies she bucks and stamps and shakes her head even if she is literally dipped in fly spray before we leave!

Mostly I’ve been riding her in the dressage ring at the barn or in one of the fields. The bugs aren’t so bad there. At least the occasional buck is tolerable.

So it was a relief to go out for a ride today. No humidity and no bugs! I could have ridden for hours. As it was, I logged about five or six miles on Zelda and then another 11.5 on a bike peddling with my daughter.

Having been kept of the trails by the bugs, everything seemed fresh and new.

I did a nice loop around Hutchins Pond, which is a reservoir near my barn. Water levels are very low right now, so areas that were too marshy or wet to ride in are easily crossed. We encountered a new, scary bridge on our trip. It took Zelda a few minutes of thinking about it before she would cross. Of course, there was a man and his dog there. Both seemed pretty amused that a simple bridge would cause such consternation.