Cooper Needed Riding Gear

Cooper's first year riding was really nice.  It felt good not to have to leave him home.  I had struggled with that thought through the winter.  I was afraid I would be leaving him home a lot with my mother, who pays poor attention to his training.  It worked out that not only was he no problem, he had been an expected attendee on our rides by most members.

We had a great riding season.  We had ridden over 5,000 miles.  Most of those miles I had been accompanied by Cooper.   Autumn was upon us and though days were really warm, the nights would get chilly.  One weekend that Fall, we had stayed with some other Women On Wheels® members for a weekend get away in western MA.  The weather had been beautiful and the weekend was a great success.   Cooper went along with whatever we wanted to do.  He was just happy to be with us.

We had gotten off to a late start going home.  The days had been beautiful, but when the sun went down it got really chilly.  We were really trying to just get home at this point.  I had to use a rest room in the worst way, so we stopped at a gas station.  Jesse ran in to get the key for me to go, and I ran in.  When I came back out of the bathroom, Jesse was sitting on my bike hugging Cooper who was crying.  I hadn't noticed because we were riding, but he was so cold he was shivering.  The poor little thing.  I had no idea how long he had been too cold for comfort.  To tell this story still makes me sad.  The poor thing was so cold with his thin hair that just a sweat shirt wasn't enough to keep him comfortable.  

I didn't have enough clothes with us to put on him to keep him warm.  I'm not a  person who likes to dress my dog up, so I didn't have a lot of stuff to bring in the first place.  Thankfully we were only 10 minutes from home at this point.  I wrapped the seat cover around him to try to keep him covered, and we set out to get straight home as soon as we could.  Cooper warmed up fast when we got him home.  He holds no grudge of course, but we still felt terrible.  We had to face the fact that we were going to have to get him some appropriate clothes for riding.  

The next day, Monday, I got a PetEdge magazine in the mail.  As I was looking through it, I found the most perfect thing for Cooper's riding wardrobe.  They had a black and blue snow suit.  The hood and back legs zipped off so it becomes just a jacket.  The chest had velcro for easy on and off.  What an Awesome find!  It was perfect for what he needed.  I called and ordered it right away.  I think it was only $25.00 plus shipping. 

If I remember correctly, it was Thursday when the snow suit came in the mail.  I was surprised at how fast they shipped it.  It was a PERFECT FIT!  The weight of the suit was great.  It was nice and light but puffy to help hold in the warmth and keep the cold air off him.  It looked like a riding outfit complete with chaps.  The sleeves and legs were perfect length for him too.  Cooper didn't mind wearing it if he was cold.  He usually doesn't like to wear things unless he's been wearing it for a while.  Then when you take it off he wants it back on.  It's strange, I know.  It seems as if he likes things to stay the same, either on or off.

I'm sure I don't have to tell you that this extended Cooper's riding season.  We've still had to add to his riding gear.  This was only the first of a few essential articles of clothing Cooper would need to keep his riding safe and comfortable.  Some of the things we could buy.  Some of the things I had to make.  Other things were born out of desperation and worked too well to ignore, even if it does look silly.  Another blog post explaining all Cooper's riding clothes will be a treat for you.  I don't have pictures of all of it yet, so I couldn't show you now anyhow.  Wait till you see though.  I think you're in for a good laugh.