Stiff

November 17, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

Today I rode again in the hackamore. Things overall went fine, except for one thing. Overall, Steen was quite stiff in the neck. He wasn't stiff when I asked for a big bend, only when bending through shallow turns. He was moving nicely through his body, but it felt like his neck was just rigid.

We worked on all sorts of things, and he was great with all of them, except for the fact that his neck was stiff. So I'm not sure what to make of it. There is no doubt that the bosal exerts a different kind of pressure than a bit does, so it might just be that he is adjusting and needs more time. Also, it was much colder today than yesterday and I didn't feel I was riding quite as well, so that could...

Birthday Hackamore

Robin

November 15, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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Today I turned 30, and just about the first thing I did was open a box from my husband containing this:

For the curious, it's a 16 plait rawhide bosal with 22' mane hair mecate on a simple leather bosal hanger. This is what followers of the vaquero horesmanship tradition move their horses into after the snaffle but before the half-breed bit that will eventually prepare the horse for the spade. A month or two ago, I did not think Steen was anywhere near ready to move into a hackamore, but lately we've been making so much progress I began to think that when the weather confines us to the indoor arena for a few months, getting St...

Two Rides in the Pasture

Robin

November 14, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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We had a weekend that was warm, but windy. We decided, nevertheless, to take advantage of the balmy temps and drier footing and head back out into the big pasture for a couple rides. Steen was good both days -- better than he has been in our last forays out in this larger space. The first ride we stayed along the bottom of the gully, walking around and doing more focused work at intervals. Brian's big goal for the weekend was to get Bear to start to give him the soft feel at the walk. It is interesting to see the difference between how Bear and Steen are taking to some of the new concepts we've incorporated into our riding style lately. Steen is very responsive and reactive by nature, so when I ask for something new he gives all sorts of different responses until he lands on the one I want and gets the release. This means he tends to pick up on new concepts quickly, though conversely ...

Rewugged

Robin

November 8, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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We've got a storm system rolling in that is supposed to drop a lot of freezing rain and snow over the next couple of days. The wet psuedo-freezing temps have historically been harder on Steen than any other kind of weather, so yesterday I spent the morning repairing a hole in the lining of his blanket and another on the butt, and then I drove out to get him dressed up for winter.

Unlike last year, the return of the blanket didn't give rise to a single shy or snort. Steen didn't seem in the least worried about having it on again, although a couple of the other pasture horses got overly curious and were following him around staring when I turned him back out.

Winter Prep Project

Robin

November 6, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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Although this fall has so far been mild, I know the cold will set in any day. I want to do a better job riding through the winter this year. To that end, this weekend I finally sat down to make something I've been thinking about putting together for about two years. I gathered my materials - scrap fabric, sewing machine, bag of white rice, and a cup of tea. Brian was on hand to consult with over design specifics, and before too long I had created a couple bit warmers.

Basically they are just quilted tubes of fleecy fabric full of rice. Before heading to the barn we popped one in the microwave. The rice heats up in about a minute and holds ...

Long Saturday Ride

Robin

November 6, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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We rode on the strip again today. It was windy and chilly and Steen was a bit restless during grooming, tacking, and even walking outside. I was initially afraid he was going to be spooky. I started out with a bit of groundwork as usual, and today he really wasn't interested in moving off the slobber strap when I asked him to back, so like yesterday I just waited. He tried to look over at something by the machine shed and then to where Brian was with Bear and then finally he sighed and tucked his head and took a step back.

After that he was great. For the majority of the ride he was as good as yesterday, and I rode one-handed for quite a while at the walk and trot, trying to involve my hands as little as possible. That went quite well and he was surprisingly responsive to the rein on his neck considering I've been mostly two-hand...

Fabulous Lope

Robin

November 5, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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The weather has continued fair but Brian and I have been a tad sick. I don't get sick often, and sometimes it seems like I get almost sick. That's how I've been this week. I don't have any overt symptoms, but then when I exert myself I bit I revert briefly to feeling awful.

It was also the busiest week the Brown Wing Studio has had in several months, and while this is a good thing overall, it meant I worked a few 10 hours days. It's hard to fit a horseback ride in when that happens.

Today, though, Brian and I were determined to get out there. The weather was nice when we arrived. Steen is not nearly as into the bale as Bear is, which means he comes to me when he sees me during the winter. That's always nice, even though I know the behavior will disappear as soon he's back out on 13 acres of lush grass in the spring.

We rode on the strip again, si...

On Learning

Robin

October 31, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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Last week we didn't ride as much as we have been, mainly because we had the vet out to float teeth on Tuesday and we wanted to give the horses' mouths a break after that. Then went to Chicago for the weekend. So I have three rides to cover today. We rode last Sunday, Tuesday before the vet arrived, and again yesterday. Each time we rode on the strip. Each time Steen was quite good. Last Sunday there was a big tractor taking up our prime loping space, but the last two rides we've worked on the lope as well as the walk and trot. We've been working on getting the soft feel at the walk, which Steen is finally starting to give with at least some degree of consistency. We've also been working on transitions a lot. He still picks up the trot unasked from time to time, but it is nothing like the epidemic it was a few weeks ago.

Temporary Reprieve

Robin

October 21, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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Today we rode on the strip for the first time in ages. It was nice out - sunny and 60. It felt great after our last uncomfortable ride. Steen was awesome. He's always his calmest when he's slightly too warm, and although he was stiff on the slobber strap in the beginning he softened right up with a few minutes of groundwork and was great the whole ride. I spent a lot of time working on steering at the walk and trot with minimal use of the reins. He's definitely understanding how to listen to my legs with more precision, and that more pressure on the outside forehand means turns sharper, not go faster, so I was able to really vary my circles without much use of my hands. We also spent a long time continuing to work on disengaging the hindquarters without the reins, and made a lot of progress. By the end of the day I could sit with my hands on the pommel, pick up a leg and touch him bac...

Cold Snap

Robin

October 20, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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We had a few days of pretty chilly temps, but on Tuesday Brian and I decided to ride anyway. It wasn't that cold, according to the thermometer, but the wind was just bitter. Both herds were riled up when we arrived, particularly the stall herd was just tearing around in their pasture. We tacked up indoors and went outside to mount. Steen had that wired felling he sometimes gets, but was actually very good at standing and listening. We didn't push our boundaries since Brian's wrist is still bothering him and everyone was already keyed up. We rode in the outdoor arena. I've been continuing to work on teaching Steen to disengage his hindquarters in response to only a leg cue, which is turning out to be a really great thing for him since particularly when he's antsy he's inclined to respond to any touch with "forward" or "faster." We also trotted a fair bit and he w...