Steen the Irritating

June 1, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

On Monday we rode again on the strip. I went bareback and Steen started out being very good, but over the course of the ride his behavior sort of devolved. The main thing he was doing was wanting to jog. Constantly. Any time I tried to put him down into a walk he'd just keep jogging until I made him lurch around in little circles for many, many rotations. Then the moment I let him go straight again, he'd start jogging again.

I don't know why he does this sometimes. It's not like he's trying to run away. He just shifts into a smooth little jog and refuses to come back to a walk. It drives me absolutely crazy because I can't figure out why he does it or how to get him to stop. On Monday it really hit a nerve for some reason, and I found myself rapidly losing my temper. Getting mad at a horse is pretty much always counter-productive, so I hopped off and did some groundwork on ...

Two Indoor Rides

Robin

May 29, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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Friday we had family in town, so didn't make it out to the barn. On Saturday we went out in the morning and rode for about an hour in the indoor arena. I went in the dressage saddle, and again Steen started out a tad nervous. There were a couple spots where he would always try to come off the rail and his trot stayed much faster than usual. He did settle down over the course of the ride, and was great about standing. We spent a while tucked in the corner while Brian loped Bear around. Then we were joined in the arena by Gay and Doc. As I've mentioned before, three horses in our little indoor can be a tight fit, but Steen was feeling settled and willing at that point and I really wanted to lope, so I pushed him into the faster gait and he moved into it without hesitation. He stayed very smooth as we loped around, steering through narrow spaces between Bear and Doc a couple of times. I ...

Dressage Day!

Robin

May 27, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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Today I met my friend Jean out at the barn. We hadn't ridden together since Schooley had to be put down, but since Bear is pretty settled in now, it seemed high time to get her out for a ride on our two boys. Since Steen currently has no saddle that will fit him, she came with three dressage saddles and some time to play. One saddle fit Steen very well, and another fit Bear passably well.

Steen wondering what the deal is with this strange saddle

Jean started out on Bear, and while I expected the two of them to get along really well, Bear seemed a tad Read more

Hacked

Robin

May 24, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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With my new saddle theoretically due any day now, Brian and I decided it might be nice to have a spare saddle that will fit Steen in case we have guests who are good riders but perhaps not comfortable in a treeless saddle. We've been watching ebay, and late last week we made our move. We picked up what looks to be a pretty nice saddle that is also pretty old and worn but built on a good tree, hoping it would suit our purposes. Today we hauled it out to the barn to see what Steen thought of it. At first things went well. He didn't mind the tacking process, and when I let him out to the strip, he stood quietly after I mounted. Then I put my feet in the stirrups. My right knee has been a problem for me almost as long as I've ridden horses. With stirrups that are too short, it causes me a good deal of pain. One moment with my foot in the right stirrup on the new saddle clearly indi...

Super Mellow Ride

Robin

May 22, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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Vacation can be wonderful and tiring at the same time, so Brian and I found ourselves too worn out to go to the barn on Friday. Today, however, both Bear and Steen seemed very happy to see us, coming to meet us at the gate. Steen's left front foot has gotten weirdly splayed and spread out since his last pedicure, and today he was missing a biggish chunk from one side and had another fairly developed tear on the other. If the farrier wasn't coming tomorrow, I'd have called him, but as it was I decided just to keep things very mellow. Luckily, Steen was totally in support of my plan, so we had an easy half-hour ride, walking and trotting on the strip. We worked on our usual things: leg-yields, circles, and standing. It was a beautiful day, with a blue sky and fluffy clouds. It was great to be out with the horses. After the ride we turned them back out in the pasture. They were in ...

Familiar and Content

Robin

May 19, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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As much as it was fun to work with Jak and Rojo while we were in Tucson, it was really pretty wonderful to see our boys again this morning. The herd was way out in the pasture, and as Brian and I hiked out to them Steen saw us and started to walk in our direction. Nadir was grazing right next to him, and decided to go where Steen was going. Their movement caught Star's interest, and she came racing down the hillside with Cowboy in hot pursuit. The commotion resulted in an all-out stampede up to the the waterer in the winter lot. Steen and Bear, of course, participated in the mad rush. So Brian and I turned around with our empty halters and headed back to the barn. Of course we didn't have any trouble catching them once their entire herd wasn't running somewhere, and they were both great for grooming and tacking. They are both looking on the round side of a nice, healthy weight. Read more

Horse Hopping

Robin

May 19, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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Although my mom and my sister each have a horse, lately neither of them has had much opportunity to ride. My sister's horse, Jak, is happily one of those rare horses who doesn't seem to backslide much even when left standing for long periods of time. He is sometimes a total goofball and maybe a little bit of a punk, but he's never bad.

Jak sneaking a mesquite leaf while Meryl sits on his back

My mom's horse, Rojo, has a rather more complicated history. She got him several years ago and had a few problems with him early on. One major one is Rojo seems particularly prone to becoming buddy sour. Leavi...

Saddle Care

Robin

May 19, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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We're back in town after a trip out to AZ to visit my family. We were mostly there to socialize with people, but we had a few horse-related goals as well.

First, conditioning Brian's new saddle in past weeks has caused me to suffer some pangs of guilt regarding the old saddle I used on my first horse and now my sister uses on Jak. My parents bought it for me over 15 years ago, and in the time I have dusted it off regularly, cleaned it once, and been caught in several thunderstorms while riding in it. But I was a kid when it was mine, and since I sold my first horse have mostly not been living at home, and nobody else has taken the time to care for it either.

So, it was with some dismay that Brian and I looked it over. I wish we'd taken a 'before' shot. It was covered in dust. The leather of t...

Wet Backs and Baths

Robin

May 14, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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We started our barn visit today with more baby time. I am rather astounded at how quickly Whisper is growing and becoming physically coordinated. He now spends a fair bit of time trying to get his mother to race around with him. I have yet to see him succeed, but he's pretty entertaining to watch when he's trying.

We pulled the boys from the pasture, and my first thought when I saw Bear was that he's looking lean. I guess all the loping has induced a metabolic shift, because he's really not carrying much a gut these days. He looks great, even though he's eating as much as...

The Hind End

Robin

May 11, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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We had to delay our barn outing this afternoon, as a storm rolled in right as Brian got off work. We consoled ourselves with the knowledge that it stays light late this time of year. It turns out it was worth the wait. By the time we reached the barn, temps had fallen and there was just enough breeze to keep the air moving. I went into the pasture and Steen nickered at me when I reached him. I am completely certain he's never done that before. It sure warms the heart to feel like your horse is happy to see you. The footing was great on the strip, and after our last ride in the outdoor arena I was really appreciating the extra space. My goal today was to keep Steen focused and to pay a lot of attention to his hindquarters. I once read the phrase, "If you control the hindquarters, you control the horse." It's definitely true that when Steen is resisting, he does it with his butt. ...