We welcome Fitz into our lives – a 4-year-old buckskin Quarter Horse with a good start and loads of potential.
Horse Thoughts
Nine Rides in a Row
It’s funny how sometimes a change that feels tough can work out for the best. It turns out selling Laredo was one of the better horse-related decisions we’ve made in a good long while. Though letting him go felt so sad and so hard at the time, the results, so far, have been positive. First,… Read more »
The Kid Lands in Paradise
When we bought Laredo in 2012, the plan was to keep him for a couple of years, get him going nicely, and find him a good home when we he was ready. He was our first foray into “project horse” territory. In retrospect we had more to learn about working with young horses than we… Read more »
Ranch Dog Tales: Is Dots a Nevada Fuzzy?
The ranch dogs on the Tipped Z are a mix of many breeds similar to the Idaho Shag and Nevada Fuzzy. They were developed over generations to be gritty, resourceful, and tough while working cattle and horses and providing companionship.
Oh hai 2019!
Well. It’s 2019. We are 1.5 months in and wow. It’s been a doozy. I think I can safely say I have spent less time with horses in the last eight weeks than at any point since I purchased Steen. The only other time that even comes close to comparing was my honeymoon, when Brian… Read more »
Bareback Prescription
Someone kicked Steen in the belly so we’re once again not able to use a saddle for a while.
Nagging Legs
Horses can learn to lean on nagging leg pressure, leading to a need for habitual shoring up by the rider.
Sunburn Season: aka Paint Horse Problems
Particularly in the late summer, my Paint Steen is vulnerably to getting a sunburn on his white skin. So sometimes we gotta ditch the saddle.
Piper Goes Home
It goes without saying that we get attached to our horses. In the past, when we’ve taken in projects with the intention of giving a horse a tune-up or filling in some gaps in their education, we’ve always managed to complete that process in a year or less. That’s a short enough time that while… Read more »
Our Bit vs Bitless Philosophy
There’s a lot of discussion about bit vs bitless as if these two methods of communicating with a horse must be mutually exclusive.