Between Laredo’s fatigue and Bear’s tight back (and Steen’s ripped up leg), we thought it would be best to give everyone a couple days off. Monday I went out on my own to clean Steen’s leg. All three of our horses came to me as soon as they saw me at the gate, leaving the… Read more »
Horse Thoughts
Bear Time
Steen Update: The sunburn is much better. The leg is making progress. Slow progress, but progress nonetheless. Today, I rode Bear. I don’t ride Bear very often. When we first got him, I only rode him when Brian was having some kind of trouble with him. Since that has stopped happening, I’ve more less stopped… Read more »
Low on Energy
Normally when one of us rides Laredo for a while, the other one sees some huge improvement when they get to ride him again. With Steen healing from his leg wound, Robin has spent the last week getting some awesome rides on Laredo. Today we decided to switch, and I was really looking forward to… Read more »
The Kid is Pooped
We’ve had a warm fall, and of our three horses Laredo seems the most inclined to put on a long, thick winter coat the fastest. That means with the sun out and the days warm, he’s been a little hot. Even in the best of times, Laredo isn’t a horse with energy to spare. This… Read more »
Making It Happen, And Staying Soft
When I first saw Buck in Decorah last September, there were a number of things that stood out to me, but one of the big ones was the idea that you always give the horse a good deal (with less pressure than you think it will take), and if that doesn’t work, you make it… Read more »
The Mid-Week Rides
This week was warm, dry, and sunny, and I got out to the barn everyday except Thursday. On Monday we spent so much time with Steen we didn’t end up riding, but I got some nice rides on Bear the other days. Tuesday was a fun ride. We played cow again with Robin on Laredo. … Read more »
On the Mend
This morning I went out to rescue Steen from the sun before it could do any damage to his new skin. It was a cool morning, but not cold. I went into the pasture armed with two feed pans and a halter. I reached Laredo first, and gave him his snack. Then I continued down… Read more »
Two Rides on Laredo
On Monday we went out thinking we might ride, but ended up mostly just hanging out with Steen. Cleaning his side and leg take a long time, and then he has to dry off a good deal before we can put the Thuja Zinc on again. Since he can’t be in the sun, that limits… Read more »
A Long Weekend Report
I took Friday off because my parents were in town. They have not visited for about a year, so it was fun for us to hang out and spend a lot of time at the barn. Friday was cold and windy. We woke up to a damp day and then it just got wetter. It… Read more »
So Much Pink
It’s been a busy week. Lots of barn time, no riding. On Thursday I basically only went out long enough to bring Steen in and apply more Thuja-Zinc to his burns. I felt bad doing so little as he was clearly very bummed out and not at all happy to be put back into his… Read more »