2016 is well and truly over, which is a little hard to believe. And part of the reason for my silence on this blog is things have been tough going for us as far as the horses have been concerned for the last many months. Looking back at my stats, I spent only about 100… Read more »
Horse Thoughts
Writing about Riding
I find myself struggling with this blog lately. Not due to lack of material. We’ve got plenty going on at the barn lately. This week, we’ve gone out a couple of times after work. On Tuesday, I rode Buttercup and Brian rode Stormy. Yesterday, I rode Stormy. Brian worked with King and his owner. King?… Read more »
A Navicular Diagnosis
When I started Piper in early 2015, she was sound. However, as we moved past the first few rides and got going a little, at times I felt she was a little off at the trot. It was always really hard to pin down, or even be sure of. Some days it was maybe, maybe… Read more »
Horse Wisdom: Taking What the Horse Offers
As much as I learn from people on a regular basis, it is always somehow the horse that provides the ultimate wisdom in the moment the lesson really solidifies. Two rides on Nevada I thought I had a great ride on Nevada last Saturday, but Sunday’s left it in the dust. Nevada and I had… Read more »
58 vs 580
I don’t actually know how much time I’ve spent riding Steen. I started keeping track in 2011, and since then I’ve spent 580 hours on his back (this doesn’t count the riding Brian has done). I can safely say I’ve spent vastly more time on Steen than any other single horse in my life. Today,… Read more »
The Long Spring
Yesterday we rode outside for the first time since last fall. Usually we manage to get out earlier than this, but conditions were muddy the entire winter (excepting short stretches when it was bitterly cold), which means footing was really bad in all the places we usually ride. Friday afternoon, however, I found myself sitting… Read more »
A Different Ratio
A few days ago, Brian and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. I got Steen roughly one year before we married, which means I’ve had Steen almost eight years. In that time, while we’ve had plenty of other horses as well and I’ve spent lots of time riding them, I’ve always spent more time on… Read more »
Me and Nevada
Nevada is Brian’s horse. He got her about a year and a half ago to train up as an eventual replacement for Bear. He got her started and going nicely. Then a combination of life and circumstances and a handful of rough rides got him a bit derailed. We figured out the saddle Brian was… Read more »
The Phantom Itch
I was hoping to start 2016 with a clean slate, leave all the hiccups of last year in the dust, and get back into a better pattern with the horses. Unfortunately, that’s not quite how things have gone. Right before we left for our holiday travels, Steen came up itchy. And I mean really, really,… Read more »
The State of Piper
It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since Piper came into our lives. Having her this long wasn’t totally the plan. My plan was to get her started in the spring, ride her a ton in the summer, and most likely sell her in the fall. If I kept her this long, I imagined… Read more »