We’ve had Martin Black’s “The Hackamore” DVD sitting around for weeks, but fresh on the heels of the Buck clinic, we felt we had enough new ideas about riding in the snaffle to keep us busy for a while. I feel like when I have these intense periods of learning, I need some time to… Read more »
Horse Thoughts
The Heat of Summer
This has been the hottest summer I’ve ever experienced in Iowa, and it is only the beginning of July. Since I work early in the morning and get off early in the afternoons , we haven’t been going out much. It isn’t great for the horses to stand around in the heat all day and… Read more »
Halfway There
The year is half over, which is hard to believe for all sorts of reasons. So far we’re on track for our 150 hours in the saddle goal. As of the end of the day today, I’m at exactly 75 hours. A couple years ago I started keeping track of my time spent riding. I… Read more »
The Week in Review
And what it week it was. I’ve been working hard and working out harder, and that coupled with heat and visitors made it feel like a long, packed week. Everyday I came home I thought it was Friday, but it rarely was. Needless to say, I didn’t feel like blogging. So without further ado, here… Read more »
Rides and Visitors and Trims
We’ve had a few interesting rides last week. Monday I rode Steen and Brian rode Laredo. My ride was fabulous. Brian’s was difficult. We think Laredo was fatigued, both mentally and physically, and he was inclined towards distraction, jumping into the trot, and rooting. Thursday I rode Laredo in the outdoor arena. His two days… Read more »
Sometimes it is Hard to Tell
I was pretty sure Bear was sore again today. From the beginning he was very stiff laterally, stiffer than I ever remembered him being, and his gaits were not feeling like I’ve come to expect them to feel. Like last time, he wanted to pick up the trot and scoot around on the forehand. So… Read more »
Focus on the Positive
It was my turn to ride Laredo again today, and I was determined to have a better time on him. I had a few things working in my favor. For one, I got new boots! I have strange feet. They are strange for a variety of reasons, from genetics to injuries to general conformation. The… Read more »
Reset
It was with some relief I haltered Steen today and tacked him up. It’s going to be an interesting challenge for me these next few months. Steen seems to be hitting some kind of stride lately. Every ride I think things are fantastic, and then the next ride they are better. It’s a hard act… Read more »
Day by Day and Minute by Minute
We managed to get up quite early and head out to the barn before the heat today. It was a little sticky when we left, but thankfully a breeze picked up and helped dry the day out a little. We were also happy to have none of the last ride’s pasture shenanigans. Of course it… Read more »
High Hopes
After Brian’s great ride on Laredo on Tuesday, I was keen to try him out Thursday. Unfortunately, I had an irritating work week, and while I wasn’t aware of being tired or short-tempered when we left for the barn, I was probably both of those things. Then there were a few things that did nothing to help… Read more »