Last night I was reading through a little bit of Cow-Horse Confidence by Martin Black. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but I might have found just what I needed to read. I ended up reading a section on balancing with the horse, and of course in that section Black was constantly talking about… Read more »
Horse Thoughts
Two More Great Rides
On Tuesday we rode on the strip and on Wednesday we did a little turn around the second strip and the three hills. Both rides were fantastic. The weather has been phenomenal, and Steen has been relaxed and willing. On Tuesday I worked more on switching between the lope and the walk. After a few one-rein… Read more »
Frustrations in the Saddle
Bear and I are still working through our little trot issue. Both Tuesday and Wednesday we spent considerable time working in the gait, and while we made some progress each day, it wasn’t much. But I should be happy with where things are at. I was telling Robin how I don’t remember such issues last… Read more »
Riding a Wade
I’ve been wanting to try out Brian’s saddle for a while, and lately Steen’s saddle has been riding lower on his shoulders and leaving dry spots again. I’m increasingly convinced the fit is just not ideal. Brian’s saddle has a fairly narrow, high gullet that I have suspected would be a good fit for Steen.… Read more »
Back to the Salad Bowl
I figure I should provide an update on the game. It has been two weeks since I started using the game to get Bear to come to me in the pasture. Every time I’ve gone out I’ve used it, and I keep seeing improvement. He is not coming to me right away, but he does… Read more »
Out Enjoying the Weather
Looking out the window, you would never guess it’s only March. All last week our yard was carpeted in crocuses. The grass is up and growing like mad. This whole week was sunny and in the 60’s. Today we continued what we hope becomes our new Sunday tradition, which is to leave the barn behind.… Read more »
The Plan
As I mentioned in my last blog, I had a plan to work on our trotting for the next ride: warm up, move right into the lope for a while, cool down for a couple minutes, and then work on the trot. And I was quite surprised when the plan worked far better than I… Read more »
Cloudy Day, Long Ride
Last week I redesigned this blog again. I liked the old design for a long time and then it slowly started to annoy me, so we’ve got a totally fresh approach now. We didn’t ride Thursday or Friday, so we were keen to get out there today. My goal for the ride was to continue… Read more »
Sometimes I Just Want to Trot
I was out of town the last couple of days for work. It involved a long van ride to Minneapolis, a night program talking to lots of people, staying up way past my bedtime drinking beer with some of my fellow travelers, a restless night’s sleep, and another long van ride back to Iowa City.… Read more »
Steen So Soft
It was back to “work” today after our leisurely trail ride on Sunday followed by two much-needed days off for all of us. I was curious to see how Steen was feeling after his little break, and right when I first got on I thought we were in for a sub-par day. Starting out, Steen’s… Read more »