We stopped at the barn for a ride on our way out of town for Christmas. I rode in the hackamore again, and Steen was great. He was giving me the soft feel at the walk and the trot and we moved in and out of the lope a few times. It was a… Read more »
Horse Thoughts
Lope Transitions
On our way out of town we decided to hit the barn for a ride. We would be taking all our riding stuff with us to Chicago for a lesson at my Mom’s barn, so it really didn’t make any difference if we packed all that stuff or wore it. Lately our indoor rides have… Read more »
Loping in the Hackamore
It was an interesting day at the barn. It was mucky out in the pasture, and Bear wasn’t about to spare Brian a trek through the mud. Steen wasn’t in the super sticky area, though, and came to me pretty easily, so we beat Brian and Bear inside by a good deal. I was mounted… Read more »
Double Work
Today was the first day of my vacation, so I went to the barn this morning with Robin (she still had some work to do, but she was game for some horse time). The days and nights have both been warm lately, and that means the winter lot is a mess. I should have gone… Read more »
Shaping the Bosal
I feel like the last few months I’ve been on some sort of bizarre accelerated learning curve. I have so many new tools to manage and understand, it’s easy to get a bit overwhelmed. Learning to use all this new equipment also means learning to prepare it for us. A bosal doesn’t come in the… Read more »
Focused on Soft
Today was the last Duke Day of the year, which means we have a little potluck and hang out while the horses get their feet trimmed. Brian and I like to ride before trims when at all possible, and it was a beautiful day– warmer than I’ve ever seen December in Iowa. We rode on… Read more »
Title Generator?
I need one. Titles seem to be the most difficult thing for me. Even when I have bad rides, it is harder to come up with a title than anything else. Today was a great day. The barn was super crowded because Duke was there to trim feet and we were having a little end… Read more »
Nice Weather
At least for the past two days. The middle of the week was down right yucky. I ended up giving Bear three days off because of the weather, and just general tireds on my part. In fact, it was a little hard to get to the barn Friday afternoon because the week felt so long… Read more »
Snaffle vs Hackamore
I had one of the busiest weeks with the Brown Wing Studio that I can recall. I launched my two largest projects of my entire career within 12 hours of each other. By Friday I was tired and fried and by the time Brian got home I was wandering aimlessly around the house because I… Read more »
A Tired Bear
Today was warm and Robin was swamped with work, so I went out to the barn on my own. Bear was doing his best to bury his head in the bale and get all the good stuff. He must have been at it for a while, because he pooped four times today. Lately he has… Read more »