We had a super windy day out here (and Brian and I were both pretty tired anyway), so we opted for a quick indoor bareback ride after work. We fetched our boys and brought them inside. Brian managed to mount from the ground. I had to employ the stepping stool (it’s possible I could haul… Read more »
Horse Thoughts
More Bareback
Work has been exceptionally busy lately, and I came home with a tingle in my throat and a small desire to put my feet up and read a book. After a brief snack, a cup of tea, and a chat with Robin, I changed clothes (into my brand new pair of real riding jeans!) and… Read more »
Bear Day
It’s a day of haze and fog in Iowa, but luckily Brian and I already had a plan for our barn activities today. We thought another day with both of us focused Bear would be the best, so we decided to leave Steen in the pasture. Amusingly, the fact that I did not halter him… Read more »
Lessons on the Strip
After yesterday’s successful ride where Robin coached me through a few simple exercises, we decided to do more of the same. It was an even cooler and wetter day, and Bear was even further out in the pasture than he usually is. Everything else, though, was great. Once inside, Bear was great with his feet.… Read more »
Slowing Down
The season is just starting to turn definitively towards fall and today we woke up to a storm. The rain passed, however, so we decided to fill the late morning with a barn trip. Our goal for the day was for me to pay close attention to Bear and Brian and try to help facilitate… Read more »
No Falls, No Bucks
That’s right, no bucks. On Thursday there was a buck, and I was able to stay on. So now I can say I’ve ridden a bucking horse. It happened in the indoor arena. It was just Bear and I. We had done our usual warmup of lots of walking and easy circles, stops, and flexes… Read more »
Working the Strip
Today Brian and I headed out for our (soon to be) traditional Wednesday afternoon at the barn. The weather was again perfect. I had an easy start to the day when I found Steen up by the waterer, so I didn’t even have to hike out to the pasture to get him. The boys were… Read more »
The One Where I Fall Off, Again
The barn was empty when Robin and I arrived this afternoon. The sky was slightly cloudy and the temperatures were neither too warm nor too cool. Plus they had mowed the strip, one of our favorite places to ride. Steen was waiting almost right by the gate when we entered the pasture, but Bear was… Read more »
A Perfect Ride
On Monday I almost didn’t go to the barn. I had a lot to do, and was feeling stressed. But… it was an absolutely perfect fall day – sunny but cool. I was so so so close to bailing (even had a text composed to Jean) but I rallied, told myself, “work will wait” and… Read more »
Bear Foot
Saturday was Duke-Day at the barn. And it was a good thing too, because Bear had been wearing shoes for quite a few weeks. For reasons out of our control, we got to the barn a little later than we hoped. That meant we were a little ways down on the list. So I spent… Read more »