We had such success with our work at the lope yesterday I was keen to get back to that exercise today. Steen was in a good mood from the start. I think he is more comfortable without his blanket on. It has warmed up here and I’ve been able to leave it off the last… Read more »
Bear
Borrowing My Husband’s Horse
We went again to the barn on Saturday. Steen’s cut looked good, but the swelling above the ankle was back just a tad. Not enough to be alarming, but enough to convince me not to ride him. I brought him in and groomed him and gave him a snack, then put him back outside. While… Read more »
Unsticking the Back
I ended up riding three horses today, though it wasn’t quite as exciting as it sounds. Cathi was riding her thoroughbred, Chewy, when we arrived, and I mentioned after she stopped loping that he moved so differently from Steen. She immediately offered me a spin. I climbed up into her hunter saddle with stirrups that… Read more »
Bareback in the Hackamore
Brian and I wanted to get to the barn early this morning in hopes of having the indoor arena to ourselves. The thermometer said 7° when we got up and 10° when we left the house. I pulled out all the stops as far as my wardrobe is concerned, digging out my sock liners, helmet… Read more »
Chilly Ride
It seems to have been our year for buying saddles. Although Brian has been largely happy with the bear trap, it seems lately to be causing some problems for Bear. Being that Bear is now 16 1/2 years old and we want to keep him healthy and fit as long as possible, we decided to… Read more »
Two Rides in the Pasture
We had a weekend that was warm, but windy. We decided, nevertheless, to take advantage of the balmy temps and drier footing and head back out into the big pasture for a couple rides. Steen was good both days — better than he has been in our last forays out in this larger space. The… Read more »
Bear Back
Bear has a tendency to get tight in his right side. We’re not sure if this is just something that happens to him, or if it’s because Brian has a tight right hip, but it does seem to help to have the chiropractor work on him from time to time. However, the chiropractor always ends… Read more »
A Rough Ride for Everyone
Today, things started out promising. The weather continues to be beyond perfect. We started out with some groundwork and working on detail stuff. I had excellent success with yielding Steen’s forequarters and hindquarters separately and softly under saddle. We headed out to the big pasture and meandered out way up to the hilltop. We worked… Read more »
An Attempt at a Quiet Ride
Today we were going to have a quiet ride. Steen and Bear are both a little worn out because we’ve been riding sooo much. They were down in the bottom of the pasture when we arrived at the barn. Lately we’ve been making them hop over the drainage ditch when they’re down there. It’s not… Read more »
19 Tail Hairs
Today we headed to the second strip again, and my plan was to keep things quieter and less demanding. We rode through the hallway of terrors with Bear leading the way. Something about the large stack of hay bales got him a bit concerned and he scooted into a little half bolt, but Brian got… Read more »