Today we had the day off! (Which is to say Brian had the day off and I chose not to work.) We also have some friends who have long been wanting to meet our horses, so we headed for the barn in the late morning to introduce everyone. Steen and Bear, and actually all the… Read more »
Bear
Good Sweat
Although groundwork used to be a regular part of what I did with Steen, in the last six months or so as he has mellowed significantly and his ground manners have become excellent, I have been pretty much skipping groundwork so I can ride more. I’ve also gotten pretty lazy with suppling exercises while mounted… Read more »
Slick Grass
I had a bit of trouble motivating to go to the barn this afternoon, but Brian wanted to go with or without me, and when it came down to it I couldn’t resist heading out with him. I was glad I went. The weather was perfect and Steen was happy to see me. He almost… Read more »
Dressage Day!
Today I met my friend Jean out at the barn. We hadn’t ridden together since Schooley had to be put down, but since Bear is pretty settled in now, it seemed high time to get her out for a ride on our two boys. Since Steen currently has no saddle that will fit him, she… Read more »
A Ride in the Sun
We had crazy winds here all morning but by late afternoon things had settled enough that we headed out to see how the boys were doing. Steen was a bit jumpy during tacking, but Bear was back in awesome mode. I gave Steen some chopped hay and we took our time grooming them in the… Read more »
Steen the Solid
We had threats of storms today but nothing materialized, so Brian and I headed out to the barn in the early afternoon. We found the horses a little more settled than yesterday, and were out riding on the strip before long. I was bareback and after Brian gave me a leg up Steen did something… Read more »
A Stirring in the Herd
While in general I am pleased that we are able to board our horses at a place that offers a large pasture and a small herd for the social and physical benefits this affords our horses, every now and then upheaval in the herd causes some issues. Today we found the boys in rather a… Read more »
Indoor Lope
Brian and I headed out to the barn today with the intention of riding outside. But it was honestly kind of horrible out. Granted, it wasn’t raining. But it was chilly and windy. We walked to the pasture, Steen saw me and he literally came running for the gate. I brought him in to find… Read more »
Steen the Chilled and Steen the Chill
This weekend we had a visitor. Brian’s sister, Christina, came up from the Chicago area and one of the big objectives of her visit was to hang out with Steen and Bear (she’d never met either of them before and has spent very little time with horses in general). Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate and… Read more »
Awesome Wednesday
The weather has turned beautiful. Brian and I headed out today with the plan to warm up in the indoor arena and then transition to the outdoor. Except when we arrived there was a lesson going on in the indoor so we decided to just start outdoors after all. We groomed the boys outside and… Read more »