Today was sunny, breezy and in the high 70’s. After our excellent ride yesterday, we were keen to get out to the barn again. We returned to the big pasture after mounting, and walked all the way to the hilltop to work on backing half-circles. Steen was relaxed. I’m sure some part of it was… Read more »
bending
A Good Fit
My new bit and headstall both arrived last week, but since Brian and I had our Sunday trail ride planned I decided not to try them out until afterwards. I intended to test the new combo yesterday, but work did not permit. This morning I woke up and it was dark and raining, but things… Read more »
Loping on a Loose Rein
We’ve had heat, but today Brian and I managed to get up and to the barn early enough to have a nice ride. Steen was an absolute model citizen all day. I don’t know if he was just happy to see me after a few days off or what, but he was a total doll.… Read more »
Best Ever?
It is possible that today I had the best ride on Steen I’ve ever had. I took my own ThinLine pad to the barn today. It’s a western cut instead of english, so it fit a bit better with my tack from the start. We tacked up and I led Steen to the strip, where… Read more »
Borrowing the Bear Trap
The whole saddle debacle has taken the wind out of my sails a bit, but yesterday Brian came home from work and coaxed me out to the barn. He wanted to spend a day working on groundwork anyway, due to Bear’s swollen ankles, so he offered me a the use of his saddle. I’ve only… Read more »
New Headgear
It’s been hot, and the flies are out in earnest now. There were a few rides last summer when the flies on his face got Steen pretty riled up and irritated. The last time I rode part of Steen’s distraction seemed due to flies. I ordered him a fly mask that attaches to his headstall… Read more »
Steen the Irritating
On Monday we rode again on the strip. I went bareback and Steen started out being very good, but over the course of the ride his behavior sort of devolved. The main thing he was doing was wanting to jog. Constantly. Any time I tried to put him down into a walk he’d just keep… Read more »
The Hind End
We had to delay our barn outing this afternoon, as a storm rolled in right as Brian got off work. We consoled ourselves with the knowledge that it stays light late this time of year. It turns out it was worth the wait. By the time we reached the barn, temps had fallen and there… Read more »
Early Summer Changes
We arrived at the barn on Friday afternoon eager to meet the new horse on the premises. Or more accurately, the new foal. “Whisper” arrived some time in the night. Cathi was in the pen with the baby and the momma when we arrived, so we even got to go in and pet the little guy.… Read more »
Return to the Strip
This morning the sun was shining when we woke up. I was pretty happy about this. We celebrated by getting a few thing done around the house and yard, then heading downtown for some crepes. After that, we went to the barn via the house of a couple who started as clients of my web… Read more »