It’s been quite a week at the barn. Saturday Our friend Jean came out to take some photos of us and the horses. She got some nice shots of us hanging around on the second strip. And our first ever “family photo.” Sunday The horses were in their winter lot with bales to munch on,… Read more »
flexing
Soft to the Touch
Yesterday was another great ride. Steen’s starting to put on his winter coat, so he’s turned nice and dark dappled brown and is way softer than usual. Yesterday he was also soft to the bit. We had more great groundwork before the ride. He was yielding to backwards pressure on the slobber strap before I… Read more »
The Inconsistent Path Forward
Sunday was Duke Day, and Steen was very much in need of a trim. It was raining when we got the barn, and we beat the farrier. We brought the boys indoors and they were wet and jittery, but we took our time grooming and gave them a little chopped hay, then rode indoors for… Read more »
Turning Towards Fall
We had a wet Friday so didn’t get our normal afternoon at the barn. Today it was cool and overcast when we pulled the boys from the pasture. They even got their first serving of chopped hay for the season, which they both seemed quite happy about. Steen was attentive from the start today. I… Read more »
A Big Difference
We had another very productive ride today. Steen’s willingness to give me a “soft feel” was increased from the beginning, and after I mounted and practiced a few times, he walked off quietly. He’s been obsessed with hopping into the trot our last few rides, so that was a nice change. We walked around for… Read more »
This Changes Everything
We’ve had a very busy stretch here, starting with a visit from my mother. We went out to the barn once while she was here, and she did climb on Steen briefly but he showed an immediate inclination to play his “pick up the trot” game with her, and she didn’t really want to play.… Read more »
Two Lovely Long Rides
We had a good barn weekend. On Saturday Brian and I went again to the second strip, and spent a lot of time trotting back and forth along the length. Steen was very good. He still wasn’t a fan of standing when I offered him the chance to rest, but he would stop, usually flex… 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 »
Productive but Annoying
Brian and I made an effort to get to the barn early this morning, since so often on the weekend we end up letting our morning slip away and then having to ride in the heat of the afternoon. We made it to the barn before 9:00, grabbed our boys from the pasture, and started… Read more »
Steen vs. The Floaty Thingies
It was pretty hot by the time we managed to get to the barn today, so we decided to tack up indoors to stay in the shade for a while. We also decided to park the boys right next to our tack locker because the barn was quiet and there is a spot to tie… Read more »