Today Brian and I headed to the barn armed with yet another saddle: This is a Cashel trail saddle. It’s build on an axis tree that has a reputation for leaving a horse free at the shoulders and fitting a pretty wide variety of backs. Plus it’s just a pretty saddle. 🙂 It was a… Read more »
flexing
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 »
Mixing it Up
I hadn’t been out to the barn in almost a week. There were a few factors involved in my absence. First, we were out of town all weekend and half of Monday. Second, I’m just really bummed about the whole saddle situation. Third, work came out of its early summer slump and I’ve got all… Read more »
Steen the Sluggish
It’s been hot. It’s definitely been having an effect on every body’s energy level. We went out today to find the pasture herd just hanging out by the water, We tacked up in the barn aisle to get out of the sun for a bit, then headed out to the pasture. Things started off poorly… Read more »
June Showers
Today there was a small chance of storms in the afternoon, so we went to the barn in the morning. This decision back-fired a bit though. We’d just gotten out to the pasture and mounted when it started to rain. The sun was out, and the sky was by no means dark, so we decided… 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 »
Back on Track
I headed out to the barn again this morning looking forward to the prospect of a nice ride. Once there, however, I began to doubt I would get one. Steen and the herd were way, way out at the end of the biggest pasture, and Steen didn’t seem at all disposed to come meet me… Read more »
The Mud of Spring
On Wednesday I went to the barn to find the mud lot truly living up to its name. I could not be more grateful that Steen comes to the gate to meet me now, because even walking into that soup of muck that covers the ground from fence to fence would be difficult. On Wednesday… Read more »
Fat and Sassy
Well, perhaps not exactly fat, but in the last couple of weeks Steen has definitely been changing shape and I am heartened by this. I wasn’t at the barn for quite a few days because we left town for Thanksgiving. On Sunday the farrier came, so Steen got his feet trimmed and Duke took a… Read more »