When we first moved the horses last year, I was very pleased to find that Steen was bombproof at the new place. He was happy to truck around the unfamiliar spaces and up for anything I threw at him. This was after I’d scarcely even seen him for six weeks due to COVID. He had… Read more »
groundwork
Nine Rides in a Row
It’s funny how sometimes a change that feels tough can work out for the best. It turns out selling Laredo was one of the better horse-related decisions we’ve made in a good long while. Though letting him go felt so sad and so hard at the time, the results, so far, have been positive. First,… Read more »
Palate Cleanser
Between moving this blog from Google’s servers onto my own WordPress install and (somewhat ironically, I suppose) working through the process of backing up thousands of my old photos in my Google account, lately I am inundated with photos of the past. It is weird to see old shots of myself on Steen where both… Read more »
Piper’s Progress
We’ve been in a good riding pattern since we got back from South Dakota. It’s been fun getting to know K’s new horse a little, and the weather has been wonderful. We’ve changed our ride combos and gone back to riding Steen and Nevada together, then switching to Laredo and Piper. This is mostly because… Read more »
Spreading the Fever
On Wednesday, we had a fun job. Our barn owner asked us to be there when K’s new horse arrived so we could oversee her introduction to the herd. We headed out a little early, said hi to all our ponies, then rode Steen and Laredo. Both the guys were great. They were fat and… Read more »
The First Few Rides
Nevada and I have spent the last couple of weeks really working on our groundwork. While parts of the early sessions were a little rough for both of us, things are now going extremely well. She is soft and happy and willing to work through problems that I present to her. I’ve never spent so… Read more »
Getting Started
Nevada has been at our place for about ten days now. We were out of town for some of that, so I’ve only had a chance to work with her on four occasions. She is proving to be a very sweet and willing little mare. And like the few other young horses I have worked… Read more »
When You Don’t Have Your Own Horse Anymore
A few weeks ago I retired Bear (Birthday Diplomat) to the therapeutic riding program Miracles in Motion. They’re a PATH International organization located just a short drive away from us. It was a difficult decision to come to, but it is one I had been thinking about for over a year. At 19, Bear was… Read more »
Getting to Know the New Guys
It’s been just over a week since we picked up Aiden and Oliver, and in that time we’ve worked with them quite a bit. I’ve spent most of that time with Oliver. He is the bigger horse, and when they arrived, he was also the pushier horse. As Robin’s side can still get flared up… Read more »
Photo Dump!
So having four horses has been interesting. We’re learning tons and getting a lot of ride time in. The only thing that is suffering is my blogging. When you are almost always having two rides each day, it makes it hard to come home and formulate your thoughts. So here are some highlights. Bear… Read more »