I shifted my work hours so we could get out to the barn today for an early morning ride. It was still hot, and quite humid, but it sure beat the 100+ degree temps that came later in the day. The horses were grazing in the low section of the big pasture. When we approached… Read more »
hackamore
Settling in a Little More
Today was the second ride for Bear and I in the new hackamore. We started out by skipping groundwork and just getting right into herding some horses. The treed pasture we like to ride in on these hot days is part of the string of pastures the stall horses have the use of, and this… Read more »
More Rides with Mom
Monday and Tuesday we had two more rides in the tree lot. On Monday Mom, Brian and I all rode together again and managed to get this shot via the tried and true fencepost method. The light’s not great but it’s fun to see all our three horses with riders. During the ride Steen was… Read more »
Returning to the Hackamore
This was one of the earliest mornings we were able to get to the barn. Unfortunately it was also one of the hottest days of the year in what has been a very hot year. Still, we had a good ride. Recently Robin and I had watched Martin Black’s video, The Hackamore. Martin is one… Read more »
Good Obstacles
Today we rode in the tree lot again for the shade. This was my first time on Laredo out there, and things went very well. Laredo seems to be finally accepting the bit. His rooting habit is almost gone, and he’s moving off pressure instead of leaning into it. He’s also walking out with a… Read more »
All Three
My mom is in town for a visit. Since Brian got the 4th of July off, we headed for the barn first thing in the morning with the intention of riding all three of our horses simultaneously for the first time. We rode in the tree pasture, both to take advantage of the shade and… Read more »
A Hackamore Horse?
We’ve had Martin Black’s “The Hackamore” DVD sitting around for weeks, but fresh on the heels of the Buck clinic, we felt we had enough new ideas about riding in the snaffle to keep us busy for a while. I feel like when I have these intense periods of learning, I need some time to… Read more »
The Sloppy Lope
Today on the way to the barn I was making a conscious effort to think about Steen and what he needs right now. It’s easy to get a little Laredocentric, what with him being our brand new baby and all. I don’t want to lose momentum with Steen, though, so today I decided one of… Read more »
Quick Study
Today it took about three minutes to catch Laredo. It’s getting to the point that it’s really not an issue. He walked away from me for a moment, then turned and stepped towards me and stopped. I walked up to him and started stroking his nose with the halter. He backed up for a little… Read more »
Trims and Vaccinations
We got the barn early today because both the farrier and the vet were scheduled to come out. We wanted to ride before the chaos started. Catching Laredo took four minutes today, so we are definitely on the right track with that. We groomed and tacked and he seemed a bit less touchy about his… Read more »