Today I went to the barn and found Steen and the pasture herd were back out in 15+ acres of grass. He and his buddies had clearly been gorging themselves for many hours, and as a consequence he was a bit gassy and grumpy when I brought him indoors. He was also stiff in the… Read more »
indoor ride
So Far So Good
Today I was at the barn at 8:00am and Steen and I had a lovely ride. He was very relaxed and already more responsive than he’s been the last few times I rode. We stayed indoors and I went bareback (I’m still having issues with my foot), but he was more willing to stop and… Read more »
Two Summer Rides
I have actually been getting out to the barn more than I’ve been blogging about getting out to the barn, but still not as much as I’d like. Last week I decided to saddle Steen up and take him outdoors for the first time in a long while. The results were a tad disappointing. I… Read more »
Between Storms
We’ve had a crazy string of summer storms rolling through Iowa the last couple weeks – two a day sometimes, just crashing in with thunder and lightning and dumping tons of water. Add the weather to that whole running a small business thing I’m doing these days, plus some foot-related issues lingering from our long… Read more »
Away for Awhile
Brian and I are heading over-seas, and while I’m excited both to walk the Highland Way North from Glasgow for a couple weeks and then toast my brother’s nuptials in England, I sure am going to miss my horse. Fortunately, Steen’s out in the large pasture with the rest of the herd now (though choosing… Read more »
Spring Vet Day
Today Steen got his yearly vaccinations. He was absolutely wonderful for the vet. He hardly reacted to the shots at all, and Jim told me his old owner asks about him regularly and is always happy to hear he’s doing well. Steen was also good before the vet arrived. Brian and I groomed him and… Read more »
Grand Behavior
On Saturday, Dutch and Cathy (Brian’s parents) came to town. The primary reason for their trip was to meet Sham and reacquaint themselves with Steen. Brian and I headed to the barn, confident that after our wonderful Thursday everything would go smoothly. Unfortunately, such was not the case. A few things worked against us. First,… Read more »
Back to Riding
Exactly one week after Sham got his teeth done I decided to see how he liked the bit, and if things went well I hoped for a nice ride, too. He continues to be great coming out of the pasture. He is already in the habit of pooping and then coming up to me. He… Read more »
Perfect Can Get Boring
Another great indoor bareback ride on Steen. I think we’ve definitely mastered walk and trot in the indoor arena. It would be nice if we could include loping, but with him out of shape and the footing the way it is (with little puddles and ice here and there) it’s just not worth the risk.… Read more »
Steen the Great
Both days this weekend Brian and I headed out to the barn in the morning. Yesterday things didn’t start off great. Sham decided to give us a bit of a run-around when we went out to catch him and we only succeeded in getting his halter on after coaxing him into the airlock with a… Read more »