Steen’s basics have been so solid lately I’ve been having to push myself a bit to be equal to the task of teaching him more. It’s one thing to have a good seat and to guide a horse through the basic maneuvers most people expect a horse to do. It’s something else to keep yourself… Read more »
indoor ride
So Much For Spring
We woke up to snow and chilly temps, but headed for the barn right away in spite of the weather. We found the herd all tucked around the wind-block. Steen came trucking up to me as soon as he saw us, which was just fine because although I intended to give him the day off… Read more »
Um, Spring Break? Hello?
Today we woke up to snow, and it continued to snow throughout the morning. So we just headed out for the barn right away less we lose motivation or get stuck in the afternoon crowds. The guys were all tucked up against the windblock. I grabbed Bear and then got Laredo for Robin while she… Read more »
Softness and Life
These strike me as two of the most important elements in horsemanship. Over the past couple of years I have been working hard on coming to understand softness. I know I can keep getting softer (probably a LOT softer), but Bear and I have come so far in this area. What I often lack is… Read more »
Needles and Flags
Last night we got an email saying the vet would be at our barn in the morning for anyone who needed vaccinations and teeth. Our guys had their teeth done in the fall, but we needed shots. We had to cram the barn in between two other things, but it was good to get out… Read more »
Into Pressure?
Everything you learn about horses involves applying pressure in varying amounts in order to get a response. And it works extremely well. That is until you get a horse who seeks the pressure. This is an issue we’ve had with Laredo since we got him. It does not come up all the time, and it… Read more »
Getting Somewhere
We got to the barn early today and had the place to ourselves. Laredo came all the way out from behind the windblock and sloshed through the muck to get to me. He is, in fact, the best of our three horses about coming to us, I guess because we started working on that with… Read more »
More Energy
Bear has always been an extremely dependable horse. I can count on him to more or less go where I want him to and in the gait I want him to. He rarely spooks or gets frazzled, and he is always friendly. What I do struggle with is getting him to move out with more… Read more »
The Mid-Week Rides
The weather is slowly improving and so is our motivation. So this week we got out to the barn on two afternoons. On Wednesday I rode Bear. He continues to come in feeling good and loose. The blanket has definitely been a smart choice with all the cold and damp weather we’ve had lately. I… Read more »
A Tiny Outing
Today the sun was out, and although it was not exactly warm it felt like spring. Steen is shedding in earnest now. He was warm under his blanket. Hopefully he can go naked before much longer. We were indoors for most of the ride. I started out working on figure eights with no hands. It… Read more »