This winter, the crazy low temps we experienced here in Iowa were ostensibly caused by the polar vortex. And last week, it was here again. But instead of plunging temps from the single digits to the negative double digits, this time it gave us a beautiful week of days that were dry, sunny and in… Read more »
Laredo
Writing the Letter ‘A’
I had a pretty interesting lesson with my student last week. J is making great progress lately. She’s clicking well with Laredo, and also she’s now been riding with me long enough that at least a percentage of what we do has become habitual. This means we’re able to leave some of the basics and… Read more »
More Youngsters
We spent Saturday with more young ones – this time of the human variety. Brian’s sister came to visit, bringing along her husband and their two children. Their son is three and a half, and their daughter is just one. We, of course, had to take them out to meet the horses. We had beautiful… 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 »
Sunny Days
Today we finally had some warm weather. Technically, we just barely made it into the 50s, but the sun was warm and the air was dry. It felt great. Aiden is getting some more time off to gain weight and heal his foot. Happily, he’s seeming really nicely settled into the herd now, and appears… Read more »
The Triple Double
Today, we rode three horses each. I rode Aiden, Tate, and Steen. Brian rode Oliver, Laredo, and Bear. We had a great day with both Oliver and Aiden. Oliver was the big surprise. His attitude was hugely changed today. His pushy, restless inclinations was almost entirely gone. He lead nicely, stood quietly for tacking and… Read more »
The Sunbather
This afternoon, I got a call from the manager at our barn. This always gives me a little lurch of worry. I picked up, and she said it might be nothing, but Laredo had been lying down for most of the day. It was a sunny day, and ‘warm’ (by which I mean way below… Read more »
Down to Three
First, we got word that Zoey made it to her new home safely. Her new parents even posted a series of photos on Facebook that showed her meeting her new pasture mates and being fed apples. It looks like she is settling in quite well. Today, Brian and I found our normal conversation on the… Read more »
The First Two Weeks
So far, 2014 has been… interesting. We’ve had crazy weather — temps lower than I really realized they could get in regions where things live, followed by warm stretches that have the horses sweating through their fuzzy coats. And my injuries from my tumble with Steen have been really slow to heal. Really slow. And… Read more »
Frigid
Like so much of the country, we are experiencing some pretty crazy temps. I’ve made it out to the barn the past three days, though, and I’m happy to say our four are doing quite well. The big cold was rolling in Sunday evening, so I went out to check everything late that afternoon. It… Read more »