It’s been a sort of harrowing few weeks for me. It’s not that anything bad has happened. It’s just been busy. I should be (and am) grateful that my little business is booming to the point that it is keeping me really, really busy. I am glad we are close enough to our nephew that… Read more »
leg-yield
More Leg Yields
Since last fall I’ve been working a lot on teaching Steen to break at the poll and give me the soft feel at all gaits, and I’ve also been holding pressure on the bit to keep him collected for a few strides at a time. But where I’m really starting to feel him move in… Read more »
Finding the Haunch
I’ve ridden three times since my last post, and each ride has been a bit better than the one before. I’ve been thinking a lot about precision, and keeping Steen in that delicate place where he is relaxed but still energetic. I’ve also continued to try to emphasize exercises that force Steen to engage his… Read more »
Quality over Speed
Horsemanship can feel vast sometimes. Whenever I see videos of Buck Brannaman or Ray Hunt working with a green horse, the main thing that floors me time and time again is how fast they are. They ask for one thing after another after another, and their horses stay focused and attentive. These last few rides… Read more »
Half Thawed
The pasture is in a bit of a state right now: So I always feel like it is a good thing to get the horses inside, get their hooves dried out and get them moving a little. Steen has lost some fitness in his three weeks of convalescence. Today my plan was to trot a lot.… Read more »
Mostly Healed
Well, January has not been a great month for riding. Work has been busy, Steen has been healing, and the weather has been uninviting. So the horses have been getting some time off. Beyond making sure Steen’s leg wasn’t getting any worse (mostly thanks to Brian looking in on it for me), I’ve not had… Read more »
Productive but Annoying
Brian and I made an effort to get to the barn early this morning, since so often on the weekend we end up letting our morning slip away and then having to ride in the heat of the afternoon. We made it to the barn before 9:00, grabbed our boys from the pasture, and started… Read more »
Super Mellow Ride
Vacation can be wonderful and tiring at the same time, so Brian and I found ourselves too worn out to go to the barn on Friday. Today, however, both Bear and Steen seemed very happy to see us, coming to meet us at the gate. Steen’s left front foot has gotten weirdly splayed and spread… Read more »
Familiar and Content
As much as it was fun to work with Jak and Rojo while we were in Tucson, it was really pretty wonderful to see our boys again this morning. The herd was way out in the pasture, and as Brian and I hiked out to them Steen saw us and started to walk in our… Read more »
Wet Backs and Baths
We started our barn visit today with more baby time. I am rather astounded at how quickly Whisper is growing and becoming physically coordinated. He now spends a fair bit of time trying to get his mother to race around with him. I have yet to see him succeed, but he’s pretty entertaining to watch… Read more »