Brian has spend several more hours in the saddle than me this year, and he’s on better track for our riding goal too, so I need to catch up a little. Plus, I rode Steen on Saturday and Sunday, and I wanted to ride him again today. It seems to me working a horse three days… Read more »
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Sunday on the Trails
We met Kat at the barn today again, and also invited our friend Gay. Megan couldn’t make it, so we were four when we hit the trails again. The day was actually coolish, and it felt glorious heading out. We started with a modification of our previous route in mind, but we’d never done the exact circuit we had… Read more »
No Hands
I have been focusing for months on trying to use my hands less and my legs more. However when I try to steer just with my legs, we pretty much instantly run into problems. It is so strange to me that Steen can walk a perfect figure-eight with almost no input from the reins, but if… Read more »
Changing Things Up
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 »
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 Week in Review
And what it week it was. I’ve been working hard and working out harder, and that coupled with heat and visitors made it feel like a long, packed week. Everyday I came home I thought it was Friday, but it rarely was. Needless to say, I didn’t feel like blogging. So without further ado, here… Read more »
Sometimes it is Hard to Tell
I was pretty sure Bear was sore again today. From the beginning he was very stiff laterally, stiffer than I ever remembered him being, and his gaits were not feeling like I’ve come to expect them to feel. Like last time, he wanted to pick up the trot and scoot around on the forehand. So… Read more »
Reset
It was with some relief I haltered Steen today and tacked him up. It’s going to be an interesting challenge for me these next few months. Steen seems to be hitting some kind of stride lately. Every ride I think things are fantastic, and then the next ride they are better. It’s a hard act… Read more »
Back and Forth
It was a somewhat disappointing ride for all of us. Robin and Laredo had their own issues, and Bear and I were contending with what appeared to be his sore back and distraction as well as my general tiredness. I’m pretty sure any distraction he was experiencing came from me, though I’m sure a sore… Read more »