I’ve decided there are three things I need to refine with Steen before we go back into the hackamore. These are: short-serpentines whirly-gigs lope transitions We’ve got a really good handle on the first two. In fact today we were pretty much nailing those every time I asked. So we spent a lot of the… Read more »
lope
Some Good Hours
Saturday we got invited on a little trail-riding expedition. We headed out in the morning. It was a group of six horses and riders: 3 paints, 3 quarter-horses. Which is actually kind of funny because the breed selection of at our barn is fairly diverse. Unrepresented breeds include Arab, American Showhorse, Saddlebred, Warmblood, Applaoosa, Thoroughbred… Read more »
Double Double
Today Robin and I both rode two horses. We got to the barn even earlier than yesterday, and we decided to each start with the horse least familiar to us. So Robin rode Laredo, and I rode Steen. I spent the ride thinking about Robin’s last blog post, so I was trying my best to… Read more »
Out of Shape Already?
I guess it has been a light month of riding. With a visitor, a vacation, a new horse, and a 60th birthday party, Bear ended up getting quite a few days off. That, coupled with thick, lush grass, meant Bear added quite a few pounds of fat and lost more than a few pounds of… Read more »
Just Like Old Times
Today Brian and I were both still pretty worn out, so we decided to do something we hadn’t done in a while: leave Laredo in the pasture and just ride like we used to before the baby came. Of course we gave him his hoof supplement when we went out to catch the other horses.… Read more »
Workin’
Usually this time of year I experience a bit of a lull with work and so I can do things like ride a lot and take short vacations but still stay on top of things with my clients. Not so much this year. I’m juggling more projects than ever before and I have a waiting… Read more »
Hard Work
It was another really hot day out at the barn. We are having an unusually hot streak right now. I guess it makes sense, as I just read a headline somewhere that the past 12 months have been the hottest on record. Still, I’m hopeful for a nicer June. June is my favorite summer month.… Read more »
Musical Horses
Since getting Laredo, our conversations on the way to the barn have become quite a bit more complicated. Today we had ample time to do all sorts of things. Both Brian and I wanted to ride our individual horses and also work with Laredo, so we formulated a plan that involved catching all three guys… Read more »
After Buck, Take II
We built an extra day into our vacation so we could get back home and spend many hours at the barn applying the new stuff we learned at the clinic. There were a few things I was surprised to figure out this time. For instance, I somehow forgot/got lazy about the concept that you should… Read more »
This is Why We Wanted a Third Horse
Today was sunny, in the low 70s, and there was a light breeze out of the north. We ran a few errands in the morning and had nothing to do in the afternoon but ride. I had another double day starting with Steen and then moving over to Bear. Robin also had a double, working… Read more »