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 »
Outdoor Arena
Early Morning Heat
The heat has been so oppressive, we decided the only way we were going to get a ride in was to adjust. So on Wednesday, we moved our schedules around to free up time in the morning, and out we went. We found Laredo has a fairly large chip in one of his front feet.… 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 »
Rides and Visitors and Trims
We’ve had a few interesting rides last week. Monday I rode Steen and Brian rode Laredo. My ride was fabulous. Brian’s was difficult. We think Laredo was fatigued, both mentally and physically, and he was inclined towards distraction, jumping into the trot, and rooting. Thursday I rode Laredo in the outdoor arena. His two days… 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 »
Focus on the Positive
It was my turn to ride Laredo again today, and I was determined to have a better time on him. I had a few things working in my favor. For one, I got new boots! I have strange feet. They are strange for a variety of reasons, from genetics to injuries to general conformation. The… 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 »
Day by Day and Minute by Minute
We managed to get up quite early and head out to the barn before the heat today. It was a little sticky when we left, but thankfully a breeze picked up and helped dry the day out a little. We were also happy to have none of the last ride’s pasture shenanigans. Of course it… Read more »
Hooked on a Feeling
Just like Robin mentioned, really working the soft feel to its full potential is something we have let slide in the past few months. I knew it was happening, but I couldn’t exactly figure out why. I guess week by week I got a little more lax about holding it and using it before a… 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 »