Today was sunny, breezy and in the high 70’s. After our excellent ride yesterday, we were keen to get out to the barn again. We returned to the big pasture after mounting, and walked all the way to the hilltop to work on backing half-circles. Steen was relaxed. I’m sure some part of it was… Read more »
poll
Soft to the Touch
Yesterday was another great ride. Steen’s starting to put on his winter coat, so he’s turned nice and dark dappled brown and is way softer than usual. Yesterday he was also soft to the bit. We had more great groundwork before the ride. He was yielding to backwards pressure on the slobber strap before I… Read more »
The Inconsistent Path Forward
Sunday was Duke Day, and Steen was very much in need of a trim. It was raining when we got the barn, and we beat the farrier. We brought the boys indoors and they were wet and jittery, but we took our time grooming and gave them a little chopped hay, then rode indoors for… Read more »
This Changes Everything
We’ve had a very busy stretch here, starting with a visit from my mother. We went out to the barn once while she was here, and she did climb on Steen briefly but he showed an immediate inclination to play his “pick up the trot” game with her, and she didn’t really want to play.… Read more »
Working the Trot
I am definitely getting impatient for my new saddle. Granted, I can lope bareback and I have done so a whole lot over the course of my life, but Steen is still far from great at the lope and what he needs is to have a quiet, balanced rider while he gets used to it… Read more »
Return to the Strip
This morning the sun was shining when we woke up. I was pretty happy about this. We celebrated by getting a few thing done around the house and yard, then heading downtown for some crepes. After that, we went to the barn via the house of a couple who started as clients of my web… Read more »