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 »
snaffle
Quick Study
Today it took about three minutes to catch Laredo. It’s getting to the point that it’s really not an issue. He walked away from me for a moment, then turned and stepped towards me and stopped. I walked up to him and started stroking his nose with the halter. He backed up for a little… Read more »
First Laredo Ride
We gave everyone the day off on Thursday but were keen to head back out today. It was my day to work with Laredo. Catching was even shorter than last time. It only took 11 minutes (half of which was just him running from the big pasture into the winter lot) and I probably could… Read more »
Catch Up
My sister flew back to Arizona on Saturday and now I’m trying to catch up with my normal life. We had a good visit. Last Monday, she and I went out and I gave her a pretty long lesson on Steen while sitting on Bear so I could demonstrate things. She was interested in a… Read more »
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 »
Snaffle vs Hackamore
I had one of the busiest weeks with the Brown Wing Studio that I can recall. I launched my two largest projects of my entire career within 12 hours of each other. By Friday I was tired and fried and by the time Brian got home I was wandering aimlessly around the house because I… Read more »