We had another very productive ride today. Steen’s willingness to give me a “soft feel” was increased from the beginning, and after I mounted and practiced a few times, he walked off quietly. He’s been obsessed with hopping into the trot our last few rides, so that was a nice change. We walked around for… Read more »
standing
Two Lovely Long Rides
We had a good barn weekend. On Saturday Brian and I went again to the second strip, and spent a lot of time trotting back and forth along the length. Steen was very good. He still wasn’t a fan of standing when I offered him the chance to rest, but he would stop, usually flex… Read more »
19 Tail Hairs
Today we headed to the second strip again, and my plan was to keep things quieter and less demanding. We rode through the hallway of terrors with Bear leading the way. Something about the large stack of hay bales got him a bit concerned and he scooted into a little half bolt, but Brian got… Read more »
A Bit About Bits
Although Steen’s behavior has been excellent lately, I’ve been feeling for some time that his bit doesn’t fit him quite as well as I would like. He doesn’t fight it, or toss his head, or refuse to take it or anything major like that, but it does shift around in his mouth more than I’d… Read more »
Productive but Annoying
Brian and I made an effort to get to the barn early this morning, since so often on the weekend we end up letting our morning slip away and then having to ride in the heat of the afternoon. We made it to the barn before 9:00, grabbed our boys from the pasture, and started… Read more »
Two Fast Rides
I’ve spent my last two rides in the new saddle. On Friday, we rode on the strip. Steen started out very relaxed and we had some good trots. The ground was nice and dry and he was feeling balanced and attentive, so before long I transitioned up to the lope. He was mostly good at… Read more »
June Showers
Today there was a small chance of storms in the afternoon, so we went to the barn in the morning. This decision back-fired a bit though. We’d just gotten out to the pasture and mounted when it started to rain. The sun was out, and the sky was by no means dark, so we decided… Read more »
Familiar and Content
As much as it was fun to work with Jak and Rojo while we were in Tucson, it was really pretty wonderful to see our boys again this morning. The herd was way out in the pasture, and as Brian and I hiked out to them Steen saw us and started to walk in our… Read more »
Wet Backs and Baths
We started our barn visit today with more baby time. I am rather astounded at how quickly Whisper is growing and becoming physically coordinated. He now spends a fair bit of time trying to get his mother to race around with him. I have yet to see him succeed, but he’s pretty entertaining to watch… Read more »
The Hind End
We had to delay our barn outing this afternoon, as a storm rolled in right as Brian got off work. We consoled ourselves with the knowledge that it stays light late this time of year. It turns out it was worth the wait. By the time we reached the barn, temps had fallen and there… Read more »