It’s been a really busy 10 days or so. For the first week after draining Aiden’s abscess, we unwrapped, soaked, flushed, and rewrapped it every day. That was a lot, because it meant going to the barn every night, even if Brian and I both worked long days. Plus, this (naturally) coincided with Brian being… Read more »
Steen
The Trees and The Wind
On Friday, we had another nice day at the barn, except Steen was still showing symptoms that there might be foxtails in the hay again. I looked at the new bale they’d put out to replace the last one that had foxtails, and found it chalk full of the offending weed. I talked to the… Read more »
Sunny Days
Today we finally had some warm weather. Technically, we just barely made it into the 50s, but the sun was warm and the air was dry. It felt great. Aiden is getting some more time off to gain weight and heal his foot. Happily, he’s seeming really nicely settled into the herd now, and appears… Read more »
The Triple Double
Today, we rode three horses each. I rode Aiden, Tate, and Steen. Brian rode Oliver, Laredo, and Bear. We had a great day with both Oliver and Aiden. Oliver was the big surprise. His attitude was hugely changed today. His pushy, restless inclinations was almost entirely gone. He lead nicely, stood quietly for tacking and… Read more »
More Time in the Two Rein
This weekend I decided to get back to the two-rein. I have been working on the things my last ride in it identified as weaknesses, and we’ve also watched a couple more videos about riding in the two-rein, hand position, bit fit and choice, and various other things that have made me feel increasingly confident… Read more »
Out in the Snow
We were out of town last weekend, so no riding was done. It felt like we hadn’t been to the barn in forever. But really it was just eight days. Still, it was great to get out to see the horses, and even better that we finally had some mild weather. Brian and I took… Read more »
Being Firm to Be Soft
The last month or so, Brian has been using Steen as a lesson horse. This is a little odd for me, because mostly I have not been around during his lessons. There is something distinctly strange about staying home while Brian heads off to the barn to hang out with someone else while that someone… Read more »
Breaking Records
Typically for us, January is a month of not much riding. It’s always cold. The new year always seems to come with a rush of work. It seems like a good time to hunker down with a throw blanket and a cup of tea. But today Brian and I both felt we could use an… Read more »
The First Two Weeks
So far, 2014 has been… interesting. We’ve had crazy weather — temps lower than I really realized they could get in regions where things live, followed by warm stretches that have the horses sweating through their fuzzy coats. And my injuries from my tumble with Steen have been really slow to heal. Really slow. And… Read more »
Frigid
Like so much of the country, we are experiencing some pretty crazy temps. I’ve made it out to the barn the past three days, though, and I’m happy to say our four are doing quite well. The big cold was rolling in Sunday evening, so I went out to check everything late that afternoon. It… Read more »