It’s been a busy week. Lots of barn time, no riding. On Thursday I basically only went out long enough to bring Steen in and apply more Thuja-Zinc to his burns. I felt bad doing so little as he was clearly very bummed out and not at all happy to be put back into his… Read more »
tree pasture
Sunburns and Light Rides
I’ve never owned a Paint before, and when I was shopping for Steen I had no particular thought of getting a horse with color. In fact, when I went to look at Steen, I did so precisely because I didn’t think I would want him. I didn’t want a horse that was seven years old… Read more »
Return to the Trees
One of the peculiarities about where we board is that (other than the indoor arena) there is nowhere that’s guaranteed to be available to ride in any given day. There are plenty of places you can usually ride, but between moving herds, changing seasons, farm equipment, and various other factors, if you want to ride outside… Read more »
Getting Soft
We’ve had Laredo two months now, and he’s settling in quite nicely. He walks up to meet us in the pasture. He’s accepting of most touching on the ears and head. Getting the fly mask on and off is no problem, and Brian has been slipping the bridle off after riding. Laredo’s also really changing… Read more »
More Rides with Mom
Monday and Tuesday we had two more rides in the tree lot. On Monday Mom, Brian and I all rode together again and managed to get this shot via the tried and true fencepost method. The light’s not great but it’s fun to see all our three horses with riders. During the ride Steen was… Read more »
Good Obstacles
Today we rode in the tree lot again for the shade. This was my first time on Laredo out there, and things went very well. Laredo seems to be finally accepting the bit. His rooting habit is almost gone, and he’s moving off pressure instead of leaning into it. He’s also walking out with a… Read more »
All Three
My mom is in town for a visit. Since Brian got the 4th of July off, we headed for the barn first thing in the morning with the intention of riding all three of our horses simultaneously for the first time. We rode in the tree pasture, both to take advantage of the shade and… 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 »
May I Have Your Attention, Please
I watched a video on being productive as a creative in my field last week, and it had some interesting commentary on the brain and how it works. The major problem with how people talk about ‘multi-tasking’ is the entire concept is a myth. What we’re really doing when we are on the phone with… Read more »
A Ride in the Trees
Wednesday was windy and a little cool. While tacking we noticed the stall horses were out in the big pasture, so access to the treed lot was clear of both equine obstacles and mud. We hadn’t ridden out there since last fall some time, and Brian and I both wanted to work on slow stuff,… Read more »