Robin and I were both tired heading out to the barn. It was a cool and cloudy day; I’m sure that wasn’t helping. We did feel better once we got out there and grabbed our horses. It is funny how steady and even Laredo feels after working with Zoey. Not only have we known him… Read more »
trot
Body Position Really Matters
A few nights ago we watched Richard Caldwell’s Jaquima a Freno (part II). It was a really great video. So many of the exercises we have seen before, but it is always nice to hear how another great horseman lays everything out there. And like so many others, Caldwell rides like he grew right out… Read more »
Just One
It stormed in the night. The area around the barn was soaked and soggy, and there were more patchy storms that had the potential to hit us. With Zoey, we were again confined to the indoor. On the bright side, Zoey came to meet us in the pasture today, was scared off by Laredo pinning… Read more »
The New Norm?
I checked Bear’s temp first thing and it was below 100. Very nice, considering he was just dozing in the sun on another warm afternoon. And then I proceeded to catch Zoey. She is not a fan of me, or possibly not a big fan of men. It can be hard to tell as Robin… Read more »
One Year Later
We’ve now had Laredo for exactly one year. At times it has been rough, but it has also been extremely educational. In that time we’ve gotten over the ear issue, had a few bucks and runaways, taught him how to lope some circles, and become close enough that he will sometimes run to us in… Read more »
The Comfort Zone Wars
We rode on the strip today. My plan was to continue to work on Steen’s dislike of being out of his strip comfort zone bubble. My plan for the day was to do all of our easy work and all of our resting down the strip well past where he prefers to be, and all… Read more »
Checking Things Out
Today would be my day to ride Laredo, but most of the day I kept thinking I owed Bear a soft, easy ride to see if we could find what was bothering him. Robin suggested I just do both. So I did. I groomed them both up, tacked Bear and put Laredo in the big… Read more »
An Adult!
I had to ride Bear today as it was his 18th birthday. I was hoping I could write about our awesome ride and how good he was and young he still seems, but I can’t. He was kind of stiff and antsy. I spent most of the ride trying to figure out if he was… Read more »
Birthday Season
Like most horses, all of our guys were born in the late spring/early summer. Bear’s birthday is the earliest, and today he turned 18. He does pretty darn well for his age. Other than being slightly more prone to getting stiff and sore than our other two, he really doesn’t seem like he’s in his… Read more »
Actually Warm
We were sweating getting the horses ready yesterday. It felt pretty darn good, though I am somewhat disappointed that we seem to have gone from a late winter into summer. I like those nice days in the high 60s. Oh well. I rode Laredo today. He was fun and full of energy, but I was… Read more »