...line backed dun!
Sandy is shedding out nicely this week, and I was just a wee bit delighted in the fact that the stripe down his back has stayed while the rest of his winter coat has changed to a deep, dark gold. Not sure how he got labeled bay by the BLM; must have been his winter coat when they decided on his color. He's even got barring on his shoulders!
Jay's been away the past four days, so Curt came out with me today. I'd been working Sandy for about 20 minutes from the ground when he showed up at the gate. He's not worked with Sandy before due to his bruised ribs and aneurysm, but he knew I couldn't stay on the ground another day so out he came. Sandy gave a wee snort, but nothing much, and before long he was learning to work for Curt. Curt's body language is different than mine, so Sandy wasn't completely convinced at first, but after a few circles each way Curt decided it would be fine, so off to the round pen we went.
Curt works differently in the round pen, too. He expects more of a horse. Sandy's got a good foundation and Jay works nice and quiet. Curt moves a horse out a bit more, and I was told to sit down and hang onto that horn. It was a good thing I grabbed hold quickly because he sent Sandy right out into a brisk trot. Before we completed the first circle there was a bit of air between me and the saddle! I don't know if that back end of his dropped out from under him as he started to scramble for a lope or not, I just did as I was told and hung on! The reins were lose and Sandy was back under Curt's control before two strides had been taken, facing up to the old trainer and wondering what he was going to be asked to do next.
The next ten minutes were filled with fast stops and rollback turns as Curt sent us first one direction, then the other. It was fast paced and Sandy learned that whoa meant right now, today, and maybe even yesterday! Set your a$$ in the ground and stop, in other words!
And that was it. Short but sweet. Later in the day I walked Sandy out to the front thinking I may turn him out into the outdoor arena, but we'd had a killer rain last night and the sand was far too slick. Curt had been gone and pulled his car into the driveway while we were out there. He opened and closed his door a few times to see what Sandy's reaction would be. I smiled and gave Sandy a rub on the face, my back to Curt but knowing what he was up to. "You got ahold of him?" he hollered, and I replied that I did. He then cut loose on his horn. It didn't phase Sandy in the least.
For those of you of a praying mind, Curt is headed into surgery for his aortic aneurysm on Thursday. Please pray for a speedy recovery!
Sandy is shedding out nicely this week, and I was just a wee bit delighted in the fact that the stripe down his back has stayed while the rest of his winter coat has changed to a deep, dark gold. Not sure how he got labeled bay by the BLM; must have been his winter coat when they decided on his color. He's even got barring on his shoulders!
Jay's been away the past four days, so Curt came out with me today. I'd been working Sandy for about 20 minutes from the ground when he showed up at the gate. He's not worked with Sandy before due to his bruised ribs and aneurysm, but he knew I couldn't stay on the ground another day so out he came. Sandy gave a wee snort, but nothing much, and before long he was learning to work for Curt. Curt's body language is different than mine, so Sandy wasn't completely convinced at first, but after a few circles each way Curt decided it would be fine, so off to the round pen we went.
Curt works differently in the round pen, too. He expects more of a horse. Sandy's got a good foundation and Jay works nice and quiet. Curt moves a horse out a bit more, and I was told to sit down and hang onto that horn. It was a good thing I grabbed hold quickly because he sent Sandy right out into a brisk trot. Before we completed the first circle there was a bit of air between me and the saddle! I don't know if that back end of his dropped out from under him as he started to scramble for a lope or not, I just did as I was told and hung on! The reins were lose and Sandy was back under Curt's control before two strides had been taken, facing up to the old trainer and wondering what he was going to be asked to do next.
The next ten minutes were filled with fast stops and rollback turns as Curt sent us first one direction, then the other. It was fast paced and Sandy learned that whoa meant right now, today, and maybe even yesterday! Set your a$$ in the ground and stop, in other words!
And that was it. Short but sweet. Later in the day I walked Sandy out to the front thinking I may turn him out into the outdoor arena, but we'd had a killer rain last night and the sand was far too slick. Curt had been gone and pulled his car into the driveway while we were out there. He opened and closed his door a few times to see what Sandy's reaction would be. I smiled and gave Sandy a rub on the face, my back to Curt but knowing what he was up to. "You got ahold of him?" he hollered, and I replied that I did. He then cut loose on his horn. It didn't phase Sandy in the least.
For those of you of a praying mind, Curt is headed into surgery for his aortic aneurysm on Thursday. Please pray for a speedy recovery!
Join the Hay Burner's Club and donate $15 towards Sandy's upkeep and I'll send you a 5x7 photo (once the horse is here, of course.) Or buy advertising space in the form of a button.
3 comments:
Prayers are being sent! Lucky you getting a "bay" that looks nothing at all like a bay and is pretty gosh darn flashy!
Love those Dun markings! Cool!
Sounds like Curt's help in the round pen added some dimension for your horse. That's pretty cool. Good stops are a must.
Praying for Curt.
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