I'd forgotten what it was like to see that little ticker on my blog. I sign in and there it is, reminding me that I am no where near ready.
Yesterday Darling and I went down to the trail with two other women, but our time was limited. Steve Holt! wasn't sure about the other horses at first. After all, there was an Arabian there, and he most definitely did not like that little horse. Eventually he forgot the horse was there (probably because it was in the lead, and he was at the end of the line) and walked nicely down the trail following Sandy's tail. Eventually we changed positions, and he led for a short bit, then Sandy jogged past us and led the rest of the way back. It was a nice break from the arena.
I rode in the Aussie saddle for the first time yesterday, first on the trail and then in the arena. I was thrilled to find my leg back where it belonged. I'm wondering if it's just the stiffness of that particular western saddle that has me swinging forward so much? Whatever it is, I'm going to use the Aussie for a while so that I'm in a more user friendly position with that right leg.
I've not got much of a list when it comes to new accomplishments this week.
1) His feet were done for the first time. Just a bit of rasping, enough to relax and get used to them being handled. Plus, it was his first time allowing a man inside his private circle.
2) Riding on the trail in a group setting.
Aside from those two things, we did a lot of review. More circles, more working on getting those shoulders where they belong, more effort poured into setting up for picking up correct leads. My friend Shelley said recently that training horses is boring work. And when you get to this point...yes, it truly is. Repetition, however, is what we need right now.
Peek A Boo!
For those of you in the northwest, you may be interested in a Steve Rother clinic that is coming up. Jamie Thomas, another EMM trainer, is organizing the event and asked me to pass along the information. You can contact her at jthomas@midpointcad.com
Yesterday Darling and I went down to the trail with two other women, but our time was limited. Steve Holt! wasn't sure about the other horses at first. After all, there was an Arabian there, and he most definitely did not like that little horse. Eventually he forgot the horse was there (probably because it was in the lead, and he was at the end of the line) and walked nicely down the trail following Sandy's tail. Eventually we changed positions, and he led for a short bit, then Sandy jogged past us and led the rest of the way back. It was a nice break from the arena.
I rode in the Aussie saddle for the first time yesterday, first on the trail and then in the arena. I was thrilled to find my leg back where it belonged. I'm wondering if it's just the stiffness of that particular western saddle that has me swinging forward so much? Whatever it is, I'm going to use the Aussie for a while so that I'm in a more user friendly position with that right leg.
I've not got much of a list when it comes to new accomplishments this week.
1) His feet were done for the first time. Just a bit of rasping, enough to relax and get used to them being handled. Plus, it was his first time allowing a man inside his private circle.
2) Riding on the trail in a group setting.
Aside from those two things, we did a lot of review. More circles, more working on getting those shoulders where they belong, more effort poured into setting up for picking up correct leads. My friend Shelley said recently that training horses is boring work. And when you get to this point...yes, it truly is. Repetition, however, is what we need right now.
Peek A Boo!
For those of you in the northwest, you may be interested in a Steve Rother clinic that is coming up. Jamie Thomas, another EMM trainer, is organizing the event and asked me to pass along the information. You can contact her at jthomas@midpointcad.com
2 comments:
I know what you mean...those first few weeks, you see such quick change...but the repetition just makes them such better horses...go Steve Holt!
Thank you Tracey for the plug! Good job with SH. Nothing like training a horse for a competition that you know you are going to keep!! Ask me how I know!
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