Lucy, the Bull, and Beamer's Blue Moon

Lucy's fourth time working the HydraBull.  She's coming along pretty nicely, so the Cowboy stepped it up a notch here.  Lucy wasn't terribly sure about it being so close, but all in all handled it pretty well.  She's definitely got the moves.  I'm not sure how long Lucy will be with me, but for now I'm really enjoying her.  At some point over the summer, once she's fattened up a bit and has some more training miles on her, she'll be up for sale (keep that in mind all you roan mustang lovers!)

A few years ago some of you may recall Darling competing in the Youth and Yearling program, where you take a wild mustang yearling and gentle it for an in hand competition.  One of those yearlings was a bay filly she named Beamer's Blue Moon (she wonders now why she called a bay horse blue?)  She's pictured here with Tika, who was more than happy to play mamma to this sweet little girl.

Beamer has recently come back into our lives, as her owner was unable to keep her any longer.  She's now four years old and lightly started under saddle.  This spunky little mare is testing her boundaries just a little, but deep down she's still the same sweetie who was here before.  She's a tiny little sprite, only 13.2 or 13.3, but this girl packs a powerful punch!  From Murderer's Creek, she's got a lot of athletic ability.  She can stop and turn well enough to make you think you've got a cowhorse on your hands.

Yesterday a friend asked if I wanted to go for a nice trail ride, and with Oz and Lucy at the Cowboy's, Beamer was the only one at my disposal.  Well...sure, why not?  Most of our rides were only 20 minutes in length, and always in the arena (flat, easy footing.)  And over the past 2 weeks, I've spent far more time with my other three projects than with the little bay, so I wasn't sure if she'd be up for much.  I needn't have been concerned.  A 40 minute climb up the hill had her no more out of breath than a 20 minute arena workout.  Sweating, yes, but no huffing and puffing.  And her feet are amazing!  Barefoot over rocks without so much as a short step.

Beamer and Tika seemed to take back up right where they left off.  Flirt wasn't so sure she wanted a BAY colored horse on the place, so she was a bit aggressive with the new girl when she first arrived.  After having them separate for a couple of weeks, though, I turned them all back out together and Flirt found that just because she's 4" taller doesn't mean she's boss.  Beamer pinned her ears and snaked after my red dun baby, showing some teeth and making it known that she wasn't to be pushed around.

Now that order has come to the trio, they frolic and play and race around like wild ponies should.  Beamer won't be with us for long.  Like Lucy, she'll get some saddle time, some manners, and then be available for sale to someone who'll appreciate our little bay dynamo!

A Good Day in the Saddle

Twas a fabulous day of riding for this Desperate Horsewife!  But before I tell you about it, I need to introduce you to someone.

Meet Lucy.  She's a four year old strawberry roan mare from Warm Springs HMA.  For those of you who've been around here awhile, you'll remember Jet, the tall black mare that we had; she was also from Warm Springs.  

I first met Lucy when she was a two year old at the Wild Horse Corrals in Oregon.  She was a very striking young mare who'd foaled out a very cute red dun filly.  Yes, two years old and having babies...such is life in the world of wild!  Lucy would stay at the corrals until spring of her three year old year, when she was adopted by a gal in Southern Oregon.

Last fall, Lucy's adopter decided that the mare didn't quite meet her needs, and she started looking for a new home.  She asked if I would take Lucy here.  I'd just committed to taking Flirt, but...well...okay.  Twist my arm!  Besides, a friend of mine had really liked Lucy at the corrals and she was thinking it may be that Lucy would make her a nice trail horse.

Flash forward, and my friend has had rotator cuff surgery and isn't sure she can ride anything other than a dead broke horse right now.  She asked if I'd take Lucy for a couple of weeks for a refresher course (Lucy had been ridden out on the trails before being sent up to us.)  Of course I was more than happy to do that for my friend.  

Sometimes life surprises us.  Lucy is one of those surprises.  She's got just enough 'feel good' in her to not really make her suitable for plunking down a trail without a care...at least not right now.  What she has got, bless her long backed soul, is a solid, get your butt underneath you stop and a pretty decent turn around.  And you know what that means, don't you???

I brought Lucy down to the Cowboy's so he could meet her.  I asked if he'd take a look and tell me what he thought.  I think he didn't think much, but he humored me.  "Take her home and ride her, get her a little better broke.  You need to have a little better control of her rib cage before we try to work you."

Okay.  I can do that.  And we did.  We worked 5 out of 6 days, stopping, backing, turning.  I'd do leg yields around the round pen, stopping and turning and going the other way.  Always in my mind was 'keep her eye on the cow', a phrase I'd heard often enough while working Kitty.  I pretended the round pen rail was the cow and kept Lucy's body supple and her nose toward our imaginary adversary.

This morning I hauled Lucy back to the Cowboy's arena.  I saddled and warmed her up.  He'd gone into the house, and I figured he didn't think we'd be ready to work.  But I was.  And so was Lucy.  Or at least I hoped so!  I tied up her reins on the saddle horn, leaving her in the arena while I went and knocked on the door.  I was back in the saddle by the time he reached the arena.

Lucy and I began by doing some dry work along the wall, trotting down the rail, stopping, 'loading up' (which is what we call rocking back over the hocks), and turning.  The Cowboy gave pointers, calling to me to 'get her ribcage', and after a few turns, he asked if I wanted to work the bull.  

Hello?  YES!!!

And we did.  Lucy was a gem.  She didn't really know that she was supposed to read the bull and do it on her own; none of them really does to start.  But she tracked it well, keeping up with it, stopping and turning and moving that rib cage.  When we were done, the Cowboy was wearing a smile.

"That surprise you a bit?"

I paused, then replied, "A little."

"A little?  Surprised me a whole lot!"  His smile was genuine as he climbed out of his bull.  "I didn't expect that.  You did a good job."  And when he left the arena, the Cowboy wasn't the only one wearing a smile.