this is us

Throw back to some snapshots from Summer. I’m having a hard time quantifying our progress this year, maybe partly due to not going to a horse show and falling off, like I usually do as a report card.

Probably our biggest thing is that we haven’t used a bit since March–and wouldn’t you know, he puts his head in the bridle now. He was mostly alright to bridle before–oddly better at taking the bit for the people who always rode with one. I often rode him in just a halter, and he was pretty consistently refusing (at first) to take the bit for me. I guess he was trying to tell me something, and figuredĀ IĀ might actually listen. And it did work, he has a bitless bridle now, and he really doesn’t abuse it. He’s a lot happier. Granted, I also haven’t asked him to do dressage in it. Not really.

He’s also surprisingly good in a neck rein. Trot is still iffy, but walk is getting impressive.

Bees in the grass put a damper on our jumping practice. I was hoping to get back to jumping practice, but every time we entered the grassy area with jumps we’d come out with a persistent yellow jacket on our tail. Not cool. But he’s pretty happy most of the time, and downright cuddly, and very, very good with children under foot.

Thoroughbred

I never know when a new horse is going to show up at the barn. Stryker turned up a couple months ago, unexpected by everyone, but fits right in.

Story goes, our barn manager had been planning for a long while to get a thoroughbred to race, got one all picked out, picked up, and then the barn he had fell through. So, Stryker came to live with us. Now, the new addition to the barn is finished, and he’s got a nice huge stall toĀ  grow into. He’s just 18 months in the first picture, and such a cute baby.

He’s already growing and filling out. He’s got a really good head on his shoulders, takes everything in stride, and is more excited to see someone coming with his halter than he is to see them coming with treats.

I can’t wait to see how his life goes.

watermarked-110657watermarked-120357watermarked-135433

 

groundwork for littles

I’ve started teaching the seven year old how to work Midas in hand. It was time. We’ve practiced leading before, and it’s always been a bit of a struggle for her to not run ahead, or perpetually circle left because she wasn’t comfortable with how close he is when you lead properly.

He’s docile as a lamb in hand, and dutifully follows her no matter how hard she tries to get away. She has, however, made great strides. Becoming accustomed to being close to such a large animal, and learning how to maintain her space.

I started teaching her more complicated things, like yield the haunches, just last week. Groundwork is how I became aĀ  better rider and gained Midas’s respect under saddle, why should it be any different for the child half my size?

It’s already made a difference in her and we’ve practiced twice. She is much better at leading all of a sudden, much more confident handling him on the ground by herself. I immediately started giving her more to do–like buckling the girth, snapping on and off the reins. I let her take his halter off, too. That was rather entertaining. Midas would rather watch a little kid jumping for his head repeatedly than put it lower (not that he made any move to lift it out of reach because something was jumping at his head.)

My hope, is that it will translate to him paying more attention to her when she rides, and also her having even more calm and control.

20170929_114619-1-982068057.jpg