Sounds pretty regal, doesn't it? That's Monte's full name (and, yeah, I was spelling it wrong before!). We got his paperwork today and brought him home to the horse barn. E and I are both super excited - practically giddy, in fact.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Pintara Monte Carlo
Sounds pretty regal, doesn't it? That's Monte's full name (and, yeah, I was spelling it wrong before!). We got his paperwork today and brought him home to the horse barn. E and I are both super excited - practically giddy, in fact.
Friday, April 3, 2009
It's like starting over
E had her first riding lesson with Anna yesterday afternoon. We had originally planned to bring Curly and spend this first meeting using our Western tack so that Anna could get an idea of what E's skill level is but since he has a couple of sores right at the cinch line, we chose to use her lesson horse, Allers (spelling?), instead.
Anna is very thorough in her approach to teaching beginners. Every step and piece of equipment is explained as you move along. Her communication style seems to be a good fit with E's learning style so far.
E chose to do this lesson on the longe line. Sitting - or should I say balancing! - up in that tiny English saddle is unsettling at first. E also decided to not attempt a canter yet. Anna had her learn the feel of the horse so that she could better time her cues. She also made her sit in a half-seat position for quite a while - and E was very sore afterwards!
Overall it was a great experience. We scheduled another lesson for next Thursday...and this time we'll be bringing Monty!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
And the winner is....
Monty!
We drove out to Benton City again yesterday morning and made the decision to buy Monty. I'm really excited....and a little nervous. It never fails that as soon as I make a big money decision, I begin to second guess myself. :-)
We took our own tack out this time, to see how Monty would do with a little different setup. It was his first experience with a back cinch, plus E's saddle has a couple of long leather tie-downs on the back D-rings that hang over the horse's back flanks, tickling them when they move. The bit we use (a Myler) is a little different, as well. Monty handled all of these changes without even blinking. He was as calm and attentive as he had been on Monday - and we were sold!
I still have to go out one more time to pick him up. Not sure which day that will be yet. And we will trailer out there at least a few times over the next several months for lessons. Ruben really wants to be sure that this relationship goes smoothly. He's been a great teacher so far and I look forward to spending more time under his tutelage.
Oh, and officially, Monty is an Arab-pinto, not a paint. He's registered in the PtHA. Not that I really care....
So, wow, we bought a horse!
I'm kinda in shock....
We drove out to Benton City again yesterday morning and made the decision to buy Monty. I'm really excited....and a little nervous. It never fails that as soon as I make a big money decision, I begin to second guess myself. :-)
We took our own tack out this time, to see how Monty would do with a little different setup. It was his first experience with a back cinch, plus E's saddle has a couple of long leather tie-downs on the back D-rings that hang over the horse's back flanks, tickling them when they move. The bit we use (a Myler) is a little different, as well. Monty handled all of these changes without even blinking. He was as calm and attentive as he had been on Monday - and we were sold!
I still have to go out one more time to pick him up. Not sure which day that will be yet. And we will trailer out there at least a few times over the next several months for lessons. Ruben really wants to be sure that this relationship goes smoothly. He's been a great teacher so far and I look forward to spending more time under his tutelage.
Oh, and officially, Monty is an Arab-pinto, not a paint. He's registered in the PtHA. Not that I really care....
So, wow, we bought a horse!
I'm kinda in shock....
Monday, March 30, 2009
Test drives
There was a bit of excitement this morning when E tried out the first of 3 horses at Ruben's place. Keeshell (the mare whose name I couldn't remember before) was unsure of E from the get-go. She did fine with Ruben but never relaxed fully when E was around. Not too huge of a deal - until E tried to dismount.
Keeshell startled when E began the dismount in an unfamiliar way, and then E lost her balance and was unseated...ending up behind the horse, with her foot still stuck in the stirrup. Keeshell freaked, but thankfully didn't kick back at the lump laying behind her (E), only dragging her a little. All of our hearts were pounding at that point.
After making sure E was okay (she was), Ruben got onto the horse and walked her up to E and it became obvious that the horse was afraid of E. Ruben now wonders what the horse's last young rider did to cause this fear. He asked E to help him re-train the horse and they began a series of small exercises to get the animal over its fear of E. Gradually Keeshell calmed enough that E could pet her. But the horse never did fully settle.
We all decided that this was not the horse for us. In fact, Ruben wouldn't have given her to us at that point even if we had begged. Not that I was going to.
The second horse was Indio. He was less responsive during longeing than Keeshell had been, but was also much calmer once she started riding.
At first E was very hesitant to assert herself with the horse, so he ignored her cues. After Ruben and I stopped being an audience, however, she found a bit of her confidence and discovered that he was so easy to ride. She really enjoyed her time with him. The only bad incident came when we went to take his bit out. He pulled back and up when E had the bridle half off, startling both us and himself. My heart started pumping fast for a moment again.
The third horse we looked at today was a new face to us. Monty is an arab paint that came in for training over a year ago and the owner has yet to pay the bill - which just keeps getting larger with additional board fees.
He was recently gelded (4 months ago?) and has not been riden since the procedure. Actually, he's only been riden 3 or 4 times in the past year - and has been in a 12'x30' stall for most of that time as well. So none of us were expecting him to be a good fit.
But when Ruben got on him, he turned out to be the calmest of the bunch. Ruben was amazed by the quiet disposition that the horse displayed, in fact. Turns out that Monty was a bit of a wild thing during his stallion days. Not so any more! This horse was so calm that Ruben asked E if she wanted to ride, so she took a short ride (1 to 2 minutes, tops!) on him.
When asked which horse she preferred, E said that she liked how easy it was to ride Indio, but that she was also wow'ed by Monty. She said that it took more pulling to get Monty to turn, but she also felt that that was understandable since he hasn't been riden in eons. And she actually preferred Indio's plain coat to Monty's flashy looks.
I would love to take both horses home. But I can't. Too bad, too, because Indio is really only available for lease right now, so he's essentially free for the time being. Monty's owner wants a little more than I had planned to spend, but is probably worth every penny.
We go back on Wednesday for another ride....
Keeshell startled when E began the dismount in an unfamiliar way, and then E lost her balance and was unseated...ending up behind the horse, with her foot still stuck in the stirrup. Keeshell freaked, but thankfully didn't kick back at the lump laying behind her (E), only dragging her a little. All of our hearts were pounding at that point.
After making sure E was okay (she was), Ruben got onto the horse and walked her up to E and it became obvious that the horse was afraid of E. Ruben now wonders what the horse's last young rider did to cause this fear. He asked E to help him re-train the horse and they began a series of small exercises to get the animal over its fear of E. Gradually Keeshell calmed enough that E could pet her. But the horse never did fully settle.
We all decided that this was not the horse for us. In fact, Ruben wouldn't have given her to us at that point even if we had begged. Not that I was going to.
The second horse was Indio. He was less responsive during longeing than Keeshell had been, but was also much calmer once she started riding.
At first E was very hesitant to assert herself with the horse, so he ignored her cues. After Ruben and I stopped being an audience, however, she found a bit of her confidence and discovered that he was so easy to ride. She really enjoyed her time with him. The only bad incident came when we went to take his bit out. He pulled back and up when E had the bridle half off, startling both us and himself. My heart started pumping fast for a moment again.
The third horse we looked at today was a new face to us. Monty is an arab paint that came in for training over a year ago and the owner has yet to pay the bill - which just keeps getting larger with additional board fees.
He was recently gelded (4 months ago?) and has not been riden since the procedure. Actually, he's only been riden 3 or 4 times in the past year - and has been in a 12'x30' stall for most of that time as well. So none of us were expecting him to be a good fit.
But when Ruben got on him, he turned out to be the calmest of the bunch. Ruben was amazed by the quiet disposition that the horse displayed, in fact. Turns out that Monty was a bit of a wild thing during his stallion days. Not so any more! This horse was so calm that Ruben asked E if she wanted to ride, so she took a short ride (1 to 2 minutes, tops!) on him.
When asked which horse she preferred, E said that she liked how easy it was to ride Indio, but that she was also wow'ed by Monty. She said that it took more pulling to get Monty to turn, but she also felt that that was understandable since he hasn't been riden in eons. And she actually preferred Indio's plain coat to Monty's flashy looks.
I would love to take both horses home. But I can't. Too bad, too, because Indio is really only available for lease right now, so he's essentially free for the time being. Monty's owner wants a little more than I had planned to spend, but is probably worth every penny.
We go back on Wednesday for another ride....
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Snow Shoes
It's been crazy weather around here again. There have been spring-like days of warm sunshine and frigid ones with wind blowing through the trees. Everything is beginning to bud and bloom. And then it snows....really! We woke up to about a quarter inch of snow on the ground today. Here are some pictures from the past few days:
Curly enjoying the spring fields. Note the snarly mane.
E's been consistently practicing ground exercises with Curly.
This morning's snow....
Curly enjoying the spring fields. Note the snarly mane.
E's been consistently practicing ground exercises with Curly.
This morning's snow....Thankfully, it all melted by this afternoon. Which is really good, since we had a farrier appointment. And here's Curly getting his first set of shoes since we've owned him:
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