E and Monte participated in a local show last night, Hot August Nights. It takes place every year on the first 3 Thursdays of August and is pretty low key - a great way to help prepare for the upcoming county fair.
Between bug bites, vacations and sprained ankles, E has not really ridden Monte in about a month. She got two decent rides in this week but that's it. And last night showed that it's not enough either. Her little pony was more than a handful and truly lived up to the Arab stereotype of a hot headed horse. It's heartbreaking to watch your little girl struggle to do her best. Needless to say, no ribbons were won (they did get one reserve - a.k.a. 7th place) but on the bright side, she managed to keep him under hand and did not come out of the saddle.
So, E will be putting more time in the saddle over the next week or so. Hopefully fair goes smoother.
Oh, and as I was sitting in the stands I realized that I could have brought Zoe and participated in the showmanship class. Told myself that next year we'll be competing at Hot August Nights....hmmmm, sounds like I'm making my decision about this horse, doesn't it? ;)
Friday, August 20, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Bareback, part deux
Both E and I are loving this new horse. We can't wait to get out to the barn each day to visit with Zoe and are happy to just be with her, letting her graze in the grass. It makes me smile each time I come around the corner of the barn and see her waiting at the gate for us. It seems like she enjoys our visits as much as we do!
Yesterday I had my first ride on her. Given that I have next to no experience in an English saddle, I decided to try bareback. (Feel free to question my logic here - I've never ridden bareback either! I just thought that if I was going to fall off, at least with bareback there would be less equipment for me to get tangled up in.)
Climbing on was no problem; she is pretty good at standing patiently. I was surprised at how wide she is once I go on; her broad back definitely stretched my hip and leg muscles a bit! I asked E to lead us for the first couple of circuits in the round pen - I freely admit to being a chicken! But after I got a feel for the movement under me and realized that I could indeed stop her, I walked off on my own....for maybe a total of 3 minutes. :) But I did it.
Today when we go out we're going to see if our Western saddle is wide enough for Zoe. If not, our barn manager thinks she has one that might fit. I'm looking forward to trying Zoe for real!
Monte update: E has been hesitant to push Monte (His reaction to our touches are rather dramatic.) but I showed her that I could brush him and he didn't shy away from me. So she went ahead and saddled him up and was able to ride for a few moments. Unfortunately, she has a sprained ankle and isn't able to do much. At any rate, she was very happy to see that he's getting better.
Oh, and she got a job! E will now be mucking stalls at the barn on Saturdays and Sundays. I think it's perfect.
Yesterday I had my first ride on her. Given that I have next to no experience in an English saddle, I decided to try bareback. (Feel free to question my logic here - I've never ridden bareback either! I just thought that if I was going to fall off, at least with bareback there would be less equipment for me to get tangled up in.)
Climbing on was no problem; she is pretty good at standing patiently. I was surprised at how wide she is once I go on; her broad back definitely stretched my hip and leg muscles a bit! I asked E to lead us for the first couple of circuits in the round pen - I freely admit to being a chicken! But after I got a feel for the movement under me and realized that I could indeed stop her, I walked off on my own....for maybe a total of 3 minutes. :) But I did it.
Today when we go out we're going to see if our Western saddle is wide enough for Zoe. If not, our barn manager thinks she has one that might fit. I'm looking forward to trying Zoe for real!
Monte update: E has been hesitant to push Monte (His reaction to our touches are rather dramatic.) but I showed her that I could brush him and he didn't shy away from me. So she went ahead and saddled him up and was able to ride for a few moments. Unfortunately, she has a sprained ankle and isn't able to do much. At any rate, she was very happy to see that he's getting better.
Oh, and she got a job! E will now be mucking stalls at the barn on Saturdays and Sundays. I think it's perfect.
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