Riding in the round pen

E had the first official ride on Ginger!

It was a gorgeous day (55 and sunny) so we rushed to the barn after school. I quickly cleaned stalls (finally got some pellets for Ginger's pee spot) while E brushed as much mud as possible off the horse. Ginger was still too dirty to put a saddle on though, so E decided to try her bareback.

Ginger was a bit of a wreck at the hitching post. It appears that she has never really been taught to stand quietly for any length of time. We had to continually remind her where she was to stand and had to reinforce that she was not allowed to bump us or get into our space.

E then took her into the round pen and quickly discovered that Ginger is TERRIFIED of grocery sacks. So we did a little desensitizing exercise and began the process of getting her used to those horrible horse-eating monsters. Within five minutes we could walk past her while dragging a bag.

Putting the bridle/bit on her was completely different, though. She immediately stood quietly and calmly while E performed this task - better than Curly, really. She was a little nervous when E tried to get on her back, but quickly settled. E walked her around the pen for a bit, trying different cues and requests. She was able to get her to turn with rein cues, and was able to stop and back her. E did not have much luck with leg cues, but friend T (who also had a quick ride on Ginger) was able to use some leg to turn her.


Overall, we were so happy with the ride. Ginger needs a tune-up and is sometimes pushy, but it all seems to be things we can work with.

And the vet says....

We took Ginger to the vet today for a pre-purchase exam. After checking her over head to toe he declared her sound and a worthy purchase.

She was being a bit of a pill...might be from the warmer weather, the new experiences and environment, her cycle or maybe that's even her regular personality. Hard to tell, really. E took her into the round pen for a bit and Ginger went wild, tossing her head and kicking up her heels.

We still haven't ridden her...hopefully will this week.

Wild Stalli..umm...Geldings

E and I are a bit under the weather - nasty colds - so we weren't able to take advantage of the nice-ish day to go riding yesterday. But we did manage to do a big cleaning of stalls and runs. As we cleaned out each horse's stall we would release them out into the trail course area of the barnyard. Gets the animal out of our way and gives the horse a bit of freedom.

Ginger must be cycling right now. She was quite interested in the boys and was "winking" at them (I learned a new term in my research on mares last night!). Of course, being geldings, all the boys would just stare at her lifted tail, blink, and then go back to what they had been doing. I was glad to discover that Ginger is still amenable to our handling even while she is in estrus.

When it was Curly's turn for freedom he began acting like a wild stallion, charging all over the place with mane and tail flying behind him. It made me laugh and we began calling him "Curly, Wild Stallion of the Cimarron." That quickly evolved into "Curly, Wild Gelding of the Poop Pile" since his laps included a romp through that area as well. He even made a leap over a large pile of rocks. When we rounded him back up he was all sweaty from his exertions.

E's comment as we drove away: "I'm feeling happy now."

Ginger settles in

We've been going out to the barn every-other day, helping Ginger get used to the barn and us. R got to meet her for the first time yesterday; she thought Ginger's small size was wonderful. I think she's been a bit intimidated by all those huge animals out there. Perhaps she'll become more interested in riding now!



Anyway, not too much to report at this point. All is going well...but we haven't really tried anything either!

The trial begins

We moved Ginger to the barn today to begin our 30 day trial period. When E led her to the trailer, she loaded up very nicely and quietly stood as we finished up with her owner. Ginger's "mom" was sad to see her go, but said she believes we'll give her a good home. We are all hoping that this works out and is a good fit for both horse and rider.

Keep your fingers crossed!

E helped Ginger acclimate to the new barn and her stall. She was hesitant to go into the stall at first but quickly got over it once she realized that there was hay in that dark space! I think this will end up being a fairly smooth transition.....

Making a choice

We made a spur-of-the-moment trip out to the fairgrounds last night and finally put Quinn under saddle. Friend T offered to be our test rider and I quickly and gratefully took her up on the offer.

Our first challenge was getting Quinn into the trailer. I had never loaded him before and he's not all that experienced himself, so after 30 minutes of getting him to put his front half in, only to then have him back out again, I was about to give up and call T to tell her not to meet us out at the arena when Friend A showed up. Being a horse trainer, she quickly got him into the trailer - plus taught me how to teach him. The ride to the arena was thankfully uneventful.

Quinn was not as nervous at the fairgrounds and we were all feeling pretty positive about keeping him. He stood quietly as we brushed and fussed over him, and he led over to the arena fairly easy. Friend T proceeded to longe him and test his responsiveness to her cues. Overall, he did about as we had expected and all of us were happy with his performance. She decided that he was calm enough to saddle up; again, we were happy with his calmness as a saddle was put on his back. He was especially good when the bit and bridle were put on.

Quinn at the fairgrounds

Then she got into the saddle. T did not ask anything of Quinn. She sat quietly, using no leg. He was a wreck. He began jigging and "dancing" in place. He was clearly nervous about having someone on his back. It quickly became obvious that although he has a sweet personality and a great willingness to learn and please, Quinn is terribly under-trained and therefore is not the right horse for us at this time. He needs a more advanced rider who is ready for the challenge that he will be. Eventually, I'm sure he would be a great animal. I'm just not willing to take on another project horse....or at least not that big of a project horse!

Today, Friend T went out to Waitsburg with E and I to check out another prospect, a 10 year old mare named Ginger.

Friend T and Ginger

Ginger's owner was very upfront about all she knows about this horse. She's been a pasture pet for about 2 years and really needs a job. She's done 4-H and trail riding in the past and her previous riders have all seemed to enjoy her. Ginger is spoiled and needs a tune-up. But like Quinn, she appears to have a sweet disposition and wants to please. Her owner really wants to find a good home for her and would like us to try her out for 30 days before making a decision. She actually got teary at the thought of her beloved pet going to a new home. All of this made me feel a little more comfortable about considering Ginger.

Friend T was not able to ride her today - the wind was blowing something fierce and Ginger was skittish - but the horse handled every request that was made of her fairly well. The only time we had some reservations was when we started to cinch up the saddle, but at that point in the proceedings a lot had been asked of Ginger and perhaps she just needs a little more time to adjust to us. Plus all that wind wasn't helping!

The only hitch in all of this is that unless Quinn leaves, there currently is no room at our barn. I need to figure out how we can get Ginger to our place soon and will talk to Friend A, the barn manager, asap.

Oh, and by the way, the price for both of these horses is fabulous. Quinn is free. Ginger is only $500.

Too bad hay ain't that cheap!

Do I have to?

An invitation to join a newly forming 4-H club about 2 1/2 years ago is what started us on the road to horse ownership. Both E and I were so excited to find this group of people and she happily became a member of the Thundering Hoofbeats. And she continues to happily join in all the activities that the club regularly does....except one. Updating her record book. You'd think we were impaling her with hot pokers every time she has to sit down and document her horse-related activities! I forced E to spend an agonizing 15 minutes (Yes, it really only takes 15 minutes!) filling in her activity calendar. And yes, I am a "mean mom." :-)

Since it's snowing again, we've had to limit our horse-time to mucking stalls and tackling unruly manes. On the way out to the barn today E snapped a few pictures of the beautiful winter landscape.