Lessons tonight were canceled. The thermometer reads 20 right now - too cold to stand in the arena for sure! These temps aren't so bad if you're the one on the horse. It's all of us standing on the sidelines who suffer.
L. passed by me at school today and said she can't wait until Friday's lesson. I sure hope it warms up 'cause I really don't want to disappoint her. Although, as her mom said, she needs to learn all about horses - not just the "hop in the saddle and go" part! So we'll have her out there mucking stalls at the very least.....
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Fun on our own...
It turns out that Friday lessons will have to begin next Friday, so when we got out to the barn yesterday we had to decide if I was willing to haul horses out to the fairgrounds even though coach A. wasn't going to be joining us (she's still really sick!). Curly needs to get back into some routine, plus our friend L. was planning on meeting us to see a lesson....so that cinched it, and we loaded up the horses.
We've taken Curly out only one other time without A's supervision, when we traveled up to Dayton for my birthday fun. So I felt a little like a teenager getting to do something "grownup" for the first time - excited, but also a tiny bit apprehensive, realizing that I had to be the "responsible" one. Curly didn't help smooth the situation either - he was fidgety and breathing hard while just standing next to the trailer!
Since we only have one adult size saddle, we could tack up only one horse at a time. Curly was first...and did surprisingly well. E. was very nervous about riding him since he has been displaying so much spirit lately. But he listened to her cues, and by the end of her short ride (30 minutes) he had calmed down to a very respectable level.
Then we transferred the saddle and saddle pad over to Q. While E. had been riding, I had been instructing L. about how to lead a horse ("Remember, you're the one in control! You decide where you are going, not the horse!") and other safety details. She started out hesitant but was getting the hang of how to communicate what she wanted by the time E. was ready to put the saddle on. Since this was L's first time up on Q, and coach A. wasn't there, we decided to err on the side of safety and lead Q and L. around the arena. E. walked them around 3 times, then I took the lead and jogged them another time or two. I was breathing heavy by the time she got off, but it was worth it to see the big smile on L's face.
L. is hooked....her mom is wondering what they are getting into.....
We've taken Curly out only one other time without A's supervision, when we traveled up to Dayton for my birthday fun. So I felt a little like a teenager getting to do something "grownup" for the first time - excited, but also a tiny bit apprehensive, realizing that I had to be the "responsible" one. Curly didn't help smooth the situation either - he was fidgety and breathing hard while just standing next to the trailer!
Since we only have one adult size saddle, we could tack up only one horse at a time. Curly was first...and did surprisingly well. E. was very nervous about riding him since he has been displaying so much spirit lately. But he listened to her cues, and by the end of her short ride (30 minutes) he had calmed down to a very respectable level.
Then we transferred the saddle and saddle pad over to Q. While E. had been riding, I had been instructing L. about how to lead a horse ("Remember, you're the one in control! You decide where you are going, not the horse!") and other safety details. She started out hesitant but was getting the hang of how to communicate what she wanted by the time E. was ready to put the saddle on. Since this was L's first time up on Q, and coach A. wasn't there, we decided to err on the side of safety and lead Q and L. around the arena. E. walked them around 3 times, then I took the lead and jogged them another time or two. I was breathing heavy by the time she got off, but it was worth it to see the big smile on L's face.
L. is hooked....her mom is wondering what they are getting into.....
Thursday, January 17, 2008
New horse buddy...
Lessons last night were canceled. Coach A. has been terribly sick - yesterday was the first day she had spent any time outside the house and felt even remotely healthy in over a week.
We still spent some time out at the barn cleaning and grooming. And the best part is that we introduced a friend, L., to horses. Like many young girls, L has wanted a horse for many years. This past weekend her mom approached me about finding a way for L to begin riding and showing her what it takes to keep a horse happy and clean. So, we took L and her mom with us last night! They met Q and Curly, mucked out stalls with us, and brushed some of the mud off of Q. Unfortunately, the sun went down too quickly for L to take a short ride. We'll take her to a lesson on Friday and perhaps she'll be up in a saddle soon! The plan so far is that we'll share Q with her...until her parents get sucked in like we did and buy their own horse too. Bwaahahaaaa......oh, sorry for the evil laugh......
Curly was thoroughly naughty while I was cleaning his stall. He broke through the rope we string up to keep him out of the hay and grain area and was difficult to catch. I needed the help of A. and her husband to trap him. He's definitely become a "grain junkie" and will snatch a bite directly out of the grain bag whenever he can!
We still spent some time out at the barn cleaning and grooming. And the best part is that we introduced a friend, L., to horses. Like many young girls, L has wanted a horse for many years. This past weekend her mom approached me about finding a way for L to begin riding and showing her what it takes to keep a horse happy and clean. So, we took L and her mom with us last night! They met Q and Curly, mucked out stalls with us, and brushed some of the mud off of Q. Unfortunately, the sun went down too quickly for L to take a short ride. We'll take her to a lesson on Friday and perhaps she'll be up in a saddle soon! The plan so far is that we'll share Q with her...until her parents get sucked in like we did and buy their own horse too. Bwaahahaaaa......oh, sorry for the evil laugh......
Curly was thoroughly naughty while I was cleaning his stall. He broke through the rope we string up to keep him out of the hay and grain area and was difficult to catch. I needed the help of A. and her husband to trap him. He's definitely become a "grain junkie" and will snatch a bite directly out of the grain bag whenever he can!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
In the saddle again...
E. attended a 4-H ride night tonight - the first one for Curly in a long, long time. Between inactivity and a diet supplemented with grain, we were concerned that he might be a little too much to handle, so her trainer rode him for a couple of hours today to make sure he would be in a good frame of mind. Consequently E. was unable to get him to lope at all - the poor guy was pretty pooped out! But she said it was a great night; she was so excited to be up on her guy again.
M. had the pleasure of being the all-important "horse parent" tonight, hitching up and hauling the animal to the ride location and helping with the unloading at the end of the night. While I'll happily give him the chore of actually driving the truck and trailer, I did miss watching E. and all her buddies ride. Okay, I admit it, ride nights are a great "social hour" for me and I really look forward to just chatting with all the other parents!
While watching from the sidelines, M. took a couple of great shots of all the activity. The kids in the club played some sort of game requiring stickers - hence the strange dots on Curly in the picture below:
The club has been blessed with the use of a wonderful enclosed arena for all of their meetings and ride nights. Every-other Tuesday night all the kids gather to ride their horses, learn new skills and just plain have fun. What could be better than this??
M. had the pleasure of being the all-important "horse parent" tonight, hitching up and hauling the animal to the ride location and helping with the unloading at the end of the night. While I'll happily give him the chore of actually driving the truck and trailer, I did miss watching E. and all her buddies ride. Okay, I admit it, ride nights are a great "social hour" for me and I really look forward to just chatting with all the other parents!
While watching from the sidelines, M. took a couple of great shots of all the activity. The kids in the club played some sort of game requiring stickers - hence the strange dots on Curly in the picture below:
The club has been blessed with the use of a wonderful enclosed arena for all of their meetings and ride nights. Every-other Tuesday night all the kids gather to ride their horses, learn new skills and just plain have fun. What could be better than this??
Friday, December 28, 2007
Relaxing on Maui
For the non-family members who read this blog, you may not know that you can track our travel adventures over at my husband's blog:
www.xanga.com/prullmw
Aloha!
www.xanga.com/prullmw
Aloha!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
High spirits
I'm beginning to wonder if Curly has always been in some sort of pain since we've known him. Reflecting back, I recall that we have been dealing with hoof issues since at least July. And if I remember correctly, he was even a little tender-footed before that. Plus we had the issue with his back being out of alignment. Oh, and I can't forget all the extra weight he was carrying at the beginning, which can't be good for a horse's energy level.
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that we have been experiencing a different side to his personality this last week or so. He is much more energetic and feisty, and well, just darn right naughty! Yesterday, after we had finished our cleaning chores, he chose to run around like a maniac when we tried to catch him. He was bucking and ran straight towards us at one point! I wasn't afraid - in fact it was kind of fun to see him so wild - but it definitely wasn't the actions of a submissive, cooperative horse!
I talked to E. on the way home to be sure that she is aware that although it may be nice to see him moving again, we need to quickly re-establish his place in the pecking order. Training begins in earnest - as soon as we get back from Hawaii, that is!
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that we have been experiencing a different side to his personality this last week or so. He is much more energetic and feisty, and well, just darn right naughty! Yesterday, after we had finished our cleaning chores, he chose to run around like a maniac when we tried to catch him. He was bucking and ran straight towards us at one point! I wasn't afraid - in fact it was kind of fun to see him so wild - but it definitely wasn't the actions of a submissive, cooperative horse!
I talked to E. on the way home to be sure that she is aware that although it may be nice to see him moving again, we need to quickly re-establish his place in the pecking order. Training begins in earnest - as soon as we get back from Hawaii, that is!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Rasta-horse
It's that time of year when our horse doesn't get brushed as regularly as he probably should...and the consequence is the formation of dreadlocks in his mane. E. and I spent a good 20 minutes trying to work two of these knotted hair clumps out this afternoon. We managed to untangle one but I finally succumbed to the use of scissors for the second. Luckily, those were the only two that had formed so far; we have vowed to be more vigilant in the future and not allow our horse to go so long between brushings.
It was supposed to be a lesson night but with the wind howling through the trees E. decided that she really didn't want to get up on Curly's back. It was nice to spend a more leisurely afternoon cleaning instead. We had been out to the barn on both Monday and Tuesday (to have hooves trimmed and deliver hay, respectively) but had not had time to take care of some basic, yet essential, chores.
The girls reached new heights, literally, on Monday in their pursuit of climbing all available hay stacks. While we loaded the truck up they climbed to the top of a stack of hay bales that was at least 25 feet tall. I couldn't watch.
It was supposed to be a lesson night but with the wind howling through the trees E. decided that she really didn't want to get up on Curly's back. It was nice to spend a more leisurely afternoon cleaning instead. We had been out to the barn on both Monday and Tuesday (to have hooves trimmed and deliver hay, respectively) but had not had time to take care of some basic, yet essential, chores.
The girls reached new heights, literally, on Monday in their pursuit of climbing all available hay stacks. While we loaded the truck up they climbed to the top of a stack of hay bales that was at least 25 feet tall. I couldn't watch.
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