2 days in a row

Having received a day off on Monday (not a typical day that I get off for a vacation day), we wanted to see if we might be able to sneak in some time for a ride. Our son still had school, but Sarah and I wanted to take advantage of the time we had to get out in the nice weather and out to the barn. I made a quick call, and it didn’t look like anyone would be out early enough for us to make it out and ride before we had to pick up Gabe from school. Fortunately though, we received a call from Capricorn that indeed someone had made it out to the barn and we could come out and ride.

When we arrived at the barn, none of the horses were in and we had to go out and pick up the boys (Vegas and Tio – who are actually brothers) out in the field.  All of the horses were at the round bales, so we didn’t have to go very far to get them. Of course, one of the other horses who loves to come in met us half way and then stuck to me like glue. We haltered Vegas and Tio and headed in. I had to keep Colonel at bay to keep him from walking with me through the gate, but all of the horses would be coming in soon enough to be fed anyways – so I didn’t feel too bad about leaving Colonel out there.

We’ve had a bit of rain lately and the path through the gate is quite muddy. The horses all have mud up their legs (I call it clay boots) and it really irritates their skin. Our soil around here is clay and it doesn’t take much rain to make a big clay mess. That being said, Sarah and I took the horses over to wash them up a bit and knock off the clay around their feet. Vegas was a real trooper and stood fine with me holding him while Sarah washed his feet. Tio was another story…. Tio does not like to have his feet washed and was a bit jumpy. We stuck with it though and got him cleaned up.

After grooming and tacking up, we only had about 40 minutes of ride time. Sarah had forgotten to put her spurs on and she really had to work with Tio to get him moving. It was good for her to see how far she’s progressed in using her seat and leg pressure to ride. In fact, she’s going to be riding without spurs more often to keep her riding development going (without having to rely on the spurs). She did great, but did end up going to get her spurs for about the last 15 minutes of our ride. Vegas and I had an ok ride, but he was reluctant to backing for some reason. I worked on my seat during the ride, but really just wanted to enjoy the time I had.

Last night, we got to go out to Capricorn again. Of course, the horses were a mess again, but not nearly as bad as the previous day. Barbara was there before us and had cleaned up Harry. However, Harry had a bit of a limp going on, so Barbara let him be and selected a different horse to ride (Booger). Sarah and I were with Vegas and Tio – as usual. The kids class that ends just before we ride on Tuesday had used both Vegas and Tio, but neither of the horses had really worked and had just a bit of attitude. Apparently, Alex had mentioned to Sarah that she wanted Sarah to really work Tio and to canter him for the rest of the night…, and did she ever. Sarah had Tio going from the first minute on. It was really neat to see Sarah getting Tio going as I remember that when we first started riding, it was difficult to get any of the horses moving at a canter (our lack of experience – not the horses).

I guess Sarah really found Tio’s “go button” because after some time cantering, Tio through down the gauntlet and said… ok, you want to go, let’s go and he took off at a gallop. Sarah handled him well and fell into her experience and rode it out. Chad had everyone else stop while Sarah brought Tio down to a trot and then a stop. Chad had Sarah back Tio up a bit and then had her go back to trotting. Sarah stayed with the trot the rest of the night.

I worked with Vegas on frame and collection. I am developing my thigh muscles and using them to drive Vegas forward while maintaining the collection. I have to get to the point where I am not managing the horse, but maintaining myself. I had some brief moments where everything was correct, me with my riding position and Vegas managing his own collection based on my position. I know I need to practice my body position and cueing more, but I will get there.

So, it’s been a nice couple of days.  Sarah can hardly stop talking about her ride and is excited about riding more. I look forward to riding more as well and furthering my experience.

Thanks for stopping by – talk to you later,

A little warmer – a nice night for a ride

Last night we went out to the barn for our weekly riding class. The weather had turned slightly warmer so we didn’t need to bundle up as much.  We tacked up our usual horses, Sarah with Tio and myself with Vegas. I think the horses were enjoying the warmer temps as well because they didn’t seem as stiff. I watched Sarah working on Tio for a bit and she is doing wonderfully. Sarah is working on riding with collection at walk, trot, and canter and I must say that she is making huge progress. Sarah is riding with more confidence and looks more relaxed (less stiff) while riding.

I was thinking about my ride afterwards… I felt like I had a good ride last night, and was also working on collection with Vegas. I could tell that I am progressing, but sometimes – it doesn’t necessarily feel like progress. One thing for sure from my ride last night – I am sure I worked harder than Vegas did. I think I need more time in the saddle in the coming weeks where I can stop and focus on what I am doing, before doing it.

All-in-all, it’s just good to get out with the horses and into the saddle.

Talk to you later,

Classes starting – A cold evening

We had our first horseback riding class of 2010 and it was nice to get back into the saddle. The weather has been getting colder this week and I’m not sure, but the temp may have been below freezing when we got to the barn. I know many of you ride in sub-freezing weather regularly, but for us here in Texas, it is usually just a bit warmer. As I’ve mentioned several times, we ride at Capricorn Equestrian Center in Sachse Texas. We ride in a large covered arena most of the time, but we occasionally ride in one of the outdoor arenas‘ (not last night though). I had dressed appropriately for the weather, (thermals, long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt, and gloves) and after tacking up I was warm. In fact, after riding for a few minutes, I was ready to ditch the sweatshirt.

Sarah was riding Tio (whom has put on some winter weight. Sarah affectionately nicknamed him Tio-Gordo after riding last night) and he needed a little work to get going. He was likely stiff from the cold weather and didn’t really want to work, but Sarah worked through his attitude and ended up having a really good ride. I worked with Vegas and I really didn’t have any issues with him (with the slight problem of him wanting to back up – avoiding me as I was trying to get mounted). Vegas and I had a really good evening. One thing I still need to work on his getting Vegas to keep from dropping his inside shoulder when I cue to canter. I also need to work on getting him collected to keep him from sticking his nose out at canter (it allows him to avoid the bit – although I’m not sure that is the correct terminology), but it keeps me from speeding up his canter.

All-in-all, we couldn’t have asked for a better ride after a 3 week break from riding. We look forward to getting out there again soon.

Saturday’s ride

We finally got a chance to get out to the barn on Saturday. It was colder than expected – the weather forecast earlier in the week said it would warm up – but it was still reasonable. Gabe was able to make up one of his 2 makeup rides (he started class behind the others) and Sarah and I took practice rides. Gabe was on Colonel (who can be a little feisty in the stall), Sarah on Tio, and I rode Vegas. Gabe needed a little help with Colonel but he managed ok in the stall. However, when Gabe went to put his foot in the stirrup Colonel would kick out at him. I rode up on Vegas and basically watched, but told Gabe to put his foot in the stirrup and start to put some weight up there. I told him that if Colonel didn’t pay attention, he might lose his balance and to watch for it. Once Gabe got his foot in place and got some weight in the stirrup, Colonel settled down.

Sarah managed ok with Tio, however Tio really didn’t want to work. Sarah had her hands full for a short time, but Tio got with the program and she ended up with a good ride. Vegas and I had a very good ride, although he did spook when a chair was moved and bumped against the rail. I kept riding him to the area where the chair was (now occupied with Sara – the other Sara) and stopped him there a couple of times.

Here is a photo of Vegas and I:

 

It felt good to get back in the saddle and hopefully we’ll get up there again this coming weekend.

Thanks for stopping by…

Slow December

It’s been a slow, cold, and wet December. We haven’t ridden much (or at all) this month – mainly because the barn we have been riding at is pretty much closed for the month (no classes). We have missed our horseback riding times and unfortunately, we are likely to miss lots more. Money is getting a bit tighter these days and paying for riding lessons looks to get the budget chop. I’ve got to do some digging to find some way to continue my horse education in the near term.

I am planning on going riding this weekend, but I have to get that worked out (the details) in the next day or two. I’ll see if I can grab some photos while out.

Thanks for visiting!