Cloudy with a chance of...Riding?

hehe, that was my phrase today! I got to ride again!

After school my sister and I went outside and we took the horses out one by one to get some grass and some exercise. I was out for nearly 2 and a half hours! It was fun though...

I took Eddie out to the track and we did a lap online with lots and lots of trotting. We played with some more sideways and he was excellent. He was so light and responsive. We had a few interruptions when Diesel was trying to climb through the fence to the ice rink - I mean outdoor arena. So I had to put Eddie away and turn the fence on. Yes, Diesel did get zapped, and that seemed to get him out of his hinny fit. Forget hissy fit, it's a hinny fit! I got Eddie back out and we went to graze underneath the trees. He was happy that he could graze and get back out of his paddock. A few of the kitties came to visit while I was grazing Eddie, so we played friendly game with the kitties as they sniffed noses and tried to get on Eddie's back. hehe!

We went back out to the track and did some more barrel licking. ;) I hopped on and off and I finally just sat on him, yoyo-ed him away from the barrel and back towards the barrel with just the savvy string. He looks SO handsome with our clean, white savvy string!

We ended by the gate and I hopped off and we went back inside. By that time Allison had come outside and she took Scout out to graze and play. So I took Diesel out and we trotted around and grazed. He was so cute! He liked to get some of his energy out by trotting around by the trees and the round pen.

We went back inside the barn after that and i checked on Diesel's back feet to see if they needed to be trimmed, and they didn't. He has really strong, thick, healthy hoof wall that I didn't want to take off because there's nothing wrong with it and it's not long. So because I didn't need to do Diesel and I had my stuff all outside, I did Eddie's front feet.

He was really, really good with them! I trimmed back his wall, exposed it, took off his bars and just did a general check. They look great. I'm so proud of how they look. And his crack that has been there since we got him? It's almost gone! Yippeee!!!!

~Lea & Eddie~

Psalm 42:1-2

As the deer pants for the water brooks,
         So pants my soul for You, O God.
 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
         When shall I come and appear before God?

February 3rd.

Sorry I didn't post this yesterday!

Today Eddie and I had a great day! Just dad and I were home, so we did some school, and then we headed outside!

Eddie and I first went out to the track and we did a lap playing with some games in the south and east lines. Then we grazed out by the round pen and spent some nice quality time together. It was SO sunny and he was so sleepy! So after we went back into the track I was watching him (actually I was watching him the whole time we were playing) and I thought, "This horse looks very very rideable!" So we grabbed a few barrels for point to point and I hopped on! We would walk/trot to different barrels and I was doing it with one rein that we hardly even used. I had a savvy string around his neck and just used that for direction. It was so cool! I really like riding with a savvy string instead of a carrot stick. It just seems easier to me and Eddie responds better with it.

Anyway, I sat on him in the sun as he would lick barrels and then we would go to different barrels and lick those. It really blew my socks off that we were able to do that. If I had tried that 2 years - with hardly any play time, and with a month and a half cooped up in a small paddock. He did so well and it's times like these that I really realize that we have come a LONG way.

Once my sister came home from school, we took all the horses for a walk in the track and he was very sleepy still. :) It was fun! We did two laps, grazed the horses under the trees and went back inside. It was a really fun day.

I love you Eddie! And I can't wait to progress with our Level 3 freestyle this summer!!!!

~Lea & Eddie~

New Video!

Here's a video of Eddie and I playing this afternoon. It's been snowing on and off all day, so we went out and played in it! It was very fun!
 

Happy February!

Well it's the 2nd day of February! It is snowing this morning and looks like it will be done in a little bit. Yesterday we took the horses for multiple walks and I took Eddie around the track about  times. He was very happy for the exercise!

Regarding playing, we didn't do too much, just some games here and there and throwing in a few circles. We did play some major friendly game with a squeeze that he always has trouble with. He would always spook whenever he got out of it when his zone 5 was in the squeeze. So we backed into it, backed out of it and played with it until he got better and better and he didn't spook at all. Yippeee!

Today mom and I are going to do some school, play with the horses and scrapbook some more. It should be fun! And we cleared out an area underneath one of our big trees so that we can play there and now that the snow is there, it should be even more fun! :) Here are some pictures from yesterday!

Lea & Eddie

1 Corinthians 2:9

But as it is written:
      “ Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
      Nor have entered into the heart of man
      The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

A Visit to a Friend & Some Small Play Things

Today mom and I went to Rebecca's to visit her and Savannah. They are doing great, and looking better and better every day.

When we got home I went out and played with Eddie. We went to the south side of the track which takes about 10 minutes to get to. So once we got down there we trotted back and forth along the side. It was fun, because I would start to RUN and he did the most EXTENDED trot I've ever seen him do. It was so pretty!!!!
Then we made our way down back the line again by going sideways away and towards. He trotted sideways about 30 feet and then we took a break because he was offering a lot!


It's pretty hard to do much in a 18 foot wide area that's 200 feet long. So, we came up with a few things. I had him do the spanish walk with me by his side and just lifting my leg. He did it so well!!! Oh guess what?! He did the stretch that the saddlebreds do, he looked so funny!!! He was SO stretched out and just standing there like, "Can I have a cookie?!" What a nut!


We did one more thing - I asked him to trot sideways and he did for about 30 feet!!! It was so light and he was offering a lot!


That's about all that we did and probably all that we can do for awhile. Hopefully the ice will be leaving in a bit - although I don't think it will, it's supposed to snow tomorrow night.


Anyway, gtg!
I smell dinner cookin'!


~Lea & Eddie~

2 Corinthians 4:17

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,

A Very Long Play Session!

Wow, can you believe this is blog post # 360?! Wowza!!!

Today we had the best session this month! Well it's almost the longest session we've had this month! We probably played for about an hour and a half.

First we started with playing out and around the pasture. We stayed on the west side over by the orchard. I had him do some squeeze game underneath apple trees and through the grape arbor. We trotted around different things and played with a bit of sideways towards and away. He did really well with it and it was SO light. Oh my goodness! It was so peaceful. The woodpeckers were knocking and besides the Shwan's man going to the neighbor's, everything was silent. It was kind of cute, he was such a dominant LBE today. He really wanted to be the leader! But I kindly - yet firmly said, "No thank you!" And he was fine after that.

So we grazed by the round pen for a while and then we went into the track. Time for some FUN!

We trotted along two whole sides which is a long way! Probably 300 feet. Then I decided that we might as well try some trotting sideways. It's time to do some new stuff while we polish off our other stuff.

He did it perfectly! At first I didn't think he would do it, but I asked him and he did it 3 times about 6 or 7 steps! He looked SO pretty!!! I thought, "why not!?" And I asked him to do it towards. His sideways towards has always been pretty good. But this was SUPERB! He did it twice and I was just running backwards!!!

Yahhooo!!!!!!!!! It was so nice outside and it was such a fun play time!

We did one more thing - yoyo game! I had him trot next to me and then I would just totally extend and so would he! His extended trot is just magnificent! I can't even explain it! Hopefully I'll be able to get some videos soon of the new stuff we've been trying.

Thank you Lord for such an amazing horse!!!

~Lea & Eddie~

Mark 9:35

And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Hooray! A Play Session!!

Well today it was freezing out, but we played anyway! I think the high was... 9 degrees! Yahoo! ;)

Eddie and I went out to the track and we went for a lap online. It was so nice, we got to trot back and forth on the south line about a dozen times. He was so happy to be moving! Then I played with zone 5 driving with one rein and we did a little bit of haunches in. He offered it at the trot too! He never ceases to blow my mind. We did some yoyo game after that. I was trotting with him down the line and I would do a really slow trot and so would he, then we would do a HUGE extended trot and he would just fly!!! I really think that this summer we'll be able to do all that, but I'll be riding. I hope and pray that we can - because I think we're both ready.  I'll just keep praying about it though! :)

So we did some cutting game after all that and he was quite hyper! It was fun though. We made our way back to the barn on the other side of the track and he ended there. It was a really fun play time and I'm learning to enjoy every minute we get to play because of this ice.

Here's a picture of my handsome:

And I thought that this picture of our farm is pretty cool. :) You can see the round pen, the pasture, the paddock and the outdoor. Pretty neat, huh?!

Lea & Eddie

John 4:24

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

We Played!!!!!

Today it was very cold outside! I blanketed Eddie last night and he was thoroughly enjoying it. ;)

This morning, dad and I did chores - cleaned stalls, filled up buckets, gave the horses hay, and fed them. Then dad and I did some school, blah, blah, blah... Anyway! I went out to the barn at around 12 and stayed out until 1:45 ish. I took Eddie's blanket off because it was aorund 16 degrees. Eddie and I then went out to the pasture and trotted from point to point to find some grass. I was all bundled up in my snow pants and he kept me warm as I hid behind him from the wind. It was SO nice, we went for a walk in the track after we grazed for a long time!

I'm so glad that we have Parelli, because I had to, literally, direct exactly where he went so he wouldn't slip on the ice. I know you're not supposed to do that, because it's micromanaging, but I wasn't about to let him walk on the ice and hurt himself. So I would have him walk right behind me and we would take it about 5 steps at a time because there was snow we were walking on, but ice under that. And we didn't hit ice once! Yippeee!! He was very, very responsive and light too, when I had to hold onto the clasp to direct his feet. He was listening the whole time and I knew he was asking "Where should I put my foot next?"

It was really nice to be able to do stuff other than graze. After we finished our lap, we went by the round pen and he grazed all the grass underneath the fence. I couldn't believe how much ice was in the round pen, and we had been playing on that just a few weeks ago!

So, we're finding ways to play, even though the weather is determined not to let us. But it's good, (optomist here) we both get to learn more refinement by me asking him to put his feet somewhere safe. And I think it's really paying off, he's really looking to me for guidance now! So, all this ice may be a blessing in disguise! :) God has something for you learn in every circumstance!

Playing despite the ice,

Lea & Eddie

Psalm 37:39-40

But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
         He is their strength in the time of trouble.
 And the LORD shall help them and deliver them;
         He shall deliver them from the wicked,
         And save them,
         Because they trust in Him.

Going for a Walk

Yet again we couldn't do much today. This ice is really, really quite a pain. But we went for a short walk to the sideyard and we grazed there for about a half an hour. It was a little bit sunny, but like yesterday the snow came and now it's snowing. :( Well I don't think spring is too far off, it's almost February and then March and the ice will be gone.
It's interesting though, the past couple of winters we would ride and play every day but I think we've only been able to ride in the snow a handful of times. In November and early December it was snowy and we could ride and play, then in late December the big ice storm came and that was almost an end to our play sessions. Then in early January it melted. Then it came back and now it's SO icy again.
But hopefully it will be a mild spring without too much rain. And I'm hoping that this summer we will be able to play in the evening when it's cool. We've never played in the evening, but I think it would be fun and it would be interesting for him. :) Anyway, we are trying to keep their minds occupied and my mom and I are busy with chores and keeping the barn nice and tidy.


~Lea & Eddie~

James 4:10

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.