Busy Times

I'm sitting here with a purring cat on my lap who is also sitting on my sister's laptop keyboard. Ah well, at least I can still type! ;-) Just forgive any misspellings!

The grass is lush, and the horses are crazy for it. Eddie and I have been playing in the outdoor and riding in there because there's just so much grass in the pasture. We do our cantering out there, but still. It's nuts! Almost time to mow!

So, every day I play with Eddie for about an hour, groom him up, take Scout for a walk, take Diesel for a walk, and then 'flush' Diesel's mouth because he gets grass wadded up in there.

Yeah! There's grass everywhere!! haha!

This is what Eddie and I have been doing when it comes to riding. HQ pivots, FQ pivots, 'roll backs,' shoulder in, haunches in. I love it. And Eddie does too. It gives us something small to do while we wait for it to dry up (I hate mud) and the wind to settle down. (He hates wind)

Hope that ya'll are doing well, and I'll be posting more often. I miss it!

Psalms 62:5-7
My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.

Is it Summer? Or Spring? It just can't seem to make up its mind.

Well, there has been a lot going on lately and it seems like spring only lasted for a couple of days before the 80 degree weather kicked in.
Ah well, can't complain. It's been nice to be outside barefoot and hosing the horses off. It was almost warm enough to go swimming today too - if only the pool was open. ;-) hehe!
So, let's see... Eddie and I have been working on lead changes on the ground. His right side is weak, so I am helping him build that up and get equal. So we'll start on the left lead going on a right circle and then I'll have him go over a high cavaletti. So he changes leads and is on the right one! Yesterday he was on his right lead for a whole circle, so that was great! He didn't switch back to his left.
While riding, we've been doing sort of the same thing. Shoulder in going to the left while he leads with his right fore. I know, it's kinda confusing, but it's so much easier when riding him. We did that a lot today and he was getting a lot better with it. "As we leave the rail (coming off a circle), come down the rail." I remember learning that years and years ago and it has stuck like glue. And let me tell ya, it works!
We've also been working on our cutting game while I ride. We'll ride along the fence line and then turn it into a sidepass while he disengages his HQ. So that turns into a turn and then we ride along the fence back the way we came. He's really getting it and yesterday we did it without the fence. Very fun! Now we just need some cows! :-)

Jeremiah 17:7-8
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

Lack of News

Sorry for the lack of posts... I've been taking a break from facebook, blogger, and just taking some time off. It seems I want to post more when I don't force myself and say that I HAVE to post every day.

I've been super busy lately... Playing with Eddie every day, sometimes twice a day, riding, taking Diesel for trail walks, doing chores... It's been so nice to take a break from the computer and internet.
Anyway, I'm back, except for facebook, and I shall be updating ya'll more regularly.
So, here is what Eddie and Diesel and Scout and I have been doing.

With Eddie, we've been working on our side-passes at the walk and trot, and transferring that to riding. Trail riding too! We've been riding around the property more and more and today we rode around the pasture, which we haven't done for a while. He did so amazing! I love him so much and he just does better and better every day!
With Scout, my sister and I have been taking him for walks twice a day. His feet are looking amazing, the vet is coming out soon to take x-rays, and he is as happy and spunky as ever. I've been taking him for walks around the property and he will snatch a bite from pines trees and patches of grass. He is so silly! :-)
With Diesel, we've been going for trail walks and he has been so eager for them! We go across the road, and a couple of days ago we were out for over a half an hour walking down to the creek. We didn't get all the way there, but it was more than half way!

It's been such a crazy, busy, past couple of weeks, but here's to a more easy-going end of February!

Dressage in the Snow

Wish I had pictures, because Eddie was so beautiful when we rode yesterday. We did our extended trot through the snow, started to do our sidepasses at the trot and lots of them at the walk.
He was so eager and willing! Then we did a collected trot because he was really putting a lot of energy in his trot and I could hardly sit it. So we slowed it down and his trot was much smoother and slower.
I'll have to get pictures of our sidepasses today - maybe a video and I could upload it or something... Anyway, I'd better do it before the rain comes today and melts away all the snow. Say, Eddie, how do you feel about a morning ride? :-)

Skijoring!!

It's that time of year again! Fresh snow, slippery snow, an eager pony, and two eager sisters.
We skijored this morning and went back and forth in the pasture. Scout was such a trooper and pulled us without a fuss. He did spook a little bit towards the end, but the cinch was pinching him, so I don't blame him. Poor Scouty!
Then this afternoon I played with Eddie and took him for a walk in all the fresh snow. Then we went into the outdoor and worked on our dressage. Eddie was LOVING it! He was offering sidepasses left and right (literally - LOL!) and we trotted through all the big drifts. His trot was HUGE and it was so fun to ride bareback. I can finally sit it now without feelin' like a sack of potatoes! hehe!

It's such a lovely day... I took Diesel for two laps around our property which equates to about a mile. It was so fun and we ran the whole way - he just had so much energy. And plus is kept him from grazing on the really lush stuff.

Well, I'm headed back out to enjoy the snow. I tell ya, I could so live in some place where there is snow 6 months out of the year. Hmm.... Where would that be?
haha, anyway... I'll enjoy the snow while I can and I hope that you all are having a great weekend!

Sidepasses, Ray & Buck

Sorry for disappearance. I've been typing like crazy for the past three days. I wrote up three pages for my Applied Equine Podiatry online course, and then I went on a writing rampage in my 7th book and wrote about 30+ pages. So, my fingers are a little tired and I keep making spelling mistakes by hitting the keys out of order. lol!
But that doesn't mean that I haven't been doing anything with Eddie! Quite the contrary.
For the past three or so days I've played with all the horses and usually several times a day. Eddie and I go for a long trail walk in the morning, maybe it includes a little ride. Then in the afternoon I play with Diesel and take him for two laps around the property at a working walk and trot. He is really getting into it and yesterday we even did it all with long reins. He is such a champ.
Yesterday, I rode Eddie for the greater portion of our play time. 45+ minutes and we were working. I think he liked it and I liked it too. We did hard things that I usually avoid or think that they are too big for us. Not anymore. We were doing sidepasses and when I asked him for the trot, we even did two to three steps sidepassing. He never ceases to amaze me!

This video (in the first 10 seconds) shows you what we were doing. Granted, it did not look that fancy and Eddie was not that collected. But we did it nonetheless and today we'll work at it some more.
I've also been reading Ray Hunt's book over again - Think Harmony with Horses. I tell ya, I could read it over and over.

So, that leads me to my next blog post that I will post tomorrow. I gotta think about it first and make a list. Goals for 2012.
I'll let you know as soon as I make the list. :-)