Hello!

Just a quick picture of Zoe and me!  We are doing great and loving the beautiful weather we are finally getting!  It was official bath day for ALL horses last weekend and they all were very well behaved.  Melody didn't have any freak outs and enjoyed the scrubbing - she's so dang cute!

I have more updates but have to get outside and get some riding done before our friends come over...they brought our bull, Bo, home from Oklahoma...

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."

-Helen Keller

Another Great Ride

Zoe and I had another great ride!  We started off on the patience tree but she was good to go almost immediately so I tacked her up and lunged her.  She was tuned in and ready to rock!  I mounted up with some assistance from Hubby and he led us around for a few steps and then we were on our own.  Side note:  Zoe has never been ridden in wide open spaces before and our arena was being used as a holding pen for some cows and calves so we were in our HUGE front yard.  I wasn't sure how she would handle it so that's why hubby came in to help for a minute, I guess for our my piece of mind!  Anyways, we worked on steering and her neck reining, which was awesome!  Last fall we left off working on neck reining and she was starting to get it, but this ride she was almost right on every time!  I didn't have to correct her much while walking so I asked for a trot.  At first her head flew up and she almost jumped out of her skin!  So I asked her again and this time she trotted right away.  She tried to rush and wasn't listening to me for direction and would suddenly stop.  I just kept on going, keeping her trotting  until she settled into a nice working trot.  We did some direction changes, figure eights, circles and such.  Her neck reining wasn't as good at the trot as it was at the walk but we will work on that.  We didn't work on canter because if her steering isn't good at the trot then it won't be any better at a faster gait!  We ended the ride once I had a good figure eight without breaking the trot.  She was a good girl!

I also had a good ride on Star the other day.  It was my first ride on her and she was feeling pretty good!  I was having a bad day and needed a break from it all so I got Star out and we went for a short trail ride.  She was very alert and pulled on me just about the whole time.  We had to do some stopping and backing, and circling before she calmed down and I could ride with a relaxed rein.  She has a tendency to lift her head to avoid contact when she wants to go faster and I hadn't seen that in a while but it resurfaced on this ride!!  Anyways, by the time we got home she had her head where it should be and I had a loose rein.  It was a beautiful day out and we both enjoyed ourselves very much!  Star loves going on trail rides - just hates crossing ditches and going through water (she will, just takes a few tries)!!

Well, that's all for now!  More updates soon!

Until next time!




Quote for the day:
"When one teaches, two learn."

-Robert Half

Zoe's First "Ride"

Sorry that I've been absent again - been busy so I have a lot to write about....just need to make the time I guess!

Melody and Zoe

Zoe's first "ride" of the year was a couple weeks ago.  I took her out with the intent of just saddling up and lunging to see where we were at.  She was definitely "up" when I took her out!  A little background, I had just taken Star out for middle daughter to ride and while she was riding, Zoe was FREAKING out in the pasture - running back and forth calling frantically for Star.  Star didn't care AT ALL.  Anyways, so middle daughter was in the back yard with Star letting her eat some grass when I went to get Zoe out.  I brought her into the barn and she acted like she had no idea of where we were and didn't respect me or my space at all.  That was unacceptable!  I sent her in some circles with a long lead rope I had used to bring her out of the pasture.  She was very reactive.  I decided to tie her and go get the lunge line when she figured it was time to leave the barn.  She flew backwards and almost ripped the pole right out of the ground!  After that little episode I realized she needed some time at the "patience tree".  I don't know if I wrote about Zoe's bad habit of pulling back while being tied but she's broke plenty of lead ropes and loosened up her fair share of my tying poles.  Now I used a rope halter with an attached lead so there aren't any metal parts that she can break.  We have GOT to get this tying issue under control!!!

When I tied her to the tree she got to pawing and calling for Star.  Again, Star never responded.  So at that point she started swinging herself around to try and get a better view of Star.  I just sat and watched her.  She continued this behavior for 15 - 20 minutes with a couple pulling battles mixed in there.  Finally she relaxed and was standing nice so I took that opportunity get her saddled and ready to go.  She had another mini pulling battle when the saddle went on so I asked hubby for his assistance.  I got her all saddled and we lunged her, going through all of her commands.  She seemed pretty confident so hubby and I decided to have him lunge her with me on her.  It went great!  She was still VERY responsive and seemed to be remembering where we left off.  We had some great trot work in both directions so we called it a day. 

She was happy to be reunited Star at the end of the work out but was more eager to eat than socialize!!  Meanwhile, Melody was content to have the pasture to herself for once.  Our work with her is just beginning- more on that later!

Until Next Time!!


Quote for the day:
"If you can dream it, you can do it."

-Walt Disney