2nd Ride In A Row

I got home from work to find Annie riding Spots around the arena! He was being very good. She said she lunged him about 20 minutes and got on and he was being great. They trotted for me and he acted like he hadn't had a break at all.

Whew, One Long Lunge

Annie was reporting insubordination on Spots part so today I went out to help her. I tacked him up and put side-reins on him, then lunged him. And lunged him. Both directions. I would ask him to halt and Annie would act like she was getting on. If he acting spooky or unsure, we lunged some more. He cantered both directions, but mostly trotted. Finally we cooled down with a lot of walk. Annie offered to get on again. He stood like a gentleman. She rode him in a circle still on the lunge. He seemed fine. She pulled the side-reins off the saddle and rode him, still on the lunge, for quite a while, walking and halting, moving him in and out on the circle with her legs. He started licking and chewing right away. By the time we put him away, I had lunged him about 2 hours and she'd ridden him around 30 minutes. WHAT a work-out. I think it was good for him though. He was still offering to trot by the end, we did not completely wear him out. He did enough walking that all his sweat was dried by the time we put him away so I didn't have to worry about him getting cold. The craziest thing was that he seemed taller than I remembered so after we worked him we stood him on concrete and measured him. And squared him again and measured him again. He kept coming out to 15.3H! Which means he's grown about 1 1/2 inches since last summer! He might make 16H yet. Annie is supposed to come work him again tomorrow, so I hope she is able to. I think if she can work him again while he's tired from today his brain might click back into gear and they'll be able to make progress again.

So Happy To See Mud!

The horrible icy-snow has melted (mostly) and the ground is mud! It's pretty depressing when that is an improvement! SOO looking forward to being able to ride or at least pay someone to ride my horse! Spots actually kept his weight this winter, maybe that means he's done being a bottomless pit of a horse. He is very excited to get back to work. We have many plans for him.

If you want to do something really depressing, add up all the money you've spent on your horse. Spots, who I bred myself and therefore he was "free", has to-date cost me $7642. Give or take a few hundred because I estimated hay usage when he was little. His current market value? Let's just say not $7642. So, my breed-to-sell idea didn't work out like planned. The stallion died, the market dropped (plummeted), and he had an expensive birth. Live and learn and make better choices next time.

My next-time-better-choice has been decided...I think. No more breeding, probably (hopefully) no more buying-to-train-my-way. I'm going to save up and buy exactly what I want. Something already trained, hopefully even already shown. I want to be able to just enjoy riding and showing and hopefully winning. I've really enjoyed training and raising and all that goes with it, but I'm a mom now. I'm not going to do anymore starting. And why buy something to raise and train if you're going to hire it done anyway? So I'm going to get something done already. Hopefully by the time I'm ready to buy the market won't have recovered too much to make the price way beyond what I can afford.

Till that day, Spots is going to enjoy all the training and shows he can handle. We have a show schedule started on his Shutterfly site; SpotMeSomeColor We won't be hitting all of those, but that is what there is locally. There are about 4 more we'll probably hit that aren't listed with dates online yet, so they'll be added later.

Wish us luck and come watch if you can!

First Outing Of 2012

Last night, Annie hauled Spots to a nearby arena for a group riding lesson. It was his first time there and his first time out since the Jim Brigg's Clinic. Annie acquired an adorable 2 horse straight load with a tack room earlier in the day and Spots has never used a straight load, so their training began with getting him in. He wasn't too bad, about 20 minutes or so.

I didn't get to go watch, so no pictures, but she reported that at the arena he acted like it was probably the first time he'd been anywhere and she mostly lunged him in the middle of the arena all evening. She said he was full of it, bucking and putting on a show on the line. He was quite distracted by the other horses and how fast they were going. We expected that. He'll be calm and his normal self there in no time. They plan to attend regularly I think. It's very close to my place and low-key so she can work with him however she needs.

Another day, another ride!

Annie worked everyone at my house yesterday. She lunged and Spots, lunged, worked and sat on Britches, then took Marigold and Toby for a ride around the block.

Annie lunged Spots for about 10 minutes on side-reins and he was ready to ride. She rode him in the arena and worked on connected inside leg to outside rein and did lots of circles. They focused on listening. She said he did really well and definitely worked his brain!

Britches she worked on the ground a long time, including lunging and long-lining with help from Michelle, then sat on him and went around the round-pen for about 15 minutes at the end of the session. He is being naughty about being caught out of his paddock, but they'll get that sharp again. Today, it is freezing, so it's a good thing she got out yesterday! I can't wait for consistent, warmer weather!

Unseasonably Warm

Spots got worked yesterday, Annie said he was a bouncy helium balloon, but after long lunge session on side-reins he found his brain and they ended on a good note. She got on and rode him in the round-pen and he was fine at the end. Hopefully her "real-job" hours will allow her to get over to work him more often. It will help as the days get longer also. I can't wait to get him back to "ridable" status!