First Trail Riding Lesson for the Kid

60 minutes - Kid's first trail riding lesson
25 minutes - 1.21 miles - Morgan
21 minutes - 0.11 miles - Rhulain - groundwork

The kid has his first trail riding lesson with the trainer today.  They were gone an hour, which is the longest time he's ever spent on horseback.  The trainer she said he did pretty well, but sometimes he daydreamed and forgot to watch where the horse was going. :)

While we were gone, the other side of the mare motel got graded.  Now we can begin working on the turn out and the goat pen.

 The light was fading fast, so Morgan and I only got in a short ride.  She was fine up until we headed towards the gate ... then the neighbor's dogs rushed at us in full force, yapping and running underfoot.  I hopped off and shooed all six of them away while she stood still waiting for me.  

I had a few minutes before it became too dark to see, so I grabbed Rhulain.  She was clingy and seemed really nervous in the dark. So we worked on holding still while I mounted, and then flexing her neck to both sides.  It was a good session. 

Morgie & Sundance Ride Again

19 minutes - 0.50 miles - Morgan & Kid, Sundance

The kid and I did chores all day.  All.Damn.Day. Finally, we able to squeeze in a ride.  I saddled Morgan and left the kid in charge while I put on Sundance's headstall.  They did pretty well together, though he forgets to release when stopping. When reminded, he immediately drops the reins. Fortunately, Morgan's a patient girl.  We both start horse riding lessons in January ... can't wait!

Lesson Horse?

23 minutes - 1.05 miles - Morgan & Foster

Who knew Morgan would turn out to be a lesson horse?  Gone are the days of me swearing no one else would ever ride her, and I only partially curse under my breath when she gives the kid a ride.

It seemed like the right time to pop him in the saddle and take him for a walk off property. I attached reins to her halter just so he would get used to holding them rather than the horn.  Showed him how to mount properly, and off we went.

We went up and down some mild washes so he could learn to balance as she stepped up or down, she stepped lightly over the fallen log, and he learned how to get her to back up using the "reins." 

Morgan was really well behaved, and only slightly mugged me for the carrots she knew where hidden in my front pocket.  Good girl Morgie.  

As we approached the gate, I looped the lead rope over the saddle horn and let the two of them walk "alone."  He thought he was big stuff and she was a model of good behavior.

Oh how I love this horse!

First Lesson

We signed our foster child up for horse riding lessons and he had his first one this morning before church.  He got to select any horse in the stable and chose a large sorrel gelding named Winder.  He learned how to put on the halter, lead a horse, how to be safe around horses, grooming, and then got to spend a few minutes riding bareback with his eyes closed.

He spent most of the first 10 minutes looking to us for reassurance and wasn't listening to the instructor.  So, Bill and I left and had breakfast at the local restaurant ... the first time we got to eat a meal together alone in four months.  It was delightful!

His instructor said he did well, gave us some homework assignments, and had him thank the horse before leaving.  I like an instructor that appreciates their horse :)  

He will be taking lessons every Sunday, and Bill and I are contemplating taking our horses to the next lesson.  That way we can squeeze in a ride together for the first time since New Year's Day!

Morgie is Becoming Quite the Lesson Horse

31 minutes - 0.65 miles - Morgan
15 minutes - 0.42 miles - Rhulain

Morgan gave A another "lesson" today ... which generally consisted of him trying to make Morgan and I trot around the property.  The boy likes going fast!  After 20 minutes, I said it was my turn to ride Morgie.  He rode beside his bike making sure I didn't ride his horse too long.

 Since the saddle was already out, I grabbed Rhu and took off for a spin.  We followed the same path and generally had a great time.  Loving this horse!

Gave the kids some lunch and headed back in the house, feeling quite content.

Time Well Spent

37 minutes - 1.29 miles - Rhulain

 Rhulain shoved the other horses out of the way and waited at the gate for me.  Can't wait to spend time with you too Rhu-barb!  We spent more time than normal grooming then we did a few minutes of ground work before we headed out.

 At the halfway point, we spent more time than normal snacking before I slipped the bitless on and tightened up the cinch.  I know I was planning on not riding any more, but it seemed like we were ready to try again. 

I spent more time than normal just standing there once in the saddle.  Rubbing her neck and breathing softly.  When she licked my boot, I knew we were ready.

When we moved off, I practiced what I learned from my riding lesson ... toes forward, whole leg on her, alternate pressure in conjunction with her stride, and keep connection with the reins.

It was amazing.

Dinos in the Fridge & My First Lesson

This is what passes for humor at our house.  Dinos in the refrigerator.  Yep, that just happened.

So, I had my first English riding lesson today.  It's so very different! The saddle looks like it weighs 5 pounds instead of 35, the cinch is called a girth which buckles on (what?), and there's strange headgear (figure 8?).  BUT, the saddle was super comfy and I didn't feel unsafe even though I was on a ginormous Warmblood/TB mix that made me feel like I was 25 feet in the air.

Things to practice before the next lesson: toes forward, legs on horse all the time, alternate leg pressure at every step.

Cripes. It's like learning to drive stick shift all over again.  Only I didn't have aches in my back and legs when I learned to drive stick shift.

Busy Saturday

23 minutes - 0.59 miles - Morgan
10 minutes - 0.21 miles - Morgan - lesson with A
10 minutes - 0.04 miles - Sundance
15 minutes - 0.25 miles - Wasabi

The morning started off with A and I painting the gate.  Nothing is more messy than a 4 year old with a paint roller and absolute freedom.  The gate is not pretty, but it looks much cleaner.

Then our new farrier showed up and surprised me by trimming their hooves in the turn out.  Rhu wouldn't hold still, so I had to halter her and keep her in check.  She was fascinated by the farrier and kept her nose pressed to my back or close enough to the farrier for shavings to get in her bangs while everyone else got their trims.  It was kind of adorable.

While I was scrubbing and filling water buckets, A came over to see if he could help.  I said, "Sure, keep Sundance occupied for a few minutes so she'll quit flipping water buckets over" and popped him up on her back.  She was delighted to have her neck and withers scratched and was extra careful about walking anywhere ... one step, check on the boy, another step, check on the boy.

After water buckets, I moved on to staining the front gate.  After all that work, I decided I needed some Morgan time.  We escaped out the freshly painted gate and rode around the block.  Of course, once I returned, a certain little somebody asked why I was riding his horse.  HIS HORSE.  Really?  I popped him in the saddle and walked in front of them from one gate to the next.  I had explained how to "steer" with the reins, and turned around to find he and Morgie wandering off to the other side of the yard ... apparently he decided to turn right and she, being the awesome mare that she is, obeyed the reins.  Hmmm.

For reasons unknown to either of us, I felt the urge to pull Wasabi out and take a short walk around the property.  Then she got a good grooming, a snack, and hugs before I fed dinner.  She seemed to appreciate the attention.