Sunday, October 25, 2009

Trail Rides

I've been able to work off Taunie's board over the summer. The barn manager at my stable was kind enough to let me train her horses in return for free outside board. I haven't had much time for Taunie because of this, so when I get her out we just end up going on a trail ride. Its sometimes a chore to hop off your final training horse just to climb aboard your own horse to train. So we've been taking trail rides off and on.

Taunie has become an ok trail mount. She's confident, calm, and she even lead the first time out. She HATES water, but I already know that. She hates it so much that when she peed while she was hooked onto the wall, she stretched out as far as her halter would allow her so she wouldn't step in it!

Just starting this week I'll be able to do more arena work with her, but last week marked the 1 week plan to trail ride every Thursday with a friend. That way Taunie will get out at least once a week, and I can have my pal-around time with a friend.

This was just after last week's trail ride...haha...winter scrubs make her look so ugly and big-headed!


Don't you love cellphone pics?

Anyways, today marked the first day that Taunie used a bit. I've been using a hackamore with her and she really loved it. I decided, much to Tonton's dismay, that since she's english now (by her choice!) she has to get used to a bit.

So today we did a lot of uh...circles. We had to. The outside arena was being used for turn-out because the inside horses just CAN'T ruin the front pasture when the ground is soft! So we had to use the inside arena...along with 5 other people. 2 of which were older riders, the remaining 3 were kids who were running around on their horses and screaming.

This is a tiny, tiny arena. Ugh.

But we managed. At the end I had to get a little firmer with her, but she came around. Mare-tude and all.

We have an issue with the canter. She insists that she shouldn't be made to canter with me on her back.

We'll work through that tick tomorrow.

The Summer In Pictures

I haven't posted in a long, long time. Lots of things have been going on and I've been steadily making no progress at all with it. Taunie has been making slow progress because I've had very little time to work with her, but since you've been out of the loop for half the year, I'll update you all in pictures.

Sometime early spring:
Tonic's first time under saddle

5/11/09
I had my baby. Aspen Rae!

6/9/09
Taunie's first time being ridden



Discovered a baby picture...aww!


Switch to western sometime mid-summer


Skip to fall foliage

Found out on a whim that she could jump this pretty easily



10/25/09
Switched her back to english