So, the barn was officially done Friday afternoon, and all of the horses have finally taken to it quite nicely. This morning they finally got the clue about where breakfast was, and I caught them before they went to the other side of the house to the normal feeding spot, and they all came to the barn instead.
I blogged about Saturday's rides, and I have since also ridden Sunday and Monday!
Sunday I rode Charlie - Harlan's 17hh Belgian/TB mare who had 60 days training. He hasn't ridden her in about a year at least, so I had to take my time. We lunged walk & trot both directions, and then I went to mount up. She started to move the first time I started to mount - surprised that I was really going to ride her! So I stopped, and took my time leaning on her to make sure she knew what I was up to. When I finally mounted, she stood perfectly. My goal was simply to work on steering. Charlie is a very big, very strong horse and she *knows* it. So steering a horse that thinks she should have no trouble muscling her way wherever she wants to go takes a bit of muscle yourself. I was very careful to release every time she turned her head the way I asked, but it took a good 20 minutes of walking and asking for turns before it finally started to get easier. When we finally did a nice trip around the ring without any "bullying" on her part, I stopped immediately to reward her for being so good. I'm hoping she will continue progressing.
The neatest part about working with Charlie is that later in the day, she was seeking out human interaction, approaching the fenceline for pats and with perked curious ears. She hasn't done that much the last year since she hasn't had a lot of work, but that's going to change!
I also pulled out Penny to work with her, and we lunged a little both directions. Penny seemed a bit stiff - doing a very slow "jog" that QH's are known for. She seemd a little sore, so we didn't push it. She's also a tad overweight, so I'll keep working on getting her weight down so she will feel lighter on her feet.
This morning I rode Rocky - and he was great! He felt completely sound to me this morning - the mysterious lameness no more. I guess it's helping to get in shape! Going down the long side of the ring, Rocky had that huge suspending trot that brings pure joy to me. Some may find it hard to believe, but when he does that, I actually giggle out loud because it is so fun to ride. We did lots of circles and serpentines, working on maintaining the trot throughout. Next time I ride, I'll have to lunge him and see what he thinks about the canter again. We need to get past the bucking in the transition so I can ride him at the canter! THAT will be an accomplishment that I haven't done in 8 years! :) Can't wait to get him going in the show ring someday!
I think one of my favorite moments in the barn so far was walking down the aisle, and all 5 horses (and 1 pony!) with their heads out of their stalls looking at me, ears pricked forward, hoping I would pick them to work next. :) That made me giggle, too. I'm just having so much fun out there!
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