Admittedly, nothing on 80 acres is really that far from anything else. But thanks to the terrain and vegetation, some things *feel* like the far end of everything. Used to be more that way, when no one lived on the property to the west and all the neighbors there were bovine (the farmer occasionally brought Read More…
Category: Horses
Ride 21: Validation
As some of you will remember from posts on Facebook (when I could still get there)…the concussion I had in 2018 came from being bucked off by Mocha, a mare I had recently bought but not yet ridden (except that first brief ride with her former owner there) on the day she tossed me head Read More…
Ride 20: Reverse Circumnavigation of the East Grass: No Deer, No Drama
It was a day of seconds and one first, but we’ll take it in order. A day of perfect weather for a ride, whether long or short (this was short, under a half hour, more like 20 minutes, but somewhat strenuous for the rider.) Rags is improving steadily at accepting both halter and bridle and Read More…
Ride 19: When a Calm Horse Spooks Hard
An interesting ride. Instructive in multiple ways. The goal today was to ride around the East Grass, not right on the perimeter but in clear sight of all of it, for Rags’ awareness of place and routes. To start with, mounting went much better except for one little glitch (mine.) I was able to mount Read More…
Ride 18: Reverse Circumnavigation of the West Grass
Today began with the Wells Solar team installing solar panels on the house roof. It’s clear they know what they’re doing, just as it was year before last when they installed panels on the barn. No wasted movement, no wasted time. We stayed out of their way. Tigger spooked, of course, when the first one Read More…
Ride 17: Circumnavigation of the West Grass + First Trot
Rags and I had a fine ride this afternoon. It was clear, cool, breezy, and he was in the mood to show off his stuff, I think. While riding around in the north horse lot to give R- time to get to the gate into the Near Meadow, Rags indicated he wanted to speed up. Read More…
Ride 16: The Other Half of West Grass
Last week was a cold, wet, muddy, colder, icy mess. This week was lovely, but the horses had a hoof trim in the middle of it. I was still trying to get all the caked mud off their coats and out of their hooves…once it dried neither horse felt I should be tugging at the Read More…
Ride 15: We Circumnavigate a Field Section
Not a “section” section (640 acres, a square mile) but the north half of the West Grass, from Center Walk to the treeline along the north fence, bordered on the east by the dry woods and on the west by the creek woods. A much warmer afternoon, with a SW breeze, clear blue sky, bright Read More…
Ride 14: Rough start, good overall, patchy
I did groundwork with Tigger first, with Rags tagging along and wanting to do to Tig what Tig does to him. Made for some annoyance on my part, trying to get Rags NOT to do things that would get him kicked. Tigger, however, objected to my shaking the dressage whip at Rags (Rags didn’t look Read More…
Ride 13: Lessons to learn
I did ride today–bright, sunny, chilly day–but not until later in the afternoon than I wanted, due to a site visit from the solar people in the morning and some internal upset. Finally all that was out of the way, and I got on Rags with some difficulty but measurably less than when I started. Read More…