Probable Retirement For My Old Guy - Maybe Just Semi Retirement
Posted by WhiteHorseAcres, Oct 23 2009, 12:30 PM
I think I have finally come to the point where I'm going to have to face facts that Slim is starting his full retirement years. We've been dealing with some on again off again slight lameness problems these last few months. I guess in the back of my mind I wanted to believe he could be still used for light riding. At 24 he's past middle age but isn't a gonner by any means. I feel somewhat bad for not keeping him in shape these last few years as I think that would have helped him. I know some horses that are ridden well into their late 20s but they have been ridden and worked consistantly throughout most of their life. I still plan to lunge him a couple times a week, health and weather permitting. Hopefully that will help keep him mobile for the rest of his years.
When I got to the barn Wednesday night and saw him limping up to the gate I was instantly worried. I couldn't find anything seriously wrong. He was off on his left front which has been the same leg he tends to favor now and then. I called the farrier that night and he was able to come Thursday to take a look at him. He didn't find any abcesses or soreness. In fact Slim came running up to the gate - they always know how to make their owner look foolish! Dave went ahead and trimmed both horses since he was scheduled for next week. He noticed on the trimmings from Slim's left front that there was a small line of light pinkish color which he said sometimes indicates a laminitis episode. He trimmed him a little differently and Slim definitely wasn't so stiff last night when I brought him in. I'm just going to have to take it easy with him and see what he can and can't do. I do know I won't be getting back on him. I don't want to put anymore stress on his joints than necessary.
I was just so bummed about the realization of retirement for Slim. He's really helped me get back into working with my horses again. There is nothing wrong with Sonny and he does need the work and exercise I just have to make myself do it so I feel comfortable with him.
Update: 10-26-09
I lunged Slim a little last night and he did really good. I just had him walk and trot. He's still lazy about staying in the trot but I didn't see any lameness so I kept after him. I think working with Sonny has helped me because I got Slim to reverse with bringing him to me and restarting him. I was so excited!! Sonny does great reverses and I think I used that as a pattern to "set-up" Slim and ask him for exactly what I wanted. Its been a couple weeks since I had worked with Slim and I was surprised at how well he did. At this point I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to ride him consistently or do much more than lunging type exercises with no one on his back. We'll just have to take it day by day and see how he feels.
Hubby and I had a conversation Friday night about working with the horses and such. He felt like I had gained a lot of confidence with the ground work but the horses just really need ridden. That I wasn't going to get over my fears by just sticking to ground work. He says I'm stubborn and like to stick to my comfort zone. I replied by saying, yes I am and in fact I enjoy my comfort zone - it's nice there! He suggested saddling up Slim and just getting on and off. Even if its just trying to get on and maybe not accomplishing that I should at least try to a couple times a week. I would really like to try that I just don't want to hurt Slim (maybe that's my self-conscious excuse not to try something scary). We'll have to postpone these saddling tries until after harvest since I don't want to try by myself - hubby has to be there. I was a little hurt by what he said but I think it was mostly because it was the truth. I totally agree with what he said. I won't get any further with just the ground work and I do really want to ride. So maybe with some more lunging work Slim will have some good days and will help me to continue with my goals!
Old Memories
Posted by WhiteHorseAcres, Oct 20 2009, 01:26 PM
On my way home from the barn last night I saw a young girl riding her horse. She was riding what looked to be an older grey arabian in a hay field across from her house. She was riding bareback w/ a helmet. It brought back so many good memories of riding with Nik. Those evenings when I wanted to ride but was too lazy to get my tack out. I'd grab a set of reins and put on his halter and a bucket to get on with. After I passed by I almost started crying and felt so foolish. I guess I miss riding more than I thought. I told myself I'd be there again someday. That I shouldn't feel sorry for myself that I should do something about it. I really think I'm getting somewhat close. I'm keeping up with riding the exercise bike and walking the dogs several times a week. I just wish I could find a good riding instructor here locally to help me. I could probably ride 5-10 minutes but I don't want to go to someone and say I want a 30 minute lesson but will only ride for 10 minutes of it.
Something New And Different (and A Little Scary) - Updated
Posted by WhiteHorseAcres, Oct 6 2009, 08:17 AM
Last night on the way out to the barn I told myself I was going to work BOTH horses. I of course kept trying to talk myself out of it. I brought the horses in and got everyone fed and did a few little things while I waited on them to finish. I got Slim ready to go and took him out first. I think snails passed him when he was walking he was sooooo slow. He still seemed a little off on his front left. Nothing super noticeable which is why I don't know if I'm just being overly careful and seeing something thats not really there. I only notice it slightly at a trot which also makes me wonder if he's not putting it on because he just doesn't want to work. He's such a good boy and has really helped me feel confident again about working with my horses.
On to the new & somewhat scary part. I got Sonny out and got him ready to go. Slim stuck his head out of his stall and looked at us like "what are you doing"... "I'm the only one that gets to go out and do stuff!" I debated about going to the roundpen or the big arena. He sometimes gets worked up in the roundpen for some reason. So I was hesitant to go there because he hasn't been in the big arena but 2 or 3 times. For some reason I must have been feeling brave and set out for the big arena. We stopped about halfway there and Sonny looked around. Which was fine, he didn't act up, just stopped and checked things out. We walked in and closed the gate and he was still pretty calm, just looking around and checking the new place out. I left Slim's feed door open so he could stick his head out to get a better view of us. For some reason he carries on like a crazy animal if Sonny is out, but if he's out and Sonny is in he doesn't care. I walked Sonny down to the corner so we could be seen by the "'spectator in the barn" and thankfully he didn't make a peep the whole time. Sonny was a little confused about what I wanted to do since I haven't lunged him at all since last summer. I'm so used to pointing my arm the direction I want Slim to go and saying walk. After a couple of minutes Sonny had the idea and we were doing walking circles. I wanted to try to keep him going slow so he didn't work himself all up to running around like a fool - which is partly the reason why I'm hesitant to take him out. I had him walk quite a few laps. Even when the cats walked by he didn't get hyper. Which in the past causes running and bucking and striking. He's not a real big fan of small furry ones. He's much better than he used to be. I just gently pulled the line a little to get his attention back and move his direction of travel and he was fine. He tried to stop a few times like he thought we should be done, but I got after him and made him keep walking. I was just going to do one direction and call it quits if he behaved but on one of his I think I'm done stops, I got him to reverse so I had him walk and trot the other direction too.
I really think Sonny is a great horse. He's generally pretty calm in new surroundings, just curious. He's not a follower type, more of a leader. After two years of very little work he's grown to like that. He was (is) a very well trained, broke riding horse. He just needs to be worked regularly. When I bought him I was hesitant to ride more than a couple times because I didn't have the leg control to ride him. He was more leg cued than any of my previous horses and I physically couldn't cue very well. So I just didn't ride. I was afraid of confusing him and afraid of my lack of abilties.
I'm keeping up on my bike riding and cutting back on what I eat. I even took the dogs on a short walk last night after I was done with the horses. I really want to be able to ride again. I want to take lessons soooo bad. I hope I can find someone close and maybe even have them put some time in on Sonny for me. I'd love to find someone with a reining background to put 60 days on him. He's very athletic and I think he would enjoy the precision of it.
I hope I am able to continue working with him on a somewhat consistent basis and see what happens. Its hard to build up a relationship without working or riding a horse. I at least want to give things a fair try.
10-8-09
I worked Sonny again last night in the big arena. After about 5 minutes of quiet walking and trotting I thought to myself what a good, calm boy he is being. About 2 seconds later he tried to stop so I got after him with my stick and string by just whipping the string through the air. Well he decided to be a baby about it and give a little half rear and take off cantering. Even though I've had him about 2-3 years now he's still in that testing stage. I haven't worked all that much with him and I think he still wants to test my leadership. He tried stopping again and we went through the whole canter thing. He would go for a couple of strides and drop down to a trot when I would immediately make him canter again until I slowed him. I wanted him to know I was in control of his feet and speed. He's not a youngster anymore but he does have quite a bit of energy. We finished up with more trotting and walking and he calmly walked back inside.
I really want to fast forward myself to when I feel like I could take a half hour lesson. I want to regain my lost skills and gain some confidence in myself before I do too much more riding. I will also try to find someone that does lessons and training so when I get to that point Sonny can spend 30 days with that person and then I can take lessons on him afterwards. I think I may have even found a reining person about an hour from my house.
Update 10-12-09
I took Sonny out again last night. He was pretty relaxed the whole time. He did get distracted quite a few times and wanted to watch the dogs or cats roam around the field. We just walked and trotted again. I want to feel very comfortable with him before I ask for more speed. He did better on getting started. I start him the same way as I do Slim so there won't be any confusion. He just wants to follow me instead of walking off. He's much better about it. Probably after a couple more times he'll just walk off when I cue him. His previous owners didn't use any voice commands with him except Whoa. I guess they had friends that did and their horses would get confused at shows. I don't see anything wrong with voice commands that go along with physical cues. I think it reinforces what I want them to do. It could also help in emergency sitations when you can't do both physical and verbal. I also need to keep working on his transitions. He prefers to trot and when slowing him down he'll sometimes just stop and face me instead of continuing to walk. This is great when I'm wanting to reverse him as I can whip the air opposite of the direction I want him to go and he walks off. Not so good if I just want him to keep walking. I just need to keep at it. We just have to start speaking the same language. I can't expect him to know what those things mean the first day out.
I think things are promising, I just need to keep up working with him and be consistant. He'll be much happier with a job and burning off the extra energy. I do need to work on some different exercises as I can tell he'll be bored to death with going in circles on a lunge line for too much longer.
My New Plan
Posted by WhiteHorseAcres, Sep 30 2009, 08:28 AM
I've come to the realization that I need to do something about my weight and my leg strength. I'm tired of just wanting to ride and being fearful of trying. I'm really going to try to cut back on what I eat and make better decisions. It also helps that my husband would like to loose some too so we can do it together. We also picked up my exercise bike from my parent's house. I plan to start back on my routine with that. I was up to about 30 minutes every other day. I could really tell a difference in the strength of my knee and leg.
So my new plan is to cut back on what I eat, ride my exercise bike, walk when the weather permits, and try to work with the horses as much as I can this winter. IF I can loose a little weight and gain some strength I'll look into taking some riding lessons. I want to get some more confidence before I starting riding my horses.
Smartpaks & Slim
Posted by WhiteHorseAcres, Sep 23 2009, 10:36 AM
I decided to try something new supplement wise for Slim. He was currently on Fluid Flex twice a day. After looking through the catalog at SmartPak and checking the dosage of Fluid Flex I realized I wasn't giving him the full amount. So I looked at the SmartPak Senior supplements and they seem to be much more complete. I was worried about him after his last trim. He was sore for about a week afterwards. The new supplement has some natural pain control in it and I think its helped him. I just want to keep him happy and healthy in his senior years. So far I'm really impressed with things. They are so easy to feed since they are in containers for each day. I could see where they could be a big help in a large barn with horses on many different supplements and such.
The latest issue of Horse & Rider arrived yesterday and had a great article and Founder, Laminitis, and Cushings. It had a lot of great information in it. This past spring I had our vet do a blood test on Slim. Everything was normal, so we'll have a baseline. I might have him checked again this fall just to make sure. I feel like I'm super paranoid about grass and sugar issues, but if those types of things aren't caught early it can spell disaster. All the years I've had horses and been around horses I never had any issues except for my gelding Nik. Because I didn't know what warning signs to look for, he suffered. I never want that to happen again.
We've also been talking about having our hay tested. Since we are the ones taking it over now I want to make doubly sure we are selling a quality product and its safe. I think it will also ease my mind to know what levels of sugars and vitamins and minerals and such are there. I don't want to over do things either.
Hopefuly Slim will continue in his good health. I know one day he'll join Nik, but until then I want to make things as comfortable and give him the best quality of life that I can.
Update: 9-30-09
Last night when I arrived to feed, the boys were still grazing a little up by the fence. As I was driving up the driveway Slim did a little roll back and cantered up to the gate. Then proceeded to jump around and threw a few bucks in for good measure. I'm sure part of it is this is the first blast of cool weather and wind, but it was good to see him feeling good and kicking up his heels! I think the smartpaks are doing him good. His hair coat seems glossier and he acts like he feels better. The company has been great. They even called to see how we were doing. I've never had any other place do that. I will still follow up with my farrier when he's back late Oct and talk with the vet when he comes for fall shots.
Update: 10-1-09
I worked Slim a little in the big arena last night. He was super lazy in wanting to walk or trot. He did seem a little off a couple of times on his left front. I'm not sure if it was the ground or him being lazy. We didn't work long and I kept things slow and easy. I did MAKE him trot a couple times just because I don't want him getting into that habit of I can do what I want. Then he modeled for some pictures. I just love my camera phone. What a great little invention!!
10-8-09
Sonny and Slim were at the far end of the pasture last night grazing when I arrived. So they of course had to canter up to the gates. I was so happy to see Slim take off as well. He had a slight second or two head start and wasn't running full out so Sonny caught up pretty quickly. Sonny just acts like he hates to lose!
Where Has The Summer Gone?
Posted by WhiteHorseAcres, Sep 11 2009, 09:40 AM
Looking at my calendar I can't believe we are half-way through September already. I had so many goals for this summer. I wanted to be riding a couple times a week and of course have lost some weight. Neither one of those happened! I do feel like I got over some hurdles. I rode briefly a handful of times and worked with Slim more this summer than any other. I was really hoping to maybe do a show next summer, but I don't think I'll be near ready. I'm hoping for a mild winter so I can keep up a little bit with working Slim and maybe starting a little with Sonny. I'm getting a little bit more comfortable with him. I just have to remember I'm the boss and not let him intimidate me. I will continue with my horsey goals next summer and continue to work on the weight loss stuff. That's a never ending battle!
I still worry about Slim and his health. He's been doing well overall except for the last week or so. He's been pretty stiff and gimpy since the farrier came. It was a normal trim; nothing out of the ordinary. I gave him a little bute for a couple days and he just now seems to be working out of it. I don't know if the stiffness was caused from the trim and having to readjust to it (horses are trimmed every 6-8 wks religiously) or standing with his feet up. I'll be talkin with the farrier next time to see what he thinks about it and maybe different things we could try. I'll also give him a little bute before he gets started that day.
As I look back on this summer I'm a little glad its coming to an end. This will have been our first year taking over hay production. Its been a pretty rocky first start. We'll get our third and final cutting done this weekend. Now on to repair and maintenance this winter!
I'm excited to see what next summer brings.
Remembering Nik Deluxe - The Final Chapter
Posted by WhiteHorseAcres, Aug 14 2009, 02:32 PM
In about March of 2006 I was finally able to move the horses to the property I had purchased. We had spent probably about a year building barns and putting up fence. I was so excited to have my own horses on my property. It was a total dream come true. I just knew the horses were going to love it there. Spring and summer came and everything was great. I rode Nik a couple of times in the pasture lot as we were still working on projects and busy with life in general.
About the tail end of July he became more stiff than normal. Being a horse in his early 20s we thought it was just normal. Also it was very hot so when he wasn't very anxious to go out each morning we attributed this to the weather. Each morning it became more of a battle to lead him out. Then one evening we arrived to feed and he was standing somewhat spreadout in the far corner of the pasture (farthest from the barn of course). Normally when we arrive the horses start moving toward the gates as they know they'll be coming in soon. He didn't, he stayed exactly where he was. He had been there a while as the grass around him was chewed down pretty good and he was wringing with sweat. We again had to go get him and lead him in. We began to think something had to be wrong. That just wasn't like him. We called the vet that next morning and he was able to come out that afternoon. Not knowing we had put him out that morning. He was worse with his movement and after looking at him the vet thought he was probably suffering from laminitis. He had to give him nerve blocks in his heels so he could walk back to the barn. My heart was breaking. My best friend was in so much pain. Vet gave us Bute and told us to keep him inside his heavily bedded stall. He also wanted our farrier to come out and trim him to put some special shoes and pads on. We decided to give it a week and see how he progressed.
In the meantime getting into the car one evening after feeding I twisted my leg funny and fell dislocating my knee. It was terribly painful and I had to wait almost an hour while the ambulance tried to find us. I had to wear a leg brace that started at about my ankle and ended about mid-thigh.
Even after the trim and special shoes Nik seemed to be in more pain. He begin to lay down for several hours at a time during the day. We knew it was serious and couldn't stand to watch him in such pain. I would hobble into his stall and bend over to pet his head. I dreaded the vet coming back out. We had talked about options and doing what was best for him. Both my dad and I couldn't see putting him through extensive treatment and there was no way he could ride an hour in the trailer to the vet's office (we use a teaching vet from Purdue University and at that time they didn't have an board x-ray machine like they do now.) We talked with the vet and he was honest with us that our decision to put him down was probably the best. They were able to get him up and gave him another nerve block so I could take him outside to graze some. They were very caring and said we could take as long as we wanted with him and to let them know when we were ready. He explained what he was going to do and said we could go ahead and leave; they would take care of him. As hard as it was I'm glad I wasn't there in his final moments. We had contacted a local guy with a backhoe to come bury him on my farm. When I returned that evening it was awful to see an empty stall and his halter hanging there. My other horse was pacing in his stall and looking into Nik's stall and calling for him.
That was one of the hardest decisions I've made in my life. I still to this day second guess my decisions and if I made the right ones.
I had always said when it was his time to go he would be burried on the property and thankfully I was able to do so. He now has his own grave marker and several horsey stones. I ringed the area with landscaping stones and planted flowers. Last year I added a little bench so I can go sit and talk to him or look at the flowers.
He wasn't the perfect horse by any means, wasn't a fancy show horse, or cost fortunes. He taught me a lot about horses and riding and I'll forever miss him. I look forward to seeing him again someday...
Remembering Nik Deluxe
Posted by WhiteHorseAcres, Aug 14 2009, 12:33 PM
I have so many fond memories of Nik. He was that special horse that I don't think I'll ever be able to replace.
After high school I came up with the idea of riding lessons to make more money. Of course Nik was my lesson horse. He gave countless beginning rides to students of all ages. My favorite first lesson was 2 young girls that were just in love with horses. For the first lesson I did a meet and greet for free. Kids got to pet and brush and just get used to a horse close up. Well at the time we had a litter of kittens. One of the girls was bent on chasing them around the barn until she caught one. The chase led her under Nik! Before her mother could stop her she had bent down slightly and walked right underneath him. He was totally unphased. I couldn't believe the kid did it and the mother let her get away with it. I was very glad Nik stood still and behaved himself!
For some reason I decided I wanted to break him to drive. We found an old training sulky for $50 so all I had to do was buy a harness (thankfully Christmas was around the corner and Santa supplied me well!) I had a friend who owned and showed saddlebreds come over and help me for the first time. We got all the harness fitted and she ground drove him around to see how he'd do. I had been practicing ground driving and pulling old tires around beforehand. He did fine, so we decided to go for it. He barely batted an eye at it. She kept saying over and over how surprised she was he didn't spook at the cart. She said she always expects them to be reactive that first time.
At the last barn we boarded at before moving them to my property I found out how much more tolerate he could be. We had 3 cats there that were spoiled rotten (mostly by me) and would climb on the stall rails and try to jump or lean onto you so you'd pick them up. We'll they figured out they could get closer if they jumped on Nik's back. We had one that I swear would lay there for most of the night. He'd be there first thing in the morning curled up on his back. Then we the horses were ready to go out if the cat hadn't jumped down he'd get to ride outside on Nik's back. It was quite hilarious to see.
When I was younger and showed in 4H and open shows Nik always had to "talk" to all the other horses. He didn't really get spooky or anything. Just liked looking around and neighing to any and all horses. It was especially funny when he chose to do this during the final line up in a wp class. I was so embarrased!
I loved taking him out into the pasture we had set up with a little riding trail. When I'd canter him I'd always give him extra kicks when we were on the side closest to the barn. He didn't mind going faster. He also didn't have a problem with going slow and being lazy. I think that was his favorite part. When I took lessons my trainer would always say he's trotting on the front and walking in the hind!
Remembering Nik Deluxe - The Beginning
Posted by WhiteHorseAcres, Aug 13 2009, 10:33 AM
I've really been thinking about my gelding lately. So I thought I would write about some of my memories I had from my 12 years with him.
I guess I should start with the day we went to look at him. I was maybe 11 or 12 at the time and after a couple of years of riding lessons and trail riding we (me pestering my dad) decided to buy our own horse. We would have to board as we didn't live somewhere where we could keep them at home. We put the word out we were looking and some friends gave us the name of a feed salesman about an hour away. We contacted him and he told us about an Arabian farm that had a couple of prospects he thought. At that time I was bent on getting an Arab. I had ridden two for lesson horses and knew that was what I wanted. So we checked out the farm and they had several young horses which my dad promptly said would not work. I was quite disappointed! After another call to the feed guy he thought of a client of his that was selling one of their horses. The lady was going back to school and had grown children and no one was spending any time with the horses. The salesman had ridden this horse before and said he was great for a beginner and young rider. But it was a gray quarter horse not an Arabian! On the way there I was complaining about going to look at him, saying we probably won't be interested anyways. We watched them ride and then I got on for a little bit. I don't remember being totally sold yet on him. We told them we needed to think about it and left. We talked about him the whole way home. My dad really thought he would be a good match. I think we ended up calling them that evening to say we'd take him and they delivered him the next day. How that one decision influenced my life.
Those first few rides he was soooo lazy. He just wanted to walk and trot slow. When I asked for a canter he fast trotted around until I was about dizzy from all the bouncing. We had an experienced horse trainer friend stop over one evening and see what it was we were doing wrong. He promptly got on, asked for a canter and when Nik didn't swatted him on the rump. Off into a canter he went. After that we were fine. I just had to remember he was lazy and needed motivation occasionally!
It wasn't until we changed our boarding location that we really bonded. I was probably 14 or so by then and my dad would drop me off at the barn on his way to work. I was taking lessons with the barn owner and was riding pretty much every day. We would ride and then I would give him long baths. I spent all kinds of time grooming him and braiding his mane and silly things girls do when they love horses. I joined 4H and went to the fair show and a couple open shows. After all the nerves past, we had a great time. I loved to just stand in front of his stall when he'd hang his head out and pet his face and rub his ears. He so enjoyed the attention. He'd paw the ground if you walked over to his stall and didn't pay attention to him!
I so loved that time we got to spend together. I know it made such a difference in our relationship. I wish I could go back to those carefree young years when the most important thing was getting homework done!
I Think I'm Making Some Headway
Posted by WhiteHorseAcres, Jul 23 2009, 10:54 AM
These past two weeks have been great. I feel like I've come a long way with gaining some confidence. I tried things that were out of my comfort zone and it went well! My goal was to work Slim in the big arena. We worked for several weeks in the round pen and I really felt like he was listening and understanding. So I finally got the courage to try it in the big arena. I went about chores as usual, reassuring myself as I went that I should try this, he will do fine, stay relaxed & calm and he will too. I got all my stuff ready. Cleaned up his splint boots (as I really thought he might get a little squirrely), took my lunge whip out to the gate. I even open and closed the gate walked out and checked the footing. I made a couple mental notes of where the better part where and exactly where I'd be going once I got out there. When I had Slim ready to go and we started out of the barn I was a little nervious but felt a little better by doing my practice walk through. We got through the gate of the arena and he was looking around a little, but not nerviously. I closed the gate and we stood a second and I petting him, told myself to stay relaxed and we walked out to my designated spot. I pointed my arm in the direction I wanted him to walk off, said walk, and tapped him with my stick and string and off he went! Calmly and slowly just like he was in the round pen! Our circles we terrible as he wanted to walk and look at things but it wasn't anything spooky or out of control. We walked and trotted both directions and took a little walk down to the far end to check things out. I was so pleased with how he acted.
Several days passed and I kept telling myself I needed to get him back out there. He did so good I was afraid it was just a fluke and next time he'd be a terror! So Monday night I finally told myself he wasn't going to get any practice out there if I didn't take him back out. So for some reason I thought I should try saddling him up and working him. Its been a while since he had a saddle on his back and it might not hurt for him to get used to it again. He stood stock still the whole time we got ready. Again we donned the splint boots in worry of racing around at mock speed! I even got my old bridle out and put over top of his halter so he'd have that to get accustom to again. Mid way through getting him ready my hubby decides to grade our gravel driveway around the barn. He perked up a tad the first couple passes but didn't move around or anything. So I waited until he was down the driveway a ways away and we made our trek out to the big arena. Again a little looking around, nothing major. Pointed my arm in the direction, walk, and a little tap and he walked off. After a few circles hubby came back around with the tractor. He didn't even spook. I kept talking to him and tried to keep his attention. He was doing a wonderful wp trot. I didn't even have to really get after him to stay in it. So I thought what the heck we'll try a canter. He did his usual toss of the head as a tantrum because he doesn't want to work, but we did a few laps. He looked really good, I thought. We reversed and walk-trotted the other way and went for the canter too. He got a little more irritated and put some tiny crow hops. So I made him canter a little longer and trot several more laps as "punishment". Finished up and went back to the barn.
I was so proud of him. We just seemed to have really clicked these last few weeks. Hubby told me last night he's noticed a HUGE jump in my confidence and my attitude towards wanting to work with them. I haven't ridden since my 2 rides around the 4th of July, but I hope all this ground work will help me when I do get back on. Watching that saddle while I was lunging him last time really made me want to get on. But of course I chickened out! I'm thankful that my injuries haven't been horse related as I'm sure I'd have much more fear. I really hope I can continue on this path and continue to gain confidence.
So yeah for Slim. Years ago I would never have thought he'd be helping me in this way. He's always had a forever home, but now he truly does in my heart.
on Where Has The Summer Gone?