A “perk” of the apartment complex where I live. Half of the machines look um… well used, so I won’t touch them, but the elliptical machine and the treadmills are fine. Yesterday, I started an actual workout program and went to the gym by myself for the First Time Ever. It might not sound like…
Or, how I survived a green horse’s first time seeing horse-eating games. Yesterday Kasane had her first outting to a Pony Club gaming event. There were two divisions: 10+ Pony Clubbers and 2 Horsemasters (Kasane and me and Steve on his gelding Windsor). There were four games: pole bending, mug shuffle, fruit relay, and milk…
I have so much stuff to catch up on for June. Horse Masters Horse Camp was the weekend of June 16th and it was fantastic. Most of the month was spent getting ready for camp. Kasane and I were signed up for walk, trot, canter sessions — which meant she had to know how to…
This coming weekend, Kasane will have her second show. Nope, not dressage or hunter or equitation. We’re going to do games: barrel racing, pole bending, and whatever else Horsemasters thinks up. The pictures from this should be like an outtake reel. I set up obstacles at the barn. Kasane is great at ground poles now….
I had a great ride on Kasane Monday afternoon. Only about 20 minutes, but it was her first ride in the bit. We rode in the round pen instead of the big ring. Think of the roundpen as a containment field in case something had happened. Kasane was fantastic. Figured out how to give to…
Kasane now officially knows how to trot. 
She picked up the cue immediately. We worked briefly in the round pend and then in the big ring. She was good for two times when I asked her to trot. On the third time, I asked her to steer and it confused her a little. (Too…
Wow. Two and a half hours worth of trail riding with 10 other horses and the Bay Wonder Mare Junior was amazing. I dismounted and mounted about four times. We went through our first water obstacle (BIG creek: wide but not deep), dealt with several bridges, water along side the trail, deer, and no-see-ums. The…
Kasane’s first trail ride. I’m nervous and worried and excited at the same time. We had a good ride today, even though this was the first time she gave me some grief while I was on her. At one point, we stopped near the gait and I asked her to walk forward. She refused, pinned…
Today, Kasane had her first ride in the big ring. I warmed her up in the round pen as usual, and then, while on her, opened the gate and rode to the big ring. She hesitated when stepping out the gate, as it some magical line had been crossed. She walked to the ring walking…
My friend Zoltan came out with me to the barn on Tuesday and videod a ride on Kasane. It’s in three parts. Unfortunately the first part is sideways. (I’ll fix this as soon as I get the license for my video editing software sorted out.) These rides are very early in Kasane’s training. She’s had…
Sylvana, a friend of mine at the barn, and I both have four year olds we are working with under saddle. Our two Arabs (okay, he’s technically an Anglo-Arabian) have the Arab herd-brain: when one snorts the other automatically snorts and looks around. Even if nothing is there. It just takes a snort. Funny to…
I had a riding lesson up at Mom’s on Saturday. I rode Piccolo (Hanoverian warmblood schoolmaster horse) in a dressage lesson with Lauara, one of Mom’s new instructors. She was very good. She explained how to do a half-pass properly by pushing with my inside leg every time I felt his inside back leg move…
I’ve had a riding lesson for the past two Saturdays. It has been a roller coaster where my riding skills fluctuated from newbie to advanced. Had my skills degraded? Muscle tone wasn’t as good as it had been in 2008 when we were able to ride more. In 2009, riding time was minimized due to…
There was an informal natural horsemanship session at my barn today. One of the ladies started a three year old filly under saddle. The filly is a buckskin, Quarter Horse/Arabian cross. She is a rescue case and has not been handled much. She knew how to lead and not much else. It was amazing watching…
Sunday morning was the weekly riding lesson. My last riding lesson was last Sunday and it went well. Unfortunately, my back hurt so much the morning after I had to stay home from work. Last night, I went to the company holiday party. Three hours of walking around in heels plus moving boxes out of…