Sept 26-ride #44 fittings

This week I helped T set about fitting her self and Rocket for a saddle. My old Stubben fits Rocket pretty well. So over the week me met up and she got up on Sherlock in the round pen in the Stubben and walked around a bit to get a feel for it. He did very well!

Then I got on and rode a bit, just light work on sidepassing and voice commands. We tried the gate again and he gave me a step over to it so I could unlatch it and then backed up to open the gate! Almost like a real ranch horse! Super improvement in body control for us.

Other than this grand success, we've been doing some light ground work and getting lots of feed into the horse so he'll have a few extra pounds for winter. He's shedding summer coat and growing winter in already, despite it being 88 degrees today.

Sherlock and Maya share a snack

 And I also used my new phone to take lots of pictures to use for wallpapers on the phone-

Sept 23- Ride #42,43

9/15 Ride #42 (lucky number?) Rode in round pen English, w/t I wanted to canter but he was a bit stiff and short-strided. Hard ground or just too small a circumference to balance properly? Opened gate from up top- he was very curious what I was doing, then walked over to the outdoor and went in that gate with no arguments. Walked a set of poles then I got down and helped set up jumps.

Nice trot in round pen!

9/17 We tried my Stubben saddle on Rocket. He doesn't have withers as high as Sherlock's as is a bit wider- it fits him pretty well! T wants black, of course!

9/21 Ride #43 in indoor arena. Sherlock's belly was a bit tight with recent weather changes. Walk/small amounts of trot. Walked poles. Sidepass beginnings both directions, back up. Tried hard, very nice.

Maya, Sherlock and Trigger

Sept 13- slow and steady

Weather was crazy and we took it easy. Not only are big weather changes bad for the horses' bellies (Sherlock tends to get a little gas colic when it starts to get cold) but the cooler weather amps up the energy!

8/28 I fed Sherlock in the outdoor arena - handy to be able to set the bucket down on the mounting block and hold it instead of taking its whole weight. Trotted in-hand, walked over trail obstacle course of flower box, cross rail, back through poles, 3-pole curved with varied heights.


9/2 Cold morning! Sherlock was excited so I took him straight to the outdoor to run, but then he didn't want to. Free-lunged in indoor instead, w/t/c, picking up canter more easily and balance seems great. Sideways game work. Hind legs very "poppy" today and a little stiff. Fed and groomed in barn.

9/5 Muddy and slick footing. Fed in the round pen and did some light work, walk/halt.

9/7 Fed and groomed in the round pen, sideways and squeeze game work.

9/9 Fed in paddock, raining.

9/10 Hand-grazing 15 minutes. The cool weather has made the grass really sweet and high.

9/11 Checked on him this am and he was cold but dry. Brought him into the barn to groom, feed and put blanket on.

9/12 Grain in paddock, unblanketed.

9/13 Visited with my friend CA. She was uncertain about horses wanted to try to get accustomed a bit more. Everywhere was full of horses so I just bright him up to the tie rail out front. I led him in with Beatrice- a little nervous but with B tagging along behind they both did fine. She is so big...

A little pacing at first but settled to be groomed and do carrot stretches. I should remember to do the stretches last or he does them the whole time you brush. Very friendly and made a good effort to pose for pictures at the end of the grooming session. REM more mints from car into the brush box.