Guten Neuigkeiten
Last week Chris went with me to work Bud Wednesday. I didn't realize how nervous Chris had gotten driving, but I don't think we've hitched up one of ours since the Sedona trip in March. We had an open stock trailer come up behind us, which made Bud a little nervous, but he did really well. Chris was less chill about it, but survived. We trotted just a little bit and kept to the road insdead of crossing the wash to work in the desert.
Saturday Sue was still recovering from a stomach bug so Henry joined me. We went out to the desert area and Bud was feeling really good so I asked Henry if he minded I try the canter and he was good with it so I had my first purposeful canter in a cart. Bud did awesome. He was questioning, but didn't get flustered at all about the faster speed and what the cart was doing. I allowed him to peter out and asked two more times. He isn't quite speedy or graceful in it, but soft and slow is fine by me right now!
I am really pleased with how Bud has come along. He started out as such a knucklehead it's great to see how well he goes now, especially with how he and Sue are coming along together. I may work myself out of a job with them yet. It may not be for another year or so, but the progress is steady and good.
Tru-D is closing in on being kindof greenbroke to ground drive. The last time I pulled her out she was a bit zoomy to start, but did settle into some nice work. I may dona couple regular lungeing sessions the next couple times I work with her and am debating on how long I should work in just the halter before shifting to a sidepull or some such.
Poor Tru-D did get stomped on my Charm-N yesterday as the two of them tried going through the gate at the same time. We did some soaking with epsom salts today and gave her some Bute this afternoon. She is putting weight on it, if moving gingerly, and it actually doesn't appear swollen at all so we're giving her another day and see how she is. Hopefully itvs just bruised and nothing major.
I was looking at Tru-D the other day and realized something...
I think she has Kash out-massed! I don't quite know when it happened. I need to measure her again and see where she is at now.
Monday for Tristan's birthday we had planned on going to the zoon but it was raining so we went to the "indoor zoo" instead, which is Cabelas' and on the other side of the valley, but the boys enjoyed it with watching the big fishea and turtles as well as seeing their collection of stuffed/taxidermed animals. They also enjoyed getting fudge, some lunch, and playing at the shooting arcade, which lead into them really wanting these toy rifles that make shooting noises (they do not fire, so no actual shooting). We had some time aftet we got home tongrab some last-minute things before Marty, Dave, and Chris' brother Brad plus family came over. There was pizza and instead of a cake there was cookie dough, which made Tristan's freshly four year-old heart giddy. Tristan enjoyed his gifts and had fun chasing and being chased by his Trout cousins.
Still haven't heard back from my older brother. Dad apparently stopped by Dave and Marty's, which I'll expound on later.
Two weeks ago I cantered Royal for the first time. He may have a rough trot, but his canter is NICE. Debbie got to experience it briefly last week a bit unintentionally, but she agreed it was lovely. Today we tried out a Monte Foreman "Balance Ride" saddle that Janiece W. thought would be a great fit. Janiece is somewhere between 60 and 70 I think and trained under Monte Foreman. She can TALK and knows that she knows a lot, but she's also a bit set in her ways and seems a bit inflexible. I haven't had a lot of experience with her, but my farrier does her horses too and her daughter put a couple months on Toby (anyone seen "Wild Horse, Wild Ride"? That would be Wylene) a few years ago.
Anyway, she was basically trying to sell Debbie this saddle for $1500 and it looked older than dirt. The leather was still good and soft, but I wouldn't pay that much for something that looked like they had been used hard for the last 20 years. Anyway, the big idea behind the balance ride is that the stirrups are hung further forward and the seat is pretty much flat. The rigging is in-skirt so less bulk under your leg and the stirrups have a really interesting double-adjustment system that I couldn't even start to describe. You'd have to see it.
I didn't really like how it sat on Royal, it looked "down" in front and the back of the saddle curved up away from his back, like the rock was too steep for his back shape. I tried it anyway and Devbie and I discussed how it was put together and what it was doing to my position. I liked that my knees stayed over my toes, but I could definitely feel my lower leg was not under my seat. The flat, wide seat felt like it was prying my thighs apart and rotating then outward uncomfortably and it forced me to sit almost entirely on my seatbones. Walking was manegable, but posting the trot was pretty hopeless. My thighs ran into the swells and as the stirrups were forward returning down and in balance wasn't quite happening as it should.
I've ridden in some sub-par saddles and had to make due, but this one combined with Royal's thrusty trot was not doing me any favors. Royal started out okay, but towards the end was less than happy with my lack of balance and I told him he was a good boy for at least humoring us.
We talked more about saddle fit and also about how it should fit the rider. What the flat seat causes and why saddles have that rise from the seat instead of being completely flat (Janiece called the rise a "ball buster," classy). I think the flat seat would work for people comfortable sitting on their glutes instead of their seat bones, but when you are used to the three point contact of seatbones plus the pubic arch a completely flat seat isn't going to do it unless your pelvic anatomy is so devious as to have the pubic arch and seat bones at the same level (typically your pibic arch is higher than your seat bones).
Anyway, Debbie was glad that she didn't have to buy another saddle. Janiece seemed to be of the opinion that the Monte Foreman saddles will fit ANYTHING, but I have found that is not the case with horses. I think the only piece of tack that fits every horse is a lead rope and that isn't even directly touching the horse's body.
And I need to hit the hay otherwise I'd keep going.
It was COLD this morning and we are expecting another hard freeze tonight.
Saturday Sue was still recovering from a stomach bug so Henry joined me. We went out to the desert area and Bud was feeling really good so I asked Henry if he minded I try the canter and he was good with it so I had my first purposeful canter in a cart. Bud did awesome. He was questioning, but didn't get flustered at all about the faster speed and what the cart was doing. I allowed him to peter out and asked two more times. He isn't quite speedy or graceful in it, but soft and slow is fine by me right now!
I am really pleased with how Bud has come along. He started out as such a knucklehead it's great to see how well he goes now, especially with how he and Sue are coming along together. I may work myself out of a job with them yet. It may not be for another year or so, but the progress is steady and good.
Tru-D is closing in on being kindof greenbroke to ground drive. The last time I pulled her out she was a bit zoomy to start, but did settle into some nice work. I may dona couple regular lungeing sessions the next couple times I work with her and am debating on how long I should work in just the halter before shifting to a sidepull or some such.
Poor Tru-D did get stomped on my Charm-N yesterday as the two of them tried going through the gate at the same time. We did some soaking with epsom salts today and gave her some Bute this afternoon. She is putting weight on it, if moving gingerly, and it actually doesn't appear swollen at all so we're giving her another day and see how she is. Hopefully itvs just bruised and nothing major.
I was looking at Tru-D the other day and realized something...
I think she has Kash out-massed! I don't quite know when it happened. I need to measure her again and see where she is at now.
Monday for Tristan's birthday we had planned on going to the zoon but it was raining so we went to the "indoor zoo" instead, which is Cabelas' and on the other side of the valley, but the boys enjoyed it with watching the big fishea and turtles as well as seeing their collection of stuffed/taxidermed animals. They also enjoyed getting fudge, some lunch, and playing at the shooting arcade, which lead into them really wanting these toy rifles that make shooting noises (they do not fire, so no actual shooting). We had some time aftet we got home tongrab some last-minute things before Marty, Dave, and Chris' brother Brad plus family came over. There was pizza and instead of a cake there was cookie dough, which made Tristan's freshly four year-old heart giddy. Tristan enjoyed his gifts and had fun chasing and being chased by his Trout cousins.
Still haven't heard back from my older brother. Dad apparently stopped by Dave and Marty's, which I'll expound on later.
Two weeks ago I cantered Royal for the first time. He may have a rough trot, but his canter is NICE. Debbie got to experience it briefly last week a bit unintentionally, but she agreed it was lovely. Today we tried out a Monte Foreman "Balance Ride" saddle that Janiece W. thought would be a great fit. Janiece is somewhere between 60 and 70 I think and trained under Monte Foreman. She can TALK and knows that she knows a lot, but she's also a bit set in her ways and seems a bit inflexible. I haven't had a lot of experience with her, but my farrier does her horses too and her daughter put a couple months on Toby (anyone seen "Wild Horse, Wild Ride"? That would be Wylene) a few years ago.
Anyway, she was basically trying to sell Debbie this saddle for $1500 and it looked older than dirt. The leather was still good and soft, but I wouldn't pay that much for something that looked like they had been used hard for the last 20 years. Anyway, the big idea behind the balance ride is that the stirrups are hung further forward and the seat is pretty much flat. The rigging is in-skirt so less bulk under your leg and the stirrups have a really interesting double-adjustment system that I couldn't even start to describe. You'd have to see it.
I didn't really like how it sat on Royal, it looked "down" in front and the back of the saddle curved up away from his back, like the rock was too steep for his back shape. I tried it anyway and Devbie and I discussed how it was put together and what it was doing to my position. I liked that my knees stayed over my toes, but I could definitely feel my lower leg was not under my seat. The flat, wide seat felt like it was prying my thighs apart and rotating then outward uncomfortably and it forced me to sit almost entirely on my seatbones. Walking was manegable, but posting the trot was pretty hopeless. My thighs ran into the swells and as the stirrups were forward returning down and in balance wasn't quite happening as it should.
I've ridden in some sub-par saddles and had to make due, but this one combined with Royal's thrusty trot was not doing me any favors. Royal started out okay, but towards the end was less than happy with my lack of balance and I told him he was a good boy for at least humoring us.
We talked more about saddle fit and also about how it should fit the rider. What the flat seat causes and why saddles have that rise from the seat instead of being completely flat (Janiece called the rise a "ball buster," classy). I think the flat seat would work for people comfortable sitting on their glutes instead of their seat bones, but when you are used to the three point contact of seatbones plus the pubic arch a completely flat seat isn't going to do it unless your pelvic anatomy is so devious as to have the pubic arch and seat bones at the same level (typically your pibic arch is higher than your seat bones).
Anyway, Debbie was glad that she didn't have to buy another saddle. Janiece seemed to be of the opinion that the Monte Foreman saddles will fit ANYTHING, but I have found that is not the case with horses. I think the only piece of tack that fits every horse is a lead rope and that isn't even directly touching the horse's body.
And I need to hit the hay otherwise I'd keep going.
It was COLD this morning and we are expecting another hard freeze tonight.