Riding around the pasture - FAST!

Touch up trim on Z

Rode Z with Kendall and Rain in the front, then passenger at the trot and canter in the arena. She was full of energy and go today! She wanted to gallop everywhere. :) I can't wait for the endurance races this season.

Kendall did passenger lesson on Rain in the arena, too. She loved it and you could hear her yelling, "This is soooo fun! I could do this forever!" while cantering around. Love to see her have so much fun.

Gotta get Gem trimmed and do some fecal samples.

A quick play on a windy night

Kendall, Rain, Z and I played in the indoor after chores tonight. I did a little groundwork with Z while Kendall rode Rain bareback. I played with FLC's and sideways. I hopped on Z for a few minutes bareback, but the temps were so cold we didn't last long. Short session, but fun with Kendall on her horse.

Leaving the arena and taking Z for a walk

Today, I rode Ellie outside the arena with Kendall babysitting. The weather and footing have been so tough for getting good work done with Ellie. We've stayed in the indoor most of the time and I really want to get her going outside of that building. I walked and trotted her around the outdoor with Kendall and Rain helping us out. Ellie felt good and ready for more. Kendall, on the other hand, doesn't have a lot of patience for babysitting. She really wanted to take off and cover some ground but Ellie and I weren't quite ready for that. Next time...

I also took Z on my walk today. We went 4 miles and Z was happy to just mosey down the road with me and the dogs. I'm hoping to get her on some of my walks and help get her ready for endurance rides this season. I have a lot of miles to walk, but I also need to get Z ready and fit. Hope I can figure out how to get both done together - at least sometimes.

Coaching and riding Z

Had a great day riding in the indoor with Melissa, Summer and Kendall. The wind was obnoxious and Kendall got a little worried and didn't stay on long. Summer rode her brand new mare (nice mare!) and I rode Z. Melissa and I played with yo-yo and building trot departs. I tried to give Summer some good tips and at the end, Melissa and Summer did passenger lesson at the walk and trot. Summer had never done that, so I hope she really learned something.

Z and I had some nice moments and I just had her in the rope hack. She seemed to enjoy being the chosen horse today. I need to get her moving and start working on her fitness.

Friday night riding!

Kendall and I ducked into the indoor for some Friday night riding time! I had Ellie and she was on Rain. We were going to ride out front, but the sun was going down so fast. I did ride Ellie for a few minutes in the play area and she was feeling great. But the sun was tipping it's hat so fast, we decide to head indoors.

Ellie did nicely and she's becoming very calm about the whole deal. Riding, mounting, the indoor, it's all becoming a breeze for her. I'm pretty pleased with her progress! Played with figure 8, follow the rail and backwards.

Kendall wants to go faster... and faster... and FASTER!

More time with Gem and Kendall on Rain. There's still a lot of snow, so we went cantering through it again today. Having so much fun with Kendall lately. Her confidence is soaring and it makes our time together so fun!

Steve got some video and pics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoUUA4CX-Q0&list=FLsW31ZMva5X67p-Yo00oA6g&index=1&feature=plpp_video

Riding through the snow

With Kendall on Rain, me on Z. What a blast! Cantering up the hills, trotting through the deep areas. I love it and so does Kendall.

Kendall is getting addicted!

Home from school, grabbed and apple for a snack and went straight out to play with Rain. Her comment when she got home? "I've been thinking about riding my horse all day!". I was stuck at my desk, but I love to see her put energy in effortlessly. She came in after and told me how it went - the good and the bad. She's really learning now.

Later in the evening, we watched some of the Success series together. She was engaged and asked questions while we watched it. Pretty cool stuff!

Kendall and the 7 games

We worked on the 7 games today. Kendall learned these a few years ago, but she barely remembers. I really want her to spend time with this for her horsemanship. I taught Kendall teh catching game and she fell in love with the concept. She showed great timing too!! Rain was following her in no time in the large arena!! She also rode bareback in the indoor. Great fun!

I had Z with me and just goofed off a little.

Enjoying the indoor!!

A few mins with Kendall, Rain and Z. Just stayed on the ground, KK practicing bareback.

Bus Stop Pickup on Horseback

With Rain and Z, bareback. Kendall was so happy. Then practiced bareback in the arena until it was too dark. I love riding bareback!! Kendall couldn't get enough today, either.

Kendall bareback in the snow

So much fun!! Me on Z, Kendall on Rain. The snow was nice and deep and we plodded around with smiles on our faces.

1 hour of mental break

Long work day and at 5:30, I still wasn't done. However, dang it, I left my desk and got to it. Chrissy had Cowboy, Kendall came out and tacked up Rain for a ride and I grabbed Gem to see how cantering on the left lead from the ground looks.

Played with left lead canter, stick to me and zone 5 driving. He was great.

Trimmed Gem.

Kendall rode around and just smiled and had fun.

Played with Cowboy, gorgeous sideways trot and a few sideways canter strides. He's so cool.

The Corn Maze!!

Took all 3 horses and the whole fam damily to the Hudson Corn Maze. http://www.wildwestmaze.com/index.html We had a BLAST!! I brought Gem, Rain and Zarah with Kendall riding Rain, D riding Z and me on Gem. The horses were a little worried at first. The corn is dry now and makes a lot of noise! The wind kept the corn moving and making it's noise. It's also 10 feet tall easily, so there's no looking over it. It was awesome!

Kendall had a little trouble with Rain at times, as Rain knows Kendall isn't always in charge. That's ok, KK learned some things and handled herself with a lot of maturity. D didn't try to manage a horse. He navigated the map so we wouldn't get lost and I ponied him for most the time. About half way through, I decided to switch with him and let him ride Gem. This actually worked out better because then I could manage Z and her high energy. She never truly settled in the maze. Gem and Rain were cool and calm, but Z - not so much. Z also really desires to lead when she's worried and she can be a little forceful about it. I believe that's her alpha mare mentality.

It was a great time and D loved navigating us through the maze and following the map. We agreed to go next Sunday on "dog day" with Deuce and Oscar. Really a fun time!

A fun time with Chrissy and Kendall

Rode Gem, KK tacked up and rode Rain all by herself, and Chrissy rode Cowboy!

I was playing with leads in the trot, helping Gem stay upright and balanced and a little with the left lead canter. I was using the serpentine to help me get this done with him.

Kendall also did some serpentine, but she couldn't handle the arena for long. She left the arena and rode Rain around the property. Rain was looking pretty bracey, so I asked her to soften Rain by also doing some serpentines before calling it a day. She is becoming such a great little horse woman! Proud of her and our horse Rain.

Chrissy followed me and Gem in the trot while we did our serpentines. She's working on her fear thresholds and allowing Cowboy to move w/o holding on tightly to the reins. I'm trying to help her build some trust in herself and her horse. She said she didn't feel very fluid with him, so hopefully she'll keep riding and find more harmony in the saddle.

Fun time with horses!

Dome Rock!!

Had a fantastic day with friends, my beautiful daughter, Gemini and Rain riding Dome Rock today. Dome Rock is one of my favorite spots in Colorado. The aspens are starting to turn and the yellows and reds were magnificent! Kendall had a rough spot about 1 hour in, but she did a great job of holding it together and then ended up having a great time. We trotted and cantered a lot and the horses got an excellent work out. Rain did it barefoot w/o a single issue. Gem wore boots on the front. Gem had a minor bucking episode (of course!) when we were cantering down a hill with a sharp turn at the bottom in sandy footing. I wanted him to slow so we could make the turn easily but he was concerned about the mares getting too far ahead. I could feel him having an opinion about my ask to slow down and he humped up for 4-5 decent bucks. Silly boy! I wonder if that will simply always be there, that response to buck when things aren't going the way he wants. It's ok, he can't get me off and he doesn't scare me anymore. Besides the occasional buck, he's become a fantastic trail horse!!

Gemini and Rain at Dawson Butte

Kendall is back on the trail!! I'm so happy. I've missed trail riding with my daughter. She's been riding Rain over the past few months but just at home. I asked her to go and she said YES. We went to Dawson Butte and I let her lead on Rain. She really liked being able to set the pace and lead us down the trail. Gem was fine behind, so I was happy to let KK lead. She took us into a trot a lot of the time and she wanted to canter a lot, so we did some. I tried to keep Kendall from doing too much cantering since I wanted her first time back on the trail to be positive. Rain did give a hefty spook at the end of our ride and Kendall not only stayed seated beautiful, she wasn't afraid at all. She's a natural.

Gem was an awesome trail horse and I practiced asking for a soft feel while we went. I want to use that in dressage so I'm trying to work on getting that soft feel without having to move his body a certain way to get it. I want to teach him to round w/a very subtle cue. We'll get there because he's so smart and willing. I just have to put in the time with him.

A fun, fun day with beautiful weather, my amazing daughter and 2 of our fantastic horses.

Riding with my Kendall Girl

Gem and Rain with Kendall and me.

Some in the arena - cantering wtih Gem and Kendall playing wtih figure 8's and (of course) jumping. Kendall used the bit today, which was good.

We then went to the front and I helped Kendall get Rain to maintain her gait better. Kendall got to canter and gallop, so she was happy. That girl has the need for speed. She keeps asking about riding Z. I get nervous just considering it!

Gem felt great, responsive and willing. I'd like to get him lighter off my leg so I need to build on that.

Trimmed his hinds so he's caught up.

Windy evening riding

Kendall went back in a rope halter tonight. She wanted to go back to the rope hack after trying the bridle on her last ride. Apparently, it's hard on her because she's very concerned about hurting Rain's mouth. She rode Rain the whole evening while I rode a couple horses. I think by the end of the night, she was ready to go back into the bridle. :)

I started with Kholo in the arena. Then we rode the whole property. His canter was quite nice! He wasn't as willing today to flex at the pole - not sure why, but we'll work on it. We did lots of snaky bends at the trot and canter in the arena and then worked on transitions in the front pasture. He is really becoming such a soft riding partner - I'm thrilled.

Then, rode Gem and tried to build more canter gait maintenance. Really need to do ppl at the canter and see if I can teach him to canter until I ask for the next thing. He was so forward tonight as Kendall and Rain rode next to us. What a great trot he was offering! I was sure to praise him and let him know what a good job he was doing. He seems to really enjoy that and I see his ears turn back to hear my words of encouragement. I think he's had some hard training in his life and he wants to feel like he's doing the right thing.

A really nice evening and we put horses back with the herd just as the sky was turning dark. Awesome!

Kholo and Cantering

Today, Kholo and I rode for about an hour around the property. I wanted to focus on cantering and helping him transition between the gaits. I rode him around in the south pasture, which has some nice terrain to help build his strength. His transitions are getting so soft that I can do them with my seat. He could be ridden bridleless in no time at all. He's a smart horse who's very willing to learn and partner. He's just a pleasure.

We played more with isolated ends and that felt improved. He had nice energy today and he was ready to move out. We'll have to get some endurance conditioning going so he doesn't lose too much of his fitness level.

Z, Rain, Kendall and I then rode around the property. Rain was in a bridle for the first time in years. Kendall had to learn how to communicate with Rain this way vs. the rope hack that she's always ridden with. She did great with her hands and stayed soft. Z and I worked on vertical flexion while Rain and KK worked on riding with a bit.

A side note: Z's mane has been destroyed! Not sure how, though. It seems that one of the horses is eating it, but not sure why that would happen after all these years. Z has this amazing, shiny, long mane that is now looking more like a Fjord's mane. Darn, but oh well. It's just a mane. It'll grow back.