Virtual Brush Box

Lesson Horses

Last week, I had a lesson on Alvin. I got sucked into his tendencey to drop out of the canter repeatedly and without warning. This week, I found that a slight driving aid kept him in gear. Mostly. I prevented a few attempts to downshift and could start to feel the warning signs. Until, ofContinue reading “Lesson Horses”

Rainy Day Quiz

Although I consider myself a non-outdoorsy person, rain puts a crimp in my plans. Storms on Tuesday caused me to cancel my lesson. The saddleseat barn does have a small, covered arena. However, I had to stay home to watch the horses and keep our barn dry. Nor could I do any of my exercisesContinue reading “Rainy Day Quiz”

Forgetfulness

They say that when you forget an item, you subconsciously wish to stay. I have been leaving all manner of items at the saddleseat barn, from my tea mug to my wallet. I don’t lose things. The only other time in recent memory that I misplaced my wallet was after four days of the tradeContinue reading “Forgetfulness”

Weekend Report

In addition to his regular walks, Rodney did two new exercises: 1) Trotting in hand. B) Walking through a ring. Which one do you think he handled? Saturday It was finally time to get back to the trotting in hand that got derailed two months ago by his freakout over the new halter [Slow Lane].Continue reading “Weekend Report”

More Psyche Songs Sought

Since I will be riding Alvin (maybe, probably [Decisions]), I need a suitable motivation song list, as I have for Sam & Lola [Playlists]. There’s all the Alvin & The Chipmunks recordings, but a) “Alvin” should be part of the lyrics to help me remember the song & b) the character of Alvin the ChipmunkContinue reading “More Psyche Songs Sought”

Watching The Tevis

I spent the day digitially following The Tevis Cup, formally called the Western States Trail Ride. I have never done an endurance ride, nor do I know anyone in this year’s Tevis. It’s just one of those iconic names in the horse world. The horses were mostly Arabs and Arab crosses, as you would expect.Continue reading “Watching The Tevis”

Noodling with Rodney

What a wonderful horse. Hubby bought a handful of 5′ plastic “noodles” often used as pool flotations [Wiki]. Ours are a rainbow of neon colors for eventual use in ground exercises, for example, asking him to walk through an arch with noodles. The plan for the day was to bring the noodles into the field,Continue reading “Noodling with Rodney”