This weekend, Rodney had a stand lesson. Not practicing the halt under saddle. Not waiting while other horses pass by. Just standing for several minutes, wearing a halter, in his own field, 10 feet from the barn. For groundwork and eventual liberty work, I had bought Rodney a nice leather halter [Theory]. He objected toContinue reading “Here We Stand”
Category Archives: Horse Behavior
Back You Go
Rodney suffered a bout of remediation. We survived. The horses ground-tie to be groomed. They are behind a fence, so running off is inconvenient rather than dangerous. To start, I hold the leadrope. When they shift away, I shift them back to status quo ante. Move a step forward; get moved a step back. MoveContinue reading “Back You Go”
All Aboard
Went over to the saddleseat barn yesterday morning to help load for the show. All horses climbed on the trailer like troopers, even the youngster who sometimes has trouble believing that he will fit into small spaces. Once, we stood for several minutes while he pondered how to squeeze himself through the doorway to theContinue reading “All Aboard”
Mare Update
Mathilda is fine. She goes out for a few hours each day to stock up on vitamin D. We are gathering the nerve to give her the option of going out all night by herself. This spring, every time we would talk ourselves up, it would rain. She provides just enough aggravation that we cannotContinue reading “Mare Update”
Life in the Slow Lane
One day last week, I went to the barn with the objective of improving our trotting in hand: a) we need this for agility work, b) trot sets/hill work on foot would get my lazy butt in gear, & c) last time I tried this, he stressed about the upshift to trot. So, good thingContinue reading “Life in the Slow Lane”
Halter Theory
New toys: leather halter and extra long lead rope for ground work/agility exercises. Since I am still cameraless, product picture on the Dover site in brown with green trim [Sussex]. The leadrope is a green and white twisted rope with knots on either end with a double ended-snap. I believe in DIY leadropes because a)Continue reading “Halter Theory”
Sometimes It’s Best To Walk Away
Last week we had a new washing machine delivered. In the end, the old machine was gone and the new one was in its place. However, the process was not smooth. There was a serious lack of spacio-logistic planning, the correct parts were not included, attitudes were more Eeyore than Pooh, and so on. ByContinue reading “Sometimes It’s Best To Walk Away”