Another first

My mini herd is just so cute out there on their pasture. They have more eats that is safe for them to even eat. I send them out for only half the day and then back to dry lot to digest. Even with only that Madison is getting fat. I think she needs a grazing muzzle. I have to admit that I do like my mini herd. Small, don't break fences, and the amount of hay in the barn right now should last most of the rest of the year! I keep saying I want to sell a mini, but I honestly love all these guys so much. I do want to geld Rocky. The problems this past spring have shown me that he is always at risk being a stallion. Even now he is not normally with the rest of the herd, in the same field but stand on his own. Poor lil guy. I won't geld him before fall at this point though. Not will all the flies.

I had another first today, two actually. I rode all on my own and in my own saddle. It was so nice. Corrie passed the saddle test, it fits her. I worked with her on going forward, going around on the rail, backing, giving to pressure, and just generally got to know her better. Steering is not a big thing right now. You wanna talk plow rein, not pretty at all. What I really want is forward and at a constant rhythm. I am thinking of taking her into the round pen next, which is outside. I want to not have to think about steering. We spend a great deal of effort on staying on the rail. Apparently there is a black hole in the middle of the arena that sucks horses in. At least that is what Corrie tells me. It apparently makes it very hard to keep going, so maybe it is very sticky in the middle of the arena too. All in all though we had great improvements. Actually got a rising trot out of her.

I will say that she was much more forward that the first time. I have a hard time using the whip just yet. I did have it. I rode with it, but the lurch forward is something I am still not ready for and the last thing I want to do is urge her forward and then snatch her mouth. I also still feel uncoordinated. Every once in awhile I feel like I am every where at once. I have to stop and regroup.

As you can see Corrie is a draft type Haffie. She is really broad in the chest and broad in the back end. Lil' darlin' wore Abby's girth! Seriously! But even though I thought I had it on good and tight, when I got off the whole saddle slipped. I am so happy that I have relatively good balance and was able to keep the saddle on the correct side of the horse as we rode. I think Abby's girth may have been a bit big, but Hope's (my former 15.3hh qh) was too small. I think that she is more drafty makes me like her more. I mean look at that sweet face! She has a personality to match.

R doesn't know if she had been ridden prior to coming to him. He has not done too much with her under saddle. Which is fine. When I talked to him about training, his response really made me respect him even more. He said he didn't think he was the right trainer for her, if I wanted to ride her, because he knows that I ride differently than him. He said I would just have to retrain her anyway. I really have to respect a trainer that can respect what I want to do with my horse. Oh by the way, she is not my horse yet. It was just an "what if" We were talking about. I am sure you can tell I am a bit smitten though.

After the ride I was untacking her. She knows how to stand. She didn't even have a halter on. I gave her a few cookies for being a good girl and then brushed her tail a bit. She knew where the cookies where. You could see in internal struggle, looking at the cookies but knowing she was supposed to stand. It was hard, but I am proud to say that she was strong! She got a few extra cookies for that!

Corrie wants to know if this saddle makes her butt look big. Personally I think it is really flattering! Maybe a different saddle pad. Oh and I need a bridle. I don't have a horse size black English bridle, so this is one of R's western ones, but still just a snaffle.