progress with the snaffle

Yesterday, I rode Daniel in the outdoor with a snaffle and he was good! There was a break in the rain, and it looked like there were going to be 4 or 5 people riding in the lesson, so Kara and I rode in the outdoor.

We just did walk, trot, small circles, leg yields and halts... and I was pleased with how well he did!

Today, I met Allysia and her son Joseph for lunch, then we all went to see Daniel. I think Joe really got a kick out of Daniel.

Tomorrow after work - trimming hooves!!!! :-)

I graduated!

Dawn had to do hardly anything today, and told me to keep doing what I've been doing, and she only need to "check my work" every 5 weeks or so :-) The clear pic above are D's front hooves after I trimmed him Sunday. The fuzzy front foot pic is from January '09 showing that same stinking crack that will probably never grow out because of a defect in his coronary band.

And I couldn't resist a few pics of Daniel with Dawn!

Days and days of rain...

Thankfully Tory Hill has an indoor for us to ride in! Daniel was being WONDERFUL in the indoor on just a snaffle! We rode with Kara and Tessa the last two days in the indoor and I was proud of Daniel compared to his behavior outdoors the other weekend.

I trimmed his hooves today. Dawn's coming Wednesday, and I didn't want her to have a lot to do.

Rainsheet's been waterproofed and water was beading up on it, so I put his dry sheet on him and let him go back out with his buddies.

Dismal Dreary day!

No pics today! I had planned to meet Kara at the barn about 8:30am to ride in the indoor... this rain has got to go! I didn't set my alarm because the dogs never let me sleep past 6:30am or so. I opened my eyes this morning, AT 7:58am!!!!!!!! Arrrghhhh!!!

So, I rushed and fed the dogs, made coffee, flew back upstairs to change, grabbed a thermal mug for the coffee and ran out the door. I got to the barn 8:40 or so and apologized for being so late. Damned dogs! Any time that I CAN sleep, they're getting me up at 6:00, and when I want the wake me up, they don't. ugh!

Anyway, Daniel was in his stall, a little wet because he'd been out about 15 minutes or so, but not too bad. I dried him off, picked hooves, detangled his mane and brushed him. He kept playing with the stuff on my shelves (he was particularly fascinated by a container of bit wipes... peppermint bit wipes!! The old boy has this new think for peppermints and my mother created it! She always brings those red and white peppermints to the barn for him. He hears the paper crinkle and he perks his ears right up!

We went the the indoor, and I was half expecting Daniel to be a bit stiff from being stalled last night, but he was doing good! We did a lot of walking and some trotting. Whenever Kara and Tessa would pass us, he'd speed up. I told him that Tessa's mostly TB, he can't beat her in a race so not to even try! :-)

I got him to do some nice trot work, and he was happy that we did a lap around the arena on the buckle after that. I found him some extra-long laced reins, so he can really stretch his neck out when he's on the buckle. The ones I got with him where 84" long, and way too long, they were all knotted so they didn't get in your way. Then I bought him "oversize" reins and they were a little better than regular length, but they still weren't long enough to really let him stretch out. I went to drafttack.com and found these. They're 72", so they are a nice length... I just need to keep working the leather new into them to break them in!

So, it was a good ride today. We went back up to the barn, took his tack off and groomed him again. I'm going to do hooves tomorrow after I ride. I was too scattered today with getting up late and rushing around to be in the right frame of mind to do hooves. I put his rainsheet back on him and turned him out with his buddies. When I went back to clean tack, he didn't come back to the barn banging on the gate... he seems to only do that when he's been bratty :-)

Better in the outdoor today!

We still used the snaffle, but he was much better!! Still need to work on brakes, but he was way more responsive than the other day. I feel like I have to use much more leg on him outside than in the indoor, and I'm going to just suck it up that I have to use the pelham on him on trials...

All in all, look at my boy GLOW!!! Not bad for a 20-something year old horse! It looks like Tory Hill's agreeing with him. I know it's agreeing with me (and the 15 minute commute certainly is!)

What a pill!

Today we rode in the outdoor alone. There were 5 or 6 students in the indoor and I thought it would be too crowded.

The weather was gloriously clear and cool and we even did the 'baby loop' on the trail. After that, Daniel became a pill. He didn't want to walk, he wanted to trot; didn't want to halt; was clamping down on the bit and just going! He was really being a bastard. At one point, at a dead trot he tried to go out the outdoor's gate back to the barn... I gave him a swift kick and he sprang forward into a canter! BRAT!

I slowed him into a walk, and enforced the walk twice around the arena before I dismounted. I don't know if it's going from the pelham to a snaffle, to cool weather, or him just knowing I can trot and canter and he's getting bored with all the classical dressage and walking... Or a combination...

I took his tack off, groomed him, flysprayed him and turned him back out. I went back to the barn to clean tack and heard a banging outside. He followed me back to the barn. After being such a pill, he was being a clingy goofball... Go figure!

Bath time!

Didn't ride today, but I gave the big guy a bath. A couple of the boys have rainrot. Daniel didn't have any signs of rainrot, but I bathed him in the medicated stuff as a precaution!

I'm planning to ride tomorrow, I haven't been on him in over a week due to working at Devon last week. But, after a week at Devon, I realized that I wouldn't trade my horse for any of the ones competing at Devon!!!!