An Aid From Long Ago

Over forty years ago I was bored, bored, bored riding my beloved first horse Hat Tricks. He had gotten really responsive to my rather rough aids and I was looking for a new challenge. It occurred to me that my aids could be MUCH lighter, both hand and leg, so I started working on that.

First I lightened…

No Spurs, No Sweat

During this week my right ankle was bothering me, to the point of random pains in muscles and tendons and my leg “threatening” to collapse under me. This may be a long term effect of the Covid-19 case I had early 2020, and it is very irritating to me. When I was getting ready to ride on Wednesday I decided that it would be better for my ankle if I did not put my spurs on,…

Free spirit and fearless explorer Isabella Lucy Bird’s (1831-1904) desire to travel and write about her adventures is not what her Evangelical parents had in mind for their daughter. A strong-willed woman with a keen intellect and curious mind drove her forward, but frail health prevented Isabella from leading the vibrant life she so desired. At the age of forty, she pushed all social convention aside, ignored failed remedies of the doctors and embarked on a world voyage in 1873 that changed…

Making the Sitting Trot Enjoyable

For both the horse and the rider.

I got to ride three times this week! On Wednesday I got my lesson, I was still sort of off from less riding so it was not a “perfect” lesson. MJ is ridden by other people in lessons, and as time goes on Debbie discovers his preferences and how his body ends…

Yet Another Turning Aid

MJ was a little bit less sensitive this week. I had learned my lesson and curried his back with my gentlest curry comb, the Zoom Groom Cat grooming tool, with soft and flexible inch long prongs that feel rubbery, this is the tool that I use on his head. He did not flinch at all when I used it on his back, but when I used my wooden massage roller on his back he flinched…