Way long ago in ancient days I started riding in Chile, in an old English hunt seat saddle (before knee rolls) and the main English stirrup of the day, now called Prussian sided stirrups (also sold as Polo stirrups and exercise stirrups.)  This was long before those nice rubber pads that we all use, I had naked metal under the sole of my shoes.  The stirrups used in the very few lessons I got before I got my first horse were Prussian sided stirrups, as were the…

I am writing this as though writing a story, however all this did take place on one the days I was horse sitting, it puzzled and amused me, but I never thought to mention it or inquire about it, writing it off as nothing important, but now after watching the herd dynamics at Beekman I can't help but wonder, what was going on? 

It was a hot summer day in June,and I was busy mucking Rose's stall out. Julie had left for four days and I was in charge of taking care of the horses.…

 Oh the joys of dealing with loud, eager children and hot, grumpy horses. I don't know how many times I said to walk in a wide circle around the horses back legs. At some point I put an orange cone behind Cruiser and said very loud, 'Caution! Horses will kick, walk in a wide circle around their legs!'. That worked for a little while, but eventually kids went back to hugging…

I got to the stable Wednesday, all prepared to ride Tercel again and ready to see if I could get my Stubben Siegfried to fit him.  Of course I also brought out my EZ-Fit saddle to use if the Stubben did not fit at all.  I got there, Debbie’s car was not there, I went into the stable and Debbie’s daughter Sam told me that Debbie’s mother had died the night before, so everything was in total confusion.  Sam kindly gave me a lesson on Tilly and since I had brought out my…

The heat wave continues down here in NC, highs in the 90’s as far as one can see.  I just got to ride once this week, but to help alleviate my boredom I got to ride a horse I’ve never ridden before!

Tilly is a pony, about 13.3?  She is a sort of “dusty” palomino with a lot of pink skin around her muzzle.  She is 30 years old, and I learned a little about her history.  She was supposed to be horse sized (her dam was 16.1,) but her dam died the day after birth and she…

It has been rather hot down here, weeks of highs in the mid to upper 90’s F.  In spite of having no air conditioning in my mobile home my MS has not gotten much worse, at least I am not stumbling all over the place and falling, and the horses are still letting me keep contact with the bit.  It has been so hot that most of my painful muscle cramps have gone away and I have been able to stop using the Back on Track things on myself and the horses I ride.  I think the horses…

A while back I did a writing on Dressage, it's ways and beauty, I then did another one expressing my opinion of the way Dressage is done now, which I find despicable with the double bridles and harshness of the riders hands and reins. I know that's not 'recent' recent development, but Dressage wasn't always like that. It was a beautiful partnership between horse and rider. Together they became one in a series of poetic dance moves. The rider horse…

Forty-five years ago today I finally got my first horse, Hat Tricks, after wanting, desiring, yearning and begging for a horse for thirteen years.

When I got my first horse I felt WONDERFUL.  But I had almost no experience with horses.  Just trail riding for 4 years as a kid in South America (horses already groomed and tacked up) in no way gave me enough experience to deal with owning a horse.  Luckily, due to reading every non-fiction book on horses I could find, I…

I've been volunteering at the Beekman Therapeutic Riding Center for around two months now. It's been rocky a few times but otherwise very smooth and fun. I must say I've grown attached to the horses and ponies and am developing favorites among both the equines and students. I guess my favorite student is Abbie, a rebellious red head in her late teens. I can't tell if there is anything physically or mentally wrong with her, but she is fun to talk to and work…

What’s Next

What a terribly emotional time this has been.  The disappointment has been weighing on me, heavily.  Not a few tears have been shed, and none of them caused by my physical pain.  I was even doubting Mrs. Shoes.  (Foolish, foolish me.)  It didn’t help, that Kevin, always a cynic, was painting me a picture of a woman who just wanted to get rid of a horse—that she was hiding the fact that he had a bucking problem—just because she wanted to get rid of him.  Though I…

Ouch

My 4th ride on MerryLegs went superb. We practiced our walk/whoa transitions, did some straight lines and he seemed to understand when I wanted to turn. Things were looking good.

On Saturday, I rode at a walk for about 15 minutes. I decided to ask for a trot. I tried the ride before, but he didn’t do it, and I didn’t push it. This time, I was more determined. I said the word, squeezed my legs, got nothing and continued to squeeze. Next thing I knew, I was flying through…

What's better than spending three days with horses? Nothing that I can think of. Yesterday was day one of horse sitting. I mucked stalls and tossed hay. The water troughs needed cleaning and re-filling so my brother and I did that too. The dog that stays at Julie's house has become my shadow, needing to be with me at all times. He'll ignore my brother and follow me around. While there I was able to ride Cody for a hour. It was the perfect opportunity to work…

Rides Two and Three

Totally uneventful.  I didn’t have my number one assistant, Ellen, but Kevin did a fine job as number two assistant.  He held MerryLegs for mounting and stood with us as we practiced standing quietly and walked by our side.  He stayed with us the majority of ride #2, but I only had him help a little on ride #3. 

We haven’t done much except practice “walk” and “whoa.”  He only tried backing up a couple of times.  We got stuck at a standstill…

What is the purpose behind teaching your horse personal space? We teach horses to respect our personal space for safety and manners. A woman I knew told me that if your horse is walking right beside you, spooks and bolts you'll get run over. She always said to keep the horse 2-3 feet away or an arms distance from you. Not only does teaching personal space help avoid being trampled it also helps to avoid being crowded, knocked in the head by his head and…

There is nothing I enjoy mmore than watching a jumping competition on TV. When Daniel Deusser or Scott Brash(1&2 top jumpers in the world) clear those jumps its breathtaking. I recently watched a jumping competition with a young, new rider. His time was poor and his riding not much better. I cringed watching him jump and knew he wouldn't be in the jump off. Here is what I saw.....

Going into the…

Because a person doesn’t turn 50 everyday…

I wanted to do something special on my special day.  I didn’t tell anybody, just in case I changed my mind.  The conditions had to be right.  It needed to be quiet at the barn, MerryLegs had to be in the right frame of mind and my gut had to say it was right.

I saddled and bridled the little guy and…

Summer weather has arrived down here in NC with a vengeance.  Highs in the upper 90’s F, lows in the mid 70’s F, the sweat pours off of me, the horses come in from the paddocks with sweat matted coats, the insects are super active, the cows in the neighboring pasture congregate in the pond, and we appreciate any breeze.  We wish for cooler weather in vain, the coolest high for the next ten days will be 93 F, and we may get several days at 100 F or higher.  It is far too hot for…

Summer will officially begin in three days, on Father's Day actually. In the state of Michigan the seasons change each week and we just go with the flow. While summer begins in three days the heat began on June first. Yesterday was in the eighties but a steady down pour of rain cooled us down. The day before was also in the eighties with no…

Last night, Kevin and I were finally able to cross the river in at least a week.  Both horses seemed excited to be doing something other than going up and down the hill.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get very far before we were blocked by a tree across the trail.  Dejectedly, we rode back.  When we were nearly about to cross the river to go home, Kevin suggested turning around and doing it again. 

At first, both horses didn’t want to go away from home, but with a little kick,…