Back in the Saddle

Picture of Blaze ready for me to work him while Smarty looks on.

I rode Cayenne in the short shank Monte Foreman curb to pony Blaze today. She did fine as she’s pretty good about neck reining with some reminders. I tied Ziva up with a braided twine “rope” to keep her at the barn while I rode up the paved road. I intended to get to the gravel (mud) road and take Cayenne and Blaze for a good gallop. I hadn’t made it far when Blaze kept listening behind us. I looked back and there was Ziva, trotting along with a short chunk of twine on her collar. I just had to smile and turn back. She’s afraid of strange dogs and leery of strange people so it would be no fun for either of us if she went up the road with me and we ran across either. She can’t help herself and won’t listen 100% when she’s scared and I don’t want her hurt or lost. Kelsie was my 100% dog. She would listen if the world was falling down around her ears.

I’ve had two days of good working weather since our ice slick has dissipated. I’ve been ground driving Blaze but rode him yesterday and today. He’s no trouble and seems to want to stay on his hind end like his sister. Today, I drove him out through the woods and then got on and rode the same path once we got back to the barn. I left him tied while I cleaned pens and then rode him on the same path only in reverse. It’s just a short loop that takes probably four minutes but it’s something. I trotted him a bit towards the end of the last loop. I wish the ground was better so I could start loping him. He’s pretty behind for eight rides compared to where I know he could be (even though five of those rides were last fall) but it’s not his fault. He’s turning on the forehand with ease and getting some leg yield steps out in the open. He’s very sensitive, which I like, and wants to learn. He’s my resident hot-head though so it’s probably good that I’m forced to take it slow!

I did more ground work with Smokey. She has such a sweet personality. She picks up on things quickly. If the weather holds, I should make good progress with her.

Smarty got ridden yesterday but I ran out of time today. He moved back into the barn after I accidentally let him out of this other pen on Monday. It’s not a good feeling to feed in the morning and discover your stallion is gone! It’s the first time he’s escaped and I just assumed that all hell would break loose if he ever did so the silence was disconcerting. The girls were unmolested in their pens and the boys were just hanging out waiting for breakfast. I started calling and looking around when Smarty’s head poked out from behind the house. He walked up like, “What are you hollering about?” From what I can tell, all he did was eat on Pepper’s alfalfa round bale and empty the twine trash and eat all the hay pieces out of it. He didn’t even try to get into the grain barrel or visit with the other horses much. Ziva would have barked and/or I would have heard them if they were squealing or running. I swapped Pepper back into the hillside corral and put Smarty in the barn. His stall isn’t finished but he doesn’t care. It’s easier having him handy to ride.