Yep. Day Four.
Both horses worked today.
Tater got his Very First Ride at The Asylum, and he did not put a hoof wrong. Dear Husband said he was more worried about "Am I doing this RIGHT?" instead of being worried over who was actually ON his back.
Tell y'all what. I learned 2 things today about Tater.
1- He is narrow as the 2" side of a 2x4
2- Boy does he have a LONG way to go to build up bunches of muscle. Rides on him will be kept short, and not more than one or two per week.
Did I mention how narrow he is? Yikes. Getting on Tater after riding Phat Boy for so long was like going from a tricked out comfy recliner to sitting on a dang ten speed. And a ten speed about 2 sizes to small at that!
Actually, I should say that I learned three things about Tater today. The third is that he is going to be a challenge. He is a thinker. Tater hates to lather rinse repeat endlessly. Ground work today? He kept looking at me like, "Really? Seriously? I stop. I turn. I back. I move shoulders and hips, drop my head, walk and trot and WHOA. Can we do something else now, PLEASE??" Tater is going to keep me on my toes and make ME think too. And you know what? It is most excellent.
And I learned one OTHER thing today that was not just about Tater. And THAT is that getting back into the swing of working horses is either going to continue to whip me into stellar shape (for an old beat to h3ll and back broad,) or it's going to keel me! As I sit in my cozy recliner now, knowing all critters are cleaned, fed, and where they are supposed to be, with the Locust Brothers sprawled on the floor watching Christmas shows, it sure feels like it is time to sit and drool all OVER myself.... HA~
What I'd *like* to do? Get Phat Boy to the point that he and I can pony Tater. We can cover more ground and it will be healthier for Tater to work straight lines. Have to see how that goes though. It'll either be really really good, or it'll be a total disaster.
Now, my Ace Photographer the Cubster was *supposed* to be taking pictures of Tater's ride today but it seems he didn't push the right button. He did get some ground work shots (that I'll load and post later) but no actual shots while I was ON Tater. Oh well. There will be another day!
In the meantime, I am indeed going to sit and drool on myself for a bit and see about plotting out some different things for Tater to learn in the days to come!
Happy Hoofin y'all!
~MM
10 comments:
'The narrow side of a 2x4'...LMAO!!!
I'm guessing that is what the big bay is going to feel like. Especially when you compare him to the short, fat sorrel.
I have come to the conclusion that the reason I like to ride the sorrel sans saddle so much is because he IS so comfortable to ride that way. It's like sitting on a nice, cushy barrel. LOL
Great work! Narrow like that is very intimidating to me ,I always feel like I could knock them over if I sneeze!Much prefer a stout solid horse under me
See what happens when you set goals? Ya git 'er done! Cool that you rode him.
Maybe an obstacle course, like poles to walk over to teach him to be aware of where he puts his feet, or backing him between two poles, walking over tarps- there's lots to do to keep that mind of his busy.
Sounds like you're going to have to rig up some obstacles to play some games with Tater, keep his mind engaged ;)
One that Voodoo loves to play with is the teeter totter.
I like to ground drive all my youngsters for a bunch of reasons, It desensitizes them to reins or ropes all around their bellies, legs and tails, and you get to send them around you and over things with out actually taking a chance of being injured if they are acting a little fresh, and you are one more step to dragging a calf or pulling a drag behind you, and it is good for when you pony a horse from your saddle too.
Good work!
I tried to learn some ground driving last year at one of Mark's clinics. Wow! What a shoulder workout! If you want to stay sore, add that to your routine. You sound so much happier now that you are spending major horse time. Keep up the great work; love the posts.
Bionic Cowgirl.
Well! Looks like Tater will love advanced ground work! Oh how fun! You'll have a fancy moving pony there by the time you're done! OR, at least a pony who knows how to do fancy moves!
LOL. I didn't need pics...had great visual pics on my mind of a fantastic ride!
Love your humor, of course. Makes me smile.
I have one of those thinking horses. She was bored out of her mind with the over and over of groundwork. Under saddle not so much. My solution was to push through the groundwork and ride! Also we did lots of "things" like Shirley said: tarps, logs, trailer, give to pressure. My biggest goal was to do Clinton Anderson's Falling Leaves. Took a while but we finally accomplished it!
Sounds like you are having fun!
Estee is also like the narrow side of a 2x4' right now. Even with a bareback pad, she's not super comfortable. Hopefully, she'll pick up a hundred or so pounds at fat pasture.
Glad you're getting your riding in.
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