So Far 2012 ROCKS!

 On New Year's Day, Phat Boy and I had a wonderful ride. W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L Ride!! We started a new process. See, I *know* Phat Boy has been a show pony. I know he can jump, he can pack people around a ring. I've heard he was out on a couple of trails, but honestly? I don't know how many, if it was solo or with other horses, and most importantly, I don't know how he BEHAVED while on those trails.

 Since I *highly* doubt Phat Boy and I will ever see the inside of a show ring together, I'd like to be able to crawl up on my trusty round steed and hit the trails in relative safety.

We already have done copious amounts of homework with "scary things" and he takes them all in stride. Our communication is getting clearer every day, and he is becoming more and more just pure FUN to ride and play with. Time to hit the road to learning our smokin trail moves.

 And we did. On New Year's Day, we literally hit the road. We ventured out the driveway, and around our very short loop several times. We wandered up and down the scary abyss, snorting a bit at the bushes, the birds in the bushes, the dogs coming racing up behind us.

I'm not one to push a horse through his fear- at least not *this* horse. He seems to take to things much better if I stop and let him snort, look, and think. As soon as he "gets it", he drops his head and he is MORE than willing to solider on and explore new turf.



We had one BIG spook--- Merp came racing as fast as her sturdy little legs would allow up from the big trail behind us, taking poor Phat Boy utterly and completely by surprise. For my part I was just happy to see that I could still sit a spooking pony (bareback, as always. In a halter and lead, as always. And NO- I do NOT suggest anyone else try this type of foolishness.)

A couple days later, Kahuna's Mom came out and we had the chance to ride together. We opted to go WAY out in The Beyond, and ride down a long long lane way back in the woods... Kahuna is an old hand at this particular stretch already, so he was the perfect lead horse and confidence builder to have Phat Boy go out with for our very first mini trail ride.

It. Was. Awesome. Was it perfect? Oh heck no-- but Phat Boy listened and tried his big red heart out for me.

Today, we were able to ride again. Instead of venturing more out onto the trail, we worked on riding AWAY from Kahuna to see how buddy bound he is. Which was umm... bad, but we worked through it. By the end of an hour's worth of calm steady work, Kahuna could get out of sight on the road and there was minimal grumbling from the peanut gallery and a LOT more listening to what I was asking. Works for me.

For a Kahuna update: The big guy is gaining well. Today we weight taped him and he has gained a *significant* amount of weight. (For the heck of it we taped Phat Boy too... oh my... My little chunky cutie weighs in at 945#. Bad bad Mrs Mom... that is one PREGNANT gelding right there!) Kahuna came in at 850#. Today he taped at 918#. He has been here since 29 Dec. I'm looking to see another 50 or so pounds on him before I modify his weight gain regimen.

So far? I'd say I'm pretty dang happy with how 2012 is starting out. This time of rediscovering my inner just RIDE child is wonderful- and I had not realized how much that child was missed. The mix of a solid minded pony (he is only 14 hands so still a pony in size but draft sized in his heart,) a calm steady partner horse to lead the way when things get sticky, and a burning desire to recapture the skills of my "youth" is the perfect chemistry to bring about a huge lift inside.

It was not that long ago that finding the motivation to get out and ride was lacking. They say everything happens for a reason- and it seems once again that has been proven true. Kahuna might have needed Get Fat Camp, but *I* needed the influence of his new Mom to get me  back OUT there, riding along and expanding our horizons. Instead of feeling guilt over not riding, I now feel charged and can't wait to slide back on my trusty willing partner and hit the trails.


Here's hoping 2012 continues to rock on in such a grand manner!

Happy Trails to all y'all!
~MM