May 30, 2008
May 17, 2008
May 06, 2008
Riding A Curly Horse Bridleless
This was so much fun.. it was completely spontaneous (because obviously I would have gone to a lot more work to make me and Sunny look good if I had known I was going to ride and more that Dad was going to film it! LOL)
February 01, 2008
January 27, 2008
Mister Twister
This is the really cute guy- pictures don't do him justice. He needs some more weight on his back end, and when that happens- wow!
Koko
Not a good riding picture- this was when I was test riding him for the second time. Hopefully I'll have some better ones soon. But you can see he has a really pretty carraige.
the investigative nibblers...check out how much he and Sunny look alike from the side... is that cool or what??
2 new horses!
I am really excited to announce that we got two more curlies yesterday. Ghost (hereafter known as Kekoa, or Koko) and Twister.
Koko is a straight curly, very animated and with "go power" He is going to be 10 years old this year. Neither of them had been worked with in at least 2 years. They're doing great. Koko is a sabino and is 15 hands. He is gaited, though I'm not sure exactly all that he does- he maintains his gait in a circle of 20 feet and manages to look beautiful doing it. He is very light and has a good way of going and a natural headset.
Twister is a VERY curly boy. He is 14.2, a buckskin, with a very long double mane and forelock that almost reaches his nostrils. He is the opposite of his good buddy Koko in that he is very laidback-- to a fault! But his sweet and adoring personality makes up for it, and the more he has been ridden the better he is getting.
Today I rode all three horses. Sunny I took out first, to make sure he still knows he's loved, and we rode bareback around the house and fields. Then I got Koko out, and first I was lunging him in the round pen. Then I unclipped the lunge and was working with him on free lunging. Well... lets just say I might need to wait on that until we replace some pallets. See, our round pen is made up of pallets, and we have a few shorter ones. So he was going around, and I could kind of see him sizing up some of them, but I didn't think he'd do anything, because after all my 17 hand TB never did. He was doing a fast gait around, and he stopped in front of one of the lower ones. He could see mom, dad, lee, and Twister and Sunny in the pasture. He checked himself, and then all of a sudden just jumped over the low pallet. It was a little over 3 and a half feet, and even at a standstill he just floated over it- it was so graceful! No throwing himself over.Then he headed at a gait toward the pasture. I think I might have a jumper. This could be fun :-)
I was really tempted to let him loose and get him going again, just to watch him jump it again when I was expecting it. (he only went to the pasture and stood to be "caught") I rode him in the round pen, around our circle part of the drive, and then in the pasture.
Then I rode Twister some. And, I even managed to get him to canter! I took him over to the pasture, and I rode with the reins in my left hand and a lunge whip in my right. I could smack the ground with the whip and get him to move. Of course, it also made Sunny and Koko go too, and that helped to give him a lead. Dad and Lee rode as well. (mom probably will on a weekday when they aren't here)
I'm not sure for certain what the pecking order is. None of the three are aggresive horses, there has been some nipping but that's it ( and not much of that)
I'll post some pics soon.
Koko is a straight curly, very animated and with "go power" He is going to be 10 years old this year. Neither of them had been worked with in at least 2 years. They're doing great. Koko is a sabino and is 15 hands. He is gaited, though I'm not sure exactly all that he does- he maintains his gait in a circle of 20 feet and manages to look beautiful doing it. He is very light and has a good way of going and a natural headset.
Twister is a VERY curly boy. He is 14.2, a buckskin, with a very long double mane and forelock that almost reaches his nostrils. He is the opposite of his good buddy Koko in that he is very laidback-- to a fault! But his sweet and adoring personality makes up for it, and the more he has been ridden the better he is getting.
Today I rode all three horses. Sunny I took out first, to make sure he still knows he's loved, and we rode bareback around the house and fields. Then I got Koko out, and first I was lunging him in the round pen. Then I unclipped the lunge and was working with him on free lunging. Well... lets just say I might need to wait on that until we replace some pallets. See, our round pen is made up of pallets, and we have a few shorter ones. So he was going around, and I could kind of see him sizing up some of them, but I didn't think he'd do anything, because after all my 17 hand TB never did. He was doing a fast gait around, and he stopped in front of one of the lower ones. He could see mom, dad, lee, and Twister and Sunny in the pasture. He checked himself, and then all of a sudden just jumped over the low pallet. It was a little over 3 and a half feet, and even at a standstill he just floated over it- it was so graceful! No throwing himself over.Then he headed at a gait toward the pasture. I think I might have a jumper. This could be fun :-)
I was really tempted to let him loose and get him going again, just to watch him jump it again when I was expecting it. (he only went to the pasture and stood to be "caught") I rode him in the round pen, around our circle part of the drive, and then in the pasture.
Then I rode Twister some. And, I even managed to get him to canter! I took him over to the pasture, and I rode with the reins in my left hand and a lunge whip in my right. I could smack the ground with the whip and get him to move. Of course, it also made Sunny and Koko go too, and that helped to give him a lead. Dad and Lee rode as well. (mom probably will on a weekday when they aren't here)
I'm not sure for certain what the pecking order is. None of the three are aggresive horses, there has been some nipping but that's it ( and not much of that)
I'll post some pics soon.
January 24, 2008
braving the arctic winds....
or something like that. Anyway, it was freezing, but we got out for that ride! I was bundled up in coveralls and other winter gear, and rode bareback. I decided against making Sunny suffer a cold bit and rode in a halter. We had a blast (though I have a suspicion that Sunny's favorite part of the whole ride was when I let him graze in the back yard)
January 23, 2008
the big sissy
I am such a cold weather wimp. The only days I have ridden this past week were when it warmed up a little twice- and then I was riding other curlies, so Sunny has been somewhat neglected in the way of riding. I'm going to force myself to get out there though- hopefully TODAY. (and it will defenitely be bareback!)
I defenitely think I want to buy Ghost, the straight curly I was riding. (oh yeah- and thanks Denise for helping me figure that out!) My parents are convinced that both horses are an excellent deal :-) Then I have two horses to work with! It'll be really fun, because sometimes I think a rider can get into bad habits when only riding one. They have such different personalities, but are both so sweet. Ghost is a sabino, and his coloring up by his neck especially reminds me of marshmallows in hot chocolate . I love horses with unusual coloring (although that wasn't what made the decision for me for either Sunny or Ghost!) I think I will be working the rest of my life for my parents to make up the difference in what I could pay. Or maybe it just feels that way. It might take a year anyway!
I think I will defenitely change Ghost's name- just like Sunny was Moonie, I don't care too much for Ghost. Mom suggested Casper- as in, "Casper the Friendly Ghost" I don't know...
It's cold out, but clear and not too windy. Time for a ride!! Sunny will be thrilled- especially if I let him graze around the yard afterwards ;-)
I defenitely think I want to buy Ghost, the straight curly I was riding. (oh yeah- and thanks Denise for helping me figure that out!) My parents are convinced that both horses are an excellent deal :-) Then I have two horses to work with! It'll be really fun, because sometimes I think a rider can get into bad habits when only riding one. They have such different personalities, but are both so sweet. Ghost is a sabino, and his coloring up by his neck especially reminds me of marshmallows in hot chocolate . I love horses with unusual coloring (although that wasn't what made the decision for me for either Sunny or Ghost!) I think I will be working the rest of my life for my parents to make up the difference in what I could pay. Or maybe it just feels that way. It might take a year anyway!
I think I will defenitely change Ghost's name- just like Sunny was Moonie, I don't care too much for Ghost. Mom suggested Casper- as in, "Casper the Friendly Ghost" I don't know...
It's cold out, but clear and not too windy. Time for a ride!! Sunny will be thrilled- especially if I let him graze around the yard afterwards ;-)
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