Our First Official Ride

I've sat on Wishes several times already, and have walked her around in a round pen, and even trotted on her while Betsy had her on a lunge line, but Saturday, May 29, 2010 was our first OFFICIAL ride. All decked out in her English saddle and bridle, Wishes walked all around Betsy's backyard with me in the driver's seat. We kept the session pretty short (about 10-15 minutes), but she did really well. She kept a nice level head, and started catching on pretty quickly to the leg cues, once she was in motion. We just need to work on that "go" switch.

Trying Something New

Well, I've started tacking Wishes up, and getting her used to wearing gear. So far, I don' t have a bridle or bit that fits her because she's so small, so I'm using a bitless bridle. I borrowed Betsy's endurance saddle (which pinches her somewhat in the withers, so we won't be using that) and took a few pics so my 3 subscribers can see how big she is now. Ha ha ha - hi Lori, Eric and Ed. :-)

New Home, Old Friend

Well, Wishes is back in Vegas and living with her old stable mate, Calico. It's wonderful to have her so close, and to have her living with family. I even saddled her up today and Betsy's son, Dave, ride her around in the round pen while I lead her. I think she's going to catch on very fast!

Warm, Sunny February

After a month of rainy weather in January, we finally had some warm, wonderful weather last week. Here are a couple of pics of Wishes and Colbert soaking up the sunshine in their muddy pasture. That's Nasdaq on the left, joining them for breakfast.

Oh no, Wishes!

I went out to see my horses today after a wet and muddy week. I found Wishes with a nasty gash down the inside of her right hind leg. It didn't seem to bother her too much, but it looked pretty nasty. I cleaned up both horses and worked Wishes in the round pen, but did not feel up to riding today.

Cloudy Saturday

Rachel and I braved the rainy forecast to go check on Wishes and Colbert. Fortunately, we didn't get hit with any showers while there. The cloudy weather really put Wishes in a strange mood, and she spent most of the morning acting like a nervous wreck, sniffing the air and freezing in place, then snorting loudly and stomping the ground. I did a lot of groundwork with her, though, and felt like we got a lot accomplished. Her filthy tail was driving me nuts, so I soaked it in soapy water and put conditioner in it. It looked much prettier after the wash, but she hated the cold water. Rachel rode Colbert around the ranch, and we took pictures of the new little foal "Battle Born", and his mom, "Nevada." The pics I am posting are of Wishes dumping her vitamins on the ground (she just picked up the food pan with her teeth and dumped it). Wishes after her wash. Battle Born, looking adorable. And Rachel, looking beautiful.

Happy New Year

Whoops! I guess it's been awhile since I've updated this blog, huh Eric? Since you're the only one that reads it....ha ha ha. Here's a video of my two hooligans!