A Perfect Snow Ride

Well, may I say right off the bat...riding with a teenage boy is a lot of fun.  Especially when it is your boy, and you share a sense of humor. Ian thought he might like to find out what it was like to ride lying down, climbing steep hills while lying down and pointing your feet to the sky, and oh yes, don't forget the sidesaddle.  What a card!  Allie put up with it with great humor, and even stopped a few times when Ian was about to fall off...but not every time.  Once I turned around at a "Hey, Mom!" to see Ian hanging on to a tree limb, and then pushing off sideways to get back on Al's back.

 It was fun being a kid again!  We took the dogs, so we stayed off of the road and kept to the trails, which were in excellent winter condition.
We walked, trotted and cantered our mounts on the beautiful trails, and then we crossed the road and ducked branches and negotiated a stone wall and a couple of hills to land ourselves down onto the snowmobile trails.  Other than my neighbor's boy coming around the bend at us and six dogs waaayyy too speedily (and uh-oh, I screeched at him...probably not such a bright thing to do considering it was my neighbor's land...but in my defense I didn't recognize him and he almost ran over Grace and Ruby), anyway, other than that, and oh, all the falling off that Ian did, there were no issues at all.  And all that falling off?  It was totally comical!

Reverse bay Bob Marshall and Equipedic pad on my handsome bay Curly - perfectly matched!

My Ah-D was FABULOUS!  And my new saddle?  Well, lets just say, I'm in love.  ;) Since I rode Ah-D in it at night and already had my adjusting done, the stirrup buckles were a non-issue.  Also, I wore my riding boots (which are actually steel-toed work boots) and half chaps, so I didn't have a problem with the top of my muck boots hitting on the short fender.  I could feel Ah-D moving underneath me just like I had heard I would, and wow, did I like it!  I must admit, having the horn so close to my belly takes some getting used to (just how are you supposed to lean forward when your gelding urinates?), but by the end of the ride, I wasn't even really noticing it.

We followed the snowmobile trail onto the power line, and then headed up the hill.  I can't remember ever riding on the power line in the winter, but now, thanks to the snowmobilers, there is a nice packed trail to ride on.  I love it! And the 3" of snow that unexpectedly arrived this morning was the perfect icing on the trail cake.  Even though some of it fell off of branches and onto me.  That's pretty much a given with winter riding anyway.
 What a great ride we had in Maine today!  Thanks for coming along with us.

Shorty Saturday

It was a beautiful, bright and crisp day here. I had the farm all to myself for a few hours!! Of course my plans included a ride.
I knew there was a cow close to calving but her water hadn't broke when I got my tack out (yes Harold I used the saddle today) so I figured I had time for a decent ride.
Linus was sun bathing halfway down his paddock and I said "Well, you coming or what?" Right on cue he walked over and lowered his head for the halter! What a guy.
When he was all tacked up and ready to go I had a pretty sizeable problem! My leg was about 2 inches too short! Darn winter layers do not make it easy when it's already a stretch in the warm weather!! After a few failed attempts and a mumbled "you darn well better be done growing" I told him I needed a mounting block of some kind. He followed me a bit then stopped. He nudged me then turned his head toward his stirrup. I was like he was saying try one more time. So I actually said to him ok, one more go. Go figure I was able to reach and got on easily! How he knew or what he did I don't know!! About 15 minutes in we were near the barn and Linus starting acting funny. Then I heard why; the unmistakable noise of a cow talking to her new baby calf! I couldn't believe it.
So I untacked Linus and tended to the new addition.
I guess if you're going to have a ride cut short, it's a pretty darn good reason!
Feelin' Short and Cut Short in Ontario!
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Night Moves

I tried to post this last night via email and it just refused to come through so here I am...again!!!

I desperately wanted to ride yesterday and the daily events just left me with no opportunity!

Almost the same today as well. Almost! After chores tonight my Dad had to deliver a hay wagon. I said I would finish up the water before I went home so he could get going. So that left me with half an hour to myself and an empty farm!!

Hello Opportunity!!!

I grabbed the fleece padded leather hackamore and the bareback pad and asked Linus what he thought of a night ride! He met me and snuffled the tack so I guess that's yes please!

I stepped in the paddock, tacked him up and led him through. I used the same very dainty gate mounting method as usual with the bareback pad!

Off we went and my boy sure had a nice spring to his step! It's been SO long since we have ridden in the dark. It wasn't an overly bright night but with a good layer of snow on the ground providing some reflection we were able to see well enough!

We did a fair bit of big, fun trotting through the snow. Linus was being a very good boy. I'll never know for sure but I swear he acts more careful when I'm riding with the bareback pad versus the saddle!

I feel ready for my bareback cantering Susan! But I don't think at night would be the best time for the first time.

We went back over and I slid off and gave Linus a great big hug and a treat. It was a pretty hectic day and Linus sure made it all go away - as he always does!

I hope we get more riding time soon!! Maybe at dark, we will take what we can get...though Susan seems to think only "crazy girls" ride at night with bareback pads...bah!   : ) (That's all from Feb 13)

This morning, Linus decided to go for a stroll on his own at some point. I don't know if he broke the wire or what but he was out. Allie and Mac stayed in. I wasn't at the farm but my Dad was in the barn checking two cows that are in and ready to calve. When he walked out of the barn he was face to face with Linus and just about crapped his pants!!!! Linus just stared at him like it was a regular, every day thing! And of course he then played hard to get because he knew that my Dad was not too thrilled with him at that particular moment! These two have always had a love-not so love relationship...mostly because trouble always seems to find Linus....he of course never goes looking for it!!.....

I laughed so hard when my Dad relayed the story. When I was there doing chores later in the day I asked Linus if he had been a bad boy. He lowered his head and sighed and then rested his chin on my shoulder for a scratch above his lips where he likes it best! What a boy. 

I told my Dad maybe Linus just wanted to be his Valentine??? Funny enough, he did not agree.....

Comfort for my soul

My RAC posts this year have been about finding a comfort level for my horse..this post has a bit of a twist to it.  In the span of 4 days, I lost a family member and a treasured herd member. Both these females had a big influence in my life. Having been out of town for nearly 2 weeks, today I had a chance to take a break from catching up and go for a drive. Today, I deemed an "Honor Drive" .....I always get a bit awkward on the first hitching after a break..Legacy seemed to notice and never moved a foot..helping ME to be comfortable....Our drive was nothing short of splendid! My new carriage is amazing...Legacy shows none of her minor previous objections to change of direction.  She has plenty of room to step over without bumping a shaft now, and she loves it! I actually saw her bend nicely today, instead of being ever so slightly resistant and worried.  My drive was comfort for my soul. Horses can be such great healers for our souls...I am sure that most of you probably agree. When I was about ready to quit driving, Legacy gave me that "ears up ready to go somewhere" vibe...so we drove a bit longer...when we are that in tune with our horses..that is comfort beyond words. The photo is from last year,  but it could have been taken today....Legacy is starting to shed though, and our grooming time will greatly expand...I don't mind.....just that much more bonding time for me and my equine! 

Progress on everything

UPDATE! PICS First off so sorry I don't have any pictures or videos I know they liven up the posts.  I have a few videos on my camera but they are long sections of my recent lessons that I hope to edit here soon.

Theo and I have made tons of progress. He is starting to handle the increased trot work and more advanced collection.  In our lesson yesterday the instructor pointed out that he needs to build a bit more hind end muscles but he is at the point to really start asking for upper level moves.  We worked on asking him for a "jump trot" and "jump canter" which I should be able to explain but honestly I was so tired by the time he was explaining it all I can only remember we are asking Theo to raise his neck a bit higher and still engage his hind end.  (Glad I video my lessons so I can go back and watch)
Theo was so smart it only took a few times for him to get what I was asking  (me on the other hand it took a few more explanations from the instructor for it to sink in).  However when I asked for Theo to go to a shortened trot then to a canter it was beautiful!  He was also doing some excellent shortened walk to trot transitions.
The big news on the Theo front though is I got brave and did a trace clip on him.  He was getting so wet during our rides thanks to our awesome heated indoor that I had to keep him in over night because he just wouldn't dry off in a time.  Yesterday after our lesson he was dry within 20 minutes :-)  Love it!
For those that have clipped straight coat horses before, clipping a Curly is 100% better!  No itchy hairs in your clothes it comes off like wool!

Abby has been feeling better as well.  I rode her on Monday night and she was quite full of herself to the point I had to get off and take her into the round pen to let off some steam.  With the ice and her stifles she really hasn't had the opportunity to let loose so we did a little ground work I got back on and she was very well behaved.  Yesterday we did a second round of injections into her ligament and the vet is very optimistic that this could be the last time as she is already feeling so much better.  Generally they do it 3+ times.

I thought this was pretty neat how you can still see the wave!

More Snow Riding

On Sunday, Ah-D and I were joined by a brand new friend Haleigh on Haflinger Allie.  Haleigh is from down south, and this was only the second time she has ridden in snow.

She did a fantastic job with Allie, and I could tell he really liked her.  We had fun out there, tooling around in all that new snow, following the paths Ah-D created on Saturday.

Ah-D was cool, calm and collected without being lazy.  He was obviously VERY happy to be out yet again, as was I.

So beautiful and peaceful, and it really made me feel good to make a new horse friend.  Haleigh is 13 and is home-schooled, and with her being new to the area, she doesn't know too many people around here yet.  You would have to look far and wide to find a sweeter, more polite individual.

Here are Ah-D's "I'm Behind Allie" ears. 
I rode in my bareback pad again and absolutely loved every minute of it, as usual.  We mostly walked along at a medium pace, enjoying the outdoors, chatting a bit, talking about how much we just love, love, love horses.  Haleigh lives on a Shire farm, and the last horse she rode was a 17.3 hand 3-year old filly.  I bet it was sooooommmme different riding 13.3 hand soon-to-be 20-year old Allie, but she enjoyed it very much, and the feeling was mutual (which doesn't always happen with Allie, believe me).
We took every winter trail open to us on our side of the road but avoided the Steep Hill.  I didn't want to press our luck. 
My oh my, what a fantastic way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I'm hoping like crazy to get out next weekend as well, because as of yesterday, I have a new saddle!  I think even Harold will be pleased, but I will wait to reveal details until my next post as I have yet to try it out.  Until then, Happy Trails ~Susan and Ah-D in Maine~

 

Rode on the Road!

Riding is way better than walking!  hahahaha  We live on 44 acres surrounded by a 25,000 acre forest, so the riding here is great.  But there is one 'road' that is just incredible to ride on if you are with others because it is plowed but 'closed' to traffic and it is 14kms round trip.  But... we have to brave the county rd for about 1km to get there at this point.... Cars and big trucks wizz by at 80+kms.  Luckily most of them will slow down if they see us but there is a nasty bend in the road that limits visibility.  Plus, there are always those people that just don't know about horses being scared of big metal horse eating machines, and they just fly by.  Anyhow, up till now, we have just walked our horses in hand and then gotten on once we are off the main road.  It's been about 5 or 6 times.  But this past Sunday, we went out like we usually do, had a GREAT ride with some great trotting and cantering :-)  The horses were so content and relaxed and responsive that we decided to attempt staying on them, ready with our lead ropes in hand if we felt unsure.  But the horses proved our instincts right! They were brillant!  Even stopping at one point to meet a neighbour who came out to say hello (to two crazy cowgirls on the County Rd!).  
Fantastic!  Riding is WAY better than walking! hahaha 

Four days of fun!

Besides a long trail ride with the neighborhood M38 horse crew at the end of January (the pictures below are from that ride) I had not been riding much partly because of the weather which has been snow, -30 degrees and blowing snow and more snow and partly because of my new furry charge an English Shepherd puppy.  However, starting this past Thursday I got back on track.  Originally to start, my goal was to ride three times a week but I got in four days.  Four wonderful days! 

 

The weather in the UP lately has been a balmy 30 degrees.  The first day I just worked with my curly girl, Ani, in the indoor arena to get her out of vacation mode.  I came back from the barn refreshed.  It was so nice to spend time with my horse I can't fully express it!  The next day was breaking trail on a short loop behind our house.  It was hard work for the horses.  My curly got temporarily stuck in a drift!  The look on her face when I slid off was "now what?".  We decided to walk the road back to the barn. 



 

Saturday I rode in the outdoor arena.  After being stuck in a drift the day before I had to nearly push Ani into the deep snow of the arena.  After many failed attempts to jump onto her back from the ground of which my curly was very tolerant:) I used a makeshift "mounting block" to get on.  Once a path was made Ani stuck to it so I grabbed her mane and off we trotted.  Sunday was back to the short loop behind our house.  All the horses resisted going down the trail at first but soon seemed to realize it wasn't so bad, the going was much easier the second time around.  I ended the ride in the outdoor arena.  I was able to jump onto her back this time.  Ani was very willing to trot around and while I normally don't do this, I gave her freedom to go where she wanted while I hung onto her mane.  Lots of laughs as I held on.  Ani seemed to be having as much fun as I was. 

 

 

 

Pure Magic!

We had quite the snowfall here too, just like Susan in Maine! But it is February and to be expected! There were no cows calving and the weather was gorgeous here today so once chores were done it was a horsey afternoon!!! We first let them both loose for a good frolic on the farm. We haven't had very good footing recently for the horses to let off some steam. The new snowfall has given a nice cushion and they took full advantage! There is nothing more beautiful than watching them play. Linus loves snow!

I think this is my new absolute favourite picture of Linus (above) I waited almost an hour to get the right shot and am kicking myself for only having my cell phone and not my good camera! But, as Lynn (his breeder and my dear friend) said, it is still a keeper! 

After the romp, I threw the bareback pad on Linus and hopped on (a not so graceful act that usually means lining him up beside a gate to clamber on!) I did measure him today and he's a solid 15.2hh. And I do not think he is done yet. He will be 4 this May. I tried a new hackamore on him today. It's got a braided leather noseband. It's a bit heavier in weight than the one I have been using but he seemed very comfortable with it and I liked it too. It seems you just have to make sure it is exactly level when you put it on. I have a leather with fleece lined hackamore to try too. I had tried it at Christmas but it was too small. I recently discovered there were another two holes on it though. I thought I had it as big as it would go. I put it onto a different headstall and went to try it today. When I put it on it was an excellent fit on the nose but the throat latch was too tight on Mr. Bighead!! It now has a new hole for next time!!

Linus was a dream to ride today. I know I have said it before, but we love to ride in the snow! We had the best trot ever today. I am very anxious to try a bareback canter, I have never done this bareback on any horse! Linus will definitely be the one though! I just love this big red fella!

I have a friend who had a horse called Magic, Linus' full name is HCH Make My Day, and I think he fully lives up to that! Just as good as being called Magic in my book!

This is a late afternoon picture of Linus and his Arabian friend, Allie. 2 years ago she was a bit taller than him when she came to our farm. And she was the boss!! Not so anymore! But, as you can see; they have worked things out!

What a good girl!!

I had high expectations for my ride today.  In my mind it was going to be filled with lots of cantering with my hair blowing in the wind, laughter and relaxation.  But that is not the ride that God had planned for me.  Instead it was a lesson in how far my horse, Shya, has come in the last 3 years.  We started off on our ride with horses milling all over the place and Shya's friend Indy was way in the front, out of her sight.  She is normally a pretty calm horse but this time she was dancing all over the place confused by all the chaos.  She trotted up and around all the other horses until she found Indy, but was soon separated from him again.  As we were going into the woods, I held her back and let the remainder of the horses pass us.  When we got into the woods she calmed down and became herself again.  We rode that way for a while, but when we got to a crossroads, she became second in line.  Normally this does not bother her but this time we were with gaited horses that kept trying to pass her.  She had one on either side of her rear end on a narrow trail, huffing and puffing, anxious to get by.  The old Shya would have had her ears pinned back and would have either humped up at them or backed up and kicked them, the most she did was an occasional "back off" look.  What a good girl.  I was more nervous than she was because we were rounding a corner with a drop-off all the way around it.  At this point we decided to stop for our picnic lunch.  In my last blog I bragged about the picket lines that were provided and how I wouldn't have to worry about tying her to a tree where she would rub off her halter bridle.  I have learned one must never brag because this spot did not have a picket line in sight.  I held her for a bit trying to decide what to do

Trying to decide what to do with Shya

 when finally I decided to just tie her to a tree.  She was unbelievably good and only rubbed a few times, not once rubbing her saddle and her halter bridle stayed on!  What a good girl!!  After we ate lunch I decided to have Shya lead for a while, but it was not in the cards.  Two of the riders decided that they wanted to be in the lead so they passed us on the right on a narrow trail saying "You didn't want to lead, did you".  I just looked at them in disbelief.  They are a couple that have ridden with us lots of time and one of them Shya had actually dive bombed when they had tried the same thing.  To my amazement, Shya let them pass without any drama!  What a good girl!!  Later down the trail we came across somebody's hunting dog that attached himself to our group.  Shya does not like dogs and will stomp them.  This dog rode with us for over half and hour running past Shya, in front of Shya, behind Shya and once stood right in front of Shya and made us stop.  She was so good, she would think about stomping him and I would just say "Shya" and tighten up on the reins a bit and she would stop.  What a good girl!  I am amazed by this Curly girl.  The progress she has made over the past few years is astounding and I really hadn't realized how far she had come until today.  What a good girl!!  And I love the RAC blog because putting it down in writing has made me realize so much more the difference in her.

...and Post-Blizzard Riding

It's still snowing, but the wind has died down quite a bit and the snow isn't amounting to much anymore except to make my ride even more magical in its beauty.  We got about a foot of snow, and about an hour away near the coast they got about 3', so whew, we made out like bandits.

I've been itching to ride all day and had it all planned out - warm boots, bridle. breeches and parka - but - what a numbass - I had forgotten about this. I couldn't even get the barn door open, even though I had shoveled it out last night.  So, carrying my shovel, I trudged through the drifts up to my thighs getting throughly snowy.

I shoveled until the doorway looked like this.  I wasn't cold, even though I was snowy.  As you can see, I had helpers. :)

He sure is handsome with his bling. ;)
We crossed the powerline and headed into the woods.  The trail winds around, first heading gradually and sometimes not-so-gradually up, up, up.

The trail ahead was beautiful and unblemished.  The trees in the woods were creaking and groaning, more than I had ever noticed before.

The trail behind us was adorable.

These three are older and are wised up to the swath of shallower snow Ah-D leaves behind.

It wasn't long until even the younger dogs caught on and followed suit.  Is this cute, or what?  I couldn't help looking behind every so often so watch them all trudging along.

I was just as comfortable on the bareback pad today as I was yesterday.  By the time we were done with the up, up, up of this trail, I could smell the sweat rising off of my pony.  He was moving right along; we were both enjoying ourselves, not to mention our canine companions.  When we came to the very steep downhill section of the trail, Ah-D and I didn't blink.  Down we went, sometimes leaning back and sliding.  Ah-D moved his feet quickly to keep them underneath him.  He is a darn good trail horse.
It was a sweet ride, everything I expected it to be and more.  There are a couple of places on this trail where it is suitable to canter, so we took advantage of that.  Boy was that fun!!!  We came back to the house a different way, through our pastures and across the back yard.  Ah-D head was held high and he was very collected underneath me.
I hope you took pleasure in joining us on this snowy Maine ride.  I'm hoping that tomorrow one of my friends may agree to go out with me on the trails. I knew none of them were crazy enough to head out in this weather, but, hey, maybe by tomorrow it will warm up into the 20's and I'll have human company.  Happy Trails, Fellow RACers!

Pre-Blizzard Riding

Big storm getting ready to arrive here in Maine tonight, so I figured I'd better get out there and enjoy the snow before there may be too much snow to enjoy on curly horseback.

I bundled up because it was 11 degrees and "breezy" around 4:00 when I snugged the bareback pad onto Ah-D's back.  It took me a couple of tries to jump on, even though I used a poop bucket to stand on.  I am going to use the excuse that my movement was restricted by two layers.  Yes, that sounds good.  Anyway, I changed tactics and clambored up on our stone retaining wall and slid onto Ah-D's back that way. 

Ah-D was raring to go, and the Labs were very excited to be along.  Boy, did it ever feel great to be out in the pre-storm.  Snowflakes swirled all around, and the fresh, white already-deep snow was beautiful. My dogs were scampering about here and there, sniffing, playing and generally having such a good time that it was impossible to be anything but joyful.

I wrapped my legs right around my Curly and urged him into a nice big trot. He arched his neck and obliged. 

We stopped to admire some snow-laded evergreens.

Ah-D seemed to think this pause in forward movement was an excuse to turn and head for home, prancing and shaking his head in his eagerness to get back to his buddy Allie, who was standing out in the paddock calling to us.  I could hear him faintly ever so often as the wind carried his plaintive cries to us.  Boo-hoo.  As soon as I safely tucked my camera away in my pocket, off we went again.  We had a SUPER collected canter, oh man, one of our best ever. I really love that bareback pad and wish I could find a saddle that made me feel the same way.  I have decided to sell my Sensation treeless because it just doesn't float my boat like I thought it would.  When I ride in it, I have a very insecure seat, like I am just going to slide right off.  It's fine an hour into the ride when Ah-D is all settled down, but not when we first set out and Ah-D is rambunctious (like today, but it doesn't bother me bareback). Does anyone have any suggestions for a saddle that would give me that same close contact feeling?
I'm hoping to be able to get out again tomorrow afternoon when the blizzard (which I can now hear full force raging outside) has finished it's thing.  The forecast for my area has been upped to 18-24", but the snow is incredibly light and fluffy, so it may be FABULOUS for another great ride!

Cowgirls and their Curlies

Wahoo,
Gina and I had great fun with our Curlies this past weekend. Chester, my wonderful stallion, and Jett, who is Chester's nephew, are always ready to ride and we have decided to work on a Curly Drill Team - this is our first attempt{:>. Gina is an awesome rider and I hope to prove that Grandmama's can keep up{:>
3:04

Cowgirls ride their Curlies  

http://youtu.be/FIdAYo4ujW4

Angie and Gina - Cowgirls and their Curlies in Texas

 

and there was sunshine.....

Wouw today we had sunshine!
I wanted to go to Cinderella ASAP.......and we had a lovely ride outside.
Because the rush (I was scared the sun would dissapear....)I forgot to take my camera
so afther the ride I made a nice picture.
I hope we have a lot off sunshine this year......
almost forgot the feeling of nice warm sunshine :)
In 2 weeks our new curly horse pony will arrive, keep you posted!

Have a nice day all curly folks
greetings Marjolein

This is Peter and Woody the first time in the big arena. Woody needed some time. But I love to see them so smooth in the end. http://youtu.be/fBTILqEKC1U

Working for the weekend!

The weatherman has forecasted Saturday to be almost 60 degrees and sunny!  I have made plans to ride Shya with my friends Lara and Nora at a  place down here called East Fork Stables which has more than 100 miles of trails with beautiful overlooks and bluff views.  The trails range from flat to mountainous which makes the ride very interesting.  The plan is to ride out to one of the many overlooks, picket our horses and have a picnic lunch.  (I love this place because they have picket lines so I don't have to worry about Shya rubbing off her halter bridle or rubbing her saddle against the tree!  Yay for me, I can enjoy lunch!)  The best part of the ride is that my RAC t-shirts are here!  Now I just need to decide which color I want to wear because besides the burgundy one, I ordered a blue one and a pink one too.

Lunenburg Bigfoot Revealed!!!!

Today, we reveal the true identity of the Bigfoot sighting previously mentioned from Lunenburg, ON. My nephew, Griffin, was with me and was able to help get some full size pictures of the beast!!

Do not be frightened because as I have been saying, he is actually quite friendly! I think the frequent sightings have been due in part to the fact that is not yet breeding season for these big hairy creatures. So, the males are left looking for something to do!!

Our Bigfoot sure loves his hugs and scratches. I think now we have revealed all, we will less prone to hearing branches snap or feel like we are being followed. Linus doesn't have to worry about a surprise encounter.

Now, Susan (the Maine tourism director) has got me itching to ground drive Linus again. It has been a while for us. He outgrew his cart and I have yet to replace it so we have spent our time doing other things. When I opened my tack box today to get out his harness, this is what I was greeted with!! I suspected there was one hanging around. I scooped him up and threw him away; which, at the time I thought was the kinder alternative. I started checking things. I was concerned he may have thought my bareback pad was a good place to make a home but it was ok. So, I started getting out the harness and putting some rarely used items into a different box to clean up this one a bit and make it less mice friendly. Well, I did not know that mice like leather!!! The little frigger chewed through my driving reins!! Not all the way but enough to make it unsafe to use! Now I was regretting being so "kind" to this rude intruder!! But, I did spot him back near the trailer (where this tack box is kept) a while later and got the bottom end of my boot!!! No, I did not say "take that you little bugger!!!"........

Linus is a kid magnet - or kids are a magnet for him! I think it works both ways. He could not resist giving Griffin a snuffle before we did some work. The warmer temperature (just a few degrees below 0!) had Linus feeling a bit sun lazy. Griffin didn't mind at all! Griffin has watched Linus grow from the day he came home.

Griffin wanted to know what I use the training stick for. So I showed him a few things that I do with it. He learned how to get Linus to move his quarters, back up, swing the rope around his body and legs and as seen below, that swinging the rope in big circles around his head was no big deal for Linus. I'm swinging it around and it's making that whirring noise and the big buggerlugs is trying to unzip my coveralls!!!

 And he succeeded!!! When I finished laughing, I had to scold him! I only bought them this past week!! They make me look like a khaki brownish Michelin man but they are warm!

Ok, listen here boy, it's time to get some work done!

With our hopes of ground driving dashed, I decided to try a new (another!) hackamore on Linus. It's a leather braided noseband. I've been trying to get my hands on one for some time now but haven't been able to find one. Or if I did find one the shipping was more than the hackamore! 

This one arrived last week and so we tried it out today. I didn't have time to do too much. There are two expectant "mama Bigfoot's" in the barn in early stages of labour. 

I used the bale feeder as a mounting block and hopped on to give it a whirl. I usually slap the bareback pad on for this but didn't bother to today. Linus seemed pretty comfortable with the new hackamore so I am looking forward to saddling him up and having a longer ride sometime soon I hope!! We have so much ice that I have no idea when we will get a chance to ride other than on the driveway! When you have a horse that is bored most of the time unless he is on a trail, this is tricky to deal with!

Griffin helped me work on separation with Linus a bit too. I've been working at it for a while now. I would like to be able to take him out alone and not worry about Allie being left behind. He hates to leave her and she hates to be left! I'm usually ok if we stick close by in the fields that border the horse pasture but I'd like to get him up the road to some nearby trails. Riding alone doesn't bother me. Linus and I worked alone for 2 years before we had Allie so I know he can do it!!