January 2020
January 31, 2020
These last two weeks have been so crazy! SO, this weekly update is a two week update. I currently have six horses that I am training. Two of them are actual client horses, two will be for sale in the spring and the last two are my personal horses.
Patches had his last ride with me on the 28th and he did so well. I am looking forward to getting him back next winter. In the meantime I will be putting three months on his sister, Spirit. Who is also a big beautiful mustang with a lot of sass! The other that I have in training is Hostage. He is just a weanling that I am halter breaking and teaching the very basics to. Leading, tieing, standing to have feet trimmed and so on.
Honey and Jasper are doing great! Both are super calm and quiet and will make great family horses one day.
Since the unexpected injury of Ranger I have been tossing ideas around in my head on who to use for the rodeo queen year and I finally chose my mount. Indy is a 5 year old Buckskin Paint Quarter Horse who is currently out of shape and just needs a few weeks of conditioning. I will post some pictures of him next week. Now my little Dally girl, is doing fabulous. With the help of draw reins she has learned that she can drop her head and next week I am going to introduce how to do crisp lead departures. I'm so excited for this filly!
January 18, 2020
So much has been going on these last few days that they are all running together! While getting ready for the 75th Anniversary Crooked River Roundup Kick-off Gala I have seemed to neglect taking photos for my business.
However, progress was made this week, despite how busy it was. Patches is starting to understand the basics of collection and is finally starting to soften and listen to the cues I'm giving him. He gets quieter with each ride and I think I'm going to miss him when he goes home for the spring and summer at the end of January.
Dally, while consistently doing well, she needs a job. At the start of next week I will be experimenting with different drills and maneuvers to try and get her a little more focused on the task at hand.
Jasper is progressing very quickly and is incredibly smart, light and responsive. Because of these factors I will be starting collection with him early to help speed up his training even more!
Finally it breaks my heart to share this; Ranger, my queening horse has suffered a torn ligament in his hind left leg and will be off for the entirety of the summer. Luckily I have access to other horses to use this summer but it won't be the same without him. Wow! Lots going on this week!
January 11, 2020
Never a dull moment when you are training horses! The long legged, spotted horse had his first ride out in the hills this week and we got quite a bit more snow. Jasper is so easy going and quiet, nothing phases him! Next week we will continue to work on lateral softness and getting his head to drop.
This week I also decided that I wasn't busy enough, so I picked up another project. Honey is a 3 year old Warm Springs mustang filly that I will train and sell in the springtime. She has the sweetest personality and wants to please!
To top the week off I bought myself a present. A 15 inch Tom Harrington Wade saddle! This is the nicest piece of gear I have ever owned. It is incredibly comfortable and fits most horses. I will ride many miles in this saddle.
January 6, 2020
Happy late new year! This week went by so fast I only remembered to take one photo. My bad :l Monday was Jasper's first ride and he handled it like a dream. This boy is so easy going and calm. Slightly on the lazy side too... But this gentle giant is going to be a good one.
I am entering my last month of training with Patches, at least for now. After January he will get turned back out for the summer and to grow up some more. His last month of training will consist of teaching him collection and I will start expecting him to stay between my legs better. I am hoping to get some video of me riding him this week. He is really starting to settle into his skin and his stops are so fun!
I also have a couple of surprises next week! Stay tuned to see what they are!