exactly the same as always. Quite lazy, actually. Walk, trot, canter...didn't do a single thing wrong. Someone was actually watering the arena with a hose while I was riding...he didn't blink. Oh, and I longed him yesterday and someone had left a tarp in the arena. He bulged out a little and trotted over it without blinking. He's going to be such a good trail horse - he really ought to be owned by someone who isn't so chickenshit about trail riding!
This is why he rocks. I have ridden a lot of 20+ year olds who get a few weeks off and it's like they just came off the range the first time you get back on.
He is awesome. I love him. I gave him a nice bath and detangled his tail (which is thicker than my own hair, and that's saying something) by hand. Then I did the same to the Crabby Old Bat, who was highly annoyed at the beauty treatment and responded by whipping her tail violently back and forth and whacking me in the face with it. Gotta love old broodmares...
Meanwhile, I have actually gotten off my dead butt and started working with my yearling. He is such a smart little snot. I pulled him out last night and longed him and he was kind of all over, and then today? Longeing like a superstar. Which is great, because I want to put him out on a big circle because of his age and now I can do that because he's staying out there and not requiring much guidance to keep going. We just walk and trot but he is being very, very good. I thought for about a minute about how cool it would be to take him to a show for yearling longe line and then I remembered he's butt ugly at present. Just use google to find a picture of a yearling Thoroughbred. Now paint it yellow. Now you know what he looks like. Blech. Seriously, the only thing he got from his dad is his color and his wavy tail. Everything else is from his mother, who wound up a very attractive 17 hand Thoroughbred mare but was probably extremely hideous at 18 months also...
So I'll put up a picture of when he was a baby and still cute. You will all see more pictures of him around...um...2011.
22 comments:
I've found that horses either don't care and let you do whatever with their tails... or they give you a hard time every time.
My redhead doesn't hit me in the face with it- he tucks his tail as far in between his cheeks as he possibly can and holds it there. Like, "You want it, you can dig for it."
What a cutie!
We did the beauty routine today, too. It's so long when you have two horses, but so rewarding.
McKinna is like VLC. Give her a week off, two weeks off, whatever, she doesn't care. She'll be a little excited to go but doesn't act much different at all. It's nice.
That is the best baby picture!
Glad to hear the VLC was so well behaved! Our three year olds are completely on the same page.
I rode my filly for the first time in over a month. We had an unplanned vacation due to injury-- my injury, not hers! But she was good as gold today. It was like she never missed a day of work.
Because of me being crippled, we missed the show we were working towards in August. I'm now aiming at a dressage schooling show in Nov. for our first show under saddle. I'm so excited!!!
That picture is simply adorable!
I did a filly beautification round today, much to Miss Thang's displeasure. Took way too long, but she seemed rather pleased with her pretty self afterward.
Glad to hear that the VLC continues to be so well behaved! Did I miss the "cantering" blog? I don't remember a post about it.
Don't worry, he may grow out of his ugly duckling stage before 2011!
I'd much rather they go through the UD stage when young than too be cute youngsters and THEN turn into ugly adults! :o
http://image4.equinenow.com/equine/data/photos/83775_1.jpg
is this one gawky enough? LOL.
fugs, you do tickle me when you say you are finally getting off your dead butt. ha! if the rest of the horse-owning public were even 1/10th as motivated as you with their horses, a blog like this wouldn't be necessary!
my 25 yr old pally qh is the same as your guy. i have gone as long as a year without riding and she is as good as ever when i do climb on. i always say that she is solid gold!
Awwwwww!! I love that picture. :)
Where are you all getting the smart, consistent, patient young ones? Mine sucks...And he's not even that young any more.
I'll show you my ugly yearling if you'll show me yours......
My yellow mare had finally become the lovely, reliable horse you're talking about (of course she's six and has been in training for four years) UNTIL I turned her out in pasture for the first time since she was a yearling. Now she runs when she sees me. Then is a leaping twirling little freak when I ride her. Oh well, she's having fun.
Boy that blondie is cute cute cute! even if he is 18 months old. Which I agree, is not cute. My horse looked like a deranged llama at that age.
I'm glad the VLC is so great for you! It's wonderful to have such a steady horse. And you should definitely get trail riding, it's so much more fun than arena riding, and you get to actually GO someplace and have lunch or whatever. He'll be great on the trails, I'm guessing he'll love it. Yay!
I fi were closer we could trade off, you can take my horse to shows, I'll trail ride yours! I just don't do so go going round and round anymore!
But showing is good to let you know what you need to work on from a relatively unbiased third person.
Well good for you!
Check out my blog www.trialsofahorsegirl.blogspot.com
Kim - Yup, paint that yellow and give it a little bigger butt (he is Appendix) and it's mine! Downhill, upside down neck, just goofy looking.
However he is being very good about longeing and was excellent for a bath today. He is all big joints and long ears...if he grows into all of it, he'll be gorgeous!
This is my orphan foal that we were scared would be stunted. Um, 15.2 in the hip at 18 months...apparently not stunted.
I saw a photo of your yearling, and I don't think he looked ugly at all. Leggy and shedding, yes, but not ugly.
But don't worry, I won't show the photo. As long as you pay me 3 million dollars.
Okay, not very funny. But I won't.
hey, shameless brag here, if anybody hasn't seen it, Jax did awesome in his second show!! Brought home three 3rd place ribbons, and behaved himself very well considering his only buddy from the barn left him halfway though the show to go XC school..... pics here...
http://fhotd64476.yuku.com/topic/12677/t/Show-Pics-from-today.html
Thats how my BBG is. With him, he can have half a year off and get on him and he is still good. He had to be that way, My dad had cancer, it hurt to bounce a round on the ride, he ONLY rode in the fall. Sometimes in the Spring, so its a little bit of a culture shock to REbel to get ridden at least once a week.
He is so good about being beautified. When I clip him, I can sit on the ground next to him while doing his legs, even around his eyes he doesn't care, doesn't even flinch. After my shopping spree at the tack store(YAY GIFT CARDS) I will be doing a beauty routine.
Gotta love horses like that. What a cute baby!
what do you think of this
http://www.equinenow.com/horse-ad-102985
???
Horsegal - CONGRATS! That's so exciting. Great job with him.
What a good boy! I'm hoping my young mare will be like that someday, right now she's not as .. forgiving! It takes her a few days to work back up to undersaddle work, but then again we are not as far along as you and the VLC.
You've inspired me to create a blog about my experiences with her. She's very difficult, and I'm hoping once I get it started people will offer some helpful advice (not too many good trainers around my area that I trust with her). She is my first full project. I have helped with some greenies and watched, but Ana is my first flying solo. Got to learn sometime, right?!
Temperament is everything! My horse Shadow is like that, she was off for a year with an injury, finally started riding her and it was like we have never stopped. But I have also had horses that if I didn't work them 2-3 times a week, they were back at square one.
On another note, check out my new Amish Frankenhorse projects http://shadowsrider.com/new%20drafties/index.html
I just picked them up today. One is a Clyde/?? the other a perch (possibly full, probably not)
Is it just me, or does the Clyde look like a cross with a saddlebred? Don't laugh, I have gotten several saddlebred/draft crosses from the Amish, they have been good horses, but FUUUGLY
cathy, it does my old heart good to hear that someone with your high status (at least in my eyes) also professes to be a chickenshit trailer rider. that describes me perfectly. i have a very quiet horse, who never takes a wrong step and is, like the cute mare you described, asleep through half our ride, but i just can't seem to get the guts to take him on he trail. hell, even the outdoor arena can make me nervous.....and cantering is still a major event on my part. maybe it's the age thing, though i have enough up on you that you could be my daughter :) or coming to riding later in life than most, since i started in my mid 50s.
thanks for the great blog, by the way.
I think it's normal- call it instinct, call it intuition, call it chicken... I get that same feeling on some horses and don't know why. (Sometimes I learn why not too long after). I think it's normal and I can definitely say it's refreshing to hear folks admit that yep, we all get nervous sometimes. :)
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