Gahhh!! I feel so behind on blogging. I have been able to read every one's comments on my iphone between running around and just haven't gotten the chance to respond. I am also keeping up on blogs and loving all the horsey stories. It inspires me with all my horse adventures.
I worked Weds-Fri which means I was off Sat morning. I found myself totally exhausted after a busy week at work. Sat I pretty much slept all day but enjoyed an amazing birthday dinner with my partner. My birthday was Sunday and I got to spend a good chunk of it at the stable. I gave a riding lesson on Romeo and was very happy with his young rider. He still wants to break to a canter rather than move out at a trot. I believe this is remnants of jogging wayyyy to much. She is doing really well at riding him through different lengths of stride using only her seat. I think that he will remember he can move out pretty quickly. I am going to ride him again this week once I finally have a little break from work.
On another Romeo note, he managed to imbed some wood chips into his head a week or so ago. Erin was worried that the puncture wound (which was cleaned by the vet initially) was looking a little oozy. There is nothing I love more than the chance ot squeeze something nasty so I ran out there today. I had been picking at it every day until I worked Wed-Fri then yesterday I didn't tack him up so I forgot to look. Sure enough today I saw it was swollen so I cleaned it with betadine and gave it a good squeeze. Out came lots of goo and I flushed it was sterile saline then squirted in some medication from the vet. Looks like it might need daily irrigating for a few days but it was actually not too bad. I think he will live to tell about it.
Romeo's wood chip piercings......
Dickie play time was also on my list of weekend fun. By best friend and silent co-owner used to start horses for a living. He has been trying to get out there to play with him and give me some tips but he's been working 10 hrs a day five days a week for the last few months. We decided to see how Dickie would feel about me sitting on him. I have no plans to do anything more than sit on him a few times before his third birthday and the BFF is the only person I trust to lead me on him. I trust his judgement to tell me when the horse is ready, to keep the horse under control, and tell me if I should hop off. I have been leading him up to the mounting block since I got him and leaning over him too. We gave him a good workout first and BFF did some ground work as well. It was great to see how he handles him and learn some new tricks.
After his workout we went to the mounting block and I got on. We have an awesome super tall mounting block that I barely have to lift my left to swing it over him. I had to hop off twice when Dickie got mad at the BFF for refusing to be eaten but Dickie could care less about me. He turned around a few times to chew on my feet but other than that didn't seem the least concerned I was up there. I mounted from the block at least 5 times with zero objection. The first couple of mounts we just walked a step or two and stood still. By the last time we walked around a lap around the arena. IT WAS SO FUN!!!!! I loved feeling him move under me and he's pretty comfortable bareback. I won't be doing it again anytime soon because he is too young but it was amazing to be up there. I have never been the first person to sit on a horse. I was so happy that it was the BFF and I together for the ride. Dickie is going to go on so many fun adventures with one, or both, of us over the years. It is only fitting that we are both part of his first journey's into real working horsedom.
For now though we go back the drawing board with ground work. I got some good ideas from seeing the BFF work with him. I can't wait until I have a stretch of seven days off and can work with him consistently for a longer stretch. I am also really looking forward to riding Romeo too. It is fun to feel the progress with a horse. I think I might even pop him over some cross rails (Romeo not Dickie of course). He seems to enjoy doing something different. Yay for Friday at 730am when I am off work for a week!!
DIckie sure is a spunky boy! Cute video :)
ReplyDeleteYay for the short little ride!
I'm still on cloud nine. It gave me a little taste of what I have to look forward to next year.
DeleteOh my gosh that is so awesome!!!!!!! I don't think there's anything wrong with sitting on them for a minute at a young age. I'm just overly cautious with Chrome lol. Their spines aren't done growing until they are six, but I can't wait that long to start putting him into real work (too impatient!). I am probably going to wait until he's four though. He's only had ten rides so far and I don't see myself doing a whole lot over the winter (HATE winter), but again I'm just paranoid hehe. I read somewhere that riding them too young (even at three with some horses) can cause them to tense their backs because they aren't strong enough to carry a rider which makes it harder to teach them to let go of their backs later. That's why I'm waiting until Chrome is four. He just feels too small for me. I can't really say why, it's just a gut feeling. If he was a hand taller or I were four inches shorter/twenty pounds lighter I probably wouldn't wait. I'm an over thinker, can you tell? Anyway all of that is to say I'm so excited for you and I'm glad Dickie's first ride went so well. So when does he turn three? It's horrible waiting isn't it? It felt like Chrome's birthday would never get here hehe.
ReplyDeleteOh and I loved the video! He is so gorgeous!
P.S. I almost forgot so gross on the wood chip thing. Glad I wasn't eating since I have such a weak stomach and that was a gruesome (in my opinion) description LOL!! I'm glad he's okay though. :D
You are 100% right that their backs don't finish maturing until they are six. People get all focused on their knees being done but they mature from the ground up. There are tons of bones between the knees and wither. I think its fine to ride him in the third year as long as the rides are short and thevridervis balanced. I felt ok about sitting on him because I was bareback so I was pretty much sitting on his withers rather than his spine. I was also never on him for more than a five mins at a time.
DeleteHe turns 3 in feb. it's nice to know his birthday. I'll officially get on him then but plan on only ten to 20 min rides for the better part of six mo. The only saddle I have is western right now and western saddles freak me out on green horses. I feel like if I get launched ill end up skewering myself in the process. I'm planning on getting a wintec adjustable tree in the next few months. I don't think he will protest wearing it. There's a show series that starts in march I want to take him to. I know it sounds insane to start him only a month earlier. If all I end up doing is taking him to hang out ill be happy with that. They have walk trot classes and halter too. They let u enter the day of show so if he's feeling calm ill enter the walk trot. If not just halter. I don't care how he does I just want to expose him to as much as possible.
Exactly!! I love how you and me are on the same page all of the time. We have so much in common it seems like. :) I've kept all of Chrome's rides to ten minutes so far. I've mostly ridden him bareback too because it allows you to sit closer to the withers and because I don't have a saddle that fits him really well right now. He's so narrow though that I feel anything but balanced LOL! I don't have a problem waiting until he's four, so I'll hopefully feel more comfortable and balanced on him. He's so much fun to play with and do groundwork with that I really don't miss riding too much. It's funny I've thought all this time that I was missing riding, but once I was able to ride I realized it was the relationship with a horse that I missed (while horseless for two years). I just enjoy spending time with him. The past almost three years have been so awesome. :D
DeleteI think the horse show sounds great. Dickie sounds like he's going to be like Chrome and I would feel totally comfortable taking Chrome to a show (if I had a friggin trailer that was reliable), so I don't think it's a crazy idea. :) Especially since you can enter classes that day. I can't wait to read all about it. Oh and lucky you that his birthday is in February. Chrome's is May and I missed most of our gorgeous spring weather waiting (by May we already had 100F plus temps), but it was worth it to make his birthday special. I never would have guessed so many of my friends would want to be there for his birthday. :D
I grew up riding western so I feel totally comfortable in a western saddle, but I do understand what you're saying about worrying you'll get impaled. What's even worse is getting launched out of the saddle and coming back down on the horn. Ugh!! Luckily the swells up front will usually keep you off the horse. That's why I like the Aussie saddle I was using because it has such tall polys that help keep you in the saddle. :D Anyway I have to run, but I'm excitedly looking forward to February for you. :)
How exciting! Cant wait for more pictures :)
ReplyDeleteI wish we could have gotten some with me on him but leading him takes two hands, heck it would take four hands if possible.
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