DICKIE!!!!!
The BFF has been really busy with work and the few times he has come out the best hadn't been conducive to riding the boy. The BO said she was willing to be my ground person. It is hard to find a ground person you can trust. If they can't control the horse and you are screwed. If they get crazy and over controlling you are screwed too. It's also important to have someone who let you run the show. She knows Dickie really well and fits all the criteria for a superstar ground person.
Thursday all the stars were aligned. The barn was quiet, Dickie was tuned in, BO was there, I was feeling healthy again... We had a little longer longe session that usual. I wanted him a tad tired and extra focused on me. He was an angel!!! He stands better at the mounting block than most grown up horses and wasn't the least bit concerned about the extra weight.
I sat on him bareback once but this was the first time with a saddle. Sometimes babies wonder WTF is going on with a saddle involved because they can't feel it is a human up there. I also used the stirrup to mount this time to see how he felt about that sensation. We walked around a bit and I hopped off and gave him some love. Then we did it over again. The second time I kind of forgot I was getting on a baby and plopped on a little heavier than the first time. He didn't care. I guess all the jumping around and thumping into him over the last six months did some good.
The ride lasted about ten mins but it was perfect.
oh how exciting! I bet that you were grinning! Are there any photos???
ReplyDeleteI wish there were photos. There were lot's of people at the barn that day but no one was in the arena. Next time I have to get evidence.
DeleteWoo hoo! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteYay!! That is awesome! What a good boy! ALl your hard work is really showing now :)
ReplyDeleteThat is super exciting!!!
ReplyDeleteYAY!!! Congrats :)
ReplyDeleteWhoop whoop!!! I remember doing all this with Gracie - it's an exciting time!
ReplyDeleteDid you have the "what now" moment with Gracie? Now that I am on him I am realizing the real work begins.
DeleteHa! Yes! Just let him be your guide to how much you do. You will get a good feeling for his limits as you go along. :)
DeleteSo exciting!!
ReplyDeleteha ha! Yah! How exciting! It's funny how even ten minutes makes you feel on top of the world.
ReplyDeleteWoohoo!!! Go Dickie!! Those first few rides were sooooo exciting!! I TOTALLY had a what now moment with Chrome. As soon as I realized he couldn't steer (no clue why I thought he would just automatically know how haha) I started realizing how much I had to teach him and that I had no idea how to do that lol. It was eye opening for me because I haven't really trained many babies under saddle and I've never trained one English... the ones I trained as a kid were for other people and they just wanted trail horses so I had them following my horse. Sometime wish I had that short cut now lol. So even now almost a year after his first ride I still feel lost. Now that I've moved and have a better place to work him I'm going to start doing more with him and hopefully we can get the steering figured out. :D
ReplyDelete