Sage and the Saddle

March 12, 2002Posted inSage
Sage is sequestered at Pine Dell again on her diet. Tonight I am dedicated to cantering and galloping on Sage.  I will not tense up.  I will allow my hands to be quiet.  I will not pick up the reins and hold them up to my nose.  I will not tense up my shoulders.  Sage is a well trained horse.  I decided to skip all my normal pre flight check out.  We walked up to the upper 40 acres.  I tightened the girth several times and got on.  The girth…

JR Journal – 2nd ride on JR

February 22, 2002Posted inJR
  "Gee Susan, He's REALLY Testing You!" "My, JR is being ORNERY Tonight!" 2/22/2002 There's nothing like a young horse to make one humble. I was foolishly thinking I had gotten pretty skilled in natural horsemanship principles. I remember riding Velvet in many workshops thinking, "Gee, I wish I had a young horse so I could experience all those early training experiences again with a young horse. I'll be so much better this time." Ha! Jenny uttered the two statements that make up the title during the latest Thursday nite…

JR’s Journal – Old Woman Riding Young Horse!

February 7, 2002Posted inJR
Yep, I’ve ridden JR twice now. Jenny let me ride him the first time one evening after she was finished riding him. She wanted to make my first experience a good one!  And it was a couple days after my birthday. Riding JR was a great gift! Let’s set the important background: I haven’t rode a young horse since Velvet was two…eight years ago. I was understandably a little nervous. I tried to breathe and relax and almost succeeded. Jenny helped me on, and JR and I were a team.…

Velvet – Mohair Cinch disaster

January 16, 2002Posted inVelvet
I got a 100% mohair cinch handmade by a woman in Utah! I put it on my saddle and away I rode in the lesson. We were cantering circles and I felt that my saddle was loose. I mentioned that to Jenny after that round of cantering. I've had that feeling before with my neoprene girth. My turn to canter in circles again. I was on the wall and felt my saddle go...no bringing it back! I pulled Velvet really close to the corregated metal arena wall and leaned against it…

A Christmas Miracle Story

December 18, 2001Posted inMiscellaneous
A woman approached me during a natural horsemanship clinic.  She told me that she was looking for a fox trotter to purchase.  Lynne said that she was a "green rider", and had taken 6 lessons.  She had an appointment to visit a gaited horse of a lot more excitable bloodlines (Paso Fino).  I grimaced inside and hoped she would live thru it.  She called me with the news that she barely lived thru it.  Thank goodness she didn't ride the horse.  So in over a period of time, I showed Lynne…

Velvet – Bareback Dismounts

December 11, 2001Posted inVelvet
It's a Journey Velvet and I are going for Level 3 in the Parelli program. We are doing very well. We have 25% of the tasks passed and making great progress on the remaining tasks. But you know how I love to tell pathetic dramatic humorous stories as we take the journey.... The task Velvet and I are focused on right now is cantering around an arena bridleless and bareback. Velvet is to have nothing on her body except me! Then (at a canter), we have to turn into the…