You know Sue was the horse that can't be caught now the horse that mostly can be caught. Except for today...and a few days in the past. Sue is still in training with 12 yr old Nichole Copple.  Sue lives in a huge pasture with other horses that are in training with Tony and Jenny Vaught.  Occasionally Sue has new horse friends that don't know how wonderful people are and they "don't like to be caught".  But gradually, these horses learn that people are wonderful and come to or stand to be haltered.…

                        Caitlyn on Velvet - Nichole on Sue I let Sue roam in the pasture with grass just too long.  She is starting to get the first sign of a cresty neck.  Then, she started limping...abscess.  This is the first sign that insulin resistance has started and laminitis is around the corner. I tried shutting her in her stall with limited turn out.  This is a horse for whom weight loss is DIFFICULT! I had a brilliant idea!  Jenny's…

Sue - How Amazing You are with Nichole Copple!  We had a group lesson 1/11/08 and I got to watch 12 year old Nichole ride Sue.  In the recent blog, I mentioned how Sue had gone to the Ozarks to be rode by Nichole.  Sue was getting very heavy and I knew that being with Nichole would give Sue much more confidence and muscle to replace fat. I knew Sue's confidence would improve, but until you see it in person, you just don't know. I did note (upon Sue’s return) that…

  The positive wondrous news is that I Sue and I went on a trail ride at the same place where she bolted, spilled her rider and became retraumatized fourteen months ago.  On this month, we had a wonderful ride.  I was with a calm gelding and his calm owner.  My plan was for the gelding to lead and we would follow, thus getting more and more confidence.  My plan was thwarted right at the get go when the gelding refused to lead.  To get the gelding to go, my riding partner would…