Oh My ....

I think I might be falling a little bit in love .....

He's rising 3
He's been backed and played with but given lots of time to grow up
He's half warmblood half thoroughbred
He's just what I would have wanted 15 years ago ...

I've been offered a field to let him grow up in for the cost of feeding him ...

Oh dear ....

http://www.getmyfix.org/ horse fix for hunter jumper types

http://www.getmyfix.org/

an awesome little site - hosting an awesome giveaway ....
I found this site by fluke when filling my horse void this summer

it's:
creative
funny
educational
interesting
thought provoking

every time I visit it I appreciate it more and more

missing riding muchly - hopefully can squeeze a couple of rides in in October ... more on the quest this weekend I hope ..

Last ride...

Riker was wonderful - supple, engaged, smooth - what a good boy he is.

Gwen, the foal, was just adorable ...

What fun it was riding SEVEN times this summer ...unfit and strange to much fitter and smoother myself ... Nelly, Riker, and Katie - you made summer complete in a way I hadn't realized I'd been missing.

ride on ...

Another lovely ride on the generous Riker

and a baby foal to watch :)

another lovely lovely day

SO SO good

Chicken dinner was spectacular -not a word I generally think of in a food context but it really was!

Rikker was also quite amazing. A giving generous soul prepared to work hard for me - poor unfit dude! Missed Nelly but it was great to hop on another horse and find the skill set required there too. Rikker is a TB draft QH (?) mix. Very cute and quite the charmer.

Also played a little with the young ones - groomed them and worked on picking up feet! Next time I'll take a hoof pick out with me.

Back in the saddle again ...

Had a lovely ride today. Nelly was very good. We did canter transitions, and lots of bending. Katie is amazingly patient. Nelly and I are stating to click.

After I was done riding I took my camera out into the paddock three young geldings that are up for sale are in. The only pictures of them aren't great so I thought I'd play with my new to me camera.

What a bunch of curious engaged boys. They kept coming up to see what I was doing. It made capturing them both difficult and entertaining.

Here are the three of them looking very handsome.

A very funny face!

Handsome Reese.

Typical picture as I tried to get a side shot!

Horsing around ...

Rode for the second time this summer yesterday. Amazing. Awesome. So. Much. Fun.

I rode for a lot of years. Pony Club (up through B levels eventually); hunter stuff; Prince Phillip Games; schooling shows; Trillium shows; eventing; running a trail riding string for a resort; riding other people's horses; breaking in young horses; managing a barn for a year between high school and university. Running a riding camp for the YMCA.

I drove, rode English, Western and spent a LOT of hours absorbing the world of the horse. My dad engaged my interest in history through horses. I can still tell you about Traveller and General Lee; Marengo and Napoleon; Buchephalus and Alexander The Great. (Smart trick on my dad's part!)

I have had horses of my own but the time came when there were too many other ways to spend both the money and the time. My best riding friend ever left to move to England and it just wasn't the same. I walked away from equipment I had worked hard to get (including two lovely Steuben saddles) but I really didn't think there was any in between with me. I have one bridle and a martingale still and they bring back memories every time I trip across them. So it was with some trepidation I called a local stable to see if they had a lesson spot for me.

Nelly - not with me though :)

They did. Off I went to check them out .. the mare I rode last week and this is a lovely bay TB some what like my first horse Beau. Last week was HOT and I wore myself out quickly. This week I was pretty determined to really ride. The instructor Katie is great - so positive and friendly. Nellie went beautifully this week. She's stiff as a board to start - and short but once she engages her hind end she floats along in a lovely trot. Like many TB her walk needs serious work. Her canter isn't pleasant either actually but we worked through and got a  couple of  really nice transitions. We also worked on leg yields, turns on the forehand and extending stride. It was quite funny, I could not post on the wrong diagonal to save my life.

Big T has mentioned before that he'd like horses in our life. I have been a little slow to embrace this idea. I am getting to a point now where I can not only imagine horses in our life but be excited about it. Oh dear.