Tuesday, September 22, 2009

September 22, 2009

It's the first day of fall and the weather changed in Central Texas today with the arrival of our first cold front and rain, the temperatures will drop into the upper 50's tonight.

The ferrier came and LBR had his feet trimmed today. Although we had overnight rain, LBR hadn't rolled yet.

As Gary was driving out of the stables headed home, LBR rolled and then "hid" behind the tree to make sure Gary didn't return for a bath.

We hope to ride tomorrow night, but wouldn't be disappointed with more rain.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

September 20, 2009

Wow....it's been almost six months since LBR was adopted and today was his first lesson for his "peeps" on him.

Cindy joined the "experienced beginner level" group (two other riders/horses) this morning and had a great time.

We had a great lesson. LBR was well-behaved in the arena with others, patiently awaiting his turn when required and Cindy recieved a lot of feedback from the instructor.

We walked/trotted/cantered and did head in/head out work at the trot. We also trotted over cross rails.

We're pretty sure Cindy will not be able to walk tomorrow and LBR will think it was just another ride. We hope to get Cindy out to ride in the evenings to strengthen those riding muscles.

Oh well...still so proud of LBR as this was our 1 year target and we're at the 6 month mark.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Sunday, September 13, 2009

September 13, 2009



LBR has won his first Championship. If you think you have a better Mud-Roller, please do not hesitate to post. He is definitely the muddiest member at our stables.
This week, LBR had two (2) lessons with the trainer and two(2) rides with Gary. We finally received rain starting on Friday and continuing through Sunday so weekend rides weren't possible.

Cindy is planning on taking lessons on Sunday morning with the "experienced women's group". The experience in the title comes from age - not from riding experience and should be a good/encouraging group to gain some confidence.

Monday, September 7, 2009

September 7, 2009

This past week LBR had 3 lessons with the trainer. He is learning and she is learning about his stubborn streak....pick your battles as LBR is learning to learn. We rode on the off days. Saturday & Sunday both Gary and Cindy rode.

LBR was a little bit "hot" on Saturday so we lunged first and let him burn off some energy. The stables were more distracting than normal with horses whinny'ing from one end of the farm to the other. All-in-all it was still a great ride with perfect halts.

Sunday we headed to the stables a little later than normal in order to avoid all of the lessons in the main arena. LBR was mellow so we skipped the lunging and went straight to riding. Gary rode for a short bit then Cindy rode for a long time. She trotted LBR all around - along the rail, around the jumps...for about 15 minutes straight. Although he started out a bit faster than she wanted he settled into a nice pace and worked well off of leg queues.

Monday (Labor Day), was back to the trainer. She skipped the lunging and worked him for a while at the walk/posting trot. She then worked him for a long time at the sitting trot - until he finally quit fighting her queues and bit contact. Then, she cantered him and he was perfect. I think we'll try the sitting trot on our next ride - he set his head nicely and then cantered like a pro.

The heat is back on in Central Texas so I doubt we'll be able to go over in the evenings. Oh well, we're fortunate that Gary can ride in the mornings and that the trainer is working her magic.