I have been trying to work and ride Glory for two days. Yesterday, just when I had finished ground work and was just about to mount Glory, it started sleeting. I did not think that would be much of a distraction but I noticed the animals were uneasy. Moses went to the house, York stayed as close to me as he could get and all of of the equines stood still and were alert. It didn’t seem like a situation that warranted such concern but I did decide that it might not be the best time to mount a ton of horseflesh that I have not ridden in how long I cannot remember. I put her in her stall to wait out the sleet. I was busy unsaddling and did not notice York at my feet and he got shut in the stall with Glory. When I opened the stall door about 30 minutes later, York quickly made his exit. Glory must be a kind soul or York would have been mashed. When I turned the geldings out, Little More was feeling his oats, rearing and bucking. Then he and Newt raced. Newt has four good legs which is a distinct advantage. Once when he extended his front leg, the hoof looked like it was 3 or 4 feet off the ground. I’ve never noticed anything like that before. Maybe it was the vegetation that made him extend so much and so high. Magic kept his cool and just trotted just a little to get out of the way of the ruckus. He was grazing at the height of the race.
Just the best shot I got of the action.
I did get on Glory this morning but she was just a little gimpy so I got off. The lameness was so slight that on the right rein unmounted, it was not noticeable. Glory is a sweet and willing horse.
I rode Glory again today. I learned something today also. Magic may not be the nicest horse when I am on the ground but he is a dream to ride. It is a challenge to me to work with Glory and get her where she steers like Magic. On a normal size horse a rider straddles the horse. On Glory it is more like I am perched up there. Her moves are so powerful that I seem to bounce around. I have a lot of improvement to make. Glory has shown me several specific things I need to improve. We will work on it.
Magic is better today. I was not able to identify any area of heat. Not as specific as yesterday. He limped a little when he came out of the stall this morning but the first few steps out of the stall are often irregular for many horses. I did not see any lameness tonight. He cantered from the gate into the barn.
I rode Glory today. I learned something. When I was grooming, tacking up and doing ground work, all I could do was think “Wow, Glory is really nice.” Nice like considerate, kind. Glory is 2,000 pounds of nice. Kinda makes me think that the horse I have been hanging around for the past year has been taking advantage of my good nature. Yes Mr Magic, I am talking about you. Magic is very well behaved when I am on his back but on the ground he might think of me more as a target. I just rode Glory in the round pen. It has been a long time since I was on her. (I just checked this blog and it has been 7 months.) It seems like my legs would have to move a long way to change which end of Glory I am effecting. I expect that Glory and I will have more subtle cues than swinging my leg way back on her barrel. I enjoyed Glory and look forward to tomorrow.
I checked Magic for heat and swelling on all of his legs. The only thing I detected was heat on the off front (as expected). The heat was located high on the front of the hoof and possibly up into the pastern. At least it seemed to also be warm up at the coronary band and an inch or so above. The lameness was better today but still noticeable.
I rode Glory this morning. It has been at least 8 months since I rode her. She is a very big strong horse, half TB and half Percheron, 17+ hands and large for that size. She is a very nice horse to ride. She is so wide that it is uncomfortable for me to ride her for a long time. Since seeing a video of me riding Magic, I think I need to improve my independent seat. Glory is so big and strong that I get tossed around on her back. Maybe she is the horse that can help me improve my seat. We just rode around in the round pen. She seems to remember everything. We will move onto the arena soon.
Carole and Mara came to visit this afternoon. We had a nice visit to the barn. Mara rode Scottie and Laddie. Scottie moves a little faster than Laddie and Carole was nervous watching her daughter loose on the back of a horse even if it was a pony. (It may have bothered Carole and Madelyn but I saw no concern or caution from Mara.) We have had a dry spell and good rain recently. The fresh, tender, green grass makes Laddie tender footed. (light grass founder) We did not ride Laddie much because of that. Mara had a good ride. No problems, no fear.
I rode Newt this morning. I walked him to the Oak pasture and arena. On the lunge we went clockwise first and he did all three gaits with control. I thought “Well, patience pays. He is very calm this morning and this is the direction he always acts up. When we went the other way, he showed me that he could buck and kick on the left rein making my discussion of the hard and soft side mere speculation. Lots of energy this morning. It was brisk for a day in April. He kept a keen eye on everything in the pasture, cattle, dogs, and some other things he said I was unaware of. I enjoy a ride when there is plenty of energy. On the trail around the pasture I played it safe and turned around earlier than last time. Honey and York were hunting in the woods and I knew this was not the morning I wanted to face the test where Honey jumps a bear and… . Newt loaded in the trailer easily and calmly this morning.
Sophie and Maggie from New York visited the ponies this afternoon. Laddie and Scottie quickly won their hearts. These girls brought
Scottie, Maggie Lawrence up
their boots, chaps, and helmets. They ride at a barn in New York and are good riders. Sophie is about 12 and Maggie is maybe 8. They came to ride. The ponies really enjoy petting and leading (the ponies lead the kids most of the time) more than riding. Treats are the best. They rode in the round pen, a good safe place. After a while I suggested Sophie ride a larger horse. I was thinking of CeCe but Glory was looking over the fence like she wanted some of the action. Sophie rides a big horse at her barn so I just got Glory. Glory is so pretty that everybody just
Glory, Sophie Lawrence up
loves her. Sophie rode bareback and looked like she was comfortable on a big horse. I got Glory’s saddle and bridle. Sophie could control Glory’s gaits, walk and trot, and get her to start and stop. Sophie rode very good and Glory was on very good behavior. For some reason all the other horses thought this was a good time to come running. Little More was loose and ran around the round pen. Sophie and Glory took it all in stride and had no problems. I enjoyed watching. Maggie kept her mother occupied leading her around the pasture on Laddie the whole time Sophie rode Glory. (It may seem like I am careless letting little girls ride big horses but I did have enough sense to get Maggie and Laddie out of the way.) After we put Glory back in the pasture, Sophie immediately went and got Scottie to ride some more. After a
Little More loves everybody
while, just to give the ponies a break, I suggested that we work the ponies together loose in the round pen. Laddie and Scottie show no reserve when they do this. They like to go fast and fight over who leads. The one in the lead play kicks and the other bites his butt. It was all fun. I finally said the ponies had enough and we put them up. Sophie and Maggie had a big time and so did the ponies. I think Glory enjoyed it too.
