Good morning:)
Hair, how was the fair?
Duchess: Oh you know I will take pictures of the paper, and post the link to the website story here. Anyone who wanted a hard copy of it I could mail them one. I think it’s rather a fun thing to think about doing. But let me warn you, the paper is a very very small town paper, and Mack and I have both commented that Jo, the writer of the paper, sometimes...well....sometimes her stories are not professional:), interesting, but very small town:) You all will find her interesting:)
My ride yesterday on Rocky was great. I did lope him a bit...that horse...he is such a bulldozer. I felt like even at his slow lope I was hurtling down the trail like a tank over very rough terrain. He does smooth out after a few strides, but it is still nothing like Harley, but it sure is fun:)
I wish I had had my camera with me last night. I went down to Jenny’s to watch her work her horses. She came up here with Dot and I taught her how to lunge the Clinton Anderson way, how to do the flexing exercises.
Her husbands horse has been a worry for all of us. He has not a lot of experience, and has bucked several people off, and has stood now for 2 years. They are trying to get him ready to go on their vacation in a few weeks to trail ride. And he is a big horse...16;2
The other day, Travis got him out and had some difficulty in lunging him, he bucked some, and he wouldn’t stop when whoaed. Jenny asked him if she could try. She had the same trouble so decided to try the things I taught, and she called me to tell me how amazed she was...that it worked the first time, as far as getting him to go and change directions. And on the whoa the horse is improving mightily, as she is doing the backing him up aggressively when he doesn’t whoa.
Jenny who hated this horse, is now saying they just never gave him enough of a chance. Travis’s family is slowly changing their philosophies about how to work with a horse. It use to be, when they first got this horse, sink spur, whip, chase, whatever. Travis’s dad is an old cowboy. I think because he is getting older he is looking for easier ways to work with a horse because he was one of the ones that this horse bucked off:). he can’t afford to hit the ground, He’s had both knees replaced too.
I really think this horse is going to be great if Jenny and Travis remain consistent in working with him.
Becky
That’s great to hear about Rocky doing so well. I’ll bet his canter will improve the more you ride him. He’s just gotten a little rusty and stiff during his time off. And that’s good to hear about Travis’s horse’s improvement too, as well as the possible change in the way his family thinks about handling their horses. It’ll be good for them and better for their horses.