OK, not exactly a dirt road, or a paved road, but the road to finally, yes, finally, devoting the days, weeks and months ahead to my two wonderful guys. They've been so patient!
My Spotted Saddle Horses, Bo and Spirit, have welcomed my short evening training sessions the past two weeks. They're both responding beautifully. I'm especially proud of Spirit. He no longer loses concentration with simple exercises and is completely willing to attempt anything I've given him to do.
The weather has finally "Springed" up and the ground has dried out. My health issues are, for the most part, a sidebar. Other issues that took up my emotions, and my mental strength over the past two years, have resolved themselves. Time for my guys to get what they deserve, a dedicated owner and partner.
I started back with simple groundwork activities a couple of weeks ago. All in-hand. Next week, I'm moving up to saddling. Then, in a couple of weeks after that, we'll get to the riding. I'm not in a hurry.
My good friend and I have decided we'll get together every couple of weeks at either her place, or mine, to work with our horses. She lives about thirty minutes away, has other commitments in her life but wanted to get motivated with her three horses too. She has two seasoned Quarter Horses, and a three year old she is training. Like me with my guys, she sort of lost track of time in the three year old's training. Bought him when he was eighteen months old, a registered Quarter Horse out of some line. I'm not into breeding lines so that just goes right over my head. My strong suit, in my humble opinion, is horse behavior.
So anyway, we're checking up on each other's progress with our equine students and then getting together every couple of weeks. She is an accomplished rider having shown in Western Pleasure in the past. I can learn a lot from her! This little arrangement gives us both motivation and something to work toward.
Today I released my guys out into the front field. It's the green field. I shut it off around December and then allow them back in, for a few hours a day, on May 1. We're having such a gorgeous day I opened the gate and let them out one day early. They were very mannerly about the whole event, which surprised me. But then, Spirit isn't the wild child he was a few years ago. They both calmly walked out and began munching away. Another surprise, when I walked out two hours later to round them up, thinking I would have a hard time with the lush green grass being more attractive than the alflafa hay cubes I was going to use as a lure, they were quietly standing in their run-in shelter. They really made it easy for me today!
Short term goal, saddle 'em and put some hours on them around our place. Long term goal, Hubby and I taking our two over to the state park to trail ride. Oh, and I do need a horse trailer too, which I've been looking into.
So, wish me luck and check back in as I finally get some things going on. It's been a long time coming!
Leslie~
