Another nice ride today. The weather was GLORIOUS. I went out to feed this morning and it was so quiet and sunny and windless. I laid my cheek against my sun-warmed horse as he ate and I think I was right next door to heaven.
We went out to Melissa's for a ride and Tonka was very naughty. I mentioned it to Melissa and she said, "What? If anything, I'd call that a one." (on a scale of one to ten.) Well, yeah, but for Tonka that's very naughty. He wanted to get back to the mares left behind in the pasture and he was pushing into the halter a little (I wasn't using a bit), rubbernecking back toward the girls, tossing his head and pawing when we stopped, and generally being a doofus. I think we have a few things to work on.
Going back a bit, he was so excited to be there! I assume he remembers being there before, and he could barely stand the wait while I saddled him in the driveway. He wanted to go through the gate and see who we were there to meet. He loved Peaches the donkey, and was happy to greet Jewel (although she squealed and struck at him), and was generally just interested in everything. He must have remembered the sheep because he didn't pay a whole lot of attention to them. Lightning was up close, living with Peaches by the barn because he'd been sick. He's HUGE.
Angus the great Pyrenees was looking so big and regal in the sunlight, but I didn't manage to catch it on camera. I like this photo anyway.
And here's a Tonka photobomb! He's such a fidgety dork!
We went out to Melissa's for a ride and Tonka was very naughty. I mentioned it to Melissa and she said, "What? If anything, I'd call that a one." (on a scale of one to ten.) Well, yeah, but for Tonka that's very naughty. He wanted to get back to the mares left behind in the pasture and he was pushing into the halter a little (I wasn't using a bit), rubbernecking back toward the girls, tossing his head and pawing when we stopped, and generally being a doofus. I think we have a few things to work on.
Going back a bit, he was so excited to be there! I assume he remembers being there before, and he could barely stand the wait while I saddled him in the driveway. He wanted to go through the gate and see who we were there to meet. He loved Peaches the donkey, and was happy to greet Jewel (although she squealed and struck at him), and was generally just interested in everything. He must have remembered the sheep because he didn't pay a whole lot of attention to them. Lightning was up close, living with Peaches by the barn because he'd been sick. He's HUGE.
Angus the great Pyrenees was looking so big and regal in the sunlight, but I didn't manage to catch it on camera. I like this photo anyway.
And here's a Tonka photobomb! He's such a fidgety dork!
As always, a more challenging ride is food for thought. I think we need to work on softening when he's in a more excited frame of mind. And I sometimes wonder if we have some respect issues that we should address, but at the same time I don't want all of our interactions to become a shoving match... I should watch how he and Cisco interact. They're pretty decent friends but Tonka gives way to Cisco.
I got to love on Peaches a lot after we rode. That donkey is really, really special. I can't tell you how much I love her, and she's not even mine. She's good for the soul. A long eared saint.
Gypsy looks wonderful. She's a perfect weight and her back looks stronger than it was while she was here. She has lots of room to wander, with hills to climb, incentive to move around, and unlimited hay. The perfect home for an old arthritic lady.
We went to Spokane to watch Tron tonight. It was okay I guess. But now I'm really, really late to feed the horses, so I better get out there!
3 comments:
Looked like a beautiful ride and loved your descriptions of the day, the horses, and Peaches!
It was a beautiful day. Seems like they're always more herd-bound in winter, in my experience anyway--winter and spring--probably because we're not riding as much.
Hey, did you saddle train Tonka--I can't remember now. I remember you doing a lot, but did you send him out for the saddle training portion? Seems like you did. My memory is getting bad!!!
No, he went to a trainer. I was still a very beginner rider and he was reactive, so that was really the only way to go. He scared me bad enough after being trained, we'd have been in big trouble if I'd tried to start him. Besides I wouldn't have known what I was doing... The trainer who rode him is an amazing rider. I've never seen anyone so relaxed on a horse. He also gave me a lot of confidence, laughing it off when I came off my horse and telling me to get back on again. I'm sure he thought the two of us were a train wreck waiting to happen though... If I have someone start Scout, he'll probably be the one I pick.
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