The weather has been crisp and cool with a enough rain to elicit hope, but that's about all you can say. I will never complain about rain again. I will gratefully accept having any and all plans called because of rain. Many people I've talked to have reached the same conclusion we have: the land will not fully recover from the drought without human intervention. I'm glad the horses aren't here or it would be a catastrophe. Mr. Fry planted a ton of grass, but it's not the lush winter carpet we were hoping for.
Jaz is still teaching me to canter. Thank goodness he's a great teacher and I am teachable. Last time I rode, we cantered the length of the arena, the farthest yet. It's still such a rush for me, I'm trembling when we stop. I am finding the experience similar to when we trotted in that I can't really think about much else yet besides staying on, so it's not pretty. Jaz has finally decided I really do mean it when I ask for it, but works very hard to keep me up there. I love that horse.
With the cold snap comes a touch of worry for my delicate grey flower, who doesn't tolerate sudden drops in temperature well. Poco was still here last winter and tore Jaz's blanket (for about the zillionth time) to the point where I'm going to seek professional help to fix it. (BTW, Poco's blanket remains pristine even after all these years.) Those blankets were inexpensive 400 denier Paul Taylor specials. While fine for most, Jaz needs something warmer, although I will keep the old one, which will fit Daltrey in no time ... well, for a day or so, at least.
Daltrey is doing great, growing like the proverbial weed and acting for all the world like a doofy, snotty two-year old. We continue to work on the basics. I had ordered a John Lyon's book of baby training exercises, but Amazon canceled it due to supplier issues. Well, dang. Guess I'll continue to make this up as I go.
I hope y'all (and your ponies) are staying warm, having fun, staying safe. What's everybody up to these days?
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6 comments:
Great to hear from you Leah.
I love reading how Jaz takes such good care of you while cantering. Apache is like that, too. When we're out on the trail and I ask for a canter, she'll go right into it, but if I wobble (which is often), she will slow right down. Sometimes I catch myself feeling disappointed, because, like you said, cantering is such a fun rush. But safety (don't I sound boring?) is a much better alternative.
Thank goodness for such tolerant teacher horses, eh?
That's a nice looking blanket for Jaz. I've been considering buying one for Apache this year, even though she grows such a plush coat and extra layers (uh, fat) to keep her insulated. When it snows and she gets wet, she has been known to shiver. And it breaks my heart. :P
Oh and yeah, in states like ours, rain is never over rated. I sure hope you get enough over the coming months to saturate the ground deeply enough to elicit that lush green grass you're hoping for.
~Lisa
Wonderful news about the canter!!! Whoohoo, you two flying like the wind!! Proud of you for following through despite the fear issues. That's how we grow, right? Sorry to hear your drought hasn't ended yet. Living in Oregon, I really can't imagine. If I could, I'd package up a bunch and send it your way. Will keep you in my prayers and see if the big guy won't help out soon. Take care and keep having fun with those ponies!
It's awesome how much ground you are gaining. Good pony, Jazz for taking care of 'momma'. ;-)
I like that blanket. After all these years of forgoing such arduous work...I am blanketing this year. Moon and Frosty anyway. I want to go to Arizona for a while this winter and I don't want the horses to have so much hair they will be uncomfortable in the warmer temps.
I hope you guys get some more rain over the coming weeks...
Good to hear that you are working on the canter a bit now. I haven't really cantered much in the past few months, so I'm sure my skills are majorly rusty. It all takes time and patience... :-)
I have to get a blanket for Dolly too - although I've been able to stall a few weeks since we have had quite warm weather (which isn't typical). I don't want to blanket her until it is consistently quite cold...
Courage is built over time, and it seems to me you are taking the right approach. Every canter you experience will make it easier for you to flow with Jaz.
I recently galloped (!) up a hill on Lily. Didn't know it would be so fun! Now she's on injured reserve so we are sidelining for a time...
oh, and it's raining today! :)
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