Hoorray for Spring!

and longer days.. Well not quite long enough, but getting there minute by minute every day. Daylight savings is this weekend, which is GREAT. It already stays fairly light out til almost 6:30.

Now that I have a horse to ride, there is time to come home after work and get an hour ride around the neighborhood in. Derek & I did that yesterday, it was a nice cold day and I was anxious to ride. Now that Red is home, I just want to ride ride ride.. it's all I think about practically! I am trying to talk Derek into going camping for his birthday weekend over in Easton, but he's not really biting on the idea.

I decided to try Red in a hackamore instead of the english bit he was in. When I was riding him before, he would respond, just not very well at times. When we were going through these big mud patches, when he was in the lead, he wouldnt slow down to look at them, just powered through. Which isn't terrible, but the bit was not giving him any bite to pay attention to me. He seemed to do pretty good in the hackamore.. There is no bit in a hackamore, it is just based off of pressure and although you don't have as much side control, I definately had more whoa control.

After riding him in that, I was happier than the bit, but not 100% satisfied, I think I may try riding him in a halter around the pasture a few times, see if I can get him to comprehend pressure on the nose and get some response there, I think that will make him respond better when I put him back in the hackamore. He didnt throw his head around like he did with the bit and his mouth stays quiet so he focuses on me more.

He seems to be settling in well, which makes me happy. He comes to the barn when he hears me. This morning is the first time I saw any aggressive behavior at feeding time. See the horses enter their stalls right next to eachother. Their doors are side by side and not seperated and then the divider between the stall is open so they can reach across to eachother and this morning he was a little pissy and grumpy, didnt like Edgar so close to him. There was some threats of kicking (although he'd only hit the wall if he tried). Red finally realized if he walked to the other side of the stall where he is fed, Edgar is not too close! :) Silly boys.. I'm glad we have the ability to seperate them.

Oh and some good news about the other animal in our life.. Russell! :) We put him on a GlycoFlex supplement, per Andrea's suggestion because his hips were getting really bad with shaking. Every time he would play for even just a minute or two chasing a ball, his back leg would shake like a twig in the wind... Well he's been on for 5 weeks now and there has been no shaking going on! We've played with him for 20 minutes and he still doesnt shake. I am so happy.. He does still shake his leg when he's outside and gets cold but we are so relieved that it is working, the little buddy is going to be 11 this year!