Basilio: Looking to The Future
This summer Basilio turns 3. Which is mind boggling, I feel like 2017 was just yesterday, that I blinked and somehow a new decade arrived. 3 years old is a big milestone for any young horse. Their bodies are significantly slowing down in their growth, and their brains are catching up too. You’re on the tail end of babyhood and there’s no denying that sooner than you think you’re going to have an adult horse on your hands, one who’s ready to start work under saddle. I was initially planning on sending Basilio out to get started by someone else. I’ve never started a
Yearling Chronicles: March 2019
This month Basilio and I are working on getting him to move off of pressure. We started the basics of it when he was younger but I haven't dedicated the time to defining it in a more specific manner with him. This week I started I started asking for a small step of him yielding his hind quarters away from me and the pressure from the whip. I repeat the process in both directions, my end goal and hope is that this will set him for a turn on the forehand and eventually yielding away from leg pressure. So far he's getting
March 2019: Updated Playlist
About 90% of the time that I'm at the barn I'm by myself, which means that I'm filling the silence music. My playlist honestly doesn't change much it's filled with music that motivates me and sets the tone of working my horses. Whether I'm free lunging, riding, or just getting some chores done, having a sound track is sometimes what keeps me moving through my time at the barn. There's also nothing quite like riding your horse to your favorite song, it's a feeling I wouldn't trade for anything. Here are the songs that are my driving force this month and some
31 Posts in 31 Days
It's two months into 2019 and while I've been fairly productive the past couple of months the feeling that I could and should do more has been nagging at me. Finding my footing on this blog has been harder for me than I thought it would be, which is a big reason why I defer to sharing rider profiles. It's so much easier to tell someone else's story and to show the greatness they've accomplished. Because of this I've decided to post once a day, every day, for the month of March. I'll be honest, this is going to be a challenge for me. I
Training Update: February 2019
We're about halfway through Winter which has me ridiculously excited for warmer weather. One of the ways I've always coped with the cold is channeling my energy into working towards my training goals with my horses. Not only does it take my mind of what always feels like an endless onslaught of cold once February rolls around, but it also feels super rewarding to see the results of my hard work once Spring pops up. This is the second Winter I've had two horses, it's a balancing act to make sure they both get the attention they deserve, but it's one that I
Being Enough in 2019
One week of 2019 down and 51 more to go. Last week zipped by and has me looking towards what I want to accomplish this year. This is hard for me. I’m great at looking at things long term, where I want to be, and what the end goal should be. How I’ll get there not so much, and that’s something I’m actively trying to improve this year. Achieving long term goals doesn’t happen overnight. There thousands of steps, small victories, and challenging realizations that come up along the way. In 2019 I’m going to hold myself accountable and be better about making step
Rider Profile: Anu
Name: Anu Discipline: Dressage Horses: Achates (OTTB) and Basilio (Andalusian) Favorite Horse Quote: "When your horse follows you without being asked, when he rubs his head on yours, and when you look at him and feel a tingle down your spine. . .you know you are loved." -John Lyons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zExrnqFdbcg Each week I will be posting a Rider Profile to help share and highlight the stories of riders in our community. Since I would never ask anyone to do something I wouldn't do this week's post is about my journey as a rider, and how having an off the track thoroughbred has shaped me a dressage rider.