The First Horse

Went for just a short ride after work since his feet were trimmed this morning. During my ride, I focused some more on bending around my leg. He's better at that going left, than he is to the right. A project to work on! I did manage to get a couple of pictures of him before my ride. This is Barnabus after two weeks and a good hoof trim. It may just be me, but I think there's already a bit of improvement! He got turned out with the rest of the geldings for the first time tonight. I kind of wish I could see how he is in the morning, but I know he'll be fine.

I can't wait to see how good he'll look when he gets some meat on him. I would keep his rides very light until he has the fat to burn off with a hard ride. Good luck with him :)

Me too, Amp! I definitely plan to keep a photo log of his changes over the next 6 months or so. And I'm in agreement on the short rides. I've been on his back for up to 60 minutes, but 40 of that was standing (during the trial week). Now the rides are mostly about 30 minutes 4 times a week, and only brief cantering. My BO and I are keeping a close eye on his status during the lessons, just to make sure we don't push him too hard.

Congrats! He has a very cute face...I love his snip.

That's good to hear. :) I would also take advantage of doing a bunch of ground work and bonding with him while he gains weight! I think that would do both of yall a lot of good in the long run. I wish I had done that more in the beginning with my guy rather than waiting a while, but I didn't know better when I first got him!

Another short ride last night. He was still moving short, but my BO said we'll have to give it a few more weeks before we can determine if he needs shoes. Overall, a good ride though. We're really focusing on getting him to move off my leg. Did a bit of groundwork with him too. My BO said he's been a bit pushy with other people (trying to drag them while on a lead, not moving away in the stall). Funny thing is, that he doesn't do any of that to me. So I've got to see if I can borrow someone this weekend to help me work with him so he knows he has to be good for everyone on a leadrope!

Pleases keep us updated - I am so excited for you! (and I'm so glad that you have good support from your BO)
I like his name, too.
My first horse was many years ago, but I can still remember the thrill.

It was cold and windy today (33 degrees F and 20mph winds). Brrr! Barnabus did pretty well during my ride today. I kept it to about 30 minutes, and continued to work with him on the concept of moving off my leg and bending. I think we're getting somewhere with it - I really only have to give a little squeeze most of the time now. But I now need to work on keeping his attention on me, and not on all the fascinating things going on around us! We did just a little bit of cantering, and as per my BO's instructions, I'm not letting him run into the canter. I honestly don't think he really understands what I want when I ask for the canter. He pops into it quickly when I give a little flick of the crop on his shoulder, so my BO has instructed me to give the leg aids and the flick of the crop at the same time for now, until he can make the association. And for one of today's canter transitions, I didn't even need the crop! Progress! :)

He is doing one funny thing in the barn though. I really need a behavioral reference to see what it means. When I scratch up and down the crest of his neck, he'll lower his head a bit and then open his mouth and move it towards my hip, like he's about to bite or something. I don't know if that's his attempt at reciprocal grooming, or if he's trying to push me. In any case, he got a light tap on the nose, and he promptly stopped.

Mutual grooming. Good response, though. I've always been afraid of it, given their size! Love reading your entries!
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Thanks, hemms! Since I've only been riding for about a year and a half now, I'm still getting versed on horse behavior. They're so fascinating!