Beautiful Weekend

The weather was absolutely beautiful this weekend, so we dragged the ponies out again. Ash rode Tonto all by herself again! Her legs are getting so long!!

 

 

I rode Scout in the Michael Stokes Centaur Dressage saddle, which I love, love, love...

 

 

A closer view:

 

 

 

And of course a photo outside in the sunlight:

My oldest child was sweet enough to snap some photos of me on my Scout pony:



Scout was fantastic - this is the 4th time I've ridden him in a year!!

 

Here's a link to a video D made of us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9x-H3-TilQ&list=UUwvBQqn_1wdRHFKA6FbuBPg

 

Not a spectacular ride, but okay after so many months off. We are both stiff and out of shape. I did notice he seemed a lot happier in this video than he did in previous videos that were taken over a year ago. He seems to go well in the dressage saddle and I put him in a hollow mouth loose ring snaffle he seems to like.

 

Tonto behaved very well for Ash:

Ash had a friend over who had never ridden before, so we put her up on Scout (aren't they cute???):

I think I could have lengthened her stirrups a few holes, poor kid! This is almost jockey style! She did great though. We worked on turning and stopping on the lunge.

After riding, we played beauty shop and I butchered Tonto's mane:

Scout loves to stand with his feet on the concrete. I guess it makes him feel taller. :) My beloved pony of the past, Buck, used to stand like this on the end of a bridge at my childhood home.

 



 

These photos are funny - they make Scout look thinner than he actually is:

 The flash on the camera makes Tonto's eyes bug out:

 



This is one of my favorite views:

....and a little inspiration from the past:

Another wonderful weekend spending time with the ponies, watching my daughter and her friend ride, and doing some spring cleaning around the barn. I am loving this spring-like weather!

Still Around

Well, it's been a little while since my last post....sorry. Life seems to have a way of getting away from me...

 

A quick update on the ponies - Tonto and Scout are both doing well - fat and happy and totally underworked. I've ridden 3 times in the last year - and those 3 rides have been in the last 2 months. At least I'm getting on, right?

 

I pulled Scout out this past Saturday because the weather was amazing. I just couldn't pass up a day like that! So happy I rode him and I think he was pleased, too. He couldn't have been better! After our ride, my daughter wanted to climb on, so we took a walk through the woods. I sure love seeing her ride (which is very rare, due to her great love of soccer and other things). 

 

 

 

I'd better watch out - she may decide to take over my pony!! (Although I am more than happy to share him.)

 

These are still shots from the Jeremy Beale clinic I rode in waaaaaaay back in October 2012.

 

Scout pony:

 Just can't seem to keep my inside leg from slipping back and tilting my shoulders forward.

 

 

 

 

Maybe I should be a hunter rider.... :)

 

Here is little Tonto:

 

(Mr. Beale got a huge laugh out of this little guy...) Tonto is all of 11.2 hands.:)

 

This was Tonto's first time ever in an indoor arena. He did really, really well!

 

So anyway, we are still alive and kickin', just too busy with life in general to blog, it seems. Maybe with spring on the way we will get out and ride the ponies some more!

Scout's First Show - Videos!

Whew! I found the videos! I was so scared I had accidentally deleted them when I transferred a bunch of files to an external hard drive, but thankfully they were just in a folder with a name I didn't recognize.

Here is a brief video of us cantering in one of our flat classes:

And here is my treasured video of L jumping Scout. I thought they went around twice, but they only went around once. Either way, they both did fantastic. L is a superb young rider who I hope will ride on a Collegiate Equestrian Team in the future, along with her very talented older sister, E. :) I love these young ladies!

Very proud of both L and Scout (can you tell?) I hope I can take Scout to a few schooling shows this year. We'll see.

Next, I'll post about the Jeremy Beale clinic I took both Scout and Tonto to. That was a fun experience!

Happy Riding!

Finally Settled on a Saddle

Well, I gave in and finally ended up getting another Wintec All Purpose for Scout. I just didn't have the money to invest in anything else and I needed something adjustable. Of all my saddles (Stubben Seigfred, Passier P.S. Baum, Michael Stokes Centaur dressage saddle, Borelli, and smaller Wintec All Purpose), he was happiest in the Wintec with the medium-wide gullet. These first photos are of the 15 3/4 in. Wintec one of my best friends gave to my oldest son several years ago. I have been riding in it and decided I needed something only slightly bigger, so I purchased a 16-inch off ebay.

This is Scout in the new, used Wintec from ebay the day it arrived (yep, I lunged his hiney before I got on him):

Maybe one day we will be able to save for a nice close contact or something. :) For now, we will just be happy in a good fitting saddle that I don't have to clean and oil!!

Scout's First Show

On December 1, 2012, Scout attended his first show - at least the first show he has been to since I have owned him. My sweet friend's daughter, L, asked to borrow him when her pony sustained a knee injury. The funny thing is, she hadn't ridden him in months, so she came over the evening before, rode him at the walk, trot and canter (in the dark), cleaned him up the best she could because it was cold, we locked him in the stall for the night and loaded him up first thing that Saturday morning to take him to the schooling show.

When we unloaded him, L walked him around for a bit, then I lunged him and rode him in the warm up arena. Surprisingly, he was VERY good!! L hopped on him and warmed him up and they seemed good to go!

L with her Mom:

Pretty L on Scout pony!

L was wise and entered Scout in the Beginner Schooling Hunter class. It consisted of one walk/trot flat class and one small course of 4 18-inch fences.

They went around very nicely at the walk and trot in the flat class.

Jumping (which he excelled at!):

I had a video of them jumping their course, but can't find it on my computer! If I can locate it, I will upload it. They jumped around twice and this was Scout's first time jumping a course of jumps since I have owned him. Not sure what he has done in the past since he came from a horse trader, but I don't think he did hunters...maybe he did, though, because he sure acted like he knew what he was doing!

Standing quietly in the line-up (It looks like he is sleeping!):

Like a story-book ending, they ended up 2nd in each class out of 6!

Which earned them Reserve Grand Champions in that division!!

Scout getting some love from his favorite borrowed jockey:



I rode him in 2 flat classes, but didn't do nearly as well as L on him. We ended up 5th in both classes out of 6. :) I haven't taught him walk to canter transitions, so he bucked on the first one, (cause I jabbed the heck out of his side with my spur when I asked him to canter - so my fault on that one...) and in the second class he spooked and bolted when some children jumped off of a log just outside of the ring. All in all, though, for his first show, I thought he did great - and the fact that he stood still in the line up was amazing, because this fellow hates to stand still for any period of time!

Very proud of L and Scout and hopefully this spring I will be able to take him out to another schooling show or two. :)

Happy Riding!