Be Free

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Learning the Ropes

Recently, we had this young man recruit our horses to add to the skill set he needs for a wrangler position he's about to step into. Rely and Ellie were glad to oblige. Rely, learned to neck rein for the crash-course. Hence the hackamore.

Getting in rhythm with Rely takes balance and finesse. You can see he got it! If you think that much suspension (see all four feet off the ground) is easy to sit, try it!
The all-terrain choice is Ellie. She's like riding a four wheeler (nearly as wide).

Longing is something that requires practice to master. Here's the end result. See the earlier requests of Rely. He was much more cooperative this time around.



Of course, saddling is an essential skill. Getting a saddle on Rely tight is an art. He has no withers. The bridling, too, took some practice.
Learning to read horse body-language lesson was provided by Rely & Ellie.
And Rely and Grace.
By the end of the second session; they were seeing eye-to-eye.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Rely Returns


Well, Rely flunked his trial. They gave him a good try and he convinced them he has his mind on things which should not distract him. So, we retrieved him and soon after we hitched him to our heavy carriage and gave some company rides. He was a little concerned about the weight of the vehicle when loaded, but he didn't have to pull it far or fast or up or down hills. I keep telling him he should thank God he's not Amish.

Then, we took him to a show and entered him in a trotting race! That was a blast!
And Kevin showed him in liberty! They got second!
He seems glad to be back with us. I feel the LORD again has returned him to me. I'm holding him loosely, but enjoying having him home!