Life has been so busy! I have not had much of a chance to write much here but thought I would try to jot down a few things while I had the chance! :)
We have been teaching up a storm and I have seen some really exciting progress with not only my regular students, but also with a number of you boarders who are also working to improve your relationship with your own horses. To me, that is one of the most exciting parts of my job.. to see a partnership grow.
In the last month we have gotten to a few shows and have three more coming up this month alone. Everyone has had great successes in not only bringing home the ribbons, but getting lots of great experiences under their belts. I have been so proud of everyone, horses and students! :)
Our first session of camp finished up a few weeks ago. I met a lot of new faces, but we also had a few girls who are regulars on the lesson schedule. We had lots of fun doing lots of different activities! The next session starts in a matter of hours (I really should get some sleep!).
The very core of a good lesson program... is GREAT lesson horses. Since I started in March we have been on the search for the right horses and ponies to add to the rankings of our already reliable horses. The intent is to find the right horses/ponies and no longer have to look for the next best thing.. it has been a bit of a revolving door in the last few months as far as new ones coming in and then going back out to find a different job/home that suits them better. Thus far, we have added Buzz and Willow. They have both turned out to be really fantastic, quiet and reliably the same from ride to ride. Buzz is a 9 year old registered paint while Willow is (gasp) a 4 year old off the track Thoroughbred. On Friday we brought home another new prospect. She is said to be about 15 years old and an Appaloosa mare. She is rather skinny.. but just has the best attitude about things. Went beautifully when I went to try her out and I have high hopes for her! Time will tell and Im sure I will be reporting back! :)
We have had a number of others come in for varying lengths of time and then move on to other homes. Lesson horse shopping is so difficult! They need to be good to work around on the ground so that just about anyone can lead, tack up, groom and bath them with some supervision... they need to go rather quietly and softly under saddle with no want to buck, rear, run off or do any other such thing that might harm our students. They need to be SOUND with no lameness issues so that they are in fact reliable from day to day. And the list goes on and on! It takes a special animal, with a special temperament to deal with being in a lesson program. Not all horses can handle being ridden by many different riders all the time.
