Horse Rescue Work

 I didn't do much work at the rescue today. When I got to there, all the horses were out in pasture rather than in their stalls, so Patricia and I immediately began mucking stalls. They weren't very dirty, probably because the horses had likely been turned out for several days. It didn't take long to clean all of them up. Once finished, we went to the pasture to get on the horses. Ricko was in a small pen near the gait, so Patricia haltered him and brought him to the round pen. She worked with him a bit, then handed him to me to hand graze him near the small arena. Ricko doesn't like grazing out in the pasture with the other horses. Later on, Patricia brought an older, Teddy, out to hand graze him as well. After a while, we left since all the other horses were somewhere out in the pasture.

 We went to Patricia's house after that to work with her horses, Tank and Tessa. Tank is a stocky bay mustang with a large white star on his face, and Tessa is a much small horse with an blanket marking on her rump. We saddled them(I used the Australian saddle) and rode them in the round pen for a bit at the walk and trot. Later, we exited the round pen and rode them in the yard, going around several times and traveling up and down slopes. Tessa is not used to going downhill, so we focused a lot on hills. Next, we returned to the round pen, circled several more times, and put the horses away.

 This Saturday I'll be going to the Fresno Horse Park to watch sarah from Eventing in Color ride. I had met her at a show last year, so it will cool to see her again and watch her ride. I'll make sure to take pictures. Oh, and check out Hillary's contest.

Working at the Rescue and Trying an Australian Saddle

 Today I went to the horse rescue to help out, something I've been doing weekly now. A seven-year-old boy I know named James also went because he takes lessons with Patricia, who works with the horses several times a week. After opening Patricia's trailer and unloading two horses, a bay mustang named Tank and a red roan with a blanket marking on her rump, Tessa, Patricia and I went into the pasture to get one of the horses for James to ride. We brought a bucket of grain and called the horses. I haltered one a dark bay Arabian named Chip and led him to the barn. Chip was throwing his head up in the air as I led him an started screaming when we got to far from the herd, so James didn't ride him. Instead, he rode Tank.

 He didn't ride very long so Patricia let another young boy ride Tank in the round pen and mucked a couple stalls while I watched the boy. Afterward, she tacked up Tessa and put an Australian saddle on Tank. An Australian saddle looks like a cross between a dressage saddle and a western saddle, with a horn, western stirrups, and a higher cantle than a typical dressage saddle. Patricia let me ride Tank in a small arena while she rode Tessa. Tessa is a rescue who has mostly been ponied(led my someone on another horse), so Patricia wanted the horse to follow Tank and I to gain confidence. Tank seems to be a kind, easygoing horse, just like Reno.

 We worked mostly at the walk, but did a little trotting as well. After about twenty minutes or so, we dismounted and Patricia began working with Serene. While she did that, I moved Ricko to another stall so I could muck his, then put him back. Patricia worked with putting a halter on and off Serene, then worked with picking up the young horse's hooves. When she was done, she returned the young horse to her stall.

 By that time it was late in the afternoon, so both of us put everything back and went home. It was fun being able to work around the rescue and I liked being able to ride. It was interesting riding in an Australian saddle, too. It was a good day.

Horse Rescue

  Earlier today I went to help out at the horse rescue for a few hours. Before going there, I went with Patricia, who helps out often, to pick up a few salt licks for the horses in the stalls. Then we went to rescue and began working. We began by turning out Ricko and the small dark bay mare. Then brought Dante to the round pen, cleaned his stall, and I began working with him. He had dried mud caked over some parts of his body, so I curried him before brushing him off, then free longed him for a few minutes.

 Next, Patricia moved Serene to Dante's stall and we began mucking Serene's stall. Afterward, it was time to work with Serene. Because Dante was in the round pen and Serene was in Dante's stall, we had to play musical stalls for a bit, moving Serene into her own stall, then moving Dante into his stall. We finally brought Serene to the round pen where Patricia worked with her a bit. She took Serene's halter off and replaced it with another to get her used to being halter, then longed her on the longe line in both directions. We then left her to let her absorb what she had done.

 Patricia moved Ardonis, a very light palomino, to the neighboring stall so we could muck his. When we were done with that, Patricia worked with Serene a bit more, leading her over a tarp. She then picked Serene's front hooves. Serene struggled a bit before Patricia could lift each front foot. Next, she returned Serene to her stall. She brought Ardonis to his stall as well.

 Finally, we returned the two horses we had turned out back to their stalls. Before leaving, we shoveled shavings into a muddy part of Dante's stall, mixed it into the mud to absorb the moisture, then scooped it up. After that, I went home.

Teaser: I have a secret that you will see after Saturday's lesson, when I post the pictures. I'll keep you suspense until then.

My Day at the Rescue

I once again volunteered at the rescue. When I arrived there, I helped a regular volunteer, Patricia, muck stalls. We started with a palomino named Ardonis, leading him to the round pen before doing his stall, which was flooded from the recent rain. After mucking in, we covered some of the mud with dirt, then returned Ardonis to his stall.

 We did the other four horse's stall's one by one, taking its occupant out and doing some work with him or her before doing the stall and returning the horse. Patricia is now able to brush Serene, the bay youngster. She did that while in the round pen, and also lunged Serene and tried putting a halter on the horse to get her used to having one put on.

 After that, we worked with Dante, a bay Arabian. I lunged him off the lungeline and groomed him in the round pen before we took him to a small arena to lunge him in figure eights around two barrels. Patricia taught me how to do it, then I tried.

 Next, we worked with Ricko, the large bay horse that looks like he could be a dressage horse. I lunged him and brushed him before Patricia tacked him up. He was likely kicked and treated roughly in the past, so he was anxious when being mounted. He pulled away several times before she successfully mounted. She had me come over and lead Ricko, who was tense the whole time. After a few minutes, she dismounted.

 Finally, we worked with the last horse, a small bay mare who had shed out most of her hair. She had recently injured her left front fetlock, so I only lunged her lightly and brushed her before putting her away.

 After that, I went home. I'm likely going to be able to come once a week to help, which is cool. I really enjoy helping out, and I am grateful the Patricia can teach me horsemanship while I am there and give m,e more experience working with horses.

Farrier + Horse Rescue

 Early this week, I helped my mom's friend catch her horse for the farrier. Roman, a chestnut Quarter Horse, doesn't like being caught, so we tried to have him go in a corner where another horse was eating hay. That way one of us could easily put the lead rope on him.

 When that didn't work, we decided to lunge around the paddock without the lunge line until he realized that not being caught was harder work. Gradually, he began to slow down. The farrier came and we still hadn't caught Roman, so he worked on the other a horse, a black mustang named Smoky. By the time the farrier was done with Smoky, we had caught Roman. I held Roman while the farrier worked on his hooves. Both horses were kept barefoot, so it only took a few minutes. I watched as the farrier worked. After he had left, we let both horses out to graze on the green grass.

*  *  *

 I was also able to help out at the local horse rescue. I lunged and groomed several horses, and worked with a young bay two-year-old, Serene, getting her used to being touched all over. I also worked with a bay Arabian stallion named Dante, who gave little attitude but was cooperate later. 

 One of the last horses I helped work with, Rico, was a large dark bay, about 16 hands high. I knew at once that he had some potential for dressage by looking at his conformation. I am by no means an expert at assessing conformation, but I could tell by looking at him. Because he had been rescued at the auction, no one knew what breed he was. He looked almost like a Thoroughbred, with long legs and prominent withers. When I said that, the women I was helping, Patricia, told me that farrier said the horse's hooves were too good to be a Thoroughbred's. I lunged him a bit off the lunge line. Patricia put a saddle(western), just to get him used to not be hurt in the saddling process. Soon after, I went home.

 I will be having a lesson Saturday, if it doesn't rain.