Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Probably you should not try this at home

Most of the time when I ride, I take just one horse out and the other one stays at home. If I'm lucky, the hubby or MC will come along and ride the other one, but it doesn't happen all the time. So, I figured I'd give ponying a try and see if that was a viable way to exercise the boys together.

I decided I'd ride Red and pony Saga, since a) Red's boss, and b) Saga has probably been ponied since he was a race horse. I would have liked to have a rope halter for Saga for a little extra control, but I don't, so we made do with his regular nylon halter. I rode Red in his hackamore, since I knew I'd be riding one-handed.

Red was a total star and acted like he'd done this all before - and who knows, maybe he has? We trotted some on the road, and even got a short canter in on one of the trails. He rated well and was just a dream to ride. What a fun little guy!
Adorable pony ears!

Saga, on the other hand, showed his stubborn side. When we'd turn back away from home, he'd plant his feet and refuse to move. Moron. I had to turn Red around twice and smack Saga on the butt with the lead rope - after that he moved along well.

Saga looks less than thrilled at this prospect.

We also found out that there's a trail at the end of the street.

I hadn't tried it before because of this sign, but if you stay to the right, you'll find the trailhead.

The trail eventually meets up with another one that leads to the arena. Woohoo, a shortcut!

The part you shouldn't try at home? I admit I filmed some video while trotting. Unfortunately it turned out too bouncy to watch, but I managed to juggle Red's reins, Saga's lead, and the camera without dropping anything, including myself off of Red's back. Not bad, but definitely not recommended.

1 comment:

  1. Before I even got to the end I was thinking - what fabulous horses that you can work both at once AND take pictures. I'm impressed. With all of you!

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