A week and a half in

Siaga's been home for a week and a half and while the renovations aren't complete, the basics are done and Siaga now has a nice big paddock with safe fencing and a run in shelter, and a giant stall (that's cleaned out every day unlike the stall at the barn I was working at, hrmph).  I've settled into my new routine and he has, as well. I've had the chance to take a small ride and it was hilariously awkward as it seemed he couldn't remember ANYTHING about directions.

Anyway, enjoy some pictures!

In his new giant stall with new mats.

Coming out of the run-in like a bronco.

LOOK MOM, GREEN STUFF!! And my dad in the background.

Enjoying his new space to run. :)

Barn progress

Well. Here's what's done so far:
The double cattle stand stall (about 6'x11' in size) has been joined with the pony stand next to it, making it nearly 11'x10'. The old hay has been raked out and burned. Trees in the back and most of the old fencing have been removed. Ground has been mostly cleared. Fencing and posts and new stall mats have been bought.

But we still have holes in the roof to fix, a main post to fix, the stall gate to rehang, trash to be removed, and fencing put up. D: Not to mention we're bringing in gravel to put under the mats and in the carport that we're turning into the run in. Lot of work but I'm glad to see it getting done.

Trust me, you haven't missed much

It's been forever, I know. But then, I've barely even looked at my horse this year. Since I've started school, and I'm working two part time jobs (though one has the hours of a full time job, somehow) I've got maybe two miles worth of riding in this year. But that's going to change, I promise!

We are currently in the middle of renovating my barn so that Siaga can come home from the barn I've been working at and so that I can also leave that barn. We are expanding his stall, the pasture, creating a run in shelter, putting up new fencing, fixing holes in the roof, fixing wall beams, and so on and so forth. Siaga will be returning home in the first few days of July.

One thing that did happen that I should have blogged about was my trip to Last Chance Corral in Athens, OH. Since my dream is to open my own horse rescue (probably not around here, I'd really like to move to a warmer place with less dramatic winters and a lot of my ancestral heritage (perhaps New Mexico or Arizona?)) it was really amazing to go there.

The place sits on like a single acre of land in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio, with the house and the foal barn atop a cliff overlooking the single turn out paddock. The paddock is front and center, with two curved hills to either side that lead to the house and foal barn directly above. On these hills are the two "big horse" barns. All the horses are turned out together, but there was no skirmishing or fighting, only a love of life.

Honestly the whole place was amazing and I'd really love to go back one day, and I can't wait to build my own little horse sanctuary.

Can't forget the pictures! Enjoy!

This is the trailer load of donations that we took with us. It might have started out as a small two person road trip, but it ended in a community donation of 50 bales of bedding, tons of blankets and horse tack, horse treats, and foal milk/colostrum replacement, and a hearty dose of monetary donations as well!

The view from the road as we pull in. Willow trees everywhere.

The house and foal barn sitting above the paddock. The cliff isn't that huge, but it's enough. :)

Frolic and play! The big horses!

BABY BUTTS!!! They all seems to think that if they turn their butts to the crazy humans, the crazy humans no longer exist.

But not all were scared of people. This little tyke, named Paparazzi, a TB/Arab orphan who's mommie died when she had him premature, though not feeling well at the time, was inquisitive and loved attention and nuzzled me quite a lot and I loved every moment of it. I wish I could have brought him home.

And of course, at least one of us couldn't leave without taking a baby home, so Jeni came home with this TB/Draft cross, a lovely huge bay fellow she named Comet. :)

More trotting and a new goal

Siaga and I are trotting more and more every ride, though half the time he has ZERO sense of direction while riding the trot, mostly because he's focused on getting back to the gate so we can just STOP ALREADY, MOM! lol

Anyway, I think this Sunday Kathryn and I and a few other people at the barn are going to go on our first trail ride of the season. As long as the trails aren't total mudslop, Siaga should be perfectly ok with this, he actually has shown me to be a more relaxed horse on the trail than in the arena.

I've decided that I'm going to attempt to learn mounted archery. When I was a kid, I loved playing with my brother's compound bow and I had good aim with it. It's been a while but since I've borrowed his recurve and got some new arrows for myself, it's all coming back. So my goal with Siaga is tackless riding, which is what we've been working on in the arena, going at a walk/trot with minimal interference from my hands, and I've been accomplishing this by riding him in just his halter and bareback and carrying a crop to tap him into the right direction if he doesn't listen to my seat and legs before I go for the lead rope that's tied as his reins.

Not bad for being a little rusty at it still, eh? All three large holes in the box are from me. I hit it a few more times after that, but I admit most of my shots missed. 

"Just ride the trot!"

So today at the barn I took Siaga to the indoor for a little bareback ride. I had my helmet, Siaga had his halter and a leadrope looped around his neck and tied at the clasp like reins on a bosal.

After about 20 minutes of just walking around and reminding him of how to change direction, whoa, and go, from my seat, I lifted my ribs, pushed my hips, and asked for a trot. Now normally Siaga is either "Nooooope, I'm waaaaalking." OR he goes "You want fast? I'll show you fast!!!" But today, he was like "Oh, trot? Ok." And he took a few pattering strides and stopped, and I praised him wholeheartedly.

And we kept doing it until we got a span of trotting half way around the indoor. It was lovely! He has such a nice trot and it's so easy to ride, even bareback with no bridle, as I wasn't focusing on guiding his direction, just keeping him moving along at a trot. Next time will be a "cruise control" lesson, I think, with pretty much nothing but trotting.

Hurray!

Holy Moly!

Wow, yeah, I've been gone quite a while, haven't I!?

Let us update, yet again.

So I've started back to school, I'm officially enrolled in all online classes at Ivy Tech of Richmond, Indiana, and I'm studying Business Administration, aiming towards that dream goal of mine to run a rescue.

Siaga is getting wonderful at moving off of my seat. I don't normally have enough time (between working two jobs (even though I still am employed at the tractor place, I am laid off until spring) and going back to school) to fully saddle up and actually RIDE, so Siaga and I just don a halter and a lead rope looped around and tied like reins on a bosal, and my helmet, and we just putter around the arena like that. Because of the decided lack in contact to his mouth, I'm getting more forceful with my seat and making him listen to that, and gradually I have been able to relax and give him lighter signals that he responds to.

I also thought lately that it would be really amazing to take up mounted archery, since that will really help he and I work as a team and as one rather than two separate beings with two minds working not together.

We'll see. I have to get a bow and arrows first and master my aim from the ground before I climb up there for that. lol

Updates

So Siaga is no longer living here with me. My riding instructor, Kathryn, called me a few weeks ago to say that she's moved to a new barn that's closer to me and said she needed some help and she'd be glad to give Siaga the last stall if I'd come out and do stalls and feed a few days a week.

So last Thursday was moving day and Siaga and I now have an indoor arena and an outdoor arena, lots of fellow horses, lots of trails, etc, to play on.

We rode in the indoor on Saturday, and he was behaving so well! I had a lot of fun playing "snake" and winding around the puddles on the floor (I guess the roof leaks a bit in places) and he was moving off my seat and woahing and going and changing direction with all the ease of a well trained dressage horse. Or maybe not quite that well, but he's getting there!