Saturday, April 18, 2009

Misty & Marley Go to School - Part 2

Would somebody please turn off the snow!

I'm not going to take any pictures this weekend, because all this white stuff is getting to be too mundane.

Last Tuesday, Misty & Marley had their 2nd lesson at school. They didn't get ridden, but were worked in the round pen after it dried out a bit following last weekend's snow storm.



A muddy Marley working in the round pen.



Misty's turn.



I wonder what radio station she's tuning into.



Ah, Marley. He has that combination blond-surfer-dude/cute-guy/devilish-boy look about him. I can't quite come up with a name for it. He must be picking up the same radio station as Misty.

The trainers pointed out things that my novice eye doesn't yet see readily. They said, although Marley couldn't go anywhere in the round pen and didn't do anything with great speed, he "ran-off" several times. They could see these subtle "run-offs" in his body posture and attitude. He's still bracing on his right side and looking for ways to get away from the work. Basically, he's broken. Not broken as in trained to ride. But broken as in not functioning properly. He won't be repaired overnight because he's had many years to practice and perfect this attitude, but he is showing that he can learn. He's a good boy and I am committed to seeing that he becomes a happy and pleasurable saddle pony.

Misty is not broken fortunately. She just needs experience.

The training is stalled right now due to weather. Hopefully I'll have more progress to report next week.

I hope you are having a good weekend, doing good things with your equines. We're snowed in, so hubby and I are finally going to get to watch the movie "Australia" now. It's a good day for curling up on the couch and watching a movie.

6 comments:

  1. Glad the training is progressing even if it is slowly. Misty has the cutest face! My husband and I just started watching "Australia" last night and so far I love it! We stopped it about half way through because my husband just couldn't stay awake any longer. I am anxious to watch the rest of it tonight.

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  2. Enjoy the rest of the movie, RMY. My husband and I both liked it very much.

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  3. Your two horses are adorable. Hope your weather clears soon but until then enjoy your movie.

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  4. Thanks Grey Horse. It's beautiful and sunny today. I hope it stays that way.

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  5. I would be interested in hearing more about Marley's issues. You might have read on my blog that Edgar has been "running off" or bolting recently too. Today instead of immediately stopping him I just rode it out and steered. As soon as he tried to slow down I made him keep going for awhile. He was so surprised! Silly boy didn't try it again the whole ride, I think I turned the tables :)

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  6. Your horses are really cute, OnceUpon.
    I know exactly what you mean when you speak about Marley's look. He reminds me of my daughter's first pony, Felix. We renamed him "Bøllegull" which means something like "Rascalsweetie". He was a good mixture, lol! He was sweet most of the time, but if he saw an oppurtunity he just couldn't help himself...

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