This message is from: Amy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
I've been working with my five year old mare, Ivy, this summer,
getting her going under saddle and out on trails. She had a few
months of light walk/trot riding when she was three and then nothing
until this summer, but she's doing great. Like my other Fjord mare,
Belle, Ivy loves to motor down the trail, taking in the sights.
She's still pretty green about arena riding, in the sense of knowing
how to flex and bend and balance herself around a circle, so I
haven't done any canter work with her in the arena. But the other day
I decided to give it a try out on a wide, well-groomed trail across
nearly-flat terrain. The idea was to let my friend's horse go first
so that Ivy could just follow him into the canter, but Ivy's trot is
so much faster than my friend's gelding's trot that we ended up in
front. So I just sent some "yeehaw!" energy through my seat and
kissed to her and away we went! She knows what a kiss means in the
round pen, but in my experience that doesn't always translate when
under saddle.
She moved right into the canter from a fast but not rushed trot,
which is nice. And her canter is so smooth! But all you Fjord
people knew that already ;-) We had the opportunity to try cantering
five or six different times on the trail, but never for very long.
She seemed to get the idea of the transition pretty quickly, and she
seemed to be having fun, although after about the third time I think
she began to suspect that this might actually be "work"! She may
even have burned a calorie or two.
Someone from this list helped me buy this mare (registered as Sulphur
Springs Vera) a few years ago, sight unseen, and I've just been
delighted with her! I love all three of my Fjords, but as you all
know, they each have their unique set of endearing traits. Ivy is my
shadow pony, and she would be my "farm helper" pony too if she could
only hold a hammer! You can see photos of her on my farm web site.
--Amy
--
Marehaven Farm ~*~ Longmont, CO
http://www.marehaven.org
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