Chat
07-12-2021, 08:44 PM
Phil and I had a very awesome time yesterday. We went up to Dawson Butte open space near Larkspur and made a day of it. I took my horse Dusty so I could ride the x-country course set up there, and Phil brought Finn so they could hike. We didn't see each other much throughout the day, but we both had a fantastic time! Dusty impressed me very much with her jumping skill and style. I started her jumping just a little bit last summer but she was very timid and we never jumped higher than about 2 feet. This year I started teaching a beginner jumping class at RCC Saddle Club on Thursday nights and we've been practicing gymnastic grids. We haven't set up any actual courses yet, so taking Dusty to a real x-country course with many different types of solid fences was a big step for us! She did very well considering how little experience she's had. She jumped every single jump on the course, and any time there was an option for a low or high effort, I pointed her at the high side. Not that anything was all THAT high. I think the biggest jump on the course was about 3 or 3.5 feet, but that can sure look big when you haven't jumped in 10-20 years like me! Dusty was good with the "big" jumps, but she was nervous of the weirder looking ones like the blue plastic barrels, the chicken coops, and this manger thing piled full of very messy straw. But even if she had to stop and look at some things more than once, she eventually jumped all of them. I was very proud of her!
Phil had a good time on the 5-mile loop with Finn. Finn was a trooper, but toward the end of the day he started to flag. Luckily I was done with my ride so I found Phil and Finn on the trail and got off so I could walk the last bit with them. That perked Finn up quite a bit. We were back at the trailers when some ladies who had just finished riding came over to meet Finn. They were blown away by his size, his beautiful horns, his striking colors, his proud demeanor, his polite handshake, and most of all his sweetness. Finn is friends with everyone and he loves being adored. I think those ladies fawned over him for a good half hour. One of them even had some peanuts in her truck which she let Finn have. She got a video of Finn sipping Gatorade from the bottle. He's gotten very good at drinking from a bottle. He barely spilled a drop!
We stopped off for ice cream on the way home and it was the perfect end to a perfect day.
Phil had a good time on the 5-mile loop with Finn. Finn was a trooper, but toward the end of the day he started to flag. Luckily I was done with my ride so I found Phil and Finn on the trail and got off so I could walk the last bit with them. That perked Finn up quite a bit. We were back at the trailers when some ladies who had just finished riding came over to meet Finn. They were blown away by his size, his beautiful horns, his striking colors, his proud demeanor, his polite handshake, and most of all his sweetness. Finn is friends with everyone and he loves being adored. I think those ladies fawned over him for a good half hour. One of them even had some peanuts in her truck which she let Finn have. She got a video of Finn sipping Gatorade from the bottle. He's gotten very good at drinking from a bottle. He barely spilled a drop!
We stopped off for ice cream on the way home and it was the perfect end to a perfect day.