Thank Goodness for Horses and Horse Husbands

I love how horses are so photogenic...always.  I got a new camera lens and have been taking advantage of both it and the amazing weather we have been having.  I have captured some neat candid shots of my kids just being themselves.  Also, I have to give credit to my husband.  For without him...There would be no horses.  There would be no new camera lens.  There would be no great riding partner on sunny February days.  There would be no one to take photos of me with my kids.  There would be no clinics, trucks, or trailers.  There would be no, "You're doing great, babe."  There would be no help unloading 300 bales of hay.  There would be no one to feed while I am gone.  There would be "no" a lot of things.  The support (and often times hard work) of a great horse husband is unparalelled, unconditional and undeserved.  C'mon gals...you know what I'm talking about.  Hooray for horse husbands and thank you especially, Lord, for mine.

 

My Horse Hubby...gettin' ready for a ride 

 

Bailey...just started working with her again now that winter is in on its way out...love the trot! (taken with the old lens)

  

Scout after a good ride 

  

 

  

  

Sweet boy 

  

Full of sass

 

Oh, Yawn...

Have you ever had that one horse that just doesn't really know he/she can't play with you like you are a horse?  Well, I have one of those.  Miss Bailey is desperate to play these days.  The boys don't really want to play with a "kid" and none of them are that crazy about running around the pasture anyway as they have already learned about slippery ice and snow....saw Bailey do a nice sliding stop a while back.  Lately, Bailey will see me head out to the barn from the house and be at the gate in a jiffy.  When I get there she consistently, more like every time, greets me with a playful low nicker, what I have come to recognize as her "I want to play with you" nicker.  This would be all well and good except that she truly hasn't learned that she could hurt me if she were to really play with me like she plays with her brothers.  I have to take my carrot stick out in the pasture with me or chance being run into, kicked at, squealed at, dive bombed, and nipped.  Now, I am not complaining...I love that she is so playful as I know it will pay off down the road.  I consider it somewhat of an honor that she would consider me to be another horse! :)  I would never do anything to truly break her of it, but she still has to learn where my boundaries are and that I am the leader.  Aw, but she is still so cute.  So, I started trying to teach her these things are not ok.  Of course, I chose a nice, warmer, crystal clear, sunny day to start and she was, of course, on her "worst" behavior being more playful than usual.  Things were going well at first.  She always has to be in the middle of things and is definitely an attention seeker.  She loves humans!...and dogs. :)  We were loving on the other horses and she came over and nudged her way into the mix until she was the center of our attention.  As the hubby tried rubbing her, she went to nip and we made her back up until she went freely without pushing back on me (aka: "Backing Cures Biting...always works, just not immediately).  She offered a couple of good rears and a whole lotta attitude, but I think she finally got the idea...the following photos show the aftermath and proof that backing really does cure biting and also causes extreme exhaustion. :)

 

yawn...

  

yawn...

  

yawn again...

  

big yawn..

 

and....another