Happy Birthday Jack & Jill Gets Ridden Outside of the Round Pen

The boys and a Visitor

Finally a nice sunny day yesterday and a perfect day for Jack to celebrate his birthday and a great day for just hanging out and enjoying life.  Since we now have a new paddock fence we all can go out at the same time or if we have a visitor like we did last weekend he can go out for awhile without worrying about getting mobbed by the boys.  But yesterday Kyle and Jackie were busy putting up this little white fence (that certainly wouldn't keep any self respecting horse in) called a dressage ring and since it was a nice day and we really didn't want to come in just yet; they turned out the boys in the paddock and left us girls out in the pasture.  Well that was all well and good but what about nap time?  Well that's when we decided that a little sun bathing wasn't such a bad idea.

Girls Napping

We had all sorts of trailers coming in yesterday and I got to see a bunch of new horses and watch a few lessons but that got kind of boring so I went off with the girls to  munch on some more grass, take another nap and hopped up onto the bank to check out the grass on top.

It was well after lunch time when we were finally brought in for our breakfast!  But I didn't mind since it was such a nice morning albeit a little chilly.  I'm usually really good about going into my own stall, but when I saw that the door was open to the stall that has the straw piled in it along with the hay I took advantage of it.  You see since we have more horses than stalls right now I sometimes get put in the bedding stall while the night shift comes in and the day shift goes out.  The other day there was a miscommunication and I was left in the bedding stall for a couple of hours and I had the best nap on a big pillow of straw...so when I saw the stall open yesterday I took advantage of the situation and enjoyed the big pillow again!

That's me napping on my big pillow

Last night Kyle rode me again and for the first time I didn't have to be ridden in the round pen, yeah!!!  But since it was my first time in the open so to speak (we were in that funny looking little dressage ring) they hooked me up to the luge line.  It felt so good to be in a bigger more open area that I just trotted & trotted & trotted without needing to be reminded to keep moving.  In fact I even took a few canter strides ;)  I heard Jackie say something about me practicing my 20 meter circles.  Don't ask me what that was all about.  I guess like everything else I'll learn about that soon enough.  When we were done I gave Kyle a ride up the hill and he gave me bunches of pats & scratches and told me what a good girl I was and again kept saying how laid back I am.  I guess the 2 red heads he rides aren't so mellow ;)

Well that's it for now.

Jill

Well they say that yesterday was my birthday.  I don't quite remember what it was like when I was born except it had to be warmer than it was yesterday morning!  It sure was chilly in the morning.  But as Jill said, it was a nice sunny day and a good day to just hang out with my friends.  Yes you heard that right; I have friends now.  That little guy Blaze and I are hanging out together and playing and running around.  Some may say that I'm getting too attached because the other day when Kyle brought Blaze in I blasted through the new fence to be near him.  I won't do that again, that fence has a bit of kick to it that he other one didn't!  But since Blaze only goes down to the round pen to work and comes right back out again I don't worry so much anymore when he leaves.

I got ridden in the round pen again this week and Jackie just stood in the middle and didn't encourage me forward with that funny clucking sound or lunge whip so when I stalled out Kyle kicked me with his legs.  I didn't like that very much and I gave a funny little jump a couple of times until I figured out what he wanted.  So if Kyle closes his legs on me I'm suppose to go forward and if I don't he kicks me a little harder.  OK I think I get it, but I may need a reminder.  When we were done I gave Kyle a ride up the hill.  If you have ever been here before you know that is a pretty big hill and they were laughing at me calling me a drunk sailor.  I'm not sure what that's suppose to mean; I was doing the best I could.

I was going to get ridden in that funny little white fence yesterday too, but it was getting late and since it was my birthday I was told I could have the day off.  Then I got my favorite, rubs on my forehead and telling me I was a good boy even when I was just hanging out in the pasture.   I was a nice day; I really like it here!

Jack