Robe is in training to go under saddle. He has a lot of weight to lose and some attitude as well!

Robe is in training to go under saddle. He has a lot of weight to lose and some attitude as well!

It is here! Ride season has started for us Northerners. While we may not yet have rides in Alberta, there are some rides in the USA which are close enough for us to get to. After a fairly reasonable winter, I have still struggled to find time to ride and condition with work taking a priority.

I finally have a few rides in and am heading off to our first ride next week in Spokane, Washington on Sam. The advantage of having over 10 years with your horse in competition is it never takes them as long to get fit as it does with a horse only in training for a couple of years. Keep in mind that I will be using the ride for conditioning so I am not going out to race! It is preparation for our 100 mile that we will be doing this month.

I have also spent time with Sam’s half-brother Robe training him to saddle. He has a lot of weight to lose and some attitude as well! When he doesn’t understand what I am asking, he bites at his chest or the reins, whichever is closest. All horses have a way of telling you when they don’t understand. The trick is in recognising it before they have to yell which is usually then a buck!

When you get on Robes back, he feels double the size of Sam. I should probably take pictures from the top down so you see what I mean. Every horse feels different but his nickname since birth has been ‘little man’. I have now upgraded it to ‘the tank’. He looks like a quarter horse, but is pure Arabian.

So time to test out my new trailer on the road. Looks like a girlfriend and her horse will be coming with us so we will have company for a change.