So this tuesday, I admit….I got distracted again.  I just HAD to get my veggies planted and build a raised bed and mow the pasture.  Its gonna rain tomorrow after all and this stuff just HAS to get done! But I stuck to the plan to play with Bogie.  You remember him….he dumped me last week, when his saddle became unpredictable.  Anyway, we warmed up with some hindquarter and forequarter yields….he is soft as butter. Then I tested out our friendly game…which is broken.  Alot of crazy running and drunken sailor behavior from me, only to softly rub him.  He got it pretty quickly, since we have done this before.  Horses need to remember that ‘not everything means do something’.   Then we played around with squeezing over a jump.  Note here:  Bogie has never jumped anything that I am aware of.  I made a gap for him to walk through…after all, it wasn’t about jumping…it was about problem solving.  There are several parts to the squeeze game….send (to the ‘problem’), allow (them to try), …

Yesterday was to be my first Tuesday Driving Day.  But I got off track.  It was hot and buggy.  I brought the horses into the barn for the afternoon with the plan to trim feet and work on some ground work in preparation for driving.  I got distracted by unpacking some remaining boxes in the barn and moving the wagonette to the arena, where I want to use it with Ripple.  Soon I was hanging hooks and pictures in arena and barn.  Soon after that, it was 4pm… Disgusted with my distractability, I pulled Bogie out to trim his feet.  He was surprisingly good.  Calm and cooperative.  Not his typical distracted self.  So when my boarder, Pam arrived and asked if I wanted to go for a short ride, I agreed and saddled up Bogie.  I haven’t ridden him since last fall.  I restarted him under saddle last summer and he is a fun ride, but can be alittle tense.  I didn’t have any serious concerns yesterday but did think to grab my helmet.  Well his calm, …

We are finally settling into our new home in Danby, Vermont.  Lovely new facility and farm.  I’ve just returned home from Ladd Farm in Bridgewater Farm where we have conducted our fourth driving workshop in two years.  Its always inspiring to see how much progress horses and their humans can achieve in  just a few days.  So inspired I have committed to my own driving goals for the summer…..1.  To get the basic driving foundation on my saddle horses, Beaugart, a ASH/arab cross (who has issues with ropes in zome 4 and 5) and my aging anglo/arab Manny.  2.  To get Ripple, one of my Percheron rehabs comfortable driving as a single (this makes him anxious) and 3. to bring a new horse along…foundation, to ground driving to driving a cart.  So, Tuesdays are my days off.  Never had one of those before!  Tuesdays are now driving days at the farm.  I welcome visitors, teamsters, friends, family and anyone interested in learning to drive to come on out to the new farm and get involved.  …