He's a chunky gelding of unknown breeding. Natasha and I decided to call him Otis or Odie. He's about 6 years old, calm, sturdy and quiet. He doesn't have much training yet, but he's willing to learn.
Mom came out to see him on Sunday. I bought him for her to ride - she doesn't like heights or narrow horses, so he's perfect for her. At about 13 2 hh, he's not tall, but he's built like a big comfy couch.
He's got some wear marks and scabs in his fur that suggest that he might have worn a collar and harness as a driving horse, but other marks on his neck suggest that he might have just been leaning over a fence and rubbing, too.
We saddled him up with Mom's big western saddle and Natasha got on him first. She rode him bareback in the pen at the auction, so she was pretty confident that he'd be fine. Just to be sure, we put the saddle on first, then patted it all over to see if we could provoke a reaction.He stood calmly by the mounting block and waited for Natasha to get on.
Natasha rode him around the ring in both directions. Walk and whoa are his favorites. That's perfect for Mom. With a little help from verbal commands and a tap of the whip, Natasha got him to do walk, trot (very bumpy) and canter in both directions. Whoa was easy - if you stop pushing him, he stops.
After Natasha got off, Mom got on.
She did walk and whoa in both directions, and then she and Natasha (on Dash, bareback) went out around the track. They did one full circuit around the half mile track.
Mom hasn't ridden in about 4-5 years, so this was a big step forward for her. I think Otis/Odie will be a perfect mount for Mom - he's the right height and width for her to feel comfortable - and he's not inclined to go fast.
Odie was a bit hot and sweaty after his workout this morning, so we hosed him off and Mom scraped the excess water out of his thick winter coat. He's well dressed for whatever winter throws at us this year - his winter coat is already several inches long.
He needs his feet done and until he gets his okay from the vet, he'll be in quarantine. Right now, he's turned out in the riding ring beside the cows. He knows what electric fence is all about, so he's safe there.
We moved the horses around to prepare them for the winter paddocks. We put almost all the mares together and did the same with the geldings. As you can see, Maggie and Beauty had a great time racing around in the new paddock!They're in with Roxy and Nikki now, along with S'Heir and Soul. S'Heir thought the chase me game was wonderful, as an Arabian, she's always up for a run around the field.
Autumn decided to look adorable and check out the salt block. She loves to rub her gums on it - I'm sure the hardness helps with her baby teeth. Hard to believe, but she's only 3 weeks old now. She's already eating hay beside mom at the big round bale.It's time to go put Delilah on the trailer to go to Saddle Ridge Stable for the next month for trailering. Serge is building shelters in the fields today, so if you want to give him a hand, come on out.
Reminder: Today is the last day to let me know about the Halloween Fun Day! I've heard from some of our boarders and regular visitors, but not all. Give us a call, send an email or leave a message when you're out - it should be fun for all ages.
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