Friday, September 27, 2013

Buffing Up

It's time for winter stock up! Yesterday Dan and I got our workout helping Jan unload and stack four wagonloads of hay, about 350 bales total, in preparation for winter.

Wagon #1
Asher came along with us and was a very good boy. We're doing our be to expose him to everything we possibly can and so far so good :) Here's the loft once we were all finished:
With all that hay stacking I was a little sore and tired today so I just did some groundwork refreshers with Charlie rather than ride. I'm trying out some new exercises Jan taught me to help Charlie relax and lower his head and yield his hindquarters, some John Lyons stuff (he's a certified JL trainer). Seems to be going well so far, although Jan swears that with a horse that throws his head up, if you allow a loop in the lead rope the horse will automatically lower his head; I'm not so confident about that yet. Maybe it only really works if the horse starts to fight you. I still have to apply some pressure to get Charlie's attention and then release once he gives a bit, then he'll lower his head nicely.

Charlie himself has been buffing up a bit too, although I realized yesterday it's been quite awhile since the last conformation shot. Sorry! He's starting to fill out with muscle, especially in his butt and shoulders as well as his lower back/pelvis. His neck is much less scrawny too.


Darn horse, wouldn't stop looking at me lol
He still has a ways to go but here's a picture from last winter for comparison (mind you, he had his winter coat then so and you could still see his ribs):

Dec 2012
And, just for cuteness' sake, I'll end with some pictures of Asher :)

Goin' for a walk with Dan and Uncle River
Exploring the creek
Nap time!

7 comments:

  1. Look how much his back has come up. Saddle fit time? ;) He looks a lot better.

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  2. That pup is too cute! What a change! He looks good!

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  3. oh the joys of doing hay. FYI...you guys need a little lesson in hay stacking lol you can fit way more in and make it store better if you stack it properly! Just my two cents.

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  4. Charlie is looking awesome - keep up the great work!

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