Even though Foster isn’t with me at the moment, I thought it might be fun to share some of the things I learned from our last rides.

On a night when the cold temperatures kept the other boarders away, we had another nice quiet evening in which to test those bridleless skills again. Since I’m nowhere near as brave as Carly, so I opted to keep my saddle and again warmed up with the bridle, since who could say if our first ride was a fluke!

When things seems to be going just as swimmingly as the time before, I slipped the bridle off and played around a little more.

I wanted to see if I could do lateral movements without using rein aids, and in general these exercises were fairly revealing.

First, it became quickly obvious to me that Foster wants to continue to lean on the left shoulder. Considering the weak front right fetlock and right stifle issues, this really isn’t all that surprising in itself. I suppose what was nice to note was that the leaning isn’t also in part due to my less-coordinated left side, since there was obviously no rein for me to flail around.

I was also surprised that I had more control of the shoulders (bar a bit of leaning) than I thought I would have with no reins. Granted, I am still using the neck strap as a “blocking” aid for the shoulders when need be. So we practiced leg yields and some other transitions, as seen in the video below.

Since this ride I’ve also introduced riding in the arena bridleless with other horses around, as I didn’t want to waste an opportunity to play just because others were also riding. Though I played fairly conservatively and picked my moments to try certain things, Foster continued to be a champ. I even peer pressured got my friend A up on him with no bridle, and she was able to walk, trot and get transitions without reins.

Overall, I’m glad I tried something new, and was able to learn from it. If Foster comes back we will continue playing around with no reins. And if not, well, here’s hoping the next horse is just as great at helping me let go.

Because 24 hours after listing the house, we got an offer! We are officially under contract, folks!

So sorry for the sudden silence- we’re off hunting down our next home!

This is potentially a big week for me and mine.

The house is in the last stages of prep for going on the market. Therefore a house hunting we will go.

The horse, well, it looks like we’re about to implement stage 2 of his competition retirement.

And this weekend I’m potentially off to explore a business venture that could be super fun and exciting.

But with all this, we are also concerned with more family health issues. And family comes first.

 

I hate to be so cryptic, and hopefully I’ll be able to share soon.

 

Most (but of course not all) of us keep our horses at boarding facilities. So unless you work at a co-op barn, or own your own place, you’ve learned the value of a good barn manager.

I’ve learned over the years that a barn manager can make all the difference in the world, that a so-so facility can be the best option with a good person in charge, and likewise a great place with a poor manager is reason for instantaneous departure.

These good barn managers are worth their weight in gold in my eyes. And the qualities that make them so valuable?

First and foremost, they put the horses first. They are observant, and take the time to notice if something is out of sorts with a horse, whether that be suspicious rolling or a lost shoe. And they communicate- keeping the owner or leaser in the loop and collaborating on details such as nutrition and turnout. They do the absolute best with what they have to create a safe place for the horses, even though that may mean taking on tedious projects and longer hours in return. And all this, often with no extra reward or compensation. Pretty much, they are gator-driving, muck shoveling angels.

To show appreciation for the hard work that these guys (or gals) put in, I like to try to make things easier for them wherever possible. If smartpaks make life easier, I’ll order smartpaks. I’ll make horse cookies to stuff medication in, so he doesn’t have to wonder if the horse got his meds. I’ll pick out the stall whenever I have time, refill the water, and change blankets when need be. And when helping out isn’t possible, I’ll bring beer as a token of appreciation.

I know I’m not alone, as I see many of my fellow boarders put in these little “favors” to help a good manager out. After all, we all know how lost we would be without them.

What do you do to help barn management? If you own a facility yourself, what do/could your boarders do to help you?