Saddling Up!

     Today was a beautiful day for some Jellybean time! I grabbed her from the pasture and groomed her for awhile, even combing out her tail. She was very good about being patient, no pawing and limited tail swishing. After she was shiny and pretty, I checked her height and weight for an update. She is officially 15hh and about 680lbs. Not too shabby! She has gained back her lost weight and will hopefully keep piling on more. 

I'm bored. Where did you go??

     While we were waiting for the round pen, we trotted in hand through the big arena. Since there was a cavaletti out, we walked and trotted over the ground pole. Jellybean was a little bit bossy at the trot in hand, but she wasn't very serious about pushing me around. She trotted over the pole like a champ, just taking everything in stride. 

     Back to the round pen, Robert lunged her around to focus her mind for a few minutes, then I saddled her up. She wasn't interested in much, other than the grass she was trying to eat. She didn't even mind when I cinched her up. When she was secure, Robert lunged her around until she was calming going at all gaits in both directions. She is so smart, this only took about 10-15 minutes :)

This video shows her first few rounds with the saddle.

Look how calm I am!

Jellybean is an awesome horse!

     Next time, we will review the long lining, then add the saddle to the mix!