A Few Big Firsts

It has finally warmed up a bit so that the ground isn't frozen. It has been the worst winter we have had in a long time, so I was excited to finally get some riding time in! When I got to the barn I noticed Stella had finally rolled. She has been a prima donna and has kept herself sparkling clean up until now. She had dreadlocks of mud in her mane..mud caked under her halter....it was a mess....about 1.5 hours of grooming time mess! Thank goodness she did it early enough in the a.m. that most was dried and easier to get off. I am happy that she is getting more comfortable with her surroundings! I pulled her shoes a month ago, so she seems a little tender footed. I will put shoes back on her when we get back into serious work. Hopefully her hooves will toughen up a bit.

I have been lunging Stella for the past 2 months and figured it was the perfect time to get on and take her for a walk. The ground is very sloppy! In the beginning she didn't understand the concept of walking forward. With a little help from my friend, she understood what I wanted her to do. Here is a video of when I first got on. It is all about the small steps! After a few minutes of stop and go action...she became comfortable and walked around willingly.