Blog friends are the best friends

I've been doing this whole blog thing for a long time now. And meeting my blog friends in real life and forming long lasting relationships is a wonderful side effect of blogging. I've been able to share my highs and lows, laugh and cry and reach out for comfort during the darkest of times with people who I've done the same for. The solidarity is strong.

So before I moved Scout back to PA, I took advantage of Megan K being close by so she could take Scout for a spin! After all, she's read about him plenty, and I knew she was eager to see what he was all about and I LOVE watching other people ride my horse (especially when they are as talented as Megan)!

Plus I really wanted to get an idea of how sound he was following his NYE shenanigans. So win-win for me:)

I think she liked him a little <3

And there's nothing like having a great rider tell you what a nice job you've done with your horse... I think her words were something along the lines of, "you've under sold him." Since he had been out of regular work and was still getting used to the low port Myler, he was a bit fussier in the contact than I would have liked, but she rode him really well and her strong right side helped keep him straight (he likes taking advantage of my weak side).

But damn did he look sound and fancy! My favorite part was the huge ear to ear smile on Megan's face as she circled around me.

He's got his thinking cap on:)

Maybe he wants to be a hunter?

I was concerned he'd give her a little bit of grief cantering as he's been a bit sassy about his canter transitions lately, but I needn't have worried because she spent a great amount of time getting him tuned into her at the trot. She was quick to reward him when he complied but also held him accountable for what she knows he can do. I was quite proud watching him and I could see glimmers of the kind of horse he's going to be.

Even his sticky right lead was no issue

My favorite part was when Megan picked up the canter for the first time and says, "omg, this canter xc!!!!" Talk about giving me all the warm and fuzzies. 

I wish she'd been able to jump him a little but the weather was not our side that day. And even though we moved back to PA, I'm hoping she'll come ride him more regularly in the future. I know it's always a risk when you let someone else pilot your horse... what if they don't get along, or what if they ride your precious horse poorly, and what if they fall off!? 

But I think there's great value in allowing your horse to be ridden by someone else, whether it's a trainer or a trusted friend. I believe that they (the horse) need some variety, and to understand different cues and pressure. And man, the view from the ground watching your lovely horse go around with someone else in the tack is something really special.

These two!!!!

I'm SO behind on posts, but just real quick:

Hi guys,

I'm here, I'm alive. Scout is doing well! To say things have been busy would be a massive understatement! Scout moved to new (hopefully permanent) farm. We bought a house. And I've been swamped with freelance photo work. I'm not complaining about all of that because it's all great news, but I've hardly had time to take a deep breath!

But I wanted to share with you Scout's remarkable progress over the last 9 months. Keep in mind he's been in very light work (or on periods of stall rest) for the last few months).

I think we've finally figured out a feeding program and work schedule that he can thrive on. The results:

Scout as a just turned 4 year old at the end on last May

You can see that all the right parts are there for a nice event type horse, but he's all sharp angles and legs. Zero topline and underweight from crashing post-track. Add a dull coat and he's not much to look at (no wonder no one bought him).

Looking like a real event horse just turning 5

Here with Megan K up, you can start to see the outline of a nice event horse. His coat is shiny, his body is filling out and his topline is much improved. He's still growing (much to my chagrin) but I think he'll truly come into his own in his 6th year. To me, it's a remarkable transformation and it gives me a lot of hope for the future.

Plenty of updates to come (including a recap of Megan's ride on Scout) but for now, just bear with me while I get through our move!!!!