Hackamore Heaven

Today I put hackamores on the "colts" just to see if I liked them better than bits or halters. They handled slightly better than in the halters. Cisco is really the best at walking-on. Chaco and Sparky kind of get stuck and I don't want to pressure them to walk, they will get it soon enough. With Chaco, I had him chasing me around the pen and running to the mounting bucket for me to hop on his back. I was leaping on them in all kinds of ways. It was a very joyous time for us all.

Cracker and I went for a long ride through the sagebrush, trying to avoid the prickly pears and little chollas. I stop him frequently to encourage him to put his head down and graze, but he is wound too tight to stop long. He seemed much safer than he did on his ride yesterday.

I think part of my problems with my riding animals are from having saddles that don't fit well. The Syd Hill Australian saddles, classy as they are, keep me from getting my leg back as far as I would like. The Wade just doesn't fit the mules at all and it has no where to attach a britchen. I also like to hop off often and the high back on the Wade is not good for that. I'm avoiding the problem, riding the colts bareback, but sooner or later, I will have to get on and really ride. Right now I am thinking that a Specialized Saddle would be just the thing... adjustable all over. Well, that and a Port Lewis pad to see that they really do fit. To upgrade my saddle system I just have to come up with a couple of grand beyond what I need for hay. Hmmm.. I will happily accept any donations!

Just a few more days until our young German cowboy arrives. Stefan is 17 and hopefully he can stick on a horse like a tick. Well, hopefully he will be quite fearless and agile. We'll see.