What a year.

Should I mention that I am taking up riding at the mature age of 58?

I lost my rescue horse Tanka to a tragic end early in the year. I loved the way he would talk to me. I still remember the time we stood looking out over the desert across the neighbor's yard. Tanka turned to me and said, "There's been someone over there." He looked back towards the desert. "I know, that's the neighbor. He's building a fence." Tanka pondered that, turned his face towards me again and said, "I'm very worried about that." "it's okay, buddy, it's his yard." Tanka sighed and we stood there looking out into the desert....content to be with one another.

I found Tucker and then outgrew him in only 6 months.

The having a big horse and the horse riding has been an emotional, satisfying, scary, exhilarating, confusing roller coaster of a ride. A real learning and growing time in my life.

I have bought or used several types of bridle, lots of saddle pads. I bought a saddle. Used four different saddles to ride in. Ridden three different horses [not counting the three or four I rode when buying a horse]. Bought lead ropes and halters. Used a couple of farriers. The experiences are adding up.

Who knew that I would come so far in so few months of riding? Yes, I have a long ways to go but I am doing it.

I am physically stronger. That was one thing I was hoping to get from riding.

My husband's uncle the cowboy so wants me to keep going. He is so impressed. Such a nice man.

I agree that I have done pretty good at the riding. Maybe not quite as good at the horsemanship and maybe not so good at sticking up for myself. I'll have to work on both.

I am going to ride as many horses as I safely can for the time being. Learn what I like and don't like.

I have a lead on a good trainer who has lesson horses. I'll make the call after the first and see what we can arrange.

I now know that I don't like a horse that is klutzy. I want a horse that can trot or lope but, obviously, is really good at a walk.

I want a smoother trot on a horse. Not so choppy.

Probably a shorter horse. I want to be able to get off and on without a mounting block :) The desert is so flat here. There are no ditches or logs to use for cheaters.

I want a horse I can go out by myself on. I have miles and miles of riding available to me out here and I love being alone.

Of course, I want to be able to camp and ride with a group, as well. I have a couple of fabulous groups available to ride with.

Looks like my buyers will be getting Tucker just after the first of the year. Tucker is going to a great home with experienced owners and lots of grandkids.

I am moving on.

I have lots of advice on what kind of horse to get in the future and some of it is conflicting. That's okay. I have a feeling the right horse will come along.

It's nice to see that my family thinks I should keep going. I have been unsure but I do love riding and horses. We shall see.

Let's just relax and see what the new year brings!

What did I learn?

Do more groundwork from the start.

Watch how the horse tracks when walking, trotting and loping before buying.

Make sure horse can go out alone.

Make sure horse has a nice [not choppy] trot.

Do not buy a really swayback horse.  So hard to fit for a saddle and I swear that saddle slides backwards.

Try to find a sure footed mount that doesn't have lazy feet.

Try harder to find help from someone who seems to understand what is going on.  For instance, Tucker has turned into a real turd going home.  I mentioned some problems to a person who said stuff like "All horses want to hurry home."  "Your horse did not crow hop."  "This is all your fault, you know."  They aren't there and they are totally discounting what I am telling them. 

Okay but that isn't helping me with my horse.  The horse has been getting worse, not better, and I haven't got anyone to help me who is trying to understand what is going on. Now that we have reached the point of bucking, I am done.

The fact is that I so dislike trotting on this horse due to the choppy gate.  The horse has a real stubborn streak.  And I don't have the inclination nor the skills to handle these shenanigans like hopping and bucking. 

Tucker is being sold

Team Tucker

I have decided to sell Tucker.

The vet says Tucker is sound and does not have arthritis.

I am not confident riding him. I don't want to be bucked off.

I have a nice sounding family coming over and looking at buying him. They have horse experience and several grand children.

Thus ends Team Tucker.

I think I will take some riding lessons out of town on a lesson horse and go from there.

arthritis? and Tucker

Team Tucker talked to the farrier today.

He said he wouldn't lope on Tucker either. Don't get hurt.

He said Tucker definitely has arthritis in his knees. He said you can spend hundreds of dollars at the vet and they can do lots of tests and they will still say he has arthritis in his knees which might be causing him to trip.

It is the arthritis that is causing him to trip.

The saddle may have caused some problems but it has nothing to do with Tucker tripping so often and so badly. Definitely worth changing saddles since he has seen saddles cause problems with the withers and bucking but realize that Tucker will still trip a lot.

Ride Tucker at a walk and trail ride him and consider that Tucker may need an early retirement. And don't get hurt.

He's going to call me if he comes across a nice trail riding horse for a decent price.

And don't get hurt. It's not worth getting hurt because of the horse.

He also said that a lot of people blame themselves for the way the horse is but Tucker really does have arthritis and you didn't make the horse what he is today.

We shall see where we go next. I'm not ruling out seeing a vet. I do think I will get the new saddle on Tucker again tomorrow. We will see if we can do okay with that but I will need to work him at a lope without me on him to see if he will be calmer and willing to just go at a walk. But trotting and loping on this horse is not recommended. Which is what I have been thinking myself.

This is just this guy's opinion but I think he is right.

And that really limits me to a great degree.

I think lessons on another horse is my best option to improve my horsemanship skills and to learn to post and lope at least for the time being

Tripping

I'm starting to wonder about Tucker and his tripping. He even manages to trip when cantering by himself in the big pen. I have the farrier coming out Monday.

I realize that I feel comfortable walking with Tucker but trotting and tripping is scarier and I certainly don't want to canter on him.

He's been klutzy since I got him. There is so much to like about Tucker that I have been hopeful that the farrier work would help but I don't think it really is. I am going to talk to the farrier about this on Monday.

The neighbor wants me to trot him but I am at the point where I certainly don't want to trot him on uneven ground. That is when he tripped and bucked last time. Still, the first time he bucked, he stepped on his own foot [I saw the scrape on his hoof] and it is smooth in the driveway. I have been trotting him in the driveway or carefully on the sandy road.

I think I am riding him okay and, again, he does trip even when cantering in the big pen without me on him. I may talk to a vet in the future.

I'm feeling kind of worried.

My husband is being very nice about this since I have spent a lot of time and effort and some money getting Tucker. He says if Tucker has issues that can't be fixed, we will just have to get another horse. That made me feel good about our relationship :)

Peace

Team Tucker is at peace tonight. I thought what a beautiful afternoon. I need to just relax and hang out with my critters.

I took Tucker an apple slice.

I took a book and read it outside Tucker's pen. He wandered over and tried to nibble my pants. I shoo'd him away.

I cleaned his pen and took my time. A friend called and I sat on the mounting block to talk. When Tucker came in too crowd me, I asked him to move away. And he did.

I rubbed his withers and he enjoyed it. He let his lip droop and curled his neck and head up like do that some more! That tells me a lot. The other saddle I had does NOT fit him right. He has not enjoyed those kind of rubs in a while.

He willingly backed up and stood to get his hay today.

I made sure I remembered those releases when he did as asked.

Joseph Pote was thinking what I was kind of thinking today and I enjoyed his post. It pertained to Tucker and I. I need a few baby steps to get back my confidence in Tucker.

I think Tucker and I will go out to the big pen tomorrow and I will ask him to blow off some steam and then do some ground work. I bet it goes very nicely tomorrow.

Tucker is very patient with Cash who likes to share his food.