Here I am riding my horse Minni. Charlie got an awesome picture of us in the arena playing around with some different kinds of movements.
Let me introduce myself: I’m Donna Lee Armour and I’m a joyful, outdoorsy, gluten-free baker who values laughter and love.
About Minni
We are pictured doing a side pass and yes, her hind end is a little behind, we corrected it in the next step or two.
I’ve been riding Minni since April, she was well trained under saddle as she knows all kinds of queues. I am having a great time teaching her things on the ground, like you don’t have to spook when I walk by and rub on you; the laughter when she does things like this bubbles up in me.
It has been interesting being around a horse that knows so much under saddle and so little on the ground. Her training under saddle is phenomenal and her ground experiences seem minimal. When I haltered her to walk her around the property the first time everything made her jump. At one point she jump from a kitten walking past and I laughed till I cried.
Since then I have done a lot of little things to let her know it’s ok. I will simply go out and rub on her and walking away. It’s hard not to look back and see what’s going on, it is very important not to until you get to the gate, then glance only. I find Minni still starring at me and I smile, close the gate and walk away. Simple and makes a big difference. The next time I took her out to ride she trusted me more.
This is my first blog and I have a lot to learn. Let my mistakes and missteps bring you a little joyful laughter.
