Groom, Saddle and Bridle the horse

Aug 24th 2020
From retrieving him from the field to getting ready to ride, it takes 20-30 mins to do the preliminaries. Of course there are questions and stories to tell with instructor Tom. Shown here is William, an Appaloosa gelding(neutered male) horse. He is tall, measuring 17 hands or (17X4″) each hand being 4 inches, approximately. Prior to riding William I was working with a mare named Dream, who is the mother to William and Chaz. These 3 horses I see every day on the bike trail. I’ve been to a dozen lessons over last several months and grown more comfortable with horses behavior and how to approach and make friends with them. They are great listeners.

After a walk out of the fields, we start in the shade, a bit of bug spray, and begin the grooming. This is William.
Picking clean the hoofs is important to avoid thrush, a common foot fungus.
The most important strap tightens the cinch, which clamps the saddle to the horse.
A Western saddle that fits the horse. Adjustments are made for the horse comfort and rider safety.
Practice is needed to bridle the horse smoothly with minimum argument.
Success with the bridle ‘installation’.
After lessons, the family are together with dinner. Grass Hay, yumm.

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