Getting Started...

Ok, I decided to start a blog about Tari - documenting her progress.

She is my 2 year old QH mare. She is my first registered horse, and my dream. I've always wanted to own a registered quarter horse, but never did I imagine I would do it before I was 20.

Anyway - this is my first experience with blogging, so it may be rough at first. I'm trying.

I'll start with what we've done so far.
When I first got her, the first day I just looked at this wild eyed filly staring at me, and I wondered if I was ready for what I'd just gotten myself into. Eventually, I saw her sweet side, and I realized she was gonna help me out. In the beginning of course, I brushed her, picked her feet, and attempted to teach her to lunge. She figured it out pretty quick, so then I decided to try to saddle her. THAT was fun! She was fine with me bringing the pad and saddle near her. She wouldn't shy away from it, most of the time. But once I cinched it up, and she moved and felt it go with her, and realized it wasn't something she could get out from under, she freaked. The way she hollered, and screamed and bucked and snorted, you'da thought something was killing her. As bad as she was bucking and thrashing about, she quickly settled down, and I asked her to lunge. She was great. She lunged just like there was nothing up there.

For about two or three weeks, all I did was saddle her and lunge her with the saddle getting the feel of it on her back. Then, when I knew she had all the buck out of her, from just pure reaction to the saddle being there, I taught her to drive. I drove her all over the place. I asked her to stop and back and turn and go forward. She went everywhere saddled and driving.

Then, eventually, when she got really good about saddling driving, and lunging I put my foot in the stirrup. Then I started to bounce on the ground. Then I climbed up. I rubbed her belly. I rubbed her butt. Then I swung my leg over. Never once has this horse bucked or reared with me on her back.

Once she was confident with me sitting on her, I asked her to walk off. She did with ease. She is a very smart girl.

I think now I may be over confident in her. I've loaded her on the trailer to bring her to her new home, taken her to other arenas to ride.

A few days ago I took her to where my other barrel horse, Sundance is, and my friend Sandy and I took her out on her first trail ride. Am I stupid? Did I really just take a two year old on a trail ride in the middle of December, that has only been under saddle maybe two months? Had someone on her back a total of less than 15 times? I did. What was I thinking?