Thoughts Before the Summer Lessons

I start my summer lessons this week. Traditionally, my summer has been filled with weeks of youth lessons, here all morning or until the early afternoon. Over the past few years, instead of week-long lessons, where the kids come every day, the kids have decided to come once a week for a morning, so that they could continue their weekly lessons. They come 1 morning a week for 5 or 6 weeks. Why spend all of their horse time in 1 week when they could have horse time over a 6 or 8 week time frame? Smart kids!

Tomorrow is a day without kids though. Tuesday starts kid’s lessons. Tomorrow, Monday, I need to start my 2 year old, Duster, and teach him all about standing tied. I’ll bring him into the barn with Buster. Yes, isn’t that confusing. But Buster is many years older, and definitely needs to be worked. They both need patience training, and will stand tied in a stall for an hour. Then they both will be free lunged. Then Buster is an old enough to have a saddle put on. Duster is a 2 year old, and may need more time to get desensitized to the pad and saddle.

I have 3 lessons tomorrow. I start with a 2 year old that needs to get used to the saddle. Then I have a lesson with the training horse, and to get the owner more comfortable riding him. Then I have a beginner 8 year old. She is fun!

More later this week. Time to go to bed.