Zoe Under Saddle...

is a beautiful thing. This horse was made for English tack. Look how pretty she is.

But you've all seen her in a saddle before, remember when we were lunging? But here she is with me on her!

I know, I know. We're amazing.

The first time I rode Zoe in the covered arena, she was a little frightened.

She didn't quite know what to make of it all. But that soon faded away and before you know it we were doing a nice collected trot.

Here she maintained the collection all the way into the walk.

After we were done, we had to pose for some shots. I really liked these two:

And here's just a nice one of her head.

So there she is, my beautiful Zoe!

Zoe on the Lunge Line

I finally got around to taking more pictures of Zoe the other day. Or I guess I should say, I finally pestered Veronica enough that she finally got around to taking pictures of Zoe the other day. (Which I really appreciate by the way)

Anyway, the point is we have new, never before seen pictures of Zoe now! Woohoo!

First lets start with a simple warm-up: Zoe on the lunge line! I can just imagine how excited you all are to see her on the lunge line.

Both of these images are really good examples of how well trained she is. Notice how in both images her head is so low? This is because she is stretching and working the muscles in her back. Now, I'm not sure how to train a horse to do this, but I do know that it is extremely important that they do so. This strengthens their back and makes them more flexible. It's also a sign that the horse is relaxed and focused. Also, in the top picture do you see how her hind right foot is stepping exactly where the front right foot was? This is called tracking up and is also very important. It shows that the horse isn't lolly-gagging about but is actually working. So what she is doing here would be called a working trot! Pretty amazing huh?

Also, a random fact: lunging is not just running a horse in circles. It is actually a lot of work for the horse, becuase the point is not to let them run around as fast as they can, but to control their speed and keep them at a nice, steady working gait.

Here I have Zoe slowed to a walk.

And now to a halt.

She waits while I gather the line....

and change it to the other side....

and give her a pat.

And now we're off in the other direction.

So thats her basic lunging! More photos coming soon....of me RIDING!

Zoe!

Well here she is, my new horse! I bought her on Friday and she is settling in to her new home very nicely. Her name is Zoe, pronounced Zoey. Actually her real, registered name is Bold Devi. And yes, I said registered name. I own a registered horse! Veronica and I are so anxious to get the papers and look at her lineage! This isn't the greatest picture of her, but I'll be sure to get some more soon.

Saturday was the first day we worked her. She was very nervous about being in a new place, and so I turned her out in the outdoor arena to run off some of her energy. This is a video of her exploring.

She is an amazing mover. I've been longing her lately in the round pen instead of riding her. This is giving me a chance to meet and learn about her and giving her a chance to learn about me and her new home. Anyway, I have been longing her and she has amazing gates. When she becomes relaxed she naturally drops her head and goes on the bit and can keep a straight topline through all three gates. It's amazing!

Zoe is also the prettiest horse I've ever owned. We used to get occasional compliments on Dakota and Tequila, mainly their coloring, but I have been getting amazing compliments on Zoe. We even had some people stop at the barn today for the sole reason of looking at her!

Anyway, I just wanted to get a quick post together so you all could see her! More pictures coming soon, I promise.