The Making of a Roping Horse: WOOOOHAAAAAAA!!!
As soon as we arrived at the ranch today, I jumped out of the car and starting searching through paddock after paddock for Leo. Jim whistled for him. We didn’t know where he was. Jim went to chat with the owner, and I headed for the stalls. Since the sun was so high outside, it seemed very dark in the halls. “Leo?” “Leo?” I peered into stall after stall, until finally there he was! LEOOOOOO!!! He poked his little nose out at me and I couldn’t have been happier.
He looks a little thinner, but beefy, like he’s been working. The trainer saddled him up to show Jim how he’s doing after two weeks. After a short warm up, they ran some steer. First I watched Leo, how still he was in the box, and how well he rated the steer when he came out. Then I watched the broad smile spread across Jim’s face. HE IS NOT SELLING LEO!!! Haaaaaahaaaaaaaaa!!!! YAY!!!
This trainer is pretty wonderful. Leo looked so easy and relaxed under him. I wanted to hug him when he was telling us how bad it is to jerk or kick a horse around. He has a lot to teach and a nice way of teaching it.
I had a lesson with Leo that went so well. I learned a lot that I want to talk about and will in the coming weeks.
Main things though:
- Leo was signed up for another month of training
- I’ve signed up for lessons with Leo and the trainer for every weekend
- The trainer is extremely familiar with Les Vogt’s 5 easy pieces (he’s been to 10 of his clinics) and weaves them into his own lifelong experience
When I put Leo up and said my goodbyes, I told him with a huge grin on my face and watery eyes, what a good boy he is, how smart he is, and thanked him for all the hard work. I kissed his fuzzy nose, gave him way too many treats, and just about danced back to my car. It was a good day.
