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Candy taking the lead at Uwharrie

A lot has happened since our last update. Candy has been on three more trail rides. Her second ride was at home, but to areas she had never seen before. She went out with one of Ray's other horses, Sunny. However, Sunny is not much of a leader and Candy didn't mind forging ahead. It was a test to see if we could find anything that spooked or bothered her before the big 4-hour ride the next day. We went past the dog obstacle (four bouncing, barking border collies), down the side of a road and had a few vehicles pass, through deep mud, and even trotted and loped a little. She was amazing and it was as if she had already been there, done that. And she absolutely loved leading the ride. I really enjoyed watching her look around and take it all in, and her unique "chugga-chugga" walking style that you could ride all day.

Taking a break at the cabin

The next day, we rode in the Uwharrie Gamelands (near Denton, NC) with a total of seven riders. It was a large group for a green horse, but Candy was a superstar and at the front of the group almost the entire time. Several times, another rider would trot or canter up behind us, or trot off in front of us, and Candy just kept on chugging along. We took a break at a beautiful cabin and she stood tied for about an hour and rested. Afterwards, we chugged on back to our friend's house (taking a different route), and Candy led much of the way back. I think she would also have been okay in the back of the group, but her curiosity and desire to please was enough to allow her some leeway. She absolutely loves the trails!

Say "Aaaaaah"

Yesterday, the equine dentist was out and found two upper wolf teeth and some sharp hooks in Candy's mouth. The wolf teeth were pulled, so in about a week, we will start work with the bit. I plan to use a Myler Comfort Snaffle to start with. I like that these bits are not broken in the middle, so they won't pinch the tongue or point into the roof of the mouth. The sides, however, allow independent movement through a special joint in the enter of the mouthpiece, so you can be very precise if you want to just lift a shoulder without twisting the bit and interfering with the opposite side of the mouth. I hate to see a gaping mouth, even in a green horse, because that means they are fighting discomfort and probably not focused on what is being asked of them. Anyway, if I hadn't mentioned it before, Candy is afraid of leather bridles. Even my leather halter freaks her out a little when I try to put it on her (as opposed to a rope halter). I don't know where this comes from, but we have now eliminated any dental issues and can focus on the behavioral aspects.

Today, Ray took Candy on their first trail ride together. She was outstanding and I was tickled to see that she responded to him just as well as she responds to me. I have been teaching Ray the "buttons" I have installed, and he is doing extremely well with her. There were two other horses on this ride: Nellie (the original Spotted Wonder Horse), and Rio, a Tennessee Walking Horse. I noticed while we were riding that Candy was in heat. I guess that won't be a problem for her because her temperament remained as steady as it has always been!

Until next time... Happy trails!