Prairie Diamond Horsemanship

12/03/2024

An awesome second ride on the books with Baby Blue! Baby Blue is a 3, coming 4 year old pinto pony. He stands about 13.2-13.3 hands tall and has two beautiful “glass” blue eyes. Over the past several months I have been doing tons of groundwork with him to prepare him for starting. Last week he had his first ride, and today his second. He was truly awesome for both. Today we were able to work on walk-on, stop, back, and began turning off of leg pressure. This may have been one of my best second rides ever, he’s definitely tied with Chester (my now 5 year old mustang) for best starting so far. Baby Blue is incredibly smart and adventurous, as well as wants to please, which these traits have helped him be the awesome little guy he is.

If you are new here since my last c**t start, I do my first few rides ba****ck as I can feel the horse better, and there’s less for me to get hung up in if things go wrong. I can’t ride a buck to save my life, so instead of risking getting hung up in a saddle, I ride them ba****ck and just do what I can to prevent the horse from feeling like they have to buck. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I feel safer ba****ck on the very green horses. Baby Blue didn’t pull any funny business so I was fine, but it’s a just in case thing I do. I also didn’t have a lot of time, so going ba****ck allowed me to get this ride in.

I also wear a brain bucket during these starts because I have had my fair share of dirt eating, and it’s not fun. A helmet makes it safer and can prevent a lot of pain, so I choose to wear it.

Before the keyboard trainers come at me, yes I am small enough for this pony. I am less than 20% of his weight. The jacket can make me look bigger, and the camera is at 0.5 zoom which does distort our actual sizes, so some of the screenshots may make the human to horse ratio appear different than reality.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask down in the comments!

**tstarting **ts ****ck

11/21/2024

Sometimes you just need to be present together and allow for a heart to heart conversation to be held.

Horses will talk to you, but they need you to allow a space for that conversation. The loud ones usually will squeeze their opinions into any tiny crevice you give them, but the quiet ones, they need to know they’ll be heard. Partnership requires communication from both sides, but partnership needs listening, understanding, trust, faithfulness, and forgiveness much more.

This isn’t just about horses, but horses do tend to call you out about it a bit better. I find them to be more intuitive than most humans. The beauty of horses isn’t just their outside, but much more from their gentle spirits and their thoughtfulness.

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The horse here is Mercy, a very large ex-bronc mare with minimal handling after her rodeo career. She is accustomed to humans, and has some handling but not a ton. Ideally, I would love to give her a new career as a saddle or harness horse out here. Today was the first time I’ve put her in the round pen and was dedicated to her. I had thought about her all morning, and I finally made it a priority to get the round pen set up, and as soon as I put in that last panel, she trotted over and walked right in. I think she and God were definitely telling me something, and our session together was so good for my soul.

11/11/2024

Happy Veterans Day to all those who have served. Thank you for protecting the freedoms we all have today.

📸: Trainer riding her Mustang horse atop a pedestal carrying the American Flag in Fort Worth Tx during the 2022 Mustang Magic in her freestyle paying tribute to those who have served this country. I do not remember who the rider is for sure.

11/10/2024

“It’s easy to talk to a horse if you understand his language. Horses stay the same from the day they are born until the day they die. They are only changed by the way people treat them.” - Laura Hillenbrand

11/09/2024

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

10/30/2024

I’m dreaming of a white Hall-o-ween 🎶…

But really the Colorado mountains are fun and pretty and aesthetic until the wind is pelting your face with snow while you are trying to do chores, and then you almost get your truck stuck in the mud and barely avoid sliding into the fence.

#2024

10/24/2024

Mustang education event in Meeker, Colorado, discussing the Piceance-East Douglas HMA and their management. Big thanks to the local volunteer working group Piceance Mustangs for putting this together for the public, as well as all the amazing work they have done and are still currently doing to help both the rangeland and the horses here in North Western Colorado.

Fun Fact: Piceance is said “Pee-ahnce.” It’s a Ute or possibly Shoshone word meaning ‘Land of the Tall Grass’.

You can find out more about the Piceance Mustangs group, which strives for "the long-term maintenance of a viable, healthy, free-roaming horse herd on healthy rangelands,” at piceancemustangs.org or find them on Facebook and Instagram!

You can learn more about the HMA at https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/herd-management/herd-management-areas/colorado/piceance-east

10/22/2024

At the end of a rainbow there is indeed not a pot of gold, but a mustang named Zeus.

10/16/2024

Just got a real nice set of cowhorse prospects! Peppy San Badger is the sorrel gelding’s daddy-grandsire-great grampy-uncle-cousin-brother and also his mom and sister. That’s where he gets his purdy sorrel color. So excited to have a direct PSB great grandson-grandson-son and PSB full brother! We like our cowhorses long necked, short backed, and low to the ground. I was told to get a PPE which I caved and did, but the vet kept lying, saying that they were alpacas. I know what I got. I think he just wanted to turn around and buy them for himself because who could pass up such great c**ts with such rare and amazing papers!

10/13/2024

Always great to have happy horses and happy horse owners!

These 4 big mares (two of them pictured) are preparing for a move where it will be critical that all 4 can be loaded easily and quickly by a single person. Each horse presented a different challenge between their personalities, training levels, and sizes, but ultimately, each of these kind mares overcame and met the goals they needed to. Each horse also improved in other areas such as groundwork, self confidence, and being less herd bound besides just learning to load. I am very pleased with what they accomplished! Also, kudos to their owner who had laid a good foundation for each, giving me a base to build the task of loading on.

09/24/2024

“Plenty nights under pink skies you taught ‘em to enjoy” ~ Zach Bryan

09/13/2024