# Just some pics of Aires



## DraftyAiresMum

I haven't gotten any newer pics of Aires lately, but these are the newest I have. They're from about two weeks ago when he had his first ride in the arena. The trainer at the barn is the one riding him (as I was still laid up with my stupid ankle injury). 

Anyway, she said he has the smoothest trot she has ever ridden (she didn't have to post at all...it looked like she was riding a gaited horse, he was so smooth). As far as how he's doing in his training, he direct reins like a pro and works off leg pressure really well. Now we just have to work on me (my confidence is pretty well shot after that stinking mare bucked me).

So, without further ado, here's my boy! 

























His favorite part of the arena...the trail bridge! lol
















Posting to his trot just to get him used to the motion of someone posting:








This flew over about 150 feet above us and Aires could have cared less:








More trotting:








Yes, that is a BIG ol' grin on the trainer's face...she lurvs my boy!








Aaaaaaaaaand she got him to canter! She said all she had to do was kiss and he immediately took off (yay for tons of ground work and lunging!). They only cantered for a little bit.
















Doing his best impression of a dressage horse.  I know it's kinda fuzzy, but my uber nice camera kinda hates me. lol


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## DraftyAiresMum

And this is Aires sporting our new Aussie saddle. I hate the fleece pad that came with the saddle 'cuz it's WAY too big, so I slapped our red AP saddle pad under it. It works pretty well, even though it's a little short. I'm going to make us a red saddle pad that is square in back and rounded to fit the saddle in the front. 








His thoughts on the saddle and saddle pad:


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## Indigosblue

awwww, looks like a fun time... Aires seems like a very nice horse, and congrats on the good training steps =) I like aussie saddles too, but i jump so it's not an option right now...


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## DraftyAiresMum

Thanks, Indigo! The trainer said that there are only two horses on the property she would ever consider buying/owning and Aires is her number one choice. You show him something once and he gets it. These pics are from his third ride ever!

As for Aussie saddles...I am totally in love. I have never felt more secure or comfortable in a saddle in my entire life (I've always ridden western and hated it). I've also seen pics of members here on the forum jumping in Aussie saddles (from what I remember, they were from Australia or thereabouts). I do hate the stirrups I have, though. Actually, I technically don't have any stirrups. lol The endurance stirrups that are on the saddle belong to our BO and I don't like them. I am currently riding in my friend's western stirrups, but they're a little too small for me. I want stirrups like my friend has on her Aussie saddle (safety oxbows from the Australian Stock Saddle Company), but they're $70!


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## ChristophersCanter

aw, he looks so beautiful in all of these pictures!! may I ask what happened to your ankle? something with a stupid mare..? haha
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DraftyAiresMum

I was being nice to a fellow boarder and agreed to try out her new mare for her (yeah, long story...she got the mare from a rescue and lied about her amount of horse experience so they'd let her adopt). She told me that the rescue said the mare was broke and had tons of rides on her, she just hadn't been ridden in a while. I didn't even get my butt in the saddle and she rodeo bucked me off. My left foot tangled in the stirrup as I came over her right shoulder and it severely sprained my ankle. They thought I had a hairline fracture on my tibia, but it turns out it was just a bone spur that made it look like a fracture. I was in a splint for a week, then a walking cast for two weeks. Here's the full story: http://www.horseforum.com/rider-wellness/minor-setback-getting-back-saddle-afterward-92770/

I have since contacted the rescue regarding the mare and the adopter (not to be a b****, but because I was truly concerned that they would adopt a horse like Gypsy to this person) and have received a very positive and helpful response from the lady who runs the rescue.


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## ChristophersCanter

oh my goshh! at least nothing was COMPLETELY broken, but still! OUCH. that's really immature and not very responsible of the owner. especially putting some one else in danger. sorry this happened to you!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DraftyAiresMum

Eh, it's okay. You live, you learn. Come to find out, the lady who runs the rescue had made it implicitly clear that only the adopter, the BO and the trainer at our barn were to be working with Gypsy (mainly due to the fact that she was abused in the past). I was never told that or I would never have agreed to ride that mare. The lady who adopted Gypsy made it sound like no one else was willing to help her, so I took pity on her. 

Now, because of what happened, I have panic attacks when I ride my horse. :-(


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## tinyliny

He is very unique looking horse. Trainer has a good seat!


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## HorseLovinLady

He's handsome!!! Good luck with his training.


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## csimkunas6

Yayyyy for pictures!!!!! I love him!! He is such a great looking guy! His color, and his draftiness is just outstanding! It looks like he did sooo great!!!! He looks really really good!!!

I love seeing, and reading about all the progress that you and him are making! Its fantastic!!! Look forward to more pictures too! Once I get Rodeo to his new place, Ill have to take some pics of him! Thanks for posting them!!!


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## MHFoundation Quarters

He's so cute drafty! It will be fun seeing him grow up! I can imagine the tank he is going to become


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## Druydess

He looks great..good luck with his progress!


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## DraftyAiresMum

Awwww...thanks, everybody! 

Tiny, yeah, the trainer is amazing. She's been riding most of her life and is sooooo good at teaching. I love watching her give lessons to the little kids because she explains things so they can understand it and know why they're doing what she's telling them to. And yeah, Aires is VERY unique! He's one of those horses that no matter what discipline I do with him, he going to draw attention, regardless of whether we win or not. I just wish he'd grow into that monster head already! I'm having to have a custom rope halter made for him because the one he has is almost too small.

csimkunas6, he's easy to love. lol My friend that trailered in to ride with us (with the 15.1hh quarab) was amazed by him. Out of all the horses that were going on the trail ride with us, he was the only one that wasn't nervous from the thunder and lightning (which was intense) and that didn't spook at all. He even hand-trotted with me across the road on the way back and slowed when I did (the trainer was like "Well, he should be good on the ground...that's all you could do with him for two months was groundwork!"). 

MHF, he's already a tank! lol We went on a little "trail" ride around the block the other day and there was this hill we had to climb that was about 100 feet long, but fairly steep. The other two horses (a saddlebred that belongs to one of the boarders and my friend's arab mare) almost had to trot up the hill to get to the top. Aires just plowed up it at a walk and beat both of them to the top. I've honestly never ridden a horse with that much raw power that you could feel. He started up the hill at a kind of lazy walk then realized that that wasn't going to cut it, so he turned on the power.


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## QH Gunner

He's so adorable. Has sucha a mischievous look to him, I like it lol. Seems like he has mass potential for you!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Skyseternalangel

I am so inspired by you and Aires.. I am currently re-training my horse because he isn't safe broke at all and his confidence is out the window..

But what a beautiful boy and what a trooper you are!!!


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## DraftyAiresMum

Thanks, QH Gunner. He is definitely mischievous. I had to invest in a Jolly Ball this weekend because he decided that his bucket was a toy and put a crack in it from top to bottom. Yeah, I decided it was easier to spend $15 on a Jolly Ball once than it was to buy him a new $14 feed bucket every couple of weeks.  He's a very sensitive soul, though. He is very in-tune with my mood and emotions. I'm not an overly emotional person, but because of what happened with that mare, I have little panic attacks either while I'm riding (yeah, *that's* fun) or before I start to ride because I start thinking of everything that could go wrong. When this happened on Friday before our trail ride, I was leaning up against the hitching rail in front of him (facing him, butt to the rail). He nuzzled his head into the crook of my arm and then stood there while I stroked his face and rested my forehead against his. I was on the verge of tears before he did that, but as soon as I started stroking his face, I calmed down considerably.

Skyseteranalangel, thanks so much! I'm so glad we can help you. I'm so lucky that Aires is such a level-headed and mild-mannered horse. It's really helping me with being brave enough to ride him. I'm also lucky that I had two whole months to do nothing but groundwork before he was rideable. That has really helped us a lot with trusting each other. He spooked the other day on a ride (a dog started barking behind us) and all he did was toss his head and then trot up to the safety of the other horses. His spook could have been so much worse, but I'm so glad it wasn't because I didn't ride it out well at all (I completely freaked and tried to curl up into the fetal position in my saddle...YAY for aussie saddles and poleys!). Once my brain rejoined my body and I got him back under control, we just kept going and didn't turn back. It would have been so much easier to turn back, but I wouldn't let myself. He was calm, so I needed to be calm.


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## QH Gunner

Haha! Jolly balls are a wonderful thing. My babi & the stallion each have one. I, as well, was sick of going thru feed pans haha!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Skyseternalangel

Really shows the trust Aires has in you. My boy and I still have a looot of way to go, but he's always turning into quite the handsome calm and confident.. (and talented) horse.


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## DraftyAiresMum

Skyseternalangel said:


> Really shows the trust Aires has in you. My boy and I still have a looot of way to go, but he's always turning into quite the handsome calm and confident.. (and talented) horse.


One word: GROUNDWORK! Seriously, I did nothing but groundwork with Aires for two straight months (actually, almost three since I was just cleared to ride again about two weeks ago). Lunging, going on trail walks (saddled him up and walked the local trails with him, no joke), that sort of thing. It all builds trust. Now, if I could just get him to trust me that the fly spray bottle is NOT going to eat him, we'd be golden!  :lol:


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## csimkunas6

DraftyAiresMum said:


> One word: GROUNDWORK! Seriously, I did nothing but groundwork with Aires for two straight months (actually, almost three since I was just cleared to ride again about two weeks ago). Lunging, going on trail walks (saddled him up and walked the local trails with him, no joke), that sort of thing. It all builds trust. Now, if I could just get him to trust me that the fly spray bottle is NOT going to eat him, we'd be golden!  :lol:


I had the same problem with the spray bottle with Rodeo, same with the hose. I just kept doing it everyday. Finally, I got to the point, where I went and got him without a halter/lead rope, got him into the barn, had him stand in the middle aisle, went to the tack room, grabbed my fly spray, walked back out, and sprayed him, and he stood there perfectly.!!!!

Were getting better on the hose too!!! He'll actually stand for the most part!! We're most likely going to have to work on everything again though, luckily hes getting delivered tomorrow!!!


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## anndankev

He is such a great color, and looks kind and willing, too.

Have you tried using water in a spray bottle for desensitizing? Don't have to worry about using up too much that way just spray away, and spray away from him instead of towards him at first.


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## csimkunas6

anndankev said:


> He is such a great color, and looks kind and willing, too.
> 
> Have you tried using water in a spray bottle for desensitizing? Don't have to worry about using up too much that way just spray away, and spray away from him instead of towards him at first.


Thats what I did!!! Your right anndankev....saves on your spray for sure!!!


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## DraftyAiresMum

csimkunas6 said:


> I had the same problem with the spray bottle with Rodeo, same with the hose. I just kept doing it everyday. Finally, I got to the point, where I went and got him without a halter/lead rope, got him into the barn, had him stand in the middle aisle, went to the tack room, grabbed my fly spray, walked back out, and sprayed him, and he stood there perfectly.!!!!
> 
> Were getting better on the hose too!!! He'll actually stand for the most part!! We're most likely going to have to work on everything again though, luckily hes getting delivered tomorrow!!!


Aires pretty much loves the hose now. He'll even drink out of it while I'm rinsing him down after working.



anndankev said:


> He is such a great color, and looks kind and willing, too.
> 
> Have you tried using water in a spray bottle for desensitizing? Don't have to worry about using up too much that way just spray away, and spray away from him instead of towards him at first.


I haven't fly sprayed him in a while. I usually just wipe his face down with fly spray I've sprayed into my hand 'cuz the flies don't really bother him that much. He's fine with me fly spraying his left side...it's his right side he doesn't like having done. I don't let him win, though. I just follow him around as he swings away from me and keep on spraying him until I'm done. 

And thanks, anndankey, for the compliment on Aires.  He is definitely an eye-catcher (a guy came to the barn yesterday to look at a horse our BO has for sale and as we walked by Aires' stall, the guy goes "Wow! That is one good-looking horse! I'd buy him in a heartbeat." I said "Yeah, he's not for sale." The guy goes "How do you know?" I was like "Ummmmmmmm...cuz he's mine!" lol The whole time we were showing him the QH gelding for sale, he kept looking covetously back up at Aires.  ). And kind and willing are an understatement when it comes to this boy! I think if I asked him to jump the Grand Canyon, he'd try! Our trainer was teasing me the other day that Aires and I are going to be like Denny and Jim Craig from Man From Snowy River (when they go down the mountainside). She said "You already have the saddle! Now all you need is the hat and the whip!"


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## csimkunas6

DraftyAiresMum said:


> Aires pretty much loves the hose now. He'll even drink out of it while I'm rinsing him down after working.
> 
> 
> 
> I haven't fly sprayed him in a while. I usually just wipe his face down with fly spray I've sprayed into my hand 'cuz the flies don't really bother him that much. He's fine with me fly spraying his left side...it's his right side he doesn't like having done. I don't let him win, though. I just follow him around as he swings away from me and keep on spraying him until I'm done.
> 
> And thanks, anndankey, for the compliment on Aires.  He is definitely an eye-catcher (a guy came to the barn yesterday to look at a horse our BO has for sale and as we walked by Aires' stall, the guy goes "Wow! That is one good-looking horse! I'd buy him in a heartbeat." I said "Yeah, he's not for sale." The guy goes "How do you know?" I was like "Ummmmmmmm...cuz he's mine!" lol The whole time we were showing him the QH gelding for sale, he kept looking covetously back up at Aires.  ). And kind and willing are an understatement when it comes to this boy! I think if I asked him to jump the Grand Canyon, he'd try! Our trainer was teasing me the other day that Aires and I are going to be like Denny and Jim Craig from Man From Snowy River (when they go down the mountainside). She said "You already have the saddle! Now all you need is the hat and the whip!"


LOL, thats too funny that the guy wanted your Aires....smart guy, he knows a good looking horse


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## smrobs

Aw, I love Aires. He looks so amazing under saddle and looks like he's doing well. Can't wait to see some pictures of you riding him .


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## csimkunas6

smrobs said:


> Aw, I love Aires. He looks so amazing under saddle and looks like he's doing well. Can't wait to see some pictures of you riding him .


Same here....that reminds me though smrobs....do you have any pics of Rafe under saddle? I saw the video, but couldnt seem to find any pics


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## smrobs

LOL, no, I don't. The closest I have is the one still I took from the video that is my avatar right now. I'm hoping to put a couple more rides on him and then take him to the parade in a nearby town for the rodeo...maybe LOL. If I do that, I will certainly have a ton of pics, I will insist on it.


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## csimkunas6

smrobs said:


> LOL, no, I don't. The closest I have is the one still I took from the video that is my avatar right now. I'm hoping to put a couple more rides on him and then take him to the parade in a nearby town for the rodeo...maybe LOL. If I do that, I will certainly have a ton of pics, I will insist on it.


Ive seen your avatar, I got really excited when I first saw it, then watched the video, and I was like, "where are the pictures!!??" LOL, as long as I get pictures thats fine, doesnt matter how long it takes, lol


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## DraftyAiresMum

I'm hopefully going to get pics to add tomorrow or Friday. Was going to ride today, but my friend guilt-tripped me into going to her optometrist's appointment with her and then glasses shopping, which took almost the whole day before I had to go to work. Basically had time to clean my stall, bring Aires in from turnout and feed him lunch, then I had to run.

Also, a disclaimer about pics of me riding when they come. I may look a bit awkward and maybe even a wee bit nervous. Just remember what has happened in the last month and be a little forgiving.


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## smrobs

Of course , we understand how the nervous thing works after a big fall :hug:.


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## DraftyAiresMum

No riding pics yet. :-( I did ride on Friday, but my friend was busy with something else and couldn't take pics (and I don't trust anyone else with my $400 camera).

I did get some just-for-fun pics of Aires, though. 
Coming to see Mom in his stall:








This would be a cute pic if it weren't for the stupid flies:








My rock star!









And this is Aires' half-sister, Piper. They are from the same (fugly) sire. Piper was foaled within a month of Aires. No, she's not standing on sloped ground. The ground she is on is actually fairly level. She is just THAT downhill. Also, don't know if you'll be able to spot it, but her left front leg turns out. She went on the trailer in Canada perfectly fine...when they got her off the trailer in Arizona, her leg was turned out and they still can't figure out how or why. It doesn't bother her, though. She runs and plays with the other horses and the vet said she can be used as a light trail horse.
















You can really see her turned out leg in this pic:








Again, she's on relatively level ground...she is just THAT butt-high!


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## csimkunas6

Wow! She is very butt high isnt she....how old is she? You def got the better pic of the two!! Aires is such a cutie!!!


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## DraftyAiresMum

She is less than a month older (or younger) than Aires and he's two. They were foaled within two or three weeks of each other, but I don't remember if she was born first or if he was (I think she was born first).

Piper takes after their sire with that looooong back and funky neck. Luckily Aires is built like a Percheron in (relative) miniature.


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## csimkunas6

DraftyAiresMum said:


> She is less than a month older (or younger) than Aires and he's two. They were foaled within two or three weeks of each other, but I don't remember if she was born first or if he was (I think she was born first).
> 
> Piper takes after their sire with that looooong back and funky neck. Luckily Aires is built like a Percheron in (relative) miniature.


Wow....thats a major difference....but then again, they are only half siblings, so that could be why their confo seems so different....I love his build!!!


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## DraftyAiresMum

I've had two people in the last week ask me if I'd be interested in selling him.  The first was a guy who came to look at a QH gelding the BO had for sale (and ended up buying him). Then yesterday, this couple showed up at random and asked the BO if he had any horses for sale. The BO has one QH mare for sale, but the people weren't interested in her (they were really weird...first the guy said he didn't want the mare cuz she wasn't papered, then a little while later, he said he didn't care about papers). Anyway, they went wandering around the property and when they got back up to the barn (where we were all sitting), they asked the BO if all the horses on the property were boarders except for that one mare. He said yes (duh!). They then asked if he could contact the owner of the big black and white paint gelding (Aires) and another gelding that's a chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail (pretty sure they meant the BO's son's horse, Tonka), and see if they'd be willing to sell. The BO said "Well, the owner of that big black and white gelding is sitting right there. (pointed to me) Why don't you ask her?" They asked and I most definitely said "HELL NO!" Then they started asking how old he is and what kind of cross he is (because he's obviously not a pure paint) and all that and I basically said "He's not for sale, and won't be anytime in the forseeable future...so why are you asking?" Maybe I was rude, but they really made me mad!


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## csimkunas6

DraftyAiresMum said:


> I've had two people in the last week ask me if I'd be interested in selling him.  The first was a guy who came to look at a QH gelding the BO had for sale (and ended up buying him). Then yesterday, this couple showed up at random and asked the BO if he had any horses for sale. The BO has one QH mare for sale, but the people weren't interested in her (they were really weird...first the guy said he didn't want the mare cuz she wasn't papered, then a little while later, he said he didn't care about papers). Anyway, they went wandering around the property and when they got back up to the barn (where we were all sitting), they asked the BO if all the horses on the property were boarders except for that one mare. He said yes (duh!). They then asked if he could contact the owner of the big black and white paint gelding (Aires) and another gelding that's a chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail (pretty sure they meant the BO's son's horse, Tonka), and see if they'd be willing to sell. The BO said "Well, the owner of that big black and white gelding is sitting right there. (pointed to me) Why don't you ask her?" They asked and I most definitely said "HELL NO!" Then they started asking how old he is and what kind of cross he is (because he's obviously not a pure paint) and all that and I basically said "He's not for sale, and won't be anytime in the forseeable future...so why are you asking?" Maybe I was rude, but they really made me mad!




Wow!! IMO, I could see why they would want him. He is a gorgeous boy!! At least you know that if you ever do have to sell him, you shouldnt have a problem. But I know what you mean. The barn I just got Rodeo to, has a girl there that has 2 or 3 other horses, and she told the BO, that she wants Rodeo, and that she wants to be the first to ride him, she wants to train him, she wants to use him for barrels, and what not over and over again....then the BO told me about it, and was basically asking me so she could tell the girl a yes or no answer.....I just dont know, lol....just hoping her "obsession" with him doesnt mess, or do anything to the training that were doing, and will be planning on doing


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## DraftyAiresMum

There's a girl at our barn like that, actually. She has a four-year-old paint gelding who is horrible (only with her, though) and bucks, rears, and has even sent her to the hospital. She found out that another boarder is interested in selling their 7yo mustang who is an amazing arena horse and all of a sudden she's lost interest in her gelding and wants this mustang. The BO flat-out told her that she can't take care of her horse (he's colicked four times in the last two months because she runs him hard, puts him away hot, and then feeds him grain right away), so she doesn't need another horse.


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## csimkunas6

DraftyAiresMum said:


> There's a girl at our barn like that, actually. She has a four-year-old paint gelding who is horrible (only with her, though) and bucks, rears, and has even sent her to the hospital. She found out that another boarder is interested in selling their 7yo mustang who is an amazing arena horse and all of a sudden she's lost interest in her gelding and wants this mustang. The BO flat-out told her that she can't take care of her horse (he's colicked four times in the last two months because she runs him hard, puts him away hot, and then feeds him grain right away), so she doesn't need another horse.


Wow!! Yeah, that doesnt sound any good....it wouldnt bother me so much, but she is the BO's granddaughter, so she feeds, turns out, and brings the horses in from the pasture....she already has this whole "game plan" of what she wants to do with Rodeo. When the BO told me about it, she was basically asking me, for my permission for her granddaughter to let her work with Rodeo...she seemed kind of bummed out a little, when I didnt respond to "yes, of course you can" LOL, but oh well.


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## DraftyAiresMum

Just have to share a proud momma moment with Aires today. 

I was going to ride, but am still coughing really bad and feel just drained (I have bronchitis, of all things!), so I just turned Aires out with his two best friends, Rex and CJ. 

There is this lady who is one of our overnighters who is just absolutely awesome. Everyone loves her, she's an absolute sweetheart and she'd do anything for anyone. She gave me a brand new 78" custom-made winter blanket for Aires, complete with hood, for free the last time she was here (she got rid of the horse it was made to fit and the people who bought the horse didn't want the blanket). This time, she had all sorts of goodies with her. She gave me a nice, big Kensington fly mask and a water bottle bag for my saddle. She gave my friend some stuff too.

Anyway, my proud momma moment came when I went to try the fly mask on Aires. This is the horse that actually reared up on me a little when I tried to put a fly mask on him a month and a half ago. So, I put him in his stall, undid his halter (but held it in place with one hand) and then slipped the fly mask over his ears. He didn't even try to pull away! He just stood there and let me put it on him! :-D YAY for deciding that a fly mask isn't gonna kill him! I was really wanting to put a fly mask on him because the flies really bother his face (not the rest of him, but just his face).

Anyway, here's a pic of my handsome boy sporting his "new" fly mask.


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## Skyseternalangel

DraftyAiresMum said:


> One word: GROUNDWORK! Seriously, I did nothing but groundwork with Aires for two straight months (actually, almost three since I was just cleared to ride again about two weeks ago). Lunging, going on trail walks (saddled him up and walked the local trails with him, no joke), that sort of thing. It all builds trust. Now, if I could just get him to trust me that the fly spray bottle is NOT going to eat him, we'd be golden!  :lol:


Oh I hear ya! I just bought some side reins and have been working with him lightly in them since it's been... phew a good year or so. I went to get on him today, no nonsense attitude, asking for a nice marching walk with my upper half tall and stretched and my bottom half deep and driving.... he worked beautifully off of my seat and legs and not to mention how crested he was trying out what he learned from the side reins! I couldn't be more happy  We just did walking... next week we'll build into trotting (he falls apart at the trot.. hollowed back and head in the air and spooking sideways... grrr)

But yes, I love love love groundwork  Any tips for us?

And yeah I did handwalk him through the entire boarding facility the first week and a half, and lunged him in random places.. he's just such a spookster. I should handwalk him on the trails.. a few ladies were going to do the same with their horses.. we'll see if it actually happens



DraftyAiresMum said:


> Also, a disclaimer about pics of me riding when they come. I may look a bit awkward and maybe even a wee bit nervous. Just remember what has happened in the last month and be a little forgiving.


Oi oi oi! Don't be ashamed and don't explain yourself to anyone! You rock and I bet you and him look fantastic together!! So shhh about anything negative!

As for the buyers... yuck I hate pushy people. Everyone always prods about my horse and I just say "he's mine and that's that." 

Yay flymask boy  He seems to be proud of it!


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## DraftyAiresMum

Skyseternalangel said:


> But yes, I love love love groundwork  Any tips for us?
> 
> And yeah I did handwalk him through the entire boarding facility the first week and a half, and lunged him in random places.. he's just such a spookster. I should handwalk him on the trails.. a few ladies were going to do the same with their horses.. we'll see if it actually happens
> 
> Yay flymask boy  He seems to be proud of it!


Tips? Well, we play this game when we're anywhere new that he absolutely loves. I got it from a friend of mine who learned it at a CA clinic years ago. We call it "What's this?" Anything that's scary or he won't go near or that I even remotely think could spook him, I lead him up to it, tap it lightly with my hand and ask "What's this? Show me what this is!" I encourage him to touch and explore it for himself. Once he touches it, even slightly, he gets a pat on the neck and big "Good boy!" Now, he's going up to things on his own. Mailboxes are his absolute favorite thing, especially if they're weird-looking (had to pull him away from exploring the mailboxes with the cacti growing around the boxes ). He explored trash cans for himself the other day. Tugged on the lead rope and looked at me like "May I?" He was flipping the lids up and almost knocked them over. He'd never seen anything remotely close to them before. 

Hand-walking him on the trails was great. He got used to where we would be going and it got him away from the mundane "been there done that" barn that he hasn't left in 18 months (or more). It was also great exercise for me (I'm a tad overweight, but I'm not huge into exercising at a gym...I'd rather be outdoors, hiking and such). Another thing that it did was it let me see what places on the trails might be a little scary for him (trust me, there weren't many).

As for the fly mask...he was a little confused by it, actually. lol After I took his halter off and went to leave his stall, he followed me like he thought his halter was still on (he doesn't usually do that). I decided to experiment to see if he thought his halter was still on or if he was just being clingy (I wasn't there for three days 'cuz I was sick and he's used to seeing me just about every day). I walked all around his stall and he stayed right at my right shoulder, even though I didn't even have his halter or lead rope in my hands. Silly boy!


----------



## Skyseternalangel

How cute  Or maybe he just loves being around you hahaha he's like LOOK MOM THIS FLYMASK IS SOOO COOOL!!!! 

Yeah that sounds like a really fun game haha. Sky would love that


----------



## DraftyAiresMum

Skyseternalangel said:


> he's like LOOK MOM THIS FLYMASK IS SOOO COOOL!!!!


It was more like "Mooom! Paco doesn't have to wear one of these stupid things, so why do I?!" (said in the whiney teenager voice). Paco is his neighbor who is one of the dude string horses (the BO is an old cowboy and doesn't believe in using fly masks, fly spray, etc). When I pointed out that both Rex and CJ wear fly masks (his "best friends," so to speak), he was like "Oh, fine. But only because they do!"


----------



## csimkunas6

DraftyAiresMum said:


> Tips? Well, we play this game when we're anywhere new that he absolutely loves. I got it from a friend of mine who learned it at a CA clinic years ago. We call it "What's this?" Anything that's scary or he won't go near or that I even remotely think could spook him, I lead him up to it, tap it lightly with my hand and ask "What's this? Show me what this is!" I encourage him to touch and explore it for himself. Once he touches it, even slightly, he gets a pat on the neck and big "Good boy!" Now, he's going up to things on his own. Mailboxes are his absolute favorite thing, especially if they're weird-looking (had to pull him away from exploring the mailboxes with the cacti growing around the boxes ). He explored trash cans for himself the other day. Tugged on the lead rope and looked at me like "May I?" He was flipping the lids up and almost knocked them over. He'd never seen anything remotely close to them before.
> 
> Hand-walking him on the trails was great. He got used to where we would be going and it got him away from the mundane "been there done that" barn that he hasn't left in 18 months (or more). It was also great exercise for me (I'm a tad overweight, but I'm not huge into exercising at a gym...I'd rather be outdoors, hiking and such). Another thing that it did was it let me see what places on the trails might be a little scary for him (trust me, there weren't many).


What you do for "new" and "scary" things works great! I do the same thing....didnt know other people did it, I felt like a dork, but now I know Im not the only one, I feel much better!! I did this with Rodeo the other day, right before Irene came, I brought him into the barn, and they had their golf cart, and garbage cans all set up in there, and his eyes widened, and he got this look like "OMG, WHAT IS THAT??" lol, I walked him up to it, he saw what it was, touched it, sniffed it, and he was like, "Oh, no big deal "

As for the walking on the trails, I agree with you 100% on that! I dont like working out in gyms either, just not something Ive gotten into. I like going for walks, hikes, bike rides, and of course horse back riding! So when, I could combine training, with walking....I jumped right on top of that!!!


----------



## DraftyAiresMum

I've got other people at the barn doing it with their horses now, too! lol There's this couple who board their two horses there (both TBs) and the guy has pretty much ZERO horse savvy (riding in shorts and cross-trainers with his toes pointed so far down he looked like he was _en pointe_!). He was leading William, the wilder of the two TBs in from turnout one day and William FREAKED at the poop dumpster. Had passed it several times, but decided right then to freak. I happened to be walking to Aires' stall (which is right across from the poop dumpster) and went over to see if I could help. I showed him how to get William to inspect the dumpster and within a couple of minutes William was all "Eh, whatever." He's never spooked going past the dumpster since. The guy was sooooo grateful and was all "I am sooo doing this with both horses whenever they refuse to go past anything!" (which happens a lot, especially when he's leading them because he's a bit timid).


----------



## howaboutthosejumps

hes so pretty.


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## DraftyAiresMum

howaboutthosejumps said:


> hes so pretty.


Thanks.  He's my baby.


----------



## DraftyAiresMum

Drum roll please!!!

I rode Aires today!! I wasn't nervous or scared or anything. And my friend got pics of us!! And even a little vid (that she didn't realize she'd gotten...my new camera is really different lol).

So here goes. As I said before, please don't critique my position. New (kinda weird) saddle, new horse, first time really riding in a long time, still stiff in the left ankle from my accident, and torn rotator cuff in my left shoulder (which is why I'm hunched a bit) don't add up to a stellar position. lol

Oh, and ignore the fact that it looks like I'm wearing a big white diaper over my riding pants. I (literally) pulled on my BGPs for this ride. 









Stopped and starting to back up








Stopping again (we did a lot of this, as this is what he needs to work on the most)...he was all on alert because there's a horse stalled next to the arena on that side:








And now the other way:








We do this all the time, right?!








Investigating the barrel...he insisted lol
















OMG! I *can* look somewhere other than right between his ears!!








Turning (yes, I know my hand is way far out)








Loose rein AND decent position?! Thought it'd never happen!








One of our magnificent stops!








More loose rein:








Riding back up to the barn after our spectacular half-rear, spin and "bolt"...after being kicked in the face by a mare we were following:








Wasn't trying so hard and my position is halfway decent:


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## tinyliny

I can't get past the BGP's. For real?


----------



## nicole25

I love seeing pictures of Aries. I think he is so handsome. I am a sucker for black and white paints not to mention that he is draft cross.
LOVE them!


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## csimkunas6

You guys look great!!!! It must feel wonderful to be on him...I cant even imagine! Congrats Drafty! Look forward to even more pics as you guys get more rides under your belt's!!!!


----------



## DraftyAiresMum

tinyliny said:


> I can't get past the BGP's. For real?


Tiny, go take a look in the Big Girl Panties thread. ;-) I kinda opened my big mouth and said I was gonna make a photo montage of actually putting on a pair of "big girl panties" and going for a ride. Meant it as a joke, but then several people said they actually wanted to see it...so I obliged! :lol:

Thanks, nicole and csimkuna! He's the best horse in the whole world. Calm, responsive, sweet, smart. I'm just glad he's gonna get bigger 'cuz he needs to take up some of my six miles of leg! lol It looks fine in the pics, but I feel like I'm wrapping my legs down under him when I urge him forward.  Oh...and he's butt-high again! :twisted: His withers are at about 15.3hh and his butt is around 16hh.


----------



## Cacowgirl

Loved the pics-you did just fine, & so did he-a very calm young boy, loved why we were seeing the BGP! Glad you like your Aussie saddle-I love mine & I've had it since the '80's! Had to have new girth straps put on it last year-I wore them out!


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## smrobs

Great job!!! Wonderful pictures .


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## DraftyAiresMum

Cacowgirl said:


> Loved the pics-you did just fine, & so did he-a very calm young boy, loved why we were seeing the BGP! Glad you like your Aussie saddle-I love mine & I've had it since the '80's! Had to have new girth straps put on it last year-I wore them out!


Thanks! Since I'm not used to the position that my Aussie puts me in, and I'm definitely not used to Aires yet, I'm holding off on using the Aussie until I'm a wee bit more comfortable. Hopefully by the time we go on our moonlight ride on the 14th, I'll be comfortable enough with the Aussie to use it (more just to irritate my BO since he thinks anything but Western saddles are ridiculous ). He is an extremely calm boy. Nothing much phases him...not even the kick by that stinking mare.



smrobs said:


> Great job!!! Wonderful pictures .


Thanks, smrobs! My friend made sure she snapped pics when I was least expecting it so I wasn't trying to correct my position or anything like that. I'm very proud of both of us. It'll just get easier from here on out!


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## danastark

Drafty-where is he from? My PMU gelding is by a flashy black/white paint/percheron stallion-Pepper at Ranch 1 in Canada. We didn't get any color-he's like mom, a bay but seeing Aires makes me curious if they are 1/2 brothers? Looking good BTW!


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## DraftyAiresMum

He's from Edelweiss Percherons out of Notre Dame, Manitoba, CA. His sire is the fourth stallion down, Little Bit of Black: Edelweiss Percherons - Stallions . 

My BO (who I bought him from) insists he's a PMU foal. His breeder, on the other hand, says he was purpose-bred as a sport/pleasure horse prospect, but they misanticipated the market that year and overbred. Who knows which one is the truth. lol

And can anyone, without being mean, tell me if my position is as absolutely atrocious as I think it is or if it's not entirely bad? lol


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## Tayz

He's gorgeous =]
Can;t get over the story with those peope that wanted tto ride your horses


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## DraftyAiresMum

Thanks, Tayz! 

When I started working for one of my friends, lunging her horses, I fell in love with the horse that was to become "my" horse (long story there) because he was a bright bay and that's my favorite color on a horse (other than a nice golden buckskin). When I told her that I loved Dakota because he was a bay, I got a nice long lecture about how you choose a horse based on temperament first, conformation second, and if you end up with a color you like, that's just a bonus. Well, I'd say with Aires I hit the freakin' JACKPOT! He's got everything! Temperament, conformation (every day our trainer finds some new body part of his that she's in love with...first it was his butt, then it was his shoulders, now it's his chest lol), AND amazing color. 

As for the people who wanted to buy him...there's all sorts out there. Just like the people (fellow boarders, no less!) who tried to feed him coffee and were pestering my friend about who owns him because they wanted him. She finally said that she owned him and told them to go away. lol


----------



## DraftyAiresMum

Okay, more riding pics! :-D

I actually rode in my Aussie saddle yesterday and LOVED every minute of it...despite the fact that my left stirrup leather was an inch too long and I couldn't adjust it because it was on the top hole and couldn't go any higher because of the way the leather is shaped (took it to the saddle shop to be fixed after my ride). The pics are a bit far away and a tad fuzzy on some of them, but you get the idea!

















































Backing up (with my ridiculously long left stirrup lol)


----------



## Golden Horse

You look very comfortable in the Aussie saddle, puts you in a nice position


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## DraftyAiresMum

Thanks, GH! :-D I am totally in love with it now that I figured out how to sit in it. lol I have honestly never felt so comfortable and balanced in any saddle I've ever ridden in (which is about a dozen, in all honesty, what with riding at the Girl Scout horse camp). It just felt so...natural.


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## becca1584

Beautiful looking horse you got ^_^


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## MHFoundation Quarters

Looking good drafty! Pat yourself on the back girl, you're doing fabulous!


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## DraftyAiresMum

Thanks, becca1584! He's my baby. Couldn't ask for a better horse, in all honesty.

Thanks, MHFQ!! I am pretty proud of myself and of Aires. I am kinda bummed that my saddle needed to be fixed, but it is what it is and it shouldn't be too expensive to fix. I was gonna ride today, but I rode to the barn with my friend and she had to be home by 11am (her son has a doctor's appointment), so I didn't have time to ride. Kinda bummed about it, actually. lol


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## csimkunas6

He and you both are looking better and better the more pics I see of the two of you!!! Drafty, exactly how old is Aires? What month was he born in? He looks soo comfy!!!


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## DraftyAiresMum

His birthday is May 7th, 2009. So he's 27 months and three days old. lol 

And he is EXTREMELY comfortable to ride! His walk is so smooth and he takes such big strides. Seriously, his walk is faster than some trots I've ridden. lol We were practicing our speed regulation when we rode Saturday and he did really really well. I'd tell him easy and put a little pressure on the reins and he'd slow down quite a bit until I released the pressure and told him to walk out. Hopefully in the next couple of days we'll get it down so I don't have to constantly hold him in. lol


----------



## csimkunas6

DraftyAiresMum said:


> His birthday is May 7th, 2009. So he's 27 months and three days old. lol
> 
> And he is EXTREMELY comfortable to ride! His walk is so smooth and he takes such big strides. Seriously, his walk is faster than some trots I've ridden. lol We were practicing our speed regulation when we rode Saturday and he did really really well. I'd tell him easy and put a little pressure on the reins and he'd slow down quite a bit until I released the pressure and told him to walk out. Hopefully in the next couple of days we'll get it down so I don't have to constantly hold him in. lol


I bet he is!!! I think the trainer is going to have a hard time getting Rodeo to move to be honest. Im working on getting everything together, and everything all figured out so next year when I am ready to send him, he will go with no problems. Im setting up something with the trainer this month to go and look at one's facilities. Hes not at the same barn, but is in the same town that Rodeo is in now. I am beyond excited!! Thats good to hear that Aires is forward and wants to move!! I so love seeing pics of him!! He looks so great, and so mature!


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## smrobs

Looking great Drafty and I must say, you look much better sans the BGP's :wink::lol:.


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## DraftyAiresMum

csimkunas6 said:


> I bet he is!!! I think the trainer is going to have a hard time getting Rodeo to move to be honest. Im working on getting everything together, and everything all figured out so next year when I am ready to send him, he will go with no problems. Im setting up something with the trainer this month to go and look at one's facilities. Hes not at the same barn, but is in the same town that Rodeo is in now. I am beyond excited!! Thats good to hear that Aires is forward and wants to move!! I so love seeing pics of him!! He looks so great, and so mature!


Aires is too smart for his own good sometimes.  I know I'm bragging (and shamelessly don't care lol), but the first time the trainer rode him, he had to be lead for a minute until he realized "Oh, that's what you want," but then after that, he was working off leg pressure and pretty much direct reining. Both the BO and the trainer were incredibly impressed.

As for Rodeo...hopefully he won't be like the other two-year-old gelding that was being broke at the same time Aires was. They absolutely could not get him to move forward for ANYTHING. They finally had to take spurs to him and as far as I know, his owner still has to ride him in spurs. 



smrobs said:


> Looking great Drafty and I must say, you look much better sans the BGP's :wink::lol:.


Haha! Thanks, smrobs! Yeah, didn't realize just how horrific the BGPs looked until I put up these pics.


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## Cacowgirl

Glad you like your Aussie,I've loved mine for over 20 years now-I'm so glad I went ahead & had some major repair done last year so I can use it again. Is Williamson Valley near Williams? I'll be moving to AZ next year & need to learn my way around.


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## DraftyAiresMum

Williamson Valley is by Prescott, actually. In fact, my address is technically Prescott, but everyone calls out where we live Williamson Valley. Are you moving to Williams or ??? I have lived in Arizona my whole life (except for three months when I was three that we lived in Edom, Texas). I grew up in Chino Valley (just north of Prescott) and lived in Tucson for six years when I was married (and shortly thereafter).


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## Angelina1

Yes!! us Aussies know who to make a comfy saddle:lol: - The Aussie stock saddles are fantastic for long treks, I just love mine!! 

DraftyAiresMum - your photos are fantastic!! Well done with all the training you have done with Aires, it really shows - you must be so proud of the progress that you have made.


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## DraftyAiresMum

Awwww...thanks, Angelina! Yes, I am VERY proud of my boy and how far we've come! 

And as for the Aussie stock saddles...I have wanted to try one since I was a little kid and watched Man From Snowy River over and over and over and over again. lol I always thought they looked comfy and just plain cool...and I was right!


----------



## csimkunas6

DraftyAiresMum said:


> Aires is too smart for his own good sometimes.  I know I'm bragging (and shamelessly don't care lol), but the first time the trainer rode him, he had to be lead for a minute until he realized "Oh, that's what you want," but then after that, he was working off leg pressure and pretty much direct reining. Both the BO and the trainer were incredibly impressed.
> 
> As for Rodeo...hopefully he won't be like the other two-year-old gelding that was being broke at the same time Aires was. They absolutely could not get him to move forward for ANYTHING. They finally had to take spurs to him and as far as I know, his owner still has to ride him in spurs.


He does seem to be very very smart!! Hes such a handsome horse, the more photos I see of him, the more he seems to be developing into the perfect horse!! Im sure youve probably mentioned it before, but what are your plans for him Drafty?

We'll see what happens as far as Rodeo's training goes, I know I am beyond excited about it though! He is officially 18months old today, so its going to be at least another 6 months, if not a few more. But I think he'll catch on pretty quick. I did throw a lightweight saddle on him a few weeks ago, and then turned him out. Which was officially the first time he was off on his own(in the arena of course), and OH MY!!! He sure lived up to his name in a hurry!


----------



## DraftyAiresMum

I want to do a little bit of everything with Aires, but mainly I want to event. The trainer thinks he'll be amazing at it because of his size and his stamina (I had to lunge him for thirty minutes in the middle of the day in midsummer just to get a sweat pattern on him to see if my Aussie saddle fit)...and the fact that he's willing to do anything I ask of him. He's also going to be amazing at dressage because of his gaits (you literally don't have to post his trot because it's so smooth). But, I also want to try WP, trail classes, English pleasure, hunter (maybe...we'll see), even some team sorting (although MHFQ thinks the steers will be able to just walk under his belly ). He's going to be my all-around horse.


----------



## csimkunas6

DraftyAiresMum said:


> I want to do a little bit of everything with Aires, but mainly I want to event. The trainer thinks he'll be amazing at it because of his size and his stamina (I had to lunge him for thirty minutes in the middle of the day in midsummer just to get a sweat pattern on him to see if my Aussie saddle fit)...and the fact that he's willing to do anything I ask of him. He's also going to be amazing at dressage because of his gaits (you literally don't have to post his trot because it's so smooth). But, I also want to try WP, trail classes, English pleasure, hunter (maybe...we'll see), even some team sorting (although MHFQ thinks the steers will be able to just walk under his belly ). He's going to be my all-around horse.



Thats what I want to do with Rodeo. A little bit of everything!!! He really looks comfy! Im sure Ill be jealous on that one! Although, I do love to post for trotting!!! But he sure is maturing into a gorgeous guy! Cant wait to see him completely done.....should be a pretty good sized horse really!! LOL


----------



## DraftyAiresMum

Thanks.  He's going butt-high on me again. lol From everything I've seen (on here and other sites), he'll reach a minimum 16.3hh...then that goes all the way up to about 17.2hh. Imma need a step ladder just to get on him.


----------



## csimkunas6

DraftyAiresMum said:


> Thanks.  He's going butt-high on me again. lol From everything I've seen (on here and other sites), he'll reach a minimum 16.3hh...then that goes all the way up to about 17.2hh. Imma need a step ladder just to get on him.


Hahah your right!!! I had the farrier string test him the other day....the length from his coronet to the middle of his knee measured out to where he should mature at 15.3hh. Ill be perfectly happy with that, as I am 5'5'', and I dont want anything too huge!!! LOL But then again, I do like taller horses


----------



## DraftyAiresMum

Aires wouldn't stand still when I string tested him the way your farrier did, so I got anywhere from 17.2hh to 18hh (he kept trying to bend down to see what I was doing and knocking my hand around, then thought I wanted him to lift his foot, so yeah lol). Going by the percentage growth chart someone posted on here a while back, he's at about 98% of his adult height now, which if I did the math correctly, puts him at 16.3hh. Any way you slice it, he's going to be one BIG boy, which is fine by me. I'm 5'7", but have TONS of leg, so he'll need to be tall and stout (which he's going to be) to take it all up.


----------



## Haylee

What a CUTE horse! I love him!  You can tell he is loved.


----------



## csimkunas6

DraftyAiresMum said:


> Aires wouldn't stand still when I string tested him the way your farrier did, so I got anywhere from 17.2hh to 18hh (he kept trying to bend down to see what I was doing and knocking my hand around, then thought I wanted him to lift his foot, so yeah lol). Going by the percentage growth chart someone posted on here a while back, he's at about 98% of his adult height now, which if I did the math correctly, puts him at 16.3hh. Any way you slice it, he's going to be one BIG boy, which is fine by me. I'm 5'7", but have TONS of leg, so he'll need to be tall and stout (which he's going to be) to take it all up.


16.3hh is a good sized horse for sure!!! Ive ridden quite a few at that height, and most of them all seemed to have such dreamy, ground covering gaits!! Not that 15.3, or any other sized horses dont. 

I have also ridden a 14.3hh horse, which honestly, I had no problems with, Id rather he get to at least 15hh though, just a personal preference! LOL


----------



## DraftyAiresMum

Haylee said:


> What a CUTE horse! I love him!  You can tell he is loved.


Thanks, Haylee! He's one special boy, that's for sure. 



csimkunas6 said:


> 16.3hh is a good sized horse for sure!!! Ive ridden quite a few at that height, and most of them all seemed to have such dreamy, ground covering gaits!! Not that 15.3, or any other sized horses dont.
> 
> I have also ridden a 14.3hh horse, which honestly, I had no problems with, Id rather he get to at least 15hh though, just a personal preference! LOL


My old gelding was 14.2hh (on his tiptoes lol). He had a decent enough walk, but his regular trot was a little choppy. His extended trot looked nice and smooth (never rode him at an extended trot) from the ground when I'd lunge him. Aires, on the other hand, is smooth at all gaits. The trainer was in awe of how smooth he is. 

I'm VERY excited because my new bridle came in the mail today! Gonna try it on the boy tomorrow and take some pics. It matches my saddle surprisingly well. It'll be Aires' first time in an English bridle, so we'll see how he does with the noseband.


----------



## Courtney

Where did you get his new bridle from? Was the cost fairly reasonable?


----------



## Cacowgirl

Oooohh~ Can't wait to see pics of him in the new bridle! The closest "city" I'm moving to is Kingman & that will be about 15 miles west of me. I'll be near the Petro trucker's Stop @ Blake Ranch Road. I'm in luck as they have an Iron Skillet restaurant there that is open for 24 hours & they serve breakfast all day. I'll have to give the place a try next time I go there. Our escrow is supposed to close this week & I'm on pins & needles.I can't wait to move some of our "stuff" out of here, so it will "show" better. We're suppossed to get our "For Sale" sign up today~then my life will really get crazy.

Can you tell me anything about "round bales"? We don't have them here & I'm curious about them. Have you ever gotten hay @ Wakimoto Farms on Hiway 95?From what I've seen, the hay is about the same as here or maybe a little higher in price. But maybe it's heavier? our bales run about 100-110 lbs.


----------



## csimkunas6

DraftyAiresMum said:


> My old gelding was 14.2hh (on his tiptoes lol). He had a decent enough walk, but his regular trot was a little choppy. His extended trot looked nice and smooth (never rode him at an extended trot) from the ground when I'd lunge him. Aires, on the other hand, is smooth at all gaits. The trainer was in awe of how smooth he is.
> 
> I'm VERY excited because my new bridle came in the mail today! Gonna try it on the boy tomorrow and take some pics. It matches my saddle surprisingly well. It'll be Aires' first time in an English bridle, so we'll see how he does with the noseband.


The mare I round at 14.3 was very similar! Her trot was very choppy as well! Never was able to canter her, as when I was riding her I was riding with a VERY timid rider that considered trot her fastest speed. Wasnt a problem for me at the time, but OH MY!!! I do love a nice rocking horse canter! Nothing beats that IMO!

Cant wait to see him in the english bridle!!! I have one, as Im mainly an english rider, but I do love western as well. Working on getting my first western saddle in the near future...anyways, thats def something I need to put on Rodeo. I bet Aires will look great in it!!!


----------



## DraftyAiresMum

Courtney said:


> Where did you get his new bridle from? Was the cost fairly reasonable?


I ordered his bridle off eBay. It was $36.47 shipped. It's a nice bridle, but a bit stiffer than I like. Nothing a little neatsfoot oil can't fix, though. 



Cacowgirl said:


> Oooohh~ Can't wait to see pics of him in the new bridle! The closest "city" I'm moving to is Kingman & that will be about 15 miles west of me. I'll be near the Petro trucker's Stop @ Blake Ranch Road. I'm in luck as they have an Iron Skillet restaurant there that is open for 24 hours & they serve breakfast all day. I'll have to give the place a try next time I go there. Our escrow is supposed to close this week & I'm on pins & needles.I can't wait to move some of our "stuff" out of here, so it will "show" better. We're suppossed to get our "For Sale" sign up today~then my life will really get crazy.
> 
> Can you tell me anything about "round bales"? We don't have them here & I'm curious about them. Have you ever gotten hay @ Wakimoto Farms on Hiway 95?From what I've seen, the hay is about the same as here or maybe a little higher in price. But maybe it's heavier? our bales run about 100-110 lbs.


I know right where you're talking about. lol I grew up in Prescott and around Northern Arizona. You'll be about an hour and a half away from me (which in Arizona isn't that bad lol).

As for round bales, I know nothing about them. I've actually never seen them for sale around here (in the Prescott area). I have gotten hay at Olsen's Grain (local feed store) and our BO gets his hay from Scatter Rock Ranch, so I don't know anything about Wakimoto Farms. Sorry. Around here, the alfalfa bales we get are (usually) 120lbs. The bermuda grass bales are the same. Sometimes you'll find two-string 90lbs bales of alfalfa, but they're relatively rare. 



csimkunas6 said:


> The mare I round at 14.3 was very similar! Her trot was very choppy as well! Never was able to canter her, as when I was riding her I was riding with a VERY timid rider that considered trot her fastest speed. Wasnt a problem for me at the time, but OH MY!!! I do love a nice rocking horse canter! Nothing beats that IMO!
> 
> Cant wait to see him in the english bridle!!! I have one, as Im mainly an english rider, but I do love western as well. Working on getting my first western saddle in the near future...anyways, thats def something I need to put on Rodeo. I bet Aires will look great in it!!!


Right now we're using my friend's old western bridle that she had for her appy gelding she originally bought, then sold. It was big for her appy, but fits Aires perfectly. Since we'll be doing English disciplines, I wanted to get Aires used to an English bridle as soon as possible. 

Pics will have to come tomorrow when we go on our first trail ride.  I had to go pick up my saddle today at the saddle shop (LOVE our saddle shop guy!).


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## csimkunas6

Yippee!!! How exciting!! First trail ride!! I am beyond jealous!! ****......must tell us how it goes


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## Cacowgirl

Thanks for all the info~our escrow will close tomorrow! You could only imagine how excited I am! We had 2 trucks "die" this week, but w/ some new parts, both are back running~Major relief! Now to find the time to run some things to AZ & take some very careful measurements & figure out the new horse pens-LOL. Hard, when I have to keep working, also, at least for a few more months.


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## DraftyAiresMum

Okay...I will post about the trail ride (and all its epic awesomeness!! :-D) in my journal thread, but here are the pics!

Warming up with our awesome saddle and new bridle before going to "work":
















"I'm ready for my close-up, Mom!"








Handsome boy:








Ear shots!

















Sorry...no more pics. We were having too much fun to remember to take pics!


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## csimkunas6

DraftyAiresMum said:


> Okay...I will post about the trail ride (and all its epic awesomeness!! :-D) in my journal thread, but here are the pics!
> 
> Warming up with our awesome saddle and new bridle before going to "work":
> 
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> Sorry...no more pics. We were having too much fun to remember to take pics!



Oh my gosh!!! I am sooo excited for the two of you! First of all, he looks great in that bridle, and saddle! He looks so comfortable, and relaxed in it as well! And love the ear pics! Thats soo exciting!! Im jumping for joy and giggling with excitement for you just looking at those pics!! It looks like it went great!!!


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## Cacowgirl

He is such a pretty horse & looks very comfortable in his skin. Your tack looks nice on him, I like the red saddle pad, too. Glad you had such a great day!


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## DraftyAiresMum

He is an absolutely AMAZING horse! Most people would never guess he's a two-year-old with how calm, level-headed, mature and intelligent he is. I love our saddle and bridle, although the bridle does need to be oiled a lot, as it's a bit stiff. I debated between blue and red for our colors, but the red just POPS against his coloring so well. I need a better pad for my saddle, though. The one I have is an English AP pad and it doesn't quite cover the flaps of our saddle. We also need a breast collar 'cuz the saddle shifted back about 1-1.5" while we were riding. lol

Thanks, csimkuna! We had a blast and he did soooooooooo well! I've been grinning all day! lol


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## cakemom

Red is perfect on him! He really is a lovely boy, that coloring of his is dreamy.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DraftyAiresMum

Trail ride pics!

These were taken today on our 3.5 hour ride. 

Best...view...EVER!
















Granite Mountain:








Yes, Aires...that is a tree:








Hi, Tam!
















Pic of the trail:








The view:








Our funky makeshift lead rope gate while we ate lunch at the corrals...the boys were surprisingly good about respecting it...probably because they were more interested in our food:








Tam and Aires begging (Wendy brought carrots):








My burred-up monstrosity...and my friends wonder why I need a rock to mount him out on the trail!








"I know there's apples here somewhere...I can smell them! Now, how did Tam do that opening-the-black-bag thing..."








Burrs...we hates them!


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## Skyseternalangel

Aww  He's such a cute big guy haha. I love horses in their winter woolies


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## Country Woman

DraftyAiresMum said:


> Okay...I will post about the trail ride (and all its epic awesomeness!! :-D) in my journal thread, but here are the pics!
> 
> Warming up with our awesome saddle and new bridle before going to "work":
> 
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> Sorry...no more pics. We were having too much fun to remember to take pics!


I love your new tack 
and the trail ride


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## Country Woman

DraftyAiresMum said:


> Trail ride pics!
> 
> These were taken today on our 3.5 hour ride.
> 
> Best...view...EVER!
> 
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> Tam and Aires begging (Wendy brought carrots):
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> Burrs...we hates them!


I love the view and the location
how tall is your horse


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## csimkunas6

Drafty...Im so jealous!!! I cant wait to start Rodeo and be able to do trails with him!

It looks like you had an amazing ride!!! What a great view on the back of Aires! Hes look huge too!! So thick!!


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## DraftyAiresMum

Sky, his winter woolies are EXTREME! lol He didn't sweat nearly as much on our ride as I expected him too, though. Tam, my friend's horse, sweated more and his hair isn't nearly as long or thick (this is Tam's first winter not being blanketed). But then again, he's a quarab. lol

Country Woman, Aires is about 16hh at the withers and 16.1-16.2hh at the butt right now...and he's only 2.5-years-old.  I love the trails around us. Wish I would have thought to get some pics in between the pics on the flat and then when we're stopped under the tree. BEAUTIFUL country. 

csimkuna, he was amazing for the first half...and then it all went downhill from there (see my journal thread for details). Hence no pics on the way back. And he is huge. It's like riding a barrel that moves really smoothly...except when he decides to showcase his half-a$$ two-year-old trot, which is very jarring. But, if I let him get into a rhythm and don't rein him in, his trot is so smooth you can't feel it.


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## Cacowgirl

Nice to hear he has a smooth ground-covering trot-that is a wonderful gear!


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## DraftyAiresMum

Cacowgirl said:


> Nice to hear he has a smooth ground-covering trot-that is a wonderful gear!


It is wonderful. There were a couple of times that I honestly didn't even realize he was trotting until we were running up Tam's butt and I had to rein Aires in. :shock:


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## ILOVEHORSE

Georguse


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## DraftyAiresMum

Okay! Finally got pics from my friend who we went on the ride with! Ignore me, the fat cow. Also, there's a couple of pics where it looks like I'm hauling on the reins...I'm not really. One of them, I'm asking him to stand still (he started to walk forward on me) and a couple of the others he's just stretching his neck out and pulling on the reins a little.

He looks like a friggin' pony! 








Yes, we were this far back for most of the beginning of the ride. He loves his draft horse plod. 








FINALLY caught up! 








The really pretty part of the trail:
























Not sure what my hands are doing almost at my chest in this pic...thinking I may have been picking them up to ask him to stop...or resettling them...or...I have no clue. lol








"Whazzat over dare?!"








"Stand still, monster!"








"Fine...geez, Mom."








"Oh, hai!"








"Yes, I rolled in the burrs. And you point is?"








"Big head on a little body" (singing like Chris Farley in Tommy Boy when he sings "Fat man in a little jacket")


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## DraftyAiresMum

"What's Tam into? Anything I can help destroy?"








Get this...Tam is about 15.1-15.2hh and he and Aires are on relatively level ground. 








Tam: "Back off, draft boy!"
Aires: "Dude, everyone loves me! What's your problem?!"








"You haz more carrots and...stuff?"








Tam: "Back off! My carrots!"
Aires: "Dude...chill."


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## Cacowgirl

Only a few pictures came through, but they were neat. I hope it's just my computer, so maybe they'll show up later.


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## Can He Star

lovely pictures


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## Skyseternalangel

You and he look SO adorable together (I'm sorry it's the winter fuzzies xD he looks like a little big head teddy) but wonderful!


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## csimkunas6

Hes soo adorable!! LOL Love the pics Drafty! Seeing your pics makes me more anxious to get on Rodeo! lol

I cant believe how tall Aires is though! He would make Rodeo look like a Mini! haha


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## DraftyAiresMum

Skyseternalangel said:


> You and he look SO adorable together (I'm sorry it's the winter fuzzies xD he looks like a little big head teddy) but wonderful!


Thanks, Sky! He does look like a big ol' teddy bear. They should make stuffies of him. I think they'd sell REALLY well. ;-) 



csimkunas6 said:


> Hes soo adorable!! LOL Love the pics Drafty! Seeing your pics makes me more anxious to get on Rodeo! lol
> 
> I cant believe how tall Aires is though! He would make Rodeo look like a Mini! haha


No one believes he's only two. Heck, *I *can barely believe he's only two. lol


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## DraftyAiresMum

Okay, just because I'm now addicted to Picnik and was having fun with a quote I found online about horses, I made this from the cell phone pic I took on our very first trail ride. I think it turned out kinda cool.


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## Skyseternalangel

Haha isn't it just so much fun?!

Your cellphone takes stellar pictures! I love the edit


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## DraftyAiresMum

Picture time! We turned Aires, CJ (my friend's arab gelding) and Rex (the trainer's arab gelding) out together today and were playing with them. I took quite a few pics, so here's my faves. Enjoy! 

CJ is the dark bay, Rex is the bright bay...and you all know my beastly.

Fighting just like brothers lol
















I haz your halter! (Don't worry...right after this my friend went out and took Rex's halter off)








Rex...also known as TURBO!








I love how while the arabs are going nuts, my boy stands there like "Ummmmmmmm...what?"








Runnin' with the boys! (Rex is 15.2hh, CJ is 15.3hh and Aires is about 16hh lol)








And they're off!








*Brake squeal sounds*








They started in this formation...








Then ended up in this formation...


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## DraftyAiresMum

Back the other way...geez, it's like watching a train!








Great shot of Aires running...even if it is a bit far away:








Love how the two arabs are puffs of dust, but Aires is clearly visible lol








Not sure why, but I hear "Born Free" playing when I see this pic








"And they're rounding the back corner! It's CJ in the lead, followed closely by Rex, with Aires bringing up the rear (as usual)!"








Wish this pic was zoomed in a bit more...LOVE IT! 








"Wait for meeeeeeeeee!"








Pretty sure he was taking off into a canter from either a walk or a stand still in this pic :shock:








Three horse pile-up!








I love it...with their long arab necks, you'd never believe Aires is taller than both of them. lol


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## DraftyAiresMum

Look familiar?








Love these two pics of CJ:
















"Imma just follow you, k?"
























A brief respite:








And they're off again:








How did I end up with such an absolutely stunning, wonderful horse?! I am truly blessed!


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## csimkunas6

Hahahaah oh Aires!!!!! He looks amazing!!! He looks quite bulky, and almost slow with the Arabs, not in a bad way of course 

Does he keep up with other horses? Rodeo is slow as molasses! Everyone makes fun of how he does everything in slow motion....he can get up and go when he feels is necessary of course! lol

Great pics as always!! Hes such a cutie! What a coat he has too! Wow!!!! Rodeo has a similar thick, long coat, and looks like a mammoth out there! lol


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## Skyseternalangel

Love this picture.. Aires and his friend CJ "Posing for facebook pics!" hahaha that's so cute.


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## DraftyAiresMum

Thanks! When he's fresh, he can keep up with them pretty well. CJ is a BEAST when it comes to speed, though. The trainer and my friend were out doing an endurance training ride and they let their boys run. The trainer was carrying a GPS and they clocked CJ at 42MPH...and he wasn't even completely opened up! :shock:

Where the arab boys lose him is on the turns. They've got that quick arab lightness, whereas it takes him a city block to turn when he's at a dead run. 

His winter coat is about 4" long in some places. Yay for not having to blanket! And I'm sure you all remember that the barn joke is that Aires is part wooly mammoth.


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## Golden Horse

Looks like the boys were having all kinds of fun there. Great pics, love the blue sky as well


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## DraftyAiresMum

Thanks, GH! We were joking that we should have run them like this BEFORE we tried to ride, because then Aires may not have been such a friggin' pill. lol We tried to get Aires to do his "arab prance," but there weren't any mares around for him to show off for. 

Today was GORGEOUS! Not sure what the high was, but if felt like it was in the mid-50s to low-60s (Fahrenheit, of course). We were in shirt sleeves by noon. Of course, some of us were working pretty hard, but...lol


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## mom2pride

Awesome updated pics!!! I love Arabs!!!


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## DraftyAiresMum

So, apparently there's a hot new must-have toy for this year...

*The traffic cone!!!

*"Hmmm...this looks like an interesting piece of rubber..."








"But what does it doooo?"








"It just lays there...riiiiiiiight."
























"Wait a minute. What is Rex doing with that thing?!"
















"Can I try?"
















"My turn!"
















"Come on, Rex! Let me have a turn!!"









My friend said that Aires and Rex played with that cone for FIVE HOURS, passing it back and forth, tossing it around, chasing each other with it, just having a ball. Apparently I need to get him one for his stall. lol


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## Golden Horse

Love boys that can entertain themselves :lol:


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## DraftyAiresMum

I think my favorite pic is the one of Aires' and Rex's heads together that's kind of close up. LOVE the size difference in their heads! lol

And those pics of Aires standing next to the fence where he looks pretty butt-high? Yeah, he's on relatively level ground there. :shock:


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## Country Woman

that is way to funny 
I to see horses play


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## smrobs

:rofl: You know what they say, simple minds are easily amused :wink:.


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## csimkunas6

That is adorable!! The must of the year! ****.....Im really jealous. Aires actually looks like a horse, Rodeo still looks so tiny and petite! lol


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## DraftyAiresMum

smrobs said:


> :rofl: You know what they say, simple minds are easily amused :wink:.


Hey now! I'm pretty sure Aires' dumbness is just an act. Okay, well, maybe not "pretty" sure...how about mostly sure? lol



csimkunas6 said:


> That is adorable!! The must of the year! ****.....Im really jealous. Aires actually looks like a horse, Rodeo still looks so tiny and petite! lol


His size is to his detriment, csimkunas6. Most people think he's much older than he is, so they expect me to be doing more with him (had one lady ask me, when I told her I wanted to event, "Well, why aren't you training him to jump now?" ummmmmm...cuz he's two? She didn't believe me. lol).


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## Skyseternalangel

Awww he's such a big ol' teddy bear in those pictures! He and Sky would be such fun together haha!

It's funny, horses grab the funniest things to play with.

We had a mare tear apart little mini cones but when the owner tried to give them that same cone, they usually got a dirty look and the cone never got touched. Cheeky horse, haha.


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## DraftyAiresMum

My friend said that he's already starting to shed out.  We've had a couple of warm days so far, but she said there are clumps of hair all over his stall. She thinks I should body clip him this summer. :shock:


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## omghorses

Wow he looks great! I'm lovin' the last picture.


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## DraftyAiresMum

Picture time!!

We went for a 3.5 hour trail ride today. It wasn't as much fun as it should have been...mainly because apparently my boy is afraid of open spaces. lol Anyway, got some pics when we stopped for lunch and when we were relaxing after the ride back at the barn.

Stopped for lunch:
























Drafty butts drive me nuts! 
























Playing hard to get:
























Wendy has FOOD!!!


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## DraftyAiresMum

"I will not drink from the Stock Tank of Death! Did you seeeeee the big orange monster in there?! It's gonna eat me!" (the "big orange monster," by the way, was a 12" long goldfish lol)








"Oh fine. I'll drink. Hey! This is good!"
















"Is there really an orange monster in there? Dude! Let me see!"









Heifers and calves that were a couple of corrals away. After the initial "ZOMG! What are those?!", the boys proceeded to ignore them completely. The calves were TINY and so adorable!

























After our ride...
Showing off my new saddle blanket I made :-D








Aires' new halter. It's draft size. Yes, the nose is big, but the rest of it fits perfectly. :shock:

























Hand-grazing the boys on the road by the stable (where our BO had Wendy park her trailer):


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## csimkunas6

Great photos! Seeing you out and about with Aires makes me so excited for the time Rodeo's undersaddle!


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## DraftyAiresMum

I know it isn't a pic, but I found the video of Aires' first ride and got it uploaded to YouTube, so I thought I'd share. Keep in mind, this was his first ride EVER and the trainer's first time riding a horse that had never been ridden before. I left the audio with our silly comments 'cuz I think it's funny (some of the jokes only we at our barn would get, but that's okay lol). This also happened to be the day I sprained my ankle coming off that stupid mare, which is why my friend asks me if I need help getting down at the end.


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## DraftyAiresMum

Not sure why it double-posted. I only clicked the "Post Quick Reply" button once. Stupid computer.


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## csimkunas6

Thats awesome that you have a video of his first ride! I cant remember, was he 2yrs old or 2 1/2 when you guys first started him?


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## DraftyAiresMum

He was about 28 months when the BO started working with him and 30 months when he had his first ride. I started teaching him to lunge as soon as I got him, so that cut the BO's training time in half. The BO worked with him VERY piecemeal. He'd do maybe on day a week, or one day every other week. He was saddled a total of three times before he was ridden.


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## Thyme

Great pics! Not enough of Aires around here
<3


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## Sis

That is a beautiful horse! He looks like a Tenessee Walker! And looks like a lot of fun to ride.


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## DraftyAiresMum

Sis said:


> That is a beautiful horse! He looks like a Tenessee Walker! And looks like a lot of fun to ride.


Hahaha! Nope! He's a Percheron/paint cross. Dam was a big ol' 16.3-17hh Percheron and sire was a 15.1hh paint. He stands right about 16.1hh at the withers and 16.2hh at the butt right now. 

He is a TON of fun...when he isn't deciding to act his age.


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## DraftyAiresMum

Okay, they're just crappy cell phone pics, but I got a couple of pics of Aires after I worked on deshedding him today. I swear I got enough hair off him to make a mini!

This was just from ONE side of him...and it's just what I managed to pull off the shedding rake before it fell off. There was literally TWICE as much on the ground! :shock:









And we're starting to look more like a horse and less like a woolly mammoth! 

















Now his coat looks like a normal horse's winter coat. lol


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## csimkunas6

Hes looking great, he looks enormous too!! Not in the bad way either


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## DraftyAiresMum

I'm just glad he's looking more like a horse and less like a woolly mammoth. lol He does look much...taller...and definitely leaner, than he did before. I seriously thought he'd lost weight a week or so ago when he REALLY started shedding out. I do hope he keeps his feathers, though. They are sooooo handy and I like the way he looks with them.


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## Country Woman

he really looks very handsome


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## DraftyAiresMum

Thanks, CW! I love that he looks like a Percheron (build-wise) with the paint coloring. Especially in that first pic.


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## Country Woman

The Paint in my avatar is Paint and Shire


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## DraftyAiresMum

PICTURE TIME!!! 

Had SUCH an amazing day today and got pics of it! Had a great ride in the arena and then Aires got his first ever full-on soaped up bath on the wash rack!!

Lunging...such a handsome boy!

























In the arena (disclaimer...I was having to fight with him for the first five minutes, as he thought he could just ignore the bit and my leg cues...he soon figured out that wasn't the case...hence the reason my hands are wonky sometimes and my leg cues are over-exaggerated...oh, and my stirrups are new, this was the very first time I'd ever ridden in them, and the necks need to be trimmed down 'cuz they're WAY too wide and slide all over the place):








Drafty butts drive me nuts!








I don't know why, but I love this pic lol








Yes, that's a big ol' grin on my face!
















Love it! We're both concentrating sooooooo hard!
















MUCH better!








Kinda fuzzy, but apparently he has decided that the trail bridge is going to eat him now


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## DraftyAiresMum

"Right, we're gonna trot now. You getting this?"








Somehow we started half trotting and half side-passing away from the fenceline lol
















Trotting back the other way! He did so good! All it took was a squeeze, a cluck and the word "trot" and he took off at a nice, medium trot! And yes, I fail at posting. Stupid stirrups.


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## DraftyAiresMum

Bath time!! Standing there like an old pro! You'd never know that last year just getting near him with a hose was a battle. And forget about getting him on the wash rack. Wasn't gonna happen.
















I know his halter is too far down on his nose. He sat back on his lead when he saw the soap running across the cement and stretched the halter a little.








Washing the evil tail...soooooooo thick and coarse and apparently VERY water resistant! And we got photo bombed by CJ (my friend's arab gelding)!!
















So CLEAN!
















Look how WHITE he is!








So handsome!








Tried to capture the almost silvery sheen his white took on as it dried, but failed.


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## Cacowgirl

What a nice clean boy-so glad you had such a good day with him!


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## Spirit Lifter

Nice horse!


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## DraftyAiresMum

Cacowgirl said:


> What a nice clean boy-so glad you had such a good day with him!


Thanks! The trainer commented on how blindingly white he was today...even after he'd been turned out for five hours and had undoubtedly rolled SEVERAL times. lol I just love how soft he is. Next time he gets a bath, we're working on his mane and trimming it up. Didn't realize how scraggly and yuck it was until he was all clean everywhere else. lol


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## palominolover

VERY handsome boy. I LOVE his name .


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## DraftyAiresMum

palominolover said:


> VERY handsome boy. I LOVE his name .


Thanks! His full name is Buenos Aires because his blaze in the shape of South America. We call him Aires (pronounced "Aries," like the Greek god of war), though.


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## DraftyAiresMum

Rode in the arena today. _Someone_ was being incredibly testy and just a general pill. Wanted to go for a real ride, but kind of glad we couldn't (my friend's gelding threw a shoe day before yesterday, so they couldn't have gone anyway) because he was being so obnoxious.

Without further ado, here's us!









Kind of weaving the poles lol








































Little monster was fighting me so hard right here when I asked him to stop
















Trying to get him to turn to the right...he was fine turning left, but right was a whole different story!








"I don't wanna...you can't make me!"
































Trotting! 








My fat butt lol


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## DraftyAiresMum

Drafty butts!








Laughing at something silly he did
















Trying to get him to turn right again








Standing like a gentleman
















This made me laugh...I gave him a leg cue to go left...and he started trotting!
















Good trotting pic!








Trotting and asking him to slow down
















Posting...kinda
















Trotting across the arena








Asking him to stop


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## DraftyAiresMum

Awww...my boy!








I really like this pic!








Monster head!








Awwwwwwww...








Beautiful pic!
































"Geez! Are we done yet, guys?!"


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