# Someday we'll "Touch The Clouds"



## TheRoughrider21 (Aug 25, 2009)

So I'll start when I first saw Lakota aka Touch the Clouds. It was Early June and I had had my Paint filly for 2 months. I thought I was gonna die without having a horse to ride. I pulled into my trainers driveway and saw him standing in a pen, gorgeous and huge. I couldn't take my eyes off him. After an episode where his previous owner came in and grabbed his nose and held it closed and said"'I could hold his nose closed for 5 minutes so he cant breathe'" I knew I needed that horse and he needed me. So on Father's Day, my mom took my money out of the bank account and purchased him while I was out of town. I started riding him and I could tell right away something was wrong with him. He constantly fought pressure on his mouth.

Fast forward to July 6th...10am. The dentist was over and Lakota was the first horse up. She sedated him and he was the most doped up horse with a normal dose and he weighs 1300lbs, we were all laughing at him. She checked his mouth and announced that he had never had his teeth looked at before in his 5 years. She rated his mouth a 6 out of 9...9 being the worst. He had many sharp points and a cheek laceration(when she say she went, "O wow, he's got a big hole in his cheek.") That was 2 days ago so I'm still resting him. Tonight I'm heading to the stables to clean some private pens and brush him up and love on him.


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## TheRoughrider21 (Aug 25, 2009)

July 11th, 2010

Rode Lakota today with 2 of my friends. He was good in the cross ties, I actually was able to spray his mane and tail. He was pretty good when we rode at first, then he decided to stop and be lazy. I made him go so he gave a crow hop. We kept going, then he tried to go out the gate, so I had to give him a lil harder kick. He tried to crow hop but was to lazy, so it was more of a kick. We made it around the ring a few more times before I stopped and when I wanted to go, he didn't. So i gave him a kick, he crow hopped, I gave him another kick, he crow-hopped again, I gave him another kick and he decided to walk but he had his ears pinned. I did half the arena at a walk and then got off on a good note. Took him inot the stables and sponged him off with some liniment and put his fly sheet on. Turned him out where he proceeded to roll in the dirt. =)


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## TheRoughrider21 (Aug 25, 2009)

7-16-10.

I lunged Lakota today. I think he has a bit issue going on. I'm not positive but I think his current bit is too small and is pinching his cheek. I'm going to try and find a longer bit for him. Tomorrow I have a lesson with my instructor so we'll see how that goes. =)


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## TheRoughrider21 (Aug 25, 2009)

7-17-10

Today I had a lesson with my trainer. I asked Lakota to trot and the little brat decided he didn't want to do it and bucked. I tried to spin him around but wasn't secure enough in my new saddle to really do it. So I asked my trainer to get on. Lakota made my trainer work and he pulled the bucking routine with him. After my trainer rode him for awhile, he had me get back on and ask him to trot. Lakota did it without even trying to buck! I was so proud of him! After that I walked him around awhile and sponged him off since it was really hot today and the next 10 days are supposed to be scorchers.


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## TheRoughrider21 (Aug 25, 2009)

Well its been storming like crazy all week. We had thunderstorms the past 2 nights...hail...tornadoes...the whole she-bang. We have standing water in the pasture where the grass is, which has never happened before. there are puddles everywhere and tomorrow it will all be a mud hole. So needless to say I haven't been riding, just checking for rain rot and thursh. Rain, rain go away!


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## TheRoughrider21 (Aug 25, 2009)

7-24-10

I rode Lakota in a Western saddle without lunging him before I got on and he was a dream. He was very focused on me today, not on everything else that was going on outside. My trainer was riding another horse in there also and he was fine with that. I was nervous about trotting hom since he usually has big problems with that and my trainer told me to just do it. So I did and he was a dream. He was moving out like never before, I now know that he has a huge dressage stride. I was like "How do I slow him down?" and my trainer was like, "He's not going that fast, his stride is just reaching out so far." I felt like I was riding a different horse! my trainer was shouting, "There's your dressage horse! Go girl! Yeah that's it!" from the middle of the arena. It was awesome and I was so proud of Lakota. He actually wanted to move forward today and tried to trot even when I was just thinking about asking him, he would start trotting and I would have to slow him down. Usually I have to keep on him just to get a big walk. So now me and my trainer are thinking it might be the way my English saddle fits. I was so proud of Lakota it was like, "Wow! This is what I live for!" =D


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