Photoshoot with Caesar

Caesar is a very photogenic horse and seems to know it. He also permits me to shoot photos of him (without a permit - yay!) and gives me the time needed to snap a rare, really awesome picture.

Along with taking pictures of Caesar last week, I was able to ride him twice! I used my favorite saddle ever: the bareback pad. During the last ride he got grumpy because I was riding him away from the herd. It took stubbornness and determination on my part, but I did persuade him to follow my directions.

Here is Caesar. :)

Hii! 

What?

This girl does seem to be obsessed with me, and yes, it is just a little odd.

Ohhi.

Again?

*blows* Really? 

Let's make this weird face for the camera! 

Finally, I can relax.

Tails

Tails are awesome. Horses use them to communicate, tails show tell-tale signs of a horse's breed, and they are also useful to swish flies away.

Here are some pictures of tails. :)

Pretty tail hairs.

Caesar

Caesar is a very charming Quarter Horse gelding that I got to know better this past month. He's about six years old, had been a wild bronc, spent time being professionally trained, and now is a dependable ranch horse. :)

His personality is that of an attractive gentleman who gently and persistently lets you know his thoughts on matters. I tremendously enjoyed riding him, even though he had a magnetic force gravitating him towards the fenceline and gate.

He had an enchanting personality in the pasture as well. He came up with the other ranch horses to see what I was up to and sniff the camera before going about his own business (HINT: food). Every time he realized I was focusing the camera on him, he would pause a moment to look and blink at me before wandering off. It was so funny and cute. (:

And yes, if you can't tell by looking at the pictures, this dude really knows how awesome he looks. Which makes him even more attractive. :)

Hiiii guys.

Wait, what are you doing here, exactly?

Sniffing the big, black, clicky object. :)

Yeahh, ain't I hot. And I know it.

And yes, I do have gorgeous eyes and a steel jaw. 

What is this lens hood thing, anyway?

Ugh, more pictures already?

Fine, I guess I'll look nice in this one.

Notice the little birthmark type thing near his flank? I have no idea what it's called, but it's interesting.

Yes, I really am all that.

Airplane ears. (: 

I love how masculine he looks. :) 

I like his tail. AND HIS DAPPLES.

<3 the conformation.

Kicking at a fly.

Also, if you haven't noticed yet, look at his dapples, muscles, and conformation. Now tell me this guy isn't gorgeous..... And I'll still disagree. :)

Riding Jessica on the Ranch

Jessica is a somewhat stubborn little Quarter Horse ranch mare owned by a relative. She is the mother of Caesar and the half-sister of Luke - two more ranch horses you'll meet in later posts.

Her and my personalities clash and we don't really get along. I generally won't refuse riding any horse that isn't too much for me, but it just bugs me when the horse only ever wants to go to a certain place. Which really is a pity, because Jessica keeps her head nice and collected without even being asked.

A few times I attempted cantering loping Jessica, but neither her nor I really did it right. I was a bit unstable and she didn't want to go into the right lead. Which meant we mostly walked and trotted jogged from there on!

About 80% of my riding was done with a bareback pad. A bareback pad is basically somewhat-padded fabric with a cinch. It doesn't do much but keep the seat of your pants clean.

Sometimes I'll see bareback pads with stirrups, but in my opinion those are very unsafe. No one should be relying on safety from a couple layers of flimsy nothings. Much better to keep the bareback pad just that: a bareback pad.

Jessica with the bareback pad. (And no, the top strap is *not* for holding on to while riding.)

Billy the QH Stud

Billy is the red dun palomino (EeEe/CCRC+/Dn+) that MiniOwner and MiniOwner'sMom own. He's turning 23 this April Fools' Day, but he doesn't look that old. :)

He hasn't been ridden for years, but it sounds like his owners may start riding him again this year. And if he doesn't like it, he'll just have to get past that. I guess he used to buck some, but it definitely seems that with being ridden enough, that can be trained out of him.

Anyway, he's a really good boy, even around small children. Awhile ago when I was feeding him I started petting him because he was shedding like crazy. MiniOwner handed me a shedding blade and continued feeding, leaving me there with him with the door into the upper barn (Billy is kept in a pen outside the barn) wide open. Billy just continued eating, didn't mind me at all, and most certainly didn't try to get into the barn (even though, yes, there were mares in there).

He definitely knows what's what. When I'm feeding the horses in the upper barn, I can open the door to his pen and do whatever I need to do before feeding him; and he'll just wait there. It is seriously SO cool. :) So cool that I even got a picture of him doing it!

I love his steel dust jowls. :)

Anyway, here are a couple more pictures of him from last summer. I think the latter one is a bit more color-accurate; Billy seriously is a vibrant sheen of red-gold.

In this shot you can see the door to the barn, that's the same door as in the first picture.

He likes his hay. :3