Sima's Home

I posted back in January about finding Sima for the boys to have a kid-friendly horse.  We did a three month free lease to make sure that he was the right horse for us (and that his owner, who loves him dearly, felt he was going to be the right semi-retirement home for him).  I think everyone involved has been thrilled with the situation, and this week we are making it official.

Sima is enjoying a slower, rural lifestyle.  He no longer is part of a show barn life, or spending his weekends doing eventing.  He has fully embraced this muddier, lazier way of living.

The boys adore him.  He's a gentleman for their rides.  They are practicing the basics right now, like trying to learn how to post to the trot.

And I enjoy him, too!  I've been taking him on trail rides, and sometimes do a little jumping.  Last week I showed Pierce how to use the good camera, and he worked on getting action shots.  I took three fences, and Pierce caught two of them just right. 

It's been a long time since I've jumped much, or worked with a trainer.  It's good for me to see the pictures to pick out my flaws.  I got a tad left behind on this one.

Compared to Francie, he's an easy going, straightforward ride.  He's very sensitive to cues - like changing diagonals or asking for leads.

Riding him makes me feel like a teenager again.  It's such a treat to ride a more finished horse. 

But this is the best part of it - he's gentle with the boys, trustworthy.  And here's my photographer.  Didn't he do a wonderful job?

We all look forward to more rides with Sima.  Once the boys are more balanced, I'm hoping we can even do some trail rides on our land.