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You are here: Home / horses / The Colt Cam Chronicles

The Colt Cam Chronicles

March 30, 2016 by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~ 3 Comments

“Blessed are the flexible, for they will not be bent out of shape” – Origin unknown.

Sometimes you’ve got to go with your horse.

That was the case yesterday for me, as I took this pretty dun stud (who will soon be an excellent gelding), on his first outside ride. The plan was to use him to move cows. He’s 6, and it’s a job that was well suited to him, and I thought we were ready, Zach thought we were ready and there wasn’t a lot of hesitation as I decided he’d be my mount for the day. There were four other well-mounted people on solid saddle horses with us.

the south dakota cowgirl, the colt cam chronicles, go with your horse, colt starting

Admittedly the ride didn’t go as I had planned or imagined, and I came off of him. We barely made it out of the pasture where our barn is located. The departure, was mutual, though he didn’t buck me off. It was come off or I might end up in a wire fence, which could have been awful. But the takeaway for me this ride, can’t be that I didn’t get to go do a job, or that we didn’t make it out to move cows, it has to be that I allowed my colt to move his feet, and was able to go with him when he felt like he needed to go. The first time that happened, we went, and I regrouped and was able to help him get his feet. The second time, the regrouping didn’t work, and I got off balance and decided that not being horseback at that moment might be the best decision that I could make given the circumstances. We can always start again. Which we did, once we got him caught. We (Zach and I) went straightaway back to the barn, and helped him through a couple scary spots, like the lead rope of the mecate rein being around his feet, and helped him learn that he can go, he can bend and he can keep his mind.

The afternoon was spent handling him with the mares, that he didn’t want to leave that morning, in the barn with him. Allowing him to get that energy up and then have it be directed was the goal for the afternoon and that went well. Zach started and I finished, nerve wracking as it was, I am still here, still alive, and I learned a little more about just “going”.

Here’s an example from a few weeks ago of what I mean when I say, just go with your horse:

Sometimes shit just happens, and while I was really hoping for this guy to remain intact and breed some mares, it just isn’t in the cards. Not every horse is stallion material, and certainly here on this outfit, we’re pickier than most. They need to be gentle enough for a kid to ride them, and thoughtful enough to be ridden in and around other horses, including their own mare herd. The mares in question were not in the same pasture — they were in a corral, over the fence. The situation wasn’t set up for a successful first ride, and it was more than my colt or I were able to handle. That was our fault for not setting up the ride to be successful.

I’m a bit sore and stiff this morning, and my confidence may be bruised a little, but I learned a lot yesterday that will make me a better horseman and person.

Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation?

Happy Trails!

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Filed Under: colt cam, horse training, Horsemanship, horses Tagged With: a day in the life, cowgirl, Horsemanship, horses

About ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Jenn Zeller is the creative mind and boss lady behind The South Dakota Cowgirl. She is an aspiring horsewoman, photographer, brilliant social media strategist and lover of all things western.

After a brief career in the investment world to support her horse habit (and satisfy her mother, who told her she had to have a “real” job after graduating college), she finally took the leap and stepped away from a regular income; trading the business suit once and for all for cowgirl boots, a hat, and jeans. She has not looked back.

When Jenn first moved to The DX Ranch on the South Dakota plains, she never imagined she’d find herself behind a camera lens capturing an authentic perspective of ranching, and sharing it with others. Jenn has always been called to artistry, and uses music, writing, images, home improvement, and her first true love of horses to express her ranching passion.

Horses are the constant thread and much of her work centers around using her unique style of writing to share her horsemanship journey with others in publications such as CavvySavvy, the AQHA Ranching Blog, the West River Eagle, the family ranch website, and her own website.

Using photography to illustrate her stories has created other opportunities -- Jenn’s brand “The South Dakota Cowgirl” has grown to the level of social media “Influencer”. This notoriety has led to work with Duluth Trading Company, Budweiser, Wyoming Tourism, Vice, Circle Z Ranch and Art of the Cowgirl, to name a few. She also serves as a brand ambassador for Woodchuck USA, Arenus Equine Health, Triple Crown Feed and Just Strong fitness apparel. Her photography has been featured by Instagram, Apple, TIME Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Oprah Magazine. Jenn’s work has been published internationally, has been seen in several books and has graced the covers of several magazines.

Jenn became a social media influencer by accident when she started to explore Instagram as a way to share her life on the ranch with folks that don’t get to experience it. It’s grown into an incredible platform that she uses to empower women, create an environment for self improvement and share life on the ranch.

When she’s not working, she loves to drink coffee, play with her naughty border collie named Copper, start ranch colts, and run about the country chasing cans. Her mother still thinks she doesn’t have a “real” job.

Give your horse or dog, or cat the gift of mobility.

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Comments

  1. Linda says

    March 30, 2016 at 7:25 pm

    I think anyone that rides much has these kinds of experiences and each time…we learn something new.

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  2. Raquel says

    April 1, 2016 at 11:01 am

    I always say that when it comes to horses, you’ll only make the same mistake or learn a lesson one time for it to be permanently engrained in your head. I have lots of “oops, lets never do that again” lessons I have learned.

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