RicelandMeadows

April 16, 2026

It’s hard to believe that we are halfway through April already! The weather is improving daily, but we are still a bit muddy for field work. The maple syrup equipment cleaning is about to wrap up for the season. I have been able to spend time training the young horses. Murtagh, in the photo above, models his biting rig.

This simple harness teaches a horse to turn his body, not just his head, when turning. It gets them used to a bit in their mouth and a little bit of confinement in harness. It is worn under constant supervision from me and for short periods of time. Murtagh acted as if he had worn one his whole life. We ended the session with me leading him all around while he wore and learned about his new “clothes”.

Once we took the biting rig off, I put a regular work harness on him. I didn’t fit it to him yet. I just wanted him to get used to the weight and feel as well as, me putting it on and off of him.

Once again, he took it all in stride.

I have put a collar on him before, but it was a silly, very large one for him to get used to the collar slipping over his head. This one is still a bit big for him, but much closer to how his will go on. It is a bit tighter as it goes over his head. He actually pushed his head in for me, much like a child putting on a t-shirt.

I would say he wore it very well. In the days ahead I will adjust everything to fit him correctly. This one doesn’t fit too bad, given that he is just a 2-year old wearing a harness set for a mature horse.

I will continue to work with this guy and his brother as spring turns into summer. His brother, Jaime, will start wearing the hand me downs very soon. We have time. It’s only mid-April :o)