Slow Down Hay Feeders

I mentioned this in an e-mail and was asked to post about it here so here goes.

I’m not sure if you’ve heard me mention the slow down hay feeders but they are made here locally and I found out that the barn I ride at has them.



I really like the concept of the feeders so I asked Mona how she liked them and she took me to an empty stall and said “I don’t, do you want to try one?” I told her that MIL had talked about buying one this spring but they were too rich for my blood (they run around $400 each). She told me to take one to MIL to try for the winter and said if she liked it she’d sell her one for ¼ of the cost.

I took one to MIL a few weeks ago and her horse (and my horse) seem to have figured out how to get the top off just like Mona’s horses did. I’m glad we got the opportunity to try it and learn we didn’t like it before buying one.

I’d really like to try to make one. Check out the one on Swedish Hoof School website. While some of them aren't exactly ideal IMO, I do like this one.

The gravity works the same as it does in the other feeder only this one has a lip so they can't get the top of. Plus if I can just find some grid (I think they said 2 x 2 is preferred) then I can easily make one.

Until the I think I will place an order and try a few of these at least in the stalls.

So do you have any thoughts on "restricted" feeding?

On a side note: Between the holidays and the weather I've hardly seen my ponies. I'm hoping after the new year I can get back on track.

Snow, Snow, Go Away

Don’t come back another day. We’ve been getting snow and freezing rain is in the forecast for later today and into tomorrow. I was however able to take LLL to WWF last Saturday to ride. I went with the friend who owns Mr. Bishop (remember the OTTB).

We started off with some desensitizing and then some yielding the FQ and HQ. Then we moved on to LFR Stage 1. I really can’t believe how much information LLL retains. I’m not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing but she was calmer in the beginning like she was at the ending of our last session. When I bumped up to stage II she wasn’t as reactive and didn’t trip on her feet but moved with a little bit more finesse.

I’m starting to get a bit picker on her backing. She backs fast but she doesn’t back straight so we are starting to work on straightness vs. speed. She’s not thrilled with that.

Once up and on we worked on flexing. She’s soft but she’s not very fast to bring her head around. Then we refreshed our ORS at the walk and trot. Since it has been so long and since it was cooler out I refrained from loping her. I think we need to build those muscles up at the trot first.

We also worked on yielding the HQ. Yielding off of my right leg was not so good but yielding off of my left leg was great. After that we moved on to the passenger lesson at the trot (her least favorite exercise). She was very vain and wanted to constantly check herself out in the mirrors. LOL

She decided that trotting was no fun and bumped herself up into a canter hoping I’d do a ORS and shut her down (which I did). We moved back to the passenger lesson at the trot and sure enough she popped back into the lope. I remembered CA telling a gal at the NE clinic to let her horse lope as she’d get tired soon enough so instead of shutting LLL down I let her lope. She kept picking up speed hoping I’d shut her down but I didn’t and sure enough she quickly dropped back down into a trot.

I tried working on the bending exercise with her but a) I didn’t have any spurs on and b) I think I’m confusing her. I think she thinks I’m giving her a cue that I’m not. I’ve found working with her is harder then working with a normal horse since she does retain so much and since I have no clue how she was ridden before. She has so many buttons that I have no clue how to push.

She was hot so I jumped off of her and jumped on Bishop (he looked stiff and gimpy) so Terry could see how he was moving. I ground tied LLL in the corner while I rode. Bishop moves slowly but man was he rough! Terry could see what I was talking about and while I was trying to get him to move out and stretch his legs LLL decided she needed to get down and dirty. Terry headed towards her and LLL looked upset that her spa treatment of sand and grit was cut short.

In the meantime I put Bishop into a lope. He wants to kick up at the lope on the lounge line but Terry said he hasn’t tried it under saddle. Well he did! If he is asked to move out at all he bucks. I wonder if his knee bothers him or if he’s just being a shit but I didn’t feel comfortable pushing the envelope so I put him in a lope one more time and then dismounted. I’m just now healing up after Max and the last thing I’d need to do is push him and mess up his knee or get myself hurt.

We decided to finish and loaded the horses up to head home. WWF entrance/exit is not a fun one and we were in Terry’s truck with her trailer (she picked me up). It is a small lane that goes out to the highway and it is pretty flat for the most part but you have a slight incline before the highway. To the right are trees and a small hill that people “pop” over and to the left are trees and a blind spot so getting out is tricky even when the lane is nice and dry.

As we approached the highway we saw cars and had to stop. When we tried to accelerate to get on the highway the truck tires just turned. We were going to have to make a running start again. Terry tried backing the 22’ trailer down the hill but she doesn’t back well so in her frustration she stopped the truck, put the emergency brake on, got out and told me to do it. I got out and as I went around to the driver’s side the truck started to slide with no one behind the wheel. I got in and started slowly backing down but my front tire got off in the small ditch which was enough to put us at a halt. I was NOT about to call a man for help so after putting some hay under the tires and rocking the truck/trailer a lot we finally got it unstuck and got our run up the hill.

Terry stood in the road and gave me the OK and out we went. It was pretty uneventful from there. We are getting more snow and we are expecting freezing rain tonight so between that and the holidays I doubt you’ll hear too much from me in the form of blog updates.

I hope everyone has a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's about time!

Sunday I was finally able to play with the ponies! I loaded up Lu and Abby and we headed over to the indoor to play.

I had no intentions of riding since it had been so long since I’d done anything with them. It was a good thing too! First rule of winter in Iowa – make sure you have a padlock that won’t freeze on your tack compartment of your trailer! Luckily my stick & string and a hoof pick was in the truck so I was at least able to pick out their feet.

Abby unloaded a lot faster then I would have liked but unfortunately the drive was icey and LFR just didn’t seem like a good idea so I reloaded her and unloaded her one more time but didn’t push it. She was nervous but not in the cracked out type of way. When I opened the garage door (to get into the barn) she drew herself back and her eyes got big but she kept her feet still. I walked her into the barn and tied her up and headed out to get Lucy.

Lucy was a bit impatient as she wanted to get to Abby. She had no fear of the barn but she’s been there before too. After I picked their feet we headed into the arena. I tied up Lu and started with Abby. I walked her around first so she could check things out and then headed to the middle of the arena to do some desensitizing. The cats kept trying to get the end of my rope and she wasn’t sure what to think of that but she did keep her feet still.

We did the following exercises –
Desensitizing to string
She did just fine
Desensitizing to stick & string
No problems
Flexing
She is very soft. I had to bump a few times to get her to give but once she decides to give she gives all of the way.
Yielding HQ
She tried. I’m having issues here and need to find out what I’m doing. I always do better w/o the halter/lead.
Yielding FQ
She bends her head around to her belly (like flexing) to avoid the stick but eventually does yield her FQ
LFR Stage 1
Much better then before. I did get some attitude when I asked for a lope but not nearly as much as normal. She kept an nice arch on the line and moved when asked.
Backing Stage 1
Good. She picked up on the concept fairly quickly and really hustled when asked
Desensitizing w/the stick & string (slapping the ground)
Good. I had low to medium energy but this normally sends her over the edge so we found a starting point.

After that she was pretty warm so I tied her up and moved on to Lu. She fell asleep during the desensitizing exercises. She anticipated the yielding the HQ exercise and she moves faster then I can on the yielding the FQ exercise. Flexing we need to work on. She comes around and she’s soft but she’s in no hurry at all.

LFR stage 1 went well. She trotted out nicely and when asked to lope she only kicked up her heels once. She’s still having problems staying on the same lead (she cross fires) but her balance is getting better.

When I’d yield her HQ to stop she wanted to anticipate going the other direction so I would take a long pause before going the other direction. So then when I’d stop her she’d back up (I don’t like that either) so I started sending her, yielding her HQ and then drawing her to me. Backing her back out to the circle and then going the other direction. She was starting looking forward to coming to me which I like because she’s a very antisocial horse.

Then we did LFR Stage 2. When we started Lu turned so fast that she darn near tripper herself up with her front feet. I remembered what CA told one of the gals in the NE clinic & I slowed myself down and thought more about the steps instead of what Lu was doing and her turns were much better. She was smoother and not in as much of a hurry nor was she as pissy. LFR stage 2 seems to ramp her up and LFR stage 1 seems to make her dull. She needs a happy medium so I played between LFR stage 1/drawing her to me and LFR stage 2.

After that I did some backing and focused on getting her to back straight since she’ll back fast. She wasn’t a happy camper about that but did it. It probably was not to CA’s satisfaction but it was a good start for us.

I then tied her up and hopped on Abby bareback while LLL cooled down. Abby was very soft in the halter but a bit nervous so we did some ORS until she relaxed and then we loaded up and headed home.

The weather is going to turn bad this week but hopefully the roads will be cleared off by Sat. or Sun. so I can go again.

This and That

Thursday we went over to MIL’s for Thanksgiving. My sister-in-law, new brother-in-law and the kids were there and Pieper (my niece) had been our riding Sissy since they arrived on Wednesday. It was cold out but any chance she got she was out petting Sis or riding her.

A couple of times when I looked out the window I could see MIL going after Sissy and just giggled to myself wondering what Sis had done wrong. Sis was doing what MIL asked just not with a lot of energy.

We had our family Christmas (yes Christmas) and the kids all opened their gifts and started to play. MIL went out to feed Sis and when she returned she informed me that something was wrong that Sis wouldn’t eat.

Sissy always eats so I went out to check her. By the time I had gotten out to the barn I Sis had laid down. She wasn’t rolling or anything so I grabbed some Nicker Mickers (her favorite treat) and offered her one. She accepted it but just held it in her mouth, she didn’t chew it up.

I went in and got MIL and we took the grain out of her stall, filled up her water bucket, offered her hay and I walked her for a bit. When we returned her to the stall she would look at her belly and kick a bit but not bad so we decided to hold off on the Banamine to start.

We checked her a few times and she finally drank a little bit and defecated but she still wasn’t feeling well so we decided to go ahead with the Banamine. After a few hours she was finally munching away happily on hay.

MIL gets pretty freaked out when Sis gets sick. She couldn’t figure out why she’d coliced after all of these years being colic free. I asked her why she got a belly ache? Shit happens.

Saturday MIL called me to tell me Sis still wasn’t acting right. She said when she thought about it she started acting strange Monday or Tuesday of last week. That turned the light bulbs on.

I’m beginning to wonder if Sis is depressed. She has been with our herd since January. We brought Max home Sunday and by Tuesday she wasn’t eating. So in order to “test” the theory Cat is going over today to visit Sis. If that doesn’t work MIL will take her to the vet but I have a feeling when there is competition for food Sis will perk up quickly.

I hate giving Cat up but it’s not like I’m doing anything with them at the moment. I was supposed to take Lu and Abby over to the indoor Friday but DH forgot he did a time trade and has to work so this entire week and most of next is shot.

The lack of pony time is starting to take its toll on me.