Sunday DH and I got up, ate breakfast and then decided to head out on the long trail. I decided to ride Abby since she had been a bit chargy on the hills with Chase the day before. DH rode Max and ponied Sis. Since we didn’t have anyone at the trailer to watch her we knew she’d have a fit and it was just easier.
On the way out we passed a water hydrant with a long red hose attached to it. Abby didn’t much care for it so I decided to take her back by it. DH kept going down towards the trail and Abby basically went over the edge. She reared up, jerked the reins out of my hand and then jumped sideways. Needless to say my ass hit the ground. All the while DH was yelling at me to grab my horse. I wanted to tell him a thing or two but I refrained.
I grabbed Abby and took her back over by the killer hose/snake until she half way calmed down and then re-mounted. Most of the first mile was spent doing circles. She was freaking out thinking Max and Sis were going to leave her.
She finally started to slow and relax down the ride but on the way back when they turned a corner and she couldn’t see them she was back up to being nervous again so we circled and circled and circled until she relaxed.
On the way back to the camp site she started getting nervous around the scary snake/hose again and I asked DH to slow down. He didn’t listen and Abby started to get nervous again. At this time Sis decided to help me out by trying to kick Abby. I decided I was safer to dismount.
MIL and the boys got back to camp the same time we did. I told Chase (and DH) that he wasn’t riding Abby until we did some more work with her. I told him if he wanted to ride again he could ride Max.
So that afternoon MIL and Chase rode out while DH and I cleaned up the camp site (we decided we couldn’t take one more cold night and DH had to work the next day). MIL said Max was great for Chase which was nice because I was a bit nervous sending him out on him. Not that I don’t trust Max, I just know shit happens.
Sore butt and all we loaded up and headed back to MILs.
Tuff E Nuff Quarter Horses
Lucy
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
How High Can She Go?
When we got back to MIL’s I put Cat in the stall so we could do a U turn in the pasture. We unloaded the horses and just turned them loose to graze. They deserved it (well I’m not sure if Abby did but……….).
DH pulled the trailer back up to the drive to power wash it and I closed the gates. Cat was having a mild temper tantrum so I decided she could stay in.
You know how CA says if they can get their head over it they think they can get their body over it? LOL Well Cat was trying that. She was rearing up to the top of MIL’s stall door (estimating it at 10 ft. high) and getting her head over it. I started egging her on “come on Cat – you can go higher then that”. LOL
Well it was funny until she came down and had a white spot on her face. I thought it was just cob webs but then I noticed the blood. I grabbed a halter and sure enough she’d sliced her cheek open. DH came and looked and we decided to call the vet.
The Amish built MIL’s barn and when they did they didn’t turn the nails down or break them off if they went through the boards. She apparently caught her cheek on one of the nails as she came down.
MIL was upset. I tried to tell her that the Amish probably didn’t foresee a horse being that high (they’ve obviously never been around a pissed off yearling) and that shit happens.
The vet came out and 5 stitches later Cat was heavily medicated and happy to be back in her stall.
The stitches will come out in 7-10 days. I’ll have pics tomorrow but it really isn’t that bad. If it had been on her leg I’m not sure we would have stitched it but since it was a facial wound we did. Her jaw is still very swollen.
DH pulled the trailer back up to the drive to power wash it and I closed the gates. Cat was having a mild temper tantrum so I decided she could stay in.
You know how CA says if they can get their head over it they think they can get their body over it? LOL Well Cat was trying that. She was rearing up to the top of MIL’s stall door (estimating it at 10 ft. high) and getting her head over it. I started egging her on “come on Cat – you can go higher then that”. LOL
Well it was funny until she came down and had a white spot on her face. I thought it was just cob webs but then I noticed the blood. I grabbed a halter and sure enough she’d sliced her cheek open. DH came and looked and we decided to call the vet.
The Amish built MIL’s barn and when they did they didn’t turn the nails down or break them off if they went through the boards. She apparently caught her cheek on one of the nails as she came down.
MIL was upset. I tried to tell her that the Amish probably didn’t foresee a horse being that high (they’ve obviously never been around a pissed off yearling) and that shit happens.
The vet came out and 5 stitches later Cat was heavily medicated and happy to be back in her stall.
The stitches will come out in 7-10 days. I’ll have pics tomorrow but it really isn’t that bad. If it had been on her leg I’m not sure we would have stitched it but since it was a facial wound we did. Her jaw is still very swollen.
Labor Day
Labor Day was just that! We had a lot of things to do. In the morning we cleaned out stalls and then I had a gal from KS come look at Max. I think she liked him & he was very good for her so keep your fingers crossed for me.
After she left MIL and I finished cleaning up the trailer and I loaded the horses up to head home. It was 6:30 before we got back. I though Lu would be excited to see her buddies but she could have cared less. LOL
Needless to say it was a very long 3 day weekend and I’m happy to be back at work and resting today.
After she left MIL and I finished cleaning up the trailer and I loaded the horses up to head home. It was 6:30 before we got back. I though Lu would be excited to see her buddies but she could have cared less. LOL
Needless to say it was a very long 3 day weekend and I’m happy to be back at work and resting today.
Friday, August 29, 2008
This is how trailer loading is done!
I lowered Max’s price so now we are getting a flood of new inquiries on him. Some of the questions we are asked are pretty silly but I try to be polite and answer them to the best of my knowledge.
One of the main questions is how does he load. We were heading to MIL’s last night so I decided to video him loading.
How do you think he loads?
One of the main questions is how does he load. We were heading to MIL’s last night so I decided to video him loading.
How do you think he loads?
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Down She Goes!
Last night was MY night to ride so I told DH I was going to take LLL to the arena to ride. There wasn’t much of a point hauling a ½ empty trailer so I asked Chase if he wanted to go ride and spend some 1 on 1 time with mom. He accepted so we headed to the barn.
When we got to the arena we saddled up and headed in. I told Chase there were a few things we were going to work on together. I wanted him to do some ORS with Abby at the trot and canter so he could get her go & whoa buttons working better for him (since she knows the difference between the two of us).
I worked with LLL on the same thing for a bit and then we moved to the passenger lesson at the trot. Chase was still having some issues with Abby throwing her head at the lope so I told him to whack her and when he did up came her back legs. I told him to stop her and get off. I grabbed her and my crop and we had a little “discussion” about go and go NOW!
After that I had Chase get back on and ask her to lope in a circle (instead of wherever she wanted to go) so that her head was already tipped in, in case he needed to do a ORS. She did much better and actually loped without throwing a fit. Once she did that I let him stop her and walk her to cool her out and “reward” her for loping well.
I did some trotting passenger lesson with LLL who thinks it’s lots of fun to go over to other horses when we do this. It was ok in the beginning but I was done with it last night so I said “fine, you want to be by Abby? Let’s lope circles around her!”
So I asked her to lope a circle where I got a big ‘ol up yours! This is getting old too (I’ve been ignoring it) so I pulled her into a tight circle and reprimanded her for kicking up her heels. I think I caught her off guard just a bit. LOL
I made Chase lope Abby one more time and she did well again. I told him I was going to trot LLL around the arena (follow the fence) two times each direction and then lope one time in each direction and then we’d leave. I had my trotting done and was just starting on my loping when I heard a noise. As I turned I noticed Abby on the ground getting ready to roll and Chase next to her.
Seeing him on the ground the other weekend when he came off didn’t phase me but all I could think of was her getting up and dragging him (not that I see Abby doing that but you never know). I flew off of LLL and yelled at him to get his foot out of the stirrup. He said it was out so I told him to get up and kick the shit out of Abby. He couldn’t figure out what I was telling him so I got her up and then proceeded to put her butt to work as soon as she was on all 4’s!
Once she though she was going to die I made Chase get back on. I asked him if she had her head down before she laid down and he said yes so I told him to keep it up! I loped Lu around to finish her off and then we headed to unsaddle and go home.
I had seen some breakaway stirrups on RFD-TV the other day so I went on-line today to find out about them. Youth ones START at $400.00! Yikes!
I think Abby just needs a few more miles put on her. I’ve had plenty try to lay down on me (LLL actually tried last night but not while I was on her) so I don’t think she was being a shit as much as she was being a hot horse.
We are going horse camping this weekend so we’ll see how she does. I’m sacrificing and leaving Lu at home so we only have to take one trailer so Abby might get a bit more ride time this weekend.
When we got to the arena we saddled up and headed in. I told Chase there were a few things we were going to work on together. I wanted him to do some ORS with Abby at the trot and canter so he could get her go & whoa buttons working better for him (since she knows the difference between the two of us).
I worked with LLL on the same thing for a bit and then we moved to the passenger lesson at the trot. Chase was still having some issues with Abby throwing her head at the lope so I told him to whack her and when he did up came her back legs. I told him to stop her and get off. I grabbed her and my crop and we had a little “discussion” about go and go NOW!
After that I had Chase get back on and ask her to lope in a circle (instead of wherever she wanted to go) so that her head was already tipped in, in case he needed to do a ORS. She did much better and actually loped without throwing a fit. Once she did that I let him stop her and walk her to cool her out and “reward” her for loping well.
I did some trotting passenger lesson with LLL who thinks it’s lots of fun to go over to other horses when we do this. It was ok in the beginning but I was done with it last night so I said “fine, you want to be by Abby? Let’s lope circles around her!”
So I asked her to lope a circle where I got a big ‘ol up yours! This is getting old too (I’ve been ignoring it) so I pulled her into a tight circle and reprimanded her for kicking up her heels. I think I caught her off guard just a bit. LOL
I made Chase lope Abby one more time and she did well again. I told him I was going to trot LLL around the arena (follow the fence) two times each direction and then lope one time in each direction and then we’d leave. I had my trotting done and was just starting on my loping when I heard a noise. As I turned I noticed Abby on the ground getting ready to roll and Chase next to her.
Seeing him on the ground the other weekend when he came off didn’t phase me but all I could think of was her getting up and dragging him (not that I see Abby doing that but you never know). I flew off of LLL and yelled at him to get his foot out of the stirrup. He said it was out so I told him to get up and kick the shit out of Abby. He couldn’t figure out what I was telling him so I got her up and then proceeded to put her butt to work as soon as she was on all 4’s!
Once she though she was going to die I made Chase get back on. I asked him if she had her head down before she laid down and he said yes so I told him to keep it up! I loped Lu around to finish her off and then we headed to unsaddle and go home.
I had seen some breakaway stirrups on RFD-TV the other day so I went on-line today to find out about them. Youth ones START at $400.00! Yikes!
I think Abby just needs a few more miles put on her. I’ve had plenty try to lay down on me (LLL actually tried last night but not while I was on her) so I don’t think she was being a shit as much as she was being a hot horse.
We are going horse camping this weekend so we’ll see how she does. I’m sacrificing and leaving Lu at home so we only have to take one trailer so Abby might get a bit more ride time this weekend.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Loss of Patience – Utter Frustration
Friday night we didn’t get to the barn until late so all we did was feed the ponies. When I went to let them out Sis started with her head bopping. This sends me completely over the edge. I turned everyone out back and then went in and haltered Sis and gave everyone (family) the heads up. I took her out to the dry lot and did LFR.
Idiot mode set in quickly! She forgot how to come off of pressure, she wanted to turn when she wasn’t asked, and she wanted to back up instead of coming forward. Needless to say she got whacked in the jaw a few times.
I started to lose it when she went for the manure pile and my dad yelled at me to stop. Well guess what? Sis started dragging me over by the pile so she could stop. I started to lose my temper quickly but it wasn’t at Sis (well not as much).
Sis is 8 yrs. old. Her head bopping isn’t a new issue. It’s one I told MIL previously that she needed to get control of because it can be very dangerous (she’ll actually rear in the stall). I ended up tying Sis up in the stall for 2 hours (she was ready to go back in) and then left her in all night.
Saturday we went to MIL’s last drill performance. It wasn’t a very good one either. One of the members had a difficult time keeping her horse in a lope (remember the member that I told you was afraid to lope?). It looked really bad and the performance was dragged on. There were a lot of frustrated members.
The second run wasn’t “as bad” but it wasn’t great either. There was a minor collision but all-in-all it looked much better. MIL said that she started crying on her pinwheel when she realized it would be her “last” pinwheel. The “team” has one performance left in September.
Sunday the boys got up and rode. Chase did very well with Abby. He’s trying to saddle her all by himself. Unfortunately she’s a bit tall and his saddle isn’t any too light but at least he’s trying.
My niece saddled up Nikki so the kids rode together. It’s so fun watching them ride together and listening to them giggle. They trotted all over the place and I only had to yell at Chase to relax a few times. When he was almost done he came into the RP to lope Abby a little bit. Her attitude was much better and I think he had fun. MIL said that the guy at the feed store said that Abby could make one heck of a heeling horse in just 3 weeks. She seems to be like by quite a few people. She’s a good pony and a purchase I don’t regret one bit.
DH saddled up Max and “tracked” my nephew who was riding the 4 wheeler.
That afternoon we took Sis and Cat over to MIL’s. I told her she could have Cat over there on 1 condition – she uses her to teach Sis some manners. Turn Cat out if Sis throws a fit leave her in all night and vice versa.
When we got there I rode Sis to show MIL a few things. She was surprised at how well she was flexing (still not that great). I told her that it didn’t take me that long to get her that way but that she needed to be consistent. I got on and did the bending exercise with Sis and then we did some rollbacks. Her lope was so slow and her head was so low! I think MIL could show her on a higher level if she would just devote the time and consistency to train her but she’s not my horse and I need to quit seeing the potential in other people’s horses and devote the time to my own horse (who had a lot of potential).
With work slow I’ve asked my boss if I can take ½ hr. lunches and leave ½ hr. early (I hardly ever leave for lunch as it is). He was fine with that so I’m hoping to get some more time in on the ponies before winter sets in.
Idiot mode set in quickly! She forgot how to come off of pressure, she wanted to turn when she wasn’t asked, and she wanted to back up instead of coming forward. Needless to say she got whacked in the jaw a few times.
I started to lose it when she went for the manure pile and my dad yelled at me to stop. Well guess what? Sis started dragging me over by the pile so she could stop. I started to lose my temper quickly but it wasn’t at Sis (well not as much).
Sis is 8 yrs. old. Her head bopping isn’t a new issue. It’s one I told MIL previously that she needed to get control of because it can be very dangerous (she’ll actually rear in the stall). I ended up tying Sis up in the stall for 2 hours (she was ready to go back in) and then left her in all night.
Saturday we went to MIL’s last drill performance. It wasn’t a very good one either. One of the members had a difficult time keeping her horse in a lope (remember the member that I told you was afraid to lope?). It looked really bad and the performance was dragged on. There were a lot of frustrated members.
The second run wasn’t “as bad” but it wasn’t great either. There was a minor collision but all-in-all it looked much better. MIL said that she started crying on her pinwheel when she realized it would be her “last” pinwheel. The “team” has one performance left in September.
Sunday the boys got up and rode. Chase did very well with Abby. He’s trying to saddle her all by himself. Unfortunately she’s a bit tall and his saddle isn’t any too light but at least he’s trying.
My niece saddled up Nikki so the kids rode together. It’s so fun watching them ride together and listening to them giggle. They trotted all over the place and I only had to yell at Chase to relax a few times. When he was almost done he came into the RP to lope Abby a little bit. Her attitude was much better and I think he had fun. MIL said that the guy at the feed store said that Abby could make one heck of a heeling horse in just 3 weeks. She seems to be like by quite a few people. She’s a good pony and a purchase I don’t regret one bit.
DH saddled up Max and “tracked” my nephew who was riding the 4 wheeler.
That afternoon we took Sis and Cat over to MIL’s. I told her she could have Cat over there on 1 condition – she uses her to teach Sis some manners. Turn Cat out if Sis throws a fit leave her in all night and vice versa.
When we got there I rode Sis to show MIL a few things. She was surprised at how well she was flexing (still not that great). I told her that it didn’t take me that long to get her that way but that she needed to be consistent. I got on and did the bending exercise with Sis and then we did some rollbacks. Her lope was so slow and her head was so low! I think MIL could show her on a higher level if she would just devote the time and consistency to train her but she’s not my horse and I need to quit seeing the potential in other people’s horses and devote the time to my own horse (who had a lot of potential).
With work slow I’ve asked my boss if I can take ½ hr. lunches and leave ½ hr. early (I hardly ever leave for lunch as it is). He was fine with that so I’m hoping to get some more time in on the ponies before winter sets in.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Putting together the pieces
The pieces of Max’s pedigree are slowly starting to come together.
His sire is Maximum Strength
His mother’s name was Lady. She was not registered but was out of two registered Arabians. I’m still trying to find out more information on her Sire but I finally found out about her dam. Her name was Sunkist Bay (we were having issues with the spelling).
The gal that located the information for me on her had this to say:
We are still searching for more information on her sire.
ETA: Found his sire's information. His name was Crystal Adonis. So the pieces are all there if someone wants to know where he came from or wants to spend the $$ to register him (besides myself).
His sire is Maximum Strength
His mother’s name was Lady. She was not registered but was out of two registered Arabians. I’m still trying to find out more information on her Sire but I finally found out about her dam. Her name was Sunkist Bay (we were having issues with the spelling).
The gal that located the information for me on her had this to say:
Sunkist Bay is by a Straight Egyptian stallion by Ibn Moniet El Nefous, one of the prettiest and most well known Egyptian stallions of all time. She is out of a mainly old Crabbet mare.
We are still searching for more information on her sire.
ETA: Found his sire's information. His name was Crystal Adonis. So the pieces are all there if someone wants to know where he came from or wants to spend the $$ to register him (besides myself).
She’s not afraid of cattle
So last night Chase and I went to roping practice. Chase took the Abster and I took Sis. MIL thinks that Sis is petrified of cattle. No she’s not! She didn’t want to get right in and kill them but she did show an interest in them. Dean (the gentleman that runs the roping) really liked her.
We got two offers on Abby last night. I told Chase is he doesn’t quick screwing around I might just take one of them up on their offer. I ended up getting frustrated with him for not listening and following directions again last night so I made him quit riding and put Abby up. He wasn’t very happy with me but he needs to learn. He seems to lose all ability to listen once we get there. He is a little cattle hog and doesn’t pay attention.
DH didn’t get to go last night but one of the guys that was there is the BIL of one of DH’s friends and asked if DH wanted to start doing the ranch ropings with him. I think it’s great! DH really needs to have a place to ride with “the guys”. The only draw back is getting Max sold so he can find a horse to do it with.
I did contact the stallion owner (Max’s sire) via e-mail and she responded. She thinks she remembers his previous owner and was going to see if she could find her records on when her mare was bred. Max is eligible to be registered as a Pinto (less expensive then the Half Arabian Registry) so I’d like to at least have his dad on the papers. I did ask her if she had some better pictures of the stallion so if she sends any I’ll post them.
Lu is really starting to change. I need to get new pictures. I realized that she’s not only putting on weight (finally) but she’s also filling out and maturing a little bit too.
Nothing too exciting the rest of the week. It’s raining today and I think it’s supposed to rain into the weekend. MIL has a drill performance on Saturday and then Sissy goes home.
We got two offers on Abby last night. I told Chase is he doesn’t quick screwing around I might just take one of them up on their offer. I ended up getting frustrated with him for not listening and following directions again last night so I made him quit riding and put Abby up. He wasn’t very happy with me but he needs to learn. He seems to lose all ability to listen once we get there. He is a little cattle hog and doesn’t pay attention.
DH didn’t get to go last night but one of the guys that was there is the BIL of one of DH’s friends and asked if DH wanted to start doing the ranch ropings with him. I think it’s great! DH really needs to have a place to ride with “the guys”. The only draw back is getting Max sold so he can find a horse to do it with.
I did contact the stallion owner (Max’s sire) via e-mail and she responded. She thinks she remembers his previous owner and was going to see if she could find her records on when her mare was bred. Max is eligible to be registered as a Pinto (less expensive then the Half Arabian Registry) so I’d like to at least have his dad on the papers. I did ask her if she had some better pictures of the stallion so if she sends any I’ll post them.
Lu is really starting to change. I need to get new pictures. I realized that she’s not only putting on weight (finally) but she’s also filling out and maturing a little bit too.
Nothing too exciting the rest of the week. It’s raining today and I think it’s supposed to rain into the weekend. MIL has a drill performance on Saturday and then Sissy goes home.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Good News!
Finally some good news! I just got a phone call and guess what! The gal that owned Max prior to me buying him is more than happy to help in whatever way she needs to in order to get him registered! Woo hoo! She remembered his daddy’s name (he’s nothing spectacular but he does have nice lines) and remembered his mom too!
The only downside is that his mother was the Arabian and she didn’t register her so in order to register Max we have to register her. DH saw $$ in his head I see -$ by not doing it.
Here is a picture of his daddy (the only one I could find on the net and not a very appealing one at that). He is a son of Blue Max. His ad says he’s only 15.1 so I’m not quite sure where Max got his height from.
The only downside is that his mother was the Arabian and she didn’t register her so in order to register Max we have to register her. DH saw $$ in his head I see -$ by not doing it.
Here is a picture of his daddy (the only one I could find on the net and not a very appealing one at that). He is a son of Blue Max. His ad says he’s only 15.1 so I’m not quite sure where Max got his height from.
Pictures from the fair!
Yes these are proofs but they are the ones that turned out the best. You should be able to see what I was talking about just by looking at the pics. I don’t necessarily think Sis was quality enough to win the entire thing but I think she “could” have made the cut. Oh well.
You can view the entire album at:
You can view the entire album at:
Why I need to quit riding other people’s horses
Last night we had drill practice. Even though I’m no longer performing with the team I told them I would fill in for them when they needed an extra person. MIL is in Utah visiting my SIL so I filled in for her.
DH has been on Sis once since last weeks fall but he just walked around the pasture with her so basically she’s been on vacation for a week.
When I got on we flexed side to side (this is finally starting to feel like pulling on a bungee cord vs. pulling on a 2 x 4). Then we worked on softening the rib cage. What I wouldn’t have given for a set of spurs!
I finally got her moving off of my legs and man what I wouldn’t give to have a month to work with her. After a few rollbacks (which she greatly needs more improvement on) and softening work she was starting to do sliding stops and had a very nice, collected lope (something we’ve had issues with in the past). She also had a trot to die for!
I don’t want to send her home! I want more time to ride her to see what she’s actually capable of! Unfortunately she’s going home Saturday after her performance. It’s ok – I really need to start working Lu a little bit.
DH has been on Sis once since last weeks fall but he just walked around the pasture with her so basically she’s been on vacation for a week.
When I got on we flexed side to side (this is finally starting to feel like pulling on a bungee cord vs. pulling on a 2 x 4). Then we worked on softening the rib cage. What I wouldn’t have given for a set of spurs!
I finally got her moving off of my legs and man what I wouldn’t give to have a month to work with her. After a few rollbacks (which she greatly needs more improvement on) and softening work she was starting to do sliding stops and had a very nice, collected lope (something we’ve had issues with in the past). She also had a trot to die for!
I don’t want to send her home! I want more time to ride her to see what she’s actually capable of! Unfortunately she’s going home Saturday after her performance. It’s ok – I really need to start working Lu a little bit.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Max's Evaluation
So here is the evaluation the Dressage Trainer gave Max. I took it as a compliment when she told me I'd done a good job with his training (minus the Rolkur LOL). He's a good horse though so I won't take too much of the credit - just some. ;)
Max would be a nice lower level dressage horse. I say lower level because his competition will most likely be the bigger moving warmbloods. However with the right rider Max could do very well. At this point I’d say about 2nd level. He is well balanced, light to the aids, light in your hand and accepts seat and leg. Max is at a very moldable stage and with a patient rider/trainer will progress quickly. He has three nice gaits that are free flowing and regular. As Max develops the correct muscle to carry himself I believe his trot will get better as he will step underneath from behind to allow his shoulders to come up. Lateral work seems to be easy for him and due to his early Western training, collection will not be a problem. Max has a nice temperament and an excellent work ethic. This is an assessment after one ride.
Max would be a nice lower level dressage horse. I say lower level because his competition will most likely be the bigger moving warmbloods. However with the right rider Max could do very well. At this point I’d say about 2nd level. He is well balanced, light to the aids, light in your hand and accepts seat and leg. Max is at a very moldable stage and with a patient rider/trainer will progress quickly. He has three nice gaits that are free flowing and regular. As Max develops the correct muscle to carry himself I believe his trot will get better as he will step underneath from behind to allow his shoulders to come up. Lateral work seems to be easy for him and due to his early Western training, collection will not be a problem. Max has a nice temperament and an excellent work ethic. This is an assessment after one ride.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Dressage Anyone?
Friday night I took Max over to one of the barns that I ride at on occasion. It’s an English barn that has very few boarders (by choice) but the owner is very nice and let’s me use the indoor if I need to.
Since we had rain in the forecast almost all week last week I called to see if I could use the indoor on Friday so I could keep Max going. The owner said yes and said that she would have BT (barn trainer) there as well.
When I got to the barn they were having their barn meeting so I tacked Max up and waited for the go ahead to go inside. The forecasters had lied (of course) and we only had one day of rain so the BO said I could ride outside if I wanted to.
I started off flexing Max and just walking him around. I wasn’t half way around the ring before BT said “let’s see you trot him”. So I trotted him. “Do you post the trot or sit it?” She said. My reply was “it depends on how fast he’s going”. I was told to post. LOL
Then she gave me a few helpful tips on my posting and had me go around one more time. She also told me to quit tucking his head like I was and accused me of doing Rolkur. LOL She’s more classical so she doesn’t want the head that low or tucked. She had me do a leg yield with him and then had me lope him off once. By then she was ready to kick me off of him so she could ride. I’d maybe been riding for 5 minutes by this time.
So we went in and changed out saddles and she jumped on. She was very impressed with how soft he was. I think he exceeded her expectations and she really enjoyed his attitude and willingness to learn.
He was very stiff going clockwise but I know that is an issue of mine not his (I didn’t realize I was as one sided as I was). All-in-all she kept repeating what a nice horse he was and she said she felt he could easily do level 1 or level 2 dressage with some work. She said that might not sound very high but it’s pretty good.
BT said she would help me work with him a few times and get some video of him with the white leg bandages, the white pad and the dressage saddle/bridle. He looked so lovely with her riding him.
Saturday we went to watch a ranch horse show. It wasn’t quite what I had expected but the people seemed nice.
Classes constist of:
Ranch Halter – We weren’t there to watch this part but apparently you walk in (saddled), unsaddle, the judge inspects and then you re-saddle.
Ranch Pleasure
Ranch Versatility – this was basically like a trail class.
Ranch cutting (theirs wasn’t quite this pretty)
Working Cow (again, theirs wasn’t nearly this pretty) – you have to start off by boxing the cow at the end to show you can control it. Then you have to do the fence work which is taking it down the side and turning it twice. After that you have to figure 8 the cow.
Last was ranch roping – for this they have X amount of cattle loose in the ring and as you ride into the herd they call out a number. You have to rope that number and then when you do they call out another number for you to rope. You rope three cows. It looks harder than roping out of a box.
Sunday we went and bought a new (different) bit for Abby. I wanted to see how she would do in a curb bit. I know this is what they rode her in previously and I thought it might be easier for Chase to ride one-handed when he was trying to rope. She did well but we need something a bit milder. Since we’ve been using the snaffle on her this was almost too much.
DH rode Sis around and threw the rope off of her a bit and then I got out Lucy. We started off just standing and I threw the rope off of her a few times at a dummy DH made that attaches to the back of the 4-wheeler. She could have cared less. I do have to work on myself a bit though as I whapped her in the head a few times. Ooops.
Since she was doing well at a standstill I had DH move and we tried a few moving shots. She did well (and I didn’t do too badly either). Then I decided to ditch the rope and just “track” DH. Lucy did very well but she was being a bit of a piss head so I decided to change things up a bit.
She didn’t want to lope away from home so that’s what we did. We’d lope a bit, ORS, lope a bit, ORS. When I could lope her away from home and not have her zig zag, stop and back up softly then I got off and walked her home.
After that we gave all of the ponies baths. Her mane and tail is so soft now! I just wish her mane would grow! If it was all the same length she’d have a very long and lovely mane.
Since we had rain in the forecast almost all week last week I called to see if I could use the indoor on Friday so I could keep Max going. The owner said yes and said that she would have BT (barn trainer) there as well.
When I got to the barn they were having their barn meeting so I tacked Max up and waited for the go ahead to go inside. The forecasters had lied (of course) and we only had one day of rain so the BO said I could ride outside if I wanted to.
I started off flexing Max and just walking him around. I wasn’t half way around the ring before BT said “let’s see you trot him”. So I trotted him. “Do you post the trot or sit it?” She said. My reply was “it depends on how fast he’s going”. I was told to post. LOL
Then she gave me a few helpful tips on my posting and had me go around one more time. She also told me to quit tucking his head like I was and accused me of doing Rolkur. LOL She’s more classical so she doesn’t want the head that low or tucked. She had me do a leg yield with him and then had me lope him off once. By then she was ready to kick me off of him so she could ride. I’d maybe been riding for 5 minutes by this time.
So we went in and changed out saddles and she jumped on. She was very impressed with how soft he was. I think he exceeded her expectations and she really enjoyed his attitude and willingness to learn.
He was very stiff going clockwise but I know that is an issue of mine not his (I didn’t realize I was as one sided as I was). All-in-all she kept repeating what a nice horse he was and she said she felt he could easily do level 1 or level 2 dressage with some work. She said that might not sound very high but it’s pretty good.
BT said she would help me work with him a few times and get some video of him with the white leg bandages, the white pad and the dressage saddle/bridle. He looked so lovely with her riding him.
Saturday we went to watch a ranch horse show. It wasn’t quite what I had expected but the people seemed nice.
Classes constist of:
Ranch Halter – We weren’t there to watch this part but apparently you walk in (saddled), unsaddle, the judge inspects and then you re-saddle.
Ranch Pleasure
Ranch Versatility – this was basically like a trail class.
Ranch cutting (theirs wasn’t quite this pretty)
Working Cow (again, theirs wasn’t nearly this pretty) – you have to start off by boxing the cow at the end to show you can control it. Then you have to do the fence work which is taking it down the side and turning it twice. After that you have to figure 8 the cow.
Last was ranch roping – for this they have X amount of cattle loose in the ring and as you ride into the herd they call out a number. You have to rope that number and then when you do they call out another number for you to rope. You rope three cows. It looks harder than roping out of a box.
Sunday we went and bought a new (different) bit for Abby. I wanted to see how she would do in a curb bit. I know this is what they rode her in previously and I thought it might be easier for Chase to ride one-handed when he was trying to rope. She did well but we need something a bit milder. Since we’ve been using the snaffle on her this was almost too much.
DH rode Sis around and threw the rope off of her a bit and then I got out Lucy. We started off just standing and I threw the rope off of her a few times at a dummy DH made that attaches to the back of the 4-wheeler. She could have cared less. I do have to work on myself a bit though as I whapped her in the head a few times. Ooops.
Since she was doing well at a standstill I had DH move and we tried a few moving shots. She did well (and I didn’t do too badly either). Then I decided to ditch the rope and just “track” DH. Lucy did very well but she was being a bit of a piss head so I decided to change things up a bit.
She didn’t want to lope away from home so that’s what we did. We’d lope a bit, ORS, lope a bit, ORS. When I could lope her away from home and not have her zig zag, stop and back up softly then I got off and walked her home.
After that we gave all of the ponies baths. Her mane and tail is so soft now! I just wish her mane would grow! If it was all the same length she’d have a very long and lovely mane.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Are you my mother?
Last night we (DH, Chase and I) went to a practice roping with a new, more laid back group.
This was the first night and the gentleman running it had new cattle so all he did was run them out of the chute and score a few and then let us track them and run them back through. At the end he turned them all loose and just let us track a few.
Abby seems to have a natural talent to track cattle. Everyone loved her and Chase had a blast (I think Abby did too)! They worked so well together because Abby would actually mover her lazy bum and Chase was out of her face. I had to yell at him a few times to back off because he was being a little cattle hog.
Max and DH did well. It’s amazing how much better Max does when the expectations are lower. DH did a better job or riding him last night too.
Lucy…….where do we start with Lucy? I think she thinks she’s related to the cattle. They must bring back some sort of repressed memory because the only time she whinnies is when she sees cattle and then I can’t get her to shut up. She hardly ever whinnies at other horses (even when we go to shows or drill practice) and she doesn’t even whinny at ours when we leave her in the barn and turn the others out but get her around cows and OMG my ears start to hurt.
Well she wanted to talk to them but that was about it last night. She had no desire to chase them let alone look at them. We spent most of the night discussing how to unglue stuck feet (she was doing her little hump up and kick when asked to lope maneuver last night). I don’t think she gave up her union card but she was too tired to push too much harder.
Dean thought Lucy looked like she’d filled out some. I guess I don’t notice it since I see her everyday but it did make me feel better. Of course little Miss Sensitive has welts on her back from fly bites. If it’s not one thing with her it’s another.
I told DH that I’m going to give Max about a month and then I’m going to be done riding him. I need to be able to focus my time on MY horse not Abby or Max or Sis.
This was the first night and the gentleman running it had new cattle so all he did was run them out of the chute and score a few and then let us track them and run them back through. At the end he turned them all loose and just let us track a few.
Abby seems to have a natural talent to track cattle. Everyone loved her and Chase had a blast (I think Abby did too)! They worked so well together because Abby would actually mover her lazy bum and Chase was out of her face. I had to yell at him a few times to back off because he was being a little cattle hog.
Max and DH did well. It’s amazing how much better Max does when the expectations are lower. DH did a better job or riding him last night too.
Lucy…….where do we start with Lucy? I think she thinks she’s related to the cattle. They must bring back some sort of repressed memory because the only time she whinnies is when she sees cattle and then I can’t get her to shut up. She hardly ever whinnies at other horses (even when we go to shows or drill practice) and she doesn’t even whinny at ours when we leave her in the barn and turn the others out but get her around cows and OMG my ears start to hurt.
Well she wanted to talk to them but that was about it last night. She had no desire to chase them let alone look at them. We spent most of the night discussing how to unglue stuck feet (she was doing her little hump up and kick when asked to lope maneuver last night). I don’t think she gave up her union card but she was too tired to push too much harder.
Dean thought Lucy looked like she’d filled out some. I guess I don’t notice it since I see her everyday but it did make me feel better. Of course little Miss Sensitive has welts on her back from fly bites. If it’s not one thing with her it’s another.
I told DH that I’m going to give Max about a month and then I’m going to be done riding him. I need to be able to focus my time on MY horse not Abby or Max or Sis.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Quick Update
FYI - Quick means a ½ a page vs. 3 pages. 
Bang (our cat) managed to hurt himself sometime last week. He was 3 legged but he seemed to get better so we ignored it, figured one of the kids slammed his foot in the door and he’d get better. Well his foot started to get better and then started to swell so we decided it was time to go to the vet. He had an abscess (what is it with me and animals with abscesses) so she drained his foot and he is now on antibiotics.
Bang (for those who haven’t seen him)
His swollen foot
At the vets!
Rocky is the new kittalie that followed us home the other day while riding. Doesn’t he look at home?
Rocky and his chauffer
What a nice couch. It even has little strings attached to keep me entertained.
Last night we went out to get some video of Max for a prospective buyer (I doubt she’ll buy him as she wants his papers) and that didn’t go so well. Needless to say the camera got put down and he got the sh*t ran out of him. Obviously he hasn’t been RP’d in a while. He was worried about where the other horses were and he wasn’t paying a bit of attention to me. Needless to say we had a short meeting and he finally saw things my way.
Bad pony!
Bang (our cat) managed to hurt himself sometime last week. He was 3 legged but he seemed to get better so we ignored it, figured one of the kids slammed his foot in the door and he’d get better. Well his foot started to get better and then started to swell so we decided it was time to go to the vet. He had an abscess (what is it with me and animals with abscesses) so she drained his foot and he is now on antibiotics.
Bang (for those who haven’t seen him)
His swollen foot
At the vets!
Rocky is the new kittalie that followed us home the other day while riding. Doesn’t he look at home?
Rocky and his chauffer
What a nice couch. It even has little strings attached to keep me entertained.
Last night we went out to get some video of Max for a prospective buyer (I doubt she’ll buy him as she wants his papers) and that didn’t go so well. Needless to say the camera got put down and he got the sh*t ran out of him. Obviously he hasn’t been RP’d in a while. He was worried about where the other horses were and he wasn’t paying a bit of attention to me. Needless to say we had a short meeting and he finally saw things my way.
Bad pony!
Monday, August 11, 2008
ROTFLMAO
Guess who I just got an e-mail from? The people who orignally looked at Max. They wanted to know if we would accept their original offer now that they are back from vacation.
Sorry - I figured you guys would understand.
State Fair Here We Come!
Friday night we (MIL, DH, & I) went to the state fair to watch Sis in the Cowgirl Queen Contest. When we got there she looked tired already. LOL
I’m going to give my take on what happened (didn’t happen) and please don’t take it as a biased opinion because it’s not. There were 4 girls riding that we knew so I’ll tell you how they all did.
I think HH(we’ll shorten her name for the sake of the internet) is a very sweet girl but I just don’t think she “got) what the Queen contest was all about (even thought this wasn’t her first year). It says right up front that 50% of it is on beauty. I believe only 10% is on the horse.
When we got to the barn Friday night Sis had her mane banded (poorly too I might add) but that was all that was done. HH had a few friends come help get Sis ready. She had borrowed a show saddle from someone else (an older show saddle) but didn’t bother to borrow a show bridle but instead just used a “schooling” bridle on her.
Her friends (older couple) painted Sis’s feet but didn’t do a very good job. HH had braided Sis’s tail so it would be wavy (this is not the new trend for tails). They didn’t put any corn starch on her white and she had tracks from poor clipping nor did they put any “make-up” on Sissy’s face.
I told MIL right then and there they wouldn’t make the cut. HH looked “cute” but she didn’t look like money. They are looking for someone to represent the state of Iowa so they are looking for the “look”.
The divisions were each broken down into 3 groups. HH was in the first group. When the horses came in I picked out every horse that would make it to the final group based on their outfits (prior to them even performing) and I was dead on each time. The judges picked 5 people from each group. Each time they would pick four “normal” horse/rider combos and then they’d throw in one “wild card” (that’s what I called them). The wild card was an Arabian or a rider that didn’t “fit” the look per se.
Sis performed great! Her head didn’t come up (well except for at the lope but it always does a bit). There were seasoned show horses having major cows and this was only the second time Sis had been in a coliseum (and the last time there was no where near the crowd). MIL and I couldn’t have been prouder of her performance.
In the second group the “wild card” rider was a little girl on an Arabian who went the entire way on the wrong lead. I think that’s horrible.
The one gal we know who also participated was having major problems with her horse and was asked to leave. This wasn’t normal behavior for her horse so I’m sure she was very disappointed.
The other gal went the entire way on a horse that IMHO is a very poor mover on the wrong lead and didn’t even try to fix it. Then had the nerve to complain she wasn’t picked because her sash didn’t have the right name on it (stating they were picking people based off of who they represented).
One gal that made the finals I really wish wouldn’t have. She was on a palomino and every time the judges would look at the other side of the arena she would yank the shit out of her horse’s mouth. If I had been from the club she represented she would have never represented for the club again.
So all-in-all an ok night. It was a wonderful experience for Sis so what more could you really ask for?
Saturday DH worked at the fair and I was lazy so I didn’t do much with the ponies.
Yesterday MIL came over and we worked with her on her riding (she’s been leaning forward) and then I worked with Abby on loping w/o throwing a fit and being caught (she has halter phobia if she’s outside of the stall). She did well but I think she’s smart so it’s going to take more practice.
DH works tonight, tomorrow is drill night, Wednesday I hope to go to roping practice, Thursday is orientation for school and Friday, Friday might be a day of rest!
I’m going to give my take on what happened (didn’t happen) and please don’t take it as a biased opinion because it’s not. There were 4 girls riding that we knew so I’ll tell you how they all did.
I think HH(we’ll shorten her name for the sake of the internet) is a very sweet girl but I just don’t think she “got) what the Queen contest was all about (even thought this wasn’t her first year). It says right up front that 50% of it is on beauty. I believe only 10% is on the horse.
When we got to the barn Friday night Sis had her mane banded (poorly too I might add) but that was all that was done. HH had a few friends come help get Sis ready. She had borrowed a show saddle from someone else (an older show saddle) but didn’t bother to borrow a show bridle but instead just used a “schooling” bridle on her.
Her friends (older couple) painted Sis’s feet but didn’t do a very good job. HH had braided Sis’s tail so it would be wavy (this is not the new trend for tails). They didn’t put any corn starch on her white and she had tracks from poor clipping nor did they put any “make-up” on Sissy’s face.
I told MIL right then and there they wouldn’t make the cut. HH looked “cute” but she didn’t look like money. They are looking for someone to represent the state of Iowa so they are looking for the “look”.
The divisions were each broken down into 3 groups. HH was in the first group. When the horses came in I picked out every horse that would make it to the final group based on their outfits (prior to them even performing) and I was dead on each time. The judges picked 5 people from each group. Each time they would pick four “normal” horse/rider combos and then they’d throw in one “wild card” (that’s what I called them). The wild card was an Arabian or a rider that didn’t “fit” the look per se.
Sis performed great! Her head didn’t come up (well except for at the lope but it always does a bit). There were seasoned show horses having major cows and this was only the second time Sis had been in a coliseum (and the last time there was no where near the crowd). MIL and I couldn’t have been prouder of her performance.
In the second group the “wild card” rider was a little girl on an Arabian who went the entire way on the wrong lead. I think that’s horrible.
The one gal we know who also participated was having major problems with her horse and was asked to leave. This wasn’t normal behavior for her horse so I’m sure she was very disappointed.
The other gal went the entire way on a horse that IMHO is a very poor mover on the wrong lead and didn’t even try to fix it. Then had the nerve to complain she wasn’t picked because her sash didn’t have the right name on it (stating they were picking people based off of who they represented).
One gal that made the finals I really wish wouldn’t have. She was on a palomino and every time the judges would look at the other side of the arena she would yank the shit out of her horse’s mouth. If I had been from the club she represented she would have never represented for the club again.
So all-in-all an ok night. It was a wonderful experience for Sis so what more could you really ask for?
Saturday DH worked at the fair and I was lazy so I didn’t do much with the ponies.
Yesterday MIL came over and we worked with her on her riding (she’s been leaning forward) and then I worked with Abby on loping w/o throwing a fit and being caught (she has halter phobia if she’s outside of the stall). She did well but I think she’s smart so it’s going to take more practice.
DH works tonight, tomorrow is drill night, Wednesday I hope to go to roping practice, Thursday is orientation for school and Friday, Friday might be a day of rest!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Wish Me Luck
I’ll try to make a long story short but you guys should know better by now so bear with me ok.
When we bought Max (4 yrs. ago) the woman we purchased him off of was only selling him because she had some sort of muscle disorder and she wasn’t strong enough to manage him (and he knew it). She was very upset that she had to sell him because she had bred specifically for him (prior to getting the muscle disorder). He was out of her paint mare by an Arabian stallion.
I believe she said the stud fee at the time on the stallion was $1500 and we purchased Max for $500. Needless to say at the time I wasn’t worried about papers because I could have loaded him up, driven straight to the auction house and sold him for $1000 with no work.
Obviously times have changed. Right now I have Max listed for $4500 (yes I know, you can pull your jaw off of your desk now) and we are having no problems getting inquiries on him. Yes I know, getting inquiries and getting offers are two different things but you can’t get one without the other right?
We don’t seem to be having a problem with him not being registered but it does make me very nervous for his future. Let’s face it. With the market the way it is people would rather spend the money on a registered horse vs. an unregistered horse. I know I would.
I looked on the Arabian Horse Registry and surprisingly enough it appears it would only cost $150 to register Max *if* I can get his information. That’s where I’m at now.
I looked up the name of the woman I purchased him from and got a phone number. Of course it is no good. I called my ex-farrier (she’s who made the purchase possible) to see if she was still trimming for her and if she had a number. No such luck. I’m dead ended so it seems.
Well I decided to take the plunge and send a letter to the last known address I have for her (which is what Google is still pulling up too) to see if she would be willing to help me register Max. Please keep your fingers and toes crossed for me (some of you it wouldn’t hurt to cross your legs as well ;) ) that a) I have the right address b) she is still alive and I’m not sending it to some widowed husband c) she actually remembers the information and d) she’s actually willing to share it with me.
I really do think a horse without papers is like a horse without life insurance in this market.
When we bought Max (4 yrs. ago) the woman we purchased him off of was only selling him because she had some sort of muscle disorder and she wasn’t strong enough to manage him (and he knew it). She was very upset that she had to sell him because she had bred specifically for him (prior to getting the muscle disorder). He was out of her paint mare by an Arabian stallion.
I believe she said the stud fee at the time on the stallion was $1500 and we purchased Max for $500. Needless to say at the time I wasn’t worried about papers because I could have loaded him up, driven straight to the auction house and sold him for $1000 with no work.
Obviously times have changed. Right now I have Max listed for $4500 (yes I know, you can pull your jaw off of your desk now) and we are having no problems getting inquiries on him. Yes I know, getting inquiries and getting offers are two different things but you can’t get one without the other right?
We don’t seem to be having a problem with him not being registered but it does make me very nervous for his future. Let’s face it. With the market the way it is people would rather spend the money on a registered horse vs. an unregistered horse. I know I would.
I looked on the Arabian Horse Registry and surprisingly enough it appears it would only cost $150 to register Max *if* I can get his information. That’s where I’m at now.
I looked up the name of the woman I purchased him from and got a phone number. Of course it is no good. I called my ex-farrier (she’s who made the purchase possible) to see if she was still trimming for her and if she had a number. No such luck. I’m dead ended so it seems.
Well I decided to take the plunge and send a letter to the last known address I have for her (which is what Google is still pulling up too) to see if she would be willing to help me register Max. Please keep your fingers and toes crossed for me (some of you it wouldn’t hurt to cross your legs as well ;) ) that a) I have the right address b) she is still alive and I’m not sending it to some widowed husband c) she actually remembers the information and d) she’s actually willing to share it with me.
I really do think a horse without papers is like a horse without life insurance in this market.
Move those feet!
Last night DH and the boys got home early so my plans of riding where shot out of the water. MIL had planned on coming over to ride with me so instead I let her ride with DH while I worked with Chase and Abby.
DH saddled up Max and I let MIL ride Lucy (this is the first time I’ve let anyone ride Lu). They were going to go for a walk down the road and I felt comfortable enough with Lucy to let MIL take her.
In the meantime Chase got Abby out, cleaned her up and we put the bareback pad on her and Shari got Nikki cleaned up too. I had the kids ride bareback with a halter and 1 rein so they could learn how to do the ORS without fumbling with their reins. We started out by walking and then having the kids do ORS. Then we moved to trotting. This posed to be more of a problem then I had expected because the two ponies like to crowd each other and get pissy with each other so I pulled one pony into the middle while the other one worked.
Shari has such a natural seat when it comes to riding. I really wish Heather could afford to get her lessons. Chase on the other hand…….he’s like me and he’s going to have to work at it. As soon as Abby would trot he’d get stiff and start to bounce, then he’d start to lose his balance and then he’d start to grip with his legs. This is what we are trying to prevent. Right when he was starting to get better Abby decided to cop a tude so I told Chase to get off and told Shari to get out.
I took the bareback pad off of Abby and we did some round penning. I’d ask her to lope she’d swish her head so I’d make her go faster. By the time she figured it was just a good idea to lope we were getting along much better. I set some barrels up and had her jump just for shits and giggles and to my surprise she can jump fairly well and fairly correct (hmmm – jumping pony prospect LOL).
I had Chase grab his saddle and get back on. He trotted a bit then did the ORS and then we loped a few strides and he did the ORS. Abby’s attitude was greatly improved. LOL She even had a nice, free flowing trot.
Chase was done riding and Abby was pooped so we let him get the mini bike out and ride. In the meantime Shari decided to take Nikki in the pasture to ride (still only had one rein). She was trotting all over the place, chasing the 4-wheeler and the mini bike. Shari almost had more control with just the one rein then she does when she has two.
By this time MIL and DH had returned from their ride so I put the English saddle on Max (figured I needed to rectify my ride from last night) so I could ride him for just a few minutes. I asked MIL how Lucy did and she replied “I just love her! She’s such a wonderful horse.” I giggled and replied “why do you think I like her!” DH said she was very good and just plunked down the road.
I hoped on Max and did some flexing and then we walked out and flexed and then moved to trotting transitions. He has “easy” down very well now. He was a completely different horse (but then I was a different rider too) last night. He was soft, easy moving and slow. When I asked for the lope transitions he smoothly moved into them and then stayed in a lope not a run. We maybe worked for ½ hour and then I put him up. The gal from ND had her weekends messed up and won’t be coming until next weekend so that gives me a bit more time to work with him.
Tonight is the queen contest. MIL is so excited to see Sis go. I have the camera so hopefully I’ll have lots of pictures on Monday.
DH saddled up Max and I let MIL ride Lucy (this is the first time I’ve let anyone ride Lu). They were going to go for a walk down the road and I felt comfortable enough with Lucy to let MIL take her.
In the meantime Chase got Abby out, cleaned her up and we put the bareback pad on her and Shari got Nikki cleaned up too. I had the kids ride bareback with a halter and 1 rein so they could learn how to do the ORS without fumbling with their reins. We started out by walking and then having the kids do ORS. Then we moved to trotting. This posed to be more of a problem then I had expected because the two ponies like to crowd each other and get pissy with each other so I pulled one pony into the middle while the other one worked.
Shari has such a natural seat when it comes to riding. I really wish Heather could afford to get her lessons. Chase on the other hand…….he’s like me and he’s going to have to work at it. As soon as Abby would trot he’d get stiff and start to bounce, then he’d start to lose his balance and then he’d start to grip with his legs. This is what we are trying to prevent. Right when he was starting to get better Abby decided to cop a tude so I told Chase to get off and told Shari to get out.
I took the bareback pad off of Abby and we did some round penning. I’d ask her to lope she’d swish her head so I’d make her go faster. By the time she figured it was just a good idea to lope we were getting along much better. I set some barrels up and had her jump just for shits and giggles and to my surprise she can jump fairly well and fairly correct (hmmm – jumping pony prospect LOL).
I had Chase grab his saddle and get back on. He trotted a bit then did the ORS and then we loped a few strides and he did the ORS. Abby’s attitude was greatly improved. LOL She even had a nice, free flowing trot.
Chase was done riding and Abby was pooped so we let him get the mini bike out and ride. In the meantime Shari decided to take Nikki in the pasture to ride (still only had one rein). She was trotting all over the place, chasing the 4-wheeler and the mini bike. Shari almost had more control with just the one rein then she does when she has two.
By this time MIL and DH had returned from their ride so I put the English saddle on Max (figured I needed to rectify my ride from last night) so I could ride him for just a few minutes. I asked MIL how Lucy did and she replied “I just love her! She’s such a wonderful horse.” I giggled and replied “why do you think I like her!” DH said she was very good and just plunked down the road.
I hoped on Max and did some flexing and then we walked out and flexed and then moved to trotting transitions. He has “easy” down very well now. He was a completely different horse (but then I was a different rider too) last night. He was soft, easy moving and slow. When I asked for the lope transitions he smoothly moved into them and then stayed in a lope not a run. We maybe worked for ½ hour and then I put him up. The gal from ND had her weekends messed up and won’t be coming until next weekend so that gives me a bit more time to work with him.
Tonight is the queen contest. MIL is so excited to see Sis go. I have the camera so hopefully I’ll have lots of pictures on Monday.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Two steps forward, one step back
Well last night was my one step back with Max. 
DH and the boys were gone so I decided to go for a ride. I saddled Max up and as I got ready to leave my sister came out and decided she was going to tag along in the cart with Nikki. I told her that was fine but she had to figure out how to hook up the cart because I was riding!
While she got ready I trotted Max up and down the road. Of course he was wonderful trotting away from home. Nice, steady, easy trot. When we turned for home……….he thought he could break into a lope. Needless to say we did a few ORS.
When Heather finally got Nikki ready we headed down the road. I would trot in front of her and then trot past her and go behind her and then lope ahead of her and then lope behind her. Max wasn’t doing too badly. Then we hit the neighbor’s house and a little kitten decided to follow us. We are pretty sure he was dumped because he was at the abandoned house the other night when we rode but my sister is going to call to check tonight.
Needless to say he followed us down the road (the little fart kept up with the horses trotting) so when a car came by and my sister had visions of a smashed kitty she lost it, put him in the cart and took him home. I told her I was going to continue riding.
Max and I headed on down the road (of course at a much slower pace since we were going away from home and Nikki had left). I asked him to canter and he had a fairly nice, smooth flowing canter (this has been one of our biggest issues).
I’ve noticed I typically ask for the right lead when I ask to lope so I decided on the way home to ask for the left lead. This is where things started to fall apart. I got the left lead but I also got a race horse.
When I asked him to slow down his head went up in the air and he became more belligerent so I said “fine, you want to lope fast we’ll lope”. I turned him back around and loped him back down the road (away from home). He was still going considerably faster than what he needed to go but we were running out of road (I didn’t want to get too far away from home because it was dark) so we turned around and loped………ran. When we got to where we started on the road we turned around and went the other direction. He wasn’t caving and my patience was running thin. So we loped some more.
We loped to the point that I wondered if he’d ever slow down. The problem was he wanted to go from a run to a trot, there was no in-between gait.
When we got to the corner I worked on flexing him and bending him all of the way home. He was still full of P & V so when we got back we headed for the RP (our RP is oversized and the only “flat” surface I can ride). Once inside I just let him go. He ran and ran and ran. Pretty soon that got old so I decided to do rollbacks on him to see if I could slow his thinking down a bit. Please note I was in an English saddle so when we did the first rollback I almost didn’t go with him.
I’ll bet we did rollbacks for a good 20 minutes. I have blisters on my ass to prove it (I’m guessing this is why English peeps ride in breeches instead of jeans).
He still wasn’t really listening so we did some transitions. I’d lope him a few steps and say easy and bring him back to a walk. Lope a few steps back to a walk. It was dark and I knew I was loosing my patience and not gaining any ground so we returned to the middle of the RP and worked on flexing.
I will probably try to ride him tonight but ask for a lot less of him. Last night was just as much my fault as it was his. I want too much too fast and it’s not fair to ask for it. I know if we weren’t trying to sell him I’d never have pushed like I did.
On the positive side. The guy from the feed store is going to start having roping practice at his house every Wed. night and has invited me to join (he really likes Lucy). He said he’d help me teach her how to track cattle and has no problem burning calves (the other place doesn’t score them out as much nor do they let you track as much). I’m so excited but I’m sure DH isn’t going to be to thrilled that he has no horse to take with him.
DH and the boys were gone so I decided to go for a ride. I saddled Max up and as I got ready to leave my sister came out and decided she was going to tag along in the cart with Nikki. I told her that was fine but she had to figure out how to hook up the cart because I was riding!
While she got ready I trotted Max up and down the road. Of course he was wonderful trotting away from home. Nice, steady, easy trot. When we turned for home……….he thought he could break into a lope. Needless to say we did a few ORS.
When Heather finally got Nikki ready we headed down the road. I would trot in front of her and then trot past her and go behind her and then lope ahead of her and then lope behind her. Max wasn’t doing too badly. Then we hit the neighbor’s house and a little kitten decided to follow us. We are pretty sure he was dumped because he was at the abandoned house the other night when we rode but my sister is going to call to check tonight.
Needless to say he followed us down the road (the little fart kept up with the horses trotting) so when a car came by and my sister had visions of a smashed kitty she lost it, put him in the cart and took him home. I told her I was going to continue riding.
Max and I headed on down the road (of course at a much slower pace since we were going away from home and Nikki had left). I asked him to canter and he had a fairly nice, smooth flowing canter (this has been one of our biggest issues).
I’ve noticed I typically ask for the right lead when I ask to lope so I decided on the way home to ask for the left lead. This is where things started to fall apart. I got the left lead but I also got a race horse.
When I asked him to slow down his head went up in the air and he became more belligerent so I said “fine, you want to lope fast we’ll lope”. I turned him back around and loped him back down the road (away from home). He was still going considerably faster than what he needed to go but we were running out of road (I didn’t want to get too far away from home because it was dark) so we turned around and loped………ran. When we got to where we started on the road we turned around and went the other direction. He wasn’t caving and my patience was running thin. So we loped some more.
We loped to the point that I wondered if he’d ever slow down. The problem was he wanted to go from a run to a trot, there was no in-between gait.
When we got to the corner I worked on flexing him and bending him all of the way home. He was still full of P & V so when we got back we headed for the RP (our RP is oversized and the only “flat” surface I can ride). Once inside I just let him go. He ran and ran and ran. Pretty soon that got old so I decided to do rollbacks on him to see if I could slow his thinking down a bit. Please note I was in an English saddle so when we did the first rollback I almost didn’t go with him.
I’ll bet we did rollbacks for a good 20 minutes. I have blisters on my ass to prove it (I’m guessing this is why English peeps ride in breeches instead of jeans).
He still wasn’t really listening so we did some transitions. I’d lope him a few steps and say easy and bring him back to a walk. Lope a few steps back to a walk. It was dark and I knew I was loosing my patience and not gaining any ground so we returned to the middle of the RP and worked on flexing.
I will probably try to ride him tonight but ask for a lot less of him. Last night was just as much my fault as it was his. I want too much too fast and it’s not fair to ask for it. I know if we weren’t trying to sell him I’d never have pushed like I did.
On the positive side. The guy from the feed store is going to start having roping practice at his house every Wed. night and has invited me to join (he really likes Lucy). He said he’d help me teach her how to track cattle and has no problem burning calves (the other place doesn’t score them out as much nor do they let you track as much). I’m so excited but I’m sure DH isn’t going to be to thrilled that he has no horse to take with him.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
The good, the bad and the ugly
The good –
Last night we had drill practice. MIL took Abby and I took Max just to ride around in the arena. Abby didn’t do too badly for MIL. We need to work on her brakes but other than that she didn’t have too much of an attitude tonight.
Max was superb! He is getting so soft and he’s so pretty when he moves with his head tucked. Everyone thought it looked like I’d really been working hard on him. If only they knew. LOL
The bad –
On the second run MIL didn’t feel comfortable running Abby. She worried that she was a bit too tired and didn’t want to push her so I said I would. I started off by letting Abby know just who it was that was up on her. She wasn’t thrilled. We headed off in the pattern and when she got a bit lazy she met the end of my crop (which I might add has a lot more bite than MIL’s crop). She kicked up her heels to let me know how happy she was about it so I returned the favor by whacking her again. Needless to say by the end of the run she was pretty compliant and very tired.
The ugly –
The gal who is using Sis this Friday night for the cowgirl queen contest brought Sis along last night just to take her for a ride. She’s had her for about 2.5 weeks now working her to get her ready and to get used to her. If I hadn’t known she was coming I wouldn’t have recognized her. She has lost so much weight she looks horrible. MIL was so upset and about lost it (crying). She couldn’t believe she (MIL) had let her baby get like that. I tried to tell her it wasn’t her fault. I don’t think the gal using her realizes she’s lost so much weight since she sees her on a daily basis vs. us not seeing her for a while.
Friday is the queen contest and when Sis comes home from it we are going to have to be very careful not to upset her digestive tract. I told MIL we need to give her a loading dose of probiotics and then slowly re-introduce her to the pasture so she doesn’t get sick. I’m a bit worried about how she’ll bounce back. Sis is a pretty easy keeper and I’m not sure I’ve seen her this thin since she was a yearling (a sick yearling). I’m a bit worried that with this much weight loss over such a short time frame that she may have broken down some muscle.
Last night we had drill practice. MIL took Abby and I took Max just to ride around in the arena. Abby didn’t do too badly for MIL. We need to work on her brakes but other than that she didn’t have too much of an attitude tonight.
Max was superb! He is getting so soft and he’s so pretty when he moves with his head tucked. Everyone thought it looked like I’d really been working hard on him. If only they knew. LOL
The bad –
On the second run MIL didn’t feel comfortable running Abby. She worried that she was a bit too tired and didn’t want to push her so I said I would. I started off by letting Abby know just who it was that was up on her. She wasn’t thrilled. We headed off in the pattern and when she got a bit lazy she met the end of my crop (which I might add has a lot more bite than MIL’s crop). She kicked up her heels to let me know how happy she was about it so I returned the favor by whacking her again. Needless to say by the end of the run she was pretty compliant and very tired.
The ugly –
The gal who is using Sis this Friday night for the cowgirl queen contest brought Sis along last night just to take her for a ride. She’s had her for about 2.5 weeks now working her to get her ready and to get used to her. If I hadn’t known she was coming I wouldn’t have recognized her. She has lost so much weight she looks horrible. MIL was so upset and about lost it (crying). She couldn’t believe she (MIL) had let her baby get like that. I tried to tell her it wasn’t her fault. I don’t think the gal using her realizes she’s lost so much weight since she sees her on a daily basis vs. us not seeing her for a while.
Friday is the queen contest and when Sis comes home from it we are going to have to be very careful not to upset her digestive tract. I told MIL we need to give her a loading dose of probiotics and then slowly re-introduce her to the pasture so she doesn’t get sick. I’m a bit worried about how she’ll bounce back. Sis is a pretty easy keeper and I’m not sure I’ve seen her this thin since she was a yearling (a sick yearling). I’m a bit worried that with this much weight loss over such a short time frame that she may have broken down some muscle.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Soft horses come from soft riders
It has been so hot lately that even Sat. I felt like I had a bit of heat exhaustion. I’ve been bringing the horses inside in the morning so they are out of the sun and they each have fans on them. Last night after 7:00 it wasn’t too bad so I decided to ride Max.
The other night when I rode him I got a bit frustrated with him (more precisely how he’s gotten) and I didn’t want to get frustrated this time. Yesterday at work I read a quote by Ray Hunt that stuck with me during my ride.
The horse can be no softer than the rider.
So when I got on Max we started off flexing to the side (he’s such a good flexer) and then we started with the vertical flexion. He’s very good with this at the stand still and the walk but beyond that is where we start to have problems. So “we” worked on it and OMG was he amazing last night.
I’d hold him as softly as I could and when he’d flex I’d give a few finger release (trying to ride English here) and let him go a few strides and then we’d do it again. We also worked on transitions. For the first time I finally got the flexion at a lope. It was amazing how he felt when he was tucked up nicely.
I’m beginning to wonder if he can come along so well with just a few rides how amazing he’d be with someone who devoted softness to him 100% of the time. It is pretty amazing thought to see how soft and responsive they can be when you think about how soft you are.
We’ve had pretty good responses to our ads and I think (keep your fingers crossed) a gal from ND is going to come look at him next week. So far his ½ Arab side seems to be the biggest issue. For those who don’t like Arabians they seem “afraid” of it (they think he’s a crack head when he’s not) and for those who do like Arabians they don’t seem to “see” the Arabian in him.
I try to tell them that he just got the good parts. He’s very calm (paint side) but he has the brains and stamina of the Arabian side. I have no clue where his looks came from because I saw his mom and she wasn’t anything to write home about.
The other night when I rode him I got a bit frustrated with him (more precisely how he’s gotten) and I didn’t want to get frustrated this time. Yesterday at work I read a quote by Ray Hunt that stuck with me during my ride.
The horse can be no softer than the rider.
So when I got on Max we started off flexing to the side (he’s such a good flexer) and then we started with the vertical flexion. He’s very good with this at the stand still and the walk but beyond that is where we start to have problems. So “we” worked on it and OMG was he amazing last night.
I’d hold him as softly as I could and when he’d flex I’d give a few finger release (trying to ride English here) and let him go a few strides and then we’d do it again. We also worked on transitions. For the first time I finally got the flexion at a lope. It was amazing how he felt when he was tucked up nicely.
I’m beginning to wonder if he can come along so well with just a few rides how amazing he’d be with someone who devoted softness to him 100% of the time. It is pretty amazing thought to see how soft and responsive they can be when you think about how soft you are.
We’ve had pretty good responses to our ads and I think (keep your fingers crossed) a gal from ND is going to come look at him next week. So far his ½ Arab side seems to be the biggest issue. For those who don’t like Arabians they seem “afraid” of it (they think he’s a crack head when he’s not) and for those who do like Arabians they don’t seem to “see” the Arabian in him.
I try to tell them that he just got the good parts. He’s very calm (paint side) but he has the brains and stamina of the Arabian side. I have no clue where his looks came from because I saw his mom and she wasn’t anything to write home about.
Monday, August 4, 2008
I should have stayed home!
Saturday was just one of those days when you know you should have just stayed home. It started off with my first show where MIL and I took Cat. Cat was great! She was calm and quiet and didn’t spook at anything. She nickered a bit but that’s to be expected the first time out.
Here she is prior to her class. Doesn’t she look excited?
Isn’t she pretty!
We headed in, passed the judge and proceeded to go into our trot where my ankle proceeded to roll and I fell flat on my face. Cat jumped sideways to get out of the way but didn’t spook. I got up, brushed off my pants, sucked it up and went and stood Cat up in line. She looked like a miniature compared to the beast in the class with her.
We placed 3rd out of 3. I’d be a bit more disappointed if I actually bred for halter horses but I don’t and I’m not too sure I’d really want a horse that looked like the one behind us. I did however like the third filly. She was very refined.
When we got back I saddled up Max and rode him for a bit. He was very stiff and wanted to run instead of lope but we worked through it and he looked like a million dollars by the time we were done! It was hot so we didn’t work very long.
Then we had Chase’s show. My niece and nephews where at the show as well so I didn’t take a horse for myself but instead we took Nikki, Abby and Sis. Chase started things off with his walk/trot class on Abby. He decided to take her because “it’s not about winning mom, it’s about having fun”. LOL can you tell my lectures are starting to sink in.
He managed to get 2nd but not by much. Abby trotted around nicely but Chase needs to learn how to pass the horse in front of him not just stick on it’s butt.
Then MIL had her walk/trot class. There were a lot of nice horses in this class (very large class compared to normal). She placed 2nd! Woo hoo! Sis looked really nice. There were a few not so happy people at the end of the class. Not sure if they were upset on how they place or how others placed.
MIL also got 2nd in western pleasure. Sis’s lope just isn’t that great right now and we need to work on it more (I always say that don’t I).
Then Chase went into the arena for open riding prior to barrels and poles. Typically we don’t let him go in unless Brandon or I ride in with him because it’s all of the barrel/pole horses going mach 10 in the arena. He was doing very well with Abby so I let him go in. I was just getting ready to pull him out when I heard someone yell my name and then yell Chase and saw him on the ground with Abby running around the arena with no rider.
I got about 20 stories on what happened but knowing Abby and knowing Chase I’ve come to my own conclusions. There was a out of control horse in the arena and I was told it came running up behind Abby. My best guess is that Abby went to kick the horse and Chase lost his balance. He’s been very forward and stiff in the knees when Abby trots so if her hind end came up it was probably enough to throw him off balance.
He did hit hard enough to crack his helmet though but we are lucky he wasn’t trampled. I had a few people tell me he was cutting people off (duh, he’s 7) but I’ve been in there for open riding before and the adults pay less attention to the other riders than the kids. That’s not excusing Chase’s behavior (if he was cutting people off) but people need to remember kids don’t know any better (the woman complaining was one of the one’s upset that she wasn’t placing so I’m taking it with a grain of salt).
He got back on and did barrels and poles so I was very proud of him. He messed up his patterns which I wasn’t very happy about but he finished them. I guess it’s time to start practicing some more.
On the way home MIL and I took the back roads because I’m not fond of the interstate at night. They’ve had construction and the old truck just doesn’t get up to speed. I was on the phone with Brandon when I saw a momma deer and her babies starting to cross the road. I slowed but I knew we were going to hit. Yep. I hit my first deer. Brandon was of course going ballistic on the other end of the phone but luckily the only damage to my truck was a small dent in the license plate.
Needless to say I was very happy to get home but when I did I pulled up to a crabby mother (my mom) because Ty had an ear ache and wasn’t a happy camper.
Yesterday the heat index was over 102 so I just hose the horses off and put them in their stalls with the fans on. I took a few pics of Max for his sales ads. How does he look?
Here she is prior to her class. Doesn’t she look excited?
Isn’t she pretty!
We headed in, passed the judge and proceeded to go into our trot where my ankle proceeded to roll and I fell flat on my face. Cat jumped sideways to get out of the way but didn’t spook. I got up, brushed off my pants, sucked it up and went and stood Cat up in line. She looked like a miniature compared to the beast in the class with her.
We placed 3rd out of 3. I’d be a bit more disappointed if I actually bred for halter horses but I don’t and I’m not too sure I’d really want a horse that looked like the one behind us. I did however like the third filly. She was very refined.
When we got back I saddled up Max and rode him for a bit. He was very stiff and wanted to run instead of lope but we worked through it and he looked like a million dollars by the time we were done! It was hot so we didn’t work very long.
Then we had Chase’s show. My niece and nephews where at the show as well so I didn’t take a horse for myself but instead we took Nikki, Abby and Sis. Chase started things off with his walk/trot class on Abby. He decided to take her because “it’s not about winning mom, it’s about having fun”. LOL can you tell my lectures are starting to sink in.
He managed to get 2nd but not by much. Abby trotted around nicely but Chase needs to learn how to pass the horse in front of him not just stick on it’s butt.
Then MIL had her walk/trot class. There were a lot of nice horses in this class (very large class compared to normal). She placed 2nd! Woo hoo! Sis looked really nice. There were a few not so happy people at the end of the class. Not sure if they were upset on how they place or how others placed.
MIL also got 2nd in western pleasure. Sis’s lope just isn’t that great right now and we need to work on it more (I always say that don’t I).
Then Chase went into the arena for open riding prior to barrels and poles. Typically we don’t let him go in unless Brandon or I ride in with him because it’s all of the barrel/pole horses going mach 10 in the arena. He was doing very well with Abby so I let him go in. I was just getting ready to pull him out when I heard someone yell my name and then yell Chase and saw him on the ground with Abby running around the arena with no rider.
I got about 20 stories on what happened but knowing Abby and knowing Chase I’ve come to my own conclusions. There was a out of control horse in the arena and I was told it came running up behind Abby. My best guess is that Abby went to kick the horse and Chase lost his balance. He’s been very forward and stiff in the knees when Abby trots so if her hind end came up it was probably enough to throw him off balance.
He did hit hard enough to crack his helmet though but we are lucky he wasn’t trampled. I had a few people tell me he was cutting people off (duh, he’s 7) but I’ve been in there for open riding before and the adults pay less attention to the other riders than the kids. That’s not excusing Chase’s behavior (if he was cutting people off) but people need to remember kids don’t know any better (the woman complaining was one of the one’s upset that she wasn’t placing so I’m taking it with a grain of salt).
He got back on and did barrels and poles so I was very proud of him. He messed up his patterns which I wasn’t very happy about but he finished them. I guess it’s time to start practicing some more.
On the way home MIL and I took the back roads because I’m not fond of the interstate at night. They’ve had construction and the old truck just doesn’t get up to speed. I was on the phone with Brandon when I saw a momma deer and her babies starting to cross the road. I slowed but I knew we were going to hit. Yep. I hit my first deer. Brandon was of course going ballistic on the other end of the phone but luckily the only damage to my truck was a small dent in the license plate.
Needless to say I was very happy to get home but when I did I pulled up to a crabby mother (my mom) because Ty had an ear ache and wasn’t a happy camper.
Yesterday the heat index was over 102 so I just hose the horses off and put them in their stalls with the fans on. I took a few pics of Max for his sales ads. How does he look?
Friday, August 1, 2008
We need to get our alignment checked
Last night I went out, worked Cat as usual, tied her in her stall to cool down and grabbed Lu. I decided I needed a night for myself.
We headed up to the trailer where I saddled her up and then we headed down the road. At first she was going slowly and hesitating from leaving the house. Then she decided the ditch looked like a fun place to ride but only until I let her fall down into it (it wasn’t steep). Then the grass on the side of the road looked appealing, until the crop hit her in the butt. LOL
I finally got her going and thinking “forward” until we hit the neighbors place. They have a huge line of pine trees and this has been a very spooky place to ride past for all of my horses. So what did I do? Of course I spooked her. LOL She finally relaxed and we moved on. She was great about the cars and the cows. We rode half a section and then turned around to head back.
I laughed on the way back because she can’t/won’t walk a straight line. I put her on the edge of the road/ditch and she immediately starts to veer right as soon as I drop the rein. I have about a 2 ft. area I’ll let her veer before I pull her back and it doesn’t take long for her to hit that spot. Get her where I want her, release, pick up and put her back, release. This was the entire ride home. Guess we need to work on the follow the fence exercise. LOL
She was very good though. On the way back she stopped to look at the cows. There was a coyote in with them. Then I noticed the cattle on the top of the hill getting restless and that’s when I spotted two more coyotes (I’m assuming pups). Lu and I just stood and watched for a moment as the cattle decided the coyotes were not going to be in the pasture with them and chased them ½ way across the field. I had a chuckle and we headed back to the house.
Our big show is tomorrow so wish me luck! Cat is looking good! I’ve been exercising her daily and sweating her neck and she’s really starting to look nice. I can’t wait to see her all cleaned up with her pretty show halter on. We’ll that’s if it fits. LOL Can you tell I’m prepared?
We headed up to the trailer where I saddled her up and then we headed down the road. At first she was going slowly and hesitating from leaving the house. Then she decided the ditch looked like a fun place to ride but only until I let her fall down into it (it wasn’t steep). Then the grass on the side of the road looked appealing, until the crop hit her in the butt. LOL
I finally got her going and thinking “forward” until we hit the neighbors place. They have a huge line of pine trees and this has been a very spooky place to ride past for all of my horses. So what did I do? Of course I spooked her. LOL She finally relaxed and we moved on. She was great about the cars and the cows. We rode half a section and then turned around to head back.
I laughed on the way back because she can’t/won’t walk a straight line. I put her on the edge of the road/ditch and she immediately starts to veer right as soon as I drop the rein. I have about a 2 ft. area I’ll let her veer before I pull her back and it doesn’t take long for her to hit that spot. Get her where I want her, release, pick up and put her back, release. This was the entire ride home. Guess we need to work on the follow the fence exercise. LOL
She was very good though. On the way back she stopped to look at the cows. There was a coyote in with them. Then I noticed the cattle on the top of the hill getting restless and that’s when I spotted two more coyotes (I’m assuming pups). Lu and I just stood and watched for a moment as the cattle decided the coyotes were not going to be in the pasture with them and chased them ½ way across the field. I had a chuckle and we headed back to the house.
Our big show is tomorrow so wish me luck! Cat is looking good! I’ve been exercising her daily and sweating her neck and she’s really starting to look nice. I can’t wait to see her all cleaned up with her pretty show halter on. We’ll that’s if it fits. LOL Can you tell I’m prepared?
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