It seems I haven't updated in a while but then not much has gone on. I did sit down and have a talk with Chase about riding this summer. I told him I wasn't going to bring Black home if he wasn't going to ride. He assures me he is going to so I had MIL bring Black home on Sat.
Sunday we went to a horse sale. I had to sit on my hands twice. Once was when they brought in a 6 yr. old bay mare. She was about 14 hh and not very wide. The guy riding her did a fine job of spurring her in the belly and yanking on her face. She had a "dead" eye to her. She looked so lifeless. I figured if she could keep from dumping his dumb ass she'd be great for a kid. She sold for $50.
The other one was a beautiful black/white colt. He was 4, unpapered and I'm pretty sure uncut. He was scared out of his mind. Poor guy was shaking in the ring. I think he sold for $40.
After the sale Chase and I headed out to chore. We were going to ride but it was pretty cold so I told him maybe another day. He had this "look" to his face and when I asked him what was wrong he replied "but I was really looking forward to riding". Told him if he didn't think he'd freeze I was happy to saddle up - so we did.
Lucy seemed happy to get out for a ride. I think she was getting a bit jealous of Cat. Black - not so much. Chase had some issues getting her to go down the road and pulling through his rein (not a new issue) so I had to teach him to bump ehr. Once she learned he was capable of handeling her she was fine. He was a bit frustrated but I explained to him why she did it and that soon she wouldn't even try because she'd know he wouldn't allow it.
The rest of the ride out was pretty nice. We did some trotting and Lu was dead on w/my seat cues. I think I only had to remind her once with my rein. On the way back the wind cut through us like a knife so I broke a rule and allowed Chase to lope home. Lucy was in a nice, slow, cadenced lope w/her head low to the ground. I loved it!!! She's such a good pony.
Poor Chase - Black can long trot as fast as Lucy can canter so it took him a bit to get her going. Both of us had to go into the house to warm up before we untacked and put the ponies away. I've got to say - I'm pretty proud he wanted to ride on such a cold day.
Tuff E Nuff Quarter Horses
Lucy
Monday, March 7, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Giggles, puddles, and mud bugs
Yesterday at MIL's we saddled up Sis and Black and let Chase and Shari, my niece (8), ride. I made sure both of them weren't going to get killed and then turned them loose. When these two get together their giggles are infectious. MIL and I sat on her back porch watching these two trot and giggle and then canter and giggle and all the while the horses were being good as gold. I swear they know when they have precious cargo on board.
My niece reminds me of myself when I was little. My parents were non-horse people and I would do anything my uncle told me to do just to get a chance to brush that old nasty mule. His name was Jack and it was quite fitting for an a.s.s. - I mean mule.
Shari will do anything in the barn just to be near the horses. My sister and her husband are non-horsey people so I love it when she gets a chance to ride. Usually we have to drag her off as she never gets tired. Yesterday her ride was cut short by the rain. We let them ride in the sprinkles for a bit but we were lucky to get them in the barn before it completely let loose.
When she came inside she was still all horse and drew this picture.
When I asked her if she had a good time she replied "yes, until the STUPID rain came down." lol
While Shari and Chase were riding Ty decided to go play in the water puddles. You can only be a kid onces so mom said "go for it buddy!". I thought DH was going to stroke when he saw Ty jumping up and down in the water puddles. He had water EVERYWHERE but he also had the biggest smile. Molly was enjoying running in the puddle with Ty too so both of them got baths before we went home. Molly was one tired pup after a fun day of play.
Abby is back home. We brought her back Sat. She seems to be happy to be back home. I have her out during the day and in at night. Talked to the vet a bit about her shoulder. I can x-ray to see if she does have a fracture but when I asked him what the treatment for that was he basically said "time off". Well I can do that w/o paying for x-rays.
My horses are a muddy mess! When I went out yesterday Cat decided to roll 3 times to make sure she was covered good for me.
Here she is sniffing a pile of pekin feathers. Lucy didn't want them in the pasture with her. Luckily the pekin made it to the other side of the fence with just a few missing feathers.
This is not Abby! Oh what a mess! Yes, I know her feet are long, she gets trimmed Monday.
If you look closely in this picture you can see where Cat has the "split" in her chest from her injury last summer. I call her three boobs. :D
My niece reminds me of myself when I was little. My parents were non-horse people and I would do anything my uncle told me to do just to get a chance to brush that old nasty mule. His name was Jack and it was quite fitting for an a.s.s. - I mean mule.
Shari will do anything in the barn just to be near the horses. My sister and her husband are non-horsey people so I love it when she gets a chance to ride. Usually we have to drag her off as she never gets tired. Yesterday her ride was cut short by the rain. We let them ride in the sprinkles for a bit but we were lucky to get them in the barn before it completely let loose.
When she came inside she was still all horse and drew this picture.
When I asked her if she had a good time she replied "yes, until the STUPID rain came down." lol
While Shari and Chase were riding Ty decided to go play in the water puddles. You can only be a kid onces so mom said "go for it buddy!". I thought DH was going to stroke when he saw Ty jumping up and down in the water puddles. He had water EVERYWHERE but he also had the biggest smile. Molly was enjoying running in the puddle with Ty too so both of them got baths before we went home. Molly was one tired pup after a fun day of play.
Abby is back home. We brought her back Sat. She seems to be happy to be back home. I have her out during the day and in at night. Talked to the vet a bit about her shoulder. I can x-ray to see if she does have a fracture but when I asked him what the treatment for that was he basically said "time off". Well I can do that w/o paying for x-rays.
My horses are a muddy mess! When I went out yesterday Cat decided to roll 3 times to make sure she was covered good for me.
Here she is sniffing a pile of pekin feathers. Lucy didn't want them in the pasture with her. Luckily the pekin made it to the other side of the fence with just a few missing feathers.
This is not Abby! Oh what a mess! Yes, I know her feet are long, she gets trimmed Monday.
If you look closely in this picture you can see where Cat has the "split" in her chest from her injury last summer. I call her three boobs. :D
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sunday Stroll
Sunday MIL came over and we went for a road ride. The temps were lovely but it was a windy so it was a bit colder then anticipated. I did a little bit of GW with Cat and then we headed out. Our first spook came less then 100 yards from the house. She was looking at some moving grass in the ditch when the neighbor’s horse came running up the pasture. It was a small spook but she wanted to break into a trot afterwards so we did lots of circles.
She was very good about the cars. We stopped for the first couple and then after that continued on. The road was a soggy, wet mess but she didn’t hesitate to go through the water puddles. After we crossed the highway we trotted and then did some ORS. She wasn’t anticipating them like normal so it was nice. Sis was unusually spooky. I’m not sure if it was the wind, the first outing or if she was just feeling her oats but I told MIL she wasn’t doing a good job being my calm leader.
Once we hit roller coaster hill the fun began. I love making the horses work up the long hills. I asked Cat to trot and she was thrilled to move out until the 2nd half of the hill, then I had to push her to keep her moving forward. The next hill we cantered up. Again, she was full speed ahead for a few strides and then I had to push her to keep moving.
MIL all bundled up
On the way back I asked MIL to take a picture of Cat and I. This is what she got. Lol
Notice Cat’s head? She keeps it pretty low naturally. I will need longer reins if she keeps it up.
MIL did manage to get one of the “whole picture”.
I look huge and Cat looks so small! She’s still my baby.
I giggled w/MIL because Sis spooked more on the ride then Cat did. The only thing that really got Cat was when a car passed and splashed water. She did one of those drop and stop spooks (the kind I like) and then was over it. The other things on the road that most horses would spook at actually grabbed at her curiosity. Hopefully curiosity doesn’t kill this Cat.
She was very good about the cars. We stopped for the first couple and then after that continued on. The road was a soggy, wet mess but she didn’t hesitate to go through the water puddles. After we crossed the highway we trotted and then did some ORS. She wasn’t anticipating them like normal so it was nice. Sis was unusually spooky. I’m not sure if it was the wind, the first outing or if she was just feeling her oats but I told MIL she wasn’t doing a good job being my calm leader.
Once we hit roller coaster hill the fun began. I love making the horses work up the long hills. I asked Cat to trot and she was thrilled to move out until the 2nd half of the hill, then I had to push her to keep her moving forward. The next hill we cantered up. Again, she was full speed ahead for a few strides and then I had to push her to keep moving.
MIL all bundled up
On the way back I asked MIL to take a picture of Cat and I. This is what she got. Lol
Notice Cat’s head? She keeps it pretty low naturally. I will need longer reins if she keeps it up.
MIL did manage to get one of the “whole picture”.
I look huge and Cat looks so small! She’s still my baby.
I giggled w/MIL because Sis spooked more on the ride then Cat did. The only thing that really got Cat was when a car passed and splashed water. She did one of those drop and stop spooks (the kind I like) and then was over it. The other things on the road that most horses would spook at actually grabbed at her curiosity. Hopefully curiosity doesn’t kill this Cat.
The Thrill of Drill
Saturday the drill team had practice and they were a rider short so I was asked to fill in. Since this was their first practice and they were just going to walk the pattern I decided to take Cat. Surely she’d be ready – right?
We got there early to check on Abby so we were one of the first ones in the arena. She had sticky feet compared to normal and I didn’t have my stick so I ignored it. As the horses started to funnel into the arena I could feel her tensing up a bit. I decided to go ahead and mount up. I rode w/just my halter/lead as I didn’t want to overwhelm her.
She wasn’t sure what to think and was getting pretty nervous (for Cat) so we did lots of circles. There was one horse that she did not care for at all and would pin her ears at. I didn’t correct it since it was her first time around other horses and she was already nervous.
Once the pattern was started she did better then I anticipated. I felt bad because I had to control her speed and we haven’t worked on that yet. She wanted to walk a lot faster then the other horses. I was happy with how she did in the group but not happy with how she did overall so once the team was done I got her back out. This time I went ahead and put her bridle on her.
As the horses left the arena she got nervous and started to fight me. She decided to rear (her way of protesting) so I quickly introduced Mr. Crop to her butt and did some yielding of the HQ. It didn’t take long for her to get the picture. I didn’t do any ORS since she anticipates them; instead, we went straight to the passenger lesson at the trot. She felt really good moving out.
Next it was the passenger lesson at the canter. She was moving out! She never moves out. It felt good and I felt comfortable on her. As she started to get tired she started ducking in but I maintained my seat and pushed her on. She was dog tired when we got done but I felt good about where we finished.
(ride 14)
We got there early to check on Abby so we were one of the first ones in the arena. She had sticky feet compared to normal and I didn’t have my stick so I ignored it. As the horses started to funnel into the arena I could feel her tensing up a bit. I decided to go ahead and mount up. I rode w/just my halter/lead as I didn’t want to overwhelm her.
She wasn’t sure what to think and was getting pretty nervous (for Cat) so we did lots of circles. There was one horse that she did not care for at all and would pin her ears at. I didn’t correct it since it was her first time around other horses and she was already nervous.
Once the pattern was started she did better then I anticipated. I felt bad because I had to control her speed and we haven’t worked on that yet. She wanted to walk a lot faster then the other horses. I was happy with how she did in the group but not happy with how she did overall so once the team was done I got her back out. This time I went ahead and put her bridle on her.
As the horses left the arena she got nervous and started to fight me. She decided to rear (her way of protesting) so I quickly introduced Mr. Crop to her butt and did some yielding of the HQ. It didn’t take long for her to get the picture. I didn’t do any ORS since she anticipates them; instead, we went straight to the passenger lesson at the trot. She felt really good moving out.
Next it was the passenger lesson at the canter. She was moving out! She never moves out. It felt good and I felt comfortable on her. As she started to get tired she started ducking in but I maintained my seat and pushed her on. She was dog tired when we got done but I felt good about where we finished.
(ride 14)
Abby Update
Saturday we took Abby back to the vet for a recheck. Good news is he doesn’t think it is infected and he still feels it is healing well (even though he can still stick his entire pinky finger inside of her).
He was a bit concerned about her shoulder but said she couldn’t have picked a better place for an impact like that. He said w/deep muscle/bone bruising it can take up to 3 weeks to heal. She is on stall rest and bute and she does not like it!
She’s not eating her grain. I’m not sure if it is from the stress from being stalled, away from her buddies, in a new barn, having bute in her food or a mixture of all of the above. Mona only has a few boarders so Abby has the entire west side of the barn to herself.
He was a bit concerned about her shoulder but said she couldn’t have picked a better place for an impact like that. He said w/deep muscle/bone bruising it can take up to 3 weeks to heal. She is on stall rest and bute and she does not like it!
She’s not eating her grain. I’m not sure if it is from the stress from being stalled, away from her buddies, in a new barn, having bute in her food or a mixture of all of the above. Mona only has a few boarders so Abby has the entire west side of the barn to herself.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Back to the vet
Abby will be returning to the vet again on Saturday. Sometime earlier this week she managed to pull her wound open and pop her staples. I'm not sure if she got to messing around or if the wound swelled. Then with the cold weather the exposed tissue froze. MIL called me last night to let me know that Abby wouldn't leave her stall & is limping again on her front left leg. MIL took out her drain tube last night and she said it wreaked of infection.
I told Chase it looked like it could be a long recovery and he might be riding Black this summer. He looked kind of down so I asked him what was wrong. He replied "I thought I could ride Lucy". I started laughing and told him fat chance! I'm hoping there is no major damage to her leg and that she just bumped it and is sore again. Will post more after her appt.
I told Chase it looked like it could be a long recovery and he might be riding Black this summer. He looked kind of down so I asked him what was wrong. He replied "I thought I could ride Lucy". I started laughing and told him fat chance! I'm hoping there is no major damage to her leg and that she just bumped it and is sore again. Will post more after her appt.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Catz outta the......................
Saturday MIL and I decided to go ride. We were going to ride on the road as the weather was decent but it started getting cooler so we decided to head over to Mona's. I was going to take both Lu and Cat but since we planned on going to the sale later that night, I decided I only had time to take one. So I picked Cat.
Lucy was kind of funny. She was looking at me like "hey, what's going on? why aren't you taking me?" while I loaded Cat in the trailer. Cat loaded like a charm and off we went.
When we arrived at Mona's, a boarder was using the arena so we put Cat and Sis in a stall and chatted with Mona for a bit. Once it was time, we cleaned up and saddled up. I realized that Cat hadn't had a saddle on her since June of last year (our road ride) and that I hadn't ridden her since our bb ride in October. I approached w/caution but she took it like she'd been saddled just the day prior. I only had one problem, the girth needed to be let out a notch!
I headed to the arena and did some desensitizing and LFR with her prior to getting on. She was doing some awesome rollbacks in her LFR Stage 2. I'd say they were almost as good as Lucy's. Once I felt she was going to be fine I decided to mount up. I had brought in my bridle but decided to just use my halter instead and do some one rein riding similar to the videos below.
After doing a handful of ORS at the walk/trot I decided to move onto the passenger lesson as she was starting to anticipate my stops. I did a few ORS at the canter to make sure she wasn't going to hump up. I felt comfortable she was going to be just fine so we continued to canter around. This is NOT her favorite exercise. She is very lazy and she doesn't like to maintain the canter so I had to squeeze, cluck and spank a few times. She did kick her back legs up once when I spanked her but nothing too big.
One thing I noticed about her is that she is very curious. Mona has several "spooky" objects in her arena and instead of spooking, Cat went to them to investigate. I think I'm going to like that! It feels so weird riding her. She is so much wider then Lucy and her strides are so different. MIL and I joked around as I told her I could not be a monogamous horse owner. I love the different qualities that both Lu and Cat have.
Lucy was kind of funny. She was looking at me like "hey, what's going on? why aren't you taking me?" while I loaded Cat in the trailer. Cat loaded like a charm and off we went.
When we arrived at Mona's, a boarder was using the arena so we put Cat and Sis in a stall and chatted with Mona for a bit. Once it was time, we cleaned up and saddled up. I realized that Cat hadn't had a saddle on her since June of last year (our road ride) and that I hadn't ridden her since our bb ride in October. I approached w/caution but she took it like she'd been saddled just the day prior. I only had one problem, the girth needed to be let out a notch!
I headed to the arena and did some desensitizing and LFR with her prior to getting on. She was doing some awesome rollbacks in her LFR Stage 2. I'd say they were almost as good as Lucy's. Once I felt she was going to be fine I decided to mount up. I had brought in my bridle but decided to just use my halter instead and do some one rein riding similar to the videos below.
After doing a handful of ORS at the walk/trot I decided to move onto the passenger lesson as she was starting to anticipate my stops. I did a few ORS at the canter to make sure she wasn't going to hump up. I felt comfortable she was going to be just fine so we continued to canter around. This is NOT her favorite exercise. She is very lazy and she doesn't like to maintain the canter so I had to squeeze, cluck and spank a few times. She did kick her back legs up once when I spanked her but nothing too big.
One thing I noticed about her is that she is very curious. Mona has several "spooky" objects in her arena and instead of spooking, Cat went to them to investigate. I think I'm going to like that! It feels so weird riding her. She is so much wider then Lucy and her strides are so different. MIL and I joked around as I told her I could not be a monogamous horse owner. I love the different qualities that both Lu and Cat have.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Abby Update
Abby went back to the vet yesterday for her recheck. Jason (the vet) was amazed at how well she looked (he looked a bit surprised) and was very pleased with her progress. She has quit limping on her left front leg and seems to be moving very well.
He is keeping the drain tube and staples in for now and I will be removing them next week after Wednesday. I didn't take any new pictures because it really doesn't "look" that different. It does however "feel" different. You can really feel the insides of her healing up. There is one pocket left to close but the rest feel like they've healed together very well.
Jason thinks she might have a small scar and possibly a lump from some scar tissue but I'm very optomistic that it is going to heal and not be noticable.
I decided to take her back to MIL's instead of taking her to Mona's. She seems to have healed this well being out with Black so I wanted her to be able to be out on pasture as well as be in a stall. I think the movement is good for them. She seemed very happy to be back "home" last night.
On a side note - I have been very impressed w/Jason and have not been overly impressed w/my current vet. My current vet is supposed to be one of the best in the state, however I feel his ego knows that and he tends to be a bit arrogant on my checkbook. I've decided to try this vet clinic out for all future needs. Hopefully we are just talking coggins, health certificates and a few shots and nothing else like what we have now. They do have an equine vet that I have worked with in the past (she left and just now came back since they changed ownership) and liked. I might though use Jason when I can. I not only liked his personality and his enthusiasm to do a great job, but he was also very easy on the eyes. :D
He is keeping the drain tube and staples in for now and I will be removing them next week after Wednesday. I didn't take any new pictures because it really doesn't "look" that different. It does however "feel" different. You can really feel the insides of her healing up. There is one pocket left to close but the rest feel like they've healed together very well.
Jason thinks she might have a small scar and possibly a lump from some scar tissue but I'm very optomistic that it is going to heal and not be noticable.
I decided to take her back to MIL's instead of taking her to Mona's. She seems to have healed this well being out with Black so I wanted her to be able to be out on pasture as well as be in a stall. I think the movement is good for them. She seemed very happy to be back "home" last night.
On a side note - I have been very impressed w/Jason and have not been overly impressed w/my current vet. My current vet is supposed to be one of the best in the state, however I feel his ego knows that and he tends to be a bit arrogant on my checkbook. I've decided to try this vet clinic out for all future needs. Hopefully we are just talking coggins, health certificates and a few shots and nothing else like what we have now. They do have an equine vet that I have worked with in the past (she left and just now came back since they changed ownership) and liked. I might though use Jason when I can. I not only liked his personality and his enthusiasm to do a great job, but he was also very easy on the eyes. :D
Monday, January 31, 2011
After the ride
When we got home from the ride Abby and Cat where standing in the pasture. Abby was in the round pen and Cat was by the big bale. I thought it was odd that Abby didn’t run to the trailer but at the time thought nothing of it. As Chase was trying to get a picture of Lucy and I with our ribbon, DH yelled at me that Abby had stepped on something and to get down to the barn. When I approached the barn I noticed she was holding up her left front leg. As I walked around to her side, this is what I found.
I thought it looked like Cat had maybe kicked her so we put all of the horses in the barn so we could inspect it better. As we started looking closer we notice the hole went deep and deeper. As I ran out of the barn to grab my phone to call the vet I noticed my fence between my dry lot and my front pasture was on the ground. The wood post that held it up had been snapped off at the ground.
When I called my vet I got a message that he was gone and so was the other vet in his office so we panicked to find a vet close by to look at her. We finally found a cow vet about 15 miles away so we loaded her up and headed out.
When we arrived the vet cleaned it up as good as possible. He said it was very contaminated w/hair. I’ll bet he spent a good 30 – 45 min. just cleaning it. He said she went through both the first and second layer of muscle and almost completely through the third. Had she gone through the third she would have collapsed her lung. He said it is still possible she has a small pinhole in her lung but she was breathing fine so he wasn’t worried about it.
Before closing it up -
I thought he did an exceptional job of closing her up.
We took her to MILs because I have no way to keep her separated from our horses right now. I went and checked on her yesterday and she seemed to be doing better. We turned her out for a bit with Black and she seemed to be very happy. She is still very sore on her left leg so I’m worried about it.
Here is what I think happened. We have a gate w/a sure-latch gate latch on it. It was partially opened to the front pasture. I think she was in the front pasture and tried to run through the opening (Cat chasing her???) and got the gate pin in her side. As she continued forward the gate would have come with her digging and ripping deeper into her side. Her left shoulder would have hit the gate post causing it to break.
You can see from this video that she really doesn’t want to put any weight on her leg.
I thought it looked like Cat had maybe kicked her so we put all of the horses in the barn so we could inspect it better. As we started looking closer we notice the hole went deep and deeper. As I ran out of the barn to grab my phone to call the vet I noticed my fence between my dry lot and my front pasture was on the ground. The wood post that held it up had been snapped off at the ground.
When I called my vet I got a message that he was gone and so was the other vet in his office so we panicked to find a vet close by to look at her. We finally found a cow vet about 15 miles away so we loaded her up and headed out.
When we arrived the vet cleaned it up as good as possible. He said it was very contaminated w/hair. I’ll bet he spent a good 30 – 45 min. just cleaning it. He said she went through both the first and second layer of muscle and almost completely through the third. Had she gone through the third she would have collapsed her lung. He said it is still possible she has a small pinhole in her lung but she was breathing fine so he wasn’t worried about it.
Before closing it up -
I thought he did an exceptional job of closing her up.
We took her to MILs because I have no way to keep her separated from our horses right now. I went and checked on her yesterday and she seemed to be doing better. We turned her out for a bit with Black and she seemed to be very happy. She is still very sore on her left leg so I’m worried about it.
Here is what I think happened. We have a gate w/a sure-latch gate latch on it. It was partially opened to the front pasture. I think she was in the front pasture and tried to run through the opening (Cat chasing her???) and got the gate pin in her side. As she continued forward the gate would have come with her digging and ripping deeper into her side. Her left shoulder would have hit the gate post causing it to break.
You can see from this video that she really doesn’t want to put any weight on her leg.
ACHTA Ride Results
Saturday morning we got up and headed over to Jester Park for the ACTHA ride. We arrived shortly after 9:00 so we had plenty of time to check-in and get warmed up before the ride started. We had access to use the indoor so that was nice. Lucy was a bit suspicious about the garbage cans and the buggies next to the arena but she got over it. Sis was psycho. I’m not sure what her deal was but she was full of it. She was spooking at the overhead door going up and down and just being goofy. Yes, I realize she’s had some time off too but she’s normally better then that.
At 10:30 we got the obstacle list and a brief orientation on how things worked. I was placed in the last group with DH (the safety rider) so we weren’t schedule to go out until 12:15. MIL was the trail boss and left with the first group at 11:30. When we got to the first obstacles (uphill) it was backed up. Apparently there was an accident in the indoor arena so the judges weren’t at the obstacle. We waited for a bit and then turned and rode the trail back to camp just to keep the horses moving (a few in our group were not very happy about standing still).
When it was finally our turn for the hill it was a bit greasy since we’d had a warm up and all of the other groups had already been up it. We were required to take it at a walk. Lucy did well. I had a bit of a tighter rein on her then normal and after thinking about it I wish I would have just left her on a loose rein and corrected her when I needed to. She did take a few trot steps but I’m honestly not sure if it was avoidable.
In the meantime, DH was at the bottom of the hill with Bell. She got a bit antsy that her buddies were leaving her but he just kept turning her in circles and she eventually calmed down.
Obstacle #2 was going downhill at a walk. Lucy did fine for the judges but she got a bit rushy for me so I got after her. I don’t think the judge could see it from where she was standing. We waited for the other riders in our group and then headed on down the trail.
To my surprise Bell was walking right out in the lead. Lucy was slowly bringing up the rear. A pile of snow fell from a tree and spooked Bell and the two horses behind her but both her and Brandon handled it well. It was cold down by the lake. My toes were starting to take the brunt of the winds.
Obstacle #3 was to pick up a set of sleigh bells and jingle them 3 times. I thought Lucy did well at that but when I read the scores there was a comment that she took two steps to the side. That was because they had a barrel on the ground and she wasn’t sure about it. I didn’t realize it counted towards the bell score.
Obstacle #4 was to pick up a hat off of the ground with a stick. They had a driving whip and a Santa hat so it wasn’t very easy for me. I couldn’t get the stick in the hat far enough to get it off of the ground w/o the hat falling off. I finally did manage to get it in my allotted time frame but I will have to keep practicing that one and/or teach Lucy how to pick it up for me.
Obstacle #5 was a sled drag (so glad I practiced that the other weekend). Lucy was perfect! The judge almost got ran over by one of the contestants.
The final obstacle was an emergency dismount. I don’t practice these and I wasn’t moving very well in my thermals, jeans and chinks so it wasn’t very pretty.
Finally we were done so I could warm up! Since we were the last group we didn’t have to wait very long for the awards.
Below are my scores and the placing.
There were 22 riders total. 3 in Junior, 3 in Open and 16 in my division.
Here are my individual scores & comments:
And Lucy got a pretty halter plate and ribbon!
At 10:30 we got the obstacle list and a brief orientation on how things worked. I was placed in the last group with DH (the safety rider) so we weren’t schedule to go out until 12:15. MIL was the trail boss and left with the first group at 11:30. When we got to the first obstacles (uphill) it was backed up. Apparently there was an accident in the indoor arena so the judges weren’t at the obstacle. We waited for a bit and then turned and rode the trail back to camp just to keep the horses moving (a few in our group were not very happy about standing still).
When it was finally our turn for the hill it was a bit greasy since we’d had a warm up and all of the other groups had already been up it. We were required to take it at a walk. Lucy did well. I had a bit of a tighter rein on her then normal and after thinking about it I wish I would have just left her on a loose rein and corrected her when I needed to. She did take a few trot steps but I’m honestly not sure if it was avoidable.
In the meantime, DH was at the bottom of the hill with Bell. She got a bit antsy that her buddies were leaving her but he just kept turning her in circles and she eventually calmed down.
Obstacle #2 was going downhill at a walk. Lucy did fine for the judges but she got a bit rushy for me so I got after her. I don’t think the judge could see it from where she was standing. We waited for the other riders in our group and then headed on down the trail.
To my surprise Bell was walking right out in the lead. Lucy was slowly bringing up the rear. A pile of snow fell from a tree and spooked Bell and the two horses behind her but both her and Brandon handled it well. It was cold down by the lake. My toes were starting to take the brunt of the winds.
Obstacle #3 was to pick up a set of sleigh bells and jingle them 3 times. I thought Lucy did well at that but when I read the scores there was a comment that she took two steps to the side. That was because they had a barrel on the ground and she wasn’t sure about it. I didn’t realize it counted towards the bell score.
Obstacle #4 was to pick up a hat off of the ground with a stick. They had a driving whip and a Santa hat so it wasn’t very easy for me. I couldn’t get the stick in the hat far enough to get it off of the ground w/o the hat falling off. I finally did manage to get it in my allotted time frame but I will have to keep practicing that one and/or teach Lucy how to pick it up for me.
Obstacle #5 was a sled drag (so glad I practiced that the other weekend). Lucy was perfect! The judge almost got ran over by one of the contestants.
The final obstacle was an emergency dismount. I don’t practice these and I wasn’t moving very well in my thermals, jeans and chinks so it wasn’t very pretty.
Finally we were done so I could warm up! Since we were the last group we didn’t have to wait very long for the awards.
Below are my scores and the placing.
There were 22 riders total. 3 in Junior, 3 in Open and 16 in my division.
Here are my individual scores & comments:
And Lucy got a pretty halter plate and ribbon!
Monday, January 24, 2011
It's official!
I'm signed up for the ACTHA ride this weekend. There is no turning back now.
MIL and DH are going along as the safety riders so I'm a bit more excited. I told the ride organizer she'd better put MIL as the front safety rider and DH as the rear one.
Bell will be fine I'm sure, she just isn't confident enough to lead the pack.I'm hoping Mr. Weatherman is wrong about the forecast (or a day off). It is supposed to be 35* Friday but only 21* and windy
on Saturday. Yes, that is still a fair amount warmer then what it is now but it will still be cold.Wish me luck (and warmth)!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
I’m Not Going
I’m not going to the ACTHA ride this weekend.
But only because it has been rescheduled due to the weather! They have now moved it to the 29th of January. They need two safety riders so I asked DH and MIL if they wanted to be the safety riders. To my surprise DH said yes. I think MIL will too but she’s still debating. She wants to make sure there are no liability issues since she is a RN.
What is a safety rider you might ask? Well one takes up the lead to show the contestants where the trail is and the other one brings up the rear to tell the judges when they are finished. They both carry 1st aid kits and a cell phone so they can call 911 if necessary. I joked and told DH he would have to bring up the rear because there was no way Bell was going to lead that pack.
Originally there were 13 or 14 signed up for the ride so it will be interesting to see how that changes due to the change in the day. So far there is only 1 signed up (and no, it isn’t me - yet).
But only because it has been rescheduled due to the weather! They have now moved it to the 29th of January. They need two safety riders so I asked DH and MIL if they wanted to be the safety riders. To my surprise DH said yes. I think MIL will too but she’s still debating. She wants to make sure there are no liability issues since she is a RN.
What is a safety rider you might ask? Well one takes up the lead to show the contestants where the trail is and the other one brings up the rear to tell the judges when they are finished. They both carry 1st aid kits and a cell phone so they can call 911 if necessary. I joked and told DH he would have to bring up the rear because there was no way Bell was going to lead that pack.
Originally there were 13 or 14 signed up for the ride so it will be interesting to see how that changes due to the change in the day. So far there is only 1 signed up (and no, it isn’t me - yet).
Monday, January 17, 2011
What is my problem!
I don’t know if I’m having bouts of anxiety or AOF (adult onset fear). As you guys know, the ACTHA ride is coming up this weekend. I have to decide by Wednesday if I’m riding or not.
The weather is supposed to be between 18* - 26* (big difference I know). I’m not sure if there is going to be any wind or not but it isn’t going to be horribly warm either way.
The ride will last approx. 2 hours and will be six miles long.
There are 12 riders signed up so far.
So what’s the problem? I don’t know! Lucy has always been very dependable. Even when she’s scared she doesn’t scare me. So why now? Why all of the sudden am I worried she’ll spook?
Saturday I got her out to see how she would handle dragging an object (a sled). I jumped on bb w/a halter like normal and she was goosey! She didn’t like the wooden squirrel that was in the front yard (it has been there for ages) and she hated the sled!
DH started off pulling Chase on it behind the 4 wheeler w/us following. I thought I was coming off a few times but quickly regained control. When they went inside to warm up I jumped off and desensitized her to it a bit from the ground & then hopped on. She was good as gold. I even had Chase come out and get in it so I could pull him (from both sides). I’m not sure if she could have been any calmer.
I have to say, I’m almost more nervous about doing this ride then I was going to the CA clinic. I’m nervous she’ll spook at the obstacles, I’m nervous she’ll spook at deer (even though she never has before and these deer are so used to horses that they don’t move), I’m nervous about stuff I don’t even know I’m nervous about.
Any thoughts?
The weather is supposed to be between 18* - 26* (big difference I know). I’m not sure if there is going to be any wind or not but it isn’t going to be horribly warm either way.
The ride will last approx. 2 hours and will be six miles long.
There are 12 riders signed up so far.
So what’s the problem? I don’t know! Lucy has always been very dependable. Even when she’s scared she doesn’t scare me. So why now? Why all of the sudden am I worried she’ll spook?
Saturday I got her out to see how she would handle dragging an object (a sled). I jumped on bb w/a halter like normal and she was goosey! She didn’t like the wooden squirrel that was in the front yard (it has been there for ages) and she hated the sled!
DH started off pulling Chase on it behind the 4 wheeler w/us following. I thought I was coming off a few times but quickly regained control. When they went inside to warm up I jumped off and desensitized her to it a bit from the ground & then hopped on. She was good as gold. I even had Chase come out and get in it so I could pull him (from both sides). I’m not sure if she could have been any calmer.
I have to say, I’m almost more nervous about doing this ride then I was going to the CA clinic. I’m nervous she’ll spook at the obstacles, I’m nervous she’ll spook at deer (even though she never has before and these deer are so used to horses that they don’t move), I’m nervous about stuff I don’t even know I’m nervous about.
Any thoughts?
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Go for the Silver Winter Wonderland CTC
I’m on the fence and looking for a bit of input from you guys. There is an ACTHA trail ride on the 22nd of this month and I’m debating on going. I’ve never been to one before but they look like a lot of fun. DH of course thinks it is a horrible idea since I haven’t ridden Lucy since Nov. Hey, I’ve ridden her once since then! 
It looks like the cost of the ride would be approx. $93, not including food or fuel ($35 for membership and $58 for ride fees). I know they money goes to a good cause and that they have over $1200 worth of prizes at every ride but that does sound a bit expensive. On the other hand – I tend to follow through with things when my money is on the table so to speak.
The ride is 6 miles long with 6 judged obstacles and 6 different judges. Here is the list of possible obstacles (you don’t find out which ones until the day of the ride) and my comments in red on how I think Lu would do.
Slicker (Raincoat) – I think Lucy would be fine w/thisHat Pick up – Not sure if I can do it but I don’t think Lucy would be bothered.
Water Obstacle – Might take some coaxing
Mount – No problem
Dismount – No problem
Drag – I’m not sure how she’d do on this. For some reason, I don’t think she’d care
Back- No problem
Uphill – No problem, I do this when she anticipates going down a hill
Downhill – Never tried it but I think she’d do ok
Stop – awww, her favorite thing to do!
Canter (Lope) – shouldn’t be an issue except for picking up the correct lead. Somehow I doubt they ask for this in 7”+ of snow.
Mailbox – since she tries to rub my leg off on ours, I don’t think this would be an issue
Vine Simulator (Ropes dangling down) – she was ok w/the ones at the CA clinic & they were pretty scary.
L-Back – I think if we communicated well she would do fine.
The Jump – she can, I can’t!
Noise Control – I have no idea
Bank (Up an Embankment) – she’d do fine.
Bank (Down an Embankment) – she’d do fine.
Trot Transitions – We’d have to stop her from stopping on the downward transition.
Turn on Haunches, Forehand, and 360's - since this is done in a box, I’m not sure. She does the hq well but not so well on the fq.
Barrel Board Pin Wheel – this looks difficult!
Side Pass – I’ve never tried to sidepass her so I have no clue.
Tarp – I don’t think she’d mind. I think I’ve taken her over them before.
Trot Weave – no problem.
And DH is right. I haven’t ridden Lu much but I don’t think she’d do anything out of character. You ride out in a group, not by yourself. You just do the obstacles by yourself.
I also think it would be a great place to meet new people. So far there are only 10 people signed up so it is a very small group.
Any thoughts?
It looks like the cost of the ride would be approx. $93, not including food or fuel ($35 for membership and $58 for ride fees). I know they money goes to a good cause and that they have over $1200 worth of prizes at every ride but that does sound a bit expensive. On the other hand – I tend to follow through with things when my money is on the table so to speak.
The ride is 6 miles long with 6 judged obstacles and 6 different judges. Here is the list of possible obstacles (you don’t find out which ones until the day of the ride) and my comments in red on how I think Lu would do.
Slicker (Raincoat) – I think Lucy would be fine w/thisHat Pick up – Not sure if I can do it but I don’t think Lucy would be bothered.
Water Obstacle – Might take some coaxing
Mount – No problem
Dismount – No problem
Drag – I’m not sure how she’d do on this. For some reason, I don’t think she’d care
Back- No problem
Uphill – No problem, I do this when she anticipates going down a hill
Downhill – Never tried it but I think she’d do ok
Stop – awww, her favorite thing to do!
Canter (Lope) – shouldn’t be an issue except for picking up the correct lead. Somehow I doubt they ask for this in 7”+ of snow.
Mailbox – since she tries to rub my leg off on ours, I don’t think this would be an issue
Vine Simulator (Ropes dangling down) – she was ok w/the ones at the CA clinic & they were pretty scary.
L-Back – I think if we communicated well she would do fine.
The Jump – she can, I can’t!
Noise Control – I have no idea
Bank (Up an Embankment) – she’d do fine.
Bank (Down an Embankment) – she’d do fine.
Trot Transitions – We’d have to stop her from stopping on the downward transition.
Turn on Haunches, Forehand, and 360's - since this is done in a box, I’m not sure. She does the hq well but not so well on the fq.
Barrel Board Pin Wheel – this looks difficult!
Side Pass – I’ve never tried to sidepass her so I have no clue.
Tarp – I don’t think she’d mind. I think I’ve taken her over them before.
Trot Weave – no problem.
You can see videos of all of the obstacles and more detailed descriptions of how to complete them here.
Well those were my initial thoughts until I looked at some of the ACTHA photos on FB! The drag used a fake person, the vine simulator was cups, stinger, etc., they had a fake deer on the one side of the bridge, a mirror in front of the dismount, etc. These are things most people wouldn’t think to train their horse for. It almost intrigues me more!And DH is right. I haven’t ridden Lu much but I don’t think she’d do anything out of character. You ride out in a group, not by yourself. You just do the obstacles by yourself.
I also think it would be a great place to meet new people. So far there are only 10 people signed up so it is a very small group.
Any thoughts?
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
I rode!
Yes I know it is amazing isn’t it?
I decided if I wanted it bad enough there really wasn’t a reason why I couldn’t ride (even though I have tons of them). I left DH a note saying I was taking some “me” time and headed out to the barn after work. It was cold! I think it was around 30* with a nice, brisk wind.
I started out doing some GW with Cat.
Problem #1 – the ground is so hard the horses can barely move over it.
I took her up to the drive thinking it might be better.
Problem #2 – the drive is no better then the drylot.
I decided to end her where I was at and do some desensitizing. She was ok until I started slapping the stick/string on the ground. Guess I now have a starting point for desensitizing.
I backed her all the way from the house to the pasture. She had that one down pat so there really weren’t any issues. After that I got Lu out. I did a quick (2 second) run of gw with her and then jumped on bb w/the halter.
It was too dark and the ground was too hard by the barn so I rode up into the backyard. She was a bit nervous at first but soon settled. I worked on flexing and then bending. I swear to you it is like we never left the clinic. Once she “gets” something she gets it. She still isn’t great on her left side but her right side is wonderful.
It was a nice ride and it was much needed! After being in the cold for an hour I had to go home and defrost.
Oh and on a side note - I'm pretty sure Cat has finally figured out how to open up those "horse proof" latches.
I decided if I wanted it bad enough there really wasn’t a reason why I couldn’t ride (even though I have tons of them). I left DH a note saying I was taking some “me” time and headed out to the barn after work. It was cold! I think it was around 30* with a nice, brisk wind.
I started out doing some GW with Cat.
Problem #1 – the ground is so hard the horses can barely move over it.
I took her up to the drive thinking it might be better.
Problem #2 – the drive is no better then the drylot.
I decided to end her where I was at and do some desensitizing. She was ok until I started slapping the stick/string on the ground. Guess I now have a starting point for desensitizing.
I backed her all the way from the house to the pasture. She had that one down pat so there really weren’t any issues. After that I got Lu out. I did a quick (2 second) run of gw with her and then jumped on bb w/the halter.
It was too dark and the ground was too hard by the barn so I rode up into the backyard. She was a bit nervous at first but soon settled. I worked on flexing and then bending. I swear to you it is like we never left the clinic. Once she “gets” something she gets it. She still isn’t great on her left side but her right side is wonderful.
It was a nice ride and it was much needed! After being in the cold for an hour I had to go home and defrost.
Oh and on a side note - I'm pretty sure Cat has finally figured out how to open up those "horse proof" latches.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Baby its cold outside................
I knew we had a chance of getting some snow this weekend but when I watched the news last it didn’t sound like much. The weatherman made it sound like the snow was supposed to stay north of us and that we would get more rain.
Saturday I headed out to the farm to pick up Chase as he’d spent the night with my parents the night before. The roads were a bit slicker then I’d anticipated from the rain we got the night before but we made it out safely. I wanted to get some housework done at home so I just grabbed Chase and we headed home.
By around 4:00 the weather had turned so bad that they started to shut down roads and the interstate. DH was at work and I wasn’t about to risk the kids to drive back out to chore so we stayed put. I felt a little bad for my horses when a friend posted a photo of her horse on Facebook.
This is Maggie –she is normally jet black!
When I went out yesterday to chore the horses weren’t as bad as I had anticipated. I did put them in last night so they could get out of the wind. I’m sure they were wondering why I hadn’t put them in the night before.
On a sad note – we had to put down the fawn Mollie. I’m not sure if she panicked in the storm or what but my dad found her Sunday morning with a shattered front leg. While trying to move her, her back leg broke as well. This is the hard part about rehabbing.
Saturday I headed out to the farm to pick up Chase as he’d spent the night with my parents the night before. The roads were a bit slicker then I’d anticipated from the rain we got the night before but we made it out safely. I wanted to get some housework done at home so I just grabbed Chase and we headed home.
By around 4:00 the weather had turned so bad that they started to shut down roads and the interstate. DH was at work and I wasn’t about to risk the kids to drive back out to chore so we stayed put. I felt a little bad for my horses when a friend posted a photo of her horse on Facebook.
This is Maggie –she is normally jet black!
When I went out yesterday to chore the horses weren’t as bad as I had anticipated. I did put them in last night so they could get out of the wind. I’m sure they were wondering why I hadn’t put them in the night before.
On a sad note – we had to put down the fawn Mollie. I’m not sure if she panicked in the storm or what but my dad found her Sunday morning with a shattered front leg. While trying to move her, her back leg broke as well. This is the hard part about rehabbing.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
An OLD wise man once said:
A Little is Better Than None
As winter sets in, so does the cold & flu season. DH was feeling a bit under the weather last night and the boys were engrossed in cleaning their rooms (I guess they are really worried Santa won’t come) so I headed out to do chores by myself.
The ponies are always eager to come in for food. I can almost tell you what order they will come in (Cat, Lucy, Bell, and then Abby). Cat is trying to show her dominance over the other horses. As the youngest horse in the pasture she should be getting her butt kicked – instead – she’s doing the kicking.
Bell just can’t get with the program and it annoys me to no end. She’s been going in the same stall since we got her yet she still can’t quite figure it out. My horses seem to pick this up in less then a week. Last night she went into Cat’s stall instead of her own. Cat knew Bell was going to get whacked so she hauled ass out of her stall and into the empty stall on the end. Chaos set in and everyone was panicking to get into their stalls but they couldn’t because of Bell. Once Bell finally found her stall everyone else ran to theirs for safety.
Cat and Abby don’t get as much as Bell and Lu so once Cat was done I decided to check out some of her new “battle scars”. I decided while I was waiting for the others that I’d clean out her teats. She was not thrilled and let me know it by kicking out her leg. The halter came out and then next kick was greeted with a whack on the ass from the end of Mr. Rope. Mr. Rope some how always seems to get her attention. After she was clean I did some flexing. She had a difficult time reaching her belly (I’m still not sure why – it sticks out so far it should be easy to touch) but she did try.
I decided I would go ahead and back all of the horses out of the barn. I started with Cat – she knows the drill so she was pretty good. Then Abby – she wasn’t too bad. Then Bell - ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Please kill me now! I realize she has not been taught to back up off of pressure but man did she go from dull to over reactive. I know where her trailer loading issues come from because we had them in the barn isle last night. As soon as pressure hits her poll she goes flying backwards. I knew I didn’t have a ton of time so I did what I could to get her to back out quietly without over reacting. I finally got it and turned her loose. Lesson #1 – let DH deal w/his own horse! From now on I think I’ll just back out my two and Abby.
As winter sets in, so does the cold & flu season. DH was feeling a bit under the weather last night and the boys were engrossed in cleaning their rooms (I guess they are really worried Santa won’t come) so I headed out to do chores by myself.
The ponies are always eager to come in for food. I can almost tell you what order they will come in (Cat, Lucy, Bell, and then Abby). Cat is trying to show her dominance over the other horses. As the youngest horse in the pasture she should be getting her butt kicked – instead – she’s doing the kicking.
Bell just can’t get with the program and it annoys me to no end. She’s been going in the same stall since we got her yet she still can’t quite figure it out. My horses seem to pick this up in less then a week. Last night she went into Cat’s stall instead of her own. Cat knew Bell was going to get whacked so she hauled ass out of her stall and into the empty stall on the end. Chaos set in and everyone was panicking to get into their stalls but they couldn’t because of Bell. Once Bell finally found her stall everyone else ran to theirs for safety.
Cat and Abby don’t get as much as Bell and Lu so once Cat was done I decided to check out some of her new “battle scars”. I decided while I was waiting for the others that I’d clean out her teats. She was not thrilled and let me know it by kicking out her leg. The halter came out and then next kick was greeted with a whack on the ass from the end of Mr. Rope. Mr. Rope some how always seems to get her attention. After she was clean I did some flexing. She had a difficult time reaching her belly (I’m still not sure why – it sticks out so far it should be easy to touch) but she did try.
I decided I would go ahead and back all of the horses out of the barn. I started with Cat – she knows the drill so she was pretty good. Then Abby – she wasn’t too bad. Then Bell - ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Please kill me now! I realize she has not been taught to back up off of pressure but man did she go from dull to over reactive. I know where her trailer loading issues come from because we had them in the barn isle last night. As soon as pressure hits her poll she goes flying backwards. I knew I didn’t have a ton of time so I did what I could to get her to back out quietly without over reacting. I finally got it and turned her loose. Lesson #1 – let DH deal w/his own horse! From now on I think I’ll just back out my two and Abby.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tis the season……………..
To be lazy – fa la la la la, la la la la!
We had a great Thanksgiving. The food was wonderful & company was even better. DH had to work on Friday so the boys and I spent the weekend at MIL’s. Friday was cold so we stayed inside and watched movies most of the day.
Saturday DH came down to fix MIL’s fence. He had a long night at work so he went to sleep for a few hours while MIL and I went shopping. I picked up a new tank heater and a heated water bowl for the ducks. The weather was beautiful! When we returned I moved some rock into MIL’s pasture so the horses had to go over some when going from one pasture to the other.
I decided to get Black out for Ty to ride. MIL had sent his saddle home so I saddled her up with MIL’s new CA saddle. She was full of P & V so I had Ty get on with me instead of letting him ride alone. MIL hopped on bareback and Ty pointed us to the big pasture. I trotted Black to catch up w/MIL and Ty thought that was the best thing in the world so we spent the next 20 minutes trotting all over the place. Ty was giggling and I was reminded what having horses was all about. MIL got to laughing so hard that she fell off of Sis.
Sunday we worked on some more winterizing in the barn. We got the tank set up on the front pasture and put a new outlet on the pole. Then we went to town for some plexi glass to put over the windows. DH got to feeling a bit under the weather so we didn’t get them installed but we at least got them purchased.
DH and I have started talking about next year. I am no longer an officer of the Saddle Club and I have already told the Drill Team no to being their drill master so I’m not obligated to anyone. I am thinking next year we need to hit the trails more – as a family. I think Black will be just fine for Ty to use. Chase really seemed to enjoy the overnight at Brushy and I think Ty will enjoy them too. I know I will!
We had a great Thanksgiving. The food was wonderful & company was even better. DH had to work on Friday so the boys and I spent the weekend at MIL’s. Friday was cold so we stayed inside and watched movies most of the day.
Saturday DH came down to fix MIL’s fence. He had a long night at work so he went to sleep for a few hours while MIL and I went shopping. I picked up a new tank heater and a heated water bowl for the ducks. The weather was beautiful! When we returned I moved some rock into MIL’s pasture so the horses had to go over some when going from one pasture to the other.
I decided to get Black out for Ty to ride. MIL had sent his saddle home so I saddled her up with MIL’s new CA saddle. She was full of P & V so I had Ty get on with me instead of letting him ride alone. MIL hopped on bareback and Ty pointed us to the big pasture. I trotted Black to catch up w/MIL and Ty thought that was the best thing in the world so we spent the next 20 minutes trotting all over the place. Ty was giggling and I was reminded what having horses was all about. MIL got to laughing so hard that she fell off of Sis.
Sunday we worked on some more winterizing in the barn. We got the tank set up on the front pasture and put a new outlet on the pole. Then we went to town for some plexi glass to put over the windows. DH got to feeling a bit under the weather so we didn’t get them installed but we at least got them purchased.
DH and I have started talking about next year. I am no longer an officer of the Saddle Club and I have already told the Drill Team no to being their drill master so I’m not obligated to anyone. I am thinking next year we need to hit the trails more – as a family. I think Black will be just fine for Ty to use. Chase really seemed to enjoy the overnight at Brushy and I think Ty will enjoy them too. I know I will!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Winter is just around the corner
Not much new to report. I haven’t had much time to do anything with the horses since we’ve gotten back from the clinic. I wish I could say I have all of the exercises perfected but let’s face it – we all know better then that by now.
Saturday the weather was decent but it wasn’t great. My plans to finish up my winterizing in the barn were cut short since both of my parents were feeling ill and I didn’t want to keep Ty out in the cold. MIL came over and we grabbed some feed and I decided to head over to her place to spend the night with the boys. It was a good decision because DH had a bad call at work Sunday am and needed some time to himself.
MIL had decided that Black (now known as Ma-maw) is hers. I’m not sure how she’s come to that decision but she does enjoy her and enjoys having a companion for Sis. Black looks wonderful! I switched her to Triple Crown Senior just prior to taking her to MIL’s and she has packed on the pounds! She’s moving great too!
Saturday the weather was decent but it wasn’t great. My plans to finish up my winterizing in the barn were cut short since both of my parents were feeling ill and I didn’t want to keep Ty out in the cold. MIL came over and we grabbed some feed and I decided to head over to her place to spend the night with the boys. It was a good decision because DH had a bad call at work Sunday am and needed some time to himself.
MIL had decided that Black (now known as Ma-maw) is hers. I’m not sure how she’s come to that decision but she does enjoy her and enjoys having a companion for Sis. Black looks wonderful! I switched her to Triple Crown Senior just prior to taking her to MIL’s and she has packed on the pounds! She’s moving great too!
Not the best photo I know. It was overcast and misty but I wanted one before we left.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Clinic Update
The clinic was a blast! If you haven’t seen the photos on my Facebook page e-mail me and I’ll send you the link.
Lucy and I learned a lot! Day one we listened to his philosophy for most of the morning and then hit the round pens in the afternoon. Very few horses wanted to cooperate & Brittney (his new apprentice) got to take over quite a bit. The sand in the round pens just rolled under your feet so almost everyone fell down at least once (some more then once).
When it was my turn I got CA’s round pen. Lu was doing well turning to go clockwise but didn’t want to draw in and turn counterclockwise for me quite as well. CA felt she was chumping me so he had me run in at her. That just made things worse. When he asked if I wanted Brittney to take over I couldn’t say yes fast enough! I was tired. I did feel a bit better when she wouldn’t turn for Brittney. CA had to step back and get Lu to just acknowledge Brittney from her right eye & then drew her in. He asked about her breeding and then asked if I bred or showed her. He looked at me like I was an idiot when I said no. lol
At the end of the day I took Lu back into the RP and worked on her some more. She was much better but still not perfect.
Day two – we did round penning in the am again. Lu was 100x better then she’d been the day before. This time Jenny helped me. I really liked Jenny. After that we went to the indoor arena (it was butt arse cold) and worked on some more groundwork. Sis and MIL got used as examples a lot and there was a film crew there filming them. I’m not sure if they will be on TV or if it was just for footage. Day two went slowly so we still didn’t get to ride.
Day three we worked on our groundwork outside in the morning. After our groundwork I saddled Lu, tied her to the patience pole and headed to lunch. When I got back Sharon said Lu had laid down so she whacked her to get her back up. I could tell Lucy was itching to lie down. I get so nervous when she gets this way because I worry about my feet getting caught in the stirrups as she goes down. Jenny told me to just flex her and if she even though of going down to whack her between the ears. Lucy looked miserable. She’d flex, keep her head at my foot and just close her eyes. By the end of the day she was pig rooting on the bit and she was as stiff as could be. I haven’t had her like that in well over a year.
When we were finally done I unsaddled her. She was swollen where the girth goes under her belly. No wonder why she was so pissy.
Day three – we started with groundwork again. I was learning how to refine and also was being shown some of the bad habits I’d gotten myself into. We broke for lunch only this time I decided to turn Lu loose in her pen for water/feed. She was still swollen so I had DH go into town and buy me a Mohair girth in case she was having a reaction to the CA one.
We rode and did our ORS, cruising and then went into the arena to do diagonals. Lucy did great with these and went very deep into the corners. When I got done riding I unsaddled and the swelling was gone! I guess I now know that Lu is an au’ natural gal, no synthetic for her. It must burn. That is the only thing I can think of but I had no problems with her wanting to lie down after switching to the Mohair.
Day four – we did a bit of groundwork and then CA let us go out onto the obstacle course. It was a blast! I was surprised at how much Lu seemed to enjoy jumping. I felt some people asked too much of their horses for the first day on the course but I just worried about me and mine.
Riding wasn’t too much different for day four. CA did mention that it appeared that MIL and I had loped our horses a lot.
Day five – CA was gone so we got Shana. I liked Shana. We did LFR Stage 2 and Lu did awesome! Then we went to the obstacle course and Shana helped me get Lu to jump down into the water (she didn’t want to on day 1 on the course). She had us all cracking up because she just put her front end in the water and then drank.
We worked on riding and the bending exercise. I went straight to Jenny because I knew we were not going to get it. Jenny helped me and Lu and I finally started to get the beginning of the bending. Woo hoo!
Day six – the majority of the people left so it was a nice small class. We did LFR stage 2 again and Jenny helped me refine it even more. Then we went to the obstacle course where Shana helped me get Lucy off of the big bank into the water.
After that we rode some more and worked on bending – Lu was doing awesome now that she knew what I wanted! Then we went to vertical flexion and draw to a stop. I need to work more on those since Lu wants to back up before giving. After class was over I went into the indoor and worked on diagonals, stick to the fence and the clover leaf pattern. She did very well. I called it a day and we packed up the trailer.
Sunday we were up and out of the ranch by 5 am. We made it to Janet’s around 7:00 and I made it to my mom’s to pick up the boys around 8:30. Brandon brought the horses home Monday. I’m glad to be home but boy did that week just fly by! I hope I can afford to do it again soon!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Moonlite Bareback Ride
Friday night the boys and I headed over to MIL’s so we could get up and go shopping for TX on Sat. The boys crashed pretty early so MIL and I headed out to the barn. Cat was being pretty pushy so I put her halter on and put her to work. She is a very smart girl and didn’t mess w/me too much.
While I was working with Cat, MIL starting working with Sis. The next thing I knew – MIL was riding Sis bareback around the dark pasture. Temptation overwhelmed me and the next thing I knew I was up on Cat bareback riding around with MIL in a dark pasture full of loose horses. It was wonderful! Cat was so quiet and laid back, almost as if I’d been riding her all summer. We rode for probably 30 – 45 minutes before calling it a night.
I just looked back and my last ride on Cat was June 13th! I knew it had been a while!
Saturday we got up and went shopping. I finally found a new pair of boots and picked up a couple of pairs of jeans. After our shopping spree we headed back to the farm and cleaned out the trailer. I gave it a quick power wash inside and out and then we loaded it up and headed back to MIL’s. Sunday we got all of the packing (for the horses) complete. I brought Black back home so she can stay on her feeding schedule while we are gone but the others (Bell, Cat, & Abby) will be staying at MIL’s while we are gone.
Lucy got a quick trim this morning so she’s ready to go (as ready as she’ll be). Now it is just time to get me and the boys packed!
While I was working with Cat, MIL starting working with Sis. The next thing I knew – MIL was riding Sis bareback around the dark pasture. Temptation overwhelmed me and the next thing I knew I was up on Cat bareback riding around with MIL in a dark pasture full of loose horses. It was wonderful! Cat was so quiet and laid back, almost as if I’d been riding her all summer. We rode for probably 30 – 45 minutes before calling it a night.
I just looked back and my last ride on Cat was June 13th! I knew it had been a while!
Saturday we got up and went shopping. I finally found a new pair of boots and picked up a couple of pairs of jeans. After our shopping spree we headed back to the farm and cleaned out the trailer. I gave it a quick power wash inside and out and then we loaded it up and headed back to MIL’s. Sunday we got all of the packing (for the horses) complete. I brought Black back home so she can stay on her feeding schedule while we are gone but the others (Bell, Cat, & Abby) will be staying at MIL’s while we are gone.
Lucy got a quick trim this morning so she’s ready to go (as ready as she’ll be). Now it is just time to get me and the boys packed!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Hitting the trails
Friday night Chase and I headed up to Brushy Creek for an overnight trail ride. This was the first “overnight” we’ve done this year. I don’t typically take Chase up to Brushy because the trails are a little more challenging but I felt he was finally up for the challenge. I didn’t think he was up to the challenge w/Abby though so he took Sis and I took Lu.
We got up there late Fri. night and parking was quite the task (he almost backed me into a tree). We finally got settled and snuggled down for the night. Sat. we got up and headed out on the trails.
Right off of the trail head is a steep hill. Chase was a little nervous but this quickly became his favorite trail head.
The weather was perfect and the trees were lovely. We went South on Saturday and ended up down by the river.
One of my favorite signs. It reads “trail closed”
On the way back we found an old warming house. Chase thought it was the coolest thing so he pulled the DNR guy over and asked him what it was for. It was an old snowmobile warming house that hadn’t been used in 20+ years.
Sat. night we had a bonfire with farm fresh steaks, potatoes, green beans and of course – smores! Chase was in bed and out cold by 9:00. lol
Sunday we headed towards the spillway. These are my all time favorite pics from this weekend.
Up, up, up and away
When we made it to the spillway Chase said “I’m not crossing that!” I informed him he had no other choice. He told me he did, he could turn around and go back. In the picture you’ll notice the water in the top right-hand corner of the picture. That is where we normally cross. There is typically a sand bar there that you follow and then you cross a short section of water to the other side. Last time DH and I went up the deep part was up to my ankles. When I took Lu down into the shallow I was in up to my ankles and I could feel her going in deeper and deeper. I was pretty uncomfortable pushing her to go in any further since I know that was the “shallow” section so I backed out and opted to try to navigate the top part.
We don’t typically take the top because a) it is very rocky and b) the current is pretty strong. I coaxed Lu out into it and told Chase to stay behind. After we crossed safely I had him bring Sis on through. You can’t tell from the pic but that is a straight up & down jump up out of the water. Chase (and Sis) handled it very well.
More smiles
And here is the end. Chase heading up his favorite hill.
It was a great weekend!
We got up there late Fri. night and parking was quite the task (he almost backed me into a tree). We finally got settled and snuggled down for the night. Sat. we got up and headed out on the trails.
Right off of the trail head is a steep hill. Chase was a little nervous but this quickly became his favorite trail head.
The weather was perfect and the trees were lovely. We went South on Saturday and ended up down by the river.
One of my favorite signs. It reads “trail closed”
On the way back we found an old warming house. Chase thought it was the coolest thing so he pulled the DNR guy over and asked him what it was for. It was an old snowmobile warming house that hadn’t been used in 20+ years.
Sat. night we had a bonfire with farm fresh steaks, potatoes, green beans and of course – smores! Chase was in bed and out cold by 9:00. lol
Sunday we headed towards the spillway. These are my all time favorite pics from this weekend.
Up, up, up and away
When we made it to the spillway Chase said “I’m not crossing that!” I informed him he had no other choice. He told me he did, he could turn around and go back. In the picture you’ll notice the water in the top right-hand corner of the picture. That is where we normally cross. There is typically a sand bar there that you follow and then you cross a short section of water to the other side. Last time DH and I went up the deep part was up to my ankles. When I took Lu down into the shallow I was in up to my ankles and I could feel her going in deeper and deeper. I was pretty uncomfortable pushing her to go in any further since I know that was the “shallow” section so I backed out and opted to try to navigate the top part.
We don’t typically take the top because a) it is very rocky and b) the current is pretty strong. I coaxed Lu out into it and told Chase to stay behind. After we crossed safely I had him bring Sis on through. You can’t tell from the pic but that is a straight up & down jump up out of the water. Chase (and Sis) handled it very well.
More smiles
And here is the end. Chase heading up his favorite hill.
It was a great weekend!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Woo hooo! Pony Time!
I’ve already informed my parents that they aren’t getting their house back. I’m loving being out on the farm!
Sat. MIL and I headed to the vet for out coggins/health certs for TX. Sis got out first and Lu wasn’t very happy. I’m not sure if it is the weather or what but she typically doesn’t care. After Sis got done I grabbed Lu and she was full of it. She was antsy and didn’t want to stand still for the vet. I would have loved to have done some LFR but the vet was in a hurry & she wasn’t any worse then most horses so I just let it be.
When we got back to the house I decided to do some gw with her since she seemed to have so much extra energy. I put the long line on and she did very well. It didn’t take her long to start thinking. ;) She was dripping sweat by the time I got done so I tied her up in her stall to think about it and we headed to town to pick up feed. They had mini hay bales at the feed store so I bought one for Ty to carry around. I think it is too cute!
After the feed store we headed up to Ames to look for new boots and to buy bagged hay (they don’t sell it locally). I really want a pair of boots that doesn’t have a thick, grippy sole but I can’t seem to find a pair. Since we were close to Brandon we decided to take the boys to go see their dad. By now Lu had stood for a good 4 hrs. so I asked my sister to go untie her. Good thing I did as we didn’t return home until after 8.
Sunday I got up and did some gw with Lu again. I put her on the long line and made her do LFR on the hill and over the creek bank. After she was nice and hot I grabbed Sis. Sis did have some swelling from her shots so I took it easy on her. She was still huffing and puffing but she didn’t work nearly as hard as Lu did.
Later in the day MIL came over and we rode. I saddled up English and MIL rode bb. My bridle was at home so I used MIL’s bosal. Lu did well in it but didn’t like the heaviness of the bosal. I know she’s light because I can just barely pick up the reins and she will tuck her head – in the bosal she thought I was picking up when I wasn’t.
When we got done riding I decided to see if Lu would lie down. I worked on her in increments and treated her often (she’s a lush for treats). Let me tell you – when she decides to go down she falls like a ton of bricks! I was just trying to get her to touch her knee to the ground when she decided to come on down (almost on top of me). I got her to go down twice and then put her away.
Later I went down and spent time cleaning up her mane, clipping her and I even blunt cut her tail! I actually like the way it looks on her. Did I mention I love being out at the farm.
Sat. MIL and I headed to the vet for out coggins/health certs for TX. Sis got out first and Lu wasn’t very happy. I’m not sure if it is the weather or what but she typically doesn’t care. After Sis got done I grabbed Lu and she was full of it. She was antsy and didn’t want to stand still for the vet. I would have loved to have done some LFR but the vet was in a hurry & she wasn’t any worse then most horses so I just let it be.
When we got back to the house I decided to do some gw with her since she seemed to have so much extra energy. I put the long line on and she did very well. It didn’t take her long to start thinking. ;) She was dripping sweat by the time I got done so I tied her up in her stall to think about it and we headed to town to pick up feed. They had mini hay bales at the feed store so I bought one for Ty to carry around. I think it is too cute!
After the feed store we headed up to Ames to look for new boots and to buy bagged hay (they don’t sell it locally). I really want a pair of boots that doesn’t have a thick, grippy sole but I can’t seem to find a pair. Since we were close to Brandon we decided to take the boys to go see their dad. By now Lu had stood for a good 4 hrs. so I asked my sister to go untie her. Good thing I did as we didn’t return home until after 8.
Sunday I got up and did some gw with Lu again. I put her on the long line and made her do LFR on the hill and over the creek bank. After she was nice and hot I grabbed Sis. Sis did have some swelling from her shots so I took it easy on her. She was still huffing and puffing but she didn’t work nearly as hard as Lu did.
Later in the day MIL came over and we rode. I saddled up English and MIL rode bb. My bridle was at home so I used MIL’s bosal. Lu did well in it but didn’t like the heaviness of the bosal. I know she’s light because I can just barely pick up the reins and she will tuck her head – in the bosal she thought I was picking up when I wasn’t.
When we got done riding I decided to see if Lu would lie down. I worked on her in increments and treated her often (she’s a lush for treats). Let me tell you – when she decides to go down she falls like a ton of bricks! I was just trying to get her to touch her knee to the ground when she decided to come on down (almost on top of me). I got her to go down twice and then put her away.
Later I went down and spent time cleaning up her mane, clipping her and I even blunt cut her tail! I actually like the way it looks on her. Did I mention I love being out at the farm.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Life on the farm……………….
My parents left for a 10 day vacation so I’m house sitting for them until they return. They still have some baby squirrels to take care of and a fawn so instead of going out two times a day (with my kids in tow) I decided to just stay in their house while they are gone.
Last night I went out to get my computer and a few other things set up and then headed down to the barn. Lu was just standing there looking at me awaiting her dinner. The boys were enjoying their nightly dig in the dirt with their toy trucks. I decided I needed to work on my balance so I grabbed my rope off of my stick, looped it around her neck and jumped on.
Our ride was pretty interesting. If Lu feels me get unbalanced she stops. I’m not saying this is a bad thing but sometimes I need to work through it. I pushed her on and started trying a few different things to get in sync with her. She was being really good and I the ride was just what I needed. I did learn that her steering isn’t so good. She doesn’t move off of my legs as well without a bridle to help guide her. I did end up getting her to go where I wanted a few times but I had to use my crop to help back up my leg cues.
Her steering might not be the best but her stop and backup were pretty darn good. If I took my legs off of her she sat down. When I rocked back she tucked her head as if I was picking up on the reins and backed up (almost better then when I do have a bridle on). If I would have had my camera, I would have had Chase take a video even though I was in capri pants and flip flops.
We messed around a bit. I laughed as she decided to take off after the dog – until she started to pick up speed! Then I shut her down. We tracked the dogs a bit and then I got up the courage to lope her. This was the first time I’ve loped her bareback. Now I’m not typically afraid of loping bareback but when it comes to Lu, I find I have a difficult time getting in rhythm/sync with her. I don’t know if it is her size, her athletic ability or if it is just me.
We headed down to the end of the pasture and I hopped of. On the way back to the barn I did a bit of yhq and yfq with her (halterless) and she did great. I’m hoping to do the same again tonight (only maybe w/an English saddle this time). I love being back on the farm!
Last night I went out to get my computer and a few other things set up and then headed down to the barn. Lu was just standing there looking at me awaiting her dinner. The boys were enjoying their nightly dig in the dirt with their toy trucks. I decided I needed to work on my balance so I grabbed my rope off of my stick, looped it around her neck and jumped on.
Our ride was pretty interesting. If Lu feels me get unbalanced she stops. I’m not saying this is a bad thing but sometimes I need to work through it. I pushed her on and started trying a few different things to get in sync with her. She was being really good and I the ride was just what I needed. I did learn that her steering isn’t so good. She doesn’t move off of my legs as well without a bridle to help guide her. I did end up getting her to go where I wanted a few times but I had to use my crop to help back up my leg cues.
Her steering might not be the best but her stop and backup were pretty darn good. If I took my legs off of her she sat down. When I rocked back she tucked her head as if I was picking up on the reins and backed up (almost better then when I do have a bridle on). If I would have had my camera, I would have had Chase take a video even though I was in capri pants and flip flops.
We messed around a bit. I laughed as she decided to take off after the dog – until she started to pick up speed! Then I shut her down. We tracked the dogs a bit and then I got up the courage to lope her. This was the first time I’ve loped her bareback. Now I’m not typically afraid of loping bareback but when it comes to Lu, I find I have a difficult time getting in rhythm/sync with her. I don’t know if it is her size, her athletic ability or if it is just me.
We headed down to the end of the pasture and I hopped of. On the way back to the barn I did a bit of yhq and yfq with her (halterless) and she did great. I’m hoping to do the same again tonight (only maybe w/an English saddle this time). I love being back on the farm!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Cleaning out the barn!
Well since I can't ride I decided to clean out the barn. I've got a lot of stuff I don't use so I've decided to put it on Craigs List. Hopefully I can get ride of most of it.
I'm going to list some stuff here in case anyone is interested. I hate tossing stuff and I'm not sure if I'm up for selling on E-bay yet.
So far I have:
A vintage pony saddle (metal horn, slick seat, tapaderos)
Professionals Choice skid boots (green)
2 sets of cotton mecate reins
Flat halters
Rope halters/leads
Whither pads
Muley Horns - I linked it because I know someone is going to ask!
Will add more when I get through more trunks.
I'm going to list some stuff here in case anyone is interested. I hate tossing stuff and I'm not sure if I'm up for selling on E-bay yet.
So far I have:
A vintage pony saddle (metal horn, slick seat, tapaderos)
Professionals Choice skid boots (green)
2 sets of cotton mecate reins
Flat halters
Rope halters/leads
Whither pads
Muley Horns - I linked it because I know someone is going to ask!
Will add more when I get through more trunks.
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