Adventures in Re-Riding

Golden Butterfly - another great ride!

2011-04-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

It sure was a beautiful evening for a ride! My husband and I went out to the barn together to play/ride - and I thought what a great opportunity to see how Golden Butterfly would do in the ring with another horse. Short answer: fantastic. She is so laid back, and she continues to relax more and more and just be a really good horse. She has been coming up to my husband in the field and letting him pet on her, and she looks happy and curious almost always nowadays.

Tonight, the only time she pinned her ears was when I was girthing up the saddle for the first time in the aisleway. She did not pin her ears when I tightened it in the ring, or any other time. I have to say she was in a super good mood - came right to me when I opened the door to her stall, easy to halter, etc., and she was in absolute heaven as I curried her and got rid of the last bits of winter coat. I think she was just enjoying her grooming (which we do regularly when she comes out of her stall - she waits for me to curry her before going out of the barn and is disappointed when I don't brush her first). Anyways, I haven't ridden her in a few weeks and I think the saddle was not what she was planning on, but she was great.

I am finding that GB is actually a very lazy mare. :) She understands longing, but I have to be really serious about it for her to stay moving/trotting. As soon as I relax, she comes down to a walk. Same thing under saddle. I pretty much have to give her gentle reminders/squeezes with my legs to keep her going - and at the first sign of me relaxing, she comes down to a walk. But it's not like the dead-sided school horse - you just have to be serious about what you want and she will do it.

We walked and trotted both directions in the ring while my husband was in there with his horse longing, and I had no trouble at all. GB was great. She stood perfectly still for me to mount up (no ear pinning or at all!) and was easy and calm to ride. She is such a sensible mare, and would make a great trail mount for a lucky adopter! Now that she is finally getting over being afraid/pinning her ears so much, she is really turning out to be a sweet girl!

Golden Butterfly's first ride!

2011-03-05T14:39:00.000-08:00

The idea of the first ride on a horse when you know nothing about their history is always filled with some anxiety. You go on what you have observed, and hope your instincts are right.

I have not had a chance to play with her in a few weeks - family was here, we've been busy on the weekends, but we do now have a routine after every meal that she walks out of her stall into the aisleway and waits patiently for me to groom her from head to toe. She knows when I'm done and walks on out to the field. Or not - and I can carry on around her, clapping my hands, clucking, etc., and she just stands and waits for me to put the lead around her neck to walk her out.

In preparation for today - (and all I really planned on) - I switched out the rubber bit for a metal loose ring snaffle the right size, and pulled out the molasses. She was good about letting me put it on her and loved the molasses! Her mouth quickly quieted down as she accepted the bit and I put the saddle on. She turned to look at me with her ears pinned as I started to connect the girth and I said, "no" and she quit.

Out in the ring we lunged at the walk and trot both directions, and then went to the mounting block. Before doing anything else, I asked her to turn towards me on the ground using the reins as a cue - and she didn't completely understand, but then I did it like neck reining and she knew right away what I was doing. I put my foot in the stirrup and put some weight in it and she turned to look mad with her one pinned ear(her bluff) and I told her no, and leaned all the way over her. She stood very calmly, so I went ahead and slowly brought my leg around and sat up in the saddle. She still stood perfectly, so I dismounted and got back up on her again 2 times, and the 3rd time I decided to see what she would do if I gave her a cue to turn.

Before I knew it, we were walking around the ring, turning and halting. I could hardly believe it! I almost had tears in my eyes as I was so proud of her and she was being so calm and relaxed about it all. The worst thing she did was to want to turn back to the gate - like an old school horse trying to get out of work. But her body was otherwise calm and fine the whole time. Amazing. She stood calmly as I dismounted and was just such a good girl!

I am SO happy for her and excited to ride her again!

Golden Butterfly update

2011-02-12T13:40:00.001-08:00

Yeah, she's looking better!

Here is a photo of her cute stumpy ear:

I had been waiting for Ms. GB to get up to weight before testing her out to see what she knows - and I suddenly realized I had a super fluffy mare that was well up to and past weight. :) So I started yesterday with her, and after grooming her and trimming her front feet, I put a saddle on her, and we went out to the ring to see what she know. I longed her both directions at the walk and trot and she did great - and then I put pressure with my hand in the stirrups. She wasn't too sure about me bouncing around on the mounting block, but it sure seems to me that she was at one time trained and ridden.

Today, when I went to get her out of her stall/pen, she did not want to be caught and moved away from me. So, I asked her to trot round the pen and when I stopped, she waited patiently for me to halter her. We've done this a few times before, and it's clear she has been worked in a roundpen at some point and knows that standing still is the way to do less work. I groomed her and picked up all 4 feet - she is still a little nervous about letting me have her back feet.

Whenever I am working with her, just as it is clear she did have training somewhere in her past, it is also clear that she was abused after that. You can tell she really wants to relax and trust again, but every once in a while, something worries her and she pins her ears, or tosses her head or kicks in worry. My job is to not react other than to remind her of her manners with a swift "NO" and then go back to being affectionate towards her. She really does enjoy the affection in spite of her fears - rubbing her all over, scratching her itchy spots, etc.

I did not put a saddle on her today, but took my long longe line and whip with me into the ring. We longed both ways at the walk and trot. Just enough to get her breathing up a little, which wasn't really very long. A couple of times when trotting to the right, she got frustrated and turned and went more quickly to the left. I calmly said "easy" and asked her to go back to the right again. One thing that I'm not sure about is that whenever I longe her, she turns her head to the outside to look around. Some might consider this disrespect or not paying attention, but as soon as I say "easy" or "whoa," she slows right down and turns and looks at me. If it was only to one direction I would wonder if it was an eye or body soreness bothering her, but doing the same thing both ways seems like it is just her looking around.

After longing, we went over to the mounting block - without the saddle. I pulled her up to the block and stood up on it and she moved away - she knows that me getting up on the block means she's about to get ridden, but that wasn't in my plan today. We worked to get her to stand well at the block, and started putting my arm over her. She pinned her ears and moved away. I told her "NO" about pinning her ears - and then got back up on the block and did it again until she stood still, then stepped down and rubbed on her forehead. We repeated the next steps also and ended when I could lay my arms/head over her back while she stood relaxed.

Back to me rubbing her forehead - that is actually something she would not let you do when she got here. She didn't want you to touch her face or get anywhere near her ears. Today in the ring, she was relaxed when I would rub her face, and even lowered her head to the ground as I rubbed the top of her nose. She had one moment where she got worried and lifted her head up and jerked it around, so I stopped for a moment and then went back and she was fine again.

Even cooler than rubbing her forehead, was that I was able to rub around her ears and poll without her being worried!!! THAT is a HUGE deal for her! Maybe she was distracted being out in the ring, but man, that was awesome. I just made it part of rubbing her head and took my hand along her good ear first, then even rubbed gently over her bad ear. I think they are finally feeling well - they were still very sore when she first arrived - and her stumpy ear has a lot more movement to it now. It used to be that it always looked the same, but now it turns back and forth and you can see a lot more movement. As her (current) human, I also have to pay extra attention to her ears - usually when I'm working with a horse I can see their ears out of the corner of my eye and quickly notice if they get mad and start pinning their ears - it is much harder to judge with GB with only one ear to see.

Overall, I was delighted with today - being able to rub her around her head so much - it was hard to believe that she was so relaxed about it. Yay, Progress!

I think we're friends...

2010-10-29T20:03:00.000-07:00

This morning I was able to catch Golden Butterfly a bit quicker and without having to ask her to trot. I used a super soft rope halter, and I think she appreciated it. I think I am starting to see her eyes soften a little, but again, it is probably just her stomach talking. She nickers whenever I come out to the barn, as she knows I'll bring her another small meal of grain.

We took Golden Butterfly for a walk in the field to let her graze on some grass to get her body used to the grass. I guess it's not much different than hay at this point, but just in case, we are going to make it a gradual change. It will be at least a week or two before she has enough strength to go out in the field with the other horses. I may let her out for a few hours with Love at some point, though. Love is so gentle - I've never seen her be aggressive at anyone/any other horse. Sweetie did a good job with Crystal, too. But we all know Rocky will nip at a new horse at least. Well, at feeding time for sure. And little Arthur - he cracks me up. Some Napoleon complex he has. His run is right next to Golden's and he will charge at the fence and rear at her. She's got his number now, though, and knows he can't get to her so she just stands there and continues with whatever she is doing.

So, back to the field - I had 2 helpers at the end of my lead rope as we walked from the barn about halfway to the pond. Both kiddos enjoyed helping, but I still have to keep a close eye on them. The kids went back to the barn to play, and I led Golden back as well. I put her on the crossties, and groomed her. She seemed to like the attention, and calm as I gently touched her nose. I doctored her ears a little - I didn't get as far as I had hoped, but it is a beginning. I decided to try to pick her feet as well. She did give me the fronts relatively easy, but did not want to hold them up for long. She allowed me to pick up the back but wanted to put them down immediately. I gave her several treats which she enjoyed and put her back in her paddock.

I wonder how much she knows - with a few horses in the past, picking up their feet and being good about it has been a clear indicator that they were trained at some point to be ridden. Sounds crazy, but generally, if they pick up their feet for you well, it means they were cared for enough to be worked with and ridden. Right now, I'm not convinced one way or the other. I suspect she knows something with the way she walks onto the trailer so easy, but she is not yet comfortable with me picking up her feet for long. We will continue and see how we progress - she's only been here for a few days!

In other news, I learned that the sheriff's office had to cut her halter off of her face because it was on so tight. We often see that with young horses who have grown into their halters, but with an older horse - I don't know whether someone just put it on that tightly, or if honestly had been that long (if she is 12) since it had been taken off - those nylon halters seem to last forever. More things to wonder about, and be thankful that she is safe now.

"Golden Butterfly"

2010-10-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

We welcomed a new foster horse to our barn yesterday. Here is a photo of this poor mare:

My 5yo daughter named her "Golden Butterfly" and we do hope she will make a transformation over the next few months. She is missing part of an ear and has a scars all around her poll and on her face. I hate to think about what she has been through, but even more so I am amazed that she still seems willing to allow me around her.

Yesterday when we picked her up from a temporary foster home, she was a bit irritated at first that she had not been served her dinner and took a few moments to catch. But once caught, she led well and walked willingly into the trailer where I had a full haynet waiting for her. She seems well traveled - or was at one time well trained. I don't know what happened to her, but I hope she will come around and learn she is safe again.

The cutest thing was my daughter sitting on the fence talking to her telling her she was safe now and that no one would hurt her again. She also introduced her to all the other horses and told them to be nice to Golden Butterfly.

Tonight I wanted to halter her and let her graze on some grass. I went into her paddock with the halter over my shoulder, and at first she did not want me to get close to her. I would approach and retreat when she would step away, and we played that game for a while, but we didn't seem to be making much progress - I still was not interesting enough for her. I recalled how we had caught her yesterday, and asked her to move out (trot) or work if she would not let me catch her - and it only took twice around before she decided it was easier to stand still and be caught than work.

She gave in, I easily put the halter on her, led her around, and then took the halter right back off to make sure the experience was a good one.

More soon.

Love at the Expo

2010-10-28T19:37:00.001-07:00

Here is a photo of Me with Love at the Expo

We competed in the Rescue Horse Training Challenge, and won first place in the experienced foster home category! We were within one point of the other contestants, so it was very close! Her best scores I'm sure were based upon improvement and conditioning. I'm so proud of her!

Moving Forward!

2010-07-20T10:59:00.001-07:00

Love had a day off yesterday with kids swim lessons in the morning and getting a load of hay last night (just for Arthur - he is particular!) This morning when I fed, I also still had to stack the 30 bales of hay, which meant restacking some of the 200 bales we bought a few weeks ago. It was very humid this morning, so when I was done with the hay and dripping with sweat, I needed to cool off before coming back out to play with Love. Of course, she watched everything I did and was waiting patiently for me and you could tell she just wanted to play and didn't want me to go yet. But I scratched her withers and told her to take her morning nap and I would be out in a bit.

When I got back out to the barn, she was waiting at her stall door with shavings in her mane from her nap, and nickered to tell me she was ready! She loved her grooming - and has started grooming my "withers" in return - it's hard to decide how much of that is okay, and how much I should stop to make sure she doesn't get any bad manners. Right now, it is part of our connection, so I only stop her if she gets over zealous about it. :)

Today was the first day that Love stood perfectly still about putting the saddle on and tightening the girth! No steps backwards at all! Yay!

I made the mistake of putting molasses on the bit before I had taken her halter off/down around her neck - and while I was trying to do that with the bridle over my arm, she started putting whatever part of the bridle she could find into her mouth! Thank goodness I was quick, and she grabbed right onto the bit when I offered it to her. I've never used the molasses trick before, but man, I will always start a new horse that way from here on out. She just loves it!

Love still chews on the bit pretty constantly. There is no anxiety associated with it - I'm not sure if she's trying to eat it or what. I may need to play with a few bits to see if this one is too "thick" (it is rubber) or that the give in the rubber is too much (she thinks she can eat it) and she would prefer the taste of steel. I get a sense it is a little of both.

I have not put any reins on the bridle yet - I am waiting for her to stop chewing the bit before I do that - so I have a rope halter on over the bridle. She is a little stubborn about leading out of the barn the opposite end of where I let them out. But once out of the barn, she leads well.

We went to the ring after our groundwork which is improving. She stops when I stop - but I need to decide if I want her to do that behind me, or at my side. Today she stopped right next to my shoulder and loved a few pats on her forehead. In the ring, we tightened the girth, pulled the stirrups down and I lead her over to the mounting block. She stopped well, but then took a step away from the block. Hmmm.. I thought. After moving her back, I tossed the rope over the saddle and bounced up an down a few times before mounting up and sitting in the saddle. She stood perfectly still and did not take a step for about a minute before I wiggled back and forth and dismounted! I was so proud!

So I got back into the saddle a second time, and this time I wanted to see if she understood anything about cues to move forward. I gently squeezed my legs, and she took a step back. I tried turning her head to the side, and she took a step back. I kept gently squeezing, and each time she went backwards. I made sure I didn't have any pressure on the lead, but still she took a small step backwards, and then nibbled on the grass in the ring. So I decided to sit there and wait for her to take a step either forwards or sideways (generally forwards) and when she did, I praised her and told her what a good girl she was! I then asked again with my legs and her head turned to the left, and when she moved the right direction I immediately released all cues and praised her again. I got several steps forwards/turning and then decided we'd better try it to the right. So I moved the lead across her head to the right side, and asked again with my leg cues - and as a green horse would do, she thought I meant to the left again... but we got her nose turned to the right and she stepped right and I praised her. We did this a few more times with forward movement, and then I sat up and said, "whoa!" and wiggled back and forth and dismounted. What a good girl!

So today we took our first few steps forward! :) I sit here and think to myself about the way I am going about this and wonder if I should be doing more longing to teach her voice commands for walk, trot, and canter. I'm sure I will start including more of that here soon, but right now, she is just so calm and relaxed about everything, I really don't want to get her excited thinking she needs to move fast. A lot of what she is allowing me to do is based upon 1) her personality and 2) the bond we have created - she really trusts me and knows I won't hurt her, so is willing to let me do these things. I wonder if she is part Arab with the way that she wants to connect with me so much... No matter, I accept and am really enjoying her affections and helping her learn so much!

I sat on her! :)

2010-07-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days, I have continued to saddle Love after nearly every meal. We go out and practice leading, turning, moving her haunches away, halts, and backing. I finally put the rubber snaffle on the cob bridle and it fits just right - and I was delighted with a "trick" someone mentioned recently - I put just a drop of molasses on the bit, and Love smelled it, and she put the bit right in her mouth herself! That was SO much easier than her lifting her head up as high as she could (pointing her nose up, too) while I opened her mouth with my thumb in the side! So we have kept doing that - and every time she puts her head right into the headstall and brings the bit right into her mouth. She is still chewing on it pretty constantly, but she is not anxious about it. It's just something new and she's getting used to it still.

I have been flapping the saddle flaps around and took the stirrups down (I'm riding english) and her reaction to all that has quickly become little to none. It really surprised her the first few times I did that - her body quivered each time the flap came down on her side, but we've kept doing it and now she understands it's not going to hurt her. She still turns her head around to see what I'm doing all the time, but she isn't anxious anymore (it's only been 4 days!). I keep doing the "tail test" to see whether her tail is clamped down or not, and I have continued to find it relaxed.

Yesterday, I took her into the ring (after leading her around in the field) and put some pressure on each stirrup to see how she would respond - she turned her head to look at me, but was not concerned about it at all. So I led her up to the mounting block, and climbed up there. I put my hands at her withers & on the cantle of the saddle and bounced up and down a few times. She stayed calm, so I took a chance and pushed myself up on to my belly on the saddle - I didn't want to sit on her quite yet. Love turned towards my feet and mouthed my foot, then turned to look at my head/body hanging on the other side. She took one step back to steady herself, but otherwise was not worried, so I stayed that way for 20 seconds or so before getting down and doing it again.

This morning, I fed the horses and then came in to the house for a bit to let the horses digest a bit. When I got back to the barn, Love was laying down in her stall. I had come there to work with her, and was thinking about trying to sit on her, but I didn't think it would be polite to force her to get up to work - it's part of her routine to take a nap in her stall after breakfast. I waited a few minutes, and then opened her stall door and went in - and I sat down on her hay while she napped a few minutes, and rubbed her forehead a little. She is so sweet. After a few more minutes, she got up on her own, and I stepped out of her stall towards the grooming area, and she followed me (like she has been doing for the last month or so to be groomed before turnout) without a halter. I did go ahead and put the halter on since it was work time, and when she would move her feet, I would gently remind her to go back to where she was by putting my hand on her chest and gently pushing back. She really understands that well. She got carrots for being so good. And then molasses on her bit again! :)

We did our normal ground routine in the field and went into the ring. I tightened the girth a hole. She didn't move her feet for that but still turns to look at me. We went over to the mounting block and I flapped the saddle flaps, pulled down the stirrups and gently tossed the doubled lead over her back/saddle to continue desensitizing. She seemed relaxed about everything - tail check was good, so I put my foot in the stirrup and leaned over her back. She took a step for balance, and then stood well, so I brought my other leg over and sat up in the saddle! :) Yay! She stood well and then I said "whoa" and wiggled in the saddle and then dismounted. I can't remember who taught me to do that as a signal for dismounting, but it seems to work well. I got on her again and she stepped back once and stood well again - and I took a picture of her while riding! (Ok, not the smartest, but she was being really good!) I dismounted again, and then got up on her again, and this time she stood perfectly, and I hugged her neck and rubbed her all over wherever I could reach, and finally gave a super good scratching to her withers. That was so good she was stretching out her upper lip so far and wanted to turn around and scratch me back. :) I said "whoa," wiggled back and forth in the saddle, dismounted and gave her lots more scratches and a bath before turnout.

Love has become so affectionate - well, she always has been, but even moreso now that I am working with her so much. She always looks at me with these big eyes, "Come play with me! Scratch me!" and willingly tries whatever I ask of her. I wouldn't normally get on a green horse quite so quickly, but she has continued to show me that she was ready and willing to try.

I connected with Love the first day I saw her at a dental clinic in April, but have tried to not get too attached because I have not been sure whether she would work out for Sammie. But working with Love every day, I find myself in the midst of a wonderful connection with this horse, and she has firmly planted her hoofprint in my heart. I don't know what the future will bring, but I do love this little mare more than I'm willing to admit to myself sometimes...

Finding a bridle that fits...

2010-07-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

Love's new schedule is now to be groomed and worked with for 15-20 minutes before turning her out after meals - that's twice a day! Yesterday, when I put a bit in her mouth, I used a cob size bridle with a 5 1/4" snaffle that was obviously too long. The bridle didn't quite fit, either - it was about an inch or two too long. I searched through my tack "collection" that I have been gathering over the last 25+ years. I found a nice rubber snaffle - about 5" long, and I dismantled Arthur's pony size bridle and put the bit on there to give it a try. I let the cheek pieces all the way down, and it should have been almost the right size - it was - but just a little too snug. So now I will put the bit back on the cob bridle, and punch a hole or two. :)

This morning, I used a nice soft rope halter on Love, without any "hardware" that would jingle under her chin. I chose to ground tie her in the aisle instead of cross tie so that I could see her reaction to the saddle a little more closely. She backed a step or two when I put the girth on her, but was more relaxed than yesterday. She is still very curious and sniffs the tack before I put it on her. We continued with the groundwork exercises we did last night. Leading, stopping, backing. I am pleased to say that she is a tiny bit better about stopping when I stop - there were a couple of times that I was actually really impressed by. I am trying to teach her to back with me when I march backwards (stomping my feet a bit as a cue) - and although she was a little easier to move backwards (still with gentle pressure on the lead and her chest), she hasn't quite figured it out yet.

I'm still thinking about what kind of tricks I can teach her to show off her talents. I taught Sweetie to take a bow using carrots a long time ago - maybe that is a good place to start. Something cute & funny to win the judge's hearts. :)

The Competition Begins!

2010-07-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

Love and I are competing in the 2nd Bluebonnet Rescue Horse Training Challenge at the 4th annual Bluebonnet Horse Expo on October 16, 2010. Love has been my foster horse since late April, but the competition officially starts tomorrow! I have 3 months to teach her as much as I can about being a good horse and learning how to be ridden.

My first job was to evaluate her fully on what she knows as of today. Tonight, I saddled her for the first time at my place, and she was tolerant and curious of the saddle, but the way she moved away from the girth and kept turning around to look at the saddle tells me she has not really been ridden. (This was consistent with what I saw at Nan's the day we brought her home - she let us put the saddle on, but seemed like she didn't understand what it was.) Flapping the saddle flaps around today also seemed to take her by surprise, although with rhythm, she began to calm and stand still while I made some noise there. I also put a bridle with a bit on her to see what she thought of it - and the first attempt was difficult - she pointed her nose straight up and backed away from the bit. The second attempt I was successful, and put the bit in her mouth, but she constantly mouthed it as though she had never had a bit in her mouth before. Pretty quickly it was clear that she had not been ridden before.

We worked on yielding her hind quarters, trying to keep her front feet in the same general area, and the same on yielding her front end. We also worked on leading (and with the saddle, she seemed somewhat hesitant at times which I had not experienced with her before). We also walked and halted, and I asked her to back with me. When she would encroach my space, I would attack the ground with the end of the lead rope to get her attention. She is not as responsive to that method as Arwen was, but she does at least finally come to a halt.

So, I have my work cut out for me, and I am ready to get serious! I hope to be riding her by the end of the challenge. It's just a matter of routine, repetition and consistency. Oh, and a little moxie to get in the saddle for the first time. :) But that can wait. We have some ground work to do first in order to be safe. But Love does have such a sweet personality, that I hope she will be a quick study!

Size does matter!

2010-06-28T06:39:00.000-07:00

My hubby and I were having a discussion about Love last night. She is such a sweet mare, but still has the exuberance of youth when it comes to her playfulness. I love it that she is so happy to see you that she will trot (or even canter) up to you in the field. She always stops when she gets to you, and loves attention. But she is not yet careful about where she puts her feet. The older horses have learned to watch out for the munchkins, and stand very still around them. But Love gets into a good scratch, starts leaning into you (which is totally fine for me) and all of a sudden steps widely across without checking what might be there first. The more I groom her, the less I see of this (thank goodness!)

Last week we went for a family walk and on the way back Love followed the kids and wanted to be petted. I started scratching her neck and she loved it, but Love proceeded to step widely towards me and the kids - and I had to guard the kids and move them away just to be careful. (I'm always there with them just in case). I think the "kid" sense - or "hoof" sense is something horses get with age.

Heaven knows that Sweetie (now 23!) stepped on my toes a multitude of times in her younger years - I still have clear memories of 20 years ago when she smashed my foot a few times in the cross ties. I always thought she did it on purpose back then, but it was just her being 3 and distracted (combined with too much time in a stall which I didn't recognize as an issue back in the day - I have learned so much since then!) Man, come to think of it, no wonder she was so restless in the cross ties - she had been up in the stall too much and full of 3yo TB energy. I can't blame her a bit.

Back to "hoof" sense. I really do think horses become more aware of it with age. At the same time, I also think some horses have it naturally. Penny sure did. Maybe some of it comes with being a mother to a foal. I also remember Charlie when Goose was first born. Goose was sleeping in the grass and Charlie saw me coming (still not sure about her new owners) and woke him up by rubbing her giant 10" hoof on his body. I thought for sure she would squash him, but she knew just how gentle to be and he jumped right up. Mother horses don't step on their foals. So how do you teach a horse to be more aware of her hooves and my kids feet? Let her step on mine and say "ouch?" (No, I wouldn't really do that, just wondering.) When I groom her and she moves around I say the horse woman "Aaa aa!" sound. (How else do you describe that?). It just has been a while since I taught standing - I know the next step is that every time she moves, I need to put her gently back where she started. I appreciate how much she loves being groomed and enjoy her happiness, but I also need to remember that I am training her and its my job to remind her to stand still.

So why the title of the blog about size? Well, as my hubby and I were talking about Love - my perspective was how sweet and affectionate she is, and he reminded me that it's just her size that makes it seem not so scary. Love is about 14hh. It wasn't long ago that we had Goose here on our property - at least 17hh, 3/4 draft. He was a giant. And he was just as "friendly" as Love, but when a horse that big comes running up to you (and the kids) in the field and doesn't have "hoof" sense yet because he is only 3, it is downright SCARY. I recognized his affection and friendliness, but around young kids it was just plain unsafe, which is why we sold him. I don't regret it, and I know that with more training he would someday become a safer mount. I just couldn't go through his youth constantly worrying about the "what if's" around the kids.

So, Love is 4-5yo (per my new favorite vet). The first vet that saw her thought about 8, but I trust this one more (not to mention, I agree with her :) ). Love really is on the young side for a youth's mount, but I can see her potential! I have entered the Rescue Horse Training Challenge with her, so I hope I can teach her a bunch by the Bluebonnet Horse Expo - have her learn her "hoof" sense and how to be ridden, etc. Because if we aren't ready to adopt her then, I have no doubt some lucky person will adopt her in a heartbeat! She is so gorgeous, and has such a wonderful personality! I want a horse with that kind of loving personality for my kids, but I also need them to be safe. Her sweetness reminds me of Penny so much, it is sometimes hard to be objective about it all. :)

Working with "Love," my new foster horse

2010-05-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

Love has been with us for about 2 weeks now, and I have spent a lot of time grooming her, tending to her scars & sarcoids, but had not really worked with her in the ring yet, so I decided today was a good day.

Love has come across as a very sweet mare, who loves attention & grooming, and nickers whenever you come to the barn. She stands well for doctoring and fly spray, but was a little concerned about having her feet trimmed the first time, although she relaxed into it.

We went into the ring and began playing modified "games." The first is the "friendly" game - rubbing them all over with the longe whip, which she stood well for and didn't mind at all. Then you ask them to move away from pressure - both backwards, and yielding hindquarters & the forehand which she did well. Then you ask them to do the same things using rhythm with the stick, which Love understood laterally very well, but did not get the idea of going backwards. With everything, you start with the lightest touch, and increase pressure until they give, at which time you release immediately so they understand what you're asking. What I found is that if I want Love to go backwards, I have to ask her by gently pulling the lead to her chest. No amount of arm waving/dancing the jig in front of her would get her to move her feet backwards. She just wasn't reactive to it. She did lift her head, but that's about it.

So we practiced walking and staying with me - i.e., stopping when I stop, and backing when I back. She is improving stopping when I stop (I have worked several sessions on that so she would be safer around Sammie), but I had to ask her to back by gently pulling on the lead towards her chest again. I was able to make the ask lighter by the end, but no amount of high stepping or chicken wing waving caused her to back.

It was about then that I confirmed to myself that she had not yet ever "chewed" and "mouthed" like she got something since we started. And my question is - why would a horse never do that? Not even if you stop and wait for a minute or two - her lips never moved other than to attempt to grab a blade of grass. Is that from when she was a foal? She came in with 2 other mares that look very similar, and I think she is the youngest ...

We went on to asking her to longe. We started to the left and she was still quiet and nonreactive, and walked nicely to the left. So when we started to the right I was quite surprised when I finally got her to move (which she didn't want to at first - she acted like she didn't know what I was asking and kept following me). When she finally "got it" - she bolted almost right at me - within inches of my body and let out a big buck right as she went by me. She galloped around and finally came back to the walk and stopped. Well that certainly wouldn't do. I asked with the exact same cues on each side, and for some reason, going to the right always started the same way for several times. We stopped and started (and changed directions) quite a few times. She was always quiet to the left, and to the right she started off bolting right past me. We kept repeating, staying relaxed, until she finally gave me more room, and by the end of the session, we did start off with a nice walk without cutting the corner to come right at me. I hoped that I would see a nice licking/chewing response at that point, but still, nothing. Not even as I groomed her and turned her out.

You always wonder what the rescue horses have been through before they come to you. My biggest question is -why does she not have the licking/chewing response? It is the "signal" that all natural horsemen look for, and I did not see it once. It makes it hard to judge when she "gets" something. Any thoughts?

God's Plan Revealed

2010-05-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

I wrote about 2 months ago that God stepped in when I went to pick up a horse from a seizure that I hoped would make a good pony for my daughter. I didn't know then what his plan was - as the pony turned out to be quite unruly, and instead I ended up taking home Crystal, who would be perfect for my daughter if only she were about half as tall. :)

Today, a mom & daughter came to visit Crystal - they are already a foster home for the rescue, and actually were there the day I picked Crystal up to trailer the unruly ponies to a different rescue. They have been waiting for a long time for the right horse to come through the rescue to adopt, and hoped that Crystal would fit with their family. Crystal was everything they hoped for - the right size, the right temperament, and as I had guessed, already had the right training for what they wanted to do. As her daughter trotted Crystal around the ring and Crystal was so good for her, I found tears in my eyes. Not because I would miss Crystal, although I certainly will. But because the match was so perfect - for both Crystal and her new family. This is my reward, and why I am a foster mom for a rescue. And Praise God for stepping in and guiding my hand, and making this match possible.

Hard working Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite parts of Mother's day and my Birthday is the opportunity to spend time with the horses (or whatever I want) guilt-free. This morning I was sent out to the barn early by my husband to go ride. :) After feeding, I got Rocky out of his stall and trimmed his back feet (I did his fronts earlier this week). He is a big boy (1300 lbs or so) and it is hard on my back when he is silly, so I will do fronts separately to spare my muscles. After his toes were beautified, we went for a ride in the ring. I longed him first at the walk and trot, which gave him energy for when I mounted up. We had a very nice trot with lots of circles & changes of direction. He remembered that we cantered last time, but I did not feel like pushing it today - I really was there just to enjoy the ride. (Rocky enjoyed the carrots!) We also practiced backing (which he is getting much better at with the smallest of cues!) and turns on the forehand. He does the first half of the turn very well (with his front feet in one spot) but then wiggles a bit for the second half of the turn. Something for us to work on. He sure loves his carrots!

Next, I groomed Crystal - who absolutely loved all the scratches everywhere. I had not ridden her in a few weeks, so instead we went into the ring to longe - and she did beautifully at the walk and trot! She is going to make someone such a nice horse! Crystal had more energy (I think mostly due to her being healthier) and kept the trot going on the longe better than she has to date.

Love was my next project - her toes were starting to break up and against my better judgment, I decided to trim her as well. Thankfully, she is much lighter than Rocky so her gymnastics don't bother my back much. I looked on her health record and it said that she was good for her first 2 trims, but the last one she was pretty silly about. I don't have more info than that, but I wanted to make sure it was a good experience. As soon as I picked up her LF, she started leaning and then wanted to hop around while I held the foot for no particular reason that I know of. We went slow, stayed calm, and she did quite a bit of "hopping," but we got the foot done. She was much better about bringing her foot forward to be rasped. The RF was similar, but she relaxed after not as much hopping, and we got it done quickly. The rears she lifted up super high at first and hopped again, but the second time she settled in nicely to let me rasp her foot. I will work on trimming the backs later - she seemed pretty worried about it, but we did beautify the edges on both of them to help with the brittle breaking typical of a horse that has had poor nutrition for some time. Love appreciated the carrots after each hoof was done, and especially all the grooming afterwards. I put some more cream on her hock scar and Crest on her sarcoids, and at that point I was worn out and it was time for lunch. :) But I feel great - I accomplished so much and was able to ride, too! Yay! Happy Mothers Day to all those wonderful moms out there!

I got to ride with my hubby! :)

2010-05-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight, for the first time in at least 2 years, Harlan and I got to ride together! He rode Charlie and I rode Rocky, and we both had a great ride in the ring! Harlan rode Charlie on Sunday for the first time in a year - and she was so wonderful, Harlan said all he could think about for the next few days was riding his horse! :) WOW! I feel that way all the time, but it was some of the most beautiful words I have ever heard to hear Harlan say them! :)

I walked, trotted, practiced cirles, backing, and then cantered for the first time in a year on Rocky! He did his normal buck of annoyance here and there, but we made it about half way around the ring. Yay! But I confess, although I've been thinking about getting back into the canter, I'm not sure if I would have done it if Harlan hadn't been there suggesting it - asking how Rocky does at the canter since he is so good at the trot.

Ahhhh. It feels so good to ride! Now I need to get back on Crystal to get her adopted! :)

Arthur update

2010-05-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd give an update on Arthur. He continues to become more comfortable and seems very stable to me at this time. I had been feeding him beet pulp with a handful of grain, and then I cut the grain and started adding the Ontario Dehydrated Timothy Balance Cubes (ODTBC) and now he has decided he doesn't want the beet pulp any more. He just sifts out all the cubes and leaves the beet pulp behind. He was still eating it when I put his evening supplements (salt, magnesium, vit E) in it, but now he is leaving even that beet pulp behind. So, I guess we're just a ODTBC pony now. He also gets as much coastal as he will eat, but it is still last year's cutting, which, although good for a cushings pony, is not very appetizing to Arthur. The latest batch has been a little tastier, thank goodness. I hope he starts eating more hay, but at the same time, I recognize his teeth are pretty minimal at this point, and I think he likes his soaked hay cubes best right now. So, we are doing everything we can for this little pony that we all love so much. He is the most expensive horse in the barn by far right now. :)

Arthur on Pergolide

2010-05-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd try to journal Arthur's progress as a Cushing's horse. He did beautifully out in the pasture this winter, but as the spring grass came in and I started keeping him off of the grass, he started to get laminitic/ouchy feet. I may have left him out on the pasture a few days too long, but keeping him off the grass was not doing the trick, and it had worked well last year. He has a 48' x 36' paddock attached to the stall that is all dirt. He also was not wanting to eat as much hay as he used to - I ran out of my winter supply, and the quality of hay the feed store had was just pitiful. I have since found a better supply of hay that he likes, and also adjusted his feed to include supplemental salt, magnesium, and vitamin E. I also have started driving to get Ontario Dehydrated Timothy Balance Cubes that are specifically formulated to be a balanced, complete hay cube, designed for Cushings/IR horses. Arthur loves them, but I have to adjust everything slowly. But the biggest change I have made is to finally put Arthur on Pergolide. It seemed we were able to control everything with diet last year, but the diet was not working this spring, so I finally made the commitment to keep him on Pergolide for the rest of his life. He has been on the Pergolide for a whole week now, and is doing SO much better. He is finally comfortable on his feet again - moving around so much more. Although he seems a little "dopey" after his evening dosage, overall he seems much brighter and more energetic. I guess I am learning that you really have to focus on the whole picture when it comes to Cushings - both the diet and the medication, good trims, etc. When one part is off, you end up with an uncomfortable pony. I am relieved to say that Arthur is again comfortable, bright, and eating well, and I love that little pony so much.

Beautiful Crystal

2010-04-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

I gave Crystal a bath today and she was wonderful for it, of course. She was so shiny that the photo had trouble capturing her color because the sun was gleaming off her back so brightly! :) She is up to over 1025 lbs now and looking great!

And here is a photo of her brand - unusual arrow, T, something else, I think. Hard to track these down sometimes - they are local by county here in Texas. We'll give it a try, but unlikely we will find any info. I have googled brand/arrow/T/horse etc. and not found anything.

I rode Crystal!!! :)

2010-04-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, it was only for a few minutes at the walk and halt, but she was so good! After tacking her up and putting the bridle on this time, she stood quietly with the bit in her mouth, not playing with it, completely relaxed and calm. We went into the ring and longed both directions at the walk and trot (briefly) and then I went over to the mounting block. She let me stand her right next to the block in the appropriate position to mount, and after putting some weight in the stirrup I leaned over the saddle without a problem. She took a step after a few seconds, and I got down, but got right back up and sat in the saddle. She took a step (as though she thought that is what she was supposed to do) and I hopped down. Did it a few times, and then I decided I wanted to find out whether she understood whoa from the saddle as well as she did from the ground. And she did not disappoint! We walked and halted about 10 times, and steered both directions with little trouble. She did not want to steer away from the gate - which makes me wonder if somewhere in her life she was a school horse or ridden in a ring, because she clearly knew where the gate was and kept turning back to it. She had energy, but never tried to speed up into the trot or do anything else silly. I am delighted! She feels rusty, but clearly understood cues to walk on, halt, and turn (with a little hesitation turning away from the gate, but as I asked a little more strongly, she turned well).

Here's to more wonderful rides on Crystal!

Oh,one other thing - she has a brand! It appears to be an arrow pointing SW with two sets of feathers, above a T, and then something else. The strange point is that the arrow is dark- missing hair (like hot branding would do) and the T is white like freeze branding, would do, except the 3 points of the T have a dark dot - and there are 3 more dots to the left of the arrow, but I can't make out what it says. I would have taken a photo tonight if there was any daylight left, but it was too dark by the time I was done. Yippee! :)

All tacked up!

2010-04-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

I've worked with Crystal a few times this week, and each time we go into the ring and do some bonding, and then groundwork, followed by longing at the walk. Last night we started at the trot as well, but just for a few seconds. The rescue has an adopter curious what Crystal knows, so I tacked her up for the first time today. I introduced her to the saddle and let her sniff it, and she moved around a bit. But when I went to put the saddle pad & saddle on, she stood very well and seemed familiar with it. We went into the ring and did our "routine" and she did not seem at all phased by the saddle on her back. In fact she continued to make steps forward in our bonding, seeming even more relaxed than the previous session. I stand at her shoulder/girth area and ask her to turn her head towards me without moving her feet - and as soon as she "gives" I immediately release. She keeps getting better, allowing me to turn her head each direction a little further each time. She even knows to turn towards me when I outstretch my hand and wait for her for a moment before I ask more firmly.

We trotted both directions making a few cirles each way, and it was more continuous and steady than it was yesterday. I think having a lunge whip instead of trying to use the end of the line as a motivator worked much better. I never touch her with it, of course, but you have a longer reach with it to extend your energy.

I then took her over to the mounting block. I did this yesterday as well, and yesterday when I would ask her to move forward so that I would be at her withers area, she would walk forward and then turn her body/rump away from me, so that if I had been trying to mount, I would not have been able to reach. She again started that way today, but I stayed relaxed and after a few asks and lots of petting, she walked right up to me and put me in the perfect "mounting position." I did a lot of petting and flapping the stirrups/flaps a bit, as well as some jumping up and down on the mounting block with my hands on her withers/the saddle, all of which she tolerated with no indication that it bothered her at all. She watched me, and even turned her nose around to me to see, but kept her feet still and seemed prepared for me to mount up if I had wanted to. I put pressure in the stirrup with my hand and still she stood well. I got down and up again on the mounting block and continued with the same sort of thing, rubbing and scratching her neck/chest and telling her what a good girl she was. If my husband had been home, I probably would have gotten right up on her, but just in case I will wait until there is another adult around before I do that (and it wouldn't hurt for her to gain 50 lbs or so before I try, but I'm not sure I can wait that long. Her ribs are nearly covered, and she seems so willing!)

We got back to the barn and I took the saddle off, but picked up a bridle just to see what she would do. And that sweet mare put her head right into the caveson, and actually opened her mouth for the bit on her own! Sweet girl! So she definitely has been ridden - how much is yet to be determined, but she gives every indication that she knows quite a bit. She moves so easily away from pressure, understands "whoa" by voice on the lunge line and stops every time, and she has stayed so relaxed about everything throughout! I can hardly wait to get up in the saddle and find out how much she knows.

But patience is a virtue (so I'm told) and we'll continue our little routine until things are ready.

Crystal is becoming more and more affectionate - she loves to be groomed - and she knows that I will find all of her itchy spots. I've been grooming while ground tied so she can move around a bit - and she always moves just a little here and there to get me to curry the perfect spot. But she never leaves. She just stands there. It is funny when I let her out of her stall to go out, she does the same thing. I step back and she steps right up to me and waits for me to scratch her chest and withers and rub on her neck. I think she would stand there all day if I would keep scratching. :) But as soon as I loop the lead over her neck, she knows it's time to go out and off she goes!

This mare is going to make someone a lovely horse, and I already know I will miss her. I wish she was about 8 inches shorter and she would be the perfect pony for Sammie. But 16hh is just too high off the ground for this mother's heart when it comes to my baby girl. :) When she's a teenager, no problem, but at 4 years old, well, I'm sure you understand. :)

Crystal after 1 month

2010-04-03T06:21:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken on April 3, one month after her arrival. Much better! She finally broke 1000 lbs and is shedding out her old winter coat. You can see on her shoulder the beautiful gray she is becoming, and the rest of the hair sheds out more every day. I can't wait to see her in a couple of weeks all shed out! :)

Her shedding is making her very itchy and she loves to be groomed as often as I am willing - in fact, she will pause when I am turning her out and waits for me to groom her (last night I spent 20 minutes or more) without a halter or anything on. And she is persistent - I have to lead her out after that or she will stand there, patiently, just waiting for me to come back and groom her some more. :)

This Saturday I also was able to ride Sweetie, gave Christopher a lesson on Arthur and rode Rocky, too! Harlan worked with Charlie on the ground and gave her a good grooming. Everybody in the barn got some attention - what a wonderful, horsey day!

Shoveling Manure in the Dark

2010-03-23T20:25:00.001-07:00

We don't have lights in the barn yet. That's okay, I'm kindof glad that I don't have to worry about electricity in the barn, and when I do something I hope to use solar panels to do it. Anyways, it makes barn cleaning after dark a little bit of a challenge. However, I am dexterous and hold a small flashlight in one hand to locate my targets, while also holding the pitchfork at the same time. I don't do this every night, but for mornings when I have to get up before sunrise to let the horses in while in a hurry to get out the door. I think what I need is a cap with a light on it to make things easier, but for now, the small light works. :)

In other news, Crystal is up to 975 lbs! (from 920) Her ribs are really filling in and the "shelf" near her spine is nearly gone. I can see the muscles in her hind end filling out. She has also been shedding quite a bit - reminds me of a foal with the hair shedding out around her eyes first. The hair underneath is so WHITE! Not a creamy white, but silvery white. It looks like she is going to be a gorgeous dapple gray!

In the meantime, she is the first gray I have had here with all of my bays and chestnuts, and it is interesting where all that white hair ends up. I noticed them covering the straps of her blanket and all over the brushes, me, my other horses when I groom them. Somebody should invent a gray horse brush with white bristles so you don't notice them so much. :) And then white blankets, etc. Who am I kidding - anything around horses is going to end up brown eventually!

Hoof-wise I noticed tonight that it looks like she's ready for another trim. The sole in her left front that I've been waiting for is half off - the other half should shed in a few days. But what I found interesting was that where I rasped around the edge of her hooves it now looks like the outside of the wall in that area has peeled off in the moisture. I'm sure glad I didn't rasp up very far at all! I can only assume it is the poor nutrition she had before I got her. I look at her hooves and see small ridges - not founder ridges, but nutrition ridges. I am not sure what they mean, but it looks like her previous owners fed her something nutritious about once a month... If I hadn't trimmed Arwen's hooves today, I would have worked on Crystal's.

In other news, Arwen is going to a month of training on Friday and I can't wait! Becky has been a pleasure to work with in the past, and I look forward to learning as much as I can while Arwen is there!

Texas Weather! sigh

2010-03-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

Just when you're getting used to warmer temperatures and the horses are seriously shedding, mother nature throws you a cold front bringing the temps back down into the lower 30s at night - and the wind chill there during the day. My goodness! All the horses are warm in their blankies, but what a chilly day! The wind is whipping around at 30mph and the water on my bare hands made them feel freezing.

Sweetie came in this morning with a goopy nose on the left side only - I started her on SMZ and this afternoon it wasn't quite as bad when she came in. Hopefully the SMZ will clear it up, or we'll need the vet out here in a few days. One sidedness is always weird - could even be a tooth in her old age. We'll see. She's still eating fine, and her temperament seems normal. (I need to dig out my horse thermometer, too). Praying for something simple.

Stay warm!!

A hairy morning and great ride on Rocky

2010-03-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

This morning I went to the barn to ride Rocky and play with my foster horse, Arwen. It took a good 30 minutes to find Rocky under all that hair he is shedding, along with giving his mane a good trim. Finally, I got enough hair off to ride and off we went to the ring. Rocky was a little short-strided - and after looking at his soles I saw what looked to be an impression from some kind of rock - that had not been there when I trimmed his hooves this weekend. So I think he has a little bit of a sole bruise. We kept to walking and a little bit of trotting - he was much more comfortable on the sand in the ring. But I didn't want to work him too much. He backed very easily with gentle cues of asking verbally and a gentle squeeze on the reins. We only rode for about 15 minutes but it felt great!

Afterwards I continued grooming all his winter coat as he is shedding. But then I saw Sweetie, and had to groom her, too! She had tons of hair to come off as well, and it was time for her mane trim also. I know my hunter friends would give me a hard time for cutting instead of pulling, but I have to say that no horse I know likes to have their mane pulled, I'm not planning on going to any shows where their manes would need to be thin enough to braid, and I'm pretty good at trimming their mane so it looks natural instead of having the "chopped" look.

Two down, and then I groomed Crystal (I only had a few minutes left before lunchtime) and got lots of white hairs to mix with the black/brown & red hairs on the floor. My goodness! I look forward to when everyone is done shedding!

Oh, and interestingly enough, Crystal has shed the sole on her RF that was the worst of the two, and the LF sole is coming off more than it was, but is still there. Not for much longer! We'll see if I can't get to Arwen this afternoon! :)

Rainy day...

2010-03-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

Today was a gray, rainy day so the horses spent the day in the barn with plenty of hay. I groomed Crystal in her stall and she stood so quietly and really enjoyed the attention. Tonight, it had stopped raining but there was a chance it would rain a little more, so I opted to put a blanket on Crystal since the temps will be about 46 and that would be cold in the rain! I took the blanket in to her stall and let her smell it first, and then gently put it on her back. She stood completely still and let me fuss with it a bit (tighten the belly straps). Did I mention that I had not put a blanket on her yet? She is SUCH a sweet mare!

Super Smart Crystal!

2010-03-15T18:40:00.000-07:00

Crystal still has at least 100 lbs to gain before I ride her, so my goal tonight was just to do some walking exercises to see what she knew without any stress.

I only had the last few minutes of dusk-light to play, but I made the most of them! :) I had wanted to get out there all day but had other things going on with family to tend to. I haltered Crystal and curried some of that icky thick hair off of her and then led her out to the ring. The first thing I noticed was that she was not at all concerned about being out in the ring. With Arwen, her head went up and she was looking around, but Crystal had that "ho-hum" attitude. We practiced walk and halt on the lead several times. I wiggled the lead slightly if she went past me and she very quickly "got it" to stop when I stopped. I found a place with plenty of room and just had to see - I only had her on a 12' line, but wanted to see if she knew how to longe. After me clicking at her a few times with her looking at me saying, "are you serious?" she stepped off to the left and made a perfect circle around me without any trouble. I said "whoa" and she stopped on the circle and turned her head to look at me. I asked "walk on" and lifted the longe whip slightly and off she went at the walk again without any trouble. We did that 2-3 times to the left then I tried to the right. She started off just wanting to go to the left - a racehorse thing to do. But after insisting that she go to the right, she finally gave in and went to the right, and with a little help made a good circle. She again whoaed on command and then walked off again when I asked. I could hardly believe it :)

Although I know I should have done it first, I then asked her to give to pressure by gently milking the lead until she dropped her head - she totally got it and no trouble. I gently pulled the lead toward her chest and took a step towards her and she backed just as she should. Then I asked her to yield her hindquarters and front end without much effort both directions.

We longed both directions again at the walk one more time with a "whoa" and ask to move on again with ease. The last thing I tried was something I learned from Becky when she worked with Arwen a few days - to ask her to yield her hindquarters by holding on to the lead and walking towards her rump. The goal is to make sure the horse knows to use their near hind leg and move it across/infront of their other hind leg. She had no trouble doing that to the right, but to the left, she preferred to move her left hind leg behind her RH instead of the other way. After another try she took several steps the correct way and we quit with that.

Pretty amazing! :) I'm so excited for her and look forward to working with her through the coming months. She is going to be a great find for a lucky adopter!

Beautiful day with Rocky!

2010-03-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

The weather has been gorgeous this week - I'd say we Texans look forward to this kind of weather all year! :)

Crystal has been doing great out in the field during the day, and Arthur has been pouting in the dry lot while she is out.

Three days in a row now, I have been able to ride Rocky! He is so much fun! We walk and trot both directions, doing circles & figure 8's & serpentines. We've also been learning how to back under saddle, and do a turn on the forehand & turn on the haunches. I'm quite amazed with Rocky and how quickly he learns everything. I've been able to give much quieter aids for backing - I try to do it in stages. First I give the voice command "Back" and then lean back, and then I squeeze gently on the reins, and again, and then a much stronger squeeze on the reins and with my legs. I was going through the entire gambit 2 days ago, but today, I only got to squeezing gently with the reins and Rocky backed up for me. I've got to make sure I don't practice it too much - he was not sure what I wanted when we did some turns on the forehand and started to back a little there. We'll muddle through and get the aids clearer and figure out exactly what means what.

I trimmed Rocky before I rode, and combine that with the most posting trot I've done in about a year and my body is exhausted. I'm looking forward to a quiet evening and sound sleep tonight!

Busy Day!

2010-03-12T19:46:00.001-08:00

Sammie rode Arthur on a pony ride through the field this morning and had a wonderful time!

At the beginning of the ride.

Grinning after trotting up to the top of the back of the tank. :)

Sammie closing her eyes and feeling the ride! :)

Crystal has graduated to the big field during the day - and gained 40 lbs over the last 10 days! Yay!

But poor Arthur is having to stay in during the days now to keep him off too much grass during the day.

Poor thing is pretty disappointed about it, but a necessary evil to prevent laminitis. We'll watch him closely and if keeping him up during the day isn't enough, we'll keep him in his paddock at night as well.

A beautiful day wouldn't be complete without a ride for me, too! I rode Rocky this afternoon - we had a very nice ride with walking, trotting, circles, and learning to "back" while mounted. I suddenly realized I had never really taught him that, at least not more than once, and recently listened to a podcast about being able to go backwards to help the horse be lighter in the front end. We practiced several times and he got it quickly - I continue to enjoy Rocky and his personality and the way we get along. It's such a special relationship we have - since I have been there since the moment he was born. And I'm the only one that has ridden him - well, Harlan did once. :) We ended the session with a few turns on the forehand and then a good grooming with lots of carrots. :) What a wonderful day!

Crystal gets a trim!

2010-03-07T21:06:00.000-08:00

I tried to get photos of before/after - and yes, it is all my own handiwork. My farrier of 9 years suddenly stopped returning calls and after many years of working for a farrier and then watching for 20 years, I'm trimming my own horses.

Right front before & after

Right hind before & after

Left Hind before & after

Crystal is pretty cow hocked by nature, and on both of her back feet, the outside wall was very flared and much longer than the inside wall. I trimmed the outside walls down so they were shorter, but without doing it dramatically. I don't want to change too much too quickly for her. But even after the trim, she still held her weight on the inside walls. The good thing about being your own farrier is that you see their hooves every day and can make adjustments as needed.

I actually am impressed with my skills at this point - I no longer ever see cracks or big flares between trims because I'm there to take care of it before it gets to that point. Everyone has stayed sound and happy (where a couple of mine would get sore when my farrier trimmed the sole too much).

Both of Crystal's front hooves are about to shed a large amount of sole - I didn't want to pry it off before it was ready, but it is coming loose. But I will keep an eye on it as I pick them out every day. It is kind of weird looking on the bottom of her hooves right now, with a separation between the wall/sole area at the edge of the white line, but I suspect it will be corrected easily when she sheds the sole. I'll also be able to trim her hooves a little shorter at that point - they're still longer than I'd like, but not nearly as crazy as they were!

Sweetie & Crystal

2010-03-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, I confess, Sweetie looks a little pregnant. :) It's all hay, though. I like to keep my 23 yo mare on the fluffy side during the winter, but now that the grass is starting to grow, I'm starting to cut back on her grain.

Sweetie did a great job babysitting Crystal yesterday - and I'll put them out together again tomorrow while I am here to play musical horses. :) I am watching everyone carefully, and don't want to stress Crystal while she is so thin. I need to know I can trust whoever is keeping her company to not chase her around - and Crystal very much prefers company to none at all. When I brought them in yesterday, and Crystal had to stay in her paddock by herself, she was not a happy camper. She even bucked a little and kicked out to show her frustration. But for now, it is the best place for her to have unlimited access to hay, and no stress from the other horses.

In the past, integrating a new horse has been easier. But Arthur & Arwen continue to charge at Crystal across the fence, so I will have to wait until they calm down a bit. My "original" group of Sweetie, Rocky, Aurora, and Penny always integrated easily with the new fosters that would come and go. Arthur and then Arwen are the last two that arrived and appear not to be as happy about the new girl. We will figure out a plan - they may have to spend some time in the paddock while Crystal gets to go out in the field for a while. But eventually, Crystal will be stronger and will put them in their place. For now, she has just avoided conflict. In fact, I have not seen one single aggressive act from her over the fence. She just seems so mild-mannered. I hope that as she perks up, she'll feel more willing to stand her ground. But I'll be there to watch over her in the meantime.

"Crystal"

2010-03-04T20:07:00.000-08:00

Crystal it is!

Tonight I brought Crystal into the yard to graze on the green grass. As soon as we were through the gate, she put her head down into a patch of tall grass and started eating fervently. I guess it tasted good - but she was partial to the longer grass that was still around the trees after the lawn was mowed this week. Even though she was excited to be in a new area, she was still very well behaved. I could feel her energy up, but she never got silly or pushy.

Christopher and Sammie came out to visit with the new mare by the picnic table, which happened to have a bunch of tall grass under it. I told the kids to stay at the table so I didn't have to worry just in case Crystal felt her energy get a little too crazy. I explained how she liked the long grass and both kids would pick a handful of grass and put it on the table for her, and each time, Crystal watched and then ate every bite of the grass they put on the table for her. It was precious. They both got to pat her nose while she was there, and again, she was very well behaved despite her excitement.

The only time she was at all "pushy" was when we were getting ready to go out of the gate she pulled with her nose to get one last bite of tall grass on her way out. I couldn't blame her. I think we'll try an hour out with Arwen tomorrow so she can start getting used to the grass. She hasn't had any grass in quite a while - there was none where she was seized from, and none at the holding facility, so we will take our time there. I'll be home all day and can keep an eye on everybody.

It seems like it is officially spring here in Texas - the grass is starting to grow, and the temps the next few weeks are all in the upper 60's - low 70's. I am going to be outside as much as I can while the weather is so beautiful!

Happy Mare!

2010-03-03T19:43:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of my new foster horse - name yet tbd...

I love the way she always turns to look at me. :)

I got up early this morning before taking the kids to school to feed, and she had eaten every scrap of the half bale of hay I had put out for her last night. She was so happy to see me - met me at the fenceline, and met me at her stall door inside the barn, too. It is so amazing the changes I can see in her already. I know that yesterday was a bit of a whirlwind for her, coming to a new place, meeting new horses, and wondering what kind of a human I would turn out to be. She was anxious yesterday - well behaved, but not quite sure of me. Well, until I started feeding her handfuls of grain. Then she decided I was okay. :)

She is about 16hh and weighs only 920 lbs - Sweetie is the same height and weighs at least 1200 lbs.. Can you imagine needing to gain 300 lbs? :) Geez! I am hoping she has put on 50 lbs in the last 24 hours - well, at least that is how much she has eaten in hay! Good golly! :) That girl knows how to chow down! But after cleaning out her stall/run, it was clear that things went all the way through... :)

I was hurried this morning so did not get to spend much time with her, and looked forward to it all day. When I got home and went out to the barn I walked up to the fenceline, bent my arms across the top board and sat my chin on my hands - but not for long. She came right up to me for scratches and rubs on her head/neck/withers. You could see in her eyes that she was starting already to trust me. How nice to have a human that visited regularly - and brought hay and grain to her!

After barn chores and getting the other horses in the barn, I opened her door and easily put a halter on her - and cross tied her in the barn to groom her. She stood very well for me. Wiggled a little here and there, but basically just soaked up all the grooming. I took the pictures as soon as I could - but the sun was already setting. Her ribs & spine don't show nearly as much in the photos as they do in real life, but don't worry, that won't last. She already looks better than yesterday!

I even picked out her front feet! I will wait another day for the rear. I forgot to look at the tattoo - was in too much of a hurry to get photos in daylight so I could post them, and then it was dinner time for the humans. :)

Samantha has asked on more than one occasion if the new horse could be "hers" until we find her a home. I tell her she can certainly help me care for her, and remind her that she belongs to the rescue, and will someday find a home with a family that loves her. She seems okay with that. We have not yet named her, although we are tossing around "Diamond" and "Crystal." "Snow White" was mentioned, and although I think it fits her personality along with the white body/black mane/tail, Sammie and others have said it's not quite right. We will see. More soon!

The best laid plans...

2010-03-02T19:34:00.001-08:00

Ever feel like a higher power sometimes steps in and changes the plan for you? Today I volunteered for Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society - I went to trailer my new foster horse to my house and 2 others to another member's barn. I had high hopes that I would be bringing home a sweet pony for Samantha, but someone up there had other plans for me today. The cute little mare that I had seen only in pictures turned out to be uncatchable. Very smart, but wanted nothing to do with humans, which did not bode well for the idea of a little girl's pony - at least, not without intense training and time, and even then the personality of a horse is not likely to change that dramatically. So I ended up instead bringing home a 16hh gray mare, who I suspect is an OTTB due to her tattoo (which I will look at later). In the pen with 3 other 13-14hh horses, she looked like a giant, and was not what I was planning on bringing home. However, her kind eyes spoke to me and she walked right up to me in the paddock while I was trying to catch/separate the other mare.

She loaded easily and trailered well. You could tell the way that she walked right into the barn without hesitation that she had been cared for well at some point in her life. I will have to get a reading on that tattoo and find out who she is. She did not pause at walking into a stall, either. Both of those things surprised me somewhat, but at the same time didn't surprise me coming from a mare off the track.

She spent the afternoon sniffing the other horses and figuring out that I really did keep bringing her handfuls of grain with flakes of hay.

Tonight, she rewarded me after I had let all the other horses out and was cleaning the barn, she poked her nose into the aisleway and let me rub her forehead and stood for quite a while as I scratched and rubbed on her neck - just like Penny used to. I wasn't expecting that, but was so grateful for it. Even Arwen wanted some scratches ,too. I guess they missed me on my vacation. It is so good to be home and back into helping horses - they really need me. And somehow, this girl chose me to help her get back to health. I am looking forward to the journey. More soon.

Sammie rode Arthur, too!

2010-02-14T19:40:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention that Sammie rode Arthur on a nice pony ride through the field with me leading her again. She directed me the whole way telling me which way to go, when to turn, and which puddle to walk through. :) She again closed her eyes and made some "snoring" noises, but to see her up there grinning from ear to ear she was far from sleeping. Arthur was very well behaved for the whole trip. And Sammie was absolutely adorable wearing real riding pants! I bought two pairs at a great discount at the Bluebonnet Horse Expo in 2008! I have been holding on to them just waiting for the day when they would fit her. :) I will have to take pictures next time to share with you how CUTE she was!!! :)

Another ride on Rocky!

2010-02-14T13:52:00.001-08:00

I got to ride Rocky again today! We just walked around the ring again - enjoying the beautiful sunny day. It was so warm I had to take off my sweatshirt and ride in a t-shirt! Of course, it didn't last. At the end of our ride, a cold front blew in. Its always weird to feel the temperature drop 10-15 degrees suddenly as the cold air comes in on a breeze. It will be back down to freezing again tonight, so blankets will need to go back on. But I feel great that I had another chance to ride! Rocky is enormous, but so sweet and he loves the attention so much! Again, thank goodness for his sweet personality! We've been together since the moment I helped pull him out of his momma in 1996 - and he's such a good boy!

Beautiful winter ride with Rocky!

2010-02-13T10:39:00.000-08:00

This morning when we woke up the ground was beautifully white with a very thick frost - it had been foggy early, and the fog added to the layers of frost. Thankfully, the sun came out and the frost melted away rather quickly. I warmed up quickly by getting the barn ready for the horses - picking stalls, putting out hay and grain - and the sun felt so warm I had to ride.

I pulled Sweetie out of her stall first - I wanted to get her back into her Rambo blanket that I had taken off after all the rains the other day - the "replacement" just didn't fit her quite right. Plenty long from head to tail, but her belly always hangs out way below it like it was designed for a sleek TB - oh, wait... Sweetie is a TB, lol, just with a big belly. :) (how embarrassing! :) ) But her belly was well earned while carrying Rocky around in there, and she is just as beautiful as ever.

Sweetie decided that she was a little perturbed that I would bring her out of her stall before she had a chance to finish her hay, and was making ugly faces, so I groomed her and put her back in her stall. I wanted to have a nice relaxing ride - and some days you can just Tell they are going to be silly, 23 years old or not.

And there was Rocky. It has been about exactly a year since I last rode him - my injured back and then kidney stone and then injured ankle had kept me off of him for the whole year! Oh, my, again, how embarrassing... :) But he leaned out of his stall window towards me trying to get closer and see what I might do - and I couldn't resist that big red guy. I pulled him out, took the blanket off of him and groomed him. I decided I would lunge him a little just to see what he would do before I bothered putting a saddle on him.

We got out to the ring and I was reminded how much I have already taught Rocky - I just pointed to the left, and off he went to the left. I pointed to the right, and off he went to the right. Every time I said, "whoa," he came right down to the halt and faced me. A slight jiggle of the lead, and he backed right up. He was being great, and so relaxed that we went back into the barn and put the saddle and bridle on him. He was easy to mount up, and we just walked around the ring. Halting occasionally, did a few circles, but just walked and enjoyed the sunny day.

I also noticed while I was up there that there was an area of ground that had sunken in about a foot outside of the ring - it is where there was an old well - and shortly after moving here (and finding the depression) we had filled it with a dumptruck load of sand. The area was generally 2-3 feet higher than the ground around it (still from the sand) but the center had gone down a foot or so. I guess the rains recently have helped some of the sand settle more than it has the last 10 years. After my ride I went out and leveled things out quite a bit, making sure the ground was now firm in the area. It was pretty easy to do as it really was just filling the center in with the extra sand that was already there. But I will be keeping an eye on it!

Rocky loved all of his treats and was so happy to have had a "job" for the day - I was reminded how much he loves attention - and recognized that he had been a little bummed that I had not been riding him lately. He is so affectionate. I love how well behaved he is - how friendly - since he has been well handled since the moment he was born (by me!) I really have taught him quite a bit. :)

I am also thankful that he is so laid back for such a big horse! I keep thinking I need to find myself a quiet, 14hh QH someday, but Rocky is just as calm - even if he is 17hh! It is such a long way down from up there! I love the big guy and look forward to our future adventures!

A healing day with Arthur

2010-02-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

Today, I finally got Sammie back out to the barn. I'm not sure how much was her anxiety and how much was the weather, but I was really glad I finally took her out there again. When we first got out there she was in her "contrary" mood and pretended the horses were different horses - like Sweetie was Rocky, etc., and that Arwen was Penny... she even said she wanted to ride Penny... I did my best just to listen and then remind her that Penny was in heaven, and she looked at me like I had lost it and said, "I know, Mom!" She joked around some more and finally said she wanted to ride Arthur, even though it was a little chilly for her taste.

Sammie gave Arthur a few small handfuls of alfalfa for a treat, which he loved. We tacked him up, lifted Sammie into the saddle, and went for a walk through the field with me leading Arthur around. We went down by the pond and saw how it was actually overflowing around the edge, and followed the water until there was a tiny waterfall as it headed down into a very small ravine/creekbed that I have never seen any water in before. I'm sure it always has some when it rains as it is the low point of our property (and the others around us) but it usually is very dry - especially in the summer when we venture down there. We then walked up the back of the "tank" (pond) and just were amazed at how full it was, and how beautiful. We traveled along the fenceline by the crazy cacti in the neighbor's field, and made sure to pass by Penny's favorite rubbing tree - Sammie's idea. Its all the little things that we point out that somehow the kids remember. I had a special tree growing up - or rather, it was just a funny looking tree along the road in a national park that my parents dubbed "Elizabeth's tree" - and they always pointed out to me when we went by. I finally had my picture taken sitting on that silly tree when I was soon to be engaged to my husband.

We traveled up to the front of the property - nearly to the end of the driveway (and the mailbox!) It was a fun idea to go get the mail, but Arthur started tossing his head and Sammie knew Arthur wanted to go back to the barn, so we started our way there. As we were crossing the field, I looked back when I heard Sammie giggling, and there she was with her chin up and eyes closed - and the biggest grin I have seen in a while - just enjoying the movement of the horse below her. I saw myself in her - I have done that so many times, although not in quite a few years. I will have to remember to close my eyes for a few steps next time I ride Sweetie. (Of course, it would be safer to have someone leading me around on her... lol).

Sammie really had a great time, and gave Arthur more handfuls of alfalfa after the ride. It felt good to be out there enjoying the horses together.

One last note - Arthur and Sweetie started shedding today! I don't know how it always seems to happen so suddenly, but I left the barn with horse hair tickling my nose - and stuck all over my shirt. :) Nothing like a good ride followed by a good grooming to help your heart.

Celebrating Penny's Life 1997-2010

2010-01-29T09:56:00.001-08:00

I have been dreading and procrastinating writing about this for nearly a week now. As many of you know, we very sadly let Penny go last Wednesday night. We had a really bad day, a better day that gave me hope, a day where she was blocked and it was hard to tell, and then another really bad day. She was in a lot of pain, her stomach muscles were cramped again, her heart rate was elevated at 48bpm at rest, you could see the pain hit her suddenly as she nearly fell to the ground several times while we were there with her. She wasn't laying down to rest... and then we spoke to the farrier who gave us the more grim side of the injury - what I was expecting to hear but hadn't gotten anyone to talk to me about. We all loved her so very much, but it wasn't fair to put her through that much pain for most likely several painful complications and surgeries to come over the next year, and possibly to be in pain the rest of her life. After all the love that Penny gave to us, the greatest gift I could give her in return was a pain-free death with dignity.

On to her story...

I was finally approved to foster for the rescue and went to pick Penny up when I was 5 mo pregnant with Christopher! What was I thinking? Somewhere my heart got the best of me - I had 3 horses on 23 acres, and gosh, wouldn't it be nice to have a horse available to keep horse #3 company if we took #1 & 2 off the property? Harlan rode with me in the truck as we drove about an hour to the place where she was being held. A herd of emaciated horses awaited us - they had been eating hay for about a week and were much better off than they had been. All I knew was "palomino mare" - but I had chosen the name Penny before I met her. Penny was the name of Harlan's beloved dog that he grew up with, and the name of another palomino mare I knew at the barn where I grew up.

We managed to load up another mare & foal first (that I would be taking to another foster home). Rocket was the baby - I can't remember the mare's name right now. I remember looking at Penny's belly and saying out loud - "Oh, great, she's pregnant, too." I look back and have learned quite a few things - or, well, made some mistakes and the animals were gracious enough not to take advantage of them.

I didn't have a way to separate Penny from my herd, so when we got back to our place, we drove into the field, opened the trailer door, and let Penny out of the trailer into our field - and luckily my "herd" of 3 was more relaxed than some and she integrated easily. Of course, Penny put her head down to the fresh grass and never lifted it up. She didn't care about meeting anyone - just eating. Her dull, yellow coat would soon turn into gorgeous shining dapples as she filled out. It wasn't long before we confirmed that she was pregnant, too.

Christopher was born in October, and then "Athens" was born the following March. We kept Penny in our yard for her delivery, and a few weeks after that as Athens grew up. I would take Christopher out in the stroller into the yard to feed the horses and play with Athens, who in return was very curious about Christopher, who survived the stroller almost getting knocked over and having his fingers nibbled on... When Athens was about a month old, I found him in the field, and Penny still in the yard - he had managed to jump the fence - on more than one occasion, and all the horses soon lived in the field in harmony.

Penny was always at the bottom of the pecking order. When I brought in another foster horse, Penny would assert herself for about 24 hours before she gave in and accepted her role again at the bottom. She babysitted Ricochet when he was weaned at our house, and would have adopted Goose if Charlie would let her. (Lucky for Penny, she didn't get the chance - Goose was an 17+ hh draft by the time he was grown - Penny just barely 14hh :) )

Everyone who came to our house always complimented us on our beautiful palomino. She had the gentlest personality, the biggest doe eyes, and was one of the most beautiful horses I have ever known. And she was as gentle as she was beautiful. She loved people more than horses, it seemed, and she was always the first to the fence to greet you. With the kids, she was always ever so careful to look out for them whether they were on the ground or on her back. She would almost tiptoe when they were riding her, and would always take tiny steps when they were leading her with her nose down low at their level so she could watch them carefully. I remember her pausing with her hoof in the air to wait and see whether one of the kids was going to keep walking or not. And Sammie and I would go out to the field and I would set her on Penny's bare back just to ride her for a few minutes. Penny always stood still, loving the attention and the scratches.

Here are some of my favorite photos of Penny with the kids. Please forgive my lack of common sense about not having a helmet on the kids when they were very young - they wear them all the time now, no matter what. We usually had someone holding on to their leg to steady them. I will post more as I get them together.

Missing her dearly...

Sammie loved Penny right from the start:

Aug 2006

She gave the best Pony rides:

Nov. 2006

Dec 2007

August 2008

Improvement!

2010-01-25T18:43:00.000-08:00

I was pretty dismayed yesterday after visiting Penny at the vet's and seeing how much pain she was in. However, today when we went, Penny felt much better! She wasn't quite as "dazed" with pain - her ears moved to watch Sammie and I as we groomed her, and she was putting more weight on her LF - even put it down to shift her RF around. The difference was the addition of "Previcox" - a drug prescribed for canine arthritis, but has recently been put in a paste form for horses called "Equioxx". Interestingly, the total dose that would treat a small dog would also treat a 1000 pound horse with the same efficacy, so the small dog pills are often used instead as they are 1/10th the cost (yay!) (<$1 a day vs. $12/day)

Here is Penny yesterday:

You can see her pointing the LF - owwie! She shifted it around a lot and seemed overall very uncomfortable. The nerve block from Sat. had worn off, and the banamine was obviously not doing a good job with the pain.

Here is Penny today:

She is holding her weight more evenly between her front feet, and much more relaxed. You can also see that she is not clenching her stomach muscles like she was yesterday. Her heart rate was down to 36, but I could feel the pulses in her RF had increased. Hopefully, the Soft Ride boot will support her and keep her comfortable to prevent any laminitis issues.

Other things that helped me relax a bit is to hear that the procedure to drill into the hoof to remove any dead bone is relatively simple, and cheap (considering! $1-200 instead of the $1-2K I thought it could be) They do it while the horse is standing, but sedated, so it would not involve major anesthesia to do it. The senior vets do believe it is probable that it will happen, and we will see it on the followup radiographs in 4-6 weeks. Or maybe after that. Because the fracture is completely across and already appears separated, it is likely, but she could yet surprise us.

It was nice to hear that the prognosis was better than I was feeling yesterday, and that this certainly should be something we can make it through with proper care (my specialty!). The key will be managing her pain so that she does not get laminitis in her good foot. If we can do that, then I think we're going to be okay!

Radiographs

2010-01-23T21:49:00.001-08:00

Here are radiographs of Penny's LF. You can see the fracture(s) towards the toe - the dark areas are where there is a fracture. It looks like a severe concussion/crushing force hit from the bottom. Some of the vertical lines are blood vessels - I think even a lay person can see the disorderly lines of the fracture.

Looking at the lateral view- the force seems to have gone all the way through the bone to the front of the coffin bone - notice the separation there.

I've never seen anything like it. I doubt others have as well. Usually it is one of the "wings" that fracture slightly and can be corrected - this one is pretty unusual.

Still praying...

Penny's Fractured Coffin Bone

2010-01-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

When I first looked out the window this morning and saw Penny lying down in the hay remnants by the barn, I thought she must be enjoying the warm sunny morning with a nice nap. The rest of the herd wasn't too far away, and she was laying flat out like possibly in a deep sleep and hadn't noticed when they began to meander away from the barn. But after I had put out grain & hay and let the horses in, I looked out the end of the barn to see Penny still laying there, on her belly, not even trying to get up. She was looking at me, but not getting up. She wasn't struggling, wasn't rolling, just looked comfortable where she was. I walked out to where she was laying and could see that her breathing was elevated, but she started nibbling on some old hay remnants. I leaned over her and laid my head to her belly and listened for gut sounds, and there were plenty! Lots of gurgles and pings, plenty of noise. Which was good news - probably not a colic - but left me confused. So I ran 20 yards back to the barn and grabbed her halter and came back and put it on. I clucked gently and Penny looked at me, but didn't offer to get up. So I twirled the end of the lead rope and tapped it on the ground behind her, and she stood up. I didn't notice that she did the whole dance without putting her left front hoof down, but as she stood, she held her left leg off the ground and would not put it down. I gently lifted it up to look at her hoof and I could immediately see drops of blood slowly oozing from the middle of the bottom of her hoof - about a centimeter away from the point of her frog. There was no obvious culprit - no foreign body sticking out to give me more information, but Penny was clearly in a lot of pain.

20 yards does not seem far, but for a horse to hobble on 3 legs, it seems like forever. We took it slowly and stopped several times as she hobbled into her stall - not once letting her hoof touch the ground. She was happy to nibble on some hay when she got there, (I took her handful of grain away just in case) and I ran inside to call the vet.

I didn't want to haul her anywhere in her condition, but the mobile vet I knew did not have access to an x-ray machine this week, and after telling her about the location of the injury, she urged me to take her to Elgin Vet so they could treat her right away. I knew that she needed to be seen right away, but hated to trailer her. By the time I had the trailer hooked up and backed up right to the barn, Penny was already laying down in her stall, still breathing heavily.

By the grace of God, Penny hobbled down the aisleway and into the trailer without incident or hesitation. I drove slowly and carefully to the vet, and to my amazement, she was still stand ing up after the 20 minute ride to the vet clinic. She had put her hoof down flat for balance, but when we unloaded her, she again would not let the hoof touch the ground. We got her as close as we could to the barn, and slowly walked to a stall bedded deeply in soft shavings.

Within two minutes, Penny laid down in the stall to rest, and she spent most of the next hour or more laying down while we waited for the vet seeing other emergencies. Even after resting for that time, her heart rate was still elevated at 60bpm, and her respiration rate was 40. Those numbers to me were typical of a surgery-bound colic.

Penny hobbled to the x-ray room, and within minutes after some pain medication and sedation and x-rays, it was obvious that she had fractured her coffin bone. There seems to be a "track" that goes nearly if not all the way to the bone, and you can clearly see where the bone has cracked all the way through - with more than one possible fragment. The good news is that if your horse is going to break a bone, this is the one to do as it heals eventually on its own. But there are many possible complications.

The first and most serious is she might get laminitis in her good, supporting leg (like Barbaro did) and the pain and bone rotation from founder after laminitis (pain in the hoof) sets in would probably mean the most humane thing at that point would be to euthanize her. The good news is that Penny has been very smart about laying down - she knows she's hurt and she's smart enough to take care of herself - and she needs to lay down as much as possible. The bad news is that Penny already has a small amount of rotation in her "good" hoof, and thus will be more prone to laminitis than a horse who has never experienced it before. Other things in her favor are that she is muscular ("stocky") and small-framed.

Another complication would be if one of the bone fragments "dies" and causes an infection deep inside the hoof. The vets can surgically go in and remove the dead piece of bone, but infections inside the bone like that can be difficult to cure. Or even just having the tiniest of openings (like the one that she has) that goes all the way into the hoof to the bone could lead to an infection. Cleanliness is of highest importance.

So, the vets have started by soaking the hoof with a betadine solution to kill the bacteria, and wrapping the hoof until a hoof specialist farrier can come out (Monday, we hope) and put a special shoe on her hoof - that will have a plate at the bottom of it that you can unscrew to treat the area, and otherwise will support the hoof and stabilize it. It will have a rim that goes all the way around the hoof to keep it from the constant expansion/contraction that the hoof normally goes through with every step. Stabilizing the hoof will be key to helping the bone heal, and making Penny feel more comfortable. The shoe will have to be reset every 3-4 weeks for the first month or two to keep it fitting well and secure. Oh, and it will cost more than any pair of shoes I have ever owned (hiking boots included).

The other key is pain management - to keep Penny happy, and eating/drinking normally so that she doesn't have digestive issues as well, and also so she doesn't break down on her good hoof. They have a special boot with pads in the bottom to support her good hoof, and hopefully prevent the dreaded laminitis from occurring. When she comes home, it will be my job to monitor her carefully for any change in pain levels, as the sooner we catch issues, the less severe they become.

She will be confined to a stall for at least 6 weeks. But for now, I've got to take it one day at a time. Sammie and I will be going for a visit tomorrow morning to groom her and give here lots of carrots. So please, say a prayer for Penny, for we have a long road ahead of us.

One of my favorite rides...

2010-01-21T19:16:00.000-08:00

I think that every horse-loving parent hopes that at least one of their children will love horses the way they do. But even more than that, you look forward to the day when you can ride with your children. When they are small, that time seems so far away, and yet you don't dare speed up time as it is already passing too fast as your children grow so quickly.

On Thursday, I stayed home with Sammie since she was still recovering from a stomach bug. She was much better, but she still hadn't eaten a "normal" sized meal, and there was no reason to hurry back. She was resting on the couch when it was time for me to go care for the horses, and she really wanted to come help! (I don't ever refuse that!). She does a great job pouring grain into all of their buckets, and likes to give Penny extra handfuls of hay. Once they were all in and eating, Sammie went out to the ring to play in the sand. I asked her if she'd like to ride Arthur when he was done and she emphatically said, "yes!" So I set to fix the gate to the ring (it fallen off the hinges) so she could practice more steering. (Arthur likes to go to the gate and without it there he would probably walk back to the barn if I wasn't there to stop him).

We got Arthur out and groomed him and saddled him, and took him to the ring. Sammie and I practiced steering on figure 8's going between poles on the ground through the middle. She was doing so well, I couldn't help but suggest, "Would you like me to go get Sweetie and ride her with you?" She again nodded happily, and after making sure Arthur was standing courteously at the gate, ran in to get Sweetie. Sweetie was a little put off that I did the "quick" version of grooming ( just the saddle area) and dared to put the saddle on in her stall without the proper cross-tying routine, but she gave in and sighed and followed me out to the ring in about 2 minutes flat. :)

I carefully mounted up and then talked Sammie through steering away from the gate. I gently asked Sweetie to walk off and turned my head around to see what Arthur was doing. Mr. Perfect Pony was walking right behind us as though he had been doing it all of is life. Sammie and I rode around the ring at the walk for the next 20 minutes, practicing turning and keeping Arthur away from the gate, changing directions, and just enjoying the gorgeous 70 degree Texas winter. I found my eyes tearing up as I realized that I was actually riding with my daughter! I was so delighted. At the end, we turned into the middle of the ring, I dismounted first and helped her down, and then we went to the gate. Everything was perfect, until Arthur stepped on Sammie's toes while I was opening the gate... The sand is so soft there and Arthur so small that she really wasn't hurt, and I told her that she would have to get stepped on at least 10 times before she would be a really good rider. (Heaven knows my toes have been stepped on at least that many times!) It seemed to cheer her up, and we walked the horses back to the barn to finish out the morning ride.

We finished by giving Arthur carrots and telling we loved him anyways and knew that he didn't mean to step on her toes. (Although I secretly believe Sweetie used to do it to me on purpose). I've promised Sammie to do more steering practice with me on the ground in the ring before we ride together again. But Arthur (toes excluded) was such a wonderful pony!

Arthur a.k.a. "Napoleon"

2010-01-20T09:25:00.001-08:00

I just love this little pony. Arthur is 12.2hh, 26yo, and has cushings, so he gets soaked beet pulp every meal (always warm in the winter) with a handful of grain sprinkled across the top. Well, it is his FAVORITE meal. We have 6 horses in our "herd", and Arthur is usually at the bottom out in the field - mostly due to his size and that he's old enough to know better than to put up a fight with the bigger, younger horses. But lately, this morning included, Arthur has decided that his beet pulp meal is worth fighting for. Sweetie (alpha mare) is always at the door to the barn - even kicking the door when I take too long! And her son, Rocky, is always behind her. But lately, Arthur has decided he can't wait any longer for the rest of the herd and pins his ears madly and pushes himself in front of 17hh Charlie! It is a sight to see! Charlie would easily beat him in any dispute out in the field, but when it comes to mealtime, Arthur pins his ears and goes for it! The look on Charlie's face is always bewilderment that a small pony thinks he's tougher than she is, and luckily her stall is right next to the door, so she's usually preoccupied about getting her small amount of grain as well. (Charlie seems to gain weight on air...) Silly Horses. I sure do love that little pony!

A beautiful day for a ride!

2010-01-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

Some days are just so warm and sunny that it would be sinful to not take advantage of it and ride! Today was such a day. But before I could get to the "fun" part, I also had to do some mini-doctoring on Rocky. He apparently played too hard in the mud over the last couple of days and was showing some soreness in his LF leg - pretty dang lame as well. Not sure yet whether it is an abcess or he strained a tendon - I'm hoping for an abcess, but the heat in his leg suggests otherwise. The current protocol for a tendon injury is complete stall rest for a month, and then slowly increasing handwalking & exercise. I could probably do that, but Rocky would race around his stall upset about being left in, and possibly do more damage to himself than he would in the field. The "old" protocol (10+years ago) was to turn the horse out and let them be in a field, slowly healing over 6mo-1year. I put standing bandages on him and let him out, but he was in the barn for nearly 8 hours today resting it as well, and tonight he looks much better.

Once Rocky was wrapped and back in his stall after a thorough grooming complete with carrots for a treat, I pulled out Arwen from her stall. Well, I didn't actually pull - in fact, I have learned that Arwen really appreciates it if I don't pull. When she first got here, when I would let her out of her stall, I would loop a rope around her neck and gently tug on it until she moved forward and followed me out of her stall. She usually would pull back a step and wait before moving - seeming a little annoyed about it - but always followed me out no problem, when she was ready. It didn't take me long to figure out that all I really needed to do was loop the rope over her neck, pause, and let her make the first step forward. Whenever I "pulled" she would always resist at first, before she gave in. Now, I put the rope over and wait for her to move forward first, and everything seems more peaceful without any resistance. I think she even respects me more for not "annoying" her so much. :) And although my singing may be annoying to some, I think Arwen liked it the other night when I had to put her blanket on in the dark. :)

My goal today was to get her into the ring and longe her a bit in a relaxed manner, possibly mount up if she was particularly good. But considering that the last time she was ridden was about 3 months ago, and it was only one time (and by a professional), I figured that would be overly ambitious. I am more cautious (and timid) in my "old" age. :) I no longer worry about myself, but rather worry how it would affect my kids/husband if I got hurt.

After grooming Arwen, I went ahead and put the saddle on her - it would be good for her to have it on just to feel it there. I used a rope halter, and walked to the ring "armed" only with the 12' rope I led her with. Arwen was not anxious, but rather, very alert - even excited that I was working with her. I led her around the ring a bit, checking out the damp footing. I made sure to work her in the firmer areas. Arwen, like most Thoroughbreds, is on the sensitive/reactive side of things. We started out to the left - and I "pushed" her away from me by swinging the loop of rope I held between my hands towards her shoulder. She picked up her feet and started cantering right by my body - on a tiny circle (as the lead wasn't that long). She slowed down to a trot and I relaxed my body position and she came down to a walk and came to me. We did this a few more times - and to the right she was a little more explosive at first - letting out a good buck and a jump in the air. (I immediately decided that I wasn't going to ride her today - just wasn't worth it. I didn't think I could ride through that buck very well - even if she probably wouldn't do anything like that under saddle as a trained ex-racehorse, I just didn't want to chance it). But her behavior still wasn't acceptable - I was looking for calmness and we hadn't found it yet. So I led her around some more to a different area of the ring, and again asked her to make a circle around me - with the smallest amount of "ask" as possible - talking to her, "Just Waaaaaaallk." She did so nicely to the left, and just as politely to the right, and we quit after several times around each direction. While grooming, I again attempted to introduce her to carrots - something she is obviously not familiar with. I even had the special pre-cut baby carrots (leftover from New Year's) - and at least she took one in her mouth and chewed it up, but then shook her head up and down until it fell out. I will eventually teach her that they are yummy. :)

I was itching to ride, though, and so I pulled out my steadfast horse, Sweetie (now 23!). I thought it would be a nice break for her to work in the rope halter instead of a bridle/bit, especially since I had no intentions of doing anything more than walking with her. I recalled making a decision a year or two ago that Sweetie did much better with a bridle, but it seemed so long ago, I had forgotten the exact details.

It was a very pleasant ride, but my normally super sensitive turn-on-a-dime-with-a- lift-of-a-finger show hunter decided that she didn't really need to listen to my lateral requests since she wasn't wearing a bridle. In fact, it took all my strength ( and leaning hard!) to turn her at my request. Silly mare. We walked around the ring for 10 minutes or so and I vaguely felt the guilt of needing to get back inside to the family, but I was in my favorite place, in "horse heaven." We came to a halt and I just sat there in the saddle, procrastinating. I didn't want to get down. Reality came back and I knew that it was lunchtime and I needed to get back, so down I came, loosened the girth, rubbed Sweetie's forehead, and back to the barn we went. Until next time...

2010! Brrr!

2010-01-11T14:56:00.000-08:00

Okay, it has officially been pretty cold here in TX! We got down into the teens several nights last week - and getting water to the horses is an issue down here - usually, we Texans don't bother with heated buckets as it is so rare that the temps drop below freezing (and when they do, it is usually for a matter of a few hours). Everyone here has done well - I have an old tank heater that has been with me from VA that kept my trough de-iced, and we have a large pond that did not freeze. Also, I trucked fresh warm water out to the horses every morning, and made hot mashes (beet pulp/senior) for Sweetie and Arthur.

Those two are both doing great - I'm so pleased with their body condition and attitude this winter. I find it hard to believe that Arthur is now 26 and Sweetie will officially be 23 on Feb. 7! She has been with me for 20 years now! That is just amazing to me. She's been with me through all of life's major changes. I'm so glad that I am able to provide the retirement for her that she deserves.

This weekend, "Mr. Bear" visited us from Christopher's class, and Mr. Bear insisted on meeting the horses, so we took him out to the barn, and tacked up Arthur, and Christopher rode around with Mr. Bear in his lap. :) It was so cute! Christopher can steer pretty well (so long as Arthur isn't being onery about the gate) and I let him walk on his own most of the time. Then he came up behind me once and said he had asked Arthur to go faster. He was just speed-walking, but I wondered if he was ready to trot. I asked Christopher if he wanted to try going faster and he enthusiastically said, "Yeah!" so I jogged along Arthur until he broke into a trot - it was so cute. Christopher bounced around quite a bit but hung on there. Arthur was a good pony and put up with the beginner attempt at sitting a trot. :) They were adorable! Afterwards, Christopher exclaimed, "I'm Level 2 in riding now!" :) It was his first time trotting, and he was so proud! Momma was, too! I think the experience was a great one, and I look forward to more lessons with Christopher!

Texas Winter

2009-12-08T17:21:00.000-08:00

It has been soo cold lately! Okay, admittedly mostly in the 40's - 50's with only one night below freezing, but combine that with constant drizzle/rain for about a week and it seems darn right cold outside! The horses are all in their waterproof blankies, except for Charlie who is a Belgian/TB mare from Canada. When it is really raining and cold, they all stay in and enjoy the barn and extra hay. But otherwise they all do well out in the field, coming in for a few hours twice a day to eat and relax. My favorite part is when they lay down in their stalls - I may not see them do it, but the fresh shavings in their manes & tails gives it away.

I put blankets on the horses over a week ago now - I was hoping to take them off today but it never warmed up like it was supposed to. Even Arwen (my foster horse) took to having a blanket on like she'd had it done a million times (as would be expected for an ex-racehorse). I figured she would, but was extra careful just the same. You never know what might scare a horse or bring back a scary memory for them.

25yo Arthur enjoys his special hot beet pulp every meal. It sets out to soak for the next feeding for about 12 hours, and the water is so cold! I couldn't imagine eating it that way, so before I take it to the barn, I soak it with hot water, and Arthur slurps up every bit. He likes being in panels next to the hay where he can reach between the bars and nibble on as much hay as he'd like. He also has hay in his stall, but he prefers the stuff that is more challenging to get to.

I sometimes look at Sweetie and can't believe that we have been together for 19 years! I wonder what the first 3 years of her life were like, and hope in her mind she appreciates being with the same owner all these years - spoiled rotten! :) I guess she wouldn't know the difference. Her son, Rocky, certainly doesn't - he's been with me since the day he was born 13 years ago. Geez, is he really that old? It seems crazy how much time has passed!

I did get to ride about 3 weeks ago - I hopped on Sweetie and rode in the ring and we had a nice, relaxing ride. I've also given Sammie a few lessons on Arthur since I last wrote. But we humans have had our share of illnesses the last month, and now with the weather, it has been difficult to get out there and ride. Hopefully it will clear up this weekend and we will ride again!

Arthur - Laminitis Management

2009-10-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

After such a long drought, Texas is finally receiving a ton of rain! We actually have moved into an excess amount of rain for the year, although we still have not caught up for the last two years. So, as you can imagine, the grass has been growing like mad - and has been for about 2 months now.

Arthur was being kept up in a small paddock by the barn to keep him off of the grass as it first started growing after the drought. He has been doing really well with the emergency diet from the Equine Cushings Yahoo Group. Now, the group is of the opinion that you should never, ever let a cushings horse/pony out on any kind of grass. Hard core, no grass at all. But I have been struggling with that idea - and I can tell very quickly when Arthur is getting owie. I know for certain that when the grass grows either after a drought or first thing in the spring, that it is too much for Arthur. But he was eating the grass all last summer without trouble (when it was dried and brown). I have also read that the fall grass is actually the safest grass (lowest in starch). That combined with the consistent rain we have been getting made me feel that our grass is not stressed at this time, and I wanted to give Arthur the opportunity to be out with the herd (not to mention his paddock had become quite a muddy area, and I wanted to get his feet out of that situation as well). So I started letting Arthur out on the grass at night (when the grass is lower starch than during the day) for over a week and saw no sign of laminitis, so we started letting him out both day and night about mid-October. Actually, it was Oct. 10 to be specific, since that was the Horse Expo, and I had to use the panels that make his paddock for the Expo. Arthur has been out on pasture (coming in for 4-5 hours a day over 2 feedings of beet pulp and hay) for over 2 weeks now, and he is SO Happy to be a horse out with the herd again! My main concern are his feet, which I have been watching very carefully for the first sign of soreness. But so far, so good. I will continue to monitor him at every feeding and will keep him up again if I need to. But it appears we are to the "safe" time of fall grass, and soon it will all die off and then we will be home free until next spring.

So, I know that the wonderful ladies at the Equine Cushings group would probably admonish me for letting him have any grass at all, but I feel it is important to look at each horse individually. In another situation (a severely foundered horse/pony), I would be much more careful. But for our Arthur who has had mild laminitis a few times that we were able to clear up quickly with a change in diet & keeping him off grass when it was dangerous/starchy, I feel confident that with close monitoring of his comfort, I'll be able to make changes accordingly. At his age (25), quality of life is also important, and I want him to be happy. Not to mention that moving around with the herd all the time helps keep his arthritis from bothering him. In the last two weeks, on several occasions, I have seen him trotting and even cantering to come up for feeding time, which I have not seen in a while. To me, that's what being a horse is all about - feeling well enough to be out there running with the herd, free as can be.

Arwen at the Expo

2009-10-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

Arwen at the Expo
Isn't she gorgeous??!!

Becky brought Arwen to the Expo for me early Saturday morning - she loaded perfectly, but not before rolling in the mud... *rolling eyes*... So I had plenty of grooming to do - it really was too cold to give her a bath and I didn't have that much time while I was running between clinicians.

If I had any question as to whether Arwen was actually raced or not before the Expo, I am 100% certain now. Becky pulled her out of the stall during our live auction to walk her around and get comfortable with the new location before I was to take her in the ring and present her in hand. Well, the auctioneer's voice sounded very much like a sportscaster calling a horserace... Arwen's heart was racing and nearly pumping out of her chest when Becky first walked her out of her stall. Arwen's eyes were intensely aware of her surroundings and ears perked forward looking around for the race she assumed was going on.

It took Becky nearly 30 min to convince Arwen that there wasn't really a race and that she could calm down and relax. We also put my saddle on her - with a little work. She surprised both of us and kicked the first time we went to girth her up, but I'm not convinced that it wasn't related to being concerned about going to a race.

When it was time to go into the ring, Arwen was relaxed and perfectly behaved. We trotted along the rail when we were called and Arwen followed my pace easily and never tried to get in front of me or misbehave. I was so proud of her! She had a few people asking about her for a possible barrel prospect - I sure hope someone is interested in her! I would love to see her go to her forever home soon!

Arwen - A few days with a Trainer

2009-10-11T22:18:00.001-07:00

Arwen went to stay with Becky Strassner (a Frank Bell certified trainer) this week to be evaluated. We went knowing that Arwen had been raced as a 2 and 3 yo, (she is now 9), she let me tack her up and sit on her, but did not want to move her feet at all - she did not understand any cues I was giving her. Becky started out with ground work (as all good trainers do!) and I made time to go over and watch to learn as much as I could. I took Arwen over on Monday evening, and Becky spent some time with her out in the field just letting Arwen be a horse and spend time with her to get to know her. On Tuesday, she did groundwork in the field using a rope halter - and a rope lead - that does not have any metal hardware on it! I have taken the time to study the Parelli methods a bit, and although I can see the effectiveness of their methods, that big piece of metal that connects the lead to the halter slamming in to a horse's jaw just seems a little excessive to me.

On Weds. I got to see Becky work with Arwen in the roundpen on the ground. Arwen was very responsive and seems to be a very fast learner. But she worries sometimes - as is the nature for Thoroughbreds to be sensitive. The good part about Arwen is that if she does get worried - she comes back to her handler quickly and is able to return to the task almost immediately. She tried very hard to learn & understand what Becky was asking her to do. Becky felt that she would have no trouble tacking her up on Thursday.

Thursday came and Becky had Arwen in the roundpen with her personal horse, Bugs. The goal was for Arwen to see Bugs go through the steps, and to see what she wanted her to do. (and for me to practice wit Bugs so I could learn proper signals). Becky started off by working both horses on the rail to teach Arwen to join up. As soon as Becky took the pressure off, Bugs immediately turned and came in to Becky and would stay at her side whatever direction she went in. Arwen, on the other hand, was not as easy to join up. Arwen would stop and give Becky her attention, but did not understand to come in to her and follow her at her side. So Becky gently guided Arwen with her arm under her head and hand on her cheek, to show Arwen that she wanted her to stay with her. Another thing they had practiced a lot was being in step with each other - when Becky stopped, Arwen learned to also. Both of their feet moved and stopped at the same time. Then Becky worked with giving to pressure - lowering Arwen's head by gently milking the lead pulling downwards. And then doing the same to each side. She would get Arwen's head to one side, and then rub her face, eyes, ears, and nostrils to teach her that it was okay to be close with a human. She rubbed down her back to her tail and helped he relax and gently rub the underside of her tail - all of these things are rather intimate for a horse and help them know they are safe and can relax.

While standing on the near side, we put the rope on the far side and ran it along their far side all the way behind their rump, and then gently let them turn around to the right to follow the rope, and using "pressure", asking them to move off in a circle. When you are done, you "wind them up", asking their hindquarters to engage and step deeply across one another 3 times in a tight circle. What was interesting was that Arwen had no idea how to do that at first - she would shuffle sideways with her back feet, stepping on herself occasionally, but it took some practice before she would really cross over with her back legs.

Arwen also learned to back both by giving at the poll and also by using your body energy to push them backwards. Everything that she learned on the ground translated directly to the saddle.

Becky first got on her bareback - she said that you can feel their muscle tenseness much better when it's directly under you. Arwen stood well for mounting, but preferred to follow me riding Bugs bareback in order to move off. Becky encountered the same thing I had seen before - she had no idea what any leg cues were, and did not understand to move forward gently. But she was quick to follow Bugs, as any racehorse would know to do as they are often ponied around when they are not galloping down the stretch.

Becky put the saddle & pad on her back - letting her smell them first - and Arwen stood fine for both. At this point, I was back on the ground leading Bugs just in case Arwen was silly. Becky worked her on the ground first, asking her to move, circle, step under herself in a tight circle, until she was confident that Arwen would be okay for her to mount up. Mounting was uneventful, but she still preferred to follow Bugs for a while until she got the hang of things, and eventually, Becky was walking her around away from us. She even trotted her around once or twice, but Arwen seemed concerned, so she stopped.

Overall, it was a great first ride, and I learned a lot. My favorite part about what I learned from Becky was the gentleness of it all. Of course, I tend to be very calm, so I did have to use more energy, but I felt good about all the things she was asking me to do. I never put Bugs or Arwen in a place where they seemed concerned or uncomfortable.

Trying out the Ankle...

2009-09-27T13:08:00.001-07:00

This morning was beautiful here in Texas, and I have been anxious to ride - it has been well over a month since the last time I rode - before I hurt my ankle. As I said before, Sweetie is always the first horse I get back on after a time off from riding. She loved the grooming, and the apples! I know that my ankle is still sore sometimes, but I just couldn't stay off the horses any longer. So we went out to the ring, and I mounted up - OUCH! It was pretty significantly painful. What did I think would happen? It was my left ankle, the one that you put your foot in the stirrup first, it holds all your weight. I was even using a mounting block (although not a huge one, and I was getting on a 16hh horse). It took several minutes for the pain to subside, and I quickly decided that we were not going to do more than walk this lazy Sunday. So we went out in the field to walk the fence a bit, and check out the pond ("tank"). Sweetie has never been one to really enjoy going away from the barn - even after all of these years. I had to straighten her out to stay the direction I wanted to go several times. But she did not fight it too bad for her. As we approached the pond, I could feel her anxiety building, and the moment I turned (no longer away from the barn, but perpendicular to it), she lifted up her front feet and began to get ready to bolt to the barn. Haha - I was ready for this - I know how she is - and I half-halted with my body to bring her back. As I continued to do the rest of the way back up the hill to the barn. I did not have to use a one-rein stop as she did not make that strong an effort, but it was all I could do to keep her walking the whole way back.

The good news was that the pond was full again after all the rain we have received. :) I liked that. :) And I took Sweetie back into the ring to dismount - for two reasons. 1) to teach her that we don't dismount at the barn and 2) it has much softer footing (sand) for my ankle :). I managed to dismount very slowly and only put weight on my good ankle first, and had no trouble from there.

So, I have come to the conclusion that I need to teach my horses to be mounted from the off side for a month or so while my ankle continues to heal. I suspect that although my horses will be initially surprised, they will take to it easily. It's me I'm worried about. :) I don't know if I'm that coordinated anymore. :) My body is so programmed to mounting from the left, I worry I'll mount up and end up looking backwards. :) (Not really... well, maybe. :) ) So we'll see what happens there.

I also took my foster horse, Arwen, out to the ring for some nice, calm, ground work. She was very relaxed, and always came back to me easily. Although I have not "played" with her as much as I'd like, she's learned that I'm pretty laid back. Every time she would come in to me, I would rub her forehead, and she would close her eyes and chew a little. You could just see how relaxed she was. It feels good to know that she trusts me and that we have built a bond even if it is based just on our daily interactions - grooming, a gentle rub on the forehead every time I pass her stall, etc.

Rocky had been sore in his front feet for a few weeks (not laminitis like) - like the change in weather to all the wetness made his feet hurt as the old sole shed off. It has progressively improved, and I took him out to longe him to see how he was doing. I put him out on a circle and asked him to trot - and he told me what for as he took off bucking/kicking/galloping and then came down to the trot. He did that both directions. I don't know if he was saying, "it's about time, Mom" or "how dare you make me work after all this time off." :) Something tells me it's the latter, as he would buck into the canter as a sign of resistance when we were riding regularly. But it was good to see him feeling better - and although I am anxious to ride him - he is 17hh and I've gotta get this off-side mounting thing down before I try to get on him. :) I don't think my ankle could handle the extra 4 inches right now.

It felt so good to ride again today! Here's looking for more of that!

Injuries - of the human sort!

2009-09-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

What a frustrating year for injuries for me! Almost a month ago now, I bent my ankle way too far to the outside when I stumbled just plain jogging to open a gate at the end of the driveway - enough pain to make me suddenly feel ill and shock-like. I'm doing pretty well now, but still sore. I used a brace for about a week, walked on it more than I should have, and then muddled through limping to help it get stronger. I have not yet attempted riding with it, but that is next on my list. I think I'll go with Sweetie first. :) She's always the safest bet, and doesn't mind being lazy (so long as we stay up in the ring!)

I have also started doing some hoof trimming on my own. My wonderful farrier of 9 years suddenly stopped communicating - I have called him a few times to reschedule, but he has not returned my calls. So, I am trimming my own horses right now. I have been watching the process for the last 20 years, and actually bought the tools about 5 years ago. I can say with certainty that I am improving each time, and I'm actually not half bad. You really have to focus on what the hoof looks like to start, where you want it to be, and then BALANCE. I have also learned how much easier it is to do my horse of 18 years who pretty much holds the hoof up for you compared to a 1/2 draft mare that doesn't like to hold her feet for you. :) And then there is the aspect of being completely relaxed and patient with the horses. I get a little nervous/concerned when the kids are with me in the barn when I need to do a trim, and the horses can tell. But when it's just me in the barn, they are much better behaved!

I trimmed two horses all the way around this Sunday morning (in lieu of using that time to ride... *pout*) and my back is pretty sore - it is much better today (2 days later) but on Sunday evening, I had a few shooting pains in my back that made me catch my breath when I bent over. Some advil, and some ice along my spine really helped make it feel better. But I am again being very careful about my body!

I guess I am being forced to realize that my body is not quite as limber/elastic as it once was, and I am putting more thought into my own safety. I ride 16/17 hh horses, but am pretty sure that the next mount I get for myself will be about 14 hh :) Much closer to the ground! A nice quarter horse will do. :) Not that I don't love my TB, I DO! But she will always have the quick reaction of a thoroughbred, and is very sensitive to any stimuli from me or around her. Even after years of showing, trailering, and pleasure riding, she still reacts quickly to things (although not as severely as she once did). But I still trust her more than any other horse in the barn - well, except for Arthur the pony, but I'm far too big for him. :) Sweetie has been with me through so much over the last 18 years - we've done so many things together - I know how she will react - she is nothing if not consistent in her behaviors.

I guess this concern comes from not riding as much as I had been. I felt this way when I started taking lessons again over a year ago. But I haven't had a lesson for about 6 months now. As cliche as it sounds, I just need to get "back on the horse."

Return of the Barn Cat

2009-09-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

I blogged about our new barn cat a few months ago, and shortly after he was "free" from the confines of the tack room (thanks to a skilled vet for neutering and shots), he disappeared during the day. He would return sometime at night, every night, to eat, but I never saw him... until last week. Suddenly, and completely, our barn cat has become, a BARN cat - he stays in there all day and sleeps on the hay or the area above the tack room. It's almost kinda funny to see him poking his head out under the eaves to watch me come to the barn every morning. (I need to take a photo!)

I don't know whether it is that we now have a huge stack of hay for him to sleep on, or if it has cooled off enough to make the barn bearable, or what. But he has been out there every morning and evening feed - and was even there this afternoon when I carried fresh grain in. He is very vocal and talks to me as I approach the barn, and I always pick him up and pet him for a few minutes which immediately quiets him down and starts him purring.

And the kids are so excited to have their kitty back! Sammie and Christopher have been asking, "When will we see the kitty again?" and now I can take them out there with me to pet him. He actually tolerates the kids really well, thank goodness, but you can tell he prefers the adults. :) And I'm so happy to have an affectionate cat around to keep the mice away!

Cushings/Laminitis & Diet

2009-08-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

As you can read from my last post, we were so excited to get in some fresh hay for the winter! It feels so good to know that my stash is about half full, and know that the other half will be here in a few weeks. But the new hay had some unexpected consequences for Arthur, our 25yo pony. A few days after we started feeding the hay to him (he is up in a dirt paddock because he tends to get owwie feet when the grass comes in after a drought), he started showing signs of laminitis again. I had not made any other changes, and it seemed surprising to me that the hay could cause his feet to be sore. It wasn't grain overload or a ton of green grass - just hay? A very smart lady said it sounded like cushings - and I spent some time researching it. My best source by far was this group: Equine Cushings Group

I quickly learned that the hay could very well be too high in sugar/starch for Arthur, especially since it was grown during a drought time in Texas (although it was well irrigated and fertilized). So the solution was to soak the hay for 30 min (hot water) - 1hr (cold water) before feeding it to him. I was also advised to discontinue any grain, and use soaked/rinsed beet pulp instead, supplemented with vitamin E, flax seed, salt, and magnesium.

Within one week, this change in diet took him from a very ouchy laminitic pony who had started laying down for a few hours in the afternoon to get off his feet, to one who looks completely comfortable again, and has even been trotting around! He also seems much brighter, and the gook in his eyes he has had for the last year has completely cleared up. Amazing what diet can do!

I feel silly for not thinking of Cushings earlier - I knew Arthur had foundered in his past, and that he tended to be laminitic sensitive, but always thought "old foundered pony" - not Cushings. And then I remembered how hairy he had been this winter, and how he continued to shed (blankets!) until almost June before his coat looked nice, short & shiny.

My next steps will be to get a baseline ACTH, insulin, and glucose. And to have my hay analyzed so I can do a more specific diet balancing. Right now, though, we are through the hardest part of getting him stabilized and knowing what to feed him to keep him healthy and happy! I am so glad I found the Equine Cushings group and I am learning as much as I can for Arthur's sake.

120 bales happier...

2009-08-10T19:52:00.001-07:00

Saturday we loaded up 120 bales of beautiful coastal hay into my 24' stock trailer to start filling my winter stash. I've bought hay from the same guy the past two years - clean, fertilized, irrigated - and I am lucky he had as much for me as he did this year. He had 2 other customers to fill before me, but he ended up with more than he expected, thank goodness! The drought in my area of Texas is "exceptional" - it has been 100+ most of the last 2 months, and we have had hardly any rain.

And yes, it was over 100 while we were loading. No way around that. But we got 'er done, and Sunday night we stacked it all in the barn. Arthur will be in heaven as he can reach it through the panels that make up his stall. Best news - I saved $360. Hay is selling for $9/bale at the feed store, and I got this for $6 out of the field. (Isn't that what the feed store was selling it for a few years ago??! ) The price of hay came down briefly to $8.50 for a few weeks in June then went back up to $9. If that's where it is right now - I can't imagine where it will be in winter! I hope to get another 100-150 bales from the same guy mid-September, if the grass recovers well. It has been so dang hot!

Praying for rain...

Another Colic Episode...

2009-08-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

Everything was normal when I let the horses in this morning, and thankfully I puttered around a bit in the barn before running back inside to get out of the heat. Within a few moments, I heard Sweetie pawing and knew immediately she was beginning to colic. I put a halter on her and walked her into the yard - she was not interested in grass, and laid down and rolled up on her side. I watched her for a few minutes, and things did not seem to subside, so went in for some banamine. When I got back out to her (laying down), I heard the strangest noise - it sounded like she was trying to burp - a very fluidy burp - from her chest up in to her neck. I watched a few minutes more as she got uncomfortable, and stood up - the burp sound continued rhythmically, and she looked more stressed and stretched her neck out. Some green slobber dripped from her mouth and a tiny bit from her nose - which seemed like a choke, but she wasn't coughing or attempting to. I called the vet and let them know I would be on my way - and asked if it was okay to give her the banamine, which they said so long as it was IV it would be okay. I gave her the shot and then ran to get the trailer hooked up. I pulled the trailer around to the barn, and by then Sweetie was standing calmly by the fenceline - I went over to check her out, and if she looked completely normal, I would not have taken her to the vet. But I heard that weird burp/fluidy sound again and was not taking any chances - I have had Sweetie 19 years, we've been through a handful of colics that have all been very similar, and I had never heard this noise. I prayed it wasn't reflux.

Sweetie did not want to get on the trailer - I couldn't really blame her. I pulled out the lead with the chain which always did the trick when she was younger and more energetic - and that did it first try. Just knowing it was across her nose was enough to coerce her to get in.

By the time we got to the vet's (15 min later) she seemed pretty normal to me and was no longer making any weird throat noises. They drew blood which had a normal PCV (37 I think?), and did a protein test that was slightly high at 6.8, but not horrible. She tubed her, there was not any obstruction at that point (if there had been), everything seemed normal. She got a gallon of mineral oil and some water. The rectal palpation was also normal, everything was soft, no large amounts of gas or fluid anywhere, all seemed pretty dang normal.

What I was worried most about was some kind of obstruction, either in her neck, or something that would cause a reflux (fluid to come up from her stomach into her mouth, that would only happen in the most serious of colics where there was an obstruction). So my worries were calmed, and I decided to go ahead and take her home and watch her. My instructions were to not let her eat until tomorrow morning, and then start her on a half ration of her grain. Well, that, and I could hand walk her once this evening and let her graze on grass.

Everything started about 9am, and we were already home by 11am. But by 3pm, Sweetie had not drank a single sip of water while in her stall. She normally doesn't, the water was fresh... she prefers other water sources. So we grazed for 15 minutes at 3pm and then I took her to the trough where she sipped 3-4 gallons of water. But still not as much as I'd hoped for. I put her back in her stall, hoping to see at least one bowel movement. By 4:30, she still had not drank any water from her bucket, and still no poop. But the water issue was more concerning than the poop at that point - the vet had pulled out a fair amount during the palpation. If she wasn't going to drink water in her stall, we'd have a lot more serious issues to deal with soon - talk about impaction! So, I made the decision to let her out in the field with everyone - and pray that there was not anything seriously wrong with her. Sweetie went straight down to the pond and drank for 2-3 minutes before moving on. I also have a trough that I keep fresh water in, but I guess the pond water was cooler. (It is 104 here today). She looked completely normal as she grazed on the grass, and wandered off with our little herd.

I just went out to check on her - about 9:30pm - in the beautiful moonlight! And she was just fine, munching on some grass with her pals, not a worry at all. I am so thankful that she is doing well, and I know that I made the right decision for my horse. Every time in the past when she has had a mild colic that she has worked through, I have always let her back out in the pasture with grass, skipped a meal and then started back with 1/2 or less the next meal. She has always done fine that way, and I hope that she always will!

But if she does start colicing more frequently - weekly/monthly, then we may need to scope her to look for ulcers. But they want to keep them without food/water for a while before that - and that just doesn't make any sense in this heat (or at all for that matter- horses are supposed to eat all the time, I don't want to interfere with nature). So, it would have to wait until a cooler season at least, if I ever were to go that way. If I do get concerned about ulcers, I'll buy some Stomach Soother (half the cost of scoping) and go from there. I've already seen that work great on a rescue horse.

I also got a call tonight that my hay guy will be baling tomorrow, so we will be loading up 100-150 bales tomorrow in 100 degree heat. And drinking LOTS of water! But I will save 1.50-3.00/bale by doing it this way - that works out to $300-450 in savings! Gotta do it while the price is right - and this may be my last chance to get any hay this year out of the field. The drought down here has been horrible on crops of all kinds. Here's hoping for rain soon!

Spontaneous Healing

2009-08-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

Wow - it has been far too long since I last wrote on here! Vacations, busy schedules, have kept me away.

I rode Sweetie briefly last weekend - she was very good - we just walked around in the field a bit. And I rode Rocky this morning - lots of trot circles/figure 8's. He was also very good. Sammie has ridden Arthur a handful of times - our new favorite thing is to walk him down to the pond/"tank" and back up to the barn.

The good news is that Penny has been on her treatment, "Marquis", for EPM for about 2 weeks and I can already see the difference in her demeanor! She is much perkier and happier in general. Her hind end seems to be moving more naturally - not such a hesitation when we go in/out of her stall. I played with her a bit this morning. Only about 10 minutes of "work" if you can call it that - I played some Parelli games with her, and then asked her to go both ways on a circle, first at the walk and then at the trot. To the left seemed a bit harder on her. (Her "lame" leg is her LH). You could also tell when moving her hindquarters around that she would not cross over her back legs to move that way like she would to the right - a clear sign of lameness. But she finally did cross just barely one time and we quit there.

I also need to get Penny ready for Sammie to ride, and so I practiced mounting/dismounting a few times with Penny. She was so good, let me lean over her on my belly and scratch her everywhere before swinging my leg over.

And then the good news about Arthur's facial paralysis - over the last two weeks, I have started to see some improvement! His ear is now moving with the other ear at about 85% capacity it seems, and his nostrils are now about even instead of the right one drooping down lower, and his lower lip on the right is only drooping the smallest amount now in comparison. I'm so glad I didn't attempt to put him through an expensive treatment/surgery to correct this and that things are improving so well! It really is amazing to see. I was so worried about him for a while.

The other thing that has happened is that about a week ago, we finally got some rain here in TX. So the drought grass full of sugar has started to come up, and I have had to keep Arthur & Penny up in a dirt paddock so that their laminitis issues don't flare up. Thank goodness they keep each other company so well! They are enjoying all the hay and their feet are not aching, so I know I'm doing the right thing. In a week or two, I will start letting them out for a few hours in the morning, and work up to being out at night again. All for now!

Sweetie Colicked - again...

2009-06-16T18:55:00.001-07:00

What was I saying about these episodes happening maybe once a year? Again, yesterday morning, approximately 1hr after breakfast I found Sweetie in a sweat in her stall, pawing, anxious. So I took her out to the yard again to let her walk around and see how she was doing. This time it was clear the colic was a little more serious than Sunday's, so I did give her 6cc of Banamine (I know the full dose is 10cc, but I only have 6cc syringes on hand right now, and if it didn't help, we would be looking at more serious stuff anyways). I even gave her the IV shot while she was laying down, in the shade, thankfully. And also, thankfully, about 20 minutes later, she was back to her normal self, grazing as if nothing had happened.

So - I started to go through what might be causing this. Someone recently suggested ulcers - and although it is possible, I doubt it due to the way the horses are managed. They are out on pasture 24/7, always with something in front of them, and they are only in the barn for about an hour, twice a day, for feeding times. What bothered me about it was that the colic both days was exactly 1 hr after feeding. So, it made me look to the feed. Sweetie has been on Aussie Logic's "Kool & Kalm" for about a year now. This was her first colic since being on that grain - she gets one 3lb coffee can at each meal, which is the approximate volume she has been receiving for the last 19 years in my care. Kool & Kalm is an extruded feed, primarily made from alfalfa, but low in starches, and it actually looks like dog food. It is however, what the local holistic vet highly recommends, and up until this point, I would have too. My horses have looked great on this feed, but they have also looked great on others.

Recently, dealing with Arthur's facial paralysis, I have begun to wonder more about the feed. When it gets moist, it becomes a gritty mash - and when Arthur is done, the dribbles and drools on his bucket turn into a very hard, rough surface. It does come off pretty easily in water, but I've never had a grain that was quite that consistency - kindof reminded me of cement (yikes!) So for dinner last night and breakfast this morning, Sweetie ate a handful of Manna Pro apple treats for her meals, followed by a flake of hay, and both times she was completely fine. I can't say for sure that it was the grain, or possibly the last bag I opened, but either of those is NOT okay by me - and Sweetie, my precious 1st horse, is also my most sensitive digestive system, so if she says something is wrong, I will go by that.

I used the end of my Kool & Kalm this morning, (timing is everything!) and this afternoon purchased Purina Equine Senior for Sweetie, (and Arthur will probably get a tiny bit) and then Nutrena's SafeChoice for everybody else. Man, the horses were delighted! Arthur kept licking his bowl long after his tiny 1/2 lb was gone - everyone else was happy, too. I know to start switching everyone over slowly, of course, but for 3 or 4 of them, the 1/2 lb is all they are getting anyways (the piggies :) ) And we will slowly get up to where we should be for Sweetie and Arwen.

I also dosed Sweetie with half a tube of Probios and started her week of Sand Clear. So hopefully, we won't have any more of the episodes any time soon. Fingers crossed!

Test riding Arwen

2009-06-14T10:01:00.000-07:00

The rescue has heard from some people that may be interested in adopting Arwen, so I needed to find out what she really knew under saddle. I have lots of fears about riding a horse for the first time - especially after being thrown off Kiley so recently, but I did my best to remind myself that she *is* an OTTB that was raced, and Sweetie was also one when I first rode her 19 years ago, so although she might be quick, the chances of going into a bucking fit were smaller, I hoped. After bringing all the horses in the barn for breakfast, I sat down in my barn chair and listened to the horses peacefully munching away. I stood up when Arwen was done and had put her head out of her stall and rubbed her forehead and then let my hand follow her neck back to her withers for a good scratching. Arwen enjoyed the scratches and then I went inside the house to put my britches on.

Back at the barn, I pulled Arwen out of her stall, and started grooming her with the curry, and then heard Sweetie pawing in her stall. I stopped and went over to Sweetie's stall and watched her for a minute - she continued pawing in each corner of her stall, with her nose down - a clear sign that she was beginning to colic...

I sighed and put Arwen back in her stall in the middle of our grooming routine, and put the halter on Sweetie and brought her out. I started by grooming her just to see her response - it distracted her for a minute, but her respiration was still a bit elevated, and then she started pawing again, so we went for a walk in the grass around the house (that is much greener). She half-heartedly took a few nibbles, and then pawed a few more times, so I left her there in the yard while I went to get some banamine. It took me a few minutes to find the syringes, etc., and when I came back out, shot in hand, Sweetie was eagerly eating some green grass. I watched her for several more minutes, and she didn't paw anymore, and seemed her normal self. So I put the banamine away and took her back to the barn.

Sweetie is known for having mild colics occasionally that she usually works out on her own. I have previously kept her on Fast-Trak with good results, but had thought that the probiotics in the grain I am using would be sufficient for that. I guess it is also a good reminder that it has been a few months since I did a round of Sand Clear - so I'd better do that again soon. Thankfully, this time, Sweetie seemed fine and back to normal after we were in the barn. So I decided to continue with Arwen.

So many dang fears about getting on a horse I don't know... I can't afford to get seriously hurt - I'm a mom of two youngsters that need me. I have to trust in my own judgment of the horse and how they are responding at the time. (I should never have gotten on Kiley... if I had been paying attention to all the signs, I would not have - I put pressure on myself to do it, there were other people there, etc...) Anyways, I got Arwen out and resumed grooming her where we had left off.

Arwen absolutely loves grooming. And she acts like she very much wants to trust me as a human, but is also cautious, not sure of my expectations. I let her sniff the saddle pad, and then the saddle and girth in succession as I put them on her back/belly. She stood well for the saddle. And I wanted to use a bridle- even though she had mouthed the bit so much and seemed so anxious before, I felt it was a safety issue (my safety, that is). I used a Dr. Bristol (is that the right term for it?) It has two joints instead of the one in the plain snaffle, and a flat piece that goes across the tongue. She accepted it the first time, but the bridle I had did not fit her, so I had to put the bit on a smaller bridle. Arwen watched me as I worked on it, and when I was done, I adjusted it some more while standing in front of her and she walked up about 5 feet to get closer to me and what I was doing - as in saying yes, she was okay with the bridle, she wanted to be a part of what I was doing.

With the bridle finally adjusted correctly and my helmet fastened, we walked to the ring. She was mouthing the bit constantly again, but she did not seem as anxious as she had the last time, and she was picking the bit up and chewing on it, but was not opening her mouth wide like she had last time. (So I think the change in bit was appropriate). Another funny thing is that although she is only 14.2, she has the girth of a horse that is 16 hands. She is very broad for a TB, and the girth fit her the same way it fits Sweetie.

We played some friendly game and asked her to move her hindquarters away from me both directions. We did a few circles, and through everything she seemed calm. So I asked her to "walk on" and "ho" being sure to put pressure on the reins to make sure she was okay. Still was fine. My fears were there in my mind, and I decided I would at least try to lean over her, and maybe that would be enough for the day. (She had not stood still at the mounting block last time we did that (but I did not have a saddle on her that time) - every time I leaned towards her she wanted to take a step. We finally did get to the point that she would stand still last time we worked together). But this time, Arwen did not move. I leaned on the stirrup with my hand from the ground and she stood quietly. So I took her to the mounting block. She did not even move as I leaned towards her and over the saddle. And she stood quietly as I put a foot in the stirrup. Up until this point, she had been chewing on the bit constantly. But the moment I put my foot in the stirrup, the chewing stopped. Suddenly and completely, the chewing was over. The way she was standing so perfectly still encouraged me to bring my leg over her back and sit down - and she continued to stand. I dismounted and remounted and she continued to stand still. So I remounted, and she stood still and then took maybe one step backwards. I sat there, pleased that it was so far uneventful, and then began to ask her to move forward, using the lightest of aids. The last thing I wanted was to ask too hard and end up galloping around the ring. So I clucked quietly, repeated "walk on", squeezed ever so gently, and Arwen stood completely still. I wiggled around more in the saddle. Rubbed her withers, her neck, and her chest (she is only 14.2, so I could reach) to tell her how good she was being. I reached behind me and rubbed her rump and she continued to stand. So I started shifting my weight around a bit, squeezing a little more firmly (but no kicking, of course), and still, she stood. So I tried the "turn their head and hold it until they take a step" idea, without success. Well, I guess that depends on your definition of success. She willingly gave me her head, turned it all the way around and touched my toes, both directions, and I held it there for 30 seconds or so while she closed her eyes and relaxed. Still no movement. I felt guilty for holding it for so long and released. Her neck is very flexible, and it seemed like it didn't bother her at all, but I couldn't bear to hold her head around like that in such an uncomfortable position for longer than that. So I gave her more pats, tried squeezing again. Then my husband called out to us from the house which startled us both, and she stepped back, and then planted her feet again. I even tried taking the end of the reins back and forth over her withers (gently) without any response. So, after about 10 minutes of standing there without moving forward ( a step or two backwards), I dismounted and knew I would need to work more with verbal cues on the lunge line to teach her to go forward - or the help from someone on the ground. And as soon as my feet touched the ground, she started chewing away intensely at the bit again.

I have wondered if she was internalizing her response - and then could "blow" so to speak, but her body language did not suggest that. She was perfectly calm when I dismounted. She is very sensitive (her skin, to sudden movements) but never over-reacts like an "afraid" horse. She might move away, but catches herself quickly.

I am sure I could have gotten her to move forward with a crop, but gosh, that might have sent her skyward. My goal was for her to feel comfortable with me in the saddle, to reaffirm to her that I am a relaxed, calm, human being that she doesn't need to fear, and I feel we succeeded there.

Somewhere, it just doesn't make sense that an OTTB that raced a lot did not want to move forward. Seems counter-intuitive. I wonder if the only "forward" cue she has experienced was a crop on her butt, but think to myself that there must have been some other cues. I hope, anyways.

We'll keep playing with it - patiently. Now that I have more information to go on, I know more specifically were to start. So, I would say she is fine with tack and mounting, but has not been trained to move forward with leg signals at all yet. We'll get to work on that. :)

Priceless help

2009-06-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

We've just returned from a week's vacation, and I have to say that there is nothing more comforting than knowing you have the best animal care in the world while you are gone. I am so thankful for the retired farmer down the road who gladly comes down and cares for the 6 horses, 3 dogs, and barn cat. He has had all sorts of animals throughout his lifetime, and does a great job with all of the animals. I think he even enjoys it - it is a break from daily chores for him. This time was the first vacation we have taken since we built the barn, and I wondered how things would go with all the horses going in and out twice a day to be fed. But good ol' Clyde had no trouble at all. I guess it helps that all 6 horses know where their stalls are, but it is just so nice to know how well they are taken care of. I came home to a freshly sweeped aisleway, full water troughs, and happy animals that didn't seem to notice that we had been gone. Well, okay, the dogs were very happy to see us, but they were all in excellent health, and the novelty of our return wore off quickly. :)

Actually, Clyde has been caring for our animals on all of our vacations for the last 8 years, and he always does a wonderful job. I feel so blessed to have found him shortly after we moved here!

Beautiful day for a ride!

2009-05-31T13:27:00.000-07:00

What a gorgeous morning here in Texas! And I finally felt well enough to ride. I have had a head cold for over a week now, and there's no sense riding if you don't feel balanced yourself - it's just not safe. So for the past few days, I had been grooming Arthur just for the pleasure of it.

After feeding the horses this morning, I put my riding britches on and headed back out to the barn. As I walked out of the tack room with my saddle, both Sweetie and Rocky had their ears perked up and eyes wide open requesting, "Pick me!" But I already knew I would ride Rocky - it has been a few weeks and I really missed riding my giant red chestnut.

He loved the grooming, and the treats, of course. We tacked up and went in the ring, and I mounted up without any trouble. Rocky was a little excited and walked off as I mounted up. We started out with a relaxed walk on a long rein, and then went up into a trot. We did bunches of circles and serpentines to keep his mind busy, and then I wanted to practice some trot-halt-trot transitions. I have never done those on Rocky before, but thought it would be a good experience for him. I guess I goosed him a little too much and he bucked a little like I was asking him to canter. Now, I knew not to do that today since it has been a while since I have ridden him, but he assumed as much. So instead, we practiced walk-trot-walk transitions until he was calm and understood what I was asking. I also practiced using the smallest signal possible to get him to move forward. Rocky has a very strong personality and he gets mad if you asked for something too firmly and don't give him a chance to move out without goosing him. He much prefers me to ask verbally "trot on" or even just cluck a little and lean forward rather than squeeze with my legs too much. I'll always remember when he was super green and I would squeeze with both legs, and he would stand there at the halt, turn his nose around and look at me. Now I know he was probably just saying I had to ask politely, but I would continue squeezing more firmly, and was even known to kick a little to ask. And Rocky stood there, hooves firmly planted on the ground, and turned and looked at me again... It seems like our relationship has evolved to a much more "polite" friendship - where I ask gently and he responds in kind. MUCH better. :)

More later - after I rode Rocky, I gave Sammie a pony ride on Arthur - and a Jack Rabbit graced us with his presence not 20 yards away from us as he hopped through the ring! :)

Training Barn Cats

2009-05-27T08:00:00.001-07:00

What is that saying about herding cats again?

We adopted a cat from the local shelter a few months ago to help with the mouse population that showed up in our new barn this winter. He lived in the tack room until he was fixed and had all of his shots, and then we let him in the barn aisleway (with stall doors closed) so that he could figure out the barn. Our first time letting him out of the barn he fearlessly went up to our barking/growling dogs (on the other side of a fence) and walked right through them - for some reason not understanding that yes, they would very much like to eat him given the chance. I have introduced all the dogs separately and on their own, they behave. But I had been nervous about letting the cat out into the world until I was convinced he had some dog common sense.

My dad visited a few weeks ago and installed a series of shelves for the cat to climb up and get up on top of the tack room to get away from the dogs if he needed to. And since then, I have found the cat up there almost every morning. He has started climbing the rafters, and yesterday, he had finally figured a way out of the barn on his own.

So I have left the stall doors open (inside the barn) - as he can effortlessly clear the 4' walls at each window. And although I haven't seen him, he has been back to eat. I put his food up on one of the ledges my Dad built (about 4' off the ground) and the food was nearly gone this morning. So, that's good news! And it appears he learned his lesson about the dogs - whew!

Okay, I'll stop worrying now! :)

Darn Horses! :)

2009-05-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

I went out this morning to feed as usual, and saw most of the horses out in the field - and I knew once they heard me rummaging around, they'd be up at the barn in no time. I put all the feed out, opened the barn doors, to see 4 out of 6 horses moseying up to the barn, taking their time. But I couldn't see Arwen or Sweetie (my 22yo TB mare, my first horse). After I got the first 4 up and hollered some more, Arwen, lazily made her way up - but she had been way down in the field. But where was Sweetie? I called some more - nothing - and then I heard my son who had just woke up and had to run in to tend to him for a moment. Came back out - and Sweetie still wasn't anywhere to be seen. What's worse is that the horses were eerily silent. The lead mare isn't around and no one is fussing or worried? Not even her son? That's not normal around here.

I'm worried now, and hastily grabbed a halter and lead - worse case scenarios going through my head. After a 3-4 minute (brisk) walk, I walk up to the top of the tank to get a better look at the back pasture where Arwen had came from. And then I see some movement through the trees - and for a moment I wonder if Sweetie somehow got out in the neighbor's cow field. She must've heard the halter jingling. Filled with relief, I see her take off towards the barn, galloping, like "where'd everybody go?"

Man! First time that has happened - and thank goodness it was nothing serious. I thought colic, injury, wild dogs, I've heard stories about horses staying back with another injured horse - like I thought Arwen had done. Anyways, I'm so relieved and happy to begin my day again knowing all the horses are well & happy! Darn Horses! They can throw your heart for a loop!

Mother's Day Rides!

2009-05-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

This morning my wonderful husband gave me the gift of time with the horses, and so I spent the morning out at the barn! I pulled out Rocky first, hoping to ride him, but he was squinting his right eye - so I put ointment in it and groomed him really well, and put him back in his stall.

Next was Sweetie, of course. I really wanted to ride, so I took her out, groomed all of her itchy spots and otherwise, and saddled up for a nice ride. We did more trotting that we had last week, worked on bending on our turns, and cantered each direction briefly. Sweetie is always such a pleasure!

I promised Harlan I would work with Charlie, too. It has been about 6 months (or more) since she's been ridden, so he recommended I not ride her, but I took her bridle out with me just in case. I went ahead and put the saddle on for her groundwork - it's always a good experience just to have the saddle on.

When we got to the ring, we started out with some groundwork games, rubbing her with the carrot stick, asking her to move away from it, etc. But it was not long before Charlie decided she really wanted to move, so I sent her out and let her trot. Man, this mare is so big and powerful! She did a beautiful trot about 3 times around me then came in and calmed down. So I sent her out the other direction, and she again took off at the trot, went about 3 times around and came back to me. Now, both times I had not asked her to trot - I was only asking her to make a circle around me, did not give her any other cues at all. But Charlie felt it necessary to trot. I wondered if she was having a flashback to her training before we adopted her - they would take her out and lunge her at the trot both directions almost immediately - or at least, that's how they showed her to us the day we took her home. She finally calmed down enough so that she just walked each direction, and then I *asked* for the trot, which she willingly did. Now that she was listening to me more clearly, I decided to practice mounting.

Charlie, in the past, has not stood well when Harlan has gone to mount the first time. So I put her bridle on and took her over to the mounting block, gave her a firm "ho" and leaned on her a bit. I just took my time, making sure she would keep her feet still, which she did. She seemed to understand me clearly, so I went ahead and mounted up. She continued to stand very well, until she couldn't resist the grass blades coming up in front of her and stepped forward. So I asked her to move forward and we started walking. Charlie is a 17hh Belgian/TB mare, and very strong and stubborn through her neck. My goal was to get her to be more responsive to my rein cues. Sometimes, I had to pull very firmly until I got a response from her, but as soon as she turned her head the way I wanted to go, I released. We practiced turning, circles, figure eights, going straight, etc. A couple of times she wanted to move up into the trot without me asking, but I was quick to say ho and ask her to come back to the walk - she needs to learn to trot only when she is asked. Towards the end of the ride, she was becoming more responsive to my rein cues, I was able to make circles both directions easily, and so we quit on the good note.

Next, I played with Arwen again - she loved her grooming, and I took her to the ring without a saddle again. We played the games again, and she improved on all areas - including making a circle around me both directions. I even got her to go around me to the right twice around (an improvement from yesterday!). Again, my goal with Arwen is just to have her calm and not worry about anything. So I took her over to the mounting block and practiced me stepping up onto it until she stood still. She reminds me of my TB mare, Sweetie, who didn't want to stand still while mounting, either at first. I brought her closer to the block and climbed up. About half the time she would take a step back or forward to not be in the "mounting position" so to speak. But eventually, I got her to stand in the right place and leaned over her a few times. When she stood well for that, we quit for the day and she enjoyed another healthy grooming.

After that, I let everyone out and came inside to find the house sparkling, the kids eating their lunches, my lunch waiting for me, next to beautiful flowers on the table. :) Thank you, Sweetheart!

Arwen & Arthur

2009-05-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

Today I just wanted to do some groundwork with her. No saddle, no bridle, just get our communication down. As much as I sometimes get frustrated with the merchandising of the Parelli system, the games really are a great method of communicating with a horse - especially one you don't know well yet.

So I pulled out my rope halter & lead and after a nice grooming, took Arwen into the ring to play with her. We started with the friendly game, and Arwen had no trouble at all with me rubbing her all over with the carrot stick. So we moved on to the "porcupine" game, and she was slow to pick up moving backwards, but very quick with moving her haunches around, and medium about moving her front end away from the stick. Ditto with the driving game - backwards just hasn't been in her vocabulary yet. :)

We moved on to the yo-yo and it took to stage 3/4 to get her to move backwards. I'll have to say that although I don't like the way a horse lifts their head up high to go back wards when you are first teaching them (having to use the bigger phases), in the long run, being able to wiggle a lead back and forth gently and have your horse move backwards can be very handy, if not lifesaving. She finally started to pick it up, and we moved on to the circle game (our disconnect from yesterday while lunging).

Low and behold, she picked it up pretty dang fast. Even to the right! And after several (once around) circles each direction, we quit with that and I brushed her down and took pictures for everyone to see. :)

The best part of today was that without the saddle, she was VERY calm compared to yesterday's going into the ring. She was just as peaceful as she normally is while grooming her and was not worried about anything. And she seems very smart, and was doing a lot of chewing/thinking the whole time.

Afterwards, Sammie and I got Arthur out for a ride - our first in a few weeks since he developed some facial paralysis. She had a wonderful time - Sammie really wanted to be more involved in steering today (she is only 3, so some days she just prefers a pony ride), and Arthur was the perfect 25yo pony. :) I'm so thankful for him - he has been such a godsend. We also dealt with a small bout of laminitis when the grass came in, so he has been up in a mostly dirt paddock until this last week - he was going out for a few hours, and now he gets to go out at night, and he has perked up a bunch! He really doesn't like being kept away from the herd!

Overall, a very wonderful horsey day so far.

Arwen Update

2009-05-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

Arwen is my foster horse with Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society.

I finally got a good read on her tattoo confirmed with my vet, and found Arwen to be: D35990, Lady Carlina, a 2000 TB mare, who had 17 starts, raced as a 2 and 3 year old, and won over $67,000. (Her tattoo did not show the "D", but the numbers were clear, and based upon her age and markings sent in to the Jockey Club and they confirmed her ID). Oh, and she is only 14.2, instead of the 15.2 that is on her webpage.

Arwen is nearly up to weight - just a shadow of ribs showing occasionally. Her back has filled in nicely, and I expect her rump will muscle up a bit more, too, over the next couple of months. I decided to play with her a bit this morning.

She has been soooo good in the cross ties, and stands very well, even for Sammie (my 3yo) who likes to help groom. I got out the saddle just to see, let her sniff it, and then put it on her back - she seemed familiar with it, but was curious/anxious to find out what I was going to do with it. No trouble putting the girth on and tightening it (loosely). I went ahead and got out a bridle with a plain snaffle just to see. She knew what it was, knew to open her mouth, but simply didn't like the bit at all. Her tongue was constantly moving the bit around, playing with it rather firmly, even after properly adjusting it, she was still moving her tongue over and under the bit, constantly mouthing it. I will try a different kind of bit next time - maybe one that has 3 pieces to it instead of the two, so that it might be more comfortable in her mouth. But today, I took the bridle off, and put the halter back on to go out to the ring and play a bit with the longe line.

Arwen was very anxious - no doubt due to her race training. The normally peaceful, calm mare on the ground lifted her head up and was very excited to be going to the ring. I started to play some friendly game with her, but she needed to move her feet, so I let her move out on the lunge line. She did a nice trot (to the left of course), and excitedly took off into the canter a few times, came back to the trot, and I kept her at the trot for a few minutes until she calmed down and halted on her own. My cues no longer held any persuasion with her (and I certainly didn't want her to be too excited about the whip) so I instead brought her in and rubbed her forehead, and started working with her to the right. Any racehorse will look at you like you're crazy going to the right. :) She didn't understand, and we just walked to the right, eventually making a small circle instead of just following me (even though I had my arm out to hold her head as far away from me as I could). We went back to the left, and it seemed as though the longing she had done at the beginning was more of a fluke than actual understanding of cues, and after a circle to the left again at the walk, we quit with lots of pats and treats back in the barn. Oh, that is, after I took her to the mounting block and stood up on it. She knew what I was doing and looked at me like "you can't be serious" but stood still while I rubbed her neck and shoulders, but did not even attempt to mount, of course.

So... her behaviour today suggests that she definitely was race trained (and fits what her Tattoo says she is). My goal is to make her feel relaxed in the ring and with the saddle on, but now that I know where we stand I can take smaller steps and just go slow to get everything right.

Does anyone out there have any experience retraining TB's and have any hints/suggestions? My first horse was a 3yo TB mare, but she was unraced. She definitely had been ridden, just never raced, so didn't have the speed issue that I suspect Arwen will have at the beginning. I'm sure there is plenty of info on the net about it, but just looking for some firsthand experience for a horse that definitely spent some time on the track.

Horse Tails...

2009-05-06T19:32:00.000-07:00

I had hoped to ride Rocky Sunday morning, but as I started grooming him, I noticed a 2' long mesquite branch wrapped up in his tail. For those of you that don't know, mesquite might make your burgers taste good, but it is covered with sharp 2" spikes all over. So imagine that... wrapped up in horse tail, with the top poking at the horse's ... well, private areas... So after 30-40 minutes of tail detangling (amazing what can happen overnight!) I finally freed the mesquite branch and Rocky was thankful. I know he probably would have been fine to ride, but I value my life and didn't want to take any chances. Especially not when my safe, dependable 22yo TB mare was there batting her eyes at me. (Okay, not literally, but she definitely was watching me groom Rocky, hoping for some treats and attention).

So I ended up riding Sweetie. It was a short ride, but a very relaxing one. We trotted (more than Sweetie really wanted to) and cantered around the ring once each direction. It just felt so GOOD to be riding her. I know she's not in show shape, so we took it easy.

Afterwards, I gave Arwen a good grooming. She really loved it. Was a little nervous about the fly spray, but still stood well for it. My favorite thing is that she's learned to accept treats from me. She had no idea what they were when she first got here. I need to take some more pictures to show how much she has filled out! I'd say she's just about up to weight!

The vet was out on Tues. and gave everybody their annual vaccines and coggins tests, and looked at Arthur and Penny. Penny has been moving a little strange in her hind end - for a month or so. She looks very deliberate in the way she "places" her hind feet, and it almost looks like she doesn't know where they are going to land. It's not a specific lameness, per say, and she looks normal out in the field. The only time I obviously see it is when she has to lift her feet up to get in/out of the barn and her stall. So, at my request, we are doing a blood test to see if the EPM organism is in her bloodstream. The antibody titer will tell us if she has been exposed to EPM - and if it's on the high end, combined with her symptoms, we can assume that she has it and treat her. On the other hand, if it is negative or low, it might just mean she has been exposed to it and built antibodies.

For Arthur, about 2 weeks ago, he suddenly had a facial paralysis in the right side of his face. His lip is drooping on that side, his blinking response is diminished (although somewhat there) and it goes all the way up to his ear that is now limp and really only moves in response to gravity. He is eating fine, but I noticed that he is drooling a little (saw that today when the farrier was here). The vet's diagnosis was a possible stroke. But after he left, I received a newsletter that described "temporohyooid osteoarthropathy" which has the exact symptoms that Arthur is experiencing. Apparently, there is a surgery that can correct it, but it's not yet clear to me whether it would require general anesthesia or could be done while standing. I don't feel comfortable putting a 25yo pony under anesthesia, not to mention the expense. But, we don't know for sure what it is, although diagnosis is relatively cheap in comparison (use an endoscope to look in the gutteral pouch on that side). So, more investigation is in order. I just thought that article was mighty timely.

Taking a break...

2009-04-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a break from my lessons for a while. After a month of little exercise due to my fall, I peeked at the scale and I was not pleased with what I saw. I had gained back the weight I lost last year, and it was time to do something! I hope to incorporate riding into my exercise schedule, but for now I'm spending money on personal training instead of riding lessons. It's only fair to the horses that I am in better shape when I ride - I have to maintain my weight and be stronger. My first training session was TOUGH - but it feels so good to be on the right track. Down 2.5lbs in 5 days - not bad! I hope to get back into lessons later this summer.

In the meantime, I will continue to update with my rides at home as they come along. :) (Hoping for one later today, if my quadriceps will allow :) )

Chiropractors are Awesome!

2009-04-01T15:21:00.001-07:00

Yay! I've had 4 Chiro visits in the last week, and I think I'm just about back to normal, except for a little out of shape for not riding for nearly a month!

I rode Sweetie again this weekend, and was able to walk & trot comfortably. I kept it short and sweet, just to make sure I didn't reinjure myself, and everything worked out great.

This morning, my parents gave me one last gift before they went back to NH and watched the munchkins while I rode Rocky. I was so excited to ride him - and a bit apprehensive - it is amazing the size difference between 16 (Sweetie) and 17 (Rocky) hands! :) And Rocky has much more movement/suspension when he trots, so it uses your back/body a lot more. Thankfully, it was a great, uneventful ride! We walked and trotted both directions, did some circles, and trotted over a few poles on the ground (no jumps), although Rocky did pick up his feet and jump a little over them the first time! :) That was fun! I was surprised by it and Rocky felt my surprise and came right down to the walk to protect me. He has always done that. If I feel at all strange to him and am not actively asking him to move forward, he stops - just to make sure I'm okay. I know that might sound crazy to some people, but I'm serious, and I completely confident in my assessment of his response. If I get off balance at all (even the slightest amount), and I don't have my legs on him asking him to continue forward, he stops. Every time. Such a good horse! Of course, I hope it has something to do with the relationship we have built since the moment he was born and I helped pull him out of his momma - 13 years ago!

Texas Spring

2009-03-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

The weather has just been gorgeous this week - 80 during the day and 60 at night... and although I am still sore, I couldn't resist trying to ride today. So I groomed Sweetie (which she enjoyed very much! Still getting rid of the winter coat!) tacked her up, and very gingerly mounted up. I probably felt like a giant brick up there to her at first I was so stiff - but as we walked around the ring, I started to relax my back and loosen up a bit. It was only a few times around the ring at the walk, and Sweetie came to a halt in the middle of the ring (like she used to all the time at horse shows) and I very slowly slid off - trying not to jar myself when I landed. I survived, and those few minutes in the saddle sure healed my spirit! :)

But I will say that I was very aware of taking my life into my own hands by riding today - and had haunting memories of being thrown a few weeks ago. I'm sure I'll work through it, but it is hard to be getting older and feel your mortality. A few rescue members have been discussing body armour that the eventers use, and that's sounding pretty smart right now. I don't know - maybe the proper term is padding, but whatever, the bronco riders use it, and if it protects your body that much, maybe it's worth it for piece of mind. Or maybe just staying off green, unpredictable horses would do it. :)

After I rode Sweetie, I brought Arwen out for a good grooming. She absolutely loved being brushed - especially right behind her ears. And I trimmed her mane to make her even more beautiful, and she was perfectly behaved. I could brush her anywhere, and she stood quietly or even leaned into my grooming because it felt good to her. When a horse who has been neglected is so willing to trust again so quickly, it is hard not to feel your heart melt, knowing how thankful they are.

New Horses - "Arwen" and the gelding

2009-03-18T14:33:00.001-07:00

I wanted to give everyone an update on these two since we've all been worried about this group. Compared to the rest, I have the two "fatties" so to speak - if you can call them that. Neither was as bad as those that Nan, Carolee, and Sarah have been caring for, but they are both plenty ribby still.

Everyone has calmed down around here and no longer panics during turnout/feeding time, and the fence that keeps the two new ones in the paddock is getting torn up a bit, so I figured yesterday was a good time to let them out into the main field for a few hours to begin eating grass a few hours a day (there is some in the ring, but not a lot at all). (I would not do that with the thinner ones yet, but these two seem to be fine so far). So I let them out for about two hours yesterday.

Here is a link to Arwen's Webpage

Arwen was so excited to be out in the pasture with the grass and galloped around with her tail up. She also strutted her stuff at the trot and I have some great pics of her movement - she is a gorgeous mover!

The gelding trotted a few times, but basically just walked casually around. He did not feel the need to get involved in the excitement at all - which really only lasted a few minutes before everyone was back to grazing. The gelding seemed a bit of a "loner" and I had to always go find him because he was away from the herd - not in distress, not upset at all, just calmly not paying them any attention.

I got the barn ready for dinner, called them all up to the barn, and my herd came up fine - that is, everyone but Penny and the new guys. She was glued to Arwen's side and saw no reason to convince her to come eat. I looked around and found the gelding just standing, relaxing, and brought him in first. Penny & Arwen saw that I had put him in but did not budge from their grazing spot. They made me walk almost halfway across the property to get them! But once I got there, both girls were happy for me to put a halter on, and I walked them in together.

The new guys went back in the paddock for the night since they need their hay, and then I kept them in a few hours this morning to eat more hay before I turned them out in the field again. Arwen was excited to be out and about and she and Penny buddied up immediately again. The gelding found a nice spot on the other side of the ring to just chill - he did not follow the herd around, just needed a nice snooze. But I kept checking on him - and more than an hour later, he was still in the same general spot, just standing there. My grass is short right now, and I remembered hearing his teeth sounding weird once, and realized that maybe this poor old guy had trouble biting the grass off - he has all his incisors - I've looked, but maybe they don't meet quite right or he has something bothering him. He has not been quidding or anything, so I hadn't yet realized there might be an issue. So I put some hay in the ring/paddock, and put him in there until dinner (will get the mare in a bit). Within a few minutes, he had rolled and started eating the hay. I have put the hay in a giant manure-type bucket for them so it doesn't get mixed up with the sand there - a neat trick I learned from the trainer working with some of our fosters!

I also worked with both horses this morning with the help of my 3yo daughter, Samantha. She always comes with me to the barn! We started with the gelding and he stood quietly on the crossties and let both of us groom him together, but tossed his head about - maybe just to hear the crossties jingle, I wasn't sure. :) If I was riding him, I'd want to check his teeth. Sammie was so cute, she said, "Look, he has a cutie mark!" (Cutie marks are what the My Little Ponies have on their butts) :) I explained that it was actually a number 10, but it was still adorable. She also commented on Arwen's "cutie mark" and that it was a number 9. But what blew me away this morning was how good Arwen was. She stood quietly on the crossties and let me groom her - I am always anxious about Sammie grooming a new horse - especially TB's since I have one that has trouble standing still. But since Arwen seemed calm and was standing quiety, I let Sammie come up - she loves to pet the horses on their foreheads, as she has watched me do so many times. And Arwen saw her, and slowly lowered her nose all the way to the ground so that Sammie could pet her forehead, and kept it there quietly while Sammie rubbed, and Arwen even closed her eyes in relaxation.

Sammie also groomed her a little, and Arwen gently turned her nose to look at her - in a very gentle manner, not at all worried. It just touched my heart how gentle she was being with my daughter - and how thankful she must be to be here.

While grooming, I noticed her tail was not yet grown all the way down - like she might be younger than 15, and after looking at her teeth, I am certain she is less than 10, maybe as young as 5 - I'll mess with that again later after I check my charts. I also found that she has a tattoo in her lip - so I'll also have to give that a look to see if we can actually identify her and her breeding, etc.

I've always loved horses, but every once in a while, one of them really touches my heart with something that they do, and Arwen's gentleness did that for me today. And yes, I named her after the beautiful, dark-maned, gentle elf princess in Lord of the Rings. :)

Hugs to all of you and your horses,
Elizabeth

Two Thankful Souls

2009-03-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

These are the two rescue horses currently at my house - they have both been so thankful to have found a place with food, shelter, and warmth. Both of them seem to be in a bit of disbelief that they are being taken care of. :) They are so thankful!

My Box of Chocolates for the day...

2009-03-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

Well, you never know what you're going to get when you volunteer for a horse rescue. :) Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society was awarded 7 horses yesterday from a neglectful owner, and I volunteered to help organize travel arrangements for them to their new foster homes since I live close to the area they were seized. Today was a Wednesday, and we needed to have all the horses moved by Sunday. I went today with the intention of picking up 2 horses - my future foster horse, and another for a member that lives locally.

Upon arrival, I found 7 poor souls - 5 of which that were absolutely emaciated (a Body Condition score of 1 on a scale from 1-9) The other two were slightly better in the BC 2 category. (We had been told that 2-3 were really bad, but upon arrival, it was clear that 5 of them were awful, and the other two were headed that way). I looked around and noticed that none of the group had access to any kind of shelter - they had a few run ins in other pens, but I asked and they were not available. Although I'm sure that the horses were fed at some point by animal control, there was no sign anywhere of any kind of hay.

Our weather has predicted the next 3-4 days will be cold (in the 40's) and rainy - which would make any horse without shelter chilled and shivering. These horses had absolutely no body fat on them, and no hay in front of them to create any kind of warmth. I recalled the two emergency calls I handled for the rescue over the last year (I am third on a list and rarely ever get calls). One of them was for a young horse that was very thin, and got too cold and then laid down, went into shock, and never got back up). I was not about to let that happen to these poor souls - if I left them there for just a few cold rainy days, my guess is that 3-5 of them would not have survived.

So, I made a few calls, and between myself and the other member that I was originally taking one horse, I figured I could take one extra, and the other member had room for the other four! So I loaded up all 7 in my 24' stock trailer and off I went. I have occasionally grumbled about the size of my trailer when I use it so rarely and usually for just one or two horses, but today I'd never been so happy to have it!

Here are some photos of the horses:

A 13yo bay mare - bottom of the pecking order it seemed.

A 9yo bay mare - whose baby was taken from her this morning. Her baby was awarded to someone other than the defendant that claimed to own it.

A 5yo bay mare

A 2yo filly

A 5yo bay gelding.

20yo sorrel gelding I'm holding for a local member

My new foster horse - a 15yo bay mare - and you tell me if that belly looks suspicious to you... oh, geepers. We'll have a vet out to check for sure, and depending on the results and how good I get at my feminine wiles with my husband... we'll see if she gets to stay. I have foaling experience, but I really do have a limit here on the number of horses we have. We'll see what happens. I'll be sure to keep you updated!

It really upsets me when people do this to innocent animals... I have lots of thoughts about that. But right now, I am focused on the fact that they are all safe, warm, dry, and fed. I am so glad that I was able to make arrangements for all of them to stay dry while they wait for their new foster homes. Yay!

Ouch!

2009-03-08T19:15:00.001-07:00

Well, it was bound to happen. Thankfully it was only from 14hh, not 17hh! :) It has been about 6 months since I fell off Sweetie, and today I took a tumble from green GREEN unpredictable Kiley, who sadly is now my former foster horse.

I went to visit her at the trainer's, where the trainer had come to the conclusion that she is unpredictable and needs a bunch of slow, walking work before doing more - and to possibly never be adopted as a riding horse. I heard about it second hand, and went to the trainers thinking the best of Kiley, that maybe she had been overfaced in a few short weeks, and that maybe she had learned to trust me enough that she might trust me more than a trainer, and be more willing for me.

I was wrong.

Kiley has issues - and the trainer saw the same things I had. Although she has a corneal scar in her left eye, she acts like she sometimes sees things suddenly from her right eye - and is very nervous on her right side. Kiley was on her best behavior (as good as she had been for the trainer) when I got there -and she had clearly learned a lot - about having her ears handled, and being ridden. The trainer rode her in the roundpen at the walk and trot, and Kiley seemed fine at those speeds. She kicked/bucked once, but it was not major. And she seemed quiet at the walk and trot so long as you went to the left. But the trainer did tell us that she had taken off bolting (jumping forward) in the field for no apparent reason after being good for more than a week. I got on her and walked, and she was good but nervous. When I asked her to trot (with the smallest of verbal cues, and the lightest ask with my leg) she took off bolting - jumping forward suddenly - for no apparent reason, and I came off - and landed on my tailbone. OUCH! So, I'm sore.

I don't normally let a fall discourage me, but I can explain to you exactly what caused every other fall I have had. (A horse shied from a specific thing, I was not balanced, oh, and then there was the one where I didn't tighten the girth enough... many others) But Kiley's response was unprovoked, and she had also done this before. Been fine, and then suddenly for no reason acted crazy and bolted like her life depended on it. Every other horse I have fallen from has been a specific shy, or a refusal at a fence or such.

I wanted so badly to be "the one" that got through to Kiley - that maybe she had trust in me that she had not found elsewhere. I have never hit her or hurt her in any way, and have always been calm. There are only two times that I have ever raised my voice at her, both when I felt my welfare was briefly threatened and it was necessary. And although she recognized me when she saw me at the trainer's, there was no nicker of recognition, no movement to suggest that she desired to interact with me.

Another thing that the trainer mentioned is that when she feels threatened, she often moves into the person, instead of away from someone. Both she and I got the feeling that Kiley does what she has to in order to survive, but nothing beyond that, and that she is not a "people" horse. I would think that after being at my place for over a year that she might have become more attached, but it just wasn't the case.

I had to really think about what to do. The trainer very specifically said that she would not recommend Kiley be adopted as a riding horse - that she could really hurt someone if they had their guard down and Kiley decided to bolt like she did today. (I guess that was me, eh?) That she was completely unpredictable with her "episodes" - there was no trigger - she did not have a bit in her mouth during any of them. And as much as I wanted to help her, I knew after falling that I would never get on her again. And I probably would have a little more fear towards her and what she might do from here on. And then I thought of my kids, and realized I have always told them to stay away from Kiley and be extra careful around her. Now, I am extra careful as well and don't put them in that position - they are never unsupervised around the horses, but whenever we go out to the barn I have been clear to remind them to not get close to her, that she might kick. I recall mentioning in this blog earlier that Kiley treated the kids like she would a dog - I have seen her pin her ears at them before. I don't fear for myself around her because I can catch on to her cues and I am experienced, but the kids still haven't picked up on all the subtle equine body language.

Anyways, thinking of the kids made the decision a no-brainer. I feel I have done as much as I can for her - I helped bring her back from a BC of 3 (she was a 1 when she was first found stray), and she has gained a ton of muscle back over the last year. I was able to work with her so that she was no longer afraid of being groomed, and stood well for the farrier. She became very relaxed about her daily routine, lets me catch her anywhere on the property. But I have done all that I can - at least, all I feel I can do safely.

Kiley will have her right eye evaluated by a vet to make sure that her vision is not impaired on that side, and then hopefully find another foster home soon. I assume she will probably be considered available for adoption as a companion only. She is a beautiful mare, and would make a lovely pasture ornament and companion to another horse. She has been well behaved for me on the ground, it's just the riding that is the issue. And that she doesn't really seem to like the kiddos (but I can't really blame her - they are crazy sometimes, and she's more nervous than some horses). I pray that she behaves herself and someday finds the right person for her.

Rocky's SECOND Lesson

2009-02-25T15:54:00.001-08:00

I shouted that it was only his second lesson because it was SO AWESOME! :)

I again ended up taking Sweetie - I had not had a chance to practice loading with Rocky, and he wasn't bad, just planted his feet and refused at the end of the trailer (how I sometimes miss my ramp!). And as soon as Sweetie was on the trailer, he walked right on.

Once we got there, both horses settled quickly at the side of the trailer for a good grooming, and then we put Sweetie in a run (this time she could see Rocky - and Rocky could see her!) That turned out to be a bad move - so she ended up in the barn in a stall, out of sight again, so Rocky would focus. I'm not yet sure if it was the Sweetie issue, or if watching other horses in the ring canter and jump at different directions (there were 3-4 other horses in the ring) just was too much for his brain at the time. :) I don't think he'd ever seen that before.

I lunged Rocky a second time after we put Sweetie up while most of the riders finished up in the ring - when I hopped back on, there was only one rider left, and Rocky seemed fine.

You know - another thing that Rocky probably felt - I hadn't thought of this until just now - I was riding in Kim's saddle - which isn't a big deal, it is a beautiful, well-fitting saddle. But her stirrups are tiny! :) (She has small feet) and every time I put my feet in them I felt nervous that my feet would end up stuck in them if I fell - and after we switched stirrups (yet another "issue" to deal with today) - I felt so much more comfortable - and Rocky also was significantly calmer. I'll bet he could feel the difference. DUH!!!

He still had quite a bit of energy, and we trotted lots of circles to get his attention, figure 8's, that sort of thing. And then we finally cantered - both ways - at least once around! WOW that was awesome!

Finally, it was time to Jump on Rocky! (Yay! My favorite!) We started off with a little X, but Rocky wasn't really using himself and was pretty lazy - so Kim changed it to a vertical (that means the pole is the same height all the way across) and Rocky picked up his knees and jumped over it! It was only 18" or so - but he did it! :) I was so proud! We did it several times and then Kim asked me if I wanted to do the little "gate". Now, the gate might have been an inch or two higher, but it looked more solid, and it had ground poles at the base of the fence on either side, so he would have to do more than just ho hum over it. I was a little nervous, but not that much, really, and Rocky went right over it and really jumped! Not a huge movement for me in the saddle, but I could feel him pick his knees up over it and really use himself! Kim commented how cute he looked over the fence! (Which hopefully means he has good form over fences!)

We trotted each way over the fence and then Kim said, "Now, next week, I will ask you to canter after the fence - you don't have to today since it is the first time jumping like this, but next week, we'll practice it." Well, I got that in my head and kept my leg on him over the fence, and we cantered after it each way beautifully! WOWZERZ! I had NO idea I would end up doing that today - but I'm so excited that we did it! And it is only our SECOND lesson! :) Yay!

I have other things to work on - little things like keeping his nose turned in slightly so he's not always bent to the outside (he was looking at everything today!) and making sure that I keep asking him to move forward over the fences - I was getting him to the fence and then kindof relaxing to let him do his thing - but I really need to keep my leg on him all the way over the fence - and cantering afterwards requires it!

Although it is a bit of a hassle to trailer him for the lessons, it is a billion times worth it! Look at all that we accomplish! :) I'm so proud!

Sunday's Ride

2009-02-25T15:51:00.001-08:00

I rode Rocky again on Sunday - and he was really wonderful. I did not lunge him prior, and he was laid back and well behaved. We walked and trotted, circled, and even cantered here at home! He makes it all the way down the long side, but has a little trouble with balance still on the corners (my ring is 60' by 180' - I thought I would be getting into dressage when it was built... oh well :) ) So we cantered both directions, and then trotted over a little X several times. He was just so good, we kept it short and sweet - and it was a beautiful, wonderful morning to be riding!

PROGRESS!!!

2009-02-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

What an awesome lesson today! I finally took Mr. Rock Star ("Rocky" - show name "Visions of Fame") over for a lesson. We had a rough start getting on the trailer - I had built in a little extra time into the schedule just in case of that sort of thing, but I was not planning on 45 minutes to get him to load! I finally got his Momma, Sweetie (22yo TB mare) out of the barn and got her on first, and wouldn't you know it, Rocky walked right on after her... *rolling eyes*.... So, I wasn't taking any chances, and since I had two young children who were very impatient by that point in the truck - off we went, both horses on the trailer! Once there, Rocky was excited and hollering a bit, and we put Sweetie in a stall while I started by lunging Rocky in the roundpen. He finally paid attention to me instead of worrying about his mom - she certainly wasn't worried about him - there were plenty of other horses in the barn to keep her attention. We walked, trotted, and cantered both directions in the roundpen - with no kicking out or bucking at all! Yay! Although it took a lot of coaxing to get him to canter all the way around just one time. :) Lazy boy!

Next I hopped on and we went into the ring and walked all the way around. Something to remember here - Rocky has never been to this location before, and it has been about 3 years since he has been off the property for anything besides a vet visit. (That was a great trail ride through cow fields). Before that, his only other trips have been cross-country from VA to OR and OR to TX. And the last time he was at a big "barn" where there was a nice ring, etc., was in OR in 2000. SOOOoooo... it was absolutely amazing how calm he was! He looked around at everything in the ring - the only jump that looked weird to him was the green rolltop. Everything else he totally took in stride and was laid back and calm about. I was amazed! Then we trotted around the ring - and again - he was great! He had the perfect cadence, not excited at all, and circled easily and listened really well. So the next test was - the canter. I had told Kim how I had figured out that Rocky's kicking out was him acting out - not wanting to work. And she rightfully suggested that I probably had let him get away with it by stopping what I was doing and he had learned that if he acted out, we didn't do any work. Therefore, it was important for me to push through it and keep pestering him until he did what I asked - canter. I'll have to say, it was kind of nerve wracking. But I also remembered my trick that I use to get him to trot sometimes by flipping the end of the reins back and forth over his withers - so I tried that - and after some coaxing, it worked! Our first canter was about 10 strides, and then we tried again and got more than that, and finally, ALL THE WAY AROUND THE RING! It is a BIG ring, too! About 200'x250' - huge! And we also went The Other Direction all the way around the ring!!! :) On the correct lead (after a couple of tries)! Oh, I was so proud!

So, since he was being so good, why not trot him over a little crossrail? I have been trotting him over poles on the ground at home no trouble. So we trotted back and forth over a small X probably a dozen times - and Kim raised it up a little about half way through. Rocky even picked up his knees a few times to get over it. I couldn't believe it! All of this progress in just one lesson! FINALLY! Getting him over there, to a big ring, and he was so well behaved and we accomplished so much! Man, it was SO worth the hassle of trailering him over there - and I'm so glad I didn't give up this morning while loading.

For a second, I might consider wishing I had taken him over there sooner, but you know what, I don't think it would have worked out this well. 1) Rocky is in better shape because I have been riding and lunging him regularly for several weeks now and 2) I am in better shape, and riding really well compared to a year ago. I needed to be in better shape to ride Rocky's bigger, suspending strides, and Rocky wouldn't have been willing to do so well if he was out of shape. It all worked out just perfectly today. I am so thankful and so proud!

Most of all, I am reminded of what a smart, awesome horse Rocky is. In a new situation, he was totally well behaved, and he picked up on the canter and jumping so quickly. He was like this when I started him as a 3yo, and then we had that LONG 10-year break over moving and kids and... geepers. I'm so glad we're finally getting going!

Open-gate-itis

2009-02-15T19:11:00.001-08:00

I don't know what got in to me today, but I managed to leave two gates open! Thankfully, one was into the yard where there is green grass (mmmm!) and the other is to the ring where there are more sprigs of green grass coming up... I just find it crazy that I did them both on the same day.

I rode Rocky today - and we are really great at the trot, doing circles, etc., trotting over a pole no trouble. And at the canter, well, we did about 5 strides 3 or 4 times. But I think Rocky is 1) still not in shape yet and 2) not sure what to think of me being in 2point. It's hard - if I'm lunging him and I get after him to go faster when he's about to break tot he trot, he kicks out/bucks - and I really don't want to ride that! And then the other issue is that when I ask him to go forward by squeezing - if I squeeze harder, he just gets irritated and stops. Squeezing/kicking does NOT make him go faster. That can only be my fault, of course, but now I have to work through it (preferably not at the canter). When I ask him to go into the trot, I squeeze very lightly and cluck to him, but if I kick/squeeze hard, he just stops and says "you can't make me." So when I ask him to canter, I have to do it just so - almost like just letting it happen. If I move around too much squeezing/sitting/asking him to canter with both legs he just gets irritated/confused and stops.

So, rather than me getting irritated, I hopped off and put him on the lunge line to get a canter both directions. He gets winded after cantering a bit, so I got back on him to walk him out - in the field - and opened the gate from the ring to the field before I got back on (Open-gate-itis #1).

After cooling him out and doing another (more) thorough grooming, I noticed a spot of "dirt" near his elbow that I had missed before - and it turned out to be a small scab - which I pulled off to find a dot in the middle where it was deeper - a small puncture. I put him in his stall to get my nolvassan ointment from the truck - and I left the gate to the yard open (open-gate-itis #2). I put some ointment on and let the horses out for the afternoon. As soon as I let the last one out I heard some trotting and looked out the barn window to see that Charlie and Sweetie had found gate #2 open and had gone straight to the green patch in the yard. I managed to out-run Rocky and got there in time to close the gate, and then calmly went and got the two girls back into the field.

This afternoon, Harlan went into our bedroom (where there is another window that overlooks the barn area) and hollered that the whole herd was in the ring (open gate #1) and could I please go get them out before they broke down a bunch of boards. The horses were happily munching on the few sprigs of green grass, not rambunctious at all, so I took a few minutes to set up the barn and brought them in for an early dinner. No harm done - and I got all horses into the barn without having to chase down a single one :).

So, hopefully that is enough excitement for today! But I had a great time riding, and I am going to plan on taking Rocky over for a lesson this week. Hopefully, Kim will be able to give me some ideas about getting Rocky to canter for longer than 5 strides without bucking me off :).

Jinxed!

2009-02-11T13:29:00.000-08:00

Geepers Creepers! What's a girl to do?

I got to my lesson early and found Simon in his stall - but looking thinner and then noticed a shaved spot on his neck where an IV had been... it turns out he colicked again a few days after last week's lesson, and they took him in to find a small impaction - and Simon was also apparently pretty dehydrated, and got a lot of fluids. He's been home for 3-4 days, but I couldn't possibly ride a horse just coming off of a hospital stay. No surgery or anything, but still...

So today I got to ride "Archie" - a 16h bay warmblood. His nose reminded me of Aurora a little... it took a lot to get him moving forward, but we finally had an understanding and he moved well at the trot and canter for me. But when it comes to jumping, he is even worse than Simon if you don't squeeze every stride. Simon will slow down just a little if you take your leg off - Archie will down right come to a stop in one stride if you don't keep after him. :) So I kept after him, and we did a small course of about 5 fences and although we added in one of the lines, it was otherwise pretty nice. We tried that one line 4 or 5 times and no matter how I tried, I could not get him to lengthen to get the correct striding. So we quit on a nice final fence.

As soon as I dismounted, Archie started pawing. I thought to myself - naw, couldn't be a colic - he probably just wants a treat. But as I was brushing him, I offered him a carrot, and he lethargically put his lips on it but was not really interested in eating it... Kim gave him another treat which he took hesitatingly... and he pawed again - but didn't want a treat.

I said, "Kim, I hate to say this, but I think I'm experiencing the same thing we went through with Simon last week - he's just not right and doesn't want any treats." So we took him for a walk outside to some green grass, and low and behold he is pawing again, and not interested in the grass. And I am beyond belief - as a friend of mine said recently, "Whiskey Tango Fox?!!!"

Archie also got a shot of banamine and it seemed to settle him for the time being. I'm praying that he's okay. But GEEZ. What luck! I know we didn't do anything unusual in the lesson, and I can't imagine anything else I did that would have caused it. I even brought carrots this time instead of the apple treats I normally do... anyways. I feel so Jinxed!

So, I think this is my clear sign from above - it is time for me to take Rocky over for my lessons. Then if MY horse colics, well, although I will think I am jinxed forever, at least I won't feel so guilty about someone else's horse colicing after I rode them!

I was waiting at least another week to get Rocky in a bit better shape before going over there with him - but I don't know if I can delay it any longer!!! :) My butt has officially been kicked in gear in that regard. :)

Rocky update

2009-02-07T12:47:00.000-08:00

I lunged Rocky again last night! I am so proud of him! Last night, we had NO bucking or kicking out at all, and we had at least two nice canter departures each direction, on the correct leads no less! I also set up the pole higher on the outside using a standard to give him something he had to think about and pick up his feet over. It actually worked out beautifully - he "jumped" instead of just broken trotting over it, and even went into the canter nicely one time. He also went over it at the canter twice, and took it right in stride. Yay!

This morning, I my wonderful husband was home to watch the munchkins and I got to ride Rocky! I did not lunge him first, and he was energetic! We did a lot of trotting, and even went into the canter twice for a few strides - quietly! Rocky is funny - you have to "ask" him to do something - or make it his idea - because if you insist, he gets mad and kicks out. It's just part of his wonderful personality. Even just asking him to trot - if you squeeze with no response and then start squeezing harder/kicking, he gets mad and kicks out.

He has always been so protective of me. Any time he feels me get a little off balance he always stops to make sure I'm okay - I've learned that if I feel him stopping I can squeeze and keep him going - thank goodness! He's also very particular about everything on his body - sensitive skin, I think. And he only tolerates the saddle/bridle for so long before they start to drive him crazy. Of course, he's always been that way. I remember once I tried a different saddle pad that had a little bit of a strange texture to it, and Rocky HATED it. He was kicking and bucking around the lunge line until I changed it. His normal pad fixed everything. Not that I spoil my horses or anything. :) But seriously, we had fun today - I'm still deciding whether or not to take him to my lesson this week. :) I guess you have to start somewhere!!!

Lunging Rocky - Day 2

2009-02-05T12:02:00.000-08:00

I lunged Rocky again this morning! I have come to the conclusion that Rocky bucking is his way of acting out. I put a pole on the ground at the end of the ring where Rocky would have to go over it each time around the circle :) (anything I can do to prepare him for learning to jump! :) ) We walked and trotted both ways calmly. And he even went into the canter on his own once to chase after Rockster - but he didn't buck! In fact, he only bucked once or twice the whole time! The one that I can remember was when he was cantering and starting to slow down and I clucked to him to ask him to move forward - I probably also lifted the lunge whip (although I don't hit him with it, lifting it has been enough of a signal) and he got mad that I was asking for more and put his head down and kicked out to the side a little.

We did have a mini-episode when I was trying to get Rockster (our stray black lab we took in) out of the ring - and I ended up letting go of the lead rope. Rocky wasn't sure who I was growling at, and cantered down to the other end of the ring. But the lunge line got caught under Rocky's tail, and so he took off bucking (kicking up high with both rear legs every stride). I had to laugh, but was also disappointed since our goal is to quit the bucking. Thankfully, he has never done anything quite that dramatic when asking him to canter - it is more of a crow-hop, I guess. Whatever it is, at 17 hands, it is no minor movement! :) He stopped after a few strides, and I calmly caught him and took him back to our lunging area.

We had quite a few nice canter transitions, but we still need to work on our leads. :) He did change his lead in the front a few times over the pole on the ground (to the correct lead), but didn't get the hind end change. We quit after getting a quiet transition each direction on the correct lead.

But the best part is - definite improvement! I can tell that it is just a matter of time and effort to get this part down. I wonder if we will be ready to go to Kim's next week for that lesson. :)

Oh - and the other best part is that Rocky finds me much more interesting - every time he sees me he perks his ears and looks at me brightly like "What are we going to do now, Mom? Do you have a treat for me? :)"

Lesson, Colic, and Lunging

2009-02-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

(And yes, I do believe the correct spelling is "longing" but I just can't get past the phonetics there and will stick with "lunging" until a professional corrects me :) )

Today I had a great lesson with Simon. We had a nice warm-up (and I didn't feel so out of shape!) We started over a small 18' vertical and it always makes me laugh when Simon barely exerts any energy getting over it. You hardly notice him going over the fence at all as he maintains his slow and steady cadence over the tiny fence. So Kim had us move up to a different fence that was a little higher to warm up over. He seemed awake, and so we went down a bending line in 9 strides the first time (should have been 8, of course!) He just didn't have enough energy into the first fence to get it (and I thought I counted 10 strides, but Kim said it was 9 and I'd rather believe her! :) ) The next time over no trouble at all - easy 8 strides, nice spots, and then around the corner to a wall on the diagonal. We did that a couple of times to perfection, then trotted in and cantered out a 5 line on a different diagonal. The first fence was about 2'3" and the second looked almost 2'9", so I get excited about those. (The closer I get to 3' the more excited/nervous I get). We did it easily, and around the corner to the left over another outside line that was an easy 5. We got it right the first time, and then the second we added - my fault. I didn't keep my leg on him the whole time. Although, theoretically, he probably could have taken off extra far away, but I'm so glad Simon picks the safe route more than not. We put it all together and had a beautiful ride and quit on that. It really felt so good to be riding so well! :)

Of course, then I took Simon on our normal after-lesson stroll and poop (he poops, not me, and I can almost plant a bullseye on the ground to tell you right where he'll stop and lift his tail). He wanted to turn around quicker than usual, and when I dismounted he still seemed out of breath - which seemed abnormal to me. He normally cools out easily. Watching him, his ears looked like he was uncomfortable, and then I knew for sure something was wrong when I was grooming him and he had no interest in the treats. Simon had a mild colic going on. We didn't over work him at all - everything else about the ride was normal. But he just suddenly wasn't quite right. His respiration stayed up, and he seemed not as bright, so I went back to the ring and got Kim. We put him in his stall/run to see what he would do, and he started pawing and wanted to lay down, so Simon got a shot of banamine (IV) which worked its miracle - he relaxed almost immediately after the shot and I watched him for at least 30 minutes and he just relaxed in his run, snoozing, in no discomfort anymore. They have people there all day to keep their eyes on him, so I'm sure he'll be fine.

Something I realized this morning is that I am a little frustrated that I am riding Simon more often than Rocky it seems.... ooops! I absolutely love riding Simon, but he is not my horse - and my long term goal is to get Rocky to a horse show. It is all pleasure riding Simon, but I really want to get Rocky going! If I am going to spend money to go to a horse show, I want it to be for one of my horses. Of course, I'm sure you'll see me riding Simon in another show this year, but I'm not going to go to the expensive shows to do that.

My lack of riding Rocky has been due to doing more family stuff on the weekends, and the weather has been bad, and I don't feel comfortable riding while I'm alone with the kids. So I'm going to make it my goal to trailer Rocky to Kim's for my lesson next time, and hopefully regularly.

Today, I decided that I wouldn't feel comfortable riding Rocky while alone with the kids, but I could lunge him and not risk falling, and that only takes a few minutes in comparison. So tonight, I lunged Rocky for about 10-15 minutes - we walked and trotted both directions and then cantered a few times. I'm definitely agreeing with Kim that Rocky should be quiet at the canter transitions on the lunge line before I try it in the saddle. He has quite the buck/kick on him. But it is not every time he canters. I'm beginning to wonder if it is frustration to being out of shape (regular lunging will fix that) or a little in coordination on a circle (regular lunging will fix that) or getting the wrong lead and not liking changing (regular lunging will fix that). Hmmmm... there seems to be a theme here. :) As I was watching him tonight, I know that he really needs to be going into the canter without bucking before I take him over to Kim's. You go over there and he's going to be "up" just because we're in a new place. Add that to what he's already doing, and, well, I might as well plan on landing on my butt. But the experience of going to a new place and just being there and working at the walk and trot is a great one - but I don't need someone giving me a lesson to do that. I want help with starting him over fences, and any ideas Kim might have about the canter, but I still think regular lunging is the answer - get him to where he doesn't care about going into the canter transition and then move from there. We ended tonight with two quiet canter transitions, one each direction on the correct lead, and I think that's a good place to start.

Somewhere along the line, someone taught me to make a horse work harder if they misbehaved and bucked at the canter - but I think that line of thinking has backfired a bit with Rocky (I have done that in the past - made him go faster/work harder after bucking). I want him to be calm, and he definitely gets excited about cantering. I probably have something to do with that.

After caring for several timid foster horses, I've learned to stay calm no matter what happens. I've finally reached a point where it's much more natural for me to stay calm when working with horses - and I can thank my foster horses for that. Calmness endears trust. I look back and think of so many times where I got frustrated with a horse and reacted without calmness - and am so glad I have finally learned that getting frustrated with a horse solves absolutely nothing. Even with daily chores - and turning a horse out. Say one of them (aka Charlie) decides to come back into the barn after letting everyone out before I've managed to close the barn doors. If I get frustrated - she gets scared and is likely to bowl me over getting away from me. If I stay calm and lackadaisically walk up to her and put a lead over her neck - she stays calm, and we quietly walk out of the barn, no harm done.

So, my goal going forward is to stay calm and quiet no matter what Rocky does, and quit when we're going into the canter without bucking (which he definitely can do!). Rocky is a smart boy - he'll figure it out!

Last Week's Lesson

2009-01-26T09:25:00.000-08:00

We had another fun lesson last week - and my legs are getting back in shape! Yay! Good to know my muscles remember what they're supposed to be able to do rather quickly! :)

We started off with a normal warmup and then trotted in and cantered down the outside line - in what should have been 6 strides, we got 7 the first time, but then got back on track and did it in 6. I'd say the best part of the lesson was that Simon finally lengthened his stride - without getting carried away and crazy fast. When we cantered down the line we got 5 strides like the "big" horses should (instead of our normal adding to be 6) and we did it again on the diagonal line. We also managed to maneuver around the tight corner from last week without any bucking episodes :) .

I think it is a combination of Simon having more energy, and me feeling a little more confident going forward. I'll always remember (probably 20 years ago! OH I FEEL OLD!) when I was riding "Monday" and we took a really big spot and she did what I asked, but ended up crashing through the fence, and landing on her knees and falling hard... Anyways, that one incident is burned into my mind pretty well - so I tend to be cautious with the bigger spots. But Simon has taken such good care of me so far - and he knows what he can and can't do - and corrects my errors. He'll add a stride if he needs to, and occasionally takes a big jump when he sees a better spot than I do. But overall, he really has protected me from my errors so far. :) I'm very lucky that his owner lets me ride him in lessons! :)

Finally Riding Again!

2009-01-19T11:55:00.000-08:00

Yikes! My last post was early December - I did manage to have one more lesson before the holidays, but I have been sick for several weeks with a cough and just now getting back into riding again!

I started working out again on Monday riding the stationary bike, then went to the gym on Tuesday to do cardio and weights, just in time for my first lesson in about a month on Thursday. I wish I could do more to prepare myself for the long bouts of standing in the saddle in 2-point! I had no trouble posting the trot as normal, but what wore my legs out was standing in 2-point for the canter during our warmup. They felt a bit like jelly before we went over our first jump! :) But when I start jumping, something else kicks in and I forget about what my legs really feel like.

We warmed up over a small gate, and then trotted in and cantered out a line that should work out to 6 strides, but of course, the first time through we always add. If I don't squeeze every single stride, he always adds - still! :) Even though I was carrying a crop. It takes several warm up fences before Simon is finally in 5th gear and ready to go. And once there, I give the crop back to Kim since then we have plenty of energy! (Of course, I think Simon is on to me that I won't actually use the crop on him anyways)

After getting the 6 strides a few times, we then did that line to a fence on the diagonal, which was after a tighter corner than usual. I sat down in the saddle to make the sharp turn and Simon "wound up" and bucked a little - whatever it was I did, he didn't like it. Same thing again. Finally, I stayed up in 2point, and used both hands to steer and tried to make the turn more gradual, and we went over the fence no trouble.

After the lesson, talking to his long-time trainer, she said that Simon does not think he should ever be an equitation horse, and that flying changes should be considered "gifts." :) He actually did one for me on course without much prodding from me - I would be satisfied to break to a trot and do a simple change (Especially after the last time I rode him and asked for a change and he bucked right into it! :) )

Anyways, totally fun lesson. Exhausted legs.

And then this weekend I got to ride Rocky! Yay. We had a great ride just working on the trot and bending, and having fun. He's such a character. All the horses are in their own way for sure. And after my ride everyone got a few treats before I turned them back out. For a horse person, there's something special about all the horses in the barn sticking their heads out for attention and being able to walk up to each one and give them a treat and see how much they enjoy it. :)

Lessons 20 & 21

2008-12-10T18:32:00.000-08:00

Today should have been lesson 22, but since it was about 35 degrees this morning and super windy, Kim and I decided neither of us wanted to be out in the weather today, so we are hopefully rescheduling for tomorrow (weather and health pending).

The last two weeks with Simon I have continued to carry a crop (never actually touching him with it), and it sure has made our warmups more productive! Simon actually moves faster than a snails pace at the trot and he picks up the canter much more easily. He's just so relaxed around me that otherwise he just sighs and exerts as little energy as he possibly can. :)

However, in agreement with my suspicions about him being trained to get his leads over fences using a crop, our leads have been totally messed up on course the last two weeks. I guess either I have stopped whatever automatic signal I was giving him to get the correct lead (it was not a conscious request) while carrying the crop, or he just is so worried about it that he is not focused on the course as much. We'll work that out, I'm sure. I'll just have to consciously ask in a way that he understands (turning his head does not seem to do it - it is more of using my inside leg ahead of the girth, rather than using my outside leg behind the girth - opposite of what I was taught back in the day.)

But we did an "equitation" - type course and jumped the first fence in a line of two, but then turned to go over a fence on the diagonal. It took a few times and Simon had it down pat, so when we actually wanted to do both fences in that line, Simon started to turn left to the diagonal like "what the heck?" We also have been practicing over an "in and out" - uhm, for those of you who are like "is that a kind of bad sex or what?" no, it actually is referring to two fences in a row with only one stride in between them. Normally there are 5-7 strides between the fences, but the in and out requires more balance on the rider's part, and for Simon, it asks him to lengthen his normally shorter stride. And that lead us to a few jumps on course where Simon took off pretty far away from a fence. He has done that before with me, but it has been several months since he has taken off so far away. He usually takes off pretty close rather than far away (or maybe that is my riding style - I can be a bit of a cautious rider at times when I don't see the perfect spot). Also, when we're riding with a crop, his stride is longer, and I can "see" the takeoff spots more easily. But I guess Simon also takes that as his cue to jump a little more aggressively. I did get left behind, but only slightly. I am pretty good at realizing, "Oh, **** he's taking off" and staying almost with him in the air. Kim said she could see it coming and knew what he was going to do. I'll be more prepared tomorrow!

Lesson 19 - Awesome

2008-11-24T08:40:00.000-08:00

Wow - can't believe how long I have been back in the saddle! :)

Last week my lesson was just awesome! It was made perfect by adding one simple aid to the ride - a crop. *sigh* - I hate crops, and I won't actually hit a horse with one, but they often are enough of a "visual" aide to make things go more smoothly. We all know that Simon's normal cadence at the trot while we are warming up is barely a western jog - like a slow motion attempt at jogging, taking tiny steps, barely exerting any effort. Kim handed me the crop from the ground, and Simon turned his head so he could see it out of the corner of his eye. He knew what it was and was not sure what I was going to do with it. But just having it in my hands made him much more responsive to my leg aides, and he trotted off with more energy and length in his stride.

When Kim came to the ring to deliver the crop, the other trainer who has been in Simon's life through several owners came to the side of the ring to have a seat and watch. "Oh, great" I think to myself. Apparently no one has ever used a crop on him - it has never been needed. She probably had other thoughts, but in my mind, of course I feel like I'm being watched to make sure I don't beat the heck out of him. :) Not my style at all, anyways, but only slightly intimidating. I managed not to think about it and just enjoy Simon's energy and newfound respect for my requests for forward movement.

We had such an awesome ride! His energy made it easy to get to a good spot in front of the fences, no molasses-like takeoffs, and a couple beautiful courses. It was great! I never hit him with the crop - he was never disobedient. I did flick my wrist and tap it a few times on my thigh, but that was all it took to wake him up. Eventually, I tapped my leg a little more than I should have and as we came off a corner he seemed irritated and kindof bucked to switch leads. :) Too much, I got the message and gave the crop back to Kim. But Simon maintained his energy and we finished with 3 more beautiful jumps! I am guessing that the only time he has ever been around a crop was when a trainer was trying to teach him to do flying changes (which he really doesn't like to do). He has never been one to have trouble with momentum before me - I guess I make him more relaxed than anyone else ever has. That's a good thing. And now I have a way to wake him back up and make sure he pays attention - and that's right where I want to be.

I think my favorite thing about Simon is how loudly he speaks. I know that sounds weird - for a horse and all - but he makes it clear exactly what he thinks about a situation - especially when he's pissed. :) I guess you also have to be enough of a rider to recognize and understand his "voice" when he is speaking. But I really feel like we've built a partnership over the past 5 months and we work together for the ride - and that Simon actually likes me for a human :). It wouldn't be any fun if we didn't get along, so to speak. Kim continues to say how much he likes me and how good he is for me - maybe I'm the first human who has actually "listened." :)

It all reminded me of another Chestnut colored horse that I loved once - "Monday" was her name. A few of you know exactly who I'm talking about - and how I was the only one that she really listened to and got along with. She'd be over 30 now, but I know that she passed away 5-6 years ago. Funny to think that we almost bought her instead of Sweetie, but I have always known that Sweetie was without a doubt the best decision we ever made. Sweetie and I obviously have that close relationship - even closer than with Monday or Simon. Sweetie's just been a very lucky horse to have an only owner & rider and no one else to compare to. :) (Lucky for me! :) )

A funny for those of you following my journey :)

2008-11-14T20:59:00.000-08:00

I meant to tell you last week - apparently, my two 3rd place ribbons in the Adult Equitation classes at the show in September earned me a 4th place overall year end award in the Texas Schooling Show Association! I now have a beautiful white & purple long ribbon to commemorate the achievement. :) I sure wasn't expecting such a thing, but Kim had it for me last week and we all found it both exciting and amusing. Maybe there were only 4 adults that competed in that division all year. Who knows. But I'm still proud of the effort and am enjoying viewing the ribbons on my wall. :)

Weekend enjoyment!

2008-11-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I rode both Rocky and Sweetie on Saturday morning. My goal was just to have fun and enjoy the rides - nothing flashy, no major goals. And I managed to do just that! :) Rocky was prepared for me to canter, (I could feel him get ready to buck a little), but that wasn't in my gameplan, and we worked through and had a nice trot with lots of circles and bends to keep his attention. It felt great.

And then I rode Sweetie for a short ride - we walked, trotted, and cantered both ways, and just enjoyed the beautiful fall morning. Perfect temperature, with the sun shining bright, a gentle breeze floating through her mane, enjoying her company. Reminded me of what riding is really all about.

Lessons 17 & 18

2008-11-13T13:38:00.000-08:00

The last two weeks have been very similar lessons. Simon has learned my signals far too well and is starting to take advantage of me! :) When we are on course, if I take my leg off his sides in the least while headed to a fence (which I sometimes do when I don't see a good "spot"), he slows down like molasses and adds a stride every time. So I have to keep my leg on him, whether or not I am confident of where to take off. He acts similarly on the flat, not working an ounce harder than I ask him to. As soon as I relax and take my leg off, he just slows down and walks and relaxes, too. I think it is a good thing in that we are learning how to understand each other quite specifically, but man, my legs are tired by the end of a lesson! It's good for me, though! And I'm glad to not be bored - as our relationship is changing (i.e., he understands my body language far too well) he is getting more complicated to ride! So here's to perfecting our rides. :) A lifetime ahead of us, I'm sure!

Lesson 16

2008-11-04T11:05:00.001-08:00

My goodness! I have not been riding as much as I'd like, but the horses are loving the new barn and have all come to make it their "home" and are completely relaxed when inside.

Last week's lesson was another good one. Simon seems to be getting more lethargic each week - it is taking more leg to keep him going! But we some really nice fences this time, and did several equitation courses making sharper turns and jumping only one fence in a line of two. I like the change and enjoy the challenge!

I need to make it a priority to get back on my own horses now!

My farrier was out yesterday and he said Kiley, my foster horse who has had trust issues, was the most well behaved of the bunch! Amazing! He said she was totally relaxed and the easiest to do this time around. Makes me proud! We did take her to the Expo a few weeks ago, and each time we take her out for the rescue, she shows how much she trusts me. And each time she returns to our farm, she puts more trust in me. Gosh, it will be heartbreaking the day that she gets adopted. I do want her to find her forever home -that is why I do this! But knowing how much trust she has put in me will leave me with pangs of guilt when I help load her up on someone else's trailer. But it will also fill me with happiness to know I have helped another horse find their forever home!

Lessons 14 & 15

2008-10-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

Lesson 14 was to say, well, not my best riding. :) I had several spots that were just icky - one that I jumped ahead of Simon and then he put in an extra stride and it just looked terrible, I'm sure. We made up for it at the end, but overall, not my best ride.

Lesson 15 last week was much better. I think maybe Simon is getting a little out of shape as time goes on - because I'm the only one riding him, and that's only once a week. He was pretty lethargic, but finally woke up towards the end of the lesson. He comes back to me really quickly when he does get excited, and apparently he doesn't usually respond that well to other riders. We had several really perfect lines of fences, and it was so nice to have such a good ride after last week's.

We spent today celebrating CMav's 5th birthday, so my next lesson will be tomorrow instead. Looking forward to it! I did get to ride Rocky Sunday afternoon - I lunged him w/t/c, and he seemed a little better about the canter, both directions. But I have decided not to ask him to canter under saddle until he is consistently going into the canter without bucking on the lunge line. Today was better, but I'm just not going to chance it again yet. :) Last time I rode him (a week or so ago), I tried asking for the canter while riding, and I could feel him curl up in preparation for a buck, so decided not to. We lunged quite a bit that day though afterwards to make up for it!

I am really enjoying my barn - and I think the horses are, too! They look forward to me coming out there and come right up to the barn whenever I go that way. It's cooler and I've started keeping them in for an hour at least each feeding so that they have time to eat a flake or so of hay before going back out in the field. There is still grass in the field, but it doesn't do as much for heat production as hay does. I'm going to have to find some more hay here shortly to keep up my supply!

Lesson 13 - What happened to the fences?

2008-09-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

Oh, man, I really missed my lesson last week! I wasn't available last Weds. since I was spending time with Harlan before he flew out, and Kim was going to be gone on Thurs, so we planned for Saturday, but I was in the hospital with Christopher... So it was great to ride again today!

2 weeks ago the course was still set from the horse show and we had a really nice time riding the course again (or parts of it anyways). Today, someone had made a mish mosh of the fences - they were at weird angles, and it was hard to put them in a nice hunter course, so we played "jumper" instead and made several tight turns to get where we were going. Simon did great - and somehow always managed to get the correct lead over fences. :) That was nice. The last line of fences was my favorite - it was the perfect cadence, no rushing, and the fences just came to us as part of a stride and it was awesome! I love it when things fall together like that.

I'm about ready to start taking lessons on Rocky here soon. I really want to get him going (finally! after 12 years!) and show him next year. I talked with Kim about different arrangements to make that happen - we'll see what we decide and can afford. :) It sure would be wonderful to finally get to show him - that will is my next goal - to get Rocky to a show next year and at least do a small course of fences in the green division. Wow. That would be SO awesome! Can't wait!

Feed change - Aussie Logic

2008-09-17T01:29:00.001-07:00

I changed my horses' feed to a new brand called "Kool and Kalm" by "Aussie Logic" about 2.5 weeks ago. It is an extruded feed, that is a natural source of nutrients, highly digestible, etc., that has been highly recommended. It is also supposed to increase feed efficiency, keep your horses calmer while also providing positive energy for them.

What has been obvious to me so far is that all of my horses' coats are much softer, shinier, and somehow cleaner? But I didn't think until this morning that maybe Rocky's positive energy Sunday is a byproduct - as well as Sweetie's calming over fences last week. The real tell tale will be next time I work with Kiley to see if she is calmer.

The other thing that I have noticed is that my overweight horses have lost a lot of belly, but no muscling. The nutritionist said that for obese horses, they will lose some of the "ballast" or gut fill once they have been on the feed a while. And I have to say that Charlie's and Penny's bellies no longer look pregnant! Now, I had hoped to see more of a difference in Rocky's belly, but maybe each horse is different and that will just take some time. I've also got Charlie and Penny on the low starch version since both of them seem to be a bit cresty in the neck, and Penny for sure is sensitive to laminitis issues.

Anyways, I am really delighted with the feed so far. I'll keep it in the back of my mind as I notice any other changes and report back! :)

Last week, Lesson 12, Rocky

2008-09-14T19:43:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday (the day after the show) I got up early and rode both Rocky (still a little off due to a stone bruise) and Sweetie. Sweetie was great as always, and we trotted over a few fences and she was much more under control - it was easier to post the trot to keep her slow before takeoff. She has been really pulling me to the jumps, so it was nice for her to be more relaxed about it.

On Weds., I had Lesson 12 on Simon! I had two main things I wanted to work on with Simon - 1) using my body instead of my hands to control his speed, and 2) releasing better/not having "chicken wings" (where my elbows stick out when we go over fences. These were both lessons from the show. When we started trotting over fences, I found myself too focused on fixing things, and had to calm down and stop thinking so much. Once I relaxed, we had a group of really nice fences, did about half a course beautifully and quit.

This morning, I rode Rocky. I was hoping his stone bruise had resolved and I was lucky! For the first time in about 2 months, Rocky was completely sound, and energetic! (He had another issue in a back leg about 2 months ago that now looks like an abcess came out at his coronary line on that foot.) Anyways, it was SO fun to ride Rocky today! He had more energy at the trot than he has had in years it seems (I guess he's slowly getting back in shape, and of course, being sound makes a world of difference, too!) I love riding his huge, suspending trot. Oh, my gosh... it is just amazingly wonderful. I then asked him to canter, and although I got a few strides, he wasn't very willing to go into the canter so I dismounted and got my lunge line out and we lunged both directions at the canter until we got 3 nice transitions each way. I worked him pretty hard, but it's important to get it right. I got back on him and walked him out, and decided not to ask for the canter under saddle today again since he needed to cool out.

It is so good to have Rocky back sound again! We talked this morning after my ride about the possibility of taking Rocky to Kim's for boarding/training for a few months. We'll have to see what we can afford... I really hope to be able to take him to some shows next year, and that's the best way to get started!

After all, his show name is "Visions of Fame!" :)

Show Day!

2008-09-06T20:00:00.001-07:00

Today was my first show since 1995! I'm so proud that I did it! I got there early and gave Simon a bath and got him looking good, and then it turned out I had 2-3 hours before I would get to ride. Once he was dry, I put him back in his stall, and of COURSE the first thing he does is roll. He laid down twice while I was waiting to take his daily beauty naps. :) But thankfully, the vetrolin shine kept him relatively clean and it was easy to "buff" him up before I rode.

I went shopping yesterday - (who can stay away from a tack shop sale? Oh, okay, so it was my first time to the english tack shop in town!) I bought a new pair of britches (I have two pairs - one with holes in the crotch (no that won't work for a show) and the other the knee pads are starting to fray (again, not quite right for a show). I also got a new show shirt. I am amazed at the changes in the britches over the last 15 years (I have not purchased britches in at least that long). They were thinner, lighterweight, more comfortable, and stylish. Even Kim didn't quite recognize me when she first saw me dressed in my boots & britches and shirt. :) It was fun. She was impressed with how good we looked. I still rode in my schooling helmet - I don't have a velvet one right now, and can't afford the whole wardrobe at one time, but since it was a schooling show, I figured I could get away with it.

After warming up over a few fences, our first course was the warm-up class. I knew that Simon wasn't quite awake yet, but we were also in a hurry to get in the ring. The first 3-4 fences were a little lethargic, but the rest of the course was beautiful! And boy, I was surprised how nervous I still got! I had hoped that after giving birth I wouldn't be so nervous. The "fear" of jumping is definitely diminished, but I still got nervous like I always have. But I think my favorite part of the course was after the first or second line and I heard Christopher's voice yell, "Hi, Momma!" Harlan had just arrived with the kids to watch me ride, and he hadn't had a chance to see me yet. It warmed my heart. I just wanted to stop and wave and say, "Hi, Christopher!" but I was in the middle of the course so we continued :). Thanks to Cliff, Dodie, and Mandy who came to see me ride, too!

Our second course (first course in the Adult Equitation) started off well, and then Simon coughed hard around one of the corners (he has allergies). It really pulls me forward a bit when he does that. He coughed again right before the second to last fence and he was anxious going towards it and we ran out - the first time that Simon has done that with me over the last 11 weeks. I could tell he wasn't right, so I was prepared, but I was also disappointed. We circled and came back around to the fence and finished the course without any further trouble.

We did the Adult Eq. under saddle, and had a few coughs there as well. There were 3 riders in our division, and I got 2 3rd places. :) That's okay. The other two riders are regulars on the show circuit and have very nice horses, so I was neither surprised nor disappointed. I was proud that I completed my first division in 13 years!

Next was the Open Hunters, also at 2'6". Our first course, our only major flub was not getting the correct lead over the first fence. But Simon gave me half a flying change, and eventually the back half as well. He got a little forward a few times and I could feel us "fight" a little bit as I was trying to pull him back. Kim mentioned to just let him go and try not to fight with him over his speed (I normally am bettter about that in our lessons) and use my body instead of my hands. The next course was nearly perfect - I let Simon do his thing and stayed out of his mouth, and we got great spots to the fences and he was calm until to the last fence he started to get anxious (the same fence he ran out on) and lifted his head and got faster and we had a close spot to that one, last fence. But the rest was so beautiful. We placed 5th out of 7 in the first course, and 4th out of 7 in the second course. Not bad! I was pleased that I wasn't last. :)

Under saddle in the Open Hunters, Simon was great! He didn't cough at all (bonus!) and did all of our transitions perfectly. He's so funny - when we're in a lesson, he could not be more lethargic at the trot. But he knew that it was a show, and was just waiting for me to ask him to move up into the trot. I could feel his body being more tense than usual at the walk just waiting and anticipating the request to trot and canter. He even did beautiful transitions from the walk to canter - and we placed 3rd out of 7! The two horses that beat us were the same two that did so in the Adult division - and I was so pleased with him for being so good.

What a day! I am so exhausted I can barely move! But it feels so good to have accomplished that! A few months ago I would not have ever considered showing. I still remember my first lesson where I was worried about jumping at all and whether I would remember how to do it! :)

Yay! What a great day!

Lesson 11 - pre-show prep

2008-09-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

Thursday was Lesson 11 - the show was today (more on that later!) Simon was good, takes a bit to wake up as always. Oh, and we have a new system for mounting up. I leave the girth as loose as possible to mount up, then we walk for a while, and then I tighten the girth about 2-3 holes for the rest of the ride so the saddle doesn't slip. Worked perfectly.

The courses for the show were set up, so I got to jump both courses one time. Simon was great - we got close to a few fences. I have to remember that I really need a good night's sleep before a lesson - getting up at 4am makes me ride a little less thoughtfully I think. :) But Simon was very well behaved and got me over all the fences no problem. It was fun to practice a whole course set up at 2'6"!

After the lesson, Kim helped me clip his ears, muzzle & fetlocks to have him show-ready. He is such a great horse and has given me so much confidence as I'm getting back into the saddle.

Jumping on Sweetie again!

2008-09-06T19:44:00.000-07:00

Wow - it's been a week since last Sat. when I rode Rocky & Sweetie - they both were great - I worked on cantering even farther around the ring with Rocky, and rode Sweetie for the pleasure of it. I set up two crossrails in the rings (thanks to Dad for the poles!) and she made me giggle - the first time I pointed her towards a fence, she perked her ears and galloped towards it with force - 1, 2, 3 strides and over it! She was a little over excited. I don't know if it's because she is a little out of shape, or she just loves jumping, but it was awesome! I hadn't jumped Sweetie since 2000 - maybe a crossrail or two in Oregon. I can't believe it has been that long!

I only had time for one horse on Monday morning (Labor Day) and so I chose to ride Sweetie - I am just having too much fun with her not to. And we did the crossrails again, and she picked up her knees so big and was very energetic about them again! She is so fun and sensitive to all of my cues - jumping into the canter from the walk each time. I also worked on trotting the fences - holding her to the base of the fence so she didn't go too crazy, but she still jumped them and then even crowhopped around the corner after it. Silly girl. But it was fun!

Weds. night, Harlan came home early and offered to let me ride! So I did - I won't turn down a chance like that! I only had about 20-30 minutes, so I rode Sweetie again. It was dusk - almost dark, and I knew something would probably happen when I got Sweetie out of her stall. She saw me with a halter and quickly turned the other way in her stall and put her but towards me! I though to myself, "Oh, no you don't!" I knew that she didn't really want to be ridden, but I couldn't let her get away with it either. So I tacked her up and went into the ring. She spooked once early on in the ride from the dogs, and later at the canter, she jumped about 6' sideways shying from one of the dogs, and I only jumped about 3'... and... plomp! Down on the sand I went. Nice, soft, soft, sand thank you! It wasn't that bad, and I got right back on and continued. We still jumped a few fences and Sweetie was more responsive to me about waiting to the base of the jump instead of galloping to and over it. But there was still one time where she took the bit in her mouth and said, "I'm going to jump it from Here, Mom!"

Yes, I am having way too much fun - this is the stuff I dream about. Thank you to everyone who is making it possible (my wonderful Husband, Harlan, and the munchkinos!)

Lesson 10!

2008-08-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

This is a great photo of Simon with another rider up.

Wow! It seems hard to believe I just had my 10th lesson! It was another great ride on Simon. It started a little funny though. I left his girth plenty loose to mount up, and for the first time in at least a month, he wasn't "girthy" when I got on. We went in the ring and he seemed happy - and we walked and trotted, and then suddenly, I he bucked/kicked hard! I screamed a blood-curdling scream at the top of my lungs and everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the crazy re-rider who was still sitting on top of her horse to see what had happened. How embarassing! I couldn't control my own scream - it came out of nowhere, and I was totally fine. So Kim came over to check out my girth, and it was way loose, so she tightened it 3 holes! And Simon was fine after that (thank goodness)!

We had a great round over fences, a few close spots here and there, but overall, very nice. Kim said I have a great eye... I like to hear that. I'm not perfect, but it sure is nice to hear. (But if I have a great eye, it makes me wonder what other people ride like... :) hehe) We did a full course - 5 lines, 7 fences. And then next week they will have the course set up for the show - next weekend!!! Yikes! I am so excited!

Simon's show name is "Aim to Please" - seems perfect to me. I can't wait for the show! :)

Rocky's Canter!

2008-08-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I rode Rocky (17hh DWBx Gelding) at the walk and trot. I was itching to attempt the canter, but thought better of it. I just wanted to ride and have fun, and did not lunge him that day. He was great at the trot - and I felt great, too.

Today, I lunged him first - we did walk/trot/canter both directions. He went into the canter easily on the right lead to the right, and bucked slightly the first time I asked to the left. So I am still wondering if there is something going on with his back and have been reading about stretches I can do to help him limber up. We'll try those next time, for sure.

When I mounted up after lunging, Rocky was ready to go! He had an exhuberant trot today which is so much fun to ride! Well, that is except that I chose to wear my show britches today to see how they fit (they didn't used to fit!) and they fit fine, but the seat was rather slippery in comparison to my normal riding britches. Rocky felt so powerful today. And I had the courage to ask him to canter - I did it to the right first since that seemed to be the way he was easier on, and we cantered a few strides, he came back to the trot, then I asked for the canter again, then he came back to the trot, and I asked again. He got the correct lead each time! I was delighted and considered stopping there, since it was the first time I had cantered on his back in 8 YEARS! Oh, how embarassing it is that he is 12 and still green at the canter... *sigh*... Back to the ride: I decided I had to canter both directions to keep it even. So off to the left we went, and he sort of jumped into the canter on the left lead. I wouldn't call it a buck, but it was more vertical than you would want for a nice departure. He cantered a few strides, then came back to the trot, and I asked again, and we again got the correct lead and cantered around the end of the ring and I lavished praise all over him for not being crazy and dumping me :). He was so good, and what an accomplishment for me! I have had fears about cantering on him for some time now, and I'm just now back in shape enough to give it a whirl. (Having kids kept me out of shape for the last 5 years). I am so looking forward to rides to come with Rocky - cantering around the ring.

Oh, and the latest purchase - my dad bought me some 10' PVC pipes for poles to use with my standards (that he built for me in 1996!) so I can actually set up 2 fences in my ring! I have not jumped at home... well, ever since we have been in Texas! I can't wait to get out there and set them up!

Charlie's Great Day

2008-08-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

I rode Charlie this morning - she was the only one that missed out on attention yesterday! :) We have been working on picking up her back feet every time I groom her, and today was her best yet. I put a rope around her pastern, and then say "FOOT" while pulling on the rope, and today she responded really well just to my voice, and I did not have to pull hard on the rope before she lifted her back feet up really well. My goal is to have her safe enough for us to trim her while sedated. She did that a few years ago while she was in training without any trouble, but we have not had much success since then.

We went out to the ring and I started playing the "friendly" game with her, but Charlie was more interested in lunging to show me she knew what to do. We walked and trotted both directions - with Charlie picking a point where she wanted to stop and go the other way on her own. (I try to walk a fine line between making a horse do what I want and combining it with their natural desires, so long as they are not harmful or outright disobedient). Charlie was very laid back at the walk and trot, and did not want to lunge for a long time today. So I mounted up, and she felt very energetic at the walk - like she was excited to have me up, and wanted to show me what she could do! I let her move up into the trot and she seemed delighted to be trotting under saddle. I made sure to ask her to halt before we got all the way around to be sure she was listening, and she was, and then we walked and went back into the trot - this time at my request. It seemed that her "power steering" kicked in today. She listened really well to me asking her to turn - sometimes too well, and I had to be sure not to over correct her when I was working on keeping her straight along the outside of the ring. She likes the side close to the barn better than the other side for some reason. We had a few times around the "open" end of the ring where I had to use a little bit more muscle to steer her, but mostly she was so much better than we started just a few rides ago!

We trotted quite a bit today, and at the end her reward was to walk outside of the ring in the pasture - but then she turned the manual steering back on. :) She just wanted to go back to the barn, and it took some strongarming her to go the other direction. She listened, and finally gave in and understood she had to listen to me. We did some circles in the field both directions, then walked back into the ring to dismount. (Have to make sure she never gets the idea that she can go back to the barn and get out of work!) It overall was a fantastic, fun ride on Charlie. I hope to see Harlan riding her soon!

Friday's Rides

2008-08-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got up early and decided it was time to figure out more about Rocky's bucking into the canter departure. I needed to know if it was really soreness or otherwise. His mouth was probably still a little sore from the dentist, so I lunged him in just a halter, with no intention of riding him.

We started off at the walk and trot each direction, no trouble at all. And then I asked for the canter. My error probably was working in an arena that wasn't closed off - but we'll have that fixed soon. (We took down a few boards for the bulldozer to be able to level the arena). When he took off (after being very well behaved at the trot) he took off out the end of the arena and bucked/kicked. And then he calmed down, and we went back to work without fanfare, but I did make him do canter transitions several times both directions. It turns out that the bucking fit was not about any soreness, but rather, an escape mechanism - he just doesn't want to work harder, and he has gotten away with it a few times. We finally got correct leads both directions and quit with that. I will lunge him a few times more before I try doing a canter with me riding him. He needs to be consistent about not bucking - as he was once we were past the first canter departure!

Next, I rode Sweetie, my first horse. And she was wonderful, of course. I think it and she makes it happen. Although she seemed lazy at the walk, as soon as I asked for the trot, she jumped right into it! Ditto for the canter - it was a lot of fun!

Kiley was 3rd (I got to spend more time riding today thanks to my wonderful parents & sister babysitting). We walked and trotted both directions - and she is getting much better about going to the right. But one time she came trotting right towards me, which was too fast, and I lifted the carrot stick quickly to say no, and it scared her. I wanted her to feel like she could get away from me, and I ended up giving her more line than I intended, and she ran off out the open arena around the barn with the line trailing her. She did come back to me and let me catch her, but the level of trust was not there anymore. We went back to the arena and walked/trotted both directions really well, and then quit with that. She didn't come in to me after her escapade. Usually, she goes out on the circle, and then comes in and checks in with me regularly. But after she got free that one time, she did not do that again. I groomed her in the crossties afterwards, but quickly put her back in her stall so that she would have a chance to relax as a reward. We will keep plugging away at her trust issues, and I'll do my best to continue to be calm and unthreatening.

Next we went and got all the kiddos out and groomed Arthur, and then we groomed and rode Penny. Penny was great for Jackson, but she decided that she really didn't like Corey walking along side her while Miley was up. We had to cut Miley's ride a little short because we weren't sure what was bothering Penny, and safety is rule 1. I need to take Penny back to the vet to re-xray her head to see if the tumor in her nose has grown or gotten smaller since last year - if it is starting to affect her demeanor, well, I really don't want to think about that right now. But safety for the kiddos is the most important thing.

It has been great to have Corey here with Jackson and Miley to keep us company - the kids have had a blast, and both of her kids have had a wonderful time around the horses.