One of my favorite rides...

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"

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!

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!

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

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

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

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!