Okay. Once again the time has gotten away from me. Oy. See why I called the blog Mild Chaos? Haha. Anyway, in short, all my students are doing spectacular :) Almost all of the beginners have started trotting over ground poles. I'm so excited :D From here, things usually move quite quickly, get infinitely more interesting and definitely more fun!
My older (ie: experienced) students are starting to nail there respective dressage tests. That always makes my inner DQ beam with pride :D I've slowly been getting everyone where they need to be jumping-wise as well. We have an event coming up soon, so no time to waste!
I have a few new students as well. Two have ridden before and getting back into it. Hopefully, I'll finally have someone to ride India. She is such a sweet, willing mare but needs a specific kind of rider. Hence, she's been hanging out in the mares field for the last few months being bored I'm sure.
Darryl has been feelin' his oats recently too. Really? Bucking after every jump? I can't seem to convince him he's been around for 3 decades, haha. He's going to the upcoming event too :) Bubby was on my $#%t list Thursday. I've not had alot of time in the last couple weeks to ride him (more in a sec) and well, he's not real happy about that thank you. Ugh. Who's horse jumps out of round pens? Mine! Idiot. Seriously, in a bout of pissy-ness. i love Standardbreds but my GOD do they have tempers to go along with those opinions! However, he did redeem himself today (IN the round pen). I have him in two lessons a week too. I *heart* my boy :)
Oh, side note, switched farriers this week too. I've been using one of the two farriers that come regularly to the barn. He's mainly a track farrier; good for trims, cold shoes, and inexpensive. But as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. He gets the job done but honestly, is not always consistent. Sometimes too long, other times too short. So, I asked the other farrier if he would since he was coming out anyway and my guys were due. After all, with Finn's abcess, the man ahas been calling me more than any other guy has EVER called me LOL. He does trims, hot shoes, corrective work, etc... Pricier BUT always on time (if not early), schedules ahead of time and is pretty much available whenever. Works for me :D I'm willing to pay for better service like most of the rest of the human population ;)
The dentistry has picked up too. Finally! I love seeing an appointment everyday of the week, AND I'm building muscle and stamina again. This past week I noticed I had more control of my float and strokes than what I've had. Bit seats are getting easier too. OH, and I pulled 2 blind wolf teeth all by my onesome :D No nerves at all, go me, haha. Pulling teeth shouldn't be this much fun ;) Of course, squatting for half an hour to pull a tooth and then float does take a toll on the legs after a while. Minor detail :P Caps to pull Monday morning. Wolf teeth to pull at some point next week. The following week, we have an appointment in Chincoteague for quite a few. Busy busy.
Okay, I'm going to bed. Just thinking about how much is going on right now is tiring!
'Til next time!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Oh, Injuries
I suppose I'll catch up on sleep, oh, sometime in the next millenia :P haha. What so supposed to be just a simple vet visit turned into so much. Now granted, it could be SO much worse but injuries are NEVER fun as we are all aware. So, as it is a boarding barn everyone is on a different schedule vaccination and Coggins-wise. Needless to say, it got a hair confusing figuring out who needed what. I don't even know how many times the list changed but by Thursday we had a list of 6 that ranged from definite vaccinations due, potential vaccinations due, one lameness and one cut to be looked at. Oy vey.
We started with Finn. Big, chestnut, former Prelim eventer. Fantastic patient, always a plus :) When Amanda left for Puerto Rico, he was lame on the left front. Monday, the farrier checked the left front and he was indeed reacting to the hoof tester. Icathynmol in the coronet and heel, see if an abscess blows or if he's just bruised his heel. Yeah, come Thursday the RIGHT front is lame. Lame-lame. Again, reacting to the hoof tester strongly. So, we are on stall rest with, as of today, the second of two 48 hour poultices. Thank God for Animalintex! That stuff is AWESOME. Soak it, wrap the foot with it, then vetwrap then duct tape. Still no sign of an abscess. Ugh. There is the outlying possibility that he has a wing fracture *headdesk*. Fingers crossed, he will blow one soon, as sad as that sounds. Lesser of two evils, right?
Then it was checking on Scoops cut. It's only, oh, the 4th one of this severity in the ast 2 years. New show name: Accident Prone. LOL. Some of the skin was dying off and the scab wasn't healthy. We are also on stall rest with our leg wrapped. First day, the ointment the vet left was amazing. Scab came right off, as did the dead skin. BUT, now the wound is opened and it's nasty and muddy out. Oy. At least, with 2 of them in, they keep each other company and QUIET :)
We were finally to normal vaccinations. Impecc, great. Tawny, great. Amigo.....oh Amigo isn't due. UGH. Just pulled a horse out for nothing. Yay. Tux, not due (FINALLY got THAT squared away) but he does have ringworm-like stuff on his side. One of those hard decisions. I know his owner is trying to save money. However, he has had it for awhile and its not going away. Sigh. Green light for blood tests and immune booster shot :( Poor guy.
So, we're just about done. Vet is writing everyone up, gets to Scoop and it turns out he is just overdue for EVERYTHING. Really?!?! I swear Dr. Cushing thinks I'm a complete dunderhead (we won't go into all the things I've done to prove that point BEFORE Thursdays appointment). I really try to have all my ducks in a row before he comes but, I just couldn't win on Thursday.
After all that, and getting the two wrapped and comfortable, I get a little break before lessons from 4-8. Of course, then up early Friday to rewrap Scoop, check Finn, get my oil changed (put that off too long. Its my office after all), hopefully have enough time to get more poultice and vetwrap, lunch(my stomach was making words), all before my 2 o'clock dental thankfully down the road. Busy, me???
Saturday is usually my light day. HA! Started out rewrapping both Finn and Scoop. Then, 2 lessons, help get Impecc's things packed for trailering tomorrow, couple more lessons and done, right? No, no, no ;) I helped out with tidying the office. We would like to be able to find things in there you know? By the way, Muck Boots were not intended to be worn standing for long periods of time. Ow. Anyone interested in cracking my lower back??? I really need to find a GOOD work shoe for everything. Lessons, barn, dental, etc... Ugh, for another day....
Oh, and I said Hi to my boys today. I did actually see Bubby and Darryl Thursday as they were in my lessons. I need to get a decent camera to take pictures. Darryl was FLYING over the 2' verticals and LOVING every minute of it :D He's just that good, hehe :D
Sleep. Sleep is good.
Til next time!
We started with Finn. Big, chestnut, former Prelim eventer. Fantastic patient, always a plus :) When Amanda left for Puerto Rico, he was lame on the left front. Monday, the farrier checked the left front and he was indeed reacting to the hoof tester. Icathynmol in the coronet and heel, see if an abscess blows or if he's just bruised his heel. Yeah, come Thursday the RIGHT front is lame. Lame-lame. Again, reacting to the hoof tester strongly. So, we are on stall rest with, as of today, the second of two 48 hour poultices. Thank God for Animalintex! That stuff is AWESOME. Soak it, wrap the foot with it, then vetwrap then duct tape. Still no sign of an abscess. Ugh. There is the outlying possibility that he has a wing fracture *headdesk*. Fingers crossed, he will blow one soon, as sad as that sounds. Lesser of two evils, right?
Then it was checking on Scoops cut. It's only, oh, the 4th one of this severity in the ast 2 years. New show name: Accident Prone. LOL. Some of the skin was dying off and the scab wasn't healthy. We are also on stall rest with our leg wrapped. First day, the ointment the vet left was amazing. Scab came right off, as did the dead skin. BUT, now the wound is opened and it's nasty and muddy out. Oy. At least, with 2 of them in, they keep each other company and QUIET :)
We were finally to normal vaccinations. Impecc, great. Tawny, great. Amigo.....oh Amigo isn't due. UGH. Just pulled a horse out for nothing. Yay. Tux, not due (FINALLY got THAT squared away) but he does have ringworm-like stuff on his side. One of those hard decisions. I know his owner is trying to save money. However, he has had it for awhile and its not going away. Sigh. Green light for blood tests and immune booster shot :( Poor guy.
So, we're just about done. Vet is writing everyone up, gets to Scoop and it turns out he is just overdue for EVERYTHING. Really?!?! I swear Dr. Cushing thinks I'm a complete dunderhead (we won't go into all the things I've done to prove that point BEFORE Thursdays appointment). I really try to have all my ducks in a row before he comes but, I just couldn't win on Thursday.
After all that, and getting the two wrapped and comfortable, I get a little break before lessons from 4-8. Of course, then up early Friday to rewrap Scoop, check Finn, get my oil changed (put that off too long. Its my office after all), hopefully have enough time to get more poultice and vetwrap, lunch(my stomach was making words), all before my 2 o'clock dental thankfully down the road. Busy, me???
Saturday is usually my light day. HA! Started out rewrapping both Finn and Scoop. Then, 2 lessons, help get Impecc's things packed for trailering tomorrow, couple more lessons and done, right? No, no, no ;) I helped out with tidying the office. We would like to be able to find things in there you know? By the way, Muck Boots were not intended to be worn standing for long periods of time. Ow. Anyone interested in cracking my lower back??? I really need to find a GOOD work shoe for everything. Lessons, barn, dental, etc... Ugh, for another day....
Oh, and I said Hi to my boys today. I did actually see Bubby and Darryl Thursday as they were in my lessons. I need to get a decent camera to take pictures. Darryl was FLYING over the 2' verticals and LOVING every minute of it :D He's just that good, hehe :D
Sleep. Sleep is good.
Til next time!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Boredom Is Not Good
I guess saying business is slow is an understatement right now. It is to be expected but, boy, the consequences of such may be the end of me. And I'm not talking finances. Let's see if I can keep this PC....
When I'm bored the Internet is my playground. Think about it: you type in just one word, hit enter and *BOOM* information. Dangerous. Very, very dangerous. For instance, I think I have discussed before when I have looked up equine dentistry. Yeah, THAT never ends well, haha. Yep, not only can you search and find ANYTHING, you can also create whatever nonsense you wish and develop a website that goes out to the entire world. The naive and the experienced. Now granted, some may consider what I post nonsense. That's fine because I'm not proclaiming to be an expert on anything. Again, I'm just bored and like to write (occasionally I've been told i do so decently, so what the heck, right?). Some of you putting some of that shite out there as "experts".....shame on you. I don't need to list anyone specifically...just type "equine dentistry" into your search engine ;)
Now today, I tried a new search. I didn't type in "natural horsemanship", I just chose a couple higher profile trainers/clinicians.....Read the rest of this and take a wild guess..... So, I type a name in and the controversy abounds! I like it! ;D
Here's where I stand on training in general. I do like some aspects of Natural Horsemanship, depending upon the trainer (or "trainer" as it may be). At one time, I would have told you that you needed a round pen to accomplish anything with any given horse. BUT I have matured both personally and in my horsemanship skills. I took 2 terrific training classes in college. One was a required class and the other was an elective for my major. The required one was an Applied Training class where we were to take an unbroken, young horse (has been halter broke and can be handled) and get it started under saddle by the end of the semester (roughly 4 months). The elective class was Training the Therapy Horse where we worked our assigned horses in-hand for the semester, with the goal being to theoretically get them ready to be used in the therapy program at school (because of the size of the class, we work with any school horse that needs better ground manners). I though going into the class that they would be two totally different schools of thought and theory. Wrong-O. One was classically based (Applied Training) and the other natural horsemanship based (Therapy Horse) BUT, they had the same base!
It's all about respect. Not fear, respect. It's also about how you carry yourself around the horse.And I'm here to tell you, you don't need do spend hundreds (hint hint) on gimmicks to learn and apply this to your horse. You don't even need a round pen! *gasp* All you need to do is learn to assert yourself to the horse. I'm not saying its easy because it does take a bit of practice to get the hang of. Once you change how you THINK around the horse, everything falls into place. Of course, that is the tricky part, haha. That's where a good instructor comes in. Not always an easy find but you'll know them when you find them. I lucked out in finding 2 of them and having them both in the same semester. That semester was mind blowing to say the least.
I worked a with a little TB mare I fell in love with, in the Therapy Training class. Sweet little jumper that had trust issues to say the least. She had essentially tuned out. I don't know if you've ever seen a burned out lesson horse that's clocked out but that was Ivy. Too many riders, too much poor riding by a previous owner. In the beginning, she didn't know me from Adam. By the end of the semester her ears, head and neck were relaxed, she was engaged in her environment and she started testing her boundaries (in a good humorous way :). It was so, so, rewarding and I wish I could have brought her home and turned her out for a few months to re cooperate and be a horse. And the basics we started with (and built on during the semester) were as simple as walking with the handler. Then advanced to walk-halts, trot-halts, backing up, side passing, standing and staying. Once we had their undivided attention, we worked over tarps, with exercise balls, squeaker toys, bubbles, the ramp, wheel chair, etc..
Again, no gimmicks. No extra money outside my regular tuition for the semester. Just the basics. Do I still value a round pen? Sure I do. However, it's not an end all anymore for me. I like rope halters, I do own one yet a regular halter and lead do just fine for me. Maybe if you don't want to show at all, a gimmick is for you. And I'm not saying all of those clinicians and trainers out there are gimmicks. I have a lot of respect for the trainer that gets out there, really teaches you the material, answers your questions and can adequately defend their style of training. If you can't adequately defend your training (lets face it, things don't always go as planned) and all you do is push your style and your products, I don't really have time for you. I have a great relationship with my horses, Bubby in particular. And to be honest most that has come from working around him. If he's in cross ties, he has to stand. At the mounting block he has to stand. In the stall or at the gate, he has to back up before I'll open the door or gate to let him out or in. Its the little, minute details that build the relationship. What I've done through all that is proven to him that I can lead. Horses want stability, not gimmicks. They also prefer patience.....some of you may know who that is referring too.....I can think of 2 that I've seen in person but I digress.
No one person is necessarily right nor wrong. All I ask is that you look for red flags before following blindly. If you HAVE to buy THEIR stuff - red flag. If they bash other trainers/styles - red flag. If in watching them live they never actually show you HOW to do any of the training - red flag. Again, this is in reference to a few different trainers I've seen in person.
Education, education, education. KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid
"There are only two emotion that belong in the saddle. One is a sense of humor, the other is patience."
Aahhhh, Craig Ferguson is over??? Only took an hour to write :P
Til next time!
When I'm bored the Internet is my playground. Think about it: you type in just one word, hit enter and *BOOM* information. Dangerous. Very, very dangerous. For instance, I think I have discussed before when I have looked up equine dentistry. Yeah, THAT never ends well, haha. Yep, not only can you search and find ANYTHING, you can also create whatever nonsense you wish and develop a website that goes out to the entire world. The naive and the experienced. Now granted, some may consider what I post nonsense. That's fine because I'm not proclaiming to be an expert on anything. Again, I'm just bored and like to write (occasionally I've been told i do so decently, so what the heck, right?). Some of you putting some of that shite out there as "experts".....shame on you. I don't need to list anyone specifically...just type "equine dentistry" into your search engine ;)
Now today, I tried a new search. I didn't type in "natural horsemanship", I just chose a couple higher profile trainers/clinicians.....Read the rest of this and take a wild guess..... So, I type a name in and the controversy abounds! I like it! ;D
Here's where I stand on training in general. I do like some aspects of Natural Horsemanship, depending upon the trainer (or "trainer" as it may be). At one time, I would have told you that you needed a round pen to accomplish anything with any given horse. BUT I have matured both personally and in my horsemanship skills. I took 2 terrific training classes in college. One was a required class and the other was an elective for my major. The required one was an Applied Training class where we were to take an unbroken, young horse (has been halter broke and can be handled) and get it started under saddle by the end of the semester (roughly 4 months). The elective class was Training the Therapy Horse where we worked our assigned horses in-hand for the semester, with the goal being to theoretically get them ready to be used in the therapy program at school (because of the size of the class, we work with any school horse that needs better ground manners). I though going into the class that they would be two totally different schools of thought and theory. Wrong-O. One was classically based (Applied Training) and the other natural horsemanship based (Therapy Horse) BUT, they had the same base!
It's all about respect. Not fear, respect. It's also about how you carry yourself around the horse.And I'm here to tell you, you don't need do spend hundreds (hint hint) on gimmicks to learn and apply this to your horse. You don't even need a round pen! *gasp* All you need to do is learn to assert yourself to the horse. I'm not saying its easy because it does take a bit of practice to get the hang of. Once you change how you THINK around the horse, everything falls into place. Of course, that is the tricky part, haha. That's where a good instructor comes in. Not always an easy find but you'll know them when you find them. I lucked out in finding 2 of them and having them both in the same semester. That semester was mind blowing to say the least.
I worked a with a little TB mare I fell in love with, in the Therapy Training class. Sweet little jumper that had trust issues to say the least. She had essentially tuned out. I don't know if you've ever seen a burned out lesson horse that's clocked out but that was Ivy. Too many riders, too much poor riding by a previous owner. In the beginning, she didn't know me from Adam. By the end of the semester her ears, head and neck were relaxed, she was engaged in her environment and she started testing her boundaries (in a good humorous way :). It was so, so, rewarding and I wish I could have brought her home and turned her out for a few months to re cooperate and be a horse. And the basics we started with (and built on during the semester) were as simple as walking with the handler. Then advanced to walk-halts, trot-halts, backing up, side passing, standing and staying. Once we had their undivided attention, we worked over tarps, with exercise balls, squeaker toys, bubbles, the ramp, wheel chair, etc..
Again, no gimmicks. No extra money outside my regular tuition for the semester. Just the basics. Do I still value a round pen? Sure I do. However, it's not an end all anymore for me. I like rope halters, I do own one yet a regular halter and lead do just fine for me. Maybe if you don't want to show at all, a gimmick is for you. And I'm not saying all of those clinicians and trainers out there are gimmicks. I have a lot of respect for the trainer that gets out there, really teaches you the material, answers your questions and can adequately defend their style of training. If you can't adequately defend your training (lets face it, things don't always go as planned) and all you do is push your style and your products, I don't really have time for you. I have a great relationship with my horses, Bubby in particular. And to be honest most that has come from working around him. If he's in cross ties, he has to stand. At the mounting block he has to stand. In the stall or at the gate, he has to back up before I'll open the door or gate to let him out or in. Its the little, minute details that build the relationship. What I've done through all that is proven to him that I can lead. Horses want stability, not gimmicks. They also prefer patience.....some of you may know who that is referring too.....I can think of 2 that I've seen in person but I digress.
No one person is necessarily right nor wrong. All I ask is that you look for red flags before following blindly. If you HAVE to buy THEIR stuff - red flag. If they bash other trainers/styles - red flag. If in watching them live they never actually show you HOW to do any of the training - red flag. Again, this is in reference to a few different trainers I've seen in person.
Education, education, education. KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid
"There are only two emotion that belong in the saddle. One is a sense of humor, the other is patience."
Aahhhh, Craig Ferguson is over??? Only took an hour to write :P
Til next time!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Quiet Time :)
Oh, I do love my pony :D I can't say that about our last ride, last week but we all have our good days and our bad days I suppose. I was so excited about last Wednesdays ride too. I FINALLY got my little boom box OUT of its box (its only been sitting around since Christmas) and took it too the barn. Nifty little thing too. You just sit the iPod in the dock and voila, music. Only downside is that the little remote that comes with it only works for the volume and the radio. Luckily I did set up a play list to start going through songs. I do one day want to do a musical freestyle with him. One of these days! That and I had to try some music I've been listening too since i graduated but didn't have a team to ride with and try them out anymore. So I put it on shuffle and went through a couple pop songs and quite a few Celtic songs. Albannach, Gaelic Storm, some from the Robin Hood soundtrack :D Man, i miss riding to music. I need to get Bubby a bit more acquainted with it though. That and I need to pick a day where he isn't being an ass with me. Ha!
For whatever reason, he was not too pleased with me. This does happen from time to time and usually i can figure out the cause of the pissiness. I have yet to determine what it was last Wednesday. I would say the music except he became a piss ant AFTER we had been riding for a while. the sand pile, which has been there for over a year, all of a sudden became a monster. Like its moved or something. Ugh. THIS is why people call them jugheads, haha. And, bend? What freakin' bend?! i think he knows I absolutely despise it when he does that crap too. So, we worked on sit trot for the longest time ever for the two of us until he behaved himself. I was sweating, he was sweating and it was a warmish kind of day. I mean, what other day would you pick to pick a fight but a warm day when you still have your woolly mammoth winter coat???
So, he sat in a stall with a cooler on while I rode Scoop :) Scoop is a cool little horse. Well, ok, he's bigger than Bubby but still ;) He can be the most gorgeous horse or he can be a llama.....whichever suits him that day, haha. Last time I rode him I could not for the life of me get him on the bit. This time, I had a few more tricks to try out. Turns out Scoopy is a legs man, hehe. He prefers a very light contact but WILL take advantage of it if you let him. Legs it is! i don't think I have ever sat on a horse that gives and drops his head so quickly with just leg. Of course, we wasn't too happy with me..... Someone is not really a fan of being told what to do especially from someone that is not Mom.... But, we worked it all out in the end. And I won :D And he enjoys Scottish tribal music. I may have to ride Scoop more often.... ;)
No music today for Bubby. After breakfast with the fam at IHOP that included parents that should never have had children sitting at the table next to us, I needed quiet barn time. He was fantastic today. His haults were very sloppy last week. Today he all but fell on his face when I asked for the hault through my seat. His leg yields still need work. May need to start introducing the dressage whip for the lagging hind end. Circles were good, shoulder-in was good and started work on somewhat of a lengthening, haha. The boy has a lot of power though. Can't wait for our first show of the season!!!
Til next time!
For whatever reason, he was not too pleased with me. This does happen from time to time and usually i can figure out the cause of the pissiness. I have yet to determine what it was last Wednesday. I would say the music except he became a piss ant AFTER we had been riding for a while. the sand pile, which has been there for over a year, all of a sudden became a monster. Like its moved or something. Ugh. THIS is why people call them jugheads, haha. And, bend? What freakin' bend?! i think he knows I absolutely despise it when he does that crap too. So, we worked on sit trot for the longest time ever for the two of us until he behaved himself. I was sweating, he was sweating and it was a warmish kind of day. I mean, what other day would you pick to pick a fight but a warm day when you still have your woolly mammoth winter coat???
So, he sat in a stall with a cooler on while I rode Scoop :) Scoop is a cool little horse. Well, ok, he's bigger than Bubby but still ;) He can be the most gorgeous horse or he can be a llama.....whichever suits him that day, haha. Last time I rode him I could not for the life of me get him on the bit. This time, I had a few more tricks to try out. Turns out Scoopy is a legs man, hehe. He prefers a very light contact but WILL take advantage of it if you let him. Legs it is! i don't think I have ever sat on a horse that gives and drops his head so quickly with just leg. Of course, we wasn't too happy with me..... Someone is not really a fan of being told what to do especially from someone that is not Mom.... But, we worked it all out in the end. And I won :D And he enjoys Scottish tribal music. I may have to ride Scoop more often.... ;)
No music today for Bubby. After breakfast with the fam at IHOP that included parents that should never have had children sitting at the table next to us, I needed quiet barn time. He was fantastic today. His haults were very sloppy last week. Today he all but fell on his face when I asked for the hault through my seat. His leg yields still need work. May need to start introducing the dressage whip for the lagging hind end. Circles were good, shoulder-in was good and started work on somewhat of a lengthening, haha. The boy has a lot of power though. Can't wait for our first show of the season!!!
Til next time!
Monday, February 14, 2011
What Was Capone's Take On This Holiday??
Yeah. Silly holiday :P I think I celebrated it....once...ever, haha. And in truth, I....may have forgotten.....Have I mentioned I have a tendency to think/act like a guy??? Sad but, true. Please don't come crying to me....I don't handle crying well, as I discovered about a year ago. What is thing EMOTIONS??? ;)
Don't get me wrong, I don't despise the holiday. Unlike most of the other singles out there. Ah well, it is what it is. Wasn't meant to be this year....of last uuhhhhh.....oh who cares! >P
So, I went to the barn :D I mean, we don't have any appointments until Wednesday, it was WARM today and we may potentially have a dressage show this weekend (yay!). Bubby was fantastic, as he has been the last few months. I'm getting better with his sitting trot too, woohoo! I rode in the close contact. I really need to ride in it more as is, if we are ever going to start jumping. Surprised myself, my two-point was solid. I'm out of shape of course, haha but, not wobbly in the least. Our halts need some work before Saturday. We've started doing our giraffe impersonation in the halt. Oy. Luckily, it seems we just need a bit of a tune up. It took quite a few trot-halts to get the idea across but it got across. The sitting trot helped with that though. And the saddle helped with the sitting trot :)
After the ride, the Old One NEEDED a clean up. With all the snow, everyone has been camping out in the run in shed. Lots of poop to be lying about in. And he does love his naps. I initially was going to just groom him up really well and hose his legs off. Well, that was useless. It was near 60 and he is known for scratches and rain rot. So, the legs got a good scrubbing :) I didn't have time to pull his mane but that needs done too. I trimmed it up a month or so ago but his is way thicker than Bubby's. Not to mention he had mud EVERYWHERE. Literally, up his nose (along with part of his dinner), IN his eyes AND ears, and ground into his poll. Really, he is quite talented, lol. Pain in the ass to get him clean and KEEP him clean. He simply doesn't like it :P
We'll not discuss his lack of patience. Note to self: tell Christina she has permission to "beat" him, hahaha. One of these days I'm going to set him in cross ties and leave his oldman butt there until he RElearns to STAND quietly. I may have a revolt on my hands. At the very least a temper tantrum I'm sure ;)
May ride my friends horse tomorrow depending on the wind. I was going to ride him today but I don't believe he's a fan of the indoor + wind. I'll just wait....lol. Terry is gone all week so I have some time. Scoop is a fun, really good looking QH-looking TB. Judges favorite, ALWAYS :D And she did give me permission to kick his butt a little bit ;D I'm overdue for a challenge, haha, since we do have a bit of a (humorous) history.
Here's hoping I get off my lazy, bored butt tomorrow and go mess with him!
Til next time!
Don't get me wrong, I don't despise the holiday. Unlike most of the other singles out there. Ah well, it is what it is. Wasn't meant to be this year....of last uuhhhhh.....oh who cares! >P
So, I went to the barn :D I mean, we don't have any appointments until Wednesday, it was WARM today and we may potentially have a dressage show this weekend (yay!). Bubby was fantastic, as he has been the last few months. I'm getting better with his sitting trot too, woohoo! I rode in the close contact. I really need to ride in it more as is, if we are ever going to start jumping. Surprised myself, my two-point was solid. I'm out of shape of course, haha but, not wobbly in the least. Our halts need some work before Saturday. We've started doing our giraffe impersonation in the halt. Oy. Luckily, it seems we just need a bit of a tune up. It took quite a few trot-halts to get the idea across but it got across. The sitting trot helped with that though. And the saddle helped with the sitting trot :)
After the ride, the Old One NEEDED a clean up. With all the snow, everyone has been camping out in the run in shed. Lots of poop to be lying about in. And he does love his naps. I initially was going to just groom him up really well and hose his legs off. Well, that was useless. It was near 60 and he is known for scratches and rain rot. So, the legs got a good scrubbing :) I didn't have time to pull his mane but that needs done too. I trimmed it up a month or so ago but his is way thicker than Bubby's. Not to mention he had mud EVERYWHERE. Literally, up his nose (along with part of his dinner), IN his eyes AND ears, and ground into his poll. Really, he is quite talented, lol. Pain in the ass to get him clean and KEEP him clean. He simply doesn't like it :P
We'll not discuss his lack of patience. Note to self: tell Christina she has permission to "beat" him, hahaha. One of these days I'm going to set him in cross ties and leave his oldman butt there until he RElearns to STAND quietly. I may have a revolt on my hands. At the very least a temper tantrum I'm sure ;)
May ride my friends horse tomorrow depending on the wind. I was going to ride him today but I don't believe he's a fan of the indoor + wind. I'll just wait....lol. Terry is gone all week so I have some time. Scoop is a fun, really good looking QH-looking TB. Judges favorite, ALWAYS :D And she did give me permission to kick his butt a little bit ;D I'm overdue for a challenge, haha, since we do have a bit of a (humorous) history.
Here's hoping I get off my lazy, bored butt tomorrow and go mess with him!
Til next time!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Jumping Pics 2/7/11
Guess it would be nice to share, since there was someone on hand documenting, haha. So proud of my boy *heart*
So Much Excitement!
Hallelujah, Olivia has finally made her debut!!! :D I don't remember how much I've actually mentioned about this but, my boss/partner/trainer/barn manager/friend finally had her baby today. We have all been waiting soooo long to see her! I can only IMAGINE how Amanda has felt but I was starting to think she was never leaving the womb, hahaha. There's been so much anticipation with it being her first and a first for the barn as well. I got the stunning text at 4pm or so saying "Amanda is in labor. can you check the horses. Will let you know when Olivia arrives". So that was exciting in itself. I figured we had a pretty good wait ahead of us (I have no idea when she actually WENT into labor). Wrongo. 5:26pm ~ picture of brand new baby Olivia! And, she is of course, ADORABLE and looks just like her mom :) I can not wait to see her in person!
On to more somewhat exciting news (I mean, how can you top newborn baby, right?), I worked with Bubby Monday evening over some small cross rails. With the help of my friend Ali of course, haha. Who knew the Bubbers would actually take a liking to it??? Well, the little stuff had him really excited. When she set actual little X's up....let's just say neither of us were terribly thrilled. One, I reiterate, I have a terrible fear/anxiety associated with jumping. Thank you lousy, waste-of-a-whole-year-and-money "instructor" at Wilson >P BUT, on an upside, I have worked with Bubby enough and know his personality well enough that I do trust him to get me over it. As much as I appreciate what the Ol' One has taught me, I know he's going over the jump with or withOUT me....not always a totally comforting thought, haha. Besides, he and Christina are great jumping buddies. Who am I to ruin it?
Here is also where my good friend and I start to gently clash in training theories. One, we are schooling two very different green horses. One day I will devote part of a post to the differences in training OTTBs and OTSTBs. Two, I'm working with a fear I truly don't think she can understand. It's even rather hard to explain without me sounding uncharacteristically whiny. But it is what it is. I've battled it before and had minor victories. I know how to handle it, I just need TO handle it. Three, I know my horse inside and out, just as she knows hers. You don't own one for 10+ yrs and not. Down to the tiniest detail, I know his mood. Whether the tenseness is frustration or or pissiness. If the big trot is excitement or fear. You just know after a while. And I could feel him into some of the "bigger" (haha) cross rails he was not comfortable, it was too much, too soon. Some horses can handle that. Trust me, he doesn't do well with sudden change (sometimes, we are too alike in personalities, lol). I outright refused some of the true cross rails. I wasn't feelin' it. Did I mention he can read ME like a book??? Yeah, not a good combo.
So, we're going to take it slow. He prefers it, I prefer it. There. Settled. He's starting to try really jumping the teeny stuff. He needs to figure his legs out anyway, haha. the front end jumps, the back end trots. He likes it though :)
Oh, and we got our picture in the local paper today :) They were covering the MD Horse Census for 2010 and interviewed Amanda. They needed pictures so I ran out to the barn. I thought Bubby would be wore out but he was quite spunky. Could have been all that dang wind though! I've never had my picture in the paper before, lol. Whereas most of the rest of the fam has (normal sports stuff of course ;). Kinda cool....even if the paper chose the one where he was spooking away from the camera...think I can feel my ears burnin now, lol.
Til next time :D
On to more somewhat exciting news (I mean, how can you top newborn baby, right?), I worked with Bubby Monday evening over some small cross rails. With the help of my friend Ali of course, haha. Who knew the Bubbers would actually take a liking to it??? Well, the little stuff had him really excited. When she set actual little X's up....let's just say neither of us were terribly thrilled. One, I reiterate, I have a terrible fear/anxiety associated with jumping. Thank you lousy, waste-of-a-whole-year-and-money "instructor" at Wilson >P BUT, on an upside, I have worked with Bubby enough and know his personality well enough that I do trust him to get me over it. As much as I appreciate what the Ol' One has taught me, I know he's going over the jump with or withOUT me....not always a totally comforting thought, haha. Besides, he and Christina are great jumping buddies. Who am I to ruin it?
Here is also where my good friend and I start to gently clash in training theories. One, we are schooling two very different green horses. One day I will devote part of a post to the differences in training OTTBs and OTSTBs. Two, I'm working with a fear I truly don't think she can understand. It's even rather hard to explain without me sounding uncharacteristically whiny. But it is what it is. I've battled it before and had minor victories. I know how to handle it, I just need TO handle it. Three, I know my horse inside and out, just as she knows hers. You don't own one for 10+ yrs and not. Down to the tiniest detail, I know his mood. Whether the tenseness is frustration or or pissiness. If the big trot is excitement or fear. You just know after a while. And I could feel him into some of the "bigger" (haha) cross rails he was not comfortable, it was too much, too soon. Some horses can handle that. Trust me, he doesn't do well with sudden change (sometimes, we are too alike in personalities, lol). I outright refused some of the true cross rails. I wasn't feelin' it. Did I mention he can read ME like a book??? Yeah, not a good combo.
So, we're going to take it slow. He prefers it, I prefer it. There. Settled. He's starting to try really jumping the teeny stuff. He needs to figure his legs out anyway, haha. the front end jumps, the back end trots. He likes it though :)
Oh, and we got our picture in the local paper today :) They were covering the MD Horse Census for 2010 and interviewed Amanda. They needed pictures so I ran out to the barn. I thought Bubby would be wore out but he was quite spunky. Could have been all that dang wind though! I've never had my picture in the paper before, lol. Whereas most of the rest of the fam has (normal sports stuff of course ;). Kinda cool....even if the paper chose the one where he was spooking away from the camera...think I can feel my ears burnin now, lol.
Til next time :D
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