Riders 4 Helmets Story Contest

On a whim I entered the Riders 4 Helmets end of the year story competition. All stories had to involve helmets and have photos to go with the written words.

My entry was featured on their website! To see it click Here.

Of course the horse that flipped over on me was Tessa.

Happy New Year's Eve!

Looking Forward

So it's the last week of 2010 and I can't help but look back at all that's gone on this year. Boy has it been long and fraught with drama!

I can honestly say that this year was one of the worst for me personally. When I compare it's major events to years past it is easily in the top three.

However, that doesn't mean it didn't have good moments too. One of the big ones were finding and purchasing UK (obviously). I mean, talk about things just falling into place. I think fate (or the powers that be) couldn't have done much more short of putting up a sign to tell me that if I didn't buy this horse I'd always regret it.

I know I sing his praises quite often, but he really is a honest to goodness good guy. I'm not saying he's perfect, every horse and every person have their faults. His are just minor compared to all his pluses.

So looking back at 2010 what am I happiest about (I'm sticking to horse related things for my own safety)?

1. UK (duh!)

2. Finding Tess a great home with a girl/woman that adores her. Which is more then a lot of horses get these days.

3. Finally being honest with myself about what I really want to do instead of letting other people's opinions overshadow my dreams. (I let that happen a lot when I was younger)

4. Remembering to count my blessings often so I don't loose sight of the real things.

Now then, looking to 2011 I do have some wishes and goals. Will I manage to do all of them? I really hope so, but as any horse person knows having goals just seems to tempt ill luck sometimes. So crossing my fingers, knocking on wood and saying a prayer before I put the pen to paper/ fingers to keyboard...

1. Go Eventing! Or a horse trial or SOMETHING that is actually a real riding competition other then a fair with my horse.

2. Actually take some lessons with an eventing trainer. (I have a history of reading a lot and then going it alone, which I'm getting too old for)

3. Take UK to a show and do a Halter class. Not only have I never done one, but I think it would be a great way to see how Mr. Yuke does in a show atmosphere.

4. Do a hunter pace, hopefully Ride for the Cure.

I know to some people those don't seem like huge goals, but they are for me. I've basically only been riding recreationally for 2 and a half years when it comes to my own horse(s). Sure I've been training, showing and teaching other people and their horses, but not my own.

Plus life keeps throwing up roadblocks, and I'm sick of having to tear them down or go around. Now I'm going to try to jump them! HA! (I can hear my husband wince at the mention of jumping, he can't understand why I can't be happy doing dressage like his mother and sister. Silly man.)

So Friday night I'll be at my good friend (and farrier)'s house for a new years bash, and I'm going to do my best to just look forward and leave this year in the dust.

-- On a separate note, I'm very excited to note that my good friend Kristy (the one who rode UK for me) is getting a new horse on Saturday! I will update and hopefully have some pictures once we get her settled. UK will be so happy to have a new friend! --

So.... I bid adeu to you 2010 and I'll do my best to Rise Up, Ride Forward and Not Be Afraid to Grab Mane in 2011!

I know, I know... I've been bad about posting!

First off let me start out by apologizing profusely for my lack of writing the past couple of months. I had some really hard (non horse) things to get through.
Literally the day after my last post I had a life altering doctor's visit. I'll sum it up thus: There were complications and I ended up loosing my daughter who we named Faith Ann. I was in the hospital for almost a week and spent about a month recovering. Our family and friends were wonderful, supportive and helpful.
Then the holidays commenced and well, I'm sure all of you know how it goes...

As for UK, he's been a peach through everything. We have been working on his big fears (specifically tarps and their plan to eat him alive).
The above picture was a momentous occasion! His feet are actually on the tarp, and it was later followed by actually walking (quickly) over the tarp. (He later ruined all his calm by getting brave and pawing the tarp which of course scared the daylights out of him)

So I was mean and made UK work that morning. I was doubly mean as I moved the tarp from being on the ground to on the fence. The tarp is UK's sworn enemy, he is convinced of this and has been awaiting it's attack for months now.
He started out awesome, then once I started taping he got lazy, which I told him (I cut myself off in the video by accident).
His free lunging has come a long way, as has his jumping. And all that hard work has been paying off! I've now jumped UK undersaddle twice and both times he's been fearless and smart. Thanks to me making him learn how to balance and find his own rhythm he's confident in himself now. Big difference from when I first brought him home. He's starting to even have that wonderful "fifth leg", which has me all excited.
In October UK lost a shoe, again (this time it was my fault, with everything going on I sorta forgot to call the farrier). Here his is pictured reading the manual regarding the proper application of an Easyboot. However the Easyboot didn't last and ended up being returned in frustration as UK made it clear that he did not want it on his foot, not even for an hour.
The upside is his feet are in wonderful health now, and don't chip despite all the rocks...

Then UK was introduced to his new adopted sibling, a black lab mix named General. General is a year and a half old and from Tennessee. UK likes General a lot more then General likes UK.
Their relationship has improved since those first couple of weeks. General has tried chasing UK a couple times, and UK has been unimpressed. UK was even better when Gen escaped and came after us as I was cantering to a jump. I had a heart attack as I saw the black streak come flying towards my horse's back end. UK's reaction? "Whatever" Needless to say Gen was in BIG trouble for that little stunt, and he seems to have learned his lesson. Pictured below they can be seen in their Pessoa blankets... awww.
Winter arrived up here early, with bitter temperatures and biting winds. I sprained my ankle the day before thanksgiving and ended up riding bareback that weekend.
UK has not been staying warm enough, which is surprising, as he was born in upstate NY.

UK was wearing the pictured heavy weight Amigo on a 32 degree day and was not warm.... And I haven't even clipped him at all!
After trying him in my other blankets and finding that quite a few of them don't fit him, ugh. I was forced to order him a last minute Christmas present from the lovely people at SmartpakEquine.com. I got him the Amigo heavy weight stable blanket. It arrived Christmas Eve and he was a very happy pony after I put it on.

After becoming addicted to watching Peter Atkins and HJ Hampton aka "Henny" and joining their fan club, I started to once again pay attention to Eventing (this started in the summer and got worse after WEG). Anyway, I am trying to get to a point. I've decided that this coming year UK and I are going to try Eventing. I talked to my friends, including my friend Kristy who used to do horse trials. Everyone thinks he'd be fabulous at it, and I just know he's got the talent. Now it's just a matter of making it so I can afford it. Ha!
Jumping I've got down, and I know my way around a field with hills and iffy terrain due to the hunter paces I used to do combined with all the crazy stuff I used to do as a teenager. It's the dressage that I'm skeptical about... UK has the moves, but I've never been a big fan of dressage. I did however marry into a dressage family and some of my closest friends do dressage. So it can't be that bad... right? I mean I'm big on flatwork, you can't jump well if you don't do a lot of flat work, but calling it dressage just gives me the heebe-jeebes...

Now I leave you with this festive and ridiculously cute picture of UK showing us how to rock the Santa hat. I mean, I don't think you could get much cuter without someone's brain exploding!

Also I'd like to mention Eventing Nation, this blog has become my new addiction and daily read. The whole crew there have a great sense of humor and make it easy to keep up with all the horse world news and drama.

Now I've just got to try to dig myself a path to the manure pile tonight in the 3 feet drifts left by the blizzard that hit Sunday. FUN....

Toodles, and I promise it won't be another two months before I write again!

Jake's Story (Part 2)

Ok, I know it's been a bit, but telling his story, even omitting huge chunks is exhausting. I have so many memories and I still miss him a great deal.

Also there will be a UK update soon, I promise!

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So where was I? Ah yes, when he moved to the little private barn....

Like I said before, Jake was the king of his new domain. He lived with two other horses and they were out 24/7 as long as the weather didn't get too bad. His pasture mates were a young Standardbred gelding named Spencer who idolized Jake and a slightly older paint mare named Cherokee (aka Little Miss Priss).
I had also started looking for a new trainer and had gone to try a lesson with her. My friend who's mom had trailered Jake around during his nervous breakdown was going with me. We had a decent time but both of us pretty much hit a brick wall. The way we'd both been taught to jump was dead wrong. She who will not be named had taught everyone how to jump by jumping ahead. We basically needed to start from scratch.
So during that first lesson with this trainer I hurt myself. I'd groomed Jake to the nines in preparation for meeting this new trainer. He was as shiny as a new minted penny . When we went to jump a large vertical he tripped on the landing, and as he was all shined up and had a very short mane that offered no resistance, my right arm followed his body and slipped over to the left side of his neck, dislocating my shoulder. He kept cantering and I managed to pull him to a stop one handed. My right arm was dangling useless at my side and I was seeing spots. Everyone was freaking out, telling me to get off and generally looking shocked. I took a deep breath, dropped my reins and used my left hand to pop my right shoulder back into place. I informed them that if I tried to get off I would fall off. I took ibuprofen and kept riding. I later on went to see my chiropractor and was informed to keep my arm in a sling for two weeks. (This did not go over well at work, and the barn manager still made me move hay bales one armed.)
I eventually had a couple of lessons with this trainer after given the ok by my doctor and quickly decided she wasn't for me. We were pretty close to each other riding level wise. We talked and I agreed to trailer Jake up to share a lesson with her and try her new trainer. That's when I met Jess, who I ended up riding with for the next 5 years.
Also at that fall I ended up leaving Lee's as my full time job. I worked at a total of 4 barns (including Jess'), an orchard and a toy store in order to pay for my horse. I was killing myself but I managed to keep going financially and keep riding. I would ride Jake at home practicing what I'd learned in my lessons that I had at Jess' barn.
Then everything came to a screaming stop right after New Years... I had been snow shoveling the driveway after a storm, and suddenly I felt something in my shoulder snap. I was in an excruciating amount of pain. Over the next three months I saw doctors, had an MRI and was informed that I had torn my rotater cuff in such a way that it was inoperable. I wasn't allowed to do anything during those three months, I had to quit all my jobs and my parents had to pay for Jake.
Once April arrived I was finally allowed to work again. I worked at the toy store and got my old job at Jess' back. I still had to be careful of my shoulder (I still do to this day. If you grab my right hand and yank it to the left, my arm will pop right out of the rotater cuff). Eventually I ended up working full time at Jess' and moving Jake there. I became the barn manager and took over a large chunk of her lesson load so she could focus on her more advanced students.

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Ok, so I started this second post on 09/28/10 and I just couldn't finish it. To roughly sum it up, Jake and I started conquering the Jumpers and did very well on a very tight budget. My students loved him, and so did everyone else.
Eventually I had a second horse who was a rescue. I was planning on reselling her immediately but the economy wasn't cooperating.
I left the show barn and kept both horses at the small private barn so I could focus on my upcoming wedding.
The morning of my wedding Jake wouldn't get up for breakfast and I received a phone call. My now husband rushed to the barn to give him Banamine and get him up and walking. I had been dropped off at the salon with no way to leave. My maid of honor picked me up and got me to the barn a short while later.
I wrote this the next day:
"Jake had to be put down Saturday morning before the wedding. He coliced that morning and was beyond saving by the time a vet could get out to the barn. Surgery wasn't an option as the vet believed he wouldn't survive the trailer ride.

Jake was a fighter, and stubborn willed. He fought to the very end, struggling to his feet whenever he could, breaking to a trot, doing everything he could to fight the pain.

He said goodbye to all the other horses, and those who were there.

I will miss my horse, and I already do. He was my best friend. He was my savior. And he was my baby. He got me through a lot of bad times, and enjoyed all the good ones too. There will never be another horse that will touch my heart and soul like Jake.

He was so much a part of me, that I still can't believe he's gone. He did a lot of good for people, giving people of all ages love and his whole heart.

Jake was only 13yrs old and had never coliced before in his life. He was so healthy that the vet had to give him extra drugs to put him down. He wanted to live, he wanted to stay, but his body let him down."

That sums it up pretty well. Instead of typing how I felt, I ended up making this video last week...




So there you go. <3 you still Bakess....

Jake's Story (Part 1)

So back in July I promised to tell the whole story concerning my first horse, Jake. I want to write it, I never tire of telling stories about him, but that is part of the problem. How do you sum up such an amazing being as Jake is just a chunk of written words? Every time I think I have summed things up well, I remember something else that made him, him....
So let's start here: Did you ever have that horse (or dog, cat, etc.) that was so much more then a pet or even a friend? That once in a lifetime animal soulmate that transcends the boundary between normal human and animal connections? That one creature that you swear understands most if not all of your words and actions? Jake was all that, he was my best friend, he balanced me out, and he taught me so much. Jake was a family member, and he had opinions that people had to listen to because he was usually right. (More about that later)

So.... I had always wanted a horse, for as long as anyone can remember, not a pony, a horse. Whenever my family could afford it I got to take riding lessons and thanks to an anonymous donation got to attend a summer riding camp when I was 6. As I got older I rode a different barns, with different horse and trainers with different approaches. I volunteered whenever I could and even got to ride a friend's horse bareback as a reward for helping on her dairy farm when I was 8. Eventually my family and I ended up in CT and the cycle started all over again. A friend of my parent's from church got me a lesson package at a local farm as a thank you for doing gardening work for her. I was ten at the time. Years went by, I, as always, read as much as I could, volunteered as much as I could and took lessons when I could afford it.
By the time I was fifteen I was indispensable as a volunteer at the barn, I would be there from dawn to dusk or longer whenever I could. I was a groom at all the shows, I never missed a day due to bad weather and the horses loved me. My initiative impressed my parents (they were really hoping this was a faze, but they were just in denial). So they sat me down and we had a talk, they were thinking of working things out so I could lease a horse, and maybe even buy one. So I got to try a bunch of horses from the barn. I tried Nicky, a western horse that had a huge chip on his shoulder. Then I tried Willow, a beautiful 3yr old morgan mare who wasn't going to get tall enough for me. Next came Hurley, he was a fantasic TB gelding that had a heart of gold, but he was expensive and one of my best friends wanted to buy him, so I decided to pass on him (he died a few months later).

Then the farm owners daughter who ran the lessons looked at me and said,
"You know what, I forgot about Jake, you should try him!"
"Jake? Which one is Jake?"
"Oh he's the one who's out all the time, the stall next to PJ." (Ok, back then I trusted her, never stopped to wonder at the time why he was out all the time)

So I tried Jake, he did everything I asked, granted with a little attitude, but he still did it. He was a roman nosed blah looking horse with big ears, but his eyes are what got me.... You can tell a lot about a horse from their eyes, and a lot of people will back me up on that. He was 7 years old, dark bay and 15.2hh (barely). At the time I was 5'6ish almost 5'7".
I came home after my lesson and raving about Jake, I had ridden Nicky not long before trying Jake and Nicky had been trying to drag me to the center of the ring and doing the best impression of a donkey I have ever seen. I never thought much when my parents said they had to go talk to Lee (the farm owner). They came home later that night and looked me in the eyes and said,
"We bought Jake, a halter and a bridle, Lee said you can use one of their saddles for now."
I just stared and then pretty much told them they were funny and nice try tricking me (Dad had made promises in the past that were along the lines of "if you do this I'll get you a pony" or something involving helicopter rides). I probably took them a good 20 minutes to convince me they weren't joking....
Then the conditions came, I had to work to pay for his board and upkeep, they would pay for his purchase price. I had already started working for Lee a couple weeks before hand, hoping to start saving up money.
It took a couple weeks for it to really sink in that Jake was MINE! (It involved a stupid girl fight shouting "no he's mine!" back and forth till I offered to show her the bill of sale)
<---So this is us the first week I owned him, he was out of shape (so was I) and he had a bad attitude. He shoved people, liked to stomp feet and loved to itch his bridled head on you when you tried to let yourself out of the ring. Jake was a BRAT. The first time my father saw him he looked at my mom and I and said, "You didn't tell me we bought a Mule!" He was not joking, he was serious and I was offended (It's funny now however). I got to enjoy him for two weeks and then he went Lame..... Now then, as it was July a lot of the girls from the barn had been on vacation (see the stupid girl fight above). One of them was a girl a few years younger then me that had her own horse. She came back and congratulated me on buying Jake, apparently he was ringer in the Eq ring. But then she said "well he was when he wasn't lame, like he is now." I was shocked and I got more information from her (later confirming it with other sources). A sad and horrifying picture was painted.... Jake would do lesson after lesson, show every weekend, and this would go on for a few months. Then he'd go lame and be ignored till he was sound. This pattern had been repeated since he was first bought as a 3yr old. So for 4 years he'd be ridden into the ground and then ignored till he was sound.No wonder he had an attitude! Suddenly I felt like the biggest idiot, here I was, having worked my ass off for this woman (the daughter) for free and she had carefully omitted the truth and sold me a horse with chronic lameness issues. I was pissed. Not only for my sake but for Jake's.
Over the next three months Jake and I learned a hell of a lot about each other. He had a large abscess too deep to be cut out. He was on stall rest with Epsom salt soaks at least 3 times a day. There was nothing we could do but hope the stupid thing would move up and come out his cornet band. So we talked, groomed and fought over keeping his foot in the tubs. He knocked people over, he started nipping (and then went on a no treats ban for 4 months), he would try to step on you and share his misery. He even managed to escape and scare the crap out of me by running around on three legs like a mad man. Long story short the abscess just disappeared one day, which was mind-boggling for the vet.
So then his recovery started, and we go in shape together. By now a lot of his attitude problems were gone. He'd become a large lovebug and finally got to show his heart of gold to the world. We got back into shape together and really started progressing. I did even more reading and decided I didn't like the bit they had been riding him in, a twisted wire full cheek snaffle, I put him in a plain full cheek and he was fine (I later found out he had a hard time stopping due to his QH build, and they had stuck that bit on his bridle, he then proceeded to bolt with many students as he mouth would become painful from their beginner hands banging on it). I captained a Drill Team that winter to finish off getting him into shape, we were a huge success.
We preformed in 3 degree weather in a tiny indoor ring and I'm still proud of that performance to this day.---->

So we struggled over the next couple of years. I got my own english saddle that first winter and thanks to the saddle fitter's warning bought one with an extra long flap (I shot up to 5'9" that spring). I ended up moving Jake downstairs to the lower barn and refused to train with the owners daughter any longer (she refused to let me show in tall boots despite the fact I jumped and was over 16, it was humiliating as she made me show in garters and jods and this was a minor problem compared to some other things she did to us).
My bible was George Morris' Hunter Seat Equitation and I trained myself for those two years. We then dabbled in some western riding and I used him for my work as a trail guide. He was a customer favorite! I would jump off at our arrival back at the barn and leave his reins hooked over the horn. People would pet him and pose for pictures with him. He even made friends with some Japanese tourists and I later found out from their american friends that they had framed the picture of them with him and it was in their living room in Japan.
Jake slowly became famous, all the kids loved him, the other boarders loved him and the kids in the therapeutic riding program that I volunteered in loved him. Jake loved kids, and would be so gentle with them, treating them like they were made of glass. He would be fresh with me, because I was mom and then the calmest horse with a little kid on his back.
I ended up having to put a sign on his stall door "Please don't feed your fingers to my horse" as so many people were feeding him treats when I wasn't around that he was starting to get pushy again.
Somewhere in here Lee found his original Coggins from when she bought him as a 3yr old. It turned out he really was all QH and Canadian to boot.We tried to contact his old owner but were never able to get a hold of him.
Also he got kicked in the nose during a trail ride and it "fixed" his nose, giving him a more attractive profile.
Then we discovered barrel racing! The barn always had huge gymkhana nights as it was, at least 50 horses every time. I started Jake out slow as I didn't know how he'd handle things. My friend Julie and her appy Frank had helped us by teaching us the basics of can chasing. Each time I'd let Jake go a little faster.
Finally at our 3rd Gymkhana I let him go. Holy sh*t! Those of you who have truly fast horses can understand, but my gawd! The sheer power that came out of him was incredible! We left trenches in the sand ring from him taking off. Our turns were sloppy still but our speed was amazing. And then he didn't want to stop! I almost ran over the time keeper and then had to run him into the fence to get him to stop. We were second only to the seasoned Julie and Frank. I was on cloud nine! Then Lee's daughter had to ruin it, not wanting to be beaten by me she went and tacked up her new 16.2hh TB jumper mare western and ran the barrels on her after already having done them on her gaming horse Apache. Needless to say she trounced us and we both got bumped down a place. I was more then a little upset.
Jake and I barrel raced and showed english whenever he was sound. He would go lame on and off and was always unrideable after getting shod. I put him on a hoof supplement and was religious about hoof moisturizer.
Jake and I had been racking up the ribbons and so I entered him in the two day show at our barn. Jake was pulling double duty as I was showing him in the Eq and my little sister was showing him walk/trot (Jake was the walk/trot king). During an Eq over fences class that first day I had an epic fall. Jake tripped on a rock while heading to an in-and-out that was heading straight at the judge's tent. Jake wobbled and somehow manage to scrape together enough balance to jump the first jump, but thanks to his trip right before takeoff my legs had gotten too far behind me. We landed in the middle and straightened in that one stride, both regaining our balance. He jumped the second jump and my mind flashed "YES!" we were perfect! Then I had nothing.... Jake landed and I was flying, I hit the dirt so hard i scratched my brand new tall boots, and almost had my helmet ripped off. Jake slammed on the brakes, he always stood still when you fell. However what had happened was my stirrup leathers had slipped complete off the bars (never happened again) over the second jump and had literally fallen off my feet. The ends of the leathers however were still stuck in their keepers, when Jake stopped momentum kept the stirrups moving and they slammed him in his boy parts and underbelly. His eyes bulged out and he bolted, covering me in more sand. It took my 5 minutes to catch him, he wouldn't stop and the stirrups kept beating him until they each came off completely. He was a nervous wreck, I pet him and talked calmly as I walked around to collect my stirrups. It was then that I realized the whole crowd of people at the show had been silent this entire time. As I picked up the second stirrup I hugged my quivering horse, and people started applauding which pushed me over the edge and I started crying.
We tried to finish the show but Jake had snapped, he was nervous and scared and terrified. For the first time he got reserve in the walk/trot. At the end of the day I walked over to a friend of mine who would be trailering her son's horse home and asked if she would mind dropping Jake off somewhere for me. I had been helping a friend of my parent's with a couple of rescue horse he'd bought and he'd been pestering me to move Jake there. I had decided Jake need a vacation and that's just what he got. He spent two weeks at the quiet barn and just chilled. I had also decided to try a new farrier, deciding that no matter what people said the farrier I had been using was the problem not "Jake's crappy QH feet". Boy was I right! John did Jake and he was sound right after being shod and rideable! I was overjoyed (My current farrier later told me Jake had fantastic feet and that my first farrier's nick name in the horseshoer community was "The Crippler").
I brought Jake back to Lee's after his vacation, we did a 2-d barrel race at another farm and finished the english show season with a bang. I ended up moving Jake to the small barn that winter and he stayed there for almost a year enjoying being king of the barn.

Overdue Update (Again)

UK has been good. I've been alternating lunging and riding him over the past few weeks. Overall he's been progressing well. 2 weeks ago we were having a good ride, and my husband was watching us together for the first time. He did his spooks/tests while we were trotting and then we moved on. He was much more relaxed and we worked on going straight at the trot and canter (through instead of over pairs of poles). We were cantering on the rail, tracking left, when up at the far end of the ring there was a loud metal on metal noise right off of his flank coming from the other side of the brush. He bolted, and I asked him not too. He threw on the brakes so hard he lost his balance and his front end came off the ground with him dropping his inside shoulder. I tried but I couldn't stay on, landing fairly easily on my hip with my head never even touching the sand. Once he lost me as a counter balance he went over the other way and hit the dirt. Then he stood there quivering (I was up within seconds of falling), he was staring at me with fear and confusion and awaiting a beating..... I am so angry at whoever hurt this poor horse! I calmed him and got right back on (needless to say my husband was not happy). We walked, trotted and then cantered and he was fine. Poor guy felt really guilty and I just felt dumb. I had made the mistake of mentioning out loud that I hadn't had a real fall in over 3 years, what a jinx.
After checking UK for injuries again I gave him a shower and then brought him over to talk with my husband who'd been sitting in the truck looking angry. He agreed that UK hadn't spooked on purpose and even said he is a "good horse" (this coming from my husband is high praise for an equine).
So other than that things have been fairly normal. I did find out he is terrified of tarps and there is now one permantly living in the ring until he gets over his fear. I also discovered that someone used to beat him with a whip.... He was feeling fresh and defiant so I went to use one, as soon as it was in my hand he was a quivering nervous wreck. I had to get rid of it, he couldn't even trot on the lunge line while I had it in my hand. Jake had had the same problem and it took me 3 years to banish that fear.... GAH! Stupid people!

So that is pretty much it for the moment. Hoping to have some one to take pictures while I lunge him over jumps soon!

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On a completely different note, I am terribly excited for this movie to come out! When most children were pretending to be faeries, princesses or superheros I was on the swings pretending to be Secretariat. He was and still is my Equine Hero. (Gem Twist is almost tied with him, but I didn't learn about him till I was older)

SO here you go, the trailer!

Barn Day!

So today was awesome barn and horse wise. My friend Kristy and I had planned ahead for her to come up and ride UK today. (Today was also the first anniversary of her horse's death. Shoamy Luv was a fantastic mare, and is greatly missed!)

So Uke (as I've been calling him lately) got groomed and tacked up and then we went out to the ring. He got lunged a little bit first, as Kristy wanted to see him go over the cavalletti. Then I got on him and rode him through his spooks. He has a two main bad behaviors and I dealt with them both. It was so nice to ride him! Once we had gotten him focused and on task he was fun and I just looooooove his canter (and so does my poor back). We cantered a pole with me on him for the first time. He was, again, fantastic! He really enjoys doing new things!

So I only rode him 10 to 20 minutes, then it was Kristy's turn! She really hadn't ridden in over a year. It's funny, I'm such an equitation rider at heart, so watching Kristy ride is weird for me. She's such a dressage rider! XD

As I wasn't the one riding, I took pictures! YAY! It was so cool to see him go, as sometimes you just need to see how your horse goes with a rider on him.

Anyhoo, here's a slideshow of the pictures I took!

So toodles till next time!

Jumping in the rain

So I ended up lunging UK again last night. It was a spur of the moment thing as I hadn't planned on having to be at the barn that evening.
I moved my little jumps around so we had the small cavalletti towards the inside again, and a small ramped oxer slightly higher then the cavalletti on the outside. On the opposite side of the ring I had set up a larger vertical (about 1'8").
I groomed UK and got him all set with brushing boots in the front and polos behind, and then off we went. Well of course, as soon as I set foot in the ring the clouds started getting heavier. By the time we were done it was raining steadily.
We warmed up by starting tracking left as it seems to be his weaker side (I came to this conslusion as he likes to drop his right shoulder). After flatting for a bit we started by popping over the cavalletti at a nice relaxed trot. He's gained enough confidence that he just relaxes and pops over it now instead of the awkward "trot, trot, trot, huh? where do I put my feet, whack, ee, oo, ah, whew, trot, trot, trot." Then we progressed to a canter and eventually popped over the cavalletti a couple times before moving on to the vertical.
You could tell he'd never jumped anything bigger then a cavalletti before, but he was soooo game! I'm really very proud of him! He went over the vertical the first time like a champ! As he landed he got this little gleam in his eye and seemed to glow with pride. He was praised and I didn't even have to ask him to keep going he wanted to do it again! I let him do it a couple of times and then we progressed to the oxer.
UK loves to jump! With little or no prompting from me he did the oxer a couple more times, then the oxer to the vertical. Yes here and then he got a little too fast and messed up his distance, but he never stopped trying. We took a break for me to pick up the fallen rails and then he was game to try again (I never end with a downed jump).
His other big progress was not having a fit over hitting or knocking the jumps. He obviously wasn't happy with himself, but he'd finally learned that just continuing to go forward is better then throwing a fit.
We did everything tracking right next, and he was equally awesome. He really impressed me with how game he was to try new things. It's a completely different side of him, as when he's just flatting he tends to spook easy. Nothing phased him as he jumped, not the rain or the fact that the sun had set and we were basically jumping in the dark at the end.
I'm really beginning to think he was born to be a hunter or an equitation horse. If I hadn't bought him and he'd just continued to do western pleasure the rest of his life..... well, what a waste. It's fairly normal to have a horse who jumps well and looks good doing it, it's another to have a horse that enjoys jumping, it's unbelievable when you have a horse that is both!
So weather permitting, I'm going to continue the lunge work whenever I'm not up to riding. I'm grateful just to have a horse that likes me again!

Toodles!

Our lunging weekend.

So it's quickly become apparent that it's exhausting being pregnant (Yes I know, that should be obvious).
I feel like one of those jugglers that's already juggling a bunch of knives and someone suddenly threw a flaming torch into the mix! The pregnancy brain alone is making things way more complicated. *yawns* Like I said before, this is exhausting!
My juggling skills were really put to a test this week, but I was determined to make time for UK on the weekend, weather permitting. So I got up Saturday and went up to the barn, fed, cleaned and snapped a lunge line on my spiffy Stacy Westfall Training Halter (I'm a big enough fan of this halter to mention it by name!) which I had put on UK.
So out to the ring we went, and we walked over to the nice wide (about 16feet) cavalletti height jump I'd put out for him. I was immediatly given the puppy eyed look, that seemed to say "that's for you, not me, right?" We warmed up by lunging walk/trot over a couple of ground poles both directions, then it was jump time!
He was a good boy, having been lunged over small jumps in the past before I owned him. He's good with his knees, but tends to get distracted and then have a bit of an awkward jump every few times. Half the wide jump was a standard wood cavalletti which I had closest to me, then I had a pole going from the cavalletti to a jump standard on the rail. I'd also given the small jump nice white ground poles on each side.
I was just about to end our little session when he hit the pole and knocked it down. He threw the funniest little temper tantrum! Bucking, head tossing, pure disgust and humiliation radiating from him. But then he slammed on the brakes and stared at me quivering, as if awaiting a punishment from me (e.g., a beating). I had been laughing, but seeing him waiting to be whacked just horrified me! Needless to say he wasn't punished, I just made him move forward and get over himself and then we did it again once I had put the pole back up. He then jumped it perfectly and we ended after he'd done it nicely both ways, as I didn't want to end too close to his little fit.
He was rewarded and released (cantering and head tossing out in the field).
I then had tons of stuff to do at home including throwing a double party for my sister and parents....

Sunday dawned grey and wet. I went up to feed and clean (Betsy is away so it's just me for all feedings and barn cleaning till she gets back). The rain had tapered back to just a disgusting drizzle. Enough to get you soaked, but not enough to really stop you from doing anything.
I was resolute and went out to the ring to modify the jump from the day before. I left our original wide jump/cavalletti but now added a second that was narrower one stride away. Thus I had the option of having him just do the inside of the wide jump, or having him go closer to the rail and do the one stride combination. I left the new jump half down to make it easier, with nice ground lines like the other jump.
I went back and got UK ready, this time putting on his (his in a loose term) brushing boots as it was now cooler thanks to the constant drizzle. This time we warmed up without looking at things first or going over ground poles. Once he was nice and loose and listening well we started out over the inside cavalletti until he was staying relaxed over it and maintaining the same pace. We repeated it the other direction and then did some nice canter without going over anything.
Then it was time to try the new thing!! (As far as I know, he'd never done two jumps in a row before, as he was only trained western and had learned about jumping in order to show a perspective buyer.) So he did it first try, no spooking or stopping. Once he seemed comfortable and had figured out the distance somewhat we took a break and I made it a full jump by picking the rail off the ground.
He was fantastic and really seemed to enjoy the new challenge. Occaisionaly he would test me and get fresh, or throw a fit if he hit a pole (the fits grew less dramatic as he slowly realized I didn't care and he'd just have to do it again). At one point a Red Tailed Hawk flew out of the woods and within 10 feet of his face and he was landing, that caused a fit, but I just made him keep going and ignored his drama.
We wrapped up by doing some groundwork as we cooled off (I say we, as in order for him not to have to be turning as he landed I was running with him so he could approach and depart straight), playing some follow the leader without anything attached to his halter. Then we stopped, I took his boots off and we continued walking, stopping again in a few minutes to remove the halter. We finished by exiting the ring with nothing on him and him politely following me till he was given a treat and dismissed.

Now the rain has finally stopped today, and I'm going to borrow my Mother-in-law's endurance saddle again and try to go for a ride tonight when I go up to feed and tuck them in for the night. I've been have a major pregnancy symptom day and really need to do something for me.

Needless to say, I think my goal of competing in The Ride For the Cure this year is just not going to happen. Which is really disappointing but there is always next year. I promised my Husband I would not jump till after the baby is born, and I think going on a hunter pace is even more dangerous then jumping at home. So my new focus and to continue UK's training over jumps on his own, so that way he can figure out his balance on his own. We'll continue to desensitize him to scary things and help him to get braver. If we eventually get to a point that I feel safe to take him on a trail ride with someone else, that would be amazing.

So simpler goals for this year. Next year? Ooooh trust me, I have ideas already!! XD

Toodles!

Bath time!

First off, UK would like me to say that I'm a cruel and heartless mommy. I not only forced him to take a bath before he got to go out and play Saturday, but I did the meanest thing to him as well! I WASHED HIS FACE WITH A SPONGE! Oh the horror!

Ok, now then, for my side of the story....

Saturday dawned bright and hot, I had planned on taking an early morning ride after I'd fed the critters. I was forced to rethink my plans however, as I'd woken up with a strange new rash that seemed to get itchier when I got hot (more on that later). So I decided that my mission would be to give my disgusting smelling horse a bath instead. Needless to say he wasn't as excited as I was about getting him clean.

I fed them, chatted with the barn owner's dog sitter, and then started prepping him for his bath. I'd carefully considered Savannah's feelings and made her a small paddock near the bathing area to graze in while I bathed him. Hoping that she wouldn't yell at me for taking him away if she was only 5 feet away.

Then it was bath time! I led both horses out, letting Sav into her grazing area and brought UK over to our very fancy bathing area. The bathing area is the driveway, and there is a tree for tying although it's rarely used (I did use it this time with haystring). Well once he realized what I was doing, he was not pleased at all. Thus began the battle!

In his defense he's pretty good about everything up to half way up his neck. He'll go backwards to test you a few times, but if you stand your ground and don't give in an inch, then he'll pause, give up and walk back towards you (THIS IS THE MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MARES AND GELDINGS FYI, as a mare will drag you to hell before she gives in).

So the bath went pretty well, with a couple of silly spooks to try to distract me. However I was determined to wash his face, as it was gross due to daily flymask wearing. So I rinsed him off and filled a strongid bucket (most useful buckets by the way) with water and a small sponge. I proceeded to not give in and just keep at him, never mean, only chastising him when was being rude, and repeating over and over "I'm not going to wash your ears, I promise."

HUZZAH! It took fifteen minutes but I got all the grime off his face with just plain old water and a sponge.

His reward was to get turned out immediately afterwards. So we collected Sav and went back in the barn for flymasks and flyspray.

Normally UK walks calmly out of the barn, but not then! He couldn't get away from me fast enough! So I give him a few minutes, then walked out to the field with some treats as an apology for all the horrible things I'd done to him. I knew how he'd react, so I brought my phone with me. The video is below, the funny breathing noises are me trying not to laugh out loud. I eventually gave in and laughed.

Overdue Update

My what a crazy month July was! After the heatwave broke life just went zero to sixty.
I managed to get to ride a few times, the last time was a week or so ago. The humidity had finally broken and I borrowed my Mother-in-law's Tucker endurance type saddle. Gel seat, english leathers, etc.
I arrived at the barn to discover UK was missing a front shoe. His foot was in great shape so I wrapped his foot and rode anyways. Oooooh it was such a nice ride, despite all the distractions. It seemed to be Mother Nature's play date with us. First a young fox was bounding around, trying to get our attention. Then a doe and her twin fawns were playing in the field alongside the ring. Finally there was a rabbit that kept hopping in and out of the shadows. And with a grand finale, a pack of motorcycles flying by on the freshly stoned road!

And now for why things have been so crazy! I found out I'm pregnant, yay! At the moment I'm about 10 and a half weeks. Riding when it's not too hot really helps sooth the pregnancy symptoms.

Now that UK has new shoes I'm really looking forward to getting to ride again!

A video I'd like to share, riding update and my anniversary!

So this video is fantastic! Made me all teary!


I rode UK on Saturday, just a quick ride. It was still pretty hot out and he wasn't terribly pleased that I wanted to ride. So he tried pulling some spooks in an attempt to get me to give in and get up. Silly boy, I'm not like your last mama! After I made him go forward past the two spots he was spooking at, I dismounted and walked him outside the ring, showing him the road that is on the other side of the brush he was spooking at. I told he must feel stupid, and that he really needs to trust me when I say there is nothing to be afraid of. I got back on and he was DEAD. Omg, made me wish I had brought a crop! Good workout for my legs though. He ended with a fantastic canter again, with him slobbering and being all soft on the bit. Then he had a fun time walking out, as my sister Abby and my other sister Julia(she's a sister by everything other then blood) were at the barn with me. Julia got to walk him out for me, as I walked on the ground. UK liked playing follow the leader, and it showed how far our relationship has progressed. I did fast turns and sudden stops and he stayed right behind me at a respectful distance, his head never going past my shoulders. XD

Now then, as for today, July 12.... Today is my wedding anniversary. Today is also the anniversary of Jake's death. Needless to say it's a hard day for me. Exactly two years ago today I had a day of horrific tragedy and wonderful joy all in one. It's a long story, and I'll do a special post dedicated to it sometime soon, as he deserves it. Jake was my equine soulmate (don't get me wrong, I love UK but it's not the same). I don't think it was possible for someone to dislike him, he had so many friends of so many species.
I still tear up when a random memory pops into my head or a certain song comes on the radio. We never saw it coming, as sometimes you miss the little signs when you see someone almost everyday. He was one of a kind, and I know that's a cliche but it's true in his case. Everyone who ever met him remembers him. Some days all I want to do is get on him one last time and just go, galloping into the sunset. My hair flying out behind me and tears being pulled from my eyes by the wind because he could run so fast.

Jake, aka "Fast As U" 1995 to July 12, 2008

I miss you, I love you and I'll never forget you. My chunky Canadian Quarter Horse with a heart of gold and incredible intelligence. You made so many lives better for knowing you.

Now that I've used up a bunch of tissues, I should get back to work...

Heatwave!

So, as I'm sure most of you know, we've been having quite the heatwave up here in the northeast! I seriously am not a big fan of summer weather. The heat, the sweat and the bugs just don't make it seem worth it to me.
Anyhoo, the weather has made horsekeeping a bit more tricky of late. UK and Sav have a huge amount of paddock available to them, but almost no shade. So our solution is to have them in the barn all day, with a fan going and lots of water available to them. Then once it cools off in the evening they get turned out all night and brought back in in the morning.
Sav knows the drill (which I would hope as she's 32) and seemed perfectly happy with our solution. UK however was a bit confused, although he seemed to really enjoy going out for the night.
So we've been sticking to this pattern all week, until today. Today was much better and I kicked them back outside after breakfast.

So..... I saw the doctor yesterday, and as long as I'm careful I am cleared to ride again!!!! WOOOOOOOOT! I've been going into withdrawal and it hasn't been pleasant. If not for the heat I would have ridden yesterday after work, but it would not have been fair to UK.
My mind has been stuck on a constant chanting loop of: "Gotta Ride, Got To Ride, GOTTA RIDE, Got to ride!, RIDE, Gotta RIDE!" (you get the idea)
I'm out of shape and overweight, and riding is important part of getting me back into shape and being able to fit into my breeches again. Going from working in a barn full time (including teaching and the constant movement that goes with it) to sitting behind a desk five days a week with lots of driving really hurt me weight wise. So I'm on a mission to get back into shape now that I have a horse that I enjoy riding!
Sooo I'm going to try for a quick ride tonight and then a better one tomorrow if the storms don't ruin the whole day (I'll ride in the rain, but not in a Tstorm).
Wow I'm even getting all excited thinking about riding, this is sad!

Sometime soon, I'll be putting up a post dedicated to my late boyo, Jake, so you all will understand my references a little better. He's the horse I'm kissing in the photo on the left above my information.

Stay cool!

My feelings on helmets (and my horse is a ham!)

So, being un-allowed to ride I've been doing a lot of thinking. Yesterday, my brain landed on the topic of riding helmets and their use. What caused this train of thought was some photos had popped up on my news feed on facebook, and in some of them people were riding and competing without helmets.
I have to admit, I have conflicting feelings. When I was younger and braver I craved to ride without a helmet. The barn I was boarding at at the time had firm rule, you had to wear a helmet if you were under the age of 18. So guess what was the first thing I did on my 18th birthday? I went riding without a helmet, and it was exhilarating!
You just can't deny it, there is nothing quite like riding with the wind in your hair. I often rode bareheaded and barefoot (and sometimes bareback at the same time). Those are some of my favorite memories. Yes I could have been injured or killed, but I wasn't. I didn't do it everyday or even all that often. I worked long hours when I was a teenager, my feet would get soaked and I'd be cranky and tired. So my solution was after I'd clocked out, to pull Jake out of his stall (he was still fully tacked up from helping me be a trail guide for tourists all day), take off my shoes so my poor feet could breathe and jump on. Sometimes we'd rip around the ring, or just walk around.
Part of the reason I wasn't afraid to take those risks was I had complete 100% trust in my horse. We knew each other and we took care of each other. He was my equine soulmate, plain and simple. There will never be another Jake.
Now then, I do normally wear a helmet 98% of the time (100% lately). My helmets over the years have saved my poor skull from beatings that could have possibly been deadly. I've had more falls then I can count (but not as many as most). My most horrifying falls involved jumping, and that's when I always wear a helmet without exception anyways. Granted most of those falls injured other parts of me, but a few did start with my head hitting the ground first.
Those falls taught me a lot, and made me rethink my riding equipment. I went from schooling helmets to a Charles Owen GR8. That helmet made it a lot easier to suck it up and put it on, as it was soooo comfortable compared to my last Troxel. I'm now on my second GR8. Yes they are expensive, but they're worth every penny. (Plus they look good on my head. Well at least as good as a helmet can look.)
See this is where I start to have conflicting emotions about the use of helmets. Do I always ride with a helmet now? This year, yes so far. Last year, mostly. The one exception last year was when I was showing in my first western pleasure classes. I had started out wearing my helmet, but as I learned that the green horse I'd been training for the past year was treating his first show with a "been there, done that" attitude I switched the helmet for my western hat.
Did I ever ride the TB mare I just sold without a helmet? HELL NO. Do I hope to someday be able to know UK well enough to trust in him to ride without a helmet again? Hell yes.
When I managed Daffodil, I rode in my helmet 100% of the time. I had young students that looked up to me. I wanted to continue to set a good example. However I also hoped that someday each and every one of them would be able to enjoy at least one ride without a helmet.
Do I think what discipline you're in effects whether or not you should wear a helmet? No. Your skill level? Somewhat. How well you know your horse? Yes.
Take Courtney King-Dye as an example that tragedy strikes even those with incredible skill. It's a big difference to ride bareheaded on a high energy dressage horse then on a quarter horse that lives in your backyard and is used to everything and anything. If she'd been riding the latter instead of the former, things would have likely been a hellva lot different.

I guess my feelings are basically summed up thus:
A riding helmet is important and necessary. If you decide to ride without one, take into careful consideration your skill at staying on a misbehaving horse, the personality and track record of the horse you'll be riding and where you'll be riding.

And I'll leave it at that.....


As for UK. I went up to barn last night to spend some time with the boyo. It was perfect riding weather, which was so unfair. I was planning on lunging him. So I brought them in, fed them dinner and started grooming UK in his stall. Have I mentioned how awesome it is to be able to groom my horse without it trying to rip my head off for touching it (That was Tess, fyi)?
He was really enjoying trying to spy on the neighbors that live out behind the main part of the paddock. They were making lots of noise and it was something to watch, and he loves to watch. The lighting was awesome, so I grabbed my camera and stepped outside to take some pictures of him (I dabble in photography). I made the mistake of mentioning my intention to lunge him next. After hearing that, UK suddenly was overcome with exhaustion. It was so funny, he just kept yawning and closing his eyes. He was such a ham, as he only yawned when I was looking at him. It was all a big show about how he was way to tired to feel up to being lunged. I put up the best pictures on my DeviantArt account (the link is to the left, labeled My Photography or something to that effect).
Then Betsy returned from kayaking, and we started talking. As I was no longer paying attention to him, UK stuck his head out and pulled his flymask off his door (I had a stall guard up) and commenced to play with it. He is way to clever for his own good, let alone ours.
I spent about 2hours just hanging with him and taking his picture. It was really nice, he let me kiss and hug him too. <3

Toodles!

Lunging and Murphy's Law

Ok, so after that awesome ride on Wednesday, I had started planning out the rest of the week (silly me, but we'll get to that later). After work on Thursday I went up and groomed him (no stains! He'd been out all night!) and then put surcingle, side reins, etc on him so we could do some lunging. Beforehand I had gone down to the ring and set up some poles and a calvaletti.
The weather was awful, humidity was making the air so thick that it was almost hard to breath. On top of the not so nice weather the bugs were swarming.
So for ha-ha's I brought my camera with me (the real one, not my blackberry). I managed to take one video, as I really suck at filming and lunging at the same time. In it you can see he really doesn't know verbal commands and has no concept of how to walk on a lungeline.



Well after this little video he got fresh the other way. Due to the humidity and bugs I hadn't planned on lunging him long. I'd also never lunged him in side reins before (but I think he had been worked with them before I owned him). However, I couldn't end our lunging session on a bad note, so we had to keep going. Part of the problem was that he seemed to be counting time in his head, and once it had been about 20 minutes he had decided he was done. Threw on the breaks and spun to look at me. I know that habit probably got started as he used to push his last owners around. He'd misbehave and they would back off, essentially training him to repeat his bad behavior.

We eventually got to a place where I lunged him over the calvaletti both directions. It was hilarious! He was so awkward but finally did it beautifully once both directions. So we ended on that good note and by then he was sweaty and almost dripping. So we got a nice cold shower, a hand walk down the road to check things out, then another shower and finally some light grazing before I tucked him in for the night (brushed him off, rubbed legs down with liniment, etc).

So I was all set. I would ride him Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, giving him Monday off. I came home from the barn and found out my best friend's grandfather had died. The wake was scheduled for Friday (which I did attend) and the funeral was at 11am on Saturday. Okay so I would ride Thursday and the weekend, no big deal...
(Again, Silly me making plans.)
I went to work and planned on going out to lunch at the pub down the road (I'd been sent an email for a free entrée of my choice). We had a lovely lunch and went to walk back out across the sand/gravel parking lot. I wasn't paying attention and I stepped in a small hole. Well my ankle collapsed (or as I say "Popped"), I went flying, skinned both knees and had unbelievable pain in my ankle. I then used my father as a crutch, and then it happened.... my ears starting roaring, my vision got funny, I tried taking deep breathes but it was too late. My body was in too much shock and next thing I know I'm on the ground opening my eyes. My father looking petrified, I inwardly groaned.

"I feinted didn't I?"

Gotta love genetics (that's a story for another time). I knew the drill, I had Rescue Remedy in my purse, along with my ankle brace and Advil. As far as I was concerned I was fine. My dad however was not convinced. Long story short, I eventually got dragged to the Doctor's later that afternoon. A couple of x-rays later it was determined I had fractured my ankle. (Son of a B*tch!) I was prescribed a space boot, offered pain pills (HELL NO. I'm good with Advil Liqui-gels, this statement made to doctor chuckle) and was told to come back in two weeks.

TWO WEEKS!?!? I can't ride for TWO FLIPPIN' WEEKS?!?! Stupid Murphy's Law...

So needless to say I'm not thrilled with the whole situation. And the kicker is, I know my body and everybody tells me I'm wrong. The doctor had given me that same disbelieving look when I told him that my Chiropractor describes me as "double jointed to the extreme". Then he tested for himself at my instance that I wasn't making this up and his look said it all. Yes I really am that flexible, yes I know it's just as much a curse as a gift, etc, etc. They said my ankle would swell up huge, I said it wouldn't (guess who was right). They said it would be more painful (I only took one advil this morning, and that was more for my knee then the ankle). At this point I'm highly irritated. The space boot is heavy, makes stairs near impossible, and it chafes and makes me overheat. Plus it makes that awful velcro noise every time I move. Eeew.

I have quickly decided I would have been better off with an air cast and a pair of crutches. If only the fates could have been that merciful. When wearing the space boot I'm in more pain than when it's off. If it doesn't get better in a few days I'm going to call the doctor. The way it makes me move is pissing my knee off to the point it hurts worse then the ankle.


That was my work look today, sexy right?

So despite everything I still went up to barn last night, this morning and tonight. UK is taking everything in stride (he's been a good boy and hasn't spooked at the strange thing attached to my leg). One of my friends may end up riding him for me, and if not we'll be having a 2 week lunging bootcamp (hooray!). I'm annoyed mostly at the fates (or what-have-you) as they keep throwing monkey wrenches in my plans! Well I guess it's true what they say:

"the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry" or the quote I prefer from the Van Zant song "If you want to hear God laugh just tell him your plans"



On that note I leave you now dear readers with this peaceful picture of the horses in their anti-insect garb from this morning.

So... Good night, good luck and watch for holes in parking lots!

-Jessica/EnglishCowgirl

From spooky to awesome

So I managed to get out of work early yesterday! I ran home, ate some lunch and changed into my jeans and paddock boots. Then off to the barn I went!

I was greeted by a stall of epic messiness and a horse seeming to be shouting at me to look at all his lovely new stains... (I should have taken a picture!)

I'd like to explain my frustration a bit. I became a horse owner at the age of sixteen to a fantastic gelding named Jake (Okay, so he was a brat with issues when I first got him). He was a Dark Bay with his only white being his facial markings. You can't really see poop stains on a brown/black horse. Fast forward a bit and I'd picked up Tess. Tess is a bay, just bay, with a few white hairs on her head and some white scars on her legs.

Now I have UK and oh my... the maintenance of those damn white markings! I thought I knew what I was getting into. I mean I managed an "A" Circuit show barn with massive grey jumpers that loved to roll in their own filth. However, I had two heated wash stalls to use and it was my job to keep them clean. I hadn't completely thought this through, and now it's driving me nuts. I have no wash stall (hose in the driveway), and it takes three times as long to groom him (I also now have a use for Green Spot Remover, that's a first!).

Okay, so anyways, I digress.

After cleaning the barn, I brought the critters in and started the massive grooming project. I got the worst of the stains off and then proceeded to tack him up. Betsy stopped in and told me he'd been running back and forth a good chunk of the afternoon for no apparent reason (I think he'd just realized the people behind the paddock have horses, however that's a story for another time). Well that explained why he was still a bit sweaty.
I finished tacking him up, adding a standing martingale (he tends to be a giraffe or try to hard). I got my gear on and we headed out to the ring where I had put out a bunch of ground poles for trotting. Mounted and began walking.

And he started looking, and didn't want to pay attention, and was getting the tense that means he's thinking about spooking. Not at the cars or anything logical. He mostly was looking out into the great wide open field... Horses.
I continued riding like nothing was wrong, just maybe sinking my heels lower a bit. Then while circling at the trot he spooked and went back. Growl, leg and repeat the circle. Still wanting to looky-loo but slightly better, encouragement, and circle again. Paying attention to me, rewarded and move on to the next thing. That was the only real spook, but he did try pulling a few things as we went along.
I know that partially he was testing me, as his last owner would have totally panicked when he spooked and backed off, maybe even dismounting. So not only am I having to battle the ghosts in the field and woods, but the ghosts of bad behavior being rewarded in the past.
Then he finally really started listening, loosened up a tad, and started trying. Needless to say I was happy, but still prepared for more misbehavior. So we finally cantered and it was fantastic! It wasn't all perfect but when he was on, boy was he on! I mean it was that gorgeous on the bit, perfect round hunter/equitation canter. Not a lope, a canter! After getting a great attitude from him both ways we ended on that good note. I hopped off and then we walked out of the far gate, down the side of the road, into the driveway and then the barn. That way he could see what was on the other side of the trees he had been wanting to spook at.

Untacked, bathed (the picture below is him chilling in his stall after his bath and grooming), groomed more and then put him in his stall. I cleaned up, then dinner and tucked them in for the night! I went home with that happy post ride glow, and with a further realization that I'm way out of shape. UK needs muscle and I need to get back in shape, so that's why I'm so glad we can "work out" together!

TTFN!

Shoes, Shots and more progress!

So I've owned UK 9 days now, it sure seems like a lot longer! We did quite a lot last week.
I lunged him a couple of times, just lightly. He needs to learn to relax on the lunge line, he seems to always be waiting for me to ask him to do something terrible. He also has no concept of walking on a lunge line, and we're going to be working on that in the future.
I'm a firm believer that all horses should be able to do all gaits while on a lunge line. Especially the walk, if a horse cannot walk calmly with balance on the lunge line, then the rest of the gaits will be tense and unbalanced. My TB mare I just sold had the same problem when I got her, she was tense and cranky and would never walk. After a lot of work she'd walk on command, loosen up and wait for the next cue patiently. It really helped her figure out how to balance herself without relying on the human to do it for her. She got to the point where we only did canter departs from the walk on the lunge line!
I want UK to learn to have that confidence in himself. I went back through his records and found out he started "headset training" at age 2 and 4. That's a big part of his problem, he tries too hard to please and ends up unbalancing himself by trying position his head the way he was taught. Then he gets nervous and cranky and starts to fray mentally.
So I decided we'd do something different..... I tacked him up western (I'd only ridden him english to this point). I put out a bunch of poles and some standards in the ring and decided we'd play around a bit. I made a box and a V shape to back through out of poles. The standards I set up on the long center line for weaving. I learned some important things about UK!

1. He likes weaving at the trot, he got very perky, and got really enthusiastic when we started treating them like they were set up for pole-bending.

2. He learns quickly when it comes to things like a turn on the haunches in side the box of poles. He quickly figured out that I didn't want him to step out of the box.

3. He has no idea how to turn and back! He backs beautifully going straight, but he could not grasp the concept of backing through the shallow V of poles. He just couldn't comprehend it, and we'll go back to it with ground work.

4. He enjoyed doing something different! He got nice and forward and relaxed a good bit.

So overall it was a good ride, that is until I went to walk him out and Savannah started screaming her head off. He was tired and just started misbehaving and kept trying to turn back towards the barn. With his history of rearing I was cautious. I got him to go forward when he didn't want to, hopped off and led him out of sight of the barn, and then we went in.

Meanwhile his feet were falling apart! His paddock at his old barn was really wet, and he had some minor thrush, no big deal. However, after just a few days out in our lovely rocky turnout he was much more agile, but his bare hooves were chipping away at an alarming rate! I called the farrier and he promised to come out that Saturday. I also had called the vet and he was only available to come out Saturday as well... Oh boy, big day for UK! His rabies was going to expire, so I really couldn't wait.

So Saturday morning dawns and I get to the barn at 6:50am (I'd like to mention that I normally don't feed weekend mornings, However Betsy was away), fed them and swept the aisle real quick. Chuck (Who I love and drives 45miles one way for me), my farrier showed up at 7am as promised, and by the time he was done setting up UK had finished his breakfast with time to spare. Chuck agreed with my assessment that UK needed to go to 4 shoes (did I mention my bank account winced?). We only cold shod him, as we didn't want to overwhelm the poor guys. He did very well, and behaved much better then expected. Chuck believes he wore shoes at one point, but a very long time ago. So put on bell boots for turnout (just in case) and turned him and his girlfriend out. UK had me laughing so hard. I don't think he'd ever worn bell boots before, he was duck-walking!

I cleaned the barn and then ran to the DMV to renew my license (awful picture of course), picked up grain, ran home to grab some late breakfast, etc. Then I came back up to meet the vet. As we had a 2 hour window and it was really hot (90's)! I let them cool off in their stalls for awhile while I tried to map all his markings on his Coggins. Oh-Meh-Gawd! I've never had to draw that much! Jake had a Star, Stripe, Snip and 2 whorls. Tess has 5 white hairs on her head and some scars! His markings completely overwhelmed me.
Then I decided to see how he felt about clippers (DUN DUN DUNNNN). Not a big fan! But he did let me do his muzzle and his bridlepath after he got over his intial shock that I'd do such a thing to him.
Still no vet, so I finished grooming him, threw on the english bridle (Full Cheek with a copper roller), grabbed my helmet and made our way to the ring.

I had decided to ride bareback...

I didn't have the guts to try cantering him yet, but he was pretty good walk/trot. Didn't want to stop going backwards at one point(this is something he would pull with his old rider). A good shove of the hips accompanied by a growled "GIT" solved that. He was a bit pissed I didn't give up, but he finally snorted and gave up the shenanigans. Of course the Vet then pulled in. He was a good boy for his shots. The vet approved my "drawings" and that was it! Fed them dinner and let them back out for the night.

That's pretty much it for now. I'm either going to ride or lunge him tonight, providing the weather holds.

And the adventure continues!

And it begins!

Hi All! (Or Hi great wide internet!)

Let's start by me introducing myself, My name is Jessica and as stated in my brief bio to the left *points*, I'm in my mid-twenties, married, etc. I've always loved horses and started riding at a very young age. I bought my first horse at 16, and now with the addition of UK have owned a total of three horses. I ride english and western, I used to compete (and now don't have the time or the money), I managed multiple barns, including an "A" Circuit barn and taught riding to humans and taught horses too! I currently no longer work full time in the horse world, and just train a couple horses on the side for friends.

But enough about me!

I am the proud new owner of a sweet 8yr old APHA/PtHA chestnut tobiano gelding named The Diversified U K! I've started this blog to chronicle his progress and life in the times to come. He's a big sweety, and worthy of a lot of love and kindness.
I bought him from a very nice Mother and Daughter who bought him in January. The daughter is a novice, and UK was just too green for them. He came to them head-shy and scared. Someone before them did a lot of not nice things to this sweet boy, and it breaks my heart that he went through that!

So here is my mission! To help him know kindness and to forget pain, to know he's safe and won't be beaten. I'll establish boundaries so he feels safe and we'll continue with his training. We'll ride english and western, and do a little jumping. I want to get him in shape, maybe go to a fair, and I'd really love to ride him in The Ride For the Cure this Fall!

I purchased him and brought him home to my friend Betsy's barn on 06/13/10. Then quickly loaded up my TB mare and brought her new home. When I got back I gave him a good grooming.
Day 2: After work we got groomed, lunged a bit and then ridden lightly! He was fantastic, even with the cars and people walking their dogs past the ring!

Today is Day 3: He seems to be finally getting settled, so when I turned him and his pasture mate (The 32yr old QH mare Savannah) I opened the gate to the big grass field. Boy did he get happy, and then he spooked and glued himself to his new friend.

TTFN!

-Jessica/EnglishCowgirl

Test test, test and testing. La-de-da test. Wooo test!