Never Ending April Showers

It has rained every day for over a week straight. And when it isn't raining the bugs are swarming. Then this week the heat started. Yesterday reached almost 80degrees, which is far too hot for horses that haven't finished shedding out their winter coats.

Then on Easter Sunday I got sick. I've been battling a sore throat, chronic cough and congestion plus generally feeling like utter crap.

I went to clean the barn and bring the horses in last night and I was shaky and coughing and just bleh... Then I had a strong impulse to ride. I had tried riding the day before, but just as I finished grooming UK it started to pour.

So I groom and tacked up UK, while almost coughing up a lung. It was muggy, buggy and the sun was starting to set. I lunged UK briefly, walked him over the tarp covered calvaletti and then hopped on. UK was fantastic. We did some lateral work, circles, poles, etc. Eventually we jumped a small vertical at the trot and the canter. He wasn't paying attention at the trot, so we knocked it down once each direction. This was another way he behaved himself, as I had to dismount each time and put it back up, then get back on. He could've care less about me hoping on and off.  He jumped the vertical at the canter like a champ.

In mid air over the vertical I realized something. I trust UK. This is the first time in a long time that I've had that feeling. I know UK will still spook and occasionally be fresh, but he never does anything with ill intent.  Tess was a whole different story, she would randomly drop a shoulder and slam on the brakes or dive sideways.

UK has this huge wish to please, he trusts me to not hurt him or put him in a dangerous situation. He only gets anxious when he thinks he isn't doing exactly what I'm asking. He was that way last night, we were cantering a bending two stride line of poles, and he got so mad when he didn't listen to my leg and wasn't able to stay balanced. It was adorable!

It's raining again now, but hopefully I'll get to ride him again on Sunday!

I RODE! THANK THE WEATHER GODS! I GOT TO RIDE!

YES!

This morning: 2nd time eating off the tarp. Yes!

First time since JANUARY I've gotten to ride my horse! It was windy as all heck but I persevered! All the ground work I've been laying really paid off. He's in excellent shape all together, while lunging him yesterday I noticed he now has studly shoulder muscles! I'm rather proud considering he had no muscle when I bought him last June, he looked like the equine version of a pole bean.

I lunged him briefly first, just to be safe. He had some spook in him but I ignored it and made him just keep moving forward. Then I hopped on and immediately made him start working. Lots of bending and flexing, stretching and collecting. Biggest thing I've found is if he's trying to spook in a specific area I make him stare at it by doing an outside bend/renvers, it took all the scary out of it and helped him focus. *fist pump*

I'm at that lovely point where he trusts me more and we're really starting to figure each other out. The good is outweighing the bad now!

As an added bonus I'm not as out of shape as I thought I was, all my riding muscles were there and working despite everything that's happened in the last 6 months. I rode him for a good half hour after lunging him almost as long (we had a chat with Betsy in the middle of lunging) and then proceeded to clean the barn and feed them. I felt pretty damn good considering I had outpatient surgery on Monday and have needed some serious painkillers till today.

Right before I brought them in to feed I played with my camera and took some pictures.

Curiosity is starting to outweigh fear.

Begging faces (I have a carrot in my pocket).

Classic Quarter Horse face! Love it!

Well it's very late and I need to be conscious in order to teach tomorrow. Toodles!

Snow Days!

I'm just going to say it. I love the snow! I really really love large amounts of snow! I don't care if it makes life harder, I still love it! It's my favorite thing about winter (the second favorite thing being no bugs!). We've had snow every week now for the last few weeks. I can't get enough.

Last Saturday Kristy and I took advantage of a break in the wind to ride together. This was to be her first ride on Dacharia since trying her out in the beginning of December. She was nervous (understandably), but Dacharia was fine as was my expectation. The only hiccup was when a jogger came down the road, he was silent and showed up behind her, which immediately triggered the fight or flight instincts. She just skittered a little and was fine. The exception however was that she was immensely offended at Kristy yelling at her. Such a mare attitude! So she then proceeded to trot with her nose in the air to prove a point. Kristy was also having problems due to her saddle, which really doesn't fit her anymore. She's saving up for a new one thankfully.

What about UK? He started by not standing still for me to mount, which is not like him. Uh-oh! I then said a prayer before getting on and commenced to warm him up at the walk with a fleece cooler over my legs and his rear end. I figure taking a cooler on and off while in the saddle will help him with his fear of fluttering cloth *coughtarpscough*. When I finally took the cooler off and hung it on the fence he was fine, no spooking. He did eye it suspiciously when we trotted past, but otherwise behaved himself.

I could just feel he was full of "piss and vinegar" as I told Kristy. There was a definite attitude waiting just under the surface of his calm facade, I just knew it! He worked well at the trot, we worked on more suppling and moving off of my legs. He really did well due to his extra "energy" and was rewarded by getting to walk and stretch for a bit before we moved on to a quick canter.

As we were riding in the snow I wasn't planning on doing a lot of canter, especially as there was an icy spot we needed to be careful around. I asked for the left lead canter and he was good for a few strides.... then the bucking began. They weren't horrendous bucks, but they were still real bucks. I dug in and kept him moving forward while cursing inwardly as I felt my back kink. As soon as he returned to a normal canter we walked and then went back to the canter, being rewarded for cantering without the attitude this time.

Meanwhile as all that was going on, Kristy is laughing heartily! She said that if you hadn't been able to see his back end you'd never know he was bucking as his ears were forward and he never changed pace. I was less amused then her however.

We did our canter to the right, which of course was fine. I really think his earlier issues had a lot to do with him showing off for his new "girlfriend". Silly animal. He let me put our cooler back on from the saddle with no spooks. We walked for a bit while Kristy did some more trot and I tried taking pictures from horseback.

As for today, we got over two feet here at the house and there was about three feet up at the barn. The horses were in the majority of the day as Savannah really can't take the wind anymore. Dacharia and UK were overj0yed when I finally let them outside. UK kept burying his face in the snow like a dog does, it was very cute.

My husband was awesome and had come along to move snow with the tractor so I could actually make it all the way to the manure pile without being buried alive. I cleaned the barn and got things ready for when the critters would come back in. I also shoveled snow, which was up to my mid thigh in most places.

UK seemed quite at home in the snow, and Dacharia tended to follow him around. When the wind wasn't howling it really wasn't bad out. In the end I brought them in early as Savannah looked like she'd had about enough. UK and Dacharia had to be bribed to even get them near the barn. Oh Haystretcher, you are wonderful!

I'm not looking forward to having to go back to work tomorrow, it was really nice to have an extra day off! I hope to be able to ride on Saturday again, weather permitting!

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!