Obstacle Clinic at Stable Relationships

Back in late June I took Seamus to an obstacle clinic.  It was only for the day but was a great trip for us to take as it was not far away and I could start doing what I really want to do with him.  Obstacles and trail.  This June day was one of the first really hot days as summer descended upon us with a vengeance.

We started in hand for the first half of the clinic.  The obstacles included:

Crinkle area to step through

Noodle Tunnel

Noodle curtain/cowboy curtain

Pedestal

"Bridge" that also became a slight teeter totter

Tire step throughs- picture football players

Fallen logs chute to step through

Snaking tubes to step trough that then made scary movement if stepped on

Flags

Cones

Poles all radiating from a central lifted place

Seamus was pretty chill about most things.  The flag was slightly concerning when the breeze picked up and it made more flappy sounds. Sound seems to be a trigger for him.  The movement of things doesn't seem to bother him but scary sounds I will even notice in the field at liberty that someone will have a big reaction as an Amazon truck lumbers down the dirt road behind out house.

The pedestal was fun.  He didn't need too much encouragement to step up it.  I kinda wonder how that one would be under saddle though.  I'd be gripping the horn of the saddle for dear life!

The cowboy curtain was done in phases with more and more of the noodles and dangles being released with each pass.  He got used to it really fast and didn't mind the noodles poking him on the side.  

Same for the noodle tunnel, they would move against him and then sort of bump his flank as he walked through.  He was pretty good about it the whole time.  

The afternoon it was time to saddle up if we wanted but I decided not to.  I forgot my riding helmet of all things!  Ooops.  So we did some more of the obstacles and then headed home. The ladies I met at the clinic were very nice and so was the farm Stable Relationships.  They plan to have more clinics and I can't wait since it was a nice place to go and I liked the trainer too.  

I was very proud of Seamus and I also find it funny that another person was ready to load him in their trailer! He's a good boy!

Redoing Electric-2023

Headlamps and poop......

Since November of last year this is how we've been scooping manure, at least before the days got long enough that it wasn't pitch black at 6pm.

Steve thinks there was a short in the wire coming from the house to the shed and barn so we cut off the power and have since been updating all the electric in the barn and shed.  We were also putting in a swim spa near the shed so we needed to have additional power, meaning another line run with a meter and new panel.  Steve did so much research and since he did electrical work in the army it wasn't too bad for him to work on it.  It just took a long time since he just had weekends, set backs and then days where he didn't want to work on the electric.

He worked long and hard though.  We had extension cords for water heaters and the electric fence.  Then at night it was headlamp time.  The horses really didn't care.

The old shed is being turned into a woodworking and blacksmithing workshop for Steve so we bought a smaller shed to then have all the outdoor tools and equipment that we stored in the older shed.  Steve put the panel in his workshop and on the outside Duke electric ran the line for the new meter.  Steve had to go through several phases of inspections and had to correct some issues at times.

I didn't think it would ever get complete.  We had the swim spa delivered onto the concrete pad that had been poured months before.  We were thinking we'd have power in a couple weeks.  Well, it ended up being another couple months!!! But Steve kept at it, in the heat of July too.

Things were coming together in his workshop...

And his "bravery" sometimes stopped my heart as he sat on a rafter working on the wires.  All this off course is dry, no electricity is flowing yet, this was all before the meter and power were connected.  There is the rough in inspection, then another one after that and a final inspection and then the power is connected, so Steve was safe from electric shock for the bulk of the work.

The barn had new stall lights and aisle lights installed.  The extension cord for the electric fence of course has disappeared now since it's hard wired into the electricity. 

I have three bright and fully enclosed LED strip lights for outdoor buildings that make it really bright when I need it.

 

Steve also updated the tack room lighting and the outdoor spot lights.  Even with the older lights I still often needed a flashlight to get all the manure piles picked up but now once it starts getting dark, I will be able to do stuff around the barn easily with the lighting so bright!

That was a long wait for the electricity in the barn and shed but well worth it!!

Posts in the Queue

 I have so many posts in the queue right now it's ridiculous.  I just have not had the time to write or when I have had the time I've been exhausted and not wanted to write.

Since I got Seamus I've taken him to a couple different places, the first big one was outside of Chattanooga TN for an Ivy Starnes gaited horse clinic.  I got recordings of my three 1-hour slots of time where she worked with Seamus on gaiting.  He was already a good gaited horse but speed and his bit change was causing a disconnect with the two of us.  Basically his previous owners had the typical gaited horse Wonder Bit which is a gag bit that exerts a lot more pressure than the snaffle.  I was trying to work in a snaffle and under saddle Seamus was picking up speed and getting into a trot. I will need to review those videos and I can get some snippets of video and still and do an entire post or two on the clinic. It was awesome!  I have a lot of work to do with him still and the heat wave the past month has really put a damper on working with him.

Ivy riding Seamus on Day One at the gaited clinic

I went to an obstacle clinic with him locally and that was awesome...he was great and chill.  I am starting to get some issues with loading him on the trailer though so I need to work on that. I know the issue is most likely me since I'm a newbie trailer loader and I need some guidance.  As a single horse in a two horse trailer I have been loading him on the wrong side....that's what happens when you are a newbie, oops! Glad the trainer pointed it out at the obstacle clinic.  I'm always hoping to learn and not sure where I went wrong with that but moving forward I know now!  Maybe I read something in a UK horse page about which side to have a single horse on...that would make sense.

The heat has prevented a lot of riding recently since my horses are miserable and I've also had to deal with Chances multitudes of health issues (heaves, PSLD, rain rot easily from sweat, Cushings) and then Dani had a slight tenderness issue due to grass on the track system; I've been trying to get it to dirt but the grass is persistent.  She can't be on it even with a muzzle, and it nearly moved to nothing....so barnyard area it is.....  Chance has been losing weight yet refusing extra feed but we finally found a feed I can feed less of and it's higher in fat and other calories plus we are having him on grass in the evenings to help.  I still see ribs but hoping that it's making an impact. A bad shave job I gave him to keep him cool exaggerated his skeletal look, my pet sitter gave me heck over the terrible trim...  Poor guy we are trying! Old horses are not for the faint of heart!  The struggle is real and it can be frustrating to manage them but as long as they have a quality life I will fork over the money for the meds and try different feeds or supplements and refence my property to make managing their different needs easier..... I juggle horses, it's what I do.

Seamus and I have had a few "discussions" about who the boss is rather recently and there have been a couple times lunging that I was a pretty nervous about his intentions.  I had tried the a stick with a flag instead of a stick and string and perhaps I'm not working it right but it escalated his temper. I have since done some small ground work sessions and he's been his chill self.  He can be pushy and mouthy if you let him; just like Dani in the beginning.  I have to remember she wasn't always so "Yes Ma'am" with me, we had to build that relationship.  This weekend I'll try lunging again and get our conversation going where I want it too. I'm also trying to get a trainer here to help us with trailer loading since once the weather cools I have a couple more clinics I want to go to locally.  The obstacle clinic I went to was awesome and that barn will most likely host more once it's cooler.  The June 24th clinic was really hot so that was the last one they held.

 

We've also been working on the electric in the barn and Steve's workshop (our shed is being converted).  This has taken a lot of Steve's time and my help.  We were without power out there since November of 2022 and now we have power so we are pleased to have lights again and the horses are loving having the fans in this heat.  

We've had a lot going on and I have posts galore waiting to be typed and pics to be added. I've just not done it!  So I'm going to try and get posts out.  It may not be sequential since I'll work on the low hanging fruit posts, simple, less contemplation needed, type of posts first. With the August misery setting in I may find more time being inside since even mowing the pastures doesn't go well in this heat.

Hope you are staying cool as you can in this heat.  Wishing all the ponies and their humans fun days ahead!

Serene Sunday

 

That's the life