Serene Sunday

I had a nice ride with Dani today with 3 other gals in the outdoor arena, some of it we just sat on our horses and chatted.  LOL.  I'll discuss that ride later.  For now the serene sunday stars Rohan and Turry, they were in the east pasture enjoying the really warm weather we had!

 



Serene Sunday

This is Rohan, the gorgeous Friesian gelding at Whispering Winds Farm.  He is so regal and gentle.  I've put his blanket on a few times and his hood when I noticed it'd fallen off in his stall.  He's a big sweetheart!  His owner is taking dressage lessons from a former Grand Prix rider.  I haven't had the chance to watch a lesson, I usually show up as Rohan is exiting the arena and I "oo and ah" at him.

 

 

 

 

 

I love Friesians!

Friesian sale con

I knew it was a long shot but I'd seen two Friesians listed at REALLY reasonable prices.  I wondered what the catch was but since they were in Colorado I figured I'd email them and find more information.  Both instances were very fishy.

First they asked me to explain my riding experience etc.  That was fine, they sounded like someone who wanted to rehome their horse because of life circumstances.  After I responded I received these replies.



Here's the first one:

hello,

thanks for your mail and all the answers to my questions.the horse is

pretty good at games.

and fairs i Will not like to hear that he has

been sent to a shelter or Kennel as i know he will be with you all day
long, so in case you may have him in your home then be sure that he
goes well with all other home animals that you may have at your home.
the only problem now is that I have just been relocated to Ohio
here for treatment

as i told you in the previous mail that i was advice by my doctor not

to ride a horse and if all is okay by you we can arrange with a good

and competent pet delivery agency that can have the horse delivered toyour home address.

since i am giving him up for adoption,all that you will have to do is

to pay for the cost of transportation

all that i want is to find a good and loving home for the horse since

i am unable to take care of him again.at first,we used to treat him

here like our own baby and that i why i only want the best for him

please let me know if all is okay by you so that i can proceed with

the delivery arrangement as i really want to give him out as soon as

possible

thanks

waiting

Kennel?  Really?  The other pets I was talking about was a dog, cat, hermit crabs and fish!!!  LOL.  How thick do these con artists think people are???

Here's the second email from another Friesian prospect:

Merlin is a REALLY nice, well trained,5 yr old STER gelding.His

pedigree is truly TOP NOTCH, with a motherline chock full of "ster"

and "preferent" predicates:STER-STER+PREF-STER+PREF-STER+PREF.This

tall STER gelding is truly a magnificent animal. Impeccably bred.

AND he has extensive experience showing in quadrilles, parades, and

exhibitions. He is also very suitable as a trail companion! You won't

find a nicer, better trained, easier to sit friesian gelding

anywhere.He really is a good mover..very good walk, his trot has HUGE

potential for passage... good canter, easy on the aids...the lateral

work is solid, he does the

exercises easily.....he has already started piaffe..This is a very

uncomplicated horse with an amazing temperament. An amateur or novice

rider' s DREAM horse! Merlin would also be suitable for a junior or

young rider, due to his very easy going, "willing to please" nature.

well i am located in PARMA MICHIGAN i had to place the ads all over so

that i could find a new home for him so fast as you know when he is

around me it makes me feel so sad and reminds me a a lot of my late

daughter so please you get back to me if you are still interested so

we can proceed with the shipping arrangement all you are to pay for is

just a shipping fee of $775 and that is all you will be required to

pay no extra charges

Regards

Yeah like I"m gonna send $775 for horse I've never met and I don't know this "seller" for Adam!!  Well I knew it was a long shot.  Friesians that are affordable to me are generally untrained yearlings!!  But this is certainly something people should be aware of when buying or selling anything...horses, dogs, cars etc.  People will find a way to cheat you out of a few hundred bucks!

First Time Lunging Willy

Fall, the season when the days grow shorter and the crisp air is still penetrated by the warm sun. There is nothing more I love than to be warmed by that glowing orb and having a crisp cool breeze blow over me so I don’t get too hot. The sky always seems a darker shade of blue in the fall. This year the fall colors are slow to come; we might not have a brilliant leaf change since it’s been so dry but the sound of fallen leaves rustling in the breeze is still welcome.


Unfortunately fall brings wooly horses and burrs that cling to polo wraps. I spent 20 minutes before even leaving for the stable picking out seeds and burrs from the fleece leg wraps. If I had a choice I wouldn’t use the leg wraps when I went on a trail ride with Willy but it’s something Susan requires. Maybe I can lightly wrap the polos with vet wrap once they are on, that way the burrs won’t stick to the wrap and I can toss the seed encrusted outer layer. We’ll have to see.

Today I didn’t find Willy in his usual run so I again had to wander the stable yard looking for him but at least after being here a while I can narrow it down to a few runs that seem to be where the resident lesson horses reside most times. Willy was cute as I groomed his neck, he really leaned into the curry comb and showed how pleased he was that I was working on his itchy spot!

I worked with Willy in the round pen to start. I planned on lunging him and had a brand new lungeline that I purchased on Friday at Equiline. It’s purple, no green lines were available in the store and I didn’t want to wait to order online, oh well all my tack doesn’t have to match right? Besides, purple and green look nice together! I don’t know if Willy has ever been lunged, it doesn’t seem that way since he kept turning and following me as I walked towards him trying to cue him to walk on and trot in a circle around me. I ended up grabbing one of the lunge whips; it helped him realize what to do as I tapped the whip on the ground behind him. I had him walk and trot in both directions, his trot really does seem stiff but it’s not too bad. Once I feel that he really understands the lunging business I’ll work with side reins to start trying to encourage him to lower his neck and more fully engage his hindquarters; to collect. He still didn’t catch on to the halt that well and ended up turning into the circle as he halted. That’s not something you want when lunging a horse, they need to stay on the circle and halt. I’ll have to work on that with him.

Once we had our fun with lunging I put on Willy’s bridle and hopped up bareback again. I worked on relaxing my seat and letting my legs swing without pinching. We did a couple little bouts of trotting but I decided I wasn’t quite comfortable with the trot bareback to keep going very long. Eventually, after I had my fun with some leg exercises, I decided to put the saddle on.

Took this pic off the computer screen of a video, horrible I know!

I worked Willy in the round pen and then out in the stable yard. I mainly practiced posting trot and noticed how much easier it felt after my recent lesson with Laurie. I still felt a little left behind when going up the hill and Willy would start trotting really fast, with short steps. I had to work really hard to keep with his rhythm. I tried to slow him down and keep him at a nice medium trot, the short stepped trot isn’t that comfortable even while posting.

The older man with his daughter/granddaughter (I would assume she’s probably 8 or 9) was there with a photographer taking pictures her and the horse Silver. The photographer was also taking pictures of Willy and I, he asked first, and another girl (15 years old maybe) riding Ladybug. I watched the girl that was leasing Ladybug. She was in the main arena working over a couple jumps. She trotted the mare and then cantered her over the small cavalletis. It was effortless! It really makes me wish I didn’t have that big gap of time where I didn’t ride for years, I wouldn’t be feeling like I’m starting my riding all over from scratch. Ladybug moved like she was made of elastic. I love dear old Willy but there is a distinct difference in how he moves compared to Ladybug and of course Divine. Poor old man. He’s a good trail horse though, a great horse to have a good time with and he’s teaching me patience that’s for sure.

Cute Willy butt!

I trotted him some more and cantered up the slopes a few times. Willy stopped over by the Friesians as I said hello before realizing he was going for the huge bale of hay placed outside their run. Bad Willy! Bad, unobservant rider! I finished the ride and gave Willy a groom down and put him back in his run. Next week Steve is most likely coming out again to ride with us!

New Area to Ride In

Willy really seemed to enjoy the grooming session today.  He had a particularly itchy area behind his pole on the far side at the base of his mane.  I curried the area and he leaned into the brush, closing his eyes, a pleased grunt uttered on his happy horse lips.  He was so cute.  His dirty coat took a while to clean, I ran some hand wipes on the dirtier areas to bring off some of the dirt that I just seemed to be moving around with brushes.



Willy Ear

 I purchased a new bit for the bridle, an egg butt snaffle that is a little bit milder to see how it works with Willy.  Once he was tacked up I mounted up and worked him around the indoor ring.  I tried to get him to trot consistently around the ring while I checked out my position in the two mirrors on the wall.  I was having difficulty with keeping Willy at a nice trot, so I decided to take him outside and try a new "trail riding" area. 

Willy Nose

One of the Friesians

I took Willy right down Meridian instead of left.  We crossed over Garrett.  The footing on the side of the road was not quite as good as I would like so we crossed over Meridian onto the east side.  I was planning on taking Willy down the first dirt road a bit to get off the larger street.  He stopped several times on the side of the road, looking around.  Even though he was a trail/endurance horse in his prime I don't know how long it's been since he regularly went out on rides.  At this stable he probably stays on the property most of the time so I can understand his apprehension when we go somewhere new.

We turned down the dirt road and I asked him for a trot.  I worked on posting but his trot was really quick and choppy so I was having a hard time.  I tried slowing him down with my seat and hands but he threw his head and nose into the air with very little rein pressure, nothing different there really.  We finally got back to a walk but with him hollowing his back, and stiffening his legs.  I was using the same aids that have worked well on Divine.  Though I know that sometimes my aids aren't perfect and Divine lets me know by being a bit more bumpy she has more smoothness than Willy and I think that's from her collected gait.  I really want to work with Willy on collection, I'll have to see what Laurie says at my next lesson since we are planning to work on lunging Divine.  We trotted a few more times with the same results even though I tried to change my seat and aids a little bit.

Beautiful Friesian head

We walked back to the stable and I worked on lateral movements with Willy on the road.  To make him move laterally to the left I turned his head slightly to the right and pressed with my right leg; to make him move laterally to the right I turned his head slightly to the left and pressed with my left leg.  He and I did pretty well considering!  We finished our ride and I got Willy groomed and put back in his pen with many carrots.  Of course I had to give a few to Two Socks his stall mate.  I then went on up to the top of the sloped property to visit Lorraine's Friesian mares.  They were very sweet but hard to take pictures of since the light was bad and since they kept following me and nuzzling the camera!  I can see why she loves them so much, Friesians are so beautiful and her mares are so gentle.  I went to say goodbye to Willy, collected my tack and headed home.  On my way out a man with his daughter asked if it was always so quiet here, this was the first day he was out here with his daughter leasing the grey horse, Misty, Willy shares a stall with.  I told him yes it was usually nice and quiet here.  Hopefully that girl will learn a lot from leasing a horse like I have so far!

Spooking a Horse and Riding with a "Mental" Crop

Today I figured I'd combine both blog topics into one.  I had my lesson on Divine on Friday and rode Willy on Sunday but I've been so busy...and subsequently tired at my new job (that I love by the way!) that I never got around to blogging...sorry!

I rode after Ushi, another student of Laurie's.  I've enjoyed the times I've met her and really hope to get to see her more, she's a fun person.  I think I may even suggest us, Ushi and I and maybe even Laurie if she can...go on a trail ride together.  Of course Willy is at Meridian and Garrett in Peyton and I don't have a trailer to take him anywhere but I do have the permission to take him on a trail ride nearby or to trailer him somewhere....I just need to figure out those logistics with Laurie and Ushi if they are ever interested....but I digress...that's a little bit premature since I haven't even mentioned my desire for a get together on Sunday.  Anyhow....

I rode Divine after Ushi.  We worked on serpentines.  Immediately after starting to ride Divine I realize how much more sensitive she is to my seat.  She may be a lesson horse but not to the extent that Willy is so she hasn't exactly built up that "tolerance" level....which is good.  She remains sensitive and is a great horse to learn on.  You know right away when you do something wrong or right.  With Willy I could be using my seat correctly but he's so used to lots of beginner riders, kids etc. that he has learned to be less sensitive, at least that's my take on their differences.  I did pretty well on the serpentines with Divine...it's a bit foggy now since it's been a week!  Laurie then suggested I work on the trot and two-point.  So out comes the lunge line. 

I've begun to really like this tool!  I get to ride a regular pace without worrying about many aids and can just work on the feel of my seat.  We were working on balance.  For the most part I feel I did well and began to relax my legs and not pinch as much in my knees, a bad habit I have!  There were some people sending off fireworks in the distance and one set really shocked me...I jumped and scared the bee-gee-bus out of Divine who jolted into a quick trot for a few steps, nearly unseating me, before realizing that I was being a silly, spooky human!  I felt so bad!  She was fine, I was the spooky one!  LOL.

On Sunday I rode Willy and had a mental image of a crop in my mind, something Laurie had suggested at my last lesson.  Willy can be a bit slow pokie; I mean he is twenty after all, so I was really using my legs and attitude to keep him trotting circles in the ring.  It worked pretty well, I haven't yet brought my crop with me riding, I never liked using it anyways....working on this "mental" crop thing sounds like a good deal for horse and rider! 

After doing a little work on serpentines and trotting circles at a consistent speed with Willy I walked him out around the big arena and went to visit Lorraine who was working with her Friesian mare on BACKING out of her shed.  Her two mares are very pretty and it's been fun to see her on Sundays lunging or playing with them.  I like walking around the riding ring since it's close to a trail ride feel.  I don't know where I can ride in this area so I've pretty much stayed on the property.  Susan was walking around the property....looking for her cell phone again!  I rode up to her and talked to her about trails.  She gave me some descriptions of one area I could ride to, it made sense but I figured I'd just do a ride around the neighborhood first before having to ride into "town" and cross an intersection at highway 24.  I want to take Willy out nearby first and see how he responds to me before getting into a situation where there is a bit more car traffic.

Note to self: I think I will pay more for boarding a horse that is very close to trails such as in the Black Forest or some other trail friendly place.  Granted I plan to have a truck and trailer before I buy a horse so it shouldn't be an issue.  It seems worth it to have trails within easy walking distance of the stable, especially since I will have to work "future horse" many times a week during endurance trail riding season to get the horse and ME into shape for meets!  Anyhow, I had a pretty uneventful ride on Willy.  He's a sweet horse, I'm glad I decided to lease him but I have the desire to ride during the week as well; though I get off at 6pm....I may have to look into leasing another horse with more available time to ride....we shall see!

Tomorrow I have my lesson on Divine, I'll try to be more thorough in writing up my blog on that!  Toodles!

Willy, the New Bridle and Grooming Brushes!!

The day was warm and windy out east. Dust blew around, clinging to my freshly lip balmed lips and gritting my eyes. Today would be the first time I used my new bridle on Willy. I also had a new set of grooming tools, a gift Steve got me when we drove up to Franktown to "Horse and Hound", a tack shop that sells mostly English gear. I found a pair of earrings I was planning on buying and then we were looking at brushes and he said he would buy it all for me. What a sweetheart!

Anyways, with my new grooming supplies and my bridle I went into the indoor arena, my secluded tacking area that keeps Willy and me out of the sun. I headed back to the tack room to grab some polo wraps, a halter and a saddle. I grabbed a blue rope halter; I really hate those things…and then saw that the room with the bridles, grooming supplies and polo wraps was locked. Okay….I thought. I looked on the desks to see if there was an obvious location for the key to be stowed. I was pretty glad to have the bridle and the brushes or else riding would not have happened today, I would have been, as they say, s*** out of luck! With the halter only, I left the tack room and headed to the saddle area. At least the saddles aren’t stored in the locked room. I grabbed the Wintec saddle, girth and pad and headed to the arena to drop off the gear.

My next duty was of course to get Willy. I went to his pen and opened the gate, I approached him, a little weary….it really didn’t look like Willy. A swish of the tail proved this was a mare! Very similar in looks to Willy!  She was sweet and came over to me, nuzzling the halter in my hand. I pet her and apologized for waking her from her nap and then set off in search of Willy. Why had he been moved? I circled the whole area of pens until I spied a horse that looked Willy-like, as I approached the gate he pricked his ears...it was Willy! I was relieved, honestly I worried something had happened to him and Susan had not let me know. You never know, he was only 20 but colic, getting out and hurting himself or some other malady could be the cause of his, um….I don’t even want to think about it!

I scratch my head as to what Susan is thinking when the tack room is locked and yet she specifically said I could use the tack and also that all horses MUST wear the polo wraps. I scratch my head even more as to why she wouldn’t shoot me an email to let me know my horse had been moved, instead of me having to search the property for him. Oh well, I pat Willy and lead him to the arena.

Willy was very fidgety today; it seems his skin was itchy with flies. He kept swishing his tail, stomping and scratching his legs with his nose. I need to add a good fly spray to my set of grooming utensils. I find some lying around the tack room so I spray it on his legs, I don’t have any sponge or towel to wipe it on his face and nowhere to wipe my hands after if I sprayed on my hands and then his face. I didn’t realize that leasing him from here meant I needed all these supplies when I figured the stable had them! Oh well, I’m independent, I feel better having my own stuff anyhow. I wished I’d had some baby wipes to wipe his eye, the far side eye, the one that had been injured, was a little weepy and he didn’t want to open it very wide. I made a mental note to let Susan know about it and find out what happened.

I held the bridle up to Willy to see what type of adjustments I’d need to make to it. Then I slid the bit into his mouth and placed the crown piece over his ears. I adjusted the cheek pieces for the bit and made sure it was set in his mouth properly. He looked so handsome in his new bridle!

I couldn’t seem to get the Wintec saddle tight enough. When I tried to mount but the saddle slide around.  Tightening it was a struggle but I finally got to the next hole in the billet. Up I went; we were using the smaller outdoor arena today. Willy and I did mainly walking and trotting today, he wasn’t feeling too good so I didn’t want to push him. I worked on his halts since he doesn’t seem to do them very well. Towards the end he was stopping pretty quickly after my cues.

I met a lady, Lorraine I think her name was. She came over to say hello and help me with the arena gate that kept coming open. We talked a little; I found out she was the proud owner of the two Friesians. They are gorgeous! She mentioned that she was supposed to meet with Susan but that she hadn’t shown up yet. I wanted to laugh and say something snide but I thought better of it; I guess Susan is just as flighty with everyone else as she is with me!

After I rode for a bit I took Willy indoors to untack and groom him. I wished I could do more for his eye but I don’t know a thing about that and I didn’t want to risk anything more than wipes, which I didn’t even have with me. I brought him to his pen and walked into the run in shed to see his new digs.  I don’t know how often they muck out here but it seemed like quite a lot of manure for only one day. I couldn’t leave him there to stand in the manure while he ate his hay. I grabbed a pitch fork and a wheelbarrow then set to work. I filled up the wheel barrow only to then notice the wheel was flat. It took a while to push the thing over to the manure pile; I kept stopping since without a good wheel the barrow part isn’t much for ease of use! I went back to say goodbye to Willy, happy to leave him with a clean and dry stall. I have a feeling that will be a chore I will attend to each Sunday; I can’t leave a horse in what I find to be a very dirty stall. I thought most people muck once a day?

This coming week my saddle pad, polo wraps and saddle shall arrive! I’ll have even less need of anything that the stable provides...although they "provide" the supplies, keeping them locked up helps nothing! Till next time!