Shaggy

I hope this post finds you all well.  It's a different world right now with Covid-19 everywhere you look online.  Life continues to trudge on though and I don't want to add to the feeds about pandemic preparation, lack of toilet paper and hand washing protocols.  All in all we are doing good.  Steve and I are working from home; for me that is challenging being a laboratory Research Associate.  I'm trying to brush up on data analysis skills and what not and anxiously awaiting a time when we can start projects that have been on the bench for a while now.

Going out to the barn each day is a glimmer of happiness, even more so now.  It's nice to still have our normal routine and hear the gentle nickers and feel the soft whiskers of pony lips as I am greed each morning and evening. Dani and Chance are both healthy aside from some allergies that are making Chance cough and then fart real loudly.  With just the right amount of hills around our place that fart sure does echo! Medicine seems to have been helping the poor boy! I can't help but laugh....mean pony mom.

The horses aren't affected by the pandemic one bit it seems (I honestly think they don't even know about, they don't like watching the news).  They are still demanding food, pooping regularly and rotating to their next field as the grass begins to green up.  Their coats are shedding like crazy.  It's most noticeable on Chance since he grows a really long winter coat.  He's gone through phases where it looks like he has mange as he's shed out areas that haven't quite grown in their new summer hairs yet. 

It's glorious to see peeks at the shiny summer hair as I anticipate future grooming sessions where I make him and Dani glisten.  I find it funny that horses shed out different areas in different orders.  The belly area seems to be the last body area to let go of the long winter coat.  It makes sense I guess; keep the core warm for the occasional winter-like day.  I'll be getting out there soon to trim up their woolly legs and goat like throat latches....it will be nice to have the horses back vs. these neighing Wookie like creatures.  Hahahaha!

Trimmings

A few months after you trim the tree it's time to trim the pony!  I went out on Saturday, after we'd had some  warm days and some snow melting, to address her feet and overall coat.  After nearly two weeks blanketed I'm sure she was itchy like crazy!

Dani's fetlocks grow very fuzzy over the winter and due to all the mud and snow of early spring I want to keep her feet tidy to be able to treat any issues with scratches or mud fever.

I have a 4F blade which does a decent job but I think I need one just a little shorter to get her fetlocks looking ever more tidy. I'll have to go again in a couple weeks once I find the blade I need.  

Since this is a once of year thing I always make sure to desensitize her to the noise and vibration.  I start while standing near her and turn the blade on. We rest and she gets love and scratches. I then move it around and wiggle the extension cord too so she doesn't get freaked from that.  We rest and she gets love and scratches.

Then I start around the shoulder and work back to her rump and then back near the base of her chin to get her used to the sound closer.  We rest and she gets love and scratches. I also rub the clipper on her so she can feel the vibration.  We rest and she gets love and scratches.  Next I run down her legs and move the clipper all around her legs under her belly and also run my hands there too.  We rest and she gets love and scratches.

She's very calm about it, the only hint that she is paying attention is that her ears turn towards the noise.  Sometimes she even turns her head to look at me but with a calm look in her eyes.  I had trouble with her jaw line because of the halter.  I think I really need to just invest in a simple grooming halter or have a helper to retain her with a rope or something like that.  I missed some hairs but will go back when I do some shorter fetlock cuts.

I didn't do her ear this time since it was a long grooming session already.  She only has a tiny tuft sticking out at the bottom that I'll just trim with the scissors.  She does have some issues with the clippers up near her ear so I can work on her with that but I really find the scissors easiest for the tiny area of the ear.  Just FYI I NEVER trim inside the ear since that hair is there to protect from dirt and bugs!  My mare is starting to sleek up with her coat.  Within a month I'm sure she'll be silky as satin and shiny like crazy.  Love those summer coats!

Spring is coming

Fur all over me.....

And fur all over the ground after a "quick" grooming.  YIKES!

Spring Trimming

With spring and muddy weather starting in Colorado I decided to tidy up Dani's feet.  I wanted to check her skin too and make sure no issues were starting.  Thankfully she's healthy as a horse!  LOL.

This picture above shows how her fetlocks get in the winter (this was from when I was at Whispering Winds).  They get very fuzzy and keep her warm.

I am so not good at trimming fetlocks, I may need to get a different blade.  I have a 10 which is nearly to the skin and then one that I use to trim my dog which is a 5 I think.  It's a little too long.  I need to find one that will leave about a fourth of an inch of fur so it's close but not skin close.

Overall I did okay.  If you look really close you can see rougher looking edges and I'm sure I could have contoured the fur a little better but her fetlocks look cleaner now.  Dani is very good about getting trimmed at least.  I still did a quick desensitizing to the trimmers.  I moved the clippers around her body, touched her with it on both sides and all areas.  She was fine with it...good girl.

The only issue was with trimming her ear.  She gets a really long tuft at the base that I wanted to trim up.  Dani didn't like the trimmers near her ear but I held them up there until she moved her head downwards and I was able to trim her ear hair.  Since it was just a small tuft at the bottom of each ear it didn't take to long trim.  With fresh oil on her hooves my mares legs look neat and trim.  

Snow, Fuzz and Poop

Now that's a title!!  LOL.  We are in for another freezing week.  There was a small respite on Sunday with nice weather but the ground was covered in snow and I wasn't comfortable with riding in it.  Some are braver than I!  Today was a good day to rearrange my tack area.  My SmartPaks contain broke, therefore I'd purchased a set of plastic drawers (yippee, more space for stuff!).  The top drawer will have my SmartPaks.  It was also "warm" enough to spot clean Dani's blanket.  She had poop smears and mud smears in various places.  SO I scrubbed with just water and hosed off those spots.  

The sun was warm enough to dry it within a very short time considering the temperature.  The sun was also doing a number on the snowy roof.  When clumps with icicles fell off the back side they scrapped against the metal siding.  It freaked me out a couple times will mucking and sweeping in the stall.  Later when I brought Dani in for a quick groom, hoof picking and blanketing that same freaky sound startled us both.  She jumped and then looked at me all panicky.  I'd jumped too but immediately stroked her and calmed her down.  Not that she was that scared.  Her spooks so far have been "jump to a stop and stare".

Now onto another random topic, hair.  It's early February and yes, Dani is beginning to shed her long fuzzies.  February, March and some of April tend to be the snowy months in Colorado.  Guess that's why I have a good Rambo blanket with many layering options.  After grooming her the chestnut fuzz covered me.  It was warm enough out I didn't wear my Carhartt so instead used a light shell.  Oh well, it needed to be laundered anyways!

Dani's mane is doing the same thing it did last year, she's getting the short little mane hairs on her off side.  Last year they grew and eventually flipped to her near side.  It's interesting.  I know she looses hairs and continuously grows more just like any other mammal, including us.  It's just odd that a large section grows out like this.  Hmm...she has a nice thick mane that I love so the more hairs the merrier right?  Guess I'll have to keep that upbeat attitude as shedding season comes into full swing.

Lazy Pony!!

Sometimes Dani will run around the arena with her tail up and all snorty.  Each time I've not gotten my phone camera out fast enough or didn't have my phone with me.  I tried to get her running around the other day but she wasn't really that interested.  I'll get a good video of her prettiness someday or perhaps get a helper husband to film while I get her running a bit.  

You can see how fuzzy my girl is though!  What a silly little pony she is!

F- Freezing and Fetlocks

We've received most of our wintry weather in February and March, that seems to be how it goes for Colorado.  Freezing weather can bring a decent amount of snow in the winter but this year and years past we've not had the amount of snow we usually get.  We are in a MAJOR drought and it's scary as we get into "fire" season again.

 

 

Horses certainly seem to enjoy the cooler weather; a lot more than their human friends.  I know that during the freezing days I would come home from the barn and be cold to the core.  I whipped out the electric heating blanket many times!!!

 

 

One thing I've noticed with Dani more than other horses I've ridden is that as the winter approached she got more fur on her fetlocks.  Not sure if most horses get as much as she does or if it's mainly because I have not trimmed them, I've just let them be.  I probably will trim them once it's a little bit more consistent in the warm weather department.  You can compare the video of her in the snowy weather to this picture above when I first brought her home.  She definitely has more fuzz or feathers now.  Is it really called feathers if it's not full like a Clydesdale or Friesians feathered fetlocks???  Hmm.  I'm glad for now that the freezing temperatures are mostly behind us for a while.  Dani won't have to contend with frozen snowballs on her hooves for a few months!

 

 

Anyways, I'll have a post soon about trimming her fetlocks.  I want to keep a good amount of hair on there for protection but trim it up a bit to keep it neat and tidy.  Same with hairs under her chin and jaw that often get caught in the nose band of the bridle.  I'm still going back and forth about whether I want to do a very small bridle path or not.....

 

Anyways, there's my post for letter F!!

Fuzzy wuzzy was a horse

Willy is getting his winter coat in, and fast!  I often wonder if it occurs faster in an older horse.  So of the other horses at the farm are not at the level Willy is, he's looking more like a miniature mammoth than a horse!  Hahaha, not really!

When I got him from his paddock today he was covered in hay dust.  His head, face and half of his mane was flecked with bits of hay pieces.  He was a real mess!  I prettied him up, got him tacked up and decided to do some work in the smalled arena, the one that doesn't slope.  I mounted from the ground since I want to practice that more.  Lately I've used the mounting block, just cause.  I've been trying hard to mount with my foot pointed towards the horses head, parallel to their body, that way I don't poke them in the elbow with my toe as I mount up.  I've discovered that's what I've been doing so I'm trying to work on correcting that error.  It's almost like starting all over again learning how to mount but you don't get extra points for mounting with elegance at least!

Looking downhill at the larger/sloped arena

I worked a little on posting trot since I'd been working on that with Laurie on Friday.  I tried to feel where my feet were and occasionally glanced down to indeed see that I would point my toes down.  I worked hard keep my toes in and up.  At one point my right foot ached on the outer edge, not sure if it was from the work or the way the boot was hitting me.  It was odd.

Willy has been more reluctant to move forwards in the arena the last few times.  It takes a lot to ask him to trot and when he starts the trot it's with a slight toss of his head and a begrudging grunt.  He doesn't seem to be in pain or have a limp.  Is this an older horse thing?  We went around the ring in both directions and I feel that my posting and leg position eventually got to the place I wanted.  I then swung open the gate and rode around the outside of the bigger arena, trotting a few times and practicing a few halts.

Then I took Willy out to the Eggar road for a "trail" ride.  I wanted to see the mountains on this glorious day.  The sky was a cobalt blue and the clouds were pure white and wispy.  As we reached the crest of the road where we could see a nice view of the front range I sighed in contentment.  Oh to be fall and riding a horse, it can't get more perfect than this!  The clouds by the mountains were casting a shadow creating a dark purple/blue hue to enrich the hills.  It was breath taking.  On our way back to the stable we passed the field with the horses and donkey.  The donkey always seems to greet us as we pass and this time we got a close up look at the mare and her foal.  I need to bring a camera out next time!

Fuzzy and Sweaty Girth area

Once back at the stable I pulled off Willy's saddle and hopped up on bareback to walk around the stable yard while he cooled down and his girth area dried off.  Then I groomed him and led him back to his hay in his run.  I ran around to a couple different places in the yard where he had pood, he had to go a lot today!  I gave Willy a big hug rubbing his fuzzy coat.  Till next Sunday my silly Willy!

Willy Feels Better

I am happy to report that Willy was doing much better today!  His nose was dry and he only coughed a couple times during the trot.  He's definitely getting very fuzzy.  His girth area had obviously dried funny from the previous ride, not sure if that was saturday or another day since I don't know his schedule.  It felt good to groom him and tack him up today.  His mane was nice and silky, no knots!

I mounted using the mounting block since I was wearing jeans and they are more restrictive than my jodphurs.  I figured it would be nice to just mount up easy today.  I worked him around the main ring, on the outside at first doing some posting trot.  Then I decided to go into the arena and play around in there, even though the big arena is sloped rather than graded flat.

No snot!  He feels much better!

I tried one gate and couldn't seem to get Willy in the position I wanted him to so I could reach the latch easily.  The second gate I tried I could reach fine but could not move the darn thing to save my life.  I feel silly on horseback getting into position for opening a gate but I feel even more so when the horse is in position and I can't open it!  Third times a charm, I finally got Willy where I needed him to be and opened the third and final gate.  I swung it open but didn't pay much attention to the overhead bar and sort of banged my head on it.  Yet another reason it's good to wear a helmet while riding!!

I started Willy on a trotting circle which he did quite well, including a figure eight where he didn't try to break his gait.  Then I did some walking serpentines down the arena.  Willy seems a bit more stiff turning in the right direction so I worked a little bit on some flexion movements with his neck and tight circles.  He didn't seem to like it so much but the poor boy needs to get more flexible! 

We cantered a few times with no goal in mind but to have the wind brush by.  I want to canter him more and work on my seat in the canter, it's my favorite gait since it's like a rocking horse or a playground swing.  The motion is so perfect!  I just wish I could see what it was like with a collected horse, Willy is stiff in most of his gaits so even though it's fun I'm sure it's more luxurious in a well collected horse.

After the shorter ride, since I was planning on meeting some friends for drinks later, I groomed him down.  His girth area was still wet so I took him to the arena with me and set him loose while I scooped out the poop piles.  He'd only gone once in the ring but the piles left from how many days from the other riders were still there so I decided to get all of those.  There are signs all over that in the tacking up areas and arenas all riders need to clean up after their horse.  It doesn't seem that many of them do since most times there are several piles in the indoor or outdoor arena when I arrive. 

Once I was done I brushed down the sweaty areas on Willy since he was now all dried off.  I took him back to his pen where his buddy Two Socks awaited.  I gave them both carrots and told Willy he was a sweet horse; oh yeah, you too Two Socks.  It was a nice ride but too short, I'll have to take my usual amount of time next week and get my full Willy, aka Sir William, fix.  I think he should be called Sir William, it has a very noble sound to it, plus my friends always make comments about Willy and Willy getting fuzzy. 
Apparently I know too many people who have their minds in the gutter!

Nose to the wind and trot!

Willy was happy to see me today. His winter woolies are coming in more each time I see him. The day was pretty warm so I felt bad for him in all his fuzziness. I took him in to groom, he’s always covered in bits of hay and lots of dust so I take my time getting all the dirt flicked off his coat. Another gal came into the indoor arena to groom and tack up the mare she was leasing. We didn’t really talk just quietly groomed our horses in the coolness of the ring.


I got Willy tacked up and walked him around the yard practicing several stops. Sometimes I ask and ask and ask and after 10 or 20 steps he finally stops. I’m doing everything I know to ask him properly, I sit deep and press with my seat; and squeeze intermittently on the reins. As he keeps moving I apply more pressure to both seat and reins. I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong, Divine responds well and I’ve done practice with her but then again she’s collected so stopping more quickly is perhaps easier.

I took Willy out to the neighborhood I like to ride in. A truck was backing up into a driveway to deliver hay and Willy wasn’t sure how to react to that. I reassured him and moved him slowly past the offending vehicle. I asked him for a trot, which started out fine as I posted but then the choppy pace increased to such a jarring nature. I asked him to slow a little but he just tossed his head and hollowed his back even more until I finally got him back to a walk instead. I need to get a lunge set and work on him with collection, I find it hard to practice sitting trot or posting trot on him with his neck up, nose out and back hollow. It can’t be comfortable for him either, it’s not an efficient way of moving and as a previous endurance horse trotting so stiffly I would think would have been a detriment over miles of trail. I tried several more times at the trot with Willy being just as ornery. Instead of feeling like I was fighting with him I decided to stay at the walk and enjoy the day.

We did some side passing or more like lateral movements to the side of the road but he was having some issues responding to that as well. Once I got back to the stable I worked on him with turn on the forehand and some side passing. He did a decent side pass to the right but really had difficulty doing it to the left, he kept wanting to back up. I wonder if I can work on that from the ground too, perhaps ground work will help with a lot of the issues I’m having with him. I’m not experienced enough to know if his trot is just his trot or if it’s so jarring because he is uncollected. Even when Divine is uncollected her trot feels smoother than his. Now Danilla, the Arab/Mustang mare I tried out to possibly lease earlier this year, had a trot to die for, ground covering but smooth. It was very easy to sit and I hadn’t done as much work on the sitting trot at that point! Oh well we’ll see how things go with Willy.

After the ride I roughed up his sweaty areas and walked him around the arena to cool down a bit. With his halter and the long lead I had I figured I’d see if he knew how to lunge. He didn’t, he kept trying to follow me around instead of moving off from me. I grabbed one of the school whips and used that to coax him away from me I didn’t even have to touch him with it. We eventually got it and I lunged him around in a small circle for a bit until his coat was dry and cool. Then I groomed him smooth and rewarded him with many carrots as I put him back into his pen with his buddy Two Socks. I think I can work with Willy a bit and see how things go with getting his trot more collected or at least more ride able, it will teach me a lot in the process.

Willy eatting hay with Two Socks at the right

I talked with Steve a lot this weekend about horse ownership, something about going on a trail ride on Saturday and the drive up there made it prime time to talk horsies. My goal for getting a horse is spring of 2012, hopefully then I can begin the search for a horse. I’d like to be able to buy the truck and trailer at that time too but we’ll see what we can find. I’ll most likely have some money saved towards the truck but I’ll go out and buy a horse and then later that year get the trailer and truck once I have the rest saved up. I want to buy both with cash so they won’t be a top of the line set just something that works well. The truck will be an older model with miles on it but mechanically sound, same thing with the trailer; nothing fancy just something to cart my horse out for a trail ride.

It seems very doable if I concentrate on getting the horse and worry about the truck and trailer later. Previously I wanted to get them all at the same time because of my desire to do endurance riding but if I get a 4 year old horse I really can’t do longer rides anyways until the horse is 6 years old per AERC rules. The first year or two I have the horse I really should work on basic dressage training in the ring and where ever I have the horse I’m sure there will be trails or places to ride nearby until I have a rig. I’ve seen that some people even have 3 year olds that are started under saddle, granted I wouldn’t want to ride them too hard for a year since they are still young but I find that interesting and I’m not sure if that’s a good idea or not. In Equus it was stated that the last bones in the body to fully calcify are the vertebrae and that tends to be around age 5; the cannon bones calcify sooner but still, at a young age you don’t want to put too much strain on their legs and tendons. I guess with the current plan a 3-4 year old might be the best age for me to look, with the intent that at age 5 I would start working on limited distance training and at 6 maybe doing the first distance ride.

I’m just thinking out loud. It’s such an exciting prospect and fun to plan for owning a horse as a definite thing! Steve even seemed up to the idea of getting a second older horse (I’m thinking a cute quarter horse, paint or grade horse) that he could learn to ride on and my mother or friends could ride; so a beginner safe horse. Eventually he wants his own Arabian and to join me on the trail but we’ll have to see how much he gets into it. Oh to dream! 2012 is not that far away so I need to get planning and working hard on the debt snowball! Allrighty then, I’m off to go do that!