Growing Up with Riding Lessons

I started riding when I was 9.  We'd moved from Colorado to Virginia and my mom found the Great Falls Horse Center.  They had good deals on group lessons.  My first riding companion was Chug a Boom.  The cutest little thing you have even seen!  He was a Chingoteague pony.

At this barn you received your horse assignment, grabbed the bridle and when to the back of the barn for the helper to go bridle the horse for you.  Then you would bring them to a row of hitching posts and groom and tack up the pony.

I learned a lot on Chug a Boom.  He even freaked my mom out when he got made at a horse behind him and kicked several times.  I stayed in the saddle but it was like being on a bucking bronco!

Our basic beginner lessons involved stretching and balance exercises.  The ponies were oh so patient.

I eventually grew up some and needed a taller horse so I rode Shadow.  I learned to jump on her, tiny jumps but jumps none the less.  

We also did canters where the group would one at a time canter around the ring and go to the end of the line.  She was a pretty little thing. 

 

My next assignment was Cinny.  In this first picture you can see a little rider on Chug a Boom behind us!

Cinny had an attitude.  I don't think she liked being a lesson horse.  She was cinchy and tried to bite you when you tightened the girth and when you tried to mount.  She was also the first horse I met that was a cribber.

Even with her faults, under saddle I remember having a good time on her.  

She was a pretty girl and I loved chestnuts.

We moved on from the Great Falls Riding Center to another private instructor.  She was someone who we later found out had stolen horses and was a bit shady.  We didn't last there too long.  Honestly I have no idea which horses were stolen!

After only 3 years of riding I was in my first horse show.  First and last I might add!  I won two 3rds and a 6th.  I had a fun time but really wasn't into that scene.  I rode Witters a bay pony in the jumping short stirrups equitation classes.

Barny was a white appaloosa with the spots just on his skin.  He was interesting by a pain.  He was stubborn.  He's the first horse I fell off of.  He ran off with me a week before the show and I spent that entire week soaking in the tub every morning.  Ouch.  I remember during the show warm up I tried to get him to jump but then when he didn't want to was going to turn him around and try again, that's when he decided and I was unseated.

I went to another stable with a gal named Joy I think.  She was an FBI agent and DIDN'T steal horses!  B.C. was a favorite of mine.  He was an off track TB.  Very push botton but with moments of "oh my god that's going to kill me!".  I did jumping on him and trail rides off the property.

He was a good little jumper and even though I didn't want to show we had fun doing little combinations of jumps.

He was also very tall, over 16 hands.  Often times I would use the fence railing to hop on him. Is he the reason I like chestnuts so much?  He was gorgeous.  The pictures don't do him justice but he was a horse I definitely clicked with.

There were some other horses as well that I grew up riding at one lesson barn or another.  I haven't tracked down all the old pictures.  By the end of high school though riding was not affordable to me or my parents so I only went on trail rides every once in a while.  I should have kept up with it, I should have figured out a way. I didn't want to compete, I just wanted my own horse to trail ride with.  Most colleges didn't offer a trail riding team, they had jumping teams or dressage.  Not my cup of tea.  So I did other things in college.  I know I could have figured a way to ride every week or twice a month at least...you young-uns....KEEP UP WITH IT!!!

Of course we all know that this story ends happily since I got back into riding full swing in 2010 with lessons and leasing horses.  I now have my dream horse!  She's a great partner and I'm content as ever to finally own a horse since October 2012.  Even though it would have been great to have had a horse sooner, and I probably could have, Dani's the perfect girl for me.  She's a great first horse for this re-beginner!

One-year Anniversary

October 8th marked the date that I have been owned by my mare for one year!!!

Steve and I met her on a Sunday, she was sweet and gorgeous.  I felt comfortable riding her, I got the sense that she wanted to be a good girl and wouldn't take off on me or try anything mean.  I felt we could be partners.

Aside from a slight off step on her near side rear leg after the flex she didn't have any major issues physically. 

The biggest training issue was the trailer loading.  With some training Laurie was able to work with her and bring her home to me.  Then a friend at KCRC was able to work with her a couple more times with me on trailer loading.  I was able to load her myself when I moved her during the fire.  Once I get a trailer I'll have more opportunities to work with her.

Dani lived out the first six months in Whispering winds and made many horsie friends.

I liked it too but it was a bit busy with lots of kids doing fast paced jumping in the arenas, I often felt like we would get run over!  I loved the indoor arena during the winter though!

Steve purchased my girl her first blanket and got to learn a lot about horse care.

Dani learned to face her fears about wash racks and indoor arenas, though a tractor running up and down the barn aisle didn't seem to phase her that much.

Two weeks into horse ownership Dani got kicked and had an infection, she was stall bound for a couple weeks.  My poor baby!

I got her teeth floated as well, it had probably been many, many years since her last float.  She was much more comfortable after her procedure.

I finally got a saddle that fit her and began working on riding her and getting used to her sensitivity.  She was easy to steer and once we found our groove it was great.

I tried to ride often but the long distance drive was tough on me.  I was on the lookout for closer facilities.

Dani had a good friend in Rock and Jodie, two other horses in her pasture.  It was hard to think about moving her away from them.

Steve and Rock were good buddies and we were tempted to see if he would ever be for sale but unfortunately he had a bad deal with colic and was put down.  We'll get a horse for Steve soon.

Rock's ordeal made me realize our time with our babies is short and to cherish every minute!

I finally decided to move Dani to a closer location.  There was an 80 acre ranch down the road from KCRC so I moved her there.  Uschi and I had a heck of a time moving Dani.  She even shimmied under the butt bar of the trailer!!  My friend from KCRC saved the day and got Dani safe at her new home.

We didn't stay long at the new place because of some advice and information I'd received about the owners.  We did find a used Circle Y saddle that fit Dani nicely though.

The following weekend I walked Dani down to KCRC to the self care boarding there.  It's worked out though I wish she had more space and a neighbor right next to her.  Still I could tell immediately that Dani was much more comfortable here and ate up all her food like she had not been doing in the past 5 days.

I added sand to her run to help prevent her hock sores from the hard packed ground and that seems to have worked nicely.  Most of the area is pretty sandy so I purchased stall matts to reduce her ingestion of the sand.

My brother from Virginia came to visit with his son Bryson, so we had Bryson meet Dani.  It was a fun family day at the barn!

Then the Black Forest Fire happened and with my job and the fire so close I moved Dani to Laurie's for a couple weeks while I was involved in the response.  What a crazy time it was.

Marie came out shortly after and we were pooper scoopers for the 4th of July Parade in Monument.

We tried to recover from the busy summer and take in the nice warm days of July and August, but Colorado received tons of rain.  KCRC had part of it's arena wash away.  I still got out to ride but not as often as I wanted.  I was exhausted from work and from having Steve constantly traveling for his work.

I did lots of ground work with Dani on obstacles and learned how to break things down to get her to understand that an object wasn't going to eat her.

Over the year I feel that Dani and I have developed a mutual affection.  She still has very independent moments but I love her and I love riding her and working with her.  It's been a good year!

We bought 100 bales of hay in September and are set for the winter.  Now I'm saving up cash to purchase a trailer with goals to go on trail rides this coming spring and summer.  We shall see what comes along!

My girl is gorgeous, sweet and funny.  One time while cleaning out her food trough she nudged the gate into my butt and I almost fell into the bin!  I swear she did it on purpose.  Sometimes she seems to want to groom me when I groom her, wiggling her lips over my shoulder.  She's learning to trust me the more she's exposed to scary things and realizes that I won't have her do something that will harm her.  

She is my heart.  I'm so glad to have been blessed with such a great horse and hope we will have many more anniversaries in the future.  So cheers and happy riding!!

Thanks for the Adventure, 2012!!

I wanted to do a year end review sooner but my busy end of the year overlapped into the beginning of this new year, so here I am January 8th, 2013 looking back at my horsie year. I have to say that all in all it was a good year! I mean come on! I finally got a pony!

January

I began the year frustrated with schedules and not feeling like I had enough time to see horses (I think that’s still an issue at times!). Nothing was able to be done really, my instructor had time constraints and that just didn’t mesh with my time availability. It happens. I filled my time with new horse magazines and enjoyed a fire horse museum at a meeting location for my work.

February

I fell in love with Vantage Point Farms, it became my top choice for boarding facilities. It had a nice outdoor arena, no fence, nice indoor, large paddock for geldings, and good sized paddocks for mares with run in sheds. No round pen but there was easy access to trails right off the property.

March

Quinntessential Arabians had a client get together where we made horse treats and talked about….uh, horses! Uschi tried to play match maker and have me buy the cute chestnut mare of Amy’s. I wasn’t in a position to buy but found it fun to dream.

Steve and I attended the Rocky Mountain horse Expo in Denver. We really enjoyed Julie Goodnight! I also posted an article by a gal from Tampa that wrote in her local paper about being 40 when she got her first horse. I can relate! Then during a lesson Divine reached around after I dismounted and got the stirrup caught in her mouth!! Crazy! I went to another instructor and rode a really big Arabian named Ramses. I liked the lesson but just didn’t feel we clicked. I wasn’t sure what direction I was going with horses at the time.

 

 April

This month I did some canter work with Divine and felt I made a few good steps forward! On a sad note a couple mares, Gretchen and Cleo at Fawor Foundation Arabian Rescue, whom I had wanted to meet for so long were adopted. I never got the chance to meet them but glad they found homes.

July

In late June and early July I was consumed with my job 24/7 for two weeks. We were dealing with the Waldo Canyon Fire here and I was activated in the Emergency Operations Centers. It was a busy time! Later that month I saw Esprit, while she was a beautiful little mare she wasn’t the right horse for me. Then I left with hubby to Cancun!!

August

I began my horse shopping in earnest! My first horse was a skinny Arab named Khan. I ended up calling the humane society and apparently he was already a case. So sad, I wished I could have taken him to a better home but hopefully he will be taken care of.

I viewed Whispering Winds Farm and placed it at the top of my list. I loved the large fields for my future horse!

August had some traumatic instances for me. I had three falls. First one was riding Divine and my foot got caught in the railing, Divine spooked and I went overboard. The next one was really horrible; I tried out a horse for purchase, Desperados Storm. He spooked under a tree and raced into the barn; I went flying into a stall door and landed hard on my rear on a cinder block or something in the aisle way. Ouch. Needless to say I didn’t buy him. Then I wanted a calm lesson on Divine, we were walking around the arena, we got to close to the wall post (the railings had since been taken down). I tensed and sort of freaked having my knee up to the post again, not sure how I guided Divine that direction. She spooked at my tenseness and trotted off and since I was so freaked out I ended up on the ground again. I fell REALLY hard and knocked the wind out of me. Never have done that before and it was SCARY!!!

September

I went to Kenlyn to check out two mares. Linda was very kind to me and I explained by recent falls and subsequent lack of confidence. The first mare I tried started to move off and I panicked a little. Linda jumped off her horse and grabbed the mare and had me get off and mount the other. She made me feel okay for being fearful and let me try out the other horse at my own pace. I was grateful to her kindness and understanding. The mares were fabulous but not for me.

Then I met Heidi the cute as a button, neighs when you dismount, Haflinger mare. She was too short and I looked ridiculous on her otherwise I would have probably taken her home! Next I met Brio a dark bay Arab and really liked him. I wasn’t entirely sure but he had potential. He got sick with a cough before Laurie could evaluate him....

Of course I ended up going to see a chestnut Morgan mare and there was just something about her, she was the one, I knew it. I liked her attitude her mannerisms and felt she was very kind and forgiving but not a push over. I made an offer and began setting up veterinary exams and had my trainer come out. This little mare had something special about her!

October

Vet exams went well and Dani moved to her new home, after training with Laurie for loading on the trailer. Dani has issues with trailers so I knew it would be an ongoing thing to train her but I felt she was worth that effort. The beginning weeks I worked with Dani on grooming, standing while tied and facing her fears of the wash rack which is much like an enclosed trailer. She even encountered a flapping flag and a Bobcat hauling huge hay bales quickly and loudly down the aisle of the barn! She seemed easy to teach and began looking to me for guidance. Laurie also hosted a “clinic” with a couple of us students, I don’t think I posted about it but it was a great clinic talking about communication and trying to be positive but not looking through “rose colored glasses” when it comes to working with horses. The three students each rode Divine through some simple exercises and while I was VERY fearful to get back on her I knew the fear was a bit exaggerated. The support from Laurie and the other riders during this clinic was awesome!

Dani got injured the night before I left to see my newborn nephew. Her left hind swelled up and the vet came out. She was bandaged for a couple weeks and stall bound. I couldn’t even do groundwork until the week of Thanksgiving!

November

Dani healed and when finally able to be back in her paddock raced off with tail high! I worked on getting her used to the indoor arena that was pretty scary and new to her. I also was selling items at home to start my saddle fund since I didn’t have one to fit her. Dani had her teeth floated (and man she needed it!) and her hooves trimmed for the first time under my ownership. The time change and then the beginning of friend and family visits reduced my time to spend with Dani. This is the reason she is on pasture 100%, I know she’s happy and content even if I can’t get out to visit her. I finally did buy a saddle and worked on finding the right girth and then found out my one bridle was way too big! LOL. And so it goes!

December

I did finally get the tack situated and rode Dani for the first time since I bought her. The ride went well for the most part and wasn’t complicated. Serpentines and changes of direction to calm me down and work Dani’s mind a bit. I got my cowboy hat that I love wearing, keeps my hair out of my face when not wearing a helmet and it looks cute! I also dealt with snowballs forming on Dani’s unshod feet and my hubby finally replaced his car that died in July with a nice GMC Sierra 2500!! The trucks name is Buddy and he should be a good trailer hauler! Most of December we had Steve’s parents back again in our house so it was fun to spend time with them, Cierra Steve’s daughter came for a week at Christmas. Dani got hurt again; her blanket butt bungee snapped and cut her leg. Another vet bill and some antibiotics for a few days, I got really good at giving her the pills turned to paste. At least this time the injury didn’t require too much maintenance. With lack of time and the injury I really couldn’t do much with Dani so I just visited her when I could to groom and hug her then it was off to family fun!

So....

This year was a whirlwind towards the end. I dove into the deep end of the pool of horse ownership and have loved every minute! I look forward to spending more time with Dani and getting a little closer to our goals of riding trails together. I’m so happy to have met Dani and that she’s my first horse, she’s a great first horse, challenging but not too challenging and cuteness galore!! Happy belated New Year!!