N-New Stables

Yes I'm cheating, I wrote Another barn for A and now I'm writing New Stables for N.  Well that's what is going on right now in Dani and I's life.  I'm checking out new stables for many reasons.

1) Dani is too far away from me

2) I'm not liking the really, really busy barn (galloping horses when I'm just trying to do little circles at the walk, though at times I have the barn to myself....)

3) I'm a little tired of cleaning up after others in the wash rack

4) Cost will increase another $50 starting May 1st!!!!
5) I want to regulate Dani's feed a bit more

It's not a bad barn, it's just not where I think I should be, even though I love it and the people are really nice.  The biggest issue is distance.  I can deal with cleaning up after others to an extent, I think that will occur at any barn.  The distance adds up when I'm driving way out to see her.  Secondly I know that barns can be busy and you have to ride in arenas with other people.  This is a show type barn I'm learning, a lot of the kids do jumping shows  and the trainer that has a lot of students here that are often all in the arena taking lesson from her.  I think a smaller barn might be nice for me.  The other thing though is cost, this barn has high overhead because of the nice facilities.  I'd like to reduce my cost a little bit even though it will be a bit of a hassle dealing with hay.

I love the indoor but I can sacrifice that, sometimes you have to do that to reduce costs and find a facility closer to your home.  I also am really intersted in finding a place where I can regulate her amount of food intake better.  I would love to get her on a slow feeder for hay so she more or less trickle feeds all day long instead of two unmeasured feedings of hay each day where she can grab huge mouthfuls.

Sharp edges in a shed....not good

That's the goal right now.  I've looked at three new places, I showed you one already for my A post.  Another was dangerous in my opinion (lots of sharp edges and really hard riding ground!) and the last one was just way too bare bones for me with not much of an area to ride.  I may revisit some barns I already visited before buying Dani since I did like several.

Hopefully we'll find something nice soon and I can move her....I hate the idea in a way.  Wish I had a second horse that could always be with her since I don't like taking her from her new friends.  I just have to think about her care, my pocketbook and the time I have to spend with her.  Someday she'll be in my backyard and that will be perfect!

I- Indoor Arenas

I've ridden in a few indoor arenas.  They mostly are all pretty much the same.  Some of them the substrate is much better kept up meaning regularly dragging and watering the sand base to keep areas from getting hard and compact.

 

 

Some arenas are smaller than others but are mostly the same type of building, a metal sided structure with lights, often times mirrors and a smooth board around the outside of the riding area. 

 

Some are huge like the above on that was located at Vantage Point Farms.  Others like Lauries are still a really good size and have fantastic footing.  I've always loved the smell of her arena after she's just watered it, very earthy!

 

The one that was located at Willy's barn was smaller in size and odd shaped because two corners were used as sitting areas and storage.  Still it was a good space to ride in, something that would be more affordable if I need to build one on a future property.

 

I enjoy the large on at Whispering Winds Farm.  There is a enough room for multiple riders to work in the arena and they do drag and maintain the substrate pretty regularly.  I like being out of the wind and cold or bad footing during winter.  I hope I can have on when I have acerage because it lets you ride when ever you want.

No Longer Playing with Breyer Horses!!

This Saturday I had a long time childhood friend, Jessica, come visit with her husband. Jess and I have known each other since we were in 4th grade. We were next door neighbors and went to school together through high school. We played Breyer horses and took riding lessons from many of the same instructors. She's been in Wyoming the past few years so it's been awesome to get together and reconnect while she's out west.

She and her husband came down this weekend and the plan was for her and I to play with horses for the morning. This time the horse I owned was not 1:12 scale and plastic!!  I asked Phoebe at the barn to borrow a horse, she thought Maz (Maserati) would be a perfect choice.  Jess hasn't been regularly riding so we didn't want to have a handful of a horse for her.  Our whole plan was just to walk around the arena and enjoy a nice easy time on horseback.
 

We arrived at the barn, the only person present was Floro.  It was quieter than I'd ever experienced!  Normally on Saturday mornings there are dressage lessons for the Friesian and the warm blood but even though they were on the calendar the ring was vacant.  Sweet!  We went and grabbed Dani.

We were greeted by the usual entourage of horses, Rock, Jolie (Jodie?) and other equines I haven't been formally introduced to.  We meandered our way through the probing noses to Dani who stood with her neck arched in that gorgeous Morgan way and her ears pricked forward in the hope that a treat accompanied these two legged visitors.

 

After grabbing Dani we got Maserati from the small pasture adjacent to the north pasture.  His paint horse friend was interacting with Dani over the fence and trying to bite at her as she waited.  She was not happy and several squeals erupted.  We finally took Maserati in tow, Dani pinned her ears a couple times but abrupt jerks and a NO seemed to squelch that for the moment as we led them both into the barn.

 

 

Jess and I worked on grooming our horses and then getting them tacked up.  I assisted Jess since it'd been a while for her (something I can totally relate to!).  The jumper saddle for Maz was funny to put on since I am now used to longer billets of dressage saddles and had to find the right adjustments so the girth would fit him well.  One thing with Maz that Phoebe forgot to tell me and apologized afterwards about was that Maz has issues with his hocks.  Hoof picking can be difficult since he has spasms in his legs when picked up to that height.  I thought he was trying to kick me but he didn't have a malicious look on his face so I guessed something was hurting and decided to forgo the back hooves.  SO glad I didn't smack his butt in a reprimand!  Dani used to kicked out a little when I first got her and I stopped that right away since I'm very sure it's not a physical issue just a Dani thing that needed to be retaught.

 

Once we got the horses tacked up I helped Jess get on Maz.  She really didn't need any help with the mounting block but the reassurance of someone being there to hold Maz in case anything funny happened is something I can completely understand.  I then brought Dani over to the mounting block.  She started balking at it and moving away.  Really??  This again??  If horses teach you nothing else, they teach you patience!  So I moved her around the block with me standing on it and led her up to it several times.  Rinse and repeat.  Eventually she stood like I know she can and I mounted up.

 

 

Jess and I stayed at the walk and just meandered around the ring.  I did a few circles and serpentines and of course practiced the stops.  Most were not that good but I had a few good ones.  We'll work on it, I think I also want to try a new bit...something milder like a french link.  The single jointed bit I have is not really a D ring but it seems to flip around when I lead her.  Loose ring french link snaffles may be the key and who knows may help with stopping and help with softness.  It's worth a try since I'm reading more about bits and think Dani probably does not like that "nutcracker" effect of the single jointed bit.

 

Jess and I rode and chatted, Dani was a mare a couple times as we walked next to Maz but I reprimanded her with a half halt and a NO.  I still kept the distance between the horses since I didn't want anything bad to occur.  I probably talked too much about Dani and how much I learned from her but I'm sure Jess understood...we grew up horse crazy girls so chatting about horses ad nauseam was par for the course...and sometimes is still that way for me!  I think Jess really enjoyed Maz and was comfortable being back in the saddle.  Awesome!

 

We had a great time relaxing and riding in the indoor all by ourselves.  I'm so glad I got to spend this horsie time with Jess especially since it seems that soon Kevin might get another assignment and I won't have her so close by!  Time with a friend doing something you both love is just priceless!

Spiraling

I was able to have a short ride (30 minutes) on my Dani Girl today.  Phoebe told me that the past couple of days a lot of cars had become stuck on their driveway.  I have not come out in two days and in a way am glad; it would have been embarrassing to get stuck on their driveway!

It's always good to see Dani's sweet face with her ears pricked forward, she's so cute and wiggles her top lip back on forth searching for treats in pockets...I don't think this will ever change but if she tries to bulldoze me I let her know that's not okay.  My mare always brings a smile to my face.  I was all talky with her today, I couldn't stop but she didn't seem to mind and I don't think she judges me on what things I say.  Most of the time I'm telling her how smart and beautiful she is but it's not my try at flattery I promise!

 

We did a good and quick (quicker than usual) grooming, it can't be perfect right now because no matter what the hair keeps coming off her in bunches; there is no stopping it!  Once I was done with the main grooming I grabbed her saddle and only cinched it one hole but Dani sidestepped quickly, I kept the tension on and once she calmed a bit put the tongue in the hole and scratched her chest, reassuring her that I wasn't going to tighten fast or punch her belly like I've seen some people (in my past) do with horses.  She has certainly had bad experiences with girths or surcingles, I'm just making sure to tighten in increments; I'll go and do another grooming task and then come back to it, then walk her and tighten again....so on and so forth.  Next I did her hooves, picking them isn't as simple as it was before winter came.  With all the mud in the pastures there is more stuff in her hooves and the frog seems to slough off a lot more  with the dampness.  I haven't noticed any issue with thrush but perhaps I should apply some thrush meds just in case since it's so muddy and wet right now. 

When I first arrived at the barn I plugged my bit warmer into the socket I knew was working last time but the bit was still ice cold when I was ready for it....darn it!  I really should check when I first bring Dani into the barn to see if the device is even starting to warm, it seems the sockets here are a little touchy!  So as the last resort, I placed the freezing bit onto my belly and held it there for a minute or two until it was a reasonable temperature...my poor belly but that's much better than freezing my hands that still have tasks to perform!



 

 

I really enjoy that Dani is good about bridling, even with my fumbling way.  The bridle is still stiff in the nose band and doesn't sit on her nose the best way, in my opinion, but at least it seems to fit alright and is comfortable for Dani.  We were ready to enter the ring.  There were at least two people in the ring and then about three more joined after I got Dani in there.  I tightened the girth a couple more times and let her sniff the mounting block as well.  We really didn't need to spend much time with that because once positioned by the block she stood still like a good girl.  She did walk off after the mounting so I corrected her and made her stand for a moment even though there were a couple impatient riders waiting for the block.  Sorry, I'm not teaching my horse bad manners if I can help it! 

Once we moved off I just let us meander around the ring getting used to the activity for a bit.  One rider was cantering around a lot and that just makes me nervous since I'm still getting used to a busy ring.  Eventually I calmed and so did Dani.  My girl has some mare moments today.  When one horse, a Cobby looking gelding, passed her the ears went back, pinned sharply and I could feel her tense like she wanted to tell him who's boss. I applied a see-saw pressure on the reins to get her focus back onto me, I don't need attitude under saddle even if it's not directed at this rider!  

 

Anyhow, busy arena aside we got to work on spiraling circles.  We started big and slowly got smaller until we got to the center then I had her disengage her hindquarters and cross her back legs.  I'm still not sure if I completely feel when she does this but I tried my best.  We did this both directions and I was pretty happy though going clockwise is still a bit squirrely.  Before, when we've tried spiraling, we got to the center of the circle way too fast.  I was still getting used to her sensitivity and she was probably still adjusting to me.  This time went pretty well, I'm happy with the tiny progress.  We also worked on one rein stops and stops in general, we aren't doing so well there so that needs some work but we'll get there.  I ended the ride on a good stop though!  We'll let that sink in!

 

Another distraction in the arena occurred with a gal taping stripes onto a cross rail for a jump; the sound of the tape seemed to be upsetting some of the other horses.  Dani just looked at it, so I made sure to walk near this gal several times to make sure she really wasn't bothered. The gal commented about how beautiful Dani was and also how cute she acted at feeding time.  Apparently my expressive mare makes some interesting sounds!  I haven't heard this when I'm there at feed time but I can imagine it, she's got personality for sure!  I had to leave the barn earlier than I like to get home by 6pm, there was a Ask The Vet live event on Laminitis that I wanted to hear. 

 

Today Dani was such a good girl, I love just plodding along in the arena and feel my fear slowly slipping away.  It's still there but I'm slowly realizing that I can control it, of course Dani and I are only doing walk and in an enclosed arena but still...this is good!  Happy trails!

The Mounting Block

I’ve done several sessions with Dani around the mounting block.  The first couple , which occurred a couple weeks before my lesson with Laurie, I would go up the mounting block and if she backed off I would make her back or turn her in circles.  Make the wrong thing difficult and the right thing easy. 

 Then I started working on rubbing her while on the standing on the block, then leaning on her; this is what Laurie had me do during our lesson.  Since then I’ve done some work where she was just in a halter and I led her around the block, got up and down on the block and asked her to move at least one step in the direction towards the block.

 

 

The evening Steve came out with me we did similar work with him leading her up to the block while I was standing on it and vice versa.  We loved on her and leaned on her and then would step away and then step back on and up the block.  She became pretty relaxed toward the end.  Then we set her loose and I took a rest on the mounting block.  The picture above is her looking at me saying, "Hi mom, what cha doin?"

Today I went out to get a ride in before some icky cold weather hit, but of course we desperately need the moisture!  I spent time grooming Dani, always my favorite part of being with a horse is making them shine and loving on them! She's already starting to shed out winter coat! I'm excited because it means the days are getting longer...well obviously they have been since what, December 21st?? I got some new stirrup leathers, still synthetic but longer and they are great! I also figured out how the Wintec stirrup leather "loop" works. I was thinking it went through the loop like on other saddles but it actually just goes in and then comes out under the saddle flap. I'll have to take a picture to show it since I can't seem to explain it the way I want. 

 

The other new thing I have is an anti-slip pad under the green pad.  I didn't take any pictures but I suppose I'll have to do a tack post with my new little items because I also got a grab strap to add to the front of the saddle!  This will add some security when I feel I want to grab something solid.

 Today was chilly and the indoor arena was packed with about 10 riders going over a jumps course.  I think there is a show coming up because one girl with a cute white pony was telling me about hoping to show of her pony at the show to find her a new owner.  Anyways, out into the driving wind and cold we went.  We approached the mounting block and I let Dani sniff it.  Then I stood on it and had her move around it, I had her reins off like I was leading her.  Then I put them on her neck and led her up to it.  I got prepared to mount and she stood like a good girl.  Once I was on though she walked off before I asked; I abruptly asked her to stop.  I was so proud of her though, little steps of progress.

 

I know we'll have some more work to do on mounting from the block but I'm very happy with this progress.  I actually mounted three different times.  When I first popped on I noticed my stirrups were adjusted way too long; I was reaching for them and it was like being stirrup-less.  I decided to jump off and adjust those from the ground because it would give me a chance to mount again.  Then the second time I dismounted was because of Canadian Geese honking and flying towards the barn. Daenerys bolted while in the paddock last weekend when some geese were honking and flying really low.  Luckily I'd already released her and was just chilling in the paddock watching the horses.  I envisioned this could be an issue still and I am trying to figure out a way to desensitize her to this, so I decided to bail and just stand by her just to be on the safe side.  I turned her towards the flock but they were much further away from us than when I had seen them in the paddock last weekend so she didn't seem to have any issues.  I think in the paddock they were flying really low and really loud so I can understand that to a horse that was a horse eating pterodactyl!

 

Anyways, I had a third chance to mount from the block and she was good just like the other times.  This third time she didn't immediately try to walk off so I praised her.  Pretty soon I started seeing snowflakes and since I couldn't feel my toes I figured it was best to head inside and untack.

 

 

 

The barn was busy with people getting blankets on their horses and feed time was getting prepared.  Floro the main groom, came up to me and brushed snow off my jacket when he asked how I was.  I said "Freezing!".  He laughed, sometimes his mexican accent is hard to understand but he's a very sweet and friendly guy and great with the horses.  I quickly groomed Dani and got her blanket and under blanket on.  Within that time the wind and snow had picked up quite a bit.  Horses were already getting covered in a dusting of snow.  I led Dani out to the paddock and gave my girl a hug.  I was headed home to my warm house and she was anxiously awaiting her hay with no concern for the flying snow.  I'm so glad today went well with the tack, the mounting and the ride!  I don't know if I'll see her much tomorrow since I have to run some errands in Denver but this week we'll continue on with the mounting block lessons.  Happy riding!

Motivation and Timing

Motivation is so lacking these days and I don't know what to do about it. Am I setting myself up to fail with putting too much expectation on myself? Shouldn’t I be jumping up and down and wanting to see my horse every single second? I chalk it up to the winter blues in part and wishing she was in my backyard with a open window into my bedroom so she can “hang out” with me when I’m reading in bed. I'm becoming less and less happy with cold weather and it’s honestly been mild just windy, I want to stay inside under a heated blanket than spend hours in the barn working on something I'm not 100% confident on how to work on! Even with the indoor arena I find the chill miserable. What’s wrong with me??  Look at that cute face!!

I've gone to see Dani most days the past couple of weeks, I maybe didn't see her for two days in a row at most. I also didn’t even do any “work” with her this weekend. Why? I’m tired, unmotivated in general and the weather in the evenings gets cold…not a good excuse! I haven’t been to the gym myself in who knows how long because I can’t seem to get myself out of bed in the mornings! I know my mare is happy and fine living her life in a big pasture with other friends, and gets looked at and cared for each day, that’s the benefit of full board. I wish she was closer but there isn’t a facility that is closer to my home that is what I consider a good option for board. Of course I’ll keep my eyes open for one but I like Whispering Winds, I can’t complain except for my proximity to it. Uge, I’m rambling. I just feel unmotivated in life in general. Don’t know what my deal is but I need to change that!

In previous posts I mentioned that I would go home from work and then go to the barn, well that time slot doesn’t work really well…especially since the husband has been home. It’s hard for me to leave the time spent chilling with him to go see my little mare. I’d honestly rather just leave from work to get to the barn first thing at about 4:30pm and then get home around 6:30-7pm. But 4:30pm is right when the horses are being fed, so what am I to do? I wish I got off work earlier but I don’t. I have a little hay net and used that once so Dani could snack while I groomed her but is this a good practice? I don’t want her tummy grumbling and I feel she’ll be in a better mood if I’m not completely taking her away from her meal. I don’t have time to work her each evening for very long so it’s not like all the blood will be leaving her stomach to go to muscles and potentially cause issues with her GI system. The other thing is that she gets only hay in the evenings. Her supplement, which is vitamins and a handful of grain to mix, is fed in the morning. I really just need to go when it’s best for me or I won’t go at all!! Like I said I don’t have time to “really” work on things when I get out there so I should just go and work on tiny things when I go. I need to get better about this and know that I don’t have to go every day, if I can make it out certain days of the week to start that will be good. Small changes!

Now as to the gym…I need a cattle-prod alarm clock! Anyone have an idea where I can get one of those?

Buzzing Ponies

I rode indoors Thursday and Friday night.  There were three riders in there on Thursday, two were cantering around the whole arena and jumping jumps.  The other gal was working on some dressage moves.  The two jumpers were making lots of clucking sounds and Dani seemed to be trying to figure out if it was me making those sounds!

We began with having mounting issues again and saddle sliding over on my rolly polly mare when I tried to mount from the ground.  I later had issues with her standing near the mounting block.  At least the cinching was not too bad, she moves around a bit but I stay with her.  She moves less than previous times, I think she realizes that I will only cinch hole by hole and not hurt her.  I try not too but I can't seem to get the saddle tight enough to not slide over on mounting.  I finally got her to stand still and mounted up from the block.

I was pretty tense as we rode around, the clamoring of cantering hooves and constant clucking in the background made it hard to concentrate and I was worried that Dani would take off from thinking the clucking was for her.  It was like I had little bees buzzing around me, but this is a large arena with plenty room to share, I need to get used to this constant activity and so does Dani.

She's very sensitive to the leg, which can be good, and I mostly turned her with my seat.  I do need to get her used to my legs on her all the time, relaxed of course and that just feeling leg on her doesn't mean I'm asking for speed.  Several times she sped up like she was trying to trot, I need to work on keeping her at a walk and relaxed.  I also need to sit back and relax myself!!  We did some circles and serpentines, changes of direction to get her soft and listening to me.  I also flexed her left and right, she's very soft there.  I never fully calmed down but think the ride was a success at conquering my fears.

Bad picture of me starring down while riding, not good!!
Picture is from last weekend riding, I didn't have any
from these two days indoor rides.

The next day we worked on mounting mainly, the saddle slid again and it was cinched up tight from what I could tell.  Uge, I'm not sure what I'm going to do about this issue, I can't seem to tighten it further but it swings around with the pressure from the stirrup.  The mounting block is the best bet for this and perhaps as the saddle breaks in more it will become easier to tighten properly.  I had some of these issues with Willy I recall but still, I know it's not fun for Dani!

I worked with Dani around the mounting block and moved her hips away in a circle quickly if she backed or tried to move.  Then we went back to the block to rest her with me standing on it and loving on her, then leaning on the saddle etc.  I went over this procedure a few times with then actually mounted.  She started to walk off, another thing I'll have to work with her on, so I said Whoa and sat deep.  I got settled but then moved around side to side making sure not to cue to walk, I'm needing to get her desensitized to me getting settled, straitening the saddle etc.  Then when I was ready I made sure that the walk cue was as distinctive as I could make it.

I walked her around, did some turns, a little jigg here and there as it seemed she wanted to trot...not sure what I'm doing to cause that but I tried to sit back and relax.  We did some stops, then went back near the mounting block, dismounted and brought her over to it again and stood her there with lots of praise while I stood on it and stroked her.  It was a short "ride" I'll need a good amount of time to repeat this procedure over and over, getting her to stand still and realizing that if she doesn't she'll be worked, I can get a lead line for that and really work her to make the point.  I was to have a lesson with Laurie on Saturday so I would suggest that be a big part of the lesson to see what she suggests.

The Scary Indoor Arena

Now that the time change has occurred, it's almost dark when I arrive at the barn right after work.  The last few weeks I've been spoiled by having Dani in a stall since she is recovering from her leg injury.  Tomorrow she'll be back in the field full time and I'm afraid of how it will be to try and "catch" a horse in the dark!!!!

 

The sky was amazing the other day, when I arrived the clouds glowed a luminescent aura that detailed the rays of light as the sun sank below the mountains.  I love Colorado!  The pine trees and house silhouetted against the sunset as I drove up the Whispering Winds driveway.  The view was gorgeous and calmed my senses after a long day of work.  It was a great transition from work to a great joy in my life.  I wish I could earn my salary grooming and working with my horse or honestly all the horses at the barn!  I love walking into the barn with the scent of horses and fresh hay.

 

 

I had to groom Dani in her stall since a lot of students were untacking and grooming their horses in the two wash racks and in other stalls.  Dani has been great about the wash rack.  I honestly expected a little regression from time to time but once she excepted that the wash rack was harmless she just excepted it!!  She certainly fidgets more in the stall, I think she's agitated having herself tied up to a solid wall and not being able to see about.  She tosses her head and plays with the lead rope, I'll post a video of that in another blog post.  There's not much I know to do in order to calm her, I just get my job done and make sure she respects my space while I groom her.  It can get annoying but she only seems to do this when tied in the stall.

 

 

 

Today I just wanted to work with her in the indoor arena.  She's still very unsure of this "chasm of equine demise".  We walked around the arena, it was empty today so I was able to let her stand and sniff; pretty much do whatever felt fine with her.  I let her see her shadow (aka the black horse shaped blob of death) and then let her sniff the corner areas that are home to various jump pieces and obstacles.

 

I made sure that after she'd sniffed them, that each jump stand moved and made noise so she realized a little bit of movement still held no threat.

 

 

While we were walking around the arena I'm guessing Dani was rather close to the wooden boards that border the ring and her hooves kicked up some of the substrate making an "ominous sound" thus causing her to nearly trample me as I calmly walked beside her.  As you can guess I spent the next period of time walking her around the entire arena, kicking up the substrate against the walls, banging the lead rope against the board and basically making as much noise as I could as we made our way around the ring.  Eventually Dani showed no reaction to anything I was doing.

 

Granted my little mare will need more an more exposure to the scary stuff of the ring from the windows pointed east where horses can easily view the lights of cars driving by in the distance to the mirrors on the walls that show some strange horse looking at them!

 

 

A couple of days later I brought her in a again with about 5-6 horses in the arena at one time.  Some horses were taking their riders through a lesson and others were just doing their own thing.  At any rate the ring was pretty busy and was good exposure for Dani.  She watched the other horses moving around, I kicked up dirt at the walls and moved the corner obstacles as she sniffed them.  I wouldn't say she was "calm" but I don't feel she was on the verge of shying away from any of these "threats".  I was actually pretty happy with her behavior and the improvement in her response to the indoor arena.  I think she learns fast, definitely a good thing but I know I have to be careful she doesn't learn something I don't want her to! 

 

 

We'll continue the exposure to the indoor arena, and in about a week should be able to start some full on groundwork since her leg should be 100%.  She'll eventually realize that the indoor is no big deal and get on with the lessons I'll be teaching her.

Shattered confidence

I write this blog with a heavy heart.  My love is horses and the past couple months have created instances that have made me question whether horses make sense in my life.  But rest assured those thoughts were fleating, I cannot so easily turn my back on horses.  If I ever get fearful enough I can just stay on the ground, buy a mini or just do driving instead of riding.  Lost of options but I'm not near that now.

In late June I rode Divine and had quite a nice lesson that ended on a horrific scary note.  We were riding a nice cadenced trot down the main side of the arena when I think my right foot fell out of my stirrup bumped her and she shied, either that or she shied and my foot fell out.  It all happened so fast.  The left foot got pushed into the railing on the side of indoor and got caught.  I think Divine spun as I pulled on the reins in panic at having my fear of the railing come to fruition and then I landed hip and head into the sand.  Ouch.  I was dizzy and really shaky.  My right hip still has some pain even now, I had whiplash for weeks and I still have a bump below my ankle bone. 

Well after this incident I did not get another chance to ride.  The Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs broke out and my Emergency Preparedness Team for Public Health was activated in the emergency operations center.  After the 2 weeks or so of constant running I left for a week for a conference in L.A.  Then I came back and left with my husband for a vacation in Cancun!  Divine is always overly sensitive in my opinion, if the stirrup did indeed bump her and cause her to shy into the fence then that's just par for the course.  I'm overly sensitive too, and react in a way that just aggravates the situation.  I see all these clinicians that desensitize horses, how about desensitizing humans so we stay calm when a horse shies or moves suddenly.

Last week I rode a horse for a trial, Desparados Storm.  He seemed sweet and the owner rode him around a bit.   Then we put the saddle on him for me to ride.  I walked him in a small circle in the driveway area of the property, when we approached an overhanging tree Storm started and then raced off towards the barn.  Only one door was open and I was afraid I would be scraped off.  We made it into the barn with all its junk and pieces lying about in the aisle.  Storm stopped and turned left quickly and I flew into the side of the stall door.  There was a tree stump, some bricks, other machinery....thank goodness no circular saw!  I hit the stall door hard and scraped my back along the bolt.  Not sure what I landed on but the aisleway was hard even though it was dirt.  Below is the picture of my rear, a cutout of course.  The largest part is about 7.5 inches across!

Just this Saturday I had arranged to have a lesson on Divine, I told Laurie I wanted to stay at the walk.  That sounded perfectly fine.  I arrived a few minutes early and watched Megan on Divine.  As Divine trotted by the entrance in which I was standing she shied away.  Crap.  What the?  Then Megan worked on the canter with Divine and she raced around the arena.  Laurie kept telling Megan to sit back and relax, it took Divine a while to finally canter nicely.

Next I got on and we did sepertines and some leg yielding at the walk.  One time we got near the wall and I was frustrated why do I always end up putting Divine into the wall (it no longer has the fencing since Laurie removed all that after my accident, but there are still the posts that hold up the roofing).  We went around a few more times changing which way I leg yielded her down the center of the arena. 

We then turned right and headed to the wall.  This time my knee was right at that post, like it had gravitated to it!  I pulled my leg up a bit and reached my hand out to the post to brace...that's when Divine lurched to the right away from the wall and bolted (actually I'm told she only trotted but when you are unsteady and freaked out does it really mater?) off 20 feet with me flailing about trying to control any of my movements and failing terribly.  I ended up flying off the far side of the horse, the left stirrup lay across the saddle when I finally saw it again.  I hit the ground with a big grunt and then, I couldn't breathe. I have never had the wind knocked out of me before but it is a very scary thing.  You make such a horrible sound of grunting and groaning as you are trying to get your temporarily paralyzed diaphragm to work.  My eyes must have been wide as saucers as I stared at the ceiling and I vaguely remember seeing Laurie above me telling me to look at her. I'd hit my right hip, same one I'd fallen back in June but the shock of the fall hurt my whole pelvis since only three days before I'd fallen hard on the other side while falling from Storm.  I eventually came to and was able to breathe, my ribcage hurt my hips and pelvis hurt. 

 I started crying in frustration, why does this keep happening?  I was ready to give up completely and wished for the days of easy riding with Willy.  Divine has always been hard and my fears have become more apparent with her, almost to the point where I don't feel I can deal with those fears with Divine.  I'm so afraid of the speed and I tense up and she tenses up and goes faster.  We feed off each other in a very negative way and I feel like I've lost trust in her.  I am afraid to be afraid and then that just makes me more afraid and tense.  Of course from the horses side I'm sure she's lost trust in me too!  That's just the way it goes.

Can I find a horse that is laid back enough that when I tense it doesn't bother them as much as it does Divine and therefore allows me to more easily relax?  I only had one bad incidence with Willy, I was cantering in an open area and he just got too excited and started running.  My big fault was trying to grab his bridle therefore unseating myself.  I should have just stayed with the run and slowly alternated the reins.  Other times I've been tense and he has been fine.  Steve has even suggested me buying him but he's 22 years old and I'm not sure I want to go that old even though I love Willy.  Plus there are some training issues that I would rather not work on in an older horse, a younger one yes but of course I don't want to go too young either.  I just need to heal up right now....



Frozen but indoors to ride....

I'm a crazy person and decided to get an extra day of riding in on Willy since I wasn't having my lesson on New Years Eve.  It was freezing, I think the thermometer on the bank said 9 degrees F!!!  I decided to just ride Willy inside and just stay mainly at a walk so I didn't have to worry about a sweaty horse in freezing weather.



I was trying out my new winter jodphurs.  They are fleece lined and very soft.  I love them!  Only issue I noticed was when I mounted, I couldn't quite flex my knee the way I normally do so it was harder to get my foot into the stirrup.  I walked Willy around the ring a little bit but then decided that bareback riding might be warmer for my bottom.  It was.  Willy didn't seem to mind the nice lazy day.

I like the little indoor ring here.  It's not much wider than your average round pen and it's double the length.  Susan has a storage area and sitting area in part of the ring so it's not a full rectangle to ride in.  I want to get one of these when we have property.  This isn't a big building and there is nothing really fancy about it.  It's just one of those steel garage type buildings but there is room enough to do a little riding when the weather outside is ucky.

Lull in riding followed by double lessons

I didn't ride for a period in November, there was a break-out of meningitis in Fort Collins so my Emergency Preparedness team had to coordinate our health department volunteers to go up and help at the POD's (point of dispensing, aka shot clinics).  Anyways I had to cancel some of my Friday lessons and then on some Sundays I was way too tired or out of town that weekend so I couldn't see Willy.

Willy's fuzzy and sweaty coat all ruffled up!

I saw Willy during a Thursday before leaving for Thanksgiving break.  He looked cute in his blanket!  We did some trail riding in the neighborhood.  Only thing to report that was annoying was that I was tacking him up in the indoor arena and Susan comes in and demands I tack elsewhere so she can bring a horse in there.  The other arena's and round pen were wide open, not sure why she had to have the indoor arena.  Anyways I went to move Willy and then came back to get my supplies but she already had the horse in there galloping around....how inconsiderate, I had to reach quickly through the fence polls when the horse was on the other side to get my gear.  This woman just amazes me at her rudeness!

The most recent ride I had with Willy I was working on getting a nice consistent trot out of him.  Susan had mentioned I should use a martingale to help with h  is head carriage issues but I disagree I'd rather do some real work with him rather than use a tool that he could brace against and not learn anything.  I pressed him forwards up into my hands and did the half halt, one two, one two on his mouth...rewarding when he put his head down.  I was impressed and decided I would not buy a martingale but a surcingle with side reins instead to start working on him.  I have no idea what I can do with only seeing him once a week but I'll try what I can.  As I was in my car just about ready to pull out the little gray tabby kitten jumped up on my car!  I was imprisoned in my car by a panther!  Hehehehe!



I then had a lesson on Divine and a lesson lunging Gadiel, Lauries big dapple grey stallion.  That was fun!  It was a bit unnerving lunging a stallion especially one that knows to rear on cue, I was afraid of doing the wrong thing and accidentally asking him to rear.  Several times when he faced me in the ring I felt like the snake on the island in the Black Stallion must of felt, a little helpless!  But it was fun to work on the lunging again and to see Gadiel with all his power trot and canter around me!

My latest lesson with Divine was a almost perfect.  I did walks and trots, working on my seat.  Laurie has had me sit more on my crotch since I tend to sit a bit back and that restricts the movement of my lower back.  I could feel the difference for sure.  So I worked on Divine and did figure eights, halts, sitting trot and a little posting trot while trying to keep her collected and my seat in this better position.  It felt great!  I felt I did really well and Laurie said I did awesome...that I next leveled!  Sweet!  I don't really want to ever show but at the same time getting judged can sometimes help one set goals.  I know with my future horse I'll have me and the horse to continue with training.  What fun!  Still trail rides and gallops in the open fields is what I ride for...feeling the wind in my hair and the strong muscles below my seat that respond to my cues.  What a great day riding!



I wish I could buy one of Lauries horses right now, I know Eksodus is pretty nippy with me and Laurie says that would go away if he was gelded.  Plus I need to learn how to deal with that, I've never had to!  Pstar is still my favorite mare but Laurie was honest that she wouldn't be the best choice for my trail riding/endurance goals.  I wonder about Psylk though, Laurie bred her specifically for breeding to Gadiel but I love her laid back personality.  I have to keep reminding myself that my horse will come...maybe it will be one of Lauries horses but I can't feel guilty if all her horses she has for sale are sold by the time I can buy one.  Someday I can see buying a weanling from her or paying for a breeding and the care of one of her mares so I can have the foal.  Oh to dream!  For now I'll just work with Divine and Willy and continue to think about what I want in my own horse.

"Hey, I was Listening to That!"

As I drove to the stable the clouds clung to the ground, in areas light broke through and in others I could see the feathery textured clouds whirling as if they were the steam above a witches cauldron.  It was very peaceful driving out to the stable.  I had contacted Susan about seeing who Riddle was, a horse that I can lease for the day at times when my husband Steve wants to come riding with me.  You know how that goes, meeting Susan...I gave her a time range but didn't expect much.  She was at the stable when I arrived doing some work with hay...well actually talking to the two guys moving the hay bales.  She said once she was done she'd talk to me about Riddle.

I decided not to wait and went to get Willy started up.  Since it had been raining a little Willy had mud splattered legs and damp ears.  I worked slowly in the indoor ring as I let him dry off a little bit, shining up his coat until it glowed like cherry chocolate.  He sure does shine when he's clean.  I love that about colored horses, they can really show off the light in a nice healthy shimmer.  I do like grey horses but their "white" coats don't quite have that shiny glow that bays, blacks or chestnuts have, although a flea bitten grey can be quite striking or a well groomed almost all white grey horse!  Once I had Willy tacked up I looked outside for Susan, gone, go figure.  Oh well I decided I'd work in the indoor ring for a little while since I didn't want to get too cold and wet in the misty outdoors. 

Willy had issues of starting to walk while I mounted so I tried to work on him with that by getting on and off a few times.  We also continued working on stops or shall I say eventual stops.  Not surprisingly he's always better after I've worked with him for a bit but he's still not responsive like Divine.  Working to get him up to a trot is also a chore anymore, just a squeeze for Divine equates to a squeeze, SQUEEZE, kick, KICK, with Willy but again he got better as the ride went on.  Once I did get Willy trotting we went in circles and I alternated between sitting trot and posting.  I nearly died laughing when "I've had the time of my life" started wafting over the radio station just as I was thinking about Patrick Swayze moves and the sitting trot!  Timing is everything they say!  I wish I could get Willy collected, his trot is still pretty stiff and he stumbles more than other horses but that's age and most likely collection but he does good with what he's got!  I do think as it gets into the fall I'll be looking for another horse to lease, I like the responsiveness of Divine and would like to find a horse younger than Willy to lease.  Though she's frustrated me at times I feel I have learned a lot and have become a better horse person because of her.  Don't get me wrong I love Willy but even in a lease horse you need to have a good match between rider and horse.

Willy's cute hind hooves, see the dot and the darker "stripe" on the hoof below?

Susan finally did come into the indoor ring, the sitting area that is, looking for something.  My guess her cell phone was lost again.  I said hi and asked about Riddle to remind her about our "appointment".  She walked over to the radio and changed the channel then came back over to me.  How rude!  I was listening to that!  It wasn't like I was blaring "Parental Advisory" songs, I was listening to an oldies channel!  What ever happened to this lady saying that I could change the radio to whatever I wanted when I was working in there?  I shrugged it off, figuring I'd turn it back once she left.  She told me Riddle was the big horse over by the smaller riding ring.  I asked if he was that big dark bay....she said no, the brown one....um isn't that what dark bay is, although a more specific and educated label for horse colors?  I had to laugh to myself, every time I deal with this woman she never ceases to amaze me, LOL.  I led Willy out of the ring to follow her and see Riddle.  Yeah he was dark bay, almost black.  Bays are a brown color horse with black points (mane, tail and lower legs).  He had a lot darker brown hence the term dark bay, I'll show a good picture of him sometime.  Obviously if he didn't show brown on his face or body he would be considered black....but horse color comes in grades and variations, sometimes for certain horses it's hard to draw the line between certain colors.  I just know I've never seen a BROWN horse.  Chestnut, bays...yes, brown, NO!

After I got Willy untacked and back in his pen with his hay, I walked into Riddles pen.  He was huge!  My guess he was 16.3 almost 17 hands!  He had his blanket and fly mask on so I couldn't see much of his coloration but he seems to have pretty big pointy hips, Susan said she was still trying to get weight on him.  I hope he will do well for Steve; my hubby will be looking down from the clouds at me and my tiny 15 hand horse! Steve is planning on coming to ride next Sunday, I'll post pictures!

One of the little mini's who Willy used to have as a roomate

Trial of the Girth

Tired and sunburned from the day before I was happy to go see Willy. Sundays are pretty quiet at the stable he’s at and holiday Sundays are even more quiet! I’ve normally been in the indoor ring, sometimes the small outer ring. Today I decided it was best to stay well out of the sun. Again, Willy was not in the same run he’d been in, he was back with Buttons…I think that’s he’s name! Willy was happy to see me with pricked ears and a gentle nuzzle. I had the new girth along with the rest of my tack, so I crossed my fingers that the girth would fit him.

Grooming is always a favorite time for me, I love going over the horses coat and making it gleam. He’s a bay so the shine really comes out in the sunlight! The only issue I had with him is that he fights with his hind legs, he wants to keep them up really high in the air and he struggles when I try to get his leg rested on my thigh for support. Oh well, at least it’s expected so I’m not caught off guard. Once I got to saddling I realized the girth was just a bit too short, so I ran to the tack room to borrow the white string and fleece one I borrowed last time. Mental note to self, a measuring tape is always a good thing to have easily accessible, perhaps I should keep one in my car…there are so many times I could use one, not just for horse related things either!

I put on Willy’s bridle, so happy now that I’ve realized my difficulty with Willy and Divine have been that my thumb is too short. There may be a proper way to hold the bridle but if I find a way that works for me, and my stubby fingers, and it doesn’t upset my horse by banging the bit on their teeth then so be it, that’s just how it has to fly! I tighten the girth a couple more holes and then mounted up.

Willy has been doing much better at being quick to respond for stopping. We worked again on circles and figure eights. I did trotting in both directions, trying to work on the sitting trot but honestly feeling like I was torturing myself and the horse so we eventually switched to posting trot. The figure eights were difficult, it seemed each time I changed diagonal Willy would start to slow down and try to walk. We’ll keep working on that! We also tried backing up; Willy is such a good boy! I also did some leg exercises, lifting both legs off the sides and balancing just on the seat.

After our ride he was much more relaxed with his hind legs and the hoof picking. One thing I love about him is that he’s very huggable. I returned him to his stall and put on the fly mask that was way too big for him, they have to have some that fit him! Then I returned the girth I borrowed after comparing its length to my other one, that way I’ll know what size to get at Equiline on Monday. I rolled up the four polo wraps, gathered my tack and then headed home to relax with the hubby. No fireworks this fourth of July for us, we were tired, I was sunburned and a night watching movies was just the ticket! Happy trails everyone!