O- Obstacles

This isn't a blog about my obstacles in horse ownership or boarding facilities.  It's about obstacle courses and in a lot of ways for de-spooking!  I'm really hoping I can get Dani to a de-spooking clinic sometime, I think it would be great for both of us!

http://www.napecinc.org/obstacle.html
 

 Police do tons of de-spooking for their horses, they have to!  Umbrellas, screaming children, flashing lights, flapping things etc etc.  Be creative!  Anything can be used to de-spook a horse or teach them to safely maneuver obstacles.  I watched a recent Clinton Anderson episode where he worked with police horses.  His way was to constantly have the horse moving and changing directions while being around that scary object.  Eventually the rider would try to calmly walk the horse by the object....still nervous, the horse would be moved around more.  It was pretty interesting.

http://stalecheerios.com/blog/horse-training/new-horse-obstacle-cours/


Other ways about it is approach and retreat, introduce the scary object at a distance or where the horse is just feeling insecure or ready to run, then take the object away.  This works great for flappy things like bags.



http://stalecheerios.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/oc1.jpg


Much of it seems very similar to trailer training.  One step at a time and rewarding a horse for any effort in the right direction.  Also getting them to work away from the object so they realize that rest and the object are nice things!

 http://www.baymountfarm.com/trail_horses_blog/2011/05/16/build-an-obstacle-course-for-your-horse/

 

From my experience of horses freaking out when tree branches scratch my helmet, I want to come up with a series of obstacles that do just this.  First I'd want to start from the ground and have a place holder for the rider so something would scrape that then work on me being in the saddle and perhaps being led.  I have so many ideas and just looking at these few pictures there are tons of items that can be used.  I think sounds are also great "obstacles".  Sirens and flashing lights, flash lights in the darkness.

http://www.harmonyacresparadehorses.com/links.html

 

 

Now a helicopter would be the ultimate!!  Dani would certainly not be afraid of a flying flock of geese if she could stand still while a helicopter lands!!!  While at the mall a few months ago Steve and I saw those really pricey miniature remote helicopters....I thought "YES!"  that's what I need.  That and a duck call or two!  LOL.  What ideas do you all have for obstacles?

 

http://www.cowgirladventure.com/2.html

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!

L-Laminitis

I learned a lot from this video!  I could write up facts about laminitis but I'm still learning myself.  I think I'd rather have an expert explain this on my blog.  Thanks You Tube!!

 

 

Yet another good video related to laminitis risk....condition scores!  Actually this is the fat score, and it's a 5 point system...different from the condition scoring with a 9 point system I'm used to.  Something new to learn!

 

 

Hope this gave you some insight!!

 

The Winner of the Caption Contest!!!

Okay it's been a little later than I planned but it's been a busy few weeks!

 

I've decided on the the caption contest winner!!!!  Remember the winner will receive a $5 Starbucks gift card!!

 

1st Place:

RooBear said:

"Draw me like one of your French ponies..."


I love this!  It spoke to my "art history almost minor" in college and to my love of the movie Titanic!!!  To me it makes me think of Dani posing for Manet or someone like that!!!

I will be emailing the winner but they can also contact me via my email.  Thanks everyone!  I just laughed when I saw this picture of Dani and had to see what people thought she was thinking!

M-Mares

Yes I haven't posted the L post yet but I'm behind like crazy with this challenge and this one was easy to write!!!!

 

I’ve always wanted a gelding, I figured they were more laid back and I think a lot of times that’s sort of a correct stereotype, but not always.  Mares are pretty smart though, not that geldings aren’t, but since mares tend to be the leaders of a herd they have a different mentality that can be interesting to work with at times....yeah interesting, let's use that word!  At times they can be challenging  because they will let you know their opinion of what ever it is you are doing!

I’ve noticed more tail swishing with mares, more foot stomping and head shaking.  I’ve also noticed a lot of willing attitudes that they seem to step up to the plate and work hard once they understand what you want.  It could also just be the mares I’ve ridden recently.  Divine will work hard but has some sass at times, so does my girl.  Dani certainly has sass and will definitely tell you her opinions and frustrations but she truly understands her reward and will then go on willingly once she is secure with her task at hand. 

Dani is also higher in the herd rank, she’s not the top so she also has more of an opinion about being told what to do.  Perhaps that's the key, since I think a higher ranking gelding would have the same type of "attitude".  Dani's not blindly compliant; getting her to see that you are the leader and the one to trust in all situations is the important point in working with her.  It’s a work in progress because I need to be confident in myself to truly be the leader.

Mares like to try and eat cell phones!

I’ve still got a lot of ground work to do with Dani and now that the round pen is thawed out I’ll hopefully get some more work with her.  I will most likely start over with the Clinton round penning and get her cantering out instead of just trotting.  Her attitude certainly showed up during the round penning but I don’t know if it necessarily is related to her mare-ness just her wanting to be the top mare.  She’s had lots of relaxed time in her life and here I am suddenly asking her to do something!! 

My opinions on mares have changed since I first started riding again, I used to be biased about geldings and thought that I would only search for geldings when the time came to purchase.  I don’t see a big difference, it more comes down to personality and I think where the horse usually ranks in a herd.  Mares minds may have developed to be more diverse in thoughts than the male horse mind; they lead the herd, raise a baby etc etc.  Either way mares and geldings both make great mounts. 

Let’s see how Dani is during estrus though…I could change my tune!

Serene Saturday (just this once!)

Daenerys loves her friend Jodie, she's the big Kiger mustang/QH cross.  She was neighing down the aisle of the barn because Jodie was being groomed.  LOL.  Interesting idea though, if Jodie loads in a trailer well perhaps her owner, who is very nice, would be willing to work with us.....



Breaking the Rules

I'm breaking the rules for the A to Z blog challenge, but my blog my rules!  I'm extremely busy on Friday and Saturday for work so that leaves me little time with Dani on Saturday and I'd rather go hang with her than write my blog post for Saturday as per the challenge schedule.  So....I'm writing my L post on Sunday instead of Saturday and moving the Serene Sunday post to Saturday since I just created that post and pre-scheduled it....love blogger for that feature!  Hope you all understand and I'm sure you do, not like the A to Z blog challenge is some huge ordeal in the whole scheme of things.  It's just a fun challenge I'm trying out.  Hope you all have a great horsie weekend!

K-Kiger Mustang

Mustangs, the painted beauties of the open plains and the wild west.  The term mustang, which is applied to all the wild horses in North America, comes from the Spanish word "mesteῆo" which means "unclaimed sheep".  Technically wild mustangs are actually feral horses as they are previously domesticated horses that have gone wild as apposed to true wild horses like a Pzewalski's horse.

http://www.kigersdeloscalifornios.com/history_of_the_kiger_horse.htm

Of all mustangs there is the coveted Kiger Mustangs.  The name evokes visions of long flowing black manes and tails, a Spanish styled equine profile and warm dun colors accented by zebra striped legs.  Kiger Mustangs are a substrain of the American Mustang.  These beautiful creatures are found in the South Eastern area of Oregon.  In 1977 during a routine round-up the wranglers noticed a distinctive conformation and coloration to the herds.  It was decided to isolate these herds at Kiger and Riddle Mountains as well as the Steens Mountain area for protection of this unique wild bloodline.

 

South Iberian Sorraia horse (http://www.sorraia.org/index.html)

Kiger mustangs have Spanish/Iberian origins.  The breeds that they most represent came from Spain and Portugal predominantly.  Today, the South Iberian Sorraia horse, is a most similar looking breed of wild horse to the Kiger mustang.  Perhaps the Sorraia influenced many Iberian and Spanish breeds centuries ago and thus when left to their own devices in the "New World" as mustangs the Kiger mustang evolved yielding a phenotype very similar to this ancient wild horse from which they share ancestry.  That's just a thought on my part based on selective breeding and then when animals are allowed to revert to their own selection they often revert to an older phenotype.

The modern horse breeds that share the common traits and possible heritage include the Lusitano, Andalusian and the less familiar Criollo horse.  There are indeed other breeds that contributed to the gene pool of modern day Kiger mustangs but many I'm not even vaguely familiar with them.  Centuries ago, when the path was laid for the Spanish Mustang development, these breeds may have been less refined than the ones we are familiar with in today's breeding.

 Be that as it may, Kiger mustangs share a similar conformation with modern day Spanish horses.  Many have the dun factor which can express itself in the familiar buckskin coloration but also ranges from a cream white to buckskin to red and to a silvery-gray.  The dun factor yields the following traits: darker dorsal stripe down the horses back, and dark points (aka legs, mane and tail).  Specifically to the Kiger mustang are also zebra stripping on the legs, chest, rib and arm bars, ears outlined in black with the third top portion being a darker shade than their main coat color.  These mustangs can also have bi-colored manes, much like the Fjords I love so dearly, face masks (darkening of the face like in the Sorraia horse above) and cob webbing on the face.  Not all Kigers have all these traits.

Kigers like most mustangs are hardy, intelligent animals. Many do well in endurance and trail. They can also be found in many other disciplines from dressage to western pleasure. Ive only met a few kiger mustangs two were pure and one is mixed. They seem very personable horses and I don't think anyone could say they aren't gorgeous!  One and two were Colton and his buddy that I met at a rescue while horse shopping. The other is Dani's best friend Jodie who is a Kiger/Quarter horse cross.  I think buckskin type colors are pretty much my second favorite horse color. 

Hope you all learned a little about Kiger mustangs.  Bureau of Land Management does have regular adoptions and often you can find a Kiger in their adoptions in Oregon.  Dreamhorse is another place to search but also try searching for Kiger Mustang breeders, you will find a variety of breeders that continue these interesting lines.   The Kiger Mustang Registry is another place to start learning more about this unique mustang group.  Have fun!

J- Julie Goodnight

I would have to say that Julie Goodnight is my favorite clinician.  She just has an easy going way and is very positive even if the people in her clinic or show are doing something completely wrong.  I watch her show on RFD-TV and have seen her at the Rocky Mountain Expo, not this year but last year.  I plan to go to one of her clinics that she'll have this year in Colorado.  I won't be bringing Dani but just going to watch.  It costs about $400 to do a clinic with your horse.  Much better for my budget right now!

 

Recently on Facebook she had a picture contest for March.  Each week we had to post an assigned photo.  I was excited to find out that three of us won!  We got our choice of DVD from Julies training library.  I went with "Trail Solutions".  I already have the bitting system and training DVD that I'll be starting shortly now that the weather is nice and the round pen isn't all mucky.  This will be a great DVD to add to my collection!

 

 

The most recent Julie Goodnight newsletter had the three winners photographs for each week.  I've posted mine below.  What fun!  I like little contests like these and Dani was such a good sport! 

 

The first week the assignment was to post a picture of your horses home.

 

 

Then a picture of them wearing green

 

 

The next week was a picture of your horse eating

 

 

Lastly a photo of the horse and rider holding a note to Julie.

 

 

 

I sent an additional photo for this one since it was just too cute not to share!

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.