Seems that the little rain we have received and now the rain that seems be more prolific, always seems to ruin my chances of riding on Wednesdays. There is no indoor arena at the farm and the rain seems to stay longer at the Flying W on the western side of town. I don't want to get soaked to the bone or struke by lightning!
I think for my boarding facility that I will board my horse at will have to first, have good care and free access to a pasture to run around in (I don't want my horse in a stall or small pen all of the time). Second I need to find a place with an indoor arena, so I can ride no matter what. Third of course would be trail access right near the stable. Anyhow, I'm just sitting at home sad I can't ride today. So I'm watching RDTV with some horse TV shows.
I've wanted a horse since I was a little girl. After only a few months of horse shopping I found my cute mare Daenerys (Dani) in 2012. Then in 2015 we moved from CO to NC and bought horse property. We now have Chance a sweet Arabian gelding. Then in 2022 I bought a younger and gaited horse, Kentucky Mountain horse, named Seamus. This is the story of my continuing adventure in the world of horses in my backyard.
July 06, 2011
July 02, 2011
So Much for riding
So a few weeks ago I arrived to see Millie and Misty, her chestnut neighbors mom was there. Apparently the automatic waterer that extends into both "stalls" was not refilling the water and both horses were parched. The owner had brought water from home, not sure why since I thought the stalls had pumps for water, and filled up the waterer and another bucket for her horse. Millie had water.
Big R was way out east and I didn't know where else was close to get anything that would work so I decided to try out the Walgreens right down the street. Luckily it's summer so I found an ice tub for drinks. When I got back to the stable I filled the "bucket" with water using the little pump in the stall, the water trickled out but eventually it filled. I showed Millie the water and she played in it and then took many big gulps. Later that evening I found out that the waterer had been fixed and was refilling again. Millie's owner thanked me for the effort I made to take care of Millie. What else was I going to do?
This past Wednesday I arrived to the stable in a drizzle. The clouds around were threatening thunder and lightning. I saw a few flashes in the sky, so decided it was best not to try and ride since this facility lacks an indoor area. I still needed to muck the stall but didn't want to use the metal wheel barrow in the threatening weather. I decided to use the blue tub that since the water issue had remained unused in the tack room. It took just two trips to bring the piles of manure to the manure pile. Then I loved on Millie for a bit. I noticed one of the railings had been bent or kicked off it's weld and the edges were really sharp. I looked in the tack room to see if there was any type of tape or something I could at least wrap the sharp edges in so Millie wouldn't get hurt. Walgreens to the rescue again! I ran over to Walgreens to grab some duct tape, then came back to the stable to wrap the sharp pipe. When I got home I would contact Terri to let her know about it. Since it was still icky and lightning, I gave Millie a hug and headed home.
The next day I received an email back from Terri thanking me again for protecting Millie. She said that earlier that day Millie hadn't finished her food and later that evening had coliced. She didn't want me to worry since recently she had the farm up the quantity of hay given to her. I felt so bad for Millie, apparently slight changes in amounts and sometimes even cuts of hay cause her to colic easily. I don't bring more than one or two baby carrots if I bring any at all after Terri told me about her propensity. I definitely think this is a good reason why horses should be out in a pasture to graze most of the time so they have constant gut motility and motion from walking around the fields. Oh well, I hope Millie feels better soon.
I asked Terri to let me know if she feels like I shouldn't ride on Sunday. If it's fine for me to I will take it slow with her and be very aware of any change in her behavior. I had noticed nothing when I was there the other night. Thinking back there was one weird poop that was more green but not too weird looking and there were a few sprigs of hay left scattered on the shed rows floor. After this I feel I have a better idea of what to look for, at least it sounds like the farm pays good attention to the horses in their care!
Hopefully I'll ride on Sunday and then I have plans to see Laurie and Divine soon! More posts to come for sure!
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| The waterer |
I couldn't ride her since I didn't know how long she'd been without water, she drank a lot while I was there mucking her pen and giving her a quick brush over. She also played with the water in her lips, kind of biting it! Perhaps she was just THAT thirsty. For fear the water would not refill after she drank, I looked in the "tack room" that is in the back of the run in shed. I didn't see any bucket that I could be sure would be safe to use for drinking water. The only one that Terri, Millie's owners had was one with sponges and a bottle of shampoo....probably not a good idea to use that one!
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| The pens, Millie with Misty her neighbor |
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| The tack room behind the sheds |
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| Mean clouds that preventing me from riding!! |
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| The sharp edges!!! YIKES! |
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| Duct tape to the temporary rescue! |
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| Always good to have duct tape accessible in your "tack box" |
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| Millie trying to get Misty's attention |
June 27, 2011
A little paint mare
So I have been absent on my blog for way too long. Bad blogger!! I don't know why and I'm sure why but I make a pact right now to be better! I do have to say through most of May I felt really horrible, I had bronchitis and was out of work for a week and the recovery seemed to take forever before my lungs felt normal again. Needless to say I didn't feel like doing much, including riding!
I've been leasing a cute paint mare for a little over a month now. Her name is Millie and is a nice bay paint (hahaha, I know I leased Willy and now Millie ;-) I ride her on Sundays as well as Wednesday for $200 a month. The only catch was I had to pay for my 6 month lease all up front....anyone ever heard of that? Or well. The lease price is average for a two day a week lease. She's boarded at a pretty rickety place, the Flying W Ranch, I would have never guessed. It's very bare bones but there is a 3 acre paddock owners can let their horses out on for 2 hours to graze. The location is fantastically close to my house but again, no free grazing for most of the day. I think horses should be in a paddock as much as possible! When I first started riding Millie she wasn't very affectionate with me, she was a bit stand-offish but as we've gotten to know each other and grown more comfortable she's sweetened up; not that she was ever nasty by any means!
So since riding her I've had another fall, yipee! I'm getting good at these! I've been kicked in the knee (back leg hoof picking and she jerked her hoof) and dealt with a couple rearings (while I've been on the ground thank goodness!). Now this all may sound terrible but let me explain a little to catch you all up on my horsie adventures.
The hoof picking incident occurred because I found she had a habit of kicking out her legs as I was releasing them from being picked. I just happened to have my knee in the way...oops! I've since worked with her and held her leg while rubbing her rump and slowly placing her hoof back to the ground. That seemed to work for her and now she's just a complete rag doll when it comes to moving her legs! Yea for me and Millie!
The fall, happened when we went on our first "trail ride" into a cow field behind the barn areas, she spooked at her shadow, grass, a rock...something! I came off and nearly hit a cactus...whew! I need to stop falling and freaking out about falling so I can relax my seat and stay steady! This is no fun! Since the fall I did a lot of ground work with her and it seems like she has become a bit more responsive to me.
The rearing occurred because she started getting really upset when ever I put my hands up towards her face. The first time she did this was one time I was about to bridle her and she reared and pulled way back on the halter and lead. Those Aussie tie rings are great for horses that need work with tying, she was able to give herself room and then calm down. Go Clinton Anderson! I spent many times out to see her just working her on lunging in the halter and then repeatedly moving my hands in the "offensive manner" until she finally calmed down to where she was before. Her owner thinks she was smacked in the face one day by the remnants of an electrobraid wire that is looped around the top of her pen. Who knows I may have poked her wrong one time I was bridling her I'm just glad Millie and I worked it out but I'm very steady and cautious as I bridle her now. I place my hand with the brow band part on her nose and slowly slide up her face...slightly different technique than I'm used to but it seems to work with her.
The first time I tried lunging her I had the same issues with Willy where it felt like the horse was just swinging their butt out of the way of my stick. I've since watched and re-watched a Julie Goodnight and Clinton Anderson show on lunging and have a better idea of how to get her started. I don't think I had enough patience to have her catch on to where she needed to go to "relieve the pressure". After our first round pen session I found myself stuck in the pen. The chain link was stuck in the opening that you slide it through to secure the gate. I worked on it for about 10-15 minutes and finally just pulled out one of the sections, and moved it to create a gap wide enough for a little paint mare and me to get through. Millie just calmly stood by like nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Oh the embarrassment! Luckily no one was there to witness it but Millie and of course I'll tell all of you about my mishaps when I could have never even mentioned it...but to laugh at oneself is fun right? After the fact of course!
Millie is not really responsive to leg yielding and the first time I tried to canter her she spun in a tight circle instead of continuing in the strait line we were on. Yeah, that freaked me out. But for the most part I feel I've worked through some of the biggest difficulties. I'm hoping to make it out by 10am on Sundays to catch a group that goes for trail rides on Sunday mornings.
I'll have to go into other details about the waterer issue or the muddy fetlocks or the constant bit chewing but I can only take on so much at a time in life and in my blog! I've only been out to Laurie's a couple times, seems I always forget I want to ride on Mondays and when I remember it's too late notice to call her. Other times she's been on vacation or I have, that's been the past couple of weeks! I miss Quinntessential Arabians with a passion! Anyways, I promise I will not been gone from this blog for so long again! Hope you all are having happy rides so far this summer!
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| Muddy Millie |
I've been leasing a cute paint mare for a little over a month now. Her name is Millie and is a nice bay paint (hahaha, I know I leased Willy and now Millie ;-) I ride her on Sundays as well as Wednesday for $200 a month. The only catch was I had to pay for my 6 month lease all up front....anyone ever heard of that? Or well. The lease price is average for a two day a week lease. She's boarded at a pretty rickety place, the Flying W Ranch, I would have never guessed. It's very bare bones but there is a 3 acre paddock owners can let their horses out on for 2 hours to graze. The location is fantastically close to my house but again, no free grazing for most of the day. I think horses should be in a paddock as much as possible! When I first started riding Millie she wasn't very affectionate with me, she was a bit stand-offish but as we've gotten to know each other and grown more comfortable she's sweetened up; not that she was ever nasty by any means!
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| Cute foal friend |
The hoof picking incident occurred because I found she had a habit of kicking out her legs as I was releasing them from being picked. I just happened to have my knee in the way...oops! I've since worked with her and held her leg while rubbing her rump and slowly placing her hoof back to the ground. That seemed to work for her and now she's just a complete rag doll when it comes to moving her legs! Yea for me and Millie!
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| Squeals of delight or annoyance? |
The rearing occurred because she started getting really upset when ever I put my hands up towards her face. The first time she did this was one time I was about to bridle her and she reared and pulled way back on the halter and lead. Those Aussie tie rings are great for horses that need work with tying, she was able to give herself room and then calm down. Go Clinton Anderson! I spent many times out to see her just working her on lunging in the halter and then repeatedly moving my hands in the "offensive manner" until she finally calmed down to where she was before. Her owner thinks she was smacked in the face one day by the remnants of an electrobraid wire that is looped around the top of her pen. Who knows I may have poked her wrong one time I was bridling her I'm just glad Millie and I worked it out but I'm very steady and cautious as I bridle her now. I place my hand with the brow band part on her nose and slowly slide up her face...slightly different technique than I'm used to but it seems to work with her.
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| The good husband! |
Millie is not really responsive to leg yielding and the first time I tried to canter her she spun in a tight circle instead of continuing in the strait line we were on. Yeah, that freaked me out. But for the most part I feel I've worked through some of the biggest difficulties. I'm hoping to make it out by 10am on Sundays to catch a group that goes for trail rides on Sunday mornings.
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| How a horse should always be! |
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| Hi Millie! Um I'm trying to take a picture stop coming at me! |
May 09, 2011
Endurance Race
Steve and I went up to Aurora to help out for the Kenlyn Urban Challenge, which is an endurance race. The option is to ride in one of the limited distance races 15 or 25 miles or the endurance race 50 miles. Friday night we arrived and Steve and I were put on "butt number" duty. Each horse in the race gets a number for their rump so it's easy to record their times and vet exam results.
The evening before was very cold, windy and even started snowing so we ended up doing the the vet checks and numbering in the indoor arena and Kenlyn Arabians Farm. They only had red number sticks so a lot of the numbers were hard to see on the horses bottoms!
Horses are checked before being officially entered in the race. The check includes capillary refill, tenting of the skin (for hydration), gut sounds, muscle tone, leg checks and gait checks. Each horse has to be sound and healthy in order to go into the race. There are several vet checks during the race to make sure that a horse is still sound during the race. If their condition deteriorates the vet or sometimes the owner will pull the horse from the race.
We met lots of really nice horse people. Rachel has two younger mustang horses and was talking a lot about her experiences with that breed. Michelle had a beautiful chestnut gelding she had purchased from Kenlyn when he was two days old. She volunteered in the beginning of the vet checks but was busy riding on Saturday since she did the limited distance 25 mile run.
Most of the horses were well behaved but there were a couple that needed some manners classes. One beautiful buckskin was a side kicker so the vets and butt marker (Steve!) had to watch out! Several horses were swinging their hind quarters every which way in the excitement. Overall though the horses were excited but under control. Still with all the pretty horses it was a feast for the eyes! There was even a Shetland being ponied for part of the race in the owners attempt to get him used to endurance races before her daughter rode him in one. We named him "Double 0" since we gave him an honorary butt number!
Many people camped over the night before and after (since it's not the best practice to trailer a fatigued horse). Most people had trailers with "pens" set up for the horses or used a high line set up. Steve and I decided we want to look for a cargo van to pull our trailer in the future since we can "camp" in the van on a bed; I'm still on the fence about what containment to use in camp as I keep learning about that. The newest edition of Endurance News has an article about this very thing! People who either had more $$ or more debt had nice big trailers with live in quarters in the goose neck of the trailer. That would be nice someday!
At the end of Saturday while we were awaiting the last 50 milers to finish their last laps Michelle and I went over to a paddock to view some mares. Most were for sale and I asked her some questions, since she knew how Kenlyn was run, purchased her gelding from Kenlyn and she boarded there as well. Most horses start getting trained under saddle at 3 or 4 and have training in the ring and on the trail. One mare, Freeze Frame was a beautiful chestnut who was very interested in nuzzling me and my fleece; though I suspect she was after my energy drink! She even stayed right at the fence when fresh hay was dropped off in the paddocks! Another chestnut mare, Scarlet, was also affectionate but was greeted with pinned ears by Freeze so she didn't stay around to make friends for very long. Who knows maybe if the price is right one of them would be a nice match for me!
Michelle and I then headed over to the baby paddock where mares and their one to two month old foals were hanging out. OH MY GOSH!!! I was in love with a black colt who was nuzzling me and getting me to scratch his neck. Another chestnut liked his chest scratched. Rachel and two other ladies joined us and we all spent a long time loving on each foal. Oh my goodness I could have taken one home with me! One of the black colts was a sweetie and the little chestnut was so friendly it was hard to get enough distance from him to take his picture.
Later Steve and I decided we were ready to head home, it had been a long and dusty day with winds blowing most of the time. We got a flat on our way out of the property, hence the reason I'm very happy to have a full size spare....they are so worth the extra room!!! After changing the tire we headed home to a nice shower and to absorb the horsie things we learned. I'm even more excited to get involved in this when I have my own endurance mount!
The evening before was very cold, windy and even started snowing so we ended up doing the the vet checks and numbering in the indoor arena and Kenlyn Arabians Farm. They only had red number sticks so a lot of the numbers were hard to see on the horses bottoms!
Horses are checked before being officially entered in the race. The check includes capillary refill, tenting of the skin (for hydration), gut sounds, muscle tone, leg checks and gait checks. Each horse has to be sound and healthy in order to go into the race. There are several vet checks during the race to make sure that a horse is still sound during the race. If their condition deteriorates the vet or sometimes the owner will pull the horse from the race.
We met lots of really nice horse people. Rachel has two younger mustang horses and was talking a lot about her experiences with that breed. Michelle had a beautiful chestnut gelding she had purchased from Kenlyn when he was two days old. She volunteered in the beginning of the vet checks but was busy riding on Saturday since she did the limited distance 25 mile run.
Most of the horses were well behaved but there were a couple that needed some manners classes. One beautiful buckskin was a side kicker so the vets and butt marker (Steve!) had to watch out! Several horses were swinging their hind quarters every which way in the excitement. Overall though the horses were excited but under control. Still with all the pretty horses it was a feast for the eyes! There was even a Shetland being ponied for part of the race in the owners attempt to get him used to endurance races before her daughter rode him in one. We named him "Double 0" since we gave him an honorary butt number!
Many people camped over the night before and after (since it's not the best practice to trailer a fatigued horse). Most people had trailers with "pens" set up for the horses or used a high line set up. Steve and I decided we want to look for a cargo van to pull our trailer in the future since we can "camp" in the van on a bed; I'm still on the fence about what containment to use in camp as I keep learning about that. The newest edition of Endurance News has an article about this very thing! People who either had more $$ or more debt had nice big trailers with live in quarters in the goose neck of the trailer. That would be nice someday!
At the end of Saturday while we were awaiting the last 50 milers to finish their last laps Michelle and I went over to a paddock to view some mares. Most were for sale and I asked her some questions, since she knew how Kenlyn was run, purchased her gelding from Kenlyn and she boarded there as well. Most horses start getting trained under saddle at 3 or 4 and have training in the ring and on the trail. One mare, Freeze Frame was a beautiful chestnut who was very interested in nuzzling me and my fleece; though I suspect she was after my energy drink! She even stayed right at the fence when fresh hay was dropped off in the paddocks! Another chestnut mare, Scarlet, was also affectionate but was greeted with pinned ears by Freeze so she didn't stay around to make friends for very long. Who knows maybe if the price is right one of them would be a nice match for me!
Michelle and I then headed over to the baby paddock where mares and their one to two month old foals were hanging out. OH MY GOSH!!! I was in love with a black colt who was nuzzling me and getting me to scratch his neck. Another chestnut liked his chest scratched. Rachel and two other ladies joined us and we all spent a long time loving on each foal. Oh my goodness I could have taken one home with me! One of the black colts was a sweetie and the little chestnut was so friendly it was hard to get enough distance from him to take his picture.
Later Steve and I decided we were ready to head home, it had been a long and dusty day with winds blowing most of the time. We got a flat on our way out of the property, hence the reason I'm very happy to have a full size spare....they are so worth the extra room!!! After changing the tire we headed home to a nice shower and to absorb the horsie things we learned. I'm even more excited to get involved in this when I have my own endurance mount!
April 28, 2011
Psyched for an Endurance Weekend!
I'm excited since tomorrow my hubby and I head up to Aurora so we can volunteer during the Kenlyn Urban Challenge Endurance race. We'll be getting a taste for what this sport is like! I can't wait to meet all the neat horsey people and of course the horsies! I have only a couple friends that are horsey...the rest just smile and nod with glazed eyes when I talk about horse stuff...I'm sure all horse crazy people know that look very well!!! It will be awesome to make some connections with other like-minded horse crazy folk!
Anyhow, we are going up tomorrow night for the early registration and will be camping out with all the participants. Then Saturday we'll spend our time running around I'm sure! I do have a lot to talk about in future posts. I test rode a few horses for a potential lease and have settled on a cute paint mare for the next 6 months. She's right near my work so that is nice and I have her two days a week, Wednesday and Sunday. She a lot different than Willy and doesn't seem to like the bit I have so I'll be working on finding something that works well with her and start getting to know her personality. I haven't been out for riding lessons because of work issues or other things...I miss Laurie's horses and do want to see Pstar again. I still love her even if she's too young and spirited for me!
After the 6 month lease is over I plan on taking a break from leasing since I'd rather take that money and start saving hardcore to buy my horse next spring! I still peruse Dreamhorse and other sale sites and have found a lot of horses under 3k, which is nice. I'd go as high at 5k if the horse was just amazing (and I could afford it!) and well trained but hopefully I can stay in the lower range. Anyhow, here's some pics of horses I've seen that I can dream about for now. A couple are actually Morgans or Arabian crosses but sound like nice mounts so definitely ones I would consider come the time to buy!
I cannot wait until I can get on the phone and start asking these people about their horse and going out and meeting the horse! That day will be here soon enough!
I'll post more about this weekend when I get back home and my lease horse trials later!
Anyhow, we are going up tomorrow night for the early registration and will be camping out with all the participants. Then Saturday we'll spend our time running around I'm sure! I do have a lot to talk about in future posts. I test rode a few horses for a potential lease and have settled on a cute paint mare for the next 6 months. She's right near my work so that is nice and I have her two days a week, Wednesday and Sunday. She a lot different than Willy and doesn't seem to like the bit I have so I'll be working on finding something that works well with her and start getting to know her personality. I haven't been out for riding lessons because of work issues or other things...I miss Laurie's horses and do want to see Pstar again. I still love her even if she's too young and spirited for me!
After the 6 month lease is over I plan on taking a break from leasing since I'd rather take that money and start saving hardcore to buy my horse next spring! I still peruse Dreamhorse and other sale sites and have found a lot of horses under 3k, which is nice. I'd go as high at 5k if the horse was just amazing (and I could afford it!) and well trained but hopefully I can stay in the lower range. Anyhow, here's some pics of horses I've seen that I can dream about for now. A couple are actually Morgans or Arabian crosses but sound like nice mounts so definitely ones I would consider come the time to buy!
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| Morgan Mare in South Dakota.....oh what pretty color, I love Buckskins!! The video shows her under saddle and she does pretty nicely! |
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| Another Morgan mare in Colorado, hopefully her rear isn't really higher than her withers. She looks very downhill in this photo! |
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Arabian mare for $1800, probably won't be for sale when I can buy her! |
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Been seeing this guy posted for a while, he's nice 9-10 year old Arabian gelding in Del Norte, Colorado. |
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| Pretty dark bay Arabian mare in Parker, Colorado I think |
I cannot wait until I can get on the phone and start asking these people about their horse and going out and meeting the horse! That day will be here soon enough!
I'll post more about this weekend when I get back home and my lease horse trials later!
April 07, 2011
Resolution
I am no longer leasing Pstar. Laurie was completely sympathetic about how I felt while working with Pstar alone. I feel terrible that I didn't realize how much horse she was. She's still a sweetie in the paddock and I can love on her when I go out for my lessons and even have a lesson lunging her but I won't be having the one on one time of a lease that made me feel a bit unsafe.
Whew!!!! Laurie is getting moved into the new place and so are the horses. I can't wait to go back out to the new place to ride Divine. I'll take lots of pictures to show you the nice new digs that Laurie and her family have!
For now I'm considering what my next move will be as far as leasing a horse goes. I could find one close in town to ride during the week and on the weekends perhaps. Perhaps a nice trail horse, any breed. Spring is coming along and the hubby and I have a lot of yard work to get done plus hiking season should start in a few months and we wish to get back into that full swing. We'll see how things go. Still paying down debt and awaiting the day where I can search for my first mount!
Pstar is a sweet girl, we just aren't a good combo when she's out of her comfort zone and I'm out of mine! I look forward to loving on her and giving her carrots and not getting irritated at her! LOL.
For now I'm considering what my next move will be as far as leasing a horse goes. I could find one close in town to ride during the week and on the weekends perhaps. Perhaps a nice trail horse, any breed. Spring is coming along and the hubby and I have a lot of yard work to get done plus hiking season should start in a few months and we wish to get back into that full swing. We'll see how things go. Still paying down debt and awaiting the day where I can search for my first mount!
April 05, 2011
Spurs
I was watching a Julie Goodnight show....love having these new cable channels and finally receiving The Rural Network or whatever it's called. Anyhow Julie said something that I've long thought was intuition but it's best to repeat here I think!
She was working on a fairly new rider with a horse that had lots of go. He rode western and part of his attire was spurs. Now this isn't to say spurs are just a western thing because they aren't! So here's what she said about this:
"Spurs are not a fashion statement or an outfit accessory. The are meant to be used by ADVANCED riders, using ADVANCED aids on an ADVANCED horse."
That summed it up quite well I think!
Many times while leasing Willy the little girl who leased Misty would come into the indoor arena looking into the spur box for spurs. She's not advanced and neither is Misty. I wanted to scream what are you doing??!!! Perhaps for some people they just think spurs are what you do, especially for western or dressage. Um...no. I don't see myself ever in my life being where I need spurs but I don't have really advanced goals for my riding. They have a time and place and are definitely something beginners should NEVER use!
"Spurs are not a fashion statement or an outfit accessory. The are meant to be used by ADVANCED riders, using ADVANCED aids on an ADVANCED horse."
That summed it up quite well I think!
April 03, 2011
Biting off more than I can chew
I arrived today with a little bit of worry about how things would go with my first day leasing Pstar. The mares and Eksodus were in the arena, no cars were in the drive so it was just me. I had my green halter with me, so I went into the arena to get Pstar. Eksodus came trotting right up to me and I pet his neck, expecting his usual nibble but he didn't seem even interested in nipping. Excellent. Pstar was over by some hay munching away. I wandered over to her and put the halter on. She was sweet and dutifully followed me to the barn.
I brought her into the crosstie area only to find the crossties were gone, most likely Laurie had moved them to the new place. I figured I would quick release knot Pstar to one of the poles and begin grooming but Pstar had other thoughts. She didn't stand still enough for me to get her tied and kept swinging her hind quarters around as she paced in the area. I brought her into the aisle instead and tried to tie her to one of the poles on the stalls. She again swung back and forth, neighing at the top of her lungs. I kept trying to get her tied but each time I was nearly getting tied I had to duck out of the way or defend my space so I wouldn't get smooshed against the side of the stall. The tears began welling up...second time that I've felt this frustrated with her and been brought to tears (though I didn't describe pulling over on the side of the road to ball my eyes out after the first incident but now I'll admit that since it's becoming a theme). I can't seem to work well with her unless Laurie is there, which doesn't bode well for a lease where I will be with her alone most of the time.
Finally Pstar calmed down, perhaps she sensed my tears and decided to behave so I could begin currying her coat. The grooming went well for the most part, I used the shedding tool and rid her of a lot of hair. Hoof picking went pretty well, I was prepared with the two hands and able to get her legs calm much faster, yippee for small victories. Then I brought out the Mane and Tail and went to work on her mane and tail. Her hair became very silky and glistened. I grabbed the western saddle pad and put that on her back, then I grabbed the western saddle and placed that on her back. As I worked to slowly tighten the girth the fire came up in her again, she lurched to the side bulldozing into me. I backed away and let her feel the saddle and girth and then went to tighten it some more, same thing. Uge. This isn't fun.
I finally felt the saddle was at least snug enough so I took her halter off and placed the new rope halter I had. Rope halters have a series of knots that are supposed to be at pressure points and are good for training. Pstar was tossing her head a lot as I tried to tie the halter. Finally we were set so I brought her outside. Since the mares were in the arena and Gadiel was in the round pen I figured I'd work on leading ground work with Pstar. She skipped around as we approached a flatbed trailer and my parked car. I walked her past the offending objects many times. Several times Pstar would ram right into me and I tried to get big and get her out of my space. Things went well and then issues would pop up, then things would go well and she'd walk nicely beside me, then she'd jig some more. So went the next half hour.
Laurie showed up about then and was excited since some people were coming to look at Eksmisha. Laurie had suggested I get the lunge whip and walk Pstar down the driveway. I looked for the whip and found that it was in the crosstie area. I brought Pstar up onto the platform but she began dancing about and skipping around (I really don't know how to describe it). I tried to reach for the lunge whip amongst the chaos but got a pole between Pstar and I in the mean time and when she jerked out to the aisle I got stopped by the pole....ouch. Finally I led her out of the stable as two men in suits were heading in to discuss Eksmisha.
Walking down the path with the whip; I kept trying to gain control, find a comfortable grip and figure out how to position it just right. I felt I had even less control of Pstar so I said screw it and tossed it on the ground, I'll come back for it later. I walked Pstar down the driveway. She jigged and skipped next to me, and kept crossing in front of me as she was interested in the mares back at the stable or in what Laurie was doing with the men and Eksmisha. I remembered from Julie Goodnight how to deal with an unruly horse on the ground, and moved my hands with the lead up in front of her face to get her out of my space. It worked a little but was very tiring. I got tired of it and moved her in a small circle several times then proceeded to walk straight again. Things went a little better but I had issues turning her away from me and out of my space.
The wind was picking up and it was getting cold. I decided to take her back to the stable. I brought her up into the crosstie area again but again she was acting like a nut case, I couldn't get the lead anywhere near anything to tie. In the stable aisle I had the same issue. Laurie mentioned she was being a little pill and suggested I tie her in the stall. I accomplished that, eventually, amidst her swinging body and screaming neighs. I took the saddle off and ducked out of the stall only to have Pstar push her way out of the stall and swing around the aisle while she was still tied. I quickly chose to place the saddle on the side of the adjacent stall; the way she was acting I didn't trust her to have me walk to the tack room to place the saddle where it belonged. The last thing I needed was for her to get loose on me. I brought her back into the stall and tried to groom her and calm her but her constant piercing neighs blotted out all my efforts. Several times I had to move pretty quick as Pstar swung one way or another. I stood at one side of the stall for a few minutes, catching my breathe and choking back tears not sure what to do. What have I gotten myself into?
Eventually I finished grooming her and was able to pick her feet. Laurie asked me to put her into the outdoor stall so I did but had issues yet again. I brought her in and turned her around to reach for the gate but Pstar bolted through the gate. So I turned her again to get into the stall and tried to grab the gate while having a closer hold on Pstar to prevent her leaping through the exit. She moved about quickly and stepped firmly on my foot. Ouch! Laurie came out of the stable and closed the gate for me. I took off Pstar's halter and slipped out of the gate as Laurie closed it. To finish up I cleaned up the last bits of poop Pstar had left in the aisle and crosstie area then went outside to fetch the lunge whip.
I was soooo ready to go home. I cried all the way home. This was not what I wanted. It seems that every time I work with Pstar with Laurie things go pretty well. Alone things just go to shit. She's too much horse for me. Too young, too spirited and not trained enough. I did not feel safe today and am not sure if I'll want to go out again. I don't know what to do. I have this lease contract for a year (why did I do this?). She's not under saddle, what was I thinking? I'm stuck. I know there is a two week notice clause and I can end the lease. I just feel bad but perhaps I had romantic views about how leasing Pstar would be like, I didn't listen to the voice in the back of my head. Truth is I'm not a trainer and I don't know how to deal with such unruly young behavior. I need a well mannered, well trained horse for a lease or to buy. I don't know what to do at this point. Laurie may have the confidence in me but I don't and I also don't have the desire to train a horse from the ground up. I don't know what to do.
Pstar is sweet to pet and love on in the pasture but to work with, I just can't deal with a horse that freaks out at a parked car, crashes into my as we walk and swings her body blindly for no apparent reason. I miss Willy, a nice calm horse that I didn't have to worry about and that I felt safe with. What am I to do now? I have a lot of thinking to do. I don't want to back out on Laurie but again, I can't pay $300 a month to be miserable and scared. I feel I've made a terrible mistake...
I brought her into the crosstie area only to find the crossties were gone, most likely Laurie had moved them to the new place. I figured I would quick release knot Pstar to one of the poles and begin grooming but Pstar had other thoughts. She didn't stand still enough for me to get her tied and kept swinging her hind quarters around as she paced in the area. I brought her into the aisle instead and tried to tie her to one of the poles on the stalls. She again swung back and forth, neighing at the top of her lungs. I kept trying to get her tied but each time I was nearly getting tied I had to duck out of the way or defend my space so I wouldn't get smooshed against the side of the stall. The tears began welling up...second time that I've felt this frustrated with her and been brought to tears (though I didn't describe pulling over on the side of the road to ball my eyes out after the first incident but now I'll admit that since it's becoming a theme). I can't seem to work well with her unless Laurie is there, which doesn't bode well for a lease where I will be with her alone most of the time.
Finally Pstar calmed down, perhaps she sensed my tears and decided to behave so I could begin currying her coat. The grooming went well for the most part, I used the shedding tool and rid her of a lot of hair. Hoof picking went pretty well, I was prepared with the two hands and able to get her legs calm much faster, yippee for small victories. Then I brought out the Mane and Tail and went to work on her mane and tail. Her hair became very silky and glistened. I grabbed the western saddle pad and put that on her back, then I grabbed the western saddle and placed that on her back. As I worked to slowly tighten the girth the fire came up in her again, she lurched to the side bulldozing into me. I backed away and let her feel the saddle and girth and then went to tighten it some more, same thing. Uge. This isn't fun.
I finally felt the saddle was at least snug enough so I took her halter off and placed the new rope halter I had. Rope halters have a series of knots that are supposed to be at pressure points and are good for training. Pstar was tossing her head a lot as I tried to tie the halter. Finally we were set so I brought her outside. Since the mares were in the arena and Gadiel was in the round pen I figured I'd work on leading ground work with Pstar. She skipped around as we approached a flatbed trailer and my parked car. I walked her past the offending objects many times. Several times Pstar would ram right into me and I tried to get big and get her out of my space. Things went well and then issues would pop up, then things would go well and she'd walk nicely beside me, then she'd jig some more. So went the next half hour.
Laurie showed up about then and was excited since some people were coming to look at Eksmisha. Laurie had suggested I get the lunge whip and walk Pstar down the driveway. I looked for the whip and found that it was in the crosstie area. I brought Pstar up onto the platform but she began dancing about and skipping around (I really don't know how to describe it). I tried to reach for the lunge whip amongst the chaos but got a pole between Pstar and I in the mean time and when she jerked out to the aisle I got stopped by the pole....ouch. Finally I led her out of the stable as two men in suits were heading in to discuss Eksmisha.
Walking down the path with the whip; I kept trying to gain control, find a comfortable grip and figure out how to position it just right. I felt I had even less control of Pstar so I said screw it and tossed it on the ground, I'll come back for it later. I walked Pstar down the driveway. She jigged and skipped next to me, and kept crossing in front of me as she was interested in the mares back at the stable or in what Laurie was doing with the men and Eksmisha. I remembered from Julie Goodnight how to deal with an unruly horse on the ground, and moved my hands with the lead up in front of her face to get her out of my space. It worked a little but was very tiring. I got tired of it and moved her in a small circle several times then proceeded to walk straight again. Things went a little better but I had issues turning her away from me and out of my space.
The wind was picking up and it was getting cold. I decided to take her back to the stable. I brought her up into the crosstie area again but again she was acting like a nut case, I couldn't get the lead anywhere near anything to tie. In the stable aisle I had the same issue. Laurie mentioned she was being a little pill and suggested I tie her in the stall. I accomplished that, eventually, amidst her swinging body and screaming neighs. I took the saddle off and ducked out of the stall only to have Pstar push her way out of the stall and swing around the aisle while she was still tied. I quickly chose to place the saddle on the side of the adjacent stall; the way she was acting I didn't trust her to have me walk to the tack room to place the saddle where it belonged. The last thing I needed was for her to get loose on me. I brought her back into the stall and tried to groom her and calm her but her constant piercing neighs blotted out all my efforts. Several times I had to move pretty quick as Pstar swung one way or another. I stood at one side of the stall for a few minutes, catching my breathe and choking back tears not sure what to do. What have I gotten myself into?
Eventually I finished grooming her and was able to pick her feet. Laurie asked me to put her into the outdoor stall so I did but had issues yet again. I brought her in and turned her around to reach for the gate but Pstar bolted through the gate. So I turned her again to get into the stall and tried to grab the gate while having a closer hold on Pstar to prevent her leaping through the exit. She moved about quickly and stepped firmly on my foot. Ouch! Laurie came out of the stable and closed the gate for me. I took off Pstar's halter and slipped out of the gate as Laurie closed it. To finish up I cleaned up the last bits of poop Pstar had left in the aisle and crosstie area then went outside to fetch the lunge whip.
I was soooo ready to go home. I cried all the way home. This was not what I wanted. It seems that every time I work with Pstar with Laurie things go pretty well. Alone things just go to shit. She's too much horse for me. Too young, too spirited and not trained enough. I did not feel safe today and am not sure if I'll want to go out again. I don't know what to do. I have this lease contract for a year (why did I do this?). She's not under saddle, what was I thinking? I'm stuck. I know there is a two week notice clause and I can end the lease. I just feel bad but perhaps I had romantic views about how leasing Pstar would be like, I didn't listen to the voice in the back of my head. Truth is I'm not a trainer and I don't know how to deal with such unruly young behavior. I need a well mannered, well trained horse for a lease or to buy. I don't know what to do at this point. Laurie may have the confidence in me but I don't and I also don't have the desire to train a horse from the ground up. I don't know what to do.
Pstar is sweet to pet and love on in the pasture but to work with, I just can't deal with a horse that freaks out at a parked car, crashes into my as we walk and swings her body blindly for no apparent reason. I miss Willy, a nice calm horse that I didn't have to worry about and that I felt safe with. What am I to do now? I have a lot of thinking to do. I don't want to back out on Laurie but again, I can't pay $300 a month to be miserable and scared. I feel I've made a terrible mistake...
March 27, 2011
Willy and I's Last Ride Together
My last day with Willy has arrived. It's a bittersweet day since I know I'll miss Willy but I'm taking on a new adventure with Pstar. I knew I would most likely only lease Willy for about a year, still he's worked his way into my heart. As I head out to the stable the weather is pretty icky. It snowed a little and the air is damp with fog. I swing by Eggar road to see if I can get a picture of the donkey. Unfortunately he was not there but I snapped a shot of my favorite property on the road....oh to dream....someday...
I spent a long time grooming Willy today. I curried him really well and then used my new shedding tool. It looked like a Wookie was on the ground after I was done! I untangled his mane and tail and sprayed them with Mane and Tail to help comb out all the strands. His hair flowed like spun silk! The little boy with his parents came in with Two Socks. He seemed to be doing well with Two Socks but they are still going to try out Willy next week. Once Willy was groomed really nice and tacked up I brought him outside to mount up.
We rode around the outside of the big arena. Susan had joined the big arena with one of the pens and had a lot of the horses in there so they could have fun romping and playing in a bigger area. I didn't work on anything today, I just wanted to enjoy the ride. We walked, trotted and did some fun canters. Willy was very responsive today, almost like he knew I desired a perfect ride for my last day with him! The sun peeked in and out of the clouds but it was still chilly so I kept my fleece and gloves on.
After a while I decided to grab my grooming gear and head to the upper riding ring. I rode Willy to the indoor ring to get my stuff and then walked with him up the other ring. Once I wrestled closed the gate (the sand was deep and catching the bottom of the gate) I rode Willy in a serpentine in the fresh sand, the path left showed me how accurate our riding was...not too bad! After riding around the ring for a bit doing turns and serpentines I dismounted and untacked Willy. I did a quick brush over in preparation to take some pictures of him. I still only had my point and shoot but I figured it would be nice to get some pictures of him doing his horse thing, tack free.
Willy followed me about the ring and trotted off when I motioned with my dinky crop, I didn't have the lunge whip with me to better get him moving off but he got the idea. His coat was a nice warm reddish brown in the sunlight and his mane and tail glistened; at least the few times the sun peeked out! He's such a beautiful boy! I gave Willy some apple pieces, we'd run out of carrots at home but Willy didn't seem to mind.
I was walking to one side of the arena when I noticed Willy sniffing the ground. Happy at what I hoped was to follow I got ready with the camera. Willy laid down and started rolling on the sand. I bet it felt quite good on his back. He kicked his heels up to the sky and snorted as he tossed about. He then got up and shook his body with a grunt of pure satisfaction. Several of the horses in the big ring had done the same thing but while wearing their blankets, I can't help but think it's less satisfying than rolling in the sand completely "naked". Willy had sand all over his face so I took a brush to his coat one more time and whisked him "clean". I cleaned his hooves and was quite impressed about how sweet and quiet he was standing with no halter or lead on.
I fed him some more apples and then put his halter on and lead him back to the location of his blanket. The sun was going behind the clouds again so I figured I'd get his blanket on and turn him loose with the other horses in the big arena. I went back to the top arena afterwards to gather my tack and gear, lugged it back to the car and then went to say hello to the minis. They were cute as usual and did their usual nickers as I entered the paddock with apples.
I walked to the big arena to give Willy a last goodbye hug although it's not really goodbye, just a see ya later. I know I can come and see him anytime I want, I just won't be riding him regularly. I've enjoyed being able to take rides in the neighborhood and work on my seat or other techniques in the ring. I walked up to Willy with a couple more carrots. Then I hugged him goodbye and kissed his muzzle. As I walked away I turned back to look at him, his ears were pricked forwards watching me.
Thank you my friend for a great year of riding fun. Thank you for helping me build my confidence. Thank you for your patience and for working hard when I tried something new. Thank you for helping me fly with the wind in my hair and for not running away when I fell off! Thank you for being such a calm boy when dogs were chasing us on the road. Thanks for the nuzzles, the licks and the warm horsie embraces. I will always remember you fondly Willy.
Thank you my friend for a great year of riding fun. Thank you for helping me build my confidence. Thank you for your patience and for working hard when I tried something new. Thank you for helping me fly with the wind in my hair and for not running away when I fell off! Thank you for being such a calm boy when dogs were chasing us on the road. Thanks for the nuzzles, the licks and the warm horsie embraces. I will always remember you fondly Willy.
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