Serene Sunday?

I happened to get a picture of Dani right as she tossed her head to go run around the paddock.  LOL.  This is such a silly looking picture.  Her head looks huge!  Her legs look tiny!  Oh my goodness!  I'm just dying over here.

Serene Sunday

Wind and Sand

It's been so windy lately!  Out at the barn there is no place to hide from it either.  How I miss an indoor arena.  I've mostly been going out to care for Daenerys, letting her graze in the yard for about an hour and bringing her back in for her dinner.  She doesn't mind not being worked.

This week she is on her monthly sand colic purge.  I use Sand Clear but the crumbles don't seem to be as palatable to Dani as they've been in the past.  I want her to get the full serving and benefit.  I added some grass hay pellets to help her ingest more of the Sand Clear since she doesn't get enough supplement to really mix in the Sand Clear but it's not really doing the trick though, she still leaves a lot of the crumbles.  I'm thinking of trying a new brand and a more pelleted form....any suggestions?

I get her supplements from SmartPak, here are the other possibilities that are reasonably priced.....

This weekend the hubby and I have to work on our backyard fence before another section blows down and breaks.  I figure it's best to be preemptive about this kind of thing.  That unfortunately means less time with pony and less time to work on the trailer.  Now that the weather is warmer we will begin on the roof of the trailer and get things sanded and sealed well.  More to come on that once we get our supplies and find a Saturday where we can get some work done!

I also want to set the trailer up in a place where I can begin working on loading regularly with Dani.  We'll set it up on blocks so it's secure without being hooked to a tow vehicle.  Lots to do and not enough time to do it!  Hopefully the warmer temperatures sans wind will come back soon and we can get cracking!

Give Away!!!

Don't forget to email me if you want to be considered for the horse key chain!!!  canihaveapony42@gmail.com  

Serene sunday

Armani gets tired out from being so cute.

50 Follower Giveaway!!!!

Yipee!!  I've reached 50 followers!  How exciting!  I truly feel loved.

As promised I have a cool little giveaway prize, I've been needing a new key ring and fell in love with this one.  I think others may like it too so here's the free giveaway! Email me within a week of posting this post, so by 12pm (mountain standard time) on Friday May 2nd.  Send your email to canihaveapony42@gmail.com  Make sure the subject says "50 Follower Giveaway"

After the deadline I'll draw a name at random from the emails and contact the winner to get a mailing address.

This started as a blog for just me but I'm glad there are others interested in this journey.  I've learned from them and hopefully they've gotten a few ideas from me as well.  I'll announce the winner and post their blog link (if they have one) once the winner is selected!  Thanks everyone for following Dani and I's journey!

Elbow pull

Dani is a great little mare to ride.  She’s responsive and pretty calm most of the time.  She doesn't throw her head way up in the air like Willy did but she’s still not as relaxed in her going as I’d like her to be.  I’m not overly worried about headset since I’m not a big dressage rider but I've learned a lot of those principles behind dressage and many boil down to a horse utilizing their body properly.  If they hold themselves in a certain way, which as a results means a lower head set, they are less apt to get injured when carrying a rider.  The “frame” is not just for looks but mechanically lifts the back thereby enabling a horse to better carry the weight. 

This is important for a trail and pleasure horse too.  As I haven’t been concerned with her mode of moving thus far I decided to work solely on her from the ground to start.  Julie Goodnight has what is called an elbow pull.  When trainers “bit up” there horses for lunging work they often utilize a side rein to teach a horse self carriage and to lower its head.  This works where a horse then learns that if they give to the bit they find release aka, the correct frame.  I like the elbow pull, similar to a chambon rein where there is pressure at the poll and via the bit. 

The elbow pull puts alternating pressure on the bit as the horses legs move the strap.  Below Julie explains it best.

From Julie Goodnight:

"The beauty of this device is threefold. One, it is self-correcting meaning that the instant the horse gives the right way he gets slack. Two, the elbow-pull creates a rhythmic alternating pull, rather than a static pull on both reins (like side reins) and it is far more effective to use one rein at a time rather than two (a horse stiffens his neck and leans into it when you pull on both reins at the same time). And third, once the horse has learned to respond correctly and carry himself in a collected frame with no contact on his mouth, you can mimic this action on the reins when you are on his back."

"As you walk, you'll feel your hips moving in a side to side action which causes your leg to close alternately and rhythmically (R-L-R-L) on the horse's sides. When you want the horse to collect, you'll first feel the rhythm in your seat and legs and then increase the rhythm in a driving fashion, then add small squeezes with your fingers, alternating R-L-R-L, using the same side hand as leg. Your seat and legs will keep the horse moving forward at the same time your hands are applying resistance to his front end with alternating pressure and causing him to shorten his frame. It is critical that the horse finds a small amount of slack when he makes the slightest effort to collect and it is also critical that you time your hands with your seat and legs. When done properly, the horse will hold himself in this frame. Remember; don't ask him to hold it too long. You'll want to release the horse before he becomes uncomfortable and resistant and gradually increase the time you ask him to hold the frame."

So I've done several sessions with Dani, the picture and video are from the first session.  She certainly had her head high up at times but she learned quickly where the release was.  Obviously the next step is to ride and apply the “half halt” with her gait rhythm.  I’m still not perfect at this myself but it will be easier to work with her on it with her knowing what the proper response is and knows what’s expected when I administer the cue.  Doing the groundwork first will also allow Dani to work on her muscle development for this carriage without having the added weight of me up there.

Sleepy pony

At KCRC I've not seen Dani  laying in the sun.  I’m sure she does a lot but she here’s the gate and my car and knows it’s either play or food time.  Well today for some reason she was laying down, flat on her side, when I drove up.  It gave me a start because at first I wondered if she was sick.  She wasn’t, she rolled onto her stomach and chest to look at me.  I walked up slowly and swung between her pen railings and pat her soft forelock.

She was obviously still waking up, she must have been fast asleep dreaming of handsome Friesians or cute appaloosa boys.  Who knows.  It’s fun to love on her when she’s laying down.  I feel the trust from her, she knows I’m not going to do anything to her.  She eventually got up as I went into the back to get ready for some round pen work.  I noticed on her offside hock that sore developing again.  The ground has become compacted and hard again.  It could use more sand I’m sure so I’ll have to get going on redoing her pen to prevent her hock sores from coming back. 

I may be looking for another boarding place soon though I've enjoyed KCRC there are things in my life that may begin making it more difficult since the self care situation isn't in my backyard but a 25 minute drive away.  I can envision us being here until fall but things may change if we put our house on the market!!!!  Yep…hoping to sell our house and perhaps buy or lease horse property!!!  It’s a pipe dream but the housing market is getting better, we shall see!!

Spring Trimming

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

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

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

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

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

Serenity NOW!!!

Serene Sunday on a Monday.  Oh well, busy weekend!