Waiting

Zoe is patiently waiting for us to ride again...Me?  Not so patiently waiting...

Until next time!

Quote for the day:

"Love's greatest gift is its ability to make everything it touches sacred."

-Barbara de Angelis

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Me and Zoe (and the rest of the gang)!!!

Boarding?

Yesterday I mentioned that we might be boarding my brother-in-law's horse for a few months.  His family is moving to Arizona at the end of this month and his new place isn't quite ready for his horses to come along.  So the thought was that he was going to ask his friends (and us) to take his horses - he has 4 of them.  We said we would take one of his horses, his gelding Sisco (which happens to be Zoe's sire).  We figured that middle daughter could ride him through the winter because that horse is BROKE.

Wrap N Style (Sisco) APHA - Sire to Zoe!

Well, we got the call yesterday that my brother-in-law doesn't need us to take any horses any more.  Two friends of his offered to take them and they live right around the corner so that's what he will do.  It's fine that we aren't adding another mouth to feed this winter but it would've been fun for middle daughter to ride him!  Hopefully the friends of brother-in-law will ride the horses so it won't be a waste of a few months.

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"You don't take a photograph, you make it."

-Ansel Adams

Wonderful

So this is what I look at everyday when I'm at work.  It's beautiful but cold!  Plus we have more of it on it's way here tonight...no riding today for me!

In other news, we might be boarding my brother-in-law's horse for a few months...more details later!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Do whatever you do intensely."

-Robert Henri

Condolences

Today I'm sending my condolences to a fellow horse blogger, Rebecca, at Diary of the Overanxious Horse Owner.  She had to make the difficult decision of letting her horse, Junior, go.  It's never an easy decision, even when it's the right decision.  I feel for her as we too had to put down a couple horses too soon not too long ago.  I think today is a good day to spend that extra time grooming all of my horses and take it all in again.  Too often, I think, I take it for granted that I have these wonderful animals in my life.  How quickly that can all change!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations."

-Faith Baldwin

Over the Weekend

This post isn't about my horses - sorry.  Instead it's gonna be about our bucking bulls.  I hope you don't mind reading about those crazy animals too!

Over the weekend we took our two youngest bulls on the farm to buck them with a dummy.  A dummy is a small metal box with a cinch on it to keep it on the bull.  It has a pin that holds the flank strap (the rope tied around the back end of the bull - not his testicles!!) on and you push a button on what looks like a garage door opener and the whole contraption falls off.  We use a dummy on our young bulls who aren't big enough to handle the weight of a rider to help us determine if the bulls are gonna buck.  If they buck we keep them and raise them up.  We might buck them a few more times to make sure they are getting better, not worse.  If they don't buck we usually bring them to the local sale barn.  Unfortunately, that's part of the business.  Anyways, we drove a couple hours south of us to an indoor bucking arena.  Some friends also loaded up their two young bulls on our trailer and off we went!  More back story - the two young bulls that our friends took actually used to be ours.  They bought them from a third party - small world - before we really knew them very well. 

Back to the story...one of the two bulls that we took had already been bucked earlier this year.  He did pretty good so we kept him.  The other bull we took along was a weanling and had never been bucked before.  We had no idea what to expect from him.  Both of the bulls were pretty gentle as far as bucking bulls go.  Neither of them will try to charge you and will even eat out of your hand (if you're on the other side of the fence/gate)!  The weanling is small compared to the rest of the bulls that were bucked that day, and him being white and fluffy (his winter fur) didn't help his cause either.  Everyone, us included, didn't have very high expectations for him but boy did he surprise us all!  While trying to strap the dummy on the bull, there was a guy IN the chute WITH him and another guy practically doing a HEADSTAND on top of him in order to secure the dummy and flank because the dummy was too big for him and then he put on quite the performance!  He EXPLODED out of the chute, bucking, twisting, leaping, kicking and jumping really high in the air!    I think he was one of the top five bulls that we bucked that day!  His name went from Powder Puff to Power Puff! 

The other bull we brought, Stubby, also did very well.  He did better than his first time out so we are happy with that!  He 'turned back' one jump out of the gate and got to spinning!  Our friends' bulls did pretty good too!  One of them had a lot of kick!  The other one I didn't care for but that's my opinion.  I'm not sure what they will do with him but I know they are keeping the one with kick for sure.

There were horses at this barn too - about 15 of them.  One was a beautiful grulla paint mare with a white face.  She was big and oh so sweet.  She had a filly on her side still who was a tri-color paint with a white face and one blue eye!  She was neat looking!  If we had room, I would've loaded both of them up and took them home!  Beautiful!!!  Those two really stood out but all of the horses were very friendly and good looking - even in their winter fuzzies!  The barn had about 30 stalls on one side of the arena that were getting old and needed a little TLC but definitely still nice.  I bet that place was gorgeous in its hayday!  I enjoy looking at barns/stables!  Gives me so many ideas for my own barn, ya know?  I guess the story is that the old guy built the place for his barrel racing daughter.  He passed away recently and now it barely gets used anymore so that's probably why it's getting run down now.  So much potential there!

It was another COLD day and I had a hard time getting warm after we were done.  The entire 2 hour ride home I was still cold.  After we got home, we had to feed all of the animals which made me even more cold.  I don't think I got warm until 5am...and then we were out in the barn again working.  I guess that's the way it goes when you live on a farm in the winter!

Until next time!


Quote for the day:
"The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire."

-Richard M. Nixon

Brrrr...

We are experiencing very low temps and a lot of snow right now which makes it hard to want to spend time outside.  The older I get, the less I enjoy the snow - maybe one of these days our family will move somewhere where the winters are shorter and a lot less snowy!

Anyways, due to the extreme temperatures not much has been going on in horsey land at our house.  Hubby is working like crazy to get our stalls finished up.  All that's left are the bars.  The floors are in and the walls put up.  Can't wait! 

I was feeding last night and it looks like Star might be losing some weight.  My guess is that between Tyson and Zoe she's getting pushed off her feed (she eats the slowest).  Tonight I'm gonna pull her out and feed her separately.  I usually like to feed each horse separately, especially in the winter when there isn't any pasture, but without stalls it's pretty hard.  I was making three piles (with their grain dishes) hoping that everyone would just stay at their pile but that's not working anymore.  Needless to say, those stalls couldn't get done fast enough!

In other news, middle daughter decided that she didn't want to take riding lessons where she was at anymore.  I'm not going to lie, I was upset because of selfish reasons.  I really enjoyed our Monday's at the barn!  I felt like the people at that barn were my kind of people and we really clicked!  It was a dressage and western dressage barn but they were very accepting of everyone and their different horses and backgrounds.  The way they were teaching middle daughter was very much like how I was taught to ride.  But middle daughter was tired of riding on a lunge line and was bored.  She felt like they did the same things over and over again.  I tried to explain to her the importance of repeating the same exercises (muscle memory) but she had her mind made up.  It didn't help that hubby also felt like she was moving too slow.  I tried reasoning with them that rushing through could mean that important lessons might not be learned.  But I was overruled and we ended lessons at that barn.  I hope that one day soon I will be going there again for whatever reason, like maybe western dressage lessons???  Who knows?

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"This is what I learned:  that everybody is talented, original and has something important to say."

-Brenda Ueland

Ok, Ok, I know...Bad Blogger!

I have many updates to do with little time it seems!  Anyways, I might as well start somewhere!

Melody (the new baby) is doing great!  She's an amazing little horse!  Ok, I have to back up...her health is ok.  We took her to the vet because her runny nose kept coming back and she was coughing.  The vet gave her a shot of an antibiotic to clear up whatever she had.  The gunk in her eyes is gone and hasn't returned but the cough and runny nose has returned since then.  So we need to get another shot to try and clear this up.  She is still by herself because I don't want her to expose the other horses to what she has.  That's all I need is four sick horses!!!  Other than her nose and cough, she's great!  She's been leading great and picking up her feet most of the time when asked.  Nothing much phases her at all!  The other day hubby was working in the barn in her pen with a cordless drill.  She followed him everywhere and hubby thought he would see what she would do if he showed her the drill.  She sniffed it, so he turned it on.  Nothing.  She just stood there.  He moved it up to her ears and turned it on.  Nothing.  Moved it all over her body while turned on and nothing.  She didn't care.  I don't think Zoe would let me do that to her without throwing a fit and she's had clippers used on her before!  I have to say, though, that Melody isn't perfect.  The other day I was leading her back to her pen in the barn and the dog scared her for a second.  She tried to run past me but stopped as soon as there was pressure on the lead.  She is a curious little horse too - always interested in whatever we are doing.  She has to either stick her nose in it or put her foot on it.  She makes me laugh or smile every day!

So how are things with Zoe?  Like I mentioned, Zoe had the first week off due to poor weather.  But as soon as the weather cleared up and the outdoor was decent for riding, we got to work.  The first time I brought her into the barn to work, she was extremely nervous.  I tied her at the hitching post and got her all groomed.  I left her side to get the saddle and while in the tack room I heard a big ruckus going on.  I looked out and there she was standing with her eyes as big as saucers without the lead rope attached.  Thankfully hubby was there and grabbed her right away.  I grabbed another lead rope and went out to see what happened.  Hubby said she just flew back for no reason that he saw and snapped the lead rope.  He agreed to hold her while I saddled up.  Zoe was on edge, big time!  I lunged her until I could see she had her mind again and then jumped up in the saddle.  She felt pretty good!  She really relaxed into the work and we were able to get some good work done.  Once she was soft, moving out and listening consistently I called it quits.

The next day I took her out, she wasn't as edgy but still a little more up than normal.  Hubby came out to help again, this time he wrapped the lead rope around the post and held the other end.  She tried to fly backwards again but he held on (we used a heavy duty lead) and she went nowhere.  She stopped and then just stood there and waiting for me to groom and tack up.  I lunged her for a short bit and then got on.  Did a lot of the same stuff as the day before.  It didn't take as long this time to get to the same place as the day before so I thought we would end with some neck reining practice. 

It rained that night so the following day the outdoor still had some big puddles.  I groomed Zoe and tacked her up without any incidents.  Her lunging session was short but this time it was because the footing was slippery.  I didn't dare ask her to canter on the lung when she was slipping at the trot.  I got on and decided that neck reining would be the work order for the day.  She was really getting it!

Sadly I haven't had many more rides since then.  Our weather has been awful making the outdoor arena a mess!  I really need to get Zoe trailered to an indoor!  So what's been holding me back from spending more time in the saddle?  Life and weather.  Plain and simple.  But there's a light at the end of that tunnel...

In the world of Star and Tyson there hasn't been much going on.  It occurred to me that Star was the only horse of mine that hadn't gotten her teeth done yet this year so I brought her to the vet last week and got that done.  I chose to trailer her there so that she could be in a heated barn while being sedated.  The vet didn't use hardly any sedation (enough for only 300 lbs) and she was a good girl - she always is!  Tyson is his happy, fat and sassy self. 

In other news, remember how I said hubby was working in the barn?  Well that's because he's building me new stalls, tack and feed room!

Aren't these stalls going to be awesome?

Until next time!

Quote for the day:
"Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age."

-Booth Tarkington

She's Home!

I don't have time to do a full update but wanted to quickly say that Zoe's training will no continue with me at home!  She came home about 2 weeks ago.  The first week she was home was crappy weather and since I don't have an indoor to ride in, she got the week off.  As soon as the weather allowed, I started riding.

I will update on how the riding has gone soon but I'm gonna have to leave it at we are really starting to click!

Until next time!


Quote for the day:
"Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home."

-Matsuo Basho

Melody (Cocoa Lena)

The new filly is settling in nicely.  She had a runny nose and gunky eyes when she arrived but her eyes have cleared up and her runny nose is almost gone.  She is quarantined in a large pen in the barn since she arrived.  She won't be going out with the other horses until that clears up and we can lead her consistently.  Middle daughter has been making a lot of progress with her.  Within the first day of Melody's arrival (that is what her barn name), hubby and middle daughter haltered her.  They cut an old lead rope into a catch rope but we realized that she didn't need it.  This filly is so gentle!  I keep waiting for her to get wild and crazy or not want to be caught but as soon as you walk in the pen, she walks right up to you!  She stands quietly while we clip the lead rope on and leads around her pen really well.  Middle daughter has also picked up her front feet and can brush her entire body!  I cannot believe the progress that she's made with Melody in such a short time!

We took Melody out a couple times this weekend and let her run in the round pen.  She wasn't so sure about leaving the barn at first.  When she finally decided to go through the door she bolted through!  Hubby had a good grip on the lead rope so he was able to stop her right away without anyone getting hurt or run over.  He's so strong!  ;-)  She took some coaxing to go where hubby wanted her to go but in the end, she was doing really well.  She got to see Star and Tyson from across the driveway.  She was very excited to see them and they her!  It got really windy and started to rain so her run outside ended sooner than we had planned.  Going back through the barn door was just like going through the first time.  She stood her ground for 30 seconds and then bolted through only to be stopped by hubby on the other end of the lead.  First outing was a success!

We took her out again the next day.  It was sunny and in the 50's so she was pretty excited about going out.  She called to Star and Tyson as soon as hubby led her out of her pen.  Going through the barn door was another adventure.  It had rained HARD the night before so there was two large puddles in front of the barn door.  She wasn't so sure about them.  She stood her ground for a few seconds and decided to go for it.  As soon as the water splashed up on her she freaked and bolted again.  Hubby had a good hold of her and she was stopped.  She led out to the round pen very nicely.  She's really smart!  Once hubby let her go, she took off!  Leaping, bucking, rearing and running like a crazy horse!  I'm glad she was able to stretch her legs for a bit - must have felt good!  Star and Tyson stood by the fence watching.  Melody saw them and called to them occasionally but found the grass on the other side of the fence and got to munching.  We let her stay out while we did some winter preparations in the barn.  The kids ran out to the trampoline and started to jump.  That threw her for a loop!  She just didn't know what to think about that!  She snorted and trotted around and kept a watchful eye on them.  Before long, she was back to eating again.  I guess the jumping kids weren't so scarey.

On the way back into the barn, she did the same thing she's done the last three times...stood for a quick second and then bolted through.  We will have to work on that with her.  I really think she did it this time because of the puddles.  But we will find out once we have dried out!  Supposed to rain again today...

I'm not sure if ya'll want to hear about Melody and the adventures with her.  I'm going to assume that it's ok since this is a horse blog and she is a horse.  I don't have many readers so I guess if it's not something anyone wants to read I will be able to tell!!

More updates on Zoe coming soon!  I have some possible big news to share!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend is is really a friend."

-Plautus

Boot Camp Update #6

I have pictures from my ride last night but they are on my oldest daughter's ipod.  She said she will email them to me but I haven't gotten them yet.

It was a rainy day yesterday so when got the the barn, Zoe was in her stall.  She was definitely juiced and ready to go!  We started as we always do, lunging both directions walk/trot/canter.  At first she was testy but relaxed and had a good lung.

After I got on, another girl and her horse came in the arena to ride.  No biggy.  She had a slower horse (most horses are slower than Zoe) so she stayed on the inside.  We did some AWESOME relaxed, collected trot work.  It was so relaxing and enjoyable.  She felt so good and I was feeling very confident.  So I asked her to canter.  She BLEW up!  I guess I caught her off guard because she came unglued!  She jumped forward, I clamped down, she jumped straight up, I fell forward onto her neck which scared her and she got to bucking.  I almost made it through the explosion but the last buck did me in.  I hit the dirt.  It wasn't a hard fall (or graceful) but I was on the ground, none-the-less.  I was totally unprepared for that.  I was so relaxed and confident with the way our trotting was going that I thought the canter would be just as easy.  Not the case.  The next time I asked for the canter she was about to explode again but this time I was able to grab a rein and turn her butt around and she stopped.We spent the remaining 30 minutes trying to get a good canter.  It was a ton of work.  I can't even tell you how many times I had to ask to canter, she would canter a few strides and then slam on the breaks.  Once I got her going good in one direction, we switched directions.  Then she just made a B-line for the gate.  I really had to get after her.  At this point, I'm frustrated and getting angry with her.  I kept my cool though and kept working.  I was able to get her into a canter but it was the wrong lead.  AHHH!!!!  So I asked her to trot so we could try again and she slammed on her breaks, typical for the night.  We kept at it until I got one and half times around at a good canter and called it a night.  After all that, we ended it on a good note.  The trainer said that tonight was a big night for Zoe and me.  Zoe was testing me and I was learning to deal with her.  We had some good rides and tonight was a bad night but we made it through it and still ended on a good note.  We were both exhausted though. 

After the lesson, the trainer and I were talking about Zoe's raw talent for being a rope horse.  The trainer has never met a horse with as much rope horse intuitiveness as Zoe.  It really would be a shame not to turn her into an awesome rope horse.  But I'm not that person.  I'm not interested in becoming a roper.  The trainer said she was talking to a roper last week about Zoe and with what she told the roper, they think I could probably get some good money for Zoe.  I could take that money a buy me a good, broke reiner.  I don't know what to do...

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"The way to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit for doing them."

-Benjamin Jowett

Announcement

This is the news I mentioned earlier.  We were waiting for her to come home before making the announcement. We bought her from the Pitzer Ranch sale.  She's a Poco Dot Lena daughter!!!!  We have some work to do...she's not even halter broke yet!  But she's really gentle and calm so hopefully she won't make it too hard on us!

Well, I will post more on her later...tonight I ride Zoe!  I think Zoe is coming home this weekend!!!!!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"A real friend is one who walks  in when the rest of the world walks out."

-Walter Winchell

Boot Camp Update #5

Ok, so let me start by saying that I've never ridden a horse like Zoe before.  This mare works hard and aims to please 100% of the time.  She has a great work ethic!  She has an amazing amount of power in all of her gaits but is still under control and will slam on her breaks any time I wish.

After our ride on Tuesday night, both exhausted and happy!  Please ignore the fact that her bridle path and ears are fuzzy...

Ok, so let's review how the night went.  Zoe was a little "up" when I got her out of her turnout.  We had crappy weather the previous couple days so she spent a lot of time in her stall, which meant Zoe had a lot of pent up energy.  After tacking up, I lunged her.  She settled down right away and was soft almost immediately.  I made sure we had some good transitions on the lunge and decided to ride.

Of course, when I was ready to get on, two more girls showed up and were riding in the indoor with us.  It was fine, but Zoe had never been ridden with that much traffic in the indoor and to be honest, neither have I.  We just got to work and she acted like she had been dealing with that kind of commotion her whole life.  Oh, and I forgot to mention, when I was lunging her the trainer was spraying the arena floor.  Zoe wasn't too sure about that at first but, again, got right to work when I told her to move out.

We did a lot of collection exercises while trotting.  Didn't do as much work on neck reining as I would've liked because I felt like I had to stay with the flow of traffic and if I started doing figure eights it would screw the system up.  The trainer was giving me pointers and suggestions the whole time, which I really appreciate.  I can't always see or feel what she does so it's good to have another set of eyes (and the trainer really knows her stuff).

When I asked for canter, she BURST forward and caught me off guard.  I will admit that I immediately pulled back and she slammed on her breaks.  Damn.  Why did I do that?!  So I tried again and thought I was prepared but pulled back again when she burst forward.  W.T.H.?  Why am I still pulling back???  I was very frustrated with myself and a little embarrassed.  I tried again, this time I had to say out loud to myself, "keep your hands forward, keep your hands forward" and viola!  What do you know?  We were cantering!  She was really getting after it!  We went around a few times and that was good for me so we stopped for a minute, waiting for traffic to change directions.  We were all ready for a direction change so I didn't have to wait long.

We did some more collection exercises while trotting and then did some more cantering.  This time I didn't pull back, not even one time. :-)  She needed a little extra leg to keep her going but I think it was because she was getting tired.  I did a couple laps around and walked her out.  She was a good girl and we were done for the night.  Oh, we did do a couple backing exercises before I got off.  The trainer taught her to back by wiggling my feet in the stirrups and she puts her head down and back up.  Thing of beauty!

Afterwards, the trainer and I were talking and she was gushing about Zoe.  She really likes Zoe and thinks that Zoe would make an exceptional rope horse.  She's powerful and has a big stop!  Zoe was bred to make a great rope horse...her sire was a Michigan state roping (heeling) champion a few years ago and her dam was an old ranch horse from Montana.  Now, with hearing this it makes me wonder if I will be the right one for Zoe?  Should I send her to a roping trainer and then sell her to someone who will bring her to her full potential?  I love that little mare and have so much invested in her, it would be really hard to let her go.  Is that selfish?  Thoughts/opinions are welcome...

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song."

-Lou Holtz

Boot Camp Update #4

I think we are coming down to the end of Zoe's training.  Last night I visited her at the trainer's and had a great time with her!

I got her from her pen outside and got her all tacked up.  I've noticed that she's a lot more "looky" now than she was at home.  My guess is that she's alert now and paying attention to what I might ask her.  Make sense?

Anyways, I lunged her with the trainer's instruction.  Zoe has been cross-firing when asked to canter on the lunge line so she told me what she does to correct that.  I had to do it a couple times but got the hang of it eventually.  I've lunged plenty of horses before but have never been "taught", I guess you could say.  It was a good refresher and she had some pointers for me too.  Once I had Zoe going nice and soft we called it quits.  I think I lunged her for about 15 - 20 minutes.  On a side note, this mare is FIT.  She has excellent muscling through her back and haunches and is collected more consistently now.

I rode her at a walk/trot/canter for another 20 minutes, worked on some backing, turning, collection, and downward transitions (not much critiquing just being able to go from canter to trot, and trot to walk without stopping completely).  I noticed that this time riding I didn't have to use as much leg to keep her moving.  She also was learning that every time I move in the saddle, it doesn't mean stop.  The first time I rode her, any time I wiggled, she would slam on her breaks.  That was annoying.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE her breaks but she needs to learn when I'm actually asking her to stop.  But like I said, last night she maybe only slammed on her breaks twice but quickly stepped back up into the trot like I had wanted.  Turning is another issue we need improvement on so we did a lot of figure eights and changing directions.  It's coming.

I hose her off before putting her away.  It's been so nice and warm here that I was able to get away with it.  After this weekend it's supposed to cool off again so no more hosing her down.  I think I will have to invest in a cooler.

I left that lesson feeling energized and excited.  I did everything by myself and got a lesson from the trainer.  Unfortunately, we couldn't get another date for this week to work so I will have to wait another week before my Zoe's next lesson ride.  Only a couple more weeks and Zoe can return home! :)

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"The most important questions in life can never be answered by anyone except oneself."

-John Fowles

Soon

Soon:

• I will be visiting Zoe again.  Last week we couldn't figure out a day(s) that would work for both me and the trainer.  Tomorrow is the day for now...possibly Wednesday too!
• I will have a major announcement.  I cannot disclose just yet because of some small details that need to be ironed out.
• We will know what is going on with our bull, Bo.  He is our bucking bull that we were competing with in Oklahoma and Kansas, mostly.  So much up in the air with him right now that it's causing major stress...answers to come soon, hopefully.
• My life will slow down and I can fit in some fun time with my horses at home???  Maybe???  Hopefully???
• I will have another post up...

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Whatever you are, be a good one."

-Abraham Lincoln

Boot Camp Update #3

I visited Zoe at the trainer's again this past Wednesday and guess what?  I rode her!  Walk, trot and canter both directions!

Ok, I'll start over...just couldn't wait for the big news... 

I got there and took Zoe out.  Groomed her up (the trainer had other clients she was wrapping things up with) and waited.  I wasn't sure which saddle and bridle she used so I just spend the few minutes just hanging out.  The trainer finished her tacking up and headed went to the indoor arena.  She did a short lunging session and then got on.  Zoe did really well for her!  They worked on steering, headset and moving off her leg.  Still working on neck reining but she's getting there.  Oh, and she was backing.

Trainer's two daughters were there riding their gelding around, which I thought was a good lesson for Zoe.  They got done riding and asked for my help with taking the bridle off and putting the halter on their horse.  While I was doing that the trainer asked if I wanted to ride...ummm...YES!!!

I got on Zoe.  I was nervous, I'll admit that.  The last time I rode her she was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode.  This time she was different.  I wouldn't say relaxed but ready to please.  Any little thing I did she was trying to guess what I wanted.  She really wanted to please even though she didn't really know what I wanted her to do.  She was trying really hard to do it right! 

The trainer said she noticed how Zoe really responded to verbal praise, I told her I talk to my horses all the time so I'm sure that's why.  When I first dropped Zoe off, the trainer told me that I shouldn't be giving verbal cues; the cues should be physical.  That was hard for me to do but now the trainer told me to talk to Zoe because that's what Zoe likes.  Yeah!!

Anyways, Zoe doesn't need much encouragement to go anymore.  She has a very powerful and forward trot and canter.  Her walk is a working walk as well.  Very nice gaits!  Did I mention she has a stop that would make a team roper (heeler) get excited?  I know I've mentioned that Zoe tunes into her rider very well and if she feels even the slightest posture change (meaning leaning back, even slightly) she will slam on her breaks.  Sometimes she even stops when you open your legs up too wide (like to adjust your foot in the stirrup). 

Back to the ride...we trotted around a while.  I was trying to get a feel for her.  I've never stayed on this long at this pace so I had no idea what she was going to be like.  Once the trot was comfortable, I asked for the canter.  She got to moving right away!  What a powerful canter she has - I'm impressed!  Her headset is good most of the time, needs some reminders every now and then.  I just pick up my inside rein and she puts her head down and I can feel her back lift up and she collects.  She will stay collected for a few steps and then hollows out.  She will need more work on that but that will come with practice and as she gets stronger in her back.  I dismounted with a smile on my face.  This was the horse I knew I had bought, just needed some help getting her out!

We untacked her, sprayed her down and put her away.  It was time to talk business.  The trainer said that if I wanted to take Zoe home now, that I could.  She said I looked comfortable on her but Zoe would definitely need more saddle time to stay that way.  She's definitely not kid safe yet but has the mind to be.  Then the real question from me came up...will she make a reiner?  The trainer said (after a long discussion) probably not.  She said she would have at least another year of training ahead of her and after that she still might not have what it takes.  She said she would probably make a really good roping horse with her awesome stop, but definitely a great family horse.  Roping is in her blood but my passion is reining and western dressage (that's new to me...just started reading about it).  If I want to try my hand at reining, I should buy a different horse.  So what's our next step?  I'm leaving Zoe there for another month.  I will be going twice a week for riding/lessons on Zoe and the other three days a week the trainer will be working with Zoe.  At the end of the next 30 days, she will be coming home.  I will be trailering her in to as many indoor arenas throughout the winter as I can.  My plan as of right now is to bring her to middle daughter's lessons on Mondays, and trailer her to the trainer's on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings.  If I can fit in more time, than I will.  But that's my winter schedule...I guess I better get more comfortable pulling a trailer!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"It is always brave to say what everyone thinks."

-Georges Duhamel

Not Lame, Then Lame Again! AHHHH!!!

The title of this post says it all.  After my last post about how Star was getting better, I lunged her and she was going BEAUTIFULLY!  So I put her through her paces.  She held up great!  Not a lame step at all - it was so exciting!  Middle daughter jumped on and walked her out while practicing her position (sit up, heels down, look ahead, elbows bent...).  It was an awesome night of riding.  We both had a great time!

A few days later (didn't want to push Star too hard) we took her back out.  I lunged her to see if there was any soreness and she looked good again. I was happy.  Middle daughter jumped on and did some walk/trot/canter for a bit and then I told her to walk her out.  As she was walking away, Star came to a dead stop.  Middle daughter didn't know what happened so she asked her to walk again.  Star tried and about fell over because she wouldn't put any weight on her front driver side foot.  CRAP!!!  I ran over to them and middle daughter got down.  We took the saddle off and middle daughter ran to get the hoof pick, halter and lead rope.  We picked her foot out - clean.  No stones.  Tried to make her move another step and there was no improvement.  WTH???  Her fetlock looked swollen and she was very tender to the touch on her heel.  We very slowly walked over the barn and cold hosed her leg/foot for 15 minutes, gave her some banamine and put her in her stall.

We did chores (takes about 45 minutes with all that we have to do everyday!) and came back to check her.  She was calling for Tyson the entire time so we moved Tyson to his stall (next to Star) and fed them both.

Next morning, I got up extra early and took Star out.  Still limping just as bad as she did the night before so I cold hosed her again and put her back in her stall.  Fed the horses and went back inside to get ready for work.

All day at work I was worried about Star.  Worried that she did some permanent damage and we would have to put her down.  I wasn't ready to say good bye!  Let's just say I was a wreck and move on...

I got home and saw that hubby had moved her and Tyson outside.  She was grazing and had weight on her foot!  WHAT????  Hubby said when he led her out of her stall that she was still tender but walked pretty good.  A phone call would've been nice so I didn't have to worry all day that she was in so much pain!!!

So I've been checking her at least twice daily and everyday she improves.  She still favors it some but not too bad.  I'm thinking she may have overstepped or twisted it a little in while riding.  Either way, she's SOO much better than before and keeps getting better everyday. 

In Zoe news, I will be visiting next week.  I wanted to visit this week but the trainer had a show this weekend and had a busy week.  Next week it will be 60 days that she's been at the trainer.  I will determine if she needs another 30 days then.  I do miss her...  I've also been tossing around the idea of boarding her somewhere where there's an indoor arena so that I can continue with riding her throughout the winter so we won't have to start over in the spring.  The barn where middle daughter takes riding lessons doesn't have any outdoor boarding spots available and their full board rate is WAY more than I can afford right now.  But I really enjoy that place so we'll see I guess. 

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity."

-Augustine of Hippo

Tyson

So where is Tyson among all the Star and Zoe updates?  He's been living the good life.  No riding, just brushing, eating and pooping with the occasional visit from the farrier.  His life is good.

I don't think that the lack of riding bothers him a bit.  He's always been on the lazy side but if we didn't take him out to brush him after we were done with Star, he gets really upset.  He wants his attention too!!!

Middle daughter sat on him bareback a month or so ago just for fun.  Naturally, he didn't care.  But that's all we are going to do with him.  He is still quite lame and can't trot at all.  He bobs his head at the walk occasionally as well, so I started him on the same joint supplements as Star.  The head bob is gone now so it must be helping him too. 

Almost every day (I say almost because I admit, there are days where I'm just feeding and running because of family commitments!) I do a thorough walk-around.  Checking his knees, fetlocks, joints and hooves for any signs of soreness or heat.  I noticed this last time that the foot that he hurt really bad this past winter seems to have new growth coming in.  Like maybe he's regenerating some new hoof where it had been torn off???  This is the foot that causes the severe lameness issues so I'm only slightly hopeful that he will keep growing that hoof and maybe someday be somewhat sound again.  One can only hope...

And now to end this post with Mr. Handsome, himself... (that's what I call him, Mr. Handsome.  I think he likes it!)

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Don't give up.  Don't lose hope.  Don't sell out."

-Christopher Reeve

Lame

In other news, we are battling lameness with Star again.  I suspected that she had some arthritis starting in one of her hocks but the soreness was coming from the other hock.  I started her on some joint supplements and she seems to be responding very well.  Part of me wonders if she took a bad step out in the pasture because we rode her on a Saturday afternoon and then on Tuesday she was LAME.  Three legged, couldn't trot, LAME.  The other day I went out with her grain and she trotted up to me, without pain so I think we are heading in the right direction.  I haven't tried her in the round pen yet, that's coming soon.  If she's good, we will try riding for a few minutes and go from there.  I don't want to re-injure her so we will take it slow.

Until next time!




Quote for the day:
"Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it."

-George Halas

Boot Camp Update #2

I visited Zoe at the trainer's yesterday...

Guess who's walk-trot-canter now???!!!  It's a REALLY bad picture but I was too excited to think about pictures at the time.

Zoe was soft, had a good headset, giving to the bit and pressure, and overall worked really good!  I was so excited with what I saw!  Let's just say I was very proud of my girl!  The trainer LOVES her big stop.  At one point they were cantering around and she asked to stop and Zoe slammed on her breaks so hard that she slid!  Do we have a reining horse after all?  Time will tell but it's definitely possible!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"The best time to make friends is before you need them."

-Ethel Barrymore

Boot Camp Update

I had the chance to visit Zoe at the trainer's last week and let me tell you that she's getting a reminder on what is expected of her!  I thought I had her ground manners under control but this trainer has this mare saying "Yes Ma'am!  Right away Ma'am!" instead of "Oh, ok."

Unfortunately, the trainer had a vacation planned during the first 30 days so Zoe didn't have much done yet.  They have been working on lunging and giving to pressure on the bit, breaking at the poll, bending, and overall obedience.  She's coming along nicely, the trainer likes her a lot!

At the end of the lesson, Zoe got a quick hose down...she really worked hard so she was dripping with sweat!  She will be nice and fit when the trainer is done!!!

I'm going to be visiting her again next week and this time she's going to have me ride one of her reiners to see what I can expect Zoe to be like at the end of the 90 days.  I'm really excited!

Anyways, the trainer said that she fully expects all horses that she is working with to be able to be handled safely on the ground by anyone, kid or adult, beginner or experienced so that's why they are working on ground stuff right now instead of jumping on her and riding right away. I appreciate that.  She's a no-nonsense, knows what she wants trainer and I believe I made the right choice bringing Zoe to her.

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"There are no original ideas.  There are only original people."
-Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

Preg Check Results

We took Star to the vet and...she's NOT pregnant.  Let me follow that with a long story.  If you choose not to read, at least you have the results and your sleepless nights of wondering if Star was pregnant or not can now be over (only kidding...)!

We made an ultra sound appointment with the vet 21 days after Star's last day of breeding.  Star was a good girl and loaded into the trailer and we were off.  I led her into the stocks and she was almost in when she decided she didn't like the big, black contraption!  We opened the side of the stocks and she walked in that way like a good girl.  The vet came around and "got to work".

Once he had her uterus on the ultrasound screen, I came over for a look.  He said, "Yup, she's about 13 days pregnant."  We told him that wouldn't be possible.  So he looked around and said that we have a couple possible situations:  1. She's not pregnant and has a cyst. 2.  She's pregnant and the fetus is under developed.  If we have situation #2, Star could either abort the fetus herself, the fetus could be absorbed or we could pump Star with hormones for the first 100 days of her pregnancy and hope it helps the foal.  NOT the news we were looking for.

We decided to wait and see if she came back into heat since her next cycle would've been in the next 3 - 5 days.  We kept an eye on her but had a busy weekend so we weren't able to determine if she came into heat.

We made another appointment with the vet a week later to see if the thing we saw had grown.  If it hadn't grown, then it was a cyst.  If it had grown, obviously it was a foal and then we would have to make a decision.

I wasn't able to go to the vet appointment because of work so hubby took Star for me.  I really wanted to go so I made him promise to call before any decisions were made.

He called when the appointment was over because it was determined that Star had a cyst.  The vet said to try breeding her again because he's seen mares with more and larger cysts get pregnant and there's no reason she didn't get pregnant.  So there you have it.  We will try again...this weekend. 

It's getting REALLY late to breed her but I just have to have a foal out of Star before it's too late.  I got a picture sent to me of one of Star's foals (he's the same age as Zoe) and he's beautiful and extremely talented!  The people that own him said he is their dream horse and don't think they will ever own another horse like him in their lifetime!  They pretty much love him.  Which fuels my fire to get another good foal out of Star and reiterates why I want something out of her to keep.

I have more news, but that will have to wait for another post!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Common sense is instinct, and enough of it is genius."

-Josh Billings

Boot Camp

Saturday morning I woke up early.  I didn't want to oversleep and I was way too excited to sleep anyway!  My plan was to feed and then give her a bath.  I threw some hay and filled the water and then went inside for my coffee.  I went back out after about 45 minutes thinking she would be done.  Apparently she doesn't eat her breakfast very fast because she had a lot left to eat!  So I changed my plans.  I decided to just do a really good grooming and trim up her bridle path.  That would save me a TON of time!

So with all of this extra time now, I got the truck hooked up to the trailer, made sure the current Coggins was in the truck and went inside to start getting my family ready.  My youngest son is very hard to wake up in the morning, we call him the bear, so it takes some time to get him up and ready to go.  He growled and moaned until I threatened to throw water in his face (works every time!).  Ok, so let me tell you that by this time it was 8:30 am and I put all the kids to bed the night before at 9 pm.  Plenty of sleep.  Hubby said he wanted to leave at 9:30 am to give us enough time (we had to be there at 10 am) so these kids needed to get breakfast and dressed.  On a school day it we give them an hour or so to get ready so I figured we had better plan on the same time frame.

At 9:00 am I got Zoe from her breakfast.  She was still eating.  Seriously.  Still eating.  I tied her to the trailer and did a thorough grooming.  She was as shiny as a horse without a bath can get.  Her mane was nice (except for the spot where she rubbed her mane out and is starting to come back in so it stands straight up!) and her tail was gorgeous.  I trimmed up her bridle path but left her whiskers and her fuzzy ears alone.  No point in taking the fuzz off with all of the flies - we're not going to a show so I never trim up those areas.  I sprayed her good with fly spray and cleaned her feet.  Then it was time to go!  Hubby was impatiently waiting for me to load Zoe.  While I was grooming, he had loaded the kiddos in the truck so he was ready.

I led Zoe into the trailer but she only put her front feet in and stopped.  WTH?  She always loads so I didn't know what was different this time.  Oh wait!  The smell is probably different than the last time.  We own a stock/horse combo gooseneck trailer and a neighbor (our feed guy) borrowed the trailer to haul some steers.  When we got it back, it was disgusting.  We cleaned it the best we could but I'm sure that's what she was smelling and wasn't so sure about.  I just gave her a little time and coaxed her a little and she jumped the rest of the way in.  I shut the door, climbed into the truck and we were off!

The drive was uneventful and we got the the trainer's barn in plenty of time.  Zoe was calling excessively when we arrived.  There is a beautiful, palomino stud there and he wasn't even interested in her, although a big bay gelding was VERY interested.  He answered her every call.  It didn't take long and the trainer was out at the trailer.  We talked some business talk about what she was going to do, what I expected, money, etc.  Then it was time to unload.  Zoe was a hot mess in that trailer.  She had pooped and it was on the runny side so her backside was messy and of course she stomped in it so now her feet were messy and she was all sweaty.  I guess all that grooming and extra TLC that morning was for nothing.  Dang mare.  Zoe unloaded fine but was very alert.  She was good but had to be reminded a couple times that she can't push me around just to see what was around her.

We put her in her turnout behind the barn.  She was being penned next to two geldings on one side and a big gelding on the other.  She immediately set out to sniff the perimeter - not caring about the horses in the pen next to her.  At this point the stud actually acknowledged that she was there only by looking her direction.  He never called to her the entire time we were there - amazing!

We did some more small talk and it was time to go.  As a side note, I really like her.  I think she has the right methods for training.  She's not a bully but has expectations of the horse.  She expects them to behave and lets them know when they aren't (Zoe needs to be reminded of that).  She knows what she wants and how to ask the horse for it, which is also very important.  She said she will work with Zoe everyday and if she misses a day during the week she will make up for it on the weekend.  She was going to let Zoe settle in for a couple days and start working on Monday.  We've been having extreme heat (in the mid to upper 90's with high humidity) this week so I wonder what all she did.  She was going to start on ground work and see what holes are there.  She will move on to saddle work once she feels Zoe is ready for it.  The pace is going to be set by Zoe so if Zoe decides she wants to learn it could go very quickly.  If she decides to be difficult, it will take longer.  That's another reason I like her.  So I've been dying to text her to see how things are going but it's only been a few days so I don't want to seem over anxious...ya know?  I will wait until next week...I guess.

Sorry about not taking any pictures.  I was way too nervous excited to even think about taking pictures!  Maybe when I go for a visit I will remember to take pictures!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Smile, it's free therapy."

-Douglas Horton

Another Successful Lesson

Another lesson yesterday for middle daughter.  It was in the 90's so their lesson consisted of walking.  While walking, they worked on steering and posture.  Middle daughter did very well and it was a fun night for everyone there!  After the lesson was over, she had to spray Sara down in the wash stall.  This was a first for her and she really liked it!  I got to meet the owner of Romeo, an arab/appaloosa cross.  His name is so fitting because he likes to give kisses!  Every time I put my hand out to pet him, he would lick my hand...every.single.time.  He had so much personality - I just love him!

I dropped Zoe off at the trainer's on Saturday...but that's another post for later...

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"When you love someone all your saved up wishes start coming out."

-Elizabeth Bowen

First Lesson

The day started as any other day would.  Busy - trying to get out of the door to work on time.  Work was VERY busy and it was a struggle to leave on time.  I HAVE to leave on time, I kept telling myself.

4:45pm rolled around and I was running (well, walking quickly) out to my car.  I had to mail out 3 packages at the post office and then I could be on my way home.  Please don't be busy, please don't be busy!  Thankfully, the post office wasn't so I was on my way in a short amount of time. 

Let's see... the lesson is at 6pm and it takes me a half hour to get home and then another half hour to get to the new barn.  Dinner?  Let's hope hubby has that going already!

The phone rings, it's hubby.  He tells me dinner is almost done and to hurry up so I have time to eat before we leave.

I got home at 5:15 pm leaving me 15 minutes to eat and change my clothes.  Middle daughter was ready to go already (what a good girl!) and dinner was on the table (grilled chicken, broccoli and biscuits - I got myself a good man!!).

I ate as fast as I dared (didn't want to get indigestion while at a barn!!) and then excused myself to change my clothes.

As middle daughter and I headed out to the car, oldest son and youngest son said they wanted to come along and watch.  No problem - just get in the car quickly!

We left on time and thankfully arrived on time.

E (riding instructor) was there waiting for us.  We gave E the poster middle daughter made and then it was time to start.  Middle daughter was given an assignment the week before.  She had to read a packet and then draw a poster with some of the stuff she learned.  It was cute!  She drew a picture of Ty and labeled different parts of the horse.  Then drew a saddle and bridle and name the parts on each.

E showed middle daughter were the helmets and brushes were kept and then it was time to take Sara (show name is Serendipity) out.  E put her in the cross ties right in front of her stall.

E and middle daughter went over horse safety, the brushes and grooming techniques.  Middle daughter knew all of it so it was a quick lesson.  Together they saddled up Sara and it was time to go riding.  Even though I had told E that middle daughter wanted to do western riding, they used an english saddle.  They don't have a western saddle small enough for middle daughter.  I was fine with it and so was middle daughter.  It won't hurt for her to ride in an english saddle...that's how I learned!

They rode in the indoor because surprisingly, it was pretty cool inside that barn!  The boys and I sat in the lounge and watched.  I couldn't hear what E was saying but middle daughter looked great on that pony!

The whole lesson was about 45 minutes long and then they were heading back to the cross ties.  They untacked and brushed Sara and put her away.

Middle daughter's first lesson was officially over.  She had a great time and is excited for her next lesson! :)

I couldn't be happier!  However, I also learned a lesson...never take youngest son to the barn again.  'Nuf said on that.  We are all looking forward to next week Monday to "do the dance" all over again!

Until next time!


Quote for the day:
"God gives talent.  Work transforms talent into genius."

-Anna Pavlova

Riding Lessons

I mentioned here that hubby and I were looking into lessons for middle daughter.  We had it down to 2 possible instructors and we made a decision on one this past week.  What did it for me was that this instructor (we'll call her B) was all about classical riding principles.  She is a dressage rider/trainer and is very active in western dressage.  It also turns out that she went to high school with hubby - small world!

We called B and she said she had only 2 openings left!  I quickly spoke up for one of the openings and we took a drive out to the barn to meet everyone and to get a tour.  After meeting her and her assistant (we'll call her E), we got to meet the pony, Sara, that middle daughter will be riding.  She's a cute POA that's been there, done that.  At 20 years old, she's seen and done a lot!

Lessons will officially begin next week.  E will start off evaluating what she knows and will fill in any holes.  Once she has the basics and is walk/trot/canter competently, she will move to B's class.  If middle daughter is comfortable, she will go into a group lesson of no more than 2 other girls her age.  If middle daughter doesn't like that, she can still have private lessons.  Another thing that stuck out that I really liked was they stop when the lesson is learned, not when the clock runs out. 

The barn and everything about the farm is beautiful - I will get some pictures next time!  HUGE indoor riding arena, nice outdoor arena, beautiful stalls, green pastures, white fencing, and CLEAN!

I don't know who is more excited about lessons, me or middle daughter!!!

Until next time!




Quote for the day:
"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

-Seneca

Trainer

Back to Zoe again...if anyone is actually reading this blog, they might be asking about what happened with Zoe and the trainer (we'll call her K)?  Well, we haven't been able to get a date lined up for Zoe to get dropped off.  We are now looking at bringing her next week.  I have to call K on Monday to firm up on the day.

I'm still very excited about the prospect of having Zoe riding better.  I don't expect her to be perfect, but I'm tired of riding a ticking time bomb so if K can figure that out so I don't have to take anymore falls that would be awesome!

I'm also looking forward to lessons with K.  Once Zoe has been there for 3 weeks I am to start taking lessons on her with K.  K will teach me what she has taught Zoe so there is good communication between us.

I'm not sure how long Zoe will stay at K's, it all depends on the first 30 days.  If K determines that Zoe will make a good reining horse, she will stay longer.  If not, she might come home - that just depends on what else we need to accomplish before she comes home.  I'm not one of those people that expects the horse to conform to a time frame.   K can train Zoe at Zoe's pace and if that pace is slow, than so be it.  I want a horse without holes in her training please!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Seeing through is rarely seeing into."

-Elizabeth Bibesco

Breeding Star

I couldn't think of a creative title to this post so there you have it..."Breeding Star".  That's pretty much all we did this weekend!  I'm glad that she will be coming out of her heat cycle soon because I'm tired of the drive!

A recap...Friday night when we arrived we dug a hole in the pen for Star's back feet.  Brother-in-law got the stud out and kept him in line.  Reinforced the ground work before nosing him up to Star.  He remained calm and climbed on - this time the breeding was successful and uneventful!  We were all very excited with the outcome!

Saturday night we backed Star into the hole while brother-in-law got the stud.  The stud was a little more amped this time around - he knew what was coming!  Brother-in-law did some more ground work and the stud did a kick out in Star's direction (he didn't land it).  So more ground work was done to make sure Mr. Stallion realized that was not allowed.  He successfully bred Star again without further incident.

Sunday night we tried to repeat Friday and Saturday but the stud was JUICED to say the least!  He was "light on the front end" as brother-in-law put it.  This time when the stud was nosed up to Star he reared and landed on her side.  This was totally unacceptable and brother-in-law made sure that the stud didn't try those antics again.  Next time he approached Star, brother-in-law positioned himself between the stud and Star's butt and once the stud was calmed down, he stepped out of the way and Mr. Stud had another successful breeding.

We would've brought Star home Sunday night but a neighbor is borrowing our trailer right now so as soon as our trailer returns we will bring her home.  I would be surprised if she came up open but if she does, we will try again on her next cycle.  But like I said, I think she's bred. :)

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it."

-George A. Moore

A Baby In Our Future?

As I mentioned before, we are breeding Star.  On Wednesday, hubby sent me a text that Star was in - plans changed and we loaded her up in the trailer and off we went!  Dropped her off where she can be bred.  Unfortunately, that's not how simple our day was...

Let me start at the beginning of our day...

I went to work, planning on leaving at 3pm for the Coggins test for Zoe.  She had to be to the vet at 4pm.  I left work 15 minutes late because I am SUPER busy right now but I got home with plenty-o time to load up and go (the vet is 10 min. away).  On my way home, hubby texted me that Star was in heat today so that meant bringing Star to get her bred HAD to be done TODAY.  When I got home I changed my clothes (I work in an office), grabbed Zoe and loaded her in the trailer.  She's great loading so that was a very quick transaction! :)  Good girl!

Off to the vet we went.  No issues there either.  A perfect angel, she was!

On the way home, we stopped off at the daycare lady's house to pick up the kiddos.  Of course she wanted to see Zoe, so we did a little show-and-tell presentation in her driveway.  The neighbors were all very excited to see her.  We live in a small farm community so having a horse in town is perfectly acceptable. :)  Again, Zoe was very well behaved.  I was a proud horsey momma!

After we left, we called the stallion owner (brother-in-law) and told him we were coming up soon.  He asked us if we could swing by a neighbor's house and pick up another mare that was also getting bred.  She was just around the corner so it wasn't a big deal. 

When we got home we unloaded Zoe, changed a dirty diaper (tmi???), loaded up some hay in the trailer, loaded up the kids in the truck, loaded Star (who also loads very easily) and we were off.  Got to our neighbor's house to get the mare and she also loaded very well.  Neighbor had 10 bales of hay we had to load and then we were finally on the road to brother-in-law's house.  It's now 6pm.

The drive was uneventful.  Unloading both horses was uneventful. 

We decided to see how the stud was going to be with Star. If something did go wrong, there were 3 of us to help with any situation that could possibly happen.  A little background info on the stud: he's 4 and bred one mare on accident (didn't realize he had "dropped" yet) so he's very inexperienced and we had no idea how he was with his mares.  A little background info on us:  we've owned stallions before and have handled the breeding ourselves for several years.  We know what we're doing.

The stud was very excited at the new comers and Star was probably just as excited to see him!  The stud was very well behaved while in-hand.  Minded his manners and listened astonishingly well with only a rope halter and lead on.  I'm sure brother-in-law was very proud of his stud horse.  The two nosed up and Star was quite the lady...yeah right.  If you have ever been around a mare in heat with a stud at her nose, you understand.  She did what all mares in heat do.  Gross.  Have some class, would ya???  j/k

Since he was being so good, brother-in-law put the lead rope over his back and let him go.  The stud was talking, nibbling and sniffing Star all over.  Star was a statue.  Stood there waiting, making it very easy for him.  He tried at first to climb on her side.  Brother-in-law pulled him down.  He went back to her face and talked some more.  Made his way around to her butt climbed on but couldn't figure out where things were supposed to go so he climbed back off.  Almost looked defeated.  Brother-in-law picked up the lead rope again and walked  him away. 

We decided that since he had been a good boy that we would try pasture breeding and let him and Star go.  Star stood like a good girl while the stud circled around her, nibbling on her as he went.  She didn't mind.  Well then he got more aggressive and started chewing.  He would go down her front legs, then her back legs, and then down her sides.  She got sick of it and started running off.  That just made him more aggressive.  She started kicking at him when he would bite her.  Things were getting worse by the minute.  The kicks weren't phasing him one bit and she was really firing them off (and landing 90% of them on either his chest or his sides)!  It was time to step in.  He wasn't jumping, just chasing her around, trying to control her movements (this is what stallions do).  Hubby stepped in and grabbed the stud very easily.  Like I said, he's a good horse person and the stud was a good boy when being handled.  As soon as hubby grabbed the lead, the stud calmed right down and acted like a puppy again.  Star stopped too.  She just stood there waiting for him to try again.  Hubby led the stud around to make sure he had a handle on him, which he did, and led him over to Star again.  Star waiting again while the stud "got ready" and jumped her.  He never penetrated but went through the motions like he was supposed to.

By this time the stud was dripping in sweat but wasn't finished yet with Star.  But we decided to call it a day and put him back in his pen with his buddies.  They all ran around like crazy sniffing him but settled down.  We did some thinking about the events that just took place and it's very possible that Star is too tall and he's too inexperienced.  We are trying again tonight but this time we are digging a hole for Star to stand in so the angle for the stud is better and we won't be doing pasture breeding with this stud, he's much better in hand.

I fed Star her hay and grain, made sure she had fresh water and we went on our way.  Our kids (who stayed in the barn so we didn't have to have the "birds and the bees" talk) were hungry...it was now 7:30 pm and we hadn't had dinner yet.  We would've stopped on our way home but our big hayfield was getting baled and hubby wanted to get home ASAP so he could start getting the bales off the field.  Needless to say, dinner was out of a can and made at about 8:30 pm.  We finally crashed into our beds around 10 pm...it was a long day for us!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it."

-William Penn

Check

Get the Coggins pulled on Zoe...check!
Give Zoe her 5-way...check!
Worm Zoe...check!
Zoe's feet trimmed...check!
First ride this year on Zoe...check!
I think we are ready for the trainer!  Just need to wait until the first of the month before bringing her!

By the way, did you catch that the first ride was completed?  She did a lot of bucking once the saddle was on and I made her move out - I wish she would stop that.  Doesn't reassure me that I will be able to ride without round penning her first. 

Ok, let me start over...I pulled her away from her buddies - very upsetting for her.  I round penned her (about 20 minutes) until she was working/listening to me consistently.  I put the saddle pad on, her eyes were bugging out of her head.  I took the saddle pad off, she shied away.  Great...it's like dealing with a yearling who's never experienced being saddled before.  I decided I wouldn't take any part of the saddling process for granted and to treat her like she's never been saddled.  Pad on, pad off.  Pad on, pad off.  Repeated that several times until she was relaxed and bored with it.  Next was the saddle.  I repeated the same procedure with the saddle that I did with the pad.  Saddle on, saddle off.  Once the saddle was on and she was bored, I jostled it around, flapped the stirrups around, basically made it move and make sounds as much as possible.  She didn't care.  I tightened the cinch - again didn't care.  Then we did some round pen work.  She got to bucking several times but eventually settled down.  As soon as she started bucking, I would make her move out.  I don't want her to think that it's allowed to buck when the saddle is on, whether I'm in the saddle or not.  I want to be able to ride without round penning first to "get the buck" out of her.  I'm sure people out there will disagree with that...but I don't care.  My horse, my training methods.

Anyways, I decided to put the bridle on and then round pen her one more time but this time she went around like 2 times each direction and I figured we were ready for riding.  I mounted, dismounted.  Mounted, dismounted until she was bored again and then just sat in the saddle.  At first she was very alert then bored.  Her boredom turned into "alright, let's do something already" so I asked for a walk.  She complied willingly but she felt like a ticking time bomb.  We worked on steering, stopping, backing, moving off leg pressure and all the while I couldn't shake the feeling of riding a ball of energy just waiting to explode!

Needless to say, we only did walking exercises.  Her steering needs some major improvement before we start trotting.  We have to have the basics down at the walk before going faster.  Plus I want her to relax and realize that me riding isn't so bad.  She was on edge the entire ride.  My hubby commented that she looked scared and that's exactly how she felt under saddle.  I know she really picks up on the emotion of her rider but I honestly can say I wasn't scared or nervous so it makes me wonder WTF did her previous owners do to her?  Or maybe it's what they didn't do???  There have been other instances here and there that I've thought that too.  I know how she acts when she's never experienced things before (curious, lots of blowing through her nose but mostly curiosity) and then there's when she's panicked about something - like she's deathly afraid of what I'm going to do to her or what an object is going to do - her whole body shakes, her eyes are rolling and her head is as high up as she can get it.  Poor thing!  So many skeletons in her closet...

So back to the riding.  I think I rode her for 30 minutes.  We got to a good place and called it a night.  I think we were both relieved it was done.  It's like she was so defensive when I was riding...  She let out a huge sigh and then started chewing once I had her bridle off and halter back on.  Untacking was a breeze and I returned her to her friends.  I was curious how she would act when it was time to come back in so about an hour later I went to catch her.  The only thing different was this time I had to walk about halfway to get her, normally she runs to the gate when she sees me coming.  No biggie.

Well, tonight we will go at it again.  I hope tonight's ride will be more relaxing for her!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance."

-Alan Watts

More Big Plans

I have decided to breed Star.  I'm coming to grips with the fact that she is now considered a senior equine and I want something to continue on with after she's gone.  She has had two foals before and was a wonderful mother.  One of her foals had to be put down due to an unfortunate accident and the other foal is a successful show horse.  Both of her foals were awesome horses with great conformations and I believe Star has the mind that everybody wants in their horses.  The future foal would be an excellent contributor to the AQHA breed.  Star embodies the AQHA breed perfectly and the sire I have chosen is of great quality, improving the bloodlines.  He is a perlino stud out of the great Dinero (Frenchman's Hay Day), Sheryl Cervi's great palomino barrel racing stud.  Because of this stud's color, we are expecting the foal to be a palomino - wouldn't that be awesome?

This is Star and her 2nd foal, Gus.  Gus is a successful show horse!

Oh, and one more awesome fact about the stud...he's out of my Zoe!!!  So I'm getting a foal out of my Star, and it will be a grand baby of Zoe!  Talk about a double bonus!

We have big plans for the future of the foal...but let's not count the chicks before they hatch!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Trust yourself, you know more than you think you do."

-Benjamin Spock

Riding Time

A week or so ago middle daughter had a friend over who is in love with horses.  We've had her over before.  This time instead of only brushing and leading the horses, we did some riding.  Her mom said she was counting down the hours until she got to come over!  I had to work that day so they had to wait until I was home before being able to ride.  I'm sure it was torture for them!

Immediately after I got home, I got Star out for the girls.  I had put a good ride in on her the weekend before and she behaved PERFECTLY - like winter never happened!  That mare continues to impress me.  In years before I always had to put in a week or two of riding daily to get back what we lost over winter but this year she was awesome!

She stood like a rock while the girls fussed over every inch of her body, brushing her several times.  I saddled her up and the pony rides began.  Middle daughter's friend was scared to ride by herself and I wasn't sure if she knew how so I was happy to lead her around.  Then middle daughter wanted to join.  She knows how to ride so she did the driving and her friend was happy to sit behind her.

They each took turns riding by themselves but middle daughter rode by herself and did some canter work.  That girl can ride - so much more talent than I ever had at that age (she's 7).

Star did really well for the girls but I noticed she was slightly off again at the trot.  It's the phantom limp...no idea what causes it or how to treat it.  She doesn't seem bothered by it, I've had the farrier check her out and he said to keep riding unless she shows me that she is upset.  I always take it easy with her when I notice she's off, maybe I baby her and she's figured out how to get out of more work...who knows.

Because of all the riding the girls did and the fact that Star is out of shape and in her elderly years, we cold hosed Star's legs and did a quick rinse of the rest of her body.  It was a hot and sticky night so I'm sure it felt good!

All in all, it was a wonderful horsey night with the girls!  I'm so proud of my daughter and my horse - love them so much!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be."

-Socrates

It's Happening - For Realz!!

Yup!  The reining trainer said she's got an opening for my Zoe!!!  I have to pull a new Coggins on her and vaccinate her and then she'll be ready to go!  So she might be gone by early next week!  I can hardly contain my excitement!!!

First things first, Zoe has been having some 'tude on the ground again.  Last night hubby was helping me bring the horses in.  I had Tyson and he grabbed Zoe.  We walked through the gate calmly and next thing I know, Zoe is almost plowing me over!  She blew past hubby and when she got to the end of the lead rope she got yanked back around.  That was a first!  She ALWAYS goes through the gate with AWESOME manners.  She never rushes through and immediately swings herself around so I can latch the gate.  Every time in a calm manner.  I have no idea what made her do it differently this time but that is unacceptable behavior!

Hubby got her back under control (he's very good with horses - my horse whisperer, is what I call him) and brought her into the barn.  On the way, my brother-in-law's dog (we're pet sitting) was trotting along behind them.  She always does so this isn't something new - and Zoe "double barrel" kicked at the dog.  Both feet in the air at the same time aimed directly for the unsuspecting dog. Thankfully she missed.  Again, that is unacceptable behavior!

Unfortunately we have rain in our forecast (that's why we brought the horses in otherwise they stay out in the summer) so the round pen work has to wait.  But our barn is big enough that I can do some leading work in there with her.  Apparently she needs to go back in the rope halter and start respecting the rules.  I'm pretty sure she's in heat right now, but I don't care.  There is no excuse for misbehaving putting me and anyone else around her in danger.

Back to school she goes!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old."

-Franz Kafka

He's Back

I can't remember if I ever mentioned Tyson on this blog before...I don't think I have.  Tyson is an APHA gelding.  He is out of the same mare as my Zoe, therefore making him a lot like her.  They both have great a conformation and they both LOVE attention.  Tyson is a retired heading horse (team roping).  He'd been all over Michigan with my brother-in-law roping until he got hurt.  I can't remember exactly what happened, all I remember is that it took him a couple years to be rideable again, even after that he would never make a heading horse again because of the risk of re-injury.  My brother-in-law gave him to us for my middle daughter to ride because he didn't have anyone to use him anymore and we were looking for something for her to ride.  Middle daughter clicked with Ty and they were like two peas in a pod.  He loved her and her him!  That was last summer. 

We sent him back to my brother-in-law's house over the winter (that was the agreement) and he hurt himself again.  He kicked through the lean-to metal siding while playing with his other gelding friends and really did it this time!  He sliced off part of his hoof. My brother-in-law took good care of the foot and it has healed completely, however the part of the hoof that was sliced off will never grow back, according to my farrier.  So that makes Ty good for light riding now.  He's sound on the foot at walk and trot, but not any faster.

We brought Ty back home again for the summer for middle daughter to ride again and just when we think we can start riding, he goes and hurts himself playing out in the pasture.  Lame again!  This time on one of his front feet.  So, we've been doctoring the foot every day for the past week or two and it's looking much better.  I think we're out of the woods now with that injury. 

I don't know what's going on with Tyson lately, he was always so easy to have around and all of a sudden he's been getting hurt and having trouble keeping his weight on (the bad hay this winter didn't help).  Maybe he's bored?  Needs a job?  I don't know but we are trying to give him extra attention daily to help with his boredom if that's the problem.  We've noticed that this summer he's been meeting middle daughter by the gate and pushes his head into the halter for her.  Last year he would stand in the pasture waiting for her to get him and then would keep his head just out of her reach for haltering.  Not sure what that means yet but it's been heartwarming to see how much he adores middle daughter. 

We haven't been able to ride him yet this year because of his new injury but maybe by the end of summer middle daughter can walk around on him in the front yard.  I bet he will enjoy that day!

Middle daughter with Tyson last summer

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Start where you are.  Use what you have.  Do what you can."

-Arthur Ashe