Just thought I would document how the farrier visit went...
First up was Melody. She's been doing good with picking up her feet for us most days so I figured we would start with her since she would probably be the worst one of them all. I needn't worry because she did excellent! Stood there patiently while the farrier did his work. The only thing that surprised me was when he first approached her she did a big spook away from him. I think he must've looked funny to her with his chaps and tools in hand. She settled down and he was able to get her done.
Star was no issue...never is!
Gunner stood like a good boy. Sometimes he pulls his feet away but this time he waited until his feet were given back before he put them down. Good boy!
Tyson also was a good boy. I was particularly interested in what the farrier thought about his feet. Ever since Tyson's accident at my brother-in-law's house (which was why he came to live with us), he's never been sound. He's been getting around pretty good in turnout but I like to hear from a professional what they they think about him. The farrier said Tyson's feet looked surprisingly good! He said if he seems comfortable that we should start riding him again! Seriously? I haven't given that the all clear yet but I think I will saddle him up and give him a schooling in the round pen to see how he goes. I'll decide after that if he can be put back to work after that.
All in all, it was a great time with the farrier. It's been too long since he was last out so it was fun to catch up with him again - he likes to talk a lot so he (and his wife) stayed for 2 hours! Good people!
Well, that's all for now!
Until next time,
Lynell
Showing posts with label Star. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Star. Show all posts
Friday, May 22, 2015
Thursday, May 14, 2015
A Visit
I got invited to see Zoe in June...CAN'T WAIT!!!
Ok, actually they invited me to their daughter's (not T) graduation open house but still...I can see Zoe!
In other news, the farrier is finally able to get to our house on Friday to trim. He got sick over the winter (a bad case of pneumonia) and has been playing catch up all spring. So Friday is our turn!! I hope he's able to stay healthy and keep us in his schedule!! Along with playing catch up, he's moving right down the road from us...how convenient!! ;-) So needless to say, he's been very busy this spring.
Melody has been feeling great! So great, in fact, that she has decided to try biting people again. She got my youngest on her little wrist! My youngest was at her pen and had her hands resting on one of the boards when Melody put her head down to "sniff" and ended up biting her! I'm thinking that she was looking for treats so we have put a stop to feeding her treats. Plus, whenever I lead her out of her pen, she stops (with her butt only half way through the gate) and puts her head down to eat. What a pain!! I need to break her of that habit ASAP!!!!!
Star has been doing so well! She's been prancing, playing and kicking out while in turnout with Melody. Acting like a 2 year old! But her age caught up with her yesterday because after her little playful bout with Melody, she ended up getting sore on her back leg. This morning she was fine again...no swelling or heat. So we will chalk it up to a mystery injury while playing....
Not much to report on Tyson. He's in turnout with Gunner and the two seem to be happier without Zoe keeping them in line. They zoom around with each other a lot more than they used to, Zoe must've been a tough lead mare!!
I took the pictures for T's dad of Gunner. He's one of those horses that I just couldn't find a good angle on...so we had a lot of outtakes. It didn't help that it was extremely windy so he was feeling frisky and didn't want to cooperate! Grrr...you be the judge...
Well, that's all the updates for now...
Until next time,
Lynell
Ok, actually they invited me to their daughter's (not T) graduation open house but still...I can see Zoe!
In other news, the farrier is finally able to get to our house on Friday to trim. He got sick over the winter (a bad case of pneumonia) and has been playing catch up all spring. So Friday is our turn!! I hope he's able to stay healthy and keep us in his schedule!! Along with playing catch up, he's moving right down the road from us...how convenient!! ;-) So needless to say, he's been very busy this spring.
Melody has been feeling great! So great, in fact, that she has decided to try biting people again. She got my youngest on her little wrist! My youngest was at her pen and had her hands resting on one of the boards when Melody put her head down to "sniff" and ended up biting her! I'm thinking that she was looking for treats so we have put a stop to feeding her treats. Plus, whenever I lead her out of her pen, she stops (with her butt only half way through the gate) and puts her head down to eat. What a pain!! I need to break her of that habit ASAP!!!!!
Star has been doing so well! She's been prancing, playing and kicking out while in turnout with Melody. Acting like a 2 year old! But her age caught up with her yesterday because after her little playful bout with Melody, she ended up getting sore on her back leg. This morning she was fine again...no swelling or heat. So we will chalk it up to a mystery injury while playing....
Not much to report on Tyson. He's in turnout with Gunner and the two seem to be happier without Zoe keeping them in line. They zoom around with each other a lot more than they used to, Zoe must've been a tough lead mare!!
I took the pictures for T's dad of Gunner. He's one of those horses that I just couldn't find a good angle on...so we had a lot of outtakes. It didn't help that it was extremely windy so he was feeling frisky and didn't want to cooperate! Grrr...you be the judge...
Well, that's all the updates for now...
Until next time,
Lynell
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Warming Up!
The weather is finally starting to warm up! Our February was the coldest I can remember ever having! We basically just went into survival mode that month...so glad that's over with! The horses took the cold weather as good as can be expected. Gunner was the only one who got cold, which surprised me. Before he came to live with us, he was kept outside without a shelter most of the time so I half expected him to winter better than the rest of the horses. But I ended up taking him in and putting him in a stall every night and during the frigid days. We all got through it. I just hope we don't ever have another month like that ever again!! IT WAS FREEZING!!
Anyways, we are back to ground work with the horses, all of them. Tyson had to be reminded that even though the other horses were calling he had to stay with me. He was not thrilled about that. Zoe is a hot mess any time I take a horse out without her. I can't decide if it's jealousy or worry...either way, she's been a handful. Gunner and Star have been fantastic with ground work, not much to report there. I'm not riding yet because the ground in the round pen isn't good yet for riding (the first ride always happens in there) so I will keep taking them out for leading/ground work. Melody has been a handful, just like Zoe. But I believe her issue is that she's buddy sour. Time for her to be in a separate turn out! I have to get a pen set up for her so for now she's still with Star...not for long though! I will be interested to watch her shenanigans when she figures that out!! (insert evil laugh)
Our cows should be calving in the next month or so. It's always exciting when they come! I will take picture!
Lola, the puppy, is also doing fantastic. She's been such a great puppy to train and has a knack for working the chickens. She wants to work the cows so badly but we don't want her to get her confidence crushed if one of the cows kicks or hooks her. She will work cows after she's a year old. Then the real cow dog training will start! Until then, we work on her basic commands. She does pretty good!
Well, that's all for now! More later!
Quote for the day:
"Lost time is never found again."
Anyways, we are back to ground work with the horses, all of them. Tyson had to be reminded that even though the other horses were calling he had to stay with me. He was not thrilled about that. Zoe is a hot mess any time I take a horse out without her. I can't decide if it's jealousy or worry...either way, she's been a handful. Gunner and Star have been fantastic with ground work, not much to report there. I'm not riding yet because the ground in the round pen isn't good yet for riding (the first ride always happens in there) so I will keep taking them out for leading/ground work. Melody has been a handful, just like Zoe. But I believe her issue is that she's buddy sour. Time for her to be in a separate turn out! I have to get a pen set up for her so for now she's still with Star...not for long though! I will be interested to watch her shenanigans when she figures that out!! (insert evil laugh)
Our cows should be calving in the next month or so. It's always exciting when they come! I will take picture!
Lola, the puppy, is also doing fantastic. She's been such a great puppy to train and has a knack for working the chickens. She wants to work the cows so badly but we don't want her to get her confidence crushed if one of the cows kicks or hooks her. She will work cows after she's a year old. Then the real cow dog training will start! Until then, we work on her basic commands. She does pretty good!
Well, that's all for now! More later!
Quote for the day:
"Lost time is never found again."
-Benjamin Franklin
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Star & Melody's Shenanigans
We've completed the bute pills regime for Star now. She's doing much better now but still ouchy in the spot at the end of her ribs. Might have a cracked rib in there, but there's really nothing we can do for that. The swelling has gone down to almost nothing now so the vet doesn't think we need to do another blood test, but if the swelling reoccurs definitely need to have him come out again. She was feeling so good the other day that she was bucking and leaping around in her turn out withe Melody! I can't even tell you how happy I was to see her acting that way!!
Speaking of Melody...I was bringing Star to her turnout and left Melody in her pen in the barn by herself. She didn't care for that at all! She got to bucking and leaping in her pen while Star and I were walking away. That stuff never phases Star...she had one thing on her mind and that was her turn out! I went back to get Melody and she met me at the gate. She tried to be patient while I put her halter on. I could see it in her eye that she was anxiously waiting to get past the gate. As I opened the gate she pushed past me and got the end of the lead rope and jerked around. Naughty, naughty. I don't tolerate bad gate manners - too many accidents happen at gates (or anywhere with a naughty horse)! We did a few more passes in and out of the gate until she walked through like a good girl. Then we were on our way to the turn out. Star was standing at the gate waiting for us. Melody was practically dragging me all the way to the turn out, so I decided we would do more leading work. We would walk away from the gate/turnout, then circle back. Every time we would turn away she would whip her hips around and face me like she was saying "Umm, you missed the gate lady!" and then pull on the lead all the way back to the gate again. We did this for a while...I'm not sure how long it took but I know my hands were cold by the time she "calmed down". I decided we were at a place I was comfortable with ending so we headed back to the gate. We were almost to the gate when she reared up and started bucking and jumping with all fours off the ground. She never came at me or tried to strike me so I waited for her to finish. Then we were off to the round pen for some work.
Once she got her bucks and kicks out, she actually worked really well. On a side note: Our December weather here has been unseasonably warm with temps in the 40's most days so the footing in the round pen was fine for working. I was very pleased at how well she listened and had retained what work we had done in the fall. To be honest, I haven't done much since we had the major snow storm in November. To end our work session, we worked on her bending. She still has issues with that so we will keep working on that. Then she was finally out with Star and happy about that! They played together for a few minutes and then got the serious business of finding blades of grass that could be eaten.
That's all for now!
Quote for the day:
"It is a fine seasoning for joy to think of those we love."
Speaking of Melody...I was bringing Star to her turnout and left Melody in her pen in the barn by herself. She didn't care for that at all! She got to bucking and leaping in her pen while Star and I were walking away. That stuff never phases Star...she had one thing on her mind and that was her turn out! I went back to get Melody and she met me at the gate. She tried to be patient while I put her halter on. I could see it in her eye that she was anxiously waiting to get past the gate. As I opened the gate she pushed past me and got the end of the lead rope and jerked around. Naughty, naughty. I don't tolerate bad gate manners - too many accidents happen at gates (or anywhere with a naughty horse)! We did a few more passes in and out of the gate until she walked through like a good girl. Then we were on our way to the turn out. Star was standing at the gate waiting for us. Melody was practically dragging me all the way to the turn out, so I decided we would do more leading work. We would walk away from the gate/turnout, then circle back. Every time we would turn away she would whip her hips around and face me like she was saying "Umm, you missed the gate lady!" and then pull on the lead all the way back to the gate again. We did this for a while...I'm not sure how long it took but I know my hands were cold by the time she "calmed down". I decided we were at a place I was comfortable with ending so we headed back to the gate. We were almost to the gate when she reared up and started bucking and jumping with all fours off the ground. She never came at me or tried to strike me so I waited for her to finish. Then we were off to the round pen for some work.
Once she got her bucks and kicks out, she actually worked really well. On a side note: Our December weather here has been unseasonably warm with temps in the 40's most days so the footing in the round pen was fine for working. I was very pleased at how well she listened and had retained what work we had done in the fall. To be honest, I haven't done much since we had the major snow storm in November. To end our work session, we worked on her bending. She still has issues with that so we will keep working on that. Then she was finally out with Star and happy about that! They played together for a few minutes and then got the serious business of finding blades of grass that could be eaten.
That's all for now!
Quote for the day:
"It is a fine seasoning for joy to think of those we love."
-Moliere
Monday, December 8, 2014
News
The vet called Friday afternoon with the news. Her white blood cell count was good but her red blood cell count was low signaling that she is anemic. The vet said that he wasn't too worried about it. He would come back in a month or so and take another blood sample to make sure the red blood cell count didn't drop anymore. In the meantime, we were to "worm her real good" to make sure it wasn't because of worms. I have the horses on a regular worming schedule but I re-wormed them all again on Saturday, just to be on the safe side.
Star has been feeling great since we started her on the Bute pills. We were worried she wouldn't eat her grain with the bitter tasting Bute pills in it, but she cleans up her grain dish - every last bit! The swelling is still there but has gone down and she's been trotting around in her turn out. I have her with Melody in her turnout and I think I'm gonna leave it that way this winter. We seem to have peace within each grouping, so why mess with it?
Gunner's swelling has gone down a little. The vet said he should be back to normal within a week so I'm keeping an eye on it to make sure it does.
I've been doing more groundwork exercises with Melody whenever I lead her in or out of the turnout. She's been introduced to the tarp. I first had her walk on it - no big deal. She sniffed it a little and then walked on and stood with no problem. The next time she walked right onto it, no questions asked. The next time, instead of walking on it, I rubbed her with it. She was alert at first and then got bored. I repeated all the tarp stuff with her for about a week and then moved onto laying it across her, over her head, neck, back and butt. She did some dancing but nothing major. Those lessons were repeated over the following week until she was bored with that too. It doesn't take much for her to be ok with what we work on. She's very trusting and has a good head on her. She came in from turnout the other day with a mystery cut on her face. I have NO IDEA where that could've come from. It's healed up nicely now, though. Being a light colored palomino Melody is absolutely filthy, and you can see every spec of dirt on her! I can't stand it!! Zoe is a buckskin and her cream color gets really light in the winter too but she keeps herself clean, but not Melody! I think she finds the smelliest, muddiest spots in her turnout and rolls, and naps there!! I'm looking forward to the warmer weather already so I can get her clean again! Yuck! I should try to snap a picture just so you can see how nasty her creamy coat is! Oh well, nothing I can do about it. We brush her the best we can but it doesn't get the deep down stuff...
With all that's been going on, not much progress with Zoe lately. She's been itching for work so I did lunge her the other day. She was happy about that! We are going back to working on leadership exercises to help build a better working relationship before the riding happens again. Not that it's a bad relationship but more that we haven't been working together for a while now and I want to start off with a trusting relationship. Make sense?
Well, that's all for now!
Quote for the day:
"He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything."
Star has been feeling great since we started her on the Bute pills. We were worried she wouldn't eat her grain with the bitter tasting Bute pills in it, but she cleans up her grain dish - every last bit! The swelling is still there but has gone down and she's been trotting around in her turn out. I have her with Melody in her turnout and I think I'm gonna leave it that way this winter. We seem to have peace within each grouping, so why mess with it?
Gunner's swelling has gone down a little. The vet said he should be back to normal within a week so I'm keeping an eye on it to make sure it does.
I've been doing more groundwork exercises with Melody whenever I lead her in or out of the turnout. She's been introduced to the tarp. I first had her walk on it - no big deal. She sniffed it a little and then walked on and stood with no problem. The next time she walked right onto it, no questions asked. The next time, instead of walking on it, I rubbed her with it. She was alert at first and then got bored. I repeated all the tarp stuff with her for about a week and then moved onto laying it across her, over her head, neck, back and butt. She did some dancing but nothing major. Those lessons were repeated over the following week until she was bored with that too. It doesn't take much for her to be ok with what we work on. She's very trusting and has a good head on her. She came in from turnout the other day with a mystery cut on her face. I have NO IDEA where that could've come from. It's healed up nicely now, though. Being a light colored palomino Melody is absolutely filthy, and you can see every spec of dirt on her! I can't stand it!! Zoe is a buckskin and her cream color gets really light in the winter too but she keeps herself clean, but not Melody! I think she finds the smelliest, muddiest spots in her turnout and rolls, and naps there!! I'm looking forward to the warmer weather already so I can get her clean again! Yuck! I should try to snap a picture just so you can see how nasty her creamy coat is! Oh well, nothing I can do about it. We brush her the best we can but it doesn't get the deep down stuff...
With all that's been going on, not much progress with Zoe lately. She's been itching for work so I did lunge her the other day. She was happy about that! We are going back to working on leadership exercises to help build a better working relationship before the riding happens again. Not that it's a bad relationship but more that we haven't been working together for a while now and I want to start off with a trusting relationship. Make sense?
Well, that's all for now!
Quote for the day:
"He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything."
-Thomas Carlyle
Friday, December 5, 2014
The Vet
Since the cold weather set in, I started to separate the boys from the girls. Tyson wasn't letting anyone in the lean-to so that meant Star ALWAYS ended up out in the weather. She's gonna be 20 years old next year and I don't need her getting stuck outside in the bad weather we are having so I moved the boys to stalls at night and a different turn out during the day.
Before, the girls got along really well. All three could stand the in the large lean-to comfortably with no issues. Well, there's issues now! Zoe decided she was queen and wouldn't let ANYONE into the lean-to. So I moved her to the stall at night and brought her back out with Star and Melody during the day. This was going great - or so I thought!
It started when I noticed that Star was losing weight. I ended up working with hubby around the barn one day last week and that's when I realized that Star wasn't moving around in her turnout. She would stand in a corner, appearing to be scared to move. That's when I saw Zoe start blasting Star with both back feet right into Star's side!!! Star had nowhere to go so she stood there and took it. WTH?! I was UPSET to say the least! I took Zoe out and put her out with the boys. That was enough of that! If she can't play nice with Star then she will have to go out with Tyson, who is head honcho and will keep her in line! Once Zoe was out, Star let out a big sigh. She immediately walked over to the water and drank for what seemed like forever!
The next day, I went to check on her. Her spirits were up but I noticed she wasn't acting quite like herself. Star isn't a cuddly horse (unless you have treats). She's very sweet but isn't the one who will hang her head on your shoulder or nuzzle your hair. That day, all she wanted to do was rest her head on my shoulder and kept nuzzling me on my neck. In all the years I've owned her, she's NEVER done that. I looked her over carefully and didn't see anything physically wrong with her. So I chalked it up to her "thanking" me for taking Zoe away.
The next night (hubby did chores for me in the morning because I was running late to work) I went to check on her again and this time there were HUGE lumps on her right side and a long swollen area beneath her belly. She was tender to the touch but let me touch her. I called the vet and he called me back right away and told me it could be an allergic reaction and to give her a treatment (with the heaves medication). I did as I was told, hoping that the vet was right. The reason we were wondering about allergies was because I had just switched her to a pelleted grain (no dust) so I immediately stopped feeding that grain to her. I gave her 3 treatments as instructed by the vet and kept an eye on her. I thought I had seen a change for the better one night...
But the next day, she was worse. She wouldn't even let me touch her on that side anymore! I was immediately concerned and called the vet. He said he would come over first thing the next morning. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be there for the vet appointment so hubby was there instead. That was today...he agreed with us that these lumps were probably from getting beat up by Zoe and she might even have a cracked rib. He gave us Bute pills that we are to put in her grain (2 daily) to help with the pain. Hubby pointed out her weight loss and the vet said the stress of being out with Zoe would cause her to lose weight, and then hubby pointed out the swollen area beneath her belly. The vet wasn't sure what the cause for that would be so he took a blood sample. He said he would get the results this afternoon and call us. If it's a tumor, he should be able to remove it fairly easily. But we will just have to wait and see.
While he was there, we had him clean Gunner's sheath. I wasn't sure if he had ever had that done before so the vet took care of that. He said Gunner was very dirty and also agreed that it appeared he had never been cleaned before. Or if he had, it had been a LONG time since the last time. Tyson was done a few months ago so we didn't have him done again. It would be nice if we could get them all on the same schedule next year so we don't have to pay for so many farm calls! I guess that's something I will have to work on next year!
Needless to say, our vet bill is gonna be a big one! With this business with Star, our cows getting preg-checked, Gunner's sheath, and puppy check-ups...it should be a good size bill next month. But, I would do it all over again - LOVE these animals!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
Before, the girls got along really well. All three could stand the in the large lean-to comfortably with no issues. Well, there's issues now! Zoe decided she was queen and wouldn't let ANYONE into the lean-to. So I moved her to the stall at night and brought her back out with Star and Melody during the day. This was going great - or so I thought!
It started when I noticed that Star was losing weight. I ended up working with hubby around the barn one day last week and that's when I realized that Star wasn't moving around in her turnout. She would stand in a corner, appearing to be scared to move. That's when I saw Zoe start blasting Star with both back feet right into Star's side!!! Star had nowhere to go so she stood there and took it. WTH?! I was UPSET to say the least! I took Zoe out and put her out with the boys. That was enough of that! If she can't play nice with Star then she will have to go out with Tyson, who is head honcho and will keep her in line! Once Zoe was out, Star let out a big sigh. She immediately walked over to the water and drank for what seemed like forever!
The next day, I went to check on her. Her spirits were up but I noticed she wasn't acting quite like herself. Star isn't a cuddly horse (unless you have treats). She's very sweet but isn't the one who will hang her head on your shoulder or nuzzle your hair. That day, all she wanted to do was rest her head on my shoulder and kept nuzzling me on my neck. In all the years I've owned her, she's NEVER done that. I looked her over carefully and didn't see anything physically wrong with her. So I chalked it up to her "thanking" me for taking Zoe away.
The next night (hubby did chores for me in the morning because I was running late to work) I went to check on her again and this time there were HUGE lumps on her right side and a long swollen area beneath her belly. She was tender to the touch but let me touch her. I called the vet and he called me back right away and told me it could be an allergic reaction and to give her a treatment (with the heaves medication). I did as I was told, hoping that the vet was right. The reason we were wondering about allergies was because I had just switched her to a pelleted grain (no dust) so I immediately stopped feeding that grain to her. I gave her 3 treatments as instructed by the vet and kept an eye on her. I thought I had seen a change for the better one night...
But the next day, she was worse. She wouldn't even let me touch her on that side anymore! I was immediately concerned and called the vet. He said he would come over first thing the next morning. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be there for the vet appointment so hubby was there instead. That was today...he agreed with us that these lumps were probably from getting beat up by Zoe and she might even have a cracked rib. He gave us Bute pills that we are to put in her grain (2 daily) to help with the pain. Hubby pointed out her weight loss and the vet said the stress of being out with Zoe would cause her to lose weight, and then hubby pointed out the swollen area beneath her belly. The vet wasn't sure what the cause for that would be so he took a blood sample. He said he would get the results this afternoon and call us. If it's a tumor, he should be able to remove it fairly easily. But we will just have to wait and see.
While he was there, we had him clean Gunner's sheath. I wasn't sure if he had ever had that done before so the vet took care of that. He said Gunner was very dirty and also agreed that it appeared he had never been cleaned before. Or if he had, it had been a LONG time since the last time. Tyson was done a few months ago so we didn't have him done again. It would be nice if we could get them all on the same schedule next year so we don't have to pay for so many farm calls! I guess that's something I will have to work on next year!
Needless to say, our vet bill is gonna be a big one! With this business with Star, our cows getting preg-checked, Gunner's sheath, and puppy check-ups...it should be a good size bill next month. But, I would do it all over again - LOVE these animals!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
-Leo Tolstoy
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Moving Foward
My last post talked about saddle fitting on Zoe. I can honestly say that I haven't ridden Zoe even once since that post. I feel ashamed and guilty for letting her 'sit' in the pasture. My life has been so full (imagine that!!) that my progress with Zoe has come to a complete stop. My work with Melody hasn't been consistent and yet she still amazes me with how well she retains her lessons. I rode Star a handful of times and middle daughter rode Gunner a handful of times (his back was sore). I'm so let down with how the end of summer and fall have gone as I had BIG plans. Have the horses been well cared for? Yes, but I haven't spent the time with them that I feel I should. The guilt is overwhelming...but I can't dwell on that, right? I'm moving forward with a new plan...
I know I may have to do lessons with Zoe that we have already done but I'm ok with that. I've found an indoor arena that I can haul to this winter that's really close to home (and SUPER nice) so I can continue our work together through the winter. We will be doing a lot of leadership exercises, trust and body work before I throw a leg over her. She's gonna stand in cross ties (she's never been cross tied before) and stand like a rock when I put the saddle pad and saddle on her among other things. We are going to have all this stuff DOWN! I've put up with her dancing around the saddle and her tying issues long enough! It's time for her to behave and act her age!! ;-)
Melody will be coming along as well, along with Gunner, if middle daughter can make it out to ride with us. Melody will learn to be lunged (already knows how to round pen) and get better with her verbal commands. We will keep working on shoulder and hip yields, giving at the poll, and flexing to both sides (she's not very good at her right side). Her back feet still seem to be a problem with letting us hold them for any length of time so we will continue to work on that as well.
Gunner will need some time in the saddle as well. The last time middle daughter rode him, he bucked her off when she asked him to canter. I have no idea what that was all about! I was so proud of her for picking herself up and getting back on! She landed hard and it really shook her up. No serious injuries, just a little stab at her pride I think. Afterwards, I checked to see if his back was sore again but his back was fine. I checked other spots that might be sore but he seemed fine in those places too. The saddle fit is good so maybe middle daughter did something that triggered the bucking fit or else he learned before that if he bucked he got out of doing it. Either way, I'm gonna have to get on and figure it out.
In other farm news, we replanted the front horse pasture. It was getting full of weeds and the ground was so compacted from years of horses walking on it that the grass couldn't get a good root system going again, hence the weeds. We had the soil tested to see what the ground was lacking and was able to pick up a fertilizer to help the ground produce the best horse pasture grass mix it could. We have to keep the horses off it for one full growing season (all of 2015) so the root system can really take hold. We were told to hay it so it will help the grasses to come in nice and thick. We are really excited to see the fruits of our labor! Oh, and while we were at it, we tore down all the old cow fencing that was up around this pasture. We are putting up electric instead - always hated that fencing!
Not only did we replant the horse pasture, but we built a new horse catch pen. While all of this replanting was going on, we had them in a cow pen. It was fine but it was a reminder that without the horse pasture in the front, we were going to be short on turn outs this winter! So we took another weekend and built a safe catch/turnout pen for the horses with a shelter. This is where Star and her buddy (undecided on who) will spend the winter nights while the others are in their stalls. Speaking of stalls, we built insulated water bucket holders for the stalls. I'm excited to put these things to use this winter! Last winter was awful with trying to keep the water fresh and unfrozen. (Hubby doesn't like to use the heated water buckets because he had a bad experience with them once and now refuses to use them....) We also built two extras for outside in the shelter for Star and her buddy. I'll try to take a picture of them so you can see what we built...I will let you know how they work too!
Another farm project completed is my new tack room/office in the barn. It's wonderful - and much bigger than my old tack room! In order to complete the new tack room, we also built new saddle racks. This time I have enough saddle racks for ALL of my saddles. I used to always be 1 rack short so it was kept in the house, which is fine except it's a pain to haul a big western saddle out of the house whenever you want to ride. So my brand new Billy Cook saddle still has very little use... The new feed room is going right next to the new tack room but we haven't finished it yet. Just have to put the floor in and then it will be complete.
In addition to all of that, we also built a new lean-to for the cows (it's HUGE) and are working on another one. We added beef cows to our regime of animals this summer so more and larger shelters were needed. I guess you could say we've been busy!
One more announcement...we added a new member to our family!
Meet Lola! She's a red tri Australian Shepherd and we love her to pieces! Couldn't be happier with our choice! She and Riggin (black tri Australian Shepherd) have become good friends! She will follow him anywhere and learns from him all the time, which is why we bought her now instead of waiting. Riggin is probably the BEST dog we've ever had the privilege of owning and is getting up there in age. We wanted him to pass along his knowledge to the next pup so now was the best time.
So that's a snapshot of what's been going on with me lately. Not to mention the fact that I have 5 children, two of which are on student council this year, one is in high school and just had her first homecoming...My life is full, but that's exactly how I like it!
That's all for now!
Quote for the day:
"Never mistake activity for achievement."
I know I may have to do lessons with Zoe that we have already done but I'm ok with that. I've found an indoor arena that I can haul to this winter that's really close to home (and SUPER nice) so I can continue our work together through the winter. We will be doing a lot of leadership exercises, trust and body work before I throw a leg over her. She's gonna stand in cross ties (she's never been cross tied before) and stand like a rock when I put the saddle pad and saddle on her among other things. We are going to have all this stuff DOWN! I've put up with her dancing around the saddle and her tying issues long enough! It's time for her to behave and act her age!! ;-)
Melody will be coming along as well, along with Gunner, if middle daughter can make it out to ride with us. Melody will learn to be lunged (already knows how to round pen) and get better with her verbal commands. We will keep working on shoulder and hip yields, giving at the poll, and flexing to both sides (she's not very good at her right side). Her back feet still seem to be a problem with letting us hold them for any length of time so we will continue to work on that as well.
Gunner will need some time in the saddle as well. The last time middle daughter rode him, he bucked her off when she asked him to canter. I have no idea what that was all about! I was so proud of her for picking herself up and getting back on! She landed hard and it really shook her up. No serious injuries, just a little stab at her pride I think. Afterwards, I checked to see if his back was sore again but his back was fine. I checked other spots that might be sore but he seemed fine in those places too. The saddle fit is good so maybe middle daughter did something that triggered the bucking fit or else he learned before that if he bucked he got out of doing it. Either way, I'm gonna have to get on and figure it out.
In other farm news, we replanted the front horse pasture. It was getting full of weeds and the ground was so compacted from years of horses walking on it that the grass couldn't get a good root system going again, hence the weeds. We had the soil tested to see what the ground was lacking and was able to pick up a fertilizer to help the ground produce the best horse pasture grass mix it could. We have to keep the horses off it for one full growing season (all of 2015) so the root system can really take hold. We were told to hay it so it will help the grasses to come in nice and thick. We are really excited to see the fruits of our labor! Oh, and while we were at it, we tore down all the old cow fencing that was up around this pasture. We are putting up electric instead - always hated that fencing!
Not only did we replant the horse pasture, but we built a new horse catch pen. While all of this replanting was going on, we had them in a cow pen. It was fine but it was a reminder that without the horse pasture in the front, we were going to be short on turn outs this winter! So we took another weekend and built a safe catch/turnout pen for the horses with a shelter. This is where Star and her buddy (undecided on who) will spend the winter nights while the others are in their stalls. Speaking of stalls, we built insulated water bucket holders for the stalls. I'm excited to put these things to use this winter! Last winter was awful with trying to keep the water fresh and unfrozen. (Hubby doesn't like to use the heated water buckets because he had a bad experience with them once and now refuses to use them....) We also built two extras for outside in the shelter for Star and her buddy. I'll try to take a picture of them so you can see what we built...I will let you know how they work too!
Another farm project completed is my new tack room/office in the barn. It's wonderful - and much bigger than my old tack room! In order to complete the new tack room, we also built new saddle racks. This time I have enough saddle racks for ALL of my saddles. I used to always be 1 rack short so it was kept in the house, which is fine except it's a pain to haul a big western saddle out of the house whenever you want to ride. So my brand new Billy Cook saddle still has very little use... The new feed room is going right next to the new tack room but we haven't finished it yet. Just have to put the floor in and then it will be complete.
In addition to all of that, we also built a new lean-to for the cows (it's HUGE) and are working on another one. We added beef cows to our regime of animals this summer so more and larger shelters were needed. I guess you could say we've been busy!
One more announcement...we added a new member to our family!
So that's a snapshot of what's been going on with me lately. Not to mention the fact that I have 5 children, two of which are on student council this year, one is in high school and just had her first homecoming...My life is full, but that's exactly how I like it!
That's all for now!
Quote for the day:
"Never mistake activity for achievement."
-John Wooden
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
A Few Random Things
I just thought I would quick share what's been going on with the horses lately:
Melody has been getting round penned three days a week. She picked up on it pretty quick. I think she enjoys the work and I enjoy watching her move - what a beauty!
Zoe gave me a great ride last weekend but that's not without a little drama beforehand. The last few times I've thrown the saddle up on her she's acted like she's never seen the saddle before and FREAKS out. I did the slow, let her sniff the saddle approach. I tried the deliberate, don't make it a big deal approach. Freaks out the same both ways and didn't improve at all. This has got me thinking about why? She's muscled up quite a bit now (and gained weight) so I'm wondering if this is her way of telling me that the saddle is too small. Hopefully tonight I will be able to get the saddle I've been using on her and take a close look. If that saddle appears to be too small, I will try my other saddle. I hope I can figure this out soon. I don't want to ride her in a saddle that's too small...
Star has been doing great! She hasn't coughed since the medication regime was finished. She's been staying sound as well so I hope to take her out more often but there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day since I work a full time job, have other horses, and have 5 children. It's a balancing act for sure!
Gunner has had time off. He's been bucking lately and actually bucked middle daughter off. She's fine but I would like to get his back checked to make sure it's not bothering him. I guess it also wouldn't hurt to check the fit of the saddle as well...
Tyson, well Tyson is lame. He's just not getting any better. He's another one that the vet is going to come out and take a look at. I think there's scar tissue in his foot from when he got caught in some wire that's causing his continued lameness. We'll see what the vet has to say... But he's in great shape despite his lameness - he plays out in the pasture all the time so he actually has good muscling. He's such a goof! He looks great though!!!
I never think to have a camera with me to take some updated pictures - I will try to get better about that!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself."
Melody has been getting round penned three days a week. She picked up on it pretty quick. I think she enjoys the work and I enjoy watching her move - what a beauty!
Zoe gave me a great ride last weekend but that's not without a little drama beforehand. The last few times I've thrown the saddle up on her she's acted like she's never seen the saddle before and FREAKS out. I did the slow, let her sniff the saddle approach. I tried the deliberate, don't make it a big deal approach. Freaks out the same both ways and didn't improve at all. This has got me thinking about why? She's muscled up quite a bit now (and gained weight) so I'm wondering if this is her way of telling me that the saddle is too small. Hopefully tonight I will be able to get the saddle I've been using on her and take a close look. If that saddle appears to be too small, I will try my other saddle. I hope I can figure this out soon. I don't want to ride her in a saddle that's too small...
Star has been doing great! She hasn't coughed since the medication regime was finished. She's been staying sound as well so I hope to take her out more often but there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day since I work a full time job, have other horses, and have 5 children. It's a balancing act for sure!
Gunner has had time off. He's been bucking lately and actually bucked middle daughter off. She's fine but I would like to get his back checked to make sure it's not bothering him. I guess it also wouldn't hurt to check the fit of the saddle as well...
Tyson, well Tyson is lame. He's just not getting any better. He's another one that the vet is going to come out and take a look at. I think there's scar tissue in his foot from when he got caught in some wire that's causing his continued lameness. We'll see what the vet has to say... But he's in great shape despite his lameness - he plays out in the pasture all the time so he actually has good muscling. He's such a goof! He looks great though!!!
I never think to have a camera with me to take some updated pictures - I will try to get better about that!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself."
-Eleanor Roosevelt
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
A Quick Ride
I took Star out this past weekend. It was our first ride since her diagnosis. I had been putting it off for a couple weeks because I didn't want to instigate another big coughing incident.
It was Friday night. Middle daughter had already ridden Gunner, who bucked when asked for canter. His back didn't show any signs of being sore so I'm thinking he's just being a stinker. I will probably have to get on and see if he tries it with me. Might also be something middle daughter is doing... Anyways, back to the story...I had put dinner in the oven so I had an hour until it was done. I thought to hell with it and got Star out. She seemed happy that I had chosen her.
Got her all saddled up and off we went. She was SLOW as we were leaving the farm but soon she picked up her walk a bit. My plan was to go visit one of our hay fields that was close by to see if it was ready to be cut. Like I said, it wasn't far so if she had another coughing fit it wouldn't take long to get home.
We walked on a loose rein and really enjoyed our quick ride (about 20 minutes). I never asked her to go faster than the walk and she was fine with that. Usually she is aching to go faster but not that day - very content to stay at a walk.
We made it to the hay field took a look around and then turned back for home. Not a single cough the entire ride ! To say I was happy would be an understatement! The smile on my face didn't come off until my head hit the pillow that night!
In talking with my mother-in-law, she told me that her aunt had a horse with heaves and he came in the barn every night, which I was instructed not to do for Star, and wet down his hay for every feeding. He would have a coughing incident about once a year and she would treat him with the same medication that I gave Star. She rode him on trails long after his diagnosis when he was 15ish and he lived to be close to 30 years old! The key is early detection so I'm feeling very optimistic about Star's diagnosis.
Well, that's all for now! Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst."
It was Friday night. Middle daughter had already ridden Gunner, who bucked when asked for canter. His back didn't show any signs of being sore so I'm thinking he's just being a stinker. I will probably have to get on and see if he tries it with me. Might also be something middle daughter is doing... Anyways, back to the story...I had put dinner in the oven so I had an hour until it was done. I thought to hell with it and got Star out. She seemed happy that I had chosen her.
Got her all saddled up and off we went. She was SLOW as we were leaving the farm but soon she picked up her walk a bit. My plan was to go visit one of our hay fields that was close by to see if it was ready to be cut. Like I said, it wasn't far so if she had another coughing fit it wouldn't take long to get home.
We walked on a loose rein and really enjoyed our quick ride (about 20 minutes). I never asked her to go faster than the walk and she was fine with that. Usually she is aching to go faster but not that day - very content to stay at a walk.
We made it to the hay field took a look around and then turned back for home. Not a single cough the entire ride ! To say I was happy would be an understatement! The smile on my face didn't come off until my head hit the pillow that night!
In talking with my mother-in-law, she told me that her aunt had a horse with heaves and he came in the barn every night, which I was instructed not to do for Star, and wet down his hay for every feeding. He would have a coughing incident about once a year and she would treat him with the same medication that I gave Star. She rode him on trails long after his diagnosis when he was 15ish and he lived to be close to 30 years old! The key is early detection so I'm feeling very optimistic about Star's diagnosis.
Well, that's all for now! Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst."
-William Penn
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Ups and Downs
Star completed her medication regime and now I'm waiting for the weather to cooperate to ride her again. I'm guessing our trail riding days are over and we will have to stay in the front yard for riding - we need to avoid dust as much as possible to avoid an episode.
I rode Zoe everyday this past weekend. We had one of the best rides we've ever had on Saturday - so relaxed, responsive and willing! On Sunday when I took her out again I half expected to pick up where we left off on Saturday but I was wrong!! She was feeling sassy for sure! She's no longer in heat so I'm not sure what her deal was, it's a mare thing I guess. She started off by shying away from both the saddle pad and the saddle when I was tacking her up. She acted like a young horse who has never seen a saddle before, crazy mare! Then when I took her halter off to put the bridle on, she tried to walk away...seriously. What was her deal?? I decided to round pen her first and I'm glad I did! She jumped into the air and did a big buck and then settled down to work. She must have been feeling pretty good that day! As I was mounting up she started to walk away so I immediately halted her but at the same time my foot was slipping into the stirrup on the other side and she let out a half buck. Thankfully, I already had a hold on her and that was all she was able to do. I have a feeling she did that out of protest of being stopped but feeling my foot on the other side possibly bumping her. She's the type of horse that lets you know if she thinks you are being unfair or too harsh.
We got to work at a walk, a VERY fast walk. She was itching to go faster but I wanted it to be when I asked her not when she decided. This night she was even more connected to me than usual because we were at the point where I would think trot and she would pick it right up. But whenever I began to think about slowing down she would SLAM on her breaks. Gotta love the rope horse instinct!
We both got a good workout going before we got back to the point we were the night before; collected, relaxed, willing and listening. Once there, I called it quits and I think she was ready to quite also. Overall it was a good weekend of riding but had a rough patch or two!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"The things we truly love stay with us always, locked in our hearts as long as life remains."
I rode Zoe everyday this past weekend. We had one of the best rides we've ever had on Saturday - so relaxed, responsive and willing! On Sunday when I took her out again I half expected to pick up where we left off on Saturday but I was wrong!! She was feeling sassy for sure! She's no longer in heat so I'm not sure what her deal was, it's a mare thing I guess. She started off by shying away from both the saddle pad and the saddle when I was tacking her up. She acted like a young horse who has never seen a saddle before, crazy mare! Then when I took her halter off to put the bridle on, she tried to walk away...seriously. What was her deal?? I decided to round pen her first and I'm glad I did! She jumped into the air and did a big buck and then settled down to work. She must have been feeling pretty good that day! As I was mounting up she started to walk away so I immediately halted her but at the same time my foot was slipping into the stirrup on the other side and she let out a half buck. Thankfully, I already had a hold on her and that was all she was able to do. I have a feeling she did that out of protest of being stopped but feeling my foot on the other side possibly bumping her. She's the type of horse that lets you know if she thinks you are being unfair or too harsh.
We got to work at a walk, a VERY fast walk. She was itching to go faster but I wanted it to be when I asked her not when she decided. This night she was even more connected to me than usual because we were at the point where I would think trot and she would pick it right up. But whenever I began to think about slowing down she would SLAM on her breaks. Gotta love the rope horse instinct!
We both got a good workout going before we got back to the point we were the night before; collected, relaxed, willing and listening. Once there, I called it quits and I think she was ready to quite also. Overall it was a good weekend of riding but had a rough patch or two!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"The things we truly love stay with us always, locked in our hearts as long as life remains."
-Josephine Baker
Friday, June 20, 2014
Saddle Time
With the weather cooperating, we've had a lot of time for riding. And when I say we, I mean middle daughter and I. What horse is middle daughter riding? Betcha couldn't guess...ok maybe you can. Gunner! My brother-in-law's horse that he left here is turning out to be a great kids horse! Who knew?! He's been so relaxed and listens so good for middle daughter. I'm thrilled!!
I've been having mostly good rides on Zoe. She's in heat right now so she's VERY distracted. When she tunes into me rather than the boys in the pasture across the driveway, she does great but when she's wanting to talk to them, she's awful. She just needs more time in the saddle!
Last night I took her out for a ride and she was raring to go!! Go talk to the boys that is! I tied her to the patience tree while I got all of her tack out and when I returned she was all sweaty...from standing there...it as only 75 degrees and she was in the shade...and there was a nice breeze! Talk about being juiced!!! I decided it would be a good idea to do some lunging before getting on and I'm glad I did because she was itching to run and buck. Once I sent her out, she got frisky! I let her get it out of her system before asking her to focus and start warming up/working. It really didn't take too long before she was paying attention again and once she was relaxed we switched directions. It took even less time going the other direction.
I mounted and immediately she wanted to trot. But I slowed her down and kept her at a walk (a very fast walk, but a walk nonetheless). Every little thing was a distraction on this particular night - every. single. thing. We had to do lots of figure eights and weaving to keep focused. I guess you could say we worked on steering almost the entire ride!
We had a small group of bikers (on their bicycles, not motorcycles!) stop and watch me ride. A little background...I ride in our large front yard and we live on a rural road with lots of hills - people love to ride their bikes on our road. Of course Zoe thought that every time we went by she had to stop and look at them. Ugh. That got old! Finally they realized they were being a distraction so they slowly walked their bikes past. Zoe kept a close eye on them the entire time. Once they were out of site, we did some nice circles in both directions and I thought we should call it quits. So we started the cool down walk but she thought that meant we were going to visit the boys. We had a short discussion about how she needed to still listen to me even though we were cooling down (and on a loose rein). She decided to listen to me. Good girl.
I sprayed her down and turned her loose. She ran and played with Star and Melody for a little bit and then settled down to eating.
Tonight there will be no riding - we are off to the fair for some elephant ears and fresh squeezed lemonade! Should be fun (and never cheap)!!
I will have an update on Star after the weekend - until next time!!!
Quote for the day:
"Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way."
I've been having mostly good rides on Zoe. She's in heat right now so she's VERY distracted. When she tunes into me rather than the boys in the pasture across the driveway, she does great but when she's wanting to talk to them, she's awful. She just needs more time in the saddle!
Last night I took her out for a ride and she was raring to go!! Go talk to the boys that is! I tied her to the patience tree while I got all of her tack out and when I returned she was all sweaty...from standing there...it as only 75 degrees and she was in the shade...and there was a nice breeze! Talk about being juiced!!! I decided it would be a good idea to do some lunging before getting on and I'm glad I did because she was itching to run and buck. Once I sent her out, she got frisky! I let her get it out of her system before asking her to focus and start warming up/working. It really didn't take too long before she was paying attention again and once she was relaxed we switched directions. It took even less time going the other direction.
I mounted and immediately she wanted to trot. But I slowed her down and kept her at a walk (a very fast walk, but a walk nonetheless). Every little thing was a distraction on this particular night - every. single. thing. We had to do lots of figure eights and weaving to keep focused. I guess you could say we worked on steering almost the entire ride!
We had a small group of bikers (on their bicycles, not motorcycles!) stop and watch me ride. A little background...I ride in our large front yard and we live on a rural road with lots of hills - people love to ride their bikes on our road. Of course Zoe thought that every time we went by she had to stop and look at them. Ugh. That got old! Finally they realized they were being a distraction so they slowly walked their bikes past. Zoe kept a close eye on them the entire time. Once they were out of site, we did some nice circles in both directions and I thought we should call it quits. So we started the cool down walk but she thought that meant we were going to visit the boys. We had a short discussion about how she needed to still listen to me even though we were cooling down (and on a loose rein). She decided to listen to me. Good girl.
I sprayed her down and turned her loose. She ran and played with Star and Melody for a little bit and then settled down to eating.
Tonight there will be no riding - we are off to the fair for some elephant ears and fresh squeezed lemonade! Should be fun (and never cheap)!!
I will have an update on Star after the weekend - until next time!!!
Quote for the day:
"Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way."
-Booker T. Washington
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Heaves
 |
| Look at that wild mane! It was windy... |
Last Sunday I took Star out for a trail ride. We didn't get too far along when the coughing started. At first I didn't think too much of it. A cough here and there isn't that big of a deal, right? We started trotting and then the coughing was constant...WTH?? We turned around and headed home. Staying at a walk seemed to keep the coughing at bay, even though a cough here and there would come out. We were maybe 15 minutes out when the coughing started so we only had about 15 minutes to get back. My mind was going 100 mph about what was going on with her the whole way home. We had been out on the same trail the weekend before and she was FINE!! Allergies?? Respiratory infection??
When I got home hubby was surprised to see me back so soon. I told him what was going on while I untacked her in the yard. He was holding Star when he pointed out that Star had a small stream of blood coming out of her nose!
I got my phone out and started googling nosebleeds in horses. That didn't help calm my nerves!
I brought her to the water and she took a few big drinks and then I put her in her stall with a fan blowing. I was hoping that she was coughing because she was thirsty and hot... I put her back out with the other horses after only an hour in her stall. She was happy to be back out with her friends!
Over the next day or so we kept a close eye on her. She would still cough here and there so we decided to call the vet. The vet told us it could be one of the following three things: 1. Allergies; 2. Heaves; 3. Upper respiratory infection. Honestly, I was hoping for the infection so we could give her some antibiotics and move on. But since I wasn't 100% sure on that I made an appointment for the vet to come out and take a look at her. That was today.
The results? Heaves (as you probably guess by the title of this blog post!). The vet said that because we caught it so early that she will probably live a happy horsey life for several more years. We have her on some medication for a few days and then I'm supposed to take her out for a ride to see how she does. Oh, and she isn't allowed in the barn at all for any reason whatsoever. I guess I better buy a nice heavy blanket for those cold winter nights! She's now on 24/7 turn out and thankfully has a nice lean-to for protection from the elements. We also need to wet her hay down before every feeding to be sure there isn't any dust in it so she doesn't get another flare up. The fewer the flare ups the better!
This is my first experience with heaves and will be a learning process for me. If anyone reading this has any knowledge or experience they would be willing to share I sure would appreciate it!!
That's all for now...until next time!
Quote for the day:
"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."
-Benjamin Franklin
Friday, May 23, 2014
Another Great Ride
Zoe and I had another great ride! We started off on the patience tree but she was good to go almost immediately so I tacked her up and lunged her. She was tuned in and ready to rock! I mounted up with some assistance from Hubby and he led us around for a few steps and then we were on our own. Side note: Zoe has never been ridden in wide open spaces before and our arena was being used as a holding pen for some cows and calves so we were in our HUGE front yard. I wasn't sure how she would handle it so that's why hubby came in to help for a minute, I guess for our my piece of mind! Anyways, we worked on steering and her neck reining, which was awesome! Last fall we left off working on neck reining and she was starting to get it, but this ride she was almost right on every time! I didn't have to correct her much while walking so I asked for a trot. At first her head flew up and she almost jumped out of her skin! So I asked her again and this time she trotted right away. She tried to rush and wasn't listening to me for direction and would suddenly stop. I just kept on going, keeping her trotting until she settled into a nice working trot. We did some direction changes, figure eights, circles and such. Her neck reining wasn't as good at the trot as it was at the walk but we will work on that. We didn't work on canter because if her steering isn't good at the trot then it won't be any better at a faster gait! We ended the ride once I had a good figure eight without breaking the trot. She was a good girl!
I also had a good ride on Star the other day. It was my first ride on her and she was feeling pretty good! I was having a bad day and needed a break from it all so I got Star out and we went for a short trail ride. She was very alert and pulled on me just about the whole time. We had to do some stopping and backing, and circling before she calmed down and I could ride with a relaxed rein. She has a tendency to lift her head to avoid contact when she wants to go faster and I hadn't seen that in a while but it resurfaced on this ride!! Anyways, by the time we got home she had her head where it should be and I had a loose rein. It was a beautiful day out and we both enjoyed ourselves very much! Star loves going on trail rides - just hates crossing ditches and going through water (she will, just takes a few tries)!!
Well, that's all for now! More updates soon!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"When one teaches, two learn."
I also had a good ride on Star the other day. It was my first ride on her and she was feeling pretty good! I was having a bad day and needed a break from it all so I got Star out and we went for a short trail ride. She was very alert and pulled on me just about the whole time. We had to do some stopping and backing, and circling before she calmed down and I could ride with a relaxed rein. She has a tendency to lift her head to avoid contact when she wants to go faster and I hadn't seen that in a while but it resurfaced on this ride!! Anyways, by the time we got home she had her head where it should be and I had a loose rein. It was a beautiful day out and we both enjoyed ourselves very much! Star loves going on trail rides - just hates crossing ditches and going through water (she will, just takes a few tries)!!
Well, that's all for now! More updates soon!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"When one teaches, two learn."
-Robert Half
Friday, May 16, 2014
Zoe's First "Ride"
Sorry that I've been absent again - been busy so I have a lot to write about....just need to make the time I guess!
Zoe's first "ride" of the year was a couple weeks ago. I took her out with the intent of just saddling up and lunging to see where we were at. She was definitely "up" when I took her out! A little background, I had just taken Star out for middle daughter to ride and while she was riding, Zoe was FREAKING out in the pasture - running back and forth calling frantically for Star. Star didn't care AT ALL. Anyways, so middle daughter was in the back yard with Star letting her eat some grass when I went to get Zoe out. I brought her into the barn and she acted like she had no idea of where we were and didn't respect me or my space at all. That was unacceptable! I sent her in some circles with a long lead rope I had used to bring her out of the pasture. She was very reactive. I decided to tie her and go get the lunge line when she figured it was time to leave the barn. She flew backwards and almost ripped the pole right out of the ground! After that little episode I realized she needed some time at the "patience tree". I don't know if I wrote about Zoe's bad habit of pulling back while being tied but she's broke plenty of lead ropes and loosened up her fair share of my tying poles. Now I used a rope halter with an attached lead so there aren't any metal parts that she can break. We have GOT to get this tying issue under control!!!
When I tied her to the tree she got to pawing and calling for Star. Again, Star never responded. So at that point she started swinging herself around to try and get a better view of Star. I just sat and watched her. She continued this behavior for 15 - 20 minutes with a couple pulling battles mixed in there. Finally she relaxed and was standing nice so I took that opportunity get her saddled and ready to go. She had another mini pulling battle when the saddle went on so I asked hubby for his assistance. I got her all saddled and we lunged her, going through all of her commands. She seemed pretty confident so hubby and I decided to have him lunge her with me on her. It went great! She was still VERY responsive and seemed to be remembering where we left off. We had some great trot work in both directions so we called it a day.
She was happy to be reunited Star at the end of the work out but was more eager to eat than socialize!! Meanwhile, Melody was content to have the pasture to herself for once. Our work with her is just beginning- more on that later!
Until Next Time!!
Quote for the day:
"If you can dream it, you can do it."
 |
| Melody and Zoe |
Zoe's first "ride" of the year was a couple weeks ago. I took her out with the intent of just saddling up and lunging to see where we were at. She was definitely "up" when I took her out! A little background, I had just taken Star out for middle daughter to ride and while she was riding, Zoe was FREAKING out in the pasture - running back and forth calling frantically for Star. Star didn't care AT ALL. Anyways, so middle daughter was in the back yard with Star letting her eat some grass when I went to get Zoe out. I brought her into the barn and she acted like she had no idea of where we were and didn't respect me or my space at all. That was unacceptable! I sent her in some circles with a long lead rope I had used to bring her out of the pasture. She was very reactive. I decided to tie her and go get the lunge line when she figured it was time to leave the barn. She flew backwards and almost ripped the pole right out of the ground! After that little episode I realized she needed some time at the "patience tree". I don't know if I wrote about Zoe's bad habit of pulling back while being tied but she's broke plenty of lead ropes and loosened up her fair share of my tying poles. Now I used a rope halter with an attached lead so there aren't any metal parts that she can break. We have GOT to get this tying issue under control!!!
When I tied her to the tree she got to pawing and calling for Star. Again, Star never responded. So at that point she started swinging herself around to try and get a better view of Star. I just sat and watched her. She continued this behavior for 15 - 20 minutes with a couple pulling battles mixed in there. Finally she relaxed and was standing nice so I took that opportunity get her saddled and ready to go. She had another mini pulling battle when the saddle went on so I asked hubby for his assistance. I got her all saddled and we lunged her, going through all of her commands. She seemed pretty confident so hubby and I decided to have him lunge her with me on her. It went great! She was still VERY responsive and seemed to be remembering where we left off. We had some great trot work in both directions so we called it a day.
She was happy to be reunited Star at the end of the work out but was more eager to eat than socialize!! Meanwhile, Melody was content to have the pasture to herself for once. Our work with her is just beginning- more on that later!
Until Next Time!!
Quote for the day:
"If you can dream it, you can do it."
-Walt Disney
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Saddle Time
I'm trying to get caught up on my blogging since my absence so bear with me as I get everyone up to speed...
The weather has finally taken a turn for the better and we were able to take Star out for a ride! Actually, I didn't ride...middle daughter did! She was "so bored" and I needed a break from the work so I got Star out, got her all groomed (which Star LOVED more than usual because she's shedding her winter hair), saddled and lead her out to the front yard. I decided to leave her on the lunge line because this was her first ride this year and she might want to run and middle daughter hasn't been in the saddle much throughout the winter and she would also need a tune up.
Star was a perfectly behaved lady! She ignored all the calling horses (Zoe and Tyson) and the running horses (Melody to be exact) and did exactly as she was supposed to without getting feisty. I LOVE THAT MARE!!! Having a horse around that I can trust and just be able to ride without any worries is so valuable to me! Middle daughter did great too! She needed a few times around to get the feel back but she was posting very nicely when we called it a day. No cantering as the trot work for middle daughter isn't where it should be in order to canter. In my opinion, if you can't do it at a slower gait, you can't do it in a faster gait so get it right while moving slower...
Star's trot was slow and collected for middle daughter. When I say slow, it's not really slow compared to other horses. It's just that Star has a fast trot when she's going at her free will - which is awful to ride! Since I started to ride her many years ago, I worked with Star on a slower trot that is a lot more comfortable to ride so it was nice to see middle daughter able to achieve that nice trot on both of their first rides.
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul."
The weather has finally taken a turn for the better and we were able to take Star out for a ride! Actually, I didn't ride...middle daughter did! She was "so bored" and I needed a break from the work so I got Star out, got her all groomed (which Star LOVED more than usual because she's shedding her winter hair), saddled and lead her out to the front yard. I decided to leave her on the lunge line because this was her first ride this year and she might want to run and middle daughter hasn't been in the saddle much throughout the winter and she would also need a tune up.
Star was a perfectly behaved lady! She ignored all the calling horses (Zoe and Tyson) and the running horses (Melody to be exact) and did exactly as she was supposed to without getting feisty. I LOVE THAT MARE!!! Having a horse around that I can trust and just be able to ride without any worries is so valuable to me! Middle daughter did great too! She needed a few times around to get the feel back but she was posting very nicely when we called it a day. No cantering as the trot work for middle daughter isn't where it should be in order to canter. In my opinion, if you can't do it at a slower gait, you can't do it in a faster gait so get it right while moving slower...
Star's trot was slow and collected for middle daughter. When I say slow, it's not really slow compared to other horses. It's just that Star has a fast trot when she's going at her free will - which is awful to ride! Since I started to ride her many years ago, I worked with Star on a slower trot that is a lot more comfortable to ride so it was nice to see middle daughter able to achieve that nice trot on both of their first rides.
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul."
-Dorothy Day
Friday, April 18, 2014
Melody's Turn!
Melody's biggest hang up right now is mud puddles so we tried to cross a
puddle that was by the barn door leading to the turn out where Star was. Her first
time through she jumped it and bumped into me. So we turned around and
went back into the barn. She spooked on the way in because one of our
rodeo bulls was next to the gate by the barn and he spooked. At this point she was getting frisky.
We headed back out across the puddle...she RAN through the puddle, right past me and when she got the end of the lead it brought her to a sudden stop. I turned her to go back inside and she gave me a half rear and tried to go the opposite direction. I held my ground and was able to keep her feet moving by zig zag walking in the direction of the barn. We went back into the barn and it was no big deal this time. Then back out of the barn like she'd never had an issue at all. The only time we have gate issues is when there is a puddle so I really don't think gates are her issue...just puddles.
I figured that was good for today and let her go out with Star...meanwhile Zoe has been calling and screaming for Star the entire time (I had put her in her stall). So when I went to get Zoe back out I could see she was seriously stressed about being away from Star. She was covered in sweat (not from when I worked her because I had her dried out before I put her away) and had paced by the stall door to the point that the shavings had been pushed back.
I put her halter on (which she dove into) and lead her out. She was a very good girl so I let her be with her friends. I guess she has become buddy sour over the winter so we will have to work on that. Might have to pasture her by herself like we did before when we were training. I do that because if she gets insecure in her training or work, I want her to look to me for security and not rely on her buddies waiting for her. Make sense to anyone?
Well that's all for now!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
We headed back out across the puddle...she RAN through the puddle, right past me and when she got the end of the lead it brought her to a sudden stop. I turned her to go back inside and she gave me a half rear and tried to go the opposite direction. I held my ground and was able to keep her feet moving by zig zag walking in the direction of the barn. We went back into the barn and it was no big deal this time. Then back out of the barn like she'd never had an issue at all. The only time we have gate issues is when there is a puddle so I really don't think gates are her issue...just puddles.
I figured that was good for today and let her go out with Star...meanwhile Zoe has been calling and screaming for Star the entire time (I had put her in her stall). So when I went to get Zoe back out I could see she was seriously stressed about being away from Star. She was covered in sweat (not from when I worked her because I had her dried out before I put her away) and had paced by the stall door to the point that the shavings had been pushed back.
I put her halter on (which she dove into) and lead her out. She was a very good girl so I let her be with her friends. I guess she has become buddy sour over the winter so we will have to work on that. Might have to pasture her by herself like we did before when we were training. I do that because if she gets insecure in her training or work, I want her to look to me for security and not rely on her buddies waiting for her. Make sense to anyone?
Well that's all for now!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
-Thomas A. Edison
Thursday, April 17, 2014
My Perfect Angel
Star was a dream! After the disastrous time with Zoe, I thought with all the calling Star was doing for Zoe that she was going to be a pain too but she was amazing! She moved out at a beautiful flowing trot, head in at shoulder height, stretching her back out. Her canter was nice so I didn't make her do it too much - she is old ya know! We did some nice W/T/C transitions up and down, in both directions and called it a day. Zoe was calling, more like SCREAMING to her the ENTIRE time, my kids were jumping on the trampoline (which is fairly close to the round pen where we were working), Tyson and Gunner were making noises at her (their pasture is across the driveway from the round pen) and she acted like nothing was going on around her at all.
I gave her some big pets and loves and told her what a good girl she was but all she really cared about is the green grass...so I let her eat some of the yard...don't tell Hubby. ;-)
I took her to the turn out after a few minutes of grass (can't over do it!) and let her go. She absolutely loves to roll so the first thing she did was find a spot to roll. She rolled in several different spots!
Melody was all done with her breakfast so I took her out....
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"All of our sweetest hours fly fastest."
I gave her some big pets and loves and told her what a good girl she was but all she really cared about is the green grass...so I let her eat some of the yard...don't tell Hubby. ;-)
I took her to the turn out after a few minutes of grass (can't over do it!) and let her go. She absolutely loves to roll so the first thing she did was find a spot to roll. She rolled in several different spots!
Melody was all done with her breakfast so I took her out....
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"All of our sweetest hours fly fastest."
-Virgil
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Naughty, Naughty
After feeding the other morning, I went to visit with Zoe in her stall. I brushed her a lot (she's shedding) and when I was done she was wanting something more. She stopped eating and just looked at me (not typical). So I grabbed her halter and thought I would take her to the round pen and do 5 minutes of work. Maybe she was bored. On our way out, Star started to call for her. She got worried. As we entered the round pen Tyson called to her and she called back. Ahhh, maybe she was in heat? Didn't matter to me, she is usually very good despite her heat cycles. We started round penning and man did she want to run! I only asked her to trot and she got to running! I slowed her down (with my voice commands) but I could see she was aching to go faster so I gave her the command. I didn't ask for it long because we've been out of work for so long and I didn't want her to get sore. We did a little more work and then I caught her up again. She seemed relaxed; licking her lips, head dropped. She wasn't breathing hard or sweaty, obviously in better shape than what I thought after being out of work for a long winter!
We walked out of the round pen and then she perked up again. Star was STILL calling and it was very worrisome to Zoe. She likes to be talked to so I started to talk to her and decided to go for a walk around the property, checking some fences along the way. She was interested but very distracted by Star calling to her. At one point she was so distracted that she bumped into me so I sent her out on a lunge circle (I had a long lead rope) and she shaped up. So I thought we would call it quits at that point and turn her out. We headed back through the barn, where Star was still calling, and back out to the turn out. As I unhooked the lead Zoe spun around and ran past me almost knocking me over! The barn was completely open, nothing to keep her from running out into the driveway, yard or street! A slight panic attack occurred on my part, and then I realized that she only ran to be by Star. So I quickly shut the front barn door so she couldn't run out there and possibly get hurt or hurt someone. When I went to get her she bolted and ran out the back of the barn. To the arena. I took that as a hint that she needed to be worked more...
I got the lunge and lunge whip and headed out the arena, shutting gates behind me. This naughty mare wasn't going to blow by me anymore - except she did but this time she wasn't going anywhere! I put the whip down and then she decided to see what I was going to do. I caught her and could see she was "up". We got right to work on the lunge line, W/T/C transitions up and down. Star was still calling. Zoe was focused on me at this point but was still obviously worried about Star. We changed directions and did the same W/T/C transition work. She was offering some great trot work, canter was messy. She kept cross cantering, where her front would be on the right lead but her back legs would be on the opposite lead. If I urge her to go faster, she will fix herself. When we got some good transitions and lead work done, I called it a day. This time she was breathing heavy and had sweat on her neck, but she was licking her lips and her eye was soft again. I cooled her down and put her away.
I figured if Zoe was this naughty that Star might need some time in the round pen or on the lunge too...
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"We may brave human laws, but we cannot resist natural ones."
We walked out of the round pen and then she perked up again. Star was STILL calling and it was very worrisome to Zoe. She likes to be talked to so I started to talk to her and decided to go for a walk around the property, checking some fences along the way. She was interested but very distracted by Star calling to her. At one point she was so distracted that she bumped into me so I sent her out on a lunge circle (I had a long lead rope) and she shaped up. So I thought we would call it quits at that point and turn her out. We headed back through the barn, where Star was still calling, and back out to the turn out. As I unhooked the lead Zoe spun around and ran past me almost knocking me over! The barn was completely open, nothing to keep her from running out into the driveway, yard or street! A slight panic attack occurred on my part, and then I realized that she only ran to be by Star. So I quickly shut the front barn door so she couldn't run out there and possibly get hurt or hurt someone. When I went to get her she bolted and ran out the back of the barn. To the arena. I took that as a hint that she needed to be worked more...
I got the lunge and lunge whip and headed out the arena, shutting gates behind me. This naughty mare wasn't going to blow by me anymore - except she did but this time she wasn't going anywhere! I put the whip down and then she decided to see what I was going to do. I caught her and could see she was "up". We got right to work on the lunge line, W/T/C transitions up and down. Star was still calling. Zoe was focused on me at this point but was still obviously worried about Star. We changed directions and did the same W/T/C transition work. She was offering some great trot work, canter was messy. She kept cross cantering, where her front would be on the right lead but her back legs would be on the opposite lead. If I urge her to go faster, she will fix herself. When we got some good transitions and lead work done, I called it a day. This time she was breathing heavy and had sweat on her neck, but she was licking her lips and her eye was soft again. I cooled her down and put her away.
I figured if Zoe was this naughty that Star might need some time in the round pen or on the lunge too...
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"We may brave human laws, but we cannot resist natural ones."
-Jules Verne
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Little Updates
Since my last post, Melody casted herself one more time (the next day) but hasn't since. Hopefully that means she figured that out now...Other than that, Melody has been a good girl. She's so dang cute! I can't wait until spring when she sheds out and we can see what color she's going to be. I mean, we know she's a palomino but how dark/light will she be? I've found that she enjoys ear scratches - she will stop eating for an ear scratch!
The other day I let the horses out and Tyson was feeling great! He was running, leaping, bucking, kicking and rearing! He hasn't done that in over a year because he was lame (injuries). I was thinking that Tyson was going to be lame for the rest of his life so seeing him acting like he was a yearling was very encouraging, to say the least. He didn't show an ounce of pain while he was playing and wasn't sore when I brought him in or let him out the next day. Is it possible he's finally healed??? Time will tell!
Zoe has been such a good girl. I've been having my children lead her in and out of her stall and her ground manners have been impeccable! Better than Star's, in fact. Last year at this time she was pulling and pushing when being handled but not now! She's been lowering her head for my kids to halter her too - just a peach! I can't wait to start riding again when the weather finally breaks, I have good feeling about her! The farrier always makes comments about how nice she is too (great legs, feet and attitude). I know I've said this before but she's a sensitive and tuned in horse, just a great mare and I love her dearly!
Star has been a good girl too, like always. Her only fault is when it comes to food. When she knows there's food in her stall she will try to pull through you to get her food making it difficult for my kids to lead her into her stall. That angers me to no end so I have to lead her in myself to keep her in line. She doesn't try to push past me because she knows I don't put up with that but she does with the kids. Grrr...
Brother-in-law's horses are being good boys too. They don't have stalls (we only have 4) so they live outside with a large 3 1/2 sided lean-to for shelter. We keep bedding in there so they can lay down and stay warm. I don't think they are used to that but they certainly enjoy it! They are in need of a trim soon so hopefully we can get that scheduled before they leave on March 13. The vet came out yesterday to do their health papers for traveling. They have a long ways to go and will be stopping every 6 - 8 hours to stretch and get a little exercise/food/water (if they aren't eating or drinking in the trailer) so that will make the trip a long one. The trailer they will be in is a Sundowner 3 horse slant gooseneck with living quarters. Brother-in-law has a beautiful trailer that is well maintained and the horses are accustomed to trailering so hopefully the trip will go smoothly. The horses haven't been bad while they were here but I will be glad to have 2 less mouths to feed! Hay prices aren't cheap these days...
Well that about sums it up for now. This weekend is the Michigan State Horse Expo. I plan on attending on Saturday. I haven't been able to get there in several years so I'm really looking forward to it!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"Our attitude towards others determines their attitudes towards us."
The other day I let the horses out and Tyson was feeling great! He was running, leaping, bucking, kicking and rearing! He hasn't done that in over a year because he was lame (injuries). I was thinking that Tyson was going to be lame for the rest of his life so seeing him acting like he was a yearling was very encouraging, to say the least. He didn't show an ounce of pain while he was playing and wasn't sore when I brought him in or let him out the next day. Is it possible he's finally healed??? Time will tell!
Zoe has been such a good girl. I've been having my children lead her in and out of her stall and her ground manners have been impeccable! Better than Star's, in fact. Last year at this time she was pulling and pushing when being handled but not now! She's been lowering her head for my kids to halter her too - just a peach! I can't wait to start riding again when the weather finally breaks, I have good feeling about her! The farrier always makes comments about how nice she is too (great legs, feet and attitude). I know I've said this before but she's a sensitive and tuned in horse, just a great mare and I love her dearly!
Star has been a good girl too, like always. Her only fault is when it comes to food. When she knows there's food in her stall she will try to pull through you to get her food making it difficult for my kids to lead her into her stall. That angers me to no end so I have to lead her in myself to keep her in line. She doesn't try to push past me because she knows I don't put up with that but she does with the kids. Grrr...
Brother-in-law's horses are being good boys too. They don't have stalls (we only have 4) so they live outside with a large 3 1/2 sided lean-to for shelter. We keep bedding in there so they can lay down and stay warm. I don't think they are used to that but they certainly enjoy it! They are in need of a trim soon so hopefully we can get that scheduled before they leave on March 13. The vet came out yesterday to do their health papers for traveling. They have a long ways to go and will be stopping every 6 - 8 hours to stretch and get a little exercise/food/water (if they aren't eating or drinking in the trailer) so that will make the trip a long one. The trailer they will be in is a Sundowner 3 horse slant gooseneck with living quarters. Brother-in-law has a beautiful trailer that is well maintained and the horses are accustomed to trailering so hopefully the trip will go smoothly. The horses haven't been bad while they were here but I will be glad to have 2 less mouths to feed! Hay prices aren't cheap these days...
Well that about sums it up for now. This weekend is the Michigan State Horse Expo. I plan on attending on Saturday. I haven't been able to get there in several years so I'm really looking forward to it!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"Our attitude towards others determines their attitudes towards us."
-Earl Nightingale
Monday, February 10, 2014
It's been a while...
I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately. I haven't been able to do any riding because with 3 feet of snow and temperatures in the single digits, I can't ride outside or get the trailer out to go anywhere! So my riding/training with Zoe is at a stand still, unfortunately.
Nothing new to report with Tyson. He lost a little weight with the frigid temperatures but the weight is already back on. Ever since his major injury he's been a 'hard keeper' not to mention accident prone. I think he gets bored so he gets into trouble...he's a character, let me tell ya!!
Star is sweet as always. She's handling the winter very gracefully and enjoying her warm stall at night. Have I ever mentioned how she starts her Harley at feeding time? If not, keep reading...if so you can skip to the next paragraph... Star makes noise, a nicker maybe, that sounds just like a Harley motorcycle starting up! She kinda growls or grumbles with an eagerness to it. Hard to explain but it makes me smile every time she does it! The only time she does it is at feeding time - so stinkin' cute!
Melody has been the one that gets the most training done lately. She had her first trim with the farrier so we had worked on picking all of her feet before hand. She amazed me again with how quickly she caught on! Hubby helped me with this task because he's so strong! I didn't want to have her be able to take her foot away from me so Hubby helped out with her back feet. She fought him BIG time the first time he picked her back foot up. The second time wasn't near the struggle as the first and the third time she just picked it up and stood relaxed, like she's been doing this for years! We went to the other side and the struggle for the other hind was 'half-assed' and then she just stood there like she was supposed to. She picks her front feet up fine - has been since the second day we had her home! When the farrier came, she did fine with her front feet and only fought her back foot a little, just to see what she could get away with, I think. She did her other back foot just fine - no fight whatsoever! We will keep working on leading and her feet but other than that, I don't like to baby the babies. In my experience, foals who have been babied end up pushy and spoiled. I want her to be respectful and attentive to my every move, not uninterested. I know everyone has their own views on this but that's ok. I just know what has worked for me and what hasn't. I take her out and work with her on stuff about once a month or so, like yesterday I had to work on walking calmly through gates. She developed a want to run through gates so that she can get to playing so that was a lesson needed right away. But her next lesson with something new won't be for a couple weeks since we did the feet thing. Does that make sense? I address the issues right away that show themselves but teach her new things every 4 - 6 weeks and refresh the stuff already learned. I hope that makes sense...
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get."
Nothing new to report with Tyson. He lost a little weight with the frigid temperatures but the weight is already back on. Ever since his major injury he's been a 'hard keeper' not to mention accident prone. I think he gets bored so he gets into trouble...he's a character, let me tell ya!!
Star is sweet as always. She's handling the winter very gracefully and enjoying her warm stall at night. Have I ever mentioned how she starts her Harley at feeding time? If not, keep reading...if so you can skip to the next paragraph... Star makes noise, a nicker maybe, that sounds just like a Harley motorcycle starting up! She kinda growls or grumbles with an eagerness to it. Hard to explain but it makes me smile every time she does it! The only time she does it is at feeding time - so stinkin' cute!
Melody has been the one that gets the most training done lately. She had her first trim with the farrier so we had worked on picking all of her feet before hand. She amazed me again with how quickly she caught on! Hubby helped me with this task because he's so strong! I didn't want to have her be able to take her foot away from me so Hubby helped out with her back feet. She fought him BIG time the first time he picked her back foot up. The second time wasn't near the struggle as the first and the third time she just picked it up and stood relaxed, like she's been doing this for years! We went to the other side and the struggle for the other hind was 'half-assed' and then she just stood there like she was supposed to. She picks her front feet up fine - has been since the second day we had her home! When the farrier came, she did fine with her front feet and only fought her back foot a little, just to see what she could get away with, I think. She did her other back foot just fine - no fight whatsoever! We will keep working on leading and her feet but other than that, I don't like to baby the babies. In my experience, foals who have been babied end up pushy and spoiled. I want her to be respectful and attentive to my every move, not uninterested. I know everyone has their own views on this but that's ok. I just know what has worked for me and what hasn't. I take her out and work with her on stuff about once a month or so, like yesterday I had to work on walking calmly through gates. She developed a want to run through gates so that she can get to playing so that was a lesson needed right away. But her next lesson with something new won't be for a couple weeks since we did the feet thing. Does that make sense? I address the issues right away that show themselves but teach her new things every 4 - 6 weeks and refresh the stuff already learned. I hope that makes sense...
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get."
-Mark Twain
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