Well, I might as well write this now...I had pictures but my son accidentally reset my phone and I lost almost all of my pictures. I was hoping I would be able to get back some of the downloaded pictures from my phone but no such luck. :(
Zoe went to fair a couple weeks ago and did pretty well! T entered her into a lot of different shows and they ended up with two 5th places; one in bareback hunter under saddle, and one in western pleasure.
T was thrilled at how cool and calm she was while in the arena. She said that towards the end she was tired and was starting to act up, but T was extremely happy with Zoe. And so am I! They have come such a long ways in a short time - T has been a patient, gentle and firm partner with Zoe and it really shows!
There is more to write about in regards to the show but without pictures, I'm having a hard time remembering everything...
On the Gunner front, he's been doing good for T's dad. They are having a hard time finding a good saddle fit for him but Gunner is dealing with it fine for now. T's dad took Gunner out for several trail rides and Gunner has been a champ about it! I don't think he's ever been trail riding before, and I told him that, so I wasn't sure how he would do...he was bred for reining and broke for roping so trail riding never fit into his schedule...lol But while out on the trail there were some turkeys roosting up in the trees that flew down right next to Gunner and he didn't even flinch, the other horses did but not him! Also, someone shot a gun not too far away and he only looked in the direction - no spook though! T's dad told me that Gunner is having serious buddy sourness though, which I find odd. He wasn't ever buddy sour at our house and I don't recall him having issues while at brother-in-law's house either. Maybe our interpretations of being buddy sour are much different.... T's dad also took Gunner out for a run last week and really opened him up and was impressed with how fast he was! We really had no idea he had it in him...
Anyways, I think that if we can come to an agreement on the price then he might have a new home. Again, if he comes home we won't be a bit sad...
I have more to update on Melody but I will save that for another day...
Until next time,
Lynell
Showing posts with label Training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Training. Show all posts
Monday, July 27, 2015
Monday, June 29, 2015
Gunner & Zoe Reunited Again
I'm sure it's of no surprise that Gunner is now at Zoe's new home! They are going to try him out for 60 days and decide after that if he is going to work or not. My feelings won't be hurt if he doesn't work out and has to come home because...
Middle daughter and Gunner have been doing GREAT together!! Honestly, I was going back and forth on whether or not to go through with this possible sale but ultimately decided to do what I said I would do and bring him to Zoe's new family.
Sunday, as we were getting ready to load Gunner, Hubby was checking the fluids in our truck when he noticed he was low on brake fluid. He had some in the garage so he refilled it only to find it leaking near one of the rear tires. FANTASTIC. So he pulled the truck out from under the trailer and got the mini-semi. Once he had it hooked up, he noticed one of the trailer tires was low so he backed the trailer up to the garage and put more air in the tire. We had planned on leaving at 2pm but by now it was 3 pm. May not seem like much or a big deal but I'm the kind of person that HATES being late so this kind of stuff really gets my feathers ruffled....
Middle daughter got Gunner loaded up (he's super easy) and away we went. We found their house very easily - very nice, clean and safe environment for the horses. I was very pleased!
Gunner unloaded like a good boy and, surprisingly, was very chill. T's dad came to take a look at Gunner, I could see the excitement all over his face! I gave him the lead rope and he took Gunner for a walk.
While he was gone, T got Zoe out for me to visit with. She looks GREAT!! T has been riding Zoe everyday since she brought her home, which is exactly what Zoe needs and wants! It was funny hearing her tell me stories of their ups and downs - so similar to mine! We laughed about that.
T's dad turned Gunner out in their back pasture so I led Zoe over to "meet" him again. They nosed up did a little talking and then got down to the serious business of eating. It was good seeing them together again and I couldn't be happier with the home that they will have!
T and her family adore Zoe and her antics! They found out that she's very affectionate and sensitive, fast and powerful, and oh so beautiful! They said they've already had a few people offer to buy her - we told them we used to get that too. She's just one of those horses that stands out in a crowd!
Until next time,
Lynell
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
School is in Session!
Melody has officially started her training!
We took her training into the round pen. She was very distracted because Star was screaming for her when I took her away - so annoying! Star is really bad right now because she's in heat...mares... I sent her off on the circle using the lunge whip as encouragement only, just moving it along the ground to keep her moving forward. This is her first time with the whip - I've only ever used a lead rope when round penning her but it was time to put her big girl panties on and learn what all of the training equipment is. She protested a little bit by cutting in and then would buck. I disciplined her by sending her into the canter and when she got to the spot where she wanted to cut in, I would step into that space and "shoo" her out of it with the whip. After a few times around she realized what she was doing wasn't working and did what she was told. I asked for a trot for her "release" for being a good girl. We switched directions and the same problem arose as before...cutting in and bucking. Repeat discipline and she reacted but changing directions, bucking as she did so. I forced her to change directions (back to the way I wanted) and she blew up again, bucking and kicking. I got after her by sending her into a more intense canter (we have a large round pen, by the way - plenty of room for this stuff), not quite a gallop. She responded by galloping. Fine. I kept her at the gallop until she gave in and went all the way around without cutting in and bucking. Again, her release was trotting. It wasn't long and she was licking and chewing so I thought that now would be a great time to stop and let that lesson process. She stopped and I rubbed her all over with the lunge whip (like a carrot stick or stick and string, I don't have either so I just use my lunge whip). I half expected her to move away but she didn't. I wasn't holding her at all and she stood perfectly still while I rubbed her in every little nook and cranny on her body. I figured that went so well so I thought I would see how she would do with the string part flipping all over her body. Again, didn't move. She was so relaxed and happy to let me rub her anywhere I wanted.
At that point I hooked her back up with the lead rope and reviewed some of the bending exercises. She gave me her head going down perfectly. When I asked for some flex first to the left, she didn't want to do it. So we circled around and around until she finally stopped her feet and gave ever so slightly. That was a good first step. We repeated this on the right side with the same results at first. I switched back to her left side and she circled around only once before stopping and giving me some flex. Again, I repeated on the right side and she repeated the same behavior as she did on the left. A few more times on each side and we ended with her flexing with almost no hesitation. I made sure she knew she was a good girl by giving her lots of love!
We also reviewed moving her shoulders and hips. Each time I asked her she resisted less and less. I was getting the correct response (her feet were even crossing correctly with the correct foot going over the other one - BONUS!) with a lighter cue than when we started so we called it a night. She was such a good girl and I told her so lots of times!
Training day was a success! Can't wait to get back at it tonight!
Until next time,
Lynell
Friday, May 22, 2015
The Farrier Visit
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
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
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
Friday, May 1, 2015
A Zoe Update
I remembered that Zoe had a reaction to the Pyranha Fly Spray last year so I thought I would send a quick text to Zoe's new family. The dad responded and said that they absolutely LOVE Zoe and that he wished his daughter didn't love her so much because he wouldn't mind having her for himself. :) Always good to hear!
I asked if Zoe was being a good girl and he said yes and that she's getting feisty. His daughter is "too soft" and is afraid of hurting Zoe's feelings so she hasn't been very firm with Zoe. At that point I was a little concerned that maybe Zoe was going to be too much horse for her. She can get full of herself but if you remind her of her manners, she's just fine. I told him that and he said that Zoe minds him fine - just wishes his daughter would get firm with Zoe. He thinks that Zoe is testing her boundaries - sounds like my Zoe!
I asked if Zoe was going to be a problem for T and he said that he didn't think so. Just "typical new horse/person relationships that need to be established and get to know each other." T has been riding almost everyday (weather permitting) and things have been going pretty good!
Overall, no red flags and they still love her as much as they did when they picked her up. Yay!
He also asked about Gunner again - I have to measure him and take some conformation pictures for him. That's on my list of things to do this weekend...
Until next time,
Lynell
I asked if Zoe was being a good girl and he said yes and that she's getting feisty. His daughter is "too soft" and is afraid of hurting Zoe's feelings so she hasn't been very firm with Zoe. At that point I was a little concerned that maybe Zoe was going to be too much horse for her. She can get full of herself but if you remind her of her manners, she's just fine. I told him that and he said that Zoe minds him fine - just wishes his daughter would get firm with Zoe. He thinks that Zoe is testing her boundaries - sounds like my Zoe!
I asked if Zoe was going to be a problem for T and he said that he didn't think so. Just "typical new horse/person relationships that need to be established and get to know each other." T has been riding almost everyday (weather permitting) and things have been going pretty good!
Overall, no red flags and they still love her as much as they did when they picked her up. Yay!
He also asked about Gunner again - I have to measure him and take some conformation pictures for him. That's on my list of things to do this weekend...
Until next time,
Lynell
Friday, April 17, 2015
A Fork in the Road
I don't even know how to start this...
Tomorrow Zoe will be moving to her new home with her new family. It KILLS me to sell her, she was supposed to be my forever horse! But the direction my life is going right now will prevent me from continuing her training like she needs, like she wants! This decision has been weighing in my mind for a while now. I need to do what's right for Zoe and stop wasting her by not having the time to ride and work with her consistently. The guilt is overwhelming!! Even as I type this I'm having a hard time accepting it. Zoe was supposed to be with me forever - until the end. My heart is broken.
The family I have chosen for Zoe has 4 other horses. Their lives revolve around their horses and they are so excited to have Zoe join their family...their family are the key words here. She will have a forever home with them! They plan to use her for all kinds of events in western and possibly dabble in english, depending on how Zoe does.
The father of the family found out about Zoe through my trainer. He explained to me that they were putting their daughter's horse down because they were no longer able to manage the pain for their horse (severe arthritis) so they have been looking for a new horse for quite some time. When my trainer told him Zoe was for sale he called me and begged me to let him buy her. They knew Zoe from when she was in training and absolutely loved her! I told him I had someone else coming that night to ride her and from the sounds of things would probably buy her so I was sorry. He was persistent and even offered to buy her for more than what I was asking!
I called my trainer to get an idea of what this family was all about. To me, the right fit was more important than the money - or even who had first "dibs" on her, so I had to at least think about it. My trainer had nothing but great things to say about this family and so I did it.
I sold her to them.
His daughter asked if she could call me about Zoe if she has any questions or maybe come out and help her! I told her I would absolutely love that! I'm excited for Zoe - for her future with this family. It feels right, it hurts but I'm at peace.
I don't usually get comments on here so I don't know if anyone really reads this or not but I will leave this blog up for a while but then probably shut it down. Maybe I will start one for Melody or a general one for the farm. We'll see.
Until next time,
Lynell
Tomorrow Zoe will be moving to her new home with her new family. It KILLS me to sell her, she was supposed to be my forever horse! But the direction my life is going right now will prevent me from continuing her training like she needs, like she wants! This decision has been weighing in my mind for a while now. I need to do what's right for Zoe and stop wasting her by not having the time to ride and work with her consistently. The guilt is overwhelming!! Even as I type this I'm having a hard time accepting it. Zoe was supposed to be with me forever - until the end. My heart is broken.
The family I have chosen for Zoe has 4 other horses. Their lives revolve around their horses and they are so excited to have Zoe join their family...their family are the key words here. She will have a forever home with them! They plan to use her for all kinds of events in western and possibly dabble in english, depending on how Zoe does.
The father of the family found out about Zoe through my trainer. He explained to me that they were putting their daughter's horse down because they were no longer able to manage the pain for their horse (severe arthritis) so they have been looking for a new horse for quite some time. When my trainer told him Zoe was for sale he called me and begged me to let him buy her. They knew Zoe from when she was in training and absolutely loved her! I told him I had someone else coming that night to ride her and from the sounds of things would probably buy her so I was sorry. He was persistent and even offered to buy her for more than what I was asking!
I called my trainer to get an idea of what this family was all about. To me, the right fit was more important than the money - or even who had first "dibs" on her, so I had to at least think about it. My trainer had nothing but great things to say about this family and so I did it.
I sold her to them.
His daughter asked if she could call me about Zoe if she has any questions or maybe come out and help her! I told her I would absolutely love that! I'm excited for Zoe - for her future with this family. It feels right, it hurts but I'm at peace.
I don't usually get comments on here so I don't know if anyone really reads this or not but I will leave this blog up for a while but then probably shut it down. Maybe I will start one for Melody or a general one for the farm. We'll see.
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
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 9, 2014
A Patient Farrier
As I've mentioned several times, the farrier came out last week Thursday. I brought him Zoe first, then Star, then Tyson and then Gunner. I saved Melody for last because I knew it wasn't going to be easy (Melody Update).
He started with her front foot on her right side. Of course she did perfect. He went for her back foot and that's when it hit the fan. She flew over sideways as soon as he picked her foot up (which she picked up willingly when he asked her) and held it there for more than a split second. Around and around she went. I had positioned myself so that she could only go one way and that way the farrier could keep up. He did great!
When she stopped, he made quick work of trimming that foot. He went around to the other side and I warned him this side has always been harder for her. He didn't think it would be much worse than the side he just did and boy was he wrong! When he went to pick up her back left foot she kinda kicked out trying to take it back from him. He asked for an extra lead rope to work with that back foot so he wouldn't get kicked. He picked her foot up using the lead rope and held it there while she danced around trying to take it back. Once she finally gave her foot, he released it. Then he asked for her foot without the lead rope and she did more dancing and when she gave in, he quickly trimmed that foot.
He moved on to her front foot on the left side and she did fine with that.
The thing I really appreciate about our farrier is that he never, not even one time, got upset. He just stayed with her and was very patient with her. If he would've gotten upset and got after her about her behavior, the next time he came out or any time we tried to work with her feet she could relate it as a bad experience and could become awful. We will just have to keep working with her and her feet so that the next time the farrier comes out it will go better!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave."
He started with her front foot on her right side. Of course she did perfect. He went for her back foot and that's when it hit the fan. She flew over sideways as soon as he picked her foot up (which she picked up willingly when he asked her) and held it there for more than a split second. Around and around she went. I had positioned myself so that she could only go one way and that way the farrier could keep up. He did great!
When she stopped, he made quick work of trimming that foot. He went around to the other side and I warned him this side has always been harder for her. He didn't think it would be much worse than the side he just did and boy was he wrong! When he went to pick up her back left foot she kinda kicked out trying to take it back from him. He asked for an extra lead rope to work with that back foot so he wouldn't get kicked. He picked her foot up using the lead rope and held it there while she danced around trying to take it back. Once she finally gave her foot, he released it. Then he asked for her foot without the lead rope and she did more dancing and when she gave in, he quickly trimmed that foot.
He moved on to her front foot on the left side and she did fine with that.
The thing I really appreciate about our farrier is that he never, not even one time, got upset. He just stayed with her and was very patient with her. If he would've gotten upset and got after her about her behavior, the next time he came out or any time we tried to work with her feet she could relate it as a bad experience and could become awful. We will just have to keep working with her and her feet so that the next time the farrier comes out it will go better!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave."
-Calvin Coolidge
Monday, July 7, 2014
Such a Stinker!
I'm talking about Zoe in the title! Ever since I put her back in work, she's been playing hard to get. She's only done this once before and it was after my brother-in-law thought he would "help" me with Zoe.
She first started this last week when I tried to put her fly mask on. And then after that the chase began! Hubby was trying to convince me to stop and just to let her be but after 5 minutes of not letting me anywhere near her it became a thing of principle!
I opened the gate to the pen next to the horse pasture and started sorting her friends out one by one. We got down to Zoe and Gunner. All of a sudden Zoe likes Gunner - as long as he keeps her from getting caught! Gunner was happy to comply with all of her requests. Hubby came out to help and was able to get Gunner out of the way and after two more weak attempts to get away, Zoe stood for me. I simply haltered her and then put her fly mask on and let her go.
The next few times I went to catch her she would play hard to get but gave in after only a couple attempts. Thursday, when the farrier was there, she was up first. She pulled the same game as the first time I tried the fly mask! I ran her into the pen next to the horse pasture and once in there she gave up.
Since then, she hasn't given me any trouble. I've made an effort at only haltering her and leading her around without any real work involved and then giving a treat before letting her go. That seems to have done the trick!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different."
She first started this last week when I tried to put her fly mask on. And then after that the chase began! Hubby was trying to convince me to stop and just to let her be but after 5 minutes of not letting me anywhere near her it became a thing of principle!
I opened the gate to the pen next to the horse pasture and started sorting her friends out one by one. We got down to Zoe and Gunner. All of a sudden Zoe likes Gunner - as long as he keeps her from getting caught! Gunner was happy to comply with all of her requests. Hubby came out to help and was able to get Gunner out of the way and after two more weak attempts to get away, Zoe stood for me. I simply haltered her and then put her fly mask on and let her go.
The next few times I went to catch her she would play hard to get but gave in after only a couple attempts. Thursday, when the farrier was there, she was up first. She pulled the same game as the first time I tried the fly mask! I ran her into the pen next to the horse pasture and once in there she gave up.
Since then, she hasn't given me any trouble. I've made an effort at only haltering her and leading her around without any real work involved and then giving a treat before letting her go. That seems to have done the trick!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different."
-Coco Chanel
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Melody Update
We've been thoroughly enjoying Melody! She's such a sweet heart and takes every lesson in stride. She's been doing so well with leading and picking up her feet that last night when we (hubby and I) were cleaning out her feet we were surprised when she wouldn't give her back feet. Like at all. As soon as she picked a back foot up she would lean all the way back and almost fall over! She did this with both of her back feet. Only once did she pick up her back foot nicely out of the multiple times trying. And we couldn't duplicate it. I thought maybe she was lacking confidence in her ability to stand with only three feet so we put her next to a fence where a pole was for extra support. At first it worked but it quickly went back to her putting all of her weight on her back feet.
Apparently the feet lessons need to be repeated. This happens with young ones...testing out what they can and can't get away with. Which, did I mention that she started biting again? She got be good on my shoulder but I told her that was not acceptable in no uncertain terms. She hasn't tried biting me since. Anyways, back to her feet. Because we weren't making any progress we thought maybe we would get her mind off it and give her a new lesson to think about - round penning.
When I first took her off the lead she immediately was more interested in her friends across the driveway. There was no interest in moving...lol I got bigger and more intense with my request for her to move out which she finally obliged while charging after the dog. Dang dog...I didn't see him come in with me and I don't allow him in the round pen with me while working horses. The horses usually try to run him down and I don't want him or me to get hurt in the process. I got the dang dog out and got back to work. She actually was getting the hang of it rather quickly. Changing directions was a bit sticky but we got through it and called it a day. She was perfectly calm and had no issues with me hooking her back up to the lead (Zoe always got nervous in her younger years, but she's quite a bit more high strung than Melody is).
Farrier is coming out tonight so we'll see how she does with her back feet...could be interesting!!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"We didn't lose the game, we just ran out of time."
Apparently the feet lessons need to be repeated. This happens with young ones...testing out what they can and can't get away with. Which, did I mention that she started biting again? She got be good on my shoulder but I told her that was not acceptable in no uncertain terms. She hasn't tried biting me since. Anyways, back to her feet. Because we weren't making any progress we thought maybe we would get her mind off it and give her a new lesson to think about - round penning.
When I first took her off the lead she immediately was more interested in her friends across the driveway. There was no interest in moving...lol I got bigger and more intense with my request for her to move out which she finally obliged while charging after the dog. Dang dog...I didn't see him come in with me and I don't allow him in the round pen with me while working horses. The horses usually try to run him down and I don't want him or me to get hurt in the process. I got the dang dog out and got back to work. She actually was getting the hang of it rather quickly. Changing directions was a bit sticky but we got through it and called it a day. She was perfectly calm and had no issues with me hooking her back up to the lead (Zoe always got nervous in her younger years, but she's quite a bit more high strung than Melody is).
Farrier is coming out tonight so we'll see how she does with her back feet...could be interesting!!
Until next time!
Quote for the day:
"We didn't lose the game, we just ran out of time."
-Vince Lombardi
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)