Gunner & Zoe Reunited Again

Sorry about the poor quality picture - all I had was a cell phone for this photo-op!

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

Riding Gunner

Middle daughter had a great ride on Gunner over the long weekend.  I wish she could've gotten more rides in but our weekend was a blur!

Gunner has been acting kinda "studdy" (Star is in heat) lately so we round penned him before middle daughter got on.  We didn't know how he was mentally but soon found out that he was ready to work so she warmed him up and then they started working.  They were both relaxed and working well together.  Middle daughter's position was perfect!  I didn't have to remind her about her leg or sitting up at all!  So proud of the progress she's made since last year!

I put three orange cones out for her to practice some turns and patterns.  She got frustrated because Gunner didn't understand that he had to go AROUND the cones!  I went out and led them both around all of the cones and just like that, Gunner was bending nicely around each cone on his own.  He just had to have it "explained", I think!

After the work was done, the other children wanted a quick "pony ride".  I walked them around the cones and then called it a night.  Gunner was a good boy and we all told him so!  He really appreciates the treats (like all horses do!) so we gave him a couple and put him away.

It was a good night of riding - hopefully we will string more good rides together this year!

Until next time,
Lynell

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."

-John Wooden

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."

-Eleanor Roosevelt

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."

-William Penn

Sore Gunner

Gunner got the day off on Thursday because the farrier came out.  So Friday we decided to get a ride in during the afternoon because we didn't want to try to ride while people would be starting to shoot off fireworks.

Going back, Wednesday we tried Gunner in the hackmore and he did AWESOME!  So quiet and relaxed!  I have a phone call in for brother-in-law about Gunner's teeth, though.  I would like to know when the last time he had them done just so I can or cannot rule out his teeth as the culprit with the bit.  Don't get me wrong, I will still be scheduling an appointment for his teeth and we will probably continue to ride in the hackmore but I would like to keep him on a better schedule.

Anyways, middle daughter was grooming Gunner before the ride and when she ran the brush over his back he dropped his back out under the pressure.  He's been doing something similar to this ever since we turned him out with Zoe but this time he seemed more tense.  My gut says that Zoe got a hold of him...  Anyways, we decided to try him out and all was going well until middle daughter asked him to canter.  He jumped up in the front end more exaggerated than usual but picked up the correct lead and went around the pen once before she asked him to trot.

She changed directions and when she asked for the canter he gave out a small buck.  Middle daughter stayed in the saddle and didn't really know what happened.  I told her riding was done and to cool him down.  I'm guessing he was too sore.  Poor guy!

Since the ride was cut short, we decided to pamper the little guy and gave him a good shampoo bath.  He has one white sock on his back foot and when we were done it was glowing!  He looked like a million bucks!  Middle daughter took him out to the yard to let him eat while he dried off and he behaved so nicely for her.  What a great little horse he's turned out to be!  I'm hoping that we will be able to keep him for her to ride for 4H...

Anyways, he's gonna get some time off for his back to heal.  If I don't see much progress in a week or so, I'll have to call the chiro and see about getting his back adjusted.  I've never used an equine chiro before...it will be a learning experience for both of us!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"The fewer the facts, the stronger the opinion."

-Arnold H. Glasow

Teeth?

Middle daughter has been riding Gunner everyday now and things have been getting gradually worse.  The first few times middle daughter rode him it was in a halter and lead rope inside the round pen.  It was going very well but he figured out that he could get away with more because she wasn't very strong.  So we decided to put the bridle on.  We used a snaffle because I wasn't sure what he was ridden in so that was a safe place to start.  The first time the bit was in his mouth he was rolling it around with his tongue and shaking his head.  That behavior started to decrease with each ride but then on this past Sunday night he began to bend his head around and touch her toe every time she asked him to go forward, he would constantly pull the reins down, and play with the bit in his mouth again.  Middle daughter was frustrated to tears.  I thought maybe it was something she was/wasn't doing so I hopped on.  Side note: Don't ride in a saddle that's too small for you...it's not comfortable at all!  I'm not a miracle worker by any means but I wanted to see if he would do the same thing with me...he tried and I was able to get him to move out straight but he continued to try to either do tight circles or just bend his head around.  Anyways, while moving around at a walk he continued to try to pull the reins out of my hands (I was riding on a loose rein, by the way) and still played with the bit basically the entire time.

While I was riding, hubby called his brother to find out what Gunner's deal was with bits.  Brother in law said he used a tom thumb when he would ride him.  I'm not convinced that is what the problem is. 

I rode Gunner for a short time with barely any progress.  Middle daughter got back on and the ride wasn't any better for her.  We called it quits because no progress was being made.

I have a hackmore that I might try on him but my hunch is his teeth need to be done.  Hubby forgot to ask his brother about Gunner's teeth but it definitely won't hurt to have them checked.  Zoe and Melody are due for their teeth to be done so I think I will have Gunner's done at the same time.  I'm thinking we'll use the hackmore until I can get them all in.

If not his teeth and the hackmore doesn't seem to do the trick, we'll be back to the drawing board...


Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.'

-David Frost

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."

-Booker T. Washington

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!

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

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."

-Dorothy Day

Boarding?

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

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

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

Until next time!



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

-Ansel Adams

Brrrr...

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

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

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

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

Until next time!



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

-Brenda Ueland

Melody (Cocoa Lena)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time!



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

-Plautus

Announcement

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

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

Until next time!



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

-Walter Winchell

Boot Camp Update #3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time!



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

-Georges Duhamel

Not Lame, Then Lame Again! AHHHH!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time!



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

-Augustine of Hippo

Tyson

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time!



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

-Christopher Reeve

Another Successful Lesson

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

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

Until next time!



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

-Elizabeth Bowen

First Lesson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We left on time and thankfully arrived on time.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time!


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

-Anna Pavlova

Riding Lessons

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time!




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

-Seneca