Adventures of the Floofy Horse

Freakin' Winter

2011-02-09T07:17:00.000-08:00

It was just warm enough to unblanket yesetrday. Last night, nasty ice/sleet storm again with snow due this morning.

Ugh, it wouldn't be so bad for the big boys if it wasn't wet and windy as hell.

I'm considering a move back to Hawaii. This is all.

Snow too!? Seriously?

2011-02-04T10:01:00.001-08:00

We've got snow on top of our ice now. The combination makes for a very slicky based to try to walk on.

The outdoor hoses/pipes have all frozen so the feeding and watering regime had changed a bit. I can't use my wheelbarrow anymore because it's just too click. So I am hauling out feed in my little 4 wheel cart. It takes about 10 minutes to get to the garage where the feed is stored to the pasture- this is a distance of only a few hundred feet. Typically it takes seconds. But having to unstick the frozen gate wheel and things takes time.

Then I head back to the back entrance of the house (if I am really lucky I remembered to unlock the back door, otherwise it takes even more time to go back around to the front of the property. Then I fill up my various spare buckets and jugs with warmish water from the kitchen. This takes a while. I fill up my little cart with as many containers as will fit. Then I start my trek back to the pasture gate. This is maybe 100'. Because of the lack of traction on the ground and the fact that the water in the cart weighs more than me it is a bit challenging to make it those 100 feet. I'm glad there isn't anyone around to see me. It takes me more than 30 minutes just for the watering.

Wash and repeat several times a day. Also- don't blame me for the frozen hoses. I grew up in Hawaii.

One person whose enjoying all this:

Freezy Ponies

2011-02-01T12:10:00.001-08:00

Poor ponies. We had a big sleet storm. This morning when I went to feed their blankets were frozen stiff. I was skating around out there. The horses had the good sense to stay under shelter.

It was so windy out that most of my hay was getting blown apart and going all over the place. Man, I hate wasting. About done with this weather here.

Burrs Blech.

2011-01-24T18:55:00.000-08:00

The giaganto burrs have resurfaced. Pusher's favorite thing in the world is to be so muddy that he looks bay instead of white. Which really cements though burrs in there. He's normally the easiest one during the burr removal process.
Max & Sarge are not helping the situation by ROLLING in burrs. Really guys, really? Ugh. Boys are so dirty gross. Why don't I have tidy mares?

More fence, um. Yay?

2011-01-22T15:31:00.001-08:00

We put up some new fencing down along part of the fence line we share with our neighbor. Our neighbors kept saying not to worry about it (remember it became an issue when they took some stuff down weakening the fence) and they didn't mind if our horses grazed their land. Which is not but just not something I am going to so.

Anyhow, it looks all pretty and shiny new now. Plus we got invited over to the neighbors for dinner (remember: shared fence line, our $ and effort fixed the fence).

We are still dealing with all of the mud and the ick issues that come with that. I'm still traumatized from the whole tail incident. Trying not to think about it much. Though I don't see any breed shows in our future.

Tail Disaster

2011-01-13T16:10:00.000-08:00

So it's been cold here, super cold, nasty, rainy, and windy. My goodness the wind. Everything is nasty black tar mud.

I get up this morning feed the ponies, lalala. This afternoon when I went to check on them, horror. Max had gathered up bits of mud in his tail, that had frozen and slowly built up into perfectly round, frozen balls of concrete-like mud. Somehow, the leg straps from his blanket got tangled up in his tail (they are normally safe and snug but I'm thinking between the wind and he probable actions after the mud build up is how that happened). They were so tangled and knotted in his tail I had to cut them out. That could have been a really really dangerous situation. Thank god Max is a pretty steady guy.

The several large mud balls (one was almost as big as a soccer ball) weighed at least 20 pounds. All pulling down on his poor tail and tailbone. It took me over 3 hours of hauling warm water and soaking his tail to thaw and loosen the mud and eventually get it all out. Then detangle his tail from the leg strap fiasco. With all of that, over half of his tail hair came with it. He hardly has any tail left at all. Less than even a typical horse. It breaks my heart and will take years to grow back out. Ugh, my hands are frozen and red, and cracked.

No pictures of the tail because it will just make me cry more. But let us remember his tail in all of its former glory.

Poor Ponies in the Ick Rain

2011-01-09T08:06:00.001-08:00

Ponies are all tucked in in their blankies to withstand the ick rain and ice we're having. We were supposed to be getting snow which would be much nicer.

But since they still have to be out in the arena until we can get our fence fixed they have to have their blankets on.

Which was not that much fun to do at 10pm in the dark last night, blanketing Sarge for the first time in a new blanket I've never done up before. He was good though, Max was the one who decided to screw with my husband a bit by moving around until I stepped in.

Now this AM they are all out there looking quite pathetic (like they'd be in their shelter even if they could get to it). Maybe I'll take a pic later and add it...

Home Again

2011-01-08T15:45:00.001-08:00

I have been out of town for Christmas and New Year's. OH/KY for Christmas with my family and then off to Tahoe for New Year's with hubby's family. It was a good time but coming home to pony issues wasn't fun.

We have new neighbors and they removed a building that was touch the shared fenced line. They didn't bother to check or reinforce the fence there (it was pretty much non-existent behind the building) so the horse got out and over onto their property. They don't keep their gates closed because they don't have livestock, so the horses had access to the road as well.

Luckily my pet sitter caught them before that happened. Now they are living in the arena until I can go buy new fencing. And they of course had to style their hair into the most fashionable snarls for my home coming :)

Pony Rides

2010-12-16T14:09:00.000-08:00

Today I had a friend come over to ride around the property. I out her on Sarge and things went well for a while. Then Sarge started acting a bit priggish and degrated eventually to being an ass. So I got on him for a bit, he was just seeing what he could get away with. He needs a refresher course and some manner updates. Nothing dangerous but nothing I'm willing to put up with either.

Since I was working Sarge through some of his crap I let my friend on Max. He behaved pretty well for her and I even let her trot him a bit. Big for me, I know.

Sarge's First Ride

2010-11-07T12:18:00.001-08:00

We had our first ride on Sarge. He tacked up nicely, behaved up at the house by himself. I lunged him, warmed him up and rode him for a bit (walk/trot only) just to figure him out a bit and make sure he'd be safe to walk around with my husband on him.

He was a good boy, I even got him to work through his back a bit, he's out of shape and not very flexible right now, but he's safe and sane which is all that really matters. He has a fantastic trot- I think I would love doing dressage with him, not that I have the time to do that him with him but still...

Hubby hopped up on him for a few minutes, walked around, trotted a few steps. All in all a very good first ride. We kept things brief and simple and positive. Loved it.

Damn Horse!

2010-11-05T06:48:00.000-07:00

It was in the 30's last night. I get up in the AM to the dogs barking and there's an unmarked popo car in front of my gate.

'Is that your horse of there?' She points to the bit of land beside my property.
'Yep.' Big sigh.

She was really nice, has horses, said her own do it occassionally too and it's this weather we've been having. I grab a lead and halter (and a bit of grain in a bucket). He of course comes trotting to me all 'Oh, hey! Breakfast, awesome, how's your morning been?'

I wish I loved him a wee bit less sometimes.

As I'm bringing him back to my house Animal Control rolls by. *face palm* And of course the popo lady needed to know what kind of horse he was. I wish I'd had time to be a little friendlier/thankful.

Now chunky pony is in the front yard and I have to figure out how he's magically getting out.
Damn.

'Nother Great Ride

2010-11-01T14:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it had it's low moments- entirely due to my own lack of rider fitness and time away from the back of a horse. But really, it's so good to be back in the saddle again I think I would have called it a great ride as long as I didn't end up in the dirt (which I didn't).

Max is already sprouting a thickening winter coat- which means I am going to have to clip him soon. Ick. Just thinking about the horse hair ichyness makes me all squirmy. I think I might also clip a Superman symbol or something into Sarge's bum for my husband.

Speaking of Sarge- today he started going crazy galloping around and screaming his head off when he couldn't see Max while I was tacking up. I walked over there to see what was going on and he's running up to the gate playing reiner with the danged gate. I was not impressed. This is the same exact setup as when I rode last week- Pusher was already up front and Sarge couldn't see him or Max. Yet today it was a freaking hullaboo. Once I have them turned back out in the rear pasture he can run and scream 'till his hearts content. But he could injure himself up in the backyard where he was today. Not the mention he should still on his 'time off' for his freaking suspensory injury. Guess I neglected to tell him that.

Actually he will be going back into light work as soon as his new bridle arrives. Seeing as how even my largest didn't fit the giant headed poneh.

Rode Today!

2010-10-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

My youngest dog was just spayed on Monday so I have been mostly hanging out in the house with her, making sure she's not messing with her stitches (which equals me & lack of sleep), jumping around, etc.

But this afternoon I couldn't not go out and ride. The weather is so nice and the sun was just going down. It's also was my first opportunity to ride since purchasing the new guy. I wanted to see how he'd react being left by himself while Max was being tacked up and working (Pusher was already up front and out of sight today).

So I get out there, lunge Max a bit and realize I forgot my stirrups. Oh well, I guess that just means I needed to do stirrupless work today. We mostly just walked around, trotted some, worked on turns on the forehand, some straight backing. Thank goodness my horse is kind and after not being ridden since late August (?) he wasn't too crazy. Plus we both are equally out of shape so I'm sure that helped with the no shenanigans.

Now I'm a sitting here typin' and my abs are already sayin' "ouch.". It's good for me. :)

Even the PoPo the Max

2010-10-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

I was woken up early this morning by the popo. The dogs let me know that there was a squad car out front.

He asks if I have a missing horse and goes on to describe Max. Great. Max was out running amok last night for who knows how long and had been spotted in the neighborhood beside my property. So I start freaking out of course, start heading toward the garage...and see Max standing next to the horse trailer.

How he got out? I have no idea. How he got back in??? I'm even more clueless. Later, I checked all of the fences and there weren't any down or anything. The tape was super hot. And even if there had been in the back of the property, there is NO WAY for him to have gotten into the front yard this morning.

Our gate can only be opened by a clicker. There is 6' black wrought-iron type fencing all around my front yard. With pointy things on top of it. It's the most secure area on my property. I'm clueless and super paranoid now. Checking on the horses every 20 minutes.

While I was standing there, barefoot in my pj's, holding a horse with a lead rope around his neck- the officer stayed for a couple of minutes to ask me what kind of horse Max is and to ask me a bunch of questions about him.

Now to figure out how he did it...

Well, that was sooner than planned

2010-10-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

I was mowing today while my husband was doing some other yard work. I put Sarge up front to get used to traffic, etc. while Max & Pusher were in the far back of our property. The front divider gate was open though because of said yard work.
So I'm mowing when I hear my husband yelling and look up to see him waving his arms and pointing. Sarge is walking into the first back pasture with me in between him and everything else. I tell hubby to go get him.

At that point Burden (one of my Danes) starts playing with him and Sarge starts goofing off bucking and cantering around with her. Then he goes off galloping tail flying out behind him Arabian style- straight back to the 'herd'.

There was a lot of Max putting himself in between Sarge and Pusher. A bit of group trotting -well, gaiting in Pusher's case :) - but no fireworks and as smooth as any introduction could be.

Later Sarge came back up so I hopped off the mower and put him back in the arena. Which worked fine until Max & Pusher came back up front, then Sarge started bucking around, cantering, sliding stops, rollbacks because he couldn't see the others anymore (because the 30 minutes they were together was such a bonding experience!).

It was nice to see he could do all of those things and be totally sound but now I worry about how he'll be in the morning and if he's just aggravated he healing injury. don't need any setbacks with that so he needs to maintain his mellow!! He was pretty impressive he was running around though.

Poor Sarge!

2010-10-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

The guy has had a big day. My farrier came out today so he could do Sarge's feet and get him on the same schedule as the boys.

First when the farrier showed up in his rig the gate wouldn't open. So I'm standing there with brand new horse in a strange new place (for him), in a weird situation. So I struggle trying to get our gate to open, then start taking a look at the gate motor before I end up going to tie him up. He wasn't enthusiastic about the situation but he handled it okay.
Once I was able to get the farrier into my property he set to work on Sarge. Who acted like a bit of a brat. And even gave a little kick attempt with one of his hinds. I was mortified, but lucky me I have a great farrier who was really understanding of the situation. And there was a lot going on too. Lots of traffic going by (of course that's when all the large trucks pulling stuff come by my house), the dogs were constantly going crazy barking inside, and my neighbor randomly stopped by and wanted to see the horse, etc.

Also, it turns out Sarge had a good reason (other than his injury) for being a prig. His shoes were a size too small. This may have contributed to his injury in the first place, and was certainly making his feet ouchy and make them grow weird. We just pulled his shoes and we are going to try to leave him barefoot like my others guys.
The good news- he trotted and cantered off soundly back to the arena (his current digs). His canter was really pretty too. Now please stop doing anything other than walking until your injury heals more please!

In related news- it cost $10 more to get his giant feet trimmed.

NEW HORSE!!!!

2010-10-03T19:42:00.001-07:00

Sarge came home today! We went to pick him up after my SAR training (which means my dog got to come along to buy the horse too). We did get to use the horse trailer for our SAR work today though so that was fun -see other blog

He was a fantastic boy getting on the trailer (which is awesome, 'cause he's huge and not all horses love my old trailer).

When we got home my husband wanted to be the one to take him out to the pasture and walk him around the perimeter of his new digs. That makes me excited on so many levels and gives me (perhaps false) hope that we will be able to go on happy sunshine filled trail rides this spring.

Max and Pusher went into 'herd watch' behavior. All stillness and giraffe necks. The deciding to take initiative and get a closer look at the new big black beastie. My husband had never seen it before. During this fascinating display of herd behavior, millennia in the making, well, Sarge just ate.

Fencing, Fencing, Fencing

2010-10-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

We are hard at work this weekend doing some fencing. We mostly re-fencing the arena area and putting up some hot tape. Because...

We're getting a new horse! I realized it looks like we just started our search because I only made a post a few days ago, but in reality we have been looking for a couple of months off and on. And my horrible blog updating adds to the confusion.

We're bring home Sarge, the QH/Perch cross that my husband fell in love with. Yep, I said he was (way) out of our price range and I meant it. But maybe it was kismet.

When we went to go see Sarge and another horse that was for sale at the same farm- turned out Sarge was lame. The barn manager didn't know why because he hasn't been doing much of anything for a few months. We kept in touch and got the results of poor Sarge's issues- two tiny holes in his suspensory. We kind of left it at hey, if we're still looking in a few months (his length of time off for healing) we'll touch base and see what's up.

A while later barn manager contacts me and lets me know that the horses owner wants to let him go for next to nothing instead of paying board bills for the next several months and delaying her chances of getting a higher level prospect for herself. I spoke to my husband about it (because as I have stated before I have no reason for wanting a second lame horse). Spoke to the horses vet about it at length, spoke to me vet about it at length. Consensus was that the injury should heal fine with a bit of time off and Sarge taking a step down from regular showing to trail horse would certainly decrease chances of re-injury down the road.

My husband still loved this horse. So I said okay, and I am crossing my fingers that this horse will be worth quite a bit more than I paid for him in a few months. If not, he seems like a sweetheart and is an easy keeper so I'm out more $ for feed/care bills but no worse off when it comes to the number of rideable horses I have. *sigh*

So dear Sarge is going to be living in my 'arena' until he's all healed up (I want to avoid silly gelding antics as all the boys work out their new herd).

Meet Sarge: This is him with a previous owner.

Oh the horror.

2010-09-30T08:53:00.001-07:00

Today was farrier day! When I went to go pull the horses out I just about died. They went CRAZY on the burrs.

Coated Max's feather, all in his tail, wound through the fairy knots in his mane. Pusher has the softest coat, mane, and tail nothing hardly can cling to it. He must have worked extra hard because he had a burrlock instead of a forelock. By the time I was done with he had a 'frolock from all the twisting the burrs did.

Ugh. My fingers hurt.

'Frolock

Looking for a Husband Horse...

2010-09-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

So we are in the market for a husband horse. Pusher is still the sweetest old man on the planet but he is only pasture sound now. I hop on him bareback sometimes for a bit but that's about it. He's had some stuff going on medically since last winter and he just can't do the job anymore.

Because having a horse my husband can ride is pivotal to me being able to get my own horse out on the trails we are now in search of a third horse (omfg). But hey, I like to look on the bright side, now if I have to take Max somewhere, new horse and Pusher can keep each other company. And if hubby and I go on a trail ride Pusher couldn't really give a crap about being left alone.

So I have been scouring the sites for a good deal (hey I live in TX now, it shouldn't be that hard). And something that actually appeals to my husband (something which is astronomically more difficult). And of course it has to be suitable for his riding (lack of) skills.

We went and looked at one. We get there and of course the horse is lame. And a bit thin (easy keeper is one of my mandatory requirements- it's hard having Pusher & Max so opposite in their feeding needs). The good 'ol boy who is showing him to us drops little gems of his vast knowledge on us. Like that coggins is a test for an STD, so geldings don't need it. And that his horse's lameness must stem from a chip in his hoof (there was no chip and the lameness clearly stemmed from higher up). He offered the horse to us for $500 since he was lame. Yep, just what I want to pay $500 for a lame non-descript horse. I already have one lame horse, thanks.

There are two other horses at a barn not too far away. One is a cute liver QH and the other is a QH/Perch cross. My husband loves the draftie but he is out of our price range. He is an awesome horse- has evented, foxhunted, was a therapy horse, and was a mount for a little boy with some mental handicaps. He's tall, black, and has a wonderful mohawk where his mane has been roached.

There is also a Welsh Cob X that is available for a free lease. Not only do I want a Welsh Cob something fierce (it may be my breed of choice for my next horse) but getting a free lease would be really nice. Takes off the added stress of even more horse ownership (especially from my husband's point of view). There is a chance we will be going to England for a year, so having a horse we can hand back to it's owners really has an appeal. I have contacted the people but haven't heard anything back yet.

Practice with Dog

2010-07-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

My lovely training director for my Search & Rescue team has taken on a project this summer. Nope it's not a horse! However, it is connected. There is going to be an Extreme Mustang Makeover held in Fort Worth in August. And as a connected competition, with the finals being a 'halftime show' on the last night, there is going to be an Extreme Mutt Makeover.

A group of dogs has been pulled from the Humane Society, then they are given out to trainers (who signed up of course) for eight weeks. The dogs are assigned by drawing from a hat. During that time the trainers have to take the dogs (who have no prior training) and put basic obedience on them as well as putting together a show with their dog for the finals. The dogs are then adopted to homes best suited to them (trainers have first dibs). So a whole lot like the Mustang Makeovers.

My trainer's dog's name is Ray, he is an awesome little dog and his show is going to know everyone's socks off. Anyhow, since there are going to be horses around and maybe even in the ring during finals, Shannon wanted to bring Ray over to practice some of his stuff and meet the horses.

So Max got to work around a ton of weird stuff and work on his patience by standing around bunch (close to a dog). Max was fine with all of the stuff (even the lime green tunnel that kept blowing all over the arena) and the crazy noises (like the wooden teeter). He kept working for me just fine. Ray at first really didn't like that Max was so close to him. And of course Max had his ears back a lot because he was either listening to me or pulling faces because he was impatient. Either way in dog speak ears back typically isn't good so poor Ray thought this giant dog was displeased with him.

Max is bored & Ray is starting to think maybe this monster dog won't eat him.

Eventually He came around though and they made friends. It was a fun day and Max and I are always up for helping out for a good cause :)

Still working...

2010-05-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

Ugh. It was so humid and hot today (isn't TX supposed to have dry heat?!). Max was still a good boy today so we made it brief.
He also stepped in dog poo at some point. Ewwww. It made for a unique hoof picking experience. At least is wasn't one of the Danes poo.

Happy Birthday Max!

2010-05-12T16:28:00.001-07:00

He's 9!!! That's a bit crazy because it doesn't feel like I have owned him nearly as long as I have. Also, he's sort of accomplished very little in those 9 years. Not like in the ring or competition or anything but he has so little life experience, minus travelling across the Atlantic.
I guess for the most part he just hasn't had a normal horse life until I got him. I need to remember that more when he acts a little baby brained :)
I don't actually know his birthday- his paperwork just days he was born in May 2001. That's pretty typical for a lot of Gypsies since some of the travellers who breed them don't go out to the fields everyday to check on them. And they often lease fields in different areas to put their herds on. So I pulled a day out of the hat to be Max's b-day.
Here's to 4 more decades (at least) Max!!! :)

Farrier Day!

2010-05-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Max was mostly well behaved. He can be a bit of a brat sometimes, removing his foot from the stand and whatnot. Occasionally he'll try to be super lazy and put some of his weight on my poor (amazing) farrier. Today he was pretty good. And his feetsies look purtyful.
Pusher was excellent as always (when isn't he?). He has had an aggravating crack in his right front for a little while that was probably cause by an old abscess and the super hard ground. Today my farrier burned it (not a nice smell) so hopefully we'll have stopped it from continuing up and we can finally grow it out!
I didn't get pictures today- I keep meaning to take before and after photos so I can post them here and so I can keep a log over time of what there looking like (maybe add some other factors in like workload and weather). Hey, I'm a nerd and I love my files and lists.

I've got fence!

2010-04-18T12:05:00.001-07:00

Woot! New fence and hot tape in place across the front of the first pasture. And my arena has a pretty gate. Now I have an actual backyard division. And the horses can't come stare in my kitchen windows. Although I am a bit sad about that.

Getting to Work

2010-03-31T07:57:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to update (like anyone still reads this after all this time!). We have been getting back to work! Mostly just reminding Max he actually does have manners. And that he has to re-find his patience.

We have been working on the lunge too. Trying to take his edge off and get him a bit fitter. Right now I have no wear to ride so we haven't done any under saddle work yet. Why can we lunge and not ride you ask? Because my 'arena' is currently fenced off with no gate! We have had to do a lot of re-fencing this winter because Max discovered he could push the fence down a bit then jump it. Not yay. Anyhow he can still escape if he has access to the arena area (down one side) but it's been too wet to dig holes/cement posts until last weekend. All that's left to do is get the gate hardware/wheel and put it up! Which really means I am waiting on my husband to get home before dark so we can get it up.

I can't really ride right now where we lunge because it's the front of my property (right along the road). When we're lunging we get a couple of slow downs and an occasional jeer. When we're riding we get stops, lots of jeering/catcalls, and quite a bit of horn beeping. You would think in TX people would be more adapted to seeing horses being ridden. Anyhow normally it is fine and actually good for Max to have distractions and continue to focus. Also good for de-spooking. But right now it would just be backward progress. It really is like starting Max all over again (from where he was when I first got him). That's just how special he is. Um, yeah. Let me stress- he is not a normal Gypsy at all when it comes to that. Most of these guys are laid back and just about born already backed. Their training issues often involve going forward. Not so with my dear Max. He really does need to be ridden at least 5 times a week. Most of the time I can take a week off if need be and it will only take 1 or 2 rides to get him back to where we were. I'm sure once we get going he'll remember where we were within a few weeks but for now the poor guy is clueless.

I'm not really expecting that part of him to change at this point (he'll be 9 next month) but I am hoping that if I can keep him in work he'll one day be good for beginners (my husband and family/friends) to ride on trails, etc.

If you're interested....

2010-03-11T10:42:00.000-08:00

There's still nothing new going on with Max. Although he made me laugh and laugh yesterday morning. He was thundering around as fast as he could because the ponies next door were. He kept making big circles trying to get Pusher to join it. Cute.
Anyhow, I have been posting some over on my other blog regarding my SAR dog in training.
http://whatkindofburden.blogspot.com/

Winter Wonderland

2010-02-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you've heard that we had a bunch of snow dumped on us here in TX just like the rest of the country. Over a foot! Not something I thought would happen when we moved to Texas.

The dogs and I are loving it. Playing and bouncing around. The horses not so much. Max in particular does not seem pleased. I can't blame him much. When I got up to feed his tail had a couple giant snowballs on the end that were so large they were pulling his tail way out behind him. Poor pony.

Not to mention how dirty he looks in the glistening white! Anyhow, of course this means our schedule has gotten all messed up and delayed again. Seriously, next time I move I'm making sure I have nearby covered/indoor access!

Pusher amiable and cute as always

Max does not want!

Colic Again

2010-01-30T08:56:00.000-08:00

Pusher was back at the vet yesterday. Colicing again, or more likely he never entirely stopped but he was acting/functioning pretty normal on Thurs. Hopefully we can get him over this now and move forward. It he continues to deteriorate or loses any more weight we will have to start asking ourselves some tough questions.
Yesterday he was at my front door (they are in my front property b/c of all the rain) waiting for me to tell me something was wrong again. I'm pretty sure he would have rung the doorbell if he knew how. He then followed me around while I was readying everything to go to the vet again.
Since it's been so cold and wet he didn't appear to have laid down much. Instead he pawed until he wore off almost all of his front toes. There was blood everywhere when I found him at the door.
I'm off to go get some more electrolytes, syringes, etc. I really just want him to make it through this so we can start getting his weight back up and check into a few other things. Wish us luck.

PS- Max was a complete dick last night and wouldn't load at the vet's office. More on that and the training to follow. When I have more time.

Stress.

2010-01-27T06:50:00.000-08:00

We have been dealing with Pusher colicing for the past two days. He's been to the vet and it's all fairly mild but the poor guy had been in pain for so long. I just feel so bad for him. He's still a little dehydrated but he's willing to graze and eat now so things appear to be on the up swing. Mostly, I am just exhausted from staying up with him and bolting upright out of bed all hours of the night to check on him.
Max has been a trooper and stayed near Push throughout all this. Good friend.

Chunky Pony Suck.

2010-01-25T15:39:00.000-08:00

We're still getting along here. My horses are now in my front yard because Max decided it would be fun to push down the fence and graze by the pond next door instead of waiting on his hay (which I was actually out buying when this occurred).
So now I have been learning the joys of electric fencing. We have the tape up but we need to put something (wood) into the ground to mount the solar unit on. Gah, money that could be spent elsewhere I tell you.
Anyhow, not much has been done on the "'Let's get Max Un-obese' front. My riding area still isn't dry (esp since it decided to rain a couple more times) and now my sand $ is probably going to be going into better/new fencing in addition to the hot tape. Which is fine and def more of a priority than my arena but unless it stop raining so much the pond next door is never going to stop super flooding my property (it always floods it a bit). And I can't put new posts into standing water/mud. I swear, there must have been a drought going on when we looked at this property because there wasn't water on it when we looked but there has been ever since (not that this was disclosed to us or anything like that... grrr).
In other news: Max has decided he wants his mane to be a double mane instead of just falling to the left. That not only will complicate my lead/diagonal checking (His hair it so long it blocks my cheating and checking legs) but I'm not entirely sure how to care for it. I mean do I just let it fall whatever way haphazard do I try to tidy up the 'part' some. So I am off to Harlequin Farms Gypsy Horse Forums to find out. On the up side it will make it easier to do two smaller running braids instead of trying to tame it into one.

Did it snow today?

2010-01-19T16:28:00.001-08:00

Nope. Well, not here in my area of TX anyhow. The white blanket coating large portions of my front yard and driveway is in fact horse hair.
I have been clipping Max for the last two days. And I'm still not done. I still have about 1/4 of his body left and his face to do still. Ugh. His hair is soo long (I'm talking up 6 inches in spots) but mostly it's the THICKNESS. My (brand new) clippers just get too exhausted and I have to rest them often. These are 'real' clippers too not like my wimpy Stablemate Pro of last year. But his coat is so much worse this year. And I am clipping him close this time, not just a little off the top.
Max is handling it quite well considering he has been largely unhandled for almost 4 months. That's right folks I have not ridden my horse since late September. It pretty much makes me want to throw up. Life (and weather) is like that sometimes though so I am trying to just move forward.
Hence the pretty-ing up. Max is so out of shape now there is now way I can put him back to work with his winter coat. And next year I am clipping as soon as that sucker starts coming in.
In other news: I have started going through all the shows and things I would like to do with Max this year. Going to see what my budget is like and give us some concrete goals to work towards.

Onward I say. Onward.

Oh, I'll try to get pictures of his handsomeness tomorrow :)

Update.

2009-12-21T06:42:00.000-08:00

Just as an overall update. Nothing really has been going on here work wise. The weather and mud have pretty much refused to cooperate for any length of time to make true work feasible.
We have an some health stuff going on with both horses as well. Not to mention some other animal stuff going on. Anyhow, things have been crazy but not all that worth posting yet.
Bottom line: We haven't disappeared or been pony-napped. We will be back in the new year on one big fat hardcore re-start. Both of us need to get back into shape. And I have some new goals for us that I am pretty determined to accomplish.

I still exist!

2009-10-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

I have been out of town for the entire month of October (minus 28 hours) doing some family stuff. So my horse has done nothing but get muddy and drive my husband a bit crazy all month. And get rained on. And flooded on.
I'm not entirely sure when we will really get back to work since the weather isn't cooperating, but we'll start with some manners reminders and getting him cleanish.

The rains have ceased!

2009-09-15T16:29:00.000-07:00

I actually saw a little bit of the sun today! I haven't lived in TX for very long but I have never seen it just rain like it has been. Normally it will storm and hail for a bit and then the baking sun will be back out to dry it all up. The waters are actually receding so hopefully I will be back on my pony soon.
I think Max might have enjoyed the deluge. It probably reminded him of England. And it definitely proved he was right to start shedding his summer coat a couple of weeks ago. I guess I will learn to go with pony's judgement on that one :)
Still working on the other posts (my internet is still being wonky)

Brief Update

2009-09-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm back safe & sound. I will be updating other posts later. It has been raining here non-stop (I currently own a lake instead of a backyard) and my internet and phone have been out until about now.

We're Back!

2009-09-09T13:06:00.001-07:00

Okay so I realize this is so late that anyone who may actually read my blog probably doesn't give a crap anymore anyway. But the trip was FANTASTIC. It was a weekend of firsts for both of us. First time I have actually been near my horse while he laid down (I have only ever seen him laying twice at a distance). First time he's peed under saddle (again, I've seen him pee maybe twice in the pasture). First time leading a trail ride. Heck, first time we've been on a trail ride (we also tried out the middle and back). First time in flip-flops around horses. First time swimming together. First time almost getting bowled over by a run away horse (thank you Max for saying our asses). First time traveling with 14 other horses. First time Max was relaxed enough to be so close to another horse that my foot bumped the other rider's. First time I have really pulled my trailer. First time opening and closing a gate together. First time riding home in the pitch black having to trust my horse to see the trail and get us back (it was amazing, I have never felt that level of relaxation in my body while riding).

The weekend was amazing. Neither of us were as fit as I would of liked and Max did have his hair rubbed off in one spot because of the saddlebags. Ick. But really, it was awesome. It did wonders for our relationship and it really showed me some of my horses personality that I have never seen before. Max is actually pretty level headed and brave when it comes to most things. He was still pretty twitchy about other horses, especially after the runaway horse almost ran into us. Which lead me to figuring out that it's mostly the hot, unpredictable horses that Max really doesn't want much to do with. But he wasn't afraid to lead, he braved obstacles he's never seen before. Wasn't afraid of the running oil rig like the other horses. He let me know well before I could see them if there were other people or horses ahead of us. He saved our asses after almost slipping cantering around a curve in the trail that was (for some ? reason) muddy. He was one of the only horses who would listen when I asked him to walk up or down a hill instead of trotting or cantering. To the point that other people kept wanting to follow us down. We also did trot/canter up and down embankments. Man, Max can just cruise through stuff in a trot. He went right into the pond when we went swimming. He let other groups of horses get ahead of us while we stayed back to go slower with one other horse (poor chunky ponies). Hardly any of the horses there would have done that. He was all around amazing. And we all know he has his issues; I was shocked at how calmly and bravely he handled everything. He wasn't perfect by any means (gate closing) but he was totally game for and accepting of anything I wanted to do.

Unfortunately, I was having too much fun to get many pictures- I am so bad about that. But I do know there are other pictures of us on my trainers camera, esp. of the swimming so hopefully I can get my hands on those before too long!

He's so checkin' out that horses bum!

Sleepy Pony Face

Max in his Crib

Almost Ready!

2009-09-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

AHHHHH! I'm getting so excited. Excited enough that I'm not terrified about having to haul the trailer for 2 hours (This will be the SECOND time I have EVER pulled a trailer). I have checklists about to bury me but I am making good headway.

We did our finally ride today. I put all my gear on- seat saver, saddlebags, full water bottles- Max pretty much hated it. He really didn't like the pack shifting at the trot but was better at the canter. He was fine at the walk of course. I worked him through it but there was definitely a difference in his stride. I have never felt him that choppy. Hopefully he gets over it to some degree otherwise my back and legs are going to kill. Also, I just put some random stuff in the bags for this practice run. I am going to make the load lighter and try to line the bottom with soft things to help control the bounce. Also I figured out a way to make the saddle bags tighter once I untacked Max.

All Geared Up. Take note of the tongue and beard. :)

I also tried the riser pad today. I was a bit much with the saddle I was using and I didn't really like it. It was squishy comfy but I feel much more disconnected with Max. I also think it over corrected just a bit and tipped my forward just the slightest. Not good since I tend to fall too far forward anyway. I have a feeling it would strain my lower back if I have to post in it for a long period of time. I think it will be good with my dressage saddle until I can get it reflocked. Maybe once it's had some of the newness squished out of it it will work with my AP saddle.

And speaking of saddles and my own stupidity. I have been riding Max in the wrong saddle lately! I am retarded. We bought my husband a Thorowgood a while back (super deal = $50) and our 2 Thorowgoods are almost identical. Anyhow, I must have forgotten who's was who's since I had been doing dressage for a while. I was wondering why it felt a little tighter on Max (I just figured he'd gotten even fatter...). Also that saddle does not have comfy knee blocks (Adam doesn't seem to notice). And when I raised my stirrups it was all uncomfy and dug into my knee after a while. It all becomes clear now. *facepalm*

Max also got a bath and a face shave today. I can't believe he has a chin underneath all that beard. And I actually got a couple pictures today. Off to deal with more lists!

No more Dr.Beardface

Ride & Feeties

2009-09-01T09:12:00.001-07:00

Really nice ride yesterday morning. The weather was so great. Actually a cool breeze that made things a little chilly until I started moving about. Hopefully the mild TX autumn is on it's way. We also had a little bit of an audience today. There is an tract of land beside ours that has a pond with some land in front of it. That is beside a neighborhood. You can mostly see backs of houses but a few of them across the street from those face the pond area. Anyhow, there was a little boy and grandma that watched us.

Max was really just on. We just clicked.I even did several stretches of sitting trot that were soo easy to sit. I think that's a first. I have sat for a few strides before but I was going almost all the way around the arena today. I got the nicest most lofty left lead canter from him. I have never felt a canter like that out of him. His right lead was also much better, it started off unbalanced but he worked through it and gave me some really nice strides at the end. I was so proud of him and his attitude. We also got some nice shoulder in, trot-halts, and backing.

It was also farrier day. Both boys feet were looking AWFUL. Max's in particular. I have spoken to so many people (including 3 farriers) and everyone says that's just what the dirt here does to feet in the summer. I still hate it though. It looks like I don't give a crap about my horses' feet. Anyhow, the trims went fine and they are looking much prettier. Both of them got a little crescent burned intp their front rights to try to stop cracks I have been dealing with.

I have also been starting on all my lists and tasks to get ready to leave to the Grasslands. Only a few more days! :)

Recent Ride

2009-08-30T07:05:00.001-07:00

Had a decent ride today. Nothing spectacular but he wasn't completely misbehaving himself either :) Some nice trots and good left lead canter. Awful, unbalanced right lead.
They are doing some kinda of construction on the lot/pond next to us and Max felt he had to keep an eye on the workers for some reason. He didn't care about the dump trucks or noisy backhoe thingy. But he sure kept an eye on the men meandering about. That does make me wonder if maybe they have been feeding the horses or something...grr, I hope not.
Also, excuse the lack of pictures recently. It's good for me because I don't really take pictures when I ride. I know it makes much harder reading. Plus, he's just so darned photogenic.

Dragonflies.

2009-08-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

I thought maybe I should talk a bit about Max's lunging. I actually REALLY don't like a horse that HAS to be lunged to work well. But recently I have been lunging Max before every ride for several reasons. He has had so much time off recently that it really helps him carry himself, and that translates to our under saddle work. It also makes him behave and concentrate better under saddle when he has had lots of time off. It takes his manic energy edge off. Once he has been back in regular work it doesn't seem to make a difference one way or the other. I also am spending time lunging him because I am trying to get him in better shape before we head to the Grasslands. Lastly, I have been riding alone during the day quite a bit lately. It's much safer and smarter to gauge his mood and take the edge off before I hop in the saddle.

Our canter work was much better today. He crossfired once I think- I am totally willing to admit I am still figuring out how different things feel at the canter. But overall he was much more balanced and kept an even pace around the area.

But, while lunging and under saddle, he had really nice upward transitions but not so great downward transitions. He would come right down to whatever gait but he would throw up his head and hollow his back which is no good. I couldn't find and tenderness or anything so I'm not really sure...but it is definitely time to get my dressage saddle reflocked. The panels need to have flocking added to raise the cantle some and to fit his back better. I knew I would have to get that done all along but my saddler fitter wanted me to ride out the newness first. We have definitely surpassed that and now it's time to get that done.

That will probably be put on hold for a bit longer since I plan on switching over to the saddle we'll be using on our trip. From here on out I'd rather him work under that saddle and get used to the saddle bags we'll be using and the saddle pad with pockets, that kind of thing. So it will probably be a while before I get my other saddle reflocked since it will be at least $100 and I would rather buy stuff we're going to need for our trip!

While we we're cooling out today all of these dragonflies started flying around us. The kept up with us and they seemed to like staying around Max's head and mane. There were at least half a dozen of them, in all different colors. Sapphire blue, bright jewel green, pure black, a tiger one- with a black and tawny colored body. They reminded me of dolphins swimming at the bow of a ship.

AM Ride

2009-08-12T08:31:00.001-07:00

GOOD RIDE TODAY. I got up early this morning before it got too hot. Lunged him some and off we went. I didn't ask too much of him this time, instead I concentrated on just plain exercise. We both need to get into shape (well as much as we can given the time frame) before we hit the Grasslands at the beginning of September.

He stretched down some and carried himself well at the trot today. I did have to remind him a couple of times that he isn't allowed to lock his jaw against me. His canter work was a little iffy today. He was great on the lunge, actually gave me the slowest canter I have ever seen out of him. Which isn't all important but I like knowing he is actually capable of slowing down. He was fine tracking left. Tracking right though- not so good, he was much more unbalanced and just throwing himself forward. Actually, it was such a rush just to be cantering around on my horse today. It feels like it has been soo long.

Today was also weird because we had an audience. A couple of guys that were hauling some stuff for my neighbors. I think maybe they were waiting on my neighbor so they just plopped down in the shade and watched me and Max. On one hand (the left one, because I am mostly left handed) it was kind of nice. My confidence was dead on because I knew someone was around to see me if I went splat. On the other hand it was kind of weird. Like itchy between my shoulder blades and it broke my concentration some. Mostly because I just had no idea who they were. All in all though it pushed me to make Max and I look a bit better.

Today was mostly me just being happy with my horse. We weren't really all that technical, but it was so much fun. It was a bit cool, and the air reminded me of summer mornings with my grandma. When I would wait all of June and just dream and fantasize about horses while I waited for my birthday to arrive. Because I almost always got to go on a trail ride for my birthday.

Didn't forget my stirrups!

2009-08-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

We had a decent ride today. First off, I was able to ride because I didn't forget anything. Yay.
Warmed him up on the lunge enough to siphon off some of his energy buzz. He pretended he forgot everything but I was on to him :) Actually, he wasn't that bad. Some brief moments of stretching down. And he didn't lean on me. We stuck with walk/trot today. I got a couple nice transitions and some decent leg yields at the walk.
Poor pony was tired at the end of all of this. He got a nice rinse and some cookies for his trouble.

Finally getting some work done!

2009-08-09T10:03:00.001-07:00

Too sleepy to work...

I got up a little earlier this morning and worked Max before it got too hot. He wasn't pleased when he realized he was, in fact, not getting breakfast early but being made to work. Then he got on board and seemed genuinely happy to be doing something.

My plan was to lunge him then ride a bit, but idiot that I am I forgot my stirrups back at the house. So there I was in my my cute ROMFH breeches that actually match the saddle pad Max had on and I couldn't even ride! :)

I briefly considered going without stirrups but it was a bit too risky with Max having all that time off. And I don't have a mounting block yet. I know Max is only 14.3 but there was not way I could make it up there without help that early in the morning!

I got a few pictures of Max on the lunge but I can't say much for the quality. I have never taken pics while lunging before. I really needed a third hand!

FYI

2009-08-08T08:09:00.001-07:00

It's not up and running yet, but I have started a new blog about my Search & Rescue dog. Our training, life with a working dog, that sort of thing.

http://whatkindofburden.blogspot.com/

Squeeky Clean Ponies!

2009-08-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

It's finally had been sunny long enough for the grass to dry out! Which means I could finally bathe my mud encrusted ponies!!!

Ahhhh...it's the small things in life.

So blinding white. (You can also see his freckles!)

Of course right after turned them out it was rolling time. Max caught me watching him so he moved out of the sandy area (just to the left) and was like 'I wasn't going to roll in the dirty spot. Sheesh'

Also, I stumbled across this little guy, he tempted me and I caved like you wouldn't believe. (Hopes I get to tell my husband before he sees this). His name is Beaker. After the Muppet.

Note to Self: I really need to do a post introducing all my critters.

We have been working on the arena. Here's me mowing it right before all that rain we got. It was awful!

Blargh.

2009-07-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

Stupid rain.
It's been raining or storming here everyday for the past several days. Which means nothing has been getting done pony-wise. Man, I can't wait to have an arena. We even worked on that some this weekend. But now it's too wet and muddy for a truck to get back there to deliver the sand, etc. And now because of other factors that isn't going to happen for another month.
So I basically have muddy ponies that are probably more that happy to do nothing. I worry about the lack of work Max is getting though. As an aside- due to the weather he also has no feather. It's icky but the mud here is the devil and pulled much of it out.
On a happy, good note- I dropped me check off yesterday for the grasslands trip! :) Now I have one month to make sure Max and I are in shape enough to handle it!

Yay! Finally a wee bit of somethin'

2009-07-20T13:55:00.001-07:00

The boys got their tootsies done today. It has been so hot and dry lately, but of course today has been rainy. The farrier came a bit early too so I didn't even have time to scrape the mud off their feet. *facepalm*

Their feet have been looking something terrible lately. But according to my farrier it's all looks and they are fine. So yay. But it does make me thankful, yet again, that Max had feather to cover his ugly feet.
I keep meaning to take photos of before/after of their feet but I always forget. Maybe next time...

On Friday my trainer came by and we went out for a 'road ride'. I'm always surprised by how sweet and willing, but also sneaky and wily old man Pusher can be to ride. He's so much fun.
Max was pretty darned good (trainer was on him). We went to the field across the road and both boys were intrigued by the donkey that lives over there. I could tell Pusher was only pretending though so I made him man up for Max's sake.
Max couldn't have cared less about the traffic. He was even good when two dogs started following us barking their heads off being all menacing. He DID have one small issue. He didn't want to walk on a dark patch in the road. He walked around it. :) But he figured it all out shortly there after when we came to a place on the road that was pretty much ALL patching.
Oh! And we also got to see a Great Dane that lives nearby.

I really feel crappy that I haven't been riding or even working the horses much at all lately. I definately feel like all the progress we made during our eventing clinic is trashed. At least from a working standpoint. The bonding part seems to be intact.
Hopefully we will make some progress on the arena this weekend and we can get back to real work soon. I have just been going through a really sloth-like period (in just about all aspects of my life) and it's got to stop. Max really isn't the kind of horse that can go with laspes in his training. It's always like starting all over. And I really think his could be pretty talented. And he most definately derserves better than that regardless.

We do have a trip to the Grasslands coming up in September. But I think we are going to scrap the OK State Fair breed show. It's just too much $$ back to back. It was really hard to do the show & clinic like that and I think this will be even worse since they are both farther away. And more $$. And hotels. And pet sitters. I dunno....

Well this WAS just going to be a brief update

2009-07-07T17:49:00.001-07:00

With horses (at least ones like Max) progress is always followed by them letting you know there is still more to work on.
This was just going to be a brief post about how we haven't been doing much because of the heat (a couple lazy w/t rides around the property). Then I decided I would take a couple pics of the dirty ponies after I fed.

When I feed now I pull Pusher up to the front of my property since he gets a panful of stuff and Max only gets a handful. Well I took Pusher back and went to take a couple pictures of the ponies. After getting like two pictures Max goes after Pusher, I assume because I was focusing my attention on Push. Of course I yell at bit and get onto them because they ARE NOT to act like ding bats around me. I make Max move around a bit and give to my space.
Poor Pusher by the way. That old man just wants to hang around for some lovin' he's not there to pick fights and try to be the favorite.

Anyhow, I straighten that out and go take a couple more pictures. I have an adorable outdoor kitty (she doesn't work indoors. Tried it. For a long time.) whom we found outside of a BBQ joint back in the fall. She comes ambling out from her kingdom underneath the deck. She always does this and is perfectly fine with the horses. She hangs out with them quite a bit when they are close to the house.

I squat down give her some love and turn to leave. Max was eh, within 10 feet of us. I hear him start to follow so I turn around. HE IS ATTEMPTING TO STOMP MY CAT!!! Small little stomps like movies horses do to big bad movie snakes. She was just laying there (she lets them sniff at her and even lays on their feet sometimes). Poor kitty. She gave a little squeak and scooted away about 5 feet and just sat there trying to figure out what just happened. All that happened in less than 3 seconds.

I start growling and making 'I'm going eat you' noises and move Max off. For good measure I chunked my rubber clog at his butt. It didn't have the desired effect. He just sniffed it. Didn't flinch a bit. But my growls put some fear into him.

So now I have a horse that comes to meet me. Loves hanging around when I'm doing whatever. Seems to want to be loved on some. I dunno, since our big eventing clinic week he just seems to want to be around me more. I am Boss Mare to him but apparently he thinks he needs me to himself or something. Gah. I get herd dynamics and maybe even him going after Push. But the danged Cat!?
Can't wait to tell my horsey peeps about this one. Not really sure how to go about eliminating that behavior either. Off to go do some research and message boarding...

In other news: we got my hubby & Pusher a saddle ($50 Thorowgood, woot!) and they went on little a ride with us Friday! Yay.

Promised pics -ponies are super dirty- it rained for 5 mins yesterday and they were ALL over that mud :)

Cute almost squashed kitty

Hehe. Pusher about to shake

Max pretending to have a kind eye! Bully.

Coming to see if he is forgiven. *pre-cat stomp

Anniversary!!

2009-07-02T09:02:00.000-07:00

Today is my one year anniversary with Max! Gah, the excitement of having him step off the trailer and walking him into our property! I just can't believe this year has flown by so quickly.

We started off the day with breakfast and some yummy Smart Start snacks. He loves him some cereal. Lunched with a shared apple.

I would love to have gone on some magical sentimental ride (which I'm sure would have ended up being a fight chocked full of issues to be ironed out or something like that- yay real life!) But it is way way way too hot. As in over 100 degrees hot. Ick.

So instead, Max will frolic (meaning amble around all sweaty-like) around being a pony and I will steal outside to give him lots of love, scritches, and treats.

One of the pictures that made me fall in love with Max all the way from VA

Going to visit Max at Gypsy MVP

He's Here! Max's First Day

Moseying over to see his new person

New to the boarding barn

Christmas Caroling Time!

Our first body clip

Max is back home to stay!

Trying new Experiences

Our First Show

Learning New Things Together

EC The Final Day!

2009-06-19T14:25:00.001-07:00

The final day kind of ended up being the poopiest. I mean yes, we are still a ton better than when we started (of course). But today was the only day where there was a bit of black sliding IMO. I think for a few reasons- 1. I just started with my girlie issues (sorry for the ew factor) and I was having cramps like you wouldn't believe. 2. Other than picking up on my body tenseness I'm sure Max was sick of the hot and just plain TIRED. 3. I made the horrible, horrible mistake of carrying a crop.

Max DOES NOT trust the crop. I figured he might not be so squirrely since he had worked off his nerves at the beginning of the week. I needed the crop for some added forwardness in our stadium but it ended up backfiring on me. He didn't rear or anything but I couldn't get him to really settle down during warmup.

The course was the same as yesterday only we added the gymnastics line. So 10 jumps I believe. When we started around our turn on the course it was AWFUL. I just didn't have his brain at all. He went where he was pointed and jumped but he wasn't with me. So it was very ugly, gait breaking, etc. I was an absolute mess too. The second (and final) time around was just as bad. Except this time I actually smacked him with the crop in the gymnastics to get help him back up to canter. He cantered. And jumped horrible like because he was just running away from the crop.

That's the biggest fear I have about jumping. Is my horse not being linked with me. I know Max & I are still pretty sloppy and new at this but he was always 'there' if you know what I mean. Today his brain was only focused on the green stick in my hand. I'm disappointed in myself for not thinking it through more before carrying it. Especially because I feel like Max and I have come so far this week in trusting each other and actually becoming partners. So that was how we ended our stadium jumping. Poo. And I'm not sure when we will get the chance to jump again.

Since I already had the crop with me it went with us to CC. We trotted around the field as a group to warm up and Max was still unfocused and jigging sideways away from the crop in my hand. There was no way I was going to go around the course with it. In stadium you might take some rails but CC is not joke even with the tiny jumps we were doing. So I passed off my crop the first chance I got.
We did our 'real' run at CC today. Added two jumps (small log & pyramid of wood poles) for a total of 5. We went over all of them but it wasn't pretty. Max started acting up and pulling trying to go back to the 'herd' & we jumped the last jump in a different directions than we had before. It was facing the trial towards the barn and was the closest to the barn. Soo....we broke to trot for a while and went over stuff. He still hadn't fogiven me for the crop I guess. I'm disappointed that we weren't able to do a 'real' CC run with galloping and all but he still took all the jumps well and going from no CC to this in a week is pretty satisfying for me.

Lunch was tasty. We were catered to today and had pizza, salad, and even cheesecake. Yum yum yum! I had to be careful not to eat too much, considering I had to actually get back on a horse. Still. Yum. (hey, it's been a while since I've had cheesecake!)

Dressage was pretty uneventful. I decided to use my AP saddle today in case there were any speed events. Which ended up biting me in the ass later! We played a ribbon game where two riders, each grasping the end of a polo wrap, did a pattern. Max did well until it came time for the canter portion. His insecurities about having horses right beside him popped up again so he skittered around a bit. But hey, we kept our polo wrap! Then we did a command class. With a dollar bill beneath our thigh! It was fun but Max and I were out fairly quickly, the plastic-y parts of my AP saddle are pretty slick so anytime I let up even the slightest my bill went lower and lower :( Haha! It was fun though and I enjoyed getting to watch everyone else suffer. While I made suggestions like making them two point. Teehee. A few of them did REALLY well though!

All in all this was such a great experience this week. Most of this stuff was actually way too advanced for Max & I (we are still in the baby steps stage of just about everything) but he handled everything and did what I asked. Even if it was rarely perfect I am soo proud of him. Even though this week was really hard exercise and moved at a very fast pace nothing completely blew his mind (well...crop aside) he was game for pretty much all of it and even when he was nervous or uncomfortable we worked through it. He never ever told me flat out NO. I love him for that. And mostly, I really feel like we have created much more of a partnership this week. I think that that progression is the most important thing we gained this week. Now, I want to keep building on that and we are going to back track about 10 steps and really work on the baby basics of stadium and CC. Continue to work on slowing down and balance in Dressage. This week = totally worth all the sore muscles, sweat, and work!

Eventing Clinic Day 4

2009-06-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

The day started off well. We warmed up over some gymnastics and then did our first course! It wasn't too pretty but we did the whole course. There were seven jumps, cross rails and a couple small verticals. I mixed up trot and canter. I really don't think Max has the mind set/control yet to be able to canter the whole course. Actually, I don't think I do either. At least not these first few times. I do need to keep working on his energy level. If I had asked him to canter the whole thing I'm sure he would have broken anyhow. Also- my position needs a ton of work. I have a short (horrible) clip of us going through some of the gymnastics.

We added another Cross Country jump today (for a total of 3). This one was a small log over a little row of cinder blocks. The highest one yet and still pretty dinky. Yay :) It was a skinny though, and which required a lot more control from me and willingness/honestly from Max. A few horses ran out on it. Max was fine at the trot but at the canter he was much more wobbly coming up to it. Not really sure if he was headed towards it or not. But when we got closer he locked on and went over. He didn't run out once! So proud of him. I was tired and hot during CC and I kept losing my stirrup. Not over jumps but in between while we were cantering. I really need to build up my leg strength. I always lose my right stirrup when I start tiring. When I was taking lessons almost 2 years ago I took a couple of spills while jumping (green + green = black & blue! Not that that isn't what Max and I are doing right now anyway...hmm). During on of those spills I hurt my ankle badly enough that I really couldn't put weight on it or into the stirrup for a while. I'm sure that ankle is still weaker even now because of that. Now my body reverts back to that when I start getting tired. Very bad.

Lunch was tasty and a great rest. I felt more rested for dressage and Max was much calmer today. He only got skittery a couple of times. We worked on simple leads changes through the trot while doing serpentines. Ours were very icky but we have never done them before. Max isn't balanced enough ye to make the tight serpentine turns nicely at the canter, nor are his transitions really snappy yet. So,we had to circle once and it took a longer width of the arena than it should have but we muddled through. And Max picked up his correct leads each time!

Before we were done for the day we played a racing game! We were divided into teams and had to hand off a crop-i.e. baton. So much fun. I couldn't really get into a good half seat for galloping because of my thigh rolls...argh! Haha. It was good times.

Eventing Clinic Day 3

2009-06-17T13:41:00.001-07:00

Man, I got up really early (still dark) today but of course fell back asleep so that I ended up rushing to get to the barn on time. Oh, and I gave my camera to one of the ground crew today and got a couple (bad) pics! My camera is a bit slow for action shots though.

Let's see- We added a jump to the gymnastics line today (at the canter) so we ended up with two jumps. A cross rail and a vertical if I remember correctly. Oh, and I should probably mention. I am pretty sure all of these jumps are no bigger than 18". But hey, I'm proud of our progress and you gotta start somewhere!

When he is jumped higher, he does get tidier with his legs.

Anyhow Max kept breaking to the trot after the first jump (since that's what we had been doing prior to today) so it took some work to keep him going but we finally made it through. Not as smoothly as I would like but we did it! Tomorrow we are going to start working on courses!

Hehe. Hopping over.

Cross Country was fun! We did our gallop warm up the whole way around the field. Max listened and let me guide him. And didn't try to get back to the other horses. It was so nice and smooth. Not the fastest in the world, but he was probably tired. :) We added another jump to our CC route. Some cinder blocks laid on their shortest side. Max handled them nooo problem. We went over them and then galloped up to the original log jumps a couple of times. He did great except for taking a bit of a long spot once. I caught him in the mouth some when he did. I hate that.

After the cinder block jump

Dressage was much less tiring. It seemed to fly by today. We did a bit of simple lead changes through the trot. Which we had never done so they weren't too pretty but he got the correct leads at least! I don't think he has the concept down yet though. We built up to cantering four at a time in our ride. That went just fine. Then at the end of the session we played a game! We were each given a cup of water. We then took turns trotting and then cantering around the ring. Reins in one hand, cup in the other. The goal was to keep as much of the water in your cup as possible. I managed to spill some of my water when they were passing out the cups *facepalm* Max didn't do fantastic steering one handed at the canter (he cut a corner) but it was a blast! We ended up in third place! If only I hadn't spilt at the beginning....

I actually feel less tired today. Hopefully tomorrow will be more of the same! I put Max's mane in a running braid today in an attempt to cool him off (and so I could see his left lead). He looked like a poodle at the end of the day :)

Eventing Clinic Day 2

2009-06-16T16:51:00.001-07:00

Man, I am so much more tired today! I think my energy was depleted yesterday, which made today even harder. It was still hot today but with a bit of a breeze. Today was the same pattern: Stadium, CC, then Dressage. Max was much better almost immediately. He stood stock still for mounting but then showed some nerves until we started working. He was better today with his panicky rushing when a horse came up behind him in Stadium but it was still there. We built up to a trot line with two small verticals. Some of the more advanced people cantered the line today. Max and I stayed at a trot. :) He knocked down the jumps a bunch until I tweaked our forwardness. Then he really started using himself. Most of the horse were taking down jumps left and right since we were focusing on other things (like half seat & counting, etc, etc) today.

Then on to CC!!! Much less nervy out there but still a bit wired. During our gallop warm up he was being a butt about trying to get back to the 'herd' so I made him trot the long away around. Then- we cantered our first Cross Country jump! A small driftwood type log. It was great. Felt smooth and easy. Yay Max! I got loads of compliments on the strength of my half seat too. Which is awesome because that's not something I have ever really worked on much. In fact, I had never galloped in a half seat until yesterday.

After a yummy lunch and rest we sat around talking a bit until it was time to get ready for dressage. Everyone told on of their favorite good horse stories. I told the one about meeting Max. The first thing he did when I was handed his lead rope was put his head on my chest, close his eyes, and give the sweetest snorty sigh. I even have a picture of it.

Dressage was tough today. I was worn out and I got too comfy during our lunch break. He was a little better than yesterday with the rushing spurts but worse than he had been during CC & Stadium. And I cantered without my stirrups. Which wasn't all that exciting since for a while there I lost my stirrups almost every time I cantered! We also practiced canter two a time in our ride. I believe we are building up to all cantering in the ride. I now feel like I have a baseball in my calf from trotting stirrupless.

Max seemed less sweaty and exhausted at the end of everything. Good for him! I was practically asleep on my feet!

Eventing Clinic Day 1

2009-06-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

*pictures added*

We left the trailer hooked up from the show. I think Max probably wanted to beat his head against the wall when we led him towards it this morning.
I went straight for his chunk butt soul and put a handful of grain in his manager. He went in nooo problem. Fatty. :)
Anyhow, the day started off fairly well. With my hubby being my eyes on the ground I managed to get out of our driveway (it's narrow with a deep ditch on the sides) and drove all by myself to the barn! Max will be staying in his old pasture throughout this week.
Everyone started arriving and getting ready. It was great, all the (very) different people bustling about.
We started off in the stadium ring/pasture. Right off the bat Max was super fidgety and rushy (a la the horse show) and actually reared within the first minute. Yay, I stayed on again! I circled him A TON and he would get soft going to the right but every time I tried left he started up again. There isn't any pain or discomfort that we could find and he did settle in once we started working over the ground poles. He is always a little worse to the left. He is more likely to lock his jaw against you on that side and just do whatever he wants (normally rush about unbalanced at the present gait).
I jumped Max for the first time! :) We worked on ground poles, a small cross rail, and a small vertical. Everything was at the trot. He did have a lot of problems with the horses trotting up close behind him. He didn't offer to kick but instead rushed forward all quivery and panicky.
After several exercises in Stadium we moved out to the cross country field. More rushy and disobedience when we first got out to the field. But he crossed right through the stream wonderfully! We trotted around the track and then checked heart & respiratory rates. (Max's were high, but they always are). Then, we GALLOPED! I haven't actually galloped Max before. It wasn't extremely fast but it was fun and the first time I have gone faster than a trot since he kept running through my hands prior to the show. I did it in my half seat which is pretty comfy on him.
After lunch was dressage. For two hours. Sooo tired. But it went pretty well. Max was even worse about horses rushing up behind him but it wasn't uncontrollable. The more I dealt with it the more comfortable I felt handling it. We were working on different exercises while riding a horse length apart from each other. Which is way harder than it sounds. Maintaining that perfect length with all these different horses with different natural speeds and strides is HARD. The only thing I didn't like about it was Max couldn't really collect, balance, and reach down for the bit because we were having to adjust our stride & speed so much. He can't do both very well yet. And the horse behind him was kept having to catch up too so of course he had to rush forward every 30 seconds.
By the end of the lesson he was pooped and so being much more cooperative! Actually, it was nice handling all of those issues in front of my trainer (who hasn't really ever seen them). And, weird as it sounds, it made me more comfortable on Max. I dealt with them quickly and correctly and we got through it. Definitely a good day!

Sorry- pics will have to wait until on of our grounds crew emails them all out at the end of the week!

Show Results!

2009-06-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, let me preface any ribbon photos with this disclaimer: We placed last in every class we were in with the exception of one. The classes were really small which is why we got highly ranked, pretty, shiny ribbons.

Max was fantastic to trailer, great on the grounds, pretty good schooling the night before, and fairly awful in the ring. I have never seen him so spooky and skittish. Really, honestly, I was just shocked. He normally takes scary things in stride. Most of his 'issues', if you will, stem from his stubborn attitude. Not from being afraid. Of course the stubbornness compounded the issue. The one thing he was mostly afraid of was the applause and cheers. He was fine with the announcer unless he was directly under one of the speakers.

He's in the back here (winner in front! Yay Rominy)

He just wouldn't stand still and I could tell if I didn't keep moving him we might have some rearing (he was getting very light on his front). As soon as we would leave the building my mostly calm horse came back. I could trot him up and down the parking lot all day. *sigh* I also kept running out of time! Since the classes were small they took a lot less time, plus there were some breaks that were shortened and cancelled. Poor planning on my part but a great learning experience for me. I'm sure that rushing and that frustration really impacted Max too. Because of his reaction to the crowd I scratched and switched some of our classes.

We ended up in:

Gelding Halter 4+yrs- 2nd

Gelding Championship Halter- Reserve Champion

English Pleasure- 3rd

Costume Class- 1st (everyone got 1st!)

English Equitation Adult W/T- 2nd

English Equitation Open W/T- 2nd

English Pleasure Championship- Reserve Champion

I will honestly say- Max got a lot better on Day 2. He even stood perfectly still some in the line ups. :) I feel like if the show had been a day or two longer we would have really come into our own. And lest this whole post sound like a vent- really, it was a great experience and Max was completely justified in his behavior, it just surprised me since he normally isn't like that. I had a lot of fun and would have had a blast just sitting outside of Max's stall all weekend chatting to people and lovin' on my pony. I also realized in my very last class- that most of the people I competed against this weekend were professionals, so that makes me feel better too. We just need more time under our belts, er, girths!

I have to give a huge shout out to Marsha- Who actually reads this blog! Who knew I might actually have readers?! I was pretty sure no one read this, so I am very pleasantly surprised. She not only recognized me, she was so helpful, friendly, and she made me feel like Max and I had accomplished a lot by just trying. You are a fantastic person and I look forward to seeing you again at the next Gypsy show!

My husband got so many pictures there was only one slot left on our camera. I'm not sure how many turned out (they are either dark or blurry) but hopefully there will be enough to satisfy my momma. He also got some video but I have been to embarrassed/nervous to look at them yet.

And oh my goodness, it was HOT. HOT, HOT, HOT. Poor Max was standing in his stall Friday just sweating away (undoing much of my effort in his 2 hour bath that morning) until we ran to Walmart and bought him a fan. Thank goodness the arena was covered/enclosed or we all would have died. Speaking of- I spent an hour in long sleeves and a wool coat prior to the costume class. Part of my costume was a corset. ick. Anyhow, after the costume class I got back to the trailer and had to strip down and ice myself. Things were starting to get really blurry and I think I had a brush with some heat stroke related thing. Thank goodness I have a wonderful husband who put my care above his own comfort!

This week- Erin Blake's Summer Eventing Clinic! At least 20 hours in the saddle. Stadium, Dressage, and Cross Country. Oh my! And for those who don't know- I have never jumped my horse. My trainer -who is actually Erin Blake:) -has jumped him twice. I also am a big weenie when it comes to jumping. Period. But this is something I really want to conquer so cross your fingers for me & Max (who is probably going to be exhausted and fed up with me and my shenanigans by the of of this week!).

First Show Day!

2009-06-13T04:29:00.000-07:00

About to head out-

Max settled in well. We had an okay warm up. Large rumbling arena dragging tractor that drove within 2 feet of him? No biggie. Blue trash barrel outside of arena? Terrifying monster.

Haven't cantered (while riding yet). We'll see.

Today's classes:

Halter Geldings 4+yrs

Multi-color class Geldings & Stallions

Trail In-hand

English Pleasure

Costume Class

Get a move on!

2009-06-12T05:12:00.000-07:00

Awake, let the dogs out, now it's bath time and we will be hitting the road.

The show doesn't start until tomorrow but 'move in' is today.

Yay!

Show Prep Time!

2009-06-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

So not much pony wise has been going on. I still feel like I haven't ridden him quite enough but I'm out of time now.
Let's see...oh! We bought a horse trailer! I love it. It's an S&H two horse straight load GN. Great use of space in the dressing area too. I don't have any photos of it, but that's okay- it could use a paint job anyway. It's very functional but not the prettiest ATM.
I had a lesson on Max today. The trot and walk work was fabulous, even when he came back down from the canter. Some decent backing too. The actual canter work though- it was AWFUL. Left lead went well, pretty balanced. Good circles. The right though- sucked. A lot. he kept charging through my hands and careening about. So instead of working on balance and nice canter work it turned into and pulley rein, turn into fence lesson. Pretty frustrating and I am annoyed at myself because I started getting pretty nervous and had to psych myself up to keep working on it.
I understand that you can't be in complete control of your horse at all times. And even when you are it's pretty much an illusion. If the horse really wants to do something the tiny person on his back probably isn't going to stop him. But I don't deal with a loss of control well. Max is pretty strange in that he is either right there with you working hard for you, trying to please, complete partnership or he pretty much ignores you and does whatever amuses him. I would just like him to check in with me. He's not ever completely out of control and he doesn't feel dangerous. But I still like to slow down when I say without having to use a fence or circle. *sigh*
Even after the canter fiasco he gave me some pretty nice trot work. It's good that his brain comes back so much better now. My trainer thinks that he will be a completely different horse at the show, much more cued into and dependant on me. I sure hope so...
We only have one WTC class, our very last class and the very last Gypsy class of the show actually. I guess I will see how he goes in the other classes and how he is in warm up (which is a TINY ring-eek!). I'll strach if I feel like we need to, but I really don't want to. It's actually the clas I am looking forward to the most! Or want to place in the most anyway :)

Oh yea- when we went trailer shopping we were right near the facility the show will be at so we went and checked it out. There was a dog agility trail going on which was fun. Also a very hungry Momma Cat and two kittens that I fed. Anyhow, it's indoors but not climate controlled (which makes me a little sad- it's going to be in the high 90's). The main arena is in a separate building than the stabling/warm-up. Looks good, although they probably don't have enough wash areas for a bunch of mostly white Gypsy Horses! :)

New Wheels!!!!

2009-05-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

WE GOT A TRUCK!!!

Okay, the pictures are crap. But we finally got one part of the pull horses equation! It's a '04 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 with a Hemi. You can't tell here but it's a really pretty dark charcoal grey. And it's a little banged up which it perfect because I won't stress about messing it up! We got it at a STEAL. And I actually did the haggling and it worked! You have to understand- I'm short, small and look like I'm 14. I also sound like a 6 year old. I have been taken advantage of by sellers and companies all of my adulthood. This is such a victory for me!

Oh, and that is one of my large headed Great Danes in the photo.

#5 (Sorry my posts titles are so bland these days!)

2009-05-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

The uber cooperative Max from Tues is gone. But he still got some good work done. A couple of GREAT walk/canter transitions. I dunno he was having a hard time paying attention today. I will say that all of the horses (and one LOUD donkey) in the neighborhood were having a whinnyfest. Meh, maybe there was an upset in the neighborhood pony dynamic or something. Not that Max doesn't need to learn to pay attention regardless.

He was complaining a lot when he was asked to bend to the left. Then I noticed something on his mouth. Poor thing had scab-like lesions on his lip. I got a picture:

One of the white faced horses at the barn got something like this last summer (for some weed I believe) and a horse I used to have got bad sunburn that looked similar once. Anyhow, I feel bad for him! So we need to get it all taken care of asap.

It didn't seem to be where the bit was but I took his flash off just is case. He looked so cute without a flash! It was good practice too because he can't have a flash for the GH show in a few weeks. He actually started bending better after we took it off (so it probably was bothering him) and he did really well. I was worried that he would revert back to putting his tongue over the bit and whatnot (the reason we put it on in the first place) but he just chomped some. He did gape at the canter when he wasn't balanced but still- I have hope he will be able to go well sans flash for our show.

I really can't wait to ride my pony again. I haven't ridden him since he started in training but maybe tomorrow or def next week. Want on mah poneh! Plus OMG the show is coming up SO quickly and I haven't been on my horse in two weeks!

I also got my in-hand halter/bridle yesterday. I will try to take a pic of Max in it tomorrow!

Also- the sky was crazy colored today. I didn't really notice 'till I was looking at some of the photos but it was a perfect Super Mario sky!

Training Ride #4!

2009-05-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

Max did so well today! It's like his brain came back from wherever it had been on vacation and plunked down back into his head. Hopefully it will last!

He had excellent trot work today so Trainer mostly focused on that. Some flexing, a couple fantastic halts, some lovely free walk (for Max) but mostly- trot, trot, trot. He was bending nicely and giving into a loose inside rein. He was completely off of her hands (with Max this is huge). She said this was her best ride ever on him.

Favorite Pic Of the Day

Then we went to a farm where there are a couple of horses in training and we had a lovely hack on those guys. Good horsey day all in all.

Max and I are also going to do a Summer Eventing Clinic out trainer is having. We are going in as beginners. We will probably have 20 hours in the saddle that week alone! Unfortunately it's the week after our show. If it had been after I'm sure Max would walk into the Gypsy show and say "This is Cake."

I ordered an in-hand halter/bridle for our show. Hopefully that will be here soon and I need to get started on some of our costume class stuff! I do know that all of our paperwork and entry forms have been received! :)

Training Ride #3

2009-05-15T08:58:00.001-07:00

Max has had two more training rides. I didn't get any photos of the second one, which went a little better than the third I think. He did gallop though. Man, I wish I had video of that! In almost a year I have never seen Max move that fast! He looked that he really enjoyed it too. :)

This ride went okay. Some good trot work, leg yields and shoulder in. Once he cantered though he lost his focus. He did slow down some at the canter this time, it was a little more balanced. We aren't asking too much of him yet. It's really like he managed to become green all over again since I left for NYC. His brain is coming back though. Again, it is reinforced that he needs really consistent work!

Here's a bit of his canter work:

I wanted to do some lunge work with him today but it's way too rainy. If you look in the video/pic you'll see the ground Max is on is recently tilled- this is our arena site! If it would dry up enough for them to deliver our sub-base!

Happy Birthday Pusher!

2009-05-14T16:06:00.001-07:00

The old man is 22 today. :) He got lots of cookies and lovin' today. It fund to imagine him as a stallion in his prime winning championships. I wish I could have met him then. Or at least get some pictures!

Yesterday was Max's birthday!

2009-05-13T05:54:00.000-07:00

Well... sort of. I know he was born in May so I pulled a number out of a hat (well, it was actually an empty jar) and voila- May 12th.

What did he get for his b-day? A swift kick in the ass in the form of a training ride. I heart my trainer :) I have decided to put Max into partime training with her for a month. So she will ride him three times a week and work out the kinks and fill in the gaps in he training. Yay. And of course I will still be riding him in the meantime. We've gotta show coming up afterall!

Don't worry he got some extra cookies too.

My new favorite picture of me and the Moo:

!! (times 2)

2009-05-08T18:13:00.001-07:00

The day gets even more adventurous! Our property has 4 'sectors' that can be fenced separately. Front of the house, back of the house, first pasture, and back pasture. Like a long rectangle. I had the horses grazing in the front when my husband came home. We have an automated gate and the horses have never paid it any attention and just keep grazing when you come through. Today Max ran for the gate as soon as it opened.
I ran for my rubber boots and had halters and treats (those peppermints in the cellophane that make noise!) in hand within seconds. I'm yelling at my husband to shut the gate because I'm afraid Pusher was going to try to follow Max out. Pusher could care less and was much too busy with his grass to be bothered. Max is trotting across the road and into a neighbor's yard as I'm coming out of the gate. Someone stops their car and gets out to help. Max turns around trots past me and then promptly slides to is his hip in the road. Once he got up he just stood there in the middle of the road all 'That was scary. I'm done now'.
Ugh. I really hope peacefulness ensues after this and Max has gotten the wad out of his panties now. And there will be no more front grazing when we know the gate will have to be opened. Lesson learned, thanks for the tip Max.

!

2009-05-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, the show update and everything will have to happen later- I have been putting it off because my (brand new) camera is MIA.

SO...

Ugh. I'm SO annoyed right now. Yesterday one of the horse I ride frequently (work related) was being a wench. She was using anything as a excuse to half-rear and buck and try to get back to the barn. This is brand new barn sourness for her-but anyway, it was a pain in the butt. Literally I hit my tailbone just right on one of the bucks. Ow.

So this morning I go to ride my goober pony across the road from our place where is 16 acres of pastureland. We are just walking along but he was pretty fidgety and had a bit of a 'tude so I was making him listen to me instead of staring at a donkey in the distance. So I'm making him stand still and quiet which he isn't having. Then he decides to REAR on me! Full on rear. I was concerned we were going to topple over backwards since he decided to rear in the wet squishy-slick mud. Anyhow, he came down okay but VERY BAD PONY. I made him walk quietly a few steps and stand again but then I had to call it done because I was by myself. My husband would kill me if I kept riding like that without anyone around.

So this weekend (when hubby will be here) Max and I will have a little meeting of minds. I foresee buying a crop in our near future as well.
And our first show is ~one month away. *le sigh*

Okay, that is all.

First Ride(s) Back!

2009-04-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

Yay! It felt soooo nice to be back in the saddle. Well three saddles actually. It's poop how quickly your muscles wuss out after a few days of not riding. Today I warmed up a pretty TB sans stirrups, did a trail ride on a bug up his butt Arab (really he wasn't so bad but he really wanted to keep freaking out), and then home to Maxy for a short, easy walk/trot ride and some lunging with sidereins. Hopefully he's worked out some of his kinks from almost two weeks off because....

He is attending his first shows this weekend! Don't get too excited. He's only going as a spectator. There is a horse trial this weekend that most people at my barn are doing so we will be going to a schooling on Sat and the actual show on Sun. This is all about him experiencing the hectic show atmosphere. Being tied to a trailer for hours, and learning to listening while craziness goes on around him. Mostly, he'll be tied to the trailer and we'll do some hacking around. I was really worried that I wouldn't have a chance to get him to a show before our first show coming up mid-June. So...wheeew. I can relax about that part of it. Now just cross your fingers that Max handles everything well.
Since this was all decided today I am going to descend into a flurry of tack cleaning and Max bathing. This is a good practice run for everyone involved!

Also- I get to help my trainer do some horse shopping tomorrow! :)

Quick Update

2009-04-22T17:35:00.001-07:00

I have been visiting family in VA & had a trip to NYC these last 10 days. I'm back now- glad to come home to slightly muddy but well cared for ponies. Yay for husbands that can cram for Horsecare 101!
Adventures will resume shortly!

They're Here!

2009-04-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

My ponies are finally home! Looking quite muddy with the storms we've been having. And my ground is too muddy to really ride but THEY'RE HOME.

It was a bit of adventure getting them here. First the truck we were using had it hitch missing because it had been switched to another truck. So we were off to go pick up that. Then we load up and get to my house. Then I realize that I didn't bring my gate opener. So I manage to squeeze through a slightly larger gap in the bars of the fence (something my Great Dane pointed out to me a while back!) and get our spare gate opener out of the house. Only it's not working. So I try to open it to change the battery and manage to slice my thumb open with a butter knife in the process. How lame is it to cut yourself on a butter knife? It still doesn't work. So we head down the road a bit to turn around and go back to my car at the boarding place to pick up my gate opener . When we turn around down this long little lane we hear a strange slapping noise. I turn around in my seat and there is a power line on top of the trailer! Because of the storms and and wind we have been having the power lines in one section of the road are sagging really low. Which I didn't notice until then.

After managing to get out of that we made it back to the boarding barn and then back home. I'm sure the horses just loved all of it.

I knocked the worst of the dirt off of Max yesterday and rode around for a few minutes. My ground is still too spongy for real riding and I don't want to risk my precious grass. Hopefully we can get the arena up and running in a couple of weeks.

It was so nice to go out and feed the horses this morning in my jammies and rubber boots. So Happy :)

Lots of Good Stuff!

2009-03-26T06:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (I never seem to post the same day stuff happens...) was a GREAT day for the Maxy. My trainer did a jump session with him. He did his first gymnastics line, where you start with one jump up and add jumps to the line as you go along. We built up to 5 jumps He did so well. I mean, I always think he's doing well but afterwards my trainer gushed about how fantastic he did and how gymnastics like that are something that can be difficult for even her experienced competition horses (granted, the jumps are bigger and more difficult then). She was concerned at first that that many jumps would blow his mind a bit so we took things slow. But he really loved it. He even kept perking ears ears and making cute faces at the jumps. And Max is a master of pulling ugly faces while he's working. Max handled it all very well and only seemed to show any tension when he was done with the line by rushing forward some. We are working in installing his jumping brakes too.

We have pretty much figured out that Max has a hard time doing simple things when he has to keep practicing them. If you practice taking him over one low jump he's likely to start getting sloppy. If you ask him to work just on coming down on the bit for dressage he acts up. But if you put him on a small line or course he does really well. If you ask him to counterflex or shoulder-in during dressage he starts really rounding, coming onto the bit the rest of the time too. If you give he something to think about he does really well.

Luckily for me (and anyone who might read this) I got a new camera! So here is my first video of Max! This is the whole line.

teehee. Leaping into the pic- still figuring out the new camera

Also, Max's name change paperwork is in the mail. According to the US Postal Service the paperwork was delivered March 23rd at 9:50am. So hopefully that will be back with me soon and Max with officially be 'Merely Maxtastic'. Then we can send in our paperwork for our first show :)

I also body clipped Max yesterday. Not down to the skin since I was worried that he has already started to grow his summer coat. But I did get a lot of that heavy winter coat OFF. There was enough to fill a wheelbarrow. He looked a lot cleaner and I think he was pretty relived. I have never body clipped (or done anything other than a touch up) so I am looking forward to seeing how it really turned out today. I did walk away from him for a minute and when I got back he look so much littler. And leggier. But I also notice when he moves that he jiggles in some places. Pony is not in shape.

Compare feather to body whiteness.

He was fantastic about the hours of clipping though. Stood there like a champ the whole time, even for his face. The only thing he hates it his ears. But I was able to be sneaky and get most of the excess sticking out tufts off.

Last announcement: The horses are coming home March 31st! So happy, so excited. I am getting things ready and preparing my tack area, ordering tons of stuff. It's almost like getting a horse all over again. Although I guess we really are since Pusher's coming home too.

Now I am off to the barn to ride in this lovely fog we're having!

What's been goin' on

2009-03-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

Hmm...let's see. Last week my trainer did a ride on Max. After much protesting on his part something clicked and he got SO bendy and flexible and just overall fantastic. This held during our ride Tuesday. We also switched his bit the ride previous to that to uxeter kimberwick (not jointed) which Max seems to go well in. Finally coming down on the bit without leaning onto it and killing my arms. Less pulling and tugging on him mouth = good. The plan is to keep using that bit for everything for the time being and switch him back to the french link for dressage once he figures everything out.

I also have found I'm addicted to buying things that are Max's size/colors especially when they are on sale! If I find something like that it just magically makes it's way into my shopping cart- which my husband and bank account just adore. I put in some orders for some stuff for Pusher and general stuff to bring the horses home. Buckets and what not. Anyhow, I ended up getting some stuff for Max like a rubber coated, flavored elevator bit and a cooler. I also got a TON of good deals on some show clothes (first ones I have ever bought!) and full seat schoolers for me.

Speaking of shows- I have the date for my first ever Gypsy Horse show! It's June 13-14th not too far from here. As long as I can get Max physically there we are set! We are were planning our first dressage schooling show for the next weekend on the 20th. Hopefully that will pan out but it's more dependent on my trainer/other people at my barn going as well. I have pretty much thrown out my idea for Max's show name and I am thinking up some new ones. I'm also waiting on the farm I bought him from to give permission to the registry for me to actually change his name. They have given me the okay via email but apparently they need to email GVHS and let them know it's okay. I hate waiting :(

Pusher update: He recently had to have surgery on both of his eyes to remove potential melanomas. I haven't heard from his owner about the test results so I don't know if they were truly cancerous or not yet. Poor guy isn't looking too hot with his swollen little eyes though :( I am glad I made a point to get in contact with his owner about his drainy eyes though because it ended up being a big deal. She is also considering getting his eyelids tattooed in a effort to prevent this from happening again.

Apparently Pusher is really good about removing his very necessary flymask. His vet suggested only turning him out at night during the Spring/Summer months and keeping him in during the day. Unfortunately, we just won't have that set up here for a while. At this point we're still planning on leasing him but I do want to do what's is his best interest. So I think we'll see once he has his follow ups done. Actually, I'm not entirely sure his owner has the setup for that either...

We have had a couple of good rides and he seems like a sweet boy. My husband was planning on coming out to ride him before his surgery. Poo.

Happy News: we are starting up some of our land renovations. Calls are out to some tillers and hopefully as soon as the rain clears up we can get started!

Sorry about the lack of pictures lately. I dropped our camera and it is currently taking pictures that look like this:

This is supposed to be Max & the arena

But here are the last pictures the poor deceased Nikon was able to take of Max. They are of him post bath several weeks ago.

Pony got back.

Drying off in the sunshine & grazing is the good life.

Photography Session!

2009-03-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

I mentioned that we had a photo session coming up. Here are the preliminary results from the two photographer's blogs:
http://christiaustin.com/blog/?p=322
http://www.debrawblog.com/?p=776

I CANNOT get over how amazing my horse looks. Me, eh. It's hard to ride in dresses and by the time I got regular riding clothes on I was tired so I don't do my horse justice in those either. Max looks so good though. He cleans up like the horses on the big GH sites if I do say so myself.

Not Much to Report

2009-02-15T15:11:00.001-08:00

Not a lot going on here. This past week we had some crazy weather that included hail, power outages, and tornadoes (lucky none near Max) that equaled a lot of mud and gross horses. So me and Max didn't really accomplish anything.

Thursday my trainer (whom I work as an asst. to) and I only had one lesson and a couple training sessions (this means we work with the horses only) so we finished up really early and went to lunch and a movie. FUN! It was great to get out and do something frivolous like going to the movies in the middle of the day.

Max was a complete mess this week, clumpy muddy feather and everything. His tail actually had a few foot long thorned vine twisted all in it and some lovely mud dreads to boot. And he was nothing compared to Pusher. That horse didn't even look white.

So Friday was bath day. Pusher was very fidgety (not as bad as Max used to be) and like to do this funny dainty pawing when he doesn't think he should have to stand still. Which I tried not to let him get away with. He also trotted in place for a bit which was really weird. He did get quasi-clean though so I think I won that round. Meanwhile, he will have some lessons in patience first thing is I bring him home. While he was drying I rode Max- who did very well for having a week off- he was too impatient do work on collection and I was too beat from horse bathing that I opted to work him. We worked on balance at the canter and simple changes through the trot which he got every time.

After that it was time for Max's bath. He is sooo much better now and just stands there and snoozes. This was bath of of (hopefully) three that he will get before our photoshoot this weekend.

While Max was drying off (not that he ever fully does with his yak hair) I rode Pusher. Unfortunately, there was someone else in the arena then so we didn't get to do any canter work since Pusher is still remembering his listening skills and like to occasionally dive into the arena instead of working. But we motored along quite at bit at the running walk which is still as much fun as the first time.

Wishing for warmer, greener days....

A New Pony Friend?

2009-02-10T10:38:00.001-08:00

So those that know me are aware that I have been searching for another horse pretty much since the day I brought Max home. Meh, probably earlier than that.

This horse's job will be to act as friend and confidant to Max (to which Max will reciprocate) and be a safe trustworthy kind of guy for my husband and any visitors to ride.

Stats being 7-20 years; 14.2 or taller (prefer 15up); goes english/western; gaited a plus.

There were two horse at the barn that would have worked. An Arabian and a TB-they are both camp horses so basically they are put out on care leases and used for two weeks a year at a camp. Unfortunately both of those guys got placed a couple months ago.

BUT right now there are three horses staying at our barn for a couple of weeks while their owner moves. And one of them is available for a care lease. In fact, the owner would rather take just two horses to her new place. So...

Meet Pusher:

He is 18, around 15.1/15.2 and beginner safe! The only real downside to him is that he is white. As in super blinding white when clean. Another hard to keep clean kinda guy isn't on the top of my to do list. Plus my husband doesn't really like white horses. Don't ask me why. He comes from the Drug Pusher line of TN Walkers (something even I have vaguely heard of) and he apparently was a champion in natural/barefoot classes. I can't remember what they are called-but the classes where they DON'T have the chains/platforms.etc.

But he is actually flashy enough not to pale beside Max and he has really cool eyes like my Catahoula. Blue and brown in the same eye (cracked eyes in Catahoula speak).
He's very sweet and seems to have a personality a bit similar to Max's. Which could be a good or bad thing depending on how you like your horses :)

Saying Hi

I rode him for a little while. And I haven't ridden a Walker before. It was so much fun I kept giggling out loud! He does canter and it's pretty smooth, no trot which is good for my husband. He does have some kinks I think because he has been out of regular work and got used to the cushy life of a pasture pony. Nothing dangerous or anything but he would try to head back towards where my husband was standing instead of continuing the long way around the arena. He goes western and I discovered that he neck reins too.

I even got my horse shy husband on him and he had fun gaiting him around. Actually, I was walking beside them for a bit and he asked me if he could just go on his own so YAY. He even told me that he likes Pusher even though he's white!

So I have a good feeling about this guy. He's someone I will enjoy riding and I think my husband will really end up enjoying him too. Since he's so picky when it comes to bonding with horses. As in he has only ever liked Max. So that's a really important part of all of this.

I will leave you with a little glimpse into Pusher's personality.

Woods is so yummy.

All Hail the Master Saddler

2009-02-06T18:16:00.000-08:00

Bob Cooper= love & happiness. Seriously if you are in need of a Master Saddler (aka great saddle fitter) in the DFW areas contact this guy. Just google his name with 'saddle'.

Seriously, I was sooo stressed about this saddle ordeal. Because I don't have time to save up another 1k or whatever because I need to be able to ride my horse. Duh. I would maybe fall over and die if I didn't get to.

Anyhow he made what I thought was a huge no go into a not so big deal. Basically, the saddle fits him pretty well. It does need to be placed a bit further back on Max - his sweet spot if you will. Once we ride the newness out of it it will require more flocking in the rear panels. Of course the seat size is it bit big for me, no surprise there, but when was the last time you saw a decent dressage saddle in less than a 17"? That would fit my horse? Yeah.

Modeling the Thornhill

I also got to see some Duetts which was fantastic. The Duett I was considering was almost exactly like the Klasse. A little stylized difference but other than that they looked so much alike. More than likely I will be going with Duett for my jumping saddle (when I can afford one!). Over they were very nice for the price and perfect for the wide guys. I think their smallest tree is a 32cm!

Gypsy World Show!

2009-01-31T18:32:00.002-08:00

Yay! My husband and I attended our first ever GH show this weekend! Well, okay it was Friday night but it was great! We attended the inaugural Gypsy World Show at the Fort Worth Stock Show. This is one of two GH shows that will actually be close enough for me to show Max at in the future so it was a big deal to me for a lot of reasons. And my husband even managed to have a little fun. :)

I took a few pictures but honestly they were grainy and awful so I will direct you the the official photographer's site: http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/thumbpage.aspx?e=4491802

I got to see a couple of horses that I have thus far only been able to drool over via cyberspace. I got to get a real feel for how some of the classes are ran and what will be required of me & Max. And I got to meet some real live GH owners who shared their knowledge and were great to sit near during the classes. One of them actually knew me from this blog! It was a strange feeling but pretty awesome. Heck, I really didn't think I had any readers out there at all. So, uh, if anyone does read- you could occasionally comment. Then we can babble on about Gypsies together.

It was thrilling to see so many GH is one place. I was like a little kid and at times sorta forgot that I actually had one of my very own at home. I am one of the lucky. I really wished that Max could be there with me while I was watching classes. Not to participate but just hang out and watch and learn with me *giggle*

Also (and my non-horsey husband totally agrees) I think that Max could actually be competitive at a breed show. Looking at so many horses and all the different conformations and everything- I kept finding myself thinking "Wow, Max would be great at that." Or "That horse kinda reminds me of Max" and then that horse would place well with the confo judge. I hope I'm not deluding myself- but hey, if I am I think a blog is the best place to do it. And hopefully we'll find out for real in the not so distant future.

Now- the World Show actually had a bunch of classes on Sat too. But instead of getting to go I spent hours at the barn dealing with CLACKING mud-cemented encrusted feathered feet (As seen below). I don't think Max appreciated the noise his feather was creating either. I really didn't think he would have any feather left when we were done cleaning his feet but we were able to salvage most of it.

Saddle Fitting Nightmares Continue

2009-01-31T18:32:00.001-08:00

So....I have found all of two saddles that I can actually afford that they make in size Max. It's important to me the get a saddle I can get on trial so that pretty much eliminates 99% of used saddles (not that you stumble across ones that fit the me & Max combo anyhow).
We are currently trying a Thornhill Germania Klasse. And it doesn't quite fit. Of course. But I have a master saddler coming out on Weds and he has made me hopeful. AND he is a dealer for the other saddle brand that we are looking at- Duett.
Updates when I figure out what is what.

Horse Nums & Other Stuff

2009-01-20T09:41:00.000-08:00

I have had a bag of horse treats in my tack box for a little while. The other day I go to grab a handful for my grooming kit and accidentally pulled out the little packet of "Do Not Eat" stuff that is supposed to keep your treats fresh. It was opened all along one seam and the powdery stuff was all down in the bag. Not only was I irked that I had to throw out a more than half full bag of treats but of course I am concerned about the amount of time I have been feeding my horse poison covered treats. Yum yum.

So I decided to make my own horse treats. Not only did it end up way cheaper they also turned out to be way tastier than anything else my horse gets. Heck, I has to stop my husband after he ate three of them! Max is in love with them. He's turned into a crack fiend for them. I caught him lovingly licking the container they were in. :)

They were soooo easy to make and it ended up being enough fun for me that I also went ahead and made some cat & dog cookies too.

In the pan

All set to go to the barn!

Our other adventure Saturday was to attend 'Jump Practice'. Almost all of my trainer's students compete in eventing. On Saturdays they all get together at the barn and practice stadium and cc jumping. Max and I went this Saturday for two reasons. To experience the group scenario and to practice taking pictures now that I have found the action setting on my camera. Well, me being me, I packed up all my newly washed saddle pads, got my fresh horse treats packed up, and completely forgot my camera!

Max and I went along for the ride anyway. And it was probably a good thing. I have now identified another area we need to work on. He was quite well behaved in stadium, standing around waiting for everyone to take turns jumping the course. He only got somewhat fidgety towards the end. It was during CC warmup that Max decided to take off and not listen to me. I won't say he bolted off with me, but when I asked him to canter he refused to slow to a normal canter and would not come back to the trot. It was the first time his hair has actually gotten in the way- It tangled around my hand a bit when I went to shorten my reins to circle him. That is one good thing I guess. He didn't lose steering, just brakes.

So now I have to figure out the best course of action. I didn't completely lose my head or anything but I did not enjoy that interlude. I did make him canter some nice, slower, circles for me later on. But since they weren't near his pasture or the direction back home he didn't seem to care as much. Or maybe it was because he was cantering alone and not with a couple other horses. Ugh, I still don't get it though because everything other time I have had him on a CC course he was so much more responsive and so light and collected. I have babbled on about how nicely he behaved. Maybe it was because it was his home field. I dunno but it is going to stop because he is way too strong and I am way too little (5'1, 110) to deal with that crap on a regular basis.

TODAY!

2009-01-15T13:25:00.000-08:00

Max had his second jumping lesson with our trainer today. And, even bigger, I had a jumping lesson on a school horse! I haven't jumped in a while because of a couple spills and confidence issues. I am green to jumping anyway and just got pushed too quickly (where I was taking lessons prior to moving).

I didn't get any photos of me riding (forgot I had my camera) but I was able to get a few of Max before my batteries died. 1. I hate the delay on my husband's digital camera. 2. I really need practice to get better horse shots! So please excuse the terrible blurriness,etc.

Max did fairly well jumping today. He was much more hyped up than last time and kept rushing after the jump. He would slow down when focused on another jump though. He is pretty lazy when the jumps are less than 2 feet and has no problem knocking something down. I was actually surprised when he took a rail down pretty hard and was like "Meh, I'm bigger, I win." He eventually smartened up and overall did well. He's a bit looky at things he's not being asked to jump but seems to be brave regarding the actual jumps.

I got this lovely *smirk* sequence of a panel he knocked down. Actually, he knocked it down twice so I think these are a mix of the two:

And now the only sort-of pretty shot I was able to get:

It may not be perfect but I think he looks good for a chunk butt!

Yesterday...

2009-01-15T13:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was one of my working days at the barn Max is at. So after working with all the other horses Max and I got in some pretty good arena work. He is back to sometimes rushing unbalanced at the canter. He has been soo good outside of the ring, I guess it's time we put more effort back in to our dressage work!

Favorite picture of the day. Now my desktop background :)

So I believe I have mentioned the fact that Max is pretty poofy right now and that he has grown a pretty substantial beard-it's like 5 inches long right by his chin. Mostly, it's nice to grab if he tries to walk away after you take his bridle off but it gets in the way a lot when doing up his noseband or you're trying to fit his padded halter on. I intended to trim it off when we get some professional pics taken at the end of Feb. But until then- here is the beard in all of its glory!!!! (It makes his head one giant rectangle)

I also have started giving Max a running braid whenever I have to put his blanket on. It saves me from a big tangled mess in the morning and it actually makes his blanket fit better. Who knew. Good practice in case I want to do it up for a show. Even if right now it's cold enough that I do it quick and sloppy before my fingers freeze. I call that fuzzy, messy look his P.Braid 'Do or PBD.

Max looking cute in his blankie. Which is actually a waterproof sheet that he only gets when it's really cold or going to be cold and rainy.

This was part of my 'work' today. I got to play with this guy and take a bunch of pics of him and ride him some because he is going up for sale. He's so sweet and so much better trained than Max! Smooth trot. *sigh* I wish I could have all the cute ponies. But eend result is now I will be riding this guy whenever I want to help fit him up prior to his sale.

Remember that horseback caroling I mentioned?

2009-01-07T10:29:00.000-08:00

Most of the group about to head out

BUTT BOW!!!

He can be sweet and cuddley

Want to get going.

All decked out!*

Well I finally got the pictures off of the camera and onto the computer.

*disclaimer- I know Max's feet look awful. They have been a battle since I brought him home in July. They are coming along though and are slowing down on with their constant chipping and cracking.

Whoops

2009-01-05T10:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I am a horrific blogger apparently. Mostly because I like to have pictures to post and that's hard to do when your always by yourself. And I'm a lazy ass. I'll try to be better.
So updates:

I now am a working student for my trainer which is awesome. I get to work with different horses and get tons of instruction and experience for free.

Max still isn't home. I decided that until my fields are sown/re-seeded and we have put in an outdoor arena I would rather leave Max where is he. And since I'm boarding him I didn't have to worry about finding a hay supplier when we were new to the area. Also, covered arena = yay for icky weather riding.

Max is doing FANTASTIC. Honestly, it astounds me how far this horse has come in such a short period of time. We have gone from barely controlled speedy gaits to some collection and normal speeds, responsiveness, you name it. Now that his gaits are more under control I can gush even more about how smooth and fantastic they are. Most importantly he and I have really gotten to know each other and trust each other. That was our biggest immediate goal and we are well on our way. He asks for my input (most of the time) and I trust him not to kill me. :) He really is starting to like me too. I know that sounds lame but I think he's figured out I'm not going anywhere (poor horse has been how many places with how many people in his life) and that we are a team. It's been fun seeing his personality come out. Even if he can be a bit fussy he still is pretty sweet and cuddly too.
Here's a brief run down on the awesome things he and I have gone and done since our last post:

Went to one of my trainer's clients house to expose him to stuff and try him outside of an arena. We played a bit in the arena there before we headed out. He went on the bit for me and pulled out some pretty floaty moves. It gave me some hope for our future showing. He also was exposed to mini goats, cows, donkeys, horses. I think he feared he was also going to shrink, but he eventually got over it. He did well and cemented my believe that he is pretty trustworthy.

Trailered to TWO cross country courses to run around and experience new things. I am so, so proud of him. He really slowed down both times and was so in sync with me. Constantly asking and responding. He did well both with the group and by ourselves. I was so shocked at how well he kept his head. We had so much fun and we weren't even jumping! Both days were GREAT days.
One scary incident- on the way to the second schooling the trailer doors came flying open while going down the highway. Thank god the ramp stayed up. Enough time has passed that I can now giggle a bit when I picture Max going down the road mane blowing straight back.

Gone horseback Christmas caroling. Max was decked out with a fun saddle pad I made and lots of jingle bells. He handled it like a pro and I had a great time with the other dozen riders. I will post pics when I am on the proper computer. This is when I really figured out that Max is a power walker and likes to be the leader. Especially when there is a truck pulling a hay wagon right in front of him.

Gone riding briefly near a pretty busy road. By ourselves. This one is important to us. Since I want Max to be a MSAR mount he needs to handle traffic, vehicles, and generally pandemonium well. Also, once I do take Max home I still won't have a truck or trailer so we will be riding back over to the barn occasionally. That's a few miles through neighborhoods and some fairly busy roads.

Started (barely) some bareback and stirrupless work. I was this 1. to realize my dream of hopping up bareback and tooling around my property. 2. because my wedding photographer is coming in Feb and for the costumey pics we will be doing it will be nice if I can go saddleless for some of the shots. Stirrupless is going okay, haven't cantered at length yet but I think that will be easier that the trotting. I haven't done anything but walk bareback. He is comfy because he is so wide and erm, padded but he is also really slippery and easy to go off one way or the other on. Now that he has his winter coat it's even worse!

Have gone on a couple solo trips around the neighboring development and on the boarding property (which has to consist of a 150ish acres). He is pretty brave. Coyotes, no problem. Garbage & UPS trucks, no big deal. Huge water fountain, hey that's neat. 6" log, OMG what is that?! Once I made him walk around it he had no problem stepping over it several times.

Max has had one jumping lesson with my trainer. He did fantastic. Very brave there, granted the was nothing too scary and nothing too tall. He really started to have fun and was willing to trot over jumps. This is great news for me because my big fear of jumping comes from cantering. It's weird and only makes sense with a detailed explanation of my previous falls. Supposedly he is a ton of fun to jump and super smooth. Yea! Go hefty, drafty pony! Up next on this agenda is another lesson for him and one for me on a school horse.

So that in a nutshell is what my dream pony and I have been up to. I have to say, I have been having a blast. And I am so so relieved my horse is turning out to have a personality. A great one at that. I was getting a bit worried. :)

Up next for us in 2009:

Start jumping. Compete in a couple shows, culminating in a baby event. Participate in at least one Gypsy Horse show. Get Max really responding to my seat so we can maybe do re-enactments/play at faires (read- I think it would be fun to do mounted archery). Get Max home by completing farm projects. Get a trailer so we can actually start an MSAR branch on my SAR team. Having an adventure ride up to Sonic for some yums. Learning how to clip. Going onto some higher dressage. Lastly, we would love to win a ribbon for doing well at something. I think he deserves it.

Feather :(

2008-08-27T08:18:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of the pony the day he came home. Note the beautiful (although very gelding) feather. It's not been brushed out or anything, he came off the trailer this way.

And here is a picture from a few days ago.

It's very sad. I guess most of the difference comes from the fact that he runs around in a pasture now and isn't stall kept. I will admit- with all of the rain and ick weather we have been having is does make his feet & feather way easier to care for. But hopefully I will hone my feather tending skills and it will grow back over the winter!

On a side note: He had is first ride with my trainer on Sunday and we are contemplating a name change for the floofy. More on all that later!

Picturefest!!

2008-08-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a bunch of pictures I took of the floofy in his biiiiig pasture today.
Coming up to me.
Pretty boy face.

The sky has been CRAZY with all of the rain lately.

You know what he's grinning about?

This face!!!!

"Lookin at my friends..."
"Oh nos,....they're runnin' away"
"MUST FOLLOW!!!"
"Wait up guys......"
And this is what his pristine whiteness looked like when he caught up.

Max has Moved (Temporarily)!!

2008-08-15T18:37:00.001-07:00

So...we have decided to board Max. For a little while anyway. This is pretty much entirely based around the fact that I don't have an arena. And I also intended to take lessons with Max anyway.
So now he's gone to live a few miles down the road at this place. It's a nice place (if somewhat muddy today- I'm starting to like TX mud is a supernatural force, and its aligment is chaotic evil) and so far I like the people and the horses. I went and had a lesson a little while back to check the place out. Max and I are going to get to know each other (mounted-wise) in a more secure environment with someone to tell us what we're doing wrong :). We also will be learning some dressage, going to go on trails, and maybe do a little jumping or xcountry if my confidence holds up to it. And I will be paying a pretty fantastic trainer/instructer to ride him a couple of times so we can figure out what Max's really capable of. I am REALLY looking forward to getting to truly work with/ride my horse. Yay.
He did SOOO well today with the trailering over (especially during evil TX thunderstorms) and meeting new horses. Typical Max he was grazing within minutes! But it was so nice to see him interacting with other horses. I really need to start putting the pressure on my husband to get another horse. Maybe while Max is away and the pastures look all lonely...hmm...
I really wish I had pictures of today- but silly camera card is full and husband hasn't figured out which pictures he still needs! Note to self- take pictures tomorrow!

Oh My- The Mud War Has Been Waged!

2008-07-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

Obviously much of the previous post was about Max's bath.
Well. Last night it rained. Hard. Really really hard. Max would not go into his shelter.
This morning- Max was no longer white. His feather were so caked with mud they were like big dreads and made noise when he moved. I wasn't entirely awake this morning when I first saw him and had one of those "wait, where is MY horse?" moments.
So we tried another bath. After moving once (the ground was too icky and slick) we went to the only other spot the hose would reach and we could tie up. Max would not stand still for more that 45 seconds. When you reprimand him, by either a firm No or Ho, he acts like you're going to beat him 'round the ears and then eat him. Maybe its because I'm still new or because he still looks at me as only the treat lady, I dunno.
Bottom line: 2 hours later I had one foot done and another halfway there. The others I did manage to spray some during our wiggle movement, so they weren't as bad.
Then we were attacked by Fire Ants. There was a mound nearby and they went after us. So Max started doing a legitimate jig while I hosed them off of him. I also am sporting several lovely bites
So now- I am putting in a concrete cross-tie station out near the pasture water hose and Max's run-in is to be fitted with a gate so it can double as a stall in the event of really gross weather or just when he needs to be kept clean.

2 Rides + 1 Bath

2008-07-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

So I have gotten to ride Max twice now. The last time was on my brand new saddle. Which honestly is sooo comfortable. I didn't think that was possible for new leather :) Though the 15 inch did look a little funny after seeing him with my neighbor's 17-18 inch saddle on.

Both rides went fairly well. We didn't do anything but walk. Max is not pleased with just walking, even after longing him first. I have no problem with him going faster but he isn't really all that comfortable with riding in the pasture. We can't just go where ever because some of the footing is no good. He doesn't really understand where he supposed to go and just wants to go there faster. Which means I am hanging onto his face too much and not riding my best. Solution- create a fake boundary with markers until we can put our arena in. I don't think pasture riding will really be a problem in the future- I just think it's more of problem now because we are trying to figure each other out on top of everything else. He also appears to be a bit unnerved by the pond beside our property- so we will be making a trip over the there to visit soon. He also is hard to back. Every time you ask him to back he side passes or turns on his forehand/haunches. Mostly sidepassing though. I try to tell him he's actually putting in more effort doing that, but he does love to work. Last ride I did get several nice backs from him. Good boy. He is on the bit most of time which is really nice. He also has the best forward walk ever.

Bath time was not that fun. I KNOW Max is very used to baths. He's a hairy horse with lots of white on him- these guys gets baths ALL THE TIME. He was a big wiggle butt because he wasn't in cross ties and generally acted like a big baby. I think it was mostly to see if he could get away with it, because he eventually settled down. He did continue to paw at the ground (not allowed!) when he got frustrated with having to be still and tied for so long. I will say though- I LOVE soaping up all that hair! My hair is pretty long but my tresses have nothing on the amount of shampoo Max requires. But-typical pony- as soon as he was allowed to go free he had to go roll in the dirt. I did get to see him buck (once) for the first time when he took off after being freed from over an hour's washing and pampering. He's so pretty when he runs but he looks really silly bucking- that must be why he doesn't do it very often.

Also, he has a new favorite treat- those big dinner mint/peppermints you get cheap at Walmart.

Gah- I hate weather!

2008-07-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

Sooo....I was able to borrow a lovely saddle that actually fits Floofy Horse from our neighbors. After a couple days of longing while waiting for my hand injury to heal (more on that later-maybe) today was gonna be the day- the FIRST real ride.

Husband gets home we eat dinner and I start carting out horse stuff 'round 7pm (that's typically when the heat falls off). EVERY day has been sunny, baking warmth, and dead still. Today it starts getting breezy as I head out. Then right when I get Max tied the clouds come rushing in with winds from hell and lightening to boot. In went the tack and after a couple minutes loving, off went Max to enjoy the rain. So now I have to wait another 24 hours for my ride. Pony poo.

On another note- I really want to show Max, at least a little bit. There are actually a couple of Gypsy shows coming up not too far from me so I am thinking about attending. At least going, showing Max I dunno. My biggest problem with showing is I have no idea what is required. Me, I like step by step instructions. Wear this, wash and groom your horse like this, in the class you will be required to do this & this. At least to start out with. And the best way to get those tips is to get in with people who show. Yeah, that has to be one of the hardest things ever. The show people I have been exposed to really tend to close ranks. And to boot my pony isn't shown like your typical pulled/braided maned ponies so regular show ppl are only helpful up to a point. So far I have found GH people to be soo helpful and friendly. But I don't know anyone well enough to talk to and no one (that I know of) is anywhere close to me. So I am hoping these nearby shows work as an in to meet with GH people. So what do I do? Show up with Max in tow the first time knowing we'll probably flunk out due to my ineptitude? Then we'll get to meet people and use it as a learning experience...I dunno yet. I am pondering.

Also, registries! There are at least 3 here in the States that I know of. Max is registered in one but apparently (at least for one show) for their sponsored classes you have to be a member. Added to the fact that Max isn't transferred over to me yet, but that should soon be rectified. But should I go ahead and register him with more then one? Questions. questions.

Okay at this point my poor hand is aching so that story will have to hold for now...and hopefully the weather will tomorrow.

Good Pony

2008-07-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

I still can't believe how willing this horse is. He is a dream to lunge. Heck, he can be grazing and if I say the word trot- there he goes, feather flying. Maybe not for very far but still! I had Adam help me up on Max's back yesterday and walk us around a bit. Then trot us some- lovely, lovely, trot. I can't wait to ride this horse. Since the saddle that will actually fit Max hasn't arrived yet I am reduced to short, bareback pony rides. Max has never had someone on him bareback of course he took to it like a champ, but I still would like a saddle for our first few 'real' rides.

I don't think I can truly change his name with his registry but we've changed his name a bit. He is now Traveling Max (or Traveling Max of Fairhaven if you want the long version). It's an ode to the Romany travelers, the fact that this horse has seen more continents & countries than me (he started out in the UK, went to Germany, and then possibly back to the UK, then to the US), and of course the Fraggles. If you don't know about Uncle Traveling Max and the Fraggles you're probably too old or too young to appreciate it. But the Fraggle reference was actually the first thought for us.

He's getting REALLY good at going "Hey, there's the treat lady. I think I'll head over her way". Right now we're doing some fencing so Max has access to the entire back part of our property, including our backyard. Last night when I went to check on him before bed he decided to walk to me to the door. Ever the gentleman.

Max's First Day

2008-07-02T18:31:00.001-07:00

So...new to the blogging world- but I decided to start writing about my new horse, Max. He is a realization of your typical "I really, no REALLY, want a fairytale pony" dream. So after many years I had the money (sort of) and the place to keep this dream pony.

Max is a Gypsy Cob (or Gypsy Vanner if you prefer) he just turned 7 and is 14.3 (I haven't had a stick up to him myself yet). He was shipped over from England almost two years ago and has been in training and waiting for his perfect home ever since (that'd be me).

I would like to use Max for daily rides, some trails, smaller or breed shows, and hopefully equine search and rescue. He has had more training that most of the Gypsy horses you can find for sale stateside and here's what the ranch who sold him had to say about him:

"Max has really surprised us at MVP. Max is a registered Gypsy Vanner Horse. The reason, is that we have never had a Gypsy Vanner horse that is so responsive to learning and has a heart that just will not stop. At this point in January of 2007, Max lunges in both directions. He walks, trots, and canters with little effort from the rider. With very little encouragement this horse is in the bit most of the time. This is so unusual for such a young horse! His eagerness and willingness make him a wonderful horse to be pleasure or show for someone who truly cares about him. We will be very picky about who will own this horse because he needs a special person.Update October 13, 2007:Max has now been under training for jumping for 7 months with a well respected veterinarian in the Katy, TX area. This Gypsy Vanner Horse could be someone's best friend. he is an all around great example of this breed!"

He really is a sweet guy- even my husband who is pretty horse shy went on and on about him and how comfortable he felt with him. Now let's hope I can do Max justice.

He was pretty amazing today. I barely got him through the gate after his 4 hour trailering and he was already settling in to graze. He was extremely polite meeting the neighbor's horses over the fence and fantastic with the various barking dogs on mine and my neighbors property. I am already struck by this breeds calm and unflappable manner while still being interested and interactive with what's going on around them.