Blanket Time

If you have been reading my blog for long you know that the first two attempts at wearing a blanket didn’t go well. Dickie was sure that I had given him a portable chew toy. He didn’t take long to start tearing at the blanket like a lab puppy tearing the cushion on your favorite chair. Now that he is turned out with other horses, I have been pleasantly surprised that he hasn’t tried to tear his girlfriends’ blankets. That made me think maybe if I get him used to wearing a blanket when his mind is busy he won’t notice it is on. Last week I put on a fleece cooler and worked on clicker trainer right away. The next day I tried a wool dress sheet that has a few more enticing buckles than the cooler. I fed him dinner to keep his mind off the blanket. I also had a visitor tacking Josey up in the aisle and reaching his head out to taste her kept his mind busy. We were gone for about an hour and the blanket was in one piece when we arrived back. He didn’t seem the least bit concerned about his outfit anymore. I decided that I would try out a waterproof sheet. Josey’s mom had an extra she is willing to share and my extra blanket is too big. He looked quite dapper in turquoise. Apparently he finds the texture of the waterproof material yummier than fleece or wool because he chewed on it a little. However, he didn’t put his whole effort into tearing it and by the time we left he had stopped messing with it.

A week later he is still wearing his new blanket. I am so happy!! It has been getting colder and the rain is coming down in buckets. Sometimes he manages to get a buckle undone but other than that he has been a very good boy. He doesn't even wallow in the mud. That part shocked me because he is such a pig in his stall. I am sure he would have lived without a blanket but it's nice to keep them dry in the rainy northwest. 

Excting Dates in 2013!!

I had planned on going to a dressage show on Dec 1st with Josey but it was just too hard to pull it together. Since the move I have been trying to get my back up to speed again. I have also been shocked at how many little things are needed when getting set up at a new place. I have also picked up some crazy marathon shifts at work. Because they only had a part time position open I end up picking up last minute shifts and feel like I need to take any overtime that is available. That makes it hard to plan out a riding schedule. 

With all that in mind I decided since I was going to a show in January anyway I might as well work Josey into that schedule. Jan 26-27th there is a two day open schooling show coming up the end of January. The morning is halter and English rail classes and the afternoon is western. Romeo's young lady is going to show him so it will be a big fun day. Dickie is going to be entered into two halter classes. I am not sure if I will actually end up showing in the class. I am going to register Josey for the English pleasure walk trot classes. Not sure how we will do because she isn't a hunter but it will be a nice way to get every one out and about in a low key environment. 

I have a ride lined up but might be able to borrow my Mom's truck for Jan/Feb. It will be nice to have the flexibility to haul a few times before then. Romeo is at an outdoor and it deep and soupy early this year. It would also be great to take Dickie the Dofus to a new arena just to see how he handles it. 

February 13th is a really BIG day! Dickie is three!! I know that he isn't going to magically mature in three months but once he is three but I will feel better about short rides under saddle once he hits that mark. I plan on sitting on him bareback a few more times until then. I am not big on the concept of starting horses by getting on them one day and riding until the bucking is done. I plan to slowly increase activities that will prep him for riding and let him guide how far we go next year :) 

Meet Josey

Hi, my name is Josey and I am cute. 

I have talked about Josey a few times and I feel like she needs an offical introduction. I met Josey's owner through an internet site dedicated to rescuing horses. She was in another state and oddly enough it turned out she was moving ten mins from where my mare is boarded. We hit it off right away and I am going to force her to be my friend forever whether she likes it or not. Having good no drama horse friends are a must. I started riding Josey at the barn she stabled at when they first moved here. 

Josey is a 10 year old half Clydsedale half Appaloosa. I haven't sticked her but I would say she is about 15.2hands. She has a HUGE trot. It feels like you are on a much bigger horse. She moves like a dressage horse. I attached a video but it doesn't do her justice. It is a tiny arena and incredibly deep. I was holding her back because I wanted to work on bending. You can't see how much she floats because the arena bogs her down. 

Here was my assessment after the first two rides. When I first got on her she would be a little fussy when asked to trot. At first we thought she was being lazy but once she gets going this horse really trucks along. She's more likely to get going too fast. She is a big mover but has mostly been ridden in the mountains not in an arena. She seems to be apprehensive about turning. She will do the duck her shoulder in turn at the touch of your leg move but actually balancing while doing a real bend is hard. She either wants to pop a shoulder out or tries to go straight. She is also ready to drop to the walk from the slightest word from your seat. With a big trot like hers I am sure she has been pulled down to the walk by people who can't stay balanced. The other issue we are working on is her canter. She REALLY doesn't like to pick it up. I decided that she wasn't being lazy she just didn't have a real understanding of the canter command. If she has been a trail horse her command has probably been "go faster" on a straightaway with running into the canter. Being in a small deep arena is hard for a horse that only has experience with straightaways. 

The thing that I love about her is she is sensitive. She knows how to slow down from just your seat, and is light off the leg. She didn't seem moving out at first but after just a couple of rides she is really confident moving forward. She is also understanding that she can do different speeds in the trot and slowing down doesn't mean breaking gait. Even though she is still getting the concept of bending she turns like a dream from the seat and legs. The things that are the biggest pain on the ass to teach a horse who is already started are already in place with Josey. If your horse responds to your seat for go, slow, and turn all the hard stuff is done. 

Her canter is currently a work in progress. After watching her on the lunge I confirmed my suspicion that we weren't on the same page for a canter command and that she isn't very confident turning while cantering. Because of that we haven't been cantering under saddle. I want her to be really confident turning without having to deal with a rider on her back first. I also want her to canter from my voice command. Then I can pair that with leg/seat cues under saddle. 

I have only been able to ride her once in the new arena. It is big and the footing is perfect. Not too deep, not too hard. I was all set to ride her today but I was called in to work. She seemed to like it. She was forward and relaxed. I lunged her yesterday. Her canter was already better in the bigger arena with better footing. Previously it took quite a few tries to get a canter out of her and it wasn't balanced. Yesterday she popped right into going one direction without running. The other way was a little more challenging but still much better. I just love this horse. She is so smart and willing. She is also very talented. I see her as being a solid first/second level dressage horse with the right rider. Her owner just wants to love on her and take an occasional trail ride so she is looking for a someone to lease her. I know once she has a few more arena miles on her she will be a great dressage partner. 

Josey under saddle <<< Don't judge my terrible riding! This girl is still getting her riding legs under her after years of putzing around bareback. 

Don't touch my blanket!!!

Helmet Has Arrived

My new Lami-cell helmet arrived. I LOVE it. I am a hard fit. I also get headaches very easily. Even my glasses give me a headache. Baseball caps are cute but kill me. I have a huge head and it is a weird shape. I remember when I first started riding Troxel was pretty much the only option. Troxels don't fit my head at all. If I get one big enough not to squeeze my brains out it won't stay on my head. Then I had a skull cap made by international that was decent but roasted me. Now we have so many options that it is mind boggling. There is zero excuse not to were a helmet. I am sure that people reading this will come up with excuses but none are worthy. Every six months or so a riding friend knows someone who was killed or seriously injured from riding. And none of the injuries I have close hand knowledge of have been jumping. They have all been people tooling around western. 

If you don't wear a helmet you aren't just putting yourself at risk. If you are injured or killed the costs will be astronomical. What will happen to your family? Who is going to take care of your kids, your wife, your husband? Who is going to take care of your horse? Do you think your family is really going to put your horse as a priority when they have millions of dollars in medical bills. And in this current economy the odds of your horse getting a good home aren't great. 

Yes, helmets only protect your head. There are a million other injuries you can incur from a fall. For the most part though if you survive other injuries you have the capability of returning to normal functioning. Head injuries are different. Even when your body repairs itself you might never be you again. I have seen how heartbreaking traumatic brain injuries are. A young healthy man living in a group home, former doctor commits suicide because he can no longer practice, wife taking care of a husband who will never be able to work again (yes I have seen all of this and more). If you aren't responsible enough to wear a helmet you shouldn't own a horse. 

Anyhoo my lami-cell arrived a few days ago and I have had a few rides. It feels so good. The dial a fit harness seems to be the key for me. Then I can get one that is a little too lose and dial it down to the perfect size. I went for a ride in the rain and noticed that it kept the rain off my face and neck. We were out for over an hour and I didn't have my normal headache. It has vents that kept me from getting too hot. It looks very expensive and it isn't. If you have been drooling over the new crazy spendy helmets out there but can't handle over $100 bucks try this out. 

No excuses. Get a helmet and wear it everyday. 

http://www.doversaddlery.com/lami-cell-schooling-helmet/p/X1-36145/

Amazing News From Breeder

I contacted the breeder via email and was so happy when she called me. I wasn't sure how I would be received. Sometimes people who get horses from the auction can burn bridges by calling past owners. Sometimes horses are dumped and other times there is MUCH more to the story. The breeders website was just updated and the lady seemed so nice and down to earth. She cares deeply for the horses and is very involved with preventing bone disorders in young horses as well as proper conditioning. I wondered if she could possibly be the owner who let him be on the verge of ending up with the kill buyer. Turns out SHE WASN'T!! She had sold him at auction the month before. When she brought him she advertised her nurse mare program and had tons of info on his breeding. She was willing to file paperwork for him to be registered but the person who bought him didn't follow through. She would never have let him end up in the kill pen. She has wondered how he was doing and hoped he was doing well. She was sad to hear he was brought back the next month and THRILLED he has a forever home. She was so genuine in her love for these horses that it made my heart happy and my eyes a little teary. 

The farm runs a cutting edge nurse mare program and TB breeding program. Dickie's mom is one of their best nurse mares. She is actually raising a baby right now. He was the first baby by his daddy Houseofroyalhearts. They feed to prevent OCD from birth. Their horses get dental work starting as yearlings. They all get the best of care regardless of if they are high dollar racehorses or babies from the nurse mares. They also are involved with research in conditioning and returning horses to soundness after injury. I have very mixed feelings about racing but it made me so happy to hear a racehorse breeder so focused on long term soundness of their horses. That means a horse will have a productive second life as a sporthorses after the racing years are over. 

The best we can figure is that the person who bought him turned around and dumped him one month later. He bought him to make a Mexican Dancing Horse out of him. Not sure what that is but he is a handful I can't imagine him having the attention span for anything as a yearling. I suspect he was too much horse so they dumped him. It is an example of someone not thinking what it takes to raise a young horse then dumping him when they get in over their head. 

She had no idea he had a heart murmur and really wanted to know if it was genetic. It isn't so there are no worries on that front. She wants pictures and wants to see how he does over the years. She said that homes like mine are what she wants for horses who come out of the nurse mare program. I can't wait to go up and meet his momma and daddy!!! 

Here is his momma:

http://www.eldoradofarms.net/nurse_mare_video.htm

Here is baby daddy:

http://www.eldoradofarms.net/houseofroyalhearts_video.htm

Here is their FB page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/El-Dorado-Farms/115418891812967

She is hoping people will "like" their FB page. They have an old page started by a friend with tons of important info. Unfortunately that friend passed away so they don't have passwords. Facebook will only let them merge the sites when her new site has more likes than the old one. 

Purina Strategy

Of you ever find yourself not happy with your horse's feed please check out strategy. I put Bre on it back when she colicked all the time but was a hard keeper so I had to feed grain. All of the whole grains made her sick and nothing else kept weight on without feeding too much. She's been the shiniest horse and its been a great feed. When she was a hard keeper I could dump it on her without making her sick. Once the barn owner changed feed without telling me and she colicked within a few weeks. Now that she's and easier keeper I cut back on the amount. She stays shiny and has the muscle tone of a three year old even when she's not being worked.


When I got Dickie the first barn manager fed one grain. He looked just fine other than getting a bit fat. When I moved him we provide our own grain so switching to Strategy was a no brainer. I put him on the new formulation called Healthy Edge. More of the calories come from fat.  Boy he is shiny! He was shiny before but even with his winter coat it looks like I've dumped show sheen on him. And I swear his tail has grown two inches in the last two months.

Yay for Strategy! It works on the special needs horse and the healthy horse. Keep it in mind if you need a need feed for your pony.

Peaceful grooming day

One of my favorite things about Bre is that I can spend hours loving on her and brushing her. She just eats up the love. She rests her head on you moves around so you get all of her scratchy spots and will just standing touching you. I've never met a horse as cuddly as Miss Breedle Dee.

I know not all horses are big cuddlers. Romeo is calm and easy to be around but he isn't going to seek you out to cuddle. But you can still spend time brushing and massaging him. Dickie and I have had pretty much zero quiet grooming time. He's such a busy body and just getting him to stand still long enough to be presentable is a challenge. I've wanting our training sessions to be both productive and fun for him. Standing still is a chore for him.

I've noticed the last few weeks he has been much easier to be around in his stall. He isn't quite so obsessed with bugging me. He used to be up in my grill every second and prone to tantrums when I moved him out of my space. The new barn is so quiet that he doesn't feel like he needs to check his door all the time. So for the first time today I was able to spend an hour just brushing and shining him up. I brushed through every hair on his tail and realized it is actually quite thick. It has also grown a few inches. I think my appy might actually grow a tail! He quickly move his body around to make room for me without a battle.

I know that this might not sound like a big deal but it was a big aha moment. He's really settling into his life as a grown up horse. I know we have a long way to go before he's cuddling and snoozing in the cross ties. However, I'm so grateful that I'm able to spend some relaxing time with him.