Bre's Big (temporary) Move

Bre's stable has an upper and lower pasture. Last year the upper pasture was replanted and we have to keep the horses off it. We can let them on it for short periods but when it is wet like this they can't be on it at all. It is a sacrifice but in the long run it is going to be for the best. Last year they hung out in the outdoor arena and we were able to ride in it until March. We didn't use the lower pasture because there is a steep hill between the two pastures and we worried about it getting too slick. 

This year the arena turned to muck immediately. It has progressed from muck to soup. We started letting them go to the lower pasture out of desperation. Until recently they have managed to navigate the hill safely but now the ground is really saturated. I received a text message that the horses were slipping dangerously. She wanted to know if I would be open to moving them for three months. That would let them revamp the arena and for everything to dry out. The only other option would be to leave them in their nighttime paddocks. There are a fine gravel with special drainage so there is no mud to speak of. However, they are small and Bre colics if she can't run around. I would have to move her for a few months and Romeo can't be left behind. 

Soooooo.... In 24 hours we got the fourth stall ready at Bre's barn, and the BO did rearranging so Romeo could fit at the main barn. It would have been awesome to have Romeo with Bre but there isn't room. It would also require his Girl, a young teen, to walk him through nasty mud in the dark to the main arena. I think it will be great for Romeo to be on his own a little. He is crazy herd bound to Bre. If he even suspects she is leaving he will kick is stall, scream and attack any chickens in reach. I am worried he will hurt himself if I take her on a ride. He is in a pen between other horses so he can sniff noses but won't have one horses to focus on. 

We hauled the horses separately because we didn't want them to realize they were boarded so closely but unable to be in the same pen. It will be fun to have Romeo at the big indoor for a few months while RG is competing on the HS eq team. I am hoping to get his flying changes going before 4h this summer. It will be fun for me to have Bre and Dickie in the same place. In the long run Bre is better off where she was at back at her old place. She gets daily love from multiple people there. However, I am going to have a blast for a few months. 

More on how the integration went soon.

Bre showing Dickie her stuff. 

Romeo looking shiny even with his winter coat. 

Finally Horse Show Update

Disclaimer: appalling spelling and despicable grammar will be found throughout this rambling post.

I can't believe I took so long to write about the horse show. I guess I can believe it when I look back on my week.......

Last Friday: Off from a 12 hour shift at 730am, Sleep 9-11am, Pack up Romeo's Stuff, Pack up Dickie's stuff, trailer Dickie, settle Dickie and Chevy (BOs horse), romeo arrives at settles in, all horses get ridden or longed, horses tucked in by Ten PM

Saturday: At stable by 5am, First class at 830am, Between the three horses a class every 20 mins until 6pm, pack up and home by 730pm, no sleep until 2am because I had flip my sleep schedule to nights for work the next day.

Sun-Thurs at 730 am- WORK!! Crazy crazy rough shifts. Running my ass off the full 12 hours and still barely getting my patent's needs meds crazy shifts.

Thurs-Pack up Romeo and Bre for a spur of moment move (more on that I promise), get stalls ready at new place

Friday-Move Romeo and Bre make sure they are both settled in, integrate into herd, repair hot wire that went dead and was promptly destroyed by Dickie once the tape no longer shocked his face, make a contraption over one of Dickie's windows to prevent destruction of barn (more on that too), try to go to bed but then realize Bre seems colicky at the new place (more on that too, she is fine by the way)..... now it is one and you can see why I haven't posted in awhile.

So that is why there was no show update. My update probably won't be super awesome since it isn't as fresh in my mind.

Dickie:

ROCKSTAR HORSE!!! It has been ten years since I went to this particular show grounds and I was only watching friends. As a result I had forgotten that the stalls are scary dark cages. There are 15 foot cement walls on each side, the stall front is cement and metal. The mesh on the stall fronts is so tightly woven that you couldn't get a finger in there. There are no window or hatches to open. You could stable a stallion in the middle of 20 mares in season and be safe. But who really needs that kind of lock down? Dickie handled being stalled for Fri/Sat really well. He called out to the other horses but never seemed upset or stressed. I brought my awesome equinet and it kept him busy.

I wanted to make sure he got exercised and I was so happy we have worked on lunging. It isn't like I can get on and ride him. The first day we had one little drama during lunging where he kept trying to spin the other way. That was it though. Once he accepted I was running the show he lunged like a seasoned show horse, was right on with voice commands and didn't let himself be distracted by other horses. Sat AM after he had been couped up for 24 hours he acted like a trained horse even with the distraction of two mares being lunged at the same time.

When it came out ground manners he was perfect 99% of the time. He was worried about the new place, smells, and people. Not to mention the fact that he is young and used to running around on three acres all day. I loved that he was full of energy and alert but listened. I led him on a lose lead the whole time. He walked up to all kinds of scary things. He is a brave horses, not because nothing scares him, but because he never balks at checking out horse eating objects.

He was even good with the mob of horses milling about. He has never been in an arena with more than four or five horses. And in those cases the horses were standing or walking quietly. We were in a tiny warm up arena with at least 20 horses in a constant state of chaos. The only worrisome incident occurred when he half kicked (I say half kicked because it was more a dramatic stomp) at a kid who ran up on his butt. We were standing almost in the corner with less than five between his rump and the wall. A little girl started trotting up and down behind him then parked right behind him to work on backing. Her mom saved the day and I backed him up more so he was practically leaning against the wall.

Sadly the 1% of time when he got wild was in the halter class. We were the second class of the day and the show had started late. I had him ready on time which meant he had stood still for way too long by the time we went in. He was not bad in the least but had ants in his pants. He started swinging himself around and trying to check out people in the bleachers. There were about 20 in the class and we had no chance of placing anyway so I didn't care. He was a good good boy so I was proud. He had to hang out in his stall for the rest of the day and handled it really well. Then when it was time to trailer home the older experienced hauler refused to get in. Dickie said "I got this" and hopped right in first.

I think I am going to have a show horse!!! He could not have behaved better. I didn't want a super calm QH type so I was actually happy he had some fire. An obedient horse on the hot side is exactly what I wanted. He is well on his way to being that horse!!

The other two horses were great too.  Chevy can be a handful and has a history of bolting. He wanted to let the crazy out a few times in the huge classes with chaos going on in the bleachers. He listened to his owner really well and she had a great experience. He started to get really squirrelly by the end of the day and I wanted to make sure they ended on a good note so I took him in the last classes. She got to end on a calm safe note and I got to work Chevy through some of his goofy moments. It was a blast!!

Romeo and his Girl looked fantastic. Sadly they didn't place but they help their own. The fancy paint show circuit people made up the bulk of the show so the fact that she looked like one of them was huge. And she did it with kindness to her horse. Those people made me sick. They rode around yanking on the horses' faces or riding in draw reins. YANK YANK YANK SPUR SPUR SPUR. Half of them didn't even get on the horses until the shit was ridden out of it by a trainer. RG was proof you can get there without being awful to your horse. I wish she could have started off the season with a ribbon or two just because she looks so great and had worked so hard but I know she didn't want to be like those people. As sad as it was to witness that kind of treatment I actually think it was good for her to see it. I have been drilling into her the things I want to avoid. I have also told her that she will be stuck going against people who are using abusive methods at home.  I think the fact that she got to see this behavior so blatantly will make her feel better about losing to people like that.


Soooo, all in all it was an amazing show. We had a blast, everyone performed at their best, and I can't wait to go again!! I won't be going back to those grounds but there are a few shows coming up with stall that are more horse friendly. Dickie seemed happy to go wherever the people were so I am sure he will be just as good next time.

Show Photos

I don't have much in the way of Dickie photos. I brought my camera thinking it would take better pics than the iphone and I could just hand it off to a friend in the stands. Something was wrong with it and 90% turned out super blurry even if I wasn't moving. 

I am exhausted so a longer post will have to wait. Dickie was a trooper. He hopped right in the trailer to and from. He was feeling a little wild but listened and kept crazy to a minimum. If the show hadn't been running 30 mins behind (for the first class of the day, go figure) he probably would have even still still for his whole halter class. 

Romeo had a couple stress moments but overall they looked amazing. 

You can see Dickie's little white blaze peeking out the window. He loaded like an old show horse. 

The downfall of the show grounds was the cagelike stalls. He was not impressed by lack of a proper window. 

Our row organized with the horses tucked in for the night.  It looked like a bomb went off within 20 mins of our arrival in the am. 

Chevy found a way to get his nose out in the aisleway to beg for treats. 

Romeo was happy as long as he got to hang out in the aisleway. 

Romeo showing his disgust for having his socks whitened.. Notice the tiny hole that Chevy liked to stick his nose out of. 

Romeo looking very handsome. 

Trotting pony. 

First time in arena with more than three horses (there were probably 20)

Dickie just before he realized he had been standing still for over 30 mins  and it was time to get FANCY. 

Me trying to get him out of the arena without body slamming anyone. 

Chilling after a hard morning of work.

My two partners in crime relaxing in the warm up arena. 

Chevy showing his arab side with some spunk. 

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We Trailer to the Show Friday AHHHHH!!!!

I haven't been to a show in FOREVER!! The only shows I have been to were the dressage shows at my old stable. And by "been to" I mean worked at the show. About seven years ago I rode Bre in the show but I was already at the barn with all my things so it was super easy. Getting organized to take a three year old and a student to an away show is a whole different ball game. I decided not to take a horse for me to ride. Taking one horse will keep me busy enough for the first show out. 

I work Weds/Thurs so I don't get off until Friday at 730am. That means I get a short nap then have to hit the ground running Friday so we can haul out. It is too cold here for a bath but Dickie shines up with nothing but a good curry. I am cursing his one white sock but at least it only comes up to his fetlock. I can clean that with a bucket of warm water. My friend is much worse off with her very loud paint. At least we keep them blanketed so she will just need to get his legs clean. We will also go armed with green spot remover and horsey spray paint. 

My plan is to take a quick nap Friday after work then start packing. I have been making lists of what I need because my brain will be working on limited sleep. We are going to start shuttling horses at two. That will give us a few hours to settle in before the open arena starts. I am not sure how I will get Dickie worked. There are three indoors but one will have some practice classes running and I bet the other two will be too crowded for longing. There are two outdoor arenas but I haven't been there in 15 years so I have no idea if they are winter riding safe. I guess I will just have to wing it. Worst case scenario is that Dickie is too wild to go into the class but that is fine with me. 

Saturday will be an early morning. The halter classes start at eight so we need to be there by six at the latest. A thermos of coffee is going to be my best friend. I will get as man pictures as I can. It should be a fun day if we get just get ourselves there in one piece. 

Hidden Risks of a Rambo Wug

Last week I planned a wonderful all day fluff and buff session with Miss Bre and Romeo. I got off work at 730 am and headed to see the ponies. I wanted to try the new saddle on, clip Romeo, pull Bre's mane, all that fun suff. The horses were in the lower pasture when I got there. I noticed that they didn't come right to the fence and vaguely remember wondering why they were hanging out in a boring corner. I didn't think much about it and it was a few hours before I went to fetch them. I had to meet up with the vet at Dickie's barn and do some handiwork before I was ready for the ponies. When I went down to get them she still hadn't come up to the gate. For 13 years this has been a horse who will be at the gate before I get out of the car. I opened up the gate to let them run up to their paddocks and oddly Bre still didn't come. Romeo went blasting by and Bre NEVER lets Romeo beat her to the barn. This mare's motto is "Why walk when you can run". She just stood at the fence corner giving me this really intense stare. Then she started pawing and my heart sank. The first thing that came to mind was she had hurt herself. That would be the only reason for her not to come. A split second later I saw the problem. She had snapped the front of her Rambo Wug to the fence. Mare had been stuck to the fence for at least a few hours. No wonder she was hanging out in the corner for so long. SHE WAS STUCK!!

The thing I love about my mare is that she didn't take down the fence or tear her blanket. She just patiently waited for me to get her lose. It was like she thought someone had tied her up and she was supposed to wait there until she was untied. I really wanted to stop and take a picture but I decided that was kind of mean since to make her wait longer because she had been such a good pony. 

Moral of the story: If there is a bizarre way to get into trouble, your horse will find it.

Other moral: If you have no climb fencing and a Rambo Wug you might want to put tape over the snap. 

New Favorite Horsey Must Have

This is a plug for an equine product but I am not getting any kind of kick back. I just love the product and wanted to share.

I love to buy stuff for my horses AND I love to support small businesses. My newest Equinet purchase fits both of these so I am happy as can be. Bre and Romeo are out all day but they have pretty much zero grass so the BO throws them plenty of local hay. She feeds them in the arena which has turned into a swamp were we feed. Anyone who lives in the Pac NWst knows the only way to avoid mud is to keep your horse in a stall 24/7. Even if you have a big pasture high traffic areas turn to soup. My mare also wolfs hay down faster than any horse alive then ends up irritable and hungry. Enter Equinets.....

Equinets are slow feed hay bags handmade by a woman in Washington. I first heard about this product when they were donated to a Pony Up Rescue fundraiser. Pretty soon everyone was raving about them. I checked out the website and they seemed pretty snazzy. She hand makes them in a variety if sizes (mini size, one feeding size, full bale size, you name it she can do it). They are super easy to fill (most hay nets make me homicidal by the end of the filling process), and they are very safe. She was inspired to make them after her horse was injured by a normal hay net. They support healthy digestion because it takes all day just to finish a few flakes of hay. They also keep that easily bored horse busy. Not to mention the time saving factor. You can give a full days worth of hay in one feeding.

Another plus is the fact that they don't seem to fight when they are eating from these nets. Romeo always wants to eat off the same pile as Bre (Even if there are five piles) and she gets really pissed off about it in the winter.

Our horses just love them. Yesterday I put a few flakes of hay in their corner feeders and let them in to eat while I was dinking around. In my dinkage I hung a hay net in the aisle because I was planning on a long pre-show grooming session. Both Bre and Romeo left their hay and started trying to get at the Equinet.

Here is a pic of Romeo munching hay during beauty parlor time. Notice Bre has left her hay pile and is begging to get a chance at the net:

I gave in and let her share in the fun:

Did I mention she donates a portion of the proceeds to rescues? She lists which rescue you will be supporting each month on her website. If you are in the market for a hay net  you HAVE to get one. I plan on getting more!! I need some for shows and some for the stalls too. 

Please please check out the website and spread the word on this great product!! 

www.equinets.com

Guess Who I Rode?

DICKIE!!!!! 

The BFF has been really busy with work and the few times he has come out the best hadn't been conducive to riding the boy. The BO said she was willing to be my ground person. It is hard to find a ground person you can trust. If they can't control the horse and you are screwed. If they get crazy and over controlling you are screwed too. It's also important to have someone who let you run the show. She knows Dickie really well and fits all the criteria for a superstar ground person.

Thursday all the stars were aligned. The barn was quiet, Dickie was tuned in, BO was there, I was feeling healthy again... We had a little longer longe session that usual. I wanted him a tad tired and extra focused on me. He was an angel!!! He stands better at the mounting block than most grown up horses and wasn't the least bit concerned about the extra weight.

I sat on him bareback once but this was the first time with a saddle. Sometimes babies wonder WTF is going on with a saddle involved because they can't feel it is a human up there. I also used the stirrup to mount this time to see how he felt about that sensation. We walked around a bit and I hopped off and gave him some love. Then we did it over again. The second time I kind of forgot I was getting on a baby and plopped on a little heavier than the first time. He didn't care. I guess all the jumping around and thumping into him over the last six months did some good. 

The ride lasted about ten mins but it was perfect.