Decade in Photos

Thanks to May As Well Event for the bloghop! I know I'm a little late to the party, but hopefully I'll be able to catch up on blogging soon.

2010

When 2010 started, I had Phoenix and I believe we showed once before he came up lame.  We spent most of the summer trying to figure out what was wrong before he was diagnosed with side bone in his right front.  I made the decision to retire him at 15. I had started riding my former BO's gelding Buddy and once I started horse shopping she offered him to me. I bought him in the fall and spent the fall and winter playing around with him.

2011

In February Phoenix moved out of the barn and into my trainer's pasture to be a buddy to her retired mare and he fully embraced the retired life.  I continued to DO ALL THE THINGS with Buddy.  We jumped and showed in both the hunter and jumper rings, took western lessons, chased cows, and went on trail rides.

2012

Phoenix moved back to the barn, came out of retirement, and was leased by A who was in 4H and wanted to learn how to jump. Buddy and I continued to play with all the disciplines.


2013

At 17, Buddy started to show his age and while we kept showing in the spring and summer, in the fall I made the decision that he probably needed to step down and not jump 2'6" plus anymore. He did help me qualify for my first medal finals, and because horses, the only time in the 7yrs I knew him he was went lame three weeks before hand. I borrowed the wondermare Tia and while having rider error in our over fences round, had a blast. Phoenix continued to pack A around and she took him to her first show over fences. In the fall my former BO found an add for a 5yr old OTTB mare four hours away from us and convinced me to take her sight unseen after her owners agreed to give her away. In all honesty, I didn't really want McKenna, but agreed.

2014

Buddy sold very quickly once I listed him, and for more money that I was asking, totally spoiling me for selling horses. Phoenix came up lame and my vet told me in no uncertain terms that at 19 it was time to retire him for good. McKenna got all my time and attention that summer/fall and while I felt like we were stuck we did actually make progress. She turned out to be much greener than I thought when I got her and I spent much of my time learning how to sit her spooks/spins/bolts/rears.

2015

I came to the realization that I didn't actually like riding McKenna, and put her up for sale. We then have some fantastic lessons, including jumping 3' in a gymnastic. I got a new job, which was the exact same position as my old one, just at a different university. That alleviated a ton of stress and combined with actually feeling like I was making progress with McKenna, I reconsidered selling her. Phoenix colicked badly in November and I made the decision to put him down. It was very clear there was nothing the vets could do, and while it was the toughest decision I've ever made, it was also the easiest. McKenna moved to her new family (which is the barn Peebs is currently boarded at) a couple days after Christmas, and for the first time in 10 years I was horseless.

2016

Three weeks later I bought Peebs. I knew from the first ride was was supposed to be mine; he felt like home. There was some definite "get to know you" issues but once we figured things out I started having a ton of fun with him.  In our first show together, after having him for three months and not showing in almost two years, we won division champion. We continued to show that summer and Peebs proved what a rock star he is. I also bit the bullet and ordered my custom saddle since finding a used one to fit him and me was proving to be impossible.

2017

 
 
 Peebs continued to be awesome and I really started to trust him. We continued showing and having fun.  I decided to do a breed lease on wonder mare Tia but unfortunately she lost the pregnancy and was given very slim odds of being able to get pregnant again.  In the fall a fellow boarder at the barn offered me her homebred warmblood filly.  I initially said no, then went to see her, and after talking my mom into helping me pay for her I agreed to buy Cinder.  She came home in December. Also that fall a new trainer moved into the barn and started causing drama and issues that I tried my best to ignore.

2018

Barn drama got way worse in January and in early February I gave my 30 days notice. It killed me to leave the barn I had been at for 11 yrs and the owners who I considered my second family. But it turned out to be a blessing and, for the first time in eleven years, I could focus solely on my horses. Cinder turned 1 and we did all the baby things. Peebs was still a rock star and won division champion in the hunters, and reserve champion in the equitation at the first show I went to completely on my own. We ended the year by being series champion in our hunter division for our local schooling show series.  We also were second reserve champion in the hunters, and fifth in the eq for our state wide show association. 

2019

Cinder got to start show season off in 2019 in halter and showmanship. We won the halter for her first blue ribbon. Peebs and I dabbled in hunter and jumpers where we had some great rounds, and some not so great rounds where I forgot how to ride. The ponies moved to A's house for summer camp while I helped take care of the barn while A was away on an internship. I love TCF and was very sad that they only have one stall available for fall/winter.  Cinder stayed while Peebs moved back to GS.  Having the ponies at two different barns has been a challenge, but I'm learning to roll with it. Once another stall opens up at TCF Peebs will move back.
 
 

Bel Joer Blog Hop: If Your Horse Were a Drink

It took me a bit to think of what Peebs would be for the Bel Joer hop.  My past ponies were easy, but Peebs not so much.

Phoenix would have been a nice wine; one that gets better with age. I'm not a huge wine connoisseur but he reminds me of a Mexican wine that I absolutely love.  Its a grenache, a pink wine.  I wasn't expecting to like it but it really grew on me and is now my fave. It's a bit fruity, which Phoenix was as well. When I first got him, he was in love with another gelding at the barn and the two of them were inseparable.  

He could definitely rock the pink

Buddy was, of course, a Budweiser.  He's your all America, basic been there, done that, do anything horse.  I mean his show name was play on Budweiser.  One Bud Wiser... 

McKenna is shots of Fireball. Their website states "If you haven't tried it yet, just imagine what it feels like to stand face-to-face with a fire-breathing dragon who just ate a whisky barrel full of spicy cinnamon." Only try riding that.  She was an explosive powder keg of energy that if you weren't careful, like the shots, would leave you on your ass on the ground wondering how you got there.

Peebs, I think, is vodka. He's pretty unassuming, but can pack a punch.  He also mixes well with other horses, and you can dress him up, like mixing cocktails. I'm a big fan of cocktails and mixed drinks, but I can't handle cheap vodka.  It knocks me out like nothing else.  Top shelf vodka I'm good with, just like Peebs on his good days.  When he's up and spooky he's like cheap booze in that he can rattle me pretty good. But when he's on his game, he's smooth and perfect like nothing else.

March 21, 1995-November 17, 2015

I got the call that no horse owner wants to get Tuesday afternoon.  Phoenix was down and thrashing. I flew out of work, called my regular vet, and tried to think positive thoughts during the 45min drive between work and where Phoenix lived. 

Phoenix lived with my dental vet, PO, but it was her husband who found him down.  PO wasn't at home but he called her after calling me.  Husband isn't a super horse savvy guy, but he knows enough.  He got Phoenix up and walking while waiting for us to get there.

Once I got out to their place, I knew.  Phoenix looked absolutely miserable, covered in mud and sweat, shaking, thick green snot in both nostrils, straining hard to poop, and his breathing sounded like a rattle. PO got home just after I got there and while she's a vet, she only does teeth so she didn't have all the supplies to treat him.  My regular vet who was on his way said it was fine for her give him banamine so she did.  He was so dehydrated that it took her multiple tries to get his vein. We then put a sheet on him, as it had started to rain, and walked him for the next 20mins till my vet showed up.

After examining Phoenix, my vet wasn't optimistic.  He did give him more drugs and tubed him and left us with the instructions to watch Phoenix and call him back if things got worse.  PO's husband brought folding chairs out and we sat in the run next to Phoenix drinking beer and waiting.  Even with a full dose of meds on board, he never stopped straining and the spark never came back to his eyes.  I went in to his stall a few times and cuddled and talked to him but he never acknowledged me.  Phoenix was always the biggest attention whore in the barn.  He would leave food to come over for kisses and scratches, would hang his head on your shoulder while cleaning stalls, and generally loved to be around people.  There was absolutely no evidence of that.

After talking with PO and working myself up I finally called the vet back after about an hour. We talked about how Phoenix wasn't a surgical candidate, but that I could take him to the OSU vet school and put him on fluids and see if he got better.  Both my vet and I agreed that doing that would most likely only postpone the inevitable, and I didn't want Phoenix in pain any longer, so he came back.  Normally my vet is advocates fairly strongly for doing everything possible before putting a horse down, but not that night.

He went down peacefully and I was able to hold his head and thank him for being my best friend for the past 10 years. I was incredibly humbled when PO said that they would bury him in their back pasture, next to two of her horses that have passed. After my vet left PO, her husband, and I went into their party/game room where they have an actual full bar that used to be in a restaurant and drank some more while reminiscing. Phoenix had only lived out there since January, but they loved his as much as if he was their own. 

The past few days have been hard and I haven't slept much but I'll be ok.  I had a long visit with my BO who had been gone for two weeks the next day and then yesterday some other friends took me out for dinner.  I've mostly stopped crying when I think about him, expect for writing this. I'm sure it will hit me at random points, but that's ok.  I'm just happy that he's out of pain.

Q2 Goal Review and Q3 Goals

Hahahahahahahaha.  Oh man this is going to be rough. Here are the goals I put out for us:

 Since I started riding Tia and hope to show her my Q2 goals are going to include her.

For McKenna:

• Get her out and go places!  My plan is if/when I show Tia to get a stall for McKenna and park her in it at the shows.  And time/space/energy permitting I'll hand walk/lunge/ride her around the show grounds as well. Pretty much a fail.  We did haul out to a friend's house on Monday but that was after Q2 ended. 
• "Jump" more.  She gets so excited over the little crossrails that it makes me nervous doing them outside of a lesson.  I guess that just means I need to lesson more!  For the most part we did lesson and jump more.  She still  scares me jumping.
• Work on clipping her ears.  Did do this, but she still hates getting them done.

For Tia:

• Continue grid work, adding in bounces.  I don't exactly remember when I rode Tia last, but we did do some grid work and bounces. 
• Work on more eq/jumper style courses Haven't been riding the mare so this didn't happen
• All the counter canter! See above
• Show in the 2'6", either hunter, eq, or jumpers.  I'm not picky See above

For Phoenix:

• Stay happy, fat, and adorable!Win!!  Old man is super happy and super fat! 

Q3 Goals: 

McKenna: 

• Sell her!  Hopefully sooner rather than later because for the next two weeks I'm going to be utterly swamped at work and won't have much time/energy to put into her.  Sorry in advance mare!
• Trainer rides.  My BO has a dressage trainer riding one of her horses 4-5 days a week at our barn and I'm hoping I can afford to have her do a ride or two a week on the mare.  I really like how BS rides and it'll be good for McKenna.  And I'm hoping to have my jump trainer rider her a couple times as well.

Phoenix:

• Stay happy, fat, and adorable

Me:

• Ride some of the other horses in the barn (I'm riding a friends two mares while she's gone, they're reiners but super nice and super well trained and/or Tia) to get back into a happy riding place.  Riding has become work and something I don't look forward to with McKenna so I need to change that!
• Buy a new pony after McKenna sells.

Ten Years

Ten years is a long time. Ten years ago I was some silly little kid just finished with my first year of college, catch riding for my old trainer, thinking I knew everything and could ride anything, when she asked if I wanted to help with a project horse she had coming in. Phoenix had been sitting in a pasture for four years, and while he had had some training put on him he was still a bumbling green bean. The first time I rode him, July 5th 2005, I thought " What the hell did I just agree to!?"

I had never worked with that green of a horse before. Looking back I know I made mistakes, and would have done a lot different but these past ten years and that special pony have turned me into the horsewoman amnd rider I am today. There were times I wanted to sell him, and probably should have as we weren't the greatest match, but I'm so glad I didn't. I know him inside and out, forward and back, and he is my heart horse.

In many ways McKenna and Phoenix are very similar. McKenna's more bold and take charge were as Phoenix was much more timid and submissive. I've done a lot of looking back lately, and I think it's helped make my decision to sell McKenna. I've done my bringing up baby trial by fire, and right now, have no desire to do it again.

Your Monthly Update

I didn't really mean to go almost a month with out blogging, oops!  Not a whole lot has happened, good rides and bad rides, some good lessons and some not so good lessons, some very grown-up big kid work out the mare, some complete baby moments where she lost her mind. 

I'm a big kid now...maybe

We had one lesson where my fear and insecurity took control.  Mare felt spooky and was convinced she had to run in one particular spot in the ring.  It was tracking left, as we came around a corner and went on the rail between a jump on the quarter line and the arena fence.  Every single time she'd drop her butt, throw her head, and try to leap forward.  I regressed to a complete beginner, including curling up in the fetal position while grabbing her mouth, thinking we were going to die.  My trainer ended up hand walking us around the ring till I was completely mortified and calmed down.  We did eventually manage to trot twice around the arena without any hysterics on both the mare's and my part before calling it a day.  The big thing that helped, when I remembered, was to breathe and not grab her face when she wanted to explode.  If I let her go a stride or two without getting on her case, she would stop on her own.  It's just so very hard to break that instinct to hold on for dear life.

Soon after that lesson her favorite spot to spook became next to the tree of doom!!!

But since then, minus the spooking at the tree of doom, we've had a couple good lessons.  We've set up placing poles before and after the jumps to help slow the mare down and make her think instead of just hauling ass to and away from the jumps. I'm splitting my rides between the jump and dressage saddles but I think McKenna's learned that the jump tack = jumping = fun! so I'm going to do more flat work/non jumping rides in the jump saddle.  Have to mix it up and keep her on her toes.  We've had some nice dressage work and got our first steps of actual leg yield in the trot going left.  Hopefully in the next month we'll be able to have a lesson with TS and continue on.

It always makes me laugh looking at his big belly and super long stick legs. He really should be hand shorter than he is.

Phoenix is very fat and very happy. I've been out to see him a few times but hadn't run into PO for awhile till this weekend.  She apologized for getting my horse fat but I'd rather him be that way than skinny, especially at 20. I talked with her about cutting back his feed and poor pony is only going to be getting half the alfalfa he was getting before.  I'm such a mean mommy.

2015 Q1 Goal Review and Q2 Goals

My goals for the first quarter of the year were:

For McKenna:

• work at least 4x/week.  Have one lunge in vienna reins day and one "jump" (poles, cross rails, etc) day a week. Pretty much stuck to it.  The only real "time off" she had was after her chiro adjustment and that was per the vet.  I wasn't great about one "jump" day per week but we'll get there.
• Continue working on our canter. Success!  We were complimented on our canter improvement at our last lesson with TS and she gave us homework (shallow serpentines to introduce counter canter) that we've been working on.
• Get her out and go places!  I haven't taken her anywhere in the year that I've had her and I want to start exposing her to new places before hitting our first show. Complete and utter FAIL. Partly due to my truck dieing and me not trusting it hauling and partly due to time/availability of someone to go with us. 

For Phoenix:

• Stay a happy, somewhat sound, old man. Win!  Phoenix moved to his new retirement home and seems pretty happy out there.  He looks sounder less lame and isn't stocking up in his hind end anymore.

 Since I started riding Tia and hope to show her my Q2 goals are going to include her.

For McKenna:

• Get her out and go places!  My plan is if/when I show Tia to get a stall for McKenna and park her in it at the shows.  And time/space/energy permitting I'll hand walk/lunge/ride her around the show grounds as well.
• "Jump" more.  She gets so excited over the little crossrails that it makes me nervous doing them outside of a lesson.  I guess that just means I need to lesson more!  
• Work on clipping her ears.  

For Tia:

• Continue grid work, adding in bounces.
• Work on more eq/jumper style courses 
• All the counter canter!
• Show in the 2'6", either hunter, eq, or jumpers.  I'm not picky

For Phoenix:

• Stay happy, fat, and adorable!

Happy Birthday Phoenix

Phoenix turned 20 today.  It's hard to believe he's that old and that I've had him almost 10yrs.  I didn't get to see him today but I went out on Saturday.  He got his face stuffed with peppermints, a good grooming and lots of kisses!

Happy birthday to the derpiest old man!

Visiting the Old Man

Went back out on Sunday to spend some time with Phoenix.  PO and her husband were gone so I was able to have interrupted pony time! As I was driving up the long ass driveway three deer came bounding out from the pastures, across the driveway, and over the fence to the neighbor's property.  All the ponies were on high alert, staring after the deer.  I wasn't able to get my phone out fast enough to take any pics :(

Hi Mom!

Phoenix was very happy to see me, and after stuffing peppermints down his throat we had some cuddle time.  He's always been a pretty affectionate horse and loves getting attention and cuddles but he seemed way more into being loved than usual. I'm going to take that as he missed me, and not the peppermints left in my pocket.

Please be my friend

 One of PO's cats was hanging around the barn, following me and demanding her own cuddles.  The only problem is this is a sneak attack kitty; she lures you in then strikes when you least expect it.  PO has an awesome party/karaoke/bar (like an actual bar that came from a former whorehouse around the turn of the last century) room on the property and hosts great parties every few months.  JaJa, attack kitty extraordinaire, always manages to sneak into the room and then goes after everyone's food.  Phoenix really wanted to make friends with her, but she wasn't having any of it.

Derpiest of the derps

Horse Survey

I'm currently stuck at home, waiting for the delivery men to bring me my new washing machine and don't have much else to talk about so I figured I'd do one of the surveys floating around.

 

 

ABOUT YOU
Name?  Molly
HAVE YOU
galloped:
Yes
fallen off:
Many, many times
rode a bucking horse:
Yes
rode a rearing horse:
My most hated thing, but yes
been badly injured in horse accident:
All different falls: broken toe, cracked helmet, jammed shoulder, unable to walk, and that time the EMT though I broke my neck. 4/5 of those were Phoenix induced.
jumped: Just a bit
hacked: Yep
ran barrels: For funsies
rode bareback:
Yes
rode english:
Yep
rode western:
My poor unloved western saddle is calling my name
rode side saddle:
No
stood on a horses back:
No, and probably never will
flipped off of a horse:
No

One of my favorite pics of Phoenix and I, 2006.

RANDOM
how many saddles do you own?
2
how many halters do you own?
4? I think...
how many saddle pads do you own?
Oh dear God I don't even want to know....
what color are they?
Pink, navy blue, baby blue, black, green, white, blue stripped..and I'm probably forgetting some.
how long have you been riding?
21 years...good lord that sounds like a long time
where do you see yourself horsewise in 10 years? 
Hopefully McKenna will be a mommy and/or showing in the 3'-3'3" jumpers
does your horse come on command?
Not really, but they both know my voice
what do you love most about horses?
Everything. There is no possible way I could give you my favorite part of a horse.
how high have you jumped?
3’6"
whats your biggest horsey dream?
To show and ride as much as I can for as long as I can
nightmare?
Being seriously hurt and not able to ride.

TB's are best at grazing

HORSE/S
Phoenix and McKenn
Registered Name?
Phoenix- JC name is Grand Gamin, USEF name is Out of the Ashes
McKenna- JC/USEF (once I get her registered) is Many Little Kisses
Show Name?
See Above
Barn Name?
RaEl Farms
Nickname?
Phoenix- Phe Phe, Pheeny, Phonenix, pony boy, old man
McKenna- Kenna, mare, honey, babycakes
Gender?
Gelding and mare
Age?
Phoenix will be 20 this year
McKenna 7
Height?
Phoenix 17
McKenna 15.3
Breed?
Both TB but only McKenna gets to add the OT
Color?
Phoenix- dark bay
McKenna- black

Phoenix about a month or so after I got him

Discipline?
Both are jumpers at heart, but will/have shown in the hunters and eq rings.  Phoenix has also done 4H western and trail.
Compete?
Not for a while...till baby McKenna grows up a bit
Why did you buy them?
I had been leasing Phoenix for 8months and he was going up for sale and I couldn't stand the thought of him leaving.  He was my heart horse and best friend.  McKenna was a free, bough sight unseen Facebook find that my BO really wanted so I agreed.
Were they already trained?
McKenna had been restarted off the track western and could kinda w-t.  Phoenix had been in training and jumped up to 2'6" but had had 4yrs off so we had to start over and fill in some pretty big holes he had.
Do they love what they do?
Yes
Whats their favorite human food?
Both love peppermints.  Phoenix also loves watermelon rind.
Has he ever came close to death?
Phoenix had cellulitis over the summer and my vet was worried that if he went down, he wouldn't be able to get back up.  It was the most miserable I've ever seen him and I was worried that he wouldn't make it.  McKenna, in the sense that she was dumped off the track on a feed lot waiting to get shipped to Mexico.
Ever been sick/injured?
Many, many times for poor Phoenix.  Only a few scrapes and bumps for McKenna. *knocks wood*
Whats their personality like?
Phoenix is a momma's boy, straight A student, do anything to please pony.  He hates getting in trouble and knows he has to behave.
McKenna's still a bit of a wild child, but thank god not a mean, nasty, alpha mare.
How long have you owned them?
Phoenix will be 10yrs in July
McKenna, just over a year

The cutest of the mares

 

Bad Blogger Strikes Again

Last week was pretty much a bust on the riding and blogging front.  The arena was busy every day in the afternoon when I went out to the barn, making it hard to lunge and then ride the horse.  And after a couple days off, there is no way in hell I'm getting on the mare without lunging her first.  The only day the arena was free when I was out was Friday, but I had a work banquet an hour and a half away that I had to run off to.

So McKenna got to do her best black stallion impression

But when I got back home Saturday I had an Etsy order from The Preppy Polos to make everything ok.  After a nap (too much indulgence at/after the banquet) I set out to the barn to lunge McKenna in her new polos. 

Every diva needs blue and red polka dot polos

Sunday I went out to check on Phoenix, and being the bad blogger I am, I again spaced on taking pics.  I blame it  on chatting with PO and her husband as well as trying to give Phoenix all the love.  He was more interested in his breakfast. He seems happy and health, and other than whacking his eye playing with his new neighbor, PO said he settled in just fine.

PO's driveway.  It was super foggy and felt like an enchanted forest.

What We've Been Doing Photo Dump

What have we been up to in the past couple weeks?  Not a whole lot and some big changes at the same time. 

Not impressed with new bit, but look at that foam!

First up, I switched McKenna's bit.  She was in a French link D-ring but was quite heavy in my hand not at all prone to listening to half halts with us.  We were doing some trot poles and after the second time of blasting through both them and my hands I figured we needed something more.  She's got a cob sized head and wears a 4.75" bit.  I've had a hell of a time trying to find bits in that size that aren't plain/French link snaffles or big twisted/waterfords/gag type bits that I don't really want her in right now.  She's also very mouthy and I wanted something that would keep her entertained, as it were.

So I bought a 5" double jointed snaffle with a copper roller and those rubber bit guards to help prevent it from sliding around.  While she was very not happy with it for our first couple rides, she's gotten better and not only listens to my hands but doesn't seem as hard mouth as before.

She haz all the cute

We've also had some use of our Christmas presents, some more than others.  We had a week or so of cold temps and got to try out our new quarter sheet.  I was kinda worried that she's freak over being ridden and having it flap around, but she was fine.  Since then its been warm and we haven't had to use it.  I also got a Swanky Saddle script name plate for the back of my saddle but it didn't come till after Christmas.  I've never had a name plate before, and I'm not super into monogramming all the things (I know I know) but I loved these the first time I saw them.

As for our other big changes, my truck died yet again almost exactly a year since it died the first time.  Apparently my electrical system likes to break down.  I told my mom after last year's fiasco (it ended up taking almost 2 months to get my truck fixed) that I wasn't going through this again and she agreed that it's time to start looking for a new truck.  So hopefully I'll have a new to me 3/4 ton truck sitting in my car port soon.

RIP little Red. On the plus side I wasn't hysterically sobbing on the phone to my mom this time

The biggest change of them all (and I'm a bad bad blogger because I forgot to take pics) is that I've moved Phoenix out of the barn and into a new retirement home.  He's happy and fine hanging out in a stall at my barn, but it would be better for his arthritis to have turnout and be able to move around.  My BO is good friends with out dental vet (PO) and I've gotten to know her and her husband pretty well too.  They have her retired horses (3 of them) at their house, with a big run in barn and individual paddocks.  In the summer they can all go out together in the big field.  Unfortunately PO had to put one of her horses down and was looking for another companion because the other two are old and she wants to have another horse there in case one of them goes downhill.  She called my BO who suggested Phoenix.  We worked out boarding terms (small board payment, me paying for his hay and farm sitting if/when PO and hubby go on vacation) and moved Phoenix over on Saturday.  He walked off the trailer, spent about a minute trotting around the paddock, sniffed noses with one of the others and then started eating his hay.  He even let the other horse reach over the fence and steal hay without caring.  I haven't heard anything so I'm assuming all is still going well.

I am seriously going to miss seeing him everyday and being able to take adorably cute pics like this

2014 Goals

Hahahahaha.  When I started 2014 I had the plan to do quarterly goals.  That obviously fell by the wayside as I took my blogging break.  These were my goals from the first quarter of the year:


Buddy:

Work back to the 2'9"-3' and maybe show at that height.  Done!

• Done, but not in the first quarter.  We showed in the 2'9"-3' jumpers in May and managed to eek out a 6th place year end award in the Low AA jumpers.  Ironically, getting a year end award wasn't on my yearly goal list because I knew I would be selling Buddy.

Work on his manners. Meh.

• Once I started riding him more regularly than his lease girls, that got better.  Not perfect, but ok.

My big goal for him for the year was to sell him to the perfect home, which happened and for more $$$ than I was asking! I follow his lease girl on Instagram and she's got some adorably cute pics of them that make me tear up.

McKenna:

Work her (lunge or ride) at least 5 days/week. Kinda

• Didn't happen till this summer, after I sold Bud and she became my primary pony.  And once it started getting cold this fall/winter I wussed out.  But it's on the list for next year!

Refine our canter transitions and develop a balanced canter. In progress!

• We had some of the best transitions and nicest canter yet in our lesson on Sunday, so there's hope!

Continue working over little jumps and cavaletti.  Free jump her again with more height/spread to see how she does Done!

Phoenix:
Keep him as sound as possible and to continue to pack Anna around. Major Fail

• Obviously it wasn't anything I could control, but the old man had to be retired in April/May.  He came up lamer than his normal, and after injecting to see if it would help his side bone my vet flat out told me it was time for him to be done. And a bout of cellulitis in September didn't help anything either. But he was running around in turnout a few days ago like a crazy pony (actually out ran and played McKenna) so at least he still feels young at heart!

Sleazy of Shame

I tend to turn McKenna and Phoenix out together, either in our indoor when it's cold and wet or in the all weather paddocks.  For the most part they get along really well.  Phoenix tends to be fairly submissive and while McKenna's not an alpha mare by any stretch, she does push him around.

I had them outside for a few hours on Saturday while I was doing chores and didn't hear a peep.  Sometimes McKenna will squeal, usually when she's in heat, if Phoenix gets too close for comfort. Obviously I wasn't watching them the whole time, but I do glance out there from time to time to check on them.  When I brought them in McKenna had a long, thin scratch on the right side of her neck.  I did have that "Do I need to call the vet" moment, but it wasn't super deep.  I washed it out with some Betadine and to me it looked like a bite.  Naughty Phoenix! I put some antibiotic ointment on it and then had a decent ride on the mare.

24hrs later

Sunday afternoon I had a lesson scheduled and I headed out early to do chores and give myself time to lunge the mare. First thing I went to check on the cut.  It wasn't hot, but there was some swelling around it (you can barley see it in the pic).  I cleaned it again and put more of the antibiotic ointment on it, as well as the EPF 5 which works wonders for swelling.  McKenna was great about it, didn't care at all.  We ended up having a really good productive lesson, one of our first such rides in a while.  My trainer and I joked that the key to getting McKenna to focus was to dose her on the EPF 5.

I wanted to cover the cut that night, but couldn't think of a way to easily wrap her neck.  So out came the full head and neck sleazy.  I hadn't put it on her yet, but I've used a shoulder guard on her before.  She was surprisingly good about having it put on, even when I covered her eyes.  I don't think she liked wearing it, or that fact that it clashed with her blanket. 

Really mom?!

The cut continues to look better each day.  I had ordered some stuff from The Herbal Horse and she was delayed sending it to me and included a free sample of the Heal Quick.  I got it last night and am excited to try it and the Be Calm on McKenna today.

What We've Been Up To

So I haven't blogged in over 7 months.  Oops.  Last winter was way overwhelming, between work, managing the barn while my BOs were gone, seasonal depression, trying to work my horses, and just life in general. I just had to shut down for a while.  The barn situation has vastly improved; my BO stopped the lesson/college program we had so now I don't have to run herd on 10 immature college girls.  My trainer is still coming out and doing lessons, but just for boarders and very select leasees. Work is slowly getting better, as of Oct 1st I got a promotion and the coworker I can't stand is leaving at the end of the month. 

But they make everything better

The biggest thing to happen during our hiatus was I sold Buddy.  We had been schooling 3' at home, and even showed in the .95m jumpers at one show in the spring, but it was too much for him.  Between the college girls riding him and me, he was working 5-6 days a week, but was getting tired and cranky at the bigger heights.  Discussing my long term goals with my trainer (show at 3', start doing some rated shows again, maybe the 3' jumper classic they added to the last A show of the season here in Oregon) we  both thought it would just be too much for Bud. He's 18, but has lots of life left in the lower divisions.  And I have McKenna, who is young and should be more than capable of doing the 3' jumpers.

Bud and his leasee won their first eventing derby at intro.

I had listed Bud on a local FB page and DreamHorse, and had some hits.  We were going to a show, hauling up and schooling Friday and showing Saturday and I had two people lined up to try him at schooling.  Two other people came up to me at schooling asking about him.  Both women trying him were looking for lesson horses, one for her friend outside Seattle and one in Portland.  Both loved him.  The Portland one asked for a trial, and mentioned that I was going to have a bidding war over him since everyone seemed to love him.  Then the Seattle lady came to me with a checkbook out and asked how much I wanted for a deposit.  She had loved him and called her friend and they wanted to buy him on the spot.  I was completely surprised and shocked.  They wrote up a contract, and after our classes on Saturday I dropped him off at the friend's farm where he stayed for a few days before going up to Seattle.  They also payed me more than what I was asking.  It was very surreal, and considering it was my first time selling a horse it went way faster and easier than I ever thought.  I've done some FB/Instagram/YouTube stalking and Buddy has been leased to a young teenager who adores him and is showing him in the 2'6" jumpers. 

Morning I sold him, my last pic of him.

As far as the other ponies, Phoenix has been officially retired.  His side bone on his right front started making itself know again and despite injecting it he was still off. My vet was out a few weeks after we injected and asked about him and flat told me it was time to retire him.  So he's been hanging out all summer getting fat and sassy.  I took him to a friend's who has five acres and a run in to live with a couple of my BO's retired horses but Phoenix bullied them too much and had to come back to the barn.  Which was a good thing; two weeks after coming back he developed cellulitis in his left hind.  He was lamer than I've ever seen, his leg swelled up at least twice it's normal size, couldn't move his hock at all, and almost fell down multiple times.  I was convinced he wasn't going to make it. But five days of twice daily penicillin shots and bute and he was back to normal. 

Day 2 of cellulitis

McKenna has continued her progress, but it still squarley in the baby stage.  She's matured and isn't nearly as ADD as she once was. She's trotting very nicely (most of the time) but our canter still leaves a lot to be desired.  We have started jumping some small crossrails and verticals, just trotting, and she's loving it.  Hasn't looked or cared at anything I've put in front of her, including a brick wall plank and the flower boxes.  Our biggest issue is that she's very smart and tend to get bored and naughty so I have to keep switching things up and changing our ride every time so she doesn't get used to a routine.

I'm going to try and get back into the swing of blogging.  I've started a blog for McKenna but haven't decided if I'll use it or use this one. 

Mini Me

The more I work with McKenna, the more I'm convinced she's going to turn into Phoenix's mini me.  She's chill and relaxed (minus the baby brain moments), wants to please, has similar conformation and movement.  They are both built up hill, have big shoulders and relatively short backs.  For her height McKenna has a slightly longer back the Phoenix.  She's about 15.2 hands now and wears a 75 blanket while Phoenix is 17 hands and wears a 78.

I think this is my favorite pic of Phoenix.  My former friend holding him as I walked a course in 2009.

As much as I love Buddy and am so thankful for everything he's taught me, he will never be Phoenix.  The old man was/is my dream horse; light, forward, big strided, able to turn on a dime, with one of the best canters I've ever ridden.  McKenna has the light and forward down, and while we're still in the  legs-flailing-everywhere stage of canter work I can tell it's going to be very similar to Phoenix's.  They both tend to have a more up and down stride than super long/forward but I hope that once McKenna relaxes and finds her balance she'll get a little longer stride.

M and P in turnout together.  She tried to kick him.

My friend Corie got on McKenna last night at the end of our ride, the first time someone else has gotten on her since I've had her. I of course forgot to take pics/video. It was good to see her go and see how some of the stunts she pulls look like from the ground.  She was very well behaved for Corie, they just walk trotted, but did a couple head flips where she pop up her front end and then tried to pretend she can't steer.  Corie rode her well and said that she loves her and thinks she's going to be an awesome horse.  While Corie's never ridden Phoenix she agreed with me that they are very similar in their way of going.  I really, really hope McKenna turns out like the old man; it will be like having a piece of him back.

2014 Goals-Quarterly Edition

Right now, I'm going to set Quarterly Goals, instead of Yearly Goals.  Since I'm not 100% sure McKenna will be the jumper I want and Buddy's longevity with me is up in the air, I don't want to commit to year long goals.  We'll reevaluate after March and go from there.

Buddy:

Work back to the 2'9"-3' and maybe show at that height.

• There's only 1 jumper show on the calendar so far in February but I'm hoping to make it.

Work on his manners.

• His lease girls have let him get away with a lot, (yanking the reins out of your hands, being pushier when he doesn't want to do something, not standing still after you get on) and manners like that are unacceptable.  I'm going to have to get after the girls too.

McKenna:

Work her (lunge or ride) at least 5 days/week.

• She's so high energy that she needs to get out more than I'm currently working her.

Refine our canter transitions and develop a balanced canter.

• I know the balanced canter part will take longer than 3 months, but we got to start somewhere

Continue working over little jumps and cavaletti.  Free jump her again with more height/spread to see how she does.

Phoenix (the only one with early goals):
Keep him as sound as possible and to continue to pack Anna around.

Weekend Warrior

Sunday was a busy, busy day. I started by lunging McKenna in the scary part of the outdoor. Normally we don't lunge at that end since the footing is a bit deep but I figured she needed to get over whatever was scary.

There's scary things in the bushes mom, I swear!

She ran and ran, throwing in some good bucks and tried to drag me a time or two. I just let her go till she was tired, switching directions every few minutes. She got very sweaty and was hot so I threw a cooler on her and walked her out. We were able to walk around scary end multiply times with no bad behavior.

My original plan for Sunday was to do a trace clip on Phoenix but since McKenna had gotten so sweaty I decided to add to her clip. I started with Phoenix and he was great. I switched to new blades and it hardly took me any time to do a trace.

Old man's looking a bit pudgy

I pulled McKenna back out and started on extending her clip. She was pretty good, had one little attempted kick the first time I tried to clip her belly. She got a smack and a "Knock it off!" and didn't try again. 

Stage 2 clipping