Suspicion Confirmed

 When you get a message from someone that starts “Ok, so well...” you know bad shits going to follow. That’s how Trainer S started her reply to my message asking about what she’s worked on with Cinder under saddle. Turns out she only got on Cin a handful of times in August and has been lunging her since then. 

I had had my suspicions about how much S was actually doing with Cinder and that message confirmed it. I had basically paid $2.5k for my horse to learn how to lunge. Awesome. When pressed for more details, S  made noise about how hot Cinder was and that she felt terrible sending her home like that. Which I interpreted it as Cinder wasn’t getting enough turn out, probably intimidated S, and S felt bad about not telling me but still taking my money. 

Bruise on my left thigh from my fall

I’m taking full responsibility as owner for not checking in on S more, and not being persistent enough in trying to set lesson times with S. I totally understand why she didn’t want to, because all she had to show me was how well Cinder lunges and that she started wearing side reins. I feel like the world’s worst owner in letting this happen, and completely betrayed by S. 

I told S to not bother coming out to show me what she’s worked on with Cinder, because I can lunge my own horse. I did flat out ask her if there is anything else I, or another trainer, needs to know before I send Cinder to someone else. She said no, but I’m positive she’s still not telling me everything. 

And as far as sending Cin to someone else, as luck would have it, her breeder has an open stall at her barn and the eventing trainer there has an open training spot. So Cinder moves on Friday. My intention was to basically give her the winter off and work her lightly, but since she really hasn’t done anything since August I feel ok sending her back out for training. I’m going to make sure I get to watch Trainer A work her, but I feel like breeder KP will let me know if things are going wrong. Trainer A rode Cin’s dad so it’ll be interesting to see how they compare. 

Cinder Progress Report: Finally

 Farrier J finally came out on Tuesday and Cinder got her first shoes. He was supposed to be out last Saturday but never showed up. I went out to see Cin and Trainer S was very apologetic. I told her I know its not her fault, J is just like that. He does good work, when he shows up. 

I apologize for the absolutely horrible pic, but I forgot to take a nice one. She's got shoes on all 4 and is going to be living in bell boots on the front since she overreaches so much.

Cinder is also officially under saddle. Trainer S has ridden her a handful of times, mostly just sitting on her. She didn't want to do too much until Cin had her shoes on. Cinder has been great about being ridden.  Hopefully I can see S rider her soon! And get on her myself! The plan is either at the end of next month, or during the following month, we'll swap out one or two training rides a week for lessons. I can not wait!

Cinder moved stall and isn't quite as in love with her new neighbor Onyx as she is with Airy. Especially when I pet him and not her.

Cinder Progress Report: First Month

Cinder's been in training for a month now and I finally got to watch Trainer S do a ground work session with her. Trainer S's approach is short, but frequent sessions. Most days she works Cinder twice, a short ground work session in the round pen or arena, then takes her out for hand walk on the trails. She's planning on the first ride this coming week.

Mare's going to need to live in bell boots

Cinder has gotten used to the hoof boots, and hopefully will get her first set of shoes this week too. She's much more comfortable moving out and holy crap can she trot. I didn't get any of it on video since I was so impressed, but it was an under saddle winning trot. When I first brought Cinder over Trainer S said she's built more like an eventer, but after watching her move she agrees that Cin is a hunter. I'm going to have to learn how to ride the hack better to keep up with her!

Cinder's ground work has come leaps and bounds. Trainer S works in the Buck Brannaman style and has gotten Cinder to the point where she moves whatever leg Trainer S looks at. She still wants to blow Trainer S off at points, but a quick correction and she's behaving again. Trainer S did say she's the type that you really have to convince her that you're the boss.

Trainer S has said that Cinder's taken in everything pretty much in stride. The past two weeks they've had all the boards on the indoor arena walls replaced and stained, and Cinder handled the noise better than some of the older horses. And out on the trail she might look at something, but she usually wants to walk up to whatever it to investigate instead of spooking. So of course the day I'm there she legit spooks. There was a white plastic barrel that had been moved down to the round pen and Cin spooked and snorted at it. She puffed up and took a few steps sideways, but got over it pretty quickly. If that's the extend of her spookiness, I'm ok with that!

Fingers crossed S has an uneventful first ride on her this week!

Cinder Progress Report #2

Cinder continues to get good reviews at kindergarten. The round pen has been put up so Trainer S is working her in there and has started taking her for hand walks on the trails. The barn backs up to a big forest with miles of trails along the hills. S is a big proponent of getting the horses, young and old, out on the trails as much as possible.

Cinder got a new neighbor who she loves but Airy is kinda meh on her

Unfortunately Cinder's feet have taken a bit of a beating on the trails. She chipped off enough so she currently doesn't have enough hoof wall to nail a shoe onto, so I bought her some hoof boots. I got a report that she was NOT pleased wearing them for the first time yesterday, but too bad so sad mare. Hopefully we can protect her tootsies so she can grow enough to put shoes on.

S thinks shes close to being ready to be ridden, and she thinks it will be pretty uneventful. She's doing a little more groundwork to really cement some body control. Cinder can blow you off about yielding her shoulder or hip, but not in a bad way, more of "Oh, I didn't realize you actually meant it" kind of way. Both S and I agree that she's not mean, or naughty-minded, she's just not the most sensitive of horses. Unless she's in heat, but S called it a good kind of sensitive.

Hopefully she continues to be good, grow some hoof, and be under saddle soon!

Cinder Progress Report #1

Cinder's been in training for a week now and I got a progress report from Trainer S on Tuesday.

I was/still am worried that I raised a crazy she-demon of a horse so I was so excited to hear that she had been good. I've gone out to visit Cin a couple of time, but missed seeing Trainer S both times.

Don't worry, she hasn't grown up too much

When I went out on Saturday, there was only one other person at the barn, and their horse was on the other aisle so I took my time loving on Cinder and trying to figure out S's shorthand on the barn board. Most of the horses have cute nicknames (Sparklepony is my fave) and Cinder had already gotten hers.

S also sent me a pic of Cinder meeting her paddock mates. Apparently those two love making new friends, which is Cinder's favorite thing besides groomies, so the three of them quickly became best buds. The fly sheeted one lives across the aisle from Cinder and the two mares make moon eyes at each other all day.

Did we just become best friends??

Cinder goes to Boarding School

I promise I'll update about Peebs' adventure but I'm still waiting for the pro photog to get back to me. Apparently he only posts some of the pics he took and if none of yours got posted you have to email him. So fingers crossed he gets back to me and took pics of us!

Anyways, Cinder left for boarding school yesterday. I was surprisingly anxious about it. Even though Trainer S seems super nice and sweet, I had visions of Cinder getting judged, or somehow flunking out. I was also trying to figure out what tack I should send her with. I didn't want to be "that" owner and bombard S with a ton of questions, or show up with a tack room's worth of shit, so I narrowed it down to brushes, Cinder's boots, and her bridle. And she's only 25mins away so if I need to bring something else over I will.

She wasn't too sure about the decorations till we gave her her grain then they became perfectly fine

Tuesday, the day before she left, A's mom, J, gave Cinder a going away party. She and A decorated Cinder's stall front, bough a goodie basket of treats, and then got pizza and a cake for us humans. J was almost more worried than I was about Cinder leaving. She's super attached to Cinder, since Cin is such an attention whore. I've already told J I'll take her over to visit.

Treats, a jolly ball, fly spray, lickit, and a salt block

I realized as I was hooking up the trailer that Cinder hasn't been hauled anywhere since she came to TCF last year. A was helping load and coming with me and thankfully it only took about a minute to get Cinder on the trailer. She did pitch a big fit during the first 10mins of the drive and arrived drenched in sweat. I guess I should haul her more than once a year.

I've only had a couple nightmares about her deciding to jump out of her stall

She settled in at VVF relatively quickly. Trainer S had just thrown everyone dinner so there was hay in her stall and after investigating Cinder quickly started eating.  Currently she's right next to the cross ties and tack room, so she'll get getting everyone's attention as they go past her, which she'll love. Trainer S and I talked a little bit more and I reluctantly said good bye and told Cinder to behave. I am going to check on her after work but S said she'll text me updates.

Now Enrolling for Kindergarten

July 1st Cinder starts kindergarten! I had originally be planning on sending her to an event trainer who has a great reputation with babies and is certified as a young event horse rider and trainer. Then the trainer moved barns and her board prices went up $200/month and the barn was farther away from me. I thought about it and figured I could make it work since show season has gone out the window. Then she stopped responding to my messages and when she did respond she said she's not really doing the young horses anymore, and isn't starting any under saddle. Ok then.

She's going to miss her BFF Scottie

So I posted an add on a local FB page asking for recommendations. I had a few other trainers in the back of my mind but figured I'd see what was out there. About half the replies were for the trainer mentioned above which obviously I disregarded. And even though I stated in the ad I wanted someone within an hour and half of me, I got a few people 3-5hrs away, and two in a different state. But I did get a few recommendations for a local trainer (15mins from work and 25 from my house) and messaged her.  She was great to talk to and we arraigned for me to come watch her teach a lesson last Saturday.

When you can't find a step stool and have to use a chair

Trainer S is also an event rider, but has a h/j background. She's started a number of horses under saddle and had ridden a lot of young/green horses as well. All the horses in the barn looked happy and healthy, and while the property is a little run down, I can see the improvements Trainer S has been making. The lesson I watched was with a jumper rider who has done up to the 1.30m, and I liked how Trainer S explained things and tried to trouble shoot the problems that arose during the lesson. Trainer S was easy to talk to in person and, most importantly, she's a fan of red headed mares!

Tentatively the plan is for Cinder to be with Trainer S for four months, then I'll bring her home for the winter. Once she's going a bit under saddle Trainer S will let me swap out 2 lessons a week instead of training rides which will be great. I'm excited for Cin's next chapter and hope she'll be good for Trainer S. This will be the first time in my life I'll have a horse in full training and it feel weird. I'm going to go check on her multiple times a week since she'll be so close but I'm for sure nervous sending my baby off to boarding school!