Bye bye Money

 After the show, Cinder had a pretty easy week. She had Monday off, a light lunge in the Equibands on Tuesday, and for my lesson on Wednesday we went on a trail ride. I did opt for a free lunge before our trail ride, as she humped her back, squealed, and trotted off as soon as I got on. I do appreciate the fact that Cin let's us know pretty quick when she's feeling fresh. 

They've been working on the electrical at the barn and the hot wire wasn't hot for a few days. A certain chestnut mare figured it out, and proceeded to let her and her pasture buddies into the drainage ditch to get the good grass. She got to wear a grazing muzzle for a week till the fence was hot again.

After running around like a lunatic, and falling down once, Cinder was perfect for our trail ride. She was content to walk on a loose rein and only had one mini meltdown on having to walk through some deeper mud. 

 Friday of that week, the vet was out and we opted to inject Cinder. She had said to the animal communicator that her hocks were sore, but x-rays showed that the stifles were worse and probably causing compensation in the hocks. I decided to do both hocks and stifles at once, and hopefully knock everything out of the way in one go. Per my vet's recommendation, we injected with RenoVo, a biologic. Trainer A has seen great results with it in her horse, and I liked the fact that it's not a steroid. 

post injection hand grazing and lesson watching

Cinder then got three days off with turnout, and three days of light riding. Trainer A rode her last Tuesday and then on Wednesday we had the saddle fitter out. Thankfully my saddle still fits and we decided to add a breastplate to help the slipping issue. Part of the slipping issue is just Cinder's build, and the new sheepskin girth I got doesn't help. Adding a breastplate fixed our issue, and I'd much rather pay for that than repaneling my saddle, or having to get a new one. 

It Started with a Text

A former boarder at my barn, KP, texted me on a Saturday out of the blue asking if I wanted to buy or know of anyone who did her 4 month old filly. She's out of an imported Hanoverian mare by a Oldenburg/Trakehner stud.  The stud was who she used to board with us last year when he was 3 coming 4, until the testosterone really kicked in and she gelded him and took him home to recover. This is his first kid; KP has the same mare and another mare in foal to him for next year.

Hello world!

I really, really like Rogue, the stud/now gelding. He was a sweetheart on the ground, and you would have never know he was a stud till this spring.  He was the one Peebs was in love with last year. I was briefly toying with breeding Tia to him instead of Yorke, but physically Yorke was a better match for Tia.  Rogue is bigger boned than Yorke, and Tia needed Yorke's refinement.

Not to sure about this whole hatler breaking thing

I jokingly texted my mom, who was helping to pay for Tia's breeding expenses, and asked if she wanted to buy me the filly. She replied with "Ok, how much" and after I picked my jaw up off the floor and responded and said KP would let us do payments till she’s weaned.  So the next day my BO and I went off to meet her.  She is a beautiful foal.  Very well put together, great manners, friendly and best of all, a gorgeous mover. Seriously, all the things I want in a cute red package. KP's plans for her were dressage, but hopefully she'll take to jumping.

Baby's first selfie

She's not weaned yet, and probably won't come home till late November/early December but it looks like I'm buying a weanling!  I'm hoping I can make it over to KP's a few times before she comes home to play and get to know her. They mostly call her the baby, and the name they gave her I don't really love, so I'm trying to come up with names. I'm thinking Cinder for her barn name but I'm not 100% yet.  I think I need to get to know her more before deciding. The one downside is that Rogue isn't registered, so she can't be registered in a breed registry.  So I have some time before I need a show name for her to be registered with USEF. I need to double check what the dam's registered name is, but I think the name I had picked out for Tia's foal will actually work as well. 

This, That, and the Other

After my last post about our disappointing lesson, we did end up having two good jump schools last week.  The weather somewhat cooperated and I was able to set a few fences outside in a freshly worked arena.  Is there any better feeling than being that first person to ride on a freshly drug arena?!?  The first jump day we just did a couple of cross rails at the trot but we did a line and I realized it was actually the first line I've done with him.  The second jump day I cantered a couple fences, trying very hard not to pick at him, and then tugged my big girl breeches up and did the little green boxes with Peebs for the first time. And what do you know, he just trotted right up to them and hopped over like it was no big deal. 

Kisses for a good pony

Unfortunately I haven't gotten to ride this week.  But I did go pony shopping with one of the teens at the barn because my trainer ended up not being able to make it and there was very good prospect that was sure to go fast that we wanted to jump on (no pun intended). A has been looking since August and a couple of horses she's liked sold either before she could do a second ride or a vet check. But it looks like she found the one! Trainer went up the day after we did for a second  look and they put down a deposit. He's being vetted today, and fingers crossed if all goes well we'll haul him home on Sunday. 

Unrelated pic: Peebs twinning with my BO's 5yr old. 

I did attempt to ride last night but a friend of my BO's who is an instructor/trainer hauled in her horse to ride and another boarder was riding with her (maybe having a lesson, I couldn't tell).  It's still to wet to lunge in the outdoor and they were riding inside.  I hadn't ridden since Sunday and wanted to lunge Peeb's before getting on.  Instructor friend has been hauling over 2-3 times a week for a couple weeks since she doesn't have an indoor arena and her horse is rehabbing and needs consistent work.  BO told her the arena is busy from 4-6 and to try not to come at those times.  But apparently something was lost in translation and she was there at 3:30.  Our indoor isn't big enough to lunge and have people ride so after grumbling for a bit and decided what the hell and got on anyways. About two laps into our trot work I could tell Peebs and I were going to battle it out and since I was already in a shitty mood over our arena being taken over by someone who doesn't board here I got off instead of taking it out on my pony. I don't mind the occasional haul in rider, but A) don't come during the busy times and/or B) if you do let people know!  I did send a couple snarky texts to my BO which I later apologized for.

Bachelor #2

The day after falling in love the chestnut I headed back up towards Portland to see a horse my friend, KP, has for sale for a client.  He's an 8yr old solid bay paint that has been a pleasure horse.  My friend used to jump a lot but has started training more for the pleasure/open show circuit than the h/j.  She had posted G for sale and seeing how cute he was, I asked if she had ever jumped him.  She said no, but she could. She texted me back a few days later saying she had jumped him a bit and he was totally chill and more than willing so I agreed to go look at him.

When I got to the barn KP was talking to a client but pointed G out in a paddock and I went to go get him.  He willing came over to the gate, but once I tried to pet him his ears went flat back and he snaked his teeth out at me.  Apparently he can be a bit defensive about his stall/paddock and it gets worse at feeding time.  He was fine when I led him in and fine while we groomed, but I could help but be a little put off by the initial snark.  His owner stopped riding (why he's for sale) and I guess he got snarkier the more he sat. 

Cuteness after the snark

KP got on him and you could obviously tell he was a pleasure horse.  Not quite a peanut roller, but close even though he was willing to move out. He hasn't figure out contact yet, prefers to go with the pleasure horse loop in the reins.  Over the little cross rail KP had set up he wasn't sure what to do with his legs but gamely trotted and cantered it, getting better each time. He was very comfy to ride, smoooooth gaits and light off your aids.

But the biggest mark against him was an old rope burn/scar along his pastern. They think he had been roped and dropped to ground at some point. He needs front shoes to help support that leg, and both my trainer and I don't think he would stand up to being jumped.  I'm not opposed to getting something that green over fences, especially with a good mind, but not being sure how high he could go and with an old injury like that, and the snark, G is not the horse for me.

This, That, and the Other

Mckenna has her PPE scheduled for Wednesday and I've seriously considered wrapping her head to toe in bubble wrap. I haven't done a whole lot with her this week, the weather has been awful; windy, rainy, and cold. Even with the indoor it's not exactly weather I want to ride in.

I've slowly, nor not so slowly, started perusing DreamHorse and may or may not have set an appointment to go look at a horse when I visit my cousin in NorCal at New Years. A little premature but hey, a girl's got to do something when it's 38* outside with 30mph winds and sideways rain.