The tales of an adult ammy hunter/jumper rider and her ponies
Monday, December 25, 2017
Monday, December 18, 2017
Seven Months
Cinder turned seven months old on Saturday. I’m still amazed at how good she is. We’ve taken walks down the road, and other than not wanting to go through puddles she handled it really well. She did spook at a friend standing behind a hedge but got over it pretty quick. And all she really did was try to get as close as possible to me without not actually running me over. She handled cars, trains, and dogs like they were nothing.
I wanted to measure her to see exactly how big she is. I used my BO’s stick that Peebs was terrified of. In perfect baby fashion she was skeptically curious and handled it fine. She’s 13.2 at the wither and 13.35 at the hip. She’s gotten a hint of rib this past week and her butt’s shot up so we’re in a growth spurt.
Sunday I asked my BO for some help with Cinder. She’s started a bunch of babies and loves working with young/green horses. We practiced picking up Cinder’s feet, started trotting in hand, introduced clippers and tieing. BO ran the lead rope through a tie ring in the indoor and just held steady pressure. Cinder hit the pressure, tried to take a step back, realized she couldn’t, and promptly went forward to give to the pressure. We did this for maybe three minutes and she never freaked out any time she hit the end of the rope. BO kept saying how smart she was. The clippers didn’t go quite as easily, but with some cookies as bribery she was standing still for them around her muzzle and neck.
Most importantly I’ve decided on a show name for her, Bright Side. It might or might not have come to me as I was driving to work and the song Mr. Brightside came on the radio....
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| Also ok with stickers on her halter |
I wanted to measure her to see exactly how big she is. I used my BO’s stick that Peebs was terrified of. In perfect baby fashion she was skeptically curious and handled it fine. She’s 13.2 at the wither and 13.35 at the hip. She’s gotten a hint of rib this past week and her butt’s shot up so we’re in a growth spurt.
Sunday I asked my BO for some help with Cinder. She’s started a bunch of babies and loves working with young/green horses. We practiced picking up Cinder’s feet, started trotting in hand, introduced clippers and tieing. BO ran the lead rope through a tie ring in the indoor and just held steady pressure. Cinder hit the pressure, tried to take a step back, realized she couldn’t, and promptly went forward to give to the pressure. We did this for maybe three minutes and she never freaked out any time she hit the end of the rope. BO kept saying how smart she was. The clippers didn’t go quite as easily, but with some cookies as bribery she was standing still for them around her muzzle and neck.
Most importantly I’ve decided on a show name for her, Bright Side. It might or might not have come to me as I was driving to work and the song Mr. Brightside came on the radio....
Friday, December 8, 2017
I Feel Good
I'm a big believer in the magic of Back on Track products. I had a sheet and saddle pad for Buddy, and they made a huge difference in the winter for him. Peebs is similar to Buddy in that he tends to get more muscle sore/stiff than joint stiff (furiously knocks wood). So I bought him a sheet over the summer.
I had the chiro out a month or so ago for him and she noted that his hips and back feel much better than usual but his neck is still his weak spot. He loves to impersonate a giraffe; part of it is how he's built, and part is he likes looking around. I always know when it's time for him to see the chiro because he stops being able to bend his neck to the right and will brace and hold tension in his neck. So my one Black Friday/Post-Thanksgiving Sales purchase was a BOT neck rug for 20% off. Then last week SmartPak had one of their 25 days of Christmas specials as a BOT pad with free polos. It also combined with another 15% sale, so I got a pad and polos.
I've been using the sheet since we started blanketing the horses, sometimes layering it under another sheet or medium blanket once the temps dropped. Peebs started wearing the neck rug Tuesday and I just started using the saddle pad and polos last night. He's been warming up much faster than before and feels good. Almost too good. So good he needs a lunge before we ride if he's had a day off or a couple of easy days. So good I dropped my whip earlier in the week and didn't use one last night. So good that I had to do our canter work last night in a half-seat or two point because if I sat he impersonated a race horse. I'm happy he's feeling great, but I'm knida worried about the monster I've created.
I had the chiro out a month or so ago for him and she noted that his hips and back feel much better than usual but his neck is still his weak spot. He loves to impersonate a giraffe; part of it is how he's built, and part is he likes looking around. I always know when it's time for him to see the chiro because he stops being able to bend his neck to the right and will brace and hold tension in his neck. So my one Black Friday/Post-Thanksgiving Sales purchase was a BOT neck rug for 20% off. Then last week SmartPak had one of their 25 days of Christmas specials as a BOT pad with free polos. It also combined with another 15% sale, so I got a pad and polos.
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Bringing Home Baby
Once again I've fallen behind on blogging. But the biggest and most important thing is that Cinder came home last Sunday. I'm excited, but also terrified. Who let me buy a baby?! I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. I'm assuming this is kinda what if feels like to bring a human baby home from the hospital.
I convinced a couple other boarders at the barn to come with me when I went up to get Cinder on Sunday. I figured having someone to talk to in the truck would help calm my nerves and get my attention off every bump and sway in the trailer. We took Rosy, my BO's mini as a travel buddy for Cinder with the plan of putting them in a stall together over night while Cinder settled in. As we were getting ready to load up, KP (who is a vet) and I talked and decided to give Cinder her vaccine booster then and she took it like a champ. We put Rosy in the first stall in the trailer, shut the divider, and Cinder took maybe 45 seconds to load. She did get a bit nervous when she realized mom wasn't with her, and called a couple times. But once we were on the road, I didn't hear or feel anything.
Rosy must have had words with Cinder because back home when we turned them out in the indoor together Rosy pinned her ears and Cinder wouldn't come within 10 feet of her. Obviously Rosy does not appreciate having to play babysitter, thank you very much! We let Cinder play around in the indoor for probably close to an hour and she called maybe five times? Way, way less than I was expecting. We decided to split Cinder and Rosy up and Cinder was walked happily down the aisle away from Rosy past a bunch of other horses and into her new stall. She paced for a few minutes till I gave her some hay then seemed to settle in. And from the reports I got (our BM lives in the apartment in the barn), she was pretty quite during the night.
BM put Cinder out in the indoor during the day Monday for me and said she was great. When I came in the afternoon she seemed like she had been living there forever. I turned her out again to clean her stall and tried on the foal blanket I got for her. She spun a couple slow circles around me when I first put it over her back, but didn't seem to care at all when it was on and fastened. It was hilariously too small so I ordered a pony sized one.
Yesterday the farrier was out so we brought Cinder out to mess with. She was super not happy about her back legs being picked up, but a light smack on her ribs and a firm "Knock it off" got the point across. She's smart, and once she realized that she got pets and scratches for holding her foot up she was fine. Farrier rasped a little bit off on each foot since she was in the middle of a cycle and didn't need a full trim.
I turned Peebs and Cinder out together after their feet were done. I was a bit hesitant because Peebs can play kinda rough, and his favorite game is chewing on other horses. But baby sister wasn't having any of that. He tried to bite her neck and she whipped around and let both back feet fly at him. He backed way off, and pretty much let her do whatever. She tried to nurse from him and he just took it with a confused look on his face. I'm pretty sure he's going to be squarely under her hoof from now on.
I convinced a couple other boarders at the barn to come with me when I went up to get Cinder on Sunday. I figured having someone to talk to in the truck would help calm my nerves and get my attention off every bump and sway in the trailer. We took Rosy, my BO's mini as a travel buddy for Cinder with the plan of putting them in a stall together over night while Cinder settled in. As we were getting ready to load up, KP (who is a vet) and I talked and decided to give Cinder her vaccine booster then and she took it like a champ. We put Rosy in the first stall in the trailer, shut the divider, and Cinder took maybe 45 seconds to load. She did get a bit nervous when she realized mom wasn't with her, and called a couple times. But once we were on the road, I didn't hear or feel anything.
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| That's the sound of my heart melting |
BM put Cinder out in the indoor during the day Monday for me and said she was great. When I came in the afternoon she seemed like she had been living there forever. I turned her out again to clean her stall and tried on the foal blanket I got for her. She spun a couple slow circles around me when I first put it over her back, but didn't seem to care at all when it was on and fastened. It was hilariously too small so I ordered a pony sized one.
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| We used to have a 3yr old boarder here that had problems getting her head over the door. #giantbaby |
Yesterday the farrier was out so we brought Cinder out to mess with. She was super not happy about her back legs being picked up, but a light smack on her ribs and a firm "Knock it off" got the point across. She's smart, and once she realized that she got pets and scratches for holding her foot up she was fine. Farrier rasped a little bit off on each foot since she was in the middle of a cycle and didn't need a full trim.
I turned Peebs and Cinder out together after their feet were done. I was a bit hesitant because Peebs can play kinda rough, and his favorite game is chewing on other horses. But baby sister wasn't having any of that. He tried to bite her neck and she whipped around and let both back feet fly at him. He backed way off, and pretty much let her do whatever. She tried to nurse from him and he just took it with a confused look on his face. I'm pretty sure he's going to be squarely under her hoof from now on.
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
What's in a Name
I'm on day 10 of 12 working in a row....and the last few days have been ROUGH. Like we normally have 7 people but have been down to 3 or 4. Mentally and physically I'm fried so, for funsies I'm asking for help on picking a show name for Cinder.
Her sire is Chancellor (Rogue for a barn name) and dam is Brenna (Abby/barn name) by Buenos Aires. Doesn't give me a whole lot to work with. Of note, Brenna's grandsire, Bolero, was the founding sire of the B-line Hanoverians and the grandsire of Brentina.
I'm thinking something fire related to play off of Cinder, or maybe something in Spanish as a thanks to my parents (who live in Mexico) for helping me get her? Currently I'm liking Sparks Fly, but my uncle's nickname is Spark and I don't really get along with him that well as he's THAT uncle at family gatherings.
So interwebs, help a girl out. Anyone got any suggestions??
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| Every princess needs a sparkly crown. Also, that's her dad's palomino butt in the background |
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| Like mother, like daughter |
Friday, November 3, 2017
Worth His Weight
The past few weeks have been pretty good in terms of ponies. Peebs' has been awesome over fences, minus one day when we attempted bounces, and I've feel like we've really figured each other out and have become a pretty good team.
Over the summer I had set up a couple gymnastics for Peebs, all one strides. He was a champ going through them so when I set up one with a bounce to a one I didn't think anything of it. We started cross rail bounce to a pole and he seemed ok with it. I made the pole a cross rail and while it rode a bit long he seemed to get the idea. I shortened the bounce and it went fine. I then put the second cross rail up to a vertical and all hell brook loose. The bounce suddenly seemed super long and Peebs knocked the vertical with his hind end. So I shortened it again. Then he tried to put a one in the bounce, a few times. My life might have flashed before my eyes when the one stride put us almost on top of the vertical. But God bless him, Peebs never once felt like he was going to stop, or run out. Every time he somehow managed to get over the vertical without pulling the rail or killing us. We finally managed to bounce the bounce and I quit with that. I'm hoping to work on bounces in lessons over the winter to see if we can figure them out.
Over the summer I had set up a couple gymnastics for Peebs, all one strides. He was a champ going through them so when I set up one with a bounce to a one I didn't think anything of it. We started cross rail bounce to a pole and he seemed ok with it. I made the pole a cross rail and while it rode a bit long he seemed to get the idea. I shortened the bounce and it went fine. I then put the second cross rail up to a vertical and all hell brook loose. The bounce suddenly seemed super long and Peebs knocked the vertical with his hind end. So I shortened it again. Then he tried to put a one in the bounce, a few times. My life might have flashed before my eyes when the one stride put us almost on top of the vertical. But God bless him, Peebs never once felt like he was going to stop, or run out. Every time he somehow managed to get over the vertical without pulling the rail or killing us. We finally managed to bounce the bounce and I quit with that. I'm hoping to work on bounces in lessons over the winter to see if we can figure them out.
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| Absolutely no problem with the spooky Halloween jump |
That ride over the bounce really cemented that Peebs is a trier, and will do his best to take care of me. Phoenix would have stopped, and Buddy probably would have just gone through the vertical, if they were in that situation. But even with some truly awful distances and take off spots, Peebs was rock solid and I felt completely safe with him. The old me would have been in tears and would have given up. But with Peebs I was laughing and making jokes about it. We had a lesson the week after and while we didn't have any bounces, we did have some bad distances. And again, I felt 100% ok with it and Peebs took everything in stride..haha! Bend the bending line too much and end up at 4.75 strides? Ok. Don't hold enough in the outside line and get 5.5 instead of 6? Whatever. Seriously, this horse is worth his weight in gold!
A couple months ago my farrier (whose work I like, but as a person, not so much) made a comment about how much I paid for Peebs. Basically he thought I got robbed and paid way too much for him. And maybe in other people's minds I did over pay. But to me, Peebs is priceless. These past couple of weeks have only cemented that fact. I will happily pay more for a horse with a great brain who tries his heart out. And as my trainer said in my last lesson, put a flying change on him and some 2'6" show miles, and I could list him at double what I paid. But I'm pretty sure Peebs is with me to stay, forever.
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
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.
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.
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.
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.
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| Hello world! |
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| 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.
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| Baby's first selfie |
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