Horse Sense & Sensibility

One thing never ceases to amaze me about riding horses. They are saints with hooves, their patience seems endless at times. The more I improve how efficiently I sit and move on my horse, the more willing he becomes. Behavior 'issues' become forgotten fights in which we used to engage. You would think that in a way they were training us. I behave and move more properly when you let me. That makes you happy, now always do it that way. Still we fall into bad habits and blame the horse for being naughty or spooky or just a jerk. How arrogant we are when we don't look inward. We don't look at what we are really saying with our bodies. Maybe it's complacency, I've ridden for X number of years I know how to do this or that. It amazed me though, watching a dressage clinic not too long ago, how many riders were only told to work on their basics. Riders I felt were way beyond that skill level. No upper level movements, just walk and trot centered and balanced.

My new instructor, as of late, half apologized because our first two lessons were so basic. I laughed and thanked her and said I NEEDED basic. I hadn't had a lesson since June when she came out at the end of October. She put me in a dressage seat, sat me up, stirrups dropped 3 holes. Boy, did I need basics. It felt like I had hardly ridden before. But I learned how to properly follow his mouth at the walk, make and keep him walking with lots of forward, stop clamping through my thigh, keeping my hands still and guiding/directing more with my legs. Simple. I knew this stuff, just didn't realize how ineffectively I was executing.

Last night I didn't make it out to the barn until the sun was almost already down. I rode anyways. While I was on him the BO's son came and did stalls, brought in the other horses and threw grain. I couldn't have done that before. He would have started misbehaving, I would have responded improperly and we'd have been in a fight that I would have given in for safety's sake. Not last night. Yeah, he looked, stopped at the gate once, slowed down another time. No spooking in the skeery dark. All from doing the basics with confidence, not engaging in the fights/naughty behavior, not just last night but for a few weeks now. He just behaved. He knew he was better off behaving because it might physically be the same person in the saddle., my responses and aids were more effective and consistent - he just knew it wasn't worth the fight either. That amazes me. And I have never been so happy on a horse (in my adult life).

So, I am going to continue to work on me equating to lots of saddle time. All he has to work on is doing what he knows, eating more so he puts on a few pounds and muscles up more too. His hay steamer has done amazing things for him too - NO cough even when he first starts trotting; that also makes me crazy happy. I would buy it again in a heartbeat and wish I'd have done it sooner! I recommend them to anyone with a heavy horse. Oh, and I plan to update this a bit more often... been awhile.

Overdue update

I remember as a kid looking always forward to the next great thing, a holiday, day off you know 'fun' stuff. These days? Fun stuff, schmun-stuff. I look forward to the days I'm not fighting fires. Simple, 'normal' days... That's enough for me.

I was way overdue an update, though I actually wrote a couple posts I never posted. I was in a funk so it was better I didn't post.

Gator had an awful COPD attack & has completed a course of steroids. Hay always soaked from now on. I'm looking at a hay steamer. He has been turned out in the actual pasture with his one pasture-mate (we'll call him 'D'). He immediately declared Gator the boss & they get along like peas & carrots.

The girls had their yearly well-pooch check. Vet has no ideas except low thyroid on Autumns bald spot either. Turns out her thyroid is a bit low so we're adjusting her meds.

It's been 'normal' the past week (I hesitate to write that... I think I keep jinxing myself...). I am so grateful for normal. Miss everyone!

Boos Butt, work and stuffs

Of course I can't simply comment so I am posting to essentially discuss.

Autumn's rump is still perplexing me. I don't put anything on it anymore. There is hair just no undercoat ie FLUFF which she has so much of everywhere else. I'm hoping time willbe all she needs but an occasional limp (weather fronts or laying on it to long) and a nekkid spot may be what she most visibly will take from her broken leg ordeal.

My plan with Gator is togo slow... He'll be 16 this year and he's in good shape for the mst part, why push it, right?

The job is leaps & bounds better than my last. I should have said that. I'm a people watcher/observer by nature. I share a large cube with 3 other ladies. All 3 are great but one... Well some people I guess spend their whole lives fighting themselves and focused on me-me-me ... This one in particular also talks A LOT. I just want to grab her and say IT ISN'T ALWAYS ABOUT YOU, if you'd see that you would be happier and more pleasant. I can't though. There's of course a lot more to it but that's the jist of the vent. :)

Spring, people & gettin' back on - in no particular order

Well, this weather is nasty. I love snow but even for me it's unwelcome today. I live in Hampton Roads Virginia for heavens sake! Enough already! Last weekend was cloudy and windy but pretty nice, warmer, felt like spring. I am ready for Spring especially when it comes to riding.

Speaking of which, I did ride this weekend. Both Saturday & Sunday. Not much accomplished really but it was wonderful. I didn't realize on Saturday that Gator hadn't had breakfast yet. It was also very windy. I had not ridden in... A couple months probably, embarrassingly enough. He was ready to go, had to fuss at him for literally hitting the gas before I was all the way on. I was still glad he felt that good though. When the grain was thrown he could hear but he was a good boy. We did only a little walking & trotting; it probably was only 15 minutes. I called it good and let him go eat. He's jiggly and still coughed a little so a short ride was okay. Sunday was 20-30 minutes still walk & trot, still quite windy but we were good. He thought about being silly once but I didn't mind. It's amazing how so many muscles can be so sore from such short rides; I guess I'm jiggly too. I wonder if he's sore... He coughed some still again but worked out of it pretty well. I think work is good for his breathing, not too much or too hard but it makes him take some deeper breathes, has to be good. So it was a good weekend.

Now, to people... People are the strangest of creatures to me. Dogs, horses, most critters are nothing if not honest, especially with themselves. They never feel the world revolves around them (well, Autumn might sometimes) but at least not the way a person can. It amazes mw to no end how a person can be SO self centered and still truly believe they are always putting others first. How contradictory! This kind of person need so much help and direction but can't even comprehend it from their knowing how perfect they are. It can be to the point they're actually almost a bad person. How crazy is that? Work is funny because you meet so many kinds... Unfortunately I am an understudy of someone like this. I don't dislike the person but sometimes what is said and done in the name of goodness is so... Not nice or good at all it's striking. Now said person really likes me so but to almost the point of a curse when 'good intentions' are like burden and I am so very different from them- of they believe I am JUST like them. Good thing I learn quickly and can start to limit, at least to a degree, my need to shadow this person. I luckily do work with many other good people who are pleasantly wonderful and my boss, I have found, is an amazing person. So I don't have anything to complain about - I'm actually not complaining just observing I guess someone who is detrimental to themselves. I guess I feel bad for them. Living just for you is awful lonely.

'Guest' bloggers day..

THAT is my shame. I know my momma told you all about my horrible sister breaking my leg, my surgery, my wonderful recovery and ... this. My fluff has returned just fine elsewhere; almost unnoticable after my most recent trim/grooming. EXCEPT that spot. I'm mortified. There are some hairs but they just don't seem to want to grow very fast. My undercoat seems to be protestsing entirely there. I DID have razor burn there and a minor infection which I blame on mom's other big brown dog (of whom I am no fan) and mom. It seems to be under control but the hair is still holding a strike. I'm not pleased and mom is started to fuss over it... I think I'll just wear a coat for the rest of the winter to hide it. I'll need a new plan come spring. Ideas are welcome.


Me back in... I think it's due to her thyroid and the slight funk she had. I think it was the same funk Gator had, but I was bad for a bit and had run out of gloves when cleaning his funk... I think I must have come home and scratched her rumpus without washing my hands really well. Bad mommy. It is continuing to look better (this pic is actually a week old) and I see some more growth. She really does hate my bothering with it though, even just looking at it. And, she just has to be cold there! In time I hope it fills in...




Okay, next...

She moved me. Again. Now, I'm a pretty easy going guy and all, but sheesh!

It was better than last time though. I had some warning, she came by checked me over, packed up my stuff so I could watch while munching my hay. I also got to say bye to my buddies. I do miss those guys... Anyways, I had my own paddock when I got there. It's much easier to check things out when I'm not running from someone grumpy about my appearing in their field...

The trip wasn't too bad pretty short, we never went too fast either. No rough stops or starts.

I was ready to get off the trailer to see where I was once we parked; it didn't smell familiar. I unloaded on the road, which wasn't busy of course, and walked down the long lane with mom, past some horses to the barn. Two girls ran over, a bay and a gray, they were kinda cute. There was a gray gelding in their field with them that didn't leave his hay, I don't blame him and another chesnut gelding in the riding ring who didn't give me more than a look.

First thing I noticed is there is grass at this place! Even right now! Mom walked me over to this little... shed thing, which was fenced in. Something smelled funny there so I was interested. All of a sudden a white, very short horse (or was it a dog?) with horns popped it's head out! Then, in the strangest accent it said 'Maaahh'! I was slightly taken aback, but mostly at the accent and I'm not it's 'Ma'. Then a peppered black and white head popped out and they said more to me in their strange accent and language. They were weird, but there was grass.

Mom let me hand graze next to the weird smelling horned dogs for a few minutes, and kept telling me I was a good boy. Then she put me in my paddock which shares a fence line with the odd accented horned dogs. I got hay and forgot them.
I watched mom fuss over moving my stuff she'd packed up into her new locker, and mygrain into the hay/grain room chatting with the new people. I called to see if I knew anyone at this joint a few times but my hay was good. I wasn't too worried. I could see the guy in the riding ring well, the other three some of the time and they'd talk to me when I talked to them. Mom hung around and talked to me, watched me, put my salt thing up in my stall and cleaned my bucket.


Mom left for a little while and came back. She brought my BLANKET!!! OMG! That hussy has been holding out on me! Oh, I nickered at my blanket as soon as I saw it! She dusted it off, and I watched longingly. I sniffed it and helped shimmy it down my neck and back as soon as she offered. Oooooh that was nice! Hot DOG I have my blanket on! Good thing too, mom said something about the 20's tonight, I think that's cold. She gave some treats, hung up one of my horse lolipops in my stall (mmmmm). And talked more with the barn owner about my food. I like when the people are all on the same page about my food. I like my food.
The new people are nice. They fed me and put me in a nice stall, a little smaller than I'm used to but nice! I had my blanket on and my food so I wasn't complaining.
Mom came by this morning. The new people had already fed and turned me out with hay in my paddock, next to the smelly horned dogs. I'm not really scared of the smelly horned dogs, but I'm suspicious. Today they came out and were playing and lounging in the sun. What weirdos! They butt their heads together and rake their horns on the wire on the inside of their pen! That sounds funny... just like their accents... anyways though, this seems okay. Mom seems happy and she fussed over me a bit this morning, interupting my hay but no one took it while I was gone and she gave me carrots. That was alright.


Did I mention though that I have my blanket on?

That's me pre-blanket... the snow had melted as the sun popped out here and there. Down there is the smelly horned dog shed.

See my blanket? See me watching the smelly horned dogs? They came out of their shed this morning... they just better not come get my hay.

No, seriously... what are they doing?

Those are my new digs... pretty sweet. Wash stalls, which I checked out and approved and cross ties... man I missed those, I like to try and bite them while Mom grooms me. Back to my hay...

So... it went well and safely which is most important. He seems happy and I'm glad to have him there. I really am. He's closer by 5-10 minutes, will have one herdmate once they're settled who is the other new older gelding who apparently doesn't care about much. Perfect! Oh and not to mention I really like these people and their son. Here's to hoping the third time is the charm!

Happy Valentines Day!

T-1 day

Tomorrow we're moving Gator. Again. Of course weather permitting.

I am contemplating stock in Ulcerguard. I am hoping so very much he will remain at this location for an appreciable amount of time. His coug has gone away. His scratches are not gone but close! I miss him. I miss riding him and spending time with him in general. Being less than happy with the barn, the weather, the cold, the general winter blahs have had the best of me when it comes to him. I really hate that I let it.

I did notice, despite the cold and bits of snow laying around that slight hint of spring yesterday in the evening as I walked the girls. I always felt like I detected her presence before the general populous. I was energized. I am glad I'm moving him. I don't have the slightest reservation about this new place. I think we'll get to enjoy seeing spring erupt together there. For me, from horseback, Gators back, my favorite vantage point in the whole world.

Crackberry woes

Yup... I can post but I can't comment. HOW does that make sense? I thought ncc had trouble commenting from her BB? I'll figure it out :). I can read blogs just no commenting.

Oh & we are all well by the way:)