I hate being sick

Lucas out in the sun on Sunday.

And no Im not talking about just the sinus infection. Some days I just wish that if I had a cold I could just get over it. That if I got a cut it would heal in a matter of days.

But no I have to keep pumping in drugs to kill my immune system, week after week. I know Im not dieing of Cancer, I do keep it in a bit of perspective, but sometimes living with RA sucks.

I finlay got though to my family Doctor today and he brought me in for a quick check up after work. The old antibiotics that were causing my rash/hives (which, by the way have left tiny pinpricks of scabs all over my legs and arms) were also not helping my sinus infection. Yeah its worse. Its now moved into my ears (which is a huge problem for me as Ive had serious issues with my ears since I was a kid)

SOOO now I'm on a different kind of antibiotic, which he hopes will help. I have to call him on Thursday/Friday and let him know how I feel. The next step will involve the hospital in some shape or form so cross your fingers this will help me feel better. My lymph nodes under my ears were also swollen which kinda freaked me out, as that is how we discovered the lump on my thyroid in the first place...

Im also putting my self on restriced Lucas working until I get on the upswing of this thing... not that I wont go out to the barn, but the days its below -15 I should really be staying home for the time being. On a good note, Lucas finally got to go out again yesterday, which makes me feel better if I cant get to the barn every day. He handled it very well, and kept all of his shoes on! So hes back going outside for a couple of hours every day which will make him so much happier!

I rode!

For like 5 minutes :) Lucas was extremely good though. I haven't ridden him since the middle of November and he wasn't so good then. I think that I have more problems with him going back to work than he does. I really lost my confidence about 4 years ago. Nothing specific that I can name, but just a general loss of feeling in control when on horseback. Im getting it back bit by bit, but its days like this when I really notice it. Now that Ive had a good ride on him I should be good to go. Its just that first ride back after an extended time off that makes my legs turn to jello.

So I lunged him for about 5 minutes (we kept one of the lesson kids and horses in the ring that Lucas likes to give me a 'comfort' horse as he acts better the more horses that are in the ring) and we didn't want to drive him, so then I got on and he was keeping his head a bit high, but very listening very well. One of the other lady's bought in her two year old to lunge a bit and one of the other kids brought in her horse to do showmanship, so he really relaxed then (well maybe I did!!!) We just walked around doing some small 2 tracking exercises to keep his brain on me while I got my sea legs then we trotted both directions practicing some transactions. Then I got off! The BO was willing to get on him for me for a couple of min before I did, but we've really starting working as a team when we are driving and I wanted to keep that. It felt a lot this summer like we were fighting each other most of the time, but these couple of months that I haven't been able to ride him our trust has increased a whole bunch. Im not just focusing on the under saddle work, but the entire horse.

So now I have hives

And I am soooooo itchy!!!!! The benadryl is helping but I didnt want to take it either before driving or working with Lucas so I went a little longer between pills. Not huge lumpy ones but like every hair follicle is itchy just a million little red dots. *Sigh* Most likely its an interaction between all of the drugs (my usual, plus the antibiotic and the nasal spray steroids) but it has happened before when I get super sensitive with my dust allergy. Its been almost 10 years since my last real 'break out' so Im washing everything in my room tomorrow to make sure that's not it.

Lucas was AWESOME tonight. We had a great time driving around and working on keeping him light and forward. Its fun to see how I can manipulate his body with the lines, not the same as having legs on him but its a different perspective on him and his interactions with things. I really think that he becomes a 'jerk' because hes board. All of this driving and doing something new every minute or two (to avoid repetative strain on his front legs) Ive really seen an improvement in his attitude over his riding attitude. If I keep his mind busy he doesn't need to make up stuff to keep his own mind busy. I also managed to turn him out to play for 10 min before I tacked him up and that seems to help his mind frame as well, gives him a chance to get the sillys out.

Home sick

I figured that I should take the day off and have a PJ day. Its also snowing here AGAIN. I did go to the barn last night and took Lucas for another drive. It was intresting, I didnt free lunge him but let him have some time on his own in the indoor before I tacked him up. He spooked bad at the kitten playing in the lumber and in the process of me trying to correct him he ended up tangled in the lines.

Thank god some one hobbled him when he was a youngster! The minute he gets any type of rope around his legs he stops dead. Its saved me twice now. The first time he bucked, and reared and ended up grabing the lungeling between his front feet. He hit the ground, then stopped.

This time, in the spook we got our lines crossed as he spun and ran (he turned left quicker than I could) but within a stride of them getting crossed he stopped and waited for me to untangle him. I know it shouldn't happen, but it does. And thats when him knowing what "whoa" means and knowing that any rope in a wrong place means stop as well.

We did some figure 8's both at the walk and the trot using the whole ring, going large at a walk and a trot. He did great, we did have some stickyness doing some turnes to the right, but some flexing worked him out of them. Then we did some 2 tracking, which he wasnt sure about right way, but he caught on quickly. Hes really driving up underneith himself when using the lines, which is only going to help when I start to ride him again.

So antibiotics are working

And I feel like absolute crap. All my joints hurt, my insides, my head.... oh I might have the flu, or it could just be the antibiotics.

I hate antibiotics.

I drove Lucas again last night and he was awsome, ill go out to the barn tonight to double check on him (someone else is doing chores) but I plan to ride either Friday or Saterday depending on how I fell.

Taking a page from Kate:

http://ayearwithhorses.blogspot.com/

Kate had a great idea a couple of weeks ago talking about her horses pedigrees and I thought I could do the same with Lucas (we all know how much I enjoy talking/typing about him)

So Lucas Pedigree is : http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/love+the+luke

His sire is Luke At Me , by Crimson Rogue, and out of The Dasher (by Dash for Cash). As discussed by Nancy Sue Ryan on Huntseathorses.com,

"I had already shown a lot of great horses before I found Luke At Me but he sort of became my trademark horse. I bought him at a race sale in Oklahoma City when he was a yearling. In fact, Wayne Davis and Carl Yamber wanted in so we partnered up and paid $5,900. But after a day or two I had Jerry Erickson buy them out and later that month I had a customer trade a horse and $5,000 for Jerry’s half.” Luke at Me's record stands on its own.

His dam was 'Lovely Thought' a 1986 mare by Joyful Hope and out of Bee Jay Thermos (by Thermos)

From what I have been able to find out, Lovely Thought was never shown, or raced (atleast by AQHA records). The biggest hint I have been able to find out about her was that at one point she was owned by Ron Horn (husband of the late June Horn, one of the founding members of getting english events into the NSBA) She does have an impressive produce record though:

Lovely Thought's offspring have earned over $13,000.00 in NSBA winnings and over $12,500.00 from the American Quarter Horse Association Incentive Fund. Allowing her foals to win over $25,500.00!! Her foals have earned a combined total of 488.0 AQHA points. She has had a Reserve World Champion in the Open Junior Hunter Under Saddle as well as an Amateur Reserve World Champion in the Hunter Under Saddle. Lovely Thought also produced the AQHA Year End High Point winner for the 2003 season!

Lovely Thought is the Dam of:

STONE COLD LUKE (1999 Brown Gelding by Luke At Me)# Qualified for the 2007 AQHA World show in Amateur and Open Pleasure Driving # Qualified for the 2005 AQHA World show in Open SR Hunter Under Saddle# Qualified for the 2004 AQHA World show in Amateur Hunter Under Saddle and Open JR HUS# 3rd in both the Open High Point Hunter Under Saddle and Open JR Hunter Under Saddle for 2003# Amateur High Point Hunter Under Saddle for 2003# Reserve World Champion in Amateur Hunter Under Saddle and Open JR Hunter Under Saddle# 2003 Open and Amateur Superior Hunter Under Saddle# Qualified for the 2002 Open JR Hunter Under Saddle

LOVELY LUKING (2004 Chestnut Mare by Luke At Me)# Top 10 at the 2006 NSBA World Show in 2 year old Hunter Under Saddle# AQHA point earner

Stone Cold Luke died at the 2008 Select world from colic, I am facebook friends with his old owners daughter and they have a full sister that they are playing with and hoping to breed this spring.

This is Luke On TheBriteSide (whos for sale) He and Lucas were the only one of all of the full siblings shown this summer:

http://www.equine.com/horses-for-sale/horse-ad-1042800.html

Bargin price pony looks better every day!

-38 C

Yup its that cold with the windchill. Needless to say, other than putting more blankets on the horses, and giving them some nice warm water (well that and the usual food with even some more hay) all of the horses in the barn didnt do much today.

Lucas got his fleece sheet on under his heavy weight blanket, and the barn is full now (the 24/7 outside horses are even in) so it was decently warm in the barn. And by that I mean that your skin wasnt ready to fall off! Oh and I went to my family doctor today, and I do have a sinus infection (suprise!).

I also got summond to jury duty. Tripple Blah! I dont know what Im going to do, the trial is due to be around the first week in April, right when the government fiscal year end is... Last year it took 3 of us full time and 2 of us doing over time on top of that, to get it done within a time frame the gov was happy with. That and the fact that Im not good with sitting for long periods of time, so Im not sure what my doctor will say about that. I get that we should do this as our civic duty, just a pain having to deal with it.

Dressage Pony!

Well Lucas likes his new shoes!! We didnt do much as it was just way to cold out today so I figured that letting him have a good run in the indoor would get his blood flowing. And it did, he was feeling good and willing to show off for the camera. Im planing on increasing the driving time this week to start fitting him up more and hopefully be on his back by the weekend or next Monday.

He loves showing off when hes out playing with me. The BO said that she couldnt figure out what he wanted on Saturday when she turned him out, he kept looking at her and shaking his head. He just wanted some comany to have fun with. Im so happy that he's feeling better. Really his injury was nothing big (unlike in2paint's mare Lilly) but I was really worried that he was so depressed about it. Now that hes back to feeling like himself I feel better as well.

Snow, cold, but new shoes!

Well we didnt make it to our horse expo today. The dumping of snow that we got yesterday (16cm in 5 hours) just made the roads too bad. So we spent the day puttering around with her dogs, cats and husband. And then she broke her tooth of (her front one!) Its the one that is 1/2 fake due to a freek accident when she was a kid, so not like a 'real' tooth breaking. Thankfully she was able to get in to see the emergancy dentist, and got a temporay cap on it untill Monday.

Shes also scedualed to go have surgery, to repair the tendon in the knee that she broke last year, in a couple of weeks. Its going to mean some serious time off for her 3 year olds (a HUS gelding, and a WP mare) so we had a talk about what shes going to do with them. Shes in the same frame of mind that I am, we love QH's, we love the people that love QH's... we just dont like what some people are doing to 'win'. She had her HUS in training for Nov. and Dec. but pulled him due to the trainers antics. And this is a guy we KNOW, shes 10min from the barn and there every night but there was still bad stuff going on.

For example we worked the two 3yo today the WP mare got shown last year but the HUS horse just got broke out. We figure they are going to need a couple of months each to go and show localy. The HUS gelding needs travel miles, the WP mare needs a refesher (shes been off since sept)

Compare that to the 3yo the 'trainer' was riding today. That gelding was so distorted and crooked going down the rail he never got to go straight for more than a stride, hes been ridden since he was 2 and had his hocks injected 2x already. His owner is a nice lady but thinks that if she paid big money for the horse and training she wants to win.

I guess we just love our horses too much.

Lucas got his shoes on Friday Am so the plan is that Im going to go drive him tomorrow and do some more playing around, hopefully next weekend Ill be riding again!!

Award!

Thanks to in2paints and Wolfie for this award!

http://rlilbitofcash.blogspot.com/

http://wolfie-whatwasithinking.blogspot.com/

The rules are quite simple:
1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award
2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!

So Im not so good with the Html... so Ill do what I can!!

Seven things......

1) I love where I live. Ive lived and traveled in lots of different places but the Maritimes will always be home. As they say, How do you find a happy maritimer in Alberta? Find the guys wanting to go home. Everything else maybe perfect, but its not home.

2) It is extreamly hard for me to give up controle of anything. It says alot of the people I board with that I feel comfortable leaving Lucas there. I dont think I could ever have kids and go back to work!

3) I seriously hate it when the doctors go "Oh you have RA? Can I see your hands?" I know that not alot of doctors see it on a regular basis, and its good for them to know what it looks like, but I hate beaing poked just 'to see'.

4) I dont make friends quickly, but I keep them for life.

5) Pepsi = life!

6) Lung infections are my downfall. Ive never really smoked (I did enjoy the occasional cigar in college) but if I get an infection anywhere it is usualy my lungs.

7) I used to think that animal communicators (and the people who used them) were crazy, now that Ive used one... Im not so sure!

Ok and for the other blogs:

http://afatgirlafathorse.blogspot.com/

http://solitairemare.blogspot.com/

http://overanxioushorseowner.blogspot.com/

http://girlplushorse.blogspot.com/

http://ayearwithhorses.blogspot.com/

http://greyhorsematters.blogspot.com/

http://huntseatcruizer.blogspot.com/

http://risingrainbow.blogspot.com/

http://ridingaside.blogspot.com/

http://blogofbecky.blogspot.com/

http://horsecrazyamerican.blogspot.com/

http://sineadchalpin.blogspot.com/

http://mugwumpchronicles.blogspot.com/

http://mustangdiaries.blogspot.com/

http://weareflyingsolo.blogspot.com/

Lucas is getting his shoes tomorrow, and Im off tomorrow night to B's were going to a horsey expo on Saturday but are having a pony night with her two 3 year olds on Friday. I may even get to ride one of them ;)

No shoes yet

And Lucas is really pissed off!!! Normaly I leave his door open when I clean out his bucket, and today he actually walked out of the stall, and was on his way into the indoor when I caught up with him! He then pretended that he had come out to casualy smell the horse across from him but he was on his way 'out' when I caught him! Hes really really bored. Does anyone know of any tricks to teach him to keep both of us occupied? He'll "smile" if you press on his front lip. And he now nickers for treats :) For a horse thats lived in trainer barns for the past couple of years its an improvment in his social skills! We did streaches for carrots today, but hes always a step ahead of me sometimes.

The shoes are on there way, the farrier had to order them in (as normaly he doesnt carry them in the winter) so he's hoping that they will be in tomorrow. So far no heat in his bad leg, and not alot of stocking up from being stuck in his stall.

I had posted Lucas' playing outside video on my facebook, and Lucas old owner from NC commented that he looked like he had adapted well to the snow.

In2Paints gave me a very nice award (and my very first one!!) but its going to have to wait untill tomorrow for me to talk about as I have to go teach my mom (the teacher) how to send an attachment in an email!

January 15, 2011 3:01 PM

Well here is the video of Lucas out playing in the snow! Its more than likely also when he tore his shoe off! Well he did enjoy himself for a bit!

grrr

Well drove Lucas again today for about 20 min and he was great. Was able to use the entire ring and did a whack of transitions and long trotting on the long sides of the arena.

Then he finally got to go play outside in the new paddock that the owners built for him. He was out for about an hour, and managed to pull off the shoe on his right front foot... yup that's right the foot that's been causing us all of the problems! AHHHHHH!!!! Anyways emergency phone call into the farrier (who was coming next week anyways.) tonight and hopefully he'll come as soon as he can. We couldn't even find the old shoe to tack on until then. And I didn't have any wedges at home because he usually wears them out....

Cross your fingers it doesn't bother him too much and the farrier comes soon!

Dressage

Well I got an invite to a David Marcus dressage clinic yesterday. The person planing it was my roommate when I lived in Ont. and we've kept in touch over the past couple of years. She knew that my long term goal is to do some decent dressage with Lucas so she thought I might like the opportunity. I did appreciate the invite, but Im not sure that I could handle the top level riding for an entire weekend. Let alone the fact that the date of the clinic would only give me 3 months to get him legged up enough for it. So Im going to watch for the weekend and we auditors are allowed to ask questions so it should be fun.

Im also going to bite the bullet and ask the RA doctor about classification for para-dressage. Between that and some point having AQHA dressage in Canada I think that's the way our long term training is going to go. As much as I love my AQHA shows its really expensive, and our competitors are at the top of the game (and yeah I know it encourages you to work harder, but me and Lucas just are not tough enough to compete against top 3 @ congress horses!). Atleast you have a goal with dressage....

Snowed in

Well not exactly, I can get out. But I am not driving an hour to work with the weather outside! We got a foot of snow over a 12 hour period last night I was wearing my 'hunter' rubber boots (the ones with the felt liners in them) and the fresh snow was over the tops of them. All the colleges, universities, libarys and schools are all closed in the city where I work so its bad there as well.

Good news though is that all the Kia's were able to drive out of the snow that we had parked them in! (my dads a sales man and brought home a new suv and I have my magantis) The toyota rav had the most problems and it has 4x4!

So Im taking a vacation day although work may call me if somthing happens with my clients, but hopefully I can go to the barn later today.

Snow!

Well we're in the middle of another snow storm, we were half way home from work when the snow hit. Within 40km we went from no snow, to snow covered roads with very little visability. Its on the news that we are getting 30cm tonight (12 inches, and we have 10cm now!) but the storm has not even finished in the US north east... so we could be in for alot of snow.

Lucas is on his own for the night! (not really the BO will look after him I just wont see him.)

Oh Canada....

I'm going off topic a bit here...

First off, thoughts and best wishes and prayers to the families involved in the shooting in Arizona on the weekend.

Second, its days like these that make me extreamly grateful to live in Canada. Worst thing thats been done to a politician that I can remember is that the PM got a pie thrown in his face once...

Anyways, back on topic!

Lucas is still good, I had to spend last night fixing my Mom's computer so its ready for her to go back to school with on Friday (Shes doing her Masters!) so tonight we just went out and played in the indoor and gossiped with the barn owner. The farrier will be out early next week to check Lucas' angles before we head back to work as well. Word is that we are getting MORE snow tomorrow so..... just as well that I'm not riding yet, as I might not be able to get to the barn!

Driving!

Well I went out to the barn today and drove Lucas! There was a lesson going on so I brushed him for a bit and booted him up then tied him up until they were done. I turned him out in the indoor for a bit to get his silly's out. He ran good for about 10 min, well I say run but he trotted around a bunch until the snow slid off the roof.... Then he ran!!

So I took him back into the barn and tacked him up... I ended up tying a knot into my stirrup leathers to run the lines though the stirrups. I put him just in his sweet iron mouth D-ring. So away we went.

I haven't driven a horse since 2005! and Im sure its been longer than that since Lucas has been driven. We have worked over the past two weeks with de-sensitizing his sides and legs so I hoped that he wouldn't worry too much about the lines around his legs.

I ran the off side line over the saddle though the stirrup then snapped it to his bit, then did the same thing (but without putting it over the saddle) with the side closest to me. I gathered up my lines and asked him to step off (keeping the off side line over the saddle).

Should I mention at this time that my best friend broke her leg this time last year driving her 2 year old??

So he walked a circle, I was careful to keep myself about in the same position I would be if I was lunging him (I wont step fully behind him unless we are backing, or in the process of changing to the other side) I then stopped him and drooped the off side rope down over his bum and around his hocks. He was fine.

We walked and trotted a couple of circles both directions (walk a circle, trot 1/2, walk a couple of more, change direction and repeat) We weren't so good at changing directions, very similar to the problems that were having under saddle. Head is turning body doesn't follow! But that will come with time. He was confused with backing, but also improved with that as we did it several times.

He was a little spooky about the noises (but he always is in the indoor) but didnt mind the lines at all! So much of an improment from last year when I couldn't even throw a leadline over his back without a HUGE reaction! So were going to keep doing this for a couple of weeks, Lucas was very happy to be back in work again, and was really trying to figure out what I wanted!

Snow Again!

I managed to get to the barn this morning before the snow got too bad. Helped do chores, then let the horses out in rotations (the two stud colts go out together then the older stud and Lucas take turns going out.) After Lucas got his turn I brushed him, then took him back in to do some showmanship.

I really need to bring out my show halter and lead, his regular halter and lead just doesnt fit right and I should be practicing (at least some of the time) in his show stuff. Im fighting my lead all of the time trying to make sure its the right length of chain so atleast my good one is extra long. One of the kids came in and was 'the judge' for me but was eating one of Lucas' carrots, so it was very entertaining. He was more worried about where she was going and what she was doing rather than me! Not so nice, but good practice for the show ring!

Why Do I Love Horses

I found this on Pleasurehorse.com and thought it was too good not to share:


Why do I like horses?
I think I must be mad. My mother wasn't horsey - And neither was my dad.
But the madness hit me early - and it hit me like a curse.
And I've never gotten better. In fact I've gotten worse.
I hardly read a paper - but I know who's sold their horse.
And I wouldn't watch the news - Unless Mr. Ed was on, of course.
One eye's always on the heavens - but my washing waves in vain
As I rush to get the horses in - in case it's gonna rain.
I spend up every cent I've got - on horsey stuff for sure.
I buy saddles, bridles, fancy boots - and then I buy some more.
I can't sew on a button - I don't even try.
But I can back a truck and trailer - in the twinkling of an eye.
It's jeans and boots that I live in night and day
And that smell of sweaty horses just doesn't wash away.
I ache from long forgotten falls.
My knees have got no skin.
My toes have gone a funny shape - from being stomped on again and again.
But late at night, when all is still - and I've gone to give them hay, I touch their velvet softness and my worries float away.
They give a gentle nicker and they nuzzle through my hair And I know it's where my heart is - more here than anywhere.
~ Author Unknown


I've been slacking off from posting and from seeing Lucas this week. Crappy weather combined with year end (working in the accounting department has its downsides) has kept me at home recovering and staying warm. Lucky me, this is only the first year end, although my deadlines got tightened, this is only a warm up to April!

Ground work

Don't know if you've noticed yet or not but I'm a big believer in ground work. Today we went out and did some showmanship set ups, and working with cones (and my ability to to figure out when to stop in relation to them!). Our trot to halt transitions were not so hot. I need to loosen up my upper body so that he can see me moving more... I don't think my stiffness is helping his reading my body language. Then I got the whip out (as a hand extension) and did some turn on the forehand and then some side passing while on the ground. He was reasonably good he tyred kicking, and biting me but gave up after a bit of a fight and went along with it. Its nothing he doesn't know how to do, I wonder what goes on in his brain sometimes that makes him think that striking out is ok when you are frustrated.

Leg is fantastic!! He had another good turnout in the indoor we're hoping by the weekend that we might be able to turn him out outside for a bit. I'm going to start driving him soon to start working up both our fitness levels so we'll be ready to ride by the end of the month.

I was noticing tonight that Lucas has really adapted to what I can and cannot do. I cant hold my hand flat to feed him treats so he eats them out of my fingers, and is very care full to only pick the treats with his lips. He also picks his legs up funny (because I cannot wrap my hand around his leg) and holds them up on his own so I can use both hands to pick out his feet. He is also very good to lead (even when not working working on showmanship) and is very good about haltering and bridling.

Lucas got to play

Lucas finally got to play with a buddy today for the first time since he got hurt! One of the kids had just finished riding when I got to the barn today (who's horse used to go out with Lucas) and I asked her if we could 'borrow' him for a bit so with the BO blessings we turned him out with Lucas in the indoor. By this time Lucas had already had his turnout time in the indoor earlier, and this gelding had been worked decently hard so we thought there would be less chance of them running too much.

Well it kinda worked. Lucas was doing donuts around the younger gelding, biting him and rearing at him trying to get him to play! And they didn't do too much it was actually better when the other gelding gave in and ran a bit because then Lucas wasn't bucking and rearing, he would just trot after him. They played for about 5 minutes then groomed each other for 10. I think Lucas was missing the horsey interaction.

And there was no difference between the front legs when they were done. No extra heat or swelling even quite a bit later. Hopefully were on the upswing!

Goals for 2011

So and I quote goals for 2010,

"And for next year;

1) To a great show season with Lucas :) I hope I can continue to ride for a few more years but when that time comes, he should be able to learn how to drive so that we can show in harness.

2) To good friends, and fun at all the shows.

3) I hope that my job continues to go well, and that I might get a raise soon ;)

4) to good National lists for the Apps :)

umm yeah so thats it! All I can say is that I hope the new decade turns out alot better health wise for me than the last one. And now Im off to the barn, to ride the year out in style :) "

Well we did have a great show season, the first show was a bit of a write off but we both improved as the summer went on. I love showing with my friends on the AQHA circuit. Some of my best friends I have met though quarter horses, and friends that have stuck though me thick, thin, and sickness and health.

The job is ok. The better I feel the more I want to just go clean stalls and work horses. Its high stress and low paying.

We did end up on the national list for the Apps, reserve in the open 2yo mares, and earning her open and amature superiors in Halter (and about 10 points away from her youth one as well) She got hurt in June, and was sound by the end of the summer but the owners have brought her gradually back into work and hope to show her under saddle for the summer.

Goals for 2011:

1) If we get to shows this summer I want to enter the ring as confident and as happy as I entered the show ring at the last show! None of this worrying about what everyone is thinking about, no one else's opinions matter EXCEPT the judge!

2) To win a showmanship class at an open show. Lucas is broke enough and talented enough, its just me holding him back! There is lots of local competition so it should be tough enough to keep me working all year.

3) Hope that the RA stopes progressing and that the new drugs continue to improve my symptoms.

4) Go for a ride 'outside' of the ring this summer. Maybe just a walk on the lawn with the kids, but we both (me and Lucas that is) need to get more comfortable without fences all around us.

5) To put Lucas back into a 'normal' snaffle at some point this year. No twisted wires, no curbs, no ports. This will be a chalange but its time for us to try it, if we ever want to try dressage it is the one thing that we NEED to do.

6) Either teach Lucas to ground drive, or refersh his memory. Its possible that he was ground driven before, but I think thats somthing that were going to start working on soon.

So this should do for now, I may amend this at some point but we'll see how the year progresses!

Pictures!

This is the real reason we have so many problems with Lucas front feet, he really toes in on the front.




And then 2 photos, the top one is from yesterday (with my android so less quality) and the second one is from last year Jan 9th






If anything it shows how much more I can trust him now and how he's listening to me for guidence. I basicly told him 'whoa' and ran around to get the photo where the one from last year I was still having to Lunge him with a chain over his nose.

And last but not least!





Once I got a profile shot, Lucas followed me around because he wanted a picture of his 'good side' on the blog :)

I love 'show' horses some days.

As I mentioned yesterday, Lucas got a bath. Being the pampered show pony that he is, he has yet to have a roll in the indoor :) It does amaze me somedays that he thinks he should stay clean and the silly little stuff that must go on in his mind. It took him 3 months outdoors without snow for him to finaly have a good roll outside. He would wait untill I gave him free time in the indoor to do it, because he didnt want to get dirty. It comes in really handy at the shows, he loves the clean shavings.


We did our half hour of walking today, then I took some pictures of him all clean and shiny. When our wireless internet is back up I will post them. I tried to get some video but it is just too dark in the indoor. I also made him play with the ball a bit and was able to bounce it off every leg. So hes not scared of it... Were still discussing what to do with him for turnout. Hes not really happy by himself and its now going to be too mucky outside again for him to go out. Were looking at options for an inside turn out buddy but we dont want him to run too much. The only real option is Tanker, who Lucas loves to the point of obsession. They wouldnt run around too much... but he might try to mount her.... sigh.... please geld your geldings early!

maybe im wrong

Well today was bath day at the barn. It was really warm out so although nice for bathing it means that there is less of a chance of lucas going outside. Lucas was feeling really well in the indoor, playing and showing off all of his dressage moves! I'm glad he's feeling better! I make the dession not to press on him then he shows off! Ill try and get some video tomorrow. My iv has triggered an awful head cold so I'm grounded anyways!

Happy new years everyone!