Dear Horse Trainers (and the prople that employ them)

Dear Horse Trainers.

We are watching you. 

We see you trashing other trainers/owners/riders/breeders on facebook.  We see you riding horses with cut open sides, ripped mouths, and fried minds. 

We know you killed that horse and buried it before the owners showed up.  We know that you tied that horse under so tight it flipped itself over backwards and broke its wither.  We know that nice gelding you had last summer is now unrideable and rears every time a saddle is placed on its back because of what you did to it.

We know that you 'trained' that horse for TWO years and then sent it home to its heartbroken owners saying it would be no good.  That horse with TWO years of training didn't know its canter leads, and then we watched a decent 4-H rider help him figure them out. 

We know that '2yo colt with 5 rides' youtube video shot in December, meant that the colt had been ridden for 6 months.

We know you high tie your horses at shows all night.  We know your 'novice amateur' husband is teaching lessons at home.



We know, and we're tired of it.  If we horse lovers don't stop you PETA will stop all of us.  We will stop you first. 

FYI - all of the above has happened within a 2 hour drive radius of my home.  I'm sick and tired of it.

I thought I retired???

So a full day at the barn with our slave child, she stayed the night at the farm with her mom and started chores at 6:30 am this morning! By the time I showed up at 8:30 (normally the horses are fed at 7 on weekdays and 8 on weekends) She had everyone fed, turned out and most of the stalls done!

Good news is that D did finally get his surgery on Friday afternoon, and is expected to make a full and complete recovery! It will be a long summer for him, not being able to ride until it heals but we'll put him into the bar-tender position for the summer shows!

On another front.... Last Thursday we lost (as in they left) a horse that was in training. The horse was on a mini-vacation (for the past 2 weeks, would have made up for that later in the month) from an abscess but its still money out the door. On the one hand its one less stall to clean, and one less horse to turnout but...

Today one of the kids (well shes 17) announced that she might take her horse home tomorrow because D wouldn't be there to ride it. No notice to C or D, just a casual mention that he might be going home. I managed to convince her that she shouldn't leave without talking to C or D and that waiting one or two days would not be unreasonable. C is still able to ride, and D can still give her lessons... I guess her and her family was thinking that it might be less work, Im thinking that its just going to be less money for C and D when they come home. D often does lessons instead of training sessions but I think this girl just wanted to show up at the show and have it all done, and now D cant do it so shes going home.

The lady who's horse D was riding when he got hurt called on Friday to tell us she was coming to ride her horse today. It wasn't the horses fault at all, but she wanted a couple of people around just in case. (she was also there when it happened) So I lunged him on Friday and did some showmanship with him, just to get some kinks worked out. I then did showmanship with the kids, then home. This morning I brushed both studs (a yearling goodbar colt and our 3 yo radical hour colt) and lunged the 3yo stud. We worked the halter horse, and lunged the appaloosa filly with a saddle on. Then we had all 3 of the younger kids riding, and the Lady rode while the kids did showmanship.

I thought I retired from all of this? I do miss it a bit, but Im exhausted!!!

Poor Lucas is having the Week off, although he got a good bush, did showmanship and we played in the indoor last night too. Hopefully riding again on Monday, and figure out whats going on with his left lead canter when I can have some eyes on the ground!

Finaly got to the barn!

I haven't been out to the barn since Tues (and then it was for only 5 min) so I went out today and had some pony time. Gossiped with the barn owners for a bit and then brought Lucas in from outside and brushed him. He is finllay starting to shed!! Well either that or its just the normal hair that I haven't been able to bush off him like normal.

I drove him for a bit and he was ok, but full of it, but hes only been going outside and not doing much of anything. Hes almost worse when there is nothing else going on in the indoor, every little noise made him jump. He was happy to see me and to be working again, he gets so board so quickly!

So starting next week the BO is going to put some rides on him once a week or so, hopefully when Im there and then I can get on and feel what hes fixed. Its more of an attitude adjustment than training, and it will allow us to set some mini-goals for the next couple of months before show season starts. Ive made the decision that putting that money aside for the riding 2-3 times a month will be better spent then me putting one month of training on when I cant be there for every ride. And I need to be able to fix stuff, not just the trainer.

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!!

Its finaly hit me.

I am...

...an amateur. *sigh* there I said it!

I kind of hit me today. I was thinking last night how, although Im happy with Lucas' preformance under saddle (rode again last night more about that later) I keep thinking that he should be moving along faster, I mean come on, its been over a month.

Thats when it hit me.

The last time I rode a horse on a semi-perment basis.... I was training horses full time. I was riding every day, I was fit and had alot of time to work with the horses. If the horse needed more than an hour it got it.

I dont have that luxury any more! I only get to ride at the most 2x a week. Im out of shape, and I have a time limit on my barn time now (If I want to get to work awake in the morning anyways!)

Although the RA and school has kept me out of the saddle, before that I was riding horses at the top of there game. Now Im looking at Lucas and where I want to be, (and where both of us USED to be),, how long is it going to us take to get there?




Other than that my ride went well the other night. Still lots of transitions, keeping him thinking and moving. Then stoping and really 'resting' hes always waiting and a bit nervious when we stop I want him to realize that when we stop to take a break, we really need to relax and take a break! Hes still leaning onto the bit going to the left but now Im balanced enough, that I pull him in a circle to break him from leaning. He needs to be tied around, but Im worried that hes not able to do it vs. not wanting to do it. My brothers girlfiriend is a massage theripist (really she is and shes good!!) she does horses for 'fun' shes not trained on horses per say but has ridden from a young age and knows the horses muscle groups. Anyways Im going to get her out and see what she thinks. I really think that my western saddle doesnt fit... the one horse it doesnt fit... and I bought the horse *sigh* lol

If wishes were horses...

New 2yo pics. First one just showing how her coat looks, and how shes growing well, just furry around her belly now.
Sassy troting

Starting to think that we should be thinking HUS not western pleasure!!

Got asked to train another horse this weekend. The owner just moved home from out west and needs someone to keep him going (she only really likes to sit there/show) Its very tempting, but almost impossible logisticly. But this is what kills me about the horse industry, letting go and moving on. I was there when this particular horse was born. Hell for that matter I held the mare when she was inseminated!! Its hard to let go, esp when hes been in full time training out west for 2 full years, and would be easy to maintain.

Went and looked at the 2yo today. Shes on a good program to get her final point that she needs for her superiour in halter at the first show (hopefully!!) Shes still on the little side for me to ride but we'll see what happens.

Luck

Well Ive been recovering from the stress of last week (and mentaly relaxing... but have had a test every day so far ...) Ive been reading some of the form topics on pleasurehorse.com. On in paticular kinda pricked my ears up. It was about a womans feelings that if she isnt going to at least have a chance at winning why should she show. Responses varried from 'for fun', to take a break, but one really got me thinking.....

"Someone told me a couple weeks ago that they battle their nerves by chanting something to the effect of, "I am SO lucky to be here. I am SO lucky to have this horse. I am SO lucky, so lucky, so lucky..." I thought that was truly wonderful advice. We really ARE lucky, but we all need to remind ourselves of that from time-to-time:)"

And that made me really sit back. Yeah Im stressing about showing this summer, and money, and finding enough time to ride, and to ride WELL in that time, but I started thinking about whats happened in one year.

One year ago they found the lump in my neck with swolen glands all around it. The doctors thought I had HL. I seriously thought for 2 weeks that I was going to die. Or that if I lived I would be dealing with cancer for a long time, on top of the RA that I was just managing to function with. I couldnt ride, and when I got on it was only for a 'pony' ride due to the pain the RA was putting on my joints. I had to tell the owner of the yearling that I would try that, summer but depending on treatment I might not be able to handle a yearling.

And now....So Im making my "I'm so lucky" list!!

* Im almost pain free thanks to Remicade. When my joints are bad they feel really bad, but it is less swelling than what I had on a normal daily basis before.

*I have fantastic friends (esp one...) that have stood by thought it all. And keep pushing just enough so I dont take the easy route out.

*I can ride again!!! No I will never ride like I did when I was 24 (aparently this is a commen thing as you get older!) But I can get on, ride well and have fun again.

*I have great people who are happy to let me ride there horses into the ring (so so lucky for this!) And who have gone out of there way to prep these horses to make my life easer.

*I had the oppertunity to go back to school to hopefully get a great job, that will allow me to do what I want with the horses, so it remains fun.

*That it is not cancer.


That comment made me think of somthing else too. Back when I was grooming in Ont, and working for a crappy employeer, I called my mom to talk about my week and how things were ok and bad all at the same time. She said and I quote "will you listen to yourself? You would have died when you were 12 to even stand next to these people, or to touch there horses!" And its true I would have died a happy death at 12 if I had known all the horses and people I would work with lol. Kinda makes you wonder whats comming next?

Long week

Well I did the clinic. I only rode the 2 lessons the first day and one each the next two days. Yes I wimped out, but I just couldnt keep going. My muscles were trying so hard to keep balanced that I just couldnt be effective. How the hell am I going to show?? If I've only got about 70 min of good riding time per day.... thats one warm up and one good class. My friend has said that she'll help however she can but its not the same as having your own butt in the saddle. And she has her own horses that she'll be trying to show.

The 2yo should be ok. She lunges/warms up in 15-20 min last year and was in "show mode". More than likely she'll also only be in walk trot classes with one other horse. Allows me to work on 2 gaits, and shes very used to showing in all of the rings.

The pally on the other hand should be intresting. Hopefully she's as quitet on the show grounds as she is at home. Im going to start riding her this week, after shes been off sence November so it should be intresting.

Oh and the owners of the 2yo started her this week....grrrrrrrrr..... I mean we talked about it they agreed to let me work her once I got school done, and truthfully if you had a 'trainer' (even if she is a Hasbeen) that worked/workes with some of the top QH trainers around, that was going to take your horse for free and train it, wouldnt you wait?? Fuck she was an idiot at her first show in lungline and I managed to fix her, and all we heard was "wow, didnt know it was the same horse"...... and they caused all the problems. Friend says I should just buy her, but untill I get a job, that doesnt work, and even then how much will she cost now with all of the points I put on her?

Rough week for horse related accidents as well. First a lady falls of her horse and breaks her spine, and they dont know how that is going to turn out..... 50/50 she'll walk again. And a young teenager felll of another horse and died on the way to the hospital. Makes you wonder why we do this... or more importantly why I'm doing it.......................................................................