Off topic,

Chilly is good, as we near the end of my 'lease' were starting to do the advertising, and test rides that come with putting a horse up for sale.  I'm a bit sad about it, but I knew going in that this was not a horse I could purchase, and that we would have fun together this summer but go our separate ways in the end.

We had a person come and try her out last week.  It was hard having someone pick your pony apart and watching her ride, but Chilly handled herself wonderfully, and was excellent and I was so pleased with how she behaved with a strange rider on her back.

We're talking about putting Lucy back to work and I think she's 50/50 on that idea, I moved her to a new pasture today and after I turned her loose, I tried to catch her again to fix her halter and she casualty walked quickly away, I think she liked the new grass more than me!

In other RA related news, one of my side effects of my drugs has been extreme hair loss/thinning of all of my hair.  On one hand it means I only shave my legs about every two weeks in the summer, on the other, my hair on my head is desperately thin and you can see my scalp all over. When I put my hair up in a pony tail I have a hard time finding elastics small enough, and my pony tail is much thinner than the thickness of a person's baby finger (think about the thickness of a pencil, and that is all of my hair).

My brother is getting married in October and my biggest worry is how my hair (or lack of) was going to look in all of his photos.  Apparently my mom was thinking the same thing, last night she picked me up at work and we spent just over 2 hours at a hairdresser/wig shop.

And we came home with a hair piece.  I wasn't sure about the entire process but I love the final look.  Its so easy to put on, just 4 little hair clips, and it looks like my hair!  The girls at work will know is different, but everyone else was so used to seeing me in ball hats they just thought I got my hair highlighted and better shaped.

Pictures of Lucas and his new owner

And we say goodbye

I got my IV this afternoon, not as bad as we expected, running a little bit of a temp but not nearly as sick as I was with the Orencia.  Although I'm glad I skipped lunch just in case :)  My dad picked me up at the clinic this afternoon, and because I wasn't feeling so bad I decided to go out to the barn and say good bye to Lucas.

I let him go and have a roll, then I got him all cleaned up and got his tail brushed out.  He looks like a million bucks, and he should make his new owner proud when he steps off the trailer tomorrow.

Sooner rather than later

Well its starting to look like Lucas will be on his way on Friday.  "I" and her parents have gotten in touch and have arranged the down payment and set out a payment plan for him for the next couple of months.  However the down payment will be made on Thursday, not the end of the month like we thought.  Which means that Lucas is leaving on Friday for the show that C and D are going to and will be picked up by "I" and her coach at the show.

Its kind of good, the remainder of his board money will pay off D and C's part (contracts, adds ect) and I wont be out of pocket for his shoeing in two weeks.  It does mean that I have less time to say good by, as I have my IV on Thursday night and they will be leaving on Friday while I will be working.

The happy / sad issue remains.  Happy he's going to someone who will appreciate him, and use him, sad that he's going, and with it a huge part of my life over the past couple of years.

C suggested today that I used the week I booked off in August and go to the USA with her to a couple of Appaloosa shows.  Its something that now that Lucas is off my 'books' I can afford to do.  I had half planed to go to a horse show locally (I had booked the time off before I stopped riding) but this would give me a chance to have my first real vacation since Congress in 2008.  So we'll see if I can get the time off work, and go from there.

Ajusting

So although I shed a few tears yesterday, I'm feeling much better about the decision today.  Every time I start feeling a little sad for myself, I remember how excited "I" was when she found out that she was going to be his new owner, and the grin on her face when she cantered him for the first time.  I'm still sad for me, but I'm happy for Lucas and "I".  

"I" has just turned 16, and this will be her first horse, she's been leasing a horse (which is one of the reasons Lucas is staying put until the end of the month, she had to give notice on that horse) and showing a little but is excited about how much Lucas can teach her over the next couple of years. 

Her coach sent me a message on facebook yesterday thanking me for helping them make "I"'s dream come true.  She said that it was all she talked about on the way home and is really excited.  They live about an hour and a half away so close enough I can go and see him, but not so close that I would worry about seeing him all the time.

I'm kind of excited about having a little more spending money now that I wont be paying for Lucas upkeep, it will be nice to be able to buy a new pair of pants for work without plotting for weeks about it. 

The plan is now to keep playing with Chilly and see how the IV goes next week.  I don't want to buy again right now.  This has been a year of heart break and disappointment.  I'm not sure if I ever want to go though that again.

And he's sold.

We still have some details to work out and he's still mine until the end of the month but he's found a new home. She's a 16 to looking for her first horse. Her coach road him first, then she got on and he was awesome for both of them. She's really excited an although I'm a little sad I know that it's going to be a good fit.

Somthing to think about, and Stuff that I could use some help on.

So Lucas is officially for sale again.  As much as I love him, I know its the best thing for both of us.  Riding him has become too painful for me to do more often than once a week (I need a day free from work so I can recover and sleep).  He can be a bit of a pain in the a$$ when you ride him, but its mainly the fact that hes 16.3 hh and has a stride to match that's killing my back, hips and knees.  He's also board, and tired of having to do the same things over and over.  Seeing the enthusiasm on his face when the kids ride him and do different things makes me realize that he deserves to keep being ridden, shown and used to his full potential.  Sure I could keep him and just show him in halter and showmanship but I really think he wants to do more.

D and C as well as my friends are completely behind me on this and all of them are trying to help me find the best home possible for him.  It will be a sad day when he does leave the farm, but hopefully it will be so he can go to an even better home.

Meanwhile I don't know what I want to do.  Do I want to ride?  Could I handle riding a 'true' western pleasure horse on a regular basis?  Do I want to part lease a horse?  Do I want to find a young horse to lungeline and show halter again?  I'm not sure if I want to go into horse ownership again right away, and if I don't own the horse and something happens with my health I would have the option of returning the horse to the owners if I leased something.  C and D and my friends think that I should look long and hard but I should buy again (at least that's what they are saying to my face!).  Any thoughts?

Lots to think about

Kate from http://ayearwithhorses.blogspot.ca/  posted a link to this great blog post:

http://lopetexas.typepad.com/horse_tales/2012/04/the-right-match.htm

Talk about just the right timing.  So here's the question part of the blog and my answers on how they relate to Lucas and me.

Here are some questions that I have found useful to consider:

• Do you frequently postpone riding sessions with your horse because he is having physical problems? Is your horse ever sore (legs, back, withers, etc) after riding? Is this a consistent pattern?

Not really, I find more health reasons for me not to ride than I worry about Lucas.

• Have friends or family ever suggested to you that you might need a different type of horse? Has a trainer/instructor ever told you that your horse wasn’t a good match? Have multiple trainers/instructors suggested that you might want to reconsider your horse choice? Note: Multiple professionals giving you this type of feedback is a very serious signal to think about.

 Several people have suggested that I'm not happy, and neither is Lucas. 

•  Has anyone ever told you that they were worried that you were going to get hurt with your horse?

 My best friend is the only one that is concerned about my safety, but she knows what will happen if I fall off.  D and C recently admitted that they think he is becoming too 'bossy' for me, and a bit too strong.

• When you ride your horse, do you both progress steadily over time? Do you work on new things or always do the same routine? Are either of you bored?

I feel like we never progress, and he has so much training I have nothing to teach him and I love teaching new stuff to horses.  

• Do you have fun when you ride your horse? Note: If your stomach is churning and you only exhale every 15 minutes while in the saddle, you are not having fun.

No

• Do you put off learning more advanced riding techniques because you aren’t sure you and your horse can do those together? Note: Not everyone is interested in learning how to piaffe, but this question did help me realize what was going on with Sally and me.

 Yes, he has the talent (and truthfully so do I) but we never seem to get there.

• Do you spend more time on the ground with your horse (round pen work, hand walking, grooming, etc) than you do riding your horse? Note: This question is not directed at folks who have pasture pals they adore but don’t ride for a good reason (the horse is retired or in rehab, for example). The question is for people who have a horse they acquired for riding. 

Yes, I wish I could ride more often, but I don't for just about every reason under the sun.  Mostly lately its come down to a pain issue.

• How often have you ridden your horse without supervision (i.e., not in a lesson) in the past 6 months? In the past year? A low number (i.e., one that you can actually remember) is food for thought.

A reasonable number, what would be more interesting is what I do when no-one is around.  Mostly just walk-trot.

• Pretend for a minute that you HAVE to rehome your horse for a good reason (such as you just got offered a dream job in New Zealand and can’t take your horse there). How does that make you feel? Sad, excited, relieved? 

Relived, but sad.

• If you use a trainer for your horse, how long has your horse been in training with that person? Have you switched trainers since you’ve had your horse? If so, how many trainers has your horse been with in the last year? In the last two years?

We've only been with D and C, but the man I used to work with did give us a lesson in December.  If I just shut up the voice in my head and LISTEN to D I would be ahead of the game.

• Pretend for a minute that the horse person you trust or admire more than anyone (your current instructor, your most revered horsemanship master, your barn BFF, or Ray Hunt himself speaking from the grave) just sat you down and told you that your horse needs someone different. How do you react — are you angry (“What do they know?”), defiant (“I’ll show them and ride my horse in the Olympics one day”), concerned (“Oh no, what if they are right”) or sad (“I know they are right”)?

Sad, and I would agree

Eye opening to say the least.  As much as I love Lucas, I need to love him enough to find him a home where he will be happy all of the time. 

I did have a good lesson on Saturday with D. We worked on trot poles and getting the horses shoulders "up" and the horses rocked back on there haunches.  It was good because it gave me something to focus on so I couldn't stress about noises, or passing the other horse (or having the other horse pass us).  We ended up cantering though two of the poles then having to make a sharp right turn about 2 strides out of the poles.  It was a good exercise for both of us and made us sit back and think, instead of getting heavy and flat.

I'm a bad blogger

Work has been crazy, my back has been killing me, and I'm having some conflicting emotions about Lucas.  Some people emailed me wanting to know if he was still for sale, and although they reached the decision that in the end he was just going to be too tall for them it did make me think about things...

I haven't ridden since I rode 2 days in a row and had to miss work.  I'm worried that the pain will be too much the next day and I cant afford to miss work.  One of the kids (hes only 15 but taller than me) rode him on Wednesday night and had a great ride on him,  he thinks that Lucas is awesome, and really broke.  I don't know whats wrong with me.... why don't I like riding him?

A good ride and an eye opener

So I went and rode Lucas today. It was good and bad. Good because we had a 'stuck' free ride, and a good one where we worked together and had some fun. Its been a while and I realize now after working with the green horses at the 'home' barn how well trained he is, and how nice that can be! I've really missed his canter, although Lucy's jog was a lot easier to sit to!

It was bad however because the 'mild cough' that I was told about seems to be something more sinister. He's occasionally had a runny nose at odd times at home and at shows, and has always dunked his hay but now he has a nasty cough every once and a while. Hes not horrible, about 25% not right, and he is being treated for it, but I'm very glad he's coming home to our better ventilated barn. The old trainers place is nice for people (insulated and they use a lawn blower to 'sweep') but its not very horse health friendly.

The old boss did have some good hints about what to do and what to avoid, and like Mugs, http://mugwumpchronicles.blogspot.com/recommended that I not ride him in a nose band or ride in a very loose one. They've tried several different bridles with him and its not so much the bit, but how tight the nose band is, and how tight the curb is (if they ride him with one).

He also suggested that we mix the bits up, something different every couple of days to keep him from anticipating, and that Lucas needs a different program every ride. I just can't get on, do a little walk a little trot. I will need to keep his brain active and his body busy to keep him from getting stuck.

So we'll see how things go. He has a couple of weeks left on his meds, but the barn manager thought that a change in scenery (ie a barn with better ventilation, and more time outside in fresh air, along with better hay) he should be back to 100% in a week or two. Unofficially he's off the market for a couple of months although an old friend wants to come look at him, however any of that will wait till hes feeling better.

Its done

Lucas is coming home next week. I'm off to the old bosses place where he is kept, on Monday for a 'kick my ass' riding lesson on him, and then D and C are picking him up on Wednesday on there way home from the USA. They are taking there ZMGB stud colt to the US to be trained/marketed for a couple of months and can pick Lucas up in NB on the way back.

My parents have really surprised me this week, they are not really supportive of my 'horse addiction'. They have only seen Lucas twice the entire time that I have owned him and have never seen me ride him. However this week when we had to make a decision on what to do, they told me to bring him home so that at least I could go and ride him.

I got myself some brand new sneakers yesterday for Christmas to help with my fitness goals. My parents though that my broken down 3 yo sneakers were more of the cause of my ankle pain than the arthritis.

Well Im off to the family supper tonight at my aunts home, than my cousin and his family, and my brother and his girlfriend are coming over tomorrow night for Christmas supper at home. Hopefully I'll have pictures from our ride on Monday. Have a safe and Merry Christmas everyone!

Now What

Well we decided to back out of the deal to sell Lucas. The final offer was so low it was an insult to Lucas. Although Me and Lucas weren't always a great mix over the past year, he is still an extremely talented and quality horse, there was no way to even think about replacing him with something of equal quality in a western version with what we were offered.

In truth I'm not that upset.

So things are up in the air in the moment. I'm off to have a ride on him on Monday with the old boss and talk about options.

The Waiting Game.

Vet appointment is booked for Lucas early next week, cross your fingers all goes well and he'll be off to his new home before the New Year.

Still working with the Project Pony Max, who is doing very well with the saddling, and is just about ready to start driving next week. Hottie banged her leg up outside so she's getting a bit of a break while Max stays in more consistent work for another week or two.

I got to ride Lucy again last night and had some fun while getting her to lighten up her shoulders and front end. We are both horridly out of shape but we are setting some fitness and eating goals for me (and for Lucy) which should help both of us out over the next month or two.

Part way though the ride C remarked that I had now been riding Lucy longer than I had ridden Lucas for any one stretch last summer/spring. I guess that Lucy is just fun, and I can ask her to do stuff without having to worry about her reaction. We are still mostly just walk/trot with a little lope (well more like a canter) thrown in but that's something that will come with time. Its also SO nice to have a nice jog! Lucas trot wasn't bad but I don't hurt all over the next day when I ride Lucy.

Mixed Feelings x2

We are waiting for Lucas to pass a vet check.


In Project Pony news, Max got the saddle on for the first time today! Hes been wearing saddle pads and towels in the cross ties, so today after I lunged him for a bit I D to come out and toss a saddle on as I thought he was ready. So D came out, put the saddle on, tightened the girth up just enough to keep it in place and we went for a walk. He was fine. One of the kids came in to lunge her horse (only the second time he's been worked with another horse in the ring) and he was much more interested in her mare than the thing on his back.

So we banged on the saddle, made the training rings make noise, rubbed him all over, and bounced the stirrups on his side and then let him out on the lunge line where he walked around 5 or 6 times while being extremely board. The real bucks will come when he starts cantering and trotting and the saddle makes noise but he took it so well today it shouldn't be a problem. We're right on schedule to have him driving just before Christmas so he can have some time off to digest stuff.

I also took Hottie out and lunged her. Shes about 16.2hh right now at almost 3 and all western. She even bucks in slow motion which is really funny considering her size. She got to be a pasture pony as a 2 yo as she was growing too big to fast to even think about working her. (She got saddled and lunged as a 2 year old, and trailered to shows as a yearling but no riding) So she's on the hit list to get started come Jan when she'll be 3. Im not sure what we will end up doing with her, my guess would be that we'll put a light start on her then let her finish growing. Her legs are good, but with that much growth as a 2 yo its best to go short, sweet, and slow! Ill try to take my camera out tomorrow and take pictures.

Another update

Well things have been good here, Lucas is still not sold but we have had several promising phone calls so our fingers are still crossed.

Max is doing good, he now walks, trots, and canters and halts both directions with very little going wrong. He does occasionally try to stop, but if that's the worse that he does, that's not so bad! We hope to have the saddle on him in another week or two so that we can start ground driving him a bit in December. Once that is done he'll have a bit of a break over the coldest months to grow up a bit more.

And I actually got to ride a little bit on the weekend! Lucy, who gave birth to Chilly last March, is finally over the cut she got to her leg in early August. (Shes been sound on it for 2 months but C and D wanted to play it safe) So C got on her for a few minutes to make sure she wasn't too fresh and then I got on. It was so funny! Lucy is only about 15.1 hands (but old style QH, she wears the same girth as Lucas, on almost the same hole) and short backed. Lucas is too, but it was so different on a smaller horse! It also felt like she had NO neck, but I know she really does, its just not as long as Lucas. I realized that shes the first horse that I've ridden since I bought Lucas that wasn't him. It was just weird (although in a nice way too).

I kept trying to make Lucy trot out, and C kept telling me to slow down, poor Lucy must have been very confused. It was extremely nice to have smooth gaits and the slower speed of a WP horse. Even though I thought Lucas wasn't too rough, my back and joints didn't even bother me the next day after riding Lucy, and they would have if I had ridden Lucas.

Its been a couple of months now but Im sure now Im making the right direction. As much as I love Lucas hes not the right horse for me anymore. If the WP thing works out I might be able to ride for more than an hour without being completely exhausted and sore.

Visit with Lucas

Went up on Friday and had a bit of a vist with Lucas. He looks good, hes lost a touch of weight, but has gained some muscle in its place so its not a bad thing at all. He looks really good. No firm offers on him, but lots of people love him. (no surprise there!)

Went out to the barn today and played with one of the babies (well hes coming two) If he was a larger horse he would seriously be on the 'replacement' list but hes still on the small side. I also brushed a couple of the other horses and cliped a few too. Hopefully I'll take my camera out tomorrow and take a couple of pictures.

Update

Lucas is good :) And very happy at the old boss's place. Hes being ridden by some of the better riders who are currently horseless. We are still waiting for the final word from a lady that tried Lucas out.

Its been hard, but for the best that Lucas is away from me while this process is going on. Its been easer to say good bye when I dont see him every day. I still miss him but I think its a good transition to his new life.

Everything else is ok, not doing to much on the horsey front. Just playing with the weanlings at the barn and helping out there on the weekends.

I am such a bad blogger!

Sorry I've been missing in action. Im getting over a cold, and just about everyone horsey is away at Congress. Good news is that a kid I used to teach (whos now an amature, yikes) horse made the finals in the 3yo HUS Open, and a girl that stabled across from Lucas and me last summer made the finals in the Novice youth showmanship! This weekend is a busy one for the kids with the NYATT classes, and most of the Amature stuff goes next week so hopefully we'll have more great finishes!

In Lucas news, I drove up to the barn he's at and had a great visit with him. (and no tears!) Hes happy and well looked after, which is the most important thing. Lets hope we can find a great home for him.

Lucas up-date

So Lucas is doing good at the old boss' place. They call and give me an update every couple of days and hes getting lots of cookies from my friends. They have a couple of good leads, but he isnt sold yet. The really good part is that the Boss is riding him a couple of times a week to keep him tuned up, so that even if he comes home he will be an easier horse to ride.

Things are good at the barn, very quiet now that most of the horses are off on the Autumn vacation. Seems like everyone is off to Congress in the next week or two, makes me miss going and showing but atleast you can watch online.

http://envisionfilmvideo.com/live.html.

Alot has happened

Well alot has happened since my last post, Ive almost been to busy to write about it. I saw my RA doctor on the 23rd and shes decided to hold off on changing my meds for a bit. She is worried about the level of damange the RA is doing to my hands and my right ankle, but those are the worst, the rest are not as bad. So I have x-rays to be done on hands and ankles and then we go from there.

I ended up taking Lucas to our fun show at the barn (not like we needed to trailer to it!). And he was a super star as usual. We won our Halter and Showmanship classes, blew a lead (surprise) in the stake, and got second in the HUS class. I did well until that last class, and then I cried like a baby the entire second direction. We did ok but my lack of concentration hurt our placings. Thankfully my best friend only brought her barrel racer to the show and had time to get me sorted out before our Trail in hand class. So we ended up getting 5th out of 25 in the in hand trail class which I was impressed with as this was his first trail class. I will have pictures, my best friend took a ton as she knew how special and how hard that day was going to be.

The very next day I received an email from the former boss saying that he has some clients that were interested and asked me to send him up for a couple of weeks. So Lucas left on Thursday night for some time at his place, the old boss is going to ride him some and tune him up and have some of the kids that are looking ride him as well. Hopefully he will find a home up there as I know they will take care of him and show and enjoy him. I thought that I would want to go up with him but decided that I should just let him leave without upsetting us both. I have plans to go up next weekend to see him if hes not sold... Two good friends that have horses in the barn are taking him treats, and sharing some love with him until he gets a new person or comes home.... Im still not sure which would be better.