So I finally got into the new place on Wednesday night. You guys have no idea how nice Thursday and Friday were, instead of an hour drive into work and an hour drive home, my slowest drive home took all of 12 min. And that was due to some delays from construction. Fastest drive to work was just under 6 min (green lights all the way baby!)
Yesterday I spent the afternoon with my BF poking around the local tack shops then going to her place and playing with her ponies, puppies, and cats. Today is 'finish organizing the spare bedroom to turn it into a tack room' and laundry day. On Monday I'm going to try yoga for the first time (a special class for 'round' bodies new to yoga) and on Tuesday a bunch of us are going to the movies. So lots of social life kicking into gear.
I really am starting to think that I'd like to have a critter of some sort at my apartment. Is so quiet when I get home at night... Something to think about anyways... Leaning towards a cat, but will have to work out some details first (like making sure they are allowed in my apartment!)
I'm going home every weekend for the rest of October and I'll get to ride Oscar later this week. But I also have a line on a potential lease horse up here and if that doesn't work out I might have lessons starting in November. The horse thing has just slowed down it hasn't stopped.
Showing posts with label oscar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label oscar. Show all posts
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Packing
Well my final month at home has flown by, I'm still in the process of packing and trying to figure out where to put everything but its starting to come together now. I still have a pile of tack that I haven't quite figured what to do with yet. I'm hoping to set up my spare bedroom as a tack room/libary but its going to take some figuring out. And really until I get the necessary things in and settled I think the tack is going to live at my parents for a bit longer...
I've been having fun riding Oscar but late last week he got hurt so I'm not sure how much riding the two of us have left over the next 2 weeks.
Oscar lives most of his time outside but as the weather gets colder, C & D are bringing him in at night. He lives in a tie stall when he is in the barn. For some reason on Thursday night Oscar freaked out in his stall and got a leg over his tie. It has a panic snap, and he wears a leather halter but nothing gave that night. Thankfully D was only feet away, and he ended up climbing over Oscar and unhooking him even as Oscar struggled and panicked.
Oscar rubbed off some hair from behind his knee and is still tender, but the swelling and is going down each day, and remarkably he's stayed sound the entire time. However he's off work (and is spending some time totally sucking up for treats) for a week at the least. I'm a bit sad that I can't ride him, and I don't know how much riding I'm going to get over the next couple of months... Thats the only bad part about moving.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Moving on
Well its official I spend my first night in my new apartment in exactly 3 weeks from today!
I'm excited and sad all at the same time. Moving to the city means that the barn is no longer a 10 min drive from home. And with my brothers wedding coming up next month my weekends at the barn with Oscar are looking few and far between.
Its a new chapter right? Without a barn to spend ALL my time at I might actually meet new people and even find time for a boyfriend again.
And the new hair is great. Its amazing, you think that no one but you cares about your appearance but the number of people at work who have told me that they love it, is amazing. A couple even cried they were so happy for me. Kind feels like a whole new me, its funny how something so small can change your perception of yourself.
I've ridden Oscar twice and hes sooooo different than Chilly and hes soooo excited to having me riding him again. He's come to the gate both times at a trot when I've gone to get him which is fun. Hes more up-hill, and higher headed, but oh so much more broke!
I'm excited and sad all at the same time. Moving to the city means that the barn is no longer a 10 min drive from home. And with my brothers wedding coming up next month my weekends at the barn with Oscar are looking few and far between.
Its a new chapter right? Without a barn to spend ALL my time at I might actually meet new people and even find time for a boyfriend again.
And the new hair is great. Its amazing, you think that no one but you cares about your appearance but the number of people at work who have told me that they love it, is amazing. A couple even cried they were so happy for me. Kind feels like a whole new me, its funny how something so small can change your perception of yourself.
I've ridden Oscar twice and hes sooooo different than Chilly and hes soooo excited to having me riding him again. He's come to the gate both times at a trot when I've gone to get him which is fun. Hes more up-hill, and higher headed, but oh so much more broke!
Monday, September 1, 2014
Final show with Chilly
Well today was a very bittersweet day, my last show with Chilly. We ended up High Point Senior Green Horse (won all of her green classes), and got 2nd in one of our AQHA NA showmanship classes. Our High Point award was a trophy chair, my first one ever!
This means that Chevy has now produced a point earner (well 1/2 a point) in his first foal crop! I'm so happy of that, I belive in him and in his foals and its nice to show that to the rest of our showing community.
If you had told me a year ago that I would be helping to break out and ride a three year old all winter and spring and then showing her all summer and loving it I would have called you a liar. However the real risk takers were D and C, they gave me the opportunity to ride and show a great horse, when my health hasn't been the greatest (and there were a few people who questioned my decision to ride a green horse!). This summer we've shown what great minded and quality horses they are producing. Sure there were days when I had to take care of Chilly, but there were days that Chilly really took care of me. I did shed a tear or two on the way home, but the closing of one door just means another is opening up just around the next bend.
Our show was great, our final showmanship pattern for the AQHA class was one of our best, and she was fantastic in the ring to show in the pleasure classes. In our first pleasure class we actually had to go against the assistant trainer of my former boss riding one of his horses. Chilly was great and won the class. Normally the old boss can be grumpy when his student get beat but he came over afterwords and congratulated me on my win.
Lucas was at the show, and totally bombed out the first day in showmanship. So although I hate stepping on toes I asked 'I' if I could tune them up a little bit the next day. I've forgotten how much fun showmanship was with him. In under 30 seconds it was like we hadn't been apart for 3 years. 'I' then went in and got 2nd in a tough class filled with kids prepping for congress.
Although Chilly's showmanship is good, she'll never be the showmanship horse that Lucas was, but her slower mind (she needs a moment to process the command then preform that command) means that she'll never be the spooky hot horse that Lucas was either.
And in a month I will finally move out of my parents house and into my own place. My parents took me back in when I got sick, then kept me while I went back to school and then while I paid off student loans from going back to school. It will be my first time living on my own with RA. I still have the lease on Oscar for two months, and his owners have told me that even when that is over if I'm home, to take him for a ride. My brother is also getting married in October so the next couple of months will be busy!
This means that Chevy has now produced a point earner (well 1/2 a point) in his first foal crop! I'm so happy of that, I belive in him and in his foals and its nice to show that to the rest of our showing community.
If you had told me a year ago that I would be helping to break out and ride a three year old all winter and spring and then showing her all summer and loving it I would have called you a liar. However the real risk takers were D and C, they gave me the opportunity to ride and show a great horse, when my health hasn't been the greatest (and there were a few people who questioned my decision to ride a green horse!). This summer we've shown what great minded and quality horses they are producing. Sure there were days when I had to take care of Chilly, but there were days that Chilly really took care of me. I did shed a tear or two on the way home, but the closing of one door just means another is opening up just around the next bend.
Our show was great, our final showmanship pattern for the AQHA class was one of our best, and she was fantastic in the ring to show in the pleasure classes. In our first pleasure class we actually had to go against the assistant trainer of my former boss riding one of his horses. Chilly was great and won the class. Normally the old boss can be grumpy when his student get beat but he came over afterwords and congratulated me on my win.
Lucas was at the show, and totally bombed out the first day in showmanship. So although I hate stepping on toes I asked 'I' if I could tune them up a little bit the next day. I've forgotten how much fun showmanship was with him. In under 30 seconds it was like we hadn't been apart for 3 years. 'I' then went in and got 2nd in a tough class filled with kids prepping for congress.
Although Chilly's showmanship is good, she'll never be the showmanship horse that Lucas was, but her slower mind (she needs a moment to process the command then preform that command) means that she'll never be the spooky hot horse that Lucas was either.
And in a month I will finally move out of my parents house and into my own place. My parents took me back in when I got sick, then kept me while I went back to school and then while I paid off student loans from going back to school. It will be my first time living on my own with RA. I still have the lease on Oscar for two months, and his owners have told me that even when that is over if I'm home, to take him for a ride. My brother is also getting married in October so the next couple of months will be busy!
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| Chilly had her head twisted to look at the horse being bathed next to the ring but I love this shot anyway. |
Saturday, May 17, 2014
More new stuff, and we loped, and loped and loped....
On Tuesday I finally got to ride again! We ended up outside and at first I was completely sure that I wasn't going to ride Chilly. She was having a ball, running and bucking on the lungline and I was convinced that the safest place to be that day was on the ground.
However after about 20 minutes of babyish behavior she settled down. I took some time to walk her over the outside trail course (about 5 different obstacles set up with painted poles as well as the trail bridge) which she handled like she'd seen painted poles all her life. You know how some horses have an issue with different colors, and how a plain white pole in the indoor looks nothing like the striped colorful poles in the outdoor. No big deal. So I figured what the heck, Lucy was an idiot the first 10 times she was in the outdoor and I still rode her, Chilly had 20 minutes of fun after having almost 2 weeks off....
So I got on, I have to apologize I half thought this baby stuff would be entertaining for you, my readers, but I'm afraid to say this turns out like all my other Chilly stories. I got on her and she was excellent. Walked and jogged all around the trail stuff and the outdoor like a big horse. (It did help that there were 3 other adult horses in the ring who we've ridden with several times, and I lent her turnout buddy Oscar to a friend so he was even out there too) We even walked over 5 poles in a row, her first time walking over poles with someone on her back. After about 10 minutes I was good. I conquered the fear bird, but it was IV week so I was drained.
D got on her for a bit and worked her a little harder than I did, and even jogged over some of the single poles lying around.
I got my IV on Thursday which killed my Thursday plans, no matter how hard I try I just can't do more than eat supper then watch TV until I fall asleep on the couch.
Friday we lunged and did showmanship (shes really doing well with it) then today we had another lesson with D. Some days I wish he would push me harder although while the lesson is going on I don't want to be pushed at all!
We did a bunch of jogging and walking on the rail while the other girls loped, then D used the trick we all use on little kids that arn't sure about loping, the game of 'catch up'. Every time you are the leader you have to lope all the way around until you catch up with the group of horses again where you become the last horse in the line. And it worked. We did almost run into a horse once, and we never loped more than 1/2 of the ring (mostly because it took 1/2 a trip around at a fast trot to pick up a lope) but we did it several times.
Once we changed direction, D had me jogging a small circle at either end (the other girls stayed in the center) and as we left the center of our circle, going back to the short end of the arena to extend to a trot on my urging, then once she was trotting to push her to lope off down the long side. We had some better transitions this way, when I asked for the long trot we stayed together more than when she just trotted off on her own, and she could really see that the lope cue was not just a 'faster' cue but something different. This meant that we were only really loping a long side before coming back to a jog, but it also helped both of us relax into the jog, we knew we had to long trot before we loped and that was very different from the slow jog circles.
All in all a good couple of days with the girl. Only two weeks until our first big show, stay tuned.
However after about 20 minutes of babyish behavior she settled down. I took some time to walk her over the outside trail course (about 5 different obstacles set up with painted poles as well as the trail bridge) which she handled like she'd seen painted poles all her life. You know how some horses have an issue with different colors, and how a plain white pole in the indoor looks nothing like the striped colorful poles in the outdoor. No big deal. So I figured what the heck, Lucy was an idiot the first 10 times she was in the outdoor and I still rode her, Chilly had 20 minutes of fun after having almost 2 weeks off....
So I got on, I have to apologize I half thought this baby stuff would be entertaining for you, my readers, but I'm afraid to say this turns out like all my other Chilly stories. I got on her and she was excellent. Walked and jogged all around the trail stuff and the outdoor like a big horse. (It did help that there were 3 other adult horses in the ring who we've ridden with several times, and I lent her turnout buddy Oscar to a friend so he was even out there too) We even walked over 5 poles in a row, her first time walking over poles with someone on her back. After about 10 minutes I was good. I conquered the fear bird, but it was IV week so I was drained.
D got on her for a bit and worked her a little harder than I did, and even jogged over some of the single poles lying around.
I got my IV on Thursday which killed my Thursday plans, no matter how hard I try I just can't do more than eat supper then watch TV until I fall asleep on the couch.
Friday we lunged and did showmanship (shes really doing well with it) then today we had another lesson with D. Some days I wish he would push me harder although while the lesson is going on I don't want to be pushed at all!
We did a bunch of jogging and walking on the rail while the other girls loped, then D used the trick we all use on little kids that arn't sure about loping, the game of 'catch up'. Every time you are the leader you have to lope all the way around until you catch up with the group of horses again where you become the last horse in the line. And it worked. We did almost run into a horse once, and we never loped more than 1/2 of the ring (mostly because it took 1/2 a trip around at a fast trot to pick up a lope) but we did it several times.
Once we changed direction, D had me jogging a small circle at either end (the other girls stayed in the center) and as we left the center of our circle, going back to the short end of the arena to extend to a trot on my urging, then once she was trotting to push her to lope off down the long side. We had some better transitions this way, when I asked for the long trot we stayed together more than when she just trotted off on her own, and she could really see that the lope cue was not just a 'faster' cue but something different. This meant that we were only really loping a long side before coming back to a jog, but it also helped both of us relax into the jog, we knew we had to long trot before we loped and that was very different from the slow jog circles.
All in all a good couple of days with the girl. Only two weeks until our first big show, stay tuned.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Feeling like you ride like crap, then having your mind changed.
So on Wednesday night I went out and had a little ride on Chilly. We just did walk/trot for about 20 minutes. We were both a little stiff still from the weekend but it was good to get back in the saddle.
Thursday night we ended up having two other horses in the ring with us and silly me still wanted to work on our 'goals', Chilly just wanted to hang out with the other horses. I was pushing to get back to where we were when we ended off on Sunday but Chilly was focusing on the other horses and what they were doing. I kept going and even tried to lope her in a circle. The other girls waited at the other end of the ring so that we could do a 20 meter circle at one end, but again Chilly just wanted to be with her friends. We had several near misses, as we drifted away from our circle and into the crowd. At one point I nearly came off as I tried to get her to turn, and she ran towards the other horses. We did lope a bit down each long side to end on a decent note and then went back to the rail with the other girls and long trotted her for a bit to let her and me burn off some frustration. A lot of my issues were that I was bracing though my entire body trying to keep it together, and hold my position in hopes that it would keep me in the saddle.
I went home feeling like a bit of a failure. What kind of rider was I if I couldn't even canter a circle or sit to what I have been told is a very easy to sit lope.
But like the good horse student I am I went home and made a list of what good has happened in that ride-
-We rode with 2 other horses in the ring and were able to avoid them at all times (other than while cantering) this is a huge impovement in 2 weeks.
-Despite the fact that I was loose in the saddle and Chilly was somewhat out of control, she stayed under me. A more nervous youngster, or one that didn't care about her rider could have ducked a shoulder and spun out from under me with very little effort.
-We loped within 3-5 long trot steps several times. On the weekend it was taking 10-15 steps of long trotting to get even a step of a lope.
I think my 'goals' of loping lots of circles right away weren't such a great idea. I have to remember that she doesn't have a ton of saddle time, and that as calm and mature as she seems she's still a baby.
So on Saturday D told me to tack up Oscar and we had a training ride. My goal was to treat Oscar like a baby and to get comfortable asking him the things I should be asking Chilly at this time. D had me lifting my arms all over the place and getting Oscar do do things while my arms were up in the air. This was to get me out of my "equation box" hand position. D wanted to remind me that with babies sometimes you can't sit pretty, that you have to get down and funky to get the job done, rather than giving the cues like you would give them to an adult horse and hoping they figure it out. For example, sometimes you need to get a hand up in the air to pull the horses head to the side so that their weight will shift in the direction you want, while on an adult horse you might only have to move your hand an inch or two.
D also got me loping on Oscar, which is not normally fun. His hocks and stifles are shot and because of that he has a very bouncy lope. D had me sitting deep, rounding my back a little and getting my hands way out in front of me and 'chasing' him into the lope. The 'chasing' him with my hands loosed up my upper body and kept me from bracing my back and hips, and with my back a little rounded it allowed my hips to close a little more. I find it hard to have a full range of motion with my hips to begin with but having them with a little more of a closed angle allowed that little bit of range that I have to be fully functional, and follow the horses movement rather than trying to just hold the 'upright' position. Basically I went from riding in a dressage 'frame' to riding more in a 3 point position, approaching the base of a jump.
It made a HUGE improvement! For the first time in 2 years I was able to lope on Oscar and not feel like my a$$ was bouncing out of the saddle with every stride. I felt like I knew how to ride again! So for the next week until Thursday (when his owner comes home for a month) I'm going to ride Oscar, and D is going to pick up Chilly again and push her on the lope issue. I'm backing off and sticking to the steering and walking and jogging for a bit until she gets some more lope miles on her.
Barbie pony, that one of my old lesson kids owns looks like shes going to be having her baby in the next 24 hours. It will be by the same sire as Chilly and should be a nice looking baby.
Thursday night we ended up having two other horses in the ring with us and silly me still wanted to work on our 'goals', Chilly just wanted to hang out with the other horses. I was pushing to get back to where we were when we ended off on Sunday but Chilly was focusing on the other horses and what they were doing. I kept going and even tried to lope her in a circle. The other girls waited at the other end of the ring so that we could do a 20 meter circle at one end, but again Chilly just wanted to be with her friends. We had several near misses, as we drifted away from our circle and into the crowd. At one point I nearly came off as I tried to get her to turn, and she ran towards the other horses. We did lope a bit down each long side to end on a decent note and then went back to the rail with the other girls and long trotted her for a bit to let her and me burn off some frustration. A lot of my issues were that I was bracing though my entire body trying to keep it together, and hold my position in hopes that it would keep me in the saddle.
I went home feeling like a bit of a failure. What kind of rider was I if I couldn't even canter a circle or sit to what I have been told is a very easy to sit lope.
But like the good horse student I am I went home and made a list of what good has happened in that ride-
-We rode with 2 other horses in the ring and were able to avoid them at all times (other than while cantering) this is a huge impovement in 2 weeks.
-Despite the fact that I was loose in the saddle and Chilly was somewhat out of control, she stayed under me. A more nervous youngster, or one that didn't care about her rider could have ducked a shoulder and spun out from under me with very little effort.
-We loped within 3-5 long trot steps several times. On the weekend it was taking 10-15 steps of long trotting to get even a step of a lope.
I think my 'goals' of loping lots of circles right away weren't such a great idea. I have to remember that she doesn't have a ton of saddle time, and that as calm and mature as she seems she's still a baby.
So on Saturday D told me to tack up Oscar and we had a training ride. My goal was to treat Oscar like a baby and to get comfortable asking him the things I should be asking Chilly at this time. D had me lifting my arms all over the place and getting Oscar do do things while my arms were up in the air. This was to get me out of my "equation box" hand position. D wanted to remind me that with babies sometimes you can't sit pretty, that you have to get down and funky to get the job done, rather than giving the cues like you would give them to an adult horse and hoping they figure it out. For example, sometimes you need to get a hand up in the air to pull the horses head to the side so that their weight will shift in the direction you want, while on an adult horse you might only have to move your hand an inch or two.
D also got me loping on Oscar, which is not normally fun. His hocks and stifles are shot and because of that he has a very bouncy lope. D had me sitting deep, rounding my back a little and getting my hands way out in front of me and 'chasing' him into the lope. The 'chasing' him with my hands loosed up my upper body and kept me from bracing my back and hips, and with my back a little rounded it allowed my hips to close a little more. I find it hard to have a full range of motion with my hips to begin with but having them with a little more of a closed angle allowed that little bit of range that I have to be fully functional, and follow the horses movement rather than trying to just hold the 'upright' position. Basically I went from riding in a dressage 'frame' to riding more in a 3 point position, approaching the base of a jump.
It made a HUGE improvement! For the first time in 2 years I was able to lope on Oscar and not feel like my a$$ was bouncing out of the saddle with every stride. I felt like I knew how to ride again! So for the next week until Thursday (when his owner comes home for a month) I'm going to ride Oscar, and D is going to pick up Chilly again and push her on the lope issue. I'm backing off and sticking to the steering and walking and jogging for a bit until she gets some more lope miles on her.
Barbie pony, that one of my old lesson kids owns looks like shes going to be having her baby in the next 24 hours. It will be by the same sire as Chilly and should be a nice looking baby.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Why hasn't winter ended!
Its snowing, again. It was so bad this am we had to turn around and come home instead of heading to work. It was pure ice on the road, with blowing snow, and ice pellets going on top of that.
This weekend I had a ride on C's Appaloosa which was interesting. I didn't lunge her nearly enough at the beginning and had a slight rodeo ride when she decided she was still very fresh! (She hadn't been ridden in several weeks). Other than that I had a good ride, trying to fix my bad habits that Oscar has instilled in me. Mostly my locking hips at the lope.
Thankfully my chiropractor was able to work on me this past Monday, and I did try to loosen up a bit on trotting Oscar on Tuesday but its something I'm going to have to work on.
I also had a bit of a weird moment on Tuesday. Dr O had talked about getting my thyroid checked again but I never thought anything of it until the lab test paper came a couple of weeks ago. I took it in on Tuesday and found out it wasn't from my Rheumatologist but from the Endocrionologist (they both work in the same building at the same hospital). Turns out its been 5 years since the lump on my thyroid stabilized. Hopefully the tests that we'll do this year will let me sleep easy for another 5 years.
This weekend I had a ride on C's Appaloosa which was interesting. I didn't lunge her nearly enough at the beginning and had a slight rodeo ride when she decided she was still very fresh! (She hadn't been ridden in several weeks). Other than that I had a good ride, trying to fix my bad habits that Oscar has instilled in me. Mostly my locking hips at the lope.
Thankfully my chiropractor was able to work on me this past Monday, and I did try to loosen up a bit on trotting Oscar on Tuesday but its something I'm going to have to work on.
I also had a bit of a weird moment on Tuesday. Dr O had talked about getting my thyroid checked again but I never thought anything of it until the lab test paper came a couple of weeks ago. I took it in on Tuesday and found out it wasn't from my Rheumatologist but from the Endocrionologist (they both work in the same building at the same hospital). Turns out its been 5 years since the lump on my thyroid stabilized. Hopefully the tests that we'll do this year will let me sleep easy for another 5 years.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Please don't think I'm hard hearted after my last post. It was a rough night but the accountant in me worries about practical things once the panic and heartache goes away.
In other news, I did showmanship with Chilly on Tuesday night, I did put her in the show halter which is a bit big, but she looked very cute in it. I did take some pictures but they are not the greatest of her. I hope to get some body shots of her, but she wants to be close to me so getting far enough away to take a picture is rough.
Thursday night I took Oscar out for a ride. He was WILD! A couple of weeks of not being ridden hard (bad cold on my part, then it was too cold to get him working very hard) I lunged him, but he spooked when I threw a pylon into a corner so he went back out on the line again where he bucked for another two circles before he settled down.
I tried to keep his mind active, to keep him from thinking about spooking (like he has the last couple of rides, no actual spook, but serious thinking about it) So we spent 20 minutes doing everything but going consistently on the rail. I did do two trips around each way at a rising trot but that was to push him out of a little funk he got into for some reason. 10, 20, 5 meter circles at the walk and trot, 20 at the lope along with 1/2 diagonals at the lope. He loves flying changes but my body doesn't so we stayed away from those. Ended with two tracking, shoulders in and spins. He was a much more content horse by the time I got off. I think he's been board silly the past couple of weeks.
I'm getting a lesson tomorrow but on C's Appaloosa instead of Oscar. Looking foreword to riding a new horse for a change!
In other news, I did showmanship with Chilly on Tuesday night, I did put her in the show halter which is a bit big, but she looked very cute in it. I did take some pictures but they are not the greatest of her. I hope to get some body shots of her, but she wants to be close to me so getting far enough away to take a picture is rough.
Thursday night I took Oscar out for a ride. He was WILD! A couple of weeks of not being ridden hard (bad cold on my part, then it was too cold to get him working very hard) I lunged him, but he spooked when I threw a pylon into a corner so he went back out on the line again where he bucked for another two circles before he settled down.
I tried to keep his mind active, to keep him from thinking about spooking (like he has the last couple of rides, no actual spook, but serious thinking about it) So we spent 20 minutes doing everything but going consistently on the rail. I did do two trips around each way at a rising trot but that was to push him out of a little funk he got into for some reason. 10, 20, 5 meter circles at the walk and trot, 20 at the lope along with 1/2 diagonals at the lope. He loves flying changes but my body doesn't so we stayed away from those. Ended with two tracking, shoulders in and spins. He was a much more content horse by the time I got off. I think he's been board silly the past couple of weeks.
I'm getting a lesson tomorrow but on C's Appaloosa instead of Oscar. Looking foreword to riding a new horse for a change!
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Well we've been hit with some serious winter weather again which has meant that my one barn visit this week consisted of worming Oscar (then giving him an apple), and doing showmanship with Chilly.
I think Chilly was a little disappointed with me, D had ridden her about 2 hours before hand, and she just kind of looked at me like "seriously, again?".
But she was good, her set up's were slow but correct (and if shes anything like her mother, that's her way of silently protesting that she doesn't want to do showmanship). We had some really good trot off's, and her pivots were good, slow, but correct. I only had to poke her shoulder occasionally to remind her to cross her front legs.
Me and the head boss had a talk, he admitted that although he's disappointed (at the time that it happens) that I have to have the time off for the medical appointments, he does understand that I don't have much of a choice in the matter. So the promotion is not yet official, but its looking good.
My Surgeons appointment was canceled until the end of March thanks to the crappy weather this week. So no answers yet but its not the end of the world, I could be still waiting for that first appointment!
I think Chilly was a little disappointed with me, D had ridden her about 2 hours before hand, and she just kind of looked at me like "seriously, again?".
But she was good, her set up's were slow but correct (and if shes anything like her mother, that's her way of silently protesting that she doesn't want to do showmanship). We had some really good trot off's, and her pivots were good, slow, but correct. I only had to poke her shoulder occasionally to remind her to cross her front legs.
Me and the head boss had a talk, he admitted that although he's disappointed (at the time that it happens) that I have to have the time off for the medical appointments, he does understand that I don't have much of a choice in the matter. So the promotion is not yet official, but its looking good.
My Surgeons appointment was canceled until the end of March thanks to the crappy weather this week. So no answers yet but its not the end of the world, I could be still waiting for that first appointment!
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Some days I dont even know I'm sick
And there are weeks like this when it just sucks. Right now I'm up for a possible promotion at work, but due to my sick days/personal days the head boss is hesitant to give it to me. Considering that since Christmas I have had one sick day (the day after I was in a car accident), and missed a total of 2.5 days for Doctor appointments, it sucks. These are not "my kid has the flu" sick days. My surgeon is in a city an hour and 45 min away from work (which means another hour from home). My CAT scan took 20 minutes of appointment time but 3 and 1/2 hours driving. Its not like I can say "sure just let me say no to the surgeon appointment that I've waiting 4 months for because you want me sitting at my desk". Sigh. And no my work is not suffering. My direct team lead wants me in the new position.
I wanted to include this link from Lene Andersen Pluck - and I wanted to quote the following passage
" that's the tricky bit, because traditionally, yes, the public only wants to hear from people who "overcome" the challenges of illness. They don't want to hear about the daily struggle unless it culminates in an achievement, unless you're the plucky kind, preferably pretty enough to qualify for poster child status, the one who can smile through the hardship, remind the great unwashed of how lucky they are to be healthy. And you know what? There is no overcoming of disability. Because a chronic condition doesn't improve, you cannot conquer it, you cannot defeat it. Arthritis doesn't go away. Neither does MS, ALS, spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, many types of blindness and deafness. There is only living with it, coexisting - sometimes uneasily, sometimes not. Having a disability is part of what you are, what you do. Sometimes it's a small part and sometimes, it overwhelms the rest. But what remains is this: you live your life anyway. And to the aforementioned great unwashed, this apparently looks like plucky overcoming and I'm not quite sure what they expect - that people with disabilities should curl up in a fetal position and a whimper the rest of our days? Continually bemoan our wretched state? Off ourselves as living without walking is a fate worse than death (an act which many able-bodied people have told me would be their response to disability)?...And I think that's part of the reason why we blog and write: to remove the patina of Other. To document how, within our different experience, we are not different. And most of all, to take the language back from being filtered through the able-bodied perception of disability and illness and ensure that the voices that tell our stories belong to us."
I love this, I put a brave face on all the time, people call me courageous. I'm not. I'm just living my 'life'. It does suck sometimes. And yes I do curl up in a ball and cry some days. But I don't have much of a choice. This is my life I have to live it the best I can. Just some days I really want people to understand that there are challenges that I need a hand with or understanding from, without having to tell them EVERYTHING. I shouldn't have to tell my boss that my bones in my feet are fusing together to have him understand that I need a couple of days to meet with a surgeon. We live in Canada, if I got in to see a surgeon this quickly something must be seriously wrong.
Anyways back to the horses!
My ride on Tuesday was ok, (but it was cold) my ride on Thursday sucked, my back and hips were locking up when I tried to lope. Poor Oscar was trying but he was getting frustrated with me bouncing around on his back... So we gave up, and just walked and jogged.
Today I was going to have a lesson but my right foot was killing me, so we called off the lesson (and D went and tacked up Chilly so I could finally watch her go). And I rode Oscar around on my own for 20 minutes. Oscar is such a good boy. I kicked him by accident when I was trying to get him to lope off, couldn't get a easy squeeze, but my leg did move! Poor boy just grunted and loped off.
So I did get to watch Chilly! And D loped her both ways, and rode her in the bit for the walk/trot portion. She looks so grown up now, she's really looking like a grown mare and not a baby any more. He's also got her standing still at the mounting block so he can get on her, getting her used to doing it now, which will be a big help for me. Shes loping good, her head is up, (of course) but willing to go where D points her, and her legs are SOOO good!
I wanted to include this link from Lene Andersen Pluck - and I wanted to quote the following passage
" that's the tricky bit, because traditionally, yes, the public only wants to hear from people who "overcome" the challenges of illness. They don't want to hear about the daily struggle unless it culminates in an achievement, unless you're the plucky kind, preferably pretty enough to qualify for poster child status, the one who can smile through the hardship, remind the great unwashed of how lucky they are to be healthy. And you know what? There is no overcoming of disability. Because a chronic condition doesn't improve, you cannot conquer it, you cannot defeat it. Arthritis doesn't go away. Neither does MS, ALS, spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, many types of blindness and deafness. There is only living with it, coexisting - sometimes uneasily, sometimes not. Having a disability is part of what you are, what you do. Sometimes it's a small part and sometimes, it overwhelms the rest. But what remains is this: you live your life anyway. And to the aforementioned great unwashed, this apparently looks like plucky overcoming and I'm not quite sure what they expect - that people with disabilities should curl up in a fetal position and a whimper the rest of our days? Continually bemoan our wretched state? Off ourselves as living without walking is a fate worse than death (an act which many able-bodied people have told me would be their response to disability)?...And I think that's part of the reason why we blog and write: to remove the patina of Other. To document how, within our different experience, we are not different. And most of all, to take the language back from being filtered through the able-bodied perception of disability and illness and ensure that the voices that tell our stories belong to us."
I love this, I put a brave face on all the time, people call me courageous. I'm not. I'm just living my 'life'. It does suck sometimes. And yes I do curl up in a ball and cry some days. But I don't have much of a choice. This is my life I have to live it the best I can. Just some days I really want people to understand that there are challenges that I need a hand with or understanding from, without having to tell them EVERYTHING. I shouldn't have to tell my boss that my bones in my feet are fusing together to have him understand that I need a couple of days to meet with a surgeon. We live in Canada, if I got in to see a surgeon this quickly something must be seriously wrong.
Anyways back to the horses!
My ride on Tuesday was ok, (but it was cold) my ride on Thursday sucked, my back and hips were locking up when I tried to lope. Poor Oscar was trying but he was getting frustrated with me bouncing around on his back... So we gave up, and just walked and jogged.
Today I was going to have a lesson but my right foot was killing me, so we called off the lesson (and D went and tacked up Chilly so I could finally watch her go). And I rode Oscar around on my own for 20 minutes. Oscar is such a good boy. I kicked him by accident when I was trying to get him to lope off, couldn't get a easy squeeze, but my leg did move! Poor boy just grunted and loped off.
So I did get to watch Chilly! And D loped her both ways, and rode her in the bit for the walk/trot portion. She looks so grown up now, she's really looking like a grown mare and not a baby any more. He's also got her standing still at the mounting block so he can get on her, getting her used to doing it now, which will be a big help for me. Shes loping good, her head is up, (of course) but willing to go where D points her, and her legs are SOOO good!
Saturday, February 8, 2014
First lesson of 2014
And oh boy it was a work out. D is funny, you think he isn't watching you when you ride on your own but then you go in for a lesson and 15 minutes in, he's found each and every hole in your training that you've glossed over for the past 3 months!
So he has me lifting and pushing Oscars shoulders around, working on loping transitions (jog a sharp turn lope, jog a sharp turn, lope all around the arena off the rail). All with a loose rein, only picking up to turn, which is hard for me, I like contact! We were loping circles at one point and D goes "loose rein" And I go "I know its just so hard to let go!" he just about fell off the mounting block laughing at me. Anyways it was good to get back in the swing of things and Oscar wasn't nearly as grumpy after our lesson as he was when I ride him alone, even though he was sweaty. I think I'm picking on him too much, and the constant reminders from D to "let go" prove that.
Chilly is going really great, I'm hoping to watch D ride her tomorrow. Hes been riding her at the walk/jog a bit at the end of each ride with the bit in her mouth, but doing the warm up/canter work with a side pull. She's doing much better and is apparently really coming along.
In the foot news, I've taken to putting my orthotics in everything but my riding boots (normally they live in my sneakers that I wear for work/driving). I've also dug out some big old spurs, not so much for more spur but because they are kicked in and bend toward the horse which means I don't need to move my foot/ankle very much to use it. With those two modifications my foot was much better today when I came home from the barn. (Although my hips and legs are sore from riding).
I also go for my CAT scan on Monday, not the 3 months that I thought it would take to get an appointment! And I go back to the surgeon the next Wednesday after that!
So he has me lifting and pushing Oscars shoulders around, working on loping transitions (jog a sharp turn lope, jog a sharp turn, lope all around the arena off the rail). All with a loose rein, only picking up to turn, which is hard for me, I like contact! We were loping circles at one point and D goes "loose rein" And I go "I know its just so hard to let go!" he just about fell off the mounting block laughing at me. Anyways it was good to get back in the swing of things and Oscar wasn't nearly as grumpy after our lesson as he was when I ride him alone, even though he was sweaty. I think I'm picking on him too much, and the constant reminders from D to "let go" prove that.
Chilly is going really great, I'm hoping to watch D ride her tomorrow. Hes been riding her at the walk/jog a bit at the end of each ride with the bit in her mouth, but doing the warm up/canter work with a side pull. She's doing much better and is apparently really coming along.
In the foot news, I've taken to putting my orthotics in everything but my riding boots (normally they live in my sneakers that I wear for work/driving). I've also dug out some big old spurs, not so much for more spur but because they are kicked in and bend toward the horse which means I don't need to move my foot/ankle very much to use it. With those two modifications my foot was much better today when I came home from the barn. (Although my hips and legs are sore from riding).
I also go for my CAT scan on Monday, not the 3 months that I thought it would take to get an appointment! And I go back to the surgeon the next Wednesday after that!
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Surgeon appointment tomorrow (for real this time)
This time tomorrow we'll know what the surgeon thinks of my ankle. If you can, cross your fingers for me. As much as I want it fixed, September or October would be a much better time to be laid up for a couple of months!
In Chilly news the equine dentist came out this week and did find 2 retained caps. She pulled those two and did a little bit of maintenance work. So Chilly's been on vacation this week, while she got over the visit. Today I took her out and lunged her with a bit in. Although she was still fussy at a halt and walk she was much better when she was working and busy. D will start riding her again this week.
Oscar and I are having some minor issues. We're getting board, and need something to keep both our minds busy. Its not that either him or I are being bad or mean to each other but I think that he thinks that I'm picking on him. And I am. I expect perfection and his aging body cant handle that any more.
In Chilly news the equine dentist came out this week and did find 2 retained caps. She pulled those two and did a little bit of maintenance work. So Chilly's been on vacation this week, while she got over the visit. Today I took her out and lunged her with a bit in. Although she was still fussy at a halt and walk she was much better when she was working and busy. D will start riding her again this week.
Oscar and I are having some minor issues. We're getting board, and need something to keep both our minds busy. Its not that either him or I are being bad or mean to each other but I think that he thinks that I'm picking on him. And I am. I expect perfection and his aging body cant handle that any more.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Weekend was great, Monday not so much.
I managed to ride both days this weekend. Oscar was fresh on Saturday (he had a week off) but back to a steady old Oscar on Sunday.
Monday morning on the way to work I stopped to pick up one of my car poolers, or rather I didn't stop. I slid about 20 feet across ice (covered by about 2 cm of snow) and into the rear end of her car. It was a very slow speed accident. She had parked on ice and my car didn't even move it. However it cracked my poor bumper, and my headlight case.
However everyone was safe, and not hurt which I guess is the most important thing. Taking a couple of days off from riding just to make sure that there is nothing seriously wrong but even my normally cautious chiropractor was optimistic that in a couple of day's I'd be fine.
Monday morning on the way to work I stopped to pick up one of my car poolers, or rather I didn't stop. I slid about 20 feet across ice (covered by about 2 cm of snow) and into the rear end of her car. It was a very slow speed accident. She had parked on ice and my car didn't even move it. However it cracked my poor bumper, and my headlight case.
However everyone was safe, and not hurt which I guess is the most important thing. Taking a couple of days off from riding just to make sure that there is nothing seriously wrong but even my normally cautious chiropractor was optimistic that in a couple of day's I'd be fine.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Scary but good news
On Wednesday night I came home to a phone call from an orthopedic surgeon located about 2 hours away. (only 20 minutes from the old boss's place) Thinking I would now get an appointment 2-5 months away, when I called on Thursday morning I was surprised by the receptionist asking if I could come THIS Monday. Even the receptionist at my RA specialist was surprised when I told her when my appointment was.
So now we go on Monday morning to get a ton of x-rays done before I see him. He sounds like he runs a good office as his receptionist was very understanding of the distance we were traveling and told me that I would have lots of time to ask him questions, and not to worry if we got held up in x-ray before my appointment.
I'm scared but hopeful.
On the horse front Chilly is doing excellent with D. Hes ridden her about 3 times this week and is really pushing her to jog and use her body. Hes getting her tired, but shes staying sweet and happy at the end of the rides which is what we all want. I went out on Thursday night and did some showmanship with her and she was excited to see me and get some cuddles while we practiced setting up, turns and trotting.
I got some pictures of her on my cell phone that I will try to add later. She looks so grown up now! And so much like her mother!
I got to ride Oscar Monday and Tuesday. Took Wednesday off to do some laundry (and googling the new doctor) and did showmanship with him on Thursday as well. He also got some free time in the arena and rolled a bunch and then spent the rest of his time pretending to be scared of the cow. Shes been in that location for over 3 months, you think he would get over it already!
So now we go on Monday morning to get a ton of x-rays done before I see him. He sounds like he runs a good office as his receptionist was very understanding of the distance we were traveling and told me that I would have lots of time to ask him questions, and not to worry if we got held up in x-ray before my appointment.
I'm scared but hopeful.
On the horse front Chilly is doing excellent with D. Hes ridden her about 3 times this week and is really pushing her to jog and use her body. Hes getting her tired, but shes staying sweet and happy at the end of the rides which is what we all want. I went out on Thursday night and did some showmanship with her and she was excited to see me and get some cuddles while we practiced setting up, turns and trotting.
I got some pictures of her on my cell phone that I will try to add later. She looks so grown up now! And so much like her mother!
I got to ride Oscar Monday and Tuesday. Took Wednesday off to do some laundry (and googling the new doctor) and did showmanship with him on Thursday as well. He also got some free time in the arena and rolled a bunch and then spent the rest of his time pretending to be scared of the cow. Shes been in that location for over 3 months, you think he would get over it already!
Saturday, January 11, 2014
I've been hibernating!
Its PLUS 7 right now! Outside! I can see the dirt of my driveway!
For the past month we've been dealing with -25 to -40 temps, when in a normal winter we might have 4-6 days of these temps. Finally today the weather broke and we had a nice day with some serious rain.
It was so nice today at the barn. One of the littler kids was out for her lesson, one of the show kids trailerd her horse out and rode with me and Oscar, we had people out to see the studs and talk about breeding, and all of the buckets were unfrozen!
It was so nice to be back on Oscar, and a broke horse again! I could work at all three gaits, and and work on my position a bit without worrying about him too much. I even managed to lope him all around the arena. All and all a good day.
C & D and I had a bit of a talk about Chilly. I told them that I thought that someone younger and fitter should ride her for a bit that could push her a bit more and stay out of her way more effectively. They kind of agreed. D is going to take over riding her for a while (and will be riding her more as it gets back into our 'normal' temps). Were also going to throw on some of the kids to flop around on her as well to get her used to different riders. We've found that she gets very attached to 'her' people and while that isn't a bad thing, she needs to listen and obey everyone that rides her.
I was a bit down in the dumps about it. I know its the right thing for both of us. She needs someone fitter and more agile and I can't afford to get hurt. However C was very happy to tell the people that were there looking at the studs about how I was going to show Chilly and how they were looking foreword to it. That made me feel a bit better, I hope we can met their expectations!
For the past month we've been dealing with -25 to -40 temps, when in a normal winter we might have 4-6 days of these temps. Finally today the weather broke and we had a nice day with some serious rain.
It was so nice today at the barn. One of the littler kids was out for her lesson, one of the show kids trailerd her horse out and rode with me and Oscar, we had people out to see the studs and talk about breeding, and all of the buckets were unfrozen!
It was so nice to be back on Oscar, and a broke horse again! I could work at all three gaits, and and work on my position a bit without worrying about him too much. I even managed to lope him all around the arena. All and all a good day.
C & D and I had a bit of a talk about Chilly. I told them that I thought that someone younger and fitter should ride her for a bit that could push her a bit more and stay out of her way more effectively. They kind of agreed. D is going to take over riding her for a while (and will be riding her more as it gets back into our 'normal' temps). Were also going to throw on some of the kids to flop around on her as well to get her used to different riders. We've found that she gets very attached to 'her' people and while that isn't a bad thing, she needs to listen and obey everyone that rides her.
I was a bit down in the dumps about it. I know its the right thing for both of us. She needs someone fitter and more agile and I can't afford to get hurt. However C was very happy to tell the people that were there looking at the studs about how I was going to show Chilly and how they were looking foreword to it. That made me feel a bit better, I hope we can met their expectations!
Friday, December 27, 2013
Crazy Christmas, crazy weather
I haven't been out to the barn much at all over my week's vacation. Either I had family stuff going on, or it was storming (freezing rain and another 20 cm of snow (total over the past 3 days)). The one day I did get to go out it was -20, too cold to work the ponies in that.
I got out this afternoon for a quick break in between boxing day shopping with my mom and visiting with friends in the afternoon. Chilly was not excited to work and even bucked on the lunge line! She never bucks so it was quite unusual for her. So we went from having goals of lunging and driving with the bit, to lunging only with the bit, to me having to take the bit off her and put her back into the side pull to lunge her, and no driving of any sort got done. Oh well that is how it goes with babies I guess!
Oscar is good, but managed to break his halter somehow over the past two days... sigh... I guess I should be happy that it was leather, and it did break. But now it needs to be fixed.
And for an intresting photo comparison, her are 2 pictures of Chilly, (the first two, please excuse the messy floor, and the round spot on Chilly's hip is a bite mark) and a picture of Lucy from last spring. They are really starting to look alike!
I got out this afternoon for a quick break in between boxing day shopping with my mom and visiting with friends in the afternoon. Chilly was not excited to work and even bucked on the lunge line! She never bucks so it was quite unusual for her. So we went from having goals of lunging and driving with the bit, to lunging only with the bit, to me having to take the bit off her and put her back into the side pull to lunge her, and no driving of any sort got done. Oh well that is how it goes with babies I guess!
Oscar is good, but managed to break his halter somehow over the past two days... sigh... I guess I should be happy that it was leather, and it did break. But now it needs to be fixed.
And for an intresting photo comparison, her are 2 pictures of Chilly, (the first two, please excuse the messy floor, and the round spot on Chilly's hip is a bite mark) and a picture of Lucy from last spring. They are really starting to look alike!
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Winter is here, well kind of
Being the maritimes we are getting a major windstorm with 100km/hour winds. It could be worse, it could be snow like Quebec and Ontario are getting!
Chilly is now jogging under saddle! So cool and relaxed, and apparently very smooth. We're aiming for me to be riding her in another month! She's very much like her mother, introduce something quietly and calmly, get her thinking and doing it (even if its not completely correct but in the right direction) give her a break and try again the next day with even better results and a more confident horse.
I cant wait to be riding her.
Oscar is good, but still rough. Next couple of weeks I'm going to have to ramp up our rides so were both ready for Christmas, me for Chilly and him for his mom to come home from university.
Chilly got her tail washed and braided up last weekend and I took a couple of pics, she also got her first set of front shoes and was a very good girl.
Chilly is now jogging under saddle! So cool and relaxed, and apparently very smooth. We're aiming for me to be riding her in another month! She's very much like her mother, introduce something quietly and calmly, get her thinking and doing it (even if its not completely correct but in the right direction) give her a break and try again the next day with even better results and a more confident horse.
I cant wait to be riding her.
Oscar is good, but still rough. Next couple of weeks I'm going to have to ramp up our rides so were both ready for Christmas, me for Chilly and him for his mom to come home from university.
Chilly got her tail washed and braided up last weekend and I took a couple of pics, she also got her first set of front shoes and was a very good girl.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Things are moving faster... at least for Canada
So with the health care system in Canada things can move slowly or quickly, but either way its free!
So we went from a possible 5 year wait time, to less than 2 years in the past week. I have referrals in to 3 surgeons but the one who will actually do the surgery will most likely see me after another surgeon has passed me on again. Good news is that my family doctor went to school with the ankle surgeon, and thinks that with my history it should be 2 years or less. (And will be sending an email to the surgeon personal email)
So I still have a long process in front of me, but its a much shorter wait that I thought it was.
The weight loss is going good, down the 3 pounds I gained in September and October, and back on track again. (Tonight was treat night and I got a burger from Wendy's!)
I did end up doing showmanship with Chilly last weekend, she was very smart and remembered her 'lessons' from when she was a yearling on setting up and standing still. Also got her to trot in hand and we tried a pivot or two just to ease her into it.
Monday I lunged Oscar and did showmanship and on Tuesday I rode for about 20 min, just to get back into it. On Monday we got a new sale horse into the barn and I got to ride him on Thursday night! Hes so much smoother than Oscar! But was a little 'lookie' and I am glad that Oscar is so solid and non spooky.
It was fun to get on a new horse and learn and adapt to him quickly. I'm hoping to start riding Rusty soon, to get more horsey experience under my bum before it comes time to ride Chilly.
Oh and I tried to get pictures of me in my chaps, by myself, but that didn't work. I need practice with my selfies!
So we went from a possible 5 year wait time, to less than 2 years in the past week. I have referrals in to 3 surgeons but the one who will actually do the surgery will most likely see me after another surgeon has passed me on again. Good news is that my family doctor went to school with the ankle surgeon, and thinks that with my history it should be 2 years or less. (And will be sending an email to the surgeon personal email)
So I still have a long process in front of me, but its a much shorter wait that I thought it was.
The weight loss is going good, down the 3 pounds I gained in September and October, and back on track again. (Tonight was treat night and I got a burger from Wendy's!)
I did end up doing showmanship with Chilly last weekend, she was very smart and remembered her 'lessons' from when she was a yearling on setting up and standing still. Also got her to trot in hand and we tried a pivot or two just to ease her into it.
Monday I lunged Oscar and did showmanship and on Tuesday I rode for about 20 min, just to get back into it. On Monday we got a new sale horse into the barn and I got to ride him on Thursday night! Hes so much smoother than Oscar! But was a little 'lookie' and I am glad that Oscar is so solid and non spooky.
It was fun to get on a new horse and learn and adapt to him quickly. I'm hoping to start riding Rusty soon, to get more horsey experience under my bum before it comes time to ride Chilly.
Oh and I tried to get pictures of me in my chaps, by myself, but that didn't work. I need practice with my selfies!
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Sometimes being right isn't all its cracked up to be
D rode Chilly on Monday and was going to wait for me to come out tonight and he would ride her again so I could see, but I'm sick with a cold. However he is very happy with her behaviour and eagerness to learn.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Chilly update
Well D rode chilly today! He also drove her around and told me I had done a great job on her ground work and getting her going. He got on her without any one else in the ring, which left Chilly slightly confused (You could see her brain working " but Sam normally leads me around with someone on my back?" ) but she stayed calm and thought about what he wanted before she moved. D said he could feel her thinking about what he was asking her, processing it, and then doing what he asked. There was no fear, just her wanting to please him.
He only stayed on for 5 minutes while they sorted each other out and got used to each other. He'll take her over for the most part now so they can bond a bit more and he can feel her out before riding her. He was very happy with her and excited for her future. Chilly also got her feet done on Friday, and is much more balanced in her current growth spurt.
Lucy also came in today to go out with the other pregnant mares, it was raining today so it didn't happen but she got to stay in the barn for the day, and get brushed and pampered a little bit. She liked the attention but I don't think she liked us commenting on how big her baby bump is! Shes the biggest (around) in the barn and they are all due about 2 days apart.
Oscar got outside in the morning before it started raining too hard and managed to roll and get completely covered in mud...for a horse that doesn't like getting brushed he sure likes getting dirty!
He only stayed on for 5 minutes while they sorted each other out and got used to each other. He'll take her over for the most part now so they can bond a bit more and he can feel her out before riding her. He was very happy with her and excited for her future. Chilly also got her feet done on Friday, and is much more balanced in her current growth spurt.
Lucy also came in today to go out with the other pregnant mares, it was raining today so it didn't happen but she got to stay in the barn for the day, and get brushed and pampered a little bit. She liked the attention but I don't think she liked us commenting on how big her baby bump is! Shes the biggest (around) in the barn and they are all due about 2 days apart.
Oscar got outside in the morning before it started raining too hard and managed to roll and get completely covered in mud...for a horse that doesn't like getting brushed he sure likes getting dirty!
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