The Life and Times of a Horse's Slave

Now this takes me back...

2011-03-09T07:35:00.000-08:00

I was digging through some old scans, and look what I found:

That's me on a lesson pony called Noah. It was at horse camp, and I was about 10 or 11. I still want to go back and visit Noah. He was a pretty cool pony.

People make me mad.

2011-03-09T06:37:00.001-08:00

There's a horse property (if you can call it that) right on top of the highway, which I drive past every time I go to and from the city. I'm convinced the owner is a horse dealer.

Now, I know it's really none of my business (unless the animals start deteriorating. If that happens, I will raise hell with Animal Control). But it bothers me nonetheless.

Back when we first moved, there were several pregnant mares in the little pasture (there's also a tiny dry lot, which is a swamp most of the time). The mares all eventually had their foals, but they didn't stay there long. The horses all started disappearing until one gelding was left in the pasture, and a couple 2-year-olds in the dry lot. The gelding was actually pretty good-looking. Anyway...

As of a few weeks ago, the gelding and youngstock are gone, and several new yearlings took their place. Actually, they look like coming 2-year-olds. They're all in the tiny dry lot with a few calves, and are currently ankle-deep in muck. He's also got a sign out front advertising horses for sale. This is what makes me think "broker".

But here's what really irks me: The property itself is a pig sty. The fencing is barbed wire with uncapped t-posted, and there's junk everywhere. It's a horse death trap, especially for the young ones. When the foals were there, I was just waiting to drive by and find one caught up in the fence.

Also, the hay he feeds them is black. The same round bail has been sitting in the yearling paddock for over a month. The horses aren't terribly thin as far as I can see, but they look like yaklings right now, so I'll have to wait till they shed out. They do look wormy, though. And filthy.

I just don't like it. Sometimes I avoid going past there, but I want to keep an eye on the place in case things start going downhill. I know I sound like a nosy neighbor, but when it comes to animal welfare, I don't really care.

A drawing I did a while back...

2011-02-01T07:35:00.000-08:00

Done in graphite and colored pencil. It's a silly, cartoonish thing, but I think it's the only one I've ever done of my own horses. Just thought I'd share.

New Photos - December 2010

2011-01-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

The boys enjoying the first snow.
Sorry about neglecting this blog so badly. Life just gets in the way. I'll try to post more, promise. =]

headdesk

2010-11-19T09:28:00.001-08:00

Well, we might be getting a pony and donkey from my mom's friend who doesn't want hers anymore because her son lost interest.

I do not want them. And frankly, we can't really afford them right now. That's two more vet bills, two more farrier bills, two more mouths to feed. And our pasture isn't big enough for two more critters. I told my mom that if the friend doesn't want them, she can just sell them. We need more horses like we need a hole in the head. We don't even have anywhere to put them! There's no more room in the barn. And we only have one pasture. We'd have to fence off part of the back yard, but that isn't an option right this minute because the ground is frozen. And they would have no shelter. We would have to buy a run-in shed, and those things aren't cheap. I just don't see how it would work.

I know my mom has always wanted a donkey, but now is just not the right time.

Please, just say no.

Things are not good at the old barn.

2010-11-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

I am so glad to be done with that place. I cannot even express how much I do not miss it. And I know it's none of my concern now, but I'm really worried for Christy and Lorena. Management has gone to Hell (what else is new?) even worse than before and apparently, the BO suddenly thinks that Lorena owes her a ton of money for board. Lorena has always worked to pay off board, and payed for all her feed and supplies herself (like I did). That was always the agreement, but now the BO has it in her head that Lorena owes a year's worth of full-price board. Why? That's anyone's guess. Christy told me the two of them got into a huge fight over it and they're not speaking to each other. Poor Christy is stuck in the middle of it. God knows I love Lorena and have all the respect in the world for her, but she does tend to go off on tangents and overstep her bounds. When she gets angry, she doesn't always think straight. Therefor, she says things she shouldn't and doesn't know when to shut up. I don't know how much more the BO will tolerate.

The thing is, Lorena is the most experienced and knowledgable person there. She organizes all the events and shows, she helps everyone out, she gives lessons and trains a little. That barn would fall apart without her. I don't think the BO appreciates it at all, and I can understand why Lorena gets so fed up. I've been there, too.

I've known the BO for almost 6 years. I know how impossible she is. And I honestly think she's suffering from some mental illness. If she had any sense at all, she would have hired Christy or Lorena as the official manager a long time ago so she wouldn't have to manage things herself. She just can't do it herself. It's even more of a shame because there is such a wonderful group of people there. Ever since Cynthia and Mitch left, they've gotten new boarders and for the most part, they're all very nice.

There is one guy who sounds shady, though. Lorena tells me he "trains" his horse with a tree branch. I'm not sure what all that means, but it doesn't sound good. Of course, the BO doesn't mind at all. If she's even aware of it.

Sigh. It's a Hell of a place to board, let me tell you. I feel so bad for them. I wish Christy and Lorena would look for another barn.

I need to ride.

2010-09-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

Seriously. I haven't ridden since July. How sad is that?

But lately, riding has become more of a chore than fun. I don't know why. I think I just need to get off my arse and go saddle Vic up.

The perfect hypothetical foal...

2010-09-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

It's one of my many goals in life to breed one -and only one- foal. I've been thinking about it for quite some time. Someday, when I have the time, experience, and financial means, I want to breed, raise, and train one foal that I would keep forever. I want to be there when it's born and be able to spend time with it every day, and train it to lead, tie, load, bathe, pony, lift its feet, and expose it to as many experiences as I can before the time comes to ride it.

I don't have any particular breed in mind. It depends on what I plan on doing with the foal. It's going to be a long way down the road, and I might not still be interested in showing by that time. I can see myself just trail riding or maybe going out west and doing those 3-day trail rides in the mountains. That would be sweet.

I know I'll either want an English-type or a gaited horse. Or an English horse that's well broke for trails. Either way, I like my horses tall and husky. I've always thought that a Morgan/ Andalusian cross would be gorgeous.

I would breed this mare (JMF Wild Side from Rafter Bar D Morgans):

To this stallion (Fandango Del Sol from Rothrock Andalusians):

Yep. That would be my dream foal. Someday... hehe.

BTW, if you're ever interested in Andalusians, check out Rothrock. I've met Cara and have seen their stallions in person many times. They are hands-down the best in the business. ;)

Feeling a bit down.

2010-09-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

My dad is growing tired of the horses because of the financial strain, which I completely understand. However, it scared the bejeebers out of me the other day when he told me he wants to get rid of Norman. He is not a horse person, and he seems to think that horses are like motorcycles; just sell them or trade them in when you don't want to deal with them anymore.

I feel extremely guilty not being able to take more of the financial load off of my parents, but as of yet, I haven't had any luck finding work. I really do understand where my dad is coming from, but the thought of parting with Norman scares me to death. I hear too many horror stories of horses ending up in bad situations once they're sold. It's even more unsettling because Norman isn't exactly the epitome of a dream horse. He's green broke and needs a serious tune-up. Not many people want a 17 hand project pony. If he had a show record and was really well trained, it would be a different story. I wouldn't worry so much if that was the case. But it's not. Finding out that one of my horses ended up with a negligent or abusive owner would be my worst nightmare.

Also, he's been tossed around between homes quite a bit. We bought him at 18 months old, and he'd already had 2 owners before that. I would hate to do that to him again. My dad doesn't think it makes any difference to him, but I beg to differ.

I'm scouring the internet and every bulletin board in town for a working student position with a good trainer. I'm hoping against hope to get an apprenticeship under a dressage trainer where I could bring one of the horses with me. That would at least make it a little easier on my parents. If I found something like that, I would bring Norman and leave Victor with my mother, at least in the beginning. It would make more sense to bring Norman because he needs the training and experience, and because Victor would be easier for my mother to take care of.

It's kind of aggravating though, because my parents want me to find a job and go to college (and I agree with them there), but at the same time, they're smothering me and doing whatever they can to keep me at home. I think they're afraid I'm going to take off and never come back. Which is ridiculous. I cannot stay at home forever. I need to do what I have to do to make sure my horses are cared for and find a job.

On a lighter note, my mother has apparently met a trainer that could help me get a therapeutic riding instructor certification. I would have to start out volunteering, but that's fine with me. I'm all for it.

I don't know what I'm going to do with the little bugger.

2010-08-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

My mom loves her horse, but she can't handle him worth a crap. He can be a little obnoxious, seeing as he's young and still slightly colt-ish. But it's ridiculous when it comes to my mom treating him like a delicate little kitten. Drives me nuts. Norman is a horse. A fairly gargantuan one. You won't hurt his feelings if you give him a spanking when he deserves it.

We've only ridden together once since we moved, and the horses both did fairly well. Except Norman kept dragging my mother into the tall grass on the side of the trail, and mom doesn't have the heart to be firm and correct him. She's stuck in the "passenger" frame of mind. She also keeps anticipating him doing something naughty, even when he's being good. That fall off of another horse years back didn't do anything for her confidence. I want to go out and work with Musclehead sometime today, but it's been too beastly hot the last couple of weeks.

My goal is to be able to load the horses up and go on trail rides with our friends from the barn and not have any hassle. Victor's pretty good about it. He's a very good traveler. And Norman's getting better and better about loading. I'm just worried about him behaving once we're on the trail. I really need to put some miles on him. But it would work a lot better to have another horse ride with us and keep him calm, and my mom can't ride Victor unless she gets over this ridiculous nervousness.

We've been talking about possibly getting a third horse sometime down the road. If we do, it'll be a 12-15 year old Walker or Foxtrotter. But that won't be for a while, if it happens. I would rather spend the time and money getting Norman more trained before we bring another horse into the picture. And who knows? Once Norman is better behaved, we might not even want another one.

I've been asked why we don't just sell Norman and get another horse. Well, because 1] with the market the way it is, we would take a hit money-wise, especially since we paid way too much for him in the first place 2] because he isn't very marketable the way he is at the moment, and I would be scared to death of him ending up in a bad situation and 3] most importantly, because I made a commitment to this horse and I have no intention of walking away. When I buy an animal, I keep it forever. We've had him since he was 18 months old, and he was my first horse. I can't even picture seeing a different horse in his stall.

He's also a really pretty lawn ornament. ;]

How important is your relationship?

2010-08-17T17:19:00.000-07:00

For me, the connection between horse and rider is everything. If I don't click with my horse, it isn't even worth having one because it takes all the enjoyment right out of it. I suppose there are a million people who would dispute that, and they wouldn't necessarily be wrong. I think it boils down to why you have horses in the first place.

To some people, mainly avid competitors, horses are a means to an end. They need horses to compete in the sports they enjoy, and that's as far as it goes. They don't need to "get along with" their horse in order to love equestrian activities. I'm not saying they mistreat their animals- far from it. But they have little to no emotional attachment to them. It's a business relationship, so to speak.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have the people who covet their horses' affection above anything else. To Hell with the glory of being a successful competitor or winning a case full of rosettes if it's done with a horse that you don't connect with. It doesn't matter how athletic or well trained the horse is if your personalities clash, it's just not fun.

And I'm sure there are gray areas in between the two.

I would fall under the second category. I value my horses not because they're expensive investments, but because they're my companions. If my horses aren't happy and we don't enjoy each other's company, what's the point of having them? I don't want a horse that I feel detached from, or one that wants nothing to do with me. Again, what would be the point?

My old BO offered to let me show Harley, her Quarter Horse, but I turned it down. I don't really like that horse and he doesn't care for me, either. Granted, he's much more docile and easier to ride than Victor. But he's not my Victor. It wouldn't have meant anything. And it has nothing to do with familiarity, because I've know Harley a lot longer than I've known Victor.

And it doesn't necessarily have to be your own horse that you click with. Reba and I were two peas in a pod. =)

So tell me, do you value a purely athletic and successful horse, or one that is more of a good friend? Or are you somewhere in between?

Photos! The horses' first day at home.

2010-08-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

I know these are long overdue. I believe they were taken May 1st... They got a kick out of the neighbor's goats. XDD

I can't believe how sparse the pasture was. The grass has really grown well with all the rain we've had. The dirt areas in the pictures are now almost completely covered. =)

Just got back from my second lesson

2010-07-07T15:48:00.000-07:00

And I blacked out halfway through and had to quit early. I'm shocked at how out of shape I am. Yes, it was hot out, but I used to be able to maintain a working trot for an hour straight in this weather without a problem. It's so incredibly frustrating. I feel like a blob when I'm on the horse. It feels terrible. Kudos to poor Hershey for putting up with my flabbiness with such a patient attitude. He's a pretty cool horse. Always such a gentleman. ;)

But... Ugghh. I've never had to stop early before. I'm exceedingly mad at myself. Lorena would be so disappointed if she saw that. I know exactly what she'd say, too. "How the Hell could you be tired?! I taught you better than that, Miss Thang!"

Yep. That's what she'd say.

I need to start riding my own horses. Victor has gotten fat. He and I are a couple of lard asses right now. What a pair we make. XDDD

I don't know what to think of this place.

2010-06-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

My mom and I found a lesson barn about fifteen minutes away from our house. They breed Paints and do mostly roping, WP, and HUS. The trainer said there are about 100 horses on the property. The facility is very nice and most of the horses looked really good, but I did see a couple of skinny broodmares and one horse that was a bag of bones and had clumps of fur falling out. I have no idea what the story is behind those few horses. I don't know if she's rehabbing them or what. The stalls were kept immaculate and all the horses had food in front of them. The owner/trainer seems to really know what she's doing.

I had a lesson with her today on her $30,000 Paint gelding, which was the most expensive horse I've ever ridden! The lesson went well and it was a whole new experience learning to ride a WP/HUS horse. He was trained to respond completely off of leg aids, which was really cool. My legs are going to hate me tomorrow, but it was worth it. I have another lesson scheduled for the same time next week.

The barn isn't as laid-back as my old boarding barn. Maybe that's why it feels so weird to me. And I get the impression that the people there are strictly riders, not horsemen. The horse was saddled for me and she didn't even want me to rub him down afterward. Which is okay for me because I already know how to do those things, but what about beginners? I get the impression that she only teaches people how to ride, and not how to take care of a horse.

I don't know. I'm interested to see what happens with the skinny horses. I don't know how you can have dozens of horses that look like they're ready for a show, and then have ones that look like poop. If things don't improve, I'm going to quit. I'll just have to wait and see.

A few photos

2010-06-26T16:23:00.000-07:00

These are some old photos of the new farmette, taken before we moved in. These are all I have until I can figure out what's wrong with my computer.

Here's the barn:
The pasture:

Part of the back area, which would be great for another pasture if my parents would let me fence it off. I'm still working on that...

Alas, the best pictures are on my camera. We've been doing tons of landscaping and whatnot.

On another note, having only two horses has presented a problem: they're herd bound. I've never had that issue with them before. It doesn't help that they're a pair bond. Even before we moved, they were always side-by-side. I've only ridden three times since we moved. I rode once with my mom and they did fine as long as they were together. But if I take Victor out of sight, Norman goes nuts. That's why I really want to fence off another turnout area, so I can separate them for a few hours a day. I'm pretty sure I can break them of it if I can just make another pasture. Victor isn't too bad, he only gets upset when Norman starts running the fence line.

I rode him a couple nights ago and he threw a fit when I took him too far away from the pasture. It didn't bother me (I'm used to his tantrums), but it scared the bejeebers out of my mother. Now she wants to get me a new horse. *facepalm* Like Victor's hissy fits are anything new? He'll calm down with more riding. He was the same way when I first bought him and tried to take him out trail riding at the old barn. He eventually just gave up and settled down to the point where we could hack out alone without any drama. It just takes a lot of time and patience with him.

Other than that, not much is going on. *sigh*

I miss Reba so much. :'(

For some odd reason...

2010-06-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

My computer isn't letting me upload photos from my camera. I'll post pics as soon as I figure out what the problem is.

I have a gazillion photos that refuse to get onto my computer and it might drive me insane. *twitch*

Sorry for my major hiatus...

2010-05-19T16:47:00.001-07:00

Things have been seriously chaotic around here. But hey! Guess what!

My mom and I got completely and utterly fed up and the boarding stable. Things went from bad to worse and we just couldn't stand it. Ugh. It makes my queasy just thinking about it.

My mom and I have also been wanting our own horse property for years. And we've been "window shopping" for eons. The rest of the family was pretty much against moving until my mom found this one place online. We convinced Dad to at least go look at it, and voila! He loved it.

Long story short, we moved! And we now have our beasties at home. I can't tell you what a relief it is to be free of that hell hole. The horses seem much happier as well. It's just the two of them in our pasture, so there's no bickering or bullying, especially at feeding time. It's wonderful.

We have a 2-stall barn with a hay loft and a smallish pasture that's just right for our two guys. There's also about six acres in back that we can ride in. No arena, but that's a small price to pay. =) It's wonderful being out in the country, too.

Pictures are coming soon!

Now, I also have some bad news. Major bad news, at least to me it was. Lorena just informed me today that Mitch and Cynthia are leaving the barn and taking Reba with them. I want to throw up. They're taking their two horses, Jack the pony and Mitch's [totally bitchy, obnoxious, dangerous] TWH mare along with Reba to Cynthia's mother's place. They're putting up a fence as we speak. There's no barn or anything. Just a pasture. That means no shelter during storms or in the dead of winter when wind chills reach 20 below. That sounds wonderful for a 25 year old horse, doesn't it? I'm sure Reba will just love getting the shit beaten out of her by Mitch's horse and being fed moldy cattle hay.

[/end sarcasm]

I'm scared to death for Reba. She's old, she has back problems, and Cynthia won't give a flying fuck. It's all the more frustrating because I'm powerless to do anything about it. I hope she enjoyed the bath I gave her right before I left, because it will probably be her last. I saw her today and took a piece of her mane with me since I don't know if I'll get another chance. I might never see her again. This sucks.

The BO is pretty irked about it, too. She and Cynthia were supposedly such good buddies, and now Stank Bitch Cynthia is taking a paying boarder right out from under her. Yeah, they were real pals.

She's not taking Reba because she cares about her, she's taking her to stick it to everyone and because she doesn't want to lose her toy. The BO's place is by no means perfect, but at least there are people there who look out for all the horses and clean up after people like Mitch and Cynthia. However, I am glad that Cristy and Lorena won't have to put up with the garbage anymore. I know they were as miserable as I was. But I'm hoping the situation will be a lot better with Mitch and Cynthia gone. Nonetheless, I'm ecstatic to be done with the place.

*sigh* So yeah. That's my juicy news. Lord have mercy on poor Reba. I'm really going to miss her.

Considering my options...

2010-02-18T15:02:00.000-08:00

Show season is coming up. Who else is nervous?

I've been doing Hunt Seat for the past three years and I've found that I suck at it. I can walk and trot around in circles and that's about as far as my riding skills go. It doesn't help that I haven't ridden in months and I've lost all my riding muscles. I also can't jump worth a bucket of spit. The tiniest cross rail is a huge challenge to me. Not that I don't love hunter/jumpers, I'm just not good at it.

I've been wanting to switch to dressage for a long time. I think both my horses and I would be better suited for it. But I don't have any dressage equipment, my horses have no experience with it, and I don't know any good trainers. In my area, equestrians are few and far between.

I will find a trainer eventually. ;) If I got good at dressage, I figured my hunter/jumper skills would probably improve. Until then I'll just stick to halter classes and trail riding.

Some things really make you count your blessings.

2010-02-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

There's a really old Arabian mare at the barn who isn't doing well at all. She's having problems with laminitis and she can barely walk. But she's alert and has a good appetite. She's actually Mitch's horse, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that he's been taking good care of her and keeping in touch with the vet. I think it's finally sinking in that horses aren't play toys and once they're dead, they're gone for good. Cynthia is another story, but at least Mitch is starting to see the light. I hope.

Decision time sucks. I hate losing pets. It never gets easier. I'm grateful every day that my horses are strong and healthy. I hope they stay that way for a very long time yet.

I'll never understand people like Cynthia. Horses have comparatively short lifespans anyway, so why would you want to speed up that process? Most people would have their pets live forever if it was possible.

Phew

2010-01-30T10:31:00.000-08:00

The vet was out the other day to do teeth and coggins and I had him look at Vic's old injury. It's this hard plate-thing on his left hip that was from being kicked by another horse when he was a foal. It had been weighing on me for some time and I was worried that it might start to bother him as he ages. All these horrible scenarios were running through my mind. What if it does cause problems and he's lame for the rest of his life? How would I keep him fit if I couldn't exercise him? What if I had to retire him at such a young age? Could I afford to keep a horse that's going to wrack up tons of vet bills? What would happen if I ever had to sell him, God forbid?

However, the vet said it's just scar tissue and he doesn't think it'll ever affect him. THANK GOD.

That made my day. I've never been more glad to feel silly for worrying over a small, superficial thing. There's nothing like the relief you feel when you find out you worried for nothing.

I've also learned to never buy a horse without a pre-purchase exam again. I don't know why we didn't have a vet check when we bought him. What if the owner had been lying about it? Definitely not a smart move on my part. Especially since she lied about his age and training. She told us he was eight years old and was trained for eventing. I only found out years later that he was actually only five at the time. Just a baby. Which explains why he was a naughty little schmuck when we brought him home. But it worked out for the best. Buying him was the best dumb thing I've ever done. Go figure.

Your early horse-crazy years

2010-01-02T08:16:00.000-08:00

I don't remember exactly when I became obsessed with horses, but I remember having a closet full of equine merchandise from very early on. I had My Little Ponies (the original ones, not those new, stumpy, weird-looking critters), Fantasy Fillies, and a battery-powered Barbie horse, among other things. I still have the pink Fantasy Filly and the Barbie horse. I think I still have most of my toy horses, actually. My poor Barbie horse had a rough life. He used to have a long mane and tail, but I took scissors and cut it all off. I guess I thought it would grow back. Now he has a cropped mane and a little bobtail. Poor thing. He still works, though! I probably had around a hundred toy horses at one time, and I had names and personalities for all of them. O.o

Our old house was a small ranch on about an eighth of an acre and I thought I was going to keep a mini horse in the backyard. I thought if I got a little tiny horse, I could just put a leash and collar on him and walk him around like a dog. He would be about the size of a large dog, so no one would have a problem with it, right?

I after I accepted that keeping a pony in the backyard wasn't going to work, I upgraded to Breyer horses and used them as an outlet for my horseless-ness. I couldn't have a real horse, so I collected as many model ones as possible.

Now that I have my own Real Little Ponies, I'm not as enthusiastic about Breyers. That's probably a good thing because I don't have money for Breyers anymore! When I have thirty-five bucks laying around, it usually goes toward feed or the farrier. lol

An almost-paranormal experience

2009-12-24T13:25:00.000-08:00

Well, more like a mystery. I went out to feed this morning and there were several bales of hay that had been strewn all over the ground and destroyed. There was also a pile of poo in the isle and one of the horse's stockings had been raided of all its cookies. All of the horses were secure in their stalls, no kicked in doors, and no busted stall guards. It was weird.

But then we saw that one of the bolts that held Levi's stall guard had been torn out of the wall and someone must have come after we left and put him back in his stall.

I watch too much SiFi channel. I watch that show on Animal Planet where animals experience paranormal phenomena and my imagination goes wild.

However, the original barn had burned down a long time ago and they just dug a hole out back and buried the rubble. We frequently dig up pieces of concrete and metal pipes that are remains of the old barn. Sounds like the perfect spot for some ghosties to hang out. ;D

Does anyone ever feel like they get paranoid for no reason?

2009-12-19T19:27:00.000-08:00

My grandma grew up on a farm and they had two teams of plow horses, and a little cart pony, Dickie. My grandma wanted a riding horse for the longest time, and her dad finally bought her a mare named Lady when she was a teenager. The horses were in the same pasture as some of the other animals and there was a creek running through it, which was the animals' water source. My great-grandfather went out to feed them in the evening, but Lady didn't show up at the barn that night. He found her by the creek, and she had fallen and broken a leg. He ended up having to shoot her. My grandma, understandably, was devastated.

Now, I told you that story to tell you this story. We have some older horses at the barn and sometimes when I go to bring them in for feeding, one of them might not be waiting at the gate. I immediately think the worst and I start to feel sick. I think of Lady every single time a horse goes "missing". I eventually find the straggler hiding in some odd place, but I can't help it. I don't know why I'm like that. I have to say that one of my worst fears is going out and finding a dead or dying horse, and I especially worry about the super old horses. Particularly in the winter. Even if I was at a "normal" boarding facility, I would probably still worry if a horse didn't show up for dinner on time.

Just a little rant. Pay no attention.

2009-12-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

I heard that Cynthia was talking to Katie (new boarder with Dixie, the appy mare) and I guess Cynthia told her that horses are just farm animals to her and the other boarders go overboard.

I think it came up because Cynthia's little demon child had Dixie and a couple other horses in the arena (who also did not belong to her and they did not have permission) and was running them around for a good hour and a half, which was supposed to be their eating time. It's no secret by now that Cynthia thinks she's entitled to do whatever she wants with the horses (I don't think she would touch mine; she knows that I would personally shove her ass through a wood chipper if she did).

Now here comes the rant, and I think I speak for all of the other boarders as well.

~~Cynthia, everybody knows that you see horses as nothing but livestock, as it's perfectly obvious from the way you treat them. However, everybody else here values their horses as FAMILY MEMBERS (that includes Reba!!!) and you need to respect that or stay the FUCK away from them. If you can't treat other people's horses with the same care that we do, PISS OFF and keep your disgusting paws off of our babies, you filthy PIG.~~

... *phew*

I feel better. I just needed to let that out somewhere. I would tell Cynthia to her face, but that would probably get me into a lot of trouble.

OT, but things have gotten better now that Lorena is back at the barn. Katie is on the same page as we are, too. We all just kind of look out for each other's horses. It works pretty good. =)

Please fit, please fit, please fit...

2009-12-14T15:20:00.000-08:00

I ordered a draft-sized English snaffle bridle for 'Normous and it just came today. It's beautiful. It was originally $190 but I got it on special for around $80 on tackwholesale.com. I was looking at it tonight and I'm not sure if it'll fit his big 'ole noggin. If it doesn't, I'll just get another horse.

XDD Not really. But I'll be sad if it doesn't fit. I'll try it on him tomorrow.

Yay for Reba!

2009-12-13T12:23:00.000-08:00

I left my guys and Reba in their stalls overnight last time I fed because the weather was nasty. Winter sucks in the Midwest... Anyway, I went out the next morning and let her walk around in the arena for a while and put her back in her stall. Then Lorena came out later and put her in the arena again. I guess Cynthia went out later that afternoon and FLIPPED out because Reba was in. She called Cristy and was like, "Reba is so swollen!"

Reba stocks up sometimes when she's in her stall for days at a time. However, I was out there two days in a row and she was perfectly fine both times. Plus Lorena and I exercise her whenever we're out there. She was definitely not stocked up. I have no idea why Cynthia would lie about it, although it doesn't surprise me.

Cristy ended up calling Reba's owner, and we were pleasantly surprised to find out that she was happy that people were taking care of her horse. Cristy mentioned that she could use a blanket, and her owner bought one for her, so she can go outside now. :) And she was totally cool with Reba staying in her stall when the weather is bad.

In the three days that Reba was in, she looks better. She didn't have to compete for food and she wasn't burning a lot of calories. She actually has a little belly on her now.

It just irked me because number one, it was none of Cynthia's business in the first place, and two, she took the whole thing like we were trying to pick a fight with her when it had nothing to do with her.

Also, we just learned that the owner had had a saddle custom made to fit Reba and was supposed to be in the tack room, and now it's missing. I would be so pissed if my *custom* saddle disappeared. Those aren't cheap.

But yay! We have official permission to take care of the little Reba Girl. Cynthia can just shut up and mind her own business.

What are your horses getting from Santa?

2009-12-13T10:59:00.001-08:00

I was thinking about making horse-shaped cookies and putting one in everyone's stocking (all the horses have stockings on their stalls). =D

If it's not edible, my horses couldn't care less. Norman tried to eat his stocking a few times already. He's such a goober.

We have a new boarder.

2009-11-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

The lady seems nice enough. She made a good first impression, and she seems to really care about her horse. Her mare is REALLY cute (tall, well built, bay roan appaloosa). They just got here yesterday and I was told it took them four hours to get the mare into the trailer. O.O That's almost worse than Norman. lol

I don't know how long she'll be staying, however. I think she's already unhappy. She's paying full board and I don't think she was informed that she has to clean her own stall and whatnot. I hope it works out because she's really friendly and we could use more reasonable people there.

It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

I will never cease to be amazed.

2009-11-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

I've found that most horses generally fall into one of two categories. You have the saintly, almost irrationally patient horses, and you have the ones who aren't so tolerant. I find myself shaking my head all the time at what some horses put up with.

Norman, for example, is one of the super-tolerant horses, and I really wish he wasn't like that. A lot of it is his breed. He has a very high pain tolerance and he's hard to read because of it. Just last week, I was lunging him and when I put the side reins on, I noticed he was playing with his tongue and the bit looked... weird. And then I saw that the bit was under his tongue. O.O His mouth was closed and he was bright and alert for the whole ten minutes before he finally opened his mouth enough to see it. I felt horrible. It must have been uncomfortable, but for some reason, he just put up with it.

If that had been Victor, he would have been gaping and tossing his head the minute the bridle was on. That's one thing I'm grateful for. He lets me know right away if something's wrong and he isn't about to suffer a fool (good thing he's not Cynthia's horse. She'd be six feet under by now). I will say that I prefer the intolerant horses for that reason.

On the other hand, Reba would definitely fall into the irrationally tolerant category. She gets ridden into the ground and handled by ignorant people/inexperienced riders regularly and she never puts a foot wrong. Horses like that are worth their weight in gold. It's worrying me more and more because of her age. She's noticeably more sway backed than she was when I first met her and I've noticed that she's stiff when she comes out of her stall. It's more prominent in the winter months as well, and I think she might be a little arthritic. Not that anyone who rides her is likely to care.

So, what are your stories? I'm interested to hear from you. Have you ever encountered one of those amazingly kind horses and if so, did they have good or bad owners?

Post- lotto dream barn?

2009-11-02T09:08:00.000-08:00

We all fantasize about our perfect barns. Here is what mine would be:

Situated on 30-50 acres with state-of-the-art facilities. I'd have an indoor arena with two sections of the barn on either side. The whole building would be heated and I'd have at least 30 stalls. It would be a training/boarding/lesson facility and all my lesson horses would be feedlot rescues and ex-racehorses. I'd have a few grooms and trainers on staff that specialize in rehabilitation and retraining.

I'd have two tack rooms, wash racks, and feed rooms (one for each section) plus a lounge, an office, outdoor arena, and a little store. The barn would be open to all disciplines but specialize in jumping and dressage. The pastures would have a creek running through them and lots of trees. I'd have a long, asphalt driveway that led to the main entry and an area with a fountain and benches. I would also take in auction horses and get them back into shape, retrain them, and sell them to good homes. I'd also put Norman in dressage training and have someone give him some show experience.

I want to make a blueprint of it sometime... I have it all planned out, just in case I get lucky.

I want to hear from you-- what would you do if you suddenly came into a lot of money?

I love our farrier.

2009-11-01T16:59:00.000-08:00

Norman was scheduled for a trimming yesterday and our farrier pointed out that he didn't really need it. It's a small fortune to have a draft trimmed ($50 without shoes) so that was cool. What an honest guy. He did trim up some uneven edges and only charged ten bucks, and he took the time to explain how winged edges effect soundness and how to tell exactly when a horse needs to be trimmed. I luffs him.

I was also pleasantly surprised when he said that Norman has exceptional feet.

Usually the drafts you see at shows have huge, square shoes that are heavy and make the horse lift his feet higher. The farrier told us that horses shod like that usually have arthritis by age six. Now I know why the horses I see at the fair have such hideous feet. And I thought draft people were generally decent folks. :( Just goes to show where the horse world is going.

Mud... ugh.

2009-10-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

The paddock is like a swamp and it's supposed to rain for the next three days. Most of the horses are in their stalls, except Jack. Cynthia and Mitch have this weird thing about stalls and they don't want their horses in them unless they absolutely have to be. I think it's because they don't want to muck them.

Mitch's TWH mare had a swollen foreleg and fluid all the way up to her knee, plus a cut on the inside of her leg that probably got infected because of all the mud. I guess Cynthia noticed it before I did but didn't do anything about it. Nothing surprising. But Jack has been lame for a couple weeks now, and it's probably from standing in eight inches of mud and shit 23 hours a day. They drove him out on the trails the other day and I seriously doubt that she even knows he's ouchy. His fetlocks were hot a few days ago, but now he's just tender on his front legs. It must really suck to be him. They feed him brittle, moldy cattle hay that's yellow and gray and stinks to high heaven. His muscle tone has deteriorated since they bought him and his coat is dull. The poor guy is going to look like an old nag by the time he's fifteen.

I worry about Reba, too. The BO is really stingy with her feed.

I'm all about longevity. I want my horses to be as healthy as possible for as long as possible. Beezie Madden's horse, Judgment is 17 and still clearing 6-foot oxer combinations easily. That's pretty sweet.

The key to longevity is to maintain, maintain, maintain. That means the harder you work a horse, the harder you take care of him. It's a foreign concept to some people I know. I see Reba being worked to a sweat and then tossed into her stall or paddock. They just ride and leave. Reba's about 25, and she looks every day of it. I don't know how much longer she can keep going at this rate. Actually, there are several horses out there that look like shit.

On another note, Levi is calming down a little. He still hates Victor and Victor avoids him at all costs. I haven't found any new wounds on him, though. The other day, Levi decided to go after one of the older horses, but Norman was between them. He turned around and nailed him four times in the chest. Now all the horses hide behind Normy. XDDD I think that's what Vic's been doing.

I'm beginning to think that Levi is more of a dumb brute than anything. A very handsome one, but still dumb. He hasn't really learned his place in the heard and he just doesn't know when to stop once he starts pushing the others around. Norman is the only one that will stand up to him. He's a slow learner. Or very stubborn. He really needed to have his ass kicked, though. I think that's what finally calmed him down. At least he isn't as much of a pain in the ass as he was.

Victor colicked last night

2009-10-13T12:48:00.000-07:00

I got a call from Cristy at about 8:30 and said he was acting funny. So my mom and I went out and one of the other boarders was walking him in the arena. He was all sucked up and wanted to roll. Lorena came right out with the medicine and I walked him for a good 2 1/2 hours until he started feeling better. We were there until 11:00 pm. But he seems to be okay now.

Colic is always scary. My trainer lost her hunter/jumper to colic and he ruptured his colon because nobody did anything about it for five hours. Very sad stuff.

I went to an auction last night

2009-10-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

And I should have slapped the guy who was selling most of the horses. I think he was a broker. All of his horses looked pathetic. They were all dirty, and there was one skinny dun mare who hadn't had a hoof trimming in months and was lame. I should have slapped him. I wasn't expecting any good quality stock last night, but it upsets me every time. There was also a chestnut overo filly who was broken to ride and only two years old. You could tell she had tons of growing to do. She was cute, though. I'd say she was the best one there.

The saddest part was the last horse, also belonging to the shitstick broker. The horse was filthy, shaggy, thin and sway backed. They claimed he was in his upper teens, and I believe it. He certainly looked old and defeated, and I'm sure he's had a hard life. He looked awful. There are 30-year-old horses that look better than he did. They had the bid all the way down to fifteen bucks, and nobody wanted him. I was an inch away from taking him... but then the broker offered to give him away, and a girl took him. Which worked out for the best because I didn't have a trailer and I don't know what I'd do with another horse. lol The girl was well-dressed and she seemed nice, so I hope she'll take care of him.

I'd like to go again. I might not be able to keep myself from buying a horse, though.

Can I choke her now?

2009-09-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

Cynthia feeds the horses in the morning on some days (she switches off with Cristy). I've discovered that she doesn't give them fresh water when she puts them in the pastures. I don't think her mind can wrap around the fact that horses don't drink water that isn't fresh. So there were five horses that went all day without water on Sunday. I know because when I went out to do the pm feeding, the water was stagnant and (shocking!) untouched. Awesome.

So yesterday, Cynthia did the am feeding and put Victor, Levi, and one other gelding together in the SMALLEST PASTURE ON THE PROPERTY that's barely big enough for two horses. Everyone knows that Levi hates Victor. There was no excuse. The BO's husband happened to walk outside later that day and guess what he found?

The electric fence was completely torn down and Victor was standing in the adjacent pasture covered in new wounds. Apparently Levi went after Victor and pushed him through the hot rope. Now he's scraped up all over again and he's got some new cuts on his legs and hips. He barely tolerated it when I was dressing them, so it's obvious he was hurting. I understand that the injuries aren't serious, but they're painful and that's what upsets me. I can't put a saddle over those raw spots, either. Just when the old owies were starting to heal, this happens. Thanks to Cynthia.

If this was the first careless thing she's done, I could forgive her. But she does stupid things all the time. Stupidity is her MO. If she ever used that lump three feet above her ass, this wouldn't have happened and I wouldn't have so many issues with her. This is just the first time her dumbass-ery has affected one of my horses directly. You know what she did when she found out? She called Cristy and apparently apologized profusely. I find that amusing that she called Cristy to apologize for MY horse getting hurt. Is she trying to avoid me until I cool down? She probably didn't want to be the one to tell me what happened. Or maybe she didn't have the balls to apologize to me directly. Not that it would help her case if she did. "Sorry" isn't gonna make those wounds go away. And it could have been avoided so easily.

I really want to know: Am I unreasonable for being upset? I mean about Victor getting bullied. Lorena thinks I'm being ridiculous. She is not willing to believe that her horse is dangerous and she seems to think it's perfectly normal that he chews Victor up. I don't think it's going to stop. They're okay if they're in the big drylot because Vic can get away from him, but otherwise, no. Also, Lorena and Cristy don't seem to understand that the problems are one-sided. Vic doesn't fight back at all. Levi is the instigator. How do I know? I've seen it happen many times in the past two weeks. Plus the fact that Vic is torn up and Levi doesn't have a scratch on him.

The wounds themselves don't bother me nearly as much as the idea of something happening and going unnoticed for hours. What if he'd gotten tangled in the hot wire? That's what bothers me. The scrapes and cuts aren't the worst that can happen. And it's that much worse because I'm paranoid.

I have more bad news. Rumor has it that Cynthia found two new boarders. One doesn't have a horse yet but wants one, and one lady wants to bring her horse in. If they're Cynthia's acquaintances, it can't be anything good. I don't think I can take more Cynthias. I'll go crazy if they end up being like her. My mom found a place that offers board for $100 a month, but there's no barn and it's just a pasture with a shelter. If these new people end up being bad, I think I'm going to bite the bullet and try to get my mom to move them to a place like that. I'd rather give up a nice barn and facilities than endure being around shitheads. For now I'm just praying that they end up being decent.

Victor got beat up again. D;

2009-09-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

Levi is a bully. Vic had new owies on him when I went out yesterday. And Levi went after him (again) when I put them back out after feeding them. Lorena seems to think it'll blow over. I think not. But I've been wrong before, so we'll see. The way I see it, a horse is hard-wired to be the way he is and you can't change it any more than you can change someone's personality. I hope I'm wrong because I do not want to have to put up with my horse getting chewed up every time I turn around.

Ugh.

We had some problems last night.

2009-09-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

When I went out to feed yesterday, eight horses were in the front pasture. That included Victor and Levi. I brought the horses in and I noticed that someone had beaten the living shit out of Victor. He had bite and kick marks all over him, especially on his neck. That has never happened before. All the horses were stressed and upset, and Levi was driving Doc (older gelding) away from all the other horses. It wasn't typical dominance behavior. Levi wasn't even letting Doc rest, no matter where he went in the pasture. I had a feeling Vic and Levi got into it, but I wasn't 100% sure is was Levi.

However, when I put the horses out that evening, Levi went after Victor again. Again, it wasn't just asserting dominance. Vic's been the dominant horse until now, so I think that's why the two of them are having so many problems. They were on opposite ends of the paddock, and Levi took one look at him and charged him. Vic got chased into the hot wire and Levi wouldn't leave him alone. So I brought Vic in and left him in his stall overnight. I might have been making myself paranoid yet again, but I kept having visions of him being driven into the fence and getting a leg caught in it or getting tangled in hot wire or kicking a hole in the metal shelter and slicing a hoof off... It's not the scrapes and bites that bother me. Those are superficial and they'll heal. It scares me to death what could happen if he and Levi were left unattended and I went out there the next morning to find a dead horse either beaten to shreds or tangled in a fence.

Levi was showing a lot of stallion behavior. Even though he was supposedly in a pasture with mares and geldings at his old place. I honestly never thought he would be like that since he's so docile with people. Pretty stupid of me, I know. I know stallions who were gelded as adults and they calmed right down and never had a problem. I'm positive that Levi still has a stallion's mentality. He herded Reba off by herself and won't let any other horses near her. He was patrolling up and down the paddock and going out of his way to chase other horses away. Vic and Doc especially. He just won't leave anyone alone. One of the mares nailed him in the jaw and now his cheek is swollen to twice the normal size. He's getting the shit beaten out of him too, because he's harassing everyone else in the herd. Vic is terrified of him, and I have NEVER seen Victor run from anyone. It was pretty brutal.

But I really don't want Levi to be sent back. I know how much Lorena and Cristy love him and I really like him as well. Just because he doesn't get along with a few of the horses is no reason to send him back. The problem is, all thirteen horses are together in one paddock. I HATE that. It's dangerous and I've nearly gotten run over several times while bringing horses in. They charge the gate because they're not being fed sufficiently and the BO is hellbent on keeping them all in "one big, happy herd", as she put it. It's ridiculous. When I first came to the barn, the drylots were separated into sections and there were one to three horses in each enclosure. The pastures were all separated, too. It was so much easier and safer. But the BO had the brilliant idea to tear out all the fencing and make the whole thing into one big paddock. She doesn't understand that some horses just do not get along. And she refuses to separate them. Now, the older and more timid horses don't get enough to eat and there's no way to assure that each horse gets the amount of hay that they're supposed to.

Lorena is extremely upset about the whole issue and I feel really guilty. She thinks the aggression would blow over eventually and they would be fine. She's mad at me for bringing Victor in because she thinks that that took away a chance for them to establish the pecking order. But I saw it and it wasn't normal. Was I wrong to take Victor out? I know the difference between asserting dominance and stallion behavior. And Levi was a breeding stallion up until last year. All I know is if I hadn't taken Victor out, I would have been up all night worrying. It felt wrong to leave him out there, and I'm sure many other horse people can relate when you just have "that feeling". Plenty of people end up losing their horses when they ignore that feeling.

I'm rambling. I'm just stressed out and guilty and I don't know what to do. I do not want to get in a fight with Lorena and I definitely don't want Levi to be sent back because of me. I have a serious headache right now.

Better photos of Levi

2009-09-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

Lorena is absolutely head-over-heels for this horse (so am I... hehe). We're pretty positive that she's keeping him. These pics are horrible for any conformation critique, but at least it's during the day and you can actually see his beautiful blue eyes. =) He needs more muscle tone in his hindquarters, but he's solid as a rock.

I'd like to get pictures of him all tacked up. He looks pretty sharp in English equipment. He's a dream to ride, too. Victor might have some competition...

Eeerrgh. I'm going to steal their pony and give him to a little girl that will love him.

2009-09-13T17:36:00.000-07:00

I don't know how Jack puts up with it. You should have seen what a brat Cynthia's daughter was being today. I wanted to slap her naughty little mouth. Like they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

I was riding Vic when Cynthia came in and started lunging Jack. It was horrible. He' can't even trot rhythmically and she's pushing him to canter. She had him cantering on the wrong lead and didn't correct him. Then she had her daughter cantering on him. And her daughter shouldn't even be trotting. She doesn't even know how to hold the reins right. I'm not surprised, seeing as Cynthia is the one "teaching" her.

Her stirrups were about three holes too long, her feet were shoved into the irons to her heels, her toes were pointed down, her legs were flopping all over the place, she was leaning forward, leaning on the reins. No wonder poor Jack got fed up. He didn't do anything really naughty, but he crow hopped a few times. And the worst part is, the girl was whining because she wanted to jump. And Cynthia is going to let her. I don't know when, but she told her daughter that she might jump next time they're out there.

This is coming from the woman who didn't even know what a diagonal is. There's no way she knows what a release is. Someone's going to get hurt and it's going to be either Jack or her daughter. Or both. It's especially sad because if Jack got really naughty, they're blame it completely on him.

Cynthia had a trainer coming out there for a while who was absolutely crazy. I disliked her from the first time I met her. She was the kind of person who just rubs you the wrong way, y'know? She had rather questionable training techniques and she was bizarre to say the least. The BO realized this (shocker, I know!) and she actually had the 'nads to tell Cynthia not her have her out there anymore. I have to give the BO a brownie point for that one. One less nutjob out there to deal with.

Now if we can just get rid of Stank Bitch.

Horse festival photos!

2009-09-12T21:18:00.000-07:00

I went to a horse event recently and thought I'd share some of the pictures. My two favorite stallions were there. *squeals like a fangirl* Santiago and Fandango. Andalusians. They're like the ones you see in baroque paintings, only much better because they're real and standing right in front of you. Lookie and enjoy. Click for larger views...

First we have Santiago:

And the ever lovely Fandango:

This was all during the baroque presentation.

The vaulters were awesome.

This was when the mare spooked. Fortunately they all managed to stay on and it wasn't a big deal.

Friesian mares with their foals. It was adorable to watch.

And last but not least, we have the mini pulling the chariot. It was hysterical. XD They were tearing around the arena and the music was all dramatic and it was just hilarious. lolz

Aaannd... a picture of Annabel because she's cute and fuzzy. You can tell she has such a hard life.

pulls hair out

2009-09-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

I did it again. I cleaned up after Cynthia. She had a bunch of kids riding Reba again last night and as expected, she wasn't groomed. I wasn't there, but Lorena was and she told me Cynthia also had her five-year-old son riding the barn owner's Thoroughbred mare. Who had also not been groomed afterward as she had a dirty, sweaty saddle mark on her when I went out this afternoon. And the BO didn't seem to care or even notice. I would have knocked her ass through the ceiling if that had been my horse. I'm assuming she had permission, but Cynthia's got some nerve treating the barn owner's horse that way.

So anyway, I took some pics of Reba after she got all cleaned up. She's pretty cute when she's clean.

Sorry for the bad lighting. Photos don't come out that great in the barn. XP

She's a gorgeous color. I love roan horses. You can't even see her skinny-ness in the pictures. Her ribs stick out and you can feel all the vertebrae in her spine. Her dock sticks out as well and her hindquarters are really sunken in. She's be really cute if she gained weight and filled out.

You can kind of see her ribs in this one. She's a bit sway backed, too. But still irresistible. She's so patient and forgiving. Probably way too patient, but a lot of horses are. And unfortunately those are the ones that most frequently end up with bad owners/riders.

She's another reason I really hesitate to move. No one would look after her and she'd probably never see a curry comb again. Stank Bitch Cynthia would continue to use her as a play toy and no one would care. If I moved, Lorena and Cristy would probably come with, so Reba would definitely have no one (can you tell I really really really like this horse? lol).

IF I move, I might call her owner up and fill her in on everything. And possibly ask her if she would consider moving Reba to the place I go. I'm sure she would at least consider it if she knew what was going on.

Lorena and I went to look at this therapeutic riding facility today and it was absolutely gorgeous. It's on 20 acres, the barn being remodeled, there's a pond and a creek that runs through the pastures, indoor/outdoor arenas, and all the horses were in great condition. The people there were nice and they really care about the horses. It's a boarding facility as well as the therapy riding. We want to do volunteer work there, and we could eventually become state certified instructors. And if I worked out there, they might let me keep my horses out there for a lower fee. It's a huge "maybe", though. So we'll see.

Finally, as promised, I got a picture of Levi. It's not very good, though. It was getting dark and you can't see much. I brightened it a lot, but it's still yucky. I'll get better ones as soon as I can. I apologize again for the cruddy photos. :/

I got to ride Levi!

2009-09-11T08:42:00.000-07:00

He is a gem. He's the kind of horse that you never want to get off of once you're on him. He has a lovely trot and a nice quiet mind. Lorena is completely smitten. I know, I promised to get pictures, and I forgot once again. But they are coming. He is sooo handsome.

Totally off topic, but Cynthia had a bunch of people (some complete beginners) go out on a nighttime trail ride a few days ago. I wasn't there at night but I saw her talking to people and organizing the whole thing during the day. She was trying to get Cristy to go with, even though there weren't enough horses for the people that were already going. So then Cynthia suggests that she takes Victor.

O.O Cristy and I almost fell over. First of all, he's not Cristy's horse, and second of all, Cristy doesn't want that death wish. She's seen him when he's in a pissy mood. I don't think she'd get on him if someone paid her.

He's a one-person horse. If a stranger took him and just hopped on, you're asking for trouble. He'd probably send someone to the emergency room.

She even had kids riding double because she didn't have enough horses for everyone. I'm pretty sure she used Mariah. And for the record, she STILL hasn't been groomed. I should take a picture of her so you can see how pathetic she looks. They claim she's dirty because she's gray, and I say bullshit. There's a big difference between pasture dirt and old, caked on sweat. It would not be that hard to keep her clean, but they seem to think grooming is blasphemy.

One of Mitch's daughters asked me how my horses are so shiny. That's what happens when you GROOM them! Shocking, isn't it? I know it's a terribly hard concept to wrap your brain around.

OMG I just want to kill her.

2009-09-08T06:35:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was an eventful day. Wendy and Eddie left and went back to their old barn. I'm not surprised and I don't blame them at all. But I'm gonna miss them. It was such a breath of fresh air talking to people who know what they're doing. Now it's back to square one with me, my mom, Cristy, and Lorena against the shitheads. My mother keeps insisting that we can't afford to go anywhere else. So the search continues. I'm still trying to talk her into going to that one place.

Anyway, Reba's plight continues. This girl was out there yesterday with one of her friends. I think the girl is somehow related to Reba's owner, but I'm not sure. Both girls were riding Reba, and my stomach was in a knot the whole time. The friend must have been at least 200 pounds. And Reba's about 15 hands and has no muscle at all. She's too small for me to ride, let alone someone who's so heavy. Nonetheless, she behaved perfectly the whole time and never put a foot wrong. She is such a good horse.

I feel bad for girl #1. She comes out with Cynthia a lot and she's basically being corrupted. She's not being taught any better, and she doesn't know a good trainer from a bad one because she's a rank beginner. I'm seeing her pick up all of Cynthia's bad habits and the last thing the horse world needs is another Cynthia.

When the girls were done, they untacked her and tossed her in her stall without even rubbing her down. Exactly like Cynthia does. And Reba had grain in her stall, so she was all hot and sweaty when she started to eat. I grabbed her out right away and showered her down. The girls left to fast to see me do it, but I'm going to say something to girl #1 next time I see her. I think she'll listen, too. She's a nice girl and she does care about her horse, she's just been hanging around Stank Bitch way too much. I don't know if it'll cause any problems with Cynthia, though. She might think I'm undermining her. I don't care if she's mad at me, I just don't want her to whine to the BO, because the BO probably won't back me up.

Mariah, that super old Arab mare that's foundered and arthritic, was ridden at the same time Reba was last time. Cynthia had a bunch of girls riding Mariah, Reba, Jack, and Nikki. And not surprisingly, none of those horses were groomed afterward. Mariah still has the saddle mark from three days ago. And she's been droopy and sore since then. She isn't in any condition to be ridden at all. Plus she was dirty when they tacked her up so she might be sore from that as well. She's had huge sores under her girth before. It's really sickening. It's situations like this when I wish our area had an SPCA. Every city needs animal cops. All we have here is Animal Control, and they only deal with cats and dogs because they don't have the facilities for large animals and none of them know anything about horses. They won't do a damn thing if I call them. I've reported several cruelty cases and they never do anything. It makes me want to move and go somewhere where they actually have law enforcement.

I'm taking care of another horse.

2009-09-07T05:03:00.000-07:00

There's this mare named Reba and she never gets any attention. The reason is because she's owned by a non-horse person and she only keeps her for sentimental reasons. You see, Reba used to belong to her owner's daughter, but the daughter died. So now she's just living there and the worst part is, Cynthia somehow got permission to ride her whenever she wants.

This has been going on for a long time. Cynthia rides the poor twenty-something horse into the ground and then tosses her back in her stall or paddock without so much as a pat on the neck. That's how she treats all the horses she rides. So the other day, Stank Bitch had a bunch of kids riding Reba. Then she tossed her in her stall when they were done, sweaty saddle mark and all. Didn't bother to rub her down or anything. That's what you do with toys, right? Just beat them up and toss them back on the shelf.

So I took her and hosed her down, then conditioned her mane and tail and Show Sheened her. She was in desperate need of some pampering. And I did it right in front of Cynthia and everyone else at the barn. AM I GETTING MY POINT ACROSS? Does anyone ever see Cynthia even groom the horse? Hell no. Wendy came over and commented on how skinny she is (she's about 75 pounds underweight). And Cynthia suddenly starts saying that she watches her weight so closely and she gains all the weight back when her teeth are floated and she's so concerned about the horse. Bullshit. Reba's been a skeleton for a long time. She could pack on the weight if she was fed enough, AND if Cynthia kept her ass off of her. FYI, the photo was taken several years ago before Cynthia came. She doesn't look like that anymore.

So she KNOWS the horse is skinny but she continues to ride her the way she does? She has a horse that she can ride for free whenever she wants and she completely neglects her. It's no wonder she looks like shit. And Reba's not the only one. There are several horses out there that look pathetic. Reba also isn't the first horse in Cynthia's care that was underweight. Her original pony, Sarah, was way too skinny. Cynthia claimed they were doing everything in their power to help her gain weight. She said they just couldn't get her to eat. That's because they fed her cattle hay that resembled straw. No fucking wonder she didn't eat.

However, you know that they "sold" Sarah and got Jack instead. Sarah's new owner has this brand new barn and she's treated like a queen. She gained all the weight back within a couple months of getting proper nutrition. I'm happy for Sarah, but Jack is the next victim. That pony isn't gonna last long. I see early onset arthritis in his future. Both Cynthia and her husband ride him. They practically need roller skates so their feet don't drag on the ground. That poor pony is an absolute SAINT. Lord have mercy on him.

Her husband said something the other day that pissed me off. He's not a horse person, and he values horses even less than his dipshit wife. He said he wants a mustang because they're so low maintenance and rarely ever need farrier work. Which means God forbid if they ever DID get a mustang, he or she would be severely neglected. It scares the shit out of me when I hear people say ignorant things like that. The BO actually agreed with him, not surprising. But still. I bit my tongue because they wouldn't have listened to me anyway. No one ever does.

But back to the fact that several horses there look terrible. The BO just doesn't see it. She thinks there's nothing wrong with any of them. Her barn is going to get one hell of a bad reputation. Visitors come through that barn and wonder what the hell's going on and why the BO isn't addressing the issues. It's because she's blind and she doesn't have the balls to confront anybody and straighten them out. The woman can't run a stable. Period.

Our horses make her barn look good. And by "our" I mean mine, Wendy and Eddie's, and Lorena's. If we left, the only ones that would be left are the scraggly, malnourished ones. And the only people would be the clueless ones. If we left, her barn would fall apart. There would be no clean, healthy horses and knowledgeable people to make the place look good. I think if one of us left, all of us would follow, too.

There is one place that's about half an hour away, and I think it's $275 a month for full board. That includes a stall, daily turnout, hay, grain, shavings, stall cleaning and farrier. And it's owned by one of my parents' friends. He supposedly keeps everything immaculate and he actually feeds his horses. But it's thirty minutes away. That adds up to a lot of gas money and I might not see my horses as often as I do now. They're ten minutes away right now, and the idea of them being so far away is a bit unsettling. I'm probably just being paranoid again.

Nevertheless, I really really really want to move. If we go there, I won't have to worry about my guys not being taken care of. Plus we wouldn't have to supply our own grain and shaving and hay anymore. So I don't think it would be that much more expensive. And we wouldn't have to put up with the morons. The owner doesn't sound like the kind of person that would tolerate morons.

Lorena, Cristy, and maybe Wendy and Eddie would come with us. So our current BO would lose over half her boarders. Maybe that would be a wake up call.

I want to get out of there so bad I can't tell you. It's just a matter of talking my parents into it. They still want to try to make things work out there. I've given up and I consider that place a lost cause. But whatever. If things miraculously get better, I've been wrong before. That would be great if Cynthia and Mike left. But that's probably not going to happen because the BO loves them. Hence being a lost cause.

The shenanigans never end. lol

2009-09-06T18:32:00.000-07:00

The BO is kinda... goofy. That's the nicest word I can use to describe her. She has the memory of an ant and she knows nothing about horses. She claims she's been around horses all her life, but if that's true, I think it was just the good ole' farm pony types.

She almost knocked my socks off a couple days ago. Eddie was talking about bits and the BO comes up and says, "What's a loose ring?"

HOSNAP. She supposedly has several decades worth of experience under her belt and she doesn't know what a loose ring is? She started asking him all these newbie questions that anyone could figure out simply by opening up a State Line Tack catalog. She had no idea what an eggbutt or D-ring is. And she didn't know the difference between a snaffle and a leverage bit. The woman uses a pelham on her Quarter Horse and she has no understanding of bit mechanics. That scares the bejezus out of me.

Another weird thing about her. She's sworn up and down to my mom and I that she was a prosecuting attorney, but come to find out, she was only a paralegal. *facepalm*

I think she's pretty harmless, nevertheless. Just extremely goofy. She can't manage a stable if her life depended on it. That's why Lorena is such an asset.

Speaking of Lorena...

HER HORSE CAME SATURDAY!!!

She has him for thirty days, but she still doesn't know if he'll be good for Cristy's daughter. All three of them are head-over-heels in love with him, though. He is sharp. His name is Jim, but Lorena is calling him Levi because... Jim sounds ridiculous. But he's a piebald with blue eyes. Very handsome. He's nine and was a stallion up until last year, but he has no stud left in him at all. Nothing seems to bother him, not even half a dozen little girls squealing and petting the heck out of him. I need to get pictures. I got to ride him yesterday, and he was definitely cowboy trained. He has no bend to him because all they did was point him and kick. He thinks one leg on him means "GO". But that's the kind of training Lorena likes to do. Bending and flexing and whatnot.

I promise to get pictures next time.

Secret's going back.

2009-09-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

Lorena is taking her back Saturday because she has a crack in her front hoof that goes all the way up and the farrier said it looks like permanent damage. They pulled her shoes yesterday and there was hardly any wall left to put shoes back on, so they left her barefoot. It might have been the result of a bad shoe job and/or a shoe that was a size too small. So that definitely won't work out.

However, our farrier happens to have a horse for sale. And that horse happens to be a black and white paint gelding with blue eyes. My trainer's favorite kind (and mine. I'm really excited). He's coming for a thirty day trial the same day Secret leaves. I cannot wait to see him. She rode him yesterday and fell in love.

There are two problems. One, he's asking $3500 for him, which is out of Lorena's price range, but the farrier is willing to work with her on payment and whatnot. And two, the horse has to be suitable not only for Lorena, but for the 7 year old she gives lessons to (Cristy's daughter). Apparently he's a lot of horse and he's only been trained for working. Herding, roping, cutting, etc. If Lorena gets a horse, it will be half-and-half ownership because she and Cristy want to buy a horse together and split the cost and work. So he has to be suitable for all three of them. Hopefully she can get him into shape in that thirty days.

Victor, Victor, Victor...

2009-08-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of depressed. And it's mostly my fault. I was talking with Lorena today and it got me thinking.

I'll be the first to say that my riding is mediocre at best. I'm really passive and I'm not as confident as I used to be. Believe it or not, I used to be fearless and I would get on any horse. But I had a few really bad falls off of Victor, and that pretty much crushed my confidence (it's getting better steadily, but not as quickly as I'd like). He was the first horse that ever bucked on me, the first one that took off with me, and the first one I fell off of. Basically the first horse that ever scared the living daylights out of me. I honestly considered selling him a few times years ago.

But then I met my current trainer, and we've both done a one-eighty. When I first got him, he couldn't even go one time around the arena without throwing a tantrum. And he refused to go on the trail. We'd get ten feet away from the barn and he'd go crazy.

Now I can take him out on the trail alone with minimal drama and he's usually very nice in the arena. However, he still lacks confidence (which he always has). And I know half of it stems from me. He'd probably be much braver with an aggressive rider. I'm getting there slowly. During lessons, I get so pissed at myself because I'm not doing him any favors with my passiveness. And because I used to have no fear at all.

In all honesty, if I could go back with the knowledge that I have now, I would have never bought Victor. But I've had him too long and we're too attached to each other and just the idea of parting with him makes me sick to my stomach. He's come a long way since the beginning, too. I enjoy riding him again and he even likes to work now.

His good days make it worth it. His moods are either really good or really bad, there's no in between. On good days, he's perfect. He never puts a foot wrong and he takes jumps and trot poles without thinking twice about it. But on bad days, he does nothing right. And he'll do anything to get his way. That's when he gets pissy to the point where I just want to choke him. But those days are becoming less and less frequent. I still feel bad, though.

Yes, he's spoiled. At first, I spoiled him rotten every time I saw him - whether he deserved it or not - because I wanted him to like me (he wanted nothing to do with anybody and ran away every time I tried to catch him). I was also fourteen and didn't know any better. Now I only spoil him when he earns it. But the damage has been done and I'm paying for it now. It took a long time to get him in a working state of mind.

Sorry for the rambling. I just needed to unload it.

I'm going to the barn tomorrow and I'll get pics of Secret so we can all ogle her. Teehee.

Potential new horse for my trainer.

2009-08-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

Lorena and I went and brought home a horse today that she's taking on a 30 day trial. And this mare is gorgeous. She's a five year old Quarter Horse and she's build like a machine. She's got nice muscle tone, big hip, kind face, and just all around typy. She's kind of a red dun/liver chesnut/brown color. I'm not sure what you would call it, but it's pretty. I'll get pictures up as soon as I can (silly me, I forgot my camera again, as usual).

It was kind of funny because when we went to see her, the property wasn't all that nice and I was expecting to see a bunch of fuglies, but once that mare came out we were like, "Holy crap". lol All the horses there were really nice looking. And we were both practically drooling over the mare. Her name is Secret, by the way. And she supposedly has a bunch of world champions in her bloodlines, but I haven't seen her papers. It wouldn't surprise me one bit, though.

We'll just have to see. Lorena loves this horse already. She hasn't had a lot of saddle time, but she's unbelievably calm for a five year old. We're hoping for the best.

Heh heh...

2009-08-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

Wendy is really upset with the crappy hay. I recently learned that she actually took a sample of it and sent it to a professional for analysis.

I can't wait until the results come back. The BO and Cynthia can't keep insisting that there's nothing wrong with it then. And Mariah has been really ouchie lately. They've got a damn grazing muzzle on her so she can't get much grass. So the only significant food she gets is the moldy hay. Fantastic. She's not even eating it anymore. No wonder she's a bag of bones. I'll be surprised if she makes it through another winter with the care she's getting now (or lack thereof).

If their horses end up with colic or COPD, they'll probably be bitching and moaning and wondering why in the world their horses got sick. They're just that kind of people. What scares me is that if a horse did get heaves, they'd probably go on riding him or her like nothing's wrong.

That hay test better hurry up.

Yeah Queen Asshat, you know SO much more than me. snort

2009-08-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

Cynthia apparently was profoundly offended when I mentioned that her pony needed his sheath cleaned.

Here's what happened.

The BO was talking to my mom and she goes, "I want to know why Jessy was talking to *Cynthia's daughter* about Jack's penis."

What? Is she serious? Oh, please. First of all, Her daughter is nine years old, and according to Cynthia is plenty old and mature enough to be running around the pasture with 16 loose horses. But she's not old enough to know that you have to clean geldings' sheaths? Yeah, okay.

Ans second of all, I used the word "sheath" the whole time, never any slang. I wasn't snarky or mean about it at all, and I never even insinuated that the daughter had to do it. Cynthia wasn't around at the time, so I told her daughter to tell her mom that the reason Jack was rubbing his tail so bad was because he needed his sheath cleaned. I also said that I would show her mom how to do it if she wanted. All I asked the daughter to do was relay a message for me.

Cynthia somehow took that as an insult and instead of coming to me and asking me about it, she whines to the BO. And the amusing thing is, she wasn't offended because I told her something needed to be done. She was offended because I knew something that she didn't. She and the BO also treat sheath cleaning like it's some repulsive, taboo, R-rated thing that only adults should know about.

For Christ's sake, there's nothing "wrong" or "disgusting" about it. It is not optional, and it's just another routine maintenance job that all geldings need. It's no different than picking their hooves or having their teeth floated. It's a horse, for crying out loud. It's not like I was talking about condoms or something. It's just a fact of life and it needs to be done. It's only what you make it.

I don't understand the reaction. I know she's a bitch, but it was concerning the health of her pony. That's what you do at a barn. If someone is having an issue with their horse, the other boarders are free to make suggestions or pass on their knowledge. That's how you learn. If something was wrong with my horse and I called the vet, not knowing it was something I could have taken care of myself, I'd be pretty mad that no one told me before I blew off $100 on an unnecessary vet visit.

Cynthia is going to wait for the vet to come out and see if his sheath really does need to be cleaned. O.o As if she thinks I have no clue what I'm talking about. Oh, well. That's the last time I try to help her out. She'll figure it out sooner or later, and probably at poor Jack's expense. He's going to have no tail left by the time the vet gets out there.

I'm just tired of the people out there that don't know anything not listening to the people that do.

We went to look at a horse for my trainer.

2009-08-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

Since my trainer doesn't have a horse anymore since she left the barn. She needs a good lesson horse, so we're horse hunting. Lorena took me with her so I could ride him and she could see what he looked like from the ground.

The gelding we went to look at was pretty nice. He was only 15.1, though, and I looked like a giant on him when I was riding the poor guy. XD His name was Caspar and he was a solid gray paint, very pretty, and Mexican broke. I wasn't sure what Mexican broke meant until I saw him.

I knew that Mexicans are really hard on their horses, but this guy looked like he'd had the shit beaten out of him at some point. He had scars all over and had a dent in his nose because they rode him in a tie down that was way too tight. You could tell he was just expecting us to get on him, ride him down to nothing and then leave. He looked rather confused when I was loving on him. Even though he definitely wouldn't have been a suitable horse for me, I wanted to take him home and show him what it's like to be spoiled rotten. ;) I totally would have, but he was waayy overpriced. We ended up passing on this one because of his size and his price. I hope someone really nice buys him.

A glimmer of hope...

2009-08-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

You know those three new horses who had bots? Well, their owners turned out completely different than what I thought they would be like. I honestly did not think I was going to like them. But I was wrong, and they're actually very nice, they know how to ride, and they baby their horses. I'm not sure why they didn't take care of the bots before they came to the farm, but that issue has been resolved, so I'm forgetting about it. They're a couple who have no children, so their horses are their children. (We'll call them Wendy and Eddie).

Anyway, they've been here for only a month, and they're already not very happy with the management. And they're not happy with the way Mariah is treated. Wendy was appalled at the hay situation. And that could be a good thing. You see, Wendy and Eddie pay full board for all three of their horses (whereas my mom and I board in exchange for labor), which means they're forking over almost a thousand dollars a month. Which also means that they're very important to the BO. And if they start complaining to the BO, the BO will listen. That could be a very good thing to help our cause. There's already very heavy talk of Mitch getting kicked out, which would be a step in the right direction. I have no idea when it's going to happen, but I have a feeling that Wendy and Eddie will be complaining about him.

The two of them want to hire me to take care of their horses while they go out of town because they don't trust anyone else there. That's sad and flattering at the same time.

We'll just wait and see what happens.

You're probably wondering why we don't just leave. Well, a lot of it is the fact that we board there in exchange for labor, and we also provide our own grain, hay, and shavings. I don't know if we could find a deal like that anywhere else and we can't afford to spend upwards of $350 a month per horse. And most other barns around here are at least 45 minutes away, whereas this one is 4 miles away. I'm also afraid of falling into an even worse situation if we did leave the current barn. Nevertheless, I'm still keeping an eye out for a new barn. If we find one, we are moving.

On a side note, we might be getting a trailer. ;D It's an '07 two horse slant, and looks like it was only used a few times. I could go to shows left and right if I had my own trailer. That would be pretty awesome.

screams

2009-08-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

I guess Cynthia is now being all buddy-buddy with the BO and kissing her ass like there's no tomorrow. I think she's trying to get the rest of us kicked out.

A few weeks ago, Cynthia trucked in a load of hay that was all brown and moldy and it stunk up the whole section of the barn. My mom (and a few other people) pointed it out to her and suggested that she take it back. She refuses to believe that there's anything wrong with the hay and she plans on feeding it to her pony and Mitch's two mares. Which everyone advised them not to do, but of course they don't listen.

My trainer was there yesterday, and she noticed that Mariah (Mitch's 30+ year old Arab mare who is foundered and arthritic) was dragging her feet and seemed stiffer than usual. You could tell she was uncomfortable. My trainer asked Cynthia if Mariah was eating that bad hay, and Cynthia goes, "no, absolutely not."

Lorena went into her stall and reached into her feeder. The hay was black.

Not only did Cynthia lie straight to my trainer's face, but that poor horse is eating garbage.

Earlier, Lorena pointed out that there was white fuzzy mold all over the hay as well. Cynthia's excuse was, and I quote, "It's thistle. That's just how thistle dries."

Obviously, it got rained on at some point and I don't think it's even this year's hay. It looks more like straw and stinks to high heaven. And Mitch and Cynthia can't find anything wrong with it. Their horses are going to end up sick or worse.

*headconcretewall*

I'm juggling with more than one issue here.

2009-08-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

As you know, Victor is more "my" horse and Norman is more "my mom's" horse. My mom has been implying that she wants to sell Norman and possibly buy a Fjord. She also wants a miniature horse and donkey, but we won't go there because I've told her "no" a thousand times.

Anyway, my mom doesn't feel comfortable on Norman. She wants a bombproof horse that she can just go out on trails with and not have to worry about anything. She claims she doesn't trust Norman because he's green and not perfectly bombproof and yadda, yadda, yadda.

The real issue isn't the horse, and she doesn't want to admit it. She doesn't trust herself. She had a bad fall off a horse a couple summers ago and tore a ligament in her leg. She's been really nervous about riding horses ever since. It's a confidence issue, and I don't think it has anything to do with Norman. I don't even think she'd be completely comfortable on a 30 year old lesson horse.

I'm really worried about what she's going to do. Norman has never done anything over-the-top naughty and he has the mind to be a schoolmaster someday. He's never hesitated at trot poles and he walks right over tarps, feed bags, logs, everything. He's not perfect yet, but he has so much potential. I just need to get my trainer out there to work with him. He's come so far since we first got him as a two year old and it would make me sick to give up on him now. It scares me to death what could happen if one of them was ever sold. You have no control once money is exchanged and I hear too many horror stories about horses supposedly going to good homes and ending up starved or slaughtered. I have nightmares about things like that. Yes, I might be paranoid, but it's better than not caring at all. My mom doesn't want to think that a horse she knows could end up in a kill pen. It could happen to any horse. It's not just fuglies that you see in feedlots.

I don't know why she's so uncomfortable with Norman. I understand she had a bad fall, but I've had my share of falls, too. I'm over the moon for my boys and I don't understand why she's not happy with him. She needs to get over it. He tends to behave better for me, but that's because he picks up on her insecurity and it transfers to him. Any horse would be like that. I've told her that many times. It never seems to get through, though. Then there's the fact that she treats him like a baby and lets him walk all over her. That needs to stop. I feel bad because she doesn't enjoy riding as much as she used to, but it's not the horse's fault. It's all in her head.

I should have her take a few lessons on him with Lorena. She just needs to get some more good experiences under her belt so she can move on.

... It's giving me a headache.

Has your horse changed since you first got him?

2009-07-31T18:07:00.000-07:00

I thought this would be an interesting thing to think about. A lot of times, horses are sold from one lifestyle into another. For example, they were a lesson horse but they became someone's one-on-one trail companion. That's a pretty big change from a horse's standpoint. Lesson horses in particular (depending on how much they're ridden) don't really get close to anybody because so many riders come and go. And a lot of them are ridden so much that you never get to know their personalities because they're so tired and bored all the time (and probably sick of people by the end of the day). I took lessons at a barn years ago where the horses were saddled all day, and ridden at least three times a day by rank beginners. I would be tired and bored, too, if I was a horse.

When I first brought Victor home, he was passive and stand-offish. He would accept my companionship, but he would never seek it. He was also extremely selfish and lazy. It took months for him to warm up to me. I don't think he had one-on-one attention before, although I'm not sure. It was like he put up a six foot wall of crap between us like he thought I was going to up and leave sooner or later. But once he figured out that I was there to stay, he really changed. He used to dislike men a lot (no idea why), and now he doesn't. And he doesn't run from me in the pasture like he used to. He even comes to me all by himself sometimes. He doesn't pout after workouts anymore, either. Thank God. I used to feel like a total asshole when he did that. Even though he was just being a wimp.

When I was out of town for a week, I came back and both horses came right up to me. I was touched. =D I knew Norman would, but I wasn't sure about Victor. (Hah, you missed me Victor, I know you did.) He's still the eccentric, independent, British aristocrat he's always been, but in a nicer way.

So tell me- have any of you guys had similar experiences with your horses? Did your horse have a different lifestyle before you bought him? And how has it changed him, if he's changed at all?

Are you getting tired of me snarking on Cynthia?

2009-07-27T18:26:00.001-07:00

I hope not, because her stupidity never ends. As long as she's at the barn, I will NEVER run out of fodder.

Last week when I was out of town, Cynthia bought some hay that my mom found out was moldy. My mom confronts her, and Cynthia goes, "Where's the mold? Show me the mold."

o_O She acts like she knows so much and she can't tell when hay is bad? Even if you can't see the mold, you can always smell it. My mom doesn't even know much about horses, and she found it right away.

I really feel bad for the poor newbies who take lessons from her. I don't know if I mentioned this, but I let her ride Norman once just for kicks. He completely ignored her and she bounced around like a fatass sack of feed when she asked him to trot. And Norman has a fantastic sitting trot. I almost keeled over laughing.

I really wish I had a video of one of her lessons. You would all be pissing yourselves. It's that bad.

I just ignore her now. She knows I don't like her. It's aggravating because my trainer and I were there long before she was, and suddenly she and Mitch come in and invade "our place". They chased my trainer away and annoy the living daylights out of me on a regular basis. It's frustrating, infuriating, and oddly hilarious all at the same time. She just doesn't realize how much of a moron she is. My friends and I have tried to help her. Plenty of people have given her advice, but God forbid that Cynthia is ever wrong about anything. She hates being wrong.

Hehe...

Some new pictures

2009-07-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share. The little goobers stopped running around as soon as I broke out the camera. Go figure. They just had baths and look pretty nonetheless. :) Click for larger view.

Scrap Award!

2009-07-25T18:40:00.001-07:00

When you receive The Honest Scrap award you must stick to some rules:
Recognize your award presenter and link back to their blog in your post.
List 10 honest things about yourself that others might not now.
Present this award to 10 admirable bloggers and link to their blogs.
Leave a comment on your recipients' blogs to let them know to visit your post to retrieve their award.

10 honest scraps about me that you may not know:

1. I'm 17. I don't think I mentioned my age before. No idea why.

2. I've never broken a bone.

3. The year I was born was the 300th anniversary of the Salem Witch Trials, and I was born one day after Sarah Good, Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe, and Sarah Wildes were hanged.

4. The first horse I ever rode was a Clydesdale.

5. I want a sugar glider someday.

6. I detest fake tans. Not just because of the way they look, but because it's bad for your skin.

7. I currently have purple streaks in my hair.

8. My favorite colors are green and purple.

9. I'm an artist. I do photography, graphite drawings, and sculpting.

10. I love horror films. The Crow is one of my favorites.

Thanks a bunch to Cathryn!

And now to find ten blogs to give the award to... I don't know who's gotten one already, so forgive me if I'm repeating any.

Holy Horse!

When The Painted Horse Comes

Tacky Tack Of The Day

A Good Horse

Bad Ways To Sell Your Horse

Shame in the Horse Show Ring

Behind the Bit

Fugly Horse of the Day

Equine Ink

A Horse and a Half

Lovely.

2009-07-18T19:54:00.001-07:00

We now have three new horses at the barn. Who are not quarantined.

And all three of them have bots. Isn't that peachy? I would love to know why they aren't quarantined, first of all. They've only been here since the 15th. And if the owners haven't been keeping up on deworming, who knows what other parasites they brought with them? Good grief. Have they ever heard of boticide? Make friends with it. It really isn't a complicated concept.

*headdesk**headdesk**headdesk*

On a lighter note, I'm totally excited because I rode Norman bareback for the first time ever! He was a doll, as per usual. And he's comfy. It's like sitting on a couch. I have a couple new pics of him when he's actually clean. His mane and tail are extremely high maintenance, yet I cringe at the thought of cutting it. Him and his sexy blond locks. lol

I also had a great lesson on Victor. He was so good. He never hesitated at a pole or jump once. Yes, we jumped! Woohoo! It was amazing. It took me like three tries to get into two-point and I forgot to release a couple times (poor Vic was a trooper) and he still went over perfectly. I couldn't believe how well he behaved. Needless to say, he got spoiled rotten afterward. XD

Goofy things people have said/done at the barn.

2009-07-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

We've all probably known more than a few nutty horse people or non-horse people that say the darnedest things.

I was at a trail riding place in Wisconsin and the guide was talking about Quarter Horses. One kid goes, "What's the difference between a Quarter Horse and a full horse?"

Another instance was when I took Vic to a trail riding place with the BO and one of her horses. She's tacking up her horse and she asks me to get the martingale out of the trailer. No prob.
Well, I scour that tack room, and there is no martingale to speak of. But there is a breast collar. So I'm like, Good lord, she thinks a martingale is a breast collar. She's also put splint boots on backwards and on the wrong legs. And she's put a curb chain on a western curb bit. And she uses a pelham with only the curb rein.

And here's a conversation between my BO and a dressage trainer that was interested in buying a saddle from her:

Trainer: "What kind of saddle is it?" (kind of suspects that BO doesn't know what she's talking about)

BO: "It's a dressage saddle."

Trainer: "What color is it?"

BO: "Brown."

ROFL XDDD

And don't we all love it when little kids ask how you tell the difference between a boy horse and a girl horse? You can just tell the older ones, but how do you explain it appropriately to a four year old? lol

The thing about the horse world is, if you don't know what you're talking about, everyone is gonna know it and you'll stick out like a sore thumb. Which isn't that bad if you acknowledge the fact, but it's a different story if you try to act like you know it all. If you have that attitude, you'll lose any and all respect so fast you're head will spin. It's a lot better to openly admit it if you don't know something. *cough*Cynthia*cough*

So, how about you guys?

Meh... fireworks.

2009-07-05T06:37:00.000-07:00

The bane of every horse person's existence.

If people know that they live near horses (or livestock in general) why can't they be curteous and not crack off fireworks for three days straight? Norman was beside himself last night. He ran away from me three times when I was leading him to the barn, and he ran all the way to the tree farm next door. That was real fun. I've never seen him like that before. He seemed to think the world was ending.

Victor actually didn't mind too much. I thought he was gonna be the one freaking out.

Now, I can kind of understand firing off a couple of Roman candles on the 4th of July, but why the days before and after? It's obnoxious and potentially dangerous for us horse people. Enough is enough. Go to some deserted country road and blow of firecrackers to your heart's content. But keep it away from the horses.

The old grey mare in back of us was about to have a heart attack. Fireworks were going off right by her pasture, and I could see the smoke that looked like it was coming from the people's driveway. Could they be stupid enough to do fireworks with their horse practically in the back yard? Well, they were stupid enough to put their yearling filly in a wire fence with six inch gaps, so yes. I really feel bad for their horse. I especially worry about the older horses.

What happened to the good ol' days when kids were happy with sparklers?

I had a long talk with the BO.

2009-06-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

My mom and I did, actually. We told her all the problems we're having with Cynthia and Mitch, and she still doesn't get it. She's basically willing to put up with all their shit. She doesn't see the severity of the issue. Cynthia's stupidity doesn't seem to bother her. I've told her how much of a liability she is, and she still isn't bothered.

Just last night, Cynthia's daughter persuaded Cristy's daughter (7 year old) to go out in the dry lot with all the loose horses. Well, Norman got pissy with Jack while Cynthia's daughter was in between them. It's a good thing she's as quick as she is, because Norman almost ran her over. So I told her it wasn't safe and to get out of the paddock. So she goes, "Why?"

I don't know, maybe because I'm much older than you and I just told you to do something for your own safety? I told both of them twice to get out of the pasture, and finally Cristy yelled at them two more times before they finally got out.

Come to find out, Cristy asks Cynthia if her daughter was allowed out with loose horses, and she said, and I quote, "Yes she is, because she can make that judgment."

HELLO!!! She's fucking eight years old! What little kid can go out with a bunch of horses and be smart enough to not get a hoof to the head? And she doesn't seem to have any grasp on how dangerous horses are! She just has no idea. Mostly because her mother isn't teaching her any better. What if one of my horses hurts her kid? That's a lawsuit right there. A huge liability. Like I said, Cynthia just doesn't give a damn about anything. She just thinks nothing will ever happen.

If I see her out there again, I'm letting her have it. I don't care if her mother says it's okay. I will NOT have little kids running around my horses and risk being injured. It's just not going to happen. If Cynthia gets mad at me, boo hoo. Cry me a river, bitch. I guess if your daughter ever gets rushed to the ER with a hoof-shaped indentation in her skull, I told you so.

I think the BO is more open to possibly kicking Mitch out, though, which would be a giant step in the right direction. We're trying to reason with her. We'll see if it gets us anywhere. I'm still on the hunt for a new barn, which has so far proved fruitless. But if and when I get a place lined up, I'm getting out if Mitch and Cynthia don't leave.

Klaus 19?? - 2009

2009-06-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

We had a sad day today. The BO made the decision to put one of her horses down due to health problems that seemed to just keep piling up. Klaus was a Percheron/ Thoroughbred cross in his late 20's. He had extensive schooling and was a barn favorite, especially to the lesson kids. He was blind in one eye, but it didn't seem to bother him and he was one of the kindest and sweetest horses out there.

Unfortunately, he had arthritis that would have crippled most horses, but he had an incredibly high tolerance for it and was still ridden up until last summer when he was diagnosed with ringbone. In the last year, his health continued to decline and he had several abscesses on his feet, along with a bad ligament. Just recently he was diagnosed with cushings, and that's what solidified the decision to euthanize him. He was kept reasonably comfortable and happy for as long as possible, but he'd lost weight and his fur was coming out in clumps. His owner couldn't watch him suffer any more, and he passed away today at about noon. He's going to be burried out in the pasture.

He was the coolest big, black horse in the world. He was spoiled rotten and had a good long life. He really was a perfect horse and we're all going to miss him terribly. Rest in peace, Klausie.

Another case of blatant stupidity, curtesy of our good friend, C.

2009-06-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

Before I begin, I'm going to be giving names to the people I've been talking about, since it gets confusing using only letters and I don't have permission to be using anyone's real name. So here's how it's going to work:

C = Cynthia. She's the idiot that's at the center of all the conflict at the barn.

M= Mitch. Cynthia's cousin who boards his two horses there and is a lazy asshole and just as stupid and idiotic as her.

My trainer = Lorena.

My friend who's daughter also takes lessons from Lorena = Cristy

And the BO will just stay the same.

Okay, here we go. Remember Jack, the pony that Cynthia bought her 8 or 9 year old daughter? Jack was only trained to drive when they bought him, and Cynthia had this wacko trainer out there working with him. So Saturday Cynthia comes out with her kids and husband and suddenly has everyone on this pony. Herself, her little girl, and her husband. A little 13 hand pony that has maybe ten hours of saddle time. Her husband (who is not a horse person) rode him for a good hour and a half, and the whole time, poor Jack was running away with him and misbehaving and trying to get him off. Cynthia was instructing him, which I think only made matters worse.

It looked ridiculous. A couple of adults riding a pony. Needless to say, Jack was not happy about it, and it looked like he tried to rear several times, but he obviously couldn't given the riders that were almost as big as he was. And then during my lesson, I was in the outdoor and they were in the indoor arena. I don't know what they were doing, but there were whips cracking and scaring the bejezus out of Victor. I'm telling you, it was a freakin' circus act. A joke.

Then afterward, they just threw Jack and Nikki back out in the pasture, saddle marks and all. Didn't hose them down, didn't brush them, nothing. Cynthia just drove off because she "had to be somewhere". It was a hot day, and they were both dripping sweat. It was disgusting. I can't imagine riding a horse down to nothing and then not even bothering to do anything for it afterward. I've never even seen her give her horses cookies after a hard ride. I think a horse has earned a couple treats after a good workout. But she never does because apparently she only believes in doing the bare minimum.

Lorena and Cristy want to work something out with the BO so they can lease the front isle of the barn. With any luck, Mitch and Cynthia will want to leave. If it works out, Lorena will come back as the barn trainer.

And that place that was offering free board that I was looking at? My mom drove past it and it was a total dump. So that's a no-no. We can't find any other affordable barns that are in decent shape, so I'm hoping this deal works out.

Side reins on a young horse?

2009-05-25T21:42:00.001-07:00

I'm debating whether I should try side reins on Norman. He's five, and needs a lot of work on his balance. My trainer said I should wait, but I've heard other people say that it's great for teaching balance and rhythm to a youngster. I've seen four and five year olds with side reins before, and they did fine. They worked wonders for Victor. They evened out his trot like a dream.

Norman is also about 100 pounds overweight right now. I finally convinced my mom that he doesn't need grain in the summer. Needless to say, he desperately needs exercise. I'm worried about him foundering because of all that excess weight. I'm starting to go out more and more often, and I'm lunging him as much as possible.

So, has anyone had experience with using side reins on young horses? What are your views on it, and how old should a horse be before introducing them? Any and all input is appreciated!

I was shocked.

2009-05-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

That post on FHOTD piqued my curiosity and I looked up Vic's ancestors. He's got pretty decent bloodlines. Native Dancer, Damascus, Mr. Prospector. His sire was the Illinois Stallion of the Year in 1995.

Vic's ancestors.

I was shocked when I saw My Babu and Ribot. They're way back in his ancestry and there have been enough better horses to "over-ride" it, but sweet mother of Christ. Babu's back was like a freakin' ski slope. I have no clue how he got to be a successful runner. Ribot was just plain ugly. His structure wasn't that bad, but his overall appearance wasn't at all attractive. Along with Hastings, Pharamond, and Fair Play. It was a whole wall of fugly. How do you get nice horses out of so many fuglies? I'm glad we did, though. Horses like Marcovil (scroll down a ways on Vic's page) probably contributed a lot to it. He was nice. It's crazy to see how horses have changed in the past several decades.

I also discovered that Vic has a full sister named Athena Gold. I think I remember seeing her once when I first went to look at Victor.

Would it be weird to change a horse's name after four years?

2009-05-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

You've all probably heard me whining from time to time about how much I loath the name "Norman". His first owner (the one who gave him away because she didn't like his color) named him that because she thought his stripe looked like the silhouette of Norman Rockwell.

*facepalm*

His stripe looks like a stripe to me. And the name makes him sound like some big, stupid oaf, and he's not like that at all. So, I came across the name Drigon (dree-gan) and I really like it. It has the "an" sound at the end, so it would be easier to pick up on. Or I was thinking of Rogan. Honestly, anything is better than Norman.

It would be different if he was like, twenty years old, but he's only five. That's a heck of a long time to be calling him by a yucky name. ;D

Very sad story

2009-05-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

The neighbors in back of my BO's property had a little yearling paint filly. Her name was Brooke and she was a birthday present for their 13-year-old daughter. Well, my friend told me today that they'd found her dead a few days ago, tangled in the fence. I feel so bad for the poor little thing. She must have suffered. I feel sick just thinking about it...

I can only have so much sympathy for the owners, though. Their fencing is scary. It's like chicken wire with gaps about six inches wide. I think they have a hot wire going across the top, but it was still an accident waiting to happen. Which it did, and now it's too late. And now their other horse (super old gray mare) is all alone and their poor filly is dead. I just hope they learned something.

On a lighter note, my trainer fixed Norman! He lunges fairly well now. Ten times better than what he used to be like. We even did trot poles today. It's hard for him to coordinate himself, but he tries.

RIP, Brooke. :(

HA! I don't think so!

2009-05-08T15:38:00.000-07:00

My trainer called me up with a very interesting piece of information.
She had just talked to the BO and apparently she has a new instructor going out there to give lessons regularly. I met the lady once, and I thought she was a little bizarre. I got the impression that her head was up in the clouds or something. I wouldn't take lessons from her if she was the last horse person on the planet.

My trainer asked what horses she was planning to use for lessons, and it sounds like the BO wants to volunteer our horses! Ours, as in my two and my trainer's old grade mare, Missy. (My trainer still owns one of her horses. Long story.)

She just seems to think she can do whatever she wants with Norman. She sees him as this docile little angel who will pack around anyone without drama. I don't know where the HELL she got that idea, but I think she wants to use him for lessons. I don't think she'd try to use Victor, but I'm not sure about Norman. And I know she wants to use Missy. But that's not going to happen.

Excuse me for going beyond my rights, but I will NOT have complete strangers (and beginners) plodding around on my horses. That's an absolute no-no for so many reasons. If the BO mentions it to me, I'm going to make it very clear that no one has permission to be on my horses.

Lord have mercy.

Potential new barn.

2009-05-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

My mom found a lady that's offering free board in exchange for help with her horse and around the barn. She apparently has a Percheron gelding that she drives, and is looking at purchasing a Percheron filly.

We're going out to look at the place on Monday. You never know what to expect, but I'm crossing my fingers.

The lady told my mom she would be willing to teach Norman and I to drive. :) She's got all the equipment for it, and Norman is the perfect horse for it. She also knows someone who shows American Creams. You know how hard it is to find people who have even heard of them? It's crazy.

A new barn is looking better and better every day.

2009-05-04T15:22:00.000-07:00

The BO called me up this afternoon and told me that Norman had broken the chain that separated the dry paddock from the pasture, and all the horses had gotten into the pastures. She said she'd been chasing them and trying to shoo them back into the dry lot since nine in the morning, and she called me at one in the afternoon.

My horses had been on sweet grass for five hours. I've only hand grazed them twice this year, and I'm hoping to God that they won't get sick. I got out there at about 1:45 and led them all back to the dry lot one by one and got heavier latches for the chain (which was previously hooked with small latches that aren't meant to withstand heavy pressure). I'm worried about C and M's horses because they haven't been hand grazed at all. Furthermore, the BO didn't have brains enough to close the chain and lead them all back separately through the other gate. She just tried to herd them all back, and not surprisingly, the horses kept running back to the grass. You'd think that after 20 minutes of chasing horses around in circles, she would have concluded that it wasn't going to work. But no, she kept at it for several hours. I guess you could give her a few brownie points for determination.

I suppose I'm not going to hear the end of it when I go back. The BO will be picking on Norman for being "destructive". You know what? It was your own damn fault. Right now, Norman's herd is only getting one bale of hay a day. That's not enough forage to keep 6 horses happy. They're hungry. Of course the grass is going to be a huge temptation, and Norman happened to be the one that ran through the chain. The chain that was latched with flimsy little clips and was just asking to be snapped. How does she even know it was Norman? She never told me she saw him do it. I know a couple other pigheaded furballs that would do something like that. Good thing the pastures are drying out. It's too wet right now, and they already tore part of it up.

I'm seriously considering moving my horses. The management there has just gone downhill ever since C and M showed up and my trainer left. I'm on the fence with the idea because the farm is 10 minutes away, and it has an indoor and outdoor arena. Plus really nice trails. I guess it all depends on how long I can tolerate C and M.

A much-needed rant.

2009-05-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

Not really intended to be a comprehensive post, and I don't know that you guys will know what I'm talking about. I just need to blow off some steam. And yes, it revolves around our good friend, C, and her dickhead cousin M.

Last Tuesday confirmed my suspicion that C is absolutely nuts. She was came out to the barn while I saw feeding and asked me how long her cousin's (M's) horse, Nikki, had been eating. I told her about half an hour. So, of course, she's too much of a moron to wait the full hour before working the horse. She was giving a lesson to some girl, maybe 14 or 15 (poor girl doesn't know any better) on Nikki. She takes the horse out, tacks her up, and puts the girl on her. Throughout the whole lesson, the girl was leaning forward, heels up, and her seat didn't improve in the least. From an hour of instruction, I would at least expect to see the heels down and the rider's upper body nice and tall. But nope. I didn't see an iota of improvement. Here's were it gets funny. About 20 minutes into the lesson, I notice that C is now on Nikki's back behind the girl, apparently teaching her how to hold the reins or something.

That was it. I'm now 100% certain that C has lost her marbles. I just stayed in Norman's stall and laughed my ass off. I don't know if she heard me, and frankly, I don't care. It was hella funny. Stupid, dangerous, and ridiculous, but amusing. Except for the fact that she was sitting on the poor horse's kidneys. And you know, it's just C's way of showing off. The way she vaults up on the horse and whatnot. You know, C, if you want to show off, take some proper riding lessons and come back when you have a solid seat and can actually pick up the right diagonal. You have no business at all teaching someone how to ride when you yourself don't know shit about horses.
It's impossible to tell that woman anything. She's got this know-it-all mentality and if you try to tell her something, she gives you this attitude like, "what do you know?"
She rides that horse into the ground. She's made Nikki lame before - and just laughed it off. And didn't do anything to care for her. Just tossed her back out into the paddock. Everything is a fucking joke to her. She doesn't give a damn about anything.
And she's still using other people's equipment. Not mine, because I keep it locked up, but the BO's tack and stuff. She doesn't take care of it. That one time Nikki rolled with the BO's saddle on, when she was left loose in the arena, C just laughed about it. She never even cleans it. I know I've never seen her soaping saddles.

After her "lesson" last Tuesday, she didn't even have the girl groom or untack Nikki. How the hell do you give lessons and not have the students take care of their horses before and after the ride? All the girl did was ride. She didn't groom, she didn't tack, nothing. How are riding lessons useful if you don't even know how to properly saddle a horse? Shouldn't you know how to do that before you actually get on the horse? I don't know. I don't understand people like that.

My mom and I are getting fed up with the BO as well. She doesn't keep on top of things the way she should, and she's real pals with C and M. She's spineless when it comes to laying down the rules and confronting people when those rules are broken. It's not my place to say this, but C and M need to go. They're the cause of all the tension in the barn. My trainer left because she couldn't deal with their shit anymore. Before C and M came, it was just me, my trainer, and two other boarders that aren't even out very often. We got along and it was just much more relaxed and enjoyable. Nothing was locked up. We never locked our supply stalls or tack trunks because we just let each other borrow stuff and trusted one another to put it back. You could leave a 50 dollar bill laying on your tack trunk and no one would take it. Now, all my stuff is locked up and only my trainer and one other friend know the combo. It's sad. It's just one headache after another. My mom and I are looking for an alternative place, just in case. It's just that we've been there for 4 years, longer than anybody else, and I keep my horses there in exchange for labor. I don't know if I can find a deal like that anywhere else. Plus my current barn is set up beautifully. And indoor and outdoor arena, huge pastures, a wash rack, big tack room, and about 2 dozen stalls. I don't know of any other barns that have stalls available, and the ones that do don't have arenas. An indoor arena is a must.

We'll see how it all goes down.

On a better note, I had a lesson today and Victor was incredible. I was terrible, but Victor did everything right. I'm so proud of him. ;) He was so balanced and his walk/trot transitions were perfect. He got those shoulders powerhousing and was just awesome. I'm way out of shape and probably looked like a complete idiot, but he was awesome.

I have a work day tomorrow from 9 to 5 at the barn. It sucks because I'm sure I'm going to be extremely sore in the morning. I'm always sore after lessons. :(

How about Montaro?

2009-04-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

For Norman's show name. It's Japanese and means "big boy". It fits him, and it kinda sounds like mountain. lol

Midwest Horse Fair!

2009-04-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

It was pretty sweet. I saw Fandango again. ;D He's my favorite. Santiago wasn't there, but it was still cool. His talking robot head was there, of course. The cowboy dude kinda creeps me out, but I like the talking horse head.

My mom almost took home a baby donkey. I almost took home a Fjord. XD I love those. There was a really nice, big, stocky mare for sale. I didn't like most the Quarter Horses, though. They were all downhill, except one or two. It's scary that a fault like that is becoming standard in the stock breeds. I'm seeing more and more downhill Gypsies, too.

I have a weird thing about Haflinger people now. We were by the Haflingers and my mom bought a ticket for the filly they were raffling. Now, my mom and I aren't exactly pony people. We're both tall, meaty, and big-boned. So I was like, "What in the world would you do with a Haflinger?" And the girls working the booth piped up all of the sudden and were like, "What can't you do with a Haflinger?! Vaulting, jumping, dressage. You can take them anywhere!" ... Apparently they didn't notice that I'm 5'9 and can't ride anything smaller than 15hh.

... O.o They were kind of psychotic. It was kinda funny. They were like Quarter Horse enthusiasts, only with Haflingers. Okay, so when's the last time you saw a Haflinger in the Olympics? The Grand Prix? The Rolex competitions? Didn't think so. And besides that, we're both too tall to ride a 14.2 hh pony. So, uh, I have no clue what we're going to do on the off chance hell freezes over and we win the filly. lolz

This Saddlebred was amazing. And big. He must have been 16.3hh. And the tack. Is it as expensive as the horse? Jeez. I wish I was that rich (don't we all?). This lady obviously has money out the wazoo.

Most of the horses were immaculately groomed and very well cared for, but there was this one barn that had some underweight horses. This was weird. I don't know if they were rescues or what, but they weren't clipped or anything. It didn't even look like they'd been brushed. I know they weren't old, not that age is an excuse. They certainly weren't in riding condition. I don't know about you, but I'd be extremely ashamed and embarrassed to have anyone see my horses looking like that. I don't know what the story was with those few horses, but they didn't look that good. Did anyone else go? If so, did you see the horses I'm talking about? Unless they're representing a rescue organization or something, it baffles me why anyone would bring their horses anywhere when they look neglected and dirty. I wish I could have found the owner.

And, the icing on the cake, here's a little video clip of Fandango in the stallion review. :)
I love his movement. And his mane! I was practically drooling when the girl was brushing his mane in the stall. It was so long and shiny and wavy... And he stood perfectly still the whole time. Such a perfect gentleman. *swoons*

Is it possible for a horse to be mute?

2009-04-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

I've had Norman for about 4 years, and I've never heard him whinny. Not even nicker. The only sound he ever makes is a snort. Even when he's out in the pasture alone and he's looking for his buddies. It's weird.

I'm curious to know what his voice sounds like. He's very quiet.

Victor, on the other hand, is rather vocal. Have you ever had a horse whinny while you're on them bareback? Weirdest feeling ever. lol

Did I ever mention how much I don't like Norman's breeder?

2009-04-05T11:03:00.001-07:00

It's just American Cream breeders in general, I guess. Cream breeders are all about the trademark pale champagne color, which is the breed standard. I've seen some less-than-pretty Creams because of it. (Not the ones pictured. Those ones are actually pretty nice looking) The thing I find ironically amusing is that Creams aren't homozygous for the champagne allele. Go figure.

That's why Norman came out flaxen chestnut. His breeder wasn't happy with him at all. So, she gave him to this family of backyard horse owners in a little podunk town in Wisconsin, as long as they promised to geld him right away. Which they did. Well, his breeder claimed that his dam threw a red sorrel gene and that's why he came out the wrong color. Miss Brehm apparently doesn't know much about equine color genetics. I bet she'd be bummed to know that flaxen chestnut doesn't show up in the offspring unless both parents are carriers of that allele. It requires a chestnut base and a flaxen color modifier. So, her prized stallion had just as much of a roll in Norman's color as the dam.

Frankly, I don't want to know what would have happened to him if that family hadn't taken him. (I don't like them for a number of reasons, but I am grateful for that.) I've heard horror stories of many foals being put down simply because of their color.

Miss Brehm also is the one who gave him that cruddy name. She thought his stripe kinda looked like Norman Rockwell, so she called him Norman. I despise that name. I wanted to change it when we got him, but my mom wouldn't let me. I don't know about you, but I don't see Norman Rockwell on his face. An unusually shaped stripe, but no profile of a human. There's no resemblence. I wanted to call him Tyson. Oh, well. Too late. I'm thinking of Cavalier or Illuminati for his show name. He's going to be a hunter jumper. I don't think he can be registered because of his color. Males have to have pink skin and light color. Only females are permitted to have dark skin, for whatever reason. It's weird.

OT, but I haven't ridden Victor since the show. Shame on my lazy self.

That was scary.

2009-03-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

I talked to my trainer and she'll be coming back to give lessons to me and another girl. She's not leaving us high and dry. :) *sigh* It just scared me because my mom was the one that told me and she made it sound like she was bailing completely. Sorry I kinda panicked. ^^'

The losers I mentioned might be getting kicked out. I don't know yet. But they're the reason for all the conflict. I'm not going into details because it's complicated and the post would be ten feet long, but the BO isn't happy with them. There's talk of somebody getting booted out, but I have no further knowledge. Oy, the drama. I bet the horses are sitting in their stalls rolling their eyes.

On another note, I'm at the end of my rope with this other idiot at the barn. We'll call her C, as I mentioned in the other blog. C is completely and utterly besotted when it comes to horses. She claims she's been around horses all her life and is a textbook know-it-all. You can't tell this broad anything.

C recently bought her 9-year-old daughter a 7-year-old pony named Jack. Jack isn't broke. He isn't even quiet on the ground, for that matter. Spooks at everything.

Well, C had her girl on the unbroke, spooky, high-strung pony for the first time a couple days ago, with no helmet. The pony reared, no surprise there, and scared the shit out of the poor kid. Nobody was hurt, but that could have easily ended badly.

Last summer I caught her with her 2 kids on a green Arab gelding that's about as reliable as a loose cannon. Again, no helmets, no stirrups, and with a saddle that didn't fit him. I swear to God she never learns a thing. We had a horse break a girl's leg last fall. The girl walked behind the mare, the mare kicked out at another horse, and the girl inevitably got nailed. C was right there, and was actually the one that determined that her leg was broken. And yet she puts her own kids in unsafe situations almost every time I see her.

It's not just her kids. She cross ties horses by the bit, lets the reins hang down over the horses' heads and drag on the ground (just asking to get caught around the horse's legs), and she leaves horses in the arena, completely unattended while fully tacked. Plus she has none of her own equipment so she uses everybody else's stuff. A horse rolled a while ago with the saddle and bridle on, and C just laughed it off. HELLO, that was the BO's saddle. It could have broken the tree. Lucky for her, the tack escaped unscathed.

She rides horses that aren't hers, too. She rides like a neanderthal. She has no seat, totally forward, and she wears her stirrups so long she has to point her toes to reach them. My trainer has offered several times to fix her stirrups, and she just says she's fine. On top of her atrocious riding skills, she rides those horses into the ground. After we got back from the show, she tacked Reba up again and rode her. I didn't stay long enough to see the horror, but suffice it to say that Reba is in no shape to be doing any hard riding. She's in her early 20's, and pretty underweight. Not emaciated or anything, but far from ideal. She does it with every horse she rides. And she NEVER warms up or cools down. She goes in the arena and right off the bat starts trotting and cantering. She even rides them right after they eat. She never picks their hooves, and only grooms them the bare minimum. Lord knows I'd never let her touch Victor. Even though he'd probably dump her ass on the ground in 30 seconds flat. lol I'd love to see that.

This is funny. I let her ride Norman once, and she couldn't get him to do anything. She got him to walk left and right, but other than that, he completely ignored her. XD Granted, I was watching the whole time and it was only for a few minutes. But it was amusing.

She also took a 30-year-old mare with laminitis and arthritis on a 3 hour trail ride while she had overgrown hooves. The mare belongs to C's cousin, who's also a moron and hardly lifts a finger when it comes to his horses. Hence the long-overdue farrier visit. It's a miracle that poor horse can still walk. Just one more reason to kick their asses out. I hate watching horses get treated like that.

The part that really makes me mad is that C sees the other people doing things correctly and riding with proper posture and she never changes. Is she really that blind and dumb that she doesn't realize she's doing anything wrong? Or is she that arrogant to think that everyone else is doing things wrong? I've heavily implied many times that letting the reins drag on the ground and cross tying the bits is a vet call waiting to happen, yet it's like talking to a brick wall. You can't tell her anything. It gives me the willies just watching her in the barn. But it's not my place to directly tell her when she's doing something stupid since the BO loves her and I'd probably get in trouble. That would not be good.

I'm done ranting for now. Just had to get that out. I'm a little frustrated.

I'm screwed.

2009-03-26T15:46:00.001-07:00

My trainer's leaving the barn. She's giving her horses to a couple of people who board there, and she's just leaving. She's sick of the shit. I don't blame her for being sick and tired of the incompetent morons out there, but she's just leaving. Now I'm alone with the idiots and I have no trainer. She's not doing lessons anymore or anything. I'm fucked. There are no other decent hunter jumper trainers here. None that I can afford, anyway.

Now I'm going to be the most knowledgeable one at the barn. I'm not trying to sound like a snob, but it's a fact. Nobody else out there knows what the hell they're doing. I can outride anyone else out there, and that's saying a lot. I'm not that great of a rider. I have about 7 years of riding experience and about 2 weeks worth of jumping. I'm not that great. And now I'm stuck with no instructor.

And no, I can't move my horses. I keep them out there in return for labor, which is the only way I can afford to have 2 horses. And it's 4 miles from my house. I can't get a deal like that anywhere else. Moving isn't an option.

And instead of bending over backwards to get her to stay, the BO wants the idiots to stay. The BO will do anything to keep this one loser there because she's a hard worker. She knows absolutely nothing about horses, but the BO will do anything to keep her there. It makes no sense. My trainer is by far the best equestrian at the barn. And a hard worker to boot. There's no competition.

So now I have no trainer, no lessons, no one to go to if I have questions. I can ride decently to some degree, but I'll be the first to admit I have no clue what I'm doing beyond that. I can train to some extent, but my knowledge is fairly limited. I'm completely screwed. On my own in a barn full of shitheads.

I'm getting absolutely nowhere without an instructor. I'm nowhere near knowledgeable or experienced enough to be on my own. I know that.
I'm screwed.

I've been mulling over show names for Norman.

2009-03-23T17:19:00.001-07:00

I don't know if he'll be showing this year, but I've been tossing some ideas around.

I thought of Resplendent Rhythm, but it kinda sounds more like a mare name. Audacious Aspect was another one. Using parts of his sire and dam's names isn't an option. He's by Brehm's Swede out of Toots Buttercup. Horrible, I know.

I've been more partial to one-word names lately.

Cavalier
Ascendant
Eminence
Authoritarian
Detonation
Chieftain
Combatant
Marvel
Advocate
Vanquish
Sovereign
Solstice

I don't know. I'm tired.

Equestrian Meme

2009-03-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

This questionnaire is from the Glenshee Equestrian Centre blog. Check them out. =)

1. How old were you when you first started riding? I started taking lessons when I was about 9, I think. It was a long time ago. >.>

2. First horse ridden: Clyde, a Clydesdale gelding in the mountains of Colorado. I was 2, and I fell asleep on his back. That's where it all started... lol

3. First horse trotted on: Noah, my favorite pony ever. He's a lesson pony at the stable I used to take lessons at. He's chestnut with a huge white star on his forehead. I miss him.

4. First horse cantered on: It was at a trail riding place in Wisconsin. He was a big black QH, and I believe his name was Shadow. He had the most amazing canter in the world. :)

5. First Horse fallen off of: Victor. Bareback at a canter. Ouchies.

6. Most recent horse fallen off of: Victor, of course. He bucked and just went out of his mind last fall in the outdoor arena. Silly boy... I managed to fall in the grass, though. It wasn't too bad.

7. Most terrifying fall: That first time I fell off Victor. He took off while riding bareback.

8. First horse jumped with: Victor! <333>9. First horse who ran away with you: *cough*Victor*cough*

10. First horse that scared the crap out of you: VICTOR.

11. First horse shown: You guessed it. Victor. ;D

12. First horse to win a class with: I've never won a class before, but Victor and I placed 6th in a class of 23 in our very first showmanship class. Woohoo!

13. Do you/have you taken lessons: Hellz yeah. I wouldn't have a hot-headed TB if I didn't know what I was doing. I love my trainer. ^_^

14. First horse you ever rode bareback: I think it was Hercules. Cute little palomino pony at the same place Noah is at. It was either him or Donnie, a Belgian that they used for bareback lessons. I don't remember.

15. First horse trail ridden with: Clyde, although I was too young to remember. The earliest I remember is Noah.

16. Current Barn name: Timber Ridge Farm.

17. Do you ride English or western?: English FTW. Although I still go western on occasion.

18. First Horse to place at a show with: Victor!

19. Ever been to horse camp?: Yep. Twice. The first time was when I rode Noah for the week. I cried at the end of the week when I had to leave. I lurve him so much. I wanna go visit him. :) The second time I rode Cisco, a bay QH who had the nicest sitting trot you could imagine. I miss him, too.

20. Ever been to a riding clinic? Nope.

21. Ridden sidesaddle? No, but I'd like to try sometime.

22. First horse leased: I've never leased a horse.

23. Last Horse Leased: None. >.< 24. Highest ribbon in a show: 6th place! We rock. lolz

25. Ever been to an 'A' rated show?: No...

26. Ever competed in pony games/relay races?: We do game days once a year at my barn. Barrels, partner pick-up, egg races, fastest saddler. It's fun.

27. Ever fallen off at a show: No. Not that I've been to enough shows to.

28. Do you ride Hunter/Jumpers?: Yep. :) I'm in training right now. My jumping skills could improve... a lot.

29. Have you ever barrel raced? Informally, yes. My friends and I like to play around with barrels in the arena. Norman is actually better at it than Victor, amazingly.

30. Ever done pole bending?: No.

31. Favorite gait: I love cantering. :) As long as the horse has a nice, rocking-horse gait. Victor used to feel like a freight train. He's getting better, though.

32. Ever cantered bareback?: That one time on Victor when I fell off after 2 seconds. That was back when he had an awful canter.

33. Have you ever done dressage?: No, but I want to.

34. Have you ever evented?: No, but again, I'd love to.

35. Have you ever mucked a stall?: Psh yeah! Every time I'm at the barn.

36. Ever been bucked off?: Yes, lots of times. Mostly on Victor.

37. Ever been on a horse that reared?: Yep. Victor again. He only did it once, though, and it wasn't real high.

38. Horses or ponies?: Horses!

39. Do you wear a helmet?: Yes. I admit, sometimes I'm naughty and conveniently forget it when I'm going for a trail ride, but I always where it for lessons and jumping.

40. What's the highest you've jumped: Like... a foot. Impressive, huh? lmao

41. Have you ever ridden at night?: No, but I've ridden at twilight. Sunsets here are gorgeous. :)

42. Do you watch horsey television shows?: lol yeah. I used to watch Mister Ed all the time, but he's not on anymore. ;( I still watch the Saddle Club once in a while. Who can resist a cute little-kid horsey show?

43. Have you ever been seriously hurt/injured from a fall?: I broke my nose once. It was that time Victor took off at a canter bareback. I wasn't wearing a helmet, so let that be a lesson to the kiddies who don't think they need one.

44. Most falls in one lesson: One.

45. Do you ride in an arena/ring?: For lessons, yes. I prefer trails, though. Arenas get boring pretty easily.

46. Have you ever been trampled by a horse?: No, but I've been stepped on plenty of times. Particularly by Norman. That was hell.

47. Have you ever been bitten?: Yep. Hercules bit me in the leg once and left a nice little welt on my thigh. And there was this mean-tempered mare at my barn named Iris. She got me once. Victor bit me once accidentally. I was holding a treat and not paying attention when he took it. Wasn't really a bite, though. My fingers just got in the way.

48. Ever had your foot stepped on by a horse?: YES. By Norman. I couldn't even cry it hurt so bad.

49: Favorite riding moment: The first time I jumped on Victor. We were alone and there was a little cross rail in the outdoor. The temptation was too much, and we just went for it. I remember it perfectly. It was probably the single most amazing ride we've ever had. :D

50. Most fun horse you've ridden: Probably the barn owner's QH, Harley. He's got an awesome canter. I wouldn't choose him over Vic or Norman, though.

*sigh*
That brings back memories. I wanna go visit Noah...

My patience with NH are gone.

2009-03-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

Long story short, Norman was trained with Parelli for a while. She trained him to do that thing where the horse runs around in circles around the handler and is trained to stop and face inward when the handler looks at him. First of all, I'd like to know how anyone can effectively work a horse when they're not even looking at him. All they do is leave the horse alone until they want them to stop. This is bullshit. You don't leave a horse alone and let him do his own thing when you're on his back, do you? Why should it be any different when you're lunging him?

This is rich. I actually had a NH follower tell me that lunging is boring for the horse and should be kept to a minimum for the horse's mental state! HA! My horse's mental state? What, does lunging traumatize a horse now? Jesus Christ. Just the statement that lunging is boring for the horse just makes me want to gag. How the hell do they figure it bores them? They get to blow off pent up steam! And who says I just lunge them around in plain old circles? I lunge them with side reins, over fences, trot poles, smaller and larger circles. Everything you can't do with that run-in-circles-until-I-look-at-you crap. And besides that, if lunging really were boring to a horse (which it is not), if boredom is the worst they have to deal with, they're pretty darn lucky.

But anyway, Norman is an enormous pain in the ass to lunge now. He stops and turns to look at me all the freaking time. It's unbelievably aggravating, because no matter what I do, he just stands there. I could crack the whip all day and he wouldn't move. And it's not just once in a while. It's ten times a lunging session. I can't so much as point the whip at him without him stopping and turning inward. Every time I give a verbal aid, every time I try to bring him into a smaller circle, every time I do anything with the whip. My patience are gone. I know it's not his fault, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating. I''m having a hell of a time retraining him. I'd like nothing more than to beat that Parelli worshipper over the head with a carrot stick.

Victor was also trained with the same Parelli trainer to an extent before I bought him. I think he had normal training before that, because he was pretty easy to retrain. But when I got him, he had no muscle tone, no self carriage, no impulsion, was totally uncollected, and worked completely on the forehand. It was a real trip getting him to start using his hindquarters, let me tell you. But he's come a long way. He lunges like a dream. ;D But according to NH people he must be really screwed up because I lunge him at least three times a week for at least an hour at a time! Ooohh nooeess!! My poor Victor is metally scarred!

... Jokers. I lunge him a lot to fix what that idiot trainer did.

Norman, not so good with a lunge line. I'm trying to get my trainer to work with him. I rode him yesterday, and he was brilliant. :) We even went outside for the first time this year. He's doing a lot better with moving off leg pressure and responding to rein aids. I even got him to pivot on the forehand! Woohoo! lol His canter still needs a lot of work, but it's a work in progress. Now if only I can get him to lunge nicely.

More show shtuff.

2009-03-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a video clip of the equitation class. I'm well aware that my leg position is atrocious and I'm working on fixing it. :P The main focus is intended for Victor.

The equitation class again.
And my angled heels. lol

Oh! This is off topic, but I rode Norman yesterday and we worked on cantering. He's picking it up pretty well, and he has a lovely gait as long as he's collected. Everyone laughs at him, but he'll make a decent hunter jumper once he's got more schooling. He's soo overweight right now, though. My mom insisted on feeding him way more than he needed. She thought he needed lots of food since he's big. (She means well, but she really doesn't know much about horses). I put a stop to the excess grain. Despite his size, he's like an air fern. He keeps on next to nothing and is notorious for becoming chubby. I feel bad for him. ;( But his training is going well. Hopefully he'll get in shape this summer.

This is kinda funny. My dad said he wants to trade Norman for a paint. My dad knows absolutely nothing about horses. First of all, Norman is an exceptional 4-year-old. He needs some miles on him, but is an overall great horse. He's sound, hardy, young. Nothing wrong with him. Second of all, horses aren't like cars. You can't just trade them in every once in a while when you decide you like another type better. And it's really not his concern because he's not a horse person and I'm the one that feeds, rides, and takes care of them.

Especially in this economy, I would never part with a horse if I could help it. You have no clue where they might end up and you have no control over what happens to them after you sell them. Any horse could end up in a feedlot. Very scary. I would die if, God forbid, that ever happened to any of my horses.

*shudder*

Anyway, I'm looking forward to more shows this spring. Especially halter classes. :)
I also hope to start doing higher jumps if my trainer ever lets us. lol

The show was a success!

2009-03-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

Again, it was only an informal warm-up show, hence the fact that I'm in jeans and a sweatshirt. XP
I was in 3 classes (Showmanship, walk/trot equitation, and horsemanship/equitation) and placed once. I got 6th place in Showmanship, in a class of 23. :) It's a tough crowd. 90% of those riders have been showing since they could walk.
Here's the Showmanship class. Victor was pretty good until we had to line up, and he wouldn't stand still. I can't believe we placed.

Victor, in all his fuzziness. This was before the classes.

And my friends and I with our horses. I was the only one from our barn that placed, but the horses behaved really nicely, considering it was Victor and Jessie's first show.

So, overall, it was a good day. Victor spooked once, and shied a couple times, but otherwise he was fantastic. That's really what my goal was.

I can't wait for halter classes this spring. That seems to be Vic's specialty. (Once he's got some more muscle on him, he'll kick arse.)

I saw myself riding on video for the first time, and I was like, "Who's that idiot?" Oops. That would be me. I can't stand the way my lower body looks. My heels are angled in towards the horse and too far forward. And nobody told me I looked like that! D; All this time, I had no idea. Thanks a lot, guys. Lol. I've got work to do.

There were some good looking horses there, too. Particularly a couple of drop-dead gorgeous paints. I wish I'd gotten pictures of them. They were awesome.

Photo Dump ;)

2009-03-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

Here's the stud my trainer wants to breed Jessie to. I don't know if it'll actually happen any time soon because of the economy and all.

This picture does him no justice. It's a bad angle and it's just not flattering. I seriously need to get decent pictures of all the horses. I'll probably see Hustler at the Horse Fair in April.

This is Victor... I think the second spring I had him. As you can see, he had no muscle. And it was before I ever pulled or trimmed his mane. I do his mane twice a year now, so he actually looks like a Thoroughbred. >.> Looking back at the early pics, I can't believe how much better he looks now. He could still use some more muscle tone, but it's a world of difference. I'm not even posting the pics of the first day he came to the farm. He had NO muscle at all. It's not because he was neglected or anything, but the barn just had too many horses and he didn't get one-on-one care.

This was last summer and you can see those neck and shoulder muscles popping. :)

Another one with a better view of those nice rounded, filled-out hindquarters. Much better than the triangular, scrawny mess that was there four years ago.

I don't have real early pictures of Norman available, but here he is last summer.

I can't wait to clip their legs. Especially Norman. He's fuzzy. It's been in the 40's and 50's for the past few days, but it's March in the Midwest. You never know. We've had snow in April before.

I would like it to be April right now.

These boots are killing me.

2009-03-06T11:01:00.000-08:00

My trainer called me up and was like, "You better put some miles on those boots before the show!"

O.o So, I'm wearing my field boots around the house and they are not comfortable. They dig into the back of your knee. I don't wanna think about what it's going to be like to ride in them. I DON'T WANNA I DON'T WANNA.

Ahem. Now that my whiny 5-year-old moment is over, I might be going out to the barn today to lunge. Maybe with side reins. I'll have to see how Vic's leg is. I have to wear these bloody tall boots as well. I have a new found respect for jumpers and dressage riders. I need to stop whining...

My feet hurt.

I've already got butterflies in my stomach. The show is next Sunday, and I'm already terrified. Please behave, Victor.

I went out today...

2009-03-02T16:38:00.000-08:00

And Victor seems to being doing fine, all things considered. He was rolling in the arena for a while and he got up and down pretty well. He even played a little. He's perky. There's no swelling, either. I didn't call the vet since he seems okay. I still have no idea if we'll make it to the show. We'll have to wait and see. I'm keeping a close eye on him. He's still a little ouchy on that leg.

Good and bad news.

2009-03-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

I'll get the bad news out first. We had an accident tonight at the barn. I was letting Victor out after feeding, and it was dark. Well, nobody told me there was ice outside that particular door, and you can't see it because it's so dark. Victor slipped and fell, hitting his mouth in the process. His mouth looks okay, but he knicked it pretty good because it was dripping a little bit of blood.

But he's down on the ice now and my worst fear would be a broken leg. So I keep him calm and my mom gets dirt and starts shoveling it under his feet for footing. We got several blankets and laid them out over the ice as well. He gets up and we finally manage to get him back into the barn, and the good news is, he's weight bearing on all legs, so I don't think anything is broken. He's a little ouchy on his left hind leg, but at least he can walk on it. There was no swelling yet, and I'm going back first thing tomorrow to check on him. We left him in his stall overnight with a little bit of bute. I think he's going to be bruised, but it could have been a lot worse. I know it hurt going down. I feel bad. And the show is now compromised. I have no idea if he'll be able to go. We're going to get the vet out tomorrow and go from there. I'm just grateful he's okay.

I am pretty pissed that no one told me that area was icy. No phone call, no note. And I know at least two people knew about it. I just found out a little too late.

Shall we move on to the good news? Well, I lunged Victor over a cross rail, and it was his first jump this year. He freaked out a little at first and launched over it like it was a four foot oxer, but he calmed down after a while and went over at a quiet pace. So all in all, he did good for having most the winter off. Now if only he gets a clean bill of health from the vet. I can handle coontusions. Bone injuries scare me. I'm praying.

I also lunged Norman over trot poles for the first time ever. He went over those poles like he's been doing it all his life. :) I couldn't believe it. It was even graceful, which is a rare occurrence for him. I was so impressed. The video was taken when he was getting tired, so he's moving a little slow. You get the idea, though. Not bad for a greenie, huh?

I need to get polo wraps for him. I can't find any boots that are big enough. ;P

Show news and update on the neglected mare

2009-03-01T13:58:00.001-08:00

There's an informal getting-back-into-the-swing show at Fox Valley on March 15. I'm going with my trainer and a few friends... and riding Victor. *dramatic music*

He better behave. That's all I can say. I'm looking to get natural calming supplements for him. He needs them badly.

We're doing halter and English walk/trot classes I think.

Anyway, about that mare. The lady that's taking her is out of town currently, but will be back this weekend and that's when she plans to get the horse. She asked my mom and I to be there, so I'll have a better idea of what's going on by then. But she's finally getting out of that crappy junk heap! Hooray! I can't wait. I'm thinking it's either going to be Friday or Saturday. I'm not sure yet. I'll post as soon as I know more.

Excuse me while I explode with excitement.

2009-02-18T12:39:00.000-08:00

Okayokayokay, so...

My trainer wants to breed a foal from this awesome Paint stallion. I forgot his name, but I know it has Hustler in it. He's tall, piebald, and knock-out gorgeous.

Problem was, my trainer's horse is 30 years old and not what you would consider breeding material. The barn owner, however, has a beautiful chestnut Thoroughbred mare who's about 10 years old. My trainer's 2 favorite breeds are Paints and TB's, so it'd be perfect. :)

And the BO gave the okay!

^o^
Here's Jessie.

Keep in mind, this is not a flattering picture. I'll get better pictures of everybody once the weather warms up and they shed their winter coats.

I'm picturing it... If all goes well, the colt will be amazing.

I do have double feelings about it, though. I'm excited, but the economy is in the toilet and I really hope she makes sure she can afford to support a foal. I'm sure she will.

On another note, I have more good news.
To make a long story short, there's this mare my mom's friend came across one day. She was a decent weight, but was all alone in a decrepit old pasture with cement and weeds and rotting debris everywhere. Her shelter was a cruddy little lean-to that looked about ready to collapse. The friend called animal control and they said they couldn't do anything because she was a good weight and her feet were trimmed.

Well, my mom and I went out to look at her, and it was shocking, to say the least. The pasture was nothing but weeds and garbage and the horse was in the lean-to, just staring off into space like a freakin zombie. Lord knows how long it'd been since she'd even seen another horse. She was a good weight, but her mane and tail were matted with burrs. She came right up to us when I called her and was really sweet. She's a strawberry roanish color with hazel eyes (yep, hazel. It was so cool).

She was pretty, but one look at her from a knowledgeable horse person and you'd know she was going stark raving mad being left alone and having little to no contact from other living things.

Mom's friend contacted the owner, and he was kind of nasty at first and basically thought everyone should just butt out. That went on for months, and now it's February. The friend visits the horse all the time. She was walking around the pasture and the horse stayed at her shoulder the whole time, but she couldn't find any water source, so we think the horse has been eating snow. A neighbor is the one that's been feeding her.

The friend couldn't take it anymore, so she left a note on the fence saying she would take the horse if the owner would part with her. And guess what?

The owner called her up and said she could have her!

Hooray!!! :D I don't know when she's getting her, but the horse will be kept at a boarding barn temporarily until the friend can get a barn built on her own property. I'm just hoping everything goes okay and the horse is healthy. She hasn't been kept up on with shots or deworming, so I'm kinda worried. We'll have to wait and see. I can't wait till they get her outa there.

Your dream horse?

2009-02-09T18:02:00.001-08:00

I was thinking...

If I could smoosh Vic and Norman together into one horse, that would be a perfect horse. My ideal horse would have Norman's temperament, smoothness, and long, thick mane and tail. And he would have Victor's size, jumping ability, speed, and stamina.

I love both my boys and wouldn't trade them for any other horse in the world, but they're not perfect. No horse is. Victor's quirky, spooky, and unpredictable under saddle. I have to be on my toes constantly with him. However, he's gentle as a kitten and has impeccable ground manners.

Norman tries to be gentle, but it just doesn't work. XD He's so big. His ground manners aren't perfect. But he is a lot more relaxed under saddle. You can practically fall asleep on his back and not have to worry. And he's like riding a big ol' couch.
I don't know how he is around traffic, though... I've never ridden him near the road. I'm kinda scared to. If that horse bolts, I might as well try and stop a freight train. He'd probably be okay following other horses, but I can't be sure.

Off topic, but it's finally warming up!
The snow is going away! Muahahaha!!! >:D
I've seen enough snow to last me the rest of my life. I can't wait for spring. And shiny summer coats. And grass pastures. And the outdoor arena. And trail rides.

*sigh*

I'm so proud of my Normy

2009-02-07T16:24:00.000-08:00

He was such a good boy today, as usual. My friends and I barrel raced a little bit. Norman could only trot around the tight turns, of course, but he did good for being so ginormous. XD

I love his trot. It's all lofty and smooth. I could trot on him all day.

I didn't ride Victor, 1) because I was too late for the lesson and 2) because I just had a feeling he was going to be a poop. It's no use trying to ride him if he's in a pissy mood. Our last two lessons were completely unproductive because he's so pent up. I can't wait for the grass pastures to open up. They've all been stuck in the dry lot since November. Them Thoroughbreds need to get out and run.

I still don't consider that a good excuse for being a butthead, but I didn't feel like dealing with his crap today.

That horse is too damn good-looking for his own britches. That's pretty much the only reason I put up with him. That and because he's a good jumper. And he's much better in the warmer weather. I lunged him over trot poles today, and it took him a while to get back into the swing of things. He jumped over all three of them for the first 10 minutes, but he figured them out eventually. A few months off and he gets that rusty. I think I'm gonna have to re-desensitize him to the clippers again. I haven't done his bridle path since October and he looks all scruffy. I did Norman's today, though.

Overall good day.

Pet peeves, anyone?

2009-02-04T18:17:00.000-08:00

At my barn, there are some people who have no clue what they're doing. Simple as that.
They do things that make my skin crawl.

Like dropping the reins and letting them hang in front of the horse when they're bridling him or just standing. I've told people thousands of times not to do that. The horse could step on them or get them stuck around his leg. And that could rip their mouth.

I've also seen horses being cross tied by the bit. This just drives me up a wall. That's an emergency vet call waiting to happen.

I've seen saddles on horses that don't fit them, horses from different pastures being put in with each other when they've never met, lunging being used as punishment.

I know I'm making my barn sound like some hick dump in south Texas, but it's really not that bad. There are some amazing equestrians there, too. :)

Meet the monsters.

2009-02-03T19:34:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be appropriate to first introduce the two horses who are the main subjects of this blog. ;D

First there's Vic. Born in 2000, registered with the Jockey Club as Classic Victor. (I was pleasantly surprised to find out that he's a great - great grandson of Native Dancer.)
Where to begin with this guy...
As the title suggests, he's a bit on the quirky side. I think it has something to do with the fact that he's from the Man O' War line, or it could be just him. He's famous for spooking at odd things and earned a nickname at the barn as "Chicken", much to my (and probably his) dismay. He spooks at dandelions, leaves, bunny rabbits, hair clips, grooming boxes, lawn furniture, you name it. Although he's perfectly fine around cars, buses, dogs, and noisy children. Go figure.

He also loves kitties. He snuggles them when they sit on the edge of his stall.

He's pretty unpredictable under saddle, more so when he's having an off day (which he seems to have a lot of). When he's having a good day, however, he's perfect. And he's a beautiful jumper. Our good days make it all worth it. :)

Then I have Norman, an unregistered American Cream Draft. He's going to be 5 in April, and I've been riding him since he was four. He's actually not ginormous for a draft horse, but he's the biggest horse at the barn at 17hh. Maybe the biggest horse I've ever ridden.

Did I mention I hate his name? Yeah. It makes him sound like some big dumb oaf, and he's quite the opposite. I wanted to change it so bad when I got him... but my mom wouldn't let me. I wanted to call him Tyson. *sigh* Oh, well. I get to pick his registered name. >:)

Anyway, I'm going to start introducing cavalettis this spring and hopefully make him into a nice hunter jumper someday. He's already shown an interest in going over trot poles at liberty, so I think he'll enjoy jumping. Despite his size, he's a pretty decent jumper. AC's are supposed to be versatile. I've seen them used for dressage, jumping, anything you can imagine.

Unlike Victor, he's very chilled out and doesn't spook at much. He's my pleasure horse. You can just relax on him and not have to be on your toes every step of the way.

This picture was taken last winter with my crappy little Polaroid, but I got a new camera and I'll have much better pics once spring rolls around.

Lol... he looks like a mammoth in the winter. Fuzzy bear... tee hee. :)

And his mane is much longer now.

I can't wait for their summer coats!