Klaus 19?? - 2009

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.

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?

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.

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?

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

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!

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.