So I do a lot of scribing during the showing months. So far this year I've scribed for one show already (and technically, one endurance ride vet), there's another coming up this weekend, then another on June 22, then probably several more as the summer goes on. Certainly one in August, maybe some in September ... all depends.
I really like scribing -- I think I've mentioned this before. I've scribed all the way up through Grand Prix levels, and I leave every show having learned something new. It's fun to meet the judges, and I enjoy hearing their critiques. It seems like every judge has their own comment that they could put on a rubber stamp, since so many riders earn the comment. One I remember was "More engagement and contact required for this level," one from this last one was "Steps could be more elastic," and another was "Not enough stretch shown." So of course I'm thinking about and practicing free walk on long rein. ;)
I'm hoping that my Big Scribing Plan For 2014 comes through. It's a long shot, and I won't go into detail here, just in case that would jinx it. But I'm hoping to do something really effin' cool. I'd be really great at it.
Anyway, I need to remember to pick up little pen grip dealybobbers - yknow, these little guys. I had a whole bunch, but my Scribing Kit(tm) has gone walkabout. I might have left it at the endurance ride, or it might be hiding in my barn bag somewhere. Not sure. I do have red and blue pens and a watch, though, so I just need the dealybobbers and a pencil case to rebuild the kit.
Let's see ... what else. Apollo's pro ride today will be over fences -- I can't wait to hear how he does. :) I'm expecting to hear the same thing I usually do: "He was a good boy." Still! Can't wait. *grin*
He also was perfect for the farrier yesterday. After his last performance -- he lost his ever-loving mind and made poor Dan's life really difficult -- I was prepared to bust out the twitch if I needed to, and I started him out with a chain over his nose. It wasn't attached to anything, but it was there and ready to go if I needed to correct him. However, Apollo was a perfect gentleman this time. Whew! It's so embarrassing when my horse is difficult for the farrier. :/ But no. Apollo stood there politely and even fell asleep several times.
Anyway -- stay tuned. Sometime next week I'll have a review of what I hope will be the last and best pair of half-chaps I ever buy! Will the ongoing saga of ARGH TOO TALL AGAIN finally come to an end? Will I finally have neat-looking half-chaps? Next week, on Nanakorobi Yaoki!
Friday, May 17, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Some of what I've been up to
So while I was off not-blogging, I did some fun stuff!
The last weekend in April, I think it was, I made my first foray into the strange world of endurance riding. My riding buddy does endurance with Rhett, the adorable Arab, and I was interested in seeing how it went, what sort of things went on, et cetera. So she and I packed a cooler, some chairs, sunblock, and hats and headed south to where the ride was being held. The idea was that we'd do some volunteering while we were there.
The site was classic Southern Idaho sage desert: dry, dusty, no trees, just sagebrush and cheatgrass, black rocks scattered around, low rolling hills, and hot. I really liked it. :) The base area for the ride was right by the landowner's house and barn. The base consisted of a card table, the back of the vet's pickup, two large tubs of water, and an orange pylon on the far side of the barn to mark the trot-out distance. The organization consisted of yellow legal pads, a couple of binders, a clock, and maybe a computer.
The vet was, of course, in attendance to do the periodic vet checks required for the horses. I was really surprised to discover that there isn't a medic on site. I mean, we always have medics available for eventing, and even dressage shows have a medic! I would think that endurance rides would pose equal -- if not greater -- numbers of opportunities for human injury: heat stroke, nasty falls, cuts, snake bites, allergic reactions to insect bites/stings, etc. Apparently, though, endurance riders don't worry about the human half of the team. *giggle* The vet said, "Well, I've only seen people get LifeFlighted out twice recently ..." 0.o
I scribed for the vet -- who we use a lot at our barn, too -- and learned a lot about what kinds of horses do endurance, what kind of people ride, what is acceptable and what pushes the boundaries, etc. The vet is a great guy, too, so that was fun. Watching the riders come in and take care of their horses was pretty interesting too: I was surprised again at what eventers (and race people) know that endurance riders don't, and vice versa.
For example, in eventing, especially in long-format events, when a horse comes into the 10-minute hold box, the crew swarms in with sponges and cold water and scrapers. You want to get cold water onto the hot horse, then quickly scrape it away, because as the heat transfers from the horse to the water, the water turns into an insulator. So to cool a horse off, don't leave them soaking wet. The vet had to explain this to one rider whose horse wasn't returning to normal quickly, and I was surprised. I would think that endurance riders knew every trick for cooling horses down and helping their heart rates return to normal.
On the other hand, the endurance folks have some really clever ways of strapping gear to their saddles and of being really efficient when it comes to conserving horses' energy over terrain. Also, the skills needed for actually finding the right trail are pretty cool. And the people are awfully nice! At least, they were to me. ;)
I had a good time, and I learned a lot! I actually think it might be fun to do a short ride, like 25 miles, with Apollo sometime. *grin* I'm not planning to switch sports, but hey -- horses are versatile. Why not do fun stuff with them? Denny Emerson would say "do it!"
The last weekend in April, I think it was, I made my first foray into the strange world of endurance riding. My riding buddy does endurance with Rhett, the adorable Arab, and I was interested in seeing how it went, what sort of things went on, et cetera. So she and I packed a cooler, some chairs, sunblock, and hats and headed south to where the ride was being held. The idea was that we'd do some volunteering while we were there.
The site was classic Southern Idaho sage desert: dry, dusty, no trees, just sagebrush and cheatgrass, black rocks scattered around, low rolling hills, and hot. I really liked it. :) The base area for the ride was right by the landowner's house and barn. The base consisted of a card table, the back of the vet's pickup, two large tubs of water, and an orange pylon on the far side of the barn to mark the trot-out distance. The organization consisted of yellow legal pads, a couple of binders, a clock, and maybe a computer.
The vet was, of course, in attendance to do the periodic vet checks required for the horses. I was really surprised to discover that there isn't a medic on site. I mean, we always have medics available for eventing, and even dressage shows have a medic! I would think that endurance rides would pose equal -- if not greater -- numbers of opportunities for human injury: heat stroke, nasty falls, cuts, snake bites, allergic reactions to insect bites/stings, etc. Apparently, though, endurance riders don't worry about the human half of the team. *giggle* The vet said, "Well, I've only seen people get LifeFlighted out twice recently ..." 0.o
I scribed for the vet -- who we use a lot at our barn, too -- and learned a lot about what kinds of horses do endurance, what kind of people ride, what is acceptable and what pushes the boundaries, etc. The vet is a great guy, too, so that was fun. Watching the riders come in and take care of their horses was pretty interesting too: I was surprised again at what eventers (and race people) know that endurance riders don't, and vice versa.
For example, in eventing, especially in long-format events, when a horse comes into the 10-minute hold box, the crew swarms in with sponges and cold water and scrapers. You want to get cold water onto the hot horse, then quickly scrape it away, because as the heat transfers from the horse to the water, the water turns into an insulator. So to cool a horse off, don't leave them soaking wet. The vet had to explain this to one rider whose horse wasn't returning to normal quickly, and I was surprised. I would think that endurance riders knew every trick for cooling horses down and helping their heart rates return to normal.
On the other hand, the endurance folks have some really clever ways of strapping gear to their saddles and of being really efficient when it comes to conserving horses' energy over terrain. Also, the skills needed for actually finding the right trail are pretty cool. And the people are awfully nice! At least, they were to me. ;)
I had a good time, and I learned a lot! I actually think it might be fun to do a short ride, like 25 miles, with Apollo sometime. *grin* I'm not planning to switch sports, but hey -- horses are versatile. Why not do fun stuff with them? Denny Emerson would say "do it!"
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Update
Yes, yes, this thing is still on. :) I have just been -- all together now -- really busy lately. Plus, for some reason I don't feel like I have a lot of interesting things to say.
Still, here goes. I really, really miss my horse today! It's been a week since I was able to get out to the barn, due to having company for the weekend and needing to make it look like I don't actually live in a hovel before said company arrived, plus some health issues. (Again, as usual.) So I am super-excited to get out to the barn today! My poor abandoned pony! I can't wait to get up into the saddle, pet my pony, brush him, feed him carrots ... all that good stuff.
I'm also excited to give my new helmet a try. I decided that I needed a nice, light helmet for the summer. I adore my Charles Owen skully, don't get me wrong! However, it's definitely heavy and not really well vented, and "low-profile" doesn't describe it well. I don't really mind looking like a blockhead, since sometimes I can ACT like one, but ... the last lesson I had, I sweated through my ponytail. All of it, down to the tip, was wet. Ick. Yeah, sweat is good, means you're working, but ... ick.
So I picked up a nice little schooling helmet, the Ovation Deluxe Schooler. I think it'll be just the thing! I'll wear my skully and cover for cross-country, of course -- all those cross-rails are dangerous, right? ;)
Cross-country, yes. Despite not having done much jumping this year, I went ahead and entered the May derby at cross-rails. I think I ought to schedule some jumping lessons between now and then ... heh. Honestly, I'm not in the least concerned. We can totally handle cross-rails. And Intro B. Totally, completely, 100% handle that. The only question is how Apollo will be out in the field, but I'm not even very concerned about that, either. We'll have a couple clinic days in advance of the derby, and I'll drag him out there when I can between now and then too. He's competed out there already, even. So yeah. We'll have a fine time. :)
Lessee ... oh! Reveille is still happy as a clam with her new kid! Hee. She's officially a rodeo-queening horse now; her kid is Mini Queen for a rodeo here. The pictures are so awesome. I won't share here, just because they're not my pictures and because they feature a kid, but trust me: she's adorable. Utterly adorable. Reveille is sleek and shiny, and she transitioned into a shank curb bit and Western saddle in a right hurry. I'm so pleased!!
Anyway, again as usual, I'll try to keep up with things. I do want to mention how well Apollo is going and how amazing he is to ride these days, since he's been getting pro rides, but ... I have to have material for another day, yeah? :)
Still, here goes. I really, really miss my horse today! It's been a week since I was able to get out to the barn, due to having company for the weekend and needing to make it look like I don't actually live in a hovel before said company arrived, plus some health issues. (Again, as usual.) So I am super-excited to get out to the barn today! My poor abandoned pony! I can't wait to get up into the saddle, pet my pony, brush him, feed him carrots ... all that good stuff.
I'm also excited to give my new helmet a try. I decided that I needed a nice, light helmet for the summer. I adore my Charles Owen skully, don't get me wrong! However, it's definitely heavy and not really well vented, and "low-profile" doesn't describe it well. I don't really mind looking like a blockhead, since sometimes I can ACT like one, but ... the last lesson I had, I sweated through my ponytail. All of it, down to the tip, was wet. Ick. Yeah, sweat is good, means you're working, but ... ick.
So I picked up a nice little schooling helmet, the Ovation Deluxe Schooler. I think it'll be just the thing! I'll wear my skully and cover for cross-country, of course -- all those cross-rails are dangerous, right? ;)
Cross-country, yes. Despite not having done much jumping this year, I went ahead and entered the May derby at cross-rails. I think I ought to schedule some jumping lessons between now and then ... heh. Honestly, I'm not in the least concerned. We can totally handle cross-rails. And Intro B. Totally, completely, 100% handle that. The only question is how Apollo will be out in the field, but I'm not even very concerned about that, either. We'll have a couple clinic days in advance of the derby, and I'll drag him out there when I can between now and then too. He's competed out there already, even. So yeah. We'll have a fine time. :)
Lessee ... oh! Reveille is still happy as a clam with her new kid! Hee. She's officially a rodeo-queening horse now; her kid is Mini Queen for a rodeo here. The pictures are so awesome. I won't share here, just because they're not my pictures and because they feature a kid, but trust me: she's adorable. Utterly adorable. Reveille is sleek and shiny, and she transitioned into a shank curb bit and Western saddle in a right hurry. I'm so pleased!!
Anyway, again as usual, I'll try to keep up with things. I do want to mention how well Apollo is going and how amazing he is to ride these days, since he's been getting pro rides, but ... I have to have material for another day, yeah? :)
Saturday, April 20, 2013
But first, you must ride him forward. Forward and straight.
The title is sage advice from our resident European. :) Asking for one pro ride a week may have been the smartest thing I've done since buying this horse, honestly. Apollo is clever, talented, and rather green for his age. So having A ride him has been really, really good for Apollo -- and for me. I got to watch A ride him this last ride, and it was quite instructive.
I mean, I know I need to ask for more-more-more forward, always. But actually seeing it in action and seeing how A developed it was helpful. He had only the lightest of contact at first, letting Apollo get his hind end engaged and round up on his own. Then, once he'd gotten that going, he started asking for more and more contact, more connection from the hind end through to the hand. Again, obvious in theory, but good to watch in practice.
It was also nice to see that Apollo pulls the same things with A that he does with me: getting fussy about working hard, trying to overbend his neck on the right rein and avoid actual bend by popping his left shoulder out, getting pissy about going back to work if you halt and wait a few minutes to chat or whatever, etc. Obviously, A deals with it better than I do, but this is not to imply that I don't deal with it adequately. :) And watching how Apollo worked through those issues was rewarding!
A was also really helpful in telling me what he was doing and how he was working to achieve it -- and he had nice things to say about Apollo. ;) I *must* be a horse person -- the best way to compliment me is to say something nice about my horse! Anyway, he was saying that Apollo is a really kind horse, one I can trust, that you can tell the difference between a mean or an angry horse and one who's tired or doesn't understand, and Apollo is definitely the latter when he gets pissy. Of course, this all agrees with my own opinion of Apollo, so ... yep. A was very encouraging. Much appreciated.
One of the things A talked to me about after he rode was the forward and straight bit. He said that it's not really as important right now to worry about where Apollo puts his head, that it's much more important to just get him forward, forward, forward. The second thing he talked about and that I'd watched him work on was adjustability within gaits; another obvious thing that's good to see in practice.
So when I headed out to ride today, my main goal was exactly that: to get Apollo forward in each gait. My secondary goal was to work lengthened and shortened strides in each gait. I felt like we had some real difference between this ride and previous rides -- lots of momentum, and I thought we were quite forward. Apollo was a little goofy when MR brought his pasture mate in for a ride, but not much. He was really more goofy about the very small, very wet spot in the arena; sheesh. Up to and including basically teleporting himself five feet to the left mid-canter. Silly beast.
I'm excited about tomorrow's lesson, too. Not sure if we'll do any jumping, even of tiny cross-rails, but whatever we do, it'll be good for us! But for now? Sleeeeep.
I mean, I know I need to ask for more-more-more forward, always. But actually seeing it in action and seeing how A developed it was helpful. He had only the lightest of contact at first, letting Apollo get his hind end engaged and round up on his own. Then, once he'd gotten that going, he started asking for more and more contact, more connection from the hind end through to the hand. Again, obvious in theory, but good to watch in practice.
It was also nice to see that Apollo pulls the same things with A that he does with me: getting fussy about working hard, trying to overbend his neck on the right rein and avoid actual bend by popping his left shoulder out, getting pissy about going back to work if you halt and wait a few minutes to chat or whatever, etc. Obviously, A deals with it better than I do, but this is not to imply that I don't deal with it adequately. :) And watching how Apollo worked through those issues was rewarding!
A was also really helpful in telling me what he was doing and how he was working to achieve it -- and he had nice things to say about Apollo. ;) I *must* be a horse person -- the best way to compliment me is to say something nice about my horse! Anyway, he was saying that Apollo is a really kind horse, one I can trust, that you can tell the difference between a mean or an angry horse and one who's tired or doesn't understand, and Apollo is definitely the latter when he gets pissy. Of course, this all agrees with my own opinion of Apollo, so ... yep. A was very encouraging. Much appreciated.
One of the things A talked to me about after he rode was the forward and straight bit. He said that it's not really as important right now to worry about where Apollo puts his head, that it's much more important to just get him forward, forward, forward. The second thing he talked about and that I'd watched him work on was adjustability within gaits; another obvious thing that's good to see in practice.
So when I headed out to ride today, my main goal was exactly that: to get Apollo forward in each gait. My secondary goal was to work lengthened and shortened strides in each gait. I felt like we had some real difference between this ride and previous rides -- lots of momentum, and I thought we were quite forward. Apollo was a little goofy when MR brought his pasture mate in for a ride, but not much. He was really more goofy about the very small, very wet spot in the arena; sheesh. Up to and including basically teleporting himself five feet to the left mid-canter. Silly beast.
I'm excited about tomorrow's lesson, too. Not sure if we'll do any jumping, even of tiny cross-rails, but whatever we do, it'll be good for us! But for now? Sleeeeep.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Just start and see what happens.
For some reason I have no motivation to blog lately. Maybe if I just start writing, things will happen. :)
We've been having some really icky wind lately, up to and including a freak north wind that tore a chunk of the roof off the covered arena. I am just done with wind. I mean, yes, it's usual spring weather for this area, but I'm just tired of it. I'm tired of expecting to wake up in Oz one of these mornings!
Fortunately, even though it's blowing a half-gale out there, Apollo hasn't been too fazed. He really only gets worried when the mirror at A starts wobbling. *grin* I can't blame him, honestly. He's not a fan of mirrors to begin with, no matter how well he ignores them once we get going, so when they go all weird, I can see how he'd be alarmed.
Not last Sunday but the Sunday before, we had our first jumping lesson of the year. And by "jumping," what I mean is that I practiced my approaches and position while Apollo blithely went forward over a teeny crossrail. Heh. I also discovered in that lesson that we have some issues in the right lead canter, so we've been working on that lately. The last few rides he's picked it up easily and politely, but they've been in my dressage saddle, so we'll see tonight. I'll put on the jump tack and see how it works.
I've also been having fun riding with a friend -- her little horse is just adorable, and she's great company.
Let's see ... what else. It's so nice to have our resident military rider back home! Always good to have everyone home. The barn doesn't feel right without her around, or without any of our usual suspects, really. And everybody's home from a wildly successful show at Twin Rivers, too. It'll be a nice few weeks with everyone around before they head back out to California for the next Galway show.
I'm looking forward to lessons on Sundays and to Apollo getting pro rides on Fridays.
Yup, life is good. :)
We've been having some really icky wind lately, up to and including a freak north wind that tore a chunk of the roof off the covered arena. I am just done with wind. I mean, yes, it's usual spring weather for this area, but I'm just tired of it. I'm tired of expecting to wake up in Oz one of these mornings!
Fortunately, even though it's blowing a half-gale out there, Apollo hasn't been too fazed. He really only gets worried when the mirror at A starts wobbling. *grin* I can't blame him, honestly. He's not a fan of mirrors to begin with, no matter how well he ignores them once we get going, so when they go all weird, I can see how he'd be alarmed.
Not last Sunday but the Sunday before, we had our first jumping lesson of the year. And by "jumping," what I mean is that I practiced my approaches and position while Apollo blithely went forward over a teeny crossrail. Heh. I also discovered in that lesson that we have some issues in the right lead canter, so we've been working on that lately. The last few rides he's picked it up easily and politely, but they've been in my dressage saddle, so we'll see tonight. I'll put on the jump tack and see how it works.
I've also been having fun riding with a friend -- her little horse is just adorable, and she's great company.
Let's see ... what else. It's so nice to have our resident military rider back home! Always good to have everyone home. The barn doesn't feel right without her around, or without any of our usual suspects, really. And everybody's home from a wildly successful show at Twin Rivers, too. It'll be a nice few weeks with everyone around before they head back out to California for the next Galway show.
I'm looking forward to lessons on Sundays and to Apollo getting pro rides on Fridays.
Yup, life is good. :)
Friday, April 5, 2013
Hipy Brithdy!
You're so right -- I am late. Again. :) I've been a bit distracted, although I have been riding, so in theory there are things to tell.
Most importantly? HAPPY BIRTHDAY APOLLO!!
He's nine today for real. :) Happy birthday, best pony ever, and here's to many more birthdays together!
For his birthday present, Apollo got ridden by our awesome Magyar. *grin* There's video, even. Apollo will go something like this in the trot for me, but I have to work harder at it than this rider does and it's not as consistent for me. I have yet to get Apollo to canter this nicely, though.
Seriously, I'm just tickled. I love my guy so much. Heaps of talent and movement and a good temper; what more can I ask for?
Well ... actually ... I suppose I could ask for less spring squirrellies. The spring grass is coming in, with all its glorious sugar, and the sun is shining, which means Apollo is just beside himself. It's this that made me ask if one of our pros could put Apollo on their Friday ride schedule, since I have a standing Friday evening gig and can't ride that day. A ride a week from one of them, plus five rides a week from me, ought to get Apollo sorted out wit a quickness, I think. He was absolutely rotten for my poor, long-suffering farrier on Tuesday. I don't ride on Mondays, and that plus spring plus general chaos at the barn just blew his little pony mind. How embarrassing for me. :/ Horses, man, I tell ya.
You read that right: that does mean that I'm officially committing to five rides a week. ;) Not that that's not what I strive for any day, but right now it's doable and necessary. I've been riding in my jump saddle rather than my dressage saddle, working on my leg position and two-point. Needs to be done, and when better than now?
Anyway, after Tuesday Apollo got progressively better. To be expected, of course, but still. I had a good ride last night, and obviously Apollo did well today. I am looking forward to riding him tomorrow, after the tune-up he almost certainly got!
Most importantly? HAPPY BIRTHDAY APOLLO!!
He's nine today for real. :) Happy birthday, best pony ever, and here's to many more birthdays together!
For his birthday present, Apollo got ridden by our awesome Magyar. *grin* There's video, even. Apollo will go something like this in the trot for me, but I have to work harder at it than this rider does and it's not as consistent for me. I have yet to get Apollo to canter this nicely, though.
Seriously, I'm just tickled. I love my guy so much. Heaps of talent and movement and a good temper; what more can I ask for?
Well ... actually ... I suppose I could ask for less spring squirrellies. The spring grass is coming in, with all its glorious sugar, and the sun is shining, which means Apollo is just beside himself. It's this that made me ask if one of our pros could put Apollo on their Friday ride schedule, since I have a standing Friday evening gig and can't ride that day. A ride a week from one of them, plus five rides a week from me, ought to get Apollo sorted out wit a quickness, I think. He was absolutely rotten for my poor, long-suffering farrier on Tuesday. I don't ride on Mondays, and that plus spring plus general chaos at the barn just blew his little pony mind. How embarrassing for me. :/ Horses, man, I tell ya.
You read that right: that does mean that I'm officially committing to five rides a week. ;) Not that that's not what I strive for any day, but right now it's doable and necessary. I've been riding in my jump saddle rather than my dressage saddle, working on my leg position and two-point. Needs to be done, and when better than now?
Anyway, after Tuesday Apollo got progressively better. To be expected, of course, but still. I had a good ride last night, and obviously Apollo did well today. I am looking forward to riding him tomorrow, after the tune-up he almost certainly got!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
No announcements (also!)
Wow -- everyone has all these huge announcements lately! Congratulations to everyone, on new horses, moves, impending babies, et cetera!
I ... well, um ... I ... I got nothin' right now. Well, some (guess what ... wait for it ...) health issues, but to be honest, those will be easy enough to resolve. But other than that, it's just me, the bay ball of wonderful, the corgis, and the cats, here in Idaho. :)
Apollo was very good this evening. I decided it was way too cold inside the barn to ride, so whether Apollo was feeling spooky or not, we were going out. side. It didn't seem like he was too up when I tacked him up, but I went ahead and longed him anyway. No issues there, so once he was well warmed up and relaxing over the top, I hopped on. He wasn't as stretchy as he is in the indoor, I think just because he was still a bit distracted, and the footing is a bit deep and soft. Still, he was responsive and willing to work with me. As we went on, he stretched more and came up rounder, too.
Looking forward to the farrier coming out -- Apollo's toes are getting long. Time to get back on the 6-week schedule again, after the winter 8-week schedule!
Also, from the constantly-trying-to-kill-himself file, I present: one huge scrape, like 12" long or more, down his right front leg. He didn't draw blood except in one spot, either the very beginning or very end of whatever gave him the scrape, and there's no unusual heat, swelling, or even minute lameness. Just scraped all the hair off, so it's no big deal. It is ugly, though! I hate seeing his skin instead of hair. Poor kiddo! I might get a picture tomorrow. I thought about it today but didn't -- probably should've.
Also also? Apparently my horse plays with sticks. Mary reports that he'll paw at the stick, toss it, and generally be a goofball, entertaining himself in the pasture. He's pretty playful. :) That plus his baby face just charms me all over again. KR described him as a young soul, kind of childlike, a description I kind of like. Some horses are definitely old souls. Apollo doesn't appear to be one of those. Hehehe. :)
EDITED TO ADD: Hey, this is my 300th post! Nifty.
I ... well, um ... I ... I got nothin' right now. Well, some (guess what ... wait for it ...) health issues, but to be honest, those will be easy enough to resolve. But other than that, it's just me, the bay ball of wonderful, the corgis, and the cats, here in Idaho. :)
Apollo was very good this evening. I decided it was way too cold inside the barn to ride, so whether Apollo was feeling spooky or not, we were going out. side. It didn't seem like he was too up when I tacked him up, but I went ahead and longed him anyway. No issues there, so once he was well warmed up and relaxing over the top, I hopped on. He wasn't as stretchy as he is in the indoor, I think just because he was still a bit distracted, and the footing is a bit deep and soft. Still, he was responsive and willing to work with me. As we went on, he stretched more and came up rounder, too.
Looking forward to the farrier coming out -- Apollo's toes are getting long. Time to get back on the 6-week schedule again, after the winter 8-week schedule!
Also, from the constantly-trying-to-kill-himself file, I present: one huge scrape, like 12" long or more, down his right front leg. He didn't draw blood except in one spot, either the very beginning or very end of whatever gave him the scrape, and there's no unusual heat, swelling, or even minute lameness. Just scraped all the hair off, so it's no big deal. It is ugly, though! I hate seeing his skin instead of hair. Poor kiddo! I might get a picture tomorrow. I thought about it today but didn't -- probably should've.
Also also? Apparently my horse plays with sticks. Mary reports that he'll paw at the stick, toss it, and generally be a goofball, entertaining himself in the pasture. He's pretty playful. :) That plus his baby face just charms me all over again. KR described him as a young soul, kind of childlike, a description I kind of like. Some horses are definitely old souls. Apollo doesn't appear to be one of those. Hehehe. :)
EDITED TO ADD: Hey, this is my 300th post! Nifty.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Never could get the hang of Thursdays
Some rides are just not as fun as others. Last night started out pretty well -- I took Apollo outside for the first time, seeing as I was there in plenty of time for light and nobody else was using the outdoor. He was a little concerned about the barrel jump, the panel jumps, the fence, the other horses, et cetera, but I kept us to a circle in one end and just focused on calm and responsive. He spooked once, but not more, and he eventually focused. Until the neighbor horses got the RUN AROUND RIGHT NOW message from the Horse Planet. Sigh. So I worked on straight line, short turn, straight line, short turn until I felt like I got his brain back, then patted him and went inside to work some other things.
As it turns out, I totally should have stayed outside. I'm not sure whether it was me or Apollo, whether I left my balance in my purse with my inhaler, or what, but we were just not connecting. I suspect it was primarily my balance, because I'd go to half-halt or just squeeze him forward, and he'd hollow out and drop the tempo like ... well, like it was hot. :) He kicked at my leg, shook his head, and generally wasn't interested in going along with the program. Somehow this was probably my fault ... I guess this is why I take lessons, eh? :)
So onto the longe line he went for some brain activity. Trot trot trot, canter canter canter, canter canter trot. Switch, repeat. And then remount, for a much more cooperative horse.
Still, it was not my favorite of all rides. Grumble. I won't be out tonight, so here's hoping Apollo resets his brain back to sweet-horse mode by Saturday.
As it turns out, I totally should have stayed outside. I'm not sure whether it was me or Apollo, whether I left my balance in my purse with my inhaler, or what, but we were just not connecting. I suspect it was primarily my balance, because I'd go to half-halt or just squeeze him forward, and he'd hollow out and drop the tempo like ... well, like it was hot. :) He kicked at my leg, shook his head, and generally wasn't interested in going along with the program. Somehow this was probably my fault ... I guess this is why I take lessons, eh? :)
So onto the longe line he went for some brain activity. Trot trot trot, canter canter canter, canter canter trot. Switch, repeat. And then remount, for a much more cooperative horse.
Still, it was not my favorite of all rides. Grumble. I won't be out tonight, so here's hoping Apollo resets his brain back to sweet-horse mode by Saturday.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Not to scale
Fun evening at the barn last night. We're slowly getting the hay barn stalls put together all the way, which involves lots of sand, sliding doors, hardware, pipe panels, percussive maintenance on MT's part, holding things in place, digging, sawing, trips to the hardware store, et cetera. Lots of work. MT, TD, our Hun, and TW have gotten the inside stalls entirely habitable, so now it's down to putting in the panels outside, which is what I got to help with yesterday.
Most of the panels have kind of mesh, like maybe 2" by 3" rectangles made of sturdy wire, on them as well as the usual pipe, and they're quite tall. So nobody's going to be getting their feet caught, or stealing their neighbor's hay, or nibbling on their neighbors, etc. Plus, the placement of the gates will make cleaning pens and feeding horses much easier! Everybody who walked up to help asked "Wait, why are the gates there?" See illustration (of course, I should have taken a picture, but oh well. PaintShop you get.)
Once TW said, "Well, think about it: you open a gate, go all the way up, then go all the way back to go out the gate, open the next gate, go all the way up, then all the way back, then ..." I completely understood. Efficient design based on experience, woot!
Anyway, moving panels, holding panels, supervising (which corgis, btw, excel at), and generally lending a hand while hanging out was lots of fun. :) The pens look a little bit like a prison at the moment - I've dubbed it the MT Gulag. Just ask the horses - total prison! Horsey jail! With several meals a day, spa treatments for the skin and coat and hooves, and maid service ... jail ...
Once we'd gotten done everything we could get done, I went to get Apollo. Neither of us was in the mood for serious work, so we did non-serious work. :) Just moving around, having a good time, then plenty of grooming. I also put the desperately-needed bunches of extra holes in the side reins I bought for a song at the FLTS spring sale ... and I found another reason why they were priced for a song: the tail of the leather that goes through the buckle end wasn't stitched down. I know how to stitch leather myself, so I could in theory fix it, but I don't have an awl or a stitching tool. I bet MT does, but ... I might as well pay our local harness/saddle maker to do it. He'll do it faster and better without a re-learning curve. Plus, support local business!
Anyway, good evening at the barn. Fo sho.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Could I trouble you for a stick?
Ah. Well. I have been offered a credible threat of bodily harm if I don't entertain TED with my super-amusing blog entries.
So, here! Have a super-amusing blog entry! I even have pictures.
The great struggle with brain chemistry and stomach issues continued last week, such that I was utterly wiped out by the end of my workdays. Thus, no interesting horse news from last week. Well, except for lesson on Sunday -- we worked on outline and softening, and some canter work. MT pointed out the frame he wants me to be riding in when we school, which is useful. To quote our Hun, before now I no have understand! ;)
It was also lots of fun hanging around and watching folks jump after the lesson. Especially when MT was schooling the young stallion over fences. The stallion is pretty green, though extremely athletic and talented, and I'm always impressed to watch MT ride that sort of horse. The stallion is on the list of 1000 Horses I'm Glad I Don't Ride, because he's so athletic.
Anyway, our Hun and someone else -- I forget who -- were jump schooling at the same time, and they were jumping much much higher than MT was. The 4' fence they were schooling was sort of in a line with a fence MT finished over, and as he gave that last half halt before bringing the stallion to a halt, the stallion spotted the 4' fence.
The expression on the stallion's face was priceless. I near fell out of my chair laughing. His eyes got huge, his ears went as far forward as they could, and I swear you could see the giant red ! appear over his head. 'Oh my god you have GOT to be joking!' Too, too funny.
Not sure when I took this picture, but I was just charmed. Apollo was insisting that he was deeply, dangerously carrot-deficient. Hee.
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| The face of carrot deficiency in the US today. Won't you help? Send carrots care of Apollo. |
My poor boy corgi, Sparky! He has a sore back, and in addition to pain meds and steroids, he's doing cold laser therapy. He now has a data port shaved into his back.
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| Poor, poor Sparky. |
I am really getting itchy to jump again, so I mentioned it to MT. Yay!
And looking forward to riding tonight, too.
So there! That is my super-amusing blog entry for the day.
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