Remember back in January when I told you I had a goal of showing at the All American Quarter Horse Congress?
Well, I've mailed my entry forms/payment via Certified Mail! There's no turning back now..... no refunds. I may have screamed in my car after I left the post office...
Huck and I will be showing in two classes on Tuesday October 10th: Senior Ranch Riding and Level 1 Amateur Ranch Riding. The Sr. class will be packed with the nation's best horses and trainers so I'm considering it a paid warm up. It's our only chance to get Huck and I ALONE in the Coliseum before our actual amateur class. I'll let him spook at something in that class and hope he's over it the next time around. Fingers crossed...
The show isn't cheap, but I figured it's a one-time thing and in for a penny in for a pound as they say. Stalls are $280 (even more for the "pleasure" part of the show) and classes are $65 each, plus $30 in fees per horse. I splurged and got a tack stall, too, which I'm sharing with the friend that I shadowed at last year's Congress. He's doing the Ranch Riding and the Freestyle Reining. I expect we will be there from Sunday to late Saturday night, but I'll leave that up to him since he's hauling.
I will be sharing the pattern, our back number, and our draw order as we get closer, and you should be able to catch our run on the live stream if you so desire.
Now let's just hope our red pony can stay injury-free for another seven weeks! Seriously.
Oh, and our last Ranch show was supposed to be last weekend, but it was rained out and moved to September 9th.
For background on Equilutions, start with Equilutions #1 - 2009. You can also use the search bar to find all Equilutions entries.
2016 was the first year since losing Junior that I'd felt like making goals. I made four goals and was able to accomplish 3, but I have a plan to get the third one accomplished soon.
I spent New Years Day at the barn. I cleaned stalls and rode out in the field with Luke. Then we went on the trails and even into the creek. It was a lovely day with plenty of sunshine and I think it was about 45 degrees!
Late 2015 and all of 2016 was full of unexpected injuries. Here's your recap:
December '15 - Facial Laceration - Stitches
April '16 - Leg Laceration RF - Staples, Infection
April - Nasty Leg scrape RH - Sore
June - SI injections
June-August - Rehab
September - Cuts and scrapes on all 4 legs after an apparent tangle with a fence panel. - I still need to blog about that one....
At this moment Huck is not bleeding or lame. (I shouldn't even say that out loud) He is soft and responsive and not stupid - though we still have some issues with the sound of ropes and whips moving through the air. We are continuing to work with a Chiropractor and I will be getting a consultation with the vet in a few months to see if more injections are prescribed. I don't want to do them if I don't need to, but I also don't want to lose half a show season again.
We ended the show season on a very high note, but because of all the injuries (especially the SI stuff) we only made it to one year-end Top 3 in our club - 3rd in Ranch Conformation.
Needless to say I have some goals for next year. Let's first review the 2016 Goals:
2016 #1: Solve my noisy saddle dee's. ACHIEVED! Not only did I achieve the goal with my training saddle, I found the exact saddle I was looking for at a reasonable price so I upgraded to a whole new saddle! - Should probably post about that...
2016 #2: Get rid of the clutter. ACHIEVED! I sold a bunch of stuff at a tack swap in February, and when my mom visited in August we purged a bunch of domestic clutter. My tack area at the barn, and my tack storage at home is much easier to manage now. There is breathing room.
2016 #3: Learn to tool leather. Honestly I had forgotten I made this one, but this fall I started to ponder my upcoming sabbatical and I included learning leather working as professional development. So I've got a plan to accomplish that one in 2017.
And for 2017?
1. CONGRESS. I am planning to show in the Ranch Riding class at the All American Quarter Horse Congress in October. I debated putting this here in writing. Posting it here means I'm committing to it publicly. Yikes. It's a Bucket List thing to go "play with the big kids" at the largest single-breed horse show in the world - over 21,000 entries in the month-long show. When I moved to Columbus, Ohio I was thrilled I was moving to the city where The Congress is held. I've gone every year to watch/shop and for the past four years I've bought the Exhibitors pass so I could go as much as I wanted to watch classes or demos or shop or eat Bourbon Chicken and ribbon fries. The fairgrounds is so big and there are SO many people/horses that I was very intimidated and thought I'd never be able to show there. But being there this year helping a friend show in Ranch Riding and the Freestyle Reining was really helpful. I have a grasp of what it takes to show there and it's totally doable. With my hopefully upcoming fall sabbatical, I aim to take advantage of not having to halt summer training for the insanely busy first half of the fall semester. I'll be able to show all summer, assess at the end of August (entries are due August 25th) and continue training all through our class at the Congress in mid October. It'll be seven years before I get another chance at a sabbatical so I've decided this is the year to aim for Congress. I don't expect to place, I think there was over 60 in the Amateur class last year, but we aren't terrible and will try our best, and you can watch it live online! 😬
Watching Luke show Ranch Riding at the 2016 Congress.
2. Keep Huck injury-free. If I could actually control this I would have, but it's a true goal for us anyway. All I can really do is cross my fingers and hope there aren't any more mystery injuries. He's in a safe environment, none of the other horses have this many injuries. I'm pretty tired of getting a phone call saying my horse is bleeding and I'm REALLY tired of the vet bills! I did the math and 2016 was a horse-savings-account train wreck. If we have another year of injuries like last year there will be no Congress.
3. Win a Year-end championship. In 2016 we managed in the top 10 in every class we showed, even with only showing three of five shows (and one of them was a wreck), but I know we can do better if we have a full season without setbacks. I admit winning my first buckle in 2015 with Kevin was like first blood. I want another buckle, and I want to win it on my own horse.
Heading out to join Luke in the field.
4. BE BRAVE: Ride alone on the trails. The barn has the indoor arena, an outdoor obstacle course (just outside the arena), then down the hill is a large grass riding area, a big hay field, and trails. I want to overcome my fear of taking a horse out alone. I will reach that goal by riding outside more and more while we're alone. We have ridden in the obstacle course and the area just outside the arena and the lower grass area alone, but we've not tried the trails alone yet. I'll ride outside alone more and more and start taking little trail rides, like just off the riding area and back, then progressing to taking more and more of the trails. It makes ME nervous because I anticipate a spook at any second, especially while we're alone. So far I've ridden every one of his spooks because they're really not that big, but because I've come off on the trail twice with Junior and had so many Arabs spook/teleport to the other side of the world, I get a bit anxious. I just need to be more confident and take baby step after baby step until we can go out alone without worry. This is partially a goal because I want it, and partially because I show RANCH horse and a RANCH horse and rider need to ride out alone.
I wish you all a lovely and successful New Year!!!
I began writing Equilutions in 2009. I was four months into owning my first horse and I am proud to say Junior and I achieved every one of those goals. You can read other posts about Equilutions here: Equilutions.
My last Equilutions was in 2013. For the past two years I have not felt able to set any type of specific goals. There was always a goal to get another horse, but for a long time after I lost Junior I wasn't able to bring myself to make specific "dreams" about the future. I needed to just take it one day at a time for a while.
But this year I feel different. Things are different with a different horse. I have no idea what to expect from our upcoming show season. Our first show is less than 4 months away and we've not done a half-decent lead change (since the clinic) and I can't figure out what cadence his slow lope and his fast lope need to be, I haven't even tried a whole reining pattern yet, and are still inconsistent with loping off without trot steps. So we're having trouble with just, you know, ALL THE THINGS.
BUT our jog is extending nicely. We are doing better with ropes, gates, and stuff... though the sound of a rope cutting the air makes him toss his head or hide behind me. We are finding the different buttons for moving hips vs. shoulder and finding the difference between transitioning down by only one gate and not slamming on the brakes at the slightest ask for a jog. We are getting better at not throwing rodeos on the lunge line.
I like my new horse. I've no idea if this season will be successful at this point, but I'm enjoying the journey. Last year I took a western pleasure horse (something I knew a bit about) and made him a buckled Green Ranch Versatility horse. Now I'm taking a reining horse (something I know very little about) and turning him into a Ranch Versatility horse.... something I still need to learn a lot about!
I remind myself that last January I was VERY frustrated with Kevin. I didn't blog much about it, but we'd hit a rough patch. He was constantly cranky and irritable about work, would misbehave if asked for anything but basic rail work. But by spring he was soft in the bridle and always had a bright expression.... so did I, and you know how that season ended, so maybe we still have time.
We had a nice ride today, though we had a serious rodeo on the lunge line. Not surprising since we really haven't had a work out since before he cut his face. He hasn't bucked that much since the day I brought him home! I made sure he was tired before I rode and we had a nice ride. So much to work on, but a nice ride! His wounds are healing. His face will be a much bigger scar than if the stitches had stayed in longer, but he's a ranch horse, so it'll be fine.
Equilutions for 2016
1. Do something about those "training dees" on my saddle. I will eventually get a good saddle, but I'm not ready yet. I found my current saddle for $200 on Craigslist. It had never been oiled and has a tear in the leather holding one of the rear-cinch dee-rings on. I replaced all the cheap/chipping conchos with copper ones, removed the d-rings on the pommel, and tied down the d-rings at the back. The crupper ring and the big rear d-rings make noise when I ride and it drives me nuts. The biggest issue is finding a way to quiet them that isn't unsightly and doesn't make the saddle completely un-sellable. I found a similar saddle (same brand, not a training saddle) on Craigslist, but I'm hesitant.... am I getting a slight upgrade or am I trading one set of problems for another?
2. Get rid of the clutter. This goes for general household as well as horse equipment. I did sell my hunt saddle, my good helmet, and a few other things off Facebook but OMG people are horrible! I had so many people say they would buy things and then ghost, and some people I met were incredibly late for meet-ups. It's hardly worth the stress! Instead I've got a booth booked at the biggest tack swap in the region on Valentine's Day at the University of Findlay. Last time I went there I sold nearly everything I brought. Hopefully we'll have good luck this year, too.
3. Say GOODBYE to making show clothing. I've designed/made/sold show clothing on and off for over 15 years. I have a decent amount of supplies on hand, but I've severely lacked the motivation to make any in a long time, especially since I don't show in those kind of clothes anymore. The market is flooded so I haven't been getting what I think my pieces are worth. It's a buyer's market, and Americans can get a t-shirt for $5 so why should they pay more than $100 for a show top? I sold my last several pieces (not including the custom work I designed specifically for clients) well below even off-the-rack prices, just to stay in the black. At this point I think I'm going to finish the last piece I started (an olive green showmanship suit) and sell off all my fabrics/trims. I would probably still work with repeat clients, though, if they were ever interested in adding to their wardrobe.
4. Learn how to tool leather. I've never done it. I might hate it, but I want to try it. I have been drooling over some custom belts and tack makers for the past year and though I think their prices are appropriate for the quality of their work, sadly they are not appropriate for my budget. There is a Tandy Leather store in town that gives classes. I'm going to try to tool a belt for myself and see if I never want to do it again, or maybe it's something I could add to my Etsy store.
I gave you a teaser post last fall about mounted archery but never gave you the full story. I had taken a community ed class winter/13, then over the summer was given a bow to play with from a family friend. I got myself a target, some arrows and a hip quiver.
My plan was to get good enough to post some video of our attempts. Sadly, I got to shoot off of Junior only once. There was SO much potential there. He wasn't bothered even a tiny bit by the sound of the bow or the arrow hitting the target. In fact, on our first day I started by shooting just standing, holding his rope.... he didn't even seem to notice, even though the bow made noise and it made many of the other horses alert to the sound of the arrow hitting the target. I mounted up bareback in a halter (yes, and a helmet, thank you, I'm not a complete fool) in the round pen just to see what would happen. What happened is that we walked around and I shot a few dozen arrows, hitting the target nicely. I kept the quiver on the gate and took three arrows at a time, shooting as I passed the target and reloaded. I had been doing research on how to train for this so I was starting slow just to get the motions of loading and shooting down before attempting any sort of speed. I wasn't really interested in competing, and I haven't heard of any troupes nearby anyway, but I have a group of acquaintances who were getting together to shoot with their horses.
My bow was too long or my target was too low, or both, but we were going to work with what we had. I have more interest in the plains tribes style rather than the Mongolian style you see in most of the competitions.
Junior was great. I could maneuver him easily with my legs and he wasn't bothered a bit by any part of it. I had big plans for us.
We gathered a bit of a crowd that day, with a lot of strange looks, and I'm pretty sure some random lesson parent was taking cell photos.... I wonder where those ended up... and when the BO came by I made her take our picture, just for proof.
I sure wish it wasn't the only time we got to do this. :( This would have been so much fun.
I know I may have an opportunity to get back to this goal, but like many so many other things it was something I wanted to do with Junior. He was so wonderful.
I continue to be overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of condolences after losing Junior. Between the comments here on the blog, emails, facebook, texts, cards, phone calls, hugs, shared tears, etc., I have never felt more loved, nor have I ever realized how much Junior meant to so many people. It was difficult for me to respond to each message, because each one made me cry, but I want you to know that every single one of your messages is appreciated.
He was "my" horse, but everyone loved him and I was happy to share him. I knew what it was like not to have your own horse (and here I am again), and I knew that allowing him to be used in lessons, camps, and leasing him was a way to "pay it forward", or maybe it's pay back? Either way.
I didn't foresee the impact it would have, which came to a crescendo this week. We moved to our current barn in November 2011. The BO mentioned she wanted to start a show series at the barn and the idea became a reality last summer with 5 shows. I think I rode in 3 of the 5 and was in attendance for part of one more, so I only missed one. They were so much fun. I volunteered to run the registration table at 4 of the shows. I showed Junior western for the first one, then English for the others. One or two shows I shared him with his Other People and he was used by a few lesson kids and in nearly every medal class for the IEA riders.
On Sunday we had our first year-end banquet for the show series. The BO really outdid herself. The season awards were beautiful, the venue was great, and there were two huge projection screens showing photos from the shows. It was hard to look at the ones of Junior, but it was also wonderful to see the ones I hadn't seen before, including his OP lady riding him in Musketeer costume and bobbing for apples at the show I missed.
When awards were given out I was surprised to find out I had won 3 of the classes: Trail, Equitation/Horsemanship Pattern WTC, and Adult WT Equitation. We also had 2nd in Showmanship, and 4th in Command Class. We even received a tie for High Point Rider at the first show. The BO gave us big beautiful tri-color ribbons. I've never received a tri-color before, and now, thanks to that awesome roan oaf, I have four.
Each time my name was called and I went up to the front to receive the ribbon and have my photo taken, I had a harder time holding myself together. It was bitter sweet to celebrate how awesome my horse was, while being reminded he is gone and that our success together was over. Junior's OP each won some placings, too, and his guy won "Shiniest Horse Award" because he had slipped right off him during a bareback class. I wasn't even there and I don't own showsheen so I cannot be held responsible, but it gave us all a good chuckle and he was a good sport about it.
At the end of the ceremony. The BO announced that there was a new perpetual award for the horse of the year. She said there was no question that it was Junior, that the award would be forever called "The Junebug Horse of the Year Award", and that there would be a trophy in the lounge with each winner's name engraved. At this point I was not able to hold the tears back and I went up to receive a lovely silver bowl engraved with:
Junebug Horse of the Year Perpetual Award
Glaciers Majestic JR
Yes, a friend even found me a bottle of pinot named after him.
I hugged the BO while we both cried and the whole room (110+ people) gave us a standing ovation. I received lots of hugs afterwards and there were many people sharing the bittersweet tears of celebrating such a wonderful horse. It wasn't until I was on my drive home that I wished I would have asked for a photo with all of the "kids" who'd ever ridden him or worked with him in the summer camps. It would have been such a huge group. This perpetual trophy is a beautiful and humbling tribute to Junior's life.
Everyone loved Junior. Everywhere we went, strangers would tell me how "cute" or "beautiful" he was. Every trainer we worked with thought he was great and had tons of potential, from my Dressage trainer who called him my "soul mate", to the cow-horse trainer who was impressed by how quickly he went from "WTF are those!" to "Lemme at 'em!" and everyone in between. The round-pen/behaviorist thought he was very intelligent and responsive, the announcer at the Cowboy Challenge was agog that he was actually an "arena horse" the day we took home 2nd place. The vets/techs at the equine hospital all adored him. And you all loved him, too, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this. I wish you all could have met him, ridden him, gotten loved-on by him.
He taught me so much and tolerated so much of my shenanigans, just as I tolerated many of his. He was the life of the party and the light of my life. I will never have a horse like him again. He truly was a once-in-a-lifetime horse. I miss him so much, but eventually I am going to heal, and he will always be with me.
In our quest to attempt ALL the disciplines at least once, (excluding the ones that require jumping because I am a wuss) we have been fortunate to have a helpful friend/enabler with a trailer. Our friend B and her trusty little quarter horse, Zip, have taken us to pleasure shows, trail rides, and now this year we added a Ranch Riding show and..... WE GOT TO PLAY WITH COWS!!!!
I can NOT properly express to you how much fun we had. I'm already itching to do it again! I didn't get much for photos or video, but I'll share what I did get, and give you the narrative.
We unloaded a the nearby cutting trainer's barn and Junior was wound up, more so than I had seen him in a while. Not sure what it was, but he never has liked being tied to a trailer. I tacked him up and we walked through a few buildings and into the small indoor arena. The trainer and our old friend A was there with her "new" horse, Cowboy, whom I hadn't had the pleasure of meeting just yet. I met A at a previous barn when she had a very different horse. She's now in love and a much more calm and content rider than when I saw her last. She's found cutting to be her calling so she's been boarding at this barn and training there. So fun to see!
We warmed up at the trot and lope, letting him do a nice, long posting trot to get him working and hopefully out of that jitteriness he brought off the trailer. After a while, A and the trainer opened a door and went out to shoo in a small herd of holstein steer-calves. After our Ranch Show introduction to the calves I didn't think he'd freak out, but I turned him to face the door with his good eye, sat deep and widened my feet just in case... and yes, I chose to wear my helmet, cowgirl or not. The calves came in and Junior lit up like the 4th of July. He jumped a bit, did that snorty rattle thing he does when he's nervous and danced around a bit, watching the calves. Pretty soon though, he was on his way towards them. He was more excited than scared so I was told to go ahead and take him in. He went right into the herd, nosing the calves, letting them nose him, and let me start moving them around right away.
The video is from the first bit. I don't know how long I was doing it, but eventually we started figuring it out - with the trainer's instructions, of course - and I could tell Junior really liked it. He wasn't afraid of them at all, but I learned that his one-sideded-ness is magnified in the required maneuvers.
After a long while we moved back to the group and shooed those calves out. We then opened a different door and headed out to usher in the "bigger ornrier" herd. They were bigger and there was more of them. Junior went a bit ape when we got out into the field with them. Again, not afraid of them, but wanted to get at them. He was doing the thing he used to do at shows when everyone would leave him - he tossed his head and jumped around and did his snorty rattle. He calmed down once I let him get up to them and help push them into the arena. These cows were much more intimidating to me because they were bigger and there were a lot more of them. We watched B and A do their turns and then I went in for a little bit, but I didn't feel as comfortable with the big'uns.
Such fun!
I'm trying the Blogger upload for the first time.... testing... testing...
Get along, little doggie!
The actual doggies were not to be bothered enough to move.
B and Zip demonstrate, Junior takes notes.
Gratuitous pretty Ohio sky pic.
And yes, there WILL be more on our mounted archery adventures eventually. :)
I know he technically turned on Jan 1, but yesterday (April 26) was his REAL birthday. After the requisite torture of making him wear a funny hat for pictures, we celebrated with lots of grooming/clipping, a good ride out in the sunshine with LOTS of cantering, and then some grass, an apple and lots of carrots.
Happy Birthday, old boy!
He's 13 now, which means he's 43.5 in human years, and dare I say it, he has quite consistently behaved himself like a big boy this past year.... FINALLY!
But if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.
What did I want? What did I need?
I WANTED to ride in a clinic yesterday on "Canter departs, lead changes, speed control, and fluid transitions" with Kerry Kuhn. My barn was hosting the clinic and even though I hesitated to spend the fee, I know we could use some help in these (and oh so many more) areas. Specifically I wanted more control over speed at the lope for the Western Pleasure.
I NEEDED to hear this honest horseman tell me we had many other things to work on if we want to get the loping right, and then give me some tools to get us on our way.
Mr. Kuhn works under the "Practical Horsemanship" banner. You can listen to his explanation in THIS VIDEO.
We spend most of the day working on ground work, the kind that helps enforce the handler as the fair and respectful leader and the horse as the relaxed, willing follower. We've done some of this work before, but it's been a while. I happily had the least-spooky and softest horse in the group, which is something I couldn't help being proud of after so many years of having the "crazy" one.
My demonstration of our too-fast lope failed miserably when my Bug loped off smoothly and calmly. He did get amped up at one point, but for the most part he was really good and didn't take a wrong step all day. I confused him quite a bit asking for some quick turnarounds that defied all the pivot training I've been working on, but he never got upset, just kept trying to do what I was asking. I was pleasantly surprised at his endurance, both mentally and physically.
At the end of the day, Mr. Kuhn said this to me: "You have way too nice a horse here to still be working at the kindergarten level. He has so much more to offer you in here and you just need to ask him for it. He'll give it to you."
What I then realized is the plateau we've been traveling along has opened into a wide valley of opportunity that I didn't even see coming. I had to try hard not to cry then. I know it would have been okay if I did, but I am such an emotional cryer that if I would have let myself go I would have appeared to have lost my marbles, so I spared the group from the outburst. Ain't nobody got time for that.
I've been stagnant. I don't ride enough and when I do ride I haven't been riding long enough and I don't have motivation or goals. I need to get back the confidence I lost. How did I lose it? I don't know but I suppose the back injury had a lot to do with it. It's at a manageable level now, but when I fell of in October I realized how weak my balance had become and it spooked me. PLUS Junior started stumbling more when he was out of work so that makes me worry about him taking us both down. Bad balance in horse and rider is not a good combo. AND my work schedule has not been helpful since January. Excuses, excuses. I know.
So now what? Mr. Kuhn read my horse like a giant billboard and reminded me to "ride the horse I have." The bottom line is that I haven't been asking Junior to work hard enough. I've been babying us both since the lay-off and it's got to stop if I want to reach my goals this year. Philosophically speaking, I need to ask so much of him that a slow lope is the easiest thing I ask him to do. THAT is his rest and his reward. Training wise, I need to keep him on his toes more. I need to make his mind work so hard that loping along the rail is like a nap to him. Ride ride ride. Lope lope lope. Keep his feet moving and keep his brain thinking. I know him so well, I just needed a reminder of what he's capable of. It's going to be a lot of work, but I finally WANT to do the work. I'm READY to do the work. It's what we need.
2013 brings a fourth installment of Equilutions!!! Last year's were pretty lackluster since my back injury had me benched. Lets see if we can do better this year!!
1. GET HELP. I wanted to try maintaining without regular lessons, but I don't feel that was as successful as I want us to be. We will start taking weekly equitation lessons this month and work up towards small jumps.
2. SHOW IN HORSEMANSHIP. We cut out all western mounted classes last year in an effort to be able to show without totally overdoing it. This year I would like to add horsemanship back in, and perhaps walk/trot western pleasure and trail if the courses are more traditional. We are just not cut out for those modern "trail" aka POLES classes.
3. LEAD IN A STRAIGHT LINE. This is kindergarten work, but in showmanship we are still having a hard time with this. When we stop at the judge, Junior is nearly always hip-out from the line. I've got a plan, let's see if it works!
4. SHOWMANSHIP SUIT. This year I will build myself a suit (jacket AND pants) out of the deep teal fabric I purchased. Pants are difficult to fit. I will be soliciting a colleague for help and I hope to have this done by our first show in early May.
5. HORSEMANSHIP SHIRT. I will build myself a simple blouse to wear for HMS and WP. Sounds easy, but because fit is so important it could be tough. I hope to have it finished by out first show.
I have returned from a glorious vacation to visit my family and friends. It was a wonderful time but I am glad to be home and getting back to my normal routine...mostly. ;) As per usual, to celebrate the new year, I have been considering goals for 2012. But first we must examine the goals I set for 2011...
1. Solve the Western Saddle issue. WIN! I was able to sell both my training saddle and my Circle Y show set for a small profit. I had Rod's custom order me a Rockin' R saddle that has served both as my show saddle and my trail/hack/cowboy challenge saddle. The light color I chose is still pretty light for those cowboy challenges, but I got over it. :) 2. Work on jumping.FAIL! This one has to move on to next year. Though I did pop over a few crossrails over the year, there was no real work done here. Oh well. 3. Learn to braid well enough to pass at a show. WIN? Okay, so it's actually a FAIL, but I think roaching is sufficient (legal in APHA) to "pass at a show" so the problem is solved, just not in the way I had planned. :) When a girl has to do ALL the show prep by herself, a roached mane saves a LOT of work/$$. 4. Place in a cowboy challenge.WIN! We got 2nd in the Novice at our first challenge this year! 5. Trailer out and go trail riding.WIN! Brenda trailered us out to one of the Metro Parks, AND we did the trails at the Cowboy Challenge grounds! And we had FUN!!! 7. Be able to do a fast and slow lope.FAIL! There's been some work here but there's a lot more to go. But I think the FAST part works fine...
2012!
I am still working on my back issue but at this point it's clear that it's going to take a bit of recovery time. With that fact it's rather difficult to know how realistic my goals are. If you had asked me last summer, I would have told you that Junior and I were going to be in the best shape we've ever been in and take the 2012 show season by storm. Alas, life may have other plans. So my lone resolution this year is to work on OUR fitness level. Not quite able to use January 1st as the start of that, but we'll start as soon as it's possible. I'm considering obtaining in a surcingle and long lines to work with Junior while I'm benched, unless of course tomorrow's Dr. appointment advises otherwise. I'm terrified of carts (I'll tell that story another time) so I've pondered how good it would be for me to get over that fear by doing it with a horse that's rather trustworthy and is not bothered at all by stuff banging into him. Speaking of carts being terrifying, you've seen this, right: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03YcT74h5Mg&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL And isn't doesn't this look more relaxing/less dangerous?: http://youtu.be/lC0QDXBWDvY?t=3m28s Today I groomed him and gave him lots of carrots which he still had to earn by stretching, then took him into the arena to make sure he remembered how to do showmanship. I turned him loose afterwards and he cantered around a few figure 8's, stopped to sniff his own poop.... and walked back to me with a comfortably submissive low headed posture, sighing and stopping within arms reach, right about in the spot he's finally learned to lead in (instead of directly in MY space.) Goober.
The equine gods were smiling on us Sunday and B and I were able to head up to the Cowboy Challenge at the Knox County Horse Park. We had some trouble getting him into the trailer again, but I managed to stay calm and intent enough on getting him in so we managed. It was a gorgeous day, weather could not have been better. You may remember that we went to our first challenge last year at this time and we had so much fun. We failed a few of the obstacles and Junior got about 3 feet into the little wooded part and spun around and ran out and I could not get him back in. I was pleased with that first time but made it one of my Equilutions to place in a Cowboy Challenge...
This time we were able to enter a Novice division so there were only 7 competing as opposed to the 25 that were entered into the open division. The course was the same.
Junior was a such a good boy. We had some issues getting lined up for the gate and he wasn't sure he wanted to stand still by the barrel with the water bucket when he could see his two favorite girls and his buddy Zip up in the arena. We're still working on the separation anxiety, but he was great on the course. He was calm and brave and I got lots of compliments on the ride and on how pretty he is.
After we competed we went on a nice trail at the Park. Junior was really awesome. He took the hills and the tight spaces and the deer all in stride. Who knew he'd turn into a decent trail mount??!?
One of our friends won the Open on her mare, Rio, who Junior is very much in love with. Ivy, a new red roan in the barn was there too and he couldn't decide who he was more in love with. Adorable.
JR: "Hey, how YOU doin?"
Rio: "Whatever."
Rather than give a play by play I'll just show you. It's a big course so it's hard to get a clear shot of it all, especially the parts behind the trees. Back there we had to stop at a mailbox and raise and lower the mail flag, then we had to go through a round-bale feeder that's on it's side and buried. It's a tight squeeze for us so it's a good thing he's not at all worried about it.
You can watch the video with the sound ON if you want to hear the wind, the commentator, and B and B. I captioned the obstacles so you can watch in silence if you want. Ignore the camera shaking due to Zip, the video I took of B and Zip while sitting on Junior was way worse.
And the outcome? We got a 106 out of 120 and placed second! He went right into the trailer for the way home so maybe we crossed back into the dimension where my horse trailers like a good boy and not like an idiot. We shall see because...
The best part is that we get to do it again next week because it's a makeup date for the one in May that was rained out! It's only Open, though so we have to compete with the big boys and girls, but it'll still be fun!
Your Anniversary Giveaways are FINALLY in the mail and on their way to you. Thanks for entering!!!
Remember when I said "Junior will randomly select the winner"? Well, when I wrote that I hadn't yet devised the method for which that would actually happen. I briefly envisioned Junior pulling a piece of paper out of a bucket full of entries. But the more I actually thought about the logistics, the more I realized that things that go IN Junior's mouth rarely come OUT, unless of course the thing is un-chewable metal and is attached to a bridle. I considered writing the names on baby carrots and seeing which one was eaten first, but thought I should avoid feeding Sharpie ink to my horse. Max's Mom suggested I carve the names into the carrots..... um... no.
So I'm sorry to say that Junior randomly selected the winner means me putting all the entries in a bowl and pulling one out. Not nearly as exciting, I know. You can feel free to imagine what it would be like to watch me wrestle the winner's name out of his mouth if it makes you feel better.
Congratulations to Laura of littlekeebler! Laura's looking forward to using the Vetrolin Shine on her new mare! You MUST send us a before and after photo when you start to see results! It's "Teflon for Tails!"
I am terribly sorry, but I couldn't stop with just one fabulous winner. I needed to pass the fun around! And by "fun" I mean those bumper stickers I don't know what to do with!!! So another lucky 4 winners were drawn:
If the five of you would like to claim your fabulous prize(s), please send your snail-mail address to overanxioushorseowner@gmail.com and I will make it happen! Laura, don't forget to choose an English or Western spur helper!
This is how those Rubber Spur Tie-Downs work, btw.
Thanks to all 10 readers who entered!
Also, a big "WELCOME!!!" to our newest subscribers! As of this moment we're up to 109 subscribers! According to my "Stats" this blog gets over 2,000 page views per month. That sure seems like a lot!
Next up: We continue the spoiling of Junebug with a visit from our wonderful chiro/massage lady!
Three years ago today I brought Junior home. I was so doubtful that making this "thing" I had wanted my entire life into a reality was a smart decision. I worried about finances. I worried about illness and injury and I was terrified I didn't know enough to become a horse owner. Something bad was sure to happen at any moment. That's why I became the Overanxious Horse Owner.
The first few weeks were hell. I never wrote it in the blog or even said it to anyone, but I thought I had made a terrible mistake. I had wanted a calm, broke, horse. I brought home the opposite. He was pushy in the stall, had horrible ground manners, and he was hot and too forward under saddle. He paid no attention to me. He barely ever looked at me. We had no connection. I was heartbroken.
But I trudged on and focussed on the good moments because I am just not a quitter. I didn't want to give up. Over time we got his mental state cleaned up through increased turnout and decreased grain and things started looking up. I started thinking about showing and setting some goals for us.
Junior gets a pedicure on our Anniversary.
Now it's three years later and we've come an awful long way. I learned to be the kind of leader he respects and obeys, and he learned the boundaries of human-pony interaction.... well, mostly. I once thought of sending him back, and now I cannot fathom the idea. Monet even thinks he's my equine soul mate. Even though he's an accident-prone houdini who knows exactly how to push each and every one of my buttons, giggling all the while, he belongs with me.
Have you seen Tangled? I swear they used Junebug as research for Maximus. People tell me they love watching us interact because he's so funny. I've even had someone say "He actually looks like he's laughing sometimes!" And I am SURE he is because he's way too smart and way too silly. BTW, I picked up the handle "Sillypony" over 10 years ago when I started needing an internet handle. I had no idea that one day I would OWN the Silly Pony and that I would turn out to be the Serious Girl. He drives me nuts, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
New Wenglish Showmanship Halter
New Did you know that the traditional 3-Year wedding anniversary gift is LEATHER!?!?! Yes, I KNOW we're not married - eeew. But I like traditional things so I looked it up out of curiosity and couldn't help but use it as an excuse to get us a new leather halter and lead we can use in Hunter Showmanship. We've been using a bridle up until now because that's "correct" but more and more open shows are allowing the halter and since he works SOOO much better in a halter we're jumping on that wagon!
I chose a Billy Royal set from Schneiders. I like my western show halter of theirs so I thought I'd try this. I didn't want to spend a ton and I like this color. It's a little more workman-like than the fancy stitched/padded ones, but I like it. The cheek piece could be an inch longer, so I need to check Schneider's new sizes to see if another size would fit better. The lead is beautifully weighted for the proper coil while showing.
AND...
in honor of our three years together, I'm giving away a box of our Favorite Things. Don't get TOO excited, I'm not Oprah; I have a budget. And yes, these are NEW items, not my old used stuff. :)
The Box Contains:
Vetrolin Shine: so your pony can have a tail as lovely as Junior's and all your friends can say how soft your pony is.
Velcro Spur Straps: so you can have quick in-n-out access to your spurs without buckles. Easy to use, easy to maintain. ** If the winner is a non-English-Spur-wearer, I can trade this out for: Rubber Spur Tiedowns: The best thing for keeping your spurs from become anklets, especially if you swap your boots around. Keeps them right in place without having to crank the spur straps down!** Or if you don't wear spurs, I'd be happy to keep them and use them for you. ;)
Bick 4: Because once you go Bick you never go back.
A Diary of the Overanxious Horse Owner Bumper Sticker & Magnet! So you can boast your allegiance to the world! (or just hang your grocery list on your fridge)
How to win?
Become one of us!!! You must be a public follower of the blog, so join up if you aren't already one of us.
Leave a comment about your FAVORITE post/story/thing about reading this blog AND which of the giveaway items you are most excited about!
On September 18th Junebug will randomly select a Reader who will be notified via a blog post on that day.
The lucky lucky winner will then email a mailing address to me and your prize will come to you! So easy!
So think of your FAVORITE reason to read this blog, greedily plan how you will use your plunder, and comment away! Good Luck!!!!
** Pictures have been reposted. Comment if there are more viewing problems. Not sure why that happened. **
Quick Updates:
Thrush is essentially gone. Some lingering moments of it in the rear, but I think we're out of that danger zone we were in with the RF. **I spoke too soon. Another cavern in his RH.**
The grain transition went smoothly. Thankfully that horse has proven to be pretty sturdy of gut, limb, and wind. Knock on wood... And I no longer have to haul my own grain so that's a nice bonus. I'll keep you posted of any noticeable long-term effects of the change.
The mold has stayed off of the tack I treated with Leather Therapy Wash (WIN) but the box is showing signs of it again (FAIL) so another round of bleach-water will be happening today. The humidity is going down so hopefully we'll be done with it soon. Hope.
My camera is malfunctioning. I don't recommend dropping it lens first into the arena footing. I do recommend the "accidental damage" warranty on anything you'll be using around horses. So you must settle for iphone pictures until Best Buy makes good on that warranty.
And now we return to your regularly scheduled post:
On Tuesday we checked off one of our Equilutions for 2011. We trailered to a local park and did our very first "real" trail riding! Brenda and her horse Zip trailered us and Steve (another boarder) brought his adorable paint gelding, Skip.
Thankfully we have no fun stories to tell as everything went relatively smooth. The only minor mishaps were caused by me. Surprise. I tried to use a head bumper on my rope halter but it was hard to get it to fit correctly and Junior managed to slip the halter while he was in the trailer. I had to unload him with just a rope around his neck since I couldn't get it back on inside the trailer from his off side. It took me a bit of maneuvering to put it back on while he nervously attacked the grass, but we managed.
In the unloading process he stepped on and pulled out a small chunk of his tail. Not enough to notice, but enough to make me sad, and I have plans for it.
Once I got him tied to the trailer where the couldn't see the other two horses he started yelling but that's normal for him.
We got tacked up and I worked him for a minute in the little ring they have just to make sure he was listening and that the buttons were sill functioning.
We headed out.
He actually prefers to lead, which I find contradictory to his nervousness but he likes to set the pace and if the horse in front is too slow he'll be in his lap if I'm not constantly pulling him back. So the lead is actually less stressful for us both.
There was one odd looking brush pile he didn't want to get closer to but it was easy to convince him to keep moving. Once Steve and Skip got too far ahead and I had to have a bit of an argument about who gets to decide the pace but I won pretty easily.
He took a good long while before he totally relaxed and dropped his head along the grassier area, but I am very pleased with how well he did with the amount of wooded sections. There were snorts and blows and tension, but such a huge improvement from his complete refusal to go into the woods at last fall's Cowboy Challenge.
It was a wonderful way to spend the last weekday I was on summer break. Now it's back to teaching and designing and advising and committee meetings and less lazy riding days. :(
We really need to spend a day loading and unloading. He wasn't great when I got him but KAT had a come-to-jesus moment with him and he was fine up until May when he scared himself by bumping the butt bar on his way in and he's been a turkey ever since. He was better loading to go home but he was pushing against the butt bar really hard in anticipation of getting out. He listened to me and quit so I could get the bar undone safely and he came out relatively calmly. Just like everything else with this boy, we need mileage.
I. Am. Exhausted. I am embarrassingly out of shape. I may be very very painful tomorrow. Not only did I clean 5 stalls but we had our first jumping lesson today. That's how out of shape I am. It was pretty sweet, though. He was a superstar. He just took in all in stride. He never spooked or got hot. He was willing to go and willing to stop. She had me do a gymnastics line over and over and adjusted as we went. Each time she had me finish the line by stopping at the wall to teach him to listen and be calm after jumps. He certainly bumped a number of rails (mostly with his rear feet) and knocked several down, but how could he not with an unbalanced blob on his back?!? I was such hard work trying to stay in the right balance. I was smacked in the ass with the cantle a good number of times. But you have to start somewhere, right? Monet was very pleased with him, gushed about how perfect he is for me and how much she likes him even though he's not a warmblood. :)
I couldn't help thinking about how surprised I am that I'm doing this. Where did this set of cajones come from? Now, I know that to the few of you who jump normal grown-up fences know that this is kiddie stuff, but it has been about 10 years since I jumped and you know I lost my nerve somewhere in there! I jumped as a kid and wasn't afraid of it, but just the thought of jumping has freaked me out until very recently. It wasn't so long ago that I was nervous to canter him by myself. Loping over ground poles would terrify me 6 months ago. Granted he used to trip in the front a lot, and he hasn't done that since we moved barns.Doing the obstacles and going out on the trails across the creeks and over logs and down the steep hills has been good for us. He's finding his feet a lot better I guess, and I'm not interfering as much. I was all over him while jumping, of course, but I'll get better. There is work to be done!
At this point on the whirlwind tour of "What to do with a Western Pleasure Reject" we have done Trail Riding, Cowboy Challenge, Dressage, and Jumping. (If only we had a cart!) Is it okay if we like it ALL?!
*Disclaimer: This is NOT the safest nor smartest way to introduce your horse to anything as potentially terrifying as a tarp. I know this. I knew the entire time that something could have gone dreadfully wrong. Do not try this at home, kids. Or, if you must, do it in a much safer manner such as in a roundpen or with a rope halter and lead, NOT in a snaffle bridle and reins, while recording it at arms-lengh with your iphone....
A Tarp. I have a tarp. Ever since Junior refused to go near the scary cornfield in our 2nd fall, I've been meaning to try desensitization techniques with the tarp. I finally got around to taking it to the barn today. I wasn't sure how I should do it, if I should put it in the roundpen and just let him discover it? When I got to the barn I set the folded tarp in the arena on a chair. And then I forgot about it. I groomed him ground tied in the aisle and he was an angel. I tacked him up and brought him out to the arena. Oh yeah... the tarp. So I led him over to it and picked it up. He didn't care. I began to unfold it and it made noise. He didn't care. I unfurled it. He didn't move. I lay it on the ground and he walked right over it. I backed him over it. I picked it up and shook it. He practically yawned. I threw it over him. He reached back and tried to chew on it. I pulled it off, threw it back over his face so he couldn't see. He backed up slowly while I pulled it off. I threw it back on and made him walk around until it fell off. He didn't care about it at all. I then left it in a heap in the arena, mounted and rode around and over it several times at a walk. I guess the obstacles and trail rides we've done have helped? Or maybe he'd been tarped before? He sure didn't give me that impression when we first encountered the rustling corn, or the small tarp blowing in the wind at one horse show.
After the tarp fun, we spent about 10 minutes trotting in 2 point and posting and I had to quit. I am embarrassingly out of shape. Tomorrow I have my 2nd lesson with Monet and I think we're starting the jumping process... not sure if that means we'll actually go over small cross rails or what. I've never taught a horse to jump, I'm not sure how slowly and carefully it needs to be done, but that's why I hire professionals. SHE intends to turn us into eventers, but I'm fairly certain if 10 minutes of trotting is tough on us, we are certainly not athletically inclined enough for eventing.... oh, and by WE I mean ME.
I am somewhat speechless about today. But it's hard to keep a blog audience if you don't talk about the good stuff, too, so here goes.
Sometimes my horse is awesome. Sometimes he is an amazing creature who makes me happy to be alive, makes me proud of him and proud of myself. Sometimes he earns his keep.
Today was one of those days. I got to the barn around 4:30pm. I went out to the field and as soon as Junior saw me he began walking with his ears pricked towards the gate. I groomed him. He is SOOOO dusty right now I want to vacuum him. I might ask to use the barn shop vac pretty soon! I got out our showmanship chain and led him out to work on that a bit. He's been lazy to pick up the trot so I did get out a short whip for some encouragement. He was so good. He tried to bite me a few times. Playfully, of course, but still received swift "bites" back, and other than that he was great. We did everything, including a 360 DEGREE PULL TURN!!!!!! That earned him a HUGE "Good Boy" and big series of rough neck slaps (he seriously LIKES it) and the immediate removal of the chain to symbolize the end of the session. Using the chain for practice has helped him understand that it's work time.
Then we tacked up and headed out to continue our WHOA work. I got one foot in the stirrup and realized I didn't put my spurs on. I contemplated walking back to get them since he usually sucks at refinement without them, but I got on anyway, hoping I wouldn't regret it. Much to my surprise, he. was. awesome. He listened to my feet, he listened to my voice, and he even listened (a bit) to my seat! His pivots were super improved WITHOUT SPURS!?!?! He never played Giraffe once. He was just so awesome. So relaxed, so willing to listen to my aids. It was the perfect storm of RIGHT.
This kind of work is very encouraging. I'm glad that I have a horse I can work on different styles and different situations and he just does it all. We're not aimed for the olympics or the World Show, but I think this next year of showing will be even better for us. I am a little anxious (you've met me, right?) wondering how we'll do at shows without constant lessons. We've only taken 1 lesson since July and it was Dressage! My HOPE is that I'm creating a calmer, more adaptable horse and not just ruining the refinement I need for the open (stock type) shows I like. Days like today give me some hope!
1. Everything happens for a reason. 2. Moderation in all things...including moderation. 3. If it's not fun anymore you should stop doing it.
Those three phrases have become my mantras for various situations in life. I use them to remind myself to accept things as they are, to be careful and yet live a little, and to really asses my goals and make sure I'm doing what genuinely makes me happy. Lately in my equine journey they have all three of these phrases have come to the surface. A few posts ago I mentioned my tour of "What to do With a Western Pleasure Reject". Sunday was our third stop on that tour: Round Pen Communication.
Now, I must first say that I get a sour taste in my mouth when I say "Natural Horsemanship." I DO STRONGLY believe that there is no ONE RIGHT WAY to do anything, be it horse training, washing windows, or skinning a cat. I am a strong believer in the liberal arts education. To me, in the equine world this translates to exactly what I've been doing as of late, and one of the biggest reasons I was excited about this barn we're boarding at. Where else do you get to do on-site trail riding, obstacle training, dressage, and equine behavior training?!?! That being said, I've never really put too much stock in the roundpen freaks like the Parellis. I think that world is highly glamorized and dramatized and aimed at the female baby-boomers who always wanted to play cowboys as kids and think they're living out their mustang fantasy because (though their horse isn't rideable yet) the horse sniffed me! He loves me! We've bonded! Whatever. Maybe because I'm not in that demographic their snake oil hasn't worked on me. And come on, anybody who says "The reason you do not see our people wearing helmets is because we try to teach people that rather than be brave because they are wearing a a helmet to protect them, they would be better off not riding until their horse is behaving safely." should be slapped. It's true that unsafe horses shouldn't be ridden and that a helmet will not save you from every injury, but at which Parelli level do you learn to defy gravity? Accidents happen and any horse professional should encourage novices to wear helmets. Sorry, done with the rant. Moving on.
So needless to say I wasn't exactly jumping up and down when my BO's suggestion was "Maybe you should try some roundpen work" to help solve Junior's pushy behavior. BUT after this weekend that is exactly what I'm going to do. He's a smart horse and a very active minded creature and our first little session into it was very interesting and successful. I am now looking at roundpen work as similar to what I've noticed happening in showmanship practice. It's all about body language and establishing yourself as Alpha and honoring the horses's willingness to cooperate. Just like how showmanship has greatly improved his mouthiness and attentiveness, round pen work will improve that attentiveness and it should be another step to increasing our bond.
I spent a lot of time talking to Clinician Dawn Hurlburt of Equuspeak.com about Juniors issues. She specializes in the behavior of therapy horses. She listened very carefully and after working with him in the pen reinforced my assumption that it's mostly a bad habit of being able to bully people during unsupervised grooming and tacking. (He has never been allowed to bully under saddle, as either me, Max's Girls, or KAT was supervising the riding.) He uses that situation to try to get out of work and possibly because he might be anticipating the uncomfortable Newbie riders. Dawn assessed (though she is not a vet) by observing him for a few hours that he is highly unlikely to be experiencing ulcers. I told her how I dealt with the kick on Thursday and how I deal with him when he's super bad on the cross ties and she said I was doing the right thing. She confirmed my belief that whenever a horse does something that could endanger the handler (biting or kicking) the horse must be punished in the same way that another horse would react. Though people get bent out of shape about striking horses, when it's done fairly and at the right moment and intensity it is within their realm of understanding. Horses don't understand time outs.
So what about timing? Could round pen work have helped us earlier in our relationship? I don't know, but NOW is when it has entered our life. When I think back, it took at least 6 months for him to even notice my presence. It was a long time before he seemed to look to me for any sort of guidance or support. He "liked" me, but he wasn't seeing me as Alpha. We're still not there yet, but I feel a huge improvement in that department has occurred in the few months since our move. The trails and his uneasiness but willingness, the crazy obstacles and his generally blind faith in my guidance, and the whole experience of the Cowboy Challenge (totally new place, no lunging, wacky obstacles he'd never seen, tying to the trailer for hours, etc.) have been tests of our bond and status. Now that I see how far we've come I am hopeful and excited to see how far we can get.
I remember a long long time ago when I was showing Banee in a trail class at a 4-H horse show. Trail was different back then. There were usually only a few areas of poles, not the crazy grids they use now. One of the obstacles was a line of three barrels. The task was to walk past the barrels and then back a serpentine between the barrels and all the way back to the start. Dear old Banee wasn't the calmest horse and though she'd zoom back and do an "L" between poles, backing around something she was used to doing a turn n' burn around was not in her radar. My teen self was angry that such a ridiculous task was required. The judge explained to us all that the task was about having a horse that would place each foot at the discretion of the rider. I though she was nuts. But now I understand. And now I'm ready for that kind of refinement. It seems a lot less about drilling maneuvers as it is about creating a horse that listens and obeys each little cue. A horse that's highly attentive and willing to do what you ask. I think Junior is the kind of horse who will be awesome at this. I'm excited to see what we can do together.
And what of the other two mantras? Well, I'm hoping that trying lots of "disciplines" and methods will make us more well rounded without getting too bogged down into ONE WAY of doing something. We'll find things in all the experiences that work for us. And if something isn't fun anymore (like western pleasure) we'll move onto something else. :)
The video below is Dawn's first moments in the pen with Junior. What she says at the end is "I got forward movement" because the first exercise is getting the horse to move forward and then you reward by releasing the pressure. Ideally the horse stops and waits for the next set of instructions. I don't know anything more than the little things we did but I know there's a ton more to it. At the end, Dawn paid me a compliment and said that I had a natural body language and talent for the work. I don't really believe her, but I was certainly flattered. She complimented Junior right away. I couldn't help but glow. :)
