Catching Up!

Okay, so it has been so long since I've written that it is almost like I am starting over. But not really, as I do have over a year's worth of posts on here. So to catch up, I'm going to recap my Fall then do another post on my wonderful trip to Corolla, North Carolina where I saw the wild horses there due to the trip I won in a raffle by the wonderful Corolla Wild Horse Fund.

I actually got to ride Skye a bit in the Fall, getting a  couple of good lessons in and a trail ride or two around the barn. The longest trail I got though was in October, when the Greenway (Anne Springs Close Greenway) had a fund-raising trail ride for past and current Adopt-A-Horse riders to raise some money for some new tack for the program horses. I can't seem to keep away from my horse friends out there, both equine and human, so I was so glad I could go.

It was mid-October and it was a picture perfect autumn afternoon, with that bright golden sun and changing leaves making every slightly orange. And best of all, I got to ride my buddy Whiskey. I had requested him early on, but there was some uncertainty about who I was riding (word was, John the equestrian services manager wanted to ride him, and he certainly trumps me) up until I got there. I actually can't think of any horse out there I wouldn't want to ride as I've never had trouble with any of them, but I really wanted Whiskey since I haven't taken him on a trail before even if in my heart I always pine a little for Goliath. (I love my Billy Bob as well, but he's such a bumpy son of a gun that my old bones want a smoother gait.)  Anyway, when I got there I was told I could ride Whiskey. Happiness.

Whiskey. Please hold your applause.
We need to keep him humble.

Except he wasn't so happy. He seriously balked coming out of the pasture, and if I hadn't known better, it would have hurt my feelings. Horses (and other animals as well) generally like me so much that I have to shoo them away from me, so it is always such a shock to me when a horse is less than delighted to come with me. And I have a problem with not being able to be mean enough to scare them into moving. I know it is mostly a respect thing, but horses have my number - they know damn well I will not hurt them. I will get very stern and will even whack 'em on the rump, but they look at me like I'm a toddler swearing: it's just not real. Finally, I really got stern with him and moved him around and he came with me.

I was a little worried that it was not a great start, but that turned out to be borrowing trouble, as he was fantastic on the trail. The shocking news is that I fell in love with him all over again. I had heard that he can be spooky, but he didn't give me a bit of trouble. The ride was really fun, because we were all advanced riders so we could pick up a little speed in appropriate places, and speed is fun. I confess to wishing for a smooth gaited horse in several places though as I was posting a quick trot while a friend beside me was barely moving. But in several of my alternate dream lives I have not one but several gaited horses, so I didn't even have to add it to my wish list. Of course, owning Goliath has been at the top of my wish list since I first met him anyway. I love that horse.

Goliath. Feel the love. I know I do. 

Here she is objecting to stall rest.

Skye was lame for a while in November due to an abscess that took forever to heal, mainly because it was deep in her hoof and couldn't really be reached by the farrier's knife. I soaked her foot in epsom salts and learned how to make a duct tape and diaper booty, both of which were oddly satisfying. I know that I could easily ride as much or even more, and for less money, if I leased a horse or simply did Adopt A Horse for twice a week, but it is times  when she is lame or needs other care that I learn more. And that we bond more. When I would soak her foot, I'd bring in and tie her outside her stall with a hay bag to munch on while we stood for as long as I could get her to do it. At first she didn't want any part of it, but I trained her to put her foot in the tub for a treat pretty quickly. Then I would just stand there with her while she ate, allowing me some time from my busy life to just breathe and think (and smell her neck). Occasionally she would turn her head to me to say hello. So while it was boring, and a bit of a pain, we liked it.




Finally, she got sound again, and the boys' horrible homework load and schedule kept me from getting out to the barn. Then, just as I was planning to ride a lot over Christmas break, she was limping AGAIN! I was so discouraged. So I gave her a few days off and went back out and she was fine. The next day I went out to get her, and said hello to my farrier who was out there to trim a couple of the barn horses. No sooner had he left than I saw that Skye's left hind shoe was practically falling off. I called him, and God bless him, he turned around and came right back out for me and put that shoe back on.

Once he was gone, I took her to the round pen to see her move and damn if she didn't have an exaggerated limp, almost like an abscess. AAAGH! So the next day I called the vet, as it seemed like she had been on and off constantly and I figured she really needed an examination of some kind. As it happened, the farrier was doing her horses that day and they both agreed to come out and take a look. So late in the afternoon, both of them meet me out at the barn. Stephanie, the vet, who is wonderful, took Skye and her lunge line and got her moving, while Brian, the farrier, and I watched. Naturally Skye has never been more sound in her life. She trotted around like a yearling, and no sooner had I said, "she's been stiff . . ." than she bucked and twisted and cantered around, clearly with joy for making a liar of me.  Brian looked at me, deadpan serious, and said "Jayne, that ain't stiff." Then he told me that it was worth driving all the way out there since he got to see the prettiest horse in the world. Then Stephanie said the same thing. At least they got some pleasure in making fun of me. They were really nice about it, and the good news is that Skye is sound now.

Soundness in motion. Flying Skye.
Who's prettier than that? Nobody, that's who.

She has been a butt-head under saddle though. She has been resistant to the bit, then obstinate in general, but she gets better as I ride. Last Sunday she was a real mess, but they were feeding her pasture mates and she let me know she was rather unhappy about that. Still, I had fun on her and feel like we are making progress, albeit slowly.

Our relationship is great though. We're to the point where we really know each other. I don't take her moods personally, and she knows my boundaries.  Recently she even ran up to me in the pasture, and I even had a witness! We were out in the dark and called her, and she and the other mares came running up. I'd say they were just running up hoping to be fed again, but she came right up to me like it was all planned. So I'm calling it her plan.

Curled up like a kitty-horse. I sat down with her and loved on her,
and it was bliss. She was fine; she had just been napping.

Isn't it amazing how something so big can be so adorable?

Go Go Girl

Ahhhh, now that I have my stupid specialty exam behind me (I took it Friday. All day Friday. Ugh), I can now get back to avoiding cleaning my house by writing my blog instead of worrying about my exam. Not that my minor worrying about the exam made me study for the exam, but it did distract me.

But I am back, and I am back in the saddle on my girl. Something Buck Brannaman said at his clinic struck a chord with me.  He said groundwork is important, and we should not neglect it, if we need it, but we shouldn't hide behind it either. We can only get so far on the ground before we have to get on. So I made a vow now that she is sound again that I need to ride her more and get back to the progress we had made before I went to camp.

So I have been riding her, and having a hell of a good time. I rode her on a Sunday afternoon, and though she was really ready to go, and wanted to trot and not walk, we reached an agreement early on in the ride that I was going to let her trot, but if she wanted to work, we would work. So we did figure eights, we did big circles, we did small circles, we did serpentines and went over ground poles. We did a clover leaf around barrels and we stopped and backed up and started trotting again. After all that, I asked for, and got a nice walk around the arena. And when I got off, she followed me just like a puppy out of the arena and into the barn.

The following Tuesday however, was a whole 'nother story. There was a nip in the air and a slight wind, and all the horses seemed riled up. I did a little lunging but not much because the arena had two lessons with beginners going on, and these two new sweeties were in the round pen:

Meet Copper and Winston, new additions to the
barn membership program. Yes, as a matter of fact they are
awesome.

Even though that girlfriend was a little touchy, I didn't want to hide behind my groundwork, and frankly it was just a beautiful night to ride, so I got on. Well, that red mare was READY TO GO. She wanted to trot almost immediately, but I kept her from trotting for at least a little while, then I just let her go. And she was going fast, and unlike recently, she hollowed her back again and had her head up and had none of the nice rhythm we'd had. Okay, though, I posted slower and put her in circles and figure eights, but finally went down the straightaway on the rail, and she just burst into a fast canter, and leaned in around the curve. She was on the correct lead and actually on her weak side, so I had to admire her spirit (and let's face it, fast is fun!), but I couldn't have her cantering around like a mad thing, thinking she could ignore me. So I brought her back down to a trot and worked in smaller and smaller circles moving her feet around, then finally getting a nice relaxed walk before calling it a night. I was a little discouraged, but all the horses were in a weird mood. I remembered the first days of fall at the barn where I grew up riding and how all the horses would run around in the pasture, so I decided not to let it bother me. And though she was feisty, then, as always, I never felt like she was trying to get rid of me. She just wanted her own way. Which is something I can understand even if I can't let her get away with it.

Here she is after being a wild thing.
Don't be fooled by that sweet expression.
She is not actually an angel in a horse suit.
Or so Sara tells me.

As it turns out, I was right not to overreact. (Sadly, overreacting is rarely the right thing to do, even though it is so nice and easy to do.) When I rode Skye again over that next weekend, she wanted to go, but not so badly that she didn't want to listen. Then on Tuesday I rode again, and I had one of the best rides I've ever had on her. She relaxed her head and neck much more, contained her trot to a nice easy rhythm and was very responsive to my leg and did not avoid nor lean into my light contact. Bravo, I thought, then quit while I was ahead.

Scarface. Who else could have scars front and center
like that and still be so beautiful?

And, as it happened that night, Craig was riding the beautiful Symphony that night. Symphony is a gorgeous and very well-trained American Warmblood who Erin bought to save for a girl to buy back one day. She is a great horse, and only advanced folks can ride her. I remarked that I'd like to ride her trot some time, since it is legendary for being so smooth. Craig said "do it now!"  So I said yes! And I hopped up on that pretty girl and walked a little and trotted a little. And her trot is amazingly smooth, and much easier to sit than to post to. This cannot be sad about my girl's trot. Yet, I did have to keep Symphony going. It didn't take much, but still, it made me miss the willingness to go forward that Skye has.  Symphony was great, but I still like my girl better. Shocking news.

And she ran, she ran so far away

So after my wonderful weeks with Skye where she was following me around the pasture, then the week where she was questioning me a little after she was top of the heap o' mares in her pasture, I was ready for the other shoe to drop.  It did.

Lovely, huh? Not so fast . . . .

Yes, she looks beautiful there, doesn't she? So peaceful and happy with her new servant Caroline there beside her. This is how I found her when I went to get her on Tuesday evening. I walked up to her, and as I started to put the halter on her, she wheeled away and trotted off. So I then chased after her, and kept her feet moving for a good bit, figuring if she wanted to go, I should make her go. I'd also heard from several different sources that if they run from you, you need to take charge and chase them until they want to stop. The obvious problem with that scenario is 1) horses can run faster and further than people and 2) pastures are big.

So she and her minions, i.e. every horse in the pasture, cantered down to the gate, with me huffing and puffing behind.  When I got close to Skye, I just looked her and gave her my "are you kidding me?" look, which I swear she understands. We stood looking at each other for what felt like several long moments. Then she moved her left front leg almost imperceptibly in my direction. Good enough. I stepped forward and put the halter on her.

Leading her out of the pasture, I was diligent in my leading, not giving her any room for anything disrespectful but not in an angry way. At first I was amazed at my patience, but then I realized something - I thought it was funny. I had seen that this kind of something was coming, but I also knew that in reality it had very little to do with me, and everything with her new boss mare attitude. Yes, I am going to have to be more authoritative with her, as her respect is a little harder to come by, but I probably needed to do that anyway. Now it's not an option.

I took her directly to the round pen for what I call "listening lessons," ground work to get her remembering I'm the brains of the operation. She was a little resistant at first, but she came around pretty quickly, and was relaxed and rhythmic enough at the trot for me to have her canter a little as well.  In the past, she would get nervous at the canter, but as she gets in better shape, I need for her to canter to get used to doing it again. And she sure as hell had felt like cantering when she was running away from me.

While we were out there, Erin started spraying an insect fogger in the arena. Skye did not like this at all. She stopped stock still and stared at it, then glanced at me, then stared again. I put myself between her and evil fogger, grabbing at the opportunity to position myself as her protector.

"What the hell is that? I better get behind this woman that chased me around earlier."

She was funny because she was both interested and nervous. When Erin came around the other side of the round pen with the fogger, I crossed over to talk her.  A moment later, I felt breath on my neck. Skye had come up behind me to get a better look at the sprayer, trying to hide behind me as she did it. Now, I could certainly stand to lose weight, but I'm pretty sure a horse cannot truly hide behind me.

I lunged her a little in the arena over the cavalettis to work her back, then picked her feet, sprayed her for flies and put her back. As we approached the pasture gate, her attitude began to deteriorate again, so I backed her a couple of steps, then led her in and moved her around a little once inside the pasture. When I let her go, she let me pat her good-bye then she walked off. She moved up into a trot and headed back to her beloved herd.

This might seem like a small thing, but the fact that I just accepted it and dealt with it instead of taking it so personally is a huge step for me, and therefore for my Skye.

I'm heading out to the barn in a few minutes for a lesson with Sara. We'll see if I'm so content about it if she does it again.

Progress Progress

Girlfriend engaged in her favorite
type of bonding activity.

So now on Friday nights I am working with Sara, who teaches our regular lessons at the barn, and Skye is really making progress.  My big concern with her ring behavior, i.e. throwing her head up and ears back and hollowing out her back when we trot, then not wanting to walk after she has trotted at all, has been that she is in some kind of pain. We have checked her back and saddle fit, and her behavior without tack, with tack and under saddle. And while I am still going to get her looked at by a chiropractor for my own comfort (a barn friend recommended one who is very good and very honest about whether your horse needs treatment or not), it appears that Skye's behavior is behavior based and not based in pain. That being said, I plan to continue doing exercises that supple and strengthen her back.



Anyway, that girlfriend was in heat on Thursday and was in her usual discombobulated mood over it. Plus, someone was shooting a gun somewhere off in the distance which didn't help. But we tacked her up and took her into the arena, where she made me look bad at first by being pretty trotty at the end of the lunge line. She is fine with my longer lead line, but gets tense in the presence of the lunge line and the lunge whip, (though you can run it all over her body and she doesn't flinch).

Sara took over, and worked her at the walk and the trot and helped calm her down. I take it so personally when Skye is unhappy at all, but Sara is encouraging me to trust my horse enough to let her work it out for herself that she is being foolish. Some horses won't get it, some will take a long time to get it, and some, like mine, will get it pretty quickly that the tension is coming from them, not from us. So we got her in her thinking and attention-paying frame of mind, and she calmed down considerably. Then we put the side reins on.

We had put side reins on before, and Skye had been, surprisingly to me, pretty chill about it. Last night, however, was another story. She tried to throw her head a little and kept backing up, but Sara just nudged her forward with the lunge whip until she got that forward with her head in a reasonable position would release the very light pressure. (Sara adjusted them so she had plenty of room to move but still couldn't reach the sky with her nose.) After a little work at the walk, Sara moved her into her trot, and after a couple of circuits of her moving her nose around, Skye settled into what looked like a comfortable rhythmic trot. Just what we were looking for.

Then Sara asked if I wanted to get on her, or have her do it. I've been curious to see if it's me that is causing or contributing to this behavior, and I'm not  going to turn down the opportunity to have a horse professional I trust (I love how she treats Skye, and Skye trusts and likes her, which means so much to me) ride my horse for me! At first, Skye did a nice relaxed walk, then a nice forward walk, and I started feeling pretty crappy, like it was me all along. But no, true to form, about five minutes in, she started breaking gait into a short-strided trot, nose in the air, ears back, back hollow. Sara worked with her teaching her to get comfortable with some contact, and working on her getting the idea to move her body away from real leg pressure, and adjust to normal leg contact. It took a few minutes of stress on Skye's part, but after a while she settled into a more rhythmic trot, like she had on the lunge line, and was getting used to contact. Despite her discombobulated mood, she ended up really doing well. And, shocking news alert: she looked just beautiful. I know I spend more time mooning over her and less time riding her, but I can't help it. I just love that mare.

Today was absolutely beautiful, so I headed out assuming someone would want to take a trail ride. Amazingly, only a couple of people were there riding in the ring. Crazy. So I got that girl and gave her a long intensive grooming, trimming her mane and giving her a little massage based on some techniques I found in an old Equine Massage book I ordered from an online used book seller. She usually acts like she tolerates grooming, but she really relaxed today and seemed to enjoy it.  Then we worked a little in the round pen on stretches and spent some time talking and letting her graze on the clover in the shade. Nothing exciting, but we had a nice time together.

Sweet boy in his stall. Enhance your viewing pleasure by
noting the cross on his back and his tiny hooves.

And, I said a final good-bye to that sweet dinky. He has been caught and put in a stall and will be delivered to his new home, where his sons have been for weeks, probably tomorrow. He looked tiny and alone in the stall, but he recognized me. I wished him good luck with the rest of his donkey life.  I will miss him. He charmed me so with his big eyes and long ears and stripey legs and tiny hooves. If his new owner is half as enchanted with him as I am, he will be fine.

"And I --ee-I will always love you!"
I don't sound a thing like Whitney Houston,
but the sentiment is the same. I love him so.

Fresh Horses

I can't believe it has been a while since I was on here, but I have been out at the barn a lot, spending quality time with my girl and falling in love.

Yes, there is shocking news. I'm in love again; he's an older male, large and distinguished, with a mysterious and somewhat tragic background. This, even when I had vowed to myself not to get attached to another animal whose destiny was not in my control.  I vow to do better in the future.

In the meantime, here he is:

Meet Bo. Short for Beaujolais. Feel free to love him.
Resistance is futile.

Isn't he adorable? Erin has been getting new horses for the program, and she had specifically been looking for a draft horse, since they are calm and can carry larger riders that come out for trail rides. This beautiful boy belonged to a neighbor of one of the regular farriers who comes to the barn. The family that owned him had recently suffered several tragedies in a row, and had to sell their property and needed to place this sweetie pie in a hurry.  It was freakily fortuitous that Erin had a space and a need at the same time this family needed to deal with things other than a horse. He so exactly fits the bill of what Erin needed that she has said she feels guilty that she got him this way.

Erin said he is about 20, and when I mentioned to someone else that he looked liked a Clydesdale that person said she had been told that. Not that it matters. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. (Yes, Shakespeare! Could you not tell this is an upscale blog?)

Anyway, he is just as sweet as he can be, and pretty much everybody at the barn has fallen for him. He is special friends with Munchkin, which is so adorable it's almost too much to take.  (Good thing those dinkies had built up my immunity so I am not overwhelmed.)

Look at his feathered feet! Enchanting!

We are just walking him at this point to build up his muscles while Erin works on putting a little weight on him. I got to ride him bareback on Thursday, and any scrap of resistance to his charms that I had left was shredded. He was just as good as gold.

Another new guy is Ratchett. He is a registered Paint, but he is completely black, and just as handsome as can be. He is even rather dashing as he has a mustache. I tried to get a picture of it, but he kept kissing on me so I couldn't get one yet. Apparently he is fun to ride, but still tests people and has a hard time picking up on one of his leads. I don't have to care, as I love him anyway.

Just for the record, I still miss Reebok something awful. Only Ginger understands.  She has taken over leadership of Skye's pasture, which is surprising. She has been pushing my girl around a little, but I don't think Skye will take it for long. The dynamics of that pasture changed when Leo was in there, and once he was moved to a different place, Ginger remained her somewhat bullying leadership. The other girls in the pasture, Symphony and Digits (this is one good-looking set of mares, lemme tell ya), don't put up with much from her, but it's not for Ginger's lack of trying. We'll see how long it lasts, but overall the pastures are all well-balanced now.

The Three Bay Mares, Skye, Symphony and Digits.
Skye with her fly mask is still beautiful.
My objectivity is stunning, isn't it?

As for my girl, we are working on getting her problems under saddle finally addressed. I had my first lesson with Sarah, the barn teacher, last Tuesday. Sarah's approach is to get her comfortable giving to pressure in tack (which immediately changes Skye's attitude a little) but not being ridden in the arena,  as much as possible, and riding very casually on trails so she gets a combination of learning to give to pressure, relax with tack, and relax with being ridden. Sarah worked with me and my girl privately two Fridays in a row, and we are seeing real progress. I also am doing some exercises to work her back and using the fancy-pants saddle pad I bought for her (with memory foam!). So while I am actually doing a lot with her, it is different every time and I think she likes that. The best part - Skye loves and trusts Sarah, so I can feel great handing Skye over to her. Unlike when I worked with a trainer before, I no longer have to wince when I watch someone else with my horse.

Yesterday, Dani (who owns the adorable TWH rescue Mosey) and I took our horses for a walk through the woods.  Mosey needs some more weight and conditioning before he can be ridden, and I wanted to work Skye's back on the hills. It was really fun, and a great way to connect with that girl.

In other news, Erin's twin young horses, Tahoe and Reno, are up in the mare pasture, and have taken up with a new boarder's horse, Tomi. Tomi is a really sweet older mare, and the three have instantly bonded. Ginger had been bullying Tomi something terrible when they were in the other pasture, so Erin moved Tomi into the big mare pasture, and it has worked out beautifully.

This is Tomi. Isn't she elegant?

Dinky in the distance.

And the lone dinky remains in the gelding pasture. I've touched him a couple of times, but he is still so suspicious that he wheels away the minute I get too friendly. I feel bad for him, as he must miss his dinky little sons. I'll catch him soon though, even though I will miss his little self.

Another Hard Good-bye

Well, Saturday and Sunday have been tough for me this week. I headed out on Saturday, determined to get on that girl, work on loosening and strengthening her back and maybe helping to catch the lonely dinky (who remains elusive despite hours of chasing and attempts to catch him by others). As soon I got there, Erin told me, so I would know, that some people were coming out to see Reebok and that they sounded like they wanted to take him. Since he trusts me, I volunteered to get him out and show off  his best behavior. She thanked me, as apparently that is exactly what she was hoping I would say, as she had a bunch of trail riders coming in and her usual busy Saturday.

The people arrived, and I was so relieved because they honestly couldn't have been nicer. A mom-age (45 years old maybe?) woman, her 12 year old daughter and another daughter who seemed around 10. They were really nice, and loved the way that boy looked. And boy, he was extra nice. I called to him to get him in, even though we couldn't see him from the gate, and wouldn't you know he came boogying up with his cute little gait and met us at the gate. The family was charmed, as the lady said she had always had to chase their horses to get them. I could happily tell her that catching Reebok is about as difficult as catching a potato. He sighed and nuzzled me (in a sweet, not disrespectful way) and they fell in love with him.

Who would not be charmed?

I worked him around in the round pen for a little bit, and he backed and came back to me beautifully, then went to the end of the line at a nice walk. I could not get him to go any faster than a walk though, and he kept coming in to me. So I loved on him, and told the folks that his doing this was entirely my fault, as I am not firm enough with him because I don't have the backbone to be anything but sweet to him. They could tell this was true. They came in and loved on him, and he just loved it.

Erin got back and tacked him up and rode him a little, and he did great. I then felt very foolish that I had not pressed harder for her to do it sometime I was there so I could have ridden him. I've never ridden an "unbroken" horse before; I guess I was just reluctant. Then the lady rode him and after a false start or two (he could tell she wasn't confident, as it had been years since she had ridden), he did great for her too. They were such nice people, but I have to say I have reservations just because he will be alone where they are. Erin says he will be better off because he will bond with them better, but it breaks my heart to think of him all alone.

He couldn't bear to see me cry.

Before I left yesterday, I went out to say good-bye to him, and it just tore me up. He was just as sweet as a puppy to me, so much more affectionate than Skye has ever been.  Rip, Lisa and Craig were all there admiring the awesomeness of Cowboy, and I thought their presence would keep my tears at bay. It did not, and I've been crying in secret off and on all weekend.

In any case, they decided to take him and were to pick him up today. It was pouring down rain all day, and in a way I'm glad I wasn't there. The bottom line is that he was not my horse, and since I couldn't afford a second board, he had to go and make room for a horse Erin could use on trails and in the membership program. I just wish I hadn't let myself get so attached. My attachment to him did him some good though, because he is much easier to handle now.

Before I said good-bye though, I did get to mess around a little with my girl. She came up to me in the pasture again, which is a relief (I don't know if it was Leo or spring grass she was hesitant to leave last week). And she was a good girl. I groomed her quickly, which is a lot easier now that she is shed out and sleek again. Then I tacked her up and led her over the ground poles in the ring several times. Amy, who is the mother of twin girls who own Chloe and a good rider in her own right, asked what I was doing and I told her I was working on loosening and strengthening Skye's back.

Lo and behold if she didn't come over and check Skye for soreness and tightness. Amy is a physical therapist and proceeded to point out different muscle groups that tighten and cause soreness. She stretched out that girl's legs and massaged her  in several places and Skye just loosened right up on the spot. We found a sore spot, and Amy told me stretches I could do with her head to help it. Skye was so cute as she relaxed. Then I got on and went over the poles on her a couple of times. Then she stepped on herself and ripped her left front shoe right off. Durn. Thankfully, it came off cleanly and didn't seem to harm her foot in any way.

I am dreading the Reebok-shaped hole I will see in the pasture from now on out there, but I feel like Skye and I are getting somewhere at last.

As the Pasture Turns

I drove up today and saw the beautiful Symphony standing in Skye's pasture and I knew that the pasture changeover had taken place. The gates were closed so I parked next to the pasture. As soon as I got out of the van, Skye was nickering me and pacing in front of the gate. Girlfriend was unhappy, and wanted me to do something about it. I took some carrots and headed over there.

She was so busy nickering that at first she didn't even eat the carrots (which is saying something because that woman likes her food). She gave me a meaningful look then trotted over to the corner closest to the far pastures (which is still at least an acre away, as her pasture is across the dirt road from the barn). From the way she was looking, I could guess about where he was, and sure enough, I heard him call to her. My heart broke for them, even while I was pleased that she seemed to want to connect with me about her distress. I'm sure I'm anthropomorphizing (which I frankly don't have too much of a problem with, since we are continually learning how much more animals are like us), but she really seemed to think I would help her.

And I feel guilty because I do really want this pasture change, as her happiness with that boy was causing some problems. Saturday I rode that girl, and while she was okay, she was very distracted. Sunday was worse. I had very little time but I want to get her in better shape, so I lunged her a little at liberty. She was distracted and nervous, and basically acting like a nutty mare. She whinnied for Leo a couple of times, and it was all I could do to keep her attention on me. She cantered around of her own accord. So I then kept her at it as I want her to know that if she breaks gait, she has committed herself to a good bit of going at that gait. I didn't stress her out though, and she was relieved to come in but basically seemed discombobulated. Finally, I checked under her tail, and sure enough, she was in heat. That explains a lot, but the bond with Leo made her behavior even worse. When I put her back in with him, she backed her butt up to him, lifted her tail, then spread her back legs and peed, making sure he'd get a good whiff of whatever hormonal action she had going on. He sniffed her all over. Love, love, love.

Feel the love. More precious because they were soon to be separated.

But as I said, he doesn't pay her board, and I need a horse I can work with. In light of the change of pasture, I didn't do much with her tonight other than check her out and fly spray her. By Saturday, she should be in better shape.

In similar news, Reebok and Ginger have been split up as well, and they are both fit to be tied.  Ginger was all over me, anxious and wanting attention bad enough to risk the head swings and ear pins that Skye was throwing her way.  When I went to the new gelding pasture to visit Leo and Reebok and see the new horse Cowboy, Reebok practically mobbed me. He walked right up with I swear what could only be an imploring look on his face. He associates me with that pasture where he was so happy with his woman. The feeders told me he got loose twice and sprinted over to her pasture. So very sad, but he is not allowed such behavior. It's dangerous. Nevertheless, all the geldings in that pasture seem to get along, so the choice of herd dynamics (which Erin is very conscious of and good at predicting) is a good one.

Pining for his Ginger.

Behold the magnificence of Cowboy.

Blade and Gray, the Switzerland of pasture wars were fine. I gave them both a carrot just for being so excellent.

Speaking of excellence. Rip, a great guy out at the barn (his wonderful wife Lisa owns Dakota), just got his own horse. He is a 16.2 hand tri-color paint, and he is fabulous as you can see.

And sweet. I was telling him what a looker he is and he came right over.

Well, hello there Handsome!

And speaking of coming over, we need Echo to give it up and allow himself to be caught. I called him over, and he came to see me, but I couldn't touch him. I didn't have carrots so I didn't expect to, but from what I understand everyone has given up until I can catch him. I'm betting if I feed him some carrots on Friday and again on Saturday morning. I'll be able to make a grab for him Saturday afternoon. I won't feel bad now, as I will be helping him get back to his sons, who I know he must be missing.

Yes, I'm being swished off by the last
dinky standing.

On a final note, my good friends Munchkin and Mistletoe are back up at the main barn. How I love them. I have instructed them they are to take the dinkies' place in my heart. They are no doubt up to the task.

Riled and ready for my undaunted affection.

Good-bye to the Dinkies

So now that deer fly season is upon us, it is the time for fly masks. And the flies are so bad that the masks are appearing on all the horses, including Miss America herself.

Take me to your leader.
What a shame to cover such a pretty face.

I have been planning on getting one, but since the deer flies were bothering her, Erin was kind enough to put an old barn one on her. She is a good girl about wearing it, but she did want me to rub her pretty face when I took it off. Her eyes looked very clear though. Usually they run a little at this time of year. I don't know if the masks are much good for filtering pollen, but maybe it was flies bothering her last year. Whatever it is, I will be buying that girlfriend her very own so she can continue looking like an alien with her pasture buddies.

Thursday when I went out, it was with a heavy heart that I learned from the feeder that my beloved dinkies were to leave Friday morning. I grabbed some carrots and headed out to see them. They saw me from mid-pasture and immediately came in their roundabout way to meet me at the gate. I fed them from there, and rubbed their woolly foreheads and stroked their ears, as they are much more comfortable being touched from behind the fence. Then I brought Skye in and groomed and grazed her a little.

After I had put her back out with her lover boy Leo, I broke down and went into their pasture again with Brittany(Bon Jovi's very own barn girl), both of us loaded with carrots. They came over again, and we fed them. She got a text that her dad was there while we were out there, so she left, leaving me alone with them. I fed them some more carrots and had a nice talk with them, telling them they would loved and cared for in their new home, and not to stress too much about the process of getting there. They don't even like to be touched by anyone but me, so catching and trailering them wouldn't be anyone's idea of a good time. Certainly not theirs. Then I said good-bye and good luck, sadly stood up slowly and walked back toward the gate.

I had gone about 10 or 15 steps when I realized they were about ten paces behind me, following me as they do in a single file line. It just broke my heart open, and I had to blink back tears because it was by then too dark to wear my sunglasses to hide them. They stopped following me about 20 yards from the gate, but I looked back one more time. They were all standing there looking at me.

Dinkies, on another day. What else is there to say?

I got back out today to see the instructions on the board that one dinky was left in the big gelding pasture, and that assistance in catching him was welcomed. I asked Woody, who told me Echo (my favorite, to the extent I had one) had jumped through the rope fence and into that pasture and wouldn't let anyone near him. I grabbed a carrot and headed out to see if he would run from me too. I went out there calling him and sure enough, he came right up to me. I gave him three pieces of carrot, which he took, then asked for more. He wouldn't let me touch him though. I sat my butt down on the ground, and he came closer, then stood near me and grazed. When I stood up, he moved away a little.

The lone dinky.

Tomorrow when I am out there I will arm myself with carrots and a lead line and see if I can catch him. I had thought it might feel like a betrayal, but in the end it will be less stressful for him to not be chased around by people he doesn't really know. And though he didn't seem particularly stressed, I'm sure he would be happier with his sons at the new place. So tomorrow I'll see what I can do.

So I have been riding Skye, and she is up to her old tricks of not wanting to walk in the ring. She keeps breaking into a trot. I tried stopping her every time she did it, but she started just stopping from the trot and not wanting to walk. So I was letting her just trot, hopefully teaching her that breaking gait will equal more trotting than she really wants. The problem with this plan is twofold though. First, I don't have the leg power yet to trot that long, but my goodness I'm getting there. Second, she hollows her back and throws her head up when she trots which seems uncomfortable and makes me feel like I'm hurting her. I'm going to talk to a trainer that was working with Chloe about the same issue. I won't mind the trotting so much if I'm sure it is getting us both in shape. I just don't want to teach her the wrong things, one of which could be that being ridden means hurting.

She is a little bound to Leo, but at least today she didn't whinny for him like she did on Thursday. He is certainly worried about her though, as he whinnies periodically the entire time she is gone. He can see the arena from where he stands, and she could hear him. She got a little pissy at the end of our ride, and I think it was in part because she wanted to get back to him. I did not put her directly back with him for a while afterward though, and I didn't get off until I had half an arena's worth of a relaxed walk.

Love, equine style. It's sad that her happiness with him
could be a source of discord with me.
But he doesn't pay her board.

So I am back to square one riding wise, but I now know her so much better.

Tomorrow I really will have to say good-bye to the last dinky. Soon Reebok will be gone too. It's tough getting so attached, but there's not another way to do it.

Picture Perfect

I won a prize! Well, not really a prize, a drawing for a painting, but I still won it and I'm still very happy about it.  I follow an excellent equine artist named Linda Shantz on Facebook, and saw that she was having a contest to give away one of her beautiful paintings. The painting is of a filly named Polly, and lo and behold, it looks a lot like what my girl may have looked like as a filly. (Let's just all pause and acknowledge that Skye was probably the cutest filly in the history of the world. ) So I said that in my comment, and shared it, and some of my FB friends also liked and shared it, which increased my chances.  Then we were in the mountains to experience some snow and when I finally got some signal I saw that I had won it. And it is so beautiful, don't you think?

"Polly, Two Days Old" by Linda Shantz
Copyright Linda Shantz 2013. All right reserved.
Reproduced here with express permission.

Just gorgeous, and that photo doesn't even do it justice. It almost feels alive. I jumped up and down when I opened it, as it is so pretty, and the expression in the filly's eyes is so much like my Skye. I'm having it framed this week, and I'm going to hang it beside my desk at work to remind me why I'm working - to pay my horse bills (and other bills, but the horse bills seem to be the only ones I don't mind paying).

If you want to see more of Linda's work, her website is at lindashantz.com. She also has a cool blog at lindashantz.blogspot.com. You can also follow her on Facebook at Linda Shantz Artist. Consider yourself warned though: you will start wishing for some of her paintings.  The way she captures the life of the horses is just amazing.

In other news, Skye has a new boyfriend.  It is Leo, whose stall is beside hers. Yes, the one I said I wanted her to marry.  He was put in the gelding herd, but those toughies (who are actually among the sweetest horses I have known) were whooping up on him, so Erin wisely moved him into Skye's pasture. Skye runs a tight ship! Tammy, who owns Leo, said it was love at first sight for him (and who could blame him?). He got right by her side and wouldn't let anyone near her. She said she thought Skye was indifferent to him, but when I saw them together, I can see that ain't so . . . . .

Note how he is allowed to drink with the Queen.
He does seem to feel appropriately honored by her presence.

Yes, she is allowing him to DRINK WITH HER! As Queen of the Water Trough, her usual stance is that no one can drink or approach when she is drinking without risking her signature headswing with ears back reprimand.  It is a big victory for Reebok every time he sidles up when she is there, and she usually gives even him the hairy eyeball. But as you can see, Leo has special privileges.

I'm slightly worried that this love affair will affect my relationship with her, as her love for Magic caused me so much grief. But I love Leo so much, and the herd dynamics are good in this pasture, so I hope it works out.  Reebok and Ginger are not so sure about the whole thing though.

They were so funny, just standing right there motionless.
They are never allowed to do what Leo can do with her.

Aren't they hilarious? So cute even when suspicious.

And finally, for your viewing pleasure,  a dinky shot.

I call it "Portrait of the Dinky as a Young Man."
This is Bravo, the big daddy.

I have seen that Erin is officially letting people know they are up for adoption. It makes me sad, but I trust her completely to place them only somewhere where they will be well-treated, and perhaps get more attention than we can give them. (Neither Dave nor the city of Charlotte will consider allowing me to keep them in our backyard. Just in case you were wondering.)

I now need to get off this computer and go see my horse.

Catch Up

Well, I knew I had been busy, but I hadn't realized it had been so long since I posted. I think this kind of delay explains why I have so many half-empty journals. In my defense, the weather was crappy (which is actually odd for March in the Carolinas) and I was swamped. Part of the swamping is just getting life things done, but a big part of it is helping my son George with homework. He has so much, and though he doesn't need my help to do the work, he does need me there to keep his nose to the grindstone, and it wears me out.

Apropos of nothing, this is Sugar, one of the barn cats.
Unlike me, she doesn't appear to be tired.

I did get to ride again, but sadly it did not go as well I had hoped. Skye did the same thing she usually does with her trotting; she throws her head up and hollows out her back and even puts her ears back, which is very un-Skye-like. And once she trots, she doesn't want to come back to a walk. This is especially odd since it seems to pain her to trot. I did trot her a good bit to get her some exercise, but the next day I put my other saddle on her,  despite the fact that I bought  my new saddle especially to fit her.

The other saddle is a used Siegfried Stubben that I got off of eBay. I had ridden in the same type of saddle as a teenager and had this idea that it was just the best. Of course, then I was 125 pounds and rode for hours a day. Probably anything would fit my little butt. I hadn't put this one on Skye yet, and I have to say, the minute I was in it, it felt like home. I loved it. I also have to say though, that it sits pretty low on my girl's withers, and she behaved exactly the same way. I have looked at all sorts of things about saddle fitting, and had several people look at the way my Wintec fits her, and we have pretty much eliminated the saddle fit as the problem, but I'm sure it will continue to bug me.

Anyway, I was rather discouraged by this, as I felt like I was back at square one, then it rained off and on preventing me from riding. My Wednesday visits were great though. I was so tired both Wednesdays from work, from George's homework and from that durn class I'm teaching that I didn't even thinking about riding since it requires such patience. But my Wednesdays were wonderful.

Her Highness, waiting to be groomed

I groomed Skye and loved on her, then worked her a little on the lunge line just to get her moving and listening to me. I saw a little head bob in one direction, which sent my heart to my knees. Carey was grooming Nigel nearby, and I asked her to take a look. She saw it too, but suggested we let her run at liberty in the big arena so she could stretch out. I let her off the lead line and waved my arms at her. She stared at me. I tried to chase her, and she just kind of followed me around. Then I shook the lead line at her and she trotted in a circle around me as if on an invisible line.

When Carey finished laughing at us, she chased my girl, who trotted off and after about 10 strides looked perfect. Carey chased her again, and Skye cantered around, showing us a little buck for good measure. She ran around a little for fun, then spied some nice grass in a corner and stopped abruptly, put her head down and started munching. Carey and Craig agreed that she was adorable, and I don't even think they were humoring me.

Last Wednesday was also great. I was even more tired this time, but I really wanted to see my girl and get that release of tension that nothing but horses gives me. They were feeding when I got there, so I did my dinky duty first. (Those boys trotted up to me on their little stripey legs and pushed each other aside for carrots. Progress!) Then I just took my brushes out to the pasture and brushed Skye and Reebok in their feeding spaces as the sun started to go down. They were both filthy from rolling in mud.

Sweet Meat. You can see how dirt his legs are.
He is actually happier to be with me
than he looks. Or at least that's my story.

Skye stood like a statue while I groomed her and seemed to like it a lot better than in a grooming bay. She has that pull-back thing lurking in the back of her brain, and I can tell she is always more comfortable when she is not tied. When I had finished, I just let her go to graze on the nice grass in the separate feeding area and headed over to Reebok.

I usually don't get to brush him much because he is so antsy in the cross ties, and frankly I want to work on other things with him when I have the time. But this night was really good because he was completely relaxed being so near his herd and not tied up in any way. I brushed him pretty well, to the point where you can tell the borders of his white and his flea-bitten grey. He is actually a paint of with light flea-bitten grey and white, but you have to look closely to see it, and when he is dirty, as he has been, you can't tell it at all. I picked up his two front feet, but he balked a little at his back feet. I didn't insist on lifting his back hooves, since I wanted to keep things very relaxed (and I was out there alone, as the other folks were in the barn). I did rub his back legs and handled his fetlocks, and he let out a big sigh. Which is some progress. Then I leaned on his back from both sides, putting some weight on him. At first he just looked at me, then he relaxed and before I was done, he leaned into me a little. He loves his forehead to be rubbed, so I rubbed on him a little. At one point, I was rubbing his head and when I turned around, Skye was right there, looking for her forehead rub. Needless to say, I was feeling great by the time I put them back in the pasture together and put my brushes away.

Dinky Duty pays off!

As usual, I couldn't wait for Wednesday. I teach a looooooong class (4 hours straight - what on Earth was I thinking when I signed up for that?) on Monday nights, then Tuesday I had to drive down to Columbia, SC for work. So Wednesday is the day to go the barn. This week I was so exhausted from my long Monday and Tuesday, I considered bagging it and just heading down later on Thursday now that the time has changed. But in the end I couldn't stand it. I had to go see my girl.

I was so tired and it was pretty chilly, so I really didn't consider riding.  Skye had just been fed, so she was in a great mood, happy to meet me at the gate. I brought her in and groomed her. A couple of barn girls were there riding so I had the barn to myself and my horse. I seemed to take a long time to get very little done, but there's quite a bit of value in that sometimes. What I wanted was to hang out with my girl and relax. I took a long time getting her feet really clean in an effort to stave off her thrush getting any worse. (It's been rainy until this week, and for her, mud = thrush). I combed her mane and tail, promising her as I always do that I will never pull her mane, as she clearly had it done roughly in her past. Then we did our forehead to forehead thing. If she likes it half as much as I do, we're right where we need to be.

Skye. She's everywhere I want to be. Even
if she is looking fairly sarcastic here.

She also seemed up for doing something a little more stimulating, so I took her in the round pen for a little ground work. The vet has told me to leave off working much in a circle until we get her back in shape, but I just wanted to see what she remembered about moving her feet around for me. I used the methods in this new book I got (101 Horsemanship Exercises), which are laid out in a way that seems logical to me and which recommends methods I'm comfortable with. So I backed her up by pointing my finger. She was perfect. I moved her hindquarters with the bent back of my hand. She crossed her back legs just like the book recommended. I moved her forequarters the same way, and this time she did it PERFECTLY.

I had tried to move around her front half in the past, and Skye had met me with a far amount of resistance, for her. She doesn't like to move her forequarters for me on the ground other than backing up, and she doesn't like to lower her head on command, though she does it automatically for me to brush her face with the soft brush, comb her forelock and bridle her. Which is pretty damn hard to complain about. (Her Excellency!)

Anyway, I don't know whether it was my attitude, the use of the back of my flat fingers (gives even gentle pressure without poking as the trainer I used had shown me) or the sequence that I did them, but she seemed to know just what I wanted. I wonder if someone who had her before did these with her in the same order or the same way. Whatever they did, she remembered it.

However, I think they also used treats to do it, because she clearly felt she deserved some after each exercise. I told her good girl (which I say when I do treat her) and gave her some effusive love instead. She thought she'd been gypped, but I did give her some carrots when we were finished. Then I was mad that I hadn't planned to ride, as I hate to waste an opportunity, especially when we were so in sync. When I let her go, she hung out with me at the gate, and even let Reebok approach for some love.

Double the love. Double the goofiness. Take your pick.

Then I grabbed some carrots I'd left in the fridge and headed out to do my dinky duty. Even if they get re-homed somewhere else, being more tame will benefit them. So out I go calling "Dinky Doodles! Bravo, Echo, Zulu!" fully expecting them to respond mainly by stopping chewing and staring at me. Instead they looked up and started trotting toward me. Hurray! And let me tell ya, dinkies trotting toward you on their tiny hooves with their swishing little tails will cure whatever is wrong with you. It was so cute I had to catch my breath. This despite me such a tough customer.

(By the way, when I related this to Dave, he then said "You're getting attached to them." Gee, you think so?)

So then they mobbed me for carrots, and Bravo did his thing where he leans his whole side on me, and stands there for a long time to be rubbed on his back. I also rubbed Echo between his ears, and touched Zulu ever so lightly on his nose. That's victory.  I think Tammy, who is out there during the day now, must be visiting them when she gets time. Which is double victory. Because the dinkies need all the friends they can get. I do too.

Zulu contemplates the implication of our friendship.

Beautiful Day - in more ways than one

Oh, we are so spoiled here in the Carolinas. After a cold week, we had the most beautiful day yesterday. It was even more beautiful because I got to ride my girl. I called to her from the van on the way in, and by the time I grabbed her halter and got to the gate of her pasture, this is what I saw:

Where's my peppermint?

She's too much.

I brought her in, and she hesitated a little before she would go into the grooming bay. I gave her a lead rope a little tug and in she came. She then promptly pooped a nice steaming heap on the concrete floor of the bay. It occurred to me that every time she hesitates going into the bay, she poops. So I'm a little slow on the uptake! Next time she hesitates, I'll lead her into an outside area. I'll still have to scoop it, but it won't require the same hosing off process. Smart girl, trying to tell me. The upside is that I had just read an article on how it's a good idea to check your horse's poop for various health signs. I'm happy to report that her poop looks great, as far as poop goes. I'm also happy to report that I did not feel the need to post a photo of it here.

I also rode her a little, believe it or not. And she was great. Our issues in the past have been that 1) she would not walk in the ring (instead "jigging" or doing a little trot, the whole time) and 2) once she would walk in the ring, after I did trot her intentionally, she then would not want to walk. Yesterday, she walked perfectly, then when she trotted she came right down to a walk again. She did start to liven up a couple of times on the straightaways in the arena, as if she were going to break gait, but I just stopped her and petted her. I would take a deep breath that she could hear, then she would take a deep breath that I could hear, then we would walk on. The vet told me not to trot her much, which was good because my legs are shot after not having ridden much. (Riding Ike at a sitting trot is so easy, it really doesn't count as riding practice, or even exercise. He's wonderful.) I was flopping around up there, and not posting nearly as well I know I can. So we will get in shape together. Although she'll still be so much better looking. Which is not exactly shocking news.

When we were finished, I took her over to graze in the nice grazing spot by her pasture. We weren't there 5 minutes when we were joined by these two cuties.

Best buds. Now that Ginger has overcome her
urges to beat his butt.

Ginger wandered off after she figured out no peppermints were in the offing, but that sugar lump of a horse Reebok stood there looking delightful.

Sweetness. Not that I'm susceptible to
that sort of thing. 

This is now my favorite picture of him.


Then I had an appointment to keep to go meet someone with a small horse farm. I had spoken to this nice lady when I was looking for a new place to board, and we finally agreed on a time to meet. I had so much going on this weekend, but I think she was beginning to think I was blowing her off, so I went on out. I'm glad I did. She used to raise Arabians, and had her sweet and beautiful brood mares there. She also takes in rescues (which is what started our conversations). As we were walking around meeting the horses, she paused to make sure part of the electric fence was connected, and I kept walking to the pasture. When I got there, this little cutie came up to the fence and gave me a long and thoughtful look. I spoke to him a little, and he came a little closer.

This is Marvin. Once severely abused, now
permanently adored. He is the picture of health,
and very beautiful. He's probably about 12 hands tall.

Isn't he adorable? He is a hinny, which is the result of the breeding of a jenny (female donkey) and a stallion. It's kind of the reciprocal of a mule, which is the result of breeding a mare and a jack (male donkey).

When I turned around, his owner was looking at me in shock. She told me his story. He was found and caught after being loose in the area for around two years.  Between his extreme fear of people and the evidence on his body, it was clear he had been severely abused. There are gunshots on his shoulders, and all his ribs on one side had once been broken. She said it took months to get him to leave the far corner of the pasture even to come eat. She has had him for two years, and he usually comes over to the fence only with her, when she is alone. She had fully expected him to head directly to the far corner upon my approach. Instead he came over me on his own, and stood there while we talked. I felt so honored. It just filled me up to be trusted by him. There were a lot of fun things I could have done yesterday, ranging from a beer festival to a trail ride to just hanging out longer at the barn, but something told me to keep this appointment. This guy made me glad I did.