Back in the Saddle!

Yes, I have been gone for a long time. Where have I been, you might ask? Middle school! My twin boys have been in middle school and the school day is bizarre (9:15am - 4:15pm) and the homework load ridiculous. So with work, the kids, the pets and Skye, something had to give. Unfortunately what gave was writing this blog, which I enjoyed so much.

But they only have 6 more weeks of the horror that has been this school, and I have decided to get back to blogging, and in a bigger way. I am going to move the blog from Blogger, where this is appearing, over to a self-hosted Wordpress Site called RidingSkye.com. Blogger is really easy but with so many people with a Google account and me with several Google accounts myself, I am sick of logging in and out all the time. I have actually sat down to blog a couple of times, but couldn't remember which account went with which thing, and then it was too late to blog.

In any case, it has been about a year and a half since I wrote on here, but a lot has happened.

First, and most importantly, Skye is still the most beautiful horse there is.

Still makes you feel bad for other horses,
doesn't it?

Second, I have moved Skye twice in the past year. Although I loved my time at Blue Wave, I opened my own practice which required some money conservation on my part. I tried a place that was deliciously close to my house and where I could work off part of my board, but it was more work than I could realistically handle and even then a little too expensive with my uneven income stream. I was lucky enough to find a perfect place that makes Skye happy, where she gets great care that fits in my budget. And a couple of my Blue Wave buddies are out there too.

Third, I fell off that mare. I knew it was going to happen and it did. I will devote an embarrassing post to that.

Fourth, and very best of all, I got to see a foal born at Blue Wave. It was wholly unexpected but all went beautifully and the baby was so precious.






There are a lot of things I missed blogging about, so as I get back into I will go back in time and write about the stuff I didn't put down. So it will be just like traveling in time.

Yes, you will also get to hear about this guy!

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?

Horse Heaven

Unlike me, who falls utterly in love with every horse I encounter, my trainer Sara is a tougher customer.  She prefers to think of herself as more of a connoisseur, but still, her standards are very high.  (She will even say, out loud, that Skye is not perfect. So you see, she is tough.) So I was interested to hear what she considered her favorite horses. I expected her to say a Warmblood of some kind, as we will often admire Nigel together as Carey goes cantering past on him. Instead she said she likes Spanish horses, such as PRE's, Andalusians and Lusitanos. As it happens, I have also been reading various books on balancing your horse and improving your relationship through liberty work and several of the authors mention how much they love the Spanish type horses.

This is Rayo. He has the
classic Lusitano head. He has
tipped me over into loving
grey horses. He's stunning.

So I did a little searching to see where I might get to see some, and lo and behold there is a renowned breeder of Lusitanos in Siler City, North  Carolina. Even better, Siler City is between Charlotte and Raleigh, so I could stop in on my way home from taking the dastardly test in Raleigh last week.  So I e-mailed Victoria Morris of Don E Mor Farms, and she  said she would be happy to let me visit. I got there a little late because of a traffic tie up in Raleigh, but it was totally worth the drive.


To learn more about Lusitanos and see Don E Mor's  jaw-droppingly gorgeous website, go to:

www.donemor.com

While the farm and the horses are so impressive, Victoria could not have been more down to earth and welcoming. My Quarter Horse Appendix-owning self felt perfectly at home.


The farm itself was so beautiful, with post and rail fencing, rolling hill pastures and tall trees everywhere, and that's before you even get to the horses. If I were to run away from home, this is probably where you could find me.

It was cloudy, so the color isn't as vibrant, but it's just lovely.

Lusitanos are famous not only for being beautiful, but for their docile and friendly personalities, and I have to say, that was definitely evident in these horses. Victoria mentioned that temperament was one of her most important, if not the most important, consideration in her breeding program, and you could really tell. We visited pasture after pasture and each small herd would meet us at the fence, ready for affection. Kind eyes and sweet expressions on every one.

Look at those sweet eyes.
Not that I can be won over by that kind of thing.

I got to see a couple of her stallions, and I fell hard for her buckskin stallion Lavrador. Absolutely gorgeous color, beautiful conformation, and the same kind eye and affectionate personality. Granted, I'm such a horse lover that I'm easy to impress, but even the toughest customer would see he is something special. And his offspring carry his qualities forward, as the babies at Don E Mor are just  beautiful and sweet.

The welcoming committee!
Every herd was this friendly. I just love their personalities.

 I don't often wish for things I don't have (other than more free time) but I was wishing I had a horse farm and plenty of money to spend when I was there, as there wasn't just one but several horses I would have loved to bring home with me.

I'd be happy to take these two off her hands.
Because I'm generous that way.

Of course, who won my heart the most? Shocking news: a bay mare! After perusing the website before I went there, I thought I would come away dying for a buckskin gelding, as I have such a weakness for buckskins and I have this image of a Lusitano buckskin gelding in my mind . . . . But instead, I met this girl . . . .

This is Isabel. She loved me too; I just
know it. Look at that face.

Which of course reminded me that I am so lucky to have the horse that still makes me feel like I am rich, as I still haven't seen the horse that I like the look of better than that red mare of mine. Not that my head can't be turned by a buckskin baby or two.

His color is like burnished gold.

So the good news is, I know exactly where to go when I come into money and it's burning holes in my pocket!  Whenever I have visited a breeding farm and seen the breed, I've been impressed and able to see why the people fell in love with the breed they raise (such as Icelandic horses or Rocky Mountain Horses) but with these, I definitely became a believer. I just loved them.

Not as much as this girl though. There's no point in being silly.

She had me at "let me eat this grass."