Holiday happiness

What a whirlwind of activity! Everyday has had at least one thing planned - not the least of which was Christmas itself.

M and E know me well - I was given a pair of fabulous muck boots and a bucket of grooming brushes on Christmas morning. I was so excited to get these things! I know, I'm a hopeless horse person these days! I had to laugh at myself the other day when I was feeling a tiny bit envious of friends and family who had received rather grand gifts this year. Then I paused for a moment and realized that I receive a HUGE gift every day in the shape of my horse. :)

What a shaggy pony!

Riding has been impossible for me with all the snow, ice and rain we've been getting. I have gone out to brush Zoe and work her in the round pen a bit, but that's all. E squeezed in a short ride around the barnyard and we were able to trailer to a jumping lesson on Sunday, but that's been it for horse activities.

Zoe's winter coat looks better these days, so I think the supplement must be helping some. I think I may add black sunflower seeds to her diet as well. I've been told that would help bring out some shine; her fur still seems a little dull and dry to me. I really can't wait to give her a good bath. She is absolutely filthy! But it may be a few months before we can manage that task.

Indoor arenas...

That's what I dream of these days - an indoor arena. The weather has been fairly decent temperature-wise, but also just rainy enough that the outdoor arenas at our barn are sloppy and slick. So to ride, I would have to haul Zoe to another location. Normally this wouldn't be so awful but this past month I started an exercise class that seems to be eating up most of my free time. I love the exercise, though, and honestly, I need it more than the riding. I can feel my body getting stronger - Yeah!

So the most I've been able to do with Zoe is brush her mud-coat off, untangle her snarled mane and exercise her for a few minutes in the round pen a few times these past couple of weeks.

The chiropractor came out last Monday and confirmed my suspicion that Zoe has pulled a muscle or something in her left front shoulder region. Probably did it by sliding on ice or in the mud recently. Doesn't seem to be serious, but she did react when brushed in the painful area.

It's snowing again right now and the ground is a bit icy as well, so no riding today. Tomorrow maybe? I'm hoping that we can get in at least 3 rides over Christmas break.

The snow continues...

It's a gray, snowy day at the barn...

We've had a full week of snow on the ground now. Very unusual for Walla Walla - especially this early in the season. Consequently, our horsey activities have been curtailed a bit. The roads are just dicey enough that I don't want to haul the animals anywhere, and the arena footing has become a frozen mess.

Monte has adjusted to the colder temps just fine. He has a wonderful, thick, teddy-bear coat that is keeping him toasty warm. Zoe, on the other hand, is not so lucky. I received a text from my barn owner on Wednesday telling me that my horse was shivering and would I like her to put Zoe's blanket on her. I felt so terrible for not putting her blanket on sooner! But my baby is nice and warm now (Thank you C!). And her nice blanket already has two big rips in it - obviously it is not hindering her from rolling and generally farting around! (I'll try to mend it today...)

Cleaning stalls in this weather has become a big job for E. It's either a muddy mess or frozen to the ground. And being cold doesn't seem to be speeding her up much. :) We bought new muck boots for E on Friday. She wore them for the first time yesterday and said they almost kept her feet too warm! I was shocked that she actually chose the hot pink boots over the plain black ones.

Can't miss those boots!

Both horses have learned to come to the fence when we arrive now. I've been more lenient about treats, so they are happy to see what might be in our hands. :) I have to admit that it's kinda nice to have them come to me rather than me chasing them down...

"Whatcha got?" (notice the icy whiskers)

Waiting for his apple......

Snowy lesson

Winter has arrived at the barn...

The first snow of the season began today just before E's Pony Club lesson. Dedicated riders that they are, though, the weather was not an impediment at all. All of the parents stayed huddled around a bonfire while the kids and their ponies stayed warm jumping in the arena. Everyone was happy. :)

E and Monte, ready to ride.

E especially enjoyed today's lesson because she got to ride with the "big girls." Often she is grouped with the more inexperienced riders due to the fact that she has not achieved (or even attempted!) her D3 rating. Today she rode with a D3 and a C-level rider, so the jumps were higher and the whole vibe of the lesson was more challenging - which often means more fun.

Snow started accumulating on the girls' helmets during the lesson...

I didn't pull Zoe out today. The footing at much of the barn is still sloppy and frankly, I'm a fair-weather rider! It was cold out there this afternoon. And I'm sure Miss Zoe didn't mind being left out in the field in the least.

Zoe running over to get a treat...

Take your vitamins

I love the teddy bear feel the horses get each year as their winter coats grow in. They become so soft and cuddly. Monte's is very nice - and Curly's was especially thick and wonderful. But Zoe, well, her's is not coming in so great.

While talking to the barn owner last weekend, I mentioned that Zoe's coat didn't seem to be as thick and healthy as all the other horses. She quickly agreed, saying that she was actually a little concerned about what she was seeing. Zoe's fur just seems a bit dull and dry - not at all what we'd like.

Another horse owner had left some vitamin supplement (about half a tub!) almost a year ago; my barn owner gave it to me, hoping it would do the trick for Zoe. So Zoe now gets extra vitamins mixed in with a bit of grain each day. Crossing my fingers that this does the trick!

Rushing

I've been taking advantage of the time E spends mucking stalls each weekend to actually ride my horse. I know that if she didn't have that commitment, I probably wouldn't be so regular in my riding. (Although it's pouring rain at the moment, so I'm thinking that I won't get a ride in today.)

Ever since we had the chiro out to adjust Zoe's hip, she's been more energetic and even a bit spooky. I don't know if these things are all connected, but the timing of her changed behavior certainly makes me suspicious. Yesterday she was spooking at piles of wood, ATVs speeding along in the distance and our barn owner up on a ladder. Yup, these all must be horse eating monsters!

I'm less afraid of her spooks than I was initially. She doesn't bolt, only jumps and drops sideways a bit and gets a wild look in her eye. And I've found that so far, her spooking is less when I'm actually in the saddle - a good thing, to be sure!

Yesterday was not as smooth a ride as I would have liked. Stopping was atrocious - she had a hard time just standing still for some reason (all those horse eating ATVs?) and would ignore my request to stop. So we got to do it over and over and over again. She was also super rushy in her trot, which is not comfortable to sit at all. I could get her to give me a few strides of her soft, even trot and then she would begin speeding up and get very bouncy.

I look forward to the day I know how to consistently ask and can get Zoe's floaty trot. I hear it's wonderful....

Spooky

I ignored all the chores waiting for me at home and stole a few minutes of the day yesterday to go ride my pony. Since I got sick I haven't ridden - so it's been over a week. Too long! And the weather will be turning nastier soon; I need to take advantage of sunny, (relatively) warm days like yesterday.

Zoe was still wearing her Halloween costume - brown horse. It took a while to get the thankfully-dry-mud off of her and to untangle a big snarl in her mane. While doing all of this, she decided that there were lots of things to spook at in the barnyard: the guy mucking stalls, cats, dogs, cars driving by, etc. I had no idea there were so many things at our barn that would eat a horse!

So before I could even consider riding her, we had to spend some time in the round pen. I led her in, released her lead rope and stood quietly in the center of the ring...while she proceeded to tear around the circle like a crazy horse, tail standing straight up in the air. After 6 or 7 minutes of this, she decided she was done and wanted to stop. Now we began to work (not that she wanted to!). Another 10 minutes of trotting circles finally helped her find her brain and recognize that she had a job to do. Silly pony!

By this time, I was out of time so my ride was necessarily short. (Darn those commitments at home!) I was only able to squeeze in 10 minutes, but at least we were able to practice a bit. We have gotten much smoother at stopping and standing at the mounting block while I got in the saddle was almost perfect. I was so happy. :)

Mmmmm....wormer paste

Yesterday I finally got around to worming both horses. And true to their natures, they were both highly suspicious of those little tubes of worming paste near their faces. :)

In the end, Monte was fairly easy. By now, he's probably pretty certain that we aren't going to do anything that will purposefully hurt him. Zoe, on the other hand, was a two person job. E kept her from backing away while I squished the tube o' paste as far into her mouth as I could.

I'm still sick, so no riding (waaaaay too tired), but E took each horse into the round pen for a bit of exercise. Zoe was quite the pill, kicking out at E several times. I'm thinking that she feels much better and friskier after the chiro visit on Tuesday...not that that makes it okay to kick at anyone. I had to work on her desire to rush into her stall (and to her food!) as well. It took several tries before I let Zoe go to her dinner.

Aching backs

Yesterday included a visit from the chiropractor for both horses. And it appears that this may have been Zoe's first manipulation ever - or at least she acted like that! My little girl was very tense and unsure of what this person was trying to do with her and was not the most cooperative pony. Stephanie commented several times on the horse's tenseness and on how she was holding her breath for long stretches of time. At any rate, Zoe had a hip out and was extremely stiff in the shoulders - there may have been a rib or two out as well, I don't remember.

Monte had a session with Stephanie as well. His problems were less severe (2 ribs out and some other minor adjustments) and totally in line with his current job as jumping pony.

After a chiro visit, we usually give the horses a day or two off, which made the timing of this particular visit unfortunate. Last night was our annual Halloween ride with E's 4-H group. Since E couldn't ride, she ended up leading all of the games for the other club members. The riders discovered that jousting with swim noodles, spoon & ball relay races, and flag races are much harder than they first appear! I think they all had fun, though.

Rainy days

Poor E! She had to muck stalls yesterday in a sideways-rainstorm. It was so miserable that the barn owner even came out to help her. I, on the other hand, stayed dry inside the barn, sniffling and coughing with my cold.

And then it was time for Pony Club. The rain clouds parted, the sun came out and the footing in the arena, while wet, was deemed safe enough. E, however, was cold and grumpy. And mean mom forced her to saddle up. She was not happy (to say the least!) to be going out. I soon learned that part of this feeling was being driven by memories of falling in a wet arena and having Curly land on her ankle.

But this was a different day and a different horse. Ultimately, she and Monte did just fine and even got in a few low jumps. I won't say she was a happy, smiley rider but she was at least no longer teary.

I just wish my cold would go away so I could ride my pony.....I'm tired of being tired.

Squeezing it all in

What a day! I had one of those schedules today where every thing had to happen right on time or the whole thing would fall apart - no wiggle room for any variance at all! And surprisingly, it all came off without a hitch.

I knew as the day began that if I would just cancel my riding lesson this afternoon, tons of stress would be alleviated from the hectic pace of the day....but I just couldn't do it. I so wanted to ride - and now I am so glad I did!

Zoe and I spent our lesson working on getting her to lower her head and to quickly respond to me asking for a trot, then walk. I had to work on relaxing my arms (bend those elbows!) and shoulders, sitting back and tall and looking where I wanted to turn. I kept holding my head to the side, looking down at Zoe's head, trying to see where her nose was. Not a good riding position, to say the least. I just don't have much feel for when she's doing the right thing yet, so I keep looking.

I was able to trot a full 20 meter circle without stopping and we are getting better at picking up the trot and slowing to a walk.

I still feel like I'm pulling awfully hard on her mouth, but my instructor says I'm actually being soft and to not worry. If Zoe wants to feel less pressure, she just needs to lower that pretty Arab nose of hers!

Lesson #1

I actually consider today my true first lesson. This was the first time I've ever paid someone to instruct me in horseback riding, anyway. And my family now thinks I'm nuts. Okay, they already thought that...but this evening I just reinforced that perception. ;) I've been a smiling fool ever since I got back from the barn. I just loved riding my horse and learning how to work with her. I can't wait until my next lesson!

This afternoon, we spent much of the time going in small circles, working on achieving an even pace at the walk. And then she introduced the trot - and I wasn't scared! My goal was to get Zoe to trot for a few steps (her slow, smooth trot) and then to have her transition immediately to a nice walk. If she rushed, I either circled her and asked her to do the whole exercise again or made her stop and start up again. And if she took a step after asking for the halt - well, we just kept doing all of this again and again and again......you get the picture. :)

We also worked on asking Zoe to give her head rather than keeping it high in the air like she wants (like most Arabians want, actually!). I know this is something she can do - I'll just have to remind her of her long lost skills.

So I learned that I have a tendency to lean forward and to hold tension in my shoulders. To be sitting up straight in the saddle I have to lean back so far I feel like I'm actually leaning back. Strange feeling, actually. I also forget to keep my thumbs up while turning and move them too far out from the horse. My foot position was never critiqued, but I could tell that I spent the majority of the lesson with my toes pointed down. I'm sure this is something I'll eventually have to work on but my instructor thankfully didn't choose to focus on feet as well as hands....I don't think I could have done it all! There's just so much to remember!

By the end of the lesson, my legs were noticeably tired and I could barely swing my leg over the cantle to dismount. I look forward to the day when I can ride for an hour and still look graceful coming out of the saddle.

First Lesson

I just love my pony! :)

We went out to the barn for a short visit this afternoon and while I was brushing Zoe another barn resident (A) offered to ride with me. When I got into the arena, she helped me with some mounting tricks (mainly getting Zoe to stand still where I wanted her) and then showed me the correct way to steer Zoe. I was amazed at how much more responsive my horse was once I started doing things a little more correctly - her turns were almost immediate and so smooth. A also helped me with the position of my feet and legs (I had my toes down and legs/ankles too far forward).

She then taught me how to cue for a forehand turn and a haunch turn. Those will take a bit of work for sure. Zoe definitely knows how to do these skills, but she is not one to give anything to me unless I ask correctly. Which I'm not able to do yet.

At one point Zoe picked up a nice trot - and I wasn't scared. I didn't let her keep it up, because that wasn't the point of today's ride, but it was nice to realize I could handle the increased speed. In fact, I felt in control and not nervous for the whole ride. What a nice change!

As I was riding around I remembered that E's first real ride on a horse and "lesson" came from A over 4 years ago! How fitting that she should be the person to help me with Zoe and give me my first lesson too.

Jumping with Briggs

So today's lesson for E was a jumping one. And boy does her pony love to jump! As soon as they get into the arena his ears prick forward and off they go, rushing to the first obstacle. E is very proud of the fact that she and her pony were the only ones not called back to redo any part of the pattern. All of the participants did well - some even doing more than they ever thought possible. This instructor has a gift for successfully pushing the students out of their comfort zones a bit.

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She also loved the fact that Jim Briggs really - and I mean really! - liked Monte. He asked if he could pack him into his suitcase and take him home. :)

While chatting on the sidelines, one of the parents suggested we start a parent Pony Club group (I think they are called "Riding Masters" or something like that). Wouldn't that be a hoot? I'm hoping I can be a part of that should it actually come about.

Jim Briggs Clinic

It's been a busy day at the barn. E rode Monte in a dressage lesson with Jim Briggs, cleaned some stalls, rode a second lesson (on Zoe this time) and then finished mucking stalls. She's one pooped kid - but that didn't stop her from running off to a birthday party at the corn maze tonight! :)

The lessons went well on both horses but E says she still prefers Monte. Her words were that "Zoe knows how to do all that stuff but she makes you work for it. You have to ask her precisely and correctly. Monte just does it because he wants to." So for her, Monte was more fun to ride. I think they know each other so well that it all just flows so much more easily. Given time, she and Zoe could build the same relationship...but for now, she doesn't want to do that.

But I do. :) Next year, it will be me riding in this clinic.....

Into the arena

Me and my pony....don't you just love R's pink helmet!

Photos courtesy of R....

So today I finally made it out of the round pen. After R and I worked with her on the ground first, I saddled Zoe up and made sure she was responding to my ques while riding in the round pen. Then I asked R to open the gate and off we went into the big arena.

We begin the trek around the big arena....

Zoe's pace picked up a little and her ears perked forward as we entered this new space. She was very aware of all the birds coming and going all over the place and was a bit wary of the stacks of jumping standards on one side, but we managed just fine.

Next step - get over my fear of speed and finally ask for a trot. (My heart starts twittering just thinking about it! Yikes!)

E & Monte update: E had her first real gallop last Sunday. We spent the evening at a good friend's house and while the burgers were cooking the kiddos raced through the pastures. It was great to see E and her pony tear by at breakneck speeds - until we saw just Monte race by without his rider! All riding came to a screeching halt while we made sure E was okay (she was - she immediately popped up, stomping up a hill, mad that she had come out of the saddle.). Turns out they tried to jump something and halfway through the jump Monte reconsidered. Rather than pull on her horse's mouth terribly, E let go and fell off. A new rule was set down by me - no jumping in her Western saddle! E quickly agreed that maybe it wasn't the best idea. :) But she did decide that she loves to gallop....and I think Monte loved it too.

Early Birthday Present

Today is the day that Zoe officially joins our family. Yeah!

She has continued to be a sweetie and everyone who has had to handle her sings her praises. Last week our barn manager even told me that if I didn't buy her, she would. We all just love Zoe that much.

Zoe was placed with a small group of mares this past week and seems to have integrated fairly well. She is a little nervous, and definitely not the alpha, but the other horses out there haven't kicked or bitten her; the alpha does run her around a bit, but eventually lets Zoe be. And there is an upside to the running - Zoe is beginning to lose some of her fat and is starting to tone up a little.

I have lost some of my fear while riding Zoe - or at least am more confident that I can manage her at a walk. And a walk is all we have done. I planned to take her up to a trot yesterday, but after a 6+ mile walk earlier in the morning I was already sore; my hips just couldn't take much more! E rode her out in the arena, though, and had a great time. She said that Zoe has a powerful stride and can be quite fast. Hmmmmm......

Fair update: So we survived and there was only one spat of tears this year. And they were quite justified, too. The judging was very strict (no grade inflation this year!) and our motto became "red is the new blue!" The judges would have whole classes with no blues, or with only one or two, and then would decline to hand out Grand/Reserve Champion ribbons. It was unbelievably tough. And disappointing to the children. E managed 4 reds, 1 white (She forgot the pattern, so really deserved the white. But the pattern she did was quite lovely!), and 1 blue. The blue was in Hunter/Hack - the jumping class, so it makes sense that she would get a blue in it. That's what she and Monte have really focused on this past year.

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E and Monte participated in the open English show on the Saturday of the fair. This was a hard day for them. In the English Equitation class, the judge asked for the riders to drop their stirrups and post around the arena. E managed to do this - not perfectly, but pass-ibly. The upset came when riders were placed that did not do the skill and she did not get a ribbon at all, even though she had done what was asked. Several people came up to her saying that she really should have been placed over at least 2 of the other competitors. The only reason I can think she wasn't is that the judge was remembering previous rides E had had that were not so stellar and was not basing the current class on the current ride only. So unfair, really. But there's nothing to be done once the judge has made her decision.

Jumping Lessons

At the end of the jumping lesson tonight, E's instructor called Monte a "scopey pony." Scopey pony? What's that?

I now know that means a horse or pony that has a large "scope" or can jump a large distance/height. Tonight, Monte jumped a 9' spread. A ground pole had been set out to help them set up the jump; he just started his jump from that point and never took the step or two that were supposed to happen in between.

Silly pony. Don't you know I'm just joking when I say you can jump over the moon?

Barn Project

I think that's what I'm becoming - the "barn project." :)

E had a jumping lesson last night, so I pulled Zoe out for some halter work. Another parent at the barn, L, stops me and declares that I need to ride and that she will ride her horse with me. I immediately tell her that I'm still stuck in a slow walk - but that's no matter to her, she'll walk right along with me. Well, how can I back out now? So I swallow the ball of fear in my throat (which settles quite nicely and solidly in my belly, thank-you-very-much!) and begin to tack up my horse. This may be only the third or fourth time I've ever tacked up a horse completely on my own - and definitely the first time in over a year.

It takes me a bit longer to get ready and L is already out in the dressage arena by the time I get out there. Another teenager was trotting and cantering around that particular arena so I decided to begin my ride in the round pen by myself; a second adult rider then joins L and the teenager, and she understands my hesitation to go out there. I'm still not sure enough to leave the controlled environment of the round pen. Everyone needs a security blanket at times!

Zoe and I did just fine together. I think I'm getting more consistent in letting her know what I want and she's figuring out what my pullings and pushings mean. :) I had to get off once to tighten the girth and Zoe was very quiet and patient during the whole process. At one point in our ride, she did start to trot so I slowed her back to a walk; the trot was easy to sit for those few steps she took, but it needs to be my idea, not hers! In the end, I spent about 40 minutes in the round pen walking with my horse.

Throughout the ride various barn residents would call out encouragement. It was really sweet. L stated that we need to get a pattern together and ride the doubles class in the fair next year - our horses are almost identical in size and coloring. I laughed since I'm not sure I'll be cantering by then. Several people assured me that yes, I would be!

See, I've become the barn project. And I'm quite happy.

Horse-filled day

What a busy day! I started off with a 6 mile walk (14:30 pace) up the Mill Creek trail. I actually get energized by my morning walks, so that was a great way to begin today. Once home, I prodded E out of bed so we could make it to the barn by 10:00. I had a "date" with C to ride Zoe and I wasn't going to be late for nothing!

C pulled out one of her Western saddles to try on Zoe; it actually fit fairly well so I felt a little more comfortable/safe getting on her back today. Zoe was patient as I put on her tack - I bet it's the first time I've done this in about a year. I led her into the round pen and C held her while I got up, but really, she stood quite still on her own.

I spent about 30 minutes just walking with her, getting a feel for her movement and learning how to turn, stop, move over and back up. Zoe was very good for me, only spooking a little bit when we got near the side of the pen that has a tree (wind was blowing this morning). My hesitancy probably didn't help her get over her own fears, but we managed.

After my 30 minutes, C got on to see what skills Zoe actually has. She was so impressed with the smoothness of Zoe's trot and also found her canter nice. Zoe didn't offer to kick-out today when asked to go faster; not sure what the reason is, but happy she didn't act out. The horse spooked a little more significantly while C was riding, but it wasn't anything I wouldn't be able to control once I have a few more skills myself. At the end of her ride, C said, "Go write a check for this girl!" Obviously, she enjoyed Zoe. :)

The afternoon was spent preparing for E's D-2 rating and then actually completing the rating. She passed with flying colors, managing a few "exceeds standards" in the riding portion of the test. To help make sure Monte was ready, E has been riding him daily since Thursday; she didn't want a repeat of the star-gazing pony she rode during Hot August Nights!

Congratulations E!

It's back to work for me tomorrow, and then fair preparations begin in earnest. I think our horse time is going to be seriously encroached upon. I'm hoping we can squeeze in some fun rides, though. Crossing my fingers right now! :)

Practice makes perfect

E and Monte participated in a local show last night, Hot August Nights. It takes place every year on the first 3 Thursdays of August and is pretty low key - a great way to help prepare for the upcoming county fair.

Between bug bites, vacations and sprained ankles, E has not really ridden Monte in about a month. She got two decent rides in this week but that's it. And last night showed that it's not enough either. Her little pony was more than a handful and truly lived up to the Arab stereotype of a hot headed horse. It's heartbreaking to watch your little girl struggle to do her best. Needless to say, no ribbons were won (they did get one reserve - a.k.a. 7th place) but on the bright side, she managed to keep him under hand and did not come out of the saddle.

So, E will be putting more time in the saddle over the next week or so. Hopefully fair goes smoother.

Oh, and as I was sitting in the stands I realized that I could have brought Zoe and participated in the showmanship class. Told myself that next year we'll be competing at Hot August Nights....hmmmm, sounds like I'm making my decision about this horse, doesn't it? ;)

Bareback, part deux

Both E and I are loving this new horse. We can't wait to get out to the barn each day to visit with Zoe and are happy to just be with her, letting her graze in the grass. It makes me smile each time I come around the corner of the barn and see her waiting at the gate for us. It seems like she enjoys our visits as much as we do!

Yesterday I had my first ride on her. Given that I have next to no experience in an English saddle, I decided to try bareback. (Feel free to question my logic here - I've never ridden bareback either! I just thought that if I was going to fall off, at least with bareback there would be less equipment for me to get tangled up in.)

Climbing on was no problem; she is pretty good at standing patiently. I was surprised at how wide she is once I go on; her broad back definitely stretched my hip and leg muscles a bit! I asked E to lead us for the first couple of circuits in the round pen - I freely admit to being a chicken! But after I got a feel for the movement under me and realized that I could indeed stop her, I walked off on my own....for maybe a total of 3 minutes. :) But I did it.

Today when we go out we're going to see if our Western saddle is wide enough for Zoe. If not, our barn manager thinks she has one that might fit. I'm looking forward to trying Zoe for real!

Monte update: E has been hesitant to push Monte (His reaction to our touches are rather dramatic.) but I showed her that I could brush him and he didn't shy away from me. So she went ahead and saddled him up and was able to ride for a few moments. Unfortunately, she has a sprained ankle and isn't able to do much. At any rate, she was very happy to see that he's getting better.

Oh, and she got a job! E will now be mucking stalls at the barn on Saturdays and Sundays. I think it's perfect.

Bareback Excitement

Took grandma out to the barn this afternoon to meet Zoe. She was suitably impressed with how pretty our new pony is and said that she seems kind and gentle.

I hand-grazed for a bit, although Zoe didn't seem too interested in the grass. A night in the pasture must have agreed with her. :) After a bit, E decided to ride bareback in the grassy area around the barns.

E was surprised how easy it was to sit Zoe's trot; she compared it to riding Monte's with a saddle. So either Zoe is incredibly smooth or Monte has a truly awful trot. Probably a bit of both. At any rate, E said it was really fun to ride bareback with her. After a few minutes of warming up, E asked for a canter. Like before, Zoe did not want to go into the requested gait....and she actually bucked this time. Her buck, however, was more surprising than scary. It really was more of a hop, and pretty much straight up and down. E had no trouble staying on, even bareback.

After the buck, E really insisted on getting a canter, which she was able to achieve for a few strides a minute or two later. She then dismounted and after unbridling her, we let her graze for a few minutes before going back to the stall.

So what does this mean? Maybe there is something that hurts when she picks up the canter? Or she is out of shape enough that she just doesn't want to? Or stubborn enough? Maybe she's just testing a new rider to see if she can get off easy? And is this something that is trainable/fixable? Probably. As for possible pain, we'll be going to the vet on Tuesday for a pre-purchase exam so I'll ask about that then.

And if she's still doing this buck thing at the canter towards the end of our trial period but we think she is otherwise great, I'll call the chiropractor out and see if there's something physical that might be contributing to the misbehavior. I really want this to work out.

Settling In

We went out to the barn to hand-graze Zoe for an hour or so yesterday. She's still separated from the other horses and has spent her time cooped up in Monte's stall and run.

Enjoying some green grass

As we were hanging out, C, our friendly barn manager, came over to say how much she likes Zoe so far. She is super excited for us and is really hoping this works out. As we were chatting, E took Zoe back to her stall - which she wasn't too happy about (understandably!). When E turned to leave the stall, Zoe snuck past her and trotted happily out of the stall. E got a little animated and called out for help but in the end it was Zoe herself who helped. She just walked right back to E within a minute. What a good girl!

As we were watching all of this, C got all excited about seeing Zoe's trot. This horse has beautiful foot movement and is wonderful to see. It is obvious that she is meant to be a dressage princess. :)

Zoe got to spend the night in a pasture last night. Today's schedule is a bit wonky due to various events (sleepovers, bbq's, weddings, etc.) so I think she might be relegated to the stall again but I'm hoping that tomorrow we can put her in a pasture with other horses. I know we are being overly cautious about all of this, but we just want to make sure she integrates well - and there is someone around to make sure that that is what is happening. I don't want any meanies picking on my new baby!

Monte fly bite update: He still shies away when we touch the area but I'm wondering if his reaction is becoming habit rather than actual pain. Or maybe it's itchy? Anyway, the reaction is greatly reduced and we can gradually get him to allow us to touch the area. E thinks she might try a saddle on him either this afternoon or tomorrow. Crossing my fingers that all goes well.

Hello Zoe!

Ever since we lost Curly I have been keeping an ear open for a potential mount for me. I haven't actively searched, but whenever someone I knew suggested a horse, I considered it. I got really excited a few weeks back over a Rocky Mountain Pleasure horse named Haley, but ultimately decided she would not be a good fit for our family.

Yesterday was a different story, however. A friend knew of a horse that needed to find a home ASAP and thought that we might be interested. I delayed calling the owner for a few weeks (didn't want to pursue anything prior to leaving for our vacation - plus I have to admit that I get terribly anxious whenever we look at a potential horse!). I finally got up the nerve to call and after a nice conversation with the owner, wondered why I was so anxious. :) I started to get more excited about this mare as we talked; she has been ridden by beginners and her daughter for the past three years, and is generally a sweet, calm horse. Her name is Fancy Favory, but her barn name is Zoe, and she is a Lipizzaner-Arab cross. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? We made plans for us to come visit them that afternoon.

Fancy Favory, a.k.a. Zoe

Zoe was standing calmly tied when we arrived and didn't seem too concerned that all these strange people were swarming around her. Within minutes of our arrival, she let me pick up her feet and was happy to have the girls brushing her. Her owner demonstrated how well behaved she is while being sprayed and even during clipping. Her only real vice seems to be pinning her ears when you cinch her up - but she still stands still while you do it, so hey, I can live with that!

E took a short ride on Zoe and decided that she is almost as responsive as Monte - a high compliment from E! Zoe's first owner had used her as a dressage horse and traveled to competitions up and down the West coast. She hasn't used those skills in several years, but the potential is there.

After a short visit we decided to ask for a trial period - and her owner gave us a generous month to determine if this was the right horse for us.

Unloading Zoe at the barn...

I picked Zoe up this morning (she loaded beautifully and stood quietly for the whole trip) and we brought her back to our barn. She'll be taking Monte's stall for the short term as the barn is pretty full at the moment. I'm sure he won't mind being relegated to the pasture full time. :)

Checking out the new pastures...

Zoe was very nervous when we arrived, looking at everything and unsure about what was happening. She willingly followed us around the facility and into the run of the stall, but did not want to approach the stall itself. R tried luring her in with treats and hay for about 10 minutes, but Zoe just didn't want to set foot inside that scary, dark place! (Later in the afternoon, E was able to lead her in.)

R trying to lure Zoe into the stall...

We made three trips to the barn today to make sure she was settling okay. On the third trip, E saddled Zoe up and had a quick easy ride on her in the round pen.

E says her trot is so smooth. (Anything is smooth compared to her pony, though!) Zoe is responsive, but does need more leg pressure to get moving. That may partly be because they haven't developed a rapport yet, however. After walking and trotting for about 10 minutes, she wanted Zoe to pick up her canter - and discovered that she couldn't get her to do it. After trying and trying for a minute or two, our barn manager suggested E use her inside leg to "hold up" Zoe's shoulder and then put pressure on the outside leg to ask for the canter. And that did the trick - Zoe immediately cantered a few strides.


As E was asking however, she did lower her head - E thought she was stumbling; C thought she was thinking about bucking. Both are totally plausible. I don't think much has been asked of Zoe for quite a while and I'm sure she wasn't too happy to be made to work. ;) It probably wasn't easy for her to give E the 15 minutes she asked for since she's really out of shape right now. At any rate, we'll keep an eye on this.

I'm so excited right now!

Yearly Goodwill Run

Our local Goodwill saves all Western wear donations throughout the year and puts them out for sale just before the start of the county fair. We learned about this practice 3 years ago and have begun to make a yearly pilgrimage of sorts there at the beginning of August. Almost every year we find a great pair of boots for at least one (if not all!) of us, as well as a few other doo-dads.

And this year was no different:

So for just under $60 we picked up 2 show shirts (with appropriate sparkle and bling!), 2 hats, and a pair of gently-used Justin boots for E. Not too shabby!

R, showing off her new cowgirl hat.

E, waiting at the dentist in her new hat.
(Note the braces-free smile! Yeah!)

Pesky flies

After a break from riding (we were on vacation), E had her first lesson in two weeks yesterday. We were both happy to be heading out to the barn and I looked forward to seeing Monte. Plus E really needs to buckle down and practice some of her riding skills before the county fair hits.

Monte was happy to see E and even seemed pleased to see me. At one point E went to get something from the trailer, and while she was away he inched closer to me, lowered his head and gently rubbed his nose on my knee. Too cute for words! :)

Unfortunately, the fly bites on Monte's back are still bothering him. They are not quite as large as before, but he shies away whenever we try to touch them. And he was definitely throwing dirty looks at the person trying to do the touching!

Consequently, E did not ride him for Pony Club yesterday. But she was able to ride another PCer's horse, Sienna. Sienna is a Tennessee Walker - and E was (pleasantly) surprised how smooth and responsive she was. Monte is so light that she often finds other horses a bit hard to cue; Sienna was just about as easy as Monte.

The best part of the lesson is that E finally got her D2 checklist completed and can now schedule her rating. Hoping to have that done in two weeks.....

Bug bites?

E and Monte had to skip their riding lesson last night. It appears that Monte has been repeatedly bitten by either some sort of vicious fly or bees. There are big lumps near his withers, in the brown spot he has there. And it seems to be painful for him.

He was quite agitated whenever we tried to touch the spot, twitching and moving away quickly whenever his skin was brushed there. Poor pony!

So, we'll be keeping an eye on him and be more regular with the fly spray in the coming weeks.

Managing fear

R ended horse camp last week with a bucket-load of fear. She went back on Tuesday - did okay - and the same can be said for Wednesday. But on Thursday, there was another incident that caused her to be afraid again. It caused all the campers to be afraid, actually. So I got another call on Thursday morning and then she decided to not ride on Friday. And I totally understand.

But here's the kicker - she still wants to try riding! She just needs to find a horse and an environment that helps her feel safe and in control.

So good friend T has stepped up and offered lessons on her horses, which we took advantage of this morning.

R and Spirit on their first ride together.

T is a gentle teacher and is hopeful that R will fall in love with riding like the rest of us crazies. They spent the first 30 minutes of their lesson choosing a horse, brushing and generally getting to know Spirit, and then leading him around with the halter. Only then did R get to mount up. To help R relax, T showed her how he was really trying to do whatever R asked. She also got her to let go of her death grip on the horn by having her drop her reins and pretend to be an airplane, guiding the horse with only her legs and body movements.

At the end of the lesson, R was smiling. And on the way home, she was totally happy and asking to come back for more lessons and rides on Spirit. Thank you T!

R loves the dorsal stripe and zebra leg markings that Spirit has. So do I!

Tiny saddles

I rode today. For the first time in over a year. And, boy, was I scared!

Let me elaborate.....

Another boarder at our barn owns several horses that are currently just sitting in the pastures. His children aren't currently using them so the horses are really living on easy street. I approached him about possibly leasing one of them (horse, not child!) and he thought it would be a great idea.

So today was my first trial ride on Badger, the 18 year old quarter horse. Badger is a generally sweet guy, is supposedly well versed in trail riding and prefers to go at a slower pace. Sounds perfect for me, doesn't it?

I was warned that he will try to test a new rider, making steering and just plain forward motion difficult, but that once the rider shows who's in control, Badger will buckle down and do what is asked. Okay. I can do this.

Upon arrival at the barn this morning, I discovered that the western saddle we currently have available (remember, R is using the good one at camp) does not fit Badger. Alrighty, then. E and I saddle him up with her English saddle.

E rides first and says that yeah, this is the horse for you mom - meaning, he doesn't want to go faster than a toe-dragging walk. Badger does try to take her out of the round pen at one point and she has a bit of a struggle keeping him going in the right direction, but they get it worked out.

So, it's now my turn. First challenge - this guy is tall! Taller than Curly, anyway. And I have no strength in my legs to hoist my fat butt up there. So we walk over to a mounting block and on I get. Did I mention the English saddle? Well, it's tiny. At least, it feels tiny compared to the huge ol' Western ones I'm used to. And I've never sat in an English saddle before. So there I am, riding for the first time in over a year on an unfamiliar horse, in a saddle I've never used, with weak legs and suddenly I'm scared. There is nothing holding me on there - no horn to grab, no comforting seat cradling me, nothing.

But I don't let on how scared I am....I just squeeze....no motion....okay, I kick his sides, and forward we go. And true to his nature, Badger starts his toe-dragging walk. He is very quick to halt when asked. Steering turns out to be bit of a problem for me. I kept forgetting that there is no neck-reining in English but other than one moment when Badger tries to run me against the gate (E gamely gets between the gate and my leg, saving my knees from scrapes and bruises), we manage okay.

So, I think Badger and I could get along. We still have to work out who is boss....and I definitely want a Western saddle. It was so strange being perched up on that little saddle, able to feel the movement of the horse so much more fully (and alarmingly!). Eventually, I think I want to learn to ride English. But for right now, I just want to get my courage back. And maybe Badger is the horse to help me do that.

The Tunnel of Death

The kids heading out for camp instruction...

What a first day at horse camp....and not one I'd like to repeat. I'm sure R is thinking along the same lines.

The morning started off breezy (not a good thing), but bright. R caught Monte, nice and easy, and we loaded up and headed out to the first day of horse camp. I helped her unload and set up her stuff and then headed out for a trip to the grocery store.

As I was checking out at the store I decided to take a quick look at my phone - and then panicked when I saw a message from the camp instructor. R had been thrown - twice - and was on her way home with Dad.

So here's what happened: R saddled up (with help, of course) and easily mounted Monte and then headed out to the trail course. She immediately headed towards the tarp tunnel (a.k.a. "The Tunnel of Death" - at least according to Monte now!) - in hindsight, probably not the wisest choice. As they were standing at the entrance, a big gust of wind came up and the tunnel expanded into a huge horse-eating monster, which terrified Monte, who then proceeded to back up as fast as possible, leap over a pile of logs, dash off to a back corner of pasture, do a speedy 360, helicoptering R out of the saddle in the process. I hear the display was quite impressive. They even broke one of the reins.

The Tunnel of Death

There were tears (Of course! Who wouldn't cry after all that!), but R got back in the saddle and went out into the arena. All was going along smoothly for about another 10 minutes until other riders began to speed up. Well, Monte (who's still plenty amped up from the previous performance) decides that he needs to speed up too. And he kept speeding up, as R tried to (ineffectively/inexpertly) slow him down. Her death grip on the horn and with her thighs weren't helping much, unfortunately, and the end result is that she fell off again. After this fall, she was done for the morning - and it was only 10.

Luckily, there were no serious injuries but she does have a nasty bruise on her side and it now hurts to run or walk on uneven surfaces. And surprisingly, she wanted to come back to camp for a second day. What a tough girl! I am so impressed with her courage, 'cause heaven knows I probably wouldn't have gone back for round 2!

R's bruise. She also has a scraped up elbow and bruised knee.

The camp instructor has very generously offered up the use of her amazingly trained horse, Julima, for the remainder of camp week. R went out this morning, saddled Julima up, and tackled the trail course again. She even went through "The Tunnel of Death" with Julima. Did I mention how courageous she is?

R and Julima, getting their morning instructions.

R is scared, of course, and is pretty much keeping Julima in a slow, steady walk, but she's up there, conquering her fear and trying new things right along with the other kids.

A, handing a flag to R

At the end of the lesson today the kiddos were asked to show the instructors one new thing they learned to do with their horses that morning. R immediately came over to the side rail, picked up a flag, and proudly showed A that she can walk and trot while holding the flag. We were all very proud of her today.

R & Julima, doing parade practice. :)

Back in the saddle again?

R recently announced that she would like to start riding again. I was totally surprised - and very happy! I so want to share my joy with horses with both my daughters, but have been very careful to not force either one into the activity.

Anyway, Monte being our only horse at the moment, R went out and had her first real ride on him yesterday. We saddled him up, shortened the stirrups (by 6 holes - and shoulda gone up at least one more really!) and led the horse and rider to the round pen.

Now, R has been up on Monte before - usually on lead-line and one other time in the round pen. But this ride was to be a test of sorts. In the past, E has ridden him first to get all his tricks worked out and quite honestly, to tire him a bit as well. Yesterday we decided that R should be the first rider so we could find out if he will attend to her without the prep and to make sure she could stay in charge as well. And they did fine.

Since R is a beginner, and Monte is pretty much a one-person-horse at this time, the pony was very confused by the cues (or lack of!) being given. It took R a bit to turn him and in the end she had to just pull his head in the direction she wanted to go. But she could steer. And go. And most importantly, stop.

Then she asked if she could go out in the big arena. I was a bit nervous (There are so many spooky things out there! - according to Monte, anyway!), but said yes. R calmly entered the arena, I gave her a pattern to follow.....and she did it!



Monte drags his feet terribly while she is riding and he did little naughty things like rub her leg up on the fence. But he didn't bolt, or try to even go faster, and in the end he basically did whatever R asked. I couldn't ask for much more at this point.

Monte took R through a tall bush - bad pony! - and got a mane and tail full of flowers for his effort!

So.....here's the big news....R gets to go to horse camp next week! The same camp that helped E learn to ride and really cemented her bond with Curly in the very beginning. Both R and I are really excited.

And I have my fingers crossed that Mr. Monte keeps his head the whole week and doesn't do anything stupid to scare my newest rider. I really want her to like this.....

Deary

E and Monte had horse camp this past week - and what a blast it was! Ever since she started Pony Club we've been told "You HAVE to go to Deary!" E was also told that it was more intense than the rallies we went to. Which had me a bit worried, because heaven knows, the rallies took quite a bit of energy!

We packed on Tuesday, trying to make sure we had whatever we might need for the coming week. And I think we did pretty good, except that a couple of key items were left behind at the last moment.

While picking up hay at the barn on Tuesday afternoon, another boarder requested some help from E (Their pony was being a butthead and pulling back while tied - but that's a whole 'nother story!). In the process of helping them out, we forgot to reload the extra stall bedding and the muck boots that had been temporarily taken out of the truck while we packed in some extra hay. Those two things would've been mighty handy once we got out to Deary since there were torrential rains a couple of nights before we arrived, turning the whole property into one huge mud pit.

I also walked out the door on Wednesday morning without my foot bands (for my plantar faciitis) and my sunhat - both things I can live without, but again, sure would've been nice to have them!

Wednesday started out very smooth, but way too early. Out of bed at 4:45 and on the road by 5:30. We picked up our friend's horse, Handsome, and hit the highway around 6. Check-in at camp was between 9 and 11, and I had been warned that earlier is better because you can choose a better camping spot. Given that we were staying in a tent, a prime spot was VERY important to me! So, we arrived at Deary around 9:30.

Entering the Pony Club camp.
This was taken after several days of no rain, so the road is no longer a river of mud.

We immediately discovered that the whole place was sopping wet, with part of the property being totally closed off to any traffic. People driving 4-wheel drive trucks couldn't even get through the road. After some truck juggling (since we only have 2-wheel drive and couldn't safely position the trailer ourselves), another rig pulled our trailer into place and we found a relatively dry, if not flat, spot to put up our home-away-from-home. I decided sleeping on a slope with toes downhill was preferable to sleeping in a bog.

E returning to the campsite after 6 a.m. horse chores....note the incline - and her smile!

Camp could now begin!

Deary is both a horse management rally and a summer camp with riding lessons. E's team was made up of younger Pony Clubers, one from her own club and two boys from others. Their counselors were also on the younger side, although both very experienced PCers. It took the team some time to figure out their rhythm and pull the tack and feed rooms together, but in the end they managed to place 7th (out of 8) in the rally.

The Red Team - ready to put on their skit. :)

The first riding lesson, on Wednesday afternoon, was led by a veteran PCer named Erin who has been coming to Deary for 32 years (she is also 32, by the way!). The other students in the group were young riders and after the lesson, E asked to be moved to a different group. Although she is still rated as only a D1, her skills are a bit above that rating. I was very proud of her for taking the initiative and approaching her instructor to ask if she could join a different group. When she asked, Erin agreed that E was definitely able to do more than was being taught and arranged for E to move to lessons with another instructor, Sarah Stanton.

Riding up to the arena for a lesson.

E's first lesson with Sarah proved to be a better placement. And Sarah was able to get E to finally SIT UP STRAIGHT AND NOT LEAN FORWARD while riding! A major, if simple, breakthrough for E. She also had the students trot over poles with no hands.

Look, mom. No hands!

The second lesson with Sarah was a jumping lesson. They jumped cross poles and small banks. Because E is so tall and her pony is not, she has to be super conscious of her body position, especially when jumping. Slight changes in her body angle can have big consequences on his balance. This makes jumping a bit difficult for Monte and E, but with practice they can be quite successful. And in the end, E will have great body control and awareness.

Thursday night was skit night for all the campers. E's team had planned ahead, bringing costumes and whatnot for the festivities. Due to E's "memorable" performance as Princess Ella, the other campers called her Princess Emily for the remainder of the week. (PC parents from our own club were surprised at how goofy she was as she's often pretty quiet during our regular lessons. If they only knew!)

E's final lesson with Sarah was on the cross country course. I was nervous about how Monte, a true arena baby, would do out in the open and in the woods. I was especially concerned about all the mud and the pond they would also go through.

Sarah schooled all the riders on how to approach the jumps - and Monte did it! In fact, I think he even enjoyed the experience. I know that E did, anyway. Huge smiles the whole time we were on the course.

Jump #3 on the beginner XC course at Deary.

The footing was still a bit messy, but safe enough.

The last jump on the XC course; they just came up a hill to jump this.

As expected, Monte was totally unsure of the pond. After 2 days of dealing with mud, he had become accustomed to mucky ground that sucked at his hooves, but entering a pond that was almost 3' deep in the center was not his idea of fun. You could see him thinking, "But I'm a desert horse, not a water pony!" E managed to coax him into the water, and I swear that if a horse could tip-toe, he would've been! We all were laughing as we watched him gingerly cross the water with his ears off to the side.

First time into the pond.

At this point, camp ended. But we stayed on to participate in two competitions - Combined Tests, and the Hopeful Horse Trials. Combined tests consisted of a dressage test and a stadium jumping round. In this competition, the lower the score the better; E and Monte scored 34 in dressage (all 6s and 7s, with an 8 thrown in for good measure!) and had a clean jumping round, so they ended up in 2nd place for their division. Yeah! The Combined Tests were over by dinner, and then E began the Hopeful Trials, which consisted of another dressage test, a round of stadium jumping and a cross country competition. E and Monte competed in the Nervous Novice division, along with 14 other competitors.

The dressage portion was completed Friday evening (the same test that they did earlier in the day). By the time they rode the test, Monte was done so their score was a bit higher than the first time through (40.5 - which is still quite respectable for a novice rider).

Saturday was jumping day. E was very happy that she didn't begin riding until early afternoon (a nice change after early mornings during camp). The XC course was deemed too wet in portions, so a few spots were eliminated (including the pond) and/or changed. E found that Monte was VERY nervous about entering the woods without his herd. She had to work to get him over all the obstacles but they managed to get through the course with no refusals.

The last portion of Hopeful, the stadium jumping, took place late afternoon. I hoofed it up the hill to watch the higher level competitors, thinking that I'd leave sometime during that portion to help E get ready. But the competition was so exciting I never left my spot so E had to manage on her own (which she did splendidly, btw). Watching those huge horses (and some not-so-huge horses!) speed through the jumping course was incredible.

Being in the Nervous Novice division, E's jumps were substantially lower than the first riders'. Her challenge consisted of 10 jumps, all 2' or lower. Which was plenty challenging. :) By this time both horse and rider are exhausted, but being the good pony that he is, Monte willingly did whatever E asked and knocked down only one pole at jump #4. Their main problem during the round was that E wasn't focused enough and didn't give Monte clear directions for part of the course.

In the end, she and Monte placed 6th in the Hopeful. Not bad for a first time!

A tired rider, wearing her medal, on her tired pony.

And what was I doing during all of this fun? Well, washing dishes up in the cook shack, cleaning the bathrooms one afternoon and volunteering as a jump judge during the cross country portion of Hopeful. I was plenty busy. :)

And we are both totally looking forward to next year at Deary!