Wild Child

I had to make a quick trip to the barn yesterday to remove the blankets that had been put on a couple of days ago during a cold snap. The temps are finally rising again (Yeah!) and we broke into the 30's by the afternoon.

I pulled Zoe out of the field and actually took the time to groom her since she's had her blanket on for longer than I like (almost a week) - needed to check that everything was still looking okay. She was a good girl, if a little spooky, and seemed happy to have the attention.

But then I took her into the round pen. My plan was to trot her around for only 4 or 5 minutes - just enough to warm her up. The little poop, though, kicked out at me as I was walking towards her! With both back hooves!

So that was the end of my "short warm-up" plan; we were now in for a full on workout until she regained a better attitude and became my sweet little pony again. As I made her move out into the circle, she was snorting and blowing, her tail standing so high it was arched over onto her back. She was a maniac! And she continued to kick towards the middle of the ring a few times.

After 10 to 12 minutes of trotting/cantering, she was finally beginning to calm down and wanted to stop. Which of course I didn't let her do. Zoe was made to trot nicely around for a few more minutes, until she did finally decide that yes, I was the alpha, and yes, she did know how to do her job.

Either the warmer temps were really energizing yesterday, or she's beginning to enter her estrus cycle and I'm gonna have a handful this spring (please let it be the warmer temps, please let it be the warmer temps!).

But I have to say, either way, I love my pony. :)

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....