On Friday, E and I went out to the barn to check up on Monte. The swelling in his hind leg was almost invisible, but we decided to not push it with a lesson since he still seemed a little stiff in his movement.
I asked E to pull Curly out for a quick ride instead, with the thought that she could do the next day's lesson on him. But guess who was also lame! With swelling in the same spot, no less! Curly also has quite a bit of tenderness in his mid-back; when we ran our fingers down his spine there were several areas that were painful to him.
So no lesson on Saturday.....which ended up being okay because it rained so much I think we would have had to cancel anyway.
We checked back on the boys on Sunday and Monte was in high spirits with no limping/lameness at all. Curly was still a tiny bit swollen in the hind leg, but seems to be on the mend.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Watermelon Bliss
Wednesdays are a great day around our house. Both the girls and I are done with school early enough that we can easily spend a hour or so out at the barn and still have time to finish homework and chores at home.
E has been asking to go ride lately; she's found a "happy place" with Monte and sees riding as a fun thing rather than work. So today, when we discovered that there was tiny bit of swelling in his right hind, she was sad that she couldn't practice cantering (controlled speed is the goal) and haunch turns. She did take a moment to lead friend L around, however; Monte was very accommodating of the little person on his back. :-)
E leading L on Monte...
After removing all of his tack, E shared her afternoon snack with Monte:
What a generous friend!
Mmmmmm, watermelon drool.....
E has been asking to go ride lately; she's found a "happy place" with Monte and sees riding as a fun thing rather than work. So today, when we discovered that there was tiny bit of swelling in his right hind, she was sad that she couldn't practice cantering (controlled speed is the goal) and haunch turns. She did take a moment to lead friend L around, however; Monte was very accommodating of the little person on his back. :-)
E leading L on Monte...After removing all of his tack, E shared her afternoon snack with Monte:
What a generous friend!We found out a few months ago that Monte and Curly both LOVE watermelon rinds. E was a little more generous today and shared some of the actual watermelon as well.
Mmmmmm, watermelon drool.....Sunday, September 27, 2009
Bath day
It was a glorious, sunny day around here yesterday - not a cloud in the sky and only a small breeze blowing through. I took advantage of this good weather and finally gave Curly a bath.
There is such a contrast between the two horses when it comes to bath time. In most aspects, Monte is the better behaved, better trained animal. But when it comes to water, I'll take Curly any day! It's not that Curly actually enjoys his bath time, but he is tons calmer about the process than Monte is.
Once I washed a year's worth of dirt off his back, Curly turned that wonderful reddy-gold brown that I absolutely love. He is amazingly beautiful when he's all spiffed up.
I had to spend a bit of time working some nasty snarls out of his mane. This was probably the only difficult part of the process. Other boarders from the barn were coming back from a fundraiser ride up at the local reservoir by this time and Curly was anxious about all the activity swirling around him. But we got the job done.
I know that when we go out again today, he'll be back to his regular dirty self. Nothing like a good roll in the dirt right after a bath! (sigh)
There is such a contrast between the two horses when it comes to bath time. In most aspects, Monte is the better behaved, better trained animal. But when it comes to water, I'll take Curly any day! It's not that Curly actually enjoys his bath time, but he is tons calmer about the process than Monte is.
Once I washed a year's worth of dirt off his back, Curly turned that wonderful reddy-gold brown that I absolutely love. He is amazingly beautiful when he's all spiffed up.
I had to spend a bit of time working some nasty snarls out of his mane. This was probably the only difficult part of the process. Other boarders from the barn were coming back from a fundraiser ride up at the local reservoir by this time and Curly was anxious about all the activity swirling around him. But we got the job done.
I know that when we go out again today, he'll be back to his regular dirty self. Nothing like a good roll in the dirt right after a bath! (sigh)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Summer's last hurrah?
It was a very warm 98 degrees this afternoon when we went out to the barn. Sweat was dripping down my face and back before I had even half-way groomed Curly. It felt like summer was making one last stand before the coolness of autumn takes over.
We took some time off from horsey activities this past week. I needed to re-energize after the fair, and I think E did too. Today was our first trip back out to the barns since last Monday. I'm not sure if the boys were happy to see us, but I was definitely delighted to be with them!
I spent my hour with Curly making his coat shiny and clean and then working with him in the round pen. E tacked up Monte with her Western saddle and headed out to the the arena to practice riding with one hand. She's gotten into the habit of riding with two lately - not at all acceptable in Western classes!
About 15 minutes into Curly's workout I heard E shouting "Whoa!" over and over. By the time I figured out it was her and got myself turned around, she and Monte were standing in one corner of their arena. After heading over to make sure she was all right (she was -although she was upset and crying) I found out that he had bolted for no apparent reason and it had almost unseated her. Luckily, she stayed on and was able to stop him.
I encouraged her to practice her disengagement exercises (move front legs, back legs, side pass, flex neck, etc.) to regain his attention, and then to continue riding. It was imperative that she regain her control and confidence, as well as practice some patience. All hard things for her to do while her heart was pounding a mile a minute.
But she did it.
E says that he wasn't perfect after his little episode, but was acceptable.
Our barn manager commented that as long as E kept her seat and then made him work after his naughtiness then all was good. And she is actually quite surprised that he isn't naughty more often given that he was a stud.
Helps me remember that Monte really is a good boy...and even good boys cut loose every once in a while.
We took some time off from horsey activities this past week. I needed to re-energize after the fair, and I think E did too. Today was our first trip back out to the barns since last Monday. I'm not sure if the boys were happy to see us, but I was definitely delighted to be with them!
I spent my hour with Curly making his coat shiny and clean and then working with him in the round pen. E tacked up Monte with her Western saddle and headed out to the the arena to practice riding with one hand. She's gotten into the habit of riding with two lately - not at all acceptable in Western classes!
About 15 minutes into Curly's workout I heard E shouting "Whoa!" over and over. By the time I figured out it was her and got myself turned around, she and Monte were standing in one corner of their arena. After heading over to make sure she was all right (she was -although she was upset and crying) I found out that he had bolted for no apparent reason and it had almost unseated her. Luckily, she stayed on and was able to stop him.
I encouraged her to practice her disengagement exercises (move front legs, back legs, side pass, flex neck, etc.) to regain his attention, and then to continue riding. It was imperative that she regain her control and confidence, as well as practice some patience. All hard things for her to do while her heart was pounding a mile a minute.
But she did it.
E says that he wasn't perfect after his little episode, but was acceptable.
Our barn manager commented that as long as E kept her seat and then made him work after his naughtiness then all was good. And she is actually quite surprised that he isn't naughty more often given that he was a stud.
Helps me remember that Monte really is a good boy...and even good boys cut loose every once in a while.
Monday, September 7, 2009
The importance of saddle fit
Today was a day off - of sorts. E and I took a quick trip out to the barn so she could try out our new saddle pad with Curly.
Old saddle....New saddle pad!
Old saddle....New saddle pad!We recently got this pad to help Monte with his saddle issues. It's made by a company called Equipedic and they claim that it goes beyond just cushioning the impact of a rider on a horse's back. This saddle pad is supposed to disperse the downward force over a greater area, thus making the ride more comfortable for the animal. Sounds good to me...and so far it seems to have contributed to Monte's improved well-being. Of course, we also bought him a better fitting saddle.
I started thinking about Curly and all of his behavior problems and wondered if perhaps a poor fitting saddle could be the source of much of his naughtiness as well. We already knew that his saddle was not the best fit, but had always assumed that it was "good enough." Maybe we were wrong in this assumption.
When E saddled up today, I asked her to use the new pad. Remember, this is the first time one of us has ridden him since June - and he definitely enjoys his "retirement" status. So I was anticipating some resistance from Curly - and possibly even his head shaking/bucking routine. But E found him easy and attentive. Watching from the sidelines, he seemed to have a wonderful, full stride...and well, he just looked darn gorgeous!
R working Curly in the round pen. She's been the only person to
really work with him much this summer.
Maybe a poor fitting saddle has had more to do with his behavior issues than we previously thought. I don't really know. E will work with him a bit more, pushing him a little to see what his response is.
I'm crossing my fingers that he becomes the good boy that I so want him to be...and I know that Rachel is hoping too.
I started thinking about Curly and all of his behavior problems and wondered if perhaps a poor fitting saddle could be the source of much of his naughtiness as well. We already knew that his saddle was not the best fit, but had always assumed that it was "good enough." Maybe we were wrong in this assumption.
When E saddled up today, I asked her to use the new pad. Remember, this is the first time one of us has ridden him since June - and he definitely enjoys his "retirement" status. So I was anticipating some resistance from Curly - and possibly even his head shaking/bucking routine. But E found him easy and attentive. Watching from the sidelines, he seemed to have a wonderful, full stride...and well, he just looked darn gorgeous!
R working Curly in the round pen. She's been the only person toreally work with him much this summer.
Maybe a poor fitting saddle has had more to do with his behavior issues than we previously thought. I don't really know. E will work with him a bit more, pushing him a little to see what his response is.
I'm crossing my fingers that he becomes the good boy that I so want him to be...and I know that Rachel is hoping too.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Fair days....
Entering the arena to compete at the fair...Today is the last day of the county fair. (Can you hear the big sigh relief???) And overall, I have to say it was a rather successful one. There have been no tears and E's outlook each day has been generally positive and upbeat. I couldn't ask for more.
Riding in the Open Command Class....So here's the ribbon count: (4-H uses the Danish judging system)
Showmanship: White
Western Equitation: Red
Western Pleasure: Blue
English Equitation: Red
English Pleasure: Red
Trail Course Challenge:
Team Judging: 4th place (out of 10 ranked)
Individual Educational Poster: Blue
Open Western Command Class: 4th place (out of 6)
Plus, E won the high-point award for her breed class - she'll get a special award for that one.
E receiving her high point award.In non-horse competition, E entered 8 photographs and received blue ribbons for 6 of them, red ribbons for the last 2. I'm pretty sure she'll forward 2 or 3 of her blue ribbon winners on to the Washington State Fair later this week.
To celebrate, she and I shared a funnel cake topped with raspberry sauce......mmmmmm.......
I'm looking forward to taking the horse home tonight and getting back to my regular life. :-)
Monday, August 31, 2009
Breathe, just breathe....
I feel like I am running on fumes right now. The rush to start school AND prepare for fair is just overwhelming at times. Consequently, I don't feel like I'm doing all that well at either task.
E's 4-H group has been decorating and practicing for competition almost non-stop. "Pre-fair" events were held last Thursday; E competed in a halter/showmanship class. As she and Monte completed their pattern I was hopeful that she would get at least a red ribbon, possibly even a blue. We knew she would get dinged for not shaving his whiskers (she disagrees with the practice, since those whiskers are there for a purpose!) but he was attentive to her cues, picked up his trot right away, did so-so on his fore-hand turn and set up decently for inspection. E was attentive to the judge and quartered nicely. And then the judge told her to hold her lead rope directly under the metal clasp. Huh???? We've been taught from the get-go to leave space between your hands and the clasp - that the rope is to act as an extension of your arm and that this extra space helps you SAFELY lead your animal. E, of course, did as the judge asked, and then trotted her horse off the field.
And that judge gave her a white ribbon. I don't get it....I think of white ribbons for the horses that totally mess up the pattern or refuse to do something. Her horse did as asked - on a loose lead rope!
So I became what I had promised myself I would never become - the parent that blames the judge (or referee or ump....) for their child not succeeding. After hearing the ribbon placements we kept muttering "Stupid judge" for the rest of the evening.
Saturday was a busy day trying on saddle after saddle after saddle..... Turns out Monte will be difficult to fit, so we drove all over attempting to find anything that might work. We eventually found one in Hermiston (about 50 miles away) and the shop owner is letting us borrow it for a week to really make sure. Which is good, since the dang thing costs almost $1K! Plus we are probably buying a new saddle pad (to the tune of $200) to ensure that whichever saddle we settle on is as comfortable as possible for Monte. Geesh!
I feel broke now. And I hate to think what fair will end up costing (imagining food, rides, parking, entrance fees, etc.) for the week.
Okay, enough whining....
On the bright side, E is riding Monte again. He seems to be much better. Curly is getting fat and appears happy in his new herd. I hope to work with him more next week and E said last night that she'd like to ride him after fair is over.
Which I think is a grand idea......
E's 4-H group has been decorating and practicing for competition almost non-stop. "Pre-fair" events were held last Thursday; E competed in a halter/showmanship class. As she and Monte completed their pattern I was hopeful that she would get at least a red ribbon, possibly even a blue. We knew she would get dinged for not shaving his whiskers (she disagrees with the practice, since those whiskers are there for a purpose!) but he was attentive to her cues, picked up his trot right away, did so-so on his fore-hand turn and set up decently for inspection. E was attentive to the judge and quartered nicely. And then the judge told her to hold her lead rope directly under the metal clasp. Huh???? We've been taught from the get-go to leave space between your hands and the clasp - that the rope is to act as an extension of your arm and that this extra space helps you SAFELY lead your animal. E, of course, did as the judge asked, and then trotted her horse off the field.
And that judge gave her a white ribbon. I don't get it....I think of white ribbons for the horses that totally mess up the pattern or refuse to do something. Her horse did as asked - on a loose lead rope!
So I became what I had promised myself I would never become - the parent that blames the judge (or referee or ump....) for their child not succeeding. After hearing the ribbon placements we kept muttering "Stupid judge" for the rest of the evening.
Saturday was a busy day trying on saddle after saddle after saddle..... Turns out Monte will be difficult to fit, so we drove all over attempting to find anything that might work. We eventually found one in Hermiston (about 50 miles away) and the shop owner is letting us borrow it for a week to really make sure. Which is good, since the dang thing costs almost $1K! Plus we are probably buying a new saddle pad (to the tune of $200) to ensure that whichever saddle we settle on is as comfortable as possible for Monte. Geesh!
I feel broke now. And I hate to think what fair will end up costing (imagining food, rides, parking, entrance fees, etc.) for the week.
Okay, enough whining....
On the bright side, E is riding Monte again. He seems to be much better. Curly is getting fat and appears happy in his new herd. I hope to work with him more next week and E said last night that she'd like to ride him after fair is over.
Which I think is a grand idea......
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