Building Character

There are some behaviors in horses that I just can't stand.   One of them is food-fussiness, whether it's pacing the fenceline, pawing the ground, rattling buckets, charging the feeder, or what have you -- essentially when the horses get incredibly obnoxious around feeding time.  For this reason, I mix up the little barn's feeding times regularly, sometimes shifting them around as much as a few hours.  The average feeding times are 9AM and 5PM, but I've fed breakfast as early as 5AM when I needed to drive out of state for the day, and as late as noon when I had a day off and REALLY needed to sleep in.  Dinner can be anywhere from 3 to 8PM, depending on the day and when they were fed in the morning.  Everyone lives outside, on grass, and gets more than enough hay to see them from one feeding to the next, so no one is in danger of starving or sitting around without anything to keep their mouths and guts busy.  Meals stop being such an event, and there's less drama in general when the grain cart comes around.

I'm not above letting a horse go hungry (read: without a grain dinner) for the night... They don't quite see the world in cause-and-effect the way we do, but they do catch on pretty quickly that they only get fed when they can be caught, for instance.  Since I'm usually feeding by myself, I demand that all the horses act safely when I'm handling them -- it's better for me, and better for the adoptables and sale horses when they go on to their next homes.  Since I don't usually have hours and hours to spend walking a horse down in the pasture, I give them a small window in which to come around.  Like I said, they generally figure it out.

Willie is your typical food-motivated gelding, but after seven years with me he knows the deal.   He knows he will never miss a meal, but he also knows he won't get his food a second before I say so.  No pushing, no shoving, no pawing or pacing or rattling.  Instead he usually quivers his nostrils off and sometimes, on the days when I'm really slow, we get the Standardbred Head Flip.  He doesn't get unruly or distracted when everyone else on the farm is eating and he still has to work.  

Jabby, on the other hand... Jabby still has some learning to do. 

My boys were out in the pony pen for an hour or so while I finished up chores, since it was still too warm to put their blankets on and it's the only place on the farm that still has any respectable grass.  The last thing I needed to do before heading home was feed my two, so I figured I would dump their dinners in their feed pans, then grab blankets and toss them back out to eat -- they stay at their own buckets without fighting or swapping, which is handy for me.  I had to walk past them to get to their field, so of course I was followed by a chorus of nickers and four hungry eyes. I threw on Jabby's blankets first, since he had a liner under his sheet, but as soon as I tossed the sheet over his back, I knew some naughtiness was about to unfold. I stepped back as he squealed, whirled, and power-trotted off, sending the sheet sliding over his butt and kicking out at it in indignation.  (This, my friends, is why you never buckle the leg straps first.  Also, why you tie your horses to blanket them.  Ahem.)

I stood in the middle of the pen and let him run and buck.  After about five minutes, I grabbed Willie, who had been trying to avoid the drama as best as possible, and removed him from the enclosure.   I went to catch Jabby, but he was still having his tizzy.  So I sent him on his way again, grabbed the camera, and made him work it out.  When he stood quietly at the gate for a few more minutes, I called him over, and when he walked up calmly and dropped his head for the lead rope, I tied him to the fence and finished blanketing.   Then we took a long walk around the farm, retrieved his brother, and brought them both out to pasture. When I unhaltered Jabby, I asked him to stand next to me a moment more before letting him go to his dinner.

It's a long road to being a Good Citizen Pony, and I'm a heartless taskmaster... But it's worth it in the end.  Eventually maybe Jabby will grow up to be Willie, who falls asleep in the Invisible Crossties while being clipped.

One can hope, anyway.

Catching Up

I always feel bad when I let too much time lapse between posts, but things have been pretty quiet on the home front.  Not that I'm complaining; quiet and boring is better than exciting and awful.  We had a bit of nasty weather -- a brief snowfall, some freezing rain, and of course, the incessant wind -- so we missed a few days of riding here and there.

I admit, when we got the freezing rain, I caved.   Willie had been happily turned out as nature intended, grinding the mud into his lush locks every day without fail.  He even greeted me with the "Wild Stallion" routine one morning -- squealing, spanking the ground, striking, and rearing when I was too slow getting his breakfast out.  It's a naughty, goofy thing he does when he's feeling really good, though the second I walk into the paddock, the play stops and he approaches me with the Eager Ears and quivering nostrils.  But the morning with the really bitter freezing rain, I arrived to find him shivering ever so slightly.  He warmed up as soon as I replenished his hay pile in the shed, but once he had spent a few hours drying off, I noticed the rain had washed him clean, and couldn't resist the opportunity to put his blankets back on -- the small child was coming to ride him the next day, and I wanted him to stay clean for her.  I had intended to take them back off once it was warm and dry enough to transition back, but the weather never really cooperated... And frankly, I really like having him clean -- I already spend all day out in the elements, and if I can shave 20 minutes off of grooming time, I'm that much more likely to ride.  It doesn't really make one whit of difference to Will (though I'm sure he misses coating himself stem to stern in mud), so despite all my own lectures not to be inconsistent with blanketing, I guess I'm just going to keep playing the Daily Blanket Shuffle with two horses instead of one.

Due to the continuing nasty weather, Will's really only been getting ridden about two days a week.  I really didn't think it was a problem, since he's broke as he'll ever be and seemed to be enjoying the whole retirement thing, but a trail ride this weekend change my mind.  We went riding through the nursery, and when his bad eye decided that one segment housed Trees of Doom, I asked him to shoulder-in past it.   It was like the last seven years of training didn't happen.   He inverted, and gawked, and twisted his body in every way but the one I wanted.  After about ten minutes of remedial bending exercises, we finally got past the Doom Trees in a straight line.  When we got back to the farm, we took another fifteen minutes to do a short dressage reminder -- forward-forward-forward trot, and when he offered a stretch, I took it and ran with it, working to keep his shoulders up and bending properly.   Provided the weather cooperates, I'll have to really step his flatwork up again.  Nothing intense, but burning more calories on his end, and re-visiting the bits of lateral work that I've been neglecting.

I've been experimenting a bit with Jabby, and still have not found the Magic Bit for him.   I ordered a steel version of his dressage bit for hunters, but the wrong brand was delivered to the tack store, and it just happens to be sized/shaped differently than the one I wanted.  He's okay in it but happier in the copper-alloy from Korsteel.  Will's driving bit, the mullen eggbutt Happy Mouth, wasn't really his thing. I tried to find a happy medium with the same mouthpiece in a loose ring, I finally found something that he downright HATED.  Within thirty seconds of bridling him, he fussed so badly that he got his tongue over the bit.  I adjusted the fit and tried riding anyway, but all of five minutes under saddle were enough to confirm it was NOT the bit for him.   So we're back to the shiny golden eggbutt and the two new bits have been cleaned and put up for sale, in case you were wondering.  (You weren't, but I feel obligated to post it anyway.)

I am coming to terms with the fact that I most definitely need a new saddle for him.  I'm not sure where the money for it is going to materialize, but after borrowing a few to try on, it's looking like we need an 18W or MW, in something that still has enough clearance for his mountainous withers and big swinging shoulders.  We got very, very close with a jumping model from HDR, but in addition to having a too-wide twist for me, the back of the saddle was doing funny things on him.  After having abysmal luck with local fitters in the past, I may have to resort to long-distance fitting from one or two other places.

After doing the hokey-pokey with some 30-odd saddles back in the early Willie days, saddle shopping is one of my least favorite things, even WITH a reasonable budget.  Something I rather lack at the moment, due to my strange affinity for buying high-end feed and putting cash in the hands of the people that keep my horses healthy.  Alas, I'll find a way.

Next month... Fun things are afoot!  :)

Ich Bin Liebte!

Oh hey, an award!   And I'm actually mentioning it!   Wowie-zowie, Batman, it must be a slow day at the doughnut shop.   (Disclaimer:  I do not work at a doughnut shop.  Nor is it actually that slow of a day .  For that matter, I don't even know Batman.)   PS, I apologize to any native speakers if the subject line is more awkward than Google Translate would have me believe. 

Liebster means “dearest” in German, and the award is intended to help up-and-coming blogs get the attention they deserve. Here are the rules:

1. Copy and paste the award on this blog.
2. Link back to the blogger who gave us the award.
3. Pick your five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers, and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award.
4. Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs.


I actually got this from two bloggers! :)

Kim from Make Mine a Draft, who very recently came over to Blogspot (and is in need of more followers)! She and her horse Gali are a hoot and it's nice to have at least one friend that can sympathize with having to find tack in size Giant.

Emily, writer of Born to Trot, also sent the award my way. Emily is another young blogger with a Super Standardbred, and she and Jet even tried out a version of skijoring with their friends recently. I was actually going to pass this to her when Kim first tagged me, so definitely check out her blog!

In accordance with the award rules, I'm going to pass this along to five newer or lesser-known blogs, which is a daunting task in and of itself, since I follow a few hundred and there are quite a few that are both eligible and deserving, but I'm picking some that I haven't seen tagged yet, that I think my readers will also appreciate.


Bakersfield Dressage -- Karen hails from a different coast and a different sport, but it's still amazing how many ideals we have in common! I'm not actually sure how many followers she has, but her blog is still fairly new so you should check it out if you haven't already. She puts a lot of thought into her posts and updates frequently.

Leaving a Giant Impression -- I can't fumble around with German words and not include Eryn, who currently happens to be transplanted in Germany and thus speaking it far more proficiently than I. Eryn started off blogging about another Standardbred, but now she shares some of the challenges of adjusting to life in a different country, including the horsey culture.

Redheaded Standardbred -- Saxon is one of those uber-rare non-brown Standardbreds that people don't believe exist, and a quite adorable one at that. His owner is a lovely and accomplished horsewoman that has already brought one Standie along through quite a decorated show career, so it should be fun to see how she brings baby Saxon along.

Memoirs of a Horse Girl -- Another Jersey girl striving for classical dressage with a non-classical horse, Val is a very thoughtful writer and I enjoy hearing about her progress with Harley as well as the other horses that helped her along her journey.

Horsez-R-Us -- I've known Stasha for a few years now, and I'm so glad she's finally getting more horse time in her life. She is a willing and enthusiastic learner and it's fun to relive, through her eyes, those days of discovering horses from the ground up.


 That's all for now! Real updates coming by the weekend, I hope.

The Moose Goes Public

This morning we continued with Project:  Take Jabby New Places. Holidays usually don't mean anything for me, but since my boss recently reminded me that I DO actually get a few vacation days per year, I decided to take advantage of the fact.  A group that usually holds hunter/jumper shows was hosting an open schooling day at the Horse Park, with a full course of well-decorated fences set up in the indoor.  For a small fee, you could trailer in and have full use of the facilities -- so long as there were no private sessions booked, anyway!  I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to expose Jabby to both new jumps and a hectic schooling area, plus give him even more ship-out mileage.  I know he showed a bit before, but we still haven't trailered together all that much and I want to know what I might be in for before taking the plunge and signing up for a show, low-key atmosphere or not.

Even though it was a "day off" for me, I actually had to wake up earlier than usual to get dressed, feed myself, feed the little barn, and make it to the Horse Park with enough time to sign paperwork before our 9AM start time.  The world was still dark when I rolled out of bed, and when I checked the forecast, the current temperature was in the teens -- just barely.

Jabby wasn't thrilled with the idea of another outing so soon, or so early in the morning.  When I went out to retrieve him he turned and walked away from me!   He wasn't too hard to grab, though, and once again I saddled him up before loading him into the trailer, this time with two heavy coolers to combat the chill.  With the dashboard thermometer still providing a dismal reading, we headed off to the park.

Shiny Pretty Things

After my last post we continued our crafty ways, and more jumps were built, painted, and assembled at our increasingly DIY little farm:

 

Wanted: More Magic

This week has been an even wilder roller coaster of emotions than usual.   After one facet of my life finally stressed me nearly to the breaking point, I thought I had stumbled onto an amazing solution that was going to solve most of my problems at once.  (Albeit one that came with nonstop backbreaking labor, but hey, I was game.)  Alas, it wasn't meant to be, and once again I feel like Charlie Brown to the universe's Lucy... Without fail I take a running start at that damn football every single time.

But this is a happy post.  In the few days I had to get my hopes up, I started to slowly rally the troops, and I was reminded just how amazing people can be.   You all know who you are, and I can't thank you enough for the support.

Back to business, the ponies have been doing fantastically even if I've been running around in a manic haze for the majority of this young year.  I've ridden Willie a grand total of twice since the calendar turned but I'm okay with that.   He's fuzzy and filthy and loving life, and I can't wait for spring so he can go back to being my sleek and shiny butterball.   I do have to say, though, one night it got down into the single digits (or less, with our windchill) and he was completely and totally fine being outside and naked.  I know this because I was out at the farm at 5AM dashing around in the dark to get ponies fed before a long drive to a longer interview, and though the tips of his ears were chilly everything else was comfy-cozy, on him and be-bundled Jabby both.   It's a relief to know that my precious old man isn't completely made of China.  (Though I still treat him like it all the same!)

Other than that one nasty night and a few more cold ones, the weather has been blessedly pleasant and I have taken full advantage of it to put Jabby back into boot camp.  Last Friday he trailered out to a friend's indoor, where we schooled a few pieces from the dressage tests I'm eyeing, and then he got to stand around quietly while I watched my friend take her lesson.   Then he loaded up in the dark, needing only a little reassurance from me.  I'm hoping by the time spring rolls around he'll self-load as well as Willie; for now he still needs a little convincing that he can, in fact, fit into my old and admittedly "cozy" trailer, but once on he stands quietly while I go back to get the ramp up all by myself.

Yesterday he did his first real conditioning ride of the year, where I picked a direction and decided to just go until one of us got cold.   It didn't quite work like that, but instead we were both tired, sweaty, and happy by the time we got back, having taken a new loop through the cornfields and spent most of the ride chugging along at a trot or canter.

Today we had an arts & crafts day at the barn.  J worked the power tools while I finished painting.   I dug out my old flowerboxes, and rigged one set with duct tape to try and prevent the flowers from falling victim to our fierce winds, and stuffed the other with the last of my fake pine branches.   Then I got creative with some other things lying around in storage and made lots of evil hypothetical jumps...  But mostly I just painted and moved stuff around to make it "interesting" but still inviting.  (Read:  Picture 4 did not get jumped. ...Yet.)

 

  

After a slightly longer lunch break than intended, we got back with just enough daylight for me to try a new bit on Jabby, the eggbutt mullen Happy Mouth I'd previously used as Willie's driving bit.   He goes "okay" in his current bits (essentially the same oval-link eggbutt, one in copper and one in stainless), but I'm trying to find his "magic" bit the way I did for Willie, the one that causes an aura of light and a chorus of angels the moment it goes onto his face.

This bit comes close, but it's not quite it.  He was mostly steadier, but when he did fuss it was with a twist of his head instead of just playing with his mouth.  He salivated a TON more and he seemed pretty happy in it, but got a little heavier on his front end, too.  So I'm going to experiment more as much as money allows... I'm thinking the next step is a loose ring version of the mullen Happy Mouth, or maybe a jointed one -- if anyone out there in Blogland has a similar variation in 5.5" or bigger that they would let me try (and possibly buy) give me a ring.

The real good news about today is that Jabby completely blew me away with the jumping.   He hasn't really jumped in at least a month or two, since HJ Lady moved out and took her fancy fences with her, but he didn't miss a beat. We had a brisk warm-up that went from our usual long walk, to a forward trot that detoured rather quickly over some 12" verticals, and then just sort of went directly into cantering and popping over proper (if still small) jumps.  The sun was setting and I wanted to get things done, so we just did.  In our non-warmup I trotted and cantered him right past the new and unusual jumps and fillers, and he gave the pseudo-brush a bit of a hairy eye but kept his body and feet straight past everything.  He chug-chugga-chugged right along at the same steady rhythm, trot or canter, with minimal input from me, and took on every fence without a single look, not even the brushbox of doom.  He occasionally got a wobble behind when landing off his weak lead, but calmly came back and fixed it without any drama.

It was one of those days when I was probably only in the saddle for 20-25 minutes because the only thing left for me to do was screw up.  Days like today are why I struggle so hard to get on and stay on the right track with this horse!  The fences weren't big but it was good, productive work all the same, and I can't wait until we both get to the point where we can start pulling out the fun stuff.

Next on the agenda is more trailering out to different places, including hopefully another trip to the regulation-sized indoor so I can do a full run-through of some dressage tests, an open schooling over fences I did not build, and maybe, just maybe, an itty bitty schooling show in the very near future.   We will keep you posted. :)