Still here.

I guess its time for some major updates!

First of all, Gus had his teeth floated and his sheath cleaned. He was also given a vaccine. Yay! It was a total hassle to get him to go the carport (the area we determined to have his teeth floated in) but after numerous fails, we got him in. I had to hold up his head, even though he had the special halter on, because he was sedated. Man, horse's heads are extremely heavy. His sheath cleaning was really overdue, I bet he feels a lot better now. After Karen left, Gus 'slept' for about 15 minutes, and then abruplty turned around and walked back to his paddock, and continued sleeping there. It was a bit odd. Anyways, his teeth weren't too bad, but bad enough to make him spill his grain. She said that we'll need to have it done again in six months to a year. She also reccodmended that we limit his hay intake, because he's chubby. On the other hand, she also said that he looks fabulous for 27. Yay!

As for the whole shelter thing, its not happening. Or it hasn't yet. I'm hoping my dad will start this weekend, its getting ridiculous, because we're supposed to get a huge storm/cold front coming in in a few days, and Gus needs access to a wind-free, mud-free spot. Gus was lame a week ago, due to all the mud. He keeps spraining his pastern, because of the mud and getting it caught. Have I mentioned how much I hate mud? He's okay now...but we really need to get that lean-to up. Now.

As for me and my riding, its getting a lot better. The private lessons have really been helping, my leg hardly moves anymore and I'm starting to become more balanced and have the proper posture. I look so much better! From what my trainer says, I've outgrown Henderson [skill-wise and height-wise!] and need to start riding another horse. I'm riding Maddie, a testy little welsh pony to teach me to become more assertive. After that, I'll be back in the jumper lesson. I'm really excited.

Plus, Christmas is getting closer! Ah, what to get for the trainer and barn buds? I'm thinking that I should make some horse treats for the buds, and get my trainer something nice. Like this. She definitely deserves it, putting up with me. =]

Something smelt fishy.

Sorry I haven't posted in such a long time. Everything has been crazy and hectic lately.

Anyways, we didn't end up getting that one horse, Magic. He was lame in his left hind leg, and as soon as we mentioned a vet check, they completely ignored us. Its like they know something is wrong, and are just waiting for some sucker to come and buy him without doing a vet check. This is a barn that travels to Arizona for a weekend show. They know tons of people. If he's such a great horse, he'd still be selling for 10k, not for 2500, and he would have been sold before he even hit dreamhorse. So we basically just forgot about him, because something with those owners/sellers just smelt really fishy.

However, there is this absolutely gorgeous 16hh bay QH 9 yro mare that's coming to my barn sometime this week. She does English, western, jumping, the whole shabang. She's available for lease only, and I might lease her. We'll see how it goes on Saturday. Hopefully she will be there by then. My mom's a wary of the whole lease thing though, because it might be really expensive. But, we'll just wait and see what the actual lease contract looks like. If you search YouTube for Miss Potential Grace, hers in the first video. Yes, she does that extremely ugly western pleasure canter that looks like they are lame, but she also has the natural, nice, English canter. The English doesn't start until after 6 minutes. Jumping is at the very end, and its just tiny stuff, but all I'm doing is tiny stuff.

I'm extremely proud to report that my riding is improving dramatically. I seriously recommend not using stirrups! And posting. My leg hardly moves at all anymore, I'm so excited. I'm also correcting my seat, because I've been leaning forward and throwing myself off-balance, not to mention my horse. I just feel like I'm progressing so much. It really shouldn't be that long until I'm with the jumping lesson again. I am so happy.

I'll post an update on Gus later.

Farrier

Well, Gus had his feet done! I was at school, so I can't really say any details except the vague ones my non-horsey mother could give me. Apparently, the farrier, (who from now on is known as Dave, and he's an amazing farrier, I've never had one better) sealed the crack in his one front hoof, so I'm excited about that. He recommended adding gelatin to his diet though, to soften up the hooves a bit (they're kind of brittle) and strengthen his bones. I'll definitely do that. Overall, Dave said that Gus's hooves are actually looking a lot better! I'm pretty excited. However, he also said that the only way to heal that one crack completely is to shoe him, but he doesn't recommend it because its winter, and I'm not riding him. But, it hasn't been bothering him at all, and since it just got sealed...we'll see.

I'm really starting to get excited about this potential horse. He sounds perfect for me, we sound perfect for each other. I've talked to the seller extensively, and I'm really looking forward to her sending the conformation pictures to me today or tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'm going to have my mom call my trainer, Kris, and see if she would come with us when I go to try him out. I really want her expertise there. I value her opinion above anyone else's, and she knows me better than I do sometimes! The seller, who's name I guess I probably shouldn't disclose until after I buy the horse (and that's a possibility) sent me two cute head shots of Magic, and he's absolutely adorable. He has one of the kindest eyes I've ever seen. I have some feeling that this is the one, that this is the reason why everything else hasn't worked out. Maybe my adolescent hormones are kicking in though. I'll guess we'll see tomorrow, after I talk to my trainer and call the seller back! Wish me tons of luck!

Possible new horse?

First things first- the cows are gone. And when I say gone...I really do mean gone. Yes, that kind of gone. They had Gus far away from it, and he did fine. He's a bit lonely right now though. Okay, a lot lonely. My poor baby.

But, maybe not for long? I saw an ad in the paper yesterday, called it today, and then here's the link on dreamhorse! I talked to the lady for quite a long time, and he sounds great. She's going to email me with more pictures. I'm going to call her back tomorrow and see what time works best for her and us to go and try him out. I'm super excited! Now all I need to do is call my trainer. Wish me luck. :)

The Show!

So, the show was yesterday. I would have blogged afterwards, but I crashed and then I had to go to work. Anyways, on to the good stuff! I was only entered in English Equitation and English Pleasure, because I registered late and Henderson was being used in almost every other class. Did you know that by some show standards, or maybe its all of them, that your age is determined by how old you were on Dec. 31st of the previous year? So, I was in all the 13 and under classes. Weird. To get it out in the open, Henderson and I didn't place. At all. The first class, English EQ, was a pain in the butt because Henderson decided that (after we reversed) that he wanted to gallop, not canter! Can anyone say a repeat of last show? Oh, I guess you wouldn't know about that either, because I wasn't blogging then. Henderson was a spaz then too. Anyways, I had to haul off and circle him quite a few times. He's a need-for-speed Arab, that's for sure. The second class, English Pleasure, was a lot better. He behaved perfectly, while all the other horses were FREAKING OUT. Seriously, it was insane. I don't know why we didn't place...he was awesome. But, I don't mind. It was a fun show, after all. And I had a ton of fun, hanging out with friends and riding horses. It was a blast.

Erin, a friend on mine who I ride with, has a horse named Allie. Well, Allie completely spazzed out during the show. She bolted and bucked and reared all at the same time. It was pretty scary. Erin stayed on though, kept her cool, and didn't cry once during the show! Yay Erin! Riley and her horse, Flare, did really well too. Flare went into 'racehorse mode' after a while, but Riley is a fantastic rider, and they did great! Fiona and Shadow did great too, though I don't think Fiona is too happy about how they did. She seemed a little down. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to Kris before I left, so I'm going to have to call her and give her a huge thank you! I'll bring her a mocha and a donut to the next lesson. =]

This isn't my only entry for the day, I've got more to tell you about once it happens!

Oh, and sorry, no pictures from the show. =[

The Body Condition Scoring System

I've always kept a binder with all my records for all my horses. I've done it since I was about 10 years old. Not that I ever had to put any records in it, I never had any besides the registration papers for one of my horses. Well, in the past couple years, I lost that binder. I found it yesterday! Boy, was it interesting to go back and see all the farrier dates, websites, and everything else I put into that binder from 2006. I even know the exact date from when Buck split his hoof open a while back. I looked at my empty folders for Elvis and Presley, the mini pony and mini donkey I owned, and my empty folders for Buck and Gus. I guess I'm the ex-owner for Buck too. (Yes, one of these days I'll do a complete post on him. And I guess you'll want a post of the Elvis and Presley days too.) Anyways, as I was looking through it, I decided to take everything out that wasn't about Gus or Buck, because I never had any records for Elvis and Presley anyways, and I no longer own them. I decided to keep Buck's folder though, because I want to record in great detail how he was sold. Just in case, you know? Of course I kept Gus's folder, because I still have him, and I'm assuming that in a month or so, I'm going to have vet records an inch thick.

Okay, I'm getting kind of off-track, but most of this is necessary for you to understand where I'm going with this whole post. I decided that every month, I am going to write up a new update on Gussers to put in his folder. Well, yesterday, before bravely going outside to see my horse (seriously, its a brave feat. Those cows we have will run you over. I'm not even kidding.) I typed up an update for Gus. Little did I know that I was dead wrong about Gus's body condition score.

Wait, now I have to backtrack a bit. The body condition scoring system is basically how you rate how healthy your horse is. A 1 being severely emaciated (basically almost dead) and a 10 being severely obese. A 5 would be the perfect place for your horse to be on the scale, with a healthy weight.

Well, when I wrote up Gus's update, I put him at a 4.5 on the body condition scoring scale, saying that I would like to see him gain a bit more weight. However, after going to really look him over, I would say that he's more like a 6. My horse is chubby. He does not need to gain weight, he needs to lose some. Now, I'm not saying he needs to lose a lot, probably only around 20 pounds, but still. He's got a gut. What can I say, we were made for each other. So, I corrected my update and re-printed it. Here is what it said:

Gus Update- 10/30/31

Health: Overall, Gus’s body score is 5.5 or 6. I’d like to see him lose a bit more weight. We desperately need to have the vet out to float his teeth and clean his sheath. In June of this year, I found a suspicious lump on his stifle area. We had the vet out, and we were going to have her back out in a month or so to do a biopsy on it. Well, now it is the end of October and nothing has been done. We have to have a biopsy done soon to determine whether it is cancerous or not. I’m also worried about Gus’s cough, which he has had for about a year, but it is now getting worse. These are all things that we will have the vet check as soon as my parents make the appointment. I’m also going to talk to the vet about vaccinations, because after all, Gus is 27 and I think that he needs them. Gus’s hooves are kind of brittle right now. We have a farrier appointment for the 3rd of November, and I’ll ask him about that then. I’m also going to start doing carrot stretches with Gus, so he limbers up a bit. He’s a little stiff right now, what with the cold weather and him being 27.

Shelter: We really need to take off the top of the barn before winter comes. Otherwise, I can just see a repeat of last year when the wind knocked it down and the horses were in danger. We are going to build a shelter for Gus this winter, since the barn is really no shelter at all. The shelter will be like a lean-to, only we will be able to completely close him in if the weather gets harsh enough. It will be roomy enough for him to walk around a little bit, and have room for a water trough inside.

Extras: I decided not to blanket him this year. Apparently this winter isn’t supposed to be as bad as last year, and Gus just tears them off anyway. Plus, he grows a pretty good winter coat. I’ll just have to be extra careful about keeping him clean, dry, and warm. Right now he is with 3 cows, but not for long. Soon he will be by himself, and I’m a bit worried about how that will affect him. He’ll have to learn to have me as his only companion.

That's the end of it. So, I'll tell you about what happened when I went out to see my baby. First, I take back what I said about him being flighty. He walked right up to me, didn't bat an eye, and let me touch him all over. He didn't want me to leave. Before I went out there, I was worried about what was going to happen with him on the 3rd, when he had his farrier's appointment and I was at school (I was thinking that if I couldn't catch him, the person he trusts most, how in the world was my mom going to be able to catch him?) but now I realize that it will be fine. I'll put a halter on him this weekend so my mom doesn't have to figure out how to do that, and it'll be easy as pie. However, I don't think that will stop me from stressing out during the school day, looking over at the lock anxiously, tapping my fingers and fidgeting when it gets to be 9:30. (The time of the appointment.)

Tomorrow's the horse show! I'm kind of nervous. Luckily, I finally found my helmet. By making a phone call. Apparently, I left it at my sister's house. So, I'll be up early tomorrow, getting ready for a horse show. I have to be at the barn by 8 in the morning. Fun stuff. Fortunately, its a fun show, so we don't have to dress up (only dress warm!) and our horses don't have to be bathed. Yay for fun shows that still offer real classes!

Ugh.

Okay, so this entry is basically for what happened on Monday, the 27th.

So, I go to my Monday night horseback riding lesson, which is at 5:00. I'm riding O'Rion, and doing really good. Except, then we're cantering, and he's being a total butt head, trying to go to the middle, trotting really fast, and refusing to canter. Absolute butt. Anyways, the barn owner, Barb, was like, "Get that girl off my horse right now! I'm so tired of re-schooling him, and now I see what the problem is. She needs to go back to Dreamer (a beginner pony) and get this crap resolved." I started crying SO hard. There I was, trying my best, and Barb was telling me that I was ruining her horse. And she called me 'that girl.' I PAY 30 FREAKING DOLLARS AN HOUR AND BOARDED MY HORSE THERE FOR FOUR FREAKING MONTHS. MY FREAKING NAME IS KATIE GOSHDANGIT! Luckily, my trainer, Kris, immediately told Barb off, chewing her out. Well, she didn't do it in front of us, but she went over and talked to Barb. When she came back, I was still bawling, because I really didn't mean to 'ruin' O'Rion. He's just a pain in the butt sometimes. Anyways, Kris told me that 'she kicked Barb's butt for that' and that I wasn't ruining O'Rion, and how she doesn't know how Barb could say that. Barb never apologized to me though...I hate her. She is a bitch. She's always screaming at her lesson kids, and shes SO mean. All the time. This is just the first time that she actually made me cry that hard. Whoa, I'm crying just thinking about it. Unfortunately, my Monday night lessons are ending for a few weeks because Fiona, who's parents give me a ride, isn't going for a little while. She's taking a little break, (mainly because her parents forced her.)

Oh, and things are great with Kris now...my mom called Kris, about that problem I already told you about, and Kris understood. It was a large misunderstanding on both sides. I'm going to start private lessons, so I can advance to the jumping class faster. I'm hoping I should be there within a month or two at the latest.

Oh! I almost forgot to mention that Saturday we're having a fun show at the barn. I have to be there by 8 in the morning, so no late-night Halloween partying for me. I'm riding Henderson in English Equitation and English Pleasure, w/t/c. It should be fun as long as Henderson doesn't freak out again like he did at the last show. What a dork. But I love him. =).

Gussers.

Okay, here's my complete update on my senior pony Gus. (He's not really a pony...he's 15.2hh) This summer, we discovered a bump the size of a small golf ball near his sheath area. We are not sure if it is a tumor or not, or if it is cancerous. We are going to have the vet out to a biopsy on it as soon as we are able to afford it. While he's out, the vet is also going to float his teeth and clean his sheath, as both are long overdue. Gus has a really bad cough too, so we'll also have the vet, who from now on is referred to as Karen, look at that.

Lately, Gus hasn't been doing much at all. In fact, I hardly see him. After we sold Buck he got extremely flighty, very quickly. Now, we have cows in our pasture for his company. However, they will be butchered next Saturday (and don't hate me for this, as I am a vegetarian and will not be partaking in our home-raised meat. It completely disgusts me.) However, the cows scare the crap out of me, as they try to run you over the minute you step inside the pasture. Gus has happily bonded to these very same cows. Gus is also extremely happy that no one bothers him with grooming anymore. He is very content to see me once in the morning for his hay, eat it, promptly tell me to go the heck away, and go play with his cows. He enjoys the 'little human contact' life very much.

I, on the other hand, miss my lovable pony. So, after the cows...'leave'....Gus will predictably go into a depression, with no companion animals. So, I intend to be that companion animal for Gus! Gus will then have to turn to me for all the attention he needs. Within a few weeks, predictably, as Gus's behavior is never really surprising, he will be again bonded to me and not flighty like a wild mustang. This will mean various changes in both of our schedules though...I'll have to get up earlier every morning to feed and groom him, probably at around 5:30 on Mondays, 6:30on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and then at like 7 for Thursday and Friday, and later on the weekends.

Now, we have to get the top of our barn torn down before the wind starts picking up this winter. Last year, and some day I'll post the aftermath pictures, our hay loft blew apart and caused some major damage. We're going to build Gus a lean-to for this winter though, because the barn is falling apart and it is not adequate shelter. We'll put those nice rubber mats in it, [those super expensive but yet amazing mats that barns use in their stalls, we have a ton of excess mats] and supply lots of shavings for him to keep warm with, because I decided not to blanket him this year. It'll be a fully enclosed lean-to, so when the weather gets really harsh, we can shut him inside and know that he'll be okay. My dad loves to make things bigger than they need to be, so it'll be roomy, with enough room for a water trough and feed bins inside. I don't know when we're going to start building this though, that's the problem. My dad is being a procrastinator.

Overall, I'm not exactly looking forward to this winter. The winters here are harsh and severely cold, with wind gales forceful enough to knock you off your feet. Ew. I'm also really worried about Gus's health condition, and can't wait for the vet to come. That reminds me, it's time to schedule another farrier appointment....Gus has a huge crack in one of his front hooves. Wish me luck for winter horse keeping!

Wow.

Hey guys. Its been absolutely forever since I posted. I'm so sorry. So, a quick one paragraph update to tell you whats been going on in my horsey life for the past 5 months.

Well, I sold Buck. For $300. Now the person who has him is trying to sell him as a kids horse. Idiot. I told them he's dangerous. I'm so upset at them...but at the same time super glad that he's gone. (And get this, they're trying to sell him for $2,500. Crazy, they'll never get that much for him.) This summer, I was riding Nick, a horse at my barn, and he galloped off with me. I immediately lost all confidence...this summer was horrible for me. I had no confidence whatsoever because of that incident. Now, however, I'm pretty much better. Not fearless like I used to be, more timid, but not freaking out either. I've decided that I want to event. I love jumping, it's my passion. However, just today, this happened:

Really bad news.

So I went to my lesson today. Apparently like, everybody except me and this other girl in my lesson got bumped up to the more advanced lesson, where they focus on jumping. So of course, I was was upset, and jealous...I didn't say anything though. Kris [my trainer] had me and the other girl, Analisa, ride WESTERN. Apparently, she wants me to start riding western for a while, and get my confidence back and stop my leg from flying all over the place. [I guess she wants us to do stuff like rollbacks and stuff....which sounds extremely fun but I want to JUMP.] Then, she told me, after I asked if I would ever get to be in the more advanced jumping class, that 'it was possible, but not for a while.' She told me I wasn't being demoted or anything, and that she's been losing sleep over what to do with me, but she doesn't think eventing is going to be my thing. She doesn't even want me to do freaking hunter/jumper! SHE WANTS ME TO FOCUS ON DRESSAGE. I hate dressage...not a ton, its fine for every once in a while, but I want to JUMP. She said that 'I'm not saying your never going to jump again, but I'm not saying when either.' I'm so upset. I want to jump...not ride western. It was fun to do it for just once, but she wants us to focus on that for a while! I'm like, bawling. I really really want to jump. I'd do ANYTHING to get into that jumping class, ANYTHING. I don't know what to do....I think I'm going to have my mom call and talk to her. What do you think I should do? My mom wants us to switch barns, because Kris isn't really considering what I want to do with my horsey life, but I don't want to switch because I love my barn, and as much as Kris confuses me right now, she's the best trainer I've ever had and I love her. Ugh, I'm so confused and hurt. =[

So much for one paragraph, huh?

So...

My horsey day was GREAT. At around 6 me and Allison groomed the horses very thoroughly. Buck and Gus are both really nicely shed out on the front of their bodies, but their middle needs some serious work. lol. I cut Buck's mane. He spooked, which left half of his mane 4 inches long, and the other half 2 inches long. Dumb horse. Well I guess I should say dumb cat, its the one that spooked Buck by running around.

Anyways, have I mentioned how much I love my Gussers? He is just totally freaking awesome. Stands so nice, is so calm, everything. He picks up his feet so well. I ♥ senior horses!

So, I put on my bareback pad [which I hate because its dangerous and it stinks for some odd reason] and climbed on Gus. He was so good! Buck broke away from his tie [he's extremely herd bound] so I had to get off and put Buck up. He started freaking out, but Gus was okay because he had Cash. I TROTTED GUS. Yay!!! I thought I was going to fall out, because I'm so used to bumpy horses, but Gus's trot is so smooth. Its like sitting on a moving couch. Amazing. Gus did, however, get a little herd-boundy, but I brought his nose to my knee and made him go where I wanted to go. He caught on very quickly.

I don't know why, but it seems as if riding Gus is boosting my confidence. Which is so weird because Gus is the horse...Yeah. 'The Incident.'

Now, I haven't really given you guys a training update on Cash. So, here goes. That horse is a FREAKING PAIN IN THE REAR END. He's way to headstrong for his own good. He has to have his way about everything. Feet, moving over, walking on, he's just a butt head. Allison sure has her work cut out for her.

Cash does not understand the meaning of 'leg pressure means walk on.' That is proving to be a severe problem. Poor, poor Allison.

But, to end the post on a good note, my horses look great, and are gaining weight. My mom bought some alfalfa cubes today [which I will break up and soak before feeding] so that should help too. And, I'm going to continue riding Gus. Its so much fun. =]

I forgot to tell you...

That I've been hopping up on Gussers bareback lately!! I'll get pictures as soon as possible, but I haven't got any right now. He's been doing so well, really responding to my leg nicely. And, all we're working in is a halter with the lead rope as reins! =D. He's been really easy to control. Senior horses are love. LOVE. I'm trying to build up more muscle. I know we put him into retirement a year ago...but he's going to waste in the paddock. Bareback with a halter won't hurt him one bit. If it did, trust me I wouldn't be on him. I'm so happy to feel connected to him again. I didn't realize how much I missed getting on his back. I think we'll try trotting pretty soon...I haven't trotted bareback in forever. And I'm not exactly known for my ability to stay on bareback if you catch my drift. Good thing the grass is tall, isn't it? =P

Wish me luck!

Um..

Nothing really happened today. I let the horses out, and when I needed to catch them, all 3 of them were GREAT. Gus actually walked up to me. It was if he was saying, 'I'm full, bring me up.' LOL. I ♥ my horses.

Wetttt

Today was very wet. It was pouring down rain all day, which, as you can imagine, made the paddocks muddy. Fortunately, this was just normal muddy, and not disgusting muddy. Its been a ton better ever since we cleaned it up. The horses basically stayed inside all day, except for turnout, and I don't blame them. They were very happy to get turned out though. And, all 3 horses let us catch them without a fight. I was so surprised that Cash didn't run off. Its days like these when I love my ponehs. =]

Sunday & Today

This post is for both Sunday and today. I'm really sorry for not posting Sunday, but I came home after a busy day and crashed on the couch. I was SO tired. Anyways-

Sunday-
Was really interesting. My non-horsey stuff will be described in my day-to-day blog, so...Anyways, I was helping out at the Sunday School picnic for the little kids. [1st through 6th grade.] They give out pony rides, so I helped groom, tack up, and lead the kids around. It was really awesome because they let me ride!!! I was SO happy. Plus, afterwards when they were thanking me, I said, 'Oh, it was no problem at all. I love working with horses!" and they were like, "We'll remember that!" I'm so excited. =D

I left home early, and got home late, so my horses didn't get grain, but that's okay because they were out on our highly nutritious grass for a long time.

Today-
Nothing really interesting besides a little miscommunication on my moms part, which led to me and Allison thinking that someone had broke in and let the horses out. Which had us thinking, WTHECK?

Oh wait wait wait! I totally take back what I said about nothing being interesting. When we brought the horses up I noticed that Buck has like 5 HUGE dents in his chest that weren't there before. It looks like the muscle is separating or something. I'm freaked out, but I haven't mentioned it to my mom yet, because I already know what the answer will be.."No vet!" I'm sure that it wasn't from getting kicked or something minor like that, because kicking would have scraped skin or hair off. Everything is perfect except his skin now sinks, as if into a hole, in a few places. This definitely was not there the other night. Oh gosh. *is really worried*

Oh, and all the horses have a white, soft, wet band around the top of their hooves. This was not there this weekend when it was blistering hot, but it was there last week when it was SUPER muddy. The horses were in long, wet grass today, and we think that their hooves are getting too much moisture. This, unlike Buck's dents, is completely okay, seeing as it will disappear as soon as the temperature starts to rise.

Oh, and just as an update, Buck and Gus are looking SO much better. You can hardly see or feel their ribs anymore, and their backs are rising and filling out again. I totally give the grain, and more time on the highly nutritious grass the credit. Gradually increasing grazing time has worked out so well. And Equine Senior grain for Gus, with Safe Choice for Buck, has worked absolute wonders. I'm going to start putting vegetable oil in their feed for coat health though.

EVERYTHINGS DONE.

Omg, heck YES! We got all the mud moved today. Our barn area looks totally awesome now. Now more threat of mud fever. No more foot-deep-of-crap-that-you-could-lose-your-boot in. Just normalcy. All we need to do now is spread the crap in the Field, and put hog fuel in the dirt parts so they don't get muddy again.

It was blistering hot today. We turned the horses out at 8 this morning, and brought them up at 3. I watched the Preakness, and am totally happy with Big Browns win. It showcases horse racing at its best. =]

My opinion on some stuff-

He res the points that were brought up today on NBC.

Breeding

Is it just me, or are other people thinking that breeders are in this for the money? [I recognize that there are great breeders, but I'm not talking about them.] Seriously, you breed a pricey pricey stallion to a pricey pricey mare, and you get a pricey pricey foal. People aren't even looking into the sires/dams running history, and their parents and so on. Horses that have proven that they break down easily are breeding, and passing their fragile bones and what not. Goodness, are bloodlines not everything nowadays? Now, to get back on the topic of money. Money is what makes the world turn...But should it affect judgements? Of course it does. It shouldn't, but it does. We've got people pumping out foal after foal, and running them. They can't all be winners....and we know where they end up. In the meat house, or rotting away suffering from neglect. Or, if they're really lucky, in the backyards of those of us trying to rehab them. *sighs*

Retirement

I'm totally against horses racing 6 times and then being retired to stud/breed, wasting away in their paddocks or stalls. What a horrible life. If you think about it, they can be as young as 4, just not doing anything. I mean, can you think of what other careers these horses could pursue besides racing? Tons! Its not like it would affect their breeding either, but add more. These horses need to be worked, not retired after their 'glory days.' Geez, their glory days are only beginning at 4.

Sadly, the above is only for horses that are big winners. The others go you-know-where. And we need to stop it. Now. Today. NOW.

Track Surfaces

There are a few different kinds of track surfaces. We've got dirt/sand, and turf that I know of. Anyone else? Did I miss one? Anyways, I really don't like the idea of horses running 30mph on a hard as rock dirt/sand track. The compacted-ness of it stresses thoroughbreds already fragile bones. Can we say contributor to breakdown? Turf...is eh. I mean, the grass is soft enough, but the ground underneath is just as hard. You can't possibly tell me that surfaces do nothing to help breakdowns. The Racing Industry is talking about a new alternative, Synthetic track surfaces. Its like fake dirt, way softer and easier on the horses legs. I'm all for it. However, we can't help but to question whether it will reduce injuries, or just produce new kinds of injuries. Only time will tell, but after the death of Eight Belles, the racing industry has stated that its time to make reforms. This is just one of many that they're looking into, to make racing a safer sport for horses.

Training

Ah, the ever-famous debate. I'm pretty sure most of you know how I stand on this, because I'm not exactly soft-spoken on the issue. I'll repeat it anyways. I think that trainers should wait to break the TBs until 2 or 3. And no, not by the Jan. 1 standard, but by the actual date of birth. Then, they should start running them at age 3, 4, or 5. That way, they are fully developed and ready to take on the challenges that this sport demands of them. Currently, racehorses are broke at 1, and raced at 2. And we wonder why there are so many breakdowns?! Really people, none of you would ever break your quarter horse/wb/paint/appy/tb at one. So why are racehorses the exception? Its the money. Owners/trainers don't want to let an investment that big sit around for another 2 years. Of course they're not thinking about the horses well fare...Just the cash. The advantages of waiting longer to break/race are a sounder, healthier horse. The disadvantages is the money they have to dump into them during that time period. You know the old saying, Time is money. So now time and money are everything...and where does the horses health come up in all of this? They work so hard for us, and what do we do for them? Oh, I know, make them run their butts off for our amusement. ;]

Medication/Steroids

I'm not sure if any of you have realized this, but it is still perfectly legal in most states to inject horses with steroids during their training. Of course, its not allowed before races in a certain time period, but oh heck, its allowed in training. [Another reason for BREAKDOWNS.] The poor horse thinks it can do something beyond its natural ability, and then bam. They fail.

I bet this is going to come as a great shocker. Big Brown's trainer injects ALL of his horses [including Big Browns] with a steroid called Winstrol once a month. And I quote- "Can't say it helps, but it doesn't hurt." So why use it? He admitted that he doesn't even know what it does! An 'old colleague' persuaded him to use it years ago, and he hasn't stopped yet.

According to the racing industry's president, whose name I can't remember, he is working on having all steroids in all states banned completely and entirely. Whooh! We'll see if it works though.

Applying Human Emotions to Horses

Here's just something I wanted to touch on, and remind some of you of...Horses are not humans. They do not think or feel like humans. They are an animal. While I love them to death, and they are very intelligent creatures [well, some of them XD. Buck isn't exactly a rocket scientist..] they are simply beasts, on which we happen to ride.

People are always making excuses for the racing industry, saying 'oh the horse was having the time of its life! It loves to run!' Yes, I'll give that they were bred to run. However, you can not, under any circumstances, apply human emotions to horses. They do not feel regret, guilt, bliss, serene, or anything that we feel. They DO feel what every creature feels though. Pain, excitedness, fear.

Again, horses are not humans. Stop making excuses for the way that we treat them. They we not having the time of their life running out on the track. They were simply doing their job.

Fillies vs. Colts

I don't know why I feel like I even need to bring this up, but I'm going to. Fillies can race JUST as well as colts can. Don't be sexist. Eight Belles did not come in second because she was a filly. She came in second because Big Brown was simply faster than her. Eight Belles did not die because she was a filly. She died because her ankles gave out, completely shattering. It could have happened to a colt. Fillies are just as fast. Again, don't be a dang sexist!

Fatalities

Are a terrible part of horse racing. Wait, let me re-phrase that. A terrible part of every sport. No matter what pre-cautions the racing industry is going to take over the next year or two, they will still happen. Always. Accept it. They are a very sad thing. But they will never ever go away, and neither will horse racing. Hopefully we can, however, reduce the amount.

The different extremes, and why they both suck

Extreme point of view #1- Horse racing is GOOD GOOD GOOD! They don't need to change anything!
Why it sucks- Have you been living under a rock? Horses die every day. They need to make some freaking changes to make the sport safer for horses AND for humans! Do you not care about the horses welfare? No, your too consumed with your own amusement. It is cool sport, but its not cool for the horses.

Extreme point of view #2- HORSE RACING SUCKS AND IT NEEDS TO BANNED. EVERYWHERE! ITS PLAIN OLD HORSE ABUSE!!! DO AWAY WITH RACING!
Why it sucks- Horse racing will never ever go away. No matter how much you fight, no matter how much you want. It will always be here. Yes, its not ideal for horses. But, it is a sport, an a very old one. I actually like horse racing. We do need to make changes, but it doesn't need to be outlawed.

Point of view- A comfortable medium. Don't hate it, and don't not want to change anything. Its a awesome, thrilling sport. And it needs to be reformed.

All sports have their dark sides. Jumpers, you don't want to admit that horses are abused in your discipline. Yet they are. Western Pleasure peeps, I'm talking to you too. Gawd, just LOOK at your world fairs! Steroids up the yin-yang. Ew. Not to forget that ugly WP canter. The point is, do not just focus on a sports dark side. There is a bright side to every one. If we allowed our thoughts of the dark to dominate, we would lose sight of the light...And we'd have to stop riding horses.

Plans to Reform

The president of the horse racing industry stated today that they are looking into and working on making a freaking ton of changes in the sport. [No, those were not his exact words. =P]

Surfaces- they are looking into synthetic, hoping to reduce the amount of injuries.
Breeding- changing the way it operates so that its better for the horses
Training- considering moving the breaking age to 2, and racing age to 3, for the benefit of the horse. Using medical stats.
Meds/Steroids- are going to be banned in all participating states by January 1st, 2009.

We can only see what time brings. But if these do happen, then YAY!

Okay, holy crap that was long...Now give me your opinions!!

But, today brought a whole other thing for me..

So, today I rode Gus bareback, for the first time in a LONG time. I just got this urge to go ride him. O.o He was amazing. He remembers everything [he's been retired for a year now, no one has hopped on his back] and responded to the lightest touch of my leg.

What was really adorable was that my dad was with me, watching us. Gus and Dad had/have this really strong bond. Gus is actually my dads horse, but since my dad is gone all week, every week, he doesn't see him often. When he is home, he's too tired to work wit him. Gus, was like OMG MY DADDY'S HERE TO SEE ME!!! He didn't want to leave his side. Omg it was sooo cute. It made my dad feel good.

Anywayssss, I came back inside...and read today's FHOTD post. It was about senior horses...and when its time to put them down. To sleep..

Idk, but I'm like BAWLING right now. I just thought of losing Gus, and him not being around anymore, and I lost it. I'm crying sooo hard. He's turning 27, and is perfectly healthy right now, but for some odd reason I just can't stop crying. I know that day will come someday. Probably in the next year or two.

Sorry to like lay my burden on you, but I'm just really really really sad. You'd think I'd be happy after riding Gus. Now I'm sobbing like some freak.

I finally stopped crying. And now I know what I need to do. And that's make Gus's last few years heaven on earth. Its going to be perfect. <3 Gus.

Mucking Out

Me and Allison mucked the horses stall today. Gosh was it nasty. The smell was ammonia-inducing. Totally nasty. But its better now. It was also very very very hot. Way too hot to be mucking stall.

The stall was DISGUSTING. Because outside was so muddy, the horses didn't go outside to crap/pee. [They normally do that.] And let me tell you, if you skip mucking out for a week, things get nasty, and fast. We had a really hard time getting the wheelbarrow out the door, but we managed. We then proceeded to dump all the crap into my nasty neighbors field. It felt like revenge from when she attempted to sue me. =P. Awesome. But, since it was sooo hot, and the loads were soooo heavy, I couldn't get it over the ridge. The wheelbarrow ended up collapsing on my back. I've got a huge bruise, and my back hurts like it did after that trampoline accident. Crap.

Cash. UGH.

The title about sums it up. Cash is a pain in the @$$. We have no idea where he is getting this behavior from. At first, my horses would be the butt heads, and he would be the perfect angel. But now MY horses are the perfect angels, and Cash is the devil. He doesn't want to be caught [well its more than that. He kicks out at you, runs away] and in general is just a jerk. I'm going to be very very happy when he leaves at the end of June.

And again, we're worried about selling Buck. No calls, no emails. We're getting extremely stressed. He needs to leave, like NOW. Ah.

I seriously love my Gussers. I can't explain it. His cuteness overtakes me, and I melt. Gussy, I <3333333333 you.

Mud. Lots of mud.

I have no idea what happened. Basically overnight, our entire dirt part of the pastures is like a foot deep of mud. Grass areas have been turned into complete swamps. And get this, it hasn't even rained very much. Everything is so gross. The manure pile area has had a TON of drain off, so the paddocks are basically pools of red water, from the crap and urine. Its so freaking nasty. The barn is leaking. Everything is soaking wet. What the FREAK happened?

Its so weird. Its supposed to get to be 90 degrees tomorrow though, so hopefully it will dry up. Right now we're just worried about the smell [I'm serious, its like ammonia inducing] and the possibility of the horses getting mud fever, or running in the mud and slipping.

When it dries out, we're going to have a TON of work to do. Me and Allison, and hopefully my mom and dad, will pick up all the crap. My dad is going to move the manure pile to a new location with the tractor. We're going to level out the mud. Then we're going to put down hog fuel [its a very absorbent bark] in the ENTIRE dirt area to prevent this from happening again. Hopefully this will all get done this weekend.

Unfortunately, I have no idea on what to do about the barn...Its leaking really bad, and everything is just becoming one big mess. We need to build that lean-to we've been talking about, and SOON.

We're also worried about selling Buck. So far absolutely no one has called or emailed about him. We're pretty much freaking out. However, we do still need to call his original owners and see if they want him back, but I doubt they will. Ugh, selling a crappy horse is WAY too stressful.

Allison ate dirt!!!

Today was most definitely NOT a normal horsey day. When I grained the horses, I mixed hot water with Gus's, and made it a nice warm mash. It was SO much easier for him to chew. My Gussers was very happy with me.

But, that's not even the big moment of today!! ALLISON ATE DIRT. And omg, was it FUNNY. So, we're turning the horses out. Its super super slick, because of all the rain. Well, Gus decides that he wants to take off. Allison didn't let go of the lead rope [of course she wasn't going to let him get away with that kind of behavior.] Instead of stopping, like he normally does, Gus continues to run. It was like I was watching the scene in slow motion. All the sudden Allison is standing two feet above ground, and then shes falling forward. She hit the ground with a huge THUD, and then was dragged a few feet. She did like a belly flop on the ground. Ouch... Gus and Cash ran off, and Buck [who really wanted to run with them but didn't dare try because I was holding him] decided that he was going to be good. Luckily, Allison is alright. We [mostly me LOL] we DYING with laughter. Holy crap, I think I busted a rib from that. I was like doubled over, trying to breathe.

We then had to walk all the way down to the end of the field, grab Gus, bring him back to gate, and re-turn him out so he learned that that kind of behavior is unacceptable. And oh boy did he learn. He was scared spit less of us. He knew what he did wrong.

Allison got bucked off!

Ugh, I'm pretty pissed at my horses. They're SO bad when I go to feed them grain! Its hard to even explain what they do, but I end up smacking them. But, that's not the high-point of tonight's blog. When Allison and I went to grab the horses, they were all the way down at the end of the pasture. When we finally walked down there, I caught both Gus and Buck very easily. Cash, however, was being a pain in the butt. When Allison finally caught him, she jumped on him bareback, hoping to just ride him back. Well, we got about half-way back to the barn when Cash reared suddenly, and then bucked. Allison bailed/got bucked off, and landed on her side/back. Yes, shes alright. And yes, she got back on. Go Allison! Cash has just been a pain in the butt lately. I don't know what she's going to do about that...But I guess he's still learning, considering that he is not 'broke.'

Getting better...

Well, I did absolutely nothing with the horses today, besides feeding them. =[. They are however gaining weight, and they are getting better about me feeding them grain. I just have to get loud and in their face about backing up and being patient, and they do pretty well. I'm working on manners with them...hey, it's never too late!

O'Rion! =]

Well, today I had another brilliant lesson on O'Rion. He wasn't spooky at all, and I tacked him up easily. We got down to the arena, and he was perfect. We walked for a warm-up, and then trotted. [Quite a bit.] He's out of shape and chubby, so when we stop he's breathing so hard. The poor guy lol. We did lots and lots of circles. After a while, we CANTERED! Omg, I've been waiting for this for so long. His feet shuffle so quickly, it makes it seem like your going really fast, but your not. It isn't terribly smooth, but its not horribly bouncy either. His canter is going to take some major work, because he's lazy and wants to cut corners. So, I've definitely got my work cut out for me. But, I think Kris said its okay if I lease him. Of course, I'll need to talk to Barb, but hopefully everything works out! I got some pictures of him today. They don't do him justice at all, because of the bad lighting and small space to work with. I couldn't fit his entire body into one shot, so I took seperate conformation shots. Heres my moose!

Shedding Season

Yesterday was pretty normal. When Allison and I groomed the horses, we got completely covered in horse hair. It was kind of disgusting. Then, I treated Buck's cut with some spray that Allison had, and it actually kept the flies away. Gus has this HUGE scar on his left back leg, the ones that causes all the swelling. Its from an old riding injury before we bought him. Anyways, every time it gets bit and looks gross, we peel it off. [While running water on it.] He looks SO much better after we did that! And I put some Fura-Zone on it so the flies would stay away from it. Then, we put on Gus's flysheet, [which Allison gave me because it is too small for Cash] and turned all the horses out. It was such a beautiful, hot day, that none of the hores even galloped. lol, Cash was the only one who even cantered. Gus looks really snazzy. =]

OMG YAY

My mom said that leasing O'Rion would be a great idea! She totally agrees with me, and she thinks that it will be a good match. I'm totally in awe of her support! I bought her a great mothers day present XD.

Nothing interesting happened with my own horses today though, because I wasn't here this evening to turn the horses out or bring them back up. =/

Cash can KICK.

Well, today was just another horsey day, until Allison and I went to turn the horses out. Buck and Gus were being perfect angels, me leading Buck, and Allison leading Gus. Cash was free, following us. To update you, Cash has started to become a pain in the @$$. Seriously. When she went to catch him before we let them out, [he didn't have a halter on] he was acting up really badly. Allison smacked him on his butt with the end of the lead rope. He kicked out with his back legs EXTREMELY high. Omg, I was so scared. His hooves came 2 inches away from Allison's head. It was really frightening. After she finally caught him, and we turned him out, he did it again. And then another time to ME. Boy were we mad! We punished him. [No, not abuse. Just discipline.] If he ever tries that again, he'll be wishing that he was some pansy's pasture pet. Because we will not tolerate that kind of behavior. Unfortunately, tonight is Wednesday, which means youth group, so I wasn't home when it was light enough to groom them. So I'll groom Buck and Gus in the morning when I feed them their hay.

Grooming

Today went really well. When I grained them, however, Buck tried to tip over the water bucket in anticipation. I poked him on his nose. Hard. He continued to try and tip it over, so I smacked him. And he still did it! Ugh, whatever shall I do with him...It was a perfect day. Gorgeously sunny, with a good [warm!] breeze to keep the flies away. The horses, except for Cash, were perfect gentlemen when we turned them out. Cash still thinks that the fencer isn't on, and got shocked once again. Will he ever learn? Then, Allison told me that we weren't going to be able to groom the horses together after all, since she had a friend coming over. So, when we brought the horses up, I found a great place to tie them at [which for some odd reason I've never noticed before] and groomed them by myself. They were great! Picking their hooves reminded my back that it was injured though. Its throbbing right now. Staying bent over like that just does not work after pulling a lower back muscle. [A trampoline incedent last week.] Both Buck and Gus thought the wood they were tied to was pretty tasty, and kept trying to eat it, ending with a jab by me. Gus is developing thrush, which bites. I'll need to get some stuff for that, so I can nip it in the bud. I'm going to start grooming them like that every night. Oh, and good news! Gus and Buck are already starting to look better, like they're gaining weight. I'm so happy. =]

A Big Suprise

Well, my normal horsey stuff was just that, normal. Wake up in the morning, feed hay. Check water. Check horses for any injuries, put on flymasks, and muck out stalls. Grain at noon. However, things got interesting at 5:30 when Allison and I turned the horses out. There is an electric fence we have to open that separates Buck and Gus from Cash, and Cash was really being a pain in the butt. He went right up to the fence and tried to touch his nose to it. I yelled, and he spooked and didn't get shocked. But, after Allison led the horses out, he went back, and this time I didn't try to stop him. He touched the fence, and oh boy was he shocked! [Literally and non-literally.] I guess he thinks that after his little run-through-the-fence deal yesterday, that no fences will hurt him. He must learn. But, that's not even the huge surprise of the evening! After the horses had grazed for 2 hours, we brought them back up. Allison was working with Cash, and I was watching. She decided to sit on his back for the first time. This was done bareback. Lo and behold, our major discovery. Cash is actually not broke. His old owners lied...he has not been broke to ride dressage. In fact, we doubt that someone has ever sat on him before. Bless his heart, he didn't buck or take off. He trusts Allison too much to do that. He was just so confused! He kept backing up when she squeezed him with her legs, and turning around and trying to nibble her toes, like, "Hey mom, what in the world are you asking me to do?" So, Cash needs more training than we thought. Luckily though, Allison's willing to deal with that.

Buck and Cash = A pain.

Well, I thought that I'd get off my butt and go work with my horse Buck, who, for future reference, scares the freak out of me under saddle. On the ground, hes just a big bully. So, after I lead him down to the pasture [where I begin to lunge him] the other horses started going crazy. Cash [my neighbors horse] was spazzing out, and of course Gus was, to whom he's very herdbound. Buck was doing fine lungeing though, for a while. Then he decided that he didn't feel like working anymore. And my sweet horse made that oh-so-often change into a pain in the @$$. He started rearing, and acting like he didn't know what I wanted him to do. He kept moving his hip away from me, and backing up. The stupid guy has got me figured out. However, I'm quite proud of myself because I got mad, not intimidated. I kept after him until he did what I wanted, and exactly how I wanted him to do it. I won. Heck yes baby! Then, all the sudden Cash comes running down the hill at full-speed, and runs right through the electric fence. Yes, he ruined it. He's been acting like a pill lately. Not wanting to be caught, being a butt about his flymask, and the list goes on and on. He's getting very herdbound to Gus and Buck too. In that case, I guess its a good thing that hes leaving in June. I'll have to talk to Allison about the whole ordeal. [Allison is my neighbor, and Cash's owner.] To close things up, I'm feeling so-so on how the day went. I definitely won the battle with Buck [YAY!], but then again Cash ruined our fence. Dang horse.

Me, yes me.

Hey.
The purpose of this blog is not for people to read it, but for me to be able to write, and reflect about my riding/horsey experiences. I've been riding for about 9 years now; I started really young. However, after one major accident, my confidence is basically non-existent. I've been working for years to try and gain it back, but so far nothing has worked. I can ride the most bombproof horses, and still expect something bad to happen. Granted, this usually only happens on new mounts, but still. I'm hoping that by having to write out everything in detail, I will be forced to confront my fears, find out what causes them, and then overcome them. So bare with my scaredy-cat self for the time being.