Today was pretty quiet on my part. I took Bailey and Bella for a walk around the property, just letting them relax. It was Bella's first day back into work, since they got their feet done yesterday. The farrier actually did wind up calling me and rescheduling. Apparently he tried to leave me a voicemail...I'm skeptical.
Anyways, Bella had pulled a shoe and broke her foot up a bit, despite my best efforts to keep it in tact. So when they went to trim it for the shoe, it got a little short and ouchy. So I gave her yesterday off again, and just planned on walking her today. I let her trot around a bit, and found that she was feeling pretty good. Hopefully tomorrow we can do a full work out! It's been too long. I miss my girl.
Then in the afternoon, Amanda came over and took a lesson on Patrick. We did some different lines and jumps, and even raised a few of them up. They both looked fantastic, and I was really pleased. Patrick was jumping great, and Amanda is really learning how to ride him well. They even did a line to the coop! One time, Patrick hit the pallet and it had a square rail on top. The next time she brought him around to it, he jumped the thing like it was four feet tall and totally launched Amanda. Thankfully, she stuck like glue and brought him around again. After that, he decided it wasn't out to eat him alive, and they jumped down the line beautifully. I don't want her to go to school! She does such a great job with him.
Anywho, I'm buying tickets for the WEG tomorrow!! Yayyyy! Now I just have to inform my new boss that I already need a week off...eek. Any tips? Haha.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
What did we do before internet?
So my internet is back. Yay! I'm typing from the comfort of my bed. Well, at least I would be comfortable if Patrick hadn't busted my butt yesterday.
Yes, I decided to pick a little fight with him yesterday while I hacked him. Amanda had jumped him Tuesday afternoon, and he was very well behaved, but he was fighting her contact a little bit. I decided this was a developed bad habit (it's started since I've begun putting less experienced riders on him) and that I was going to work on it Wednesday when I rode him.
Well, he decided that he wanted a say in it, and he always gets rotten when that happens. It's been a while since we had a battle of wills, and this time, he got a good hit in. At the canter, he started acting stupid, so I brought him down to a halt, and asked him to back up. Instead, he went up on his back legs, and dropped to the ground. It's not even like he reared and lost his balance. He deliberately just fell over. Thankfully, since it was deliberate, there was enough momentum to throw me free of the saddle, so all I wound up with was a headache, a buttache, and a squashed foot (which only happened because when he went to stand up, he stepped on it). Anyways, when we landed, I managed to hold onto the rein that was against the ground, so he couldn't immediately get up. I made him lay there until I felt like he had 'thought about what he did' (which really translates into 'I couldn't move yet and I didn't want him getting up until I could get out of his way').
Ah, the joys of training babies. Needless to say, after that I grabbed my dressage whip and my 'no nonsense' attitude and made him canter around until I felt like I had his attention. We were not happy with one another at the end of the day, but at least he finished on a good note. This 'rearing as an escape from doing the right thing' has just got to stop, but for some reason, he only does it with me. Of course.
Anyways, what with a sore butt and all (I legit thought I broke my foot and tailbone) I just lunged Patrick and Bailey today. Naturally, Patrick was a total superstar on the lunge. We did transitions at all paces, and he was super stretched out through his topline, and was almost floating around me. Go figure. I think it made me even more mad at him. Bailey, as usual, putzed along at the world's slowest trot and did a couple of walk/trot transitions.
Now, after consuming yet more Advil, I'm going to curl up with a movie and not think about horses for a while.
Oh, but I did get the job! I start August 16th. I'm pretty excited to be making money and working again. I think it's really going to work out well for me!
Yes, I decided to pick a little fight with him yesterday while I hacked him. Amanda had jumped him Tuesday afternoon, and he was very well behaved, but he was fighting her contact a little bit. I decided this was a developed bad habit (it's started since I've begun putting less experienced riders on him) and that I was going to work on it Wednesday when I rode him.
Well, he decided that he wanted a say in it, and he always gets rotten when that happens. It's been a while since we had a battle of wills, and this time, he got a good hit in. At the canter, he started acting stupid, so I brought him down to a halt, and asked him to back up. Instead, he went up on his back legs, and dropped to the ground. It's not even like he reared and lost his balance. He deliberately just fell over. Thankfully, since it was deliberate, there was enough momentum to throw me free of the saddle, so all I wound up with was a headache, a buttache, and a squashed foot (which only happened because when he went to stand up, he stepped on it). Anyways, when we landed, I managed to hold onto the rein that was against the ground, so he couldn't immediately get up. I made him lay there until I felt like he had 'thought about what he did' (which really translates into 'I couldn't move yet and I didn't want him getting up until I could get out of his way').
Ah, the joys of training babies. Needless to say, after that I grabbed my dressage whip and my 'no nonsense' attitude and made him canter around until I felt like I had his attention. We were not happy with one another at the end of the day, but at least he finished on a good note. This 'rearing as an escape from doing the right thing' has just got to stop, but for some reason, he only does it with me. Of course.
Anyways, what with a sore butt and all (I legit thought I broke my foot and tailbone) I just lunged Patrick and Bailey today. Naturally, Patrick was a total superstar on the lunge. We did transitions at all paces, and he was super stretched out through his topline, and was almost floating around me. Go figure. I think it made me even more mad at him. Bailey, as usual, putzed along at the world's slowest trot and did a couple of walk/trot transitions.
Now, after consuming yet more Advil, I'm going to curl up with a movie and not think about horses for a while.
Oh, but I did get the job! I start August 16th. I'm pretty excited to be making money and working again. I think it's really going to work out well for me!
Monday, August 2, 2010
AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry I haven't updated recently.
My dad was gardening, and he cut the tv/internet cable. So here I am, sitting in the grocery store Starbucks, typing away on my Netbook. Pretty awesome, right? Well, at least the coffee is good!
So the farrier saved me the trouble of firing him. He didn't even show up for our 9am appointment this morning. Not even so much as a phone call. Now, I know I'm not a big name in the area, but I know enough people. And none of them will be recommended his name! I was at least hoping to get the horses all in a rideable/comfortable state so that I had some time to find a new guy. Now I have barefoot horses with busted up walls, and Bella is wearing three shoes and has about 3 inches of overgrowth on her toes. I'm pissed. FUMING.
Before I found this guy, she had gone 9 weeks without having her feet done. They looked infinitely better than they do now, at just 6 weeks! AHHHHH!!!! I'm going crazy.
Anyways, on a brighter note, things have somewhat picked up with Patrick. A woman came out to try him yesterday, and he was really good. She's interested in leasing him and taking lessons from me (Shhh...don't tell anyone!) and it would put some money in my pocket while I continue to try to sell him. Then, this morning a woman emailed me about him, saying that she's looking for a horse for her 16 year old daughter. Hopefully they come try him as well. The woman that came yesterday has two more horses to try before she makes a decision, but from the sounds of it, he's her best option.
The woman from the farm I applied at emailed me to offer me the job. I'm not quite as excited about it as I was, because she keeps changing the parameters on me. First it was weekdays, no riding. Then it was the occasional weekend. Then it turned into riding upwards of 5 horses a day. Then it turned into, "Don't horseshow too much and leave me high and dry". Ummm, lady...you said you were flexible. That's why I applied! Now all of a sudden, I'm not sure I'll have time for my own horses! And again, AHHHHH!
Hopefully it just all falls into place...riiiiiiight. 'Cuz that always happens.
On another note, it looks like 5 & Dime Acres will be expanding. My boyfriend Nathan and I are looking into buying a foreclosed farmette about 20 minutes from my parents' place. It's got a super cute 1900's farmhouse on it, a huge storage barn, and a bank barn with three run-in stalls; all on 5+ acres. I'm super excited. We might put in a contract on it on Wednesday, if all goes well! It needs a ton of work done on the inside, but the previous owners restored all the tough, expensive stuff. Now it just needs to be classied up. Nathan and I are both 'do it yourself' kind of people, so it's really the perfect place for us. I'll try to get some pictures, because it looks like a jungle right now, haha!
Anyways, have a great week everyone, just in case my internet doesn't come back in the near future!
My dad was gardening, and he cut the tv/internet cable. So here I am, sitting in the grocery store Starbucks, typing away on my Netbook. Pretty awesome, right? Well, at least the coffee is good!
So the farrier saved me the trouble of firing him. He didn't even show up for our 9am appointment this morning. Not even so much as a phone call. Now, I know I'm not a big name in the area, but I know enough people. And none of them will be recommended his name! I was at least hoping to get the horses all in a rideable/comfortable state so that I had some time to find a new guy. Now I have barefoot horses with busted up walls, and Bella is wearing three shoes and has about 3 inches of overgrowth on her toes. I'm pissed. FUMING.
Before I found this guy, she had gone 9 weeks without having her feet done. They looked infinitely better than they do now, at just 6 weeks! AHHHHH!!!! I'm going crazy.
Anyways, on a brighter note, things have somewhat picked up with Patrick. A woman came out to try him yesterday, and he was really good. She's interested in leasing him and taking lessons from me (Shhh...don't tell anyone!) and it would put some money in my pocket while I continue to try to sell him. Then, this morning a woman emailed me about him, saying that she's looking for a horse for her 16 year old daughter. Hopefully they come try him as well. The woman that came yesterday has two more horses to try before she makes a decision, but from the sounds of it, he's her best option.
The woman from the farm I applied at emailed me to offer me the job. I'm not quite as excited about it as I was, because she keeps changing the parameters on me. First it was weekdays, no riding. Then it was the occasional weekend. Then it turned into riding upwards of 5 horses a day. Then it turned into, "Don't horseshow too much and leave me high and dry". Ummm, lady...you said you were flexible. That's why I applied! Now all of a sudden, I'm not sure I'll have time for my own horses! And again, AHHHHH!
Hopefully it just all falls into place...riiiiiiight. 'Cuz that always happens.
On another note, it looks like 5 & Dime Acres will be expanding. My boyfriend Nathan and I are looking into buying a foreclosed farmette about 20 minutes from my parents' place. It's got a super cute 1900's farmhouse on it, a huge storage barn, and a bank barn with three run-in stalls; all on 5+ acres. I'm super excited. We might put in a contract on it on Wednesday, if all goes well! It needs a ton of work done on the inside, but the previous owners restored all the tough, expensive stuff. Now it just needs to be classied up. Nathan and I are both 'do it yourself' kind of people, so it's really the perfect place for us. I'll try to get some pictures, because it looks like a jungle right now, haha!
Anyways, have a great week everyone, just in case my internet doesn't come back in the near future!
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