Whew, sorry I took so long!

So Sunday wound up being a long day (by choice) and yesterday was my self-proclaimed 'day off', so I did nothing but chill out.

Anyways, I woke up super early Sunday morning to take Patrick over to the show for his first venture off the farm. He loaded like a doll and stood on the trailer for a while as I put the other horses outside. Then we shipped off 10 minutes down the road to my old barn, who was hosting the show. He came off the trailer super alert and bouncy, but minded his manners for the most part. No rearing or anything of the sort. Granted, I trailered him over with everything but his bridle on. So we hand-walked for a few minutes as he took in all the sights, but then I hopped up on him because I feel safer up there than I do on the ground, in most cases. He stood super for me to get a leg up (and he's never had one of those before). I walked around for a little while, and then ventured toward the rings.

The only time he really questioned my authority was when we had to cross between these two big boulders that were on each side of the pathway leading to the rings. He walked backwards rather swiftly, but then followed this tiny grey pony through. He didn't mind any of the tents, or the 20 ponies galloping around and jumping. There were a few times he would spook if they jumped right next to him, or cantered at him from the other direction, but it was mostly just a step sideways, and nothing scary or unmanageable.

Getting him to settle into a working frame was an entirely different story. I think we trotted for about 45 minutes nonstop in the sweltering heat, alternating between a collected sitting trot and an extended posting trot. Eventually he just got so hot and tired that I was able to really get his attention back and do some legit work. He finished up like a little super star, cantering around the ring like a champ. A girl that knew him as a baby seemed pretty impressed with how far he's come, so that made me happy:D Then we cooled out in the hunter ring, with all the fancy jumps. I was a little nervous that it was going to be total stimulus overload, but he walked around on a loose rein, as calm and placid as the Patrick I know and love.

I'm not sure if he'll be ready to show by their July show, but they keep their jumper jumps pretty low-key, so I might be able to take him in the classes that I did Bella in on Saturday. They have a 2'0" division, but I don't think I can reduce myself to such tiny jumps :( That's hardly anything for him to even think about, let alone jump over.

Anyways, here are some pictures of Bella from Saturday. Take note on the entirely NOT 3'0" fences!

And Patrick, on the second trailer ride of his life, headed to the showgrounds:D

Off to ride the babies while Bella has another day off:D

A great start to the jumper season:D

I can't even put into words how glad I am that I put Bella in the jumpers at this show. It's definitely where both of us belong these days.

So at about 10pm last night, I discovered that they switched the days. Adults and jumpers were Saturday, and juniors were Sunday. Go figure. So I had to rush to my dad and inform him that Bella was going today, instead of the Green Bean (as Patrick is now being affectionately referred to as). Thankfully I jumped Bella a little bit yesterday, so she was prepared.

So this year I opted to stick her in the 3'0" division, because two years ago the footing was terrible and I just didn't want to stress her legs out that much. Now I regret it, because not only were the jumps not set to height (2'6" at the very most, and I think that's being generous), but they also fixed their footing up decently. Oh well, there's still the July show!

Anyways, I started her off easy in the first class, which was a power and speed. I've never pushed her in any of the classes, always preferring a comfortable and confident ride over a ribbon, but at the 3'6", there were always enough *cough cough* bad riders that we usually did really well. Perks of going to local shows. Anywho, I let her get comfy with the jumps and the ring in the first class, and we wound up 5th out of a good handful of people, probably about 20.

So the next class was a speed round, and I figured what the heck? The jumps were so little that I could jump them from a standstill. So I gave Bells some slack and let her do her thing, without doing the stupid turns that some of the little kids did (I wanted to maintain some dignity!). She was sooo excited! She tore through that course and left a stride out of every line, taking some insanely huge distances without my permission. We wound up 4th in that class:D

The last one was a timed first jump-off, and I decided I wanted to let her go quick in the jump off, but since they didnt have a TA in the first round, I was going to back her off a little bit and ride her like I would have to if they fences were bigger. She had the best round yet, mostly because I finally relaxed and started thinking instead of being nervous. We made the jump-off, and she hunkered down and booked it, taking us to 3rd place. She got better and better each time!

I'm just really glad that we've fixed some of the training bumps that came around in the last few years. She's really turning into a solid little horse. My sister took photos and video. I'll load them up as soon as she emails them to me!

The Green Bean goes tomorrow at 7:30am sharp:D

Babies are so destructive!

Today, while sweatscraping Patrick off after his rinse, he tore down my dry erase board, tried sweeping the aisle with a push broom, and kinked the hose. He's such a character, but I can't chastise him for it because making harmless mischief is when he gets that happy little glint in his eye. I really love this little horse. I hope he finds a good home with some little girl that will play with him. Yesterday, he pulled the hose out of his water trough and squirted Scooter and Bailey with it. Who wouldn't laugh at that?!

Speaking of Patrick, he's been so phenomenal lately. Absolutely no issues with his leads (which means I finally feel comfortable advertising him as for sale!). He's super stretchy at the trot, and actually starting to understand how to collect and extend. Sometimes, though, I worry that I'm pushing him to be a little too forward. He doesn't have the natural ability to jump big fences, and he's too small for a big adult. I have to remind myself that I don't need a 3'0" jumping horse that flats like a Grand Prix stallion. I need a 3'0" jumping horse that flats for someone capable of maxing out on that height! Eek. It's hard to get myself into that mindset, so occasionally I slop it up a bit, and he actually did settle right into a putzy little trot. So hopefully my fears are unfounded.

Anyways, once again I showed him the trailer. Today he walked right up there, knowing that he was going to get a little lunch inside. I know a lot of people aren't big fans of using bribery as a training technique, but I think when it's applied properly, and with direction and discipline, it's very useful and rewarding. Hell, these days even dietitians say you have to eat that one sweet treat every once in a while or you fall off the wagon! So tomorrow I'm going to load Scoots up with him and take him for a ride around town.

I have nothing to say about Bella. She was amazing. After a three day break, she came back ready to focus. I worked her really good on the flat, starting with a lot of big stretchy trot work. Then I collected her up and did a lot of bending around the jumps, eventually working into a super collected canter, with some lead changes and transitions. Then I interspersed some extended canters into that and finished with a beautiful square halt. Ah, sometimes I just love that mare! I only wish she had the ability to jump bigger fences! Then I'd be in the money!

Poor Bailey still has hives. They started to go away, then came back in full force and haven't started to recede since this afternoon.

 You can see the texture of her coat in the photo. Poor lumpy baby. She seems so unenthusiastic. So I cold hosed her entire body, which she appreciated (while spooking at the noteboard Patrick dislodged previously). I finally caved and called the vet as well. I'm not one to overreact about hives, or usually medicate them. I feel like most horses get so used to dex that after a substantial time on it, everything gives them hives. So he said to try giving her some banamine if they aren't reduced by tonight, and if that doesn't work, I can run out to the office and get something different to try. You know what they say about the best laid plans...So yet again, she had a day off.

Anywho, does anybody know of a good way to market equine products online? My mom makes just about anything you can think of for horses: saddle pads/covers/carry bags, bridle bags, garment bags, trunk covers, polos, wraps, etc. and I'm trying to figure out the best way to get word out to the public. Any ideas?

One of our barn cats, Cloud, making himself comfortable...or maybe not.

I've been a little lazy

So yesterday Bella had off and remained outside all afternoon with Quinn and Fiesta, but for some reason she didn't feel like lounging. Ignoring her leg wraps and day of rest, she continually ran around her field, bucking and carrying on like a two year old. It was a little annoying, but if that's what she felt like doing in her free time, hey, have at it, I suppose.

I had a fantastic flat on Patrick. He was totally stellar, and I'm starting to really increase my opinion of him. He's really starting to push from behind, and threw out some insane extended trots down the long sides, really reaching into the contact. I honestly never suspected he'd be anything more than a little kids backyard horse, but my efforts to make him into something fancier are really paying off. I saw some pictures my mom took of him on the flat, and he's actually quite cute! I'll have to get my hands on them to put up here. Anyways, I was super pleased with him, and made a huge fuss over him afterward, which he reveled in.

This weekend there's another county show at the barn I used to ride with. Saturday is the junior day, while Sunday is the adult and jumper day. I'm planning on bringing Patrick over early Saturday morning for the 7:30 schooling. He hasn't been off the farm before, so I'm starting to really put the pressure on myself to expose him to different things to get him sold. I figured a local schooling show session would be perfect for a place to start. So I guess I should probably teach him how to trailer, right? Haha, he hasn't been on one since he was 6 months old, and that was the only time. I opened it up yesterday after our ride and planned on showing it to him again. He put his front feet on the ramp, but was content to just stand there until I shook a bucket of grain in his face. Then we walked right up, stood on it rather calmly to eat his little lunch, then backed off smoothly and went out to his field. I plan on doing that again a few times, and then putting Scooter on there with him if need be. I knew I kept that little brat around for a reason!

Bailey was a little fiery yesterday, and by that I mean she did her super slow clunky warmblood wanna-be gallop instead of her putzy little trot for one lap, then settled into her usual self. I cantered her a little more than normal, continually pushing her just a little bit harder, but I kept it short. She had a minor case of hives when I tacked her up, but it got worse as the day wore on. I didn't have anything to treat it, so I just left her be so I could see if it got worse. This morning most of them were gone except the ones by her face and neck, which kind of worried me, but I'm not one to overreact about vet situations, so I'm just keeping an eye on it.

Of course, today was supposed to be Bella's day back, and it's been raining all day. Since I'm not a grand prix rider in Florida or trying to sell a high a/o horse, I feel absolutely no need to ride in the rain (I say that with only a small amount of resentment!). So the training horses are inside, while the retirees mow my lawn in a nice sprinkle and I've been exceedingly lazy all day long, but I'm certainly not complaining!

A highly productive and successful day

Well, it's done. I jumped Patrick.

And look at how gosh darn cute he is! What a little champ. You'd NEVER believe that jump was all of about 18" high, hahaha:D

He warmed up perfectly again, no issues with his leads. Once he started getting a little unsure of himself about the jumping, he got anxious and it got a little hairy in the canter departure department, but he settled in really nicely and figured it out so quickly it was amazing.

I had him going through the 2.80 ground poles, then 6m to a tiny little vertical at first. It gradually built up to that little oxer you see in the picture. The first few times through were pretty ugly. He anticipated the jump, tripped through the ground poles, demolished a few cinderblocks (thank goodness they're cheap!) and smacked his feet on the jump rail. After about three times through, I added another 6 inches in height, thinking he'd see it better, and it worked! We did it a few more times successfully, then made a HUGE deal over him. He was so pleased with himself:D

I was actually kind of worried about jumping him. I free jumped him about a year ago, and he jumped awfully. No lift in his shoulder, knees pointing straight down...much like an untalented reindeer. The last horse I had that naturally jumped that way was sold as a trail horse he was so dangerous. I guess that's the risk you take in buying young horses, but I put lots of extra effort into Patty's flatwork trying to get him to stretch his back and shoulders. I'd like to think that helped, because there's no evidence of that in the pictures I have! Yay!

I did a quick school over some single fences with Bella today in preparation for tomorrow. She had a minor fit about the flowerboxes that walked themselves in front of the coop, but she jumped around pretty decently after the temper tantrum, and even jumped a decent sized oxer in good form without question. I don't think she could be any more ready for tomorrow! Oh, and I even found all my distances (which I always fret about).

The rest of the afternoon was spent giving Bella an hour long bath (which I will have to repeat tomorrow morning, I'm sure. No more grey horses please!) and cleaning my tack up. I filled her hay net, cleaned the trailer, now all I have to do is pack up, load up, and ship out! I'm already getting a little nervous, so I hope Bella carries her end of the slack. It's been two years since we've shown as a team!

And, as usual, Bailey took one for the team and has a long weekend while I prep Patrick and Bella for the next few weeks of showing. I really don't think she minded too terribly much, except that she had to sit in her stall all afternoon (heaven forbid, she had a fan. What is there to complain about?)

Quinn refused to leave his stall after dinner. He's gotten rather obnoxious in his old age, and I love it. It's absolutely hilarious. He LOVES pretending he's this crippled old man. If he's going to a field he doesn't like (aka after dinner), he walks like someone sucked out all his joint fluid. Point him towards the field he does like, he prances like a racehorse in the post parade. Walk him out the front of the barn towards the round pen and you have to drag him. Literally, you have to haul on the lead rope. Pass the round pen and head towards the top field, and he's dancing on the end of the lead rope. Oh boy, how I love him:D He thinks he's so smart.

Early start tomorrow. I know I'm going to get to the showgrounds at 11am, and my class won't go off until 4pm, but there's no sense tempting fate!