Fun

So, let's review, shall we?

Weather has been bitterly cold and snowy. The horse boy has been in his stall except for turn-out and the occasional romp in the outdoor arena for the past seven days. It is still cold and snowy. And now the wind is blowing.

We were the only riders in the indoor arena. And the wind is blowing the snow hard enough against the thin metal walls that I swear it sounds like a miniature machine gun. And I believe you are all aware of the fact that my horse is an Arabian, right? You've heard that Arabians are calm and hardly ever spook, right? They are docile and a 2 on a scale of 1 - 10, right?

Yeah, fun.

We actually did pretty well. I lunged him first, at a wicked fast trot until I was dizzy from spinning around in a circle. Then I attached side reins, which for some reason seemed to scream "let's canter as fast as we can" in them. So, yeah. We did that. Then I got on.

We spooked at the thin line of white running down the center of the arena, which was made of powery fine snow seeping from some place in the roof. We spooked at the jump standards on one side of the arena. We spooked at our non-existent shadow.

Through it all, I continued to ask for the walk. He would try to bolt and I would say no, and ask for the walk. After a bit, I started riding in a long figure eight and trotting on the X, but walking on the ends of the circle. The west side of the arena was especially fun, since every time we got down there the wind would give an extra little burst and snow would attack the wall, seeping through the cracks in a white haze.

I made the figure eights smaller, working from short side to short side in the arena. Ashke was very attentive and tried to bend and flex and move in a cadence while staring wide eyed at the sparkling snow dust floating down from the ceiling. Finally, Ashke stopped, planted his feet and tried to stare at the roof, which was threatening to blow off. He was as tight as a stretched wire and I could see muscles jumping beneath his skin.

I am not stupid. I got off.

All in all we rode for twenty minutes or so. Weds. lesson is going to be a joy, I can tell. Maybe we will do a lunge line lesson and canter. Maybe it will stop being so darn cold. Maybe I will win the Mega Millions Lottery. Maybe I should buy a ticket. Hummmmm.

12 Degrees Still

With Cali and N

Equipride

Okay, this is an unpaid, completely unsolicited review on a product we've been using for less than a week, but I have to tell you how completely blown away I am with the results.

According to the website: Equipride is "all-in-one" vitamin and mineral supplements for horses that include strong prebiotic and enzymatic digestive aids for better horse health and superior performance. Equipride is designed to work effectively to help improve hooves, hair coat, joint lubricity, feed utilization, circulation and reduction of colic.

Diane suggested it because the Strategy that the barn feeds is non-specific on the food source and only gives minimums on stuff like sugar and carbs, which means it can have a lot more sugar than they claim. She wanted to me move away from that and to an all natural (she is holistic) product that would reduce Ashke's risk of Cushings or diabetes. I'm all for preventing stuff just by feeding better product, so I bought a bag.

Here is a link to the information about what is in the supplement and how it helps. http://equilix.com/pdf/EquiPride-EquiLix-trifold-SweetPro2013.pdf

Ok, so what I've seen: even though Ashke has been stalled for a week and hasn't been asked to work with the exception of a couple of 4 minute exercise periods in the outdoor arena, he is moving very easily in the snow. He can shift from one lead to the other flawlessly, he is no longer cross cantering in either direction (and this has been an issue since I brought him home), every time he moves to the trot he "gets floaty" as J likes to say. He feels great and moves just flat out better. Yes, part of this has to do with his recent adjustment and I think taking the week off (as much as I hate it) has been great for his body. I can say in watching his two videos from yesterday, that he is feeling awesome. (I just hope he doesn't decide to rear while he is under saddle).

But the biggest issue is . . . . wait for it . . . . he's no longer licking. None. Nada. Not my clothes, not my hands, not my hair. Stopped. Completely. I'm thinking the nutrients in the Equipride have finally hit all of his nutritional needs and he is no longer seeking whatever he was missing. It will be interesting to see if he is girthy when I saddle him on Monday. The Equipride has a lot of stuff to help with digestion.

Anyway. Equipride was kind of expensive - $69 for a 50# bag. But, you only use 10 ounces or so a day (1000# horse) and so I'm expecting my bag to last for a fairly long time. I am mixing 5 ounces of Equipride with about two cups of Timothy hay pellets, half his smart pak flex supplement (which I will be changing for Vet Flex) and then feeding this twice a day. I was worried that Ashke wouldn't like the Equipride, but he loves it. He licks all the granules out of the corners of his feed bin.

Best Stuff EVAR!!

Snow Part 2

First, let me say that temps in the single digits for a week straight freaking suck rocks!! Too cold to ride. To cold to run around. Too darn cold to do much of anything. It might, MIGHT, reach 20 on Monday. I hope I can ride that night.

We saw the horse-boy for a few minutes today. I once again captured it on video.

I love how great he is feeling. He has spent more time on his hind legs in the past two days then he ever has. I have a post to do about his supplements and something I realized today. I will post it later this week.

He is so full of himself. And he's all but stopped cross cantering. I think the neck adjustment is to thank. He will have had a full week off when I get back on him on Monday night.

Please say prayers or light candles or whatever it is you do with your higher power for us. I am going to need it.

Thursday Truth or Tall-Tale

It's winter and really cold here already. Loveland ski area has 100" of snow already, yesterday's high was 10 degrees and the low this morning was -9. It's too cold to do much with the horse, and I'm sure you all don't want to hear "we rode four circles to the left and five circles to the right" any more than I want to write it, and unfortunately, trail rides are going to be more difficult in the cold. So, for entertainment and all that, I present to you the new Thursday Truth or Tall-Tale. Also known as, "Is she crazy or is she a liar?"

Remember, these events, true or not, happened thirty-five years ago. The methods of horse handling that occurred are not recommended by me (although I am sure they are still in use in the West today) and not something I am advocating. These stories are told entirely for entertainment purposes only.

Popcorn and the Red Mare

When I was fifteen my parents got divorced and my mom moved us from Firth, ID (pop. 723) to Pocatello, ID (pop. 55,000). It was quite the experience. The number of students that attended my High School was twice the population of Firth. I think I spent the first couple of months feeling like a fish out of water. But population and lack of space wasn't the only issue I was dealing with. For the first time in my life I had to board my horses off property that we owned. We found a barn that offered a stall with a run that would hold my three horses for a fairly minimum amount (I don't remember the cost, but I do know that I started working part time at Taco Bell that same time frame and made enough to pay for hay and board.) There were several other boarders at the barn, one of which was a black Wyoming Cowboy named Dick.

He was in his early twenties, was great with a horse and the first black person I had ever talked to. (There is a reason why Idaho is called the Great White State.) He was also pretty darn gorgeous, even if he was several years older than me. He brought four BLM horses from Wyoming about a month after I started boarding there and through sheer persistence I started working with him. He had a big, mean buckskin stallion he named Pissin' (short for piss and vinegar), the little black mare with the tore up face I got under saddle, a big, rawboned chestnut mare he thought might make a bucking horse that eventually became his roping horse, and another small chestnut mare he eventually sold. I spent a lot of time riding with him, especially after the stallion tore through a fence and led us on a merry chase around the county in the rain. There's nothing like bonding over disfunctional horses. Thankfully, he came to his senses and gelded the boy. Pissin' went on to be a pretty decent barrel horse.

 Dick also owned a nifty little 14.3 Red roan appaloosa gelding named Popcorn. I got to know Popcorn pretty well, since he was Dick's go-to horse when anything needed to be done. Dick roped off of him, trail rode, moved cattle, chased horses, you name it and Popcorn had probably done it at some point in his life. He was tough and savvy and worked really well with Dick. What we would have called a good, all-around cow pony.

One of my first experiences with Popcorn was when we were trying to get a halter on the big, rawboned mare for the first time. She was in a huge arena and Dick's idea was to get a rope over her head, then a rope on her hind feet, then get a halter on her. He brought Popcorn into the arena to work as his roping horse, while I was on foot. I was the one that was supposed to get the halter on her head. Mind you, these BLM horses were mustangs pulled off the prairie in Wyoming and had been in captivity for maybe two weeks at this point. She wasn't exactly housebroke yet.

Dick got on Popcorn, dallied his rope around the horn so it would hold with him out of the saddle. (For those of you who aren't familiar with western events, this kind of dally is used when roping calves.) He planned on getting the rope around her neck, then get off, trusting Popcorn to keep the tension in the rope taut, and get a rope on her heels from on foot (this was a couple of years before I learned to rope cattle, and even then the header job is much easier than the heeler. I didn't volunteer to try.)

The first part of his plan worked. He got the rope settled around her neck on his second cast. She hit the end of the rope and swung around to face Popcorn. Dick launched himself off, second rope already twirling, when that darn mare, pinned her ears and charged at him, feet flying. Dick saw her coming and veered for the fence. Popcorn, doing what all good roping ponies do when there is slack in the rope, started to back up. The Red Mare dodged after Dick, mouth wide open and a front foot striking out. Her target ran for the fence and she followed, perpendicular to Popcorn, who was still backing up, but not facing the mare. She hit the end of the rope, which had settled around the base of her neck, and yanked Popcorn off his feet sideways, hitting with a noticable ummphf. It stopped her, but not before she had dragged him a couple of feet through the sand of the arena. Popcorn was squeeling and struggling to get his feet under him. By this time, Dick had hauled ass up the side of the arena and was sitting on top of the bucking chutes, hat gone and rope all tangled in his left hand.

The big Red Mare turned away from where Dick was hanging on the fence, to find an absolutely enraged cow pony. Popcorn, who had gotten to his feet, went for her with bared teeth, screaming with frustration, and the mare bolted away from him. I had, by that time, climbed the fence and was perched on top watching the fray. The Red Mare tore off with a pissed off, dirt covered gelding chasing her. That horse was so smart. Once he had her running away from him, he set himself and slid to a halt, head down and hind legs tucked up under him. She hit the end of the slack rope and flipped herself head over heels to land on her side in a huge billow of dust. The impact almost knocked me off the fence.

By that time, Dick had come down off the fence and gotten a second rope around the mare's neck, hoping to control her ability to go after anyone by lining her between Popcorn and whoever was holding the second rope. He decided that should be me, while he tried to get a rope over her feet. (I might point out that at that time I was 4'6" tall and ponying horses at the race track in my spare time. I was not going to do a whole lot of good at the other end of that rope.) For twenty minutes or so, that Red Mare led us a merry chase around the arena. She was too canny to let Popcorn get enough slack in the rope to pull her off her feet again. Popcorn was smart enough though, to keep her lined at the end of his rope though. She was too wiley for Dick to get a rope around her legs. And I really didn't weigh enough to do much more than annoy her. The rope burned through four fingers of the gloves I was wearing before we were through.

Then Dick had a brilliant idea (you can read the sarcasm from there, right?) He released the rope from Popcorn's saddle. In his defense, Popcorn was pretty wiped out by that point and tired enough he was becoming a liability. He had worked himself into a pretty frothy mess and was tired of holding the rope on this 16.3h big-ass mare. That meant the big-ass mare was now being restrained by a 65lb kite and a 180 lb man. Yeah, there was lots of dragging, and dirt and rocks being kicked in our faces. I had about a third of the arena sand in my clothes by the end, which came about because the mare got tired of dragging our sorry asses around. She was pretty wiped by this time and Dick managed to run his rope around her back legs and pull her down.

I threw myself on her head with a gunny sack I had tucked in my waistband, covering her eyes. She quieted then and Dick hogtied her. We put the web halter on her head, attaching a long lead rope to it and tucked the gunny sack into the halter. Then we sat down and inspected our wounds. We were both pretty bruised and beat up. Dick staggered over and pulled the saddle off Popcorn, checking him for injury, while I sat and talked to the mare, rubbing my hands up and down her neck. Popcorn checked out okay and was walking sound when Dick led him out of the arena to his own pen where there was water and feed waiting for him.

After a long twenty minutes, Dick came back and released the ropes holding the mare's legs, then motioned me away. He carefully removed the gunny sack and stepped back, holding the lead rope in one hand. The mare blinked and surveyed her options. Carefully, she sat up and then got to her feet. Dick dropped the rope and went to get hay. The Red Mare followed him, walking sound, her head cocked to one side to avoid the rope. That was the beginning of Dick's process to break her in and get her under saddle.

WW: 10 Degrees

25 Questions

I borrowed these questions from a couple of people who posted answers over a five day span. There were a lot of show questions, which have zero application for those of us who don't show, so they have been replaced by different questions. Enjoy.

1. Most Influential Person on Your Riding?

This is a hard question for me. I think the most influential person in my childhood was my mother. She took me riding when I was a toddler, got me my first pony at the age of eight, sat in a lawn chair and watched me gallop around her for hours on the front lawn, both on my pony and on my own feet. She figured out how to get me my first horse, my first saddle and didn't once tell me I needed to get rid of my horses when she divorced my father. Looking back now, from an adult perspective, I have no idea how we managed that. She was supportive when things were hard and wiped away my tears when I got hurt. With the exception of the summer when she was afraid I would be struck by lightning, she allowed me the freedom to ride whenever I wanted, wherever I wanted. I would not be who I am today, if she hadn't allowed me that space. Even now, she listens to my stories, reads my blog and encourages me every day. She is the one who taught me it was possible to have a horse.

Now? Now, it is N. I think it's hard to spend time with someone without them influencing you. She is definitely the reason why I am riding in a Prestige saddle and doing lessons with Cassandra. She is also the reason why I am working on certain issues with Ashke, why we use side reins, and why I am riding the way I do. Slowly, she has seduced me to the dressage side. We agree it's the cool boots.

2. Piece of Tack you would love to splurge on?

If we could define tack as equipment you use with your horse, then mine would be a horse trailer. No holds barred, I would get a Bison Traveler, 3-horse, 17' short wall with slide. And a truck to pull it, because I'm not sure our Silverado could handle it. Then, I would find the perfect, calm Appaloosa gelding for J and teach her to trail ride. That would be the perfect way to spend our retirement, in my opinion. Sigh. Time to buy a lotto ticket, I think.

3. Favorite playlist?

I don't listen to music. At least, not very often. It is a failing, but I blame my childhood. You wouldn't listen to music either if you had grown up with an 8-track and vinyl in the far reaches of Idaho. I just never picked up the habit. If I am listening to something, I listen to audio books. When I ride, I listen to my horse. The one time I tried to listen to music while on a trail ride, Ashke spooked at the sound and tried to run away. HE does not like Kate Bush, "Running up that hill". For the record.

4. Most Important Aspect of your barn?

The reasons I picked this barn haven't changed. I wanted a barn with a huge indoor, access to trails, excellent care and a place close to either my work or my home. It is also a benefit that they feed four times a day and will blanket if I need them to. Ashke seems to love it and being able to see the Mesa and the stars whenever I am there is a nice bonus. Plus, N lives just over the fence, so if there are issues, she's close enough to deal with them.

5. Three Winter Riding Goals?

1. To continue to ride on the trail, even when the weather isn't perfect.

2. To continue to work on learning dressage, which is why I paid Cassandra for 10 lessons over the winter.

3. To install some control at the canter and gallop. Especially on the trail.

6. Favorite equestrian movie and book?

My all time favorite movie with horses is Return to Snowy River. Yes, I think the scene where they are chasing the horses in the Man from Snowy River, and the main character rides down the hillside after them is my favorite scene from either movie. However, I love everything in Return to Snowy River. I think it's a better story line and it has Brian Hennessey, so how can you lose? My close second is International Velvet, with Tatum O'Neal. And yes, it is a sequel to National Velvet. Still a good movie.

My all time favorite book with horses is Monte Walsh by Jack Schaefer. It's about a cowboy who was a good hand with a horse. My second favorite was Green Grass of Wyoming by Mary O'hara. My overall favorite authors were Walter Farley and Marguerite Henry and I have read everything they both wrote.

7. Most Common Riding Misperception

That I look out of control when Ashke is cantering. That he is rushing away with me. I wonder if I could ride him at full speed and just let him go, what that would change for both of us. I'm thinking I might start by letting him race up the mountain.

8. Two Riding Strengths and One Riding Weakness

Strength: My body still remembers what I want to do. It may not be able to do it the way we used to, but it remembers. And my balance is still there. I think balance on the back of the horse is an inate gift and you either have it or you don't. When you do, it is easier to stay on when your horse is moving in directions you don't normally want a horse to move, like sideways fifteen feet, or the stop, duck and spin move. I absolutely had that when I was a kid. I preferred to ride bareback, even when I was starting a horse under rider, because it was much less likely I was going to come off. That is slowly coming back.

Strength: My relationship with Ashke is very good. He is trying to work with me and is a honest partner. We are well on our way to forming an unbreakable bond. And well on our way to co-being.

Weakness: My fear. I think it is deep and sometimes very difficult for me to face. Very trickesy, my fear, since it masquerades as common sense, sometimes. It sucks, getting old, because it is difficult to determine why I am not pushing boundries and using the argument "well, you did it that way when you were a kid" can be a really dangerous conversation to have with my bad-ass, fifty year old self. I need to temper my younger fearlessness with adult caution, in the sense that I don't want to hit the ground any more, which, honestly, was never even a consideration before my riding accident in Yellowstone. The person who said, "You have nothing to fear but fear itself" was NOT talking about me. At least, not about the younger me. So now, I must evaluate my fear and decide whether it is based on healthy caution or whether it is based on FEAR. Caution is not fear based, but rather an honest evaluation of the risks involved and can be mediated by choice. (For example, even though my vet recommended I ride Ashke with the breeching on him, I already know how incredibly dangerous that could be and will not do so.) Fear is what is holding me back and can be found hiding behind caution. I need to separate the risk-taking behavior I was addicted to when I was young (with and without horses) from the concept of who I wish to be now, and how I choose to ride, without allowing fear to dictate my process.

9. Least Favorite thing about horses and/or riding?

I wish I could do it whenever I wanted. I wish I could do it every day. I wish I didn't feel guilty when I can't make it to the barn. I wish I didn't feel guilty when I am at the barn and not spending time with my family. I wish I had time to do all of the things I really want to do.

10. What do you feed your horse?

He gets six flakes of grass hay a day. He will be getting a pound of timothy hay pellets, smart flex II and a half cup of Equipride twice a day.

11. Critique your horse's conformation.

 

Ashke has very much an old-style Arabian body. He has a nicely arched neck, refined face with a small muzzle but very wide between the eyes. He has the dip behind his withers where the saddle sets, with a wide back and solid belly. His legs are strong with good bone and his pasterns are not too angled (no clubfoot or fallen pasterns). His hips are strong and his back is short. His shoulder has a good angle and he stands square.  He has the best eye I have ever seen (I am a bit biased, though.) I think we could do anything we wanted with the exception of jumping and racing. (I am not a jockey.)

This is the standard:

 

12. Horse's favorite riding exercise.

Ashke loves to trail ride. He is curious and loves to explore new places. He will go out by himself or with other riders. He is careful and willing to do all kinds of footing, goes over bridges, is getting over his fear of mud, will cross water and can go for several hours. We have now started to trailer places to ride and he really enjoys that as well. He is the most comfortable when we ride with Cali.

13. Favorite Spa Products

I personally like Paul Mitchell. I don't really have a lot of hair, though.

14. Three Best Things about your horse?

His attitude when working with me. He tries his heart out and let's me know when it's hard for him.

I love how he will whinny at me when he hears my voice, and then again when I walk up to him from the tack room, and again if I leave him and he sees me. It's kind of like he's surprised to see me again.
I love watching him get strong and sure of himself, of his increased energy and floaty trot.

15. Favorite Picture of my horse.

16. One thing you would like to change about your horse.

Nothing. I truly believe I was sent to Ashke and he was given to me. If he had not had every thing happen to him that has happened, I'm not sure we would have the relationship we have. If I had not had everything happen to me, that has happened, I would not be as appreciative of my relationship with him. None of us are perfect. All of us have our stories and our baggage. I think he is perfect for me.

17. Your horse's future.

It is with me. As for what we do . . . get Ashke completely healthy, compete in Working Eq, complete a fun ride and a poker ride at Kenlyn Arabians, find more new and varied places to ride, camp with my horse, ride him at Vedauwoo, WY, do an overnight camping trip on my horse, and have lots of wonderful rides. Maybe, someday, ride the 600 miles from Evanstan, Wy to Denver, CO. following the track of The Great Endurance Race, only slower.

18. What are two strengths and one weakness of your horse.

Ashke's biggest strength is his heart. I don't know how he managed to survive surgery, sale to someone who didn't want him, resale to someone who didn't do anything with him, and then dumped on someone who almost starved him to death. And he still loves people. He trusts me. He's battling back and learning whatever I request. He is very loyal and expects the same thing from me.

Ashke's second strength is his try. He wants to do what I want him to. Even when he is tired and it hurts. He still tries.

Ashke's weakness is physical. We are still rehabbing his injury and still dealing with at least five years of neglect. I see him getting stronger every day. I don't know that we will ever be strong enough in the hindquarters to do jumping, but we should be able to compete in Working Eq and go over the straw bale jump.

19. What discipline, other than the one you are currently involved in, would you be interested in trying?

I currently have my sights set on Working Eq. I would love, still, to try Endurance. If I can get Ashke sound, I would try a 25 miler and see how we do. I might also show in a regular dressage show. Maybe. Not sure I want to buy the clothes though.

20. Is there a horse out there on the interwebs that you covet, that you would get if you had unlimited resources?

hermes echo at 30 months

At six years.

Hermes Echo. Hanoverian/Arabian cross. Enough said.

21. Favorite Horse Related Event to watch.

I love to watch the Cross-Country and Grand Prix Events in the Olympics. I find them absolutely splendid, although I have no desire to ride it. I am also a huge Triple Crown nut. I study the horses running in the derby a couple of weeks before the race and make my pick to win the Derby. I watch every May. Then I watch the Preakness. If the same horse wins, I watch the Belmont. If not, then the Belmont doesn't matter. I watched Alydar and Affirmed run the three races in 1978. I remember Secretariat bursting out of the gate and winning the Belmont going away. I don't want to miss the next one. (I also think this is a hold over from when I was about twelve. I wanted to be the first female jockey to win the Kentucky Derby.)

22. What is your favorite treat to feed your horse and is there a routine you have with treats?

Ashke loves carrots and from the very first day we have provided. He gets one when I get there and then a bag of chopped carrots after the end of the ride. When we boarded at Christensen's we would share out a carrot piece to each of the horses in the barn row when we left, but stopped doing that when we had the Pigeon Fever outbreak. Now, I drop a couple in Cali's bin (N thinks I look like a walking carrot to Cali) but she is the only horse I feed beside Ashke.

Ashke also gets hanging ball treats. He is especially fond of the hanging treat that has a hole in the middle. I hang it so when he licks it, it will spin on the rope. He tries to bite it, but it's more difficult and lasts longer if it moves. I can't do the round ones because he gets frustrated and stops trying to eat them. I always get the peppermint ones, because that is his favorite.

Ashke will stand on his head for peppermints. I try to save them for special occasions, like loading on the trailer, walking into the wash stall or doing tricks. He loves them and will lick all the smell off of my hands afterwards.

23. What is one thing about your barn you would like to see improve/change?

I would like a couple of things. First, I wish there were grazing fields instead of dirt fields for turn-out. Second, I wish they would get the footing in the round pens replaced and the rocks out of the outdoor arena. I wish they would cut all of the weeds on the property, and remove the cross country jumps from the front of the property, creating instead a turf arena with great footing. Or a turf galloping track would be even better. (And it would be pretty cool if they got the swimming pool fixed.)

24. If you could ride anywhere in the world, where would you ride?

I would love to ride on the beach. I don't even care which beach. I think I would rather it be on the West Coast, because I love the Pacific ocean. I would also love to ride across Wyoming from Vedauwoo to the Greasy Grass (Little Big Horn) with my dogs and a friend, and J waiting with the camper at the end of each day. Then from the Little Big Horn to the Black Hills. I think that would be amazing. I have now added the trail of The Great Endurance Race from Evanstan, WY to Denver, CO to my list. It was ran in 1908, was 600 miles and sounds like a good trek.

25. Best Horse Memory

It has to be getting Queenie for Christmas when I was twelve. That was the ultimate fulfillment of wish and dream and heart's deepest longing all at once. I can still see her standing in the snow, breath puffing from her nostrils, her eyes wide and wondering. Me, shivering in the knee deep snow, my hand held out to her. She was my every thing.