Bittersweet: Tribute to Kiley

Today is a bittersweet day. I want to tell you about how much FUN I had last night with Riley 'trick or treating' through the neighborhoods but first...I will do a little tribute to Kiley. Two years ago today I lost my 4 month old Quarter horse filly, Kiley. I had only had her for 2 months but oh how you can become SO attached in such a short period of time. I had gotten Kiley from a guy who is a total JERK and didn't need horses to begin with. Kiley, her mother and her older sister were in a barb wire fenced in pasture with no feed and only a nasty little pond to drink from. Kiley's older sister who was a long yearling had one leg she was permanently cripple on due to an injury that had gone un treated. From the day Kiley was born I was in love with her. I would go in the pasture and play with her and I would always tell her how someday I would rescue her, "Someday Kiley, you are gonna be mine!" Well that day came soon enough when one day we found Kiley tangled up in the barb wire fence by one of her back legs. She was standing there so calmly but the barbwire was wrapped completely around her tiny leg, a few inches above her fetlock. I called my friend who lived right down the road and we cut her loose. My friend offered her owner $500 for all three horses and thankfully, he accepted. We took them home and my friend gave me Kiley. We called the vet out for her and he treated her and all seemed well...
 She was beautifully built and an amazing mover! I would often watch her canter perfectly in the pasture, stop, do the most beautiful little pivot on her hind end and than spring away! She was naturally athletic. Kiley's wound healed (or so we thought) and all was well until one day a few weeks after the injury I went out to find her with one leg grossly swollen. I instantly iced it and called our vet. He was out of town but told us to ice it and cold water hose and see if it went down. Monday morning, after treating it religiously all weekend, we found it to be worse so we called our vet than loaded her and her mother up and headed to Harrington. There, they took x rays and found that Kiley had a nasty bacteria eating away at her coffin bone. They thought it was clostridium and instantly started treating her aggressively with medicine. I was 17 at the time and spent over a thousand dollars trying to save her and would have done whatever to get ten thousand more if it would have saved her...She stayed at Harrington for a week and we took her back home for a week. That week I spent all day and all night washing her leg and giving her medicine and injections and cleaning her stall. I also had to tend to her mom as she wasn't weaned and wash her poor little tail and hind end as she had bad diarrhea from the medicine. I prayed and prayed and BEGGED God to please save her.  I swore I would do whatever it took, just please save her! But alas on October 31, 2008 her hoof capsule was starting to slough and she was becoming depressed. She had stayed so strong and happy up until now. We took her back to Harrington and with one last ditch effort to save her they took her into surgery to remove the hoof capsule. The outlook was poor but the vet told us if she had healthy viable lamina tissue she could possibly regenerate a new hoof. They said they had seen it happen before. I laid with her in her stall before they took her back and balled my eyes out. I didn't care who say me I just cried and held her and prayed with everything I had but told her good bye just in case. I told her I loved her and how amazing she was and what a fighter and than watched as they carried her away. It was 20 minutes later when the vet came out...shaking his head and told me her coffin bone was 'dead' and they put her down.

I turned away and sat down to keep from throwing up and passing out. I cried more that night and had conflicting thoughts about God...why hadn't he saved her? What had I done wrong? Could I have done more? Sometimes I still wonder... but time heals all wounds. There is still a hole left than could never be filled or replaced. I understand now that everything happens for a reason and I'm just thankful now that she has crossed the rainbow bridge and is galloping sound and beautiful in horsey heaven. She deserves it. If it wasn't for her I would have never found May. There is so much more I could write about her and her story. I could go on for days about how amazing she was and how everyone around her was touched by her good spirits and strength. All I can say now is that I am thankful I had the time with her that I did, and I'm thankful she at least had a few months of great quality life. I love you Kiley and thank you for teaching me what it means to truly to fight with everything you have. R.I.P my baby girl.

With all that being said right now I don't think I could muster the cheer to type. about how awesome last night was so I will save it for later today. For another post.  "Death leaves a heartache that no one can heal...but love leaves a memory that no one can steal." -Anon

Water woes..

When it rains it pours....or well at least here it does! We needed rain sooo bad but it would have been nice if we didn't get is all at one time.  Yesterday morning after all the rain the arena was pretty wet. Luckily it packs down good due to the sand so you can still ride. I stay along the rail though or the upper corners where it is most dry. The middle gets a little slick and creates a suction and I don't think that pulling would be good for tendons, so I avoid any bad areas. I rode Moose first and he did pretty good. He was not thrilled about the puddles in the arena but once he walked through a few of them he got over it. We did a lot more work at the trot. He's doing fairly well but still wanting to throw his head up a little bit. We picked it up to a canter and it became quickly apparent that he wasn't ready so I brought him back down to a trot. He didn't do anything crazy but he became super high headed and tense so we stayed at a trot the rest of the ride. Right now our main focus is for him to r-e-l-a-x and stay soft. After about twenty minutes he was warmed up and riding nice. He really moves good once he starts to relax. I also introduced some circles and started working on getting him "round" in his turns which he did ok with. Once he relaxed and became very responsive we called it a day.   Here is a pic my friend took of me hugging him once I got off: awww he's so sweet!

Today when I rode him he did better in the saddle but did something funny while I was tacking him up. My vet made a funny, but very accurate, observation: "He spooks but he doesn't react". I have often noticed this when I am leading him or saddling him. Every time he spooks he does the tiniest jump and than instantly is over it. He doesn't pull back or lose his head, he does snort for fifteen minutes or rear back and flip over. He just jumps and than its over....Weirdo lol Well today while I was saddling him I girthed him up and than turned around to grab his bridle. Upon turning back around he pulled back just a little and than he laid down. Just as gently and quietly as if he was taking a snooze. I looked at him in disbelief and said, "Moosey! What in the world are you doing?! Get up!" He looked back at me as if it was the most casual thing in the world to lay down while be saddled and than stood up like, "Well, If you insist.." Aaaand that was it! He just stood there like a perfect gentleman. I brushed his belly off and than put his bridle on. I guess whatever he did stretched him real good because he rode great! :-) We warmed up at a walk like always before I started asking him to get on the bit. We also did some work on leg pressure. I picked him up to a trot and he was just as relaxed and quiet as could be. My friend stood in the arena with my phone and took some pics. Here is a few of what she took:

I also rode Riley yesterday for a little while. I didn't do much schooling with him but rather we just played. I tacked him up and we went in the arena and warmed up really good and than did lots of trotting with rollbacks, serpentines, figure eights and lots and lots of circles. We also did a good bit of cantering and we worked on our cantering circles as well. He keeps them nice and round but I have to really use my outside leg to keep his butt from trailing off the circle. After that we just did some extended trotting on a loose rein to loosen him up and stretch him out. Now that the temperatures are dropping I have to make sure I exercise him really regularly or he stocks up. At first I was a little surprised when I saw him stocking up last year because he is turned out all the time and worked regularly but when he's out in the pasture he pretty much parks his happy butt in front of the hay and eats all day with the occasional walk to the water trough and salt block. Not enough movement to keep his circulation going good enough I guess. I could pressure wrap him but with him being out I don't want him pulling the wraps off and messing them up so instead I just keep him exercised good. A better option for both of us.  I also did some stretching on the ground with Riley before I turned him out. Our chiropractor says it's good for him to loosen up his muscles. Here is a pic of him stretching in anticipation for a carrot lol. Such a cutie pie! His legs look wet because I had just cold water hosed them. I always do after a hard work out.

This morning I rode May before I rode Moose. (I know this post is a little "all over the place" I apologize but I'm trying to include their rides from yesterday and today lol) She was HOT! She always gets a little more hyper when the weather changes and it cools down but today was ridiculous! She wasn't acting up but was just tense and full of it! She is a naturally very touchy and temper mental like I have said before so you really have to "negotiate" with her when you ride. You can't just tell her what to do and expect her to do it. Oh no. She's very opinionated and has no problem telling you when she doesn't like something your doing. She has never offered to kick, bite, rear or buck (except when we fiiiirst got her) but she still has other ways of letting you know.  She does this thing where she nods her head sometimes while you are saddling her or riding. Mostly when she is tense, hyper or anxious. She doesn't pull the reins out of my hands or anything like that. Really, she doesn't pull at all. Just very quick, compulsive, slight head bobs and it is so ANNOYING! I hate when she does it but there isn't much I can do other than get her to relax. Sometimes if I hold my reins to where there is a little contact and just keep them there she will bob her head and pop herself and stop but usually you just have to reaaaaally take the edge of off her and get her to relax.  It's so compulsive it has gotten her the nickname "Tourrettes mare". 

I took her in the arena and we started warming up. We were doing ok until I started picking her up to a faster trot. She started pulling on my hands and I tightened up. Wrong answer! Now she was tense and I was tense and neither of us were getting anywhere. Finally I just stopped her and took a deep breath and told myself to relax and loosen up. How is she going to relax if I don't? Well what do you know, our next round of trotting was almost perfect! There was still a little tension but the more I relax the more she relaxes. I just really have to 'breath' with my reins. She does best with  a little contact but not too much. Just enough where we can feel each other and communicate and she's happy.  After a good 45 minutes of just exercising her and getting her to relax I stopped her and walked her out. The difference in the way she rides sometimes is amazing. She can go from being so up tight and tense and coiled to relaxed and like butter in my hands. Silly, touchy, MARE! I love her to death though and everything is always worth it when it comes to my horses.  Horses and humility certainly go hand in hand.May trotting up to me in the pasture. Love her face in this one. She's such a good girl!

I think its the weather....

because May and Riley have both been hot heads the last two days! I pulled Riley up yesterday and gave him a good workout in the arena. From the second I got on I could tell he was hyper. He started walking off while I went to get on and he neeeever does that. Never. So we stopped and I dismounted and told him to stand and re mounted. Problem solved. He had a very active walk while we warmed up and than when we started trotting he had the most springy forward trot ever! It was very nice and had a lot of impulsion which isn't normal for him. He always tries hard but you usually reaaaally have to use a lot of leg to get him truly engaging his hindquarters like he is supposed to. I certainly wouldn't go as far as to say he was collected but he was definitely forward and his transitions were lovely. We did a lot of trotting in circles and figure eights and than in the canter I asked for a few nice stops on his hind end. He always stops good but not always on his butt. A lot of times he will use his hindquarters some in a stop but not be fully engaged. He doesn't slam down on his forehand but Id still like him to use that big ole butt of his more! lol We even did a few really nice cantering rollbacks off the fence so I stopped him there on a good note and walked him out. He was reaaally sweaty. Its been 80 degrees here and HUMID but he is already getting his winter coat in. I hosed him and sweat scraped him and than walked him dry before feeding him. As soon as I turned him out he rolled and rolled and rolled right in the mud...*sigh* Thanks Buddy, love you too! And just for fun here is a pic from almost 2 years ago of me and Riley. It was my high school graduation picture we put on the invitations! lol Back when I still had bangs and was about 30 pounds heavier haha!

I rode May early this morning after feeding everyone. Boy was she a wild woman! Hot headed and temper mental as ever! Like I said it has been humid but also raining a fair amount this week so I have not been able to ride them quite as consistently as Id like. I think that and the weather itself being so unpredictable has had them a little revved up. She was really tense when I got on her so we walked a while until she relaxed some and than started trotting. You really have to warm her up good before you start schooling anything or else she is just hot headed and un cooperative. Her and Riley can be quite opposites sometimes. Riley does great riding about 5 days a week and taking a day or two off and than two always before a race. May on the other hand you have to work her almost every day and than one day off before a show or she gets anxious and really hot. You have to take the edge off of her for her to focus. She is a pretty supple mare and works off her hind end very nice. I don't fool much with her head. She keeps it pretty level, not too high or too low and as I said before just because their head is lowered doesn't mean they are collected or on the bit. Also she is very sensitive in her mouth...well everywhere really! You have to be very soft with your cues or else she is a rocket.  She sometimes reminds me of a coiled spring ready to just launch away at any minute. The nice thing is if you can channel that energy and get her focused than she is quite the machine! A true equine athlete and she loves to work. I do a lot of 'off pattern' work with my horses. Yes, barrel racing is our forte but that doesn't mean that's all we do. I rarely practice a horse after it is patterned for a couple of reasons. First off I don't want one of those horses that you see at a race that stands tied to the trailer the entire time pawing and anxious and all worked up until the person gets on it ten minutes before their run, beats it all the way into the chute and snatches it around the pattern than beats it all the way out and jerks it to stop just to get off and tie the horse back up. Uhmmm no thanks. I refuse to ever let it come to that. My horses are never sour about their job and if they ever decided they didn't want to do it anymore, fine. Its not all about racing for me. Its about my horses. Also I think about their future soundness. Barrel racing is very physically demanding for a horse so even when I do practice I do some slow patterns to reinforce basics and than maybe one or two actual runs. Both Riley and May are on monthly Adequen injections to help protect their joints and all three of my horses get an MSM supp in their feed.  I'm also VERY picky about arena footing and if an arena is crappy, I wont go.

After I walked May out I hosed her down and let her cool out. She's pretty chunky right now but she will slim down and get in shape quickly as the weather gets better and I can ride more. Of course her and Riley being short and stocky are always gonna look 'thicker' and more muscled than Moose who is tall and lean but right now they have prego looking hay bellies! lol Especially May. Can you say EASY keeper?! 
Oh well tonight is supposed to be the last night of rain for the week. I know we need the rain but its sooo frustrating when I want to ride and the arena is a swimming pool!  Hopefully it will dry out a lot tonight so I can ride in it tomorrow morn...Here is a pic of May from today. I know the halter is huuuge on her. Its Moose's. I turned him out and she came up so I just slipped it on her to bring her up. oh and no her right hind tendon isn't swollen or bowed...the picture just made it look funny. Isn't she adorable though? :-)

Today I also went with a friend of mine to look at, and ride, a 6 year old, over 18hh Percheron gelding. Holy CRAP! He was HUGE...and I loved him! The lady has two mares that I worked with for her when she first got them and she wanted me to see how this horse rode before she considered getting him. He was really nice actually. A little bit green and out of practice(he hadnt been ridden in 6 months) but as far as being pretty safe he was a "point and go" trail riding kinda guy! Really a gentle giant and riding him was like...wow. His trot was big but his canter was gi-nor-mous! What a stride and what an incredible,  powerful animal. Here is a pic of me on him. I look like a little kid! I am really looking forward to working with this beasty in the next few weeks. 



Making Adjustments...

Both chiropractic and under saddle! Moosey got adjusted yesterday for the first time. At first he was a little apprehensive about it all.  He thought I was kidding.....

But afterwards he was one happy camper! He was a train wreck to say the least. I had figured he had never been adjusted in his life and what the chiropractor found pretty much confirmed it. He had his shoulder out, three lumbar, 2 thoracic and 1 cervical. She had me trot him before and after the adjustments so we could see the difference. He took it all like a champ other than being a little wiggle worm. He wasn't to thrilled about the cold blue lotion she used to massage him but after it warmed up and she started rubbing those sore muscles he started leaning into her hand and closing his eyes. He even started drooling a little! (nothing new for him though. I swear he drools like I have never seen...) When she was done and I fed him and turned him out he stood at the gate like "Wait!!! No more massages?! When can we do that again?!" 

Oh and by the way I don't have a nice, expensive, wonderful camera...I don't even have a camera period. Sooo please excuse my crappy phone pictures. Better than nothing right? :-)

This morning I rode Moose and he did...so-so. He wasn't bad at all just kind of...off focus. I warmed him up really good on a loose rein just at a walk before I started asking him to get on the bit. We also did some lateral flexion as always and than I picked him up into a trot. He was lowering his head nicely and with just a little encouragement he began reaching under himself great and was really moving nice. He has a lovely headset but I know that's not what its all about. Collection comes from behind, engaging the hindquarters and I have seen some horse with lovely headsets that were completely on their forehand. Their rider was practically "carrying" their head for them.

After we trotted a good few laps I walked him for a little while to let him stretch and catch his breath (he is not in real good shape yet) before we went back to trotting. This is where he got a little distracted. I forgot about the new TWH in the side pasture and it was right than that he decided to come flying up to the gate whinnying at Moose. After that it took a little bit to get his focus back on me. He didn't do anything stupid but he just kept 'gravitating' towards the TWH and trying to watch him. "Rider? what rider?!"

I picked him up to a trot and we started doing lots of transitions from trot to walk and back to trot and changing directions a lot to get his attention back on me. Luckily it worked and we were back in the game. I am glad that he had to work with the distraction though because its good for him and he is going to have to learn to pay attention to me even when a lot is going on. Today I even did a few canter laps on him. He was very high headed in the canter but smooth and controlled. I kept my reins 'playful' and kept him moving with my legs and the instant he lowered his head a little and relaxed I woahed him and we called it a day. He was pretty sweaty and for the life of me, I could NOT get all the sweat off once he dried so I think I will hose him tomorrow (if it doesn't rain tonight...) after I ride him.  A little dirt doesn't bother me but I can get a little OCD when it comes to the care and grooming and well...everything with my horses! Call me the over anxious horse owner 2! lol There is even a joke around my barn about me calling the vet for everything but I would rather be safe than sorry and my horses are my world.

I also rode Riley today as well and am hoping to ride May later. I will post later on how they did\do as I don't have time right now. Just wanted to throw together a little post on how my big, sweet, Moose is doing.

Tack? What is tack..?

This seems to be the question any one would guess I would ask, if they had seen me and Riley's last few rides. I pulled him up much later than I intended to last night. I had a pretty busy day and lost track of time. Still, I wanted to at least give him a little exercise so I pulled him up and took him in the arena tackless. No, I do not ALWAYS ride him like that. As a matter of fact I usually only ride him tackless every once and a while but the last few times I have gone to ride him it has been late and we had the arena to ourselves so why not? (It also didnt help that I was sooo lazy that I didnt feel like going to get my saddle) Either way Riley certainly didnt seem to mind and did very well. Got a little distracted at one point when the new Walking horse in the pasture by the arena came over and started nickering at him and pacing the fenceline. And  by distracted I mean he turned an ear to him and gave him the "evil eye". Other than that we went along our merry way trotting laps around the arena and throwing in some circles and a few serpentines for good measure. What a saint of a horse I have been blessed with.
We also did some slow canter laps and circles as well as worked on accelerating to a controlled gallop and than decelerating back to the slow canter with my seat. He picks up his leads great but we still have to work on his flying lead changes. Under saddle he does them pretty well but tackless he tends to change in the front but not the back. I think it is just my timing with the cues but either way we will eventually get it. After the ride I walked him out and after he cooled I fed him and turned him out quickly. Someone had told me a storm was coming but it seemed to be rolling in a lot faster than originally thought. Lightning lit up the sky rather frequently which always makes me a littler nervous. Maybe I am paranoid but I have the only horse with shoes on the place and with that I always wonder if it makes him more likely to be struck by lightning than the others? Perhaps it is only a silly thing to presume but I worry none the less. I put him out in the pasture and kissed his nose and gave him the biggest carrot either of us had ever seen, and than headed home for the night.

The pictures below are "before and after" shots of Moose. The first one is a pic of him the day I went to look at him. The other is a picture from this morning after I fed him. Look at the difference! :)

Moosey's 10th ride!

As the title suggests, today I rode Moose for the tenth time. He was waiting at the gate when I got here so I pulled him up first thing and gave him just a handful of feed. I have finally gotten his feed straightened out and he is gradually putting on weight. I have decided to feed him XTN which is what all my horse's eat. It is a feed I really like and have never had any problems with. It's high in fat without being too high in protein so it gives my horse's the calories they need when they work hard without making them hot. I also feed him some beet pulp soaked and a little corn oil. I have had a lot of luck with some of the older Arabians putting on weight with beet pulp so I put him on  it to. The corn oil is good for weight gain but also supposed to be good for their coat and digestion. His coat does look a lot better but some of that is probably his winter hair growing in dark and soft.
He stood like a perfect gentleman while I saddled him up. I tried on the new bridge shoulder pad I had ordered for him and I was NOT impressed. It made my saddle sit uneven so I took it off...back to the drawing board I guess! I really need to find a good build up pad. I can't afford a new saddle right now just for him but I can easily save up and get a new pad to make him more comfortable. I use an English bridle on him which has brought us a lot of funny looks and questions at my barn. The only reason I use the English headstall is for the flash and cavesson. He had a problem our first few rides with chewing the bit obnoxiously and opening his mouth a little to evade the bit. He was never really bad about it and doesn't even do it anymore but I used the flash and cavesson to discourage him from the behavior. I actually use it pretty loose compared to what I have seen a lot of people, do but I want to just discourage him, not force him. I still have not decided if I want to pursue actually riding him English but for now I will ride him Western and perhaps try him on the pattern. Either way we still have a lot of training to do before I have to make any major decisions and I am in no hurry. It has been very nice to be able to have a horse that I can just "play" with and do whatever I want with no expectations or anything. With May and Riley being my barrel horses I have a lot I have to do with them to keep them in shape and racing at their best and of course whenever you get decent at anything and people start noticing you at races than they start to expect you to do good and the pressure is on. Im not trying to imply that me and my horse are perfect but over the last few years we have greatly improved and can hold our own in our age group. With Moose it has just been slow and fun and no real "pressure" which has been really refreshing.
He tried walking off once when I went to mount up but a quick little tug on the reins and a vocal reprimand was all it took and he stood quietly the second time. I always make him stand still for a few seconds or minutes after I mount up. It helps reinforce the standing still while I get on and also keeps him from anticipating anything. I walked him on loose reins for a little while before asking him to collect and get his head down. He's starting to drop his head and tuck his nose with just the slightest pressure, I love it! Actually what he does now is sometimes he will try to drop his head too low and tuck his nose too tight. Even on the ground when I put his halter or bridle on he drops his head so low sometimes that I about have to kneel to put it on him! lol But I would much rather this be the dilema than him throwing his head to high. He isnt doing it to be bad, hes just trying to figure out exactly what I want. In the saddle a little nudge with my heels and a soft upward check with the reins and he gets back where I want him. I am just trying to get his head down enough to where he is straight from his poll back with his nose lightly tucked.
 After the walking we worked on some leg pressure and he is starting to respond to my calf better and I have been having to use less heel. His transitions from walk to trot and back down again have been much smoother as well. I referred to him last time as having the "stick shift" trot but now he goes into an easy jog with a simple click and back down again if I just sit a little deeper.  We began and ended with lateral flexion and after about a 20 minute ride I ended it on a good note and dismounted. I have been gradually increasing the trot time and have started adding a little leg pressure to move him in and out of the rail while we trot to. He still takes that as a cue to go faster sometimes but I'm sure it wont be long before he has that down as well. His trot was lovely and he collected nicely. I still cant believe how naturally he works off his hind end. He kept his head down except for a few times when something caught his attention. He still is VERY goofy and un focused sometimes and it doesn't take much for something to catch his attention. Thankfully he doesn't dwell on it though and you can redirect his focus just as easily. 
He also enjoys trying to pick stuff up and is a little mouthy but is getting better about it. He has never bitten me but just likes to lip everything. He tries to grab his reins when I bend him and unties himself if I don't tie him just right. I let him play with one of those inflatable balls and he had a blast picking it up and tossing it around. He also likes to hold the hose in his mouth until his cheeks blow up with water. Its the funniest thing and I keep waiting for water to shoot out of his ears! lol  I unsaddled him and cooled him out and fed him his morning ration before turning him out. Plan on riding Riley at some point today and if I do I may post later tonight. I rode May yesterday as well and just exercised her.
At the bottom are pictures of Moose picking stuff up. He's so good natured and his happy-go-lucky attitude about everything is infectious! He is a pleasure to work with. Enjoy!

Three good rides!

I rode May first today since I didn't get to ride her yesterday or the day before. Ive been trying to ride them at least every other day or 4-5 days a week to get them back in shape before we start racing again this month. She did pretty good. She was very tense and hot when I first got on her but that's pretty typical for her, especially this time of year when it cools down. After about 20 minutes she settled down. I didn't work on anything in particular but rather just did a lot of jogging and extended trotting and than slow loped her. We did some canter circles and I worked on slowing her down with my seat. She's a very sensitive horse and does really well on the pattern but does not slow down for the turns on her own. I refuse to just pull on her mouth so I often just work on trotting and loping the pattern and breaking her down for the turns. If I come to the barrel at a trot, I will slow to a walk and if I come to the barrel at a canter, we will slow to a trot. I really exaggerate my 'sitting deep' for emphasis and the verbal cue "Easy". I don't say whoa because I don't want to confuse her. Whoa means stop and only stop. I side passed her a couple times which she did great but wanted to go 100 mph as usual. I didn't make a big deal out of it though. She crossed over fine so I praised her and we moved on. After her ride I hosed her down real good and after she cooled I fed her and turned her out.

Next to ride was Riley boy. As with May I didnt work on anything specific but just exercised him. We did LOTS of collected trotting and than some extended trotting both ways. Being so post legged in the hind end I really have to help him to keep him in frame and on the bit. Once he warms up he does alright but its so much harder for him than it is for Moose and May. He also has difficulty with keeping his hip in when we canter tighter circles but with a lot of outside leg he eventually gets were he needs to be. Makes me wonder sometimes how he gets around a barrel so smoothly and efficiently. He has never refused a turn or fought me anywhere on the pattern. He loves to run and has no chute sourness either. I think part of it is just how hard he tries for me and how much he truly enjoys his job. I turned him loose in the arena about a week ago tackless and just let him run around and burn some energy and after a few laps he ran straight for third barrel and turned it like we were at a show! It was very refreshing to see him have so much fun doing his 'job'. I never want any of my horses to become sour about working. To me it is only fun and enjoyable if BOTH horse and rider enjoy it.

I never got around to riding Moose but its ok as I will have plenty of time Sunday and Monday to ride him. I did work with him on the ground a little bit and hand grazed him which he enjoyed.
This afternoon I also took an English lesson. I have never officially taken a lesson in English riding before and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The lady who taught me gave me the lesson in exchange for taking care of her horses a few days ago. I rode her horse Jubil for the lesson. Jubil was amazing! Really nice Fjord\Anglo Arab mare. She was extremly patient and tolerant of my limited abilities in the English saddle and I worked very hard to be careful with my cues. It was definetely different but I look forward to taking more lessons from her. She has agreed to give me one every week or every other week in return for working one of her green horses for her.
Even though Western is my style, I dont mind learning about both and I believe it will help my technical riding. I love learning new stuff I can apply to my riding. Within the next month I would really like to start also taking lessons again on Riley with a friend of mine who competes locally in reining. She has done everything from Dressage and show jumping to novice cutting and reining. She is an excellent rider and has a lot of the same beliefs that I do. I really look up to her and enjoy when she teaches me. Its always fun to work on new skills and better my horse and myself.

More trotting...

So I never got to ride May. I ended up having to go with my coach to look at a walking horse he was interested in. He's an older guy and prefers gaited horses. More comfortable for his back. I am his "test dummy" so to speak lol and try out all the horses we go to look at. So far I haven't had to ride too many crazies. The walking horse was pretty nice. REALLY smooth but wasn't in great health. I didn't ride him long and the only area we had to ride was a round pen. He was ribby with a pot belly so I bet he could use some dewormer and good quality hay! He also had pretty bad feet but he was sound and I don't think it was anything our awesome farrier couldn't fix over time. By the time we got back it was 7:00 and I still had to feed Moose and all the older horses who eat twice a day but I am definitely gonna ride May today. I would like to ride her, Moose and Riley but Ill just have to see how the day unfolds.
As for when I rode, Moose he did great! We warmed up again much like we did on Wed and than worked on his trot again. He did even better this time than last time. Every time I have ridden him so far he has improved. It might be by a lot or by the tiniest bit but at least we are going forward! The first time we trotted he did good but did what I like to call the "stick shift" trot. He would lurch forward into a fast trot than slow down just as quickly. I had to be very careful and controlled with my seat and hands so as not to confuse him. We finally got into a rhythm but there for a while it reminded me of the first time I tried to drive my mom's manual jeep up a huge hill that had a stop sign halfway up. Hence the 'stick shift trot'! lol
This time when we trotted he was much more even right from the start. He went right into an easy jog when I clicked and would hold it pretty well without drastically speeding up or slowing down.  He also carried his head very nicely and spent much less time with his nose in the air. I only rode him for about 20 minutes but I would rather make an improvement and than end on a good note than keep pushing him for more and frustrate him. I am working hard to keep the riding as positive and enjoyable as possible. I don't want him to develop an anxieties under saddle.  I'm about to go feed now than start riding. I will post later on how everyone does.

A lot of trot!

Yesterday was a day of trotting. I pulled Moose up first thing in the morning and tacked him up for a quick ride. He came trotting up to me in the pasture (as always) so I gave him  a handful of feed just as a reward. He didn't seem to notice that it was almost 2 1\2 scoops less than he normally gets lol, I think he was just glad to get something! He's such a mellow boy and really sweet natured. It would be hard not to love him. I lead him into the arena and stretched his legs and mounted up. He stood like a perfect gentleman. I have been riding him in a smooth D ring snaffle and he seems to do fine in it. He is actually pretty soft in his mouth which surprised me. I figured being off the track he would probably be very hard mouthed and brace against the bit but I was wrong. He is my first OTTB and I am still learning. We both are.
We walked for about 15 minutes working on moving off my leg, Woah, and backing up with the lightest pressure. I also included a lot of bending and getting him on the bit at a walk. Trying to get him to carry his head "long and low". He picked it up very fast and is the fastest learner I have ever ridden! I have been staying at a walk every time I have ridden him and finally decided today we would try a trot....WOW is all I have to say. He was incredibly smooth and moved very nice. I even got him on the bit a few times. He started out as 'The Giraffe' but finally settled into a very nice collected jog.  When I had him vet checked my vet told me he looked like he moved very nice and would probably be a smoother ride and that with his conformation he should be pretty athletic. So far he has proven right and I am thrilled! I know we have a long way to go but so far I couldn't be happier! He's such a character and keeps me in stitches. His big, sweet, 'dorky' personality (I often refer to him as a-dork-able) matched with his good looks and way of moving make for a comical combination.

I also rode Riley that afternoon. I had taken him on a very long trail ride the other day and we hit a LOT of hills so I knew he was probably sore. So I just rode him bridless bareback and took him in the arena and just did a lot of trotting, both slow and extended, to stretch him out and loosen him up. That horse never ceases to amaze me. He moved fine and wasnt lazy but certainly didn't fight me to go any faster ;) He is getting trimmed and new shoes today when the farrier comes so I am just gonna give him the day off and ride Moose and May.  Might post an update later on how they do.

May, Tovah and Angel

I bought May about a year ago. She is 15hh sorrel QH mare. She belonged to my barrel racing coach (who is also the owner of the barn where I board and work) and I wanted her from the day we got her.  It was a funny story really. The people called us saying they had a "little red TWH mare" that they were trying to get rid of. They informed us that she was really gentle and didn't know a lot but was a nice mare. So we hooked up to our trailer and went to look at her. When we got there they called her up and here she came trotting up to us. Definitely not a walking horse. In fact she was very obviously a Quarter horse. I didn't say anything though as we looked her over. Pretty soon the deal was done and I loaded her up and we took her home. She was really calm and quiet about everything. Even upon unloading the trailer she didn't care about all the other horses and everything new. She just wanted to graze. She was extremely over weight but I could see beneath her plump form there was a really nice looking horse. I rode her that night and found her to be incredibly lazy. Every time I asked her to go she did a little buck. So around the arena we went: kick, buck, kick, buck, kick, BUCK. The owner asked me later what I thought of her and I told him I liked her alot! We rode like that for a few days but I stayed patient and annoyingly persistent and she finally gave up. I realized quickly that as she lost weight and got into shape she really wasn't lazy but in fact the total opposite. She was a fire ball and very quick on her feet. I think judging by her conformation and attitude that she is cutting bred. She is very athletic and built very nice with a LOT of cow sense. She is quite the opposite of Riley when it comes to soundness and being able to naturally work off of her hind end. She has great feet and is built to stay sound. I began teaching her the barrel pattern after working with her on basics for about 6 months. She picked it up quickly and loooooves to run! I trained and sold a horse that I had been given because he was "out of control and dangerous"(He wasn't. He was just over fed and under exercised like a lot of horses are these days. He turned out GREAT and the little girl who has him absolutely adores him) and saved my money and bought her.
                                                Competing on May in 2009

She is a totally different horse now. She is incredibly fast and can turn on a dime. She is very sensitive to the bit and to your legs. She has a lot of heart and try. Riley wears his heart on his sleeve and is a wimp at heart but May is really very tough. She is my only mare and I find she has an intensity and a real competitiveness about her that I absolutely love.

Tovah and Angel are my two dogs. Tovah is a 1 year old German Shepherd and Angel is my 9 year old Golden Retriever. My mom used to breed Goldens so I have had Angel literally since she was born. She was my first dog and is a good girl. Tovah on the other hand is my little trouble maker. She is as smart as she is mischievous but really is a good dog. I bought her myself a year ago when she was just 8 weeks. I had always wanted a German Shepherd and so I was thrilled to find her ad in the Bulletin board. The first year was a roller coaster of emotion with her. She turned out to have a lot of problems thanks to her "breeder". Typical back yard breeder. She was so infested with worms that my vet told me she would have died if I hadn't gotten her when I did. She also had  mange and was the runt of the litter but has turned out to be a very pretty and very big dog. Tovah is incredibly sweet and intelligent and I have taught her a lot of tricks. Angel is friendly and a people lover but kind of 'does her own thing' while Tovah is my shadow and mirrors me wherever I go whenever she can.

                                                  Tovah wearing her helmet and carrying her crop!

                                                      Tovah in the snow

Angel sitting in her chair ;-)





















Beyond Colorado (Riley)

I figured I would take the time now to introduce my other "kids" who will be gracing the pages of this blog. I will start off with Beyond Colorado. The others I will put together on one post but Riley(as I call him), having the longest story and being the horse I have owned the longest, will get his own. He is my 12 year old palomino QH gelding. He is also my main barrel horse and my deepest heart. I have had him for about the last 5 years. He used to be my mom's horse but she never rode him much and he was still pretty green when I got my hands on him. He was fat and had been basically a pasture pet the last couple years. She had bought him when he was 18 months old and had him broke. She trail rode him but that was it.

                                          Riley when he was 3...

State Championships 2010

When I turned 14 I got an Arabian named Khemo. He was my first horse and I loved him to pieces! He was injured badly when we took a fall cantering up a hill and he stumbled. I had wanted to learn to barrel race but the vet told me shortly after Khemo's injury that he would not be ride able for 3 months, maybe longer, and would no longer be suitable for barrel racing. At the time, being 14, I couldn't afford another horse and neither could my mom. So she was kind enough to pretty much give me Riley. To be honest I wasn't thrilled at first but after riding him for a few weeks I became rapidly attached to him and he defied all odds and became quite the barrel horse despite his halter and pleasure horse bloodlines.  We have come a long way in the last 5 years. When I first started riding him he was very heavy on his forehand and braced against the bit. I went slow and worked with him and now I look back and think how he has taught me as much as I taught him....maybe more. We qualified the last 3 years for NBHA Youth World and went to State Championships this year. It has been a very rocky road with him, especially with his soundness. He is pretty flat footed and is very post legged which made it difficult for him to engage his hindquarters and also predisposed him for soundness problems. Barrel racing is a pretty intense sport. I took every precaution and put him on a good joint supplement (Corta flex) and always warmed him up good and cooled him down good as well. I made sure he had his SMB boots on whenever he did intense work and I always increased his work load gradually. Still we struggled the first year with stone bruises. At the time I chose to keep him barefoot and have an EXCELLENT barefoot farrier. That winter he had a minor tendon tear. At the time I didn't know it was minor and I didn't know if he would be able to return to competing. After 3 months of rest and wrapping the vet did a follow up and an ultra sound of his tendon and found it totally healed. We were back in business! I built him up slow and he competed well for about 6 months before the most devastating injury of all. I went out to get him one morning and found he just looked....off. I knew him so well and the way he moved that I could just tell something wasn't right. I brought him up and trotted him and sure enough he was lame on his front left. I called the vet who checked him over and did all kinds of tests and diagnosed him with Navicular. At the time I had no idea what that was but knew it was bad and the vet said chances were his barrel racing career was over. He told me he wasn't positive but the outlook was bleak. I started him on Isoxuprine (18 pills twice a day!) bute and of course, pasture rest. A few weeks later. He was sound! Before he was even done with the bottle of pills. I finished the pills and waited another week to make sure and he stayed sound so once again, with the vets approval, we started back slow. That year was the best that me and Riley ever did. His times dropped drastically (low 15's) and we were placing 1D in our class at almost every show. I was so proud of him! One other time Riley has had a 'flare up' that my vet said was possibly due to the Navicular. I had him shod with aluminum shoes all the way around and that seemed to help. He started off in wedge shoes but now is just in regular shoes. Currently me and Riley still show about once a month but his show schedule isn't near as demanding. He is on Adequen injections to help with his joints along with an MSM supplement and is trimmed and shod every 4 weeks. I also have him adjusted regularly by our chiropractor.

Riley also does tricks. All those times when he couldn't ride we would go in the barn and just 'play'. I taught him to bow, to pick stuff up, to shake his head yes and no and to 'give me a kiss'. In the saddle he rears on cue(always completely controlled and we don't do it often. Also the cue has nothing to do with pulling back on the reins!) and what looks like his own version of the spanish walk. Its like what the super race horse Zenyatta does except usually with only one leg lol. As Ive said before Riley is also the horse I can ride bridless bareback. Sometimes I have a rope around his neck, sometimes I don't. We have complete trust in each other and have worked together daily for many years. It is not something I accomplished in a few weeks or even months. It is the deepest understanding of each other and people around my barn often joked that if I spent any more time with him, I would 'take root' in his back. 
                                                  Playing after a bridless bareback ride

                                                Riley 'taking a bow'

So those are all the things I have taught Riley but what he has taught me is even greater. He has taught me that despite not having perfect conformation or bloodlines he wins with his heart. He is extremely fast and tries harder for me than any horse I have ever ridden. He is my "all around" guy and besides barrel racing we enjoy trail riding and even have done state trail competitions in which the last 2 years we have taken second in our age group! I gave him my hopes and dreams and he gave me his heart and soul....together we can do anything!                                              Turning second at a race in 2009

Cantering in the arena completely bridless bareback

                                           Jumping for fun bridless bareback with the neck rope

The first few weeks...

The first few weeks seemed to fly by! I worked with Moose on the ground for about a week before I ever swung a leg over. I never lunged him but just let him adjust to everything and got to know him better so I could see more of his personality and any "quirks" he may have.  I quickly found that he was a very personable horse. He would come trotting up to me in the pasture and would pace the pasture line nickering if I took another horse out and left him. He also liked to be in your space. I didn't mind as long as he wasn't stepping on me or being rude or nippy. I taught him that when I brought him up and tied him to the corral to eat he had to 'wait' and looks at me with 'two eyes' while I tied his rope instead of rushing into his bucket and pushing me aside. He seems to be a quick learner and picked up on this as well as the 'head down' cue very quickly. I figured since he was so tall I would start this cue early with his halter before I ever tried to put a bridle on him. Its funny because he puts his head down fine but he insists on putting it soooo low that you practically have to kneel down to slide his halter on. I also noticed that he didn't seem to know how to act in the 'herd'. I'm guessing having been stalled and raced most of his life maybe he didn't get some of the important social lessons when he was a colt?? I'm not sure but he wasn't in the new pasture fifteen minutes before he got a pretty bad kick on his front left leg along the outside of his cannon bone. I ended up calling the vet and getting antibiotics and bute and having to ice and wrap it. I also cold water hosed it twice a day and it healed in about a week.  It worried me at first but now that he is ok it actually helped us bond because I had to spend so much extra time doctoring him twice a day. We ended up moving the horse who kicked him to another pasture. He had singled him out for some reason and bullied him constantly. Even though Moose was bigger than the 15 hand Quarter horse, he just isn't much of a fighter and would wait too long to run away. After the first week I started putting my barrel saddle on him while he was tied up and eating. First I just set it on him than I started girthing him up and getting him used to the low hanging stirrups. He is a very sensitive horse and moves at the slightest pressure. I have also found he has pretty thin skin. He didn't mind the saddle, tried eating the stirrups and the latigo a couple of times and snorted a little the first time I put it on.
After the third week I decided it was time to ride. I saddled him up and stretched his legs which he was fine with and lead him into the small corral. I figured it would be best to start here seeing as it was an enclosed area that he was comfortable with. I never did lunge him. I have nothing against lunging but he just seemed so calm and relaxed and not anxious or in a hurry at all. I know that a horse can seem fine than come unglued when you get on but I chose to trust him.....and he was fine. He had no idea why my legs were touching him low on his sides but didnt seem bothered. He certainly didnt move off of them or move forward but he didnt freak out either. I clicked to get him to walk on and he did. I rode him in just a smooth O ring snaffle and he seemed fine in it. He chewed the bit and drools a lot! Even on the ground at feeding time when I make him wait while I tie his lead he drools like a dog. Pretty humorous until he turns his head and slings it all over your face...yum... The first few times I rode him I simply walked and worked on the very very basics. Teaching him WOAH and backing him up and lateral flexion. He bends great both ways and picked up on the WOAH cue quickly. He braced against the bit the first few times I asked him to back but I just stayed soft and persistent and it wasnt long before he was backing off of very light pressure. Even though I know he doesnt know what foot pressure is I still use it every time I ride him and ask him to move in and out of the rail or turn. I want him to be comfortable with it and learn it early on. I am very firm believer in riding your horse with your seat and legs more so than just your reins. My barrel racing coach used to always call it 'wearing your horse' and all he taught me paid off when I got my palomino Riley to where I could ride him bridless bareback in our arena and walk, trot, canter(on the correct lead and completly controlled) WOAH, back and turn all off of my weight and legs.
By about our sixth ride Moose was starting to move off of my legs and responding pretty well to very light and subtle cues. I had started trying to get him to get on the bit and lower his head. The first few times he did his best 'girraffe impression' but like everything else it didnt take long for him to catch on and he started bringing his head down and relaxing. Needless to say I am very pleased and impressed with his progress. He hasnt given me really any trouble so far. A couple of times in the arena he spooked and one time (the only time I have ridden him at night and with another person riding in the arena) a plane flew over us very low and he got a little anxious and jigged and pranced but that was it. He sideways jogged a few paces but quickly settled back down after the plane passed and if thats the worst he's going to act than I will gladly take it! :-)

A new beginning...

Welcome! I guess I will start with introductions...My name is Summer and this is my blog about my adventures in re training my first OTTB. His name is Popite Brown, or Moose, as I have decided to call him. This is my first blog so bare with me please. I have read and followed many other horse based blogs and finally decided to try my own. I also thought it would be a good idea to sort of document my progress with Moose. It will be fun to look back weeks, months, maybe even years from now and see how far we have progressed. I got Moose on September 20, 2010 from my awesome farrier and his wife. They gave him to me as a late exchange for a horse I had given them about a year back. At first I was apprehensive...I had never owned a TB let alone a OTTB and what in the world was I gonna do with a horse who was broke only for the track and who was almost 17hh?! I ride Western and barrel race and know that the taller a horse is, generally the harder its going to be for them to get down around a barrel. Still, I agreed to meet him and after that I was hooked! He was so big and powerful and just watching him move in the pasture I could see how naturally athletic he was. Sooo as you can imagine about a week later he was delivered to the barn where I work and board :-) and our journey began...
The following day I got him vet checked and he passed all flexion tests\soundness exams with flying colors! I was thrilled! I also asked the vet about two hard knots he had on his forehead. They almost look like "button buck" antlers. I had never seen them on a horse before. Vet said they were likely just calcium deposits from an old injury in the trailer or starting gate and nothing to be worried about. They were also where Moose got his name. The fact that he was so big and goofy paired with his deep chestnut coloring and antlers....definitely a Moose! He is five years old and his birthday is April 15. Thanks to his lip tattoo I was able to find all his information. He had 9 starts but never won anything. From what I saw in his videos he would break from the starting gate and stay in the lead until the last quarter of the race than fall back. No endurance perhaps? Well as a barrel racer he would only need to run for a good 15 seconds...hopefully less ;-) After his short racing career(he raced as a 3 and  4 year old) he was bought by my vets mother in law who gave him to my farrier. In the time his two previous owners had him he was never ridden. They did a little ground work with him so his manners were good but he had never had a Western saddle on. I have now ridden him about 6 times and only walked and worked on very beginner basics. He has taken to the Western saddle fine so far and is actually normally very quiet and behaved when I ride him. Only once (the only time I have ridden him at night in the arena and with another horse being ridden in there as well) did he become a little anxious and prance about but nothing crazy. I am still deciding on what I wish to do with him. Part of me wants to try him on the barrel pattern even though he is tall as he is also naturally very athletic and works well off his hind end. The other part of me wants to take lessons on him and learn English and perhaps one day even jump him? Either way there is a lot he must learn before I pursue anything in particular. I will see as I ride him and we learn each other what he enjoys and we will go from there.
I also have two Quarter horses who I will talk about pretty often. Beyond Colorado (Riley), who is a 12 year old Palomino gelding and May who is a 7 year old sorrel mare. They are my two barrel horses and my entire world. Also there is Tovah who you will hear about from time to time. She is my ever energetic and enthusiastic, year old German Shepherd.