Oops! Totallygot side tracked yesterday and never posted for my first photo friday *gasp* I know Im a horrible blogger but I will make up for it with this adorable picture of my dog Tovah
Enjoy :)
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Making Progress
Moose is getting better and better with every ride. Sometimes it feels like we take a step back and sometimes we take a step forward but we always end on a good note! He is becoming more and more relaxed and settling right into the routine. I still haven't been able to ride him as much as I would like. It's been really cold and rainy. I can deal with the cold but not cold and rain. Makes for a miserable ride and I really don't want pneumonia thanks! LOL Other days it wont be raining but it will have rained than got suuuper cold and the arena will be FROZEN and like an ice skating rink! Soo we have done ground work and I have just spent time with him feeding and grooming.
He is such a tolerant boy. A couple of times when I have been riding him he would refuse to back so I would just hold the reins steady, not yank or pull but just hold them until he softened and backed, even if it was only half a step. He never offered to rear or even crow hop and he has yet to buck. He has swished his tail and tossed his head but never bucked. The last few times I have ridden him he has been hotter than normal and he gets nervous when other horses are around but he is learning and becoming calmer.On days I have patterned him I have ridden him in his snaffle and with a loose tie down. I'm not big into gadgets like tie downs but I believe they have their place and until he relaxes and sees that I'm not going to pull on his mouth or hurt one I will use one loosely. STILL can't decide whether I for sure want to put him on the pattern or go English or do both, but I'm leaning more and more towards patterning him and if he decides he doesn't like it I will just go English with him.
On a seperate note I am going to start having "Photo Fridays" where I will upload a picture or two of one of my babies whether it be my doggy or one of the horses. I will have the first one this Friday so stay tuned.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Race Recap!
Finally I will post about the December 4 show.....It.was.AWESOME! Seriously, the last show of the year and probably the best! And to think I ALMOST didn't take Riley. He had been kicked in the hock on that Wed but was sound and it was a tiny cut but the next day it was a little swollen. I immediately hosed and iced it and gave him a gram of bute and prayed my brains out. The following day it was STILL swollen so I started fretting a little bit. I gave him a gram of bute in the morn and hosed and iced than again that night. I decided that if the swelling was down I would take him, if it wasn't, I would just take May. Saturday morning he was still just as sound and fresh and almost all of the swelling was down. I decided to take him and just see how he did. He warmed up fine, better than fine actually! He was VERY hyper and on the ball. He was ready to run. The new supplement I had put him on (Platinum Performance) seemed to give him more energy. As I took him in for our run in Adult I could just feel it was gonna be good. We have had a show the last three weekends and the more we show the harder he runs. I took him in the chute and he pranced and hopped and sideways cantered until he locked onto the first barrel. Than he did his mini rear and we were off! WE RAN A 14.7!!!! I almost passed out! His fastest time ever and it was beautiful. We placed in the 1D and I was so beyond proud of him. I pulled his boots and hosed his legs and noticed ALL the swelling was down. Awesome! My second run on Riley....hahaha I almost fell off! =P He, as I said, was very hot and ahead of the game and me! We cranked around first and second but he got ahead of me coming into third and I lost my stirrup so when he went to turn I almost flew off. He just about stopped dead, I righted myself in the saddle, than we booked it out and STILL pulled off a 15.2! I was shocked. The fact that he slowed and waited for me was more important than the fast time. He is the best horse I could ask for and I love him more than life itself! My friends dad took his camera so we got some great shots of our run and even a few of me almost falling off!!! Not exactly the order I wanted them in but you get the idea! LOL The bottom 2 are of our first run the 14.7! The top two are from our 15.2! Enjoy!
May also did very well at the show! Sadly I have no pics of her. It was a new camera for her dad so by the time he figured it out I had already done both of May's runs =\ It sucks but its ok! Next time we will get some. Her first run was a 16.0. She ran fairly well but went a little deep into first. She still placed in the top of the 3D. Her second run was a 15.6! Good girl May!! I'm so proud of both of my horses! They continue to get better and always try so hard for me! I can't wait to REALLY get May going. She is running about 3\4 speed right now and I'm not pushing her like I push Riley. I just let her run so I'm excited to see how her times drop when we really get our timing together and run full tilt.
The weather here is MISERABLE! Cold and WINDY and wet! I hate it but at least the rain is over so the arena should be dry by tomorrow! I plan to ride Moose and work May and Riley so I will TRY to post tomorrow on how he is doing and have a few pictures! Hope everyone has a good remainder of their day and a happy Monday....if there is such a thing! haha
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Moose?!?!
I know I originally made this blog to document the progress of my OTTB Moose and here lately you haven't heard much about it! Let me explain.
Moose is doing well. Really well. There just hasn't been a whole lot to talk about with him. I have been soooo busy with all the races lately that I haven't had time to ride him near as much as Id like and the lessons I kept scheduling with my friend got rained out 3 weeks in a row!!! I have ridden him some. I'm pretty sure I've decided I'm going to try him on the barrel pattern. I had debated for a while whether I wanted to go English with him or try him on the barrels or something completely different but I think we will go the barrel route. All I have to lose is time and if in the end he doesn't like running barrels or blows up on the pattern I can easily switch over and do something else with him. It was apparent in his racing videos that he broke FAST from the gate. Almost always first and would hold in the first three until the last quarter of the race and than just fizzle out. Obviously not an endurance horse but quick short bursts of acceleration is exactly what I need on the barrel pattern. He is also built pretty decent for it. He stands naturally under himself which will help him get around the turns and he has a short strong back. The biggest downfall will be his height. Big, tall horses usually have a hard time getting down around a barrel but can sometimes make up for it with long strides in the straight aways. If you got one that can do both, your set!
I have ridden him about 2 or 3 times a week for a while now and he is doing good. He does best early in the morning when we are the only ones in the arena. When other horses are in the arena he becomes a total pill. He becomes incredibly hot and loses his focus. I just try to redirect his energy and get his mind back on me. I guess the more he rides with other horses in the arena the more used to it he will become. He gets extremely anxious and chews the bit like a mad man. Last time he even went so far as to back up and kick at any horse who came near him. His ears weren't pinned and it was easy to tell it was fear. He will stand tied to the fence sometimes and just kick if he gets bored, impatient or nervous. He has gotten better about it, now I just have to get him over it in the saddle. He is learning to relax his head a lot better and give to the bit. He keeps his head down much better now too MOST of the time. He still definitely has plenty of giraffe moments, especially in the canter, but we are getting there. He has filled out nicely and has a thick, woolly, winter coat! He grew much more hair than I expected but I'm actually happy. He seems to be staying very warm so far with good grain, plenty of hay and his thick fur!
I will post a race day recap probably tomorrow to tell you how the race went this past weekend! Hint: VERY good!
Moose is doing well. Really well. There just hasn't been a whole lot to talk about with him. I have been soooo busy with all the races lately that I haven't had time to ride him near as much as Id like and the lessons I kept scheduling with my friend got rained out 3 weeks in a row!!! I have ridden him some. I'm pretty sure I've decided I'm going to try him on the barrel pattern. I had debated for a while whether I wanted to go English with him or try him on the barrels or something completely different but I think we will go the barrel route. All I have to lose is time and if in the end he doesn't like running barrels or blows up on the pattern I can easily switch over and do something else with him. It was apparent in his racing videos that he broke FAST from the gate. Almost always first and would hold in the first three until the last quarter of the race and than just fizzle out. Obviously not an endurance horse but quick short bursts of acceleration is exactly what I need on the barrel pattern. He is also built pretty decent for it. He stands naturally under himself which will help him get around the turns and he has a short strong back. The biggest downfall will be his height. Big, tall horses usually have a hard time getting down around a barrel but can sometimes make up for it with long strides in the straight aways. If you got one that can do both, your set!
I have ridden him about 2 or 3 times a week for a while now and he is doing good. He does best early in the morning when we are the only ones in the arena. When other horses are in the arena he becomes a total pill. He becomes incredibly hot and loses his focus. I just try to redirect his energy and get his mind back on me. I guess the more he rides with other horses in the arena the more used to it he will become. He gets extremely anxious and chews the bit like a mad man. Last time he even went so far as to back up and kick at any horse who came near him. His ears weren't pinned and it was easy to tell it was fear. He will stand tied to the fence sometimes and just kick if he gets bored, impatient or nervous. He has gotten better about it, now I just have to get him over it in the saddle. He is learning to relax his head a lot better and give to the bit. He keeps his head down much better now too MOST of the time. He still definitely has plenty of giraffe moments, especially in the canter, but we are getting there. He has filled out nicely and has a thick, woolly, winter coat! He grew much more hair than I expected but I'm actually happy. He seems to be staying very warm so far with good grain, plenty of hay and his thick fur!
I will post a race day recap probably tomorrow to tell you how the race went this past weekend! Hint: VERY good!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Race Day Recap November 27 and 28
I am a terrible blogger....I know! I'm sorry but I have been soooo busy! I know, I know SHOCKER! Forgive me please. :) Also sorry if this post is a little jumbled as I go back in forth with Riley and May and explain how they did.
The race went.....ok. It is not my favorite arena by far. For some reason it has always been a 'bad luck' arena for me and my horses and as I learned at the race, a lot of people said the same. Interesting....
Its a nice facility and I have no complaints about that but for some reason Riley doesn't like it. Maybe its my mind set? Going into it thinking its bad luck is causing bad luck? Who knows! Either way on Saturday my run with Riley was terrible. It wasn't his fault. He went in and tried hard like he always does but I screwed him up on second. As we were coming off the second barrel I shifted my wight a little to far to the outside(as I figured out later) and Riley followed. He jumped off the barrel a couple feet before I finally got him straight and we headed for third. I was so shocked that I even said "Riley..!" when he did it. We ended up running a 17.4 and we were out of the money and the rest of the night I questioned myself. Coach told me it was fine, just to let it go and get my head back in the game for my run on May but I couldn't. I kept asking if it was because I had shifted my weight or had he spooked at something or just jumped off the barrel or was he trying to go out the chute or back to first?! Ten thousand questions flew through my head and by the end of the night I had a headache. I was so proud of Riley for going in and trying but so peeved at myself. Its kind of funny how I always tell the kids I help if they have a bad run not to worry! It's just one run and their next one will be better. Stuff happens. People make mistakes and horses will be horses. However I can never apply this to myself. I'm not sure why but like some people are I am VERY hard on myself when I screw up at a competition. I was sooo bothered that I couldn't get to sleep that night and than woke up at three in the morning nervous as hell and couldn't go back to sleep. I was also worried Riley was hurting and maybe that was his way of saying so? Can you tell I over analyze stuff just a little?! lol
My run that night on May was good. She went in like a champ and ran a 16.7 and placed! Pretty good for her. As I have said before she is still kind of new on the pattern and especially with competing and not near as seasoned so I'm very impressed with how far she has come in such a short period of time. In a little over a year she went from looking like a barrel to running decent, solid, 16s.
I have been continuing to ice her extensor tendon on that one back leg. It hasn't gotten any bigger or smaller and she is still sound as can be. Ive been really sure to wrap her good for our runs and to warm her up and cool her down really well. Ive also been cold hosing after all hard work still. She's been such a sport about it and is by far the best mare I've ever had. I wouldn't mind having a hundred more just like her!
The next day I cleared my mind and put my game face on. Riley came up in the pasture and I could tell he was ready to go. At the show grounds I warmed him up really good and than when I heard my name we headed into the chute. Right away I could tell Riley was on the money. He went into the chute very HOT but controlled. He was really hunting first barrel and when he found it, he locked in and was gone! He executed his ritual little rear and launched. First was flawless and second was....perfect! He cut around it as tight as he could and didn't miss a beat. On third barrel he slipped a little coming in but still managed to clock a 15.9. We placed and I was thrilled! I dismounted and pulled his boots to walk him and hose his legs and saw that he had clipped himself. Probably when he slipped or tripped at third barrel. It wasn't bad but I could see it was tender so I cleaned it really good and put a little medicine on it. I might have to start running him in bell boots if he starts clipping himself. That's the only time he has ever done it. After I cooled him out really good and hosed his legs I left him at the trailer to chill and munch on hay. I also gave him some candy canes for being so good!
May's run on Sunday wasn't as good as Saturday but she still did ok. We went wide into first and ran a 17.3 I think it was? I don't remember but ended up "placing" just out of the 4D and we got a gift bucket! Yay! lol She ran really hard the rest of the pattern. Its strange to me how she is my hotter horse but more controllable in the chute where Riley is my more laid back horse but deff more revved in the chute. He is never out of control but he is so seasoned that when he does his mini rear and launches I just let him rip! I make sure they both get in far enough to let their eyes adjust (outside light, inside arena darker) and than we're off!
All in all it was a pretty good weekend and I cant wait for the race tomorrow at my faaaavorite arena! Ill be sure to post afterwards how we do and I will give an update on Moosey later! Have a good day everyone!
The race went.....ok. It is not my favorite arena by far. For some reason it has always been a 'bad luck' arena for me and my horses and as I learned at the race, a lot of people said the same. Interesting....
Its a nice facility and I have no complaints about that but for some reason Riley doesn't like it. Maybe its my mind set? Going into it thinking its bad luck is causing bad luck? Who knows! Either way on Saturday my run with Riley was terrible. It wasn't his fault. He went in and tried hard like he always does but I screwed him up on second. As we were coming off the second barrel I shifted my wight a little to far to the outside(as I figured out later) and Riley followed. He jumped off the barrel a couple feet before I finally got him straight and we headed for third. I was so shocked that I even said "Riley..!" when he did it. We ended up running a 17.4 and we were out of the money and the rest of the night I questioned myself. Coach told me it was fine, just to let it go and get my head back in the game for my run on May but I couldn't. I kept asking if it was because I had shifted my weight or had he spooked at something or just jumped off the barrel or was he trying to go out the chute or back to first?! Ten thousand questions flew through my head and by the end of the night I had a headache. I was so proud of Riley for going in and trying but so peeved at myself. Its kind of funny how I always tell the kids I help if they have a bad run not to worry! It's just one run and their next one will be better. Stuff happens. People make mistakes and horses will be horses. However I can never apply this to myself. I'm not sure why but like some people are I am VERY hard on myself when I screw up at a competition. I was sooo bothered that I couldn't get to sleep that night and than woke up at three in the morning nervous as hell and couldn't go back to sleep. I was also worried Riley was hurting and maybe that was his way of saying so? Can you tell I over analyze stuff just a little?! lol
My run that night on May was good. She went in like a champ and ran a 16.7 and placed! Pretty good for her. As I have said before she is still kind of new on the pattern and especially with competing and not near as seasoned so I'm very impressed with how far she has come in such a short period of time. In a little over a year she went from looking like a barrel to running decent, solid, 16s.
I have been continuing to ice her extensor tendon on that one back leg. It hasn't gotten any bigger or smaller and she is still sound as can be. Ive been really sure to wrap her good for our runs and to warm her up and cool her down really well. Ive also been cold hosing after all hard work still. She's been such a sport about it and is by far the best mare I've ever had. I wouldn't mind having a hundred more just like her!
The next day I cleared my mind and put my game face on. Riley came up in the pasture and I could tell he was ready to go. At the show grounds I warmed him up really good and than when I heard my name we headed into the chute. Right away I could tell Riley was on the money. He went into the chute very HOT but controlled. He was really hunting first barrel and when he found it, he locked in and was gone! He executed his ritual little rear and launched. First was flawless and second was....perfect! He cut around it as tight as he could and didn't miss a beat. On third barrel he slipped a little coming in but still managed to clock a 15.9. We placed and I was thrilled! I dismounted and pulled his boots to walk him and hose his legs and saw that he had clipped himself. Probably when he slipped or tripped at third barrel. It wasn't bad but I could see it was tender so I cleaned it really good and put a little medicine on it. I might have to start running him in bell boots if he starts clipping himself. That's the only time he has ever done it. After I cooled him out really good and hosed his legs I left him at the trailer to chill and munch on hay. I also gave him some candy canes for being so good!
May's run on Sunday wasn't as good as Saturday but she still did ok. We went wide into first and ran a 17.3 I think it was? I don't remember but ended up "placing" just out of the 4D and we got a gift bucket! Yay! lol She ran really hard the rest of the pattern. Its strange to me how she is my hotter horse but more controllable in the chute where Riley is my more laid back horse but deff more revved in the chute. He is never out of control but he is so seasoned that when he does his mini rear and launches I just let him rip! I make sure they both get in far enough to let their eyes adjust (outside light, inside arena darker) and than we're off!
All in all it was a pretty good weekend and I cant wait for the race tomorrow at my faaaavorite arena! Ill be sure to post afterwards how we do and I will give an update on Moosey later! Have a good day everyone!
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