Moose and Riley Pictures!

Here are some pictures of my ride on Moose on Thursday. We did some jumping and flat work. I also rode him Friday  but we just went on a nice long relaxing trail and than did some more flat work in the arena. Enjoy :)



Looking better but we both have a lot to learn :)



Working on a long and low trot

Close up

Good boy Moosey. Just need to get his head and neck more 'telescoped'!

Some pics of Riley from the race. One of us warming up and than the rest are racing pics. :)

Not sure how this one got down here...LOL But one more of Moose jumping!

Moose's Monday Lesson

The weather here has been GORGEOUS! Low 70's and sunny! The horses have loved it to, well, for the most part. Some of them don't seem so enthused with their still thick winter coats when they ride. They are starting to shed like crazy though, and for that I am thankful.
I had a lesson on Monday on Moose and he did GREAT! We made a lot of progress with his transitions and started working on leg yields. He was a little confused at first but when he caught on he did fine. One of the things I have really noticed about him is he is a quick learner and when he gets it, he GETS IT! That's both good and bad. Like the other day I turned him out and went to give him his treat and he shocked his self on the electric fence! I felt so bad. Now every time I turn him out he is very wary of the gate and my hand. I have been trying to praise him and reassure him that he is a good boy and the gate nor I are out to get him.
Anyway, (I have a tendency to get off subject, huh?! LOL sorry!) the lesson was good. We continued to work a lot on long and low and stretching down into the bit. I have even been getting him to stretch on the ground with a carrot. At the end of the lesson we set up some cavelleti and than a few small jumps. He loves the jumping and got a little too forward but a few full halts brought him back down again and than he went nicely. We started off with a few small cross rails and than one small vertical and a barrel jump. The first few times he wasn't thrilled about the barrel jump and wanted to go around it. A couple of times though, and he was jumping it like a champ. I could tell at first he wanted to but he was just nervous and not sure. We will probably stay at this height for a while even though I'm sure he could do higher, I don't want to over face him and at this point I know flat work and gymnastics are most important. 
I also rode him on Thursday and will be posting pics and writing (typing?) about that hopefully later today or tomorrow. As soon as my friend who took them is kind enough to upload them.

A short funny story: I ordered Moose some Lami cell jumping boots, the front and back, from Jeffers. I wanted something that was good and worked well but not ridiculously expensive. These boots seemed to fit the bill and the reviews on them were great! (If you or anyone you know has some or has used some let me know what you\they think) Well I ordered them and I don't know if Jeffers ran out of boxes or if they normally do this (though they haven't before to me and I have ordered from them numerous times) but they delivered them in a box that said "Non Spermicidal Lubricating Jelly" all over it.   o.O I almost fell over and died laughing! It was a box that had originally been a box of 72 five ounce tubes of the stuff and I guess they chose to re use it. I don't know but can you imagine what my neighbors and the Fed Ex guy thought! Oh brother....

As for may and Riley their doing good as well. May has been a typical ball of fire but is s-l-o-w-l-y catching on to the relaxing and 'rating' with my seat and voice. I took  her on a trail today just to let her stretch and chill. Riley I have been just exercising and doing lots of trotting to keep him legged up for races. He is the hairiest of my three and shedding the worse! His hair is EVERYWHERE and when he rolls he leaves an imprint of himself on the ground with hair LOL! I should also have some pics of him from the race this afternoon or tomorrow so thanks for reading and stay tuned!

Race Day Recap 2-12-11

Saturday's barrel race when GREAT! I did end up only taking Riley for financial reasons and also because I needed some more time to work with some stuff with May at home. I loaded Riley up that morning and I was oddly calm. Usually I'm at least a little excited or nervous but that race for some reason I wasn't. We got to the show and unloaded than signed up. I entered Riley in Adult and Open class. When it came my time to run in Adult (I was number 17) I warmed Riley up and could tell he was a fire ball! He pranced, pawed, and paraded around the warm up pen like he thought he was gonna win the entire thing! LOL Well we went in a little to hard and I checked him up late so he went by first barrel a little bit. This caused him to come off of first barrel bad which set him up bad for second. He tipped second but just barely so it didn't fall (whew) and than third was clean and we ran home. I also had my little warm hat on but it slid over my eyes running in and running to third. I wore it because it was warm and kept my hair out of my face but my second run I took it off and put my hair up. We ran a 15.7 in Adult and fell in the crack between 2 and 3D. 
Our second run of the day Riley was ready. He was fired up but zoned in and we both tried to focus really hard. The familiar stomach flipping nervousness returned but in a good way. I never get overly nervous but just enough where your really focused and the adrenaline gets flowing good. We ran in hard but good and he had a beautiful first. Second and third were good too and he ran a 15.3. I was proud of the run and dismounted and gave Riley his treat than untacked and walked him and hosed his legs down after I pulled his SMB boots off. Later that day I almost missed them calling the placing but me and Riley won the 3D and got $200! Not a lot but definitely paid back the entry fees plus a little much needed extra! I was so happy and I showed Riley the money (which he promptly tried to eat than became disinterested when he found it not edible lol ) and gave him his night feed and brushed him down really good. All in all it was a great day. I gave him Sunday off and might work him light today. He is also getting his feet trimmed and new shoes today. Me and Moose have a lesson later (YAY!) and I will work May later today too.

In another note I had another English lesson on Jubil last night! It was a lot of fun. We worked on keeping her collected when transitioning up or down in gaits and than at the end we did some jumping. I had a blast! I have been taking lessons on her about once a week\once every other week for about two or three months now. N, as I will call her owner, teaches me on her in return for me helping her work her green TWH. Sorry if this is a repeat for anyone. I forget what I have and haven't said sometimes ;) I will have another lesson on her next week or the week after. N told me Jubil is pregnant but just at the very beginning stages. As she progresses in her pregnancy the rides will get lighter and lighter but we will ride her as long as she is comfortable. She was in good shape before and the vet says it is good for her. She is a Fjord\Anglo Arab crossed and was bred to a very nice TWH. I was kinda hoping she would be bred to something more built for dressage\jumping but her owner wants something just to hit the trails with so I totally understand. Can't wait until Jubil Junior is born!!!

Here is a pic of me and Riley and my mom's adorable puppy Peanut at the show. More pictures to come later!

Moose is Back and Race Day!!

My wonderful, amazing, clumsy Moose was back yesterday!!! I know, I know. Everyone is thinking 'Back from where...?!' Well on Thursday I decided to ride Moose because I hadn't actually rode him since Sunday. Right from the time I got on I knew something was wrong. he was nervous and bobbing his head a lot and prancy. The weather was chilly and windy so I figured that was it. I let him trot out a lot of his energy before I asked him to do anything. Even after twenty minutes of trotting he hadn't chilled at all. He was fighting everything and pulling like a freight train. He has NEVER been like that before. He would not put his head down or go long and low for nothing. It seemed like every time we tried he bobbed his head and threw it back up. I was very discouraged thinking we were back to square one...but WHY?!?
Than it dawned on me. He had gotten shots on Wednesday so I wondered if he was just sore. I had given him wed off and Thurs when I brushed him he showed no indication of soreness, nor when I ran my hands up and down his neck. No swelling or lumps or bumps. Hmmmmmm, but still I knew he had to be hurting. He was never like this. I know good and well there will be bad days and good days and he (nor I) will ever be perfect or always good but this was like night and day! We went back to a walk and just got him to relax at a walk than I dismounted. Didn't ask for anything else. I was a little discouraged even though I was 99% sure it was the shots so I sent a message to my trainer. She replied saying she thought it was probably the shots too and to rub him down good and try again Friday or the next day. Well I knew I wouldn't be able to today because I have a race so yesterday I pulled him up and decided to try again. I stretched him and warmed up good and decided if he was sore I would stop and dismount until Sunday or Monday. Right off the bat I could tell he was feeling better. He did everything I asked perfectly and was just as light and soft as always. I knew he had to be sore because it's just not him in to fight for no reason. He is a really laid back 'ok whatever you want' kinda guy! LOL I set up a few small cross rails and let him jump (which he loves) and than did some ground poles and called it a day. I'm so relieved he is feeling better. He gets today off, I will just feed and groom him, and than Sunday we will ride.
On a different note I have a barrel race today but I am likely only taking Riley. With shots being this week I am a little financially drained but also there is some stuff I want to work on with her at home before the next show. She is starting to respond better to my body and voice cue to rate but not as good as I'd like.  You really have to get into her more than I should have to, to slow her down. Last night we practiced at a trot and canter for a while and than did one run. The run was better than the last time we practiced but we still have a way to go. I know she will probably never be as 'ratey' as Riley but I just want her to be able to rater herself more naturally when I give her the cue without having to slow her down with my reins a lot first. Either way, wish us luck today and I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!!

Shot Day!

My three got their shots today so of course I couldn't ride. They just got their 5 way and West Nile. They aren't due for rabies or coggins until May which is good. I longed Moose on Tuesday because he had been sore from Sunday's ride. I rubbed him down with some liniment and Monday he seemed better. By Tuesday he was pretty much not sore anymore but I chose to just do some trotting on the longe to warm up his muscles but not overwork it. I hope to resume normal work tomorrow and do a little bit of jumping at the end. When I was longing him I had him trot over some ground poles and he did GREAT! I was very proud of him. I'm also looking into getting him a cooler for when he sweats hard on cool days. Part of the reason I think he got sore was he cooled to fast and tensed his muscles. So if anyone knows of a good brans or type they reccomend let me know! I ordered some Sore No More(<--love this stuff!!) and Thrush Buster today so it should be here in a few days.
I plan on working all three of my ponies tomorrow, if the weather cooperates, wish me luck! :)

Moosey Lesson Pictures!

I had a lesson with Moose today and he did FANTASTIC! I am so proud of him and how he is progressing. Every time I ride him I think about how lucky I am to have gotten such a good OTTB. I didn't really know what to expect when I first got him but I sure didn't expect he would be this good. He's very soft in his mouth and is stretching into the contact great. he has just taken to the English so well.  We worked on w\t\c and transitions. At the end we jumped some small cross rails and trotted ground poles.  He really seems to enjoy that too and gets excited about the jumping. The other day we had a Christmas tree (that just won't die) so we took it in the arena to practice dragging it with our horses for the trail competitions. I walked Moose over it and around it and everything and he really didn't seem to care. At the end I trotted him towards it and he jumped it. I was proud of him for being so brave. :) Here are some pics from today and Saturday. Their all of Moosey and than one of Riley when he went over the tree. Enjoy!

Ice and Rain Everywhere!

Even in my horses hair! LOL Here are some pics I took the other day of Riley and May with ice in their manes.Moose didn't have any in his hair for some reason?? Pretty weird.  I also have some pictures of Moosey with a 'blanket' on. Not a literal horse made blanket but a human blanket. Tied a scarf around him to keep it on haha. We don't generally put blankets on because all of our horses are pastured all the time and it usually doesn't get that cold here in AL but I brought them in yesterday and dried them off and alternated putting it on them to warm them up.They got to stay in the barn all day with hay and water and dry stalls. They seemed pretty content.Towards the end of the day Moose got a little nervous, being off the track I think he thinks he is gonna have to stay in the stall permanently and gets a little nervous.As long as he had the hay though he stayed pretty calm and I was glad to get him out of the elements.

Hasn't been a whole lot to talk about. Obviously haven't rode much because of the weather. Cold and enough rain to convince me we might just need to build a second Ark!!! haha

Moose got his feet trimmed on Thursday and while our awesome farrier was trimming him he decided to eat his lead rope. I'm telling y'all this horse is part Saint Bernard! He drools....A LOT and chews on everything. Not in a cribbing sense but just likes to hold stuff in his mouth. I know I did a post about it before with him holding the hose, the jolly ball, trying to untie himself and holding the reins. He's such a goof that he cracks me up. Gotta love that big Moose! Hopefully if the arena dries out enough by tonight I will get to ride him. Keep your fingers crossed! I'm also hopefully gonna have a lesson on him Monday so I'll blog about that afterwards as well.

Riley and May are good. They were happy to be in all day yesterday too. Their VERY laid back and completely fine with being in stalls as long as they have hay. Riley actually seemed disappointed when the rain stopped and I turned him out. May trotted off to the hay but Riley stood at the gate for a while watching me. I felt so bad but I knew in the end he would be glad I turned him out ad didn't leave him in the barn by himself.

I'm going to pull all three of them up today and give them a GOOD grooming and hope, hope, hope it will be dry enough to ride. Thanks for reading and have a safe and fun weekend!

Roping, Pole Bending, Jumping and Fundamentals

I have worked on a lot lately with my horses. A hodge podge of different things. Switching it up for the fun of it really does seem to do their minds a lot of good.  I rode Moose on Saturday and than again yesterday. Saturday I was really proud of him. A lot of the younger kids were in the arena riding around and practicing poles and making a lot of noise. Normally this would unsettle Moose to no end. When there is a lot going on and he can here crops whipping or people hollering or horses running he usually gets a little panicked. My guess is it reminds him of the track and he tenses up. Saturday he started off a little tense but I just kept him preoccupied. I remained relaxed myself and asked him for a lot of transitions and half halts and getting his hind end underneath him. Keeping his attention on me and giving him something to do seemed to help a lot. He began to relax and even started drooling (as usual :P ) By the end of the ride he was cantering beautifully to the left. Powerful but controlled and stretching long and low. When we went to the right it took a while to get the correct lead but he finally picked it up and settled into a pretty nice right lead canter. Not as nice as the left but it's getting there. After that I did a little more trot work and than walked him out. We walked over a few ground poles but didn't trot them or do any jumps.
Yesterday when I rode him we worked on all the same stuff. He was relaxed from the start as we were the only ones in the arena. He definitely seems to prefer it that way but hes becoming much more tolerant of other horses. The other day during our lesson he lunged at my trainers horse TWICE and I scolded him but not to harsh. I think he does it more out of fear. When they get close he gets nervous. His ears will switch forward and back and he instantly tenses up and sometimes snorts. He hasn't bitten or kicked any other horses but it's not from lack of try.... Oh Moosey... LOL Hopefully he will eventually get over it.
Anyway last night after we warmed up and worked on his trot and canter both ways I took him over a tiny cross rail a few times. We went to the left first which he prefers and he did great. Than we went to the right which was a little sloppy. He never refuses or anything but he will jump it a little to the side I guess I could say and is much more hesitant to the right. I think I'm gonna do a lot more ground poles to the right to build up his confidence. I'll talk to my trainer too and see what she says. All in all though he did well and I was very pleased.



Typical Riley being jealous and typical Moose acting oblivious...



Riley has still been a ball of energy the last week. Last night when I worked him we did all kinds of stuff. First we 'roped' for fun. I SUCK at roping. I think it's a lot of fun but I'm just not good at it. Riley enjoys it and is solid as always but I'm just no good. Still it was fun to trot and lope around and rope stuff. After that I took him through the pulls twice. He certainly surprised me with how well he did. RILEY----My horse who usually hates the poles and often confuses pole bending with bowling---did VERY well! He was a little wide on the end pole to weave back through but other than that he danced between them changing his leads automatically. I was very impressed and praised him a lot.




May with an attractive bite of hay hanging from her mouth LOL

 May on the other hand is starting to calm down a LITTLE. It's an improvement. I have got to get her slowing down with my seat and rating more naturally. It's taken time and will take a lot more but will be worth it. She is a smart girl, just also very hot and very stubborn when she wants to be ;) We only walked and trotted yesterday again. Did some slow trotting and than lots of long trotting with stopping and backing and changing directions.  She did pretty good. Only tried to really speed up twice. Like I said, improvement, that's what matters. It will all come together with time.