PSA FOR THE DAY! HELMETS ROCK!!!

Went to the barn this morning for a nice ride and to practice a few jumps. Weather is beautiful! Tack up, warm up, pop over a few jumps....  La lalaalaa..la, poof. I got off balance. Came off my horse and he struck the back of my helmet.

I caught my breath, borrowed hubbys helmet and popped over a few more jumps!

 As you can see if this had been my skull I would be in the hospital. Instead I am home, safe,  playing on the computer.   I am so glad I have my brains intact and today is an amazing day!  Just ordered a new helmet!

We all love you with helmet hair and want you to keep you around!

PLEASE wear your helmet EVERY RIDE!

E is safe and I think she knows it!

What a difference 12 days can make!

Happy to report that L(girl) met E(horse) and decided to take a chance on her and has claimed E for her own.

E has been a super star so far. She has a cranky senior mare she shares a barn and 2 pastures with. She has learned her routine quickly and is very easy to be around on the ground. She is eating several small meals a day, Lots of hay and WATER! She appears to have filled in quite a bit just from drinking alone.

L has had the vet out to check her over and they have a plan for worming, vaccines etc. The farrier has snipped her toes back for now and will be making frequent visits to get her feet right. 

She is lucky! She has found a great place and will be nursed back to health and given a job!

There are so many others around here who are not so lucky. We hear about it every day and its so depressing.

Why do people wait?

 And last Sunday the text message came...

Need to find a home for "mare".

Now, a year ago "mare" was given to a young woman who was a working student for a trainer. She had been working with "mare" under said trainer for a year or so.  Mare was the picture of health. Good weight, appropriate supplement's, feet up to date, vetting done regularly.

 (Girl is in her late 20s,  good job, articulate and charming).

Girl and the trainer have a falling out. Girl decides to move mare to her parents home where her father immediately decided he didn't want her to have run of the back yard.  They fence her off a 40 x 40 paddock, throw up a blue tarp between some poles and I believe that was the last time she was taken our of the 40x40 pen.

She has been confined in there for 8 months. In Florida, In the sun, In a sandlot.

I went from upset to pissed in 2.2 seconds after seeing the mare and her surroundings.  (I cried..uncontrollably) 

Her feet have not been tended too, she is a rack of bones, her coat is ....well, I could go on and on.  Girl  hacked off her tail rather than take the time to comb it out, same with the mane, gave us a full unopened bag of cheap corn based feed, can not tell us how much she was getting nor what kind of hay she was on. She can not find coggins, worming records, registration papers...............

 WHY DID SHE WAIT TO CALL?? Why Why Why   I have seen this young lady several times a month. Loaned her books, sat with her at shows, chatted with her many many times about the horse.  The whole time she knew she was starving this animal hidden in her back yard!

IN THE BACKYARD! Not an hour away, OUT THE BACKDOOR 50 FEET AWAY FROM HER HOUSE!!!!

Ok...... thanks for letting me vent. Important thing is mare is now safe, her medical needs have been addressed, her feet will take a year to repair with good trims, She is on good hay free choice and small meals throughout the day. She will heal.  She has people now who care and she will be loved and cherished. Happy ending for mare!

Work..work...work...Blah!

I haven't been riding. Hardly have had a moment to spend at the barn with my boy! This week is not looking to be much better time wise.

I sure do miss riding and just spending time with him!  It will let up and he has a huge paddock to roam in so he is not stall bound all day or night.

He gets many visitors during the day and I know he gets lunch and treats.

Makes me feel so guilty!

Cash is now the boss?

Johnny Cash has asserted himself. He does now believe he is the boss. Chance is having issues accepting this!

I moved him 2 weeks ago. Seems he has become more independent and self assured. He does not call when Chance is out of sight any more. I have been keeping them apart even during turnout now. Cash was being very mean and somewhat aggressive in the pasture.

(We will be watching from the rail!!)

Nothing seems any different under saddle or in hand. I am curious to see what effect this has on his show day behavior. Our next outing is March 11th. Chance is showing and I will be riding Cash around. No point paying for classes when last time I just threw money away. I will take him places and expose him to different crowds and when he has some composure we will go back to the dressage ring.

                                                    (Looking forward to doing more of this!)



Rearranged! Take that herd bound boy!

Yep, Mr. Johnny Cash has been rearranged! I spent several hours yesterday moving his living quarters to the other end of the barn. FAR FAR AWAY from the horses we frequently travel to shows with. I am looking into turning him out with horses that never leave the property just to distance them even further!

I took him out for a trail ride Tuesday. He was a good boy. We rode about a mile from the barn, stopped at A's arena and did some trot work, visited with Harley's mom and Snappy the Arab. Came back via the canals and back roads of our neighborhood. (The only jerk who didn't slow down or give us room was the mail man of all people. I was waiting for him today when he dropped the mail. He won't soon do it again. I bet he gives horses in the neighborhood a wide birth from now on.)  I had my horse back.. He was same ol same ol LAZY JOHNNY!  Never had to argue and hardly spooky at all. Funny the things that do get snorts. Like pine cones...really? You live with them in the pasture but somehow on a trail the look scary?

I am hoping that doing these things will help him be more independent and less reliant on his buds at the barn when we go to shows.  I can't believe how he acted at the show last weekend and I am in no rush to repeat it! Any suggestions on helping  herd bound horses be,  well,   less herd or buddy bound?

More ribbons! 2 pink 2 white!

What a day! We packed last night and were at the barn at 5 this morning. 

Horses fed and braided and off to the show!

Arrive at the show and half the braid has undone itself.

Immediately tack up and start to warm up and my horse was a MANIAC! I am sure after 2 or 3 hundred shows my boy will settle down.

My husbands horse was a SAINT! AMAZING! WONDERFUL!

I was so worried about him because we have never had him in this environment, Not sure why I worried, he acted like he had been in this arena every day. Hubby had tons of help from friends getting tacked up and he was in good hands!

Johnny and I did our intro A and got a 58. I will take it cause its better than the 50 we got last month. We then did our B and scored a 48....BOOO!

He decided he was going to call, and call, and call and call.... hubby's horse and have a full blown temper tantrum meltdown deluxe.

I did my best to get his attention and resume our test but I didn't do so hot. The judge was very kind in her remarks about him not being confidant.

Hubby and his horse were amazing for there first show! They scored a 55.4 in Western Basic 1 and a 60.5 in Western Basic 2!!!

They probably would have done better if my boy hadn't been so distracting.......

I am sun burnt and exhausted but Blessed beyond belief! What a great day with my husband, horses and friends!