I know, I know. I said we were going to long term lease. But funny things happen when the tax man decides to give you back some of your money...
In addition to the horse fund filling quicker than expected, the horse I've been keeping an eye on for months on dream horse has dropped into my price range. And hubby is willing to start looking..I have an appointment to view her this week, along with some others.
I wasn't expecting to learn about my self in this horse shopping experience. It seems that once one starts looking for a teammate, one evaluates themselves as a teammate and what comes out of it seems to be quite positive.
For example, I test rode a horse over the weekend who was the friendliest horse I've ever met. I could have put my three year old on him and felt safe. But he had no go, no willingness to work, and took extreme coaxing to show me his canter. Which was lovely, but not worth the work to get there. He was just so...mellow. I realized then, as I walked back to my truck for the two hour drive home, that I actually appreciate a hotter horse! Ok, maybe not a 8 on the hotness scale, but at least a 6. I also realized from that experience that Gracie is wonderful with leg yielding and her willingness to work when asked.
The most important thing that came out it all though, was my desire to canter Gracie. I put all fears aside this morning, and after warming her up, asked for the canter. She transitioned into it right away from the trot. No whipping, no asking over and over, no hard pressure like the test ride from the weekend...just an easy transition into canter...on the correct lead even. We went around the arena three times before I had to finally had to bring her back to the trot to start cooling down.
I CAN ride a hotter, spooky OTTB...in fact, I kind of like it :)
'
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Even Horses Have Soul Mates
Over the last few weeks, I got it into my head that Gracie would be a much happier horse if she were moved over to a stall with a run. She could see the other horses, get some fresh air and see the world.
When I pulled up this morning, my Sunday riding buddy asked how she was liking her new stall...she's been moved? I was so excited for her as I emptied all my tack from the truck and headed over to the other barn to check out her new crib. Even though my lease fee was going to increase, I felt it was going to be a great situation for both of us. She was going to have an improved attitude, and be ready to work each day.
Boy did I get that one wrong. I'd been told that in the past, Gracie had a boyfriend and they had to be separated to get her to work. I had thought she'd forgotten that boyfriend...but she hadn't, and he was in the stall across from her. And she did not want to leave him.
I led her to the arena to groom, and she wouldn't stop calling to him, and he to her. With each call, she grew more anxious and panicky. She started sweating. And wanted nothing to do with me, even forgetting to give me my own space as she moved back and forth as I tried to groom her. It wasn't going to work. I decided to set her free in the arena and let her run some of the anxiety out. This only made matters worse...she had now decided she was part jumper, and was thinking about jumping the arena gate to get back to her soul mate.
It wasnt a good situation, she wasnt calming down, she was getting more fired up as each moment passed. I put the help call into her owner, and it was decided she wasn't returning to her stall with the run, but heading back to her more isolated stall. But I'd have to catch her first. I grabbed my dressage whip, and headed out to the center of the arena. She thought about running me over, but then she saw the lead rope in my hand..."oh? We're going back now, oh thank goodness we're going back" She headed back to me and let me catch her.
I needed a focused horse, so I asked for some ground manners, and we worked on backing up. As soon as she was thinking about what I needed, I headed her into her old stall. She was dripping wet, steaming. And clearly upset at the trick I just pulled. She started calling to her boyfriend, but she couldnt hear him calling back. I left her for an hour or so.
When I returned, she was matted in dry sweat. It took quite a bit of effort to get her groomed and blanketed, but she's all tucked back in to her old stall...without her soul mate.
When I pulled up this morning, my Sunday riding buddy asked how she was liking her new stall...she's been moved? I was so excited for her as I emptied all my tack from the truck and headed over to the other barn to check out her new crib. Even though my lease fee was going to increase, I felt it was going to be a great situation for both of us. She was going to have an improved attitude, and be ready to work each day.
Boy did I get that one wrong. I'd been told that in the past, Gracie had a boyfriend and they had to be separated to get her to work. I had thought she'd forgotten that boyfriend...but she hadn't, and he was in the stall across from her. And she did not want to leave him.
I led her to the arena to groom, and she wouldn't stop calling to him, and he to her. With each call, she grew more anxious and panicky. She started sweating. And wanted nothing to do with me, even forgetting to give me my own space as she moved back and forth as I tried to groom her. It wasn't going to work. I decided to set her free in the arena and let her run some of the anxiety out. This only made matters worse...she had now decided she was part jumper, and was thinking about jumping the arena gate to get back to her soul mate.
It wasnt a good situation, she wasnt calming down, she was getting more fired up as each moment passed. I put the help call into her owner, and it was decided she wasn't returning to her stall with the run, but heading back to her more isolated stall. But I'd have to catch her first. I grabbed my dressage whip, and headed out to the center of the arena. She thought about running me over, but then she saw the lead rope in my hand..."oh? We're going back now, oh thank goodness we're going back" She headed back to me and let me catch her.
I needed a focused horse, so I asked for some ground manners, and we worked on backing up. As soon as she was thinking about what I needed, I headed her into her old stall. She was dripping wet, steaming. And clearly upset at the trick I just pulled. She started calling to her boyfriend, but she couldnt hear him calling back. I left her for an hour or so.
When I returned, she was matted in dry sweat. It took quite a bit of effort to get her groomed and blanketed, but she's all tucked back in to her old stall...without her soul mate.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Gracie the Show Horse!
It's official, Gracie is a show horse. The horse gods smiled down on us yesterday, and Gracie did beautifully.
The morning started at about 5:15 am, when I arrived at the barn and woke up the poor mare. She looked at me like "what on earth are YOU doing here?" After a little coaxing, she did get up, we walked out to the arena where we picked her hooves and then lunged for a bit just to get her up and limber, and to get out any energy she might have. She was attentive, but not too hot. We went back to the stall to wait for the trailer to come into the arena. When I brought her back out, she spooked at the sight of the trailer, and realized what was about to go down. Surprisingly, it took only ten minutes to load her (our trainer is awesome.) Her barn mates then loaded and off we went.
She acclimated pretty quickly to the show grounds...there was just so much to look at, she couldn't really decide what to spook at, so she didn't. Her stall was next to her barn mate, which seemed to help her out, and she ate and had water as normal. After a few hours of waiting, it was warm up time.
Out in the arena, she was lunged and had no spooking or kicking. She just seemed ready to work. We saddled up and started our warm up. She was scared...the show arena was open at that time for warm ups and had a lot of horses in it. She wasn't sure of the arena, especially with the hot heater blowers going in the corner. We stayed away from that corner and continued to focus, and she started to work.
We headed back to the warm up arena, which was like a carousel. About 25 horses warming up together in a too small of space. She didnt like to be crowded and kept stopping and backing up. It took quite a bit of coaxing to get her to do what I wanted her too. During this time I heard my name over the load speaker..how was I late to a class???!!! A few classes had no entries and mine started early. Thank goodness for calm trainers, I was almost in panic mode, on a panicky horse. Lovely combo.
We got to our class, and entered the ring. It was as if a transformation happened...the hyper, spooky TB turned into a well polished show horse. She just knew somehow it was time to pay attention and do her best. It was a walk only eq class, so I was feeling calm as well, and we took second place. If she had backed up straight, we would have won it.
Our second class went the same, taking second, and only because my arms were too stiff and I had a strong hold on the reins (waiting for a spook.) Sorry Gracie.
Our third class my nerves were on edge. The class was large, and it was a walk/ trot eq class, where I was expecting chaos. She collected instantly, was responsive and calm, but very alert. I could feel us working together well as a team, and I was able to ride confidently. As we lined up at the judge, I was so proud of her. She had done her best and no matter where we placed, I knew she had looked awesome. As they read the placings, I got confused. Why had they not called our number? Did they not mark us down as having entered the class? We got down to second place, with just three horses left, and I realized we must have come in last. No problem, we still did a great job. When they called our number for first place, I almost fell out of my saddle. We got FIRST?! I started tearing up...this was the horse that I had so many doubts with, had struggled with for the last month, and was sure was going to spook every chance she got. My cheer squad was on the sidelines clapping, and our trainer was beaming. I am so proud of this horse!
Looking forward to our next show :)
The morning started at about 5:15 am, when I arrived at the barn and woke up the poor mare. She looked at me like "what on earth are YOU doing here?" After a little coaxing, she did get up, we walked out to the arena where we picked her hooves and then lunged for a bit just to get her up and limber, and to get out any energy she might have. She was attentive, but not too hot. We went back to the stall to wait for the trailer to come into the arena. When I brought her back out, she spooked at the sight of the trailer, and realized what was about to go down. Surprisingly, it took only ten minutes to load her (our trainer is awesome.) Her barn mates then loaded and off we went.
She acclimated pretty quickly to the show grounds...there was just so much to look at, she couldn't really decide what to spook at, so she didn't. Her stall was next to her barn mate, which seemed to help her out, and she ate and had water as normal. After a few hours of waiting, it was warm up time.
Out in the arena, she was lunged and had no spooking or kicking. She just seemed ready to work. We saddled up and started our warm up. She was scared...the show arena was open at that time for warm ups and had a lot of horses in it. She wasn't sure of the arena, especially with the hot heater blowers going in the corner. We stayed away from that corner and continued to focus, and she started to work.
We headed back to the warm up arena, which was like a carousel. About 25 horses warming up together in a too small of space. She didnt like to be crowded and kept stopping and backing up. It took quite a bit of coaxing to get her to do what I wanted her too. During this time I heard my name over the load speaker..how was I late to a class???!!! A few classes had no entries and mine started early. Thank goodness for calm trainers, I was almost in panic mode, on a panicky horse. Lovely combo.
We got to our class, and entered the ring. It was as if a transformation happened...the hyper, spooky TB turned into a well polished show horse. She just knew somehow it was time to pay attention and do her best. It was a walk only eq class, so I was feeling calm as well, and we took second place. If she had backed up straight, we would have won it.
Our second class went the same, taking second, and only because my arms were too stiff and I had a strong hold on the reins (waiting for a spook.) Sorry Gracie.
Our third class my nerves were on edge. The class was large, and it was a walk/ trot eq class, where I was expecting chaos. She collected instantly, was responsive and calm, but very alert. I could feel us working together well as a team, and I was able to ride confidently. As we lined up at the judge, I was so proud of her. She had done her best and no matter where we placed, I knew she had looked awesome. As they read the placings, I got confused. Why had they not called our number? Did they not mark us down as having entered the class? We got down to second place, with just three horses left, and I realized we must have come in last. No problem, we still did a great job. When they called our number for first place, I almost fell out of my saddle. We got FIRST?! I started tearing up...this was the horse that I had so many doubts with, had struggled with for the last month, and was sure was going to spook every chance she got. My cheer squad was on the sidelines clapping, and our trainer was beaming. I am so proud of this horse!
Looking forward to our next show :)
Friday, February 10, 2012
It's Show Time!
Here we are, the night before our first show. She's clipped, bathed and hopefully calm. I wont even go into how many hours it took just to get her ready. We didn't ride today, so I'm not quite sure where her mind is going to be tomorrow morning, after the trailer ride. Thank goodness for patient trainers!
English classes wont start until noon, so we'll have quite a bit of warm up time and getting acquainted with the show grounds. All I ask is finishing the classes without incident...ribbons are the furthest thing from my wishlist at this point in time. A spook free TB is all I ask for..so, please horse show gods, if you are up there, send some calming vibes my way tomorrow.
English classes wont start until noon, so we'll have quite a bit of warm up time and getting acquainted with the show grounds. All I ask is finishing the classes without incident...ribbons are the furthest thing from my wishlist at this point in time. A spook free TB is all I ask for..so, please horse show gods, if you are up there, send some calming vibes my way tomorrow.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Don't Give a Thoroughbred a Vacation, And Other Useful Pointers
In this land of wind and rain, we got an unexpected snow storm. Then an ice storm, followed by a wind storm. With the power knocked out for four days, and no way to get to the barn, Gracie got a 7 day vacation. I don't know if it was being cooped up, feeling forgotten, the unexpected cold and then high winds, or a mixture of all of the above but Gracie developed a bit of an attitude. Bucking, spooking, bolting...she was the poster child for a fresh OTTB mare if I've ever seen one. And this made me really nervous. I managed to stay sticky in my seat for the 20 or so spooks we encountered, though I did lose my stirrup one one of the bigger ones. Nonetheless, this behavior only 20 days before our first show started causing me some anxiety.
4 rides, a lesson, a practice show lesson, and a talking to from her owner, and we are slowly getting back to where we were, except my trust still isnt where it was. She had never spooked with me, never bucked with me. Though a little stubborn, I felt like she had been taking care of me. Now the "what ifs" are hanging around. What if she does this at the show, what if she does this when we're riding alone, what if the calm schoolmaster Gracie doesn't return?
While trying to push my doubts aside, I did realize that, though my equitation may not be getting a lot of practice, my riding is indeed getting stronger while dealing with these issues. I'm learning to handle a hotter horse than I'm used to, and learning to move past my fears for the love of my sport.
We've also decided to continue the lease for a year...I must have some hope that this story ends well somewhere in the depths of my doubts.
4 rides, a lesson, a practice show lesson, and a talking to from her owner, and we are slowly getting back to where we were, except my trust still isnt where it was. She had never spooked with me, never bucked with me. Though a little stubborn, I felt like she had been taking care of me. Now the "what ifs" are hanging around. What if she does this at the show, what if she does this when we're riding alone, what if the calm schoolmaster Gracie doesn't return?
While trying to push my doubts aside, I did realize that, though my equitation may not be getting a lot of practice, my riding is indeed getting stronger while dealing with these issues. I'm learning to handle a hotter horse than I'm used to, and learning to move past my fears for the love of my sport.
We've also decided to continue the lease for a year...I must have some hope that this story ends well somewhere in the depths of my doubts.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Gracie and the Trailer
It came about time to re-introduce Gracie to the trailer. I knew this was going to be no easy feat, and that lately with her being a bit sassy, she was going to rebel. And rebel she did.
The trailer arrived while I was grooming her, and she saw it pull in. I think she sensed it was there for her, because she got antsy, and kept looking back at it. After lunging, her owner (who is also our trainer) took the lead and brought her to the back of the trailer. Her poor legs were shaking, and she was breathing pretty heavily. She sniffed it, then pulled back, reared a few times and trotted around and around. He lead her to the trailer again, this time she took a step in. Then backed up, reared and trotted around again. This went on for about 30 minutes. Finally, she was brave enough to enter the trailer. And then turn around and rush out.
After an hour, she had successfully entered the trailer three times. I was so proud of her, knowing how scared she is of them.
With a mouthful of liquorice she headed into the arena for a well deserved free run. I'm feeling hopeful that we may possibly make it to the show next month!
The trailer arrived while I was grooming her, and she saw it pull in. I think she sensed it was there for her, because she got antsy, and kept looking back at it. After lunging, her owner (who is also our trainer) took the lead and brought her to the back of the trailer. Her poor legs were shaking, and she was breathing pretty heavily. She sniffed it, then pulled back, reared a few times and trotted around and around. He lead her to the trailer again, this time she took a step in. Then backed up, reared and trotted around again. This went on for about 30 minutes. Finally, she was brave enough to enter the trailer. And then turn around and rush out.
After an hour, she had successfully entered the trailer three times. I was so proud of her, knowing how scared she is of them.
With a mouthful of liquorice she headed into the arena for a well deserved free run. I'm feeling hopeful that we may possibly make it to the show next month!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
The Year of the Horse
Happy New Year! My grandmother used to believe that what you did on New Years day sets the mood for the entire year. It was no mistake I started my morning out in the barn. It was a slow lazy morning ride. The sun was out, but the winds were really up and Gracie was on alert for anything that might appear on the wind. We walked/trotted for about 45 minutes with our friends; a bay Quarter Horse and her owner. It gave me time to contemplate my horse future, and where exactly I want to go with my riding.
After a good grooming and a few New Years cookies for Gracie, I left the barn with a plan for the year.
After a good grooming and a few New Years cookies for Gracie, I left the barn with a plan for the year.
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