Book tag, winter and geography

wow - two posts in one day! I obviously have alot to chatter about...

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I think I'm going to pack up my belongings and take a road trip - first to Georgia to see Mrs. Mom and then on to New Mexico to see Lisa - anyone else live somewhere warm where I can visit??? ;-p

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To answer a few questions from my chilly winter post below...

I'm in Ottawa, Ontario. As the crow flies, we are right above Syracuse NY. I can get there in 3 or so hours, depending on traffic and weather. (There's a nice outlet mall there!)

This snow should melt tomorrow, it will be a balmy 7C (44F) and up to 12C (53F) on Friday! Crack out the bathing suits and suntan lotion! Our indian summer is usually late Sept-early Oct. This time of year, anything goes. We don't usually get alot of snow that stays until December...

Winters here are really varied. Last year we had the most snow I've seen since I was little - we almost broke a record for the region - totalled up to over 13 feet (over 400cm) of snow over the course of the winter. The high amount of snow is good in a way, because it doesn't get that cold.

Some winters are freezing cold and dry - with a high wind chill - Cdncowgirl knows all about that being out in the prairies! lol It isn't uncommon to see temps below -22F (-30C) when the wind gusts. When it is like that, the snow gets all hard and icy - not very fun. Most winters are a mix of cold and snow and yuckiness..! I grew up about 8 hours south-west of here (about 1hr from MI), where the winters are usually quite a bit milder. I've been living here for (counts fingers) 14 years now and I'm still not used to the freezing cold!

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Enough of the freezing cold talk, time for my book tag!

Ok - this is kind of embarassing - the book right beside my computer is a Nora Roberts book called "The Reef". I admit to reading chick lit. You heard it here first. I'll read pretty much anything, but I often like to alternate more serious stuff with fun stuff! There is a John Lyons training book under the fluff, but I didn't want to cheat and grab that instead!

Lisa at Laughing Orca Ranch included me in this book tag.

1) Grab the nearest book.
2) Open the book to page 56.
3) Find the fifth sentence.
4) Post the text of the next two to five sentences.
5) Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book or the intellectual one --pick the closest.
6) Tag five people to do the same.

OK - pg 56 - "Tate worked the big drop-leaf table in the deckhouse with her mother, cataloguing every item they'd brought up from the wreck. "It's the Santa Marguerite." We found our Spanish galleon, Mom!"

It is a book about people diving for treasure on shipwrecks - I'm only on about page 56 reading it, so I'm sure there is romance and hijinks on the high seas to ensue!

I'm really bad at tagging people - so Cdncowgirl, AOHCM, Natarojo - consider yourself tagged if you wish to participate. If you don't - no worries!

Winter weather... :-(

Our weather has taken a bit of a turn for the worse. 15cm ( which Google tells me is just under 6 inches) of snow overnight. Yuck. It had rained all day, so there was a thick layer of ice under the snow. It is still snowing and windy now. Can I move to Florida? Or hibernate or something?

The good news in all of this is that it is supposed to go up to a balmy high of 10C (50F) by Friday, so most of this junk should melt! Brrrr!! I haven't taken out my winter gear yet, so luckily this morning I was able to find my leather winter riding gloves - they saved my fingers this morning!


PS - Lisa - I haven't forgot about your tag - I'll do it tonight - if I can warm up! lol :-)

First Lesson Down

I'm a bit surprised that no one has noticed my new banner picture...

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We had our first lesson last night and it went ok. We have discovered several holes in Rusty's training and many craters in mine. :-) My barn owner/instructor is a great teacher and I feel really lucky to be able to take lessons on my own horse.

Rusty is stiff in the neck and poll, so we were working on bending exercises to unstick him. It will be slow going, because he gets resistant - almost clausterphobic - when we start asking alot of him in that way. We will have to do a few minutes of exercises, then a few minutes just trotting out to stretch out and relax. Most of our work is done at the walk. If you can't do something at the walk, I figure it will be darn near impossible to do something at the trot or canter.

I felt a little frustrated during the lesson as Rusty needed alot of leg - he wasn't moving off my leg well, so it was taking extra effort to keep him moving. I'm sure that will come "unstuck" as well as we progress, but for now it is tough. My short stubby legs feel very ineffective and I was grumbling all the way home about being just a couple of inches taller. Oh well, I have to work with what I was given, right? Remind me next time I am horse shopping to go buy a pony.

We also started working on walk/trot transitions. We were starting to get a smooth upward transition, but the downward transition is a bit rough. Rusty's upward transition is usually panicked and choppy - not sure if it was the kids riding him before or not. He came from a fancy dressage barn, so you think the instructor would have worked them a little bit? Another one of those things you can't change, but must just deal with.

We have another lesson on Thursday, then we settle into a once a week schedule. I hope to ride at least three other times during the week to work on my homework!

A very blustery day - in which Rusty goes for a ride...

It was a lovely windy fall day today. The clouds scuttled across the sky and coloured leaves blew all around (to the disdain of people who were trying to rake their lawns).

I went out to see Rusty today to take him for a short ride. I wasn't sure how he would do on such a blustery windy day. He isn't spooky by nature, but on a day like this, most horses would jump at the chance to have an excuse to act up.

He was way out in the field when I went to catch him. He often comes to the fence when I call him, but not today. I think he likes his new pasture arrangement! I had to walk out and get him and for a minute I thought he might pull a page out of My Boy's book and give me a bit of a chase. Turns out he didn't feel like running, he just didn't feel like helping me out either... :-)

We rode inside in preparation for our first lesson tomorrow night. I didn't want him to be all jumpy in the arena. Again, I was cautious for nothing - he looked around a bit, but didn't make a move to do anything silly. The wind blew through the arena and we carried on as normal.

I rode for about 3o minutes, doing a little walk, trot and canter. He seemed to want to canter, so I had him canter down the long side and trot the short side. After doing that a few times, he didn't mind just trotting. Silly horse.

He is adjusting really well at the new barn. He is out with three other ponies during the day and in a warm cozy stall at night. That horse is being totally spoiled ! The barn owner said that he is just a total doll and that if she was looking for another horse, she would want one just like him (she runs a small riding school). She is very happy to have us there and is looking forward to teaching us both. She checked his teeth for me (she's a vet), checked his hooves, and watched him move to just confirm that he is sound (which I was sure he was, but nice to have an experienced eye check). She is helping me size him for a blanket (spoiled!) so we can keep him nice and warm.

She even rode him a bit on Friday just to get a feel for him. When she started riding him, he pulled out a few tricks right off the bat. He pinned his ears, tried to cut in off the rail and refused to trot. She just laughed and after a lap around the arena he stopped. It's funny to see his half-hearted little tricks. He doesn't try too many of them with me anymore, so he likes to test a new rider just to see what he can get away with.

She is pretty sure he was started and trained western first because of the way he moves. She also thought that some previous riders had been pretty hard on his mouth. He often moves his head behind the bit out of fear of getting his mouth yanked on. He came from three or so years of kids riding "dressage" on him at a place where they thought getting a horse into a frame meant pulling and see-sawing on the reins - I even saw them do it. I try and ride with very soft hands, so I'm sure we'll get him over that soon.

We have our first lesson tomorrow night and another one Thursday, so I'm sure we will be making lots of progress soon.

Wordless Wednesday

Day Three at the New Barn

Wow - exciting post title or what? lol

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Thanks for all of the great comments guys. I appreciate it. Rusty is a good guy and if I can relax enough and start to trust him more, I think he will take good care of me.

NM - If I had a saddle that I knew would fit your guys, I would ship it down to you in a flash!

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Rusty is settling in well at his new barn, but there is a lot of different activity at this place that at his old barn. Horses are moved around from turnout field to the barn and there are quite a few lessons - especially on Saturdays, so horses are on the move a bit. I'm sure he will get used to it quickly. He isn't being bad or anything, just kind of looking at everything with wide eyes.

We had our first ride in the indoor arena on Saturday. He has been in an indoor arena lots of times before, so I knew he would be ok. The thing that did distract him is that the sides of the arena have tarps that can be raised to allow for airflow. They are at a height where a horse can just see out if they have their head up high.

Rusty was a bit wound up - so we lunged for about 2o minutes. He was whinnying and messing around a bit. I even got a nice buck when I asked him to canter. This time around I just laughed at the appy-tude and let him work it out. After the lungeing, I got on and we just walked around, working on halting and circles a bit - nothing too strenuous. He was calming down by this point, so I called it a day.

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Things might be quiet around here this week. I'm swamped at work and I'm working some overtime just to keep my head above water. I'm dealing with some really pushy personalities as well and that just drains me. We all work for the same place, so I don't see why people have to fight and be difficult. I guess that is the Libra in me - I'm a bit of a diplomat - I try and be nice to everyone - I find I can get more done that way. I also don't like conflict. If I didn't need to keep Rusty in the style to which he is accustomed, it would be very tempting to just quit and get a job at the mall - or a tack shop!

Rusty's big day...

So, Rusty is safe and sound at his new farm. I left with him out in a large paddock with a new friend (that didn't kick or bite him!) and a big round bale of hay. He seemed quite content.

We followed the trailer over to the new place. The scenery was great. Arrival at the new place...
Rusty is probably wondering why people are standing around taking pictures and talking while he is STUCK in this tin can on wheels...! He was a great boy and walked right on the trailer without even a whisker of hesitation. (Phew!)
Backing out. There were three horses in a paddock to our immediate right and they were going nuts - running around and bucking. Rusty didn't seem to notice or care. Good boy Rusty!
A shot of the hooligans...

I had a very productive day today. I was at four different barns from 2-7pm today. I meet someone to deliver some tack they bought, then went to my old barn to get Rusty. We then went to the new barn. While the new barn owner was busy, I ran over to the fourth barn to sell yet more tack. I feel good about moving a bit of tack out of the house, I had stuff kicking around that I would probably never use. That is $250 in the ol' piggy bank! (Nuzzling Muzzles - no saddles for sale - sorry! I just had a western show bridle, and some english stuff).

Turns out my new barn owner wants to get started on my lessons right away. I'm on the books for next Weds. or Thurs., so hopefully I'll be able to write about that.

I'm off to relax on the couch with some chips and a cold drink. Have a great weekend everyone!

Not much going on here...

Yesterday Rusty and I went out for a little hack around the fields and through a small forest. Richard and Max were with me as well. Rusty is definitely a follower - he was happy to stroll along behind our two trail buddies. As we were walking through the forest (the leaves were amazing - guess who forgot her camera???), I could hear people - probably little girls - squealing and yelling. I was wondering if it was a neighbour out riding with some kids - Rusty and I were both a bit concerned with what was coming up behind us. I didn't want Max to get galloped over by over-zealous kids on ponies. We stepped off the trail on a little side field and the mystery kids came around the corner. Rusty didn't spook, but he had his ears on full alert. Turns out horses don't really like the sound of little girls squealing with delight...lol.

Three girls and their Mom came around the corner, running and skipping and squealing - did I mention that? I have lots of boys in my family, so I'm not used to the high-pitched sound of little girls. They also each had a cute little weiner dog on a leash. All three dogs went nuts when they saw the horse, so I'm glad they were on leashes. Richard and I laughed as they went by - we also decided to take an alternate route back to the barn. On the way back, Richard was picking clover and tall grass from the hay field for Rusty - for him to eat after we untacked at the barn. Rusty clued in very quickly and stuck to Richard like white on rice. I just dropped my reins and sat back to enjoy the scenery! Boys are so driven by food and their stomachs!

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Rusty moves to his new barn on Friday - I'm getting really excited. Taking the afternoon off work also helps. I like change, so this doesn't bother me at all. Moving is always a good time for me to organize and clean stuff. Yesterday I posted a bunch of extra tack for sale online. I have four hits on it already. The extra money will be stashed away in my piggy bank (literally.) With the economy in the toilet, I feel a bit better having some extra cash stashed away for board if I happen to need it.

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We are having a big federal election today - I'll be glad when it is over. I really hate politics and politicians and all of the posturing that goes along with it. The campaigning here has only been going on for a month - I don't know how Americans can stand the year (or more) of back and forth that goes on in US elections. I can't even watch the news anymore because I'm so sick of hearing about all of it. We almost have more coverage of the US elections than the elections here at home! All of that being said, I do believe in voting, even if all of the candidates are douchebags. Thus ends my PSA - go vote even if the candidates are douchebags. hahaha - that should have been on one of the tv commercials!!

TGIF and turkey day

Well, I'm glad it is Friday. I had a bit of a long week. It is also a long weekend for us folks here in Canada - our Thanksgiving is on Monday. We don't have much planned, so except for a family dinner on Sunday, it should be fairly quiet and relaxing. I do plan to get out and ride Rusty on Monday, so I'm hoping that the fabulous weather we have been having holds out for a few more days.

I've been nursing a very sore throat the past couple of days - so far it is just my throat that hurts, so maybe I'll get off easy and not get sick! I was really sick in August with tonsilitis, so I'm not really looking forward to another bout of illness. I'm going to keep up the vitamin C and hope it helps a bit.


I have been out riding Rusty a fair bit and he is doing really well - the appy-tude seems to be fading away quite nicely. His attitude really isn't that big of a deal, now that I know what to look for - he just isn't a bad horse, so when he tries to be bad it is pretty half-hearted. lol We are starting to get used to each other and each ride is more enjoyable. I have been working on my leg position and balance and not worrying about contact too much or trying to get him to frame up in any way. His headset is naturally pretty low, so that helps.

Rusty gets moved to his new barn next Friday, so I'm looking forward to that. The new place should be good. I'm using this move as an opportunity to clean and organize my tack before the winter. I need to dig out my gloves and warmer coat...yikes!

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After reading BECG's post about trying to buy mares with good bloodlines to save them, I was really wishing for a nice little place of my own so I could get a couple. I would really like to take in a few nice horses and give them good homes. Maybe someday... I know that slaughter is stilll legal here and I don't like that at all - but as a result, we just don't see/hear about all of the horses that are getting dumped... I know a horse dealer a few hours south of here and he gets all of his horses from the US. He and some partners drive a few hours down to Ohio and buy up APHA and AQHA horses at auctions/sales and bring them back. I think he does quite well for himself by doing that. While I'm not a big fan of horse dealers, at least they are saving a few from slaughter - or so I hope...

What a terrible issue this is becoming - all of those bloodlines and nice horses just getting dumped for nothing. *sigh* - I find it all very overwhelming.

I can't do much to help the quarter horses and the like that BECG mentioned... but I think to feel like I am contributing in some way, I'm going to make a donation to a OTTB rescue here in Ontario, called Long Run. I may not be able to take any horses in, but I can at least help those that do. Anyone have any other good ideas of organizations to make some donations to???

Hope everyone has a nice weekend - I might be AWOL for a few days. I could use a break from staring at the computer 24/7.

Wordless Thursday...(a day late and a dollar short)

Appy-tude 1, Laura 1

So, I went out to ride Rusty again today - armed with more knowledge and things to watch for. Thanks so much for everyone's advice and comments. We had a much better day. He lunged really well. Another boarder was there, so I asked her to help me watch him to see if she noticed anything unusual.

He was a little frisky at first, giving me a couple of crowhops and head tosses on the lunge. He quickly got over that. I worked him both ways for about 8-10 minutes each side.

I decided to ride english today because I feel much more comfortable in that saddle. I can get my leg on much better. Riding Rusty in a western saddle feels like I'm sitting on a barrel! My stubby legs don't like it as much.

We were able to do some longer trot sessions without too much ear pinning - I really made an effort to work on my leg position and not to get too far back. I also rode with a crop and two little smacks with the crop was enough to keep him in line. I got one little crowhop - but it was pretty half-hearted. We even managed to canter a circle (egg? rhomboid?) without too much trouble. Annnnd after about 20 minutes in the ring, we went out and trotted around the larger jumping ring. I can feel my confidence coming back in slow little drips. As I learn to trust Rusty a bit more, I'm sure we'll do really well together.

I'm really looking forward to my weekly lessons starting in November -I'm sure I will make a lot of progress with a good coach.

I had to post something to get that awful picture of me pushed down. Here is a picture of the little weanling foal at the barn. His name is Suede and he is pretty frisky most of the time., but I caught him sleeping in the sun in his hay pile...

Rusty's ear pinning - a bit of clarification...

Thanks for the comments so far - I will take all into consideration. Brown-eyedCG - thanks for the specific tips for what to look for while lunging/trotting out...

I just wanted to clarify that Rusty doesn't just put his ears back when I ask for a gait change, he keeps them pinned most of the time... See picture below. Keep the comments coming!

Another ride

I got out to ride Rusty again tonight. I only had about an hour before the daylight left me. That is the tough thing about fall - losing my precious daylight hours after work.

I took a bunch of pictures for you guys... Before I post them though - I have a question for all of you experts out there! Rusty is pretty reliable - he doesn't buck or do anything mean (that I know of). He can be quite lazy though - looking for any excuse to slow down to a walk or sneak off the rail in the arena. Lately though, he pins his ears back when I ask for a trot and does the same at the canter. Now, keep in mind that I've only ridden him about 4 times recently, due to being sick. He is quite out of shape in that respect.

I thought my western tack might be the problem - newish bridle/bit and a saddle that might not fit 100%. I checked all the tack for the obvious problems - rubbing, pinching, etc. and found nothing. I decided to work him in English tack tonight, because he is more used to that.

I lunged him with his saddle and just a halter. I let him warm up for 1o minutes or so, walking and trotting in both directions. Just for kicks, I asked him to canter. He pinned his ear, shook his head and did a little crow hop. Weird. I stopped him and checked all of his tack - everything seemed ok. I reversed his direction and tried the same thing - he cantered a few steps but looked like he was about to buck. Interesting. He doesn't act fresh like other horses - I think he is too lazy!

I decided to get on and see what he was like while riding. I double-checked my tack again and everything seemed fine. He was good to walk/halt and circle. Back up was fine. But asking him to trot, back go the ears. It isn't just a flicker back and forth to listen, his ears were really back. He wasn't lame - no limping, bobbing or sensitivity there. I tried a few times in both directions and got the same response. I didn't even bother with the canter - why push him at this point...

So - long story here -but anyone have any ideas? I think his tack is fine. He just saw the farrier last week and he said his feet were great. The vet just checked him 2 weeks ago and thought he seemed fine. She even checked his teeth. Everything else about his personality/attitude is fine - just when asked to work he pins his ears and seems agitated. I always check his back when I am groooming him - I gently squeeze down both sides of his spine to see if there might be a bit of tenderness (edited to add: I know this isn't necessarily an indicator of true back pain...). He never seems to feel off there either. Feel free to offer any advice you might have...

Here are a few pics to make up for the long post!

The leaves are starting to change colours in the background. There are often wild turkeys roaming in the back field.

Cat penning? Cat team sorting? Rusty and I are herding that cat. The picture is blurry because we are moving so fast. LOL. We were just walking, really. The cat sat on the mounting block meowing at me most of my ride. Too cute.

Nosy...
Tack on the fence after my ride. Note to self: Clean tack sometime this year....