Post-show ponderings…

After our big show, I took a few days off from riding, but I can’t seem to stop thinking about shows! lol

Last week, I got some unfortunate news from my coach - she is retiring from coaching September 1^st.  She has been hinting at this for the past year, so I was somewhat prepared, but it is still upsetting. I’ve been working with her for the past 2 years and have progressed so much.  There isn’t really anyone like her in the region to coach western riding for the AQHA shows.   Luckily we have become friends, so I still will see her, but it won’t be for lessons.  She has said she might do some one day clinics next year, so I’ll still be able to get a bit of help here and there.

My friends and I are trying to decide what to do for next year. One lady has approached another trainer that shows at our QH shows and asked to get some help during the shows.  I may try that as well, but I still really need/enjoy weekly lessons at home to get us ready.  Maybe I don’t need that as much as I think, but it is too early to tell.

I’m trying not to worry about things too much – just let things sort themselves out.  I’m not sure how much I’ll show next year – maybe I will want to try something else?  Who knows? I am thinking about taking English lessons this winter, from my old instructor, who is just a few minutes away from me. English lessons will help keep my legs in shape over the winter, so starting in the spring won’t be as tough. I’d like to show Spencer in HUS classes next year as I think he will be better at that than the WP.

Moving up to a double hat can!

I like thinking about show logistics and prep and made a list of some extra stuff I will need/should bring to shows to be better prepared.  The more I show, the more I feel comfortable with how things go.  A quick glance at the list:

• electrical tape and white zip ties for putting in a fake tail
• wet wipes – for quick face/nose (of the horse) cleanups before going in the ring
• clear shine hoof spray – to touch up hooves at a multi-day show
• good sharp scissors – to cut out the damn zip ties!
• another set of magnets for show numbers and/or more safety pins (you can never have enough pins – bobby, safety, etc!)
• some sort of storage bag for shirt magnets, jewelry, hair stuff (like this one )
• small rubber mat for applying hoof black
• a nylon stable sheet to keep Spencer clean - that horse loves laying in manure!
• a double hat can - I now have a straw and felt hat to wear...the fashion of showing is tricky! lol

An old picture of all the stuff that
gets shoved in the car!

And, for “people stuff”, I relied a lot on my friend to bring all of the extra stuff for our trailer/shade set-up. The horses were in stalls, but she slept in her trailer on the grounds. I was close to home, so I went home every night. I kept all of my tack and clothing in my car (which was sort of good and sort of a mess!) I spent a lot of time during the day under the awning of her trailer in between riding and classes, which was awesome!  A few extra things I would take with me next time, to help contribute:

• big garbage bags
• paper towel
• paper plates and cutlery
• kleenex
• napkins
• hand sanitizer
• wash cloth/facial wipes/hand towel
• toothbrush/toothpaste – I did go home every night, but man, the sand ring had my teeth feeling like they were coated in dust!

Of course, all of this would be much easier if I had my own trailer, so I could stock it and organize it how I wanted, instead of loading and unloading my little SUV all the time! Maybe someday...  :-)

Am I missing any horse show essentials?

We survived our first AQHA show!

Last  week Spencer and I made it out to our first AQHA show. And sadly, I have not one picture to show for it!  It was just too hard to keep my phone handy while riding.

Technically Spencer has been shown AQHA a few times before; it is me that is the newbie!  I have spent the last two years taking lessons, watching shows, asking questions and even volunteering on the show board…all in preparation to try showing at this level myself. 

Now, this is a local branch of AQHA, not a big level show.  And, I’m showing in the Rookie division, so the competition wasn’t too fierce.   Most AQHA shows are multiple day, multiple judge affairs – and quite expensive if you go in for the whole deal.  This local show has a rookie/novice day in the middle of the show with one judge, so that was my target to get my feet wet.

My friends trailered Spencer over the day before – we got a deal on a stall, since I’m on the show board.  I rode Spencer that evening and he was a bit looky and a little wound up. He didn’t do anything wrong, but he was not relaxed at all. I was a bit discouraged as I took him back to his stall.  Several friends (some new) saw the look of disappointment on my face and told me to just go home and start over tomorrow.  One friend said he would be a different horse the next day, once he settled in.  I was skeptical, but took the advice.

Turns out this friend was right. Spencer was 100% better the next day.  I wasn’t showing trail until that evening, so we spent all day longing, riding and hand-walking in the different show pens on the grounds.  I decided to just do some walk/jog classes, since our lope just wasn’t as nice as it was at home.  I was fine with that – lots of time to move up to the lope/canter classes next year!

We showed trail in the evening and he was good. We ended up placing 3/6 and getting my first ribbon.  The next morning we were doing halter and showmanship.  I just do halter as a warm-up to get the horse used to the ring.  We ended up placing 3/6 again. I almost had a major wardrobe malfunction while trotting away from the judge. My pants almost fell down!  Yikes! Luckily I managed to keep everything in place and was laughing as I went to set Spencer up. My coach and friends nearby started laughing too when I told them what almost happened!

I had time to grab a belt before the showmanship class.  I was excited and nervous about showmanship -  I really like that class and it is my coach’s favourite too, so I wanted to do my best. There were 18 entries, so I tried not to let that get to me. My chances for a ribbon/placing weren’t as good. Spencer was being a little difficult as I was practicing too.  I went in to the ring and got through my pattern. Spencer was really good – he seems to get tired/annoyed when drilling/practicing too much, but performs really well when in the ring – which is a good thing!

When I heard my number called out for 2^nd place, I almost passed out!  J  That was my best result at any show to date and it couldn’t have happened at a better time.  Everyone around me cheered and I got congratulations and high fives from people all day.  I will even get my first AQHA points out of that class!  I even got some pointers from Spencer's old trainer, who is a very successful trainer and shows/trains horses and people for Congress.  I think I might even try and get a couple of lessons from her next year, if things work out.

I rode two w/j classes in the afternoon and Spencer was pretty good. We had a couple of minor miscommunication issues, but they were all my fault. We still managed to get two more shiny ribbons to add to my collection -  making my total haul 5 ribbons and 2 AQHA points! I still have lots to work on for next year, as always! 

Chipping away at chores

Owning your own small property – whether you have animals or not – is a fair bit of work.  Well, I suppose you could do as much or as little as you wanted, but most of us want to enjoy our property and keep it as neat as possible.  (Lots of people don’t, I know…!)

Maintaining fencing and in our case, keeping the electric fence working and free from weeds is a major chore.  It is one I quite enjoy, even though it is hard work.  Luckily I only have about 4-5 acres fenced, so it isn’t too bad.

Last year, I just had my small paddock (1/2 acre approx.) and about 1.5 acres of pasture for the boys.  This year I knew I needed to fix the fencing on my 2-3 acre front pasture, in order to give them enough grass to get through the summer.  The previous owners had taken out a section of fencing to put in a pool – not complaining about that – but the fence still needed to be fixed!

Early in the spring, I spent a nice sunny day out checking all of the doodads insulators that hold in the electric braid. A lot of them had come loose over the years.  I also cut by hand the few little trees and weeds that had grown into the fence over the past couple of years.

A few weeks later hubby helped me put in 9 t-posts and we re-routed the fence.  I find electric fencing kind of fun – maybe I should have been an electrician?  ;-)

The cats were funny – they weren’t the best helpers – but sure kept us amused by attacking the electric braid (before it was connected) and climbing ladders.  We probably would have been done a bit more quickly if we weren’t distracted by them!



Sleeping on the job!



Unfortunately I couldn’t get this field bush-hogged this spring, so the weeds grew up quickly on me.  Plants, grass, etc. all of a sudden grow like crazy around here. Some days it feels like we are living in a tropical rain forest! 

 As the horses graze this field, we have been going out with our Stihl brushcutter (awesome tool!) and cutting the grass/weeds under the fence line and taking out trying to take out the tall weeds before they go to seed.  It is a bit of a losing battle, but we are putting in a good effort!

One last thing I was able to have done this spring was remove the giant pile of old beams from my small paddock.  My coach’s hubby came over with his tractor to do some work on the riding ring and just happened to have a bucket on the tractor, so I asked if he could move the beams. We were going to tackle it by hand with a wheelbarrow, since the beams were rotted, but the tractor made short work of what would have taken us hours/days!  Sadly he doesn’t have a bushhog attachment for his tractor…or  I would have asked/begged/bribed him to quickly mow my pastures as well…

oh, what I wouldn't give for my own tractor!!!

 And one last thing I haven't been doing enough of: taking pictures.  I managed to catch this rainbow by chance one night. I was grumbling that it was raining again and couldn't ride.  A few minutes later this amazing double rainbow appeared and I actually had my phone with me to snap this shot!

a pot of gold could come in handy...

Shows 1 and 2

Roxie is ready for the rain!

I've had my first two shows of the season with Spencer.  We are just going to a series of club (schooling) shows for now.  We may hit a AQHA show at the end of July and a couple of fall fairs, if things go well.

I actually have no pictures from either show. Weird, I know!  I just don't find I have time to snap many shots with my phone as I have been there alone both days, for the most part.

My friend helped me band for the first show and then trailered me over.  She is great to help get us both ready for the halter classes, then she heads home.  We did ok at this show - lots to work on:

• showmanship (SMS)- most parts were good but there were a few things to tighten up:
•  turns (pivots) - Spencer was stepping out on the turns on me. 
• quarters - I need to be a bit sharper and work on thinking more in case the judge was tricky!
 
• riding in general - just need to slow him down and keep him focussed - he likes to look off in the distance when he hears/sees something.  
• downward transitions 
• halting without popping his head up on me.
• fidgeting - he was really fidgety when we halted in the command class, which got us eliminated fairly early on
 
• trail - again with keeping his attention on me.  We had to lope over some poles and we were loping on the left lead and his head was cranked around to the right.  We botched the poles pretty good. 

So, with that experience in hand, I had a lot to work on at home.  We loped and loped over poles, working on rhythm at the canter so we had a shot at getting over the poles. There was a big improvement there.    I also need to ask more of him when schooling at home. I am really focussing on asking him to pay attention and work when we are riding. When he is turned out, he can watch for deer in the field and watch the neighbours kids.  ;-)

I also worked on fine tuning what I was doing with my body when asking for downward transitions and halts.  In three weeks, I was able to get a decent improvement - not pefect, but definitely on the right track.  I really need to remember to not even touch the reins when asking him to halt, as he seems to overflex or something, causing him to hit the bit and pop his head up.

And for showmanship, my coach and I drilled that like crazy. I then practiced almost every day for the next three weeks.  I had the quarters down and I was getting 180 degree pivots with no problem and was getting a 360 most of the time.  I was feeling good about our progress.

That leads us to show 2 yesterday. Rain was forecast and since the weather people are usually a bit wrong, I decided to go anyway.  Spencer is terrible if it rains. He will not stand still at all, unless his bum is to the rain.  He just refuses - even if it is a light rain.  What a princess! This is a horse that will stand outside in all kinds of weather normally!

We got through the halter class and SMS was up next.  Two people got to go before the downpour hit. It sort of came out of nowhere - all of the horses were upset. And my horse? My horse was rearing.  Not a full on black stallion rear, but front feet off the ground repeatedly. *sigh*  I knew I had no chance of getting him to stand at a cone with the wind and rain blowing.  We made a lame attempt to do the pattern, but it was a mess.  The only thing I got were my quarters during the judge's inspection.  The weather was totally out of my hands, but it was frustrating since I had been practicing so much.

It continued to rain throughtout the morning and the winds were high. I decided not to ride, since I would be penalized in horsemanship and pleasure if Spencer spooked in the wind or was acting goofy because of the rain. 

All in all, show 2 was a total bust.  That happens, but man is it frustrating when you are ready to go.  I should have maybe showed anyway, but didn't want it to be a big mess with a goofy horse.  Show 3 is in two weeks, so we will keep practising and hope for better weather!

Hallloooo there!!!

Sooo, it has been several months since my last post. I have been waffling about whether to continue blogging or not.  Every time I decide that I’m done, I think of things I could have posted and I just can’t seem to delete the blog.   I’ve been toying with renaming and redesigning but I can’t decide on a new name.  I work on web stuff at work, so doing more web stuff at home isn’t always appealing. So, I find myself mired in a pool of indecision.  I miss the blog and the people I got to know, but as things change, people come and go.  I want to connect with new bloggers, but I’m a bit shy, even online, so I hesitate there as well.

I’ve decided that I’m just going to try posting a few things and see how that goes.  I may try a redesign later in the summer if I’m feeling like continuing.

I’m going to do a quick summary of what I’ve been up to and then come back and do more detailed posts as I get around to it.

• I had to have my old cat euthanized over the Easter weekend. It was hard, but it was time. I sure miss the old boy.  Good thing I still have the 2 young cats to keep me company
• We are on a waiting list for a yellow lab puppy from a local breeder. About time we had a dog around our place!
• I fixed the fence in my front pasture in April, so now the boys have more room to graze and get fat! Lol
• I started lessons again in April and we pretty much picked up where we left off in the fall, so that was good
• In early June, Spencer had a weird reaction to something and broke out in full body hives for about 2 weeks.  Will do a post on that later on. He is totally fine now
• We did our first show in June. It went ok, but I was nervous and not quite as sharp as I should have been. We still got some ribbons, but could have done better
• we have another show coming up this Sunday and one two weeks after that
• I’ve been riding Spencer in English tack a bit and it is going better than expected (for me, he is fine)
• I’m on the board of directors for our local QH club and worked as a whipper-in for 2 shows, got to meet lots of people.  Turns out I don’t like the whipper-in part, but I’m an excellent trail class scribe.  My coach was proud as she loves that too!  J
• I’m going to be showing my friend’s gelding with her at a fair in August. My coach is also a judge and she will be judging that fair.  We are going to surprise her with my entries.
• I may also use my friend’s halter gelding to try showing at the Novice day at the next QH show.  He will be my ringer and should get me a ribbon or two.  J
• I got to ride one of my coach’s other client’s horses – a neat little QH mare that you ride with no leg at all. It was very different from Spencer who needs lots of leg. 
• I now own 3 cowboy hats – I think I’m turning western for real! Hahaha – I only have two pairs of cowboy boots, so I have some catching up to do!
• I went to watch an extreme cowboy trail show last weekend. It was a blast and looks like a lot of fun to try.  I may enter Spencer in a novice class here and there if I can get trailering. 
• I’m going to try and audit a western dressage clinic later this month (waiting for the lady to get back to me).  I also think this is something ole’ Spence would be good at, as it doesn’t require the low and slow of western pleasure!

Ok – that has been the last few months, in a nutshell.  (Austin Powers reference, lol).  Suffice it to say that I have been busy and getting in lots of horse and outdoor time. 

Slowly coming out of hibernation...

I think I'm ready to start writing again.  It has been a long, dark, cold winter and it isn't over yet.  I have been getting the urge to blog a bit, so now is as good a time as any to start back with this old blog.

I'm toying with the idea of creating a new blog and starting fresh with a new title, but I'm having a hard time coming up with anything good.  Stay tuned for more updates on that exciting topic! LOL

Let's see if I can sum things up in a few sentences and a few pictures:

My winter involved lots of work and lots of relaxing on the weekends.  Usually cuddled up with a cat or three on my lap.

Mr P. (who just turned 17) and I trying to stay warm

My hubby surprised me with a trip to Cuba in February and that was a welcome break from the terrible winter.

Sunset on our last day - why can't I work remotely from a place like this?

 I've been slowly working on cleaning and oiling all of my tack... I'm trying to darken a pair of western reins, but it is slow going. Anyone have any tips? I'm going to try ordering some Hydrophane darkening oil and see if that works.

L-R: a jumble of tack to clean/oil, the reins that won't darken and my new show headstall!

I tried lunging Spencer a couple of times, but the snow was alternately too deep, too crusty (with layers of ice) or too inconsistent to get much done.  After once lungeing session, his back legs were stocked up for a few days, so I decided to wait until the snow melts to do much. I'm sure Spencer is happy to have more time off!

Spencer and Bailey have started shedding, so that is a sure sign that spring will be here, eventually!  It took advantage of one warm-ish day to comb out Spencer's mane and tail.

I also took lots of pictures of my cat jumping for a paper ball. You know you have cabin fever when...  lol

That about sums up winter.  Not too exciting and not much horse stuff, but I was just in survival mode! I hope the coming weeks bring us some warmer weather so I can get out and start riding!

Taking a break...

I'm going to be taking a break for a few weeks.  It is freezing cold here and I pretty much live in the dark, so not much is happening on the horse front.  I'm hoping by early Feb. things will start looking up and I'll start posting again.

I hope everyone (anyone who still reads this...lol) has a Merry Christmas and a nice holiday season.  Maybe even some time off work? I've got a few days off over the holidays and I'm sure looking forward to it.

Until next time!

5 day challenge - part 4

1.  One thing you’d like to change about your horse

Not sure – I guess I would like him to have a better head set – not sure if more training will help or if it is a mix of conformation and attitude that makes his head set not 100%. I was told that if he could keep his head down he would be worth 3x what I paid for him…

2.  Your horse’s future

Well, in 2014 we are going to be showing a lot more. 4 club shows, at least 4 fairs and at at least 1 AQHA show…maybe more if things go well.

If he stays sound, 2015 will be more AQHA shows and fairs.

As for the long term, he has a home with me.  He won’t be sold, unless I have some sort of life crisis that forces my hand.

3. Your worst show ever

So far, I don’t really have one that went bad enough to write about. I do battle nerves a bit and that affects me.

4.  Favorite horse show venue

As a competitor, I don’t have one. Too new to the showing business. 

As a spectator…Congress?  ;-)

5.  Your show day routine
It starts the night before: get Spencer bathed, banded and in his super-suit.  Pack my car and check it twice...

Someone is not amused! 

There must be a better way!

Day of: Up way too early. Feed Spencer.   

Go over my checklist for the 1,000,000^th time. Check stuff in the car for the 10th time. Pack cooler and load that in the car if there is room...

Hoof black at home while waiting for the trailer to arrive.  Load up horse and I drive over to the show in my car.  Unload everything, get Spencer settled in a stall (this summer’s shows had stalls). 

Lead Spencer around the grounds – more for my nerves than his. Maybe longe, but not required. 

Fret and wring my hands. Try and eat something – usually a banana is the only thing I can stomach until later in the day.

I do two halter classes first, so I do a final groom, comb out his tail and apply face goop and get ready to go in the ring!  Usually after the first two classes are done, I start to relax and enjoy the day!

5 day challenge - part 3

I borrowed this challenge idea from Lauren, who borrowed it from Tracy...  I'm always looking for ideas to help me write posts and these questions seemed like a great start!

1.  Critique your horse’s conformation

Ugh. I’m terrible at conformation.  I don’t think I even have a decent photo of him.  His topline isn’t great – high wither and a big shoulder.  His legs are nice and straight and he has a decent solid build.  My coach hates his tail set – it is set too high on his bum for a western horse!  That doesn’t bother me much, but she comments on it all the time!  



How's this for a confo photo?  lol

Not much better, but he is shiny and clean!

Nice trot - but with that tail up/out!  ;-)

2.  Horse’s favorite riding exercise

Standing still?  Spencer is pretty easy going and trucks along at whatever we are doing.  I think trail riding at a walk would be his favourite thing – he likes to look around at the scenery a lot when we go out.

3.  Favorite spa day products

I really like Schneider’s Ultra silk prescription (http://www.sstack.com/horse-care_grooming-supplies_ultra-products_ultra-conditioner-detangler/ultra-silk-prescription-ready-to-use/) for coats/manes/tails. It smells really good and seems to help condition the coat. 

I also love vetrolin for a bath for the horse after riding. It just smells like summer to me!

4.  Three best things about your horse

He is 100% broke and steady, without being boring.  He has a good dose of attitude and I have to work to get a good ride out of him and he is the perfect size for me - right around 15hh.


5.  Favorite picture of your horse

Hmm – I have a few favourites at the moment…but here are two:  one from last winter...

And this one from our first show this year.  His eye is a smidge closed and I know it is a 5^th place ribbon, but I earned that in a class of 12 riders.  It was also my first time riding at a show in almost 20 years!

5 day challenge - part 2

I borrowed this challenge idea from Lauren, who borrowed it from Tracy...  I'm always looking for ideas to help me write posts and these questions seemed like a great start!

1.  Favorite equestrian book and movie

Books – the Black Stallion series? I don’t really have a favourite adult horse book… As for a movie…maybe Black Beauty or Phar Lap?

2.  Most common riding misconception

I'm going to answer this based on other people's misconceptions...and it is one that bugs me a bit... You have all heard the line: "Riding isn't hard!  The horse does all the work!"  I'm not even going to defend that - as we all know the truth!  ;-) 

3.  Two riding strengths and one riding weaknesses

This would be much easier to do if it was just weaknesses!  But, I’ll play along…
My biggest weakness is my fear/confidence issue – that holds me back a fair bit. I’m working on it, but it is always there in the background.

One of my last lessons this fall...yes, I'm riding in draw reins to help out a bit...

Strengths: I have strong legs once I get riding a lot in the summer.  
I  will also just keep trying – I’m not the best or most gifted rider, but I follow instructions well and eventually get
things I’m trying.  That is why I love my lessons so much! 

4.  Least favorite thing about horses and/or riding

Probably the money it takes to show and get out to events and take regular lessons. Trailering fees kill me, but I can’t afford a trailer/truck either right now.

Oh – and washing horse blankets. Yuck.

5.  What do you feed your horse?

Spencer wondering why it takes so long to soak his grain???

I am lucky that I get to feed my horse myself. I can guarantee that he gets his grain/supplements regularly.   

The past 2 boarding barns I was at were terrible at feeding regularly!  

So, Spencer gets Buckeye Grow n Win   (a pelleted vitamin/mineral) and low sugar/low starch extruded grain from Blue Seal.  He is an easy keeper, so he gets the bare minimum amount. He also gets a joint supplement and extra magnesium once a day.  

He gets a lot of nice hay as well. Although, I’m sure if you asked him, he would like more hay…! And after our little colic episode, he is going to have soaked grain in the am and a hot mash of hay cubes, grain and electrolytes in the evenings. Spoiled much?

5 Day Challenge - Part 1

I borrowed this challenge idea from Lauren, who borrowed it from Tracy...  I'm always looking for ideas to help me write posts and these questions seemed like a great start!

1.  Most influential person on your riding

Well, there are two people…  My Dad was a huge influence on me as a kid. He made the whole horse thing happen – we lived on a farm and he was raised a city boy, but he was out there building fences and built me a little barn (with help from my uncles).  He drove me to lessons and horse shows and just encouraged me to get out there.  He died when I was 14, but he is still an influence on me today.  I thought I had an old post about him, but I can’t seem to find anything…might be a good thing to work on this winter!

My current coach is a big influence on me today. She is a local judge as well and is on top of what is current and what judges are looking for. She is also a “get ‘r’ done” kinda lady and we just go out there and ride and get things done. It doesn’t leave a lot of room for my worrying to get in the way, which is a good thing!

2.  Piece of tack you’d love to splurge on…

 Well, if we are truly splurging: a Harris western show saddle!

The Harris...

If I was doing a careful splurge: a nice Circle Y show saddle AND some sort of training saddle...

3.  Top 5 riding playlist

I actually rarely ride with music – I like to hear the cadence of the horse and my breathing.  

4.  Most important aspect of your barn?

It’s all mine!  I have my own little barn on my own little farm.  I do miss the social aspect of boarding a bit, but not that much!

Not fancy, but all mine!  ;-)

5.  Three winter riding goals

Hmm – this one is tough. No indoor arena, so things are pretty limited.

• I hope to do some showmanship practice on the weekends 
•  Get on and walk around in the snow on the weekends
•  In the new year, work on ground driving and longing to start fitting Spencer up for spring

Getting ready for winter

Edited to add: Spencer seems to be doing ok after his little colic episode. Going to start soaking his grain, adding electrolytes and maybe some soaked beet pulp or hay cubes in the evening.

*********************

As seems to be the norm the past few weeks, I drafted parts of this post awhile ago...so most of this was my to-do list from September!

I have a few things to do around my little farm to get ready for winter and if the temperatures lately have been any indication, I need to get my butt moving! 

8-10 inches of snow...just a start!

• DONE! -- Get the heater going in the water trough – I had been stalling on this since wasn't too cold, until one morning in October when it was -4C and there was a thin layer of ice on the trough. 
• Might want to get on this...seeing as how we had our first big snow this week!!  -- Check fence and tighten a few strands. There are a few spots of the fence that get hit with the prevailing west winds and the snow really drifts up against it.  Last year I was able to step over the top strand by walking on a drift! Luckily Spencer had no reason to try and plow through the deep snow to escape! 
• DONE!  -- Test the fence and make sure all connections are good.  I’ve been working on this in sections, but have been slacking lately. 
• DONE! -- Finish pulling all the burrs out of the paddock.  I should have been more aggressive with this earlier in the year…  Next year I will be spraying the bleeping burrs when they start growing!!!
• DONE! -- Pack up fly sprays, fly masks and summer stuff – like shampoo and coat conditioner.  Last year some of that stuff froze on me, even though my tack room is insulated. I will probably store all of it in the house this year.  
• DONE! Need to get on this ASAP!  Have heat tape + insulation all purchased -- Install heat tape and insulation on my water hydrant.  It is supposed to be a frost-free hydrant – in that the water is pulled up and then drains below the frost line.  It froze on me in January last year, so I’m hoping the heat tape helps…  It may also need some adjustments so it doesn’t drip and freeze at the spout. 
• FINALLY DONE! Just washed my HUS saddle pad and once dry need to put it away -- Clean up and organize all my show tack/equipment so it is ready to roll for next year! 
• STILL TO DO.  4 more months of winter should be enough time! -- Clean and oil tack – I bought some nice waterproofing leather conditioner at Congress 
• DONE!  -- Dig out Spencer’s blankets – they are in a bin somewhere – hopefully I had the brains to not hide them behind my hay!  :-S

I have a few goals brewing for the cold, dark winter as well:

• Learning how to pull a mane and band
• Practicing showmanship 
• Working out – so I can be in better shape for the spring    
• Budgeting for next year’s shows and lessons
• Relaxing!  :-D  Winter is a great time to do some reading and catch up on fun stuff like that! 

Cold and snowy...and a hint of colic...

I have to tell you that Spencer had a little colic issue last night!!

Luckily he is fine this am.  It must have just been some gas...?  We had about an hour of rolling, pawing and discomfort. I walked him for about 30 mins and things started moving again.  

I think I got off easy, for sure!!  I don't think he is drinking enough water now that it is cold, so I'm going to start putting hay out by the trough when weather permits (even though I will have to fish bits of hay out in the cold!).  I think I might also start soaking his dinner again, just to get a bit of extra moisture in to his belly. I'm also researching some supplements and feeds to help his digestion, since he seems to suffer from discomfort every now and again. 

Anyone have any ideas?

Me watching the boys from my office window. Making sure both are drinking.

I had some plans to do some SNOWmanship (showmanship practice out in the snow...get it...?  I know, it's kinda lame...lol) with Spencer today, but I'm feeling crappy this morning too, so I decided to stay inside and start cleaning up my office.  It is a disaster -  I have papers everywhere and everything is crammed on to one small bookshelf...!

As I was pondering what to move from the bookshelf to make more room, I realized I didn't share pics of my first two trophies!!!  I thought I'd put them with ol' Zippo Pine Bar - Spencer's grandsire - for effect!  hahaha - mostly that is the only spot they fit right now!!

I managed to get some of the papers sorted, but I think I'm going to have to get some more shelves to sort all of my junk collectibles!  ;-) 

One year Spencer-versary!

This post is way over-due, but better late than never, right?  I wrote it back in September, but haven't been great about posting lately!!!!  :-S

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I can’t believe one year has blown by with my little bay horse.  He and I didn’t have the greatest start – I was worried that I had over-horsed myself yet again.  He was a bit dominant and had a hefty dose of attitude.  I was unsure about how to deal with that, as I don’t like yelling and getting tough with horses…it just doesn’t work.  Luckily I found a trainer that came to my house and 3 visits from her had us working well together.   Now we totally get each other and he is really great to work with. I still get a bit of attitude now and again, but it just a protest as opposed to anything unruly or difficult to deal with

Spencer on his first day at my place...

 We successfully showed this year – 4 shows in total – and I have plans to at least double that number next year. I’m still unsure about showing him at QH shows, but we’ll see how things go - more due to my riding skills than his ability!   I may not be showing at those QH shows, but I'm now on the board of directors for that club, so I'll be at the shows helping, if not showing.


I was also able to turn him out with another horse, even though his previous owner told me he was a terrible bully and had to be turned out alone.  He seems to have settled in well with me and I’m happy that he now has a friend!  If my boarder ever goes, I’ll have to find a suitable replacement.

Spencer (on the left) and Bailey

 I also found a friend in his old owner - we get along really well and have stayed in touch via email over the past 15 months. She is battling breast cancer and I hope she is well enough to show her  horse next summer.  We will be at a lot of the same shows and  I will be happy to cheer her on.

 

Spencer's old owner and her new horse last May

I’ve been told by many of my friends and acquaintances that Spencer and I are a great pair. We are both spunky and have a bit of an attitude!  That makes me smile when I hear that, since he has many more good years of showing and riding ahead of him.  He is 13 and in excellent condition.  As we all know, sometimes horses that have been shown a lot and in intense training often don’t stay sound.  So far, he is sound as can be and I hope to keep him that way.  The only thing I am monitoring is a bit of pre-arthritis in his left hock.  He gets a joint supplement and chiro when needed, so hopefully we can manage that long-term. 

I’m so happy to have found a great match for me and I hope to have many more years with him.  Down the road I’ll be looking for a bit fancier show horse, but that won’t be for a while yet. I still have a lot to do with and learn from Spencer.

He loves to be filthy!

Back from Congress - Part 2 - The shopping!!!

Ok – so the shopping at Congress is pretty awesome.  Most major horse product and western clothing retailers are there with a booth/store.  I had a list about a mile long of stuff that I wanted to buy for my show season next year.  I found a lot of that stuff and a few extra things!  

Note: I didn't take many photos as it was tricky to manage a camera and all of my bags of stuff!  Next time I go, I'll take my big camera and try and get some nice shots.

My new Justins

I bought jewelry, boots, a hat, a show bridle, a show saddle pad and a new show shirt.  Not to mention 2 new sets of heavy leather reins, spurs, spur straps and some new clothes!  I may have gone just a bit overboard, but when in Rome…  ;-)  I come from a family of shoppers and everyone always jokes that I was raised in a mall! Lol  I don’t shop much at home, but when I am away on a shopping trip, I can get a bit carried away.

Buying the hat was quite fun, as most of the retailers have a “hat bar” where you can get your hat shaped. I’d never seen anyone do that before, so it was neat.  I bought a cheaper hat, because I don’t wear it much and I don’t have the budget for a super fancy one.  Some of the nicer felt hats start around $600 and can go up well over $1000!  Yikes!  Luckily the guys at Rod’s took the time to shape my low budget hat, just like they would for a fancier one. 

Hat steaming and shaping - photo from Rod's blog

Finding a show headstall was my big goal and the one thing I really wanted to purchase. I must have gone to 25 places searching for the right one. There were lots of super expensive ones, but I was trying to find the sweet spot for quality and price, without breaking the bank. I drooled over the Kathy’s and the Harris ones, but at approx. $1200, they were way out of my price range. I looked at some more “budget” options, but the silver was all yellowed and chipped.  *sigh* 

I did use my iphone camera to take pictures and notes on headstalls. I'm sure people thought I was weird, but it was the only way to keep everything straight!

I ended up finding a really nice Circle Y headstall and my friend was able to negotiate a nice price on it  because she bought a fancy saddle from the same store last year! So, I ended up with a quality headstall and stayed well within my budget!

I haven't even tried it on Spencer yet, since he is all hairy and dirty!  

My friends also knew a few vendors, since they have all been coming to Congress for years. A lot of the vendors have also been there for many years, in the same booth location.  One booth had nice southwestern designed clothing and two friends spent a lot of time and money there.  While we were waiting for the girls to try on hundreds (or so it seemed!) of outfits, I spent time with the vendor's cute Boston terrier and drinking a cold beer!  

Not too shabby!  :-)

There was also several tons of bling for sale on the grounds. It was a bit overwhelming and not really to my style.  There were cheap bling belts and necklaces and lots of very expensive stuff as well.  

I spent a bit of time looking at this place that sold tack that you could customize with conchos. I probably went by the booth 4 times over the weekend, but ended up not buying anything...this year.

concho central!

 There were all kinds of leather products - handmade stuff was popular...

 Clothes, belts, bling - there was lots of it - in any colour you could think of!

I really liked this one place - they had really neat frames, mirrors and furniture. I can't remember the name of the store, but their stuff was really nice and not too badly priced. I probably would have brought something home if we had enough room in the car!  But, it was also good to leave a few things to buy on future visits!