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....

Over the hill???

So, I am officially 34 years old. I can't decide if that is a good thing or not. :-)

My Mom is here visiting, so she has been keeping me busy and away from the computer. My Mom is great, but she is very quiet. After 3 days of talking alot and asking her questions to keep some sort of conversation going, I'm pretty tired.

Here is a picture of my dog Max on a hike we went took on th weekend. He ran his little heart out - jumping on rocks and galloping along the trail like a puppy. I like taking him out to places where he can run free - it makes me happy to see him running around. He got quite hot by the end of our hike and his tounge was hanging out. I think it looks like he is smiling when he does that.

We came up to a little family heading the other way. The little girl stopped in her tracks when she saw Max. In a trembling little voice, she asked her Mom, "he isn't going to LICK me, is he Mom????? His TONGUE is hanging out." The Mom chuckled and said no, he wouldn't lick her, he is just hot and that is how he breathes when he is hot. The little girl gave her Mom a very skeptical look and walked by Max with wary eyes. As we passed them, I heard the chain of questions start - "He breathes like that? Why? Why is his tongue so big?" It was my turn to chuckle, as I listened to the litany of questions the Mom now faced. Little kids can be pretty cute...

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I took my Mom out to see Rusty and she thought he was cute. Even she could see the difference is his kind eye from my other rotten gelding.

I rode him around for twenty minutes or so and Mom took a few pictures. She is into scrapbooking and is apparently running out of pictures. I was a good daughter and let her take a bunch of pictures even though I don't like having my picture taken.

I just found out today that my barn owner has moved the geldings around a bit. She took the two bossy geldings out and has them in their own paddock. She has been shuffling horses around the past couple of weeks to accomodate a weanling foal. This arrangement is good for Rusty, as the two geldings that pick on him are now in a new paddock. I don't know if this is a long term situation or not, but it will give Rusty a break until he is moved.

I have to admit that I felt a twinge of second-guessing on moving him when I heard about the paddock situation - it was what I was hoping for. It still doesn't solve my lack of riding problem, so I'm not going to worry about it and go ahead with my move as planned.

On horses and shoes

I spoke to my vet today and she had the results of Rusty's bloodwork. All of his protein and enzyme levels are back to normal! Yeah Rusty! She initially thought we were going to have to feed him a high protein extruded feed to help him out, but it looks like he can stick to his regular grain.

The vet also confirmed that my decision to move Rusty was a good one. I told her about the new, vet-owned barn and the turnout situation there and she thought it sounded great. I gave my current barn owner a heads-up about all of this, so I just have to give her official notice this week. Even though my new barn owner is a vet, she isn't licensed in a practice anymore, she works for the government. She wouldn't be able to officially diagnose and treat my horse, so luckily my current vet travels in the area of the new barn.

Glad to have the major decision of "move? don't move?" over with! I do not like making decisions - I always second-guess myself. Although, I just learned that a new gelding has moved into the barn and is in Rusty's paddock. That paddock doesn't have enough room for 7 horses. There will also be a weaning colt in there next month to make 8. I think all of the factors are pointing towards me making the right decision to move! The new barn owner has offered to trailer Rusty over to her place - so we will work out a date in mid-October to do that.

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Poor Rusty threw one of his new shoes on Sunday. Rotten horse. :-) Three other horses at the barn also need farrier work, so it should be easier to get the farrier out soon. I'm hoping this is the last set of shoes for the year, as I plan to keep him barefoot over the winter.

The weather has been fabulous here - everything is still green and very alive. I'm hoping to ride alot before I move Rusty so we are both in shape to start working in our lessons! Fall is definitely in town though, as the air is cool and brisk. I love fall - it is nice to have cool weather - although it warns of winter's imminent arrival. Winter here usually is not very nice - lots of snow, ice and bitter cold winds. Good thing I have an indoor arena to ride in this year!! (I'm a little excited about changing barns - can you tell!)

Fall was myfavourite time of year when I was young - I liked going back to school, my birthday is during the fall and fall was the best time for riding where I lived because all of the crops were harvested. I had several hundred acres of my neighbour's property to ride on, once the crops were down. Winters where I grew up weren't that bad either - we didn't get a lot of snow most winters.

Spring was nice, but muddy and the crops were going in so I coudn't ride in the fields. Summer was hot, buggy and hard to ride in 7ft high corn. I did though - did anyone else do that? Ride down the rows of tall corn? The corn cobs would hit you in the shins and your legs would go numb, the horse would go faster and faster - egged on by the whooshing sound of the corn stalks and our giddy laughter! Oh, man that was fun. *sigh* Some days I miss my carefree childhood so much.

*Note - picture is of me riding my cousin's arab gelding a few years ago. You can just make out an empty field in the background.

** Question - why is blogger such a pain with pictures and adding extra spaces everywhere?

OK from vet and lots of pictures!

Rusty update: The vet said he was looking good and only needs to gain another 50lbs. He has a bit of a hay belly, but I'm sure the weight will re-distibute itself once we start riding regularly. She gave me the ok to start riding as well! Yeah for Rusty...lol She took some blood and I'll get the results on Monday, so hopefully all of his protein levels will be more normal.

This post is super long because I actually have some pictures!!

We went out for a short ride today - we walked a few laps around the arena and then went out around the fields. Richard and Max were with me, so all of us went out. It was a beautiful fall day, so it was nice to finally be out!

A little bit of a trot around the arena - I don't think that my western saddle fits him that well - it is sort of low on his withers. My leg position also needs work, but considering I have only ridden about 6 times since last October (!) I won't be too hard on myself.
Out in the hay field - taking a break.

In the barn with a close-up of his new western bridle. It isn't fancy, I just like the colour because it matches my saddle. His nose is also senstive to rubbing - he only wears his halter 2x a day for about 30 minutes and it rubs his nose. So, I feel bad putting on an english bridle with a noseband that will rub even more. What a spoiled horse. I guess I should buy a fuzzy noseband to put on his halter or something...

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Here are a few pictures from our day trip to Montreal last weeekend. It is about a 2.5 hour drive right into downtown. It is the closest "big city" to us. This is the first glimpse of downtown from the highway.

A shot of the Molson building. Molson is one of Canada's beer brands. I'm guessing it is probably owned by an international company now, as most other beer companies here end up being bought out by big corporations.

The bridge we had to cross to get to get to the two islands where the race was held. There are two islands (- I can't remember if they are both man-made or not) in the middle of the St. Laurence River.

This thing is called the Bio-Sphere. It looks cool, but I have no idea what it is. Google tells me it is an evironmental museum. Should stop by next time I'm in town...

Here is an aerial shot (courtesy of the Montreal Rowing Club web site) of the facility we were at. You can see the two islands. We were at the one in the foreground. The long straight bit of water is the rowing basin, built in 1976 for the Olympics.

This shot is of a big boat (ship?) heading down the river. It took me by surprise as I didn't quite realize that behind the trees the island went straight down to the river!

This is a view of the rowing basin. There was a triathlon and a duathlon held that day. The triathlon is a swim-bike-run combo - there are a bunch of distances people can do. Richard did the duathlon, which is a run-bike-run combo. He ran 10km, then biked 40km, then ran another 5km to finish off. The run course took him around the outside of the rowing basin. It looked very far! I'm sort of glad I was just taking the pictures! He didn't do as well as he had hoped because he had major leg cramps. He still managed to get a personal best time for the day though. This race may qualify him to go to the world championships for his age group (40-45 men) which is going to be held in North Carolina next year!

Here is a shot of Richard on his fancy bike. He sells these bikes as a second part-time business, so he gets a great deal on the cost of the bike and all of the equipment. I tease him that his bikes are the same amount as a horse, just minus the board. I'm glad he has a hobby/sport with lots of gear, as he sort of understands why I need so much tack... ;-) The crazy looking helmet in the picture is supposed to make him more aerodynamic when he is tucked down on the handle bars.

Richard bikes alot in preparation for these races. He was also part of a running group over the summer that met at a local track to do all kinds of training. I think he was training about 10-15 hours per week over the summer. I just help him get organized at the beginning of the race - check his equipment, find the start and transition areas, take pictures, etc.

After the race, we headed into downtown Montreal for dinner before driving home. We went to St. Catherine street, which is known for fancy shops and other types of "establishments", such as strip clubs and bars. This nice old church was nestled in amongst all of the high-rise buildings.

This place was right around the corner! Montrealers have no qualms about this sort of thing!

Busy Days...

I've been a busy littlekeebler the past few days. I've had birthdays to organize, presents to buy, kids to babysit, long drives to Montreal, work and many other things. My blog has been left slightly neglected.

Two birthdays are down, kids have been babysat -so I'm off the hook for a few weeks there and trips have been completed. Only a couple more days of appointments and work to get through and I can have a bit of a rest.

We drove to Montreal on Saturday - it's about 2.5 hours from home to get us downtown. Richard had a duathlon that he was entered in. I'm his support crew, so it is kind of fun. I secretly love big cities, even though I'm a country girl at heart. I love the grittiness of a big city - subways, restaurants, shops, the landmarks - all of that is fun for me for a short time. I'll edit this post tomorrow and put in a few pictures for y'all!

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Rusty had a farrier appointment today - I was a little worried about it, because he isn't always that good for the farrier, according to the previous owners. They had to twtich him for a trim and tranquilize him for shoes!! Crazy. He had his first trim with my farrier 7 or so weeks ago and was ok - nervous, but the farrier was patient with him. Today, I was expecting a lot of pulling and stuff, but Rusty almost fell asleep! He had a trim and front shoes reset. He didn't even blink with the nails going in! No twitch, no tranquilizer! We were sure that a patient farrier could trim him without any problems and turns out we were right! (Just a note on finances - a trim and front shoe reset is $84 here...)

I was so happy - I hate seeing a horse all stressed out. I also don't like it when a horse misbehaves for the vet or farrier. Rusty was so relaxed that the farrier asked me three times (jokingly) if I had given Rusty some drugs! This farrier is so great - I had about a million questions and he answered them all patiently. I also stuck around to watch the other trims he did and he would call me over to show me different hooves and the issues with each.

He also hot-shod one horse and I wish I had my camera with me - the smoke was kind of cool... I haven't seen that done before - except on tv, so it was neat. I really need to start bringing my camera!

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Rusty has one more appointment tomorrow - the vet. He is getting a check up for his ulcer. He seems to be doing really well, so I'm quite optimistic. He did stop eating on us on Monday, but the barn owner and I figured out that he was just sick of beet pulp! We are just giving him some pellets now and he is devouring them - so that is all good. I don't care what he eats, as long as he keeps eating it and keeps gaining weight!

I promise I'll take my camera tomorrow and finally post a few pictures! lol

Canadian Para-Dressage Rider wins 2 medals at 2008 Summer Paralympic Games

This is a bit late to be posting - but it still deserves recognition.

A Canadian dressage rider - Lauren Barwick won 2 medals in dressage - a gold and a silver at the 2008 Paralympic games in Beijing.

She rides a 14yr old mare co-owned by the Parelli's. I actually found out about her in the Parelli e-newsletter. Reading stories like this make me realize that there is so much more to life than worrying about my leg position in the saddle or the size of my breeches. She trains for dressage while working full time at a bank.

From an article at dressagedaily.com - "Barwick has long been a rider and it was eight years ago that a 100-pound bale of hay fell from a 10-foot height onto her back, paralyzing her. She has an amazingly humorous attitude about her paralysis and when asked if the accident was painful, laughed and said, “Nope. I didn’t feel a thing.” Despite the accident, she continued on with her riding and successfully qualified to compete in the Athens Olympics where she finished sixth among 21. "

I think the articles speak for themselves - if you are interested, enjoy the reading. What an awesome woman.

• Lauren's blog


• Article about Lauren testing horses and working with Walter Zettl (dressagedaily.com)


• Equine Canada press releases - gold medal win and silver medal win


• Vancouver sun article

Way to go Lauren!

*image is from equinacanada.com

Guess what I did today????

So, any guesses??

Did I start my Christmas shopping?

Did I run a marathon?

Did I go see my horse? (ooh - getting closer...)

Did I actually RIDE my horse for the first time since the end of June???

Yes I did!! No, I haven't seen the vet yet for her approval, but the rebel in me decided to ride him today. He has gained back alot of weight, so I took him out for a little ride.

I rode for about 30 minutes, just walking mostly and we trotted a few circles* for fun. We practiced bending and halting and backing up - just to get back in the groove. I also bought him a new western bridle, so he looked pretty cute. Too bad I forgot my camera!

He didn't act like a horse that hadn't been ridden in over 2 months - he was the same old Rusty as he always is. I like that predicitability - some day I might find it boring, but right now, it is perfect for me. He is out of shape, so our rides will be short to start and we will work on his conditioning. This will be a good learning process for me.

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Oh - here is a link to my new barn - stalkers be damned! Barn 3

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* I was *trying* for circles, but they were more like rhomboids or trapezoids or something. I'm bad at geometry! lol

Enough with the suspense, already!!!

Firstly - my birthday is September 30th - I'd be happy to accept gifts, credit, cheques, cash or ponies. LOL - Just kidding. Good wishes are just dandy! :-) Birthdays don't seem to be as fun now that I'm getting older!

Secondly - thanks for the hugs about my Dad - he does have a special place in my heart...

Thirdly - the damn barn situation! I've kept you all in suspense long enough...

Turns out that most of you picked Barn 3, which is totally the one I'm going with. I tried to list all 5 somewhat neutrally to see what you guys thought. I haven't moved Rusty yet, I'm waiting for my vet to check him on Thursday and hopefully give us the green light to start riding again. If his health isn't ok, I won't move him for awhile - I don't want to spend double the money to board at a place where I still can't ride.

So, Barn 3 was the one with the vet owner. She has a really nice indoor arena and lots of turnout paddocks. Her board is only for her students, so I would get 1 lesson/week. She has 6-9 horses of her own and 2 boarders. I really needed a place with fewer horses and more turnout options. She has lots of paddocks and is totally flexible about who goes out with whom. She will even turn Rusty out alone if required. I hope it won't be, but who knows. Rusty will also get a stall. Since he is 17, the winter might be harder on him this year, with all of the stress.

My decision isn't 100% based on Rusty's health. One lady at a barn I visited suggested that I needed to do what was right for me as well. I took that to heart when deciding.

What could benefit me the most as a horse owner/boarder right now?

Riding lessons.

Honestly, I could really use some guidance there - I'm fine on Rusty, but my equitation is lacking and I would like to fine tune my skills. Also, I haven't been able to ride at all in the past year really - except for maybe 1x/month on average!!!

Check out this timeline:

June 07 - buy paint gelding - let's call him Jackass.

July 01/07 - horse hits head on ceiling of barn because he is an idiot. Requires emergency vet call to stitch his head back together. Horse is on stall rest/recovery until mid-Aug 07.

Sep 07 - move Jackass to current barn because low ceilings at other barn freak me out. Ride about 3x because he is squirrely.

Oct 07 - break stupid arm.

Oct - Dec 07 - stupid arm in stupid cast.

Jan 08 - arm is fine, can't ride because horse is crazy with 4 months rest and we are buried under several feet of snow and ice.

Mar 08 - ride horse 1x in several feet of deep snow. Pray that he can't take off because snow is up to his chest.

Apr 08 - send horse to trainer. Trainer says horse is crazy - g00d luck lady you are on your own.

May 08 - move Jackass back home - consider calling glue factory or dog food factory. List horse for sale.

June 08 - teenage girl loves Jackass - sell him happily to young girl

late June 08 - bring Rusty home. Ride 3-4 times due to bad saddle fit. Get new saddle.

July 08 - Rusty is sick. Can't ride.

...annnd that brings us to right now - Sept 08. Still not riding my horse at all. I rode 2 horses at the barn a bit - but not my own horse!

So - this is getting longer than I thought...!

Barn 1 was eliminated because I was worried Rusty wouldn't get checked on enough. Also, her price was a bit high for what she was offering

Barn 2 was eliminated because of the cost, the business of the barn - she mentioned that sick horses don't do that well there (honesty - wow!) Also - they were the place with over 500 acres of hacking with x-c jumps. I'm not that confident out galloping around, I don't really know how to jump and I don't know if Rusty does either! So that place is out.

Barn 4 - would have been my next pick if I didn't want lessons. The board was reasonable, the facilities nice, but paying for lessons on top of all that would have cost me a lot more.

Barn 5 - Ididn't bother to go see.

There you go. Barn 3. I've emailed my current barn owner to let her know what I'm thinking. I wanted to tell her in person, but I never run into her, so I didn't wan this to go on too long without her knowing my thoughts. I also felt better by spinning to my riding indoors, instead of the turnout situation. Rusty does seem to be doing a bit better there the past couple of weeks. He doesn't have any new kicks or bites...

Busy September

September is alway a busy month here in littlekeebler land. There are 4 birthdays - mine (not until the end of the month), Richard's, a close friend's and my mother-in-laws - so lots of cards to send and gifts to shop for.

This year, my step-son, who is 17 (ack!) has moved in with us, so we had to deal with getting him set up at a new high school for his last year. That has proved to be a little more tough than we thought...having someone move into your house full time is a little strange. He normally just stayed with us on the weekends, but his mom packed up and left town with her new boyfrriend. We as a family are very different from the mom's side of the family, so it has been an adjustment for us all.

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September also has some sad memories for me and even as the years roll on, I can't help but take time to remember my Dad, who died when I was 14. It will be 20 years this week - I won't go on about it - I don't mean to dig for symapthy - it happened a long time ago. My Dad was a big supporter of all the hobbies my brother and I tried. He was an avid horse holder at shows and an excellent stall-mucker. He helped me alot and I was pretty angry when he died, leaving me with 3 horses to take care of on my own. But, I managed and become a stronger person because of it... It would also be my parent's anniversary this month, so I have to be extra sensitve about all of this when I talk to my Mom.

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OK - enough blah stuff. Time for something silly. I had asked my personal asisstant, Mr Kitty* to draw up a spreadsheet on all of the pros and cons from the five barns that I mentioned a few days ago. When you are faced with making a difficult decision, a spreadsheet is the way to go, right? Well, my assisstant had other thoughts. I just got this blank stare when I asked him. Rotten beast. I should really have checked his contract more closely.

He claims that his lack of opposable thumbs makes it too hard to type and he really prefers sitting in boxes and sleeping in sunbeams all day anyway. *sigh* It's hard to find good help thse days!!!

* His real name is Pepuszek (pem-poo-shek - it's a Polish word that loosely translated to mean "cute as a button"...)

TGIF

Well, I find myself sitting at my desk on a beautiful Friday afternoon. I have about 30 minutes to go before I can leave for the day. I don't feel like getting into the numerous works projects I have to complete, so I thought I'd take a break and write up a quick post here.

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Rusty update: He seems to be doing better and I think he is gaining weight. His ribs are still a bit visible and his withers are pretty bony, but overall he is looking better. I have a vet appt. scheduled for next week, so hopefully I can get the go-ahead to start back into riding. His top line has pretty much disappeared so I'm sure that is a big factor in the way he looks. That boy needs some muscle! lol

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Work has slowly been getting more hectic the past week. Everyone (but me!) is back from their summer vacations and are creating all kinds of work for me to do. I work as a webmaster/communications/jane-of-all-trades person. I also just found out this afternoon that I will have someone reporting to me - sort of as in I will be their boss. Add that to the part-time photographer that I manage and that makes 2 other people to worry about. No pay raise in sight either, dammit! lol I am not a manager in the true sense, I just keep track of what they are working on and help them with projects. I also have to teach both of them how to update our web site. Should be an interesting few months coming up.

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Last month I wrote up a big list of things I needed to do around the house/barn. I had about 25 things on that list - none of them particularly urgent. I'm slowly getting stuff done and for someone who is a major procrastinator, that is somewhat of an accomplishment!

Today I renewed my OEF (Ontario Equestrian Federation) membership. A couple of the barns I'm looking at require that membership for insurance purposes. They have a fun program called RideOntario where you can log hours riding and get prizes. Stuff like that is fun for the recreational rider who doesn't show. I'm going to use it as motivation to get out and ride more - when I can ride my horse, that is!!

Speaking of procrastination, I am procrastinating on making a decision about barns. I have a hunch about what I would like to do, but still want to speak to my current barn owner before I make a decsion. In addition to being a procrastinator, I am terrible about making decisions. I worry, I second-guess, I doubt, I worry about hurting the other people's feelings, etc. It isn't fun for me when I have to make a big decision.

Must.not.worry.Must.not.worry.... ;-)

Barn Research - part 1

So, I spent the long weekend researching and visiting a few barns. All were nice in their own way, but no one place really jumped out at me at first glance.

There tons of barns around here, so that isn't a problem. I was hoping to find one closer to home, under that elusive 20 minute drive mark. There are 2 or 3 that meet that criteria, but their prices are way too high for me. I also excluded a few that were heavy into one discipline or another - ie - eventing, jumping, etc., just to narrow my search. So I went to visit 3 barns that are about 20-25 minutes driving time. And I called 2 others.

I have emailed my current barn owner to see if she would be willing to move Rusty to a new padddock, but she is away until the end of next week. We'll see what she thinks... I'm realizing that I would love to be able to ride over the winter, since I've missed out on riding regularly over the summer...

Barn 1 - a backyard farm - but very nice and well kept. She had lots of paddocks with lusious grass, but the outdoor board paddocks were a long hike from the barn. She works during the day and she kept complaining about how far the paddocks were from the house (far from the barn, but not very far from the house, IMHO). I got the impression that Rusty might not get checked on as often as I would like, considering his health hasn't been 100%. This place might work if it was May and I could turn him out on nice grass for 6 months during nice weather. Since we are heading into fall/winter here (yikes!!!), I didn't like the thought of him being alone well away from other horses and people. The paddock did have a nice shelter and the fencing was in good shape.

Barn 2 - the "we're-a-fun-relaxed-place-but-everyone-has-fancy-warmbloods-barn" - this place is the higher end of the local places. Board is $650/month. I went to look at this place due to the amount of high-quality hacking. They own 50 acres, but have agreements with neighbours and the local hunt to ride on over 500 acres. Alot of this land has natural xc jumps built in. This sounds like a dream! But - the downside (beside the cost) is that it is a busy, busy place. I think they had 30 stalls and the horses are constantly being moved around and turned in and out, etc. They even bath your horse if it comes in dirty from the field! Seems a bit much for me...

Barn 3 - a place where I took a few lessons last winter. Really nice indoor arena, sand riding ring and lots of turnout paddocks. The owner is a vet and seemed to be really flexible with turnout groups. She also believes in feeding the horses alot of grass and hay. Lessons would be included in the board, which is kinda handy, since I could really use some lessons.

Barn 4 - I just called these people, haven't driven out there yet. Decent price for outdoor board, beautiful facilities (from their web site). Lots of hacking, 3 outdoor riding rings and an indoor arena. Owner seemed very friendly. They had a moderate amount of horses. They are primarily a dressage barn and host a few medium level shows every year.

Barn 5 - a lady I leased a horse from before I purchased my first horse. She has moved to a new place and it is worth going to check out her setup. I know from before that she kept the horses in really small paddocks and didn't give them alot of hay - that may have been due to lack of room. She is a qualified jumping instructor and she trained in Germany, so I could take lessons at an extra cost.

I'm going to cut this here for now, since I don't know 100% what to do and I haven't spoken to my barn owner, so I don't want to make any rash decisions...

To be continued...

Answering and Asking Questions...

Stephanie and Twinville both asked questions in the comments, so I thought I would tie the answers in with a new post...

Q1 - Why is it that you can't ride Rusty?

A - The vet didn't want him burning any extra calories until his weight started to turn around. When he was sick, food was going in and right back out, so he wasn't absorbing any calories (in a nutshell). Now that I think his weight has started to increase again, I think I'll be able to start easy work again soon.

Q2 - When can I ride Rusty again?

A - Officially, I'm not sure. The vet hasn't come back out to check him yet. I've been trying to contact her since yesterday... Unofficially, I'm thinking of taking him out this weekend for a light hack around the fields. I'm sure we'll just walk because he is out of shape.

Q3 - How long did the rain fall that filled the arena? (in the pictures from my last post)

A - Not very long. We have had a ton of rain this year, so the ground is pretty saturated. The pictures were taken Saturday morning and I believe it rained for an hour or two Friday night. The arena drains fairly well, I think the puddles were gone by Sunday.

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Ok - now I have a question for all of my very knowledgeable readers out there...

The vet and the nutritionist have both told me that Rusty's barn situation isn't the greatest.

- He needs to be in a smaller herd where he isn't bullied so much. The herd situation has improved, but it is still not good. Every 2 or 3 days when I go out, he has new kicks and bites. They aren't as bad as when I first put him there, but still more than average.

• He needs more forage - grass or hay - to help the ulcers stay away long term. The barn I'm at doesn't have alot of grass - it gets eaten down fast b/c there are too many horses (IMHO). He also doesn't get alot of hay because the other horses are too fat/too pushy, etc.


• He doesn't get alot of shelter because there are too many horses and too small of a shelter


• I can't guarantee that he is getting enough water, because it is under the shelter and the other horses hog it.


• The barn owner didn't have enough room/paddocks to switch Rusty last time I asked her; things may have changed since then.

So, my question is - Do I move him to another barn that has a better turnout/feeding situation, or do I leave him where he is and hope it improves???

I have a bit bigger budget now that I did earlier, so that helps.
It is tough to find a place that covers all of my needs and Rusty's needs...

Ideas? Suggestions? Words of wisdom?

The Saga of the Evil Lead Line Continues...

I'm continuing my dragging lead line work with Rusty. He continues to crack me up every time we do this.

These pictures are from last weekend - I'm just getting around to downloading them now. We had had alot of rain, so there were some nice big puddles in the arena. I actually don't mind when there is water in there, as it is a good exercise to work a horse through it. It isn't good for cantering, but that's ok. I still can't ride Rusty anyways, so it didn't make a big difference for us.

I started walking him along the rail with the lead line dragging - I have to move him on gently with a lunge whip, or otherwise he just stands there looking at me and looking at the evil lead line. As we walked toward the huge puddle, I was wondering what he would do... I was expecting him to cut into the middle of the ring to avoid the water. I was totally wrong - he saw safety in a little island in the corner of the ring....

I couldn't stop laughing at him - he walked up on to the sand and then looked back at me as if to say "now what do I do?"

I encouraged him to walk on, but he just stood there. He started to realize that there was a little bit of grass back there, so eating seemed to be a good idea.I let him graze for about 5 or so minutes then decided it was time to get back to work... I had to wade out into the puddle and smack him gently on the butt with the lunge whip to get him to leave his little oasis. I finally got him moving and we did a few laps around the ring - every time he stepped on the lead line, he would stop and try to figure out which foot to lift to get himself free. This is huge progress, as normally he backs up and panics.


Stepping through the puddles actually cleaned his legs and hooves of the nasty crusted on mud from his paddock. My leadline didn't fare as well, but I knew that going in - it is an old one. I just rinsed it after I was done and most of the sand came right out.
After one more trip through the big puddle, I let him stop and have a break. Richard likes picking him clover and grass. It took Rusty about 3 minutes to step over that close to the fence to get his treat with the evil lead line following him. I think he is actually stepping on it with his front hoof, but with no freak outs! I think we are making some progress with this little problem!

Status Quo

Rusty update: He seems to be improving - he is eating well and his goofy attitude is back. We are still watching him closely. The barn owner and I both thought he might be starting to gain a bit of weight back. We are starting to feel more optimistic about his recovery. I just wrote the cheque for the vet this morning - ouch!

Rusty and I are still working on the dragging lead rope problem. We spent about 30 mins on it on Saturday morning. We ended the session with him stepping on the rope and stopping, instead of stepping on the rope and losing his mind. I'll consider that a bit of progress. I laugh at him the whole time we are working on this - he will back up or walk sideways with his eyes glued to that crazy lead rope. He was even grazing backwards to avoid it. lol

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Nothing big happening around here - just trying to enjoy the few sunny days that we have had lately. I spent most of the day volunteering at a local club horse show - it is always fun. The youth classes - 8-13 yrs old - were interesting to watch. The kids and the horses were all wound up. There were several near wrecks and 1 kid ended up getting bucked off. The judge was awesome, she excused the horse and rider for the rest of the day. She wasn't willing to put up with unsafe practices in her ring.

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I'm riding some of the barn owners horses for the next month, until Rusty gets the ok from the vet. I was going crazy not riding a little bit over the summer. Fall is short around here, so I didn't want to wait. The barn owner has a decent lease program, with 3 horses that I could ride. They are all older and well-trained. She takes that very seriously. I think it is good to get out an ride other horses as well, so I'm hoping to get in 3 rides/week that way until my old man is ready to start work again.