I loooove my new farrier!

So, today was farrier day for Rusty and I. I've been fretting about it all week. I don't want to be "one of those owners" who has a problem horse, but truth be told, I sort of am. Not on purpose, or out of ignorance, but out of a lack of confidence.

Rusty's previous owner told me that he was ok for trims as long as the farrier didn't use a trimming stand. They also told me he needed to be tranquilized to be shod! I didn't plan on having shoes on him, so I was ok with that. Out of coincidence, the previous owner's farrier trimmed a friend's horses and I had the chance to witness his "work". Let's just say I quickly figured out two things - 1)why Rusty was afraid and 2) why my friends horses would come in the barn sound and leave lame after a trim.

The past two farriers I used were willing to trim without the stand, so we were able to avoid the problem altogether. Rusty stands well, as long as that stand is nowhere in sight. The latest farrier wasn't working out, so the other boarder and I switched to someone new. He was recommended by a friend and our vet, so the odds were good. I spoke to him on the phone and told him about Rusty's issues. He said that he often trains horses as well as doing farrier work, so if I wanted he would work with him before the trim, if required.

He trimmed my friends horse first and was happy to answer questions and explain what he was doing. (This mare has been lame for a while - he is working on correcting alot of things. Wish I had taken pictures - lots of neat stuff with the bars) He even had a real coffin bone in his pocket and he explained how everything connected and affected the other parts of the hoof. Very interesting!

When it was Rusty's turn, my nerves were high. He haltered Rusty and we took him out in the sand ring. He wanted to get a sense of what he was up against in a nice open space. He did some groundwork to test Rusty - leading, backing, circling, etc. He complimented me that Rusty was good about respecting personal space and was being responsive. I started to relax a bit and settled in to watch and learn. He slowly picked up each foot and if Rusty pulled his foot away, he put him to work - backing and circling mostly. Rusty caught on fast and even started correcting himself if he pulled his hoof back a bit too soon...!

Long story short, it took him about 30 minutes of training and then he was able to trim all 4 hooves using the stand!!! Turns out Rusty's feet aren't in too bad of shape - the other farrier left alot of flare and he is working at fixing that first.

I probably could have made some progress towards this with Rusty myself, but it would have taken me ages... I'm not 100% confident when doing training like that, but I learned so much today that I'm willing to start trying. The farrier gave me some "homework" to work on, so I'm happy about that too! Again, I wish I had taken some pictures, but I was too busy trying to learn to have been worrying about a camera as well. I'm sure with a couple more training sessions, I will no longer be "that" owner! It's a win-win for me, because I don't like seeing horses stressed out and afraid when there are ways to train them to relax. So many people resort to heavy-handed techniques to do things with horses and it just doesn't work...

I totally had to resist giving this guy a big hug before he left (and I'm not the hugging type!! lol) so I just made do with a "thanks soooo much for your time" comment. I'll be looking forward to my next farrier visit, instead of worrying...! That is a nice change for me!

Slowly feeling better...

Thanks so much for the kind comments on my last post. It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling that so many of you took the time to leave some well wishes. I tend to keep to myself alot, both online and in real life, but as I share more and open up, it reminds me that it feels nice to have people to talk to and care about you!

Ok - enough sappy stuff... lol

I am feeling much better - the pain in my leg is almost gone - and hopefully it stays gone. I still have some swelling and I can't wear any of my nice shoes yet, which is starting to bug me. I've been wearning running shoes and Uggs to work for the past 3 months and it's getting a bit old!

I had a follow-up appointment with a specialist this week and all of the tests for big bad illnesses came back negative, so that is good news. We are still working on the cause of all this mess, but that might take a bit of time. I feel good to have a couple of specialists and a very good GP on board to help me out. I'm back at work full time as of yesterday and it is taking some time to adjust, but everyone is very good about being patient with me. My work isn't stressful or demanding either, so that is good.

My Dr. was a little unsure about me riding - she told me to make an educated decision about riding - basically it is my choice to do so or not. I think I'm going to try riding this weekend and see how I feel. Rusty and I aren't very wild, so I'm sure it won't be a problem. He is being used in a lesson a week which is good, but that is nowhere near enough exercise for Mr. Chubbs (like his new nickname???).

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Rusty has also been giving me some trouble in the hoof/farrier department. Not all of it is his fault, but I have some work to do. The farrier we had been using was a good guy - fairly reliable and quick. He was also willing to trim Rusty without using the stand - Rusty has a huge problem with the farrier stand - not sure if I've mentioned that before.... Anyway, the trims that were done were starting to get pretty bad - one trim he wouldn't take anything off and Rusty's hooves would crack and chip and the next time, he would trim him so short, he was almost lame. He couldn't walk on any sort of stone or gravel and I just wasn't 100% happy with the way things were going. The other boarder was in a similar situation, but her horse was 100% lame...

The barn owner does all of her own trimming and offered to try trimming Rusty for me. I was happy to try this alternative, since I think all of her horses have wonderful looking feet. Well, we tried on Saturday and it didn't go so well. He was ok with the stand for his off front hoof, until she pulled his hoof forward to try rasping the front (like in the picture (which isn't Rusty)). He lost his marbles and did a little rear and caused the stand to fall under his back feet. He then tried to jump over the stand.... Crazy horse. Obviously we are back to square one and need to work on getting him de-sensitized to stuff under his feet. He can't even have a lead rope under his feet without losing his marbles, so I hope we can get somewhere with this.

He also did not want to settle down after the incident. We wanted to spend a few minutes handling his feet with just the rasp so he wouldn't think he could just act up and get out of having his feet done. He was very jumpy and sensitive and had a hard time handling it (so did I, frankly)... We managed to get him to stand to have his hooves picked out, but that was about it. I do not want to be that person whose horse is bad for the farrier!

Luckily, the other boarder has just started working with a new farrier who has an excellent reputation. He came highly recommended by our vet and by another friend of mine. My friend has seen a huge improvement in her mares hooves since this guy has been working on them. He is coming out to the farm at the end of the month, so I have a bit of work to do before he comes. The barn owner and I are going to do a few training sessions with the old boy instead of riding lessons to see if we can make some headway with him on this. I find it funny that Rusty has such problems with stuff around his feet - he is so calm and so broke in every other situation that it still surprises me sometimes!

Well, that is all that is going on here in littlekeebler land!

Happy trails...

Back from vacation...and sick :-(

I've been back home for a week now, but haven't really felt like posting much.

I started having major pain and swelling in my calf and ankle during our trip in NYC. Walking around was torture, but I just popped a bunch of painkillers and sucked it up. The pain didn't improve when I got home and was able to rest, so I went to see my doctor. She was worried and sent me off to the hospital right away.

On Tuesday of last week, I was diagnosed with a blood clot in my calf. A quick ultrasound confirmed the diagnosis and I was sent to the ER for treatment.

A blood clot can be quite dangerous – one form of it is called Deep Vein Thrombosis – that is what I have. If left untreated, parts of the clot can break off and head to the lungs or heart, causing major problems. Luckily mine was caught in time, so there shouldn’t be any big problems like that now that I am on medication. There are many causes for a blood clot in the leg and being overweight is one of them. So, with the pre-existing swelling in my leg, a long car/train ride on our trip last week and I had the perfect situation for a blood clot to occur.

Amazing how things can change in a week. I now have to take an intense course of medication and follow up with specialists a lot over the next few weeks. I’m still in a fair bit of pain and I am stuck resting on the couch most of the day. No riding for me for at least another week, maybe longer. The blood thinners I have to take can make a small injury much more serious, should something happen.

This small health scare is the catalyst to change my lifestyle and try to work on becoming more healthy and fit. I will know more on Wednesday when I have my next follow up with the specialist and go over the results from the myriad of tests ordered. Hopefully there isn't anything big wrong, but just a strange situation that caused this to happen. Hopefully a good exercise program can help prevent this from happening again.

Old Rusty is getting a much longer vacation than I had intended. It will be close to a month that he hasn't been ridden. He will be getting heftier and heftier... :-)

Last summer evening ride

I think I had my last summer evening ride on the Monday before I left for my trip. The air had just a hint of coolness and there was a nice strong breeze to keep the bugs away. The sun was just starting to set - it gets dark alot earlier now than in July.

I went out to find Rusty and he was out enjoying the last bits of summer pasture. I had to trek out to bring him in (it isn't really that far...). It always makes me smile to see horses grazing here, because our time with grass AND nice weather is so short.

Rusty finally hears me calling and looks up to see what the racket is...Skippy is brave enough to come over and see me. Rusty goes back to grazing, keeping and eye on me. I wonder if he is going to try to avoid being caught, but he's too lazy for that.

He decided it was safe to come over and see me for a scratch and a peppermint. I also took a bunch of pictures.

Then, since there were no more mints and all Iwas doing was taking pictures, he decided to go back to grazing. Might as well get a few more bites of grass in while you can.

He didn't wander far, so when I was done with the pictures, he let me catch him without any problems. Phew! We headed back to the barn to get tacked up. I had a short lesson, then went back out to the fields to really enjoy the beautful evening. Rusty was feeling good, so we had a nice tour around the hay fields. The setting sun forced us back to the barn

Happy trails!

Just checking in

Hi from North Carolina!! *waves*

We arrived here on Wednesday afternoon without any trouble. After crossing the border, we took two interstates and 16 hours later, voila here we are in NC. Love the interstate system - very efficient.

We've been busy checking out the race site and registering and all sorts of things. The race is being held at Lowe's Motor Speedway - a HUGE Nascar track here. I've never seen anything so big in my life. Apparently it seats 140,000 people. We don't have any arenas/venues that big at home, that is for sure (for reference, our NHL arena seats 18,500 people).

Outside the track - we had to walk a looong ways around the back gate...


Saw this car driving around - probably just one they use for the Richard Petty driving experience or something. Still kinda cool to see even though I know nothing about Nascar...

Everyone is on the pit crew lane - real track is off to the right. Main stands in the background.

Richard on the right with a patriotic team mate. Enjoying the pre-race parade of nations and some sights...
They did a demo of a pit crew changing tires - very cool. I wonder if that team of strapping lads would come up and put the snow tires on my car this winter??? :-)

More later - off to the mall!

Vacation!

I have 3 more hours at work before I am off for two weeks!!! Yeah! I haven't had two weeks off in a row for several years now, so I'm pretty excited.

I've been working like a dog at home and at work to get everything sorted out before I go. Amazing how much needs to be done when you won't be around for a while. I spent the day yesterday packing, pouring over maps and programming our gps.

We are driving to North Carolina for a race and then driving back up to PA to take the train into NYC for a few days. Sounds like a strange trip, I know. We have to go to NC for Richard to compete in a duathlon (run/bike/run) and thought it would be more fun/easier to drive with his bike in the car instead of flying. Since he chose the first part of our trip, I chose the second part! It will be my birthday on the 30th, so I decided I wanted to spend it in the Big Apple.

I have one last riding lesson tonight and then I will miss ol' Rusty for two weeks. He will get a vacation too, with only one or two potential rides. The BO may use him for a lesson here and there, since one of her mares is in foal and is getting to the point where she won't be ridden anymore. It's kind of too bad to be away this time of year, since the weather is fantastic, but what can you do? I'm really looking forward to a break from everything, so it will be worth it.

Silent Sunday

Long time, no update...

September has been a busy month for me so far, with no signs of letting up! So far, we've had one 50th anniversary and two family birthdays. Also, three other friends have birthdays in September and my birthday is at the end of the month! Add that to several vet appointments for my dog (he's ok), unplanned car repairs and planning for a two week trip! I'm usually not a super busy person, but September always seems to be busier for some reason.

My in-laws celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with us a couple of weeks ago. They are great in-laws - I think I got quite lucky there! lol They are very happy and fun to be around. I scanned one of their wedding pictures because I think it looks so nice.

Today is also my hubby's birthday. I was trying to find a funny baby picture of him, but we don't have any at home. In searching all of our albums, I found this great picture of him as a teenager. They lived on a farm and had a bunch of animals. This isn't their horse, but one they boarded while the owner was out of the country for awhile. Neither he nor his sister really knew how to ride, they just jumped on and galloped all over the country side! :-) Just ignore his foot in the stirrup - not sure what he was doing there! lol. At least he isn't riding in running shoes!

He has ridden Rusty a couple of times, but he isn't super interested in riding right now - he prefers bicycles to horses. He has promised to take me on a riding vacation at some point - I'd love to go to a working ranch and ride for a few days!

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My cat and dog had to have all of their vaccinations and a check up two weeks ago. My cat is 12 and is healthy as can be! Phew. My dog, Max is a bit of a problem...he has had some minor liver issues, so we always have bloodwork taken and tasted. We also found a small lump on his leg this winter, so that was a concern. His teeth are also carefully monitored, as he has some bone loss in his jaws. He had to go in last week to have his teeth cleaned under anaethesia, so we also decided to have the lump on his leg removed. Turns out it was a benign tumour, so that is good news. He has about 10 stitches in his back leg and is recovering like a champ. It was kinda expensive to have all that work done, but I have an emergency vet fund for things like this, so it was all covered. 'Course now I have to start saving to replenish it! Hopefully we are done for vets for a while.

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I don't have any exciting riding stories to report, as I haven't been out hacking in the past two weeks due to all of the bugs! The bugs have been terrible in the past two weeks. I'm really looking forward to a couple of good frosts to start killing those suckers! Rusty is quite tolerant of bugs, but I can't stand to see his whole face totally covered in mosquitoes, horse flies and all kinds of other creatures. Yuck.

The cooler weather is coming, a few trees have started changing colour. I really love fall, even though it means that winter is just around the corner. There is something about the smell of the cool air and the nice sunny crisp days that I really enjoy. I took this picture of a tree at work just starting to change...

Most days at work find me stuck at a desk wishing I was outside doing something interesting. This past Monday was an exception - we had a delegation visiting from Mexico, so I got to follow them around and take pictures. Most people that visit are fascinated by the musical ride stables and the horses. They have a couple of horses that they use for photos and such. We had a few minutes to wait, so I had fun talking to one of the instructors about horses and riding. He has been riding and teaching for many years and actually teaches at the stable that Rusty came from two owners ago! I didn't put it together at the time, but when I looked up the stable online at home on Monday night, I found some old pictures of Rusty with his previous owner (which I'll post later)!

I also took this picture of the musical ride horses that I thought was kind of nice. Both horses are 19 and still being ridden - mostly just for ceremonial purposes, but they also use them on their beginner riding courses. Ike is in the foreground and Hector in the background.

Well that about wraps up this update! Sorry for the long post - that's what happens when you don't update regularly!

Wordless Wednesday

Here is a video of my cat - he'll eat almost anything... Watch with your sound on, if you can...

Untitled from Laura Jones on Vimeo.

September, already?

Where does the time go?

September is looking to be a busy month for me, so I need to start keeping an eye on my schedule and planning ahead a bit, so I don't miss something and get all stressed out.

I've been having some great rides on ol' Rusty Spurs the past two weeks. I love my new saddle - it fits me so well, I can't quite believe it. I feel solid and secure and the stirrups/fenders are the perfect length. Yeah for short fenders!

Last night was my first lesson in a couple of weeks, due to scheduling issues. I have to admit though, that the past two weeks of just hacking around the fields not only improved my confidence by leaps and bounds, but it has refreshed me mentally as well. I was so sick of riding around the arena going in endless circles. I'm not so good at making arena rides interesting - I'm going to have to work on that for the fall and winter months.

I just have to tell you guys that I have been cantering out in the fields! Now, that isn't a big deal for most of you, but I have been having major confidence issues since I started riding again 3 years ago. I've worked my way up to being confident in the arena - there I can trot poles and little jumps, canter, play around with barrel patterns, etc. but out in the wide open, my nerves got the best of me. Rusty is really reliable when riding out - he doesn't spook and doesn't care about being left behind if the other horses go ahead. One night I even turned him for home when 2 other riders where heading out to the back fields. He didn't get upset at all and just trucked back to the barn. Little things like that really make me happy. He is a good boy most of the time!

He did buck a bit on me last week, but I just slowed him down and got things under control. I even chuckled about it the next day, because Rusty's little buck really isn't scary (well, so far) as he doesn't buck with the intention of getting you off his back, it's more of a little protest. I have been riding with a fly whisk to keep the flies off his face. When I asked him to canter, I wasn't really paying attention and the horse hair part of the whisk sort of got caught under my leg/stirrup. I started fiddling around with it, trying to pull it out and that's when he bucked - so I'm not sure if it was tickling him, or he didn't like me moving around and pulling on stuff...but I survived it and lived to tell the tale!

I've also been getting in lots of trot work and it is nice to feel Rusty moving out and forward. He can get a little sticky in the arena. I'm hoping to keep this up as long as I can throughout the fall so he can improve his fitness and get some good muscle going. I'm now feeling confident enough to start playing around with the trot out int the field - slowing him down and then extending him. We also need to work on headset a bit - he can get his head up a bit too much out there...

I won't be riding again until Thursday - I have some stuff to get done around the house and the other boarder is having her 24 year old mare euthanized late this afternoon. I don't really want to be around and get in the way. It is hard enough to do something like that, let alone have people all over the place. This poor lady is having a hard time letting go of her mare, but I totally understand. The mare got sick last week and the owner was lucky to have a week to think about things and make the right decision for her and the horse. The good news is that the mare had a nice retirement and the lady has another mare that is in foal for the spring. So one life leaves and another will arrive. Life and nature are like that, I guess...

That is what I 've been up to - I just wanted to write out how good I've been feeling about my rides lately. There isn't really anything like riding out in the fields or trails to boost your spirits...

Wordless Wednesday

A Fool and her money are quickly parted

Now that I have my nice new Western saddle, all that I can think about is buying an English saddle!!

Tack sales just drive me crazy! Is anyone else like that? Please say yes! lol

Two big fat sales flyers came in the mail a couple of weeks ago and I read and re-read them a bunch of times.

Stubben English bridle - 50% off! Wow. I like Stubben. Wait a second - I already have 2 English bridles at home and I don't even have an English saddle!

Fancy wool half pads - 60% off! What a great deal! Oh wait. I don't have an English saddle anymore. But, if I buy a nice saddle pad on sale, I'll have it for later!

Tons of English saddles - 20-40% off! Cool! Oh wait - Rusty is super hard to fit and I only ride 3x a week as it is. When would I ride English?

And it goes on and on. I don't NEED any more tack, but man do I WANT more! How silly is that? I'm trying really hard to save money, so that I can pay off some debt and put away some money for the future. All of these tack sales aren't helping! Why is it that horse ownership leads itself to buying so much stuff?

Seeing as how my board is going up $50 in a few days, I have been able to resist even setting foot in one of these tack shops - I can't guarantee that I will survive though. One tack shop's sale lasts for a month! How cruel is that???

I need to keep thinking of that old saying: "The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket..." Although, it doesn't really seem to apply to horse ownership - it is a costly hobby!

Finally, the wait is over...

I got my new western saddle on Thursday at lunch. I had to wait until Friday night to go try it out...

And...guess what??

It fits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was trying not to get my hopes up, because I've had such a hard time with english and western saddles on old Rusty. I rode last night and again this morning. And the best part about the saddle? It fits BOTH of us. I find it comfortable and secure, as well as balanced. It even has short little fenders for my stubby little legs! :-) What a novel feeling!

Now I have no excuse for not getting out and riding more.

A head shot of Rusty in his new bridle. I bought the bridle about a month ago. It is about a 90% match for colour with the saddle - not bad in my opinion. The tooling on the bridle is slightly different than the saddle, but you would have to look really closely to notice. Rusty is patiently putting up with me taking his picture, but he has one ear on the mare in the paddock to his left who was pacing and calling out.
Attempted close-up shot. The brand is Rocking R and was made in Alabama. So far, I'm happy with the quality of the leather and stitching. The guy that owns the shop I bought it from makes his own custom saddles. They cost about 3x what this one did, so I couldn't afford to buy local this time around...

The saddle looks a little small from this angle, but I thought I would post it anyway. It is a cute shot of Rusty and his little poof ball of a forelock. I've been tempted to steal a bit of hair from the other horses to make him a forelock, but haven't gotten around to it yet!

So, the great saddle search of '09 comes to an end. I'm riding again tomorrow and we have a farrier appointment as well. Rusty may even get a bath since it is so hot out now. Happy trails everyone!

Thursday update

We had 2 sunny days (not in a row, however) this past long weekend, so I made sure to get some riding in. I dragged my hubby out to the barn on Monday morning. I ride alone about 80% of the time, so it was nice to have someone else around. I rode in the ring to warm up for about 30 minutes and then we ventured out on the road. My hubby walked and I rode. Not a bad deal!

Rusty is a very broke horse, so he was fine on the road. We were passed by 10 cars (yes, I counted!) and 9/10 get a gold star. They slowed down and pulled over to the other lane to give us lots of room. One truck and trailer didn't really slow down, but Rusty was fine with it. We were also passed by several cyclists and all Rusty did was flick his ear back when he heard them approach. I am happy to know that Rusty is so reliable out on the road. I was pretty sure he would be good, but you just never know. We didn't meet any animals besides horses and one yappy dog, so I don't know how he would be with sheep or llamas or something. I'm guessing he will be fine, since he is pretty lazy!

I had two problems on that ride - I brought my camera to take some pictures of my adventure for you guys - but the batteries were dead! Bad blogger!!! The second is that Rusty's feet are pretty tender on gravel. That is a bummer. We walked on the edge of the pavement 95% of the way and he was fine. I'm not sure what is going on there - I'll have to ask my farrier at my next appointment in a week or so.

Do you guys have any insight on that? Will a horse's feet toughen up a bit if you carefully get them used to gravel? Can some horses just not handle it? I would like to ride out on the roads a bit more, but I really don't want to have to put shoes on... Something to ponder anyway. Nothing is ever very simple with horses, it seems.

Good news - my new western saddle is in! It arrived in the shop last Friday. The owner is getting it ready and oiling it for me. I'm going out of town tomorrow for a few days so I won't be able to pick it up until next week! I'm really hoping that it fits. The store owner is a saddle maker/fitter and he came out and sized Rusty up. So, that gives me some confidence. I have been taking it easy riding-wise with Rusty until we get the saddle fit issues sorted out. After his little vacation this weekend, he'd better be ready to get back to work!

Well, that is it for me for a few days - probably won't be online much. It is my Mom's 60th birthday this weekend, so we are heading down south for a visit. I'm planning on taking a bit of time to dig through my Mom's boxes of memorabilia from when I was young. My Dad kept a notebook on my horses to keep track of hay and things that we bought for them. I've been feeling nostalgic for my childhood lately (I'm blaming that on my birthday coming up next month!) so it will be fun to see if I can find some of those old files.

Happy trails!

Feeling chatty

I don't really have anything exciting to write about, but I'm feeling chatty and there is no one around at work to chatter with, so I thought I would bore you guys! hahahaha

I had another great lesson on Monday night - for some reason, some things are starting to sink in! I'm a quick learner when it comes to book stuff, but I have a harder time with more tactile things. Riding and sports kind of fit into that category. I do well at a basic/intermediate level, but when things get more advanced, my coordination goes out the window. I also don't have good spatial skills - parking and backing up my car are a good example of this. I'm sure the barn owner has had a few chuckles watching me back up around her complicated laneways to get out of the barn! I can't imagine ever driving a truck and trailer. It would be good for a laugh, at least!

After my lesson on Monday night, we went for a short walk down the laneway out to the road to cool off. The bugs were bad, but we weren't out long. I took Rusty down the road a bit - a few hundred feet at most. There is a shoulder and a gentle sloping ditch at this part of the road, so I knew it was pretty safe. Rusty is fine with cars going by - 2 went past us on our short jaunt. I'm the one that needs training! If you remember, I need to go about 1/2 a mile down a busy-ish road to get to quiet gravel roads for some hacking/trail riding. I've decided that I'm going to try and go out and back in increasing distances to help build up my nerves. The road isn't a highway or anything, but can be busy at certain times of the day. So, Monday night was my first (short) trip out and it was a success!

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I have been having a bit of a dilemma over board. Due to the hay fiascos of this year and last, my board is going up by $50 as of September 1st. The new amount is manageable, but just. I'm disappointed that her fees are going up, but I also understand. It is hard to run a horse business, so she has to do these things to survive. I may not be able to afford too many lessons in the fall, due to the hubby's work situation, so that is a bit of a bummer.

I have contemplated moving Rusty (again), but I really don't want to if I can avoid it. I like the barn I'm at - there are a lot of pros and only a very few cons. (yes, I actually made a list). If Rusty was younger and didn't have problems with his eyes, I would probably make the decision to move him to a cheaper place and put him on outdoor (pasture) board. However, his eyes and the treatments that he needs require a bit of monitoring and I feel pretty lucky about having my own personal vet help me with that.

So, all of that to say that I probably won't move him unless our financial situation takes a big nose dive. My hubby is just working on a contract right now, so I have been saving a lot of money to cover board and horse expenses in case his contract isn't renewed. We have good reason to believe it will be renewed, but you just never know these days.

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My new saddle STILL isn't here yet. I'm convinced it is being shipped up from Alabama by covered wagon or something. Geez! Summer will be over by the time it gets here.

Told you guys I was chatty today... Kudos to anyone that made it down this far!! We have a long weekend this weekend , so I'm hoping to get out to the barn and get a few summer pictures of Rusty to update this old blog! Hope everyone has a fun weekend...

Rain, rain go away!

It has been raining here almost every day for the past six weeks! I'm starting to get a little tired of it, let me tell you. In fact, it rained 22 days out of 30 in June. July isn't shaping up to be much better. We have had some nice days, but they are few and far between...

It is pouring again today.

(Yes, we have a tipi at work...)

Ugh. The barn and pastures are a mess. I haven't taken any pictures of Rusty lately, because everything is just mud. He will need a canoe soon to get around if this doesn't let up.

This weather has been brutal for local farmers as well. Trying to get hay in with this weather has been a nightmare. Probably half of the fields I pass in my travels (in the past 6 weeks) have hay cut and it has just been left lying in the field. The farmers are slowly working at raking it up or baling it anyway and just tossing the bales in a corner of the field to compost.

My barn owner (whose property is really wet to begin with) hasn't even attempted to cut hay. She needs a couple of dry weeks before she can even take a tractor out on the fields to work. Last year, she cut the hay, but the quality was so poor that she was only able to use it for bedding (instead of straw). Hay and grass are such important commodities in the horse world...

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As I may have mentioned, I was sick for two weeks and wasn't able to ride at all. I had my first real ride on Monday night. We had a lesson and it went surprisingly well. Rusty is so reliable that it is nice to not have to worry about getting on a wild bucking bronco.

As much as he is easy-going, he is a bit stubborn about some things. He really has a hard time moving his shoulders. We can get that big spotted hiney to move without any problem, but the front end is a bit stuck. We aren't sure if he maybe has a bit of arthritis, so he is stiff and his left eye isn't 100%, so he is a bit resistant to turn that way.

We did a lot of work on building the turn on the haunches from a standstill, as well as walking and trotting "square" corners. (Not sure if there is another name for that or not). By the end of the lesson, he was moving much better. I'm sure a percentage of our problems come from my inexperience. I didn't learn the turn on the fore/haunch when I was young, so the cues for that are all new to me.

He also has a few old school horse tricks that get me from time to time. I'm often so busy worrying about cues or my leg position, that he will pull something else and get me off balance. He likes to stick his nose out, let himself hit the bit and use that as an excuse to slow down. I have to work at catching him before he does that. When I focus on paying more attention, he stops trying that and we can get some nicer gaits going. I can't get mad at him when he does stuff like that, because he is just so cute. He really does try hard - he's like a kid in school that doesn't really want to be bad but can't help himself sometimes. These little tricks of his are really helping me learn to pay attention more and how to work around little problems.

I have also been cantering a fair bit and working on my trot-canter transitions. It is satisfying to feel that starting to come together more as well. We can only canter a half circle well before things start to fall apart, but I still feel like I am making lots of progress.

My new saddle is due any day now and I realllllly hope it fits, after this long wait. I'm hoping that a better fit for both of us will help in many ways. I'm also planning to buy a nice black wool saddle blanket to go with the black suede seat. Rusty looks really good in black for some reason. Although, I'm sure the white horse hairs on the black blanket will drive me to drink, but I'm sure I'll survive.

It's supposed to rain all weekend, so I may have to go back in time and post some pictures of my New York trip that I meant to post a month ago! I hope everyone has a good weekend!

Honest Scrap Award

So, it took a blog award to get me out of my posting slump.

I haven't been feeling well for the past week and a half, which has prevented me from riding, so I've been a little down. This award cheered me up and has motivated me to get back to regular posting!

In accordance with the award rules I have to let you all know who gave me this award, 10 things about me you didn’t know before, and pass it along to 10 other blogs.

The wonderful Onthebit from A Horse and a Half gave me this award. Her blog is so honest and real, that I can't help but feel her struggles and triumphs as we follow along with her showing and taking care of Gennyral.

Ok - here are 10 more horse-related things about me - some might not be completely new, but I'll do my best.

1. I'm left handed and always tie up my western cinch the wrong way. It has confused people since I was a kid. My current instructor/barn owner comments on it every time I ride with her! I totally don't see the big deal about which way a knot goes, as long as it is correct and secure! I continue to be a rebel and tie up my cinch the wrong way. I also pick hooves left-handed and have had several comments about "doing it wrong"! Silly non-left-handed people! lol

2. I'm not a very good rider. My balance is sometimes off and my cues are a bit fuzzy. I don't mean this in a negative way - just that I'm not naturally gifted at riding and have to work hard at it. It takes me a while to learn the finer details or "feel". This frustrates me a bit because I'm a quick learner. My brain knows what to do, but my body doesn't always co-operate.

3. I collect information and probably only use about 10% of it. I have horse training books, videos, magazine articles, etc. etc. I also have mountians of cookbooks, home decor books - you name it. I love having all of this info around and read it all once, then carefully file it all away in binders and on my bookshelves. I tend to gather lots of information and then not do anything constructive with it, except organize it!

4. I would really love to buy a nicely bred mare to breed. I would love to raise and train a foal. I know nothing about training young horses (except what I've read ;-0 ). I don't expect this will happen until I retire, as I just don't have much extra time to put into training.

5. Like Onthebit, I would love to ride in a hunter pace. It just sounds fun - riding out on different trails, without the formality of hunt attire. Our local hunt has two of these rides a year and you don't even have to jump to particpate - every jump has a way around.

6. I love boots. Western boots, English boots and pretty much every other kind of boot there is. My collection is very small, as I'm trying to be good and not spend money. But I have about 1o pairs on my list to buy when I feel like splurging.

7. I'm really torn between English and Western riding. My goal is to do both moderately well to someday show in our local schooling shows. I love the attire that goes with both disciplines (especially the boots!). Right now I'm focusing on western and will buy an english saddle again someday.

8. I just sold my beautiful hand-made in Europe english saddle. I was sad to see it go, but I just wasn't using it and it was too nice to sit in the basement and collect dust. It will probably be years before I own one half as nice, but that is ok.

9. I have an old english saddle in the basement that my Dad bought for me when I was 14. It is small (if only my butt was the same size as when I was 14...) and in rough shape, but I can't bear to part with it. Someday, when I have a bigger house with a little office or a den, I plan to put it out on a nice rack, with an old leather bridle or something.

10. Wow - this list is hard! Ok - last one... I ask alot of questions. You guys maybe don't see it here on the blog much, but I ask questions ALL the time. My poor barn owner (who is a vet) gets a bunch of questions every time I see her on a range of topics. I try to refrain myself and space out my questions so it doesn't get annoying (I hope!). I just feel like there is so much to learn in the horse world and I'm a bit of a nerd that way. I grill my farrier, vet and any horsey friends with more or different experience than me.

So that's it! Now, I have to pick 10 blogs to pass this award on to - if anyone has already received this, I apologize...but hey, receiving an award more than once is a compliment, right? :-)

Not Quite Home on the Range
The School of Life with Horses
Oh Horsefeathers
NuzzlingMuzzles
BrownEyedCowgirls
AOHCM
A Year with Horses
Diary of the Over-anxious horse owner
Of Horses and Men
Laughing Orca Ranch

Happy Canada Day! (a day early)

So, tomorrow is Canada Day - it's our national holiday (like the 4th ) and a very valued day off work! The only bummer is that it falls mid-week this year - it's much better when it is on a Friday or Monday.

I thought I would post it today because I'm going to be up at my in-laws place tomorrow and no where near a computer (yeah!). I took this picture at their place 2 weekends ago, in anticipation of our holiday.

Stay tuned for some hoof talk later in the week - I need some advice on Rusty's hooves...

Like flyspray for peppermints...???

Isn't that the title of that movie with Johnny Depp? Oh, no, wait - that is like Water for Chocolate - my mistake!! lol

I went out to check on Rusty yesterday and he was out in the pasture with his pony buddies. I went out to there with flyspray and handful of peppermints, hoping that I could get Rusty to stand still enough to get some flyspray on him. That horse isn't a big fan of flyspray, normally. It is amazing what the power of the peppermint can do for me. He didn't move an inch while I was spraying him - the lure of the next mint was enough to keep his feet planted! Ha! Victory is mine! ;-)

I also had a little crew of ponies following me around, jonesing for mints. I don't feed other people's horses, so I had to keep pushing them away. They are cute though - if I ever get my own place, I'm going to have a little crew of ponies running around.

So, been pretty quiet around here, eh?

Not much is going on here at all. I really need to get back into the habit of posting regularly because it seems that the longer I leave it, the harder it is to write anything!

More next week - hopefully!!

I need to go buy a lottery ticket

I had a sorta funny and a little depressing (but not a real tragic depressing, so don't worry) thing happen to me this morning. Since it is horse related and probably something most of you might understand, I thought I would share... :-)

The city that I live in is situated east-west. We live in the far west end and work in the east end. This wasn't planned, it was just where our jobs have ended up taking us. My husband is on a long-term contract and there is maybe a 60-40 chance that he will end up working there permanently (we hope!).

I mentioned to a co-worker that is a good friend that if Richard ends up permanent, we would like to move to the east end to cut down on our brutal commute. Since she has lived in the east end all her life, I said half-jokingly that I would need to consult with her to find out the best places to live. She and her family live on a 200 acre dairy farm and she has relatives all over the country-side. So, we laughed about the situation and I didn't think anything more of it.

Lo and behold, this morning she came in and told me that there is a small hobby farm (only 5 acres) for sale across the road from her! There is a small barn, riding ring and a bit of pasture. Her cousin built the house initially for her horses and then needed more room, so they moved next door. My friend's aunt and uncle own the farm "behind" this small farm and my friend and other family members of hers own the acreages across the road! I thought it was so funny that she knew everything about the property, when it had been built, by whom and everything (her uncle built the barn...)...

It is a really cute place - and here's the sad part - it is waaaay out of our price range. We could maybe swing the mortgage with equity in our current house, but we would be house poor for many years to come. It has been on my mind all morning and I thought that by writing about it here, it would help.


It is/will be so frustrating trying to find a home/farm that suits our needs - nice-ish house, barn, fields, etc. and sort of close to work AANNNND within a reasonable price range. We weren't even starting to look for a new house yet, this one just sort of popped up on my radar and got me thinking. Thinking isn't always a good thing for me. I know this isn't the right time or place to consider buying a new house, let alone a farmette, so I need to move on. I'll be ok in a day or two, I'm sure. :-)

I have been dreaming about a small farm to keep a couple of horses - I would love to keep Rusty at home when he is retired, so I know that he has good care. I also long for the days when I could look out my window and see a horse out back.

(Edited to add: upon re-reading this, it sounds a bit whiney. I don't mean it to sound that way, like I'm a spoiled brat that can't afford a $500K mortgage or something... I was more trying to convey the coincidence on the timing of this and the frustration of it all. Also, it is a bit of a wake up call that maybe this dream might not pan out, with the restrictions I happen to have...)