1st XC School!

We actually made it down! And in one piece, no less. We pulled into the parking area at exactly 1pm, despite running into a group of the most retarded bikers in the world, who kept trying to send the F-250 Super Duty with a 2 horse attached passed them on blind corners. Uh...no, folks. Hows about YOU PULL OUT OF THE WAY. Some of them weren't even peddling! But both horses survived, Hubby didn't wreck the borrowed truck (thanks, Devon!), and we were on time.

Red pulled his, "I can't possibly BACK out of this trailer" routine (Bobby unloaded like a champ, as always), but Hubby finally wiggled him out with a big jump/scramble/half turn. They both dropped their heads with a long tie to the trailer to kind of roam around and get some kinks out. The wheels in Red's head started turning pretty soon, though. As soon as I started booting him, he threw up his head and didn't move an inch, just taking in where he was for the first time. You could totally see the thought bubble above his head: "I'm here to get ridden? I better reasses the situation." He seriously did not touch the hay bag or graze until he was untacked again.

He walked over totally calm to Riannon (owner of Round the Bend Farm where we were) who was working on mowing so I could drop off the waiver on my life. Then her three horses trotted over to the fence line and we had to stand there a few minutes and think some more about this whole thing. He was a little wiggly/stoppy crossing the mowed part because there were lines of grass on the ground and they quite possibly could have dropped out from underneath him and swallowed him whole. We went for a look at the water, but he didn't want any part of going in there quite yet, so we made a tour of some of the other jumps.

 We went and collected Hubby after a brief warmup (it was warm and Red was already a little sweaty from nerves) and picked our first jump--one I knew I could get him over, since I wanted to start off with no crazies--the barrels on their sides. He went over it perfectly, cantered out great, and pulled right back up.

Next, we went to more side barrels laid next to two logs side by side--not very high, but nice and wide so it required a real jump. He went over both like an absolute superstar, no questions asked.

We went over to...I don't know it's official name, but it was a suspended log with three different heights with a log at the back of it (or front, depending how you went over it) as a ground pole. We went over the 2'4 side, which was the lowest. After two tries attempting to jump it with the log on the ground at the front, I took him around from the other side and he got over it. Not happily, but he went. The next time over, he did it great.

We did a 2'7 coop next, which he went over like nothing. It was my second favorite jump to go over for the day.

Then we did a stack of three logs that didn't have the measurement on it, but it was nice and solid. Probably 2'7 again. Red jumped it like a beast twice. That one was my favorite because he powered up to it and powered over it like he owned it.

We did a good walk to get our breaths back after that, then headed over to the water, which Red was more than happy to go splash in now that he was hot. We played in it some, and he had a quick drink in between blowing bubbles and splashing water on himself, then we did the two little logs on a bending line through the water. The first time, he jumped the log at a canter, kind of threw on the brakes when he saw the water, trotted through, then cantered over the second log. After that, he cantered through the whole time. Bobby let out his one neigh of the day while we were down there (it was over a hill so he couldn't see us), and Red answered back in the middle of the combo (which you can hear on one of the videos), but after that he was totally quiet.

There were two different sized banks to go up or down on at the water, too. He didn't want to jump off of them at all, so I didn't press the issue this first time out, but I did make him jump up it. No go the first time, perfect the second time, tried to climb it instead of jump it the third time.

Hubby wanted me to do a 3'1 coop after that, but 3'1 as a nice, airy stadium jump is way different than 3'1 as a big, solid jump. Red and I agreed on this, and though we tried it, and I gave him lots of leg and a smack on the shoulder, he said "Nooo way." I let him get away with that one and did a little log instead. He also didn't want to go over the fence with the stone fill, and since it was mowed around weird, I let him get away with that, too. We tried a 2'6 bench that Red was perfectly willing to jump....until he realized it was a bench. Too scary.

He was tired and hot at the point, and starting to get grumpy, and I was really tired and hot at that point, so we walked over the ditch....only he walked through the ditch. So I trotted him up to it. He stopped, got a smack on the butt, and leapt over it. Next time, he went over it beautifully. We ended it there.

I pulled off his saddle and Hubby did Mexican Groom work, leading him back, walking him some, and watering him. I sponged him off (Red, not Hubby), and did some walking out myself. He got walked until he was almost dry, then let him graze until he pooped. Wraps back on, then both boys back on the trailer.

We stopped at Wendy's for lunch/dinner, Hubby gave the trailer another once over and noticed that one of the wheels on the trailer looked a little off. Air pressure was good, so as we went down the road, he was watching it. One of the wheel bearings was going. YIKES. Nothing to do on the road really but watch it closely. We made it all the way back to the barn with no problems (well, Hubby was really tired and kept driving us in enormous circles making us an hour late), then came all the way back to the house to drop the trailer off with no problems. Obviously that's getting fixed before the next outing.

The good: I had an AWESOME time. It was sooo much fun, and I loved that Red was pretty much fearless the whole way around. It made it that much more fun. I absolutely cannot wait until we have enough money to both go schooling again and go to a real event.

The bad: My stirrups were myseteriously too long, even though they were on the last hole and they were just fine when I last rode in it on Thursday. Yep, that's it!

Videos: (Excuse Hubby's commentary. He likes to make them and he was kind of bored.)

When we got home, they both got walked around a little, but it was late and dark, so they didn't get as much as they should have. Both got put into their stalls while we cleaned the trailer so they could pee. I took Red to get cold hosed on the RF and he practically dragged me into the wash stall. Poor pony. He knows his after care routine. He stood like a good boy while I hosed him for twenty minutes, then rubbed him down and wrapped him again. He kept circling the stall like he wanted to pee, so I whistled for him and he finally did a little bit. I threw four ounces of electrolytes in his feed and he drank down a bucket and a half of water and he finally peed. He drank a full bucket while down there, but I'm going to give him electrolytes before going now too. Bobby had no problem peeing when we got there or when getting back.

It's here!

My breastplate finally came! And it's lovely! It doesn't match either one of my saddles currently, but I'm hopeful I'll be able to get a really nice saddle at the end of the year that I can match my million pieces of tack to. Unfortunately, it didn't come until after I went to the barn so no pictures of it adorning the stallions until tomorrow.

I gave Bobby's mystery sores a more thorough looksie today. There is no way my saddle could have caused them. I put it in all different positions that it could have slid to while I was riding, but unless he dropped his head to the ground and it slid four to six inches UP his neck, it just can't be from that. However, once I put the saddle pad on, it looks like the saddle pad could have been on too high up and that either caused the rubbing by itself, or his mane far back on his withers got stuck under the pad and rubbed it. I put Tri-care on it today, and I'll keep using that. It's like Neosporin on steroids.

I lunged both boys for about ten minutes w/t/c each way, then put them both out in the paddock to graze while I cleaned tack and reorganized my tack box yet again.

I decided not to take the boys to the hunter show Sunday. It would have been great experience for Bobby to show in for greenies, but I had a long talk with myself and my ultimate goal is to event this year. That is what I want to do more than hunter/jumper shows. So I'm taking both boys to Round the Bend Farm in Pottstown Sunday instead. Bobby will get a lesson in tying to the trailer in a nice, quiet setting, and Red will get to school. I'm happy with my choice. I like ribbons, but I really want to event!

Saddle sores

I went to the barn to give both boys a crash course in hunter riding--canter to walk, counter canter, etc. I gave Bobby a killer grooming, and as I was currying him, I saw a monster sore on his withers on the left side. I don't think it was from CL's dressage saddle from Tuesday, but I didn't notice anything after I groomed him from our trail ride yesterday either. It has to be from the saddle sliding around. I've never had a horse with a saddle sore before; I'm going to have to do some research. I put some silver sulfadiazione (haha, I have no idea how to spell that) on it and I'll give him off as long as he needs to get it healed. I'll still take him to the show Sunday to walk him around and see how he does, but he's off the roster.

I went straight to torturing Red. I did lots of walk to halt transitions, then trot to walk. I also made him go in and out and around and diagnol and everything else around all the poles set together on the ground. It was a good bendy exercise and a good control exercies in the egg butt I switched him to.

Then, I worked at the canter. His canter was AMAZING....for a pukey hunter. He just poked along at an even, slow pace. Then I had to start the canter to walk transitions. We did dozens of them in each direction with pretty good success towards the end, then moved on to counter canter. I tried to start him on the right lead, then switch him across the arena and get him to keep the right lead going to the left, but as soon as he got to the corner, he switched back over...which of course is what I've been telling him to do. I didn't fight with him too much since we'd had a loooong work with canter-walk. Then we stood in the center like a line up and backed up a few steps. He's a pro at that.

Some of the problems: After we did a few short canter to walk transitions in a row, he would anticipate going back up in the canter. So I would do a small circle on the rail until he was walking nicely again. Going to the right, he was bending the wrong way so I did a small circle over and over again until he got his bend back. The counter canter only worked once for one long side of the arena. Hopefully we're not asked to do it to the left.

After, I gave him a nice scrub down, rubbed his legs down really, really good with linament and wrapped them, and while rubbing down his top line with the linament, I saw a tiny saddle sore starting to form on the right side!! What. The. Fuck. So I'm going to the tack store tomorrow and spending Bobby's entry fees on a good half pad to hopefully boost up and pad down the saddles enough to make them usuable until I can afford a nice, obviously better fitting saddle.

I hope everyone is safe with these storms ripping through! We got a tornado in Scranton--about 45 minutes away, and horrible thunderstorms here in Danville early this morning. But it cleared out to a gorgeous day, and the wind dried the arena out to the best it's been yet!

Ohhh, Victory Canter....

So I get an email from UPS yesterday saying that my breastplate is due to ship. Obviously, I'm assuming that it's the Kincade breastplate that I switched my order over to since VC was having such issues with the Camelot breastplate. Then, today, I get and email from VC themselves saying that my Camelot breastplate has shipped. Uh....what? Now I know these are both cheap-o pieces of tack, and at least they're finally coming, but how unprofessional. Hopefully I'll see one or the other within a week...or two. After all, it's been FOUR AND A HALF WEEKS since I first ordered the stupid thing!

I was going to show Bobby at a little local show here in Danville, but when CL's trainer came for CL's daughter's lesson on Bobby on Tuesday, we were talking about hunter shows around here and she told me about the Williamsport Riding Club. So I'm going to take both Bobby and Red there Sunday instead. It's a hunter schooling show. Bobby will do the two Easy Does It Hunter Over Fences classes. They're max height of 2' so he shouldn't have any problems. I didn't want to enter him in the flat since it's cantering, and I'd rather not waste $15 when he won't get a ribbon.

Red will do the Schooling Hunter classes (2 over fences, one flat) and the Adult Medal Eq class. I'd show him in the Pre-Hunter division, too, but I don't have the money for it. I think 2'6 will be a good height to bring him back into showing at. It's something we're both confident over.

Gahh, I'm kind of nervous. I haven't shown in a few years! I'll be fine once I get in the arena, and it's just a schooling local show so I seriously doubt the course will be anything crazy to remember.

Now for riding catch-up. Tuesday, I gave Red a really killer flat work. I kicked his ass on leg yields and bending. He tends to lose impulsion when he bends and I kind of let him get away with it. But I really got after him and he was finally resigning himself to it at the end. Then, I was making him leg yield over to a ground pole, then straightening out to go over it. He was great at the walk, though I kind of had to catch him with my outside leg because he wanted to go all the way over. He wasn't quite as bendy to the right at the trot, but he knew the exercise so he got over well enough. Then, we did spiraling circles at the canter each way. He was kind of sticky to the right, but he started bending great quickly. It was 82 by the time I got to the barn at 10, so needless to say he was one hot pony.

I lunged Bobby at w/t with side reins on and he went along like a pokey hunter pony. Which I guess should bode him well on Sunday. Soooo long, eventing dreams! No, I'm still holding out hope. I also ponied CL's friend's naughty Arab mare that is always ridden in draw reins per the request of the friend. She was surprisingly well behaved. We walked and trotted each direction for about ten minutes each.

I came back later for CL's daughter, Emily, to have her lesson with CL's friend's daughter, Madison. Madison went out to lunge the crazy Arab, Eve, while Emily groomed and tacked up Bobby. She hadn't done any riding since last fall, and didn't know how to put the bridle on or anything. So the trainer showed her how to do it, and Bobby stood there with his head on the ground while they took it on and off.

They did alot of walking and trotting, and finished off the lesson trotting some ground poles. Bobby was a super star. He poked along doing whatever Emily asked, and never once even thought about being naughty or misbehaving. I'm hoping by the end of this year, I'll have him cantering great, showing 2'3" - 2'6" hunters, and having done one or two BN events. I think I'll be able to sell him for around $8,000 if I can get him doing all of that reliably, especially since I'll be able to market him as an advanced beginner "packer".

Yesterday, the road to the barn  was even more flooded than ever so I decided to take the boys for a "swim". I ponied Red out there, trotting the whole way out through the gamelands (ohh, my aching knees!) then walked them down the road to the lake.

Bobby wasn't so sure he wanted to go in, but Red practially dragged us in after him. Red LOVES water when a) he isn't being ridden, and b) when he he's got another pony to splash around in it with him. He kept sticking his nose under water and blowing bubbles and splashing with his legs. Bobby stuck his nose in a couple times, but he mostly just stood there watching Red play.

Stocked up stallions

85, sunny, and MUGGY out today, and the bugs were out in full force. I have this crazy urge/desire to event Red, too. He's so much more athletic, and strong, and naturally talented than Bobby, but he's also a worrier.

I got to the barn, threw both of them some hay, then got my tack for Red. When I was grooming him, I noticed his RH was HUGE. Usually he stocks up a little in both hinds when he's been in his stall for too long, but this one was monstrous. No heat, no real fluid, and he didn't mind me poking it, so I took him out to the arena to lunge him to see if I noticed anything. Nope. He was just fine, and the swellling went down after he trotted some. So I took him out on a trail ride, and for once he actually didn't put up a fight going out there. However, I kept him trotting out to the gamelands because he seems to do better the faster he goes. I think he brain works overtime when he's going slow--he's got less to focus on, so he can focus on being a worried.

Once out there, I alternated between trotting and a forward walk. He went along on a loose rein without being too "looky", and didn't once try to spin around to go home or take advantage of me--which is an improvement. However, he did neigh like a looney twice at the walk. I let him go for a nice swinging, relaxed canter for a little bit, then did a long walk down a trail we hadn't been down before. He splashed through lots of good sized puddles with zero hesitiation, which is also an enormous improvement because I think that and ditches are going to be his biggest problems to overcome cross-country.

I cut the ride shorter than I originally planned because it was so muggy and buggy and we were both hot. I let him go at a good clip halfway back, then walked the rest of the way so he was pretty much cool by the time I got back to the barn. I hosed him off, walked him some, then gave him a bath and took him out to graze.

I went to go groom Bobby and lunge him a little, and the first thing I noticed was that both his hind legs were enormous!! I've never seen him stocked up before, and I have no idea why they both did so today. So I took him out to just chase him around the arena, but he just stood there. I jumped on him bareback and bridleless (which sounds more badass than it it since I think a three year old could, too) and walked him around for about ten minutes. He just doped along down the rail with no problems, so I asked him to pick up his western pleasure jog and he went around twice. I then decided to ask him to stop....and he kept on trotting. "Waaaaalk, Bobby! Waaaaalk!" Nope. So, since he was poking along so slowly, I started to swing my leg off to jump down and he stopped and looked back at me when I landed like, "If you wanted to get off, all you had to do was tell me to stop." His legs did go back to normal though.

Weekend Ride

Saturday, Hubby and I went on a trail ride in the afternoon when he got home from work. Of course, I had to get off once to adjust my saddle since it had slid back. Four and a half weeks later after ordering my breastplate, I finally fucking caved in and told Victory Canter to send me a different one. Definitely not using them again. Excuse after fucking excuse, yet still no product.

We went all the way out to the little fallen tree where I took Bobby about a month ago. Bobby cantered over it really strongly, but it wasn't high enough for him to jump. I think it's about the level of the elementary level for starter trials....which is where I want to start him, so it's comforting to know he shouldn't have any problem with that.

Hubby built us a little fence in the middle of the trail using some of the fallen trees. I gave him lots of leg the first time over it, and he jumped it really nicely.

After that, though, I fell into my HORRIBLE habit of not riding him enough. Oh my gosh, it's so frustrating is seriously makes me want to cry. I think it's just that I can't focus enough to make myself give him leg and find his spot for him every single fence. I'll do it once, then the next three times, I won't and he jumps right at the jump, and it's the enormous leap that's no good. I just HAVE to tell myself to do it.

I wrapped Bobby's front legs with linament after the ride as a precaution, and the next morning they were off, completely shredded. I don't think he rips them off because they're uncomfortable, because he's left them on plenty of times before. I think he takes them off when he thinks he doesn't need them. Like, "My legs are fine. I don't need them wrapped." Dick.

Today, we were going to trailer the horses to different gamelands about half an hour away, but it started to pour as soon as we got to the barn. We decided to give it a dry run anyway, and took them on a ten minute cruise. Both ponies got on perfect (such an awesome quality). Red kicked the door right as I was swinging it closed, but it was almost there, so all it did was kickback against my hand a little.

Getting them off the trailer, Bobby backed off like a good boy, but Red went crazy town. He'd put one foot on the ground, the spaz and lunge forward again. He kept trying to turn around, but there wasn't enough room. I finally tied the lead rope around the neck and let him figure it out himself. He finally half turned, half fell out. No injuries, luckily, but he's obviously going to need some work.

Happy Easter!

Weds and Thurs

Wednesday, I jumped Red again after an awesome w/t/c warm up with a million and a half circles. I went along the long side next to the jump, turned off the rail three strides out, and jumped it. He did super awesome, of course.

I noticed Fran had a roping dummy in her backseat, so I was talking to her about it and she said she used to rope some and team pen. So we let Red cool off, then tacked him back up in western tack and took him out again. Easy, PETA, Red is an ex-show horse (and hopefully will return to being a show horse), well used to being ridden multiple times. He could have cared less. Fran threw off him a few times at the walk, then I got on to show her how it was done. See video to witness my dummy roping expertise.

I gave him a really good walk out and hose down after that, since it was 75 and really muggy out and he was warm, then took him out to graze.

Fran showed me some massage things on Bobby for the future, and there are definiteley some I'll use around his back, neck, and stifles. Hopefully that will help him in the long run.

Thursday, (yesterday) I almost didn't get to go to the barn, even though it was sunny and in the mid-fifties. I had zero gas, and we weren't sure if an auto-withdrawl had gone through on the twentieth or the twenty second. But fortunately, it went through today and Hubby was able to get twenty out for me for gas to go out. Of course, this was after I had mowed our one acre yard with our push mower, walked the dogs around the "block" (about a mile), and had been cleaning like a crazy woman. I was exhausted. But I went out anyway because I didn't want to waste a sunny day that I could use the arena to work with Bobby.

Just before I headed out, Fran texted me that Pick was going to get put down that afternoon. He was putting all his weight on his good leg which was making it not good, and he kept going down. So she got some sense and put him down at the barn and had him hauled away. Sad, but at least he's not suffering anymore.

I lunged Bobby with side reins on pretty loose, then loosened them up some more and got on with them still on. GASP!! I know, I know. Let me finish my ride before I explain. We did a really nice w/t with alot of energy, and of course a decent headset. His canter to the R was good, as almost always. We went one full lap around the entire arena, then did one twenty meter circle. I loosened up the right side so he had no excuse not to bend to the left, then picked up the canter. Yuck. Still horrible. Falling over, cutting corners, swapping leads, fighting the bit, the whole nine yards. I even made sure I kept my hands really still. I think I need to shortern my stirrups some because my legs were getting so tired trying to hold him up. It didn't finish on a good note, but I made sure I wasn't fighting him.

Then, I got ambitious and took him over the 2'6 oxer I have been jumping Red over. He went over....and took both rails with him. But I gave him a huge pat and told him what a good boy he was for trying. I put the poles up again, and he jumped....about two feet OVER the jump. I landed with no right stirrup and my right leg over the cantle of the saddle. Yes, I stayed on, and yes I told him good boy since he did go over, but oooouuuuccchhh! My poor thigh! We went over again, and I pulled a fistful of mane out because he jumped crazy again. After that, for self-preservation, I took the back rail down and used it as a ground rail, left one side up at 2'3, dropped the other to the last hole, and took him over that. Fran came out then and was able tog ive me some feed back. She said he was waiting to jump until he was practically on top of the jump, which is why he was going so big and crazy. Back to...what? A month ago? "Carly, make sure you RIDE Bobby over jumps! He's not Red!" So I picked his distance for him and he jumped GREAT! Duh. I went once more, then let it go at that.

 

I'll get to my hunter v. eventer vent blog later.