So, Saturday, CB and I decided to trek out on our steeds. It was a a beautiful and warm day so we were pretty happy to be able to feel our appendages before the ride. As we were going to into the woods that day, I decided to go bareback....who needs a saddle? We set out on the road towards the main trail. Both kids were pretty sedate and calm....awesome! I was pretty happy that Socks was being so "blah". However, that all ended when we plunged into the snow bank and into the trail. The beginning of the trail is a hill so naturally, both Sereele and Socks got all pumped up and started trotting rather fast....Socks and I actually cantered a bit before I reined him in. Ok, so the first hill is always exciting.....should be ok from here now. NOPE! Both horses were so pumped up for the rest of the ride. Socks was right behind Sereele which was totally aggravating her and she was swishing her tail and one time, actually bucked up at him. I didn't blame her though. Socks was like riding Zak all over again....sweaty, jigging, pulling, and running up behind the horse in front of him. UGH! We also jumped a small little stream and almost into a tree!!!!!! BAREBACK!!!!!!!!! I was bound and determined not to fall off this horse and not to lose any of my confidence that I have gained over the last year! CB had a hard time with Sereele, she was totally pumped and let out a few little bucks and was chomping the bit and pulling a little. Towards the end, they calmed down a little bit until we came to a very low branch. CB got off of Sereele and they went under and just barely cleared it. I slid off Socks and he ducked underneath the branch and made it. YAY! Now, I have to find something to boost myself back on my horse.....we walked down the trail and found a rock. Socks wouldn't stand next to it so I had a hard time sliding back on his back.....he was also pretty sweaty so sliding wasn't so easy......euw! Socks and I went first on the way back and he calmed down a lot....thank God! Once we hit the road, both horses turned back into the plow horses that they were pretending to be in the beginning of the ride before the trail. BRATS! We almost got to Maplewood and the kids across the street were in their homemade ice skating rink. I decided to call it a day and got off and walked Socks home and CB did the same. No sense pushing them anymore......UGH!
We survived!
Sunday, we went out again. We decided to do the 5 mile loop instead....no trailwork and stick to the road. Both horses were almost slug-like. Hmmmm, did we overdo it yesterday kids? Aside from some scary snowballs on the side of the road, Sereele was great and Socks was good as well. Guess we have to get out more and hopefully, by the spring, they'll be well behaved? SURE!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
2010!!!
Happy New Year? Ok, so, going to shoot for a good one this year? My first maiden ride of the season was last Sunday when it was about 25 degrees out. What was I thinking when I thought that was "warm"?!? Oh well. I had my misgivings about going.....it was cold, I hadn't ridden Socks in over a month, it was cold.....but at high noon we decided it was time.
Carolyn and Sereele have already been out and about but it's been so long since Socks and I did anything aside from me blanketing or unblanketing him. I think he went into shock when I put him on the crossties! He also made a rotten face when I put his saddle on....oh boy...what am I getting myself into? All tacked up and ready to go...we went outside and I got on...what a rush to be on my horse again. I felt like a little girl getting on her pony for the first time, felt good. =)
We decided to attempt the trails via Maplewood Farm so up the street we went. Socks felt good and CB and Sereele walked up the street until we got into Ball Hill Rd. She (Sereele) was a bit pumped but was acting ok....spooky here and there, nothing too crazy. At the top of the hill near the driveway of Maplewood is a house that makes their own skating rink every year and the kids apparently seem to turn into evil monsters to the horses and they got pretty nervous hearing and seeing them. Sereele got scared and Socks decided to play chicken with a car coming down the road!!!!!! Ok, got passed that little scare and into the woods we go.....well....after Socks planted his feet in the driveway and wouldn't go despite Sereele and CB walking away....UGH. The woods were nice...snow wasn't bad and I picked up a little trot for 5 steps....woo hoo!!! Ha ha ha. Sereele was pumped pretty much the whole ride, she kept wanting to trot and finally we gave in and just trotted against our better judgements. We also, in our giddy frame of mind, decided to take a longer loop around the woods......bad idea.....we were pretty cold by the time we got to head back home. We also kept pointing out all the places where horrible things happened in the past years......ah, memories. Got out of the woods and back on the road and headed home. By the time we got in the barn, all thoughts of cleaning stalls and pastures were dashed. I was, for a better word, convulsing from the cold and CB was pretty cold herself. Stalls and pastures could wait for sure! So, we got out, survived, no one was hurt and we had a pretty good time anyhow. AND, we rode for 2 hours!!!!!!!!! On to bigger and better things I hope....and warmer days as well.
Carolyn and Sereele have already been out and about but it's been so long since Socks and I did anything aside from me blanketing or unblanketing him. I think he went into shock when I put him on the crossties! He also made a rotten face when I put his saddle on....oh boy...what am I getting myself into? All tacked up and ready to go...we went outside and I got on...what a rush to be on my horse again. I felt like a little girl getting on her pony for the first time, felt good. =)
We decided to attempt the trails via Maplewood Farm so up the street we went. Socks felt good and CB and Sereele walked up the street until we got into Ball Hill Rd. She (Sereele) was a bit pumped but was acting ok....spooky here and there, nothing too crazy. At the top of the hill near the driveway of Maplewood is a house that makes their own skating rink every year and the kids apparently seem to turn into evil monsters to the horses and they got pretty nervous hearing and seeing them. Sereele got scared and Socks decided to play chicken with a car coming down the road!!!!!! Ok, got passed that little scare and into the woods we go.....well....after Socks planted his feet in the driveway and wouldn't go despite Sereele and CB walking away....UGH. The woods were nice...snow wasn't bad and I picked up a little trot for 5 steps....woo hoo!!! Ha ha ha. Sereele was pumped pretty much the whole ride, she kept wanting to trot and finally we gave in and just trotted against our better judgements. We also, in our giddy frame of mind, decided to take a longer loop around the woods......bad idea.....we were pretty cold by the time we got to head back home. We also kept pointing out all the places where horrible things happened in the past years......ah, memories. Got out of the woods and back on the road and headed home. By the time we got in the barn, all thoughts of cleaning stalls and pastures were dashed. I was, for a better word, convulsing from the cold and CB was pretty cold herself. Stalls and pastures could wait for sure! So, we got out, survived, no one was hurt and we had a pretty good time anyhow. AND, we rode for 2 hours!!!!!!!!! On to bigger and better things I hope....and warmer days as well.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Hope
it's been an odd year. cute sereele has fallen to her knees and lost her balance 3 times under saddle. very concerning and distressing for me. Tim has done an amazing job getting her hoof angles correct, but still the stumbling. we have been to Stow and Lake dennison a few times with chris and socks and have had a great time, she is really really good on rides away from home, I know she will be a great horse if she can stay upright. I took her up to Lisa Terrell's for a training session in her arena and she looked like crap. short strided, on the forehand, stumbling. not good. so i've been pretty bummed out, wondering if she has neurological problems, some kind of pain, or is she just totally uncoordinated and will always be dangerous to ride. Dr Carmel is coming friday to do some testing and the chiropractor in novemember to see if we can get any answers.
In the mean time Chris and I went to Rene's ride in shirley on sunday. this was Indy's first ride as a 4 year old when judy rode gem and we were lost for almost 5 hours. it was a nightmare! then last year I rode KC with rebecca but Sonny wasn't feeling well so KC and I finished on our own. why would I want to go back with such a great track record there? well the people are super nice, it's close and really beautiful this time of year. oh and LOTS of food! I hoped to go out late so I wouldn't have to deal with too many horses in front or behind. well thanks to Socks, we were very late so no problem:). he was an ASS about loading. took about 40 minutes to get him in. he would either just shut down and not move or totally freak out if tapped with the whip. ug, I give chris credit for not beating the snot out of him. I took him at one point but gave him back before I regretted what my temper would make me do. finally he decided to go in on sereeles side. fine! whatever! meanwhile sereele was just free eating on the front lawn, we got her and she hopped right in. once at the ride we unloaded sereele and suddenly a horse was loose and racing around with it's bridle around his front legs. afraid socks would freak out we quickly got him off the trailer. he proceeded to eat grass in a nervous fit, tearing it out of the ground in a manic frenzy. what is going on with him? this is so unlike him. sereele was quiet and happy to eat in a normal lady like manner while I tacked up. chris bravely mounted up and I led sereele out to the street. socks appeared to be over his mental illness once chris got on and settled right in, thank God. sereele was her usual good but nervous and spooky self and I got on after about 1/4 mile. socks was power walking up the street, we had to trot to keep up. sereele felt great today. strong. we turned off the street into someones back yard with a huge puddle that I had to beat KC over last year. sereele just skimmed around the edge, no problem. we did some nice easy trotting, I told sereele to lift up her feet over the roots and as I said it socks picked up his feet very high. it was so funny, like when I mentioned the alligator before and he did a monster spook at a log. so we decided he was listening to me and I would tell him what to do. didn't work when I told him he could poop and walk at the same time though. we did some slow trotting and walked down the hills. came to the orchard and they were both pretty pumped in there. chris said socks was not behaving but we made it around and I commented that this was the first year I didn't get lost in the orchards thanks to her eagle eyes seeing the markers. spoke to soon. we nervously passed a howling dog as I yelled out for her to slow down and she said "i'm trying" and then the ribbons were gone. luckily I knew what direction to go from previous years so it worked out. we came to the photographer and sereele posed cutely like a little model. socks was having a hissy fit and wouldn't stand still. I can't wait to see the scowl on chris's face when we get her pictures. hahaha. then onward and lost again in the orchard but found some ribbons and continued on. down a steep muddy hill, I got off and let sereele slide down on her own. picked up an apple and had a bite then split the rest with S&S. kept leading her up and down the roller coaster hills. back on and we came to the decision point. we'd done 6 miles and could do 6 more or just go back. Sereele felt so strong and coordinated I wanted to push the envelope and do the 12. chris agreed so off we went! the next 6 miles were loopy and up and down, sereele went first most of the way. very brave. afraid of a mossy tree and a bright yellow tree but kept going. socks did have to get her past a few scary spots, but all in all she was fantastic. did one impressive sliding stop at a puddle that was apparently quite different than the other 100 puddles she had seen that day. instead of tiring she wanted to go faster, I think she just wanted to get home, but I am happy with her energy level. she did one bad stumble and let out a big grunt but other than that the tripping was minimal. we trotted over lots of down trees and went through some nasty stone wall areas. oh yeah, one stream was one of the ones that you have to go down into then back up. socks didn't like the looks of it so I brought sereele up to it, she had actually crossed a few previously ahead of him. he decided no way was she going first and smashed up the other side nearly taking off chris's knee cap, I think we both had our eyes closed. I missed a few markers but chris caught them and we made it back out to the street and back to the trailer. I was so proud and happy, new hope that she will be OK. she drank from puddles and ate leaves and even peed under saddle. good endurance qualities! and she even sweated alot- no anhidrosis! socks was very well behaved on the ride, but back at the trailer he reverted to retard. screaming for sereele when chris tried to take him to get a piece of pizza and not loading again. they had their yummy mash and grass for a while, we ate and loaded up. socks only took about 5 mintues and wanted the other side this time. sereele actually hesitated before loading as if to say "he is on MY side." but she set a good example for her older, supposedly wiser friend. :) so I had a great final ride of the season. I will remember it to help get through the long winter ahead :(. even though socks was in Chris's words "heinous" he really was a good boy overall and much appreciated to help sereele have a good calm experience on her new adventures.
In the mean time Chris and I went to Rene's ride in shirley on sunday. this was Indy's first ride as a 4 year old when judy rode gem and we were lost for almost 5 hours. it was a nightmare! then last year I rode KC with rebecca but Sonny wasn't feeling well so KC and I finished on our own. why would I want to go back with such a great track record there? well the people are super nice, it's close and really beautiful this time of year. oh and LOTS of food! I hoped to go out late so I wouldn't have to deal with too many horses in front or behind. well thanks to Socks, we were very late so no problem:). he was an ASS about loading. took about 40 minutes to get him in. he would either just shut down and not move or totally freak out if tapped with the whip. ug, I give chris credit for not beating the snot out of him. I took him at one point but gave him back before I regretted what my temper would make me do. finally he decided to go in on sereeles side. fine! whatever! meanwhile sereele was just free eating on the front lawn, we got her and she hopped right in. once at the ride we unloaded sereele and suddenly a horse was loose and racing around with it's bridle around his front legs. afraid socks would freak out we quickly got him off the trailer. he proceeded to eat grass in a nervous fit, tearing it out of the ground in a manic frenzy. what is going on with him? this is so unlike him. sereele was quiet and happy to eat in a normal lady like manner while I tacked up. chris bravely mounted up and I led sereele out to the street. socks appeared to be over his mental illness once chris got on and settled right in, thank God. sereele was her usual good but nervous and spooky self and I got on after about 1/4 mile. socks was power walking up the street, we had to trot to keep up. sereele felt great today. strong. we turned off the street into someones back yard with a huge puddle that I had to beat KC over last year. sereele just skimmed around the edge, no problem. we did some nice easy trotting, I told sereele to lift up her feet over the roots and as I said it socks picked up his feet very high. it was so funny, like when I mentioned the alligator before and he did a monster spook at a log. so we decided he was listening to me and I would tell him what to do. didn't work when I told him he could poop and walk at the same time though. we did some slow trotting and walked down the hills. came to the orchard and they were both pretty pumped in there. chris said socks was not behaving but we made it around and I commented that this was the first year I didn't get lost in the orchards thanks to her eagle eyes seeing the markers. spoke to soon. we nervously passed a howling dog as I yelled out for her to slow down and she said "i'm trying" and then the ribbons were gone. luckily I knew what direction to go from previous years so it worked out. we came to the photographer and sereele posed cutely like a little model. socks was having a hissy fit and wouldn't stand still. I can't wait to see the scowl on chris's face when we get her pictures. hahaha. then onward and lost again in the orchard but found some ribbons and continued on. down a steep muddy hill, I got off and let sereele slide down on her own. picked up an apple and had a bite then split the rest with S&S. kept leading her up and down the roller coaster hills. back on and we came to the decision point. we'd done 6 miles and could do 6 more or just go back. Sereele felt so strong and coordinated I wanted to push the envelope and do the 12. chris agreed so off we went! the next 6 miles were loopy and up and down, sereele went first most of the way. very brave. afraid of a mossy tree and a bright yellow tree but kept going. socks did have to get her past a few scary spots, but all in all she was fantastic. did one impressive sliding stop at a puddle that was apparently quite different than the other 100 puddles she had seen that day. instead of tiring she wanted to go faster, I think she just wanted to get home, but I am happy with her energy level. she did one bad stumble and let out a big grunt but other than that the tripping was minimal. we trotted over lots of down trees and went through some nasty stone wall areas. oh yeah, one stream was one of the ones that you have to go down into then back up. socks didn't like the looks of it so I brought sereele up to it, she had actually crossed a few previously ahead of him. he decided no way was she going first and smashed up the other side nearly taking off chris's knee cap, I think we both had our eyes closed. I missed a few markers but chris caught them and we made it back out to the street and back to the trailer. I was so proud and happy, new hope that she will be OK. she drank from puddles and ate leaves and even peed under saddle. good endurance qualities! and she even sweated alot- no anhidrosis! socks was very well behaved on the ride, but back at the trailer he reverted to retard. screaming for sereele when chris tried to take him to get a piece of pizza and not loading again. they had their yummy mash and grass for a while, we ate and loaded up. socks only took about 5 mintues and wanted the other side this time. sereele actually hesitated before loading as if to say "he is on MY side." but she set a good example for her older, supposedly wiser friend. :) so I had a great final ride of the season. I will remember it to help get through the long winter ahead :(. even though socks was in Chris's words "heinous" he really was a good boy overall and much appreciated to help sereele have a good calm experience on her new adventures.
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Crankmonster!!!!!
Ugh! I guess I should have stayed in bed and so should have Socks! I fed early Sunday morning as always and I should have known that it was going to be a bad day. He made faces and wouldn't let me put the lead around him to take him out to the pasture. Whatever! Fast forward a couple of hours later when CB and I are ready to go on the ride in Shirley...our last big hurrah....Socks takes one look at me coming to catch him and he walks away!!! Jerk! I get him on the crossties and he's pawing and being obnoxious.....oh yay! Now, it's time to go on the trailer.....hasn't been much of a problem as of late but that day was a totally different story!!!! He PLANTED his feet and wouldn't even get on the ramp of the trailer. GRRRRR! I hate when he does this. I got a whip and so did CB, and that just progressed him to the jumping around like we're stabbing him with hot pokers level......totally losing patience at this point. CB takes him and he's a total jerk for her too. Finally, after about 40 minutes, yep, you read that right, 40 minutes, he got on the other side of the trailer.....whatever...he's on! On to Shirley! We get to our ride and he's drenched in sweat. I have no idea why he's having such a meltdown with riding on the trailer.....it's not like CB is a crazy driver! ;) We get Sereele off (CB will write later on how wonderful that little girl was!) and then, just as we're about to let Socks off, a horse bolts across the field we're all parked in! At this point, I figured it was best to have him get upset off the trailer and not in it so off he went. Fine. He then progressed to maniacally eating the grass like he's never had a meal in his life! Not happy! I started tacking up....not a big deal, until the bridle....he clenched his teeth and wouldn't take the bit..not even for a piece of carrot! REALLY?!?!?!? Finally, after much head tossing and backing up and pretending he felt the need to bolt too, I got the bridle on! Now, I have to get on this crazy beast....I must be crazy myself! I mount up...he feels like a loaded spring...."I'm going to die on this ride" I think to myself. We start off and it's a ways down a paved road to the trail.....as we're going, he calms down....oooh, there's hope yet! The trails were pretty nice and he was a good boy in them....some were a bit rocky and some were a bit muddy and we did ok.......until.....the apple orchard. Something in his little brain snapped again and he was psycho....spooking at car noises on the road, yanking the reins out of my hands to eat grass, trotting at a breakneck pace (which he can't do comfortably like Zak can) and just all around not listening to me at all. I was so annoyed with him and then, we came to a hill. Oh boy. As we're "trotting" up the hill, not listening to me, and hating the fact that he couldn't bolt up the hill like a rocketship, we pass a couple of houses. One of those houses had a dog.....and that dog HOWLED! Yay, that revved him up even more...not to mention, we lost sight of any of the markers telling us where to go. UGH! Finally, we find some markers and around the corner is a photographer. Cool! Could we stand still for even one picture? Absolutely not! We side passed (beautifully I might add but not what I was asking for), we backed up, we made heinous faces, we went in circles, we went under a low tree branch but we didn't pose for the pictures....Sereele on the other hand, is such a good girl and I can't wait to see the pics of her! Onward! The rest of the ride wasn't bad...we got back into the woods and he seems to like that better. We came across some logs and I thought for sure he would jump them....well, he did.....sideways! REALLY?!?!?!? I wasn't even aware that a horse could do that! Mine can! UGH! I can't complain about his behavior for the rest of the ride.....we went 12 miles and he was tired. However, he was a jerk once we got back to the trailer. He just didn't want to stand still, wouldn't let me get something to eat or drink, and then progressed to screaming. WTF?!? CB kindly let me hold her angel (she was soooooo good, I'm so happy for CB and Sereele), and got us some food. For some reason, both horses, mostly Socks, wanted the pizza we were eating but when CB relented and gave Socks the crust, he spit it out like it was poison. Dork! Time to get on the trailer to go home.....CB gave him a cookie and he spit that out at her like the pizza crust! That was kind of funny given the kind of day I was having with him because he spit it out on her shoe. Ok, lets go in the trailer.......oh Hell no! We got him all the way on, but not enough and he backed up and out. I was about to tie him to the back of the trailer and have him run home! ;) We tried putting him on the other side and he finally got on. Whatever, he's on! However, Sereele decided that that side was hers and actually balked getting on the trailer! It was only for a second though. We were joking around that the two horses were like little kids on a road trip.."He's on my side!"...."She's touching me!"........."He took my snack!"...."She's looking at me!". The trip home was uneventful but he was still a bit sweaty on the trailer. I have no idea why he's upset....it's a roomy ride. UGH! Well, I survived, and so did he......guess it's time to do some more groundwork to let him know who's boss again. I did have fun though despite his total lack of working brain cells. I just chalk it up to experience.....a year ago I wouldn't have gotten on him so at least my confidence is coming back in leaps and bounds......think it's because I'm just getting pissed off, ha ha ha. Anyway, I'll look back at this and laugh......right? =)
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
stuff and things (very very long. a novel)
I always remember the turn to lake dennison is after that stupid sign "stuff and things" selling junk. so this blog will be about that. mostly for my friend Judy who I haven't talked to in so long and miss so much., here is a short story of my summer.
Chapter 1 "indy"
Well indy went on a 2 month trial june 1st to a woman in middleboro. she didn't have alot of horse experience but seemed to be a nice person who would take care of her animals and would just be doing some pleasure riding so I thought it might be a nice home for him. She assured me she had tons of grass and a new barn. I brought him down and found a "barn" that was just 2 stalls with a small corral out front. Where is the grass? oh, we are fencing in the yard and I have fields across the street that we are going to fence in. should have just turned the trailer around then. but I didn't. I put indy in with her 4 y.o. TB and they got along great, he seemed happy enough eating the really nice hay she had. so I left him there. she promised to keep me updated on how things were going. she never called me and every time I called her it took at least 3 tries for her to get back to me. she told me the pastures were built, indy was happy, her daughter had ridden a couple of times and everything was great. finally the 2 months was up and she was supposed to make her decision. I called her 10 times, sent email to her husband and left messages on her kid's phone. no response. So I hooked up the trailer and went down to get him, not knowing what I would find and afraid he wouldn't even be there. I had planned to call Chris's father if they gave me a hard time to call the police down there for me. so I pull in and he is there in an electric enclosure with the other horse without a shred of food. no one is home but the house is open. kids come by looking for their friends, but no one comes to the door. I had to take down the electric fence to get indy out, no gates. then 7 guys on motorcycles fly in and ask me what I was doing. said I'm taking my horse home. where is robin? no one knows. I am afraid they are going to kill me and cut me up into little pieces and bury me somewhere but they are actually nice. say they are going to find the husband. I said no, I am taking him. then Robin's mother shows up and tells me if she hadn't met me before and knew he was my horse no way she would let me leave and writes down my license plate number. whatever. she gave me the impression that robin is an odd duck. really? huh. so Indy came home, his skinny friend was having a fit and I felt bad leaving him there. Indy had lost about 50#, never had his feet done and never had his halter taken off in 2 months. poor poor boy, the guilt is horrible. it took him a couple of days to want to eat grain and goodies again. but he knew his buddy socks right away. In the meantime, some great people who had come to see him previously had contacted me and they wanted him for their 17 year old daughter. so I brought him to them in Wrentham. beautiful barn and nice turnout. very nice family. Valerie is quiet and kind and a very nice rider. they wanted a 2 week trial, but after a week said they loved him and wanted to buy him. great! then they decided to let the trainer see him. she loved him, great!! then they decided to do a vet check, fine. day of the vet check she decided nah, they loved him didn't need the vet check, check was in the mail. great!! 3 days later she sends me an email that they are worried that he won't stay sound and want to return him under the massacusetts state law within 3 days. huh? WTF!!!! I told her she needed to get a vet check, I had promised all along that I would take him back if he didn't stay sound. can't just send him back because she was worried about it. FREAKS!!!! the world is full of FREAKS!! so the vet check is tomorrow. in the meantime val is riding him everyday, just loves him and doesn't want to miss a minute with him. I don't get it. update on what happens tomorrow ....If he comes home, I will have to kick Deacon out, but since her owner doesn't pay her board or do any work or buy her horse grain or shavings, no great loss. except we love deacon.
Chapter 2 Sereele
she is the oddest horse I have ever known. she is afraid of life. but so very sweet. she tries so hard. she falls down. she spooks at butterfly's and sunlight and purple flowers. but she is so sweet and tries so hard. she is kind of ugly, but kind of cute, but she is so sweet and tries so hard. she see's dead people. she hears things from the great beyond. but so sweet. she tries real hard. Our relationship started out with her spinning in her stall, not eating, unable to be separated from her friend. she was never mean or bad, just scared. once Haley left she got better. I tried hand walking her and she had a meltdown screaming and spinning and flipping her body around. the next time she was a little better. I gave her lots of treats and let her graze in rainvilles field. after a few tries, she actually stopped screaming and the prancing was controlled. I rode with socks, she was very quiet, very good. we only walked. I got off often when she made me nervous. We rode more, we both got braver. started to develop a little trust. I rode her alone, I cried she was so good. so sweet, tried so hard. very nervous but she is a good girl. she fell to her knees and scared us both, got up holding up her RF leg but was OK. we are working on shoeing to try and stop the tripping. we rode in Stow twice and then lake dennison this weekend. she was a star. a few sliding stops that escalate into running backwards - sorry chris. but she tries to be brave. I let her move out more on the nice terrain and she wasn't as trippy. I had SUCH a great day with my funny sweet little girl who tries so hard. I get glimmers of hope that some day we can do an endurance ride. but then pessimism (or experience) hits and I wonder when she will have a melt down and what body part I will break.
Chapter 3 Hay
ordered a tractor trailer load of hay in april. then it rained for 3 months. that's ok the guy assured me we'll deliver and bring a hay elevator. lou gets a load and it's dusty moldy crap. I tell him I'll wait for second cut. OK. 2 weeks. 2 weeks later, well for sure next week. next week, well maybe 2 more weeks. 2 more weeks and it will be there this weekend but I have to buy a hay elevator. OK we get one (thanks mom). chris almost cancels her vacation to be here. but no hay. a couple more weeks? I've lost track. finally it's coming labor day. YAY! another call the saturday before - coming tomorrow. different hay. real good stuff. right, we'll believe it when we see it. It actually does arrive and it is good! chris and shawn have like 7 friends to help put it away, it goes fast and kind of fun:). more boring and annoying stuff to the story but yet another year to re inforce that WE HATE HAY.
that's all for now....
Chapter 1 "indy"
Well indy went on a 2 month trial june 1st to a woman in middleboro. she didn't have alot of horse experience but seemed to be a nice person who would take care of her animals and would just be doing some pleasure riding so I thought it might be a nice home for him. She assured me she had tons of grass and a new barn. I brought him down and found a "barn" that was just 2 stalls with a small corral out front. Where is the grass? oh, we are fencing in the yard and I have fields across the street that we are going to fence in. should have just turned the trailer around then. but I didn't. I put indy in with her 4 y.o. TB and they got along great, he seemed happy enough eating the really nice hay she had. so I left him there. she promised to keep me updated on how things were going. she never called me and every time I called her it took at least 3 tries for her to get back to me. she told me the pastures were built, indy was happy, her daughter had ridden a couple of times and everything was great. finally the 2 months was up and she was supposed to make her decision. I called her 10 times, sent email to her husband and left messages on her kid's phone. no response. So I hooked up the trailer and went down to get him, not knowing what I would find and afraid he wouldn't even be there. I had planned to call Chris's father if they gave me a hard time to call the police down there for me. so I pull in and he is there in an electric enclosure with the other horse without a shred of food. no one is home but the house is open. kids come by looking for their friends, but no one comes to the door. I had to take down the electric fence to get indy out, no gates. then 7 guys on motorcycles fly in and ask me what I was doing. said I'm taking my horse home. where is robin? no one knows. I am afraid they are going to kill me and cut me up into little pieces and bury me somewhere but they are actually nice. say they are going to find the husband. I said no, I am taking him. then Robin's mother shows up and tells me if she hadn't met me before and knew he was my horse no way she would let me leave and writes down my license plate number. whatever. she gave me the impression that robin is an odd duck. really? huh. so Indy came home, his skinny friend was having a fit and I felt bad leaving him there. Indy had lost about 50#, never had his feet done and never had his halter taken off in 2 months. poor poor boy, the guilt is horrible. it took him a couple of days to want to eat grain and goodies again. but he knew his buddy socks right away. In the meantime, some great people who had come to see him previously had contacted me and they wanted him for their 17 year old daughter. so I brought him to them in Wrentham. beautiful barn and nice turnout. very nice family. Valerie is quiet and kind and a very nice rider. they wanted a 2 week trial, but after a week said they loved him and wanted to buy him. great! then they decided to let the trainer see him. she loved him, great!! then they decided to do a vet check, fine. day of the vet check she decided nah, they loved him didn't need the vet check, check was in the mail. great!! 3 days later she sends me an email that they are worried that he won't stay sound and want to return him under the massacusetts state law within 3 days. huh? WTF!!!! I told her she needed to get a vet check, I had promised all along that I would take him back if he didn't stay sound. can't just send him back because she was worried about it. FREAKS!!!! the world is full of FREAKS!! so the vet check is tomorrow. in the meantime val is riding him everyday, just loves him and doesn't want to miss a minute with him. I don't get it. update on what happens tomorrow ....If he comes home, I will have to kick Deacon out, but since her owner doesn't pay her board or do any work or buy her horse grain or shavings, no great loss. except we love deacon.
Chapter 2 Sereele
she is the oddest horse I have ever known. she is afraid of life. but so very sweet. she tries so hard. she falls down. she spooks at butterfly's and sunlight and purple flowers. but she is so sweet and tries so hard. she is kind of ugly, but kind of cute, but she is so sweet and tries so hard. she see's dead people. she hears things from the great beyond. but so sweet. she tries real hard. Our relationship started out with her spinning in her stall, not eating, unable to be separated from her friend. she was never mean or bad, just scared. once Haley left she got better. I tried hand walking her and she had a meltdown screaming and spinning and flipping her body around. the next time she was a little better. I gave her lots of treats and let her graze in rainvilles field. after a few tries, she actually stopped screaming and the prancing was controlled. I rode with socks, she was very quiet, very good. we only walked. I got off often when she made me nervous. We rode more, we both got braver. started to develop a little trust. I rode her alone, I cried she was so good. so sweet, tried so hard. very nervous but she is a good girl. she fell to her knees and scared us both, got up holding up her RF leg but was OK. we are working on shoeing to try and stop the tripping. we rode in Stow twice and then lake dennison this weekend. she was a star. a few sliding stops that escalate into running backwards - sorry chris. but she tries to be brave. I let her move out more on the nice terrain and she wasn't as trippy. I had SUCH a great day with my funny sweet little girl who tries so hard. I get glimmers of hope that some day we can do an endurance ride. but then pessimism (or experience) hits and I wonder when she will have a melt down and what body part I will break.
Chapter 3 Hay
ordered a tractor trailer load of hay in april. then it rained for 3 months. that's ok the guy assured me we'll deliver and bring a hay elevator. lou gets a load and it's dusty moldy crap. I tell him I'll wait for second cut. OK. 2 weeks. 2 weeks later, well for sure next week. next week, well maybe 2 more weeks. 2 more weeks and it will be there this weekend but I have to buy a hay elevator. OK we get one (thanks mom). chris almost cancels her vacation to be here. but no hay. a couple more weeks? I've lost track. finally it's coming labor day. YAY! another call the saturday before - coming tomorrow. different hay. real good stuff. right, we'll believe it when we see it. It actually does arrive and it is good! chris and shawn have like 7 friends to help put it away, it goes fast and kind of fun:). more boring and annoying stuff to the story but yet another year to re inforce that WE HATE HAY.
that's all for now....
Lake Dennison
Ah, yes, another goal attained. Saturday I got out of work, showered and boogied to the barn to go with CB and Sereele to Lake Dennison to ride. Woo hoo, a ride and no sleep.....should be interesting! =) Socks actually loaded very nicely on the trailer but just as CB was putting up the back bar, he shot back and scraped his leg down the ramp. UGH! We were sure that there was going to be a fight but sure enough, he walked back on the trailer like it was his job. WOO HOO!!!!!
We arrived at Dennison and unloaded and both "kids" seemed ok with the horses that they saw nearby. We tacked up and off we went. CB walked Miss Sereele for a little bit and then hopped on. The road to the trails were a big rocky and Socks and his tender little feet had some problems but he dealt with them pretty well. Then, we got to where the trail started. YAY! What a beautiful place to ride! It was so nice out, not very hot but very sunny. We trotted quite a bit and neither horse was in the mood for naughtiness. YAY!
We came out along a trail where there were about 5 people on horseback enjoying some adult beverages. As CB came out of the woods, one of the guys asked her if she was a warmblood!!!! Say what?!?!?!?!?!? Sereele has put some weight on but jeez! ;) We got a chuckle out of that one for sure. So, onward we went. Socks got a bit "up" but did ok and was listening to me at least. Sereele was very good and I think she only tried once to be "naughty".
Then, came the dam.......Sereele was scared of the area. I stopped Socks as he was started to plow ahead without her and he kept looking at her and then where she was looking as if to say "What am I supposed to be scared of too?" CB got her to go onward and up the hill we went. It was a bit rocky so we just walked. At the top of the hill, was a long log on the side. It was a bit pitted and rotted but nothing too scary. Socks seemed fine with it until Sereele got nervous behind him and CB commented that it was an alligator. ALLIGATOR!!!! WHERE?!?!?!? Socks immediately decided that that was true and that it was going to eat him alive!!! He was trying his hardest to take a wide berth from the "alligator" but on the other side of the trail was a mushed up piece of log that was equally scary. So, we serpentined through it and CB got off and led Sereele past the horse eating alligators. Oh man!
We continued on, both horses doing ok after their run-in with the fake reptile. However.....we took a different turn and CB wasn't sure where we were. UH OH! We continued on....not sure where we were going but at least it was in a forward motion. Hee hee. The trails were great so there wasn't even a grumble from either horse or rider. Eventually, we did find our way back in not much time. YAY! We had to pass a little dog who had never seen a horse before and was nervous......and we had to pass some people fishing that was kind of scary for the two equines but other than that we were good. CB decided to try to canter and actually got a few strides out. YAY! Now, it was my turn.....the last time Socks and I cantered, he crowhopped a bit and scared me a bit....ok, a lot but it was also in the ring and this was a trail where he's much happier. So, I found a soft spot where the rocks weren't bad and asked for the canter and did a few strides myself. How invigorating!!!! He was great and not even an ear back! YAY, more demons conquered!
We got back to the trailer and untacked and gave the kids some beet pulp (Socks favorite). He was savoring his, Sereele ate all hers and then tried to eat some of Socks'.......he was all "Oh no you didn't!" Ha ha ha. What a face he made at her! He even took his bucket with his nose and scooted it closer to him! Ha ha ha! Sereele got some more from her mom but it didn't have sweet feed in it so she wasn't impressed.
So, we loaded up the kids and again, no arguement from either equine about getting on. We started to go and realized nothing went wrong with this trip. It was then that CB stopped the truck and we decided to check the tires....one must be flat or something......this trip was going too well! Well, nothing was wrong and we got home, unloaded and set the kids free in their pastures. I was tired but had a great time. We attained yet another goal of going out and about. YAY! Next, we ride with Lou and Bec maybe and then, just maybe, we could try a hunter pace or something like that....ah yes.......more goals to reach for!
We'll get there......in the long run! =)
We arrived at Dennison and unloaded and both "kids" seemed ok with the horses that they saw nearby. We tacked up and off we went. CB walked Miss Sereele for a little bit and then hopped on. The road to the trails were a big rocky and Socks and his tender little feet had some problems but he dealt with them pretty well. Then, we got to where the trail started. YAY! What a beautiful place to ride! It was so nice out, not very hot but very sunny. We trotted quite a bit and neither horse was in the mood for naughtiness. YAY!
We came out along a trail where there were about 5 people on horseback enjoying some adult beverages. As CB came out of the woods, one of the guys asked her if she was a warmblood!!!! Say what?!?!?!?!?!? Sereele has put some weight on but jeez! ;) We got a chuckle out of that one for sure. So, onward we went. Socks got a bit "up" but did ok and was listening to me at least. Sereele was very good and I think she only tried once to be "naughty".
Then, came the dam.......Sereele was scared of the area. I stopped Socks as he was started to plow ahead without her and he kept looking at her and then where she was looking as if to say "What am I supposed to be scared of too?" CB got her to go onward and up the hill we went. It was a bit rocky so we just walked. At the top of the hill, was a long log on the side. It was a bit pitted and rotted but nothing too scary. Socks seemed fine with it until Sereele got nervous behind him and CB commented that it was an alligator. ALLIGATOR!!!! WHERE?!?!?!? Socks immediately decided that that was true and that it was going to eat him alive!!! He was trying his hardest to take a wide berth from the "alligator" but on the other side of the trail was a mushed up piece of log that was equally scary. So, we serpentined through it and CB got off and led Sereele past the horse eating alligators. Oh man!
We continued on, both horses doing ok after their run-in with the fake reptile. However.....we took a different turn and CB wasn't sure where we were. UH OH! We continued on....not sure where we were going but at least it was in a forward motion. Hee hee. The trails were great so there wasn't even a grumble from either horse or rider. Eventually, we did find our way back in not much time. YAY! We had to pass a little dog who had never seen a horse before and was nervous......and we had to pass some people fishing that was kind of scary for the two equines but other than that we were good. CB decided to try to canter and actually got a few strides out. YAY! Now, it was my turn.....the last time Socks and I cantered, he crowhopped a bit and scared me a bit....ok, a lot but it was also in the ring and this was a trail where he's much happier. So, I found a soft spot where the rocks weren't bad and asked for the canter and did a few strides myself. How invigorating!!!! He was great and not even an ear back! YAY, more demons conquered!
We got back to the trailer and untacked and gave the kids some beet pulp (Socks favorite). He was savoring his, Sereele ate all hers and then tried to eat some of Socks'.......he was all "Oh no you didn't!" Ha ha ha. What a face he made at her! He even took his bucket with his nose and scooted it closer to him! Ha ha ha! Sereele got some more from her mom but it didn't have sweet feed in it so she wasn't impressed.
So, we loaded up the kids and again, no arguement from either equine about getting on. We started to go and realized nothing went wrong with this trip. It was then that CB stopped the truck and we decided to check the tires....one must be flat or something......this trip was going too well! Well, nothing was wrong and we got home, unloaded and set the kids free in their pastures. I was tired but had a great time. We attained yet another goal of going out and about. YAY! Next, we ride with Lou and Bec maybe and then, just maybe, we could try a hunter pace or something like that....ah yes.......more goals to reach for!
We'll get there......in the long run! =)
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Sand Pits!!!!
Ok, so, I took the dogs for a walk down in the sand pits for CB last Friday. I forgot how nice it was there so my suggestion for the next ride was to go there. YIKES! All went pretty well. We went in from the trail off of Linden St. and on to the aquaducts and then the road and the dreaded railroad tracks. Aside from the deerflies (aka bugflies....apparently, I have renamed all species of blood sucking flies as such, hee hee) the ride wasn't bad. We got over the tracks and headed into the trail to the first water obstacle....the Jersey barrier barricaded river. Socks was a bit of a turd refusing to go down to the water but with some persistance and "the bat of truth" we got to the river. He snorted like a mad bull but walked through it nicely so Sereele wouldn't get upset.
Now to tackle the stone path up.......again, Socks was a bit of a turd (seems to be the word of this blog entry) and almost stepped in a hole but made it up. We went along the aquaduct nicely after that and then....over the river and into............the sand pits!
I forgot how much fun going through there was!!! I haven't been in there since I rode Zak! Both Socks and Sereele were excellent! There were a few parts where the "bugflies" got a bit nasty but other than that, we had fun. Towards the end, there must have been a nasty bugfly on Sereele as she hopped on one back leg and CB jumped off thinking something was caught on her leg. Such sensitive creatures we have.....(rolls eyes).
The ride back through the wooded side of the sand pit was fun and the trails are so nice. It took much less time on horseback than on foot with two dogs that's for sure!
The going home was much easier too...no snorting like a freak at the river and NO TRAINS...YAY!
We did, however, run into a tight spot where a Verizon truck pulling a pole was coming up behind us. They were great and slowed down and passed us slowly. There are nice people in this world!!!!
We got back to the barn feeling great. Both our horses were awesome and now we have conquered the sand pits....time to go past those now to the unknown across the street!!!! Woo hoo....lofty goals that we will meet soon I hope!
Now to tackle the stone path up.......again, Socks was a bit of a turd (seems to be the word of this blog entry) and almost stepped in a hole but made it up. We went along the aquaduct nicely after that and then....over the river and into............the sand pits!
I forgot how much fun going through there was!!! I haven't been in there since I rode Zak! Both Socks and Sereele were excellent! There were a few parts where the "bugflies" got a bit nasty but other than that, we had fun. Towards the end, there must have been a nasty bugfly on Sereele as she hopped on one back leg and CB jumped off thinking something was caught on her leg. Such sensitive creatures we have.....(rolls eyes).
The ride back through the wooded side of the sand pit was fun and the trails are so nice. It took much less time on horseback than on foot with two dogs that's for sure!
The going home was much easier too...no snorting like a freak at the river and NO TRAINS...YAY!
We did, however, run into a tight spot where a Verizon truck pulling a pole was coming up behind us. They were great and slowed down and passed us slowly. There are nice people in this world!!!!
We got back to the barn feeling great. Both our horses were awesome and now we have conquered the sand pits....time to go past those now to the unknown across the street!!!! Woo hoo....lofty goals that we will meet soon I hope!
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