Still raining

Horse Expo was this weekend so I spent all day Saturday at the fairgrounds. Went to the rodeo Saturday night as well. Today I went out in the rain to visit the horses a bit. Had to make sure Axel wasn't angry with me for making him work and learn dressage on Tuesday. I don't think he hates me, he sure spent a lot of time trying to drive me nuts following me around trying to take the brush out of my pockets. I just hope it stops raining so we can ride on Tuesday. I'm anxious to see if he retained any of what we tried to teach him. I've also applied for Axel to be a demo horse for the Parelli tour that will be here in June. I dunno if they'll pick him but it'd be kind of fun if they did or potentially embarassing ;)
I put some of the poles out in the round pen to get Axel to walk over them. He'd following me over the poles but he wouldn't jump over the barrel. He'd just walk around it and then push it out of his way with his head. Guess we'll have to work on learning to lunge so I can try and lunge him over some little jumps or something. Maybe when it stops raining.

Our First Dressage Lesson

So my head is swimming with the huge amount of things I have to think about all at once. Axel and I had our first Dressage lesson tonight. Riding and unfinished horse is a whole new can of worms for me. I think in the long run it will make me a better rider but the road there is going to be pretty bumpy.

We went up the hill where there's some level ground to work on. Unfortunately the bugs are already bad. There was a little head tossing because of the bugs, some snatching at the reins, and some pawing before the lesson was over.

We started with a walk in a figure 8 to get him to start bending. He needs a lot of support from me which is something I am certainly not used to. Lots and lots of leg, thus me sitting on the heating pad. I probably won't be walking too well tomorrow, yikes. So I use as much leg as I can and loose my seat more than I'd like to. I stiffen up my shoulders and back and my arms lock up. I throw away the outside rein and Axel drops his shoulder right into the empty space. And I cross over my outside rein too much. Luckily Tricia is able to see all this and try and keep me on the right track so we can keep Axel on the right track.

I'm a little afraid I didn't give him enough release from pressure when he did something right but I guess we'll see how things go next week. We attempted a trot but it didn't go very well. It was hard to get him into the trot in the first place, and then keeping him from falling out on that shoulder just wasn't happening, he just wasn't sure how to carry himself in the trot either. We went back to the walk but he kept calling back to the horses back at the barn, snatching the reins, and falling to the outside and wandering off.

We were going to head down to the other pasture where the bugs weren't as bad but we stopped in the woods where there's a little circle to work there for a bit. I was having a heck of a time getting him to bend past the exit of the woods, I was kicking like crazy to keep him moving and trying to keep some action on the outside rein so he'd move off it, he'd stop, snatch the reins, paw the ground. After much fighting we made it around successfully enough to praise him and stop for the night.

I think Sunday morning I'll do some work on the ground with lateral flexion and maybe do some work over poles. Something he can succeed at easily and get rewarded for but at the same time will benefit our training. I don't want him to hate me for making him work, I think he was a little frustrated by the end.

Dressage

This could be us one day, Axel and I are going to start our Dressage training on Tuesday!

Stormy Ride

So it's nice out all day yesterday but as soon as we get to the barn, it clouds up and looks like it's going to storm. I hate you weatherman! When we arrived we were greeted by a big brindle dog that must have been part St. Bernard, he was pretty big, but friendly. Not sure where he came from but he wouldn't leave us alone. He ended up in the paddock with the horses. The biggest scardy cat, Kalani, was the first one to go chasing the dog to see what it was. We caught the boys anyway and groomed, chatted with Tom for a few minutes, and tacked up the horses. It hadn't started raining yet so we figured we'd give it a try and hope for the best. I haven't had a chance to get some clips for my reins so Jeff was stuck with the regular english reins on Axel's new bridle. He thinks they're too short. And he doesn't like to ride with both hands holding the reins. Guess I'll have to put some clips on the split reins for him eventually.

Our new friend, the dog, ended up following us the whole ride. The horses were alright with it, so that was a relief. Tricia wants to bring her dog on Saturdays when we ride so she can get used to walking with horses, we hadn't tried it yet as I wasn't sure how the boys would react. I guess they passed the test. After Axel trotted partway down the first hill, we managed to walk up the hill to the woods. By following him I can see that hills are really a good thing for him. He doesn't step under himself on flat ground but really does a better job on hills. Guess we'll be walking up hills a lot from now on. We walked around the edge of the hill and had a bite of grass in the clearing before heading into the woods. We were probably only a few feet into the woods when it started raining a little. Cody decided he wanted to go home and actually turned around and took the initiative to lead, which he never does. I thought I could hear storm sirens so I figured he had the right idea. We let Axel pass and went back down the hill. Both horses tried to trot *down* the hill. The wind and rain and evil clouds must have really gotten them worked up, usually they are really careful on the way down hills. We had a small fight on the way back up to the paddock. Cody wanted to run and I wanted to walk. It wasn't raining at this point so there was no reason to hurry. Jeff said we hopped up part of the hill. If it hadn't started getting really windy I would have made Cody walk back down the hill and walk up again until he got it right. But I guess a thunderstorm isn't the best time to try and make a point with a horse.

We were going to take some photos but right when we got back it started raining again so we untacked as fast as we could. Then of course, it stopped raining. I told Tom we'd feed when we got back so we rounded everyone else up and put out dinner. Jeff did end up taking a few photos while the horses were eating hay. I don't think they really wanted to be photographed during dinner but they had no choice. And right as we were leaving, it really started to rain and rained the whole drive home.

I almost forgot!

When Tricia and I were on our way back to the barn on Saturday, Cody was having a difficult time keeping his gait down to a walk up the hill. We both steered the horses over a small branch on the ground. Axel just walked over it this time but Cody sort of jumped. Walked over it with his front feet and hopped over with his back feet. Nothing major but atleast we know they aren't completely against the idea of jumping over things.

Gonna try and get Jeff to come out after work tomorrow for a ride since we'll be at the farm this coming weekend. Of course there will be photos to follow ;)

Calm ride

As per our usual tradition, Tricia and I went out to ride after WCR on Saturday. Things are finally starting to dry up, it's surprising how quickly the paddock dried up considering how gross it was just the weekend before. Tricia brought her dressage saddle and I rode in my english saddle. I guess last weekend's ride was a little hairy for Tricia riding bareback. This time it was just Cody and Axel, no Corey. Cody did much better this time. He was a little hesitant leaving the main pasture but he didn't freak out or call back to the herd. He listened to me when I asked him to walk up the hill and we only had a few minor arguments about which direction we were going to go in. Tricia led the way and changed up our route a bit so the horses don't get set on a certain path every time. We cantered a few places, Cody was a bit excited about that and wasn't real collected but I guess Axel did really well. So overall it was a nice ride and a lot more calm than the weekend before. So I guess the plan is if Corey comes with us from now on, he's gotta stay in the back of the pack. I'm going to the farm with Jeff next weekend so I'll probably go out to see the boys during the week sometime after work. Maybe we'll play some more games with the big blue tarp.

A Visit From the Vet

The vet was due out yesterday to do spring shots. I wasn't able to get out there during the day because of work so hopefully I won't have a couple cranky horses waiting for me on Saturday. It's only a couple needles. It'll hurt me more than them when the bill arrives! I haven't heard any updates on how it went. I said if there's time the vet could peek in their mouths and see what he thought about having their teeth floated. I'm not sure if they've ever been done and Cody seems to drop a lot of food and fuss with the bit a lot, could be a teeth issue. Having their teeth done will cost me an arm and a leg but it usually results in some happier horses when it's done (after the tranq wears off of course).

They've moved back the threat of rain until Saturday night so I might get another nice day of riding in after WCR. Two more weeks and we can probably put them out on the grass, and then we'll have some really happy horses on our hands. And some nicer pictures since we won't be standing knee deep in mud.

And in other horse news, WCR is going to take two of the lesson horses from my old lesson barn. And they're going to be out at the barn I work at on Saturdays, so I'll still get to see them. This photo is from last night, one of our new horses, Ruger. He did surprisingly well and was squaring up so nicely I had to get out the camera.

The Big Blue Tarp

Back to the barn on Sunday. The weather turned out fairly nice. Warm but super windy. Surprisingly enough the horses weren't acting too weird. I brought Beau up to the barn to groom. Cody followed us and tried to make friends with Beau but he's just too scared and wants to get away. So I had to bring Beau inside to get him cleaned up. Found a scratch on his leg that looked fairly new so I got out the betadine and cleaned it up. I tried to clean up some of his spots that look like rain rot as well as his tail which was looking kind of crusty. I left him in the barn for a while munching on some hay and went and brought up Axel.

I ended up tying Axel inside so that he wouldn't chase Beau. Groomed Axel and tried to clean up his back foot. He apparently has Mud Fever, which isn't as bad as it sounds. I guess when they stand in the mud too much bacteria can get in tiny scratches on their legs and cause an infection. It's itchy and the hair falls out but it's just a matter of keeping it cleaned up til it goes away. In this case it's probably a lost cause until the mud goes away. But I cleaned it up the best I could. Axel didn't really enjoy putting his foot in a bucket of cold water so I could get the mud off but he was polite about his objections. Goofy horse has gotten so good at picking up his feet for me to clean them now when I just touch his foot he picks it up. Made scrubbing it kind of difficult. I guess you get what you wish for!

I did a tiny bit of work with Axel in the barn on the lead rope. He's backing up like a champ now and moving his hind quarters pretty well. We even had a bit of the driving game going on. I let him go and I groomed Cody quick just out in the paddock. It was way too windy to even think about riding so I tried to take Beau for a walk. He wasn't really into it. In fact he drug me up to the water and then drug me back to the barn door. That horse has a lot more strength in him than I thought! And he's been eating like he's starving to death yet at the same time he's probably gained weight this summer. I guess a good appetite is a good sign in an old horse.

I decided to do a little work with the Big Blue Tarp. Cody was all over the tarp, standing on it, smelling it, had it wrapped around his legs. Unfazed. Kiko wanted to kill the Big Blue Tarp. She stomped on it and bit at it but she wasn't really afraid of it at all. Kalani stood back for quite a while just watching. I held the tarp up and the wind just took it like a flag while Cody, Kiko, and Corey stood there inspecting it. Finally Kalani joined in the fun by biting it. He was still a little skiddish about it. Kiko would shake it and he'd shy a bit. But overall they thought it was a toy more than a scary monster. I'll have to do some more work with it. We didn't really wear the tarp yet. Cody and Kalani wore it a bit folded up.

It's still muddy in places but it should be drying up pretty quick here, thank god, it's such a mess.

Axel is going to learn dressage!

A couple weeks ago my riding instructor announced she was closing up shop due to medical reasons. I've talked to Tricia and she's going to maybe come out once a week and teach me and Axel dressage this summer. I don't think we'll be entering any competitions but hopefully we'll get Axel moving a little smoother and using his hind end more. I'm pretty excited, I might have to take my video camera out for the first lesson and tape it so we can see his changes over the summer. Now I just need a dressage saddle and bridle and fancy white polo wraps :>

Spring Adventure

Why is Cody so sweaty, you might ask? Because he was a complete spaz on our trail ride today. Tricia came out after WCR so we could go for a ride. We invited Tom along to ride Corey. Tricia rode Axel bareback, I rode Cody with my english saddle (and brand new stirrup leathers, yay), and Tom rode Corey with a little western saddle. Tom had just been down the back pasture doing some work on the cabin so he suggested we ride down there since it was dry enough. Things went well on the way down the pasture and across the bridge. Corey led the way up the big hill and started to canter a bit. Cody decided he would not walk up the hill and scrambled up after Corey. After walking around the edge of the hill Tom cantered Corey in the open space. Cody freaked out and ran after him, at that point we had zero brakes. Tricia brought up the rear cantering Axel. She said he really wanted to buck but she must have been able to keep him from doing it.

At this point I could tell Cody was just going to ignore me no matter what. In hindsight I think that Corey leading the pack was just too much competition for Cody. We went through the woods with a few issues. Dancing around a bit when I tried to hold Cody back from running as fast as he could through the trees. A couple advanced level dressage moves that Cody doesn't actually know how to do but managed to pull out of his hat when Corey got too far ahead. In the end, even with all the dancing and me in an english saddle with slippery jeans, I stayed on and kept my composure as best I could.

Tricia had Axel in good control, made him walk most the way and kept him collected as best as Axel will collect himself. At one point after Corey and Cody took off running spastically in the woods, Tricia was holding Axel back as she walked him down and back up a ravine. He started to canter up the other side and got to the top where he tried to rear and his legs slid in the soft ground. Neither Tom nor I saw it, but Tricia said it woulda been quite the site. Once we got back across the bridge we went around the opposite way through the pasture. I did my best to walk Cody up the hill but he bounced his way up anyways. He did calm down a bit when he was leading and not chasing Corey. By the end of the ride he was soaked with sweat. Behind us Axel really wanted to run as well. Tricia was trying to slow him down so she steared him towards a low branch thinking he'd walk over it. He jumped! Well, more like he hopped over it because he was scared of it. But she said he tucked his legs up so she just let him go.

Man I wish I would have seen him jump (or hop)! So Cody was drenched in sweat when we got back to the barn. Axel was a little sweaty, and Corey was dry as a bone. Tricia brought all sorts of goodies with her this time. She had treats for the horses and brought me some Show Sheen. That stuff really does a good job on big thick tails like Cody's. I could comb right though it after spraying his tail with the show sheen. I'll probably go back out tomorrow and just groom and hang around for a while and maybe walk Beau up the road a bit.

Weekday Visit

Drove out to visit the horses right after work today. Now that it's finally light out past 6 I actually have time to go out there. Ended up hanging out for a couple hours. I groomed Beau and took him for a walk down the road. After our walk I just let him hang out in the barn and munch on some hay. He seemed pretty hungry. I got out the shedding blade and went out in the paddock and groomed both Cody and Axel. There wasn't nearly as much hair coming off as on Saturday, which surprised me. But they're still fuzzy, especially Cody. All the other horses decided they wanted to be groomed as well. I can't leave anyone out so everyone got groomed a bit while I was there. I was kind of hanging out waiting to see if Tom would get home so I got out the camera and took a bunch of pictures as usual. I was standing on the fence when Corey came by so I sat on him for a while.

I decided sitting on the back of a horse with no reins was not a good place for me to be with my new camera so I hopped off and put the camera away. I grabbed my helmet and some clip on reins and Corey's halter. I rode him around bareback in the other pasture for a few minutes but he really didn't want to go for a ride, I think all the horses were more anxious for dinner. After fighting with Corey for a while I decided to ride Axel a bit. I wanted to see how he'd do with just a halter and clip on reins. It's quite the difference riding a little Arab and then riding big ole Axel. Axel and I managed to ride around the pasture a few times and even had a little trot. But it was pretty evil of me to make the horses ride around the pasture and not let them eat any of the grass. Poor guys have to wait probably another month before they can get on any grass.

April Fools

Well it was supposed to be nice out today. They lied. The sun almost peeked out for a minute or two and it wasn't 60F like they said it would be. But, it wasn't raining so we went out for a ride anyways.

First I had to go help at WCR with a barn clean up. After, I got the barn manager to come out and ride with me. I fetched the horses from the mud and we did our best to clean them up. Not an easy job this time of year. Put the western saddles on even though Cody's isn't fitting him well. There's a really nice one that I might be able to buy from WCR if it fits him. We figured for a ride down the road his old saddle would be fine. He actually doesn't act out at all because of it, that I can tell, it just looks uncomfortable.

We went up the road and planned to go across an unplowed bean field but it was way too soft and the horses were sinking in too far. Cody only tested me twice at the beginning of the ride. Hopefully that means we're getting past this whole issue of trying to get back to the barn. Axel was an angel as usual. He's really a diamond in the rough, that big goofy horse.

Tried out the new bridle on Cody this time as well. The cavesson doesn't fit at all but I think if I punch some more holes in it, it might work. He didn't mind the new bit, just a loose ring snaffle I borrowed from a friend. But he didn't love it either. I might try Axel's D-ring on him next time just to see. It's a bit thinner. He didn't start fussing until we were headed back towards the barn.

After our little ride we took Kiko and Kalani out for a walk up the drive way. Kiko wasn't overly scared but she's kind of a handful on the lead. She is in season so perhaps that a lot to do with it. Kalani is a big 'fraidy cat, but he did well despite. Hopefully we can work with him more and get him some training as well. It's almost time to go on some trail rides. Today was actually Kalani's birthday as well, guess he's just an April fool.

While we were walking the pintos, Corey was back in the pasture having a coronary. Running around, snorting and calling. Then Cody started calling, and even Axel started calling. Despite all the calling, the pintos didn't call back and were fairly unaffected. There's hope after all ;)

If it doesn't rain tomorrow morning I think I'll go out and take Beau for a walk down the road as well. I should take Corey for a ride but I don't think his saddle is in the tack room and we can probably wrap Axel's girth around him twice.