A few more “firsts”

Dec 132009
 

I took advantage of the sun this afternoon and put a bit more work on Vinnie’s driving. I dug out the PVC shafts I had made years ago for Paisano and took them to out to the barn. Vinnie got groomed and harnessed up. I put on the cavesson that I’ve been riding and long lining him with. Then I put the full bridle on over that. I don’t have a driving bit for him yet, but I wanted something that wouldn’t pull through his mouth. I had taken the full cheek home, so all I had was a low port Kimberwicke. Since I was mostly going just ask him to carry it, that’s what he wore today. He mouthed it at first, but once we were headed out, there was plenty to take his attention away from playing with the bit.

I got this. What's next?

I got this. What's next?

I took him right out on the roads, ground driving off the cavesson. We went one way down the gravel road, past some people riding a four wheeler ATV, a barking dog and other horses. When we got around the other side of the property we board at, the expression on one horse’s face was priceless! I wish that I had had my camera and another hand to hold it in. It was just like he could NOT believe what Vinnie was wearing. They snorted and ran around. Vinnie’s head went up and his energy built, but he stayed with me quite well. We went a bit further, then turned and headed back.

When we came to the gate, we passed it and went down the other way a bit. All told, we probably walked a bit less than a mile. I practiced halting and standing, as well as asking him to move side to side on the road from whip and rein cues. He did well to the left and a bit stickier to the right. That’s likely because it’s harder for me to reach his left side with my whip. I had my ground whip with a short lash. Next time, I’ll have to remember the one with a longer drop. I really need a proper driving whip.

Doing well.

Doing well.

On our return, I removed the breastplate, traces and driving lines. I walked him into the shafts as they lay on the ground. We practiced standing there without fussing. That is really something that he will need work on to be a good driving pony. After a few time of that, I lifted the shafts and put them in the tugs. They weren’t secured at all, but the end caps kept them in. They would have come loose easily, if there had been any problems. I led him around in the paddock. It’s not too large, so we were circling and doing figure eights. He got a lot of Good Boy praise and pats.


Since he had taken all this so well, I decided to try driving him off the bit. I took off the shafts first. Then we did a few rounds of the barn yard, turning and halting before calling it a day. He wasn’t too keen on this bit and pushed his shoulder through a few turns. We ended on a nice halt that only took a couple of half halts to get. Now I just have to figure out the best driving bit for him. And do more sessions like today. Vinnie is quite willing to what I ask, once he understands what that is. Repetition and practice are what we need now.

The wheels that I ordered for my cart are in. I have all the supplies to paint it. I’ve decided that it will be black. Then I will need to make the seat and back, measure for foam and upholstery material and purchase those. I am not sure what color the seat will be yet. I do hope that the cart will end up being large enough for him. I wonder if it will all be ready by April for the parade in Oakridge. Stay tuned!

December & a change of plans

Dec 052009
 

I had planned to ride Lily three to four times per week and work Vinnie twice a week, including some arena work, both under saddle and in long lines for both of them. I was considering doing a trace clip on Lily, so we could continue conditioning towards endurance next year and the possible blanketing changes that might entail.

Well, other plans were in store for me. For those who don’t know me on FaceBook or the SM message boards, my back was tender last week after lifting some hay bales and last Sunday at the OHC trail course, it really did go out. I’ve been down resting and taking painkillers all of last week and missed quite a bit of work. I also missed writing my Thankful Thursday post, as I was in a mental fog.

“Getting old is not for sissies.” ~~ Bette Davis

After resting and a couple of chiropractic adjustments, my back is better today. I am mobile and not taking painkillers any longer. The trick for me now, will be to take it easy and come back to activity slowly. I need to start walking regularly, stretching and doing some non-horse related exercise. I am also considering taking the month off from riding. That is hard for me to think about. I’ve been pushing to spend every daylight opportunity in the saddle.

If I am not going to ride for a month, what to do with the horses? They are getting their stalls cleaned now, so I don’t even have a reason to go see them every day. All I have to do for them is make sure that their daily feed bags are made up and stocked. Other than that, they really would be fine to just hang out. But would they get bored?

Do horses get bored? Lily and Vinnie have a small paddock of about 1/3 acre to themselves. They have water, a tiny bit of grass and three trees, along with their breakfast hay out there. I can tell that they use the two smaller trees to scratch on. I found black hairs from Lily the other day, coated in ice. I wish that I had had my camera. It was quite interesting.

Anyway, I usually feel that I need to do something with them. To keep moving their training forward somehow; Lily getting back into shape and Vinnie with his basic ridden work. Then I remembered a day when my children came out and played with Vinnie. Neither of them are knowledgeable in traditional horsemanship. And they had fun and taught him things anyway. He learned quite quickly to push a barrel with his head. And they had fun playing with him and the hula hoop. It is good to remember that sometimes, it is worthwhile just exploring with the horse and not fitting him or her into a ‘program’ or a plan. They don’t make plans. Why do I?



I know that I could teach them some tricks. But then again, what about just being with them? I haven’t taken much time with that recently. And I do miss it. I think that Lily, at least, does too. I guess I will just take this month one day at a time and try having no goals. How about that? I think that I will take some toys and props out there though… and see what happens.

The sun was shining today

Oct 302009
 

Last week, saying hi to Hargobind

Last week, saying hi to Hargobind

The sun was shining, so I saddled Vinnie up, hopped on and went. No lunging or ground work today! I had to catch all the daylight possible, since soon that will be lost to daylight savings. So out explored the local roads it was. We met other horses, squirrels on fences, serious barking dogs, a deer, horses galloping up to the fence, cars, trucks, puddles, mailboxes, pavement, gravel and more.

He did jump a few times and the loose horses running up the fence by the road made him puff up a lot and dance a little, but he never lost it. He was most spooked by a huge rock someone had put by their mailbox. It didn’t even move! But it elicited snorts, backing up and wanting to scoot down the road. I asked him to face it at a comfortable distance. As soon as he was willing to take one step toward it, we moved on.

He was light in the bridle and listened to my seat to steady him. When we rode up to the arena at Three Cedars, someone was washing the mirrors at the far end. More snorting! We had a really nice big trot along the back side of the turnouts that turned into our first short canter. And later he gaited on the pavement home. We got to the gate to his barn and he wanted to explore further, so we took another turn down the side road.

And he hasn’t even had ten rides yet. What a joy…

It had been POURING all day, so the poor boy was wet.

It had been POURING all day, so the poor boy was wet.

I guess the work we did last night in the Three Cedars arena paid off. I’ve been trying different bits on him this week. He seems to like a single jointed better than a French link. I’ve been having him carry it and working him off the cavason still. Last night I put side reins to the bit for the first time. They were very loose and he did well, stretching down into the feeling.


It had been raining steadily all day and continued through the evening. I had stripped his muddy sheet and then walked him down through the rain to Three Cedars to work. I wanted to try my Wintec AP saddle on him. It seems to fit alright, though I’ll be switching out the gullet for a slightly narrower one after Paisano leaves next week. I rode him a some after lunging. The sheepskin that Pam put on my saddle is really nice! I quit after he did a full round of the arena at the trot. Prior to that, we had to spend some time looking in the mirrors, sniffing the mounting stand and otherwise exploring.

Working away

Working away

Going home was an adventure, as it was quite dark by then. I have flashers that I hung around my neck, a yellow one to the front and a red one behind. Then I trotted Vinnie in hand down the road home in the rain. Thankfully, we only met one vehicle. I am continually happy with what he puts up with!


One more week and Paisano leaves. Then another week and Lily comes home. There are so many transitions going on that sometimes, I don’t quite know what to think. Still, I keep going to the barn and doing what needs to be done each day. And it’s usually something interesting.

Many Things

Oct 222009
 

Gratitude creates it’s own attitude. It can give you a new perspective, a new focus. I am going to use this day as my opportunity to see those things.

Getting the Idea

Getting the Idea

Michelle at From the Horse’s Back posted and made me realize that another Thursday had started without a TT post from me. Last week, I was just swamped with getting ready to go up to Tired Dog Ranch and didn’t get a chance to post.


We had a great day last Friday. I helped out with vet work there. Multiple horses had teeth done, little Luis was gelded and then I worked with Rita on halter training. I also got in a short, fun ride on my Lily mare.


I am very thankful that I have these wonderful horses to play with; That I have great friends to share them with; And that we are headed out for another Cowgirl Campout this weekend, this time at Megan’s place.


The best one I got right now of last night's ride...

The best one I got right now of last night's ride...

Vinnie has been a blast to ride. I’ve gotten up on him two times this last week. Last night for just 10 minutes or so around the pasture. Hargobind took a few photos and a short video with my new point & shoot camera (an early birthday present to myself!). I just have to get downloading worked out.


The ride before that, I worked him a bit around the pastures. He has a great trot. I ended up taking him down the road and met up with a lady from my new barn. I also met Laura, who lives across the street. She was on her 2 year old, …another green bean. We rode the local gravel roads until after dark. What fun! Vinnie was a champ. He really likes to move out.


I’m starting to think that if I can find a part leaser for Lily, who wants to trail ride at Pisgah … that I might be able to afford to keep them both. It’s hard to think about selling Vinnie. I’m just going to hold that thought and see what comes of it. Plans right now are to bring Lily home sometime in November. And THAT I’m thankful for as well.


Take a few minutes today to create your own Thankful Thursday.

How:

  • Sit back and consider what you have to be thankful for. Listing three to five things is nice, but one will do.
  • Post about gratitude on your blog. If you don’t have your own blog, go ahead and write about what you are thankful for in the comments here instead.
  • If you blog, please link back here or leave a comment.
  • Feel free to tag other bloggers, if you like to do that, but it’s not necessary. This is not a meme that obligates you to do anything, but look for gratitude. Oh, and link back, and comment, that’s all I ask.
    • Visit these other blogs that often participate in Thankful Thursday:

  • Tired Dog Ranch
  • Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch
  • Earth Dancer Spanish Mustangs
  • The Pony Expression
  • From the Horse’s Back

    • Progress towards making a driving pony

    Oct 192009
     

    I found that the girth on Paisano’s harness finally fits Vinnie. He must have filled out. In fact, I measured him today and he is 13.1 hands. He HAS grown! I moved the harness over to the new barn and tried it all on Vin, then ground drove him yesterday. Pam came by just as we were finishing up, so she snapped a few photos and took a short video in his paddock.



    I also spent a bit of time sanding down the cart. I removed the seat and backrest. That took some use of a small sledge (one of my favorite tools) and a hacksaw, along with drilling out rusted screws. My wonderful husband was able to remove the bolt holding on the singletree too, so now the frame is entirely stripped down. The only downside to the day was that the rust treatment I had saved from painting my trailer would not come out of the can, despite much shaking, swapping out spray tips, soaking them in mineral spirits and anything else I could think of. I might have to use something else. It’s too bad, as this stuff worked really well.

    I also stopped in at a local bicycle shop to see about new wheels. All they had were ultralight, single thickness, alloy rim wheels. I think that I need something a bit more sturdy than that. And less expensive! I guess it’s back to the web to search for heavy duty, inexpensive 26″ wheels.

    I'll have to make new seat and backrest. These are destroyed.

    I'll have to make new seat and backrest. These are destroyed. I want to make the back taller and the seat a little deeper anyway.

    And lastly, in preparation, Vinnie had his teeth done today. He had a few points, but otherwise a good bite. I asked how many caps he has left to loose. When Dr. C counted, he found that Vinne has one less tooth than normal in each row! It’s consistent on both sides top and bottom. It does not hurt his mouth or chewing at all. He was just born that way. Paisano’s teeth were done as well, but we didn’t think to count them. I’ll definitely ask about Lily’s when she has them done in December. Spanish Mustangs sometimes have one less rib and a missing or fused lumbar vertebrae. I wonder how many have four less teeth!

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