It's that time of year again

I know, I know, it's been a while!

But, it's that time of year again! When it's time to dust off the jog-cart I haven't touched in six months, hunt down the inevitable missing piece of harness, and break out those body clippers, because show season is three short months away.

The end of April. It always seems like it's still ages away in January, but once February rolls around that little voice in the back of my head starts nagging at me that it's time to start training again. Nag nag nagnagnag.

Soooo, Duke's winter vacation ends this week: I'll start him back bitting, and long lining up and down the aisle until the weather improves. Also, I need to go get my body-clippers repaired, because Duke is hairy like a bear!

Finally hitting the trails!

In the time since I've last updated Duke and I ended our show season on high notes, and back under-saddle! It felt fantastic to really ride again, although I'd completely forgotten just how hot and heavy that wool riding suit is! Sadly no show-ring pictures, but we placed well and had a blast!

Finally got Duke's winter plates put on last week, and hit the trails on what turned out to be one of the last warm days of the year. I of course rode Du', and my friend took out my retired gaited horse Adam, and we had a great time. I brought along my camera, and my friend and I passed it back and forth, but dummy here forgot photography 101 and didn't check or adjust the light settings from my previous photography outing so 90% of the photos were blown out beyond the salvaging point. We did end up with a few decent ones though (some are a touch blurry, because Adam didn't like to stand when my friend was holding the camera), and plan to go back out again soon!

Duke decided to move just as my friend took the picture - oh well!

Duke walking, and refusing to put his ears up. I swear he knows when the camera is pointed at him, because he backs an ear every time - his ears were up the rest of the time!


My friend and Adam (he will be turning 20), in the tall weeds - this is one of the pictures I tried to save from being too light.

Six down, just two to go! And some help please?

Part of me is sad to have just two horse shows left in our season, the rest of me (which has been basking in the absolutely wonderful crisp weather we have been having) would like for October third to be done and gone so that I can pull Duke's show shoes and hit the trails! Actually, the lazy part of me is tempted to have our farrier put Duke's winter plates on when he comes out this week, just so that I don't have to worry about it in a month!

Now that the end of the season is here (and it's no longer hotter than Hades), I get to really spend time working with Skinny. I've been lunging/lining him about 15 minutes a day, with the plan to work him up to 30 minutes before I try jogging him. Sometimes I put chains on him all-around (he's barefoot) to get him to work his legs more and build up the muscle he needs, but he still seems to be weaker in his front-end .

Does anyone out there have any tips for me on building up a rescue horse? I know slow and steady work is the way to go, and I am planning to start using ground-poles to help work on his coordination, but is there anything more I could be doing? He gets fed a good solid grain that is high in protein (14-16%)and fat (8-10%), plus lots and lots of good timothy hay, and a mineral block. We have added corn oil to his feed in the past, but now that he is no longer ribby I've stopped adding it.

Ideas people, I need ideas please!

It's Louisville week!

I'm not showing, but I'm driving down Thursday and staying through stake night. I plan on having a blast :)

Duke has been doing really well - After two shows that I had to skip the championships because of his leg (he just can't stay on hard ground overnight after working - he never went lame, but he swelled up enough that I wouldn't risk it) we had a good qualifier at State Fair, but a not-so-good championship - Big Boy was too wound up to really set his head. We have another show the week after Louisville, but I'm not sure what to show in - part of me likes showing him in driving, but the rest of me craves riding like a junkie craves a fix. Got a good picture though!


Skinny is finally up to a good weight, so now it's time to really build up his muscles. I worry about pushing him too hard, because I've heard stories about horses that were starved having weak hearts for the rest of their lives, but he's too young to not be put back to work. I think he could make a first-class hunt horse, although I'm waiting until his front end is built up before we start doing more than ground-poles on our road to jump training!

Ramora is a bit of a pest. She wears her surcingle beautifully, and is getting better about taking the bit, but she refuses to lunge in the clockwise direction! I've tried teaching her the same way I taught Belle (small circles within arm length, gradually enlarging the circle as she gets more comfortable), but she doesn't get it! Every time I move to her right side and try to give her direction, she just looks at me like "no no stupid human, you're on the wrong side!" And until she's lunging well and is set firmly with her voice commands, I can't start long-lining her. I'm trying to be patient, but it's hard.

Everything else has been the same as ever. Now it's time for me to stop being lazy and get the kids working every day for the last three shows of the year!

Back in the Saddle

Well, it's been a crazy few weeks. Slacked off in the barn in April because I went to Arizona for my birthday, and would therefore miss what I had planned on being my first show of the year, but came back ready to do business!

Duke has been doing well, and finally got his show shoes back on last week. I was considering just leaving him in plates and going in SP anyways (and before people congratulate me on going the "natural" route, it wasn't a political decision to keep plates on, merely a lazy one), but the higher angle is better for his tendon.

Skinny is gaining weight nicely and I'm starting to lunge him more seriously to build up is muscles, and I think I'm going to start long-lining him in a few days. Hopefully he will be built up enough to be ridden in a few weeks, and I would love to have him in the ring this year (but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen - no rush!)

Ramora (the yearling) has had her first few days in the surcingle (with crupper!), and is taking to it like a pro. Now that she lets me girth it up we're going to start lunging in it, and hopefully start lining next week. Her 2y/o buddy Belle gets to start long-lining again too this week, so things should be fun!

I'm also going to attempt to show Roy this year as a driving horse. He's a gorgeous critter, but at 14.2 he's much too small for me to ride. Also, the blinkers on the driving harness give me the added bonus of not having to super-glue his fake eye on!

Well that's all for now, just felt like I should update since I haven't had a chance to in a while!

Equine Affaire, and a sad loss.

I'll start with the loss: My aunt made the hard decision to put down her old mare Anna on Parade yesterday. Anna was 26, and had been slowly declining for about three months. As of last week something was very wrong with her hip, and although she was bright and alert, the choice was made to let her go because she was in pain. Anna, on top of having been a very nice Park mare in her younger years, was the mother of Heiress on Parade/Frankie (who we lost to colic a few years ago), and Radiant Roy, our somewhat infamous one-eyed pony. She will be missed.



On a much happier note, Duke and I participated in this year's Equine Affaire this past weekend, both in the breed demo and the petting stall. Duke was a hit in the petting stall, partially because he's big and white and sweet, and partially because he's a mooch for peppermints! In the breed demo we demonstrated In Hand, showing off his conformation. I wish I could have had a tailer, because without one Du' doesn't get very flashy, but we didn't want to give people the impression that Saddlebreds are so crazy that they need two handlers.

Kristi Pike (a friend and fellow AOT) was kind enough to take some pictures using my camera. She's not familiar with DSLR's so I made sure to turn on the Auto-focus and the Vibration Reduction features, but stupid here forgot to increase the shutter speed which means that almost everything is too blurry! This picture from the end turned out pretty well though, although I wish his ears were up!

Almost April

Which is going to be rolling in with a week of wonderfully warm weather! Big Guy's exercise program has been coming along, with a few hits and misses. If he has even the slightest heat in his tendon I scrap riding in favor of groundwork, and if we are stuck riding in the barn he gets cranky, and will even canter indoors (which I know I shouldn't let him do on his own, but I miss going faster!). And on a 100ft straightaway, it can be a bit scary how quickly that opposite door appears!

The first day we got to ride outside, Duke was so wound-up that he bounced the whole time: he was very polite about it and was very very slow (a piaffe at times), but he would not flat walk for more than a step or two. He really wants to get going, and so do I! I'm hoping for the ring to be dried out again this week so that we can go out again - we've had rain and even a night of snow for the past week and right now the ring is a swamp.

Our horse show cart should be ready soon from being refinished (the pony cart is done, and Julie is picking it up tomorrow - no more ugly green!), and I just need to find the tire-pump for the jog cart tires, and we will be all ready to start light jogging and our debut in Pleasure Driving this year!



Oh yeah, before I go: Duke is going to be in the Breed Demo Stall at Equine Affaire April 8-11. If you are going to be attending, come and say hi!