Breaking the Ice

It’s been since November since I have been able to really do any riding. Four months of no work is far, far too long. There is more snow in the forecast, another round of winter weather advisories and warning. The icy wind has been blowing for days. The ice in the pastures were beginning to lessen until this recent refreeze. Old man winter is far from being done with us here in Northwest Montana . There isn’t much I can do about that. I’ll have to settle for taking solace in knowing that we are atleast on the back side of winter. Patches of brown grass are beginning to poke up in the yard, the angle of the sun is changing, the horses are beginning to shed, and the daylight is lingering just a bit longer in the evenings. There is still a skim of gray light across the landscape for evening chores.

Without wanting to get too fussed up over planning for the season, there are a few to-do’s before my riding season can officially begin.

This year I have a new challenge. Two horses to work, consistently, each with very different needs. Maggie needs continued conditioning , long and slow as they say . She’ll be six this year. Last year, I had just barely had her saddled for the first time by this time of year and in a short few months managed to get her through her first limited distance. What can I say, she was a quick study! This year, her muscles, tendons and ligaments are still underdeveloped for longer distances. Two definite rides are on the schedule, with 2-3 other possibilities. Maggie and I are also going to get a bit more serious about dressage this year. Maggie likes to be in charge and the discipline of dressage work brought her a long way last year, but we have a long way to go yet.
By the end of the season I hope to be riding her at training level and successfully riding Test 2 with ease. May as well set the standard high!! Ahh, the dreaded 20 Meter circle and canter transitions….

JB will begin conditioning again but not with the goal of completing any rides. My focus with him will be a slow rebuilding of his mind and physical well being after a year of being off any work from his surgery. More dressage and long slow trail rides will definitely be on the books for him. My guess is, he’ll be tagging along one way or the other on several outings. The simple joy of just spending time riding him again is enough to keep me totally content. It will be like long lost friends reunited and I am so looking forward familiarity of our partnership.

In the coming weeks, as things begin to shift, 9and hopefully the ice and snow really starts to disappear. I will take the anticipation of wanting to ride (and waiting out the weather) and direct that energy into something productive, like plucking away at the task list I seem to have acquired for myself for ride season start up. There is much to do.

--Maggie needs a new saddle -
It’s time I get serious about getting Maggie her own equipment . I used the Duett last year but that is JB’s saddle. It fits JB like a glove (or at least it did when he didn’t look like a stuffed cupcake like he is now!) For Maggie, it did the job and got us through the Thompson River Ride last year but it isn’t the best fit for her. Last fall, on any conditioning rides, I was riding her in my Wade but that isn’t something I want to ride her in for any distance. It’s fits her well, but it’s 33 lbs and doesn’t have free swinging stirrups. In the coming weeks, I will be working on taking measurements of Maggie’s back for a couple of different saddles I am considering. I will do my best to try to post pics of this process as time allows. Ofcourse, I’ll also need to get the required accutrements, breast collar, girth, saddle pads, etc…add that to the list…



--Maggie will also be getting borium shoes put on.

***Barefoot people, don't run to comments to give me heck about this one...I have already done the research on boots with studs and until they come up with a safer alternative, I am sticking with borium.. sorry to disappoint but that is just how it is going to be***

Having Borium shoes on will allow me to start riding Maggie now, as opposed to waiting until April or May. A few of my more adventurous riding partners that have already begun hitting the snowy trails. I am anxious to start whittling away at Maggie’s winter waist line (she’s a Morgan, she can’t help it) . Winter has been good to the girl.
Riding through deep snow is one of my favorite things to do on a horse this time of year and if careful, it offers some great conditioning similar to sand.

--Get the Horse Trailer ready-
I dread this one. The old grey steel gooseneck needs some help this year. I had hoped to purchase a new trailer by now, but it looks like the old Standy by will have to get us through another year, which is fine. It just makes camping for me a whole lot less convenient. New tires, a few welding repairs, and repacking of the bearings will get it ready to go. It’s also due to pulling the mats, powerwash the floor boards and of course check the floorboards for any signs of rot and replace as needed but they should all be fine as we redid the floor a few years ago years ago. Anyone in the market for a 1995 S&S Steel Gooseneck Stock Trailer??

--New windshield for the truck-
can’t ignore that crack any longer…


--Restart the boot fitting process with JB
I want to see if I can use the Easyboot Gloves for his hind feet. I also need to get new pads for front Epics.

--Get on Liz Tukey’s schedule for July or August for a couple of lessons.

As far as Horse related things to do, I think that should keep my mind and wallet plenty occupied for now. We are also getting ready for some new features to the farm this year.

What goes cluck and has big ears?

Stay tuned.

My First

Well, I never set out to win any awards for my blog and I rarely win anything but Karen over at Wren Loop Thoroughbreds nominated me as having a Stylish blog.. well fancy that!!!

Me.. Stylish?? Who'd a thunk???

Well, Karen , if you say so, who am I to argue?? Thanks for the award and here's to firsts in the world of blogging.

All of you readers, Go check out Karen's blog. Pretty good stuff over there!

Resurgence

I took a walk today on my horse, bareback with nothing but a halter to guide her. We tromped through snow drifts and lazily made our way around the pasture, once, twice, three more. My ears and nose pink with the cold, but my hands warm tangled in her mane. It was the first time since November I have climbed on a horse. My senses awake and alive.
It wasn't much of a ride, but Maggie was huffing a bit, almost felt a bit warm with all of her hair. Do I dare call it the first condition ride of the season??? No, not a condition ride. A time to remember, to remind, to reconnect. To feel, to sense, to listen to each others hearts.
It wasn't much, but It will have to do for now until the snow melts away, the evenings linger just a bit longer and the sun warms our faces. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

The road ahead hold promises, dreams to come and miles to run, and sunsets to chase.

The Human Horse Relationship

I ran across this video a couple years ago. I often go back to watch it. I have watch it probably 50 times, maybe more and each time, it send chills up my spine. Each time, I am in awe at the sheer mastery of horsemanship of this rider and the profound relationship he has developed with his horse. Leaving the highly heated debate of the Spanish Bull Fighting aside, one cannot argue the fact that this duo has something special, something earned. Those of us striving to develop a deeper relationship, better communication or just better riding skills. take note. There is alot going on between man and horse in this video that most of us can only begin to grasp.

I don't know about any of you, I find this video an inspiration.

I encourage you to appreciate the tradition that this sport is steeped, look past the graphic content , and truly watch to see some amazing horsemanship unfold before your eyes.



Warning- somewhat graphic content

January Blahs

Imprisoned into the safe confines of sanded corrals, the horses are crabby, sullen and terribly bored. Their legs yearn to run, their lungs to burn with the icy crystalized air and their manes tossing wildly with the gusting winter winds. They will have to wait.The ice sheet that now covers the majority of our 5 acres left me no choice last weekend. A decision between safety and confinement or freedom and danger. I chose safety. The risk of a a horse down on the ice, unable to get up , or worse, a broken limb, was too high.

I hate winters like this; lots of snow with below freezing temps, followed by a warming trend which brings rain and melting snow, only to be followed by dipping temps once again and snow, to now hide the disastrous footing from unsuspecting equines.

So, we have officially entered the January blahs, a point in time where my horses and myslef long for warmer days to frolic and play in the sunshine.

C'MON SPRING!!!

Picasa help!

Okay, it CANNOT possibly be this difficult to upload photos from Picasa but apparently it is..

I saved certain photos to a specific album name in Picasa, then opened up a new gadget for a slideshow, chose Other, copied the URL from the new folder and when I saved it, the gadget just sat there and said "loading" forever and never actually uploaded any photos...

Any advice???

Dirty Laundry

A blog is a wonderful place to connect with others, meet new people, share interests, bounce ideas and blab about whatever your heart desires. I started my blog for all those reasons and because I love horses, I love to talk about horses and I love to talk to other people about horses. Pretty simple.

Since starting this blog in 2008, I have shared a lot of things, mostly horse related but there have been a few other topics as well. I have enjoyed having it as a “creative “ outlet of sorts but at times, I have struggled with finding a balance between not sharing those things that I feel should be left sacred and sharing those things that are okay to share that my readers would enjoy reading . I have also treaded lightly on subjects that can turn into a perceived insult. Lets face it, horse people can have pretty strong opinions and thoughts about how things should be done when it comes to horses. In a lot of cases, I have found those opinions, methods, and thoughts are all too often based on ego driven agendas with horse people. In 2011 I might risk going out on a limb a bit and dabble into a few more “touchy” horse subjects that I have avoided in the past.

In the meantime, I thought it might fun to air a bit of my dirty laundry with you all and followed in the steps of a post idea that several , like EG, Tamara , Funder (and probably numerous others) have already done.

Here's 31 “things about me” that you probably didn’t know , or would have never guessed, or maybe didn’t want to know but now do??? Anyways, hope you enjoy them and try not to laugh too hard???

1.I first fell in love with the Spanish Horses in 1995 when I had the rare opportunity to train one of the first few Spanish Norman fillies by Spanish-Norman sire Romantico HHF from Hamid Hill Farms. I also had the honor to show her in harness at her very first show. She was awesome and I was in love. I knew I definitely wanted another Spanish horse someday back then. I never knew the experience would come full circle with having the opportunity to own the type of horse, a Barb, proclaimed to be the ancestor of the Spanish Norman warhorses Linda and Allan were breeding back then. Life is funny.

2.I love splitting wood as an occasional stress relief.

3.I am quirky and get worse as I get older.

4.I am obsessive compulsive about things, like unplugging my curling iron before leaving the house in the morning. I have been known to get miles down the road , only to have to turn around to re check it again, only to find, every time, that I did in fact unplug it (it does have an auto shut off , but don’t go there)

5. I am left handed to eat and write with, but do almost everything else right handed.

6. I occasionally partake in Horseback archery competitions and have to hold the bow upside down in order to hit the target. Must be a left handed thing…

7. I swam before I walked because my older sibling threw me in our pool (with water wings ofcourse) when mom and dad weren’t watching.

8. I prefer not to use the last of anything, especially toothpaste. Refer to # 3 for an explanation.

9. I constantly misplace my car keys.

10. I have the olfactory sense of a bloodhound. I can smell things you don’t even want to know about.

11. I think I have a good sense of direction until I get lost, which happens a lot…

12. I was kicked in the head by a horse at the age of 11 and should not have survived.

13. I ruptured my spleen a year later and almost bled to death. The spleen healed on its own with blood transfusions as supportive therapy. The surgeons said it was unheard of given how bad the rupture was.

14. I never outgrew that annoying habit that kids have of asking “why” . I am insanely curious about things and tend to be a research geek. I never settle on an answer until I have researched it myself.

15. I have more interests than I have time to pursue.

16. I am deathly afraid of lizards, spiders and snakes and I don’t much like chickens or turkeys either.

17. I have two brothers and a sister.

18. I have an eclectic taste in music but my favorite is Jazz. My uncle was a jazz musician.

19. I am pretty good at shredding people verbally if they want to argue about something and I am a master at using one’s own words against them.

20. I require a lot quiet and alone time.

21. I spent several years wishing I was the crafty creative type. I tried various crafts, trying to find the one that worked for me. I went through cross stitching, sewing, beading, bracelet making, quilting and who knows what else. In the end, I ruined a sewing machine, glued myself to material, and all kinds of other mishaps before I resigned to the fact that I am not crafty or creative. If I am lucky, I can sort of sew a button on my shirt in an emergency… maybe.

22. On the other hand, I am pretty good at interior design. Go figure.

23.I absolutely cannot follow a recipe to save my life. I always have to change something. I blame it on growing up with my Hungarian grandmother who was an amazing cook. I inherited her skills.

24. I hate unloading the dishwasher.

25.I find belly buttons repulsive and belly button jewelry triggers my gag reflex. Feet are barely tolerable. Again, see #3.

26. I learned to play a Jembe drum but in the process, also learned that I am Rhythym challenged. That would explain why I dance like Elaine on Seinfeld.

27. I find it hilarious when people fall and have offended more than one person as a result. I am told it’s a nervous response. I diasagree, I just find it friekin hilarious to watch people fall down.

28.I grew up living next to Meryl Steep and knew all her kids.

29. I taught Jane Curtain’s daughter how to ride horses in Pony Club.

30. I excercised one of Whoopi Goldbergs Arabians for a summer. He was crazy.

31. I hate shopping, unless it's for horse stuff..hate hate hate it.

So there you have it...me and all my "quirks"

Bonus(just because)
I am ALWAYS the one to find a hair or something disgusting in my food at a restaurant. AlWAYS....