2+1=3 , Yes 3!

Well, I have been quite busy with myself. I happened to fall into a giveaway at the track...yes I now have a OTTB to add to my list.

To make a long story short, my friend Lisa heard about a give away at the track and persuaded me to look at him. The night before we went to look at him, I was laying in bed around 1am and it came to me where I had seen this Thoroughbred that was described to me. When I was looking last year on the CANTER MID ATLANTIC listings I saw him posted, however, the trainer wanted $4k for him (What his claiming price was). So there was no chance of me going to look at him for that amount. Next thing after another...I had a OTTB at the farm I board at when I got back from our vacation in Cancun.

His racing name was Trafalgar ( I now call him Tegan for short). He ran 21 races and won around $21k. He was retired because his ankle (Osselets) was bothering him and his trainer wanted him to find a good home and a new job. He is a dapple gray and 16.2 1/2 hands tall. He is quite skinny, but already gaining weight.

Tegan has settled in quite well. I have ridden him a couple of times. We are working on bending and collecting. I have even popped him over a few cross rails. He is very quiet, willing, and a real gentleman! His legs are tight and cold. The only problem is that I cannot keep his shoes on. He has already lost two in the past few weeks. Bell boots are on him pretty much 24/7. He travels very close behind, so I believe that is the problem.

Lilly is back to her old self. I have been taking lessons on her every week. We have been working on her transitions between gaits as well as simple changes. Our last lesson we did a whole bunch of tight roll backs...I thought I was going to die :)

I definitely know her spookiness has something to do with her hormones. I am looking into a few options for next spring. I am weighing her options, but leaning towards trying to marble her. Marbling is when a vet inserts a glass marble in the uterus of the mare, which in turn makes her think she is prego. It lasts until the marble is expelled, usually averaging a few months. The cost is about $150, which would definitely be cheaper then trying the depo shot every few weeks or Regumate every day.

I recently have been taking Willow out on the trails about once a week. She is doing so well! No one can believe she is only 2! I have started to canter her while on the trails, and just started cantering this week in the ring. It is much easier to ask her to canter when she is following a group of horses. Since she is half draft, she is very lazy and stubborn. When I do ring work with her, she can get agitated easily, so I have to ask gently and slowly so she does not blow up (she has turned into a bucking/rearing bronco when she is not asked in a gentle way). She has perfected going through streams and going down steep muddy hills. She is very careful about her footing, which is worth more than gold :)