Saturday, June 12, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
3 Horses and not a lot of time!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Blizzards X2
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A Few Big Firsts
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Snowed in at Home
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
A Belated Turkey Day Video
Thanksgiving was a blast. In the morning I rode Willow (where I sprained my ankle), then we tailgated at the blessing of the hounds. After the blessing, we drove around the countryside to follow the hunt.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Stella
Monday, November 23, 2009
A true rainy day..
Thursday, November 5, 2009
2+1=3 , Yes 3!
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 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 :)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
:)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
On the Buckle...
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Grooming Day
Monday, September 28, 2009
New Video Camera!!
While grooming I took some short videos. I just got a camcorder and am super excited to finally get to record my horses progress. The battery wasn't completely charged, so I will have to wait till tomorrow to get them actually working. Anywhoooo...
Lilly was perfect today. She was very balanced at the canter even though it was so sloppy and slippery. She amazed me how willing she was to collect and do what I had asked of her. We popped over a few low jumps. She didn't pull and completely listened to me! So we called it quits on a good note. Although it was all good notes!
After taking care of Lilly after the ride, I got Willow ready to lunge. First I had to tackle the burs.....
Today was the first day I introduced sidereins. Again, I couldn't ask her to be any better. She extended her trot and halted every time I cued her to. After a while of going in each direction, I added a pole on opposite ends of the circle. She just trotted over them like she had been doing it for years!
I took the sidereins off of Willow and wanted her trot over the cavaletti. I have had her walk over it a few weeks ago, but I still didn't know what she would do at the trot. I thought that she might refuse the first time, but to my surprise she popped her big self right over it! I cannot believe what a willing girl she is! I cannot wait till she is able to take me out in the country side and we can enjoy the scenery together!!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Mares Mares Mares
Monday, September 7, 2009
Trying to pose with a 2 year old!
And here are a sampling of photos of me trying to get Willow in the same picture as I. She would not stay still, plus her head is so big, I couldn't get it in the picture..
Progress
Here are some pictures after I rode Lilly. She was super tired and ready to go relax!
After we were all done with untacking and grooming, we went to rest in the shade. I napped while she ate grass.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
I am back!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
More Bumps in the Road
Monday, June 22, 2009
..."Today, You Won"
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Rain Rain Rain
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Training can test your PATIENCE!
I feel like she is looking so much better. It is hard to completely tell in the pictures! When she arrived at my farm you could see her ribs and backbone. She was shipped with 1/2 inch thick dried mud on her from head to toe! The woman I bought her from did not take great care of her. She bought the horse last November from the Amish to flip (retard...) for $5000, and couldn't because of the economy. So Willow's condition went down hill. The food she fed this horse looked like it was for cows! Willow had trust issues with her back end as well as her ears from being ear twitched. The woman lied to me and said she had the horse for over a year, however, on the coggins dated November 15, 2008, another owner was listed, and Willow was listed for sale on the Internet on November 18, 2008.
I haven't figured out if I should email this woman and let her know I figured out her lies, and also to email her an updated picture to show what great shape she is NOW in.
It is truly amazing what food, water, a brush, and some LOVE can do...
Monday, June 1, 2009
Yin and Yang
So to start off my day today, I rode Lilly, my trained mare that I show. She decided that she wanted to spook at everything as we hacked around the ring. After quite a bit, I thought I had everything worked out of her and became pretty relaxed, then she spun on a dime when the wind blew, and I went the other direction . It's my fault that I trusted her, I know not too! I firmly corrected her and got back on, and of course she was a perfect as pie after that! I didn't jump today, after having to fight with her to bend and act like a lady! I think that she is perfect at horse shows because she doesn't know if anything is out of place. At the farm, she knows if something is where it shouldn't be. It usually happens when we ride alone, but if we are in the ring with other people she is usually fine.
After I was done with Lilly, I rode Willow. We walked and did small circles, and we also walked over ground poles. She was so good, that I decided to see what she would do if I asked her to trot. And she was PERFECT! No issues what so ever. She would trot around half of the ring and stop, then I would as for the trot again. We went twice around the ring both ways. I don't want to push her, so that was good for me.
The gash on her leg is getting better, but it is still huge and soft. It is hardening up, but it will take time to be completely. When I scrub the dirt off, it starts to bleed, but it is better then it getting infected!
I finally got a pic of it...
I am going to the barn all day tomorrow, so I should have another update....till then....
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Grass IS Green
Monday, May 18, 2009
Mare's in Season
Friday, May 15, 2009
Sunrise Over Hilltop
Once I got to the barn, I tacked Lilly up and went for a quick ride. We worked on bending and collecting. Can never have to much of that. We have also have been working on simple changes, hopefully soon we will get a flying....
Most of the mares were switched to the back field where there is plenty of grass so the regular mare's field could get a rest. Lilly was one who was kept in the old field :( Sometimes she can be hard to catch for some people, and we don't want her to founder on all that grass. The days that I go ride in the pm, she can go out with the rest of the mares because she always comes to me.
I have another long day at work tomorrow, but TGIS.....the weekend is almost here and I can go play in the mud!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Ramblings
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Almost Full Day at the Barn
I started working on her feathers....Goodness does she have feathers. I took most of it off the front, but I left a little near her pastern because she hasn't perfected giving me her hoof.
I have been worried about the condition of her hooves. She has been getting a hoof supplement for the past month. Today I also got a new hoof ointment that I hear is pretty good called Effol from Germany. It is made in the same factory that human cosmetics are made. So it must have great ingredients in it. I cleaned her hooves when we were finished and applied it to her hoof walls.