The "Mane" Equine Community on LJ

Barns, central VA

2008-07-26T03:55:38Z

I am so unutterably furious right now it's all I can do to NOT go down to the BOs house and just completely dismantle her.

I was told today by my friend's two daughters that the BO went after my mare with a whip because she was yelling and hollering and farting around in the paddock. I was offered a stall to put her in for short periods of time to help control her weight; since I was going to school at a show today, I kept her up for a couple days - ONE night at the request of said barn owner to help one of her horses deal with the fact that her BFF was leaving the farm. So she turned her out in the paddock behind the barn, which is fine, but not in the agreement. I digress.

The point is, she went after Harper with a whip for talking, and then BITCHED that it took her twenty minutes to catch her. WELL NO FUCKING SHIT, SHERLOCK. Goddess bless.

That was the last straw; they're leaving for World's on Wednesday and won't be back until the following Monday or Tuesday. If I can help it, my ass is GONE by the time she gets back. I have no contract for Harper, NOR for the cottage I'm renting on the farm, so if she's going to be a common bitch and go after my mare with a whip, I don't have the respect for her to give her 30 days notice.

If I can't get out of here by then, Harper will NEVER set foot in that barn again unless *I* am the one there, and if she has to stay in for any reason, I'm parking a cot in front of her stall. I just cannot BELIEVE she did that. (Really, I can, I mean this IS the woman who went after her broodmare and foal with a whip. But you don't do that to a BOARDER, that's your BUSINESS. Ugh.))

Any of you central VA natives (Richmond, or west - Hanover, Henrico, Louisa, Goochland counties) know of a barn that can take a TB mare, and a human renter? I'd love love love to be able to live on the same farm as my horse again, but at this point it's a matter of getting Harper OUT of here, pronto. I can move back in with my parents if I have to. I can't afford a whole lot, but I've got no problem working off part/all of Harper's board and/or my rent if I have to. I've just got to LEAVE...and if someone is looking for a live in that will work at the farm full time, I'm all for that, too.

Thanks!

HELP!!!!!

2008-07-26T03:44:55Z

I've never posted here before,being that I dont even own a horse right now.But I went to see a lady today about helping her with some horses that she just bought.I didnt even get to meet her today ad she was trying to get some rest.She had 34 horses trailer in this morning,22 pregnant mares and 12 foals!!!I couldnt believe the condition they were in!!Almost all of them had what looked like mud fungus on their faces and backs,but Im not for sure that thats what it was.Many of them were serverly underweight and there were too many cuts to count.One of the foals had had a run-in with some barbed wire and most of the skin had been stripped from the bottom of one of its back legs.It was sooo terribly sad.Im not sure if this girl knows what she got herself into,I dont know her at all!!!But if anyone has some helpful suggestions for getting these poor animals back in good health,I would love it.I know some about treating injuries but this is BIG!I was able to go aroung with an antiseptic/antifungal spray and do a little with that,but I dont know really whats best for this.I dont know what other sort of help she may be getting or if she really knows much herself......

Saddles

2008-07-26T02:55:32Z

So I'm in the market for a new saddle (since my current one is older than I am) and after trying out many, many from Dover's stock, think that I have narrowed it down to Pessoa's Blyth Tait Eventing Saddle. SO comfortable in the seat, and something that actually fits my crazylong thighbone. But that is all on the fake horse in the store.

I was wondering if anyone has this saddle or know someone/has heard anything about it? Does it hold up? Comfortable for the horse/rider?

Even if you don't know anything about that specific saddle, any thoughts on Pessoa saddles in general?

Thanks for your help :)

equestrian @ 2008-07-25T22:49:00

2008-07-26T02:50:43Z

Does anyone have any information pertaining to the following Saddlebred stallions?

Sir William Robert
Sir York

Sir York is my horse's sire and if you have a photo of him I would love to see it. :) Thank you!

equestrian @ 2008-07-25T21:14:00

2008-07-26T02:17:10Z

i kind of fear posting this on here. i dont feel like getting snarky comments. meaning i am NOT looking for critiques or advice what so ever. so dont give it. i'm basically posting this because this community needs more activity thats not drama related, and because i miss being an active member.

this is us just messing around in our new arena at home.

*edited to fix the embed video*

Asher Update

2008-07-25T22:37:33Z

I thought I would take the time to post some photos of my darling to those who can appreciate.

On May 5, my Percheron mare Prima foaled a colt - Asher. He's out of the cremello TB Guaranteed Gold

Since then, he has become such a gem. He leads. He bathes (sometimes). He will run up to you, spin around, and shove his ass in your chest and force you to scratch his arse :P He loves people, and is so smart and friendly. My new farrier absolutely did not beleive me when I said he was only 2.5 months old. He is already in a yearling size halter.
Despite my dissapointment at being a palomino instead of a buckskin, he is put together so well it almost is artistic. I just love this boy. If there weren't 129371928371923x too many stallions around already and I had the facility, I just might keep him entire :P

I am still debating his registered name/show name. Its hard because he hasn't entirely shed out yet, and the genetics of it all still blow my mind. It was a 80% chance of being a buckskin, and he's a palomino. On top of that, the darker the mare, the more deep of a gold shade their coat should be. Well, momma's black, and Asher is literally seeming to be shedding out solid white. Only time will tell.

Here's some of the names im considering...thoughts? (Prima Dona x Guaranteed Gold)

Primary Alchemy
SolarWinds
Sunscream

Simply put...

Harassing my ancient gelding..he loves him SO much, lol.

ZOOOOM!@

I just cant beleive how big he is. It blows my mind. :)

free horse

2008-07-25T22:16:28Z

I have been meaning to post this for a few weeks, but haven't been able to get around to it till now. The BO that has my old horse is downsizing. My old man is one slated to leave. What i wanted to see for him was a nice retirement forever home. I would LOVE to be the one to give him that home, but my husband and i just bought a house. Truthfully, my husband doesn't want the responsibilities of an old horse. We would have to board him and i could only afford partial board, so i would be spending more time at a barn than at home.

Another option was a therapeutic riding center. No one will take him.

I do NOT want him to go to a home with slightly older young children (9+), as they tend to over-work a horse (yes, i know- generalization. But down south it is rampet).

So anyone know anyone looking for a pasture pet/companion horse? He's a 28 year old OTTB. He may only have a year or two left. I checked on him today and he looked like he's lost a bit of weight and with the rain he's got a nice helping of rain-rot. He's a bit of a special needs horse since he no longer can chew. He's feed has to be watered down to the consistency of soup. He can't have hay. He can graze, but most of it just dribbles out. He's a wonderful horse who saved my life when a was a teenager. If never had him and loved him, lord knows how i would have turned out. I wish i could help him now, but with rising prices, i do not think i could. He gets along great with any horse he meets (really, any horse he doesn't like at first, he always ends up liking them. He's always interested in meeting any horse).

Here's the old man in January '07.

And in early '08

Located in south-central louisiana.

This does break my heart and i've been crying about it for 3 weeks now.. the last option (if we find no one) will to be to put him down. That will hurt me the most, as i do believe that he could have a happy last few years..

I'm...

2008-07-25T21:23:57Z

GETTING AN ARENA!(~!!!!)

Aah I'm so excited! I just had to share...

My Grandpa (property owner- well, sort of, his sister "owns" it now) and I have been going back and forth about the arena situation for years now.

He has ~350 acres of mostly undeveloped pasture land... it's fantastic for the horses, there are GREAT trails (you can stay out for hours and never see the same place twice)... I love it! My horses have been there since... well, they've always been there, minus a few short stints. Once to allow my mare to foal, then both my mare and filly went to my trainer's for a couple of months before I decided to bring them home. Nothing like free compared to $400 a month per horse!

Now that my filly is growing up, I've really had my sights set on an arena... nothing particularly fancy, just a place where we can manage the footing so that I don't have to worry about her legs when I back her next year. Grandpa is still saying no... after all, we DO have the dry lot to work in (but fairly small) and a 100' round pen. But... you know... we REALLY need an arena. :P

The big concern (for both of us) was eating up pasture land... we only have ~80 head of cattle right now and our grass is really top of the line, but we don't like to waste space. It's bad enough that my little brother putzes around on his dirtbike in some places...

So last week I set to scheming up a place to put it that isn't well-used/doesn't grow grass as well as other places. The problem was that most of the places that are out of the way/not well grazed are also slightly sloping or rolling... great for young horses to run around on but not so good for my broke self to spend money leveling!

When I presented my ideas to him last night, he... agreed to all of them (?!) and then said, "But there's a place that would be a lot easier, closer to the barn, and cheaper." Where's that? "Oh, in the barnyard."

?!?!?!?@# TGM@$!M%!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT?!

He volunteered the PRIME spot in front of the barn for my arena! YES!

Because his cows come up that way (into the round pen and through to the dry lots and sorting pen) I wouldn't have thought he'd ever agree to that in a million years... and if he did, it would have to be a VERY small patch of land. I never would have even asked that of him. Then he went and volunteered it on his own!

This morning I went down to figure out the dimensions... was wanting 100'x200' but once I clapped my eyes on it, it looked like it was going to have to be around 100'x150'. But I went ahead and marked it off at 100'x150' and headed over to drop the measuring tape off. Grandpa showed up then and we went back to the barn, where he showed me what he'd had in mind (which was MUCH better). We planned where we'll put the gates and he showed me where the water line is.

I am SO EXCITED. It's gonna be perfect.

Here's the diagram I put together in MS Paint:

Whoohoo!

Kitten Update

2008-07-25T18:46:43Z

Just wanted to update you all on the kitten situation.

Went out yesterday and talked to the wife. She doesn't like horses much and stays away from the barn. She didn't even know that the momma cat had been killed. I told her the situation and she was furious. She basically told me to take the kittens immediately and that she would pay for any vet care they needed. Pretty sure she chewed her husband (the BO) out that night.

I took all four to a vet, who gave them some fluids to get them rehydrated. They all tested negative for FeLV, which is great. I took home two of them, and my friend took home the other two.

They're healthy and happy at the moment. It took them a while to get used to the bottles, but once they figured it out, they were golden. They're sleeping now. I'll add pictures as soon as I have time to take some.

Thanks to everyone who was so helpful through the whole situation.

7 months later

2008-07-25T15:46:16Z

So, just over 7 months ago, I brought home a morbidly obese, surly grade paint gelding. Some of you might remember this- I needed big, beefy, sane-ish, and capable of dressage and jumpers and baking apple pies and speaking Swahili and performing open-heart surgery with one hoof tied behind it's back.

I thought he was the bee's knees at first, but the honeymoon period quickly ended. His herdbound behavior made life with him rather difficult. He was pushy and rude and walked all over everybody.

Django has lost weight, trimmed up, and really become a hell of a horse. We've still got a long way to go- for both of us. My riding needs work and he's still figuring all sorts of things out. I've found a partner and a friend in this horse, however, and I couldn't be more thrilled. He's got such a big heart.

There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not thankful for my knowledgeable trainer and barn owner, or for the friendly, helpful folks at my barn. I've grown so fond of my farrier- I made him strawberry rhubarb pie last time he was out to do Django's feet.

Django's trailering issues have disappeared. He's still not overly fond of ramps, but he'll do them if asked. He stands quietly to be tacked, stands quietly to be mounted.

Django has turned out to be amazing on trails- he doesn't bat an eye at water, or jumping logs in the path. He's become the babysitter on trail for the more nervous nelly horses. We trailered out to the Big Rock Forest Preserve (in Big Rock, IL) and he was more than willing to follow me across this bridge. The bridge swayed like crazy... A trip to the cross country course in Barrington, IL proved to be a blast. He is so brave and I am SO proud of him.

When we bought him, trainer said we were looking at 2'6 fences tops, most likely. With shoes and pads in front and a properly fitting saddle, Django's proved her wrong. We're certainly not doing big fences regularly- my position needs major help and Django needs to learn to use his body more effectively, but...

So, I guess what I have to say is this: I'm so appreciative of the kind guidance and thoughtful suggestions available in the horse world, here and in real life. I'm a beginner, and Django's a beginner, and together... we're beginning to get the hang of things. Life is good and I love my beastie.

Horse Behavior Books

2008-07-25T11:36:29Z

I was wondering if anyone has any recommended reading for pre-teen riders (and their parents) who are coming up with far-fetched reasons for their horses behavior?

Basically, I've been hearing a lot of "My horse won't go on the wash rack because it saw me fall in the mud like two months ago and then my dad sprayed me with the hose so now it's trying to protect me by not going on the wash rack."

Ridiculous, right?

Except that the kid has her parents believing (and saying to others) this statement about the wash rack and a couple other bad habits she's teaching her horse mainly because she treats her 7 year old trained WP horse as if she's afraid of it on the ground.

(Edited to fix grammar mistakes)

equestrian @ 2008-07-24T22:47:00

2008-07-25T04:58:32Z

Amid all the recent drama, I just returned from a lovely horse show and drama or not, everyone loves pictures.

Aiden is ready to go.

Sole point to this photograph: Check the sweet bumble bee pad. my mommy made it for me!

my eq is fail without stirrups.

some bank jumpin'

Classic. so much fun!

The arena was freakin' huge. This is like, 1/8 of it.

We got third!!

Rinsing fun

Aiden is cheerful

I can't close my mouth. I just can't do it.

A classic horse show moment. (not me)

Some jump-offing

Classic, week two. Tired Aiden, hanging leg. He's still cute though.

And..comic relief. Aiden opting to not jump..yes, we had the rail.
EPIC FAIL
Finis.

Edited because rich text sucks.
Edited again because livejournal sucks.
Edited a third time because photobucket sucks.
Edited a fourth time because my life sucks.
Edited a fifth time..jesus christ.
Edited a sixth time. Dear The Internet, I hate you so much.
Edited again..somebody just shoot me.

Freedom vs. Tragedy

2008-07-25T04:34:08Z

I, like many, have been a lurker for the most part. I've posted about my tragedy with my gelding, Matthew, and received generous support for which I am most grateful. My heart went out to windy_withers and her loss(es). I love reading about the Shiloh rescue. I love seeing all of the *GORGEOUS* photo collections! However, communication between the members in this community must improve. On this, I hope everyone agrees.

In reference to previous posts, I want to extend my sympathies to "J." While I do not know anyone in the story personally, it is my opinion thus far that she did not deserve this. Her horse and barn owner are also victims. Anyone, when in a constant state of panic, distress, and is thus in "survivor mode" is not truly themselves. I believe that hurtful comments made by J show someone scared, on the offense while protecting herself and her beloved horse, and were not in her true character (this also applies to some other commenters at times). Humans don't always follow the rules. That's why we are capable of forgiveness.

Based on the facts presented thus far, whomever sent that email is a very unstable person. I could be wrong, and I hope I do not have all the facts, for it is a very harsh vision of reality for the present time. Whomever went after J seems quite the villain, worthy of true, real life legal action. I hope that our government system will provide punishments to fit such a crime.

Let us quit dealing with our emotions by trying to find out "who started it" or "passing blame" to appropriate parties. What does it matter? Does it ever really help? Let the mods assign punishment where it's due. So far, I believe the mods are working diligently and appropriately.

harnessphoto's intent was to rectify the nastiness in this community. While an admirable goal/worthy cause, she seems to have been unsuccessful. What does it matter if she made things worse in some ways? What does it matter if her actions led to such a catastrophic event? What does it matter if it isn't her fault? What does it matter if people have differing opinions on the matter? It is out of our control now, and assuredly, harnessphoto has a conscience and already feels very badly about it. If she doesn't, then she won't develop one by having people in this community yell at her, criticize her, and mock her. Please read what I have said just now, and apply it elsewhere, too.

I observe that people have somewhat forgotten how to respect, cherish, and honor diversity. Share your opinions, whatever they may be, in a polite, civil manner. If you do, all the drama, all the heartache, all the schemes to put an end to the evils disappear. EVERYONE deserves to be heard, let's make sure we're all here to support that right by just being, and please forgive me, NICE.

I am only 22 years old. I went to alternative kindergarten because I wasn't yet emotionally strong enough for kindergarten. I have just graduated college. I can hardly consider myself a well-established, wise woman worthy of advising people of all ages, races, backgrounds, values, etc. When I look around, I see people capable of contributing so much more than I. However, some choose to bicker, gossip, and inflict pain on others... why? I hope that those who have it within them to lead this community back to its true and original purpose can accomplish that. There is so much I/we want to learn, and there are beautiful people here capable of teaching us. What a wondrous gift this community has to offer!

Let us remember that we aren't here for just ourselves, we're also here for the horses.

Thanks for reading. Please take everything I've said in the kindest possible way for that is how it is intended.

National Rescue Ride

2008-07-25T02:36:41Z

Most of you have probably heard of things like March of Dimes, WalkAmerica, etc, where people participate in mini-marathons in order to raise money for charities. I know one park in this area does a Pink Ribbon Ride in the autumn, where you can either walk or ride to support breast cancer research. Personally, it is the ONE AND ONLY time you will ever find me in anything pink. ;)

October 19 there's going to be a National Rescue Ride, to support horsey rescues around the country. (USA, that is.) I think over 50 charities are already registered to participate. A rider or walker can register with the group of their choice, and raise money for them by getting sponsorships from friends and family, or donating out of pocket. The great thing about it is you don't have to have a horse to participate -- so your lesson kids, horse-crazy cousins, and office buddies can join in. Of course, if your trail buddies want to get together and ride, that's even better.

Another neat thing about this is they only really started to get underway a few months ago; they had debated whether or not to try this year, but there was so much interest generated that they went ahead for '08. They're definitely hoping to get an even bigger turnout next year, so if you know of a group that isn't listed, pass it along to them. (I'm not sure if they're still registering new charities for this year, but it couldn't hurt to try!)

For more information, or to find out if your favorite rescue is registered, visit the website: NationalRescueRide.org. Registration forms can be found there as well.

Of course, if you can't join in this year, you can always hit up the Online Store and show your support that way. :) Come on, you know you NEED another barn jacket, don't you?

our barn's little helper

2008-07-25T01:35:37Z

So my BO has 3 sons, the youngest is 4. He always wants to help with the horses, so my BO gave him a job - bring in my retired guy Joshy, and her retired girl Image. He's been doing this for a while, and before you think this is a story straight out of fhotd, Joshy and Image are very docile, and someone is always right there watching. Anyway, back to the cuteness!

Yesterday my sister was getting her horse from the pasture, and saw Joshy and Image out in the "fatty paddock" as usual. 15 minutes later, she is tacking up and notices that Joshy and Image are in their stalls with the doors closed. After doing some investigating, it turns out the 4 year old decided it was time for the 2 retirees to come in for their dinner (it was way too early) so he caught them and brought them in. Something tells me my horse knew it wasn't really dinner time, but how could he disobey his little 4 year old buddy? Of course his mom made sure he understood that he can't just bring the horses in whenever he wants, and from now on he has to have a 'grown up' with him.

It's amazing for me to think that 11 years ago my horse was headshy and terrified of children, and I was even a little scared of him. Now a 4 year old can lead him in from the pasture, brush him, and hug his legs without Joshy batting an eyelash.

More pics... hehe

2008-07-25T00:59:20Z

So Ferarri's ride went well today, but he worked up a sweat when I was trying to make him stand like he's supposed to at the end of a class. He paws, he moves, he does anything to try to keep moving. He HATES standing in one spot for too long(unless he's eating, of course). Haaa. This is something to be worked on.

I took some pics at the barn today with my lovely(that's sarcastic) phone.

Here's a horse you've never seen before.... Aristocat aka Cat. Ferarri's daddy. ;]

What a schmexy Hackney foundation sire. :D He's 18 now.

And of COURSE... Visa ;]

"Please unboard my window... I promise I won't kick it out again and cut one of my main veins near my fetlock"

"Why are you crouching near the ground with that pink thing???"

"That pink thing makes sounds!!!"

"K. Fine. Leave me"

AND.

I found his winner pics from the 2006 RHR show!!!

And one of Remarkable. I've shown pics of him before he's a 3 year old Hackney stallion.

Horse game ...

2008-07-25T00:06:47Z

I don't know if any of you are interested, but I'm totally hooked on this game. And I'm sure some of you are hooked as well. It starts out kind of slow, but it picks up pretty quickly. Click on the link below to join!

http://www.howrse.com/?parrain=RavenCrest

x-posted

equestrian @ 2008-07-24T15:41:00

2008-07-24T23:17:58Z

I highly doubt any of your remember me, but I am a lurker who normally reads almost every post in this community and tries to soak up as much information I can about riding and caring horses. I am a freshman in college who has been riding for eleven years in almost all the main disciplines (hunter/jumpers, dressage, western, reining, etc) but my heart will always be in jumping primarily equitation. Currently though I own an eight year old registered TWH gelding who I am fine-tuning to sell (so I can purchase a hunter/jumper prospect) and a four year old miniature horse mare.

I come to this community with the white flag raised for advice on the mini mare named Summer. Like most minis, she is an easy keeper and seems to get fat on air even though I know it isn't possible. Before I go on explaining what I feed her and what I do to exercise her and blah blah blah, I will give you my question so you can ponder as you read on; How can I spice up my miniature's workout and keep her at a correct weight?

FEED -
Summer is kept in a paddock at night and let out in a quarter of an acre of pasture that only holds very short grass by day. She is let out into the other quadrants of pasture which holds taller grass for about a half an hour to an hour every other day. Because of this, she is given a multivitamin supplement (VitaPlus), a skin and coat supplement (Nu-Image), and once a month a psyllium supplement. With her supplements she is given less than a handful of grain (Equus 5) a day so it won't be straight supplements. I am highly aware that Equus 5 (distributed by Associated Feed) is a performance feed and primarily my TWH grain, but that is why she is given such a small amount. I could easily switch to Pro Plus which is a step higher than Equus 5 but with a lower crude fat and protein percentage, but my TWH flourishes with Equus 5. I could also switch to Platform's Mini and Pony specialized feed, but the closest dealer that carries it is more than 20 miles away and I know miniatures who have not done will with this kind of feed.

EXERCISE -
Summer gets lunged daily for about 45 minutes to an hour. But she gets bored of this very quickly so I usually cut her lunging session to thirty minutes and do something else. I have started jumping her after a couple months of ground poles and cavallettis and now she has mastered the cross-rail and small verticals alone, in lines, and some gymnastics here and there. She loves jumping and can spot her distances without my assistance plus has a super form with the squarest knees I have seen in a while. Unfortunately though we are limited to jumping at least twice a week and at a maximum height of 1'6" because of the inadequate footing. I have tried running with her, but she too gets bored with that easily. She knows the basics of cart-driving (with only two lead ropes and a halter), but the cost of a full blown harness, bridle, and cart is way out of my league and I still have to keep in mind of the footing. I jump her on the softest and flattest surfaces I can find in the pasture, but they are not large enough to cart a mini around.

I have taught her the basics of natural horsemanship and can complete an entire trail course by hand, but I have run out of new ideas! It is difficult to work a horse who loves new and exciting things and you can only do all of this by hand. Since she loves jumping, I have been contemplating on bringing Summer out to the local cross-country course and popping her over a few beginner-novice obstacles. But other then that I am stumped.

How can I spice up my miniature's workout and keep her at a correct weight?

polo!!

2008-07-24T13:28:54Z

Hey guys! I know, I know... I haven't posted in ages. For shame. But I've had nothing to say. Polo season ended, I take a random odd lesson on lesson horses every once in awhile. Life has been lame in the horse sense.

Until this weekend.

Last April I had the EXTREMELY GOOD FORTUNE to meet the alumni who founded the club, one of whom built the Bridgehampton Polo Club (horses for the hoity-toities). We contacted him a few weeks ago and he invited us up to watch... IN THE VIP TENT.

Excuse me? An open bar? A tent with tons of celebrities? Psht. HIGH GOAL POLO!?! I am so in.

Since it was so late we camped (yes, in a tent) in Easthampton which ended up being an affordable, if not interesting option. (we tried to have a campfire when we got back. Lighter fluid may have been involved...)

The teams were White Birch and Jumeirah Culu Culu. Mariano Aguerre was there - a TEN GOALER!!! - and everyone else was in the 5's or 6's. REALLY fantastic. And our contact introduced us to ALL the players, which was incredible.

Unfortunately, I think me and the rest of the Skidmore Polo kids were the only ones there who watched the game... whatever. Everyone else's loss (Nicky Hilton was there, and I hate to be assuming but I doubt she could tell one goalpost from the other...)

Anyway, fortunately for you all I took more pictures than a mom on her kid's first birthday. NOT dial-up friendly, but very horse friendly!

ON to the pictures!!

patriotic display. loves it.

horses warm up

I dunno if any of you watch gossip girls (cough - like i do) but Chase Crawford (aka Nate) was the celebrity host! he got to throw in the first ball

unfortunately he failed miserably

team white birch. they won by like 10 points (which is a lot)

changing horses after the chukker

i love the horse launching in the background

haha i love this one

everyone stomping divots at halftime

one thing about polo: it has destroyed my tight 'right behind the girth' lower leg

crazy neck shot

love his action

INSANE!!! im not even sure whats happening or what happened right after this. death.

blatant fouling (the guy in the green should not have his mallet anywhere near there). guy in the white is appealing (raising his mallet up and being pissy haha)

both teams at the champagne ceremony!

time for best playing pony!!

her rider is in the jersey, her grooms in jeans, and i have no idea who the people in the blackwatch shirts are

i think she was mad she didnt get any champagne

the field after the game

oh ps, we met Ignacio 'Nacho' Figueras, 6-goal polo player, Ralph Lauren Model, and Argentinian Polo God Hottie.

i'm on the left of him in the blue and gold dress looking shell-shocked.

hope you enjoyed!

-Megan

[Edited to: fix the dang pictures.]

Advice on Lease Situation

2008-07-24T02:17:40Z

A few months ago I posted about leasing my 20 MFT gelding to an 11yo boy who takes lessons out at the barn. I expressed concern about the barn owner and trainer (with just enough credentials to teach beginners w/t/c) bossing the boy around. I decided to go ahead with the lease and added a few clauses to keep the trainer off my horse's back and attached a full sheet of instructions on how to take care of horse with mild arthritis (ie. DO NOT TROT UP THE DRIVEWAY!!!).

Things had been going okay so far. The kid calls me all the time and asks a billion questions and I've gone out to check on them and watched him ride. Until today... I have a message on my cellphone "Uhh... Hi it's J. ... I'm pulling Traveler out right now. K. and L. are forcing me to ride him in my lesson today. They said that all the schoolhorses have been ridden and that I HAVE to ride Traveler. .... are you comming out?!?!?"

Up until now he has avoided this like a champ. We had started the lease with the agreement that he wouldn't be taking lessons from the barn Trainer. She's fine for teaching beginners, most of the bad habits she teaches are easily fixable: never asking the horse to accept contact, making her students pump their hands at the walk to "follow the horse's head" (uhmm... why would you need to do this if there is no contact in the first place? --- and so loudly too!), sitting on their crotches in the uber-ugly Hunter Under Saddle posture. ICK! ICK! ICK! She's anti-dressage which is the only thing that my gelding has had professional training in. After two years of taking lessons from her this kid didn't even know how to ask a horse to move off his leg. However he knows he needs to ride Traveler differently and I've given him a few informal lessons inviting him to experiment with his seat and leg and watch for feedback from the horse.

So I get a phone call over the weekend that something is up with Traveler. I head out and do a little free longing in the roundpen and he appears to be off a bit at the trot. Upon inspection of his legs it looks like he had recently clipped himself on the ankle, nothing serious. He's very midly lame so I leave instructions for the kid to give him a few days off and then see if he's improved.

I've been super busy with school, work, and my younger gelding in his new training barn so I haven't had the chance to go out and re-check Traveler. Honestly if I had the time to be out there every day I probably wouldn't have leased him out in the first place -- perhaps I was confused about what a care-lease meant.

So after the afore-mentioned message there's another. "Hey... I had to jump off Traveler halfway through my lesson because he's off at the trot..... are you comming out today?!?!?!?" ARGH.

1. Why did the barn owner/trainer pressure this kid into riding a potentially lame horse?
2. Why didn't he just say no? (perhaps because he's 11 and scared of these women and they're the resident horse-authorities)
3. Why did they ask him to ride Traveler in the lesson in the first place.

They never once talked to me about using Traveler in J.'s lessons --- probably because they knew I'd say no. So what should I do? Here's the options I can think of:

1. End the lease --- obviously it's not the best thing for my horse. He's 20 I can just let him sit in the pasture for the summer and not get ridden/brushed/petted/ect.
2. Be pissed at the boy and reprimand him for not refusing the lesson.
3. Be pissed at the barn owner/trainer and rip them a new one for "forcing" the boy to take a lesson on my horse when he wasn't supposed to and without checking my horse for soundness after being off for a few days.
4. Demand that boy move my horse to a different barn (but honestly the 24/7 beautiful turnout and Dynamite feeding program are perfect).
5. Demand that the boy end lessons with this trainer/ take lessons with another trainer. (no other trainer is available at this barn and I can't haul him anywhere --- ha! like I have time for that! I'm not his friggin Mom! -- he would have to take lessons on a school-horse at another barn or find someone who would come in to teach him)

And because posts without pictures suck:

(Trav is on the Right)

He "groundties" to grass only.

What in the world could that be?! Closest thing I have to a confo shot on this computer.

Right. So does anyone know a trainer in King County, WA who travels to give lessons? My own trainer doesn't travel and her school-horses are old ponies that are only suitable for 5 year olds.

Please excuse my glaring spelling/grammar errors my computer is hooked up to my TV 'cause I live in a small cave and have little space so I'm writing this from my couch, 5ft away, and the text is really small from over here.

I'm productive...

2008-07-24T00:48:32Z

I was bored online and looked up my trainer's name and found more pics of Visa(The 5 y/o Dutch Harness stallion). These are from the RHR Show 2006.

Everyone wanted to see more of Visa, so here you go!!!

>

Needless to say, Visa took 1st. YAY Visa. I'm glad I browsed around the internet... lol. I would have never found these pics otherwise. Visa's mane grew back nicely. It's so LOOOONG. We had to cut it for the show. :(

equestrian @ 2008-07-23T16:23:00

2008-07-23T23:24:10Z

Since I've been sitting on my but I've been taking lots of pictures. Here's the best ones from a day out with my friend while she schooled her ponies. These were just taken on my "point 'n shoot" digital, but since my sister left her SLR here, I'm going to start playing with it.

Stubborn Barn Owner

2008-07-23T23:01:02Z

We've run into a crisis of sorts at the barn. Momma cat Julius was hit by a car two days ago. I loved that cat, and am incredibly bummed about it. That, though, is not why I'm here. She has four kittens. Without human intervention, they'll die. But the BO won't take care of them or let me take them home.

She has 4 kittens. I'm not positive, but I'm guessing they're about finishing up 3 weeks old now. Their eyes have finished opening, and they crawl around quite a bit. The owner of my barn is a cranky, cranky old man. He says that they've raised orphan cats/dogs etc. and that the kittens will be fine. He put a saucer of milk in the kittens enclosed area and some water. One of the boarders already asked to take them, and he refused, giving no reason.

I've done the research. The kittens will die if someone doesn't hand feed them several times a day, which he is not prepared to do. I'm going to appeal to his wife in person tomorrow morning and ask her if I can take them home and care for them, even if it means promising to bring the kittens back to the barn when they're old enough. But I don't have my hopes incredibly high for a 'yes'.

People at other communities don't seem to understand that I can't just take them. My horse is there, and he could (and would) kick me out over something like that.

You all have dealt with bad BO's before. Short of calling the ASPCA, is there anything I can lawfully do?

The kittens in question, with deceased momma cat Julius.

I'm so worried that they'll die. :\

Feronia update

2008-07-23T22:13:48Z

OK, I am a little scared to even bring this up, but people have been asking, in replies to my comments, for an update on Feronia. Please note: I am not looking for critique and I don't want a flame war! Snark away in private if you must, but I don't want to hear about it.

So... eventing_ponies took Feronia to eventing camp for 3 weeks. They both had a blast, and the camp staff worked a lot to help get Feronia a little more calm. She did 3 hours per day, 6 days per week working on a daily ration of grass hay plus 2 handsful of grain (just enough to get her supplements into her) and came back no thinner, but quite fit. Whatever one thinks of her, she is a super easy keeper :)

I went up to camp with goddessfarmer to retrieve them on July 11. That was the day of their end-of-camp schooling event, with Feronia entered at Novice level for the first time ever. Which she won! She was 2nd by one point after dressage, and went clear cross-country (albeit at Training level speed, and wanting to run right back out and do it again!) In show-jumping, the leader was penalized for circling on course, and Feronia had another clean round, so she won. Pony loves loves loves the jumps. It turned out she'd also done very well at the hunter-style schooling show the week before, with 3 firsts and a second, and had been named Show Champion.

However --- midway through camp, with the advice of many online friends including some people in this community, I decided that I really wanted Feronia back for myself. eventing_ponies was crushed, though she now has a working student position at a local eventing barn and is schooling Training and Prelim level horses, so that's helped a lot.

BUT -- of course Feronia needs a lot of work, if I am to keep her for myself. (And I should say that I do not ever intend to sell her, because some of her issues mean that she could end up in a very bad place very quickly. Especially with the current market conditions. But I may at some point free-lease her if she's just not going to work for me.) So I called up the owner of the first place I'd boarded her, and begged her to take us back. Mary very kindly agreed. She's a dressage trainer with a very good reputation for happy horses, and working with difficult horses and difficult horse/rider combinations.

Feronia's in full training there... costing me an arm and a leg, but I am already seeing changes for the better. Mary picked out some of her issues right away; she *hates* contact and tends to suck back from the bit, so we are trying different bits and seem to have found something fairly mild that she's willing to accept, albeit with a flash because she can get her tongue over it otherwise. In some ways, Feronia acts very green; she gets rushy and loses her balance and is stiff to the right. However, as she's learning to use herself better, she's really improving.

Best of all from my point of view is that I am actually riding her again. Not much, just a 10 to 15 minute "mini-lesson" with Mary before her training sessions, and then cooling her out on a loose rein at the walk afterwards. Mary has to coach me because her riding style, what she wants to see, is much more constantly engaged with the horse. One can correct Feronia, and she will respond, but she will slip right back into the less desirable behavior if you let her. The very best thing is that I am not scared to ride her at all, and Mary does not think I suck as a rider.

Her rider for the training sessions is Mary's assistant Jess, who is doing a great job at pushing Feronia forward into the bit. Feronia started out having tantrums like a little kid but Jess kept pushing pushing so she could not really do anything. Two weeks in, she's way more relaxed, wiggling her ears around, bending better, and coming back onto her haunches.

On the days when I am there (3 days per week right now) I am also completely responsible for Feronia's care before and after the ride, which is very good for both of us. She has full-day turnout, and a big stall next to a gelding who's totally goofy over her. I continue to be amused at how tiny she is, compared to the HUGE WBs. Some of them eat 30 times as much grain as she does, and 2 to 3 times the amount of hay. I am also amused by her fascination with the tractor, which is parked just outside her stall. Whenever anyone starts it up, she has to watch it until it's out of sight.

There are also some physical issues to deal with, perhaps the aftereffects of having a very heavy rider for most of her life. (Small note here: a *good* rider with decades of experience, especially on the flat, but not so much over fences.) More money, sigh -- but all for the good of my girl.

I don't have a particular plan, besides evaluating the situation in 6 months. I would *like* to get Feronia to a dressage schooling show or two this fall, just to get her out of the barn for a different experience. It may be that I don't even compete, but just take her around to see how she acts in a show environment. We'll also hopefully be able to go out hacking when it's cooler and the bugs are down, with either someone at Mary's barn, or by trailering to J's and going out with Trumpie, who Feronia likes. Ideally, I'd like to start jumping her again -- but really starting from the beginning, poles on the ground, and ignoring the 3'3" jump she has in her while we sort out some of her jumping issues.

So here are a few photos from cooling her out the first day she was at Mary's. She was still wet from her bath, so much darker than she really is:

Grass at last! This horse lives for food.

And a good roll to end it all!

(I'm not using the chain over her nose anymore; this was a new environment for her and I didn't want us in trouble if she got upset over something. But she was, and continues to be, a doll.)

There's video on youtube if anyone wants to search for it ;)

Tail health

2008-07-23T21:23:51Z

So Pippin is really coordinated and rubbed off a big chunk of his tail right at the top. There's a big bald spot directly in the middle, and he has such a little gimp tail as it is because he's a thoroughbred and...it's embarrassing haha. Does anyone know of any product that can help improve the quality of his tail? I don't think there's anything that can make it grow back faster (His tail takes forever to grow, yet i'll pull his mane and 2 weeks later it's all bad again), but do you know of any product that can help make his hair stronger. I should just try some Rogaine....