The deed is done

Well, despite some serious incompetence - (for example, less than twenty four hours before closing we discovered the wrong parcel number on all of the paperwork ) - I closed on my farmette today (!) Kind of anticlimactic compared to all of the drama leading up to the closing. I'm relieved to move on to the next phase which will include the new arena and some improvements to our run in shelters... I'd like to put in a window for cross ventilation and to build a removable panel to partially close off the opening and provide more protection when we get the inevitable tropical storms / hurricanes that come this time of year.

I have been pondering names... so far I've got Pie in the Sky Farm, suggested by my boarders because in March I told them I was considering buying the property but it was a pretty "pie in the sky" idea.
Also in the running is Dreamweaver Farm. I'm still thinking on more options...in fact - I'm off to sleep on it. :)

At the barn #18 - And a good time was had by all

Despite the closing on my farmette being delayed until next Tuesday, I'm moving ahead with improvements, namely a new full sized arena. I envision 100 x 250-ish, comparable to what I work in at my trainer's place. I have cleared and mowed the area in preparation for the tons (literally) of sand that will be needed to bring it up to grade. It was a pond at some point in the past, and has been a marsh more recently, but is thankfully very dry at the moment. This will have to be done bit by bit as finances allow.

In the meantime I'm researching arena footing and have set up a temporary area to work in... especially for Cowboy and Lorraine to do some jumping. It will be a good project for Val and I to transition to working outside of our paddock as well. We also used up a stack of leftover lumber for the boundaries. Gotta love free materials and recycling :)

                                     

Val and I had a nice cool morning ride yesterday. We worked on transitions, not avoiding the suddenly scary corner (that was fine on Wednesday?!) and did our share of turns on the forehand. After evening feeding there was a cookout at the barn celebrating our new situation. There were burgers, dogs, marinated portabellos, some adult beverages (!) and plenty of carrots. FYI -  neither Val nor Cowboy care for potato chips. We hung out until the mosquitos tried to carry us away.

In the Arena #19 - Just what the doctor ordered

Having a (hellishly) irritating day? (lawyers... neighbors burning toxic trash... frustrating clients) My prescription is to head straight for the barn without delay! If mucking, raking and moving hay doesn't heal you, give your horse a long loving groom, tack him up and ride, ride, ride :)

Goals for our ride yesterday:

1. Be in the moment / focus and maintain attention for the benefit of my horse

2. Ride Val like the horse that I want him to be / use the lightest aides possible 

3. Visualization and thought as the first level of aiding

4. Lose my expectations (see #1)

We did some lovely relaxed work: good walk/halt transitions, maintained nice contact, minimal resistance. In the last part of the ride I gave up the reins, halting and turning off of my seat and legs only. It has been quite a while since our last ride, and this was a great way to get back into the swing of things.

It can be challenging to be the only dressage rider in your riding community. "Don't you get bored just going around in circles?" I've been feeling concerned about our (lack of) progress lately. Thank goodness for my trainer and our "phone lessons". She keeps me from getting too discouraged and reminds me (gently) to watch my attitude. Thanks Erin :)

At the barn #17 - Say hello to my leetle fren...

Since we're on an extended riding hiatus due to wretched heat and humidity I thought I'd introduce you to one of our neighbors... as per usual with neighbors, some are great and some - not so much :)

Today was my second encounter with bad baby opposum this week. I missed my chance to catch him the other day because when I ran to get my camera he skittered off. I was ready this morning. There really wasn't much catching as all he did was hiss at me and then act dead. (We haven't had any cases of rabies on the island which is why I handled this little guy.)

I'm guessing he may have fallen off of his mom in the woods nearby. Lucky for me, he didn't know he's supposed to be nocturnal. Unlucky for me he may have been attracted to Val's spilled food in the run-in shelter. This is not good as opposums spread the dreaded EPM. Don't even get me started worrying about that....

I'm hoping the wildlife rehabilitator (his new home as of midday) is correct and he was probably still nursing... hopefully not chowing on any infected dead critters just yet.

At the barn #16 - No hoof, no horse

Today was farrier day. Happily, Val's feet are doing really well at the moment. In the last year we're gone from being shod all around, really shelly, lack of sole, and no heel especially on the backs. My farrier has patiently made the transition to barefoot with us, and I'm super happy with the results.

What I love about Will, besides the fact that he drives over three hours to see to our horses, is that he patiently takes the time to explain where your horses feet are, and how he'd like to get to where they need to be. And Val has really warmed up to him - very relaxed.

                                     

   What a good boy! (treat was inhaled before I could snap the photo lol)

            Will had his hands full with our neighbor Cowboy's feet...

                       And Val got most of the wormer in his mouth :)

There is some SUPER exciting news which has kept me from posting in a while. It looks like I will be buying the property that Val is boarded on. Closing on August 1st. It is the opportunity of a lifetime - I truly can't believe my good fortune. My running around doing real estate errands all week leaves very little to report on the training front. We've had a couple of nice rides and lunging sessions in the evenings when the weather was cool enough. In the meantime I thought I'd post a few odds and ends...

In the last month or so these marks showed up as Val finished shedding out. He was pinfired at some point. I'm assuming it was when he was training for the track. I've done a bit of research, and the placement suggests he had a bowed tendon. This could be why he doesn't appear to have raced.

Here are excerpts from a 2006 Thoroughbred Times article"Pinfiring Proves Obsolete":

"Due to relatively few treatment options to effectively and swiftly treat lameness issues such as tendinitis, many veterinarians and trainers continue to fire horses' legs and hope that it helps. Trainers often feel they are wasting valuable time when they cannot see healing in injuries such as sprained tendons, as the healing process is extremely slow. These trainers often ask their veterinarians to fire their horses' legs in an effort to be proactive in healing the injuries."

"A five-year study conducted through the University of Bristol in England compared treating tendinitis with firing to treating it with rest alone. Results showed that linefiring did not appear to have an effect on the healing process of the tendon.
 
In addition, clinical cases of pinfiring in which the cautery iron was extended into the tendon itself caused permanent changes in tendon structure. These changes were confined to the tracks of the firing pin.

However, no evidence was found that linefiring or pinfiring of the skin had any marked effect on tendon healing, with the exception that in a few cases it appeared to delay the overall healing process."

 "...the American Veterinary Medical Association has upheld its acceptance of veterinarians using firing in horses and presently described the use of thermocautery or pinfiring as having therapeutic value for horses under certain conditions."?????


If we won't do it to ourselves, why would we do it to our horses?

We've had numerous visits from the death dealing wild bunny recently. I'll have to rename him as he no longer leaves panic in his wake. He let me get really close when I took these pictures. I wondered if wild bunnies knew what carrots were... I threw him a piece of Val's breakfast carrot, which was gone a few minutes later - so I guess they do.

                                              The only good fly...

At the barn #15 - What the 4th means to me...

Freedom.

Freedom from hunger - my lady brought me stacks of extra hay this morning as she is running the Water / Watermelon booth at the village 4th of July celebration and might be a bit late for my dinner.

Freedom from undue exertion as it is much too hot to trot around in circles and curlicues... although we made up for it on Friday and Saturday - I didn't mind at all because it was delightful weather and my lady and I were both in the mood to work. I will likely spend most of today munching hay and dozing off in my stall under the box that makes wind. I will be ready for my cool rinse this evening just the same.

Freedom from fireworks!!!! (almost as bad as hunting season - a very bad time)...

Due to a tragic accident last July 4th, our community decided to skip that loud scary tradition this year. Tonight will be peaceful :)

Happy 4th of July everyone - be safe!

At the barn #14 - Finally

             

Super dry here for months... then today there were ominous sky,
                     torrential downpour, tornado warning kind of storms!!

                                             Did I hear thunder????

                                                     Oh yes I did...

In the Arena #18 - Easier said than done

The success of our leadership lies in always listening to the horses as to how to lead them. Eric Herbermann

A long summer evening at the barn, filled with accomplishments. Tack room swept, this week's hay delivered and stacked - usually a challenge as Val feels compelled to taste (knock over) any new hay arrival before I can get it all in the door - a thorough, very hairy grooming, and finishing with a hot, sticky, buggy but satisfying ride.

We worked on our weak side turning by using the halt/angle/flow method. Sort of a more fluid turn on the forehand that helps to maintain momentum. Eventually I got prompt responses to my leg, and was able to stay very light in my rein aides. I also dropped the reins entirely for a while to see what kind of steering and stopping I could get off of my legs and seat alone.

I think Val appreciates variety, as do I. It is too easy (for me) to fall into a rut and become frustrated. The trick is to achieve balance between goals/plans and being in the moment. To stay creative, to be responsive to the unforeseen opportunities that arise each and every ride.

In the Arena #17 - You could say we have a "confirmed" turn on the forehand

Some of the feedback I got from Val's massage therapist last weekend was that he needed to build up the muscles in his haunches and his topline, which I knew, but that his shoulders looked in good shape. In fact, she said, "It looks like he's been doing a lot of turns on the forehand." This made my trainer BUST out laughing, and me feel just a tad embarrassed. You see, turn on the forehand is our go-to maneuver when we're having communication breakdowns. Apparently a pretty common occurance. In fact, on a few occasions Val has offered 360's of turns on the forehand - we looked like we were working on our reining moves... time to diversify :)

I headed down to the barn yesterday evening with the intention of doing some kind of work with Val, even if it wasn't going to be a ride. I cleaned up and got his dinner ready, and then pulled out the lunge line. This would be the first time we've lunged on our own in a while. I attempted to clear my mind of the numerous times we had less than successful lungeing sessions and imagine everything going smoothly.

It was still super hot (6pm in the shade)...

                                                                                         ... but work we did.
Val tried his patented crazy eye run off bucking manuever, but I kept hold of him and continued to drive him forward. Soon enough we got some nice work in both directions. Next came a cool rinse, some grazing and a big bucket of mash. What a good boy!

                  Look out Val, there's a lot more lungeing in your future...