In the Arena #157 - Two birds with one stone, or in defense of the ottb...

Finally, something to jog me out of the place where everything I tried to write for this blog -

sounded whiny,

sounded boring,

was complaining,

was complaining about the stupid weather, which = whiny + boring.

[With any luck, this post will conveniently combine catching up on the past year's worth of never published posts, with a blog renaissance. To anyone who has continued to stop by and see if we're still breathing - thank you.]

Recently I came across several posts and comments out there about knowing what horse is right for you, knowing when a horse is not right for you, which types of horses are right for which people... it got me thinking. So here's our story.

I am the owner of a 2002 model ottb. He was found for me by my trainer at the time (as a seven year old), whose school horses were nearly all thoroughbreds.

I had invested in four years of dressage lessons with her. For a few summers before that I was a trail guide. Lots of barn watching and catch riding. By no means a super confident rider, but I felt ready for horse ownership, with my trainer's guidance.

Was Val crazy / wild / hot when I got him? No. He had three years off the track (trained, injured I suspect, never ran), eventually doing hunters, some low level jumping, and recovering from injuries before we met. Could he become crazy /wild / hot? Yes. He wasn't above exploiting my lack of leadership and my inexperience.

Less than a year passed before my trainer lost her farm and moved away. Living in the middle of nowhere means that finding any dressage trainer at all is tricky. Finding the kind of person I want to work with - not "putting the horse in a frame", not seesawing on his mouth, not using gadgety tack, but improving rider skills / seat / feel by listening to the horse - even trickier. The nearest candidates are 5 - 6 hours away.

We had some setbacks, and made some progress too. Slow, micro progress, but it was ours alone, and we earned it. Then, summer before last, I was overjoyed to finally find a biomechanics trainer. After a few successful road trips for lessons on her horses, I scheduled a mini-clinic so I could take Val with.

While I was tacking him up for our first lesson, the trainer, in a major hurry, rushed into the stall with me and began to "help" saddle him. He got wiggly. When she scooted around behind him to get out of the way, spooking him and blocking me in, he swung around into me, pinning me at the stall entrance, and breaking the living tar out of my arm.

If that wasn't bad enough, because I'd knuckled under and hadn't insisted on stalling Val upon arrival, (what we had planned initially as there was no dry lot), he was pastured on rich grass - enough to make him super lame on both fronts with raging digital pulses, within 36 hours. In retrospect, this likely added to his behavior while tacking up. What a nightmare.

Fast forward through trailering my horse home seven hours. (one-armed + standard transmission) Through the surgery I couldn't afford. Through missing four months of work from my landscaping job. Through being assured (wrongly), that my injury would be covered by the trainer's insurance. (not without me suing her) Through putting a serious hit on my down payment savings. Through taking care of my horse and farm one armed. Through an extended depression. Through endless groundwork while I recovered my health and my confidence. Through screwing up the courage to ride again...

Fast forward to today. Val standing out in the middle of his paddock. Wind gusting 40 mph. At liberty - no halter, no lead rope - for an hour, while I shed him out, curried and brushed every inch of him. While he showed me where the ticks were (in his man parts) and let me shove my head up in there to find them, and my hand up in there to remove them. While he held up all four hooves for me to pick. While he didn't move one step.

Are we madly rising up the levels? No, but I hop on bareback and feel totally comfortable. Do we trail ride solo? Not yet. But he's super appreciative of my amateur trimming attempts. He'll back up a dozen steps on my hand signal. In close quarters, he (now) respects my space. I can put his blankets on, over his head, out in the pasture, at night. He ground ties. He's awesome at self-loading.

Am I accomplishing what I envisioned when I brought Val home? Not exactly - circumstances have led us down a different path. But I have learned valuable lessons - some painful, some expensive. And I'm a much better horsewoman now.

Are ottbs for everyone? Maybe not. They can be challenging. They require a tactful rider. They're forgiving of your inadequacies, as long as you're humble enough to admit to having them. I have high hopes for finding instruction again, once my house is built. (!) In the meantime, we'll keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Are ottbs for everyone? Depends on the circumstances. But isn't that true about most horse / human combinations?



 

The Equestrian Blogger Gift Exchange or A Mysterious Xmas Miracle(!)

!Surprises!

The equestrian blogger gift exchange event that Tracy at Fly On Over organized last year was so much fun. When I saw she was kind enough to host another one this year,  I was super psyched to participate again.

It is every bit as fun to arrange the gift you send, as it is to receive yours. Looking forward to the report from my giftee. :D

Sooo, I got a call from my dad on Christmas day, saying he was on his way over for our holiday meal, and he had a package addressed to me. What???

Apparently, an ex-neighbor from my last address, (where I lived well over three years ago) called my dad when he couldn't find a number for me. A package had been delivered across the street, and was sitting forlornly on the porch of my old house, now unoccupied. Thank goodness for nosy ex-neighbors, otherwise that package would never have made into my hot little hands.

(There was actually another xmas miracle. Every single one of the eighteen fresh eggs my girls donated for the caesar salad deviled egg plate peeled perfectly. Every. single. one.)

Dad arrived and handed over a box from Dover saddlery. Pretty much always a good thing to get something from Dover so - yes - that must be mine. All mine. I tore it open, thinking that it might be from my Secret Santa.

Inside was a fresh, white, pristine dressage pad. A thing unheard of in these parts for, well, since I moved onto the farmette. No house = no washer/dryer, so I don't have many any opportunities to wash filthy horse items where I borrow my laundry access.

Underneath the pad was a beautiful horseware winter hat and scarf set - something I would never get for myself, but have admired when window shopping.

After fondling (and trying on where appropriate) my gifts, I dug around looking for a clue about which of you sent it and found -

- nothing. So sad that I can't thank you specifically. Please fess up - whoever you are, and thanks so much for the lovely, thoughtful gifts.

♡♡♡ To all our blog friends ♡♡♡

You don't know what you've got til it's gone...

I'm heartbroken.

One of my all time favorite bloggers - Teresa from Journey with a Dancing Horse - has had an absolutely horrid accident at her farm, and lost her beautiful Andalusian gelding Steele. To make matters worse, if that could even be possible, the incident was caused by a thoughtless and negligent neighbor who couldn't be bothered to be responsible for his dogs.

Steele was as gorgeous, smart and sweet a young horse as anyone can ask for. What's more - Teresa is a great deal of the reason he turned out so well. She got him a little over two years ago as a baby, and has done a magnificent job preparing him to be her riding partner. She had just backed him this past May.

Teresa's thoughtful, tactful training was just beginning to reap rewards. Their story is a great education in how to bring up a baby. It has been a joy to follow their progress.

Until now.

Please drop in and let her know you're thinking of her. And don't forget to hug your horses.

The Flyaway Horse

Oh, a wonderful horse is the Fly-Away Horse-
Perhaps you have seen him before;
Perhaps, while you slept, his shadow has swept
Through the moonlight that floats on the floor.
For it's only at night, when the stars twinkle bright,
That the Fly-Away Horse, with a neigh
And a pull at his rein and a toss of his mane,
Is up on his heels and away!
The Moon in the sky,
As he gallopeth by,
Cries: 'Oh what a marvellous sight!'
And the Stars in dismay
Hide their faces away
In the lap of old Grandmother Night.

EUGENE FIELD

In the Arena #156 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind...

"Riding is a metaphor for life lived well and wisely."

 "The virtues needed for riding, are the same as those for an ethical life."

Charles de Kunffy

Next week will make one year since I packed the trailer and headed up to Maryland for a clinic. Five days of much needed instruction, and one-on-one time with Val. I had high hopes...

Hopes which were dashed before even mounting up once. A combination of extreme nerves (excess equestrogen) + poor judgement + not speaking up for my horse, led to a badly broken arm, eventual surgery, four months out of work and near financial disaster. Not exactly what I had in mind.

As soon as the doctor cleared me, I managed to hop on Val for a handful of rides. Mostly because I feared if I didn't do it then, I never would. Sadly, progress ended there.

Gradually, life began to feel overwhelming. The implications of being injured again practically paralyzed me, as I use my body to make a living. Catching back up financially so I have a hope of building my house in a little over a year, felt impossible. Nothing seemed engaging enough to warrant blog posts. I was teetering on the edge of depression. I slept too much and ate too much. :(

With some time and perspective under my belt, I realize now things weren't all that bad, or drastic, or boring. In the "down time" I built a chicken coop, and raised a dozen hens up from day old chicks. There are two new garden beds, and lumber + plans to fence the garden for protection from critters and weather.

 
On the pony front, my trimming skills have steadily improved. Val's feet look the best they have since I pulled his shoes. Val developed a few new skills too. He reliably comes from the back of the pasture when he's called (cookies!), backs up 10 - 12 steps on hand signals alone (a long way from the cookies) - unhaltered - and his behavior being led now is perfect, even with big distractions.

If I learned one thing from the arm incident - it was that I needed to reinforce (and be consistent about) the concept of personal space with Val, no matter how exciting or disturbing things get. A big, costly hole in my training was revealed.

Despite the positive developments, I was still down in the dumps, having trouble with motivation on the riding and blogging fronts. And every day that went by made it that much harder to tack Val up, or sit down and hit the keyboard. Something had to give.

Two weeks ago my riding buddy N emailed me with details of a clinic only a few hours away, with Charles de Kunffy. Auditing was affordable, so I signed up. I'll do a full clinic review in an upcoming post, but suffice it to say my mind is blown. Mr. de Kunffy is one of the last living links to the old masters of classical dressage, and it was an absolute privilege to watch him teach for a day. His clinic was the key to unlocking my riding block... Thank you Mr. de Kunffy! :D

I am constantly amazed at what a mental sport riding is. Attitude is everything, in riding. Attitude is everything, in life.

In the Arena #155 - If the good lord's willing and the creek don't rise...

Indications that life is finally back to normal again: (five long months since the big snap)(in order of increasing importance)

3. Fully employed once again. I'm back to swinging the heavy hedge trimmer, manhandling the trencher/edger machine and slinging sodden bags of mulch. I've never been so happy to be so tired at the end of the day.

*It seems like recovering from immobilizing of a limb for so long is trickier than a broken bone + surgery. The arm looks and feels normal now. My hand is still regaining lost muscle, and the numbness slowly receding.

2. All chores are being achieved single-handedly, and in a timely manner. I can move hay bales, empty feed bags, and best of all, give Val a thorough trim, two-handed, and solo.

*This last development is important for a few reasons, so humor me while I digress...

Our last farrier visit didn't go smoothly. At all. Disclaimer: it was wretchedly cold, and Val hadn't had his monthly Pentosan shot, (we were waiting for the compounding pharmacy to get it back in stock), so he was uncomfortable.

My farrier arrived in a hurry and stressed out. This was a perfect storm of not-goodness. Val and W got into a battle of wills which ended up with my horse refusing to hold his (arthritic) hinds up, and W manhandling him - cowboy style. (P.S. - Val is an angel when I trim him - every time. And it takes me easily three times as long.)

I know that W believes in how he handles horses. I know that he is an equine professional, with many more years of experience than I have. I am respectful of both of those facts.

I also know my horse - better than anyone else on this earth. He is never just randomly an a$$ for the hell of it. If he acts up, it's because he hurts or he's scared. The last time I didn't listen to my gut about what was best for my horse, I ended up with a broken arm, Val suffered a laminitic episode, and my life was basically turned upside down.

So - I gave Val a full trim Tuesday, knowing we were seeing the farrier this week. I'm planning to pay W for a consultation, and guidance on any corrections. This is how things will be from now on. I can continue learning about trimming, and W will be around if troubles crop up that I can't handle.

1. Best for last! Back in the saddle for real - post injury rides 2 and 3 this week. It feels so good to be on my horse again. SO good.

I'm riding bareback. Val's topline is non-existent, and his saddle won't be comfy until we build it back up. My goal is simply to increase our fitness slowly, at the walk for now, and focus on biomechanics (mine) and Val moving out with energy. Most importantly, me being clear and consistent with my requests and aids, and Val responding immediately and softly.

So far so good, with some fluid turns on the forehand and backing. Val seems very happy for things to get back to normal. He gave me a nice grooming during post-ride tack cleaning the other day. Later on he happily cantered back from the far end of the grazing pen when I called, bouncing to a stop right in front of me with a satisfied snort. Supreme cuteness.

Arena footing - perfect

Lady - you best be retrieving a cookie!

Check out the lipstick on my goofball of a pony

It feels like we've got an opportunity for a fresh start. And there aren't any funds in the foreseeable future for lessons or clinics. I'm going to have to dig deep, step up to the plate, pull on the big girl panties... etc. I've begun to quell the anxiety that built up from not riding for so long and sustaining a horse related injury. I've reorganized goals and priorities to be more realistic. I'm hoping to regain the joy that riding my horse should be all about.

One day at a time...

In the Arena #154 - Laissez le bons temps rouler!!

Happy Fat Tuesday! Don't know about you all, but I'm giving up complaining about the weather for lent, which doesn't start until tomorrow so.... I AM F*CKING OVER IT!

There - I feel better. Time to catch up.

After the less than encouraging set of x-rays in January, I researched homeopathic remedies for bone growth, and ate those babies by the fistful. At the final appointment (!) Dr. Dreamy cleared my arm for regular activities and raved over the plentiful new bone.

So, the arm is mostly back to normal. There were issues with my hand feeling weak, and with a scary amount of numbness once I ditched the brace, but that's improving daily. The broken arm saga is officially over. Bye-bye Dr. D... parting is such sweet sorrow.

That was right about the time the most recent bout of cold + wind + snow/sleet/freezing rain-fest started. I have (finally) returned to work - weather permitting. I love my job (landscaping) but making a living has been trying lately. Too many days we can't work, and too many when we can work, that are super miserable to spend outdoors.

Yep. That's my girl in a flowery hooded doggy raincoat. SO excited to wear it (not)...

This past Sunday brought a brief visit from the golden orb in the sky - finally time to hop on the pony. First ride since October. I tacked Val up with the bareback pad and scrambled on - admittedly a little apprehensive about putting my full weight on the arm. It felt so good to be on my horse - I threw my arms around his neck and gave him a giant squeezing hug. Thought bubble over Val's head said 'Oh - get on with it lady!'

We happily tooled around the arena, did some circles and turns on the forehand, but mostly - we tested out our new tack acquisition. Val now officially sports a Micklem Competition.

Disclaimer: There is no room in the budget for indulgent tack purchases here. Nor do I believe in changing tack every time you encounter a problem. However, everything I have read - much of it from you my fellow bloggers - suggested that this bridle would be a good fit for Val. I've always thought he had issues with the noseband on his old bridle, and getting him to accept contact has been a struggle. With Smartpak's generous return policy in mind, I went for it.

The Micklem is anatomically designed to be comfortable on the facial nerves, and to stabilize the bit in the horse's mouth. Also, Val has a big tongue and a low palate. All three times he has worn it, he was chewing to beat the band, and made lovely lipstick. The turns on the forehand Sunday were like butter. I'll need a few more rides in it to confirm, but I have high hopes that some of what I assumed was bad riding might have been discomfort. Fingers crossed.

Stay tuned for upcoming posts about this year's garden (theoretically), and a project related to some new additions - coming soon to a farmette near you!

Handsome - even with the yak hair

My favorite view

ummmmm - cookie please!!

 ♥♥♥ (hehe - forelock resembles a toupe)

From the Farmette #9 - State of Emergency...

Our state doesn't do winter weather that well, hence the state of emergency. I think inland received some pretty hefty snow totals, maybe up to a foot. We got sleet, followed by freezing rain and sleet over night. Temps went under freezing just in time to keep the trees and power lines safe. We finished up with a nice coating of snow. Snow that hides a treacherous icy layer underneath. Driving is a super bad idea. So it is an emergency, if you're stupid enough to drive.

There were a few hangups the morning after. The front door barely opened because the saggy, frozen stiff awning was in the way. And then there was locating and excavating frozen poo balls... Val helped on this one.

It wasn't a pretty snow, so there likely won't be too many good photo ops. I'm just happy that all the critters are safe and accounted for, and that we have heat and water. I made a big pot of lentil soup and a pomegranate cheesecake (what - I have to keep up my strength - it's a state of emergency! ;D) yesterday, so we're good to go here in the Shimmy Shack.

They call this mackeral skies... signifies approaching precipitation. Yes. Yes it does.

Snow pix are better when it's sunny...

He literally froze his a$$...

Frozen on the outside...

...but not on the inside. Who doesn't love when the water flows? :D

Hot mashes for breakie ♥

One of the benefits of throwing caution to the wind....

Stuck inside (again) due to weather. This time sleet, freezing rain, and eventually snow. Driving is hazardous. Walking on my porch is hazardous (waiting for the salt to work) so I'll be farmbound until the smoke clears. Those of you who deal with this crap on a regular basis, I.don't.know.how.you.do.it.

 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

A few months ago my book club read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, debut novel by Rachel Joyce. To quote the back of the book, "It is about all the wonderful everyday things Harold discovers through the mere process of putting one foot in front of the other."

The book was enjoyable, but that's not why I mention it.

While in the midst of reading, I came across a post over at 7MSN, one of my very favorite blogs (me and about five hundred other readers lol). I was absolutely enchanted by the story of Hannah and her donkey's journey - walking the entire circumference of their home country - Wales. 

Come to find out Hannah has a fundraising campaign going to raise the money needed to write their story, and make a film as well. The Kickstarter teaser blew me away...

Crazy town. A sign from the universe? Reading a book I would never have chosen, about letting it all go, listening to your inner voice, following your dreams no matter how crazy they may seem to others, and then through the beautiful randomness of the interwebs, there is this woman in real life, letting it all go, listening to her inner voice, following her dreams no matter how crazy they may seem to others...

I'm generally not a pledger, but how could I not? I felt a real connection to this wandering artist and her donkey. There was an email this morning saying she made her goal of ₤28,000 with a day to spare, (!!!) but there is still time to help her upgrade production values, and hire more local folks to work on the project.

If you're seeking a bit of inspiration in the midst of this dark, dreary, seemingly endless winter, do yourself a favor and visit Hannah and Chico across the pond in Wales. It will make you smile. :D

(borrowed from Hannah and Chico via 7MSN)

Many Happy Returns!

(edited to add Val didn't get this cake - it's an internet creation - but he would love it!)