Splish splash! It's a mud bath!

Yeah. Apparently it doesn't matter if the rest of the pasture is mostly, kind of dry.

Gabe will find the wettest spot just to play. He has managed to dig a GIGANTIC hole over the years, which is why this part of the pasture now holds water forever.

I don't think he should have been born a gray. He should have been born mud-colored. 'Cause that's what he usually is!

Notice Teddy and Lou looking on with rapt attention. I doubt they'll be getting their little feetsie's wet...Gabe, on the other hand, has not yet met a puddle, creek, bog, swamp, or pond that he won't stick his feet in or play in.

What a goof.

The changing herd

There has been a shifting of herd dynamics that has been a bit surprising.

The herd has gone from six to four. I found a fabulous home for Chief and Calypso. Both are headed north to teach kids to ride at a church camp in Wisconsin. I researched the camp (it's been around longer than I've been alive and has an excellent reputation. The horse facilities are top notch from the pictures I saw.), talked to the woman tasked with finding suitable horses for the program and I truly believe it's a good place for them. They will be used, loved, and well-cared for, which is exactly what I was looking for for both of them. And, they got to stay together, which I was really hoping for. I hope they will be happy, I know they will be loved and get loved on by kids, which both horses live for. Both can take or leave adults, but they both adore and are incredibly gentle with kids.

My heart broke as I watched them load up on to the trailer and drive away, and I cried, but I know it's for the best for both of them. I could never, ever be a horse trader or actively buy and sell horses. I get too attached to them. My pasture still looks empty without them there.

In the meantime, I thought there would be a huge shakeup in the herd dynamics for the remaining four, but, not so much. They all went out in the big pasture together yesterday (the paddocks are a mucky, yucky, horrible mess. The pasture isn't much better, but, it is what it is. Next big investment? A small barn.) and without a mare influencing them and moving them around, they settled quickly into an unexpected pecking order. Gabe is number two man on the totem pole. Shocked! Teddy, number one. Not so shocked.

Gabe buddied up with Kahlua (the pony, aka Little Lou) most of the day. The two acted like children, running, playing, rearing up at each other and "boxing." Gabe likes to grab the top of Lou's neck in his mouth and just hold him. Lou, who is a midget, gets irritated, and, since he can't reach Gabe's neck (again, the midget thing), rears up. Pretty soon, they are rearing at each other, "hoof boxing," then spinning to kick/buck and tear off in opposite directions only to come back and do the same thing again. They graze near each other and doze standing/laying together. Teddy lingers near the two but is perfectly happy playing every now and then, sometimes squashing squabbles he doesn't approve of. Montana, (the paint) he's the bottom of the pecking order, which was completely unexpected. He'll hang out near everyone, but hasn't really shown any interest in mingling.

I thought for sure Gabe would be bottom of the herd! Things could change, but, in the next few months, there will be more upheaval in the herd as Teddy leaves for his new digs in Colorado and I actively market Montana for sale.

I'm hoping that by the time summer officially rolls around I'll be down to just Gabe and Lou, which is why it pleases me so much that the two get along so well and play together nicely. 

What the fling?

Sunday was my last ride with Jacquie for a few months. I know we'll ride again together when she comes back in late spring to pick up Teddy and cart him off to Colorado, but, it was still a sad ride.

The boys were happy to be out and able to really stretch their legs, the wind chilly, and we both came back to the house with wind-burned faces and muscle-sore bodies. We took advantage of riding as much over three days as we could possibly fit in, and it was good.

On another note, I'm a little concerned with a particular behavior Gabe has exhibited occasionally. The last time he did it I blamed it on the hard little ice pellets smacking him in the face while we rode during a sudden ice storm. This time, I'm trying to blame the high wind, but I'm not so sure. It was blowing pretty hard Sunday. Okay, really hard. So gusty were the winds that Jacquie and I couldn't talk because the wind just took our words away, even while riding next to each other.

See, during both those rides he started shaking/tossing his head. This is not his usual fling his head around and squeal with energy and happiness toss, but a quicker, up and down toss like something on his face was irritating him, or, a bug flew up his nose. He doesn't do it all the time, as I mentioned, just occasionally. The last couple of times there was something in the weather I blamed. When we rode Saturday, and the rides before that when the wind was normal and the sun shining, he didn't do it. He's done it occasionally during the spring/summer too, but I blamed it on the bugs we scare up from tall grass that may have hit him in the face and gone up his nose as they flew all around us.

I did a bit of research into Equine Headshaking Syndrome, and some of the the symptoms seem to match, but not all. He's not violent about it, and he only does it while we're riding. He DOES like to itch his nose/muzzle during and after our rides, which is a symptom, but, it's not really excessive and not any more than my other horses do. He doesn't seem to be in pain, just occasionally irritated, and he certainly doesn't do it out in the pasture or in the paddocks, just while we're riding.

There is a definite difference between his goofy, happy, horizontal head fling/swing and this vertical, sudden head toss. 

So, I don't know. I'm just going to keep an eye out for it and be more aware of it, maybe document it when it does happen and try to find some kind of pattern, if there is one.

Beginners again!

In two weeks I'll start giving beginner riding lessons again. It's been years since I've done beginner lessons but I'm actually looking forward to it. The rider is a 7-year-old girl who is absolutely horse crazy. She's been riding Lou (our pony) for a few weeks now, under the supervision of Jacquie, but, with Jacquie leaving for her new job in Colorado, I'll take over the lessons.

I gave Jacquie her beginner/intermediate lessons many, many moons ago so it's been kind of neat watching her give lessons and hearing some of the same things I taught her come out of her mouth. So, I know the kiddo has a good solid start, and with her enthusiasm, I think she'll be fun to teach.

Today, I managed to convince Kayleigh (my daughter) to get up on Calypso just to ride around the arena a bit and that turned into an hour-long lesson which she seemed to enjoy. Usually, she's done after 15 minutes. She enjoyed it so much, that at the end of her lesson she said "Mom, you're a really good teacher!" *shock face!* And, she asked when we could do it again, even suggesting that we start doing a lesson every Saturday. *double shock face!* I've never given her proper, formal lessons before because every time I tried, it ended up with her arguing with me about some thing or another (I seem to remember doing the same thing to my mom when she tried to give me riding lessons), so, I stopped trying. I didn't want to turn riding into an argument with her and make it a miserable experience.

But today was different. She did start out arguing a bit at first. Mostly, the arguing is in the form of her saying "I AM!" when I try to tell her how to do something (ie, heels down, or, sit up straight, or grab mane if you feel off balance, not the rein, etc.), then, she gets huffy and I get frustrated and it goes downhill quickly from there. The arguing ended quickly today when I explained to her that I wouldn't tell her to do something or change something if she was already doing it correctly. She listened and followed my instructions and lo and behold, the mare did EXACTLY what Kayleigh asked her to do. She seemed to get excited when I showed her a few"tricks" that she could get Calypso to do if she just used her body in the right way, like getting her to take bigger, longer walking strides just using her seat, or slowing her down or halting her by "walking" her seatbones slower or stopping them entirely, all done without using the reins or her calves. I showed her how to do a turn on the forehand and showed her that Calypso can spin on a dime if she uses her aids correctly. I helped her find her seatbones, which I never realized she had no idea were there!

So, it was all good, and we both ended the lesson on a very positive note, which I am quite excited about.

I'd like to keep riding exciting and fun for both girls during lessons (no one wants to ride endless circles or drills, BORING), and while I do have a few "fun" lesson plans up my sleeves that I've used before with success, I hope you guys can give me some more ideas to keep the lessons fun. Games? Obstacle courses? I'm open to anything!

Tough questions

In less than two weeks I'll lose my riding partner and only boarder.

And I am sad about it. She's moving to Colorado to take a great job. It's a fabulous opportunity for her and I'm happy for her, but I'll miss the heck out of her and her horse and miss having someone to ride with regularly.

I've ridden by myself for years, and I know I can go back to riding by myself, but I've been spoiled by having a regular riding partner and training friend. You know those days when you know you should go out and ride, and you really want to ride, but somehow the day gets away from you and night falls and suddenly, another day went by and you didn't ride?

There haven't been many of those days since Jaquie has been around, showing up with her infectious smile and suggesting a long, much-needed ride. I'm afraid there will be too many of those non-riding days when she leaves. My daughter isn't as enthusiastic about riding as she once was and convincing her to go out riding with me is sometimes more of a chore than a pleasure, so I skip it. If I force her to ride with me, she complains the entire time, which makes the ride miserable and her miserable and turns my riding time into torture and regret.

I don't know of any riding groups in my area. I don't really have very many horse friends that do much trail riding and certainly none I can partner with for a few fun shows this spring/summer, so, I probably won't be doing any of that this year.

So I start asking myself: Why do I ride? Why do I spend so much time and money and effort keeping horses at home? Well, because I love the horses and I love riding and I love just watching them. I love seeing them first thing in the morning and burying my face into their necks in the evening. I even enjoy riding alone from time to time. But not all the time. When it comes down to it, I get the most pleasure and satisfaction when I have someone to ride with regularly, someone I can share my passion with. Because it's not just about being on a horse, it's about the company, the companionship, the conversation and the hours in the saddle just enjoying life.

I'm going to miss the hell out of that.

It also makes me question the wisdom of keeping a farm and keeping my horses at home. If I'm the only one riding, why do I have a farm and horse property? It's not cheap and it's certainly not always a walk in the park. And why the hell do I have five horses? Doesn't it make more sense to sell the place, sell all the "excess" horses and board Gabe somewhere where I'll have someone to ride with and significantly reduce the expense of horsekeeping?

All these questions, and so far, no real answers. I am, however, actively trying to sell three of the "extras." They aren't being ridden, they are just standing around doing nothing but eating and would be better off somewhere where they will be used. And, they'll be off my feed, vet, and farrier bill.

Horse camp anyone?

An adult horse camp with Denny Emerson?

Yes, please! I love overnight camps, and if it involves horses and jumping and an Olympian...well, all the better!

Where The Big Guy gets his awesomeness

Just for fun, a video of Gabe's daddy winning a race in 1982. He's the big gray who comes up from behind and leaves the Derby, Preakness and Belmont winners  in his dust. "Runaway Groom, from Canada!" the announcer exclaims as he suddenly appears in the frame.

The Travers Stakes race at Saratoga.

And Runaway Groom's breeders video. I think Gabe got his butt and his neck and really, his overall build.