Project 265

I'm posting a photo a day for 2010 (that's the goal, anyway). It's called Project 365 and it's not my original idea; I stole it. Anyway, here's the blog where the photo entries will be posted:

Karen365.wordpress.com/

A little about Hampton's pedigree

I know quite a bit about Hampton's sire (he lives at the farm where I used to work, and where Hampers was born), but I didn't know much about his dam, Proud Warning. I know Proud as a horse, obviously, as I was there the summer Hampton was born. She is in her late 20s, and no longer having babies (Hampton was her last). I wanted to know more about her lines, so I looked her up online and found that she was foaled Feb. 20, 1985 in Kentucky. She had 41 starts and it says she was a winner. Her sire is Proudest Roman and her dam is Always Alert, by Red Alert. 


According to allbreedpedigree.com, Proudest Roman was born in 1968 and died in 1989. His record was 5-4-0-0. Proudest Roman is by a stallion named Never Bend. He was Foaled at Claiborne Farm. He was 2nd in the 1963 Kentucky Derby.

Never Bend is by a stallion named Nasrullah ...

... and on Proud's dam side, Red Alert is by Red God (best known as the sire of Blushing Groom), who is also by Nasrullah.  

Now I just need to find out more about Hampton's Clydesdale lines - as little Clyde as he has in him, I'd still like to know.

Happy You Know What

No matter what holiday you celebrate, or even if you don't celebrate anything - have a good weekend. :-)

Back in the Day ... Part 3 "Queen"

Sultan's Snow Queen

Queen was a Saddlebred mare I was lucky enough to lease when I was 14. I have ridden many many horses throughout my life, and Queen still stands out as a horse that truly never put one foot wrong. The mare never spooked, never bucked, never even refused to do anything. Never offered resistance. We trotted smartly through every warm-up and show ring nightmare imaginable, as well as "alternative" training strategies at home (such as fireworks and fire extinguishers). Never a bobble. She kind and friendly in her stall, sound and about as sane of a horse as I'll ever encounter. She was a major confidence booster for me because I never had to worry about her overreacting to anything. Like Star, however, showing Queen resulted in some hard lessons. Mainly, I could have a picture-perfect ride, while other exhibitors battled horses breaking into other gaits, spooking, rearing, sometimes even falling off - and Queen and I will still not place.

But the season with Queen did result in two blue ribbons. The first one I swore they called the wrong number and I actually had to ask someone what my number was to confirm I did indeed win. The second win, I stood shocked in the lineup for about 60 seconds before finally coming over to the winner's circle. I have videos of both those occasions - but they are on VHS. Not sure how to transfer those but maybe someday I will because they are quite hilarious.

When my family switched trainers, Queen moved with us and she went from a rather lax training routine at the old barn, to now a very intense training requirements of her from a much more demanding (and skilled) trainer. She looks so fabulous for a while ... almost a different horse. But then our lease was up. Within months, Queen became a lesson horse and was quite good at it (of course). I still rode her some, until she developed what I now believe was headshaking syndrome. At the time, no one knew what was wrong - they tried chiro out, the vet, etc. etc. But she would violently jerk her head while riding her almost constantly. Even for stronger riders, it was damn near yank the reins out of your hands. It appeared like she couldn't help it, and I knew that it had to be something physical because the mare was never naughty. Ever. It was never figured out, and she was retired as a broodmare. I'm not sure if she's even still alive or what, or if she had any babies. Wish I knew.

Here's a photo of Queen's sire - Supreme Sultan. I BELIEVE she was one of the last daughter's from Sultan - and she looked very much like him.

Hampton's Holiday Humiliation

Hampton was a good sport about his holiday photo shoot today. I went out to feed him and took off his blanket to brush and curry him since he must get itchy wearing that blanket for several days in a row without getting brushed. He seemed to really enjoy his pamper time. Although he is going through another oral stage where he needs to nibble and mouth everything ... including my scarf, coat, gloves, brush, lead rope, etc. He picked up all four feet like an old veteran today. He is basically waiting with the next foot in the air by the time I let go of the previous one. My time and patience with that issue has really paid off. Before I purchased him, he could not be trimmed without drugs. Now he's a total peach.

He wasn't thrilled with his Santa hat, but after about 60 seconds he basically forgot it was on there and didn't look so annoyed anymore. Especially after I got the bright idea to take photos right by the donkeys' pen. Hampton is fearful of the donkeys ... and the minis. He turns into a snorting, fire-breathing dragon and arches his neck - wondering why I remain so calm when horse-eating donkeys were just yards away. Anyway, it made it really easy to keep his ears up. Didn't have to worry about that at all.

Here's an edited conformation shot. I think this shot really shows his slight case of sickle hocks. Doesn't bother me any, but it bothers some people. Anyhow, he's eyeing those donkeys very closely ....

And a normal shot ... he is standing a little bit uphill, he's still butt-high (please let him grow out of this stage at some point!)

... and our holiday portrait. Pretty cute.

The best of 2009 Phish

So I've already ran the numbers. Boring. zzzzzz. And since it's too cold right now to really give much of an update on the horses (will have one soon, though) I've compiled the best moments of 2009 (Phish related, obviously). Each concert is different for everyone. Your personal experience may vary widely from the next person's. That's the great thing about it. Each show certainly had its finer parts. But here are my favorite moments of the year ...

• 3/6/09   'Bouncin' Round the Room' ... Hampton, VA
It was during this song that the giant balloons hanging from the ceiling of the Hampton "mothership" began to drop one by one. It almost seemed like they wrote the song just for that venue ... for that moment. Even though it was difficult to sometimes see, I was really grateful to have had floor tickets when I looked up and saw giant balloons falling at my head. Eventually I think all the balloons popped. doh.









• 6/19/09   'Tweezer Reprise' ... Noblesville, IN
Before it starting pouring rain, the lighting was beyond stunning to watch. I've been to numerous shows at Deer Creek where it has stormed, tornadoes even ... but nothing came close to this. After first set, we all had to trudge back to our cars since there was "lighting and high winds" predicted. So we did. Sopping wet, I was grateful to have a dry shirt in the car. Ahhhh. Soon it was time to head back up to the lawn for the second set. And Phish did not disappoint. During the encore, Tweeze Reprise, it started to pour. And I mean POUR. I kept looking around, amazed that people just kept right on dancing. Not one soul left. The music seemed louder in the rain ... 

• 6/19/09   'Ghost' ... Indio, CA
This song alone made the 30+ hour drive to Cali worth it, nevermind the rest of the sets which were pure awesomeness. It was so funky and I couldn't have stopped dancing if the earth had stopped on its axis right there. Oh yeah, and Fishman played a vacuum solo on the first night. Score!

• 11/21/09   'Squirming Coil' ... Cincinatti, OH
I don't think it wasn't until this song, at this venue that I truly started to appreciate the talent that is Page. His solo after Squirming Coil in Chicago started to open my eyes, but in Cinci it moved me to tears. Ok I wasn't bawling or anything, but I had to really stop myself from visably crying. After he was done with one of the most beautiful examples of piano playing I have ever witnessed, that arena was so loud it gave me goosebumps. Louder than Hampton when the lights went out, I think.

2009 totals

I know I did this once before, but a few more shows have been added since ... so here's the final tally for my Phish run of 2009. :-)

34 songs have been played (18% of songs Phish have played).
The average number of songs per show is 23.3.
The average amount of times each song was played is 2.08.
There were 66 onetimers
280 total songs have been played in the selected shows.

Most played songs:

Backwards Down the Number Line - 6 (50%)
Ghost - 5 (41%)  *
NICU - 5 (41%)
Ocelot - 5 (41%)
Prince Caspian - 5 (41%)
Sample in a Jar - 5 (41%)
Suzy Greenberg - 5 (41%)
The Squirming Coil - 5 (41%)
Wolfman's Brother - 5 (41%)
Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001) - 4 (33%)
Chalk Dust Torture - 4 (33%)
Character Zero - 4 (33%)
Fluffhead - 4 (33%)
Kill Devil Falls - 4 (33%)
Lawn Boy - 4 (33%)
Limb By Limb - 4 (33%)
Loving Cup - 4 (33%)
Piper - 4 (33%)
Possum - 4 (33%)
Run Like an Antelope - 4 (33%)

* To my delight as this is one of my very very favorites!

Shows by city:

• Morrison, CO - 3 (25%)
• Hampton, VA - 2 (17%)
• East Troy, WI - 2 (17%)
• Indio, CA - 2 (17%)
• Noblesville, IN - 1 (8%)
• Cincinnati, OH - 1 (8%)
• Bridgeview, IL - 1 (8%)

Video from 2009

My first attempt at making a video. Something I need to learn, obviously, but enjoy the photos and footage of my Phish adventures this year.

Thanks, man

While I am not with any family or friends this year for Thanksgiving (I'm workin'), I am thankful for many things in my life. Here are just a few:

Tedwin Touch O Class

Sadly, I just heard the news that Tedwin Touch O Class ("T.C.") died Saturday night. He was one of my favorite stallions out at the barn. I wish I could find some photos of him, but it's proving impossible. Anyway, he is the sire of Corrinne - Sparkle's first baby. He was about 14.2 hands but thought he was bigger. A true Morgan in every sense of the word. I think he was approaching 30 if not already past that mark. Still onery until he final day.

Here's a photo of Corrinne (and Sparkles) ... back in 2006.

Back in the Day ... Part 2 "Sparkles"

Spice O Life Sparkle Plenty

Sparkles became part of out family sometime around 1998. She was formerly a saddleseat horse, but didn't like the requirements of that and found her nitch in the Morgan hunter pleasure division. As a young horse, Sparkles was somewhat of a wild child. She dumped the trainer twice at Gold Cup and sent her previous owner into tears on numerous occasions. Luckily, by the time we got her she had mellowed out into one of the greatest horses I have ever known. I was off to college, so my sister showed her for the most part (I "catch rode" whenever I could). They had much success, including a World Championship in 1998 (I think). After several years of basically winning everything under the sun, we "retired" Sparkles and decided to breed her.

It took probably 3 years of failed attempts. She would settle, but then lose the baby at 90 days. I graduated college and had a job close to where Sparkles was living - so I started riding her again, to give her a job and remind her that maybe she'd rather choose motherhood. Without a trainer (or any kind of instruction, really), Sparkles and I formed a really cool bond. She was the ultimate show horse - we went all over the midwest - basically a show every other weekend. She was as sound as could be. We kept winning and I realized how fun showing could be. There was no pressure. I even taught her flying changes and how to jump. I took her  trail riding. I could ride her around the farm in just a halter and lead rope. (This a mare who MUST be ridden in a twisted wire bit, according to previous trainer).

We kept trying to breed her, and she did settle again but we decided that I should just keep on showing her and see what happens. Well that year she kept the baby (by Tedwin Touch O Class), and had a chestnut filly the next spring, Corinne. She ended up being an OK mom, and we rebred her to Pot of Gold (the 1998 World Champion stallion) for the next year. The result was an adorable chestnut filly, Piper.

I halter broke both babies (Piper is pictured above). They were both sold a year or so ago.
After numerous horses and years of losing and never being good enough, Sparkles gave me a taste of what it was like to ride the best. People would stare at her when we walked into the warm up arena - at one small show, one woman scratched mumbling something like "I can't compete with that." Don't get me wrong, Sparkles could be frustrating. Sometimes she just would not walk in the show arena, and thus would require quite a bit of lunging the morning before a class. She had thyroid problems and needed to be on meds. She had a dished foot. She could be a little bitchy. But she was so fun. Will I ever have a horse that amazing again? I hope so, but if not that's ok.

One winter, Sparkles was out in the pasture and slipped and fell on the ice (actually, it was my previous horse, T-Bone, who was chasing her and thus caused the accident). Her hip was never really right after this, so I quit riding her too much. And when I did, we didn't canter because it seemed more difficult for her than before. And she was pushing her late teens. So, she was sold to a wonderful family who needed a babysitter horse for their kids. She's well fed and loved, and even has a goat for company now. A good retirement for a great horse. I would have kept her for life if I could.

It's the face

Over the weekend I went to visit the farm where Hampton was bred and born. There was several half-brothers of him out in one field. It was interesting to note the extreme differences in the horses, depending on what mare they were out of. Hampton's mother is a Jockey Club Thoroughbred mare, so he is lighter-boned than some of these horses - who are mostly out of draft cross mares.

Here are four of them (all same sire as Hampton):

The chestnut is also out of a TB mare, but the others are out of draft cross mares. The grey is much too heavy for my taste, but I bet he'd be a handsome fox hunter.

While I may be biased, I do think Hampton has a far prettier face than any of his brothers I saw. Perhaps he got that from his mom.

And as far as I know, there have been no other siblings of Hampton's started under saddle (or any kind of work, really) so I can't compare them in that respect. The oldest of the Fletcher (Hampton's sire) babies are 3, I think. (Coming 4 in 2010).

And in other news, since it's been raining, cold and gross, the 2 year old hasn't done much of anything. Today I tied him up out in the hallway - there are single ties on a wall where most of the lesson horses stand to be groomed and tacked. Up to this point, I've tied and crosstied Hampton in his stall - and today decided to see how he would do "out in the open." He was ... fine. Not a problem at all.

The answer

Riding the 2-year-old

So, I read a lot about how wrong it is to ride 2-year-olds on the various dressage discussion boards I visit. A lot of people say it's too early; some say it's ok to do some light work and riding. T-Bone was started under saddle in February of his 3 year old year (so he was technically still 2). I decided to go ahead and very lightly start Hampton under saddle because 1) He has the mental ability to handle the work. He has never once gotten "brain fried" or shown any signs of becoming afraid or irritated at work. That's not to say he hasn't been confused at times, but he has been so easy-going and willing to learn that I felt it might do him some good to "have a job." And 2) I really wanted to get all the lying over his back, jumping up and down next to him, etc. stuff over with before he was too big for me to do so safely. and 3) He is a strong 2 year old. If were really gangling, boney or ribby I would not have sat on him. But his topline is nice and he is capable of balancing with me on him. And I have been working him VERY sporadically. I have maybe been on his back 10-12 times total. Currently, we can walk and do very little trotting. And it's a pokey trot at that. He never works more than 2 days in a row. Lunging is kept at a minimum. I really don't think that this work load is harmful to him. Plus, look at me, I weigh next to nothing. I am capable of staying quiet and balanced on a horse's back, so I don't interfere. I don't ride with a loose rein techinally, but as you can see I don't restrict his head at all. Steering still needs a little more work, but he understands whoa quite well. When I rode him the other day, he has his ears forward with a relaxed expression. No tension. Will I continue to ride him over the winter? Probably not. I don't have an indoor and it will be good for him to keep growing up. I think starting him now will give me a good leg up for the spring/summer when we get going to more training level work - including introducing the canter. And if he's not ready, I won't do it.

In other news, he is fat and furry. Had his teeth done and his mouth was basically a mess. I was VERY glad I have not done much with the bridle (although he has been wearing the bit, but never acted like it hurt him). He had 2 wolf teeth pulled, teeth floated, 1 cap removed from a front tooth and 1 retained premolar yanked. Ouch! I'm sure he's much more comfortable now. I've also switched his food over to Purina Omolene 100. He LOVES it. I realize it might make some horses "hot," so I'll be watching for that but so far, so good. I just want to make sure he stays reasonably plump throughout the winter. May reconsider feed again in the spring.

He's due for a trim later this week.

Hey he hasn't forgotten

Hampton has had a couple of weeks off from serious work. But since the weather is suddenly gorgeous again, I decided today, tomorrow and Monday he can do something with his fat, furry butt. Today I merely lunged him with just a saddle on. He's actually starting to go more forward with less "requests" from me. While I don't make him canter but just a few strides, I do ask for canter departs just so that he knows what it is and that cantering is OK. He's sort of snotty about the departs, although I'm sure some of that comes from the fact that he is unbalanced and can't organize his legs.

He's really cute when he does this. I just send him on and the second time I ask, he canters right off. Guess he just has to give me the finger once as a protest. I'm not worried about this at all, as by the time I even attempt to canter him under saddle, he will have learned to canter more appropriately on the lunge and this sort of stuff goes away (we hope). 

He is starting to fall into a nice tempo when trotting. When I first started him out, I basically let him pick his own pace - which was a slow, Western like jog. These days I request that he move forward and soft and it is starting to pay off. his over-reach is starting to develop and there are moments where he really swings. He still looks so gangly and awkward, and his goose-rump butt does not improve the picture, but I think as he matures he will be really nice.

Tomorrow I will ride him. And if steering and stopping goes well in the round pen, perhaps we will venture to the big arena? Depends how brave I am, too. Monday will be another riding day. Then ... more time off. He gets his teeth floated on Thursday (and hopefully his wolf teeth yanked, too). Friday he gets his feet trimmed. What a week for the giant 2-year-old. And my checkbook.

Road trip

I'll be taking a little road trip this weekend.

To here:

And by little road trip, I mean a 30-hour drive across the country.

Will return with photos.

Peace.

Back in the Day ... Part 1, "Star"

I'm going to write a "mini-series" on the horses who have influenced me and taught me the most. 


KE Flight of a Star

After riding at Kaufman Stables (Westfield, Ind.) for a number of years, I got the opportunity to lease a small chestnut mare named Star. She was sired by Waskeeka's Nocture ... a decent line in the Morgan world. She was young, and cranky. She was not a horse you could go into the stall and brush or mess with. She would pin her ears and was not friendly. She also was a show horse - never turned out, locked up in a stall for 23 hours a day. At the time, I didn't know any better. I began my show career with her - showing all over the Midwest at Morgan "A" breed shows (including Dayton, Ohio, where this photo was taken) The ugly brown saddlesuit in this photo came as the recommendation of my instructor. It was even custom made. Geez. 

Even at the time when Morgan Jr. Exhibitor English Pleasure horses were still english pleasure horses, instead of park horses, Star was still very average. In today's Classic English Pleasure division, she still would not hold up. Not much movement and sort of a dumpy headset. (The dressage queen in me cringes at this word, but just work with me here) Of course, I didn't know any better at the time. My instructor filled my head with great things. How she looked fabulous and we would do great things. Star was really good at spinning and rearing. I fell off numerous times due to this antic. She was never one to rear so high that she was in danger of flipping over, but I think now she would have made a good reining horse. She also dumped me twice at the Dayton Horse Show in the warm-up ring. In the name of saving the very expensive, very ugly brown saddlesuit - I did land on my feet ... both times.

With Star I learned some hard lessons about showing. Smiling throughout the entire class won't win you ribbons. Neither will pleasantly trotting along on the rail. People are going to cut you off. During one class in Michigan, Star decided to throw in a lovely buck during the canter. Startled ... I didn't know what else to do but just keep going. One of the more valuable lessons ... ever. We never won a blue ribbon ... in fact I was more than thrilled to get ANY ribbon at all, as most of the time we were last or close to it. I could never figure out know why we always did so badly - even when we did not make any mistakes. Now I know ... obviously ... there were better horses and better riders.

As far as I know, Star is a school horse now for a Morgan stable in central Indiana (actually, last I checked, it was Sheryl Woosley's barn ... poor mare). When I took T-Bone to his first show as a 4-year old, I saw Star there ... trucking another junior rider around the ring. She had some grey hairs on her face, but still looked the same. As much as the mare dumped me, I still liked her. She was fun to show, and really for the most part safe. She set the stage for many, many years with Morgans.

... to be continued ...

Misc. stuff on the baby horse

Rope halters


I've always bought my horses leather halters. Nylon halters to me are not only unsafe, but look tacky. It sounds snobbish but I guess it was just the environment I grew up in. While I will always refuse to use nylon halters, I have recently discovered the convenience of rope halters. While they do appear "western-y," they are fantastic for starting a young horse. The bridle slips right over the halter with no problems - whereas with my leather halter I have to adjust some straps to make sure everything fits and it always looks like the horse has 10 tons of leather on his face. Rope halters also have a little bit of "bite" for when you need it. Not quite as much as a chain, but more than just a regular halter. I also like this. Rope halters are so adjustable, it's ridiculous. One size can fit a wide variety of horses. So while I do not like the current pink one I'm using with Hampton, convenience has trumped the little fashion police voice in my head ... for the moment.

Lunging
Of all the tricks to teach a horse, I have always been pretty good at teaching them to lunge. I know how to deal with just about any problem they can throw at me, and in most cases in the beginning when a horse does not cooperate on the lunge, it is because they don't understand. Hampton, however, is a large 2 year old and is VERY good at moving sideways. I mean, if there was a Kentucky Derby for a really messy, unbalanced, frantic leg yield/side pass - he would win. So while I am capable of handling and correcting a horse that "bulges" out on one side of the lunging circle, Hampton merely runs sidways - sometimes so fast that I just let go of the lunge line because I don't feel like face-planting. There's hardly anything I can do when he does this ... so instead we've gone back to lunging in the roundpen (where this does not happen) ... and in the open ring, I stick with smaller circles and slower speeds. I hope he eventually comes around with more work. Part of working babies ... sometimes it just takes time.

Weeee!

Pony-ing is something I never had the opportunity to do with T-Bone, but I found it to be not only a great form of exercise for Hampton (without stressing his young joints too much), but the old therapy horses at the barn also get good exercise ... and I find it to be quite entertaining! As you can see by the photo, Hampton is pretty bored with ring work now. He's ready to be ponyed out on the trail for sure. My goal is to do that this week. I've been on his back a few more times, and he's bored with that, too. Still needs more work on steering and stopping before we can go off without a handler, though. He's still very clueless about the bit - which is fine, I don't push the issue since he most likely needs his teeth done anyway and ... well he's just two. I'm just happy that he plods along with no bucking or tension. He'll be wormed tomorrow and maybe there won't be 500mph wind so I can actually work him a little. He probably would have behaved today, but the wind was so fierce and cold that it hurt my ears so I wimped out.

The bass player for Phish

I met Mike Gordon yesterday.




That is all.

Confirmed: He is actually 2 years old

So today I go out in the field to fetch Hampton. It's quite a walk out to the grass where the herd is grazing. I catch him, and go to walk toward the barn. The horse plants his feet and WON'T MOVE. I try to take him off balance, doesn't really work. So I get after him a bit and make him lunge a few circle to get him moving his feet. Great. Go to lead again. Stops. Won't move. If I stand beside him and swat him with the lead rope behind me, he flies backwards. So I end up backing him halfway up to the barn. I gave him several chances to go forward and walk with me, but he wouldn't - so we kept backing up. A few times he reared, and once he struck out with a front leg. Luckily I wasn't in firing range. He finally changes his mind as we get closer to the barn and the rest of the day went smoothly. I made it easy for him and just lunged in the round pen. But we were both out of breath and sweaty after trying to walk in from the pasture. GEEZ! Now I will be bringing a whip with me so that this doesn't happen again. Ah, babies.

Here horsie horsie



When I first showed Hampton the clippers, he spent about an hour pouting in the back of his stall snorting like a bull. (I had hung them on his stall door so he could deal with it while I went and rode). Turning them on also got the snorting reaction and cowering in his stall. Now I can turn them on, run them on his neck (obviously I don't clip his neck hair), and occationally touch his nose and clip some whiskers. He is still a bit leery, but mostly it's just ticklish now and he'll get over that, too. If only baths were making the same progress.



A thirsty pony!

My horse is a jungle-gym

Hampton is doing extraordinary. Today I ponied him off of one of the older school horses (I have done this a few times already), and then with the help of a friend I climbed aboard! I have sat on his back once before, but didn't go anywhere. Today we walked around just a bit. He was a bit unsure if he should walk - I'm sure it was part that he felt unbalanced, and part that he wasn't sure it that was OK. But he was not nervous at all. Not one bit of tension. My helper was even able to step away for a few minutes to snap some photos! :-) I don't intend to do anything but work on walking, stopping and steering with him until next year when we can start actually "riding." But I wanted to make sure he was ok with the whole "Yes, you let me ride you" thing before he got too enormously big.

I'm so impressed with his calm nature. All of this first ride stuff was going on at the same time that a loud dump truck was driving around the farm making loud noises. Never bothered Hampton.

All natural?

The lady from Harmony Natural Horse Care trimmed Hampton's feet this morning. It was my first experience with a "natural" barefoot trimmer. And Hampton's first experience with the farrier without any tranquilizer. He was, all considered, a pretty good boy. He got a little snotty about one back leg - even kicked out a few times - but for a giant 2 year old who was basically new to this game, he did well. I suspect the next trim or two will be even easier.

Anyway, the lady, Sue, was very nice. She was VERY patient with Hampton (most farriers would have whacked him numerous times). She explained that his two front feet did have a flare, which would grow out with time. All in all his feet are in good shape. I'm curious to see how he moves later this week with his new pedicure. I have read very little about natural barefoot trimming, but most of it has been positive. I realize down the line he will probably need shoes if we end up showing a bunch (merely for protection for all the hard surfaces), but for now I think I'll stick with this barefoot thing and see how it goes.

He's also scheduled for a message in the next week or two.

He needs wormed, too. Perhaps a Friday project.

I've also been back taking dressage lessons at Forrest Hill. I wish I could ride there 7 days a week. *sigh*

Sorry no photos today!

they grow up so fast

Hampton, the big gangly 2-year-old I got in July is about ready to be sat on. He has come a long way from an insecure fellow who could barely lead (mostly like a drunk sailor at that) to a quiet and sensible young horse. He lunges walk and trot with good brakes, long-lines in just a halter, wears a saddle with the girth "riding tight", picks up his feet, stands for grooming and fly spray, ties to the wall, stands quietly while I slap the stirrups around and jump all around him - even with a mounting block. He also is quiet when I lay over his back and will walk around with me there, too. Today, he learned how to pony off another horse (frankly, the old mare I was riding was more nervous than Hampton was) ... so seeing a human above him is no problem. All the foundation blocks are there. He just needs to wear a bridle. Which really should wait until he gets his teeth done. The most I will do this year is merely sit on him - MAYBE do small walking sessions. And that's it. Next year, he will begin lunging in side reins and than additional riding work. If everything goes as plan, I want to aim for the USEF 4-year-old young horse classes with him. But we'll see.

Today I also found an orange flag, a hula hoop and a foam "noodle" that I waved all around. He never blinked an eye.

(This photo is from about a month ago when he was wearing a saddle for the first time)

nevermind.

.... but probably not able to go now because of work.

(see below)

Dirty 30

SOMEBODY got Mike Gordon tickets for her birthday!!!!

Pointless Stats

Phish tour 2009:

Number of shows I attended: 9
Total songs played: 201
Average songs per show: 22.33

Total Times Played

Backwards Down The Number Line - 4 (44%)
Sample in a Jar - 4 (44%)
Also Sprach Zarathustra - 3 (33%)
Back on the Train - 3 (33%)
Chalk Dust Torture - 3 (33%)
Character Zero - 3 (33%)
Divided Sky - 3 (33%)
Fluffhead - 3 (33%)
Ghost - 3 (33%)
Grind - 3 (33%)
Kill Devil Falls - 3 (33%)
Lawn Boy - 3 (33%)
Limb By Limb - 3 (33%)
Loving Cup - 3 (33%)
NICU - 3 (33%)
Ocelot - 3 (33%)
Piper - 3 (33%)
Possum - 3 (33%)
Prince Caspian - 3 (33%)
Runaway Jim - 3 (33%)
Split Open and Melt - 3 (33%)
Stash - 3 (33%)
Suzy Greenberg - 3 (33%)
The Squirming Coil - 3 (33%)
Time Turns Elastic - 3 (33%)
Train Song - 3 (33%)
Tweezer - 3 (33%)
Waste - 3 (33%)
Water in the Sky - 3 (33%)
Wolfman's Brother - 3 (33%)
You Enjoy Myself - 3 (33%)
A Day in the Life - 2 (22%)
Bathtub Gin - 2 (22%)
Beauty of a Broken Heart - 2 (22%)
Boogie on Reggae Woman - 2 (22%)
Bouncing Around the Room - 2 (22%)
Crosseyed and Painless - 2 (22%)
David Bowie - 2 (22%)
Drowned - 2 (22%)
Farmhouse - 2 (22%)
Gumbo - 2 (22%)
Harry Hood - 2 (22%)
Heavy Things - 2 (22%)
Horn - 2 (22%)
I Am Hydrogen - 2 (22%)
Joy - 2 (22%)
Mike's Song - 2 (22%)
Poor Heart - 2 (22%)
Punch You In The Eye - 2 (22%)
Reba - 2 (22%)
Run Like an Antelope - 2 (22%)
Silent in the Morning - 2 (22%)
Slave to the Traffic Light - 2 (22%)
Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan - 2 (22%)
Taste - 2 (22%)
The Horse - 2 (22%)
The Moma Dance - 2 (22%)
The Wedge - 2 (22%)
Theme From The Bottom - 2 (22%)
Tweezer Reprise - 2 (22%)
Waves - 2 (22%)
Weekapaug Groove - 2 (22%)
Wilson - 2 (22%)
A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing - 1 (11%)
AC/DC Bag - 1 (11%)
Avenu Malkenu - 1 (11%)
Billy Breathes - 1 (11%)
Birds of a Feather - 1 (11%)
Bittersweet Motel - 1 (11%)
Brian and Robert - 1 (11%)
Brother - 1 (11%)
Bug - 1 (11%)
Carini - 1 (11%)
Down With Disease - 1 (11%)
Drums Jam - 1 (11%)
Fire - 1 (11%)
First Tube - 1 (11%)
Frankenstein - 1 (11%)
Funky Bitch - 1 (11%)
Gotta Jibboo - 1 (11%)
Guelah Papyrus - 1 (11%)
Halley's Comet - 1 (11%)
I Didn't Know - 1 (11%)
It's Ice - 1 (11%)
Let Me Lie - 1 (11%)
Makisupa Policeman - 1 (11%)
Maze - 1 (11%)
Mexican Cousin - 1 (11%)
Paul and Silas - 1 (11%)
Rift - 1 (11%)
Rock and Roll - 1 (11%)
Roses Are Free - 1 (11%)
Seven Below - 1 (11%)
Sleeping Monkey - 1 (11%)
Sparkle - 1 (11%)
Sugar Shack - 1 (11%)
The Connection - 1 (11%)
The Curtain With - 1 (11%)
The Lizards - 1 (11%)
The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday - 1 (11%)
The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday Reprise - 1 (11%)
The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony - 1 (11%)
Twist - 1 (11%)
Undermind - 1 (11%)
Wading in the Velvet Sea - 1 (11%)
Windy City - 1 (11%)
Ya Mar - 1 (11%)

First Set Openers

Back on the Train - 1
Backwards Down The Number Line - 1
Brother - 1
Divided Sky - 1
Fluffhead - 1
Kill Devil Falls - 1
Punch You In The Eye - 1
Roses Are Free - 1
Runaway Jim - 1

Ooops almost forgot

By the way, I LOVE LOVE LOVED Colorado. It is an amazing state. And I was there to see an amazing band. Met amazing people. Makes Indiana look extra craptastic. I want to drag my horse there to live.

(At Red Rocks)



(Camping buddies)

RIP Doug

Doug Hunt, a reporter with whom I worked with for my 3+ years at the Journal Review in Crawfordsville, died at age 55. It's rare to meet someone who loved their job as much as Doug did. Not only did he write stories, but I lost count of many days in which as a designer I had no photos and he would go out and magically capture something for the next day's paper. He was friendly and approachable, and I remember that the 4-H people especially adored him.

(I stole this photo from John Flora)

What's this on my back?

Yup Hampton is wearing a saddle already. Yesterday was the first time I introduced it to him. He walked around with it like he has been doing so since birth. lol.



And how many 2-year-olds are calm enough to be handled by a really non-experienced horse person? Not many I would guess.



Walking over flowers? No problem.

Update on T-Bone

T-Bone has clearly won over his new owner.

Here's a pic of him that she sent me.

Countdown

Leaving in two weeks ...

The calm before the storm?

Since Hampton has been so quiet and easy going, I went ahead and put the surcingle on him today (remember, I've had him less than a week). He didn't care, so I buckled it. Still didn't care. I almost took him outside on a walk with it on, but decided I better not push it. So I gave him some hay and let him eat in his stall with the surcingle on. It was fastened snug, but not girth-tight or anything. I took the surcingle off and began some basic lunging in the round pen. He was of course confused, but picked it up easily and was never naughty - just wondering what the heck I wanted!

Tomorrow will be more of the same. Maybe a bath? Maybe intro to clippers?

Progress

The new horse (who I think I will name Hampton) ... is leading much better now (much less like a drunken sailor), he stands quietly while I toss ropes over his back, around his legs and around his head. He picks up all four feet (with the lead rope - I'm not brave enough to bend down there yet) ... and today accepted and wore a white saddle pad like he has been doing that since birth. Tomorrow we'll begin the basics of lunging (whoa and walk on) and by the end of the week the booger may have a surcingle on. I don't want to lunge him a ton (since he's still growing) but I figure once or twice a week won't hurt. Also, within the next week or two I may introduce a bath and also clippers.

The new horse

Here's a photo from today ... starting working more with the as yet un-named new horse. Worked on leading, and tossed a lead rope around on his back in the stall. He was fine with that. With more handling he'll be a good boy ... he does like to kick, tho, lol ... gotta be aware of those hind legs when he gets a little fiesty. Here he is (please excuse the ugly halter, his new one is on order)

Thankfully

I still have my job.
But, due to other layoffs my schedule will be changing and I'll need to make adjustments to life.
I'm sure it will all work out. It always does.

**

Annnnd ... the new horse arrived safe and sound. I promise photos soon. He is AMAZING.

More layoffs ...

Another letter from a Gannett big wig ... I've clipped out the bullshit and left in the meat.

To: U.S. Community Publishing Employees
From: Bob Dickey

I want to talk with you about our restructuring efforts, as we continue to battle these difficult economic conditions and the impact on our advertisers. With your help, our various cost savings initiatives are making a difference.

Each plan is different and designed to address the ongoing local needs. All of them, however, involved extremely difficult decisions. Approximately 1400 employees will be impacted by the job reductions across the division. Your publisher or general manager will communicate the local plans, and we expect the vast majority of the reductions will take place by July 9. In a select few cases, the implementation may take longer. There will not be any furloughs for the rest of the year.

Even so, we know the economy will improve. To be ready, we need to continue our transformation and maintain a strong financial position. We must publish our newspapers, produce our Web sites and pay down our debt. By taking all these steps today, we will be stronger tomorrow.

Measured against our peers in the media industry, we are healthy and capable of moving forward. We are in this position because we have proactively responded to the financial conditions with actions such as these.


... don't know how this will impact our individual paper. But ... guess we'll wait and see.

Wow. Glastonbury images

Some of the most moving festival photos I have ever seen. I can only hope to be half as good as this guy.

See the rest of them here.