Mean girls of Pony Club

Found this cute video while wasting time on YouTube this afternoon. I'm not sure what game the girls are playing, but they are apparently "fighting" over some sort of object. Anyway, at around 1:28 one of the girls pushes another one off her horse. LOL!!! I love how they fall off and then just hop right back on, plus they are all wearing helmets. Good fun.

Stowaways

I should really know better than to leave my truck open at the barn. 


I arrived today and unloaded a bag of alfalfa pellets (new addition to Hampton's diet) out of the back of my truck, lugged it to the feed room, dumped it in its own tub, then returned to my truck and closed the tailgate. I proceded to go collect Hampton, fed him, etc. etc and put him back out in the field. I went hunting for a little red bucket I have so that I could take some pellets home tonight to make a nice warm mash for Hampton tomorrow. I looked all over for the bucket and decided maybe I should look in the bed of my truck one more time. I opened the tailgate and WHAM - 3 barn cats were like bats outta hell out of there. It startled me so much I yelled a little (thinking I had little varments in my truck) ... then laughed when I realized the barn cats had snuck in there. If I had not gone out to look for that bucket - they would have gone home with me and who knows when or if I would have discovered them. Sheesh.


So we'll see how Hampton does with the addition of alfalfa pellets to his diet. Introducing them slowly, so it will be a week or two before he's getting what he really needs. He is otherwise happy and warm. The mounting block in the arena was sitting up against the fence today (instead of just lying flat like usual) and Hampton snorted at it and eyed it VERY suspiciously. But that's about the extent of it. I am happy that he is (so far) very well behaved in this weather (several horses are maniacs just walking to and from the pasture). He is due for another trim soon, too.

Flippin' 12 degrees today

Too cold to do much of anything outside, so I went to the mall to spoil myself since I had a giftcard, then out to the barn to feed Hampton. He seemed well. I thought my fingers were going to freeze off, even with gloves. Hampton is a bit thin for my liking ... he's not severely underweight by any means, but I would like him to be more "round" (and juicy ... lol). I think his ribs will always show no matter what for a little while longer (he's growing so much), and you can't see his spine but he could use a little more cushion over his hips really. Anyway, he gets free choice hay (mostly oat hay and grass mix), plus he gets fed grain once a day. I simply do not have time to drive out there and feed him twice. He gets Purina Omelene 100, plus 1/2 cup Omega Horseshine. I just started the Horseshine, so I am going to see if this helps any. Any other ideas? Suggestions?

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.