The Halflinger and the Thing: Part 2

He's here!

PONY!!

Name: Baxter
Age: 10
Breed: Halflinger

The BO and I are splitting Baxter's costs, as he will also be used as a horse for her to learn dressage on as well as a lesson pony for advanced riders. He is also my little schoolmaster of sorts so I can practice more advanced movements before teaching them to Hampton. Baxter knows all the second level work, plus half pass, piaffe and a little passage. A few years ago, he was champion in training level at the USDF regional championships (for young riders I think? I'd have to check).

There is only one problem. (and thus why he came to me)

Mr. innocent

The pony is a shit.

He's not dangerous, but he can be obnoxious on the ground and will test you under saddle. He proved to be too much horse for the previous people who had him as a lesson pony, so his owner (also my instructor) thought I might enjoy having him and enjoying his training. Uh, duh! 

I'll be riding him tomorrow for the first time and I can't wait. :)

Can you imagine me pulling into a show with Baxter and Hampton! LOL!! Hilarity. Two totally opposite horses in just about all respects. I know he'll be good for me to refine my skills. I don't have a problem dealing with his antics. So exciting! He's a super nice pony so I hope that at some point I can afford to show him.

Keeping my fingers crossed that this "winter storm" they are predicting does not keep me from going to the show on Saturday. Otherwise, i really need to memorize the tests and clean more tack. Hampton is ready. :)

He has a full head of hair now ... but not for long ...

A quick update

In typical Indiana fashion, the sun is (sort of) back out today, and it was 35! Enough to make the areas nice enough to work on. Yeah! Got some lunging work done with Hampton today. He will go under saddle tomorrow and Friday then.

Also rode Zippy today - who was so good. It's obvious that he just needs a confident leader. Poor guy is just insecure. But he did much better with steering and was quick off my leg this time. His does need his wolf teeth pulled, which I checked after he was a pig to bridle. But otherwise, he was much more quiet in the bridle to ride. I'm happy with how he's coming along. Such a good soul.

Annnnd got the ride times for the show on Saturday. 11:09 is our first go, 12:57 is our last. This will make for an easy day! Booyah!

That's it for today's quick update.

Plug your ears.

Yesterday it was 34 degrees and pouring rain. I didn't work Hampton. Sorry, I'm just not that hardcore. No biggie I thought. Well today Indiana decided that 25 degrees and snow sounded like a plan. Ok, I can suck up the cold.

Oh but what do you know. Both arenas are - yes, FROZEN with lots of ruts.

Excuse me for a minute.

AGRGAHAGAHAGH F*&**(*( M**&() AGRHAGAHDGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He worked like such a champ last week that I'm not too worried. I do hope we can fit it a few more work sessions before the show this weekend. That would be nice. But if not, I'm all about winging it. I'm actually thinking about hauling him down Friday night now, to allow for a little more time for him to settle. And it would  be a good experience for him to have an "overnighter." We'll see.

I tried not to stare at him too long today. He's got mud-cycles at the end of his tail and on his fetlock hair. his needs clipped. his trace clip is horrifying ... he does not look like a show horse right now. ugh.

In other news - I have managed to give his bridle a really good cleaning. it will need another once over before the show, but at least I've been somewhat productive the past 2 days.

How to pack for a horse show

I used to be a groom for a Morgan show horse barn back when I was a teenager and in college. So I know all about how to pack up trunk after trunk, bussles, sheets, blankets, bridles, saddles, hay, grain, supplies, jog carts, and stuff them all into a horse van.

But.

It's been a few years since I've shown and had to pack for one. Like since 2007. I am really nervous that I am going to forget something really basic when I take Hampton to his first show next Saturday. I mean it's only a one-day show, but still. I feel rusty!

So I'm making a list. It's mostly for my own purposes but feel free to borrow and copy it if you want. :) Oh and if I forgot anything really obvious for a schooling dressage show, please for the love of God let me know.

For the rider (me):
• Helmet
• Hairnets
• Riding gloves (just going to wear my school gloves at this show)
• Tall boots w/ spurs
• Garment bag (which already contains bobby pins, hair ties, boot pulls, knick-knacks)
• Will dress in the a.m. and just put sweats over my warm beeches so no changing needed at show

For the horse:
• Old towels for grooming
• Groom bucket (already contains brushes, combs, curry, hoofpick, etc.)
• Braiding supplies (if I do not braid him first at home)
• Saddle
• white show pad
• Bridle
• Side reins
• Lunge line
• Lunge whip
• Riding whip
• Sponge
• Polos for schooling
• Cross ties
• Water bucket

Misc:
• Video camera
• Nikkon D50
• 4-5 flakes of hay to last the day
• Cooler (the horse kind)
• Cooler (the human kind, for drinks)
• Folding chair
• Show bill w/ ride times

This list will be much larger for a recognized show where we would likely travel far enough to have to spend the night. And all Hampton's paperwork (Coggins, etc.) has already been submitted. I'll probably bring an extra copy just in case.

Anyone else have any packing tips, tricks or funny forgetful stories? :)

The Halflinger and the Thing: Part 1

I am going to be a busy girl this spring.

In addition to Hampton, I now have 2 additional creatures to work with.

The first guy is named Zippy.

Don't laugh.

A halter champion he is not.

The BO purchased Zippy to be a therapy horse (she runs a therapeutic riding program as well as the boarding portion of her barn). He is 4 years old. No one will be able to guess his breeding so I'll just tell you. Arabian. Belgian. Appaloosa. Yeah. You read that correctly. Anyway, she needed a horse that would be capable of carrying some of the heavier riders.

Zippy accepts a rider on his back. But that's about the extent of his training. I worked with him for the first time yesterday and it took me 5 minutes to even get him to lead out of the barn. He just kept backing up. Um, ok. Then he shied and ran into me. Not allowed. So after a few minutes of explaining to him what leading is ... he decided to walk nicely by my side to the big outdoor ring.

I introduced lunging to him - which he picked up quite easily. This surprised me considering he really wasn't even halter broke by my standards. Then I got on. He stood nicely to be mounted so someone obviously did a good job on that. But that's about all he knows. Steering? D+. Whoa? B+. Go? D+. Although I must say that he did learn that legs=go now without an issue. I didn't even have to smack him with the whip - just a tap tap did the trick and soon he was moving off with light leg pressure. So he's a sensitive feller and really quiet for how green he is. We just worked on steering and walk trot transitions with some whoas thrown in there. He's like riding a young horse on its 2nd or 3rd ride ever. He's clueless, but willing and not silly.

So I'm getting some extra cash for putting miles on him. This really helps me out with finances and Zippy will learn what life is like as a working horse.

The other project - the awesome Halfinger arrives next week. More on him soon! To be continued ...

The horse gets a bib

After working the horse the past few days, I finally broke down.

I gave Hampton a trace clip.

I gave him a version of the above Strip Clip (heh heh no many jokes there), or a "Bib" as some people call it. I just clipped the under side of his neck and his chest. I was going to try to get some of his belly but he was so filthy that I decided to spare my clippers. As is to be expected, he was a good boy for the procedure. My clipping skills however, still leave much to be desired.

I also took him out to the big ring (today was the first time I've seen the actual footing in this ring since ... uh ... I dunno, November?) ... for a lunging session. After I stepped in several large, icy cold puddles - in my sneakers - GENIUS - we went to work. He looked awesome today - pushing from behind. Balanced canter. Big, lofty trot. Relaxed. All this while slopping through a very wet (but thankfully not slick) arena. He looked so lovely that I had forgotten about my soaked shoes and socks. 

But this girl doesn't make the same mistake twice. I hopped on him on our way back to the barn so that he could walk through the mini-lakes and I didn't have to. And I'm pretty sure his back isn't sore at this point. All I had was one of those smallish blocky mounting blocks and he is 17.1. Deeerrrr, so I had to do one of those cowboy leaps, wiggle, get my leg over types of deals. Took me two tries. Second try I landed on the surcingle and bruised my stomach - again, GENIUS. But I did scramble up! And he never moved a hoof the entire time. What a good, good boy.

I'll try to get pics of my embarrassing clip job soon.

Ulcers

I think I'm hypersensative to stomach issues in horses mainly because I have severe GERD myself. I've been scoped for ulcers and have had a biopsy done to test for Celiac disease and H. Pylori. The doctors found nothing wrong with me. Yet, I have been suffering from awful stomach issues ever since college. A script of 80 mg of a proton pump inhibitor makes my life almost normal again.

But ANYWAY ... my point is is that I can really relate to the pain, discomfort, frustration and general crankyness that comes with a constant stomach ache.

Which is why I think Hampton may have an ulcer or be uncomfortable.

It's not outright obvious ... but when you know your horse really, really well, you pick up on little things. Here are the signs that lead me to think he might be uncomfortable:

• He's lost weight this past month. He's starting to look that "rangey" weight that he was last year. He's not skinny by any means, but not as round as he has been.

• He is girthy. And by that I mean it's so so so mild that most people would never notice. See, Hampton will stand quietly to be groomed. He will lower his head, lick and chew and rest a hind leg (yes, the boy luvs his groomins'). Once I place the saddle on, he starts to move around just a bit. It's not obnoxious. It's not rude. I've checked his back for soreness and it didn't seem to be, although it could still be part of it. I've checked his girth area for sores of a battle wound and can find nothing. I just SENSE that the girth it sort of bugging him.

• He has started having moments of nervous chomping on the bit while riding. Again, this could be the fact that he is just not strong. It's normal young horse behavior, confusion, etc. BUT ... again I just sense that it's coming from some internal tension. It doesn't last the entire ride, maybe only for minutes.

These symptoms could be a lot of things. His living situation is pretty ideal. He lives out 24/7 with free choice roundbales. He gets some grain (Triple Crown Complete) that I always mix with alfalfa pellets or cubes. He eats his lunch like a champ. He has always had a good appetite. He doesn't seem like a candidate for ulcers ...

Regardless, I am going to get some U-Gard and see if that helps improve any of the above issues. He's also due for another visit with the chiro - he could be just tight, weak and maybe out of whack.

For more info:

Here are just a few signs that your horse could be suffering from an ulcer:
(Here's the link to my source)

• a change in attitude – Is your horse more nervous than usual or less willing to perform? Does he seem grouchy or “out of it” for no apparent reason?
• poor appetite – Is he eating as much as he normally does for the amount of work he’s accomplishing? Is he leaving any of his feed uneaten?
• colic – Is your horse showing signs of low-grade colic, a persistent mild discomfort that may cause him to turn his head toward his flank, lie down excessively, paw or fail to finish a meal?
• decreased performance – Is your horse not as “fluid” as normal? Could his usually fine movement be described as below average?
• a decline in body condition – Is your horse’s coat not quite as sleek and shiny as it once was? Does he look “unthrifty” or just plain poor?
• weight loss – Has your horse dropped weight, up to but not more than 10 percent of his body weight?
• dull – Is your horse generally lackluster and seemingly without energy?