It's been awhile

I know, it's been awhile since I posted.  I have no followers and was feeling like "why bother?"  But I kinda missed blogging, even if I am the only one reading it.

My horse show was rescheduled for May 11th.  I just took Poppy and did the highs at 3'6.  She was a superstar.  We had a rail in the speed class but of no fault to either one of us.  I really felt like she was tired.  But rails make her mad so she kicked it into gear and jumped her toosh off the rest of the course.  I just LOVE that mare.  She loves to jump and it is so fun to ride her.


Very tired Poppy after 2 classes on a hot day
 

Due to the rain and being busy it was about 2 weeks since I had been on Ketel.  I spent a few days last week lunging him.  He has gotten better at the trot but still bucks at the canter.  I feel like it is just him playing and also his annoyance with me popping the lunge whip to make him go.  I have to keep reminding myself that he is less than 3 months out of race training and just turned 3 so he this normal.  On Saturday I decided to change things up.  I changed his bit to the one I tried with Poppy.  It is a double jointed loose ring with a ball in the center.  I also put on the largest spurs I own.  I struggle to keep him going and move off my leg but have avoided using spurs because I worried it would make him grumpy or sour.  I took a friend's advice who had tons of experience breaking and training greenies (he's the one people are talking about when they say "send him to the cowboy") and put on the spurs.  Big surpise, Ketel moved off my leg and didn't  bat an eye.  He kicked out once at the canter.  It wasn't anything bad more like a "stop spuring me, I'll canter geez."  I rode him again on Monday and he is really improving on his balance and moving into a frame (almost).  He accepts contact willingly but without leaning on me.  We also practice some leg yielding which he did well at.

lunging last week



Grazing after our ride and a bath Saturday.  He is really starting to fill out
 

Next up I have a rated show next weekend.  I am going to take Tank and Poppy.  I really need to work on getting Tank into shape.  Although I have been riding him I haven't really been conditioning him or jumping much.  So that will be my focus.

Finally Drying Out

Wow did we have ALOT of rain over the weekend.  It started on Thursday and rained nonstop through late Saturday night.  We got 12 inches of rain over night on Thursday.  So I woke up Friday morning to 3 inches of water in my feed/tack room, drenched stalls (the sideways rain came in through their windows), standing water everywhere around the yard, jumps floating...you get the point.  I had taken Friday off from work Friday to go horse show so thankfully I was wasn't in a hurry to rush off to work.  It took me almost all morning to get the wet stalls stripped and cleaned.  The stalls on the west side of the barn were fine, just the east side were wet.  So after I finished that I immediately called my husband and asked him to find someone that can build me some doors for the windows. 

Soooo, the horse show was cancelled, every thing around here was under water.  I was relieved, I did not want to be driving anywhere in this stuff.  The poor horses were stalled from Thursday morning until Sunday evening.  They have never been in that long.  All I could do was hand walk them.  Surprisingly they all handled it pretty well.  Poppy was definitely going stir crazy.  She is very laid back and not spooky however being inside that long she was spooking, antsy, and just bratty.  Who could blame her though?

I'm not sure who was more happy when I turned them out Sunday evening, me or them.  Probably them but yay for not having to clean stalls twice a day anymore.  The show has been rescheduled for this Saturday but I am not sure if I will go.  My jump field is still really soggy, the downfall of jumping on grass.  I have a few days to decide though.

On a more exciting note Poppy's new Baker Fly sheet arrived Saturday.  I wanted to share how pretty it is!

This was our road on Friday.  Several of the neighbor's driveways were under water
 

Yay for no rain!

I got a good ride in on Poppy yesterday before the rain came.  I am still trying out the new bit I bought her and decided it's not working.  It is a loose ring, 3 jointed, and has a ball in the middle.  It reminded me of a Waterford which she likes so I gave it a whirl.  I feel like I am riding her in a hackamore with this bit.  In it she is hard mouthed, pulls, and ignores any half halting etc.  Sooooo today I tried a slow twist.  It's a bit different than the one I've tried before with her.  It's a bit more narrow.  We just hacked today but she did well with it.  I worked on cantering small circles with her today.  This helps with tighter turning in jump offs.  She can over bend and lose momentum so we worked in keeping the circle tight with enough outside leg to keep her from bowing and maintain forward momentum.  She did awesome.

I finally got to ride Tank.  I felt bad, just as I pulled him out to ride him last night it started raining.  He was a really good boy.  I popped him over a few jumps and he was so good.

I'm hoping to ride Ketel tomorrow.  I just pulled him out to brush tonight.  He has gotten so much better about standing in the cross ties.  He stands quietly now and doesn't paw.  I am trying to curry him daily to get his coat back.  He is going through the let down phase from the track.  So his body is adjusting to the change in diet and not galloping 2 miles a day 6 days a week. So he's in the ugly duckling phase, if you will. But I think he's still adorable.

I Cantered Ketel!!!

I didn't get a chance to write last night but I have to share...I cantered Ketel yesterday!  He has a beautiful canter.  It was tough to keep him going but it's a start.  He was soo good.  I ride him in a small pasture I have to keep things "in control" if need be.  After I rode him I walked him out to my jump field where I ride my other horses.  This was his first time out there.  There is alot to look at but he did great.  He didn't bat an eye at some tires I set out to spook the horses.  I try to put as much stuff as I can out there to desensitize them.  The only thing he looked hard at was the liverpool.  He doesn't really spook, he looks hard and then his curiosity makes him want to get a closer look.  I love that about him.  I then got off and walked then trotted him over some poles.  I also walked him along the front of out property along the fence line.  I like to cool the horses out there.  He handled it all well.  I am so proud of him. 

I also rode Poppy and Tank and they were super too.  I haven't jumped Tank much lately so I did some course work with him at about 3'3.  He was perfect.  This is what I love about him, he is so tuned and knows his job.  It's nice to have a horse like that when you have greenies. 

Sunday the horses have off so I can get my house work done.  It looks like rain all week so hopefully I can get some riding in.  I am taking Poppy to a local show on Saturday to get some practice in.  So here is hoping for a rain free week!

Rolex and World Cup Fever

I wanted to watch round 2 of the World Cup in Sweden soooo bad today.  It was live streamed on FEI Network but I'm not a member and really didn't want to join.  I absolutely LOVE Kent Farrington's horse Uceko.  His nickname is "Little Grey" and he just reminds me so much of Poppy.  Kent and Uceko had a rail today and are currently standing in 23rd place.  My other favorite pair Rich Fellers and Flexible had a refusal yesterday and a rail today so they are currently in 29th place.  Beezie Madden and Simon are currently in 2nd place.  So exciting.  How awesome would it be to have an American win 2 years in a row???

Uceko

I don't even like eventing and I am all about Rolex.  Why?  Because of all the OTTB's.  You don't see them at the top of show jumping much anymore.  Not a single TB at The World Cup.  Not because a TB is not capable, but because Americans like to go to Europe to find their show jumpers.  But that is a post for another time...Anyway, I don't care for dressage yet I was watching it on live stream today and checking the standings regularly.  Tomorrow is cross country,  I will try to catch what I can but I would rather ride my horses than spend the day watching people ride online.  I will be hoping for an OTTB to come out on top though.  They have recently been getting all kinds of attention and a win would help the momentum to continue. 

So with all this excitement going on in equestrian sports how can you NOT be in the mood to ride?  Plus I got Poppy a new bit that I was eager to test out.  I was riding her at home in a 3 ring but it has become too much bit for her.  I ride her in a Waterford at the shows which she goes really well in so I would like to keep it as her show bit and find something for home.  So I bought a loose ring 3 jointed bit with a ball in tthe middle.  It is similiar to the Waterford so I thought we would give it a whirl.  I don't think she was fond of it but it was hard to tell so we need some more time in it.  She is fussy and fidgety on the flat anyway but today it was really bad and she keep yanking the reins.  But then hopping over the jumps she was fine.  So I think it warrants another try.  I hadn't jumped her since our show last weekend so I jumped a little bit.  She was still in horse show mode and had to clear the standards.  My husband built some 6 foot standards for me and all I know if that I am looking way down on them from the air!  I don't like to jump my horses too much at home.  It puts alot of wear and tear and them so I prefer to jump maybe 2 times per week.  Usually small the first time and bigger the next.  Then flat work on the other days. 

I'm exhausted from a long frustrating day at work.  I decided to only ride one tonight and groom Ketel.  It has bothered me that his mane lays on the wrong side so I braided it over on the right side.  Those braids make him look so silly that I hope I can take them out Sunday.  He has a thin mane so I don't think it will take long to train his mane.  He is looking less like a race horse.  I've had him 8 weeks tomorrow.  I wish he would put more weight on but it will just take time.  Hmmm, I wonder if tomorrow we will canter???????????

My Legs Are Spaghetti

Tonight I first rode Tank.  He has only been ridden lightly for the past couple of weeks due to my lack of time so he was a little full of himself but still a good boy.  He does much better when he is ridden at least 3-4 times a week,  I really need to work on getting him back in shape.  We jumped a few little jumps and that was about it.  It's hard to come up with fun things to break up his routine. 



A picture of Tank taken 2/13 but I wanted to show off how cute he is.  This is at my trainer's barn.
 

I got on Ketel next.  He is sooooo quiet.  I am like pony kicking to get him to jog.  I can't even call it a trot.  That's too fast.  The first time I got on him I made sure my husband was home (in case it went badly) and my non-horsey hubby commented that he would make a good trail horse because he was so laid back.  I am starting to wonder if he was right.  He doesn't want to go fast at all.  He is happiest when he is parked and looking around.  Anyway, I continued to kick as hard at I could to keep him going both directions until I was just pooped out.  And my legs felt like spaghetti.  I really wanted to get him to canter tonight.  I am wondering how the heck I am going to get him to do that.  I can't believe I am on a 3 year old TB kicking like a child on a fat little Farnley pony.  And he could care less...

Ketel, taken a couple of weeks ago.
 

Poppy & Ketel

Today I hacked Poppy for the first time since we showed on Saturday.  I always like to give the horses a couple daays off after a show.  She was great.  We worked on counter cantering, leg yields, turning on the forehand, etc.  She is getting so much more rideable and adjustable over fences.  All this flat work helps.  I might jump her a little Friday.  We have another show May 4th so I likely won't do course work until closer to then.

Next up was Ketel.  Today I decided to just lunge him.  Yesterday I rode him and it was  the worst ride I had on him thus far.  He would not respond to my leg, would not bend or turn to the right, kept breaking, kept tripping because he wouldn't pick up his feet, etc.  I don't blame him, I blame myself.  I had not been on him in a week so he got used to not having a job and was just being a baby.  I finally decided to put him on the lunge.  He stated his opinion of having to work so close to dinner time by bucking at me and being obstinant.  I continued to work through it until I had some positive moments then let him be done.  So today I just lunged.  He was a champ.  Walked, trotted, and cantered.  This was the first time I got him to canter on the lunge on cue.  He has a beautiful canter too!  I felt so much better after this. 

I just really need to consistently get Ketel on my schedule.  It is so challenging to do so after I get home from work.  I only have time to ride 2 so someone gets left out.  My goal is to focus on getting Tank sold.  I enjoy working with my greenies and it is time for him to find someone that will give him all the attention and ride time that he deserves.  I haven't shown him in awhile and I know he misses it.  The challenge of selling horses is a whole nother blog for another time!

So tonight I am going to bed exhausted and weary but so happy with all the horses tonight.  It is such a great feeling after you have had a good ride!  Good night!