Weekly Update

Bev told me to be sure to take pictures of Kruiser as he grows up. I'm going to try and remember to do that on a monthly and prn basis. I need to remember to take pictures of his hooves today before Cecelia trims them. Will also start an album to record these pictures in.

Kruiser is doing really well. Seems very secure in his surroundings. Got his remaining spring time vaccs last Friday and had a very sore neck by the afternoon. 1gm of bute fixed him right up and he was all better by Sat AM. Feeding has become a hassle because the other horses are eating his food so now I am feeding him at night with beet pulp, amplify, alfalfa cubes, supplements and 1/2 scoop of pellets. No complaints from him - he loves it! I am going to get Riley used to that mixture so he can have it at the horse shows. At least at the night time feeding. Rode Kruiser for Bev last week and she was quite pleased. Gave me some things to work on. I do have to remind myself that he is 3...I never actually consider lunging or round penning him might be a good idea before I get on. So far he has been very, very good.

Riley - as always is a star. Super good in last weeks lesson - relaxed and rhythmical through out the entire lesson. The 3 mile walk in the morning helps him so much. I wish he was better behaved on the road and could go on his own. He still is a bit spooky. Will take him out on Friday AM and then school him in the PM.

Having 2 horses is tough. Trying to get 2 ridden and brushed is really hard on the days I work. Sometimes I get one ridden, sometimes all I can do is brush them. I am working hard to shed them out - I really want to clip them but won't!! So on my days off, I will ride both - or at least work Kruiser on the rope halter - everyday.

Looks like more rain tonight - hope it holds off until I have ridden them both! Trailer training for Kruiser on Friday.

Whew...a long week

I got my Honda CR-V and it works great, pulls the Brenderup just fine although in retrospect I wish I'd gotten something with a little more juice and a bigger gas tank! No worries...I will only be taking Riley to the jumper shows which are local and perhaps the occas. xc schooling. If I start needing to taking Riley and Kruiser places, then I'll deal with that situation then. Jennifer kindly offered her slant load and diesel and I'd leave her the CR-V and 2 horse for emergencies. That would work too.

Kruiser passed Bev's test and passed his vet check to our satisfaction. After we decided to buy him I felt kinda nervous and worried. However after I groomed him tonight and did just a little ground work, I felt no regret at all. He is a very nice horse. If I have time on Saturday, I'll give him a bath.

Riley was wild but generally pretty good in the lesson tonight. 2 good flying changes and no drama. Am riding Riley and Ruby with Bobbi Paulk tomorrow.

Riley Update

He had his monthly massage on Wednesday. He hates then and fidgets and fusses the entire time as well as pooping at least 7 times! However you know he feels great when he is done because when I let him out he bucks and gallops around like a youngster.

He also goes so much better under saddle. He is no less crabby when I groom him but he is fantastic under saddle.

No show but a new horse trailer

I had planned to take Riley to a horse trial this weekend but my ride for him fell through. That made me decide it was time to get a trailer and an appropriate vehicle to pull it.

I've done the car and truck routine with a regular 2 horse trailer and did not feel like going that route again so I did some research and am getting a Brenderup Royal TC. Lucky for me I got a 10% discount and some little extras I probably would not have thought to get. On my way home from the trailer store, I stopped at the Honda store to discuss trading in my Civic and getting a CR-V. Yes that will pull my trailer!! So I have one reasonably gas efficient vehicle that can tow my gorgeous trailer and get me to work.

Got my Civic detailed today and it looks great. Going to trade it in tomorrow as long as they give what it is worth on trade in. It looks like new.

Kruiser

Went to look at Kruiser a 3 yr old Trakhener/TB cross today. He's still pretty immature but he did quite well under saddle and free jumping. Plan to go back next week with Bev to see what she thinks. I like him - there is a lot of potential there.

It was a totally beautiful day. I hope this horse works out - I'm ready to get my project started.

Please don't rain tomorrow

Am going to look at a horse tomorrow. Looks like a fun prospect. I really hope this one works out.

Go Riley Go!!

Went to Rio Vista schooling hunter/jumper show on Saturday. It's a very unimportant event in the big scheme of things but was a great opportunity to let Riley practice some course work on great footing. He jumped beautifully...I think better than he ever has and ended up champion open jumper. All the tedious drill work and tiny jumps all winter long paid off huge. I felt like I rode better than I ever have too. Made a few small mistakes but nothing major and all correctable.

Friday we went to Pine Hill to school xc. Riley jumped well but isn't quite ready to move up to training level. Needs to be a little more attentive.

I feel we are definately ready for Pine Hill horse trial in a couple of weeks.

Respect

Tonight as I was attempting to blanket one horse in particular, she showed me some serious disrespect. I had her halter on because I know she walks away when I am trying to put the blanket on. I asked her to get moving and she exploded. I was able to work with he a bit and then she shot straight in the air and I let the rope go after she ripped my mitt. She had a sullen mean look on her face. Normally I would have been f-you and not bothered with the blanket but since I am going to get my own young horse I decided I would not let her get the better of me. Caught her again and she marched right back up to the fence and let me put the blanket on. Me - 1, Rhapsody - 0.

Lesson learned for me...when I look at the young horses, I want the owners/trainers to put some pressure on their horse so I can see how it responds.

Brrrrrr!!

Man, it's cold today. 3 hours of riding today with a friend. She has 2 horses, one of which is retired and the other is young and giving her a host of attitude. We worked her 2 horses for a while and then I rode the young one for a bit. She was pretty good but doesn't know much. Am going to ride her for Irene in March in some dressage lessons. Then we took the older one and Riley for a short walk out on the road - Riley was much more comfortable walking past the house with ducks than he is by himself. Of course he had a heart attack when he saw a trash bag. Once back at the barn, I rode in the arena a bit and he was great. My friend Irene hopped on and rode him for a while so she could see how easy it should be. In reality, Riley isn't all that easy - easily distracted and wants to be quick. However he willing accepts the bridle and goes forward and there is not wiggling around. Irene wants to do some dressage lessons on him in April. Works for me.

Nice hot shower and I'm off for some hot tortilla soup.

Will it ever stop?

I can't believe it's still raining! Somehow Riley and his buddy got a night in the barn. I think Riley wanted to go out but his friend was set on staying in. At least I'll have a clean horse to ride in the AM.

Getting back to business

Most everyone knows I took a partial sabbatical from riding for about 3.5 yrs while I explored some running. I enjoyed the running and achieved modest success. I have now returned to riding and hope to build on my past adventures in that.

I was fortunate, in the past, to have had a horse, Taylor, to learn the ropes of 3 day eventing on. Sadly Taylor has died but I am doubly fortunate to have a second chance on a horse I have owned for 12 years. See Riley's profile for details.

I start this blog so that I can document my successes and failures in bringing Riley back to full fitness and hopefully compete in 3 day eventing with him. Also there is the possibility of a young horse down the road and I want to be able to look back and see what worked and what didn't.

Tonight was the first huge success. I have struggled with lead changes for years with him. Tonight, I saw the light!! I saw where the missing piece was, put it in place and boom, there was the lead change. I knew what the piece was, I just didn't know how to observe it and fix it. It's all about his shoulders. They want to go left really badly. All I do is a gentle block and a kick with the outside leg and he changes leads. Wow. Of course, there is always tomorrow and it may not work but I feel I am headed in the right direction. That folks was an example of awareness. Awareness, I have not felt in quite some time.