Jubilant Are My Feet--He's HERE!!

My new barn...

Standing at the gate, giving me the eye. I'm driving the Rhino with dinner. "Mom, WHY aren't I FIRST?"

Only locked in to eat. Otherwise he has an open door policy per my request... A horse should be a horse, OF COURSE! :)

Jumps!

Tack room and wash rack. One of three.

I promised a post on the new barn, and MOST importantly, Jackson's arrival--here it is! Jackson arrived Monday night around 8:30 pm. Due to the driver thinking my BO had contacted me of his imminent arrival, and vice versa, I was not there! I was so upset, but he was very well taken care of, and the driver was superb. He had been calling me frequently, giving me updates, and was very good with the horses, their care, and his rig was top of the line--this was reported to me by Linda who was there for his pick-up, and Kathy, who received him. Circle S Transport. Would use him again. He stopped to sleep, took the horses out of the trailer to clean it and give them breaks, a consummate professional, for sure. Insured, licensed, with lots of testimonials.... I was surprised not to have heard from him. Mix-up. Oh well. So by 9:30 pm I drove out to the farm, figuring I would catch him as he arrived. Kathy, the owner of the farm, had called to tell me where he would be put for a couple of days, (normal isolation) with a  huge pasture and large stall of his own to get acclimated. So, I drug my buddy out with me, and in the pitch black started making my way to the barn with a tiny flashlight until I could reach the barn lights. I just headed for the place she was putting him, and when I arrived at the gate--and, BOY, was I slow to get it--I realized his halter and long lead with the leather popper at the end were hanging there! I did about three double takes, looking at this equipment. I was in shock. The halter is very one of a kind, and there defintely weren't any look alikes at the barn. I knew this for sure, as I had been working there three days a week for three weeks, but my mind was NOT getting it. Until it did. So I tried to open the gate, and despite the fact that they are made for dummies, could not get it open. So I launched myself over it, chanting "Jackson?, Jackson?" the entire time. So, I face planted OVER the gate. The girl who routinely goes over fences and gates rather than bother with the latches and chains, etc., was SO excited, that I totally got over, albeit FACE and right hand first--NICE set of scrapes on the palm that caught my fall. No stopping, already up and running, shining my flashlight. Then I heard his knicker to me. OH JOY! I found him already making friends with his new barn mates over the fence at the far end of the one acre plot. I grabbed him in the biggest hug EVER, and did not let go for several minutes. Ummm. Yes, there were tears--of JOY! He was a bit sweaty, but looked great. Of course, I got his lead on him to show him off to my friend (also a Kathy, not to be confused with the BO)! She seems to have a way with horses, he took to her right away. He can be aloof with strangers! I could tell he was adjusting from the trip, wondering where he was, and relieved to see me! :) He was given electrolytes the day before, and during the trip--he can be a worrisome drinker-- and hay only the day before, during the trip, and that night. The next morning he was started on his feed. He is doing great with the Seminole Feed (a very popular local brand made in Ocala, FL), and is now back on his ground flax seed, along with an added hoof supplement and electrolytes. Tasted the electrolytes. Salt. Apple flavored as advertised? NO, not so much! ;) Kathy uses a bit of corn oil to get it to all stick together, and it works! No more NOT buying what he needs cause it will be found in the bottom of the bucket! I am a strong advocate of ground flax seed, less sure about hoof supplements and the electrolytes. Too many opinions, placating horse owners--and making money off of them--is frequently the basis of the supplement industry. But shiny, shiny, shiny on the flax! One of the things that cemented in just how much Kathy cares about ALL her horses was the fact that they all get a piece or two of carrot with every feeding. Lots of BO's would only be concerned about their own horses, but nope. Each and every horse gets a bit of carrot, every feeding. Pampered? Yes, these horses are pampered.YAY! My boy deserves it, and I couldn't be more thrilled knowing that Kathy is looking out for his well-being when I'm not there! I have already ridden a few times, nothing big, just getting Jacks acclimated to all there is to see. Last night I enjoyed an invite from Kathy to join in on a dinner party, and watching her eight month old Golden Retriever Harley in the pool--which is totally inside a screened in porch, along with a bar--playing with his ball and launching himself into the pool, was the best entertainment. Her husband is a Mounted State Highway Patrol Officer, and seemed to enjoy BBQ'ing--also safe from bugs in the pool compound--and making us all yummy margaritas! I was also able to thank Hailey, the girl who gave me Kathy's number at the local feed store, and to meet Bette who owns a horse she boards on the premises. Kathy has invited me to accompany her and Bette on an ACTHA camping trip in October, and then another in November! The answer was, of course, an emphatic "YES", and I am looking forward to the experience, not to mention the fun and comraderie. I LOVE horse camping! So, enjoy the pics, the jumping arena is not exactly what I envision in the future, (let's hope I get past 2'3!) but for now--and I'm sure for longer than I would like-- is just fine! I say this only because there are not that many jumps--not so much the height, I probably won't ever get super high--but, eventually I will need bounces, a full course, etc. I can keep costs down by building my own jumps when the time comes! (With permission of course!:) And honestly, those of you who know me will be VERY surprised to note that I haven't even been out there to check out the jumps, what is really there, or how high they will go! Not because I don't want to, but it has been SO hot, we have had rain and thunderstorms like CRAZY! Oh, Florida! Not to mention that every bit of energy has so far been expended on learning how to properly take care of 30 horses in the way I would want my own taken care of! Add riding Jackson around the farm to acclimate him to, ummm, LOTS of new horses; the jumping area hasn't been the priority! We were cantering in the round pen the other day, and he actually BUCKED to show off to the others! I just gave him a swift kick, and onward we went, but I was cracking up. Kind of. Those of you who know my history, know that cantering has been a big thang--lost my nerve big time after a broken shoulder and lots of internal damage three + years ago!-- so I pulled the big girl britches back up, they had started to melt down to my shins--and kept cantering! I'm a bit proud that this was on our first ride at the farm, but it wasn't a huge workout and we just kind of fell into it in the round pen! :) Tomorrow night's endeavor is the jumping arena, and popping over a couple of lil' uns. I am looking forward to the lessons I will be with Ursula (Ushi), a beautifully accomplished rider from Austria. Jumping. Dressage too, as I need the "schooling" on my greenie. But I do admit it. I just want to jump, and trail ride--had to be perfectly honest--but I know the dressage helps a TON! I don't have dressage aspirations--not really--but I love how much it has helped Jackson and I as a team, (greener than grass to start, and still working...) so half dressage, half jumping lessons at first may be perfect!  I just want to be the best rider I can be for my horse, enjoying the ride all the way. I had agenda out the ying yang in Texas--along with a forty minute drive, a fear after breaking my shoulder cantering after I first got him, riding alone, a kiddo, and a full time job too-- I have hereby decided Florida is going to be more ride, less talk. Where is my riding going to go? I dunno. But I bet I have more fun doing it, don't you? By that, I mean I don't have that "Gotta, gotta, gotta, mentalilty. It just will be. So much I want to do. Hunter Derby this fall if I can pull it together, along with the ACTHA camping trips and trail rides spell FUN! And I now have a ten mile drive to my barn! Much betta'! Well, enough babbling. Sorry. I know I'm not that interesting.... But happier than I've been in a long time? FOR SURE! The other day I was mucking a stall, stopped, and said to myself, "Oh, my gosh, I AM HAPPY! This is where I want to be!" It was a great moment. Me and the manure. :)

BUT! I do want it said that Texas has been the impetus for any future I have with my horse. Mainly due to a couple of very good friends--you know who you are!-- and an excellent instructor. Please don't think I am not aware of where OUR roots were started, and the love and encouragement I received! Never forgotten, my friends! And Texas won't be forgotten either--good and bad--but mostly, just cause ya'll were in it, and our paths crossed..... xo....

My chariot. Bugs, the Morgan checking things out--wondering if I remembered his feed--of course I did, Bugzy!.... I took the Rhino up to 34 mph the other day. Bad idea. I removed bugs out of my eyes for an hour afterwards!! :)

I never liked paints that much until I met this absolute Sweetheart. Her name is Pie. I just found out she is for sale. I want my roomie/friend (also Kathy) to buy her! She is INCREDIBLY sweet, and awesome in too many ways to go into here. I think I NEED her! Gotta ride her now. This could be bad.... I have never automatically fallen for a horse like I have for her....

Taz. As in Tazmanian Devil. So fitting. He doesn't know he's a pony! He LOVES kids. And food.

Did I mention the food part? :)

Up the Downhill

Hello dear readers! Yes, all, (ahem) five of you! Yes, it has been awhile since my last post, and many things have gone on. I will highlight a couple here, but won't bore you with the other tales of woe! First and foremost, I am in the midst of losing my best doggie friend. My right hand girl Dakota turned sixteen in April. I have had her since she was five weeks old in Key West, and she is declining rapidly. She can barely walk, and every few days is incontinent in the house. Sometimes she gets stuck in the dog door in the middle of the night. I am constantly sleep deprived as I listen with one ear open for telltale noises of distress. I give her anti-inflammatories, pain medicine (just in case, although she doesn't seem to be in pain) and MSM, Chondroitin, Vitamin C and Calcium. Easily $200 a month. Not that it matters. Here's the thing. I don't have the nerve to make the appointment to end it. I feel like I should don a black grim reaper's robe and wear that when I take her. And when I think on it too hard, I end up sobbing. It would be so much easier if she were in pain, then the decision would be made because I WON'T endure my baby hurting. I find that so many people while giving lip service to what is happening, are inwardly thinking, "Sixteen years, what is she complaining about?" I know I'm lucky to have been blessed with her for so long, but it makes it almost harder. She is two years older than my son. She has been through EVERYTHING with me....

Lots of other really cruddy things have also been going on, but I won't bore you here. But I am defintiely at an all time low! E-mails are 200+ long, and I just paid the bills, which are (thankfully) not late! A good thing that happened was that I was able to meet our fellow blogger Winter from HorseCentric . Since she came my way for a clinic, I was able to set her up to stay with one of my friends for two nights. Much to my regret, I was only able to have dinner with her the night she came in. My car decided that it wanted to DIE on a hill in the middle of nowhere on the way to said dinner (in the pouring rain)! I had wanted to attend her clinic very badly on the last day, and even though I had my car back, since it was storming and they hadn't found a thing wrong with my car?????, I decided not to chance an hour drive in a torrential downpour not knowing what my car might do! Also, it was not conducted in a covered arena. While I would have liked to have been there for Winter, standing in a thunderstorm auditing a clinic sounded, well, you know, decidedly not fun! Hopefully Winter won't give up on me and we can ride together soon!

                                        Sleep. Sounds good.

On the horsey front. Jackson and I are plugging away at our lessons and working at first level in order to reach that (closer all the time!) goal of  making it to a show this year. A few jumps here and there, but I haven't been building them so I've just been practicing lots of two point when I get the chance. My last lesson we worked on lengthening which was pretty cool once I got it! Or the concept anyway! On Tuesday, Linda and I went on a trail ride, and I finally rode her BIG Red Horse, Red, a Missouri Foxtrotter. He is 16.3 and I  felt like I was doing a split. It wasn't the height, he is a bit, ahem, FAT. He has lost quite a bit of weight, (he wasn't Linda's main mount until recently) and finally doesn't break into that white frothy sweat between his legs after five minutes! He did break into this really nasty pace that you could not sit or post while riding him. I hated it! It wasn't what you want out of a horse like that, but the Foxtrotter gate is a creature in and of itself, and his owner rarely gets him to do it. It was so uncomfortable, I'm pretty sure he made it up on his own! If you've ever ridden a really nice gaited horse, then you know that it is one of the most sublime do- nothing rides you could have. Post a trot? Why? Canter? Oh. I am? It feels like I'm in a rocking chair. Yeah. This wasn't that! FAR, FAR from that! I could sense immense POWER if he really went, but he was a good boy and his Kimberwick offered comfort, especially when Linda took off at a canter riding Jackson across a big field without us, and he had aspirations of trying a new racing career! So here I am. Getting on with the everyday living thing..... My glass is neither half empty nor half full. Gotta take a big long drink from the hose and move on!

Jackson in his snazzy new halter and Red being nosy (his main job!).....

A Dressage/Jumping Lesson...

On Wednesday I had a lesson with Allison. I felt like it was a good lesson, we really worked on getting Jackson on the bit and the impulsion from behind. We achieved this perhaps 1/2 of the time, I'd say. I love having lessons. It is so great to get the advice and hear if you are doing something correctly, or if you are just a sack of potatoes riding in circles making no progress.... At times I do get frustrated though! Allison is tough! But she does manage to get the best out of my riding, as rusty as it may be after our SOGGY, cold winter here in South Texas. South. Right. After we worked for at least 45 minutes on dressage, Allison had us work on ground poles, and she found no faults with my position or my handling of Jackson. The new jumps were (kind of) set up, as we only have it up to 12 inches until we get a new drill bit to move the jump cups around. The other day I had taken Jackson over that tiny 12" jump, and he kept bonking the poles. I was anxious to see if Allison had advice on this, because frankly, my fear was that he didn't have the interest or ability to jump anything higher! (OK...the mind does tend to go to extremes, because he has easily taken a 2 foot jump with nary a bump!) But I was concerned. Why was he dragging his feet on this tiny NOTHING of a jump? He does fabulous on cavaletti or a set of 4 ground poles, so what???? After he did the EXACT same thing with Allison I looked to her for advice. And she gave it! "My dear," she drolls. "He is simply SCOFFING at this jump. He is quite bored and wonders why you are insulting him with a mere 12 inches." "We need to start at 2'6 to get any sort of REAL jump practice going for him." Well hog my hooter, as they say! I broke out into a grin accompanied by a huge sigh of relief. She also went on to tell me that this actually shows a great potential for his jumping ability. He isn't doing any more than he has to over what he consider a jump that is BORRRING, but were he overjumping it she would suggest another career for him. Apparently, if a horse jumps three feet over a 12 inch jump you have an over-excitable horse with no mind for jumping. At 80 years old and having extensive eventing and training of horses under her belt, I believe her! Of course, I am sure there are exceptions and I hope I am not offending anyone, because this is certainly not true for every horse, I'm sure! She has promised to ride Jackson during my next lesson, and I look forward to see how he goes for her. Perfectly, I have no doubt. I hope I am riding horses when I'm 80! I did ask Allison if I should send him out to a trainer for training. The answer was an emphatic "NO!" She told me that if I put the work into him, I will get the results without a trainer. According to her, he has my number, so even if a trainer could get him going totally correctly, when I got him back, I would have the same horse whenever I rode him. I agree, but I had to ask! I want us to learn it all together, even if he is at superstar status and I am somewhere lying in the mud!! So, riding, more riding, and then riding some more! And drilling holes at least to 2'3-2'6 into the jump standards ASAP!

A Horse By Any Other Color Is.....

Ozzie and I!









Allison, Ozzie and I

The horse with the beautiful bay color is named Ozzie! (I have always wanted a bay!!) She is my friend Lorri's horse and is also an AngloArab like Jackson, but of the mare-ish persuasion--perfect for the plan I have concocted which I will get to here in a bit.

Yesterday, with Jackson's wound looking better, but certainly not ready for a girth, I took a lesson with Allison on Ozzie. I have only ever ridden Oz for the equivalent of 10 minutes, but since Lorri has trained her to be quite the dressage horse, I wasn't worried. And I'm glad I took the opportunity to experience Ozzie! Don't get me wrong. I LOVE MY HORSE and I treasure every ride. But being able to ride an accomplished very well trained horse was sooooo nice. Obviously, when you are a pretty novice rider yourself riding your greenie horse, you are learning BASICS. And basics for TWO gets HARD! Which is fine, I don't mind. But it was really refreshing to be able to concentrate on ME and not be so worried about my horse. We worked on my issues and threw in some new things which will help so much with my riding. I even got PUNCHED! Yep! Allison came up to me while I was on Ozzie and punched me in the gut to demonstrate how tight my abs need to be. I may bruise... LOL! Picture the sweet (well not ALWAYS, at least during a lesson... :) 79 year old lady in the pics coming up and sucker punching you. Well, that worked anyhow! My abs turned to stone. Ok...semi stone, they need quite a bit of work! HEE HEE! Allison has so many cute (but not always cute while you are trying your VERY BEST..) expressions, one of them being, (in her haughty English accent, mind you)"RIDE YOUR HORSE!" I can't count how many times that has been yelled across the arena at me. One day I got, "Mindy, RIDE that damn horse for the love of God!" I love it! The annoying thing is, when I take lessons I give 150% so hearing that during the lessons does make me clench my teeth, (as it does everyone I know who takes lessons from her :) I SO want to shout back, "Well, what the HELL do you think I'm doing?" :) But, I must confess, I always give a bit more after that. I RIDE my horse!

The only thing that made me a little nuts while riding Oz was the fact that EVERY TIME I changed directions my diagonals were wrong!! I have NEVER had this issue on Jackson. I am always on the right diagonal! Not a hard fix since I've been doing that since I was young, but puzzling. The only thing I can think of is that Oz is so much smoother than Jackson that I just didn't feel the change like I do on him. Any ideas anyone? I am so perplexed by that one. And of course humbled...diagonals, wrong, WHAT??? HA! Always, always something!!! But diagonals? Sheesh!
My friend video-taped me yesterday, THAT should be interesting. I hate seeing how bad I can look, but video helps me improve so much, seeing what you look like is always a good thing, and obviously I then have a better picture in my mind of what really needs work. I'll just be adding to the list of course, but I bet I see a few improvements too! Fingers crossed anyway!

OK...NOW for my plan. Let me know what you guys think! I have found a sire for Ozzie. He is also an AngloArab and is...drum roll please.... Jackson's full-blooded brother, Bugsy! I have recently been in contact with Bugsy's owner and she does dressage with him and shows locally. She says he is very mellow and sweet. He also has a red rating with the American Warmblood society, which is an honor, considering he's not, a-hem, a Warmblood. But really. How cool would it be to have a family member of Jackson's in my little horsey circle? I have been in touch with Bugsy's owner and she said she would be up for it...now I have to work on Lorri. She has had lots of babies, started them and trained them..Ozzie being one of them. She also has Kite whom I think she may want to breed more than she does Oz...Kite is a Polish Warmblood/Arab cross. I love how much more filled out Bugsy is than Jackson, I think mainly due to the fact that Bugsy is a stallion. But the face is like looking into Jackson's....



Bugsy standing for the American Warmblood Society where he got a red rating...

Miles has a ride!

On Friday, full of post Thanksgiving energy and with the weather a balmy 75 degrees Miles and I set out for an afternoon at Linda's. Miles has always been a bit tenative around horses and since Jackson isn't ready for kiddos yet, Miles usually stays around the ranch while we go and ride. Today, Linda threw him up behind her on Red--her Missouri Fox Trotter--for a ride over to her friend Lorrie's house who lives about two miles away through the back fields. Once getting there, Linda, Lorrie and I planned on doing lunge line work and working in her dressage arena. Miles was going to get to explore Lorrie's barn and play with the chickens and such. He had an even bigger treat waiting for him in the form of Lorrie's husband, Kalen. Kalen is a very fascinating guy with a wide variety of out of the ordinary interests. Miles learned all about how he grows bamboo and cactus--about 10 different varieties of bamboo alone--and started to grow the bamboo as a privacy fence between him and an annoying neighbor because it grows so fast, and then went on to join the local bamboo society! Intersting right? They also looked at Kalen's scythe which he uses to chop down the weeds in their fields, chopped the head off of some dead racoon skeleton's for Kalen's skull collection with an axe, looked at Kalen's giant boa constrictor, and cut up pieces of metal pipe on a "very fast saw," as Miles put it. Kalen also showed Miles a few magic tricks. I'm sure there was more, but I do know that the two spent a very content two and a half hours "being boys!" Miles had a ball! We girls, in our own bit of fun, started out with Lorrie and I in the dressage arena and Linda lungeing Red. We are so into our trail rides, we have not been working on the important stuff like transitions, flexing, and FORM.... Since I still consider myself as green as my horse (have you ever noticed what a terrific rider you are on a perfectly schooled horse and how little you seem to know and how bad your once "perfect form" becomes on the untrained one you bought? grin....) we need lots of work in many areas and will be taking up "official lessons" with a dressage teacher again in the spring. Lorrie is a terrific teacher too, she spent an hour with Jackson and I on the lunge line at the trot and we both got to work on how sore we were going to be for the next few days....hee hee..... I thought I had come a long way with my leg and getting back in shape until I trotted for an hour. But I am getting much better because my legs didn't turn into spaghetti until the last 5 minutes of that hour, and I can feel the difference from six months ago when I NEVER would have been able to trot for a full on hour in a circle, I would have fallen out of the saddle! But it was a great and much needed work out. The hands on the hips part was hard , but ultimately fine. Of course, as always, the trust thing is hard at first. Especially since I got dumped just last week. (Just a bad spook on a very fresh horse, nothing that was really my horse's fault...) Of course, when it came to the lungeing with my hands on my hips, it was me who had the issues, Jackson my wonderful horse took it all in stride!!!! He learns so fast and just wants to please. I have a magnificent horse in the rough and hope I can do justice to him!! We all had fun, and it has been worth the pain! Plan to ride again on Monday....oh Ibuprofen my BEST friend.....

Linda on Red....

Me on Jacks..