Catch Up - Hot Summer

7-27-09
Haven't ridden much since returning from the ride since it's been so hot! Dazzle and I and Ashley and Gypsy did a lesson together at her 4H meeting. It went well. Learned a lot. Apparently, Western pl. is a LOT more like Dressage than I thought. That's always a pleasant surprise.

8-3-09
My friend Jessica took me to meet a friend of hers that wanted to find a home for a few horses and I took Ashley along to give her an experience judging horses. That was on Sunday, the 2nd. She had an old Appy/Arab type mare that has had a stroke and isn't safe to really "ride" anymore. A near-foundering grey pony, only 10 yrs old. And...Sally. A possibly Appendix mare with no papers, about 20 yrs old, done lots of showing and 4H. I did a test ride...Ashley did a test ride...and Gypsy was up for a new home. We were in love.

Monday we trailered over for 4H to find out Debbie was away and no one had called us. We talked to her daughter awhile, then headed home. Not a big deal at all, it was hot! We just put them away and called it a good experience practicing trailering. lol.

Tuesday I had a very interested girl for Gypsy. She emailed me about where she'd keep her, what she wanted to use her for, etc. She sounded perfect! If she didn't work out I had 2 other people really interested in her.

Wednesday the girl and her mom came to try her out. Ashley rode her before they arrived and then showed them what she could do. I reiterated to mom that the reason she was available was that she had arthritis and just wasn't up to the work-load Ashley was going to have with 4H and showing and trail rides and schooling. Gypsy was ready to be a weekend-rider's buddy for easy rides. The girl rode her awhile and was hooked.

We signed the paperwork on her and I handed over the papers and called Andy to work something out for trailering her.

Thursday, Ashley and I loaded Gypsy up and Andy came and trailered us into Pendleton to the new home. Her new owner is a 15 yr old girl who needs a confidence builder that doesn't need lots of maintenance. The facility looked great and the owner seemed knowledgeable. Should be a great match.

Friday, we drove Dazzle out to try saddles Amy was wanting to sell, as well as ride the mare again, Sally. We decided to just bring her home with us.

Monday, Ashley did her next 4H meeting (last Monday) on Sally the new mare. I just watched. They did great.

We've only gotten to ride a couple times since then, but things are going great. She is very alert and curious, but not too spooky. Very TB, we have decided to just call her TB since she has no papers anyway. Ashley has decided to call her Faith as her barn name and "Simple Twist Of Fate" for her show name. She came up with it all on her own and I think they are perfect. We totally didn't go to see this horse thinking we'd get her, it was just for something fun to do. Ashley is SO happy. Sally AKA Faith, is 15.2H and an easy keeper. She is very docile but has lots of go in a controlled way. She has been shown a lot, so should be able to teach Ashley a LOT. She makes her use all her tools and learn more. To top it off, she is PRETTY, SO pretty.

TODAY, we rode around the field, then schooled in the arena. I used the saddle I have on trial from Amy. It went well, I think I'm going to have to buy it. My Fabtron is just NOT fitting Dazzle right now.

The other interesting thing that happened was that Maddy rode Dazzle on Wednesday in the kid-size saddle I'm buying from Amy. It fits Maddy perfectly. Dazzle was really good other than kicking at Moonshine and freaking us all out. Maddy did great and we all stayed calm so she didn't get upset. She walked and trotted again before she got down, so I think we avoided any horse-fear.

Tomorrow is the next 4H meeting. Ashley wants me to ride again. haha. I will, should be fun. I'm so excited because Jessica went to the Hermiston auction today and got me new reins for just $10. Right in my price-range.

The New Girl Gets a Name!

Tuesday was a happy and sad day. Wednesday was all happy! We put Ashley horse in western tack and I tacked up Dazzle and we rode through the field to Grandma's where we stopped to say hi, then rode around the block. Ashley horse cantered down the lane next to Dazzle fast! Ashley was surprised; Thunder was never that fast. I deemed her the "Mare with a mission"; she walks so fast! She left Dazzle in the dust. By the end of the ride Ashley had declared her horse better than mine in that she is taller (15.3H to Daz's 15.2H), has longer mane and tail, AND walks faster. lol.


Thursday, we put a snaffle bit on the new horse and my extra dressage saddle. I showed Ashley how I get a horse used to giving to the pressure put on the bit. The horse picked it up quickly. Then I got on and rode her a bit. She is way heavier in your hands than Dazzle, but was quickly picking up the idea of giving to the bit and going on the bit when asked. I walked and trotted her in a circle. Next, Ashley got on and I took pictures and yelled pointers. They did well, and Ashley was encouraged that her new mare would be able to do Dressage. I was impressed; I lunged her both ways and on her blind side I used voice commands and she was great!


Friday, Ashley decided on a name for her new horse; Gypsy! I think it fits and we've both been able to remember it, so it looks like it's the right name. We had decided my extra Dressage saddle was too narrow for Gypsy so we put my Wintec on her and it looked like a better fit. I got on and walked and trotted and tried her with a crop to reinforce my leg. She was fine with it, even on her blind side. I went around the arena twice as she seemed nervous at the far end. Then I cantered her both directions. She felt like she wasn't sure what to do once in the canter, but she was better than I expected. I could steer, she knew the aid for the transition. She will progress quickly I think. She is still too much at the canter for Ashley to handle practicing Dressage, but they did great walk/trot working on the circle. They are at the bobbing stage of going on the bit. She is a very bright horse and I think she will be ready for intro level in no time.

The End and The Beginning

Yesterday was a sad and happy day. First, my old gelding Thunder (show name, Stealin' Your Thunder) went down hill last week and I made the hard decision to put him down. Thunder was between 28 and 33 (Ashley and I always called him 33 as it was cooler) and had been with me since 2005 except for two breaks where he lived with other families teaching kids to ride. Thunder taught me to jump, drive a cart, and take care of old horses. He taught Ashley to canter, ride bareback, and won her a Reserve Hi-Point 11-17 with the CEA for the Umatilla Sage Raders show series in 2007. He neck-reined for western and adored pole-bending and barrel racing. He also did quadrille practice, I took Dressage lessons on him and showed him Hunt Seat. He was also one of the best trail horses I ever met. He taught multiple children to ride. Ashley's sister, Maddy, took several lessons on him and did her first solo ride on him only weeks ago. I always knew he would never be a pasture pet, he would be galloping one day and just gone the next. I just didn't know how right I would be. Thunder did a difficult trail ride just a couple weeks ago. He was star, did better than our younger horses. Then, last week, he stopped eating all his food and was dehydrated. I moved him to a different paddock and he ate a little more, but not with his usual appetite. He spent all his time standing in the shade under his tree and no longer nickered to me when he heard me at the house. He was always the one to yell the loudest that he wanted food. He didn't run around anymore, didn't glare at the other horses not to eat his mush. He barely moved around and looked very stiff. He looked "tucked" up by his hips and started dragging his back toes. This all happened within days. Dr. Adams said he probably had kidney failure and definitely had something neurological going on since he was dragging his back feet. She said he wasn't even pasture safe because of that. She said it was definitely time to let him go. Ashley and her mother and I were there when he went. He made it very easy on us. He laid down spine-up. Like he was sleeping, his head resting on the ground. I was shocked, usually horses lay on their side and look dead. We hugged him and cried and said goodbye.

Then, I sent Ashley home for a couple hours and went into high-gear. Ashley knew we were doing a small celebration of her birthday as it was this last weekend while she was out of town. I had made cupcakes. What she didn't know was that I had gotten her her OWN horse. I went and picked up the horse and then positioned the trailer so I could tie the horse behind it and you couldn't see it unless you were in the field. I tied a purple ribbon on her halter. Grandma brought me icing and ice cream. I iced the cupcakes and got everything ready. Everyone arrived and we ate cupcakes and ice cream. I asked her what her birthday wish was after we sang. "My own horse, of course!" she said, everyone laughed. I have her a riding helmet and a pair of breeches. Her mom had told her I had a gift for her, so she thought this was it. Then, I told her she should take everyone down to see Dazzle since that is who she would be riding now. She had family there that didn't know Dazzle, so she thought that was a good idea and everyone trooped down to the paddocks. As we went by the paddocks they asked who owned each horse and Ashley was telling them, "That's Trudy's horse", and "That's Bethany's horse." As they crowded around Dazzle's paddock, I pulled the new horse from behind the trailer and walked up behind the group. I yelled, "Ashley!". She turned around. As she did I said, "And this is YOUR horse." She started screaming, Oh MyGod, Oh My god! and crying. She ran up and threw her arms around the mare's neck crying and still saying "I can't believe it", etc. It was awesome. Her parent's were crying and my grandma was crying. I teared up too, it was perfect. The mare stood there, totally stoic about the crying teenager on her neck. The most amazing part is that his mare is blind in one eye. Wasn't spooked in the least.

Ashley walked the mare around a bit and I told her about it. She is a 24 yr old reg. Appy mare. She is even chestnut. Ashley has always wanted a chestnut mare and had recently decided she wanted an Appy. She is thrilled. She gave her a bath and detangled her mane and tail. Then I took some pictures of them walking in the arena. A couple hours later the mare's former owner dropped by and signed the sales agreement and gave us her papers. She gave us her email so we can send pictures and updates. Ashley was happy she got to meet her horse's previous owner.


Next, Ashley put her horse in the paddock that had been Thunder's and showed her around. Then she had to go through the paper work with me. She is going to work off board to have her at my house and have me supply hay for her. She was still not sure it wasn't a dream when she went home last night. She is supposed to ride her today for the first time, so hopefully that all goes well.