Back to work

I was finally able to get back to riding yesterday.  We've gotten a tiny bit slower at the store so I'm actually able to leave at 5pm.  I headed out to the barn and tacked up Storm.  She was ok given that she has not been worked since, uhh...last summer.  She threw in a couple bucks when I asked for the canter but reasonably well-behaved for a 5 year old TB.  She is the TOTAL opposite ride of Cabot and is going to take a little getting used to.  First of all, she's a million miles long nose to tail (Cabot is very compact) and the front end doesn't always communicate well with the back end.  And she leans into the bridle so much.  I figure that comes from race training (which is what I think she was probably doing in Kentucky before she moved to Texas to be a polo pony).  I checked for a tattoo though and none there so I guess she never actually raced.  We'll see how she comes along.  She's a bit spooky so I'm going to try and get some places for her to go and experience. 

Think I'm going to try and ride Cabot today and see if I can stay on a every-other-day schedule for both of them.  Then no one is neglected.

PS. Cabot and Slim threw the mother of all hissy fits when I took their girlfriend away to ride yesterday.  Gah...boys....

Holy guacamole

To say I've been busy is a HUGE UNDERSTATEMENT!!!!

We started the sale on the website for the store going out of business on Saturday.  Since then, we've had approximately 400 orders.  This is a business that usually only gets 20ish on a good regular day and maybe 80 close to Christmas when it's crazy.  400!!!!  There's no way we can keep up.  People are just gonna have to wait and that's going to have to be ok.  Most seem to understand.

Anyway, if you want some good deals, hit up: www.legacytack.com.  Everything is 30% off now.  You better hurry...stuff's selling out fast.

I haven't even been able to think about what's going to happen after this gig is up.  Hopefully it will slow down a little bit before it goes dead so I can prepare a little bit.

And no riding this week...going in early to work and staying late = no more daylight.  Which doubly sucks because it hasn't rained and it was oh, 75 degrees today!  Why couldn't it have been like this last week???

However, I will continue to count my blessings.  A friend's husband passed away this morning from cancer at age 31.  Definitely puts everything in some harsh perspective.

I think I won

Cabot's still getting in fed in the trailer but is now getting on and off like a champ.  He got on and off several times yesterday morning by himself while I was cleaning his stall and even turning his buddies out (which totally surprised me).  In the evening, I didn't even put his halter on and he hopped right on.  Next step is to take him for a little ride around the neighborhood and see if he'll get on again afterwards, since it seems to be the trailer trips that make him upset, not actually getting on. 

His opinion of me since I told BO not to feed him in the mornings so I can feed him in the trailer when I get there...

Yep, full load of poop straight up in his feeder...

And it's still raining...maybe tomorrow we'll go for that trailer ride, so I feel productive.  I think all this rain/not riding has pretty much killed my dreams of being able to show in 2 weeks.  There's not another schooling show until June but there is a recognized one in April at Pine Hill.  Not sure if that would be a bright idea or not.  I need to get to work on Storm too so I can get her sold or just let her go back to being a  polo pony and focus on the orange kid.  Gah...not used to not having a place to ride when it rains...

Cabot 3, Ashley 1!!!

I am finally on the scoreboard in the battle of wills!  He got in yesterday!!!!  And went out on his own accord and GOT BACK IN!!  I was so excited :).  He was being his usually turd self and try to wait me out.  I put one of his feet on the trailer (my friend Kelly was holding lead rope inside) and stepped back and his just got right in.  No big deal :) (which on some levels is even more frustrating because it really is a battle of wills and he's not scared AT ALL!).  I told BO not to feed him again this morning so I can try again...we'll see.

Mom why is this such a big deal??

Good beautiful big chestnut butt!

The Battle of Wills continues

So of course it rained (hard) again yesterday so no riding :(.  I am not used to not having an indoor/covered arena when I actually want to ride and it has having some serious effects on my horse-happiness scale.  Instead I tried to work Cabot into the trailer using some methods I saw on COTH.  I have not tried the lunge line behind the butt method as of yet, since I'm still being patient and now he seems to have a tendency to go up when he gets mad and I don't want to encourage that at all.  After about 30 minutes, we are still no closer to getting in the trailer.  He has now not had grain for about 4 meals and that still is not enough enticement to get in.  Stupid pony.  I do feel like he's getting a little bit of an out, because I still turn him out and he theoretically gets to graze, but there's not much grass in there mud-hole of a pasture right now so I think he should still want his grain and hay for the 15 hours he has to spend in his run.  We'll try again today...

Valentine's Day was a major downer day -

A) I found out the tack store where I work is closing (stay tuned for an update when things actually go on major sales) and I am therefore becoming unemployed.

B) When I went to bring the horses in, all 3 of them managed to fight enough with eachother and take my concentration away from the gate, run through the gate and across the road.  As I trod after them, they decided they were in trouble and promptly ran back up the driveway where I was able to ghetto-rig some gates so they couldn't get out again and get them all in their stalls.

C) Checking my PO Box is a major cause of discomfort usually because of all the job rejection (tack store slave was not supposed to be my career after obtaining a Master's Degree) letters...this time there was an almost $300 bill from the dermetologist I went to see A YEAR AGO!  I guess all the funny business with my insurance has finally gone through so now they decide to bill me :(.

Ok...enough complaining...I'm very lucky in lots of other ways...

Proof of all the rain

Just noticed this when I went to the post office for work...

Hauling Hay (that leaves seeds) + bark from firewood hauled months ago + shitload of rain =



Grass growing in the bed of my truck



I pretty much hate rain now...

Got in 1 good ride on the orange kid last week.  He was ok, mostly paid attention and we did some trot poles which he figured out the second time through.  We have to learn to jump and play in the sandbox if we're going to show in a couple weeks (which might actually be out of the question since we still haven't conquered the trailering issues).  I did park the trailer at the end of his run, but have yet to be successful in getting him in and I'm not sure I want to just leave his grain and let him get in by himself (at least the first time I want to witness).  Anyway...also during last week's ride...he attempted to buck for the first time (yes, my not quite 4 year old Thoroughbred has not bucked at all throughout his "starting under saddle" process).  I found it quite entertaining since I think he was just voicing his displeasure at doing a nice canter transition and shoved his head down and kind of arched his back a little.  This is probably due to the fact that there is not enough daylight (still no lights installed....grrrrrr...) to be able to lunge him before I get on.  So I just hop on and hope for the best.  I'm actually kind of glad I'm getting a little opinion out of him and he's not a total dead-head.

It's actually nice out today - but I have V-day plans with hubby and the in-laws so no riding...Cabot also cut his lip on something in his stall yesterday (it looks like he got punched in the nose)...

Pic from last week -

Handsome man (a little dirty :))

More rain........

I know I really shouldn't complain since Texas is in a state-wide drought and 2011 was the driest year since 1917, but I really am sick of this raining everyday business.  Not having a covered arena is really making my training schedule pretty inconsistent.  And I'm sick of cleaning muddy paws and hooves.

So, I'll take this opportunity for a little background on me...

I grew up in West Central NJ (very far from the Jersey Shore).  I have loved horses since I could remember.  I begged every birthday, Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, Presidents Day (you get the picture) for riding lessons and a pony.  That wish finally came true one Christmas when I opened a riding helmet on Christmas morning.  Mom had finally gotten me riding lessons.  I rode at that farm for the next 9 years (through high school and summers in college) until I moved to Texas and the barn actually closed.  We could never afford my own horse so I rode all the schoolies and fell in love around 3 times only to have them sold out from under me.  The one who taught me the most (my heart horse) was Snickers.  He was a TB (I think), that went around like a mack truck when we first got him.  He ended up going lame for a while (I think a quarter crack) and was stall bound.  I got the ride on him after that and showed him through my senior year of HS.  He was a special guy - had narcolepsy - so you couldn't leave him standing alone after tacking up or he'd fall asleep.  I fell off in EVERY SINGLE show that summer, but he finally taught me how to sit and RIDE!  When I left for college, my trainer told me she would never sell him, but alas by the time Christmas came around he was gone :(.

So I left for school, learned how to drive and all about the wonderful Morgan breed.  Got a BS in Animal Science and didn't know what to do next so I signed up to get a MS in Animal Science (emphasis on Equine Reproduction) and took off for Texas.  During grad school, I bought a TB mare that is Oldenburg book approved (for my future ventures into the breeding industry) and was in foal to the school's TB stud.  March 12, 2008 out came the completely solid orange chestnut kid - Cabot.  4 years later...we're learning how to be a grown-up horse and venturing in the world of eventing since that seems to be what all the cool kids do around here.

This week...

I got to ride with my friend Kelly on Monday and it was a really good ride.  Cabot actually turned when I asked him to and I used the Kelly and Slim as bait to get him to turn sometimes.  He trotted around like a mostly normal horse and only had a couple episodes when asking to canter - in which I almost got launched over the gate and we almost jumped my jump standards that fell down (note to self: pick them up next time).  On a side note though, while trying to avoid the downed standards, he performed a pretty perfect lead change.  Once I got about 4 strides in a consistent direction and a good pace we quit for the day.  Very happy with the little man.

They both got their feet done yesterday so no riding and it rained again so arena is probably soup...we'll see.  I need to tackle the mare as she has more hope of me actually wanting to sell her to get my commission....