Una mezcla de actividad

Life of late is hither and thither. I'm busy nearly every work night evening (Wait, work? What's that? Life since furlough is full of action!), and I'm out of town nearly every weekend.

• Q has begun her taper for our race at the end of the month. She's in a really good place, I feel. She's been in heat the last week which has been heinous. She gets exceptionally spooky on trail when she's in heat. Barnyard work - jumping - goes well, but trail work? Forget about it. I came off last Thursday when she slammed to a stop during our training ride with a local junior endurance rider. The worst part about the evening was that I could NOT predict or figure out WHAT or WHY she was spooking. It was awful.
  
• My ankle is still screwed up from Griffin broncing me off nearly 3 weeks ago. Its no bueno because of my race in 2 weeks. I'm hoping it'll be better by then...but who knows.
  
• As a result of the ankle incident with Griffin, I haven't ridden him or worked much with him since outside of trimming his hooves. He still comes to the fence each time I'm out there asking to be let in - begging for a job. But I just don't even want to tempt myself. I've been putting so much work toward this race - I don't want to blow it.
  
• I have been greatly enjoying the brisker and brisker fall weather at home. This is the time of year I love my home the most (okay, I love all the seasons, I love West Virginia), but autumn is exceptionally beautiful. I think I enjoy it more just because it is so brief.
  
•  Kenai is much much better. Every day he does something minor that I recognize as a step forward into normalcy. Its so great to see him so happy and increasingly mobile. The surgery was a big expense for us, but it was so worth it. I can't wait to get him out on the snow where he's happiest this winter.
  
• I'm so excited every time that I go to ride in my new saddle. Its just so wonderful. Its so freaking comfortable. Love. Love. Love. Additionally, Q moves out so much freer in this saddle as a whole. While the Wintec fits her well, it did impede some freeness of motion through the shoulder. Its so fun to get that swinging trot from her more and more. <3 her 10 mph trot!
  
• I finally got out with my BO's husband to clear our trails. I'd wanted to do this in April/May, but training for No Frills and then Q's injury stalled it. We hadn't cleared them since Sandy/Frankenstorm happened last October. It was so good to finally get out there and open up some areas to ride again. I took Saiph out in July, but we did have to deal with a lot of spindly sapling branches up in our business. No bueno. We spent 4 hours clearing the big stuff one afternoon. I got to learn to use a chainsaw finally, too! I've got another few hours worth of clearing smaller branches with tree loppers/my hands, but overall, the trails are in a much more passable condition than they were originally. It feels good to finally have that complete.
  
• In line with completing things that have been long in the process of getting accomplished - on the same day we cleared trail (really making the most of this being furloughed thing...) I bought a gun. I practiced shooting with it some and am very pleased with my decision to get it.
  
• And - because things come in threes - another long standing thing I also accomplished AFTER purchasing a gun AND clearing trail - Q finally did bounces! I started by lunging her through them, expecting her to hate it. Imagine my surprise when she lunged through like a champ! I moved them closer together, as she was really having to stretch, and put her through again. Then I raised what had begun as slants to verticals and lunged her again. Perfection! It only seemed like the next best thing to do to mount up and try it riding. I'd never ridden a bounce before...

          Such a good mare! Next time I'll either up the height and/or move them a little closer yet.

Equestrian Martha Stewart

In efforts to save money and avoid from spending inordinate amounts of money on things, I've made the following of late:

Halter bridle of the blaze orange variety

Post with directions for tying your own

Q does not approve of this photoshoot

I finally made a pad rack <3 it

New *red* reins because I have yet to find retired orange climbing rope
I have minimized the amount of metal on these opting to tie instead of clamp

So now we're red and orange - visibility is what I'm striving for at this point
*note attached crupper and breastplate now, too!*

The only negative side of this saddle was lack of any D rings; I made my own
by attaching paracord to rings and looping them around the stirrup bars

I proceeded to get creative even more by creating a system - also attached
to the stirrup bars - to allow for attachment of a crupper to my treeless saddle

It turned out quite wonderfully

We won't have a slipping saddle any time soon!

If anyone would like to see a more detailed tutorial on any of these projects, let me know. All of them cost well under $20 each to create and some involved using recycled materials from former projects!

A Case of the Crazies

My new girth arrived mid-week last week. Of course I had to go out to the barn and try it out immediately.

So much fluff! Woolbak errythang.

Q loved it.

How do I know this? I tacked her up, tightened it up, and then she proceeded to stand licking and chewing for many minutes.

Licking and chewing

Yes, the pad is overly large for the saddle. It was purposely ordered ages ago to be this way so that the cantle pack I use can rest on the pad and not on the horse.

On this day, as exhibited above, she also wore her newly re-tied (had to tweak a couple things) halter-bridle I made for her. Blaze orange, of course.

Sooo unamused with this photoshoot

The design is a rope halter with a rope bosal over the nose that - when reins are attached - will be tighter in response to pressure. Its much like the bridles I've seen used in many South American riding culture and some others around the world. Q adores this, too.

I'd planned to do hill sprints this night, but figured I'd best put on the Wintec for this as it has a crupper attachment and D-rings for breast plate. Additionally, I'd have to put her bridle on - with plans to use the corkscrew snaffle as she completely ignored the full cheek last time in her efforts to return home! However, once I saw her all set up in the new tack I just had to get on and ride her in that instead. I just figured we'd tool around for awhile and see what came of things.

Well, before I knew it we were sprinting up our hill in the treeless saddle sans breastplate/crupper/bridle/bit.

She. Was. Amazing.

She's so much more content without a bit. It surprises me more and more how well she does in this halter-bridle I've rigged up. We've done many miles on the rail trail in it, jumped in it, and now hill sprints - the thing I figured we'd never do because she gets all fire-breathing-dragon on me during those.

Instead, in a bout of craziness on my part to let her sprint in this get-up, she proved me wrong. She listened better than she ever does in the bridle. We didn't fight about things. Sure, the saddle did slide a bit, and I do plan to resolve this issue with some d-ring rigging, but the bridle? Not unless we're flatting and doing dressage work and perhaps on occasion with some jumping.

I know the bitless, treeless, barefoot crowd trends toward the crazies of the world, but damn does it work for this little mare of mine. Do I advocate this trio of methods for everyone? No. Well, the barefoot I do. But I will be the first to admit when in discussion about barefoot methodology that it IS time consuming and it DOES take effort on the part of the owner to keep up with it. To me though, these efforts are 110% worth it. The bitless/treeless? Not for everyone. Not for every discipline. Not for every horse. Kinder? Perhaps. I truly think it depends on the rider/trainer though. As those have said before, if it was the next best greatest thing everyone would be utilizing it. All that matters for me though is that all of this works terrifically for my wonder-mare and I.

WW: Work lately

Q: Jump Grid

But first: Between my INSANELY busy schedule (those of you who are friends with me on Facebook follow all my photos from this nonsense), work, travel, and lame internet - I am BEYOND behind on everyone's blogs. The internet issues keep me from commenting, and when I do even THAT becomes an issue (sorry for my multitude of duplicate comments, Funder, haha). So, while I've been silent in both my own writing and in response to the writing of many of you, I am lurking and reading! I think life may settle in November for me to be more regular about things and not have to schedule posts as I am doing now.

And now:

I love her. I love her. I love her.

Also, the turn away from jumps on first go was because my recovering dog was in front of the jump. Had he been in full health and not rehabbing from double ACL surgery I'd have jumped her anyway and expected him to move his ass or learn a lesson. Le sigh, Kenai.

Best of the Best and Worst of the Worst

Best of the Best:

I worked Griffin on the ground (sometime last week) for 10 minutes or so to give him some exercise and busy his mind.

Trot. Canter. Over the jump grid I'd set up for Q.

He was forward and eager and more attentive than he'd been in awhile. Slightest error in my body position and he'd halt or change direction. He was so attune to what I was doing. He even jumped when not asked to jump a few times, insisting on doing something extra before I could correct.

I was pleased with his attitude and his efforts. And thus, I decided to ride some since he seemed to be having an okay day. I wasn't expecting much at all. Just a little tooling around the barnyard.

He stood stock still as I mounted and then moved forward when I asked. He was responsive and forward.

Circles, figure eights, and a serpentine at the walk around the barnyard.

What the hell, I figured, let's see how you are if we do a mini trail tour of the property. I'll turn around if things head south.

And so we headed out, with Griffin eying up the suspicious object while still moving forward.

Across the creek without issue and into the far field. I gave him leave to pick up a trot if he deigned.

He did and it was amazing. Finally, I got to ride the big, beautiful trot he gives when I work him on the lunge! It was perfect to post to. Not jarring. Forward and powerful. He reminded me so much of the war mare, Gracie, I rode in August at our endurance ride with his gait. Love.

As we progressed through the field, I turned him up the hill Q does sprints on. He moved forward into a canter, snort-blowing with each exhale as he headed up. He was focused on his job and doing it so well.

Turning to descend at the walk he was a little feisty, but nothing worse than what Q does. It was just excitement and eagerness, nothing rude or mean. We worked through it and when we reached the flat again we set off trotting and then cantering.

Oh. My. Goodness. His canter on the flat was powerful and uphill. So incredible. He was collected yet forward. Snort-blowing with every exhale, he was yet again forward, but responsive. He gave a very small series of excited crow hops at one point, but these were without attitude.

I trotted and cantered him a little bit more in the field before heading back to the barn with a huge smile on my face. I cannot wait to develop this horse in the coming years. Days like this are the previews I love into the horse he's going to be.

Worst of the Worst:

After giving Jeremy a brief lesson on Q Sunday evening, I lunged Griffin in the same manner I had the evening I had the incredible ride on him. I figured that the level of work he had to do pre-ride that time had been a special key to getting him so behaved under saddle.

He presented the same eagerness and responsiveness. When I was pleased with both his efforts and Jeremy's communication with Q, I mounted Griffin and we set off for a little tour around the property like what I did with Griffin the prior time.

Immediately after mounting and moving forward, Griffin presented his snotty teenager attitude. Head thrown down and crow hopping commence, complete with little squealy grunts. I pulled his head up and to the side and cracked him on the neck with my hand with a sharp reprimand. He stopped and we moved forward without issue.

Down the drive and around the scary things without issue. Across the creek, up the little hill, into the field - all without issue. Ask for a trot, the same nonsense as before with the crow hopping and attitude. The same reprimand from me. (Jeremy was following and doing quite well it seemed.)

We move forward again into the trot. No issue. I turned him to trot up the hill I do Q's sprints on hoping and anticipating that he would present a good attitude as before and move forward and focus on his job. Besides, horses can't buck going uphill very easily - or so I'd always been told.

Wrong.

About 3 strides up the hill the bucking commenced. Rodeo bronc bucking. Head DOWN. Back ARCHED. Pushing off in the front to get air to get the back end up higher.

I yelled at him to cut it out. I tried to get his head up. I lost all support as he thrust his head so far down. I went forward too far on his non-existent neck and lost balance, tipping forward out of the saddle as he rocketed upward again. I hit the ground hard, grunting. I rolled over and sat up to watch my little shit of a horse spring across the pasture.

Q was acting up due to Griffin's swift departure. I yelled direction to Jeremy. He handled it very well and got her pretty well under control considering the circumstances.

I stood. My left ankle was smarting. Musta landed on it wrong. I hobbled to Jeremy and Q, calling direction all the while. He had her well settled by the time I approached - multitasking between helping him and trying to approach my snorty little shit of a gelding who was prancing around like a maniac.

When I realized Griffin may head back to the barn without me (and this was not something I wanted him to learn he could do), I asked Jeremy to dismount for a bit. I hopped on my wonder-mare in a too-big-for-me western saddle with stirrups much too long.

I kicked her forward from a standstill into a gallop a la barrel racer in the direction of Griffin. He bolted back toward the barn. I whipped her around and as I trotted by Jeremy called, "Watch this" as I cued her into a canter and called over my shoulder, "HEY GRIFFIN! WHAT'CHA DOIN'? BETTER BE CAREFUL 'CAUSE YOU MIGHT BE LEFT ALONE!." And then galloped Q up the hill we do our sprints on.

I halted her, turned to look down the hill, and saw - to my pleasure - my shithead gelding sprinting toward us. I dismounted Q in anticipation of his fast approach and stood beside her, both of us watching as Griffin blasted through the field, flaps on my saddle blowing up with his efforts, bucking, and screaming past Jeremy.

All I could think at this point was, Dear god please let him not destroy my saddle. My beautiful new saddle. My precious...gollum gollum....

He tore up the hill and slowed near us. Prancing around Q and I. He halted behind her finally. I snatched up the (thank god still intact and not broken) reins and proceeded to force him to back all the way down that goddamn hill. Q following placidly behind. <3 her.

At the bottom I reprimanded both - now hot - horses as they tried to walk ahead of me as we walked toward Jeremy.

The short of it, we both remounted, thanked a worried Dee who had ran from her bath where she'd witnessed the whole thing to come check on us (she was clothed no worries), and headed back to the barn on a loose rein without issue.

I called it a day then. Jeremy and Q got lots of praise. Griffin go a single itty bitty tiny little peppermint treat with his brushing before I released the Kraken to his field.

My ankle is still hurting. RICE until better. Very much considering not riding the shitlord until post-Fort Valley. I don't want to risk another worse injury!

I bought a saddle

Because clearly, reading about several other bloggers purchasing sweet new saddles and various other expensive tack items wasn't enough, I decided I'd drop some dolla dolla bills y'all and get a saddle, too.

No, but in all seriousness - I BOUGHT A SADDLE!

An Ansur Classic to be precise.

And it was my biggest equine purchase investment to date.

After completing the Virginia Highlands 55 in Mary's Ansur (race 2 in this saddle) and having nearly zero soreness and being able to ride my own horses 2 days post-ride, I was convinced I needed this saddle.

The fit of the Wintec on Q isn't bad at all. But its not perfect. The Ansur is treeless, thus less of a fit issue when compared to treed saddles. And despite being a treeless, I have had very little issue mounting from the ground on the trail.

I rode Q for 8 miles in Mary's Ansur in early August with zero issue. I rode her in a borrowed Ansur from Mary for 10 miles the weekend prior and again this past Friday for another 14.5 miles with no issue. In fact, Q moved freer in the Friday ride than she has of late. She felt as though she were absolutely floating at times - and that's saying something because this little mare floats and bounces lightly along almost always as is!
I really wanted to say something on here when I found this saddle and when I purchased it and when I got the tracking number so we could all obsessively stalk it to my door together, but I just couldn't. I'm one of those people who is convinced that if I talk too much about what seems like too good a thing then it just won't happen.

And thus I only told a couple people. Only one horse person. I knew once it arrived, if it was truly in the condition in the photos, then I'd get to blab all about it.

And show up it did. And in such amazing shape!! It was really a STEAL at the price I found it for when you consider what they sell for new and what you usually find an older model like this one in this condition priced at. I base these facts on help I received from Mary, who has served as an Ansur rep for years.

The purchase was a little risky though as I found the ad on Craigslist...in Mesa, AZ. For anyone insanely new to this blog, I live in WV. Craigslist isn't exactly what you think of for secure internet purchases! But I emailed the lady and she got right back to me wanting me to call. I refused to call until I could see further photos. She sent them! Satisfied with what I saw, I took the plunge and called. She was polite and amiable on the phone. We discussed price/shipping/payment options and it was all squared away! She shipped it the following day and I had it within a week of shipment. Nicely wrapped, packaged, and boxed (which I believe the sticker on the box shipped USPS ground said was only $24 for anyone wondering what it costs to ship a saddle).

Happy happy happy.

I'm currently awaiting a Toklat Woolbak dressage girth (because the borrowed mohair/neoprene from Mary did not make Q's skin happy AT ALL) from the Distance Depot and then we'll be all set!

Onward to happy, long trails!

Qbert

Photos of Q being awesome. I love her.

Life is super busy as far as work is concerned for the next two weeks. Readers will have to settle with becoming viewers of photos for awhile!

She totally walked between the two motorcycles like it was NOTHING.

High mountain meadow

I love her I love her I love her I love her