Fire Fly Stables Blog

Thank You

2010-02-24T22:07:00.002-05:00

To who ever commented on my previous blog (which is now gone). I posted that while being upset over comments on the other much debated blog and yes I was still pointing fingers at western.

I try not to be judgmental. I know Western has a place in this World, I don't want to see it gone. I am trying to be a better rounded person by learning all there is to learn about everything horse related, I have always been trying to learn everything. To say I'm uneducated in the horse world would be a big misunderstanding, to say I am uneducated in the Western world however would be correct, I still have a lot to learn.

I do see a lot of Western training ideas which I would call short cuts, that I don't agree with, and I see them being used often. However, that being said, I see the same sort of training ideas used in dressage as well.

As a coach I do not want my students learning from me everything there is to know about horses. To me that is just wrong because there is so much more. and...

Because everyone in the horse business thinks they are right.

I ..like every other coach in the world, think I am right..but let me assure you I will always continue to learn. I work to teach my students that to progress in horses you need to always always keep learning.

Any who I'm off for tonight.

Cross Posting From Fugly Yet Again

2010-02-22T12:53:00.003-05:00

Here is what a twisted piano snaffle looks like.

Yes they do still sell these.

Here is a link to Fugly Horse Of the Day. Please check it out if you haven't already. She talks about breeding, training, and anything else that bugs her about our industry. It's good reading. Whether or not you agree with her isn't my problem. She has a comments section too.

http://www.fuglyblog.com/

Dear Blog Readers

2010-02-20T21:59:00.005-05:00

I understand a few of you are upset about my blog related to western riders training styles and I just want to clear a few things up. Where I live about 80% of the riders are western, so sure I'm going to get a few nasty words thrown at me for speaking out of line. That's alright with me, they are my opinions, and everyone is entitled to theirs. I actually encourage friendly debate here and I'd love to hear of the benefits of working a horse at the age of 2. For now I'll just go on with my post topic.

Modern dressage riders are just as cruel, I admit it (oh no here we go again). As I mainly do dressage I'll say, there are many times I've done things wrong and taken short cuts, but at least I have recognized this and I am trying to do better. I am here learning new things and changing habits of myself, and the people around me. I've seen a million training methods, I have. I've been to different stables and I've been taught under many different trainers and coaches.

You can take what you want from anywhere but the most important thing is to keep learning.

Here is a brief time line for the horses training this CAN be applied to all disciplines of riding, sadly it isn't always. This is English based, perhaps we can come up with a western version, and a racing version as well.

Age 1: Ground work, halter, tying, bathing, trailering etc.
Age 2: Lunging, saddle breaking, the easy first step stages of riding
Age 3: More intense work under saddle
Age 4 (and up): Jumping can be introduced, higher levels of collection, and higher level dressage movements.

It also depends on your horse, if you have a warmblood or draft cross jumping them at 4 could ruin them, I've seen horses at the age of 7 grow another full hand. An arabian on the other hand may be completely fine for jumping full courses at the age of 4.

I've added the training scale as well. This is how you would train a Classical Dressage horse (Classical dressage is about allowing the horse to develop and teaching, where as a lot of modern dressage is forcing a horse into a way of going, I prefer the classical method). This is the basics. Obviously with any pyramid if you don't have a good solid base you aren't going to have a big pyramid.

Two excellent examples of this pyramid working and this pyramid not working are my standardbreds. Peanut age 8, Eddy age 10.

I got Peanut first and of course rushed the training as I was 14.
I skipped Rhythm altogether, we worked on bending. First bending left and then bending right. When he mastered that we worked at bending down (going "round" or into a frame), when he didn't quite get it I used side reins on a circle (this method used properly CAN teach a horse however if the horse is not in condition enough to maintain a good circle it would be silly to put side reins on them and expect them to learn to carry themselves correctly). Impulsion I never focused on, he had that..I mean he was off the track. Straightness was fine too, he had learned already on the track to go straight.. :)

Eddy however got started at the very basics, after about 6 months of me just playing around with him (getting him used to the saddle and hacking around the race track).I took him to college and I had a good dressage teacher actually drill this pyramid into me (thank you thank you thank you!). Eddy basically followed the steps, and if something wasn't right we went back to the base. Rhythm.

So how did they turn out? Lets see.. Peanut is a speedy pony who although is safe and fun, he just cannot balance himself. He can bend and he can flex but he cannot pick up a regular canter and carry it around the corner without speeding up or losing the gait. At a walk and trot he looks like a decent dressage horse, but that's all he got.

Eddy on the other hand competes in dressage and is moving up in his levels, he received a reserve champion during his first year of showing and will be competing again this year at a more advanced level. Eddy can also balance himself throughout simple changes and over low jumps.

These are two standardbreds, with very close lines, only two years apart. They were trained by the same trainer, but the difference is trainer kept on learning. Peanut is capable of most of what Eddy is doing, he can learn to balance correctly, it will just take a bit longer because I skipped the steps at the beginning.

Confessions of a Horse Trainer (mostly beginner tack)

2010-02-20T10:10:00.001-05:00

This is not my rant but it's excellent and I am cross posting it because it is just that good. I got it off of Fugly Horse Of The Day (which you all know I'm a fan of) and she got it off of someone else! It is harsh but it's 100% right. Especially number 9! :)

Confessions of a Horse Trainer (Mostly Beginner Clients)

1. I hate all of your tack. I swear every time I go to a new job I find the exact same crappy tack, tack that I wouldn’t put on my horses even with a gun to my head. It is the tack that your “friends” gave you because surprise they realized that it sucked so they gave it to you. The saddles you have are dry rotted and synthetic (I don’t care what you paid for them, a saddle that is $300 or lower new is crap), they nose dive on the withers and swim all over the back, so you have to cut the horse in half to get them to sort of stay on and then you have to balance the saddle on the horse while trying to ride, because it slides all over the place. A good western saddle new is $800 up, and tolerable one will be $500- $800. You can find some nice name brands for cheaper if you pay attention, love Craigslist. If it doesn’t have a maker on it, if the fenders curl up, if your horse acts up when you put the saddle on, if it looks and feels cheap, it is cheap. Please for the sake of yourself and your horse please get a well made saddle. Besides, well made quality tack holds its value. I have a saddle that is 13 years old and one that is 20 years old that look and feel great and they are appraised at $1800 and $1200. You can’t sell that $300 saddle you bought yesterday for $25. I know good tack is expensive so just start a tack fund and put away what you can each week and it helps to sign up to get every tack catalog known to man you can sometimes find some great deals on anything horse related (and don’t get too wrapped up in colors or the fancy stuff, my gelding has a awesome turnout blanket that was priced over 60% off, it is purple but who cares, it is a great blanket). Also have equipment for all the horses you own. If you have 5 horses you should own 6 halters and lead ropes (one as a spare for accidents). I love it when there are 6 horses an only one halter and lead. When something breaks or you get another horse you have to buy more. Come on people.

2. Please stop buying horses from your “riding instructor” without an outside opinion. I know of several horses bought from “riding instructors” who are barely green broke (at least for trail riding and or riding outside the lesson pen), some are flat out crippled and green broke, and some are not even born yet and are being sold to 9 year old children (Yes, I was contacted about training the unborn foal their riding instructor sold to their 9 year old daughter, I did not get the instructor’s name for fear of going postal). You ride once or twice a week and want to trail ride, please find a horse that fits your riding expectations. I know many horses who would be great (and were great when purchased because they were being ridden daily) if you would ride them more then once a month. It also drives me nuts when I find out that people have been taking riding lessons for years, who is teaching you because after 3 years you know about as much about horses and riding as my dog.

3. Stop taking free/cheap young and unbroke horses when a new to horses. Horses are a TON of work and cost an arm and a leg as well. You are new to horses and you do not need 5 free unbroke horses ages 2, 3, 7, 8, and 12. You need one horse that has been around the block a few times to learn on. There is no way you are going to be able to learn for yourself and get all 5 of these horses to be solid citizens any time this next century without sending them off for months and months of training. I only have two horses, and yes I know what you are thinking OMG she must not love horses to only have two when she could have twenty. But I know the energy, time, and cost involved in owning horses and between training all these people and their horses I do not have a ton of time to work with my own. Quantity does not make up for quality.

4. Start doing your homework. When I leave our weekly lesson I always give you homework to do to continue to build upon what we worked on that day. If you do not do your homework we can not progress forward at any rate. This really annoys me and makes me not like you (especially if I really didn’t like you to begin with, personality thing). Because I really like see/produce results and it is hard to get them when working once a week or every two weeks. I understand that life happens but when you have yet to do any homework after 8 months of working together, I will work with you until the moment I can afford to drop you, then I will and I will not look back (the economy is tough right now and work is work). Please don’t try and lie to me either, I’m like Santa, I know when you have been working with your horse and I know when you have not.

5. Weather happens, hair appointments do not. Horses may be an extra to you but to me they are my livelihood. Weather happens, lately we have all been rained out 3 weeks straight, I knew when becoming a trainer that the weather would affect my ability to work. But when you schedule an appointment with me and we are not rained out you need to keep that appointment (I’m a pretty reasonable person and just like your employer I understand that life happens i.e. funerals, illness). When you take that time slot I can not give to anyone else and when you cancel two hours before your lesson (with no explanation, so I assume it is a stupid a hair appointment) I don’t have the time to fill your spot which leads to no money for me. Just like you I need money to survive, I have feed bills, rent, insurance, gas bills because I travel to you, and all the normal living expenses you have. You wouldn’t do that to the plumber, please do not to me. If you do it more than twice I will drop you and give your slot to someone more reliable.

6. When I say that you need to purchase something tack wise, I’m not kidding. I know tack is expensive and I really try to work with the crappy stuff that you give me to work with but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and buy something that you need to continue progressing with your horse. I don’t tell you need something unless you really need it and will need it long term. I loan stuff on a regular basis but you are not my only client and at any given point in time I have 1-5 people at the same place in training as you are. When you keep something longer than a week (or two) I can’t loan it to other people and when your horse needs it long term I can’t help those that need it short term. I’m very aware of the cost of tack and offer when possible several cost options for getting what you need. But there are some things you can’t skimp on like bits, the worse bit you’ll ever put in your horses mouth is a cheap one. Please also note that I get nothing back from the products I recommend, I recommend these products because I use them myself, they are truly great, and I have yet to find something better. If your kid kids need knee pads for volley ball you get them, your horse should not be any different. Please go spend $6 on you own crappy dressage whip and give mine back.

7. Seriously when I talk about the condition of your horse or the need for vet care I’m not blowing smoke. You hired me to help you with your horses and I am going to tell you when something isn’t right. I’ve spent a lot of time learning about nutrition, hoof care, and veterinary care. I also know how expensive vet care can be; I grew up with a vet tech and have a pretty good eye on when you need to see a vet and when you don’t. I understand that your horse was a rescue but after 6 months there shouldn’t be any ribs. When I say you need a Farrier you really need one, horses do not like wearing elf shoes. When I tell you to offer mineral supplementation it’s because you are being stubborn about dropping the oats or you’ re not able to feed enough concentrate to your easy keeper for them to get the full effect of the feed. I’m truly on your side and the side of your wallet, but seriously just do what your horse needs.

8. Your way wasn’t working, that is why you called me, so just shut up and listen. I love it when I get a new client who regardless to what I say or accomplish with their horse still thinks that they know what they are doing or their way is better. You don’t. That is why you called me in the first place. Please just listen and follow what I tell you, this stuff works. I understand that for some of you I am young enough to be your daughter but I know what I am doing and if you would just sit down and shut up we can actually get things done and you and your horse can finally stand to be around each other.

9. When you love your horse and truly try your best I will work harder for you. I can tell who truly loves and wants what is best for their horse. They are the people who do their homework, who do everything in their power to get and do what the horse needs, regardless to the cost or their financial situation. I love these people. I know who has money and who doesn’t and it always amazes me that the people with money are usually the least likely to do what the horse needs in regards to training, tack, and care (can you say short cut). When you truly love your horse I will help you how ever I can; I’ll give you a break on lesson costs, help with finding quality tack at good prices, haul you around, go over on lessons without charging, be there in emergencies, and more. I love you and enjoy you when you love your horse.
Thanks for allowing the rant. It’s a hard job trying to guide people onto the right path of horse ownership but someone has to do it.

Things to look forward to!

2009-12-27T14:11:00.002-05:00

Now that Christmas is over... :)

We can look forward to SPRING again! Well I am anyway.

1. Shows! This year we have our own truck and trailer and we are going places!
2. The canam, it's in march I'm going anyone from the stable is welcome to come with!
3. Running Clinics (hopefully 3 in the spring!)
4. Getting the Pony Possey up and running again

Right now I am happy as it is snowing so the snow is hiding our hideous ground and soon enough there will be enough snow to ride again. Yesterday I rode Akasha who is very sure footed and at a trot her hind legs both slipped, she didn't go down but it was just the mud and ice factor that makes it too dangerous to do very much but walk.

What I am working on now. I'm writing a self-biography, it is going to be great, full of my little adventures, it's funny I remember a lot as I'm writing, things I have completely forgotten about. It will be for sale in the bookstores in no time ;)

My dad is working on getting my computer back up and running so I will be able to update the website rather than just blog about it. (definitely looking forward to this).

And... well I think that's it for now!

Quality Of Horses For Sale

2009-11-20T11:26:00.003-05:00

So this post is very much going to resemble and Fugly Horse Of The Day (for those who don't read that blog go have a look it's great )

Over the past 2 months I have been watching the online horse ads in our area through Kijiji and Equestrian Connection and a few other horse sites. The amount of crappy horses priced too high just kills me!

I can get a 2 year old quarter horse that is trained to the T, in other words the owners worked their poor little filly or colts butts off before they had even developed a butt to be worked off! These horses DO NOT LAST, sure if your looking for a show horse for the next two years and then want to breed for the next 15 this horse may be perfect for you. **(edited out due to over use of bad wording)**. Honestly do we make children run marathons? Do we force little children to learn high tec dancing maneuvers, to practice it again and again until it is perfect? We don't! That's because they aren't ready! Not physically ready! We don't want the children to limp around when they hit their early teens. Why don't we apply the same ideas to the horses we raise?

You think I'm picking on the western world, and guess what I am. (Edited in, I am not forgetting about all the other disciplines who over work young horses as well, for now yes lets just talk about western). The racing world is no better but they get enough attention. A horse can naturally run in a straight line with a teenie rider on their back without a lot of damage. There are plenty of horses that come off the track and can still move and be ridden for years to come. Running is a natural thing, spinning, doing sliding stops, flying lead changes, extreme collection, is that natural? I don't think so.

Alright back to what I was supposed to be blogging about. The quality of horses, these young horses that are "trained to the max" are priced high and no doubt they'll get their asking price. In my opinion they shouldn't they should get what a horse that age is worth which is around 1000, maybe. The same is happening for other breeds though, plenty of ladies selling their horse to go to college, or to have more money when they get married. These horses are crap. I'm sorry but seriously almost every one of them has a huge conformational fault, no show history, and is not suitable for the type of riding they are advertising it for. A horse that is naturally on his forehand, severely under weight, and has seen a few jumps is not a jumper. Perhaps when it learns to carry its self it'll make it to the low level jumping. This particular horse is advertised for $4000. He is nothing special, there are many green broke skinny thoroughbreds who go for a few hundred dollars to meat each week, and these ones may actually have decent conformation!

There is my blog for the week, I think in pony club this week we are going to look at all the horses online and figure why you would and why you would not buy the animal. Hopefully I can inspire a generation of horse people who will breed and train for quality and not just for substance.

There we go.

2009-11-04T13:57:00.000-05:00

A Step Closer!

2009-10-31T12:47:00.000-04:00

Today I have purchased a truck, it is big enough to pull the horse trailer and it's going to look good doing it! I can't wait for show season. Pictures will be here soon!

Whats New

2009-10-23T13:03:00.003-04:00

So what is new since my last post..quite a bit! First of all let me apoligize for not updating the website often enough, it turns out I need to be sick on a rainy day for me to actually sit my butt down and update, but I hope you like the changes I've done today and I will attempt to get some more recent pictures of the students, the pony posseys, and of course of the horses!

New Stuff:
1. Dolly has been sold to a loving home with a young lady who is very much in love with her new horse.
2. Zeus has mastered the liberty off the line at walk and trot (and is thinking about doing it at a canter)
3. Akasha has learned to find her distances to jumps at a canter, she's is really inspiring to be a show pony! Look out all you other hunter ponies! Akasha also went on her first hack alone and was an angel.
4. It looks like we aren't moving any where any time soon, but keep your eyes open for an indoor arena to rent as winter is going to be very cold!
5. I am working on getting myself a truck, so every penny from every lesson is going into the savings account.
6. I have a new cell phone number and I use it! I also have discovered the joys of texting, much fun! 519-702-5671. This is a great way to get a hold of me even when I'm working I can reply to a text on down time or between jobs :)
7. 3 out of 4 of my horses do bridleless with ease, Akasha is not one of them.
8. I am thinking of hosting a few clinics for next year anyone interested? I have a great instructor who would come out for a hunter/jumper clinic, I also would like to run a de-sensitizing clinic as the one in the spring went so well, this time we'll allow outside horses as well.

Ok that's my thoughts, my updates and my news. If you haven't got your lessons booked call moi :)

We're Running a Horse Show!!

2009-06-28T16:24:00.002-04:00

Horse Show
August 16th (2009)
First Ever Pony Possey's Club Show.
This is a fun show suitable for beginner /novice riders, or green horses who need to gain experience, or for people who just want to get together for a fun time!
Prizes will be awarded. Ribbons from 1st-5th. Trailer parking. Outside stables welcome but we'd like to know your coming so we know how many stables to expect. English and Western with the idea of fun in mind! And of course decent food will be served.
Call for more information.
519-229-6904

We are also looking for vollenteers for set up of different classes, to help in the food booth, ring, and office. All helpers will recieve a complementry lunch.
Sponsors also wanted, if your company wants free advertising and wants to support the horse community in Woodham/St Marys please contact us.

Class list, show rules, and a flyer are all available on the website. Fire Fly Stables

I'm very excited about this and I know my students are as well!

No More Cars For Me

2009-06-20T18:16:00.001-04:00

I'm switching back to horses.

So now the challenge..how can I make a living with the horses?

Wow It's Been Over a Month!

2009-06-13T17:40:00.002-04:00

That seems so unreal but I haven't written here for over a full month!

New stuff with me..I started selling cars, I don't know how good I'll be at it but so far I've sold one and the boss hasn't fired me so all is good just have to get a few more under my belt so that I understand the whole system better! You'd be amazed at how much there is to learn, I'd take horse anatomy over it any day!

The pony club is doing very well we have quite a few people participating and we hope to run our own horse show this summer!

Dolly is still here I had one person come out and that was it! Everyone who wants her wants to trail ride and I don't think she'll be any good on trails she's a very happy horse near the barn so that's turns away a lot of prospects. No big deal though like I said in my last post no hurry to sell she can hang out and do a few lessons here and there, she seems content doing that.

Also check out the local St Marys paper the Journal Argus, they came out to the farm and interviewed me, a picture of me and Pnut working on bareback-bridleless should appear in the next edition.

I am still working on getting more students in the lesson programs, I do take friend referals, if you refer someone to the stable and they ride a full month with me ( 4 lessons minimum) I will give you a free private lesson on a horse of your choice (within reason of course, I will not put a total beginner on Eddy sorry folks lol!)

Showing opportunities are coming up I haven't worked out the exact figures but the standardbred show in Milton in September is one we are attending for sure. There are a few others before that which I'd like to make it to but we'll have to see about transportation.

Life is grand, have a good rest of the weekend! Smile!

Miss Dolly

2009-05-04T13:32:00.002-04:00

I have some new news. I've decided to put Miss Dolly up for sale. She's getting older and wont be able to handle as many beginners as she has in the past. I wanted to make sure I wrote a blog about it so that my students can read about it before they see a classified ad.

Dolly is a great sweet girl but she isn't going to be able to work the same because she is just getting older. I put a weight limit on her last year of 130, I currently weight 150 (I know I know). This year I dropped her limit down to 100 pounds so it just isn't fair for me to ride her. Typically most horses will need tune ups every once and a while. Dolly is no exception, last year I had to ride her twice (just for things like popping her shoulder around corners or sloppy transitions). This happens to almost every horse who is ridden consistently by beginners. They just need a refresher once and a while to remember what is what. This year I will not be able to ride her at all so if she does need this little refresher I will have to find someone else to do it.

I have thought long and hard about this but I think she'll be much happier with just one rider who can love her and ride her often. I am also going to be very selective and picky about who she is sold to. I do not want her to send up at an auction or sale so I will do everything in my power to find her the perfect owner. (in other words she may remain here for quite some time haha!)

I know everyone is going to miss her but I know she will have a much nicer retirement (or semi-retirement) elsewhere. I will be keeping my eyes open for another beginner horse so that Peanut isn't swamped this year. But we will have Akasha and Zeus in lessons shortly, and of course Eddy for the more advanced students.

If anyone has any concerns about Dolly please feel free to talk to me. I know what it's like when your instructor sells the horse you've learned to ride on, it can be really hard, so please don't feel shy, come talk to me. Dolly's been very good to us the past few years she's only had two students fall off during her entire stay! I wish Dolly a happy future, thanks girlie!

Nelson Bilyea

2009-04-22T13:56:00.002-04:00

For those who aren't aware there was a tragic fire in the area at Nelson's barn. He lost many horses including his wonderful stud Ginnin Cowboy. My heart goes out to Nelson and also to Kathy his wife who lost her beautiful mare as well.
I sincerely hope that this wasn't a fire set by someone. Everyone is thinking it but no one wants to say anything, and I don't blame you, it's too awful to think of.

I used to work for Nelson, just mucking stalls when I was younger. Once I remember Ginnin Cowboy getting cast in his stall and being completely upside down. He thrashed around a bit then just stayed put and glared at me to go get help. I ran up to the house but no one was there so I called my father and waited for him. I was younger and was told strictly not to touch the stallions, insurance just doesn't cover that lol! Once my dad came (to spot me - he knows absolutely nothing about horses..no offence pa)I went into his stall and pulled his tail so he away from the wall enough to turn over and get up. The look on that horses face when he got up was so funny, if he had been a person he would have smacked me for taking so long to come to his rescue. This horse was a beautiful athletic horse who made for a great stud, hopefully he will live on through his foals.

Nelson and his family are great people and I just wanted to say that there is a silent auction, and dinner/dance coming up (I'll get the facts posted of when and where when I know) and if you'd like to support him and get him back on his way this would be a great way to do it.

Our pony club is doing great and I will be organizing a fire safety meeting for sometime next month, parents are welcome as well as friends and neighbours, as you are welcome to any other meeting. The fire safety meeting will help us to learn how to prevent fires, and to learn how easily they can be started. I'm currently in the process of getting a guest speaker from the fire station.

The unimaginable can happen, and I am deeply sorry that it happened to such great people and great horses.

This is April??

2009-04-07T14:43:00.002-04:00

April means spring, warmth and sunshine.... It doesn't mean locking the old horse inside because she's shivering! Poor Dolly has shed out most of her winter coat already, which isn't a whole lot since she is a thoroughbred.
It's not too bad though she at least is keeping Zeus company while he's on stall rest for a few weeks.

Hopefully this cold weather doesn't last a few weeks though! I want summer now!!

Anyone want to move to Georgia with me?

Courage

2009-03-24T21:31:00.002-04:00

I finally got enough courage up to ride bridleless.
The second I got on I had to convince myself that I really wanted to do it. I hopped on Peanut who has never gone bridleless. Peanut is generally a very hard horse to stop with a bridle and can be spooky when it's windy..and of course today was the most windy day we've had in a long time....

Peanut was amazing though he was very excited and a little bit confused about it at first but he caught on so fast within a few minutes we were walking and trotting both ways and doing circles and STOPPING!

He stopped without a fuss within a few strides.

I figured having worked for Tommie I would have gotten this courage up a bit sooner but it's funny how things work. I'm glad I finally did it and I think listening to one of Lizzy Traband's demos really sunk in with me. She was very certain that if the horse has done it's lateral work under saddle then going bridleless wont be a big deal, most of the audience didn't believe her and were very skeptical but she's very right. Thanks Lizzy!

The Can-Am

2009-03-23T12:19:00.002-04:00

The Can-Am went super! I worked for Tommie for the last time (well for now anyways who knows what the future is going to be like I might end up going back to train with him again). The big show at the end of each night went very great we had great audiences and on Saturday the place was just packed!

I have so much more respect for Tommie then I ever did. He really is a truly amazing performer. When something goes wrong in his act the audience never has to know, he's so quick to change the act to make it look like everything is still on track. Most of the time when he improvises the act becomes even better! If I ever have the guts to put together an act like his I hope I'm at least half as good!

Back at home things are going really great we're working on getting Dolly back into lessons and so far Peanut has been taking on the work load. We'll have Eddy back in a week or so and Zeus and Akasha will join the lessons when their training is up to par and we have saddles to fit everyone (always the biggest challenge). Sometimes I wish I was western so I could just buy a general saddle and stuff a huge saddle pad under it and never have to worry about fit.

Another note..I've totally gotten into horse "bling" I never thought I'd say this but sparkles and diamonds really make my horses butt look bigger! I love it! Peanut has a brow band with metal squares all along it, very flashy. Akasha as one with little crystals in it. Zeus has a bridle with braided brow and nose band, with white padding underneath. It is going to look awesome on him. Next step is getting the gang out to some shows!

Zeus Is Here!!

2009-03-18T23:31:00.002-04:00

My new horse has arrived!! Zeus has settled into the shed run in and seems to be very happy. Rudy realized there was someone new right away and barked at him for a good 5 minutes, no doubt to fill him in on the rules of how this place is run (ha!). The other horses didn't even notice him and were too busy waiting for their hay at the other end of the field. I'm sure they'll find him soon though! I just hope we don't find Akasha in his pen tomorrow morning, knowing her she will find a way through the electric and under the wooden posts and into the other pen. She's crafty!

I'm dying to ride him already but I think we'll have to wait for a saddle that fits, he's got a fairly broad back a lot like Little Kay's so maybe he'll fit into Eddy's saddle but for now we'll have to wait and see.

It's March!!

2009-03-04T13:22:00.002-05:00

Which means warm weather may be on the way! I'm very excited for when we can actually ride and for when lessons can start up again. I'm very busy organizing horse camps and a horse club. There is a lot of planning to go into these two big projects, as well as cleaning up in the barn. I'm working on putting in a class room for the club meetings and for big theory lessons or discussions.

Today I had a driving lesson in preparation for tomorrow which is my final driving test, this is great. If I pass this my car insurance will start to go down and it will just feel good to have my full licence.

I still have my two saddles for sale if anyone is interested, one is a HDR and the other is a Lancer. Both are in good shape but the HDR is basically new. I know the industry is bad right now but these saddles are of good quality and should have been snatched up a long time ago!

Today I am going to work with the horses. I haven't decided what we'll do yet as the ring is still covered in ice. Today is warmer so hopefully some of it will melt but for today I might take Peanut around the race track, I think he'd behave for that but I'd have really liked to do a bit of ring work before hitting the wide open spaces. Akasha loves going on walks but would rather gallop the whole way so she'll have to just wait for the ring to be safe before she gets to go anywhere. Dolly is the same way only she is just barn sour, I don't worry about her though she's happy in the ring so that's where she can stay.

If anyone is looking to watch some cute videos check out panzita0 on youtube. I've got two very cute videos. One of Eddy being ridden a few weeks ago and another of the girls misbehaving on the lunge line because they are super hyper from lack of work!

Well I'm out for now.
Jenni

Auction Report

2009-02-28T00:32:00.002-05:00

Me and my boyfriend Kyle headed down to an auction today with a few of my rabbits. They didn't do so well, we got a few dollars for them but ended up buying one back as he is worth a lot more. We did however invest in two very small baby dairy goats.

These poor animals are taken away from their mothers after the first few days; just like dairy calfs, so the mothers can be milked. Alike male dairy calfs, male dairy goats are often raised for meat. So this is strickly a business investment which should provide a bit of profit when the time comes to sell these little boys.

However, in the mean time, like everything else on our farm....they have been named and cuddled and pampered to death already! My little boy is named Bongo, he is a bit bigger than Kyle's who is named Q-Tip. Both are super vocal and friendly.

The auction did hold something for the horsie people. Well no, that's a lie.. They had 3 ponies. All were "fugly" and nothing went for more than a hundred bucks. First one was a broke to ride and drive shetland pony, a bit sassy but pretty cute and calm. She went for a very low $85. The second one was a 2 year old probably mixed bred pony or horse who never matured, he didn't get a bid...well one man offered $5 as a joke but the auctioneer wouldn't take it. The last horse was a mini stallion. He was pure black with a cute mane and tail, but he wasn't friendly and he had a long back. He went for $55, very cheap.

Only 3 Types of Riders

2009-02-22T23:02:00.003-05:00

I've come to the conclusion..there are only three different types of riders. Ones who have an indoor, ones who don't.. tehe just joking.

There are three though that I have noticed so here it goes.

1st type of rider is a very observent rider, they notice everything often before the horse does. This type of rider is good at making a horse nervous. This rider is looking for things the horse is going to spook at and often finds things the horse would have otherwise walked right by if the rider had just been confident. Horses can read your body language so well they KNOW if your looking at something thinking "oh that looks scary bet the horse is going to spook" and then tada they spook!

2nd type of rider is the very opposite. They don't notice a thing! They're the ones with the really deep western saddles (sorry) who take trail rides at a leisurely walk and come off because they were day dreaming when a deer was spotted. Whoops!

3rd type of rider is the balanced rider the one who sees everything but has the confidence to know it isn't going to scare their horses (reguardless of what horse they're on). Perhaps it's just a mind set that makes them better riders, but these riders are able to get their horses through anything simply because everything isn't a big deal. They don't create the problem but they're also on their toes for when a problem arises.

Todays Going To Be A Good Day!

2009-02-21T11:34:00.002-05:00

I have five minutes before I have to leave for The Beer Store which is great I haven't worked for more than 3 months and I miss it!

I also just listened to my 10 last downloaded songs which just cheers me up. I'm weird like that. I download songs and listen to them for about a million times and it always cheers me up.

Have a good day! I know I will!

I Hate Winter

2009-02-20T14:09:00.003-05:00

I seriously hate winter. I have ridden once since I've been home from Illinois and it's just been so aweful.

What I need is an indoor arena somewhere that I can train and coach year round.

I also need to retire my old wintec saddle and get a decent dressage saddle for Peanut and a decent any type of saddle for Akasha (who is without saddle all together as Eddy has it and Eddy is an hour away).

Well I'm off to run errands and try to dig up a job for the meantime.
Adios..

My Favorite Cowboy's Stories

2009-02-19T11:33:00.002-05:00

Here's a little introduction to my favorite Cowboy. His name was Ray, he owned a small buckskin quarter horse who he trail rode daily. Ray was well over 80 years old when I met him, and was still riding daily, he passed away last year in March, he is very well missed. Everyone who met Ray just loved him, he was always extremely friendly and had a pet name for everyone. I was Squeek, short for Pip Squeek. One of Ray's favorite things was to tell stories, I have no idea if half of the stories he told were true but after hearing them so often, as he did repeat them often, they are now my favorite stories as well.

When Ray was in his mid teens he lived with his family at a large ranch where his father breed horses. Ray went out with his brother one night and his brother drank quite a bit becoming very drunk. When they got home his brother hopped on his father's prized horse, a beautiful great big white stallion. He laughed and said "Hey Ray open up the gate there", Ray did and his brother riding bareback, rode the horse out into the yard. His brother rode the horse right up on to the porch of their big farm house. "Hey Ray why don't you open up the door?" Ray laughed thinking he's not really going to ride the horse inside the house and opened the door. Ray's brother marched the horse right through the door and up the grand staircase to the second floor where he dismounted, with grace of course, and walked a few steps to his bedroom to sleep for the night. In the morning their father woke up to find his beautiful stallion waiting paitently at the top of the staircase. They spent the whole morning trying to get the horse back down.

Lets Make It Better!

2009-02-19T11:29:00.002-05:00

Here is your chance, let me know what you want. I am going to do my best to keep this site up to date but let me know if there is something you'd like to see, or that you don't want to see any more. Such as the classifieds section which only I seem to be able to use? Lets get some feedback here.

As for the stable what could I do to make it a better riding stable? I know of course we need an indoor but until we have the finances to cover such a project what could we do differently?

I am starting up a pony club this year we will be looking for a student president, and a junior present as well. If you have any ideas involving this please bring them forward. You can post a comment or talk to me directly.

This Is A Real Sport

2009-02-19T11:19:00.003-05:00

Horse riding IS a real sport.

We have three (3!) events in the OLYMPICS.

That alone should be enough to convince you but if not keep reading.

So why doesn't anyone take it seriously? I'm always having people not show up for lessons, not bother to call, even with a cancellation fee. What do I have to do so that parents (especially parents!) take this sport seriously. If you were paying $25 dollars a week for your child to participate in say a sport like soccer. Would you miss more than half the practices and still go to the tournament? I highly doubt it! The soccer coach wouldn't allow it. To play in the game you have to practice. Horse back riding is no different.If your child is bad at school or home would you punish them by not making them go to soccer practice? Heck no! You'd say go get those cleats on you've got soccer and it's our turn to bring the oranges. So why ground them from participating in their regular horse riding lessons.

Let me remind you, horse riding builds confidence, balance, muscle, strength, lets them bond with an animal and last but not least teaches them responsibility! Where else do they have to be responsible for another living thing, that they have to brush completely, pick the sharp rocks out of their hooves, exercise, praise, discipline, and clean up after!

When I started riding I was 10 years old and I hardly said a word to anyone. I was the shyest girl I knew. In class, at parties, even family get togethers I never said a word unless spoken directly to. I was sad and being sad isn't good for you. Now I am an outgoing, motivated, hard working individual. I run my own lesson stable where I work my butt off and will do anything for my horses and my lesson students. I have the drive and determination to really do what ever I want to. I would not have got to where I am today if I hadn't been involved with horses. True that I would have probably grown out of some shyness but I would have never had enough confidence to do half the things I've done in the past 10 years.

Being able to work with an animal so much bigger and more powerful than yourself is a great feeling, especially when you and said horse become partners. There is a level of riding that you can achieve only by practice and time. At this level the horse is more than just a riding buddy, he or she truly becomes your partner and while you ride it's almost as though they're reading your mind. People who don't know horses always say "why is riding so hard all you have to do is sit there", but they surely do not know our Eddy (or most horses for that matter). When you see a very professional rider riding, it looks as if they are doing nothing at all. This is the ultimate goal.

Horse Thoughts Straight From The Horse's Mouth- Literally!

2009-02-19T11:18:00.002-05:00

My mom had Lauren Bode read my two horses that I've had the longest (just over the phone though). It was soooo cool!! Eddy had so much to say he hardly ever stopped talking and he had me and Lauren laughing the whole time he was funny! He started out by saying thankyou to me for picking him up..I got him for free 3 years ago. So that was really nice. Then he said that he was a good jumper and he snapped up nice and he wanted to know if I was going to take him to the jumper competitions. I told him eventually. (I'm a nervous rider over fences!). He likes to show off and he likes to go to shows. He asked if he was too loud. I wasn't sure what he ment because he's not overly vocal but then I thought about shows and I told him he was very loud at shows but that it's ok because he looks like a stud so he can keep doing it ( he never stops talking at the shows and definitly looks awesome lol). Lauren said he is very mocho and likes to act tough..that he always thinks he's right and that he likes to do things his way. She also said that he is gay. Very funny. He was worried that we were moving again and I told him we might have to move for the winter only. I asked him why he doesn't like our trailer and he said he likes it but he is just scared that we're leaving the barn, shows are fine though. I asked if he gets picked on by the pony and he said they're too rambuncious and he doesn't like to play with them. He also told me his gaskins where hurting but now they feel better and he's moving his leg differently but he'd like more medication (the bute I had him on while we were conditioning the stifles lol!). He also wanted to know if he was going to get any taller..apparently someone had said he was a big boy and he wanted to know if he'd grow any more. He also wanted to know if he had enough muscle, which I told him he didn't we still have a ways to go lol. He also wanted to know if I liked his tail...his tail is gorgous of course I like it lol! I asked him about his racing career and if he was fast and if he was a trotter or a pacer. He said he was very fast and he liked it but doesn't go that fast any more. He also said he was a trotter. Then I asked Lauren if he had ever learned how to pace, and he said he had but only raced at a trot. That's funny because I suspected that but wasn't sure, he does know how to pace and does that when he's off balance. That's so neat!! Anyways he had tons to say as you can see!... My other boy wasn't quite as talkative. Pnut first asked if he was walking right. I told him he did okay but I wasn't sure why he was asking. He went on to say he got tired and his head goes down and he goes to sleep. That's pretty funny because at the end of the lessons he does get tired and we let him stretch out to cool out and he usually points his toes down and ends up triping. He also said he was happy about learning his new walk (I don't know what walk he is talking about!) and his side ways walk (ok I get that one) and spin and back up (haha a few little reining moves we are trying to learn). I asked him what kind of riding he wanted to do and for the move part he said he was pretty happy with what he was doing now (aka lessons). But he did say he wanted to learn how to hippity hop..we're thinking this is jumping lol he said he saw the other horse do it and he wants to now too. But me and pnut have never been good at jumping together he had an awesome jump and I pushed him too hard when he was younger and scared him so he doesn't like to jump ever lol he almost always refuses anything that's not flat on the ground! Weeeeelll then I asked if he wanted to learn western and he said he wanted to do hippity hop and western....lol.. I asked if he liked to race as well and he said he did but he got bored.. which is pretty funny because he also got disqualified for cantering all the time during the races. I asked if his saddle fit and he said it did but his old one didn't and he had a lump in his back from it. (He had changed shape in his shoulders this year which made it fit differently now he's wearing a wintec which fits everyone because it's so flexible). He said he loves his new blanket and that doesn't make any sense to me at all I haven't got him a blanket in the last few years but oh well. He also loves the colour blue. He knew that he had won ribbons and cookies and flowers at his last show and he was pretty proud of it and he'd like more cookies. He also said he really likes the little boy who rides him, that's sweet because they get along really well. He also didn't know wether he was a boy or a girl so lauren had to tell him. He also didn't know who he belonged to he thought he was shared lol that's funny but sad he's my favorite horse I would have thought he knew he belonged to me lol but he is used in a lot of lessons so I guess it could be confusing! He also said he was confused when he started giving lessons but now he knows what to do and he likes it. That's pretty cool. He also said he really wants a brow band like the pony (refering to Akasha who is very spoiled and has a sparkly one). I told him he has his own but we only put in on for the horse shows. Anyways thought I'd share those too are so awesome!

Why?

2009-02-19T11:16:00.002-05:00

I am scared, and incredibly worried! I just looked at my local classifieds and found at least a dozen horses for sale for under 2000. These horses are all broke (or at least green broke), seem to have decent conformation, range in size from a Welsh stud to a 16.2 "power house jumper". Some of them even come with TACK!Not only horses...purebred rabbits are going for $5!! At a pet store you pay 45..but online only 5! It's crazy!Cats and dogs they're all free!!THIS is Scary! Animals have dropped in price so quick that it should be the dead of winter even though it's summer when prices are usually at their best. On a different note beer and gas prices continue to rise..

Akasha

2009-02-19T11:16:00.001-05:00

Akasha is such an amazing little pony! She's already doing walk/trot under saddle and I've even gotten a few canter strides out of her. She's a bit on the lazy side but she really enjoys being ridden. She's one of the first to come see you if you have a lead rope in one hand (most of them run away but not little Kay). I'm proud of her. :)

Dressage Could Be Fun

2009-02-19T11:15:00.002-05:00

I am so pumped now! Today we went for a drive and watched a bit of the LDA show (London Dressage). Although my horses aren't quite at the advanced level which we got to see I think we can do it! I was so excited I rode Eddy at quarter to 9 tonight (after the first storm but before the second batch of rain). He did extremely well and used his back and hind end a lot better than he has been lately I'm proud I can't wait to get out there for our first show next month!

Eddy Goes BOOM

2009-02-19T11:15:00.001-05:00

Eddy has had his first real temper tantrum of the year! It was a big huge leap sideways into a canter rather than picking up a normal working trot.He was feeling pretty spunky and had to pee, go figure! He had plenty of opportunities to pee but he didn't use any of them so he had to work. After leaping sideways he figured he'd be allowed to stop so I gave him something else to do. I made him work, he had to canter around the ring 3 times instead of stopping. Then he tried to spin into the center and that didn't go over very well so he had to canter a small circle and then go around another 3 times. It's amazing how reverse phycology works on him. He wanted to run so I made him run and then he didn't want to run any more. All the trot transitions after that where much better ;)

For Lack Of Blogs....

2009-02-19T11:14:00.000-05:00

For lack of blogs I wrote a blog... and here it is..I guess I could start with an overall update: Here it goes!Peanut's back is feeling better, for those who didn't know; he had a sore back after the open house and we didn't know why. After a few massages (and a week and a half off) he seems back to his normal self, today I rode him and he did very well..well except for spooking at mom's scary garden..eeeek weeds!!Eddy...Needs to be ridden more!! He wants to jump and I can't wait to jump him myself! We're still working on his stifles which are slowly coming along.Akasha is very excited and extremely proud of herself, now if I go to take her for a ride she prances all the way to the round pen! I'm quite happy about that she's very awesome and so much fun to ride, I've never felt a smoother pony!!Dolly is working hard and loving every moment of it..however she feels someone should develop better fly spray so that she doesn't have to roll to remove the horse flies off her and rider. *tehe just joking she hasn't tried it yet*Scotti has learned that being with humans isn't so scary and now will stand in the cross ties without sweating buckets! Whoopee!! Now for the saddle.........

Open House A Success

2009-02-19T11:13:00.000-05:00

Things have been crazy around here lately, hence the lack of blogging going on. It was worth it though! Our horses were clean and the barn was spotless, the ring was neat and the rabbits/guinea pig/goat/cow where fed and in the right places! It rained off and on all day which effected the number of people who came out. We did however get a few spectators for the lesson demos and musical ride. I really want to say thankyou to the students who came out you made our Open House so much fun and there was never a dull moment!

My Little Pony

2009-02-19T11:11:00.000-05:00

Akasha my little halfy pony is finally learning to be ridden! With the help of friends I am finally able to walk and trot with her in the round pen. (friends have to stand in the middle with a whip to reinforce go forward aids). She is learning very fast and although she has little temper tantrums sometimes she is getting better and better each time I work with her. I can't wait to be riding her without a spotter on the ground she is so much fun! Her trot is incredibly little and I love it :)

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2009-02-16T14:57:00.001-05:00

Does this work? Can you see me? Really? Tell me the truth now??!??!?