June 22- Arrival

June 22- Arrival

Daren arrived today! Very tired from the afternoon but so happy.

I'm the tall dark and handsome one in the middle.

Daren was super good getting off the trailer- they couldn't find his lead rope so I used the one I bought earlier in the week out of sheer anxiousness. Good preparation!

He looked like he'd been sweated up and had dried but he stood calmly while I signed papers. I wanted to hose him off but decided to let him stretch first. I took him to the round pen, but as he followed me in, he bumped into the latch side of the gate. Then he didn't want anything to do with the gate. I did a bit of asking him to move away from gentle tapping pressure, but he didn't want to go forward if he couldn't see me ahead of him. He'd come right up to the gate and then get scared. It didn't help that a horsefly decided to attack us both.

Soon I was tired and I felt like my heart rate was too high for a calm hour working on the gate, which I had already messed up. So I closed the gate and opened the wall panel up, and he followed me right in. A little surprised when he realized where he was! I let him go and watched him walk the circle, a couple bumps but really handled the fence nicely. He got into trotting the edge. I went to get my water bottle and some water and bran for him and he blew up, bucking and rearing. I waited and got some pics as he calmed down a bit. I have video but it's not keen to load. Maybe tomorrow.

Then I returned with a bucket of water and a pan of barely-wet bran mash. Daren was excited about the bucket until he realized it was only water. He still had some but would often circle back and look in the bucket expecting something better. He tried the bran mash but also not real impressed. Some horses were calling and he got running again but then needed to roll. He didn't roll all the way over but did cover both sides pretty good.

Mudball the Magnificent

He started to settle and walk, and I set up a chair outside the pen next to the food and water. I left him a little longer this time and he wasn't so anxious. CC brought a tub full of water with the skiploader. He drank a lot, and I put the rest of my bucket of water in the bran mash, which he ate. Looks like he likes his bran mash soupy, like Lissa did.  I was glad he started to eat, and he created a few small manures. He started to come around more for a pat and a drink of water, and to rest longer.

Daren was keen to talk to a Paint filly that was walking by with her people, and they did stop in and ask if she could run in the arena, which surrounds the round pen. I said if he gets fussy I'll catch him. They let Tink go and she galloped off, which set him to running but he respected the fence and soon came to get some attention from people. Tink returned and they met over the fence with no drama.

One-Eyed Jack and his person arrived and met everyone very kindly, then Jack also had some turnout time. Jack lost his eye in a freak accident and has the empty socket look. Daren really was great with the other horses and will likely go in a paddock with one quiet horse tomorrow. He was fussy when I let the other horses and their people out of the arena, so I hung out a few more minutes until Jack came back in for lunging.  I did get brush on him a bit and he had a nice clean spot on his neck where everyone was petting him.

Tomorrow my plan is to do some groundwork, walk more of a tour, and work on a nice safe gate. I've already accidentally told him I will run him into stuff, and I need to fix that right away. So I need to get that trust back and let him know how I like to do gates for everyone's safety. A good first day with minimal problems if I can get the gate thing sorted.

June 18- about training

June 18- about training

News from the shipper is that they will pick Daren up tomorrow.  I hope S will take pics so I have something to hold on to as I worry ceaselessly until he arrives. Time to buy vaccinations so I'm ready to give them as soon as he relaxes a bit in the new place.

In the meantime, more of what the new guy has to expect. Here are the two videos my trainer Jo did this spring for Rocky Mountain Horse Expo. Both were filmed at the DC Ranch.
Back in the Saddle, for fearful riders, and Balance, Center and Connect for more advanced riders.

I really enjoyed reading Beyond the Track, and I am now reading Right from the Start, both about training and re-training. Now I have a clue about how racehorses train in their everyday lives.

Sometimes it seems that collecting and using all this information at once when faced with the horse himself will be really difficult. But trust and respect are closely related, and as I show my horse that I can be trusted, the rest will begin to fall together. Then more techniques and exercises will help us understand each other better and find our path to our purpose.

I hope to jump at some small shows, do hunter paces with my friends (from my old barn PVF and hopefully some new friends too?), some Mounted Archery, and eventually join the Arapahoe Hunt. If jumping is hard or uninteresting for him, I also love trail riding, and have trainers on site for barrel racing and Mounted Shooting. 

June 14 - Delays for Daren

June 14 -Delays for Daren

The storms back East and fires in Colorado Springs have delayed horse transport. Instead of getting picked up today, Daren is still waiting. The van leaves Colorado on Tuesday, so I expect that's about a week behind.  I am waiting as patiently as kids in line at the ice cream shop.

In the meantime I'm working on finding his win photo from Pimlico, and I have found the video of his win on YouTube! Sorry I can't embed it here.

Weather is beautiful here and cooling down a little. Thankfully the ranch is out of mountain wildfire range and plains fires are rare. Looking for a bit more freelance/part-time work so new horse expenses like vaccinations will be easier. We have skunk rabies in north Boulder and in Berthoud, so horses must have rabies vax immediately.

Good lesson with Reggae. Just walk/trot since his feet are getting worked on, but turning better with more balance and able to relax my back better. Shoulders stiff but at least they are holding position better.

Time for chores before work, updates as they come.

June 10- potato, tomato, eggplant

June 10- potato, tomato, eggplant

Went to a party on Saturday and had my first face-to-face "are you crazy to buy a half-blind horse" conversation. I sort of asked for it since this is a family friend who's a vet, and I couldn't wait to show her Daren's photo. I'm actually glad I didn't get to talk to her until it was almost time to go home. I was a bit depressed afterwards.

I have no intention of backing out. This horse is the best match, both personality-wise and conformation. If he goes entirely blind we will back down to trail riding. I did read "Beyond the Track" this weekend, and I'm only missing side reins to do everything they suggest. It's a sobering reminder of how much work it is to start a horse to saddle. But I've done it before, this is just a little different. The relationship-building is the same.

However, articles like this one give me nightmares. It Was a Very Bad Day by David Lohman, a trainer chosen to be part of the Retired Racehorse Training Project for 2013. At least as a professional trainer he has tons of people looking for another horse for him, and a string of horses to keep him busy. If I lose Daren I'm back to square one again. 

In my Morgan Deck reading on Thursday I got "potato, tomato, eggplant", which are all healthy foods that are just a step away from being poison. That's the way this horse search feels- that good-looking options have turned into rejection and loss. I hope this strange-looking possibility proves to be the soul sustenance I've been looking for.

Watched all of Daren's races on Equibase. Lots of blinker changes and it looks like he wore a D-ring bit. He only raced for 2 different trainers so he's moved around less than many racehorses. But he sold as a yearling and then raced for someone different, so breeder, yearling, 2yo, 3yo, S, S's friend who shod him, and now me. So I'm his 7th owner.

June 8- moving Daren

June 8- moving Daren

Great news! I have a Bill of Sale for Daren and am getting his shipping papers together! I hope he can get picked up at in WV on June 14th.

I am super happy! Just having a great day. Now down to Kinko's to fax the form for shipping, maybe stop in at the cheese shop on the way back.
G and I saw Sting at Red Rocks- wonderful night, awesome music and a grand assault on the leg muscles. Today slept in a bit and had a very good lesson with Reggae. He is still getting used to having no shoes but rode well. Having some very nice light stop-backs when paying attention.

 G apparently watched too much Bewitched as a child and is traumatized by the name Darren, so we will be coming up with a different barn name. My mother is great at finding names that sound same as the old one to the dog's ear but fit better with the person's sensibilities. Years at a vet clinic will give you this training! She suggests Baron. G is leaning towards Odin. I like Balerion, the Black Dread- just kidding. A suggests a dragon name might be best, though perhaps not Balerion.

June 4- Daren

June 4- Daren

I'm so nervous I don't want to go to work. I have talked to Daren's owner and we have a verbal agreement for Daren to come home to Colorado. I've been reading his race record and it's full of suggestions that he was having vision troubles- slow breaks, stopping when boxed in or bumped. 20/20 hindsight, anyone? Still, such willingness to work impresses me a lot.

I have a good bid on shipping from Nationwide, who has a good reputation locally, they are based in Colorado Springs. Now I am waiting for the paperwork, then I can book the shipping. Their pickup date is June 14th. 

Daren

I have bought a new grooming box and a few brushes to replace what went home with Sirah. I had just a face brush, hoof pick and a metal shedding blade left. You would not believe how many 4-1/2" bits I own now, I'd forgotten how hard it was to find something she'd take. I sent Sirah's Western bridle and Myler bit with her and I still have 5 bits for her. And two 5" bits that fit Lissa. I hope one of Lissa's will fit Daren, it's a very good expensive Aurigan eggbutt snaffle. I forgot to ask her what bit he wears- next time.

Double C Ranch, Darcy teaching

Now I need an OTTB saddle pad and a t-shirt and a bumper sticker... And Daren's win photo from Pimlico... And some ice cream to celebrate!
 
And I need to re-read A Year at the Races by Jane Smiley- one of her horses lost sight in one eye and was retired. I just read it on our trip to NC last month but it feels like ages ago now. It's probably not even back in the bookcase yet.

June 1- Daren

June 1- Daren

This is Daren, a 4yo gelding who is blind in one eye. I am pricing shipping from Mountaineer Racetrack in WV to Colorado. His owner seems very careful and really wants a good home for him. I think Jo's style of training and my experience may be a really good fit.

Daren at Mountaineer
Oh, so hopeful! There is something about a plain dark bay, the minimalism, that feels good to me right now. This horse did win one race in 13 starts. Was not raced between August and November last year, so may have had eye surgery then. Beautifully-bred to jump, son of Smarty Jones, one of my favorite racehorses of recent years. Cool recent blog about Smarty Jones.

Smarty Jones at stud.