July 18- ride #37, busybusy

Wow-working very hard during this time at two part-time jobs and selling items on eBay.

Sherlock looking good in blue.

On July 3 the pinto mare went back to the lesson horse pasture and Trigger moved in. Large disruption. Sherlock was very desperate to get back on top and they seemed to be fighting a lot, new bites and scrapes all the time. Really hot, 93-97 degrees for days.

July 9 Rode in indoor. Walk, small amount of trot, walked over poles. Free longed more trot afterwards for conditioning.  Recall game over pole when he realized I had carrots! Grain and some alfalfa hay.

Then it began raining every day and making everything really muddy and slick.
July 12th I fed Sherlock in the paddock and got trapped in the shelter by a thunderstorm. Sherlock was good a while and then he'd push Trigger outside, so I drove him out too. After a couple times getting wet he hid behind me and was good. I hope this helps.

July 13 Worked in round pen 30 minutes- walk/trot/canter, and over groundpole. Just enough to need to catch breath twice, worked up a sweat. Hosed down.

July 16 Good grooming, all mud scraped off, worked indoors, w/t/c. Put on citronella leg bands and collar to keep flies off without needing flyspray while I'm away. Smelly! But they work- almost immediately stopping the stomping.

Getting ready for Vail vacation. C is going to feed Sherlock his grain while I'm gone. Glad to have someone watching over him.

June 25- Ride 36, how tall is he?

6/20 I dropped my Western saddle off to get the small repairs/updating it needs and ordered some Western safety stirrups. Was planning to ride but it was windy and Sherlock was very excited in the barn, so I free-lunged him in the round pen instead of risking a fall. I set up a small jump and worked him over it both directions.
What we learned was this: Sherlock only refuses or overjumps when turning left- with his good eye towards the rail. Whether it's an attention problem, a vision issue with the jump appearing faster than he'd like, or a vision issue that he can't see my cues so is uncertain what to do, I can't tell.

After the battle.

6/22 Planned on a 30-minute easy walk to stretch my sore hip and back. Went out to outdoor and mounted up. The gate is still off so it's permanently open. Sherlock was keen to go out again. We walked and trotted around a few minutes then he was fussy at the gate when the other horses went out. So I figured I'd go out, let the others go back to the barn, and practice coming back in. Sherlock had a fit- dancing sideways and threatening to rear if I got him facing towards the gate. So I dismounted, lunged in little circles just a bit, and made him go back in the arena.



Got back on, walked and trotted a bit, came out the gate, asked him to go back in. He had a fit. I was more successful in moving him forward so we walked over towards the paddocks, along the little internal dirt road. He acted up again at a place where the roads met, but we got around there and headed back towards the arena. Again he blew up, I got off and lunged and made him go back into the arena.
 Re-mounted and took a break there. Walked him straight out the gate and turned around to face the gate. He started to get sideways but I just kept this head pointed at the gate and let him stand there when he was straight on. I gave him a light cue to walk every so often but didn't push hard. After about a minute when I leaned forward he sighed and slowly walked into the arena.
The moment his whole body was in the arena I jumped off, lots of praise, scratches on the sweaty itchy neck, loosened the girth, and relaxed a few minutes. M was riding and asked me to take some pictures, and she took one of us. Didn't want to torture his poor brain by getting on again so yet another pic of me on the ground! Hosed him off and fed him his beer grain.
Wow- I'm tired and sore and bruised legs, probably from emergency dismounts.

I'm tall!

6/23 I posted the pic on FB and realized he looked really small, with the photo taken by M from atop her horse! So today I brought a pocket full of carrot slices and hoped to get another picture. I got Carrie to take some in the barn showing how tall he really is, 16 hands exactly. Often people say,"Wow, that's a big horse!" when we arrive in the barn. Partly he looks big because I'm short. But 16 hands is about where people start to say the horse is tall. Anything shorter is a short horse. Anything taller is tall.  Put Sherlock away clean and fly-sprayed with some extra hay.
I was just pulling out when the farrier pulled in. I thought I had time for lunch before she arrived! I turned around and came back- no, I had it written down wrong! She trimmed him in the paddock and he was really really good. I walked him and stretched when one of the backs was done, and he was much less stiff with the final back hoof.


Last 2 days I've been slightly sick with sore stomach again, Tums are a food group. I've just been visiting to feed Sherlock his grain. It's rained in the afternoons but the flies are starting to bite. So today fly mask and fly sheet, all set for the bugs.

Sherlock goes undercover.

June 17-Ride #35 gaining

Very busy week working, fed Sherlock beer grain mixed with his usual grain every day.

6/11 Ride #35- Tacked up at tie rail in front of barn, new English bridle fitted and went out to the outdoor. Gate is still broken so we stuck to the non-gate end, walked some poles and pole bending before it started thundering and lightning strikes to the North of us. Did a circle around the arena (scared of passing by gas of shavings but handled it calmly given a few moments to stare) and dismounted and went back to the barn.

When we reached the tie rail, the trash truck was just arriving. So I moved Sherlock a little farther back, where if he did get spooked he had room to move without endangering himself with the farrier's truck.  He stood his ground and watched them pick up the dumpster, set it down, compact the trash, and drive off. And he watched them drive off and pick up next door, and go away off down the street. No snort, no spook, just fascinated until the truck was out of sight. Farrier was pretty impressed.

Took him in the barn and fed him his grain, then grazed the grass on the way back to the paddock. Really good day, super well-behaved.

Sherlock at the hay net.

6/12 Raining, groomed and fed grain before Dr. Deb arrived to adjust him. He picked up all 4 feet for her and stretched nicely, sore over hips in SI joint and in withers, neck was pretty good. Weight-taped 870#, gaining well!

6/13 Fed grain and measured for custom bridle from Uisce Saddlery of Ireland! Liz suggested her and I think a custom bridle for half the price of a decent show bridle is quite the deal!

6/16 Fed grain and tried on new royal blue sports boots and bell boots. Looking good for Halloween- bought saddlecloth rayon material and felt for numbers. Now I just have to find my iron...

6/17 Fed grain, cleaned hooves and hung out with Terri and Rocket. V left today and the girls who feed are happy about that. Note to self: never make an enemy of the person who takes care of your animals.

June 4-Ride 33,34 groceries needed

Sherlock 5/20 

Wow- really busy here with several freelance projects. A book to edit, a website to arrange, and a bunch of super art to sell on eBay!

Sherlock has been having some time off to gain weight, but I did get to ride some in late May.

5/20 Ride 33. Indoor arena English/sidepull. Walked over poles, worked on stretching and forehand turns.
Started compressed alfala-mix hay for additional calories. Measured for protective boots- he'll take a royal blue Medium in the boots I'm planning to get for him.


5/26 Ride 34. Round pen bareback pad/rope halter. Still a bit short-strided on the harder ground, walk only. Lots of backing a few steps, turns on forehand. L said he was caught in the electric tape- no cuts, no sign of trouble today.

5/29 Groomed in barn, farrier was there doing hot shoes. Good experience watching and smelling that, while eating a bunch of extra hay. Weight-taped 835#. UGH! Asked stable girls to feed more, and they gave them all lunch. They have a new hay that a lot of the horses won't eat, apparently. Sherlock will. I wonder how good the hay is since it must be last-year's. It was such a wet spring that almost no one has cut hay yet.

6/1 Small facial cut. More hay, added new fat-booster supplement for grain. Thinking about getting a month worth of ulcer meds. Give the new feed a chance. Still no sign of beer grain...
Lady did have her foal, a buckskin colt, and I keep forgetting to take pictures!

MacDuff at one day old

May 17- rides 31,32 Archery

I was sick again this week and low-energy but fed Sherlock every day.

Rocket returned from CSU with prognosis of possible riding later with continued stall rest. Lots of arthritis in that ankle.

Lady has still not had her foal- we have a betting pool now for birthday, sex and color of the foal.

5/14 Ride #31 I rode Sherlock for the first time in a while. His feet are still sore from the big changes farrier M made. He is not stocking up any more which means he's walking the paddock better. Still, showing some stiffness, hocks popping and not able to step under for turns. I got on bareback in the indoor for a few minutes to let him stretch out on the soft footing, and practiced turns on the forehand to work that hind end. He is accepting the cue very well now, but sometimes clearly sore stepping under.

5/16 I bought a hay bag and some compressed alfalfa. There isn't anywhere high enough to hang the bag to avoid Annie, well, not without a ladder. Still, I fed a small amount, I hope this will help get the weight on at last. It's been raining but not cold. New pinto horse in the paddock as her owner couldn't catch her. She seems shy and stands back from the others.

5/17 Saturday=Grooming day! Got all the mud off, brushed his forelock and mane out, shedded. Practiced braiding, he even handled his tail braid with minimal complaints. Fussier about mane braids up by his ears but was really good for first attempt. Ready to ride tomorrow!

5/18 Ride #32 Sunday Sherlock was still clean- saddled up and rode walk only in the outdoor arena. Walked over poles, backing, turn on forehand good today. Set up my target and picked up my bow. The sound the arrow makes coming out of the quiver is a bit scary, but actually shooting it doesn't really seem to bother him.

I hadn't realized I was going to be holding the bow in my left hand and trying to steer to set up the shot right-handed. You're always trained to steer left-handed so you have your right hand for the rope or polo mallet or whatever other reason you need your hand off the rein. So a very clumsy first neck-reining lesson and a few arrows shot.

T had not seen me riding yet and she was amazed at the rope halter sidepull. Sherlock likes it and he rode well in it today. Met two new people at the barn, gave Sherlock his grain and wet down a feeder-full of compressed hay for him.

New pinto mare has befriended Annie- the girl's club- and the paddock seems pretty quiet.

May 10- sore feet, flu

Slow progress this week.
Sherlock was sore after the farrier- since we are changing his foot angles for pleasure horse instead of race horse, he is some times sore for a few days. I put his Easyboots on for 2 days and used the sole toughener liquid on his feet, and gave him BL-Solution in his feed, but more than anything a little rain to soften the ground really helped.

A new horse was added to the paddock, a yearling gelding who Zip didn't take to. With nowhere else handy for wusses to live, the youngster stayed and Zip was moved to the Lesson Horse Pasture. Things seem quiet for the most part, the baby is a little dominant over Tooie but gets chased by Annie. Sherlock is half-and-half with Annie- he shares feed with her but doesn't run from her.

L moved her new filly into the Lesson Horse Pasture. She is a very pretty 3yo-even in that unbalanced stage where the shoulder height has not caught up with the hip height.  And she brought Lady back to have her foal. She's got a stall/run for now and then they'll be building one of the new paddocks for her and the foal. Could be anytime- she's not showing obvious signs but the foal is shifting, and with a snowstorm on the way, hopefully this weekend we'll have a new baby. My bet is a buckskin filly.


T took Rocket to CSU today for a full workup on his ankle. I hope the prognosis is good.

Gray and I have been sick all week. Just another flu, I guess. I'll take a head flu over a stomach one any day. We cleaned the garage enough to allow the addition of a new lawn mower to the family.

I'm glad they didn't show the races after the Derby. Awesome Sky got 4th in his race, but two other horses in the race didn't make it home safely. Best of luck to Appealing Alex and RIP Canadian Winner.

May 3-Happy Derby Day

Happy Derby Day everyone!

This week I rode bareback a couple of times, just walking to stretch my sore back. Sherlock has done well with these lazy days, we've worked on backing up, turning and halting off the lightest touch, and biting my toes for treats. Sherlock loves his carrot stretches now and offers them on voice command and in the saddle, even chewing on my boot to try to get my attention.

4/23 Wednesday Dr. Dave came to do Sherlock's teeth-  Sherlock was excellent for him, taking very little sedation for both teeth and sheath. Took a while to wake up enough to go back to paddock. Wormed him while he was too drowsy to argue...

Thursday very minor trailer practice. I stood in the trailer while he ate his grain.


The wind came up very strongly and for several days I just came out to check Sherlock's fly mask ( to protect him form the blowing dirt) and feed him. Every time I went in the early afternoon or lunchtime I woke him from his nap. Weight taped 902#

5/2 Friday rode briefly bareback (ride#30) in round pen to stretch for farrier. Funny step and slightly sore RF. Michelle came, Sherlock was excellent except for the last foot, which was the RH this time. Locked up in both hips, really making discomfort faces on last foot. Sore afterwards on the road and on the cement. But ok in arena and on grass.

5/3 Saturday went out before Derby coverage started. Fed with BL solution in grain. Slightly swollen RF fetlock but walked ok. Put flymask back on as gnats were back.

Hope the TV shows race #13 today- Sherlock's cousin Awesome Sky racing on Derby Day, in one of the undercards. Awesome Sky's mother is a full sister to Sherlock's mother.

Good luck and a safe trip to all those racing today!