March 27- Spring arrives, Rides #55-58

Early March was snowy, rainy and muddy.
March 8 Ride #55 I brought Sherlock up to the roundpen, which was half-flooded but still better footing than the arenas. He had a good time splashing, and then I rode for a few minutes. Not as confident going through the water with me on his back. I think that's a balance issue.

The next day my car broke down on the way home from work. This made it hard to visit the stable. Not only was I dropping Gray off at work before going to work and then picking him up in the evening, but his little car did not do well in the very muddy barn parking lot.

March 14 I brought Sherlock up to the barn for grooming and grain, and free-longed in the indoor arena. Lots of bird sounds, and he was a bit spooky. Had trouble turning left.

Setting up the jumps. Not too daring today.

March 15 Ride #56 Sherlock was a bit grumpy and tight-bellied from the weather changes, I rode Western about 30 minutes in the outdoor arena, mostly just walking with a little bit of trot. Very "poppy" trot transitions, stiff. Walked and trotted both single poles and crossrails, calmly very nice. Good forward walk today, practicing some gate skills. Whoa does happen but not very exact, same with backing up. A bit sticky in the corner closest to pasture- Bea was crying the whole time.




March 17 Ride #57 Tried out a used Borelli saddle, really a better fit even though it seemed very wide. Walk/trot a little nervous about work noise outside the arena. More willing at trot today in different saddle. Back/trot transition improved the trot transition. Sidepassed nicely.

March 19 Free-lunged walk/trot/canter until he got sweaty.

What's with this "bit" thing again?

March 20 Vaccination clinic. I free-lunged Sherlock a few minutes then brought him up to the barn to wait with a dozen other horses.A bit fussy with so many horses around, some throwing fits about the shots, but did well. Excellent for shots, even let them check his teeth after one nervous head toss. Vet would like to see him gain some more weight.

March 21 Grain in pasture. Looks good, no reaction at injection sites.

March 24 Ride #58 Rode about an hour indoors (needed the shade today). Fussy for cinching, tight-bellied. Used bit for first time this year. Lots of bird noise in rafters, he was nervous at first but settled a bit. Wanted to look out the door facing pasture, but went past well enough. Rode well, poppy trot transitions but good strong trot and maintained pace in turns much better. Desperately need to put stirrup straighteners back on this saddle, my feet were cramped up after riding. Grain.

March 2 - snow and Ride #54

As expected, large blizzard 2/21. His leg looked good, no swelling after the stoppage of Banamine.
My friend T moved her horse to another barn. She was really getting treated pretty poorly. Boarder wars. Gotta stay out of them. Enough people left recently that I moved my tack into the main tack room for more space. Did like having the locked door, but I needed more room.

2/22 Still snowing. Here's a link to the horses running at mealtime. Sherlock is one of the blue blanketed dark horses. Likely the one that gets run at my the guys feeding. If you see a group that 3 dark horses, 2 blue blankets and a purple, that's Bea in purple and Sherlock and Max.

2/24 Weather warmed up- lots of snowmelt, pulled blanket off.

2/25 Rushed out early from work when it started snowing again. Sherlock was hogging the entire shelter and was barely even wet. Quick brushdown and blanket back on.

2/28 Ride #54 A little warmer weather and some sun. Good day to ride a little. Sherlock was a bit fussy about me cleaning his cut, just high energy. Free-lunged a few minutes to get his attention then saddled up. Just walking with a bit of trot, we worked on figure 8s, steering, stop and back. Good effort continuing to back up on cue "more", made it easy to start again without having to give the rein cue when he is getting grumpy. Good ride- he did want a carrot for every single thing a horse achieved, but I think me getting down is reward enough at the end of a ride. Grain afterwards and blanket back on!

Why not stay all day and hand out carrots?

Feb 23- catching up, Ride #53

My new saddlepad! He does look good in turquoise.

Jan 25- ride #53. After the saddle and pad experiments I found a used gel pad on eBay. It's Western and nice-looking. I could show in it if I want to later. So we tried the new pad with the English saddle- Sherlock was much more willing and eager to walk over a little pile of poles and trot nicely.  Still very poppy coming into the trot, not using his back well. Practiced braiding, he was great for mane and for tail, but very fussy about his forelock. Pleased his tail has really grown and gotten long and pretty.


While G and I were in LA for Wedding #1, I got a text that they'd like to move Sherlock into the big pasture after he'd been threatening a new boarder. Well, I thought the King of the Wusses was probably ready to move up. So Feb 2 I moved him. He latched on to the horses he knew- Max and Bea.
He has done well there, he was pretty hard on the new group of horses but he's risen to a high status without getting in too much trouble.

2/13 I went out to the pasture with grain and a small dose of Banamine in prep for weather change so he wouldn't feel colicky the day I was planing to go to our first schooling show out at Plane View. And  he had a cut. A pretty good one high up on the inside of his front leg. Took me a while to clean it and get a little ointment on it.  Came back at 4:30 pm to check it, more swollen and sore, limping. Cold hosed and more meds- B-L Solution in grain.
All that week cold-sponging when possible (it being like 25 degrees), walking and Banamine. Checking his temp everyday was good training.

2/20 Stopped meds,  swelling seems done. Blanketed in prep for snow. Started snowing overnight.
A day or two of good weather and more snow forecasted.

Snowy Day in big pasture. Sherlock, Bea and Max sprt-of sharing.

January 20- Ride #52 & padding

Saturday first day of saddle experiments. Very windy. Rode 1 hour in indoor walking, small amount trot and working on remembering what to do. Whoa a bit rusty, backing very crooked but improved, lateral work good. Stiff transitioning up into trot, "poppy" front end trying hard. Walk over poles good, wouldn't try them at trot. Steering NICE when I remember to look where I want to go. Mounting needs work.
Rode in Western saddle with new Gel pad, he did well in it once I realized the pad had compressed quite a lot, leaving the cinch very loose.
Also tried E's Stubben just like the one for sale. Seemed a decent fit.

Monday back for more experiments. Sherlock was for the most part grumpy and unwilling, weather changing often makes him a bit colicky. Really, he handled being cinched up 3 times pretty well, but did stop outright today when asked to trot so I had to get down and free-longe until he settled down.
Rode in the sale Stubben with a baby pad and these experiments:
1. Homemade cutback half pad by E. slippery, not long enough to pad the full length of bars of saddle. Saddle stayed VERY high, little compression but not much contact.
2. Memory-foam bath mat pad with cutout for withers- still not long enough, compressed maybe too much, saddle very close to withers. Sherlock quit with this pad on.
3. Gel shoe pads along bars. Not enough padding, Sherlock was uncomfortable and I stopped immediately.

I didn't like the sale saddle. Both of them seemed too big for me- I've been riding the same saddle so long I may just have to learn to deal with the difference. But it looked like it was heading for the same split at the cantle that I already have on my old saddle, and the billets were very weak and dry.
I'm going to have to get a back tracing made and start driving around to tack shops. There are a lot of consignment saddle places locally, and a good one in Colorado Springs, so I should be able to find something nice enough to do local shows for a few years.

Jan 17- Back in the saddle ride #50

Another super-busy month, December always is.
Tons of work for Ziji and Serenity Tibet and Sounds True. Which means $ for gifts and travel
(2 weddings in LA in 2015) and horse stuff.

SO- TIP classes in Colorado this year! Thoroughbred Incentive Program holds special TB-only classes for TB-only year-end awards, and we finally have 2 in Colorado in 2015. One in March, probably too soon unless I just do walk/trot. And one in August, which could be quite doable.

SO- new saddle or repairs for old saddle. L has a Stubben Siegfried just like my old one for cheap, going to try it today I hope. Decent breeches, a show shirt. Find helmet cover, gloves, boots, hairnets. Rejoin CHJA. Am I sure I want to do this?

Post-canter

In the meantime, in December I rode pretty minimally but we did canter, twice to the left, didn't manage it to the right this first time. Sherlock was a little confused at first but tried really hard. He was excellent for the farrier and his feet continue to improve.

When I got back from vacation I rode a little in the indoor, just walking and remembering steering, whoa, back. Practiced my emergency dismounts (since we are cantering now I'd better), asking him to come back to me while I'm sitting or lying down.

 I'm trying new padding theories to get my saddles fitting right while his back fills in. It is actually quite a bit better, muscles starting to build. I bought a super-fancy gel Western pad (used on eBay!) that I hope to try today.

Sherlock "I made my own blanket out of mud and hay."

Nov 30-Where does the time go?

Wow- another whole month gone with no blogging.

Lots of snow this month and lots of work.

Checking out the view

11/2 to 11/4 blanketed for extreme cold

11/5 we practiced lunging with the lunge line on instead of free- building to lunging in the hay field later on to get him used to being outside working. Difficult for him to understand and only wanted to go  right, but tried hard. R hock popping.

11/6 Rode roundpen. Walk only, R hcok poppy and L hip a bit sore. Stretches including BIG kneeldown! Good whoa, practiced setting up to open gate. Good back ups.

11/8 Rode Indoor. Stretches including the new Kneeldown- got it on video, thanks Terrie!
Turns forehand and haunches, and sidepass work, better turning right.

http://youtu.be/b_NvupIVv8c- Sherlock takes a bow




11/10 snowing again, blanketed 11/15 blankets off. Dobby the weanling and Beatrice moved into paddock.

Sherlock and Trigger

Allie, Dobby and Beatrtice

11/22 blanket on for snow
11/23 blanket off
11/30 Very cold in the morning, blanket on at 10:00 a.m.

Pretty pretty but COLD

November 2-rides 45,46 and trailer

Wow- I was really busy all month working all my freelance stuff and starting at Serenity Tibet.

Sherlock did fine while I was on vacation, the farrier came on October 14th and Sherlock was good for his trim, a bit stiff but we just did a bit of stretching and he held up very nicely. The ladies who own the ponies didn't arrive for their appointment so I held the ponies for their trims. Both were good. Sherlock was very jealous and kept coming over to make sure they were not getting any treats that should by right be his.

The next week it was hot. Sherlock is already quite fluffy and he was sweating in the sun- but I'm not going to clip him, it will be cold soon enough.

October 23 Ride #45 in indoor, English saddle. Still a little footsore and needed to circle out from the gate again and get used to where chairs had been moved to. Trotted a little bit but he was not very willing. Rode over double pole "micro-ditch". Trimmed his mane and practiced with clippers a little.


October 27 Cleaned up really good, played with clippers while he had his grain. Show-sheened legs, belly and neck and face to prep for photos.

October 28. Photographer! Hay net and grain while I groomed, then out to outdoor arena. Very good, didn't mind reflector even when it fell off its stand. Lots of mints. R knee swollen, small shallow cuts inner above knee.

October 29 Grain and BL Solution. Swelling of R knee greatly reduced. Clipped cuts, hand-grazed.

November 1. Grain in paddock. Leg looking good. Small swelling back of knee. T got on Rocket today! Very proud.

November 2. New halter (aqua). Ride #46 bareback in round pen. Still a bit sore on R leg, w/t free longe then got on for 10 minutes easy walking. Grain with BL Solution. Hand grazed then L came by with trailer to take Lady to her new home. Practiced loading! I got in the trailer and he looked at the floor, when I put pressure on he backed up but I just maintained light pressure and he came forward. When he advanced I turned and walked in and he followed. Lots of pets while he settled and had a treat, then turned around and walked out. VERY happy. I feel like a superhero!