tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86118598722037788032024-03-05T13:42:21.027-08:00A Dream Come True"The worst of them sense our fears and take advantage of us. The best of them sense our dreams and take us there."
-Jimmy Wofford-Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.comBlogger514125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-71532168075943257672017-12-06T10:26:00.001-08:002017-12-07T09:21:37.046-08:00Dressage Boot CampSince the ES clinic in October Bentley has been in dressage boot camp. In fact, we didn’t jump at all until this week. And the “jumping” we did was very minimal over very small jumps. But, it was also a huge improvement from the clinic! I love dressage! Going back, taking the time, and putting my focus into his flat work has really been paying off.<div><br></div><div><img id="id_d015_4404_964e_2784" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z7vDH5f-X-c/Wig2W6Wr4aI/AAAAAAAAFeA/XVoCAiL6HdcdkCcSxh5FG3PJ77LuPeYYwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>This past weekend I hauled him out for a dressage clinic. He hadn’t been hauled off property (other then to the vet 🙄) since Rebecca Farms in July so I had no idea how he would be. Plus we were riding with someone new to both of us. It could have been entertaining!</div><div><br></div><div>He is a really solid traveler but is always a handful to deal with on the ground in the riding areas. As we entered this gorgeous arena he promptly stood on his back legs to let everyone know he had arrived. Because there was a lesson going on I decided just to walk him in hand so I didn’t disturb them any further. He spent a good 5-10 minutes going between walking normally to rearing then running backwards. I’m pretty sure the spectators (although they all thought he was gorgeous) and the clinician thought I was crazy. Once the other lesson finished I hopped on and walked him on the buckle. The clinician said “you’re an eventer aren’t you” 😂</div><div><br></div><div>Once on him he settled right into work and we had a fantastic lesson! Thankfully I know him really well so I knew he would settle down once I was on him. She told me that I was spot on with what we need to work on as far as getting him more supple in his body and getting him to take bigger steps. We went to work doing a 4 loop serpentine with 10 meter circles every time we hit the wall. From there we progressed to nose to wall leg yields (and doing transitions with in those), leg yields, and going from shoulder in to renvers at the walk and trot. </div><div><br></div><div>What I really appreciated about her was that she would have us do a task and whether or not he did it well we would go right back onto a 20 meter trot circle to put the pieces back together and then go try again. He seemed to really respond well and we didn’t rattle his brain at all. By the end his connection was much stronger and his stride length had increased significantly. She had really nice things to say about him and I think he pleasantly surprised her after his terrible first impression while entering the arena.</div><div><img id="id_181c_eb41_1c5c_ed7b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nrneG_z7pBc/Wig2Wjkr1KI/AAAAAAAAFd8/GARA8sB83XYoDqI_6UCHcs55cyvYJLsrgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>There was a videographer there and since I don’t have any flat video since Rebecca I got it taped. Definitely glad I did! </div><div><br></div><div><br><br><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/c56f1f95c5?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&badge=0" width="500" height="281" id="v_id_7633_e6f2_30b8_3cf5" frameborder="0"></iframe><br></div><div><br></div><div>We are headed to the indoor trail course this weekend and have our normally dressage trainer lesson the following weekend. Looking forward to an educational winter!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-37845622321332477092017-11-01T09:58:00.001-07:002017-11-01T09:58:51.101-07:00The Boys are BackBreaking news... ALL three of my horses are currently rideable! I’m sure it won’t last but I’m going to enjoy it while it does!<div><br></div><div>Mystic and I had our first Dressage lesson back and it far exceeded my expectations. That Pony is ready to get back at it! He moves back to my main barn Friday. We also celebrated 7 years together on Monday. How lucky am I?!</div><div><img id="id_8710_476_1e0f_7052" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NT8nqdamh-0/Wfn9P2XVfkI/AAAAAAAAFdM/Zs1qFfdRnWkZwnofG1NGUzlgeC3cbfXvwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Tolo and Mystic have been rooming together 😃</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Tolo, the forgotten free loader, is free loading no longer! The kid that owns the barn he is at has taken him on and they are a wonderful pair. Tolo is definitely enjoying the increase in attention and a job. Plus he has been on his best behavior. The time off seemed to reset his brain and the kid is loving riding him!</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Bentley has recovered from his larynx/eye problem, his rabies vx reaction problem, and his “I can’t be barefoot behind” problem (he pulled his own shoes it was not a planned barefoot experience). His nice little 3 week vacation ends today! </span></div><div><img id="id_2d6c_a69a_a993_669d" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZeHgf4gpsR9zdjhld16MILibh2j_IUwzpz30a_CZYuFvebSigzxJu5p78WHFEXZGH9RIq-p4rpV8fTn0ajXy9wai9vER7rPCp-8ah3f3Swek4bsG7556xw5g2jF-qhviyRGrYXCqt1uw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div><br></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">I did get these cute pictures from our clinic last month. He is adorable if nothing else 😉</span></div><div><img id="id_e86d_2637_dc3c_8820" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQv9uHYvXE-WQMVdF05cphje51Iv48s4ySePJLOwTWQ2uUgTyQu-oEzygDmFz02c95DhTPqhheV6l19Ts2kl0CWOkFc63i0wcCyyOTPiPqSPT8_PlktdL9TVeB1km9AeMiksE8ADXpT6g/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b954_79b7_6a12_e7bd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1Lkln1Z66Qo/Wfn9QYeagiI/AAAAAAAAFdQ/2y614rkjSUsjW2X5SVH90LdesLGc_OfOwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_20ed_90f4_12d6_1fa0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bCofJ_zCKV4/Wfn9RENXr-I/AAAAAAAAFdU/CsFXyeVq8-skWg7u_Rtgd_5TtabLML4qQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_215b_2397_5329_2472" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YLCjESJ83ok/Wfn9Se8nQNI/AAAAAAAAFdc/9QgitJns_144LPVLQVR0Zp8dfRXEIL3oQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3d2a_431b_198b_c85e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-m0AUW3FalPY/Wfn9Rp6fcYI/AAAAAAAAFdY/5tiYE8EoW28C01_6OXG54iVMwGscob71ACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-60493309124864131842017-10-24T09:28:00.001-07:002017-10-24T09:28:23.257-07:00BWB (Bubble Wrap Boy)I’m not sure which higher power I have pissed off in the last two years but I feel like my luck is non existent. Between the three of my boys they have done some weird 💩. <div><br></div><div>Let me just highlight Bentleys 2017 for you so far:<div>-cellulitis (actually had it 3 times in fact)</div><div>-popped two splints</div><div>-choked </div><div>-had scratches</div><div>-tore up his back leg</div><div>-cut his eye lid</div><div>-cut his larynx (yes you read that right) and was bleeding out of his nose for 4 days (nothing the vet could do about it)</div><div>-had a reaction to his rabies vaccine</div></div><div>-has pulled 10 shoes </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_d647_b4d5_62f2_2ffb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3zveuWM07n8/We9qJU2Ue2I/AAAAAAAAFcw/GZZYyeQGAwc_xTEF2GWO335Bt5wCTvQXACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>I have not even owned him a year yet. Wtf! He gets iced, linamented, wrapped, and BOT after jump schools, he gets his legs betadine scrubbed all winter, he gets daily mash with his supplements, he sees a chiropractor, I see him/check him over 7 days a week, what more could I do?! After thinking about it, between all of his extra curricular activities this year, he has had about 3.5 months off.</div><div><br></div><div>Currently we are at 2 weeks of no work (haven’t been able to ride since the clinic) due to the time off for his larynx to heal and the addition of the rabies vaccine reaction right after he had healed up. Due to his love for our vet he has been named BWB, or Bubble Wrap Boy, by one of my friends! </div><div><img id="id_d6c1_5d9b_95b1_61f0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oDr350DNgGo/We9qJHAoAFI/AAAAAAAAFcs/rV7IRYJnUTE3Ul5gUHIaRKw6Lu8_5uWLACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div><br></div><div>I’m really hoping he doesn’t have anything else in store for me the rest of the year. Some days I truly think it is a miracle he is still alive with all the crap he has done to himself! People keep telling me it has to stop soon. I can only hope! He is signed up for a Dressage clinic in December. Anyone want to take bets as to if he will get to actually go or not? 😂</div><div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-1067305179108322582017-10-16T10:41:00.001-07:002017-10-16T10:49:26.707-07:00Clinics are not our thingMy biggest take away from our three day clinic was that my horse is NOT a clinic horse at this point in his jump training. Private lessons or no clinic at all for us at this point.<div><br></div><div>We had a dressage lesson a few weeks ago that was very basic and simple but really helped him relax into his flat work. We had some awesome dressage schools leading up to our jump clinic and although he hadn’t jumped much since coming back from his injury I thought we would be fine.</div><div><br></div><div>Day 1 was flat work. It took him about 20 minutes to settle into it but we actually got some nice work in and had some awesome canters! ES emphasizes forward (the horse taking you not youbising your legs every stride), straight, and regular. With straight meaning hind quarters following the shoulders, following the poll, on any line you choose. He has a man of keeping things as simple as possible while getting the most out of your horse. Something we should all strive to do! He definitely shows us how much we over think things. </div><div><br></div><img id="id_4ef3_6f4_1da2_b1ad" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--3K9-3jAOXw/WeTvX86TjHI/AAAAAAAAFb8/Lceot8UzcA8iIpvBeyVYRxa9sg_CSvOUACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><div><br></div><div>Day 2 was stadium jumping. This is where I learned the most about my horse. Because the group lessons were 1.5 hours I didn’t warm up (more then a 10 minutes walk) on my own before. Getting he flat work before jumping is obviously important with every horse but particularly with this one. Unfortunately, because it’s a group, you just have to get going with the rest of them and I hadn’t gotten to chance to even canter before we started a pole exercise that quickly turned into a jumping exercise. The jumps were always fine but the inbetween was not fun. Easily the worst jump ride we have ever had. He was very strong, ripping the reins out of my hands, etc. It was so not fun. So much so that he even asked to get on Bentley at the end. He very, very rarely ever gets on horses at clinics! He went back and did some flat work (what we had needed to do) and made some progress before calling it a day. </div><div><img id="id_f3e7_75c8_fb1e_7764" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3njN0lE_sFJcu7DEAFfaGprSVjNFYOLCb4TebiQwQypRWgs9pGNgpb9S_9kZ9kYNweIwmp-3PLBT-3gazBRsvYF9-_DkeMP1XOB8PFaY5-jvkqDgJMkaNl0R94RCLfISEaHLUf00l0po/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="Bentleys lesson group girlfriend " title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto; margin: 4px;"><br><br></div><div>Day 3 was XC day. To day I was dreading it would have been a fair statement. He had only been out XC once since Rebecca Farms (in July) so I knew he would be prettt hot out there already. He was again strong, ripping my reins away, flipping his head, and had an extreme lack of brakes. Not exactly the ride you want to have. Especially since we had a super jump lesson with our normal trainer the week prior. By the end he was slightly more rideable and his terrible behaviors became less and less but I, unfortunately, left thinking I had over faced my horse too much with the group situation and feared I had just set us back. It’s not that he didn’t jump things, or even that he didn’t jump things well, it was just his over all mental state. He actually jumped things quite well and did some hard things that he hadn’t done before such as:</div><div><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ROuh1EGt5V4" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_e7cb_5400_19a5_f2ad" frameborder="0"></iframe><br></div><div>Training log bending to novice coop</div><div><br></div><div><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BZJP-OJBdNI" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_c433_1_43a9_1b19" frameborder="0"></iframe><br></div><div>Training chevron to an angled novice roll top </div><div><br></div><div><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OqWFG5qtxd4" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_c85a_3b31_40cb_b107" frameborder="0"></iframe><br></div><div>Training corner!</div><div><br></div><div> There was a professional photographer there so hopefully she caught some good moments! When we were in the air it all felt great 😉 Back to the drawing board. We have a long winter of dressage and pole work ahead of us 😳😃</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-28850123820668654662017-09-04T22:45:00.001-07:002017-09-04T22:45:33.859-07:00My Heart ❤️Not much to say other then this horse is my heart. I will probably never trust any horse the same way I trust him. How blessed am I to call him mine?<div><br></div><div><img id="id_6c26_8a3b_e0a9_3d94" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vyjlZBd2ETU/Wa458Ix5vfI/AAAAAAAAFbA/slX5kFS4gYw4RqSid4BvdebgvXL1MsISwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_afd6_7132_689a_5607" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7ek9iMHyBZ8/Wa458jHyCeI/AAAAAAAAFbI/sczMszo5s4QaPN4xm1SmRxfvwh8ugF_XwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_31f_217b_ed8a_a05d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4rSTcKUIXV0/Wa458oBR58I/AAAAAAAAFbE/40UpiXcifggj0LptQYorM91I3Qg_-OvcACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6beb_c4eb_5eb5_eab6" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQdUhbYdGIp4Wfeb7Gq1d-d9beompqjAJ-SaUUy1vuQ3_p3O_GiCeISUt8RvK_OoRmW3S82N1wLr4OQLq9n3i0ORfmkFsJYwxESg-pu7QzQ2qiVfiquIQYyFJHgYq9cF5fUmycEzYxcU/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_699d_f4fe_a14f_3deb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tKREJgMEtfA/Wa459unP2pI/AAAAAAAAFbM/MXRr5D7I4W8Ro2azzR-mILFn9CNjlWQzQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div><img id="id_b2b1_e8bb_9dd2_1bb9" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pNfpaC_7EVQ/Wa459iscO2I/AAAAAAAAFbQ/D7aM3YGv-eQg8gs_bg-k2c66-edbIjIBgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_cbb7_7451_3eaa_6b06" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3rBw1mCzrfs/Wa45-CDrLkI/AAAAAAAAFbU/FjNoZvMTl0gIoAlmIvfiugZnPWU09tAHwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1c2b_e4f3_be64_a24c" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tjjN1rGtzD_XJrs6b8RxkcYeFxt6ZJ7ak4LuWl8-GHWVi_am_XI1KkUTmZNWej6d6B0s2fMFXtfCuO8D28X3N7KQOz3FXkTuBO2vALsbrEwNMdgZpuq77d_1jfb72X0WsOQoMhwhc9A/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>I went 3.5 weeks without riding. And today I got to ride both of my favorite guys. Doesn't get much better then that 😃</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-71334121488884017822017-08-21T22:25:00.001-07:002017-08-21T22:25:41.892-07:0011 Days11 days is what it took before my normally fairly easy to handle baby OTTB lost his marbles on stall rest. Technically he started losing them on day 10 but was somewhat manageable. When he gets hot/excited he loves nothing more then to stand on his back legs and black stallion it. So we spent most of our walk yesterday doing that with the tail straight up and snorting. In his defense there was a lot of barn traffic with the eclipse and a clinic. Today however was just him losing his marbles!<div><br></div><div><img id="id_b233_dd8b_e975_855e" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcrODU9r3MFqaKJGszc8H1_wrJEgO9o3w2mVwgZdjS09Py5xJUWlys6uDXwZuZLTCdXnqKxCXeZTrKa9eRIKygAB0Rety710TKuikb4E6RBy0aQB8wADonFl0FTo3SgQpPzFo2wsXbcI/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2bae_12c3_be5f_6231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAgdIa48wiw89exEEWC4yNJzmdGOUrZPve7-3EIHpousooADIUVn9zmwt9zAglCCgj8gyDSTERq03X87ENLGK42tFMq0oZcTViI93GLolyMXGnFC2DWROqLw4JU_c3tyt2kfwUHjQbCaE/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br> Second bandage change last weekend<br><div><br></div><div>I took him straight to the round pen to hand walk and within 3 seconds of leaving his stall he was airborn 😳 Once in the round pen all of his hooves were not on the ground for a solid 5 minutes. And when I gave up and decided to just let him loose in the round pen it took me another 5 minutes to get his lead rope off. The dude needed to blow off some steam! Thankfully he only carried on with his antics for a couple of minutes and it seemed to be just what he needed. Thank god he didn't have a tendon/ligament injury! Not sure he could handle that without drugs.</div></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_1568_f9f8_a08d_1ee0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N3MD_PNjH7Y/WZvAToMOa5I/AAAAAAAAFag/_12CH0uypFM_P-V2c4XUCU9S7G17GJpmwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_cc21_8693_f55_c755" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OvP-DqRIx80/WZvAUQaGFdI/AAAAAAAAFao/JZY6EKHEn80Jb1qGZET8kaUwnwjt_K13gCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>From bandage change 3 days ago</div><div><br></div><div>My regular vet is coming out when he gets back in town and I'm hoping for a shorter time frame of him being off work. He needs his job back!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_e350_9de3_ce47_28e7" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZFtSDzelthYmiIYfZ5DrEJX30Efmi8Z7Q9_R5vfDS38R1_DEnxhiQkHtQPi6PTc_5fyBtTGL0h0ZT6UdnwMlORVArOmsy76pDE2OvqY6GszzMtWTXeJd0Os2EzK3oGMUbB2WRQMRrFo/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-8424539213026764682017-08-10T21:30:00.001-07:002017-08-10T21:30:35.459-07:00Because who needs a show season?In true Bentley fashion he has managed to earn himself yet another 2 weeks off of work. <div><img id="id_6a78_6cd_5f14_6225" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OgfgNH92Urk/WY0y6dCBljI/AAAAAAAAFaE/LdS8At3ElAkWYYeSST1XuK5ZjoxiBi76QCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>In case you didn't know... getting your back leg OVER the top of your paddock fence doesn't end well. How or why he decided that may be a good idea beats me. Sadly that means no Caber Farms. We were supposed to leave two weeks from today. Instead we get to spend our August wrapping a leg wound and hand walking. Thankfully he didn't get both legs over. And thankfully it all seems superficial so it's just allowing the wounds to heal. Because of the location on the front of the hock it may take a little bit of time. If all goes well he can go back to work in two weeks. We will hope for that!</div><div><br></div><div>Very thankful that I was at the barn teaching when it happened so t was caught instantly. Poor guy thought his leg was falling off. Non weight bearing (not because he couldn't be just because it hurt), reaching around and smelling his leg, kicking it out, etc. He thought his leg may need to be amputated! I have an amazing vet friend that came out and got some sedation on board, since he was very painful, so he could wait for the vet in a little more comfort. The vet put a bandage from his hoof up to his hock, gave me some antibiotics, and called it good. </div><div><br></div><div>So for now I will leav you with some Rebecca pictures while I email the next show secretary and hope I get my money back 😩</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_ac50_416a_6521_1eb4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--mmpCGnTj14/WY0y6g04S7I/AAAAAAAAFaM/WF4S_KzOVI0WKDXY1XF0-pLGg8tQUYhyACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9bd0_32aa_978e_a4d1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cqy2QZ_sESc/WY0y6ZOGBCI/AAAAAAAAFaI/hz6eSrQfpi0ivDp3L34pleHjzJGOxx4AACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-47445729467232123402017-07-24T08:18:00.001-07:002017-07-24T08:18:34.738-07:00Rebecca Farms 2017Montana was full of up and downs but ultimately I came home feeling extremely happy with my horse and feeling like it was an amazing experience for both of us. It just didn't quite have the fairy tale ending that it could have.<div><img id="id_efe0_78c7_5ce7_d329" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LQwEkb9r1js/WXYPtbu8okI/AAAAAAAAFZE/u_ZTuoKWfxUPN2_5yRzXco3T4EtOHa6rACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Bentley loaded, hauled, and traveled like a seasoned pro which was very nice. We thankfully had a great layover barn in Spokane that had very nice stalls with runs attached so the ponies didn't have to get off the 8 hour trailer ride and just sit in a stall all night.</span></div><div><img id="id_f11e_1699_1756_ec8a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fn2q7pO7HP4/WXYPsct439I/AAAAAAAAFY4/WOnncwEE5hEQxjgwOsb2cPGvl9JP7FP3QCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><img id="id_5088_59ce_be13_f41d" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xWeNaFtA2iZ_rEcSXULoNhDaC-QMJe94nIoBWZX27zzJiN5NzDmgN3WfWEpWHZARiSwzbnvXCbnXqnvQ2hTj63ayO2dFKH-hnygiWy9hk8UXKF97BRBggcjbhrbQWUkLh91n8aI40gU/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">He was calm and relxed every time he hopped of the trailer and I even took him for a bareback hack at one of our stops to stretch his legs! </span></div><div><img id="id_7741_ac1a_c4d4_6028" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CM3fPrt2Rbg/WXYPtRzsy7I/AAAAAAAAFZA/iUsg9rHCXlUN2Ztm1Vx5VGR3-eD8PsHyACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">We arrived at Rebecca Farms on Sunday and the following day we went Xc Schooling at a place nearby. All the horses were great and we had the positive ride we needed before tackling this first novice. On Tuesday we had a light dressage school which included riding in their giant arena with approx 30 other horses and, for parts of it, 3 giant water trucks. Bentley couldn't have cared less about all of it and we had a nice relaxed school! Just what we both needed.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><img id="id_7017_49a5_5d60_aacd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Fn1EWI5VubE/WXYPvH1chHI/AAAAAAAAFZM/Wt0a2qASpL8g9MeF3izECb-BbBZmCgWCgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Dressage day rolled around and he was warming up much better then I had anticipated! The normal issues we always have with him just being green but no nonsense like we had at Inavale last month. We went in and put in a solid test (for him at this point in his training at least) and got a 34! We were tied for 9th out of 26.</span></div><div><img id="id_38c7_e67e_3b61_4a07" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N-TWAgW-ObI/WXYPupJ0DlI/AAAAAAAAFZI/5rs58ly1p-8g9CE5E4j3IwXd69ATjwlrwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br>The XC walked big to me. Definitely had mostly maxed out novice fences, a half coffin, and a corner. But overall the course was open and flowy. I knew I would really have to ride the first 7 fences but thought the second half of the course would be very doable. He came out more backed off to the fences and strong between the fences then I thought he would but he was getting it all done. The half coffin that I had worried about (if you remember how ditchy he was previously) rode beautifully! I have him a big pat and let him roll a little bit more after it. Unfortunately the whole "letting him roll" didn't pay off as he was quite strong and resistant to my half halt coming up to fence 8 (a steeplechase type fly fence) and I just think he never really registered he was jumping a jump and we had a runout. He popped right over it on second try. It was extremely disappointing because he doesn't really ever say no to a jump and I feel like I didn't give him the best ride to it (even if he wasn't being the most cooperative). He jumped around the rest of the course well and I crossed the finish flags with an incredible amount of pride and disappointment at the same time. My horse is so much better then what the score on paper said after xc but you live and you learn. He jumped around a novice course, and made it feel easy, after just 6 months off the track! How cool is that?!</span></div><div><img id="id_256_7e5b_1775_51d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z6wVMsVwkyI/WXYPxNLYqZI/AAAAAAAAFZU/cSkAqOtWWOAprq2JYutISFnSBl01oAqjgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><img id="id_77d0_3f8c_8838_fe52" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-H2qJQP39eJw/WXYPxyXxsgI/AAAAAAAAFZc/IBtlLnHJ9vkTa714TpNt_E1mt85c9ivLACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br>The silver lining was that there was zero pressure for stadium. Bentley is very scopey but he doesn't always use it in stadium and had the potential to have some rails. Again, the jumps were maxed out with some big oxers but the course looked fun. He was very bold to the fences and was jumping great. He got away from me around the turn to #4 and got flat so he pulled a rial with his back leg. Otherwise he was jumping really well and wasn't wiggley between the fences at all like he was at Inavale. Fence #8 was causing a lot of problems for people but that was our best line of our course! </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><img id="id_7e62_6149_b0bb_53c6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bgWpZ90bUFI/WXYPvJ_fbQI/AAAAAAAAFZQ/pw5vz3q2tiw1YB4puOygspQu57ZPS2IjwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8caa_d660_f36d_4d5c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AwR8MjFS12o/WXYPxuZSh-I/AAAAAAAAFZY/wSg680UUxpM-jCq6mGyb_fkhraZikv4hACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8bf1_f566_b1da_75e6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Xxrx1w4bEiQ/WXYPyOciDPI/AAAAAAAAFZg/blsCf4poYhwbhKgIc6KeF6JMUPdmK0U6gCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">It is hard to not look at what could have been. Such as if we finished in our dressage score, like he is fully capable of doing, we would have tied for 2nd. All the pieces are there we just need to keep working at the details and hope that one day they will all fall together at a show. The experience he gained this week was definitely a game changer for us and he handled the whole week like a professional. His future is looking very bright and I can't wait to keep chipping away at it all!</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br><br></span><br></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-70965780082002502012017-07-11T22:06:00.001-07:002017-07-11T22:06:19.929-07:00Aspen Farms XC SchoolingOver the weekend Bentley, some friends, and I made the 4 hour drive up to Aspen to get a solid off property Schooling in before Rebecca. The only other time Bentley has schooled away from our barns course was the first time he had ever gone xc. And although it was mostly successful he managed to almost kill our trainer because he was a big pansy about the ditch. I really haven't been worried about it but really didn't think it would be fair to him to not give him some practice before such a large event. <div><br></div><div><img id="id_2acb_3666_96fc_e740" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-clo3ZDdX_dI/WWWuSVAZ4eI/AAAAAAAAFYg/U4kIf9lx9Q0ruciwAgoGMcLo99JHrCyxQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">I got off work early on Saturday and we loaded up and made the drive. He hauled great and hopped off the trailer like a pro (not what I was expecting!). We hand walked the ponies around, set them up in their accommodations for the night and went to our hotel to sleep. My group went first thing Sunday morning and I really could have gone either way on what I thought he was going to act like. Much to my surprise he was even more relxed then he is at home when we go xc! He warmed up super well and had his game face on. We started over some baby logs and worked our way up to some BN jumps and then began stringing things together. He was confident and knew his job. What an awesome feeling! He even jumped up a bank like a normal horse! He also was handling the group atmosphere (aka: horses cantering and jumping around him while he had to wait) SO much better then expected. That was a huge bonus. </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><img id="id_a480_cffb_3d95_181b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z5Ad5iNrTVc/WWWuSoJb2sI/AAAAAAAAFYk/YGH8VV1cFykGuOrQMNRGEPbzUMCo3liAwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Cut out fences, jumps out of the water, jumps up hills, the coolest pirate ship jump, all without any problems! </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eEte6mysY7k" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_6776_329c_85c2_9e30" frameborder="0"></iframe><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">On that note we headed to the next field. To the ditch 😳 He has been 100% solid to the ditches at our barn. Recently we introduced him to the much wider novice ditch and he balked at it but was easy to get over. And has been solid to it since then.. but still. Would he be okay to a ditch at a new place? Not only did he jump it first time but he jumped it normally and without even really looking at it 🎉 </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yKIenetwk1c" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_2265_775_430a_8206" frameborder="0"></iframe><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><br></div><div>We then jumped the training trakhaner (it was a novice height) easily and moved on to yet another field. In that field we did some combinations with some log stacks, barns, etc that he negotiated quite easily. By now he was getting a little tired and was a little harder for me to to adjust but was still being very good. We ended at a second water jump where we practiced mini 4 jump courses involving the water. I am very thankful that he is brave about water! Then, as a grand finale, we did our first jump in the water. Our first approach surprised him as we had been cantering right by the jump previously and a lack of riding on my pet almost ended with me in the water 😂 thankfully he stood still as I shimmied my way back in the saddle and came at it a second time. This time with my legs on! And this is what I got:</div><div><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OHo4Zx9Bk6g" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_4c77_ffe_217f_ec2d" frameborder="0"></iframe><br></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">What a boy! It was a great outing for us and left me feeling even more ready to tackle our first novice at Rebecca next week. Now to get packing for our journey up to Montana!!</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"> <br></span><br></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-9757446230828507962017-07-04T21:32:00.001-07:002017-07-04T21:32:36.020-07:00Almost TimeIt is crazy to think about but in under 2 weeks Bentley and I (plus some more barn friends and trainer) will be heading to Montana for Rebecca Farms Event. 6 months ago (June 25th to be exact) when he came home I would have thought you were crazy if you told me Rebecca was an option. But, I am SO excited that it all came together like this. My little crazy talented baby OTTB! Mostly crazy for dressage with a lot of talent while jumping 😂<div><br></div><div><img id="id_ce0d_2e5b_f60e_cebb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K96H19nUB5Y/WVxr4bYpvEI/AAAAAAAAFYI/sva3PZhtS_QtFbzqQG-04L2NRu7f2C9zACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><div style="text-align: center;">Holding on for dear life</div><div><br></div><div>We had a spectacular xc lesson yesterday where he schooled much of the novice course. Trakhaner, coops, ditches, barns, tables, water combinations, etc. He is gaining adjustability and starting to be more careful with where he places his legs. Not much fazes him when he is on course which is very nice since he gets quite hot when he isn't. Put jumps in front of him and give him a job? He turns his game face on! </div></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_f91_98c8_d50d_3c4a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bdqagi6FZc8/WVxr45RL5EI/AAAAAAAAFYQ/HpQmPt_AAfAkGhoTS_hV3gCO1ca4J4T0QCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>This upcoming weekend we are heading up to Aspen Farms for the weekend to get in a little off the property XC school in. That will be a great prep for Montana. Then the following Saturday we head out bright and early! This trip has the potential to be a big "growing up" trip for him. It also sets us up nicer then any more local event because he gets to be on site at the show for 3 days before we show. Not only that but we get to xc school at Heron park (minutes from Rebecca) 2 days before we compete. Bentley is getting a lot of big boy miles this month! Looking forward to an amazing event 😃</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_2e72_41bd_ed9a_fe36" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SRSdJQIxMLE/WVxr4h-SwEI/AAAAAAAAFYM/F87z6_2gzxAmx5O4XMIgsLE3wxDQY7EOgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><div style="text-align: center;">How we prepare for big shows... bareback and bridleless 👍🏼</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-8314663119522445162017-06-26T23:04:00.001-07:002017-06-26T23:04:41.678-07:00Inavale Farm HTOver the weekend our barn hosted its 20th year anniversary horse trials! It's the only recognized event held in Oregon and it's always a highlight of the year. In our Thursday lesson in the dressage field Bentley was as I expected he would be. Hot, tense, and ready to go. We changed our approach a little based on our dressage earlier in the week and by the end for some decent work. Unfortunately for me our dressage did win Friday wasn't till 3:30 and our weather decided to go from upper 70s to upper 90s/100 just for the weekend 🙄<div><br></div><div><img id="id_54d2_f204_9d2b_7fc5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--wzwpj3HxJk/WVH1ZsoeTLI/AAAAAAAAFXM/-9sS1qp9EgMYuslnSxaSGQSI6gXsgrK3gCHMYCw/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br><div><br></div><div>I want to forget our dressage test ever happened. Hands down the worst test I have ever been apart of. The sad part was he was actually warmed up quite well considering the circumstances and we were prepared to go into the test and lay down a repeatable (for a OTTB 6 months off the track) test. Judges comment was "horse appears capable- just not today". I can add being in last place after dressage as a first, and hopefully last, in my book. </div></div><div><br></div><div><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z0FgKSY1nFQ" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_1d00_d9f9_e9e5_bfe3" frameborder="0"></iframe><br></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_b7ad_4c54_1e24_4a94" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EHeaYlagq4k/WVH1aM0iRDI/AAAAAAAAFXU/ue7mXkpxJNk827u6ItXvk9aBQtj2nYavwCHMYCw/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div>The thing about being in dead last is that there is no where to go but up! Day 2 was stadium day and I really didn't know what to expect. The jumps at our trials are decorated much more then most places. Bentley put in a great double clear round to give me a little more hope then I had after dressage! He was wiggly in the lines but never questioned me and felt very rideable. He moved up two spots after stadium.</div><img id="id_6fcb_3896_1711_fc71" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZFlIMFP21LsASx80Zr0rPBziqCu6ZCBJfEJnnCikantR4-c15p08qTiTmJ8a9EXj11sWPVszudQOhLn86jUBGxlQLvKrlYlbm_UQfa_JRZTvVKgSSITNI2XEk6o9aH5OimA8T2CuLDY/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <img id="id_ec1c_5c03_dba8_d37" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MT3XeF9y7l8/WVH1aLK0HyI/AAAAAAAAFXQ/t-cZwhMVRlAN5kELVNs482m0_oygbs0ggCHMYCw/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <img id="id_8710_9e06_10_8ee" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Rzs-HmAx8rY/WVH1cUyd1SI/AAAAAAAAFXc/8XqIzGhzqHMoUz0sEDBIECW7ttfE7ZqDgCHMYCw/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <div><br></div><div>Day 3 was the day that I was looking forward to the most... XC day! The course had a few combinations, some new questions, but also started out pretty inviting. </div><div><img id="id_1e91_4707_8046_e7c5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XRQ9G4M5ZNo/WVH1aXqAViI/AAAAAAAAFXY/FOpfFpA8OBAfqvNaLL9PXedHZNsh06QgACHMYCw/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div>The only ones that made me think twice about were #9 and #11. #9 because of the blind 90 degree turn from behind the bushes and #11 because it was in the tree line with a small drop on landing and a not very open landing area. </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_a4ba_7d6a_c9a1_4696" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JFp8um7r0ko/WVH1eJhUY5I/AAAAAAAAFXo/NUjzDu9pziwPBpdlc3dbPeaqufZL-240ACHMYCw/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><img id="id_aa27_704d_891c_8edc" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwilme8opW3BFwYn1tTgPd4MA359T0l4fz7Az5Mm5rDu33_j2tUjiGnbV7uZ084cJBbu9F2KQSc28rDnvmtCryPSM52CUaRVYJoiNCcOasdo2b5j6Z_puljIUQeC5JdO8HIVWW_JAIvRc/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <div><br></div><div>From the first jump on I knew we were going to have no problems. He was hunting the fences and questioned nothing! The changes in terrain, the light to dark, the shadows, nothing bothered him! He cruised around the course and even got praise from the announces on his beautiful ride at the end of the course. My favorite jump? #11, the one I was so worrried about! </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_d3f5_fb74_b802_4ca6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J285Scxaxeg/WVH1eCctlCI/AAAAAAAAFXs/0K-pgk1kFj0M35se7hg0KHlU08hJXJDywCHMYCw/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><img id="id_da42_8382_4032_5fa9" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYKcG48ERRd0u3jn7xvLm0cVXdhBlmp13NHlu1J3nAa1mZoo-63PJd5qJ6-YnnHDC9I3lN2LIn_sFSPR6bt8sxNlCS9JjSYICiV_S9Cdr2IkVEbbjlD_1a84CYht0uEvbQdjzNgJybHs/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <img id="id_f726_ecb_ec12_edb8" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cSlURVMg4v0/WVH1ePRm83I/AAAAAAAAFXk/qP8UWX4OCJ4ByC0CoYm6dSrtaTr4myMUQCHMYCw/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <div><br></div><div>Again, he moved up 2 more places and finished on his dressage score in 7th place in the open division!</div><div><br></div><div>We have a lot to work on still. And as fun as XC was we need to work on adjustability so that I feel like I can open him up a little more without worrying about not being able to bring him back. Our trainer is going to ride him XC in my lesson this week to see if she has any tips. People don't believe me on how strong he gets out there because he doesn't throw his head around and looks pleasant. He just doesn't respond enough to any of my aids other then one telling him to go faster! Onward and upward to Rebecca Farms next month!!</div><div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-39969868649419831122017-06-08T11:12:00.001-07:002017-06-08T11:12:39.583-07:00The Reason I Own 3 HorsesOne would think that by having 3 horses that I slave over that in any given circumstance I would have at least one to ride, right? Wrong... I am currently that person that has 3 horses and they are all broken 😩 Our vet showed up at the barn on Monday while I was there so I snagged them and have them check out Bentleys popped splints. My paranoia level for horse injuries is at an all time high and there is currently another horse in our barn with a fractured splint bone. So we radiographed. There didn't appear to be a fracture on either but because it was still early on he said it could be hiding. So all week I have been getting up early and doing two a days at the barn to deal with my broken ponies. <div><img id="id_f75e_2ba4_f304_a675" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EDkRluVM9JY/WTmTjg6cP6I/AAAAAAAAFWs/3uWqbCAXvBYrjPFFWV7yc-j8vkbTsp0YACHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Do they care about my declining mental state? No...!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">I have been really good about icing, surpassing (thank god it's back on the market!), buting, and wrapping him twice a day. So fingers crossed it has done the job. The bumps seem smaller and in fact the smaller one is almost all the way gone. I get to call the vet tomorrow and evaluate if we can go back to work. Fingers crossed we get the green light! We are supposed to have a dressage lesson next Sunday and our first recognized event the last weekend of the month. More importantly though we are on day 4 of stall rest (with no hand walking allowed) and the hamsters are beginning to come off their wheels! This is a different situation also because he has been sound the whole time. So it's not as cut and dry about when to return to work, etc.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><img id="id_dc21_168e_d5ee_c7ec" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Qj_mj9QwuZBGYkZhocQpCnrHSD2ca9coYn4DfwKLJoY5MLl_WngXlEWoqAazVByloOBUUfpgPmFSOo5QDhyphenhyphencFN6ZUBOdK5r2VhI6DtyzN0xiqEFFGEXzXqcyb-Xl82PCRQP5I1y6kI4/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div style="text-align: center;">He wants to do more of this!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Not to mention the fact that I had to send in our entry for Rebecca Farms with my currently potentially broken horse because if I didn't send it in on opening day my chances of getting in are slim. Here's to hoping for returning back to work so we can get a BN recognized under our belts before we head to Montana to go novice! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img id="id_66_603f_375f_b274" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dSsYJcRP80c/WTmTkMh9EsI/AAAAAAAAFWw/13xzQQWzDuAg3thqNR3BUd7YovCI4zXfACHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div style="text-align: center;">The free loader enjoying his new pasture digs for the summer. Already found a friend!</div><div><br></div><div> <br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-64264962940227982502017-06-04T16:56:00.001-07:002017-06-05T18:15:29.748-07:00When the tables turnAnyone who events knows that most eventer ideas about dressage fall somewhere along the line of "we just need to survive dressage so we can go xc". I consider myself a dressage person that loves to event and take pride in my Wonder Pony leading events from start to finish. This weekend was our one day event and I got a little taste of the feeling of just wanting to survive dressage so I could go run and jump!<div><br></div><div>Hand walking Bentley around the dressage arenas the night before I was basically walking along with him standing on his hind legs. Not a promising start! Thankfully he is more manageable under saddle and tried no acrobatics come Saturday morning. Unfortunately he was basically a bug ball of tension ready to burst. I spent the test containing him and praying for it to be over! Thankfully it was BN test A which is the saddest dressage test next to riding an intro test so it was basically over before it started.</div><div><img id="id_887_8917_2370_1809" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PrG-vLWpjFA/WTSeQIjWSYI/AAAAAAAAFWM/oViTgYQ4KXcBkxdKPBiNyykNFv6vApEQQCHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div style="text-align: center;">He did rock this manly sleezy over night though</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">I was disappointed after dressage but realize that it was his first one day and his first time riding a dressage test in an open field. Plus it helps when you get to jump next. He lived up to his reputation and jumped around stadium great. He was green to some of the combinations and I got him in bad to one fence, where he hung a back leg and pulled a rail, but overall he was rideable and couldn't have cared less about any of the full under the jumps.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KeY4D7g0WX8" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_e9a_4aff_3cee_57aa" frameborder="0"></iframe><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img id="id_235c_a799_fa64_c62" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PrWSmQZw1fA/WTSeSOKEmnI/AAAAAAAAFWc/CNYDZZoPs2U3n4Ih0R8nGH8j_nPIlzKgACHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bentley not wanting to be very photogenic after dressage day 1 but still looking mighty handsome</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">By XC he was a little tired which in turn made him even stronger. But that boy had zero stop in him and he attacked every single fence, sometimes a little too much! He was having a blast! I have no worries about taking him to his first recognized event at the end of the month. He eats jumps for breakfast! Now we are off to work on opening up his gallop and bringing it back. He gets quite strong and doesn't allow me to rebalance him for the jumps very easily which will definitely need to change as we move up. I felt like I needed an oxygen mask after our 4 minutes BN course 😂 He ended up finishing in 2nd place! I guess I can buy that getting a dressage score of a 37 doesn't take you out of it now!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><img id="id_c30d_fe97_3c51_3590" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-znIviJTHJj4/WTSeP0OJ9UI/AAAAAAAAFWI/NMJ3wFkUZ-YFMpqbGSN45cyVpYr8lgobACHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Unfortunately when I went to go ice and wrap him later that afternoon he had what look like two splints pop 😩. He was sound, happy, and didn't palpate sore to them at all but it still made me nervous. So this morning I came with the intention to show but not sure what would happen. They appeared smaller this morning and he was still sound so I tacked him up and went to dressage. After our hot mess of yesterday I really wanted a re do. He came out much more relaxed, rideable, and more mentally there. With lots of room for improvement the baby horse still scored a 32! I was super pleased with him and although that is not where I want to be in the long run I am very proud he stepped up and improved that much in one weekend. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><img id="id_9d62_fd39_a34d_182b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ai1pkOGz9wQ/WTSeQHXRdsI/AAAAAAAAFWQ/NcslqICpGhYxsguXZQ_-n_VnRTD5a0EdwCHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">I decided to save him for another day, where I wouldn't worry about breaking him more, and withdrew after dressage. It was an unfortunate ending to an otherwise very successful weekend but his health and future are far more important then a little one day event. Plus, we all agreed he didn't really need to jump again today after seeing how super he jumped yesterday.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img id="id_b1d8_c518_fe89_666c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XdWMvlKRkL8/WTSeRjYkpHI/AAAAAAAAFWY/QnpB1tnr3dEPqjPo248yA4pV5pNvR7AMgCHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><img id="id_4955_8e61_a769_7776" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiQk9WpYqlldeXci5wFdpqdBtx9xl91pohSMMgXCnhEfQyXxI7_veAgcXQ7brXR5dsVNpoYqf1gF2mOjMVKPtwUdGLvkH6Zjin0WATbfBqmunhp8SucQnYKwMDw3XK9oy3tnGhzZvDTg/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <div><br></div><div>His entry is in for his first recognized show in 3 weeks and his entry for Rebecca Farms goes in on Tuesday! So excited for this boys future. He really is a special one!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-46894020077016254522017-05-21T20:22:00.001-07:002017-05-21T20:22:48.453-07:00Round 2: XCFor last weeks lesson our barns XC field had just been cut and a few jumps had been put out. When trainer asked if I wanted to do stadium or XC it was a no brainer! So out to the fields we went!<div><br></div><div><img id="id_4d51_6b14_c072_824" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oRgFGgLjg04/WSJZhyS55MI/AAAAAAAAFV0/kdRjX-CdxbY4FFdOw-xTF60SaQyQMqVWACHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div>He started out pretty amped up out there but as we warmed up and started jumping he found his groove. We started small with some intro logs that he just ate right up. We then moved on to the intro roll top and coop to some angled logs. He had no issue with any of it!</div><div><br></div><div><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D5p_c6VXDpY" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_99f6_6f49_263b_e035" frameborder="0"></iframe><br></div><div><br></div><div>He was feeling very confident and bold so we upped the expectations a little and popped him over the BN roll top. This was his first attempt!</div><div><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6xOOa8BH6bM" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_904b_b118_1e0b_cf2" frameborder="0"></iframe><br></div><div><br></div><div>Next up was introducing something new... banks. I had taken up up/down the bank once in hand a few days before and he didn't have any issues. He did it great a few times before we approached it again and I softened my hands to much and he basically picked up all legs 1/2 of what he needed to and about face planted it. After that he was overly enthusiastic about picking his hooves up and was clearing it by about 2 feet. Thankfully it never backed him off of the bank and he was always willing to go!</div><div><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9kgUpherNQ8" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_ecc0_4a5_9b21_d60d" frameborder="0"></iframe><br></div><div><br></div><div>We talked about tackling the ditch but we both agreed to wait for another day. It was at the end of our ride, he was tired, and we really want his next experience to be a positive one. So instead we agreed that I would bring him out in hand later in the week just to solidify that he didn't care about it any more. As a side note: we did go out later in the week and he went calmly over both the BN and N ditches very well. Now on to riding them!</div><div><br></div><div>Instead we finished by jumping the BN barn. Once again he didn't bat an eye and jumped right over. He is so much fun!</div><div><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/54gw8sYLZhI" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_1aa1_77cf_a539_99a3" frameborder="0"></iframe><br></div><div><br></div><div>I'm very much looking forward to getting him back out there in my next lesson this week. Hopefully we have just as much success! Trainer and I talked about a potential big step up for him end of July (at a certain amazingly awesome show 😃 ) and if all continues to go this well it just may happen! But for now... we are focusing on surviving the one days and horse trials in June at BN!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-54197555975215595932017-05-15T13:41:00.001-07:002017-05-15T13:45:18.345-07:00H/J Show<div><img id="id_4489_fca4_7ec8_aaba" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BfMkVgymVq0/WRoSWfo8pSI/AAAAAAAAFVY/nVCd2JX6i4U8AO76FsAv8P6O3bPoiP8KACHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div>This past weekend there was a H/J schooling show at our barn that Bentley got to participate in. I kind of thought about not doing because that would mean I could sleep in on a Saturday for the first time since I can remember. But we had an amazing jump lesson on Thursday and our trainer thought we should do it. So we did. Not only did we do it but Bentley absolutely killed it. The course wasn't the best and had some sketchy turns/approaches and he never questioned me once. He is feeling so confident and willing! Not only that but he genuinely feels like he loves it. <div><br></div><div><img id="id_3ff7_da9e_952e_275d" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXDq-yq3zzN4oi2PrA3VvLUhvk6Zf6gFuclsSPMcnfATVize419ODU9KNi2GpAcedlzN6E0YPsmISOrkcUGBmVArDuQ5nfDOheoGuhGp1WwInBWM1E3F3JsJ66zaiopO5gK7Tm3Qiz4E/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br><div><br></div><div>This is what two double clear rounds gets you... two red ribbons!</div></div><div><br></div><div>We did the 2' - 2'3" class first and because it went so well went ahead and did the 2'3" - 2'6". We haven't ever jumped a course of 2'6" jumps but I know that height isn't a problems it's the in between fences. There were green moments for sure but overall if you showed me his video I would never have guessed that 5 months ago he was still racing!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_3bf3_6074_fd90_fdb9" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7MTiVcDyCAA/WRoSWYllOYI/AAAAAAAAFVc/e7LDzMrnbL4eZIJGrpO09USg54argPZsQCHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ku2mr4LNSvA" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_9284_5068_8104_a972" frameborder="0"></iframe><br></div><div><br></div><div>Very, very proud of my little man! As a follow up... we also conquered the ditch in hand! Will be testing it in the saddle next week once course officially opens. But after he got over one he went over all of them with no issues. There is hope!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_ab90_4b16_7432_b6bb" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uhZmMFgq2bDL_TIe6xo5LuylgxIMxqveltzYRKXxhFG1CVKoodmZJ9_e-TIBGDsdov0wMjotaRJ20YyjO_BBAaFUovf6NKVnNQZDcIeW4INzNoOVJ50ttpBecnKZ5vqj1LRyiExGvo8/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-29729499076356430352017-05-09T11:13:00.001-07:002017-05-09T11:13:00.369-07:00Mystery LamenessSince his appointment in April Mystic has just been hanging out. He wasn't on stall rest but was on limited activity. So he went into the pasture everyday but was not worked at all. Apparently that was enough to make whatever was bugging him at the April appt much better because when he went in for the lameness course at OSU the only way they could get him to show any lameness was ina circle on hard ground. Where was he lame? On 3 of his 4 legs he was graded a 1/5 lameness. They threw the lameness locator on him (super cool tool!!) and it agreed with the students findings. When they flexed him he tested positive on his left hind and right front but when they took radiographs they were surprisingly very clean for his breed, age, and work load. Like they wouldn't even recommend maintenance hock injections yet! For a turning 10 year old heavy breed doing 3rd level and having jumped in the past I thought that was pretty remarkable. He does have a chip and a lesion on his right hock but they couldn't get him to test positive to flexions so they don't think it is bothering him at this point. <div><br></div><div>Because he wasn't lame enough for them they couldn't block him to isolate the area/s causing issues. They did however block his side bone on the right (because it is massive) and said they do not believe it is fractured or causing him any pain. One piece of good news!! So basically we are down to soft tissue injury. Because they couldn't isolate an area they don't even know where to begin with ultra sounding anything. They basically did a full set of radiographs of him. Hoof/fetlock/Pastern on front and hind, knees, hocks and all angles of each. And nothing pointed to what was causing his lameness. So, because he tested positive to the hoof testers and his soles are thin we are starting with putting a front set of shoes on him with rim pads. I'm not convinced it is going to solve our problems as he has never needed shoes in his life. I think it will help given his sensitive soles right now but I do not think it is all that is going on.</div><div><br></div><div>So the plan is to put shoes/pads on (happening on Thursday), put him back to work, and see what comes up. They also suggested him being on Adequan which he already has gotten this year so we will just be sure to stay on top of it every 6 months. Potentially also adding in Ledgend. If he comes up more lame when in work he will go back in to get blocked and most likely unltrasounded. Low on the list is potentially getting a bone scan down the road but that is only if all the other plans don't pan out. </div><div><br></div><div>So we don't really have answers but we have a plan in place. No fractured side bone which gives me hope! Now it's just going to be a hurry up and wait game where everyday I am over analyzing his soundness. Let the games begin! Fingers crossed for maybe salvaging the second half of show season?! His lesson kids miss riding him! But not more then I do 😊</div><div><img id="id_b36d_9ea9_5eae_a58a" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPZVgtvpONLa0MbOz_p6fxYjXpW_3YcxK_Zj9zt6F6zycvow44LTmVgDi48P1xlpKT7VO5cK4C7_pg7Y07yR1FkUAiL_Yn3xw5tSENKAEvWu4CNqkrvLrMQWXuHG0w5HRB_GOkB85gbo/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-8155094412762552002017-05-08T06:50:00.001-07:002017-05-08T14:59:48.808-07:00(Backup) First big adventure Rolex was incredible just as everyone else has stated. We lucked out on the weather and talk about a seriously inspiring week! It fueled my fire to come back and get on my boy! Here are some fun pictures:<div><img id="id_ffdb_ce89_5c88_6bf7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8XuLlb--584/WRB3j8kkD5I/AAAAAAAAFTc/yJqL28zPo2QDiOAkxy8ADIghwWgo6fAngCHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><img id="id_8192_6f6a_bf06_23d2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6G6U0Ygq9zo/WRB3mQUG-2I/AAAAAAAAFTs/2CfDX_7VDgoh____c3eWaDc3G9dfpfGKQCHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <img id="id_6fcd_6e02_c9a0_2700" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ffvIeXAhres/WRB3lWkBCUI/AAAAAAAAFTg/PReXRse_6NkZjaWmdczFsc4YFhbmRXrlwCHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <img id="id_24c6_eaba_307c_aada" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iFbFMcw7Rpk/WRB3mNJfyuI/AAAAAAAAFTk/5EgMINGIvzYRX3w8G2-0HMUj0SwRbdcfQCHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <img id="id_4ce6_5b3d_4b01_798e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zYObhBYAKj0/WRB3mZL1tfI/AAAAAAAAFTo/NfyK53_sx4gnvRQrJoQtk-BacyRd7p6SQCHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <div><br></div><div>Bentley unfortunately had an unplanned vet visit the day that we were flying to Kentucky. Yet another round of cellulitis. Will this ever end?! So instead of training rides he had the week off on stall rest. Thankfully he bounced back quick and was ready to go when I got back. </div><div><img id="id_ead0_4cd8_51d4_f7c3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MaRKXAUaACc/WRDqJixZQdI/AAAAAAAAFUg/JOYWFwoYpP4T2rRE8TMt_DXTpUSeVerGgCHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div>Yesterday we had a dressage show. We did training test 1 and 2. I was extremely happy with how he handled everything and that our second test was even better then our first. I'm sad that our scores didn't really reflect that but the judge was very consistently low for everyone. We finished with a 61.?% and a 64.6% to win his training level test 2 in some solid competition! Best of all he felt very rideable like he knew the job at hand. All of the low marks were just due to lack of knowledge on his part (stretchy anything!).</div><div><img id="id_5707_435d_eb06_76eb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BYOKAH6Fzb0/WRDqKVh5-nI/AAAAAAAAFUk/JLLjA5W8n1MejL3ZG3WZPX398Ue6vAEiQCHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SJCMRM-xEvA" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_22b1_9597_279d_e861" frameborder="0"></iframe><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QARxsSl-zMI" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_2b9e_3598_d9b0_ea55" frameborder="0"></iframe><br></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_29c4_d5fd_2200_9715" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Huaazz7InPQ/WRDqKWmLdpI/AAAAAAAAFUo/ebsdoMnpHMYCDdixO_e3eHXvrRUoPdnewCHM/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div>Today we hauled out to another barn to go XC schooling for the first time ever. Not only his first time going XC but his first time being ridden in an open field. He was a great traveler and only got jacked up once the other horses started galloping around. I put him to work and he quickly settled into it and joined in on the jumping/galloping fun. He is jumping better and better with each lesson and really started to figure out the game today. We just did basic logs, coops, and tables but he was game and fun! Very strong, but fun! Another bonus is that he was great into the water also. He was once again exceeding my expectations ten fold when he decided at the end he was done. We tried introducing him to a little baby ditch and the gerbils all fell of their wheels at one moment. The time he made it over was when our trainer gave us a lead over. He ended up launching straight up into the air, taking her out, and landing on top of her. Thankfully she is okay (definitely sore!). It was pretty traumatizing to be that helpless on top of your horse while someone is under neath them 😳 Once my barns XC course opens I foresee many days of ditch practice. I'm sure once he figures it out he will be fine. He is just so dramatic sometimes!</div><div><img id="id_2d7f_2fed_a06b_ce1b" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifmu27k_HFD9KNEFCxszrHEN-9D6bia_90nqPlLDp-UzzOfgEXlJtQk9b7_f4cwcA36gM2Y_SwZ-BVJHShuEtP0l5kctnB2dtGMu4WsDgbS14tVj4-Cjx5PHODjTAQK5y-T9r3l9pYsZ0/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div>Next weekend is a h/j show at the barn then two weeks till the one day events. Lots of work to do but he is going to be a blast to event once he figures it all out!!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-64064221843416810992017-04-18T09:37:00.001-07:002017-04-18T09:37:03.811-07:00Update<div><img id="id_f19c_6641_fb3_2380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XedfoduA5X-GZxq68_XIXTrNHB4JyblrH8TfC1Ndjdier8n37-dB5bj5_jXJZFMIpoPufXAKQzAsdvIiG1tzN9F_XukOly1GOZ-OYl7E_iugu3uSzSMpoBPfjmII7AE_REmjP8-Ielk/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div>We will get the bad news out of the way first... 3 surgeons looked at Mystics radiographs and all agreed that his side bone is fractured. They also agreed that with the nerve blocks that were done he should have blocked significantly better, if not sound, which was not the case. So the potential of there being a bigger problem is still at play. The vet school is having a lameness course and they asked to use him. Thankfully that means I will get all the diagnostics done at no charge to me. So he will get re nerve blocked (and they will go up higher) and radiographed again. Also any other diagnostics that may need to be done if something else is found. So everything is up in the air until he goes in the first week of May. Either way, we know there is a long term rehab involved with the fractured side bone (and potential for surgery still).<div><br></div><div>Bentleys update is much better though! Here is a comparison picture of him when I got him versus last week. I wish his ears were up and he wasn't standing quite as funny but keeping him still with his head off the ground was quite the chore!</div><div><img id="id_1e20_b1b8_12a2_b84f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gzkgFIExtbY/WPZArJdnrcI/AAAAAAAAFSk/gMASt4Xv0jw/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div>I think he is finally starting to look better to me. It's hard when you see them every day to see the long term progress but the ribs are starting to be covered! My vet even commented on how much better he looks and compared him to a swim suit model. His jumping is coming along and I can start to feel how his jump is going to be as he continues to develop. I think as the fences get bigger he will just keep getting better and better. </div><div><img id="id_dfef_d5a6_76e0_c2fb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-te5aYuKddio/WPZArTYa7aI/AAAAAAAAFSs/qNLrml_GElQ/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div>He has a busy next couple of weeks. While I am gone in Kentucky (less then a week!!) he is going to get a week of training rides. This will be the first time anyone else has ridden him. The weekend after I get back he is doing the dressage show in barn on Saturday and then going back up to DevonWood on Sunday to do the derby again. Then the following weekend we are doing the jumper show that is also held at our barn. Can't wait for all the fun to begin! And very thankful that I have him to keep me going through this summer without the Wonder Pony 😃 </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-39890400938914233802017-04-14T09:53:00.001-07:002017-04-14T09:53:20.586-07:00Here we go again...Just when you start getting back into the swing on things something always has to go wrong. Especially with horses! Unfortunately the Wonder Pony is, yet again, on another unplanned "vacation". The diagnosis being a fractured side bone. Leave it up to my horse to 1) fracture a bone that he wasn't even born with and 2) fracture a bone that very rarely ever causes problems let alone fractures. <div><img id="id_f11d_b967_36e2_c8e1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ylFMWS8XG7E/WPD-fkiGPnI/AAAAAAAAFSQ/KR4pne9Yk-s/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br><div><br></div><div>I am still waiting to hear back from my vet as to what steps we need to take and what kind of time frame we are looking at. He sent Ponys radiographs to the radiologist and is trying to track down the surgeon to get their opinions. Worst case he heads to surgery to have it removed. Best case my vet calls and tells me happy late April fools (wishful thinking right?). As of now it sounds like we have a long road ahead of us. To say I'm heart broken would be an understatement. I love this Pony more then anything and am at a loss as to why the past year has been filled with so many lameness problems. I am hoping to hear back from my vet today to get a game plan. It's looking like Baby Bentley is going to have to step up this season! </div><div><img id="id_cc1d_e98d_9195_ff80" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-05O5fEq_Uc4/WPD-f4wmSkI/AAAAAAAAFSU/uwP6KRwrlZw/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div>Thankfully I'm off to escape my pony problems in just over a week as I head to Rolex with some good friends 😃</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-10227650671088125422017-04-06T20:37:00.001-07:002017-04-06T21:34:30.244-07:00Break ThroughAs I've mentioned before Bentley is a brave and game over fences but highly uneducated. I mean having jumped 5 times doesn't really make you an expert. The thing is... the dude thinks he's an expert! What we have learned about him is that he is very brave and game when he gets to do it his way (read: this includes running. Before the jump, after jumps, over the jump where ever 😂). In turn he was the equivalent of a one man wrecking ball because he would brace, run, and barely even pick up his legs. He was never out of control and he was quite pleased with himself but he would also either demolish a solid 50% of the jumps or have an awkward jump. To work on this we set some trot poles in front of the cross rail. He willingly went through but wasn't buying into doing it my way and instead had some rough approaches. After that he decided my way sucked (even though he never really did it fully my way) and if he couldn't do his way he wouldn't do it at all. Point him at a single fence and he was fine. <div><img id="id_ce33_bcde_2429_8884" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXZ8n0GILbeBZD_ZSb5sANJnRaTt40eeDH3jklxggTuN8IQgtpXC-A2yk7Pg3KO8V2xW19212OvhUgTAj4Jip6B1DdSjK5py366xIqNz79v-gmI0DNLsKDerNujhJLAwkAXSueaY3Hv4/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> </div><div><div style="text-align: center;">The trainers working student been tacked up for me so I could get to my lesson in time!</div><div><br></div><div>So this past week I spent some time doing just pole work. But he had to do the pole work my way. The goal was to keep it simple and allow him to figure out the name of the game. He was great!!</div><img id="id_51c7_576f_8f31_20f6" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIosrQxOfuVzYajShaiSWcFV1mwpYv1jzhyWPc36iUnh7PpLrxYJTkNrj-GCNWv6xK3g42nufCJ3q46fyJd0q5sPOVdn_Oe8lwy_qMrBLtbXZWPyjfoNUbaTc1keFvrfjujDEQcXRZvzY/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> </div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Our pole work exercise </div><div> Fast forward to our jump lesson today and we had a major break through! The trainer and I discussed our new game plan now that we know a little more how he ticks when it comes to jumping. We started off with random poles throughout the arena. With no course we just trotted and cantered around over all the poles every which way. He was super rideable and was much more aware of his legs. Then we slowly added some jumps one at a time. He was looking for the jumps, not rushing, and actually felt a little rounder in his jumping style. He even gave me a couple of lead changes on his own. He jumped around intro sized fences with everything from flowers, to picket fences, to planks with zero issues! He actually even bailed me out of a few that I didn't ride well to and instead of running out or stopping he popped right over. Once he figures out how to use his body he will be quite the jumper I think. Love him!</div></div><div><img id="id_3669_2ea2_ee6a_1321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgisQ9xnLEeMGJbRKUThKAM0NJsrwcX6puaUwuxgrRsgLgsmuNNINIZag0jjDcEm8fU_H5y0VUV10kHwixa8Vn2Waz6BKHTxSvZu3KSnMWNwsUUoVnqlFrkedQ9aQttn0kwz2IZDmoVWd8/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-26089678397936309222017-03-27T16:20:00.001-07:002017-03-27T16:21:37.985-07:00Cross Rails to 3rd LevelLast weekend our barn kicked off show season and it was seriously a blast. Every person came home with a blue ribbon (or two!) and had very successful rides. The boys were great and my only "complaints", if you can call them that, have to do with either how I rode them or the training they don't have yet. Can't complain about that! Actually that's a lie. Hand walking Bentley around on Saturday was like flying a 1200lb kite. It was only when we walked by the jump arena which I thought was not promising for the next day. Thankfully it wasn't a sign! <div><br></div><div>Here are some picture and video evidence of the weekend!</div><div><img id="id_383a_1059_3c1c_9b0b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6hX04xjjOZU/WNmeIX06_UI/AAAAAAAAFRI/FbIDcfn9Lh0/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_c1aa_3cd2_ce6d_802" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cIIVSqiEJsQ/WNmeIBGM95I/AAAAAAAAFRE/ACQd-mn-hew/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gQSsDEB0ypk" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_2f48_32ff_5dce_4a98" frameborder="0"></iframe><br></div><div>Bentleys first dressage test ever! It also happened to be on his 5th birthday and exactly 3 months after coming off the track. Training level test 1- he got just over a 64%! Couldn't be more excited for this boys future.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_b034_70c4_1fd6_51d8" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupWV6iuaJgHEQGh7YoMpL6iKuQ3CS8GSIA23QZO16SU0MW9RMvGFEBFGRDtn5u5zEfqiHXCwjts3KdeJDQDGaWprL8bGx-M4qhHhaGHkRX_ckU2pJ_4nLPfqy3fNMA5lqsZudsC20ENw/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><img id="id_5287_6202_8d1e_bf5c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-in3RR7FNlJA/WNmeH49fMlI/AAAAAAAAFQ8/3YqikNw2gWI/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><img id="id_4cd8_7013_5cee_f964" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPRwNcyon_VuxZ26BTYukUHZlMIr-LBlaMpiUSTTfpFglElv9z8KMsJbS6Arc5T4kFnwHAwWJqPw_KSif3vnJhFZs_n2fUoTiFy8CiUN0rifcSrIZWgHDbFR0uwGZVInulAGueQIn-XcE/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <div>Ponys third level is coming along. Score didn't really reflect it and we still have lots to work on but he is feeling stronger and stronger! He finished the weekend with a 62% and a 63.5%. Favorite judges comment was "Lots to like here. Plus cute points 😁". Scores were all over the board from 4 (damn changes... but we did manage to get a 6 on one of our changes! That was a first) to 8s! Now to get more consistency in our test to keep the scores up. It's always a pleasure to ride this boy even if it feels like progress isn't coming as quickly as I would like.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_9ab4_7c21_3ca1_f8e8" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-91lLZpTYI8o/WNmeJt0eTAI/AAAAAAAAFRc/VAGrE-gbBfQ/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><img id="id_bb2b_6297_6e71_250f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ihwquuMIQ4I/WNmeJOSZe4I/AAAAAAAAFRQ/Dlet7Pofe3M/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div>Bentley also competed in his first derby where he did the cross rail class. It was only his 4th time ever jumping! He was super game and had a blast. Even jumped his first xc jump without hesitation! Unfortunately he demolished the last fence (picking up his feet is a work in progress) because if he hadn't he would have gotten 2nd place with a dressage score of 33.5.</div><div><br><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I161NHgfIXk" width="500" height="281" id="y_id_c392_fe90_3aee_62e6" frameborder="0"></iframe><br></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_6f65_9593_7868_daa8" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9hiksQMvFsPo_pcuQGIWfs1L5jCy913F4Y2V-TPPoEWyxd102Aiy12LPPcP35rLg-WVCOvQyxbiNKUvGp-8lF4UJsWZZiBhFb7FU00KFoI6O71r3dpnbWMqQp7VUfZDPanXATpob_Lo/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div>When your horse looks/acts like it could be going prelim and then shows up for the cross rail class 😂</div><img id="id_8c56_231d_678d_efda" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-283WI2lkVwU/WNmeJUbGKTI/AAAAAAAAFRY/XPDw5W-OeMk/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto; margin: 4px;"> <div><br></div><div>Looking forward to going back for this same show in May! Next time we will not be doing cross rails though!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-85770522763212906012017-03-21T09:45:00.001-07:002017-03-21T09:45:18.786-07:00Back to backBentley had a big last two days and I am pleased to say that he really rose to the occasion. Sunday he had his very first Teacher Mary dressage lesson. I LOVE teacher Mary. She has been there with me pretty much from the beginning with Mystic, and now Bentley too, which is super cool. The last few rides he has come out quite relaxed from the start which has been very helpful. TM had us focus on his rhythm because as we all know that is the building block to all. Being a very green OTTB baby rhythm is not his friend and is quite hard for him to maintain especially when asking him to do anything else along with it. We started with some forehand turns on a square where I had to keep him round while keeping him off my right rein and eventually progressed to completing a forehand turn and trottting off right away. His trot go less grounded/sewing machine like and his transitions became more prompt. We then played with bringing the circle smaller and leg yielding out to the big circle as I tried my hardest to not pull on my left rein that I think I must pull on to steer 😳 Next up was some baby haunches in type stuff down the wall where he really impressed me by picking it up quite quickly. It got harder and less angle in the trot but he still did it quite well. That exercise really helped his canter transitions because it helped get him to engage that outside hind leg. So not only were the transitions more prompt but they were not rushy and felt pretty good for where is he at. I'm looking forward to putting this all to work! And... he got the TM seal of approval. Can't ask more out of a day like that!<div><img id="id_8b73_1d6c_1edb_20a6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F47LDq44WAE/WNFYnrfy1vI/AAAAAAAAFQE/BPGIttJ2Ygk/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br><div><br></div><div><a href="https://instagram.com/p/BRjcH-egxFh/" id="id_4619_c56d_d444_fd97">First Canter Poles</a><br></div><div><br></div><div>Then the next night, our normal lesson night with the in barn trainer, we had our 2nd jump lesson. Figured it may be good to jump a little more before we go to a show and do it! It was a blast! As the lesson went on I could really feel him thinking about the jumps and my aids more. He progressively got better and better and really started to figure it out! Our biggest thing to work on is maintining a quality can't to the jump without getting faster. Because he is so green still getting a quality canter is hard enough without having to maintain it to a jump. But we pieced some 5 fence courses together including flower boxes, picket fence fillers, and cross rail oxers. What I love about him is that I can trust him to jump the jump. He is pretty brave and willing. The trainer and I discussed adding in some more oxers in the future to help improve his technique. He jumps quite flat over the small jumps but shows the ability to jump nicely when taken to the oxers. I think he is just not impressed. My homework is to not micromanage him to the jumps. I have to keep in mind that he is not my 3rd level dressage pony so I can't set him up like he is. We need an active but slower canter that stays the same in its rhythm without me changing anything 2 strides out. Super excited to see how he handles this weekends show!</div></div><div><img id="id_4956_c769_2221_296c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gIJc43C4rys/WNFYnXMI-DI/AAAAAAAAFQA/pbRkCFwL9AI/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-54182489083605871962017-03-17T09:52:00.001-07:002017-03-17T09:52:01.580-07:00Colic Scare and Upcoming ActivitiesA week ago The Wonder Pony gave me the scare of a lifetime when he showed zero interest in eating his dinner. This horse lives for food. He is like a vacuum cleaner and doesn't pick up his head until the food is gone. 30 min later when he still hadn't touched his food he got banamine IV (praise the lord for awesome barn friends!!) and a little hand walk. Thankfully he perked up some within 25 minutes but still wasn't 100%. I took my dinner and a chair into his stall and sat with him for another 30 minutes until he started acting more normal and showed some interest in the little bit of hay I put in his stall. The barn owners did a late night check to make sure he was still looking okay and by the morning he was back to normal! He earned himself a few days of bareback walks and went back to work on Tuesday. Thankfully he hasn't looked back since and seems no worse for the wear.<div><img id="id_851d_2c76_ac11_51fb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uiWzNSQXL2A/WMwUMAGIkQI/AAAAAAAAFPo/o56x3cLJGGk/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div>With that scare behind us both of the boys got entered into their first show of the season! Next weekend a group from our bar is heading up to DevonWood for their dressage show and derby. Pony didn't really need to go do it is more for me. I need to learn to ride this level better in the ring and the best way to do that is at a low key schooling show. He will show 3rd test 1 both days. </div><div><img id="id_c7d5_fd9_2715_1c6c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hPgqhfKG0Wc/WMwUMC3BYCI/AAAAAAAAFPk/2z0djIIXKtY/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div>Bentleys world is going to get rocked big time! I decided to do the dressage show on Saturday and the derby on Sunday. Mostly because for the derby division he is doing (cross rails for the win!) the dressage test is only walk/trot. I'm not saying our canter is anything to write home about right now but I feel really stupid doing an intro level dressage test all weekend. So Saturday we are doing training test 1 and Sunday he gets to hop around the cross rail course. Considering he has "jumped" 2 times in his life so far and this derby is in an open area there could be some entertainment involved with our round 😉 It will be a big weekend for him that's for sure! Also, the 25th (first day of the show) marks 3 months of him being off the track with me and it's his birthday! Looking forward to a fun weekend with my boys and my barn family!</div><div><img id="id_c9d4_5002_1bae_5a97" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K4JJN7Kt7Jc/WMwULzMoLUI/AAAAAAAAFPg/oGTd1Zma6ok/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><img id="id_c518_46fd_4a48_5e8c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d1RndJtQrM4/WMwUL3ftY3I/AAAAAAAAFPc/XL2BqxVn6Fc/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-19401993502839001082017-03-08T09:35:00.001-08:002017-03-08T09:35:35.841-08:00One of those lessonsBentley and I had one of those lessons where you finish and just apologize that the trainer had to witness it 😂 I showed up to the barn to get ready and got a message from the mediums (I can the teenage barn rats this) that I was jumping outside. Let's rewind a minute. It's our first jump lesson (he has been over tiny cross rails twice), first time riding in the outdoor in the dark, and he basically had a non existent ride the day before due to no fault of this own. This will be fun!<div><br></div><div><img id="id_b132_dc4b_d227_773f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1EH4ROZnKRw/WMBA5le1ZlI/AAAAAAAAFPA/d6wDq0SxUeU/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div> Pony want to make sure he is not forgotten!</div><div><br></div><div>I hopped on in the indoor and was riding a fire breathing dragon from the get go! He was amped. We headed outside and the first thing I said was "He is psycho tonight, good luck!". The first 30 minutes was spent in a trot that if you atattched needles to the bottom of his hooves he could nicely sew anything together. He was tense and paying attention to literally everything except for me. Once he settled slightly and started to sort of figure out the poles we moved to the canter where things were just as exciting but by now we were a little more relaxed (I use that term lightly). After cantering some poles a few times quite nicely she put up on a cross rail that he just stepped over like it was a pole on the ground. Once in the canter he did his best impression of a demolition derby and scattered the cross rail across the arena. The good news? At least he is a smarty pants and picked him his legs next time and actually jumped it very nicely! We then moved on to a small vertical with some flowers under neath. He came in a little wiggly but I closed my legs and he popped right over. Same thing with the "oxer" cross rail! And then the drama returned... he had been through the bounce of two cross rails a couple of times and was figuring it out when he decided he was done. And I mean done! This legs planted in the ground and even my 39" inseam legs couldn't get that pony moving. He was throwing a major tantrum. He was tired, everyone had left him, and he was headed away from the barn. Bad news for him? I was ready to take on the challenge. 15 minutes later he was going through the bounce better then he was before and we called it a day. I put his back on track sheet on, sore no mored his legs, wrapped his legs (it took him a while to figure out he had to pick his legs up and not take out the jump haha), and told him he would be a better man for it the next day.</div><div><img id="id_96bd_ac39_f0b0_60bc" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvDj_XMPmAYrmEo3-u3XZJBYQGjnxNB25QE_2C7W3XSfxtcqXxlHAa8BP7Ruy4Wf0qegicC0ChcGl0sAuyzhDHjFpughM0-7mZkXdOOOIFUXm6uHIWgHYuM2oiEBmD9edkxFuk8gjRNY/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"></div><br><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">The trainer suggested that the next day I take him back into the outdoor and just do some pole work so he doesn't associate the outdoor arena or jumping as being bad. So we did. It was dark and rainy just like the night before. I set some poles up and wouldn't you know the dude was 150% better! More relaxed in his work and was paying attention to me. Let's hope that behavior continues for our lesson next week!</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611859872203778803.post-13554335016362299112017-03-01T10:51:00.001-08:002017-03-01T10:51:15.248-08:00Changing it upAlthough I am often called the DQ of the barn I am definitely someone that cannot drill in the arena 6 days a week and stay sane. Recently, with both boys, I have been hard at work getting ready for the show season and even though it wasn't me getting burned out this time I think the boys were a little over the indoor arena. The weather has been so crappy we haven't had an opportunity to ride outside much but this week that changed.<div><img id="id_cd57_f4a5_51d5_1f8d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6Rh5sfawUvc/WLcYIc70pkI/AAAAAAAAFOo/EBGLZfpXSE4/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br><div><br></div><div>After our less then stellar ride in the clinic on the last day we followed it up with an even worse one. On that note I threw on his jump tack for the next ride and we went and played out in the outdoor over some poles and cross rails. And wouldn't you know it the dude was a straight up beast! He was looser and more accepting from the get go and we had a fabulous ride where he even cantered some cross rails. Then on Sunday a friend and I, which turned into 3 friends, just went on a hack down the road a couple of miles. It was our longest trail ride to date and even though another horse was all jacked up he maintained himself quite well. After the two rides of changing things up we had a flat lesson on Monday night and he showed up to play. He was very rideable and progressed throughout the entire ride. It was not without its moments of struggles but he didn't get worked up like he did the previous clinic. And that's when the trainer mentioned that I should take him to Tulip Springs next weekend to do the Eric Smiley clinic there where he could experience Xc for the first time 😳 It's not set in stone but I did put some feelers out. It may happen or it may not.</div></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_1774_2dae_3d29_da7f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CzGm1OSarvk/WLcYIp2xyRI/AAAAAAAAFOs/XtxgRPdQxFM/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div>Mystic has been doing well also! I have really tried to crack down on the things both JW and Teacher Mary have had us working on. He is accepting more weight behind and going deeper in his neck more consistently but still not without struggles most rides. We've been working super hard so he also got a nice hack day on Sunday to recharge. He is looking quite good body wise and feeling better in his fitness also. I am hoping to take him up to JW again this weekend if it all works out. And then we will see Teacher Mary again next weekend as long as I don't take the baby up to Tulip Springs. I am seriously loving having all of these lessons and wish I would have had the means to do this years ago. Better late then never I guess! We are aiming for Heart of the Valley in May at 3 level with scores that will hopefully reflect our hard work this winter 😃</div><div><img id="id_1f5d_dec5_39fd_e725" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LcrCo2ZMZ78/WLcYIdJVXnI/AAAAAAAAFOk/AK7mydsS-Q8/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><img id="id_9be_aec8_92e6_5843" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YUX5-LAvRo0/WLcYIbkkiHI/AAAAAAAAFOg/FZu3DfNBcC8/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697668284253060576noreply@blogger.com6