My new blog!

Don't worry (I know you were!), I will still be posting to this one! I just wanted to let my faithful readers know that I've decided to start another blog! No, this doesn't mean that my daylength expanded to include even more hours for endless rambling. I just wanted to keep from boring to tears those of you (the few of you who read this blog) who aren't interested in hearing me wax eloquent on my main obsession--the Arabian horse.
Appropriately enough, my new blog is called "Arabian Horse Obsession!" Be warned--that is exactly what it is :-) My friend Julie, of Reinbow Valley Farm, has agreed to co-author this project with me. We may not always agree on everything the other posts, but we will do our best to add as much dimension and breadth to the topic as we can.

Please excuse the rough appearance for now--it will get better as I have time to work on it more (as this one has, right???).

(*Ibn Al Hassan+/ - one of the many gorgeous Arabs I will be discussing in my new blog)

The ponies are in Indiana!

It was a long trip in a very short period of time, but they are here! Last Weds evening, I caught the Greyhound to Chicago and then on to Omaha. I would've rather flown, but part of the reason for my trip was to obtain valid photo identification that Iowa would not mail to me. Without current (valid) photo ID, I certainly would not be able to fly to the meeting in Idaho next week.

My friend Kevin (the D.Q.'s mechanic) picked me up in the morning in downtown Omaha. I was still bleary eyed from a long, cold night uncomfortably squeezing myself across two seats of the bus in order to attempt some semblence of sleep. Hopefully I'll have the energy to detail the full story some other time. Kevin drove me to Julie's house, where I could finally shower and rest (but only after saying hello to my ponies!).

Julie helped me run some errands during the course of my brief visit. We headed out at around 11 am on Saturday morning, intending to take mostly interstate in order to avoid stop-and-go traffic. We weren't aware, at the time, that stop-and-go traffic did NOT intend to afford us the same courtesy.

In case you aren't aware, this has been one of the rainiest summers in Iowa ever (as well as other places). Severe flooding, primarily in central Iowa, has garnered national headlines. While we saw some of this intense flooding, that was not the main cause of our troubles. Our delay resulted from an accident (an apparently devastating one) when people driving past the flooding did not pay enough attention to the road as they must have been gawking at all the water everywhere. The only exit we passed where we might have been able to escape the backed up interstate proved to be under water as well, and cars that had attempted to ditch the traffic jam found themselves turning around to return and join us on the sweltering highway.

After roasting for at least two hours to travel perhaps 4 miles down the road, Jazzy and Zeplin were NOT happy campers. We pulled over to offer them water, but they were so upset they refused to drink. Both had slick summer coats soaked in perspiration from the heat and muscle use required to brace against ever shifting flooring.

Here are some flood pictures (Julie took most of these with my new camera):

Can you see the ambulance and the vans nearly submerged?

Farther down the road, we checked on the ponies again and found that the breeze created by cruising along the interstate at normal speeds dried their sweaty coats. We fed them while fueling up, hanging hay bags in front of each velvety muzzle. They were no longer angry, although they still didn't want to drink. They quietly munched their hay and gazed out the dropped down trailer windows.

We stopped a couple more times for gas, and in Illinois gave the horses an extended break in a hotel parking lot, enjoying the quiet still of the night after moving for so long. We pulled handfuls of grass and proffered them to the goat in her crate in the back of the truck, along with the horses. She seemed to take the trip a bit more easily than the horses.

For the remainder of the trip, we untied the horses' heads and let them relax their necks, heads hanging wearily from equally tired shoulders. This time they drank all the water we had with us. We did not unload them for fear that they wouldn't want to get back in the trailer so soon after such a difficult journey.

We reached our destination in Indiana in the very early hours of the morning, probably around 3:00 or so. The horses unloaded gratefully, stretching necks to take in all the new sites. They both snorted at unusual objects shrouded in clouds of fogs created by the heavy humidity in the air. Although Julie and I were just as exhausted, we made sure the horses were comfortable in their new barn, throwing them some hay and rubbing some linament (made from wintergreen isopropanol, witch hazel and water) along their sore muscles.

Julie unhooked the trailer and I drove us silently over to Jane's house to rest for a short time, combatting the humid condensation with sluggish windshield wipers.

My ponies were finally here!!

Pictures of the ponies

Thanks, Julie, for sending me some pics of my little buggers to keep me going until I can bring them here. Zeplin and Jazzy, the mustang-wannabes of Western Iowa!

Zeplin is quite the romancer of the ladies. He has all of Julie's mares wrapped around his hoof, apparently. With a face like this, how can they resist?

He even suckered Julie into scratching his favorite itchy spot for him, right on his fluffy Arab butt:

I'm planning a trip to come get my stuff, but there are certain problems I need to address. More on everything later (as always) :-)

Goat on the Roof!!!

Thanks, Julie, for sending today's amusing shots! Molly is such an adorable goat. Julie thinks she goes on the roof to look for me. I think she wants to see her old buddy Quimby. However, she's been making do with Julie's wonderful Tyler and beautiful new Doberman pup, Riddick:

Difficult decisions--Hannah

My friend Julie recently made an extremely tough and heart-wrenching decision. On Friday, she had her lovely 10 year old Thoroughbred Hannah (Naughty and Daring) humanely euthanized.

Hannah was the mother of Julie's gorgeous young mountain (aka Parker), the nearly three year old Westphalian gelding she has recently started under saddle. Parker inherited all of the best of Hannah's qualities. When he was inspected and branded for registration with the Westphalian verband, Hannah was inspected as well and approved for inclusion in the Main Mare Book.

When I met Julie, I had never ridden horses outside of an arena (lesson) setting. Her go-to horse for inexperienced riders was Hannah. My first trips outside the arena were on this gallant mare. We trailered to a couple places in the area. The first big group ride I went on, the Friday Before Mother's Day Ride in Valparaiso, NE, Hannah was my mount (picture below).

Hannah also carried my sister (Sarah) when she came for a visit this past September, and we rode in the fields around Julie's house.

When Hannah was sound and fit, she was incredibly fun to ride. She had a wonderful, smooth canter with huge strides. She collected beautifully and carried herself gracefully.

However, Hannah had suffered at the hands of her previous owners, before Julie purchased her to use in her breeding program. She had been raced a few times and bore a few scars from the experience. Her feet were horrible from laminitis, and it took a long time for Julie's farrier to correct them. Even after that, she wasn't always sound. She had very flat feet, and the large chunks of stone on the gravel roads around Julie's house were very uncomfortable for her.

Hannah also had problems with her eyes. She had a cataract in one eye, and the other had required surgery. In spite of these handicaps, she put her heart into whatever was asked of her. However, over the years, her eyesight began to fail her. This became apparent in little ways, such as increased aggression towards the other horses (she was an alpha). It was never so clearly demonstrated, though, as the day we took her away from her home environment to be euthanized.

Hannah was very familiar with trailer loading, but that morning she hesitated quite a bit before clambering into Julie's spacious two horse slant. She touched the floor with her nose, as if to assure herself that it truly was solid enough to support her weight. Her boy, Parker, stood at the fence and called frantically to his mother.

When she came out of the trailer, Hannah didn't even appear to notice the other horses standing in a corral not more than fifty feet away. She only became aware when they called to her, and then she lifted her head from her nervous grazing to neigh back, searching for them. I truly don't believe she saw them at all from that distance. There were a few dogs at this place, and Hannah couldn't really tell where they were. When Julie brushed out her tail, she lifted her back leg threateningly, probably thinking it was one of the dogs behind her. She would try to face her "good" eye (the one that had undergone surgery) to try to find Julie, but that eye also was failing her.

In the end, I think Hannah was relying more on feel than sight. She wouldn't have been safe to keep, even as a broodmare, because she could have unintentionally injured her own foal without seeing it. She was too insecure anymore to ride down the road by herself. The likelihood of her suffering injury in Julie's hilly pasture or harming one of the other horses increased greatly as her sight dimmed. That doesn't ease the ache left by her passing, merciful and swift though it was.

Julie's tribute to her mare:

"On Friday April 30th I took my Thoroughbred mare Hannah to a place up North Iowa, to be euthanized and then cremated. Her time of death was approx. 2:15 PM Friday afternoon. Got many pictures of her and hugged and loved up on her a head of time. Expressed my love to her and asked or hoped that I was able to provide her with the best care and a happy life while she lived at my farm.

This was the first time I've ever experienced a horse euthanizing. Wasn't sure if I wanted to be there while it happened but decided I had to for many reasons. Wasn't as violent as I thought it would have been but it did take her a good 10 minutes before her heart stopped beating and for her to stop breathing. The vet was shocked that she was fighting it that much and was trying to hold on. He had to give her 3 different syringes of the stuff to stop her vitals within that 10 minute period. He did sedate her twice before he administered the drugs to euth. her. She fell pretty gracefully and stayed down . Didn't really twitch or kick. I saw her eyes wiggling back and forth. Toward the end she took quite a few deep breaths and the vet checked and there was no heart activity but her brain was still trying to get her to breath for a few seconds more. Finally you could see that her sides quit going in and out and she quit breathing. It was a hard decision for me to make but seeing her after I took her out of her home environment, I got to see how she was really relying on sound and touch to recognize things or to find out where noises were or what items lay in front of her (treats, curry comb and etc.).

See Hannah has a huge cataract in her left eye and her right eye had to have surgery in the past from her scratching it somehow. She didn't have 100% eyesight out of either eye and over the years it must have gotten worse. 

 

When we got there and unloaded her, I could see a frown on her face and she was worried when we got there because she didn't know what was going on and couldn't see very well to know where she was. She kept trying to know where I was when I walked away and if someone else was holding her she would fidget until I came back and held the lead rope. I bawled a lot that day. I was so proud to have her as my horse. She was perfect in every way and was the best example of the good qualities that the Thoroughbred horse breed entail.

 

When we unloaded her off the trailer she was on a big patch of grass grazing and off to the left, was a corral with quite a few horses in there. She didn't see them or know they were there till she heard them make a noise and call to her. I didn't really realize at home how bad her eyesight was because she was so familiar with everything at the house. It wasn't till I took her out of her element that I realized how bad it was. Seeing and knowing about that made me feel better about my decision to put her down. I had suspected but kept doubting if I was doing the right thing and needed to wait longer to make that decision for her.

 

I am glad that I have a foal from Hannah so I can still have a part of her bloodline in my herd. Hannah was a kind willing mare that had the best temperament and athletic ability. She was used as a lesson horse for a while and also taught many beginner riders how to ride. She was a special

mare that will always be in my heart. I loved her dearly.

 

On a good note::: The same day my beloved Thoroughbred mare was released from this earth, my friend miss Judy Willemssen was blessed with a new life with her gorgeous Lipizzan colt. Judy's mare had her foal at 5:30 PM on Friday the 30th. Congrats Judy!  A great day to be remembered in many ways.

Internet site to the place Hannah went... (I picked out a real nice urn for her. They'll send back the urn and a portion of her ashes for keep sake)... 

R.I.P miss Hannah."

I learned the secret to the universe!!

Yes, it's true! On Saturday this, the greatest of realizations, was bestowed upon me by the wise, all knowing riders of the Waubonsie Saddle Club from Sidney, Iowa.

Let me start from the beginning.

Saturday morning, Julie and I trekked down I-29 to lovely Sidney, located just north of the border between Iowa and Missouri. She brought her dependable and gorgeous Vivian and I had my beloved and beautiful (but sometimes bratty) Spotted Boy Wonder. We planned on camping overnight, so after turning the ponies out to graze for a bit and stretch their legs in the corrals of the Fremont County Fairgrounds, Julie pulled out her truck tent. Between talking to other riders and setting up tent, we lost track of the time, and before we knew it we had only a half an hour to get the ponies ready!

I collected the kids and tied them to the trailer so we could groom and tack them. I had Zeplin in his normal rope halter and thought nothing of this. I have yet to ride him in a bit, and both of us are just fine with that arrangement. Bits are for refining communication but should not be necessary for controlling your loving equine. My training goal for Zeplin is to put him in a simple snaffle when we are ready to work on collection. Until then, we are happy in the halter with reins clipped to the loop under his jaw.

Zeplin was understandably nervous, having never been around such a large crowd of horses. There were probably about 30 riders altogether, a sizeable group but not overwhelming for my young, inexperienced gelding. He pranced a little but allowed me to mount without issues. We were the only ones using English tack (Julie had opted to bring her Circle Y trail saddle to use on Vivian). I had the only Ay-rab of the group, as well. He wasn't the youngest, though, as some lady was riding a 2.5 year old paint filly.

The ride started out through a muddy lot next to the corrals and some pens for 4H show cattle. Zeplin felt tense, unsure of himself amidst the array of strange horses and humans. I soothed him with my voice and patted his neck, bending him in both directions to help occupy his mind and ease his nerves. He whinnied repeatedly, still confused and worried about the crowd. We crossed a highway and headed up a gravel drive to a large pasture filled with Angus cows and their young calves.

At the top of a hill in the pasture the ride leader halted, presumably to wait for trailing members of the group. Zeplin had settled some, and I allowed him to graze a little to help him relax. While we waited, I fielded a few questions about my sweet spotted boy. This was the first time someone made note aloud about Zep's lack of a bridle. I heard one lady advise her riding companion to "steer clear" of my boy since he wasn't in a bit. Umm.... ok... So far the only things Zeplin had done were a result of lack of experience (whinnying, jigging a little, but nothing at all out of control).

After our brief hiatus, we continued down a gentle hill in the pasture and through another gate into another section, this one wooded. Zeplin and I are not used to hills, as the area around my house is table-top flat. I knew it would be an adjustment for him, and I was determined to help him out the best I could. The most difficult part was going down the hills, as he tried to balance both me and himself without falling flat on his face.

As we continued, Zep settled down more and enjoyed looking around at the scenary. Vivian nickered deeply at him anytime she lost sight of him briefly. Julie chatted amicably with the lady behind her. Zeplin didn't like having Vivi behind him, so I tried to keep him in front of her but not too close to the generous rear of the big Quarter Horse ahead. He became better and better at picking his way through the trees and down the slopes (although at one point we did get a vine wrapped around us because I steered him to the side to avoid running into the aforementioned QH gelding on a downslope). I mentioned to the lady on that QH about how all the logs on the path would force Zeplin to pay attention to where he placed his feet so that he wouldn't trip. "He tends to gawk around him instead of looking where he is going, so he sometimes trips," I told her, laughing.

"Have you tried a bit?" was her sage response. I was dumbfounded. What does using a bit have to do with getting my boy to be more aware of his feet.

"I plan on working more with cavaletti," I replied, still bemused at her remark.

It certainly was a lovely day for a ride. In the protected hills with the bright sun shining down on us and the clouds floating overhead, the hellish winter seemed to have occurred ages ago. Zeplin enjoyed himself immensely, walking forward with eagerness and pointing those curious ears ahead. Anytime we paused, I allowed him to grab some grass while I visited with other people. Vivian wanted to be attached at the hip to her pretty little boyfriend.

At about the two and a half hour mark, I could tell my sweet boy was feeling fatigued, although he gamely continued. We were headed down a slightly steep decline and back towards the main pasture from whence the ride started. "This is the last large hill, isn't it?" I asked Julie, relieved that we would be returning because my boy was tired, but sad to have the experience end as well.

"It should be," Julie answered. At the bottom of the hill flowed a small rivelet through a ditch.  The group in front of us headed southeast from that point, and I thought it odd that we were not heading closer to the starting point. My worries grew even more when we rejoined a portion of the path on which we had already traversed and turned west again.

"We are looping around again?" I wondered, confused. I panicked a little, knowing my young boy was near the end of his endurance for now. I didn't want to push him beyond his limits and destroy the pleasure he felt in going out on excursions with me.

Julie cursed a little, noting that we were climbing back up a hill we had already covered. "Let's stop at the top to rest and let most of the group pass," she said. We allowed our tired mounts to graze while other riders continued on, oblivious to the condition of their own mounts. Zeplin was sweaty but still willing to do anything I asked of him.

At the crest of the hill, we slowly followed the others, still feeling frustrated and upset that we weren't headed back by now. Vivian, out of condition like Zeplin, showed her own signs of fatigue. "Look, that group looks like it's going back," Julie said suddenly, pointing to four horses and their riders who had split from the rest behind us and were headed back towards that hill we had just descended a short time ago. "Should we go with them?"

I heard someone mention in passing that the group was looking for a lost cell phone, but it was better to try our luck with them than to push our mounts anymore than we had already.

"Let's hurry so we don't lose sight of them," Julie said, pushing Vivi into a trot. Zeplin jounced along behind her. I didn't like rushing so much, but we didn't want to be left behind, either. We reached the top of the hill, and I called to Julie to slow down. Zeplin stopped, and I considered dismounting and leading him down. I could tell he really didn't have a lot of energy to tackle the downgrade. His very hesitance spoke volumes, as my boy rarely needs any kind of urging to move forward. I squeezed him lightly, asking him to try for me.

I tried to pick out the easiest route down the slope that I could find. The group on the bottom had spotted us and was patiently waiting for us to join them. Zeplin started down, but he would find himself unable to slow down, and he'd try to turn around to go back up. In stages we worked our way down, although towards the end he was speeding up and felt like he couldn't stop. He teetered on the edge of the ditch we had passed earlier with a trickle of water, but he managed to pull himself up. I landed on his neck but didn't fall off (although the sunglasses I had borrowed from Julie that were too large slipped off and landed on the ground). We were both relieved to be at the bottom of that hill, and I knew I couldn't ask that of him again on this ride. I'd get off before doing so.

After that, the going was much easier. Zeplin followed a man on his grey horse leading a buckskin paint that a boy was riding. The man cursed the paint mare, and at one point he dropped the lead rope. Julie offered to collect it for him.

The wooded area ended with a slight slope up a muddy incline to the main pasture gate. We rode through and found a lady there, sitting on a fallen tree and waiting with her horse. I'm not sure entirely what was going on, but I think that the rest of the group was supposed to have returned with us. At some point, the main ride leader had left, hence all the confusion. Zeplin and Vivian took the opportunity to graze and catch their second wind. Julie and I dismounted and let them eat.

In the course of discussing my boy with the man who had been riding ahead of me on the grey, he warned that I had better switch to a bit, hackamore, or bosal before I "ruined" Zeplin by riding in just a rope halter. "It would be a shame to ruin such a good minded, pretty horse," he commented.

While I took pride that he noticed Zeplin's stellar qualities, I was floored by this, the third time someone mentioned that I should not ride my gelding in just a halter. Nevermind that he was happy, forward, willing, and certainly well behaved. No, I was destroying him!

It was then that I realized these kind, insightful people had only been offering me the key to the universe: the BIT!! Why of course, that was the answer to EVERYTHING!! I was now enlightened, thanks to their diligent efforts to bring awareness to all the signs that I was training Zeplin wrong. Because of these people, I could now pinpoint all of these signs that I had been on the wrong track and was close to shattering the tenuous bond I had with my silly pony. I will list these warning signs now, so as to alert wary readers as to what to look for and set them straight by immediately switching to a bit so as to avert disaster:

1. Is your boy eagerly and willingly stepping out, needing only the slightest nudge (if that) to move forward?
2. Does your boy relax and walk on a loose rein, occasionally licking and chewing?
3. Does your boy listen and respond to your cues without a fuss?
4. Do you feel like you have a good, strong line of communication with him?
5. Is he well behaved and completely under control?
6. Does he work hard to try everything you ask of him, even when he's clearly tired?
7. Is he confident in your leadership and trusts you completely?

If your horse exhibits all of these symptoms listed, then you must put him in a bit without delay!! Otherwise, you risk crumbling his spirit and sending him plunging into despair! Oh, to think I nearly did this to my own beloved Zeplin. How can I live with myself and the cruelty I've inflicted by riding him in just a rope halter?

I have seen the error of my ways!! I will repent and use the BIT on Zeplin henceforth!

Or maybe not...

The rest of the evening, after having a lovely dinner provided by the saddle club, Julie and I shared our disbelief that so many people could be so set in their ways that they couldn't even realize that using a bit is not supposed to be about control. A bit is a tool of communication. If you don't have control established without the use of a bit, are you really in charge of your steed? Julie used to own a horse who would run through the bit. If a thousand pound animal decides he doesn't want to listen to you, is a piece of metal in his mouth really going to stop him? Training is the key to control, not a bit!

Anyways, Julie and I had a wonderful time camping out at the fairgrounds. No one else stayed the night, and we had to rush over to prevent the groundkeeper from locking us out of the restrooms. Zeplin and Vivian were best of buddies, enjoying each other's company in the small corral they shared.

Julie started a camp fire while I took my spotted boy over to meet a 4H calf tied to the rail a ways down the aisle from his corral. Zeplin had never seen a cow before this day. He followed me nervously, his eyes barely leaving the scary black monster. We approached and I held my hand out to the little heifer. She sniffed my hand and then licked at it. Zeplin stretched his neck out to smell her, but he didn't want to move any closer to the furry girl. Finally he stretched his muzzle to her nose... and that dark black tongue snaked out to lick him!!

Zeplin jumped back, eyes wide. "She tried to eat me!!!" he snorted, trying to spin around on the lead line and retreat. I wouldn't let him run away, but I didn't make him go any closer. I laughed at him, unable to help myself. He was so silly!

Vivian called Zeplin, pacing up and down the fenceline. We returned to her, and Zeplin happily entered the pen where his big girl could protect him from the crazy black beasts down the row.

In the morning, Julie hopped on vivian bareback while I saddled my boy. We rode them around the fairgrounds, noting that neither seemed sore from the previous day's exertion. I asked Zeplin to look at more cows, and he trembled but obeyed. We didn't come very close to them, but I would not let him wheel around and bolt or hurry away from them. I need to get him his very own calf, to help him overcome his fears ;-)

What an incredible weekend!! I'll be moving soon, so I have to enjoy these moments while I can. Thank you so much, Julie, for all that you've done for me and my ponies. We are going to miss you!

Happy April!!

Here's a trivia fact that's funny but true: my parents were married on April Fool's Day in 1967. They have yet to call the joke off...

My oldest niece, Samantha (Sammie), just celebrated her fourth birthday a few days ago. It's amazing how quickly the time flies! My younger niece, Nicole, will turn one at the end of the month.

Another exciting recent development would be my first ride of the year on each of my hairy ponies! I haven't made a lot of time to work with them, as busy as I've been lining up my new job and getting the house ready to sell. I decided on Friday that I would ride them both, wind or not (the wind had been blowing nonstop since the weather started to warm up--big surprise in Iowa, let me tell you...).

Jazzy was such a sweetheart! I had not ridden her since July, due to various reasons (abscess, crack in hoof from abscess down that had to grow out, starting Caly, getting trail time on Zep, weather). She had no objections to me saddling her at liberty. She stood perfectly for me to mount, and walked off with just the slightest squeeze of the leg. She resisted turning to the right (the side with her partially blind eye), but she didn't act up at all. I kept her in the round pen, and we trotted a little bit before I called it good. I retrieved Zeplin from where I had tied him on the outside of the pen (that boy really needs to work on standing tied patiently again--he used to do it very well). Jazzy settled in easily on the rail.

Zeplin is a four year old. Anyone who has dealt with a horse of this age (equitable to a human teenager) understands exactly what that means. He currently has the attention span of a gnat, distracted by everything and desiring to test his limits. He is far too comfortable around me and follows me happily, but he doesn't like my attempts to send him away. The best way for me to get him to longe is using a plastic sack on a stick, but he doesn't listen like Jazzy. I'm sure a lot of it is my own inexperience as a trainer, but one thing I really like about Jazzy is how responsive she is to my cues. I'm positive that it's because she grew up basically untouched. Zeplin is a spoiled brat, and while he knows better than to try to run me over or crowd my space, he still needs constant reminders of his place lower down in the herd (and not just from me, from Jazzy as well!!). This spring I'm going to have to step up his groundwork a LOT!!

Zeplin mouthed at everything while I groomed him (still building a second horse from his shedding hair). He didn't mind being saddled (at liberty) until I tightened the girth. However, in the end he realized he wouldn't escape his fate, so he allowed me to finish tacking him.

Mr. Antsy didn't want to stand still so I could get on him, so I stood on the overturned water trough I use as a mounting block and circled him around me whenever he scooted his furry butt away from me. Finally he was lined up next to me and stood still while I leaned over him and slapped at the saddle. However, once I swung my leg over, off he went again! Such a little turd!

I got Zep to stop briefly while I settled myself in the saddle and found the stirrups. He parked out, bracing against my weight. Just the slightest nudge and we were off, walking both directions of the roundpen. I kept him to a walk because he wouldn't relax and he felt testy. After a short time of reminding him to pay heed, I asked him to exit the roundpen and we walked into the yard.

Zeplin remained tense while we walked in circles in the pasture. He tried acting up a bit, but this boy lets you know years in advance when he's thinking of being naughty, and I easily diverted him with more work. He searched for things to balk at, and he tripped the first time I directed him over a log because he wasn't paying attention to where he placed his feet. We had a few episodes and fits, but for the most part he listened to my direction. I kept him to a walk because he never truly relaxed. I'm sure the wind didn't help at all.

Saturday I rode Jazzy again, but cut it short when Zeplin managed to open the clasp on his leadline and escape being tied to the rail. I sighed and slid off my patient red mare, quietly and quickly catching Zeplin to return him to his place on the panel. After that I worked Jazzy a little at liberty, then took her out still saddled to graze while I grabbed the silly gelding.

I pressed Zeplin around me using the leadrope as a longe whip. He bucked and kicked at me, but he moved his feet as I asked. My time was short, as I had promised Julie that I would help her put the second ride on her nearly three year old Westfalen gelding, Parker (aka The Mountain).

Way back at the end of February, I held Parker so that Julie could climb on his big back for the first time. She wasn't on him very long, and he remained on the leadline. The most exciting part came when she asked him to sidepass over to the bucket she used as a mounting block so that she could dismount. He understood and complied without a second thought!

Now it was time for the first ride off the line. I held Parker while Julie mounted, then I climbed on Vivian and rode around Julie's arena. Parker was hesitant and a bit sticky, but he didn't offer Julie any trouble. She rode him in a new rope hackamore.

Julie has done a lot of preparatory work with Parker (registered as Perpetual Motion). He has a very thorough and solid groundwork foundation. Parker will turn three next month. I have mentioned his dam, Hannah (TB), previously. His sire is the beautiful and extremely talented Pablo, who stands at Rainbow Equus Meadows in California. This boy is going to be HUGE (I tell Julie that he's definitely going to make it to at least 17 hands) and will be able to jump the moon when he's fully mature.

Towards the end of our session, Parker started to develop a little more confidence, and he slowly followed Vivian around the outer limits of the arena.

Julie worked Parker for about half an hour before sliding off his back and returning him to the barn. I continued to putz around the arena on Vivian, but the normally compliant grey mare felt pissy that day. She called after Parker frantically and refused to relax. After a time of walking her around the arena where she threw fits at little things, I stepped down and let Julie deal with her moodiness. It was most likely a combination of the wind and her being in season, since I know she's normally obedient and reliable.

The rest of the weekend consisted of more work on the house and little horse time. I probably won't have the chance to ride again until Thursday, that is if it's not raining!

Baltic Bon Vivant

My best friend Julie (of Reinbow Valley Farm) is trying to reduce her herd numbers, so I thought I'd promote her Swedish Warmblood mare Vivian (Baltic Bon Vivant) on my blog for her. Vivian was born in 2004 and inspected/ approved/ hip-branded by SWANA in 2005. She's a very solidly built mare and an easy keeper. Here is her Warmbloods for Sale ad. There is a video of her on Julie's website.

Vivian is a wonderful mare. I feel honored to have been just the second person to ride her. Even though I'm far from the most experienced equestrian, Vivian took care of me.

Vivian's sire is the SWANA registered, Grand Prix Dressage stallion, L.A. Baltic Sundance. Here is his information on the SWANA website.

L.A. Baltic Sundance, Swedish Warmblood stallion

Vivian's dam was Julie's dressage mount until she was injured and became unrideable. Ursala McMajor was a grey Thoroughbred mare, built like a tank.

Ursala McMajor, Thoroughbred mare

When my sister and her family came to visit, my three year old niece rode in front of Julie on her trusty mount, Vivian. Vivian has been on numerous trail rides. She has packed around children and inexperienced riders. She has also been used to pony my Caly girl when I was trying to get Caly to go down the road for the first time under saddle. She is very responsive and ready for low level dressage competition. She has also been schooling some higher level dressage moves. Here are some more pictures of this awesome mare.

Adorable baby Vivian

Vivian after inspection and branding

Our friend Deb riding Vivian in Sept 2009

My niece Sammie in front of Julie, Sept 2009

Me, driving Vivian July 2009

Pony rides on Vivian and Kate, July 2009

Julie and Vivian at Cunningham Lake, Aug 2009

I had better stop or I'll be posting pictures of Vivian all day! So if you know anyone looking for a talented dressage (or jumping) candidate with a solid educational base, this is your lady! Contact Julie or send me a message for more information.

Phoenix is back up for sale

I'm not ready to post about my beautiful bay girl yet. I'm still trying to distract myself from thinking too much about what happened.

Instead, I am passing the word that the lovely Arabian mare I sold back in August to a lady named Shannon from Adel, IA, is back up for sale. Shannon told me that her situation has changed, and she has to move from the farm she lives on currently with her two girls and three horses. I really appreciated her contacting me to give me the first option of buying back such a sweet mare.

Unfortunately, this is a familiar story in the rough economy we face today. I hope my situation is resolved before I have to seek desperate measures of my own.

I told Shannon I would help in any way I possibly can to find a wonderful home for Phoenix (now Bella). Shannon said there wasn't a rush; she has Phoenix pasture boarded at a friend's house for now. I'm not sure how much she is asking for Phoenix, but if anyone is interested/knows of anyone interested, I can always relay the information.

Basic information on Phoenix:
1999 chestnut Arabian mare
registered AHA as Praire Park Gerri (I know, I know, very unfortunate name)
previous posts with some background/breeding information here and here

This mare really is a nice girl, but she needs a lighter rider (which is why I sold her). A light adult or intermediate child would be great for her. She has been on many trail rides and was bred for endurance. Like most Arabs, she has a lot of "go," so she needs a rider confident enough to handle that. She is very level headed and not spooky at all. Not a mean bone in her body, but she is an alpha mare, so she needs someone assertive enough to remind her of her manners on the ground.

Here are some photos from past trail rides I shared with Phoenix:

Friday Before Mother's Day Ride (FBMDR) 2009, Valparaiso, NE - love the cute fuzzy ears!

Loess Hills Saddle Club Ride, Preparation Canyon (Moorhead, IA), September 2008

Our first trail ride together at Cunningham Lake (Omaha, NE), August 2008

And some pictures from just riding in the area around my house (Julie on Phoenix, me on Zeplin):

June 2009

June 2009

August 2009

So please spread the word! This lady deserves a great home!