It was barely dry enough in the arena to even consider longing the horses. They both let me know it'd been too long since the last workout, too.
Harley bucked a fit for about five minutes. I have a hunch he stepped on a fire ant pile, because he was kicking up and out with some serious force on his hind legs. I refused to let him run like a maniac on the line, however, and made him stop and back up every time he tried being silly. Once he settled down, work lasted about 25 minutes total.
Romeo was much of the same, only wilder. Yep, the old man really got his run on. I held on, and when he turned towards me for a rollback on the line, he kicked his hooves up, tail flagging. "Oh no way, son. Not doing that again!" I chased him on the circle with the longe whip, and any time he got his body too close to mine, snap! Work lasted about 30 minutes. I believe by the end Romeo realized there was no point in kicking up his heels - take too much effort. :)
Friday, February 17, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Another Me and the Weather
Wow.. Rain .. First off, holy rain, Batman! I have one large pond instead of two big puddles. Standing water all over the pastures, in the side yard (receding). The road ditches are full, and we sure have water! It rained pretty hard overnight and through the morning. Surprisingly, the horses aren't coated in mud.. I see that happening in another day or two. That means, no riding. I may take Mo down the road tomorrow, but we won't get far before we're in muddy ditches, which isn't really very nice for him.. :( Might try to rent some time at the Equestrian center up the highway for Friday morning... Then I can "get my fix" in for a little while..
Went to the dr today. Test check up from 6 weeks ago.. The medicine he put me on, is in fact working. My system is acting more like "normal", and that's really good. If things had continued as they were, I was probably facing surgery. That means remain on the medicine I'm on. I asked about the mood swings, and my general disposition. It's a combination of a side effect of what I'm taking, and some stress from work and life. As a result, he's adding yet another medication. 6 weeks to "peak" in effectiveness, and I'm supposed to call & let them know how it is working. If it's working well, he'll extend the prescription.
I have no problem all day taking vitamins and supplements... you know, "natural" things. I am not a big fan of "prescriptions". Makes me feel, oh, I don't know.. weak.. limited, "not quite right". Maybe that's the "bug/virus" in my brain that has always made me feel kind of inadequate. This new medicine might help that.
I do know everybody around me, human and creature alike, will probably like me a lot more if this new medicine works. I'm optimistic.
Went to the dr today. Test check up from 6 weeks ago.. The medicine he put me on, is in fact working. My system is acting more like "normal", and that's really good. If things had continued as they were, I was probably facing surgery. That means remain on the medicine I'm on. I asked about the mood swings, and my general disposition. It's a combination of a side effect of what I'm taking, and some stress from work and life. As a result, he's adding yet another medication. 6 weeks to "peak" in effectiveness, and I'm supposed to call & let them know how it is working. If it's working well, he'll extend the prescription.
I have no problem all day taking vitamins and supplements... you know, "natural" things. I am not a big fan of "prescriptions". Makes me feel, oh, I don't know.. weak.. limited, "not quite right". Maybe that's the "bug/virus" in my brain that has always made me feel kind of inadequate. This new medicine might help that.
I do know everybody around me, human and creature alike, will probably like me a lot more if this new medicine works. I'm optimistic.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
2/12/12 Me Update
I see the doctor tomorrow for a check up, and plan to mention some of the other things going on in my head. A few things I've noticed this past week..
If I sleep really well, the next day isn't so bad.
Inversely, if I don't sleep well, it's a long and crummy day.
To that end, I've been lightly medicating the sleep, and that seems to be working. As a chemist, of course, I'd like to understand how that's working, and how the medicine connects to sleep connects to general disposition. Hoping to understand that very soon.
In the meanwhile, there are neat things happening around the house. I've taken the plunge into a new, much shorter, hairstyle. It's been on my wish list for a while, and so far, it's nice...
Around the barn, Romeo got a new halter yesterday from MrsM. We'll be at least going down the road in it later this morning, and I'll get some pictures to share. Harley has some BIG news, as we're teaming up with R.E.S. Boots to design him a "small" splint boot. Once I get some video taken of us fitting the new boots to his front legs, I'll post it, along with the rest of the story. My little Harley is a boot model! :)
If I sleep really well, the next day isn't so bad.
Inversely, if I don't sleep well, it's a long and crummy day.
To that end, I've been lightly medicating the sleep, and that seems to be working. As a chemist, of course, I'd like to understand how that's working, and how the medicine connects to sleep connects to general disposition. Hoping to understand that very soon.
In the meanwhile, there are neat things happening around the house. I've taken the plunge into a new, much shorter, hairstyle. It's been on my wish list for a while, and so far, it's nice...
Around the barn, Romeo got a new halter yesterday from MrsM. We'll be at least going down the road in it later this morning, and I'll get some pictures to share. Harley has some BIG news, as we're teaming up with R.E.S. Boots to design him a "small" splint boot. Once I get some video taken of us fitting the new boots to his front legs, I'll post it, along with the rest of the story. My little Harley is a boot model! :)
2/10 & 2/11
Arrived home from work Friday night with a bit of caution about riding. I knew it had rained Thursday night, and Friday morning, but unsure how much.
Ew.. Wet, puddly, mess. Being completely honest, I'm thankful for the rain. We need it, the farmers need it, the cattle ranchers need it. I know of friends that are getting rid of some of their cattle herd (translation: Your beef dinners) because they can't find hay to feed.
So here, we're watching the standing water dry out. Saturday it still didn't look good up by the house for riding, so I didn't even bother walking out to the arena. I know the pond has plenty of standing water, and that's terrific.
More wet on the way today and tomorrow... I might be back to washing polo wraps, saddle pads, and scrubbing tack if this keeps up. :)
Ew.. Wet, puddly, mess. Being completely honest, I'm thankful for the rain. We need it, the farmers need it, the cattle ranchers need it. I know of friends that are getting rid of some of their cattle herd (translation: Your beef dinners) because they can't find hay to feed.
So here, we're watching the standing water dry out. Saturday it still didn't look good up by the house for riding, so I didn't even bother walking out to the arena. I know the pond has plenty of standing water, and that's terrific.
More wet on the way today and tomorrow... I might be back to washing polo wraps, saddle pads, and scrubbing tack if this keeps up. :)
Friday, February 10, 2012
2/8 & 2/9 Quicks
Romeo and I puddled around in his bareback pad 2/8. Walked around the yard, down the road a little bit, and around his pasture. Nothing fantastic, nothing training/teaching, just a walk/trot stress break that I needed. He gets an eager look when I greet him in the bridle rather than the halter. Bit in first thing, he realizes "this isn't going to be work, just a quiet walk."
Harley and I rode last night just before the rain storms came. Endurance saddle, since I didn't feel like getting my dressage or hunt seat wet. He was good, and quiet. Stiff asking for a nice collected walk. Trot work was quite good, canter work improves each day. I sat the trot, and he started shortening his stride. Ugh. Yuck.
Also rode Harley through some leg yields early in the ride. Improving. First time I tried it, things didn't go so well. I settled for a step or two of effort. Last night, got quite a bit more. I was riding up quarterlines and yielding to the rail. Fantastic results. He stayed quite straight, and, while he didn't have huge cross-over steps, he was making the effort to work himself over to the rails without bending his neck. Nice job kiddo.
Harley and I rode last night just before the rain storms came. Endurance saddle, since I didn't feel like getting my dressage or hunt seat wet. He was good, and quiet. Stiff asking for a nice collected walk. Trot work was quite good, canter work improves each day. I sat the trot, and he started shortening his stride. Ugh. Yuck.
Also rode Harley through some leg yields early in the ride. Improving. First time I tried it, things didn't go so well. I settled for a step or two of effort. Last night, got quite a bit more. I was riding up quarterlines and yielding to the rail. Fantastic results. He stayed quite straight, and, while he didn't have huge cross-over steps, he was making the effort to work himself over to the rails without bending his neck. Nice job kiddo.
2/7/12 Testing the HuntSeat
Tuesday it was finally dry enough to get out the newly-gulleted (for the third time) huntseat and see how it fit.
Longe warmup was nice. No neck stretcher, just some time on the line to stretch out. I didn't intend on riding on a collected rein, just light contact to see how he was moving in the saddle.
The ride was good. Two fingers' stacked clearance for the entire ride, all three gaits, including a little two point. He was polite, and when I shortened my reins subconsciously, Harley gave into the pressure, and rounded up. Oops, baby. Sorry, dear... Anyways, a polite ride, considering the time off from "real hard work", and the cooler breezy weather.
I could hear deer rumbling around in the treelines throughout the ride, so I stayed on the "treeless" side of the arena at the rail, but rode inside the rail on the treeline side. Behind the pond, at the treeline, I saw a young deer pause at the pond. I saw same deer hop over the edge of the pond. Harley hadn't reacted.
He did, however, react, when same deer sprinted along the backside of the arena. Within a few seconds, he turned completely around, and was 5' farther away down into the arena. I remember thinking, "Out of his face, heels down." One lost stirrup later, I had him stopped, and was still aboard. Nice .. Serious progress to have him spook, I stayed on, and got him under control rather quickly. Huge advantage in my seeing the deer before he did.
After all that, back at the trailer, I paid a close look to his back and sweat marks. Even sweat on both sides, top to bottom. Not all of the side of the saddle up front is touching, but there's a bunch of wool can be added there as well. The same awesome saddle fitting ladies that came for his dressage saddle will be back in town in March, so we'll be scheduling some of their time.
Longe warmup was nice. No neck stretcher, just some time on the line to stretch out. I didn't intend on riding on a collected rein, just light contact to see how he was moving in the saddle.
The ride was good. Two fingers' stacked clearance for the entire ride, all three gaits, including a little two point. He was polite, and when I shortened my reins subconsciously, Harley gave into the pressure, and rounded up. Oops, baby. Sorry, dear... Anyways, a polite ride, considering the time off from "real hard work", and the cooler breezy weather.
I could hear deer rumbling around in the treelines throughout the ride, so I stayed on the "treeless" side of the arena at the rail, but rode inside the rail on the treeline side. Behind the pond, at the treeline, I saw a young deer pause at the pond. I saw same deer hop over the edge of the pond. Harley hadn't reacted.
He did, however, react, when same deer sprinted along the backside of the arena. Within a few seconds, he turned completely around, and was 5' farther away down into the arena. I remember thinking, "Out of his face, heels down." One lost stirrup later, I had him stopped, and was still aboard. Nice .. Serious progress to have him spook, I stayed on, and got him under control rather quickly. Huge advantage in my seeing the deer before he did.
After all that, back at the trailer, I paid a close look to his back and sweat marks. Even sweat on both sides, top to bottom. Not all of the side of the saddle up front is touching, but there's a bunch of wool can be added there as well. The same awesome saddle fitting ladies that came for his dressage saddle will be back in town in March, so we'll be scheduling some of their time.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
I don't know Uncle Jimmy
But he's a naughty guy ... Look at the names of these horse treats, and tell me you don't blush even a little.. :-/
http://www.unclejimmys.com
Okay okay.. so I needed that humor in my week so far... :)
For the love of weather, somebody go ride a horse and take a picture! Thanks MrsM, SunnySD, and Jessie for the updates. Go look at Jessie take a flying lesson off of Oakley! And see MrsM loping Phatty! Sunny, You lesson-taking lady! So jealous!! :)
I hope to hop on Harley tonight. Test out the yet more narrow gullet in his hunt saddle. I hope it fits I hope it fits.
http://www.unclejimmys.com
Okay okay.. so I needed that humor in my week so far... :)
For the love of weather, somebody go ride a horse and take a picture! Thanks MrsM, SunnySD, and Jessie for the updates. Go look at Jessie take a flying lesson off of Oakley! And see MrsM loping Phatty! Sunny, You lesson-taking lady! So jealous!! :)
I hope to hop on Harley tonight. Test out the yet more narrow gullet in his hunt saddle. I hope it fits I hope it fits.
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