Specializing in Equestrian

Another 4 Star Rolex event and it was super exciting to watch on usefnetwork.com. I hope to maybe attend next year and cheer on all the riders. In the mean time, it is time now to get my own horses going. More on that soon!

As much as I love my work, I do take off occasionally to play. Yesterday I took my daughter to Greystone Equestrian Center to watch the dressage championships. Lovely horses and a fun day!

Greystone Equestrian Center 11-11-2012

Hopefully, Velvet will be coming home by the end of the week.  In the mean time, it is a flurry of activity here, new websites, adjusting the barn to hold both horses, the holiday craziness!

Her new name is Red Velvet Rainbow.  She will be on her way home soon! I can’t wait.

So I had to rescue Rubie, or She’s Rainbow. She was at an auction house in New Jersey, and didn’t sell in the regular sale, she was scheduled to be open for the kill buyers to buy her and send her to slaughter. I couldn’t let that happen so I appealed to all my Facebook friends for any help to get this mare. I am happy to say that old and new friends came forward with shipping away from the auction, help to buy this mare, and shipping and a month long stay at a quarantine barn in Pennsylvania. In the middle of December, my new mare will be headed here to me, her final and permanant home.  Now, all I need is a new name! 

Sunset Rainbow

Lunar Rainbow

Lunar Sunset

Red Velvet Rainbow

Redbud Rainbow

and whatever others I can think of!

So, I am in the middle of trying to train my 2 year old mare to accept all those things that make a good adult horse.  My goal is to actually mount her this summer, although of course she is so young that the only thing I will be doing is getting on, walking around a few steps, and getting off. Serious riding doesn’t start until after she is 3. Or at least it shouldn’t unless you want a broke down horse by the time they are 10. I want Bella to be sound as possible her whole life, so she is allowed as much time as she wants to just be a horse, she spends no time in a stall, as I feel this is not healthy.  Bella has fabulous movement, I would hope that in the future we can go to dressage shows and have a great life together!

1. I am human. You are horse. What I say goes. Please

take that into consideration when you are standing on

my foot.

2. Spilled grain is not “fair game”, especially when

it is spilled in another horse’s stall. It still

belongs to that particular horse. You have no reason

to go in and eat it.

3. Poop does not need to be hidden. I clean your stall

every day. I will find it. Do not hide it.

4. I do not need your help when I clean the barn, nor

do I need your supervision, or even your presence. I

have been cleaning the barn and stalls ever since you

lived here. I know what I am doing. Standing at the

door staring at me, will not make me clean faster.

5. There is no need to go into the barn and help

yourself to the feed. Meals are given at specific

times of the day. There is a feed schedule. You know

the schedule. I know you know the schedule. You know

that I know that you know the schedule.

6. Water buckets are not toys. Neither is the gate,

pitchfork, wheel barrow, whatever is in the wheel

barrow, fence, or the occasional dog.

7. The wheel barrow is there for a reason. Please do

not try to move it while I am cleaning your stall.

8. Just because I go into the barn doesn’t mean you

automatically get food. There is other stuff in the

barn. Stuff you don’t want. Like wormer and fly spray.

9. Sheath cleaning will NOT be enjoyed…by anyone.

10. Water travels through the hose. If you are

thirsty, do not stand on the hose. The water buckets

will fill much faster.

11. Not everything has to be high drama. None of the

following things will kill you: fly spray, plastic

bags, balloons, hoses, chipmunks and other small

rodents, or bright blue tarps.

12. Although I understand the need for you to go to

the bathroom, it is not necessary to hold it in all

day until the moment I finish cleaning your stall and

put away the wheel barrow.

13. Accidents happen. However, I’m not altogether sure

you’re not trying to kill yourself. Next time you

decide to impale yourself on some sort of object,

please try to do it when it’s not hailing, midnight,

the weekend, or Christmas.

14. While I appreciate your need to be clean, pooping

in your water bucket does not make my job easier, and

it deprives you of water. Please find a new spot.

15. Whinnying as loudly as you can in my face does not

make me feed you any faster.

http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/hutchison-claims-50000-grand-prix-california

This is cool, so Susie Hutchison is 58 years old and still jumping Grand Prix.  I have been told in my life that because I am 42, I am “too old” to do things. I don’t want to live like that, I want to continue to grow and do things that make me happy, like ride, spend time with my horse and my daughter, and hey, maybe I will even take a few jumps now and then.

So, on May 11, my Bella is 2.  She is about 14.2 hands, and tipping the scales at about 870 pounds, give or take as a weight tape is an inexact science at best.  So far, she leads ok,  works in the round pen, stands for grooming, bathing and general work, and is starting on accepting things like saddle pads, bridles, and other scary stuff. Next is more with that, saddles, starting true lunging work, and finally, the first mount. There is no time frame on this since I feel she will tell me when she is ready for this beginning work and she is still so very young.