It had to happen sometime...

She has been so healthy considering what she has been through, but I guess it finally caught up to her. She has a cold. Her eyes are weepy, her nose is producing copious amounts of snot and she has a cough. I called the vet right a way and he advised that I should wait just a bit to see if her body was going to fight it off. He suggested that as long as the snot wasn't yellow or green to let her body do the work. It would be good for her immune system.

Well as a mother it is hard to hear her cough, but as a barn owner with other horses to worry about it is REALLY hard to hear her cough. Although no one else seems to be showing any symptoms it still worries me. Her appetite is good and she still gets out in the field and runs with the rest of the bunch.

The first real trail ride...

happened, and it went off without a hitch. After the final adjustment have been made to Sammy's special saddle we were off into the woods alone. Yes, I said alone. I do most of my riding alone these days. Especially since I am back into training horses. I have to ride during the day and well, there just isn't anyone else around. So all saddled up and off we go down the long scary path that leads to the back part of the property. It passes along the side of the woods and of course it is spring. What do squirrels do in the spring? They play like mad squirrels, LOL.

I was so proud of her, because she would stop and look at the ruckus in the woods and then walk on with no problem. She is such a brave and trusting soul. She has really grown up over the past year into a wonder sound minded horse. I don't think I will ever be able to take her on some of the rougher terrain that I ride in but she is a wonderful horse for light riding. She doesn't have much spook and is very sure footed. This is much to my surprise, because the first few times we had weight on her back she wanted to trip on everything. I think she just had to learn to pick up her feet.

I remember back when I brought her home that I said I had always wished that I could have had Misty (her Dam) when she was young. I also said that I should have watched what I wished for because Sammy looked like a handful. Well, I retract that statement now. I am glad I wished for her to be like her mother, because she is. She is sweet, trusting, loving, honest, and forgiving. She gives her whole heart to please, and I continue to learn everyday that I am the lucky one in this relationship. She is truly amazing to have come through all the hardships and still be the sweet horse that I knew she was meant to be.

I am hoping to take her to some local shows this year. I know she is small but I want to expose her to that kind of stimulus. Because of her size she is perfect for a child to ride and if I can get her used to all the stuff that goes on at horse shows then she will have the perfect job as a school horse for the kids that come through my barn.

She is so naturally gaited and easy to ride that a young kid would have no trouble in a gaited class. So far I have not put a bit in her mouth. We have been riding with a bosal so that she could get used to the direct pressure without damaging her mouth if she pulls against it. Believe it or not she is already picking up neck reining.

Sometimes I forget who I am riding and ask for a turn by reins. Of course most of the time a young horse will turn the wrong way and I will instantly realize what I have done. Not Sammy, I ask without thinking the other day and she went with it. I realized it as soon as she moved that she shouldn't have known that. WOW just wow. She is amazing!

I know I probably have a horrible case of barn blindness, and you guys know I love her more than life, so of course she is the best horse in the world. Or at least my world.

So spring has sprung folks. Get out there and ride. Tell me about your adventures. I would love to hear about the horses you are working with and any problems you might be dealing with.

The proof is in the photo...

Of my big butt in the saddle. Sammy did SO much better in the DIY saddle curiosity of the neighbors bearing press. She didn't put a hoof out of line. No bucking, no rearing, no pawing, and none of the other stuff I expected her to throw at me today.

We made one lap around the large pasture and came back up to the barn for our photo op and to work on our steering. She was amazing! She stood for me to mount, and waited until I ask for her to walk off. She walked away from the barn and her comfort zone without any drama at all. We used some of the downed limbs as obstacles and she obediently stepped over them like she had done it everyday with a rider on her back.

We returned to the barn area for out photo op and to work on steering around the cones and she is almost ready to start working with a bit.

So with out further ado here is the photos of Sammy doing her best at being an angel.

I fixed it!

Ok, I had this AP English saddle in the back of the tack room. This was one of those "lets see if she will actually ride in it" saddles. You know the ones you buy for your kids when the suddenly want to change disiplines. LOL I wouldn't sell it, mostly because I would feel guilty selling someone a raging POS that is this saddle. There really isn't anything wrong with the saddle other than it is the worst leather I have ever laid eyes on. Structurally it is safe, it just looks horrible.

It was a medium tree and like all the other saddles in the barn swallowed little Sammy. Some time ago I, being the geek that I am, watched a show on the discovery channel that showed how an english saddle is put together, and how they adjust the gullet plate for a specific width. Well, I split the channel between the padding and luckily this saddle was a wooden tree with steel plates. My friend has a hydraulic press, so since the saddle was collecting dust and I wouldn't be horribly upset if it didn't work out, we put the saddle in the press and attempted to bend the plate.

When we took the saddle out I wasn't sure it was narrow enough. But when I put it on her back it couldn't have been better. I can now use a regular pad and it will clear her withers and sit in the proper postion.

Sorry for the horrible picture but I took them with my cell phone. This is the saddle after the press teatment. I am sure you can see why I was having such a trouble fitting her as narrow as it is now.



Here is the plate that I bent. I cut away the "leather" covering to expose the tree of the saddle.
So the next warmish day we have I am so totally gonna ride her in a saddle that acutally fits. Yeah Me!!!

Well We’ve Done It Now!

Sammy has not one but two rides under her girth! We had one misfire, and two actual rides. The misfire happened when I saddled her up and then realized the round pen was way too muddy for her to work in. Yeah I should have looked first but didn’t think it would be a problem.

Ride number one came three days later after the high winds had dried out the ground somewhat. She was completely clueless, but still a good girl to a time. My daughter aided me on the ground after it was clear that smooching and gentle bumps weren’t getting forward motion. Once we got forward, we worked on balancing a rider. Sammy is much like her mother in the fact that is built on a fine frame. She has delicate features and a thin chest. Most people would think this is from her lack of nutrients but really it is not. Her mother is a very fine boned horse and only looks like a normal horse now because she is really fat. LOL So, learning to balance weight on her back was frustrating for her at first. Apparently so much so that she tried rearing to show her distaste and we fell over. Don’t worry no harm done. It was a gentle sit down and step off. She however was shocked. I repositioned the (not quite so well fitting) saddle and tried again. This time the mount was much easier and her balance had greatly improved. A few more laps around the round pen and we quit for the day.

I was so proud of her! You just can’t imagine what it felt like. This is the horse that I thought would never be mine, and when she came home I was afraid I would never be able to ride. This is my baby who I froze my butt off for three cold nights in November to save. I was ready to scream from the roof-tops that WE DID IT!!!

Now here is the problem. She is very narrow, and the built up pad I have is not built up in the right places. The Aussie saddle that I used for her mother is still too wide for her. It is much closer than my western saddle but still needs a lot of padding. I created a shim for it for ride two and it was much better but still not great.

Ride two happened with much less fanfare sort of. She was much easier to tighten and much less anxious, she stood well for the mount (from a step of course) and walked off nicely at the smooch. But she had a surprise up her hoof for me. She decided she was going to try bucking. Every time I would apply leg to reinforce a turn she would buck. I corrected her strongly and moved on. Twice she tried it, twice she failed to remove me from her back. She quitted down and was following leads nicely so I decided that I would take her out of the round pen and ride her somewhere much more solid.

We received a lot of rain between the first and second ride so the round pen was very soft. I didn’t want to keep making it worse so I dismounted and went out to the drive way. We walked through the barn and remounted out front. She really was concerned and wasn’t sure about walking away from her comfort zone but with encouragement and soft words she took her unsure steps.

My drive to the barn is easily 3/10th of a mile long so we have a good straight stretch to walk on solid ground. She made it past the trucks, the old jog cart, and limbs strewn on the yard. Past the old red well house, more cars parked at my husband’s office, and didn’t even jump when Justin came walking around the corner of the building. She even was curious enough to walk up to him. We stood for just a moment to talk and then proceeded on up the drive. Turned around and walked (at the same speed) back to the barn. We came to a stop in front of the barn door and I got off.

WE DID IT! We DID IT!!!

Now I just have to find a saddle that is narrow enough to fit her properly. At this point I don’t care if it is western or English; I just want it to fit her without a lot of extra padding that makes it feel like your hovering over her back.

If anyone has a really narrow saddle you would like to sell please contact me. I am 5’9” so I would need at least a 17 ½ English. I don’t care if it looks like the hind wheels of bad luck as long as it fits and is safe. Since I do leather work and repair I can fix some things as long as the tree is in good shape.

I considered one of those soft saddles but I think I weigh too much and it might hurt her back. So I would feel better with some kind of saddle. Any suggestions? Send them my way. Thanks in advance and stay tuned for more.

Set Backs and Frustrations...

With the go ahead from the vet Sammy's training was to begin last Monday, but apparently I neglected to run my plans past Mother Nature. Monday morning reveled 1 1/2 to 2 inches of ice soon to be followed by 2 inches of snow. Our area had been hit by the worst winter storm in YEARS. We lost power at the farm and our house somewhere around 10 am on Monday morning and power was finally restored Sunday morning about the same time.

Of course with so much ice my farm, trees, and fences look like they have been through a war zone.

Everyone in Western Kentucky has suffered these kinds of losses including having the electrical service ripped right out of their houses. So I really have nothing to whine about except these oak trees were estimated to be around 100 years old. They were the one feature of our farm at the time of purchase that I didn't want to change.



Ok enough whining...

Sammy as you know has had some issues with stalls, and being confined. Those of you who have followed from the beginning know she has gotten much much better. However, we have not had an instance to keep her in a stall for more than just a night. She was in her stall from Sunday night at feeding time until Thursday morning. The ice was so bad that I was afraid one of them would hurt themselves slipping around so we kept them up.

She was amazing. No nervous pawing, chewing, kicking, nothing that would indicate any of the trials that she had experienced in the past. I was really worried how she would handle being confined for so long. But she never fails to amaze me.

I had wondered if keeping her at my friends barn was going to be hard on her but now I see that she has really changed. She is so much more relaxed and calm. It is so amazing to watch her bloom and change. I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that she would be just fine, but I was afraid to really believe.

The bottom line is Sammy is amazing, she is wonderful, smart and ready to start her new life.

Stay tuned, we are going to try again for this week. Wish me luck.

Holy Cow it's cold...

Sammy is styling in her nice new turn out. It fits her wonderfully, and I know she is glad to have it. We have been having single digit days and today we only got up to 18.

She has been such a good girl when she has had to stay in her stall. All of the in and out of the stall that has to be done to put on and take off blankets. I really thought we had totally gotten over the kicking.

However, I do think I have finally figured out the trigger. She is fine with me in the stall so long as I don't mess with her feed bucket. I can come in put her blanket over her head fasten the snaps, walk around and get her water, bucket bring in hay, or whatever else. She is fine with that but tonight I did something different without thinking. I went in to get her water bucket so I could bust the ice out and I walked between her and the feed bucket and shooed her as I did so. She immediately squealed and spun. Of course I spun on her with the momma AAAAKKKKK you better not. She stopped long enough to realize what I was doing and what she almost did and went to the back wall and stood parallel as close as she could get to it, until I left the stall.

She reacted. That was just it a reaction. She still has that fear of being hungry. She tries so hard to be good and do what I as. She just reacts like any animal that has been starved would. Bless her heart.

BUT, she stopped. She didn't kick, and she warned me before she went to far that I was upsetting her. How awesome is it that she has come so far? I know some of you may be thinking, this woman is crazy. She is happy that her horse squealed at her over food. Well, I would much rather her squeal than react the way she did last time she felt she needed to tell me she didn't like something.

This, as close as it was to being bad, is good. She is learning to communicate, to not feel as threatened. She is learning. That in itself is a huge accomplishment.

I imagine that I will always have to be very vigilant with my attention around her, but she has come such a long way. Food aggression is not something that is easy to overcome.

Well that is it. Not much else happening except the ice. I will keep you posted.

Will Wonders Never Cease?

It is cold here, 11 deg with -2 Windchill. So today I broke out the blankets. Everyone's blanket still fits Yeah! I had one that would fit Moon as she has finally grown up. The poor girl has had to have a new blanket every year. Of course everyone reacted as expected to the promise of a warm blanket save one.

I expected Sammy to react as any young horse who had 1) never seen a blanket let alone worn one and 2) hadn't really been exposed to anything that large going over her head. What she did was not only completely stunning but was repeated through the trials of three different blankets. I have a variety of sizes due to having young horses but AGGGG she is between sizes.

So here is the deal. I saved her for last because I wanted to see what I would have left. As I approached her with this huge horse eating thing, her eyes got larger, her ears dropped out to the side and she froze in her tracks. Ok I can work with this. I braced myself for the blot when I placed the closed front blanket over her head but it didn't happen. She actually stepped into it and then onto it. Tap, tap, tap, move your foot honey. She calmly picked up her foot freeing the blanket and as I suspected I had WAY to much hanging off the end. Sigh. Back over her head and over again with another. Same reaction, but this time not enough blanket. One more time over the head and this one will do. It is large but close enough. the belly strap is taken up as far as I can but we will see how it works. Straps done up in the back and no kicking or bolting. WOW

The turn out was fantastic! All the horses make their laps around the field and Sammy is no different. Only her belly strap comes loose and as she runs along it swings free. She then does the one thing I NEVER expected. She came running straight to me and stopped. My daughter and I fixed the strap and off she goes again. This time she is fine.

She wanted it fixed. She acted so proud to have a blanket and she acted like she wanted to wear it. She absolutely blows my mind. Moon doesn't like her blanket that much and she has worn one since she was a baby.

Could it be that she really was proud to have her own blanket? I think maybe so but I know this for sure. I have horses that will help you put their blankets on and the way she acted is too much for words. I just don't know what to expect next.

ETA - Sammy now has a new blanket all her own, that fits her just right. I will post a photo of her later. I think Lavendar Red is her color! *giggle*

I really don't know how they do it...

Farriers that is. I have been a bad horsey mom and have let my horses feet get a little behind on trimming. So today, my daughter and I trimmed horses or three of the 7 anyway. I don't know how farriers do it, I mean I can do one or two a day but I just can't imagine doing a barn full everyday. WOW, after trimming Rusty, Tanner and Trace I was done for the day. My back is still hurting and I did part of it sitting on a bucket. LOL

At least my crew are good about having their feet trimmed so I can sit on a bucket to help my back some. I just can't imagine wrestling with one who doesn't like it. Sammy is the only one who gives me any trouble and it is minimal at worst. I generally save her for a day when I do not have to do anyone else. I can take my time with her, give her breaks, and it helps. She has gotten better about it so it isn't so bad anymore.

Today she stood and watched with the most curious look. She has never been in the barn with the other horses were being trimmed so there is no telling what she was thinking.

Is anyone else out there doing the "Bare Foot" Trimming? If you are I would love to hear about your challenges.

Telling Tales...

Horses play we all know that, but the games they play sometimes absolutely blow my mind. Sometimes I stand there in complete awe at some of the silly things that amuse them.

The weather being what it is around here frozen water tanks are an every day thing. I have one tank that is close enough to the barn for a heater and one out in the large field. I keep the one with the heater full and the one out in the field I fill to about half full so they will drink it down and if it does freeze solid I can still flip it over without cracking the tank.

Well most of the horses just love to drink out of the tank while the water is running, a couple of them will even stick their nose under the running water and play. Well, Sammy comes up as I am filling the tank in the big field. The water is hitting on of the rings in the Rubbermaid tank causing it to splatter. She just stands there for a minute watching it, and the light is making the little droplets of water sparkle. After a bit she sticks her nose down in the tank, sticks out her tongue and starts trying to catch the drops. It reminded me of a kid catching snow flakes on their tongue. I stood there with my mouth open completely speechless until I began to giggle.

She just kept it up and then finally decided it was easier to get a drink the normal way. When she had finished drinking she stood there and watched the water splatter until the level was high enough that it quit spattering and then wandered back out to the rest of the herd.

Now I have watched horses play in water, I have watch two horses play in the tank, I have even had on climb in the tank, I have a horse who likes to drink right out of the water hose, but this takes the cake. I have never seen a horse try to catch water drops when there is a good 12 inches of water in the tank to drink from.

I can't imagine what was going through her mind, but I would sure like to know.

Just So You Know...

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you guys know that since it is now officially winter here that Sammy is doing really well adjusting to extended time in a stall. But because it is winter the training has slowed to a stand still, and there isn't much to report. I will continue to document her progress as I get things to share, so don't think I have abandoned the blog. There just isn't much to tell right now. When the weather breaks this spring I know I will have lots of wonderful news to share, as Sammy will be starting under saddle for real this spring.

Stay tuned, and have a wonderful and safe holiday season with your family and friends. Hug your horses for me!

Why I Am Thankful...

I am thankful for my wonderful family who joined me to be test subjects for my first batch of dressing. (it WAS good)

I am thankful for my non-horsey husband who supports my very expensive equine addiction.

I am thankful for my children, who bring light to my every day.

and I am thankful for my special horses.

Misty, who has packed my butt around for years. Taught me how to be a good horsewoman and an innumerate amount of children to be confident riders. She is the reason I have the others and after 25 years, she is going strong.

For Rusty, Bonnie, Trace, Tanner, Moon who all have Misty to thank for their easy lives, endless grass, and warm blankets.

For my darling Sammy. The little piece of Misty I will have with me for the rest of our lives. The one who I had waited so long to bring home.

I am thankful that she is filling out, that her mind is coming out of the shell she built to protect herself; and that she finally feels at home with the others.

This is Sammy's first thanksgiving with a full belly, clean water, and a warm barn.

And finally I am thankful for those of you who read my ramblings, who care how she is doing, and root for her continued success. I hope this day has found you and your family safe, and healthy. Many happy returns.

Houdini

With 22 acres of pasture, (even after a frost we still have some good grass), you would think that Sammy wouldn't go looking for more.

Well apparently she decided yesterday she needed to go for a stroll. Thank god the other 7 horses did not follow her through the hole she made under the fence.

Thankfully the neighbor noticed my little black and white Houdini and as he started his four wheeler, she proceeded to the barn. When he caught up to her she was standing in the hallway, so he shut the door and closed her in the barn. He then let my husband know Sammy was awol.

On panicked phone call from the non-horsey husband, I was on my way to the barn to find the problem. They (hubby and neighbor) went around the field to find the hole but didn't find one. So apparently she just magically appeared in the yard. Yeah Riigghhtt.

Since I have two other escape artists, I know what to look for on the fence. It just so happens that the two horses that Sammy is hanging out with are apparently good teachers. I found the exit point. She walked right out under the three strands of fence. Apparently my husband had unplugged the electric fence and since Rusty, Bonnie, and now Sammy know how to find all the weak spots when the fence is not hot. She just went exploring.

I swear, I have more than my share of smart horses. I just hope that someone else has to deal with creative horses too. Lord knows I shouldn't have all the fun. :-)

It's Published!!

It is official. Sammy is famous. Her story has been published in Horseman Magazine. You are welcome to follow the link below to read the article.

Guess What!!! You’ll Never Guess!

My long-suffering husband, bless his heart, is not a horseman. He loves them and does what he can to help me care for them. He is the muscle behind the heart and I don’t know what I would do without him. Anyway, last weekend we were presented with the opportunity to get an old doctor’s buggy. I have always wanted one of these but never imagined I would get one. HE BOUGHT IT!! I was beside myself with disbelief.

I have always taught my horses to drive, and have a jog cart that they pull with the hope that one day I would have a nice buggy. So now, it is setting in my garage awaiting some work. The appointment has been made with a nearby Amish man to repack the wheel hubs, and now I am on the search for a harness. The harness for the jog cart is different from the one for a buggy so the search begins.

Can’t you just see Sammy all cleaned up with ribbons in her mane, wearing a shiny black harness in front of an old time doctor’s buggy? Since Sammy is black and white and the buggy is black with tiny red pinstripes, it is going to be a beautiful picture.


Some of you may know that I have always been worried about Sammy’s size for riding. She has seemed to get a little taller with the addition of muscle, but I still worry. Now it won’t matter because she can pull the buggy. She will have a job even if it is just being a buggy horse.

Really if you think about it that is the most glamorous job, because we will use the buggy for parades and special events. I also have a photography business, so she will be a model when I use the buggy for a photo prop.

Ya’ll may thing I am crazy, but I feel like the whole world has just opened for Sammy. After all these years of being thrown out in the pasture, she has a purpose. If you have horses, you know they are always happiest when they feel like they have something to do.

Ok enough rambling for today, I am just so excited I could burst!

**Note** I blurred the background of the image because it was taken where we bought the buggy.

Look At Sammy Now

Today, the weather was great, a light breeze, and fall was in the air. I decided that Sammy and I needed to go for a stroll around the property and see the sights. The nice thing about fall is it brings out the bogeymen and horse eating gremlins. So I wanted to expose Sammy to all those so that when it is time for us to venture into the world together; she would be more confident that "stuff" isn't going to eat her.

The trip through the woods with the blowing leaves, hickory nuts falling from the trees, and squirrels running across the path in front of us. No problem. Walking up around the new construction of my husbands office building, with the saws, hammers, and drills. No problem. Rogue white Wal-Mart bag from the neighbors trash rolling across the yard with a breeze. BIG PROBLEM.

OMIgosh, I forget how fast that little girl can move! Long lead lines are a very good thing. Sammy covered 15 ft in 1/2 of a second.

Well, I am sure you all are waiting for more pictures so here you go. Our little girl is getting round. Her emerging winter hair is as soft as a teddy bear, and black as coal. I could groom her for hours just so I can feel her hair. Silk I tell you Silk.

Famous Sammy

Sammy is going to be famous! Her story is going to be published in Horseman Magazine (an online magazine) very soon. The article has been written, submitted and accepted. They are only waiting on a new photo of her to be processed.

My only hope is that her story will inspire just one person to make a difference. Maybe make a donation to a local equine rescue, volunteer their time, and if they have the means and the skills adopt and rehab a rescued horse. If just one person makes a difference then she hasn't gone through all this for nothing.

She is so strong, and strong willed :-) I am not sure how much of it is because of what she has gone though and how much of it is inherited from her mom. I always wished I had known Misty when she was a young filly. Misty is tender and loving, but still stubborn at 25, so I can only imagine what she was like at Sammy's age. Although, I think I have a good idea, hehe. Anyway, I am not sure how much of Sammy's behavior is because of what she endured, but she continues to have moments of pure hell mare; and bless her heart, when she is sweet she is THE most wonderful creature to be around. So I know our journey will not be without it bumps and bruises. I just have to hang in there and know we will continue to work through it together.

I will post a link to Sammy's Story as soon as I get the notification that it has been published, so stay tuned.

Sammy's Got Back...

The moment came and went with none of the expected drama. I decided that it was just time for me to quit being so over protective and start making some real progress with Sammy's training. So, Sammy donned a saddle yesterday afternoon.

She was unsure, wary even, but took it all in stride. My daughter, who is to my dismay is a much better rider physically than I am, was Sammy's first passenger. Tiff is lighter, and easier at the mount, along with having Velcro on her butt so I being a middle-aged self confessed big chicken, ask her to step in.

Sammy wore a halter, and a long line along with her reins so if it went bad I would be able to help Tiff. I didn't think it would but better safe than sorry, especially when you don't know for sure what may trigger Sammy to explode.

Where she came from there is really no way to know what had been done to her. I know from past experience that some of the people who hung out at the former owners farm were less than able horsemen and would do some REALLY stupid stuff.

With very little fanfare, Sammy walked off. She did not get excited about the weight on her back. She isn't sure about when to move forward but other than that is was wonderful.

We finished after a few laps around the round pen, and making several turns to the left and right. She backed up nicely and Tiff got off.

Sammy dropped her head into my chest and sighed. I was so proud of her! She didn't freak out! Her trust level is growing every day and it is such a wonderful thing to see her deal with scary new things with such a calm attitude.

I have a new goal for Sammy, one with a deadline this time. New Years Day will be a landmark for her. I want to take Sammy on a real trail ride on New Years Day. I want her to step into the new year a new horse. Strong, confident, healthy, and ready to take on her new life.

Stay tuned there is so much more to come.

Long Line Aerobics...

Well, it is a sure bet that both Sam and I will be sore tomorrow. I don't' remember Bonnie being this much trouble to start in lines. However I am very proud of her . She did not try to kill me, she didn't rear up, and she DID listen. Under protest but she did listen.

She has also found a new way to express her opinion and frustration. For every 4 steps she actually took 5. She would stomp her front foot pick it up and put it down again. I would have laughed but I was to busy trying keep up with those long strides. WOW, time really does make you forget the pain. I had forgotten how hard it is to follow a walking horse in lines, lol. She walks I jog.

Really though she did good, although because of her protests her nose is going to be tender tomorrow. But something else good came from her workout today; she discovered that a cool water bath isn't a horse eating monster. Up until today she was TOTALLY opposed to baths, but today, the cool water was a welcomed treat. She even drank from the water hose.

I am thinking she will get tomorrow off, her nose and my legs just might need a break.

Input Overload...

I can see the writing on the wall for me. I am going to be a lawn dart if I am not very careful. Now lets don't jump to the conclusion that I am riding Sam. I am not; but we are beginning the next stage of ground work, and OH BOY what an adventure it is going to be.

The Surcingle...

Friday afternoon proved to be exciting for both of us (Me and Sam). The new part of the surcingle was finished and ready for use. See I had measured to see if my equipment would fit her last week and discovered that it was WAY to big for her, so I had to make another piece to bring it down to her size. I brought her out of her stall and groomed her which she loves, and during this time I determined her mood was good so springing something new on her was somewhat safe.

I brought out the surcingle in placed it across her back. As before no reaction. I place the new girth plate on one side and adjusted to where I thought it would need to be, and crossed around to the other side to make the connection. At this point Sam began to have a concerned look on her face. As I pulled the strap snug her eyes got big; now keep in mind I have my hand between her and the girth so it wouldn't have a chance to pinch her side; and she shifted away from me. I stopped and soothed her and began again. This time she didn't swing away and she did decide she wanted NO PART of my plan to strap that unholy thing around her middle.

Now we all know by now that Sam's way of dealing with anything uncomfortable is to kick. She did but I was prepared. There are huge columns in my cross ties that hold up the loft. They make great things to hide behind when the but swings your way. They also make great places to hang crops and other correctional aides. We did the kicking dance for about 30 seconds and stopped snorting and giving me the death stare. Oh, bless her heart she is just like her mother, LOL.

She resigned to her obvious fate was not happy about this thing around her but it didn't seem to be so bad after all. I had no intention of attaching anything to it (this time) so I only made it snug enough so it wouldn't slip if she ran with it on. Now that she was somewhat calm again it was off to the round pen. Like a perfect angel she fell right into our routine, yielding her hind and shoulder, and the one thing I was worried about circling. She didn't buck or kick out but she did run, well gait really fast. What she did would be the equivalent of a extended trot for other breeds, but wow she is going to be athletic.

The instant that she calmed down and walked with her head relaxed we switched directions. Again flying circles, but this time only one, and back to her relaxed posture. COOL! The brain is engaged. I immediately stopped at this and took everything off. She had done what I wanted which was deal with the new equipment in a calm manner; and she didn't even break a sweat. She got her scratches and her hug (she loves to have her face hugged) and off to eat grass.

Now here at Southern Oak besides horses we have teenagers. They tend to be as unruly as the horses sometimes, LOL. But I had a house and barn full of them this weekend, so any serious work would have to wait for another day. I am hoping to work with her again on Monday, if it is not raining. My kingdom for an in door arena *sigh* but that I am afraid is not going to happen any time soon. College tuition is the pressing matter of the moment. *Shameless plug* My son began his college education last month at the University of Kentucky majoring in Mechanical Engineering. I am such a proud mom!

So I will keep you all up dated on her progression. Hopefully we will add lines to the surcingle this week and be closer to the cart work. She may surprise me and not make a lawn dart out of me when we get to the saddle part. I can only hope, and ask for lots of prayers.