Project: Saddle Sabumi

Yard Sale!!!

2011-12-15T20:25:00.001-06:00

Not sure if anyone reads this blog anymore, but I thought I would post some items for sale. If you are interested, contact me and we can negotiate prices. I will continue to add items and pictures as I get to them.

Circle Y Expedition saddle. 15" rough out seat. Lightly used, great condition, has light scuffing on right side. Includes rigging and *nice* dark green carry bag. $1300

~~SOLD!!!~~ ~~Zilco endurance bridle- dark green biothane, headstall snaps onto halter. Great bridle, brass is no longer shiny. Arab sized. $60~~

~~SOLD!!! Biothane sponge leash and natural sea sponge. Sponge is brand new in package. leash is silver. $20 for both~~

Easycare cantle pack. Dark Green, holds 2-20oz water bottles, included. Brand new, never used. $50

Toklat cool back saddle pad. Round shape, 30x30. Dark green with suede wear leathers. Nice. $50

Reinsman Tacky Too saddle pad. 28x33, shaped/contour pad. Fits tucker and endurance type saddles. $75

~~SOLD!!!! Renegade Hoof Boots- barely used. dark green. Pair. Size 1. $120/pair~~

Hay bags, really nice.Fabric with 'grid' window in front, velcro closure, and wood at the top to hold shape, straps are nylon with buckles. Dark green. $20/pair

Blankets/sheets/cooler- 70"-72". most are used, some are new. Price varies. All are from Schneiders.

StormShield New Briton Bellyband turnout blanket in Navy. These are the midweight blankets and have been torn and repaired several times. Still work, would be perfect as an indoor blanket or under a waterproof sheet. I wouldn't rely on them to be waterproof anymore. I have a 70 and a 72 inch. The 70 has "Sabumi" embroidered on the bellyband. $20 each

~~SOLD!!! DuraTech Tekno-Fleece Contoured Cooler- 70", black, has "Sabumi" embroidered on the bellyband. Great condition, Great cooler. $25~~

Dura-Tech Viking II turnout-midweight blanket and sheet- both are 72" and green with black trim. These were used for less than one winter season. Were worn indoors for majority of the winter. Very good conditions. Practically brand new! $40 for the sheet, $50 for the blanket.

Truckbed Tent- really cool tent. Fit our F150 6'6"bed perfectly. $100

~~SOLD!!! Vibram 5 fingers Bikala LS- ran in them for one mile every other day for two weeks- less than 8 miles total. Sz 36, which is about a 6. $75~~

2006 F150. 74k miles. Super Cab XLT. 4x4 high and low, Tow package, B&W turnover ball, break assist in cab. Great condition. $15,500. Check link for ad on cars.com.

Awesome Boomer Update!!!

2011-12-07T11:45:00.001-06:00

I just checked the AERC horse records and saw a great update on Boomer! His new owners took him to NJ for a 50 mile ride in mid-November and he did AWESOME!!! Our of 34 starters, 28 horses finished and Boomer finished 12th with a ride time of 5 hours and 14 minutes!!! I knew that he could be a rock star with the right owner! I am so proud of him!

New blog!

2011-10-19T13:33:00.000-05:00

With this new stage in my life comes a new blog!

Join me over at Mama Mullholland to keep up to date with our life!!!

Perfect Match!

2011-09-20T12:07:00.000-05:00

Well, friends, I am SO happy to tell you that Boomer has found the perfect home!

I am so glad that this story has a happy ending!

I posted Boomer on endurance.net classifieds and got several replies. The one that stood out was from a couple from Iowa. They have several decades of arabian and endurance experience. They have thousands of competition miles. They do FEI rides. They travel to Florida in the winter and do rides year round.

They came to meet Boomer and were very happy with him. They are aware of his behavior issues and did not seem phased by that at all.

This is the perfect situation for Boomer and I am able to move on with a happy heart!

Thank you all for being so understanding and supportive during this difficult time for me!

***

Horses will always be important to me. I hope to take frequent riding lessons and continue to learn and improve. I also hope someday to own another horse. But, for now, I am endlessly happy to spend my days with this little joy:

We Need Help

2011-09-04T22:51:00.000-05:00

Fellow readers, you may have noticed that the blog was closed for several days. I have been in a period of deep thought while trying to cope with the situation of finding Boomer a new home.

I am at a point where I am emotionally ready to rehome him. Unfortunately, the horse market is not active right now. Especially not for a horse like Boomer who has a behavior problem (ie. pulling back and chinchyness).

I need help finding him a good home. This is not about money or making a profit off of him. He just deserves a good, understanding home.

Currently, he is starting his second month of training. He has not pulled back in over 3 weeks and is riding well. He needs someone who wants to work with him regularly to hold him accountable and have high expectations for him. He needs someone who is confident and strong on the ground.

I do not have the kind of time he needs and can't justify having a horse with his needs as a mother to a young baby.

I need him to find a good home by the end of this month. We can't just keep him in training indefinitely.

In the past, Boomer was a wonderful project for me. My perspective has changed since having a baby and Boomer and I are no longer good partners. When I was working with Boomer daily and getting him regular exercise, we were a great team. Now, with only two days a week to see him and a new baby at home, I can no longer invest the time and attention that Boomer needs to thrive.

Please, if you know a person or a rescue organization who would take Boomer, contact me. He is a wonderful riding horse if you can just work through his ground manner issues.

End of the road

2011-08-16T13:01:00.001-05:00

I'm really sad, but not at all surprised that I am writing this post.

We have tried to help Boomer for over 3 years and he just is who he is. Unfortunately, his bad habit is dangerous.

For those of you who have been following the blog for a while, you know we have had our ups and downs. I have always kept trying and kept giving Boomer more chances to prove himself.

The fact is that he is an incredible athlete. I know he could be a star. He is totally capable of being a 100 mile horse. He could probably do Tevis. I am amazed at his ability and strength.

Unfortunately, he is reactive. I wouldn't even say that he is spooky. When something happens to upset him or doesn't go his way, he reacts in a big and dangerous way. This manifests as either pulling back while tied or throwing himself over backwards.

I have tried avoiding situations that make him flip, which does work to an extent, but makes me miserable to be walking on eggshells around him. We have thrown countless dollars in training at him to no change.

Our trainer agrees, he isn't scared. He gets mad.

I think that someone with more time, confidence, and knowledge could give Boomer a great home and use him to his potential.

I am just no longer able to feel safe around him. I have spent the last few weeks thinking of what I need to feel safe with him. I need to hear the words "He is cured, he will never pull back or blow up again". No one can tell me that. He went almost 2 years without pulling back. No one can guarantee that he will never blow up again, because he does it in protest, not out of fear.

If it was fear, it would be something that sacking-out or exposure could fix.

Unfortunately, my confidence has taken a pretty big hit in this process. I have a bit of fear and anxiety now around all horses. I feel like I am just waiting for them to blow up and flip over in the cross ties or whatever.

I need to take a step back and just take lessons for a while to rebuild my confidence. Maybe try a new discipline and ride a few solid horses. I'm not looking to own another horse anytime soon. Our next horse will be one that I can actually enjoy and is also safe for our whole family.

By all means, if you think you can help this horse and give him the home he needs, please contact me. He is dangerous on the ground and I have no doubt that he will hurt someone someday. He is also a dream to ride and learns quickly. He is built for endurance and will do great things in the endurance world.

Boot Camp Breakthrough

2011-08-11T09:39:00.001-05:00

First day at the trainers, Boomer tried to hang himself on the hitching post. Not sure exactly what happened, but Trainer had to cut the rope to free him. I asked if he was scared or being bad. She said that she would understand if he was scared, but he was just mad that she was pushing and he pushed back, and she didn't relent, so he threw a tantrum. He was even trying to kick her as she was cutting the rope. Classy.

John and I have both seen this in him. When you ask him to do something and he says no. You better drop it or else he is gunna get mad. When he gets mad, his general response is to blow backwards as hard as possible. Luckily, Trainer isn't a wuss and she kept pushing.

After this, she tossed him in the round pen with a tarp. He proceeded to run through the panels and escape. He scraped up his front leg. His reward was to be tied to a tree, away from the barn, in a pasture of llamas. Apparently, he stood quietly for the remainder of the afternoon.

Next day, he got tied up to have his leg hosed. He stood dead still for that (!!!) and also stood dead still for the next 6 hours while a variety of tractors and 4-wheelers buzzed by all afternoon.

We think he knows.

I am glad that he had such big blow-ups right away. At first, I was disappointed, but John pointed out that it is a really great sign that Trainer is pushing all of the right buttons. She knows first hand what she is working with and can quickly set goals.

3 days down... 57(?) to go...

Boomer goes back to Boot Camp!

2011-08-10T09:39:00.000-05:00

I think we all knew it was in the cards for Boomer. At some point he was going to need a tune up.

As far as riding was going, he was doing great. Better each time I rode him and we were having a blast. However, his ground manners were shit. Also, he knows exactly how to manipulate me.

When riding, I have stopped being afraid of him and have gained enough confidence to push him through and silliness. So, he has pretty much stopped trying.

On the ground, he knows that all he has to do is give something the hairy eye, or twitch the wrong way and I will untie him right away and hurry up the tacking up process.

I'll give a quick synopsis of his shenanigans in the last few months. The first time I went to ride him after 6ish months off, he was great for both tacking up and riding. We did one easy lap around the pond. Second time, he pulled back when I walked towards him with the saddle. He spooked when I threw the pad over his back and raised his head so that I couldn't bridle him. Third time I just got on bareback since I didn't want to tack him up. When I got the new saddle, I had to saddle him up in a small paddock for the first 6-8 times because he was spooky like he had never seen a saddle before. He would run backwards as I would approach, would skitter sideways as I tried to adjust the saddle. It really pissed me off.

I really don't think any of this is a pain issue as he is a gem once we are riding. Granted, I have recently discovered how crooked I am. This surely causes him discomfort. However, he is NOT the kind of horse who would ignore or be passive if it were so painful he didn't want to work. He is fun and happy for our whole ride. He doesn't move while I mount up and doesn't resist under saddle. When my saddle fit poorly before as his topline developed, he would stand tense under me while I mounted and would shake his head and swish his tail.

The final straw was a few weeks ago, I threw the saddle over his back and he spooked into me at the cinch and stirrup falling on the other side. He stepped on my foot, the saddle fell off, and he almost ran me over. He had been getting SO MUCH BETTER about being saddled too. For the last few weeks he was standing still the whole time I saddled him, like he SHOULD. Well, it didn't end there.

The barn owner came over and held him for me so that I could resaddle. I got him cinched up and the barn owner walked off to finish chores. Boomer was standing with his head down and a calm expression. I asked him to move around me in a circle, as I always do, to get him to unbloat so that I can finish tightening the cinch. Well, instead of moving forward, he froze and flew backwards. He fell onto his side and then hopped back up. The lead rope never even pulled through my hand. It was like he had pulled back, but there was never an ounce of pressure on his face. He scratched up my brand new saddle. He also scratched up his knees and hock.

I was ready to send him through auction at that point.

I have NO desire to have such an unpredictable animal. None. I don't care what his reasons are for being a fruit. I expect him to behave like any other normal horse. If he can not behave like a normal horse, we are done. No excuses.

So, to boot camp he goes.

I told our trainer that I need her to find out if this is a behavioral thing that can be trained out or if it is a mental thing and is just who he is.

Last time he went to her, it was primarily for riding issues. We have had no problems with riding since he returned in November of 2009. I have high hopes that she can knock some sense into him.

For the record, this is not a natural horsemanship, hugs and kisses type of blog. If you don't want to read about my horse getting 'cowboyed up' go somewhere else. I know this animal well enough to know that he is smart. He takes advantage. He needs to be knocked down a peg. I have allowed him to believe he is above me on the food chain and he is about to learn the hard way that he is, in fact, pretty damn low on the totem pole.

My crooked horse

2011-07-26T10:32:00.000-05:00

Boomer has always been crooked- banana left- if you will. It takes all the strength in my right leg to get him to bend around for a circle to the right. Or so I thought.

I have recently realized that the problem is mine. Big surprise.

Since getting a new saddle that fits better and having a much more round horse, my saddle has been slipping ever so slightly to the left. I generally have to dismount mid-ride and straighten things up and tighten the cinch.

I was frustrated with Boomer at first. He was bloating up and not allowing me to get the cinch tight enough until he trotted a little.

Then I realized that the saddle was always slipping left. Even if we only went right and even cantered to the right, which would cause me to weight my right side more (or so you would think).

FINALLY, I realized that the saddle slipping to the left was making it uncomfortable and possibly painful for him to bend right! He was having to bend into the spine of the saddle.

After our 10 mile ride in the field, where we were mostly traveling straight, I did notice that my saddle was slipping a little to the left, but not enough to bother me because it had been a gradual change. I also noticed that Boomer was getting increasingly more 'banana left' towards the end of the ride.

*light bulb*

He is crooked BECAUSE he is uncomfortable. He is uncomfortable because *I* am crooked.

Aw, crap. So, what do I do? First, I need to be more diligent about making sure my saddle is secure and comfortable for him the whole ride. Then I need to focus on staying centered and not weighting my left stirrup more. But, how do I do that if riding crooked feels straight? I do notice that I feel my left foot pushing down into the stirrup when I post.

Any suggestions?

10 mile training ride!

2011-07-25T10:32:00.000-05:00

We, like many others, have been experiencing a heat wave. The highs have been over 100 for about 2 weeks and we were on a heat advisory the whole time. I went out and rode Boomer once midweek and by the time I pulled him out of the pasture, I only had enough energy to hop on a walk around the arena for 10 minutes bareback. It was still nice to get out and DO something with him. I also trimmed his feet that day.

Sunday was the last day of the heat advisory and the morning started cool. It was 80 degrees at 7:45 when I headed out the door. There was a storm blowing in and by the time I was on my way home several hours later it was down to 78 degrees! Of course, it DID heat up to nearly 100 by the end of the day.

Anyhow, I was up early Sunday with the GPS watch on and we headed out ready for a few miles around the property. Boomer was awesome! The perimeter of the field is .8 miles with the alley back to the barn being .1 mile. For the first 3 miles he was UP and tense. He wanted to toss his head and fling his legs around. Then he started listening to the bit and tried ducking his head and pulling while trotting faster. Luckily, we were in a safe, enclosed environment and I just let him get his energy out on his own. After the first 3 miles he really calmed down. We continued on and changed directions every few laps and at about mile 8, it started to sprinkle. Boomer got a second wind and was frisky for another lap. We ended at mile 10 and then walked back .2 miles to cool out. He was awesome! I really have NOTHING to complain about! We saw a lost calf on the gravel road on the south end of the property, which Boomer grew used to quickly. I was so proud! He did spook and spin at something BIG that jumped into the pond. I assume it was a giant bullfrog. It made a HUGE splash about 6 feet from the bank- quite a leap! The ripples on the water were big. I stayed put and was glad I wasn't in my tiny english saddle. Those spook-spins will get you!

After I left the barn, my friend texted me and told me that Boomer was napping, laid out, in the sun. I felt like doing the same! I am so proud of him for being so good and also impressed by his fitness considering how random our training has been!

We did the 10.2 miles in 1 hour and 41 minutes, which is somewhere around 10 minute mile pace. Not super fast, but the important part of training right now is just knowing that he can go the distance. I don't care if our first ride takes us a full 10 hours to finish!

Check back soon for my thoughts on having a crooked horse.

Good and Bad

2011-07-11T09:09:00.001-05:00

I was lucky enough to get two days with Boomer this weekend. Though, I knew going into it that the send day riding in a row is never as good as the first. He just doesn't do as well with back to back rides.

Saturday was good, we just rode in the arena for 30-45 minutes and his cantering was great. I finally figured out why he always bulges away fro the rail in one spot in the arena. The footing is deeper and he is avoiding that. So, now I feel even LESS sympathy for him than before! I thought it was a physical difficulty in staying straight after a corner. No. He is just smart and lazy. But we already knew that.

I have been working on Les Vogt's 5 easy pieces with him. This is just a good test to see if you have control of all parts of your horses body. First you pull their head around in a small circle until they start to relax the jaw and swing their outside front leg around making larger steps. Second, you use your leg (knee pressure) to move the across the arena- leading with the shoulder. Third, you use leg pressure to side pass. Fourth, you do a turn on the forehand. Fifth, you back in a circle.

The first 4 parts are gaining control of each individual part, the 5th piece is putting it all together and seeing what isn't working. So far, Boomer is doing well with everything except side passing and backing. His turns on the forehand are beautiful! Saturday was the best day we had so far. Very proud. We just spend the last 5 minutes of the ride doing this exercise and it seems to be getting better each day. Probably wouldn't hurt to do it at the beginning AND end of the ride.

Sunday's ride was not as good. He was fighting me almost the whole time, which is his usual behavior when we ride two days in a row. We were out in the field and he decided that he had forgotten the cantering lesson we had. So, I had to buck up and do it again. Except this time it was 95 degrees and humid. I finally got him to slow down and behave after cantering for close to 30 minutes straight. By then, I was done. Surprisingly, he was NOT TIRED after that. He was panting and puffing, but still asked to trot after that! We rode for a total of 2 hours- 30 minutes of walking, 45 minutes of trotting, and 45 minutes of cantering. I would say that I am confident that he can do a 25 miler right now. In a month, he will be ready to do a 50 miler.

Boomer the wonder jumper!

2011-07-08T09:53:00.000-05:00

Boomer, being the brave soul that he is, is learning to jump! I went out to ride him on Wednesday and ended up going out around the pond and to the jump field with Julie and the barn owner, Dennis. I trotted and cantered Boomer around and he was very good. I had lowered the bit by one hole and it took him a little bit to get used to it and stop resisting. I got to bragging on Boomer and how brave he was to have trotted and cantered over the flowerbox. I then realized that he was sure to make a fool of me by acting terrified of it. Surprisingly, he headed right towards it and hopped right over! Julie moved the flowerbox to a new location and he was STILL fine with it! She then set up a few cross rails for us and we went over two in a row! I was so proud! The most complicated and difficult thing we did (can you sense the sarcasm yet?) was canter down hill and make a U-turn to the cross rail. I actually missed it a few times until Julie pointed out that I wasn't looking at the jump. Once I looked around the turn for the jump, Boomer sat down and turned hard. It was actually pretty cool to feel him sit and turn like that.

I am so happy that Boomer seems to be enjoying himself! He goes around the whole time with his ears perked forward like he is really having a blast! It is a really fun change of pace from the flat work we have been focusing on. I am actually pretty excited about it and hope that we can actually jump something someday instead of just taking bigger steps to clear the obstacles.

He jumps!

2011-07-05T11:25:00.001-05:00

I went out Saturday morning to ride and see if Boomer remembered his cantering lesson for earlier in the week. Again, he was straight and even at the walk. We trotted a little to warm up, and then I asked him to canter. He was great! He started off nice and easy and only rushed for about one lap before settling down into a nice even gait. We did both directions and did several simple lead changes through the center of the ring. I had him on a loose rein he whole time. After a while, I decided to take him out for a little trail ride to kill some time before I had to leave for the airport to pick up my dad. I sidepassed him to the arena gate, opened it, and sidepassed him back to close it! Yay Boomer!

Out in the field, we trotted around the pond and into the jump field. He was feeling very nice and I decided to see if the cantering lesson still applied out in the open. Turns out, Boomer actually LEARNED something! He was very good and listened well. Going down a very slight decline, he wanted to rush, but I lifted his head and kept my legs on him and he balanced himself well.

It was about 99 degrees out and VERY humid, so I asked him to walk and started to cool him off. But, he kept trotting and asking to go faster. So, we trotted and cantered some more. Eventually, I had him walk and we went over the ground poles and flower box in the jump field. I even had him trot over them! He actually seemed to enjoy that! I was so surprised! I decided to push my luck and ask him to canter over the flower box. I have never cantered him over anything, even a single ground pole. He perked up his ears and cantered right over it without hesitation! What a good boy!

We headed back to the barn and he was hot, hot, hot. He was panting and had some good white foam across his chest. I took him into the washrack in the barn (which he is usually nervous about) and hosed him off. I spent a long time hosing him and started very slowly, only hosing his legs and neck until he cooled off. I saved his large muscle groups (rump and back) for last in an effort to keep them from getting tight. He actually really enjoyed the bath and allowed me to gently spray his face and he even licked the water a few times!

I was just so happy with him! Boomer really is a good little horse, he just has his quirks. He is very smart and capable of learning, but he learns lessons best when he is worn out and worked hard. With Boomer, the lesson has to be drilled home really hard once, and then he gets it.

I think he is starting to get back into shape and I am still cautiously optimistic about doing a few rides this fall.

Fixing the canter

2011-07-01T10:41:00.000-05:00

I went out to ride on Tuesday with the intention of fixing the canter issue we have been encountering.

My goal was to get off the 'safety circle', use the whole arena, push him through the bucking, and not let him slow down.

So, we started out walking with some light trotting and he was incredible. I was shocked. I had moved my saddle back about an inch further than usual and he was so even and straight! I couldn't believe how straight he felt down the long sides of the arena! I was amazed! He was on the bit and connected. He was listening. He didn't even need our usual neck flexions to get him soft and paying attention!

On to the canter, I asked he moved right out. I aimed him straight down the rail and he reached under and dug in to go faster. I just let him. I was in this for the long haul, whether he knew it or not. Around the first turn, I lifted my inside hand and weighted my outside stirrup for balance. Along the second long side, he arched his neck down and tried a buck. I pulled in around into the 'oh shit' circle, aka- disengage the hind end. I kicked his hip around a few times and asked him to walk off. He was tossing his head and pissed off. I asked him to canter again. Again he took off with some speed. I just focused on sitting back and deep. He tried bucking again going into a corner, so instead of disengaging his hip, I just pulled him into a small circle but kept him cantering. We went on. He tried one last time to buck on the long side and I pulled him into the small circle and kicked him forward, not letting him break gait. That seemed to solve the bucking issue and now I just waited for him to try to slow down. When he did, I pushed him forward faster. We did a total of 20 laps around the arena to the left. I wanted enough horse left to go the other direction, so we did a lead change through the trot across the diagonal of the arena and kept going. Again, he wanted to go fast, so I let him. We did about 12-15 laps to the right. By the end, he was on a totally loose rein, cantering along nicely and doing circles off of my seat! I was in awe! We did a circle steering with seat only, then a simple change with seat only and a circle in the other direction off of my seat only. I asked him to halt, scratched his neck and let him cool out at the walk.

It was a really incredible ride. I was proud of myself for bucking up, so to speak, and getting it done. I have really gained patience and confidence with him lately.

To finish cooling out, we walked a lap around the pond with my friend Julie and Boomer's pasture-mate Ringo.

I am hoping that this lesson sticks with Boomer. He seems to be the kind of horse who has to learn a lesson the hard way, but once he learns it- its there for good. Thats how it went with trailer loading and being barn sour. So, I am hoping that this was enough of a workout for him to have learned his lesson. He seemed pretty pooped afterwards! I was so very happy with the results though. So, next time we ride will be the real test!

Bareback and the cow!

2011-06-30T10:36:00.000-05:00

I went out this past weekend and it was so hot and muggy that I couldn't muster the energy to lift my saddle. So, I just hopped on bareback and we walked around the arena. We did lots of leg work and we mostly focused on stopping off of my seat. He was very good and I enjoyed the ride.

The highlight of the day was a rescued calf out at the barn!

One of the owners found him while mowing the fence line. He couldn't have been more than 2-3 days old and was laying down, abandoned.

They brought him in to the hay shed and set him up with a box fan and bed of hay. They fed him a bottle of milk replacer and we loved on him for a few hours until the rancher came to pick him up. I was really hoping they would keep him. He weighed maybe 50 pounds and was pretty darn cute! Sorry, no pictures.

75 and Breezy

2011-06-29T10:36:00.000-05:00

That is the best way to describe our ride last week. It had been in the mid 90s and HUMID. So humid you had to check and make sure you weren't melting.

Then a storm blew in and it was 75 and breezy. Boomer thought that was fun. So, we worked on behaving and focusing on me. He did pretty well, except that I realized that his new little habit of trying to buck at the canter was becoming an issue.

The first time it happened, I wondered if he was uncomfortable. We pushed through and he was fine. The second time it happened, I got a bit nervous and clung to the 'safety circle'. Only cantering in a circle is no fun, but much harder to buck. When he still tried to buck on this day, even on the circle, I choked up on my reins and started getting nervous. He tried bucking on each circle and I quit after we got one good circle in one direction. Not very good.

So, that gave me something to think about. I realized that waaaay back when he was younger and we were still in Oklahoma, he had tried bucking at the canter and I realized that it was my fault for holding his face too much and he was bucking because he felt trapped.

More to come on this issue...

Father's Day!

2011-06-21T12:53:00.000-05:00

Sorry, Charley. Ice cream cake is for dad only!

Paisley took this process surprisingly well!

Awww!!!

Making the print!

So sweet!

Getting ready for the next print...

Final product!

Ice cream bowl!

Coffee Mug!

Chillin' at the end of a good day!

We painted pottery at SunFire Ceramics. They will do the clear coat and fire them for us. The final products will be ready for pickup later this week. Totally fun activity!

I had a REAL barn day!!!

2011-06-20T12:53:00.000-05:00

John, being the amazing man that he is, took on the task of getting Paisley to take a bottle. Saturday morning, I grabbed Charley, kissed them goodbye and headed to the barn.

It had rained REALLY hard the previous few days, so I hadn't planned to ride. I was just going to trim feet and groom. When I got out there, two other ladies showed up and were going to ride. Their horses are Boomer's two pasture buddies. We took our time getting ready, then rode in the arena for a while and Boomer was very good. It was nice to have another set of eyes to watch us ride. Boomer did well, but is still super stiff on his right side. After having Julie watch us ride a few circles, she could see how stiff he was on that side too. When I was riding with Karin for lessons, she always got on to me about not using my right leg. This got me thinking, is he stiff on that side BECAUSE I am not using my leg?

After we rode in the arena, we went out and rode around the pond. Boomer was a champ and let me close the gate from his back! At first, he moved into my leg instead of side passing away, which was ridiculous. But after a few good kicks (where were my spurs the day I needed them?) he straightened out and moved right over to the gate. We rode around the pond and through the jump field and all of the horses were great.

Charley got to play with his buddy Duke and they went swimming, caught frogs, played fetch, and did all kinds of fun 'boy' things together.

I ended up spending 5 hours at the barn! That was the longest I have been away from Paisley so far. She was totally fine and took the bottle from John, no problem! John had fun with her and enjoyed their daddy/daughter day. I had a blast riding and I'm not really sure when the last time was that I had so much fun riding!

Bravest pony in the land!

2011-06-12T14:20:00.000-05:00

Took Boomer for an easy ride today with another boarder, Julie. Her horse Fitzy is an enormous 3 year old Hanoverian. We rode around the dam and then rode in the jump field for a while. There were a couple of ground poles set up, a flower box, a set of 3 ground poles, and two verticals.

Fitzy had to lead us over the 3 ground poles and the flower box. Once Boomer figured out that he could do it he was SO proud of himself. He was licking and chewing and had his ears up- very cute. We did quite a bit of trotting and he stayed very connected and round. We worked on him not falling apart when trotting down the slight hill. Going up the hill REALLY got him pushing with his back end and he very naturally come up onto the bit and was feeling awesome! I need to work out there more often!

My goal for the ride was to have him as responsive as he is in the arena. I think it is more about me being a RIDER and not a PASSENGER.

Overall, it was a very good ride and Julie and I were both proud of the boys for being so brave. Boomer didn't get barn sour at all and I couldn't have asked for him to behave better. Very good day!

Beautiful Saturday Ride!

2011-06-11T16:03:00.000-05:00

John, being the wonderful husband he is, carried Paisley out at the barn and hung out while I rode Boomer.

Boomer is doing well, especially considering I am only getting out to see him about once a week. I wish I cold see him more, but that is life. Paisley is on a bottle strike right now, so I am unable to just leave her at home with John and go out to the barn. And yes, a bottle strike is exactly as much fun as it sounds like!

Anyhow, I rode Boomer in the arena and he did pretty well. He is actually surprising me by being very connected and rounding up into the bridle. Most of the time. He did throw a bit of a fit when I asked him to canter, but after some stern words (ie, kicking) he straightened right up and gave me quite a few nice canter circles in each direction with several good transitions. We ended with some serpentines at the trot with very nice direction changes and stretchy trot circles. He was very good!

When I ordered my new saddle- Circle Y Expedition- it came with a free Reinsman Tacky Too saddle pad. I am interested in testing this pad out more before forming an opinion, but so far it seems great. It had really nice grip and kept the saddle from sliding, which has been an issue lately seeing as how Boomer has taken on a rather... round... shape which isn't great at holding a saddle. After riding for about an hour and getting rather sweaty the pad had not retained heat and was surprisingly cool and dry on the underside! I don't know if it will retain heat on longer rides, but I sure will test it out! My main pad, that I love, is the Toklat Coolback. It breathes, keeps Boomer's back cool, dries in minutes- which is great at vet checks, and washes in the washing machine!

Butterball!

2011-06-07T14:02:00.000-05:00

We suspected it all along...

Boomer is an out of shape, fat-ass.

The CTR we were going to volunteer at was cancelled due to the EHV-1 outbreak.

John and I hauled out to Pomona Lake for the afternoon to ride. He, Paisley, and Charley played in the lake and hung out in the air conditioning while Boomer and I explored the trails. I do have to say that Boomer loaded into the trailer perfectly both times with not even a moment of hesitation! Pretty good for not being hauled in over 7 months!

We ended up doing exactly 4 miles in an hour and 20 minutes. It was about half walking and half trotting. The trails were single track, lots of mild climbs with areas of mud and rocks. There is a total of 16 miles, 32 miles out and back. It was about 90 degrees and very humid. By the end of it, Boomer was sweating and panting. I think he could have done another 4-5 miles if we had walked the rest of the way.

We had a good time. Boomer did try to be an ass a few times. Once we had just gone over a log and had to go through an opening in an old rock fence. He boogered at it and started backing up, rather than back into the log, I spun him around. My saddle slipped a little, so I hopped off to adjust and tighten my girth. I then had him straddle the log to let me mount back up easier. We headed back towards the rock wall and he boogered again and spun around. He was acting a fool and I ended up just going back instead of pushing through. Bad, I know. But, I was frustrated. I got over it and the next time he boogered at something and spun around, I jerked him back around and spurred him several times. He spun again, and I jerked him around harder, spurred him HARD and he went though the 'scary spot' just fine. We did eventually go back through where I had given up earlier and he put up his 'helicopter ears', but kept moving. Same for the big boulder that was spray painted glitter orange (yay for spooky trail markers).

I was pretty proud of both of us. I had a realization while I was riding that I just don't care about his shit anymore. My priorities have changed and he is no longer a top priority, so his bad self doesn't get me riled up anymore. I have a lot less of an emotional reaction and can ride him better and more aggressively.

I do have to brag about how good he can be. He allowed me to mount while he was straddling a log. He crossed several streams with no hesitation. He picked his way carefully through rocky sections. He slowed down for downhill climbs. He never once knocked me into tree trunks. He completely ignored me while I flailed about wildly trying to get spiderwebs off of my face. He is quite a solid little trail horse. I was very pleased with him.

As we were headed back, we encountered a tree stump. Those have always been scary for Boomer. I joke that he is afraid of the tree-hating, chainsaw-wielding, horse-eating monster that must be lurking about. It was on the side of a gravel road and I wasn't sure he was going to pass it. He kept spinning away and I kept jerking him around and spurring him past it. On the third time, he faced it and walked bravely up to it and sniffed it. He took a bite of it, a piece of bark fell off and he skittered back. Then he approached it again and we walked around it and moved on like nothing ever happened. Good Pony!

Now we just need to get him into shape!

Photo Bomb!!!

Chillin' in the AC with dad!

Headed for the trailer

A little cheek-shoulder interference on the chubby baby.

Almost there!

So Sweet!

Yay Boomer! We made it FOUR whole miles!!!

Best husband ever!

Happy!

Obligatory 'ear shot'!

Can you believe that this horse was doing back to back 50 milers just one year ago? Jeesh. Now he looks like a quarter horse from behind!

Buddies!

Grillin' burgers with the fam!

What a workout!!!

2011-05-30T21:30:00.000-05:00

Boomer and I went for an unexpectedly long ride today! I showed up at the barn as two of the ladies were just tacking up to go out. Emily has a 13 year old warmblood and Julie has a 3 year old with just over 30 days on him. We walked around the pond and grassy jump field and explored and practiced being good. It is sort of disheartening for me to have as much attitude and trouble from my horse as Julie did from her baby green horse. Part of life with an Ay-rab, I suppose. He was just occasionally getting excited and jigging when we headed towards the barn. We would back up and he was fine. We walked Julie back to the barn and then Emily and I went back out to trot and work up a sweat. That went really well for the most part. I tried cantering in the open field a few times, but that was just too much for Boomer's poor little pea brain. So, we stuck to trotting and I had him going really well after 20ish minutes. I did have to get off to tighten his girth and he spooked at the stirrup hitting the girth AGAIN! It is the stirrup on the off side, so he humps up and jumps towards me and forward which makes it difficult for me to stay out of the way and get over to the other side to show him where the noise is coming from. He is so dang round that the saddle kept slipping and I had to tighten the girth several times!

We rode for a total of about 2 hours, with most of it being trotting. Towards the end, it was ME who gave out first!!! I have a 'floppy ankle' from a jogging incident in college and apparently, it has lost strength. At first, my stirrups felt funny, like they were adjusted wrong (they were fine for the first hour and 50 minutes!), then all of a sudden, I realized that my ankle was rolling every time I stood up to post. So, we ended up walking and heading back to the barn. It wasn't bad though, we were already heading back to the barn and walking was good for all of us!

The part of the day that really irritates me is that I had to have Emily help me get him saddled. He still is spooking at the saddle pad, and with all of the wind we are having I need someone to hold him and hold the pad while I get the saddle up on him. I feel so ridiculous. My horse acts like a 2 year old who has never been saddled up before and I need help tacking up.

Though, the ride was really good for him because we went all over the place instead of just doing a lap and heading back. He really couldn't guess where we were going or when we were going to turn home. Since we walked back once to drop off Julie, then went back out that seemed to help him stay calm on the walk back in when we were really done. He walked in on a loose rein the whole way back!

When we got back to the barn, I hosed him off and then sacked him out with the saddle pad. I thumped it all over his back, belly, neck and legs. He was fine with it the whole time. The ting about Boomer that gets to me is that I KNOW he is doing his bad behaviors on purpose because he ONLY does them before we ride. He has NEVER pulled back after we were done riding and he is never spooky about his tack/fly spray/etc once we are done riding. It is all evasive behavior and he is just too damned smart! I suppose one solution is to lunge the hell out of him, then tack him up, then ride. But, that just seems like too much of a hassle. I just want a normal horse!!!

I'm just going to keep on working with him and hope he continues to improve. Really, he is already better than he was a few weeks ago when he flew backwards at the sight of the saddle.

Yay Boomer!!!

2011-05-29T13:58:00.000-05:00

I rode Boomer this morning and he was great! He felt totally sound! The saddle fits great and is super comfortable. I have been lunging Boomer several times a week and trying to build fitness. It seems to have worked. Well, he is still obese but at least he is stronger in the hind end and not lame!

We rode for almost 45 minutes and he was a champ. I had him in our endurance bridle and bit. It is a kimberwicke with a low port. He doesn't love that bit but he does respect it. On the trail, I can generally keep out of his mouth, but he does occasionally need a slight correction in the first few miles of a race. In his defense, we generally ride the last 20-30 miles of an endurance ride without a bit at all. He respects the kimberwicke, but he has a tendency to fuss with it and toss his head at first before responding. So, I worked on getting the 'right' response from the bit, which is to give and lower his head. By the end of the ride, he was doing great. I'm embarrassed to say that it was the first time I have consciously worked with him on that.

I do have to mention that although Boomer was a champ, he did make a fool of himself after I got off and was leading him out of the arena. He suddenly jumped forward with a humped back and tried to run around me in a circle. He kept humping up and acting like he wanted to spook. I stopped him and suddenly figured it out. He was afraid of the metal stirrup knocking against the metal buckle on the cinch. I banged both stirrups against the girth until he realized where the noise was coming from. I swear, he looked downright sheepish when we walked off again and John and I were laughing at him!

Fitness!

2011-05-25T12:18:00.000-05:00

We have had a ton going on lately, so my Boomer time has been limited. More on that at a later date!

I have gotten the opportunity to volunteer as a drag rider at a CTR near us in a few weeks! There is a CTR at a local lake that my friend is hosting. Boomer and I plan to be the drag rider behind the novice group on Saturday. We will follow the last group out and help anyone who has trouble on the trail, gets lost, or whatever. This will be about 20-25 miles at about 4 miles per hour. I figure that is half walking and half trotting. I think that will be a perfect fitness test for the fat pony!

To get him in shape for that I have been lunging him as much as possible since I can't ride often. I wear Paisley in our Beco pouch while I lunge Boomer. I lunge him for 20-30 minutes. A bit of trotting to warm up, then we do trot/canter sets- two laps of each until he has done at least 10 laps of cantering in each direction, then more trotting to cool down. Paisley generally sleeps the whole time. His fitness is already improving. Another few days of that and he should be ready to go 20 miles!

After that, there is an endurance ride at the end of June, we will take July and August off for the heat, and hopefully we will be back in shape Sept-Nov!!!

He remembered!!!

2011-05-17T18:20:00.000-05:00

Boomer is so smart!

John and I went out on Sunday to try on Boomer's new saddle (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and to go for a ride. I tacked him up in the small paddock. He cant pull back if he isn't tied! He, of course, acted scared of the saddle pad. Once he got over that, I was able to tell that the saddle fits really well! It was also super comfy!

We went for a ride around the pond. We used John's GPS watch and it clocked at exactly 1 mile.

I was curious to see if Boomer would remember his little lesson in backing. He was great for the first half of the ride and when we got to the halfway point, he got a little 'up', but stayed sane. I left the reins loose and let him make his own decisions about his behavior. All I wanted was a loose rein and a flat, 4 beat walk. He *wanted* to jig, but he keep his cool. Once we got to the alley where you can head back to the barn, he turned his head and pricked his ears as we walked past, but he stayed going forward where I pointed. We went through the gate and turned to go up the hill to the barn and he did get a little excited, but wasn't misbehaving *yet*. I turned him around and backed him up about 20 strides just for good measure. After that, he was totally calm and cool for the rest of the ride!

I was very happy with his behavior and attitude! What an improvement!

Hoof Trimmin'

2011-05-13T15:13:00.000-05:00

I decided to take Paisley and Charley out to the barn this afternoon before it started to rain. It was the first time I would attempt to take Paisley to the barn alone. It was also the first time I was taking her somewhere where I expected/hoped to actually get something done!

My goal was to trim Boomer's hooves and maybe lunge him if I had time.

I put Paisley in her vibrating bouncy seat (LOVE THAT THING!) and set her under a tree. I took Boomer to the small paddock about 20 feet away and got to working on his hooves. I had to take one break to change a diaper, but then Paisley fell asleep and I had plenty of time to get things done!

I would say that I did a good job on his front feet, but was tired and did a half-assed job on his back feet. I will try to start with the hinds next time. I also want to get back into the habit of trimming him up more frequently. I used to do once a week, but that seems like a lofty goal at this point in my life!

After I trimmed him, I free lunged him around the paddock. He looked really good. Still just a tad weak in the left hind, but most of the time he looks 100%. I also did some ground exercises with turning on the forehand to get him to cross over with his hind legs and hopefully build up some muscle. I only trotted him around for about 10 minutes with just a bit of cantering and he was worn out! He was sweaty and blowing. So out of shape!

I really want to aim to get out and work him twice a week in the daytime and then ride once a week on the weekend when John can help out. I think if we can manage that, I can have him in much better shape and much stronger before he goes to boot camp. Only 4 weeks and 3 days until Boomer gets a reality check!

***********

In other news:

She smiles!!!

Boot Camp Preview!

2011-05-11T15:30:00.000-05:00

Boomer is officially signed up for boot camp starting the second week of June. I'm VERY excited!

Unfortunately, he wasn't on his best behavior on Sunday and he got a preview of what is coming...

This is a map of the property where we keep Boomer:

View Larger Map

You will be referring back to this map during this post.

We like to walk or ride the loop from the barn around the pond and back. This loop is about a mile, if not a little over. There are two ways to get to the pond. One goes between two pastures straight west and one goes north to the property line and then west to the northernmost point on the pond. The alleyway between the two pastures can be seen if you look for a solitary tree in the middle of the screen.
Sunday, we chose the northern route as the gates between the pastures were open and blocking us from accessing the alley between them.
I should back up. As we drove up to the barn (John, P, Charley, and myself), John asked if I wanted to ride. I answered that I was wearing sandals and couldn't. He asked if I was scared. I answered honestly- Yes. He asked if I was scared of riding or just tacking up. I answered honestly- just tacking up. He suggested that I ride bareback.

So, I put on Boomer's bridle and we walked around the east half of the property before heading to the pond. Boomer was being a dream. He was great for the whole walk around the property, great when we left the property line, great around the pond. We got to the far west point on the pond and Boomer startled at some cows on the adjoining property. I decided to hop off, just in case. The dam we ride on around the pond is about 8 feet wide and has a pond on one side and a 20 foot drop off to a barbed wire fence on the other side. So, I jump off and we hang out until Boomer is done cow watching. I hand walked him about 50 ft to a picnic table and attempted to remount. He stepped to the side. This went on for quite some time. He was clearly DONE riding and was throwing quite the fit. I started backing him and moving him side to side. Eventually he was much more pleasant and stood for me to mount only to toss his head and act like a twit as soon as we started walking. I hopped off and backed him quite a ways down the hill along the south side of the pond. (see the SW corner of the picture- the open area is a gently sloping hill where there are frequently jumps set up) I backed him down and back about halfway across the open area and back to the picnic table. We tried again and he was much more reasonable. Suddenly, I realized what was going on. We were headed BACK TO THE BARN. We walked nicely through the small open jump area, through the stand of trees and were just coming along the east edge of the pond, headed north when Boomer started getting light up front, tossing his head, and trying to grab the bit and pull towards home. Aw, hell no. I was frustrated because I just wanted a nice calm, relaxing ride. The training is supposed to be done by a trainer. I just want to enjoy my horse. So, I hopped off and started backing Boomer. And we backed. We backed north along the pond the continued east until we got to the dirt road and backed north along that for a ways. I'd say we backed about a quarter mile. Boomer was sweating and ready to quit. I hopped back on him and he stood quietly while John helped hoist me up. We headed back north for about 200 feet until we got to the alley between the two pastures where we USUALLY head home. I bet you can guess what happened. Boomer wanted to go up the alley. So, I got off and backed him some more. We backed along the dirt road north to the property line. We backed through ruts and mud. We backed through a gate. We backed around the corner and headed east. We backed up a hill. We backed until we were halfway between the pond and home and then I got back on. Boomer walked off on a loose rein. He stopped quietly when I asked and hesitated before walking when I asked. We walked back to the bard and I walked him around the farm on a loose rein before I hopped off for good.

Here are some visual aids:

He had been just side stepping, but here he went backwards. Which is what gave me the idea to make backwards a punishment.

This is how things started. He kept side stepping away from the table, so I got down to move him over and he would resist and swing his hind end into me. Right as John stopped filming, I turned him around and started backing him down the hill and then back up to try again.

backing...

temporary success!

This was the last of the pictures, but only the beginning of the struggle.

In all, I think he backed about 1/3 of a mile. I am VERY curious to see how the next ride goes. I'm pretty sure Boomer is going to be sore for a day or two. That was a lot of work for a fat, out of shape pony! But, in all fairness, he brought it on himself. I think that it was a good day overall. While I was a bit disappointed in the turn the ride took, I am very satisfied that I did not let Boomer win. I really think that we are at a critical point right now where he must not win. Oh, and by fat, I mean that he has a cresty neck, fat deposits around his tail, and a gully down his back...

Baby talk- Birth Story!

2011-05-09T08:47:00.002-05:00

Wow! I just realized that I haven't posted our birth story yet! As you all know, we planned a home birth and had selected a wonderful midwife, Brenda. This is what I wrote within days of the birth about our experience. It is raw and somewhat graphic. If you are not prepared to read about a birth, go ahead and skip this one!

On Wednesday, March 9th around 8pm I started having contractions. Almost immediately, they were 4 minutes apart and very intense. I had had several bouts of preparatory ("false") labor in the preceding weeks, which had really prepared my body and allowed me to skip right ahead to true/hardcore labor when things actually got going. John went around the house, cleaning and getting things ready while I walked around in my bathrobe and swayed my hips with each contraction. By 11pm I know it was really the real thing and had John call Brenda to give her a heads up. We continued laboring for several more hours. Brenda suggested that we get some rest and lie down. However, for me, lying down was excruciating. It felt like the pressure of the bed on my belly was blocking the release of the pain. Being upright was my only option. My contractions got more intense and were coming one on top of the other. I would have 3-4 right in a row with barely a breath in between, then a 4 minute break. It was very intense. John was right there with me the whole time. As a contraction would start he would get down on his knees in front of me and I would lean forward and wrap my arms around his neck for support during the contraction. At 4am John called Brenda back and told her it was time for her to come. I remember hearing him tell her that I was asking for help. I also remember that his voice sounded urgent, almost tense. I know I couldn't do this alone anymore. I was ready for guidance. Brenda arrived around 5am. I was in the shower when she arrived and when I got out and dried off, I realized that she was sitting on the floor in our bedroom. John later told me that the way she entered was very interesting. She sat in the hallway and listened to me while I was vocalizing with low tones in the shower. She then moved into the room and continued observing. Once I knew she was there, she moved into the bathroom and sat on the floor in there. It was a very gentle way for her to make her presence known. I really appreciated that.

By the time Brenda arrived, my contractions were stronger and my uterus was staying tight even during my 4 minute breaks and my thighs were shaking. This was the hardest part for me as I could not physically relax and I didn't feel like I was getting a break. Eventually, I started thinking about pushing. I didn’t have a real urge, but the thought was there. It was more like my body was doing Kegel squeezes. Actual pushing started happening with a few of the contractions, but not all at once. At one point, I gave myself and internal exam and could feel the bag of waters. That was incredible because it made the progress much more apparent and tangible. My water broke while I was sitting on the toilet just 2 hours before the birth. After my water broke, things sped up considerably and every contraction demanded that I push. This was so totally involuntary and got to be pretty overwhelming. I did not feel in control of my body at all. Pushing is a feeling I just can’t describle. It is a whole body effort and it truly connects you to the core of the earth. At this time, the most important thing to me was knowing that John was right there. All of the work we had done together became so important. I knew that whatever I needed was right there with him. He and Brenda sat on the floor near me and gave me encouragement and support while I pushed.

Eventually, I could reach inside myself and feel her head. I was afraid I felt her umbilical cord by her head and requested that Brenda do an internal exam. She felt and assured me that I was just feeling my own tissues. This was the only 'intervention' of our birth. It was quite empowering to be able to lead my own birth and to be the one making decisions about interventions like internal exams. Shortly after I felt the head in my birth canal, I started feeling like my pelvis was widening- like I couldn’t close my legs. Interestingly, moving through my birth canal was not painful. The pain was completely from the contractions of my uterus and abdomen.

An hour and a half after my water broke, our baby began to crown. I had moved from the bathroom to our bed and I was on my hands and knees, arms propped up with pillows. Crowning was very painful and lasted about 30 minutes. I would feel the contraction start, then about two breaths later I would begin to push. I was pushing so hard and couldn’t believe I had that much strength. After each contraction, I could feel her move back inside a little. With each contraction, she came further out, but also slid back in a little. The strangest part was feeling my tailbone raise and lower as she passed by. This process started to be discouraging and my abdomen was getting sore from the contractions and pushing. I was so thankful when Brenda suggested that I get up off my elbows and brought my back more level, rather than being in a ‘downward dog’ position. I also made a conscious effort to sort of ‘hold on’ to each contraction after it ended so that she didn’t slip back inside. I made a huge effort to breathe through the end of the contractions even though my body really wanted to keep pushing. Eventually, I pushed and felt her come out further than before and then I gathered myself mentally and pushed again, she came out a little more, then I pushed again even though the contraction was over, and her head was born! I could feel her rotate as she progressed and came out. I needed to wait for the next contraction to push out her body. While I was waiting, I heard our baby cry out and I was suddenly so shocked and the gravity of the situation hit me full force. THAT was why we were doing this! I pushed her shoulders out and she rushed out with the rest of the amniotic fluid. There are no words to describe the split second shift from immense pressure, pain, and difficulty to the feeling of relief and awe as she was born. After her body was born, I stood up on my knees and John handed our baby to me through my legs so that I could hold her. I laid back into John’s lap and just looked in amazement at our daughter. Her cord was a little short, so she laid on my belly as I passed the placenta so that she could reach to nurse. The placenta passed without trouble in less than 15 minutes. Paisley latched on and nursed right away. We cut the cord about an hour after she and our placenta were born. She weighed 8 pounds and 6 ounces and came out with a full head of jet black hair.

Our birth was absolutely incredible. It went exactly how we would have imagined in the best case scenario. I am so thrilled that our birth was free of interventions and free of complications for both myself and Paisley! I am so happy with how perfectly everything went and so thankful for how respected and protected I felt by the people I had invited into my birth experience. Brenda showed an incredible calming energy and really made me feel safe. John’s support was something I can’t describe in words.

The Good, The Bad, and The Cute

2011-04-25T12:08:00.000-05:00

The Good

Boomer is awesome to ride. He hasn't forgotten anything and tries just as hard as he did 6 months ago! I am amazed at how much he retained! I figured that he would come back and need a refresher on what we had learned in our lessons with Karin, but he acts as if he hasn't missed a day!

The Bad

Boomer doesn't like being back in work. He has been throwing tantrums and pulling back. It started when the farrier was coming out and Boomer had to stand still for 2 hours while we waited. He was antsy and a brat until I tied him up and ignored him. He stood patiently for about 45 minutes and was good for the trimmer. The second time I came out to ride him, he flew backwards as I approached with the saddle. I untied him and followed him back with the saddle until he stopped and then saddled him up. He went back about 50 feet before he stopped acting like the saddle was going to eat him. When I went out to ride yesterday he pulled back because someone was using the hose in the barn- 60 feet away. He started prancing around and then pulled back. I untied the rope when he stopped and was retying it when he pulled back again. I got a rope burn on the back of my hand. He stood quietly to be saddled. I went to bridle him and he started raising his head and acting like he was going to fly backwards (he was not tied). By this point, I was losing my temper. So, I led him towards the barn to get my lunge line and...he refused to go in the barn. After 5-6 refusals, he eventually followed me in. After I lunged him, he let me bridle him with his head lowered and our ride was lovely.

Basically, I'm sick of his sh*t. He was the project I wanted 3 years ago. But, right now I just want something I can saddle up and ride without it being an exercise in patience. If he wasn't marginally lame, he would be back in boot camp tomorrow. I know he is just resisting working- his 6 month vacation was good! He needs a job and needs to know it is consistent. As it is, I'm going to have him adjusted by the chiropractor and continue doing walk-work rehab. If he is still an assh*le once he is sound- he is off to bootcamp.

The Cute

Camo baby blends right in!

Bummer...

2011-04-19T11:05:00.001-05:00

Even though Boomer was trotting sound on he lunge, he is not sound to ride. I rode him yesterday and at the trot he feels uneven in the back. Now, it isn't head bobbing lame, and he doesn't seem to be in pain. But, he is uneven. I can't feel it when I'm posting, but the sitting trot kept pushing me up on the left diagonal. It was hard to sit and didn't feel even.

After much thought and discussion, we really feel that it is a rehab issue more than a lameness issue. So far, Boomer has healed and repaired himself as much as he needed for his work level (grazing in the pasture). Now that I am expecting more of him, the problem shows back up.

I think that if it was a pinched nerve or slipped disc, he would be lame all of the time, not just with an added workload. I think that he compensated and has had muscle atrophy which is making him uneven.

So, our solution is to have the chiropractor out for a few sessions and I will continue riding him at a walk only and work on exercises to build strength in the back end.

Exercise ideas are welcome, I am thinking he needs lots of lateral work. Leg yielding, haunches in, shoulder in, spirals, etc.

Yes, I am bummed. No, I don't know if this is the right solution. No, I don't know if he will ever be what he used to be. Yes, I will keep trying until I know.

WE'RE BAAAAACK....In the saddle again!!!

2011-04-14T11:11:00.000-05:00

Swingin' a leg over...

Testing the gears- a little rusty, but they were all there!

Heading down to the pond.

John and Paisley following.

Aw, Boomer! It isn't so bad!

Walking on the dam.

Headed back towards the barn.

Boomer was VERY excited to 'walk' back to the barn.

We got to practice leg yields and NOT jigging!

Good boy Boomer!!!

Picture updates!

2011-04-13T11:52:00.000-05:00

Paisley is one month old!!!

John carried her in the front pack to see Boomer! They were both unimpressed with each other.

I was thrilled to see Boomer! I have been lunging him twice a week and hope to start riding in early May.

He is sweet!

Uncle Gabe!

My brother came to visit and Charley was beside himself. Gabe owns Charley's parents and Charley doesn't understand that Gabe is not a fellow littermate!

John and Charley share a pillow at nap time!

2011 Ride Season

2011-04-09T08:51:00.000-05:00

I have high hopes for this year's ride season. I have a number of goals ranging from small to large in order to both keep me satisfied and challenged.

Goal 1:

Ride at least one 50 mile ride this year. The point of this goal is to keep Boomer and I in the numbers for becoming a decade team. AERC recognizes horse and rider teams who have ridden together for 10 ride seasons. Longevity is the name of the game. I think Boomer and I can make it happen!

Goal 2:

Ride three 50 mile rides to bring our lifetime milage up to 500 miles.

Goal 3:

Ride as many rides as possible from August- November.

7/30- Camp Carl- Stillwater, OK

8/13- Camp Prague- Prague, OK

10/1- Indian Territory Elevator- Foyil, OK (at the lake where we swam 50 miles last year)

10/15- Jo Tate Fall Paradise- Washburn, MO (beautiful trails)

11/25-11/26- Season Finale- Chandler, OK (our first ride back in 2009)

So, I'm hoping that we can meet as many of these goals as possible. I am thinking that most likely, I will travel to these on my own and John and Paisley will stay home. The other option is for them to drive separately and stay with John's sister who lives within an hour of most of these rides.

Pulling the trigger

2011-04-05T10:27:00.000-05:00

Now that I'm getting close to being able to ride again (yay!) and I have the money saved (yay!) I am ready to buy a new saddle! I have never purchased a new saddle before. I've also never had a 'non-traditional' saddle. All of my saddles have been english saddles and one western saddle. I used the western saddle for endurance last year and then Boomer outgrew its width (arab tree).

I am looking at this Circle Y Expedition saddle. It has a flex tree and is basically everything I want.

But, for some reason, I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger! It is a lot of money to spend. After saving for so long, it is scary to drop it all in one place! My western saddle last year only cost me $400 on ebay.

Hopefully, I will be posting soon with a picture of this ON Boomer with me IN it!!!

My horse is a baby too...

2011-04-04T16:44:00.001-05:00

I have been doing my best to get out and see Boomer once per week. Weather and family obligations have kept me from going out more frequently. The rest of this week looks like it will be in the 70s and sunny, so hopefully I will get a little more barn time!

I went out on Sunday to meet the farrier, who ended up being 2 hours late. He was out to trim about 5 horses and Boomer got to cut to the front of the line since I needed to get back home soon! I pulled Boomer out of the pasture, where he had been running the fence line because he was ALL ALONE!!! I groomed the dried sweat off of him while we waited for the farrier. He was being a spaz about standing still in the barn isle and I don't like to crosstie him on concrete, so I took him out to the hitching post to tie him. He starting screaming his head off because he COULDN'T SEE ANY OTHER HORSES!!! I just left him tied and went to talk to the other boarders. He stood tied for about 90 minutes and after about 30-45 minutes he calmed down and stopped crying like a ninny. I was actually very proud of him! He stood well for the farrier.

All in all, it was a good day!

Busy, Busy!!!

2011-03-27T12:07:00.000-05:00

As you can imagine, life is pretty busy around here!

I'm loving every second of being a mom and watching John dote over his little girl is incredible!

I have been out to visit Boomer twice in the past week and I am planning on getting out there this afternoon as well. He is doing great! He seemed very happy to see my the first time I had been out in about 2 weeks. he wanted lots of head scratches and was very sweet. I groomed him head to toe and spent lots of time with him. The second time I went out, I lunged him and started thinking about getting him back into shape. I have about 4-6 weeks left until I can ride again, which is plenty of time to lunge him 2-3 times per week to build his wind back up!

We are having a bit of a cold snap right now but as soon as spring returns, I aim to get some pictures of baby girl and Boomer together!

Not your grandma's cloth diapers!!!

2011-03-15T15:50:00.001-05:00

Learning about cloth diapers has been great fun for me. Since I wasn't really able to shop for tack and horse stuff for a while, I just shifted my focus to shopping for diapers!

Now, I'm sure you are thinking "How much fun can diapers really be"? Let me show you the ways:

All of the diapers above were custom made by Work At Home Moms. Each fabric is chosen by me, and then the maker helps to select a soft, fuzzy inner fabric and snaps to coordinate with the chosen outer fabric. I really like supporting WAHMs. You can find websites that give reviews of their quality and customer service. Several of the WAHMs I got diapers from have long wait lists and are quite in demand! The peace sign diaper took upwards of 10 weeks to get!

You can also buy cute 'mainstream' diapers made in factories.

You may have noticed something... There are no pins or plain while prefolds. That is exactly right! Cloth diapers go on and off just like disposable diapers. They either have sewn in absorbent layers or an open pocket that allows you to stuff in the amount of absorbency your baby needs. They often have size adjustment snaps that allow them to 'grow' with baby. They are super cute. What more could you ask for???

Storing dirties is similar to disposables. Instead of putting them in a 'diaper genie' type receptacle to be thrown away, you put them in a hamper lined with a washable, waterproof liner. Every 2-3 days you just throw the whole hamper bag in the washer and do your wash routine. Wash, Dry, Reuse!

It only took a look at the cost savings for John to jump on board. He wasn't nearly as impressed by the cuteness factor. To start up with cloth diapers cost us about $600 including diapers, wipes, travel bags, laundry hamper, laundry detergent, etc. Disposable diapers generally cost about $1000/year. So, we are basically saving between $1400-2400 over the next 2-3 years. Plus they are cute. And put no chemicals next to the baby's sweet little bum. And they won't take 500 years to degrade in a landfill. And they are cute!

Here is a good website: The Real Diaper Association

Happy Birthday Paisley!!!

2011-03-11T21:32:00.000-06:00

Baby Paisley was born March 10th, 2011 at 12:06 in the afternoon!!!

It was an amazing experience that deserves a post of its own. For now, enjoy these pictures!

Wool Felted Soap

2011-03-09T17:16:00.000-06:00

I need to preface this post by admitting that I am decidedly NOT crafty. I wish I were, but I'm not. I can sew on a button, but thats about it. I tried to quilt for a while. I got three baby quilts made for friends and family. They weren't pretty. I can't seem to get the sewing machine adjusted correctly. The thread always either breaks or bunches up under the fabric. Over and over. I break needles. John comes home to find the living room COVERED in scraps, thread, etc. and my with my hair standing on end. I always end the project, without finishing, and tell myself I just can't sew. Until I think of another project. It is a vicious cycle, I tell you. Finally, John planned an intervention and I sold the machine on craigslist. Best decision ever. However, this left me craftless and a bit uneasy.

I started learning about felting wool online and came across a tutorial for felting over soap.

Wool felted soap is just a bar of soap that is wrapped in wool and 'felted' so that the wool outer covering becomes like a washcloth. Its a bar of soap and shower poof in one! Wool has natural anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties as long as it is properly cared for and kept dry between uses. I chose a soap with tea tree oil as it has antiseptic properties.

For this bar, I am using a pink and a green dyed wool roving.

You wrap a thin layer in one direction, then in the next direction.

This gives the fibers something to 'felt' to.

Keep going until you have the bar mostly covered. It will be loose. That is OK.

On this bar, I twisted a length of wool into a tight yarn for decoration. It is not attached or tied.

Next you will sprinkle the wool with hot water. Have a bowl of hot water handy for rinsing.

Now, you start gently rubbing the soap. Rather than rubbing the fibers with you fingers, you want to use your finger to rub the fiber against the soap. The friction should be between the soap and fibers, not your fingers and the fibers.

Things will get foamy and start to tighten up. Once things start feeling less 'loose' and the whole deal is covered with lather, you can dunk and swish in the bowl of hot water. Things will loosen up temporarily, but now is the time to use friction between your hands and the wool. You use the exact same motions as washing your hands with a bar of soap at this stage. Things have felted enough that your wool won't shift too much. Just keep rubbing until the wool has tightened around the bar and things are nice and lathered. Once more dunk and swish, then pat it dry on a towel.

It will need to dry and cure for about 24 hours. As you use the soap, the wool will shrink and will always fit the soap perfectly!

How cool is that?

Baby Talk- Belly Pictures!

2011-03-07T08:57:00.001-06:00

These pictures were taken at 38 weeks by John.

The first three are my favorites!

Baby Talk- Why we didn't want a hospital birth

2011-03-01T11:13:00.004-06:00

John and I started this journey in a traditional OB practice with a midwife. I really wanted a midwife to deliver us, as I felt that was the best option for finding someone who would work with us towards having a natural, unmedicated childbirth. John really wanted to deliver at a hospital as he felt that was the safest place to be. So, a midwife practicing in a group of OBs seemed like a great compromise. As time went by, we were educating ourselves through the internet as well as our birth class about typical procedures that are performed at the hospital for mom as well as baby. I began to form my birth plan and we would occasionally bring it to our prenatal visit to discuss with our midwife. My birth plan began to look like a novel. I had it in bullet points and made the font smaller to fit everything on one page. I was asking a lot of questions of our midwife and trying to get a feel for what was standard procedure at the hospital, and then including those details in my birth plan if they differed from my desires. Unfortunately, our midwife raised several red flags with the way she answered a number of our questions. We really felt like she was yielding to protocol, which is understandable as she works in a network of OBs and delivers at a large hospital. We can't blame her for following procedure, but we were still uneasy about some of her answers to our questions.

There were quite a few topics that we would need to advocate for while in labor and delivery. However, in a hospital setting, many of the things we were requesting were not the standard procedure. John and I started worrying about how we would manage to enforce our birth plan. I, clearly, couldn't be an advocate for myself during labor. John was going to be very busy staying connected to me and supporting me. He is totally capable of being my advocate and reminding the nursing staff of decisions we had made. However, we were unsure that John wanted to take on that role at the expense of being less connected to me emotionally during the labor and birth. John's primary role is to be my support partner and coach.

We decided that we needed to go on a tour of the hospital to fully make up our minds. We went to the hospital with the hope that we would be reassured by the staff and environment that all of this was possible. We were looking forward to the tour and had very open, hopeful expectations.

Unfortunately, we were disappointed. The tour had about 20 couples signed up. The nursing staff had a very rude and condescending attitude about natural birth. She rolled her eyes and laughed when she described that they do have a jacuzzi tub for "anyone who wants to attempt this without any pain medication". There were several other comments made about natural, unmedicated childbirth that made John and I exchange knowing looks. The nurse showed us the 'newborn procedure station' and I asked if it was possible for them to do the procedures while baby was being held by mom. She fumbled around for a moment, then answered that "that would be a decision you could make, but we can't make any promises". She acted like me wanting to make a decision was out of the ordinary and not welcome. This was the clincher for me. The most important aspect of this process to me is that John and I are in charge of our birth. We don't need someone to tell us how they will be doing things. We are capable of birthing our baby. In the case of an emergency, of course, we would need someone directing decisions. But that is a pretty unlikely event. The last straw for John was this little gem; the hospital puts a tracking anklet on each baby. The anklet locks any door that you get close to and the whole hospital locks down should the anklet be removed without a key. The problem John and I have with this is that the hospital requires a 2 night stay, which is ridiculous. With a natural, unmedicated birth there is no reason I shouldn't be able to go home within a few hours. Also, we are choosing to opt out of several unnecessary newborn procedures and we are afraid that we will get push-back on that, which is pretty scary if the hospital is in control of your baby.

So, in the end, John and I couldn't get out of the hospital fast enough. We spent the whole drive home discussing what we did want. It was pretty interesting that he and I were totally on the same page after the tour. We didn't have to say a word to each other to know that this wasn't right for us. Honestly, it was a relief to be so certain about something. We knew a hospital birth just wasn't for us. I know that many people have successful natural childbirth experiences in hospitals. I also know that it just isn't for us. Every parent makes the right choices for their own situation. We are thrilled with our decision and finally feel confident with our care provider.

Overall, we both agree that a hospital is a great place to be in the case of an emergency. However, birth is not an emergency. Our baby ALREADY has all of the immunity she needs to the things in our home. Why would we take her to a hospital, filled with sick people, and risk exposing her to illness? Why would I want to hang out in the hospital, 'just in case' when that is the place to go if you are in a 'worst case scenario' situation? Doesn't it just feel like we would be setting ourselves up for unnecessary interventions?

Birth is normal. I am confident in my body's ability to birth a baby. I firmly believe that our bodies have a natural system of pain relief that allows you to gradually handle the pain of birthing. I also firmly believe that our bodies will not destroy or damage themselves during the birth process. If either of these statements were false, how would we have survived as a species? Hospital birthing is only 2-3 generations old. Were the generations before that doing something wrong?

Hospitals are great for emergencies. In the event that our birth turns into an emergency, we will not hesitate to transfer and receive the best emergency care available.

Come back next week for belly pictures!

My belly is a table!!!

2011-02-24T15:30:00.000-06:00

I just had to share this picture:

I can officially use my belly as a shelf or table. I highly recommend this. It is an awesome pregnancy perk!!! However, as with all superpowers, there is a downside. I can no longer see my knees, feet, or anything else beneath the 'equator'.

Baby Paisley is officially full-term and could make her grand entrance any day now without complications! We hope she sticks around until a little closer to her due date so that we can get the biggest, healthiest baby possible. Honestly, I'd rather not go past due just because of the anticipation and excitement. But, as our midwife says, "Babies do not come when they are due, they come when they do". John and I can hardly wait to meet our baby girl! Our due date is only 23 days away! I can't believe how fast this time has gone by!

Boomer will always be Boomer

2011-02-23T15:22:00.000-06:00

Boomer hasn't had a 'pulling' back incident since we brought him home from the trainer about 16 months ago. He did have two incidents where he dropped and panicked in cross-ties, but not pulling back.

I still do not trust him and would never consider him 'cured'. I always treat him as if he can and will pull back. He still wears his 'Be-Nice' halter and is always tied fast with a cotton rope and bull snap.

Today I was grooming him and he raised his head while I was spraying his mane with detangler, so I pulled on the lead rope to get him to drop his head and he resisted, so I held pressure strong while I continued spraying. He pulled back and struggled. I saw that the rope would hold and I took a step back so that I was behind the line of his shoulder and shouted at him to 'GET UP'! He stopped pulling, stepped forward, dropped his head and started licking. I gave him a second to deflate, then I approached him and rubbed his forehead.

I decided to go get the clicker and a pocket full of treats and do a little training session. I retied his leadrope to make sure it was still secure. I approached him and started to apply pressure to the leadrope, he immediately pulled back again before I could even start spraying him. I stepped back and shouted at him to 'GET UP'! He stopped pulling and as soon as he dropped his head and started licking his lips, I clicked the clicker and gave him a treat.

Next time, I started spraying him first, then gave him a click/treat without pulling on the rope. Then I sprayed and pulled on the leadrope. He stepped forward, but didn't drop his head- click/treat. We did this a few more times and eventually he would let me spray him without raising his head. Same reaction on the other side. I was very happy with this.

I think in the past when he pulled back, it really freaked me out and I would untie him right away and then baby him about whatever had freaked him out. Today, my reaction was different. I approached the situation by pushing his buttons and TRYING to get him to react. It was HIS decision to stop pulling back. I was there to reward, but I didn't try to make things easier or more comfortable for him. All in all, I think it was a good lesson for both of us.

Baby Talk- So, What DO we Want?

2011-02-22T13:25:00.039-06:00

The single most important factor in the outcome of your birth is where you choose to begin your journey.

I am enormously confident in my ability to have a baby. My body is designed for this. I am mentally prepared for the stages of labor. I understand the process. I have had over 36 hours of led classes preparing me for this event. I have done countless hours of research on the subject. I have the most incredible and supportive husband/coach. I know I can do this and I am not interested in interventions or in my labor being managed by an OB team and various nurses. I want my birth to be passively managed. I basically want to be able to go through this process with John and I working together in this experience of labor and birth. We do need someone who knows what normal is and what an emergency looks like. We need to trust that person's ability to decide when we need to transfer to the hospital.

Which is why we have selected the midwife we have to attend our home birth. Many people have the same reaction when they think of a home birth. They assume it is unsafe. I have several articles to introduce the topic here, here and here.

The midwife we have chosen is trained by the Ancient Art Midwifery Institute as well as serving as an apprentice, has attended over 200 births, and has an 8% hospital transfer rate (including non-emergency transfers from moms who change their minds mid-labor). There is another midwife who lives 1 mile from us who has attended 1400 births over the last 30 years. We feel very safe with our choice of care provider. The reason we chose the midwife we did, even though she has attended fewer births than our second choice midwife, is because of the connection and comfort we felt with her. If we were picking a surgeon to operate on us, we would pick the most experienced doctor, anyone would. But, we are not picking someone who is going to get us through a life threatening process. We are picking someone who can help us navigate a natural birth and also knows what is normal and what is not. As long as she can recognize when something stops being normal, we will transfer to a hospital and trust the experts to take over our medical care. Most likely, that will not happen. We do not need a medical expert, we need a normal birth expert. That is just what midwives are trained to know. Normal.

I am so happy with this decision and so excited for our birth! John was hesitant at the beginning of our pregnancy when I mentioned having a home birth. After months of research and education, he has made a complete 180 and fully supports home birth as the best option for our low risk pregnancy and birth. John is not someone who believes everything he hears. He in an engineer and likes his facts. For him to have made such a massive shift really solidifies in my mind that this is the right decision.

So, what DO we want? A normal birth in a setting where we will feel comfortable, have access to all of our things, have access to foods and drinks we like and are accustomed to. A relaxed birth with a care provider who understands and respects our choices, decisions, and ability to birth our baby. A healthy, happy baby, mama, and papa!

Check back next week for: "Why we didn't want a hospital birth"

Boomer injury progress

2011-02-18T13:38:00.000-06:00

The (beautiful, amazing, perfect) weather has finally dried things out a little and I got the chance to put Boomer back to work to assess the damage.

I bitted him up in the surcingle with side reins and lunged him at the walk and trot for about 15 minutes. He was pretty high headed and inverted at first, but he quickly remembered that stretching and low is where he needs to be. He did try very hard and we got a few full circles without him popping up his head. However, after any extended stretching on his part, he would pop his head up and invert, then take a funny step in the back or try to canter a stride. I think this is strictly a strength issue. It only happened twice in one direction and once in the other direction. He has completely lost his top line muscling over the last 5 months and I have started noticing his under neck is starting to get more defined again. I would expect to see improvement within a few sessions. If he gets worse, or doesn't improve we will get the chiro back out. However, as it is, I don't plan on having her back out until we get closer to riding/competing again.

So, I'm hoping that slowly introducing the bitted lunging again will help him build a little strength and stretch to his top line muscles before we start riding again. I also anticipate a few months of 'rehab' riding to get him strong again. I really believe that having that dressage-influenced strong top line really makes a world of difference in endurance. It doesn't matter that we don't 'look' like dressage folk. The important thing is him engaging his hindquarters, lifting his back, and arching over the top of his neck. Once those muscles are strong, it will make carrying me much easier over long distances. Not that I'm that heavy- I just realized that even while pregnant, I still weigh in with tack in the lowest weight division of AERC.

So, lunging from now until May-ish to build strength and stamina. Then riding from May-ish until September to fine tune and build endurance. Then hopefully do a few competitions in Oct & Nov!

Tension, anxiety and horses

2011-02-17T13:19:00.000-06:00

We all know that horses can read us well. Very well. Sometimes too well. When you have a silly, spooky, reactive ay-rab this is not always a good thing.

But, letting go of tension and anxiety is not easy to do. Even if we *try* to soothe ourselves and look calm on the outside, the danged horse can still tell we are tense or anxious.

I've struggled with this with Boomer for years now. My tension and anxiety over his past behaviors and all of the 'what-ifs' really kept me from being calm and relaxed around him. Which fed into his tension and reactive behavior. Even though he has not done a thing wrong in over a year, I still didn't fully trust him.

I used to make sure i had my whole grooming set up ready before I caught him so that I wouldn't have to leave him tied to go back into the tack room. I didn't want to leave him alone for fear of what he might do. As if I could actually prevent something from happening.

Though, recently, I have had a very interesting shift. Honestly, I just stopped caring. Let me explain. I used to get really worked up about the what-ifs. What if he pulls back? What if he spooks? The list goes on. But, recently I've just stopped caring what he does. I have bigger, more important things to worry about in my life than his silly quirks, reactions, behaviors, etc.

So, he can pull back if he wants to. I'll call the chiropractor, get him adjusted, and life will go on. So what if he spooks. Just as long as he doesn't get his big horsey ass in my pregnant space, we are cool. If he does get in my space, he gets a quick lesson with the end of the lead rope. But honestly, I just don't care what sort of antics he wants to engage in.

Funny thing, by not caring and not feeding him any tense energy- he has calmed down. I refuse to get emotionally involved in his horsey drama and it has already changed the way he behaves. I'm no longer careful around him with plastic bags, etc. I'm just going on with my life and he is dealing with it.

I've known all along that this is what he needed. Its just WAY harder to do than it sounds. That is, until my perspective shifted and I just stopped caring. I think this shift is really going to change how I feel and act around him and will hopefully change his behavior as well.

Of course, there is also the chance that he is just growing up, seeing as he is only 11 days away from his 8th birthday. I have always head that ay-rabs really 'grow up' in their 8th year. I'm really hoping 8 is our best year yet!

So, Boomer- you can keep your drama and I'll keep my sanity. How about that?

Baby Talk- Arguments for Intervention

2011-02-15T12:35:00.015-06:00

First things first, I want to express how deeply my desire runs to have a healthy baby. This is the number one priority for me. I have had several family members and friends say things to me like, "Don't get too attached to your birth plan. Things happen and you may end up with interventions." I just want to express that of course we are aware that we may encounter complications. Of course we are prepared for the potential interventions! In the case of a true emergency where either the baby or I are at risk, John and I will be nothing but thrilled by the level of care offered to us by any of our local hospitals. This isn't about 'following our birth plan'. This is about giving us the best chance possible for a natural, normal birth. Healthy mama, healthy baby- at any cost. I just so believe that avoiding interventions as much as possible from the start gives you the best chance of both mama and baby being the healthiest they can be.

Ok, lets move on to when medical interventions are commonly offered and when they actually do become necessary.

There are several reasons commonly used to introduce interventions in labor. A few common ones for inducing labor are: baby is too big, low amniotic fluid levels, baby is past due, and the waters have broken but labor hasn't started.

The way to determine weight of a baby is by measuring the length of the femur and comparing it to full term babies birth weights. This measurement is frequently off by a pound or more. An average woman's pelvis can birth a 13 pound baby. This reason is bunk to me.

Low amniotic fluids is a scary term to throw at a mom. The way this is measured on ultrasound is by averaging several pockets of amniotic fluid around the baby. This is clearly not an exact measurement. A better gauge is monitoring the baby for a normal heart rate and activity.

A baby being past due is probably the biggest reason people induce labor. The due date is calculated at 40 weeks and generally first time moms deliver at 41.1 weeks. As long as mom and baby are both healthy, there is no reason to induce just because you are nearing or past 42 weeks. Of course, the placenta has an expiration date and can start to disintegrate around 42 weeks. If this occurs, the baby's heart rate will drop and induction becomes necessary.

The bag of waters breaking before labor begins is a huge no-no at the hospital. There is an increased risk of infection and nearly all hospitals give you a 24 hour window to have the baby before they intervene. What I have learned is that if your waters break and are clean and neutral smelling (no infections or meconium), the baby's head is engaged (cord can not wash under baby's head and cut off circulation), and the vagina remains a one way street (no infectious stuff being introduced) you are fine to birth on your own time frame. The problem with hospital births is that they can't seem to keep their fingers and tools out of the vagina. They want hourly exams to check progress, thus introducing an infection risk. So, if your water breaks and the hospital staff give you an internal exam, you do indeed have a 24 hour window to have that baby before infection becomes a real concern.

As far as an epidural goes, that is a personal decision for a woman. I want to avoid an epidural if at all possible for reasons discussed before. Avoiding induction is a key part of avoiding an epidural.

I truly believe that the medical community has the best intentions in mind. I don't think they are 'out to get' anyone. However, when delivering in a hospital, the hospital follows protocol for everyone. Everyone is treated in the same manner, no matter their risk level or individual situation. John and I feel that hospitals treat births like a medical condition, an emergency waiting to happen. Going against the grain is possible with a strong birth team and thorough birth plan.

Come back next week for "So, What DO we Want?"

The Best Laid Plans...

2011-02-10T14:02:00.036-06:00

For obvious reasons, it is nearly impossible to plan for the future right now. I clearly have no idea what life will be like with a child.

That, however, is not keeping me from daydreaming about the ride schedule for this fall!

There are 4 rides that I would like to make it to in October and November:

Indian Territory

October 1st

at Lake Oologah

Jo Tate Fall Paradise

October 15th

at Washburn, Mo

True Grit

October 29th

at Cedar Lake

Season Finale

November 25-26th

at Bell Cow Lake

Knowing Boomer and his performance history last year, I know it is entirely possible for him to complete three rides in October and then be fit enough to do a 2 day ride the next month. Of course, this plan hinges on several other factors. The biggest two factors are me getting a saddle and getting back to riding in May or June!

I have no idea if the best plan would be to bring John and Baby Paisley along for the trips or to leave them at home and take a horse vacation on my own. I would rather not travel alone, but I have no idea how babies handle weather and camping. Doing internet searches brings up lots of advice for camping with babies that makes it seem doable. Paisley will be 6-7 months old then. It would be a MUCH easier decision if we had a trailer with some sort of climate control and a generator!

So, I'm really hoping that I will be able to do a few rides in October/November. Whether I end up doing them alone or with the whole family is yet to be determined!

I had so much fun with Boomer last year doing rides and I really look forward to being able to get back into the swing of things again soon!

Baby Talk- What is Natural Childbirth?

2011-02-08T11:21:00.114-06:00

In this journey that John and I have been on, we have discovered that natural childbirth is something that both of us are very passionate about. There is a huge amount of research supporting natural childbirth. It is my goal here to explain some of the choices that John and I are making as parents. I intend to provide statistics and article links as needed. If I ever say something that you doubt or want more information on, please ask. Sometimes talking about these subjects can be difficult as everyone makes their own choices. My intention is not to insinuate that anyone who chooses to birth differently is wrong or a bad mother.

So, what IS natural childbirth?

Natural childbirth is a term that is often used to refer to an epidural-free labor. Having an epidural-free labor is a very important component, but it isn't the whole picture. In order to have a natural labor, the mom must be able to fully relax, remain undisturbed, eat, drink, move freely, be allowed to deliver or 'push' in any position, AND remain unmedicated.

If a woman is not fully relaxed, her body is able to stall labor. Mares in foal are the same. If they feel like they are being watched, they will stall labor for hours or days until they feel safe and alone. The question for me is, how do you relax in a hospital setting? Does constant monitoring by strangers and frequent internal examinations make you feel relaxed? Read this blog post on why internal exams don't tell you anything useful. The opposite of relaxation is tension. Tension can intensify pain and make it very difficult to accept and work through pain. Is it possible to remain undisturbed in a hospital?

Most hospitals have rules on mothers not being allowed food or water while in labor in case they need to go under emergency anesthesia. This is a two-fold issue. First is the rate of women who do end up with emergency surgery. In America, the cesarean rate is 32%. This rate is unusually and unnecessarily high. More on that later. The second issue at hand is why food and drink is important during labor. Labor is an athletic event lasting hours and days. It is physically exhausting. It is an endurance event. Would you deny a marathon runner sustenance? How would you expect your horse to perform in an endurance race if he is not allowed food or drink? How far would he make it before he HAD to stop? What if you were in an athletic event that doesn't allow you to quit? You MUST continue through to the end? Is it fair to set yourself up for failure by not providing your body with nutrition?

Moving freely during both first and second stage labor is important for a number of reasons. First is that movement and being upright allows the baby to begin its descent through the pelvis. Movement and remaining upright also help to speed labor. Its simple physics. Gravity is working with you to get things moving. This is a pretty simple concept, however it is often thwarted by hospital protocol and interventions as well. The most common thing that takes away the ability to move freely is an epidural. You are physically unable to remain upright or mobile when given an epidural.

Being able to deliver or 'push' in any position is a key in natural childbirth. Most people picture a woman delivering a baby on her back in a bed. We have been conditioned to think this is the normal way to deliver. The truth is, delivering a baby on your back is not normal at all! When on your back or reclined, you are putting pressure on your coccyx which decreases the size of the pelvic opening. I don't have to tell you why that is not an aid in birthing a baby! Reclining also requires the baby to make an extra turn to get out of the pelvis and through the birth canal. The baby is headed just a little lower than the vaginal opening and frequently tears the mother's perineum. If a woman is allowed to push on her own terms, she will invariably push upright in a standing, squatting, or hands and knees position. All of these positions allow for the baby to make an easier exit with less pain and tearing for the mother. Again, an epidural makes this decision impossible.

The most important factor in a natural childbirth is avoiding drugs. Epidurals are not the only medical intervention that should be avoided to achieve a natural birth, but they are the most common. The Epidural rate in America is between 50-90%, depending on who you ask. Another form of medical intervention to avoid is induction. The rate of inductions is between 20-40%. The reasons for avoiding inductions are numerous. First, they often encourage out a baby who is simply not ready to be born. Our NICUs are fuller than ever largely due to preterm babies. Second, induction makes labor very intense and painful for mom. It gives her contractions that are much stronger and closer together than natural contractions. This often leads to an epidural, which then slows labor, often putting the baby into distress and ends up leading to an assisted deliver or even an emergency Cesarean section. This cascade of intervention (another article here and here) is totally avoidable if we would just allows our bodies to work naturally. Trusting your body is so key in birth. In addition to the effects an epidural have on mom, we need to consider how they effect baby. The biggest problem babies encounter after a drugged birth is difficulty breastfeeding.

Topeka Birth center has a Cesarean rate ranging between 3-9% since 2002. Several local home birth midwives have Cesarean rates under 4%. According to the CDC article I linked above, The rate of cesareans has increased over 50% in the last decade. What does all of this tell us? Something is wrong with the way we are treating births. Birth is not a medical emergency. Birth is normal. Birth is natural. We need to be proactive in our own care to ensure that we remain in control of our own births and avoid interventions that complicate the process.

The biggest secret about birth is not that it is painful, but that women are strong.

Check back next week for "Arguments for Interventions"

32 days and $800 later...

2011-02-06T18:14:00.000-06:00

Boomer is back out with his friends! I am so happy that he is back to being a regular horse!

He is still slightly off at the trot, especially on a circle or if he bucks or kicks out.

The chiropractor adjusted him and spend about an hour and a half working with us. She was really amazing and explained the process very thoroughly. I have used a chiropractor for me, and I know that it works. I am just so glad that we could offer that for Boomer!

She made about 11 adjustments total. Several of them were old, up in his neck. We talked a lot about his history, the flipping over behavior. We also talked about his left lead and left diagonal preference. I also made sure to tell her that during dressage work, he tends to refuse to bend at the poll towards the right and I never could get him to foam on the right side of his mouth.

One thing she found that was very interesting is that his last vertebrae in his neck was out to the right, which would cause his scapula to have a shorter range of motion. Sure enough, when she picked up his front legs I could see a very big difference in the range of motion for forward and up.

Of course, she also worked on his pelvis and gave me several stretches to do with him that will help him build strength in the back and flexibility in the front.

He was not too thrilled with the process and made lots of mean, mad faces at her. She just kept laughing at him and I was pleasantly surprised at how well she handled him. He, of course, was feeling particularly like a fire-breathing dragon that day.

We wanted to put him in a medical turnout paddock at first, but he was too worked up and was running the fence line. We put him out with his buddies and they ran for a few minutes, Boomer trailing behind. After that, they ate and seem to have calmed down totally.

So, I think that we did everything about as right as we could have. In hindsight, I would have skipped the Adequan injection and gotten the chiro out a week earlier. The chiro was delayed by the blizzards and we did the Adequan on day 2 when we still feared for his ligaments/tendons. Hindsight is 20/20, as they say.

I'm just going to let him play and build strength in the pasture for now. Once the weather changes and snow melts, I will start lunging him again. Though, we could have a baby by then... So, who knows what will happen next?!

I'm just so happy that Boomer is back out in the pasture. What a relief! We may do another chiro adjustment once we start riding again, based on how he feels. Seriously, I can't believe how much we lucked out in this situation. What a roller-coaster of a month!

Baby Talk- How things have changed

2011-02-01T11:20:00.001-06:00

I can hardly believe that we only have 6 weeks left until we welcome our baby girl home! This whole journey has been amazing! I really have had a blast being pregnant and John and I are so excited to meet our daughter! John is the most incredible, supportive 'dad'! He is so 100% beside me in this, it just amazes me every day!

I am very lucky to have had an easy pregnancy. No morning sickness, no swollen hands or feet, or stretch marks, no excessive weight gain, nothing out of the ordinary at all! Just in the last week or two I have started to get a little uncomfortable. My belly is just getting so big and I'm lacking space for breathing! It has been pretty funny trying to get used to the size of the belly. I often find myself trying to squeeze through tight places where I *think* I should fit! John also gets a kick out of the fact that I can no longer get up from the couch or off the floor on my own. I'm like a turtle who is stuck on its back!

John and I both love feeling Paisley kick and stretch. It is so fun to push back as she stretches and watch her move or kick somewhere else. Its so neat to be able to feel her feet and legs and try to guess what position she is in!

I think that the single most important decision John and I have made for this pregnancy was to attend a Bradley Method birth class. The Bradley Method teaches 'husband coached, natural childbirth'. The goal of the class is to use a research based method of education to encourage proper nutrition through pregnancy and teach relaxation techniques for labor and delivery. There is a HUGE amount of information on common medical interventions, what they are for, when they are needed, and how to avoid them if they aren't needed. The 'husband coached' part of the class has been the best part for me. John's role in this birth is absoloutly integral. He is the person who knows me best. So, he needs to be aware of the labor and birth process so that he can encourage me when I need it and make decisions for me when I am unable to. This class has brought us closer and strengthened our bond. Seeing how supportive and committed he is has really allowed me to hand over 100% of my trust to him. That was something I didn't realize I was holding back before. Not that I lacked trust in John, but that I was protecting myself by trying to remain in control. I now have total faith that I can let go and he will do everything in his power to take care of me.

This amazing journey has made us better people and a better couple. We only have little Paisley Blue to thank for that. So, thank you baby girl. We love you and know you will continue to humble us and teach us to be better people. We hope we can give back to you what you have already given to us.

Check back next week for "What is Natural Childbirth?"

Picture of the week!

2011-01-28T14:11:00.001-06:00

Still off, but not 'lame'

2011-01-27T13:19:00.000-06:00

Boomer has adjusted very well to the stall rest. He seems to enjoy our daily hand walks and is always trying to paw at the snow to find some grass.

Today we finally got above freezing and were actually around 40 degrees! I decided to put Boomer in the small medical turnout (maybe 40'x60') while I cleaned his stall. He seemed to enjoy walking around and grazing. I got into the paddock with him and asked him to trot around me like we were lunging and he was definitely still quite off. I wouldn't call him 'lame' because it really isn't a hind limb lameness. It really looks higher up like he is 'hitching' his hips. He was off in both directions. He tried cantering a little on his own and was very short and choppy in the back. As soon as he was back to the walk, he was fine and didn't act like there was any residual pain.

I was a little disappointed to see how off he still is. I had really hoped that he was doing much better with all of the stall rest. I'm really hoping we have good weather for the rest of the week and the chiropractor will be able to see him trotting on a circle. My hope is that she can adjust him, give him another 1-2 weeks of stall rest with walking/turnout and then adjust him again if needed and get him back out in the pasture.

Second opinion!

2011-01-20T16:25:00.000-06:00

I've got good news!

Boomer has been doing better every day. He has been on total stall rest for 11 days with only one or two days where he got out to walk up and down the barn isle a few times. He has shown no signs of lameness, swelling, heat, or soreness. He has behaved himself well and doesn't seem to be going too crazy being in the stall.

Our regular vet came out today and did a very good lameness exam. He confirmed what I suspected, which was that Boomer reacts the same to palpation on both legs. He has always been touchy and quick to pick up his feet. However, when he was dead lame, he only reacted on the one side because he couldn't weight the other leg to react on the 'good' side. The vet watched him walk and did a flexion test and trot out and Boomer short stepped for about 3 strides (no head bobbing) and then worked out of it and trotted sound the rest of the way down the isle. So, the vet thinks it is not soft tissue, not a fracture, no pulled muscle.

Which led us to spinal compression, pinched nerve, sciatica, etc. When the vet palpated along him hips/spine/top of rump Boomer would nearly buckle his back legs. It was obviously uncomfortable. However, it didn't seem like sharp pain that made him want to jump or kick out. He just slowly buckled his legs to lower away from the pressure. The vet also had him stand square and no matter how he stood or moved, his left hip just seemed higher. It was a visible difference, even to me. The right side didn't seem sunken, it was more of a rotation looking thing. Also, when the vet pulled on his tail straight back, Boomer's rump muscles quivered quite a bit and when he let go, Boomer really had to stumble to regain his balance.

So, where do we go from here?

First, keep up the stall rest, but add hand walking.

Start at 5 minutes per day and work up to 15 minutes per day.

Second, get Boomer adjusted by a chiropractor in 2 weeks.

Appointment is scheduled for February 2nd.

The vet and chiropractor work closely together and

share information for better treatment.

Third, after adjustment, allow Boomer short, supervised turnout each day

in addition to hand walking.

Hopefully this will quickly lead to him being turned back out 24/7.

We also have options of giving Boomer muscle relaxers or an electromagnetic pulse therapy to help loosen up his muscles and aid the chiropractic adjustment. For now, those options are not needed.

So, this all seems like a good direction to be moving in. I am very happy with the prognosis and I actually do agree with the assessment. I am hopeful that this can be a comparatively easy fix. 1-2 chiropractor visits is a cake-walk compared to suspensory rehab!!!

Progress and details

2011-01-13T16:27:00.000-06:00

We just got the bill for the vet visits which contained details on exactly what drugs he got. In the IV bag he got DMSO (which I have learned converts instantly into MSM), Equioxx, and Banamine. So, basically a huge dose of anti-inflamitories and pain reducers. This explains why he stopped shaking and sweating right away. The second day he got Adequan.

He is still making steady progress. Today he is fully weight bearing and using his leg to walk and turn in the stall. He is still visibly lame. There is still no heat or swelling, but he is still tender when I pinch the tendon area. I am remaining cautiously optimistic that perhaps a torn suspensory is an 'over diagnosis'. Another boarder at the barn is a small animal vet and she said that she would be surprised if it was a torn suspensory based on how fast he is recovering and that there has never been swelling. Based on my reading, if it was a torn suspensory the progress he is making would seem way too fast. However, this is also the common trap of suspensory injuries, the horse seems sound, gets put back to work, and re-injures himself way worse.

So, I have my regular vet coming out for a second opinion and ultrasound on Tuesday.

I'm just shocked at how fast he is improving. Monday morning he was dead lame and in shock and Thursday afternoon he is fully weight bearing and pissed about being in a stall. I'm not sure how to feel, but I can't help but have hope that it is something much less serious than a torn suspensory.

I need that hope. I know that even if it is a torn suspensory, we are just looking at time. He probably won't be a competitive endurance horse again, but he will be ridable. He would even make a great first lead line horse for our baby girl a few years down the road. But, I am still hanging on to the hope that a 2nd opinion and ultrasound show that his tendons and ligaments are fine and that the problem is elsewhere- and not serious.

Staying Positive

2011-01-12T12:30:00.000-06:00

Today Boomer was putting weight on the leg while resting. Still limping/toe touching to move. I was happy to see that his default resting posture was with both heels on the ground.

Its amazing how easily we take for granted the health of our horses. Boomer gave me 300 endurance miles in just 5 months in 2010. How incredible is that? He has really turned out to be an amazing horse and partner.

I will do everything I can for him. We are lucky this injury is not going to involve invasive treatment. No surgery or anything like that.

The hardest part is the stall rest. I know we have to do it. The biggest thing I have learned through my reading is that tendons and ligaments heal s-l-o-w-l-y. A horse will look sound way before the ultrasound will look clear. So, trust the ultrasound, not the horse.

I have nothing but time. I am going to make a commitment to spend a minimum of 2 hours a day with Boomer while he is on stall rest. I can clean his stall and do clicker training. I can groom him and I can sit and read a book. Point is, I'm going to spend time with him and not just abandon him in the stall.

Once he is ready for hand walking, I will be more than happy to do that once or twice a day. That was already our form of exercise lately, so no big deal! Once the baby arrives, we will have to figure out some details for a few days until I feel up to getting back outside. Though, it will be spring by then and I will be thrilled to go for a walk with Charley and Boomer and the baby! I hope eventually we can add medical-teeny-tiny-turnout to the routine and I will be thrilled to sit under a tree and play with my baby girl while Boomer grazes and gets some outside time.

We can and will make this work and I will stay positive.

Prognosis

2011-01-11T12:57:00.000-06:00

Well, we have a prognosis. Its not 'worst case scenario', but that doesn't make me feel much better.

Torn suspensory ligament.

Had a different vet out this morning. Boomer was slightly improved. Still not weight bearing, but he was moving around a bit. Hoping on his toe, but not putting the heel down. I was happy to see him moving as that improves blood flow to the right hind and decreases chances of static laminitis in that leg.

I let the vet know over the phone that he was still toe touching lame. He didn't sound happy about that. He came out and did a through exam. Boomer had almost no muscle sensitivity up high today. The vet spent a good deal of time flexing the fetlock and feeling the tendons in the back of the leg. He had me walk him a few steps. He had me feel the tendons and explained that you could feel the bands of tendon and the suspensory. Then he had me squeeze and run down the suspensory he pointed out a bit of a 'notch' and right then, Boomer flinched his leg away. He said that we could do an ultrasound if we wanted, but that he was confident enough to put that off a few weeks. This is why he is now acting like he COULD put weight on it, but only the toe- it hurts to stretch the ligament to put his heel down. Vet did say that it isn't the worst he has seen and it isn't totally ruptured, which is good.

So, for the immediate future, we are wrapping both legs and giving a gram of bute per day. He got an IM shot of Adequan for inflammation and to encourage tendon and ligament health. He is on total stall rest for 10-14 days. Then we should take an U/S to see how things look and make a decision on when to start hand walking. It could be at 2 weeks, or it could be longer. Beyond that, we are looking at months of recovery. I am anticipating 6 months of stall rest with hand walking and hopefully some other sort of gentle exercise. Beyond that, I would hope that we could put him back out in the pasture with light riding/exercise for another 3-6 months. I hope we can compete again someday. If not, I guess we will need to find Boomer a new job. The vet said that it will take a minimum of 2 months before he can give an opinion on if Boomer will ever be 'useful' again.

How 'useful' Boomer is isn't really important to me. Time isn't really an issue either. Its hard for me to put him on stall rest after being out in pasture his whole life. However, from what I have been reading, managing the injury is a MUCH bigger factor in the outcome than the nature of the injury itself. I read over and over again about people who turned the horse out after 2 months or started riding again because the horse wasn't lame any more- then BAM! lame for good and retired.

Here are two good articles on the Suspensory Ligament and Injuries from UC Davis Vet School and Thoroughbred Times. As far as management goes, I am starting Boomer on Smart Tendon, Smart Calm Ultra, and Ultra Elite Digest. The calming and pro/pre-biotics will hopefully help keep him comfortable and stress free while being stalled. I figure if I'm about to drop a ton of time, effort, and cash into rehabbing his leg, it would be stupid to NOT try the Smart Tendon supplement. It has silica, collagen, and MSM, plus anti-oxidants to fight free radical damage. I also plan on getting him a few stall toys.

Bad news...

2011-01-10T22:43:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately, I don't have anything good today. I went out to see Boomer this morning to double blanket him as it was snowing quite a bit. Boomer was not bearing weight on his hind left leg. I had a hard time getting him up to the barn. He was 3 legged, hopping lame. We got his blanket off, he was shaking and had lathered white sweat all over his shoulders. There was no heat or swelling in the leg. The vet came out and couldn't feel and fractures. He was sensitive to the touch on his left stifle area, inner flank, left cannon bone/tendon, and right rump muscle. His rump muscles were tight and quivering. Our best guess is that he reared up while playing, which he frequently does with his very tall friend, and slipped in the snow. He could have done the splits and torn a muscle, fallen and hyper-extended his leg, or landed on his rump and compressed vertebrae. It seems most like a soft tissue injury. The vet gave him DMSO in and IV, diluted with a liter of fluids. I had never seen that done before. It is basically a VERY strong anti-inflammatory. It stopped the shaking almost immediately. We got him into a dry blanket and put into a stall. I went back to check him in the afternoon and there was no improvement, save that he was no longer shaking and sweating. He was leaning against the corner, relieving himself of some weight.

Unfortunately, portable x-rays won't go up high enough to show us the pelvis. An ultrasound could show us a torn muscle or tendon, but knowing that info wouldn't change our course of action. We could take him to K-State, but doing an x-ray is very risky. You have to lay the horse down, and if you find a fracture, you are basically doomed as it is not uncommon for horses to struggle while waking up from anesthesia and shatter the fracture. So, you would almost rather not even look for a pelvic fracture.

It is so disheartening to know that even if I had seen it happen, even if we knew EXACTLY what and where he was injured, there is nothing more we could be doing. It is a play it by ear, wait and see kind of injury. But he is still hurt and he is still in pain.

There is nothing more terrible I can imagine than seeing him in so much pain this morning. He was clearly hurting. My heart breaks for him.

I discussed compensation injury/founder/laminitis risks with the vet. He said it is good that it is a back leg, but that I should wrap his opposite leg for support. I asked about onset of laminitis episodes and he said it can be as fast as 48 hours.

So, my fears are many. What if it is a totally ruptured muscle or tendon? What if he is unable to move, not because of pain, but because he PHYSICALLY can't use the leg? How long will we be waiting for the leg to become weight bearing? What if it is a fracture and we don't know? Will it heal on its own? is he at risk of shattering the pelvis during the healing time? What if he founders? If it is a spinal compression, should we seek chiropractic care? If so, how soon should we do that? Back injuries can cause pain and compensation for an eternity. How long do we wait to try that? Even if the best case scenario is a torn muscle, what do we do from there? How long until he will be weight bearing, how long until he is not lame? Time is no issue, he can have all the time he needs. I, obviously, have no rush.

I am going to check on him in the morning, the vet wants to do another DMSO treatment tomorrow. There is nothing I can do, except worry, until then. I really hope he is weight bearing tomorrow, but I'm afraid that seeing improvement is going to be a slow process.

Clementine Face!

2011-01-06T15:27:00.000-06:00

If I had only known what Boomer's reaction would be to eating a clementine, I would have had the camera ready! John really wanted to give Boomer a clementine last week so I offered it to him as I was turning him out after changing blankets. Without hesitation, he smashed it right in half, the juice squirted everywhere and he dropped it into my hand in shock. He nodded his head and licked a bunch. When I offered it to him again he pinned his ears and lifted his head WAY up! It was a pretty comical sight! He seemed so confident that he would like it but ended up with quite a shock, I guess!

I went out again today to lunge him and I put him into the bitting rig. I had the side reins up about halfway and he did very well. He remembered right away what he was supposed to do and tried really hard to stretch down and towards the bit. I could tell he felt weak, his topline is definitely back where it was before we started the dressage lessons. Cantering was very hard for him while bitted up. I think we probably worked for maybe 15 minutes, but I think that was plenty of time. I am very happy with how well he behaved and how well he remembered his job. That actually gave me a confidence boost that he isn't just going to forget everything while on a 6 month break!

Packing on the pounds

2011-01-04T13:49:00.000-06:00

Apparently, I'm not the only one with an expanding waistline around here!

Boomer's blanket just isn't fitting quite like it used to. He no longer fits into his 70" (haha) and his 72" is pretty snug. The belly straps are getting dangerously close to being fully extended.

Can't change his diet much since he is out 24/7 with free choice hay and pasture.

Exercise is the name of the game. Boomer hasn't been really worked in 3-4 months. I have hopped on and walked a few times here and there, but nothing strenuous.

I am going to aim for lunging him 2-3 times per week as long as weather allows. We are actually having a very mild winter so far and the arena footing is nice.

I lunged him for maybe 20 minutes today and did 10 laps of cantering in each direction. That was definitely his limit! He was puffing and got a little damp on the chest, but dried quickly (thankfully, since I don't have a cooler in my locker!). I think after a few sessions I will put the surcingle back on and get him working nicely over his back again. Hopefully this will be a weight loss program that also keeps his topline in shape for when I am ready to saddle shop in the spring!

Snow!

2010-12-13T12:05:00.000-06:00

We got our first snow this weekend! I really love winter. Coming from Oklahoma, I always assumed I hated winter. It was just bitter cold with wind and once a year we would get a thin sheet of ice over everything for a day or two.

Now that we are further north and have experienced a REAL winter- I love it! It snows frequently, which makes the cold worthwhile. Yes, it does get stupid-cold, but even watching the thermometer drop to ridiculous levels has a zany appeal!

We got a dusting of snow on Saturday night and the lows have been single digits. It should break above freezing on Wednesday and melt the snow.

John, Charley, and I went out to visit Boomer on Sunday morning and went for a short walk. The wind was blowing more than usual and it was pretty bitter- windchill down in the negative teens.

Aw, Bummer! I don't look pregnant when I'm all bundled up.

One of the fun things about having a relationship with someone/starting a family is that you get to adopt each others traditions. One of John's childhood traditions was to have a candle lit dinner on the first night of snow! Saturday night the snow started after dinner, so we did our candlelight dinner on Sunday. We had the fireplace going, the tree lit up, and a table full of candles!

Isn't he adorable?

Still kickin'!

2010-12-07T14:53:00.000-06:00

No need to send out distress signals... I'm still here and baby is still kicking.

I guess I tend to clam up when I don't have any Boomer news. He is doing well. Getting fat and furry. It has been getting pretty cold here, so I pretty much just go out to see him as the weather changes to rotate his blankets. It gives me a little purpose since there isn't much reason for me to go out there otherwise.

It is sort of hard to comprehend how fast these last few months have gone by! I LOVE being pregnant and have had a really easy time of it so far. No morning sickness or swelling. No health complications. No complaints! I did struggle with exhaustion in the first trimester during the heat of summer. Luckily, I don't have to work and was able to nap as needed. The second trimester has been a breeze and has flown by. Next week will be the start of the third trimester, which is mind blowing to me! March still seems so far away!

I thought you all might enjoy a picture progression of my growing self!

16 weeks

17 weeks

18 weeks

19 weeks

21 weeks

22 weeks

24 weeks

today- 25w3d

Baby @ 12 weeks

Baby @ 21 weeks

Creepy 3-D @21 weeks

We were able to find out the gender at our 21 week sonogram and we are delighted to be expecting a BABY GIRL!!!! The technology is incredible and you can see such amazing detail on the scans. We were able to see her little ribs and bones, her stomach, and most amazingly her heart beating.

This has been an amazing journey so far and John and I are both so excited for Baby Girl to make her arrival in March!

That uncontrollable urge...

2010-11-15T21:17:00.000-06:00

For the most part, I have given up riding. But every once in a while I get that urge... It isn't something I can control. It is a deep down part of who I am. Last week, I got the urge. I didn't have my saddle, so I just grabbed my bridle and slipped it on. I led Boomer to the fence and climbed up to the top rail. I spent a few minutes petting him and running my hands along his back and neck. Feeling him, feeling his mood. He was calm and happy. I slid my leg over and was surprised at how round and flat his back was. We walked out along the path as Charley raced ahead. I tangled my fingers in his mane and left the reins just loose enough for Boomer to look around. It was a breezy afternoon and I wore a sweatshirt. The breeze lifted the smell of horse up to my nose and I breathed in deep. We walked around the pond and I was happy. So indescribably happy. I was also nervous and on edge, but it was more of an awareness than fear. I felt no fear. I felt happy. We walked back towards the barn and I slid off, wrapping my arms around his neck. Thanking him. Thanking him for being. For allowing me to be.

I have noticed a change in Boomer. He seems happier. He is calm and comes to me with his ears forward when I enter the pasture. Just today, he pushed his nose into the halter to help me get it on- he had never done that before. We went for another walk today. I thought about riding, but didn't have the urge. So, we just walked. It was peaceful and fun. We took our time and I held horse apples while he snacked. Charley got muddy in the pond and ran around like a happy dog.

I am starting to understand enjoying life just for the sake of enjoyment. Things aren't always what you assumed they would be. Sometimes they are better.

Walkin' in the woods

2010-11-11T10:11:00.001-06:00

I recently took Boomer and Charley for a nice walk around the property. There are supposed to be 60 acres, but I didn't go through any gates and I felt like I was on a lot more than 60 acres. I finally turned around when I saw a fence ahead- it had a wide gate opening, but no gate. Not sure how far all of this goes, so I will have to ask the owners if I was trespassing! Anyway, we ended up going around the pond, which is for sure on the property. It has a dam around the back half and the dam is lined by trees on either side. Very pretty! In all, we were walking for 45 minutes!

Boomer is looking good- pasture only diet and no work has put a little weight on him!

Headed away from the barn...

Charley ahead of us on the dam

Boomer stopped midstride for a horse apple snack!

Anyone know what these are really called?

Stopping for a bite of the good stuff on the way back to the barn

Pretty boy!

Self portrait

Artsey shot!

Charley made it into this shot!

Gotta love the group photo!

Cheesy! I never could get both ears up...

A 45 minute walk calls for a drink!

Here is a video of Boomer eating the horse apples! So cute!
I embedded it from Facebook, please let me know if it isn't working and I can use YouTube.

You know your horse is a lightweight when...

2010-11-09T20:10:00.000-06:00

Boomer's leg is doing great. I thought i would share a few pictures of his injury. The vet gave him ACE to work on him and holy cow- that boy got DEEEERUNK!!!

He was leaning and wobbling and his knees would buckle a little. His head was against the barn door and he had drool dribbling out of his mouth. When I led him to his paddock it took FOREVER and he acted like we were walking freaking miles- not 50 feet! He had to stop and pee on the way and then for like 20 minutes after that he just let it all hang out and would occasionally pee his pants (I know he doesn't wear pants). Oh, it was gloriously funny! And somehow like being in college all over again...

The vet cut off the flap of skin, exposing a triangle of flesh. I think the cut was a little over an inch wide.

This shows the swelling better:

Be basically stayed in this position for 20 minutes while he woke up. Didn't even move his ears.

Shifting perceptions

2010-11-01T13:07:00.000-05:00

I had a very interesting time this weekend at the Arabian Nationals horse show in Tulsa, OK. John and I have family in Tulsa, so we were able to visit family and share in *baby excitement* for the weekend as well as see the show.

In the past, one of my favorite things to do at shows was to window shop and look at all of the booths. This year I was surprised to ind that there were about half as many booths as in years past. There were whole expo centers closed down that had been full the year before. The seating areas around one of the arenas had been lined with booths last year and was empty the whole weekend.

I was also surprised to find that there were fewer people in general at the show. It just wasn't busy. It seemed like at any given time, there were only two of the three arenas in use. The warm up arenas are usually busy, but were not this year. I was there for the last few days of the show, but it still didn't make sense as to why things were so slow. It was sad to see this horse show being hit by the economy, but luxury entertainment spending is the first place people cut back in hard times. I guess I was more disappointed than surprised.

One thing that did surprise me was how my perceptions changed on showing and the industry in general. I used to LOVE showing and show horses. I thought it was the epitome of riding and training. Somehow, in the last year my thoughts have shifted. I was unimpressed by most of what I saw and really only enjoyed myself when watching the working cow horses and cutting classes. I think that my major shift has been that I just prefer to participate in and watch horse activities that give the horse a job. Endurance horses have a job. It is a VERY involved sport for the rider. Working cow events give the horse a job. Extreme trail challenges give the horse a job. I like that. Dressage has shown its self to be a wonderful training tool and I LOVE what it has done for Boomer and myself, but even then I don't enjoy watching dressage competitions. It is more 'showing off' than performance based to me.

So, it was an interesting thing for me to realize all of this while at the show. The excessive amounts of money spent just doesn't make sense for me and I am glad to find that I have finally outgrown wanting to be a part of that world. I would much rather take lessons in dressage and cutting and compete in endurance and enjoy having a well rounded horse.

Updates!

2010-10-25T17:43:00.000-05:00

Boomer has been keeping things interesting around here.

Went out late last week to find a cut on his left hind fetlock. There was significant swelling and he was off at the walk and trot. I cold hosed and smeared iodine ointment on it twice on Wednesday. Planned to call the vet first thing Thursday if no improvement. Called the vet Thursday, got an appointment within 2 hours. Cut was deeper and bigger than I thought, but did NOT involve the joint or tendon sheath, which is what I was concerned about. Boomer got wrapped up and put on antibiotics. Could only leave the wrap on for 48 hours due to rain. Took off wrap Saturday, swelling was down, cut looked great. So, instead of rewrapping, I just sprayed with AluSpray per vets directions and put him back out in the pasture. Some swelling back Sunday, gone again Monday. Sound since Saturday. Everything will be fine, but jeez if that boy doesn't know how to stress me out! Most likely, I would not have called the vet if the joint hadn't been involved. However, even a microscopic puncture to the joint could be devastating.

So, back to regular work soon! Maybe I will lightly lunge tomorrow and then possible lunge/ride Wednesday?

I got Boomer a sheet for this fall. I got the Dura-Tech Viking II Turnout Sheet in green and black. I decided to get a sheet this year so that I can start him in something a little more lightweight when the nights get below freezing but the days are warmer. When the days get closer to freezing and the nights are even colder, he will get his regular blanket- a medium weight StormShield New Briton Bellyband Turnout. If this winter is as bad as last year, there were a few nights that got into the negative teens and on those nights I want to be able to put a sheet over his blanket. The Viking Turnout Sheet is a boxier cut and isn't a fitted as his blanket. It doesn't have the V-Free raised wither to protect his mane from rubs. It is from a less expensive line, but I think it will be fine for the few weeks of 'transition weather'. I also think it will be a great fit over a blanket.

I have also decided on the saddle I want to get to replace my western saddle that stopped fitting Boomer. I think I want to go for this Cashel Trail Saddle without a horn. I also comes with the option of a horn. Actually, I can't really decide what I want more. Horn or no horn. Anyhow, I love the saddle and the tree is fiberglass coated wood made by Martin Saddlery. Their AXIS tree is made to slightly flare forward at the shoulders to allow freedom of movement. I think it would be a great saddle for me and for Boomer. Now I just need to decide if I should buy it now or wait until after the baby comes... I want to get it now, but then it is almost winter and I have a feeling that as soon as the ground freezes for good (Late December?) I will be done riding until April, most likely.

Any thoughts on the horn/no horn issue?

Here are my thoughts:

Horn:

more traditional

place to hang reins while riding hands-free

place to hang bridle/helmet/etc when dismounted

never had an issue with it in the way in the past

No Horn:

more endurance oriented style

out of the way on steep climbs

less secure incase we have an 'event'

The saddle will mostly be a trail saddle and endurance rides will probably be few and far between, so should I go for the trail/pleasure styling or the endurance styling?

Bucket List

2010-10-22T12:36:00.001-05:00

I have been thinking about what it means to me to have a family and how that will change my riding goals. (Isn't life just full of ever changing goals?)

I know that my riding time will be limited for a few years and I am trying to be OK with that. I know that Boomer and I will not be fierce competitors and will not have time to train for monthly events as I had hoped to do in the past. However, if you look at our ride records, I doubt we would ever be mistaken for 'fierce competitors'.

I'm out there for the joy of spending time with my horse, to enjoy the trails, and to camp with my family.

Keeping those priorities in mind, it isn't difficult to come up with some endurance goals for the future.

Perhaps the main shift in my perspective is seeing endurance rides as potential vacations for the whole family.

There are a few rides that I really want to do that I also think would be amazing family vacation spots.

Here is my Bucket List:

Tevis Cup

(how could this not make a bucket list?)

Grand Canyon Pioneer

(beautiful scenery and location,

plus I've never been and I think

everyone should experience the grand canyon)

Fort Stanton Pioneer

(very cool historical site, beautiful location)

Shore to Shore Pioneer

(I love the idea of riding all the way across

Michigan from lake to lake! Cool!)

Man Vs. Horse

(I think this would be a super fun event for John and I both.

He, for some reason, thinks he could beat Boomer at a 50 mile race)
Pony Express
(8 weeks of 5 days of rides totaling 2000 miles,
not sure this one will happen again, but sign me up!)

AERC Decade Team

(this goal simply requires that Boomer and I compete

together as a team

in at least one ride every year for the next 8 years)

training opportunity

2010-10-18T17:31:00.000-05:00

The sky was threatening rain all day and I kept putting off going to the barn every time I heard thunder. Finally, I decided it wasn't actually going to rain and headed out to the barn. I decided it would just be a short easy session of some clicker stuff. I mostly wanted to work on backing and standing still as I backed away or stood to the side. This is the beginning step of ground tying. However, I was presented with a great training opportunity at the hitching post!

Someone at the barn had put out four rugs to dry on the hitching post. They were braided rag-strip rugs with fringe and they were flapping in the wind. They were all about 4-5 feet long, so there wasn't really any chance of them flying off the rail. Boomer was leery, as expected. At first I had him on the windy side, and the rugs were flapping towards him. He snorted and backed away and we spent some time on 'head down'. Then we went around on the other side of the rain and the rugs were blowing away from us. I encouraged him forward and gave him a C/T for sniffing/touching the rug. I did that about 4 times for the first rug, then moved on to the next one. He caught on quicker. Again, I had him touch, C/T about 4 times then moved on to the third rug. With each rug he got faster and faster with his touching. At the end of the rail we went back to the windy side where the rugs were flapping towards him. He was leery but touched it within a few seconds. By the second rug he was trying to pick it up with his teeth. Eventually he was sniffing and touching the bottom fringe part, even as it was flapping towards him!

Now, it is hard to say what his reaction would have been without the clicker and reinforcement treat. I really feel that he would have eventually gotten used to being near them with time. However, I don't think there is any way I could have gotten him to touch them without the clicker and treat reinforcement. Especially not over and over again. I feel that this touching and exploring helps to ease fear and build confidence.

One thing that came up that I though was interesting was that a few times he got so engrossed in sniffing and touching, he didn't look immediately for the treat. So, I just held the treat outstretched towards him until he was done sniffing. I think I did the right thing by clicking to signal that he was doing something good, then just waiting for him to get his reward once he was done exploring. I was quite pleased to have him so interested in the scary object!

We did work on backing and stand a few times, but it wasn't anything worth writing home about. I think it, like other things we have worked on, will take a few sessions to sink in. He does a great job of standing still if I back away from him while standing in front of him, but if I stepped away from his shoulder sideways, he wanted to follow. We also worked a little on waiting for me to present the treat and not mugging my pockets. He did seem to get pretty quickly that he doesn't get to reach for the treats. The whole standing nicely thing is going to be a work in progress. I hadn't noticed before but he is constantly looking around, trying to graze or snuffling at me. It doesn't really bother me except when he fixates on something in the distance or tries to bump me with his nose.

So, we will be working on standing politely and then start to increase the distance between he and I until he can stand calmly with me further away. We will also continue to work on taking food nicely.

Oh, and it started raining just as I was turing Boomer back out! I just knew it was going to rain eventually!

Riding day!

2010-10-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

I decided that Friday would be a riding day!

I brought Boomer up and led him up from the pasture on his right side with the rope dragging. He seems to be almost 100% OK with that now! I am so surprised at how fast he caught on to that!

I know Boomer is smart, but he is also very sensitive. I think that the reason he seems to be learning so quickly with the Clicker Training is that the click is so instantaneous that it really keys in with his reactive, sensitive personality. The positive food reward also seems to keep him interested and happy.

I brought him to the hitching post and gave him a few reminder 'head downs' before I tied him. He was very good and immediately started offering to drop his head while I was grooming him. I worked a little on 'head down' with hand pressure on his poll. He didn't seem to understand that at all before but he caught on right away today! It isn't quite as solid as the rope pressure method, but he is getting it better than I thought he was! The rope pressure method for 'head down' is going great. It really only takes the slightest touch. He is so sensitive! I think the hand/poll pressure method is important for when I am saddling him and can't reach the rope or when the halter is around his neck for bridling.

We didn't work on targeting or back today. I would like to work on back and 'stand' next week. I am so thrilled at how quickly he is catching on!

I did work on head down while fly spraying him, especially the neck. He was resistant at first but once he dropped his neck, he left it down. Good boy!

One big thing, for me more than him, was that I saddled him right away before lunging him. Usually I put on the surcingle, lunge, then switch to the saddle in the arena. I decided today that we would take it slow and work through the girthing issues. I think it is more of a me thing, but he was a little tense. I started by untying him and draping the rope over my shoulder. He sniffed the saddle while I held it, C/T. I put it on, asked for 'head down', C/T. Messed with the girth a ton on both sides before buckling it, 'head down' and C/T over and over. I held the girth up but didn't buckle, 'head down', C/T. Buckled the girth one hole, 'head down', C/T. Walk a few steps, 'head down', C/T. Tighten one more hole, he got tense, 'head down', C/T. I moved his hips over away from me so I could reach his bridle, he got really tense bending around the girth. 'Head down', C/T. Graze on the grass a few bites. Move on to bridling.

So, that was an event. An uneventful event, but I think that it went as well as possible. I am proud of him for being calm and I was really impressed at how quickly his nerves settle when he has his head down.

I lunged him with the elastic rein for about 20 minutes and he was wonderful. I tried a new, successful, way of dealing with his looking to the outside on a circle to the right. He was really bending left on the circle and I had the idea to move the lunge line from running through both bit rings to just snapping it directly to the right bit ring. This really only works because I use a full cheek bit. But, it did give me just a little extra control over where he pointed his nose! I was so happy to see even the slightest improvement!

I rode for about 20 minutes and even did a little trotting. It took a few strides for me to find my balance posting, and Boomer was pretty unsure what I wanted. Eventually I got him moving more forward and was able to find a rhythm to post to. That was a strange feeling, but my balance has already started to shift! I enjoyed the ride and I always hope that the Baby is enjoying the ride too. I have to hope that the rhythmic motion is soothing and also distinguishable from any other walking type motion we do. Don't tell John, but I'm really hoping to plant the 'horsey bug' early for our Baby!!!

Redundancy in Design

2010-10-16T15:05:00.000-05:00

Redundancy in design is something engineers do to make sure something bad doesn't happen. It is how John described my clicker training when I talked to him about trying to teach Boomer many different cues for the same thing. Basically, I'm doing for Boomer what BP didn't do for their exploding oil platform. Zing!

Really though, my main goal is for him to stand calmly all of the time in any situation. Tied, cross tied, or ground tied, I want him to be calm and relaxed. How am I doing this? I am giving him positive reinforcement for lowering his head and I am teaching him to react by coming forward and/or lowering his head when he feels pressure.

Thursday's lesson started in a small turnout paddock (maybe 50x50) with him wearing his Be Nice Halter. We worked on head down from rope pressure which he remembered right away and dropped his head to the ground immediately. Then we worked on targeting the frisbee. Not sure he quite sees the point of that. He would do it once or twice, and clearly understood that the treat comes from touching it, but he got distracted easily when targeting. We also worked on 'back' a few times, but he already knows that cue, so we didn't focus on it too much. We also walked around with the lead rope dragging for a few laps. He got nervous about it once and started to pull back/wouldn't come forward, but he got past that and things were fine.

I tied him to the hitching post and gave him a few quick reminder 'head downs'. Then I groomed him and got to work on head down while I was spraying him with fly spray. That was complicated to orchestrate, but I think it will be a very useful lesson. When I spray his neck, his head shoots straight up, so I am going to fill an empty bottle with water and start working on keeping his head lowered while being sprayed.

He was very good the whole time. He spooked once at something blowing in the wind. It was a spook in place with a snort. I immediately asked him to lower his head and he did right away. After that I just stood around and c/t for him lowering his head below his withers on his own. I got The Click That Teaches and they call this 'behavior shaping'. He did seem to catch on after a few minutes and would sort of look around, left and right, then lower his head. He seemed to be trying to figure out if other things would get the click or just lowering the head. I was very happy with this as he is the kind of horse who can spend hours on high alert.

Interesting aside, when Boomer was in training with Kelly last Fall she worked a lot on his pulling problem. One thing she mentioned that I thought was strange was that he seemed to calm down if she gave him a treat while he was standing there tied up. I was puzzled by this as I didn't give him treats ever at that point. I'm still not sure what the connection was there.

I spent some time doing something a bit more 'Boomer specific'. Because his main bad habit is hitting the end of the rope and pulling, I untied him but left the rope pulled around the post. I had him back up then took the slack out of the rope. He stepped forward right away. Click/Treat. We did this a number of times and sometimes I would jerk the rope hard and fast, so simulate him hitting the end pretty hard. He would sort of tense, jerk his head up and look like he wanted to go backwards, but he always, every single time, stepped forward and lowered his head. Click/Treat!

The Click That Teaches talks about teaching the behavior in as many ways as possible. For instance, with head lowering we have the targeting method where a target is placed on the ground, we have down pressure on the lead rope, hand pressure on the poll, and 'behavior shaping'.

I am really enjoying this training so far and am surprised at how quickly Boomer is catching on. He is food motivated, but prefers to have a variety of treats. He gets bored with the same treat over and over. Today I used one carrot cut up, a handful of small treat nibs, and his pelleted supplements. The time I am spending out at the barn is about half of what I would spend if I were riding or otherwise working him, but I am enjoying it just as much. I think Boomer enjoys it too and hasn't seemed to get bored of it.

I think that some of this is better for me than Boomer. I feel kind of like I am testing the waters and showing myself what he does and doesn't know. So far, I already trust him being tied more than I did yesterday. I feel like he is doing a very good job giving to pressure. I want to keep working on head lowering in response to my hand on his poll. He didn't seem to get that at all. Like, zero reaction. I also want to keep working on targeting. Not sure exactly how it will pay off for us, but The Book seems to think it is important.

Things to work on:

Head down while being sprayed

Head down while tacking up

Backing up

Targeting

Head down with poll pressure

Progress

2010-10-15T13:15:00.002-05:00

Wednesday ended up being a short session out at the barn. I was only out there for an hour as I was pretty tired from not sleeping well the previous night. I felt the baby kick for the first time and was too excited to fall back to sleep!

Boomer had been moved to a different pasture at some point in the previous 24 hours and I could tell he was a little hyper alert about where the other horses were. All of the pastures had been rotated and he could now see a different group that he couldn't see before and a pasture that had been occupied near him was now empty. The frequent changes in pastures will hopefully be good for him to learn to relax and trust his surroundings.

I took Boomer to the hitching post and draped his rope over the rail. He was nervous at first so I went ahead and started working on 'head down' right away. That seemed to calm him down and help his nerves. After we did 'head down' about 5-6 times he stopped looking around in the distance. I finished grooming him and decided to keep working on the dragging lead rope issue. I decided to take a different, safer, approach and led him while reinforcing with click/treats. I let the rope drag along side, behind me and when he looked relaxed or looked away from the rope, I would c/t. It didn't take long for him to relax and walk along next to me like a good boy! I did this on both sides and leading from his right side he was more inclined to bow away from the rope and watch it. I like this tactic better than turning him out with the lead attached because I have more control over the situation AND for the positive reinforcement. It seems like it was much more effective than my previous plan as well.

I also worked on c/t for forward pressure while at the hitching post. This is a little harder behavior to work on as he almost always gives to forward pressure. The only time he doesn't is if he pulls back. So, I wrapped the lead around the post and pulled on it slightly to create tension and he would hold steady for a few seconds, then step forward. It is hard to create a replica situation of him pulling back without him actually being tied and pulling back. Another situation that is hard to replicate, but I would like to work on is when he steps on his lead rope, he usually panics and flings his head up and steps backwards sending the lead rope flying- usually towards me. I would really like him to calmly realize his foot his on the rope and just step off of it. Again, not sure how to teach that. Though, I think the giving to pressure is a good start. I think I will get my rope Be-Good halter out and start training with that since it has more precise pressure points.

Overall, I think the training session went well. No excitement, but definite positive progress. So, we seem right on track!

Roping... Boomer's way!

2010-10-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

No, we didn't learn to rope cows!

Boomer is, however, in roping boot camp. Since his minor escape followed by eye rolling and trumpet snorting at the dragging lead rope I have decided to work on this little 'fear'. So, everyday he is going out into the small paddock (maybe 100x200) with his halter and lead attached. When he walks calmly or stands relaxed he gets a carrot bite. Tuesday was the first day of the experiment and he did pretty well. Mostly he just stood still- he didn't want to make the rope move. He would sometimes walk to trot, but he was more focused on the rope than anything else while he was moving. He discovered quickly that moving in a circle around the rope made the rope hold still. No panic moments or anything too exciting. We spent about 15 minutes working on this and it seemed like a good start.

Before the great lead rope experiment, I worked on standing nicely and a little clicker-ing for 'head down'.

I decided to put him out on the hitching post instead of the cross ties. I just draped his rope over the rail and got started grooming. I would stop occasionally and work on him lowering his head for a click/treat. He seemed to catch on quickly. It didn't take long for him to lower his head to the ground for the c/t. I'm not sure he quite saw the point, but he did it for the carrots. When I was grooming him he kept trying to reach down and graze. I just gently put him back where I wanted and went back to grooming. I had to readjust him 6-8 times before he held still, but after that he was a gentleman. Unfortunately, I still don't trust him to stand tied or stay in the cross ties, so I feel a bit like a babysitter. I have to have all of my gear with me before we get started and I can't walk off and leave him.

Though, in full disclosure, I think that much of this is my fear more than his behavior. He hasn't pulled back in almost a year and he has only had 2 'girthy/cross tie' episodes ever.

My Be-Good halter is in the trailer and I am thinking of getting that out and starting to actually tie him at the hitching post. However, I want to focus on ground tying/standing nicely first. So, most of the time I want to have him 'loose' and be able to get him to understand the concept of wanting to stand nicely. I also want to work a lot more on giving to pressure. Then hopefully being tied will not feel as much like a trap to him.

Goals

2010-10-13T13:15:00.000-05:00

I like being able to look back at past posts and see if I met my goals. I decided that I needed some firm goals for this winter while I am pregnant. Boomer clearly has some issues that I have been focusing on lately. I think that in the past, I was able to overlook some of these issues because I had 'real training' to work on. Now that riding is less of a priority and I am more sensitive to my fears and safety, a number of issues have come up. I am taking them as wonderful training opportunities.

Groundwork Goals:

1. Get over fear of lead rope dragging

2. Learn head-down plus 'stay' command

3. Work on giving to downward and forward pressure on lead rope

4. Work on standing nicely untied/ground tied

5. Stand nicely while tied

6. Become relaxed in cross tie area while unhooked/ground tied

7. Stand quietly while hooked in cross ties
8. Accept saddle and girth calmly while untied and tied

Overall, my biggest goal is to be able to trust Boomer. The things I like least about him are how reactive he is and how nervous he can be. I hope with trust, work, and age he can become a less reactive horse.

I'm not sure how you measure success with some of these goals, but I think that markers of success will become more clear as time progresses.

Kaw Valley Farm Tour

2010-10-12T10:00:00.001-05:00

Kaw Valley Farm Tour

Just another great thing to love about Lawrence!!!

Lawrence and all of Kansas has a rich history in farming. Lawrence, being one of the more liberal communities in the state has a strong leaning towards eating locally, organically, and sustainably. There are a number of restaurants around town that focus on serving foods that are produced locally. Some of my favorites are Local Burger and 715. We also have a great Co-Op that sells local produce, meats, and dairy products.

The local farms around town host an annual Farm Tour each October and these great farms open their doors to visitors and offer samples, tours, and information about their products.

John and I had a few college friends come up from Oklahoma to join us for the weekend and we were able to visit 6-7 of the 20 farms. We had other obligations that weekend (like watching OU beat TX) and were unable to visit all of the farms.

We did get to see a tree farm, Sleep Jean's chocolate factory (best chocolate and caramels EVER), a bison ranch, a vineyard, an apple orchard, and a pumpkin farm!

It was a super fun weekend and it was really great to see some of the producers of foods we buy and eat!

Blue Jacket Farm Pictures

2010-10-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

I actually got some pictures of the horse at the new barn!

Here is the barn with a cute apple tree in front! Love the landscaping around the whole property!

Here is Charley off to the left side of the barn, in front of Boomer's pasture.

Here is Boomer under a shade tree in his pasture. His buddy is just out of the frame to the right.

Hi mom! I love it here!

Boomer in the cross ties in the barn. I don't really like isle cross ties since Boomer tends to pull back. It makes me nervous, but the cross ties are secured with zip ties, so things would break in case of emergency.

Here is Boomer out for a run in the outdoor arena! Isn't this a great picture?

Here is a clip of Boomer playing in the arena:

OK mom, done running!

I just LOVE these next few pictures!!!

Clicker introduction

2010-10-09T22:00:00.001-05:00

Well, I went out Friday afternoon and bought a clicker and a green plush dog frisbee. I introduced the clicker as we were walking back from the pasture. I clicked and treated several times in a row so that he associated the click with the treat. Once we got into the barn aisle, I just stood and held him in the cross tie area. I showed him the frisbee target and as soon as he sniffed/touched it I C/T (clicked/treat). I held the clicker in the same hand as the target and had the treat ready in my other hand so that it was an instant reward. I think he was catching on a little. He did try sniffing my treat pocket and I said no sharply, paused, then made him back a step. I am not sure if I could C/T for that, because he already knows 'back' as a command with various cues (verbal and physical). I am inclined to not c/t for anything that he already knows and is something I consider basic manners. However, I could be wrong. Anyhow, I started moving the target around to the side of his body where he would have to turn his head, but not so far he had to take a step. I also put it up high but that scared him. He seemed to lose interest easier if the target was not directly in front of him. After a break for fly spray and grooming I tried again. He seemed to know right away that touching was getting him treats. I put the target at nose level between the bars of a stall so that he could easily touch it. He wasn't very interested and I don't think he quite got that it was still the target if I wasn't holding it. He did touch it twice, but I'm not sure there was a connection. I had him target a few more times with me holding it and then called it a day.

Unfortunately, the day got a little more exciting.

I dewormed Boomer and had his rope looped over a bridle hook up high. I went to throw away the dewormer trash and put away my grooming stuff when I head hooves against the concrete, timid at first and then faster. By the time I got out to see him he was already running towards his field. Luckily the whole property is fenced and gated. He didn't go far, just until he found his friend at the fence line-maybe 300 feet. I think his rope fell, spooked him and he ran/panicked when he saw that the rope was 'chasing' him. I saw him eyeing the rope as he kind of skittered sideways from it. So, after I caught him, I got another lead rope and dragged it behind me as I lead him all around the property. I threw it at his legs and snaked it around. He was definitely scared at first, kicking at the rope and snorting. After about 10-15 minutes he was much calmer and ignored me as I flicked the rope all over him, including legs. So, that was exciting, but I think we ended on a positive note. I will make a point of dragging a rope more often when I lead him around. That would have been a great clicker targeting exercise, but we hadn't quite caught on yet, plus he doesn't like treats after being dewormed.

So, initial experiment was a success. We have our work cut out for us. I have a feeling that ground tying and/or standing on a mat are important tools in our future.

Questions/Hesitations

2010-10-08T10:08:00.000-05:00

After owning Boomer for over 2 years, I have really seen his personality develop. I have a real understanding of his quirks and can compensate and know how to soothe him as needed. I know what to expect in most situations. In some ways, this is a good thing. In other ways, I wonder if it keeps him from 'growing up' by babying him. Currently, I would say that there are two things about Boomer that I don't like or that I need help with. First, he pulls back/has a backwards startle response. He has always pulled back when tied and while this has gotten better over time, the startle response has never been fully erased. Second, he is extremely sensitive to tightening the girth. By extreme, I mean that you must be able to fit your entire arm under the girth at first or he will flip over backwards. He needs the girth very loose, then to walk around and have it tightened one notch at a time. If you rush this at any point, he will either buckle at the knees and go down in a panic, or will try to go over backwards. This coupled with his propensity for pulling back has made for a number of 'exciting' situations in our life together.

Our new barn has cross ties in the aisle, which are fine for most horses, but for a horse like Boomer, it just gives him an 'open space' to go backwards. The cross ties are secured with zip ties, but I don't want to get into a situation even with safety precautions in place.

He and I are both nervous while grooming and tacking up in the cross ties. After we work, he seems fine and doesn't act nervous. I'm sure some of the nervous tension comes from me. But, I know the worst case scenario. He pulls back, feels restricted, falls down or flips on concrete (potential for injury-high), breaks free, goes running around the property with cross ties flailing (potential for panic AND injury- high), etc. So, you can see where my nervous tension comes from. Once I have him tacked up and leave the barn, everything is fine. He never steps a hoof out of place while I lunge, switch the surcingle for saddle, and ride him. Back at the barn after we ride, he is fine in the cross ties. I attribute that to him being tired or more relaxed after we work.

I have been trying to think of ways to fix the situation or make it easier to cope with. My first thought was to start having all of my tack and grooming supplies ready and within arms reach before I bring him to the barn. I can groom and tack him with him untied- just ground tied. He is usually pretty good about being ground tied, but I wouldn't trust leaving him while i walk off to the tack room. Then after we work, he can be put in the cross ties like a normal horse. My goal here is that his experience in the cross ties will only be relaxed and not nervous. Eventually, he will be relaxed enough to be in the cross ties anytime. Any thoughts here?

Any other suggestions?

I have not ever been a fan of 'trick training' or focusing on groundwork in exclusion to riding. However, with my pregnancy, I know I will eventually end up 'grounded' and not riding. So, another thought I have had was doing clicker training. A few things I would want to work on would be 'head down' and 'stand'. Does anyone have experience with clicker training? Could teaching a 'stand' command dampen his flight response in the cross ties or while being tied? Or does his reactive nature trump any 'tricks' I may teach him?

Any suggestions for books on clicker training or similar training? Keep in mind, I am not interested in teaching my horse 'dog tricks' like fetch or basketball.

Thanks in advance, and please pass this question on to anyone you may know who does this kind of training or who may have helpful advice! The more people I have behind me, the more chance we have for success!

Lunging pics

2010-10-07T10:00:00.001-05:00

He could use a little more forward impulsion. We are working on that.

Hey mom! You are planning on sharing that apple, right ???

Sarcoid Treatment

2010-10-05T15:55:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year I started a sarcoid treatment for Boomer. I started the treatment April 1, 2010 and my most current update is 6 months later. I have been working on this post as I gathered more information.

Boomer has always had a funny spot on his neck over his jugular behind his left jaw. It was there when I got him. At first I assumed it was a scar. Then I thought it was ring worm. I treated it for ringworm 3 or 4 times with no change. I treated other ring worm spots that healed within days. Obviously, not ringworm. The spot is about the size of a quarter and hairless. The skin is slightly puckered and tough. I had the vet out to look at it when we did spring stuff and he thinks it is a sarcoid. The only way to know for sure is to do a biopsy, which sometimes 'angers' a sarcoid and causes it to spread. So, I decided to treat it as if it were a sarcoid and see what happened.

I had clipped the area a few weeks ago to treat it as if it were ring worm (obviously failed). The medication we are using is XXTERRA. It is basically a counter irritant and causes the body to reject the sarcoid. The spot will get worse before it gets better.

Here is the sarcoid spot July 2009:

Here it is now, before treatment:

After two days of treatment the area around the sarcoid has raised and become hard/swollen. He seemed a little protective of it, but didn't act like it was too painful.

This is after 3 days of treatment:

It has started to develop a small yellow crusty spot in the top left corner.

After 4 days of treatment, I left it alone to do its thing. Here it is after 4 days with XXTERRA, 4 days without:

It has gotten larger and crusty. The edges are starting to peel a little. It seems like it will slough off easily in a few days. Not sure what to expect when that happens. If the Sarcoid is still there or comes back, I will retreat and that should take care of it for good.

Here it is after the sarcoid has started to lift. It has been peeling for about 4-5 days. It is almost ready to fall off.

Unfortunately, I stopped taking pictures after this. I could see that the sarcoid was still there, you can see in the picture above that there is a small knot of crusty scab within the red area. That is the original location of the sarcoid. I treated again, 4 days with XXTERRA then rest.

In addition, with the first treatment a secondary sarcoid appeared a few inches above the first one. At this point, I got a little frustrated, wondering if I was making things worse. I went ahead and treated the new sarcoid with the same 4 days then rest treatment.

The following picture is from an endurance ride in May. We were about 6 weeks out from the first treatment and about 4 weeks out from the second treatment. One thing that surprised me was how quickly the secondary sarcoid healed but how slowly the original one healed. You can see in this picture that the old spot is still red and 'angry'. I had to explain over and over again to people that it is SUPPOSED to look like that. Boomer did get to be known as 'the sarcoid horse' at the endurance rides this spring. Nice, huh?

After that, I don't really have many pictures. Everything started healing well and eventually the red spot got smaller and smaller until it scarred over. Now that time has passed it is starting to grow hair again. The secondary spot has full hair cover but it is sort of a swirl of hair, not laying flat.

Here is the most current picture:

I think that the treatment was successful. I still have over half of the 1oz jar of XXTERRA left, so even though it was expensive at almost $100 per ounce it was worth it to me.

I recommend this treatment to anyone with a sarcoid, however I have no idea if it works as well for other types of sarcoids that may be raised like growths or warty. Also, this treatment may not be very practical if the sarcoid is in a place that will be rubbed by tack.

New Happenings!

2010-10-04T15:30:00.000-05:00

We got Boomer moved to the new barn without incident on Saturday. He is in a 5-8 acre pasture with a QH gelding named Jack. He and Jack are getting along like they have been buddies forever. I was happy to find that Boomer doesn't have a bite mark on him yet. He will be with Jack for a few weeks and then they will go out together with the other 2-3 geldings. One of the geldings is going to a show next weekend for breed approval and the owners want to make sure he doesn't end up with bite marks right before the show. So, after his return, they will all go out as a group.

John and I went out to visit him on Sunday afternoon and he seemed to be fitting in just fine.

I went out on Monday morning and he was pretty nervous in the cross ties and I was afraid he would try to pull back, but I just groomed and tacked him quickly and then took him out to lunge in the outdoor arena. I ended up lunging him for about 40 minutes until he really started to calm down and relax. The arena was on a side of the property he can't see from his pasture and shares a side with a mare and 5 month old filly. So, he was a little excited at first. After he really calmed down and started to get tired, I put my old Crosby saddle on him and walked him around for about 15 minutes. The Crosby is still tight across the withers, but it is all I have and I think it is fine for walking only. I noticed that I am really tense in the saddle. Boomer didn't do anything to make me nervous, but I just couldn't let go of my tension. I don't know if that is just something I will have to live with for now, or if it will get better, or worse. Just part of the changes, I guess. After we were done riding/working, I put him back in the cross ties and he was MUCH more relaxed. He stood there with a leg cocked and waited patiently as I puttered around, organizing my tack.

I am very happy with the new facility and I really think Boomer and I will both be so happy there! Did I mention it takes less than 10 minutes to drive there? Yup, I'm pretty thrilled with it!

I'll take pictures tomorrow, I swear!

Wonderful day

2010-09-28T22:24:00.000-05:00

I had a wonderful day on Monday with Boomer. After walking past him in the pasture, he turned and started following me. I looked back and saw him looking at me like "Mom, where are you going?"!!! I took him for a little walk around the property and enjoyed looking at how shiny and beautiful he is. I took quite a while grooming him and trimmed up his feet. It was quiet and relaxed.

He has had a little crusty spot on his belly from fly bites for about a week now and even though I am treating it with corona ointment and SWAT, it is still itchy. Here is a video of him getting his belly scratched.

We have recently decided to move Boomer closer to home. I love, absolutely love, the barn we are currently boarding at. However, it is a long drive (30 minutes one way) and expensive. In the past, I have justified paying the $300 for pasture board because I had the heated, lighted indoor arena to use year round. However, I am not riding enough right now to justify that expense. I feel like I am missing out on valuable Boomer time because I hesitate to go visit him when I know I won't be riding. It just seems like such a long drive to make to give the horse a treat. I will miss all of the wonderful friends I have made and will miss having the ability to trail ride from the property.

However, the new place we are moving is wonderful as well. The best part about this place is that it is literally 9 minutes door-to-door. (I am amazed at how quickly I can get there! I look forward to just being able to 'pop in' and say hello when I'm all big and pregnant and wobbly!) It is a similar sized property at 65 acres. It currently houses only 8 or 9 horses. There is a 6 stall barn, tack room, feed room and wash stall. There is a sand based outdoor arena and large jump field at the back of the property. There is also trailer parking near the rear of the property. The horses are kept by gender and rotated through pastures to prevent over grazing. They are fed hay in winter in round bale feeders. Each pasture has a faucet and electric outlet. Large heated tubs are put out in winter. The owners live on the gated property. They focus on dressage training and the owners breed their hanoverian mare every other year. They have her 4 year old filly as a riding horse and she also has a 4 month old filly at her side. They occasionally have Emily Wagner come in for training and lessons.

Our original plan was to move November 1st, as per our 30 day notice agreement. Luckily, our current barn had a waiting list for the pasture and has allowed us to move without fulfilling the 30 day notice since they were able to immediately fill our spot. So, Boomer moves Saturday! I will make sure to get pictures of the move day!

Same as Monday...

2010-09-23T21:43:00.000-05:00

I repeated the same round pen, lunging, riding to cool-out routine on Wednesday and felt really good about it. It was a windy day and there were maintenance guys weed eating and spreading grass seed, so it had potential to be exciting. However, Boomer really held himself together like a big boy! Once at the canter, he surprised us both by spooking, hitting the side reins and sort of freezing into a straight legged boing. Not sure how else to describe it, but it wasn't a buck. He just braced against the reins, stiffened his legs and went straight up a few inches. I scolded him and said whoa, he stopped instantly, then I had him trot forward until he relaxed and then canter on. After that he was fine. I think it was more surprise than anything.

Riding him was good. I brought out a bigger girth. He seems to be growing... The saddle I am borrowing has strange billets. They are short billets, but the holes start much further up than normal. It looks like there are two holes missing. Since he is girthy and needs to be done up s-l-o-w-l-y, I think that a longer girth was needed even though the shorter one still fit.

Otherwise, not much new or exciting going on. John and I have our 16 week appointment next Thursday, hoping to find out the gender! I can't believe we are already almost through 4 months! Almost half way done already! I can't wait to post some good pregnancy pictures, but I'm still wearing (and buttoning!) my pre-pregnancy jeans. So, not much to get excited about there!

More riding!

2010-09-22T09:37:00.001-05:00

Monday afternoon was hot, it felt like a mean weather trick. After days of beautiful weather that makes you want to skip and wear a jacket we had a day of 95 degree heat!

Oh well, it was the day I had planned to go to the barn and I guess I'm no worse for the wear!

I put Boomer in his surcingle and side reins and worked him in the round pen. He was pretty amped up and was trumpet-snorting and doing his best impression of a saddle seat horse. I made sure to adjust the side reins very gradually since he wasn't exactly paying attention. Eventually he did settle down and got to work. It was actually a very good session. He did get pretty sweaty and I wasn't wearing a watch, so I can only guess he worked for about 45 minutes. After we were done, I tossed the saddle on him and climbed up! I just walked him to cool out and worked on keeping his neck longer and lower but not losing his jaw to the outside. He responds well to a longer rein and easily fills out the space, but he was having a bit of trouble with cocking his head to the outside going right. I made him overflex to the inside the whole time and I think it was hard for him,but he understood what I wanted. He would start resistant, then relax, then get resistant again. I tried to switch up the length of his neck when he would get resistant and that would help him keep from getting sore or tense. I rode him for about 15 minutes and it felt really good.

Its funny, the mental process I am going through to get my confidence back is very similar to when I was first breaking him. First, I wanted to be led around. Then I rode him only in the round pen. After that I could ride in the open. I have regressed back to that phase, I guess to solidify my confidence. Boomer has done absolutely nothing to make me apprehensive. I am so proud of him and really impressed by how much he has matured mentally in the past 2 years. I also look forward to giving him a few months off and seeing how much he matures mentally in his 8-year-old year! I think that Arabs can be a lot like warmbloods in that they mature slowly. In my experience, they are physically mature at 5 and mentally around 8.

Also, I have sold all of my tack except for my Toklat coolback pads. Anyone interested?

Getting back up!

2010-09-16T16:45:00.000-05:00

What a day. I knew for a few days in advance that I was ready to try riding again. It just isn't something I can 'turn off'. I went out today and was a little unsure of how the whole thing would go. I thought about starting in the round pen and lunging with side reins, then switching to the saddle and riding in the round pen. But, both of the round pens were being used. Luckily, I have a good friend who offered to help me get on and lead me around. I lunged for about 20 minutes first to make sure Boomer was still sane and wasn't going to turn into turbo horse. More accurately, I think I was reassuring myself more than checking on him. My friend took Boomer and walked him around, making sure he was OK with her leading him and would respond to whoa. It made me feel good to know that precaution was being taken. I mounted up and we walked off. I had my friend beside me the whole time and Boomer was calm and relaxed the whole time. I don't know what I had expected, but I was also calm. Its a funny thing; it isn't fear, it isn't related to a specific event, there is no 'trigger'. Its just me thinking about someone else. My ONE job is to make sure this little baby is taken care of and doesn't get hurt. I think I'm being cautious, but I'm not afraid. Those emotions can be easily confused, I think. Everything went well and I was thrilled to have gotten back on the pony. John was really happy for me when I called and told him I rode again and he offered to go out with me this weekend so that I can ride again. I'm really looking forward to it.

The incredible thing about today was how it made me feel. Just walking for 10 minutes while being led around doesn't sound like much. But it was everything to me. I would compare it to a 'first ride'. You know the feeling, you had it as a kid. You are on a lesson horse, and all you do is walk. But you are on top of the world. Why is that? I think it has to do with expectations. There are no goals, no training logs, no thoughts of progress. You are just thrilled to be there, riding a freaking horse. Thats how I felt today. No expectations, just sit on that horse and feel him walking. Reach down and pat his neck and feel how strong and smooth it is. Dismount and scratch his belly, smell his good horsey smell.

Questions

2010-09-10T11:33:00.000-05:00

I'm having a lot of thoughts lately about what to do with the horse. Luckily, there are no pressing issues or decisions that need to be made right away.

My thoughts start with the fact that John and I have a 5 year goal of buying some land. It is really important to both of us to raise our children with access to dirt and worms. We both grew up with animals and outside and feel it is invaluable in child raising. Especially with all of the creepy people out there, it is so important to have a safe place where kids can be kids without having to worry if there is a creeper at the neighborhood park. I feel much more comfortable telling kids to run out and play in the pond in the back 40 than I do telling them to walk a few blocks to the park. Plus, I want chickens. And Boomer at home. And John wants to teach our kids to fish.

So, what are we doing to further this goal? Well, saving a little at a time. Paying off debt. We have to live in our current house for 3 years since we got the homebuyers tax credit when we bought it. So, we have 2 more years of saving ahead of us and we feel confident about that. Before we move, we need to make sure John is in a job he loves and will be happy with for a while so that we can know what location to be looking in.

I am starting to wonder if my plan of keeping the horse where he is AND paying for training while I am out of commission is a bad idea. I mean, I like the idea and it would be good for both of us, but is it counterproductive to our goals as a family? Would it be better for him to go unridden for 6 months and just be in a pasture near our house, then maybe a refresher 30-60 days with a trainer when I'm ready to ride again? That would save nearly $3000. Or, I could spend the money and Boomer could be ridden twice a week for the next 6 months while I'm sitting on my ass. I'm just starting to wonder if I should be thinking more long term.

I'm also at a loss for what to do with my saddle situation. My motivation to replace my saddles with a dressage saddle has taken a nosedive since I am not even going to be riding for 6-9 months. When I do finally get back on, I have a feeling I will be most comfortable in a secure western saddle. But then, if he doesn't get ridden for 6 months or more, his shape will be right back where it started. However, that is almost a year away and not something to worry about. When I start feeling ready to ride again, I can evaluate my saddle situation and go shopping then.

It is just such a shame that there really are not a lot of options in and around Lawrence for boarding. There is the one we tried when we first moved here and didn't like and then there is a new pasture boarding place that I want to check out. Thats it unless I want to drive minimum of 30 minutes. I really want him close to home, especially if I can't ride him. It would be nice to have him in training, but I'm not sure it would be worth it for 6 months or more. I mean, I'm not really even sure what my level of interest will be when I return to riding. I figure I will probably enjoy some trail riding and occasional jogs around the arena. Not really sure 6 months of training is where its at. I'm thinking that a refresher course is more what Boomer will need when I decide I want to ride again and have an idea of my interest level. Which is fine. I don't mind paying for 60 days of refresher training. The question remains, is it worth it to pay $310 a month for my horse to sit in the pasture? When I'm able to ride, the cost is fine. But if I can't use the heated wash rack, lighted and heated arena, private tack locker, or any of the outdoor arenas- is it worth it? I feel like most of my board fee is for human comfort. If I'm not riding, why should I pay for it?

So, I'm at a loss right now. I'm leaning towards moving him closer to home where he can be in a pasture for $100 a month for the next few months. I just don't know what to do and I am in a weird place right now where my priorities are shifting in ways I never imagined, but it isn't a bad thing at all. Its just different. I think I am finally starting to understand what parents mean when they say "Everything changes, it isn't bad. Its just different." I get that. Everything is changing. It is different from what it was and different from what I expected. But it isn't bad.

This dreaded day...

2010-09-08T13:47:00.000-05:00

Wow. This day came sooner than I imagined. I figured I would just keep on riding until I was physically unable to hoist myself up into the saddle. But today, it was not a physical limitation. I tacked up and walked over to the arena. I walked around and tightened the girth. Put my foot in the stirrup and couldn't get on. Something just told me to stop. Today wasn't the day to ride. I have no other option but to listen to myself in these situations. I have no agenda or pressing goals, so there is no reason to push myself.

I was so disappointed I felt tears in my eyes. I'm lucky I have good friends and a supportive husband to be there for me in times like these. I don't know if things would be different if I was going out to work him more consistently, but I have only been getting out about once or twice a week. Boomer is definitely not a horse who is the same after not being worked with consistently. He always acts skittish and half-wild when I haven't worked with him regularly. So, maybe if I go out 4-5 times a week for the next week or two and get him back in to shape mentally I will feel more confident about riding him again. Then again, maybe not. Maybe this was it.

The funny thing is, I had only planned to do walk work with him today. It wasn't like I was planning some elaborate training session. You have no idea how hard it is for me to stand there with a foot in the stirrup, staring at the saddle, with my hand on his neck and to be thinking to myself "I can't do it".

I did lunge him in side reins today and we worked for a solid hour and did a bit of cantering. I had the side reins adjusted short and he was very consistently seeking contact and arching over his back and neck. I was very happy with his relaxation. He is still doing the funny head tilt to the outside when tracking right. Haven't figured that out yet.

I am giving myself until the end of the month to work with him and see how I feel. If nothing changes, I will talk to the head trainer about putting him in partial training starting in October.

In case you are interested, I have tack for sale!!!

Tack for sale

2010-09-07T15:20:00.000-05:00

I have listed a few items up on eBay and thought I would share them here as well. You can click on any of these links to go straight to the eBay listing with more info and pictures. All prices listed here are the starting bid prices on eBay. If you want to buy one of these items, send me an email with your offer or leave an offer in the comments. Shipping is NOT included and will be added to the price. I can send invoices with PayPal and you do not need a PayPal account to pay for items.

Circle Y 15" Arab Saddle- $450

Toklat Coolback Round Arab pad (28x28) in Dark Green- $30

Toklat Coolback Round pad with wear leathers (30x30) in Dark Green- $45

Stowaway Cantle Pack, dark green- $30

Weaver leather breast collar- $20

Weaver Smart Cinch 32" brown- $20

100% mohair cinch 26"- $25

Training fork, light oil- $8

Braided Barrel Reins, black- $8