Rain, snow, rain, flooding, rain...

Our weather has been crazy so far this week. We had a show day this weekend like I have never seen before. We got about 4-6 inches on snow in one afternoon. It was raining for about 24 hours straight, then all of a sudden I looked out the window and there was snow on the ground covering the puddles and standing water. It just kept coming. The next day was spent melting, and yesterday we had a 70 degree day with huge puddles and soggy ground. Last night, more rain.

I put Boomer out into the big 17 acre pasture so that he wouldn't completely destroy the new grass. I intend on leaving him until his pasture dries up. Though, rain is in the forecast for Thursday and Sunday. I don't mind rain. I quite like it. But, I would like it more if I had an indoor arena to ride in! I am kind of bummed because I go to get the trailer on Friday and I was hoping to park it in the paddock for a while. I don't want to drive it in mud and make big ruts. I also don't want it to sink and get stuck. So, my hope is that it either dries up quickly and the Thursday rain is no big deal, or that it just won't rain on Thursday! I'm not really sure where I would park it otherwise, because the whole property is flooded.

Have I mentioned how excited I am about the trailer? Very, very excited! I know the process will be slow, but I can not wait to load up and go for a trail ride!

Charley is headed for the Met!

Charley is a very talented singer!


In other news, my poor horse who has been working so hard to shed his winter coat has a big surprise coming. It has been raining for about 24 hours and now it is starting to drop below freezing and we are expecting up to 6 inches of snow tomorrow. So, I went out tonight put a cooler on him while he ate, toweled him off, and put his blanket on him. Needless to say, he was cranky. He gets cranky when it is cold/rainy/snowing. I told him it was OK and that I understood- just eat your beet pulp mash and shut up!

Also, I got a B & W gooseneck hitch installed today! I really like it! I will take pictures once it isn't a flood/blizzard outside.

BAAA!!!

This is cooler than anything I could come up with to post:

I should be studying for genetics...

I have a genetics test Friday but that is a subject that has always come easily to me. I understand it and love it and find it fascinating. But, I am having a hard time studying because I feel like I already know everything in these three chapters. I know I SHOULD study, just in case, but I don't WANT to!

Friday is also the day I am going to go get the B&W Turnover Ball hitch installed in my truck! Luckily, the place is just down the road and installation takes only an hour and a half! Then, I get to pick up the trailer on Thursday the 2nd! The bad news? John has to be out of town all next week for work on short notice. So, Picking up the trailer and driving almost 3 hours home will have to be something I do with my own big girl self! I know I can do it, but it would be nice to have John with me for moral support! When I worked for the polo guy he let me use his truck for chores and picking up hay/feed. It was an older F350 stick shift. I taught myself to drive a standard in that big ole' truck and if I can do that, I can haul a trailer!

It rained last night and the thunder and lightning was crazy. It was the loudest thunder I have ever heard! We also got hail and our frond walkway was a pond this morning. Needless to say, my ride today didn't go quite like I thought it would! We pretty much just walked for an hour but we did do some very valuable things! The whole pasture was soggy, but not muddy. There was lots of standing water and the pond was over filled. At first, Boomer was avoiding standing water with everything he had and by the end of the hour he was splashing through with no problem! The dirt road over the creek was flooded and I hand walked him over it the first time and he walked right through on the way back! He also went into the pond and after I got off I saw that he had been in up to his knees! Another huge thing was that he did not hesitate to drink from puddles of standing water, the creek, or the pond. Though the day didn't go as planned, and we did have a few arguments about walking (walk forward, not backwards you dork!), I think that the ride was very productive and we covered some very important things! Though I may curse the mud and rain and flooding, it is a very useful training tool!

I have been trying to take the horses pulse for ages now and never can feel it. I think it is a 'me problem' because I have a hard time finding mine also. Well, I tried his neck, his left jaw, both of his fetlocks, and finally found it in his right jaw! His resting heart rate after our workout and eating dinner is 32bpm. Pretty low! I have seen averages ranging from 30-40 to 36-46 being the average resting heart rate.

Conditioning

Another great ride today! We did an hour and a half of trotting and cantering, which was 15 minutes more than the last ride two days ago. We mostly did trotting and it was a pretty good, strong trot. I am working on posting more to give his back a break. I was forced to do so much of the sitting trot without stirrups as a kid that it has become my default while trotting! So, that is going well! We did some cantering and at one point I had him make a big turn out in the open and really used my inside leg to push his hips around so he couldn't just blow me off. It worked and his circle started to get smaller. Then, it was like he righted himself, found his balance, switched leads, and did a small circle in the other direction on his own. After that, his turns really were much better! They are still ugly at times, but they are happening! We also had a great moment where we cantered along the fence line along the whole top half of the pasture on a loose rein! That was incredible to feel him enjoying himself and start to stretch down with his neck at the canter! We also got to work on some cowboy stuff and twice I had to dismount and remount to move a strand of loose barbed wire, and to put a big rock over a hole in a rusty drain pipe. He was a total gentleman! We worked some on neck reining as he got more worn out and that is coming along well to the right, but to the left it is harder for him to feel the rein because of his mane and braids, I think. Overall, I was really happy!

After we finished up, I walked him back to the barn and put his cooler on him. I let him cool down while I did chores and kept an eye on him because that was a big workout. He worked hard and got sweaty, so I wanted to make sure he was feeling well afterward. He wandered around his paddock with his cooler on and had a bright eye watching me muck poop. He ate some hay, got a drink, and peed. That all made me feel better! An hour after we finished, I gave him his food, which he ate. I added electrolytes and some water, just in case. He did seem a little tired, but he wasn't worn out. I think that must be what he is like after you take the edge off! I think he could have kept going, but I want to take it slowly with him for now. An hour and a half seems like a good time to stay with for a while and once I notice him being more energetic at the end of the workout I will increase the time. But, to be honest I could start to feel my abs getting weak towards the end of the ride. Perhaps I should be working on conditioning myself as well!

Testing his endurance

We had a great ride today! I took Boomer out to the big pasture so that we could ride for at least an hour so I could start to gauge his endurance. First off, he was a perfect gentleman while I opened and closed the barbed wire cattle gate. We walked for a bit and then started the workout. My plan was to just keep him trotting for an hour. He started pretty strong and was strong trotting for the first 15 minutes. It was a really great trot, long strides and fast! At first he wouldn't stay on the dirt cattle road that goes over the creek, but I got him over it slowly. He has been over that thing at least 15 times in the past. After our 3rd crossing though, he was trotting over it and not thinking twice about it! Which was especially fun because it is in a small valley and is the only 'hill work' we can get in out here in the Oklahoma plains! We trotted around the pasture for a while and he picked up the canter on his own a few times. He was manageable and calm. I was in control and he felt fine. But he still won't turn. We will be cantering along and I start asking for the turn by looking where I want to go, then I use the inside rein. His head comes in but he keeps going straight towards the fence or trees or whatever. He can canter sideways with his nose on my boot. He totally ignores my outside leg. Once I tried turning him the direction he wanted to go and I could get him to weave back and forth, but no turn without dropping out of the trot. Once he was headed towards a stand of trees and I was trying to get him to turn left but he just kept heading right. Once we were right at the trees I said whoa, and he stopped. Next, I let him walk and he went straight into the trees and started exploring. So, I am wondering if this is a behavioral thing. He doesn't want to turn because he wants to keep going in his direction. I'm at a loss on this one. Never once did he feel out of control or like he was bolting. He would stop on a dime as soon as I asked. But he just. won't. turn. I have tried a wide leading rein, I have turned his nose to my boot, I have used my legs and body with no rein contact. I don't know what else to try. I was really happy that he was enjoying our ride so much that he chose to canter. I want him to know that he can enjoy the canter and relax into it. But I also want him to know that I am in charge.

Aside from the cantering issue, our ride went super! We went around the top of the pasture about three times and the bottom about twice. We were out trotting and cantering for a total of an hour and fifteen minutes. He broke a little sweat and was calm enough to be on a loose rein trot for the last 15-20 minutes, but I don't think he was near being worn out. I have no idea how far we went, but I would guess 8-10 miles? I had a blast and I think he did too. At first he started out really 'look-y' but about halfway though the ride he became much more brave and started checking out all of the scary things in the pasture! I was especially happy to see that he had no qualms about trotting on gravel and didn't slow down or miss a beat!

I am really happy with how he is coming along and I want to start incorporating long rides like this into our week at least once or twice a week! Maybe we will start doing 1-2 times a week of dressage-y flat work and 2-3 times a week of long rides, aiming for a total of 4 rides per week.

Worried about Charley

Charley had a seizure today. It really scared me. I was afraid he was going to die. I kept thinking about how I hadn't had enough time with him yet. We were in the kitchen and he started breathing rapidly and was crouched down. I went to him and he fell over on his side and started seizing with his full body. After a minute or two he stopped and looked up at me with this confused and scared look. It was like he didn't know what just happened, but he knew it wasn't good. I laid on him and held his head the whole time. I kept asking him if he was OK, even though I know he couldn't have answered. I called John as soon as Charley was OK and he came home right away. Between the time I called John and when we got to the vet about 20 minutes later, Charley had had about 4 mini seizures. His head would start shaking, but he didn't go into full convulsions again. It happened again in the car and once in the waiting room. His blood panel was normal and because his dad, Winston, also has seizures we think it may be epilepsy. The vet didn't recommend medicating a dog unless he was having more than one seizure a month. So, we are just supposed to watch him and try to find patterns in his seizure activity. The vet said that most likely, he will have more seizures but there is no telling how far apart they will be.

My brother and his fiance own Charley's mom and dad. Winston is probably 4-5 years old now. In this picture he is about a year old and is wearing my shoes.
Sophia is about 3-4 now. In this picture she was about 8 months old and wearing her halloween constume!

When I found out they were pregnant, I knew I had to have a puppy. I tried to imagine a mix between the two, but couldn't. Winston is a very dark brindle with no white and Sophia is a fawn with lots of white. I wanted a puppy that looked like a mix of both of them! The morning after the puppies were born, my brother called me to tell me that one of the puppies had a swollen foot. Sophia must have bitten it on accident, trying to find the umbilical cord. Gabe said that he would have to take the puppy to the vet and that the foot might be amputated. I immediately knew that I would take the puppy if he got his foot amputated. Gabe wouldn't be able to sell it, but I knew I would love it just the same! When I went to Gabe's house that day, he hadn't taken the puppy to the vet yet. I went right in to see Sophia and the puppies. I just picked up the first one I saw and held him close. I loved it. My brother walked by the room and said, "that is the one with the hurt foot". I looked down, and it was. I also slowly started to realize that of the five puppies, this one was the only one that was brindle AND white. Two males were dark brindle and two females were fawn. The one with the hurt foot was a perfect mix between Winston and Sophia!

I went to visit almost every day. I held Charley as much as possible. He knew me by touch before he could see or hear. After a few weeks, he would run to the baby gate at the sound of my voice, he was always the first puppy to me. He was meant to be mine. Charley and I have never known time apart aside from one or two vacations over the last year and a half. I love that dog with my whole heart. I would give anything for him. It is really hard for me to describe our bond but the easiest thing for people to understand is that I have had him picked out from birth, and even before- but truely I think that fate put us together.

Here we are the day after he was born:
His foot was drained by the vet and he has a dark scar between his back toes on the left foot.

Here he is at about 4 weeks:

Here he is at about 6 weeks. His face is starting to shape up a little more already! Yes, I used to have dredlocks. That lasted about 6 months. I had wanted them for a long time and decided to do it my last year in college. I took them out because I had to wear a hat at the barn and even then I ended up finding hay in my hair while sitting in school.

Charley at three months. He was a very cute puppy! Looking at his puppy pictures makes me want another Boxer puppy!!! Shhh! Don't tell John!

Charley at 5 months. These are three of the horses I cared for on the Polo string of 11 horses. Charley got bitten by one once at feeding time and after that, I have never had a problem with him around horses!

This dog has some real personality!!!

Hoof pictures!

I have been trimming Boomer's hooves every 4 weeks and this past week was the third trim I have done on him. It is a huge learning process and I find myself reading about hoof trimming and balance on an almost daily basis. Here are pictures of his hooves as of yesterday. The right hooves both look longer in the heel than the lefts, I am going to go out and check on that/fix it today. Other than that, how do they look?

Front Left
Front Left Sole
Front Right
Front Right Sole

Hind Left
Hind Left Sole
Hind Right
Hind Right Sole


Here is Charley being awesome!
Sometimes I think Charley is the most popular feature on this blog!

Look forward to remodel pictures, we are working on the back bath/laundry room!

The Shedding Begins...

Ahh, spring. The birds are chirping, the temperatures are fluctuating between freezing and 75, and my horse is filling my nose and mouth with his hair. I went out this morning in case I needed to break up ice, fed the horse, and scooped poop. I usually play with Charley and Boomer both for a few minutes after I am done with chores before I leave. Boomer was very friendly and as I started scratching his chest I noticed that the process has begun. Hair was flying everywhere. He craned his neck around and pinned me to his shoulder with his head. He nuzzled my back. He rested his jaws on top of my head. At one good spot on his shoulder he lipped my jacked and grabbed it so delicately in his teeth and tugged on it lightly whenever I got to that good spot on his neck! He was loving the curry comb and was letting my curry in places he normaly wouldn't. He was mostly shedding on his chest and neck, but I curried him all over to get ther process started. I curried him for probably 15 minutes and he just stood there and loved it. I have noticed that our best bonding/grooming sessions happen when he isn't tied up. He chooses to be there with me. I love that.

Back to studying cellular communication, mitosis, and meiosis...

Good stuff!

Today was a beautiful day! 70* with no wind! For anyone who lives in the mid-west, you know that wind can mean the difference between a nice 70 day and a cold, miserable, sand in your eyes 70 degree day. I have been unpleasantly surprised on a number of occasions to discover it is 50 degrees and freezing outside. Enough about Oklahoma weather, though.

Boomer seems happy to see me when I go out to visit him. There have been so many huge improvements in his behavior over the last few months it really blows me away. I tacked him up and got on without using the fence and he is doing well with that also.

He was a little antsy at first, so I walked him around before we headed out for a trail ride. He calmed down after a couple of minutes of walking and leg yields.

We went out to the big pasture and Boomer was really bummed that the cows were on the other side of the fence.

I worked on some walking and trotting circles and had John capture a few photos of Boomer stretching down and low. He is really getting very relaxed at the trot and seems to enjoy being allowed to stretch down. I know he isn't a show horse and I have no intention in making him one, but I do want him to learn to relax when we ride. Dressage In Jeans recently had a few posts about the benefits of letting a horse stretch while you ride and she posted a few pictures of horses stretching correctly. How do you think we are doing?
Here is what we usually look like at the walk:

Here is stretching at the walk:

Here is our trot most of the time:

Here is him getting in some good stretches:


He occasionally pretends to be a peanut pusher:

Here is John being awesome:

Charley wants everyone to remember that he is awesome too:

After working on trotting for a while, we walked over to the big mowed area that is bordered by fence on two sides and worked on cantering. Overall, he was wonderful. He relaxed and started to lower his head. He slowed down and he let me steer him! It was the best cantering we have ever had. I did notice that he was flirting with the idea of bolting if I let him off of our big circle and let him go on a straight away. He also didn't like being brought back onto the circle in that situation. But, that was a minor discovery, no bucking and he didn't bolt. For a few laps of the circle he felt like a real horse. We were cantering, not struggling to stay together! I was so happy with that! We went twice in each direction doing 3-6 laps each time. I also asked him from the walk, which was a first. The circle we were on was at least 100 feet in diameter and even then, it was a real effort to get him to turn in a balanced way. I think that it rightfully stresses him out when I ask him to canter around the 50x80 paddock. He just isn't ready for that kind of turn at the canter. So, I want him to enjoy cantering and learn that it isn't stressful and I want to make an effort to work during the week on walking, trotting, flat work, and trot poles. When the weekends roll around and John can accompany us out to the pasture we will work on cantering. This way, I help to set him up for success.

A little post-ride grooming: