Longside, I loathe you.

Rode Elle and Cal (Cal was sound & good). Elle was much better @ walk and canter with the long side thing, and we did end up getting a few good passes at the trot.

Inconsistency

No riding 12.28, 12.29, or 12.30

Broke out the weapons

Another lesson, got right on and went to full ring. Had some weird energy to the left, but she was fine to the right. Really did the long side thing, got a short whip to try and help. We eventually got what we wanted so we quit.

First lesson!

Lunged her w/the saddle and bridle on for a bit, she's getting pretty good about commands and responding but she needs some work staying in the canter. Then got on and went straight to full ring. Started doing a bit of sideways stuff on the long side - we both got tired.

Christmas!

Came out on Christmas AM and got right on without any ground work or lunging. She was a little fresh, with tons of canter-hop stuff, but it was 7:30am! Rode for about 25 minutes, at the end she got really soft at the walk. I quit there because she did so well.

Surgery

Took stitches out - one was really embedded in skin and it hurt her a lot to get out. But, she dealt with it when I said "whoa." Did free lunge work with her and then put her in the surcingle for the first time. She was good! Rode in Sarah's Smith Worthington and it felt WAY better than mine. It's wider and I think it has a straighter cut. She's doing a lot of canter-hop stuff but hopefully we'll get through it. Rode on both sides of the ring, didn't want to "unstick" from the walls, especially at canter.

Carrots?

Took off sheet before late night. She's sweet. She didn't know what to do with a carrot! How cute :) I put it in her bucket for later.

Gettin' antsy

Brought Elle in to groom her - stitches look great! Not swollen or sore, look all closed up. Maybe I can take them out at 10 or 11 days? Get the weekend of riding in before Christmas....

Zapped her on the nose, poor girly. She went back, but stopped when I grabbed her, didn't get her head caught. Good girl. Put the thin sheet on under the Landa, I think it's too small. Matt picked up her foot! :)

There's only so much you can do when you can't work them!

Dec 12 - Took her out to groom her, good girl.
Dec 13 & 14 - no barn, exams.

Stitches & Twitches

So, went up to the farm today for my lesson - brought Elle in & she had a cut on her RH hock, on the inside. It was fresh and really deep and I could see something white (bone, tendon?) So, I put Betadine on it and waited for Marty to come out - she told me to call Steve out for stitches and to put triple antibiotic ointment on it. Called Steve, he came out. Yelled at me for the ointment. We twitched her to get the leg numb, she didn't like it but once it was on, she was good.

Steve said she cut the tendon a little bit but it's one that doesn't get used. Also cut a blood vessel, so it was bleeding a LOT. He put 2 double stitches in her and said to take them out in 2 weeks, no riding until then. Gave her a tetanus booster. Roy said we can keep her for an extra 2 weeks no problem. I was also supposed to ride Cal today but he's dead lame. Watched Mike dig an abscess out, it was cool. Also, Elle's LH hock was a little swollen - from old cut/kick?

Silly Bella

Worked before late night, stood on the crossties for 1/2 hour alone with no problem. That made me happy! Groomed her, checked the cut she had gotten yesterday (Eric turned Ben out with the girls on accident). Looked okay. Brought her into the round pen after a good grooming. Worked her a bit, then set up an x-rail. She didn't want to canter it, so I put it up to a vertical. She jumps willingly to the left, but doesn't like to canter them to the right - weird.

Crashed through just one, listened to "whoa" and "no" voice commands :) Kept spinning around after she jumped to right and jumping back to left - weird again. Clever, though!

Finished when she finally cantered one to the right and left it without turning. Good girl! First lesson tomorrow! Oh-at the end, she was finally following me around!

Outside

Came up in the afternoon. She was a little dancy and looky on the crossties, nothing terrible. Decided to ride outside because the ground wasn't too frozen and marty had a kid inside. Probably should have lunged her first, she was a little up and full of attitude. She didn't want to turn left in the rope halter, and kept making canter departs. Left is definitely her funky direction. Ended after she really softened at the canter.

Couple of days off

No work Dec 7/Dec 8, I was in Boston for Matt's birthday!

She's not just "the grey mare" anymore!

Kay & Matt came up to watch me work her in the round pen before late night. Decided to jump her! Cross rails were good, even though sometimes she went over 1 foot at a time. Really crashed through a 2'3" vertical, but then didn't spook - that's good, at least. Cute jump, w hen she jumps. Decided on Rafiki X / Elle - "Ellie." X is for her ID tag that she came with.

But I'm hunnngry!

First time with her at feeding time - oh boy. Brought in her and Chloe (they're in the third paddock now), put her on the crossties to groom her. I've been calling her Kai but I don't love it. Anyway, once they started feeding, she was all over the place. I worked her in the round pen for a while, naked, and then put her back in the aisle. I thought for sure she was going to hang herself! Tacked up, decided to ride IN the round pen (Probably good thinking). Sarah watched, liked what she saw. This was good for her, to have to wait to be fed!

Goodbye Pops

Left her in her paddock. Said bye to Harl, then got the hell outta there.

Late night

Just took her out to groom her so I could spend some extra time with Harl. Late night, she's not too messy, or pushy about food.

No treats

Eric came out @ night to see the mare, he really likes her. Everyone does! Everyone says how nice she is and how sweet she is to be around. Groomed her, she's getting great about her feet and is good about static. I'm not giving her any treats! Well, I gave her 1, but am not anymore. Did some round pen work, she was good!

Names?

Went up to the barn, met Colleen, Marty, and Jackey. I want to call her Isabelle, but Jackey doesn't like it. Her and Marty both like Rafiki. She was good in the round pen, not GREAT in rest of ring - some steering problems, plus she wanted to only canter. Oh well. Good on crossties! (Not about clippers, though). Funny about blanket, but good girl. She's out with Chloe & Randy, neither are super nice to her :(

First Day

Mare came from Canada. Earnie and Sandi from Keyhole Ranch shipped her. Roy and Rod did not make this trip. There was another chestnut gelding on the trailer I liked, but he was $12,000 and young and a LOT of horse (he seemed pretty tame to me, but we didn't see him undersaddle or even in-hand. Mare is grey, full sister to Colleen's Skye, half to Sarah's Dicken (same sire.) She's a lot more TB-y than Skye, thank goodness! I love Skye but he's not for me. Mike rode her in the round pen, few bucks but she'd been in the trailer since Monday! (This is Friday). Then he rode her outside and I got on her - good girl. Needs a few steering and "keep going" lessons, but transitions & brakes are there (yay!) Rode again @ night to let Matt & AP see her, good girl. Only 1 buck. They want $5,000 for her. Called Roy to let her know we'd keep her the 30 days, he was trilled.