Did you get the memo?

Fernie, home to ledgary rain. Use to be powder, now it's rain. 

Yesterday I just knew the day wasn't going to awesome, that point hit me at about 7am when I looked out the window and could see slide ways snow in the street light.  Went down stairs and looked the on the back deck, +2 it was telling me. Not too bad, don't have to really rug up for a ride. So the dog and I went at 10am for a ride on the creature.

Wasn't a bad ride unless you count not being able to breath while riding into the wind bad. Went for a nice road hack and then in the field. Text book freak out when the ducks that took off.  Starred at some cows for a bit and a wander home. Starred with out a flinch at Santa trying to blow away and flap in the wind and then plodded off. It seams this pony knows what side is buttered when it come to who hands out the presents. "if I stand here and be really really good, maybe I can get that huuuuuuge bag of carrots next year instead of that crappy bridle I got this year!".

Today it rained and rained and rained. Rain that would make Tasmanian rain proud. Heavy and slide ways. The ride was wet, miserable and the horse is again questioning my sanity for choice of weather to ride in. It was also short and sweet. 15 minutes I believe. I am questioning my own sanity over this weather choice. If there was more green grass, more gum trees, I'd swear I was at either pony club event, opening day of any show in Tasmania, a hunt meet or any day riding between April and November.

So far this winter we've had quite a few dry days and warm days and wet rainy days. The memo is out, it doesn't snow in Fernie any more.The Mushers in town are looking for snow to run their dogs on and sales are up at the bars. It seams that it's not snowing here anymore.

For the horse and I, we're fine with it. Sadly everyone else, is not.

DISCLAIMER: Yvette, Sammy Edelweiss and Schilaci will not be held responsible for any digging out needed after a freak extra credit snow storm blows though the Kootenays, just to prove Yvette wrong.

Blue bird days, does it get any better? well, maybe if it was +12 but we can't have it all.

After a two week spell (a freshen as I like to call it) it was time to get back into the swing of things. For the first time in a while no exercise sheet was needed. Sun was out and sitting on 0, a good day for ride.

The little temper tantrums have reduced quite a bit. We no longer buck, try to take off and just standing nicely to get on, but we're jogging like a race horse. No big deal just relax, no stirrups and let the horse calm down. It still an improvement from what it was. With in 5-10 minutes we're walking like a normal relaxed horse. So off to the back field we go, with 2 dogs in tow. As we get to the bridge the dogs flush out an Elk with a badly broken leg. So back we go and call the conservation officer. No point in head back out there as stressing an already stressed animal isn't fair.

We head to the road field and start with some flexing, schooling figures and all I can say is when this guy's brain is calm, he is such a beautiful ride. Willing, forwards, balanced but still retaining his personality. We're still having a little issue with flexing to the left but it's not something I'm overly worried about. He has a chiropractic session this week which will help a lot. When I was riding for Freedman's the horses that had come down from Sydney were the same, stiff flexing to the left. A couple of chiro sessions and flexing to the left softened. Yes we made our racehorses do basic dressage in Melbourne.

Transitions have also improved. The trot to canter which was the major issue (I'd ask for a canter and he thought RUN RUN FAST AWAY RUN) has improved, no rushing and now I have his attention and smoothness. After going back and working on halt, walk, trot and back to have these dialed with smooth transitions then it was time to try a canter. As the old saying goes, you can't run before you can walk. To me it applys to horses. Getting a horse calm settled and traveling forwards at slower pace before picking it up a bit. More so when the horse has a history of “bolting”. I don't really think this was his problem, from what I have experienced from him, he just was never broken in properly.

I can't blame a horse for confusion. The bucking was never pain induced, fear yes. Same with the taking off. I can't blame him because someone didn't do they job properly. He was just a confused scared horse. Riders that horses have, molds them into the animals they become. Just that by the time the horse falls into right hands, tags have been given. Bolter, Bronc, Chronic Rearer. Issues like these are not always pain induced, positive re-enforced by riders (who do not realize they are doing it) not confident or the skill to handle that animal, yes. No horse is born a bad horse.

I just have the added bonus, fear issues, high flight response, not properly broken in and rider induced habits. It just means I have to hear what my horse tells me, spell when needed, adjust to his needs and share my peppermints now and then.

When I win Lotto......

The phrase that everyone has said in there life, "when I win Lotto". After this week, I've got the spending planned out. Stables, sand roll/ round yard, breeze way leading to the insulated indoor arena and heated wash bays. When the weather pulls a stunt like it did this week, I'll never have to combat icy ground again.

Last Sunday we started off with -22 by Tuesday it had warmed up and was pouring rain. Really pouring and didn't stop for what felt like a week. The ground turned icy and then the field turned to ankle deep mud. I can deal with mud, I'm use to it. But then mother nature had other plans. BAM! frozen mud and now it's back to snow again.

Not many animals where happy. The Edelweiss (the dog) wasn't all keen with life outside, Schillaci (the cat) turned her nose up at it and went back to keeping guard on the back of the couch and the horses...... well lets just say they added more fuel to the fire of the fact they aren't as smart as dogs. (Yes you read right, evidence based research has proven that Equines are not as switched on as those in the Canine form).

I know horses only think about three maybe four things. Food, sleep, reproduction and play. So this explains why the horses did what they did. Five horses refusing to go out in the rain at all (we might melt! haven't you read wizard of oz?), not even to get their hay, we had to take to them. All standing in their shelter from the wind and the rain, decided it was time for a bit of home makeover with their boredom. They have chewed quite the hole in the wall and pulled chunks of wood off.  Well, the size of a wood panel. So now the horses are trying to get out of the wind in the other corner of the shelter.....some thing they hadn't thought of. Lucky for them, the hardware store has plenty, so their house is repaired for now and so much for the boredom buster horse toys.

Some times when you have a horse or horses, they do things that makes think "why?", "really?" and "are you @*#! serious?" as you hand over yet another wad of cash. The joys of horse ownership.

Home and Winter

Well, Sammy has been home now for 15 days. Settling in with the other horses and continuing with his Education.  We've been riding in the field and down by the river and this horse makes me laugh. Saddled up and went for a hack with Coreen and her mare Missy. Well didn't mister "look at me! I'm a male! I'm good looking! Look what I can do!!" put on the show. I got on and it was buck, leap, buck, buck, passage, leap and then more passage. All in the name of showing off and sadly for Sammy, his bucks aren't worth a damn. He calmed down, brain back between his ears and was a pleasant ride.


Goes to show doesn't matter type of animal it is, bring in a female and boys will be silly boys.

Drawing to a close.

Weather hasn't been the greatest of late. Rain, snow, below zero temps over night haven't been in favor of a good ride. Today on the other hand was sunny skies more mild temps and I didn't have to wear a down vest and outerwear shell. Didn't even wear gloves. So it was time to take the big boy for a ride. In tow was my lovely boyfriend, the patient one with the camera. Not a lot of work was done, warm up, light work out and cool down. I don't believe in getting a horse into a heavy sweat when it is cool and he hasn't a barn or blankets to help with body temp afterwards.

These photos taken by James are your standard "person riding a horse with the stupidest facial expressions ever captured on film" the ones you look at later wondering and questioning what was I thinking? What was a feeling from the horse and can I just wear a mask next time? I'm not even going to start about my "showjumper wings". I like to tell myself I am not on a push button horse, I am on a green horse who, I need to train and when training, you do what works for the horse at the time. Looking at today's photos, what worked was looking like I have just sucked a lemon, with sand in the eyes, chicken winged, hunch back was the style of the moment that work. 

Today was also one of the last days of having to drive a little over an hour each way to ride him. I am really looking forward to the move and look forward to being able to put more time into training rather then driving.

Oh and tomorrow brings new saddle :D

The start of Sammy

About a month ago I started to ride a slightly over weight Draft Cross called Sammy. Sammy was a meat truck save, due to Ruth and her big heart.  In the short time we have been teamed up he has proven to be a very smart horse, taking to English riding like a duck to water. His past is western style riding, being a pack horse and having his tail broken due to nothing more then human stupidity.  As the old saying goes "99% of the horses problems, is the rider", I wouldn't call him a problem horse but, I would call him confused and mis-understood.

This is the start of Sammy schooling with equitation science. Making the scary not so scary, training the horse in clear simple requests. This is the start of the new Sammy, the slightly thinner Sammy to be Peppermint Swirl the eventer. At the end of this Month, he moves 5 minutes from home and weekly up dates will begin.