I started working with Cruz in earnest last night. The bad news: he sure has a stubborn streak! I am used to Cash; he already knew how to lunge when I bought him and he's actually quite cooperative and respectful; the more I work with other horses, the more I appreciate Cash. Cruz and I will get there too, it will just take more time and effort than I expected. Cruz has so many good attributes ... and even his stubbornness could be a good thing if channeled in the right direction, so I believe he's worth the effort. Working with a younger horse that has less training will also be a good learning experience for me; I'll try not to ruin him!
The good news is that I built my round pen on the weekend (almost, need to liberate 3 more corral panels to finish it) and fill in a couple of big-ish holes that were left behind by some sort of wild creature. I've been meaning to do that all summer. I built it near the arena which is out of sight of the sacrifice pen; Cash and Cruz are quite attached so I think/hope he will be less distracted when I work him away from his buddy. And its not a bad thing for either of them to be separated once in a while. As well, I'm not sure if he's used to the lunge line so using the pen without the line might be a better way to get started. I will feel more confident riding him in the smaller area too when we get to that although the ground is harder there than in the arena so an "unscheduled" landing might not be very pleasant.
There's not a lot of daylight now before or after the work day so not sure how consistent I will be with this but I'm going to do what I can whenever I can. Something is better than nothing ... and so far I have done basically nothing with Cruz since I got him (except one ill-fated trailer loading training session; I had to abandon that when the boarder showed up in the middle of it and all the horses got amped up almost instantly; no point continuing when they are like that.)
On another subject, I think I have found a new farrier, a recommendation from my Aunt. He has been doing my cousin's mares for a long time and finally went and got some formal training to do it full-time. Cash is not due for another 2 weeks but Cruz is *really* overdue so I'm going to get both done at the same time to synchronize their schedules. If this guy does a good job with Cash, I won't have to trailer him to Brooks all the time; that was inconvenient but it was worth it to keep his feet in good shape and being hauled regularly wasn't a bad thing for him either. Cruz can't be hauled anywhere right now, we're still battling that one out (its that stubborn streak!) so taking him to Brooks wasn't even an option. I had to cancel 2 appointments for him because of that! Thus the round pen.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Boarder gone and pics of my guys
T came and took D this morning so the boarding situation is done. I'm sad that it ended in an awkward way but I feel like the drama at the end wasn't my doing. And I honestly believe that she will get more enjoyment out of her new hobby at another place. So it feels a bit sour right now but in the long run, this is best for everyone.
Anyway, after they left, my guys were all full of themselves, they both had a roll in the dirt, Cruz had a rare "piss'n vinegar" moment, bucking like a wild bronc! He's normally very mellow but every so often he reminds me that he is still a young off-the-track thoroughbred!
Anyway, after they left, my guys were all full of themselves, they both had a roll in the dirt, Cruz had a rare "piss'n vinegar" moment, bucking like a wild bronc! He's normally very mellow but every so often he reminds me that he is still a young off-the-track thoroughbred!
Thursday, October 09, 2014
Rant: More boarder drama! The end.
Yet another post about the 'T', the boarder at my acreage. I said wasn't going to make these 'rant' posts a habit but things just keep popping up and I'm pretty much done with it (both the rants and the boarding situation.)
On several occasions I have given T a choice on where to keep D: in the pen by himself in which case he needs to be fed twice a day or in the big pasture with my guys in which case he needs to be caught out there in the wide open spaces; he's not exactly amenable to being caught at times. One such occasion was when I was going out of town for the weekend and I would not be around to feed him. She agreed that he should go out to pasture, she doesn't have time to feed him ... but I am to bring him back in when I return (it wasn't phrased as a request, as in "would you mind?, thanks, really appreciate your help"; it was an expectation and an implication that I am responsible for this inconvenient situation.) So much for relying on her help when I need it.
I am really not keen on the horses being in the small pasture because it has gotten to be *very* grazed down; I underestimated how quickly the grass would be consumed so this was my fault. Its to the point where I don't know if it will recover anytime soon. T and I had a conversation about this 2 days ago and only D was allowed access to that area (my way of compromising on the "can't catch him in the big pasture" thing) but somehow all the horses found a way in there (either a gate was left open or they managed to jimmy the latch which is entirely possible.)
On the weekend, T complained that the horses were on the far side of the coulee and her hubby spent 45 minutes trying to catch them.
Yesterday D was again out in the pasture with my guys. I received this text:
"Can you bring D in if your out this morning please and thank you (smiley face)."
Now maybe I am taking this out of context but it felt like I was being "voluntold" (I think I know how her hubby felt on the weekend!) I brought D in as she asked, partly because I am a spineless wimp and partly because I wanted to see for myself how difficult it was to catch them (any of them, catch one and they will all follow). It took a bit of effort, had to cross over to the far side but eventually D came to the oats pail, I haltered him and away we went. Less than 15 minutes. I responded back to her that I did it this time but:
"I can't be doing that every day though, I'm late for work."
Her reply: "Lol that was my complaint too. Can't spend an hour casing them Lol".
REALLY?! So its too much of a bother for you to catch your own horse but no problem sending me out to waste an hour of my time ... chasing your horse? I was already feeling a bit miffed and with that, I had enough. I hardly even saw my guys because I spent all of my limited time on D.
I was in a bit of a hurry to get to work and I probably hit the send button without really thinking it through fully, but I texted that I strongly suggested that she consider boarding D somewhere that is more suitable for her needs. I tried to frame it in such a way that she would see that my place really isn't the best for what she wants to do, which is the honest truth. I have few real 'facilities' (which is part of the reason I am charging her only nominal board) and she needs more help with D than I can provide, nor do I want to provide. I am not a "full board" place. Of the few things I do have to offer (pasture, riding arena) she doesn't use. She doesn't seem to notice (or maybe she ignores) subtleties but she caught my drift on that message. In a bit of a pout (again, maybe the context is lost via text), asked that I give her a few days, she'll get him out of there. As well, she wants half of this month's board back (no mention of the week and a half in August that D was there that I didn't charge her for.) I agreed to refund that because, again, I'm a bit spineless and she succeeded in making me feel bad for hurting her feelings. I am going to chalk it up to lessons learned and the price of getting back my peaceful sanctuary.
After all that, she didn't even go out there yesterday to see him which was the whole reason this started! She did go out in the evening since D was still in the pen and needed to be fed, I'll give her credit for being switched on enough to remember that. I wasn't planning on going out but I changed my mind and decided to take a drive out there before I went home that night. Low and behold, the gate to the small pasture was open and all of them were grazing on it. She either didn't get the subtle hint or ignored it.
It just feels like a constant barrage of 'things' with this arrangement. I did a quick calculation this morning: I came up with a list of about 18 'things' (not counting yesterday) that have transpired in the ~7 weeks she's been there, it works out to something every 2.73 days. Way too much drama!
On several occasions I have given T a choice on where to keep D: in the pen by himself in which case he needs to be fed twice a day or in the big pasture with my guys in which case he needs to be caught out there in the wide open spaces; he's not exactly amenable to being caught at times. One such occasion was when I was going out of town for the weekend and I would not be around to feed him. She agreed that he should go out to pasture, she doesn't have time to feed him ... but I am to bring him back in when I return (it wasn't phrased as a request, as in "would you mind?, thanks, really appreciate your help"; it was an expectation and an implication that I am responsible for this inconvenient situation.) So much for relying on her help when I need it.
I am really not keen on the horses being in the small pasture because it has gotten to be *very* grazed down; I underestimated how quickly the grass would be consumed so this was my fault. Its to the point where I don't know if it will recover anytime soon. T and I had a conversation about this 2 days ago and only D was allowed access to that area (my way of compromising on the "can't catch him in the big pasture" thing) but somehow all the horses found a way in there (either a gate was left open or they managed to jimmy the latch which is entirely possible.)
On the weekend, T complained that the horses were on the far side of the coulee and her hubby spent 45 minutes trying to catch them.
Yesterday D was again out in the pasture with my guys. I received this text:
"Can you bring D in if your out this morning please and thank you (smiley face)."
Now maybe I am taking this out of context but it felt like I was being "voluntold" (I think I know how her hubby felt on the weekend!) I brought D in as she asked, partly because I am a spineless wimp and partly because I wanted to see for myself how difficult it was to catch them (any of them, catch one and they will all follow). It took a bit of effort, had to cross over to the far side but eventually D came to the oats pail, I haltered him and away we went. Less than 15 minutes. I responded back to her that I did it this time but:
"I can't be doing that every day though, I'm late for work."
Her reply: "Lol that was my complaint too. Can't spend an hour casing them Lol".
REALLY?! So its too much of a bother for you to catch your own horse but no problem sending me out to waste an hour of my time ... chasing your horse? I was already feeling a bit miffed and with that, I had enough. I hardly even saw my guys because I spent all of my limited time on D.
I was in a bit of a hurry to get to work and I probably hit the send button without really thinking it through fully, but I texted that I strongly suggested that she consider boarding D somewhere that is more suitable for her needs. I tried to frame it in such a way that she would see that my place really isn't the best for what she wants to do, which is the honest truth. I have few real 'facilities' (which is part of the reason I am charging her only nominal board) and she needs more help with D than I can provide, nor do I want to provide. I am not a "full board" place. Of the few things I do have to offer (pasture, riding arena) she doesn't use. She doesn't seem to notice (or maybe she ignores) subtleties but she caught my drift on that message. In a bit of a pout (again, maybe the context is lost via text), asked that I give her a few days, she'll get him out of there. As well, she wants half of this month's board back (no mention of the week and a half in August that D was there that I didn't charge her for.) I agreed to refund that because, again, I'm a bit spineless and she succeeded in making me feel bad for hurting her feelings. I am going to chalk it up to lessons learned and the price of getting back my peaceful sanctuary.
After all that, she didn't even go out there yesterday to see him which was the whole reason this started! She did go out in the evening since D was still in the pen and needed to be fed, I'll give her credit for being switched on enough to remember that. I wasn't planning on going out but I changed my mind and decided to take a drive out there before I went home that night. Low and behold, the gate to the small pasture was open and all of them were grazing on it. She either didn't get the subtle hint or ignored it.
It just feels like a constant barrage of 'things' with this arrangement. I did a quick calculation this morning: I came up with a list of about 18 'things' (not counting yesterday) that have transpired in the ~7 weeks she's been there, it works out to something every 2.73 days. Way too much drama!
Tuesday, October 07, 2014
The #100HappyDays challenge
I have been doing this challenge for the 100 Happy Days last 28 days (give or take.) The idea is to find something that makes you happy every day, take a picture and post it on your social media of choice. Take the time to acknowledge and celebrate the good things in life, to really look for those things on the days when you don't feel like it. I have been doing it on Facebook but I am going to share them here too when I remember.
The impetus for this was that I was feeling very unsettled this summer. Things are a bit off, not really where I want them to be. What I've discovered is that I really don't have any difficulty finding good things to post about. But that doesn't solve life's problems. So I don't know that its accomplishing what I thought it would when I started but its still fun to do so I plan on finishing out the 100 days.
So without further adieu, a smattering of 100 Happy Days pictures (captions and commentary will have to come at a later date, don't have time right now):
The impetus for this was that I was feeling very unsettled this summer. Things are a bit off, not really where I want them to be. What I've discovered is that I really don't have any difficulty finding good things to post about. But that doesn't solve life's problems. So I don't know that its accomplishing what I thought it would when I started but its still fun to do so I plan on finishing out the 100 days.
So without further adieu, a smattering of 100 Happy Days pictures (captions and commentary will have to come at a later date, don't have time right now):
Hurray for Hay!
Thursday, October 02, 2014
More boarder gripes
A continuation of my last post (yes I'm going to whinge some more!)
I forgot about one of the big irks that happened. T's 'horsey' friend was hosting a clinic that we were planning to attend. She sends me a text to make me aware that if my horse bucks he has to wear a ribbon in his tail. First off, it is horses that kick that get the ribbon, not ones that buck. I'm sure 'horsey' friend told her that and she was only half listening and relayed bad information to me thinking that she was being pretty smart. Secondly, I was already aware of that ... but nice of her to let me know just in case. Thirdly, neither of my horses are known to kick. They are big but generally pretty gentle and harmless. In fact Cash once had a kitten climbing up his tail and he never even batted an eyelash. He does get pissy at Lilly when she is circling and barking and he has cocked his leg as a warning but so far, he hasn't let it fly (when I see that happening, its back in the truck for the dawgs!)
Today's request from T was if I could trailer D for her on Sunday or if she could rent/borrow my sister's horse trailer (which is half mine.) Her Dad will drive, etc etc. Kind of a sob story about how she doesn't want to disappoint her son for his birthday party yada yada yada. T has been genuinely helpful about sourcing out hay so I feel like I should reciprocate but I worry about setting a precedent with the trailer. So I decided that I will borrow my sister's truck and bring him to the party, she can pay for the gas. Its more work for me but that way I can return the favour, she has D for her son's party and (we, my sister and I) retain all control (real and perceived) over the trailer. She texted back a "thanks" and she's looking at "options" ... whatever that means? Maybe she'll find someone else to help her out. And I'm OK with that.
Sigh. I'm exhausted by all these little things. I just want peace and quiet out there.
I forgot about one of the big irks that happened. T's 'horsey' friend was hosting a clinic that we were planning to attend. She sends me a text to make me aware that if my horse bucks he has to wear a ribbon in his tail. First off, it is horses that kick that get the ribbon, not ones that buck. I'm sure 'horsey' friend told her that and she was only half listening and relayed bad information to me thinking that she was being pretty smart. Secondly, I was already aware of that ... but nice of her to let me know just in case. Thirdly, neither of my horses are known to kick. They are big but generally pretty gentle and harmless. In fact Cash once had a kitten climbing up his tail and he never even batted an eyelash. He does get pissy at Lilly when she is circling and barking and he has cocked his leg as a warning but so far, he hasn't let it fly (when I see that happening, its back in the truck for the dawgs!)
Today's request from T was if I could trailer D for her on Sunday or if she could rent/borrow my sister's horse trailer (which is half mine.) Her Dad will drive, etc etc. Kind of a sob story about how she doesn't want to disappoint her son for his birthday party yada yada yada. T has been genuinely helpful about sourcing out hay so I feel like I should reciprocate but I worry about setting a precedent with the trailer. So I decided that I will borrow my sister's truck and bring him to the party, she can pay for the gas. Its more work for me but that way I can return the favour, she has D for her son's party and (we, my sister and I) retain all control (real and perceived) over the trailer. She texted back a "thanks" and she's looking at "options" ... whatever that means? Maybe she'll find someone else to help her out. And I'm OK with that.
Sigh. I'm exhausted by all these little things. I just want peace and quiet out there.
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