Brag-book of My Herd

And now, at the request of my one and only follower (Thanks Kate!), pictures of my herd.

 

Cruz was boarded out for 30 days of "boot camp".  We made some good progress, I was very happy with how that went ... when it went.  Takes a lot of time and I probably didn't choose the best month to take that on.  But it is what it is and in a few months I hope to take him back for another month where we will do some actual riding.  In our last lesson my trainer commented that once he has a few more miles on him, he will be a really good horse; her opinion means something so that made me feel good.  I bought him on a "feeling" and frankly I was second guessing my intuition as I was discovering some of his little quirks.  But she made me feel confident that there is hope for our future.

This is Cruz after a good roll in the snow.  He's the most "rolly" horse I know!


Cruz all saddled up.  I did ride him a bit towards the end of our month in training but not very confidently.  He's definitely a handsome guy!


While Cruz was away, Cash needed a buddy.  The lady who boarded Cash before I moved him home was nice enough to loan me Buck for the month.  He's a lovely horse to have around, very uncomplicated, quiet, lovey-dovey.

I am using a hay net for waste reduction and "waist reduction".  Not sure they are terribly thrilled with it but it seems to be working out well.  Cash hasn't gained excessively, Cruz has filled out nicely and the pile at the end of the bale is minimal.

 

Cash was very snoozey yesterday morning.  So much so that I unblanketed him while he was still laying down!  I was a little concerned, that's not really like him but eventually he got up, strolled around and he doesn't seem any worse for wear since.  So I think he was just having a super-lazy morning (I have those too!)



A word about my new farrier: fantastic!  He came on recommendation from my Aunt who has known him for several years.  A few weeks ago I was in a conversation with Cruz's previous owner and another lady, she mentioned that she knew of someone that was really good and wondered if I would like the name.  I said that I thought I had found someone that I really liked but pass it along anyway, one never knows (farriers are a fickle bunch.)  She texted me his contact card and turns out it is the same guy! Ha!  When the farrier was out last week, I relayed that conversation to him and turns out that he was Cruz's farrier several years ago!  Small world.  Cruz has a few potential 'issues' so based on those two recommendations and seeing the results so far, I feel pretty confident that he is in good hands.

Update on my summer boarder

I was surfing Kijiji this morning and noticed that the lady who was boarding her gelding at my place this summer has put him up for sale.  The ad says he is "good to catch" which was a bit of a stretch when he was at my place but who knows, maybe she's worked that out of him since I last saw them. 

The ad also says, "he needs someone with more experience than me."  I sincerely hope that this realization came about in due course and not because of some grievous accident.  I don't wish failure or injury on anyone, but I can't say as I'm surprised that that particular partnership didn't work out.  She didn't seem interested in investing the time to learn to train him and/or maintain his training, nor was she particularly receptive to suggestions that what she was doing was wrong and maybe a little bit unsafe (although she had plenty of suggestions for me!)  Horses are always learning so if you don't train the horse the right way, the horse will train himself in whatever way he pleases and that gelding had things figgered out pretty quickly, even before he moved away!

There's a teeny tiny piece of me that feels vindicated that my instinct was correct, my slow and steady approach to horsemanship is the right one.  But the bigger part of me wishes her well and hopes she finds the right horse so she can fulfill her dream.

This and That

A quick update on miscellaneous stuff:

Cruz at Boot Camp:
I picked a bad month to start this, things have been more busy than expected.  But what little time I have devoted to Cruz's training these past 2 weeks has been very encouraging and regardless of how far we get over the next 2 weeks, its a good starting point.  It has taught me to take control of his training rather than wait around for someone to hold my hand.

He follows a fairly predictable pattern at each lesson: nervous and poopy (which is a nervous thing), then come the sillies (typical young horse stuff) and finally focus and calm.  The cycle through steps 1 and 2 goes quicker with each lesson and then we get down to some real learning in step 3. I can't wait to be able to ride him, he has such a lovely floaty trot and lope and when he's calm he is VERY calm!  I admit to having buyers remorse this fall when I felt like I was in over my head and suspected some conformation and hoof issues. But I think I have found the right trainer to help with the training challenges, a good equine chiropractor/massage practitioner and a fantastic farrier. I'm feeling like Cruz and I have a promising future.

Cash:
He's just hanging out in the pasture with his old friend and temporary companion, Buck. I've enjoyed having Buck, he's just such a nice horse to have around.  I have made some good progress with Cash too.  He no longer plays the "you can't catch me!" game and he does not need to be haltered every time I do something with him (pick out the ice packs under his hooves, blanket/unblanket, grooming after a good roll in the mud.)  The boys are learning that the white bucket usually contains oats (their fave!) so when they see/hear the white bucket they come running (which means I don't have to trudge out across the coulee to get them!)  I believe that when I start riding lessons on him again (hopefully after Christmas!) it won't take long for us to be a solid team.  My goal with him is to pass the search and rescue certification this coming summer and I'm feeling like that's totally achievable.

Its not so easy to take pictures of Cash, he's very intrigued by the phone/camera!




Kitty and The Dawgs:
Just the usual routine for my other four-legged friends. Kitty lays around all day and snuggles with me on the bed all night.  Pretty easy life!  The dawgs don't get as much outdoor time as they'd like because of the cold weather a few weeks ago and they get snakey being inside all the time.  I am starting to think that Lilly will never grow up (she's almost 2 and still a nut case!)  She seems to think that hiding under the desk with the spoils of her counter surfing expedition will save her from a spanking ... which worked in a way, instead of reprimanding her, I took a picture.



This is her best attempt at using cuteness to feign innocence.  Sometimes that works too, how can you be mad at a face like that?! (I know, I'm a push over.)



Selah Singers:
I joined this choir this fall along with my niece.  She has been a vocal student of the choir director, Ralph Browne, for a few years now, an extremely talented teacher and musician.  We had our Christmas performances this weekend and all in all, everything worked out well.  I hope to continue on with that (if they will allow it haha!)  I will try to post a video of this weekend's performance at a later date (not yet available) but in the mean time, here is a You Tube clip of the Selah Singers from a couple years ago (before I joined) ...

http://youtu.be/rCfJpq8GMPA

Twitter:
Yesterday was my "Twitterversary" ... apparently.  I received an email about that so I guess it must be true.  I have tinkered around on Twitter a little bit (see the sidebar for my Tweets ... all four of them haha).  It seems like a useful tool for many things and one of these days I will really get down to figgering out how it works.

Volleyball:
This fall I joined a new recreational ladies volleyball team.  I played beach doubles this summer with my niece and it rekindled my love for that game, both indoor and beach.  I used to play several times a week and occasionally I got the chance to play with some high-ish caliber teams (ex-college players, co-ed and ladies).  I was no superstar "back in the day" but I could hold my own.  I had a ranking on the AVA tour one summer ... albeit a very very very low one!

The good news is that with this new team, I get to play every week rather than just the occasional call to sub for other teams.  And we are friendly, drama-free bunch.  The bad news is that (rant alert) this team is VERY recreational, very non-competitive, very ... frustrating.  The most frustrating part is that when I play "hack" ball, I myself play like a hack ... grrrr!  I joined up with realistic expectations so I'm not exactly surprised that its nowhere near the level of competition and intensity that I used play (and would like to play again!)  We are improving as a team and I keep my feelings to myself, just focus on my own skills and roll with the punches whether we win or lose ... but some nights I am just not having fun. *sigh*