Show #2 . . . the real thing!

This weekend we headed to the River Riders Open 4-H show at West River Stables, it was our first "real" show . . . where we would compete in classes with other horses in the ring. Bucky was fantastic and I was so proud of him!
He was a little quick, but overall very good for having 10 green horses in the ring and I was just happy that it was a good experience for him.


He has a big stride for such a little horse!



If only his mom could remember how to ride huntseat . . . we did get 4th in equitation though.



He was great in trail class, minor leap over trotting poles, did the mailbox, bridge and gate well, our practice has paid off. BUT I forgot an obstacle . . . oh well, he was great and we had fun!

First show!

On Saturday Bucky, Haley, Ali & I headed off to our first show! We found the ideal opportunity to introduce them to showing at the SYALER Dressage Schooling Show at Langwood Farm. So we brushed, braided, and borrowed gear!




We had a beautiful day and the show was small, so the horses quickly settled in and were very well behaved!





Bucky trotting in the indoor, he was good and even got the high point horse award for the day.

Photo from SYALER

The judge was also very nice and gave many helpful comments and things for us to work on.




Haley has only been really going under saddle for a few months and has been being ridden (and loved!) by my best friend Ali. Haley has had some biting issues and had only been ridden in a bitted bridle for a week prior to the show.

Photo from SYALER

She was also a star though and did very well for Ali.




What a pretty mare, Ali has done a fantastic job with her. We are looking forward to more adventures with the buckskins this summer!

A good cause . . .

Bucky is doing very well in his training, we have big plans for this spring & summer. Next weekend we are going to a Centered Riding clinic and we have a few fun trail rides scheduled as well. One that is very dear to me is the 2010 MA Ride for the Cure, which is going to be held this June in Barre, MA.




Not only do we get to go on a trail ride with some great people, but it is to raise funds for a very worthy cause. We will be riding in memory of my aunt Dyanne and in honor of my grandmother, Claire, a breast cancer survivor. There are many other women we will also be riding to remember and honor.



Consider sponsoring us for this ride by making a donation here to the Susan G. Komen foundation:

Trotting poles . . .

Despite Bucky's success as a trail horse, he is still very skeptical about things under his feet. We spent a good deal of time this fall working on trotting poles. We started with one and gradually added a few more, he seemed to get the idea.

He was very careful and cautious to *not* let the poles touch his feet though and you can see the look of concern on his face . . .

And then of course . . . he tapped a pole and *IT MOVED*, which lead to this giant leap over the rest of them. The funny thing is that Bucky has never shown a tendancy toward jumping, but I think he did a pretty good job in this photo!

And after a few more tried, back to trotting, although a little more cautiously . . . I think we'll do some more lunging before I ride him over poles ;-)

Trail riding fun!

So we have had a busy fall, getting Bucky out and about on the trails. His stifle seems much better on the straightaways and trails rather than doing circles in the ring. And he has fun! After a few more local rides with friends we did a few organized trail rides this fall . . .






We ventured off to North Brookfield, MA for the Sportman's Club fall ride . . . we had fun with all our VT Morgan friends and completed the 8 mile ride and all the obstacles.





Bucky was fantastic, calm and brave, he even was the leader at times! We went through rivers and over logs, up hills and through mud . . . (thats Bucky up front)




Next we ventured off with best friend Ali and borrowed horse Flash to a 4-H trail ride in Lyndeborough, NH after finding our way there we had a great ride on the "the boys". Riding a BUCKskin we had to make sure we would not be mistaken for a deer, that silly scarf sure does the trick!




Flash is an experienced trail horse and set a great example for Bucky to follow . . . there was more riding on the road on this ride so Bucky got used to all kinds of traffic. The train tracks gave both horses pause though!




Checking our directions . . . hoping for a few more good rides before winter!

Poor Bucky!

He doesn't really look like a lame horse , does he? Unfortunately Bucky has an upward fixating patella, so he is not classically "lame", but every once in a while his stifle goes "pop" and out goes his knee, causing him to stumble. Poor fella! Having been through this before with another horse, I know I need to get Bucky in better shape. Building up those gluteal muscles are what he needs to hold the stifle in place.





The challenge becomes maintaining his confidence and willingness to work while getting him in shape despite the random instability in his gait from the locking stifle. Poor Bucky has started counter cantering in the lame direction and reluctant to pick up the trot that direction as well!

Up-hill work, cavalettis and trotting are all helpful, so hopefully we'll have some good weather to keep up his exercise schedule. I am hoping we can resolve this with exercise since it is not too severe. Wish us luck!

If you want to see his patella lock, there is a video here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/tlmstar1#play/all/uploads-all/0/gk0qsM85cJs

Lessons from A Horse . . .

We are all still adjusting to the loss of our beloved Lady Byrd. The biggest thing that she taught me over the years, and something I hear repeated by many great trainers, is "listen to your horse". Listening to Lady taught me so many things about riding, horses and also life.

These are a few lessons I have to come understand and appreciate . . .

Bucky helped me to realize that the harder it is to reach a goal, the more important it becomes to recognize it once your there. We have been struggling with a nice, soft, smooth halt for a few weeks now. I realized that each time I asked for halt, got it, and was then thinking ahead, "Next we'll swing hindquarters over, then back up . . . ". I realized I wasn't taking the time to show him that "yes, that is what I want". So today we worked on halt, and then standing quietly savoring our lovely square, soft, halt. This concept was also very helpful with Miss Haley, it took so long for her to come to me in the paddock, so we make sure to spend lots of friendly time when she does.

Haley, though still a little mistrustful, reminds me the most of Lady Byrd. She is very very smart, but far more interested in her own self preservation than what you are asking her to do. She is teaching me daily to throw agenda out the window. Today I carried saddle blankets, flags and lead ropes out to the paddock to work with her and then realized what she really needed was to just build trust and work slowly. So we spent 20 minutes just working on facing me in the paddock and allowing herself to be approached without swinging her haunches at me. It was pretty amazing though to watch her think through the process, after 3-4 times of stopping & looking away whenever she would turn towards me she finally turned her haunches away and then stood there chewing and yawning for about 3 minutes before walking right up to me.

And then of course there is Sassy, forever reminding me to have patience. No matter how many times we have been over hoof trimming or fly spraying, there are always days when she has to be naughty and forget her lessons. When we first got Sassy she needed a lot of care - bathing, wound care, clipping her matted winter coat, hoof trimming and deworming. Because she is little we were able to get this all done without too much trouble, but at times I didn't take the time to help her accept what was going on. In the long run I think this has led to more problems with her and I should have just taken the time to let her be dirty and matted while we worked through her issues. Lesson learned, and we are now trying to work through things more slowly with her and help ger gain trust and confidence.