Things have been going well so far! I've ridden everyday, except the Friday he had off and an extra day when the weather was miserable. I've been doing mostly flat work, he's at a perfect weight right now and so I'm hoping he'll muscle up quickly and easily and adapt to a more intensive training schedule. We've been easing into our rides, with the exception of my lesson which was highly focused on canter work and he worked up quite a sweat. I walked him out in the arena and then took him on a long trail ride and splashed around in the pond a little so that I knew he was cooled out afterward.

They're out in their first grazing paddock for the summer. It's nice and grassy. I've been grazing him for half an hour to an hour and a half every time i've been out because we don't let them out gradually. It's not ideal, but they've always been okay in the past especially with the grazing for 2 weeks beforehand. It's a lot harder to find him now that he's in the big paddock and I have to schedule extra time before my lesson in order to walk out there!

I fed them last night and they all came galloping up to the fence. Such happy bbies right now :)

Anyways, I'll provide a more detailed riding post after my lesson this week!

Hello, Again

Well- it's been a LONG time since i posted. And despite my excited-ness last spring i barely ended up posting last summer during the thick of it. I really enjoy re-reading my posts from earlier in the spring and it would've been nice to record how far we came last summer. I'm going to have to start over again this spring, and it should be just as lovely and frustrating. Boomer's had a great winter, he's now ridden twice a week by my best friend H, and twice-three times by his leaser. He's been working in the arena all winter, but is back outside in the big ring enjoying himself once again.

I must say i'm much less prepared for the year this year than i was last year. I have NO plans for the summer, i've bought NO memberships... nothing. I'm very broke and very overwhelmed by life at the moment, i can't imagine having a plan for the summer. All i know is i'm working full time 6 days/week starting May 3rd so i'm going to be working for twice as long as i did last summer. I really burnt out last July/August from working so much, so i'm hoping this summer I can go into it with a more positive attitude. I have slitghly different responsibilities this year and I know my employers/fellow co-workers better so it should relieve the stress of it all.

I really don't know what i want to do this summer. There is a new short course series running in the area, there's dressage shows, hunter/jumper, the events I did last year... the only different is there's no C-Rally running. I didn't join Pony Club this year so it works out well.

I think my main goals are:

• LEARN how to canter on a loose rein/no contact, trust him in the field/big ring/anywhere to canter out. I don't trust him like i want to at the canter and it really holds us back. He has a gorgeous canter i just need to let go of his mouth and let him run a little!
• Jump jump jump.. last year at the last event i went to/last time i rode in the warm up ring we were popping over 3' fences like it was no bodies business and loving it. He was a little more toned down because he was tired and i was awesome! i was just so good. I need to figure out how to do that every time- just relax and ENJOY IT.
• Go for as many hacks as possible- those solo hacks at the beginning of the spring last year really cemented our trust and bond for the summer. We really got to know each other last summer, I hope we can build from it this year.
• Continue to expand my interest in dressage, do some reading, practice tests/movements for fun. Have a plan when I go to ride sometimes.
• Organize my locker/tack at home so that I make use of the ridiculous amounts of stuff i've acquired over the years- its all nice and some of it never used because there's so much and i dont know where half of it is when i need it.

H shaved his legs/pulled his mane/trimmed bridle path so he's probably pretty comfy. Last time iw as home (Easter) he was shedding like a madman, so maybe once i'm home i'll be able to make sure it's all good and his summer coat is coming in. He got his spring shots/teeth checked/mini-physical last week so I'm happy about that too! Hopefully soon after i get home he will be let out into their wonderful 'big' paddock and he can enjoy some grass. I'll need to start grazing him as soon as i get home to get some 'green' in his belly. We always try and graze them for an hour or so on our own time because the herd can't be turned out intermittently on the grazing pasture due to staffing constraints/large herd size.

Well- I'm off to bed. I'm home April 25th and although i made a lot of promises last year and didn't write as much as i expected, or at all after June, all i can say is i hope to be back and i want to write as much as possible this summer and maybe get some more followers on my blog. The horse community on Blogger is great :)

The Summer- In Recap

So, working full time and riding full time and attempting to dabble in eventing didn't leave alot of time for blogging. I don't want to abandon the blog- so i'm going to do a big photo blog about our summer. :-)

As for Boomer's update now- I am back in school away from my boy once again. It's just as painful every time I leave him. He has a wonderful leaser who is a sweet and laid back rider with a solid seat and quiet hands. She is taking amazing care of him, better than I could ever ask for! My best friend is riding every other week and tacking him up for my coach to ride on the alternate weeks. He is staying in great shape, he's in his rainsheet (new! he now has 2 so that when one gets wet they are changed!) and fleecie which is super warm and comfy for him! I'm heading home in a weekend and can't WAIT to see my baby.

First set of photos: Step One 'Learning'

At Home

Me and Boomer <3 style="text-align: center;">
Random pic of H & I, with our horses Dakota and Boomer at our farm

Riding up the ridge at home, end of a day of training

3 day Pony Club clinic a.k.a. "C-Rally"

First time coming out of the water at Pony Club Clinic- 1 m up onto a sloping bank, a little nervous!

Better this time, working on giving him some head.

Boom & I over a little drop

Drop again

Coop. Sorry bud on the mouth :-(

"Testing the Waters"

Post Jumper Clinic-Learned a lot

Jumping clinic, learning to cuddle, cuddle, cuddle

First Show Off Property, Short Course June 1st

Warming up

Putting Boom's fly sheet on "Room For Error" Boomer and I miss calculating the smallest jump on course

My Team- The best people to have with you on show day!

Boomer and I waiting for Cross Country

A great end to the day with a red ribbon! (First place)

Last Show of the Summer- Boomer was perfect all day :) Perfect end to the season

Boomer and I warming up- BLURRY picture but we're both happy campers :)

My Favourite Picture!

That's the end of the photos for now. Summing up I would say our greatest triumphs this summer were stregnthening our bond and communication, learning how to 'gallop home' and trust each other when it's just us with the trees on a x-c course. He learned how to load by simply following me on... HUGE difference from the 2 hour loads we did last summer. We excelled in dressage. We hacked out every day on our own and had some great lessons. We pushed each other, and in the end I am SO happy with our summer. We got a first, but more importantly we surpassed our own 'personal bests' by FAR. We're way beyond where we could ever expect to be. I'm so lucky to have such an amazing horse with so much heart. :)

Rest In Peace, Jenny and Tony

Very unexpected news came tonight, my two ponies Jenny and Tony were put down by my grandfather yesterday. At 10 and 12 years old this is shocking, disturbing, and heartbreaking... What vet would put down two animals of an 80 year old man with Alzheimers without consulting his family members is beyond me. Especially his family members who have knowledge about horses. It is beyond my comprehension. Learning that my two ponies have passed on in an after-the-fact kind of way- i dont think there could be a worse feeling. They had founder, bad, and apparently no one in my family felt the need to update me or my cousin (who is the other 'owner', we were given them as children by my grandfather) that it was a near death situation. Apparently they hadn't walked for a week. My cousin lives down the road, no one even bothered to let her say goodbye. We are both stunned, absolutely stunned. If i had known it had come to this i would've been up there in a heartbeat with a trailer to take them away, to find them proper help, to do what i could for them. To, at least, say goodbye.

It's a complicated situation because my grandfather has alzheimers. Originally he took wonderful care of all his animals, he always had 5-6 horses, chickens, ducks, cats, dogs.... but the clan has diminished as his health has gotten worse. We knew that taking the ponies away from him would make things so much worse, for he would undoubtedly go to the barn every morning looking for them and either realise they were gone and re-live the greif, or panic and begin searching for them. Now that time has come. Their time came too early. They were sweet, sweet ponies put in a horrible situation. They provided him routine, purpose and companionship in exchange for worse and worse care. One of the good things about alzheimers is it is routine-depandent, so thankfully because he had been feeding and watering horses everyday for the past 50-70 years he always remembered to feed and water them. It's in his blood. What he started to forget was turnout, calling the vet and farrier, de-worming, winter blankets. My cousin and I tried to keep on top of everything for him, and our family who lives near him chcked up on the ponies as often as possible to ensure they were taken care of. They weren't neglected, by any means, but they weren't doing well. Founder got worse and worse, standing in stalls and not getting exercised anymore took a toll. We used to have two sulkies which my grandfather would hook them up to everyday and take them out, but he had a garage fire last year which claimed both sulkies along with our pony-buggies and sleighs. Everything has seemed to fall apart over the past year, and me moving to away for university sent me five hours further away from them.

I will never forgive myself, my grandfather, or my family for letting it come to this. I thought they had founder, but i thought it was like it always was- permanent but not life threatening. It was always worse in the spring, but much better in the summer/fall/winter. Last summer i saw them cantering around their field, this winter i saw them trotting threw the snow a couple times. I feel sick to my stomach with guilt and greif as i write this, because i dont know how to handle not knowing. It was too early for them to go, they were too young and could have made it. If i had taken them away from that situation, they might have made it.

I would like to remember a few special memories i've had with them, and will continue to fill this blog with photos of the two of them. It's hard to even think in past tense, and i dont know how much i will be able to write. They were great, wonderful ponies to have growing up. We did everything with them, hacks, bareback with shorts and sandals, pole bending, barrel racing, showing western, showing leadline minature classes at the local fair, many many parades with our buggies. One special parade was with their mother Peggy, tony was only a yearling and he trotted along side his mother in the parade. The ooohs and ahhs came from everyone, the crowd loved the cute little baby, and so did we! As we grew up we grew out of riding them (at least in saddles) and started barebacking them minimally and really focusing on lunging. We got them going over all sorts of jumps, going every speed, it was so fun to have that connection with them through the lunge. We'd take them both out in the sulkies and give rides to neighbours and friends around our corral. I had birthday parties and taught all my friends how to ride when i was younger. Everytime i was there my cousin and i would brush the ponies and take special care thinning their manes, trimming their fetlocks. They always looked beautiful. Summertime baths were their favourite, we'd clean them up so they were ready to go to a show, and then laugh as they rolled in a mud puddle a few minutes later. Tony was mine, and Jenny was Val's. Tony was cheeky and silly. He nipped as a young one, but it didn't throw me off. We had a special bond, he would do almost anything for me in any situation. There was something underlying between us that we understood each other and loved each other so much. Jenny was Val's because she was easier to train, she was less stubborn that Tony and more agile. While Val and Jenny were jumping and cantering Tony and i would stop for a snack and i'd sit in the grass with him for hours. Val and I's safe place was in their barn. We'd go in there and talk for hours while the two of them munched their hay and listened quietly. We expressed everything there, planned our future co-owned barn down to the paddock fencing, and just hide from real life in our cozy pony barn. Ever since we were kids we loved sweeping the barn and picking out their stalls. I liked feeding them grain because they were so greedy and funny to watch eat. One of my favourite parts about them were their feet, so tiny and delicate, it was heartbreaking to watch them get the tell-tale red of founder. We got Peggy when she was carrying Jenny, so both ponies were bought on the farm. A couple years ago we tried to breed Jenny but she didn't catch. Tony was born on the farm too a couple years later. We watched my grandpa train the silly little boy, and one of us were the first ones on him. He was hilarious to ride, the typical pony trying to get your off on a low hanging tree branch or ducking into a near by hedge. It made things more fun, to us, i don't remember ever falling off either one of them. They were ponies, but they were also our caretakers. They knew how far to go without hurting us. They could tell when we were still having fun.

Things You Should Know About Founder, also known as Laminitis.
All ponies are at risk of developing founder. Please take the steps to prevent founder, research it, understand it, and protect your babies. This exerpt from the book Diseases A-Z will give you important information. "Laminitis: Inflammation of the sensitive laminae which lie between the hoof and the bone of the foot (pedal bone). Taditionally a disease of fat ponies grazing on lush pasture, but it can affect any horse. It can be caused by over-eating, retention of foetal membranes after foaling, or even excessive trauma to the feet. It is an acute and chronic condition. It is important to start treatment immediatley to avoid any permanent damage, irreversable changes occur to the laminae within the first twelve hours.
Treatment:
Administering large quantities of liquid paraffin help to prevent further absorption of endotoxins, bute reduces the pain, and will increase blood supply in the foot, ner blocking the feet will increase blood-flow by exerting a vasodiliator effect, light exercise, stabling with litter that supports the sole is crucial, heart bar shoes will support the pedal bone, surgical removal of the front wall might be neccessary. Treatment concentrates on controlling the pain with anti-inflammatory agents combined with regular corrective trimming and shoeing so that the pedal bone assumes a more normal position.

Blunt facts: Do not overfeed your ponies. You may think your pony needs "Something" to eat while the other horses are eating, but that is where we went wrong. Feeding a couple roughage chunks instead of sweet feed may save your ponies life. Do not put ponies out on lush grass, even if they dont have founder. Control them to 1/2-2 hours morning and night, depending on their size and weight. Ponies develop laminitis easily and quickly. Don't risk it. Have a farrier who knows what they're doing. Our farrier once told my grandpa their feet looked fine. Get an expert, push for the latest and most effective shoeing treatment. Measure their weight, track any weight gain and find the cause. Exercise is essential in providing a balanced lifestyle for your pony. Keep them healthy, for i hope no one ever experiences what i am now.

We got the two of them new blankies this winter; look at them showing them off! Tony discovers a sleigh in the field.

Are you coming, or what?

Tony and I a couple falls ago.

Welcome to the world baby Tony. (Born on the night of Haley's Comet)

I beleive this was a "before" picture. ;)

A couple shots from a B&W series I did of them.

Jen's rainboots!

Rest in peace you two, we love you so much.

As things move along...

Well the pictures from last time refuse to upload so i'll do that in another post. Things have been moving along at a semi-average pace. We had a set of about five days where he blew my mind with his talent, athleticism and heart, and then a set of about five more days where he was stubborn, unwilling and cautious. We've been hacking out lots, going in the pond as much as possible while it's still fresh and enjoying each other's company in the "sun". (It's been miserable, rain and cold until today when the sun peaked out but the temperature sure didn't.)

My Tuesday lesson is now shared with my best friend. We did a line of X's (gymnastic). It wasssss "eehhh". I struggled to find a balance and rythmn, but apparently we looked like we were improving. I need to focus on keeping my core strong and my shoulders back, according to my coach, letting him flow, taking my calf off and balancing that with more upper thigh. I need to bounce in my knees over every jump. I don't exactly understand how that works, but God am I trying. He was good though, and his canter felt really nice and deep when we were warming up without beeing too strong or heavy. A bit of a "fiasco" when his herd came galloping up from the grazing paddock, Dakota the horse we were riding with had a bit of a hissy fit. My friend isn't as enthusiastic about hacking so we cut our usual route to about 1/4 which was disappointing for both of us, and she didn't want to swim either.

Today i had a training session with the coach. JUMPING! All i can say is WOW. He looked fabulous. She had him moving in front of her leg, instead of behind like me, and he carried himself at the canter in a beautiful frame which aloud him to get every spot perfectly. My coach has never jumped Boomer before, so it was really great and interesting to see her ride. I loved how quiet she was, and positive reinforcement was plentiful. Both of these aspects surprised me slightly, in a great way! She did some gymnastic work to warm up over big x's, then played over different elements of our hunter course, keeping the canter flowing the whole time. He was very tierd and panting so she cut it short when he had had enough. Great to see, great to aspire to. THe way she gets him to hold himself through his transitions is something i can't quite grasp yet, but i want to so badly!

Tomorrow i'm heading out early to possibley work through the dressage test. I was going to do XC in the morning but without someone to spot me it just felt to dangerous. After the ride i'm picking up some pony club friends and we're making a day-trip to Greenhawk to pick up some things for C-Rally in July and horse shows coming up in June.

I'm officially signed up for my first event! It's June 14th. We're doing the 2' division so that we have no challenges except me fighting nerves and Boomer focusing and enjoying himself. I really look forward to the opportunity to explore off property in a fun and positive environment. Lots of friends from Pony Club will be there and competing so we'll be happy to catch up with them as well. I'm off to bed so i can get an early start.

All Things Green and Happy Birthday Boomer

So before i start saying GREEN GREEN GREEN i want to talk about these wind puffs or wind galls that he has. They have developed on his front legs as well. They are small and not visible on any of his legs, but by running your hand down you can feel the soft fluid buildup. Apparently there is nothing that can be done to stop them, horses who are outside will be better off because they aren't confined to stand overnight, which causes them to be more irritated. Some people i have read suggest you use witch hazel on them, some say you should sweat them with a bandage, others say you should put MSM in their feed, but basically everyone says they can drain them but it's only a temporary relief and they almost always come back. It is suggested that there be a drastic change in the workload of the horse with wind puffs. My coach has said that his are probably caused by his increased workload but she doesn't think i should change what i've been doing. [I ride 5-6 times a week, usually jumping once sometimes twice under 3' so far, the other rides are always flat and non-strenuous, and there is lots of walking hacks throughout the week.] She said many horses of hers developed them with age and that they do not cause lameness or alot of irritation to the horse, especially the small ones he has.

Secondly: Happy Birthday Boomer! On May 16th 2009 he turned 9 years old! It's so exciting seeing him grow up and become more and more beautifull with age. I've owned him for three years on May 28th, and i've been riding him since he was 5 years old! We've been together for a long time and i will own him until he is an old retired grandpa. :] Boomer was born on an island near where i live. I'm quite sure nothing happened to him for the first three years of his life except eating, sleeping and pooping. When he came to our farm he was three turning four. He was broke to ride, but had no further training. He belonged to my coach until his past owner bought him. She rode him and and showed for a while, then i started leasing him the next year.
:) The rest i've already told you many times.
I'm lucky to own such a gorgeous 9 year old boy.

And now GREEN. Boomer has finally been let out into his first grazing paddock! It's absolutley gorgeous back there. Grass up to my knees, and everywhere! I love it. There's a shady treed in area on one side of the paddock, a little stream running through with super-lush grass, it's just perfect. When they get fed all the barn manager has to do is call BREAKFAST and the herd comes running. All of the horses seem happier than ever, after months of so-so hay and freezing temperatures, i don't blame them.

I took my camera out to the barn the day before they got let out into their grazing field. Please disregard and don't judge the state of the paddock. We let the grass grow up to its full potential before letting them into the next one. If it means keeping them in a disgusting, muddy paddock a couple weeks longer to save them ruining the good paddock before it's ready, i say, good. The weather has been rain non-stop. Those horses would have torn up the young grass and been on hay bales all summer. None the less, the paddock in the photos is a bit of an embarassment!

More Updates

The show didn't go as well as i'd hoped.
In Road Hack and Show Hack he would NOT pick up his lead. I literally went around the ring setting him up for it, asking, transitioning up and then down again when he picked up the wrong lead. He wouldn't switch them either. He was leaning like a madman against my inside leg the whole time we were cantering. I think he was overwhelmed and i was stressed because of his actions. In show hack the judge said this is a show hack horse. He would have placed higher if he'd gotten his leads! Damn. (Since it was a schooling show the judge gives you feedback. I did not agree with much of what the judge said and neither did my coach. One horse was on the wrong lead every time and placed 3rd overall... ?) I believe the judge did not like Boomer's knee action. We did amzingly in pleasure and hunter hack. I came forth in pleasure because i was the only one there who knew what the judge was looking for in a pleasure horse. I truly belive we should have placed higher, her comments were let go of the contact, yet i had no contact. The girl who placed second had her horse in a "frame" with his poll basically at eye level. Definitley not a pleasure horse. Ah well. Riding a big-ass Percheron is not about winning when you go into a hunter show. It's about learning and letting him get a feel for the ring. Our first time in a show ring in three summers. Pretty damn good feeling, even if we didn't place. I do love my horse, so much, he's a star in my eyes. My coach had a good pep talk with my after the show, she said listen we didn't buy him to be a hack horse. He's going to event and he will shine. Just wait, keep doing little shows to prepare yourselves. You'll see. I hope she's right!

He developed windpuffs literally in the show ring, when i came out they were hot and swollen. Definitly due to the footing in the indoor. Our outdoor rings are super soft and sandy whereas the indoor is packed after a long winter of riding. It must have been a shock to his legs. We treated them with some cool hosing and a linament wash. There isn't much to do about windpuffs, but you can deal with the heat and swelling which we did. I gave him Monday off and Tuesday they were still there but not causing him to be off or sore to the touch so i rode.

Jumping lesson Tuesday was FABULOUS. We did all of the hunter jumps which were set up and filled wtih flowers and gates from the show. He was sooo so good and I was good! I was confident and happy for some reason. We did combinations of lines, courses, popped over everything a couple times. He isn't coming into the jumps straight, we need to work on cantering in the ring and going straight. My coach said i need to translate the gorgeous to-die-for canter we have on a 20-m circle into cantering through a course. I totally agree. Everything was better than last week, my position was better, his movement was better, we were in sync and loving life! The jumps were 2'3 -2'6... my coach said she liked seeing me do things between the jumps, adjusting, thinking, working him... and soon when we put the height up everything will fall into place.

I rode the next day and his windpuffs were swollen and sore again, but still, he was not off so i walked and trotted and gave him a linament wash and let him graze for an hour and consume as much "green" as possible. We're getting them ready to move into their grazing paddock so letting him graze is a daily routine.

My ride yesterday was excellent as well. It was flat , he was working with me instead of against me as he does sometimes when we're alone, he moved beautifully, we had a nice big canter around the ring, we explored different areas of the ring. It was a great ride. My position felt okay, better than it usually does when i'm on my own just riding for fun.

I'm off now for another ride!