FINGERS. CROSSED.

I just heard from the lady I sold Lex to (sob) that she's going to be bred this month. Let's all cross our fingers that:

DOING WHAT NOW?

1. The breeding takes (the lady thinks it will).

2. The pregnancy is easy on her (look at her conformation, she was made to have babies).

3. The foal is healthy.

4. The foal is a colt who doesn't want to race--a filly would probably just go into the breeding program, and a good racehorse will be doing that instead of living with meeeeeeeeee. The racing talent, of course, we won't know for a long while yet.

I miss this mare every day, all day.

In Which I Realize I am Copying SprinklerBandit

I admire quite a lot of horse people, many of whom are y'all cool blogging people. When I started blogging, SprinklerBandit was one of the first people I reached out to. She didn't know me at all, but we struck up a correspondence that has only gotten more fun with time. We have a lot of stuff in common, but most clearly we are living a weird parallel horse life. To be more specific, I think I'm copying her.

[All photos of SB's horses below are courtesy of her, and I have her permission to include the details of her life here.]

First, we both got our riding lives re-started with amazing thoroughbred mares. Duchess is the most wonderful horse imaginable. And it was a total twist of fate that got me to her. I was Facebook friends with a guy I knew from grad school who posted a picture of his cat "reading" a book. The cat was on a saddle pad. I immediately was like IS THAT CAT ON A SADDLE PAD OMG I WANNA RIDE A HORSE. I was so sick of being a grad student and just wanted to do something I knew I was good at: riding. My friend was all, "Yeah, my girlfriend rides." He hooked us up right away and within a day I was riding the wonderful Duchess. His girlfriend Shelly became one of my dearest and most important friends. I will never be able to thank her enough for getting me back on a horse. The credit is shared equally between her and Duchess, who never does anything remotely bad and just loves to be adored, as she deserves.

Duchess

SB ended up riding Cassie, the mare she grew up riding. She got back into horses as an adult and rode Cassie, an off-track TB mare like Duchess. If I recall correctly, she also leased Cassie in high school. I'm not sure how similar the mares really are, but they both got us back into horses, and for that we both owe them a lot.

SB and Cassie

Then, we wound up with complicated, difficult, beautiful mares (mine a TB, hers a TBxOldenburg). The stories here are a bit different, as I was and remain absolutely crazy about Lex and I know that if she hadn't had the issues with nuchal bursitis, I'd still have her and we'd be fine. Izzy, on the other hand, was just not the right horse for SB at the time. No harm, no foul.

Afleet Alexia

Wishful Thinking

These are two gorgeous mares. Fancy, talented, brilliant, and very much their own people. We both got the best out of them we possibly could. When we knew it wasn't going to work, we were both decisive about finding them new homes. Again, if my memory serves, we managed to find good homes for them within a week or so. 

Look how great SB and Izzy look here.
SB deserves props for making the best of a tough horse.

I miss her so much. All the time.

Upon the times SB and I were each realizing we weren't going to be able to make things work with our mares, we sort of accidentally wound up with the world's two leading grumpy old man chestnut horses. Both of these boys are diamonds in the rough. Not everyone could see how cool Cuna was, but SB knew right away that he was the one for her. Similarly, Red was dumped by his owner when he injured his leg. A friend of mine took the best care of him she could, and when she knew she couldn't manage him the way he needed, she passed him along to me.

Redmond, back when he was even thinner.

Cuna, the best horse in all ways.

As you know if you read SB's blog, Cuna passed away. The world will always miss that wonderful guy, even those of us who never met him in person. He came alive for all of us through her writing, and is thus immortalized. I am fortunate to still have my big red guy, as we're just beginning our journey, and enjoy riding him every day. He's always got something to teach me, and I look forward to doing a couple little jumper shows with him eventually.

Both Cuna and Red are fans of trail riding.

Cuna

Red

And in general being totally adorable.

I need people to come over and take pictures, dammit.

 And then, finally, we found the stripey-faced young thoroughbreds who we have the pleasure of bringing along. First SB got Courage, and now I have Mo, who I hope will be half as good as Courage is.

Kissable Nose #1

Kissable Nose #2

Everything about this is maximum adorable.

As far as people to copy goes, SB is a good choice! I recommend it. (She'd probably advise skipping her witchy mare, but Lex taught me so much that I'm glad I had her in my life. To be fair, I never got hurt riding Lexi and SB can't say the same about Izzy.)

May the trend of wonderful horses continue for both of us and all of you. And for those of you who want or need a Grumpy Old Man Chestnut, we'll send our GOMC vibes your way.

Happy Horses

Note: I tried posting this DAYS ago, thought Blogger app ate it, and just found it again. Not that this matters to you I'm sure. 

At the risk of jinxing myself, it seems all my babies are happy. (I am not happy because I currently have a million injuries including carpal tunnel, so I'm suffering typing this for you. I'm sure you're sooooo grateful. Heh.)

Lex

The gorgeous mare is loving her life. My mom went to see her with me and we fed her tons of carrots. She wouldn't let any other mares have any. I hope to go see her again next week. I loved visiting her and am getting used to the idea that she isn't mine. 

Redmond

I need more Red pics for you. He is doing GREAT. Shiny, happy, fun to lightly hack around. His skin has calmed down and he's gaining weight. Stay tuned for a more detailed progress report. 

Rocket 

Rocket has been well behaved and is growing like a weed. She looks like a grown up horse already. It's time to get her used to tack and whatnot. 

Seneca

I owe you some lesson recaps with this guy. We're getting better together all the time, except that pesky counter lead. He gets so pissed at my when I don't do it right. Mary's been out of town so we've been working on basics. Like forward. Shouldn't be hard on the hot OTTB, but it is somehow. 

Spike

Love this guy. Glad Mary lets me ride him when she's out of town. He's pretty easy for such a green bean. 

Once again, I promise I'm reading your blogs! I hope to be able to write comments again soon, as well as more detailed posts. 

Lex's Five-Star Life

First, thank you all so much for your wonderful kind words on my last post. I felt supported and loved, which I really need in this rough moment.

M and I dropped Lex off at her new home today--she is going to be a broodmare at the astonishingly beautiful Hickory Tree Farm in Middleburg. It's about the best place for a horse to live. The broodmares all get groomed daily and lots of personal attention. They're clearly the owner's favorites. And the fun thing is, I not only have right of first refusal on Lex, but also on her first baby who doesn't want to run (for free!).

When we walked into the barn, Lex looked around like, "Finally, you two. This is what I have always wanted." She took a deep breath and enjoyed looking out the window of her enormous stall. I didn't want to annoy anyone by taking a million pictures, but I snuck one in.

I'm happy she's there but I miss her so much. The owner gave me the gate code and said I can visit whenever I like, which I will do next week. It might be painful to see her for awhile but I think the more I detail I can keep in my mind about how good she has it, the better.

I'll have more updates on the other equines soon. Everyone is doing well. Love all these ponies, even though I hate how bad I feel right now because of that silly mare.

I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues

This is not a post I ever wanted to or planned on writing. Ever. I've tried and stopped for the last seven days, but it's time now. 

My wonderful Lex, who you know I've been having some trouble with lately, has to be retired from riding permanently. She is seven years old. This is killing me. 

The short version is, when I got back on her per the vet's orders--12 days out from the injection, just walk on a long rein--she was fine for a few minutes and then she lost it. Rearing and bucking and all that. I stayed on, but I was having trouble not getting emotional. As soon as I got her to walk a 10m circle, I got off. And burst into tears. M asked why, and I told her it was because I was so worried about what this meant for the horse I love so much.

(And here is where I'm going to start crying AGAIN.)

I called every trainer I know. I called my cowboy friend. I called the vet. They all said the same thing: "she is not going to get better. There are a lot of nice horses out there. Don't kill yourself or torture her."

The vet said the injection should have made her a new horse, and it didn't. He couldn't fix it if it was pain, and if it's behavioral, a horse who stands straight up on a loose rein is an even more dangerous horse than one who rears under pressure. 

M went to do a pony club rating in another state last weekend. When she talked to the other national examiners, she said they all told her that horses with nuchal bursitis should not be ridden at all because they are dangerous. They are known to flip. M had never heard of this problem before, so she didn't know that, or she'd have told me. 

So now the most horrible thing I can think of: I have to find Lex a new home as a broodmare or a companion. She is fine on the ground and requires no more maintenance than a normal healthy horse--just food and water and some friends. I can't believe she will not be mine forever. But I can't afford to keep her. Maybe someday I can take her back, but not now. 

So if any of you knows anyone who is interested in an extremely well bred mare with excellent conformation, please let me know. I just want her to have a good home. I want to make sure her life is better than it was when I found her, so no more research univerisities. Nothing has can happen to her. 

I'd better stop writing before I lose it completely and give myself another crying hangover. But one more thing: please do not ask me if I have tried whatever treatment or fix or whatever (no, chiro will not help. Neither will a padded crown piece. Yes, people have suggested these things this week). I find it quite rude and it's only going to make me feel worse. I'm crazy about this horse. If something could be done, I would do it.

Okay. Deep breaths. Someday, maybe, I will get over this. Let's not cross our fingers. 

It's What's Between the Ears that Counts

Lex had her big appointment today, and it was a good experience overall. The vet confirmed that there is nothing funky happening in her poll except some significant bursitis. Lex was definitely hurting, poor critter.

I wanted to get pictures of her during the procedure, but I couldn't walk away. She was drugged beyond belief, had a rope halter on (so the metal from my halter didn't get in the way of the rads), ears taped together, and a twitch. Not to mention a man sticking needles into her skull. It was hilarious. She was good, though. The vet thinks she'll be fine with this, and if she isn't, we can try other things.

She was soooooooo sleepy. After the vet left, I couldn't resist taking pictures of her in her vulnerable state, and then texting them to Tracy and SprinklerBandit. I'm a terrible person. I told her she looks like Abbie Hoffman on a post-protest day. 

The only dope you should shoot is Nixon, man.*

 M is out of town this weekend but she left me a surprise: a whole stack of sports psychology books (including two by Jane Savoie). So I sat in the aisle for like 30 minutes reading That Winning Feeling while I waited for Lex to wake up. Yes, I could have been cleaning tack, but I'd been at the barn since six and that was after bringing my horses in, so I was a little wiped out, given that it was 1:30 or so and I was starving. Anyway, I was like, "mare, WHEN are you going to wake up? I need lunch, dammit." And then I realized that she was probably not feeling the drugs anymore, she was just sleeping.

So I walked over to her and was like, "Hey! Wake up!" and she did. Head up, happy to think about eating hay. I hosed her off because she was sweaty from the drugs and stuck her back in her stall. I watched her for awhile and fretted about choke (she could hold her head up and walk so my rational brain knew she was fine) and then went off to get my own lunch.

The mare gets ten days off from riding altogether, and then a couple days of just floating the reins at her and letting her go around realizing her head doesn't hurt. And then, with any luck, it's back to work. If this doesn't fix the problem, there are other injectable things, and I'm sure at some point there's a surgical option. I just really hope it doesn't come down to that. Let's all cross our fingers. 

*I already tried this joke on Tracy. Sorry you had to read it again, T.

One Step Closer

Just before I left for Lex's appointment, I texted Sprinkler Bandit and told her I was nervous. We weren't sure what we should be crossing our fingers for, but we settled on something that wasn't outrageously expensive, easily fixed, and would solve the behavioral problems.

While knocking on wood, I think we do have that answer.

The vet could only find one thing wrong with Lex: her poll hurts. She refused to let him palpate it in the cross ties. Then when we took her up to trot her and lunge her in the ring, she was a total basket case. Rearing, refusing to move, acting like a horse who isn't my horse. Thank god M was there--she took over, and I got to watch. The vet couldn't evaluate her movement while she was rearing and racing around, so he gave her a little ace and xylazine. He said it wouldn't sedate her, but if she was anxious, she'd chill.

And all of a sudden, my happy, beautiful horse was back. She was happy to trot on the lead rope, happy to lunge, happy to be hanging out with us. I realized how long it's been since I've seen her like that. The vet--who I loved, by the way--said we have to figure out what is causing all the anxiety, and he suspects it's that painful poll. The tentative diagnosis is nuchal bursitis.

The nuchal ligament runs all the way down, and it can develop bursitis at various points along the way, including at the poll. This means a horse who is fine on a long rein might suddenly hurt quite a bit when asked to go in a frame. Bingo.


He's going to come back on Friday with a radiograph machine. The plan is to radiograph her poll to make sure there's nothing fractured or sequestering in there, and then to inject. I really hope we can manage this with injections, but the vet said sometimes there are stress fractures in that area, or she might have hit her head at some point (she hasn't since I've owned her, but old injuries can last awhile).

So the plan is not to scope her for ulcers, and he doesn't think she has any estrus-related issues. Hooray for that. If the diagnosis is accurate and simple and we inject her and then she still acts like a monster, though, I'm going to have her scoped. Ulcers scare me to death.

Anyway, my dear girl has a headache. I hope we can fix her right up. I'll be a little nervous until Friday morning, but I have a feeling it's going to be okay. And hey, I'm learning a whole lot about veterinary issues from this horse. Hooray?

Back to the Drawing Board

Lex is driving me to drink. Good thing I love her so much.

We spent several days trying to get the mare to walk ("waaaaaaalk, Lex. Just waaaaalk"). Then in a lesson the other day, we had some fantastic trot work. I mean, mind-blowing, gonna-win-the-dressage trot. Yesterday was kind of eh, but I'd gotten smacked in the face by my mom's horse so hard that I can't quite remember what happened, so I blamed myself for that lackluster ride. But today, it was explosion time again.

I was in a lesson, thank god, and M was right there to see the drama unfolding. Eventually, she got on her, and the mare lost her mind. Bucking, rearing, the works.

So we've got a vet appointment for Monday. I don't know what I'm going to do if she has a chronic medical condition. I'd prefer a training problem, to be honest. There aren't many better riders than Mary, plus we have a good cowboy trainer on hand who I totally trust, and I can sit through a lot of garbage. But I don't have a ton of money, and I'll always do what's right for her, so I'll have to figure something out.

I'm trying not to get too spun out about this now. Fingers crossed for the big mare, please. I'll just be over here with this bottle of whiskey and my tears.

There was a little girl
With a little... um, star
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good, she was very very good,
But when she was bad,
She was horrid.

Get Jiggy Wid It

SORRY, couldn't help it.

M, in all of her wonderfulness, gave me a lesson this morning even though she just got back from vacation and I'm sure she'd rather have been weeding or something else to catch up around the farm. I'm so grateful, because it was a very productive lesson. I have a few pictures that weren't from this lesson. My mom came out a week and a half ago and took them for me. That was a better day than today.

As I mentioned the other day, Lex is soooo not into walking. Halt or jig or trot (and the trot is mostly pretty sticky and not great). She is trying to stay behind my leg. Given our recent issues with being nappy and bucking, I am not enthusiastic about this. When I was in Ohio, D always told me "softly forward in front of the leg." She was right, and Lex is not doing that. M reminded me that Lex is not broke to my leg yet, and so that is now the primary goal.

Walking like a normal horse.

The picture above shows how I would like her to walk right now. Calm, forward, stretching through her neck. It's not an A+ walk, but it's good for warming up and cooling out. In an ideal world, she'd be stepping up under herself more and swinging. But I'd take this walk today, believe me.

Today M told me we were just going to work on the walk and nothing else. Despite my love of jumping all the things, I really enjoy these kinds of foundational exercises. We got on a circle to the left and walked on a loose rein until the behavior started. Essentially, I'm to be very clear and not take any shit from the mare. She can't shut down and halt, and she can't tense up and jig. She can walk nicely and on contact. If she is doing that, I soften at the elbows and praise her. If not, I use voice commands in addition to leg and hand to insist that she go where I want her to.

Fashion mane!

The walk is mine, and I get to tell her when to do it. The mare has to follow those orders. When she halts or jigs, she is refusing to use her back and step under. She CAN use her back and step under. She has done it before. But right now, she's saying no. There is nothing physically wrong with her, believe me. When there is, she tries to kill me, hee. Today it was just like, "I don't WANNA." She's testing boundaries like the adolescent she is, and I need to do a better job getting her to respect my leg aids.

"My rider sure is a dum-dum sometimes
but at least she knows where the carrots are."

 We're in a somewhat difficult phase right now, but this is not the first snag we've hit. Not by a long shot. And we've always pushed through. So here's where I stand on this whole thing now, as a benchmark and clarifying exercise:

1. Lex is a fabulous horse. She is brilliant and talented and athletic. I am lucky to own her.

2. I am not afraid of her or intimidated by her, though I am sometimes annoyed. I am definitely not overmounted. M said once, "I am not teaching you how to ride, I'm teaching you how to ride this horse. If I had to teach you to ride, this would be inappropriate." She explicitly agrees that Lex is not too much horse for me, and that it will be rewarding to get through all this nonsense (which I would not get through as effectively without M).

3. She is green, though. When she has more buttons installed, she will be easier to ride, because I will have more options for responding. Sometimes with this shit, the only way past it is through.

4. Given that, there will always be something with her. Any time we introduce her to something new, whether it's using her back or trot poles or whatever, she will be like WHAT THE FUCK and fall behind my leg. My challenge will be to keep her moving forward WITHOUT throwing her head up in the air. This will become easier when she's more broke, as I said.

Remember this?

 I wrote a whole thing about owning a horse like Lex and removed it. I might retool it and publish it as its own thing. But the bottom line is this: She's not for everyone, and I'm lucky to have the help I've had and continue to have with her. To ride a horse like her, you've got to want it, and I totally do. Happy horse owner here, even on the tough days. She is so worth it.

If it Ain't Broke

...don't ride it?

Juuuuuust kidding. Ride it a lot.

The animal drama, y'all. I don't even know where to start.

Lex: The Horse Who Ain't Broke

Always got somethin' to say.

 This little butthead is not currently bucking, but she is also not walking. You may choose from this menu of options: Jig, Trot, or Halt. She'd probably gallop too, but I haven't asked as I am not prepared to shed this mortal coil.

M is out of town (has been for the past week and a half, but she is back late Saturday night which means that Sunday I am attacking her for a lesson if I have to). I've had some good rides on the mare, but the last three have been less than fun. I think it might be because I'm not riding her long enough, so each day she's like a fresh new horse. But I also haven't been wanting to pick fights, because I'm riding a horse alone on the farm who recently lost her marbles. I always quit when I'm ahead, and I'm telling myself that the ring footing is hard right now and I don't want to work her too much on that anyway. Tomorrow, if the projected storms stay out of the way, I'm going to lunge her for awhile and then ride her. It should rain and soften the footing, so I won't feel bad about a longer ride. I haven't longed her in months, so it'll be good for her anyway. As Chris always said to me, you have to take the bitter with the sweet with green horses.

TJ and the Ankle that Ain't Broke

Pardon the verrrrry old pic.

 This enormous butthead about did me in the other day. I was leading him in from the paddock when my mother walked out of the barn, and he fuh-reaked out and I took a front hoof directly to the fibula. If you want to break your ankle, that's how to do it. I broke the other ankle a few years ago and that was a disaster, so I was pretty pissed off at him. I texted Tracy in hysterics until my mom could get me in for radiographs. The doctor and I were both pretty shocked that it wasn't broken. I had to use a cane and an ankle brace for a few days, which made managing two horse farms, including eight dogs, a challenge. It's still sore, but I will live, and I suppose I will not kill the horse.

Rocket and the Knees that Ain't Broke

Remember when she was this tiny?

 Rocket fell on her knees--well, flung herself on her knees, really--when she got her feet trimmed yesterday. Everyone's okay, but that was obnoxious. The vet happened to be there too (juuuuust wait) and the vet and farrier agreed that "that's draft horses." They're happy to use their bulk against you and fling themselves around and aren't particularly sensitive. If anyone has draft horse tips, let me know. This is literally my second horse who is not a TB so I have no idea what I'm doing. The farrier's advice was, "Don't give her an inch."

Ink and the Summer Heat that Just Won't Break

Favorite horse of all time.

 The vet had to come out yesterday because my 33 year old love, Ink, was not eating breakfast and also didn't want to get up in the morning. He is ancient, I know. I realize we do not get to keep him forever. But we do everything we can for him. She gave him banamine and electrolytes and I gave him a cold shower, and he perked up. Today he seems fine. But the temps have been holding steady at 90-95 and he is not loving that AT ALL. I gave all the horses showers today, and each of them seemed to really appreciate it. Rocket especially loved standing in front of our big aisle fan after her bath. Poor baby.

Grayson and the Sarcoma that, Unfortunately, Ain't Broke Either

Pardon the personal shot.

 The farrier noticed this ridiculous sarcoma on our old grey OTTB, Grayson. Grayson's in his early-mid 20s (Mom would remember but I can't) and has been retired for quite awhile because he is insane. M used to ride him and she was eventually like, "...Nope." So anyway, Mom's already battled cancer with him once, and we decided not to go through treatment or anything anymore. The vet is going to band this to see if we can cut off the blood supply and induce necrosis, but otherwise I'm not sure what is going to happen. Because he isn't being ridden and really doesn't like people, he doesn't get inspected the way the other horses do (even Ink, who hasn't been ridden in like 12 or 15 years but loves any bit of attention he can get). If the farrier hadn't been holding up a foot, I wouldn't have even tried to look at it or get a picture because I'd have been likely kicked in the head. Talk about broke. So we'll have to see what happens with that.

Toby and the Esophagus that's Very Very Broke

Pictures can be deceiving.

 Toby is my mom's 13 year old cocker spaniel. He's deaf, blind, and incontinent. And now he has megaesophagus, and we're not entirely sure why. The take-away point is that he has to be held upright to eat (canned dog food in small bites) and then for 30 minutes after eating, 3-4 times per day, and he has to drink out of elevated bowls. He also has aspiration pneumonia. That car seat arrangement looks like it's working but it isn't. I had to wrap him in belts and a sheet to keep him in there, and then he chewed through one of the belts. He is hating everything about life. I am hating everything about life. Something's got to give. My mom is on call this week and is about to be gone for five weeks so yours truly will be managing this very scary, serious, and difficult condition alone. And then what if he doesn't survive and she's gone? This is a total mess.

The Land of No Internet

Being in The Land of No Internet makes it very difficult to stay on top of the blog!

Essentially, here's what's going on:

1. I completed my PhD, so now y'all can call me Dr. Claw. FINALLY. It's been eight years in the making, but my dissertation was pronounced essentially flawless by my committee, who made no edits. This has never happened in any defense any of them has attended, so I'm thrilled. Now I just have to make any necessary copy edits and I can get on with my life!

I'll get you, Gadget!

2. Lex's attitude is improving, and I have spent almost all my money on Ulcergard. I feel like we've taken quite a step back in the training, but M's optimism is holding steady. She didn't buck at all today, and M didn't have to touch the lunge whip that she's been waving at her the last couple rides when Lex balks and bucks. M thinks she would have challenged me like this eventually, and the ulcer brought it out. Now that the ulcer is (theoretically) better, she's still all, "Awwww man, I don't wanna listen!" But I think things are going to be okay. M is leaving for two weeks so we're on our own for a bit. My plan is to bring the lunge line out every time so that if I'm riding alone on the property, I can jump off and lunge her if she turns into an asshole.

3. In light of the whole PhD completion thing, and Lex being a little bit of a bronc, my awesome mom gave me a graduation gift in the form of helping me buy a new saddle. I decided that if I was gonna do this, I was gonna do it right. I tried a bunch of saddles: an Antares that fit Lex like a glove but didn't fit me at all, a Devoucoux that fit me perfectly but rocked on Lex, etc. I learned that I need a 17.5"-18" with a very forward flap. Long story short, I ended up with a well-loved but in good shape 17.5" Antares with just about the most forward flap they make: 5AAA. It's full calfskin, which I'm having to figure out how to deal with but I know it's what people tend to prefer. It's helping me sit Lex's antics, and I feel like I will be able to handle the bigger jumps better. I love my Crosby, but I'm selling it. It's a good saddle and in good shape, but I think it's time to move on. So if you know anyone who might want the Crosby, let me know. Sniffles.

4. My nephew is the world's cutest human.

Here he is, riding a pony made from a pool noodle.

Lots of good stuff going on around here. Now I just need to find friends in this town who aren't horses.

Morningside CT Part 2

So I finally got some video online for those of you who are into that. I have dressage video and am happy to load it if there's interest, but it was Intro A and all you'll see is Lex looking unrideable for most of it and me trying to take deep breaths and get everything calmed down. There were some nice moments, but we had a terrible score and the judge hated us. Which, who cares, we're gonna be show jumpers.

We did two rounds at Morningside. You'll see that I was talking to her the whole time and that we walked a lot. Again, because this isn't our sport and no one was there, I did whatever my horse needed at the moment. We hadn't jumped all week and have never jumped a course, so I thought walk breaks would re-set her brain. I think that was correct.

And here's the second round. The first half of this round went well, I think. We pulled some rails, but at this phase, who cares. She'll learn.

I'm really proud of her. She also got her first ribbon (fourth--five started our division and one was eliminated). M is gonna put up some string so I can hang it in the barn over her stall. It'll be adorable.

I'll be out of town until Tuesday because I'm finally defending my damn dissertation and then you can all call me Dr. Jess. That'll be fun, but I doubt Lex is going to have newfound respect for me. We'll find out I guess!

So Many Things! Plus the Morningside Combined Test

Hi everyone!

The radio silence around here isn't because nothing's been going on. Quite the contrary! Lots has been going on:

1. Rocket got roundpen training.
2. Rocket got ponying training.
3. Lex went XC schooling.
4. Lex had a SERIOUS meltdown. The day before a horse show.
5. Lex went to her first horse show and we lived!
6. Lex got an ulcer and is now on a paid vacation.
7. My darling baby nephew decided sitting on horses is fun.

All these things and more will be coming up here soon. The problem is, I don't have regular internet access at the moment. Bear with me while I get that figured out.

In the meantime, I'll give you some out-of-order updates and then the next chance I get, I will post video.

So little miss Lexi had a total meltdown last Friday. Bucking, spinning, rearing, you name it. If you've read this blog at all, you know she is my good little girl who sometimes has a tiny attitude but NEVER does anything like that. She just didn't want to go forward at all. I was like, "this is not my horse." M felt that perhaps she is just reacting to having more pressure put on her, and this is the horse who got on the paddock and gate list on the track. This was always in there.

Saturday morning, bright and early, we're off to a horse show. I wasn't feeling as super about it as I would ordinarily, because it was her first show and Friday's ride was a clusterfuck from hell. We hadn't even trotted more than two crossrails in a row, and we'd one two crossrails in a row exactly one time. We'd jumped 18" maybe four times (not four rides, four times). We'd never practiced the dressage test. I haven't been in a dressage ring since the '90s, and that is not an exaggeration. And now my precious bay mare is a dragon.

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS, right there.

Sooooo we get to the horse show, check things out, and I thank my lucky stars that the jumps are really far apart in the ring so I can bring her back to a walk between them if I need to. M told me not to pick any fights with her in the warmup (I never pick fights with her)--all long reins, kisses, happy times. That worked pretty well, we got one little buck and a whole lot of inverted trotting around. Next thing I knew, it was my turn in the ring for Intro A. We suffered through it, and the judge absolutely hated us, but I was actually pleased. She didn't spook at the judge's stand or the letters. She did the transitions when I asked for them. We actually had some decent trot work. I was pleased, and since I don't really care if she ends up being good at dressage, I was happy to move on to the jumping.

Because this was a schooling show, I was able to sign her up for a second jump round and I'm glad I did. She made a lot of baby mistakes (in the form of pulling rails) and asked me a lot of questions along the lines of, "Are you sure about that?" But she did her best and jumped around. We had a lot of walk transitions in there, and I'm totally cool with that. It was a schooling show, there was no one there, and I just wanted her to think that it's okay to come back to a walk after jumps. But she jumped 20 jumps in a row (we just stayed in for our second round) at her max height at a strange place and over weird jumps. I really couldn't have asked for better.

Now, of course, she's off her feed and a light bulb went on over our heads yesterday morning: the mare has an ulcer. That is why she's a dragon! So now she's on Ulcergard and ranitidine and probiotics and all that good stuff, with a paid vacation, and lots of kisses and carrots. I'm so relieved that a) her bad behavior is explained and b) that she did that well at a show even when she's not feeling well. Next time she acts like a huge bitch when I ride her, though, I'm going to assume it's a medical cause.

Okay, the next time I get online I will try to get video of the show for you, and I will also go back to recap the XC school and the other fun things we've been up to. Thanks for your patience!

These Poles were Made for Cantering

Lexi. She is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. But perhaps there is the key...

Today's lesson involved trotting over a pole on the ground (once the trot was established and nice). She'd trot it fine and then TROTAWAYREALLYFAST. So we'd re-establish the trot and then come again. But when we cantered it, she fucked up real bad the first time and had to swap leads so she wouldn't fall down, but every time after that she was a star. I think that, like a lot of horses, cantering over stuff makes more sense to her than trotting over stuff.

So! Another for our list of first:

6. Cantering poles.

It's really fun to canter her these days, even though shit sometimes goes pear-shaped. I actually get to sit on her back, and sometimes the canter becomes veryverylight and there's tons of suspension, and I'm actually riding my horse. Mary added one more thing to the mix: when the outside shoulder comes back, it's time to ask for the downward transition. I got it sometimes and missed it others, but the fact that we can think about that right now is wayyy ahead of where we were a few weeks ago.

I swear, I need to kidnap a stranger to go to the barn with me and take pictures of my lessons. Maybe my mom can do it next week. I will bribe her with Reese's cups. Here's an old picture of her so you don't forget what she looks like.

Cantering?!

In Rocket news, she did a really stupid thing and scraped up her side yesterday. I'll get pics of that grossness later. It's nasty.

Oh, and one more cuteness: Lex got her teeth done yesterday while hay was being delivered and needed only a touch of dormosedan to get her nice and sleepy. The vet fell in love with her. If only there was an Olympic event in getting one's teeth done.

Another First: Lex the Trail Horse

This has been a very educational week for Lex. Let's recap:

1. First canter jump.
2. First line.
3. First field trip.
4. First time jumping in a ring with another horse in it.

And then today, she added
5. First trail ride.

I'm so proud of her. She isn't always a perfectly obedient little lady, but I wouldn't want her to be. She wasn't sure at all about the trail ride concept from the beginning. M went with us, but on her spookiest horse. As soon as he stepped into long grass, she was like, wut? But we moved along and she was fine until we got to the steep downhill rocky trail, at which point she flipped me the bird with both hooves and was all, "HORSES CAN'T DO THAT." But M's horse was already heading down and so I put my leg on (that never happens) and let the reins slip through my fingers and she worked her way down. Then we did a loop in the meadow, which Lex thought was slightly less torturous but she really wanted to pass M's horse and I wouldn't let her. I knew we couldn't run into his butt because he'd lose his mind and M would have been in my saddle with me, but I wanted Lex to have the visual barrier and not get her way about the pace. After the meadow loop, we went back up that same steep, rocky hill. Lexi was all, "This is SO. STEEP! I am going to DIE TODAY." I was all up in two point and holding mane and trying to stay out of her way. Meanwhile, M is in front of me in a dressage saddle and letting the horse carry her up the hill. It was hilarious.

I have a feeling that Lex will like the trail once she gets used to it. The terrain meant she actually had to use her butt instead of just lurching along like she does sometimes. She was a very good girl, and this kind of work will be good for her even if it seems like eating her broccoli right now. I'm supposed to end our rides by going for a walk around the property so she gets used to it. Especially because we may have a couple more firsts upcoming: a cross-country school on Sunday and a combined test the next weekend (local folks: it's not Sandstone, it's Morningside).

Getting the summer off right.

Cantering Jumps and a Field Trip

Well, one jump, but I'll take it. On Monday I was tacking up and a horse trailer pulled in--turns out Mary was going to give a lesson just as I was about to get on. Oops. But not to worry, the lesson lady and Mary are both awesome and thought it would be best for the lesson (and for Lex) if we went in at the same time. It worked out super great for me, because the lady warmed up over a pile of poles on the ground, and then one x, and then a line of cross rails, and Mary just pointed at stuff and told me to go over it, too.

Lex warmed up well in spite of the fact that Mary was still dragging the ring when I got on, and Lex gets weird about other horses walking up to the ring while we're riding. She wants to stop and stare. Might have been a bad decision, but today I just let her do it. Within a couple minutes, she was relaxed and ready to go back to work.

She was super good on the flat: very few discussions about rhythm or contact, and we practiced changing directions and putting her shoulders in the new outside rein. It was good to have to ride around another horse because I couldn't just get stuck on one circle or direction.

Lex cantered away from the pile of poles the first time we did it, but it was a reasonable canter. After that, she trotted away from those. She always cantered away from the cross rails, but never anything nuts. We just trotted into one or the other going out of the line so that she didn't have to do two at once, and I figured that's where we'd leave it, but then Mary told me to go ahead and trot into the line and ride the out also. I figured--correctly--that Lex would canter, so I just trotted in as slowly as we could manage and then the canter out was balanced and appropriate, not a runaway canter. We quit on that and I was super proud of her. This feels like progress!

On Tuesday I had an impromptu lesson in which we got BY FAR our best canter work yet. I could sit on her in the canter because she was balanced enough that there was something to sit on, and we could do circles and canter all the way around the ring and it was just so lovely, both leads. M encouraged me to find moments to let go and allow her to be in self-carriage, which Lex likes when she's balanced (but which she forgets when she's having a temper fit).

We gave her a break after that to walk around on a bit of a long rein. The plan was that I'd pick up a nice trot and hop over our cross rails again, but Lex had decided she'd had quite enough and had behaved and so she didn't need to play that game. She threw an absolute hissy fit, so the jumping plan was scrapped. Oh well. We got the trot back where it needed to be and let it go from there.

Tuesday afternoon, M was taking a couple horses to a Richard Lamb clinic, so we threw Lex on the trailer to let her eat grass at a new farm. She got really stressed out on the trailer, but got off the trailer fine. She was kind of up for about ten minutes, but once she realized they make grass at this farm too, she settled right in. Before too long, she was the most relaxed of the three horses we brought, and was nickering at M's geldings like she was reassuring them. It was great. I was very proud of her.

Now I'm off to go have a hack with M and hope that Lex doesn't decide that riding outside the ring is scary. Fingers crossed!

Trotting is More Fun with Poles 2: Crossrail Boogaloo

Aaaaaaaaaugh I love my horse today, even though she is a Bad Witch on the ground and I always feel like I'm pretty close to getting a bite on the shoulder when I tighten her girth and she tries to kick me when I treat the (brand new) sweet itch on her belly. She can stay.

Old pics to break up wall of text!

Yesterday I just dumped a bunch of poles all around the ring and we trotted them. I probably only rode for 15-20 minutes because she was SO. GOOD. It was like, put poles in front of her and she goes, "OH! Now I get why you want me to be straight and not a turkey! Got it." She's actually easier to slow down when we trot over poles. Big pats, done for the day, especially since she's been ridden every day since Sunday.

Today's lesson was AWESOME. It started out on a good note, because there was a deer sleeping in the long grass next to the ring and we scared her walking buy, so she leapt up and sprung off into the woods. Lex went, "Huh?" and kinda took a couple sideways scoot steps, but then went back to walking on a loose rein, happy as a clam. I love love love that.

I used to ride her alone in a 40 acre field. Wut.

She's getting connected at the walk and trot more quickly, so today we worked on keeping her connected through the transition. This is going to be a work in progress. The way Mary said it was, "Right now she thinks she has to pull with her ears to trot, but she needs to lift her withers and push from behind." Lexi had a minor meltdown in the middle of the lesson, trotting right on a 10-15m circle. She just would NOT slow down, and I wasn't doing a good enough job of being bossy about it. I'll take responsibility for my part of it but Lex also needs to not flip me off when I use my aids correctly.

The CANTER today though, wow. The left lead was pretty good. Mary said she thought Lex was like, "I've been thinking about this!" and offered me a pretty soft canter early on. Mary reminded me to ride today's horse and not last week's horse and to let go at the canter more. Eyes on the ground, people. I can't say enough about the value in that. The magic happened in the right lead, where Lex was so balanced and soft that the canter had legit suspension. I couldn't stop grinning. That's a canter you can jump out of.

I thought we were gonna have another flatwork day, but then Mary knocked a couple verticals down to cross rails, probably 18", which is bigger than Lex has been asked to jump but I figured (correctly) that she wouldn't care. The goal was to get as many trot steps as possible on the way to the jump and make them slow, and it would be great if she trotted away. We did a good job getting there but rushed away a couple times. Mary had me think about landing in my feet and taking my leg OFF at the base. We can add leg at the base later, when she's more broke and the jumps are big enough that she couldn't walk over them. That made a huge difference, and the last jump we did she landed in a gorgeous quiet canter. On Mary's orders, I slowed her to a halt and then jumped off and made much of her. Lex really looked proud of herself. Mary: "Oh, this horse will be able to jump just fine."

This was her first jump, about a year ago.

She did say that the reason Lex sometimes taps the jump with her back toe is that she's not using her hind end to jump yet, either, so she's jumping pretty flat. That will get sorted out with time, just like the rest of it. Consistent good riding with Mary's help will get her where she needs to be.

Lexi gets the whole weekend off, because she got ridden six days in a row and Sunday I'm going to help Mary and her son at a schooling event. I can't wait!

Trotting is More Fun with Poles, Part 1 (I hope)

I had a "semi-free" ride on Lex today, which in the new world order means that I wasn't taking a lesson but I was riding at the same time as Mary and she couldn't stop herself from giving me some tips and reminders. I LOVE HER. She is the best.

The good trot happened a little sooner today, but we still had our cow moments, especially to the left. Mary was jumping her up-and-coming green baby around the ring and I was very glad to be there at the same time, because it made us move the circle around and gave Lex something to be distracted by that I could work her through. Both horses were well-behaved but M's horse gets a little excited when jumping from the canter. Happily, Lex never overreacted.

Lex and I practiced changing directions and moving her shoulders from the old outside rein into the new outside rein. I think she likes that exercise much more than she likes trotting on a 10m circle forever, and I don't blame her. She's smart and when she does something right she wants to move on. Before Mary went in, she dragged out a pole for us to trot over and watched it happen a couple times. Knock on wood, but I felt it made the trot easier. I think she might be one of those that's easier to jump than flat. Which is fine, because I'm like that too, and ultimately I want a jumper and not a dressage horse. Mary is around to keep us in check with her USDF silver medal. :D Anyway, tomorrow we're supposed to have Fun with Trot Poles Part 2 and I'm to scatter poles around the ring and have her trot over them in her frame and in a rhythm. I think she'll like that--we've done it before and she seems to think it's fun.

We'll see how things go the next couple of rides, but at the moment, we're aiming at a tiny little schooling combined test. I know, I know, I just said I didn't want a dressage horse, but a walk-trot intro test and then jumping a course with four or five cross-rails out of a trot and then getting lots of pats and carrots isn't going to ruin her at all. I think it will be great fun. And the CT is cheap enough that if we get there and she's a total moose, we can scratch and just hack around until she chills out.

Finally, forward progress after a year of starts and stops. It's great!

Ride the Cow

Another fun dressage lesson with Lexi today. I'll tell you, trotting 10m circles is hard work, but this work is paying off.

I didn't realize how little I've been asking Lex to hold the contact. She gets SUPER evasive and has about a million tricks up her sleeve (shoulders bulging out, falling in, speeding up, head up, rooting, spontaneous leg yield) that make her tricky, but when she gets it, she's got a hack-winning trot. Mary's idea is that we just have to ride this fussy stuff out. It's not fun exactly, but it's educational.

Sometimes I feel like we're making breakthroughs. Today she had some moments of great connection to the outside rein and lifting her withers. We found ourselves with a great balanced circle that almost felt like a rollback, which meant she was using the outside rein and stepping under.

Mary's advice overall was to just keep doing what we're doing and she'll figure it out. She was a little bit of a cow at one point, but she got over it. She's ready for this pressure, and I just have to make myself do it. Sometime in the next couple days, though, I'll probably just give her a hack day or something so she doesn't get too wound up.

As Mary said the other day, riding green horses isn't all kissing, clucking, and carrots!

Lex's Family Tree, Part 3

Since last time I got all hung up on Afleet Alex, today I'm giving time to his parents and grandparents: Maggy Hawk, Northern Afleet, Qualique, Hawkster, Nuryette, and Afleet.

Now she has a vineyard named after her. Lucky.

Afleet Alex's dam is Maggy Hawk. She started in four races and won one, earning $15,080. Maggy Hawk was born in Kentucky in 1994. Her win was a one-mile race on the dirt at Keeneland. I don't know much about it other than she rallied at the end and dueled for the win. She ran in two allowance races after that before she retired to have some babies. She had another colt two years before Afleet Alex with Northern Afleet, named Unforgettable Max. After Alex, he was her most successful offspring on the track. She is clearly a quality broodmare, having also bred to stallions like Curlin, Quiet American, Storm Cat, Awesome Again, Tour d'Or, and Mister Jolie. She is no scrub.

Neither is Alex's dad, Northern Afleet. See a family resemblance?

Northern Afleet, born in 1993, was a multiple graded stakes winner and ran in the Breeder's Cup sprint in 1997. He won 5 of 21 starts for $656,761. Many of his offspring have done very well indeed, though none earned as much as Afleet Alex. He's had a couple babies do well in mid-level dressage, and is the dam sire for a few in successful sport horse careers. Afleet Alex has a good mind, and it seems both his parents do, too.

Maggy Hawk's dam is Qualique, born the same year as me: 1981. She was a graded stakes winner, bringing it home in her biggest race, the Grade 1 Demoiselle Stakes at Aqueduct in 1983. She earned $91,818 in her career. Qualique went on to be a good broodmare with 8 foals. Maggy Hawk was her winningest filly. Her best baby, in terms of earnings, was Santa Rosa Island by Valiant Nature. 

Hawkster winning the Oak Tree Invitational Stakes

Maggy Hawk's sire, Hawkster, was a big-deal Kentucky-born colt (1986). Another multiple graded stakes winner, he brought in $1,510,942 for his happy humans. Hawkster ran fifth in each Triple Crown race, but won a bunch of big races, including the 1989 Oak Tree Invitational Stakes. You can see video of that here (and yet I can't find a picture of the poor guy, so the photo above is a screen shot from the YouTube clip). Hawkster set a world record that day for the fastest 1 1/2 mile race on turf (2:22 4/5)--a record he still holds. He was a contender for the Eclipse Award on Turf that year, but it went instead to Steinlen. In addition to his standing world record on turf, he is best known for being Afleet Alex's damsire. He sired many racehorses, many of whom did just fine, but Alex is his most famous relative.

Northern Afleet's dam is Nuryette, an unraced 1986 filly from Kentucky. Northern Afleet was her second highest earner after Tap To Music by Pleasant Tap, a multiple graded stakes winner. She was bred to famous stallions like AP Indy, Mr. Prospector, Dixieland Band, Capote, and Colonial Affair. She must have been a nice girl. 

Afleet shows us where the stocky body comes from in this bloodline.

Northern Afleet's sire, Afleet, was a 1984 colt bred in Kentucky. He had a phenomenal race record: a multiple graded stakes winner, ran in the Breeder's Cup, and won two Sovereign Awards in 1987, one for 3 Year Old Colt of the Year and another for Horse of the Year. He won 7 of his 15 starts, earning nearly $1 million on the track, and went on to sire some very nice babies. His biggest winner in the US was A Fleets Dancer out of My Dream Come True, but many of his sons and daughters really raked it in in Japan. At the end of the day, Afleet was a beautiful horse, an excellent athlete, and a guy whose name is one I'm particularly fond of.

Lots of nice horses in Lex's lines! Stay tuned for her great-great grandparents, including Arts and Letters and Mr. Prospector.