Category: Horses

Over the years, Hap has demonstrated a certain facility with opening latches, even the supposedly horse proof ones. He has learned to rattle them until they open. Taking him to overnight events was always a challenge as we had to decide whether we had to Hap-proof the accommodations.
Continue reading Houdini

Thursday night, I was helping my trainer by feeding the horses at her barn. She has been suffering from a bad cold, so I had done quite a few of her chores for her that day.

Her oldest horse, Havoc, had been having problems since Sunday. Although he didn’t show other signs of colic, he had become very reluctant to eat. My trainer had the vet out to see him Monday morning, who diagnosed a possible case of choke. (This happens when the horse gets something stuck in his esophagus. Even after the blockage passes, it can leave the area bruised and inflamed.)
Continue reading Fantastic Voyage

Smoke’s Image, my 27 year old Quarter Horse, with hay in his forelock.

I brought Hap home on Friday from where I boarded him. The person who had been half-leasing him couldn’t do so for a while. Hap has lived here at home before, and gets along well with both Smoke and Rags. All three horses are free to wander except during meal times, when Hap and Rags get closed in stalls.

Now that fall is turning into winter, I am usually alone when I go to the barn to ride. My trainer is in her house, painting her family room, so there is someone on the property, but in the barn Lily and I are alone.
Continue reading Riding Alone

I hadn’t schooled Lily with my trainer recently, so we made tentative arrangements to do so yesterday. Although Lily seemed a little more alert than usual when I tacked her up, I was surprised when I mounted her and she felt as though she was going to explode. She rarely acts like what she is: a young half-Thoroughbred. I quickly dismounted and put her on a longe line and waited for her to turn back into a horse I wanted to ride. She would apparently settle down for a bit, and then explode into a fit of galloping or bucking.
Continue reading Lily and Major

Well, we have another one to add to the list, which includes the morning Hap snuck behind me and ended up with his foot caught in a pallet, and the evening Smoke folded a gate in half.
Continue reading Stupid Horse Tricks

It felt too cold and windy to ride when I went to the barn today. In all honesty, it isn’t that cold in an absolute sense, just when compared to the balmy weather we have been having for weeks.

The young woman who leases Hap is made of sterner stuff than I, and was riding him in the arena. I decided to fetch Lily from the mare field, and spend some quality time grooming her.
Continue reading An Indifferent Groom

It was a gorgeous early fall day, so I asked my trainer if she had time to school me on Lily. After some flat work, which went well, we once more tackled the problem of trying to keep me from falling back as Lily jumped small jumps.

I’ve been here and done this on other horses, without a problem, so it has been a bit baffling why I have been so stuck on this. I’ve had a longish hiatus from real jumping, so I thought that might be part of the problem. For a while, we blamed it on me using a dressage saddle, even though I have successfully jumped in dressage saddles in the past. And I seem to have found a combination of pad and jumping saddle that make Lily happy at the present. It just has been one of those minor things that was starting to drive me crazy.
Continue reading Lily – Another Mystery Solved, Maybe

I tried something new with Lily yesterday: I rode her with my jumping saddle and her current favorite pad when I schooled with my trainer. I don’t believe I had tried this combination on her before.

Trying a new combination on Lily makes me a little apprehensive. When she disapproves, it isn’t a big deal, unless she decides that something is pinching her when she jumps. Then she bucks. These bucks are more impressive when viewed from the ground than they are for me as the rider. She doesn’t crack her back and she bucks in a straight line, so it doesn’t take much to stay with her except sitting up straight and staying relaxed. However, I would prefer she not do so, not least because I hate causing her any discomfort.
Continue reading Schooling Lily