June 27, 2012 I'm so bored!

I got my bandages changed again today. Mom says my foot smells like a dead, rotting corpse. She sprayed some stuff on it and seemed pleased that it made the smell go away. My foot is looking much better and I feel like nothing is wrong with it at all. I tried to get mom to let me play but she just tugged my halter and reminded me to mind my manners :( I'm going CRAZY. She won't even let me roll!!!

And the worst thing... she stuck that stupid thing up my butt again today! I hate that. She says my temp is 100 which is higher than yesterday. I hope she doesn't worry, I think its because it's over 100 today and all of us horses are very hot and sweaty just standing under our stall fans.

Maybe in a few more days I'll get to move around a little and do more than carrot stretches. I'm bored. For those of you interested, here is a picture that mom took of my foot today.

June 26, 2012

I know, I know, it's been a gazillion years since I last checked in with my 1 reader LOL. A lot has been happening. I have been feeling better and better every day and mom says that I am a very good boy now. We moved to a new stable that has a LOT of kids, and it looks to me like those kids all work at the barn. They are always feeding us, turning us out and giving us a lot of attention. They even measured me all sorts of ways when I first arrived. I now know that I am exactly 15 hands (whatever that means) and just over 800 pounds.

Mom has been busy so I've had a lot of time to settle in and get to know everyone. I am loving all of the attention I get and I hear rumor that I am becoming a favorite among the kids because they think I am so sweet and easy to handle. I also have a new lil filly that I have been trying to spark the interest of. Her name is Sparkles and she is a lovely little red roan paint. She ignores me no matter how I try to get her attention but I know one day she will finally notice the Cin Man!!

I have had one catastrophe though. I was playing my ABSOLUTE favorite game in my stall, (run toward the fence as fast as you can and see how close you can get before you spin around) and I didn't compensate for the mud and slid into the side of my shelter and caught my foot. It hurt really bad and bled a LOT. Mom says it looks like a few chickens were slaughtered in my run. Anyway, the doctor had to come out and he gave me some wonderful drugs to make me sleepy and forget everything. When I woke up I had a big bulky thing on my foot.

Mom doesn't ride me anymore so I guess it is really really bad. They won't even let me go back to my stall, I have to stay in one of the little barn stalls and she only takes me out to feed me peppermints, groom me, and mess with my foot. I am so bored and I really wish I could go to my turnout and play. But I have been getting a lot of extra hay lately so I don't think of it too much. I do hope this doesn't last forever, I miss getting out in the sun. Mom has even been riding another horse. I know I should be jealous, but it's so hot that I rather think it's better HIM than ME being ridden in the heat.

April 11, 2012

Mom has been giving me ulcer meds for almost a week now. I feel so much better!! I actually enjoy trail rides again, and being ridden in general. Life is good!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bQFHecfVUw

April 6, 2012

Ow, my tummy has been hurting lately. I'm cranky, and I don't want to do anything. I'm hungry but it hurts to eat, I want to play, but it hurts to play.... my mommy thinks I have ulcers. She has contacted Doc Pat to see what to do about me.

March 25, 2012 Shaggy Horse

Time to start the count down to one of the biggest local dressage shows of the season, The Shaggy Horse Dressage Show held at the Nebraska Expo Center. This will be my 2nd show in my lifetime. I went last year and did Intro A and B and received upper 50's which I think isn't bad being that I was only under saddle 9 months and a first Dressage show for either of us.... with no trainer to boot (trainer pitched a stink 3 days before the show, long story).

This year we are going to try to improve scores at intro level and show Intro B and C. We are also going to try Training levels 2 and 3, just to see where we are at. I am beginning to really enjoy working with the help of our new trainer and we are both able to really relax with her unorthodox (well, unorthodox to most dressage trainers) methods. We have greatly improved on last years shortcomings and we even achieve a good "stretchy trot circle" about 50% of the time.

This weeks plan is to get halts more SOLID and strengthen transitions as well as responsiveness to leg cues. We also need to strengthen our transitions into canter and consistently picking up the correct lead. My staff member has decided to do a LOT of this work on trail instead of in the arena. I am also going to continue strengthening my hindquarters with hill work including halting halfway up or halfway down a hill, and then  walking on from a solid halt on the incline. This may sound simple but it takes a lot of balance and if you don't have strong muscles in your back end, you can't do it. My servants conditioning with riding bareback will also continue so that she can learn to balance herself correctly instead using her legs and saddle to balance.

Beauty treatments will start tomorrow with a "secret beauty spray" treatment after my rinse. I will also get a deep hoof conditioning treatment tomorrow too. Phase 1 of ear clipping as I have to do a little bit each day because I have no patience for clippers buzzing around my ears.

I'm so so excited. Stay tuned for more updates!

My New Puppy Pal

Today mom brought a dog down, Pablo. I think we are going to be pals. He can be little whiney, but he doesn't jump and run all over the place like some of the other barn dogs do. He sat beside mom's grooming box while she groomed me and then after my arena work we went out to the grassy hill to graze. He just layed down in the grass and watched me. He is so different than that OTHER dog she brought in the fall. THAT dog was a psycho, bouncy freak that needs close supervision at all time. I wouldn't DARE graze with that one around.

Look what that freak of a human did to my beautiful tale. Every winter she does this and doesn't let my tail out until spring. Instead she puts really stinky goop on it.

Give me my dinner, now!

December 14

My human showed up. I told her to not take pictures of me because I am looking a bit scrappy these days and I don't want my public to see me this way.

Today we worked on what the human calls "fundamentals." I call them "boredom inducements."  Today wasn't so bad though because today another human decided that it would be fun to ride her horse while leading another one around the arena at a full gallop. My human didn't really like this much and I kind of felt sorry for the horse that was being ridden because the one on the lead had no manners at all and kept jumping and kicking.

When we got back to the barn my buddy Bo was there with his owner. He had pulled his shoe off and his human was trying to make his foot feel better and get the nails out. That's the 2nd time this week that he pulled off his shoe. It makes me happy that my human doesn't put those on me, I don't have to worry about them.

Overall, it was a decent night. Especially because I got EXTRA PEPPERMINT CANDIES after my ride :)

Wednesday, Gloomy Wednesday

It's COLD, rainy and just a plain gloomy day. Sometimes I really dislike winter. Maybe my human will come visit me today, it IS Wednesday and she ALWAYS come on Wednesdays. Yay!


Don't forget to visit my friends at The Horse Forum!

Snow Day or How I taught my human a lesson!

Well, it's been a while. Sorry, sometimes a horse gets busy trying to get all those sun baths, mud baths, and just regular bathes in along with grazing, playing, grazing, working, grazing and sleeping.

Last weekend I had a new experience. I was ridden on trail IN THE SNOW. What kind of freaky human would make a horse carry them through snow. I'll tell ya, I was really put off by it and refused to walk and would only trot and prance and try to bolt. My buddies Bo and Bubba were with me and I had to show them that we don't have to just take a breath and go with it, we can do something about such unfair abuse.

We are taught that if we try to do something other than what our rider wants us to do, then the rider makes it "more work" for us until we finally give in to what THEY want. Well, I did NOT want to be in the snow, so I made it MORE WORK for her to ride me in the snow. I used everything as an excuse to "fake spook" and even threw in a 180 with a half twist buck.  Ha ha, that will show her.

When we got back to the stable she finally gave in to me and turned me loose. I finally got my way, I got to gallop gallop gallop gallop until the arena was so dusty she couldn't breath or see to find me in it. That'll show her!



Do you have a horse related question? Then visit my friends at The Horse Forum! It's a great place to learn about the many aspects of horse ownership from real live horse owners.

Today started out cold and gloomy but it got better. Mumz came and cleaned up my stall and fluffed my bedding...I so love my bedding to be nice and fluffy. I got to play in the arena by myself so I made sure to buck, kick, twist and play hard because I don't get to play in there very often. I also pretended to be my great great great great grandfather, Man O War on the racetrack!

Then mum took me out for a ride and I rewarded her for the lovely playtime in the turnout by doing everything she asked me to do without too much complaint. Okay, so I gritted my teeth a bit, but I can't let her think it's that easy.

When she wasn't looking I stole her Android Phone and snapped some pics for you guys, hope you enjoyed them!

Such a yucky rainy day

It's too rainy and I wantz my peppermintz!