Forgot to post video of Clair's first time in the Pessoa yesterday. Here it is!
Monday, August 18, 2014
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Clair Mare, Dakota, and the Pessoa
I introduced Clair Mare and Dakota to the Pessoa system this morning. They both did fabulously! Clair was slightly irked in the canter, with lots of tail flipping, but I like how she moved in it. Dakota had two small tantrums and was rather zoomy, but for a first try I was proud of him.
I'm hoping to find someone to lease Dakota at least part time. If you're in the Lubbock area and interested, please take a look at the Dreamhorse ad. He's a fun and uncomplicated guy!
I had a great ride on Clair! I was wearing a new pair of breeches that are officially the worst pair of breeches I've ever owned. I might as well have been wearing Teflon for all the grip the full seat gave me. So she's definitely not very forward, and our biggest bugaboo is her tendency to want to duck behind the bit -- on full display here. There's always a lot to work on. We did a little leg yield, some shoulder in and travers, and a tiny bit of half pass at the end. The final bit is half pass out of the corner, straighten to a few strides of diagonal, and then a few more strides of half pass. I am so proud of her!
Update 8/18: Oops, I see the video of me on Clair didn't upload fully. Will fix tonight! Second update 8/18: Fixed!
I'm hoping to find someone to lease Dakota at least part time. If you're in the Lubbock area and interested, please take a look at the Dreamhorse ad. He's a fun and uncomplicated guy!
I had a great ride on Clair! I was wearing a new pair of breeches that are officially the worst pair of breeches I've ever owned. I might as well have been wearing Teflon for all the grip the full seat gave me. So she's definitely not very forward, and our biggest bugaboo is her tendency to want to duck behind the bit -- on full display here. There's always a lot to work on. We did a little leg yield, some shoulder in and travers, and a tiny bit of half pass at the end. The final bit is half pass out of the corner, straighten to a few strides of diagonal, and then a few more strides of half pass. I am so proud of her!
Update 8/18: Oops, I see the video of me on Clair didn't upload fully. Will fix tonight! Second update 8/18: Fixed!
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Clair mare goes to work
With Ted's injury, it has been a crazy week. He received a steroid injection on Thursday, and I think that has helped him turn the corner. He still has several weeks of recovery ahead, but yesterday he was able to eat some real food for the first time, and he's needing less pain medication every day. He's headed in for an MRI on Monday.
I got Clair mare out and free lunged in the round pen Wednesday night, and then last night I was finally able to throw some tack on her for a session in side reins. I remembered I had a bridle I had bought last fall. It's brown to match the Stubben I bought back then. It doesn't fit her perfectly -- the bit rode a little too low in her mouth, and I wanted the cavesson one hole higher. The flash also was too big for her. Once I punch a few new holes it'll all be just fine. The loose ring French snaffle that wasn't working for Dakota seems to fit her perfectly. I have a nicer one on order, but for now this will do.
As I was tacking up, a squall blew through, dropping the temp from 90 to 70 in about ten seconds and kicking up all sorts of dust. I had her attached to the metal fence cross pole (just wrapped the lead line around four times). She only pulled back once, and then for just a couple seconds. I don't know if she's used to anything but cross ties, so I was proud of her keeping it together while the squall blew through. The mini donkeys wandered over to help. The girth I have for the Stubben is just a bit too short for her (and really is almost too short for Kota at this point; he's put on weight like a champ). So I need a longer girth. The Stubben seems to fit her really well! She has an easy back to fit.
I lunged her off the cavesson in side reins. I kept the side reins pretty long since the bridle really wasn't fitting just right. She was very businesslike and obedient. Good girl!
I got Clair mare out and free lunged in the round pen Wednesday night, and then last night I was finally able to throw some tack on her for a session in side reins. I remembered I had a bridle I had bought last fall. It's brown to match the Stubben I bought back then. It doesn't fit her perfectly -- the bit rode a little too low in her mouth, and I wanted the cavesson one hole higher. The flash also was too big for her. Once I punch a few new holes it'll all be just fine. The loose ring French snaffle that wasn't working for Dakota seems to fit her perfectly. I have a nicer one on order, but for now this will do.
As I was tacking up, a squall blew through, dropping the temp from 90 to 70 in about ten seconds and kicking up all sorts of dust. I had her attached to the metal fence cross pole (just wrapped the lead line around four times). She only pulled back once, and then for just a couple seconds. I don't know if she's used to anything but cross ties, so I was proud of her keeping it together while the squall blew through. The mini donkeys wandered over to help. The girth I have for the Stubben is just a bit too short for her (and really is almost too short for Kota at this point; he's put on weight like a champ). So I need a longer girth. The Stubben seems to fit her really well! She has an easy back to fit.
I lunged her off the cavesson in side reins. I kept the side reins pretty long since the bridle really wasn't fitting just right. She was very businesslike and obedient. Good girl!
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Clair Mare arrives! plus unrelated evening mayhem
Clair Mare arrived at the farm yesterday. Her former owners got her trailered over from Dallas nice and early, before it got too hot. She was supremely unstressed by the trip -- not even sweating. She was also unstressed by her new surroundings: interested, but not afraid (not even of the mini donkeys). We popped her in a stall with a run to start and gave her some hay, which she munched in between explorations. She was being extra mareish with her gelding neighbor; I hope that winds down as she settles in. She is so sweet to people but a little bitchy towards geldings.
We only had just so much time to spend before I had to get back to work, so I don't have great pictures yet. It was noon in the bright Lubbock sun, and I had sunglasses on. Basically I pointed my iPhone in her general direction and had no idea what I was shooting. But here are a couple arrival shots.
Towards the end of my work day I had a 911 text from my husband. Two of our dogs had gotten into a fight (over a tennis ball) and in trying to break up the fight he had gotten knocked flat on his back, which is already chronically injured. He was a wreck, and the two dogs were a wreck. I walked into what looked like carnage and a husband on the floor with back spasms so bad he looked like he was having a seizure. He was all, "I'm fine; take the dogs to the vet!" Which would have been funny if I hadn't been so scared he had a fracture. I called friends who came over and took the dogs to the vet while I took Ted to the ER. I got a call from the friends before long that neither dog was really hurt -- just a few bites on each of them, and one of them had a good laceration on her ear that was the source of all the blood. Dogfights often look and sound like they're killing each other, but in the end it's usually all sound and fury but no real injuries.
Ted really was a wreck when we got to the ER, but they gave him injections of pain meds and muscle relaxers, and two hours later he was so much better. He was able to wobble out on his own two feet, and he slept pretty well. More drugs this morning, and he's sleeping again. The horrible spasms are mostly gone. Our health insurance kicks in September 1, and he is SO GOING to a back specialist!
We only had just so much time to spend before I had to get back to work, so I don't have great pictures yet. It was noon in the bright Lubbock sun, and I had sunglasses on. Basically I pointed my iPhone in her general direction and had no idea what I was shooting. But here are a couple arrival shots.
Towards the end of my work day I had a 911 text from my husband. Two of our dogs had gotten into a fight (over a tennis ball) and in trying to break up the fight he had gotten knocked flat on his back, which is already chronically injured. He was a wreck, and the two dogs were a wreck. I walked into what looked like carnage and a husband on the floor with back spasms so bad he looked like he was having a seizure. He was all, "I'm fine; take the dogs to the vet!" Which would have been funny if I hadn't been so scared he had a fracture. I called friends who came over and took the dogs to the vet while I took Ted to the ER. I got a call from the friends before long that neither dog was really hurt -- just a few bites on each of them, and one of them had a good laceration on her ear that was the source of all the blood. Dogfights often look and sound like they're killing each other, but in the end it's usually all sound and fury but no real injuries.
Ted really was a wreck when we got to the ER, but they gave him injections of pain meds and muscle relaxers, and two hours later he was so much better. He was able to wobble out on his own two feet, and he slept pretty well. More drugs this morning, and he's sleeping again. The horrible spasms are mostly gone. Our health insurance kicks in September 1, and he is SO GOING to a back specialist!
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