Well, for goodness sake. I just get him going nicely and what do you think, but my partner brings her whole family down to see him, they all fall in love and simply must have him at her barn as soon as possible! Lucky him. I have never in my life seen horses get the care she gives them and of course, I will still get to sit on him this spring as he begins his breeding career with one nice TB mare and an excellent QH one.
The timing couldn't have been better really as we have been dealing with my Mom in the aftermath of a stroke. So, while this guy is on his way, we still have one 20+ TB gelding, a black type mare and a coming 3-year-old who is not yet registered and may never be, given that she won't be racing. And that's just the thoroughbreds.
Will post more when I am actually doing something noteworthy. Here's to a smashing 2009!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
We're up!
Well, we are under saddle and I warned you, I can make even a guy this well put together look like a lazy hunter.
In fact, he is so laid back when I get on him that it is taking every bit of leg I have to encourage him to step out underneath himself.
My barn manager and photographic assistant has been out of town so we don't have any pix of him moving yet, but trust me, it isn't all that pretty at this point.
I think, we are going to skip the little dressage show unless this week proves miraculous and he decides that straight lines are worth trying for. It could happen.
Fugly has a training challenge going on. Too bad I didn't get involved with that. This guy has his forever home anyway, so there's no reason to make money on him, it would just be another way to show him off.
Good thing he's so quiet. It is a looooong way down.
His feet are doing well, but we are having him trimmed again Wednesday. Hope is that there won't be any more soreness.
In fact, he is so laid back when I get on him that it is taking every bit of leg I have to encourage him to step out underneath himself.
My barn manager and photographic assistant has been out of town so we don't have any pix of him moving yet, but trust me, it isn't all that pretty at this point.
I think, we are going to skip the little dressage show unless this week proves miraculous and he decides that straight lines are worth trying for. It could happen.
Fugly has a training challenge going on. Too bad I didn't get involved with that. This guy has his forever home anyway, so there's no reason to make money on him, it would just be another way to show him off.
Good thing he's so quiet. It is a looooong way down.
His feet are doing well, but we are having him trimmed again Wednesday. Hope is that there won't be any more soreness.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
My schedule...or his
Friday was going to be all about our first ride together. I'd planned, gotten excited and even posted it on the blog. Well, then our farrier came Thursday for a couple of the other horses and we decided to take those toes back a bit more since he wasn't quite comfortable yet.
Bad news is he is very sore. Good news is that this is the first time he has stood up square since he's been here. He even pointed the right one when grazing. So much for our first ride, though. It's great to see him moving more evenly, and he got comfortable with a little bute. A couple more days and we're starting the saddle time.
He is eating better and really enjoying farm life.
It would be easy for me to get lazy with this one. In a little less than two more months, he's expected to be going walk, trot, canter both directions, free-jumped to see how his form over fences is and jumping little stuff under saddle.
After getting to know him a bit better, I plan to have all that done by the first week of October. The last three weeks will be spent getting him ready for a little training level dressage test and he will make me look like the incredible wonder trainer. Which I am so not.
It's been so long since I rode in a horse show, and never in a dressage one, that I'm certain to be the subject of all the critical comments on the scorecard. Good thing he is so cute that no one will notice me besides the judge.
Bad news is he is very sore. Good news is that this is the first time he has stood up square since he's been here. He even pointed the right one when grazing. So much for our first ride, though. It's great to see him moving more evenly, and he got comfortable with a little bute. A couple more days and we're starting the saddle time.
He is eating better and really enjoying farm life.
It would be easy for me to get lazy with this one. In a little less than two more months, he's expected to be going walk, trot, canter both directions, free-jumped to see how his form over fences is and jumping little stuff under saddle.
After getting to know him a bit better, I plan to have all that done by the first week of October. The last three weeks will be spent getting him ready for a little training level dressage test and he will make me look like the incredible wonder trainer. Which I am so not.
It's been so long since I rode in a horse show, and never in a dressage one, that I'm certain to be the subject of all the critical comments on the scorecard. Good thing he is so cute that no one will notice me besides the judge.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
One month's progress
Sheesh, it has really been a month since he got here and with any other horse I'd have to say we are way behind schedule. Not that I'm a 'take em off the truck and throw a leg over em' kind of gal, but things are going a little bit slower than usual.
The weather hasn't helped any, either. First there is going to be a storm, then there isn't, then there is. Reminds me of an old Donovan song. Drove me crazy when it was on the radio. Blame me if you know the one I'm talking about and now can't get it out of your head.
Then there are the frogs! Had a million tadpoles after Fay. Now have carpets of tiny little bitty frogs. Trust me, it would not be a good time to visit if you are a Buddhist. If your Uncle Harry happend to come back as a frog at our place, well, odds are good that he's on to the next life by now. We trample dozens on an hourly basis and the hawks are getting fat just sitting in the field picking up from the moving froggy smorgasbord.
That's not to say we haven't been working with the big guy. He's out in the arena on the longe or the long line every day. His feet have been trimmed twice, he's had his shots and been wormed once, and his teeth are scheduled for floating next week. He isn't eating as well as we would like, but his metabolism is changing.
Traces of steroids were shown in his initial blood work and that's not so unusual for horses coming from the track. It's not like they are fed the 'pump you up' variety, more like the 'help you keep condition and be hungry after grueling workouts' sort. Not that it's easy to imagine him ever having a grueling workout. He still shows evidence of why he didn't win more races. He is just not an agro kind of guy. His philosophy is more like, "hey, if they want to get there before me, that's OK, I'm just out here having a good time."
My partner in him came out and visited on Labor Day. She took a couple sweet pictures that I'll post as soon as she sends them to me. She really wants to help him reach his potential and is anxious to get on him, too. This is the week for me. On Friday he'll have the first ride of his new career. If it goes as well as I hope, then we'll start getting him prepped for a little dressage schooling test. Not that I'm the best dressage rider in the world. My use for it has been flatting jumpers. And I'm not the very best at that.
We'll see if I can live up (or down) to my old reputation. I've been know to take a Roemer baby in training with Kathleen Raine and make him look like a hunter the second my seat hit the saddle. It's sad. Oh well, my old brown Stubben dressage saddle is coming out of the mothballs anyway.
The weather hasn't helped any, either. First there is going to be a storm, then there isn't, then there is. Reminds me of an old Donovan song. Drove me crazy when it was on the radio. Blame me if you know the one I'm talking about and now can't get it out of your head.
Then there are the frogs! Had a million tadpoles after Fay. Now have carpets of tiny little bitty frogs. Trust me, it would not be a good time to visit if you are a Buddhist. If your Uncle Harry happend to come back as a frog at our place, well, odds are good that he's on to the next life by now. We trample dozens on an hourly basis and the hawks are getting fat just sitting in the field picking up from the moving froggy smorgasbord.
That's not to say we haven't been working with the big guy. He's out in the arena on the longe or the long line every day. His feet have been trimmed twice, he's had his shots and been wormed once, and his teeth are scheduled for floating next week. He isn't eating as well as we would like, but his metabolism is changing.
Traces of steroids were shown in his initial blood work and that's not so unusual for horses coming from the track. It's not like they are fed the 'pump you up' variety, more like the 'help you keep condition and be hungry after grueling workouts' sort. Not that it's easy to imagine him ever having a grueling workout. He still shows evidence of why he didn't win more races. He is just not an agro kind of guy. His philosophy is more like, "hey, if they want to get there before me, that's OK, I'm just out here having a good time."
My partner in him came out and visited on Labor Day. She took a couple sweet pictures that I'll post as soon as she sends them to me. She really wants to help him reach his potential and is anxious to get on him, too. This is the week for me. On Friday he'll have the first ride of his new career. If it goes as well as I hope, then we'll start getting him prepped for a little dressage schooling test. Not that I'm the best dressage rider in the world. My use for it has been flatting jumpers. And I'm not the very best at that.
We'll see if I can live up (or down) to my old reputation. I've been know to take a Roemer baby in training with Kathleen Raine and make him look like a hunter the second my seat hit the saddle. It's sad. Oh well, my old brown Stubben dressage saddle is coming out of the mothballs anyway.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Mystery Revealed
The new guy's foal papers came in the mail and I'm not quite as smart as I think. But that's OK, and you'll soon see why.
My partner in this horse is not interested in race babies, but it is interesting to look at pedigrees. The first I saw of him was a funky photo with no name attached. He looked to me like one of those Silver Charm babies. Hmmmm.
Truth is, I went in on him just because he looked like a horse this particular customer/ friend could geld and get some good jumper rides in on.
Pre Purchase Exam and X-rays showed no lurking problems, even though his left front tested a little sore. So, I got to thinking I was kind of smart and we decided to take a chance and bring him home.
When he got here he looked way better than his pictures and pulling his shoes showed only some bruising on that sketchy foot, which agreed with the vet's analysis.
Now I was getting interested in my little assumption about his pedigree. Those Silver Charm babies aren't known for their pleasant temperment though, and this guy is downright mellow.
I mean, the only way you can tell he is a stallion is by looking. He'll talk to the mares, but when you scold him, he hangs his head and goes back to whatever he was doing before they sidetracked him.
He had raced and his name was New Heights. Didn't ring any bells, but also didn't picque my interest enough to look him up on equineline. (any racing fans getting that fuzzy feeling yet?)
Turns out his name was Building Memories and he is by Unbridled's Song out of Hookedonthefeelin. He was purchased at the Keeneland yearling sales like I thought, though. Bob and Beverly Lewis paid $600K for him.
Hey, he looked like he could do the job on paper! You don't even have to be a racing fan to get that, just Google both his parents' names and you'll find stakes winners. Plus, he does look like that Silver Charm horse, and you know how successful the Lewis' team was with him.
He didn't want to run, though. Not near motivated enough. In fact, I talked with his last trainer who said the only part of racing he was good at was striking a pose for the pictures.
Bad luck for them, great luck for me. We absolutely adore this horse. He is funny in the stall and friendly. He is still getting used to things around here, but it's only been 3 weeks yesterday since he stepped off the van.
We are packing that foot and letting him hand graze, doing light longe work, and putting some more finely tuned ground manners on him. Everyone who sees him wants to be the first in the tack when we re-start him as a riding horse. We might hold a raffle.
But I'll rig it to be the winner!
My partner in this horse is not interested in race babies, but it is interesting to look at pedigrees. The first I saw of him was a funky photo with no name attached. He looked to me like one of those Silver Charm babies. Hmmmm.
Truth is, I went in on him just because he looked like a horse this particular customer/ friend could geld and get some good jumper rides in on.
Pre Purchase Exam and X-rays showed no lurking problems, even though his left front tested a little sore. So, I got to thinking I was kind of smart and we decided to take a chance and bring him home.
When he got here he looked way better than his pictures and pulling his shoes showed only some bruising on that sketchy foot, which agreed with the vet's analysis.
Now I was getting interested in my little assumption about his pedigree. Those Silver Charm babies aren't known for their pleasant temperment though, and this guy is downright mellow.
I mean, the only way you can tell he is a stallion is by looking. He'll talk to the mares, but when you scold him, he hangs his head and goes back to whatever he was doing before they sidetracked him.
He had raced and his name was New Heights. Didn't ring any bells, but also didn't picque my interest enough to look him up on equineline. (any racing fans getting that fuzzy feeling yet?)
Turns out his name was Building Memories and he is by Unbridled's Song out of Hookedonthefeelin. He was purchased at the Keeneland yearling sales like I thought, though. Bob and Beverly Lewis paid $600K for him.
Hey, he looked like he could do the job on paper! You don't even have to be a racing fan to get that, just Google both his parents' names and you'll find stakes winners. Plus, he does look like that Silver Charm horse, and you know how successful the Lewis' team was with him.
He didn't want to run, though. Not near motivated enough. In fact, I talked with his last trainer who said the only part of racing he was good at was striking a pose for the pictures.
Bad luck for them, great luck for me. We absolutely adore this horse. He is funny in the stall and friendly. He is still getting used to things around here, but it's only been 3 weeks yesterday since he stepped off the van.
We are packing that foot and letting him hand graze, doing light longe work, and putting some more finely tuned ground manners on him. Everyone who sees him wants to be the first in the tack when we re-start him as a riding horse. We might hold a raffle.
But I'll rig it to be the winner!
Monday, August 25, 2008
He's Here!
Well, after much negotiation, PPE, and sleeplessness, the big grey 4 year old colt is finally here from the track at Charles Town.
He stepped off the truck two weeks ago Friday at 7 in the morning, thankyouverymuch Brook Ledge Horse Transport.
First of all, he really is the 17'1" the vet said he is.
Second, the people at Brook Ledge treated him like an individual. I mean, some companies won't haul your stallion unless they have room in their stallion stall, charge you an arm and a leg to do it and then complain about how much trouble it is. Not these guys. They saw right away what a calm, (OK, maybe a little dull) fellow he is and he travelled across from two mares and their foals.
We have got him pretty well settled in, he's walked the property every day, started on the longe line and we've pulled his shoes.
He thinks the weather here stinks, (TS Fay), the bugs are awful, the hay is icky and the people want you to do silly stuff like go to the right and whoa in less than a quarter mile. On the other hand, the grain mix is yummy, the stiff brush feels amazing, there are lots of new friends to make and there is grass here! Lots of grass. And sand to roll in.
As soon as his JC papers get here, we'll get to solve a little bit of a mystery. I think there was a name change somewhere along the way and that he was a pretty high priced baby at Keeneland. We'll soon see if I'm right.
Now off to do the afternoon chores til it's cool enough to ride again.
He stepped off the truck two weeks ago Friday at 7 in the morning, thankyouverymuch Brook Ledge Horse Transport.
First of all, he really is the 17'1" the vet said he is.
Second, the people at Brook Ledge treated him like an individual. I mean, some companies won't haul your stallion unless they have room in their stallion stall, charge you an arm and a leg to do it and then complain about how much trouble it is. Not these guys. They saw right away what a calm, (OK, maybe a little dull) fellow he is and he travelled across from two mares and their foals.
We have got him pretty well settled in, he's walked the property every day, started on the longe line and we've pulled his shoes.
He thinks the weather here stinks, (TS Fay), the bugs are awful, the hay is icky and the people want you to do silly stuff like go to the right and whoa in less than a quarter mile. On the other hand, the grain mix is yummy, the stiff brush feels amazing, there are lots of new friends to make and there is grass here! Lots of grass. And sand to roll in.
As soon as his JC papers get here, we'll get to solve a little bit of a mystery. I think there was a name change somewhere along the way and that he was a pretty high priced baby at Keeneland. We'll soon see if I'm right.
Now off to do the afternoon chores til it's cool enough to ride again.
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