The weather was perfect at the barn. We had a nice quiet ride (more on that in another post). At the end of the evening, the fog settled over the pasture. Evenings in Tennessee always looked like this, but it isn’t something I see very often in North Carolina. Related Images:
Continue reading...Horses
Catching up on posts…
It’s been a while since I did much posting here. I had a huge backlog of saved posts and things I had wanted to write about and haven’t yet. If you see a sudden flurry of blog posts that are dated in November, that’s why. I’ve finished most of the posts about the new phone. The most exciting thing I have to write about are the three dressage lessons Kasane and I have...
Continue reading...Equine insurance
Equine insurance is almost as much fun as people insurance. Almost, but not quite. Don’t get me wrong: I’m very glad I have insurance on Kasane. When Isis needed colic surgery, the only way I was able to afford it was because of the insurance. Here’s the catch: Once you make a claim for an issue like lameness, for example, there will be an exclusion on the policy the following year stating that...
Continue reading...Where did October go?
Where did October go? I suddenly blinked and it was gone and November is looming large. December isn’t too far behind, judging by the Christmas crap that’s appearing in the stores. (Christmas crap = the tacky decorations that get shoved on unwilling consumers to encourage them to buy buy buy during the ever-extending holiday season.) I think I lost most of October partially due to shock. October 11 was a very hard day...
Continue reading...Horse and I by Bat for Lashes
I didn’t realize until today why I have been listening so much to a song by Bat for Lashes called “Horse and I.” It’s because it feels like a song for Isis and I — and fits in with a short story I’m writing about her. “Horse and I” by Bat for Lashes Fur and Gold album Got woken in the night By a mystic golden light My head soaked in river water...
Continue reading...The quality of autumn sunlight
The quality of the light is different as summer fades into fall. The humidity haze burns away and is replaced by a golden glow at dusk. I couldn’t wait to get out to the barn on Tuesday. It was perfect riding weather. I would only have enough time to do a little with Kasane besides treating the scratches (rain-rot like scabs) on her legs. Not enough time to ride, but enough time to...
Continue reading...Vet update on Prize
The vet came out today around noon and saw Prize. She was much lamer today than she was yesterday. We added extra bedding to her stall for some extra padding. She still just looked like she hurt, poor girl. The vet had some good news: he’s almost 100% sure it’s not laminitis (yay!). He thinks she has an abscess that is coming to the surface. Hoof testers on the bottom of her hoof...
Continue reading...Prize may have laminitis
When I got to the barn this evening, I had two surprises: Kasane was covered in hives (happened last year too) and Prize was in her stall. I called the barn manager to ask about Prize and to see about giving Kasane antihistamines for a few days. The barn owner and I had been playing phone tag, with my calls not connecting to hers and her phone giving her issues when she tried...
Continue reading...Intrepid jumpers
Last week at the barn, we had a special jumping session to introduce the horses to some of the crazy things you might come across with jumps. Sylvana and Tara came up with some crazy, amazing jump “enhancements.” Okay, most of the time you probably won’t be asked to jump stuff animals or comforters. We had our three six year olds: Kasane, Sylvana’s Renegade, and Tara’s Rooster. Kasane was the smallest of the...
Continue reading...Lessons learned from riding when not riding
I went to the barn tonight to ride Kasane. It was a lovely evening: mild weather, light wind, bright sun. I brought out all of our tack to the outdoor ring, so she could eat and play while I got ready. At one point, she looked up from eating, and took off down the length of the ring at a gallop. She rounded the corner at the end and slowed to a bright...
Continue reading...Kasane learns consistent collection
After the power outage this afternoon, I packed up my gear and headed out to find a place with free wifi. The Sheetz station has a cafe with free wifi, so I headed there — and to the tack shop behind it. The tack shop is going out of business so everything is 50% off, including the Cortiflex joint supplement I wanted to try for Prize and Kasane. At 50% off, that makes...
Continue reading...Studs in a jar
For those of us who grew up on a horse breeding farm, the directions on the Stud Suds jar make for hysterical reading. In this case, the “studs” refer to metal studs that can be screwed into the bottom of horseshoes like cletes. It doesn’t mean the jar will let me fit a stallion in there and then shake him up a bit. Related Images:
Continue reading...Week 2.5 of riding bareback
I never expected to be having great schooling rides bareback. We’re walking and trotting bareback and I’m not losing my seat any more. The differences in how Kasane responds to my aids are subtle but amazing. For a while, we had trouble free lunging. She’d race from one corner to the next and not pay attention to me. We’ve had several weeks of primarily lunge line work using larger spaces. We’re still working...
Continue reading...Her Highness all curled up
Saturday it poured and poured and poured. We had several inches of rain over the weekend. In between rain showers, I went to the barn to play with Kasane. I walked out to the field and found her laying down. She was so cute and tired. She let me walk up to her and kneel next to her. So happy to have fingers scratch the long hair under her chin. So very cute....
Continue reading...Apassionata: The Beginning is coming to North America
Oh my. This looks like a show geared for horse people. According to the Apassionata site: APASSIONATA has been Europe’s most popular live arena show for nearly a decade, thrilling more than five million fans across 15 countries with a breathtaking display of the beauty and the bond between horse and rider. Now APASSIONATA comes to North America to take audiences through a magical adventure featuring more than 40 horses, with exhilarating equine...
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