I took a friend out to the barn. He had a new Pentax K10D DSLR and wanted to try taking pictures of the horses. He ended up with the picture below of Kasane. It’s probably one of my favourites of her so far. She’s making a face because I’m scratching That Spot on her belly. The flies are out again, so both girls are wearing their fly masks. Or at least they are...
Continue reading...Isis
No riding for a while
The vet exam showed that Isis’ left side is weaker than her right. To correct this, I am supposed to work Isis at least every other day, weather permitting. When she first trots, her back legs track wider then normal and eventually straighten out. It’s like watching someone with back pain try to jog. The last time she trotted like this was when we had our riding accident several years ago. I am...
Continue reading...Isis and arthritis
Isis ad a lameness exam today. She has been moving stiff since early April. Not enough to where she was lame or off, but just enough that she wasn’t moving right. She was unhappy when I rode. When I ride, she falls in on the right side. The vet came out today and did a thorough lameness exam as well as x-rays of Isis’ back left and right hocks. Lameness exams take some...
Continue reading...Catching up: Isis’ insulin resistance flares up
I quit doing regular updates here when things in real life exploded. Isis’ insulin resistance flared up, my job stress went through the roof, and my back (then knee and hip) all had problems. During the middle of March, Isis’ crest became more pronounced and she looked like she wasn’t feeling good. It took a few days to really register it, but the subtle symptoms of insulin resistance were back. My first priorty...
Continue reading...Day at the barn
There was an informal natural horsemanship session at my barn today. One of the ladies started a three year old filly under saddle. The filly is a buckskin, Quarter Horse/Arabian cross. She is a rescue case and has not been handled much. She knew how to lead and not much else. It was amazing watching how the filly responded and learned what was being asked. She is a smart little girl. She picked...
Continue reading...One More Nite, aka Prize
When I was 16, I had a dream come true. On Mothers Day that year, we were at the regional show at Frying Pan Park, Vrginia. The horse show was part of the Eastern Amateur Arabian Horse Show Circuit. We arrived with a four-horse stock trailer with three horses, including the gray mare I was showing, Silver Run Sahsha. The show had a big event: a purebred Arabian filly was being raffled during...
Continue reading...Clinic and Riding Lesson
The Bay Wonder Mare Senior did well in the clinic and in our lesson on Sunday. We did the in-hand work and also the under-saddle work. It is easy for me to forget how bright Isis is. One of the exercises in the clinic was to encourage the horse to lower his/her head by massaging and applying a little pressure behind the ears. When the horse lowers the head a little, you remove...
Continue reading...Sunday with the kids
Sunday morning was the weekly riding lesson. My last riding lesson was last Sunday and it went well. Unfortunately, my back hurt so much the morning after I had to stay home from work. Last night, I went to the company holiday party. Three hours of walking around in heels plus moving boxes out of my storage unit meant my back was a mess this morning. I took 400 mg of ibuprofen and...
Continue reading...Amazing Lesson Last Saturday
Last Saturday, Horsemasters sponsored a clinic at Rivendell Farm for rating for a Bronze or Silver Mounted and Unmounted tests (specific to Pony Club). Isis and I went to the clinic with Max (horse) and Ro (owner). Isis loaded beautifully. She walked on without any trouble and stood next to Max in the trailer quietly. Isis and Max got along well. Isis even let Max eat out of her hay bag (first time...
Continue reading...Blanket Woes
I ordered a new blanket from Dover Saddlery for Isis in case the weather in NC turns nasty (think winter ice storms). I wanted something that was water proof and could adjust to different temperatures. After reading through a bunch of pages from the regular catalog and from the clearance pages, I ordered a Tuff Rider Stretch Manager Turnout Blanket. According to the catalog page, this clearance item has a stretchy layer so...
Continue reading...Isis and Sierra
I got out of work later than I wanted and went to the barn. First time I was able to ride this week. (First week after daylight savings time.) Something about working hard to leave at 4:30 and then getting out and realizing it’s actually 6:00 pm… and I only had 30 minutes to tack up and ride before it was dark. The ride started off pretty well. Until Isis’ barn buddy came...
Continue reading...Riding in the Courbette Magic
I rode twice over the weekend in the Courbette Magic dressage saddle. Both times, Isis and I had really good, productive rides. She is more responsive to my leg (longer stirrups, legs in right place… yup). The more I ride in it, the more I like it. One of the ladies at the barn mentioned that she thought the saddle looked a little high in the withers. It doesn’t feel that way when...
Continue reading...Saddle fitting
After the riding lesson on Tuesday, I scheduled an extra lesson to fit the dressage saddles I’d located. I want to make sure whichever saddle I choose fits not only me, but also Isis. A new (or used) saddle is a big investment (“cheap” means under $500). Arabians are notoriously hard to fit in saddles because they tend to have broad shoulders and round backs. Isis’ hunt saddle (made by Zaldi) is a...
Continue reading...Courbette Magic Dressage Saddle
During my riding lesson on Tuesday, I did an experiment: I dropped my stirrup and rode as if I was in a dressage saddle. Big different on how Isis responded. When you ride dressage, your seat is different then when you ride hunt seat. In dressage, you ride in a “balanced” seat: you sit back farther so that your upper body is up and down instead of leaning forward. Your stirrup length is...
Continue reading...Riding lesson
Isis and I had a riding lesson this afternoon/evening. I hadn’t been able to ride on Monday. I had to make up time from Friday when I left early to take Stella to the vet’s. My instructor asked me what I would like to work on. This was the perfect opportunity to work on problems pointed out by the show: How do you correct a horse who isn’t listening and is more interested...
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