No saddle that fits properly so we’re going to ride bareback. This should be fun since Kasane isn’t crazy about having dangly legs on her side without the saddle. A good learning opportunity. My legs are going to be in great shape. Related Images:
Continue reading...Kasane
Dressage saddle fitting for Kasane
Day started early. I was at up at 7:45, tried to go back to sleep, dozed until 8:15. At the barn to meet the farrier by 9:30. Groomed Kasane and Prize and then had their feet trimmed. The farrier said that both of them had great feet, so that is always good news. No thrush (foot disease), no strange cracks, no blemishes. Just good strong feet. We had a full house today with...
Continue reading...Tonight, we write
The characters are playing. Specifically: one story, Ride Softly, is pounding to be written. I’m seven pages in, which doesn’t sound like a lot until you consider it’s the most fiction I’ve written in a year (much less in two sittings). It’s Isis’ story, with a twist. When I write her scenes, I have my eyes closed and the tears stream down my face. There are two scenes that were the hardest: when...
Continue reading...Patterns
Patterns can be comforting routines. You fall into them like a comfortable bed, with a few sharp pokey bits that you know to avoid. Lately, I go to the barn, love on a mare, take her for a walk to help rebuild strength, give her a hug, and turn her back out to her paddock. Which mare am I talking about? Kasane or Isis? Tuesday I took Kasane for her walk with another boarder...
Continue reading...Update on Kasane’s injury
Before Thanksgiving, I noticed Kasane had been off on her back left. Some time in November, Kasane did something to her stifle. Kasane’s lameness wasn’t acute. It wasn’t an obvious lameness. She just wasn’t moving right and she didn’t worked out of during riding or free lunging. I gave her a week off, and then rode her lightly the day after Thanksgiving. The following day she looked off again. Because Kasane’s lameness didn’t...
Continue reading...One thousand posts and counting
This post is the 1000th entry on Y Ceffyl Du. It’s only taken seven years to get here. I’ve blogged the tales and tribulations of four cats, five horses, and major events in my life. Here’s to Isis, Basette, Stella, and Ambush, who have passed and are missed. Their antics and memories are chronicled here. Here’s to Rajiyyah, Logan, Kasane, and Prize, two still in my life and two with other people who...
Continue reading...Gym and not riding
A “perk” of the apartment complex where I live. Half of the machines look um… well used, so I won’t touch them, but the elliptical machine and the treadmills are fine. Yesterday, I started an actual workout program and went to the gym by myself for the First Time Ever. It might not sound like much, but considering I’ve only been to a gym to work out twice before (and then with a...
Continue reading...And the baby claims the universe
Kasane knew when Isis had passed. All of the horses had come running up to the front of the pastures and watched her. I had felt Isis pass the torch to Kasane over the summer. It’s hard to describe what that is like, sensing your older mare watch you and be less affectionate and then have the youngster suddenly demand attention. Once Isis passed, Kasane started calling to me when I went out...
Continue reading...Side saddle on Kasane
I have a gorgeous Victorian side saddle that I’ve had for many years but have never had a horse it properly fit. I bought the side saddle when I was in high school from a man who specialized in antique side saddles. The saddle was in pretty bad shape but the tree was sound. In college, a master saddler restored the saddle and did a beautiful job on it. The saddle is lovely....
Continue reading...Kasane meets games, games win
Or, how I survived a green horse’s first time seeing horse-eating games. Yesterday Kasane had her first outting to a Pony Club gaming event. There were two divisions: 10+ Pony Clubbers and 2 Horsemasters (Kasane and me and Steve on his gelding Windsor). There were four games: pole bending, mug shuffle, fruit relay, and milk carton relay (which we didn’t do). Each race had practice and timed runs. The kids on their ponies...
Continue reading...Isis and Kasane playing
Another shaky cam video, but it really shows just how far Isis has come. Over the past week, I’ve been putting Isis and Kasane into the big ring together with the hope of eventually turning them out into a pasture together. We’ve turned Isis and Prize out together so they could run the length of a field and really stretch. I thought it would be fun to have all three of my girls...
Continue reading...Updates on the girls
First, Isis. She has had two doses of the Oroquin-10. From what I read about the drug, some horses improve as early as 3-5 days after treatment starts. We went for a walk up and down the lane near the barn. A reasonable walk in hand with some grazing, for about 15-20 minutes. The first thing I noticed is that she isn’t dragging her toes in the dirt like she was before. She...
Continue reading...First day on meds
Isis’ medicine arrived today via shipment. (I love it how a “morning” shipment arrives at 11:30 AM.) The medicine is an apple-flavored powder that can be fed in Isis’ grain: one scoop, once per day for 10 days. That’s it. She ate her first dose in some beet pulp and licked the bucket clean. Seems like this is going to go very well for her eating the meds. Good news for Isis. Unfortunately,...
Continue reading...Fantastic month of June
I have so much stuff to catch up on for June. Horse Masters Horse Camp was the weekend of June 16th and it was fantastic. Most of the month was spent getting ready for camp. Kasane and I were signed up for walk, trot, canter sessions — which meant she had to know how to canter before camp. Every available evening was spent at the barn working with Kasane and with Isis. Camp...
Continue reading...Horses in Santa hats!
I had to. I just had to. Okay, maybe I didn’t but it was too cute to pass up. What do you do when you find reindeer antlers and santa hats in the store? You take them out to the barn and put them on horses, of course! Only Kasane was brave enough to wear the evil antlers with bells. She was very good about it. Isis wanted nothing to do with them...
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