Horse camp! Kasane and I are going to Horsemasters Horse Camp! We went last year and had a ball. She was amazing and we learned a lot. Camp is only three weeks away and I’ve been working on getting myself and Kasane in shape. We’ve upped the number of rides per week. We’ve made huge progress in our work (just what we’ve learned about trotting and cantering could be a bunch of posts)....
Continue reading...Rajiyyah
Rainrot season again
Not specifically rain rot, it’s more like the creeping fungus infection that the horses get on their feet when it’s been rainy and muddy. Rajiyyah has it pretty bad on her legs. I picked up her feet to clean then out and the underside of her back leg fetlocks felt crusty. It felt at first like she had a cut back there but it wasn’t a cut. She had nasty scabs that were...
Continue reading...Riding Rajiyyah today
I rode Rajiyyah today for the first time in several weeks. She was surprisingly good. Last time I rode her, the barn owner suggested that I needed to either keep constant contact with her mouth or ride on a very loose rein. After doing some ground work, we tacked up. We started on a loose rein and walked around the arena. She relaxed and seemed to enjoy herself. Her neck was loose and...
Continue reading...Visiting the mares
On the drive out to the barn, my headache of two days went from mild to bad to worse. I get sinus headaches with migraine-like symptoms (light and sound sensitivity especially). My head was way too sensitive to go riding. I still went out to the barn since I hadn’t been out all week and it was driving me crazy not seeing my girls. I walked into Kasane’s field and out to her....
Continue reading...Adventures when riding with contact
I usually ride English so I’m riding in a loose ring snaffle bit. Kasane has a Herm Sprenger KK Ultra 4 3/4″ snaffle with small losenge like piece in the middle of the snaffle. Rajiyyah’s bit is a similar design, except it has a copper mouth piece. When I ride Kasane, we usually ride with light contact so there is a direct line from my arm to her mouth. The connection is made...
Continue reading...Helping a horse find joy
When Rajiyyah first came to my barn in March, she felt odd to ride. Instead of having her legs underneath her, she felt like her legs were scattered. This feeling was very similar to riding a green horse who feels braced and ready to flee. Her back was dropped and her head was up. She was defensive. With some contact and encouragement with seat and hands, she would eventually come down and ride...
Continue reading...Trim time
It had only been eight weeks since the mares had been trimmed. Last week their feet looked okay. Friday their feet in serious need of a trim. The farrier took off almost half an inch from both girls’ feet during the trim. Very impressive. Rajiyyah’s feet had grown so much that the hoof wall had overgrown the shoe. Here you can see Rajiyyah’s right foot nearly trimmed compared to her left foot which...
Continue reading...Week six of rain and rain rot
I can barely keep up with the rain rot on Kasane and Rajiyyah — much less help them heal when the rain keeps coming down. They are kept in some times, but that doesn’t help because the rain may come up in the middle of the night. I can’t put a sheet on them because that will just keep reinfecting them by getting the fungus on the rain sheet and then rubbing it...
Continue reading...Summer grooming time
It was raining when I went to the barn. No riding or working in the rings because of the mud so I spent the afternoon brushing and loving on Rajiyyah and Kasane. They are both shedding their summer coats. Rajiyyah kept nuzzling me over the top of the stall door. Both Kasane and Rajiyyah have rain rot. Kasane has it all along her spine from her whithers to her croup. Rajiyyah has it...
Continue reading...Claimed again
Two weeks ago when Mom brought down her two mares, all of the mares on Rajiyyah’s aisle of the barn were getting attention except Rajiyyah. She was very jealous. I stepped into her stall to groom her. She looked so happy to have the attention. The second I turned around and looked at Liyah, Rajiyyah flattened her ears and shook her head. As soon as I turned back around to Rajiyyah her ears...
Continue reading...Farrier on Saturday
Yesterday the farrier did Prize, Kasane, and Rajiyyah. Prize has a regular trim. Kasane and Rajiyyah both get front shoes. Rajiyyah is a pro at it, but this was Kasane’s third or fourth pair. Before the farrier arrived, I gave Kasane some Quietex (contains L-Triptophan, think same mellowing agent in turkey). We went into the ring and lunged for about 20 minutes to help her work off any extra energy. She was a...
Continue reading...New mares at the barn
Mom brought down two of her mares to board at my barn. The new girls are Cedars KenyaCatchMe (Botswana x Cedars Farah Moniet) and RSA Sahra Nazeem (BB Akeem x Ilehnisa Azeem). Kenya is Kasane’s half sister by the same sire. Kenya is also Rajiyyah’s sister with the same dam. Sahra has some similar blodlines to all Kenya, Rajiyyah, and Kasane. You might say she is their second or third cousin on the...
Continue reading...Rajiyyah returns
The Grey Wonder Mare has been here a few weeks now and has settled in. We’re riding now with a sparkly new dressage saddle (yay clearance sale rooms at tack shops!), a brand new Collegiate Jessica Dressage saddle. Very comfy and fits her well. It’s interesting riding a mare I had five or six years ago. I’m a light rider with quiet hands and good leg position. The first time I got on...
Continue reading...Grey Wonder Mare returns
Tomorrow, the Grey Wonder Mare™ returns after a six year absence. I’m going to babysit her for a few months for my Mom, who is in the process of moving. I have Rajiyyah’s old bridle and halter (but not her bit, which Mom is bringing). My current dressage and all purpose saddles have been fitted to Kasane, so they won’t work on Rajiyyah. Mom is bringing my old Ashley and Clark all purpose...
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...