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SlowRedHorse?? 17 Jun 2012 12:19 PM (12 years ago)

Last weekend on a last minute whim, I decided to hitch a ride with Shana, the BO, to a show. It was nothing but English and Western Pleasure, but I thought it would be fun to just get out. It is always a new experience to go to different types of shows, just because the English/Western pleasure horses are extremely different than Olly. First off, as we all know, the BRH is a TB not a QH. That generally means we get pushed to last place and have to work our way up to the ribbons. Then after one lap and passing, oh Idk, EVERY horse in the arena, we remain in last place. We entered in two classes. English Pleasure and English Equitation. For all of you that do the English Pleasure stuff, I commend you, because I couldn't do it as a discipline. I find it a bit boring and unchallenging. It is just not for the BRH and I. We didn't even place in the English pleasure class. We were on the wrong lead, which is just baffling how we did that, but we just failed miserably.
The Eq class had a pattern, our only hope for placing. We basically looked at is like a dressage pattern, but as slow and loose-reined as possible.
I tried finding the actual pattern but I think I pitched it. So, I decided to draw the pattern for you.

We accomplished the pattern, not the slowest but we were half way collected and placed 5th out of like 9.
I don't have a video of the class. :(

This weekend it stormed like crazy, but that didn't stop us from going to the barn and riding. I packed all three kids and Benni in the car and we were off to go play in the mud. THAT I do have a video of.

I apologize for the length of the video, I edited it on my mom's computer and the software shut down (grrrrrrrrrrr!!!!) So I just added a few captions and saved it like that. Next time, I will use my computer and have a shorter more edited video.

Padded Room? Coming Right Up!!! 3 Jun 2012 3:07 PM (12 years ago)

So, I have been MIA lately. And for many reasons, some good, some bad.
Here's the run down:
One week out of the blue, Summer's Eve just up and text me saying he would be sending the boys to Indiana (from Hawaii) in a week. Just a month and a half before his decision, I was in a court room, yet again, fighting for custody. I have no idea why he is making thing everything so difficult. I just chalk it up to his stupidity, which is, a lot.
Anywho, one week later, 18Apr, I was sitting at O'hare airport awaiting the flight of my life. At that point in time, I hadn't seen my boys in eight months. **tear**
One of the happiest days of my life. I had just ended a crappy job and just in time to spend all my time with the boys. I enrolled them in school, even though they would only have 7 weeks left in the year, and began to repair all that was instilled in Hawaii...

The following weekend we made a trip out to see the BRH. Colton wanted to ride. I threw Shana's western saddle on him and we hopped on. Olly was stoked and ready to go. Colton opted to pass until we got the "hops" (bucking, as it's normally called) worked out. His weight was back to where it should be and his energy/attitude level was more than what any horse would ever need. Yup, he was ready to be put back to work. Until....
That Monday. I got a phone call from Shana (the BO) telling me I needed to head to the barn ASAP. Olly had decided to roll...into the fence. Yes, he ROLLED INTO THE FENCE. A three wired fence. Just a standard fence. He has about a half an acre to roam in, all to himself. He has a stall/run in (stud size) with friends to talk to. There is no reason why he should have any issues. BUT, in true BRH fashion he could injure himself in a padded room.
Now, I am not sure how he did it exactly, the BO was not home from 9:30-1:30. When she returned, he came running up to the fence like nothing was wrong--except that he was bleeding. A LOT. I grabbed the boys from school early and headed to the barn. I got there at about 2:45p. He was stiff and looked like he had tried to rip his leg off. PANIC. I choked back the tears, and started evaluating. First instinct-VET. I text my vet friend and she checked out the pics the best she could. She advised suturing. Now--from here on out--I am not asking  for advice of others. I have consulted a vet and with my own knowledge have decided to do, what I thought was best. That being said, this is what I did.
I did not opt to suture the laceration. Why? Because it was right below the joint. If it would have been sutured it probably wouldn't have drained well, possibly abscessing or tearing out the sutures altogether. I grabbed the first aid kit with the betadine scrub and cleaned it up. The laceration was only superficial and was already swollen. He needed some antibiotics and pain meds. All I had was bute-powder form. Olly was already having eating issues, so I rummaged for some Banamine. The BO had some left over from another horse, that was no longer there. I headed out to get some antibiotics, and wound dressing. I knew that it was a great risk, but I really thought this was the best solution.
Every day for the next week and a half I went out to the barn to give the banamine (for 5 days), antibiotics and cold hose twice a day. I cleaned and dressed his injury. He never really was lame. He was sore, but not lame. After the first few days there was swelling, but it was minimal. I decided to leave him turned out and unbandaged. Again, please no judging on the treatment. I know how rough it sounds, but I really did think this was the best.
After two weeks he was trotting around like it w as nothing. The only thing I was really worried about was the granulation tissue that might form. After doing some research, I found this great product. Schreiners Herbal Solution. After reading about the herbs that it contains, and the process in which it works, I decided to give it a try. Now, I didn't start treating with it until the antibiotics were finished. Initially I used Horseman's Dream Vet Cream, to keep it soft and covered. Here is the website if you are interested.
http://www.schreiners.com/FARM_SITE/Farm_testimonials.php

Tomorrow it will be six weeks post injury. I decided that because of his attitude and how well he is healing, he would be ok for a ride. Nothing big, just a few times around the arena. We rode about 25-30 minutes. This isn't the first ride, I have been on him twice before, once bareback and once with a saddle, but nothing but walking, 5 minutes each time.
I do not have a picture of his leg from today, but I will get one the next time I am out. I do, however, have one from a few (almost 3) weeks ago.
Here is a video from today, there is minimal swelling just below his right hock (where the actual injury is).

LazyRedHorse 15 Mar 2012 9:05 AM (13 years ago)

This week the BRH has been asked to increase his efforts. We have done long hacks, short hacks and Tuesday a little of arena jumping. I haven't made any jumps yet. The barn that we are at is strictly western pleasure and barrel racing. We fit in well. I scanned the barn and surrounding areas and found a few buckets and rails. I made a skinny...which is a new meaning of "skinny" and threw in the mounting block just for the heck of it.
At first I think Olly was just happy to be jumping, but then got bored...quickly. He was basically just trotting over the cavaletti-esk jumps I made. I did add a few ground rails at the far end of the arena.
I have it on video. I didn't set the video to music this time, only because the commentary is slightly hilarious. Sometimes I forget there is a camera rolling.



It was a short ride, just because I didn't want to tire him out too much and we had done quite a bit of riding over the past week.

Yesterday, we went out for another hack. Nothing too much. I think it topped out at like 3-4 miles. We trotted some good lengths in the fields and did one nice controlled canter. Mostly walking enjoying the 81* weather. That's right 81*!!!! I can only hope and pray that the weather stays nice. **fingers crossed**

Today, depending on the weather, thunderstorms starting at 5p, may have the day off. I think he deserves a good break. His last day off was Friday.

Back in Action 13 Mar 2012 11:15 AM (13 years ago)

I have been waiting for you 11March!!! One addtional hour to go riding. I dislike winter and every thing it stands for. Not one thing is good about it. The sun is setting later and the weather is showing signs of possibly staying warm. I'm happy.
The first warm day was a little over a week ago. I dicided to skip riding and give the BRH a bath.

Then it was on to conquor his tail. I love his tail and have had sleepless nights over the bundle of protein that looks like a rats nest. Over the past few months I have dumped conditioner on it and wrapped it until the weather was warm enough for me to fully brush every strand. For the record, I don't think the poor conditioning attempts helped at all.




The following weekend the weather dropped into the 30's* and the wind was terrible. We decided to pass on the riding in open, hurricane force winds, corn fields. Last week was the first of somewhat consistant days above 45*. We took a few short rides, just becasue the daylight was limited.


Thursday was the first day of asking the BRH to put in some effort. I timed the trotting sets and asked him to hold his form for longer than he was willing to offer. The fun thing about riding in the corn/bean fields is the distractions. Olly is easily distracted. This gives us both practice on focusing and I find that we don't get bored as easy. Win, win. We continue on at a good working trot, focusing and I start to feel him engage his hind end and round his back. I release my little finger off one of the reins and scratch his withers and tell him good boy. I then realize that he only held it for a few strides. I turn around and see that he was pooping and not *really* engaging his hind end like I would have hoped. FAIL--I was still encouraging. 


Friday knew that Olly would be slightly sore from pushing him a bit the day before so I went out (with Grandma Gracie in tow) to brush and love on him. I also did a few carrot stretches just for the heck of it. I go out in the paddock and bring him to the hitching post. As we all know, the BRH does bow. Not that difficult of a trick to teach, BUT what I found interesting/hilarious was Olly started to bow to beg for the carrots. I wish I could have gotten THAT on video or even a picture. Of course when I went to recreate the incident, it didn't happen.

Saturday morning I decided that we would go out for a nice long hack. There is so much to explore out here with all this open land. Shana (the BO) did inform me that to the east the farmers are cool if you ride in the fields, but to the west it's a no-go. Fair enough--to the east we go!! It was a bit chillier out. I had a hoodie and my Carhart, which at one point I may of been a mistake. The trotting sets were working me too, but after we broke to a walk I was thankful I had it. We walked along side the road and any path that went through the fields. We did only one canter set, just because I could feel his fatigue from the trotting sets.
Of course, when we turned around to head back in the direction of the barn his walking pace almost double than on the way out.

At the last field, the one we were doing trotting sets in a few days before, Olly was on a loose rein, he took it upon him self to cross into the field and increase his pace. I thought it was so cute. "Mom, can we breeze the last few yards?? Huh? Huh? Huh?"I gathered the reins and let him breeze along, I did make sure to not let him go and push himself, even though I know that is what he wanted. When we got back to the barn he was so tired he just stood there and enjoyed all the brushing and loving.

Sunday we went around the block. Now normally "going around the block" isn't that really that big of a deal, but here a bundle of 200 acre corn fields make up a block. All we did was walk. Yes. The entire time. Just puttin' some miles on. It was relaxing. I could tell Olly was feeling it from the six miles we had done the day before, but he was happy to go out and see new things. We decided to go west, since we would only be walking. It was nice to just feel him under me walking and relaxing. We talked, and by 'we' I mean ME. The BRH is a good listener. As we're just tinkering along, the BRH stops dead in his tracks. Now, a few years ago this would have been a 10ft lateral jump along with a spin and possibly a 10 yard dart in the other direction, but the BRH today has learned that a simple "WTF" will suffice.
*side note* a few years back I read in a magazine (Equus, I think) where this dressage rider taught her horse to freeze instead of bolt. This is where I got the idea from. The BRH was a bolter. Apparently he was chased by lions when he lived in the African Safari many moons ago. Back to the magazine--She talked about being very observant of your surroundings and trying to spot the 'hazards' before your horse does, then prepare. In the begining I felt like that was all I did was ride defensively. But after a few months I noticed that the bolting turned into just jumping sideways, then the jumping lessened to just freezing in place with your front feet out like a giraffe and now most of the time he just freezes and watches until he's comfortable or I say go. Which ever comes first. NOW, this isn't always the case...the camels got the best of the BRH not so long ago.
Why did the BRH freeze on the hack around the block?


A Three Hour Tour.... 5 Feb 2012 3:59 PM (13 years ago)

This morning when I got up the temperature was like 30*. And since we did some jumping yesterday, I thought, maybe the BRH would appreciate the day off. Well, I walked outside to let Benni out and it was wayyyy warmer than I had thought. I think my phone didn't upload the weather recently. I ran back in the house and threw all the stuff I had pulled out of the fridge to make my lunches for the week, back and grabbed the first pair of jeans I could get my hands on and was out the door. I had said yesterday that we were going to work on dressage, so I dug out the dressage pad and saddle, along with his dressage bridle (loose ring french link) and got started.

It was really nice out, I had on two shirts, standard Indiana attire, and a hoodie. Yesterday I had on two shirts, a hoodie, my Carhart, jeans and thermal breeches. Today, two shirts and a hoodie...well, and jeans of course.
Indiana weather has a mind of it's own. In the winter it is freaking cold and snowy. We are just about an hour east of Lake Mighigan and about an hour and 45 minutes from the Ohio line. I live about fifteen minutes from the Michigan line. Easier said-I live 10 minutes from Notre Dame. In the summer it's hot and humid. Winter starts in Oct and ends in April or May. I hate winter. And my birthday is in the winter...

So, it was nice out and I thought instead of riding in the arena we would head out for a decent hack. Olly loves to go out on hacks, and this was the best day to do it. We started out going our normal way. We trotted down the field where our xc logs are and turned down the first side road. All down this road there are farms with horses. Olly neighs at every farm to see if anyone will answer. None of them usually do, they are just content to be fat and eating their grass. There is, however, one paint that always comes to the fence. He never causes a problem, I think he is just curious.

Normally, when we get to the end of the road we turn right (this takes us to the camels). Today, we turned left. As much as I dislike being back in Indiana, I have to admit that it is pretty out here in the country. Flat, but pretty. As we were walking I made mental notes of all the cool places to work on endurance. Whenever we found a lane or something we wanted to explore, we went. I kept an eye out for No Trespassing signs. We would retrace back and continue on down the road. My plan was to go around the block. Next side road turn and that should take us back in the direction of the barn. Well, little did I know we would be on the longest hack in Indiana to date.

Pffffttttttt!!! Who's Out of Shape??!! 1 Jan 2012 3:48 PM (13 years ago)

I set out on a mission today. I packed my camera up and my Carhart and headed out. Olly has been showing me that he has remembered a lot more than I had expected. Today, we were going to be working on transitions and simple changes. I wanted to do some exercises with ground rails, but I didn't have any.

We started out doing light arena work. Walking and trotting in both directions and a few laps cantering, just to warm up. The plan was to be as informational on the video for Maddie, my friend with the OTTB, in VA. After warming up, I started with a working trot. It was time to start working on collection. He was going to have to really work at it, since he hasn't worked those muscles in quite some time. In the videos you will see that he is trying, but can only hold a half way decent form for short periods. It will improve the more we ride. I'm not really worried about it just because it is the lack of muscle. It will develop in time.

Here are two books that are a must have:


The first video is mainly transitions. We did up and down transitions. For the last few rides I have been noticing little things that need fine tuning. I know it's difficult holding his form. While doing some of the trotting I really had to keep my hands still and good contact with the bit. I also had to keep my legs on him to encourage impulsion, I think he just needed the extra help. I also noticed that I was lacking on the outside rein. I know it has been a bit since we were consistently riding, and I know that outside rein is important, but I didn't remember how important it was to him. As I watched the video, I did see how loopy my reins were. Fail. That is why I like doing work and recording, so I can see what I am doing wrong. I set up a few angles to video from.

Note to Maddie:
     Things to watch for-in my riding and also yours:
           * keep your hands still
           * keep contact with the bit-no loopy reins
           * no posting ( that goes for up or down transitions) unless the gait you are going to stay in is a trot
           * keep you heels down and legs still NO BUMPING HER SIDES
           * maintain same tempo
           * remember diagonals
           * don't be afraid to fail. just try again
           * have fun and don't get frustrated



The most difficult for me to accomplish out of the above list are loopy reins and bit contact. With out those you lose your horse. You can see in the video him falter when my reins go to shit. Oh and don't forget the bend. Bend is the curve of your horse's body when turning . I think of it as one minute past 12 noon (like on a clock).

In the last part of the video we do a simple lead change. Right to left. His body enters the diagonal slightly bend to the right, we break to a trot remain straight and then bend to the left for the lead change. Now, in reality, he should be bent to turn, be straight for the entire change then bend to the left to change direction. We are not perfect, but it's a start.

The next video is more on lead changes. The BRH had a few issues with anticipating my next move. Of course, he was right 99% of the time, but that does not make it acceptable for him to do. We had to do a little corrective training, which is on the video. I had to use a lot more leg and even get the lunge whip out to help hold him. He dropped his shoulder, which may have been an outside rein issue. My bad.



After the arena work Olly still seemed to have some energy. I decided a short hack would be a good reward for such a good ride. We went to the nearest downed corn field, where we usually breeze the length. I was scanning and noticed that in the middle of this field there used to be a tree line. Now, all it is is huge logs and stumps....**idea** I bet I could jump that shit.  We trotted across the field to check it out. I found a few logs that would be perfect to try out.

Good Memory 29 Dec 2011 9:49 AM (13 years ago)

I went out to ride Olly yesterday. It was finally sunny. I dug out his French link D-ring. the plan was to do some transitions and maybe lead changes if he was cooperating. the elevator is good for brakes, but no so good for bending. I also made sure to grab his open front boots and bells.

I have kind of let the BRH just get used to me being on him again over the past few rides. Just some long hacks and a a few breezes in the downed corn fields. He seems to be telling me that he isn't as out of shape as I think. Last weekend we went on a 4.5 mile hack and although he was ready to go home, he could have gone further.
Since he has showed me he wants to work and is willing to put all of his BRH effort into our rides already, we did arena work.
We stared out with just warming up at a walk. A few laps each direction and then did medium size circles at each corner. Olly was less than thrilled with this. I could see and feel how bored he was. I gathered up the reins and said "trot-trot!" He instantly picked up a trot. I know that his muscle tone is almost nothing after being off for almost a year, so I made sure to give him breaks. We trotted around the arena until he would give me his head and hold it for a few strides. It felt so good to feel his hind end reach under and him flex his back. After twice around the arena I started doing the circles at each corner. He had to focus more. He was moving at a fast speed and I was making him use himself more. He did well. We reversed. His right was a bit more sloppy than his left, but that is normal to have to work harder on the right side for him. We focused on the little things. Bending, but not over bending. Clean, round circles and an even steady pace. The only thing he had issues with was holding his collection for more than a half of a lap, which I am totally ok with.
The next step was cantering. Normally, I would have waited, but he was doing so well. I gave him a few turns around the arena to recover from the trotting circles. He wanted to slow his pace and look around, which is ok, but now is time to work. I pushed him into a good swinging walk on a long rein.
After our recover laps, I  gathered the reins and asked him for a canter. He felt like he was going to pick it up from a walk, but he dropped to his forhand and broke. I know at certain times that you need to transition from a trot to a canter, but I wanted to see if he would collect enough to go from a walk to a canter. We tried it a few more times. His focus was slipping. He was noticing more things, like the hunter walking in the field and the wind blowing the trees and bushes. I stopped in the middle of the arena and picked up a short lunge whip, it hardly had a tail. I hopped back on and carried it on my left side (to aide the right). Just by having it I could feel his back shorten and his hind end start working more efficently.
Since I have attended the Lucinda Green clinic in 2010, I have carried a crop or a whip. Just by having it does wonders.
I had the whip on my left side, just in front of my knee. I let him do one lap of a free walk, just so he knew that I wasn't using the whip as a punishment. I gathered the reins again, made sure he was slightly bent to the right, left heel and pushed him into his right lead. He held the collection for a few strides and then I felt him starting to fall on his shoulder again. I instantly squeezed and bent him into a circle. We circled a tidge larger than a medium, but it helped him control his speed and push under himself at the same time. We continued around the arena and at the next corner we turned to the diagonal. I had to use a lot of leg almost exaggerating my aids to help him. We prepared for the simple change. I broke him to a trot and asked for the left lead. It took more than two strides for him to pick up a canter, but he did get the correct lead. However, he dropped his shoulder when he turned. No Bueno. We repeated the drill a few more times. I alternated leads and corners just so he wouldn't anticipate. By the time we had completed about 5 more tries, he was knocking out the leads almost perfect. I had given him a few breaks in between, just to make sure he wasn't over working his muscles, or lack of muscles. I was completely satisfied with his effort and output. He gave 100% .

This weekend I will be taking my camera and doing a transition video for my Ft. Eustis horsey friend Maddi. She has a nine year old OTTB named Robelina, that she is wanting to jump with. Robbi has been out to pasture for quite some time and is needing some extra work.

Merry Chirstmas From the BigRedHorse 25 Dec 2011 4:03 PM (13 years ago)

Merry Christmas! Today I went out to see Olly. Normally, I take him an apple or some carrots. Today I took him a candy cane. I walked up to the fence and called "hey BRH!!" He neighed and started towards me. I met him in the middle of the paddock. I put his halter on, took a few pictures and gave him his candy cane, which by the way he refused to eat. "Mom, how am I suppose to get into shape when you're feeding me candy canes??!!"

I was totally not dressed to ride. I just wanted to give him a hug. I had UGGs and legwarmers on, but decided to throw the lead rope over his neck and swing on. There is a small arena where I board him. It's slightly larger than a round pen. I could do like MAYBE two jumps in it, but that would be tight.

I hopped on and walked a few laps both ways. Trot. At first he had a nice easy to sit trot. We went both directions. After a few laps it started getting faster, he wanted to go. good time to work on the sitting trot, I let him go at his pace. I brought him back down to a walk and gathered him up, as much as you can in a halter and lead, and asked for a canter. It took two strides to get there, but after not being ridden for so long, I let it go. We cantered around one lap and I brought him to a walk to reverse.
To the left was even better, but that is expected...he is left handed like his mom. I brought him to a trot for a lap, broke to a walk and picked up the right lead. After two laps I thought simple change in the middle. Now, this arena is small. No, SMALL. As big as his stride is he will only have say three strides to make the change. I was trying it anyway. We were on the right lead, turned diagonally and broke to a trot for the simple change. I sat three strides and cued for the left. Boom. Left lead and we're done. I was thrilled!! I let him canter on for a few strides and let him walk. Next thought? Yup, flying change.
This time, I gathered the, well, reins or lead and asked him to use his back a bit. He understood what I was asking, but the effort was minimal when riding bareback with a halter. I decided to set him up for success and asked for the right lead. He changes to the left easier. One lap around to the right and I turned. I changed his bend and one stride before we needed to change he picked up his left shoulder, changed and continued on his left lead. I was so ecstatic!!! I gave him lots of pats and hugs. He's not as rusty as I thought. I only rode for a like 15-20 minutes and ended on that good note. I hopped off and let him eat some grass. Tomorrow i don't have to work, we will be doing some more arena work and then a good hack. I need to find some small little logs to pop over.

Reunited. 4 Dec 2011 1:59 PM (13 years ago)

As you know, the BigRedHorse and I have been separated for almost a year now. I recently moved him to my hometown in Indiana. There was good reason for this. I have relocated. I made it to town late Saturday (26Nov) night and went to visit my BRH the next morning. I was unable to ride him BC it was FREAKING FREEZING outside and rainy.

I did return a few days later to climb aboard the fire breathing dragon.  I searched for all the tack that has been packed away and remember all the good times that was associated with it. I knew that this would be a short ride BC of how out of shape he would be, but I didn't care. To feel him under me would for just a few minutes would be all worth it.

I decided it would be wise to use the elevator since it would be his first ride with me in almost a year. I would probably need some brakes.

I took my time brushing and saddling him. It was like I had never left. He was behaved and polite. He enjoyed the rub down. I made a mental note to buzz the mane off ASAP. As I was finishing brushing him I inspected his tail. For those of you who know me and my tail fetishes--you may want to sit down. I knew and prepared myself for a tangled mess, what I didn't prepare myself for is a knotted rats nest.

I almost fell over and had a heart attack. My artwork that I had worked so hard on for years to grow out and bang. The beautiful glossy tail that was a masterpiece was now a bundled, knotted ball of protein. I slowly backed away and tried not to look back. I will be investing in some sort of lubricant (WD40, I was advised) to fix this problem on the next half-way decent warm day.

After I got over the mess we will refer to as "the embarrassment" I put his bridle on and attempted to get on. I say attempted BC the BRH seem to have forgotten that we stand still for mom to get on. No worries....he was quickly reminded.

I was prepared. I fully expected him to be the fire breathing dragon with bucking on the first ride. To my surprise he wasn't. We walked and talked about the past year, filling in the blanks. It felt great to feel his feet move under me, I could feel his muscles work. I could feel his back engage and disengage. I could definitely tell he was out of shape, but Olly seemed to think otherwise. It was almost like he wanted to pick up where we had left off. I could feel the want.
 
I asked him for a trot. He picked it up with ease, but easily fell out of form. I didn't worry about it, I was just happy to be near him again. We trotted for about a 100 yards before the BRH started to snort and cough. And I realized that my posting was a bit tiring too.We broke to a walk. I let him recover, which was a lot faster than I had expected. I didn't have my GPS with me, but I will be charging it. We have a lot of work to do. After recovering I wanted to see how the canter was. The que's were a bit rusty, but he did get the correct lead. It only took about 5 strides before he was pulling on the bit. I resisted to let him go. We were on a safe sandy drive, but the first ride in almost a year, not the smartest thing. I was however, completely surprised that he didn't buck what-so-ever. I whoa-ed him to a walk and we turned around to head back.

Looking down the lane on the way home he started to get excited. Ears perked and feet barely touching the ground. I kept telling him he would be sore tomorrow if he didn't relax, but he wouldn't listen. I let him do another canter set, recover and then a trot set. He seemed content as did I. It was great to be with him again.
We made it back to the barn. Our ride was only about 20 minutes, but I didn't want to push too much. It was more about being with him, than actually doing anything. I think I spent longer brushing him and talking to him than I did riding him. I missed him more than I even realized.

Giving Thanks 24 Nov 2011 11:08 AM (13 years ago)

Last Thanksgiving I was forced to deal with THE biggest decision of my life. My marriage, or the lack thereof. It has been one year today that I have been separated from my soon-to-be-ex-husband. I can't even start to explain all that I have gone through. No one reading this has the time. All I can say is that it was not his decision, it was mine and he made that completely understood through his behavior. I have lost just about everything that I love and although this isn't the end, I still have a lot to be thankful for.

I am thankful first and foremost, that God never left my side, even when it felt like I couldn't carry on.

I am thankful for my boys. They are now in Hawaii (as of 26Aug) with their father, but I talk to them almost everyday and I miss and love them with every ache and beat of my heart.

I am thankful for my BRH. We have been apart almost a year and I can't wait to hug the ever loving crap out of him the next time I see him.

I am thankful for all my friends and family that have been my support system and have witnessed me at my utmost worst--and they are still my friends. Family, you have no choice.....
Lastly, I am thankful for my life. There were days when I really did believe that it was limited.
No matter the past, what was said or done and the future, I am truly thankful for all that I have experience and the people that experienced it with me. I have been tested and tried and am still the person I have been, just a little stronger and maybe a little less tolerant. I am thankful for all of it.

Heyyyyyyy BRH!!!!!!! 8 Nov 2011 4:00 PM (13 years ago)

I am so excited about this that I have no introduction, I just have to say it! The BRH is in my home town, so all I have to do is go visit and I get to see him. I get to ride him. I'm one more step closer to having him near me. My mom was so gracious as to go see him and take pictures of him. Now, remember that he has been to pasture for almost a year. That's right, it's been almost a year. Scary.

The first thing I thought when I saw the text come in was HOLY SHIT LOOK AT THAT MANE!!!! Then, I said WHO CARE'S!!?? That's my BRH!!!
I miss him so much and right now he would do me some good. Funny how all the things in my life that mean anything to me are male. Now, that is scary. I have decided to purposely ignore the little "male" tid-bit and move on.
After blinking away the tears, I start to evaluate what his condition is. Not like "bad" condition, like "outta shape" condition. He has lost a years worth of muscle.
When I took him to his temporary home he was a fit as he ever was, jumped as high as he ever did and was a sound (mentally, that is) as he ever was. I'm curious to see how he is. He is a TB ya, know. According to my mom, he's doing quite well. She even had a teary-eyed melt down. That's the kind of effect the BRH has on people. You can't help but love him.

I hope to have some pictures of him soon that I have taken. Ill keep y'all updated.

Playing Jockey 12 Jun 2011 4:42 PM (13 years ago)

So, since I don't really have the BigRedHorse to write about, I thought I would write about my horsey experiences while he is away.
I was at work one Saturday and was on Craigslist-go figure-looking for inexpensive places to board the BRH. While scrolling I saw an ad for an exercise rider. I instantly emailed the lady. I had experience riding, but how do you prove that? Well, YouTube and blogspot.com. I attached my blog site and my channel on YouTube. Not in my wildest dreams did I think the BRH would land me a paying position to ride. YES. I GOT PAID TO RIDE. It still shocks me. Anyway, The next morning Leanne emailed me and asked if I could come interview. Hell, yes! I drove to her house and found 7 race horses in her back yard. She has a 3/8mile sand track running through her woods. This is cool. The first horse I rode was the pony horse, appropriately named, Pony. It was the first time I had ridden in a racing saddle. It's like, just sturrips. That's it. I kept thinking that there was a reason that this chick had me come out and a stinking saddle wasn't going to get in the way of me getting this job. She kind of looked at me like I was crazy when I started posting. Well what do you expect from an eventer? She's lucky I wasn't rocking a sitting trot. We picked up a canter and here I am half sitting in the saddle. GET OFF HIS BACK! Ok! Ok! Sheesh. I wasn't getting this job. I watched everything she did. Forget two point. My sturrips were shorter than any cross country rider would have. When I got out of the saddle, my knees were well above the knees rolls, or where the knee rolls should have been. I felt top heavy, forward. Not what the practicing dressage ridier is used to. My mind couldn't help but think of all the bad things that could happen at a damn-near gallop riding so far forward. These horses don't really canter. The gallop slow, but don't canter. Upper body forward,  arms low and still, ass in the air and rocked back for balance and for Pete's sake HEELS DOWN. I pushed all my weight, as far as I could, into those heels. After a few laps-and remember I am still on the Pony-I knew I had a new respect for jockeys.
Next, time for a real race horse. I'm not going to lie...I was nervous, but the false confidence that I always exude was there. Leanne grabs my left leg and slings my silly butt up on Red. He was calm and not cooky like the ones you see on tv. She explains to me how as soon as you are on the horse you need to be "tied-on." Ok, the last ting I want is to be "tied-on" to a race horse. To her tied-on is ready to go. Reins, sturrips and ride on. I called out "tied-on!" She unclips his bridle from the lead and says make 3 turns at a progessive pace. Ok. I got this! One turn (lap) at a "canter" and pick up the pace each turn ending in a steady gallop. Well, I soon found out Red makes his first turn slow and steady and then the rest of the turns you can piss off. He has his own plans. I thought to myself, I better not have a horse run away from me. And then a split second later rationalized with, all I have to do is stay on and keep myself in control. See the biggest thing I learned is that these race horses don't give a crap about what you want. They want to go. It's all a mind game. They don't whoa, they don't leg yield and they sure don't rein well. How do you control them then? Well you kinda have to think what you want them to do. And they actually do it. True Story. You will lose if you try to muscle them. Needless to say, I made the three turns, at the correct pace, while staying on and loved it.

The Race Horses:

Red

Red is a 6 year old TB gelding. I would say he is about 15.2-3 and has absolutely no markings what so ever. He is, well, Red. He is well into racing. He knows what he is suppose to do when he is out and doesn't have time for the little stuff. He was the first "racer" she (Leanne) let me ride. He pulls a bit, but is manageable. He makes his first turn at a slow pace and then the mind games start to keep him controlled throughout the rest of the ride. I give him 8 out of 10.

Woody

Woody is a four year old gelding who reminds me of the buzzard on the Saturday morning cartoons. Not a care in the world. I don't think he really gets the racing yet. He is like a 3 year old child, he needs lots of encouragement and a crop. I wondered at first if he would even race, but as I started riding him everyday I realzied that he really needed to trust me. Once we trusted each other (after about a week) he picked up the pace and I think he will do well. Plus, I think he will do better at the longer races, not the sprinting type races.

Curly

Curly is a four year old gelding who is smooth as butter. He is gorgous and despite his smaller size is a power house. The first time I rode him we did three turns-one mile-and after the second turn when we picked up the pace, he started having breathing issues. He was sucking wind and couldn't fix it. Leanne ended up having to tie his tounge to fix the problem.

Herc

Oh, Herc. Herc is the 16.1-2 four year old stud that threw me the first day I rode him. The stories I have of this horse. He is massive, gorgous and re-freaking-diculous!! He reminds me of a frat boy that is girl crazy. He can focus for short periods of time and needs constant attention to remind him what he is here to do...just like a frat boy.  He is always ponied for a few laps first because he is just that silly. After 2-3 laps Leanne says get tied on. I push a bucket up to him and get ready to get on. Now, remember I have never ridden a stud before, but I have riddin young horses. I applied all I knew. I lifted my leg and slide my foot into the iron. I was trying to move fast, but slow. Ya, know how you move with the young horses...I put all my weight into my hand on the pommel and made sure I had the reins and lowered myself into the saddle. Well, I should say I lowered myself onto the pommel where my hand was becasue this dude flipped. He reared, then bucked, then reared (this is where I attempted a lame dismount off the right side). He continued to repeat his pattern while I scuttled my silly self out of the way on my ass. I am just not good a sitting bucking. Rearing I can do, but bucking just sucks. I stand up nd instantly feel that my knee is going to be an issue. How did I know? Well, it didn't work. lol I hobbled to the bucket while Leanne took Herc for a few more turns. I did a little self-talk because I knew as soon as she rounded the corner it was round two and got my mind together. Accept it. You will probably get dumped again. After a few deep breaths, I told my self I'll be damned if this horse dumps me again, today or anyother day. I sang a few lines to a Taylor Swift song and she rounded the corner. "Ready?!" She called out. In my mind I pictured the scene in Ice Age, where Sid the sloth decideds that he is going to take the caveman baby back to his "herd" himself. He then looks up at the huge wall of rock he will have to tackle and mumbles "I'm gonna die...." That's basically how I felt. I was gonna do it, but in my mind I thought I was gonna die lol. So I walk over to this horse that now looks even bigger and step up on the bucket and repeat the same steps I did not 5 minutes ago. He bunny hopped and I instantly kicked the shit outta his ass to move him forward and told him to get up in the most angry voice I could, which was easy because I was kinda pissy. Leanne made a good judgement call by still keeping the pony. We rode three turns and by the time we were done, Herc was calm-er and my knuckles were white from grabbing mane. My knee didn't hurt it just felt like rubber. Like my tendons and ligaments were stretched to the max. The pain would set in this evening.
The next day, I dreaded riding Herc, because I knew that it was going to be a repeat of yesterday. The funny thing is this horse has raced before! And this is his behavior. We did the normal 2-3 turns with the pony horse and I got on. No rearing or bucking. Better than yesterday. We did 2 turns with the pony horse and Leanne said tied on? I said yup! Here we go! We galloped 3 strides and this big ass grabbed the bit, tucked his head and bucked like he was a bull in the PBR. What seemed like 5 minutes of bucking was only about 100 yards. Honestly, I have no idea how I stayed on. I had my left hand on the reins my right hand *trying* to grab the reins to help pull his head up and my feet and legs were so far forward my knees were strainght and across his shoulders. I felt like I was in the rodeo. BUT I stayed on! And that is all that mattered. I won. As soon as I got him stopped I bitched him out (verbally) and got the hell off. I needed to get my adrenaline back to normal levels. As I fixed the saddle-which the cantle was almost to his withers-my hands were shaking. I then started singing again. Saddle fixed-me back on. This is our entire relationship. After a week the bucking stopped. But I still rode defensively.

Sierra

Sierra is a four year old TB mare. She is crazy. This chic will do what ever she wants when ever she wants...at a gallop, with no warning. She spooks at things that are not there and flips out at stuff that is there. She weaves on the track and changes leads at the wrong time. She is spindle-y and choppy. BUT I like her. She is my favorite. The first time I rode her we went one turn and as we were making our second, she decided to jump the ditch and try to turn around-at a gallop. This is something trainers frown upon. I had Leanne get the crop. Next time she would get a spanking. That was the only time that she tried this stunt. I think the crop helped, but the biggest thing is that I switch techniques with each horse. 7 horses, 7 different rides.

Penny

Penny is damn near a pony. She's a twin. She is fast and all business. All you have to do is hold on. She isn't spooky and she knows what to do and how to do it. She is Red's full sister. She has no markings just like him. It is hard for me to ride her being so tall. When we gallop I am almost at her ears, which is kinda good because Penny knows english well. You can ride her just by talking to her. I really think she talks after we leave. And I think I throw off her balance. I have to accomodate her leads with my weight around the turns.

Lucy

Lucy is the one I will be putting my money on for sure. She is more than just business. She is the horse you see on tv. Get on and go. No games. No waiting to get your thoughts together, just go. I didn't get to ride her until three weeks in and I totally understand why. This chic is tough. Background: we don't run the horses all out...but that is all the horses want to do. How do you meet in the middle? Well it's different for each horse, some don't mind working slower (Woody, Curly, Herc) others want to go but will let you rationalize with them (Penny, Red, Sierra). Then there's Lucy. She takes the first turn like a western pleasure rocking horse. Once she see's the begining of the new turn it's piss off. It takes all I have to hold her. I prepare for her speed increase on turn two, at turn one. It's all mental. I sit still and literally think about how she will be steady and collected. It works most of the time. She is a hang on and let her do her job type of gal.


So those are all the horses I have ridden in the past couple months. I have gained alot of muscle and knowledge.

I went to the track Wednesday after work to watch Red race his first race this season. I missed the race by 2 minutes, but when I walked in, I looked up and saw him in the winners circle. That was a great feeling. Next race is Wednesday. I'm hustling from work-in my dress, heels and hat this time ;) to watch Penny, Hurc and Lucy run. Can't.Wait.

Oh, and I wanted to add a picture of a future jockey....

Long time no blog..... 4 Jun 2011 9:20 AM (13 years ago)

Yes!! I am still alive and so is the BRH.
First a life update...don't worry I'll make it quick. I just recently moved out of my friends house and have my own apartment, in a not so prominent neighborhood. But it IS home and I pay for it with my own paycheck. I also have bought my own car, again it's not my 2009 Dodge Ram, but it feels good to have MY own things. I will take it!! I still am waiting on the custody of my boys. One more month. I see them all the time, but it's not the same. I want them ALL the time. I picked up a second job, which most of you know about, riding/training race horses. They run locally here in Williamsburg, Va. The first night I rode, I got thrown by a 4yo stud. He's huge and likes to buck and rear. Classic. I had never ridden a stud before so this was a new experience to me. Can you say defensive riding anyone?? After three weeks of swelling/pain in my knee from the fall I got x-rays...nothing, just sprained. I was advised to not ride--yeah--right. My knee is still sore occasionally, but you know how that goes.

Sierra is my favorite. She is unpredictable and fast. You always have to be on your guard and ride her like you stole her. Her heart is in the game, I think one day she would be a great show jumper, but for now she races. I am hoping that by the time her racing career is over I will be able to afford her. That is how much I like her.

I love riding the horses. Just one more thing to add to my list of disciplines.
Barrel Racing
Jumping
Eventing
Reining
Polo
Racing
SWEET!

Now to the part y'all want to hear the BRH!!!
He is still in Indiana, I am hoping to make plans soon to get him here. Money is always the issue. He lost his boyfriend about a month ago due to a bad bacterial infection from stepping on a nail. I don't know the details, but the nail ended up penetrating the bone and just got worse from there. Kelsey was devastated and went home to visit. I stayed. She did ride the bucking-yes, that's right, bucking-BRH. He is huge and sassy. We found out that he doesn't necessarily befriend all theses horses he is attached to. He more like bully's them. YES! Can you believe it? The loving, sweet, caring BRH. Chris, Kelsey's mom, has to fend him off with a broom when he is in the stall. I think the BRH needs an ass whoopin'. Here is the BigRedHorse fat and happy.

The ColdFatHorse 5 Feb 2011 10:19 PM (14 years ago)

This just in...a BigRedHorse update. The huge Midwest Blizzard seem to have missed the BRH. He is the luckiest horse in the world. My Mom lives just three hours north of where he is being kept and shoveled 18" of snow in one day. The temp were in the negatives. FAIL.

The same day we were enjoying 69* temps. I'd like to day I wasn't rubbing it in, but I'd kinda be lying. Don't worry the very next day it was a high of 38*, God keeps my cockiness in check....



I miss my BigRedHorse so much. I keep watching and re-watching our videos on YouTube thinking of how much fun it will be to work on our fitness when we reuinte. You know I am gonna be out of shape too.
I went with a friend to her barn last weekend to ride her horse. He is a great all around, dead broke Arab that anyone can ride. I made a few rounds and let the boys ride too. We ended up working with another pony at the barn, which I swear is a Halflingr, but she said he is a Corolla pony. She said he was removed from his herd becasue he was too fiendly and it was causing problems with him and innocent bystanders lol. She has been working with him doing ground work and hadn't been on his back. What time better, than the present? Get on!!! We saddled him up and threw a rope halter on him and started lunging. A few times around each way. He is still rusty. He's four and very immature. After he was calm she hopped on. NOTHING. Good boy!!!!


I lead and she sat. Just walking of course. He did great. My boys were playing on a nearby playground and it didn't even phase him. He has pretty good conformation, not excellent, but good enough for him to do lower level Dressage and maybe even some jumping. I wish I were smaller so I could work with him and show him. He has such a great attitude. Now, mind you, he is a pony, so I expect a bit of attitude surfacing at some point. Saturday, the attitude was surpressed, I suspect mainly to confusion. WTH is this person doing on my back?? Wait until we actually ask him to work. Hehehe. I can't wait.

It was nice to be around horses again. It made me happy to see them, smell them ,and touch them. It's in my blood. BUT nothing will fill the void of my BigRedHorse.
I leave March 28th. I won't be able to see my boy before I leave for six months. I do, however, intend on bringing him wherever I am A.S.A.P. I just want to hug him.

The ColdRedHorse 26 Dec 2010 6:38 AM (14 years ago)

You all know of the life fail, well here comes some more. Tuesday morning we got up early to head out to the BigRedHorse's new temporary home. Kelsey's mom has been so gracious to let him hang out with her gang for a few months. It was a nice, long, COLD 12 hour drive. We stopped half way at the Tamarack to get the boys out and walk around. Talk about getting looks. Who sees two huge horses walking around a truck stop parking lot. Ben toughed it out with no blanket and shipping boots. Olly had shipping boots too, only problem, when mom puts the boots on in the dark there is a pretty good chance that one will be put on up-side-down. Whoops. I made the BigRedHorse look retarded. lol. He also had on his winter blanket. We walked and trotted them around to get the blood moving and loaded them back up. Only six more hours to go.
As we drove we watched the temperature drop from 37* (in Va) to 23* (as we crossed the Indiana line). Ugh. I hate winter. We left Va with no snow on the ground and with what we thought were freezing temps. As the sun rose we saw more snow and no sun. Booooo! My boys were loving it. They have been waiting to play in snow (more than a few inches) all winter. The had their winter coats and grandma had boots and gloves waiting for them.
As we pull into Kelsey's my heart got lower and lower in my chest. This is it. This is where he will be staying for MONTHS. My heart was saying ball your eyes out like a little girl, but my mind said, suck it up, you have things to do.I pushed off my feelings for the moment to get the kids handled and all our stuff unloaded.
As Olly stepped off the trailer he was shivering. This didn't look good. Ben was glad to be home. Olly was glad to see new horsey friends. I turned him out and he went straight to the middle of the paddock to roll. Once he laid down he instantly jumped up and shook. This white stuff is Freeeeeezing! He trotted around found the HUGE round bale and took a few bites. I gave him hugs and shifted my attention to my boys and getting them in the car for the rest of the ride.
The BigRedHorse has had new experiences while staying at Kelsey's already. He now knows how to use an automatic water-er, thanks to Ben, and is dealing with a pony that isn't so fond of him. See Fast Track's girlfriend, Karma, is in heat and she chose Olly. The problem, Olly is totally not interested in her. Oh, well. He still has Ben. And there is nothing better than a close friend anytime!
I will be heading back that way to say goodbye to my BigRedHorse on Wednesday. And I would be lying if I didn't say I'm not tearing up now. It will be a rough day, but I will make it through. I will see the BigRedHorse again and that is the only thing that makes me ok with doing all this. I would just die if I had to sell my boy. A few months apart....? I will deal and not complain.

Why the Slience?? It's because of a life FAIL. 9 Dec 2010 5:47 PM (14 years ago)

This isn't going to be one of my happiest blogs. honestly, it is one of my saddest.
This summer, while I had the best and most accomplishing times with the BigRedHorse, was one of the biggest fails of my life. My marriage seemed to fall apart. Most of you know that I have three wonderful boys that mean the world to me and the BigRedHorse is just a few steps behind. It all finally fell apart in October. After a long 6 week battle of heart and mind it was made clear that parting ways was the only option. The details are still being worked out, but I am ok with the whole situation.

One detail that has been decided is the BigRedHorse. Now, don't go freaking out. I would never sell my boy. I would sell a kidney on the black market before I would even think that. So, the deal. Olly goes to Indiana to a friends 50 acre farm until I get back from basic and AIT. Then he will go to my duty station. This way I dot have to pay expensive board and rely on a number of people taking care of him. One person, who is incredibly trustworthy and she even owns a mobile spa. He will be in heaven. Fat too.


As for the military, I will be a 68W(MEDDAC) and have no clue where I will be stationed. All that info I will post when I get it. I do know that I will be attending Basic training at Ft. Sill in OK and AIT (advanced individual training) at Ft. Sam Houston in Texas. I leave March 28th 2011.


Any questions? Ask away!!!

Jump the barrel say whaaaa? 7 Nov 2010 4:58 AM (14 years ago)

Today, We set up the pop-up barrels and went for it. I was quite surprised at how well the BigRedHorse owned that barrel pattern. He only trotted it a few times and was already understanding what his job was. And the awesome part, he LOVES it. "Mom, can I just runnnnnn?" I find myself holding him back in between barrels.
Part of me inside is hoping that this isn't going to make him rush, even more, when doing dressage patterns. Olly rushes all the time, but he is getting pretty rushy. I decided to ride him in his boucher because I didn't think I needed much "whoa." For some reason he just doesn't respond well to that bit. He does much better with a D-ring. I don't want to use the D-ring because that is what I use for jumping and I want to keep the bits seperate. Both are french link. I knotted my reins to remind me where to grab the reins (like a 12 year old hehehe) and started out at a trot. He did AMAZING!!!! Now, I may be retarded, but I see it as...if your horse is properly "trained," meaning legs, seat, voice, collection and is trusting, he should be able to get the point. I trot in, say WHOA and bend him. Outside leg on the girth for for a bit of speed and inside leg just behind the girth to push him around. I grab my knot and keep his head and neck bent to curl him around the barrel. My BigRedHorse owned that first barrel. Lather, rinse, repeat on barrels two and three. At a trot we did awesome.

Time to try it at a canter. Again, he owned the first barrel, but the second and third were way toooooo wide. I think my left handed horse may be right handed. I don't have a video of the reverse because Husband decided to put the camera on "sports" setting and took like 300 pictures in addition to 10 videos. But! I can say that my boy did much better to the left first. We switched first barrels. To the left first. On our way to the third, he got a bit confused on which side he was suppose to approach. He ducked as if he were  going to bend it left. I had to give him some guidance, but by the time we got to it the barrel was right on his shoulder. A normal barrel horse would have knocked that shit down or plowed it over, the BigRedHorse on the other hand jumped that MoFo! A barrel is roughly three feet tall. Olly had it in the bag. He jumped that barrel with his front end and swung around with his hind and continued on. That's my jumping barrel horse!! I wish I had THAT on video. By the time out show is here on the 20th, I think Olly will be coordinated enough to run the barrels. I don't anticipate us winning anything, because we are going to be up against some horses that have been doing this all their life (Kelsey and Ben) but I do anticipate a whole bucket full of fun!

Dressage, check. XC, check. Show jumping, check. Barrel racing and roping, ummmmm....check?? 26 Oct 2010 7:51 PM (14 years ago)

Last week Kelsey asked if I would like to accompany her to a barrel racing show to benefit breast cancer. I was like, totally. She did make sure to add that this would be a child free weekend. I would be attending solo, since this was not a BigRedHorse event.
Well, today after returning from work, I was presented with an offer.

Remember when I said that the BigRedHorse was kept on a cow ranch on Oahu? Well, see, I was told that he was roped off of and he wasn't too shabby at it. I am not sure how much I believe this....

So Kelsey says, Pru...I heard that Olly has had some experience with roping and cows. I knew instantly Husband let the cat outta the bag. Since this event is purely for the benefit of breast cancer, I can't really make an arguement. What is $50 for a class? Hardly an arguement. I was cornered. I have no other option but to say yes. So, November 20th the BigRedHorse will be donning a western saddle (borrowed, of course) and we will be attempting a barrel pattern and break away roping. For a cause...remember?
Thursday I will be heading to the nearest Tractor Supply to by a rope. I will be practicing a little. And YES, I will be sure to take the camera. I know none of you want to miss this. Oh, and a little FYI, the last time I was in a western saddle was when I was 21. And for those of you who don't know, that was quite a few years ago. Get ready all, the BigRedHorse is about to get more awesome.

The "little" RedHorse?? 20 Oct 2010 2:54 PM (14 years ago)

Lately, it has taken everything I have had to make it out to see the BigRedHorse. Army stuff, work, kids, husband and just plain life has made it a struggle. I do make a point to at least go out and see him, even if I couldn't ride. I think it's important to spend time with my boy on an eye to nostril level. lol. Today was no exception. Tuesday's and Wednesday's I work 0800-1600. That hardly leaves any Olly time, especially since the sun is setting at like 1820. FAIL. As soon as I make it home, it's kids, cleaning and homework. I hop on the computer for a small break and see that FaceBook says I have a new "messege." I click on the little envelope and see a name I can hardly pronounce. At first I think it's spam, but quickly see it has something to do with a horse. Of course, I had to read it then. By the time I was half way finished reading it, the tears were starting to well up. Kelsey happened to be on the phone to witness it. After hanging up I just sat at the computer looking at the picture that was attached at the end of the messege. Now, the tears were flowing. Some how, some way, Olly's previous owner had found me and attached a picture of a LittleRedHorse nursing on his mama. Don't ask me why, but for some reason this picture just melted me. It made me all the more appreciative of my boy. It made me think of how far we have come together and how much trust we have developed with each other.
After composing myself, I packed up the boys and headed to the barn. I walked right out and grabbed my BigRedHorse and gave him the biggest hug. I brought him into his stall and changed the fly sheet for the rain sheet. It is suppose to be chilly tonight, and this here Va weather ain't like Hawaii. I grained him and gave him extra hay to help stay warm. I stood there and looked at him as he looked at me and said thank you to Hiilei (Olly's previous owner) for making the decision to give him up. Because if she didn't have the strength to move on, I would never have my most favoritest horse in the world. So while wiping the tears away, AGAIN, here is the messege and picture that she sent.

Hi Prudence,

I have been following your blog for the last couple of months after the manager from Kawailoa Ranch sent me the link - who would have thought that my old horse would ever have a blog?
While I never thought that I would be getting in touch with you, I can't help myself after reading the story about how you and Olly 'met.' The whole process of losing him broke my heart. Me - "daughter" - tried to do the best I could in the wake of my mother's death, preparing for my father's death, and trying to make ends meet while in school. On the "playground" I'm sure that I seemed quite careless, but being 25, losing both parents, and having a dwindling bank account will do that to you. I felt overwhelmed with helplessness. As you can tell, it still stings, and I ache when I think of holding that little colt when he was just a couple of days old. It always brings a tear-filled night.

Seeing him so well loved helps, and I don't think that very many people are so lucky to see that chronicled on the internet. I'm happy that despite me, he has a wonderful home.

Please don't feel that you have to respond to this - for some reason, after reading that post of yours, I just felt like I had to say my piece. Even before you, he was dearly dearly loved.

I'm attaching one of his baby pictures, since I think you'd like to have one. There are more, but not already scanned.

Take care of you and your big red horse.

Best,
Hi'ilei

Now, I have to say, I did respond. And I want Hiilei to know that in no way, shape or form, did I ever think that Olly was not loved by her or her family. I have talked to TON'S of people on the Island that told me many of stories about my BigRedHorse and his Oahu adventures and the story always ended with, he is a great horse, or he is such a good boy. So....I just want to say, who ever sent my blog address to Hiilei, THANK YOU.
If at any time anyone has any picture of the BigRedHorse, please share. After all, he is one of the most awesomest horses on the internet.

Who? ME??! US??! 10 Oct 2010 11:17 AM (14 years ago)

Over the past few weeks, I have been hearing that I can give off the impression that I am a powerful, I own everything around me, type attitude. Now, I can't really deny these allegations....but I do want to say that I am a very respectful person. Let me explain.

First, I have no tolerance for bullsh*t. I pay $280 a month (inexpensive for some board) for a crappy, non-safety complying stable. Our arena is never tilled because ODR (outdoor recreation) doesn't seem to think that we need it. We have to mow our own grass and work four hours a month to maintain the stable. On top of all that, we have the lowest/cheapest food possible offered to our horses. I buy my own food and hay to feed Olly in addition to their 10% pellets. Olly even refuses to eat the stable hay after eating the hay I bought.
So, do I walk around the stable like I own it? Hell, yes! I pay monthly, clean and maintain, and make sure my horse is fed properly. I sure do act like I own that place. Now, here is where the line fades. Do I pay and work hard EVERYwhere else? Probably not. Does my attitude carry over to everywhere else...no...maybe...ok, yes.
Today Olly, Ben , Kelsey and I went out riding. We didn't gear up like all the other days. We just wanted to go where ever we wanted...like we owned the whole post.

After our 9 mile ride we went back to the barn and groomed. I love spending time with my BigRedHorse.

Oh, and check out Olly's new halter!! Kelsey found a website that sold Jolly Roger items. How cool is that. Olly has his own Jolly Roger halter!! Can this horse get any cooler? Yeah, he probably will. lol


In the end, I give everyone a fair chance. I try to remain respectful and understanding.

Oh, and an update on my "job" status. I recently got a job at the post veterinary clinic, just until I enlist. (Which, I hear may be Jan or even as late as March.) No worries, I'm still going...it's just a matter of when. In the mean time, I have been doing push-ups, sit-ups and my runs to keep ahead of the game. I should be finding something out from my recruiter here in the next week or two. I will keep you guys updated.

So, I went to the FEI Games.... 9 Oct 2010 2:07 PM (14 years ago)

This past weekend I attended the most amazing thing I have ever seen. Kelsey and I went to the FEI Games in Lexington!!!! Since I couldn't go to the whole thing, I had to pick one day. Now, to me that was almost like trying to pick your favorite child. You just can't. I ended up going with the Cross Country.
We left Friday night after Kelsey got off work. We drove until midnight and stopped for a few hours in a hotel to get some sleep. We got up at 0530, showered and got back on the road to make it to the games by 0730. The total drive was eight hours. Once we got there it was like we were kids in a candy shop. The only thing that sucked was it was 38* out!!

Give me a break!! This was my first experience being around this level of riding. I have to admit, I was a bit overwhelmed. We walked to the ticket line and it all seemed sureal. I'm going to see Hawley Bennet. I'm going to see Karen O'Connor. Mark Todd, Phillip Dutton, Boyd Martin....I wanted to scream like a little girl. For the sake of my dignitity, I contained myself. Kelsey on the other hand, called her mom, dad and grandmother...at 0730. 


We took a few deep breaths and got back on track: find the water complex. By 0820 we were standing just 100ft from the 6'6" drop of the fourth jump in the water complex.


Eeeeeeeeekkkk!!! Start time 0915, but was soon delayed to 1015. Either way I would have waited all day. We had great "seats." We stood and watched all the big name eventers walk the course. It was so hard to not go up and talk to them. I mean, they were within am arms reach...and we aren't suppose to ask them any questions? Come on!! I behaved. The course was huge! 28 jumps to be completed in roughly 11 minutes. Who says these animals aren't athletes?

At 1015 the first horse galloped onto the grassy track. It was 5 minutes before we saw the first bit of action. It was amazing. I had my camera ready. We sat for six hours without moving, for fear of losing our seats. After Karen ran, we picked up (and shared our seats) and walked the rest of the course. Here are the videos.

Hawley Bennet


Becky Holder

Boyd Martin

Karen O'Connor

Mark Todd

Rebecca Howard

After watching all the amazing horses and riders from this weekend, I felt empowered and set out with the BigRedHorse.  Olly has been off all last week due to massive rain. Well, not totally off. I did attempt to ride him while it was raining. Pouring is more like it. we rode in the arena for 15 minutes, just long enough for me to get soaked. I unsaddle and as I am walking out of the barn I slip and fall in a huge mud puddle. FAIL. Although it is better than falling while I was riding, I was still a bit disappointed.  Anyway....back to what I was saying. He has just about evey day off last week, so this week he was a fire breathing dragon. Yesterday I rode him and dare not jump. He was pulling through the bit just wanting to go. I took him out ot our grassy track and breezed him down and finished with a good trotting set. He loved every minute of it. Today I decided to take him out first and after he got all the bugs out, jump him in the arena. here are the videos.
Video to be posted when I figure out this STUPID editing software!!!

We are kinda awesome..... 26 Sep 2010 6:04 PM (14 years ago)

My boys have started school this month and I have stepped up the BigRedHorses fitness. We have been doing alot more endurance riding and a bit less jumping. We have been doing trotting and cantering sets and more galloping, just to make sure we would get our times. I look back at the summer and think that I actually did too much jumping. I don't think I burned him out on it, but I do think he did get a little bored with it.
A few weeks ago Kelsey (my newest BFF) told me that she was going to a show, now Kelsey barrel races and is slowly being converted over  to a jumper (by moi). She also included that at this show it has a full cross counrty course. SCORE!!! I'm in!
I have a trial lined up on Oct 10, so I thought I better get crackin'. Since the show was a 3-day-er we would have to load up after work on Friday and head out. Two whole days of xc (cross country) AWESOME!!! The Deal: I take the kids, the dog, and my horse. In addition to Kelsey's horse and rabbit, Jake. I think we were crazy.
We pack up Friday after school/work and head out at 1700. Frying Pan Farm Park was 3hours and 30 minutes away. It was gonna be fun (note sarcasm). We end up getting there late, well after dark. We found a great spot next to a jumping arena and out of the way. We just get settled into bed and sleep and we are woke up by Olly wanking the shit outta the trailer. He snaps the lead rope and takes off. I jump outta bed (still in my undies) and haul out of the trailer to get my horse, because he clearly thinks he is in charge. I tie him with our other lead rope and get back into bed. Morning comes and we are all too excited. FYI there is absolutley NO reason to be up at 0630 on a Saturday morning. Buuuut since the kids were with, there was no going back to bed.
We go register for classes and hit the course. Here are some of the videos. Just to let you know these videos are NOT edited, mainly because I just got a new camera and still haven't converted the QuickTime to the editing software that I have. It sucks, but you get to see all good stuff, no short cuts. lol

Colton was worried about the bank....love my boys!!


This one is my FAV!!!!















After the xc course, kelsey had her run.

Yes, she fell....



Day 2
Will be posted tomorrow!!!

The Link to the video...Told you this weekend was a FAIL! 12 Sep 2010 6:36 PM (14 years ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb68bP5q6gk

For some reason the whole video will not post, and why would it on fail weekend?