I want that red horse. His asking price has come down since I tried him out. I have been tempted to make an offer and see if she accepts it. I did like what I felt when riding him. But I'm actually scared she will say, "yes".
Why? For one, he's in PA, not close by. It's not like I can try him once more before I commit to buy without a road trip and stay over. I don't know any vets in PA who could check him over for me and though I have a reliable friend who can put me in touch with someone who may be able to find one for me, I still may not get someone. He needs all his shots. He's only been wormed while being at this place. He has thrush in all four hooves. That's treatable and also not making him lame.
Does he load into a trailer? Good question. Does he stand for clippers? No clue. All I know is he stood on crossties, didn't freak out when my kids were petting him, walk/trot/cantered and swapped his leads with some coaxing and willingly jumped the crossrails without racing to them.
Do I close my eyes and just do this and let fate sort it out? I will admit I have a better feeling inside from the get-go about this guy than I did with Rugby. In one trial, I did more with this horse with no trouble than I did with Rugby in an entire year.
Yeah, I have bills from my last nightmare. But bills I would still have if Rugby had survived. My trainer will probably want to kill me but we've known each other long enough that he'll get over it. ;P
And I do like and appreciate this kind old horse I'm half boarding but this hole in my heart can only be filled with my own horse to love and become a partner with.
I may do something crazy... will let you know.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Disturbing Equines
Who collected model horses as a kid? Who still collects them but only talks about it among others with the same obsession? My model horses were my #1 playthings as a kid. I still have a vast reservoir of Breyer beauties that occasionally descend from my attic to be given to my kids or to be sold on Ebay for needed cash.
So I enjoy checking out the Breyer blogs. I have always held the best custom-makers in highest regard because even though I am an artist, what they can do with a model horse leaves me simply intimidated.
That being said, this little blog is encouraging for those of us who are not going to be messing with their factory issue model horses anytime soon. If these critters were good enough to leave the factory this way, then anything I could do to a Breyer horse would pale by comparison!
Enjoy! This site always makes me smile! Disturbing Equines
So I enjoy checking out the Breyer blogs. I have always held the best custom-makers in highest regard because even though I am an artist, what they can do with a model horse leaves me simply intimidated.
That being said, this little blog is encouraging for those of us who are not going to be messing with their factory issue model horses anytime soon. If these critters were good enough to leave the factory this way, then anything I could do to a Breyer horse would pale by comparison!
Enjoy! This site always makes me smile! Disturbing Equines
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Recent Rides
I've been riding as often as I can this past month. Below are pictures of the horse I've been half-boarding at the stable where my riding coach teaches from. The girl who owns this horse is great and we have a good rapport in texting our riding schedule out each week, LOL. The big bay is the horse I nicknamed "Ruby". He's about 19 years old and is a "been there, jumped that" old show horse. He's a great horse to ride and a real gentleman.
And this is a horse I tried out while vacationing in Lancaster, PA with my family. I really liked this big (17 hands!)fellow and he needs a home. I would love to make an offer for him but it's not that simple. He was a sweet guy, under different circumstances I know I'd probably be calling him mine. Anyone in PA looking for a nice big horse that just needs care and a job? I'll give you the details.
.jpg)
And this is a horse I tried out while vacationing in Lancaster, PA with my family. I really liked this big (17 hands!)fellow and he needs a home. I would love to make an offer for him but it's not that simple. He was a sweet guy, under different circumstances I know I'd probably be calling him mine. Anyone in PA looking for a nice big horse that just needs care and a job? I'll give you the details.
.jpg)
Monday, August 30, 2010
Riding Rules for "Older" Horsewomen
From the Tackoftheday.com website. Worth sharing, as I too am an "older" horse woman:
Some RIDING RULES for the, ahem, Older Horse Woman:
• We DO NOT need to show up with our hair combed, makeup on and wearing a clean shirt.
• Moaning, groaning and complaining about aching muscles is perfectly acceptable, as is taking Motrin (or something stronger) prior to a ride.
• Helping someone on or off the horse does not mean the rider is an invalid. It only means the horse got taller overnight.
• No one will comment about how big someone's butt looks in the saddle.
• When a horse is acting up, we will accept that the horse is just having a bad- hair day and it is not the rider's fault.
• Mentioning it is too hot, too dry, too humid, too wet, too buggy, etc., is considered self expression, not whining.
• We will acknowledge that horses are very strange animals and sometimes for no reason at all we fall off of them. If this happens to any rider, the other riders will ascertain that the person is okay and then not mention the incident to another living soul, especially husbands and significant others.
• We will acknowledge, without apology, that riding more than 6 hours increases our grumpy level far more than any ego benefits we may get from riding longer.
• Looking at my bouncing fat is NOT an acceptable way of determining if I have a good seat. My fat always bounces, thank you. It is cushion I carry in case I fall off.
(author of the above rules is unknown)
The following was added by another equestrian on a different site where this was posted. I love this, so for your enjoyment is yet another "rule":
• No OTD (Older Than Dirt) rider shall be asked "What's your discipline?", "Are you showing next weekend?" or "What level are you"? Answers like "I am totally undisciplined", "I showed up today; isn't that enough?", and "Actually I tend to list a bit to the left" will be acceptable should anyone younger than dirt ask those ridiculous questions.
Some RIDING RULES for the, ahem, Older Horse Woman:
• We DO NOT need to show up with our hair combed, makeup on and wearing a clean shirt.
• Moaning, groaning and complaining about aching muscles is perfectly acceptable, as is taking Motrin (or something stronger) prior to a ride.
• Helping someone on or off the horse does not mean the rider is an invalid. It only means the horse got taller overnight.
• No one will comment about how big someone's butt looks in the saddle.
• When a horse is acting up, we will accept that the horse is just having a bad- hair day and it is not the rider's fault.
• Mentioning it is too hot, too dry, too humid, too wet, too buggy, etc., is considered self expression, not whining.
• We will acknowledge that horses are very strange animals and sometimes for no reason at all we fall off of them. If this happens to any rider, the other riders will ascertain that the person is okay and then not mention the incident to another living soul, especially husbands and significant others.
• We will acknowledge, without apology, that riding more than 6 hours increases our grumpy level far more than any ego benefits we may get from riding longer.
• Looking at my bouncing fat is NOT an acceptable way of determining if I have a good seat. My fat always bounces, thank you. It is cushion I carry in case I fall off.
(author of the above rules is unknown)
The following was added by another equestrian on a different site where this was posted. I love this, so for your enjoyment is yet another "rule":
• No OTD (Older Than Dirt) rider shall be asked "What's your discipline?", "Are you showing next weekend?" or "What level are you"? Answers like "I am totally undisciplined", "I showed up today; isn't that enough?", and "Actually I tend to list a bit to the left" will be acceptable should anyone younger than dirt ask those ridiculous questions.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Foxhunter's Guide - new fave blog!
Just found my new favorite blog - Foxhunter's Guide. If you have ever hunted or know someone who does, you might find this a fun read! Here's an exerpt that should make you chuckle:
You Might Be A Foxhunter If…
1. You’ve ever been charged with riding while intoxicated.
2. You’ve ever been pulled over on your way to the hunt ball and been asked if the circus is in town.
3. You’ve ever mucked out a stall wearing a tuxedo or an evening gown.
4. You’ve ever peed in a stall while wearing a tuxedo or an evening gown.
5. You have your orthopedist’s private number on speed dial.
6. You can legally claim your vet as a dependent on your income tax forms.
7. You drive a $2000 car and ride a $20,000 horse.
8. The only religious service you regularly attend is Blessing of the Hounds.
9. You think it makes perfect sense that a heavy, dinner-style meal served in late afternoon is referred to as “breakfast.”
10. Your sporting attire is all custom made and the rest of your wardrobe comes from Tractor Supply.
11. You can recite the bloodlines of every hound in your club’s kennels but frequently forget the names of your own children.
12. Gentlemen: You’d rather read Practical Horseman than Playboy.
13. Ladies: You’d rather read Covertside than Cosmo.
14. Your house has a mudroom that’s actually full of mud.
15. You’ve ever been busted for possession of a controlled substance and it turned out to be Ace.
16. You’ve ever run out of Tylenol and used Bute instead.
17. You’ve ever found out that your spouse was having an affair with the huntsman and decided it would be easier to replace the spouse than to find a new huntsman. (Submitted by Harry Kuniansky)
18. You’re only willing to accept a job that allows you to take off at least one weekday from September through March.
19. You can walk through airport security naked and still set off the metal detector.
20. You’ve ever told a paramedic, “If you even think about cutting off my custom-made boots, I will get up off this stretcher and kick your ass!” (To personalize this one, feel free to replace “custom-made boots” with “leather breeches,” “scarlet coat,” or any other garment a thoughtless EMT was approaching with scissors in hand.)
You Might Be A Foxhunter If…
1. You’ve ever been charged with riding while intoxicated.
2. You’ve ever been pulled over on your way to the hunt ball and been asked if the circus is in town.
3. You’ve ever mucked out a stall wearing a tuxedo or an evening gown.
4. You’ve ever peed in a stall while wearing a tuxedo or an evening gown.
5. You have your orthopedist’s private number on speed dial.
6. You can legally claim your vet as a dependent on your income tax forms.
7. You drive a $2000 car and ride a $20,000 horse.
8. The only religious service you regularly attend is Blessing of the Hounds.
9. You think it makes perfect sense that a heavy, dinner-style meal served in late afternoon is referred to as “breakfast.”
10. Your sporting attire is all custom made and the rest of your wardrobe comes from Tractor Supply.
11. You can recite the bloodlines of every hound in your club’s kennels but frequently forget the names of your own children.
12. Gentlemen: You’d rather read Practical Horseman than Playboy.
13. Ladies: You’d rather read Covertside than Cosmo.
14. Your house has a mudroom that’s actually full of mud.
15. You’ve ever been busted for possession of a controlled substance and it turned out to be Ace.
16. You’ve ever run out of Tylenol and used Bute instead.
17. You’ve ever found out that your spouse was having an affair with the huntsman and decided it would be easier to replace the spouse than to find a new huntsman. (Submitted by Harry Kuniansky)
18. You’re only willing to accept a job that allows you to take off at least one weekday from September through March.
19. You can walk through airport security naked and still set off the metal detector.
20. You’ve ever told a paramedic, “If you even think about cutting off my custom-made boots, I will get up off this stretcher and kick your ass!” (To personalize this one, feel free to replace “custom-made boots” with “leather breeches,” “scarlet coat,” or any other garment a thoughtless EMT was approaching with scissors in hand.)
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Melancholy rant
"But O, how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man's eyes." - William Shakespeare - beautifully said by the bard.
Every morning on the way to work I drive past the riding stable down the street from the vet's barn where I was boarding at. And every day I see riders working with their horses in the morning. And every day I am reminded of what I seem unable to have. And it really hurts. I am trying to be upbeat, but let's face it, There is a level of bitterness that I cannot deny.
I have been slowly removing all the horse related emails I'd get from tack and gear retailers. I don't want to know what's new. There's no point, really. I'm trying to clean up my FaceBook page and "unlike" a bunch of horse related sites. I don't want to know about what's new there, either.
I'm still going to ride the horse my trainer suggested this Friday. If I like him, I'll try the half boarding situation. But I have owned my own horse for the past 35 years. Hard to swallow I have to play by someone elses' rules with their horse. Depending on how much freedom I am given with the horse, this will either work for me or not. And I can't shake my dream of foxhunting and I still love the hunter paces which I will never be able to do in this arrangement.
I hate that I am tall and have a large frame. The same problem is going to haunt me until I give this up. I need a big horse. But there are many more affordable horses available that I could even consider if I could ride something between 15.2 and 16.1 hands. If I was about 5'6 and smaller, I might even have been able to find a sound, younger riding horse that I could have adopted. The big ones are hard to find.
I spent so much money trying to save Rugby that the thing I feared has happened to me. I lost him. I owe a lot of money and have nothing. I woudn't wish my luck on anyone.
In a dark place, and bitter. Thank you William Shakespeare for saying it better than ever I could.
Every morning on the way to work I drive past the riding stable down the street from the vet's barn where I was boarding at. And every day I see riders working with their horses in the morning. And every day I am reminded of what I seem unable to have. And it really hurts. I am trying to be upbeat, but let's face it, There is a level of bitterness that I cannot deny.
I have been slowly removing all the horse related emails I'd get from tack and gear retailers. I don't want to know what's new. There's no point, really. I'm trying to clean up my FaceBook page and "unlike" a bunch of horse related sites. I don't want to know about what's new there, either.
I'm still going to ride the horse my trainer suggested this Friday. If I like him, I'll try the half boarding situation. But I have owned my own horse for the past 35 years. Hard to swallow I have to play by someone elses' rules with their horse. Depending on how much freedom I am given with the horse, this will either work for me or not. And I can't shake my dream of foxhunting and I still love the hunter paces which I will never be able to do in this arrangement.
I hate that I am tall and have a large frame. The same problem is going to haunt me until I give this up. I need a big horse. But there are many more affordable horses available that I could even consider if I could ride something between 15.2 and 16.1 hands. If I was about 5'6 and smaller, I might even have been able to find a sound, younger riding horse that I could have adopted. The big ones are hard to find.
I spent so much money trying to save Rugby that the thing I feared has happened to me. I lost him. I owe a lot of money and have nothing. I woudn't wish my luck on anyone.
In a dark place, and bitter. Thank you William Shakespeare for saying it better than ever I could.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Hey Lady, need a Ride?
I was given several offers of horses to ride after Rugby was gone. The woman at my barn with several lesson horses offered me her old show horse Petey and I've ridden him twice already. She offered him to me as a free lease but I'm not quite sure if I want to do that. Free lease means I'm responsible for full board and shoes and since I've been wrecked with vet bills from Rugby, she agreed I would not have any responsibility for vet care. Sounds okay except this horse is just too small for me. I can ride him and I have but I know I'm really not a good fit for the old guy.
The vet who cared for Rugby through all this offered me a chance to adopt an OTTB from a client of his who has the horse stabled at Aqueduct. Yesterday I rode to the track with the vet on his rounds and checked out the horse. It was a big Bay gelding, 5 years old who had raced on turf and won about $100k for his owners. He was coming to the end of his racing career and his owners just wanted him to find a good home and were willing to adopt him for free to the right person. The vet was told he'd had some swelling in his rear right fetlock and it had been x-rayed and whatever it was shouldn't affect him as a riding horse. So we checked into it.
The horse was nice enough, not particularly handsome but 16.3 hands - good size. I wasn't crazy about his long, sloping front pasterns but the vet asked to have the horse jogged for me. As soon as the horse jogged off the vet muttered, "off in right front, not hind". He did a flexion test and sure enough, the horse reacted up front. Not so good. We thanked the trainer and as we walked away the vet said softly to me, "even if you like this horse, I'm telling you no". Well, we agreed on that one. The best part of that adventure was I got to see both Aqueduct and Belmont racetracks from the "backstage" view. The stables and paddocks are so interesting. Belmont is incredible, like a city of horses with people as their servants, LOL!
I also have an offer from my trainer, the Master. One of his students has horse that was a big A circuit show horse and won the hack at Harrisburg back in his day. I know this horse because he was about the same age as Monty and we used to compete at the same shows. I'll call this horse Ruby for the blog. This horses' owner hasn't been riding him as much as she used to and the horse is at best a 2'6" jumping horse, now. He can do smaller shows but still go out and perform. The Master spoke with Ruby's owner and she's willing to have me half board him, where I only pay for half the board and half the shoes, no vet care included. Riding time is 3 days a week. The best part is, the horse is a 17 hand warmblood and should be a good match for me physically. This Friday I'm taking a lesson on Ruby with the Master to see if I like him.
The hard part there is, Ruby is stabled at the farm where my children take their lessons and it's about 30-40 minutes away. I've gotten spoiled with the 5 minute trip to the barn I've been at for the last 10 years. But maybe my karma needs a change. I haven't had the best of luck in the last year and a half being there, maybe a change will break the bad karma and something new will have a chance to come to me.
Change is hard. I will miss being in the vet's barn but maybe being at the bigger barn, with more people and show horses something will come my way if I'm out there and seen by more than my little core group of riders at this quiet barn I've enjoyed for all these years. The end of July is fast approaching, will see where I decide to go for August.
The vet who cared for Rugby through all this offered me a chance to adopt an OTTB from a client of his who has the horse stabled at Aqueduct. Yesterday I rode to the track with the vet on his rounds and checked out the horse. It was a big Bay gelding, 5 years old who had raced on turf and won about $100k for his owners. He was coming to the end of his racing career and his owners just wanted him to find a good home and were willing to adopt him for free to the right person. The vet was told he'd had some swelling in his rear right fetlock and it had been x-rayed and whatever it was shouldn't affect him as a riding horse. So we checked into it.
The horse was nice enough, not particularly handsome but 16.3 hands - good size. I wasn't crazy about his long, sloping front pasterns but the vet asked to have the horse jogged for me. As soon as the horse jogged off the vet muttered, "off in right front, not hind". He did a flexion test and sure enough, the horse reacted up front. Not so good. We thanked the trainer and as we walked away the vet said softly to me, "even if you like this horse, I'm telling you no". Well, we agreed on that one. The best part of that adventure was I got to see both Aqueduct and Belmont racetracks from the "backstage" view. The stables and paddocks are so interesting. Belmont is incredible, like a city of horses with people as their servants, LOL!
I also have an offer from my trainer, the Master. One of his students has horse that was a big A circuit show horse and won the hack at Harrisburg back in his day. I know this horse because he was about the same age as Monty and we used to compete at the same shows. I'll call this horse Ruby for the blog. This horses' owner hasn't been riding him as much as she used to and the horse is at best a 2'6" jumping horse, now. He can do smaller shows but still go out and perform. The Master spoke with Ruby's owner and she's willing to have me half board him, where I only pay for half the board and half the shoes, no vet care included. Riding time is 3 days a week. The best part is, the horse is a 17 hand warmblood and should be a good match for me physically. This Friday I'm taking a lesson on Ruby with the Master to see if I like him.
The hard part there is, Ruby is stabled at the farm where my children take their lessons and it's about 30-40 minutes away. I've gotten spoiled with the 5 minute trip to the barn I've been at for the last 10 years. But maybe my karma needs a change. I haven't had the best of luck in the last year and a half being there, maybe a change will break the bad karma and something new will have a chance to come to me.
Change is hard. I will miss being in the vet's barn but maybe being at the bigger barn, with more people and show horses something will come my way if I'm out there and seen by more than my little core group of riders at this quiet barn I've enjoyed for all these years. The end of July is fast approaching, will see where I decide to go for August.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
