rode again today

We went for another trail ride today. I got a little nervous being way out in the
woods alone knowing there are moose and coyote living nearby so we didn't go far. Chance didn't want to go home again, when he gets on the trail he just goes with the nicest walk. He loves moving down the trail and looking around. I hate shutting him down and making him come home. I'm hoping that in a couple of days I'll have some time to take him down again and this time just let him go until he wants to stop.
We practiced going through the gate today, going out is easy, going back in is a different story. We accomplished it once, then I just couldn't seem to get it together. Maybe next time. I'm having a ball working on stuff like this even if we don't get it right away. It's just so nice to be on my horse! :)

We Did It!!!!

Chance and I went for our 1st real trail ride alone today! We had softness, he was "with me" the entire time and we had so much fun! The only problem we encountered was that he didn't want to go home. I guess he was just having too much fun out there in the big woods! Can't wait to ride him again tomorrow!

It's been a while

It's been a while since I've posted anything, lots of new stuff going on, Scruffy's,
not driving the bus, Lisa is doing my bookkeeping :), and Chance and I are doing well.
No time to get to details this morning but I'll update later.

Shadow

On June 20th it was 1 year that my wonderful pony has been gone. I'm thinking of him often these days and miss him dearly.

Law of Attraction

I have been saying for some time now that I want to simplify my life. I want to have more fun and enjoy my horse. I've been living exactly just that, I have been WANTING those things to change. I woke up this morning and finally made the decision to actually MAKE the changes. What happened? A few things have happened lately, but the one that had the most impact was the pony ride. I took A's pony out for a trail ride with her the other day and really laughed for the 1st time in so long. It was a REAL belly laugh, impulsive and brought on by fun. I almost lost my balance and came off because I was laughing so hard. The pony has a habit of popping her shoulder and changing direction very quickly. She decided to go right and trot off in the direction of home. This pony is the sweetest and most polite pony I have ever ridden, so when she did it I found it so hilarious! And what was pretty cool was that fear never even crossed my mind or my gut. I stopped her and we were back on the original road quickly, but it was all 2ND nature and a great reminder to me that I CAN stop a horse and that horses CAN be fun. It almost mad me sad because I can't remember the last time I laughed like that. And that needs to change.
I want to live by example for my kids. It is possible to work and make money to live, live in a respectable house, and have fun. I have brought too much into my life, I am going to simplify and eliminate the things that I don't need or the things that are pulling me away from my goals.
And start attracting the things that will bring me to my goals.

Vet visit

The vet was here to look at a nasty bite on Chance's shoulder. It's infected, but doesn't require stitches. It's a big bite, but on a meaty part of his shoulder and will heal just fine. Had him look
at Chance's withers, his take was what I thought. They look like they have been broken in the past, lots of scar tissue under there. He didn't recommend an x-ray, Chance would have to be hauled to Rochester and it would be difficult to get a clear photo. He did recommend a treeless saddle. I just purchased a cashel soft saddle which I now need a pad for. It was not an expensive saddle, so I will try that next.

A quick post

Just a quick post to say that the abscess finally popped and Chance and I both feel better. He
is still tender and limping a little, but better. I was really freaking out about the whole thing,
too many bad memories of Shadow's laminitis and Topaz's broken shoulder. After loosing 2
horses I guess I'm pretty sensitive to a limping horse!

New All Time Low

I've hit an all time low that is a little overwhelming. Chance has an abscess, so everyone is telling me. I'm so sick and tired of having horses with injuries and illnesses. Broken bones, lyme disease, cushings, laminitis. Okay so an abscess is not life threatning, but we are going on 6 days now and the usual time I'm hearing that an abscess lasts is 3 days. I'm tired of pouring my heart and soul into my horses to have some accident or illness ruin it all. I'm tired of spending thousands of dollars and not even be able to ride. I'm just tired.

A new feeling of calm

I didn't write this in my last post but I should. I'm feeling much calmer when working with Chance. I'm not really sure why, it could be the new approach to my fear - approach, retreat until I feel okay. Whatever the reason I am grateful. I can see and feel the progress we are making, even with the little things. And my calmness is having a wonderful effect with Chance.
Jaye pointed out the other day that Chance wasn't following my feel, but following me kind of like he would another horse. This was a huge thing for us. I'm not sure why I wasn't aware of this, although I was very aware of him getting in my space and having difficulty with boundaries. I was waiting until he was already in my space before doing something about it. And what I was doing wasn't always working. Now things are very different. I am aware of so much more now, and making small corrections when they are needed which means that the big corrections are becoming less and less. I'm much more careful and aware of how I ask him to do something, trying so hard to be clear. I've got lots more work to do to continue to improve on my horsemanship, but I think he is starting to appreciate the small changes I'm offering him!

A good week

I'm not going to write everything that has happened since my last post. But I did manage to work with Chance 4 times this week and rode him 2 of the four times. I'm riding outside of the ring right now which has been very good for my confidence. I'm doing LOTS of ground work and then hopping on bareback. I also spend a good amount of time getting on his back and then getting off. I still find myself with butterflies when I get on him so I get off as many times as it takes for them to go away. Then I'll ask for a few steps and if I feel okay we will continue.
The groundwork is going VERY well. I actually found myself looking for more to do with him so I set up a small obstacle course. We weave in and out of barrels, over poles and around cones. Nothing too exciting but it is a fun way to work on moving him at the walk and trot without getting bored and without doing circles over and over again. I was asking him to back through the barrels today and he wasn't so sure about the whole idea. I was pleasantly surprised with my reaction to his lack of confidence. Instead of getting nervous (which is usually my reaction) I found it a challenge to figure out how to help him through it. Which led to stepping over sideways, one step back, stop, another step, stop...etc. We did some approach and retreat and before I new it he was backing through the barrels with confidence! I would love to someday be able to take him to a versatility challenge. A goal to work toward. I've had lots of fun with him this week, I'm also finding myself planning horse time for next week.

Too sick to ride

Having an allergic reaction to something, not sure what, maybe too much of lots of things. And a cold on top of it. I have to avoid all things that may worsen this so no horse this week. Feeding and caring for the horses is even hard on my breathing right now. Going to the doctors today for some good drugs.

My horse is awesome.

I just finished riding Chance bareback in the paddock for an hour. I can't say enough how awesome he feels. Tomorrow we take off on the motorcycle for the day so I won't be riding Chance again until Sunday. My goal is to try and hop on Chance at least every other day even if it's only for 5 minutes. I am going to keep this up until I feel as comfortable getting on and off and sitting on him as I do working on the ground with him. When I reach that point I'll branch out to the next step. Not sure what that is yet, but I'll know when I get there. :))))

Farrier Visit

Today was the best farrier appointment Chance has had since I have owned him! I'm so pleased with how well he is doing, and thrilled that the lyme treatment worked.

Things I did differently today were: I went out 1/2 hr before the appt. and walked around the paddock with him. I was surprised to find that I had anxiety about the appt. I am always a little stressed out before his trims wondering if he is going to hold up his feet. I needed to feel okay before George came to help Chance feel okay. So after walking around for a few minutes I hopped up on the purple bucket and asked Chance to move around me. Then asked him to stand next to me as if I was going to hop on his back. I had no intentions of getting on, but started petting and scratching him, lots of relaxing. I then helped him stretch out his front legs and rubbed them both from the shoulders down to the hooves. Then I asked him to give me each foot, I picked them out and shook out each leg and hoof to help relax and loosen him up. Then we did more petting, brushing and relaxing. Chance must have yawned 10 times throughout this process which is good, he was releasing stress. By the time George got here we were both pretty relaxed and happy.

This was the 3rd trim by George. He asked for Chances lead line and asked him to move back, then also did some things to help him relax. He trimmed the hardest foot 1st - front left, which went perfect. In between each foot he would ask Chance to move, bring his head around to the side, rub his eyes, scratch his nose, just giving him more opportunities to relax and get ready for the next foot. The only one that was a little hard was the last one - front right. I think that was more of Chance being tired and ready to be finished. And it wasn't bad at all, he pulled his foot away a couple of times, as George put it "No more than any other horse would do, not a Chance Special"

I'm so grateful to have found such a patient farrier. I think Chance is too.

Fun with Chance

A came over today at 10 for a Spring training session to help me assess Chance to get an idea of what and where we are headed. He is the best he has ever been and it's only April. I knew he felt good, but I had no idea how good. A went over him with a fine tooth comb, from haltering to saddling and riding. The only time he was unsure or hesitant at all was when she 1st started with him or did something with him that he hasn't done in a long time. He had the "Oh Man, what are you going to do to me?" look in his eyes. He is soft, very very soft, responsive, sensitive and calm. I am going to have to retrain myself to be very careful about being soft. He has been so stuck in the past that at times my responses have had to be big and sometimes pretty strong, that is not the case now with this new horse out in the paddock! I even rode him around in and out of the paddock, trotting, and just having fun with him. To see him moving as nice as he is and feeling as good as he does brought tears to my eyes. To ride him and feel how loose and fluid his movements are is incredible. I say loose because to me he has felt like a rusty tin man. It's been a long couple of years and I believe we are headed for a very fun summer.

New Fencing and a New Spring

I'm so happy Spring has arrived and the days now require no more than a light jacket or sweatshirt! I'll have to make some changes for next winter so I don't end up in such a low state of mind. Maybe a sunlamp?
I spent most of the day yesterday putting up new fencing, I'll finish it this weekend. It's looking good. The chickens are gone for now. Something has been getting them 2 at a time so they are back at Jayes until I either catch the little chicken killer or make a new hen house. Chance feels great this Spring! He is happy, calm and in good spirits. That will be tested on Thursday when the farrier comes, but he gets better with each visit. I'm hopeful.
I watched a wonderful video yesterday on fear. It really had a huge impact on me and validated how I feel. Why I put myself under pressure when it isn't necessary or healthy I'll never know. I won't put myself in unsafe situations, but I guess I feel like somethings wrong if I'm not riding. Wrong with me or my horse I'm not sure. Just wrong that I have a horse that I'm not riding. The video changed that for me and gave me a new sense of peace. It also gave some real practical ideas and exercises to do with Chance to help. I'm so excited about this year! :)

Nothing exciting to write about

It's April 2nd and the sun is shining after many days of rain and more to come this weekend. I'm surprised at how the weather is effecting me this year. I am craving sun and warm weather!
Not much going on in my horse world, doing small bits of training and grooming here and there. Getting ready to order more fencing and fly preditors. I have lots of thoughts of how I want to change the paddock and maybe put in a round pen. It's hard to add things on only 2 acres of land! But if I'm creative it will work and look good too!

Cold again

The calendar says its Spring but the temps are not. At least the cold won't be hanging around too long, April 1st is next week!
No horse work today, spent time cleaning (at least trying) the paddock. I think it looks a little better.
I really miss hearing the rooster crow in the morning. David is surprised that he does too. :(

3rde day of bridle work

Spent a few minutes working with the bridle again. Didn't go as well today, but ended well. More resistance today than the last 2 days. Just a learning curve, will work again in a couple of days.
Sad day at the barn. Found my rooster dead in the hen house, 2 chickens gone. My mother in law heard a fisher cat outside her window 2 nights ago. David saw a mink 2 weeks ago. My guess is the fisher, need to contact a professional who can come trap for me.

Bridle work

I spent some time with Chance yesterday. We did some bridle work and it went very well! After a very short time he actually opened his mouth and took the bit on his own. He has never done that before! I have always had to play with his mouth and stick my thumb in there so he would open it and then put the bit in.
One other thing, I had taken him out of the paddock to work. I found Scruffy in the middle of Deering Ridge Rd watching us. Not a safe place for him to be! I called him a couple of times but he didn't come to me. He is a little afraid of Chance now since Chance chased him across the paddock. So I told Chance we HAD to go get him before he got hit by a car. We left the yard and ended up chasing Scruffy home. Chance went with me without any hesitation leaving his home and Pilot behind. He never even took a second glance! When Scruffy was safe and I gave Chance a minute to stand and look around I decided it was time to go back. Pilot was getting upset that Chance was gone and Chance handled it wonderfully!
I'm so grateful the vet found the lyme and that Chance has been treated. He is a different horse now, he feels good and can think straight! We are off to a great start this Spring.

Spring training began today

I decided it was a good day to start getting Chance ready to ride. The footing is horrible as the snow is melting and the paddock is full of mud, ice and manure. So with a limited area to work I decided it was a perfect time to start with the bridle. We did about 5 minutes of work. I was set up to put it on him, but only held the bit in front of his mouth, then down by his chin. He pulled his head away once pretty hard and held his mouth shut tight. So I played with his mouth to help him relax, scratched his chin and made it as pleasant as I could. I took it away a couple of times then put it back just getting it ready to put on, but never did. In about 5 minutes he took a deep breath and gave a big sigh and lesson 1 was over. I think the 1st step is really getting him to relax and be okay with the bridle again before it goes on and the bit goes in his mouth.

Scruffy Graduates

Spring officially starts in a few days!

So does clean up from the winter. It's amazing what was hidden under all that snow. It's still melting and I can't believe how many wheel barrows of manure are waiting to be picked up. But it's okay! The weather is beautiful and the temps are rising.

2nd Lyme Test

The results of Chances 2nd Lyme test were good. The vet said the numbers are significantly lower, meaning the treatment worked. So unless he becomes symptomatic again we just do what we are doing. :)

More snow and cold

So it's March now, Spring really is right around the corner. We will be changing the clocks soon and Maple Syrup Sunday is this month. I find myself really struggling to stay up beat after cleaning up after another storm and hearing that the temps tonight and tomorrow night will be around 0. I'm hearing the same thing from lots of other people, everyone is tired and craving some sun and some warmer temps. I think I'll go to bed early tonight to avoid adding crankiness from a lack of sleep to how I feel. I skipped Scruffy's training tonight, just not up to it. The warm day on Friday was so nice, but the energy it gave me has run out. Tomorrow is another day!

Spring was in the air today

It's amazing what a day outside can do for your insides! I ended up with a surprise and very welcome day off from driving. I didn't have a plan for the day other than a vet visit for Chance. So I started my morning by cleaning the run-in shed and brushed the horses while waiting for the vet. She arrived and did vaccines, is retesting for lyme and then she was off to the next appointment. Everything went fine, but I don't think Chance liked the comment she made about his weight. :( He needs to loose 50-75lbs. I guess I didn't notice that he was getting a little chubby...oops. We'll just call it winter weight and I'll adjust his meals starting tonight.
I spent the rest of the day cleaning the truck. Vacuumed, wiped everything down inside, did windows and drove it to a car wash. David leaves for Daytona tomorrow with 4 other guys and my truck for bike week. I thought it would be nice to send him off with a shiny clean truck.
The day outside was just what I needed, I feel like I can face the inside of my house and office again.

Man, what a week.

Life has a way of well, taking on a life of it's own. I was on a mission at the beginning of the week to get some projects done, painting, taxes, clean my house.
I did get Marissa's room painted, but that's it. I've had collection issues with some of our clients and some not-so-nice conversations with people which is leading me in a direction I don't want to go in, but financially necessary. Derek's car has broken down twice and we have had it towed both times. David was hauling a trailer and one of tires blew out - another call to the wrecker. And just as I was getting totally frustrated.....

Yesterday as Derek was on his way home driving our Honda Civic (with parts to his car) he was hit by a cement truck. There is no doubt in my mind that Derek had an angel with him! The truck was changing lanes and didn't see Derek. He basically changed lanes on top of him. As the truck hit Derek the bumper went right through the driver's side window missing Derek's face by inches. And as the bumper came in through the window the glass shattered and was blown outside. The civic was then spun around infront of the oncoming cement truck and then the car stopped facing the truck. He and his friend walked away without a cut or scratch. Derek does have a mild case of whiplash, and his friend has similar symptoms (he is getting checked out today by a doctor) but it could have been so much worse!

I'm so tired and the last thing I need or want is more paperwork to do. But I'm so grateful that I'm not sitting in a hospital room with my son, or worse. A good lesson in what's really important.

Taking an electronic break

It's school vacation week and I'm not sick anymore so I'm going to take advantage and get some projects done. I may or may not check in with the blog, email or facebook for the next few days. :)

School

Scruffy started school last night. He already knows some basic obedience - not a ton, but this is really more to keep his mind active. I brought Marissa with us and let her do the handling. I think it's going to be a great way for them to bond a little more, Scruffy has been treating Marissa like a sibling. One thing he does is he will start running from across the room and leap into her lap with no warning and end up nose to nose with her. It's hilarious to watch, but not a good thing to let happen. Even Marissa thinks it's funny, but it really needs to stop. Last night he walked politely on a leash (not bad for a dog that doesn't even wear a collar around here most of the time) worked on 'come' and the release from sit. He was a very good boy!

Joy

I wasn't looking for another dog when Scruffy came along. Somebody else brought him to my neighborhood and now he is mine. He has more energy than I can keep up with at times (most of the time) he has started to eat the woodwork in the office, and I've caught him knawing on the wood floor. He has destroyed 2 of my favorite baseball hats along with a few other things. I've have invested approx. $500 into his health care and spent hours removing fleas when he first came, he barks at everything and everyone, he can be really obnoxious. There's more, lots more. But when I look at him all I can do is smile, it is literally impossible to get mad at him. He drives us nuts, but he is pure joy, a total goof ball. I think he came to lighten us all up. Life isn't that serious and we all need to take time out to play. :)

More time....

I am finding myself with something to do just about every minute of every day. And I'm not sleeping at night, I'm skipping meals and eating on the run - literally in the car on my way here or there. I wake up in the mornings exhausted and feeling like I need to catch up from the day before. But now the day before is turning into the week before, soon it will be the month before. My goal this week is to try and carve one extra hour into my day. I am going to pick 6 things that I do everyday and shorten each thing by 10 minutes. I started Saturday by taking the stall wall down so it is one big run-in shed now. I made the paddock that is in front of the run-in bigger. This will eliminate dealing with gates and separating them in the evenings and make it easier in the early mornings before I go to work. They have hay available to them around the clock so now it will just be a quick water change and open the gate. Today I started catching up on laundry. My goal with this is to have 5 days of laundry for all of us clean and ready on Sundays. I also finally wrote down a daily chore list for Marissa and it is on the refrigerator. It is now her responsibility to check it everyday and get them done. She is also going to be responsible for cooking 1 dinner a week. Whatever she cooks is up to her, she will make me a list and I'll go get it. Tomorrow I'll start getting caught up on baking dog biscuits for the stores and hopefully have at least 2 weeks worth on the shelf. I'll also start working on a plan for the office. That one is going to take some thought.....I see a bookkeeper in my future! :)

Horses in the dark

It seems that except for the quick water check around noon, I have only seen the horses in the dark lately. I am really trying to enjoy the winter.... see my last post. But if I am being honest I'm really not. It's not the winter that gets to me, it's the really cold temperatures. Anything below 20 degrees actually hurts. I find myself bundled up in so many layers that I'm uncomfortable and then I rush through the chores. I'm grateful that Chance has Pi for company because until it warms up I don't think I'll be doing anymore than what has to be done. And honestly if I had an indoor arena I don't think I would be riding right now either. Yes, I'm complaining about something I can't change.

Thankful in January

Okay, I have said it many times this week and I've heard it said by lots of other people too - It's cold outside! Instead of complaining about what I can't change I'm going to be thankful for things that we can only appreciate in the winter in Maine.

Things to be thankful for in January when the temps are 0 and below...

Flannel and Fleece.
No bugs.
No fly spray needed.
It's easier to clean stalls.
The snow is pretty.
No humidity.
We can add layers of clothing to stay warm, we can only take so many layers off to get cool in the summer without offending people.
Hot Chocolate tastes better in the winter.
We appreciate the sun so much more.
Snuggling up to another warm body (human or 4-legged) is nicer in the winter.
We have so much to look forward to - Spring & Flowers.
This is a good time to watch videos and read books.
Being snowed in.
My new pellet stove.

Fun in the new snow

I put the horses out in the big paddock and started plowing the new snow. But I ended up parked and watching them for quite a while. They are such good buddies and look like they are having a ball playing. They run around like a couple of colts, Chance will run up behind Pi,nip him on the butt and run out of the way quickly to avoid Pi's feet. Then he'll go back and do it again and again until he can entice Pi enough to run with him. They will take off at a canter and then to a gallop, they look they are racing. As I watched more I noticed that Chance was actually doing some flying lead changes, it looked liked he was dancing. He was doing some sliding stops, he would pick up his front end, change direction and take off again.
I wish I had had my camera with me!

Peace

I am home from work for a couple of hours and just wanted to post that Chance seems so peaceful. Before I came in I stopped at the barn to dump out ice and give the horses and chickens fresh water. He stopped eating and stood and watched me. When I finished I started scratching him in his favorite places. He closed his eyes with the sun in his face and just seemed to really enjoy the moment. Life is good....a round bale in the feeder, fresh water, the sun is shining, no bugs to swat at and a good scratch behind the ears. It doesn't get a whole lot nicer for a horse I would guess. And it's pretty nice for me to see him like this.

A real trail ride today!

Jaye and I saddled up the horses and decided to leave the paddock. Usually leaving the paddock means just that, leaving the paddock, turning around and going right back in. We both understand that the whole idea of riding is doing whatever is fun, safe and the horses MUST feel good about what we are doing. So if that means only taking a few steps away and then going back then thats what a trail ride might consist of. Sometimes it means not leaving the paddock at all. But today the planets must have been aligned just right because we rode them about 1/4 mile away from the barn. And I'm pretty sure we could have continued on but there was a dog watching who I don't trust enough not to come charging at us and the footing isn't that great. Pilot has shoes, but Chance doesn't. And we both (Jaye and I) know when and when not to push. These 2 horses are great to ride together, they help each other out and give each other courage. Just like Jaye and I do. Although I think it's more one-sided in the giving courage out. Thanks Jaye!
Chance feels so good and relaxed. We had just one emergency dismount, the same jogger as the last time was coming by. This is how I am learning to distinguish when Chance is just looking at something or locked on to something so it's all good. When we are going along and I wiggle a rein or a foot and get an ear, or a head turn I know Chance is just looking and he is still with me mentally. When his head comes up, he gets big and I can't get anything from him, I get off. When the jogger was coming toward us he was locked on, I got off and even from the ground it took ALOT to get him to think about me at all. I did get his mind for a brief second but he was right back on the jogger. The happy ending to this was that when the jogger passed by he relaxed and I got back on. I don't know that I could have got back on a few months ago. And I did all this today with Chance in a rope halter. I haven't tried putting a bridle on him for a while, maybe I'll try next time. He does so well in the halter and it's not a safety issue, I think I would just like to know that the bit doesn't stress him out.
And I have to give big cudos to Pilot! Just 2 years ago he was a stallion who had not been put out with other horses maybe ever. And he had never had a rider on his back. He did so well and loves to go exploring, not to mention the hill work we were doing. Jaye has done an amazing job with him! It was a great day, I think I'll be smiling for days!

Chance's head

I scratched, petted and hugged Chance's head today. Not once did he open his mouth or act rude or inappropriate. It was nice and a relief. I had just said to Jaye yesterday that I was concerned that I may make him head shy by whacking him because of the rude mouth behavior. I need to say that I don't enjoy whacking him in the mouth but I have tried everything I can think of to get the mouthiness to stop. That was the only thing that worked. And he must of understood it because it is stopping. When I saddle him up tomorrow he could very possibly become rude again, and thats okay. I'll deal with it as it comes. I'm just happy to have a horse that is engaged (not shut down), feeling better, and energetic. :)

76 days

Jaye and I went to St Albans to get some round bales yesterday. On the way home we saw a sign posted at a toll booth - only 77 days until Spring. So my question was answered and that means that today there are only 76. :)