Riding Gypsy

Rode Gypsy today....its been awhile I think. I've been lazy, I hate going out when it is so freezing and cold. But this morning I went and got her all prettied up and rode her outside in the "snow". It was melting and hardly there, and by the time I was done riding, the snow was 100% gone. But Gypsy was actually really good. I need to find a place to trail ride her or something, because its not too interesting just wandering around the small yard. Didn't take her down Beasley road because her feet were a little tender on the asphalt....she got trimmed a few days ago. But I did take her in the arena afterwards and trotted around- she was pretty good, suprisingly. I just gave her tons of rein and didn't pick on her at all about her face. It does wonders.

It felt pretty good to get out and ride a little, and do some work in the barn. I don't know why I don't do it more often. It is hard to get motivation to get off the couch and out of the warm house.

Also rode Paint last week, or whenever it was. He was his normal self. Nothing exciting or spectacular about him, but no terrible funny business either. The farrier also did his feet too. It was sad news, and made me feel bad for him. The farrier thinks Paint is getting ringbone. You can already see and feel hard growth all around his lower right front. His feet grow so funny, all toe and no heel. Farrier said there is really nothing you can do about it, all the good trimming in the world will only delay and slow it down, but the natural way his hoof grows will bring it on in time either way. All the years Paint had bad feet care only sped it along a little. Paint isn't lame at all at this point, but Farrier thinks it will only be time. Maybe in five years Paint will be so lame there won't be any helping it anymore. Ringbone isn't like old Sammy's navicular was, you can't trim and shoe and keep it at bay. There's no treatment or help for ringbone, only lots of bute...something I'm more than sure won't be an option for him once he returns back to eastern Oregon. Which, is now on the table. I don't know how long Paint will still be here, but I suppose I'll just ride him now and then and keep him exercised until he goes.

Sister Time

My sister and I rode the horses today! Just in case nobody knows, this is a major big deal. My sister is very non-horsey. So it was super cool for her to ride with me. :) We rode them down the road on a little mini-trail ride. Both horses were wonderfully well behaved and plodded along nicely. It was nice. I would very much like to go riding with my sister again. Maybe trailer out to a real trail.

A new year, a new beginning

Oh where to start, where to start. I will begin with my very recent breakup. Without going too in depth.... We decided we are unable to make each other happy anymore, and we are better off, sadly, to just call it quits after all these years. Well, three or four years. Having a semi-tough time of it, but I am trying to tell myself it was for the best, and it will give me opportunities that were previously closed. Um... Sure. Yeah.. So I have moved back in with my parents for good, while he stays in our -the- duplex. Things are still akward and largely unsolved still.
Lets attempt to get away from that. Still working at the barn on Wednesdays. As of late Charlotte, the baby, has been getting so very naughty. She has been increasingly difficult to walk out to her pasture with her mama. Last week she even tried to twist away from me while I led her and grazed me with a hind kick. Naughty booger. I guess her owner has been sick of her games too. There is now a stud chain on Charlottes halter. Rather much for a baby sure, but she was getting dangerous to handle. Not even joking..she is a huge girl, about six months old now, totally fearless of people. I will say that today when I led her and her mama to the pasture, they were wonderfully good. Walked nicely, all feet on the ground. Massive massive improvement. She got a little teeny bit goofy, we stopped and stood for a minute. Then walked calmly on. Yay.

And now that I am single and not entirely responsible for a duplex and stuff....opportunities have arose. My mom suggested returning to college. Hmm. I could go and get my Vet Tech degree, then I wouldn't have to rely on the Ridgefield clinic to hire me. I would be much more qualified to work at any equine clinic, which is truly what I want to do. I am tired of working at the feed store, feeling like I wasted two years of my life at school. But the entrance to the vet tech program at PCC sounds next to impossible. Do I dare even try? I am attempting to turn a corner in my life as far as my attitude goes. I am so tired of relying on others to make me happy, I want to be a happy and joyful person all on my own, and be content with my life. Something I have had many issues with the past years. Perhaps even a major reason why my recent breakup happened. I want to fix that. I am trying to take my first few baby steps at that. Is going back to school my first big step? A step towards my dream job.....but that would mean quitting the job I have now, having no income and just relying on the hope that I would be able to find work after I get a new degree. Something I'm not good at. I just need to investigate all my options.

Not dead, I promise

Wow, it has been well over a month since my last post. Woops.. I have just been so stressed and busy lately, not to mention the lack of internet at my house, makes updating the blog not at the fore-front of my mind.

Lets see... still going to the barn on wednesdays. There is a few new horses there, not sure if I ever mentioned them. Three boarded horses, only one of which I ever touch. The other two are permanently out in their pasture with shelter. The evil not-nice-name palomino mare gets brought in and out so she can eat some grain. She is not pleasant, there is no liking of her. Another new horse is Matilda, a huge black warmblood mare. She was given to the lady, and was "three-legged lame". Um...no. She is fine, looks totally sound to me in every way. Lunged walk, trot, canter. So I don't know what will be happening with her. But she sure is pretty. So that makes a total of the horses there....Listo, Leo, Lilly, Leopold (haha), Charlotte and Grace, Dusty, Fortuna, Joe, Palomino mare and her two buddies, and Matilda. 13 horses. But only 10 stalls to clean. Not too shabby. Heres a picture of Matilda...

Other things happening. There have been major problems in wonderland. Casey (the boyfriend) and I have been having a very rocky rough time. I am temporarily staying at my mom's house so we can have some seperate apart time. I am hoping things get better. I know a lot of things are my own fault, what with my struggle to control my own moods and emotions. I am considering seeing someone to help me with that. If I can figure out how to be okay and happy by myself, I won't look to other people, specifically Casey, to make me happy. It is nobody elses job to make me happy, and it is unfair to ask it. So yeah, thats as far into that I'll get here.

Being home so much is giving me the chance to work Gypsy more. Key word- chance. Not that I am really doing it. I rode her this morning and she was a royal pain in the you-know-where. Can't really blame her- she is ridden so infrequently with no consistancy at all. But my temper forgets this sometimes with her.

Heres a super cute christmas picture of Allie, our dog. Isn't that adorable? Looks like it should be on a card.

This grey horse is boarding at the barn I work at on Wednesdays. He is the tubby little Lippizan that I think Ive mentioned at some point. His name is Leopold. Here is was galloping like a loony when he was in the pasture by himself. I love this picture though, it looks a lot cooler if you could crop it so he was bigger. It looks awesome on my phone. Coulnd't find photo editing stuff on this little laptop though.

And here is another horse thats boarding there. I have no clue of this horses name. But I know he was nosy and right on me the entire time I was in his pasture. He followed my every tiny step like a puppy. Cute, but annoying when Im trying to catch a different horse pastured with him that is super hard to catch. I need to figure out this guys name. And probably the other two horses in his pasture. Haha, I call the hard to catch palomino mare...old lady. Who is naughty and needs better manners.

I promise Im alive!

The lack of internet is really hindering this blog, isnt it? My posts are few and far in-between, sorry! I am still around and doing my thing, nothing too outrageous or special.

But the other day I wanted some pony time, but Gypsy is already losing weight due to the cold and the winter, so I didn't want to ride her. So I hopped on paint and rode him english for the first time in his life. He was actually a real good boy, we trotted around and he behaved just fine. The canter attempt was pure awful but thats okay, when is the last time painto has cantered? Who even knows? But as far as the Gypsy weight issue, I gave in and bought her some senior grain and some rice bran. Hoping that will help pack on some pounds. The grain makes her happy :) Ive been riding her western, like Im sure ive mentioned at some point in these posts. She was behaving great in the western getup, but I wondered if it had taught her some good lessons for the english side. And voila, it did! I rode her english and she put her head down and I let her have contact on a nice long-ish rein, and we trotted around the arena great! Yay!

Then a day or two ago I met up with my friend Jessica and we went on a little trail ride on a christmas tree farm. I rode Lacey, here is a picture of her. She is a Morgan mare. She was pretty good, except for the trotting and short gallop where she forgot that reins meant to slow down, or at least pay attention. But it was fun anyways, It has been so very long since I had a fun gallop!

Pictures that belonged in the last post

Here are pictures about things I talked about in thee last post. haha.

Here is me riding Gypsy with a hay string. She looks really skinny in this picture, which is unsettling...This is the only pic that was taken that she looked skinny in, none of the others looked that way. But of course this is the best looking photo of me riding her. I look so big and tall on her, ha.

And here is a picture I took of the horses at work after I put everybody in the pasture together. From the left it is Grace, Charlotte, Fortuna, Lily, and Leo. Ha

Updates

Well lets see whats been going on. I've been riding Gypsy some, and listen to this weirdo miracle. I was bored one day and put a new bit on a western headstall. This is a seven shank curb bit with a fairly high port and little rings below the port. Strange bit, but hey, interesting. So I put my western saddle on Gypsy and threw this bit on her. At first she was WHAA?! And didn't quite get it. But then, this weirdo crazy lightbulb turned on and she just got it. Just really got it. She put her head down like a western pleasure horse and trotted around real nice and slow. So I rode her like this again and the same thing happened. I got on bareback and for a third time she did this. YAY! Maybe she has decided she likes this a lot more than english after all? I sure don't mind! And I am even riding all western-correctly..... one handed only and with a nice loose rein, even if she starts getting silly and putting her head up. WOW nice. Yay pony. And then a day or so ago I hopped on without halter or bridle or saddle, just a hay string around her neck. We walked and trotted circles and all around. She was only slightly naughty! Yay! What a good pony.

And I've still been going to the barn once a week. Did I mention the new Lippizan horse that boards there? I orginally kind of thought it was a prego mare at first glance, oh...but its a fat gelding. And soon, I hear, three more horses are coming to get boarded. Her arena just got its sand footing brought in and one big pasture is done. So everybody got to be turned out together! Grace and Charlotte loved it. Throw Lily out with mama and baby? All goes well. Good. Leo too? No problems. Maybe put out Fortuna? OHH! Grace was so mad at her, and they all galloped around like a bunch of loonies. I was real worried, but they settled down and grazed in their little groups. Haha, it was pretty funny. Joe is still not trusted around Charlotte, I feel this is probably a good idea. :P

Lets see, what else? I dunno...OH! I got my diploma in the mail finally! YAY! Its pretty snazzy....

Listo man

Was at work today, the barn work that is. Took this picture of Listo and couldn't help but share. He was so darn cute. And such a good boy. There is lots happening over there... now building the fences for the pastures and that should be done by this weekend. So turning ponies out will be a heck of a lot easier. And speaking of the ponies, there is another one now. Along with Dusty, now there is a grey Lippizan gelding. Am I spelling Lippizan right? Not really sure. Although it was funny....as I pulled into the drive, I just saw a amazingly fat horse. I automatically thought....oh, another mare here to foal out? I talked to the owner to get instructions for the day and commented on the new mare. HA. She laughed so hard... OOHH....gelding, yes. I guess I didn't look too close. But besides really fat, he's pretty cute. Can't remember his name at this second.... And now it is bothering me that I can't. I feel like it will all night. :P

Life is still inching by...

Well...life is still going. Nothing exciting or wonderful. Just busy and tired all the time. Working a lot. Becoming more and more unsatisfied with my job....It just isn't what I went to school for, and it is massively dissapointing when I compare it with what I wanted to do. But what options do I have? There is no need for slightly kind of trained but not certified equine vet techs. I feel this career frustration leeking into everything else, and I feel grouchy and short tempered with everything. But there are still my ponies that give some escape.

Like this beautiful paint girl. She belongs to the owner of the barn I work at once a week. Her name is Dusty... Paint with just enough Arabian in her to make her all sorts of pretty. I got to ride her, and oh she was fun! She has won tons of awards in western pleasure as well as hunt seat I guess. I got on, asked for a trot...and she gave me this teeniest little jog that was just oh so cute. Totally loose rein, and just slow as can be, totally content with it. WOW. So much different than Gypsy, it was fun to experience it on a well trained horse.

And of course my customary pictures of Listo and baby Charlotte. I had just turned out Listo in the big round pen, after taking out the mares. He thought he could smell the mares. Apparently they smell pretty good. Ha... Charlotte is getting so so big! I couldn't believe how big she looked! And she is getting so very grey. I didn't know they started greying out so fast, but she's already losing all her baby fur and getting a roany-type grey in her hair now. Sorry for the sideways picture..

And it would be terrible if I didn't even mention my own abandoned pony. I haven't been riding her a whole heck of a lot, but since I am sorta wanna-be retiring her, who cares too much. I hopped on bareback and ponied Paint off her yesterday, or the day before, or whenever it was. I was actually pleasantly suprised that they did pretty dang well. Although it was a little tricky since Gypsy walks so slow, and old Painto walks pretty fast. We made it work though.