Back in Tack

As per Dr. P's suggestions, I've been getting Gali back to light work under tack.  My first ride was completely uneventful, and I found myself in awe at how lucky I am to have a horse like Gali.  Really, what other horse would be completely level headed in a relatively new indoor after almost two months off?  I was able to check his soundness at three gaits in both directions, work on my two point, a few double-ups, and do some no stirrup work - all on the buckle!  Gali was enthusiastic about being back in work.

I then went away for the weekend, and returned to ride on Monday night.  I got to the farm later than I expected, and didn't have my tack room key with me.  I wanted to get some walking in, because I felt bad for leaving Gali to sit for two days.  After hand-walking him around the fog-filled and rather dark indoor, I threw a rope halter on him, rigged up some reins, took a deep breath, and hopped on.

Who is this horse?!

Mr. Galabad was... well, Galagreat.  He didn't look at anything scary towards the far end of the arena, he didn't try to jig or pop his shoulder and drag me anywhere, and he had pretty good brakes.  I did spend 95% of the ride walking, but in the short bits of trot (to check his soundness), he was just as well behaved as in the walk. Needless to say, I was confused - who is this horse?!  Last time I rode him bareback in his bridle, he tried to take off with me, and bucked!

I was happy he decided to behave, and even happier to see that he seems to be improving at the trot.  I suspect with another week of MSM, DMSO, and walking, he'll be sound again... just in time to have a few weeks off when I'm home for the holidays!

I went out today, excited to be able to throw tack on my well mannered horse and go for a stroll.  I was hoping that the ground had dried up enough to ride outside, but it was still too muddy for me to be comfortable working at all.  I'm glad I had to ride inside, though, because the Gali of the past week has disappeared, and the usual Galahad was back in full force.  Before I had even gotten my feet in the stirrups, he was spooking away from a jump standard that must have been hissing at him.  He was jumping at the sound of a horse pawing, and sidestepping to move away from standards and jumps that he's seen several times already.  I tried to get him to walk up to the one particular standard he was afraid of, but he tensed up and spun away three or four times.  Since my goal is to work him gently under saddle, I felt bad for getting into an argument with him.  We met somewhere in the middle, and I continued my ride.  He was strong, and tense for most of the ride, and was looking for any excuse to misbehave.  I'm assuming that his tension is what led to his lameness being more pronounced than it was on Monday.

Afterwards, I did some ground work in the scary part of the arena, and he seemed to settle down.  I'm certainly hoping that today was a fluke, and the calm and levelheaded Gali is what I will begin to see more of as I bring him back into work slowly.

Gali Meets Dr. P

Gali and I were both big fans of my previous vet, but when I moved him an hour north, I decided to switch to the barn's vet.  I've heard good things about him from many people in the area, and I was excited to meet him and hear his opinion of Gali's ringbone and condition.

Gali might not be the smartest horse in the barn, but when he saw the new guy looking at him and writing notes on a clipboard, he tensed up.  "THAT'S WHAT THOSE POKEY GUYS DO!! HE'S A POKEY GUY!".  The two shots were relatively uneventful, but the vet did comment on how tall Gali could get.

Despite Gali's Saturday soundness, he came up lame on Monday.  I expected the vet to want to take a few XRays, but he decided my films from last year were okay for now.  He believed the flare up was a result of being stalled during the hurricane, and that the best thing to do would be to manage pain and inflammation until he gets past this, and then re-evaluate him.  That means putting him on MSM (easy), continuing to ice him (easy), walking him under tack as frequently as I can (easy) and applying a DMSO/Absorbine gel to his pastern whenever I'm at the farm (FML).

In other news, Bekka is looking to lease Katie out, so if anyone is looking for a lovely all-around horse suitable for beginners or advanced riders alike, please get in touch with me!

Boring Update Time.

I hope everybody had a lovely Thanksgiving!  My weekend was spent alternating between eating everything in sight, and having an emotional breakdown about the last two concerts before my favorite band goes on hiatus.  Being home (and then in Philly, and then in NYC) meant that Gali had a few days of just sitting in the field, eating hay, and probably crying about the Sixers' hiatus as well Right?

He's really going to miss Boots, Kit, and SK.

Understandably, when I went out to see him on Monday afternoon, he was stiffer and more lame than he had been when I was icing him every day last week.  I dropped a gram of bute into his breakfast, went through the whole ice/poultice/groom routine, and threw an extra blanket on him in anticipation of the snow storm we got on Tuesday.  I didn't make it out to see him on Tuesday, but on Wednesday I came out in the early afternoon.  I jogged him in the indoor before icing him, and found that he was down a little bit more sound than he was on Monday.  While I was waiting, I took some time and went through all of our carrot stretches.  I dug out my clicker, and even spent some time refreshing him on the "tricks" we learned last time we went lame.  I'm happy to report that he still remembers "ask nicely!" for treats, and to stop mugging my pockets when I put my hands behind my back.  He shakes hoof, but I'm running out of things to teach him... I guess we could work on targeting again.  Any ideas?

After icing, he was even better.  I'm sure by then the bute from Tuesday morning was mostly out of his system, so I'm hoping that he's on the upswing, and that the icing really helps.

Still, Gali's meeting his new vet on Monday, to get some follow up XRays and two shots (botulism and rabies).  I'm going to ice him again tonight and through the weekend, and hope he's on the better side of this flare up.

EZ Ice - no, really!

One of the biggest challenges I've dealt with when treating a ringbone flare up has been icing Gali's legs.  In the summer, it isn't awful, because cold-hosing is easy enough.  Still, standing there for twenty minutes gets boring for both Gali and I, and ends up with both of us being cranky.  In the winter, however, it's been a nightmare.  Gali refuses stand in a rubber tub for more than a minute, he knocks buckets over, and even if I do manage to get his foot in cold water, I don't like having to soak his entire foot just to attempt to chill his pastern.

So, when his ringbone flared up against last week, I decided to go up to Dover and pick up the same chilled gel bandage that Alexis used to use on Adam.  When I got there, I saw they had something even better - a velcro "boot" that is meant for icing laminitic hooves. 

For once, my horse's lumpy pasterns have come in handy.  I knew from trying to fit him with bell boots in the past that his ringbone and sidebone make it very difficult for anything to actually fit around his hoof at the coronet band, so it looked like this hoof boot would rest perfectly on his calcification.  A photo from the Jeffers website shows how it's supposed to rest:

... and this is how it ended up sitting on Gali. 

Completely, unintentionally, replicated the Jeffers picture...

Just as I thought, it was perfectly sized to sit right on the area I wanted to ice! (Please ignore the strange way he's standing...)

The wrap stayed cold for a long time, while I groomed and grazed Gali, and he didn't mind it at all.  Afterwards, I walked him out and he seemed to be moving less stiffly than he was when I brought him in.  It's too early to tell if this is helping, but I'll keep you all updated!

Ringbone, again :(

After today's ride, I'm convinced Gali's "lameness" is indeed a flare-up of his ringbone, and no longer attribute it to time spent indoors, or a break from supplements.  He's been out for a week, and back on his supplements for longer than that - so if that's what it was, he should be sound again.  Pony's sound at the canter and walk, but grade 2/3 lame at the trot.  It's more prominent going towards the right, and nearly gone traveling towards the left, as well as when he sits down and uses his hind end to carry himself.  I do believe that getting on him and helping him stretch out is helping, so I will continue to ride (at a walk with some stretchy trot) and see if he continues to improve. I'm having his (new!) vet out to give him a botulism vacc sometime in the next week or two, so I'll speak to him then about my options.

Finally... good pony!

When I got to the barn on Saturday afternoon, the indoor was filled with pony clubbers taking a lesson, and a few other riders were tacking up to go ride.  I didn't want to battle with Gali in a ring of little kids, and for a few minutes thought of just grooming him and going home, disappointed in not being able to ride.

However, on my way out to get Gali from the field, I saw someone coming in from the outdoor - I had assumed it was still flooded, like everything around here, but it turns out it wasn't bad at all.  There were a few puddles and some slick spots, but plenty of room to ride, if I planned my tracks.

Sleepy Gali!

Just behind the bushes, some teens were stacking those plastic cavaletti to make a line of jumps for themselves to try to jump over.  I did this when I was younger, and thought that Nina was being mean when she flipped out at us for horsing around - but once I was on the back of Gali, who looked at the girls throwing themselves at the jumps like they were going to slice him up, I silently apologized for my past shenanigans.  To make matters worse, up a bit farther, a man was building a birdhouse.  He was hammering and using a power saw, and the birdhouse was going to be taller than Gali - so he was obviously concerned about that monster, too.

Amazingly, all he did was tense up and want to look at both monsters.  I am so proud of him and the progress we're making in terms of dealing with scary things. His default reaction had always been "Run Awaaaaaay!", to the point where I'd sing him that Monty Python song, modified for the correct Knight, as I tried to get him back under control:

Brave Sir Gali ran away, bravely ran away, away!
When danger reared its ugly head, he bravely turned his tail and fled.
Yes, brave Sir Gali turned about, and gallantly he chickened out.
Bravely taking to his feet, he beat a very brave retreat,
Bravest of the brave, Sir Gali! 

No such song was needed Saturday!  We didn't do a whole lot of dressage work, but we got a good walk, trot, and canter to the left, and a good walk/trot to the right. I think he's really starting to gain confidence in himself, which absolutely helps me be less anxious in 'scary' situations. He was still very stiff going to the right, so I took it easy on him and worked on getting a stretchy trot, rather than pushing for the canter.  I can't wait for him to settle down just a little bit more, so that I can take a lesson and get back on track for some winter showing.

Frustrating ride.

Blah ride today.  Gali was great for getting his feet trimmed, and it was nice to catch up with my trimmer.  I expected a productive ride and was excited to have the ring (mostly) to myself, but when the barn owner began watering the arena, Gali’s brain went on a temporary vacation.  He was so distracted, and despite the fact that the barn owner was watering out of our way and we should have had plenty of space to work, Gali decided that both ends of the ring were terrifying, and that the middle was the only safe place to be.

Some figure eights helped expand our working area, but he was inverted, bucking, and counterbending all over the place.  I’m actually glad he was a little bucky, because otherwise I think the people watching would just assume that I was an idiot - that's how bad it went.

I'm disappointed, not just because of how the ride went, but because I was unable to turn a ride that started off poorly into a ride that ended well.  I feel like every exercise, trick, and maneuver I should have used was completely forgotten, and my position went to shit.  I feel like I am desperately in need of a lesson, but I can't afford one until mid-December, most likely... I guess reading and really thinking through what I messed up today is what I'll have to settle for.

The one positive thing about the ride was that we got to work on some de-spooking methods, and if the ring didn't fill up with pony clubbers as I was ending, I think I would have been able to make more progress in that regard.

To quote my celebrity soul make, "I’m marking it down to learning, 'cause I can", and I've got to treat tomorrow's ride like a fresh slate - and maybe tomorrow I can actually start No Stirrup November.

Lame horse!

I went out to ride Gali today, and of *course* I got there fifteen minutes after he'd been turned out to his new field.  After being in for several days due to the storm and damage to the farm, he wanted absolutely nothing to do with me catching him.  I did feel bad, and was going to just bring him in, groom him, and turn him back out.  However, he was incredibly disrespectful and would not allow me to even come close to him, and when a second person had to help me corner him to catch him, I decided to saddle up.

He ended up being fairly lame in the leg that has the more severe ringbone.  I'm hoping that it's just a result of a combination of unfortunate timing - being in for almost a week, being out of supplements due to some shipping problems at the old barn, and being due for a trim.  He had a good attitude about it, which is how I'm certain it's his ringbone - if he's sore anywhere else he's pissy and bucks, but with ringbone he just shuffles along like he accepts his own arthritic fate.

I am glad that Mr. Alpha is getting along, for the most part, with his field mates.  He had it out with a small pony (ironically, named Sir Lancelot, and whom the owners say deserves a good whomping) and had a mild disagreement with one other horse, but it's really just down to him and the standing head-of-herd, who I'm certain will back down in a day or two.

Oh, Sandy.

Gali weathered the storm well, and while I haven't been able to get up north to check on him (bad horse owner, I know!), I've been getting updates from the barn owner.  I'm hoping that roads will be clear enough to go see him tonight or tomorrow morning.

I left New Brunswick the night before the storm, and have been at home.  Here we're fine - no flooding and only a few hours without power.  My apartment, however, has been without power since Monday evening, and apparently the roof hatch blew open.  We're on the top floor, so I'm very, VERY worried about my betta fish, Roxy, that I oh so stupidly chose to leave up at the apartment.  I thought that the travel and establishment of a "hotel" tank would be too much stress for her, and I did not think we would be without power for as long as we have been.  I'm hoping that the gradual drop in tank temperature wasn't too hard on her system, but I'm not optimistic about it :(

Another new chapter

Since I've owned Gali, I've had him at five different barns.  I've owned him for four years.  It absolutely sucks to have to move around so much, and totally strengthens my desire to have my own place as soon as I possibly can.

First, he was at a place called Holly Tree. I learned to ride there, I was there for over a decade.  Gali was there for just over a year. I don't mind saying the name publicly, nor do I mind saying how much of a shithole the farm became.  The owner took in so many "rescue" horses and "project" horses, but even when working students got these scrappy horses in shape and doing great work, the owner refused to sell them.  Absolutely refused.  It was clearly an instance of animal hoarding.  Several "boarders" had just left horses there, and the owner was totally cool with that.  When a few racehorses came in to be trained, the owner poured all of her effort into those horses, feeding them well and making sure they got priority turnout, while Gali and Katie and all of the other dressage horses got fed "stretchy hay" when she couldn't feed them the correct amount of grain, and left their stalls in complete ruin.  Leaving was the only option I had.

Second place was a gorgeous facility, beautiful fields, (mostly) great boarders, and a farm owner who went from the most generous, helpful person in the world to a slightly-manic, drama-creating guy in a matter of months.  He didn't have a good reputation in the horse world, but we lasted there for almost two years before I got fed up with him talking behind my back to my friends and spreading rumors about me.  At the same time that was uncovered, Gali went lame and I decided to give pasture boarding a shot, so I moved to farm #3.

I've written the most on this blog about Farm #3.  I liked the fields, I loved the track, I loved my friends who boarded with me.  Gali, however, wasn't happy.  He didn't get along with his fieldmates, he just was gradually getting more and more grumpy.  The farm was also far away, and I barely had time to see him.  I didn't have any sort of control over his feed, which is something that bothers me, and when I found out the barn owner had him up to a ridiculously high amount of grain, I brought out a weight builder for him.  She lectured me about how he's keeping weight fine and it's a pain in the ass to give him a supplement and that there's no such thing as Insulin resistance or Equine Metabolic Syndrome anyway, and I didn't know nearly as much as she did.  I took the supplement home, wrote out a chart of what he was to get, put it in an easy container with an easy to use scoop, and brought it out again.  She wasn't there when I would get there (late evenings, coming home from school), so I left a note saying "Hey, this is what I want done for Gali, this is why, this is what I did to make it easy for you.  Thanks."  Apparently, leaving a note was a bad idea.  I got cursed out and the owner began ignoring me completely.  I stayed for two months and was just uncomfortable there... so when a new farm opened up literally five minutes from my house, I moved Gali over.

Farm #4 was fantastic.  The trainer was a great trainer.  I was back taking weekly lessons.  I could see my horse any day of the week, any time.  The fields were great, he was happy, I was happy, the farm was exactly what I wanted.  And then... the trainer decided she couldn't handle boarders anymore, and shut the farm down.  It's a damn shame.

This past weekend, I moved Gali to farm #5.  It's closer to school, and it has an indoor.  The owners are very nice and seem to be very knowledgeable about horses.  There are a few things that concern me, but out of the twenty-some farms I called and the five farms I looked at, it seems like the best fit for Gali and I while I finish up at Rutgers.  There's an indoor, which means I have absolutely no excuse to not ride four days a week, every week.  I hope he is happy, and I hope that he continues to settle in as well as he has been settling.

I'm proud of him - when I first moved to Holly Tree, he got loose, barged through my trainer and slammed into the indoor in a "wild horse!" fit.  At farm #2, everybody thought he was insane because he nearly took down the fences and stall doors for at least a month.  At farm #3, he ran like a lunatic for the first week, got loose the second week, and was a handful under saddle for the first month. At Farm #4, he was so herdbound that I had to ride him in a square pen or he'd bolt back to the barn for the first two weeks!  And on Friday, he stepped off of the trainer... and dropped his head to graze.  He settled into his temporary stall well, and I even hopped on him in the indoor.  After a short w/t/c in both directions to show him the scary new things, he was barely puffing.  He was relaxing and munching hay by the time I put all of my tack away.  Maybe he's finally growing up.

Lesson, 10/6

When my alarm went off at 6:00 AM, the last thing I wanted to do was get up and go ride, but I'm certainly glad that I did.  Gali was excellent.  I did almost fall off before I was really even on, though.  Nicole had moved her set of cavaletti to the entrance of the ring, at A.  Now, these are bright red blocks and white poles that are usually on the side of the ring.  As part of 90% of my warmups, we trot over them as ground poles.  Gali has seen them every day since May, so I thought nothing of it when I hopped on and walked him to the ring.  He froze and side-stepped into a corner that was created by the arena chain fence and the red block, snorting and leaning back away from the block.  I booted him to the side, expecting him to take one step sideways and walk over the ground pole, but he instead moved forward even DEEPER into the corner.  At this point, I had still been gathering up my reins and didn't have my stirrups.  It felt like he was going to jump the corner, but he ended up wheeling around in a spin.  I didn't expect it at all and once I regained my balance, I gave him a quick lesson on what to do with ground poles and things he is afraid of.  Doofus horse.

After he got over the scary red blocks, we began to work.  His trot work was rushed at first, but we did some lengthening and collecting within the gait, and once he was sitting back on his hind end, he sustained it well, relaxed and reaching for contact with his back up.  Our canter work was the best it's been in ages - I was actually able to get him to sustain a canter on his own, and get him to carry himself a bit.  This was huge, because it allowed me to take a minute to feel how my body was, and I could feel that I was leaning to the left.  I raised my left shoulder and opened my chest, and the change in his balance was noticeable.  I was also able to relax my legs and open my hips, allowing his back to come up and his shoulders to rise in the canter.  Nicole commented on our transitions being very balanced and even when Gali fell out of the canter, he was falling into a great trot, and only doing that because he was having a hard time keeping up the canter.

One thing that helped him pick up the canter was making the transition from a slower trot than his normal working trot, and I need to remember that so we do not keep rushing into the transitions.

In barn-search news, my list of 22 non-call-backs hasn't changed.  However, there's a very nice barn that I am looking at tomorrow, so, fingers crossed that it ends up being "the one"!

Saturday's Ride

I did not have a lot of time to ride on Saturday, but because I knew I would have even less time to ride this upcoming weekend, I rushed out to the barn in between loads of laundry.  On the drive there, I seriously contemplated just hopping on bareback, but when I got the farm and noticed the crisp breeze and the sound of deer running through the woods, I thought that a saddle would be a good idea.

While I was tacking up, all three of Nicole's dogs were playing in the barn, but when I walked down to the ring, only one followed me.  I was grateful for the company on the otherwise quiet farm, and even more grateful when Aztec noticed the deer and bounded after them, scaring them back into the woods and away from the sides of the arena.

Gali and I had a bit of a discussion about the mounting block, and when I asked him to walk away he broke into a jog.  I expected it to be one of those rides where I fight with him and he focuses solely on the deer and rustling leaves, but my pony surprised me.

As long as he was working, he was focusing on me and kept a very even tempo at both the trot and the canter.  He did have a lot of energy starting off, and so I used a modified version of an exercise that I've learned from a few different people.

After our warm up of big figure eights and twenty meter circles, I began to trot fifteen meter circles at each letter.  After two letters, I'd make a short diagonal line and do two circles in the other direction at the last two letters.  I'd do a larger circle at A or C, regroup, and go back up the longside in the same way.  After a bit of fighting about exactly what outside aids mean, Gali got too distracted by his own thoughts to argue, and we ended up doing the exercise at the canter, with simple changes on the diagonal.  The changes got him very excited, but the circles stayed at the size I wanted.  One bad habit Gali has is counter bending on the short sides of the arena (especially after a difficult exercise), and breaking when I ask for a true bend, and it was no surprise when he started off that way.  It was, however, a surprise when he did not resisit at all my encouragement, and we ended up getting lovely true bend in both short sides in both directions.

At the end of the ride (which was the most productive 20 minute ride I've had in a while), I let Gali out for a bit of a victory hand gallop.  The air was cool enough that he didn't sweat much, but after a quick hosing I put him out to roll and eat, just as the sun was setting.

There are plenty of days that remind me that I was overhorsed when I bought Gali, and plenty of moments when I ask myself what I seriously saw in the big, bolting, spooky, green twelve year old rescue - but for every few of those, there are rides like Saturday, and they wipe the slate clean and remind me exactly why I chose this horse.

A long summer...

It's been months since I've posted.  My hiatus was mostly related to the fact that I ended my internship in early August, and was no longer in front of a computer all day.    I spent the end of my summer riding a ton, getting ready to school, hanging out with friends who were all going in different directions, and catching up on some well-needed rest.

However, I'm sitting here typing this from behind a work computer - once again I'm behind a computer screen for hours a day, and once again I will be blogging.  Yay, right?

I'll summarize the last few months in a rapid-fire bulleted list!

Alexis and I posing with the big guy.

• Finally showed Gali.  1st place and 2nd place (out of three... still!) in both of my Intro classes, which lead to Reserve Champion of the division.  More importantly, Gali was a superstar and behaved like a total gentleman.  Alexis showed him that day, as well, and came in third in Training 3.  Considering it was her first dressage test EVER, and Gali was exhausted after being under saddle for three hours, they did great.
• We began "trail riding" more frequently.  I still haven't crossed the road with him, but we play in the woods more and he's been pretty steady as far as not trying to GTFO when something scares him
• Our dressage training is going great, we're working on his canter and I'm really happy with the progress we've made...
• ...unfortunately, that might end, because the new barn owner is no longer boarding.  She's choosing to focus more on her own training and lessons, and while it's disappointing, I understand that everybody has limits.
• We're moving to a barn up near Rutgers in November, and I'll be riding much more frequently.  However... still haven't found the barn.  If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know!

I was really proud of our free walk, so here, have a picture.

Trail Ride and Farm Fair!

Last night, I was up at the fire pit until 3:30 AM drinking homemade wine... needless to say, when I woke up this afternoon, the LAST thing I wanted to do was go ride.  However, I forced myself out of the house and onto my horse.  My plan was a relaxing, stretching ride in the ring before heading to meet Lynn at Farm Fair, where I'd watch her and Max take on the gymkhana.

First solo trail ride in 4+ years :)

Gali started off in the ring perfectly - he was soft and round and listening and moving his legs, all things that I rarely get at the same time.  I decided to work outside the ring and get him used to trotting around the arena, like we would do at a show.  He stepped up like a brave pony (he is NOT a brave pony!) and didn't change his marching tempo as we trotted around.  I decided to wake him up and let him run a bit down the longer stretch of the path, and despite being in a nice hand gallop, he did not get too excited and came right back when I asked.  After a few runs, I brought him back into the ring to check his brain, and he went right back to dressage work without much asking.

I took him out of the ring again, and he tried to walk up into the woods.  For a second, I forgot how much of a chicken I am, and I walked him down to the short trail on the property.  We walked between a few trees and back to where the road begins before I turned him around and went back to the barn.  It was short, but it was our first solo trail ride EVER, and the first trail ride where we were both totally relaxed.  Progress!

The trail cooled him down and I was able to put him away quickly before rushing to make the 3:00 Fair start time.  I got there and couldn't believe my eyes, there was a ZEBRA in the ring!

Oh wait.. it's just Lynn and Max.

While we were waiting for the Ride a Buck to end, an old friend, Darlene, asked me to take her horse Tigger into the baton "race".  She had never showed, and wanted to just walk him in the event for the experience, before Gale got to run it back with her OTTB.  Darlene's back was bothering her, but she didn't want to abandon her partner.  I ran back to my car and grabbed my helmet and boots, before I hopped... er, was launched? onto the big friendly belgian.

Not really sure how I got there

I know Tig pretty well, but I've never ridden him.  I took him into the warmup and when I asked him to trot, he pinned his ears and kicked at my leg, and looked over at his owner like "MOM! She asked me to move.  How dare she ask me to move?!"

Despite our appearance, speed events aren't our thing.

Tigger was rescued from an amish straight stall at age 18 or so, and he's 25 now.  He's got incredibly arthritic knees, but recently Darlene's vets told her to get him out to fun shows, get him moving, and take him places, because he's not in pain, he's just got a very funky way of moving to compensate for the knees. In our relay race, he picked up the trot on his own, and I just got out of his way.  He was moving like the giant gimpy lug that he always is, but his ears were up and he was having so much fun being in the spotlight.

Unfortunately, the show management wasn't hearing it, and asked us to scratch after our first event because of a few lame trot steps.  I thought it was fair enough - they don't know him and they have to look out for lame horses, but Darlene was heartbroken and really took it personally.  We weren't going to get much more trot out of him anyway, and he had a blast.  In 25 years, it was the very first time he'd been to a show under saddle, and I think him taking the busy Farm Fair atmosphere in stride was enough of an accomplishment.  I had a lot of fun, and I was honored that Darlene trusted me enough to take her boy out for the first time.  I know it was a special day for her.

Oh, and because Farm Fair brings out Jersey's brightest, Lynn lost count of how many people came up and asked if the portly quarter horse was a REAL zebra. I mean, she did a great job painting him, but... seriously?

Even though he's not a zebra, Max is an amazing horse.

Off the left rein and moving forward.

I haven't updated in quite some time!  I'll spare you the sad song about how busy my life has been and talk about a few of the big happenings of the past weeks.

My proudest moment might have been on the 4th of July.  Alexis invited Lynn and myself up to the barn at which she works for a holiday trail ride.  Now, I'm a big chicken, and Alexis has no pity for me about that.  She's a great friend and helps push me through my scardey-cat moments, and she knows that in the end I'll forgive her (usually).

So, we tack up our horses and head out.  As we're climbing through the mountains, I'll admit I was freaked out about the height and steep drops that appeared along the not-so-wide trail.  Luckily, my horse was an adorable quarter horse (who reminded me of my once project horse, Buster, except with a brain) named Bert, who quickly reminded me that HE was the horse here, and not to worry, cause he wasn't going to listen to me anyway.

As we crested the mountain and the trail opened up to a large field, Alexis turned around and asked our group (Lynn and I, plus one boarder) if we were ready.  Before we could answer "Yeah!" or "For what?!", she took off with her horse, and before I knew it, I was grabbing mane in two point pleading with Bert not to trip and drop me on my face as his strides ate up the ground.  He was surefooted and lovely, and we had a blast.  We galloped through a few more fields before winding our way back down the mountain, and despite my hollering and praying as we ran, it was a fantastic experience and a takign a strange horse out in the open on strange lands was a HUGE step for me as a rider.

On the homefront, Gali has been making tremendous progress.  Nicole really makes us work in our lessons, and it's paying off for both of us.  He's finally getting off of my left rein, which means he is popping his shoulder less and less, and we're working on getting some impulsion into the contact.  His mind has never been more sound, and we ride regularly in the dark, in the open, and in the company of deer.  I haven't checked out the trails with him yet, but after a pathfinding mission on the always lovely Aya mare, I think I'm ready to take him out.

Galloping, trail riding Gali -- who AM I?!

Kittens! ...help.

We just got permission from our landlord to keep the kittens, so it looks like Liam Neeson and Parmasean are officially ours for good!  I've never had cats before, so I'm reaching out to anyone reading this and asking for some advice.

First and foremost, I need to know what veterinary care they need, and what sort of vet schedule I should put them on.  At 8 weeks, they were both fixed and dewormed, and had their first round of a combo vaccine.  I know they'll need their rabies shot mid-july, but do they need a booster of the combo then, as well?  Even though they were dewormed once, should I get a fecal done, just deworm them again, or is it safe to assume they are wormless?  Is Revolution a good option for heartworm and flea prevention?

Second, how do you all feed your cats?  Everywhere I'm reading online says wet food primarily, and I'm okay with that, but I'm having a hard time figuring out how much.  Right now they are on half of a 5 oz can twice a day, with free choice dry food.  Does that sound like I'm on the right path?

Scratcher-wise: cardboard or sisal?  Vertical or horizonal... or both?

What type of litter do you prefer?  We first used Fresh Step Extreme, and I really liked it, but it comes in bulky bags that are tough to work with.  I'm trying Tidy Cats Small Spaces now, and I like the jug it comes in, but I'm not quite sold on the litter itself for scoopability yet.

Is a high-sided litter box okay, or should I get a covered one?  Should I really have one for each of them, or will just one be okay for such a small apartment?

& finally... is there anything I should know NOW, before I'm fully submerged in a kitten-run life?

Photo Spam Post

Between commuting to Brooklyn and being super busy on weekends, I haven't had much time to update.  I will say that Gali has been nothing short of fantastic lately, and I'm really hoping to get him out to the Meadow - even if it's just to school - when everybody goes in July.

Instead of writing about all of my rides, though, I just want to post a bunch of pictures of my pretty little horse.  Enjoy.

Gali and my niece meeting for the first time.
After a few minutes, both of them could only focus on the bag of cheez-its I brought out.

Check behind the cut for Gali's fabio shots...

PJ Photo Shoot - Part 1

I'll post about my amazing ride today (halt to canters like a professional, what what!) tomorrow morning, but I just can't go to bed without sharing this sequence of photographs.  My friend PJ came out to take some pictures this afternoon, and while I'm sure there will be plenty to share when I go through them tomorrow, here's a nice "Gali-buck" series.  Perfect example about how both good and bad Gali can be at the same time.  Good boy for understanding the up-rein and boot means don't even think about it, bad boy for thinking about it at all.  Enjoy.

Finally settling in... and coming up lame.

Gali has been behaving himself lately, but when I hopped on him Thursday night he seemed a little off in his right front shoulder.  I wrote it off to him either sucking back and faking lame or being stiff, though, because he seemed to only take an off step when he wasn't paying attention.  I took it easy and let him stretch out, and spritzed him with liniment before putting him away for the night.

On Friday morning, I got to the barn early for a lesson, hoping that the previous night's lameness was just an odd tweak.  Unfortunately, no such luck, and I was less than five circles into my trot work when Nicole asked me if he felt off.  He didn't seem to be working out of it, so I hopped off and put him away.  I was going to be at my sister's all weekend, so he got bute Saturday morning and afternoon, and was left with no bute on Sunday so I could get an honest reading of him when I got back.

Last night I didn't do much - just threw him in the round pen and checked him in both directions - but he did seem sound.  I gave him today off, and will go out to ride him tomorrow.

His attitude and anxiety has been getting a lot better, and he's stopped calling to Katie whenever she isn't in sight, so if he IS sound tomorrow, I hope to get the best ride at Skip Ahead yet.

Personal and Pony Update

Personal update: I'm working 3x a week in Brookyln, and this is the first time I've picked up my computer in over a week.  I'm reading everything (yay Android) but not commenting.

Pony update: Here's a lovely list of things sang or uttered to my horse today

• Gaaaaali, you're knockin' me out, you're shakin my confidence daaaaily! (Cecelia, Simon & Garfunkle)
• Oh Galahad, it's okay in the clouds, but I love it right here with my feet in the tack! (Gravity, SK6ERS)
• WHY DID I THINK THIS WAS A GOOD SONG TO PUT ON THIS PLAYLIST?! (The Fall, Avett Brothers)
• Do I need to tell you? I don't need to be untrue! Not when I have a pony like you! (Lover Like You, Avett Brothers)
• Do we really NEED to make this about the mounting block?! LET'S NOT MAKE THIS ABOUT THE MOUNTING BLOCK.
•  I SWEAR IF YOU MAKE THIS ABOUT THE MOUNTING BLOCK I WILL EAT YOU.
• It's 8 PM and I wanna go to to be-ee-ed! I've got a pony, runnin through my haa-aa-aands! I'm outta money, so I'm gonna sell him, it's 8 PM and I want to go to bed! (Night Shift, OAR)
• We knew enough to pick our battles, that is why we left BTF, music that I never used to listen to lets me riiiiiiide! (Seattle, Speechwriters LLC)
• Who matters here, horse?  Who matters?  NOT YOU.  NOPE.  I'll feed you to the woods! I'll send you so far out of this herd YOU. WILL. CRY.
   
  and, finally,
   
  • Thank you!  THANK YOU!  Good boooooy, good boy good boy good boooy!

   
  and that's what matters in the end.
   

The first 'barn' cats...

Horse update in a minute, but first I want to take a minute to write a personal update.

On my way to my last final exam of the semester, I walked my usual route through the classroom buildings.  I passed a bush and had to do a double-take.  Sure enough, there were kittens hanging out in the middle of the mulch, looking around, being kittens.  I walked towards them and they scattered.  I was really puzzled, looked around for a few minutes and saw them again.  I called my friend Dom (who seems to be the go-to for most things!) and asked her if she had a place I could put a few kittens.  She said I could probably bring them in to the clinic/shelter she works with, if I could catch them.  I went off to take my final, wondering if kittens would still be there by the time I finished.

After the exam, I gathered a few other friends and a big paper box and started searching through bushes.  An hour after we started, the search party dwindled to myself and Jason.  At one point, once we combed through the entire section of bushes, Jason was convinced the kittens had been moved.  Just as we were about to give up, we found a hole in the ground.  Both of us were afraid to just reach in, expecting it to be anything but a hole of kittens, so I put my ultra-tough phone to the test and snapped a few pictures.

In one of the pictures, we saw a little black and white face staring right into the camera.  Bingo, kitten hole.  To lure them out, we put out some tuna, and soon Jason and I had two frightened kittens hanging out in a rubbermaid container back in my room.  The black and white kitten, once caught, seemed to accept her fate and completely calmed down.  The gray, however, decided to try and fight his way out of everything.  First, the box.  Then, the bathtub.  Then, the rubbermaid container.  He looked damned cute doing it, though, and so I named him Liam Neeson.  Jason named the little girl Parmesan, and thus lost all future naming rights to anything.


We've had them for a little over a week now, and while the plan had been to find them homes, it's looking more and more like Jason and I now have two kittens.  Do we need two kittens?  Absolutely not.  Should we have two kittens?  Probably not.  But we are in the process of finagling and working to be able to keep them in our apartment next year.

In the meantime, we got the kittens fixed and up to date on their shots, plus we got them dewormed.  They've gotten a bath and are now fattening up on top of the line dry and wet food, and have a ton of toys and scratchers to play with.  They are becoming very social, and allowing us to clip their nails and fuss with them in general.

Liam is still very protective of his sister, who is much smaller than he is.  He always allows her to eat first, and when we have her out of their area, he chirps and cries to her.  He's getting better, but for the first few days he'd always sleep with his paws around her, like the little tough kitten that he thinks he is.


I really had no intention of keeping them, but they are such good kittens and such gorgeous kittens that it is going to be hard to let them go to another home.  I do really hope we are able to keep them.

  

Shopping for Shows...

Lynn and I are heading up to Dover tomorrow to take advantage of their spring sales.  I know I need to get fly spray, but in terms of horsey supplies, I'm pretty much set.

However, for the first time in a year, it looks like I'm actually going to be showing Gali this season.  We've travelled a bumpy road over the past 12 months, but I think we will be ready in a few more weeks.

This, of course, calls for new show clothes.  My horsey collection might be overflowing with things that Gali will surely never need, but my rider's attire is certainly lacking.  The boots that I showed him in previously have pretty much fallen apart (that's what I get for buying $55 boots... oh well, got my money's worth out of them, honestly), so I'm gonna need some new boots.  Toll Booth just got some very nice ones in...

I only own breeches that are either tan, or tye dye.  If I'm going to pull off the dressage look, I really ought to pick up a pair of white full seats, no?

These reins, or fully black ones?

I have a show shirt - it's short sleeve and white, but it's also a hot, sticky poly blend fabric, so I might as well pick up a performance fabric if I'm going to make showing a positive experience.  Right?

Stock tie?  Stock pin?  I don't have either of those, but I'm gonna need them!  I think I'll try to make my own stock pin, it doesn't seem that difficult and I'd love to find beads that match his bridle.

Oh, I don't have a show coat.  Guess I should add that to the list. 

Gloves, too.

At least I have a helmet to wear!

Now, I just need to figure out what I'm going to do about Gali's colors.  My stirrup pads are blue, and his bridle and reins are blue.  Should I swap out his blue rubber reins for a pair of black web ones that I have lying around?  Or should I commit to the color, since all of my riding attire is classic?  Should I do a white pad with black piping, or look for a white pad with light blue piping?

Buddies and Bits, Oh My.

I had my first lesson at the new farm on Saturday.  I tacked Gali up with just a little bit of pony anxiety, and when I brought him down to the ring he seemed to be settling just fine.  Then, the pony who was out there walked back to the barn, and once again Gali lost his head.  It took five or six circles to get him into the round pen (from about twenty meters away) and once he was inside, it took another five minutes just to get the lunge line over his poll and attached to the bit.  Once he was hooked up, I asked him to walk off, and he took off and ran like a lunatic.  When Nicole came down to teach, he was still running.  She took him from me and worked on getting him to focus on her and soften at his poll.  I got on (after he dragged me away from the mounting block a few times, completely ignoring everything I've ever taught him) and he again tried to leave.  By this time, another mare was working in the next ring, and I could feel him exhale as he realized he wasn't alone.  He still was not focusing on me at all, so we worked through it with a lot of poll softening exercises and changes of direction to keep his mind busy.  He finally did relax, and was a lot better at the trot and canter than he was at the walk.  By the end of the lesson I was really working to uncurl him, because he seems to think the solution is to tuck his head to his chest and leave.  We got a good amount of stretchy circle in each direction at the trot, and did quite a bit of on the buckle canter in each direction to try to get him to relax and get out of giraffe mode.  It honestly wasn't a good ride, but it was a great time to have a trainer there helping me get through all of his stupidity.

Sunday was much better.  I brought him in with Acorn, and Nicole tacked up the pony while I got Gali ready.  Since he had his buddy with him, Gali started off completely relaxed.  I even had him stand at the mounting block for a few minutes to refresh his training, and he stood like a perfect gentleman.  Once I was on, he wanted to get right to work and we did.  He was quiet and stretching through the walk, trot, and canter (and even gave me a few walk to canters!) in his good direction, and not being a total idiot in his bad direction, so I called it quits and decided to just walk him around after about 20 minutes of work.  While he was relaxing, I brought him into the round pen, to teach him that it ISN'T the pen of doom.  He was extremely stressed out the whole time we were there, but as soon as he relaxed even a little bit, I let our walking session end.  I was so proud of him, and it was a complete 180 from Saturday.

I do have an interesting dilemma, though, about bitting.  Since I've owned him, Gali has been happiest in a Dr. Bristol Eggbutt.  I've tried him in two different French links and one round-link, and all three were okay, but he was constantly fussing with them.  He absolutely hates single-jointed mouthpieces.  He's (very) recently begun to fuss with the Dr. B, and I wanted to try him in a full cheek, so there would be more stability in his mouth.

And... Erin informed me that as of 2012, Dr. Bristol bits are illegal for dressage.

Well, shit.  I have no idea where to start now!  I'll give a full cheek french link a shot because I can find one easily, but if that's a no-go, I'm guessing a baucher would be the next step. I have no idea what mouthpiece to go with.  This is also a terrible time to be trying new bits - I'm not one to try and bit a horse up, and blah blah blah stop a bolting horse with your legs, but when your horse is being a raving, herd-bound lunatic, it's not exactly pleasant to try and figure out if he feels like listening to a new bit.

New Homes

I have a lot to update about, but right now I need to focus on a ten page paper about the British colonial policies affecting the lack of national identity in Sudan and driving a marginalization of non-Arab populations.  So, instead of a few paragraphs about how I almost ate my horse for dinner on Monday, or how amazing Katie was yesterday, or how the two of them are getting along fantastically, here are just a few pictures.

End of the School Year

The last two weeks of a semester, alone, are enough to drive me crazy.

This week, aside from finishing up papers and organizing myself in preparation for finals, I am: moving my horse, working at the labs, organizing events for Rutgers Day/working all day Rutgers Day, going to see Martin Sexton and Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers, and going to my cousins' first communions.

So, my apologies for being absent in the blogosphere!  I have been reading and not commenting, as usual.

I did sneak two rides in last week, and for both of them Gali was a bit of a jerk.  He wasn't focused and he was popping his shoulder and dragging myself (and the other people that rode him) all around the arena.  Both rides finished on solid notes, but it's still frustrating.  I know that he's being bad because he isn't in regular work, but I wish I could explain to him that he WILL be in regular work soon, and that cooperating would be really great.

I'm very excited to move him to his new barn.  I was hoping to find someone who can come out and get some pictures of myself and Gali on the track and in the lake before I'm on the much less scenic new farm, but because we're moving so soon, I think I'm going to just have to deal with handing Jason a camera and hoping I get back from Rutgers Day with enough sunlight for some pictures.

Whirlwind of a Week

I rode on Sunday, and Gali was a good boy.  We just goofed off and got nothing really productive done.  Jason took a bunch of pictures, and I'll throw them at the end of this entry.

My other big news is that I'm moving Gali.  I found a great farm 3.5 miles from my house.  It's a 5 minute drive, and so I'm going to be seeing a LOT more of my horse when finals are over and he moves in.  I was worried that my current barn owner would be upset about me leaving, but telling her (yesterday) went over well, and everything has been left on good terms.  I also found out, yesterday, that I've been accepted to intern for an organization that I've been dying to get involved with.  It's in Brooklyn, though, so I've got to work out how I'm going to make that happen.

However, the high mood of yesterday fell terribly when I got a call from Jason shortly after 6 pm.  His father had been in the hospital all week, and we got word that he passed away last night, and we drove back from school.  It's going to be a very tough next few weeks.

Anyway, here are some pictures from my ride on Sunday.

Elbows? What are they?

 More behind the cut:

Birthday Weekend!

Gali turned 16 on Friday.  I don't actually know his birthday, so I've always celebrated on the anniversary of the day I first rode him.  It's been four years now since I've had him, and I've had a slew of great times and a handful terrible times, but through it all, we've come through it together.  I really can't imagine having any horse other than the Galabad, and I lucked out tremendously in finding him.  Enough of the sappiness, enjoy some of the highlights of the past four years:

From top left: Gali and Max grazing at Nouveau; My first ride on Gali; Gali grazing at Holly Tree; Hurricane Prep 101 (it says Come on Irene); Gali and Katie being friends at Been There Farm; Gali running with the geese at Nouveau; Gali and I matching on Horse sledding day - photo by Dom; Gali's first day of turnout at Holly Tree; Sledding with Dom and Herbie - photo from Dom

I celebrated his birthday by bringing him out two slices of carrot cake, a bunch of bananas, and a bag of carrots.  He's the horse who eats everything - pickles, chips, cheetos, corn husks, candy, etc - but he would not touch the cake.  He was so upset by it, actually, that he was snorting, backing away from it, and clenching his lips closed just after sniffing it!  No idea why - but he did enjoy his bananas.  As for the cake - I couldn't find a horse in the barn who would give it a try :(

I did make him work, though, and it was my first ride in over a week (yay, midterms!).  I expected a bit of energy, but he surprised me and was very loose and seeking the bit.  At one point, I rode past Lynn and Max and exclaimed "It's like driving a Cadillac!".  He did have some attitude, and kept trying to drag me towards the barn and the gate, but he would listen if I remembered to actually push him away with my leg, instead of trying to pull him around.  Once Max and Lynn left the ring to go do trot sets on the track, Gali got stronger and started giving me a hard time.  We worked through it by riding some square corners, and finished up on some good stretchy trot and two nice walk-to-canter transitions.

On Saturday, plans to ride got interrupted by the lousy weather, and Lynn invited me to explore Ikea in Philadelphia with her.  We had a good time, visited a friend that we don't see nearly enough, and got some fantastic barbeque.  As we split ways, we agreed to meet up at the farm on Sunday.

I woke up early and went to a different farm to ride a lovely little mare (more on that in a few days), and by the time I got out to see Gali, I was exhausted.  He wasn't exactly thrilled to see me, either, and I decided to just hop on bareback and stand in the middle of the ring, relaxing.  After some rest, I got my lunge line and made him work a little, just to let him stretch out and sharpen his verbal cues.  I'm pleased to say that "Ho." gets him from a canter to a halt almost immediately again - something we lose when we don't work on the line for a long time.  Afterwards, we grazed and shedded out our ponies - some quality time to end a pleasant weekend.

"Who you calling a ho?"

 

 

As Good As It Has Been...

First of all, sorry for the lack of blogosphere activity, crazy busy here. I've been reading but not commenting, mostly because I've only had time to read on my phone.

Anyway, big changes coming to Gali and me in the next month, but I'm not going to say more until I know more.

Gali got his feet trimmed early Saturday morning, but I had to head home before I got a chance to ride.  I did get to spend some time grooming him and he's shedding out so nicely.  It makes me happy, because I am fairly certain there will be a time when he doesn't shed out so well and is a cushings horse, and since he's turning 16 this year, every winter that I get a good shed, I appreciate.

I had no time to ride Sunday or Monday before I drove back out to school, and have been swamped with work for school this week, so I don't think I'll have a chance to ride until Friday.  I'm disappointed by the fact that I seem to have no time to ride when I'm at Rutgers, but I know that'll change this summer, and I'll be at the barn nearly every day.

In other news, since I've been at Rutgers I've been looking for ways to stay fit without killing my knees.  When I'm home I have the barn - but here, it seemed I was limited to machines, which give me a good workout but leave me in pain for days afterwards.  Last night I overcame my "I don't know what I'm doing here!" anxiety and swam laps at one of the school's pools, and I've found my solution!  I didn't look too ridiculous among the swimmers, with their fancy caps and fancy not-needing-to-breathe, and really enjoyed the workout.  I'm not sore today, but I am exhausted, and I look forward to swimming more as the weather gets warmer.

Spring Break Reflections

I've come away from my Spring Break with a few revelations.  The first is that if I find a place closer to school that has pasture board and that I can afford, I would move Gali up here with me.  I miss him too much during the school year.  That's a huge "if" though, and I doubt I'll find it.

The second is that he is terribly out of shape for the first time since the summer.  I didn't push him this weekend, but I've got to really revamp my program.  I wanted to show him 4/15 at DVHA's draft show, but I am going to hold off until 5/20, because he is so unfit.

I'm going to do some reading and think about my training program this week, and begin it next week.

A bolt is the cure for every evil.

Alexis, Lynn and I had planned a full barn day yesterday, and it ended up being the best weather we've had all week.  The plan was for Lynn and Alexis to both jump Max a bit, and Alexis and I were going to swap rides on Gali and play dressage pony.  Gali's been very well behaved this week, but I guess expecting him to be good three times in a row was asking a bit much of the pony Gods, as he was strong and avoiding outside aids for both Alexis and myself.  He's certainly been worse, and if this is his new "bad", I'll take it in a heartbeat.

DERP I RIDE A HORSES. DERP.

I really was no help to him yesterday - my paddock boots are out of commission (ahem, Lynn!) and I've been riding in my muck/lake/yard boots - which, while perfect for our swimming adventures earlier in the week, are really not the best to ride in.  They're slippery and lightweight, and I'm used to riding in my sturdier Blundstones and half chaps.  I know it isn't any excuse, and for hacking around and trail riding the lake boots are great, but I do think they contributed to my awful position today.  I had no base of support in my leg, and the instability combined with my natural tendency to be tense when Gali's got attitude, and his tendency to get tense when I'm tense, led to me looking like I really shouldn't be on a horse in the first place.

Gali was happy, though, for the most part.  His favorite thing in the world is jumping, and while he's not allowed to jump regularly because of his ringbone, I can pop him over a crossrail once in a blue moon.  Today, I let him walk over a few as part of his warmup, but I guess he doesn't see the point in crossrails if you don't jump them, because he just walked straight through the second one.

Figures, it would be one of the first days in a long time that I had Jason out to get pictures of my ride.  Oh well, it really illustrated what I need to work on (Sit back, have elbows and GTFO Gali's face, Kim!) when I have days where I get nervous and let myself get in our way.  As Alexis repeated from the ground all ride "Check yourself, before you wreck yourself!"

I hopped on Max for a little while today, too.  He was acting lame and Lynn wanted to see it from the ground instead of his back.  When he was on the forehand he looked worse, and it could be foot soreness.  Lynn's putting front shoes on him this week.  The good news is that when I half halted him, did some transitions and got him back on his hind end, the lameness disappeared and he felt great.  More position failture: I wanted to be off of his back so we could see if it was back soreness that wasn't letting him come through, and I was in a jump saddle.  I was in some awkward combination of half-seat and just a forward riding seat the whole time I was on him.

Getting some good work out of the big dumb.

Alexis rode Gali for the first time since the winter.  She's not a huge fan of him, because he's big and dumb and tends to take off with her.  To her credit, she does get on him and has gotten much better at bringing him back from his canter-bolts, which was something she had trouble with when we boarded together at Nouveau.  Her position has improved tremendously since she started riding at Centenary, and she looked a lot better than me today.  Gali responded appropriately and looked much better for her today than he did for me.

Lynn hopped back on Max and while Alexis coached her over some jumps, I flipped through the pictures Jason was taking and told him that I wanted one series of canter shots where I didn't look awful.  Famous last words.  I hopped back on my horse and walked him over to a spot in the ring that has very good footing and isn't too cluttered with jumps, and decided I'd do one or two more canter circles, try to look like I have been on a horse before, and call it quits.  Gali was getting tired and I wanted to end on a fun note.

Leaving.

I trotted a circle to get myself together a bit, and Gali immediately sucked back and played his "I'm done!" card.  He tossed his head down, threatened bucks, tucked his chin to his chest and braced against my hands.  When I was done laughing at his antics, I sat down and booted him forward.  He went forward.  He grabbed the bit and launched us out of the circle and up past the shed.  I had to laugh at him, though, because his "bolts" have gotten so much less serious in the time that I've owned him.  I did recognize that his fit was an "I'm tired!" protest, and after I made him trot a circle and down to the jumps and back (and he cooperated), I let him be done.

Oops.

Right about this time, Alexis hopped on Max to jump him over some crossrails.  He was a good boy, and because the theme of the day was "Let's not know when to quit", Alexis decided to take Max over an oxer than he dumped Bekka on a few weeks ago.  Alexis took him over a crossrail and cantered back around to the oxer, and the usually-brave Max put on the brakes.  Alexis didn't let him run out, and made him sniff the jump so he would see that there were NO tigers hiding behind the gate, and took him at it again.  Twice more he refused, and she came off both times.  It was the type of "fall" where you just end up over the horse's shoulders and land on your feet, and Max seemed perplexed both times when she was on the ground but still attached to his face.  In the end, she got him over the fence twice, and he leapt it like a deer both times.  It might not have made for the best jumping lesson, but I got some good pictures out of it, and Alexis did a great job sticking with his jumps despite how... well... you see.

More pictures and captions behind the jump.

Taking advanage of the great weather...

Photo-heavy post ahead!

Alexis, Bekka and I drove out today to play with Max, Katie and Galahad.  After a very nice short workout from Gali (that included some more great trot work and a slew of lovely walk-to-canter transitions) and some work from both Katie (who was on-point today) and Max (lazy pony), we took the group around the track.  I cantered Gali on the track for the first time in a while, and he was loving it.  When Bekka and Alexis decided to step it up and go for a gallop, I cooled Gali out and grabbed my camera.  After they raced for a stretch (with Katie solidly annihilating the lazy quarter horse), we put Katie away and untacked the boys, and walked them down for what was just going to be a splash in the lake.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it on here, but Gali had other ideas and began to throw himself at the bank on the side of the trail.  Bekka and Alexis let the boys have their fun on the bank before taking them into the water.  While I was shooting, they switched horses a few times (because Max was more excited about the water than Gali, at first).  Bekka and Gali had a good conversation about a scary mattress at one point, as well.  Everything is illustrated behind the cut.