monday musings by shyloh #48

Not much to report on the Haflinger front. Just a little Haflinger mare recovering from her injuries. . . and I might be injured again (hee hee).

See, what happened was. . .me and Robbie are pasture buddies now. And with him being a pony and me being an awesome haffie, we are on restricted pasture. That means no pond pasture with tons of grass and the rest of my herd. But I do get to hang out with Robbie, so it's all good!

We graze this way. . .

Then we graze that way. . .

And we graze this way . . .

Anyway. . .we were out grazing and Robbie was following me all over the pasture like a little lost puppy. I did not mind at all. We were just grazing teeny tiny pieces of grass and before I knew it, Robbie got a little to close to Ryleigh for my liking. I like to keep my geldings separated. . . So I told Robbie to get away and he did not listen. Then I TOLD Robbie to get away, meaning I turned my butt to him and started bucking. Well, Robbie just bucked right back at me. Unfortunately for me (and fortunately for Beth) my aim is awful and I missed every kick. Robbie missed, too, except he did graze my leg and took some skin with one kick. 

I had to circle it, just in case you couldn't see. . .ouchies!

It is not too bad, but I'll probably be down for the count and lame and unrideable for a while. Right? Just because I rather enjoy doing nothing.

~Shyloh

spectating an eventing show

I went to my first eventing show with Beth and our friend Anthony, as a spectator. What fun! Although I only watched the cross country and I missed the prelims and only got to see the novice and beginner novice riders, it was a great experience. The weather was perfect for this outside event.

And the best part. . .I got to see not one, but two Halfingers run the course!  Tudor Oaks Farms had a Halfinger there, Heaven Sent TOF, which was very cool. I completely dork-i-fied myself with my Halfinger knowledge, which I graciously shared with Anthony. Those not familiar with Haflingers are unaware that those horses can do just about anything!

Here is Heaven Sent TOF on the first few jumps for the Beginner Novice class
:

As a group, eventers seem like a nice bunch of people.  At the end of the day, the farm, Cobblestone Farms, had a band and food for all the participants. The land that the farm was on was beautiful. They have a permanent cross country course right on the property with nice jumps, hills,  and water jumps. 

One of the volunteers gave us a Gator ride around the property. Me and Anthony sat in the back, laughing pretty much the whole ride, it was so much fun! Beth was up front with Travis, the volunteer, as we sped up the hills, around the jumps, and through the woods. They kept lifting the bed of the Gator like they were going to dump us. We went to the dressage area, which was now the stadium jumping area, set up for tomorrow. Kinda hard to see, it was dusk and the camera phone does not have the greatest flash.

At this show, the riders were able to compete for Breast Cancer, so many of the horses and riders were wearing pink and had pink ribbons stenciled on their horses. The next show is in August, I hope I can go. That is a busy month!!

hobby horse blog hop #21 and #22

Here are the rules:

Answer one or all of the prompts. Link back to Living a Dream's post. Visit other blogs. And don't forget to ask a question of everyone else!

I wanted to participate in last weeks blog hop, but I had a week Of Shyloh's birth-iversary posts scheduled, so this week is a two for one!

Week 22: Let's Party!!

1. In what ways do you celebrate birthdays, or other special days, for the fuzzy friends at your home?

Well, I celebrated Shyloh's birth-iversary by mixing her up a little birthyday "pie" and putting a hat on her. I probably won't do anything much for her other birthdays. I do not know the dog's birthdays, either. But for Christmas, they usually get a little something in the stockings I made for them.

2. What memories might you have of a birthday celebration, or other party, involving horses or ponies?

I never had a horse-themes birthday party. That bug bit me a little later in life. When my nephew turned one, Mike's mom had a pony come to her backyard to give all the kids pony rides. There was also a goat. Fun times!

3. What special day is your favorite to celebrate?

I love love love my birthday! I try my best to celebrate the whole month of October. Second to that would be Thanksgiving. It's like Christmas with the family and food, but without all the hassle of the gifts!

Week 21: Those Things We Do

1. When things get busy for you, what/who takes priority? How do you juggle everything?

When stuff gets busy for me one of two things can happen. I make a list and check things off as I go or I totally blow everything off. Stuff that usually takes priority is family and animals. Household stuff usually falls to the bottom of the list. 

2. We have been Hobby Horsing for 20 weeks... but I still don't know some things about you. Do you have a hobby and, if so, tell us about it.

I do like to craft, but I don't often get the chance. I have made a few scrapbooks and I like to paint picture frames. Oh yeah, and I decorated the stockings in the photo above! I also like more physically active hobbies like biking and kayaking.

3. What practice(s) with horses, or other domestic animals, rubs you the wrong way?

Anything that hurts or damages the animal physically or mentally upset me. And not just acts of abuse, but also neglect makes my blood boil. 

My question: Where would your ultimate party be held? 

attack!

A few weeks ago I saw the musical Wicked. Basically, it is the Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West before Dorothy ever landed in Oz.  And it is based on the book by Gregory Maguire, which I have also read. If you like musicals and have not seen it, I highly recommend it. I actually perform Wicked songs in my car on the way to and from work daily. It's quite the show. . .I promise. 

Anyway, there is this one song that I sing daily (during my solo performances in the car) called "No Good Deed" and the main line is "no good deed goes unpunished." I felt this was very applicable to my situation today (although I generally do not believe in that notion).

I went out to the pasture and decided to top off a water trough in the pasture Shy was grazing in. I looked over at the pasture Robbie was in and saw that he needed fresh water. So I heaved and hoed and got the water trough to dump. As this is happening I think to myself in slow motion Ouch. . .I am in pain. . .what is going on? My head, wait my arm, what the heck?? I look down at my arm and see a yellow jacket, still in my arm, stinging the crap out of me. Naturally, I start screaming and running. The side of my head is in so much pain. I can see red pin pricks in my arm, right near the crook of my elbow and they are starting to swell. So much pain. . .

The offending water trough. And Robbie!

Okay. . .so I don't handle pain well. And the water trough did not get filled. See what happens when I try to do something nice? I get attacked by yellow jackets! And I am pretty sure they were yellow jackets since Equus just had an article on stinging animals. Just kidding, as soon as I get a bee suit, I am going back and tackling those yellow jackets!

Yellow Jacket=hatred and pain

This stinger was in my head and arm!!

I think a yellow jacket attack should be reason enough for the rest of the week off of work, right?

By the way. . .neither Robbie nor Shy could have cared less about my attack. Sigh. . .horses. . .

Nothing crazy going on over here. . .all is ho hum.

Did I hear Allie? No. . .back to grazing.

monday musings by shyloh #47

Yesterday was my birth-iversary! It was great. And. . .

I am so in love. . .he threw me right in heat!
We would make lovely chestnut babies. . .but he is gelded

I got a pony! And he is actually a pony, a Sport Pony, unlike me, who is a horse. He is just my size and I love him. He is 13.3hh and chestnut, just like me!  Really love him! His name is Robbie and he came to me to get in shape for eventing. Me and Robbie have a lot in common. Robbie is a scooter and a-scared of things, but Beth will help him through all that, like she helped me. I told Robbie that he doesn't need to be scared of things at this barn, everyone is real nice. Just pretend to be scared when the two leggers want you to do work. 

Flirting over the fence <3
Casi was not impressed with the new guy and wanted me to keep my distance

He looks just like a little itty bitty Red! I am sure I will get Allie to get some better photos to show off his super cuteness.

Poor Red. . .He has to go to Michigan State for a study on Wednesday. Sad face. He is not coming back. The chiropractor and vet did not have good news for him, neurological problems and what not. The chiropractor came out to crack-a-lack me and proclaimed that I have shown significant improvement! Yay! But Allie can write all about that, it's too technical for me!

Can we all take a moment for Red? Here is a video that shows his goofy personality! Even though he could have a strong personality and had a ton of health problems, we will all miss him at the barn.

~Shyloh

shyloh's birth-iversary

Today marks the one year anniversary that Shyloh has been home with me! I am also using this day to celebrate her unbirthday, since I don't know when her real birthday is. So today, Shy turns 6! All this weeks posts have lead up to today, where we can just have fun!

Wow. To see how far we have come since the day Shy stepped off the trailer is amazing! 

To start, I gave Shy a bath so she would be all pretty and clean. Quite possibly this was not her favorite part of the day. . .but we made it through. Grazing in the sun until dry is a big incentive to being good for bath time. After she was all dry, I put her in her stall for a party favor photo shoot.

Then I gave Shy her  birth-iversary pie! Looks delicious, right. . .

It is all her favorites, soaked Timothy pellets, banana, blueberry, dried peas, and a half carrot and five mini candy canes (total of six "candles"). Shy gobbled it right up!

After our little celebration, I sent Shy back off with her herd. That is where she likes to be best. I think she had a good day and a good year! Of course, she starts with a head toss, gets in a little roll, then wanders around the pasture making sure everything is just as she left it.

Thanks to everyone who reads for sticking through our first year together!!

the many loves of shyloh

Oh Shyloh. She sure has a way with the geldings. I am not sure if it is her beautiful blonde hair, her shapely butt, or her amazing personality but the boys do love her!

It started out with Baby Bob. . .

Snuggles over the fence

Next in line was Chick. . .

So cute!

Then Forsetti. . .

Just walking along. . .

And Ryleigh. Poor infatuated Ryleigh who still throws a fit if Shy is not in his direct line of view at all times. . .

Love!

Let's not forget Casi, her bud. . .

They love to run together!

And finally Shaman. . .

Caught with another!

Oh, then there is Notch, her trailer buddy. . .

Sharing hay on the trailer

And Rambo, her show love. . .

What is cuter than two Haffies in love?

And those are just the geldings that Shy gives the time of day! With all her human fears, I am very grateful that Shy gets along really well with all the horses, mares and geldings alike. She can be in a big herd and she is also just fine by herself. 

So are Haffies generally fast little whoreses? Rumor has it that we might be getting a 13.3 sport pony, gelding of course. . .wonder what that will hold for Shy's love life?

more changes

Not only has Shyloh changed physically in the past year, she has also changed emotionally. When she first came to me, she was all wide eyed and flared nostrils. Now she is much more relaxed and droopy lipped.

From this. . 

...to this!

And even though Shy no longer runs to the corner of her stall when I approach, I have learned that she still does not trust new people. She was afraid of the vet. My only guess is that he wants to put her hands all over her and she is thinking, geez, this guy didn't even buy me dinner first! She had no problem trotting away from him, but refused to trot back to him or get near him when he was evaluating her. It was kinda funny. . . But she did like the chiropractor who was cracking her. Weird pony.

But then I thought back. Shy was afraid of me at one point. I could not touch her head or brush her forelock. In fact, that is how I got bit by her! And just recently Shy is letting me touch her ears without swinging her head away. Shy did not like Beth either, but now she trusts Beth enough to let her ride her.

I actually think moving her inside helped a lot with her emotional growth. While she loves being outside, people would not make the extra trip to visit her. Inside, she has a prime location. Her stall is right across from the grooming and wash rack and right next to the arena and a small common area. Shy gets to witness a ton of action each day and people can go up to her stall, pet her, or give her a sugar free treat that I provide at her door. Shy no longer cowers and faces the corner when people approach. And that makes me happy.

For riding, Shy has become a much more relaxed horse. She still has her moments and will get uptight when she is not sure what is being asked of her, but overall the scooting has been kept to a minimum. Shy aims to please and was getting so worked up when we first started riding you could just feel the nervousness and tension in her. But now, she is very open to learning and retains what she has learned very well. With the exception of the latest tire incident, Shy was doing really well with pulling stuff. I have no doubt we will get to where we need to be.

It has been fun to watch Shy grow and change throughout the year. I have made some mistakes along the way but I have also accomplished quite a bit with this horse. We are still working on trust, but with whatever happened to her in her previous life is hard to erase. I am looking forward to many more years with Shy!

what i've learned so far

What I have learned in a year of Haflinger horse ownership is really that I have learned nothing at all and a ton at the same time! Crazy, right? Anything I think will happen, won't; any way that I think Shy will act, she won't, and visa versa.

Today, Shy's offness was really concerning me, so I skipped my swimnastics class and made it to the barn for margaritas, the vet, and the chiropractor. More on that later.
Treatment plan: give Shy a few days off, then very light riding for a few days. Chiropractor will come back Monday for a recheck.  

Prognosis: Good. 

So to start with what I learned today: Shy loves tequila and she really is a good horse. Even though she was in pain when Beth was riding her, she worked through it and did not act out. That makes me happy!

Other things I have learned:

• I have learned that all my strengths will be tested: physical, mental, emotional.
• I have learned that a Haflinger is always hungry. No matter what.
• I have learned that the ground really hurts.
• I have learned that hard work really pays off.
• I have learned how good it feels to see your horse "get" something.
• I have learned how disappointing it is when your horse refuses to do something you know she knows.
• I have learned that draft horse people are awesome!
• I have learned that bloggers are amazing and supportive people.
• I have learned horse shows are fun!
• I have learned so much about Shy: her likes, dislikes, her personality. . .
• I have learned that dressage can be useful (sorry dressage people, I was not a fan!)
• I have learned where my weaknesses lie.

There is a whole lot more, I'm sure! But most of all I have learned that I love this horse like crazy! Even if her ways of showing that she even tolerates me are less than noticeable. . . but she is getting better at showing it!

mane event

The day is drawing closer and closer to Shyloh's big day. What are my plans for the day? Well, a show is scheduled, but I am undecided if we are going to attend. My reasons are that it has been way too hot, we have not really practiced, and this week is funky due to my grandpa's funeral. And she is off on her right rear. I lunged her today for a short bit. She is jumping into the trot and not tracking up at the trot. But to be honest, I think the real reason might be that I do not want to get up at 4am! Even though I have my new show halter and new mane and tail decorations to show off! So, if I do not go to the show, I will be working and spending the day with Shy.

In the almost year that I have had Shy, she has been through many changes, physically, mentally, emotionally.  One of the most noticeable physical changes is her mane. My has it grown!

But her forelock remains the same length. . .guess it will never be a flowing forelock. The rest of her mane has seen many different styles over the year. She has had pink hair, a double mane, mane on the right, mane on the left, braids, braids, and more braids, and a unicorn forelock. . .just to name a few.

Other physical changes are her body. She went from being a little bit pudgy pony before she came home to a really pudgy, shaggy winter pony, and back to a sleek shiny show pony! Keeping and eye on her weight (an going through old photos is a real eye opener on just how chunky she was!) is very important to keep her healthy. I am thinking no grain this winter, I can't believe just how much the handful (literally) affected her. And I know now that her coat grows thick enough to keep her warm.

Next post will cover her mental and emotional growth. I think that is were I have seen the most change and improvement!

And. . .I have 50 followers now! Thank you everyone for following our little adventure! Special thanks to those who comment, I love to read the comments! I have learned much from them and many times I am able to see things in a different light. I really appreciate all who take time to read :)