birth-iversary 3/8

Today is Shyloh's birth-iversary! I have had her for three years and she is possibly eight years old. Pony is growing up!

She can be cute

Of course, I had to celebrate with the obligatory headware and smiles. Shy is a cheesy girl.

Smiles!

This past year has brought us lots of fun, lots of ups, and some downs. But we continue to learn and improve and I have a great bunch of friends that are along for this adventure.

Birth-iversary bath

I went to a lot of county fairs and watched the open draft shows. We moved to Jaime and Kyle's barn where they started Hidden Creek Draft Horses. We have had some trials and errors as we all adjust to being a part of this barn and helping Jaime and Kyle build it to what they dream. It is fun to help along as I can.

Snacking on a banana Laffy Taffy

I put a stop to the driving Shy from some continued unpleasant experiences and put our focus on riding. Shy has really matured mentally and is handling the riding great. I, on the other hand, am find it difficult to let go of past experiences with her, but am working on it. I am impressed with the maturing and learning to trust Shy has done in the past few years. Even though she does prefer to be a feral pony and is choosy in who she will let approach her (unless they have food for her), she rarely gives me hassle about it.

Birth-iversary rainbow!

Shy went on her first trail ride with another rider and was great, not a single issue. Shy has also become a fantastic lead line pony for Lily and has even won her ribbons in our shows! Shyloh even took a first place in Halter for me! And we got a second in Trail-in-Hand, which shows all our ground work is really paying off. I also rode Shy in a walk trot and trail class. We didn't place, but Shy also proved to be steady and remained calm when another horse got stung, flipped out and bucked her rider off.

Painted her toes, too

Shy has been turning steadily into an Appaloosa, and she continues to get new white spots. It's weird and I don't know what it is or what it is from, but recently I have noticed some new spots.

Shy is so so tolerant of all my shenanigans

Shy has had a great year and is continuing to improve. I am excited to see what this whole next year brings for us. I am hoping we have some great adventures and I can get Shy out and about. I think that will make her a very happy pony.

beans

And not the kind you eat. Beans and how you get the bean is one reason I am so happy to have a mare!

Me and Jaime decided to give Meatball a bath the day it was 80 degrees. Pointless as that was, since a)he rolled in dirt right after and b)it stormed the next day, but oh well.

Meatball was less than pleased about his bath. But he was more upset about what came first. . .

Angry wet pony

Big Isaac got his bath first. He was awesome for it. And because he was "hanging down" Jaime figured she might as well clean him in his nether regions. Jaime is a pro at sheath cleaning. She has all geldings and their ding dongs shine. Seriously. You almost need sunglasses when they drop. Anyway. . . Big, giant, 18+ hang Isaac was totally cool with being cleaned down there. And Jaime got the bean. Gross.

Issac!

So next she decided to give Meatball a go, since she hasn't cleaned him yet. Mostly because he is semi feral when he is not hooked to a cart. And he did not hold anything back with Jaime. She reached right up there and announced that she could feel the bean and it was huge. Apparently, Meatball had grown quite attached to his bean because he did not want her to remove it. I stepped in to help contain the little 37 inch pony while he reared, tried evasive maneuvers, and even bit me (little bastard). After what seemed like hours of trying to hold Meatball still enough to clean him, Jaime finally got the bean! Woot woot! And it was bigger than Isaac's! Crazy!

Meatball's looked much bigger in person. . .also, who takes photos of beans? Crazy people, that's who.

As if Meatball did not have enough trauma in his life at that moment, we also bathed him to try and get some of his hairs gone. He is going to need a clip though, he is so hairy. He hated his bath and was shivering, so after, we put Shady's old cooler on him (I miss that silly donkey), which was way too small, but helped him out. He hated it and tried to rip it off. But, how cute, it looked like a baseball jersey on him!

Batter up!

After that, to spite us all, as soon as we turned him loose, he rolled. He dropped immediately, right under Dexter and rolled and rolled and rolled until his was covered in hay, dirt, and grass. 

Wasted no time getting dirty again

Shameful

He is a spicy Meat-a-ball!

monday musings by shyloh #92

Allie said she was tired of me being so dirty. Allie said she was tired of her hands being brown when she got done grooming or petting me. Allie said she was tired of finding sand everywhere.

So Allie gave me a bath.

Soapy!

I really am good for a bath. It was hot out and the cool water was nice. Allie got my tail and mane so clean. But the one thing I hate about a bath is getting my face wet. I like drinking water out of the hose, but water getting any higher and I am not a happy pony. I back away and raise my head real high. I just don't like it. Which really causes a problem for Allie when she wants to wash my forelock. 

Stay away!

While Allie was busy giving me a bath, I was trying to make sure she was getting clean too and I think she got just about as wet as I did. Hey. . .what's fair is fair, right?

After my bath, Allie tried to let me dry off because she knew what my master plan was. But the sun wasn't out and the drying was slow. And it looked like rain (which doesn't bother me when rain falls on my head at all).  So Allie put me back. 

First I had to say hi to Traveller. I miss him. And I wanted him to see me all clean and pretty.

We miss each other

But then. . . 

Ah. . . a roll! Yeah, see how I get the sand all up in my mane? I have to make sure that the sand gets in all the right places. And that's how you undo a bath!

~Shyloh

she knows. . .

She knows. . .

I have tried to keep it under wraps for the past two weeks or however long it has been since I have known.

But Shyloh found out somehow. . .can she read my thoughts?

I began to suspect she knew something when I gave her a bath today. Usually, Shy is pretty good for a bath. And while she does not like her face sprayed, she will tolerate it. Today, she was an absolute beast. She would not even let me finish washing the shampoo from her forelock. 

Then I tried to clean the nasty from her lady parts. I have never seen her lady parts so disgusting! Shy was not down at all with having clean lady parts. I did the best I could, but I had to keep chasing and fighting her. 

After her bath (where I am pretty sure I got more soap and water on me than she did), I took her to dry off so I could pack everything for the show tomorrow. 

Between the stank eye looks at me and this. . .

Pleading an insanity case

. . .I was truly convinced that she knows. She may have overheard me at some point. I thought I was careful in being quiet about it. 

After she had dried, I brushed her mane and tail out. So clean and pretty and wait. . .what is this?

ewwwwwww

Nasty! Die tick die! I found that bugger in her tail, at least it wasn't attached. Shy had her tail clamped down so hard (most likely to keep me away from trying to finish cleaning those lady parts) and was not cooperating at all when I was brushing her tail. 

When I went to brush her forelock, I knew she knew something for sure. Shy usually loves her forelock brushed and lowers her head for it. But today, Shy would not let me touch her forelock at all. Not with my hand, not with the brush. In fact, she got downright violent at some points, jerking her head away so hard I thought she was going to snap the cross ties. There was no reason for this behavior and I was getting frustrated. Very frustrated. 

I thought maybe her ear was bothering her, but she would not let me get close to it at all. Again with the violent head jerking but that was mixed with her laying her head into my shoulder. It was weird. She was clearly messing with my psyche. 

And she knows. I really did not want to say anything to her in case she decided to become "lame" or have some other made up Shy ailment. 

I asked some other people at the barn about her odder than usual bevahior and they said she might have bug bites from gnats in her ears and to use Vasoline or Swat. Ha, good luck to me trying to get something in her ear. I gave up on this and tortured Shy in other ways. . .

Like this!

Finally get to use the sleazy! Hope it's in one piece tomorrow. . .

Hey, after all that hard work and fighting with Shy, I was not about to have her undo it all in a night. Luckily for us, Shy was offered a stall for the night in the prestigious Thoroughbred barn. Shy got a giant stall and some hay. She seemed pretty happy. But I am afraid for what tomorrow brings when I get to the barn in the early morning. 

A stall??!!

Because what Shy seems to know is that she will be showing in a cart class! First one ever! 

Whoo hoo! Cart class! Is there something in my teeth?

we got a bath!

Yup, we. Because I got just as wet as Shyloh. But no matter, it was 80*!

So Shy got her first bath of the year and at this barn. The set up is completely different from the old barn. . .we have to bathe outside and there are no cross ties, posts, or anything to attach to a horse to prevent them from running away. Which means I have to hold Shy and do all things that make up giving a horse a bath. 

I was prepared for this to be quite a difficult task. First off, since Shy willingly stands out in rain with no problem and since she willingly goes in giant puddles and splashes around with no problem, I was expecting a problem giving the involuntary bath.

Once again, I was pleasantly surprised by the pony. She really didn't care. I started spraying at her feet to get her used to the water, then worked my way all over. Aside from Shy wanting to eat grass, I could spray, lather, rinse, and repeat without even holding the lead rope! 

Wet pony!

Shy even let me get her head, which was an issue last year. As long as the water doesn't spray in her ears, she was very cooperative. Shy even took some drinks from the hose!

Thirsty pony

As our usual post bath ritual, I took her to graze a bit and dry in the sun. 

Then I braided her tail up. It is getting so long!

By the time I was done, it was dinner time. I took Shy back in her pasture. Of course, she was not completely dry so she rolled. 

She has to get every last inch of her covered in sand

I knew it was coming, so I couldn't be mad. 

Ka-Pow!!!

There is a new horse out there and Shy has wasted no time letting him know who is boss. She won't let him come past this log. . .

Traveller. . .staying to his Shyloh designated area.

If he tries, she runs him away. I mean runs. . .I have never seen her move so fast! Bossy mare! I watched the horses work out their eating situation and get settled before I left.

No soup for you!!

I never thought I would hear myself say that I can't wait for Sunday and I can't wait to be in Ohio! Clinic day!!

getting ready

How To Prepare A Pony For A Show

1. Brush incredibly dusty pony. 

Dirty pony

2. Pick poo from rock hard hooves.

3. Clip whiskers and bridle path. This should be an easy task but for some unknown reason the ho-hum of the clippers make this pony want to eat them. 

Smooth as a baby's bottom

4. Attempt to clip ears. This pony is completely anti-ear clipping. Give it the old college try, then give up.

5. Even out hair near the coronet band so it is not shaggy.

6. Use Utlra Blue on all parts that should be white. On this particular pony it is the legs at the pasterns, one little sock, and a blaze.

7. Whiten mane and tail. Make sure to get all parts, since the thickness usually prevents this.

8. Wait a bit (but not too long, purple ponies are frowned upon) then rinse.

9. Shampoo the rest of the pony. Attempt to wash the face while evading killer looks from the pony. 

Notice the pony's protest of the bath. . .stepping on the hose

10. Condition the mane and tail. Rinse.

11. Use sweat scraper to remove excess water.

12. Take pony in the sun to dry off. This is two-fold. By not turning pony out, we ensure she does not roll in dirt and erase all your hard efforts and pony gets to graze.

Pony's favorite part

13. Brush mane and tail, spray Healthy Hair Care Moisturizer liberally.   

Shiny pony!

14. Use coconut oil on hooves to shine and add moisture. 

15. Enjoy clean pony and hope she stays that way for the show!

photo shoot

It is still too hot to do anything but mess around with Shyloh. She was sweating just standing in her stall today. She has a fan, but won't stand in front of it. She is not scared of it, so I have no idea why she won't take advantage of the breeze. It is just like her heated water bucket in the winter. . .she refused to drink out of it. Crazy horse.

I gave Shy a bath today. I have been putting her in the grooming stall and clipping the cross ties together so she can move around more. Well, after I hosed her down and had one side of her all lathered up with shampoo, Shy discovered that she could fit under the "barrier" and took off to her stall. It wasn't far, just across the aisle way, but she lost her grooming stall freedom privileges. I finished her bath,scraped all of the excess water off of her, and braided her mane. Then I took her outside to dry off in the sun and graze for a bit.

Then we went inside and had ourselves a little photo shoot!

So serious!

Kisses!

Making Shy being cuddly, not her normal M.O.

Now I am the short one!

And then this is what Shy thought of our little photo shoot. . .

Boring!

I have been itching to get back to riding Shy, but she has been off for so long, I think Beth should ride first. Just because Shy listens to Beth better and Beth is able to correct better than I can. Sunday the temps are supposed to drop, so hopefully then. . .

paranoia

Just when I had forgotten about the little buggers. . .I find a tick crawling on my elbow! Yuck! Now I am back to thinking everything I feel is an evil tick! I am so paranoid over these nasty bugs! I probably picked it up when I was chasing Bob and Dannon through tall grasses after their great escape.  Bob (I am assuming since he is the escape artist) nosed the arena doors open and broke through the 2x4. I heard a crash and all I saw was two big black horses galloping toward the fields. Luckily, they went right in a pasture and it was an easy catch! I texted Beth about this escape and she said yesterday Bob did the same thing, but he jumped the 2x4! That horse is crazy!

As for Shyloh. . . this is what I arrived to the barn to. . .

Dirty pony?

I knew from the last time I got her an Uncle Jimmy's Hanging Ball that I would have a messy pony, just not this messy! So Shy got a face scrubbing and came out clean, like this. . .

Clean her up with Orbit! *

During clean up time, I washed her tail and Shy played with the water and suds! I am kinda upset because I thought I was taking video when Shy was being extra cute with the bubbles, but I forgot to push record. Duh!

Curiouser and curiouser . . .

Can I eat my halter?

Splish splash!

I re-did her braids and conditioned her hair. And checked her for the dreaded ticks. She was in the clear. Good news is that the tests came back for the other two horses and they were negative for Lyme Disease. That and Shy being her usual sassy self leads me to believe that she is Lyme free. But I am re-freaking out over the creepy crawlers since I saw one today. Ugh!

It is still too hot to work (in my opinion) so we continued our vacation. We actually took a nap together when I fell asleep in a chair outside her stall and she fell asleep against her wall. Tomorrow I do plan on having a lesson with Beth to get back into the swing of things. 

monday musings by shyloh #38

Allie said something about Minnesota and Mall of America yesterday. I am taking that to mean she is off traveling and I get to be a wild pony again!  

Which is kinda good news for Allie. See, the cows came back next door and the bull does not like her at all! He has a ring in his nose and a chain hanging from that ring. It also looks like he had udders underneath, but it is not udders. . . Anyway, he grumbly moos every time she comes around! And he makes all the other cows move away. When she leaves, he stops. It's kinda funny! I think he wants to charge her! She better be careful. . .

But back to me and my free week! I love being a wild pony! Oh the things I will do. . .

Sandy! 

I made my own version of fly spray! Allie thought she would be "nice" and hose me off to cool me down. It was really hot out. . .but after I got hosed, I promptly rolled. No flies will penetrate the sand barrier that I have created!

What else will I do when Allie is gone? What won't I do is more like it!

Wear my fly mask? Not if I can help it!!

Run barrels? In your dreams!

Eat grass? Now you are speaking my language!

That is more like it!  Too bad I only got a few bites of this deliciousness!  I plan on enjoying my week of wild pony-dom. No baths, no braiding, no working, just fun! 

P.S. Any body who comes to my barn. . .Allie left my special treats right on my door. Feel free to feed me!!

What would you other horses do if you didn't have a two-legger stopping you?

~Shyloh

Don't forget to check out my Facebook page for my 50 photo challenge!