sass-a-frass, farrier, and free-jumping!

I was a little (okay, a lot!) frustrated the other day with the pony! I must have spent 30 minutes trying to mount Shyloh. It got to a point that I would have spent all night lining her up at the mounting block, just to get prove a point that I WILL get on her!

Every time Shy moved away, I would trot her in a circle back to the mounting block, which was actually more work for me than her! Sassy pony knows how to make me work harder than her. . .

But I did it! Shy's mind was completely on getting back to her stall, but I made her weave through the cones a few times. And she did great! I worked on getting her to turn using my seat and Shy was very responsive, even though she was being a sass-a-frass!

I also took her outside to get some fresh air and graze for a few minutes. This was on Wednesday. One day, the water and mud will be gone and the horses can go back out to the pastures. . .one day . . .

Oh grass. . .how Shy has missed you!

Today, the farrier came for Shyloh and Ryleigh. He trimmed Shy up and put my mind to ease. He said her hooves and frogs look real good, no signs of thrush and no signs of founder. Whew. I asked how they seemed since I moved her inside and he said they are still good. Whew. He also said all the Haflingers he sees have nice hooves and he has never seen a Haflinger with founder (not to say it can't happen).

Kathy and I took Shy and Casi outside. They grazed for a bit and enjoyed being outside. Shyloh and Casi have been hanging out a little but more because Ryleigh is being mean to her. He keeps biting her and she just ignores it. So Ryleigh got to hang out with Lexi so she could put him in his place.

Then, I put Shy in the arena and set up a jump. Ryleigh had done some free jumping to get the sassy-ness out of him the other day, which reminded me of Goal #2 for Shy. Wednesday she spooked at the jump (she was pre-occupied with it before I attempted to mount her 600 times, so we walked over to check it out and I picked up a pole and accidentally dropped it), so I thought she might be hesitant to jump today. Not so! She watched with great interest as I set the jump up, making her "thinking" noise.

When it was time to jump, I swear I got more of a workout than Shy! I was running and she was out-running me! That pony can be quick! The trick was that I had to stay at her rear with the lunge whip to push her forward, but then keep her along the wall near the jump and not let her go around it, so I had to get to her side. Eventually, I was able to do it and soon enough Shy did not need much to get her over the jump! She is pretty good at free-jumping! I look forward to working on this some more!

Shy says "Okay, I jumped, now give me a treat!"

I decided to get on her to walk her around so she could cool down, although she was much less out of breath than I was at this point. Getting on her was not nearly as much as a process as it was last time. When I mounted, I tried to give her a treat to let her know good job, but she wouldn't take it! Unheard of!! I guess when she has a rider she is all business. The evening feeders even took hay out the door for Notch and Clutch and she watched them, but did not spook. 

I am noticing differences in Shy these past few months. Kathy stated today that she has come a long, long way. Kathy said that Shy is fantastic for her when she lets her out in the arena and will let her come up to her to take her back to her stall. She is not head shy anymore. In her stall, she used to turn away and position herself in the corner if I went in. Now, she might take a step like she is going to turn away, but then she changes her mind and will come to me. Little improvements, but they mean big things!

More food!!!

haflingers are like oxymorons

They are two different things at the very same time. 

• A Halfinger approaches food like they have never eaten before, with such hunger and vigor. They could eat a whole bale of hay and still be searching for more food! Yet. . . they are such easy keepers and do not need a lot of food to survive. The reason that they are easy keepers is that they were born from the mountains of Tyrol in Austria (which is now a part if Italy). The food was sparse, so only horses that could thrive on small amounts lived and were bred. I know Shyloh wishes she had the metabolism of  Mocha, the TB a few stalls down! To watch her eat is to think she has not had any food for a week!

As a side line, the original Halfinger sire is called 249 Folie, born in 1874. There are seven lines of Haflingers that can be traced back to him: A-line, B-line, M-line, L-line, S-line, ST-line, and W-line. 

• The Haflingers were selectively bred for their easy-going temperaments and ability to be handled by every member of the family. Yet . . .when they get something stuck in their minds, such as what they do or do NOT want to do, their stubbornness is unparalleled! So far, Shyloh has taken in stride the move to this barn and then the move to a stall inside. She is also not complaining about being stuck inside for a little over a week due to dangerously muddy conditions and flooded pastures. But, when I was riding her yesterday, she thought she was done and was doing everything in her power to turn and take me to her stall! Little did I know that Shy can side pass and turn on her fore front without any cues!

Another history lesson. . .Haflingers first came to America in 1960. Their stud book was closed in in the late 1940's so no new blood could be introduced into their line. 

• Haflingers generally have a willingness to work and please their person attitude. They can perform in all disciplines in the horse world: dressage, jumping, driving, western, trail riding, therapeutic riding, vaulting, and endurance. Yet. . . they will make YOU work for their trust! Since I have started riding Shy, she has been an absolute gem! Her attention to me when I am on her is amazing and she really seems to take her job seriously. But the work I have to put into just getting on her is something else. Every time we line up at the mounting block, I lift my leg up on the first step and she swings her rear end away. I get down, walk around, and tap her back. No problem. Her front feet are planted, she is not going anywhere, just making me work for her. This is repeated 5-10 times, until she finally decides that she is done, I've done enough work, and just stands there for me to get on her. Then our little rides have been great!  

Yesterday, Kathy asked to ride Shy. I do not think that Shy was ready to let someone ride her just yet, because her mounting block behaviors were different than with me, she actually propelled herself forward! And Shy really likes Kathy! Kathy handles her well on the ground and Shy responds well to her. We tried a few times, but eventually we listened to Shy tell us she was not ready for someone else to ride her, and she let me get back on her. But Shy has no problem following Kathy around the arena while I was on her back! She was obviously looking for Kathy to give her treats. 

• A Haflinger is a small horse breed. They range from about 13.2 hands to 14.3 hands. Yet. . . they have the biggest personality of all the breeds (in my humble opinion)! I swear, Shyloh does some stuff on purpose to either crack me up (think her signature face) or frustrate the heck out of me (think "catch me of you can"). Even her sassy attitude speaks magnitudes about her personality! And watching her with other horses is always fun. She interacts so well with them. For the most part, Shy will just go with the flow of whatever the other horse wants to do, but if another horse pisses her off, she is sure to let them know with a little buck!

More Haflinger info. . .they are war veterans! The Haflingers fought in World War I and World War II. They were used as pack horses on the front lines. After WWI, the breed was almost wiped out because of the changing borders. These "war" horses are the most gentle horses with the kindest eyes you will ever see, another irony!

• The Haflingers are incredibly intelligent, sometimes too smart for their own good! It is also this intelligence that makes them very curious to learn about their surroundings and apply their knowledge. They will watch every move you make. Yet. . .you can ask them to do something you know that they know, and if they do not feel like it, they will look at you like you are absolutely crazy! Shyloh makes a "thinking" noise, which I have also come to call the "you want me to do what?" noise! 

I may be slightly partial to the awesomeness that is Haflingers! I hope you enjoyed the little bit of Haflinger history that I have gathered in my perusing on the interweb!

Shyloh wanted out the door!

monday musing by shyloh #14

I'm going stall crazy! This rain has kept me inside all week. At least Allie opened by window so I could smell the fresh air. . .until it got too cold and it was voted that it needed to be closed. Good thing Allie, Aunt Kathy, and Aunt Robin let (forced) me run around the arena! A girl has got to get her exercise to keep her figure, especially if she wants to eat as much as I do!

At least I'm not muddy!

I had an eventful weekend. I learned how to get that horrible hay net off the wall! How did I do it? I'll never tell. . .and I didn't even break it! I like to keep Allie guessing.

And one time, I was in the arena with Ryleigh and Allie took him back to his stall for dinner. She left the arena door open just enough so I could fit through! So I went through it. . .  escape! I was kinda surprised at myself and stood just outside the door in shock. . .where to go with my new found freedom? I started to go to the right, but then I realized that MY dinner hay was in my stall, so I went left. straight into my stall. Hey. . .I can't pass up food, that's just not my style!

I reunited with an old flame this weekend, too. Chick went into the arena and he was calling for me, so I answered. This went on for some time, so Allie took me in there with him. Wowza! I couldn't help but "wink" at him, if you know what I mean. Ryleigh was sooo jealous. I must not be a one horse kinda mare. . .but Ryleigh is still my main gelding. 

Me and Chick, catching up on old times and living outside

Ryleigh checking out my luscious apple bottom 

What else went on this weekend. . .oh yeah! Allie rode me without the lunge line! We did real good together. Except at one point, I was paying more attention to following Aunt Robin and I tripped. But we were okay, I wasn't scared and Allie handled it real well. She made me turn left and turn right, stop and go. All on her own and without a saddle! I can tell she is getting more comfortable and her balance is getting better. Although sometimes, when she tapped her boots on the sides of my belly, I startled. . .I prefer her to squeeze gently. I may be sassy, but when I have an important job to do, nothing will get in my way.

I'm good!

Allie also worked with me on the mounting block. I am really not as scared of it as I pretend to me. . .life just isn't as fun without giving Allie a hard time! She kept lining me up, but as soon as she stepped on the block, I stepped away and she had to start all over. Soon, that got boring though, and I let her get on my back. Allie was really living life on the edge, because we were all alone in the barn! She did not have any helpers like all the other times. She sat on my back, so I was real good for her. I didn't move a muscle because she didn't ask me to. She kept rubbing my neck and telling me how good I am. Then she hopped off and I got some good eats! Sometimes, it sure pays to be good!

I was fell asleep with my head sticking out of my stall!

Well, that was my weekend. It was good times! I hope everyone else enjoyed their weekend, too!

~Shyloh

a ride

I got a short ride in on Shyloh today!

Shy really perplexes me, I wish I knew more about her background. She really hates the mounting block and moves away from it, but the minute I get on her back she is great! 

The little bit I do know about her past is that she spent some time as a trail horse at a recreational park. This probably explains why she stands so well in cross ties. Shy would have been tacked up in the morning, kept standing around until someone came to ride her, then repeat until the end of the day. The people who probably rode her had no clue what they were doing and were probably rough on her. 

Robin suggested contacting her old owner to find out what auction she was bought at. I have contacted her, but so far I have not received a response. Once I find out the auction place, they might have records from a Coggins or something there. I have also checked the insides of her lips for tattoos. . . none. It would be interesting to find out more about her.

I am open to any other suggestions on how I might be able to find out more about Shyloh!

But, the more I ride, the more comfortable Shy gets with me. I can tell that my balance on her is getting better, too. I could tell she was aware of other things going on in the barn, but her ears were on me the whole time. I am so happy that I have started riding!

braids!

The braids appear to be working! I kept them in Shyloh hair for a few days, then took them out. Yesterday, Robin sent me a picture of Shy. . .

Pretty in Pink

And her hair stayed parted evenly! Usually at the top it falls on both sides, then halfway down it flips to one side, and at the bottom it flips to the other side. Unfortunately, it is still slightly pink.

So, I went out to the barn today. The horses were in again because the pastures are still flooded. This weather is terrible! At night it gets below freezing and the roads get icy, then during the day the sun is shining and everything gets watery again. At least the road to the barn is not flooded anymore! And we did get some snow! But it did not stick to the ground.

I let Shyloh out into the arena to run around. Then I went to get Ryleigh. When I brought him in, Shy gave a little nicker! How cute! I made my finest attempt to get them running, but only Shy wanted to participate. She would run and run and Ryleigh just stood there. Shyloh literally ran circles around him, then tried to hide behind him! Those two are so silly!

I decided to braid Shy's mane again, but in smaller braids. Shy had other ideas, like eating hay, which made braiding difficult. . .but I persevered! I doubled the usual amount of braids down her mane. I also braided her tail. The braids just make her hair so smooth!

Slow feeder bag is now a hit!

Looks like centipede legs

I gave Shyloh and Ryleigh some apples, carrots, dried peas, and granola mix, then went home to warm up. I still did not get to ride. Hopefully tomorrow!

Ryleigh says Feed Me!!