finally friday

This week seemed to have an extra day added in for some reason. It just drug on and on. So it was quite the treat to have an amazingly well behaved pony when we worked today.  

But let's back up a little. . .

Last weekend, Whitney Houston was brutally murdered by a raccoon. She went missing in the morning and was found after work. Not going to lie, I am still a little sad about this. She was just getting to be super friendly, laying eggs every day, and being such a talker! Terry decided to give her chicken away so she wouldn't meet the same fate, but overnight she was unfortunately taken as well. We have decided to not get new chickens with winter coming, but to start anew in spring. And work on redesigning the chicken coop. 

Oh, then my car broke down on the way home from Ohio and I had to get that fixed, after being stranded on the side of the freeway for hours. 

One of the most frustrating things about the place where I board is feeding time. They like to feed right when I get there from work. I have two options, either wait until Shyloh is done eating with the herd before we do any work or take her food, work her, then wait for her to eat it on her own before turning her back out with the herd. Either way, I am waiting. 

So, today I waited patiently, while picking burrs off of her. I did these amazing braids earlier in the week. . .

And they actually work!  Even if they look worse as each day goes by they still keep the burrs out! I can hold off on the roaching for now (evil grin).

Shy did have a couple burrs on her forelock, but nothing like the previous mess. The hard part is finding and picking the burrs out of her ever growing body hair. And her ears. Shy hates her ears touched. This caused a bit of commotion when I was trying to maximize my time with her as I tried to pick them off her swinging head as she ran and tried to eat at the same time.  (And I have the nerve to call others crazy!)

After that fiasco, I tacked Shy up in her line driving gear and went for a spin around the barn. I could not have asked for a better horse (except that she ever be that good with a cart attached!). I was able to line driving using only one hand and a loose line. She responded to the slightest movement. Nothing bothered her today as we went around the property and through the woods. And we even worked on minute movements, stepping "gee" and "haw" one step at a time. It was wondrous! Stopping and standing was great and she did not give me any trouble going past the tack/untack spot, where we usually have a fight. 

That was some much needed work time spent with the pony and she got some carrots for her good work. I say this a lot, but maybe there is hope for Shy yet!

Or not. . .

playing around

Even though I really really need to get back into working Shyloh in some sort of way, it was way too hot today to even think about work. It was 96 degrees and that does not even include the humidity. Just standing outside feels like I'm suffocating and sweat just pours off my head. Yuck.

So, I had a fun day with Shy, which was actually pretty productive. After I picked the burrs from her forelock. . .

Itty bitty burrs

I worked on my braiding skills, which still are terrible. But it got some of Shy's mane off her neck for a while. 

Such a patient pony. 

Then I filled a spray bottle with water and decided to tackle Shy's aversion to being sprayed in the face with water. She has no problem with her mouth being sprayed, but up by her forelock she gets all giraffe neck. . .well, as giraffe necked as a Haflinger can get. Eventually, I figured out the secret. The spray bottle must be on top of my head to spray her head. Crazy, right? But that was the only way she would let me spray her. Eventually, I was able to spray her like a normal person and she was fine with it. Probably because it was hot and it felt kinda good. 

Hee hee

I took Shy to graze for a bit in the shade, but noticed that the flies were still all over her, even after I sprayed her. I had an idea. . .fly bonnet! I don't even know why I have it, I never use it, but I decided to get some use out of it today. 

nom noms

Who wears it better? 

My next great idea was to put see how Shy was with lines. A friend has a Haflinger who does not like lines under his butt, so I figured why not test Shy out. I took a lunge line and worked it all around her legs, belly, and under her tail. The biggest reaction I got out of her was a super tail clamp. Otherwise, Shy was practically oblivious to the lines, except to try and lazily step out of them, even when I put some pressure on her. I would like to retry this with the blinders on and hooked to a cart. I will probably get a different reaction. 

We played around a bit more and I was reminded of Shy's teeth. I noticed a while ago that the bottom teeth got real brown. And this was pretty recent over the spring/summer. I googled it and apparently the teeth can get stained from different forage that they eat. Makes sense since this happened pretty quickly and just when new plants started growing in the pasture. No more pearly whites for Shy. Sad face.

She loves to smile right in my face!

Finally, I couldn't take the heat. I turned Shy back out with the herd and she did the same routine she does every time I let her loose. She gets a long drink of water then settles in for a nap in the shade. Gotta love my goofy pony!

Yawn. . . 

Bigger yawn!

How are you beating the hear with your equines?

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. 

goofing off

Shyloh's beautiful braid, ruined by a good night's sleep. The horsey version of bed head!

Shy, wondering why she doesn't get some grain and searching the empty scoopers for a pellet of precious grain.

On the way outside for the day. . .  gotta take some hay along for the extra long way out to the pasture.

Derby hat! Shy asks why there are no Haflingers the Kentucky Derby? Because TB's need a chance to win, haha!

My attempt at the braid on Shy. As soon as she shook her head, it fell out. It only took me an hour and several attempts to get it right. . .clumsy hands.

Has anyone ever heard a horse burp? Shy was burping some stinky burps today. I have never heard her do this before. It was gross (said the person who burps all the time). Well, her burps stunk! 

And this horse in intent on making me lame! She stepped on the top of my foot (broken toe foot) today. Ouch!

shyloh's busy day

Shyloh had a very busy day today! I had been looking for a vet that I like for her. The first vet I used that did her fall shots was okay, but I was still looking for something else. The vet I had come out for fall shots was awful! He did not have a good "stall-side" manner and when I asked for a well-check his reply was that he does not do those. What? 

I have been observing this other vet come out to the barn in the past few weeks. He is a quiet man, but patient and very thorough. He had to come out again today, so I asked him to do a well check on Shy. Part of the reason for this is that he did exams and spring shots for a bunch of other horses at the barn and we found that the equine dentist we had out did all the teeth wrong! What? That guy was pretty highly recommended and travels all over the country to do teeth. We were pretty upset and Beth had called him and did not get a positive response from him. 

Unfortunately, the only time this vet could come out was in the morning and I was unable to take the day off of work to be there. Beth and Robin helped with Shy for me. She had some hooks on her way back teeth (ugh) and sore withers and a sore back. The soreness was probably from playing outside in the mud and ice over the winter. And it also explains the reason the the more Beth rides her during a session, the harder she becomes on the left side. So, now we need a chiropractor. 

Luckily, we have one coming out Wednesday and he has done wonders for some of the horses on the barn. Shy will be added to his roster. But the report was that she was a perfect patient for the new doc!

By the time I got to the barn, it was time for the farrier. I asked all my questions, which he patiently answered. He said Shy's feet look good. The stress marks are probably from a change in diet about four to five months ago (coincidentally, I took her off her small ration of grain around that time). But, she does not have white line issues (there is no separation or crumbly-ness) and he trimmed her up. She was great for the farrier.

Shy was probably thinking if she was done for the day. Nope! In preparation for the show me most likely will be going to, I decided to try and trim up her whiskers. This kinda made me sad, because I like her whiskers! But I did it. I was shocked with how good she was! She let me trim her whiskers off and even let me trim her ears. She hates her ears being touched! I think it was a little ticklish on her chin because that was the only part she tried to move her head from. 

Clip clip, no more whiskers :(

Last, I wanted to try and do a mane roll in her mane. We missed the braiding class at the clinic, but I Googled it and thought I had a good grasp on the concept. Mares do not need a mane roll for draft class, but I want one for her. The grasp I had did not translate to my hands and it was a mess. Robin's friend Dawn helped me braid Shy's hair, without the ribbon, and it turned out really pretty! I have a lot of work ahead of me if I want to get this braiding thing down. . .

Hopefully it will stay!

Whew! What a day: vet, feet, clip, and braid!

the braidy bunch

What a day! Sunday is my working day at the barn and with the help of Robin, I got done really quick with mucking. More time to play with Shyloh!

Shyloh's mane is crazy frizzy. It looks like she blow dries her hair every day, especially her forelock. What to do with it. . .?

Braid it of course!! Casi's mane is growing out and starting to fall to one side, so I braided his, too! And somehow Ryleigh's tail got knotted all around the leg straps of his blanket, he got a tail braid to prevent this!

Hopefully these braids will help tame her mane. Or perhaps I should just get some Frizz-Ease or something.

I had time before feeding to harness Shy up and work with her on line driving and dragging stuff. She did really good with the line driving, but the dragging stuff was another story. 

Going this way. . .

Going that way. . .

I did a few things to prepare Shy for dragging a toboggan. Before I even put her harness on, I showed it to her, had her approach it, and drug it behind me like a fool. After I put her harness on, she refused to get near it! I admit, I was getting frustrated with her. Shy refused to go near it and if I tried to drive her by it, she completely stopped. I also tried to lead her to it, but she was not budging. I tried a few different methods to get her near the toboggan, but I was unsuccessful.

Hey, I am not supposed to be doing the pulling here! Shy is just watching.

Then, I had an epiphany! Click and treat! I grabbed my clicker and a handful of granola. I asked her to step up and as soon as she put a leg forward, I clicked and treated. I kept at this until she was right at the toboggan. Amazing! And so simple! Soon she was touching it and I was walking all over it and Shy was fine with it. Then, I scooted the toboggan. Shy started, but remained put. I scooted it again and she had no response, so click and treat. I did this a few times, but she was distracted by the sound of Clutch and Notch running like a whole herd in their paddock. 

Or, what we thought was Clutch and Notch! Turned out that some unidentified horse managed to lift the gate between Clutch and Notch's paddock and the pasture where Ryleigh, Mocha, Dante, and Caesar (the wild boys)  are. The two herds switched places completely and the wild boys thought they were awesome. It was them that we heard running back and forth, playing in the muddy paddock, running around the shelter, and just having themselves a good old time. So one broken gate and four very muddy, rowdy horses later, we finally rounded everyone up and got them to where they needed to be. Whew.

Silly braids

So, back to Shy and the harness. I really need to get more consistent. But these darn things called a job, family, and other responsibilities keep getting in the way! I am going to try my best to harness her up and work on pulling stuff at least once a week. I also need to work on the whole riding thing. . .

monday musings by shyloh #13

Well. . .my hunger strike didn't last too long. I am a hungry girl and I have to eat to keep my figure. But I still hate that "thing."  Eating so little should not be so time consuming. I'll never get any sleep cause it will take me all night to eat! Perhaps, I'll be a crabby Haflinger. . .ha!

This is gonna take all night!

I had a spa day yesterday. I got my mane conditioned and re-braided, I got my tail, conditioned, braided, and bagged, and I got a deep cleaning. When Allie took my braids out for the conditioning, my hair was so soft! She thinks conditioner will make my mane even softer. 

Sooner or later, my mane will be even on both sides!

I love these next few photos of me. . .Don't I look so tall and sleek? It's all about the angle!

Regal me! I'm fuzzy!

Thinking deep Haflinger thoughts. . .

Got any food down there?

Allie has started riding me! It has been going good. I am super sensitive and I keep my ears on Allie the whole time. When she loses balance, I stop right away. I have been getting better at my walk and stop transitions, too. My walk is becoming so smooth and comfortable

But yesterday, I gave Allie a little tiny bit of trouble. I was walking real good and it was a nice walk. I probably could have started trotting, if I really wanted. Hey, I was stuck in my stall ALL  day because of the never-ending rain. I don't understand what is the deal with the rain, I don't mind it at all! Anyway, Allie asked me to whoa, but I kept going and going. Then I began pulling on the lunge line trying to get away. It was not working, so I stopped. And we started the whole thing over again. After a few times of doing that, I finally stopped the first time I was asked. And what do you know? Allie told me I was good girl and hopped off, I was done working!

Well, back to eating my hay, one straw at a time. 

BTW. . .I love Cheez-Its!

~ Shyloh

hunger strike

Busy Horse net- 1

Shyloh - 0

Refuses to "work" for dinner on day two

Shyloh is fighting me with this slow feeder hay net thing. I think she is trying to tell me that she hates it and would rather starve than work for food. I had put the good hay in the net for Shyloh and left the first cutting hay on the ground. Shyloh refused to eat the first cutting hay and did not want to put the effort into getting the good hay out of the net, so she went on a hunger strike. I tested this theory out by handing her the first cutting hay. She spit it out. Then I handed her the good hay and she gobbled it up!

It will be interesting to see if there is hay left in her stall tomorrow or if she succumbed to the hunger. The first day with the net, she ate some hay from it, but she was pretty upset. She was flinging that net all around!

Testing out the Busy Horse on day one

Getting upset that eating is hard work!

I spent the last two days working at the barn, so I have't done anything with Shy. After I fed at the barn this morning, I discovered Shy doing this:

Stealing Ryleigh's hay!

She devoured her flake and was pulling Ryleigh's out of his stall! Hay thief! I guess if food is easy to get, she is all over that!

Yesterday when I took a break from mucking stalls, I did get these photos of Shy and Ryleigh in their very muddy pasture . 

Grazing in the sunlight

New tail bag in attempt to keep mud off of her pretty tail!

nom nom nom

Stuck like glue!

Robin said that Ryleigh and Shyloh have a song; it is Sugarland's "Stuck Like Glue". They are so cute together!!

*Note* Shyloh photos without braids are from yesterday

           Shyloh photos with braids are from today

me and ryleigh!

Oh, the things Shyloh lets me do to her. . .

It looks horrible, I know

Braiding is not my strong suit

There is a reason for the braids. Shy has a crazy growing mane. Up top it falls on both sides, then halfway down it falls on one side, and the rest of the way down it falls on the other side. Plus, with her mane growing out, I want to try to get it to rest "naturally" on both sides.

Really, I don't torture her for my own amusement! And, when I went to get her in the pasture, she let me walk right up to her!

They are stuck to each other like glue!

On to the best part of the night! I rode Ryleigh! I have ridden him a couple times when he was at the old barn, but after I started leasing Mia the Haflinger (maybe one day I'll share some stories about her), I only rode Mia. 

Robin lunged Ryleigh and warmed him up for me. She showed me the difference between his trot and western jog. Ryleigh is in the process of switching from dressage to western. He currently has English tack, so I had to ride in that (yuck). Actually, it wasn't bad so I can't complain.

As much as Ryleigh can give Robin a hard time in the cross ties, being bridled, and at the mounting block, he is perfect as soon as someone gets on his back. But, I stayed on the lunge line because it has been a while since I have rode a horse in general and I am still a beginner. 

So serious

Robin had me do some exercises for balance. I rode with my arms straight out. Then I rode with no stirrups. And for the grande finale, I rode with my arms out and no stirrups! I have a feeling that I will have sore thighs tomorrow.

Look ma! No hands!

Now no feet!

Robin even got me to trot on Ryleigh! I had to get used to his trot. . .remember, I am used to trotting on Haflinger legs, which are much shorter strides than Quarter horse legs! But I adjusted quickly and had a blast!

Ryleigh was amazing. He trotted, walked, and stopped when I asked. The longer I was on him, the more relaxed I became. 

Good boy!

After I got off Ryleigh, I shared a carrot between him and Shy. Then I hung out with Shy's sassy self for a little bit. 

She is like the Pippi Longstocking of horses

Thanks Robin for letting me ride Ryleigh!!