post 100!

How fitting for my 100th post! Today, I got on Shyloh bareback!!

I had been thinking about it lately and today, I just went for it, with Kathy's help. Even though we just stood, it was a milestone for us.

Thinking that Shy probably was not out all day due to the torrential downpour, I went to let her run around the arena (my earlier thoughts of working Shy had disappeared). When I got to the barn, Kathy was getting ready to ride Casi (formerly CT, formerly Melvin). Casi was a bit nervous in the arena, maybe because of the rain pounding on the barn, maybe because he was in the arena by himself. Kathy asked me to bring Shy in the arena to see if she could help calm Casi down. It didn't work, he was just too wound up today.

Kathy and Casi

While we were doing this in the arena, Ryleigh was in his stall, just screaming this high pitched call for Shyloh, over and over! He was quite upset that he did not have his eyes on Shy. Ryleigh was bit hard by the love bug!

Shy was in a playful mood today! I put her in the cross ties and she was antsy. She is never antsy in the cross ties! She was chewing the ties and pawing the ground. So I let her loose in the arena. I got her trotting and cantering around the arena with her head in full swing. Then she stopped. I swung her lead rope, but she did not move! This was very un-Shy-like behavior! She had not a care in the world that the rope was swinging in her face. Usually, she would be on the move! She played with the cones, tossing them in the air and chewing on them. Shy also engaged in play with me! That is a new behavior, too!

That's when I stated out loud what I had been thinking. . . I wanted to get on Shy bareback! Kathy said she would hold Shy and she thought Shy would be fine. We attempted the wooden mounting block, but Shy was not having any part of that. I put the plastic mounting block up to her and got on Shy! 

Patting her for being a good girl!

She was amazing and very warm! Shy just stood there and didn't make a move. Kathy and Beth said she looked real relaxed and her ears were on me the whole time. I could tell Shy was relaxing when I was on her back because I could feel her breathing out. Next time, I will try walking while bareback on her! I loved riding Mia (the Haflinger I leased) bareback. It was so much fun!

monday musings by shyloh #12

What a weekend! I did no work and got to play every day! I went out with Ryleigh and Lexi. Lexi pretty much ignores us and tries to hang out with Dante and Mocha at the corners of the pastures. Ryleigh is great, but sometimes a girl just needs to be left alone for a minute! I had to buck at him a few times to let him know I mean business when I want some "me" time. But most of the time, I want to be with Ryleigh.

So happy together!!

I think I gave Allie quite the scare yesterday. . .

Boo!

She brought me and Ryleigh inside after every other horse already went inside. I was slightly conflicted by this, as I am every day. I want to stay outside, but I also want dinner and I don't want to be by myself. These are difficult decisions that a horse must make daily. . .so, I went in without a problem today. But when I got in, the treat guy was there. So instead of digging into my dinner hay, I patiently waited for treats. Treat guy came into my stall and I was not too happy about that. He hasn't been here in a while and he thinks he can just come into my stall? Treats can be given from the outside. 

Duh!

Allie was getting worried that I was not eating my hay. She tried listening to my belly on both sides. I was fine and I farted to let her know this. She picked out my feet. I farted again, right on her in case she did not hear the first time. She even put both my flakes of hay into the hay bag. I was just holding out for treats! I knew treat guy would not disappoint!

Well, after the treat guy left, I started to eat my hay. But the hay that was coming out of the hole I broke was not the tasty hay. I kept spitting it out, looking for the tasty hay. Allie then opened my mouth to check out my teeth and gums. She is such a bother!  I would eat the hay I spit out later; I wanted the good hay now! In no time, I figured out how to get to the good hay first! Hahaha! I can't be stopped!

Just go in through the top!

Today, my Aunt Robin came to visit! She gave me two carrots and a peppermint! She is great! 

day at the barn

Remember last weekend when I said I was sore and exhausted? I was mistaken. . .last weekend I had not just ridden a horse for the first time in months and worked the barn the next day. Ouch!

I started my day at the barn with this!

Good Morning!

I have formed an hypothesis regarding Shyloh's behaviors. The hand full of times that I have visited Shy in the morning, she has been very pleasant and almost cuddly. I think that when she is stalled overnight, she becomes civilized. But when she gets turned out all day, she returns to being feral, so by the time I arrive at the barn to work, she just want to be free. And she tells me this by her head tosses and sassy attitude. I may be completely wrong about my hypothesis though. . .

Interesting events of the day:

• Shy got stuck under her stall guard. Apparently, we were taking too long to turn her out and she attempted to take matters into her own hooves.
• I brought Cooper to the barn with me.

• His instincts kicked in and he tried to "herd" the largest herd of horses in the pasture. The horses were not having any part of that and they turned on him! He got a slight kick by one of them, but he is fine. I think he will sleep for days after his day at the barn.
• I caught Ryleigh napping!

I dream of the day Shy will lay down when I am around!

• While taking two horses in, I almost fell in the mud between the horses! I am so sick of mud!
• Kathy gave Shy her first taste of dried peas. She loved them!
• Shy and Ryleigh continued their stall flirting.

Give me kisses!

• While taking Shyloh and Ryleigh in, my boot got stuck in the mud and my foot almost came out! Shy was such a good girl and stopped and waited for me to get myself back together. Ryleigh was a good boy, too.
• Shy broke her hay bag. . .it didn't even last a week

Pouting. . .not really. . .

Tomorrow it is back to the barn to work again!

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!!

new things!

Oh my! The rain came down yesterday and re-flooded the almost dried up pastures. This was only a few hours worth of rain, too! Boo. Are we destined to live in a mud filled world? My jeans are never clean, my boots are always muddy, and my horse is very dirty!

They had to cross an ocean to get to the dry land. . .and grass

I got my order from Schneider's today! I put up the hay bag and it was a hit for Shyloh! Although, I am not sure it slowed down her hay intake much. The way she was chomping at that hay, I actually won't be surprised if I get to the barn tomorrow and the hay bag is destroyed. I don't need to use the tail bags yet.

I also attempted to use my new long lines. They are much longer than the ones I was borrowing so I have to deal with the extra hassle of the length. 

Not down with work today. . .

We definitely need another lesson, so I set one up with Beth. I need to get ready to ride and I need to get Shyloh ready to ride because I am asking for a saddle for Christmas! I want to be trail riding come summer time. But today, Shyloh was all over the place. We tried lunging and we were less than successful. 

No?

Then we tried the long lines. Again, I would not call it a successful attempt. 

Not this either?

I am hoping another lesson will help us get back on track so we can be one step closer to our goals. 

Barney the barn cat. He watched our whole cat-astrophe today.

I read this post from Kate over at A Year With Horses about the dangers of fall grass. Since Shyloh is an easy keeper, I have decided to keep her inside for tomorrow. And maybe for a couple days a week for a while, I'm not sure yet. All I know is I do not want her to founder! For some reason, it is a big fear of mine, even though she does not have a history that I know of or IR or Cushings and she does not get grain. As I have mentioned before, I prefer that she be outside almost always, but the only place where there is no grass is the big guy's (Percheron and Clydesdale) paddock. But having to spend the day inside trumps dealing with founder! Have any other Haflinger owners had an issues with their horses grass intake and/or founder?

Need your input, please!!