Alibar and his Peeps
In celebration of what would have been Alibar’s 31st birthday, I proudly share with you his springtime passion, Peeps. It started as a joke and ended as an obsession. At first, Alibar was unsure of the marshmallowy confection, but with time, his palate became sophisticated and he was devouring all colors, all sizes, all shapes. Barn buddies brought Peeps for Alibar and he’d point his lip hopefully until he was fed, and then he’d nom contentedly on the chewy, gooey treat. Easter isn’t the same without him.
Wizard Ride 126: The Fat Snaffle
Thursday, 3/25/10
Since I started riding Wizard again, I’ve been using an Ovation OV Curve Oval loose ring snaffle. Many of the horses I’ve ridden prefer less metal in their mouths, but Wizard seems more comfortable with a fat snaffle. Maybe he has a big mouth. I liked how he went in the Happy Mouth mullen D-ring, but I could not feed him treats when he wore it (poor thing, ha ha). He is still very active with his chewing, but I think the loose rings and the thick bit are easier for him to handle.
Our ride was a huge improvement from the ride just a day before. My mom was out so she snapped some pictures. I warmed him up at the walk in both directions, noting that he was more tense to the right (as always). I was able to get him to relax and walk on a loose rein and on contact without fussing with his mouth, which was something he could not do on Wednesday night. Our trot work was also vastly improved. He still pinned his ears on occasion but I rode him through it and he became more relaxed, both to the right and left. I did some circles and changes of direction. The good news is that I prefer riding to the right so I’m hoping that between the two of us, the sidedness will work itself out. I rode for a little over half an hour, and was very satisfied with our progress.
Product rave: ProChaps! I bought a pair of deeply discounted half chaps from Horseloverz. The chaps are awesome! They are slim-fitting, with no snaps or straps- they simply zip from top to bottom. The material is comfortable and they are great for riding. Two thumbs up!
Wizard Ride 125; Paris Ride 9: Froggy Jamboree
Wednesday, 3/24/10
With springtime comes rain, sunshine, and the return of the screaming frogs- it’s a regular Froggy Jamboree. And I get to ride outdoors, which is a total delight. A friend visited the barn and got to meet Paris and watch our ride. Each time I ride Paris, our communication is improving. Our ride was basic since I was mostly working on my leg and hands. We worked at the walk and trot and she was bending beautifully by the end of the ride. It really helps my equitation to ride such a balanced and well-trained mare.
I also rode Wizard for about 15 minutes. He was very willing but worked the bit nervously, flickered his ears, and moved tensely. We did just a little bit of trotting at the end of the ride. In hindsight, I should have let him trot around the arena loose before my ride. No biggie, there’s always tomorrow :^)
Wizard Ride 124: You May Be Right, I May Be Crazy
Saturday, 3/20/10
What do you do with a horse who has not been regularly ridden since November? If you said, “ride him on the trails by himself at dusk”, then you get a gold star.
Now that Wizard has his hind shoes, I’m giving him another crack at under-saddle work. The indoor and outdoor arenas were busy so I decided to try him on the trails. He’s a fairly sensible sort on the trails, so it was not a totally crazy idea. Only a little crazy.
I led him out for about a mile before I mounted up on a sandy bank and rode home. On the way out, we encountered a little creek of runoff water from the massive amounts of rain we’ve gotten. The water was about three feet wide. I stepped through it, sort of hopping. Wizard gathered himself like a cat and LEAPT over it. That boy can jump! Time to work on walking THROUGH things with him.
Our ride was pretty good- he was a little hot, but I sort of expected it. He was walking, but chewing nervously on the bit and swishing his tail. I sat quietly, talking to him and keeping my hands soft. We rode for about a mile, and I dismounted before we got back to the little creek. He LEAPT over it on the way back as well.
I was happy with our maiden voyage. My crazy plan worked.
Paris Ride 8: A Sack of Potatoes
Thursday, 3/18/10
That’s right, I RODE!!! First ride since January 28. I rode like a sack of potatoes, but Paris was kind enough to tolerate me. We did a little walk-trot and I rode for about 20 minutes. Whew, it was nice.
Wizard got himself a nice set of shoes. I’m looking forward to another try in the saddle with him as well. Don’t you just LOVE springtime?
The Old Men and their Fan Club
After sharing all of these “before” pictures of horses at auction, I am proud to share a few “after” shots. Hip # 455 and 454 are two Standardbred geldings, possibly in their early 20s. These two horses touched me the most of all the horses I’ve photographed since January and it was a delight to see them together, enjoying their hay in the New Jersey sunshine this weekend. Through the efforts of Anouk Busch (a Standardbred trainer) and Horse Rescue United, these horses were purchased from the Camelot Auction and are resting here in New Jersey until they ship this week to Bright Futures Farm.
Hip #455 at auction…
And after auction…
Hip # 454 at auction…
And after auction…
Both horses were happy to play the part of Equine Ambassador when some neighbors stopped by to visit and hear their story. They also have their own fan club on Facebook (“the old men fan club).
Videos- Walk and Trot
In an attempt to evaluate some before/after on Wizard, here are some videos. More plans on shoeing/riding/etc to come…
Trot (March 2010):
Walk (March 2010):
At liberty, December 2009:
Videos from Feb 2009:
As of Thursday night, there are 27 horses at Camelot Auction who are available for purchase until noon on Saturday. Please visit the Helping Hearts Equine Rescue website for more information about how to purchase a horse directly from Camelot, help somebody transport/quarantine a horse, or donate to equine rescue groups who take auction horses.
The Legend of Alibar: A Cup of Joe
One of my fondest memories of Alibar…
The only time I willingly wake up early is for horses. At my old job, I worked the late shift so I rode Alibar before work on weekdays. Each morning, I slipped out of my warm bed, pulled on my riding clothes, and drove down to the barn.
Alibar was quite the morning person in demeanor but he was arthritic and he needed a longer warmup than he did in his younger years. To make the mornings a little easier for both of us, Alibar and I developed a little ritual. Before I arrived at the barn, I purchased a big cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee. Since I arrived before the barn help, I always gave Alibar some soaked hay cubes and a handful of senior horse feed. Then I tacked up Alibar, I grabbed my coffee, and off we went. We walked around the perimeter of a large cornfield behind the barn and I drank my morning coffee as Alibar loosened up his muscles and old joints.
Alibar’s gaits were smooth and I never spilled a drop of coffee. The mornings were crisp and and bright. Steam curled out of Alibar’s wide nostrils and his tiny, tippy ears swiveled as he took in the sights and sounds. The path around the cornfield was cut but there was tall grass in the middle- large herds of deer browsed on the grass, bathed in morning sunlight. The only sounds were Alibar’s contented snorts and the occasional flock of wild turkeys, twittering to one another as they glided across the field. If there was a particularly tender patch of grass, I allowed Alibar to take a bite and chew as we marched along.
The horses at the farm could see the cornfield through the trees, and they romped and played at the sight of us. Most mornings, Alibar and I would walk the entire way, but if he was feeling especially good, we sometimes trotted or had a short hand-gallop.
By the time we got back to the barn, I finished my coffee and we were ready to meet the day: we could tackle dressage and could take on the world.
MORE Horse Snow Photos…
I’ve gotten ZERO saddle time this month but at least I got to get some fun photos of my favorite horses in the snow…
At Moonlit Run Equestrian Center, the horses strutted their stuff for the camera…
Apollo, a Belgian/Quarter Horse cross and Atlas, a Percheron, storm across the snow-covered pasture.
Atlas always seems to have a little smile on his face.
Ashton is a Percheron/Thoroughbred cross and he also enjoyed some fun in the sun and snow.
On to the next barn…
Mary the Morgan pranced and played in over a foot of snow…
Noodles the barn kitty was happy to be a snow bunny.
On to the next barn!
And Wizard and JR looked like two little kids at recess when they were turned out after being indoors overnight:
OK, now that we’ve all had our fun in the snow, can we please have SPRING?
PS: Product Rave: Ariat’s Bromont winter paddock boots are insulated and amazingly warm, even in snow. I was able to do hours of wintertime shooting in my Bromont boots.
Rock and Racehorses: The Blog 