Riding all the ponies

Yesterday I accompanied my friend Holly to her weekly riding lesson with our mutual friend, Richal. Richal's a dressage queen with an acerbic sense of humor and a legion of minions. It's always funny to see a group of small children struggling to rake the barn aisles or fill water buckets. Plus, Richal wanted me to ride one of the many OTTBs she's acquired in recent months. I couldn't resist.

Unfortunately, the horse I was slated to ride, Ben, had pulled two shoes. So I was offered Freddie, a little 5 year old bay mare who's been off the track for two months.

Freddie (Jockey Club name Expect Freedom) was a total doll- easy to ride, eager to learn, and only tried to snatch the bit in her teeth and run off once. I'm always impressed with how well even recently off the track TBs handle things- at one point, there were 4 other horses zipping around the arena, a section of electric fencing flapping in the wind, and 3 dogs underfoot. Freddie was unfazed. 

I've also been recruited to ride another lazy, out-of-shape Quarter Horse. Meet Cutty!

Cutty belongs to one of Johnny's coworkers. Said coworker has a teenage son who's been working on a ranch for the last couple of summers and wants to start riding more at home. Johnny was asked if I'd be interested in getting the horse fit and teaching him to neck rein. I talked with the coworker's wife, who's the most experienced equestrian of the family, and explained that while I am no western trainer, I could definitely get Cutty fit, probably teach him to neck rein, and desensitize him to just about anything. That sounded fine to her, so I'm hired! I'll be riding him 5 times a week for about a month. 

Cutty is a 7 year old Quarter Horse gelding from Germany of all places. His former owners moved to the States a couple of years ago and brought their horses with them. Johnny's coworker has had the horse for about 4 months and Cutty's mostly been hanging out with the family's retired 24 year old Appendix gelding. And eating. That horse loves to eat. 

He's very willing to learn and eager to please; he seems reasonably intelligent and is already starting to get the hang of neck reining and leg yielding. He is very out of shape, though, and gets winded easily. So we're doing lots and lots of walking. (Which, of course, is a great gait to work on neck reining and leg yielding!)

I haven't neglected my two beasties, though. Gina's fat leg got hosed yesterday, and I rode Moe. Moe felt slow and cranky- not tired, but straight up cranky. That's very unusual for him, so I just walked him in the pasture on a loose rein for half an hour and called it a day. Here's hoping fat leg disappears and Moe's in a better mood this weekend!

Piddling

There's horses out there, I promise.

I went to the barn to ride both horses late yesterday afternoon. I saw my student, who was headed out on her pony. She returned a half hour later to tell me she had dutifully done the lateral exercises I'd given her as homework and she was certain her horse had taken a true sideways step in each direction. I was inspired by her success, so I grabbed Gina and decided to do some dressagin'.

Gina's bruise was nearly gone when I checked it; the ground was nice and soft from Monday's rain, so I felt pretty good about riding her. Gina must have felt pretty good about it too, because I had the loveliest, softest, happiest ride ever. Okay, maybe not ever, but in a long time!

I called it quits pretty early (after about 30 minutes) since she was being so good; Gina is a horse with whom I do not like to push my luck. Then I trimmed up her face, bridle path, and fetlocks while stuffing her face with granola bars.

I kicked Gina back into the pasture and caught Moe, who was loitering around the gate in hopes of also receiving a granola bar (or five). I intended to only spray him with fly spray and put his fly mask back on, but something compelled me to throw his bridle on and head out bareback.

So we piddled around the pasture for half an hour, mostly at a walk. We cantered a little bit and jumped the log pile. I managed not to fall off, while I remembered why I don't usually ride Moe bareback. (High withers, uncomfortably jarring trot.) 

But you know what? It was pretty fun to just piddle around, appreciating the weather and the scenery and the sleek little red gelding beneath me. It was nice not to have a plan or work on anything in particular. I jumped off Moe in the pasture and took his bridle off, but instead of taking off to join his horse friends, he walked with me back to the barn. I let him through the gate, and he walked himself into the barn and into a stall, where he waited for me to hang up his bridle, feed him more granola bars, put on his fly mask, and spray him down. Then he went back out to the pasture, waited until I got into my car, and wandered back over to the rest of the herd.

What a good horse.

The Hand Gallop guide to throwing a Derby party

The Kentucky Derby is fast approaching, and I'm putting together the details for my annual Derby party. While I don't know much about horse racing, I can always appreciate beautiful Thoroughbreds and the speed and power they display. (Plus, I like to imagine which ones would make good eventers.) For the last couple of years, I've hosted or co-hosted a party for friends to watch the race. I thought I'd share some tips on throwing your own!

Derby Party 2012

Invitations: In order to have a party, you have to let people know it's happening! There are plenty of places to buy invitations designed especially for the Derby, but I enjoy designing my own and mailing or emailing them to friends. A text, call, or Facebook message is also just as effective! 

This year's invitation, sans some information.

Food & beverages: I'm in the Central Time Zone, which means Derby post time is usually around 5:30 PM. It's an awkward time for a meal; people are starting to get hungry for dinner, but don't want to eat something big quite yet. It doesn't help that our house is small and without a lot of seating for guests to sit and eat. I make sure to have plenty of finger foods available. People can eat what they'd like while standing or perching on the edge of the sofa, and no one goes home hungry.

For me, the key to a successful and stress-free party is preparation. I stick exclusively to recipes that can be prepared a day or two in advance to the Derby. Some of my favorites include deviled eggs, individual cups of pasta salad, small pimento cheese sandwiches, vegetables and dip, fruit and dip, and crostini with a variety of toppings. I always make a bourbon chocolate pecan pie for dessert; this year I'm making mini pies so they're easier to eat. I cook everything myself because I enjoy doing so, but most grocery stores offer a large variety of snacks to serve if you aren't a fan of cooking.

Mint juleps are par for the course at the Derby, but I absolutely hate them. I made a batch the first year I hosted a party; no one had anything good to say about them. (It's entirely possible I made them poorly, too.) I encourage guests to bring what they'd like to drink. I offer water, sparkling water, a few types of soda, sweet and unsweet tea, and one type of alcoholic drink. Last year it was whiskey sours; this year it's a whiskey punch. That saves me from stocking all kinds of alcohol and spending a great deal of money.

Decor: The Derby is the run for the roses; I stick with red as the central color of the party. Red paper plates, red napkins, red cups, a vase of roses on the food table. My house already has plenty of equestrian decorations, so there's no need to get anything special. The Kentucky Derby Store offers many decorations if you're inclined to go all out.

Vibe: Do you want a casual get-together where everyone watches the race, has a few drinks, and goes home? Do you want a fancy soiree with big hats, sundresses, and cocktails? Our party is somewhere in between. While plenty of friends wear sundresses and big hats, just as many come in jeans and t-shirts. Johnny wears loud madras pants and a button-down shirt. I wear a dress and big floppy hat. Last year, a friend wore a SpiritHood, which freaked one of the cats out to no end. If you're planning a fancy party, be sure to mention it on your invitation! And don't be upset if someone doesn't comply; after all, aren't you glad they attended at all?

The race: A few hours before the party, I print off the race card (copied into Word from the Derby website or Daily Racing Form site) so guests can have a copy. My friend Holly has a TwinSpires.com account and graciously lets interested people use it to wager. (She's something of a horse-racing expert, so I always make sure to ask her for advice.) We leave the TV on pre-race coverage while everyone's getting something to eat and drink. At post time, everyone gathers in the living room and watches the most exciting two minutes in sports, cheering for horses and griping when they lose (or celebrating when they win). We're fortunate to have a gigantic (if ancient) TV, so there's not a bad seat in the house.

That's it! The party usually breaks up about half an hour after the race is over, and then I collapse and drink the leftover alcohol. It's a wonderfully fun party, always. I love offering my hospitality to friends, admiring fast horses, and eating my weight in cheese-heavy foods.

Anyone else have a Derby party? Any predictions on who's going to win this year? Any advice for getting my dogs to not fart while guests are here?

Friday fun: mini madness

Moe and Gina used to live at a facility that had a dozen or so miniature horses. I took this video of three minis chasing each other around last year- the sight of their fat bellies and fuzzy coats never fails to make me laugh!

Baby At The Barn

I was surprised to see a foal in one of the dry lots at the barn when I pulled up earlier this week. I didn't recall any mares being pregnant. Moe's #1 Fan informed me that mare and foal had arrived on Sunday. They belonged to someone who wasn't able to take adequate care of them, so someone else is footing the bill for them at the barn. Or something. You know how these things get convoluted.

Plus, it doesn't really matter, because baby horse.

The Importance of Having Fun

I went out to the barn yesterday planning to do a transition-heavy dressage school on Moe. I did- it was very unexciting. I don't even think Moe's #1 fan Elizabeth was impressed. Dressage just isn't exciting when you're simply trying to remind your horse that downward transitions shouldn't be a downward spiral and that the working walk is a thing. 

Gina was feeling friendly when I turned Moe out and deigned to accept a few treats in the field. I caught her before she could flee and decided that she and I were going to have some fun. (There's no fun like forced fun, right?) Since someone had parked a grill in front of the tie rack, I took Gina inside the barn and cross-tied her.

You might wondering what I was thinking, given that I've avoided cross-tying her since I've owned her due to an unfortunate freak-out, flip-over accident before I bought her.

I was thinking that the ceiling is too low in the barn to allow her to get far if she reared. I was also thinking I didn't trust her to be tied to the PVC fence outside thanks to her history of randomly pulling back.

"What? I have always cross-tied. Give me a cookie."

You'd think Gina was drugged. She stood super quietly while I groomed and tacked her. I took her out front with no real plan in mind. She felt relaxed, so after letting her walk and stretch for about ten minutes we picked up a trot. She was moving well; we trotted figure-eights, circles, big loops and straight stretches all around the property. When we were both feeling good, I asked her for a canter. 

Gina has the most lovely canter of any horse I've ever ridden. It's easy and comfortable to sit. I can do no-stirrup canter work on this horse all day. But yesterday, I just sat in two-point and let Gina choose her pace. We cantered around for about five minutes, took a short walk break, and cantered another five minutes. Then we cooled out and headed back inside.

The whole time I was on, I didn't ask Gina for a thing except minor steering and gait adjustments. I didn't ask her to be on the bit, or to bend, or to do anything except move. 

I had fun. A lot of fun. I think Princess Pony had some fun, too. I'm hoping to get some more rides like this on her: easy, low-stress rides that don't involve much thinking and definitely don't escalate into arguments. I'm even thinking of getting some ground poles out to canter her over. Maybe this is the year we conquer Gina's seemingly-groundless angst over jumping!

Homemade Horse Treats

I ordered a jumbo-sized bucket of Uncle Jimmy's Squeezy Buns, Moe's favorite treat, less than a month ago. Fatty Lumpkin does a fair amount of shameless mugging for them, and I frequently oblige him. (Stood still for grooming? Have a treat. Picked up all four hooves? Have a treat. Looked cute? Have a treat.) Uncle Jimmy does not sell his Squeezy Buns for cheap; at the rate I'm going through them, I'll be spending more on horse treats than my own food soon.

Since I'm unemployed and enjoy cooking, I decided to mix up some homemade horse treats to supplement Moe's Squeezy Bun habit. The result? A moist, chewy treat that's easy to make and requires only a few ingredients!

To make your own horse treats, you'll need:

• 1 apple
• 2 carrots
• 2.5 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup honey
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil (plus more for greasing muffin tin)

The procedure for making these is very easy:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Line a muffin tin with silicon or paper liners, or grease well with vegetable oil.
• Shred or grate the apple and carrots. I used my mini food processor, but you can grate them by hand, too. 
• Combine shredded apple, carrots, oats, honey, and oil in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
• Form into balls about 1.5" in diameter (slightly bigger than a golf ball) and place in lined/greased muffin tin and bake for 45 minutes, until firm. 
• Remove from oven and allow to cool; treats can be refrigerated to speed cooling.

Makes 12 generously-sized treats.

This is a pretty flexible recipe. You can substitute just about any sort of oat- rolled, quick-cooking, instant. Horses aren't picky. Likewise, you can use molasses instead of honey if that's what you have in your cabinets. You can probably also use corn syrup. (I always have some around from pecan pie season.)

Moe and greedy baby Trigger loved these. They're a little moist, so they made the inside of my jacket kind of sticky. But when don't I come home from the barn kind of sticky?

Anyone else have a horse treat recipe? Who's in for publishing a cookbook?

Viva Carlos Blog Hop: What's In Your Name?

Thanks to L. Williams at Viva Carlos for another fun blog hop! They're such a fun way to get to know other bloggers. Plus, any excuse to put that unicorn on the blog is enough for me.

Onto today's topic: What is the story behind your blog name/URL?

Hand gallop:[noun] a fast past in horseback riding between a canter and gallop : a very fast easy canter : a moderate gallop; so called for the fact that the horse is kept well in hand to control his speed.

I've always liked the term "hand gallop". As an eventer, the gait is where my horses make their living- jumping out of a hand gallop in cross-country and show jumping. (Well, ideally, at least.) When I started this blog, I thought the term nicely encapsulated both my riding style and my lifestyle. These days, my life has slowed down a little bit, but "Hand Gallop" sounds cool and I don't plan to change it. And duh, I still like to ride fast!

Horse Show Fever

While the drywall guy is here patching the holes in our walls, I've been feverishly planning a show season for Moe. Oklahoma is something of an english riding desert, but the Tulsa area is a little oasis. The biggest group of riders here is the hunter/jumper crowd, followed by the dressage people, and eventers are a distant third.

Nevertheless, I've been scouring the websites of the OK Combined Training Association, the Greater Oklahoma Hunter Jumper Association, and Green Country Dressage to find opportunities to get Moe out and about.

Moe doesn't really need mileage, but he could probably use a few low-level tune ups before tackling a legit, recognized event. (Who am I kidding- Moe doesn't need a tune up nearly as much as I do.)

Here's what I've come up with:

• April 5: Green Country Dressage schooling show
• April 24-25: John Staples XC clinic
• May 3: Harvard Fox Hounds hunter pace
• June 15: Woodlands Equestrian Center eventing derby

Now, I probably won't be able to hitch a ride to all of these shows, so I should probably get a little more motivated about selling my horse trailer and finding one that our truck can handle. (And seriously, when will I be hauling 3 horses again? Not anytime soon.) I'm also waffling on the hunter pace, as it conflicts with the Kentucky Derby. We've hosted and co-hosted a super fun Derby party for the last three years, and I'd hate to miss it. I'm hoping to request an early start time so I can be back for Derby fun. (Plus, some of my Derby party guests might be my hunter pace teammates!)

There's also a the slight problem of funding for these endeavors; I've applied for a part time job, picked up a house sitting gig for a friend, and have a horse to exercise for someone, so here's hoping I'll have some free money. 

Now, if I have to miss out on some of these shows, I can at least console myself by auditing the George Morris clinic April 11-13 at KJM Equestrian in Tulsa. It's not every day hunter/jumper Jesus comes to town, is it?

Spring fever has arrived!

Things To Buy

I do my taxes every year just as soon as that W2 comes in the mail. (Johnny is a tax procrastinator, which drives me insane.) I was really pleased with my refund this year, which should be deposited into my bank account soon. You know what that means- shopping spree!

I'm not spending the whole thing on stuff; the bulk of it's going in my savings account, just in case Moe falls in the pond and breaks a leg (shoot him) or Gina flips over backwards in the crossties and breaks her neck (shoot her).

The list is fairly subdued, but I thought I'd share it with y'all, because shopping is fun. Additionally, if you have any of the items on my shopping list and want to sell them, please feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email at stejpeck (at) gmail (dot) com. I'd love to send money to a fellow blogger instead of a tack store. And we all know it's a pain to break in brand new stuff!

Black Rubber Reins- I have a pair of these Harwich rubber reins from SmartPak in the Hazlenut color and love them. My black dressage bridle came with web reins, which I hate and are sent straight from hell.

Halter Nameplates- I recently unearthed 3 leather halters of varying states of grossness from my trailer. I think I can salvage them; I'd like to get nameplates or tags for both horses. (Question: Should I go with barn names [Moe & Gina] or show names [Richnfree & Imagine That]?) Does anyone hand stamp tags for a business or hobby? Do you know someone who does? Let me know!

Polo Wraps- I usually wrap or put on SMBs every time I ride. It doesn't hurt to have the extra leg protection and support, right? I have a set of royal blue polos and a set of kelly green SMBs. I don't know if it's reading all these hunter blogs or what, but I can't bring myself to use the blue polos with anything other than the royal blue or white saddle pad, and the green SMBs with anything other than the white pad. I thought white polos were the answer, but this hilarious turquoise set with a pink crown is PERFECT for Princess Pony. Plus, I think they might match my mint green saddle pad? (Which appears more turquoise than green.) However, if anyone has a set of black or white or gray polos they want to sell me, let me know.

Breeches- I won't say I have a breeches problem. I have a modest number of them, and two pairs are reserved for shows only. However, almost all of my breeches are a variation on tan. I have a smokey blue/gray pair that I trot out when I'm feeling sassy. Seeing as how dark gray is my favorite color of all time, a pair of dark gray breeches would be a good purchase. I'd like to get a fun plaid or houndstooth pair, but how fat do we want my ass to look, really?!

Other fun things I'd like to buy include more saddle pads (HOW CAN YOU HAVE TOO MANY?), tall socks, and horse cookies. (Although I think I'm going to try making my own cookies. Stay tuned for a post on that!) 

Again, let me know if you have anything you're looking to part with! And let me know if you have recommendations for any of the items I'm looking for!

Settling In

Princess G has been settling into her barn very nicely. It seems like she's been there her entire life, what with the way she's ruling the paddock. She's in with her old frenemy Cal (Kyla's TB gelding), an elderly Trakehner gelding named Atut (the grey horse tied up behind G in the above picture), and an older grey Thoroughbred mare named Minnie. Gina has decided she is Boss Mare, which seems to be okay with everyone except Minnie; she's still giving G a little bit of trouble at dinnertime.

We went for a ride in the arena last week. Gina spent a couple of minutes looking curiously at the horses in the adjacent pasture (especially Xeta, the gigantic pinto Oldenburg) but focused on work very quickly. The footing was slippery, so we stuck to a walk and trot. Gina was a superstar- light, forward, working in a nice contact. I think my riding has been improved a hundred times over by the Ainsley saddle. My leg and seat are secure. I feel balanced. My improved position has translated to better rides and a happier horse.

Working more has left me less time to ride. Since it's freezing cold and dark by 6 PM, my winter riding goals are pretty much limited to "getting on the horse to ride" and "acquiring ground poles". I'd like to go foxhunting in January, but we'll see how time and money play out. In the mean time, it's going to be fun hacks on fuzzy mare!

Blast From The Past

My mother ventured out to the prairie to see me a couple of weeks ago and brought a whole slew of pictures. They're all of me aboard various horses at events- mostly Pony Club rallies through the years, but a few at Middle Tennessee Pony Club's fall horse trial, which is a fantastic event. Highly recommended if you're in that part of the country. Without further ado, here are a few pictures of me and my mounts.

Mid South Pony Club Rally 2001
Aboard KW's Flying Bailey (QH)

Mid South Pony Club Rally, 2000
Aboard Buster (mutt horse; Arab/QH?)

MTPCHT 2004
Aboard Richnfree (Moe, TB)

MTPCHT 2003
Riding Moe

MTPCHT 2004
Riding Moe

If you're dying for more pictures of my fabulous riding, you can see them on the About Stephanie page of this blog. There are a few more pictures of me floating around in a box my mother left, so I'll get around to scanning and posting them, too.