When Opportunity Knocks

"Y no cookies??!"

About a week ago, Colter's owner approached me and offered to sell me the big, goofy horse. I sort of stared at him and said something about it depending on the price.

Which it does. In a major way.

See, while Colter is a very, very nicely bred fancy Oldenburg who I know very well, he is also extremely inexperienced for a horse of his age (around 10). I can't justify purchasing him for an extravagant amount. 

His owner (who is a super nice person) didn't give me a price. I get the feeling he'd just as soon give me the horse, just to have its expenses out of his hair; I don't think that will happen, though.

Colt's owner's mother (who is also my boss, to make things more convoluted) bred about a zillion warmbloods from her off-the-track Thoroughbred broodmares back in the early 2000s. When Colt's owner graduated from law school, he was given his pick of the babies to take as a gift. He ended up with a talented mare, who was quickly sold to a buyer in Latin America. He selected Colt as his next prospect. Colt was a two year-old by the illustrious Wradar and out of a big chestnut mare named Cherry Ice (who is still hanging out in the paddock across from Colt's). Cherry Ice (reportedly) was the best of the broodmares, consistently producing high quality, athletic sport horse foals. Colt's owner sent him off for training and subsequently became very busy with his law practice and growing family. And so Colter languished in a pasture for years, terrorizing the other horses and most humans who came to feed him.

So while Colt is a 10 year old with the mind of a 3 year old, I think his owner will consult with my boss on what the horse should be sold for; I'm afraid that she'll be a little biased toward the horse and will suggest some totally insane amount that I cannot afford. 

Now, if I can manage to sell Gina for at least what she was purchased for, I will be in some shape to make an offer on the big red goofball. 

In the mean time, I'll content myself with the current arrangement and dream of what I could do were he mine.

Being a Big Horse

We are still deeply suspicious of the geese.

One of Colter's biggest problems last year was his inability to refocus after being startled. We'd be having a nice ride and something would set him off- the horses in the adjacent paddock galloping by, someone moving a ground pole, a noisy truck driving down the road- and he would have a total meltdown. He was completely unable to get past the scary experience. I distinctly remember a ride last year where a motorcycle roared down the road and spooked Colt. After he stopped fleeing in terror, I settled for getting him to walk one circle in each direction before I called it a day. 

Anne and I rode on Saturday; it was a beautiful day, sunny and windy. Colt and I were having fun playing "Follow The Leader" with Anne and Atut, walking serpentines and 10-meter circles. Colt was behaving beautifully- listening, bending, accepting contact. All of a sudden, he leapt forward, very nearly unseating me. He stopped and whirled around to stare intently into the pasture. Anne told me some geese had abruptly descended from the sky into the pasture, near the pond. Colt must have seen them and been frightened. I patted him and assured him the horse-eating geese were very far away and not a threat.

And then? He flicked an ear back to me, as if making up his mind about the veracity of my statement, and went back to work. Like, work work. We rode for another twenty minutes and he put in some very solid trot work.

Colter, it seems, has finally put on his big horse pants. 

Trotting

The weather's been dreadful for riding. Rain, snow, sleet, wind- we've had it all. Today, it's a lovely 60 degrees outside, but the arena is under about two inches of water. I'm itching to get back to work, but I think it's going to be a couple of weeks before the weather is consistently good. (More snow and sleet are predicted for tomorrow!)

I'm happy to report that when I rode about two weeks ago, Colt was a gem. He was soft and flexible and happy. I was especially proud that we trotted in a big circle for about five minutes in each direction. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but ten quality minutes of balanced, rhythmic, harmonious work is a vast improvement on Colt's old routine of "run around really fast with my head in the air". He was also a champ for deworming, once Anne and I got him cornered. She stuck the wormer in his mouth, while I held his lead rope and casually held a dressage whip in my other hand!

Next month, Green Country Dressage is having a schooling show at a nice local facility that's about 30 minutes from where Colt is stabled. I've gotten permission from his owner to take him to the show! We won't be competing, but my plan is to take him and let Moe babysit him for a few hours while I watch my friend Trista compete. Moe is an old hand at shows (as evidenced by his casual attitude when he was loaded up and driven for 10 hours after not being touched for four years) and I think having a friend (or at least pasture-mate) will help Colt keep his cool in a new environment. So over the next couple of weeks, even if the weather keeps the ground icky, I can at least work on convincing Colt the trailer won't eat him.

Progress

"DIS HOW U CHOO FOODZ? YA??"

Happy anniversary to Colt, the gigantic red goofball! I've been riding him for about a year and we've definitely made some progress. A year ago, he was a surly jerk with poor manners. He refused to tie, went flailing backwards at the sight of a saddle, swung his huge rump around, locked his jaw and trucked around the arena, and flatly refused to stand still for the farrier. Today, he is easy to catch, tie, groom, and tack. He stands quietly for my saint of a farrier without the aid of sedatives. While he still tries to pull my arms out of their sockets, he sometimes carries himself very nicely. I am definitely no miracle worker or fabulous trainer. I think he's mainly benefited from regular human interaction (other than feeding), lots of treats, and judicious use of a dressage whip. I'm proud of him!

I hacked him for about half an hour today. He was as nice as could be in the barn; I'm continually impressed with his ability to hang out by himself. A year ago, he was totally bonkers if another horse wasn't right next to him. We spent our half hour walking around the arena, doing circles and serpentines, and halt-walk/walk-halt transitions. Colt tried to pretend he was scared of these black barrels that have been in the arena since the beginning of time, but I assured him they hadn't turned into horse-eating monsters in the last week.

Our downward transitions need lots of work, but I'm happy with the direction they're going. I think a better fitting bit will help. This loose-ring, while wide enough, hangs sort of low in his mouth because of how big the rings are. The enormous bridle needs a couple of holes punched in it; we'll see how he is once the bit is a little higher in his mouth. 

After some good bending work, I called it a day and proceeded to take pictures of the noble steed.

The browband is just ridiculous.

Pretty cute, for a big lug.

Least flattering pic ever.

Colter Day!

Yesterday, the weather finally cooperated enough for me to go ride with Anne. While she tacked up Atut, I wrangled Colter and spent twenty minutes pulling burrs out of his tail. Colter was a total doll. He stood quietly, even after Atut left the barn and even while Atut's paddock-mate Minnie screamed and trotted around. Colt got a little bug-eyed when he saw me coming with the saddle, but did nothing naughty while I tacked him up. He gave me a little of his old nastiness when it came to his bridle, but I'm willing to chalk that up to a lukewarm bit. 

In the arena, Colt and I were greeted by a super-pissed Anne and Atut. Atut was apparently being extra-evasive and  like...kind of nasty! He didn't want to move forward and even went backwards when Anne mounted. That's definitely un-Atut like behavior. Once Anne got a couple of good transitions out of him, she got off and called it a day. 

I longed Colt for about twenty minutes before I got on; seeing as how I hadn't ridden him in the better part of four months, I thought I'd rather be safe than sorry. He was an idiot on the longe line, swinging his head in to stop and stare at me and leaping off when I stepped toward him. Now added to my list of Things To Do With Colter: return to the round pen and review longeing. 

Once he behaved himself on the longe line for more than five minutes, I hopped on. We worked only at a walk, since I didn't want him to get any hotter in the cold weather. He was a superstar! Anne had us do a few bending exercises as well as some halt-walk transitions. Colt was quiet, relaxed, and totally focused on what I was telling him to do. 

When we wrapped up riding, I untacked him and brought out the bane of his existence: wormer! The last time I wormed him, he spat most of it out into my hair/onto my shirt. I backed him into a stall, quietly rubbed his face with the tube of wormer, and slipped it into the corner of his mouth. He immediately freaked out, zoomed backwards, scared himself, farted, and wormer squirted in a greenish-yellow fountain into the air. Most of it landed on the floor of the stall. I got another tube out, gritted my teeth, and managed to get most of it down his throat. He pouted all the way out to his field.

Y U GIVE ME NASTY YELLOW PASTE?!?!?!

In contrast, I looped a lead rope around Moe's neck out in the pasture, and gave him his dose of dewormer with a minimum of fuss. Moe is the best horse ever.

Happy New Year!

Jumping Colt

It was a luxurious, cool 90 degrees this weekend, so before I headed off to the track on Saturday, I went out to ride. On Friday, Levi and I went riding; he rode Moe (who was kind of a brat) and I rode Gina. I opted to ride Colt on Saturday morning while Anne worked Atut (and offered me kind advice, like "SIT UP").

I was really impressed with Colt's behavior in the barn. Last time I rode him, he had a nervous breakdown when Kyla took Cal out of the barn and Colt was left alone. On Saturday, he was a little distressed when Atut went out, but settled down fairly quickly and only whinnied a couple of times.

Once we were out in the arena, Colt was totally unimpressed with the jump standards. To my knowledge, it's the first time he's seen jump standards of any kind. He walked around them, through them, and over a ground pole in between them without batting an eye.

He managed to keep it pretty much together when Atut left the arena- I could feel him get tense, but we just kept walking and he eventually relaxed. Anne returned unmounted and we got to work.

I didn't do much work with Colt before putting him to the ground poles. I wanted the whole ride to be positive, and poor Colter seems to inevitably have some mishap as the ride goes on. I trotted him for a few minutes in big loopy circles and serpentines, and put him to the jumps. The poles were arranged in a one-stride, and he trotted over them without a fuss. I had Anne put the back jump up to a crossrail. Colt trotted in, took a delicate canter stride, and jumped over the crossrail. He cantered away (on the correct lead!) and managed to repeat this feat another two times. Anne put the back jump up to a vertical that was about 16" tall. We trotted in, cantered out beautifully.

 Then Colter got a little cocky. I could tell he was thinking, Jumps? Ha! I know how to jump! I got this figured out! I best jumper in whole entire universe! So I took him to it again. He cantered in, totally mangled the distance, awkwardly hopped over the jump, and the pole crashed down. Anne swore he looked slightly ashamed.

With green horses, I like to let them sort most things out for themselves. I try to set them up for success, by putting them to fences that are a low height, at an appropriate pace, and then I try to stay out of their faces and off their backs. I find they build a lot of confidence this way and are able to think for themselves (and later take care of me if I give them a less-than-stellar ride to a fence). They always make mistakes, and Colter is no different (even if he does have a fancy pedigree and beautiful movement).

Anne put the jump back up and I put Colt to it again. This time, he was extra careful, took it slowly, and cleared it perfectly. He cantered away on the correct lead, and I gave him a big pat on the neck. I don't know the last time I was so pleased with a horse.

As I was discussing our success with Anne, Colter propped up his hind leg and dozed off in the sun- but not before giving everyone in the arena the equivalent of a big horsey smile of pride. (Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about.)

Next on our agenda? Both jumps up!

Looking Good

It's Saturday, and I'm off to see the Governor's Cup race at Remington Park in Oklahoma City with my friend (and Thoroughbred expert/aspiring dressage rider) Holly. Of course, you can't go to a horse race without looking good (unless you're going to Will Rogers Downs in Claremore). So, of course, instead of finding myself something nice to wear, I opted to dig something out of the closet and spent Thursday afternoon making Colt look good.

Colt had some gnarly looking mane. It was really long and raggedy. I decided to make him look a little more respectable and pulled it. 

Now he looks so professional! That totally translates to professional, workmanlike performances at shows, right? Right?

I think he's sticking his tongue out and thinking "Haha, woman! You can clean me up all you want, I'll never stand tied quietly at a show!" 

Colt's New Bridle

Colter has needed a new bridle since I met him. He's a big boy, clocking in at 17.2 hands tall, and his head is gargantuan. For reference, here is a picture of Colt standing beside me. I am 5'9".

The horse's head is the size of my torso, y'all. Notice he isn't wearing a noseband in the picture. That's because I removed it from that bridle- it was too small. The bridle he is wearing is a full/horse-sized bridle, and it didn't fit him at all. The browband was too narrow and the cheekpieces were set one hole up from the bottom. The throatlatch was always buckled on the last hole. Colt hated this bridle- he was reluctant to let me put it on him, and once it was on, he spent his time flipping and shaking his head in an effort to remove it.

Sharing a bridle with Moe or Gina was out of the question. Moe wears a cob-sized bridle that fits Gina reasonably well; they share a bit that is far too narrow for Colt's mouth. I have a couple of other bridles floating around in tack trunks and trailers, but all are horse-sized, as none of my horses have been giant warmbloods.

I emailed Colt's owner a few months ago about buying him a new bridle; he emailed me back to say he'd work on it. Colt's owner is a busy attorney with young children, so I don't hold it against him at all that he didn't find time to get a bridle shipped to the rider of his sat-in-a-pasture-for-five-years horse. 

I finally got around to buying Colt an inexpensive bridle from SmartPak about a month ago. It's the Plymouth Padded Fancy Stitch Bridle; at $70, I didn't feel like I was breaking the bank to buy a bridle for a horse that I don't own. (I don't foresee myself reusing this bridle on another mount; I don't plan to acquire any large warmbloods in the future.) I bought the over-sized, figuring it would be perfect for Colt.

Out of the box, it was soft, supple, and a beautiful color. It looked big, but so does Colter's head. When I took it out to the barn to fit it to him, I was extremely surprised at just how big it is. This bridle is legitimately huge. The browband juts out about an inch from Colt's forehead, but I think that's due to it being new and needing to be broken in some more. The throatlatch and cheekpieces are on the top holes; the bit seems a little low in Colt's mouth, but he appears to enjoy it. The noseband is adjusted about two holes from the top, but buckles perfectly around his nose. The reins are very, very long. 

Um, who knew Colter was so freaking cute?

Notice the browband. And the catalog-model pose he has.

Buckles at/near the top.

Ridiculously long reins.

The fancy stitching is very fancy.

Overall, I'm happy with the bridle. It fits Colter well enough (though I'll probably punch some holes in it all the same) and looks good on him. The leather is holding up well and is nice and supple. I'd recommend this bridle, but would definitely advise buying a smaller size than what your horse normally wears. I imagine the over-sized would fit a draft horse or very large warmblood just fine. I can't fault SmartPak for the size, really- I ordered it, and it is definitely oversized. They make a damn fine bridle for a damn good price.

As mentioned, I bought this bridle; SmartPak didn't compensate me to write this, but they did reply to my Tweeted picture of Colt in the bridle. That makes me internet-famous, right?

Colt Is A Genius

Okay, well, maybe that title is an exaggeration. Colt's not a genius. But he HAS proved to be extremely trainable and has a very good memory, which is good enough for me.

I jumped on him last week for a short lesson with Anne. (In this heat, everything has to be a short lesson.) He was extremely well behaved in the barn, which is still kind of blowing my mind. The same horse that was constantly pulling back, whinnying, and dancing around nervously stood tied quietly while he was groomed and tacked up. He didn't offer any problems taking the bit into his mouth. He picked up all four feet to be picked out and even tolerated a pair of sports medicine boots on his front legs. He was pretty good under saddle, too. Colt's walk work is consistently good. He gets on the bit and into a frame, listens well, and bends nicely. Last week was no exception. We did a bit of trot work, and at one point he rooted downward, let out out a crowhop I was not prepared for, and I flipped right off. (Anne guessed his behavior was due to the nearby miniature horse stallion tearing around his paddock at top speed, bucking.) Colt seemed totally puzzled as to how I got on the ground and was good when I climbed back on. He finished up the lesson well, without any more incidents and with some good work.

Today I met Kyla at the barn. Baby Cal threw a shoe last week and is out of commission until the farrier comes on Tuesday, so I lent her Moe. I rode Colt. Kyla was in love with Moe, who was just as darling as could be- he got on the bit, gave her a lovely, big trot, and a very reasonably paced canter.

Colt was fabulous; he was forward without being out of control, fairly balanced, and very obedient. His trot work today was on the same level as last week's, only better. It's like he remembers the things he did the very, very best, the things I praised and patted him for, then only does those things the next time he's ridden. His new bridle (which I'll post of a picture of and perhaps review at a later date) is a hair big (I don't know how this is possible), but fits pretty well and makes him look handsome.

While Colt might not be the brightest or most motivated horse, I have an entirely new appreciation for what's going on in that big, dopey head of his.

Early Morning Ride

I woke up at 5 AM this morning, full of energy and motivation to head to the barn and ride. This is pretty rare; although I usually intend to ride before work (aka the only free time I have), I never seem to get up before my second alarm goes off at 6:45.

The morning was lovely and cool, and as I headed out to the barn, I decided I'd grab Gina and record a time for SprinklerBandit's Two Point Challenge. However, Princess Pony couldn't be bothered to be caught. Being short on time, I grabbed Colt instead and decided we'd work on bending.

Colt was a superstar- I only had to threaten to beat him once, when he started to balk backwards when I came at him with a saddle pad. He put in some really good work today. As long as I stayed relaxed and kept my outside hand steady, Colt chewed on the bit and thought about what he was doing. He had some beautiful moments of collection and bending- we only rode for about half an hour, but it was time well-spent.

I didn't want to trot him around in two point, for fear of confusing him. (He's really not the brightest horse.) So sadly, I don't have a time to report in the Two Point Challenge. Embarassingly, it's been 5 days since S.B. posted about it and I signed up. My plan is to get up tomorrow and catch Gina come hell or high water and get that time posted!

Colt's Progress

Oh, Colt. A gigantic, well-bred, destined-to-be-fancy warmblood with a somewhat bratty personality. You might be wondering what's going on with him, as my last couple of posts have centered around Gina. I'm happy to report he's alive and well- and doing pretty well.

To be honest, I'd been getting fairly frustrated with Colt over the last month or so. When I'd worked with Anne on his dressage, it hadn't gone well. He was stiff, distracted, and seemed as frustrated as I was. It was like Colt and I couldn't figure one another out. He couldn't understand what I was asking or why, and I couldn't understand why he didn't get it.

Anne and I talked about it and thought it out. She suggested we take Colt back to square one- very, very basic concepts of collection and bending at the walk and trot. Although Colt has had some professional training, it's been quite some time since he was in regular work. He's young, and I think it's reasonable to assume he's forgotten some of what he's been taught. 

Last Saturday we worked him with Anne mounted on the ever-relaxed schoolmaster Atut. Atut's presence seems to make all the horses ride chillwaves, and Colt was no exception. He was happy and quiet and worked really, really well. He was soft and supple. He moved with a free, swingy gait and had some really good moments of collection. He did well with simple bending exercises, like three-loop serpentines, 30 meter circles, and changes of direction. I was so proud of him!

Good job, Colt!

After Saturday's great ride, I planned to ride Colt before work this week. However, it rained both Monday and Tuesday, so the arena is fairly slippery. Tommorrow is supposed to be another day of sunshine, so hopefully we'll be on to ride Friday morning!

What We've Been Up To

March has been a busy month. I've been having weekly lessons on Colt with the fabulous Anne. Unfortunately, that's about all I've had time for, thanks to work/weather/daylight savings time. Boo, hiss.

Anne has had Colt and me working on some fairly basic concepts. Bending has been a big one. Colt is a big, green, unbalanced horse. It's hard for him to keep himself balanced, and it's a challenge for me to help him sometimes. We've made a lot of progress at the walk and trot. The canter is still kind of a mess, but it's coming along.

We've been doing a few jumping exercises here and there. I pulled out my bible (aka Jim Wofford's Training the Three Day Event Horse and Rider) and set up a gymnastic for Colt, which he handled pretty well. Thanks to our lack of jump standards, the back rail of our oxer was precariously balanced two barrels. Colt wasn't very sure about that at first, but with enough encouragement from my legs, he hopped over it without much fuss. He does a good job sorting himself out when jumping; sometimes he knocks poles, but I'll take that over getting anxious and fast any day. Colt also doesn't get upset when he knocks poles down- he just canters on like it's no big deal. What a nice horse.

I haven't been totally neglecting Gina- I hauled her out to the nearby lake with some friends a couple of weekends ago and she had a blast. She certainly isn't a trail horse for a beginner, but I really love taking her on rides like that. She's sure-footed, plods through mud and water, and doesn't mind the other horses running up her backside. Kyla and Cal were with us, and we had a little match race on a huge, flat grassy stretch that was about a half-mile long. Despite my verbal encouragement ("GO GINA GO! YOUR GRANDSIRE WON THE TRIPLE CROWN!!") and Gina's closing speed, Cal beat us (that horse is freaking fast). Congratulations to sweet baby Cal, who probably thought he was back on the track.

Over the last two days it's rained about 12" here in Oklahoma. As long as the horses don't float away or drown in their pasture's giant mud puddle, I imagine I'll be able to get riding sometime next weekend. If not, I'm hoping I'll get out a few times a week after work. After all, it's only about a month until our first show!

Colt & The Water

It was a gorgeous day here in Oklahoma, sunny and 70. After work, Kyla and I headed out to the barn to get some work in on Cal and Colt. We decided to take them out in the front field, which is home to Doc, Annie, and Heidi. It's also totally fenced, only about 6 acres, and has a pond. 

We caught our guys and shut Doc, Annie, and Heidi in their stalls. Colt's stable manners weren't the best; I think he was getting a bit anxious for dinner. We set off into the field, which was kind of damp from the weekend's rain. The footing was okay, but there was a bit of standing water winding its way through the field's natural drainage areas. I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to introduce Colt to wet, muddy footing. I am a firm believer in getting horses out of the arena and into the open as often as possible. I feel like it works them mentally and physically, and for Colt to become a good cross-country horse, he needs to be able to deal with less than perfect footing. 

Cal handled the footing like the little champion he is, plodding through the mucky footing with utter calmness. Colt seemed suspicious, but gamely trudged through. When we came to some standing water, I rode him forward at a brisk, positive walk. He stopped. Kyla and Cal splashed right through. Upon seeing his friend on the other side of the scary water, Colt found some courage. He rocked back on his haunches and leaped into the air! I managed to stay on through force of will and bridged reins.

Colt decided jumping the water was the best way to cope with this new situation, and he proceeded to leap over every part of the drainage route we encountered on our walk. Cal happily walked through it all, setting a perfect example. 

I don't feel too bad about Colt's performance. This was the first time he'd been exposed to water and he handled it fairly well. He didn't get excited or nervous- he just jumped. When the weather is consistently nice (in the summer, probably), I'll take him through the pond in some old tack. He can splash and get wet and get used to walking, trotting, and cantering through some water. I feel like we're off to a good start, though!

Riding Colt

Rainbow reins FTW!

See that adorable chestnut face? That's Colt. I finally replaced the memory card in my phone, so no more MS Paint art. (I know everyone is very disappointed.) I snapped this picture of him a couple of weeks ago after a ride. 

Rides on any of the horses have been few and far between, thanks to Oklahoma's bizarre weather (snowing, then 70, then raining, then 40 with 20 mph winds) and increased responsibilities at work. While I'm glad for a fairly mild winter and more money, I haven't been pleased with how infrequently I've been able to ride. I'm doing well to get out once a week and hack one of the horses for half an hour. 

I did make it out to the barn on Sunday and elected to ride Colt simply because he was the first of the ponies to come looking for treats. I've been really impressed with how far his ground manners have come over the last month or so. Before, he was difficult to catch and refused to stand still when tied. He swung his giant butt around, constantly grunted and whinnied for his friends, and danced when anyone tried to handle his hooves. These days, he stands quietly, only looking at me with mild interest when he feels there may be treats involved. He also makes this face:

This is his "durrrr" face.

Sunday was a nice, sunny day and the arena's footing wasn't too slippery. I figured I might as well see how Colt felt about jumping. I've been taking him over trot poles every time I've ridden him and even trotted him over a couple of crossrails about a month ago. He took those things in stride, tripping over the trot poles and gamely lifting his legs in Saddlebred fashion over the crossrails. I set the square up the same way it had been set for Gina two-ish weeks ago.

This is what Gina was freaking out about. 18" verticals.

After some warmup, I trotted Colt into the exercise. He jumped in, jumped out, and cantered away nicely. I gave him a big pat on the neck and nearly fell off from excitement. I put him to it again. He jumped in, jumped out, and cantered away nicely. So I kept going. I made a right turn and took him over the perpendicular bounce. He jumped in, knocked over the pole, and jumped out. I was so pleased with him, I didn't even mind he knocked over the pole. It's hard to see in the picture, but footing in front of the two green buckets is kind of weird. I chalk up the pole knocking to Colt's general clumsiness and the weird footing.

Colt seemed to have a great time! I'm really pleased with how well he's doing and have some exciting news on that front. But that's a post for another day.

Riding Big Red

I was able to leave work early on Friday and spent the afternoon riding Colt (affectionately known as Big Red) with Kyla and Cal for company. Colt has improved about a hundred times over since he arrived- he's easier to catch, behaves better in the barn, and seems more relaxed while being ridden. He's turning into a real treat to work with. 

Before we got on, Kyla and I set the second set of ground poles on the diagonal line to a crossrail. I was excited to take Colt over a jump, however small. I wasn't sure if he'd ever been presented with jumps before, but I was certain it wouldn't give him any trouble. He warmed up beautifully, staying loose and pleasant at the walk and trot. His canter is a bit of an uncoordinated mess, but he managed to keep an even, rhythmic pace through two large circles. I took him up the ground poles (set 5' apart) to the first crossrail and he handed it well. He took an extra large trot step and didn't do anything silly. After Cal successfully went through the line, I took Colt around again. He went right through. I went ahead and turned him toward the diagonal line. He tripped over the first ground pole, but steadied himself in time to give a small hop over the second! Woohoo! I was so proud of Big Red- he's a willing and game horse. I was even prouder of Cal, who quietly trotted over all of the jumps, even when I raised them to small verticals for him. 

Today, I'm headed out to ride G. Anne wants to set up a couple of bounces perpendicular to one another (think ground poles arranged in a square). If Gina handles those well, we're going to move them up to crossrails and possibly verticals. I'm looking forward to seeing what Miss Mare does today.

Big Red, Little Red, and Bay Mare

The week after Christmas was extremely busy. I was at the barn every morning to feed, as Kyla was spending most of the week in New York. (We normally divvy up the days.) I got a lot of good riding in on nearly all of the horses.

On Tuesday, Gina was being an absolute beast. She was galloping back and forth along the fence line, whinnying as if she was a wild stallion. (If you've heard Gina's whinny, you'll know this isn't an exaggeration. She really does sound like a stallion.) Kyla had assured me it was fine if I rode Cal while she was out of town, so I caught him and hopped aboard. I like Cal; he's a very green 8 year old OTTB gelding. He's a real sweetheart and very levelheaded and game. Anne and her teenage daughter were out riding Atut (who was being very obstinate), but Anne offered me some pointers and soon Cal was going along nicely, accepting the bit and happily bending through circles and serpentines at a walk and trot. Anne was so impressed with him she even rode him for a bit. Here they are, looking very nice:

Anne and Cal.

On Wednesday, Colt arrived. Colt (or Big Red as I like to call him) is an extremely large (we're talking 17+hh) 6 year old Oldenburg gelding. He was bred by Linda (my boss/the barn owner) and is owned by her son. Colt's dam (the TB broodmare Cherry Ice) and half-sister (the pinto Oldenburg Xeta) live at the barn. His sire is the great Oldenburg Wradar (who also happens to be all of Gina's foals' sire). Over Christmas, my boss and I convinced Colt's owner Zach to bring him to the farm so I could ride him. Zach is an attorney with three young children who would like to ride but doesn't have a lot of time. He hadn't been able to pay as much attention to Colt as he would have liked upon Colt's return from the trainer. As a result, Colt had become very pushy to both humans and other horses. Zach explained Colt wasn't a bad horse; he just seemed to know he was much bigger than everyone else and could get away with bad habits.

Colt made his arrival known by clambering out of the trailer snorting and blowing. He half-dragged Zach as he pranced toward the pasture with Gina and Cal. Zach turned him loose in their field and we watched as he danced up to the two horses. He and Gina sniffed one another, at which point Gina wheeled around, pinned her ears, and kicked Colt on the side. Cal looked mildly interested at the fuss, but every time he attempted to sniff Colt, Gina charged between them, herding Cal away. Zach seemed pleased; I think he was glad to know that Colt wouldn't be top dog.

By Thursday morning, Colt had been designated middle horse: definitely below Gina, but slightly above the good-natured Cal.

Little Red (Cal, left) and Big Red (Colt, right)

At first glance, the two horses don't look too different in the picture above, but check out their backs! Colt is nearly two full hands taller than Cal! I longed Colt in the round pen on Thursday. I only wish I'd been able to take a video- his movement is absolutely gorgeous. His longeing is good- he definitely knows the drill. His ground manners are another story. He's difficult to catch, and a pain to bridle. However, he stands tied quietly, stands quietly for mounting, and has a pleasant attitude under saddle. He has a very solid foundation and simply needs to be ridden. 

I've had a couple lessons on Colt with Anne, and she really helps me get good results. On Monday, Zach came out to watch, then ride, and Colt was a doll for him. The only issue plaguing us right now is a bit. Colt's enormous mouth is too wide for even Atut's 6" loose ring. I've measured all the bits in the barn as well as all the extra bits at work, and none are wider than 6". I found a 7" online, and since it's only $20, it might find its way to Colt's mouth. We'll see.

On Wednesday, Kyla and I left work a smidge early to try and get a ride in before the sun set. When we arrived at the barn, Cal was down and looking colicky. We quickly scrapped our riding plans and got Cal up and walking. After a Banamine injection, Cal perked up and looked much happier. He was eager for breakfast the next morning and has been totally fine since.

Friday was a beautiful day, so we called it a day around 4:30 PM and headed to ride. I hopped on Colt and Kyla on Cal, and we set off for some flat work. The horses were good, even after we switched halfway through our ride. 

Kyla and I had a lesson with Anne today, she on Cal and I on Gina. It was a jumping (I use the term loosely) lesson. After chasing the horses around their pasture for the better part of half an hour, we finally caught them and got to work. Anne had me work on getting Gina to focus on me; while I didn't have any major disobedience from Gina, I never felt like she was fully invested in what I was doing. She seemed to have one ear and eye on everyone else and one on me. (All of the horses were acting crazy today; even the elderly broodmares were galloping around.) Despite her inattention, the G did pretty well. She trotted over ground poles without being too tense and gave me very little trouble over a crossrail. I hope this is a sign of things to come and that one day we'll be over our stadium issues. Kyla and Cal had a very good lesson; Cal is totally unfazed by crossrails and ground poles and other horses carrying on like idiots. 

It's been a busy week, but I'm excited for more like it!