Today is my Arabian Prince's 13th birthday. It is the 11th birthday of his baby sister, Phaedra, who still lives in New Mexico and is (as far as I know) a brood mare. I'd buy her if I could.
Ace was born on a night with a visible comet. Combined with the shape of his star, his registration name was chosen: Auspicious Comet. My son once asked me if anyone uses the word "auspicious" and now makes a note of it every time he hears it on the radio or television (the answer is, obviously, yes.)
I got a phone call from Melinda soon after he was born, and she often updated me about his antics after that. I met him in the flesh when he was a good-sized yearling and he attempted to take a piece out of my shoulder when Melinda and I stood nearby ignoring him. That was the last time he tried doing something like that. Melinda slugged him so fast, he looked like he saw stars. We made fast friends after that.
I hadn't started taking riding lessons in 1997, but by the time I saw Ace in 2001, Melinda and I had been joking that I would eventually own the Prince. Especially after Melinda got the bay filly she'd been trying to breed for 20 years--Ace's full sister--it was an on-going discussion. Even though he was young, and Arabs are advanced horses, not beginner horses, I had fallen in love and he became my 50th birthday present to myself. I do not regret this.
I haven't been able to spend much time with him for the past three months, but that will soon change. He's been doing amazingly well under Ashley's riding and I hope we'll be showing him again really soon. Now that his Schleese has been properly fitted, he's floating across the arena. And he's still having a lot of fun jumping.
His new digs agree with him: he sticks his nose out of the feed window and watches everyone go by. I hear him call when I drive into the ranch. He's got lots of turnout buddies and he loves trimming the pepper trees near the arena. There's even a bit of grass to be trimmed and he's happy to oblige. He's returned to his fastidious house keeping: urine goes outside, poop along only one wall inside so he can curl up in a clean corner.
I'll take apples, carrots and his favorite cookies with peppermint candies on top when I see him tomorrow. Eventually, there will be a new western saddle in his life. Arabs are so damned hard to fit and his once-perfect 7-D is no longer a fit in the shoulders. Anyone seen a used Vincent saddle made for an Arab anywhere?
Showing posts with label Arabain Horse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arabain Horse. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, June 22, 2009
Ace Goes to a Show
It's been a busy few weeks. I've wanted to do a nice, edited clip of Ace at his first horse-show, but Windows and Picasa are determined to thwart that objective. Windows refuses to recognize the format of the clips and Picasa can't edit video. Plus, the longer clip is too long for Blogger. So I'll show the clip of him entering the ring and if I ever get to edit the two clips together, I'll post that another time. If you aren't interested, just feel free to skip the visuals.
We took Ace to an all-breed schooling show sponsored by the San Fernando Valley Arabian Horse Association, which was held in Simi Valley on May 31. In the photograph above, he's on the left hanging out with his distant cousin (determined by a comparison of pedigrees) Peanut, recently acquired by the owner of the ranch where Ace boards and Total Equestrian Experience has lessons. Ace was having a fine time being fussed over by several of the young women who served as grooms that day.
Gayle's assistant Ashley, who turned 18 last week, rode him. She's been riding him in lessons and wanted to show him in flat classes because her Welsh pony, Curio, doesn't like to do flat work. Ace acted like he'd been going to shows all of his life. He was totally sensible, keeping himself under control even when other horses were going nuts nearby.
Once he was in the ring, nothing mattered more than being the center of attention. He's always loved having an audience, and he sure had one that day.
Ace came home with second place ribbons for Obedience and English Pleasure, a third place in ground poles (which we entered for the heck of it, never expecting him to place), and a forth in English Equitation. We were all very proud of him and he seemed pretty proud of himself.
We took Ace to an all-breed schooling show sponsored by the San Fernando Valley Arabian Horse Association, which was held in Simi Valley on May 31. In the photograph above, he's on the left hanging out with his distant cousin (determined by a comparison of pedigrees) Peanut, recently acquired by the owner of the ranch where Ace boards and Total Equestrian Experience has lessons. Ace was having a fine time being fussed over by several of the young women who served as grooms that day.Gayle's assistant Ashley, who turned 18 last week, rode him. She's been riding him in lessons and wanted to show him in flat classes because her Welsh pony, Curio, doesn't like to do flat work. Ace acted like he'd been going to shows all of his life. He was totally sensible, keeping himself under control even when other horses were going nuts nearby.
Once he was in the ring, nothing mattered more than being the center of attention. He's always loved having an audience, and he sure had one that day.
Ace came home with second place ribbons for Obedience and English Pleasure, a third place in ground poles (which we entered for the heck of it, never expecting him to place), and a forth in English Equitation. We were all very proud of him and he seemed pretty proud of himself.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Mea Culpa
O.K. I've been remiss about blogging. It's been such a busy bunch of weeks that I didn't realize it had been 5 weeks since Ace's feet had been trimmed until I wrote a check to my farrier today. No wonder his left fore was so out of balance when the vet looked at him on Thursday. Bad Mommy.
I'll be moving Ace to my trainer's place this week. She had an opening at the location a few blocks away where she does most of her teaching. There's an 8 stall barn plus several pipe corrals. Ace is getting the newest pipe corral and we've made him a house at one end of the 12 x 24. He'll have a 12 x 12 partical enclosure (walls on 3 sides) to stay out of the wind and wet, and it will help keep his shavings from blowing away. He'll be able to watch everything, but there will be no territory wars over fences. Last week, he wound up was a very squishy swelling in his back right leg above the fetlock which I am sure was acquired kicking at the tyrannosaurus rex who recently moved in next to him.
There will also be plenty of little horse-loving girls to fuss over him while I'm not around. And he loves to be fussed over, around, and about.
I've been trying to find a tack shed. The one I have at the current barn is a plastic Suncast which is approximately 7 x 3 feet and 7 feet high on the exterior. It's just a bit too narrow, but I had no idea how expensive they were until I started shopping. I think I've found the one I'm going to buy. It's not perfect, but it will work. I'll just have to be better about stacking things and not forget that I've also got a Suncast bench seat for additional storage.
Tomorrow is Ace's birthday. He will be 12. He was just over a year old when I first saw him and it was three years later that I decided to buy him and bring him out to Los Angeles from New Mexico. I am so glad I did.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
A Horse with a Sense of Humor
After almost two weeks of heavy downpours, we've had a break in the rain. The weather has held for several days, so the arena was actually dry enough for a lesson this morning. We decided to do 9 a.m. instead of 8, so I had plenty of time to get Ace ready before Gayle showed up.
We headed out into the arena and I set up my cones and dropped the hula hoop we use as a "safe" spot for Ace when we want to take a break. Jumps had been left out in the arena and I needed to move one of them to keep Ace from working too close to the horses in their runs. I moved Ace so he was standing with his feet inside the hoop and told him to stay. I figured that he might do it for a few minutes.
Much to my surprise, Ace stayed put for more than just a few minutes. While I was moving the jump, Gina, who works at the air conditioning business that co-exists with the stable, came outside and asked "did you ask him to do that?" She was amazed that he was still standing there. I went back to him, told him he was a good boy, gave him a couple of reward treats and told him to stay.
He stayed put until Gayle drove in, when he thought he could move out. I put him back in the hoop and told him to stay again. I figured I'd walk to the end of the arena and let him know he could join us.
So Gayle and I stood by the mounting block and called for him. He looked at us and stayed put. Gayle and I laughed and waved for him to come. He stayed. I pulled out the bag of reward treats, called him, and shook the bag. We wished we had a video camera. His ears pricked, his tail went in the air in classic Arab fashion, and he did is big, high, park horse trot across the arena to us, stopping on a dime right near me so he could have a peppermint snack. Gayle and I could hardly stop laughing.
It was also one of those mornings where Ace tried to convince us that being a circus horse is more fun than anything else. He picked up my water bottle from the mounting block and we managed to get him to move his head around so I could grab it from him (he was a little less willing to let it go than I might like, but I did manage to get it from him without falling off the saddle.) He kept trying to retrieve his cones before we were done with the lesson. When we did finally finish, he had a hard time choosing exactly the right spot for picking up the hula hoop--he doesn't like the taste of sand. Gayle, who was on the ground next to him, said he was blowing sand off the hoop before picking it up in his teeth with his lips curled back. Cute as all get out.
The chiropractor came by last Saturday and I think it did him a lot of good. The doc said he's got good range of motion (I didn't want to watch has he moved his front legs around--it looked like he had to be breaking something.) He's moving beautifully and we do seem to be making progress on that left-front heel. My farrier came by today to do some other horses, and we decided that it wouldn't hurt to trim the toes back again. If only his front feet were as good as his back feet.
We headed out into the arena and I set up my cones and dropped the hula hoop we use as a "safe" spot for Ace when we want to take a break. Jumps had been left out in the arena and I needed to move one of them to keep Ace from working too close to the horses in their runs. I moved Ace so he was standing with his feet inside the hoop and told him to stay. I figured that he might do it for a few minutes.
Much to my surprise, Ace stayed put for more than just a few minutes. While I was moving the jump, Gina, who works at the air conditioning business that co-exists with the stable, came outside and asked "did you ask him to do that?" She was amazed that he was still standing there. I went back to him, told him he was a good boy, gave him a couple of reward treats and told him to stay.
He stayed put until Gayle drove in, when he thought he could move out. I put him back in the hoop and told him to stay again. I figured I'd walk to the end of the arena and let him know he could join us.
So Gayle and I stood by the mounting block and called for him. He looked at us and stayed put. Gayle and I laughed and waved for him to come. He stayed. I pulled out the bag of reward treats, called him, and shook the bag. We wished we had a video camera. His ears pricked, his tail went in the air in classic Arab fashion, and he did is big, high, park horse trot across the arena to us, stopping on a dime right near me so he could have a peppermint snack. Gayle and I could hardly stop laughing.
It was also one of those mornings where Ace tried to convince us that being a circus horse is more fun than anything else. He picked up my water bottle from the mounting block and we managed to get him to move his head around so I could grab it from him (he was a little less willing to let it go than I might like, but I did manage to get it from him without falling off the saddle.) He kept trying to retrieve his cones before we were done with the lesson. When we did finally finish, he had a hard time choosing exactly the right spot for picking up the hula hoop--he doesn't like the taste of sand. Gayle, who was on the ground next to him, said he was blowing sand off the hoop before picking it up in his teeth with his lips curled back. Cute as all get out.
The chiropractor came by last Saturday and I think it did him a lot of good. The doc said he's got good range of motion (I didn't want to watch has he moved his front legs around--it looked like he had to be breaking something.) He's moving beautifully and we do seem to be making progress on that left-front heel. My farrier came by today to do some other horses, and we decided that it wouldn't hurt to trim the toes back again. If only his front feet were as good as his back feet.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Valentine's Day
Ace and I wish you all kisses and chocolates--you can never have too many of either!
Friday, December 5, 2008
The Shoes Don't Fit
I've got a high level of frustration right now because the Old Mac Boots I ordered for Ace and for which I paid a premium for expedited shipping do not fit. Apparently, Gayle had an older sizing chart from the catalogue and we ordered based on that. The boots are much too small--small pony sized. Now, I've got to send them back and hope that the next pair actually fit. Because he has virtually no heel on his left fore hoof, it looks like his foot is much longer than it actually is--he's as hard to fit as I am. He's also missing hoof wall on that foot because of the seedy toe and the trim the vet did.
I think that Victoria mentioned some soft boots. I'd sure like the information about them because I'm afraid he's going to bruise himself on the rocks in the arena if I let him out without a foot covering. He's definitely getting stir crazy.
I think that Victoria mentioned some soft boots. I'd sure like the information about them because I'm afraid he's going to bruise himself on the rocks in the arena if I let him out without a foot covering. He's definitely getting stir crazy.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Fire Season Part 4
We got an unexpected holiday yesterday when the president closed down the school at 10 a.m. I got out about 11:30, caught some lunch, and went to check on Ace. Gayle had moved Ace back to his own barn because the air was so much better than it had been the day before and there were no close hot spots from the fire. In fact, once I got off campus, I thought the air was so much better than it had been on Monday that I couldn't figure out why they had closed down school. (AQMD had rated the air really bad, but gave an all-clear for Wednesday.)
I could see smoke occasionally curl up from behind the ridges, but the worst of the fire had moved on to Simi Valley to the west. Ace was settled in with clean water and I gave him his snack before I left. His meal buckets were already for today. We won't be riding for a few days--time to let the air and his lungs clear out. The vet Gayle consulted said the horses will begin coughing, which shouldn't worry us unless it is accompanied by fever. The coughing will get rid of the crap in their lungs, since we couldn't find horsey dust masks to put over their noses. I wish we could have gotten those goggle masks which are put on race horses. The fly masks don't help much, but they were better than nothing for keeping goop out of their eyes.
The wind is down to nothing this morning, but it promises to be very hot with humidity less than 10%, so the red flag warnings are still up. The Senson/Porter Ranch fire is 20% contained, but I can't see any smoke on the San Fernando Valley side of the mountains. This is a good thing.
I could see smoke occasionally curl up from behind the ridges, but the worst of the fire had moved on to Simi Valley to the west. Ace was settled in with clean water and I gave him his snack before I left. His meal buckets were already for today. We won't be riding for a few days--time to let the air and his lungs clear out. The vet Gayle consulted said the horses will begin coughing, which shouldn't worry us unless it is accompanied by fever. The coughing will get rid of the crap in their lungs, since we couldn't find horsey dust masks to put over their noses. I wish we could have gotten those goggle masks which are put on race horses. The fly masks don't help much, but they were better than nothing for keeping goop out of their eyes.
The wind is down to nothing this morning, but it promises to be very hot with humidity less than 10%, so the red flag warnings are still up. The Senson/Porter Ranch fire is 20% contained, but I can't see any smoke on the San Fernando Valley side of the mountains. This is a good thing.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
I Just Got My Life Back
I have finished my tax return duties for 2007. My husband will go to the accountant tomorrow. I faxed off the numbers today.
I need to find a way to make Ace a deductible dependent. I guess I should start licensing pictures somewhere. Then he can be a prop.
Or my friend has to sell her screenplay where the horse is based on him and he can take up acting. I could be a stage mom.
In the mean time, I can spend hours with him this weekend without guilt. Hooray!
I need to find a way to make Ace a deductible dependent. I guess I should start licensing pictures somewhere. Then he can be a prop.
Or my friend has to sell her screenplay where the horse is based on him and he can take up acting. I could be a stage mom.
In the mean time, I can spend hours with him this weekend without guilt. Hooray!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Filling in My Spare Time
Ace seems to have worked out the last of his tweaks when he went on a trail ride with my trainer Thursday. I'm still having problems when I go to the chiropractor because the adjustments aren't taking, but at least I didn't have pain radiating from my lower back when I trotted Ace during our lesson last night. The horsie chiropractor will finally come by to do an adjustment on him this week (it got postponed) and I'm going to have a massage before my adjustment on Wednesday, which may help things.
I've decided to take a class in multimedia storytelling at my college this term. It's six hours of credit, which means it will be a lot of work (but pretty cheap at community college rates of about $20/credit.) It also meets from 7-10 p.m. on Tuesdays, making for a very long day. I'll be able to run up to the barn to make sure Ace is o.k. when work ends at 4:30, but things were a whole lot easier when he was 1/4 mile down the street and not 7 miles north of here.
The main reason I want to take it is to learn how to use Final Cut to edit video footage, but it will also help me get into a good place to design a full-fledged website for Len and maybe one for me as well. We own the domain names. It's finally time to use them.
I've decided to take a class in multimedia storytelling at my college this term. It's six hours of credit, which means it will be a lot of work (but pretty cheap at community college rates of about $20/credit.) It also meets from 7-10 p.m. on Tuesdays, making for a very long day. I'll be able to run up to the barn to make sure Ace is o.k. when work ends at 4:30, but things were a whole lot easier when he was 1/4 mile down the street and not 7 miles north of here.
The main reason I want to take it is to learn how to use Final Cut to edit video footage, but it will also help me get into a good place to design a full-fledged website for Len and maybe one for me as well. We own the domain names. It's finally time to use them.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
A Hitch in Our Giddiup
Both the Arabian Prince and I have been dealing with tweaks in our backs for the past two weeks.
Mine started when I went off to the barn after one of those days at work where someone had messed with my supposedly ergonomic chair and I couldn't get it back to where it worked for me. I had a huge muscle knot in my lower left pelvic area, that sent twinges when I walked. I was in a lesson, and started to trot, and suddenly, pain was radiating from my spine. I could barely work at the walk.
I went off to the chiropractor who said my tailbone was out of alignment. I haven't been back on Ace since. The adjustments aren't taking, because every time I go in to see the chiropractor is after an 8 hour day in the chair of torture and I can't figure out the correct adjustment.
The day after my back started to hurt, I got a call from Gayle telling me Ace's right back leg was swollen and badly scraped up and he was moving gingerly. We think he cast himself, but we can't figure out where. While I was out of town, we had the bio lights technician come on by and, while it helped, Gayle could still feel a problem when she rode him even when she couldn't see anything at the trot. The chiropractor is coming on Thursday, which should take care of the problem.
I saw him roll for the first time since this happened a couple of days ago. That was a relief. Before that, he kept walking with with his nose hanging low while he pawed at the sand in the arena looking for that special spot and not being able to bring himself to actually go down. It was pitiful. He is moving quite well without a rider on his back and did a good deal of bucking and galloping on Sunday, so, clearly, he's improving.
I despair that I won't.
Mine started when I went off to the barn after one of those days at work where someone had messed with my supposedly ergonomic chair and I couldn't get it back to where it worked for me. I had a huge muscle knot in my lower left pelvic area, that sent twinges when I walked. I was in a lesson, and started to trot, and suddenly, pain was radiating from my spine. I could barely work at the walk.
I went off to the chiropractor who said my tailbone was out of alignment. I haven't been back on Ace since. The adjustments aren't taking, because every time I go in to see the chiropractor is after an 8 hour day in the chair of torture and I can't figure out the correct adjustment.
The day after my back started to hurt, I got a call from Gayle telling me Ace's right back leg was swollen and badly scraped up and he was moving gingerly. We think he cast himself, but we can't figure out where. While I was out of town, we had the bio lights technician come on by and, while it helped, Gayle could still feel a problem when she rode him even when she couldn't see anything at the trot. The chiropractor is coming on Thursday, which should take care of the problem.
I saw him roll for the first time since this happened a couple of days ago. That was a relief. Before that, he kept walking with with his nose hanging low while he pawed at the sand in the arena looking for that special spot and not being able to bring himself to actually go down. It was pitiful. He is moving quite well without a rider on his back and did a good deal of bucking and galloping on Sunday, so, clearly, he's improving.
I despair that I won't.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
It Wasn't for Want of a Nail
I got to the barn to take my lesson on Monday and had gotten Ace all cleaned up except for his feet. I did his off-side first, since that was more convenient and then I went to his near side. I picked up his foot and my first thought was "what the hell has he done here" before I realized I wasn't looking at his back foot, but the front one which should have had a shoe and pad on. Then I really had a knot in my stomach.He still had a couple of nails in the hoof wall and a chunk of hoof taken off the inside. At first I was afraid that I had missed him throwing a shoe when he was turned out on Sunday night, but then I found the shoe in his stall. When Gayle got there with some tools a few minutes later, we realized he must have caught the hoof in the rail to his neighbor and yanked. I'm really lucky he didn't do more damage, since the shoe hadn't been loose in any way and the other one was solidly in place. I also felt really lucky when I reached my farrier and discovered that he had just gotten back from Colorado, so he could come out on Tuesday morning to reshoe my boy. Since I had expected Tim to come out on Saturday or Sunday anyway, it only pushed up this month's shoes by a few days.
Tim is the second farrier I've had for Ace since I got him seven years ago. My original farrier, Mike, was great, but he got pissed off when the barn manager at the college threw one too many arbitrary rules at him. It went from me scheuling Mike's next visit at the beginning of the shoeing session to him telling me that he wouldn't be coming back again as he packed up his things.
It can be really hard to find a farrier. Horse owners don't want to share names, it seems, and out here farriers can pretty much pick and choose their clients. I think I'm a pretty good client: I'm there when feet are done, I've always got my checkbook, and the checks don't bounce.
Fortunately, about six months before Mike quit on me, What's My Line Live on Stage had a farrier as a contestant (the panel didn't guess his occupation.) So I got in touch with director Jim Newman and asked for contact information. The farrier had stuck in my mind because he identified himself as being from Binghamton, not far from where I'm from. It has turned out to be a really good match.
Tim was trained at Cornell University and is a big believer in keeping horses barefoot whenever possible. We did it with Ace for almost a year until he got another nasty bruise on that problem left front hoof with almost no heel. The vet insisted that shoes were in order, pads were up to Tim. So, we've gone to shoes with pads in front (he's always been barefoot on his back feet) and we haven't had a bruise since.
A horse is his feet, and I don't mind paying for the pedicure that keeps Ace in good shape. Thanks, Tim. I'll be lost if your acting career takes off.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
It's a Predator, Stupid
It's been pretty hot all weekend, but I got to the barn on Saturday morning to have my lesson a little later than usual since Gayle had gotten back from 4th of July festivities in Ventura quite late. I was making pretty good time on getting things together, but then I got to my bridle and discovered that the reins had been disconnected from the elastic rein extenders that keep me from being too hard on Ace's mouth. While I was fussing with them, Gayle showed up so I didn't get on early. This was probably for the best, in light of what happened later.
We got off to a good start during warm up. He was paying attention, despite the fact that a number of folks had shown up early that morning and were sitting on the patio watching us. We moved up to some really nice trot work and then headed for the hula hoop for a break.
Ace went into the hoop and I was praising him as Gayle came over with my water. All of a sudden, he twisted his head around and I could see white all around his eye. Then I felt him get really, big and ready to fly without wings. I'm trying to shut him down when the mother of a girl who has two horses in the barn shouted out "oh, he must be smelling the ferret."
These folks have a pet ferret, which is pretty much illegal in California. It's a very cute albino and they've brought it to the barn before and I didn't think too much about it. I didn't think too much about it that morning until Ace caught the scent of what is a member of the weasel family and 40 million years of conditioning set in.
Did the woman pick up the ferret and move him into the building or elsewhere? No. Everyone just jolly well sat there playing with the ferret while Gayle and I worked at moving Ace away from the source of the scent and getting his mind on something else.
Gayle tried getting Ace to do his trick of pulling the water bottle out of the hip pack for a peppermint treat. He gave her a really dirty look and grabbed the bottle and threw it. I mean threw it. He could not have been more clear that he was pissed off that we would not let him run to safety. It was a clear statement of his state of mind.
Gayle grabbed his lead halter and walked him with me in the saddle until he lost some of the tension in his body and he learned that just because he was pissed off, he wasn't getting me out of the saddle. Then I did get off and we made him run in the arena until he would go back into the hoop--at first he connected the smell with what had been his place of safety, a bad combination.
There was no apology from the woman. I guess the sign only says no dogs, so you can bring other things that might cause problems. I'm feeling quite resentful because I pay for those lessons and I had to pay for someone else's lack of consideration. I can't really expect too much. The daughter constantly leaves gates open or unlocked, she leaves the hose a filthy mess rather than cleaning off the dirt when she drags it through the mud, she doesn't wear her helmet (she's 13 and the rules require a helmet of under-18 riders), and her horses don't even stand still to be mounted. Her poor little Arab is totally upside down when she's on him, and he's pretty much out of control most of the time. A disaster in the making.
On Monday, I'm going to have to talk to the barn manager about this and I'd rather not. We just got rid of one problem boarder and I hate feeling like I'm Miss Goody Two Shoes. I pay my board on time, keep my space clean, try to mind my own business (even when I want to scream at people "the rules say wear a helmet), and I read and follow the rules and requests. It seems pretty futile to try and set a good example.
So, it was just as well I didn't get on Ace's back early and have to deal with him trying to get away from a domesticated wolverine. At least I stayed in the saddle, even though that was the last place I wanted to be.
On a somewhat more amusing note, I went to the barn on July 4 to give Ace his lunch and clean his stall. I turned him out in the arena for a while and decided to turn on the spray along the paddocks while he was out. Much to my amazement, it turned out that Ace's need to be near the other horses outweighed his need to stay out of the water and he stood along the fence as the mist went over him. Just stood there with the other horses (who like to stand in the artificial rain to cool off) until I turned off the water and went to get him inside his home. I guess I might actually be able to ride him with the misters on one day. We'll all be a lot more comfortable in this triple digit heat if that's the case.
We got off to a good start during warm up. He was paying attention, despite the fact that a number of folks had shown up early that morning and were sitting on the patio watching us. We moved up to some really nice trot work and then headed for the hula hoop for a break.
Ace went into the hoop and I was praising him as Gayle came over with my water. All of a sudden, he twisted his head around and I could see white all around his eye. Then I felt him get really, big and ready to fly without wings. I'm trying to shut him down when the mother of a girl who has two horses in the barn shouted out "oh, he must be smelling the ferret."
These folks have a pet ferret, which is pretty much illegal in California. It's a very cute albino and they've brought it to the barn before and I didn't think too much about it. I didn't think too much about it that morning until Ace caught the scent of what is a member of the weasel family and 40 million years of conditioning set in.
Did the woman pick up the ferret and move him into the building or elsewhere? No. Everyone just jolly well sat there playing with the ferret while Gayle and I worked at moving Ace away from the source of the scent and getting his mind on something else.
Gayle tried getting Ace to do his trick of pulling the water bottle out of the hip pack for a peppermint treat. He gave her a really dirty look and grabbed the bottle and threw it. I mean threw it. He could not have been more clear that he was pissed off that we would not let him run to safety. It was a clear statement of his state of mind.
Gayle grabbed his lead halter and walked him with me in the saddle until he lost some of the tension in his body and he learned that just because he was pissed off, he wasn't getting me out of the saddle. Then I did get off and we made him run in the arena until he would go back into the hoop--at first he connected the smell with what had been his place of safety, a bad combination.
There was no apology from the woman. I guess the sign only says no dogs, so you can bring other things that might cause problems. I'm feeling quite resentful because I pay for those lessons and I had to pay for someone else's lack of consideration. I can't really expect too much. The daughter constantly leaves gates open or unlocked, she leaves the hose a filthy mess rather than cleaning off the dirt when she drags it through the mud, she doesn't wear her helmet (she's 13 and the rules require a helmet of under-18 riders), and her horses don't even stand still to be mounted. Her poor little Arab is totally upside down when she's on him, and he's pretty much out of control most of the time. A disaster in the making.
On Monday, I'm going to have to talk to the barn manager about this and I'd rather not. We just got rid of one problem boarder and I hate feeling like I'm Miss Goody Two Shoes. I pay my board on time, keep my space clean, try to mind my own business (even when I want to scream at people "the rules say wear a helmet), and I read and follow the rules and requests. It seems pretty futile to try and set a good example.
So, it was just as well I didn't get on Ace's back early and have to deal with him trying to get away from a domesticated wolverine. At least I stayed in the saddle, even though that was the last place I wanted to be.
On a somewhat more amusing note, I went to the barn on July 4 to give Ace his lunch and clean his stall. I turned him out in the arena for a while and decided to turn on the spray along the paddocks while he was out. Much to my amazement, it turned out that Ace's need to be near the other horses outweighed his need to stay out of the water and he stood along the fence as the mist went over him. Just stood there with the other horses (who like to stand in the artificial rain to cool off) until I turned off the water and went to get him inside his home. I guess I might actually be able to ride him with the misters on one day. We'll all be a lot more comfortable in this triple digit heat if that's the case.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The Spooking Chronicles, Part What?
The stinker took advantage of me when I probably should not have been taking a lesson on Monday and did another big spook. Again, I did stay on, but because I wasn't feeling well, it took me a bit more to get it under control. I also came out of contact with the seat because I got pulled forward and, apparently, I hit him with the whip.
I've been repeating the word Whoa! a lot. Gayle said I totally forgot it and I finally yelled it at him. He did stop when he heard it from me.
Clearly, this is the new evasion to avoid real work. It was a successful strategy in the past (Rod Bergen is so wrong about horses being unable to strategize), but I'm not going to be put off by it again. Eventually, he'll have to try something else. I'm much less bothered when he decides that a collected back up will work.
Gayle did say that I had a great collected canter underneath me when he took off. All I can say is, he feels like a whole lot bigger horse when his back is up under me. There's a lot of power when that engine is engaged.
Gayle asked me if Ashley could ride Ace in a dressage clinic at the end of the month (actually, it's June 1, I think) and, of course, I said yes. I'll go and watch. They'll be sharing the spot with the warmblood and rider they often take lessons with. The mare is about a hand and a half taller than Ace and proportionally bigger. So it is quite entertaining to watch them keep up or or slow down to stay with each other.
I've been repeating the word Whoa! a lot. Gayle said I totally forgot it and I finally yelled it at him. He did stop when he heard it from me.
Clearly, this is the new evasion to avoid real work. It was a successful strategy in the past (Rod Bergen is so wrong about horses being unable to strategize), but I'm not going to be put off by it again. Eventually, he'll have to try something else. I'm much less bothered when he decides that a collected back up will work.
Gayle did say that I had a great collected canter underneath me when he took off. All I can say is, he feels like a whole lot bigger horse when his back is up under me. There's a lot of power when that engine is engaged.
Gayle asked me if Ashley could ride Ace in a dressage clinic at the end of the month (actually, it's June 1, I think) and, of course, I said yes. I'll go and watch. They'll be sharing the spot with the warmblood and rider they often take lessons with. The mare is about a hand and a half taller than Ace and proportionally bigger. So it is quite entertaining to watch them keep up or or slow down to stay with each other.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Ranch Antics
The wind kept up all weekend in Chatsworth and, with the temperatures dropping today, I wonder if we'll still have wind when I go for my lesson this evening. Right now I'm watching a heavy breeze out my window, although that's not necessarily a clue as to how things will be 7 miles north of here.
Even though we couldn't ride, Ace did get quite a bit of turnout time on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, I let him out with Mini, the miniature horse owned by the other attorney at the ranch. She owns Beau, a thoroughbred, and Reina, who may be a quarab. The attached video shows Ace in a few moments of actual interaction with Mini and then a brief look at Jake (Ace's neighbor on the north side) and Reina, who has the trimmed tail. Ace is more into parallel hanging out rather than actual play.
As you can see from the video, the arena is bordered on one side by the stall runs, so the turned-out horses can get up close and personal with the ones left behind bars. I tried, but failed, to capture Ace getting back at Sebastian, the huge thoroughbred in the stall to the south of Ace's, as Ace would trot down the row of stalls, lunge to nip Sebastian, and turn tail and dance out of Sebastian's reach. I think it makes up for all of the times Ace has gotten nailed by Sebastian with no place to escape if he fights back.
On Sunday, after Tim had finished Ace's feet and I was getting ready to let him back into his stall with fresh water, shavings, and a snack waiting, I saw that Sebastian was getting caught up in his blanket. Sebastian had managed to unbuckle one of the fastenings in front (my friend Melinda's horse Vento is a genius at this) and had pulled the blanket partially off his prodigious rear end, so as he stepped forward, he was stepping on the blanket and blocking preventing further movement. All of the other clips were still in place, so the elastic bands were wrapped between his legs.
The horse's size intimidates me and I had no intention of trying to go into his stall to fix things. He's not terribly fond of me, because I keep waiving him away from me and my horse when we're in the run. Nevertheless, I got him to come over to the rail where I tried to get the blanket back in place. He stood while I adjusted it and then promptly ripped at the front and got it off his butt again. Not that I could blame him. At 11:45 it was probably close to 90 degrees and he was definitely overheated.
I had no idea when or if his owner would come by that day, and neither of the phone numbers on her contact sheet work (I've tried to reach her before), so the only safe solution was to get the blanket off. I got him to come over to me at the fence again and I unbuckled the fasteners at the side of the blanket and the one back-leg fastener I could reach. Then I got the other fastener in front, which he had been frantically trying to work open. He stood remarkably still while I pulled the blanket off his back and dropped it to the ground, where I hoped he would just step out of the last elasticized fastener. It caught on his leg wrappings, but I managed to reach to get it to the ground (I'm amazed he didn't kick at me) and then he did step out. The yellow blanket is pretty filthy, but at least Sebastian didn't break a leg.
Ace acts as if a blanket is going to eat him and he would probably have been in the next county if that was the way I took his off. We need to work on that (even though I don't have to blanket every year, which is why he acts as if he's never seen one most of the time) and bicycles. Every one that rolled by while we were doing his feet on Sunday was grounds for a startle. I had warned Tim to beware of motorcycles, but Ace barely blinked at the several that went by the gate. Those bicycles were a different story entirely. Since I'm planning to take biking up for Bike to Work month in May, I'm thinking we may need to desensitize him to those silent monsters.
Even though we couldn't ride, Ace did get quite a bit of turnout time on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, I let him out with Mini, the miniature horse owned by the other attorney at the ranch. She owns Beau, a thoroughbred, and Reina, who may be a quarab. The attached video shows Ace in a few moments of actual interaction with Mini and then a brief look at Jake (Ace's neighbor on the north side) and Reina, who has the trimmed tail. Ace is more into parallel hanging out rather than actual play.
As you can see from the video, the arena is bordered on one side by the stall runs, so the turned-out horses can get up close and personal with the ones left behind bars. I tried, but failed, to capture Ace getting back at Sebastian, the huge thoroughbred in the stall to the south of Ace's, as Ace would trot down the row of stalls, lunge to nip Sebastian, and turn tail and dance out of Sebastian's reach. I think it makes up for all of the times Ace has gotten nailed by Sebastian with no place to escape if he fights back.
On Sunday, after Tim had finished Ace's feet and I was getting ready to let him back into his stall with fresh water, shavings, and a snack waiting, I saw that Sebastian was getting caught up in his blanket. Sebastian had managed to unbuckle one of the fastenings in front (my friend Melinda's horse Vento is a genius at this) and had pulled the blanket partially off his prodigious rear end, so as he stepped forward, he was stepping on the blanket and blocking preventing further movement. All of the other clips were still in place, so the elastic bands were wrapped between his legs.
The horse's size intimidates me and I had no intention of trying to go into his stall to fix things. He's not terribly fond of me, because I keep waiving him away from me and my horse when we're in the run. Nevertheless, I got him to come over to the rail where I tried to get the blanket back in place. He stood while I adjusted it and then promptly ripped at the front and got it off his butt again. Not that I could blame him. At 11:45 it was probably close to 90 degrees and he was definitely overheated.
I had no idea when or if his owner would come by that day, and neither of the phone numbers on her contact sheet work (I've tried to reach her before), so the only safe solution was to get the blanket off. I got him to come over to me at the fence again and I unbuckled the fasteners at the side of the blanket and the one back-leg fastener I could reach. Then I got the other fastener in front, which he had been frantically trying to work open. He stood remarkably still while I pulled the blanket off his back and dropped it to the ground, where I hoped he would just step out of the last elasticized fastener. It caught on his leg wrappings, but I managed to reach to get it to the ground (I'm amazed he didn't kick at me) and then he did step out. The yellow blanket is pretty filthy, but at least Sebastian didn't break a leg.
Ace acts as if a blanket is going to eat him and he would probably have been in the next county if that was the way I took his off. We need to work on that (even though I don't have to blanket every year, which is why he acts as if he's never seen one most of the time) and bicycles. Every one that rolled by while we were doing his feet on Sunday was grounds for a startle. I had warned Tim to beware of motorcycles, but Ace barely blinked at the several that went by the gate. Those bicycles were a different story entirely. Since I'm planning to take biking up for Bike to Work month in May, I'm thinking we may need to desensitize him to those silent monsters.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Wind, Again
Over the past 16 months, I've lost more riding time to the wind than in the previous 8 years combined. At least, that's what it seems like. We had to cancel my lesson yesterday because of high winds in Chatsworth, and that was after waiting all day to find a different window than my 11:15 scheduled time. Gayle gave thought to canceling Friday evening as well, since she had to cancel most of the lessons during the day, but my barn isn't as bad as hers is sometimes, so Friday worked out.
I'm up earlier than I would be on a Sunday because my farrier called to say he could do Ace today if I had the time. Since Ace has really worn down one of his shoes over the past 6 weeks, I thought it was a good idea. Tim has been attempting to even out Ace's shoulders with a little corrective shoeing, and it seems to be having a small effect. If it works, it might help curb his habit of dropping that shoulder and spooking to the right. I've gotten a whole lot better at stopping the move as my seat and hands have improved, but he's amazingly fast.
I'm up earlier than I would be on a Sunday because my farrier called to say he could do Ace today if I had the time. Since Ace has really worn down one of his shoes over the past 6 weeks, I thought it was a good idea. Tim has been attempting to even out Ace's shoulders with a little corrective shoeing, and it seems to be having a small effect. If it works, it might help curb his habit of dropping that shoulder and spooking to the right. I've gotten a whole lot better at stopping the move as my seat and hands have improved, but he's amazingly fast.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Ace
The Arabian Prince will be 10 on Friday. He was born at night when a comet was visible in the sky and has a star on his forehead which looks like a swooshing comet (as you can see in the photo of the two of us), hence his registered name of Auspicious Comet. His call name comes from his initials, but Ace is short for a kind of sedative given to horses, which does make for the occasional attempts at poor humor by people who don't like Arabs.
I first saw him when he was a yearling. His mother was in foal to his baby sister (two years younger and born on the same day as Ace) and his older half-brother was still owned by my friend Melinda. Ace's markings are very similar to those of his mother, Flames Sirocco, who was also a flashy chestnut. His sister is a bay, and his half-brother is a gray. (He has many half-siblings by his sire, Padron's Mahogany, a magnificent bay.) Fortunately, Ace did not inherit his mother's temper but did learn from her that he should be the center of attention and he loves to show off for an audience. At a year he had his winning personality. He also loved to be fussed over, which the kids working for lessons at the Family Equestrian Connection have been happy to do.
There's about to be an interruption in that attention, and, unfortunately, it will happen on his birthday. The FEC needs to find another home, and a number of the owners who train with Gayle and Zsu Zsu are making temporary moves until FEC finds its new home. Many are leaving on Friday, and with them go the girls who don't own their own horses. We'll be staying through May, and I'm hopeful that Gayle will find a location where we can be together by May. I'd stay put, except that the owner of the place where Ace is housed has changed her mind about letting outside trainers work on the property and the trainer who remains (and the one we hear is moving in) does hunter/jumpers, so that's not appropriate to my needs. In addition, we hear that the dressage arena will become a second jumping arena, so the footing will not be right for us either. I expect it will be far less convenient to ride when I get done at work.
I'm quite sad about this kind of disruption falling so closely on the heels of the implosion of the equine facilities at Pierce College. It only shows how wasteful it is for those facilities to remain empty when there is a real need in this part of the valley for horse boarding.
I first saw him when he was a yearling. His mother was in foal to his baby sister (two years younger and born on the same day as Ace) and his older half-brother was still owned by my friend Melinda. Ace's markings are very similar to those of his mother, Flames Sirocco, who was also a flashy chestnut. His sister is a bay, and his half-brother is a gray. (He has many half-siblings by his sire, Padron's Mahogany, a magnificent bay.) Fortunately, Ace did not inherit his mother's temper but did learn from her that he should be the center of attention and he loves to show off for an audience. At a year he had his winning personality. He also loved to be fussed over, which the kids working for lessons at the Family Equestrian Connection have been happy to do.
There's about to be an interruption in that attention, and, unfortunately, it will happen on his birthday. The FEC needs to find another home, and a number of the owners who train with Gayle and Zsu Zsu are making temporary moves until FEC finds its new home. Many are leaving on Friday, and with them go the girls who don't own their own horses. We'll be staying through May, and I'm hopeful that Gayle will find a location where we can be together by May. I'd stay put, except that the owner of the place where Ace is housed has changed her mind about letting outside trainers work on the property and the trainer who remains (and the one we hear is moving in) does hunter/jumpers, so that's not appropriate to my needs. In addition, we hear that the dressage arena will become a second jumping arena, so the footing will not be right for us either. I expect it will be far less convenient to ride when I get done at work.
I'm quite sad about this kind of disruption falling so closely on the heels of the implosion of the equine facilities at Pierce College. It only shows how wasteful it is for those facilities to remain empty when there is a real need in this part of the valley for horse boarding.
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