Sweetpeacefuldream and the First Bit of Honey Ride

Miss Pea, the mare that I have in training to go to the Retired Racehorse Project Makeover in Kentucky in October, is settling in well.  She and Schwartz are both entered in the event, so if all goes according to plan I'll have two horses to compete.  Miss Pea is having some troubles with the mosquitoes, especially in the evening here.  To protect her sensitive skin and make her more comfortable I have her in a full fly sheet with hood and mask, and she is thoroughly doused in bug spray each evening.

We also have done an evaluation ride in the arena.  She was pretty excited on the lunge line because she's in a new place and there had been some additional llama drama that morning.  Overall she is a nice mover, but still has a lot of racing muscle on her.  This makes sense because she came from the track pretty recently, only arriving at CANTER in April.  As she starts going for long walks up and down hills in the back forty with me and she starts to relax under saddle, the different muscle groups that a sport horse uses will develop and the racing physique will dissipate.  Her muscles a little tight through her back and hind end, but that will quiet as well as she relaxes into her training.

Bit of Honey Grand Re-Opening

Saturday was the Grand Re-Opening for Bit of Honey Training.  We've been in the new location in Wellington, Colorado since September 2014, and the weather has finally cooperated enough that we could throw a great big party to celebrate being in the new place!

I started setting up in the morning with the help of two of the kids who help out around the barn.  We hung the Bit of Honey banner over the barn entrance, we set up the display table with the promotional materials like the blog books and canvas photos, as well as setting up the anatomy table in the barn to display the skeletons I use when teaching.

Dewey was in the stall in the barn waiting for his adoring public to arrive.  I wanted the stall to look inviting and nice, so I gave him an extra bag of clean shavings, which he LOVED.  He spent most of the morning lying down in the deep bedding, and even took a second nap while a large group of people were here.  He is a wonderful example of just how relaxed a Thoroughbred can be.  He does love fresh shavings.

Two of my friends whose horses live here took care of providing the food.  It was a spectacular spread.  I even overheard people commenting on how I went all out by getting the event catered.  We ate phenomenal spinach dip, little roll-up sandwiches, fruit salad, as well as chips and beverages. 

I displayed the Bit of Honey apparel that I still have in stock, the long sleeve technical shirts, polo shirts, t-shirts, and fleeces.  Most of it is suitable for layering in winter weather, so not terribly appealing in the 80 degree weather we experienced on Saturday.  I was happy to take the heat rather than the record breaking rain and wind we had a few weeks ago which caused me to move the date to this weekend.

I had posters on the barn wall dedicated to several of the horses.  Highboy had a poster, as did Garmin and Monty.  These are the posters that I put on their stalls when we travel to competitions and expos.  The posters give a little background information on each horse, with a surplus of photos.

 My veterinarian came to meet people and network, as well as represent the rehabilitation side of Bit of Honey Training.  I also had my friend Rebecca Coatney of RCoatneyArt come with a bunch of her paintings on display.  She set up her easel and painted while the event was going on, which was really fun to watch.  The event went from 1-4pm, and we had a huge turnout.  Many old friends came to congratulate us on the new place, several new clients came to participate in the fun, and some people I'd never met before attended to find out more about Bit of Honey.

Highboy was turned out with the gelding herd to play for the day, and I got some fun video of his shenanigans.  The video can be seen at:

https://www.facebook.com/kim.leonard.100/videos/10206923123334047/?pnref=story


Several times during the afternoon I paused and looked at the throngs of people perusing the barn, meeting the Thoroughbreds, or touring the arenas.  I felt amazed and honored that so many people have followed and joined in my journey to develop Bit of Honey and to make it what it is today.  I've been extremely fortunate to have a supportive group of wonderful people backing me throughout this process.  Overall a huge success.

Retired Racehorse Project Mare Arrives

We have another gorgeous Thoroughbred at Bit of Honey Training!  Sweetpeacefuldream arrived yesterday from Franktown, Colorado where she was in training with Super G Sporthorses.  She is owned by CANTER Colorado, and she has arrived here for training so we can compete in the 2015 Retired Racehorse Project Makeover in Kentucky at the horse park at the end of October. 

This 16 hand chestnut mare is sound, with a gorgeous build and a nice temperament.  I picked her up this weekend and hauled her back to Bit of Honey Training.

She loaded nicely in the trailer, traveled well, and unloaded calmly.  I put her out in the round pen while I fed the other horses dinner, then I put her in her large paddock where she will be living.

All the geldings were making googly-eyes at her, but she just ignored them and dove into her hay pile.  This morning was a little more exciting for her because of the neighbor's llama drama.  During this morning's feeding, the llamas were all turned out to pasture together to play. Miss Pea emphatically declared that they most definitely did NOT have creatures like those at the racetrack nor at the previous barn!  None of the other horses care about the llamas, so I'm sure she will settle in just fine.  I'm excited to start working with this fancy mare, and to be representing CANTER Colorado at the KY makeover!

Lying Down on the Job

Schwartz has been doing really well, and so I tried to take him to a small local schooling show over the weekend.  Unfortunately the footing wasn't quite good enough for me to feel comfortable riding young green horses, so we went back home and it ended up being just a field trip in the horse trailer.  Despite being just about ten minutes away, the trip was a little stressful for Schwartz and he did some cribbing Sunday and Monday.  Before this he hadn't cribbed for about a week.  To try and help him get his mojo back I had Dr. Landes come out and do another acupuncture treatment on him.

Warm and sunny, this afternoon Schwartz was feeling pretty zen as we waited for the vet.  I decided to hop on him bareback and hack around the property while we waited.  I suspect he had never been ridden bareback before.  He gave me that classic befuddled look as if to ask, "Uh, Kim, I don't mean to be rude, but didn't you forget something?  The saddle perhaps?"

I climbed on at the barn, and then we rode down to the arena.  We walked around the arena for a few minutes, and Schwartz dropped his head and took some deep breaths.  I thought, "Great!  He's relaxing!"  Shortly after thinking this his knees buckled, his hocks folded, and he laid down right there in the sand in my arena with me still on his back.  He went all the way down, to where I was sitting on him but my feet were on the ground on either side of his barrel.  I admit I got a little excited and I energetically yelped and told him to get up RIGHT AWAY.  Bless his heart, he immediately hopped right up, looking at me over his shoulder as if to say, "Oops, sorry about that, I thought you said we were just relaxing today."  Usually a horse will buck or fool around when they rise from lying down, but he just carefully stood up with me still on his back, apologized, and we resumed our leisurely walk.

A few minutes later when the vet arrived I rode Schwartz back to the barn and the vet actually asked if this was a new horse.  I said no, this is Schwartz, and Dr. Landes was floored by how good he looks, even just in the three weeks since he saw him last.  He's all glossy and shiny, gaining weight well, and very mellow.  We did the acupuncture treatment anyway, and in his assessment the ulcer points were much softer and Schwartz was tremendously less reactive.  I haven't seen any cribbing this afternoon.  I guess he's comfortable enough to be lying down on the job.

I had to include this picture of the mares enjoying their time in the pasture in the afternoons.

Triple Crown Winner and Thoughts on Racing

I was excited to watch the Belmont Stakes yesterday, and to see American Pharaoh sweep the field.  The last time a horse won the Triple Crown by winning the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont was in 1978 when Affirmed did it.

As the internet buzzes about American Pharaoh and horse racing in general, I want to add my opinion to the mix.  There are lots of negative media presentations about horse racing and how the horses are treated, and I want to express my thoughts on the subject.   I have ridden and competed in many different disciplines using horses, and I'm fortunate to have been exposed to many different facets of the horse industry.  For example, I have ridden hunter/jumpers, shown breed shows in english and western for quarter horses, paints, and pintos, done eventing, ridden saddleseat, ridden as an exercise rider for steeplechase horses, done team sorting, reining, worked with halter horses, shown dressage, done endurance riding, competitive trail riding, and pleasure trails.  Also in my time working as a veterinary technician with really excellent veterinarians I have gotten to know many wonderful racehorse breeders and trainers.   I have met both good people and unkind people in every single discipline.    

One thing that is obvious to me is that in horse racing, as in everything, there are both kind and unethical people in every facet of the industry.  I've been fortunate to work with some wonderful track owners, breeders, and trainers who really care about their horses.  I have several OTTBs in my barn right now who are well on their way to becoming amazing sport horses who are sound in mind and body.  One is an iron horse who retired from racing sound at 9 y/o, another is sound and 4 y/o who never raced because he was slow. They both are lovely horses who will go on to be great in their disciplines, and there are many other horses like them out there.  You can't judge a horse by its humans, and you can't make an accurate blanket statement about a sport based on the actions of a subset of people.  

For more information on the great track people who support their horses finding second careers you can go to the Retired Racehorse Project FB page and website to see the great things happening for this breed.  The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is another way that the racing industry is giving back to the horses by helping to pay for their retraining after they retire from racing.  While I'm happy to work with horses of all breeds, the retired racehorses are definitely my favorites.  I think it is wonderful that so many good things are coming out of the racetrack, from the horses to the strong support of the horses. 

Trail Ride at Soapstone

Today was my friend Bethnie's birthday.  To celebrate, five of us went on a trail ride at Soapstone. Bethnie and I have been friends since we met in college when we were both on the riding team for CSU.  If she wasn't so busy now doing the full-time mom thing (which she does fabulously well) I would have her as a second trainer at Bit of Honey.  She is the only other person I know who trains very similarly to how I train.

Soapstone is just about 20-30 minutes north of my place, depending on how wash-boarded the dirt road is.  We headed out in the afternoon and did the eleven mile Pronghorn loop.  The ride itself was beautiful, sunny, breezy, not too warm.  We saw a herd of deer, several antelope, tons of grasshoppers, a choir of prairie dogs, and a horny toad.

 As we finished our ride we hustled back to the trailers just as a huge thunderstorm with hail came crashing in.  You've never seen people untack and load horses into trailers so fast! 

Highboy was a rockstar.  He was a little "up" when we were getting started, but he settled very quickly and even led the group for a good portion of the ride.  He also took his turn being second and even last.  His ears were up the whole time and he thoroughly enjoyed himself.  That horse is always desperate to go places with me.  When he sees me hitching the truck to the trailer he stands at his gate and STARES at me insisting that he should go, too. 

Over the course of the ride he developed a nice forward walk, which was wonderful.  Over the last couple months he has been growing like crazy.  I measured him yesterday, and Highboy is now 17 hands tall.  He is six years old now, and is somewhat of a late bloomer.  He is changing shape as he grows, his chest is getting wider and his ribs have gotten wider, and he is starting to develop his haunches.  As a result, he is pretty clumsy again while learning how to negotiate this new huge physique.  Since he is in such a dramatic growth spurt I haven't been working him hard, just giving him lots of turnout with his friends.  However a long leisurely trail ride over hills was just right for his body and his brain today.  He also is at a point in his growth where my Australian saddle fits him really nicely.  I love that saddle.  If I got a lump of clay, sat in it, and asked someone to make me a custom saddle specifically for my butt impression, I couldn't have a better fit for myself.  And I got it at a yard sale for $100.   I don't know if it will fit Highboy when he's all fully developed, but I was happy to have the ride I did in it today. 

Before & Afters

Tonight I'm boosting my self esteem by looking at before & after pics of horses I've helped. Here is Schwartz' "before", when he first arrived in South Dakota in Nov 2014 before Heather addressed many of his physical issues, and his 6 month "after" now that he's at Bit of Honey Training. I also am reposting Highboy's, Garmin's, Dewey's, and Grace's before & afters. These comparisons remind me that while I don't always recognize incremental results as they are happening because I see the horses every day, I am doing good things for these creatures. And I'm so grateful for the team of people who enable me to accomplish what I do for them.