Animal Updates

 

In horse updates, Silver is coming along fabulously.  Gillian has been riding him more and he's just getting lighter and lighter in his gaits.  Jumping skills continue to improve, he has become quite adjustable and handy especially in tight turns in courses. 

 

Ferriana and I have been fiddling with saddle fit.  I've tried having some flocking removed from her jumping saddle in an effort to minimize the back of the saddle lifting when we jump, but it actually exacerbated the issue.  So we replaced the flocking.  These two photos are of the back of the saddle popping up when we were jumping small fences.  Amazing how much it lifts when she rounds her back! 

 

Dewey is doing well.  He is mostly recovered from his chest injury (more on that later, it's quite gory), and had a trace clip done for winter riding.  It's especially helpful with the weather so warm currently - he gets very furry and it takes forever to dry him off if he's sweat hard.  With the trace clip, however, I do blanket the horses if it's going to be cold.  If I remove fur it only seems fair to replace the warmth if he needs it (with a super cute otter blanket, too!)  Unfortunately, the front of the blanket seemed to rub the nearly-healed wound, and then some bacteria snuck in.  Within a day or two he had a fever and was lethargic, and his chest was quite swollen.  We started antibiotics and anti inflammatories, which made him feel much better and brought his fever as well as the swelling down.  So in the meantime he goes naked unless he really needs pajamas for warmth.

 

 

Sam is doing great.  I had my working student, Rozie, warm him up for Joan the other day, and it was such fun to see him happy, forward, relaxed, with a new rider.  Rozie had fun with him and it's always good to get on a variety of horses to learn how to adjust your riding for different types of gaits.  In jumping lessons Joan and Sam have really been clicking, they go around together even in really challenging courses.

Beauty and Alice have had some really nice rides recently.  We are all working on our turns and balance over twisty jump courses, and it's super fun to see Alice and Beauty really put the pieces together.

 

Pascal and Rizzo have really matured.  Pascal still has a bit of "am I going to be obedient or am I going to be my own dog?" in his adolescent puppy brain, but Rizzo is now all business.  They both stick close to me and are very focused on their work.  While I'm grooming and tacking horses they do take breaks to chew on sticks and scraps of horse hooves together.  Currently Pascal's favorite game is tug-of-war, where he pulls on me while he's leashed and I'm teaching lessons.

I had an emotional moment yesterday when I was moving hay bales with the tractor.  Miles used to help me with this particular barn chore.  I'd open a gate and tell him which horses to watch, and he would make sure no one snuck out while I was moving a round bale into the paddock with the gate wide open.  Yesterday I called Pascal and told him I needed help, and he came right over.  I then opened the gate and pointed at Dancer and Dewey (the two most likely to escape that day) and told Pascal not to let them out.  Pascal proceeded to usher them away from the gate, and then he came back and ran semi-circles around the gate to ensure no one doubled back to sneak out.  It was such a Miles move I nearly cried.  I miss that dog so much, I've never had an assistant trainer as good as he was.  But it made my heart feel good that Pascal is doing his best to fill those big doggy paw prints.

I have a photo of Miles with a similar expression on his face at the same age as Pascal.  Looks like I definitely have a "type"!  Tricolored and intense!

And I have an intense Rizzo photo, too.  I love my dogs.  I wouldn't get anywhere near as much done without them.

Kimberly Hale Photography Proofs

 Here are proofs of photos of some of the other riders that were at the Sunrise Pair Pace last weekend.

Contact Kim at Bitofhoneytraining@gmail.com to order full resolution image files for $30 each.

Dewey at the Pair Pace

 

Today we went into Fort Collins to Sunrise Equestrian for their pair pace, and Dewey and I enjoyed dressing up in our costume!  My helmet cover is one I got at a snowboarding store in Utah in August several years ago, it fits on my riding helmet great and it's super fun to gallop in.  

The folks at Sunrise opened up a couple new fields we hadn't ridden in before, and extended their cross country course to be twenty five fences at a variety of levels.  I took Dewey through the course twice, the first time to let him trot through and look at everything, the second time going at a faster pace to help him get the idea that we're cantering AND jumping.  I rode him as a single, since I had a very specific mission for him and I didn't want to worry about other riders.  The day originally was going to be several Bit of Honey horses and riders, but the rain and cold got the best of everybody else.  Sara did take some video and Kimberly Hale Photography did the pictures.

Dewey's first time through he was just figuring out what exactly we were up to today.  He took a couple hard looks at some fences, but everything was a very manageable size so he could walk over them once he was done looking.  It is a good example of why we take a deeper seat when jumping cross country than in show jumping - Dewey had to pause and look but I didn't go off over the top!

The second time through Dewey was really starting to "get it".  It is immensely satisfying when I can feel the horse's brain click into gear, and suddenly he's a steady machine on course.  Even though we were doing a very slow pace on course (herd of turtles style) I still asked Dewey to lengthen his canter in the straightaways, and then half halt and come back to me in preparation for jumps.  It doesn't matter a ton at this low level, but I want Dewey to have the idea that he is allowed to go faster when we're galloping to cover distance, but that when I sit deep and exhale, he needs to shift his weight back onto his haunches and prepare to jump something, no matter how small.  This helps to create the all-important "rate-able canter" you hear about so much.  Basically I want to be able to easily adjust his stride length and speed with just my weight shifts and breathing.  

It was such a fun day, even if a bit cold.  I think Kimberly and Sara were popsicles by the time we headed home, but at least Dewey had a good run!  I'm so grateful to have this facility close by to enjoy so close to home.

Trip to Fort Robinson

 

Owen and I took a quick trip to Fort Robinson to escape the smoke.  We went with some old friends, who we've known for over twenty years now....  Hard to believe it's been that long!  We rented one of the houses at the fort for the humans and the dogs, while Dancer and Raven stayed in the old brick cavalry stables.

The first day we all went for a ride to a cool viewing spot with picnic tables up in the buttes.  I'd never been there before, but Owen had run it on a previous trip and knew the dirt road was suitable for horses.  So Phoenix and I rode Dancer and Raven, respectively, while the others hiked.  Rizzo ran with me and the horses, and Pascal was on a leash so the younger girls could pretend they had a dog.

Raven looks so good in her rainbow beaded tack.

I love riding with Rizzo.  She stays right with me, taking short trips into the tall grass on each side in search of interesting smells, but she always comes right back.  The only hiccup was when we were headed into the trailhead, and there was a minivan with a family in it that had lots of kids.  Rizzo really loves kids and we don't have many at my place.  She actually ran up to the family, gave each kid a snuggle, and then hopped into their minivan!  I had to call her back and she did come, but she clearly enjoyed living with kids in her previous homes.

Another indicator that Rizzo loved living with kids in previous homes was how much she enjoyed my friends' daughters.  There was so much snuggling and kisses and playing with Rizzo's toes and lips and generally adoring Rizzo.  Rizzo was even granted a stuffed animal and a pillow on an extra bottom bunk bed so the girls could appropriately adore her.

Sleeping in bed with the people is also a highlight of traveling for Rizzo.  Pascal was sleeping in his crate, because he still has enough puppy brain that he would go to sleep for a couple hours, then wake up and want to wrestle.  The crate gives him a clear indicator that this is night-time and we are quiet during the hours of darkness and not bouncing around on the bed trying to play.  I feel a little bit bad, since Pascal was so well behaved on this trip, and somehow we made it home without a single photo of him! 

The second ride was on Sunday, and we did in in pretty awful wind.  Owen ran, I rode Raven, and both Pascal and Rizzo came with me.  We did a fast loop around the hills by the river, and then headed back to the barn to go hide from the wind in the trailer.   So no photos from that ride, though Raven was awesome trotting and cantering the four miles and the dogs enjoyed themselves tremendously.

Our last ride of the trip Owen had to sit out due to an upset stomach.  I rode Raven, ponied Dancer, and had both dogs with me.  I did the previous day's loop in reverse, and just walked.  It felt so good to be out in the gorgeous setting with all the trees at the height of changing color with some of my favorite animals.  This type of ride is spiritual for me.  It's quiet, it's just me and my animals, and I really do feel the spirit when I'm enjoying the creatures who taught me everything I know about God.

Because I only have two hands and I was riding Raven while leading Dancer it was hard to get photos.  I got this one (with both dogs in the distance though they weren't actually that far away) with at least both mare's heads in a shot with the trees.  Owen took the one of the three of us before we started the ride.

I love Fort Robinson and can't wait to go back.