But it is due to rain again later this afternoon.
Over the last few days I have managed to trim Ben, E, Vauge and Zebidi. also worked Lucy and Amanda a couple of times. Just connected ground work, but at least I got something in.
Hopefully the rain will hold off this afternoon and I can get a couple more workouts in.
I have also booked myself in on a nurition seminar this Saturday run by Dr Lucy Tucker, down in Feilding, so that should be good.
Then the next two weeks I am on holiday, the HB show is on and the last weekend of Oct I am doing a do dayer with Trish Wren. I am planning on taking Lucy. Hopefuly I will get to ride her before that.
And hopefuly the weather will be OK most of the time.
After that I will be counting down to the Peggy Cummings clinic in Cambridge, which I am also planning on taking Lucy.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Its October!
I have been so busy, so much has happened.
At work I have been very busy with an upgrade on our network. Going from AD2000 to AD2008 and SQL 2000 to SQL2008 as well as exchange 2003 to exchange 2007 so big changes.
I also had to server my bus dweller with a trespass notice. Long story but the short version is, her puppy mauled Penelope (hen) and when I asked her to make sure her dog was supervised, she packed a sad. We sorta got through that but she made no changes and the pup killed Pene 5 days later.
She blamed me, the pup, my dog but never took the responsibility that she was at fault for not looking after her dog.
When I gave her written notice to move her bus she pulled down the fence around it, so the horses could not graze on that side of my track where the shelter is as well, and scattered the nails from the fence round my track.
Hence the trespass order and her off my place asap.
I have cleaned up the nails, by hand and with a large magent borrowed from work. And in this bad weather they are back on that side with their shelter.
The bus is still there, but she is not, and the bus will be towed off as soon as it is dry enough.
But Ben my donk, is to scared of the horses to share the barn with the horses, and as the bus dweller did not want to move her shed, she sold it to me for next to nothing. So on Thursday I dragged it up the hill on its roof and put it in the yard area and now Ben shelters in there.
But I have had very little time to spend with the horses, or donks or mules.
Tika is betting much more relaxed with me patting her so this time off seems to be helping her.
I have started Lucy on Co-Operate, and herbal remedy for anxiety, and have ordered Cushy Life for Amanda, who I am pretty sure is in the very early stages of Cushings.
I hope to ride tomorrow if the weather allows, or at least to handle a few of them.
They do come up each morning for their feeds and I muck out twice a day and feed hay twice a day. So they are seeing me quite a bit.
Roll on more settled weather!
And in one week I will be on holiday for two weeks so I have so much planned ;)
Friday, September 4, 2009
Been a while since updating
Saturday the 29 dawned clear and still and stayed that way.
I took Vauge to the trainging day we had organised, she was very excited when I got her off the truck.
She tried to break away from me serveral times but with the halter done up in a connected riding style I kept hold of her. It gives me so much more controll of her head.
Then when the midget pony and tiny cart started round the paddock, boy did we have google eyes, spins and wanting to run away. I again kept hold of her.
and againg when we were over looking at all the things we could go over through and round.
Vauge and I could go round things but that was about it! But again I kept hold of her and towards the end of the day she had settleed pretty well.
Then it was time to load her to come home, she did not want to leave this place with all the new things and people watching her and would not get back on the truck.
After turning down help and an offer of roping her on, they left me to it while they went to look at carts. Once the audiance had left the fun went out of it for Vauge and she loaded.
I was very tired when I got home, and I think Vauge was as well.
It has been good weather all week and I have been workiing Vauge, Ata and Tika in the round pen. All are going well, and I have been doing stretches and one line work with Lucy and Manda.
I hope to ride Lucy this weekend, and Manda in a couple of weeks. She needs more ballence work first.
I will see what the weather is like, I might give Lucy some inhand work with the saddle on for a week or so first. it is a new saddle and needs breaking in. I might also ride Angel in it to soften it up a bit. It is a treeless.
I took Vauge to the trainging day we had organised, she was very excited when I got her off the truck.
She tried to break away from me serveral times but with the halter done up in a connected riding style I kept hold of her. It gives me so much more controll of her head.
Then when the midget pony and tiny cart started round the paddock, boy did we have google eyes, spins and wanting to run away. I again kept hold of her.
and againg when we were over looking at all the things we could go over through and round.
Vauge and I could go round things but that was about it! But again I kept hold of her and towards the end of the day she had settleed pretty well.
Then it was time to load her to come home, she did not want to leave this place with all the new things and people watching her and would not get back on the truck.
After turning down help and an offer of roping her on, they left me to it while they went to look at carts. Once the audiance had left the fun went out of it for Vauge and she loaded.
I was very tired when I got home, and I think Vauge was as well.
It has been good weather all week and I have been workiing Vauge, Ata and Tika in the round pen. All are going well, and I have been doing stretches and one line work with Lucy and Manda.
I hope to ride Lucy this weekend, and Manda in a couple of weeks. She needs more ballence work first.
I will see what the weather is like, I might give Lucy some inhand work with the saddle on for a week or so first. it is a new saddle and needs breaking in. I might also ride Angel in it to soften it up a bit. It is a treeless.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Good start to the day
This morning I worked with both Ata and Vauge.
Caught Vauge first, and lead her up over the hill behind the house and down to the RP. She did very well.
In the round pen I went back a step and she did not go tearing round like she did the other day. She workd well and is very attentive to me. As soon as I release her she she is across the pen to say hello to me.
Then I went back across the other side of the paddock to catch Ata (I was hoping they would follow me) It was the longest leading stint I have done with Ata and it was away from the other horses. She was great. Got to the RP and started working her. Started out very slow and rewarded just for a step forward. She cottoned on quick and would walk off with just a click of my tounge. Then went for a few steps on the rail, she did well here as well, only trying to change direction once or twice.
No sad faces today and will see how she goes tomorrow.
Then I feed out, put Ata back out with the others and went to catch Vauge, to put her back out, she ran away. I was sorta expecting this, as she likes to graze on the sweet new grass.
In the past I have had to herd her back into the round pen and catch her there, or run her back out onto the track.
But this morning she ran over to the corner where Ata was eating hay on the other side of the fence, so over I wandered, and I though she was going to bolt round the paddock again, I stood still, made not atempt to corner her or stop her and she walked straight up to me, I put her halter on and lead her back to the track and gave her a good scratching.
They were both so good. A great way to start a Friday, yipee weekend tomorrow.
Caught Vauge first, and lead her up over the hill behind the house and down to the RP. She did very well.
In the round pen I went back a step and she did not go tearing round like she did the other day. She workd well and is very attentive to me. As soon as I release her she she is across the pen to say hello to me.
Then I went back across the other side of the paddock to catch Ata (I was hoping they would follow me) It was the longest leading stint I have done with Ata and it was away from the other horses. She was great. Got to the RP and started working her. Started out very slow and rewarded just for a step forward. She cottoned on quick and would walk off with just a click of my tounge. Then went for a few steps on the rail, she did well here as well, only trying to change direction once or twice.
No sad faces today and will see how she goes tomorrow.
Then I feed out, put Ata back out with the others and went to catch Vauge, to put her back out, she ran away. I was sorta expecting this, as she likes to graze on the sweet new grass.
In the past I have had to herd her back into the round pen and catch her there, or run her back out onto the track.
But this morning she ran over to the corner where Ata was eating hay on the other side of the fence, so over I wandered, and I though she was going to bolt round the paddock again, I stood still, made not atempt to corner her or stop her and she walked straight up to me, I put her halter on and lead her back to the track and gave her a good scratching.
They were both so good. A great way to start a Friday, yipee weekend tomorrow.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
getting close to the weekend again
It has been so windy this week! And I have not go much done.
I have how ever had a leading session with Vauge, and also a Round Pen session. Vauge went realy well and responded realy well as well.
I am going to do some more with her in the round pen.
I also put Ata in the round pen this morning. First we had a presure and release lesson when trying to cross the large patch of mud. She did well and it only took us about 3 minutes to get across.
Once in the round pen I think she was wondering why I was pushing her round rather than being her freind. But she cottoned on and did well. I had forgotton what it was like to work with such a young horse.
At the end she was a bit subduede, and not sure of her self. She hung her head under the rail and did not want to talk to me. But I gave her a scratch and told her she had done well, and she started to graze. I left her there while I went and put the hay out.
She was no problem to catch and move back out to the paddock.
This brings me to why I decided to RP her at this stage.
On Tuesday Ata decided to take Angel (my alpha mare) on and got sent through the electric fence for her troubles.
Then on Wednesday she moved Manda, who was most definatly higher in the pecking order before.
She has started to be a bit grumpy with me and not pick up her feet, and such like, so it was time to do some "I am the boss" work.
When Ata was moving round the round pen you could see a real araby aspect to her movement.
She is so pretty.
I have how ever had a leading session with Vauge, and also a Round Pen session. Vauge went realy well and responded realy well as well.
I am going to do some more with her in the round pen.
I also put Ata in the round pen this morning. First we had a presure and release lesson when trying to cross the large patch of mud. She did well and it only took us about 3 minutes to get across.
Once in the round pen I think she was wondering why I was pushing her round rather than being her freind. But she cottoned on and did well. I had forgotton what it was like to work with such a young horse.
At the end she was a bit subduede, and not sure of her self. She hung her head under the rail and did not want to talk to me. But I gave her a scratch and told her she had done well, and she started to graze. I left her there while I went and put the hay out.
She was no problem to catch and move back out to the paddock.
This brings me to why I decided to RP her at this stage.
On Tuesday Ata decided to take Angel (my alpha mare) on and got sent through the electric fence for her troubles.
Then on Wednesday she moved Manda, who was most definatly higher in the pecking order before.
She has started to be a bit grumpy with me and not pick up her feet, and such like, so it was time to do some "I am the boss" work.
When Ata was moving round the round pen you could see a real araby aspect to her movement.
She is so pretty.
Monday, August 24, 2009
A busy weekend
The weather was OK, but not brilliant.
On Saturday I fed and brushed all the horses, and did all my normal chores as well as moving my neighbours cow, then I went to Dannevirke to pick up a new saddle I had bought. It is a BTB treeless western saddle. Second hand but never been used.
Got home again (2.5 hour trip total) and had lunch then tried the saddle on Angel. She did not object to it and I found it comfy. It is bridging but as there is no tree I would presume that this is because the leather is very stiff and not worn in yet and when I sit in it the bridge will not be there. Any way I will be keeping a close eye on how it goes.
I also mowed my lawns on Sat
On Sunday, I again fed, mucked out, moved cows and then trimmed and worked Lucy, she also did not abject to the saddle though I did not ride her in it as she needs a bit more ground work first.
Then I trimmed Manda and boy I should have done her a while ago, only been one month but she had lots of growth, and it took quite a bit of rasping away. Still got it done and her hoofies look much better, did some ground work with her as well.
Then did a little work with Ata, then after a quick bite to eat I went to a saddle fitting clinic at the local feed merchant. I know the person doing it as she is realy good.
After that there was only enough time to do the evening chores and settle in for the evening.
But all in all it was a good weekend
On Saturday I fed and brushed all the horses, and did all my normal chores as well as moving my neighbours cow, then I went to Dannevirke to pick up a new saddle I had bought. It is a BTB treeless western saddle. Second hand but never been used.
Got home again (2.5 hour trip total) and had lunch then tried the saddle on Angel. She did not object to it and I found it comfy. It is bridging but as there is no tree I would presume that this is because the leather is very stiff and not worn in yet and when I sit in it the bridge will not be there. Any way I will be keeping a close eye on how it goes.
I also mowed my lawns on Sat
On Sunday, I again fed, mucked out, moved cows and then trimmed and worked Lucy, she also did not abject to the saddle though I did not ride her in it as she needs a bit more ground work first.
Then I trimmed Manda and boy I should have done her a while ago, only been one month but she had lots of growth, and it took quite a bit of rasping away. Still got it done and her hoofies look much better, did some ground work with her as well.
Then did a little work with Ata, then after a quick bite to eat I went to a saddle fitting clinic at the local feed merchant. I know the person doing it as she is realy good.
After that there was only enough time to do the evening chores and settle in for the evening.
But all in all it was a good weekend
Thursday, August 20, 2009
It is not raining
And I have opened up the paddock again. I still have a mini lake down the bottom of the hill, but there are lots of dry spots as well.
Will be a hoof trimming weekend this weekend.
Was busy this morning as I am also moving my neighbours cow, but still got to work sort of on time.
I have also recently noticed a shift in the hirachy of my herd.
Angel is still tops when I am not there, then Manda, then it gets a bit hazy, Lucy was at the bottom, but bossed the the two Kais around, but the two Kais seemed to sit under Angel and Manda with Lucy at the bottom.
Vauge and Zebidi move around a lot and don't have a perminate place. And the donks are a little herd of 2 with sometimes Zebidi joining them.
The shift has been with the two Kais, Tika was above Ata, and Ata used to shelter behind Tika, but as I have been working more with Ata, she has got a lot more confidant.
The shift has happened since I have been doing a lot more with Tika. Tika is much better about me doing things with her, still loose in the paddock at this stage, but I brushed her with a plastic curry brush this morning.But now Ata is definatly boss over Tika, and I would hazard that at the moment Tika is the bottom. She followed up at the rear of the others this morning for her breaky.
I will keep an eye on her in case she is not so well. But there has been a definate shift in the peeking order.
Will be a hoof trimming weekend this weekend.
Was busy this morning as I am also moving my neighbours cow, but still got to work sort of on time.
I have also recently noticed a shift in the hirachy of my herd.
Angel is still tops when I am not there, then Manda, then it gets a bit hazy, Lucy was at the bottom, but bossed the the two Kais around, but the two Kais seemed to sit under Angel and Manda with Lucy at the bottom.
Vauge and Zebidi move around a lot and don't have a perminate place. And the donks are a little herd of 2 with sometimes Zebidi joining them.
The shift has been with the two Kais, Tika was above Ata, and Ata used to shelter behind Tika, but as I have been working more with Ata, she has got a lot more confidant.
The shift has happened since I have been doing a lot more with Tika. Tika is much better about me doing things with her, still loose in the paddock at this stage, but I brushed her with a plastic curry brush this morning.But now Ata is definatly boss over Tika, and I would hazard that at the moment Tika is the bottom. She followed up at the rear of the others this morning for her breaky.
I will keep an eye on her in case she is not so well. But there has been a definate shift in the peeking order.
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