Sunday, I was at my old guy's barn doing stalls. I was putting horses out, and some random guy was in the barn throwing stuff away. So he's up on a platform above the tack room tossing stuff down. The noise is understandably upsetting horses, so I say "hey, could you stop throwing stuff until I get everyone out? The noise is freaking out all the horses." I'm taking a horse out, and after we leave the barn there's this unholy CRASH. Horse takes off, dragging me several steps before pulling free. I skid on gravel like a baseball player sliding into home. Hand, elbow, and hip on my left side are all torn up.
Now, I have a temper. It very rarely comes out, but when I get hurt because someone does something stupid, my temper comes out in full force. Stupid random guy got screamed at... I'd give an example, but I try to keep this blog family friendly, so I'll just say picture a very angry sailor and triple it, and that's about the language I was using. Which maybe isn't the best response, but oh well. I got dragged by a 1200 pound horse and found rocks in my underwear. I feel my anger is justified.
So now my whole body hurts. My right arm doesn't really work very well; I think the muscles in my forearm got strained. Neck, shoulders, arms, back, ribs, etc. My thigh is bruised and scraped. Everything just hurts.
Which is really annoying, because I got out of work early yesterday. I'll be out early today. And I don't know if I'll be able to ride.
So if you ever want to see me explode in a raging storm of swearing and fury, do something to get me hurt.
I hate stupid people.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
Most Amazing Thing Ever
Yes, that's right. A HOT PINK sheet!! Probably the best $68 I've ever spent ($50 for the sheet, $18 for embroidery).
Also, I'd like to give a great big shout out to Horze.com. First, because when I called to ask if "beetroot purple" really is as pink as the picture looked (it is), they answered the phone "Whores". But mostly because I ordered embroidery. It was done, shipped, and received in a very timely fashion. Except when I got it, there was a problem with the embroidery. A fairly minor one that I could have lived with, but I emailed them and asked about sending the sheet back to get the embroidery sorted out. They promptly replied with an apology for the mistake, a promise to redo it and send it out, and instructions to just keep the sheet I already got. What?! I couldn't believe they were so quick to fix it above and beyond my expectations, no questions asked. So a big THANK YOU to Horze.com for great customer service!
I've ridden River three days in a row now.
Tuesday - Just a quick "we haven't ridden in a while, let's see how things go" ride, and he was fine.
Wednesday - Rode longer, with another horse in the ring, and ground poles out in various places. He was very good, even with another horse trotting, people in the corner, people at the gate, people going into the viewing room and turning on the light.
Thursday - SUCH a good boy. There were scary birds in the wall at the far end of the ring, and while he scooted away, he didn't freak out and let me ride him by and push him out to the wall. Lots of work at the trot, which he was good for. Going to the right is still weak, but we're working on it. Started really asking him to give at the walk... it wasn't great and it was a LOT of work (my calf got a muscle cramp from trying to push him out and forward), but he was trying. I always end on a forward note, so after the hard work of walking, I asked him to trot.. He immediately went on the bit, and when I let him take the reins, he dropped his nose right down almost to the ground and relaxed in a nice, forward trot.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Bugs!
Two days ago: No bugs
Yesterday: A crapload of bugs
Yuck. I hate bugs. And of course I didn't have fly spray in my car.. but it was rainy today, so hopefully the bugs weren't too bad.
I rode River yesterday! We pretty much just trotted around for 10 minutes. He wasn't trying too hard to be good, but he wasn't being bad, and that was enough for me.
I bought River the most amazing thing. I put it on him yesterday to take a picture, but I couldn't find my phone. Looked all over and decided I left it at home (sad face). Took of the most amazing thing, rode, put him away, opened my car to go home, and realized my phone had fallen into the little space between the edge of the seat and the floor/wall/door thing. Grr. Maybe I can get a picture of him and the most amazing thing tomorrow.
Yesterday: A crapload of bugs
Yuck. I hate bugs. And of course I didn't have fly spray in my car.. but it was rainy today, so hopefully the bugs weren't too bad.
I rode River yesterday! We pretty much just trotted around for 10 minutes. He wasn't trying too hard to be good, but he wasn't being bad, and that was enough for me.
I bought River the most amazing thing. I put it on him yesterday to take a picture, but I couldn't find my phone. Looked all over and decided I left it at home (sad face). Took of the most amazing thing, rode, put him away, opened my car to go home, and realized my phone had fallen into the little space between the edge of the seat and the floor/wall/door thing. Grr. Maybe I can get a picture of him and the most amazing thing tomorrow.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Chiro and stuff
Chiro came on Saturday. This was the first time I've met/used him, and was very happy with him. He spent about 45 minutes on River. His hips were pretty out, so he adjusted them, had me walk Riv around the indoor, adjusted them, walk around the indoor, adjust, walk around, until he was happy with the adjustment.
We spent the last couple days practicing being a good boy when coming in at night. Saturday, I brought the mare in first. Went back for River, and instead of walking to the barn, walked him down the laneway and around the new pastures. On the way back, we stopped at his pasture and I walked him in, held the gate shut, opened it, and had him walk out. When he rushed, we did it again. After a few tries, I let him stay out and we started walking to the barn again. When we got halfway there, I turned him around and we practiced going in and out of the gate again. Yesterday was similar, except we walked around the new pastures 3 times.
He's been good with this, so maybe he'll figure out there's no reason to be a jerk... Maybe.
We spent the last couple days practicing being a good boy when coming in at night. Saturday, I brought the mare in first. Went back for River, and instead of walking to the barn, walked him down the laneway and around the new pastures. On the way back, we stopped at his pasture and I walked him in, held the gate shut, opened it, and had him walk out. When he rushed, we did it again. After a few tries, I let him stay out and we started walking to the barn again. When we got halfway there, I turned him around and we practiced going in and out of the gate again. Yesterday was similar, except we walked around the new pastures 3 times.
He's been good with this, so maybe he'll figure out there's no reason to be a jerk... Maybe.
Friday, April 19, 2013
I'm a bad person...
Since my last post...
I rode River. And after about 2 minutes I decided I was too scared, so I called someone from my other barn. Went like this... "heyyyy....so, random question, but are you doing anything for the next couple of hours? No? Wanna come ride my horse?" So she came over, rode him, and he was fine. I have not ridden him. Not out of fear, but because I'm too lazy/busy to ride and also I don't know where my paddock boots are.
Best part is her face.
He's had some more jerk days coming in from turnout. Bah. We're still playing around trying to get through to him. The past couple days I was able to bring The Mare in first, which makes it easier for me to bring Princess in because The Mare isn't running around screaming because her boyfriend is leaving. I led him with just a chain over his nose. If he got prancey (prancy? prancie? Firefox does not approve of any spelling.) and jiggy, I turned him around, walked back toward his pasture a ways, then turned around and headed back to the barn. Repeat as needed.
Yesterday I longed him in the outdoor. At one point he decided the lawnmower a hundred yards away was going to eat him and he got loose. I was like whatever, you can't go anywhere, and eventually he let me catch him. Then I ran the longe line through the near bit ring to the surcingle, and that stopped him from getting away. He was a pretty good boy, although longeing to the right took some work. By the time we were done, he was all sweaty, so he got hosed off in mid-70s weather at 7PM. Then we handwalked alllll the way down the laneway past his pasture, around the new pastures, and back to the barn. He was a gentleman the whole way, although he was pretty sure the pile of lumber waiting to get turned into new run-ins was a monster.
Tomorrow, the chiropractor is coming. I'm very curious to see if there is anything wrong with him.
Did I mention he got shoes on again? Here he is bothering my super-aweseome farrier:
(Only he's not really bothering SAF, because SAF doesn't mind horses snuggling.)
Me: He's not the sharpest knife in the drawer...
SAF: He's not even in the drawer.
LOL
I rode River. And after about 2 minutes I decided I was too scared, so I called someone from my other barn. Went like this... "heyyyy....so, random question, but are you doing anything for the next couple of hours? No? Wanna come ride my horse?" So she came over, rode him, and he was fine. I have not ridden him. Not out of fear, but because I'm too lazy/busy to ride and also I don't know where my paddock boots are.
He's had some more jerk days coming in from turnout. Bah. We're still playing around trying to get through to him. The past couple days I was able to bring The Mare in first, which makes it easier for me to bring Princess in because The Mare isn't running around screaming because her boyfriend is leaving. I led him with just a chain over his nose. If he got prancey (prancy? prancie? Firefox does not approve of any spelling.) and jiggy, I turned him around, walked back toward his pasture a ways, then turned around and headed back to the barn. Repeat as needed.
Yesterday I longed him in the outdoor. At one point he decided the lawnmower a hundred yards away was going to eat him and he got loose. I was like whatever, you can't go anywhere, and eventually he let me catch him. Then I ran the longe line through the near bit ring to the surcingle, and that stopped him from getting away. He was a pretty good boy, although longeing to the right took some work. By the time we were done, he was all sweaty, so he got hosed off in mid-70s weather at 7PM. Then we handwalked alllll the way down the laneway past his pasture, around the new pastures, and back to the barn. He was a gentleman the whole way, although he was pretty sure the pile of lumber waiting to get turned into new run-ins was a monster.
Tomorrow, the chiropractor is coming. I'm very curious to see if there is anything wrong with him.
Did I mention he got shoes on again? Here he is bothering my super-aweseome farrier:
Me: He's not the sharpest knife in the drawer...
SAF: He's not even in the drawer.
LOL
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
River is not being an a$$hole!! *knock on wood*
Yay!!!
About a week ago, I took him off SmartCalm Ultra. It didn't seem to do him any good, and people on COTH had commented that it made their horses worse. I figured it couldn't hurt to stop it, so I did. Thursday, he started something new--Vision by Vita-Flex.
O. M. G.
I can't be sure if it's stopping SmartCalm, or switching from Ultium to Strategy, or the weather getting better (except we have snow again--WTF, Mother Nature? It's April!), or the new supplement, or getting brought in with a lip chain a few times, or whatever. I don't care. But he's been so GOOD when I bring him in! I've been putting a chain over his nose, just in case, but he's been fine. Which is a big change from a month ago, where a chain would get him extremely upset and make his behavior worse.
Now, he's much calmer, no spinning, no rearing, no bucking. He's not dead quiet, but he's behaving. He had one moment of "OMG what's going on?!" when a couple horses started bucking and galloping as we were walking past them, but who can blame him for that? Crossing my fingers he keeps up the good behavior!
Last night I decided to try out the $8 chambon I got from the HorseLoverz liquidation sale. As I've said before, I'm not big on gadgets, but the chambon is something I've been wanting to try because it actually rewards the horse for going down and forward. Even Sustainable Dressage doesn't really object to it.
He needs to use his butt a little more... at some point, I'll try it with poles, but his longeing isn't quite that solid yet.
About a week ago, I took him off SmartCalm Ultra. It didn't seem to do him any good, and people on COTH had commented that it made their horses worse. I figured it couldn't hurt to stop it, so I did. Thursday, he started something new--Vision by Vita-Flex.
O. M. G.
I can't be sure if it's stopping SmartCalm, or switching from Ultium to Strategy, or the weather getting better (except we have snow again--WTF, Mother Nature? It's April!), or the new supplement, or getting brought in with a lip chain a few times, or whatever. I don't care. But he's been so GOOD when I bring him in! I've been putting a chain over his nose, just in case, but he's been fine. Which is a big change from a month ago, where a chain would get him extremely upset and make his behavior worse.
Now, he's much calmer, no spinning, no rearing, no bucking. He's not dead quiet, but he's behaving. He had one moment of "OMG what's going on?!" when a couple horses started bucking and galloping as we were walking past them, but who can blame him for that? Crossing my fingers he keeps up the good behavior!
Last night I decided to try out the $8 chambon I got from the HorseLoverz liquidation sale. As I've said before, I'm not big on gadgets, but the chambon is something I've been wanting to try because it actually rewards the horse for going down and forward. Even Sustainable Dressage doesn't really object to it.
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