It’s done.

 

I’ll keep it short; I’ve sold Joey. 

I believe it was the right thing to do for him and for me – he will love his new home were he can dink around as a pleasure horse – bush bashing and larking about.  He’ll be able to mooch all he wants!

I sort of thought that I’d feel relieved.  But I don’t.  At least, if I do, it’s buried by sadness.   I didn’t expect the sadness….

I really bonded with him in a way that I haven’t bonded with a horse in a long time.  I think it’s because in his own crazy way, he did actually need me, and needed to trust me.

We had forged a bond of trust which turned out to be stronger than I realized.  And I am so very sad that we weren’t right for each other right now. 

I don’t regret selling him, I just wish it hadn’t been necessary.  I miss him. 

*sniff*

Bye.

Back in the saddle

So even though I’ve had a lot of interest in both the boys, plus a whole bunch of people that have come out to view and test ride, I have yet to sell either Joey or Copper.  Which may or may not be a bad thing – I don’t know!

The market is exceedingly sluggish at the moment as we are expecting a national election in September and no one want to take on any big expenses (horses included) until we see how that shakes down.

That means I have plenty of time to catch up on my riding apparently…  Well, sort of!  Time is in short supply these days (funny that!) but horses I have aplenty!

l knew I’d have to get back on Joey after he bucked me off – mostly for my confidence more than anything else.  I was going to take it slow, and ride Copper for a bit before hopping on Joey, but as it turns out that didn’t happen.

I have been back to see the doctor about my elbow three weeks ago, and they were really happy with the progress that was being made.  I don’t need surgery, or anything like that (yay!), but it’s still going to be 3-6 months more before my elbow is completely healed. 

That means NO FALLING on it!  Otherwise, it’s very likely to break again.  Not fun!

So that was why I was going to take it easy.  However, I had someone call up to look at Joey, and my demo rider wasn’t free, so guess who ended up riding Joey?  (>.>)

Really it was a toss up between the easier going, but less predictable ride (Joey) and the fresher, stronger, but more predictable ride (Copper).  And I ended up riding both of them.

Since then I have ridden Joey again – yesterday in fact – and he wasn’t as well behaved as the first time.  He was bucking, and trying to blow out through the outside rein at a canter, (which did nothing for my peace of mind, I can tell you!) but I was prepared for that, so never really gave him the chance to take it any further.  We did end on a good note; a forward  trot and then a short walk down the outside of the arena to finish off.

It wasn’t a long ride, but in the end I think he knew that he wasn’t going to get away with intimidating me into giving up, and that’s really important. 

I was happy with that, and I am glad I have gotten back on him, but I am more sure about selling him now.  He is just mucking around and trying to pull it over me, and I just don’t want to be dealing with that sort of brattish behavior.

I don’t get to ride often enough to really work it out of him; I don’t have the time even though I so wish I did! *sigh* 

It’s one of those awful predicaments where you sort of just have to try something new and hope it works out for the best I suppose.

At least I can know that it is definitely going to better for him to have more saddle time!  That’s a comfort.

See ya,

bonita

No big surprise.

 

And we’re back to this again.  I’m going to sell Joey.  For real this time. 

Previously when I have talked about making this move, my reasons have revolved around doubts of my ability to train him and work out our issues.  This time however, my reason for selling is a little more than that – I now have no doubts that, in time, I could train him.  Sure, I might need advice from professionals every once in a while – I might even have to pay for that advice (sending him to a trainer or something) – but I could do it.

The million dollar question is: how long is that going to take?

I guess it’s really hit home to me that Joey is a lot further away from being the horse I want than what I originally thought he was.  He’s been semi-reliable in the arena, but any thing more than that; and I do mean anything – add another horse for example – and I just don’t know what I am going to get from him.

I just don’t have time to work all of that out with him.  And frankly, at this point in my life, I don’t want to either.  I do really enjoy the challenges of training horses, and it’s been a fantastic learning experience training my first young horse.

But when I get to ride one, two – maybe three times a week if I’m lucky, you can bet your shorts that I want every ride to be a good one (within reason of course!).  I don’t want to have to wonder what I’m going to get, I just want to get on. and. ride.  

No drama, no fuss, no hassle.

And that’s definitely not Joey’s descriptor at the moment!  So our journey together comes to an end, and I’m looking forwards to my elbow healing so that I can move onto the next chapter. 

See ya,

bonita

…In which we turn and turn about

Because it seems like once I make up my mind, something happens to change it again.

As I now handle two horses and make side by side comparisons, it’s interesting how it confirms the choice I made in the first place to lease out Copper and move on to a horse with more aptitude and ability.

I was thinking to half-lease Copper out after selling Joey, but now I am wondering if it might not be more advantageous to seek a half-lease for Joey and sell Copper instead.

The reasons I have for this thinking are these:

-  Copper is still a horse that I’ve moved on from.  Though he’s quieter on the ground and less baby-ish in manners, I have been riding him, and boy, he needs work.  He hadn’t been ridden in a while, and I think that he’s lost a lot of education that he had.  Poor riding position on the part of the rider I leased him too, and perhaps something more.  I’m not sure yet, but it’s work time for him!

Still, even with the work I know I need to put him into him to improve him again – I can feel the limitations he has – conformation-wise, mentally, and definitely background training.

-  Why half-lease Copper when I could half-lease Joey?  Yes, I have already thought of this, and yes, I had previously dismissed the idea because I thought it would be too hard to find a rider that would work with Joey.  But I realized that even if I was to lease Copper instead of Joey, I’d still want to share him with a rider that wasn’t going undo my work; i.e. – someone up to my level anyway; so why shouldn’t I do that with the horse I really want?!

-  Copper is Copper – he’s just as much work in his own way as Joey is.  Go figure!  I think I haven’t realised that until today after riding them both, one after the other.  Guess who was the better behaved?  

Well, you’re not wrong if you guess Joey! 

Long dissertation over, congrats if you managed to stick with it this far!
So what actually happen on the rides today? 

I lunged Joey first – he had a bit of a humpy back, so there where a few bucks in there…  I was like, oh.  Bother.  Still, I hopped on anyway, and gee – it really isn’t wasn’t a big deal.   

He got a little stuck up in front when I ask for trot circles – I forgot that he likes to move out when first trotting so I switched to an X pattern across the diagonal with half 20m circles on either end.
I got a lovely soft trot on the long lengths by pushing my seat forward and encouraging him to move up with his back end and loosen up his back, by the end of it, he was moving forward into the contact.  It was awesome!

It was a long frame – very beginner, but ohmygoodness!  He was connected, through, soft in hand – he felt like he was at the start of something, and I loved it.

Copper….  Well.  Humph.   Sure, he’s had time off, but eep!  What a mess. 
: P   He was as skittery as a rabbit in the grass, one touch of the leg (and I mean that literally – I couldn’t even settle my legs on his sides without him jumping like a crazy roo!) and we were off!  Walk wanted to be trot; so we worked on slowing that down, then trot wanted to be canter aannddd…  it was.

On the upside Copper has a lovely balanced canter in him now that he didn’t have before.  Downside; he also has a buck in him that he didn’t have before!

So we worked on establishing trot and when we got that on both reins it was time to finish for the day.  Whew.  Fun times, but I’ll be glad when I’m back to one wee beastie, not the both of them.

See ya,
bonita

And then there were two...

This is just a quick note to say - I've got Copper back!

Nope, it was not planned, and yes, it really is inconvenient at this point in time.  *sigh* I still have to sell Joey, but can't at the moment as he came up lame in the paddock the other week as is taking a while to heal. Now I have two horses to deal with and I'm not sure what to do!

I do plan to ride Copper as long as I can, but after that I guess I'll have to see.  I was going to sell him to the person that was leasing him - I thought that they were a good match, but that's not happening now, so I have to decide whether to sell or keep Copper.

Part of this decision making involves certain things that have happened at the riding school which I am not very pleased about - I won't go into details, but I do feel like they've been a bit rude and just kind of manhandled me a bit.  Sort of in a "Do as I say and don't cause any trouble or else... And by the way, we are awesome for doing this, so you'd better be grateful!"

Um...  Hello?  I'm supposed to be training as an instructor - that doesn't make me a 14 year old junior that is so happy to have anything to do with horses that they'd put up with any kind of treatment to do what they love.  I'm an adult, and I'd really prefer it if you'd treat me that way.  I work hard for you, and one day I'll be an valuable employee...  But only if you LET me get that far.  Pfft.  Not happy Jan.

'Neways, that was a bit of a sidetrack, but it is related.  I'm not going to be getting as much riding there as I thought I was, so now I am even more stuck as what to do with Copper.  Unlike Joey, does not do well with a patchy riding schedule, Copper is quite level headed and easy going, plus he doesn't break easily {for a horse!} and he is a good doer.  Standies are great like that.  Which means if I was going to keep a horse during this rather hectic and crazy time of life, Copper would probably be it.

Yeah.  This isn't going to be an easy decision.  Especially as the Hubby has gotten rather used to the idea of having the extra money and time available that is currently getting sucked up by the ponies and is quite fond of being a-for-the-time-being horse-free family.  He'd support me either way, but I know he's keen for me to sell them both.

Stuck again.  Ohwell, I guess I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it I suppose.  In the meantime, I can enjoy my pony again!  Yay!

See ya,
bonita

Hard Decisions

 

Some riders are very lucky to never have to face this, but all to often it’s a place I end up coming to – to sell or not to sell.  I’m not sure if it’s because we tend to have a history of passing horses on in our family.  When you have five to three people sharing the same horse, it’s really hard to find one that suits everyone, so after three or four years with us, we’d sell them on, usually far better educated then when we brought them, and for a much higher price! 

Sort of like a long-term dealer I suppose…  Anyway, back to my present situation.  I’ve decided to sell Joey. 

I’ve actually been putting off this decision for at least a month now – not willing to admit that for the moment, my life circumstances will simply not allow him to fit in.  There are also some financial logistics that are rearing their ugly head, but it’s mainly life. 

We are expecting our second baby around the end of March next year.  That means I am currently three and 3/4 months pregnant, and that I haven’t ridden Joey at all for at least three months.  And I don’t see how I will be able to work him consistently any time soon.

I was considering finding another rider to help train him – not a lease, but kind of a co-ownership.   Though honestly, at this stage though I can’t really see that happening.  I’ve inquired around, but there aren’t really any experienced riders that are interested in training up a green 4 and a half year old that don’t already have their hands full with their own mounts.

I also considered just giving him a year off, but this is where the finances came into play.  We can afford to keep him, but it’s not really worth it when he’s just eating the money.  And, again, I’m not even sure how long it would take for me to get back into riding with a just under two year old and a new baby.  Then, once I can ride the logistics (there’s that word again..) of what to do with said babies while riding is some other headache altogether!

I have been supremely blessed as my husband has been working from home the last two years and that meant that basically I could go for a ride whenever I wanted, as long as it didn’t interfere with his work too much. I’d just leave the baby with him, and swan home when I was finished.  He is talking about a new job however, so that means that in the foreseeable future, I’d have to manage the children – find a babysitter or something, or find a way to ride in the am before hubs is off to work.  Neither options really seem like a go at the moment. 

Particularly when you consider that I’ve had about roughly one and half years riding before falling pregnant with baby number two (not including months off for mastitis and any other numerous aliments that have come my way), and there’s every likely possibility that that might be happening again any number of times within the next however many years!

*sigh* 

All of which, compounded by the stress and guilt I feel over not having enough energy to go and look after him, let alone exercise him (thank you all-day-long morning sickness!) has finally brought me around to the realization that Joey is just not the right horse for me at the moment, and I am not the right owner for him.  Let’s not even go into the “feeling like I am giving up/failing him” department and leave it at that.

What has to be, has to be.  While I feel some release over the resolution to a problem that has been bothering me for months now, I also feel a great deal of sadness.  I really like Joey, he has taught me a lot and I really wish I could have had a better chance to bring out the potential in him.  I also feel a bit… Relieved somehow.  I have sort of had a niggling doubt as to whether he was the horse for me all along.  Maybe I sort of knew we would never fit together.  He needs time I just don’t have. 

I know I could keep Joey, but ultimately, that’s not the best thing for him.  I can ride him, I can train him.  He’s come along quite well in the few months I have been able to work him.  He’s calmed down, he’s learnt to trust me and we’ve been building on that.  He’s taught me a lot about training young horses, and stretched me a lot as a rider.  Unfortunately life circumstances – his and mine! – mean that we have to part ways now. 

I’m okay with that.  

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”   ― Ernest Hemingway ”     

See ya,

bonita

New boy on the block ~ Joey

So.  I found a new horse.  

His name is Joey {I’ve already thought of a show name for him:  High Boy}, he’s a 4 year old TB x Appaloosa ~ which is a bit of odd mix, but seems to work in his case. 

He’s got quite decent conformation, and he’s reasonably good looking, although his head is a bit of the worst from both worlds ~ an Appy foundation eye and TB goofy ears!  But then again, I am fairly fussy about a horse’s head.  ; )   He’ll never be a pretty boy, but he has some of the smoothest gaits I have ever sat on!  It’s like floating on a cloud!

He’s really intelligent, picks up on stuff really quickly and I like how calm he is.  He has a looooong way to go; he is a green as grass as he has only been saddle broke and that’s about it.  He doesn’t know how to bend and is really stiff and unbalanced, but I love the challenge of training horses, so I have taken him on a month’s trial to see how he goes. 

I definitely think he has potential, but I don’t know that he’ll make the cut as a dressage prospect.  He has the movement and the conformation, but if I can’t get him interested in it, I’ll be in trouble.  I think he’s one of those smart cookies that if their brains aren’t engaged they just go ‘deadhead’ horse.   So we’ll see I guess.  I do like him though, so I hope he works out!

See ya!

bonita

Potential buys and a few thoughts

I have seen two horses so far on my quest to find the right mount for me, a mare and a gelding.  I know that I probably have a long way to go before I do find the perfect horse {my instructor said that she saw a good 30 horses before she found her current one} but I have fairly high hopes for the next one considering that it was actually recommended to me. 

Anyway, some thoughts on the two I just saw:

The mare was advertised as an Andalusian type but seriously?  She looked like a TB.  It was another case of a horse turned out in the paddock and never looked at. 

She was ribby, skinny and not just ‘in paddock condition’ ~ I wouldn’t be surprised if she had a belly fully of worms because the grass was up around her hocks but she was still so thin.  Her feet were ridged and bumpy; a classic sign of malnutrition.  Like the picture below, although her toes weren’t turned up:

 

Still, she had a pretty face and sweet look about her.  She also had really nice clean legs.  Unfortunately the clincher for me was that she was lame.  Not badly, but enough to notice on the lounge rein.  Apparently she did something to herself four months ago when she got out of her paddock.  They found her wandering around on the road{!} and she’d strained something. 

After four months of paddock rest ~ she’s not going to get better by herself.  The sad thing about it is that I reckon it’d only take a quick visit from the chiropractor to fix her as I suspect she’s just got her left hip or pelvis out of joint.  Nothing serious, such a quick fix, but it still hasn’t been done. 

I so wish I could have taken her: I really liked the look of her, and she seemed sensitive, but I think if you took the time to earn her trust she would really preform for you.  I told them to call me if they got her fixed up and she came up sound, but I have a funny feeling I’ll never hear from her owner again which sucks.  At one time she was with someone who loved her and had trained her well.  She knew what she was doing.  It’s such a waste, but I really don’t know what I can do in that sort of situation. I can’t afford to take the risk on her or I totally would have…    *sigh*

The next fellow was again in paddock condition, but he was shiny, healthy and happy.  He was a seven year old TB x QH; very quite.  He had the TB head and the QH neck and haunches.  He was quiet and had REALLY good brakes!  

He didn’t really strike me as a performance horse though, and I don’t think we really clicked.  He was too sluggish and just didn’t seem interested.  I don’t know if he’d pick up with consistent work, but as the owner didn’t want to trial him{which I understand, but there are ways to make that work} so I can’t really judge. 

And he didn’t have the greatest conformation ~ his left fore turned out slightly, so his movement was a bit weird from the front at a trot and I am pretty sure he has downhill conformation {ie ~ his croup is higher than his whither} which means it’s harder for him to get his hindquarters underneath him.  Like so:

Apparently that is quite common among the QH ~ downhill conformation is not necessarily a drawback in Western riding.  However, good collection is essential for any level of dressage or show jumping so I personally found it pretty easy to nix him on that count, and then add the backward type personality and well, he’s not the boy for me. 

So on with the hunt; which is fine with me.  : )

See ya!

bonita

P.S ~  This thread puts it nicely concerning conformation and the downhill-uphill differences.

It's rather a matter of horses for courses. A downhill built horse is designed more for short sprints, quick turning on the hind quarters, sudden stops (not the reining kind the one where they bounce around on their front legs in the oh so attractive and comfortable way, lol). However they will sustain more concussion on their front legs, and often suffer more from both interarticular and periarticular ring bone. Downhill built horses are good for short distance racing, cutting, sporting etc. However for the "English" disciplines it's going to fall short.

A horse built uphill will be lighter and more balanced, less likely to fall on the forehand and there is noticeably less concussion on the front legs. The reason a downhill horse will have less balance is because horses naturally have about 60% - 40% to 75% - 25% of weight ratio front to back (meaning the front legs carry more weight naturally) so imagine trying to lift this and shift the centre of balance back off it, it'll be substantially harder. A horse that's built uphill will have more ability to place it's centre of gravity back and "sit on it's haunches" during high levels of collection. A horse built uphill will also have an advantage in the show jumping ring because they're already angling up and find it easier to lift their front end out of the way. A reining horse will also benefit from an uphill conformation because it's easier to drop their hind quarters and tuck under themselves while lifting the front end out of the way.

So depending on what you want to do the conformation that is ideal will vary. Because I ride English I'd never consider a downhill built horse because it just doesn't work for what I want to do. But if I was cutting or a sporter then it'd be different.

…Changes

Unfortunately, not of the flying kind, because here’s the deal.  As much as I love Copper, he’s not the horse for me any more.  He has taught me a lot and together we’ve come quite a long way, but due to no fault of his own, I’ve out grown him and now I have to move on.

It really boils down to nothing less than his breeding and his movement.  You see, Copper is the perfect Standardbred.  Sound as a bell, sensible, quiet, works hard, goes forever, easy to catch, shoe, float, handle, so much more.  In fact he’s the epitome of the Standardbred breed according to my instructor and therein lies the rub. 

He’s never going to be a dressage horse.  It basically slapped me in the face when I went to the Gooroman Park competition, but Copper is just not suited to dressage, or for that matter, show jumping either.  He could go a lot further in show jumping than dressage, but our 55.88% score on the Prep 2 test?  I don’t know that we could do much better than that.  At least, not without a ton more work. 

See, I could keep training Copper; but I would have to pour three times as much money and time into him to get him to the average standard, and in that time I could be training another horse and bringing it to a brilliant standard. Plus, I could do all that and we might never get past Preliminary dressage anyway as he most likely cannot produce an extended gaits, seeing as he can barely track up with his hind{ie ~ hind feet coming under his body to step on the tracks that his front feet leave}.

To sum it all up, Copper is good for what he is, but what he is isn’t good enough.  So I am endeavouring to lease him out{because weak, soft girl that I am I can’t bear to sell him…} to a home that will appreciate his wonderful pleasure horse skills.  : )


And in the mean time I am on the hunt for a new dressage/show jumping/possibly cross country prospect.  Wish me luck!

See ya!

bonita