The Tack Auction

Sat Apr 23, 2005

Went to a cool "horse & livestock operation liquidation auction" today, despite it being 29 degrees, 30 mph winds and SNOW (Winter Storm Warning, just a dusting of accumulation though). They had a good crowd there, I never even knew the place existed...a rather small horse operation, with a smallish pole barn/"arena" (I thought the arena where I boarded was small, but you coulda fit THREE of this arena into that one), and maybe 15 box stalls, an outdoor arena, round pen, and pastures...the owners' home was a singlewide, LOL, so you can tell where she spent her money...priorities!!

Met a LOT of people I knew, that's always nice, including the owners of the barn where I used to board (Arabian show barn), they're great people, hugs all around, of course I "just happened" to have pix of Quzqo in my purse, LOL!! Happily he passed muster with those in the Know (but since Edwin Bogucki already approved of him, I didn't care!)! My farrier was there, and some people from the barn where I am presently.

They had just about EVERYthing there...from cattle chutes to Show saddles, bridles, pads, clothes, halters, tubs/buckets, horn wraps for steer ropin', everything, even an Arabian Costume!! GAH! No, I didn't get it...I was really tempted, but truthfully, what would I have done with it? Parade around out on the trails?? None of the shows in this area even have any sort of costume class. It would have looked nice though, purple satin with gold trim (even little bells!). Ah, well.

Was a good auction though, prices weren't bad but a lot of the stuff was CRAP! I missed out on buying a nice black w/white trim English headstall, I thought I was bidding on it, but I ended up with all the "stuff" that was left on the table (damned tall people in front, I couldn't SEE!!!)...so for $17.50 I got two English headstalls (just the cheekpieces/crownpieces), two English nosebands (don't match the headstalls), some GREAT English reins with rubber grips, those I can use, TWO sets of Curb Reins...anybody need any? LOL! (off to eBay once I clean them up), a neat twisted copper wire bradoon, that'll go to eBAy, Quzqo would flip over and die if I used that nasty thing on him; Some English stirrup leathers (don't need 'em), a Tie-down, a back cinch, an off-side latigo, and some NICE leather draw reins...those I can use, I suppose! Anybody need anything? LOL!

Also bought a nice shiny blue day sheet, it's got a couple of massive rips in it (like I said, a lot of the stuff was crap), but I can sew it...not bad for $5, and I'd only need it for those nights-before-the-show so somebody doesn't get poopy tummy when he sleeps! Of course when I tried it on him at the barn, it BARELY fits! GRRRGH...more of a pony sheet I guess...a good 6" of his butt hangs out the back, but it covers him on the sides/barrel, so maybe it'll work. What do ya want for $5, anyway?

And, what I thought was the BEST...TWO Arabian Show Halters!! The real deal...cable, with sterling silver ornaments, and gold throatlatch chains! $22.50 each (that's about what the throatlatch chains cost alone!!) Course when I got home and really looked at them, I see the one has missing/broken vinyl covering the noseband...shit! And the cable is frayed at the end! GRRRGH! The other one is intact except some MORON (not me) trimmed away the "excess" at the crownpiece, so it can't be adjusted any bigger than it is...which, I found out...isn't big enough!! Quzqo head isn't THAT big...I toyed with somehow cobbling up one good halter between the pair of them, but the crownpiece is riveted on on the black one, and screwed on with the red one...it's a shame, cuz the red one is so cool and would look awesome...it has gold "beads", and a gold beaded throatlatch. Of course, there's always the possibility Quzqo might lose some weight before the last weekend in July, which is our first Halter show, as far as I know. (I saw him running around on the hillsides when I walked out to get him, so with
the snow gone & no more huge hay piles to wallow in, he might just lose some weight!)

I got a third halter for a whopping dollar! It's an Arabian show halter, but for a foal or else a Mini...but I figured for a buck, I can throw it on eBay! Sadly it's in the best shape of all of them!!!

They had another show halter, all leather, with the nose chain (but no lead), that went for $67!!! Whew! They can have it. I've still got my $30 eBay one if worse comes to worse.

I also got a ziploc bag full of Halter Ornaments! All sterling silver!! They won't work with these halters, but they MIGHT work with my leather one, I'll have to investigate. Otherwise, off to eBay!

$68 total for basically a couple sets of reins, grrr.

They had some beautiful young Foundation QHs they were going to auction off, but I left before that. One was a gorgeous grulla, *sigh*, but, no thanks.

The Toddler Trail Ride

Sun Apr 17, 2005

Y'know, when you see a group going out on a trail ride with toddlers, you ASSUME they're only going out for an hour or so.

WRONG!

I'd been riding Quzqo for an hour today, then hitched up with a big group of boarders/the barn owners heading out for a fun "little" ride, just to get some trail miles on Quzqo. Not only were there two tiny kids along, but also one of the boarder Moms, let's just say she's a large woman who doesn't ride...which convinced me it was going to be short.

WRONG!!

Although we didn't do the whole 9 mile/3 hr loop, we were still gone for over 2 hours, up and down the nastiest damned hills around there, across the Scary Trail Bridge, up the rutted narrow hill, and the way back was a "short cut" which was basically brush-poppin' through the woods. Most the horses were absolute NUTCASES, Quzqo included...and I didn't have my whip and had my English Saddle (which seems to be pretty damned secure, since I didn't almost fall off once!). We were constantly trotting to keep up, if I tried to make Himself do something He didn't want, we put on a dandy little show of rearing and spinning...Thank GOD for Running Martingales, LOL, his little brown ass was MINE, even without a whip to apply to it, LOL! He couldn't get away with nuttin' cuz he couldn't get his head up to avoid the bit!

There were green horses on the ride, seasoned veterans, old fogeys (one of the tots was riding him, his bony old butt reminded me so much of Tezlu's, *sigh*, Quzqo even kicked the barn owner's horse in the ass, LOL! Later in the ride ANOTHER horse (also a grey) kicked his horse...nobody liked that horse (a HUGE bay tobiano gaited horse, very kewl but fat). Fortunately I was able to keep Quzqo from his usual blind GALLOP UP THE HILLS (love that martingale), but the little turd decided any log across the trail was for JUMPING. Well, I did have the JUMPING saddle, after all. We came to a TINY ditch, I mean, maybe 6" down, about 3 feet across...you think somebody could just walk into it and out? NOOOO, we had to put on a BIG Drama Queen spectacle then LEAP the damned thing! I didn't have time to get into a forward seat, but we made it across all the same, and impressed the others on the ride, LOL...little shit, he's got some power in that rear end of his!!

He was a moron, the other horses were morons, by the time we got back the horses were soaking wet with sweat (was a beautiful day, high 60's), everyone moaning in pain, LOL. A good time was had by all!

Gee, I wonder how it would have gone if I'da LUNGED him first...Hmmm.

AaaaghAaghAaaaagh!!!

Thu Apr 14, 2005

If anyone wonders why I'm so quiet (in real life), it's because I know if I open my mouth, I'll say something STUPID and EMBARASSING!!!!

I'm HORRID with faces and names, even though I've been at that barn for what, 8 years, there are still people there I can NOT tell you their names...they all look alike to me (I shall blame it on my head injury a few years back, LOL!)

Recently a woman who I knew and was friends with at the OLD Arabian barn where I boarded, had boarded her horses at THIS barn...she had been there years ago as well...But she's returned with her daughter's horse, so the daughter can enjoy the social life of a barn, and the mom can ride the horse as well.

I could NOT remember her name for the life of me...I thought, well, I can walk down the aisle, find her horse's stall, and see if her name is on it...didn't get around to doing that (her horse is in the new section downstairs, I don't get down there normally). Well, yesterday like a thunderbolt it hit me...her name is AMY! AMY AMY AMY!!! YES!!! AMY!!!!!

Sooo, today after work, I go out there, out into the pasture to get Quzqo, and notice a couple of people walking towards the barn leading a pale Palomino...a woman and a girl...they're a few yards behind me, talking about this one girl's horse with a deformed ear (it's neat...the eartip is folded back, so it looks like it only has half an ear)...and the woman says "Right, Sue???" I turn and laugh, yeah, I didn't think frostbite did that, I think it was born that way, etc. Then she remarks on this man riding a palomino towards the barn, and asks if I knew who it was...he's like 100 freakin' yards away, I have NO clue...we get closer, and genius me, remembering that Amy's horse is palomino, says..

"Maybe it's Amy's husband!"

THEN it hit me...I was talking WITH AMY (er, idiot, she has a PALOMINO with her!!!). God! I quickly changed to subject to how most the men who ride there look uncomfortable, and we agreed it was their anatomical differences, ha ha ha, but I tell ya, I wanted to slink away...

But then, maybe she thinks there's another "Amy" at the barn, could be possible...*gaaaaah*

I'm so freakin' embarassed...but then, maybe I'm wrong and her name ISN'T Amy, in which case I'm in the clear!!

Gads!

More Shameless Gushing

Mon Apr 11, 2005

Time for more shameless gushing over my Good Boy!

After weekend-before-last's mishaps at the riding clinic, we didn't get much of a chance to work together last weekend, mostly because it was so damned crowded at the barn, there was no ROOM to practice any sort of cantering, the arena being full (Yes, I know, it's Daylight Savings, why aren't they OUTside riding???)

BUT....this weekend was The Equine Affaire in Columbus, OH...imagine my joy and surprise when I arrive at the barn Saturday and find it EMPTY! My car the only one in the lot...the whole barn EMPTY EMPTY EMPTY!! The arenas EMPTY! It was strange...and exciting...alone....heh heh! Yep, all the Teenagers had gone down to Ohio for the day! Buh-Bye!!!

UNfortunately by the time I caught Quzqo and brought him to the barn, the large family had arrived (they are Pony Clubbers, and don't hang out with the 4-H kids, who went down south) (It's amazing the cliques that have formed in that barn among the kids...the Pony Clubbers vs the 4-H-ers vs the Popular Kids vs the Geeks...a manure-scented microcosm of any High School in America!! (or the World I imagine) (FWIW, I have the best relationships with the Geek teens, LOL! Takes one to know one!). Anyway, by the time I got done lungeing Himself, there were three kids on ponies galloping around in the arena, and the mom was setting up poles, cones and jumps!

This was also the first time I used my purchase at the Used Tack Sale last weekend...a set of SPURS! LOL! No, not some huge sharp Mexican ones encrusted with the dried blood of previous victims, no, they're rather gentle with rounded balls on the ends...believe me, I wouldn't want anything ouchie! I tried spurs with Tezlu ONCE....that's all it took...that boy did not need spurs! Quzqo, on the other hand....heh heh. Now, I did ask him NICE for things before poking him...if he didn't respond to the leg pressure, he'd get some foot pressure...if the foot pressure/side of the heel didn't get him into a trot, then I angled my feets and gave him some spur pressure! LOL, you'd think somebody goosed him, he'd SHOOT forward and trot SO smartly! I eventually hung my whip up and just rode him with spurs! Gee, they work, who'da thunk it?

Eventually the arena got so full of Ponies that I gave up, and removing the spurs and picking up the whip, we went outside, and I'm very pleased to report we completed our first successful circuit of the property fenceline since my accident in October!! Granted we only WALKED, but still...it was more for ME than anything. Not to say Quzqo wasn't a snorty freakazoid about the Scary Gates, and apparently a bunch of garbage had blown from the house up onto the trail, so there was a cardboard box and some hot dog packages that were VERY scary! And a vicious blood-thirsty ravenous BIRDIE fluttered in the underbrush which warrented a good spookfit, but once we got away from the forest and into the more open hayfield, he relaxed and even nibbled some of the 1" tall Spring Grass (cuz Mom is so good to him and let him get away with that). He did VERY well overall, I didn't die, and we all made it safely back to the barn.

Sunday was even nicer...all the 4-H kids were back from Ohio, so the place was packed...we ended up riding in the outdoor arena, which unfortunately is set up with barrels for barrel racing, poles for pole bending, cones and a jump...plus 5 horses being ridden... But Quzqo was tired from the previous day, I didn't use the spurs, but I still got him into THE sweeeeeetest
canter on Earth!!! We cantered around the entire arena! Beautiful "slow" (for an Arabian, def. slow compared to anything Tezlu did), balanced, and on his "bad" side (right lead). Plus I had his big fat eggbutt snaffle, I was soooo pleased! Granted the sand in that arena is about a foot deep, LOL, slows 'em down and wears 'em out, but that's just fine!

And we even managed to fit in a short trail ride with the barn owner and a new boarder, pretty much riding the property line, but Quzqo did VERY well, no snort-fits over the hotdog packages this time...he contemplated throwing a hissy fit when we headed off the property for a bit, (I was a bit worried because I had neither whip nor spurs with me), but luckily my heels were enough to convince him to keep following the other horses and stop being a Drama Queen.

I tell you though, that improvement in the cantering is SUCH a boost...last Fall I was able to finally get him into a short canter in the outdoor ring only after 50 feet of severe kicking...to get him balanced and to jump into a lovely balanced canter from a walk...*phew*. So nice!!!

Wonder when the first horse show is, LOL!