Book Critique And Thoughts On Boarders

Tue Nov 23, 2004

Just for yucks I was reading one of those old "Favorite Horse Stories" books from 1962 or 1957 or whenever (hardcover, for 10 yr olds)...I think it was "The Buckskin Colt". They had their pasture done in barbed wire, and the colt paniced over being separated from the hero of the story, and when the kid came home from school he found the colt tangled up in barbed wire, cut and bleeding and gashed and crippled, and of course the whole "Brave child sitting up nights with the injured equine hero" scenario ensued...but the attitude of the boy's parents was that "That'll teach that horse to not run through a fence!" U-huh. I guess attitudes HAVE changed.

The colt's dam died giving birth to him, and although she was supposed to be a dear old pony mare that the boy loved, he sure seemd to have no problem when he found her dead with the newborn foal laying next to her...they just took the foal home and as far as the reader knows, that poor old mare is still out there, being picked at by crows and coyotes, *sigh*.

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The joys of a boarding stable...people drag their horses in from the pasture, tack 'em up (brushing? grooming??), jump on and start bombing around the arena (inside or out)...galloping the hell out of the horses, yanking on their faces, when they're done, they put 'em back outside all sweaty...and they wonder why they have trouble catching their horses the next time.

There's a new family there with a pretty red dun QH, ridden by a tiny girl (I think she's around 10, but very tiny), the dad LOOKS like a cowboy type (jeans, handlebar mustache, lol), but so far they've only ridden that horse with a halter & two lead ropes snapped to the rings...and the halter is very loose on the horse, so when the girl pulls back on the "reins", the noseband is up by the poor horse's eyes. Sheesh. And no, she doesn't ride well, doesn't steer well (how CAN she with that get-up), the horse almost walked out of the arena with her the other day (they removed the fencing from one end, so it's open into the stall areas)(that's where the cattle/ropin' chute goes). Makes ya wonder.

And Sunday another new lady was lunging a BIG QH in the indoor arena, and that horse did NOT know how to lunge, did NOT want to BE lunged, wanted NOTHING to do with that woman, he kept rearing and backing away or just turning and barging off in any direction, basically dragging the woman with him...it was funny until he headed towards where I had Quzqo tied up (I was brushing him in the aisleway) and proceeded to rear and barge sideways right by the rail...poor Coos didn't know what he was to do, I was worried that idiot horse would crash right through the rails... I mean, come on, there's a perfectly good round pen OUTside...get a lunge whip (she had none) and go out there. *sigh*.

I often say I enjoy being at a boarding stable because of the social interaction. I guess that could include some big brown horse crushing me and my horse to death.

Best Laid Plans Of Horses and Women

Sun Nov 14, 2004

Funny how you plan one thing and something else entirely comes along!!

I abused Quzqo as usual this afternoon, lunging his brains out in the soft dirt of the outdoor arena, got him sweaty and huffing and puffing...considering it was hard to get him to canter, he sure seems to have the energy NOW! I suspect a summer of good grass and grain has something to do with it.

Anyway two adult boarders were dinking around on their horses in the outdoor arena (one woman has an Arabian mare who is (color-wise) the near-spitting image of Cusco...fewer fleabites and no dapples though)(lot taller and longer, but a very pretty head)...they finished riding about the time I finished lunging Himself...I brought him indoors and began tacking him up, figuring I'd just walk him around inside, do some bending exercises or whatever... But then the ladies had to say "Want to come on a trail ride with us, Sue??"

I did make them promise it'd be walking...no cantering or trotting if at all possible..heck, I wasn't even sure I'd be able to get up on the horse, much less trail ride! But I figured with two other people along it would be all right.

And it was, we had a very nice late-afternoon ride down the road to visit a mutual friend (she used to have 4 horses boarded there all summer, finally they moved into their new farmstead, VERY nice place)(hubby is a pharmacist, makes good $ it it shows!). Quzqo behaved admirably, like his "old self"...I'm sure being lunged into the ground beforehand helped a lot! Actually he behaved better than the other two horses...the Arabian mare was constantly jiggyjoggy trottrottrot and was waaay up ahead of us, the other horse, a QH, was spooking at this and worried about that and fearful of the other thing...but other than flinching whenever we heard gunfire (deer season does begin tomorrow after all), Quzqo did VERY well...made no effort to run off or even act up!! Ah, yes, it'd be SOOO easy to slip into that complacency again...u-huh.

For the record, it hurt like HELL to ride... the ole back muscles aren't healed up yet, that's obvious. We did have to do some trotting, I posted, and every time I came down in the saddle, OUCH!! Eventually I just stood in the stirrups if we had to trot...less pain that way.

I'm glad he did well though, I'm glad I did as well as I did (I'm paying for it now, OW!! Where's the heat pad!)...think we both earned a day off tomorrow.

Quzqo Haiku

Fri Nov 5, 2004

Quzqo runs away
Flies like the wind, Then turns left;
Suzanne doesn't turn.

-Jackie Huey

Sweet Little Horsie Kisses

Mon Nov 1, 2004

My brother came by this afternoon and gave me a lift to the barn so I could get my car...between the Excedrin and an intimate relationship with my heating pad, I was able to manage pretty well. We had to go see the perp, er, horse, as my brother hasn't met him yet. Luckily Quzqo was sort of in-close in the pasture, and when he saw us coming, he walked down the aisle way of the pasture to greet us! And after some initial pats and pets, he was content to walk between us back to the gate, no halter or rope. My brother was astonished at how tiny Quzqo is...I think part of my problem yesterday WAS the shorter distance from horse back to ground, I didn't have enough time for my butt to make it to the ground first as is my usual falling-from-a-horse strategy, LOL.

Other than being encrusted in mud and filth, Quzqo was all Mr. Cutie-Pie, all nuzzles and big brown eyes and coy little looks and little lippy-action, awww, how sweet (grrrrr). I brushed his body anyway (I can in NO way bend down to brush his belly or legs, forget picking hooves too!!), and he was so good he got a kiss between the nostrils. Soft fuzzy nose!

At least all the walking & stuff made my back feel better, it's only when I'm sitting around for any length of time it gets hurty, ha!

He was still a snot when I put him in his stall, forgetting any manners because the grain was in his bucket...O, he has got SUCH an appointment in the round pen, it won't be funny...

FOR SALE: 6 Yr Old Arabian Gelding - CHEAP!!!

Mon Nov 1, 2004

Lessons learned:
-ALWAYS lunge your horse before riding.
-NEVER trust a horse...EVER

Long-story short, took Quz on a trail ride, got him trotting along the fenceline, he did so good, I thought "let's try a little cantering"...to his credit he went RIGHT into a canter....which instantly turned into a full-blown grab-the-bit GALLOP, to hell with the human on his back! We galloped about 1/4 mile or so, up and down hills, my attempts to turn him into any sort of circle failed miserably...we were heading right for my farrier's pasture/electric fence, he started to slow, and suddenly SHOT to the left...I flew off to the right and landed FLAT on my back.

Excruciating pain in my back, hearing galloping hoof beats receding into the distance...I could scarcely breath, but managed to roll over to my side and dig my cell phone out of my coat pocket (luckily I didn't land on that)...only to discover I hadn't put the barn's phone # in the address book...I figured well, Quzqo will return to the barn, they'll know something happened and come looking for me, worse comes to worse I could call my brother, as I lay there in the grass, staring up at the mockingly blue sky.

LUCKILY this basically happened in my farrier's back yard, his wife and daughter JUST happened to be in the back sunroom, saw a white horse galloping up the hill, noticed it was riderless with a saddle hanging down its side (!), then I guess the daughter saw me laying in the grass...they both came running out...there was no way I could walk anywhere, I couldn't even sit up (I could move my legs and arms though, first thing I checked, you bet!).

The mom brought her van down and they got me into the passenger seat, and with a quick stop back at the barn to get my purse from the car, she drove me into town to the emergency room. It was frighteningly strange, riding from her house to the barn...everything got VERY bright and white and sound became muffled and distant...normally when I pass out, things go grey...I had trouble breathing, and the pain in my back was extraordinary...but we got the seat to recline and things came back to normal...thank God, I was worried for a second there.

They did a bunch of X-rays of my back at the ER, and happily nothing is broken or cracked! Thank GOD! Basically they sent me home with advice on a hot pad & Excedrin/Motrin, gee, thanks guys, but it was worth it to know nothing was broken.

So here I sit, home from work today, in a fair amount of pain but a lot better than even last night, I can at least lift my feet when I walk and no longer almost pass out from the pain. When we were driving away from the barn to the hospital, the Farrier's daughter and another girl were walking along the front of the pasture, leading Mr. Hot Shit "I like to run!" Quzqo ...GRRRRGH.

My brother will be coming by this afternoon to give me a ride to the barn to get my car, which has been there all night...I imagine I can handle driving that short distance, I'll be hopped up on Excedrin enough by then.

Needless to say, when I get feeling better/recovered, Mr. Quzqo and I are
going to have long and meaningful discussion about our relationship. }:-/

Quzqo Goes Solo

Mon Oct 25, 2004

I had tried to organize another trail ride yesterday afternoon, but apparently other people are pussies who didn't want to brave the overcast sky, light drizzle, and temps in the low 50's. Wah wah wah, we can only ride if it's blue sunny sky, wah wah. Phooey!

So, thankfully I'm at a stage now that I felt safe taking Quzqo out by myself (Yes, had my cell phone with me)... It had rained very heavily the day before, so I couldn't use the round pen to get the piss & vinegar off of him (flooded), couldn't lunge him in the indoor arena, as it too was flooded (no roof on the barn!!!), and the outdoor arena was also flooded. So...something I'd NEVER have done with Tezlu (in his younger days)...I just tacked Quzqo up and hit the trail!

He was in NO mood to go out by himself, and was lollygagging, dragging, swerving, balking, meandering, oozing backwards, just about everything BUT walk in a straight line away from the barn/other horses, but between my heels and Mr. Whip, we eventually made it up to the dirt road that leads to the State Forest trails. He was VERY tentative up there, as there's a large collie mix that runs loose..but she's as old as the hills and can barely bark...he wasn't too worried about her, just being Alone I think.

A car came by and passed us slowly, he was fine with that. Made it down the hill and into the woods...he crept along, looking at everything but where he was going...almost went into a couple of trees, he was so busy rubbernecking, LOL! We had one spook incident (I scarce would call it a "spook", more of a "startle"), over WHAT I don't know. We crossed the paved road all right, THAT was a worry spot for me, as when we rode with other horses, he would try to barge across the road to catch up, never mind if a car was coming. Nope, he stood patiently while traffic went by, waiting for my cue to proceed, good boy!

He did startle at some distant gunshots, and jumped when we saw a large dog up ahead on the trail...looked like a Blue Heeler to me, but it was moving away from us, and kept on going. Fine with me!

When we got to the long, flat open dirt road, we got some good trotting done...he was ready to expend some of that energy of his! That boy CAN move when he wants to...the rest is just downright laziness I'm sure! When we got to the end of the road, we did a little backing up (three steps!!!) (I had a noseband on him, that may have helped since he couldn't gape his mouth wide open to avoid backing), turned around, and headed back. You can bet his pace quickened. I even got him into a VERY nice canter (right lead...I'm trying to remember to cue him with either leg...Tez NEVER wanted to canter on his right lead, so I was used to automatically cueing for a left lead), and I can't hardly express how WONDERFUL it was to ride a soft, balanced, CONTROLLED canter...with loose reins even!!! (and a SNAFFLE!!). Tez was a wonderful soul, but by God he was hell on hooves when it came to that third gait!! It was SO nice to not fear for my life, and just enjoy (ENJOY) a lovely canter! Now he wasn't lopin' along like a WP Showhorse, he was doing a pretty good clip, but still, at no time did I feel like I lost control!! I was surprised that I had to ask him to slow down when we got near our turn-off...considering the last time it was a chore to keep him GOING (but I had run the P&V out of him before that trail ride...he had the energy this time!)

A very uneventful ride, gone maybe 4-5 miles round trip I think...and despite the clouds and the drizzle, the Fall colors were BEAUTIFUL (this past weekend was supposed to be "the peak" for this area)...those wussy saps who didn't go sure missed out on a treat!!

He was pretty sweaty when we got back, but his fur is about an inch long, ready for Winter. And yaaaawning, LOL, he was plumb tuckered out, poor boy! Good, he needs it!!

Wish I felt better today, it's a beautiful sunny WARM day out, perfect for a trail ride...but then, my luck my boss would be driving down the road and see me riding or something, LOL!

More Mindless Adorations of My Horse

Sun Oct 17, 2004

What WON'T that horse do???

All this talk about bitless bridles and riding with halters got me inspired, and since Quzqo was acting very "I don't wanna do anything" this afternoon (I think it's the weather...high of 40, constant rain & wind, the horses were inside all day), I snapped a pair of split reins to his halter, and rode him thus!

He did VERY good, but I didn't notice any additional "softness" or rounding compared to riding with the snaffle...his stops were just as nice, his steering was just as bad (lol)...but it did help remind me to use my legs and seat more than my hands...he's getting real good at responding to leg and seat bone pressure lately..thank goodness!

Tried backing him, and the first time he tucked his head and backed right up two steps!! Huzzah! But that was a fluke, because from then on he wasn't having anything to do with it and was acting a big a dork as if he had a bit in his mouth...raising his head, refusing to back, hollowing his back, resentfully stepping half a step MAYBE, LOL. Eh, we'll work on it.

BUT...the Big Thing...CANTERING! Yes, I got him cantering!!! A sharp jab with the outside heel, inside rein lain across the neck, shift the weight, and away he goes! He got so worked up with the repeated cues that he started taking off without me asking him to, LOL!! Not bad with no bit!

Now I'm wondering if I should buy a bitless bridle...Hmmm....

It got more interesting when we went outside (40 degrees, 20 mph winds, light drizzle) for a quickie trail ride. I use a 5 gallon bucket as a mounting block, got up on him, he started moving and knocked the bucket over, flipping it right-side up...and promptly (don't ask me HOW) stuck his right foreleg IN the bucket! We stood there, the horse with a leg in a bucket...calm, quiet, not the least bit concerned. I moved him forward, he stepped OUT of the bucket and away we went! LOL!

Wish someone had a camera, that woulda been a picture!

And yes, Quzqo is STILL an Arabian. Hard to believe some times!

I did get him cantering out along the fenceline for a couple hundred yards! Uphill...Okay, I did chicken out and put his bridle on for the trail ride, he was having a little trouble slowing down with the halter inside, call me timid, I won't deny (okay, how about "cautious", that's a better term)

My farrier was at the barn, working his horses, and complemented (in a left-handed fashion) about what a nice horse Quzqo is...this is the guy who called Tezlu "The Old Turd" mind you...guess Quzqo has been perfectly angelic with him as well, for trimming & shoeing...good to keep on the farrier's good side after all!

Oh, yes, his lameness of yesterday had disappeared...thank goodness!