Last Weekend's Ride

I've been meaning to get these pics posted for several days, but things have been hectic here (DH home with a sprained ankle, gorgeous weather keeping me busy outside, etc.), so I'm a little slow.

Last weekend we took a really nice ride into the dune plantation across the road. We started out with DH on Ria and me on Quintas. With all her pain issues involved, Ria has been a lot more energetic and eager on rides. Unfortunately she also has been acting up some the couple times I've ridden her alone. We additionally want to get her trained for one-handed riding, which DH is more experienced with doing. So I asked DH to ride her some to do the training and see how she behaved. She behaved fine and is making good progress on the training.

For once I actually remembered to get the camera out of my pocket and take pics on the trail. Unfortunately, not all of them came out very well (as in most of those I took of DH).

We rode through the woods and out to the road that headed to the "stenslet" (I don't know how to translate slet. It is an open area that has a combination of stone and sand on the bottom. Very desert-like in some ways). I'd been out the road to the stenslet but hadn't ridden into it before. It is gorgeous out there!

You see that sandy area out in front of us in that last picture? When we got there, Quintas suddenly shook herself really hard. Just as I was recovering from that (I've never had a horse shake when I was riding before), she started getting down on her knees to roll in the sand! We got her up again and nothing happened, but it sure did freak me out plenty.

So we hurried to swap horses back because I was somewhat disturbed by that one. Of course she didn't do any of it for DH. But it did give us something to laugh about once I was over being freaked out.

Ria sure does shine really pretty in the sun! I am riding in my roping saddle, by the way. The first one I bought for it that ended up not fitting and the seller refused to take it back despite her promise to do so if it ended up not fitting after she was trained. But since I sit way better in it than in the second one I bought, I guess I ended up a little lucky anyway.

I had some trouble that day because we had to take my stirrup turners off temporarily. To make the long explanation short and understandable to non-horse people, Ria is being retrained from having a very stiff right side using the CorrecTOR so I need to adjust my stirrups crooked for the process to work. I am pretty short so already needed my stirrups close to the last hole to have the right length with the turners in, making it impossible to adjust them properly for this. So we took the turners off so the length was right. This is painful for my knees. Since then, we've soaked the fenders in water and twisted them hard with a stick in them, so they should be more comfortable next time even without the turners. But I am looking forward to getting her retrained so I can have them back.

Back to the story of the ride...

From the stenslet, we rode back towards home along the stream (Knasborg Å).

It was really a great ride and I think all four of us enjoyed it. I was very happy to see that Ria's hooves are enough improved for her to be comfortable walking and even JOGGING on gravel. This is great progress and proof that our do-it-ourselves farrier project was a good idea.

Feeding Daisy and the Rest of the Herd

 

Winter is coming fast and Daisy is already showing signs of its approach. For anyone who doesn't know, Daisy is DH's 23-year-old Oldenburg mare. The picture here is an old one, but it's our favorite. Bryan doesn't ride Daisy very often anymore because she hasn't been doing well with long rides. She enjoys the occasional trip to the beach and that's about it.

The point is that Daisy's getting very thin and that is a very bad sign.We noticed when we brought them home from the summer pasture this weekend that she was really showing signs of her age. We agreed that I would go out every day and feed herto try to get some weight back on her before the cold really hits.

We expected this to be a hard winter for her. We had gone out about a month ago and bought a special food for her, that is designed for horses that have a little troublekeeping weight on, whether they are breeding or are old. Luckily for us, she seems to love her new food.

When I fed Monday, she gave me a bit of trouble. This would be the first time for her to go into the box in many year and she was not liking the idea. I ended up feeding her at her usual trough and fighting to keep the other three horse off her food the entire time. That was both unpleasant and painful for me.

So Monday night DH went out and taught Daisy to go in the box. He ended up feeding the rest of the herd while he was there.

Tuesday I went out to feed only Daisy again. She went willingly into the box and was eager to eat. But then the other three started fighting in the shed, trying to be as close to Daisy as possible and unhappy about the lack of feed for them. I drove them out of the shed, shut them out, and went and gave them hay. The result was that Daisy refused to eat until they were back inside and even then she was uneasy, wanting to know what was outside. AARGH!

Last night our favorite fruit and vegetable man came by with some stuff he couldn't sell for us. Mostly carrots and apples on the verge of being too old. So DH went over with that stuff and to feed Daisy and ended up feeding hte whole herd again.

When he got back in, we made a new deal for the near future. If the whole herd needs to eat once a day now, let me feed them so there is no fighting and hassle. He agreed. This is new for me--DH has always stood for horse feeding. Our feeding method is complicated with several different feeds and supplements to mix and he would adjust it based on exercise level and weather. Now that responsibility is mine--if I can handle it.

It went really well today. Ria (QH mare, around 7, proper name Borregos Maria) got the new box spot because it has a section of concrete on the floor. That lets the messy pig clean up all the food she throws all over. Because she tends to fatten easily, she also gets less feed than everyone else. Having her in the box keeps her from getting as annoying with her neighbors because they have more food and eat more slowly than she does. Ha!

This picture, by the way, is from this summer when she was on the pony pasture with Tanja, the fat shetland pony, for both of them to slim down a bit. She looks GREAT that way but is already bulking up a bit from having free access to hay in the past few weeks.

Quintas (paint mare, 4, proper name Quintas Cold Cash) came home from the trainer looking very fit and trim. Since the typical Danish wind and rain (and early dusk) keep us from riding as much as we'd like, this won't last long. But she still needs some feed now because there is so little on the pasture and the cold nights are coming fast (2 hard frosts already!!).

These pictures are from DH's first ride on Quintas after she came home from the trainer. The helmet was a concession to my concerns that we didn't know how she'd react with nearby cows, lots of on and off fitting the saddle on "The CorrecTOR" and a good bit of wind. He minds the helmet much more than he minds the safety vest. The CorrecTOR does its job excellently, BTW, and  makes his saddle fit her perfectly. I don't think we had it adjusted right in the first picture--his feet are farther forward than he usually has them riding. Another day we had taken a good length trail ride on our two and you couldn't even tell where the saddle had been on Quintas except for the slight smudge from the leather grease on the girth strap.

 

Our final large horse is Tracy (solid-bred Paint, 2, Miss Tracy King). I am ashamed to admit that this is the best pic I can find of her on my laptop. I swear DH went out one day this summer and took awesome pics of all of them, but I can't find those pics on my laptop.

Anyway, Tracy is a young two, being a late-in-the-year foal. She is still growing, probably, so needs plenty to eat. She seems to have a great temperament and we love how she moves. We hope she might end up being an even better riding horse for me than Ria because she doesn't have the sensitive feet and tendencies to pudginess that Ria has.

So, with these different needs, feeding really is quite an interesting job. The basis for all of them is whole oats. But I have to mix the leftover oats from last year with the new oats from this year. Ria only gets a small portion because of her weight issues.

To the oats for Daisy, we add some wheat. It should help her put weight on. She can't have barley because it makes her legs swell. Daisy also gets a glucosamin supplement that we are trying for the first time to see if it helps her move better and feel better. A dose of "Shy Feeder B" encourages her to eat. She also has the special gain-weight food I mentioned above. It is a mix of a bunch of different things, so we tend to think of it like a musli.

Ria has a special Musli of her own too. It is designed for ponies and other horses that gain weight easily. Part of the point is that it should have a long chew time, keeping her occupied with less feed.

Quintas and Tracy aren't left out on musli. They have a normal one with lots of herbs in it. Daisy gets some of that one too. Those three also get a type of melasses that is mixed with wheat bran. It is much cheaper and less messy than liquid melasses. We tried liquid last year but it didn't work well. They didn't really like it. We manage to keep water liquid many times by putting it in the shed, so don't need liquid for that either (that's what my mom did for the sheep when I was growing up).

Then all of them get the main vitamin supplement and hoof supplement, although Ria is the one most in need of the latter. We also use some kind of soy product that I don't know how to translate. Also not exactly sure why, but they like it.

Sound complicated enough for everyone? We had tried a full feed two winters ago, but none of them did well on it. They tended to turn up their noses at it.

Oh, I forgot to mention the green pellets that are basically a pressed grass. They look like giant rabbit food pellets. They're filling and help prevent problems from grass changes. Ria especially is getting a few handfuls of those right now.

Riding Quintas

A little over a month ago, we made a long drive with the horse trailer to take Quintas Cold Cash to our preferred trainer down south. This is the same trainer that did Ria two years ago and Daisy fourteen years ago. Obviously we are satisfied with the results or we wouldn't keep going back.

After we dropped Quintas off, it turns out she got into a bit of trouble. She wasn't too happy with the gelding that was put into the box next to her and kicked the box wall. It left her a bit lame for the first few days.

Unfortunately, a few days were not enough to completely resolve the problem. It wasn't that she remained lame, but she would be a bit stiff getting moving. The trainer found that working her on the longe helped and she would loosen up after a few minutes. Quintas was not comfortable galloping and her gait wasn't quite right sometimes. It didn't seem to be anything serious the she probably needs to have it checked by a chiropractor.

Over a week ago, we went down to see how things were going. We also took our two available saddles to see what fit her. We could see the problems she was having moving, but it wasn't anything we need worry too much about. It wasn't possible to get an immediate chiropractor appointment anyway.

DH rode as did the trainer. After having ridden nothing but Daisy for more than 15 years, DH found Quintas quite an adjustment. Their ride went very well anyway. I think a lot of the difficulties he had were caused by riding in the trainer's saddle as opposed to his own, which did not fit.

This past Wednesday, we went back to pick Quintas up. This time I rode before DH. Because Ria was only trained two years ago, the adjustment to riding Quintas is very minor for me. Ria is still being ridden in two hands.

That time we took Ria’s saddle, which sort of fits. The trainer seems to be satisfied with the fit, but DH and I are not. The back tips up when without a rider and bumps when riding faster than a walk. We are still optimistic that the product we are expecting from the United States will solve these problems and allow us to use DH’s roping saddle on his horse.

After I rode for a while DH did try for short time and did very well. Quintas was getting a little bit annoying, which was probably because she was tired. Having three different riders in one day it is quite a lot for a young barely trained horse to handle.

Then we loaded her up and drove home. She did fine in the trailer, but was very happy when we got home. Released her immediately onto the pony pasture with Ria and the fat pony Tanya.

Thursday morning, we didn't want to work Quintas. She had a hard couple days and reintroducing her and Ria to Daisy and Tracy on the other pasture gave all of them plenty of exercise.

Friday we went out and got a longe line, which we didn't have. I worked Quintas on it for probably about 20 minutes. Much to my surprise, her gait was completely normal in both walk and trot on both sides. She was even quite content to gallop on the better side. The slight bulge she had had on her back to the side of her spine was gone.

Yesterday's weather was absolutely miserable and not suited for working a horse. Today is windy but better otherwise. I didn’t want to wait any longer to get out her back.

So I started working her on the longe line. Again, no signs of the bulge and her gait was clean. This time I even got her galloping on both sides, but only a little on the worse side.

Then we saddled her up—in my saddle. DH held her while I got on from a block. The stirrups were too long, but she stood pretty quietly for those to be adjusted. DH led a short distance into the more open area of the pony pasture. The stirrups were still too long and she waited again for adjustment.

He removed the lead line and I began riding. She is a joy to ride—smooth and soft and easy. Just the slightest touch on the reins or press from my leg is enough to adjust her position.

She was actually easier to ride today than at the trainer’s. Down there she seemed nervous and insecure. She had trouble focusing. Here she was calm and, although I won’t go as far as saying confident, seemed less unsure of herself. She didn’t freeze up and get those “blonde moments” (as the trainer called them) where she seemed to have completely forgotten what to do or couldn’t figure out to combine two things together. Her concentration was complete, despite traffic, cows in a nearby pasture, and a good bit of wind. Wind and horses normally don’t mix well together.

Before my mother or anyone else gets too worried, I wore both helmet and safety vest while riding today. I am not taking any unneeded chances and wouldn’t have gotten on her back at all if she had seemed upset working on the longe.

I only rode for about 25 minutes. I wanted to stop while things were going well and didn’t want to push either of us too hard for the first day. I did jog a little on her as well as walking. I don’t even gallop on Ria most of the time, so am not about to be the first rider to gallop on Quintas right now.

We have an appointment next Friday with a local vet that also has equine chiropractor training. I’d used her for acupuncture on a horse several years ago and like how she works with horses. This also means that Quintas will not have to go through a long and difficult trailer ride on both sides of a chiropractor treatment like she would if we used the chiropractor the trainer recommended. We hope that will sort out the problem she had—if she even still has it.

I told DH he better not have me ride Quintas too much I will get horse jealousy. She is much easier to ride than Ria because of her sensitivity. I have to ride in spurs on Ria because my legs lack the strength to give a good strong kick. Instead I barely touch her with the spur. But Quintas reacts to much more subtle ques.

While riding today, I tried some of the things I know DH will be doing when he rides, like moving the outside rein into her neck. He’d rather ride one-handed, but she isn’t quite ready for that yet. Quintas had no problems turning as long as the outside rein was LOOSE, which it always is for DH. At the trainer’s, she had had trouble with that. With her increased calm, I am sure the two of them will be able to sort things out quickly and build up a relationship at least as good as the one he has today with Daisy. Because she is so light and sensitive, it is likely to be even better—even more telepathic where he just thinks it and she does it.

So I am VERY happy today and feeling much better thanks to the ride. I’ve been tired for several days and have slept most of the weekend so far. I do think I need a nap soon though…

What a Ride!

I had quite a ride today. DH help me saddle up with the actual saddle, instead of the bareback roller I usually use. That let me ride a lot longer and more securely.

The weather was gorgeous, the sun was shining and it was warm and comfortable out. So we headed into the woods. DH and I discussed my riding plans before we left so he knew exactly what route I would be taking. I followed the riding path all the way up to the road at the other side of the woods. Then I followed the road from a while and turned back a gravel road back through the woods.

It went really well. We saw a neat yellow bird before we crossed the railroad tracks. Further up in the woods, we saw a deer as well. I had open my jacket because I was too warm with it closed.

On the way back, I jogged for a while. She was doing really well in. It was an open area with heath on the one side and lots of dunes. It was very inviting for setting the speed up.

With everything going so well, I decided to set the speed up another notch. I used my right leg and put her into a canter. DH thinks that the trainer cantered her, but I'm pretty sure that they didn't. In any case, I was thinking that this was the first time she'd been cantered under saddle. I haven't written at a canter for probably five or six years. Not since the last time I rode in a riding school and a horse bucked when I put it into a canter and I fell off. The accident messed up my left ankle pretty badly. So you can tell I must've been feeling pretty confident about Ria to try it.

Her right canter is pretty good. I didn't canter more than maybe four or five meters. After we stopped, my left hip popped out and I struggled to keep from screaming in pain. Ria stayed calm and I told her to walk and she walked slowly towards home. After walk for a little while, my hip felt better. So we jogged again for another stretch. It really well, but we walked again for the while. Then came another tempting stretch.

This time I used my left foot to put her into a left canter. This was much more uneven. I could barely stay seated. She wasn't happy about it either, and I ended up having to stop her pretty hard by pulling the rein really hard in on the left. Then she stopped very easily and we were able to walk the rest of the way home. She stayed pretty eager to jog, but I managed to keep her tempo down. She was very eager to get home at that point.

I usually don't see anyone when I'm out riding. Today I passed both a man on a Norwegian fjord horse and three girls on Icelandic horses. We was a bit confused, but she stayed pretty calm.

When we got to the train track, the lights went on and the barrier came down. We stayed a good bit back from the tracks. She didn't react to the train at all , but she was very impatient to get home.

When we got home DH was working with the tractor. He was moving things and cleaning up after the removal of the playhouse yesterday. He called and told me to ride further down the road so he could move the tractor away before she came in.

Ria was very warm, so we had to walk her for a while. DH got a wool blanket to cover her because she was so hot. Then he took over the walking, so I could have a little bit of a rest.

All in all, I was gone for about two hours.