Guess how long it took to clean THIS????

Since I was off from work, I went to see Daniel on a Friday, instead of Sunday. On Sunday, I'll miss my riding day because I'll be in Louisville. Besides, Daniel is supposed to be moved on Sunday to the new farm. So, next Friday, it's off to Hampstead to groom and ride my boy.

I'm hoping there is less MUD in Hampstead! The current location sort of sits in a bowl, and this time of year, everything is muck and mud. Hampstead has lots of rolling hills, so I'm hoping it's not as bad. I know EVERYTHING in the Mid-Atlantic area is muddy, but this is ridiculous! I'm 5'9" and the mud and muck hits me mid-calf (thank god for high muck boots)!

Until it's less muddy, I'll be going through LOTS of lysol and water spray on hoof bottoms, and MTG on heels to ward off scratches!

Last Days in Churchville

Today was one of our last days in Churchville MD because we're moving to Hampstead!!!! The drive will suck for me (2 hours each way), but Daniel will LOVE it there: 12x14 stalls, an INDOOR, two outdoors and onsite trails! YAY!

My heart wasn't into riding today - the vibe at the barn is one of everyone just wanting to be GONE and at the new place... So, I let him enjoy some grazing on this sunny December day...

He was really funny with LJ. LJ was nibbling along his crest over the fence and Daniel was squealing like a little girl!! I would tell him to get away from LJ and he would keep going back to him, and squeal when he got nibbled on. What a funny old horse my boy is!!!

Daniel in the roundpen

I got a phone call Tuesday that Daniel's abscess on his LH finally broke through the coronary band. My instructor'd been treating it for me, but I have to admit, I was thrilled when I got the phone call that he was *chasing* Eddie, the young Andalusian stallion he shares his pasture with.

Knowing that he had the abscess, I was half expecting him to not be 100% sound. My instructor suggested lungeing him in the round pen to see if he was or not and he was maybe 95% sound. He had the slightest hitch in his LH where the abscess finally burst on Tuesday. Because of that, I didn't want to ride him so we did a "Spa Day" and some ground work instead. We worked on his manners - he's getting a little pushy with treats, and a butthead trying to graze when I walk him.

Hopefully next week I'll be back in the saddle, but this week, after the abscess last week, I figured my old boy could use a day off and have a day to be spoiled!!

Abscess...

I had a serious case of "I don't deserve to own him" today. I wasn't at the barn last week, due to Thanksgiving, and my instructor/his former owner treated his scratches for me. I got reports that he was doing really well, until yesterday. She suspected a hoof abscess.

I drove to the barn after dropping my brother and nephew off at BWI, and found Daniel flat out lame. It took 3 of us to BEG him to walk to the barn... I was beside myself, pleading with him to walk on that hoof.

Once we got him in the grooming stall, I cut off the duct-tape bandage Lee put on yesterday, and soaked his hoof in Epsom salts and warm water for about 20 minutes. He seems SOOOO much happier! He stood so patiently to get his hoof soaked. I contacted the barn manager and arranged to put him in a lay-up stall.

It kills me that I only get to see him once, maybe twice a week. It kills me that when he needs to be treated, I have to ask other people to handle it for me. Everyone tells me that it's OK, everyone helps each other out, but I feel like I'm not doing right by my big boy.

Hopefully when I get closer to graduation, I'll have him closer to home and will know enough to handle things for him. Until that day, I'll have to keep learning, and going to see him on Sundays.

Trail ride!!

A bunch of us trailered to Fair Hill with our trusty "Coach". After a couple days of being stallbound to keep his feet dry and treat 'scratches' Daniel wanted to GO!

We had our first canter (the first one that I asked for, anyway)!!

So did AnneMarie and Mona!!!! It was awesome!!!

practice day

Today I didn't have a lesson, so I went to the barn to practice some of what I did in my last lesson. I haven't ridden in two weeks, so we took it easy. When I went to Daniel's field, he was just head to hoof MUD! Good thing the big goof was wearing a turnout sheet, since that took most of the mud.

I brought him in, groomed him, and tacked him up. We went to the dressage arena, and I did what Lee told me - I put him against the wall so he wouldn't swing his butt out when I was in mid-air :-) We warmed up at the walk, both directions. I practiced trotting, 2-point, and hopped over little cross-rails. There were trot-poles set out, so I practiced 2-point over them too. When he got bored, we went to the jump ring and trotted around obstacles and hopped over some of the low stuff. We walked down the driveway a little bit, then went to the dressage arena to dismount.

I gave him a soft pretzels, a couple carrots, and brushed him after I took his tack off. When he was clean-ish, I put his turnout back on and took him back to his field. Of course, he went right up to the round bale!!! :-)

Sundays with Daniel

I found Daniel when I was finishing my undergrad degree at Penn. 40-something, fat, arthritic, taking classes on my lunchbreaks for 5 1/2 years, and a job that was making me insane, I started looking for a place to take driving lessons.

I found Legacy Stables in MD. I started taking not driving, but riding lessons on Daniel!!! He took such good care of me that before I knew it, I was half-leasing him and my Sundays were then carved in stone. I spent Sundays with Daniel, either taking lessons, riding on my own, or sometimes just driving down to groom him. He helped me stay sane. When I was up on this 17.2 Percheron, who spent his formative years as an Amish plow horse, I forgot about everything except staying on! :-)

It's been about a year an a half since I started spending my Sundays with Daniel. I have a much better job, and I'm in grad school, but I still spend my Sundays with Daniel. I've still got a lot to learn, and it's finally time I started tracking what we've done so far.

The first time I rode Daniel, my instructor, Leeandra, wanted me to start riding him bareback. BAREBACK!!!! He's 17.2 and weighs a ton! Was she crazy??? We had to put a 3-step mounting block on a trailer ramp so I could get my fat ass and arthritic back and knees up on him! But, I found it therapeutic for me. I cleared my mind of everything except balancing myself on his back, adjusting to his movements, and just staying on!

Now, a bit over a year later, we're walking, posting the trot and trotting 2-point, and jumping little crossrails. I dislike jumping, but understand why I have to know how to hop little things. I'm looking forward to our first controlled canter (we've cantered accidentally before!!!)