Mocha Cont'd

Went back out to work with Mocha today. She greeted me with perky ears and a bright eye. I walked her over to the trailer and she hesitated briefly before marching right on board. Five minutes. I backed her out and reloaded her... three times. We moved the divider and the butt bar and she just chilled. I told Melissa what she needed to know then said, "Here, have a horse," and handed her the lead rope. Mocha loaded right up. Twice. Problem. Solved. Hopefully they'll never need to see me again.

Mocha

I specialize in problem horses. I have always attracted them and I have always had a reputation for working through things with them. Heck, it's how I ended up with Ozzy! I am especially good at working with problem loaders and horses who rear.

Last week I got a call while Erin and I were out to lunch.

"I'm looking for Dom."
"This is she. How can I help you?"
"I got your number from a horse rescue."
"SRF?"
"Yes."
"That makes sense since I work there," I laughed.

Crystal was calling to enlist my help with the mare she rides, Mocha.
"You are our last hope," she told me.

Mocha is a 14 year old thoroughbred mare owned by a girl named Melissa and ridden by Crystal. Melissa has owned Mocha for two years. Before that, another woman had her for eight years. Before that, she was a racehorse. When Melissa bought Mocha, her former owner, the woman told her right up front that she will not get in a trailer. Apparently, the poor thing had been abused badly at the track and the trailer loading process included the use of a cattle prod. Sure enough, the mare wouldn't load. They drugged her, picked her up, and got her in the stock trailer. She hasn't gone anywhere since. In the meantime, everyone and their mom, cousin, friend, and neighbor has tried to get Mocha over her issues. Countless professionals have tried and failed.

I went out to meet the girls and their mare yesterday, and for a while it looked like I had met my match.

Mocha is dark, dainty, and very much a lady. She is fat, shiny, and everything a thoroughbred should be.Her care is obviously everything it should be and someone has clearly put a lot of time into training her to be a good citizen. The mare is friendly, easy to handle, and has great manners. She respects space and is responsive, but not flighty. She is about the calmest thoroughbred I have ever met, and I am told she's a pleasure to ride.

Crystal wants to take her on a beach ride on Sunday. Actually, she wants to buy her from Melissa, but trailer loading is a must.

It turns out the barn is Homer's new home. He passed me in the driveway and gave me this, "How did you find me?" look. I get that a lot. After I met everyone and Herbie got her butt kicked by the resident pig, Lila, I went outside to evaluate the mare. She actually marched right up to the trailer and put her front feet on the ramp. I thought, "Piece of cake."

Two and a half hours later, she still hadn't gotten on the trailer.


The biggest challenge is that this mare isn't actually afraid of the trailer itself. She didn't panic at the sound of her feet hitting the ramp. She wasn't worried about getting in a cramped space. Noises and movements didn't bother her. In fact, she seemed to know what the right answer was. She just couldn't physically bring herself to do it.

I started with my usual technique and explained what I was doing to the girls. Mocha tried every avoidance trick in the book. She flew backwards. She reared. She barged through me. She spun in circles. She stood sideways next to the trailer. A few times she even got away from me. I just let her go. She couldn't go anywhere and I wasn't about to get in a fight with her. Every time her back feet hit the ramp, she'd explode.

The good news was that the mare was definitely trying. I could see the wheels turning in her head. She wanted to please and she was getting as frustrated as everyone else.

As she had a minor melt down, the girls asked, "Why is she doing that?"
"The way you feel about her not getting in the trailer is the way she feels about me not going away right now."

I got Mocha to the point where everyone else gave up, then pushed her further. She broke, freaking out and working up a sweat. For a moment, I wondered if I'd pushed too hard. By then it was dark and it was pretty clear that I wasn't getting her in the trailer any time soon. There comes a point at which a horse is just not going to learn anything and you need to cut your losses. I decided to pick a positive note to end on. In the end, I got her standing next to me, facing sideways, but with all four feet next to me. When she relaxed, we called it a night.

I have never had a horse I couldn't load in the first session. Mocha was officially my biggest challenge to date. People at the barn were taking bets against me. Facebookers came out with all sorts of really awesome advice, which I ignored. Thankfully, Melissa and Crystal had faith in me.

"What you just did with her was incredible," they told me. "Nobody has ever gotten that far."

I went back today. Mocha came right over in the field and picked up exactly where we left off.

Unfortunately, not everything went smoothly. At one point, she lost her focus and tried to bolt for freedom. I foolishly thought I could stop her and she knocked me clean off my feet and ran over me. I had enough time to think, "O shit," as I hit the ground. I tucked into a ball and covered my head. I hit the sand pretty hard, but nobody was hurt. Thankfully, the episode seemed to scare Mocha more than anybody and she stopped reacting violently after that.

I spent a lot of time teaching her to move her hindquarters over on a hand cue to prevent her from getting crooked. I also taught her to step up when I tickled the point of her shoulder with the whip. We got to the point where I could stand in the trailer and direct her body without moving from my spot.

By then, the girls had left me to my own devices while they did barn chores. Slowly and painfully, Mocha and I made progress. First she put four feet on the ramp. Then she backed off. Next she put two feet in the trailer itself. Then she flew back. When we got to three feet on the ramp and one foot in the trailer, I cheered. We were going through cookies at an alarming rate, and I was grateful that Mocha will work for food. I don't believe in bribery, but I do believe in food as a reward. Eventually, I got Mocha with two feet in the trailer and two on the ramp. She stood quietly and I praised her.

I slipped my phone out of my chap and called Crystal. "Come around the side of the barn... quietly. I think you need to see this."

By the time they came around the corner, Mocha had three feet in the trailer. The girls gasped and asked if they could hug me when I was done. With bated breath and absolutely zero pressure on Mocha's head, I brushed her shoulder  and clucked my tongue. Mocha dropped her head and walked into the trailer. I thought Melissa and Crystal were going to cry. But Mocha wasn't done. She took two more steps into the trailer, cocked a foot, and waited for her treat.

I promptly backed her out of the box and got tackle hugged.

Mocha looked at us like, "That's all you silly humans wanted?"
Amanda's Ozzy walked away. "I told you the answer was get in the trailer."

I can go back to saying I have never met a horse I can't trailer load, but of course that's just the first step in the process. Tomorrow I go back to see if Mocha has learned anything or if it's just a fluke. The immediate goal is to get Crystal to her beach ride, but long term, I want the girls to be able to load the mare themselves. Eventually, it would be great to get her over her fear of trailers all together. This week will be about giving Crystal and Melissa the tools they need to get Mocha quietly and comfortably into the trailer.

"You have the patience of a saint," Crystal told me.
"I get that a lot."

Ozzy in AERC

The AERC online newsletter just came out. Check Ozzy out on page 5. Aarene of Haiku Farm wrote the article and asked to use my photos. Very cool!

Mean Herbie

55 Mile Weekend

This weekend was the start of the endurance season in the northeast region. Ozzy and I kicked off the year with back to back rides. Saturday was the 30 mile AERC Rabbit Run (the ride we came in second at last year). Sunday was the 25 mile ECTRA Bunny Hop. It was a weekend of firsts for us; our first multi-day, our first CTR, first ride bitless, and first ride with shoes. I have a long list of goals for this year, but wanted to start off easy since it was a hard winter and I wasn't sure how fit we really were. As it turns out, Ozzy is definitely ready for 50's. If I get his heart thing completely under control, there may even be longer rides in his future.

I took the day off of work on Friday and Ival came to get me at 9am.

It had been a sleepless night for me. Thursdays are our game night and everybody came over to hang out. At the end of the night, Cara's jackass of a boyfriend drove her all the way into north Jersey then broke up with her. She called me, crying hysterically, sometime after midnight. I couldn't help myself and called him as soon as I was off the phone with her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I snapped. "I don't care if you don't want to be with her, but the least you could have done is dump her in my driveway. Now I'm going to drive to freaking Oldwick to go get her and bring her back here."
And I did. After I hung up on him. Dev dropped me off on his way home and I put in a few more hours of night driving with Truckenstein.

Thankfully, I had packed everything the afternoon before. The only thing I forgot was my saddle bags. They were on my list under 'for the horse', which was dumb because I had them at home. Oops. I had to go back to my old method of keeping everything in my chaps.

Ozzy knew what was coming. He came galloping up when I whistled, rudely shoving an unsuspecting Jabby out of the way. He then practically walked to the barn on his back legs before dragging me onto the trailer. I knew I was in for an interesting weekend.

Ival and I arrived without fuss and parked alongside Wendy, who was already there. We set up camp and I decided not to get corral panels after all. Ozzy seemed more than happy on his high tie, and it provided security without added labor. I pitched the tent Ival lent me and even snuck in an afternoon nap.

It was a day of leisure and pleasantries and we ate, drank, and tried to stay warm.We vetted in and my only concern was the level of Ozzy's excitement. He pulsed in at 64bpm several hours after we arrived! I spent some time walking around and saw many familiar faces. Char, my friend from our infamous ride in Maine, was there with her horse, Remi. Her friend, Pam, had a new youngster who towered above the other horses. Boston Kate was there with her adopter. I saw faces I've ridden with in the past and took the time to say hello to familiar horses.

 That night was the ride meeting at the gun club, and I was pleased to find that the ride was just as well run as every ride in the pines that I've attended in the past. Great food, great organization, and plenty of chances to make friends. I chatted with the girl from the trailer next to ours, who was riding an adorable G.A.G. I met him some time later, and offered him some of Ozzy's granola bars.

After the ride briefing, we checked the horses, threw them some extra food (Ozzy particularly enjoyed the dengie), and went almost immediately to bed. That night the temperatures dipped well below freezing and it was cold even with a propane space heater by my pillow all night. I slept well despite the frigid temperatures and woke up quickly in the morning.  NJTRA did not disappoint and there was a wide selection of breakfast foods and beverages. I guzzled some coffee and wolfed down some oatmeal before heading back to my horse.

Ozzy had spent the night in luxury. Ok, not quite. He did, however, dig himself a crater and slept curled up in it like a dog. His hay, feed pan, and water tub were still neatly lined up along the trailer.

The friendly Arabian

I went to give Ozzy some more dengie and noticed that Clover was lifting her foot at him. I thought that was quite unusual since the two of them have a great brother-sister relationship and never squabble. I came around the corner with a bucket in one hand, about to chastise the mare, and was greeted by not two, but four perky ears. The neighboring G.A.G. had come over for breakfast. He came right to me, searching for more granola bar, and I returned him to his rightful owner. He'd jumped clear out of his pen, despite the electric! He was way too cute to be mad at though.

Before long, it was time for the start. The 50 had gone off without a hitch. With the winter we've had, only the super experienced riders had horses fit enough to do that kind of mileage this early in the year. There were a lot of 50 milers riding in the 30. Thankfully, our start went off smoothly as well. It was the first ride I'd been at where the LD has more horses than the endurance ride. The 50 had 26 riders, the 30 had 50+.

Ozzy was definitely feeling his oats. He pranced eagerly around camp while I warmed him up and waited to give our number to the judge. When I tried to make him stand still, he backed, threw his head around, and side passed. He did keep all four feet on the ground, but I wondered momentarily if using the hackamore for the first ride of the year was a mistake.

Sadly, the freezing cold had taken its toll on my batteries so I had neither my GPS nor my helmet cam for this ride. I did, however, remember my point and shoot, so I got some photos on trail. We rode merrily along and it couldn't have been a better day for an endurance ride. The temps kept the horses cool, but the thick pines sheltered riders from the wind. The skies were a clear and perfect blue as we wound our way around cranberry bogs and past pine trees, sand, more pine trees, and more sand. Ozzy tried to run to the front, but I only let him pass horses until we reached a group that was going at a pace I liked. It seems his lessons from Mustang Memorial sank in and he didn't pull or fight.

The first 15 miles flew by and we stopped at the first vet check. Dr. Nick Kohaut, the vet who has been helping me out with Ozzy's heart problems since I found out about them at Foxcatcher last year, spotted us and ushered me over. I had made Ozzy walk down the last mile or so down the power lines, much to his chagrin, so his heart rate came down pretty quickly. I also discovered that his heart will drop a full 6bpm if I get him to drop his nose to the ground. That is definitely going to be a helpful hint in the future. Ozzy vetted clean and I threw him on the high tie to eat, drink, and electrolyte. In the meant time, I took a potty break and grabbed some grub.

The 45 minute hold was over before I knew it and we were back on board for the second and final loop. Ozzy was still fresh and eager to go, but had settled to a beautiful rhythm and wasn't worried about horses passing him. He drank well at every water stop and even sipped from puddles in between. The only moment that had me worried was when a big dog came charging through the pine trees, barking and trying to get at the horses. Clover gave him the hairy eyeball, but Ozzy disregarded him and carried right along. We crossed bridges and splashed through perma-puddles. Clover and Ozzy matched strides for miles, and we occasionally spotted 28 year old Jimmy not far behind us. Ozzy, who has only ridden out of BBB once, knew exactly which trails we were taking. There was a spot where a marker was down and Ozzy took the correct turn before I knew which way to go. The brain on this animal scares me sometimes.

At the end of thirty miles, Ozzy was still raring to go. He pranced happily down the power lines and protested when I made him walk. I dismounted at the finish line and walked him in to encourage his pulse to drop. We were greeted at the finish line by Lynn and Rob who had stopped to visit and watch Ozzy go. John and MaryAnn weren't far behind. Everyone lent a hand and I got Ozzy to the vet check in record time. He reached the required 60bpm in no time and trotted out sound. He finished the ride better than he started it with A's across the board. I was thrilled with our day and chuckled to myself at his unsuspecting demeanor. He had no idea there was another day to come.

After I put Ozzy away, I spent some time visiting and showing everyone around. MaryAnn is seriously interested in taking up endurance with Shiloh and John was running into people he knew all over the place. As we walked back to the trailer, Darrel, who I rode with at that disastrous ride in Maryland and who was riding in the 50, came by with his gray horse in hand.

"How'd he do?" he asked.
"Great. His heart's good. His attitude's great."
"Did he complete?"
"Yes he did!"
"Congrats!"
"Thanks. How did you do?"
"We tied for first."
"Of course you did."

It makes me heart sick to see so many people Ozzy rode with before his heart went to shit doing so well. I know it's not about placings and speed, but I often wonder how good Ozzy could be if his heart hadn't taken such a toll on him last year. The mare Darrel rode that day has moved on to 75 milers and they have her aiming for hundreds in the future.

The afternoon wound down and I was sleepy. We stayed in the gun club for awards and I dozed off in an arm chair. I woke up when I heard talk about Boston Kate. Apparently she had been pulled from the ride, which is why I couldn't find them when I went looking for their trailer after our completion. Kate colicked and had to see the treatment vet. I'll have to follow up tomorrow to make sure she's ok. What a terrible first experience :(

That's not how the tent goes...

That night, when most of the AERC riders had gone home, Rob and I drove out of the middle of nowhere to a Wawa. I was exhausted, but not quite ready to go to bed at 7pm. We killed some time and made our way through the darkened Pine Barrens back to camp. Rob crashed in the bunk house while I reclaimed my tent. John had left me a second space heater just in case, but Saturday night ended up being much warmer and I was actually pretty comfortable. In fact, I couldn't even be bothered to crawl out of my nest when the tent tried to blow down on top of me.

This morning was the start of the 25 mile Bunny Hop. It was my first ever CTR and I had a lot to learn. The differences in ride management were incredible. The shorter ride for the day was only 10 miles, which attracted a whole new demographic of horse and rider. I commented on the fact that you could tell who the endurance riders were, then saw myself in the mirror and laughed at how well I fit the look. My hair was tousled and my eyes were swollen. I looked like I'd been sleeping in the sand for two days.

The ride briefing answered a lot of my questions and I decided to ride pass/fail to avoid the more intense vetting and the stricter rules. Really I just wanted the miles to put towards Ozzy's conditioning, and the second day to teach him something. We vetted in and Ozzy showed no signs of having gone 30 miles the day before. He was healthy, hydrated, sound, and ready to go. In fact, he was positively wired. He was dragging me around camp and dancing around at the vet check.

Unlike endurance, CTR isn't based on speed. The starts are done in intervals, in this case 3 minutes between groups. You have a designated time frame within which you must finish. Time penalties are given to those who come in too early or too late or whose horses don't meet vet criteria. At the end of the day, those who meet the finishing criteria are thoroughly evaluated for finishing condition. The horses' conditions are compared to their starting conditions to determine who wins. The idea is to ride your horse at a specific speed and have him maintain the best condition possible.

Trying to explain to Ozzy that this wasn't a race was... interesting. Ival, Wendy, and I were riders 1, 2, and 3 and started first. Ozzy took off like a shot and seemed to have no recollection of having run 30 miles the day before. I let him run off some steam, then made him wait for everyone to catch up. By the time we got to the cranberry bogs, he was pissed. I tried to hold him back while Ival adjusted something with Clover and he went straight up in the air and launched himself forward on his hind legs.

"That was impressive," Ival remarked dryly.
"Too bad we didn't get a picture," I laughed. "He probably would have looked quite majestic against the water and pine trees."

He actually pulled the maneuver twice, and I was getting pretty mad at him about his antics. By the time we reached the power lines, he was convinced that I wasn't letting him go as fast as he should be going. I made him walk the whole way down to camp, but he had his chin cranked to his chest and was throwing a tantrum about it. Needless to say, it took him a bit for his pulse to come down, but he made it within the allotted ten minutes (!) and only dragged me a little in the trot out.

The hold was only 20 minutes (although you are allowed to stay longer if you need to) and we were back out on the trails before I could do much of anything.

As we started the second loop, we heard rumors about the fate of three 10 mile riders. Apparently, a woman was walking a big dog in the forest and lost control of the beast. The dog lunged at the horses, spooking them badly. One reared up, throwing and injuring his rider, and two others bolted, also unseated their riders. One rider had to be taken away in an ambulance and one horse was running loose in the wilderness. The dog ran off after the horses, and his owner yelled at the riders, didn't check to see if they were ok, and took off after him. Eventually all three horses were rounded up and the police were sent to get to the bottom of the situation. Thankfully, we didn't run into the dog. We did, however, see sled dogs who were out training in their little wheeled carts. Very cool.

And then a magical thing happened. We hit the 5 mile mark, Ozzy's 50th mile for the weekend. Suddenly, Ozzy slowed down and stopped being a little ball of fire.
"Ok. This is the finish line. I'm done."
"No, you're not."
"But that was fifty miles. I counted."
"I'm aware of that, but we're doing 55 miles. What did we learn? Maybe you should whoa when I say whoa."

This time, when we reached the power lines, Ozzy was more than happy to walk. At the vet check, he went straight to sleep. At the end of the CTR, he had 20 minutes to rest before final vetting. At the 20 minute mark, a horse has to pulse in at 44bpm or risk a time penalty. The time penalties didn't apply to us because we were riding pass/fail, but I was still concerned about such a low pulse requirement. This time, however, Ozzy had no problem meeting it. He was a completely different animal.

He was also completely exhausted. When we trotted out, he couldn't be bothered to pick a gait. He trotted, paced, and racked, swapping sloppily between them. Cara had showed up by then and told me he was just doing a standard tired Oz, but the ride judges told me he was lame. I wasn't about to be that person and argue with the lay judge, but I know my horse and he wasn't lame. Luckily, they rated it less than a grade 2 and passed him so the miles will count.

Ozzy went back on his high tie and went to sleep. With Cara and Rob's help, we got the camp taken down and put away in record time. The horses had a moment to catch their breaths while we collected our completion awards. Then we loaded up and went home. Ozzy must have napped on the trailer, because he was happy and energetic when he got off at the farm. I offered him dinner, but he was full and far more interested in going out to tell Willie and Jabby about his weekend. Erin commented that it had been quiet without him all weekend.

All in all, I'd call the weekend a great success and the perfect start to the ride season. Ozzy is fitter than I give him credit for and I seem to have found the electrolyte combination that works for his heart. He needs to learn to do some slow 50's, but his endurance career may go further than I'd dared to hope. They say it takes four years to build a solid endurance horse. This is year three. There's hope for us yet!

More pictures under the cut.

Sneak Peek

2 days, 55 miles, 2 completions. A good start to the ride season. Full story after I sleep.

First Day of Spring

Today was the first day of spring and we celebrated in style! John and his wife, MaryAnn, shipped their horses over this morning to join us for a 14.3 mile trail ride (the Hill Rd. loop). John has a 16hh Appendix named Cisco and MaryAnn has a 15.1hh G.A.G. (gray Arabian gelding). Both have had plenty of trail miles and the winter off. The weather was beautiful, sunny and not too warm. I even got a bit of a tan going! Ozzy and I served as tour guides and the ride went off without a hitch.

We started off with a gallop across the E farm. Ozzy and I were in front when I heard hooves behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see Jabby, only to find Cisco thundering up behind us. Holy cow that horse is fast! I haven't met too many horses who can keep up with Ozzy, let alone pass him. It would be interesting to see who would win over a longer stretch. At one point, John clocked Cisco at 32.8mph!!! Unfortunately, pulling a horse up at that speed can be iffy so we'll have to wait til later in the season to match them up against each other. Also, John lost an Easy Boot and had to go back for it.

Of course we stopped at J's house, and the horses got stuffed full of carrots. Everyone seemed to be home and wanted to see the horses. We rode out to Kathy's house and to the nurseries, where we spotted a trio of horses pulling marathon carts. I guess the nice weather is inspiring everyone. Rich and his family were over at PR nursery and stopped to pet the horses. I think the labs have just given up. Even the crazy hunting dogs before KR's place were relatively quiet.

The yearlings spooked at Shiloh. They'd never seen a gray before!

We made a stop behind the yearling pastures at Fair Winds for a water break. I dismounted and gathered some tubs sitting by the fence, filling them with fresh water for everyone. It's a nice halfway point and having water access will be a definite bonus in the summer months.

From there, we carried on at a lively pace down to the Inn and the historic site. I tested a path down to the creek for water stop potential, but the footing got a little deep at the bottom, and I've more than learned my lesson about that. Poor Ozzy definitely remembered the area and was quivering as we approached the water. I praised his valiant efforts before turning back for the road.

At Heritage Hill, we were greeted by fat broodmares and young foals, probably on their first days of pasture turn out. Everyone seemed to be having a good time and there was laughter echoing up the hill as we road.

Ozzy had only been on this particular loop once, but he remembered exactly where we were and knew which turns to take in the nursery. He and Shiloh led the pack with their ears pricked and their tails raised, and I suggested to MaryAnn that she should try endurance riding. Shiloh, who won't be 11 til October, certainly has the attitude for it. By the end of the ride, I had her convinced.

I'll admit I was a little worried about getting everyone safely across the bridge on Province Line Rd, but we lucked out. A car was coming from the 'bad' direction and stopped, signalling us to cross first. I was grateful and everyone made it in one piece.

From there it was a quick shot home, and Ozzy was finally starting to break a sweat. Jabby was definitely getting tired by this point and Cisco looked like he'd gotten his butt kicked, but there was no stopping Shiloh. When we got back to the crop fields, MaryAnn and I left John and Erin behind and went for one last gallop. I wish I'd had my GPS or helmet cam (or both!) because we were booking! It's nice to have horses who can keep up and riders who are willing to go. I hope they'll come back and ride with us more often.

Erin/Jabby, me/Ozzy, MaryAnn/Shiloh, John/Cisco 

When we got back to the barn, I told John and MaryAnn to help themselves to the wash stall. We have hot water and lots of space, and it was the least I could do. Everyone got cleaned up and put away. Then John dropped the boys off at home (just around the corner, he's actually ridden over to SRF before) and picked up a pizza in town.

Here's hoping the rest of my spring goes just as well!

More photos under the jump!

Shoes for Ozzy

For the first time in four years, Ozzy is wearing shoes. Glue on shoes, that is. While the Perfect Hoof Wear worked well for a few days, and would be great for competition, it wound up not being enough. I've done about 75 miles on Oz in the last three weeks and ride season is just starting. As I've mentioned, he doesn't grow foot fast enough and a look at his feet this week revealed a break over that was bordering on ridiculous. He copes very well with the wear on his feet and he's been sound through everything, but he's always dancing the line and keeping my heart in my throat.

Yesterday, I met with my podiatrist to put glue on shoes on his fronts. I went with the Queens Plate aluminum race shoes, similar to what he wore for a while at the track, only minus the nails. The way the shoes are set up is as follows: an aluminum shoe with a gel liner to allow the foot to continue to absorb shock, mounted on a fiberglass cuff that gets glued to the outer wall of the hoof. Once the shoe is on, it's staying there. We'll be cutting them off in about six weeks. He could technically pull one, but it's not likely. Unlike nail shoes, these things aren't likely to do any kind of damage if he throws one. The podiatrist set them pretty far back to make up for the change in break over.

Ozzy was definitely thrown for a loop by the shoes and wasn't quite sure how to trot in them last night. I worried that he might not get it and would be pulled for lameness at our upcoming ride even though he's not lame. He insisted on pacing in hand when I tried to trot him out last night, but I left him out to figure them out and Erin caught him cantering around the field this morning.

This afternoon, I took Ozzy for a test run in the new shoes. I started him out in the farm driveway and asked for a trot. He fumbled and I tapped him with the whip. He pinned his ears, threw in a buck, then took off as if to say, "FINE, I'm trotting! God!" After that, he never looked back. If anything, he's a little better with the shoes because he has to pay attention and pick up his feet, so he's actually careful.

It's funny, it's less than an inch of difference, but I can definitely feel the change in his height and posture. For the first time since I've owned him, Ozzy is actually up hill! He even looks taller.

The ride ended up being much shorter than I planned. We made it to J's house, where the kids swarmed Ozzy. We ended up stopping for pats, carrots, and pony rides. By the time everyone got their fill, it was 4pm and I had to head back to meet Bryce, Mike, and Andrew for Bryce's birthday. Still, four miles proved to be no problem. We may have our endurance riding solution!

Pros-

• Last a long time
• Awesome protection against wear and tear
• Not likely to come off
• Even less likely to do damage if they do
• Easy to remove if I need to
• Good traction on slippery surfaces
• Ozzy doesn't refuse to trot or canter in them like he did with Easy Boots

Cons-

• It's not barefoot
• Expensive
• Quite a process to put them on
• They change the dynamic of his front legs

Photos after the jump.

Meet Darwin

Another Creation N 8yo gelding ISLAND FANTASY - NATURAL CREATION - VANCE HANOVER

This New Zealand bred made $86,835 on two continents in only 64 starts. He had a life mark of 1:52.3. He was his mother's only foal and went to RF who has given us many horses over the years, including Christian Warrior, Classic Flyer N, and Canadew Sam. His horses tend to be friendly, easy to handle, and nice to look at. He supports them while they're with us and they get adopted quickly. Darwin, as we're calling him, stopped racing when he blew a bad abscess through his entire hoof (sole and coronet band). They patched the foot and went back to training him, but he kept re-opening the hole and bleeding. After a few rounds of this, he became race sour and stopped trying to go. RF decided there was no sense in disintegrating the horse and retired him. The foot has healed completely since and Darwin appears sound. I'll be backing him in two weeks.

Herbie Doodle!

Herbie was stealing from John and ended up getting tied for a little while. She was a sad tied dog.

Foals and Doggies

Converse ripped my arms out the other day and my rotator cuff seems to be all messed up. I woke up at 5:30am in so much pain that I was crying. To put this in perspective, I didn't cry when I dislocated my ankle or when I broke my jaw. Three hours of icing and some pain killers later, the pain is bearable, but I took the day off work and am trying to stay off horses for a while.

I took advantage of my time off and the beautiful weather to take Herbie to Bluestone, the breeding farm I used to work at, for a puppy play date with Neko and Kole. She tuckered the boys out and then some!

While I was there, I stopped to visit with the foals in the front paddock, both colts. One is the son of Susie's Magic. The other is Justintime's (formerly Jump for Joy) first foal. Joy was a yearling when I started at Bluestone so seeing her baby made me feel like everything's come full circle. Joy seemed to remember me and was very vocal and affectionate. Her baby was also an absolute doll and I stopped taking photos to give him scritches.

In any case... have a ton of photos!

Joy and her colt.

Trail Riding Tips

I had a suggestion the other day to do a post about road riding basics. I've also had a lot of questions about how I got Ozzy to be as good as a trail horse as he is. People often ask me if Ozzy has always been unflappable on the trails. They want to know where they can get a horse like him. They assume he was born brave and that he was naturally cut out to be an endurance horse. The truth is, Ozzy was scared of his own shadow when I met him and was terrified of working in the great outdoors when I got him. He would bolt sideways to avoid puddles. Mailboxes, signs, guard rails, storm drains, flags, rustling bushes, and especially ground hogs made him leap sideways and run for cover. He had no brakes and selective steering. He had been on one farm from the time he was a yearling to when I got him as a six year old and he was Sheltered with a capital S. It's been a long road and I have made lots of mistakes, but here's what I've found to work with Ozzy and, subsequently, many of the SRF horses.

Building a Trail Horse (according to me)

1. Miles- The key to making a truly solid, reliable trail horse is getting out there and doing it. There really is something to that old saying about wet saddle pads (besides, how will your horse ever get fit if you don't break a sweat?) Ozzy is mostly good, but it has taken a lot to get there. Just to put it in perspective: so far this year, I have done 100+ trail miles, and the winter is just ending. We are probably going to be doing about 100 miles a week once he's back in shape. Horses learn through experience. If they see creeks regularly, they don't worry about creeks. If they hear dogs barking, they get used to dogs. You can do all the simulating you want at home, but your horse will learn about the real thing through experience.

2. With that said, it is important to work in your comfort zone. There is nothing worse than pushing a horse to work through a situation you are uncomfortable with. If you're jittery in traffic, your horse is going to pick up on that and worry about traffic.

3. There is no shame in leading your horse. This goes with #2. Some of my best clients have spent months working with their horses on the ground. Jedi's girls used to take him for walks on the trails. He saw llamas and deer, played in the lake, and learned to walk across wooden bridges before I ever broke him to ride. While I personally just sort of get on and go, I think there is a lot of value to taking it one step at a time and building trust with your horse by walking him through scary things. Ozzy and I got over his fear of water with me on the ground. I spent hours ankle deep in the creek, waiting for him to realize it really wasn't going to kill him. I wish I had more time with the SRF horses to develop this relationship. I spend a lot of time with Ozzy because I am his rider and caretaker. I feed him. I provide medical care. I groom him, bathe him, turn him in and out, and spend time just hanging out with him. Many people don't do that. There's nothing wrong with that, but it means you'll need to spend more time on the ground. And, of course, you're less likely to get hurt if you're on the ground if your horse has a melt down. (As an aside, I also strongly recommend using a chain shank on early expeditions, especially if you have a particularly hot or spooky horse.)

4. I personally believe that it's really important to ride your own horse. I always advise adopters to work with a professional trainer, and I think it's really important to have someone work with you every step of the way if you are a novice or timid rider. However, all the training in the world can't help you with the subtleties you'll encounter on the trail. Only time in the saddle will give you insights to your horse like 'he's afraid of snow geese, but doesn't mind a flock of Canada geese' or 'black mail boxes are ok, but white mail boxes on the left are no good'.

5. While trail riding is the best way to create a solid trail horse, trail riding alone is not enough. I think cross training is important regardless of what discipline you ride. Show horses benefit from boredom-busting trail rides. Jumpers are fine tuned through dressage. I strongly encourage trying something your horse hasn't done before to mix things up. For example, Ozzy and I set up barrels this winter and played with roll backs just to see if we could. Trail horses take important skills away from work in the ring. Lateral work can help if you see a hole coming up at a canter in the field. Jumping will teach your horse to pick up his feet to conquer obstacles like logs and ditches. To me, a good trail horse is not a brain dead plug who plods along regardless of what is going on. He is a horse who is ready to cover new terrain, who is responsive to his rider, and who knows what to do in unexpected situations. I often do things like leg yielding down a stretch of trail or working on random transitions in an open field. Winter is especially good for 'schooling boot camp'.

6. Along the same lines, I firmly believe in letting your horse use his brain, regardless of where you are riding. Of course I want a horse to listen to me, and I want him to do what I ask him to do. However, I want him to do it because he wants to and understands what I want, not because I have bullied him into it. Many riders believe in avoiding scary obstacles by making a horse focus on something else. They won't let their horses see objects that may cause a spook. Some go as far as to cram their horses into frames that don't allow them to investigate, let alone react. I have found that the happiest trail horses are the ones who are allowed to work through their problems. The boldest horses are the ones who understand their surroundings, and they learn through investigation. You can teach a horse to be brave (Ozzy) even if he's really a bit of a chicken. A good example is Ozzy's former fear of mail boxes. I spent an afternoon letting him sniff a mailbox, allowing him to play with it, and encouraging him to take a closer look. Ever since, he's been less inclined to give mail boxes the hairy eye ball. The same thing goes for water crossings... horses who are allowed to take a look, get their noses wet, and splash a bit typically go across faster than horses who are ponied off of other horses or whipped into moving forward. The first time may take some patience, but the effects last a life time. Much as I release pressure when a horse responds correctly to a cue, I leave horses alone when they are clearly 'thinking' about what I have asked them to do. (This actually works really well for trailer loading too.)

7. On riding in groups- While I think it's important for a horse to learn to go alone and trust his rider, group rides can be a very helpful tool. The key to teaching your green trail horse is picking the right group. I can't stress the need to find people who are willing to slow down to your pace, whose horses are well behaved, and who practice good trail etiquette. A single experience with a rowdy group of riders can be far more damaging than a bad ride alone.

8. On riding alone- If you are confident and do go alone, there are some really good safety tips to keep in mind. I always tell someone when I am riding. I give Erin or Bryce an idea of how long I plan to be gone and have them call if they don't hear from me by then. It is also important to have a general idea of which way you plan to ride. I do a lot of exploring because we don't have real trails, but I give Erin a clue about which way I'm going. This way, if Ozzy returns without me or nobody can reach me for an extended period of time, there's a hint of which way to look.

9. General safety- Bright colors, a cell phone, a GPS, and good feel for your surroundings are all a really good idea. I also carry a dressage whip. It makes for a great tool for reaching things, but it is also a great defense against things like wandering dogs or even menacing strangers. Name tags are another great tool. Dog tags on a saddle and bridle with an emergency contact and an address are helpful. They even make tags you can braid right into the horse's mane. It is also a good idea to expect the unexpected. It sounds cliche, but a few months of reading my blog will show anybody just how much can go wrong, even if you plan carefully.

10. So how do you plan for a trail ride exactly? I spend a lot of time looking potential routes up on Google Earth and driving along roads I might take. It helps me know which roads connect to each other and where potential paths cut through the woods. It's also a good way to get permission to ride on properties you might not otherwise be allowed on. If you don't have a GPS, your odometer will give you a good feel for distances that might be deceptive as you drive around. This way, you can plan a ride that is reasonable and realistic for your horse.

On Road Riding Specifically

1. Traffic- This is the big question. A car can do a lot of damage to horse and rider, and some drivers don't seem to realize how much pain a thousand pound animal will inflict on them. The number one thing to remember is that you can control your horse, but not the cars. Never assume that people will slow down or stop, even if your horse is rearing or skittering toward traffic. When in doubt, stop and let the cars go by.

2. So where do you even start? Gradually, of course! If your horse is turned out where he can see cars, he's a step ahead of the game. The standardbreds are usually pretty good because they've started behind cars at the track. In some cases (Ozzy) they've even been led off truck beds or out car windows. You can lead your horse along a grassy shoulder if you are worried he might be reactive. Once he ignores the traffic, you can ride him along the same stretch. It's extra awesome if you can ride on a stretch of shoulder with a ditch between you and the road. Once your horse is comfortable next to the road, you can start riding him on it, starting with streets with wide shoulders and graduating to places with less space and more traffic.

3. Start with road crossings. It is much simpler to ride across a road than along one. I teach my horses to stop before road crossings, regardless of whether traffic is coming or not. I ask for a complete halt of six seconds before I cross. The horses come to expect a pause and don't rush into the street. My silly hope is that my horse would slow down before a road long enough to not get hit if he was returning home without me.

4. Know what scares your horse. Horses are unpredictable and cars can't be trusted. Knowing what your horse is not a fan of may help you avoid dangerous situations. For example, Ozzy gives storm drains the goggle eye every time, so if I hear a car coming and a drain is coming up, I'll make him pause and wait it out rather than risk him jumping sideways into traffic.

5. Pavement- it's hard and it's slippery and nobody really wants to ride on it. There has been some debate over whether road riding is bad for horses' hooves and tendons. I've heard that road riding will founder your horse and I've heard that it will strengthen his ligaments. My experience is that barefoot horses do best on pavement. They grip better than shod horses and their feet can expand to absorb impact. Of course, road surface wears hooves faster than ring or grass riding. My personal opinion is that it's smart to walk the roads. While I will trot my horse through iffy places like 90 degree bends, I teach him to walk whenever we're on asphalt. One case of road rash was quite enough for both of us. After all, what's the rush?

6. Visibility- Here's where it gets scary. It's easy to ride on a road if you have a good grassy spot, a straight stretch, and a good escape plan and can see the cars coming. But what if you can't? What if you're coming up to a narrow one-lane bridge with some blind turns thrown in? Obviously, this is something you shouldn't even attempt until you and your horse know what you're doing (and even then, it may be smart to pick an alternate route). The good news is your visibility is usually better from horse back because of your elevated vantage point. Additionally, you can hear cars coming, usually before they can see you. The other great thing is that many scary spots have a good place to pull off beforehand, where pedestrians can stand safely. I park Ozzy while I look and listen both ways. I wait until the coast is clear, then move quickly and calmly to safety. Most blind turns are only 'blind' in one direction. Observing this is important. Horses should be on the right, but in some situations, I switch to the left hand side for better visibility. For example, on a sharp left hand turn, I'll ride in on the right and out on the left, maximizing my visibility as well as my chances of being seen by approaching traffic. Keep in mind that your horse may not be used to traffic on his off side and should be desensitizing appropriately in advance. There is a lot you can do to protect yourself and your horse. Still, the best approach is to avoid places of low visibility or with no escape options.

7. Don't be afraid to signal, but don't get mad. Drivers are supposed to respect hand signals from riders, but many don't. This is usually because they don't know the laws and don't understand the nature of horses. It can be extremely frustrating to wave at a driver to slow him down, only to have the driver continue along and, worse, blare his horn to say hi. There's no point in getting mad. People don't know better and road rage isn't going to help you. I try to educate people I meet by explaining that horses are spooky and that cars are scary, but making enemies doesn't do any good.

8. Along the same lines, be respectful of property. If you're riding down the street, chances are you're riding past private property. Most states have laws about easements, where the edge of your property belongs to the state. It's worth looking into. Usually, the ten feet of property closest to the road are 'public' and ok to ride on. Lawns, flower beds, and private walkways are not a good idea. You wouldn't want a stranger in your paddock, and strangers may not want you in their yards. Many people welcome horses and love free fertilizer, but asking permission goes a long way.

9. Ride like it's no big deal. This sounds easier than it is, but it's a good thing to practice. Ignoring little things like the fishy eye or alarmed snorts or small side steps or bits of jigging will help your horse realize that he's making a big deal out of nothing. If you ride relaxed, your horse will pick up on your signals and learn to do the same. In the early stages, someone with a velcro butt may be a good thing to have around.

Most importantly, I think it is good to learn to trust your horse. They have instincts and senses that we can't even begin to comprehend. While many horses have irrational fears that need to be conquered, they also have a good feel for things we can't perceive. For example, horses are very good about footing. If my horse refuses a creek crossing, I believe him. He's probably right. The key is to figure out how to tell if your horse is being silly or if he's genuinely afraid. Is he afraid of the dog because it's noisy or is he afraid because it's posing an actual threat? Is he wary of a trail because the footing is no good or is he just tired and trying to sneak home? It takes practice, but it's a valuable relationship that makes trail riding not only safer, but more fun.

Herbie and the Jolly Ball

Today, Herbie stole Jabby's Jolly Ball.

Derby Dog

Shorter Than Expected

13.9 miles

1h 38m
Moving average: 8.5mph
Max speed: 28.3mph

I planned on doing 20 miles with Ozzy today. I had a game plan, had mapped out the path in advance to make sure it was possible, and headed out early enough to give myself three and a half hours to do it. Turns out the loop was much shorter than it looked! I managed to make 14 miles out of it, but only because I did some extra distances around the nursery. Oops! The good news is that I should be able to do this loop daily now that the days are longer. We got out to Doc Dey's Heritage Hill Farm and I plan to get permission to ride through there and over to Ketcham.

I was slightly nervous about this stretch of road. Two one-lane bridges in a row, between a bunch of 90 degree turns. It actually wasn't bad.


The mill at Walnford.


The view from the front of Heritage Hill














Friendly horses next door to the nursery.





Lightning bolt on his forehead.


Cheeky pony.








Another section of road that I wouldn't recommend to first time trail riders.

10 Miles

Erin and I did 10 slow miles today. It's the farthest Jabby has gone and he did very well! I'm planning on taking Ozzy for a long ride tomorrow after the time change, so it was good for him to slow down for a day.

Fancy Dinner

Last night, Bryce, Dev, C, and I all went out for a fancy formal dinner (hence the dress). C was home for the week on spring break. I think we're all eager for her to graduate in May so we can go back to our wild adventures and regularly scheduled lives. Bryce and C's birthdays are the 19th and 20th respectively so we celebrated last night.

We went to Char, which was a nice halfway point for meeting up. Bryce has been wanting to go for months, and I have to say he made a good choice. Talk about a fancy place!!! The atmosphere was insane and the prices made my head spin. Our waiter came over and started running through the menu items and the details of what preparation goes into each steak. It was all over my head, but I tried to look attentive (and cultured, ha!) C and I got some great giggles along the way. For example, I didn't know what the different types of bread were or which bread plate was mine.

When the waiter asked, "What kind of water would you like?" I was a bit... erm... awkward-ized? I didn't think it was the appropriate time that I don't drink water. Or wine for that matter. Thankfully, Bryce saved us halfway through the meal and managed to get us cokes.

The food was incredible. We had crab-stuffed mushrooms and filet mignon tartare as appetizers. Bryce brought a bottle of wine gifted to him by his home lawyer's paralegal and we all toasted to the upcoming birthdays. My steak was actually medium rare and the variety of sauces they gave us were awesome. We finished off the night with deserts. Bryce and I split a creme brulee. Mmmm...

I was completely stuffed by the end of the meal when we ran back to our house for a group photo.

Herbie Videos

Herbie and the neighbor's dog, Jake. Notice that she doesn't bark even when he gets all worked up.




Herbie's newest trick is roll over. She's still new at it and needs some practice. She wasn't coordinated enough for it til last week.


Go to your den, stay, and come.Taken a few weeks ago.

Almost Spring Photos

Lauren returned Tiger two weeks ago. He got out of quarantine yesterday and Erin threw him in the back field. I was showing Jumbo to the Philadelphia PD (they adopted Pisa) and put him out when I was done.

Regardless, have some photos...

Dom in a dress?

No way!

Ozzy's Feet

John was kind enough to bring in a CD for me the other afternoon. On it are photos from August 2007, the first time he saw Ozzy. I got Ozzy in May of that year and his feet had already been done once or twice, so I don't actually have photos of the initial damage. I wish I'd thought to document it. All the same, you can see how bad his feet were three months later when I finally found and contacted John. We're going to do follow up shots in the near future.

"Wait til you see these photos," John said. "I mean... wait til you see his body condition!"

Remember, this is three months into me owning this horse and fattening him up. The worried look on his face, as Bryce remembered, is because he'd just spent the day getting chased around by weanling fillies. That's right... he was also terrified of horses when I got him. Even the little ones.