Just some photos

Sams Paddock

This is Sams paddock.

SAM IS BALD!!!!!!

This is Sam bald!
He looks awesome! It actually hard to tell that he is even clipped when you stand back. Sorry he isn't standing square with his head up but it is hard to get him to pose when it is just me! He handled the whole situation like a pro! Ricky (the gentleman who I got to clip him) was great, so patient, so quick, so professional. I am so glad he was recommended to me. Sam stood still most of the time. I had plans to give him a blanket clip but Ricky had never done one and because his coat wasn't really really long he thought it would look funny so we decided to take the whole lot off! He coped really well having his legs and belly done. We did have to twitch him to do his head. I really didn't want to do this but Ricky assured me it would all be fine and he was done in about 5 min. Sam forgave us afterwards by letting us rub his nose. I kept patting it and touching for the rest of the day to make sure he would let me touch it again!

He feels really cool! I have never dealt with a clipped horse before so it is all new to me. I tried to give him a brush this afternoon because he had rolled in some mud and the brush must have been too hard for him. I will stop in the saddlery tomorrow at lunch time to pick up a softer brush. I will also have a look at sheepskin saddle cloths. I think mine might be a little rough.

I wasn't motivated to ride today so we went for a stroll down the road. I made Sam stride out in front of me so I was in line where the saddle would sit. If I was walking on the near side he was happy to stride out but when I walked on the off side he was a little more hesitant. There is a vacant lot down the road a bit I like to work him in. There are things still going on but it is grassy and big enough for us to work in. I took him down there and tried to back him up and then send him around. He reared up and pulled me with him - this was not going to happen so I asked him to walk forward and we practiced turning, away from me, with me, and backing up if I walked backwards. This seemed to help get him concentrating on me and not what was going on everywhere else. We did this on both sides and then I tried sending him back and around again. This time he was happy to go both ways without getting worked up. I left it at that. I still made him walk home in front of me and what impressed me most was that he didn't try to stop and eat. Generally he stops all the time but today nothing. I could tell that he really wanted to but he restrained himself!

I have been trying to be more observant with Sam lately and I have noticed a few things. On Sunday the pony went to a gymkhana. The pony is Sam's best friend he lives in the paddock next to him. Sam was very upset and would whinny in between mouthfuls of hay. He calmed down once I arrived. He was fine being clipped and when i let him out to have a pick in the riding area he followed me around I noticed. It was subtle - he would just graze after me if that makes sense. I sat down and he came and nuzzled me and then grazed only 5m away. He made sure I was always in his sight. I left him there and went to clean up after the clipping. He followed me through the gate and went back to grazing when he saw me go into the stables. I took him with me so I could clean his paddock - there is no point leaving him out to have a pick around the stables because I can only go for about 2min now before he starts calling out. I cleaned his paddock and he didn't call out for the pony. I went to empty the wheel barrow (this takes me out of sight) and he cried out. I yelled out to him that I was coming back and this seemed to be enough. I sat out of sight for a while just to make sure he was alright with being by himself. Alley was only in a paddock near him and he could see the others but this doesn't seem to be enough. He was coping well with no crying out just munching on his hay so I decided to leave. He saw me go to my car and trotted over to the corner and whinnied. This was a different whinny - normally when I am out of sight and he is worried it is loud and forceful - this was softer, questioning. Does this make sense. I told him that I would be back later and he watched me drive down the driveway and then he trotted down with me.

I worry now. Sam obviously sees me as part of the herd which is great but I don't want to create problems - do horses get separation anxiety with humans? Am I over thinking this - probably.

He can be an angel!

I took a friends daughter out to see Sam today. Emily is 9 years old (I think) and last year she was having riding lessons with the local riding school. Due to their price rise her mum hasn't been able to afford for her to continue with lessons.

My plan was to ride Sam, let Emily have a ride, wash Sam, clean his paddock and water trough etc. I picked Emily up and we headed out to the paddock. Emily and I haven't really met before so it was a big thing for Emily to come with me. I also don't have children, never really had a lot to do with children so sometimes find it hard to interact with them. Emily just chatted away which was fine by me! We got out to the paddock and took our gear over to the stables and off we went to catch Sam. I pointed him out and poor Emily her eyes nearly popped out of her head - 'He is so big!" Sam came over to the gate to greet us and I put his halter on. She gave him some cookies and just patted him while he munched away. I handed her the lead rope and started walking back to the stables. Emily did really well following and I was proud of Sam as well, he put his head down and walked quietly next to her - he didn't even try to stop and grab a bite while walking!

I showed Emily how to tie a quick release knot for Sam, how to unrug a horse, how to pick up their hooves. She did really well, a little timid but I think she was in awe of Sam's size. He kept sniffing her and putting his nose in the way when she tried to brush him! I though it was cute. Sam seems to like kids - Piper - the little girl where he came from - Sam loved her, he would rest his nose on her head and just breath.

I saddled Sam up and took him out to the riding area. I wanted to ride him first because I hadn't ridden in two days and yesterday Sam seemed quite fresh when I took him out for a pick. Of course I had nothing to worry about, Sam was lethargic (it was midday) and really didn't feel like working. After warming him up I asked Emily to read out my dressage test - I knew the test but I thought this would be good for her, watch, read, learn what I was doing. I read through the test with her first and explained some things and she did really well.

It was Emily's turn to hop on Sam. I was really nervous. I didn't know how Sam would cope with a beginner rider. The balance, the unintentional bump on the mouth, the clumsy aids. Sam was a champion. He walked to slowly and was really listening to my voice and verbal commands. Emily practiced halting and walking and changing the rein. Then we tried to trot. Sam decided that he had done enough work today and that walking would be enough. I ended up having to jog in front of him so he would follow me. We did this and then Emily was able to take him out onto the circle. She did well. Sam wouldn't stay on the circle so she had to steer as well as keeping him going. She changed the rein through the walk and trotted on the other rein. This was Sam's bad side and she did really well. We then practiced at a walk, walking over trot poles and through them, keeping Sam really straight. I found this helped with Emily figuring out how little pressure she needed to use to get Sam to go where she wanted him to go.

We then tried to trot again and this time I wanted her to change the rein at trot outside the circle. I realise now that this was a little too much for Emily and possibly even Sam. It meant Emily turning Sam towards the gate and Sam had had enough so he didn't really listen. Poor Emily got a little confused on how to turn him and they ended up trotting down the paddock at a zig zag with Sams trot getting bigger. Emily coped really well she just pulled Sam around in a smaller circle and I was using my voice to get him to walk. He walked and then halted on his own. Emily wanted to hop off, she said she was alright and not scared but I was still worried.

I jumped back on and practiced the test one more time. If he stays calm on the day I am happy with him poking his nose out slightly and being a little strung out.

We then untacked Sam and let him have a good roll in the sand. Emily thought this was hilarious because Sam would turn around and around before dropping, just like a dog!

We washed him and had to do it twice to get all the sand out of his coat. He is getting clipped in the morning so I had to make sure he was squeaky clean. While Sam dried we sat under the tree watching him and eating out lunch. We left him out in the riding area to have a pick while we went and cleaned his paddock and water trough. Of course half way through I hear Sam screaming out! I had left him with the other horses but for some reason Sam doesn't like being out there on his own. I went to catch him and bring him around to the paddock and he trots up to me and then just follows me over to his halter. I guess I can't leave him out there to have a pick - Strange horse!

I rugged Sam to try and keep him clean and took Emily home. Her mum tells me she didn't stop talking all afternoon. She got a second by second description of what we did. I am so glad that Emily enjoyed herself. I think I will do it again.

I went back out in the early evening to feed Sam his dinner and he was very good and hadn't rolled! I have the camera ready to take photos of him before and after his clip! I am a little anxious!

Another quiet ride

I rode Sam this afternoon and he was soft, a little lazy, but happy to move off my leg even on his bad side. He is always much better at home anyway. Today I practiced riding some of the moves in the dressage test. Figure of 8 at x. I practiced making them right then I moved onto the serpentine. I didn't focus too much on where Sam had is head more if we were doing the moves right. I really focused on not letting him fall out through the outside shoulder which he likes to do. I think we went well and I would be happy with the way he went this arvo for him to do that at the comp. I am expecting him to be tense but hopefully not as bad as he is at out lessons.

Reading the blog A year with Horses - Kate really makes me think which I like. The other she talked about high energy and low energy get a horse to day something -

Sam this afternoon did not want to stand and wait for his rug to be put on before his dinner. I shook his lead rope side to side until he stopped moving forward and then I left slack in the lead rope and continued to put the rug on. He took a step forward and I only had to put one swing in the lead rope before he stopped and took a step backward. I continued on, he stepped forward and I picked up some slack in the lead rope and he stopped and stood still for the whole time it took me to put his rug on. I am sure we will need more lessons with this but I got the desired outcome with not a lot of yelling, frustration, anger etc. Tomorrow I will make him stand just outside his paddock again to be rugged and I bet it will only take one swing then a pick up the slack a bit. This is the sort of training I like.

Tomorrow Sarah and I are going to practice our tests and call them out for each other. I'll let you know how we go!

Horrible Lesson

I had a shared lesson this afternoon and it was horrible!!!!! I should have warmed Sam up at home but I didn't have time so I jumped on and started to walk down to the riding school. I could feel that I was going to be in for a fun ride. You know when you can feel them dancing under your seat? People probably can't see it but you sure can feel it! When we got there I asked if I could borrow a lunge lead and I took him into the round yard and started him on the lunge. He wasn't too bad and I made him do a lot of transitions up and down. He had a wonderful time bucking and I reprimanded him each time. He started to focus more on me though you could tell he was having a lot of trouble with this. I jumped on him in the round yard to make sure I was happy to ride him. He seemed ok so I took him into the arena where Sarah had already started the lesson.

He was working ok until we went into trot and had to follow Sarah. Benny is a lot more forward than we are and I am not sure what happened, I was asking for more bend, Benny was going away from us and we were on the part of the circle that he always tenses up on. He just went up! Came down and went up again! Scared me too pieces. When he came down he just stood there while I composed myself. I think he scared himself a little. It took a bit to get him to walk forward but he did and was quiet while I hyperventilated!!!! I picked up the contact and kept going. He was still so tense but I did got some nice work out of him as well. About 50min into the lesson I was really over it all and ready to call it a day but Jenny (the instructor) wanted us to do some cantering. I said no and worked Sam on a small circle in the middle of the arena. He coped well with Benny cantering around but I could just tell he was really over it. I asked him to collect up again and he got really antzy again. He probably felt that I was over it so figured why do we have to do this! Jenny thought he was better today than last week though.

Unfortunately my confidence has plummeted and now I am having second thoughts about the competition. I will still take him but I will decide on the day if it is worth it or not. I know I need to take him out more so he gets used to it but maybe I am not the person for that. You know what I think Sam would really like - I am not sure what it is called but it is like orienteering on a horse and at each stop you have to do something, jump a log, open and shut a gate without getting off, things like that. I think Sam an I would both really enjoy that. I find he relaxes on a slightly looser rein but I keep getting told to shorten my reins, shorten my reins, shorten my reins! I told Jenny that I have never ridden with this sort of a contact before and I just have to keep shortening those reins!

Tomorrow I think I will just ride Sam in his halter again and relax! Or take him up the road and ride in the vacant lot. We will get there I am just having a bad night!

Thanks for listening!!!!!!!

I booked Sam in to get clipped Sunday morning!!!!! I'll take photos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I HAVE NEWS!!!!!!!

We are moving to WAGGA WAGGA!!!!!!! Just so you can imagine where Wagga is compared to Townsville - 2200km south! It is cold in winter and hot in summer and just delightful!!!!! We are moving in September and I can't wait! It doesn't snow but pretty close to it! The summer are a dry heat so much more bearable! We are hoping to find acreage to rent so I can keep Sam at our back door! This means we will have to get Sam a friend!

Poor Sam he really is going to freeze. He has never been south of Townsville and the coat on him already is like a yak! We are going to get a transport company to take him down so it is a lot less stressful for all of us. I think he will travel a lot better on a truck and the company I use - Rudds is awesome. They will keep him over night if they think he needs a break.

So much to do and organise - sell our house, find somewhere to live, finding agistment until we find a house on acreage. Finding a job. At least if we sell the house I will have time on my side to find a job so I can be there to settle Sam in and Jack - our dog!

I didn't get to work Sam today due to the real estate agent so hopefully he will be well behaved for our lesson tomorrow!!!!

Did I mention that I was EXCITED!!!!!!!