Christmas ride...booting story

I have known since I first started riding Liberty that he was going to be special. Before I began to really train him, I had thought he might be a "transitional" horse...the one I rode while I waited for Fiera to grow up to be old enough to ride. Now, I'm not only sure he's not transitional, but I find myself wondering why I have another horse at all. He has turned into such a special guy, that my heart swells with love and happiness to have him in my life.

This past weekend was the Christmas at the Ranch Ride. Usually it's held at Six O Ranch in Cleburne, TX, but this past weekend it was in Killeen at Parrie Haynes. They have been in a severe, multi-year drought, so they are very happy to have had so much rain. I was concerned about doing the ride in my easy boots, since in NATRC, we can only use boots which go below the hairline and don't cover the heel bulb. I have used them successfully a few times, but since I had had Liberty trimmed the previous week, the boots seemed to be a little big. I wasn't sure they would stay on at the trot and canter since we were now in open. Previously, I had only done novice speeds in boots.

We applied our boots (Maggie was using boots on Dixie too) before check in on Friday. In this case, I did nothing special to apply the boots but just pulled them on his feet. Usually I use either athletic tape or duct tape as a base for the boots, but I had such a difficult time to putting the boots on without any tape, I decided to go with just the boots. I had thought I would pull off the boots and add the tape, but since I couldn't pull them off easily, I just went with it.

Saturday Liberty's boots stayed on for the first loop. He lost the left one early, but we saw it come off and I put it back on at the first P&R. He lost the right one on the beginning of the second loop, but again, Maggie saw it and we put it back on...only to lose it again in the next mile cantering on some good footing. That boot was never found again. Dixie lost her first boot on the first loop and we reapplied and lost it. She lost her other boot too, but I have no clue where it went or when we lost it. At the end of the day 3 of our 4 boots were found. We decided that we would ride barefoot on Sunday as it was just too much hassle in light of the fact that we'd had multiple boot failure that day. We had no idea if we would be able to complete sound without boots, but it was worth a try.

Sunday it was raining and the trails were even wetter than the day before. We did not boot and had less trouble with slipping and sliding than the day before. In fact, while wearing just one boot, Liberty fell down in the muddy conditions on Saturday (miraculously, I didn't come off and he hopped up and went on about his business) The horses began to slow down for rocks and mud, but figured out the game of keeping good time elsewhere. We checked out sound, having ridden barefoot the whole day.

Liberty and Dixie don't live in rocky conditions, so conditioning their feet is not really a great possibility. Liberty has never had shoes; Dixie has had shoes one time. She has gotten sore footed in the past, mostly due to her tendency toward insulin resistance and being overweight. Liberty was tenderfooted this summer when the rain caused extra grass growth. I also think that sometimes the hay has too much sugar in it and will cause these problems. It's been my limited experience that management and diet are more important than conditioning on the terrain where riding will take place, but it's nice if you can throw in some conditioning. As a result, I always prefer to boot rather than to take my chances barefoot. One of my friends with a really good barefoot horse, was laid up all fall when her mare suffered a stone bruise which turned into an abscess and then a bone infection...better safe than sorry. I have recently purchased some gloves for Dixie and some Goober Glue, but the glue didn't arrive in time for booting this past weekend. Liberty's feet aren't quite the right shape, but I'm sure we'll try the boots on Dixie in the future.

Ride the Right Horse

I have been reading a book on equine personality. It's called Ride the Right Horse, (click on the title to read another blog entry I found on this subject) and I have found it infinitely entertaining and informative. The author then went on to compare the Myers Briggs Personality Inventory to the type of horse you should be riding. I know that I am an ENFJ...years ago I took the test and I was an ENFP, but I have consciously changed the P into a J (which is why I went from being a complete free spirit in my twenties to being a little overly rigid in my forties) As I read the closing chapters of the book last night, I got to thinking about how I choose my sport based on my personality.

I love NATRC rides. I love the sport, the people, etc, but as I've gotten older and done more riding, I have also grown to realize that I really don't like the booting rules. It's gotten bad enough that this year I will try AERC partly b/c of the boots, and partly b/c I realize that I'm just not a good joiner (that was going to be the name of my post: I am not a joiner!) I like to watch and observe (some of my closet introvert tendencies) and then do. I'm wondering how I will like it...mostly I'm switching sports this year b/c of distance issues. I'm trying to stay closer to home this year and save some gas money, pay off debts, not be away so much. When Deli foals in May, then we'll be a little more free, and once Liberty is ready to start, then we can resume our NATRC escapades. I feel like AERC might be a bit more forgiving of my new horse if it's unruly. Maggie wants to ride Joe who won't meet breathing criteria and I want to ride Freeley who is sometimes off on a circle, but never in a straight line...it's just a way for us to keep doing a competition. Plus, Maggie and I like the appeal of taking our own pace and seeing what happens. Of course, she has never ridden 25 miles and it's a long way. I may be picking Joe and her off the ground when it's all over...we'll just have to see. Our first try will be in February at the Freeze 'r' Burn. If that goes well, we'll do another in April...maybe by then Liberty will be ready to go.

For example: Maggie, Peter and Sara (Peter's sister) are playing a game and I'm in the room, watching, but I don't really want to play. Part of it is that I have a headache. And part of it is that I'm really enjoying my little spot of piece in the corner. I have felt so pressed and busy, I really like having time to just recreate in my own way.

Anyway, back to the book...The personalities are typed by Social, Aloof, Challenging and Fearful.

I have 4 horses and I have figured that they are all social on the scale somewhere. Deli is Social/Aloof (or aloof/social) but sometimes seems a bit fearful too...though from my experience with other Aloof horses they can spook randomly when they have been checked out and then brought back to life all of a sudden. Joe Bear is Social/Fearful (doesn't adapt to new situations well) Freeley and Liberty are both Social/Challenging. IN fact, I'd be willing to say that Liberty is a carbon copy of Freeley except that he's a little pushier and more friendly. Freeley might be an aloof mix instead b/c it's not like he cares for everyone universally...but since he's the leader of the herd, I assume that he's got some challenging in the mix. Both Freeley and Liberty are highly charismatic! Everyone flocks to those guys. Deli is sweet, but tends to hang out of the way, as does Liberty at times, though most of the time he's in the thick of things. IT's been a lot of fun looking at the personalities.

I'm getting another book called Horse Harmony, which deals with the personalities of horses based on the 5 element Chinese system of Wood, Fire, Metal, Water and Earth.

I was going to ride today but this headache is just really kicking my butt. Plus, it's cold, and I have company, so here I sit, just playing on my computer.

Off to visit my sims...for our anniversary Peter got me the last two "stuff" packs for Sims. He's also downloaded a bunch of new houses! I love new houses. Next Sim's needs to make a Horse stuff pack so we can ride our ponies!

I want an Alice of my Own

Well, my kitchen is now clean. I scrubbed it, baked in it and then scrubbed it again. I want an Alice...you know, Alice from the Brady Bunch. She cooked, she cleaned, she was always there to watch the kids...I want an Alice. Then Peter and I would never have to fight again about housework b/c Alice would be doing it. One room down and a few more to go before Christmas arrives.

Today I was able to stay home for the entire day. I have spent most of it on the computer, doing paperwork and paying bills and reading email. My new addiction to Sims 2 has affected my correspondence with my online friends! I made scones for Maggie's medieval party at school tomorrow. Shawn and Maggie will come by and pick them up any minute. They turned out pretty good and I managed to protect them from the dogs!

Christmas was supposed to be slow and relaxing this year for us. It was going to be just family here at home. Partly we planned it this way b/c it's an "odd" year (2007) so it's one of Shawn's years to have Maggie for the holiday. He planned to take her to the HIll Country to see his folks starting th 26th. Then we found out that Mizzou is in the Cotton Bowl and Dad and Shirley are coming down for that. Then I found out that Sara, Peter's sister is coming down the weekend before Christmas, possibly with his mother, which again changes things. If his mother comes down, I suspect she'll be at Nick's house, but we've already planned dinner here at home and invited Alexa to join us. So, I guess we'll invite her here for dinner, which means I have to clean my house a week sooner.

Nice thing about Dad and Shirley coming is that they won't be over here much since they don't like the pets...of course, I'd like to host them in my home. I found out that Shirley's kids are coming down to the game too, so I'm wondering if they're all staying at the same hotel and how much of our activities will center around them as well. I'm pretty jealous of time with my dad b/c I never get any with him alone. I wonder if the weather is nice I can convince them to come watch us ride just one time? My dad has never seen my ride my horse, nor Maggie hers. We're sharing his thing (football) It would be nice if he could be open minded and share mine...but I'm not holding my breath.

Then to make things even more complicated, Shawn forgot to put in for the days off and can't have her until the 2nd for his trip with her. This is fine with me since all of the other family is coming to town, but it's bad b/c one of the reasons we told Mom we couldn't come was b/c of Shawn and he's bugged out. I figure it's better to let her know now how it all went down b/c I hate for her to think I planned it this way. I just knew it wasn't a good year to travel and it looks like my instincts were right on. Too bad my mom can't come down here too since everyone else seems to be. It's also too bad that Eric doesn't have tickets to the game. It would be great fun to have his family here!

The change in plans sets my goal to redo Maggie's room back a week, but it give me an extra week to get the wall paper peeled off. I wanted to get her to take off the wallpaper so I could repaint her walls as a surprise while she's gone. Not really a Christmas present, but redone nonetheless. I want to take Peter to look at a bed she's interested in changing to. She wants a double bed instead of her singles now.

Playing catch up: Freeley was lame at six O and we had to pull. I had a vet look at him on Monday last and he said that he was “post navicular syndrome” which means he’s lame in one heal for no apparent reason and there are no changes on his xrays. This is good and bad news since it means that they aren’t finding anything wrong…but he’s still sore. WE put him on a round of bute and another steroid anti-inflammatory. After 5 days he’s much better. I had already pulled the shoes I had on him temporarily as he interfered so badly that it wasn’t to his benefit to stay shod. His soles are very thin, which I believe is part of the problem. Not sure what to do except to easy boot every time I ride, even in soft terrain. Of course, I did that the last hard ride I had before this lameness and he was lame anyway, so who knows? He’s getting rest right now and I will continue to trim him with him. OH, and the second vet says he’s not rotated at all, which is great news!

Maggie got sixth in horse and rider out of sixth on Joe Bear. We're happy though b/c she finished! She and Joe were so much more comfortable together...though Maggie will tell you that Brody was tons more fun to ride and more comfortable too. She says she really misses him, but I honestly am not sure he's great for her to ride anyway. He's young and while good natured, can be a little frustrating. He needs a more consistent rider and she's not that consistent right now. Heck,she's 10, so it doesn't worry me much. I found out that she and Brody placed 6th in the region as a team and he got 6th in horse. We're going to the convention, but Maggie doesn't know she placed, so it will be pretty exciting. Next year I"m planning for her to start competing Freeley and I will start competing Liberty. However, if he's not ready in March we'll fall back to Joe Bear for her and Freeley for me.

I'm going to change my account settings back to allow any poster to post comments again. However, if someone posts an anonymous comment, I won't publish it since I'm not crazy about publishing comments from people who won't admit who they are. I have plenty of room for dialog and don't even mind a discussion, but not without an identity.

Photos of Maggie and Brody

These are photos taken by Jim Edmonson at the Region 4 benefit ride in Decatur, TX on Oct 6-7. He says that he is only an amateur, but the photos are just fantastic. He captured Maggie and Brody just perfectly and caught them in moments when they were both smiling and getting along. Thanks so much for sharing these photos.

Empowering decisions

Today I made a decision! I decided that I would go to Maggie's school and do massages only 1 day per week. This means I will be paying them more money each month, but that's OK b/c I'm working more. We are only three weeks into school and Maggie is already complaining how little I'm home. I told her that we would all adapt and it would be fine. I need to work and we're finally getting things caught up and bills paid off. We finally have enough cash to take care of our needs instead of running to credit cards on occasion. It's a good feeling. I don't have to feel guilty if I go to a ride or a clinic. It's a good, good feeling. Did I mention it was a good feeling?

Still no word from Eric about Deli. I'm so hoping he'll take her and let her live there, which will free us up to have another horse to ride.

We're going to look at a new horse...Maggie may be doing the barn to pay for it if we decide to get him. Dumb, yes, but this is one of those good deals...we'll see what happens. She will be doing the chores to show me that she understands how much work there is to be done in a day. We'll see how long she stands up to the task. Of course, I will help, but she and Jena and Jennifer see ripe for the task. I'll be there to ride, trim, teach and supervise. It will be fun to watch my kid cleaning stalls for a change. Having a plan makes me feel so much better anyway.

Deli should get started on Marquis by Saturday. Freeley will get a trim this weekend and then he will be better.

Maggie is excited b/c she is going on the CTR ride next weekend. We are going to go to the Bigfoot Boogie with Cat, Jackie, Jena and Jennifer. Susan, Cat's friend, is going to ride Merlin too. IT should be quite fun. We're all going on a lark. I don't expect to do well at all on Skipper. I"d rather take Freeley, but I don't think I could bear not competing, so I'll go with something tried and true. I am riding Skipper and Maggie is riding Brody. I just hope that Skipper is in good enough shape. It could be a complete mess, but we'll all have fun

Weekend update

Our weekend trail ride didn't go as planned. We had planned so beautifully too, so it's really a shame.

The short version (well, I mean for it to be short b/c it's late and I'm tired) is that Freeley got tangled in his rope at the trailer on Friday am. I don't know how he did it, but I heard him thrashing at the trailer and went out to untie him. He had a rope burn, a gash on his lower left hind leg, and various cuts and bruises. He had also managed to pull his rope halter over his nose, but it was still over his head (note to self: no rope halters at the trailer) He never took a bad step, but the vet judge felt like he was too badly injured to start and that it would likely get infected on the trail.

So, I thought I would just find Maggie someone to ride with.

Then she checked in and the judge said that Deli was grade 3 lame. It's that same old something that's been going on for 2 years. She's not "really" lame, but she looks lame and tracks lame. I don't think she hurts b/c she's bright eyed and good natured. I think her hind quarters are weak from EPM and perhaps she has some left stifle involvement. I can show her off to make her look more sound. I have ridden her twice this year when she wasn't called lame and I honestly think she was just the same.

Maggie was heartbroken. She cried, I cried...then Peter took her to town for ice cream and I trimmed Deli to see if shortening up her toes helped any...it did seem to, but it was too late by then.

We hung around to have supper and then we went to bed. The next morning we packed it up and went home after the riders had timed out. I know I was a jerk for not staying and working the P&R's, but I was so depressed that I just couldn't stay and watch everyone. Turns out it was a really good choice, b/c they had a terrible storm and I'm a tent camper. They ended up calling the ride for the second day b/c the trail conditions were too bad for folks to go out. I know that one of the streams we crossed on Friday morning was high then. I can't imagine what it looked like after it rained all of Saturday and Saturday night.

I have a vet and chiro coming to see her tomorrow. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this. I have a bad feeling it can't be fixed, but the vet seems to think it can. I have my fingers crossed and I'm praying hard.

ON the subject of easy boots...I foamed on my first set and it was ridiculously easy. I don't know what I worried about. I got them off on Sunday and they are a mess that needs to be cleaned up. They are in the back of my truck in a bucket of water. I will have "Fun" picking them out over the coming days. I'm not sure the foam helped them stay on that much. The amount they recommended sure seemed like a lot, but I did notice that it wasn't on the bottom of the boots so much, so I wonder if I should have used more. I also didn't get the lid back on the chemicals tightly enough and it made a mess in my tack box. YUCK!

Frankie could be a good dog!

Frankie could be a good dog, but only if he got to go on the trail for 10+ miles a day. He went to Arkansas with us and seemed to be having a great time. He's normally such a bad dog, but he was just great all w/e. He was loose with us in the camp ground and never ran off on at all. He went with us on the trail every time we went out and he was always right with us. He's such a great dog, but normally he's into everything. He was so tired at the end of each day that he didn't even try to break into the cooler or the food box. This photo was taken on the bank by the spring we were playing in. He had been swimming and running and chasing wildlife all day and he was pooped.

Bar 50's trails were pretty well marked and they had a map. I found it pretty easy to find my way around once I had my bearings, but i confess the first day without a map I was nervous about finding my way back. I shouldn't have worried b/c there were some east/west roads that ran through the place and as long as I kept oriented to them, I could find my way back. Plus, Freeley has built in GPS...

Speaking of GPS, I couldn't get mine to work there. It kept telling me there was a weak signal. I did get an average MPH, which was very slow, due to hills and rocky terrain, but it kept going in and out. I've never been anywhere that my GPS didn't work so well. There were lots of rocks, but Deli did the whole thing barefoot without missing a beat. The first day I rode Freeley without his boots and he did protest after awhile. He didn't want to walk through the streams b/c of the rocks and he was very careful and slow. The next two days I put easy boot epics on him and he was much happier. I have never used epics on him, but he did great. Granted, according to my weak GPS signal, I probably didn't do more than 12-15 miles any of the days, but I had no rubs and he seemed very happy to have them. I did wonder if back boots would be good and I'm thinking of ordering some for him, but he was really ok. The terrain was a bit like a combination of Robber's Route and Big foot Boogie.

My good friend, Sylvia came with her 14 year old daughter. Unfortunately, Sydney, the daughter, isn't as interested in riding as she used to be. She's more into boys and less into horses. So, she did ride with us a one day but then slept the next 2 days. Sylvia said that her ride on Thursday was the best ride she and her mare had ever had. Her mare used to be crazed to ride. She had to be in front and she was always pulling on Sylvia. Now she rides her in a rope halter. It seems that a new feed called Kool and Kalm is the answer. I'm thinking of trying it in the future.

This week, Jackie, who owns our barn, is going on vacation. I'm helping out to help with the day to day running of things b/c she just hired some new folks who don't know the routines yet. It will be a busy week.

I'm starting to work on my music and massage therapy schedule for the fall. One more is being a little tricky to schedule with and I'm experiencing some frustration with it. I have two hours with the same client and I want to do them in the same trip so that I can see more clients. His mom wants me to come late (after supper) 2 different days which means that I won't be at home with my family two nights and I won't be seeing other clients and earning more money b/c I'll be going to her house 2 nights. It could be that the client can't hack 2 hours in a row (music and then massage therapy) but I wanted to give it a chance, or do one afternoon earlier than the other so I'm not gone 2 separate nights. I'm not sure how to work on this scheduling issue.