The Repurposed Horse

In preparation for the Haunted Hunter Pace tomorrow, Barn BFF eB and I spent some quality time today sprucing up the mane and tail of her steed/my arch-nemesis/token barn devil pony, Lulu. Pre-sprucing The antagonization process is pretty simple - find yourself one grouchy white pony mare, bathe her, and then dye her mane and tail an obnoxiously loud color.   dat yellow tail, though Avoid close proximity to front and hind ends as much as possible.  You may have to bathe more than once to remove all dirt.  Once clean, the beast is ready to be spruced.  Er.  Dyed.  sprucing requires gloves. Ingredients: many packages of Kool-aid in color of choice + conditioner of choice + gloves + plastic bag of the grocery variety + copious amounts of Vaseline to avoid dyeing entire pony. all bundled up We used five packets of Kool-aid for the tail.  Lulu has a relatively thick tail for a pony, so maybe if you were to try this on a regular-sized...

It's been a long and busy week.  I haven't had a lot of time to even consolidate a post in my brain.  I also haven't really taken any photos this week. It was a week of sad things - at the barn, BFF E had a bad fall and is out for a few months with broken vertebra in her neck (v. positive outlook and she is doing better every day, but it still majorly sucks). At home, my grandma's health is in rapid decline. And it was a week of happy things - Leo no longer needs the chiro, and we had a really good lesson tonight.  The weather has been beautiful.  The Haunted Hunter Pace is happening.  All in all, I'm glad that this week is over.  Fingers crossed that the Haunted Hunter Pace will be a bright spot of things turning around for the better. I'm beyond ready.

Leo in June When I bought my horse, his previous owners had recently shaved a somewhat ridiculous bridle path.  Like, it went up into his forelock and then halfway down his neck  back pretty far.  The standard for show saddlebreds is that the bridle path goes as far back as the ears do when they are pressed backwards against the neck.   Leo's went approximately two ear-lengths back.  So not attractive.   The mohawk diaries Thankfully, this horse grows hair freakishly fast. Within a month it was almost an inch long.  I have been slowly pulling his mane shorter as the 'bridle path' grows longer, in hopes that eventually the two will meet up happily at a decent length.  The above picture is from the first time I pulled his mane.  I try to do about an inch off every month or so.  I am not a particularly experienced mane-puller, and I don't mind the longer mane, so I've been really cautious about it because I didn't want to accident...

I was somewhat nervous about riding in a lesson today.  Not only have I not been riding my horse due to his being in training, but he hasn't jumped anything in almost two months.  So there was much trepidation leading up to the lesson - at least, on my end.  Leo just seemed happy to be getting ready to do something. Game face. I wasn't sure what bit to use - Trainer K has used a vast assortment throughout the training process, but she's out of town at a show, so I was sort of on my own. He likes his fancy expensive Novocontact, but I need to find something a hair stronger that I can use for the upcoming Haunted Hunter Pace, so I decided on a whim to borrow Barn BFF S's happy mouth elevator.   Sexy beast. This was the first time he's ever gone in a leverage bit, and I absolutely loved him in it.  He wasn't fussy or head-tossing, and I've never felt him so, well, happy about a bit before.  Definitely beginning the hunt for one as soon as I'm do...

This is your friendly reminder that Leo is, in fact, a saddlebred. And also completely, utterly adorable. (ignore my stupid face) He enjoys reminding me of this basically every time that we go outside. Um. Mom? DO YOU SEE THE THINGS OVER THERE?! And casually striking a pose in the most giraffe-like of ways. that. neck. But we still love him! First LESSON on my horse in almost 2 months is tomorrow evening!!!!  :D :D :D :D

The almost-week of blog silence has been largely due to the trip to Indiana that I took over the weekend.  (Friday-Monday) Typically, going home means an extreme lack of all things pony, but this time around I managed to arrange a lesson at my old barn, HHS.  I haven't been there since my move to Missouri four years ago, so I was pretty excited!  And, as it turns out, so was my two-year-old niece! Unknown to me, baby R has developed a horsey obsession.  I had Leo's blanket shipped to my parents' house so that I wouldn't miss its delivery, and R was all about seeing it first thing in the morning when she woke up.  (Side note, blanket does not fit my pony - apparently Weatherbeeta uses its own special secret measuring scale. Ugh.)  One part of the trip involved a road trip to Michigan to see more family, and I kept R entertained by showing her all of the videos that I have on my phone - by the end of the car ride, she was requesting "More Leo videos!" and...

The long-overdue play-by-play begins now.  There are professional photos available in the world but I am too broke to justify buying them.  They can be viewed here  if you care to see them. Imposter OTTB bonnet - photo credit to Barn Friend EC's daughter It was a grey and mildly chilly day.  Barn BFF E and I arrived at the barn around 5:30 am to help feed the horses (we have around 50 head right now) and load the second round of trailers - my barn had 14 people doing the mini event.  Our plan was to hit the road by 7, and we magically pulled out of the driveway by 7:15; the only hiccup was one mare deciding that trailers are ABSOLUTELY EVIL and refusing to load for about 20 minutes before we finally convinced her that she wasn't going to die upon entering the scary metal death contraption.   We arrived at the venue - Queeny Park - pretty much exactly on time, around 9.  Several of our riders had left earlier and were finishing up their dressag...

Trainer K is at an event this weekend, and left me instructions for Leo in her absence. Saturday, it was "walk forever on the lunge  (make him actually walk) then canter, then walk forever again..reverse and do the same thing the other way." Because walking is hard for Leo, especially after being allowed to run around at a faster pace. That actually went really well. I texted her this morning with an update, and to ask what today's exercise should be. That conversation went something like this: Me: So what should I do with him today? TK: Why don't you get on bareback with a halter and lead, he needs to learn..(wise explanation here) Me: (overwhelmed with joy about the prospect of riding my horse) Okay!!!! (: (: (: Also me, in my head, after processing: OMG I'm literally going to die. She's trying to kill me.  Needless to say, I am still alive and well. Leo was seriously perfect. He didn't care at all about the bareback thing, or the...

Mini-event recap will be coming soon, but I wanted to take a moment to talk about my main man. Leo has been doing incredibly well.  He is progressing at a rate that surprises and impresses us (me, Trainer K, and Trainer A) basically every day.  He is strong enough now to carry himself in a frame at the trot and at the canter when various gadgets are attached to him - typically a pair of very loose side reins, surcingle, and training bridle.  When I lunge him in a flat halter, he seeks contact for the first minute or two before realizing that the bit isn't there.  He stays relaxed at the walk and trot, and has significantly smoother canter departures.  Three weeks ago, he could manage 4 left lead canter rotations on the lunge in a flat halter before he would fall out of it, and 3 rotations on the right lead.  On Monday, he essentially managed to hold himself up for infinite canter circles in both directions. He gets ridden by Trainer K about...

Mini event goals: #1 - don't fall off #2 - don't get eliminated #3 - have fun! All goals achieved! :D Full recap to follow! Literally the most fun that I have ever had at a horse show.