March turned out to be different for many reasons.
At our barn staff meeting on March 1st we discussed my role at the barn and where Skippy and Zoe would live. Since I don't own any horses anymore I technically don't have to do any work around the barn. But I wanted to continue to ride and I didn't mind helping out some in exchange for that to happen. So many of my chores were divided up and some of them I kept. I kept the ones on Wednesday, feeding in the morning and evening, cleaning the barn only, and cleaning only 2 water troughs. I don't need to stay all day but probably will stay sometimes to catch a ride out with someone. The barn manager wanted me to ride the school horses to keep them "tuned up" and I can manage to do that Monday, Tuesday and Saturday mornings before I go to work.
Because I used to do so much cleaning and to keep the barn staff from taking on even more chores, it was decided to move Skippy and Zoe to another pasture that our hired pasture cleaner cleans. So Skippy and Zoe moved that day to the front pasture where the school horses live. Before they moved into that pasture only 4 horses lived there. Brandy, ChaCha, Sky and Chico. Brandy (privately owned horse) and ChaCha (the only school horse we had) are best friends. They are (were) also in charge of the pasture-Brandy more so. Sky (privately owned) and Chico (privately owned) are the only geldings in the pasture are easy going horses and Chico is on the bottom of the hierarchy. Enter Skippy and Zoe. Skippy, who can be very opinionated, didn't want to make any waves and took a submissive approach to the herd. Zoe, on the other hand, challenged the top-Brandy. Zoe almost seemed to want to be Brandy's best friend and Brandy had none of it, but didn't challenge Zoe, she ran away-all the time. So now Brandy is no longer in charge, ChaCha hangs around with Brandy, so if Brandy is running from Zoe, so is ChaCha. Skippy is like glue on Zoe's side, so when Zoe goes after someone it seems like 2 horses are coming at the horse being chased. This goes on for days. I'm thinking that Zoe has picked the wrong place in the herd, being at the top means you have to hold the top and instead of running from trouble, she would have to deal with trouble or make the trouble. Being at the top comes with many hard knocks. But I guess she will learn. So we all just watched the interactions of these horses as they learned how to operate together. It was amusing. All the "girls" milled around for days trying to figure out the hierarchy in the herd. In the meantime the "boys" just stayed on the edges of the pasture. Sky and Chico just watched the "girls", keeping out of their way. I could almost hear them say "I'm not going over there, you can't get me anywhere near those crazy ladies." The "boys" were literally standing in the corners of the pasture watching the "girls" mill around. If Brandy or ChaCha were "out" for a lesson or a ride, it was obvious that Zoe (and her sidekick Skippy) were in charge. Things finally settled down and now it seems ChaCha is in charge. ChaCha must have told Zoe to knock it off. Zoe no longer wants to be Brandy's best friend, ChaCha won't let her. So now Skippy and Zoe hang out together, Brandy and ChaCha hang out together and Sky and Chico just keep an eye out for those crazy ladies and try to stay out of their way.
Another thing that was interesting was what would Skippy or Zoe do if I took one out for a lesson. I decided to take Zoe out the next morning. Skippy ran up to me when I walked into the pasture, as if to say, "there you are and take me out of here." At this point Zoe was still fixated on Brandy. As I lead Zoe out of the pasture I could tell that riding her was not a good idea, too much energy and her attention was not on me. So we lunged in the arena-the arena is next to the pasture I just took her out of. Zoe would not lunge in a circle but in a figure 8-always coming back to the shared arena/pasture fence to check out Brandy. So I could make Zoe lunge in a figure 8, I could change directions of the figure 8 too. So I decided to see if she could stand still tied in the barn. Result: not really. So I decided to lunge in the arena again. This time Zoe could go in a circle, not the whole arena, just half of it. And we could change direction. So we went back to the barn to see how she would stand. She could do a better job, not perfect but definitely better. One more time back to the arena, this time on a lunge line. She did perfect. And back in the barn she did almost perfect. I called it a day. However, during this time of working with Zoe, Skippy was not happy. Her buddy was gone and she running back and forth from the arena to the gate. By the time I was done with Zoe (only a half hour), Skippy's front half was wet with sweat. Poor thing, pretty worried horse. I pulled her out and they both got to be in the barn together. Every day we worked on it, taking Zoe or Skippy out first and letting the other horse "deal with it" and now it's no problem. They do miss each other, they might call out once, but they stand fine, and pay attention to the person.
Then one day, shortly after they got in their new pasture, the trainer tried to take the lesson out the front gate. Her lesson was using ChaCha and Zoe. Zoe was having a hard time with that. So all that next week I worked with Zoe going out the gate. She seemed fine all the time. Unfortunately I think the lesson kids got the worst of that one.
Now Zoe and Skippy seemed to be settled in their new place. Skippy even found a friend-only when she is in heat. Her new friend at that time of the month is Chico. I found them standing together, with Chico's head resting on the top of Skippy's butt. Unfortunately Chico just injured his right eyelid and is in the barn with stitches. He'll be back in the pasture again. Probably in time for Skippy's next cycle.
It will be interesting to see other things that happen. It's a new world out there!
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Turning them over
The month of February was interesting. It would be the last month of owning the horses and I allowed them to be used for lessons.
How would it settle for me to give them up? I think I had a harder time November thru January thinking about where they would end up, hoping that they would be okay in their new homes, wondering if I could find one home for both of them. One thing that remained was my resolve that this was the correct decision, it was time to let them go. Small things happened that encouraged me to keep going down the same path even tho it was going to be a big change. And when I finally made up my mind to donate them to the barn for lesson horses, it was a huge relief, it was the correct choice.
Now what would it be like for me to see them being used as lesson horses and how would the horses react? This turned out to be the easy part. I got a chance to teach some lessons for about a month while the barn manager was recovering from knee surgery. During this time I got to use Zoe and Skippy for lessons. The horses didn't seem to mind being ridden by other people. They knew their job in the arena. Skippy can be a bit of a challenge for some - because for her, everything a rider does means something. You can't flop around on top of her and accidentally hit her with your leg and expect nothing to happen. She is like a finely tuned instrument and everything a rider does means something. Zoe is a bit more forgiving, trying to please but a bit more patient with a new rider. It turned out to be a blessing to be able to teach lessons during this time. To be able to encourage someone to ride for the first time, to watch their understanding of horseback riding grow, to see progress in the riders ability was very satisfying for me. And it gave me a chance to see how the horses would react and they did just fine. I remember a lesson that I took when Zoe was younger. The teacher had us all change horses for about 1/2 the lesson. I remember that there were about 3 of us that had younger horses in that lesson, all 3 of us had horses that were born close together. At the end of the lesson we all got back on our original horses, the ones we owned and raised and worried about and .... anyway it was like we were worried that somehow having someone else on them would "mix them up", we fussed over them, rode them again even tho the lesson was over, making sure they were ok. Now that I think back on it, it was funny. The lesson instructor must have been smiling to herself. The horses were just fine, they weren't confused, no horse was "ruined" by this experience-and life went on. It reminds me what the instructor used to say all the time, "a horse lives up to or down to your expectations", they don't forget. I can still get on Zoe at anytime and she will mind me just fine. Skippy for years has been ridden by 2 other people, my husband and a friend's husband, and that has not made her forget anything that I have ever wanted to communicate to her. The lesson program at our barn is starting to increase but will never get to the place it once was. There was not very much rest for the lesson horses, they didn't have very many breaks between lessons. Now things are slower. I was also proud of them. It was like raising a child and watching them exceed at something-there is the same sense of pride in their accomplishments, satisfaction in seeing them do great, amazement and wonder as I watch them move thru life. It is the same feeling I have for the horses. So it has been a good experience.
We have a new lesson instructor at the barn and it's been fun to get to know her and let her use the horses. It is nice to have a knowledgeable person using the horses. It turns out that she loves the horses. She has been mostly using Zoe and ChaCha for lesson and will use Skippy soon. She has been showing me pictures/videos of how Zoe is doing and that has been very helpful.
So that was February. March turned out to be a bit different...more to come later.
How would it settle for me to give them up? I think I had a harder time November thru January thinking about where they would end up, hoping that they would be okay in their new homes, wondering if I could find one home for both of them. One thing that remained was my resolve that this was the correct decision, it was time to let them go. Small things happened that encouraged me to keep going down the same path even tho it was going to be a big change. And when I finally made up my mind to donate them to the barn for lesson horses, it was a huge relief, it was the correct choice.
Now what would it be like for me to see them being used as lesson horses and how would the horses react? This turned out to be the easy part. I got a chance to teach some lessons for about a month while the barn manager was recovering from knee surgery. During this time I got to use Zoe and Skippy for lessons. The horses didn't seem to mind being ridden by other people. They knew their job in the arena. Skippy can be a bit of a challenge for some - because for her, everything a rider does means something. You can't flop around on top of her and accidentally hit her with your leg and expect nothing to happen. She is like a finely tuned instrument and everything a rider does means something. Zoe is a bit more forgiving, trying to please but a bit more patient with a new rider. It turned out to be a blessing to be able to teach lessons during this time. To be able to encourage someone to ride for the first time, to watch their understanding of horseback riding grow, to see progress in the riders ability was very satisfying for me. And it gave me a chance to see how the horses would react and they did just fine. I remember a lesson that I took when Zoe was younger. The teacher had us all change horses for about 1/2 the lesson. I remember that there were about 3 of us that had younger horses in that lesson, all 3 of us had horses that were born close together. At the end of the lesson we all got back on our original horses, the ones we owned and raised and worried about and .... anyway it was like we were worried that somehow having someone else on them would "mix them up", we fussed over them, rode them again even tho the lesson was over, making sure they were ok. Now that I think back on it, it was funny. The lesson instructor must have been smiling to herself. The horses were just fine, they weren't confused, no horse was "ruined" by this experience-and life went on. It reminds me what the instructor used to say all the time, "a horse lives up to or down to your expectations", they don't forget. I can still get on Zoe at anytime and she will mind me just fine. Skippy for years has been ridden by 2 other people, my husband and a friend's husband, and that has not made her forget anything that I have ever wanted to communicate to her. The lesson program at our barn is starting to increase but will never get to the place it once was. There was not very much rest for the lesson horses, they didn't have very many breaks between lessons. Now things are slower. I was also proud of them. It was like raising a child and watching them exceed at something-there is the same sense of pride in their accomplishments, satisfaction in seeing them do great, amazement and wonder as I watch them move thru life. It is the same feeling I have for the horses. So it has been a good experience.
We have a new lesson instructor at the barn and it's been fun to get to know her and let her use the horses. It is nice to have a knowledgeable person using the horses. It turns out that she loves the horses. She has been mostly using Zoe and ChaCha for lesson and will use Skippy soon. She has been showing me pictures/videos of how Zoe is doing and that has been very helpful.
So that was February. March turned out to be a bit different...more to come later.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
A different view
A new view between the ears is occurring. Even tho this is being written March 3rd, these thoughts occurred at the beginning of February...
It's been a while since I posted about selling the horses. I thought about that for a long time and I gave myself until February to come up with some direction. In the months between November and February I took lots of pictures and videos intending to use them to sell the horses on line. I had talked to many friends, coworkers, farriers, trainers, anyone who would listen about selling the horses. My dressage teacher helped me come up with prices and wording to help sell them. A friend told me about videos to help sell them because words backed up with videos goes a long way to sell a horse. I knew I would give a new owner a really good deal if it was a good home for them. I really wanted to try to find them a home where they could stay together, but I was willing to sell them separately if that turned out to be the best situation for each of them.
Two things stood out that helped me to make up my mind. One was that Skippy is a hard horse to sell. She is 20 years old and is slightly off on the left front. In January I had the vet out and we took X-rays of the left front. Turns out there is no ringbone or sidetone, just some slight arthritis on the front of her pasture bone where it connects to the cannon bone. Also some navicular changes that would be expected of a 20 year old horse-no navicular disease tho. Phew, that was a relief-now I had some information to give a future buyer. But all of that doesn't change the way she moves or her age. And the second thing was my desire that they stay together. It would be hard to find a home for both of the horses. So those things lead me to make the decision at the beginning of February to donate the horses to my riding stable to be used for lesson horses.
They would stay together and both of them would be used. The lesson program at my barn used to be very busy. The horses in the lesson string had a hard job but now the lesson program is much slower. Life as a lesson horse would not be as hard as it used to be and probably will never be that busy ever again. So life as a lesson horse would not be a hard life. The barn manager was happy to take them. She said they could still live together and she would keep their farriers. She currently has 2 lesson horses and only one is really usable, and she takes better care of them than she used to in the past. In exchange I would still be able to ride them as long as they were not being used for a lesson. My work load at the barn would be reduced as I didn't have to work off any board. So now there are 3 lesson horses and I won't have to work so hard.
It will be interesting to see how this all works out. Details to follow.
It's been a while since I posted about selling the horses. I thought about that for a long time and I gave myself until February to come up with some direction. In the months between November and February I took lots of pictures and videos intending to use them to sell the horses on line. I had talked to many friends, coworkers, farriers, trainers, anyone who would listen about selling the horses. My dressage teacher helped me come up with prices and wording to help sell them. A friend told me about videos to help sell them because words backed up with videos goes a long way to sell a horse. I knew I would give a new owner a really good deal if it was a good home for them. I really wanted to try to find them a home where they could stay together, but I was willing to sell them separately if that turned out to be the best situation for each of them.
Two things stood out that helped me to make up my mind. One was that Skippy is a hard horse to sell. She is 20 years old and is slightly off on the left front. In January I had the vet out and we took X-rays of the left front. Turns out there is no ringbone or sidetone, just some slight arthritis on the front of her pasture bone where it connects to the cannon bone. Also some navicular changes that would be expected of a 20 year old horse-no navicular disease tho. Phew, that was a relief-now I had some information to give a future buyer. But all of that doesn't change the way she moves or her age. And the second thing was my desire that they stay together. It would be hard to find a home for both of the horses. So those things lead me to make the decision at the beginning of February to donate the horses to my riding stable to be used for lesson horses.
They would stay together and both of them would be used. The lesson program at my barn used to be very busy. The horses in the lesson string had a hard job but now the lesson program is much slower. Life as a lesson horse would not be as hard as it used to be and probably will never be that busy ever again. So life as a lesson horse would not be a hard life. The barn manager was happy to take them. She said they could still live together and she would keep their farriers. She currently has 2 lesson horses and only one is really usable, and she takes better care of them than she used to in the past. In exchange I would still be able to ride them as long as they were not being used for a lesson. My work load at the barn would be reduced as I didn't have to work off any board. So now there are 3 lesson horses and I won't have to work so hard.
It will be interesting to see how this all works out. Details to follow.
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