Spring at Tanz Pferde
I rode Monaco last night in the outdoor arena. The sun had just started going down in beautiful red clouds, and it was still warm, but much cooler than it had been earlier. My barn, Tanz Pferde ("dancing horses" in German) is located just outside of Oregon City, which was the end of the Oregon Trail, back in the day. There are reasons that people traveled thousands of miles on foot to get there... it is an absolutely beautiful place.
I've been trying to teach Monaco some basic trail horse skills. In particular, the ability to let me open and close the outdoor arena without dismounting would be a big convenience to this lazy rider. The first attempt was a mixed bag. I got him to move up to the gate enough to open it, but he wouldn't let me get close enough on the other side to close it and use the latch. Curses. Stupid horse. I think he's wary of the white planking because it's the same used on his paddock except his paddock is enhanced with hot wire. So, maybe smart horse, actually. On the way out of the arena, I was able to open AND close the gate, so at least we made a bit of progress.
The first show of the season has come and gone, but I didn't sign up for it since I was in San Diego the week before. I did sign up for the upcoming May show, but I turned my entry in a week after entries opened, and I got waitlisted, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to compete or not. I've been a bit worried about Monaco, actually. He's just turned 15, and I think he might be starting to get a case of O-L-D. His movements have always been completely rhythmic, and we've never had any soundness issues, but a little something have been creeping into his movements. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being completely sound, he's now probably a 9. Dressage horses commonly have hock problems because we ask them to carry so much of their weight on their hind legs, so this may be what is happening to Monaco, but we haven't been able to figure it out yet. *sigh* He is such an incredibly wonderful horse in talent, attitude, and personality.
My barn friend, Holly, is currently agonizing over her horse choices. She has a beautiful big black horse who she rescued from a really abusive situation. After many years of careful care, he's in great shape and is a lovely horse, but he has major anxiety issues. She took him to a show last year, but it took at least an hour to persuade him to go into the trailer, he freaked out during the entire show and she had to be excused from the show arena because he was so awful, and then it took -hours- to get him back into the trailer to go home. Then, a few months ago, he spooked at nothing and dumped her. She landed on her back and injured it badly, and she's at an age when she can't just jump back up from an injury like that. So, she's decided to sell him. She loves him, but she can't trail ride with him. She can't go to shows. And any horse can injure you, but this horse is actually dangerous. It's been a really, really hard decision for her. She really needs a horse like Monaco who has a great attitude and a better mind. I wish that was something you could teach a horse, but they are all different.
I've been trying to teach Monaco some basic trail horse skills. In particular, the ability to let me open and close the outdoor arena without dismounting would be a big convenience to this lazy rider. The first attempt was a mixed bag. I got him to move up to the gate enough to open it, but he wouldn't let me get close enough on the other side to close it and use the latch. Curses. Stupid horse. I think he's wary of the white planking because it's the same used on his paddock except his paddock is enhanced with hot wire. So, maybe smart horse, actually. On the way out of the arena, I was able to open AND close the gate, so at least we made a bit of progress.
The first show of the season has come and gone, but I didn't sign up for it since I was in San Diego the week before. I did sign up for the upcoming May show, but I turned my entry in a week after entries opened, and I got waitlisted, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to compete or not. I've been a bit worried about Monaco, actually. He's just turned 15, and I think he might be starting to get a case of O-L-D. His movements have always been completely rhythmic, and we've never had any soundness issues, but a little something have been creeping into his movements. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being completely sound, he's now probably a 9. Dressage horses commonly have hock problems because we ask them to carry so much of their weight on their hind legs, so this may be what is happening to Monaco, but we haven't been able to figure it out yet. *sigh* He is such an incredibly wonderful horse in talent, attitude, and personality.
My barn friend, Holly, is currently agonizing over her horse choices. She has a beautiful big black horse who she rescued from a really abusive situation. After many years of careful care, he's in great shape and is a lovely horse, but he has major anxiety issues. She took him to a show last year, but it took at least an hour to persuade him to go into the trailer, he freaked out during the entire show and she had to be excused from the show arena because he was so awful, and then it took -hours- to get him back into the trailer to go home. Then, a few months ago, he spooked at nothing and dumped her. She landed on her back and injured it badly, and she's at an age when she can't just jump back up from an injury like that. So, she's decided to sell him. She loves him, but she can't trail ride with him. She can't go to shows. And any horse can injure you, but this horse is actually dangerous. It's been a really, really hard decision for her. She really needs a horse like Monaco who has a great attitude and a better mind. I wish that was something you could teach a horse, but they are all different.