Soupy Air
Thursday I had training and Kash did absolutely fantastic. I don't think I could have been any happier with how he performed considering all the crap that was going on. Per usual Kim and I met up at the horse park. The air was humid, I don't think we had a day last week that WASN'T at or at least right around 150 for a heat index. It also looks like we're going to have the same thing this week.
But back to the boy. He got worked Tuesday and Wednesday as well, so I'm not sure if it was the magic of being worked three days in a row, the fact that we were just in the round pen to work a bit more on my own position, or who knows what, but he was absolutely saintly. They had a half dozen earth movers and water trucks doing all sorts of things to the old dump. They've been sealing up the surface of the dump in preparation to getting the trailhead and such that is supposed to be going in there ready. To Kash, however, they might have well just not been there. At all. The beeping, grinding dirt, scraping metal, and roaring engines.
Now I just need to keep him on a regular schedule so he can continue being the awesome horse that I know he is. He's been a bit stiff in his hip and terribly noisy in his mouth, and I think they're connected. If he weren't spending so much time chewing on the bit he'd be able to feel the rein cues better. Of course this activity isn't anything new. He loves to maul the bit. He would happily stand in one place and chew on the thing for HOURS if he was allowed. Moments with a quiet mouth are an abnormality.
I worked him this morning as well and he was pretty good off the leg. Still a little stiff through the hip, but he was coming in on shoulder-in a bit better. I need to isolate his shoulder and hip better so I can get him to do walking (half) pirouettes without having to stop him. More things to work on, I guess.
I also worked Kitt this morning. I was terribly proud of myself being done by 8.30 with two horses this morning. I also worked Cinnamon, but I spent a lot more time doing that than I'd initially intended. The idea was to be back at the house by 9.30 so I could muck, but I ended up not getting back until 11.00. It started with a couple pulling in just after me and using the roundpen at the horse park. I sat on the bench with The Stink as she could use the patience practice. Once they were through I worked her for about 20 minutes lungeing and ran into a sticking spot with her reverse and had to focus on that. I know the main reason she was having issues was that she wasn't really focused on me at all and was wondering where the other horse went. Once we were done working I detacked her and left her to roll while I put up the saddle in the trailer. Cue the second horse trailer to pull in.
I put up my stuff, drained my water, and chatted with my new companion (her name was Debbie) while watching Cinnamon run about and whinny. Cinnamon settled enough to at least pee and started looking like she was going to roll, or at least looking for food, but Debbie's horse whinnied back and the two went back and forth for a while. I finally went over and retrieved her, she was terribly happy to have some companionship.
Cinnamon is still getting used to the idea of the bridle. She was a bit silly about getting it put on this morning so I put it on her at least a half dozen times. She also does strange things with her head with it on and I think after a couple more rides I'll probably swap out the bit and see if she isn't quieter with something else. The one I have is either a Dr. Bristol or a french link (I'd have to look at the mouthpiece again) egg butt snaffle, maybe she'd do better in a plain one.
All that said by the time I got home it was pretty bad out. It wasn't much above 90, but the humidity was 60% or so, again our lovely 150+ heat index. Hosed off The Stink, fed Panda lunch, and retreated inside, I think it was almost noon then. Had lunch, took a nap, and cleaned the blinds in the bedroom.
Tomorrow I think I'll dust the rest of the bedroom and vacuum. I know, terribly homemaker-ly of me! Sometimes I can clean stuff. Especially when I actually remember that there is cleaning to be done. I don't actively avoid house work, I just forget about it, heh.
Kathryn and I have been meeting weekly the past two weeks (and again this week, tomorrow actually) and are playing horse soccer with her horse Santana and Kitt. It took Kitt a little bit to realize that I actually wanted her to "run over" the ball, but she's gotten used to it and last week we were able to kick it around at a trot. Santana loves the ball, but Kathryn's confidence needs to build a little bit before letting him gait and trot around kicking the thing (Santana could be prone to getting a little too excited). We might try to get an equine soccer league going for the Queen Creek area, it would be fun. Trish is already interested, though she won't be able to make it this week. She was planning on bringing her Icelandic Geyser so we'd be a trio of practically ponies, but not really. You see Icelandics are small, but they insist on calling them horses, not ponies. Santana is a Rocky Mountain Horse, but is also on the shorter side (under 14.2 I think, thus he's technically a pony), and Kitt is a Fjord, which is a pony in both build and height (14hh flat last we measured), but again, enthusiasts often insist on calling them horses rather than ponies. Santana and Kitt are also "Muley Friends" because, for some strange reason, people always ask if they're mules. Poor Santana is grulla in color (black-based dun) and kindof has longer ears, but certainly not mule-lengthed, and Kitt, also dun (brown dun) has the whole Mealy thing going on so she has the lighter muzzle ring and around the eyes, plus slightly longer ears as well (but proportionate!). We joke they find solace in each others company.
And that's about it for me. Most of my lessons are on hiatus until the weather goes cooler since school is now in session for 90% of them. I have a couple braving it out (granted, one of them comes on Saturday and the other is home schooled, but two others are in school) so things will be sad and tight for a few weeks yet.
Yeah, can't think of much else of anything that's going on. It actually rained a few days and the weather was REALLY NICE, but now the air is moisture-laden and just kindof gross until it rains again or the monsoon goes away. I'm hoping for the former. We need the moisture on the ground (not in the air!)
But back to the boy. He got worked Tuesday and Wednesday as well, so I'm not sure if it was the magic of being worked three days in a row, the fact that we were just in the round pen to work a bit more on my own position, or who knows what, but he was absolutely saintly. They had a half dozen earth movers and water trucks doing all sorts of things to the old dump. They've been sealing up the surface of the dump in preparation to getting the trailhead and such that is supposed to be going in there ready. To Kash, however, they might have well just not been there. At all. The beeping, grinding dirt, scraping metal, and roaring engines.
Now I just need to keep him on a regular schedule so he can continue being the awesome horse that I know he is. He's been a bit stiff in his hip and terribly noisy in his mouth, and I think they're connected. If he weren't spending so much time chewing on the bit he'd be able to feel the rein cues better. Of course this activity isn't anything new. He loves to maul the bit. He would happily stand in one place and chew on the thing for HOURS if he was allowed. Moments with a quiet mouth are an abnormality.
I worked him this morning as well and he was pretty good off the leg. Still a little stiff through the hip, but he was coming in on shoulder-in a bit better. I need to isolate his shoulder and hip better so I can get him to do walking (half) pirouettes without having to stop him. More things to work on, I guess.
I also worked Kitt this morning. I was terribly proud of myself being done by 8.30 with two horses this morning. I also worked Cinnamon, but I spent a lot more time doing that than I'd initially intended. The idea was to be back at the house by 9.30 so I could muck, but I ended up not getting back until 11.00. It started with a couple pulling in just after me and using the roundpen at the horse park. I sat on the bench with The Stink as she could use the patience practice. Once they were through I worked her for about 20 minutes lungeing and ran into a sticking spot with her reverse and had to focus on that. I know the main reason she was having issues was that she wasn't really focused on me at all and was wondering where the other horse went. Once we were done working I detacked her and left her to roll while I put up the saddle in the trailer. Cue the second horse trailer to pull in.
I put up my stuff, drained my water, and chatted with my new companion (her name was Debbie) while watching Cinnamon run about and whinny. Cinnamon settled enough to at least pee and started looking like she was going to roll, or at least looking for food, but Debbie's horse whinnied back and the two went back and forth for a while. I finally went over and retrieved her, she was terribly happy to have some companionship.
Cinnamon is still getting used to the idea of the bridle. She was a bit silly about getting it put on this morning so I put it on her at least a half dozen times. She also does strange things with her head with it on and I think after a couple more rides I'll probably swap out the bit and see if she isn't quieter with something else. The one I have is either a Dr. Bristol or a french link (I'd have to look at the mouthpiece again) egg butt snaffle, maybe she'd do better in a plain one.
All that said by the time I got home it was pretty bad out. It wasn't much above 90, but the humidity was 60% or so, again our lovely 150+ heat index. Hosed off The Stink, fed Panda lunch, and retreated inside, I think it was almost noon then. Had lunch, took a nap, and cleaned the blinds in the bedroom.
Tomorrow I think I'll dust the rest of the bedroom and vacuum. I know, terribly homemaker-ly of me! Sometimes I can clean stuff. Especially when I actually remember that there is cleaning to be done. I don't actively avoid house work, I just forget about it, heh.
Kathryn and I have been meeting weekly the past two weeks (and again this week, tomorrow actually) and are playing horse soccer with her horse Santana and Kitt. It took Kitt a little bit to realize that I actually wanted her to "run over" the ball, but she's gotten used to it and last week we were able to kick it around at a trot. Santana loves the ball, but Kathryn's confidence needs to build a little bit before letting him gait and trot around kicking the thing (Santana could be prone to getting a little too excited). We might try to get an equine soccer league going for the Queen Creek area, it would be fun. Trish is already interested, though she won't be able to make it this week. She was planning on bringing her Icelandic Geyser so we'd be a trio of practically ponies, but not really. You see Icelandics are small, but they insist on calling them horses, not ponies. Santana is a Rocky Mountain Horse, but is also on the shorter side (under 14.2 I think, thus he's technically a pony), and Kitt is a Fjord, which is a pony in both build and height (14hh flat last we measured), but again, enthusiasts often insist on calling them horses rather than ponies. Santana and Kitt are also "Muley Friends" because, for some strange reason, people always ask if they're mules. Poor Santana is grulla in color (black-based dun) and kindof has longer ears, but certainly not mule-lengthed, and Kitt, also dun (brown dun) has the whole Mealy thing going on so she has the lighter muzzle ring and around the eyes, plus slightly longer ears as well (but proportionate!). We joke they find solace in each others company.
And that's about it for me. Most of my lessons are on hiatus until the weather goes cooler since school is now in session for 90% of them. I have a couple braving it out (granted, one of them comes on Saturday and the other is home schooled, but two others are in school) so things will be sad and tight for a few weeks yet.
Yeah, can't think of much else of anything that's going on. It actually rained a few days and the weather was REALLY NICE, but now the air is moisture-laden and just kindof gross until it rains again or the monsoon goes away. I'm hoping for the former. We need the moisture on the ground (not in the air!)