Like the standard "Heres My Equine In A Santa Hat" pic dump.
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| "Dafuq is this shit ma?" |
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| "Cookiez?" |
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| "Just give me cookiez" |
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| "I still hate this" |
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| "JK I love you" |
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Merry Christmas y'all!
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Santa Hats and Stuff
So many things to discuss and people to thank regarding my last post, but right now there are bigger things at hand...
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Fucking Mental
As far as weeks go in winter, its been a semi-productive, almost OK week.
With the exception of my horse. And the rain.
He's a mental case.. and it sucks.
Seriously.
I know I said I "figured him out" in the last post. I sort of did. I figured out HOW to fix his naughty insanity, but not the WHY.
I doubt there really is a why that I will ever comprehend/be OK with/accept, but I have a few ideas.
Before I address his constant bastardly behavior, I would like prove we are indeed working, with a few rather horrible lunging pictures.
NOTHING is worse than lunging pictures. They all look the same and have the ghastly white line in the frame and they're just dumb. But here they are. Because pictures.
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And THIS day (pictured above) was TERRIBLE. Those pictures were taken 30 minutes into our session. I literally NEVER work a horse more than 20 on the lunge. I just dont. But I did yesterday because I refused to end terribly.
I always start our sessions with no sidereins. I generally believe that they need a good hideous warm up before being asked to do any sort of real work. But thats just like, my opinion.
Super important with the babies. They tend to have episodes and fixed reins can be dangerous in that situation. (Lets face it, theres always a risk using them, but more so with fresh babies)
In this case, Bacardi had many episodes. ONE could actually say it was a 28 minute show. Apparently Lunge Like A Complete Bastard Day was a double holiday for him.
I shit you not, he would spook vivaciously LITERALLY every 30 seconds. AT NOTHING.
We are talking, head up, butt down, scooting, bucking, galloping spook.
WHY. WHY. why. why. why. FUCKING WHY.
I was getting so frustrated. SO.
I would follow him when he spooked so as not to jam his face, but he never stopped & would just take the fuck off like
For seemingly no reason. AT. ALL.
Why and what in 5 lb 8 oz baby Jesus's name would a horse be spooking that much?
After his maniacal spooking session he finally chilled out "a bit" and I felt comfortable lunging with loose sidereins. At the trot he was a gem for the most part. I didnt even dare ask for the canter in case he felt like I was giving him permission to run off like a brain damaged citizen.
I've literally laid awake at night trying to think about it. He just recently started doing this about 4 weeks ago, every damn ride/ workout. When he does it its not a reaction from an aid or cue, it is literally about nothing. He will be waling along and all of a sudden BAM, gone. There is no reasoning. Hes had his eyes checked and his teeth checked too.
Truly, perhaps winter is just not his season. Maybe hes too fresh and its too cold and hes just too much of an ass in winter. His old owner said he was barely ridden outside in winter. Which woudl explain why hes a gem indoors but not in our muddy field or out hacking. Perhaps he really is scared of it. What "it" truly is, I have not a clue. Perhaps its the alfalfa making him spurt around like Satan Spawn. I started giving it about 4 weeks ago. Perhaps he really has gone mental and there is no real explanation for it. My mother thinks Yankee leaving broke his brain. They were turned out together and stalled near each other. Lilly is here, but in a separate pasture half the day. Maybe Yankee was his stabilizer...his chill pill...his goat. Legitimate thought.
I am at the end of my rope though.
Its making any progress impossible. Along with the rain and mud *I* might go mental too. He will be going along great and then just explode and lose his mind. Coming back down from that takes another 5 minutes IF he doesnt spook again during that process.
Its getting unmanageable and I want to pull my hair out. I've tried everything. 4 different saddles, no saddle, cleaner pads, no leg boots, different bits, no bits. There is no difference. He wasnt doing this before with his normal tack though during summer and fall.. And now he is. And I have zero answers.
And I hate it.
With the exception of my horse. And the rain.
He's a mental case.. and it sucks.
Seriously.
I know I said I "figured him out" in the last post. I sort of did. I figured out HOW to fix his naughty insanity, but not the WHY.
I doubt there really is a why that I will ever comprehend/be OK with/accept, but I have a few ideas.
Before I address his constant bastardly behavior, I would like prove we are indeed working, with a few rather horrible lunging pictures.
NOTHING is worse than lunging pictures. They all look the same and have the ghastly white line in the frame and they're just dumb. But here they are. Because pictures.
.PNG) |
| #neckmuscles |
That day (pictured above) he was a 2x4 but at least not bat shit crazy. He was listening and seemed to remember our break through from the day before. Mild spooking episodes but in general not dreadful.
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| Zoomies |
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| Better |
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| Best |
I always start our sessions with no sidereins. I generally believe that they need a good hideous warm up before being asked to do any sort of real work. But thats just like, my opinion.
Super important with the babies. They tend to have episodes and fixed reins can be dangerous in that situation. (Lets face it, theres always a risk using them, but more so with fresh babies)
In this case, Bacardi had many episodes. ONE could actually say it was a 28 minute show. Apparently Lunge Like A Complete Bastard Day was a double holiday for him.
I shit you not, he would spook vivaciously LITERALLY every 30 seconds. AT NOTHING.
We are talking, head up, butt down, scooting, bucking, galloping spook.
WHY. WHY. why. why. why. FUCKING WHY.
I was getting so frustrated. SO.
I would follow him when he spooked so as not to jam his face, but he never stopped & would just take the fuck off like
For seemingly no reason. AT. ALL.
Why and what in 5 lb 8 oz baby Jesus's name would a horse be spooking that much?
After his maniacal spooking session he finally chilled out "a bit" and I felt comfortable lunging with loose sidereins. At the trot he was a gem for the most part. I didnt even dare ask for the canter in case he felt like I was giving him permission to run off like a brain damaged citizen.
I've literally laid awake at night trying to think about it. He just recently started doing this about 4 weeks ago, every damn ride/ workout. When he does it its not a reaction from an aid or cue, it is literally about nothing. He will be waling along and all of a sudden BAM, gone. There is no reasoning. Hes had his eyes checked and his teeth checked too.
Truly, perhaps winter is just not his season. Maybe hes too fresh and its too cold and hes just too much of an ass in winter. His old owner said he was barely ridden outside in winter. Which woudl explain why hes a gem indoors but not in our muddy field or out hacking. Perhaps he really is scared of it. What "it" truly is, I have not a clue. Perhaps its the alfalfa making him spurt around like Satan Spawn. I started giving it about 4 weeks ago. Perhaps he really has gone mental and there is no real explanation for it. My mother thinks Yankee leaving broke his brain. They were turned out together and stalled near each other. Lilly is here, but in a separate pasture half the day. Maybe Yankee was his stabilizer...his chill pill...his goat. Legitimate thought.
I am at the end of my rope though.
Its making any progress impossible. Along with the rain and mud *I* might go mental too. He will be going along great and then just explode and lose his mind. Coming back down from that takes another 5 minutes IF he doesnt spook again during that process.
Its getting unmanageable and I want to pull my hair out. I've tried everything. 4 different saddles, no saddle, cleaner pads, no leg boots, different bits, no bits. There is no difference. He wasnt doing this before with his normal tack though during summer and fall.. And now he is. And I have zero answers.
And I hate it.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Sensitive Sally, Prickly Prince, Breakable Baby
Well it has been half a fortnight since my last post and I do apologize. Our "vacation" to FL took a hefty chunk out of my horse/blogging time and then the weather was uncooperative and its just been a mess.
So much mud.
I also will not be doing a "What Do Wednesday" today because I feel thats all I've actually BEEN posting about since I've barely been riding. Which is sad. But informative!
The holidays are creepin', and I finally sent my Secret Santa gift in the mail :D I also received some awesome breeches from German Rider and I am le stoked about it. I need breeches in a bad way. So many holes. So many leggings.
Today, for the first time in what seems like forever (an ongoing winter trend), I rode the nugget.
He was a nut ball, per what I assumed. The poor lad hadnt been worked for 2 weeks and then wasimprisoned stalled for 2 whole days thanks to the torrential sideways freezing rain. He was not amused.
Point being, I expected it.
I think thats what made this ride so much easier to deal with than our last.
To recap, we hacked down the road and the baby took to spooking violently at every sound, leaf and stick, thus shredding my fingers. Literally. It was not fun. Lesson here; never forget riding gloves!
My fingers are on the mend, I did not forget my gloves today AND I lunged beforehand. I really did not want to considering the "riding field" was a mud pit, but I felt I had no choice. Little lad needed to work on some manners first.
I LOATHE lunging to let off steam, but seriously, YOU TRY riding a freight train with a horrible bolting habit. I hated myself for it, but we lunged.
And lunged. And lunged.
At first, it was literally Bacardi madly galloping around me, cross cantering, bucking and spooking at everything.
Oh this will not do. This will not do at all.
What we needed to do was work on transitions and LISTENING to me, but he wasnt having it. Not one bit.
He would spook, fart and GALLOP, meanwhile I was holding on for dear LIFE at the end of the line.
I was furious. HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT ME IN SUCH MANNER.
But I started to notice a trend. When he would spook and hit the end of the line, he would actually run HARDER.
Hmmmm. Momma's listening....
What would happen if I went WITH him? Crazy, I know.
But you know what? It worked. To an extent.
The little shit would take off and I would go with him. In approximately 4 seconds he would realize his mouth wasnt being jammed by the end of the line and he would visibly relax. At this point, we are both still running around, but he was fucking listening to me at least. ACTUALLY listening.
What a bastard.
Apparently I cannot reprimand him AT ALL and must coo at him and hold his hoof and let him know it was okay. You know, instead of the normal, "whoa, whoa, whoa" with coordinating half halts on the line.
Poor babe is just sensitive.
Seriously annoying, but sensitive.
And I doubt thats his fault.
He's still a brat, but with this technique, after a few times he stopped bolting and would only break into the canter around me. If I touched his face, AT ALL, he would try to make a run for it. So we delicately danced, working on voice transitions and behaving onesself. I think he realized that even if he was silly, he woudlnt "get punished" by hitting the end of the line and stopped spooking so much all together. What a vicious cycle aye. Only took me a few weeks to realize it.
I was quite proud of our accomplishment together, and happy we made another notch in our training belts. I was beginning to worry about so many things. Saddle fit, bit fit, blindness...I even had a vet check him.
Its SERIOUSLY a pain in the ass to coddle a horse, but I cant be mad. I bet his face was ripped apart at the track and is truly just fearful of getting his face jammed when he misbehaves. I can't blame him.
If ya'll really want to participate in WDW, you could tell me what kind of bit you use and why! I'm only curious, not looking for training tips- to put it bluntly.
Luckily I found the perfect bit for for B for dressage (thick, french link lozenge loose ring snaffle-say that ten times fast) and I think I've found one for jumping. Sadly, I sent it with Yankee and am *hoping* a new one appears under my tree. If not, I shall order one. For now, the 3 ring will have to do, but even with the connectors, I just think its too much hardware. He seemed to like the Lever noseband though (I tried it because Yankee likes it so much) so I might keep that....but I really think his hacking/jump bit is the waterford loose ring snaffle. Bit musical chairs is alwaysfun a pain, but once you find the right one, all the stress goes away. And you have a mighty nice bit collection!
I'm hoping to revisit our lesson from today, tomorrow, and then take him to the arena for some flatwork and maybe some baby crossrails over the weekend.
Really getting sick of winters shit ( and its only December).
So much mud.
I also will not be doing a "What Do Wednesday" today because I feel thats all I've actually BEEN posting about since I've barely been riding. Which is sad. But informative!
The holidays are creepin', and I finally sent my Secret Santa gift in the mail :D I also received some awesome breeches from German Rider and I am le stoked about it. I need breeches in a bad way. So many holes. So many leggings.
Today, for the first time in what seems like forever (an ongoing winter trend), I rode the nugget.
He was a nut ball, per what I assumed. The poor lad hadnt been worked for 2 weeks and then was
Point being, I expected it.
I think thats what made this ride so much easier to deal with than our last.
To recap, we hacked down the road and the baby took to spooking violently at every sound, leaf and stick, thus shredding my fingers. Literally. It was not fun. Lesson here; never forget riding gloves!
My fingers are on the mend, I did not forget my gloves today AND I lunged beforehand. I really did not want to considering the "riding field" was a mud pit, but I felt I had no choice. Little lad needed to work on some manners first.
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| Spotting nonexistent horse eating beasts |
And lunged. And lunged.
At first, it was literally Bacardi madly galloping around me, cross cantering, bucking and spooking at everything.
Oh this will not do. This will not do at all.
What we needed to do was work on transitions and LISTENING to me, but he wasnt having it. Not one bit.
He would spook, fart and GALLOP, meanwhile I was holding on for dear LIFE at the end of the line.
I was furious. HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT ME IN SUCH MANNER.
But I started to notice a trend. When he would spook and hit the end of the line, he would actually run HARDER.
Hmmmm. Momma's listening....
What would happen if I went WITH him? Crazy, I know.
But you know what? It worked. To an extent.
The little shit would take off and I would go with him. In approximately 4 seconds he would realize his mouth wasnt being jammed by the end of the line and he would visibly relax. At this point, we are both still running around, but he was fucking listening to me at least. ACTUALLY listening.
What a bastard.
Apparently I cannot reprimand him AT ALL and must coo at him and hold his hoof and let him know it was okay. You know, instead of the normal, "whoa, whoa, whoa" with coordinating half halts on the line.
Poor babe is just sensitive.
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| An adorable pain in my ass |
And I doubt thats his fault.
He's still a brat, but with this technique, after a few times he stopped bolting and would only break into the canter around me. If I touched his face, AT ALL, he would try to make a run for it. So we delicately danced, working on voice transitions and behaving onesself. I think he realized that even if he was silly, he woudlnt "get punished" by hitting the end of the line and stopped spooking so much all together. What a vicious cycle aye. Only took me a few weeks to realize it.
I was quite proud of our accomplishment together, and happy we made another notch in our training belts. I was beginning to worry about so many things. Saddle fit, bit fit, blindness...I even had a vet check him.
Its SERIOUSLY a pain in the ass to coddle a horse, but I cant be mad. I bet his face was ripped apart at the track and is truly just fearful of getting his face jammed when he misbehaves. I can't blame him.
If ya'll really want to participate in WDW, you could tell me what kind of bit you use and why! I'm only curious, not looking for training tips- to put it bluntly.
Luckily I found the perfect bit for for B for dressage (thick, french link lozenge loose ring snaffle-say that ten times fast) and I think I've found one for jumping. Sadly, I sent it with Yankee and am *hoping* a new one appears under my tree. If not, I shall order one. For now, the 3 ring will have to do, but even with the connectors, I just think its too much hardware. He seemed to like the Lever noseband though (I tried it because Yankee likes it so much) so I might keep that....but I really think his hacking/jump bit is the waterford loose ring snaffle. Bit musical chairs is always
I'm hoping to revisit our lesson from today, tomorrow, and then take him to the arena for some flatwork and maybe some baby crossrails over the weekend.
Really getting sick of winters shit ( and its only December).
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
What Do Wednesday...errr Tuesday
Last week I was late, this week I'm early. Most apologies. I havent ridden since our last awful ride which resulted in skin literally being ripped off my hands thanks to spooky baby butt. Leaving me with no ability to curl my fingers. Its been exceptionally trying, and annoying. You dont realize how often you use your ring fingers until you cant.
Also I'm going to FL for a few days to watch my awesome sauce brother graduate from Airmens School and his TACP unit. AKA Total Badassery.
what I'm trying to say is, I gave the nugget some time to think, and thus, my ramblings.
Which brings us to this week's What Do episode.
When you leave for an extended period of time what do you do with the babies? Do you ask someone to ride for you? Do you give them the week off? If they're at home do you stress over who to ask to feed/care for them? Do you make best friend do it? Hubby?
Whenever I leave I generally resort tobribing begging my friends/family to feed for me. It usually involves exchange for chores/goods/favors/love, endebting me basically forever.
I cant afford to pay anyone, so I have to be scrappy.
In MO, it was rather easy because we had a self care barn and I would just ask various self care peoples to feed the Yankee in exchange for me taking over feeding duties the week after. I still felt bad about it, but it got me where I needed to go.
Here, if I'm ever gone I usually just beg (literally, beg on my knees) my mom to feed, hoping she doesnt make my horse colic again -_- OR I ask my boarder to feed for me.
ITS SO STRESSFUL EVERYTIME. I have NEVER had the freedom of just being able to leave with no worries.
I hate hate hate this aspect of not boarding ata full care facility. That, and no arena.
I dont trust many people with the care of my horses though (secondary reason I dont board) and dont want to ask just anyone. PLUS its really annoying to feed twice a day everyday, I would know. You literally have to plan your days around that. So asking someone to put themselves out for my enjoyment gives me crippling anxiety. Throw in that I cant pay much and I'm just like PLEASE DO IT, LOVE ME.
That being said, they really are easy horses. They have round bales in their pastures and can be left outside if inexperienced horse peoples are feeding. They have smartpaks which require zero measuring and I draw lines on the scoops for grain. I fill up the water tanks and clean the barn really well before I leave, and top off grain bins. So easy.
I am seriously anal about stalls (for monetary and health reasons) and after too many times coming home to layers of terribly cleaned bedding I'm just like, no. Dont even bring them in.
LET THEM BE WILD.
I also look ahead at the weather ahead and blanket for the warmest temp. I'm nervous if I blanket for the coldest and a warm spell comes 'round, B might die. Not the best execution, but I'd rather not risk people getting hurt changing the blanket of a rowdy 5 year old than him being a little cold. He has free access to hay and his stall.... Kills me inside though.
I dont even bother with asking anyone one to work the babes when I'm gone.
In MO, people would line up to ride Yankee, so that was easy, and I trsuted all of them. Excellent riders, great friends.. Here though, with no arena its a bitch. Plus again, I just dont trust people, even with Yankee (when he was here). I would NEVER let anyone on the baby without my supervision so he gets time off. Also, kills me.
Basically going anywhere kills me.
So dear readers, tell me your secrets...What Do??
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| Naughty, adorable B |
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| Hardest slogan ever |
Which brings us to this week's What Do episode.
When you leave for an extended period of time what do you do with the babies? Do you ask someone to ride for you? Do you give them the week off? If they're at home do you stress over who to ask to feed/care for them? Do you make best friend do it? Hubby?
Whenever I leave I generally resort to
I cant afford to pay anyone, so I have to be scrappy.
In MO, it was rather easy because we had a self care barn and I would just ask various self care peoples to feed the Yankee in exchange for me taking over feeding duties the week after. I still felt bad about it, but it got me where I needed to go.
Here, if I'm ever gone I usually just beg (literally, beg on my knees) my mom to feed, hoping she doesnt make my horse colic again -_- OR I ask my boarder to feed for me.
ITS SO STRESSFUL EVERYTIME. I have NEVER had the freedom of just being able to leave with no worries.
I hate hate hate this aspect of not boarding ata full care facility. That, and no arena.
I dont trust many people with the care of my horses though (secondary reason I dont board) and dont want to ask just anyone. PLUS its really annoying to feed twice a day everyday, I would know. You literally have to plan your days around that. So asking someone to put themselves out for my enjoyment gives me crippling anxiety. Throw in that I cant pay much and I'm just like PLEASE DO IT, LOVE ME.
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| FEED US |
That being said, they really are easy horses. They have round bales in their pastures and can be left outside if inexperienced horse peoples are feeding. They have smartpaks which require zero measuring and I draw lines on the scoops for grain. I fill up the water tanks and clean the barn really well before I leave, and top off grain bins. So easy.
I am seriously anal about stalls (for monetary and health reasons) and after too many times coming home to layers of terribly cleaned bedding I'm just like, no. Dont even bring them in.
LET THEM BE WILD.
I also look ahead at the weather ahead and blanket for the warmest temp. I'm nervous if I blanket for the coldest and a warm spell comes 'round, B might die. Not the best execution, but I'd rather not risk people getting hurt changing the blanket of a rowdy 5 year old than him being a little cold. He has free access to hay and his stall.... Kills me inside though.
I dont even bother with asking anyone one to work the babes when I'm gone.
In MO, people would line up to ride Yankee, so that was easy, and I trsuted all of them. Excellent riders, great friends.. Here though, with no arena its a bitch. Plus again, I just dont trust people, even with Yankee (when he was here). I would NEVER let anyone on the baby without my supervision so he gets time off. Also, kills me.
Basically going anywhere kills me.
So dear readers, tell me your secrets...What Do??
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Treat Yo Self.....Or The Dog
So I'm not sure if you guys were aware but Cyber week is THE SHIT.
I've bought almost all my Christmas gifts online, for a huge discount, and even gotten a few things for myself- even though I HATE spending money on stuff and things. I would love to believe I love it, but it really does hurt my soul.
This week, Smartpak was having a HUGE sale. Jackie texted me that they had FITS breeches for $80 and I literally sped home to order some.
Didnt care. NEEDED.
For $80 I couldn't even say no. NO question. I've been obsessed with FITS forever, because FITS. Theyre usually like eleventy billion dollars. I'm a broke bitch and could not justify EVER spending more than $40 on breeches, ever. HA.
I also had a $10 coupon from Smartpak ( LOVE them and their customer service btw).
100% JUSTIFIED.
Once I had them in the cart though, & shipping was tacked on, I couldnt do it. (Normally shipping is free for orders over $75 BUT with my coupon, it was $70. DAMMIT COUPON!!!).
I battled inwardly for many minutes.
UGH, I couldnt do it. I actually NEED breeches, but I simply could not make myself click the button.
WHY OH WHY?? SALE. COUPON. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME??
My mother has done too good a job teaching me about finances. Its a real tragedy I couldnt be irresponsible for 3 seconds and just get it over with.
So what did I do? Bought Levi a jacket.
Because he obviously needs more.
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.JPG)
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It was 79% off okay?
Dont judge me!!
SEVENTY NINE PERCENT OFF.
That means it was $8. Worth it.
Levi will look very dapper in his new Navy and Green Jacket.
THE MOST DAPPER.
I've bought almost all my Christmas gifts online, for a huge discount, and even gotten a few things for myself- even though I HATE spending money on stuff and things. I would love to believe I love it, but it really does hurt my soul.
This week, Smartpak was having a HUGE sale. Jackie texted me that they had FITS breeches for $80 and I literally sped home to order some.
Didnt care. NEEDED.
For $80 I couldn't even say no. NO question. I've been obsessed with FITS forever, because FITS. Theyre usually like eleventy billion dollars. I'm a broke bitch and could not justify EVER spending more than $40 on breeches, ever. HA.
I also had a $10 coupon from Smartpak ( LOVE them and their customer service btw).
100% JUSTIFIED.
Once I had them in the cart though, & shipping was tacked on, I couldnt do it. (Normally shipping is free for orders over $75 BUT with my coupon, it was $70. DAMMIT COUPON!!!).
I battled inwardly for many minutes.
UGH, I couldnt do it. I actually NEED breeches, but I simply could not make myself click the button.
WHY OH WHY?? SALE. COUPON. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME??
My mother has done too good a job teaching me about finances. Its a real tragedy I couldnt be irresponsible for 3 seconds and just get it over with.
So what did I do? Bought Levi a jacket.
Because he obviously needs more.
It was 79% off okay?
Dont judge me!!
SEVENTY NINE PERCENT OFF.
That means it was $8. Worth it.
Levi will look very dapper in his new Navy and Green Jacket.
THE MOST DAPPER.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
What Do Wednesday
This episode of What Do comes a little late, but I was dealing with my fire breathing dragon. Apparently, in typical OTTB fashion I only get 3 good rides in a row and then he has to be an asshole.
Moving on from that, this weeks topic stems from the ever entertaining "OTTB Connect" group on FB. Truly excellent time waster if youre bored and want to converse with other OTTB enthusiasts about various topics surrounding all things Thoroughbred. Sometimes there's even some real Jerry Springer drama and it gets fun to watch!
Recently someone posted asking advice on how to get her horses' tail to grow; specifically wanting to know if anyone had success with slinky tail bags.
I jumped on the opportunity to write a novel, since most of us know I am exceptionally passionate & obsessed with tails. All it really did was lead to an absurd amount of FB notifications, but a few people asked me follow up questions and I felt like the tail queen for a few minutes.
This might be a lengthy post, because obsessed, so settle in or carry on.
I do believe the obsessive obsession it started when my first horse came to me with no tail and I was like, no, this isnt OK.
Dolly's tail eventually grew back, but it took literally 7 years. Her tail was the most gorgeous tail I've seen though and I loved it. Flaxen is absolutely the best. So happy I have another (semi) flaxen tail in my barn.
Tail obsession continued with a horse named Murphy. Literally the MOST perfect tail of any horse I've ever seen ever and it makes me sad he was only a project horse.
Spirit on the other hand had THE WORST tail. By worst I mean hardy anything at all. I stressed over his locks for years. Not only did I keep it up 100% of the time, he got treated with a double dose of my "special secret tail grow" program. It took years for his tail ever gain length and it never did get volume. But was always perfectly white!
Yankee, thankfully, was blessed with many hairs. His tail was full, shiny and grew like crazy. I drove myself mad trying to keep it perfect.
For most of his time with me, I kept it in a ball to prevent breakage and sunburns. There is NOTHING that looks more ratchet than a red tail that supposed to be black. IMO. I wont have it.
I used to shave all my horses tails at the top, but I decided that it took too much upkeep and if you ever screwed up doing it (like I did often) it looked REALLY bad. I doubt I will ever cut any of my horses tails like most eventers do these days. I prefer full, banged tails. Just my preference though, some horses look sexy AF with a trimmed tailbone.
To break it down, I have 5 major things I do for tails, aka "special secret tail grow":
1) Biotin supplement
2) excellent, high fat, high protein diet with plenty of forage
3) Cowboy magic & MTG
4) tail ball
5) regular trims
The tail ball only requires a human hair tie (less likely too pull out hairs) and old socks. I actually learned this technique from an Arabian trainer I worked for in Middle School and it WPRKED. All her horses tails dragged the ground. I HATE tail bags. They always come out and rarely work. I've tried literally every kind thats ever been made and never been able to find one I like.
Tail ball=golden
Before you braid, you Cowboy Magic that bitch upppp. This provides a leave in conditioner and prevents hair breakage. You divide the tail into three even sections and braid LOOSELY. Then you double under a few times until you have a braid ball, pulling braid through itself. Then, pull a sock over the braided ball and duct tape where the knot balls up. Then you pull the remaining sock fabric over the duct tape and the ball and BAM, there ya go. I know that was super helpful and not at all confusing.
I would usually un-do, re brush and re-cowboy magic every 2-3 weeks or as needed. Takes a TON of practice to get perfect but once you nail it, you gucci. Once a month I will trim a little bit off the bottom to keep the edge clean and sharp. This also gets rid of straggles and overall makes a better picture.
Its important to note that I use a human hairbrush and un-tangle from the bottom up! Less hairs get pulled out!
In addition to that, I fed a biotin supp form Smartpak. I TRULY saw a difference when I began feeding this. Originally it was suggested to help Yankee's terrible feet, but I noticed his hairs would grow like weeds. Now all my horses get it 12 months out of the year. Its miraculous.
Sometimes, I would MTG the tailbone. A lot of people, myself included, think it helps stimulate hair growth. The key is to not over saturate and ONLY get near the skin/pores. I hear this stuff reeks, so its up to you if you use it. Also have to shake really really well. Hassle, but I've seen it work not only on tail hair, but injured areas as well. Its a pretty magical substance.
When I first got B his tail was....wimpy
This simply would not do. I banged it IMMEDIATELY, cutting off a solid 5 inches of hair from the bottom. For those that may not know what this is, it means to cut a very straight edge across the bottom. Some people high bang their horses tails (like I do with B and did with Spirit) because the tails will never really get volume. Others bang low, like I did with Yankee. This does wonder for a tail and if you're lazy and dont want to obsess over tails like I do, just bang the shit out of it!
I began a strict regime of MTG because I could NOT keep a tail ball in his tail. I firmly believe that it was too thin to hold one in, so for months I kept it VERY short and MTG'ed, Cowboy Magicked the ends and started him on Biotin.
7 months has made a difference, but I doubt it will ever be truly full like yanks is.
For now, his tail is being kept up in a braid and vetwrap combination because socks refuse to stay intact in his tail. Not ideal, but keeps it clean and up out of the way so it doesnt get snagged on stuff and things.
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So dear readers....what do you do for tails? Do you obsess like I do? Give none? Do you wash once a year and leave it the rest of the time? Brush once a week? Tailbag it? Do you just not care?
Feed me your secrets!
Moving on from that, this weeks topic stems from the ever entertaining "OTTB Connect" group on FB. Truly excellent time waster if youre bored and want to converse with other OTTB enthusiasts about various topics surrounding all things Thoroughbred. Sometimes there's even some real Jerry Springer drama and it gets fun to watch!
Recently someone posted asking advice on how to get her horses' tail to grow; specifically wanting to know if anyone had success with slinky tail bags.
I jumped on the opportunity to write a novel, since most of us know I am exceptionally passionate & obsessed with tails. All it really did was lead to an absurd amount of FB notifications, but a few people asked me follow up questions and I felt like the tail queen for a few minutes.
This might be a lengthy post, because obsessed, so settle in or carry on.
I do believe the obsessive obsession it started when my first horse came to me with no tail and I was like, no, this isnt OK.
 |
| Precious |
Tail obsession continued with a horse named Murphy. Literally the MOST perfect tail of any horse I've ever seen ever and it makes me sad he was only a project horse.
 |
| Flaxen and huge and long and wonderful |
Spirit on the other hand had THE WORST tail. By worst I mean hardy anything at all. I stressed over his locks for years. Not only did I keep it up 100% of the time, he got treated with a double dose of my "special secret tail grow" program. It took years for his tail ever gain length and it never did get volume. But was always perfectly white!
Yankee, thankfully, was blessed with many hairs. His tail was full, shiny and grew like crazy. I drove myself mad trying to keep it perfect.
For most of his time with me, I kept it in a ball to prevent breakage and sunburns. There is NOTHING that looks more ratchet than a red tail that supposed to be black. IMO. I wont have it.
 |
| The tail ball |
To break it down, I have 5 major things I do for tails, aka "special secret tail grow":
1) Biotin supplement
2) excellent, high fat, high protein diet with plenty of forage
3) Cowboy magic & MTG
4) tail ball
5) regular trims
The tail ball only requires a human hair tie (less likely too pull out hairs) and old socks. I actually learned this technique from an Arabian trainer I worked for in Middle School and it WPRKED. All her horses tails dragged the ground. I HATE tail bags. They always come out and rarely work. I've tried literally every kind thats ever been made and never been able to find one I like.
Tail ball=golden
Before you braid, you Cowboy Magic that bitch upppp. This provides a leave in conditioner and prevents hair breakage. You divide the tail into three even sections and braid LOOSELY. Then you double under a few times until you have a braid ball, pulling braid through itself. Then, pull a sock over the braided ball and duct tape where the knot balls up. Then you pull the remaining sock fabric over the duct tape and the ball and BAM, there ya go. I know that was super helpful and not at all confusing.
I would usually un-do, re brush and re-cowboy magic every 2-3 weeks or as needed. Takes a TON of practice to get perfect but once you nail it, you gucci. Once a month I will trim a little bit off the bottom to keep the edge clean and sharp. This also gets rid of straggles and overall makes a better picture.
 |
| Just checking on hairs, nothing to see here |
In addition to that, I fed a biotin supp form Smartpak. I TRULY saw a difference when I began feeding this. Originally it was suggested to help Yankee's terrible feet, but I noticed his hairs would grow like weeds. Now all my horses get it 12 months out of the year. Its miraculous.
Sometimes, I would MTG the tailbone. A lot of people, myself included, think it helps stimulate hair growth. The key is to not over saturate and ONLY get near the skin/pores. I hear this stuff reeks, so its up to you if you use it. Also have to shake really really well. Hassle, but I've seen it work not only on tail hair, but injured areas as well. Its a pretty magical substance.
When I first got B his tail was....wimpy
 |
| First ride, May 30th |
I began a strict regime of MTG because I could NOT keep a tail ball in his tail. I firmly believe that it was too thin to hold one in, so for months I kept it VERY short and MTG'ed, Cowboy Magicked the ends and started him on Biotin.
7 months has made a difference, but I doubt it will ever be truly full like yanks is.
For now, his tail is being kept up in a braid and vetwrap combination because socks refuse to stay intact in his tail. Not ideal, but keeps it clean and up out of the way so it doesnt get snagged on stuff and things.
So dear readers....what do you do for tails? Do you obsess like I do? Give none? Do you wash once a year and leave it the rest of the time? Brush once a week? Tailbag it? Do you just not care?
Feed me your secrets!
Monday, December 1, 2014
Baby Wins The Weekend
For part one of this adventure click HERE and catch up.
This was going to be a three-part story but due to aminor incident at feeding time on Friday, Bacardi was a tad lame/distracted on Saturday, so that day was a wash.
Sunday was brilliant though. My parental units and The Boy came out to oogle the property since I obviously bragged about it A LOT, and take pictures. Because pictures are everything. The Boy wins all the awards. Prepare yourselves for a deluge of Bacardi spam. Do not make fun of him for his uneven clip *crying laughing emoji*
Sunday taught me 3 things 1) My baby OTTB is a BAMF. 2) My eq is REALLY bad lately 3) Red plaid leggings are the ONLY thing I want to wear form now on, because of obvious reasons.
Bacardi blew me away this weekend. Trailering, being in a new place, pasture boarded alone, awkwardly high temperatures, being ridden more than usual...all pretty high stressful things.
He reacted like you would expect any mildly seasoned show horse; excited but not fractious. Settled into his job like he had been there done that. I was expecting a fire breathing dragon that would only be controlled with nose chains and basically be unrideable, but he sure showed me.
Warm-up was great. We were in the indoor with TWO other horse and a barn tour was being given. Oh and I should mention the other two horses were ridden by teenagers, aka dont know how to share arenas, and were jumping. He literally did not give a fuck. I almost fell out of my saddle. The other part of my brain was like, OK, when is the explosion happening.
But it never came.
It was about a thousand degrees in the indoor, so we migrated outside and he handled the scenery change without fuss. I was REALLY surprised he didnt have a conniption leaving his 'friends' in the indoor.
I wanted to keep the lesson simple, so we schooled 20m circles & 3 loop serpentines. Focusing on geometry, since I am still pretty terrible at it even after high school, and maintaining energy. I am making a point to ride him forward forward forward to avoid him breaking a the 3rd vertebrae, in an attempt to create lift in the shoulders, and drive from behind. Obviously, not 100%, but he's getting the idea.
I cant stop looking at the action he produces in that big chesnut body. Its so UP. MANY LOFTS. So energy.
.PNG)
Warning: major brag moment. Please keep scrolling if you are sickened by such actions.
I think my caption on insta of this pic was "is this horse really five?" An OTTB at that, five years old, has moments like this one of self carriage, complete connected energy from back to front and is 98% working correctly. I wouldn't have believed you if you had told me when I first brought him home that 6 months later we would have this kind of progress. This guy shows up to WORK. Every damn time.
Love him.
OK, I'm over that now.
His canter work still needs some work but the transitions are coming along nicely and we mostly stay balanced through them all. I'm wondering if all OTTBs have basically flawless canters, because Yankee's was and continues to be his best. Same with B.
.PNG)
In these, he's doing well not falling forward and maintaining upward energy. Still needs some strength, but major improvements. I noticed the left lead is worse. Odd, considering thats usually the opposite for OTTBs.
.PNG)
Classic B. Broekn at the 3rd and a little on the forehand. When riding at first it feels amazing because his natural gait is so wonderful, but really, hes curling behind to avoid working properly. Naughty naughty. As you can see in the photo, I raise my hands a little in coordination with inside hand half halts, deep seat, and inside leg for energy...
3 strides later, he's a little more active behind and uphill. RF still hits the ground before LH, but this will come with strength! Doesnt make for pretty pictures since your seat/inside leg works overtime, but whatever, for learning purposes it works.
Overall the red nugget was an angel and more than reached my expectations- he blew them away with the force of mild hurricane.
He was also rather good getting in the trailer on the way home. *Only* took a half an hour, but we went molasses slow with it and did not push him at all. Its like he has to think about it for a while and then just accepts it and gets in without a fuss. Literally. He got in and out halfway maybe 27 times before he just looked at me, huffed, and walked in and started munching hay like it was no big deal.
Plus side on him refusing to get OFF once he's on is you can load by yourself and not worry about him backing off before you can get the rear door closed. Yay?
But yeah getting off is another battle royale on its own.
In time.
This was going to be a three-part story but due to a
Sunday was brilliant though. My parental units and The Boy came out to oogle the property since I obviously bragged about it A LOT, and take pictures. Because pictures are everything. The Boy wins all the awards. Prepare yourselves for a deluge of Bacardi spam. Do not make fun of him for his uneven clip *crying laughing emoji*
.PNG) |
Bacardi blew me away this weekend. Trailering, being in a new place, pasture boarded alone, awkwardly high temperatures, being ridden more than usual...all pretty high stressful things.
He reacted like you would expect any mildly seasoned show horse; excited but not fractious. Settled into his job like he had been there done that. I was expecting a fire breathing dragon that would only be controlled with nose chains and basically be unrideable, but he sure showed me.
.PNG) |
| Stretch like pro |
Warm-up was great. We were in the indoor with TWO other horse and a barn tour was being given. Oh and I should mention the other two horses were ridden by teenagers, aka dont know how to share arenas, and were jumping. He literally did not give a fuck. I almost fell out of my saddle. The other part of my brain was like, OK, when is the explosion happening.
But it never came.
It was about a thousand degrees in the indoor, so we migrated outside and he handled the scenery change without fuss. I was REALLY surprised he didnt have a conniption leaving his 'friends' in the indoor.
.PNG) |
| Yep. None given. |
.PNG) |
| Very up, many energies. |
.PNG) |
| Hocks. Knees. Back. SO ROUND. |
I think my caption on insta of this pic was "is this horse really five?" An OTTB at that, five years old, has moments like this one of self carriage, complete connected energy from back to front and is 98% working correctly. I wouldn't have believed you if you had told me when I first brought him home that 6 months later we would have this kind of progress. This guy shows up to WORK. Every damn time.
Love him.
OK, I'm over that now.
His canter work still needs some work but the transitions are coming along nicely and we mostly stay balanced through them all. I'm wondering if all OTTBs have basically flawless canters, because Yankee's was and continues to be his best. Same with B.
.PNG) |
| Looking like an adult |
In these, he's doing well not falling forward and maintaining upward energy. Still needs some strength, but major improvements. I noticed the left lead is worse. Odd, considering thats usually the opposite for OTTBs.
Classic B. Broekn at the 3rd and a little on the forehand. When riding at first it feels amazing because his natural gait is so wonderful, but really, hes curling behind to avoid working properly. Naughty naughty. As you can see in the photo, I raise my hands a little in coordination with inside hand half halts, deep seat, and inside leg for energy...
.PNG) |
| Schooling seat is bad. Eq horrible. Look away. |
Overall the red nugget was an angel and more than reached my expectations- he blew them away with the force of mild hurricane.
.PNG) |
| Prolly the most active hind leg stretchy trot ever |
Plus side on him refusing to get OFF once he's on is you can load by yourself and not worry about him backing off before you can get the rear door closed. Yay?
But yeah getting off is another battle royale on its own.
In time.
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