Octobers Horse Feather

Better

2005-12-04T22:02:00.000-08:00

Pop's is much better the vet came and gave him the injections and the hives have really cleared up. I finally got to ride again tonight and he's much less piggish and cranky, which is a plus. A really well known chiropractor is coming tomorrow, before we've had to slip the horses that need to see him down to his clinic but thankfully he's coming here so that means I don't have to pay to get someone to take Pop's there and I don't have to miss class to go, cause it's about a three hour trip to the clinic. My wallet is very very sad and I'm trying to crimp enough money together for Christmas gift. I've also been put in charge of gather money to pay one of the women back at the barn as she paid for the barn cat to get an operation on his tail which some how got cut down to the bone. How? Lots more to do more before I sleep so night night.

Hives Hives Hives

2005-12-02T19:49:00.000-08:00

Poor poor Poppies has hives :(. He's covered in them. It's really upsetting to have him in such discomfort, he cant really go outside, and working is out of the question. I talked it over with my trainer and barn manager and we think it may be the bedding that we just got it combined with something else. He maybe having a reaction to the Hemlock wood that makes up the shavings. Another part maybe because he's due for his hock injections. Hocks are like the knees of a human and are located half way up the back leg. As a horse gets older they lose fluid in the hock joint so the vet will come and inject a special fluid in to give more of a cushion, this makes the horse feel much better. So in the end he now has a new type of bedding and the vet is coming to giving him injections on Thurs. Well I have to beg money from the rents for the vet visit.

Winter Prep

2005-12-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

Winter is comi-here yeah cant deny it's definitely here. That means its time to separate the strong from the weak, winners from losers, tough riders and fair weather ones. Winter is a great test to see if people are serious about horses, it takes a strong type to ride and work in below freezing weather. I finally pulled my winter riding pants out of the closet. I got them for Christmas a couple years back, they are wind probe and lined with fleece, I still need to dust off my winter boot which are basically just more hard core riding boots lined with fleece and other quilted things. Poppie's winter coat is wicked thick and every body has complemented me on how nice he looks. When people say that I really don't know how to respond I mean like "Thanks yes I genetically programmed his fur to look this way it was tough." Besides brushing him and feeding him right I don't really have a lot to do with the quality of his fur/coat. He loves his new blanket and prances around the paddock showing it off to everybody when he went out in it the other day. Well post more later byes.

Equine Affair

2005-11-29T18:55:00.000-08:00

I just got back from the Equine Affair and have a spending hangover, for those for you unfamiliar with this term, a spending hangover is when you buy wwaaaaay to much stuff and wake up the next morning to the feeling of utter dread when you contemplate how much money you have left in your bank account. Well, I did buy practical stuff, well practical in my mind, like horse blankets and clippers. Huh, I should probably say what the Equine Affair is before I go off on the list of stuff I got. The Equine Affair is a gather of horse people, no not like a Treky convention, we have jobs and real lives, to watch demonstrations (by some of the biggest names in the industry), shop, and have a kiss ass time. I went with my barn manager, and a bunch of my friends. I watch this finominal demonstration by a guy who trains police horses from NY police, and got some great tips on how to break Poppies (Pops) of his nasty backing up as fast as he can trick. I got him a great mid-weight blanket and a set of new horse clippers which he hates with a passion. My barn manager brought so much stuff, as did every one else that we made so many trips to the car the two days we shopped that I felt like me where chipmunks storing food for the winter. Sometime great happened the first night we were there, we went to the 99 restaurant in the town that hosts the Equine Affair and they said that it would be an hour wait but every place else was booked up to so we stayed. As one of my friends and I were sitting on stools near the bar I noticed a woman carrying a small child of around 5 standing near us. Getting up I went over to her and taped her on the shoulder and asked if she would like my seat. I mean when I have kids I hope someone will give up their seat for me so that I don’t have to hold a, however heavy a 5 year old is, for a half an hour. When the woman turned around I found myself facing an extremely well know and liked artist whose stuff I had been coveting but couldn't afford earlier that day. My friend also gave up her seat so they could sit side my side. Long story short she ended up giving us each a print of one of her paintings which together cost a total of 95 dollars. Ya for good deeds. Got to go sleep which as one of my friends points out is so so pretty.

Halloween Party

2005-10-19T12:18:00.000-07:00

The annual barn Halloween party is happening next Friday and I need to come up with a costume. I also need to pick up a pinata for the barn brats, last year I about had to duct tape them together to keep them from getting hit with the bat by the other kids. I've got an exam in the morning so I need to so more studying bye.

Back from the show

2005-10-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

Seriously way to much drama at that show, way to intense with having school work and show stuff to worry about. As predicted Ann's horse freaked out at the show and almost dumped her in the ring so she gave up after two classes after thankfully cause it was just painful to watch her in the ring. Katie ruled the show getting two champion ribbons compared to my sixth place champion ribbon which was my only other ribbon. Apparently the area we were in was declared a disaster area because of all the damn rain. Pops isn't eating well since we got back so the vets
coming to look at him tomorrow.

Just like this picture

Weeeee I got a pretty ribbon

2005-10-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

Hey I got a third place ribbon in my first class, this as I think I've said, the biggest show that I'll have done with Pops before. The class went well and the judge must have really liked us because he broke (which meant that he went from one pace to another when he should not have) right in front of her and she still gave me third. In my second class I didn't get any ribbons but I had though I'd done better, *shrug*. Its been raining non stop and it's just starting to piss me off. Got to get back to see Katie's class so bye bye.

Wish I could get enlightened this whole touching the ground is getting annoying, my feet hurt

Soooooo Tired yeah...zzz....wait I'm wake..zzzz

2005-10-14T23:41:00.000-07:00

We got down here last night and got the horses settled and fed up apparently we are short one stall which means that unless we get the problem fixed we'll have to tack up in the stall. Well will type more tomorrow but I'm currently sitting in our hotel room and I've been up since 5:45 so I'm going to bed.

Getting ready

2005-10-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

I learned that apparently the group of people who need no go down on Thursday night includes me, I did a lot of pack last night but I still needed to take today off from school to work at the barn. I'll get my packing list my in the links as soon as possible. Besides getting pack getting involves a lot of work. For a Morgan show the tail which we put up in braids because they are so long, needs to be taken down and be picked out which means they are washed and tangled by hand. Their hooves need to be polished and blacked, to polish them you sand them with a hand sander mouse using three different grades of sand paper. Then using black shoe polish you black them in and cover that all with a special hoof polish that makes them all black and shiny. Finally Pops needs a bath which in this weather means we both end of freezing because I cant seem to manage to wash him and keep myself dry. So tonight I'm going down with Dawn in the camper and will be setting up with Katie and Jen.

Lesson Day

2005-10-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

I finally got Dawn to give me a lesson. It was an hour long lesson and at the end I about collapsed. My friend Ann who is planning on going to the show has been crashing and burning with her horse and yet she still says she's going even though she is in no way ready. My other friend Katie is once again kicking ass with her horse. Her horse has really gone through some tough times, he's pretty unlucky and really sweet and Katie works really hard so its not like I can be seriously jealous. But she always kicks my ass at show, *sigh*. Well I'll update late chao for now.

I NEED an ipod

Training inside

2005-10-06T20:20:00.000-07:00

This will be the first show, which will be inside so training for this show has been different. Instead of constant work outside I've been doing all of work leading up to this show in the indoor which at this time of the year is pretty crowded. Pops has been to this show before with his previous owner, who was a really spoiled bitch. Before I started training with Pops he had sat rotting in his stall for about a year but the minute I started leasing him she was constantly there giving me grief about my training style. While she had already replaced Pops with a new horse and had forgotten about him for a year, she felt it necessary to mess with me every chance she got. Oh well I should let stuff go but, yeah not one of my virtues. Getting my trainer to give me a lesson is getting really hard lately. She gets depressed in the cold weather and hides in house. Getting her to come out in the fall and winter is like pulling teeth. One time this summer she was napping and didn't want to get off the coach so I grabbed and arm and manage to pull her off the couch and in to the mudroom before she promise she would come out then. *Sigh* The life of a rider can be tiring.

Sick

2005-10-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

Today and yesterday I wasn't able to get any training in as Pops is sick from his shots :( Well, we went out and I grazed him for a bit till the bugs got to bad, then went in and made him a little bran mash. Pops eats bran mash like a kid eats chocolate cake aaaaaaaaallllll over, and when his sick of it alllllll over me. Needless to say my coat now need cleaning. His water intake is low so that's worrisome but today he seemed better. When I put him outside he promptly rolled in the dirt, which I take as a good sign. I need to get my tall boots repaired because in the first show of the season then got cut in the elastic part, damn you delicious smoothies you are my down fall! ie my calves got fat over the winter. I also have to pick up a new sheet for him as his winter coat is coming in and unless I want to go into the show ring riding what will pass for a giant wooly bear (the catapilar things) I need to slow down the rate of hair growth. If anyone knows of a good way to slow down the winter coat process please tell me in the comments. Well I have to get back to homework, yes this is a Saturday night, as I have an anthropology test on the 4th scary!!! Bye for now

Why cause sometime you need some extra protection from life

Welcome

2005-09-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog!
This blog will contain a log of my trail (no pun intended) to OctoberFest in, which for those outside of the know is a major horse show in Spring Field Mass. But first tell me introduce myself a bit. I'm an Anthroploy major at a New England college, which as I put that first probably says something about me. I grew up riding horses in my home state, starting when I was about five. The reason if I look back is not quite clear, probably just simple childhood actraction to horses. Whatever the reason I was hooked and have been riding ever since. My horse's name is Pops, he has a much longer show name, but in respect for his privacy I will decline from mentioning it. We became a team, and I mean team because I'm not really sure who is the owner of who in this relationship, in 2001, and while we've done local and state shows this will be our first major show. So wish us luck and please keep reading for updates our progress.