Tag Archives for barn

Escape to a Sand Bar

Ocracoke Island Lighthouse and Innkeeper's Home

Ocracoke Island Lighthouse and Innkeeper’s Home

Greetings!  So where have I been you ask?  Have I been working so hard to prepare for the championships that I have had no time to write?  Umm, well, no.  As a matter of fact, I was doing close to nothing along with my husband and another couple.  We spent a week on the 17 mile long sand bar more commonly known as Ocracoke Island, North Carolina.

If you want to escape from overdeveloped beaches with busy boardwalks and chain restaurants, then this is your island.  The beaches of Ocracoke were named the best beaches in the United States by Dr. Beach in 2007 (http://www.prweb.com/releases/Ocracoke-Beach/Best-Beach-List/prweb531647.htm).  Yes, they even beat out the beaches of Florida and Hawaii.  Most of the island is protected and part of the National Park System.  Bring your four-wheel drive and claim your part of paradise for the day.  However, going in September can be a crap shoot.  You never know when a late season hurricane will come blowing up the eastern seaboard and short or even cancel your vacation all together.  Ocracoke is always one of the first islands that requires evacuation since the only way on and off the island for most folks is by ferry.  For those of you with your own private plane, there is a small airstrip to accommodate you.  It is this remoteness that adds to the appeal.  And every year, the afternoon “cocktail discussion” ensues where we discuss moving to the island.  “Sure!  Let’s do it!”  It always sounds so easy with wine-soaked goggles.

Then reality sets in and I realized that I’m ill-suited for remote island living.  First off, I sadly must admit that I like to have options for shopping.  Perusing the shelves of the island’s grocery store finds that the some of the more off-beat ingredients that I like to incorporate into our dinner menu are not to be found.  The closest Harris Teeter is 2.5 hours away (30 minute ride to the ferry, 50 minute ferry ride, and another 60 minutes or so north).  And that assumes that Route 12 in intact and not closed due to storm damage.  I’ve also traversed the entire island and never did find the local feed store, tack store, or a version of my favorite local clothing store.  Hmm, that could be problematic.

Second is the lack of employment for career bureaucrats like myself.  While I enjoy eating and cooking, I don’t have any skills as a line cook.  I enjoy fishing, but I can’t see anyone hiring me as a boat captain or mate.  It would also be near impossible to make a living with my art skills…and please don’t ask me to sing.  My best hope would be to land a position with the National Park Service tending to the small herd of Banker ponies that are descendants of those who used to freely roam the island.  And that leads us to the biggest problem of all….what about the boys?!

Ocracoke is currently home to two herds of horses: the Banker ponies and the herd owned by the local group who provides trail rides on the beach.  I’ve scoped out both groups and unfortunately, I don’t think my 16 hand Thoroughbred or my 17 hand Dutch Harness Horse would blend well with either herd.  There is absolutely no way that either could be mistaken for a Banker pony.  The ponies are a hardy group whose descendants survived hurricanes, island flooding, lack of fresh water and life with no barn or fly spray.  My pampered equines throw a fit if they are left in the rain or if breakfast is late.  The trail horses look like bomb-proof souls who can carry tourists wearing shorts and tennis shoes safely through the sandy paths without terrorizing the tourist or local wildlife.  My Thoroughbred believes trail rides are his cue to demonstrate his race horse speed.  Luckily for the unfortunate soul perched on his back, the island will eventually end and I’ve never seen Cigar swim.  Ike has never been on a trail ride, but his hulking size would not make him a crowd favorite.

My island exploration did not find the local dressage barn either.  There was also no sign of a farrier, dressage trainer, hay field, or a veterinarian.  I’ve already mentioned the lack of feed store.  If I had a plane, and a large pot of money, I suppose I could fly in all the necessary help and supplies, but we all know that the large pot of money is about a real as the chance that I will be moving to a sand bar in the near future.  And I can’t even imagine what it would take to travel to a show.  I wonder if horses get sea sick?

So here I am safely back home.  And while I was away working on the relaxation portion of the training pyramid, Ike was staying busy with Ms. C.  Big boy had three productive sessions with her in my absence.  I had a quick ride today and the realization that the finals are a mere three weeks away!!  I see a lot of lessons in the next three weeks and just as many sleepless nights.  This is going to be better than Christmas!

The Sweatpants Did It

Oh, thanks for finding my shoe. I don't know how I parted ways with it.

Oh, thanks for finding my shoe. I don’t know how I parted ways with it.

Are you asking yourself, “What the heck does that blog title have to do with anything remotely equine?”  Grin.  Today’s adventure is a good time to share a funny story about my brother.  When he was about Ike’s age (5-6 years old), my parents purchased a brand new pair of sneakers for him.  We aren’t talking Air Jordan’s or anything remotely that pricey.  It was the late 1970’s so our clothes and shoes weren’t remotely cool at all.  Flammable, yes.  Cool, not in the least.  They were functional and supposed to last at least through Christmas.

So my brother had only worn his new sneakers for about a month when they ended up with a huge tear in them that made them unusable.  When my mother saw them, let’s just say that she was less than happy.  “Jeff, how did this happen?  Were you playing with Dad’s pocket knife again?!”  “No, Mom, my sweatpants did it,”  my brother stated matter-of-factly.  Um, huh?  Sweatpants?  They must be killer sweatpants.  Needless to say that not even my father with professional investigative skills could drag the truth out of my brother.  To this day he will proclaim that his sweatpants ripped his sneaker….which is the segue to Ike’s latest adventure.

I head out to the barn today to ride.  It was cloudy and cool and you really could not ask for a better day to ride in August.  When I arrive at the barn, I noticed that Ike was in his stall, yet all the other horses were outside.  Hmm, this is a bit odd.  As I approach the barn, Ms. C emerges and shares the news – Ike has pulled his front shoe.  Oh, you mean that shoe with the Equi-thane that was just put on not 7 days ago?!  Yes, that shoe.  Great.  Thanks Ike.  Ike stared at me with his innocent, big brown eyes like he didn’t know why I was so upset.  I quizzed him on how this could have happened.  I got a blank stare.  I asked him if the sweatpants did it.  Still, no answer.

Luckily, to Ike’s dismay, unlike my brother and his sneaker, there was a witness to this crime.  Ms. C filled in the rest of the story.  The cooler weather invigorated Cigar who decided that it was a good day to cavort with his younger brother.  Havoc and mayhem ensued and during the melee, Ike left his gel pad and shoe in the middle of the paddock.  Awesome.  Oh look there it is , a $100 laying in the dirt.  Too bad that the gel pad is not reusable.  Thankfully, the shoe is.  Thankfully, there is hoof left.  Thankfully, our show is  not this weekend.

Now I know how my mother felt…and why her wine glass was so big!

Back to the barn tomorrow to meet the farrier and hopefully the weather will cooperate for a ride.  Our next centerline is 12 days away!

I’d Like to Speak to Mother Nature

014This is a photo from last weekend…what about photos from this weekend’s schooling show you ask?  There are none.  We can thank Mother Nature for the lack of schooling show scores and photos.  She decided to unleash the heavy rain showers over the show venue for most of Saturday night.  That left the venue’s warm-up and show arenas looking more like very large puddles.  And, since parking is in the two of the fields of the farm, there would have most likely been some damage to the grass and one or two trailers getting stuck as well.  At least it happened on a schooling show weekend and not last weekend when the scores counted for qualifying.

It is always a bummer when you have worked hard and then don’t get to head out as planned.  I don’t think Ike minded having the day off, but I was looking forward to see what our scores would be after two lessons with Ms. C and a chiropractic adjustment this past week.  It will now be August before we head out again.

And while I’m complaining about Mother Nature, let me just say how much I love the heat and humidity that she brought to us after the rain on Saturday night.  Sunday afternoon when the sun emerged from the clouds was not a fit day for human or beast to be outdoors.  If Ike and Cigar could have come home and reclined on the sofa (if the dogs would have made room for them) in the air-conditioned comfort of our living room, I’d be cleaning up one heck of a mess today.

Monday has been another hot and steamy day topped off with some afternoon thunderstorms.  After the monthly farrier visit for both boys, I did attempt to ride.  Yuck.  I was sweating even before I mounted.  Ike started sweating a few minutes later.  Not long after that, the first horse fly of the season decided to come say hello along with the usual contingent of common flies and green heads.  We lasted 20 minutes before fleeing to the barn to the shade and safety from the horse flies.  Just like last year, they appear to be unable to breach the barn door.  Don’t think anyone is complaining about that.

Be safe from the summer storms.

alison

Can Anyone Tell Me What a Sleepover Is?

DSC02383Hi Everyone!  Ike here.  I’ve hijacked Mom’s blog since she is apparently too busy to keep you updated on the goings on this week.  She is very distracted getting ready for our first show of the season.  She seems a bit more keyed up with this particular show that she was last year.  I keep hearing the word “licensed” paired with the word show, but I’m still not clear what that means besides the fact that she has been harping about the money she has spent and is very worried about what the scores will be.

Sheesh!  All this fuss about a show overshadowed my 5th birthday on April 30th.  Where was the cake?  The peppermints?  How about a massage?  Where are my PRESENTS?!!  All I got were some stinking carrots and I had to share them with my brother and barnmates.  Uncool.  Everyone tells me that I’m starting to look more mature and less like a baby.  I might be looking older, but I still want a party.  If I can ever figure out how to dial a phone, look out.  I shall be calling the Humane Society to report this apparent lack of follow through on my birthday celebration.

I have really been enjoying the weather this week.  The recent rain and the warmer days mean that I finally have tender spring grass growing in my paddock.  Yum.  Hay is good, but nothing beats the first green grass of the season.  My brother and I have been playing a lot over the fence which is tons of fun.  I rear, Cigar does a rear/buck/cow kick, and then we run down the fenceline and do it again.  Big fun.  We got in trouble to getting a bit too rambunctious and pulling down the electric fencing.  Cigar didn’t like getting in trouble, so he went and kicked down a fence board in protest.  I just stood there and looked adorable when asked what transpired.  Brothers have to look out for each other.

Mom and I did two back-to-back riding lessons with Ms. C to try to fine tune us for the “licensed” show.  More money spent that should have been used for an awesome birthday present.  They seem pleased with how I’m doing.  Thank goodness that she is finally figuring out the whole half halt timing.  Mom keeps saying how much better our canter is this year that it was last April.  Again, sheesh, what did she expect?  I was only 3 years old when we went to the first show last year.  My bet is that she wasn’t exactly the most graceful mover when she was 3 years old.  You don’t get scarred up knees if you aren’t eating gravel every once in a while.  My knees are still scar-free thank you very much.

Now, I need to ask you kind readers for some help.  I heard a new word today that has not to date been part of my every day vocabulary.  Can someone please tell me what a sleepover is and why I am going on one?  It seems to have something to do with our show.  Mom was in a frenzy this afternoon putting stuff in the trailer.  She even put some covered buckets filled with water, some of my food (with no sharing with me), and a whole bale of hay.  If we are just going to a show, why do we need all these provisions?  Ms. C then gave me a tube of GastroGard right before dinner and said that I need it to keep me healthy in case I get stressed.  I think all this has something to do with that sleepover word.  I sleep in my stall, so sleeping over my stall would put me on the roof of the barn.  It is so confusing.  I asked the other horses, but no one is divulging any details.  The best I can hope for is that maybe sleepover is code for “Ike’s Surprise Party.”

Hoping to come home from the show with some new ribbons to decorate my stall.  Mom will fill you in on all those details on Sunday night.

Ike

Lesson Tip #345 – Do Not Head Butt Your Trainer

013More importantly, do not let your horse head butt your trainer.  I should have reiterated this lesson to Ike before our weekly lesson with Ms. C.  She was on the ground trying to help me unlock Ike’s jaw so I could achieve a hint of left flexion.  I’m pretty sure he knows what she wants him to do, but like the errant child, he sometimes fights the fight just because he can.  Ms. C kept after him until he finally flinched an inch.  She let go of the rein and the bugger deliberately clunked her with the side of his head.  If I had not witnessed it, I’d say that there was no way he did it on purpose.  Needless to say that he received a stern reprimand from Ms. C.

Ike must be going through a rebellious phase.  The list of transgressions continues to grow.  If he was a high school student, he’d be on Out of School Suspension for a few weeks for his recalcitrant behavior.  So far since the start of the new year, he has chewed the barn’s support beam, destroyed the old boot that we tied in his stall, refused to load on the trailer for the clinic, tried to bite me while tightening the girth, objected to my leg when asked to move, stomped on my foot a couple of times, bolted with me on board, snatched the reins from my hand on a few occasions, and now we can add head butted our trainer.  Sheesh!  I want my quiet, obedient 3-year old back.  Maybe?

While his behavior has been questionable at times, when he does set aside the naughtiness, there is a talented young horse emerging.  This time last year we were lucky if we could trot a circle that approached a round shape; more often than not Ike’s hind end would drift to the outside.  And canter circles?  Forget about it – we definitely only had canter ovals.  Heck, we were lucky if Ike could pick up the correct lead and if we could make the turn on the short end of the arena without me losing a knee.  We had lateral movement last spring only because Ike was so unbalanced and I was not strong enough to stop the sideways drift.

We are definitely coming out of winter this year with more strength and stamina.  Ike’s body is starting to fill out and look less like a gangly giraffe baby.  His back is strong enough to accept some sit trot and to maintain a connection in the canter (at least for most of a circle).  My skill set has improved which may be the best accomplishment from our winter work.  I dare say that my half halt timing is better and even better yet, rather than just slamming on the brakes in our down transitions, I can guide Ike to a smooth down transition where he stays up in his withers and bridle (oh, yeah, use your legs Alison rather than just your reins – dare I say a light bulb moment).

Weather is warming up and we are gearing up for that first centerline of the season – have hight hopes that we might actually hit that 70% mark this season.

Termites are to Wood as Ike is to ___?___

001So do you think you have the answer?  Hay?  Grain?  Grass?  Carrots?  All good answers, but all of them are wrong.  It was a trick question.  The correct answer is “wood.”  Let me explain.  I called Ms. C yesterday morning to check in on the boys.  She told me to start saving my money because I was going to have a rather large bill coming due soon.  I scratched my head since I could not recall any large outputs of cash upcoming.  “Well, guess what your horse has done?!?”  I asked which one since they both seem to have it in them to cause mass destruction and chaos.  She then proceeded to inform me that Ike had decided to chew on one of the main support beams for the barn wall.

Umm, oh.  Great.  Baby Huey is now tall enough with a giraffe-like neck to reach the one piece of wood that he really shouldn’t destroy.  I guess we will have to cover the beam with chicken wire to prevent further damage. (A side note:  The commercially available No Chew sprays did nothing to curtail his noshing of the window frames and stall door last winter.)  Before it is all said and done, Ike will be living in a chicken coop.  We already had to strategically place chicken wire over the light switch to curtail his favorite nighttime game of “Lights On, Lights Off.”  That set off a few nights of stall trashing by the other horses until we realized what he was doing.

So enough about Ike’s latest bad barn habit.  Let’s discuss his progress under saddle or lack thereof.  This was another week that kept me out of the saddle for a few days, so I asked Ms. C to ride Ike to assess where we are with only 30 days until our licensed show debut.  Guess who has a lot of work to do?  Correct, the rider.  Always the rider.  The horse can only be as good as the rider makes him.  If you ride the horse to beep bop around the ring with no connection, then that is the horse you will end up with in the show ring.  And that is our issue.  I need to do a better job at attaining and maintaining a steady connection for most of my rides.  Ike is now strong enough to maintain it IF I can get him through and working over his back.  So it was not a surprise that we worked on getting that connection during my lesson today.  My ability to get Ike to that happy place will be the difference between 5.5’s and 6’s for scores or 7’s and 8’s (she says with stars in her eyes).

Ms. C kept me focused for the entire lesson and finally we achieved nirvana.  We had a lovely, fully connected trot and I managed to maintain it for more than a few strides.  Phew!  I am capable of learning.  Will have to let you know if I can achieve it again tomorrow when I’m on my own.   Will also let you know if the barn is still standing…