Tag Archives for Ike

What Did You Say?!

Ike November 2014

There are a lot of articles by highly respected animal behaviorists and trainers available that talk about animal communication.  What is your dog/cat/horse trying to tell you?  A flick of the ear can be annoyance or a sign that they heard you yell at them.  Snarling teeth are never a good sign.  Squinty eyes can also mean bad things.  But what if our animals had verbal skills equal to ours?  What if they did have voices and could tell us exactly what they are thinking and feeling? “Why must I eat this food when you are having steak?” ” “I do not wish to canter at that end of the arena.”  “I think he got three more treats than I did!!” “Why do I have to work when he gets to stand around all day?”  “You are the meanest Mom EVER!”

Personally, I don’t know if I could handle the fact that my horses and dogs could talk.  I imagine that my animals would all have sarcastic personalities with frequent potty mouth issues.  Basically five unruly children, two of which weigh half a ton.  Um, yeah, things would be a lot different around the house and barn if there were verbal skills.

So with that thought in mind, I started thinking about who my animals would sound like.  If they were to star in an animated show or a Mr. Ed-type sitcom, who would do their voices?  What actor, politician, or public figure could capture their personality?  So here goes…

Tim 2014

Our dog Tim, a former therapy dog, has a politician’s personality.  He likes to stop and greet everyone we pass on the street, “Hello! So nice to see you today.”  At the vet clinic, he will seek out the technicians and vets to say hello.  If he could shake hands with everyone, he would.  He would be a baby kisser.  He is a constant beggar, so that plays right into the politician personality.  What have you done for me lately?  After a little deliberation, I decided that Ronald Reagan would be the ideal voice.  A former actor and president, he could easily capture Tim’s persona.

Spencer 2014

Spencer is my quirky dog.  He wouldn’t let us pet him for the first year.  He would growl and run away.  Over time, he has finally realized that love from us is a good thing and he will now nudge you for attention.  He has calmed down tremendously, but when he knows it is time for a walk or a ride in the truck, all bets are off.  He is a frenetic, hot mess.  He is also the instigator when it is play time.  His move is the “boop on the nose” until Brownie joins the fun.  Kevin James I think could capture Spencer’s quirkiness. “Pet me, pet me! No, stop, I have had enough.”  “Time for a ride!! Oh, goodie, let’s go let’s go! We are wasting time here people!”

Brownie 2014

Brownie, oh, Brownie.  He is a spitfire.  For a dog who is missing part of his right femur due to a traumatic injury that required a femoral head ostectomy, he moves like a greyhound.  He barks more than any dog I have ever owned.  He will run the other way when I call him to come inside.  He is wide-open 24/7 and will bark like a fool at any dog that dares to come into his sightline and bounce like a ball at the end of his leash.  We are quite the sight to see on our regular walks.  He needs an actor who is unafraid of letting loose.  John Belushi is a close second, but it is Will Ferrell who is my final choice. I see him, in the movie Old School, running down the road naked and when asked by his wife what he was doing, “We’re going streaking in the quad!”  Of course, there is no one with him.  Yeah, that about captures Brownie.

And now the big boys…

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Cigar, my retired OTTB with personality to spare.  Of all my animals, he is the bad boy of the crowd.  Whether he was halting at C to poop right in front of the judge, almost cow-kicking a clinician as we rode past (she had to lean to the side to avoid the contact), or casually eating my $50 bill that was to pay for our lesson, he has always tested the boundaries of my love.  He was the horse no one wanted to be near in the warm up ring; you just never knew what was coming next.  The voice of Cigar needs to capture that edginess and living-on-the-edge attitude.  Vince Vaughn would do Cigar justice.  Cigar would be the one with the most to say and the one whose thoughts would make any movie worthy of an “R” rating for the questionable language.  “Where the  #$$%% have you been? I am starving.”  “Why, no, I do not wish to be brushed.”  ”

Ike in new blanket

And finally, last but certainly not least, is Ike.  I struggled the most to pick his “voice.”  Ike has presence.  Ike is a gentle giant, but can get very grumpy when my attention is elsewhere.  He is amicable, stoic, but has a playful side.  I will never forget when he decided to play Lights On, Lights Off in the barn one night…the light switch is now protected by chicken wire to keep him from flicking the lights in the barn on and off all night long.  I debated with my friend who could capture his spirit.  For some reason, we decided that he would have a British accent.  Prince William?  No, to royal and reserved.  Winston Churchill?  Too serious.  Finally, we settled on Hugh Grant.  I watched Notting Hill recently and his soft-spoken demeanor could do Ike justice.  “What do you mean that I can’t have my dinner now?”  “Why must I always be the one who works the hardest?”  “Oh, I see you brought apples for me.  Why must I share?” [so, as you read that, did you imagine Hugh Grant’s British accent?]

So, I would love to hear who you think could capture your furry family members personas.  If you know my animals, I’d love to know what you think of the choices.

alison

p.s. I promise to update you on our progress towards Second Level soon.

Dear Santa, Leave The Presents, Take My Brother

"No, Mom, I will not wear Santa hat this year."

“No, Mom, I will not wear Santa hat this year.”

Ike and I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, a God Jul, Feliz Navidad, a Happy Festivus (for you Seinfeld fans), and Happy Holidays!  Whatever holiday you and your family celebrate, may your time together be joyous and memorable.  May you laugh until your cheeks and sides hurt, eat plenty of delectable food, and sip on delicious beverages.

Ike says to remember your equine friends when you are shopping.  Black licorice, apples and peppermints are particularly tasty.  Uncle Jimmy’s Hanging Snacks are also perennial favorites with Ike and Cigar.  Cigar will be sporting a new red halter to replace the one Ike shredded.  Ike will look dapper in his new burgundy polo wraps.  The boys also sent a holiday donation to an equine charity.

May your year to come be filled with straight centerlines, clear rounds, optimal times and plenty of barn time!

All our best,

Alison and Ike

What is a Horse Junkie To Do When Illness and Weather Keep Her Indoors?

Wreath 1

This has been a challenging week for me.  Not only has the weather been less than stellar, I also managed to contract some early season snot-germ that kept me at home.  My coworkers even told me to get out when I went to the office.  Bad Weather + Bad Cold – Riding – Barn Visits = Stir-crazy horse owner.  Rumor has it that Ike is less than concerned about our lack of work this week.  He has enjoyed his unexpected vacation by romping with his brother.

Before the cursed germs invaded my body, I had decided that I was going to get crafty this Christmas and make my own horse head wreath.  I found the instructions on Facebook, and I thought to myself that I could give it a go.  If you search around the internet, you can find plenty of them made by very talented people.  Some are made with real greens, others with garland purchased from the craft store.  All of them are pricey.

So in between napping, blowing my nose, and working, I decided to try my hand at making my horse head wreath.  I won’t bore you with the step by step instructions – you can find them on my Facebook page or Google “how to make a horse wreath” and you will find the directions.  I will however share with you a few tips to make your construction go easier than mine…

1) Use the cheap wire hangers that you get from the drycleaners.  I made my wreath with these cheaper ones and the wire was very easy to shape.  When I decided to make 2 horse heads for Ms. C, I used purchased wire hangers from Walmart.  The wire is a thicker gage from the purchased hangers, and let’s just say that it was not as user friendly for bending.  My husband grew concerned about my well being as the nasal-toned cursing grew louder and louder.

2) Purchase wire cutters.  Kitchen shears, school-kid scissors, and wire-strippers are all poor substitutes and will also lead to cursing.

3) The instructions I had said to use masking tape and hot glue for the frame.  Hot glue guns and I are not on speaking terms, so for Ms. C’s wreaths that needed to be outdoor friendly, I used green duct tape.  Duct tape, like baling twine, can fix anything.

Wreath 2

Ms. C’s first wreath

Ms. C's second wreath

Ms. C’s second wreath

4) Read the label of your ribbon while at the store.  Finding out 10 days later that your spool doesn’t have enough ribbon to complete the bridle causes a delay in the completion until you can return to the store to buy more.

5) When using craft glue to add embellishments to your picks, do not set them on the carpet to dry….you will have to cut them away from the carpet and then cut glue blobs off your pick.  Glue blobs are not very festive.

6) If you are sick, consider delaying your craft project.  The holiday ribbons and picks all have glitter.  The glitter gets everywhere.  A snotty, glittery red nose is not a good holiday look.  It is not a good look period.

Good luck if you give it a try.  Please share photos in the comments!

Alison

From The Horse’s Mouth

Ike November 2014

Happy Fall Everyone!  I’m again taking over to fill you in on my life in my words.  I’m pretty sure that I should have my own blog by now, but Mom says that I’m not ready for such responsibility.  Sheesh!  What a mean Mom.  Seriously, how am I supposed to rely on her to give the full story?

I’m pretty sure that I did a very good job at the regional competition.  Mom had that silly grin on her face and tears in her eyes when she realized we got one of those big ribbons with the long streamers.  I gave one of the streamers a taste and I have to say that it was disappointing.  I will stick with apples and horse treats.  It was cool to have people cheer for me when Mom and I went into the big indoor.  People called it a “koliseeim.”  I say it was a really big indoor with lots of chairs and few windows.  How do I get one of those at the farm?  Maybe Santa will bring me one for Christmas…

Being at the show was a lot of fun, but by the end of the weekend I was really tired of being inside all the time.   We horses need to start a union and get some better benefits – stalls with attached paddocks will be on my list of demands.  An internet connection at the barn, a private apple orchard, and a climate-controlled barn will also be discussed.  And none of that pay-for-performance stuff.  I get my pay and benefits regardless of the color of the ribbon.  But I digress…My friend Winslow was there as were Roo and Flori.  Dad came along as well as my canine brother Tim.  Ms. C was there to cheer for me on Saturday.  It was big fun to have Miss Melana visit me at night.  We had fun sending photos to Mom.

Once I got home from the show, I had a whole week of doing nothing but hanging out in my paddock.  Mom came to visit, but there was no riding.  She said that I had earned my vacation.  I’m trying to figure out how to have vacation every day like my brother.  He won’t tell me the secret to full-time vacation.  I think he is afraid Mom might put him back to work.

But now that I am back to work, I have to say that things have become much HARDER!  What?!  I did really well all year, so how can the work get harder?  Mom and Ms. C have introduced me to this medieval torture device they call a double bridle.  They stick not one, but two bits in my mouth.  Two!!  What was wrong with one?  It has something to do with the work getting harder.  I keep hearing the word “kollekshun” used more frequently.  It basically means that I have to use my hind legs more and more.  There is also talk around the barn about some sort of Second Level.  The only other level in the barn is where they keep the extra hay.  I’m waiting to see if we will have horses moving in up there.  Mom and Dad have a second level at their house, so maybe my brother and I are moving.  None of the other horses are telling me much, but they all like to smugly stand along the rail while I have to work with all that metal in my mouth.  Luckily, I don’t have to use it every day.

You might be interested to know that my mane is finally growing back.  I really didn’t mean to scratch out as much as I did this summer, but the tick bite was really itchy.  My mane is at the length now that it looks like a Mohawk.  Cool, huh?  Maybe we can introduce that as a talking point at the union discussions this winter.

If you know anyone who wants to help me with my union formation, please send them my way.  It is awfully hard to type on Mom’s laptop.

Ike

Selfies with Ike

Friday night smile

Ike and his buddy Melana

Do you ever wonder what your horse does at night once you have returned home or to your hotel room if away at a show?  I’m neither curious enough nor neurotic enough to set up a web camera so that I can constantly monitor my boy.  I have never worried about the boys when they are tucked into their stalls at Ms. C’s house.  There are rumors of hot bran mashes and mice parties in the feed buckets, but I know that I can sleep soundly when both horses are home.

Now when Ike and I go on the road, I can be a bit of a worrier.  Will he get some rest?  Will he have enough water and hay?  Will he try to escape over the half door?  Did I remember to latch the stall door?!!  It helps that my friends and I take turns doing late evening barn checks.  My husband has become accustomed to my request to swing by the barn after dinner “just to make sure all is well.”

Well, I learned while in Lexington, VA for the CBLM Finals last month, that Ike had a late evening visitor.  My husband and I were watching television at our hotel when my phone buzzed with a new text message…

"Selfies with Ike!"

“Selfies with Ike!”

Hmm, young man, Mom is not sure that you are old enough to have girls in your “room” without adult supervision!  I texted back asked what the two of them were doing and if she thought she could fit Ike’s entire head in the shot.  Didn’t have to wait long to find out…

"Nailed it!"

“Nailed it!”

Phew!  That is a lot of head to fit into a selfie.  Good thing Melana has long arms.  There were selfies from Friday and Saturday nights as well as daytime selfies when Melana would stop by for some Ike time.  I was also informed that there might have been some snuggling as well.

Friday night love

Friday night snuggling

Oh, Ike.  Such a lady’s man.  I even got to join in the selfie fun on Sunday afternoon before my Training Level final.

Group selfie

Maybe that is why Ike did such a stellar job – his selfie buddy was there watching his performance.

The selfies didn’t stop when we returned home either…there must be a cache of photos on Melana’s phone.  Me thinks that someone misses her late night buddy.

"How I feel not visiting with Ike."

“How I feel not visiting with Ike.”

Ike says you are welcome to visit anytime!  He will leave the barn door unlocked for you.

Our CBLM Finals Recap – What Would Hilda Think?

Getting ready for the victory lap

Getting ready for the Training Level awards ceremony

Phew!  We are now back to reality after living in Horse Show World for 4 days.  Horse Show World is a world unlike any other that I exist in on a daily basis.  Your entire day revolves around your equine family member.  You drag yourself to the barn in the dark to make sure that your beloved horse eats at his normal time.  You realize that your horse is a rather slovenly stall keeper who likes to watch you mine for the poop piles.  Your hands get chapped from fishing out water-logged hay from the water buckets four or five times a day.  Seriously, Ike, why must you leave so much hay in your buckets?  The day’s activities are predicated on what time you need to begin your grooming/tacking/warm up in order to make it down centerline on time.  If you have two rides, this process might have to be repeated…But wait, you can’t leave the show grounds yet, since then you must wait for the class(es) to end to determine if you must frantically retack your horse to make it to the mandatory mounted awards ceremonies.  Even after you scramble to get there, you have to have your baby situated for the night before you can even consider a shower and a real meal.  And who hasn’t driven back to the show grounds for one last night check?  If aliens are watching us, they must think that our horses are in charge and we are their servants.

Ike and I after our First Level final 10th place finish

Ike and I after our First Level final 10th place finish

I am tickled to say that Ike and I finished out our 2014 show season with placings in both of our finals classes.  Yes, can you believe it?!  Both of them.  If you had asked me what the outcome would be, I would have told you that we might have pinned in one or both of our warm up classes, and had a slightly better than average chance of placing in our Training Level Final, but we’d be lucky to be in the top half of our First Level Final.  There were about 30 horse and rider pairs in each of the final’s classes.  Yikes!  When it was all said and done, we came home with a first place in our Training Level Test 2 warm up class, a 5th place in our Training Level Final, and a 10th place in our First Level Final.  [Shhh, don’t tell, I teared up when I realized I placed in each of my final’s classes.]

Here is video from the First Level Awards Ceremony – it cracks me up that Ike seems to realize that we were announced and that the crowd was cheering for him.  I have to say that I was so proud of Ike marching right into the Coliseum like he had done it before…I feared having to walk around by myself while Ike ran freely around the show grounds: 

It finally felt like validation for all our hard work.  We can do this in spite of all my self doubt and my lack of experience.  We started the season with the Hilda Gurney Clinic in Maryland and I can’t help but wonder what she would think of us now.  We were still trying to find a show worthy canter in April, and I am happy to say that we found it this past weekend.  The season that started off with scores of 5.5 for our canter work, ended with 7’s for both the left and right leads.  And let’s be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t be at this point without a cadre of amazing people who have helped Ike and I to establish our partnership.  Thank you to you all!!  If I try to name them all, I fear that I will inadvertently forget someone.  But I must say a special thanks to my husband who is my greatest cheerleader and supporter – I love you dearly for supporting this crazy horse habit!

alison

Can You Guess What They Tried To Do To Me Yesterday???

Alison and Ike Culpeper August 2014

I have yet again seized control of the blog to share with my fans the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  Mom just doesn’t do a stellar job providing you the facts.  Mom forgets to take off her rose colored glasses sometimes as she skips through her days.

The poor woman continues to struggle with what to do with her appendages.  I hear her reminiscing about how I used to attempt to ram her knee into the fence since I couldn’t make all my body parts work together.  Well here we are three years later and I am more than capable of coordinating my legs.  I cannot say the same for Mom and she is almost 46 years old.  Come on woman! Put your inside leg up near the girth when I’m cantering to help me bend.  You can clearly see from the photo that she is incapable of listening while in the show ring.  Just look where her leg is!  Sheesh!  And then she is surprised when I break from the canter or lean in.  Will someone please tell her to be there to help me…yes, I do a lot of the work, but she’s got to learn to do her part for the team.  I can only hope for better leg/seat/hand coordination at our upcoming show at Rose Mount.  With only a week until the show, I have to hope for a miracle.

That whole feed bucket debacle had nothing to do with what was in my feed bucket.  I’m not really a picky fellow, except for peaches, those things are gross.  I might have been pawing one morning while waiting for my breakfast and might have gotten my hoof stuck in the bucket.  When I pulled back to get it out, somehow the bucket got in the way and it broke.  Yeah, that is what happened.  Or wait, is it too late to blame my brother.  Yeah, he made me do it.

Lately, it has not been fun to be outside.  The weather has been okay, but the horseflies have been out in droves.  We horses have decided that they are evil.  We are pretty certain that they are the devil’s spawn sent forth to make us all miserable.  I have mastered the tail flick and the neck-reach-around to combat the flying devils.  My brother does a nonstop shimmy shake so that they cannot land on him.  He only stops when Mom is close by and then he shows her where it is so she can kill it.  While she is uncoordinated in the saddle, she does have lightning quick thwacking skills to kill the flies.  Go Mom!

And let me tell you about yesterday…Mom and I had another lesson with Ms. C.  I’m pretty sure they tried to kill me.  We worked very hard on the various movements that we will need for our upcoming show: cantering, trot lengthenings, canter lengthenings, centerlines, and leg yields.  We didn’t stop much because the horseflies were lying in wait if we paused.  After about 50 minutes I was breathing very hard.  It was scary.  I huffed and puffed and couldn’t catch my breathe.  Mom dismounted and they hosed me off for at least 20 minutes (I didn’t think I was that dirty).  Mom then stuck this tube of brown goo in my mouth.  She called it “elektrolights.”  I called it gross and tried to spit it back at her.  After about 20 more minutes I felt better.  I hope that never happens again.

If you are going to be in town next weekend, come see me at the show.  I love when my friends come to cheer for me!  Especially the ones who bring snacks!

Until next time,

Ike

 

Feelings, Nothing More Than Feelings

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I can feel happy when I eat my ice cream, I feel sad when the ice cream is gone.  I feel tired after spending the entire weekend at a horse show.  My bed feels really good when I collapse in it at the end of the day.  Feelings are everywhere.  You can’t escape them even when you are riding.  Your trainer and clinicians talk a lot about feeling certain things when you are riding your horse.  “Did you feel that push your horse just gave you?”  “Did you feel how connected you were on that lengthening?”  “Could you feel your horse tense up right before he spooked at the vulture?”  All very valid questions.  But truth be told, I’m still not good with my “horse feelings.”

Like in the above photo, I’m obviously not sitting on my butt because I’m leaning too far forward.  I can see that in the photo.  But if you ask me about it when I’m riding, I will tell you that it feels like I’m sitting perfectly tall and upright.  When I’m told “sit on your butt,”  I immediately think, I am!  I know I’m not sitting on my head.  What else would I be sitting on while on a horse?!  When I lean back until told I’m in the correct position, it feels like I’m about to tip over backwards.  Ugh, this feeling stuff is hard.

Trainers also talk about feeling the horse in your hands.  Is there too much weight in your hands?  Is your horse leaning on you wanting you to carry his big head?  Do you feel nothing because your threw away your contact?  It is a hard thing to teach and even harder to understand when it is right.  Your trainer can’t be on your horse with you to feel what you are feeling.  They can only talk you through the sequence of aids until they see that your horse is moving correctly from behind and coming up and out of their withers.  They then say, “do you feel that?  That is correct.”  You then must process what things feel like and then try to reproduce it at a later date and time.  Sure, no problem you think.  Ha!  I usually have the epic fail when I think I’ve reproduced the “feeling.”  I’m told my horse is too flat and I’ve left his hind end trailing.  Sigh.  Again, this feeling stuff is harder then I imagined.

The feeling stuff just never ends while on your horse.  You need to feel when your horse needs a half halt to maintain your rhythm/tempo/balance.  Then once you realize that you need that half halt, you need to determine how much of a half halt to give.  If you do too much, you will have “lost that loving feeling” and ruined your connection.  If you do too little, nothing will have been accomplished.  You also need to make your aids subtle so that it looks like you are doing nothing.  [look up Charlotte and Valegro on YouTube and watch any of their rides – they are the epitome of finding the right feeling on your horse.]  I am the poster child of what not to do.

The worst feeling is when your instructor asks, “Which of those (transitions/lengthenings/leg yields) felt the best?”  Oh no, you are now in the hot seat.  Which one is the right one?!!  Eeek!  Was it the first one?  The last one?  Think woman, think!  You finally blurt out an answer only to hear the following, “Why do you think that one was best?”  Crap!  Put on the spot again!  I still don’t know if I’m right about the first question.  I finally mutter something about my alignment and my connection and pray that I’ve muddled through that portion of the oral exam.  I’d say that I get it right about 60% of the time.  If I could just make it to 70%, I’d feel a bit better.

I equate learning my “horse feelings” with learning my “baker feelings.”  What are baker feelings you ask?  It is the feeling of the bread dough in your hands when the consistency is correct.  My mother has tried for years to teach me to feel the dough to no avail.  She has the magic touch.  Her pie crust and apple crumb topping are divine.  I have tried to replicate that crust and those crumbs.  Fail!  My crumbs melt into a single blob in the oven; my mother’s are delicious individual balls of heaven.  She tells me what is in them, but when I ask how much of each ingredient I need, the answer is, ” enough of each so it feels right between your fingers.”  Thanks Mom, that is helpful…not.

Twenty-five years later, I’m still trying to learn my baker feelings.  I can only hope that my learning curve for my horse feelings is faster.

 

 

Pony Gone Mad

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You know it isn’t going to be great news when you hear from your trainer early in the day with an email with your horse’s name in the subject line…great, who did what to which horse or what body part?  Luckily, the damage was to an inanimate object.  Even more lucky, there was no damage to the horse that caused the barn damage.

As you can see by the photo, Ike decided that his feed bucket was very, very naughty and had to be destroyed to save the barn.  Not sure what triggered this destructive turn.  We did begin switching Ike to a new supplemental feed with yesterday’s dinner. [Purina discontinued their Athlete feed last year.  I stockpiled almost 20 bags in my family room to delay the switch, but the day finally arrived to change over to the Purina Amplify.]  We are not certain if the change in the feed made Ike mad that there was a change in the taste or if he like the new feed so much that he was mad that there was not more.  Or it was completely unrelated to the feed and he was bored.  Either way, Mom had to stop to buy a new feed bucket on the way to the barn today.

Sadly, this is not the first time Ike has destroyed pieces of the barn.  We had to buy a new gate after he mangled the old one when he’d rear on the gate to take it off the hinges.  He also played with the ceiling fan blades enough to damage the motor;  his fan would spin slowly like top getting ready to topple over.  That poor fan was put out of its misery last summer.  And finally, the day is near, when we will have to purchase the lumber to reframe the windows of his stall.  Ike still exhibits termite like behavior in spite of the No Chew sprayed on the wood with chicken wire stapled over it.

Fingers are crossed that the new bucket will survive the night.

More From Ike’s World

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Hello Friends!

I’ve decided to not give up control of Mom’s blog.  Still trying to figure out how to change the password so she can’t use the blog, but I guess that would be easier if I knew what a password was.

Do you know that Mom and Dad left me behind again when they went on vacation?  Can you believe that?!  Mom said that they were visiting islands on a boat and that there was no room for me or my brother.  Must have been a very small boat if we couldn’t fit on it.  If that is the case, I doubt that they had a good time.  I know that things here weren’t all sun and fun while they were gone.

While they were on the boat, we had to endure another snow storm.  I again tried to eat it, but this stuff was as bland as the other stuff.  White grass is worthless.  My brother tells me that he is certain that the green grass will be back soon.  The good side of having white grass is that I didn’t have to do any work while it covered the ground.  Word around the barn is that Mom told Ms. C to ride me two or three times while she was away.  As it was, Ms. C did make me do stuff twice, but I did my best to let her know that I wasn’t thrilled with this plan.

The first time was before the storm.  Ms. C put me on a really long lead rope and made me go in circles around her.  Hmm, just because my legs are longer than hers, why do I have to do all the work?  She also had a really long stick with a rope attached.  I tried to ignore what she was saying and do whatever I wanted, but that made her shake that stick at me.  If I ignored the stick, she would shake the stick so the rope wiggled like a snake.  Meanie.  I showed her by taking off so fast that she dropped the rope.  I ran to the far end of the arena, but thought I saw that scary bird hiding in the bushes, so I ran back to Ms. C.  She was less scary than the prehistoric bird.  Along with learning what a password is, I’m planning to learn how to use that stick thing.

Then right before Mom came home, Ms. C put on my saddle to ride me.  I am usually tacked in my stall, so I cleverly walked too close to the stall door and managed to pull the stirrup away from the saddle.  Ms. C couldn’t get it reattached.  Yea!  Awesome, I thought, no work for me!  But she then put her saddle on my back.  Wait a minute, how uncool is this.  Did she really think that I was going to wear a strange saddle?  No way.  I let her know right away that I thought her saddle was a bad idea.  She mumbled something about a fairy tale called The Princess and the Pea, but I’m still not clear how that relates to me and her saddle.

The highlight of my week was the warm weather on Saturday which meant that my blanket had to come off.  Heehee.  When all the white snow went away, it left behind some gooey mud.  My brother has shared with me his mud application techniques to get full body coverage.  You first need to work the mud with your hooves to make sure that there are no dry spots that would keep parts of your body mud-free.  One also must make sure that your rolling method allows you to get full coverage on your sides as well as where the saddle goes.  Cigar says that the saddle area is the most important, but also make every effort to coat your neck and face as well.

I think I did a good job because I stopped Mom in her tracks when she came to the barn on Sunday.  I’m pretty sure she almost gave up the thought of riding, but then a determined look swept over her face and she pulled out the curry.  I made her chase me around my stall a few times too, but she stuck with it.  She worked hard enough to clean off the saddle, girth and bridle spots, but she did leave a significant amount of mud on my legs, my butt, and in my mane and tail.  She won’t win any grooming contests anytime soon.

Even though I was mad at her for leaving me, I was glad to see her especially since she brought juicy apples from her travels.  At least I’d like to think she brought them home from vacation.  It is the least she could do.  We had a good time on Sunday and a lesson with Ms. C on Monday.  They gave me a lot of praise and Stud Muffins.  Guess I will try to be good under saddle since I like getting treats.  Can’t make any promises about staying clean.

Ike