# Chippy's Progress Journal



## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Well, I decided to start a journal of mine and Chippy's progress...sort of as a way to track what training works for us and what doesn't

As a quick overview, I bought him in late September as a 5 year old green broke, western trail horse in the making. He could walk, trot and do a weird hop/buck/canter wannabe thing. I'd been riding for over 7 years, mainly doing huntseat and had recently started jumping 3'0. I, of course knew I was taking a HUGE step back as far as my riding. I gave up jumping, lessons and trained, balanced school horses that could actually canter..not hop/buck/wannabe canter. Oh and I forgot to mention that I also wasn't buying a horse, I was buying a giraffe.







< That was from the first day I bought him.

For the first few months both of us were nervous wrecks. My giraffe prancing around, trying to figure out why I was asking him to leave Africa and transform into a horse x giraffe, and me hopelessly bouncing around in the saddle. In November, I bought an icky, squeaky, no name english saddle off ebay and started training him english, still barely able to canter.

In January, we left the hellhole that was the Serengeti (my old barn) where the alligator (the devil...I mean barn owner) constantly tried to destroy us and made the trip to a more civilized place. 


Okay, I'm done with the analogies. He can now walk trot and canter (still working on it, though.) and is much more balanced. I've started trying to train him for dressage, which isn't going well, but it is going. So far I've had one lesson on him..a lesson that made everything more confusing, so I've basically been trying to train him on my own.

Recently he had to have his shoes pulled and barefoot isn't going well. At first he was just a bit ouchy and tender, so I just rode in the arena where his movement had still declined and a few days ago he finally went lame from it. We're thinking a stone bruise or maybe an abscess, but hopefully It's just a bruise. Yesterday my friend (Tux on here) was supposed to ride him in a show, but we had to cancel that. :-|

On friday I have my first lesson on another horse since I bought him. I'll be riding a dressage schoolmaster, which will hopefully give me some much needed improvement and after that I plan to start more regular lessons on him.

I'll hopefully be updating this once a week ish, so check for updates if you're interested 

And just to show you what a cutie he is...


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## gymkhanaprincess7 (May 7, 2012)

Adorable little guy! Can't wait for updates!


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

gymkhanaprincess7 said:


> Adorable little guy! Can't wait for updates!


Thank you! He certainly tries his best hehe.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

So today I went to the barn and Chippy didn't seem super off and I decided to long line him at the walk for the first time. It was awesome, but slooowww (like walking... but not really.) He was stretching into the contact really well, and once I can work him again we'll be doing a lot more of it.










After long lining Chippy, I rode another horse at my barn named Turner. He's an 8 year old HUS horse, whose owner is 12 and prefers galloping him and going crazy in the ring..so he's getting the HUS training sucked out of him. I was riding him bareback, and for a paint his withers are huge so it was pretty uncomfortable. But, he was AMAZING and he's so, so well trained. All you have to do is sit and he just goes. He does gape constantly though and I don't think he likes his bit, but I try to avoid riding with my reins all together (still have contact, just don't give aids with the reins) so he got better with that.

After riding Turner, I rode an older paint mare named Misty. She can be moody, but she had just eaten so she was happy and ready to go. She's pretty much the definition of pushbutton...if you even think about jogging she goes into a smooth, floaty jog that feels like you're hovering above the ground and as soon as you think about slowing down she stops immediately. Luckily, I had a bareback pad to ride her in, so I didn't want to die after every stride.


I really, really REALLY want Chippy to get better soon... I hate that he has to be alone and going without riding for me is like going without air. :-(


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Today I went to the barn and Chippy was more off then he's been all week :/ He was put in with an older gelding that won't chase I'm around or try to play with him, plus he really likes the horse. I didn't even want to bring Chippy into his stall to groom him, so I brought my brushes outside and groomed both horses for 2.5 freaking hours and acquired about 20 greenhead bites all over my legs.

After I had groomed Chippy for about 45 minutes I started thinking about how much I wanted to just sit on him while he ate, but I knew it would be bad to add more weight and hurt his hoof more...right while I was thinking that he layed down (almost on top of me) completely out of the blue and let me sit on him while he slept. I was SO happy about it. He's let me sit on him before while he layed down, but he's never actually layed down while I was right there. After about 10 minutes the bugs annoyed him so much that he got up..but it really made my day :happydance:.

People at my barn have been really nice about me riding their horses, and I'll be riding a haflinger QH cross named Lilly on a trail ride soon. She's only 5 and very, very quirky and a bit spooky. I was going to practice tacking her up today (which is close to impossible) but, when I walked up to her she pinned her ears and ran away. -____- so that should be a fun time...I guess I'm spoiled with my bombproof, willing 5 year old haha.

Tomorrow I have my first dressage lesson and I'm SO exited. The barn I'm going to only has 2 "lesson" horses...a DWB mare and a big lusitano stallion. :shock: I've met the stallion and he's really calm and sweet, so I'm hoping to ride him and try to avoid dying. :lol: My dad is being forced to videotape every second of the lesson, so I'll have videos up tomorrow


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Ooopps, i also forgot to mention the me and Jackpot's (the older gelding he's with) owner traded bits. She had a French Link Dee snaffle and I had a single jointed loose ring. Apparently, Jackpot hates double jointed bits and I've been looking for a French Link to buy anyway.

I tried the French Link on Chippy today and he was MUCH more willing to flex his neck and pole on the ground without bracing like he usually does, so once he can be ridden again I think there will be a big improvement.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Soooo... yesterday I finally had my first dressage lesson! Here's the thread: http://www.horseforum.com/dressage/first-dressage-lesson-130760/#post1597312
The barn in overwhelmingly fancy...out of all of their horses they might have like...4 geldings? Hehe, there are a LOT of really talented studs there....I mean you walk into the barn with a mare and all you hear is horses going absolutely nuts, all down the isle. 

I really, really wanted to ride a big, gorgeous Lusitano stallion, and that was originally who she was going to have me ride, but she changed her mind at the last minute since I'm not experienced with double bridles and this was sort of an evaluation lesson of what I already know. 

The other day my barn friend that usually drives me to the barn got back from vacation! :happydance: I'll be at the barn a lot more now and I'll most likely be riding some other horses at my barn.  Probably won't be doing anything interesting for a while because of the heat, but when I do I'll update!


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

So, today I had my very experienced friend look at Chippy and she thinks there's a very good chance he has lyme. it's very common in the area and a horse at my barn already had it this year. 

Now that I think about it, he hasn't quite been himself for a few weeks and is a little more reserved. He's very, very upset that he can't be with his friends and stands in the corner all day watching them. If it is lyme, I need to get it diagnosed ASAP and get a job, because my parents pay for board and only board. (which is very fair.)

Ugh, I chickened out of riding the mare Lilly today...she's just so strong and Chippy's so...not. 

I really need to get over myself, my horse is lame, not me. I mean, I'm SO fortunate to even have a horse, let alone such an amazing one thats generally rideable. I keep getting offered to ride other peoples amazing horses and turning it down...then I feel all bad for myself (unintentionally) because I haven't been able to ride my horse for one f******* week. 

I got to ride a fancy dressage horse yesterday in a private lesson with a grand prix level trainer...so I officially am going to shut up about Chippy being lame, because I feel like I'm turning into that spoiled horse owning b**** that I've always hated..the kind that _expect_ a horse rather than actually earning one. I mean, what did I even do to deserve a horse in the first place? Absolutely nothing...and the truth is I don't deserve Chippy at all.


Okay, sorry for my major boohoo rant xD just had to get that out.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Woahh take it easy, don't be so mean to yourself.

I'll admit you need to cut it out and go ride those other horses. It'll be better for you in the long run as long as they're nice and safe.. and not crazy.

Then talk with your vet and see if you can pay him for the vet bill in installments because you DO need to address the cause of your horse's lameness.

I'm not sure how he got lame or where he's lame :/ but I wish you the best with him!


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Yea, I want to start riding other horses...although I think the one today was a good decision to avoid riding, since she's so different than what I'm used to and very strong. I'm trying to make a vet appt. for monday, but the vet I use is used by half the state so It's hard to get ahold of him. My parents are paying for the vet bills as long as I pay them back, which is good. 

He originally seemed to be lame from having his shoes pulled, because a bad farrier really tore them up...so much that there was nowhere to nail any shoes onto. I'm really hoping his hooves are just sore from that, because he has been a bit sore since they were pulled.

I've gotten all different opinions on what it is..some people think It's a stone bruise, because our paddocks are extremely hilly and rocky, some think Its lyme and some think It's an abscess. Can't really know until the vey comes of course though.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Oh I see, that's good then!

Have you tried using some hoof boots while he's growing some hoof wall back?

Someone did the same to Sky.. he had bruised feet for a long while and wasn't lame but was in a lot of pain (he's had AWFUL feet his entire life so he's actually really good at masking pain :/ bah)


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Skyseternalangel said:


> Oh I see, that's good then!
> 
> Have you tried using some hoof boots while he's growing some hoof wall back?
> 
> Someone did the same to Sky.. he had bruised feet for a long while and wasn't lame but was in a lot of pain (he's had AWFUL feet his entire life so he's actually really good at masking pain :/ bah)


I was going to, but if something else is wrong I'll wait to see if he needs then once he's better.

That's terrible :-( Poor thing. Chippy is quite the drama queen..so no difficulty there.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Had an exhausting/boring day at the barn today.

I didn't get to sleep until 5 last night, but managed to sleep until 1 which was nice. I got a ride to the barn from my mom and for several hours I had absolutely nothing to do...plus in was over 90 degrees and humid.

I hosed my friends 17 hand percheron off (who stepped on my foot and made several toes swell up/bruise) and then sat for a while longer until she got there. Then, we proceeded to do absolutely nothing for several hours once she was there. Interesting, right?

Buutttt...I got a job at my barn!  I can come and work whenever I want, then at the end of the month the BO will pay me for however many hours I've done. If I managed to work 5 hours a week, I could pay for weekly lessons, plus have extra money for vet bills, or anything really. But after only 30 minutes of cleaning a paddock, then trying to push the full wheelbarrow up and extremely steep, rocky hill...5 hours a week might not be possible. Either way, it's a good option for making money!


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Yesterday I had some sense knocked into me about just how green Chippy is. The fact that others dread riding him shows the amount of training he still needs...so, once he's rideable I'm going to be getting weekly lessons, as well as having a trainer ride him. But, thats a whole lot of money that I don't have....so I've decided to turn my artwork into a business type thing!

I was thinking I'll sell original work on etsy, and do commissions for people in my area. The only thing is I suck xD But, I plan to work really, really hard on improving and hopefully I'll be successful.

This is my current work in progress:









Clearly, I need to improve my watercolor skills and fix that train wreck of a painting. :lol:

I'm wondering what you guys think of my pricing ideas?

Watercolor headshots: $15
Watercolor full body: $20
Graphite headshots: $10
Graphite full body: $15
Charcoal headshots: $12
Charcoal full body: $17

I'm thinking those would be fair to start at least. 


If I worked 5 hours a week at the barn I'd have enough for training...but thats a lot of s*** shoveling.


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## gymkhanaprincess7 (May 7, 2012)

That is a great idea! That painting is really good I might just want one..  LOL 

Good luck on the business!


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Thanks!  At some point I plan on doing some for free if you're interested.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

This morning the vet came out and drew blood to test for lyme.

She said there's a really good chance it is lyme...especially because It's infected a crazy amount of horses in my area. 

A horse at my barn had the exact same symptoms, went in the exact same areas and is very similar to Chippy in a a lot of ways...He got lyme back in like March maybe? And still isn't better, he's still is on the pricey meds and can't be ridden for more than a few hours, even lightly. He used to be a hot fox hunter that could canter and jump for hours and hours without difficulty....while Chippy is already lazy and tired easily despite all the conditioning I've done with him...so whats he gonna be like to ride when he's getting better? 

The lameness has gone from his front left, to his right hock and he has a really sore back and stiff stifles. After finding out how much the medication is and how long it takes to recover, the chances of saving up for training anytime soon are zero. I'll be working my @ss off all summer to pay for the meds, then in the fall I'll be in school and unable to work, plus I won't be able to ride in the winter if it ever gets below freezing or rains...even a little.

I'm hoping to ride tomorrow for a few minutes... hopefully that'll give me something to do temporarily instead of mucking stalls and listening to people at my barn rant about how much they hate each other.... as if I haven't already heard it. xD


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Well, Chippy's stifles are just...bleh right now. He's SUPER stiff and lethargic...but also bored out of his mind. He ran around for a while today which is a good sign, although it was pretty pathetic, because he has nobody to run with.  Taking him out is a big nono. 

We have to go through 3 gates, the BO's yard and across the arena to get to the cross ties, and a few more gates for anywhere else. The horse that he's with has begun worshipping him and always gets out while I'm trying to maneuver my lame horse through a tiny isle between the barn an the chicken coops with a huge gate that barely fits in the space....so I basically have to let Chippy go and physically push the other horse back into the paddock.

Once we are out, Jackpot (the other horse) starts SCREAMING for Chippy...who never actually calls back :lol: It's just not a good situation and Chippy's miserable.

Usually, when I go to the barn there's a nice mix of Chippy time and friends/barn people time. Now there's just way, way too much people time and I'm getting extremely fed up with the general negativity at the barn. Every time I talk about Chippy and what I plan on doing with him in the future, the responses are, 
"That's a bad idea"
"He can't do that, he's an appaloosa"
"You shouldn't do that"
"Well actually, you should do (insert other persons idea that will benefit them rather than me)"
"You'll be spending all your money on the meds, plus you don't even have a job" 
or It's just. 
"Get a job"

literally....every....single....time.

It's never,
"Thanks for grooming my horse and expecting nothing in return, just doing it because we're friends and friends do nice things for each other."
"Thanks for mucking out my stall"
"Yea, thats a good thing to try"
"I'm sure Chippy could do that"

Plus, when I'm not talking with all of them together, they're talking to me individually about how much they hate so and so and how ugly so and so is and what a bad rider another person is.

:neutral: I mean, these people are my friends and I love being around them in moderation...that's just the way they are, but Its driving me absolutely crazy. Oh and did I mention all but one (edited because I just remembered It's actually one, not two *head desk*) of these people are *adults*?


*Wishing all of my other friends didn't live so far away* Oh well, maybe I should spend my time actually looking for jobs rather than being at the barn, ahaha. 

I'm looking for another barn to maybe work at in return for rides on a horse of theirs, or maybe I could somehow find someone that would want me to work with their horse for free...maybe.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

So, this morning the BO called me to say that Chippy's front legs were shaking. D: Poor thing. We haven't gotten the test results back yet, but we started him on the meds anyway, because it's almost definitely lyme.

I actually rode and actual horse in an actual saddle :shock:

Went on a trail ride on Misty, an awesome paint mare. The problem is, her owner told me I'd be riding bareback so I wore shorts, then she decided she wanted me in her old squeaky saddle :-| ...so that hurt.

Then I rode Lilly, the mare I was going to ride last week, but chickened out because I was told she's really, really strong. I just rode her in the ring but oh.my.god she's PERFECT! Her owners like crazy good at training so Lilly actually feels identical to the fancy dressage horse I rode in my lesson. She accepts the bit really well, collects nicely and has the roundest canter ever. I really hope I can ride her again. 

The doxy is supposed to kick in within a week for Chippy, so if he isn't lame next week I can most likely ride him at the walk for a few minutes, which I'm so exited about!!!


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Rode Misty again today.

She was great as usual, but I'm having a lot of trouble getting used to her. Basically, she's the boss. She was trained to babysit and it's what she does best. Try to tell her what to do and the ears go back and back legs go right into the air. Chippy's the exact opposite, you're the one babysitting him and if you aren't the boss nobody is.

Chippy was worse today. :/. Realistically, I probably won't be riding as much as I used to until 
next spring. Knowing him, he'll demand rest until late fall... Then, as soon as it snows the ring its a slippery mess all winter. So I've been thinking about finding a horse to do a partial lease on. Maybe one at my barn if possible which would be awesome! 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

The Lyme test came back last week and he has it....double. 

Basically, he had it already for at least 5 months which I had absolutely NO idea about. Then, he got it again...so he has 2 infections. Now that I think of it, when I bought him he was HOT and really nervous....then he got less and less spooky and eventually became nearly bombproof and downright lazy. That could possibly have been symptoms of Lyme that I never saw...and if thats the case I feel absolutely horrible D:

He takes 80 pills a day....80. He really hates them and It's hard to trick him into eating them. He'll only eat them if It's mixed in with something soft like applesauce....but he hates soft foods so he's reluctant to eat anything. So far the meds have helped with his hooves and only his hooves. He will now reluctantly walk on pavement and doesn't trip at all, but he's extremely stiff. 

On a nicer note... I went to see the new Batman movie with a friend yesterday and it was AMAZING. Actually most of it was super stressful to watch, because I don't do violence or suspense. I used to love all horror and action movies and none of it phased me...then all of the sudden it started freaking me out. This was the same way, but it had really good ending so it was actually amazing...if that makes sense.

Another positive thing is... I got a new dressage bridle!!!  It's this one Perri's Leather - Bridle Parts :: Leather Bridles :: Horse Bridles » Premium Leather Padded Bridle With Removable Flash but with more padding and a fully removable flash (I guess the photo's aren't accurate?) I was going to get a crank with a flash that has a tongue I would need to cut...but I decided to splurge and get a nicer one. Of course I won't be riding in it for who knows how long... but it still makes me happy. xD


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## gymkhanaprincess7 (May 7, 2012)

Oh no! That's terrible about Chippy. And wow.. 80 pills? That is absolutely insane. I hope you find a way to get them all into him with a problem  But I love that bridle. I haven't had a new one in some time, but I still love the one I have now. And I haven't seen the Batman movie. Superhero stuff isn't really my thing.. I'm more a Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings kinda person  But that's cool you enjoyed it! Good luck with Chippy, I hope he gets better!


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

gymkhanaprincess7 said:


> Oh no! That's terrible about Chippy. And wow.. 80 pills? That is absolutely insane. I hope you find a way to get them all into him with a problem  But I love that bridle. I haven't had a new one in some time, but I still love the one I have now. And I haven't seen the Batman movie. Superhero stuff isn't really my thing.. I'm more a Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings kinda person  But that's cool you enjoyed it! Good luck with Chippy, I hope he gets better!


Yea, It's kind of annoying giving him human sized pills....especially because he has gaps in his teeth so they fall out no matter what. :lol: I'm so happy to finally get a new bridle... my current one is a Wintec that's functional, but looks terrible on him. I had my heart set on getting one that was either patented or had silver piping, but the one's I wanted were $130 and not in the US. Definitely doing a photoshoot with it tomorrow providing he isn't covered in mud stains.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Well, of course the slight improvement didn't last for long. 

I was hoping that Chippy would be a tiny bit better today, but he had this completely dead look in his eyes and his hooves have returned to s***. He got a bit better a few hours later, but still not good.

He needs to start on probiotics to help his digestive system...I gave him the powder kind today and he ate it, but reluctantly. I also had the privilege of getting him to eat the pills. There's this yummy syrup stuff that has been working, which is also really sticky and makes it hard to spit the pills out. I poured a bunch of that on and it seemed like he ate at least some of the meds...a few minutes later I see him regurgitating what he had eaten. (must have somehow stored it in his mouth?) He was able to suck the syrup off it in his mouth and could then shake the pills out and eat the other food for a second time. After an hour I was covered in rain and a disgusting, sticky concoction soaked in his saliva. Great. Just %$#@$&% great.

He seriously looks like a 30 year old lesson horse thats been yanked on by little kids their whole life, then once they've been broken down those kids want a cute foal and huzzah... a pregnant 30 year old lesson horse. Think I'm exaggerating? 








That was him today.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

I'm finally starting to get the old Chippy back... not the one before he got really sick... the one before his stifles got messed up, his back got knotted and his hooves turned to s***!!!! yesterday, I went into his paddock and he trotted up to me. Thought it was cute so I ran in front of him a bit and he took off at a gallop bucking and going nuts. After about five laps I finally got him and started leading him up the hill, but when he saw my mom he yanked the lead rope out of my hand and ran up to her. Normally that would NOT be acceptable, but I was too happy to care.

After his lunch, I took him into the ring and he fell asleep until I started running a little and once again, he took off. This time for 10 minutes with his tail completely vertical. He jumped the 3 foot mounting block went on both leads and did his arabian trot that I haven't seen since this picture was taken in the winter







except he did it even bigger and better!

My mom filmed it on her phone, but It's really grainy and my mom was screaming "BE CAREFUL!! NO WATCH OUT! GET AWAY! BE CAREFUL!!!!!!!!!" So There's no point in showing it.


He certainly overdid it, so today he was quite ouchy...still better though. I'm going on vacation next week, so maybe when I get back I can start riding him at a walk.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Grr so Chippy isn't eating his breakfast, or lunch... or dinner.

He loves food with a passion, but of course the little diva insists that it be up to his standards in perfection (aka his old, medicine, probiotic and moisture free grain that he can't have for a while.) 

The lady that fed him this morning put everything on the freaking floor of his stall. Hay wasn't it the rack, the bucket (the wrong one) was tipped over and spilled everywhere... yet she did nothing about it. Nothing. That means he didn't get any NECESSARY medication, food or supplements... I sound pretty demanding, but he seriously does need all of those things to stay somewhat healthy.

So he didn't eat one bite of his breakfast and I could only get a few mouthfuls of lunch down his throat and he'll eat very little dinner I'm sure. Nothing else to update really... Chippy's back to being lame on 2 legs, which was to be expected with his luck.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

So I'm back from vacation a day early. 

It was pretty good... originally my family rented 2 cottages (the bathroom in one was gross, and the other had a good bathroom but was gross otherwise) and my aunt and 2 cousins stayed in their own down the street. The next day there was a family emergency where my aunt needed to leave... so that was kinda surprising in a not at all surprising way. A couple days later she came back with my other cousin and then my uncle came too. It was kinda the typical big family vacation...swimming, boating, fishing and overdramatic games of apples to apples (my dad cried :lol 

Chippy's about the same... I sat on him a week ago and he was ****ED that he had to stand still and couldn't take off. I plan to do the same tomorrow, but he's definitely not ready for actual riding.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Rode (sat on) Chippy again yesterday! He was much less ****ed and more responsive...in our 5 steps of walk :lol: He really is the cutest thing and it felt weird not seeing him in so long.

My mom took a few pictures on her phone and I really hope it was just a bad moment because I look beyond bad in them xD

Ohhh and on a completely off topic note I'm setting up a new fish tank! It'll be the third one I have in my room and I plan on getting some awesome yet tiny predator. Already have a pregnant shrimp in it so maybe I'll have a bunch of those too.


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## TexasBlaze (Oct 4, 2010)

Is this the same Chips Ahoy ive been following on youtube for the longest??


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

TexasBlaze said:


> Is this the same Chips Ahoy ive been following on youtube for the longest??


It might be...there are a few. What username?b


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Yesterday I attempted to lunge Chippy for the first time in a while and OH.MY.GOD he crashed me into several objects and I actually thought my arm was going to fall off. He was totally responsive until he got to long side and then he'd just take off... so it ended up taking like an hour to get him under control and I'm sure he's beyond sore today.  I rode him for a few minutes at a walk again which was nice.

I had a doctors appointment today and although I didn't need to get vaccinated or have blood drawn it was sooo terrible and my fear of doctors has only intensified :/ At least it's over until next year though.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Had a great day with Chippy! A bunch of my cousins that I barely ever see came and had pony rides onhim. We eventually pressured my mom into doing it but she was literally hanging on for her life (at a walk) and begging to get off haha.

He got his shoes back on FINALLY and he's much less sore now. I lunged him for a while then rode at a walk. He's been really good and I think he's starting to sort of engage and raise his back.. but it'll take a long time to get back to where we were.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Hmmm... I'm debating whether or not to trot Chippy undersaddle. Walking is getting old for both of us, and we sort of had a "breakthrough" yesterday so to speak. He was much softer in the mouth and more willing to bend throughout his body and raise his back... not hollow his back and twist his neck at weird angles to turn like he has been.

I was thinking that next year I want to show him in intro A, B and hopefully C. If I want any chance at that I need to start working on both of us soon and I feel like he's ready to start a little trot work. No matter what, I plan to start riding him with a saddle for the first time in months and riding for maybe 20-30 minutes instead of 10-15.


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## gymkhanaprincess7 (May 7, 2012)

That is an AWESOME break through. I am so happy for you and Chippy. I know what it feels like to have a horse that is semi-impossible, but they mean the world for you. If you do end up trotting him, you HAVE to get it on video


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

....is he sound?


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## gymkhanaprincess7 (May 7, 2012)

Oh yeah, that is something I forgot to mention. I just figured he was because you were considering this that he was. Not the best excuse, I know, but still. Just make sure that he's sound and has the vet's OK


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Yes, he's completely sound and now that he has shoes back on fine on any terrain. I'd never ride him if he wasn't. The vet said to basically do whatever I feel he can without being sore. (super specific, right?)

I did trot him today and he was fantastic! Not very balanced, but not at all stiff and he was happy to go without going nuts and taking off. I'll post pictures later.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

gymkhanaprincess7 said:


> That is an AWESOME break through. I am so happy for you and Chippy. I know what it feels like to have a horse that is semi-impossible, but they mean the world for you. If you do end up trotting him, you HAVE to get it on video


And yes, I did get it on video... I do have quite the chair seat at times and I just looks bad. But whatever haha. 

I kind of forgot how difficult his trot is xD The problem with him is that he just doesn't understand, and when he finally get's it he forgets the next day :lol:


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Chippy was an absolutely nightmare on the lunge today. He kept trying to run out of the arena and had several rearing fits... but riding him was great!

I might take him on a short trail ride tomorrow... the only thing is it would be with a green broke horse that has been ridden once by the owner and already kicked another horse so hard that it took a chunk out of his side... so I'm a bit worried about that.

Here are some pics from yesterday.


































^ good examples of how not to look when riding.


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## gymkhanaprincess7 (May 7, 2012)

I think you look fine! But since I can be one of those Western riders that warm up there horses, but can look pretty sloppy doing it, don't hold me to that  I LOVE Chippy. He is absolutely gorgeous.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

gymkhanaprincess7 said:


> I think you look fine! But since I can be one of those Western riders that warm up there horses, but can look pretty sloppy doing it, don't hold me to that  I LOVE Chippy. He is absolutely gorgeous.


Thanks! Haha I always suck on Chippy because he's such a confusing horse to ride (He's the horse people ride when they're frustrated with their horses...after experiencing him they look at them in a whole new light), but now I suck even more xD The video is worse... It's just too painful to even watch.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

I took Chippy on a trail ride the other day and it was so much fun! He started cantering once despite me insisting that he walk... but other than that he was super responsive and had a lot of fun. The ride ended up being over 2 hours which I didn't expect... so I hope he isn't too sore.

We ride to another state (New Hampshire) where I'm pretty sure leash laws don't exist so we always get chased by several dogs. This time two dogs ran up to us and starting barking and growling, but all the horses handled it very well and Chippy didn't run up to them to say hi like he usually does.

I am so unbelievably thrilled that he's back to his old self again... just the fact that he actually wants to be near people and isn't completely dead looking makes me extremely happy... and being able to ride him makes it all even better.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Tomorrow my barn friend is leaving for college.  That means no more rides to the barn from her, no more help with training Chippy and most of all that means the summer's ending. School starts in 6 days... much earlier than I thought it would and I'll be at the barn much less and only for a few minutes. I will be working one day a week where I'll get to stay longer, but other than that I say hi to him and have to leave. Guess I'll just make the best of the next week.

As soon as I started lunging him today he ran into a big stack of poles and almost face planted...so that was weird haha. He's being so good, but as soon as we start trotting it frustrates the heck out of me because I seriously cannot ride anymore. I have a constant chair seat, my hands move when I post and I constantly fall foreward. There's a lady at my barn who is such a good rider It's unreal and she was talking about how Chippy is her favorite horse and I was all "UQFAFWEFIOQWIO RIDE MY HORSE AND TEACH ME TO NOT SUCK." I'm hoping she will start riding him... or at least ride him once or twice. There's also a new lady that works at the barn and she's a really good dressage rider so maybe I can get her to hop on him sometime xD It's kind of funny, kind of pathetic that everyone rides him once and tells me they'll never even sit on him again... but maybe there'll be someone that actually likes him (besides me) in the future and can actually ride.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

So, I've kinda been laid off from my unofficial job at the barn... we got a full time employee so now they have more than enough help. Instead, I spent the day in my moms classroom (she's an art teacher) lifting a bunch of the 50lb boxes for her... I certainly got quite the workout, and spent all the money on fish 20 minutes later :lol:

I might post a thread in the health section about this as a warning, but the owner of a horse that is normally boarded at my barn (she left this spring to be bred) called and said that the horse was _extremely_ sick. They took her to an animal hospital, treated her for everything they thought she could have had, did a bunch of bloodwork and they couldn't figure out what was wrong... in a matter of hours she had to be put down. They don't know for sure, but they're now thinking it was West Nile virus and there was also another horse infected with it in the area (and a person infected with it in the next city over from me) . All of the horses at my barn are getting vaccinated for it, and anyone else living in MA or NH might want to get their horses vaccinated also.

On a less depressing note...here are some pictures from yesterday

















His face <3








You may need to bleach your eyes after that one :lol: I think my riding is gradually getting better though.


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Well, I started school on Tuesday and somehow It's managed to be worse than I expected(my expectations were quite low.) I was really, really hoping that people might grow up a little over the summer...maybe even celebrate their fourth birthday? :wink: But no... everyone is the EXACT same... maybe evin more obnoxious. The only real difference is that everyone dyed their hair pink or red.....as in 90% of girls did. Oops I'll have to continue to edit this later...need to take medication for my messed up jaw now


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## ChipsAhoy (Jul 1, 2012)

Well clearly I forgot about finishing the last post haha. Things with Chippy have been great! We had a lesson last weekends for the second time ever. It went really well and soon I have another lesson with the manager at my barn who may start training Chippy if it goes well. We've been working on long and low work which has also gone quite well... finally!

I also went on a big trail ride with people from my barn and a few others. All the horses were taking off, going crazy and bucking. Chippy threw one buck, but other than that he was great and happy to be there. 

Unfortunately I won't be at the barn much at all since school has started and I have no way to get there. Plus there's been a ridiculous amount of drama which I'm staying as far away from as possible and going to the barn would mean needing to state my opinions and take sides. So I'll be trying to go at times with the least amount of people and do what I need to do quickly.


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