# Countdown to APHA World Show...



## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

And here is Scooby:


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

That's a fantastic goal, good luck!


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

SCOOBY

Scooby pulled off a shoe yesterday and took a piece of hoof with it, farrier coming out Friday morning. So I have to take Friday off (aww...bummer). For now Scooby is out of business, and gets to take a few days off - not a bad thing, I think.

WHISKEY

Kellie rode Whiskey today while I was at work. She set up cones 70 feet apart in a triangle and then spent 45 minutes moving from cone to cone at walk/trot/canters, working on precision at transitions - moving from one gait to the next as she passed and circled between the cones, working on complete and square stops. Of course Whiskey has no smooth transition to a canter yet, still trots into the canter. I will start working on sidepassing next week so we can set her up correctly for lope departures later. She then started working the gate and the box and walking through the "L" in preparation for trail classes. 

I was pleased Whiskey did well, and happy Kellie took her out. 

PRINCESS

On a not so pleasing note, I brought out my 5 year old daughter's pony and let Wren brush her down, which she is good with. I keep Wren (my daughter) on a leadline when she rides Princess (who is an auction pony I picked up a few months ago). 

Princess has been a leadline pony all her life (she's 12) and has never been ridden solo by a kid, but has good ground manners with kids. She's only 11 hands, max and maybe smaller - anyways, the neighbor breeds Weimeraners, and she turned 15 of them loose in her pasture that borders my arena area :shock:. So Princess got pretty excited at that. She didn't do anything stupid, but then again, I was standing at her head holding her... I am sure if I hadn't of been she would have been gone. Did a pretty solid spook in place and was very, very tense.

I took Wren off her and sent her in the house for a potty break, then lunged Princess around for awhile, and she was a mess, jumping away from me with wide eyes, snorty, trying to run off, etc. I moved away from the arena and reassured her, then Wren came back and wanted to ride some more- not having witnessed the meltdown - and I swear that pony's eyes softened and she visibly relaxed when Wren went to her side and put her leg back for me to give her a lift up. It was like "Oh, yes, I know this". I put Wren back on her and we walked around the barn for awhile before I took her back in the barn and let Wren brush her back down. She is much more comfortable with kids then adults. I then clipped her face. She wasn't happy.

I think I made a mistake buying her. I want to start teaching Wren to ride, not just sit on her back, and I won't trust Princess off the lead. Of course Wren is in love with her, so now I'm in a pickle. I think I should move Princess out of here and start looking for that bombproof twenty year old that has been RIDDEN by children... or do I wait until I get the pony and then move Princess out. Or do I even get another pony? Right now Wren doesn't ask to go ride, but really enjoys going out when I ask her if she wants to... she's only five, she has plenty of time... I just saw that little pony go through the auction and saw the kids on her and, well, couldn't help myself  I kind of threw it out to Wren that maybe she needed a smaller pony so she could ride by herself and that met with tears and proclamations of undying love for HER pony, Princess... 

Kellie is of the opinion that we just keep Princess for the limited riding that Wren currently does. We willl never put Wren in a position that she can get hurt, and she is always closely supervised -like on the lead. We know Princess' strengths and weaknesses. If the opportunity arises where we can get that one perfect pony then we should and just switch em out. So that's the current plan since Wren only goes out maybe once a week anyway... if the perfect pony doesn't show up eventually Wren will get big enough that she'll want more herself... and maybe Whiskey will be ready for her in a couple years...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

WHISKEY

Tonight was beautiful, no wind (very unusual here in Co. Springs) and warm. I got Whiskey tacked up and I have stopped lunging her before riding - she is a low key mare so doesn't need to get the fresh off...

I got on her today in the area we use for riding, and started working on moving her hindquarters over in response to leg cues, and moving her shoulders over as well. She understands the hinds pretty well as I showed her those cues from the ground, she's a little less sure of shoulder work. So I just tap-tap-tapped until she moved her leg just the littlest bit - then a lot of praise. 

We also worked on the beginning of a sidepass, which is very difficult without a fence to put her up against. I think I will work on that tomorrow in the roundpen so I can use the fence to block her forward motion. By the end of the ride I had her moving over a step or two, and I decided that was enough.

We also worked on circles walk trot canter - she is lazy and has no desire to canter - its really an uncollected lope at this point as I haven't asked her to frame up yet. I use enough rein to guide her, but other than that I am keeping those reins loose and soft. I am working on longer periods at the gaits, trying not to mess with her until she actually breaks. 

Its a bad habit of mine to keep clucking or bumping or urging my horses while they are in a gait. If I am trotting, I'll keep clucking or urging instead of letting the horse break, then correct that break. My trainer told me that is the equivalent of nag, nag, nag and it can ruin a horse. So now I put her in a trot, then LEAVE HER ALONE until she breaks - then put her back in it. Same with walk and canter.

She always has an ear cocked like "can we stop now?". As soon as I sit my butt down with a 'WHOA' she stops with very little rein. Must be that reining breeding she's got. She wants to drop her butt in the ground. Kinda nice.

So that's about it - I haven't seen her get tense or fussy yet, and her eye is always soft and easy. Brushed her down after, gave her grain/complete feed mix and let her eat in her stall while Scooby fussed in the paddock - he knew she was getting the goodies! Then swept the barn and let her out and threw some more timothy/grass hay for the kiddos. 

Nice ride, I felt like we accomplished some important baby steps.

Cheers, Kris


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Had to wait til the sun went down to ride as the wind has been blowing like crazy for the last couple days... finally couldn't wait any longer.

Scooby was quite temperamental today (most likely due to not being ridden for a week). Kellie rode him first but when he fought her every step I finally had her get off and I got on. Had him canter circles, then do arcs and counterarcs at the walk and trot on 60 foot diameter circles. Trotted the pattern a few times getting him listening, then asked for the lope. He wanted to run through the snaffle a little, so I set him back, asking him to back up - he did a little rear :shock: and I smacked his butt hard and pushed him forward to spin a few circles, then right back to the lesson... that's a nasty habit I dont want him to pick up. I really don't want to use a stronger bit, but may have to as he picks up speed. For now, I am just really reinforcing the rate, making sure he is responsive to my seat. I am exagerating the two point position heading to barrels, sitting up when I hit the pocket, and sitting deep as we go around them - 

He then decided he wouldn't give speed when I asked, so I got the over/under out and gave him a pop with it - he went to business after that. Got a couple real smooth lope patterns from him, then put Kellie back on and she did really well. Scooby is young and opinionated, so you have to let him know that he really does need to listen - or else he's gonna get it. After that, no problems at all. 

A good lesson for Kellie - she came away understanding she needs to know the difference between picking a fight and expecting obedience. Her first run around the barrel I asked her why she didn't trot the pocket and she said, "Well I tried but Scooby didn't want to" :? Wrong answer. If Scooby was in charge, fine - but he's not. Things like that lead to really bad manners in a horse. She said she saw he was hot today and didn't want to pick a fight. I told her when she senses he is a little up, to go ahead and lunge him first, getting him to listen to transition cues - let him get the steam off while reinforcing basic obedience. She liked that idea. 

While all this was going on Whiskey was the other horse, so we both rode her while the other was on Scooby. Since he was working the barrels she didn't do much but walk in circles, although I did lunge her for about 10 minutes before getting on.

I just hope the wind starts dying down - if not we will have to get used to riding after dark. For some reason as soon as the sun sets the wind eases up. Ward (hubby) put up a big light on the back of the barn, it's a parking lot light so lights up a good area - what a sweetie!

Also hoping the quarantines start getting lifted so we can go back to barrel night practices. I don't think there are any confirmed cases in our county, but better safe than sorry... just hope the virus gets under control before the bulk of show season gets going.

Good night All...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Nice quiet ride for Scooby today. Whiskey had a good solid lesson. Kellie was hanging out with her sister Katie, so I rode both.

SCOOBY
20 minutes of some trail work - we worked on back throughs - the box, sidepassing both ways, walk/whoa - trot/whoa, and lope/whoa. Since he was running through the bit yesterday, I wanted to reinforce WHOA and rate. Did a lot of circle work at the trot, keeping reins loose and using leg to keep him on the circle as much as possible. Walked the flags and practiced getting the flag in and out of the buckets on the tops of the barrels. Finished it off by ponying Whiskey around the pasture a few times. Kept him relaxed and responsive, so a good ride. 

Noticed he is getting ribby. He is only on timothy/grass hay and a scoop of complete feed after riding - but since he was off last week and didn't get his complete feed I really notice a drop in weight. Gonna go get some alfalfa tomorrow and give him his evening feed in his stall so I can monitor what he is actually eating. He is just so busy (paces in the pasture, even with Whiskey and Princess in the paddock with him) I don't think there are enough calories in his grass hay to keep the weight on. I upped his complete feed to two scoops tonight and keep him on the two scoops in addition to two flakes of alfalfa at night. He just had his teeth and shots done, so am sure it is a feed issue that we just need to get right.

WHISKEY
Whiskey had a solid lesson today. Worked for a hour on circles, giving, bending - moving off leg pressure, sidepassing. Put a cone in the middle and concentrated on keeping my circles even - 10 feet out, then 20, 30, then 40 and then back in. Used spurs for the first time and was very careful to use them appropriately - collected her up in frame for a few minutes at at time - her muscles aren't near developed enough to hold for long, but got a few nice collected trot moments in there. She can drive her back up under herself and give to the bit for short periods, then I let her relax back down. She is getting braver at the canter, picking up speed and we had some nice canter circles - a little fussier about it too, as she gains confidence, shaking her head a bit as she picks it up... didn't correct her and she soon settled into some nice circles. Finished off her ride by ponying Scooby around the pasture (who was learning patience tied to the trailer during her ride). Her weight is excellent as she spends the day sleeping in the pasture, sprawled out on the ground.

Got them both some complete feed, hay and water in their stalls. Scooby has a 24 by 12 stall (removed the divider between the stalls and gave him a double stall) now and he seems to be happier with the room. Left them in for an hour while they ate and then let them both back out.

I'm tired now so off to bed.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Quarantine in our area for the EH-1 virus is lifted, so anxious to get the horses back out to the local arenas. There is a team sorting event on sunday we may go to, should be interesting as Whiskey hasn't seen the cattle up close and personal yet. 

Scooby is doing good, Whiskey got the last couple days off -I didn't want to work her in the crazy wind we've had the last couple days, and too tired to start riding at 9 at night (which is when the wind dies down).

I bought a new truck ... 2011 F150 4x4 Super Crew ecoboost. Very fancy. Should pull the two horse gooseneck no problem. I still have the 2000 F250 for all my local hauling, but wanted a nice ride for my longer hauls and a very fancy daily driver - that still gets better gas mileage than my Chevy Blazer. I get the gooseneck hitch put in next thursday afternoon and then need to switch out the wiring in my F250 so it's compatible. Very excited about that. 

Starting to put money away now for the entry and stall fees. Premium book should come out next month and I want to be able to write the check and be done with it. 

I will try to ride tonight, and then both days this weekend early before the wind starts blowing. Hopefully pics tomorrow.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Here;s new pics... Whiskey doing trail work - her sidepasses are getting much better - you can see I am really exagerating the cues, but she is understanding and moving freely - also starting to step into a lope on the correct lead consistently. Still not framed up yet, we'll get there. Just under 30 days riding and I am tickled with her... here's some pics:


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

...And here is Scooby and Kellie loping the barrels - he is wanting to get his head down a little too much, as seen here - but he is tight to the barrels and rating well. We are just using a snaffle and encouraging him to get that head up - Kellie has him a little to tight here... working on our position as well...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

And after Scooby finished his barrels, he did the trail work as well, getting him to think and not rush - he is a funny trail horse as he does not pick up his feet, just fearlessly charges through the obstacles - here he is pulling the log... just a good day with both horses - and tomorrow we are going cattle sorting :lol: 
Should be fun as Whiskey hasn't been around cows yet - figure we'll just keep throwing stuff at her - that's how you get em broke, right? :wink: Hard to believe Whiskey has been under saddle less than thirty days!

here's scooby pulling the log:


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Started looking at the logistics - sent off for the DNA test that Whiskey needs. All solid paint bred horses shown at the worlds has to be parentage verifiied to compete. Figure the test will take a week to get here, then a couple months to get done. Luckily her mom and dad are already DNA typed so I only have to worry about getting her info on file. This would be a real pain if her momma hadn't been done already. 

Cattle sorting got cancelled due to concerns of the EH-1 virus, so just played at the house. Spent some time cleaning out the trailer, and made an appointment to get truck and trailer checked out- will have the trailer bearings done, the brakes checked, and update the wiring harness so it's compatible with the new truck. 

All these little things I can take care of now, and not have to worry about it come fall...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Well, tonight sucked.

Rode Scooby, not realizing Kellie already rode him (didn't check the barn board) and knocked over the barrel with my leg - so got a huge knot on my leg. Loped the pattern a couple more times then worked on his reining spins, which are still just step-over circles - and then did slow circle work... put him away with my leg burning, and then got out Whiskey...

It was late, past their dinner time, and she was cranky. Not listening, driving her shoulder into me, keeping one ear cocked to the barn, etc. Should have seen it coming. Pushed her into a lope, asked her to frame up, and she blew :shock:. 

Her head went straight up, and she dived to the side and bolted- tried to catch her up in a one rein stop but lost my center and couldn't save myself. Got dumped hard. Got serious road rash on my forearm and my hip. Which adds to the knot on my leg :?. She looked rather pleased as she flew around the pasture without me, then headed over to Scooby who was still tied at the trailer. I limped over, got back on, and we went back to work.

Immediately pushed her back into the lope, and she tried to bolt again, but I was ready and one reigned her, spinning her in a circle while doing the "OT OT OT OT" (which is my cue for naughty) - then let her think about it and relax for a minute. We both took a deep breath and I asked again, and she stepped into it with only a little bit of nerves. Loped both ways in a circle, then went down to the trot, framed her up and did serpentines up and down the arena - then over to the trail stuff, went over the bridge, through the boxes, sidepassed both ways (which were great! :lol then back to loping circles. She ended her lesson quite calm and relaxed, and I made sure to give her lots of encouragement as we rode, so I am hoping we made the best out of a bad situation.

My own darn fault for treating her like a broke horse, I just expected too much from her, and got bit. I am really quite sore but more concerned about pushing her to a buck/bolt situation... what a bummer. Hopefully no lasting damage done, tomorrow I will bit her up on the lunge and work on transitions for a half hour before I get on...

I went limping into the house and my hubby was like, "aren't you too old for this?" - today I feel like it. Had a hot shower, some neosporin and some advil - so off to bed.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

A new day. 

Scooby did great, Kellie worked on loping circles and bending, then over to the trail and walk-overs, backing - leg yields and walk/whoa, trot/whoa - it was a really warm, windy day.

Whiskey did well too. Kellie lunged her for 30 minutes when I was at work, working on her transitions and voice cues. When I got home I spent extra time grooming her and talking to her. Then I got on her. I left her head alone unless she got too up or forward, and she had a nice relaxed trot and walk. Did trail obstacles, but just basically had a quiet day - a few lope circles just to prove to ourselves we can - but other than that just basic bending, stopping, circling - she was her soft eyed, sweet self. 

I am lucky that Whiskey gave me a heads up that I was pushing her too hard. It is easy to do on a horse like her - I had no business expecting her to frame up, and move like a pleasure horse as a three year old with less than thirty days. She is a big bodied mare and very sweet - I scared and confused her yesterday, so I need to reassure her that she is in good hands. I just need to do right by her. No Rush.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Kellie lunged both horses today - bitted them up and did 1/2 hour of walk/jog transistions and a few lopes. Brushed them down and put them away. I went out after work and took out three long foam pool floaties - noodles, I think they are called - one blue, one green, one red. 

Scooby ran right up to investigate them, the pony left the area, and Whiskey peeked around from Scooby's butt. Kinda funny. Put a halter on the pony and tied her inside the roundpen, then got Whiskey and haltered her, and tooke her in the roundpen as well - Scooby followed us in. Took a noodle, waved it around and let her follow me around. Scooby was loose, and he kept picking up the other noodles, running around the round pen with them - it was making me laugh. Took a noodle and rubbed it all over Scooby, which the pony and Whiskey watched intently. Then rubbed Whiskey, starting on her neck and moved down both sides. Then grabbed another noodle so I had two in my hands, waved them around, laid them over her back, etc. Then used all three. She wasn't happy at first, but allowed the contact without moving. 

After I worked with Whiskey I repeated the process with the pony. She did really well - I left the noodles in the pen and watched Scooby chase the other horses around with them. They were very funny. 

Princess the pony is very fat. Very FAT. I got her at auction two months ago, and am wondering if she is pregnant, she seems much bigger now than a month ago. I am going to take pics tomorrow, and watch for a week. If I decide I am not imagining things I will need to get the vet out to find out for sure. I'll post the pics tomorrow, and ask for peoples guesses. She could just be fat as I overfeed grass hay, but that's all she's on. Interesting development.

Night, All -


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

OK - What do you guys think - Pregnant or not? Here is Princess about a month ago...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

And today...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

her teats:


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Kellie and I went out yesterday, and fed her while feeling her belly and flank area and we both felt a lot of movement. We are thinking pregnant, she is current on wormer and we clean pens daily so no way a worm issue... Could definately be wrong though.

I made an appointment, vet coming out next Friday to do Coggins on Scooby and Whiskey, so he'll try to do a palp to see then, he said she may be too little for a physical exam, so may have to do ultrasound or blood test. Until then we are feeding her the senior complete feed we supplement our guys with, as well as the timothy hay. Giving her a scoop morning and night. Just in case. 

So, any guesses? Pregnant or no?


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

I moved Princess' situation over to the breeding forum, and have the vet coming next Friday to check her. He is coming out for Coggins for Scooby and Whiskey anyway, so good timing.

Kellie has a 4H show with Whiskey tomorrow - barrels and poles and sack race. He has been working really well for her, so I am glad she will get her first times tomorrow to form a starting point. It's a new arena and she won't be taking Whiskey, so a good learning experience. I'll post pics and times tomorrow night.

Got my new truck back last night- got the gooseneck hitch and wiring taken care of and the F150 hauled the empty trailer no prob - looking forward to hooking it up and seeing how it does loaded.

Whiskey has had the last two days off as I was busy fussing with the truck and trailer and tonight I went to dinner with hubby and kids. Not bad to let her rest a bit, I am trying to keep on her 4 days a week, then ground work for the fifth day. 

Sure wondering about Princess- I could feel all kinds of fluttering and movement under my hand when I put it on her flank tonight as she was eating, and went and got my hubby and he felt and saw it too, but couldn't definately say I felt a baby kick. 

I don't know what to think about her being pregnant. She isn't what we need for Wren, and I was in the process of selling her when I saw the added weight. For some reason, her possibly being pregnant has softened my view of her. My hubby mentioned tonight how nice it was that we can just walk up to her and she stands for the halter - what a far cry from the running away we had when she got here in March... of course Wren is in love with the idea of a baby pony - and honestly, so am I. As long as it is a cute little black pony with four white socks and a star - and a colt would be nice  as long as I'm dreaming...

Night, All -


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Mt Herman 4H show - Kellie and Scooby 14-18 High Point Overall! :lol: 
Kellie took Scooby to her show today - I wasn't there as I bought tickets to the circus for our little ones, not realizing they were the same day. Anyhoo, Kellie's twin, Katie, was there to record video and times for us - 

Kellie's first event was barrels. Turns out the arena is Latigo - where we were going for Monday night barrels before the EH-1 virus shut it down. So Scooby was familiar with the arena. Our agreement is she would just lope the pattern and concentrate on form. She started her run GREAT! Scooby picked up the wrong lead, but Kellie circled him and he switched so headed into the pattern right. nice tight first barrel. Switched leads between first and second, but forgot the second barrel pocket so went wide, wobbled a little on her run to the third, but great third barrel and good for home. She got a 17.78 which is a great starting point for Scooby. We were pleased. Here's the video:





 
Next event was keyhole. Scooby hasn't seen Keyhole before so was a little uncertain on what to do heading in. Slight bobble around the pole, but recovered. Time 7.57. Here's the video:





 
His third event was stake race. He was chargy and fussing with his head, got a little quick so Kellie was doing a lot of checking trying to keep him in control - the other girls were either knocking down the close pole or blowing by it, so you can hear Katie telling her to be careful and to go slow, Kellie was in the running for high point so she was trying to keep a clean pattern. She got a 22.42 time and that was good enough for 14-18 High Point Speed Events. She was Reserve High Point all age groups, taking a honest second to a 13 year old who's momma trains us on barrel night, so overall a really successful day for Scooby and Kellie - I am sad I missed being there but really grateful Katie recorded the classes for me. Here's the video:





 
Kellie's high point award was a new grooming bag, which was needed and appreciated.

Whiskey was lunged for 45 minutes, working on transitions and voice cues, stepping into a lope, allowed to lope for a few strides, then back down to a trot. I walk with her so her circles are quite large, to keep the wear down on her legs. 

Good night, All.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Noticed the video's dont show, but if you click on the green headers with the youtube titles on each box, it links you to youtube. Critiques appreciated, we haven't done speed before competitively so have a lot to learn, all comments welcome!


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Barrel night at Latigo - took Scooby and Whiskey. Scooby did great, and began adding some speed to his runs - but by the end of the night was starting to get chargy going into the arena and doing the hopping I hate to see. Kellie kept him to a walk, jiggy though it was, and did arcs and counterarcs, bending both ways until he relaxed and walked the pattern several times. Then he was done for the night. 

Whiskey hasn't been ridden for a couple days, so I was a little concerned, but she was very good. I took her out to the outside arena and she was very wide eyed about being alone while the others were inside. I kept her to a walk but she was very tense, so I got off and got the lungeline and let her work her kinks out - she took off bucking and snorting, so I pulled her down sharply and let her lope, trot, lope, trot - calm transitions were met with praise, and dashing off and increasing speed got shut down. After about 20 minutes she relaxed and I got back on and did serpentines and walk/trot/whoa/turn work up and down the arena for another 20 minutes. Then we went back in and stood with the other horses so she could watch the action.

Came back and fed everyone some complete feed - Princess too as I am not convinced she isn't pregnant. Vet coming on Friday so until then she can have some extra protein and probiotics - if she isn't pregnant no big deal and if she is she needs it.

Good day.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Yesterday night was great - Scooby and Whiskey were both worked for an hour.

Scooby - 
He has been very fast in the arena lately, not just at barrels but at all gaits - so my goal was to slow him down and let him relax under saddle. We worked on basic reining drills - walk forward, sit deep and whoa. Then back 10-15 steps. Repeat about 200 times as we serpentined around the arena. About halfway through it he started thinking about whoa. By the end he was listening and feeling for my seat shifting and stopped and backed with very little rein pressure. Then we tried to lope, which was a mad canter - so I did smaller circles and lots of transitions and changes from lope to trot to walk, all the while trying to keep the reins soft and my position relaxed. Then lots of small circles that ended with front legs crossing - the beginning of a spin. Then big circles - he never slowed it from a canter, but he did drop his head and become more relaxed about our ride - which was a great starting point and a reflexion of Scooby's busy busy personality. I'll repeat this tonight.

Whiskey - lunged her under saddle bitted up for 20 minutes each way, walking slightly behind her and letting those circles be big. I noticed she is still very off balance and wants to counter canter when she should be on her left lead, so I am letting her find her balance without me on her - muscling her up and letting her get comfortable with all gaits. I then got on her and we walked through the trail course, over the bridge, sidepassing and back-throughs. Lots of leg/seat to guide her and lots of whoa drills. She was very soft and relaxed. My little girls, ages 5 and 2, came out and wanted on, so I got off and lifted Wren (the five year old) up (with me staying RIGHT by Whiskey's head) and let her guide Whiskey over the bridge and through the box - Whiskey neck reined for her very well although my position helped quite a bit - Whiskey followed me... Wren was on about 5 minutes, but she was very happy and Whiskey very relaxed, so I let Riley (the two year old) up with Wren for the walk back to get untacked - of course I led Whiskey for this part. They were both very excited. 

They helped me brush down the pony and give everyone a snack - then off to the house we went. A really beautiful night to ride too, warm, but not too warm and the sunset was beautiful with lots of orange and blue and purple... hope it's like that out there tonight.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Been a quiet week - worked the horses four times this week, only slow and easy - the vet came out and I was very surprised Princess wasn't pregnant, she is just obese. So she now has to be fed seperately from the horses, which is a real pain. 

Tonight was a good night, it's barrel night but we didn't go because Ward, my hubby, didn't get home in time and I didn't want to get there after warm up - I was a little irked, but Ward made it up to me by asking if I wanted him to ride Whiskey while I rode Scooby  . My husband is not a horse guy so this was a nice offer, and I took him up on it. He pulled himself up on her, and really slid the saddle - she was surprised at the heaviness of him getting on, but I held her head and reassured her. Once he was on he did great. We rode around the pasture, then into our arena where he did circles and stops and Whiskey did great for him :clap:.. I was very proud of both hubby and horsey. 

I got the DNA form, and pulled her mane hairs to send in tomorrow, so I know that will be done long before worlds. I had their coggins ran so will have those back in a couple weeks as well. Getting all the background stuff done now will make this easier later.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

went shopping for Scooby and Whiskey today - got leads to match their new fancy monogrammed halters ... Scooby's is lime green with black overlay and "Scooby" across the nose. Whiskey's is turquoise blue with black overlay and "Whiskey" across the nose. 

Then Kellie picked out lime green professional choice boots and the matching bell boots, and I got a new bit for Scooby - a Myler snaffle with roller - he rides much nicer in it - doesn't try to evade the bit. Set up a barrel and Kellie took him around it a few times. He was relaxed and happy.

Whiskey is getting better and better. Kellie is going to videotape me soon so I can get a starting point - always fun to go back later and look at the progress. She is getting pretty consistent with the transitions, but I am being very careful not to push too hard as she is so easy I forget she is soooo green. Dont really want to get dumped again , so I am being careful to ask correctly and take things one step at a time. We are doing lots of bending and suppling, transitions, stopping and backing and turning with both direct and indirect rein and leg pressure, she is really responsive and doing great.

I might have a home for Princess, a prospective buyer is coming on Friday, and I hope she gets her. Princess is nice enough, but just not the right fit for us, and Wren is getting more attached to her every week. So here's hoping that it works out.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

OK- Princess got a new home. No problems there. Sold her for what I bought her for, and then used the money to buy a used barrel saddle off ebay. Looks nice but you never know til you can actually ride in it. Should be here in a week or so.

Coggins came back for both Scooby and Whiskey - and while the brand inspector was out I got a permanent brand card for Whiskey since I already had one for Scooby. 

Got my APHA membership card in last night, so looks like everything is in order now. Horses are happy and I hope to video Whiskey tomorrow. Wren, my daughter, didn't seem too worried about princess being gone, so I am really glad I just did what I knew was right for the fit of our family.


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## ilovemyPhillip (Apr 4, 2009)

Subbing, I love reading every word of what you write. It's giving me training ideas.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Thanks so much, ilovemyPhillip - I've been following your thread on the other forum, I hope you find the right mare for you - I too, love my mare... just got her about a month and a half ago, and here she is at her first leadline show with my five year old, Wren...my 18 year old, Kellie, is leading her in this pic so I can film them... I am in the picture below leading her around the barrel.


She did fantastic! She is only three and so very green, but I rode her for an hour before the show started, and was happy to get walk/trot/lope down the rail with all the other horses in the ring - she was relaxed and happy, so Wren was able to compete in leadline barrels and flags - they actually time the leadliners, and Wren got second in both events behind a little boy holding on for dear life as his dad flew him around. We wanted a calm, relaxed and fun experience for Wren and Whiskey so we took it a little slower. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is a video of Wren and Whiskey in leadline flags...





 
So they had a great show. Scooby had a rough day. We had changed his bit as he hated his shanked snaffle - actually a tom thumb - it pinched him so I replaced it, but when Kellie took him in the barrels he had no rate and no brakes - she got an 18 something for time, but he was way wide coming in and she really had to ride. The good news is he didn't overbend and tuck his head in, we just asked for too much, too soon with a ineffective bit. The rest of the day he was hot and fussy- so we just went slow and concentrated on form. It was humbling running against the big kids, so we just watched and tried to pick up how people were running and enjoyed the day. I think I got one fifth place. That's ok though, competing with high caliber folks just ups your game, so we'll keep going and remember to just lope the pattern and let Scooby learn.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Oops, forgot the pic of Kellie and Scooby - you can see his head is up and he is enjoying himself - just not paying enough attention to Kellie - oh well, lots of slow work is in order for the week...

Sorry the pic is blurry, but you get the idea...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

So they both got the day off yesterday - Scooby especially needed it as he ran all day on Sunday - 

Today Scooby and Kellie worked for an hour on a western riding pattern - working on lead changes and trotting between the cones - going over the log... she had two barrels set up as well and at first he wanted to charge around them but she worked on making him listen to what she wanted. I wasn't home but she said he did really well. 

For Whiskey - I bitted her up loosely and then lunged her for a half hour - she was really fussy at first, when asked to lope off she did a lot of head shaking, lunging forward, throwing half bucks and acting a fool. So she got lots of transitions from lope to trot to lope until it wasn't a big deal - this took the above mentioned half hour. Then we changed directions and repeated, doing walk/trot/lope transitions until she was relaxed about them. So after about 45 minutes total she seemed ready to ride. I set up a long L shape with two eight foot poles on each leg of the L, and then added poles to add a box on one end. We then did trot overs, turns in the box, sidepasses both ways down the long leg, and then lope overs. Her sidepasses are getting very smooth. We then used Kellie's western riding pattern to trot between and around the cones, and she is doing great turning under me. I finished her ride by asking her to lope a circle both ways, and for each way she stepped into the lope and I had a nice loose rein. I was really pleased - I was on her for about an hour and twenty minutes.

I got off her, turned her loose in the pasture (4 acres they aren't allowed out on right now as we are trying to let the pasture recover) and then turned out 
Scooby as well. Scooby of course, hothead that he is, took off with his tail in the air and blew around the pasture with Whiskey in hot pursuit. The sun was going down so the light was really pretty, and they hauled butt around the pasture for a few laps - snorting and blowing. I let them stay out there for a half hour then called them back into their paddock for some complete feed. I dont' feed grain 'cause Scooby's too hot, but I do give them a couple scoops of complete feed to give them a boost they need being on grass hay.

Cleaned out the stalls and picked up the poop from the paddock and dumped it around the outside of the arena. We run the harrow over it and then the drag once a week so we don't have a manure pile. Our neighbors appreciate it. After that watered the trees in the yard and headed in. A nice night.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

*HOLY COW THE WORLD SHOW IS EXPENSIVE!!! :shock:*

Looked up the classes today and decided we would show in the following:
Whiskey will go in Solid Paint Bred Poles, Barrels and Stake Race. This amuses me somewhat as we have never actually loped a pattern yet, let alone run one. However, November is a long way off and Whiskey is doing pretty good. This is for fun and for a picture anyway, so if we end up trotting the patterns, so be it.

I'll ride Scooby in Novice barrels and poles, and Kellie will ride him in junior barrels, open poles and open stake race. She has to ride in those classes as she is still technically a youth (she's 19 in August) and thus only eligible for open classes.

That is a total of 8 classes at 150. a shot. Plus 225. stall fees for each horse, then shavings - I figure ( a guestimate since the actual premium book isn't out and I am going off last years prices) that I will spend *1700.00 for the stalls and classes alone. *OUCH. 

Then another 1250. for cheapo hotel, gas, and food puts us at *3000.00* for the show. :shock:

So I have to put away 375. a paycheck between now and November to swing showing in all the classes I want to. Doable, but will cut down on my buying tack and playing at the local events - 

The horses are doing well - Last night Scooby went with Kellie to a cattle clinic, and he did great! He is a pretty fearless guy, and his only issue was he got a little spooked from her throwing the rope. He tracked the cows, pushed them around the pen, and Kellie had a great time. 

Whiskey was a fun ride. I weaved cones set up so I could "pole bend" around them and she is really responsive. We had a lot of fun. Did loping transitions and she is getting better as we gradually increase the time she spends cantering. We'll go slow - November is still a long way off.


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## ilovemyPhillip (Apr 4, 2009)

Good job, good luck!


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

So, we took a week vacation to Texas to visit family for July 4th... this is what happened to my BRAND NEW TRUCK...
:shock::evil::shock:


A hay hauler blew a tire and it flew up, and by the time I hit the brakes the tire busted in the window, flew back out and ended up on the roof. Somehow I was able to get the truck over and we all walked away with no injuries. So now my truck is stuck 12 hours from home for the next three weeks while they fix it - almost 7,000 dollars of damage - thank goodness for insurance. Then we will head back down to Texas to pick my truck back up.

We got home and saw the saddle I ordered - it's nice and fits well, but apparently the seller lacuqered the saddle!! Why would someone lacquer the saddle?? How irritating. Other than the laquer, it is acually a nice saddle and I only paid 300. for it so I guess it'll do.

Kellie is out lunging Scooby and we spent an hour cleaning stalls and the pen, so I am taking a break and will start lunging Whiskey tomorrow and getting back into the routine. 

Happy to be home.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

One more picture of the truck...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Went out to work Whiskey today and saw that Scooby has managed to rub off a good 6 inch section of his lower mane... about one inch gone completely the rest less than two inches long. Awesome.

He has a huge paddock - about 150 feet by 400 feet - and only about 16 feet of it was a three rail fence that he insisted on sticking his head through. So instead of riding Whiskey I spent a couple hours adding two by fours in between the two by sixes to make a five rail fence that he couldn't stick his head through. Then another hour putting chew stop on it all. 

On an exciting note I got invited to ride in a Julie Goodnight TV show in August. It is being filmed in Salida, which is only a couple hours away, so I am going to go and ride and enjoy the experience. I figure the more things he is exposed to the better. It is only a month away and of course his mane is not going to be looking good. What a brat! I am starting the MTG regimen now and hopefully by November and the world show we will have enough mane grown for it to lie flat.

Kellie rode him this morning and loves the new saddle - he did great for her, she did barrels again today so tomorrow will be a trail ride.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Whiskey back under saddle for the first time in ten days, and she was great. Lunged her for 20 minutes first, lots of transitions, then friends of mine showed up, so Kellie took over and started trotting the barrels with her. She did fantastic.

Scooby went to a 4H show, but Kellie got there late so she just rode to exhibition him - he would have got 2nd with his time of 21 in a large arena. Kelly had a really fun day. 

We are just having a great time with these horses.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

So today we went to our local gymkhana. I was going to just ride Whiskey in the warm-up and cheer Kellie on in her events, but when I found out there were no entries in the 19 and over, I figured, What the Heck, and entered her.

Whiskey did really well. I loped her through the patterns and she was so happy and relaxed, we had a really fun, easy day... and the high point award was a nice grooming bag with a brush, curry, hoofpick, washbrush, and scraper. I was stoked! I felt kinda bad accepting the award, but hey - I paid the entry fee and they didn't cancel the class - so good news for me. She was a little nervous in the warm-up when barrel horses came charging up behind her, I actually had to one rein stop her once, but kept her out there and let her understand they weren't going to bite her. For the first time in that arena I couldn't ask for better. And loping too! Yay!

Kellie got third overall - here are placings and times:
Barrels 3rd 20.99 Top time: 18.62
75 up n back 3rd 9.76 Top time: 9.52
Flags 4th 14.38 Top time: 10.19 
Poles 3rd 33.24 Top time: 31.22
Keyhole 2nd 11.18 Top time: 10.40

She was showing against the little britches girls, so we were very happy with the results. Scooby was relaxed, fast, calm, and really attentive to Kellie, and also the first time for him in that arena. We had a really great day.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Here's a video of Whiskey loping the up and back pattern.... the video is a little wobbly -


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

And her pole pattern - we were just going to trot it, but she wanted to lope up and back and I was happy to let her...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Well, it was a pretty quiet week for us.... Colorado evening thunder/lightning storms kept me out of the saddle, so Kellie rode twice for me and lunged twice for me, she rode Scooby pretty light, so I was interested to see how she would do at today's 4H show. She won high point Speed events, so needn't have worried.

Scooby is really improving on barrels and stake, his pole pattern is really crappy. She was very quick on the first two events, and won easily in her limited competition. She got third in poles because he was all over the place. Definately need some work there.

I rather enjoyed taking a week off - my classes have started back up (working towards my bachelors in Business Management), work is crazy, and hubby was out of town so noone to watch little kids while Kellie and I ride. You know those days you feel guilty for not riding, but so relieved that something comes up (like a lightning storm) so you can't?? Yeah, that was me last week.

Now back to business because I am inching closer to World Show! Whiskey's DNA work is done, so I have to send her papers back in so they will be marked accordingly, and she is ready to go. Except for the whole actually being able to run a pattern part, that is 

We'll get there.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Getting ready for Kellie and Scooby to go to Fair ...

She had a show last weekend, and was disappointed that there was another girl on a black and white paint wearing all pink - they matched. So we decided to do tie dye for their color. I got the tie dye saddle pad yesterday, and today we went and got a nice western shirt and tie dyed it!! Came out awesome! She has lime green boots and bell boots, and green on her bridle and breast-collar - should look awesome and one of a kind for fair! 

She shows speed events on Wednesday, so we will post pics then.

Kellie has been riding Scooby every night, hauling him to the local arenas and working the pole pattern - he now lopes pretty smoothly through them more often than not, so they are as ready as they are going to be. He got today off, and he goes back to work tomorrow.

Whiskey doing good, lots of bitting her up and lunging at all gaits to build her muscle and topline, and then her warmdown is me on her with lots of bending, transitions, giving to the bit and walk/whoa and trot/whoa - if she doesn't drop right down we back ten steps. She is getting pretty good at listening to my body so very little rein is necessary.

That's all for now, will post fair pics on Thursday!


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Well - things have been rough over here...

First, the good news - Kellie did good at fair, no pics because I had to work and no-one was there to cheer her on and take pics - she won flags, 2nd in barrels, knocked a pole down in (what else) poles, and then got 2nd in something else... she had a lot of fun in her tye dye outfit and said she had a blast.

Bad news - The truck (that was wrecked on July 1) was repaired, so we finally were able to give back the rental. We were responsible for the insurance on the rental, so that ended up costing over 500. plus the gas and hotel costs needed to go back to Texas (12 hours away) to pick it up. Glad to have the truck back but that tire in my windshield cost me over 1,000.00. 

2nd hit - we have a rental house and the tenants bailed - no notice. Went to the property and the lawn was destroyed, they apparently hadn't turned the sprinklers on all year. So we had to relandscape the yard. Finished that last weekend (1500.00) and re-rented the property back out.

Then the main drain completely shut-down, somewhere between the house and the main line in the street. Of course we are responsible for it, so looks like we have to replace it - to the tune of several thousand dollars. The carpet was destroyed, but the insurance will pick up inside damage, but not cover the drain repair itself. I guess we can be thankful they are covering the carpet replacement, huh?

These financial hits are piling up, and world show looking very iffy right now. I am bummed. Scooby is getting ready for State Fair, coming August 25, and I am going to watch Kellie ride him, so that should be really fun. I will be able to post pics.

Whiskey has been sitting in the pasture while I deal with the rental property at nights, and Kellie tries to work her during the day a couple times a week, but I haven't been on her in a month. I have to go deal with the drain tonight, so another day gone.

Just a crappy situation - I will be glad to get all this behind us. Hubby is freaking out over the costs building up, so I am just not sure I even should try to swing worlds, better to try to pay off some of this new debt. 

We'll see.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

I decided to press ahead with Worlds... even if we just show in a few classes, the idea behind this was to have a great "girls time" and just have a great time... so if the horses aren't quite ready, so be it. If we only show in a couple classes each, so be it. We are going to give it a go!

I rented the hotel room - got it from priceline and it the costs came out to 205. for four nights, including tax... so not bad at all. I figure I can always cancel if needed, but the cheap decent hotels go quick, so I needed to get it early.

We rode last night and tonight, and Whiskey was a little squirrely yesterday, throwing her head and such, but tonight she was light and easy. I rode for 40 minutes yesterday - most of that lunging and walk/trot and lots of bending and turning and whoa. Today a little more lope but I also spent about 20 minutes desensitizing her to blankets, saddle pads, and assorted items - we did trail a little and her sidepasses are just soo smooth both directions. She is the slowest horse I think I have ever ridden - she just wants to crawl at the walk and waits for the signal to stop at the jog and lope. I am pleased with that as eventually she will be my little girl's horse, so slow is great. Might make our patterns take a little longer at Worlds though 

I am feeling better. The drain is fixed - we think - and the insurance adjuster comes tomorrow to price out the basement - looks like it will be about 4,000 out of pocket, but I am putting it on the equity loan, and not worrying about it. I will start paying that back down January 1, 2012 ... after Worlds in November and 
Christmas in December.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

I decided to try a horsemanship pattern my daughter gave me to see how Whiskey would do... she picked up both leads and wouldn't have been disqualified - also very heavy on her forehand and seeing myself on video shows we have a long way to go...

We are starting to pick up contact now, and I will look forward to watching our progress in the coming months... I am very pleased with where she is now at 90 days, especially given how little I have been able to ride the last month. 

Here is our pattern. 






and another just trotting:






I like the trot, she looks willing and bends nicely in the turns, does a nice extended trot to the last cone and stops square and backs willingly. I have started asking her to slow that trot a bit now, and as she strengthens we'll get that jog...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

:lol: Entry forms and stall reservations sent in! :lol:

I reserved three stalls so we can have a tack stall and a place to sit - we are going to haul down our small recliners so we can put down a rug, the recliners, and a small refridg for snacks - saddles and bridles along the stall wall and the rest of the space for us! Because really, this show is all about us having a BLAST! and the showing is just a small part of that!! 

Kellie is showing Scooby in Junior Barrels, Open Stake and Open Poles because she is still officially a junior (she turned 19 in August, but is 18 for world show purposes) and so can only show in Open classes. She is showing Whiskey in paint bred poles because I had too many classes on Sunday and didn't want to be rushed jumping from horse to horse. (all for fun!). No stress wanted.

I am showing Scooby in Novice Ammy Barrels and Poles, and Whiskey in paint bred barrels and stake race, then the horsemanship class. It will be my goal between now and the show to slow down and collect her jog and hope for clean and steady lopes. She is only three so we are just going to train steady and ask for clean workouts until the show. 

I have been working her every day this week on squares. We trot the square making sure she really picks her shoulders up as we turn the corner and then lines back out. We are working on forehand turns and pivots. Some canter departures from a walk and jog. She is asked to frame up and drive herself up into the bit at least part of every lesson. I have a suspicion the world pattern will require a lope departure from a standstill so achieving that will be a goal before November. My form is crap, sadly discovered after watching my videos, and I am working on getting that leg under me and keeping my body soft. Way too much bouncing around going on right now - but we'll get it!

I feel very motivated to ride these days, and Kellie is riding Scooby every day - State Fair is next week on the 25th so she is working speed work one day, horsemanship the next to keep him supple and calm... 

Still plenty of time for improvements and we are looking forward to the journey - Whiskey meets me at the gate and is very happy and sweet. Love, love this mare.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Today was a great night! Whiskey held a jog, soft in the face and collected - she was able to hold a half circle before falling apart, but for that brief moment, I saw that glimmer of where we can be - it was great!

Her canter is also getting more balanced and there are some soft slow strides in there - still a long way to being "there" but hey, we are headed in the right direction - 

amazing what riding daily for half hour to an hour will do for a horse. I am being careful not to ask for too much too fast - just tons of circles, stopping, backing, then back to the circles again. 1/2 of the time we are in walking, bending, sidepassing and halfpasses, 1/4 of the time in a trot while pushing her up into the bridle, 1/4 of the time I am cantering.

When I canter her now I walk her in a circle so she is on an arc then lift that inside shoulder while pushing her with the outside leg and tell her "lift" (which is more a cue for me to shift my hip and lighten my seat)having her step up into the canter... most of the time she really throws her head into it, but the times she just steps into the canter is getting more frequent. Then I keep her collected about half a 60' diameter circle, then stop her, back her a few steps, do a rollback (at a walk) and then repeat the other direction. We do this several times in our ride, always stopping early and then moving onto other things she is more comfortable with... she has a great mind and I want to keep it that way. 

Going to wait another week before I do another video but I can't wait to see the progress!

And for Scooby, Kellie is riding dailly as well getting ready for state fair next week. We are busy, tired, and having fun!


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Today another pattern given to us by Kellie - we are only recording it once because after all - it wouldn't be an honest account of where we are if we recorded the same pattern over and over until she gets ... so here is our first and only attempt at the pattern - and it wasn't pretty....






So you can see we are now much more collected, and she looks much better in her jog - framed up a bit.... her canter departure, while clean, was on the wrong lead so I calmly brought her down and then corrected but we got too close to the cone so you can hear me saying "whoa!" to stop... her pivot was terrible, and non-existant, but that is my fault because I didn't set her up correctly. She then has to canter back to the other cone, and the departure is alright, but she speeds up pretty quickly. Overall though, I can see the progress and look forward to seeing more as the months go by...

Scooby had a light day, I will have to record Kellie as she can now weave through the poles without using the reins at all - Scooby is becoming patterned and they are doing great - State Fair is on Thursday - so coming soon!


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## ilovemyPhillip (Apr 4, 2009)

Glad you kept going!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Pretty tired... we had state fair yesterday for Kellie - she showed in barrels, poles, and flags. Barrels didn't go well - Scooby was very pumped up and lost his steering, Kellie got a 19 second pattern and didn't place. Her classes were very large - 17 - and a lot of seasoned speed horses/riders there. Scooby is only 4, so we have to be careful of what we expect in this type of competition. Poles he was very fast, took his ends too wide, but got through the poles clean and quick - got 6th and we were very happy with that. Kellie and Scooby are the county fair champions in flags, and going in she wondered whether to go clean and slow, or fast and risk it - we decided with the competition out there she should go for it - she missed the flag and no time! But we had a great time and it was so fun to watch them give it a go!! 

Whiskey got the day off today - first time in three weeks, so she has really earned it... she is doing well and hope to take pics again soon.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

I forgot to mention I bought a bling bridle at the fair, and added my award buckles to it so it looks pret-ty fancy! I'll take a pic of Whiskey tomorrow with it on... 

Today Whiskey had a 45 minute ride, we did lots of shoulder work, having her lift her shoulders up and yield to the rein and my leg when we turned, trying to get the neck rein started. Lots of trotting on a loose rein around, lots of changes of directions and rate changes with little rein and lots of hips and leg cues... Then big circles with a little more speed, she isn't fast by any stretch, but we were able to canter the circles good with smaller, slower circles - trying to get her comfortable going a little faster. She really, really hates the right lead, just like in the horsemanship video again, she is really good at lifting off with that left leg even with (I think) pretty clear cues. So we worked on that for a bit too. Then a walk around the pasture and I put her away. 

Scooby had the day off and goes back to work tomorrow - but since he has been doing nothing but speed for weeks getting ready for the fair we are going to do some trail rides and horsemanship stuff for a while with him... something new to occupy his mind with.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Been a busy long weekend getting the barn in shape, my arms and back are tired. Having to put the horses under lights, I decided they needed bigger stalls and so reconfigured the barn. I took some of my aisleway and swung the last stall around so it is the old 12x12 stall plus the 11 foot aisle, so now the stall is 23 x 12. The middle stalls I took out the seperating wall so now Scooby's stall is 12 x 24. I am really pleased, this is how it looks...










The tack room used to open out into the aisle where the stall is now, so it had to be turned around, the white door leads into the tack room - its 12 x 15. Then there is a grooming area, the feed room and a small electrical room down that side of the barn.

I love this barn, this is the view looking out...










Its very peaceful out there. I had to move my aisleway rubber mats into the last stall, so now have to buy more aisle mats, as the concrete is smooth concrete and very slick for the horses, which is too bad, 'cause sweeping concrete much easier than sweeping mats. 










Love this mountain view... anyway, we went trail riding this week and had a great time, been riding about 5 times a week and horses are doing well, we are going to start hauling to the local arenas at least once a week to get the horses used to other arenas and the hauling... 

They are under lights now, look great, and have nice big stalls to stretch out in. The routine is they are in at 5, get dinner and the lights go on until 10. At 6 am the lights go back on, I go throw feed before work and clean stalls, then Kellie lets them out at 9 and they are outside until I get home, we ride, then groom and back in the stalls. As the weather cools we will add blankets, it is still pretty warm.

One last pic of Whiskey in her stall...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Today was so much fun... we took our old yellow plastic slip n slide and dragged it around and let the horses follow us, then we draped it over Whiskey's saddle and she carried it, then flapped it all around her... she was very good and had no problems at all... then Scooby wore it too. Then we hung it over a post and as we rode we would go by it, pick it up, wave it around and then put it back.

Our exercises today was a barrel pattern using four barrels set in a square so you could trot the barrel pattern from four different directions... then horsemanship patterns. Whiskey is getting so soft and responsive, I just had a great ride and Kellie and Scooby had a great ride as well.


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## eastcoastcowgirl (Oct 11, 2010)

This may not be the place to ask but I can't seem to find any info on the APHA site or anywhere else for that matter:
I have two "Paint" horses; one I've had for years, the other one I got recently. Is there ANY way I can send in DNA with NO idea of parentage to find out if either of them are or could be registered? Breed shows aren't very popular where I'm at but it would just be cool to know! Especially since the new addition is a supposed Hurricane Katrina rescue.
Any help would be appreciated!


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Hi EastCoast - without an idea of parentage, I am afraid not... DNA can confirm parentage, but you would have to have parent samples on file (and know where to look for them) to do so... however, if they show the markings, you could hardship register them into the Pinto association...

Cheers, Kris


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

We had a great day today ... took the horses out into the field behind our house ... its about 200 acres, and has open spaces, gullies, washes... lots of ups and downs and spaces to run... 

It takes about 20 minutes to walk them down there, and we spend another 40 minutes out there just letting them see the sights. We did flexing and bending out in the field, then Kellie let Scooby really open up - their are trails that are mowed, so we don't have to worry about holes or anything hiding in the deep grass. It was amazing to see how much speed he has.

I took Whiskey out, but she is only three so my expectations are very different... I let her run, pick her way through the dry creek beds and back up the sides, and she had a great time, all that time spent working on bending and flexing is really paying off as she moves very nicely.

Got them home and spend some time bending and flexing around the barrels before brushing them down and putting them out. The sun was out, the weather was warm and we had a great time.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Today is my husbands birthday, and I didn't ride because I was getting everything ready... 

I was online looking at past world show patterns, and I am terrified! I have a knot in my stomach and am completely doubting myself right now! Are we insane?? We are taking a three year old that has never run a pattern to the world show, she isn't ready for a horsemanship pattern and we will be completely lucky if she doesn't lose her mind in the activity at the show... we are going to look like fools.

Scooby I think will actually do well, he is riding better every day and I believe we will have a good ride in at least one event  

I can't believe I am this nervous! We are taking Whiskey to shows this weekend and next weekend to ride in the arenas and try to get us acclimated to a show environment... we have been riding like crazy and she is doing great, but we need to get back out and get in traffic!

I'll have Kellie record our horsemanship class on Saturday so we can see how we are doing... just a bundle of nerves now - we are less than two months away!


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Well, it's been raining for two days, but we aren't complaining, rain is always good... we rode in the pasture today in the rain and just did walk/trot and turns, bending, and pivots... Scooby is doing great and Whiskey is very happy these days...

Not much to report. Kellie reminded me we are in it for the road trip and pictures, so I have recovered from my panic attack... 7 weeks and we will be on the road!


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Here is a video of Whiskey from Saturday ... she is getting very responsive - this is a horsemanship video taken after we were working on barrel drills so as we went past that barrel she swerved for it... I do like how her pivots are coming along...






I took both horses to the local gymkhana today ... Scooby is having problems with his bit, he was anxious and shaking his head, going into the first barrel he was so busy fussing we lost all kinds of time, but his turns were really snappy - a mixed bag... I wasn't happy and he wasn't happy. In our other events we did well and won flags but I was really made aware of how unhappy he is going into the barrels. - We have to slow down and go back to a snaffle for the next month and let him relax...

Whiskey was great, she was really calm and laid back for the show. Her barrel class and up and back she was so happy and her turns were really clean and we loped them nicely. Her flag pattern was really good, but I missed the second flag so my bust. She is in a snaffle bit and really respectful - we got a lot of compliments for her really smooth patterns - I think she might turn into a really nice horse.

We had to leave early because Scooby threw a shoe, luckily the farrier is coming out on Thursday. No pics cause Kellie wasn't there, but there is one last show next weekend so hopefully pics then...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Today was almost a great day!! We went cow sorting at latigo, our local arena - here is our best run, we almost had it but as we let the last two cows in, the 5 cow jumped in front of the 4 cow so we got disqualified - here is the video...






Whiskey was great with the cows, great with the traffic, just did fantastic. Scooby started the day great but kicked at another horse, then kicked again :shock: - Kellie worked his little butt for the next ten minutes, but he was all hot and bothered the rest of the day, and he now gets to wear a red ribbon on his butt  - great. She's taking a crop out so in the future any pinning of ears will result in a whooping - hopefully stop that crap immediately. He is very bonded to Whiskey and that isn't helping matters, I am pretty sure he was trying to keep others away from his girl! 

I told Kellie he isn't allowed to make decisions for himself when she is riding him, she is in charge - so to move his hind end away from folks, and always be prepared to crack him one if he gets an inkling of putting another horse in check... other that that - it was a really fun day though... just wish he would just tone it down some, you know?


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Tonight was the barrel clinic at Latigo - Jennifer Smith, several time APHA world champion, runs the clinics and is giving us pointers for Scooby - she noticed him really fussing with his head (the probs we have been having) - and let us try her S-hack for him to run in to try to isolate what he truly hates ... he was better - not perfect, but better. She is letting us use the hack this week and we are going to see how he reacts with it - here is Kellie's run:






I am laughing because she almost knocked down the last barrel but reached back and pushed it back up - you can hear someone yelling "cheater" - but hey - whatever works...

Then I got serious about actually asking Whiskey to turn her nose into the barrels, lift her shoulder, and cleanly trot the barrels. With one month til worlds the goal is to have clean lopes for our speed events.... nothing crazy - here she is:






Jennifer recommended a junior cowhorse bit for her, so I can ask for that lift a little smoother than the snaffle - I am ordering one tonight and we'll see how that works, it will have the added advantage of having the snaffle for horsemanship and the cowhorse for speed - give her two different bits so she can understand two different expectations...

We are having such fun with these guys!


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

PS - Scooby was with all the other horses tonight and didn't have any thoughts of kicking - he had his ribbon in his tail though - keep everybody safe...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Things are ramping up - one month to go!

Ordered Whiskey's tail today on ebay, got a 1 lb light sorrel tail, should look great. 

Started working with her riding english as we are going to start showing in the local shows in hunt seat eq., which is very hard for me because I am not a strong english rider. It is more suited to her than horsemanship and western at this point, though - so that's where we will start. I am not really into showing, but anything to expose her and make her a more well rounded girl! So here is our first hunt seat eq. pattern:






Another neat thing, her sire's owner found this blog and sent me some very nice words - she is a really kind lady and it was nice to hear from her - So thanks, Megan - I think The Big Gun did great making her! 

My oldest daughter, Chelsea, rode Whiskey today after filming me riding english, and rode her in a S hackamore for speed events, and Whiskey was very responsive, so that makes me happy - I will ride her with the S hack for speed and her snaffle for her eq. events... she is doing really good. Im pleased.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Forgot to add that I will be getting little english spurs for quieter cues, and we are going to start really pushing pivots and turns on haunches for the pattern classes upcoming - her backing and lope departures are getting better, but we need more consistency with her head placement, a more consistent speed, no breaks in gait - and I need to do lots of english riding and posting without stirrups to strengthen my legs. Holy cow - one month to go!! EEEKKKK!


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

One more video of us practicing english - I can't believe I brought her home four months ago as an unbroke filly - we have come along way! I know we both have a long way to go, but I am very pleased with our progress...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Looking online at past patterns, saw some with flying lead changes - some horses doing simples, some doing actual flying... did some work with Whiskey this week doing a canter, pause, then off on the other lead (we don't really have a lope yet, but I have gotten some soft, slow "flashes of brilliance" - so it's there, just need to give it enough time to develop... anyway, this video was shot with the wind howling, so she isn't really going that fast, the wind is just taking the dust away fast - her jog is getting very nice.






Scooby was a little off today, when I was riding Whiskey Kellie was filming me while riding Scooby bareback and at the walk and I didn't notice, but saw him gimping when he cantered in for dinner from the pasture - told Kellie and she said he felt a little off when she rode in the morning for the first few minutes, but he worked it out - going to look at that closer tomorrow ... hope he just dinged himself somewhere - there is no heat or swelling in his legs... he stocks up slightly in his stall overnight so will have to look when I get home from work and he has been out...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Took both to the barrel clinic - Scooby looked really good loping circles to left, but very off heading to the right - Kellie got off him and I'll be calling the vet tomorrow... he looks sound at the walk, but the trot especially right circles were not good - no heat or swelling anywhere, we'll have the vet block it tomorrow so we can see what's happening - hopefully it's a minor problem....

Whiskey loped the barrels pretty nice, got a little sassy at the end of the run and hopped a bit - her poles were better, and I am sad to say I missed the beginning of the run, but comparing this to her speed debut at the saddle club and there is some huge progress there, so I am very happy about her day.

Here's the poles, she is loping them smoothly and that is exactly where I want her to be right now, speed will come later..


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Scooby is not sound at the trot... got lucky - the vet had a cancellation... sitting here with my belly in knots waiting for his truck to pull in the drive  .


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Vet just left - I am cold, hungry, tired, and ready to cry.

Scooby is off on his right front. Easily seen from the trot circling to the right. Did nerve blocks to the hoof, got 80 percent improvement. Vet thought perhaps he fractured the wing of the coffin bone or perhaps showing early navicular. Did xrays, which didn't show any fractures or causes for the lameness, but did show early sidebone calcification and also some other calcification, but they weren't in the lower frog area that Scooby showed sensitivity to with hoof testers, so vet says they are just side issues. Scooby also has upright pasterns and this may be causing strain to the deep flexor tendon. navicular bone looks great.

So, after four hours and hundreds of dollars, there are some potential causes. 1) He has a soft tissue injury like a sprain or twist, and will be better with stall rest and bute.
2) He has a deep flexor tendon injury, which can be diagnosed with a MRI that costs 1800.00 to have done. 
3) He has a different issue, such as an abcess or stone bruise, that we can't see and will be better with stall rest and bute.

We pulled his shoe to do the xrays, and he is now on stall rest for the next three weeks. We will do 5 days of bute, 5 days of no bute, watch for improvement or worsening, then another 5 days of bute, then vet back out two days after that. Obviously world show for Scooby is very up in the air. 

It may be a stone bruise that resolves in days, and won't I breath a sigh of relief. Or it may be a deep flexor injury that requires months of therapy. Either way, we'll treat for the hopeful problem for the next three weeks, then if no improvement we'll get the MRI done. 

Complete bummer, but the vet says the odds are 50/50 that it's nothing, or something pretty serious. Praying hard over here right now. And Scooby on stall rest will be difficult, as he is the active type.... 

Wish us luck.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Here's pics of Scooby getting his xrays:


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Oh no! Healing thoughts for a speedy recovery.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Thanks so much, we need all the help we can get....


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Day one down...

I was wondering whether or not to wrap Scooby's legs while he is stuck in his stall - Dr. Unrue (great vet) said only if they get big - mild stocking up ok - stovepipe legs not ok - but I guess the bute works great because his legs are tight - no swelling at all.

We were also afraid he was going to act up when we took Whiskey out to ride - so far, so good - we give him an extra flake of hay and a tiny bit of grain (he's cut way back) so he is occupied when she is out. I feel bad, but basically Whiskey is now confined to her stall as well, except for the morning ride when Kellie does her speed work, and the early evening when I take her out for horsemanship practice. Thank God we made those stalls big last month, at least they are in 12x24 stalls. It is all to keep Scooby happy and calm, and she makes him happy.

We put cones and hung empty milk gallons half filled with gravel in the stalls, and tomorrow I am going to get them each an apple toy that you put the treats in ... we also are now feeding four times a day so they can eat to pass the time as well...

I talked to the APHA office today - if Scooby doesn't get better in time we can withdraw him from the classes with a vet note up to the day of his class and get an 80 percent refund - I will lose my stall fee though... it is very hard waiting because he looks so good and moves so well in his stall - gonna be a very long few weeks...

We have the vet and the farrier both coming on the 25th, the farrier is moving his appointments so he can be there to look at the xrays and help decide the best way forward - the vet says we might need to put wedges on his fronts to ease the pressure on his deep flexor tendon, he is a little conformationally challenged and that may be why we already see some sidebone and other calcifications on his xrays... I am so thankful we have such a good team looking after him 

Whiskey did very good today - she is now ridden twice a day, but I keep the afternoon horsemanship drills very short, always looking for a good spot to quit, we are working on light collected lope transistions and good pivots and turns on her forehands - her jog is very nice and her pivot to the right is 90 percent clean, her pivot to the left she doesn't plant her butt - her turns on her forehand are getting better as well... she's looking good.


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## lucky2008 (Aug 17, 2010)

Good luck with the healing!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

I woke up this morning to snow blowing sideways outside... it's Colorado Springs, but even so, still early for snow... it blew out by the afternoon and by 4:30 pm the arena area had melted off so I rode...

Not a great day. It was cold and windy, and Whiskey was full of herself. A green three year old has the right to be ... well, green... but we are really close now to worlds and though I have no concerns about loping through the speed patterns I really don't want to blow the horsemanship class - my goal is a clean pattern. It will be too fast, and I will still be obviously riding her, I can't give her head yet, and have to adjust the reins still quite a bit, but if I can get the correct leads and soft transitions with clean pivots I will be a happy camper...

... the dirt arena was wet, sloppy and soft, so I long trotted around the edges for 10 minutes to loosen her up, then tried to keep it slow and soft and do walk/jog/canter transitions... I worked on jog circles concentrating on keeping my head up and back, body soft and straight, and legs back. It was hard! Then we worked on lope circles, well - we don't have a lope yet, but I am trying to lift her up and slow her a little, if I really push her up into her bridle I get a slower more collected lope, but then I can't let her go or she drops down and speeds up.

She didn't want to push off into a lope, - when I put the leg on and shifted the hip she just kept trotting - so we got in a battle - I backed her hard, she reared up a little, I swatted her, she spun in a circle (which, let me tell you, she can spin quick) and was really worked up. I took a deep breath, got off, and lunged her for 20 minutes in the center, just letting both of us calm down. When she started jogging slowly on the lunge, I got back on and we did a few patterns - ended on a really nice pattern with calm lope pickups - though she does flick her tail when I ask... I was frustrated but proud that that battle didn't turn into a war... 

Scooby called from his stall a couple times but didn't seem overly anxious when I brought her back in, and we were out for almost an hour...hopefully the weather is better tomorrow and our ride improves.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

One hour ride today- put Whiskey's tail in, she didn't mind, though it is a little long - I just tacked it in, so I won't bang it until I have it in for real this weekend - there is a schooling show on Sat we will be entering hunt seat eq, halter, and horsemanship.

More and more likely I will be cutting her mane ... probably before Saturday's show.

Did a video, it shows I need to get my legs back - her head set was very consistent today at the jog and trot, still really gets it in the air as she is picking up her lopes/canters - don't want to push that though right now... her pivots were all over the place today too...

She's coming along nicely and I think will be pretty competitive next year at the shows... not sure if that's what I want to do, but if we go that direction she'll be ready - if not, she'll be a really broke, responsive mare, so that's good too...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Cut Whiskey's mane today, it looks good... have to pull it tomorrow, but I will be ready to band it for Saturday's show - 

My neighbor's horse went lame a while back, and she used our stall - she came over to give us some money for caring for her horse - I told her about Scooby and the show and she offered me the use of her nice english saddle - I didn't take her money but did take advantage of using her saddle and rode for an hour english, enough to realize i really suck at english and cant keep my legs back to save my life... Whiskey did ok but kicked out once and threw her head once, here is the head throwing on video - 

Kellie gave me this pattern and it had sidepassing ten steps in it - interesting!





I am dying to get Scooby out, but two more weeks until we can even find out how he is going to do! Luckily I am busy with the last month of getting myself and Whiskey as ready as we can get...


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Great day today with Whiskey!!! 

She was just a butt yesterday, she was surging at the canters, throwing her head at the stops, swinging her butt out, ignoring her pivot foot, walking too fast, generally being a three year old brat. So everytime she took off at the canter, I one reined her into smaller circles and made her work at the canter - kept looking for a good spot to quit, but after an hour I was just so irritated I got off disgusted. 

After a few hours Kellie went out and sent her through the pole pattern and ran the barrels a couple times then put her away...

So today, realizing she has been really pushed this last month, went out hoping for a short, easy ride. Tacked her up english, Kellie warmed her up (she has very soft hands and a great seat) - then I got on and walked and serpentined, practicing my english position ... got a new pattern from Kellie which was:

Walk past A. 90 degree pivot to left. Canter right lead (1/2 circle) to B. Trot R diagonal (1/2 circle) to C. Canter left lead 1/2 circle back to B, trot Left diagonal to A and then 2 point down the centerline to C, back 8 steps. 

She was perfect!! Soft canter departures, head very steady, dropped down to the trots and kept her pivot (only 90 degrees, but hey!). I was so pleased I immediately got off, loosened the girth, and took her back in - only 15 minutes ride but it was very, very good! 

I also raised my stirrup one position and it puts my leg in a better place, so I felt pretty good and Kellie said my alignment was much better. 

Now if only Scooby gets better in time!!


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

:happydance::happydance::happydance::happydance::happydance::happydance:

Whiskey's First Show A Great Big Success !!!!!

Put Whiskey in the english classes at our local show - this show is used by the breed folks getting ready for bigger shows so the classes are big and the competition includes lots of the "big kids" - I went hoping for clean patterns.

We got that - and more! 

Our first class was Hunter Under Saddle - class had about 10 people in it - we got 4th. Next class was Show Hack - which is a disciplined rail class with lots of speed control within gaits - canter, extended canter, hand gallop, trot, extended trot, controlled trot, etc...
We got 3rd. The two girls that beat us were both APHA Superior hunter horses, so I was totally thrilled with that.
Then we got to Hunt Seat Eq... here is my pattern:





We Won!! I was so excited - almost ready to cry ... the pattern wasn't perfect, I had to wait one extra stride in the second diagonal and peeked down to make sure I was picking it up correctly .. but I'll take it!

Then we went in Halter Mares and took the blue! Came back for Grand Champion Halter class against the winning gelding, mare, and stud and took Reserve Champion Halter!!

So, at that point I scratched her from the horsemanship class as she was happy and had given me her all - it just wasn't worth blowing that on another pattern class. 

Really great day with Whiskey!!!


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Scooby is going nuts. He was a filthy sweaty mess so he got a bath today while Kellie stripped his stall. He danced, jumped in place, tried to rear when he couldn't go forward, just generally acted quite the fool. The good news is he was off bute for two days and he didn't act ouchy at all. Now he is clean and back in the stall and back on bute for the second round - vet comes next Tuesday so definately hoping for good news.

Whiskey was out in the front paddock today, soaking up the sun and hanging out. Scooby didn't like she wasn't in her stall, but I am sick of the whole buddy screaming/freaking out thing he's got down pat. As soon as his butt gets a clean bill of health and we get back from the show (big ifs, there, I know) he is getting close and personal with a patience pole for several hours each day. He's ****ing me off with his attitude.

Whiskey and I worked on showmanship today - forgot to mention we got third in showmanship despite no setting up and half a pivot - so I figure we should get started on that as well... she is doing good. Then we practiced western today, having her drive up and hold her carriage at a walk, and jog - only for a few minutes at a time, then we worked on the horsemanship pattern she would have had yesterday if I wouldn't have scratched her - she did really well and I am pleased.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Been a nice week for Whiskey though it is hard not to get frustrated working with showmanship and her setting her feet - she does not want to stand square,and when she eventually gets it she cocks a hip and doesn't stand on both hinds. I have to keep reminding myself to go slow. Her pivots we are working on 90 degree turns with her keeping that hind right planted and moving that left forward at the end - she's getting that more often than not, so we will start working on 1/2 turns soon.

I have been using drawreins this week to keep her head more steady at lope departures as she wants to really use her head and neck. I am really trying to drive her up and lift up and get that impulsion from her hocks forward - she is getting better but that all takes months to get it right. Since Worlds is now two weeks away we are just going to get as far as we can without pushing and frustrating us both. I make sure to keep those reins totally loose as often as possible and her jog is getting relaxed and a little nicer - she's not going to have that pleasure horse pit pat jog but I think we can be slow legged for her - and that's all we can hope for.

Scooby is pacing, pawing, and generally going nuts - he has until Tuesday morning in his stall, and I am as impatient as he is - I am dying to take him out and trot him and see how he looks, but I am holding myself back and waiting for the vet. It's hard waiting though...

Getting closer -


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Today was a great day... I lunged her with draw reins for 15 minutes, just mostly at the jog, which is getting really nice actually, then a few lope transitions. Then worked on counter canters and then a lead change back to correct lead, with lots of jogging after each set to keep her (and me) from frustration - she wants to overthink the lopes and gets flustered. Not today though, she was smooth and kept pretty steady both in speed and in frame - I was able to keep the draw reins loose and draping most of the day - she did great so we were done after about 45 minutes. I'll get her back out tonight for showmanship practice.

Yesterday Kellie did poles and barrels while I watched and her poles are getting really good! She rides with a S hack and a tie down so no mouth contact - she is doing flying lead changes between the poles... I was really pleased to see how well Kellie has been doing with her. I was a little worried about Whiskey being ridden twice a day but she is responding really well - she's fit, happy, and looking great!

Scooby is getting much better in his stall about her comings and goings. Vet comes on Tuesday so we are very anxious and impatient to find out if he is still sore.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

:thumbsup::clap:

Scooby is good to go!!

Farrier and Vet came out this morning and Scooby looked pretty good trotting out, went bucking and kicking a few times, but was overall about 80 percent improvement from last visit. 

It was pretty interesting to watch the vet and farrier decide on how best to shoe him, as he seemed like he was wanting to land on the inside of his hoof when trotting instead of his heel and that may be why he came up sore three weeks ago. He looks like he is toeing out a bit and throwing that leg out... so he got a cool new shoe that has a rail that screws in so you can add different size wedges to either side until you get it right...

Our farrier put on his shoes and BAM! 90 percent improvement, he still short strides a bit, but our vet says that is "just Scooby" and his conformation as opposed to a lameness. 

So with the vet's blessing, Kellie rode today and after a good warmup she even loped the poles and he was happy, smooth, and ears forward!

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

Whiskey did western today - I had used the draw reins the last week to get her to understand how to keep her head level for lope transitions, so today we took off the draw reins and her head was so much better. I can now officially say she has a western jog and I am getting pretty confident about the show - we are going to have a great time!!


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Yesterday it got very cold and snowed through the day so both Scooby and Whiskey stayed in - this morning I let them out and they both took off around the pasture... I caught Whiskey in the act:

Since they are out playing, I took stock of the trip... we still need a trailer tire spare, and I need lessons on how to change it. I figure the odds of blowing a trailer tire is remote, but with our luck I am not going to get caught in the middle of nowhere with no spare.

Horses have all their paperwork in order, I need to make sure to put their folder in the truck! Truck is in tip-top shape after a oil change and check a few weeks ago. It's spare is good and in place.

I need to figure out my horsemanship outfit, so will ride in both my choices on Saturday and we'll decide which one then. I need a plain black shirt for my speed events on Whiskey, so have to pick that up Saturday as well. English stuff is ready to go, and today I bought some big plastic boxes to put everything in...

Confirmed with the braider that she will be available to do Whiskey's mane and tail before her Hunt Seat Eq class, and need to put her tail in the trailer - it's something we hardly ever use, so I figure we'll forget 

I ordered a new english saddle pad with pockets for numbers, mine doesn't have them.

We'll load everything after our final home ride next Wednesday and then leave for Texas at about 3 am and hope to be there by 6 pm. We are getting really close now! 8 days out!


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Today was a crappy day :-(

First my husband and I spent all morning doing a trailer tire exercise. He showed me how to get the tire off, then we took it to the tire store so we could order a tire and wheel so I have a ready to go spare for the trip. Then I put the tire back on and he tightened it down. It took a while, but now I feel better about that. 

Then we went shopping and did errands so by the time I got home it was 430 and getting darker. I wanted to do a test run with my horsemanship outfit and use the saddle I am borrowing for the show. 

So I got my outfit on, got the saddle (OMG it has some BLING!!) and gave it a try. Very different from my close contact, worn down and comfy crates. Harder to cue her for sure. Had Kellie record me. She was completely disinterested, which ****ed me off partly because I am getting anxious about the show and partly because I am spending a fortune on both of us going and having a great time and the least she could do is help on the more boring aspects of the show - like selecting the right outfit... :-x ...

So she recorded me riding in the lavender and white showmanship shirt, white hat, black chaps and lavender pad then turned for the house. I asked her to send my hubby out so he could see. After 15 minutes (house 2 minutes away) he wanders out. I ask how it looks, he says "looks good" and spends the next 3 minutes kicking dirt, watching the clouds, calling to the cat - everything but watch or give constructive criticism... very irritating! :evil: 

Then I got mad, told him to forget it, and headed in. Got all the tack off, came in, sat down to watch the video and I am about 100 feet away so you can't see how the outfit looks at all! UGH!

I blew up at both of them and told them I wished they could be a little more helpful and supportive as I am anxious already at taking a three year old down and competing at this level. I just want to make sure every detail I can control is taken care of, and can't do it alone. 

Then I felt bad because my husband could care less about horses, and did spend the morning getting the trailer ready. Kellie did go this morning and get the saddle for me, so they are helping. I need to go apologize a little, I think.

On a good note, Whiskey did seem to get the feel of the saddle and I will ride in it for the next week to improve on that. It really is fancy!


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

So we have had a crazy week - we are here in Texas showing, and it has been a blast!

We left Colorado springs at midnight, got into Fort Worth at 4 pm. Yep, 16 hours. We pulled over in a little Texas gas station at 5 am and slept for an hour - we were getting tired. 

We showed today for our first classes. 

Whiskey showed in Barrels, Stake Race, and Hunt Seat Eq. 
We got 4 out of 5 in Barrels, 3 out of 5 in stake (1 sec from reserve), and 3 out of 3 in Hunt Seat Eq - but one judge placed me second and since I got the wrong diagonal and broke gait on the rail, I didn't deserve a higher place.

Our Barrels I didn't push her enough, so we were pretty slow, the last place person knocked down a barrel. Our stake race I was determined to push her, and we did really good! She ran hard, turned well, and we were only a second off the reserve champ... not bad for a three year old.

Our problem was Whiskey was worried that Scooby wasn't with her, they were calling for each other all morning - which was maddening. She actually called for him while we were on the rail in our Hunt Seat class - she has never done that before... she was very preoccupied with it, and not paying attention at all. My pattern was very clean other than the wrong diagonal, which I corrected in one stride (but that was still a deal breaker), and the second place horse wasn't as clean (really messed up her pivot)... so I think the rail was important, and she was fussy, calling, and then broke from the canter ... that killed us in the final placings... 

Scooby and Kellie had a great day. They did Junior Barrels and Open Stake Race - Junior Barrels she had a five second penalty for losing her hat, and ended up 4 out of 4, but she would have gotten third by time.

Open Stake she really pushed him and they got 6th out of 11 open horses! And they were fast, fast, fast - she missed top 5 by .2 seconds - we were very happy with that showing. The leaders were multiple world champions and we were just hoping that Kellie and Scooby could sneak into the top ten - she ended up earning her right to be there!

Tomorrow I show Novice Ammy Barrels and Poles on Scooby, and Kellie shows Poles on both Scooby and Whiskey. We are having a wonderful time and are going to get lots of pictures tomorrow.

Then Monday I show horsemanship, which I will get my butt kicked in - she isn't slow enough yet for horsemanship, but we are going to do our best.


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Today was a great day, for the most part.

I started the day with Scooby in Novice Amt Barrels - and I did pretty good, I held Scooby back because he is pretty quick and I didn't want to overshoot the first barrel... but I held him back too much - our second barrel and third were very clean, mostly because I had him too slow. We ended up with a 5th place. 

Then Kellie went with Scooby in Open Poles and really turned it on - she couldn't be in Novice Amt because she's still technically a Youth, so had to show in Open. She ended up 6th in Poles, which was pretty amazing - her run was beautiful. Her time was faster than any of the Novice Amt riders, so if she would have been able to compete in Novice Ammy, and got that time, she would have won.

She took Whiskey in Solid Paint Bred Poles, but Whiskey dodged in between the poles and got disqualified, which was very disappointing and unexpected. So we brushed it off, and continued on.

I took Scooby into Poles, and had a very scary ride. I let him go as we shot out of the gate, but then got my rein tangled with his mane, so I had no control on the left side of his hackamore. We flew down the line and I sat and pulled right, to start weaving back down and he turned beautifully, but I wasted time trying to get my hand back - we then did our weaves cleanly and he swapped his leads great and we turned for home. I lost my stirrup but got it back before the gate. I was completely out of control, but got a 4th in the class. 

What surprised me was how scared I was riding him. He is just too much for me, too fast and strong. I was happy to get the placing, but truth is, he easily could have won the class, I am just not a good enough rider to let him, and got in his way.

So Kellie and I ended the day with a 4th, 5th, and 6th out of 4 classes. 

Tomorrow is horsemanship, and I am pretty nervous as she isn't ready to be in the class, so we'll just try to have a clean pattern.

We looked at the show pictures from yesterday, and a couple are very good. I am looking forward to seeing the ones from today. After horsemanship we'll take our pictures under the world show sign and finish our time here with many top fives and a nice jacket, a top five buckle, and pictures - more than surpassing our goals!


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## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

Well, we are back in Colorado now. Our horsemanship pattern was surprisingly good - it was clean on all elements - just too fast and not collected enough, which we knew would kill us in a class of world quality pleasure horses. We did get 3rd in the class, only 4 showed, but we were cleaner than the last horse so I was really pleased with that. 

We took our pictures, but they won't be back for a couple weeks - we had a really great time and look forward to returning so Kellie can make a go at the Novice Speed titles - she and Scooby showed they have the times to get it done. I also look forward to taking Whiskey once she has more time under her belt. 

We had a great time and I am so happy we had the chance to go down and experience it!


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