# The First Horse



## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

So, a little about me... I'm 37 and have been riding for a year and a half now, learning hunter/jumper. I'd decided that if I really liked riding (and I do!), then I would save up to get a horse of my own. And that time is maybe now! So time to start a journal of the adventure. 

So, this past Sunday, my BO and I went to another farm that my BO has a long relationship with. We brought home a gelding for me on trial. He's super skinny and needs a good trim, but he sure has been willing and sweet-natured! "Mr. No-Name" apparently had his first experience with jumping with me. Tuesday, we attempted to trot over cavaletti poles. He really didn't know what to do about those things on the ground! Once he walked over them once, though, he acted like he'd been trotting cavalettis all his life! By the end of my ride on Tuesday, we trotted over both a small X and a small vertical. I was so proud of him!

I've been told he's an off-track Thoroughbred, and the presence of a lip tattoo would seem to confirm that. My BO tells me this is probably why he has little ground manners, won't stand still to be mounted, and didn't know how to balance going up and down hills. That just means there's a potential project, right?

Fast forward to today... It's cold and super windy (20+ mph!) and this guy's still a cool cucumber. He doesn't even flick an ear at things flapping in the wind. We did lots of small circles while I groomed him. Eventually, he figured it's easier to just stand. We trotted over the cavalettis and a small X again, and he did beautifully. At the end of the lesson, my BO says, "want to canter a few jumps?" So off we go, three small jumps taken at the canter. He popped over all of them like he'd been doing it forever. Of course, we seriously cut the corner heading to the last jump, but perfection was not the goal today! I got the number for the vet from my BO so I can arrange a PPE. Assuming there's nothing seriously wrong, I'm going to get this guy (and think of a name!).

The skinny "Mr No-Name"


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## RiverBelle (Dec 11, 2012)

Hope things work out with you guys!


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## Paintlover1965 (May 22, 2009)

He looks super wooly and sweet. Hope you both have a great time together. I love his colour and snip.


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

Good luck w/your new horse. He sounds very nice,hope everything continues to go well for you two.


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Next update... today, I didn't ride, just spent a little bit of time grooming. Looks like the boy will not have a stall if I get him - he wove constantly while in the barn. That's not a problem for me though. Appointment is setup with the vet for Tuesday afternoon to bet the PPE done!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

PPE done today! The guy is actually 12, not 5-7 as we'd been told. He's about 200 pounds underweight, likely has worms, needs his teeth floated, and has some tenderness in his feet (vet said that was probably a combination of needing a trim and some mild tnrush). Other than that, she couldn't find anything wrong. I'm supposed to get the results from the fecal test tomorrow, so we know what to deworm him with. In fact, she was surprised by how sound he is. Needless to say, I've already called the owner and begun arrangements to buy him. Yay! Now, I need to think of an awesome name...


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

My current thought for a name is Barnabus. I'll try it out with him for a few days and see if it really fits.  In my lesson on Thursday, my BO/trainer worked with me on 3 primary things. Maintaining proper contact so that I can feel him from the leg through the reins. Getting him to bend around my leg and getting me not to lean in the corners. And finally we worked a little bit on canter departures. That last we only did for a couple of minutes, since he really doesn't have the muscle to truly lift into the canter well. The vet called me back and his worm count wasn't high, so she now thinks he has stomach ulcers. We'll put him on the medicine for that and see how he goes. He's currently getting 4 small grain feedings with 1/4 cup corn oil a day plus free choice hay to help him build the weight up. We have not put him in pasture with the rest of the horses yet - my BO wants to wait until he has a bit more weight (and energy!) first. He is sharing a fenceline with them, so they can get to know him a bit.


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Farrier came out today and Barnabus was great. He stood well, and didn't move at all while his feet were worked on. The farrier said it had to have been quite a few months since his last trim (6 or more, I'm guessing). I'm going to take pictures this afternoon for my log of his progress. I can't wait to see how he moves after he gets used to his trimmed feet!


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## amp23 (Jan 6, 2011)

That's so exciting! Sounds like you've found a good first horse, even if he is a little bit of a project. I'd love to see some progress pictures as you two grow together


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## nickers103 (Aug 10, 2010)

He is so lucky to of found you! Looking forward to reading more updates


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Went for just a short ride after work since his feet were trimmed this morning. During my ride, I focused some more on bending around my leg. He's better at that going left, than he is to the right. A project to work on! I did manage to get a couple of pictures of him before my ride. This is Barnabus after two weeks and a good hoof trim.  It may just be me, but I think there's already a bit of improvement! He got turned out with the rest of the geldings for the first time tonight. I kind of wish I could see how he is in the morning, but I know he'll be fine.


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## amp23 (Jan 6, 2011)

I can't wait to see how good he'll look when he gets some meat on him. I would keep his rides very light until he has the fat to burn off with a hard ride. Good luck with him


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Me too, Amp! I definitely plan to keep a photo log of his changes over the next 6 months or so. And I'm in agreement on the short rides. I've been on his back for up to 60 minutes, but 40 of that was standing (during the trial week). Now the rides are mostly about 30 minutes 4 times a week, and only brief cantering. My BO and I are keeping a close eye on his status during the lessons, just to make sure we don't push him too hard.


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## shellybean (Dec 28, 2012)

Congrats! He has a very cute face...I love his snip.


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## amp23 (Jan 6, 2011)

That's good to hear.  I would also take advantage of doing a bunch of ground work and bonding with him while he gains weight! I think that would do both of yall a lot of good in the long run. I wish I had done that more in the beginning with my guy rather than waiting a while, but I didn't know better when I first got him!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Another short ride last night. He was still moving short, but my BO said we'll have to give it a few more weeks before we can determine if he needs shoes. Overall, a good ride though. We're really focusing on getting him to move off my leg. Did a bit of groundwork with him too. My BO said he's been a bit pushy with other people (trying to drag them while on a lead, not moving away in the stall). Funny thing is, that he doesn't do any of that to me. So I've got to see if I can borrow someone this weekend to help me work with him so he knows he has to be good for everyone on a leadrope!


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## piglet (Oct 2, 2012)

Pleases keep us updated - I am so excited for you! (and I'm so glad that you have good support from your BO)
I like his name, too.
My first horse was many years ago, but I can still remember the thrill.


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

It was cold and windy today (33 degrees F and 20mph winds). Brrr! Barnabus did pretty well during my ride today. I kept it to about 30 minutes, and continued to work with him on the concept of moving off my leg and bending. I think we're getting somewhere with it - I really only have to give a little squeeze most of the time now. But I now need to work on keeping his attention on me, and not on all the fascinating things going on around us! We did just a little bit of cantering, and as per my BO's instructions, I'm not letting him run into the canter. I honestly don't think he really understands what I want when I ask for the canter. He pops into it quickly when I give a little flick of the crop on his shoulder, so my BO has instructed me to give the leg aids and the flick of the crop at the same time for now, until he can make the association. And for one of today's canter transitions, I didn't even need the crop! Progress! 

He is doing one funny thing in the barn though. I really need a behavioral reference to see what it means. When I scratch up and down the crest of his neck, he'll lower his head a bit and then open his mouth and move it towards my hip, like he's about to bite or something. I don't know if that's his attempt at reciprocal grooming, or if he's trying to push me. In any case, he got a light tap on the nose, and he promptly stopped.


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## hemms (Apr 18, 2012)

Mutual grooming. Good response, though. I've always been afraid of it, given their size! Love reading your entries!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Thanks, hemms! Since I've only been riding for about a year and a half now, I'm still getting versed on horse behavior. They're so fascinating!


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## piglet (Oct 2, 2012)

Hi!
It was 16 degrees F when I went out to ride today, but no wind so it wasn't bad.
Sounds like your guy would like to groom you back. You need to let him know he doesn't have to scratch your shoulders with his teeth (like he would another horse). He just wants to be nice to you!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Well, today was a much nicer day as far as weather goes. Another short ride, but this time we were able to do serpentines with almost no rein contact! He did nearly all of the turns on just my seat and leg. Woohoo! On an even better note, shortly after I finished my ride, the farrier showed up to work on another horse who'd thrown a shoe last week. After he finished with that horse, we had a long chat about Barnabus, since he was still moving very short today. The farrier took a good look at his feet and prodded them all around. The verdict is that Barnabus has very thin soles all around the frogs on both front feet. They flexed even from just finger pressure (Bill was kind enough to spend some time educating me on the topic). Since we don't know Barnabus' history, we debated a bit on what to do. Final decision was to go ahead and put shoes on his front feet. I plan to go ride tomorrow after work and I'm told I should see immediate improvement. Fingers crossed!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Holy cow, what a difference those shoes made! I joined in the lesson tonight and it was like a totally different horse. He moved out into a wonderful working trot right off the bat. In fact, the motion was so different from yesterday that it took me a few minutes to adjust. Instead of urging him on, I really had to half halt a lot. Every gait was so much nicer, and we even got a bit of lengthening and a iittle collection tonight! Finally, to cap the evening off, we trotted two jumps in a line - a nice even trot through both with no hesitation on his part at all. What a wonderful ride!

Now comes the funny part.  My BO and I have discovered that Barnabus does not like going into the pasture at night! He tries really hard to just stay in the barn. We're not sure what's going on, but suspect that at least one of the other horses from the barn has been going after him right after he gets in the field each night (since Barnabus is last one in). It'll be interesting to see how this gets resolved over time.


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## piglet (Oct 2, 2012)

I'm happy to hear that the shoes helped him.
I hope none of his herdmates are being bullies.:evil: (Evil mare glare to anyone messing with Barnabus!)


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Thanks, Piglet! I think I'm going to have to get out to the barn at turn-out time a bit more often and see if I can figure out what's going on. If it is another horse, then I'm hoping that turning Barnabus out first may solve that problem. I'll try that out tomorrow!


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## piglet (Oct 2, 2012)

If you are out there at turn-out time and see him getting bullied, there are things you can do to raise his position in the herd.


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Tonight's ride was pretty good. Steering and moving off my leg is definitely an item to work on. We seem to have the concept of bending around my leg down, but not much else yet. I did get fussed at a bit tonight by my BO. Barnabus jinked to the left again in front of a jump, and my BO told me that there's two things I must do consistently to help teach him what to do: steer and commit. I can't let him go his pace. It must be mine. It must be the path I set. It must be the jump I want to go over. She said it's pretty obvious that Barnabus doesn't know much about jumping, so I need to be committed and give him lots of support. Of course, all this was said after he did the jink away from the jump and just about plowed into everyone else! Stubborn, much? He certainly does have a mind of his own! I have some homework between now and my next lesson to work on with him, for sure!

As far as the turnout at night goes, we are still walking him to the field. Barnabus is determined to go anywhere except into the field. (Again with the stubbornness!) And we've confirmed that there is one gelding that waits near the gate, just so he can chase Barnabus a bit. The field is large, and that gelding only hangs out near the gate, so I think Barnabus isn't getting chased constantly, probably only when he goes in the field. We're going to start walking him into the field before letting the "mean" gelding out, to see if that changes things.


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## piglet (Oct 2, 2012)

Please keep us up-dated.
I had a nice (though far too short) ride on my guy last night. 24 degrees F, no wind, scenery lightly frosted with snow - my kind of day! (Love it when there's no darn flies.:lol


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Finally got out to ride Barnabus again yesterday. I'm so ready for spring! Anyway, spent some extra time grooming him since he was caked in mud, but only on one side. I should have had my phone with me to take a picture! One side is normal looking, and then he turned around in the stall, and OMG! Mud from eyeball to tail, and spine to hooves. Dude must have found an excellent mudhole to sleep in Saturday night. 

So, after the cloud of dirt settles from my vigorous grooming, I get Barnabus all tacked up and we head out to the arena for a lesson. He now understands that he has to stand still to be mounted. Yay! But... he still wants to step off as soon as my butt lands in the saddle. He knows he shouldn't, because as soon as I said "hey!" and twitched the reins, he stood stock still. We'll get there eventually. The lesson wasn't as great as prior ones had been. I wasn't as balanced on him, so every time we turned the corner and started moving up or down hill (the arena's on a slight slope), we had issues with either turning where I wanted to turn, or maintaining gait. The last exercise my instructor had us do was a real eye-opener for that. She had us do a posting trot down the short side (also downhil), and after we turned the corner, we were to pick up the right-lead canter. Mid-way down the long side, we were to canter a large circle, then continue down the long side and halt. Yeah.... The first and last parts of that exercise were great. The canter part, not so much! My being off balance (and, I'm assuming his stubborness about where he wanted to make the circle) caused us to canter lots of half circles (and trot the other half). My last repitition of that, I decided to ask for a trot right before the spot where he'd break, and he did that nicely, so we called it a day. Always good to end on a high note, right? 

Now for my minor rant :-x, I found out that one of the instructors at the barn (not the BO!) had used Barnabus in her lesson on Saturday morning. Now, I don't have a problem with that part as I'd told everyone that he could be used in the lessons. But she put a little girl who'd only had 2 prior lessons on him! And he took off on her at one point in the lesson. Really?!? A horse we don't know well, except that he's got some big holes in his training, who's real personality is just coming out as he gains weight and energy, and you're going to put a little girl who knows nothing on him? I don't know if the girl fell off (I'm assuming she did). When I see my BO tomorrow, I'm going to chat with her about this. Ok, rant over!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

With all the rain we've had, and my long work hours, I didn't get out to see Barnabus again until my lesson last night. He must have found a succession of good mud wallows! It took quite a while just to curry the mud off. Then I had to escape the stall for a few minutes to recover from the cloud of dust and hair (he's shedding like there's no tomorrow. Yay!).

Barnabus is still positive my grooming bag is the "treat bag of glory." If it's anywhere near him, he'll pick it up and shake it around. He found treats in there once, and that was all it took! I have to admit, it's hard to fuss at him when I'm laughing myself silly over his antics.

The lesson last night went really well. Every time I ride him, it's a new experience as he gains weight and energy. We had to do lots of circles in the corners at the beginning of the lesson - Barnabus wanted to turn at different spots than I did! After about 3 circles, he figured out that I wasn't going to let him, and we were able to move on. We managed a few strides of collection, but he can't maintain it yet. He was much more willing to change up his trot when I asked for collection, though! We cantered a bit in both directions in the "collected frame" (that's what my BO calls it - really just a slightly shorter stride than the working canter, not actual collection). He was fabulous for that. But it fell apart a little when we moved to working canter. I released too much of the reins, and didn't keep good leg on, so Barnabus didn't stay in the canter. My BO noted that he had stayed in consistent canter for longer in this lesson than prior, so he was probably getting tired and broke gait when I didn't urge enough. Our final exercise was to canter a large left-lead circle as many times as it took to get a nice, powerful canter, and then canter over a small X. We had the choice after that of continuing to a small vertical jump or bending off to the side. Other than cutting the corner on approach to the first jump (and making the approach much shorter!), we did great! I chose not to do the second jump and really just focus on the quality of his gait before and after. Fabulous job from Barnabus! Picture updates coming this weekend.


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Picture update! I got my son to come out to the farm with me and take a few pictures of Barnabus and I. He also took some short movies of the two of us riding. Oh boy, do I have some things to work on... open inside hand, floppy legs, and so on. But at least now I've seen it for myself so I can focus on at least one of those problems on my next ride.

Here's Barnabus after a month with me!

Adrianne


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Between the freak snowstorm and my work, it had been nearly a week since I'd seen Barnabus. However, today's weather was fabulous - sunny and around 60F. Yay! My lesson was really good. Balance was the topic for today. I was finally in balance in the corners and on the hills. Barnabus actually balanced himself and got off the forehand once when cantering downhill! Good boy! At the end of the lesson we trotted a few small jumps. We actually kept straight between the jumps, and I managed not to get over his neck, lose my leg, or any other silly things. The only thing we didn't quite do right was maintaining good impulsion trotting uphill. But I'll still call that a very successful lesson. :lol:

On a different note, my BO told me that he's now integrated into the herd pretty well. He might be a laid back fellow with us humans, but he's definitely not at the bottom of the pecking order in the herd anymore. The gelding that had been tormenting him has evidently been put in his place. My BO told me that yesterday when bringing all the boys into the barn for their morning feed, Barnabus couldn't get into his stall (someone had latched it the previous night). So he goes into the mean guy's stall, pins his ears at that guy, who promptly backed into the corner, and then goes after the food. By that point my BO had managed to grab his halter and get him out. She said she was all set to have to deal with a big horse battle, and was shocked over how Barnabus backed him down. All that food is definitely having an impact on him! I can't wait to see how he looks in a couple more months.
Adrianne


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

This week has been full of highs and lows. First, there was the call I got Monday from my BO saying that Barnabus was pretty lame. She thought it was an abcess and wanted to know what I wanted to do. Well, his foot got soaked that afternoon and the next morning, and he got a little bute as well for the pain. When I went out to look at him Tuesday, he seemed to be fine. He was pjtting weight on all feet and he trotted right out to the field for the night. So, we say "lets see what tomorrow looks like," in order to determine if a vet visit is needed. Yesterday, he is still moving ok. I get upon him and ride for a bit, but there were no signs of lameness. OK..... So maybe he just stepped on something and got a bruise. Who knows? 

Today's lesson was really neat. We spent most of the lesson with our hands pressed into the withers. This was an exercise designed to get us to stop pulling or balancing on the reins. What an interesting experience! I had no idea I was fiddling so much with the reins! Definitely need to continue work on steering, though. Our final bit was to go over some small jumps - but just sliding the hands forward a bit for the release. We cantered 3 jumps without stopping! What a great feeling.


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## piglet (Oct 2, 2012)

He looks like he's happy - and it sounds like the two of you are learning and making progress. I'm glad he's not being bullied anymore - I was ready to come kick butt on his behalf!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

I can't believe it's been a week since I last posted! I have discovered that Barnabus has a will of his own, and is no longer so shy about expressing it! When I went to ride Tuesday after work, I got there before evening feeding. My entire ride with him was a series of "discussions" about how he wanted to be in his stall eating and I insisted on riding. He wasn't mean about it, just very obvious about what he wanted. :lol: 

Thursday's lesson had more of the same. It was bitterly cold and windy thatn night, too. (Ugh, isn't spring supposed to be here?) Anyway, at the end of the lesson, we trotted a small course with no issues. For our second turn, we were supposed to trot the first jump, canter the next 3, then trot the last. No problem, right? Wrong! Barnabus decided not to canter. Then when I finally did get him in a canter (3/4 of the way around the whole ring!), he decided he'd had enough and ran into the fence instead of turning the corner. I came off. Oy. Well, got back on, faced that corner, and, per my instructor, gave him a good smack with the crop, and then asked for the canter again. This time we did the course just fine. Stubborn horse! Well, all that personality of his is part of why I like him so much!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

My rides earlier this week on Barnabus were pretty good. However, from Thursday's lesson, I've been given a new thing to focus on. That is getting true engagement of the hind end. Evidently what I'd been thinking of as a nice working trot was anything but. My BO said it's been lazy and inattentive. But she also said that when I got him to really focus on me and pay attention, his gaits were all much better. Duh! My goal for this afternoon's lesson is to try to focus on that much more. I also want to ask about what I should do when Barnabus ignores my leg (i.e. being inattentive). Do I need to give him a quick smack with a crop, or begin wearing spurs? I'm eager to see what i can do in today's lesson!


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

I see a lot of improvement along his back. Do you have a weight tape to see how much he's gaining? I always kept track of my horses w/a monthly weighing,as sometimes we don't see what's in front of us-just another tool for good management. I hope you get more riding time as the weather gets nicer & the days longer. Do you have any trails to ride on?


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

That's a really good idea! I'll see about borrowing a weight tape tomorrow when I go out to the farm again. 

As for trails, there's a lady at the farm that pretty much only does trail riding on the neighbors properties. She's agreed to lead us around on some weekend soon when it's warmer. I'm looking forward to that!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

I've managed to forget to borrow a weight tape all week, but it's definitely still on my list of things to take care of soon! I want to see how much Barnabus has managed to gain over the last two months.

In my lesson on Thursday, we spent more time on transitions and getting him to really start using his hind end better. Overall, it was a very good lesson, even though we held it during a rain/hail storm! My lesson yesterday was interesting as well. My BO brought out a set of small spurs. She told me to wear them so she could see how he reacted to them. Now that was interesting! A small nudge of the spur got more of a reaction from him than the crop ever did. I felt like I did OK with my first attempt at using them for the walk and trot, but I suspect my leg wasn't quite as stable at the canter. My BO was pretty pleased overall though. She mentioned having me wear the spurs for a week or two and then we'll see how he goes. 

One thing that we have noticed about Barnabus is that when he gets tired (or maybe a bit overwhelmed mentally?), especially going to the right, he will pick a corner and run into the fence instead of turning the corner. He'll do this at both trot and canter. He's done it with all four corners at various times, and he's even done it when using only half the arena. I was discussing that with my BO yesterday, and we're starting to think it might be more mental than physical with him, but nothing's been ruled out yet. We're going to keep working with him, and see if we can figure this out! 

Picture day with Barnabus coming later this week for sure.


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## demonwolfmoon (Oct 31, 2011)

I enjoyed reading your journal. I am an adult beginner rider as well...though You have a lot more lessons in than I do!!!! Have you decided to buy this horse? Did I miss that?

Anyway, I'm subbing to read your future updates =)


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

I did decide to buy him just as soon as I got the vet exam done. I've now owned him for 2 months as of today!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

While I haven't been out to the farm since Sunday, I did get the vet report from the shots she gave a couple of weeks ago. According to the measurement she took, Barnabus weighed in at 930 lbs on 3/27. She had measured him at 916 lbs on 2/6 when the initial vet exam was done. I'm generally inclined to think "slow and steady" for weight gain is the way to go, but I'm not familiar enough with horses to say if his weight gain is at a reasonable rate. I suppose I'll put a post up in the Health section once I get some new pics this weekend.


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

So, I did finally manage to talk to my BO, and she's increased the amount of hay she's giving him each day. I'll see about checking on his weight gain in a couple of weeks. On a different note, he finally seems to be coming near the end of shedding! I can now see indications of what his summer coat looks like. I'll be so glad when all that hair finally comes off.

My lesson this past Thursday was totally fabulous. My BO told me that was the best she'd ever seen me ride him. Yay! For the jumping part of the lesson, we trotted the first and cantered the second in a straight line. My goal was for us to do the 2 jumps without any last-minute jinks, to land cantering, and for me to try to balance the canter between the two jumps (I wasn't quite as successful with this goal). And we did it three times in a row! Now, our canter-halt transitions.... not so good.  We're still "dribbling" to a halt, and it's not totally straight (that part's entirely my fault).

I brought my mom out to meet Barnabus last weekend and she took some pictures. Enjoy!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Our riding lesson today was pretty good! We had good upward transitions and good canter-halt transitions. Barnabus' trot was kinda pokey today though. I hadn't worn my spurs for the last week and his pokiness is a result. I will wear my spurs on saturday though! He is starting to gain some confidence with jumping. We've been doing a single line of trot-in, canter-out for the last few weeks. Today was the first time I asked for more canter after the first jump, and boy did I get it! It was awesome! So, my BO added a twist for our final go-around. This time we trotted an uphill jump on the diagonal of the arena and then did the line. I didn't give him enough confidence and he jinked off as we approached. So we circled and tried again (strong leg!), this time he went over, but with a massive leap! Then we kept on and he saw the first jump of the line. I could tell when he locked on-the ears perked up and 2 strides before the jump, he popped into a canter (we were supposed to trot it!), then we did a very forward canter to the last jump where he picked a massive spot to go over an 18 inch jump.


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

*Overdue Update!*

Wow, I just realized that it's been a few months since I posted here. Time has just flown by. Barnabus and I went through a period where we had lots of refusals at jumps. It turned out to be mostly me (he is not a "push button" horse!). As long as I remember to sit back and maintain leg and contact, we jump beautifully. Just recently, we've started jumping small courses of 4-5 jumps in our lessons! Still at the 18 in - 2 ft. height, but we're moving along quite well.

Barnabus and I are going to our first show on Sunday. I'm so excited! It's my first competition ever, as well as my first with Barnabus! We're only going to do 18 in. jumps there, but I think that's plenty for our first one. Yay! Pictures to come after the show, I promise!


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

Good Luck!


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## barrelbeginner (Jan 31, 2012)

Subbing Can't wait to see new pictures of your boy!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Just got home from the show a little while ago. It was cold and drizzly all day, but we had a blast! We did two divisions - student equitation and pleasure horse. I got a 4th (walk-trot) and a 2nd (walk-trot-canter) for the flat portion of equitation. No ribbon for the jumping. We took down the back part of the oxer that was our second jump.  To be fair to us though, I have never jumped Barnabus over an oxer before today. No refusals though! For the pleasure horse, we got 4th for all three rounds! Here are a couple of pictures from today.

I'm definitely hooked on showing! Now I just need to save up some money for next year's show season.

Adrianne


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

I'd realized after looking at the show pictures that Barnabus is still looking very skinny, so he's now on a fat supplement. I just got a 30 day supply, and will re-assess after that. He's now been on it for a week. Fingers crossed! 

In my lesson yesterday morning, we cantered a course of 7 (count 'em! 7!) jumps, all set between 2 feet and 2ft 3. No refusals! We even maintained a mostly even pace and I remembered to help him balance the turns and hills. I am still slightly throwing away contact right before the jump (crest release) and my BO is teaching me how to do an auto release instead. We'signed up to do one more hunter/jumper show this year on Oct 6. Yay!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

We are signed up for our second show. It's set for October 6th. Wish us luck!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Marcie (Jul 25, 2013)

subbing! good luck to you guys!


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## barrelbeginner (Jan 31, 2012)

GOOD luck


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

In today's lesson, we conquered a new thing. My trainer called it an "in and out" - basically two jumps with one canter stride between them. Barnabus ran out twice at the canter (I really really need to do better with my legs!), but we got over when we approached at the trot. Next lesson, we'll hopefully get a shot at that again.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Barnabus has now been on the fat supplement for two weeks. I think it's making a difference. What do you think? The first picture is from Sept. 1, and the second is from today.


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## amp23 (Jan 6, 2011)

I think it's helping but he does need more  keep up the good work with him!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Last night's lesson was pretty interesting. We (Barnabus and I) learned about flying lead changes. Now, Barnabus had a leg up on me for this, because he's done them before - I had just never asked (or knew I was asking!) for it. So last night, I learned how to ask for a lead change. And of course, a lead change to the left was MUCH easier to accomplish than one to the right! But we did get at least one in each direction. Yay!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Well, no horse show for us tomorrow.  Barnabus evidently played too hard with the other geldings Thursday night and got kicked (we think). His right front shoulder was swollen last night, and he was very short at the trot. I checked him out again this morning. The swelling's gone down a lot, he moved OK on a lunge line, but under saddle was still a little short (the front edge of the saddle sits right on top of where the swelling is). So we're playing it safe, and have scheduled ourselves for a show on November 2nd instead. My BO is going to check him out again on Monday and if the swelling hasn't gone away completely by then, we'll discuss whether I need to call the vet out. 

But, hey, this gives me another month to improve on our weak spots, right?


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## amp23 (Jan 6, 2011)

That really stinks. But better to just keep working to get that much better for your next show! Keep us updated on how his shoulder heals.


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Since we couldn't go to the show today, I decided to take pictures! I also put the weight tape on Barnabus, and according to it, he now weighs about 1040 pounds. Yay! Back in February, the vet told me that a good weight for him should be around 1100 pounds. Looks like we're finally getting there. The first pic is a profile to show his improvement over the last month. The next couple are just for fun.  Enjoy!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Update on Barnabus... So it wasn't the right shoulder after all. Today, my BO noticed that he is favoring his front left foot. The coronet band is swollen and slightly warm, so it looks like he has an abcess. Time to soak his foot for a few days....


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## amp23 (Jan 6, 2011)

At least you now know what's going on! Abscesses aren't terrible to deal with compared to all the bigger issues that horses can come up with


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Tell me about it! There was definitely a part of me thinking that. I went to check on Barnabus today, and my BO said he was moving pretty well - not nearly as lame as yesterday. His foot got soaked again anyway. The vet's coming out tomorrow to look at one of the other horses at the farm, and depending on how Barnabus looks tomorrow morning, my BO may have her go ahead and take a look at his foot too. I've a good relationship with my BO and rely on her experience for lots of stuff, so I told her whatever she thought best for Barnabus since I can't be there during the day to assess. I'll check on him again tomorrow evening to see how he's progressing.


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Update! So, the vet came out yesterday, and wouldln't you know it? Barnabus isn't acting lame anymore. Ugh. However, he did have swelling in that left ankle (the same leg we thought had the abcess) and he failed the flexion test in that leg. The vet said that there's a 50/50 chance we'll have to inject the joint. He's on bute for the next few days and I'm to attempt riding him again on Monday to see how he does.

On a different note, I rode in a lesson tonight. I used to think I was a good rider. Tonight proved otherwise! My legs were everywhere, my seat was useless, and I kept burying my hands. Jeez. We'll see how I do in tomorrow's lesson (hopefully much better than tonight!)

Adrianne


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

So, the vet came out yesterday and injected Barnabus' joint. He was definitely not moving well on Monday under saddle, and the joint was still a little swollen. She did go back to her notes from the pre-purchase exam in February and saw the note she'd made where she felt a little fluid in that joint. So she said this wasn't totally out of the blue. She also said that she had a good feeling that after this next week of downtime from the injection, Barnabus will be good as new. Next Wednesday, I'll get to try to ride him again. My BO said the vet hasn't been wrong yet with her feelings, so my fingers are crossed!

Adrianne


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

I'm feeling a bit down. It's been two weeks since Barnabus' ankle was injected and he's still not better. He can maybe flex it half way. I think he's going to have to get x-rayed. The vet thinks t may be a bone chip, from when he raced. My BO is going to call and set up the appointment for the x-ray for me.


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## amp23 (Jan 6, 2011)

Awh, that's no fun. Lameness issues are miserable to deal with. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! I hope you can get some good news.


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Got some mostly good news today! Ended up not doing the x-rays, since when the vet looked him over, she said he is still improving. She said the fluid that had built up in the back of his fetlock was now gone, and there was just a hard spot in the front left. She is still positive that this was a very old something (injury or bone chip) that worked loose, and between that and his age (16), it's just taking a while to heal. I'm to give him a bit of bute for the next 10 days, double up his joint supplement for the next two weeks, and ride him gently every couple of days for the next two weeks. She'll look him over again then, and re-assess. Fingers crossed that he'll mend all the way soon!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

I was able to ride Barnabus in a lesson today! He didn't limp or show any other signs of being off. We even finished the lesson with a small course of 3 jumps. Yay! He's finally better.


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Brnabus got a clean bill of health yesterday! Yay! I rode him in last night's lesson, and he was great. A little lazy at the start, but great. We concluded with a course of 4 jumps, and he was fabulous!


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## amp23 (Jan 6, 2011)

That's great news!!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Things have been going really well. I changed his bit from a full-cheek snaffle to a D-ring french link upon advice from my BO, and its made a difference with Barnabus. He's not chomping and fighting the bit (not that he ever did much), and its a bit easier to ask him to get on his rear. Our big accomplishment recently is that we jumped 2'6"! Of course, my BO told me the height after we did the course. She knows that I've no depth perception since I don't wear my glasses when I ride, and took advantage of that to introduce the new height to me. Stinker! Plus side is that Barnabus cleared the jump easily when I didn't let him get strung out on the approach. Minus is that he knocked a rail when I let him get strung out. Something for me to work on for sure!

Adrianne


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## amp23 (Jan 6, 2011)

That's awesome! I definitely prefer the french link. Horses with a lower palate like it more too since it won't dig into the top of their mouth. Sounds like he really likes it! I'd love to see some pictures of you riding!


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

I'm definitely aiming to get some pictures and video soon. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate after Christmas! Our last couple of lessons have been all about contact and balancing the canter. I keep thinking I'm pulling or taking too much with the reins, and my instructor's been yelling at me about that. So on Wednesday, she had me start off in a walk in half of the arena. She had me take up more and more rein (and contact) until I had what she felt was right. Then I was to ask for the canter. Boy, I never realized what a difference that would make! Barnabus turned from lazy sod into "go, go go!" just from me taking up a more positive contact with the reins! Not only that, but our upward transition was ever so much better - it was a real transition and not just running into the canter. Friday's lesson had a lot of work cantering over ground poles to work on stride length and balance. That was fun! We got the shorter stride set of poles easily, but the longer stride set... not so much.  Something more for us to work on.


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

Well, I haven't been able to do as much riding as I would like. In fact, I've not been able to ride at all for the last week. Either frozen ground or foul weather has mucked up my plans. However I did at least get out to the barn today and spend some time with Barnabus. He was being a total goof! Here are a couple of pics. Enjoy!


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