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Comment by lesley bruce on October 4, 2008 at 4:08am

Hi Slimey. - (what a name, giggle )

I wish I'd been at the show to see Linus's bucks, I think it's great when horses enjoy themselves though it sounds like you were sitting tight to stay on, your smile is enchanting not goofy at all, it really does me good to see it. What a lovely picture of you both. ...

I'm jealous.
Cheers
(¯`*•.¸(¯`*•.¸Lesley¸.•*´¯)¸.•*´¯)

Comment by LucyM on October 3, 2008 at 4:57pm

Pickle is very well suited to his name.... One morning in his yearling year, I had got to the yard a little earlier than usual and was surprised to only see Alf's head poking out over the door. Pele has his backside to the door as often as he puts his head over so I wasn't worried about him, but I couldn't see the white face which is normally the first one I notice.

Got right up to the stables. Still no Pickle. When I looked in his stable. he was stood right at the back with his head really low. And the drawstring of his haynet round both one foreleg and just behind his ears, so he couldn't move either without affecting the other I really do not know how he'd managed it.

It was the haynet that is normally suspended from a beam on a single strand of baler twine (not a loop) and tied so there's no free loop in which he could get tangled. He'd had it in there for weeks. I'm guessing he'd been chewing the end of the drawstring (there wasn't much free and what was, was tucked through it's loop and pulled pretty tight), and also chewed through the baler twine, unless that snapped when he got caught up.

In fact, the more I think about it, the less I understand how the hell he managed it. I don't think he'd been stuck for long because there were no marks or swellings on his leg or behind his ears and, more tellingly perhaps, he had hardly sweated. Luckily I had my knife in my pocket so I cut him free pretty quick. And he was very grateful. I didn't get nipped or grabbed at all that morning.

I was very very thankful that he didn't panic. His stable was actually tidier than usual and there were no signs that he'd thrashed about. I can't even begin to consider what might have happened if he had.

Comment by LucyM on October 3, 2008 at 3:47pm

Another of Pickle's favourite games is to turn the barrow over. Usually when I've just filled it...

Comment by Hez on October 3, 2008 at 12:03pm

This is my horse Cal. Can you tell he loves his hay? I got a panicked phone call one afternoon from a fellow boarder that Cal had somehow managed to get into the hay crib. I raced to the barn, frantic to find him happily munching away, in shaded hay heaven. I found out he'd squeezed through a spot where a board had fallen off. What the heck was I going to do, short of ripping the whole thing down around him? He could not be coaxed out at first, but when I came with a bucket of grain, I finally got him back through the opening, nearly getting trampled in the process. The barn manager later - gleefully - pointed out that one whole side of the crib is on hinges and opens out so they can ad the round bales. Quite the "D'oh" moment on my part.

Silly horse, cribs are for hay!

Comment by LJ on October 3, 2008 at 9:56am

As for this one:
I decided to take my pony out to a winter show to get ready for the upcoming season, we showed trillium the year before (No warm up) and figured...he doesn't stop so why would I do warm up!? As I am watching the warm up riders go I see my friend on her horse who is usually (I believe) pretty calm but anyways he looked like he had just had 5 sugar rushes...so I was a bit nervous but shook it off. So I go in the ring for my first course and the first thing my pony does is SNORT. VERY loudly. I assume ah it is just those large grandstands...he has never seen those before! I pick up my canter and assume the light half seat position at a nice calm relaxing, hunter course pace. Come to the first jump I see a good spot...so I am pretty excited yea know! haha, my ponies ears are pricked forward and he is looking down, milli-seconds before take off he scooted right I was in mid 2-point so I fell onto his neck, then he swung me around and went flying off..but was determined NOT to let this butt leave the ditching area. So I get a good grip on the reins and he DRAGS me about 5 ft to where the sand weighted me down and I had to let go, he takes off (opposite direction of outgate) that is when you know you don't have a stopper haaha, they run deeper into trouble LOL. But anyways I got up grabbed the reins and rode the next course hard and we got a 2nd :) Our flat class....that is another story :P

haha, I could see this on a card for a new born baby! "Have fun!"

Comment by lesley bruce on October 3, 2008 at 5:50am

hi Mellisa,

Back to the wild horse dressage, you have coined a quotable phrase. Well it set me thinking about horses like Tilly or rather "Cantwaitillater" (love it).

There should be a special "Wild Horse Dressage" section where these horses can shine, after all they do spectacular moves with snippets of total excellence well worth with 10s, but judges never ever give 10s to these horses perhaps blinded by the mistakes.

So lets say you compete in the normal way with all competitors in one class, then to qualify for the "Wild Horse" bit if you gain at least two zeros; any moves that are astonishingly awful gain minus points which are doubled because of their entertainment value and any marvelous athletic bits are marked likewise; regular good bits which get pluses are marked on their merit , if worth a 10 they get it.

At the end the minus points are added up, the plus points converted to minus the whole totaled;

The one with the highest minus score wins the "Wild Horse Section"

What do you think??

Thank for that Mellissa and Cantwaitillater
Cheers
(¯`*•.¸(¯`*•.¸Lesley¸.•*´¯)¸.•*´¯)

Comment by Pandora1087 on October 2, 2008 at 11:18pm

This is short and sweet...My TB hunter "Mac" is a very picky eater. If he doesn't like a treat you give him, he will spit it at you. He actually has aim too. (There will be a picture of him up here soon.)

My retired jumper, Captain, loves his cookies, and he expects to get one when he is brought inside. He not only knows where they are, he knows how to open his cookie jar. It has a screw top, and he figured out that if he puts pressure on it with his nose and turns it left, it will open.

Comment by Delaney on October 2, 2008 at 10:06pm

Okay I have three stories:

When I first got Luke I was just doing walk trot. It was my first show and I had just a handful of rides on Luke. I was happily trotting around when all of a sudden Luke came to a dead stop and began pooping. His former owner, my mom, and my trainer all stood around the ring absolutely horrified. I kicked away with my little legs to no avail. Tears began to well up in my eyes and then Luke finished his business and trotted off like nothing had happened. Needless to say, I didn't place, but that would only be the first sign in a comical relationship with Luke.

Number 2: I was cantering down an outside line and right in the front of the out jump I see a styrofoam food box blow right in front of it. It rolled by like a tumbleweed in an old western and I could hear the western music play as Luke and I began our stand off. I put my leg on and looked the other way. The audience was completely silent and it was as if we were in slow motion. The second jump was heading towards us way too fast and then we were on the other side. The styrofoam box blowing around the side of the ring. I stared straight ahead and tried to push it out of my mind. I gripped on for a huge spook. Then, we were past it. No problem. He got his lead change and went on like absolutely nothing. The entire audience let out a sigh of relief and I placed very high in that class.

Story 3: I was riding Luke around a course and he was tired. It was the second day of showing and I had added a division. I was cantering down a line blissfully unaware of what would happen next. Luke gave a dirty stop and I went right off. I got up and turned around and had Luke's eyes meet mine. He had his head dipped down and he had the saddest eyes on. His puppy dog face overtook me and I just could not be upset. He stood stock still until I grabbed him and we walked out. I received the "Annie Oakley" Award for my fall. It wasn't first, but I was still very proud.

Comment by Slimey on October 2, 2008 at 7:50pm

Linus (or Slimey, as I affectionately like to call him-- if you met him in person, you'd know why-- he slimes everything when he has a treat!) is usually an very even tempered horse. He is well behaved in the show ring, and if he were to misbehave, it would usually be him being lazy.

Earlier this year I was at a big horse show with Linus. He schooled perfectly at the showgrounds the day before the show-- we only did one course before my trainer decided that was enough-- you shouldn't mess with perfection. Day one of the show, Linus seems to be fine. He was perfect in the schooling ring. I go in to do my first course and after the first fence -- *BUCK*-- Okay, not expected, as this horse has never done something like that in the show ring. Second fence, BUCK, Third fence, BUCK, etc, a buck after every single fence!!! And let me tell you, Linus' buck is all four feet off the ground, back feet WAY up in the air. I come out of the ring to meet my trainer with the most puzzled look on his face.

The two remaining trips I had that day involved multiple buck after every fence. Linus was apparently feeling very good, and that one round schooling the day before must not have been enough to tire him up for the show :). Since it was so out of the ordinary for him, and they were very playful bucks, all I could do is grin like a fool and laugh as we went around the courses. Linus was his usual self the remainder of the show, and we finished up Champion in our main division (thankfully I was usung the first day classes as warm ups and they were not in our main division). I'll never forget that day-- perfect example of the unpredictable nature of horses-- Linus was in his glory and I was just along for the ride.

Sadly, these bucks were not captured on camera, but my foolish grin coming around a corner out of a buck was!

Comment by lesley bruce on October 2, 2008 at 4:32pm

Hi Melissa,

"Wild Horse Dressage" now that's a good idea.

Blast! phone just rang, sorry, I have to go out will come back on that one.

cheers
(¯`*•.¸(¯`*•.¸Lesley¸.•*´¯)¸.•*´¯)

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