As Michael Approached

I just got to ride on Wednesday this week. There was off and on rain, and a pretty persistent drizzle while we drove to the stable. Debbie had called me to make sure I was still coming out, but when I told her that this would be my only chance to ride this week and I was willing to dodge the raindrops she told me to come on out.…

All Three Horses Point to my Right Hand

Last Sunday I rode a still sore Cider. When I went to buy the supplement that worked somewhat on Cider's arthritis the feed store was out, so I got the “Stop the Pain” supplement after consulting with Shannon. By Sunday Cider had been on the new supplement (AND a feed that included some supplements that help arthritis) for a week. Shannon was happy that…

Finally, an Acceptable Bit

This week, after the promised three weeks in the 23mm egg-butt stainless steel snaffle, I went back to experimenting with my new collection of titanium coated snaffle bits with Coach. Debbie and I both decided that, due to Coach's extreme fussiness with bits off contact, we should next try the titanium coated Mullen mouth snaffle. This bit addresses two of Coach's…

We Survived Florence

Tropical storm Florence messed up my riding last week. While I got my lesson in, I did not ride Mia that Friday because I was afraid that the lowering air pressure would aggravate her arthritic joints and Sunday I did not ride because of the storm. But my power stayed on throughout the storm, I had the internet, and I did not have to go outside to take care of animals, so…

More Adventures in Trying Bits

I spent this week trying out my new bits on all three horses, Cider, Coach and Mia.

Last Sunday I rode Cider. She was still quite stiff from her arthritis though Shannon thinks that she has improved some on the arthritis supplement. I figured that a different bit would give her something new to…

It Seems Like Coach Prefers a Center Joint

This week I learned that Coach can communicate with great subtlety.

I was all excited when I got to the stable for my lesson on Wednesday. I had put my new three piece titanium coated “rainbow” egg-butt snaffle (with a lozenge) on my bridle to try out on Coach. When it came time to…

Could It Be the Center Joint?

I used my new Ovation titanium coated D-ring single jointed anatomic mouth bit on Coach for the second time during my lesson on Wednesday. The grinding of the bit between his teeth was greatly reduced this time, he ground the bit some at tacking up and being led to the ring, but it was not as “furious” as before. When I started my ride he ground the bit a few…

We Try a Titanium Coated Bit

Since I started riding Coach three weeks ago I have been trying to think of a solution for him grinding the bit between his premolar teeth. To recap, Coach's normal bit is stainless steel and is 23mm thick, I think.

Coach ground the 13mm thick stainless steel Wellep bit between his teeth the most…

Coach Does Better with the Fulmer Bit

After my lesson last week I dug my Fulmer Full Cheek snaffle out of my bit box, and I finally found my Fulmer bit loops (the Fulmer bit requires special bit loops because the little ball at the end of the full cheek is small.) I dug out my Micklem horse sized nose piece, found a pair of my bit straps I made from cut down…

Coach is a Thoroughbred

Coach is my new lesson horse for right now. He is an OTTB gelding, Chestnut, around 15.3+ hands, with very good substance for a TB, and very high withers that stretch way back (no “pockets”.) To prepare my tack for Coach I took out the doubled bridging shims from my Contender II saddle pad, found my 48” string girth, got my 5” Wellep single jointed snaffle, and I…

We Should Have Waited Longer for the Bute to Work

Last Sunday Shannon gave Cider a gram of Bute before she came to pick me up. When we arrived, Shannon immediately went to tack Cider up since I ride Cider in my saddle, saddle pad and bridle. Cider still looked stiff when Shannon led her to the mounting block so I started off slow and easy, trying to make my seat lighter in the saddle while not…

The “Collecting” Leg

When we got to Shannon's place last Sunday she had already groomed Cider completely and was ready to tack up (I use my own saddle.) As she put the saddle on Cider's back she told me she was going to try placing the saddle an inch or so further back to see if that would take some of the weight off of Cider's front legs, which have been flinching every downhill step for…

Sometimes Bingo Uses ANY Excuse to Ignore Me

Since Debbie was putting on a horse show on July 4 I had my lesson on Tuesday. Debbie decided that she needed to give her problem child, the Arab gelding Tercel, a ride, and my lesson was the only chance she would have this week. Years ago when she got Tercel I told her I did not mind her riding him during my lessons since Debbie is quite capable of…

This Summer Starts off Hot and Muggy

We are not getting a break from these conditions, the lows are in the mid-upper 70'sF and when the sun rises it rapidly gets worse. I am so very grateful that the ladies I ride with are OK with me starting at 8:00 AM, the humidity is high but at least the sun has yet to heat the ground up.…

Working on My Riding Muscles at Home

This week I could not ride at Debbie's because she had her first summer riding camp. I could have ridden after the kids went home, but with highs above 90°F this was not possible for me (oh I miss the days when I could ride in the 90's!) Thinking back to past summers I remembered…

Working on Tiny Details

This was a good week, I got to ride all three horses.

It has gotten into meteorological summer down here. Shannon now picks me up at 8:00 AM in an attempt to spare me (and her horse) the icky sweaty super humid weather that gets the sweat pouring down into my eyes. I am still riding at 9:00 AM at…

As I Become Stronger

In one way the last two weeks have been frustrating, the horses are STILL NQR. Debbie has me ride Bingo while he wears his BOT exercise boots, then after the ride she applies DMSO and wraps his leg, all in the hopes that his new wind puff improves. I mostly walked with him, and when Debbie asked me to trot him so she could check and see if his croup was even, I stayed up in…

A Week of Walking

I am still recovering from my trip up North, the weather has become muggier, I am trying to save my limited energy to go to my grandson's birthday party tomorrow, and, then, it turned out that all three horses were not quite right when moving. With Cider it has happened during the last few months (possible arthritis? Shannon will get her a supplement.) Mia had been trimmed the…

Boredom Relief—I Try a Different Bit

Since I am still recovering from my trip up to Maryland two weeks ago I have not done much in the ring other than walk. This week Debbie was glad for me to just walk during my lesson since the ring was wet, wet, wet. For a while there I had been afraid that we were entering another drought, but for the past week the heavens have opened up, the crops are…

The Nineties Have Arrived

Yes, four days of 90ºF+ in a row. Summertime temperatures and it isn't even the middle of May. I guess it makes up for all those lows in the 20's this year.

So after months of…