Well, breeding is definitely the more expensive way to obtain horses! I don't ever do it. I put my money in TSA's, and then when I see something nice I can buy it, rather than go through the agony, heartache, and expense of breeding my own (someone else has already done that for me!). Most of the young horses I purchase have at least $30K in them when I buy them as 3 or 4 y.olds, but the prices are usually 1/2 that, so that drives my decision-making big-time!
My husband really does not like my involvement with the horses - he's jealous! He used to be very supportive of the whole thing, but that changed when KC was born, and he thought for some reason I would turn into a total earth mother and forget everything which made me me. He's come to terms with it as KC's grown up, and the success of my career has certainly helped. However, I pay for everything to do with the horses - 1/2 the mortgage, all the horse expenses, I pay for my truck and trailer, my tack, etc. If I didn't have horses we'd holiday in Hawaii 1/2 of every year in our own house there, but we're too young for that yet and we'd be bored! I have 2 custom saddles, and LOT of expensive equipment, but I don't share that information (need to know basis ONLY). Most of my clients and girlfriends operate very successfully on that basis too, and life is smoother and more fun!
Don't go the breeding route - Dee is going to keep you busy and broke for some time to come, and Connemara's can do most jobs well, so you don't even have his inability or lack of talent as an excuse! Keep me posted, and let me know how the struggle goes!
I'm a big believer in stretching - so much so that my horses only stretch every other day. I'm also a big believer in hacking and trail riding. Horses need relaxing down time too, and need to have the opportunity to figure things out for themselves, and trail riding/hacking is a great way to approach that. I stretch my horses at the start of every ride, and at the end of every ride, and every 10 minutes within the work sessions. Once they know that the stretching and release of physical and mental tension will come they are much more willing to work harder during the work phases.
We are covered in snow again today, but it's turning to rain, so it won't last long. Tomorrow I head to the coast again to teach for 4 days, and won't be home until Monday night, but it's the maiden voyage with my new truck (it's gorgeous!) so it should be a nice drive (a little over 5 hours). KC programmed all my information into the NAV and SYNC systems yesterday, so I should be good to go!
I hope the weather's improving on your side of things!
It's great to hear from you! I can't imagine that given the news reports we're getting about your weather you could possible go trail riding! I know about the decision to purchase a trailer-pulling vehicle - I pick up my new truck next Tuesday, and then my teenager will have to program the SYNC system and the NAV system so I can make it all work (apparently it's all voice activated - that's going to be interesting!).
Boy, do I every empathize with you about the something new to avoid, stress over and feel guilty about not working on! I have decided to pursue the next step in my coaching certification, and Canada's new system is a total nightmare. We no longer really have exams, we have "portfolios". Heaven only knows how many hours of computer time that's going to take, and it's supposed to be "creative". How about "just the facts, ma'am"?
My daughter is 17, finishing high school, and getting ready for uni in the fall. She's been accepted into the engineering school at the University of Calgary in Alberta, and tomorrow morning is her heavy duty scholarship interview. I'm very lucky, she's a great kid, but a real Type A personality (can't imagine where she gets that) so she's obsessing like mad over it. I bought a bottle of red wine to drink tonight while we roll through possible queries and answers...! 20 for boys is like 15 for girls, so don't sweat it too much. My grandmother told me that men weren't worth time or money until they were at least 25, and 35 was better (she married my grandfather when he was 39, and I think she was right). Give it a little time and it will likely turn around (which you no doubt know, but it's always harder to apply what you know to your own personal situation!).
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I do have videos of V, I just have to figure out how to load them from the DVD's. She's really beautiful, and so sweet. I have to start my 5 y.o. Trakehner mare this spring, I hope she's as sweet. She's working under saddle, but she and I have to go to WORK, which will really re-define our relationship. V's scheduled for 4th Level this season, hopefully ending the year at PSG. The PSG test is easier than two of the 4th Level tests, so we'll see.
I haven't heard from you for a while - is everything OK? I'm hoping your trail rides went well, and I'm thinking that right now trail riding is farther from your mind than perhaps snowshoeing to work??
The white stuff's melting like mad here - my driveway's finally clear of it, and there are now bare patches in the pastures. This is unheard of here in mid-February, so I'm trying to bear in mind that we could be hit with -20 and a foot of snow any day, but right now it feels like mid-April, instead of mid-February. Not great weather for the Olympics, but whichever mental midget decided on Vancouver as a Winter Games destination needed a serious reality check anyway.
How did the trail ride(s) go? Propanolol can help a lot with jitters, it's illegal for us to use it in competition (although no one tests riders at the national level, but the horses get tested right from schooling on up, and I have a Para rider who rides internationally for Canada and he's been tested).
We still have unseasonably warm weather here - my driveway's showing through the snow on it, and it's only the beginning of February! Some years that doesn't happen until Easter.
I'm off to Calgary tomorrow morning to teach for 3 days, and the temperature there's supposed to be -20 by Sunday. At least the arena's heated, thank goodness.I was teaching for 4 days on the BC coast (right near the US border) and it was +12 a week ago, which was awesome.
I've arranged for my three Airedales to get haircuts next week, but we're only doing modified clips, as the weather could easily drop to -20 or -30 any day, and I don't want them to freeze. The horses are shedding like crazy here too, so if we get a deep freeze they'll have to be double blanketed.
Drop me a line when you can and let me know how things are going...
Wow, Laura! Awesome temperatures! Head out on the trail in a jumping saddle, a running martingale, with a jumping bat. Once you're "armed and ready", think only positive thoughts. At least a part of the reason Connemaras are so challenging is that they're brave, and I think she's actually likely to better out on a trail ride than within the confines of the ring. Most of the Connemaras which whom I work are really fabulous on x-country, where their bravery, courage and willingness to make honest decisions shines.
I'm thrilled that this morning it's only -1! I have two lessons to teach this morning and then I can ride this afternoon. We've had the most incredibly warm winter so far, only a week of real cold near Christmas, the rest has been just below 0 at night and maybe +2 during the day. Enough to keep some snow around (but not much, which is also very strange for us) and keep things clean for the horses, but no so much that chores are hard.
Let me know how the trail ride(s) go! I'm off ot the Coast to teach a 4 day clinic on Friday, and then off again the following Friday to Calgary to teach another one, so if I don't catch up for a while I'm not ignoring you!
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I rode yesterday! Slipped and slid our way out and back on the rail trail. Yikes. And I gave carrots to my favorite kids (including Diesel):-) Merry Christmas!
The fall's been very late finishing, which means that everyone's been riding hard much later this year. I was away teaching a clinic for 4 days, and I leave again on Friday morning to teach another. After that I'm home for a little while, with probably fewer lessons at home. Things have just been super busy - good, but really busy.
I'm also supposed to be writing a coaching workbook for Para Equestrian coaches, which I'd planned on finishing by December 1. Needless to say, it's not yet done, but we're in for a cold snap so I may get it done early next week if I'm not riding due to the cold.
Whenever I'm offline for a period of time it's because I'm away, and I often don't have access to a computer - it's never because I'm ignoring Barnmice!
I'm hoping one of my clients gets on the Canadian Para Team for WEG (I've got 4 - 5 of them trying for it), in which case I'll get to Lexington in October - how about you?
At 9:52am on November 30, 2009, Jan Melchior said…
Laura Coffey's Comments
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Well, breeding is definitely the more expensive way to obtain horses! I don't ever do it. I put my money in TSA's, and then when I see something nice I can buy it, rather than go through the agony, heartache, and expense of breeding my own (someone else has already done that for me!). Most of the young horses I purchase have at least $30K in them when I buy them as 3 or 4 y.olds, but the prices are usually 1/2 that, so that drives my decision-making big-time!
My husband really does not like my involvement with the horses - he's jealous! He used to be very supportive of the whole thing, but that changed when KC was born, and he thought for some reason I would turn into a total earth mother and forget everything which made me me. He's come to terms with it as KC's grown up, and the success of my career has certainly helped. However, I pay for everything to do with the horses - 1/2 the mortgage, all the horse expenses, I pay for my truck and trailer, my tack, etc. If I didn't have horses we'd holiday in Hawaii 1/2 of every year in our own house there, but we're too young for that yet and we'd be bored! I have 2 custom saddles, and LOT of expensive equipment, but I don't share that information (need to know basis ONLY). Most of my clients and girlfriends operate very successfully on that basis too, and life is smoother and more fun!
Don't go the breeding route - Dee is going to keep you busy and broke for some time to come, and Connemara's can do most jobs well, so you don't even have his inability or lack of talent as an excuse! Keep me posted, and let me know how the struggle goes!
I'm a big believer in stretching - so much so that my horses only stretch every other day. I'm also a big believer in hacking and trail riding. Horses need relaxing down time too, and need to have the opportunity to figure things out for themselves, and trail riding/hacking is a great way to approach that. I stretch my horses at the start of every ride, and at the end of every ride, and every 10 minutes within the work sessions. Once they know that the stretching and release of physical and mental tension will come they are much more willing to work harder during the work phases.
We are covered in snow again today, but it's turning to rain, so it won't last long. Tomorrow I head to the coast again to teach for 4 days, and won't be home until Monday night, but it's the maiden voyage with my new truck (it's gorgeous!) so it should be a nice drive (a little over 5 hours). KC programmed all my information into the NAV and SYNC systems yesterday, so I should be good to go!
I hope the weather's improving on your side of things!
It's great to hear from you! I can't imagine that given the news reports we're getting about your weather you could possible go trail riding! I know about the decision to purchase a trailer-pulling vehicle - I pick up my new truck next Tuesday, and then my teenager will have to program the SYNC system and the NAV system so I can make it all work (apparently it's all voice activated - that's going to be interesting!).
Boy, do I every empathize with you about the something new to avoid, stress over and feel guilty about not working on! I have decided to pursue the next step in my coaching certification, and Canada's new system is a total nightmare. We no longer really have exams, we have "portfolios". Heaven only knows how many hours of computer time that's going to take, and it's supposed to be "creative". How about "just the facts, ma'am"?
My daughter is 17, finishing high school, and getting ready for uni in the fall. She's been accepted into the engineering school at the University of Calgary in Alberta, and tomorrow morning is her heavy duty scholarship interview. I'm very lucky, she's a great kid, but a real Type A personality (can't imagine where she gets that) so she's obsessing like mad over it. I bought a bottle of red wine to drink tonight while we roll through possible queries and answers...! 20 for boys is like 15 for girls, so don't sweat it too much. My grandmother told me that men weren't worth time or money until they were at least 25, and 35 was better (she married my grandfather when he was 39, and I think she was right). Give it a little time and it will likely turn around (which you no doubt know, but it's always harder to apply what you know to your own personal situation!).
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This is in pieces as I ran out of room again!
I do have videos of V, I just have to figure out how to load them from the DVD's. She's really beautiful, and so sweet. I have to start my 5 y.o. Trakehner mare this spring, I hope she's as sweet. She's working under saddle, but she and I have to go to WORK, which will really re-define our relationship. V's scheduled for 4th Level this season, hopefully ending the year at PSG. The PSG test is easier than two of the 4th Level tests, so we'll see.
What are your plans for Dee??
I haven't heard from you for a while - is everything OK? I'm hoping your trail rides went well, and I'm thinking that right now trail riding is farther from your mind than perhaps snowshoeing to work??
The white stuff's melting like mad here - my driveway's finally clear of it, and there are now bare patches in the pastures. This is unheard of here in mid-February, so I'm trying to bear in mind that we could be hit with -20 and a foot of snow any day, but right now it feels like mid-April, instead of mid-February. Not great weather for the Olympics, but whichever mental midget decided on Vancouver as a Winter Games destination needed a serious reality check anyway.
How did the trail ride(s) go? Propanolol can help a lot with jitters, it's illegal for us to use it in competition (although no one tests riders at the national level, but the horses get tested right from schooling on up, and I have a Para rider who rides internationally for Canada and he's been tested).
We still have unseasonably warm weather here - my driveway's showing through the snow on it, and it's only the beginning of February! Some years that doesn't happen until Easter.
I'm off to Calgary tomorrow morning to teach for 3 days, and the temperature there's supposed to be -20 by Sunday. At least the arena's heated, thank goodness.I was teaching for 4 days on the BC coast (right near the US border) and it was +12 a week ago, which was awesome.
I've arranged for my three Airedales to get haircuts next week, but we're only doing modified clips, as the weather could easily drop to -20 or -30 any day, and I don't want them to freeze. The horses are shedding like crazy here too, so if we get a deep freeze they'll have to be double blanketed.
Drop me a line when you can and let me know how things are going...
I'm thrilled that this morning it's only -1! I have two lessons to teach this morning and then I can ride this afternoon. We've had the most incredibly warm winter so far, only a week of real cold near Christmas, the rest has been just below 0 at night and maybe +2 during the day. Enough to keep some snow around (but not much, which is also very strange for us) and keep things clean for the horses, but no so much that chores are hard.
Let me know how the trail ride(s) go! I'm off ot the Coast to teach a 4 day clinic on Friday, and then off again the following Friday to Calgary to teach another one, so if I don't catch up for a while I'm not ignoring you!
Delete Comment
The fall's been very late finishing, which means that everyone's been riding hard much later this year. I was away teaching a clinic for 4 days, and I leave again on Friday morning to teach another. After that I'm home for a little while, with probably fewer lessons at home. Things have just been super busy - good, but really busy.
I'm also supposed to be writing a coaching workbook for Para Equestrian coaches, which I'd planned on finishing by December 1. Needless to say, it's not yet done, but we're in for a cold snap so I may get it done early next week if I'm not riding due to the cold.
Whenever I'm offline for a period of time it's because I'm away, and I often don't have access to a computer - it's never because I'm ignoring Barnmice!
I'm hoping one of my clients gets on the Canadian Para Team for WEG (I've got 4 - 5 of them trying for it), in which case I'll get to Lexington in October - how about you?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKDYMkcXCZI
Jan
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