What we've been up to this year

The need to update this blog has been niggling. First, I looked back over my lists of posts. Hmm; last year I was absent from here until May 22. It's a bit later than that now, but I haven't been absent for as many months as before. Now that I'm back in the saddle again, I can look forward to enjoying some more adventures this year!

"Back in the saddle" you ask? For those who don't follow me on IG/FB or my sheep/farm blog, you're likely unaware that I had bilateral knee replacements on April 9.

my no-longer-bowed legs one month after surgery

Six weeks and a day after surgery I had a post-op appointment with my surgeon, who surprised me by saying it was okay to ride again. So of course I went home, tacked up Stella, and rode! I had been preparing for that day by resuming the groundwork I did with her before backing her almost five years ago, and I did some of that groundwork before mounting. I also told my son, who was home from work, to keep his phone on in case something happened, and then asked if he'd come down to provide proof. Stella was as good as gold; it certainly helps that I've trained all my horses to stand where I put them so I can use a fence, rock, stump or hump to mount to save their backs from the torque of the saddle tree. I now use that process in reverse to dismount, as sliding off and hitting the ground on my still-recovering legs doesn't sound like a good idea.

preparatory groundwork

'groundwork' done from the arena fence

first time astride post-op

I've ridden nearly every day since, progressing from short walks, to adding a little trotting (sitting is more comfortable than posting), to cantering on the one-week anniversary of getting back in the saddle. And what an anniversary that was, because my husband rode that evening, too! He hadn't been on a horse in years, and Lance hadn't been ridden in years, but Rick really wanted to try out a saddle he had taken in trade on a client's account. Lance reinforced why he's retired, stumbling to his knees once while walking. My tall husband sure looked better on him than he did on his former little cutting/reining-bred QHs, though!

two riders generated a LOT of dust (it's been a very dry spring)

Between my last post in November 2024 and my surgery, Stella and I continued as usual, schooling at home, getting in my usual New Year's Day ride, and poking through the woods in hopes of spotting an early wild iris just days before my surgery.

 

no wild iris, but lots of other flowers, including this feral cherry

There; now I'm all caught up, and so are you!

Hold onto your hats helmets...

...it's going to be a wild ride just documenting the last week, not to mention what's coming!

So after I wrote my last post, I got to thinking (thinking; always thinking). There is no rule against showing in an ancient, battered saddle; people who see us before we go into the ring would surely raise their eyebrows but the judge will likely have her attention on other things while we're in the ring. Check one showing obstacle off the list to address before the entry deadline of June 1st(!).

A second obstacle was Stella's teeth. When I sent Suzan a photo of the damaged Nathe bit weeks ago, she stated that Stella is teething and to switch to a bitless bridle for most of her rides in order to avoid causing 'issues.' Rick did a quick manual check and confirmed she needed a dental – sometime ("the cobbler's children have no shoes"). I didn't want to ride her in a bit as I would need to in a show without that dental, so I finally asked him Monday if he could do it. Bless his heart, he did – even though it was HOT and he and I had moved over four tons of hay that day.

She has big wolf teeth, but he didn't want to give her the additional anesthesia needed to remove them. So he did the necessary floating and said we'd wait and see if the wolf teeth give her any trouble.

While the anesthesia was wearing off, I decided to take advantage of modern pharmacology and clip her bridle path and fetlocks for the very first time. Then I sprayed Show Sheen in her tail, trimmed the end and brushed it out. That felt like removing a couple obstacles. (Lance got some spa treatment, too.)

Tidy fetlocks!

But the big question/obstacle remained. Not "Are we ready?" I have no illusions about Stella being ready to show; she's not. She's still a hot, reactive mare that's greener-than-Intro Level-grass. No, my concern is that the whole experience could overface her rather than give her positive exposure, and I didn't want to risk that. So on my way to work Tuesday (June 1st), I called the person who knows her best second to me: Lisa.

Lisa had already expressed enthusiasm for my entering the show when we rode at the fairgrounds, and she reiterated how impressed she was with how well Stella did there. She thought I should go for it, with the caveat that I would know if she wasn't ready, and could scratch.

Ha; Lisa apparently doesn't know me as well as she knows Stella! I know people do that, but the thought of paying all the (non-refundable) fees, going through all the prep work, and getting up at o'dark thirty to get to the grounds in time to tack up, lead Stella around for a lengthy looky-loo, and warm up before entering the ring shortly after 8:00 a.m. only to decide "Nope; not a good idea!" was anathema. BUT. If my main purpose for entering this show is to give Stella more life experience, why not go? Even if I end up scratching our Intro tests, she would get new experiences in spades. Besides, it is fun to go hang out with other breed enthusiasts. At a regular dressage show she would be something of an oddity; at a Morgan show, she would be enthused over.

So I scrambled after work on Tuesday in order to get our entry form filled out and postmarked in time. We're going to the Oregon Morgan Classic two weeks from today!

But wait; there's more!

Since I would be slightly self-conscious showing up at OMC with the old navy Wintec, I have been investigating saddle options online. Having another grippy synthetic saddle has a lot of appeal when you're an 'old lady' riding a fresh filly, so I looked at newer used and brand new Wintec saddles. SmartPak has test ride saddles with free shipping both ways, and this morning I realized that if I ordered one today, I would have the saddle in time to try it before the show – and could show in it if Stella and I like it! So I ordered this.

Then I went to the barn to ride. I swapped out the damaged Nathe for the double-jointed snaffle; she has worn it while being ponied but I don't think I've ridden with it. Better see how she goes in it, right?

The only positive to this is that she got foamy – on one side.

Ugh. Stella was NOT happy. Lots of mouthing and gaping and tongue contortions; she was so busy fussing with the bit that she couldn't really listen to me. Remembering how well she went in the Nathe at the fairgrounds, I promptly ordered another when I got back to the house (actually, I ordered this, which Suzan says is identical).

So in for a penny, in for a pound whole pile of cash. 😆 Now if I can just find someone willing to come along as a groom of sorts, since I will be showing out of my trailer....

A 'recipe' worth keeping!

More 'firsts' to report, right after I show you the constellation of white hairs scattered across Stella's flank. I think they are fitting on a horse named after heavenly bodies! 

Andromeda's/Stella's 'stars'

Last week I got an email from Dressage Today with links to some Dressage Today Extra content, including one billed as "A Formula for Starting Youngsters." I clicked on the link and read the article titled "Recipe for a Riding Horse." I really liked what Bob Orton had to say, and mulled over implementing it with Stella. In the six months I've had her, we've made only a fraction of the progress Bob's program makes in three months, largely due to my 'feeling my way in the dark.' So I decided to implement Mr. Orton's recipe as best I can from where we are now forward, starting with his longeing schedule.

Since Stella already knows how to longe (although her willingness to canter on the longe has backslidden) and accepts saddle, bridle and bit, it was time to add longing reins. I hadn't heard of Vienna reins before, but their mechanics are clearly superior to the side reins I have so I immediately looked on eBay to find some. There were very few options and the price point for something I may only use for a little while was steep. I looked around our tack room to see if I could jury rig something but came up empty. So I fell back on side reins as better than nothing, and we got to work with something new added last Friday.

I used a halter in case things went sideways with side reins (she was fine)

I also used my regular saddle on her to see how it fit with her girth (👍🏻)

Stella worked up quite a sweat in our short session, which I attribute as much to brain-work as to the hot noonday sun. I decided to add a second new thing to her world – a water hose! Yes, Stella got her first shower – and handled it surprisingly well. 😁

We interrupt this training content for a necessary part of owning horses: HAY. Our local hay guy has been holding some first cutting orchardgrass for us, but needed it out of his barn in order to bring in alfalfa. So we got a load late Friday afternoon, another load Saturday night, and two more loads Sunday, almost filling our barn. (There's just enough room for a couple tons of second or third cutting orchardgrass for the Shetland sheep.) It's a good feeling to have a full barn! And while these small squares were wonderfully easy to handle after the 100+pound buggers Brian and I got late last fall, getting in hay always sets off my allergies, and I struggled through the rest of Sunday and all of Monday with a headache, itchy eyes, running nose, and general malaise. 

Another interruption of the topic at hand. That Oliver. He is absolutely besotted with Stella, and I don't mean in a herdbound way. He has always acted 'proud cut' around mares; Rick says it's because in some geldings the adrenal gland kicks up its production of testosterone. Well, his testosterone is RAGING. We do our best to keep him farther away from Stella than he was in the two photos below, and he is getting thin because of fretting over her.

Yesterday we got back to following the 'recipe.' The few-days break also helped me brainstorm a homegrown version of Vienna reins. I found a contraption in the tack room, the origins and purpose of which are lost to memory. But it works perfectly; there's an adjustable 'neck loop' of wide black webbing, and attached to that with a generous ring is an adjustable white elastic strap with a clip on the end to attach to the girth. Add the side reins clipped to the ring at the chest, run through the bit rings and back to the saddle, and voila – Vienna reins!

I attached the longe line to the inside bit ring like Mr. Orton does as well. When we were done, the sides of Stella's tongue were irritated which I felt bad about. Today I'm going to attach the longe line via my usual method, which is to run the longe line through the near bit ring, over the poll, and attach it to the far bit ring to equalize bit pressure; we'll see if that works better.

But other than the tongue irritation, I am very pleased with how things are going! Whether it's specifically from following this program or simply following a program, Stella seems more focused (because I am???) and is making rapid progress. The lack of a helper to transition to under-saddle work is still going to be a hindrance, but the foundation laid before that is going to be much more solid, and her physical development is going to be enhanced with the sliding side reins.

One-month anniversary

I realized this morning while exercising Stella that it was a month ago today that I brought her home. Thirty days; some horses make a lot of progress in 30 days' training. Stella? Not so much. She is still wary and flighty, not much more trusting than when she arrived. She is smart, but oh, so sensitive. I like those qualities and her energy; she is going to make an AWESOME dancing partner . . . some day . . . I think.

A lot of trainers would take a "desensitizing" approach with Stella; doing things like sacking her out. But I've come to believe that such treatment doesn't desensitize a horse, it overwhelms their senses until they shut out and shut down – or completely freak out and hurt themselves. I don't want a 'shut down' horse and I certainly don't want an injured basket case; I want a relationship in which she can trust that I am her 'safe place.' Then we can make progress, instead of just working on the same basics of catching, haltering, grooming, tacking, and lunging, all with the same reactivity she came with. Reactivity that would make more sense in an abused horse, not an unhandled one.... Hmmm; makes me think I should go spend some time with the owners of Lance's sire. They regularly gentle and train mustangs rounded up by the BLM; I'm sure I could learn some things.

Anyway, this week I'm managing to exercise ONE horse a day, shooting for the driest period in which to do it – and by 'driest' I mean when it's sprinkling instead of pouring. 😕 Yesterday was Lance's turn and yes, we got wet again.

He is still eating slowly and acting more compromised than usual. I'm wondering if he has ongoing internal problems from the hay that irritated his mouth so. Rick said he's seen four other horses suffering from hay like this, and one of them had ulcers in his throat....

Back to Stella; she is shedding furiously:

I can hardly wait to see her 'naked' so I can keep a better eye on her condition and development; if I devoted myself to grooming several hours a day I could probably have her down to her 'summer undies' by the end of the week! This is definitely the time of year to avoid wearing lip balm to the barn....

Here is a video of her walking on the lunge line this morning, nice and relaxed, with good overstride:

All dressed up with nowhere to go (yet)

After trying on the smallest bridle I had* as well as Dinah's old bridle offered by Kate, it was clear that my pretty cinder-ella needed the equivalent of her own 'ballroom footwear."

I looked on eBay for cob-sized bridles, and although I've been able to find great deals there before, I struck out. So last week I stopped by the local chain farm store to see what they had, but there were no cob sizes in their limited English stock. I picked up the other things I needed, then checked out the bargain bins and rack. Lo and behold, there were two dressage bridles . . . but both were full-sized. One, however, was smaller than the other, and had narrow straps and a pretty silver-accented browband that would look lovely on my girl. The price? An unbelievable $19.95! I confirmed that I could return it if it didn't fit, and took it home to Stella. Eureka!!!

Here she is modeling her new 'ballroom finery,' including a new bit that I found at the same chain farm store but in a different town where they have a bigger selection of tack. The cavesson could use another hole punched in it for optimum fit, but it's fine for now.

We continue daily interaction and I work with her in some way very nearly daily. She is still very wary of lots of things – quick movements, unexpected sounds (like a sneeze), anything lifted up to or over her head. But slowly, surely, she is engaging with me more, bit by tiny bit.

After being turned out in the arena today, she played 'hard to get'

Last night I planned to exercise Lance after lunging Stella, but something was wrong. I had given him his wetted alfalfa pellets with supplements and meds but he was having trouble eating it, and looked dull. So I led him up to the house for  Rick to examine. Under his tongue Lance had wads of grass seedheads – and very red, inflamed mucous membranes. Poor guy; he was in PAIN! Rick manually cleaned out the junk, rinsed Lance's mouth with water, gave him an injection of dexamethasone – and ordered me to stop feeding "that %*%#$&* hay" to the horses. That  "%*%#$&* hay" is the last two tons we bought after the load Brian and I got. Rick didn't like the looks of it from the git-go, calling it cheatgrass, even though our farrier was sure it was bentgrass (showed me the seedheads to prove it)  and the horses have been eating it just fine. Oliver has also been showing signs that his mouth is bothering him, so he probably needs the same intervention. I haven't seen any indications that Stella has problems, maybe because she carefully picks at her hay instead of diving in and chowing down like the geldings. At $200/ton the hay wasn't cheap, but we were beggars and therefore not choosers; I'm not sure what we're going to do with the offending hay and if we'll have enough to get through until this summer without it.

Good thing we have a bitless option for times like these!

*I would have tried Breezy's bridle on Stella, but I couldn't find it anywhere . . . until this morning. I had brought it up to the house to clean and list on eBay, along with her halters. Breezy's bridle is brown so I would have eventually wanted a black bridle to show in anyway, but I decided to clean up Breezy's fancy Western show halter and try it on Miss Stella. I think it's worth keeping!

Stella Sprat and her 'husband'

Yesterday I was able to ride my chunky mustang, and then turned Stella loose in the arena to get some exercise. She really enjoyed herself, running and bucking and even going over the cavaletti on her own volition, and made it clear that she wasn't ready to quit and be led back to her stall for quite some time. (In the end, though, she did her first recall outside her stall. 😍)

After her playtime, I saddled her and led her around the arena. Again, she was uneasy about the tightening girth, but once it was fastened she was good as gold.

The differences between my two horses are particularly striking when worked with in quick succession like that. Lance is a heavy horse for his height (1250# when he was physically fit and in regular training, likely heavier now) and Stella is a wasp-waisted lightweight for her height (which I think, after trying to measure her myself last night, might be a bit more than I was told). She is very sensitive and light on her feet; Lance has great inertia, whether standing still or moving. Lance is highly food-motivated; Stella is NOT. In fact, her indifferent attitude toward food has had me wondering how I'm going to get any weight (preferably muscle, not fat) on her if she won't finish her rations. She has been cleaning up her alfalfa and rice bran pellets eventually, but never eats all her hay – until yesterday. When I did evening chores last night, she met me at the stall door (she's usually out in her paddock) and her feeder was EMPTY! Since then, she's been eating all the hay I give her before the next feeding, and I'm hopeful that this is her new normal – even if the nursery rhyme no longer fits. 😉