The Chronicles of 'In The Red'

Yes, We're Alive :o)

2010-02-05T17:19:00.002+11:00

We're alive, I've just TOTALLY forgotten to keep blogging.

You can find us over at http://www.anythingbutstandard.com/ for more frequent updates!

I'm going to try and keep this blog updated now .... but may move instead to a single blog on the website itself .... Save time!!

More Moonlight Riding...

2009-03-11T13:22:00.003+11:00

... But this time, not so late at night!

It's just been one of those months; my personal life is in turmoil, a close friend is unwell and I had just driven across 2 states and back to visit, and work is, well, unfortunately work. The one constant? My horses.

I didn't have anyone to ride with tonight, but I grabbed Red out of the paddock and jumped on anyway. The sun was setting, the wind was blowing, and Red was ready to jump out of his skin. I haven't ridden him since the last bareback romp at 2am, before then, it would have been weeks between rides. He's my Mr Reliable, I can always count on him to be there when I need him (and to shy at everything he can possibly spot, or not spot, whatever works at the time!)

I started my ride in a mood I probably shouldn't ride in, but in hindsight, I got more accomplished in that ride that I have in a long time because I had zero personal regard. Funny about that.
He shied at various things, and I drove him with my legs and seat on where I'd normally let him stop and survey the scenery first.

We limbered up and trotted down the driveway past usual objects of scaryness, he looked, but he didn't react.... We got to the arena and did our warmups. Our dressage training is pretty much out the window, but hey, what did I expect? Can't have my 'Mr Reliable' and 'Mr Consistant' cake and eat it too, without also being consistent from my end.
After we were warmed up, I asked for canter with stronger aids than I ever had before. Normally, I didn't push him and we eventually got there; you know, sometime later, maybe....
....bang... today we were straight into it..... 4 complete circles to the right, 4 complete circles to the left - the most we'd actually done in the arena. Sad, huh? He was rushed, but he was strong. He wanted to quit, but he kept the pace when I squeezed him on....
It was exciting too, because now I know he can do it, and now I know it wasn't him holding us back, it was me!

I've been taking him slower than he needs to go, because of my own chickeness.... Why am I chicken though? He looks after me. He always has. He's never bucked, and never reared. The most he does is shy. Alot. And maybe that's his way of telling me to get over myself.... Yet again, he's been the one to teach me a lesson.

So feeling confident, and totally free, I slipped my stirrips up 2 holes and we tried some jumping. Tiny, pathetic jumps, but who cares, they were JUMPS! Nothing like the 4' plus monsters I used to tackle in my young and fearless days (the days were my body actually bounced when I hit the ground), but I haven't had the courage to jump in years... He did everything I asked, again. We popped over the jumps, and cantered the long side. We came back to a trot, circled around to position ourselves, and did it all over again.....

I rode back to the paddock feeling like the full moon ahead of us was brighter and clearer than it had been in a very long time... Shame it didn't last long - but that's another story, and one has nothing to do with Red.

........Red. The horse of my dreams.

Red Wine and Midnight Bareback Riding....

2009-03-02T14:57:00.008+11:00

Well, technically it was 2am ... It was Saturday night - my less-than-horsey-tolerant other half was out of town, and we girls were bored. What better solution, than a girls night!

The pizza was hot, the wine cold. The moon rolled over the paddock shadows like a giant discoball, and we kicked back and enjoyed an evening of total bliss and gossiping.

We fed the rather indignant horses at 9:30pm... My 3 geldings were the first stop. I called out to them them - I couldn't see them, but I could hear them. They came roaring down the field at breakneck speed desperately intent to get there incase I left without feeding them. We continued the rounds in the pitch black, listening to the sounds of impatient horses blowing, stamping, nickering and hollering that it was wayyyyy passed dinnertime.

With that done, we went back to the house and continued our wine and gossip session. After hours of intoxicated giggles and perhaps one too many revelations, we came up with the most fantastic idea ever (insert tongue in cheek) - midnight bareback riding! We trekked back down the hill, grabbed our horses and headed for the safety of the enclosed arena (not to mention, the soft, spongy sand!)... Our rubbery suppleness stemming directly from our levels of intoxication!

I clambered up onto a drum, and slipped quietly onto Red's back. I wasn't sure how it would go; Red's not exactly a brave soul during the daylight hours. How would he go at night?
But you know what, he reaffirmed my undying love for him all over again.... There's not enough money in the world to make me hand over this horse!
He dutifully carted me around the arena - around the barrels, over some groundpoles, over some very low crosspoles (at a walk). He trotted slowly while I laughed like a maniac and tried my best to balance on his bOnUcY trot.... He took a sideways step and blew at 2 tyres laying the the middle of the arena that he thought had jumped out of nowhere - at 2am on a pitchblack night, he wouldn't have been wrong! He never did look at them again, and we trotted round them several times again that night.

Almost every girl I know grew up wanting that loyal and noble white steed who would take them on endless adventures through the countryside..... My 'countryside' just happened to be the arena at 2am one Saturday night after too much wine. I dragged him out of his paddock and away from his friends, and slipped onto his back in the middle of a slightly cold, but very dark night... I pointed him in every which way; we walked around things, over things, and trotted some unbalanced, wine-induced wobbly circles. Whatever I asked, he did it...... Sometimes stopping him to slide my body down to wrap my arms around his neck and take in the smell of horse I find so intoxicating.

A girl and her horse.
My noble white steed.
How lucky I am to have found him.
How lucky I am, that he will always be by my side!
Love has never been such a simple thing as this.

Just Another Reason Why I LOVE This Horse!!

2009-01-28T18:06:00.007+11:00

My other half has been nagging me to ride for a while now (whilst pretending 'he doesnt care either way - he's just doing it for me' ... Yeah. Right. I bought Huey for him to ride - but that hasn't happened, due to Huey being unsound...

So over the weekend - I put him on Red. He's a complete beginner - and regularly likes to tell me riding is 'just sitting there' ... So away the two of them go, in the roundyard, at a walk .... Red plods around taking babysteps for half a lap, then decides to wander back in and stand next to me in the centre of the roundyard in the hopes he's done....

Few quick pointers on the important concept of steering and away they go again... Getting cocky, the other half squeezed Red into a trot - i should actually say the "few step shuffle". You know those craft old mares that do little more than shuffle, but just bob their head like they're trotting?? Yeah, Red went there!!

With the 2nd attempt (and with a little coaxing from me) they were trotting like a sack of potatoes around the roundyard.... Feeling confident, they graduated to the arena and walked a few laps - both very pleased with themselves - the human was 'just sitting there', and the horse didn't have to work!

They then walked back to the paddock by themselves; the other half dismounted, disassembled my bridle to take it off , left Red standing there (untied, no halter, and the bridle in pieces on the ground) while he walked and closed the gate, then came back and took off the saddle - then stuffed him full of treats for "not killing him" .... (he's since been forced to admit that 'just sitting there' is not the case when out of a walk - I found that highly amusing)

But Red never stopped babysitting the whole time - oh how I love him (and the human aboard, of course haha)!!

Here they are together :)

Oh Heaven, My Hay-filled Heaven!!...

2009-01-21T23:56:00.007+11:00

It's here - heaven itself! It arrived today on the back of a trailer and Red hasn't stopped stuffing his face since.

Red is not as brave as Huey, so when it rolled into the paddock - he watched it like a hawk, expecting it to leap up and engulf him with it's stringy-evilness .... When he discovered the giant stringball-of-death infact contained HAY, and not horse-eating monsters as he'd expected, you could almost see the merry jig he was performing in his head at the sight of it ....

I had an interesting discussion with the guy who delivered the bales for me - we chatted for a while, and got onto the topic that both Huey and Red were Standardbreds - ex pacers.... Now don't me wrong, he was a really nice chappy, really helpful, has great hay at great prices and will deliver - but seems another person who believes Standies can't do anything but wear a harness and pull a sulky on the track.... His comments will be in red, mine blue...

"Oh. But they're no good for riding. Right?!"
"They're excellent for riding. Very level headed - and can do anything they're asked. They just have to be retrained after they finish racing."
"They don't step-out well though, do they?"
"This guy (I pointed to Red) tracks up very nicely. He's been shown in breed classes so far, and we're working on our Dressage. The other one, (pointed to Huey) has a huge stride - overtracks actually. But hasn't done much, due to.... (explained Huey's hoof saga briefly)"
.... I then went on to explain that these guys (Standies) are now doing very well in Endurance and will often be kept as pacers for it as well....
"Oh. So what's it like to ride a pace then?"
"It's actually very comfortable once your used to it! No need to rise, just let your hips go. It's less labour-intensive for both you, and your horse, than trotting is"..
-nods in thought-

I don't think he believed me, but he was polite enough to listen and to ask questions. I definitely appreciate and respect that in a fellow horseperson; rather than having to listen to the usual negative stereotypical crap about how standardbreds can't do this and can't do that... Nooooooooo, they CAN, it's just that no-one has bothered to train and showcase them under saddle before now ... You can't take a horse straight from the track, who has many months, often YEARS, of muscle memory and expect them to perform movements they're not conditioned to do, nor trained to do. Not to mention the standy racehorse is well aware they get DISCIPLINED for breaking gait so it takes a little while to let them know it's now okay to trot, canter, and travel in a round frame,not hollow, when working...
It would be like sinking 30K into a dressage-bred warmblood and getting pissy because it can't do piaffe, passage, travers or canter piroeuttes without first training and conditioning them to do so.... The difference is, the warmblood is being taught from scratch with no former training/conditioning to govern it's attitude/behaviour/muscle memory; the Standardbred is being retrained into life after racing, and sometimes takes time to make the transition into it's second career.... Training people, training!! -end of rant-

However, all that is about to change! A new Standy group is forming in my area, and we're looking to promote these diamonds in the rough anyway we can :o) .... But for now - here are the lads, stuffing their faces for all it's worth, incase I take the holy-hay-bale away!!

Red Says Hi!

2009-01-18T22:18:00.002+11:00

Red would like to say hi, from the depths of his turn at silver service...

I'm so busy working the colt, the stallion, and Huey - that he's enjoying some time off .... That probably wouldnt be the case if he wasn't "Mr Reliable" - but you can just jump on after any length of time and he'll do as asked...

I love my pony!

A New Year for Red!

2009-01-04T21:48:00.004+11:00

Hello 2009!

I have big plans for this year ....

We are attending our first show for this year on January 18th... a local show, with Standy classes.... So we'll be doing both led and ridden for that one.. Mayyyyybe another show the weekend straight after that one (the 24th) and I have a few marked down for March so far.

We'll also be attending the Canberra Harness Club meet on the 8th of February, to participate in a ridden Standardbred parade being held by a new Standy Club being formed in the NSW/ACT area.... I'm pretty excited to be a part of this one!!

No new piccies of Red. I'll be riding him tomorrow so I'll be sure to get some. He is, however, fa as a house right now!! He's enjoyed time off over the new year. So much so, he enjoyed breaking into my feed drums with his partner in crime Huey and consuming a bale of hay between them. They were pleased with themselves none-the-less....

Piccies tomorrow, along with an update of our ride!

Another Vet Visit

2008-11-27T20:26:00.003+11:00

After 2 failed attempts to meet the vet (both times I left work 2 hours early and the vet was unable to attend) - they finally made it back out to assess his leg and while there, do his teeth as well.

I wasn't able to get more time off, so the Vet and her assistant caught both Red and Huey and did everything this morning for me...

Red's leg is fine now, no swelling, and he's certainly not lame as he's been galloping about the place chasing Huey. He's become a real ratbag at feed time and will chase Huey relentlessly until feed is put down. Not that he's starving to death, as he would like me to believe - he's managed to get into the drums and consume a good half a bale of lucerne recently. He's looking a little rotund actually... best I work him some more.

His teeth were apparently quite sharp and had hooks. His teeth were worse than Huey's, which was quite surprising, given Huey came to me a starved, unhappy skeleton. But, they're all fixed and correct now.

And so they should, the visit cost me another $298 -sigh- But that was Huey's teeth too. Thank heavens it's only once a year!

Another Day, Another $450 Out the Window...

2008-11-19T14:27:00.008+11:00

Red decided it would be a wonderful idea to fight with the mare in the next door paddock (he really does have a problem with mares) ...

Consequence: he got his leg caught in the middle wire of a 3 row wire fence (thank heavens it's plain wire, and thank even higher heavens that the electric fence was OFF!) ... We think he'd been there few atleast an hour or 2, judging by the marks on him. He'd been trying to free himself, but he wasn't struggling in a blind panic (also thanking the heavens he's a sensible boy)... He was freed from the fence by one of the Equestrian Centre staff, and the owner called me straight away.

Result: I was at the paddock for 2 hours bathing it in cold water trying to reduce the heat and swelling... The wound was only superficial, and the swelling seemed to reduce so I called it a night and decided if it was swollen in the morning, I'd call the vet.....

Oh yeah, it was swollen!! It had blown up and there was quite alot of swelling on the knee. Not good. Time to call the vet..... They were excellent, and said they could fit me in immediately. So off I go, to meet the Vet out at the paddock (lucky I have a great boss, who understands).

Treatment: consisted of; wrapping his leg from fetlock to almost elbow, a tetanus and strangles booster (2 in 1) shot, a shot of penicillin, and some Butalone paste.... The vet also left me with 2 tubes of bute paste, 2 tubs of antibiotics, more wool padding and more elastic bandage - and left with about $450-$500 of my money. haha. His vitals were normal, good gum colour, and he was not lame. The vet commented he was tough as nails. Most Standardbreds are, and that's why I love em.

Oh well - I'd spent $5000 on this horse if I had to. He's one of the best horses I've ever owned and will be with me till the end of his days. I've had him almost a year and this is his first injury, so I really can't complain.

Total cost of vet visit: $485.15 ...(but in the grand scheme of things - it's nothing compared to the pricelessness of our partnership)

Here's a piccy of him, looking sorry for himself:

Our First Lesson Together: A Success!

2008-11-05T20:43:00.004+11:00

Today, Red and I attended our first dressage/flatwork lesson together.

He was fantastic! We made some real progress ... The instructor hopped on and rode him for the first 10-15mins of our lesson, to size him up and see what he could to ... After that, I hopped on and the focus of our lesson was bend, collection and softening.

By the end of the lesson, we were both mastering our softness. I need to improve my timing for him, to give to his softness a little sooner. By the end, I had improved and he was willing to carry himself for brief periods of time... Our consistency in that department will improve with more work, and as I have continually said, I have not really pushed him too much so far... So as of today, our training just went up a notch!! He's also quite dead to the side at times, so I may need to employ the services of a pair of dressage spurs for a while ...

The instructor is also fantastic - and she explains things in a very clear and consise manner. She doesn't yell and scream like some, is quick to correct, and quick to encourage .... I'm definitely looking forward to our next lesson in a fortnight.

Have a look at us now! So very, very proud of my gorgeous grey beasty....

Love that Canter!!

2008-11-05T11:07:00.003+11:00

For something different yesterday (arena work bores us all to tears at some point, right?!) I took Red out in the front 50 acres of the property I keep him on to school... One side of the creek is pretty uneven, so we made our way to the other side and after walking about to make inspections of possible ditches/holes/other hazzards we got into it ...

Specifically, I wanted to get some nice canter work happening on long, straight stretches - rather than asking him in the arena which has soft sand and he sometimes finds it a bit difficult... But yesterday, we rolled along the front 50 with no troubles and he was really enjoying himself ... He was anticipating the canter at some points, so I threw in a few trot circles to counter that ...

His canter (when not disunited and we have to come back to trot and ask again!) is very smooth! Once he gets into a nice rhythm, it's one you could just sit to all day ... At one point, we were rolling along in a very nice rhythm and I had folded down slightly into a 3-point position. It was like we were 1 horse moving - he was smooth as silk, and I barely moved in the saddle. To date, that has to be the best feeling/moment we've shared together ...

When walking back to the gate after we'd finished in the front 50, he was feeling pretty frisky and wanted to trot... I made him walk almost all the way back, until we came to the base of a small hill, then we moved into trot, and I gently encouraged him into canter. He didn't actually need encouragement, he wanted to canter! But it wasn't rushed; it was collected, steady, and enjoyable for both of us. We cantered to the top of the hill and he stood perfectly for me to both open and close the gate. So proud!

We came back to the arena as I wanted to do a quick session in there ... annnnnd, we did our first full 30m circles in the arena, at canter, to either direction. He dropped back into pace once (and it's the first time he's ever actually paced with me), but that can be forgiven! We're still finding our canter feet.. But I'm still soooooo proud!

We have a our first dressage lesson together today!! That will be both exciting and nerve racking - but will definitely help us improve and will be well worth it.

Our Day at the Show - Where's the EJECT button?!

2008-10-26T16:01:00.007+11:00

Firstly, the truck's battery had died. So we got it jumped yesterday and I had left it running for around 15-20 mins while we played around with the bonnet (which had now become dislodged, and for the life of us, we couldn't get it back down!!) ... 20 mins later, we'd got it back down and we were quite proud - girl mechanic power!

I get out of bed at 6am, load the car, get dressed, go to the paddock. Truck's dead. AGAIN! Tried to jump it with our car, but the battery ain't big enough so had to call poor "K" and gether out of bed to come rescue me, AGAIN. Get the truck started, drive it down to the arena. I couldn't for the life of me catch 2nd gear, so I stalled... Truck's dead AGAIN, had to get "K" to jump me AGAIN! Yep, morning's going great so far!!

Catch the horse (he was no probs) and led him to the truck.... "Ohhhhhh no Mum, I am NOT going on there" ....He'd get to the top of the ramp, and then run back down full speed. NOT good when it's a pretty steep ramp.... 30 mins later (and getting dangerously close to showtime) we're on board....

So off we set, and the truck's a snail, so it takes us another half hour to get to the grounds. Dead on 9am. Show started at 9. The Palomino's were up first in my ring, then the Standardbreds. I did NOT have time to finish plaiting him, so I ripped them all out and we went 'natural' ... (would have had time, if he had of loaded) .... Quickly did his hooves (BAD job), no makeup, he'd crapped all down his legs which I'd tried to get off... and I stuffed myself into my show attire... I had NO idea what it looked like!! No time for preening.

I sent Eric to get my 2 tickets. He comes back saying they wanted to charge him $70 so he only bought one.... WTF? Turns out, he bought a full day ticket. I only wanted 2 classes. Yeah. I should be more specific next time.... Mental note: get refund!

And then I hear it.... They're calling my class!! Where's the ring?? The furtherst point from where I parked. Ofcourse it is!!! I hand my horse to Eric - "take him to Ring 2" I shout .... He strolls off casually. I grab my jacket, run past, grab my horse, and away we go. I get halfway round the ring: "Final Call" for my class over the loudspeaker. Nearly there. No-one is waiting to be judged, only me trying to get there!! They call the NEXT class. Standardbred mare.... I burst into the ring and ask if I can be judged in this class .... Seemed simple to me. 1 gelding, 1 mare. Watch both, we both get first.... hahahaha ... But, they rolled back the class, and judged us separately. Both of us got first obviously... We line back up for Champion. He just hands them out. Mare is Champ, Red is Reserve. Knew THAT was coming, given we looked like scruffs!!!! And you know, it was at this point, I realized I WAS NOT WEARING MY VELVET SHOW HAT!!!! Yeah. GREAT class. I spent hours of preparation, and it looked like I'd done nothing and just crawled out of a ditch somewhere.

Went back to the ticket office and explained my story re: the "ill informed,well-intentioned parter", the class tickets and the day ticket. The old girls thought it was hilarious (I can't say I shared the same sentiment at that point) ... So they refunded me. I counted it later, they gave me the wrong amount. So the show cost me next to nothing (Maybe I should hold onto that thought, as my ONE good point to the day) ...

I figure while I'm here, I may as well do ridden class (thinking classes were closer together) ... I saddle up - Red's being a bit annoying. Shy at this, snort at that, don't stand still to mount etc etc... Finally scramble on (losing my patience some more) and start to walk over to the ring. There was a stroller behind us, and apparently, this was the stroller from hell!! It really WAS going to eat us at any moment, and we had to escape it's clutches, LIKE NOW!!... So I stopped and let it pass - he was back to normal ... Weirdo. This was his first outing, and it was also the first outing of my new banana (radioactive banana colour!) NON stickbum jods... NOte to self: don't do that EVER again. I did NOT like the feel of it, having ridden in stickybums for long...

Waiting around for near an hour, and most of my cheer squad had now departed (having not seen us in the led class either, surprised anyone saw the grey whirlwind straight from the "How NOT to Attend a Show Class" catalouge!!), I was told Standardbred Ridden class was now not until after lunch at 1pm.... It was now 11am.... No thanks. Not waiting another 2 hours for a class he's not really up to scratch for anyway .... I dismounted, and we walked back to the truck. I unsaddled him, brushed him down, and put his travel boots on.

Do you think he would load? "No thanks Mum." ... I had no patience left today. None. I refused to let anyone help - the damn horse was going to go on the truck whether he liked it or not (and it was a definite "or not" for Red) ... Got him up, he stood nicely, I put the bar next to his bum and he was fine, then he decided to run backwards at the speed of light back down the ramp.... I was going to end up with a broken leg (mine, or his, or both!) or a broken tailgate at this rate .... Finally got him up there and we were on our way home. Slowly. So slowly. Just breathe, it will all be okay...

I drove out infront, the truck tailed behind. I watched in the mirror as Eric tried to merge into the traffic lane, and was cutoff by a car who refused to give way.... The truck had to veer to avoid it... I, saw, RED! Pure red fury. I had to resist the urge to let the car get close enough for me to jam on my brakes and let him maneuver out of a precarious situation. I didn't, because I was aware my truck was also coming, with my partner and horse on board. That car should consider itself damn lucky the things I care about most were on that truck.

We get back to the Equestrian Centre, and unload Red. Coming down is a breeze - "I can do this one Mum! See how good I am?!" ..... He's very happy to be back, Huey spots us and calls out -Red calls back. I put him in the paddock, and he trots over to Huey to say hello, then he comes back and immediately stops, drops and rolls in his favourite dustbowl. No more shiny grey horse. I washed him, WHY?!

I go and collect the feeds, and do the rounds to all 3 - and then I hightail it home.

My first show in a long time. Yeah, I'm just DYING to go again!! (Mental note: camp overnight next time, you idiot) ...

Without further adieu, here are some pics!

To The Show We Go!!

2008-10-25T21:48:00.004+11:00

Well he's definitely back to his old self! Here he is, waiting at the gate for me ... hehe ... I decided he could go naked today - as I was at the paddock early morning to get Huey trimmed, and I would be back in a few hours after we looked at a horse for a friend.

Hall Show is tomorrow - and I only intend on going in the Led Class (mayyyybe ridden)... But, please excuse the crappy plaiting job. I wanted to sew, but I completely ran out of time. By the time I washed him, I was losing the light fast. So hasty dressage plaits it had to be (blegh!!)...

And here he is, looking less than impressed in his skinnyhood. hehe. He tried for a while to get it off, but then decided isn't going anywhere and eating was much more fun.

Wish us luck at the Show!! We're going to need it...

Sunset Red..... We're Back!

2008-10-21T21:05:00.004+11:00

Since moving him away from the mare - it seems I have my boy back!

I didn't have any of my gear today, for various reasons. I had a rope halter and my lunge lead, so I decided to do a quick lunge session.

Caught him first go - and we walked up to the arena to conduct a short session... He was very responsive today, and very light too - he didn't lean on the lunge at all. Walk, trot, and some very nice canter to either side. Very relaxed - which was great.

I plan to make some cavalletti's in the near future, and step up the training!!

But hooray! My boy is back!! Here's a piccy of him looking gorgeous against the sunset...

Huzzah!!

2008-10-19T20:39:00.003+11:00

I'm guessing yesterday's lesson was well learnt - I caught Red first go today. hehe.

He was calling to the mare when I got there, but he made no attempt to bugger off ... 2 reasons I'd say ...1) he was no longer next to the mare, and 2) he didn't feel like being driven on in a rug again today ...

I promised him that if he wasn't naughty, then he could have a small lunge session only... Sure, he can't understand me, but I still held my end of the deal. So, we had a short lunge session - no more than 15 minutes... . Some walk, trot, and canter to either side. Then I popped him over the small jump a few times to either side as well ... After that, I took him bridle off, clipped onto the halter, loosened his gear.... then we walked back slowly, having a nibble on the grass as we went.

I must say. He's looking spectacular right now! Almost all his winter coat has come out, and his white coat is gleaming - roan parts shining through and all...

Yay!! I almost have the old Red back again.

Or...Perhaps it's the Mare!!!!

2008-10-18T23:30:00.005+11:00

I have decided, that's Red's extremely erratic behaviour of late - lies directly with the mare and foal that were placed near him. He's obsessed!! I'm inkling towards the idea that he was cut proud and is exhibiting some stallion-like behaviour. He's always done the whole stallion head-toss/wring ... now he's decided to take it to a whole new (and highly irritating) level...

Today - it took me over half an hour to catch him. He simply refused to stop running circles around me and around his 1 acre holding paddock (holding him, while his 3 acre paddock has a rest) ... After 15 minutes of no success, and chasing him to keep him running, I decided to fetch the lunge whip ...

Bugger him. He was going to RUN until he decided being caught was the easier option. Enter the lunge whip, an idiot horse, a now irritable owner, and a no-fill combo rug. I would push him to do several laps, and then provide him with the opportunity to end it all by asking him to come in. For a further 15 minutes we did this dance. Me pushing him on, then asking him to come in,... and him ignoring me.... Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

When he finally stood to be caught (and I had previous failed attempt where he rocketed off aagin), he was blowing like a steam train. I mean really blowing. I'd have felt sorry for him, but it was his own choosing. He would have had over 10 opportunities in that session to come in and end it all. But noooooooooo. I finally haltered him and took off his rug (now completely lathered in foamy goodness.)

There was no way I could work him today. None. He was blowing, lathered, and pretty much exhausted. So what I did do, is hand walk him for 10 minutes, before hosing him down. After hosing, I took him into the arena and hand walked him over trot poles and around some tyres... I then took him to a nice patch of grass and let him graze for about 15 minutes before walking back to the paddock, rugging back up (with a dry rug) and feeding.

I've swapped paddocks with Huey - so Huey is next to the mare and Red is further away from her. Will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow.

-sigh- No steps forward, 10 steps back lately....

...It Must be the Spring Grass!! ...

2008-10-17T21:48:00.007+11:00

My normally placid, easy going gelding - has turned into the Devil Himself!!

Total and utter Demon-Horse today!! Firstly, it took me about 10 minutes to catch him - he ran endless circles around the paddock, as there was a loose gelding who was obsessed with the mare who's just foaled.... Consequence: 2 very stirred up geldings. (Huey, on the other hand, stood idily by and watched all the commotion!)

So I finally catch him - he's already drenched in sweat even though he was wearing a no fill combo. It's obvious he'd been hooning around for a while... Idiot.

I decide dto lunge. No riding Demon-Horse for me today. No sir-ee! I brush him down (another garbage bag full of hair session - how much hair can he freaking have LEFT now??!!) and then put on the roller and lunge cavesson ... We walk up to the arena, and he's snorting about this, that and everything else...

Our lunge session was pretty awful. He leaned on the cavesson (I will not use it again), he pulled, he jumped around, he wouldn't really listen. He got that worked up, I had to ask for everthing several times ... By the end, he was completely drenched in sweat and puffing like a steam train ... So it was NOT a productive lesson at all... Just like our last ride... So, I untacked him and walked him for several minutes to cool off/catch his breath before I hosed him completely down ...

I'm going to work him both days of the weekend. He seriously needs it - he's gone spastic on spring grass and turned into a different horse. If this keeps up, I doubt I'll bother with the show... Maybe just attend the led class, and not worry about the ridden.

Not Such A Good Ride ...

2008-10-12T00:10:00.000+11:00

I don't know what it was about today... It was a beautiful sunny day, there was a nice breeze blowing, and it seemed like the perfect day to go for a ride out instead of doing arena work.

Red however, was in a 'mood' ... I started with a quick arena warm-up where we was already displaying his mood, and then we headed out for a trail around the dirt roads... Everything was a boogeyman today. Everything. The tree, the shadow, the mailbox, the windmill, the ponies coming up behind us. Boogeymen.... Horse-eating monsters, the lot of them!!

It was hard to have a relaxing ride, when I was trying to anticipate his next sideways leap. His feeding hasn't changed, only the introduction of some greener lucurne so maybe it's to blame. Spring grass is another thing, but he's been fine up until now. His feed hasn't increased or decreased, his workload has increased slightly. I did notice when I took a hindboot off him, it had rubbed him slightly, so maybe that was another issue compounding the many other issues today.

Ah well. We all have our 'off' days. right?! There's always tomorrow :o)

A Little Bit More Each Day ...

2008-10-08T20:29:00.000+11:00

I decided to go for a short ride after work this evening. The wind was low, and it was a gorgeous evening - what better way to unwind after work eh?!

I didn't lunge today either. I tacked up at the paddock and walked him on foot up to the arena - then tightened the girth when I got up there (he likes to puff out like a blowfish when girthing up)....

Started with the usual warmup, and we did some very lovely figure 8's at the trot - I was very proud!... I then asked for canter a little earlier than the usual spot, to avoid any anticipation and keep him thinking about it. We cantered the first short side, through the corner, down the long side and through the next corner... He picked up the correct lead and was very smooth. We did that twice, and I figured now was the time to circle to the left at the canter as well .... I again asked for him to strike off through the corner, and he picked up the correct lead in front, but not behind. I brought him back to trot and asked again - perfect!! Until this point, we'd only have a few canters to the right, and we hadn't attempted the left ...

I love this boy! He's my superstar... Now for the important bit: ridden pics!!!! (finally) My partner was taking them under sufferance - and we only got a few that were decent enough to put up. hehe. (The rest were too far away or there was just a nose!)

Resisting a bit in this one :o)

Gathering up the reins - he's stickybeaking! (And standing more 'under' than usual)

Still stickybeaking at the walk.

I Luff My Pony!!

2008-10-06T20:43:00.000+11:00

I contemplated not riding today - as it was excessively windy!

But after having a chat with a friend, we both decided to go ahead and see how the boys were. I didn't lunge today - I just tacked up and jumped on. He was a bit snorty about the wind and the rain, but otherwise fine.

I rode in the arena first. Some trot circlework. Then I asked for canter again - the first time he just lengthened the trot. But we came around again, and he moved straight into canter with a squeeze, a verbal 'canter' and a cluck/kiss... we cantered the full length of the arena (80m) very nicely and very calmly, and came back to trot at the end ... We trotted back around to the same point and I asked again... Again, straight into canter we we did the full long side, through the first corner, and across the shortside (40m) .... I was soooooo proud! We did that one more time, then I stopped and gave him huge pats!!

We then took the boys out for a ride through the property for something different ... A nice leisurely stroll, with a little trot here and there ... He was very behaved, and he didnt spook at much (aside from when a loose horse decided to follow us, and said loose horse freaked out at a sign flapping in the wind, hehe) ... That was understandable, all 3 freaked out in an amusing domino effect, hehe ...

He's such a good boy. I luff my pony!

We're Big Kids Now!!

2008-10-05T18:31:00.000+11:00

My little man is growing up. We cantered under saddle today! -sniffle-

The arena was still pretty mushy today after the recent rains, so our lunge session was only short ... I rolled the trot poles into a dry section so we didn't go sliding... I put them back at the distance he likes, and he was very comfortable over them to the left... He was really stretching down to look where he was putting his feet, and had a really nice round outline; he also had a very nice high action over them....

Then it came to the right, and I don't think I was seeing what he was seeing, but something was a boogeyman in that direction. He baulked at the start, trotted the first pole, then decided to jump the final three... haha. Very nice action over them though, I was quite impressed. Of course, that wasn't what I wanted! So we did a few laps and called it quits when he did a nice line.

Then I hopped on the ride. The usual, walk and trot in circles to either direction. And for the first time, I asked him to canter under saddle in the arena .... At first his didn't really understand and just got faster (and longer, omg it was huge!) in the trot. So I steadied the pace, and asked again at the same point in the arena ... He got a bit faster, then broke into canter and we quietly cantered one long side to the other - bit of a stumble in the middle but that's more than okay for his first real canter with a rider!... I was soooooo proud of him... We did that a few more times; until he started to get a wee bit too excited. When that happened, I called it a day, and gave him huge pats!! We then took a nice leisurely stroll around the ring road for something different. Apparently, one of the Arab mares was a boogeyman that we needed to spook at. Silly pony.

We unsaddled and had a good brush down (one of the girls out there commented it was 'snowing' because of the amount of hair he's shedding right now!) ... I gave him dinner and then presented him with his brand new rug! Blue camo print!! haha ... I think it looks cool... I think perhaps he's not so convinced.

Small workout today ...

2008-09-29T10:17:00.001+10:00

Today's workout was very short - as I was on my own and had to re-wrap Huey's hoof before the sun went down ...

We started with our normal brush down and lunge - I moved the trot poles closer together today and while he was really trying to concentrate on where he put his feet, I think they were just a bit too close for him... I'll roll them further apart again next lesson. He's very responsive on the lunge now - and canter is starting to look very nice... He's beginning to really build up his hindquarter muscles and step through, which is pleasing to see.

After that I hopped on and did some walk/trot work .... He was really nice to the right, and pretty stiff to the left - while he's usually stiff to the left, today he was dropping his shoulder into the circle ...

I had wanted to ask for canter under saddle today - but another girl was working closeby with her excitable TB and given that Red has attention issues, I figured it wasn't the best time. Best I get my backside into gear, this time next month, we have a show to attend, hehe.

A Reprieve From Today’s Work…

2008-09-28T08:03:00.000+10:00

It was farrier day today – Red got nice shiny new shoes, and Huey was supposed to be getting a trim… I say supposed to, because that trim turned into the removal of a very large portion of the front wall of Huey’s hoof!! (Detailed pics can be found at Huey’s blog) …

So I spent a large portion of the day racing around town to collect the ‘ingredients’ I needed to help Huey on his road to recovery. (Biotin supplement, crepe bandages, honey, bluestone, iodine, and I bought some more feed for both boys) … Expensive day to say the least.

Not that Red was complaining – he got out of doing work, and got to do his favourite thing - eat. And eat he did - for there was a mountain of hay to chew through today, as I also want Huey to have access to alot of bulk roughage right now ... Lucky boys.

A Lunging We Will Go...

2008-09-21T17:38:00.000+10:00

I LOVE this horse. Love. Love. Love!

Today, I thought I would just lunge the grey beasty - and work on transitions and over poles.
It wasn't a huge session, but he did manage to get up a sweat (not sure if that's a good or bad thing, hehe) ... There's really not that much to report, as it was like any other session I've had with him. He's improving with every lesson, he's more balanced, and he's looking great.

Oh! I lie. One good thing to report - he was not disunited in the canter at all this lesson! Huzzah! And he moved into canter almost immediately each time I asked. We can now go full circles; full decent looking circles... in a relaxed, balanced manner. Our first few canters were obviously pretty hideous; lacking any strength, no clue as to where our legs should go, and burning around at a billion miles an hour... Today, he moved into canter without issue, and maintained a very nice, quite balanced frame and rhythm.

We also did some trot pole work - no nosedives today! He was watching where he placed his feet this time. hehe. I had the intention of popping him over some small jumps, in a kind of lunge-grid type fashion; not so successful. In the picture below, you'll see the little jumps 'wings' - he just trotted over the 1st and 2nd tiers, haha. And on the 3rd tier, he jumped nicely to the left, but the right was pretty dismal. Ah well, haha, it was our first attempts at a lunge-grid - things an only get better from here on in. His pole work was very nice, and I was pleased with that. (Obviously, the 'jumps' were at the end of grid - I just had not moved them in this picture - I wasn't trying to make him jump mid-grid or anything, hehe)...

And what better way to end the day - than eating!! hehe. Huey and Red both enjoy copious amounts of lucerne - having finished their hard feeds. Spoilt... rotten... ponies!

Gotta Love This Horse

2008-09-21T08:56:00.000+10:00

I worked both Red and Huey today ... Huey only got a mini groundwork/freelunge session that can be viewed at this own blog (http://thehueydiaries.blogspot.com/)...

I caught them both and brought them up at the same time to save trudging back and forth. I let them pick some nice grass on the way, and as we were walking up, there was a bare patch of ground where a shipping container used to sit. Thinking nothing of it, I walked over it, Huey happily followed my lead, and Red decided it was far to scary. I asked him to move forward, and instead, he leapt forward and barrelled me with his chest, knocking me out of the way in his panic. How kind of him. After picking myself up, I led him over it several more times and had him stand in the middle for a few minutes... The only thing I can put it down to, is there looks to be a couple of rabbit holes on the far side of the patch (not near where we were walking), so I assume he thought it was going to swallow us whole... I then popped him in the roundyard and worked with Huey....

When it was Red's turn - I grabbed him, took his rugs off, and gave him a good brush down. There's still so much hair coming off him. I popped the saddle on, did the girth up loosely, stretched his legs and gave him a light lunge to either side. It was extremely windy yesterday, so I wanted to see how his mood was, more than anything else. And he was.... same old Red - should have guessed eh?! hehe

After that, I put his bridle on, tightened the girth and hopped on. We started with some basic circle work at the work. I wanted to see if he remembered the bend work I taught him the week before. Which he did!! Clever boy. We have a few stiff moments here and there, but generally, he'll bend around my leg and have his eye towards the circle. Trot work is the same as far as bend goes - a few stiff moments, but generally the beginnings of our flexion is there.

His trot work is getting nicer and nicer, as I keep saying. He's rounding down more consistently on his own now (and I'm still not actually asking him to)... He's bobbing his head and sort of bouncing on my hands at times, so that's something we need to work on ... I think transitions will be our next goal. Up to trot and into walk .... He bounces into the trot, and kind of ploughes into the walk ... But hey - this is an ex harness horse who's technically on his 12th/13th ride! I think he's doing extremely well.... I'm not intending to work on canter under saddle yet - until we've got walk and trot covered.

However - might want to get that going soon, as there's another show coming up with Standardbred classes that I'd like to take him to. I'll try and make this one! hehe.

*No pictures of Red - as my stoopid phone camera died when I was taking pics of Huey. (Was most ticked off about that)...

Meet Red's New 'Brother'...

2008-09-15T13:29:00.000+10:00

So I bought a new Standardbred, hehe. Another grey!! Pairs harness here we come!

Red's new brother is named Huey (link to Huey's blog-space can be found in the previous post). Huey is 6years old, is at least 16.3hh, and a bit light on right now ... He arrived at around 2am on the 13th of September, and is going to be HUGE when he fills out. Huey was not a successful racehorse - 13 starts for 2 thirds for a total of $400 prizemoney, hehe. Easy to see what he didn't cut it. He did however manage to break the 2-minute mile just once, hehe, but still finished 8th of 10 in the race. Poor laddy.

Here is a piccy of them meeting for the 1st time - with Red looking terribly impressed, hehe ... He would have much preferred if I bought a mare. Seems he thinks of himself as a bit of a Cassanova - but they'll get along just fine! They'll both be moving in their own 2 horse paddock shortly - and I'm thinking I'll put a nice big oaten hay roundbale in with them. I can hear Red now... 'Mmmmm, food!' ... Such a hard life he has now, eh?!

It was all going great, until the nosedive!!

2008-09-13T15:53:00.000+10:00

Today was designed to be a light workout - as I had a new horse arrive overnight and I was tending to him as well (see http://thehueydiaries.blogspot.com/).

I just wanted to have a nice, easy lunge session with the roller and sidereins. And it definitely was nice and easy - to begin with.

I asked him to walk a few circles (and he moved away very nicely) and when he was calm and responsive I asked him to move into trot. His trot is looking better and better each day! It's becoming very soft and he's looking more and more balanced with each lesson. He really does surprise me how quickly he learns things and genuinely wants to try. I asked him for canter and move into it immediately today, no rushing, just a nice smooth transition (maybe it had something to do with the lunge whip in my hand that meant 'no fooling about today' hehe) ...

So we did that briefly to each side, and to break up the lesson, I had set up 3 trot poles in which I would move him over, then move him away from during the lesson. I figured he'd appreciate something to think about rather than just circles. He was lifting himself very nicely, and lowering his head and take a look at what he was doing ... Then at some point, I guess he figured "well these are boring and too easy now" and stopped thinking about what he was doing with his feet. Result..............

.....a nosedive into the ground!! He tripped over the final trot pole and crashed ver ungracefully into the sand.... After checking him over and finding nothing wrong, I led him over the poles a couple of times ... at first he was like "Screw you mum, they just tried to kill me, I'm not going over them again"... But after a couple of times he was relaxed - so I lunged him at the trot to either side over them again briefly... and called it a day ...

Until that point, I was marvelling at how much he's improved and how responsive he is... Ah well, we all make our mistakes.. I fall flat on my ass all that time, haha... I'm going to ride him tommorow - so we'll see how that goes :o)

It All Starts To Sink In....

2008-09-07T17:33:00.000+10:00

So today was a very successful session - and I'm so pleased with my grey beasty.

We had a nice brush-down (could have filled a garbage bag with all the hair!!) before we got started - then saddled up and made our way to the round yard for our normal exercises and warm up lunge. At this point, he thought it would be highly amusing to continue to switch directions at his discretion; he soon learnt that this was not on. Note to self: bring lunge whip next time!

We then make our way to the arena, and start doing some circles at the walk, as it's about time we started working in our bend with more intent.... We begin with a few small circles, and then begin to make our way down the long side of the arena....

....Next thing I know - Heart-attack, brought to you today by the letter "E" ... It's almost always windy out there, and the letter "E" made a loud rattle as the wind ripped passed it, just as we were walking past. He was indeed convinced the gremlins from yesterday had come back to finish the job hehe. But after a few 10m circles in the general vicinity of the killer E, we were fine and dandy! I was riding with the property owner at the time - she was on her big gorgeous Trakehnner, and he apparently thought it was the boogey-man as well. Red can take comfort in the fact he wasn't the only skeerdy-pony that day ;o) ...

But, back to work! And it didn't take him long to realize I was asking him to bend around my leg and flex through the circle. He does have a habit of getting distracted easily though - a horse running in a nearby paddock, a car, a bird - all these things are apparently fascinating and worthy of diverting our attention. A few half-halts though, and we quickly regain focus.

Our walk was looking nice. Time for trot!

I must say, his trot is starting to feel good. Very good. He's becoming more obviously balanced, his trot is improving in leaps and bounds, and feeling great. Our trot to the right is coming along verrrrrry nicely - he's stretching down long and low into the bridle, and will round up periodically on his own. I'm still not asking him to collect yet, so it's very pleasing that's he reaching all on his own!! To the left, we're both still stiff, but there is a definite improvement, and he's understanding this whole 'flexion' thing more and more with each ride.

Gotta love this horse, he's so easy to train. Once the light bulb goes on, he's got it and we can work more on refinement of the move.... now, or later, or whenever... hehe... He's a clever little land whale ;o)

No ridden piccies, as my partner was pulling a "world revolves around me" moment... so I had to hurry up and unsaddle. But... here's a piccy of him after our workout. I took 5 shots, and every time I took the picture he flicked an ear back. hehehe. Ah well, he's a gorgeous boy either way!!

....Lions and tigers and tents, Oh my!

2008-09-06T18:08:00.000+10:00

Whoops - been a bit of a lapse in my updates - but there's also been a bit of a lapse in his training. He's been thoroughly enjoying life as a fat pasture pet.

Today, it was time to earn his keep, instead of just eating his way through my bank account...., so I also thought I may as well test out the new western saddle I bought (I always ride English) ... So, I am officially vertically challenged, it's been confirmed haha. Even on the highest stirrup holes, my feet were barely touching the bars of the stirrup.

He wasn't too sure about the whole western saddle thing. We set off - walk walk kick, walk walk hump.. I stopped to check everything was okay; not too tight, nothing dangling where it shouldn't be; no annoying flies etc etc .... But that was all he did, and were were then on our way without further incident ... I assume because he's so used to the English saddle, that the western one was feeling a wee bit strange. (Strange for me too - how the hell do westerns riders 'feel' what's happening under them?!)... Bit like riding a nice comfy armchair, hehe.

We went for a small meander down the road and back and then did some work in the arena, and some work in hand.... On our approach to the arena, I noticed the property owner had set up one of those fluro coloured kiddies play tents, and thought to myself "this'll be interesting".... About 25m away, the ears and head go up, and we start the snorts.... About 10m away, we stop dead. I ask him to move forward..... "Noooooo way mum. There are gremlins in that thar tent, and they are going to eat me" ... I asked him to move forward again, and at 8m, we stop, then do a very prompt pivot on the hindquarters and weeee arrrre outta there.... So we go back again, nice and slowly, at at 5m he says "You're not listening Mum!! There are gremlins in there and we gotta go, NOW".... we again do a nifty spin and we where quickly off again in the opposite direction of the tent of death... At that point, I hopped off and led him to it, to show him it was fine... He soon discovered that no gremlins were there, popped it with his lips, bit still kept a weary eye on it incase the gremlins came back! He did the rest of our work under saddle without incident, but we did have to look at it everytime we went past. Just incase Mum. Juuuuust incase!

There's going to be a reining clinic held at the property shortly - I was thinking to myself after that; maybe we can go afterall!! hehe.

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Best I start working him more often (curse you day-job for getting in the way of my saddletime!) - he was huffing and puffing over what I'd consider a very minor workout.... It seems I own a very rare, heavily shedding winter coat, grey land whale ;o) .. he he

No pictures today :( But there's another session on the cards for him again tomorrow so I'll see if I can get some good ones.

Winter Be Gone!

2008-08-15T12:42:00.000+10:00

I am SO over Winter it's not funny.... Red however, uses these opportunities to take his dirt baths (can you tell?!).

Today, I took a day off work to get the grey beasty ready for his first show (among other things I had to do) ...

We started with the practise leading and trotting from the shoulder, which I am very pleased to say, he has mastered! He responds to the slightest command or suggestion now (a good and bad thing), but we're still fine tuning, and he's coming along in leaps and bounds...

Then we saddled up and made our way to the roundyard for our normal warmup lunge. Took some great pics of him.... I think perhaps it's about time I brought the lunge rein/side reins back into the picture - so just he doesn't get used to all this running about in circles with his head in the air. Maybe every 2nd lunge.... yes, that sounds like a plan.

After that, I jumped on and rode in the arena for a short while. Just the usual, walk/trot circle work to each rein. Some introductory yeilding etc ... He catches on very quick this boy. Unfortunately, no ridden shots, as I always seem to be out there alone so the only shots I get are from the ground or from between his ears, hehe ... I couldn't ride for too long today (this is Ride 9 by the way) as it was excessively windy and he was feeling a bit unsettled about it .... So we did the basics and called it a day ....

I then took him back and washed his legs and face (way too cold for a full bath; and I washed him after we rode, hence, his dirty face and legs in the pics), trimmed the santa beard under his chin, and thinned/pulled his mane/tail... He's looking very smart now .... All ready to go!!..... A few piccies below of our workout......

First piccy - warm up trot in the round yard....(forgive the blurriness, was off my mobile phone)...

Second piccy - Are we done yet Mum?! I really like this one:

But I'm a Racehorse, not a Showhorse!

2008-08-10T19:01:00.000+10:00

Today's traning session was quite interesting; me, hungover from a blacktie function the night before, and him, dragging his toes all the way to the arena in equal protest. But we need to practise, boy, do we need to practise!

We always started by walking (me leading from the ground) to the arena - I figure it's a good warm up, and I'm not one to just jump on 'cold' these days .... Call me chicken, but the words 'cold horse' and 'green horse' are never far from my mind. So we take a leisurely stroll the the arena, tighten up the girth a bit, and do some light lunging to either side with the saddle on. Walk, trot, canter to each direction, and I notice his canter is getting alot better (only disunited once this time, woo!) ...

After we're warmed up, I hop on and do some circlework to either side. His trot is feeling really good these days. Better to the right than the left; but I'm stiff to the left as well, so that doesn't help us. I asked him to canter for the first time under saddle; we got a few strides that was about it. I'm not pushing it though - happy to take it slowly and take what I'm given.

After the ridden work I thought I'd see how his leading skills were, given we're off to the show next week. Errrr, zero to none! So I spent a good 45 minutes teaching him to lead from the shoulder, and trot next to me (now that was a mission!) Once he got the idea though, it was all smooth sailing. We also have to work on our stance, but baby steps really. So we'll be sure to practice that one; along with everything else.

He was less than impressed we had such a comprehensive lesson, and not quite sure about all this 'having to look pretty' stuff... But he's still a willing participant for the most part. He gave me as much of a workout today as I gave him, and I'm sure it was his payback for making him work hard as well..... Running next to his huge trot; keeping my legs glued to his sides, because if I relaxed it was his cue to relax as well (and by relax, I mean stop completely).

Cheeky devil; MY cheeky devil.

Beginners Ring here we come. And beginners we are!

A Re-Mount for the Re-Rider!

2008-08-08T18:00:00.000+10:00

Forgive me is m memory is a little hazy, I purchased him in December '07 and have only just decided now is a good time to blog about him. Yes, I am indeed a clever individual.

**As he's an ex-harness horse, and harness work is his speciality, I will not be mentioning our harnesswork in the interest of keeping this blog strictly about his work and accomplishments as a saddlehorse.
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The Story of Red:

If I'm a re-rider, then it makes sense that an ex-racehorse (or any other horse coming from long spell into a ridden career) is a re-mount!!

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I was browsing the Harness Australia Trading Ring, looking for my next Standy. I happened to stumble upon an advert placed by another person looking for a 'coloured' Standy. Red's owners had posted a quick description of him, saying he was grey/roan and was available if the colour was close enough. She never responded. Grey standardbreds come up few and far between, so I decided to jump on it!

Lucky me. I sent an email to the owners asking if he was still available, and if they could tell me a bit about him, include a pic etc etc ... The reply came back he was indeed available; was 10 years old; retired many months ago but was being used to teach the youngins how to be a harness horse. His racing name was Red Ghost; Paleface Adios (very successful Australian harness horse) is the broodmare sire.

It never ceases to amaze me, that these guys so easily end up as dog food. Expensive dog food, when you think of the amount of time, money and training that goes into these guys. So 'Red the Grey Horse', as it where. Interesting name!

This was the picture included in the initial email:

So there he was; in all his greyhound racing glory! Not the best picture of him (he doesn't normally stand so 'under' himself), but I loved him the minute I saw him. It was a done deal, and he was mine. The owners even brought him to me as I was between horsey-transport at the time. From day 1, he was been an extremely willing, extremely honest pupil, not to mention a great friend.

In the 6 months I've had him, we have mastered lunging to either side, canter to either side (on the lunge), yeilding to pressure (groundwork), ground poles and small caveletti's on the lunge as well.

I also took him to a 3 day 'breaking clinic' .... while it was fairly 'natural' style of breaking clinic, there was no games, no carrot sticks, just excellent basic foundation groundwork, desensitising, and mounting on the final afternoon. 'Riding' conisted of walking around the arena with a saddle and halter, turning, backing up, yeilding, stopping: the very basics. The whole weekend, he was a star pupil, and was admired by both the instructor and other participants in the clinic. I was so very, very proud.

Where We Are Now:

With about 7 rides under our belt, we are doing wonderfully! The first 5 were confined to the arena alone. The first 2 were just in the round yard. Ride 4 introduced the trot. Oh and have I mentioned: he has never once paced!!

Currently, we have established some very nice Figure 8's (albeit, very large figure 8's) at the trot whilst in the arena, and he is starting to round down of his own accord. (I've been taking him in fairly small steps, and have left his front end completely alone for this reason.) He's soft and light in the front, and quite responsive to seat pressure. But bouncy, omg is he b..O..u..N..c..Y..... I find myself having to push down deep through my heels just to stay secure - though I suspect as he develops more muscle and balance (and I do the same!!) that will lessen somewhat ...

Ride number 7 was an hour and a half long trail ride, where he did not put a foot wrong. Sure, we just walked the whole way with several other horses, but a gem he was!! He's coming along brilliantly, and I keep in regular touch with his old owners to let them know how he's going. He raced for many years- A rider is just one more thing for the ever-capable Standardbred!

Red Is Going To The Show:

Having since purchased a 4 horse truck recently, I very fortunately stumbled upon the program for a 'Winter Woolies" show coming up in my region. What's even better, a Beginners Ring, dedicated to the green horses!!

Perfect practise for my grey beasty; get him some exposure in the show scene and some more practice looking pretty in our circlework.... (If such a thing is possible, with rusty re-rider and green re-mount!) But the aim iof the game is not to win, but to improve and have fun .... And fun we shall have! His show name will be: In The Red, which was suggested by my partner, as a pun intended to point out that horses seem to keep our bank balances 'in the red'.

Here is a few pics of him now:

Looking pretty - waiting for a workout.................... Sunset trailride - full steam ahead.

How It Came To Be .... the Backstory

2008-08-08T17:35:00.000+10:00

Like many, I started my horsey career with a strong dis-taste for Standardbreds, 'they're only for harness racing, no good for ridden work, and they pace!' Can't stop a pacer pacing, right?!

I am what blogger FuglyHorseOfTheDay calls a 're-rider' - an avid rider and showjumping/eventing/dressage competitor in my youth, but now a less fit, quite chicken-shit adult. My bones don't bounce like they used to you know! So what did I do when was looking for my new horse after a long break?? I did what most ladies do, and bought an OTTB. Beautiful mare, but beautifully hot-headed to boot. It was not a good partnership for my first horse back in the saddle after a long break...

And so started my epic search for the perfect horsey partner....... Eventually, I came to hear about Standardbreds; their durability, endurance, honesty, nature, everything! I did my research, joined the local Standie association, and found my first Standy (who came to me for free). He was one truly amazing horse: though, good and bad amazings!! He was strong, athletic, solid, honest, and a looker. But he was also pushy, hated being confined (would literally push the fence/yard down to get out), and paced! Boy did he pace; so bound in muscle memory was this horse, that he could pace over groundpoles and up a steep hill at some speed. When I could get him onto the diagonal, his trot was amazing! Very elevated with spectacular action (especially for a Standardbred not long off the track), you could hardly believe it was the same horse. Many many months of trying to retrain muscle memory later with no success (combined with a series of rather painful personal catastrophes), I retired him. The horse just loved to pace! And I wanted to show in english breed classes, with maybe some low level eventing/dressage thrown in later. Though I can really say he retired, he went to a young chappy to take mustering every now and then. But they had a great connection - and he's enjoying life on 200acres doing not much!

He was the start of my love of the breed! And now, well I probably wont own another horse other than a Standardbred. They truly are an astounding breed. How many other breeds can have a successful career in racing (racing on rockhard surfaces), then retire sound as a bell, then go on to have a successful careers under saddle?! Not many, that's for sure.

Why so many Standardbreds go to slaughter is truely beyond me. It's a very sad state of affairs.