Yesterday while the hubby was off at jousting practice with Red and Saga, Fuzzypony and I headed out on Taran and Cash for a relaxing trail ride. We ran into another horse owner who lives nearby, and the three of us spent the better part of an hour wandering the trails and chatting.
Isn't it funny how you can talk horses FOR HOURS with another horse person, even though you've just met?
At one point we got to a big field and decided to do a little trot and canter, just 'cause. Fuzzypony was cantering on the left lead, and Cash and I were on the right lead. We were passing left shoulder to left shoulder, about 20 feet apart, when out of the corner of my eye I saw Taran do this cutting-horse-esque pivot and spin to the left, throwing Fuzzypony over his right shoulder. He bolted directly into Cash and hit us broadside on the left. Fortunately, the impact threw Fuzzypony back into her saddle, but shoved Cash to the right and unbalanced me off Cash's left shoulder. I thought I was going to eat dirt, but had the presence of mind to throw my right arm over Cash's neck and pull myself back up. Cash, bless him, stopped almost immediately, blowing and wide-eyed. Taran had stopped next to us; Fuzzypony was unharmed but really shaken.
It had happened so fast I had no idea what caused it, so I spun Cash around... and then I saw the *&@%@$ off-leash dog that had spooked both horses. He'd apparently come careening around a fence so that he was directly behind Cash and directly in front of Taran, where neither horse could get a good look at him. Neither Fuzzypony nor I actually saw him until after he'd spooked the horses.
And the owners? They eventually got the dog to come back to them, put him on a leash, and walked away without a word. No apology, no checking to see if we were OK, NOTHING. We didn't go after them because frankly, we were too mad and too shaken to have a coherent, polite conversation with them. We probably should have, but I also didn't particularly want to ride my spooked horse over to where their very large dog was located.
I get that people want to let their dogs run - I let my dog run too, but only on my own fenced property. Of course, there are no leash laws in our small town, except during fawn season in the spring. But FOR REAL people, if your dog doesn't have good recall, KEEP YOUR DAMN DOG ON A LEASH. If we'd both hit the ground, we would have had two loose horses and possibly two injured people. That's not OK on any level.
Grumble.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Jumping lesson 1-21-2012
I should preface the jumping lesson details with the note that it's been a fantastic week of riding. Tuesday Kiddo #1 and I went for a nice, long ride (me on Saga and her on Reddums) before she went back to college for the semester. She had a great time and we both got some T/C work in out in one of the fields nearby. Wednesday Fuzzypony and I headed out for a short bareback trail ride around dusk. At one point we were going down a very twisty, windy trail with cedar trees all around (it's sort of like a tunnel) and I commented how I felt like we were in a chase scene in a bad horror movie. Fortunately, nothing horror-movie worthy happened to us!
Then on Thursday the hubby, Fuzzypony, and I headed over to the retaining pond we like to ride in. The hubby had a really rough time with Saga, because he was wearing his jousting helm with chain mail. Saga doesn't like the sound of armor, especially when it's on his back. He jigged a lot, which of course made hubby tense and grab the reins, and soon we had this self-fulfilling cycle of constant pulling back which resulted in head-flinging. I have learned not to comment much on the hubby's riding (that's why we take lesson from a 3rd party) but I ended up suggesting that they just work on walk on a loose rein, and if Saga trotted, make an immediate correction but then go back to a loose rein. They ended on a good note, but it took a lot of work. The plan now is to figure out a way for me to wear clinky armor when I ride so we can get him more accustom to the sound. Never mind that hubby's armor is a) too big and b) really frickin' heavy... we'll figure something out. It may involve tin cans full of rocks to make noise, but we've gotta do something. If anyone has any ideas, LMK.
Friday night Fuzzypony and I took another short ride over to the retaining pond. Saga and I worked on a lot of T/C, with me focusing on using my core to rate him, remembering to turn my shoulders when trying to turn him, especially to the right where he tries to pop his shoulder and fall out. We had some really nice moments, until our canter departs, which just did. not. happen. Apparently, one can use one's core and forget one's legs to the point that your horse feels nice and adjusts well, but isn't actually with you. I'm still trying to figure how that works (or doesn't), but clearly I need to get him in front of my leg somehow. Dressage lessons are no doubt in order.
Finally, on to the jumping lesson on Saturday. I was on Reddums again and managed to keep him much more forward and balanced than last time. We got into our fences better (mostly), but I am still popping up way too early after the fences - or rather, on top of the fences. The deep AP saddle that I'm riding in isn't doing me any favors, but it's still a problem I need to work on. I'll bring it up with Paige next week and see if she has any great ideas on how I can fix that.
We did a fun line with a Christmas tree under the first jump. It's bigger than Red's been jumping, and of course it looked funny, so I was expecting a little goofiness the first time though. I aimed him at the lowest part of the jump on the right, which was a mistake. If your horse usually jumps right, fer heaven's sakes take the left side! I thought I was going to eat a standard, as you can see in our brilliant leap, where I caught more air than he did. Oh well, eventers are nothing if not persistent, so when Paige said to "go ahead over the second fence if you think you can make it" of course I went for it. I mean, I was still on, still had reins and stirrups, so why not? The second fence actually wasn't bad, given how... erm... creative the first jump was. She told me after that she was surprised that I had gone for it and made it, and I was like, well, of course, I'm going to get the job done regardless of how it looks. That's part of what eventing's about, right?
Fortunately the second time through was rather more together (which is to say, I rode better and Red made me look good), so we quit on that.
The hubby also had a really good ride on Saga, which ended with jumping the same line with the Christmas tree.
He worked on a lot this lesson - heels down, hands forward & grab mane, chest up - much of which is very difficult for him because he's just not flexible in the way that I think a lot of riders are. He physically cannot get his heel down more than an inch without absolutely jamming his foot into the stirrup, which of course tightens his entire leg. He can't sit Indian style at all - his hips just don't rotate in the socket that way, which makes it hard for him not to pinch with his thighs and knees. He gets frustrated because his body physically cannot do what the instructor often tells him to do, but Paige is sort of working miracles by providing alternatives and seeing what is possible, then working with that.
One really funny thing that happened - Hubby asked Paige what to do if you were jumping and there was a tree branch over the jump (he was talking about a scenario we had once when foxhunting). She looked at him quizzically and said, "Clearly there's something wrong with the arena you're riding in!" We both laughed and explained what we'd meant, and marveled once again at the difference between our riding world and her riding world. I swear, one day we're going to get her out and take her foxhunting!
Then on Thursday the hubby, Fuzzypony, and I headed over to the retaining pond we like to ride in. The hubby had a really rough time with Saga, because he was wearing his jousting helm with chain mail. Saga doesn't like the sound of armor, especially when it's on his back. He jigged a lot, which of course made hubby tense and grab the reins, and soon we had this self-fulfilling cycle of constant pulling back which resulted in head-flinging. I have learned not to comment much on the hubby's riding (that's why we take lesson from a 3rd party) but I ended up suggesting that they just work on walk on a loose rein, and if Saga trotted, make an immediate correction but then go back to a loose rein. They ended on a good note, but it took a lot of work. The plan now is to figure out a way for me to wear clinky armor when I ride so we can get him more accustom to the sound. Never mind that hubby's armor is a) too big and b) really frickin' heavy... we'll figure something out. It may involve tin cans full of rocks to make noise, but we've gotta do something. If anyone has any ideas, LMK.
Friday night Fuzzypony and I took another short ride over to the retaining pond. Saga and I worked on a lot of T/C, with me focusing on using my core to rate him, remembering to turn my shoulders when trying to turn him, especially to the right where he tries to pop his shoulder and fall out. We had some really nice moments, until our canter departs, which just did. not. happen. Apparently, one can use one's core and forget one's legs to the point that your horse feels nice and adjusts well, but isn't actually with you. I'm still trying to figure how that works (or doesn't), but clearly I need to get him in front of my leg somehow. Dressage lessons are no doubt in order.
Finally, on to the jumping lesson on Saturday. I was on Reddums again and managed to keep him much more forward and balanced than last time. We got into our fences better (mostly), but I am still popping up way too early after the fences - or rather, on top of the fences. The deep AP saddle that I'm riding in isn't doing me any favors, but it's still a problem I need to work on. I'll bring it up with Paige next week and see if she has any great ideas on how I can fix that.
We did a fun line with a Christmas tree under the first jump. It's bigger than Red's been jumping, and of course it looked funny, so I was expecting a little goofiness the first time though. I aimed him at the lowest part of the jump on the right, which was a mistake. If your horse usually jumps right, fer heaven's sakes take the left side! I thought I was going to eat a standard, as you can see in our brilliant leap, where I caught more air than he did. Oh well, eventers are nothing if not persistent, so when Paige said to "go ahead over the second fence if you think you can make it" of course I went for it. I mean, I was still on, still had reins and stirrups, so why not? The second fence actually wasn't bad, given how... erm... creative the first jump was. She told me after that she was surprised that I had gone for it and made it, and I was like, well, of course, I'm going to get the job done regardless of how it looks. That's part of what eventing's about, right?
Fortunately the second time through was rather more together (which is to say, I rode better and Red made me look good), so we quit on that.
The hubby also had a really good ride on Saga, which ended with jumping the same line with the Christmas tree.
He worked on a lot this lesson - heels down, hands forward & grab mane, chest up - much of which is very difficult for him because he's just not flexible in the way that I think a lot of riders are. He physically cannot get his heel down more than an inch without absolutely jamming his foot into the stirrup, which of course tightens his entire leg. He can't sit Indian style at all - his hips just don't rotate in the socket that way, which makes it hard for him not to pinch with his thighs and knees. He gets frustrated because his body physically cannot do what the instructor often tells him to do, but Paige is sort of working miracles by providing alternatives and seeing what is possible, then working with that.
One really funny thing that happened - Hubby asked Paige what to do if you were jumping and there was a tree branch over the jump (he was talking about a scenario we had once when foxhunting). She looked at him quizzically and said, "Clearly there's something wrong with the arena you're riding in!" We both laughed and explained what we'd meant, and marveled once again at the difference between our riding world and her riding world. I swear, one day we're going to get her out and take her foxhunting!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Hay analysis
The hay analysis for my 420 (now closer to 380) bales of hay, imported from Canada, is in. YAY!
Below are the percent of total (%) and grams/pound (g/lb) values of the hay, from Equi-Analytical. The values in the Recommended Daily Dose column also come from Equi-Analytical, and are based on a 1100 lb horse in light work.
The final column, Daily Intake (High/Low), shows how much of each nutrient each horse gets per day, based on roughly 20 lbs of forage per day. I've also noted whether or not they're getting enough of each nutrient by using HIGH (meaning yes, they're getting plenty), or LOW (meaning they might need a supplement).
A couple of things to note here:
More thoughts:
So, overall, the hay looks pretty good! I can supplement a little for Mg and Z and get them where they should be, but otherwise they don't really need anything extra in their diets.
The question is, should I continue to give them the tiny bit of vitamin/mineral supplement they are currently receiving? I think I might, since it has some extra stuff (namely vitamins A, E, and D) in it. I'll continue to give beet pulp to Cash and Saga since it's doing a good job of keeping the weight on them, and of course the ground flax. Otherwise, the feeding program around here seems pretty reasonable!
What do you think? Any suggestions on things I should change up?
Below are the percent of total (%) and grams/pound (g/lb) values of the hay, from Equi-Analytical. The values in the Recommended Daily Dose column also come from Equi-Analytical, and are based on a 1100 lb horse in light work.
The final column, Daily Intake (High/Low), shows how much of each nutrient each horse gets per day, based on roughly 20 lbs of forage per day. I've also noted whether or not they're getting enough of each nutrient by using HIGH (meaning yes, they're getting plenty), or LOW (meaning they might need a supplement).
| Nutrient | % | g/lb | Recommended Daily Dose | Daily Intake (High/Low) |
| Crude Protein | 13.4 | 60.7 | 820 g | 1214 g/ day HIGH |
| Estimated Lysine | .52 | 2.4 | 29 g | 48 g/day HIGH |
| Water Soluable Carbs | 7.2 | 32.8 | GOOD | |
| ESC (simple sugars) | 4.8 | 21.6 | GOOD | |
| Starch | 1.6 | 7.0 | GOOD | |
| Non Fiber Carb. (NFC) | 13.3 | 60.1 | Unk | |
| Crude Fat | 1.9 | 8.8 | GOOD | |
| Calcium | 1.02 | 4.63 | 25 g | 92 g/day VERY HIGH |
| Phosphorus | .28 | 1.29 | 17.8 g | 25.8 g/day HIGH |
| Magnesium | .17 | .79 | 17.8 g | 15.8 g/day LOW |
| Potassium | 1.94 | 8.81 | 31 g | 176.2 g/day VERY HIGH |
| Sodium | .027 | .122 | 25.1 g | Not reported |
A couple of things to note here:
- NSC (which is what I'm so concerned about for Saga's feet) is equal to WSC + Starch. In the case of my hay, that's 8.8%, well below the 10% I was hoping for. Hurrah! (Please, please tell me I did that math right.)
- Nobody's hurting for protein around here!
- Magnesium is a tad bit low, but they are already getting a magnesium oxide supplement. I've decreased that to 1 tbsp/day, so they're probably getting a bit extra, but not much.
- Although Sodium is not reported, I'm not terribly concerned. The boys have free access to loose salt, and since I have to refill it regularly, I know they're making use of it. :)
- They are getting a LOT of Calcium. Worse, the Calcium:Phosphorous ratio, which should be roughly 1:1 or even 2:1, is more like 3.5:1. Supposedly horses are OK up to 6:1, so maybe I shouldn't panic? The literature seems to agree that as long as the ratio does not fall BELOW 1:1, I'm OK. Well then, I won't panic. Yet.
- They are also getting a lot of Potassium. However, the literature says that most forage is between 1-2% dry matter in K (at 1.94, we're right in there), so horses generally get way more than they need with no adverse effects. Well OK then, I guess we're fine.
| Nutrient | ppm | mg/lb | Recommended Daily Dose | Daily Intake (High/Low) |
| Iron | 203 | 92 | 335 mg | 1840 mg/day VERY HIGH |
| Zinc | 20 | 9 | 335 mg | 180 mg/day LOW |
| Copper | 13 | 6 | 84 mg | 120 mg/day HIGH |
| Manganese | 91 | 41 | 335 mg | 820 mg/day VERY HIGH |
| Molybdenum | 1.2 | .5 | Unk 5-8 ppm | 10 mg/day HIGH |
More thoughts:
- I should probably look into a zinc supplement.
- HOLY CRAP they are getting a LOT of Iron. Fortunately it doesn't appear that it's toxic; so I'm not going to panic.
- They are also getting a lot of Manganese, but it's supposedly one of the least toxic minerals. Again, no need for panic.
So, overall, the hay looks pretty good! I can supplement a little for Mg and Z and get them where they should be, but otherwise they don't really need anything extra in their diets.
The question is, should I continue to give them the tiny bit of vitamin/mineral supplement they are currently receiving? I think I might, since it has some extra stuff (namely vitamins A, E, and D) in it. I'll continue to give beet pulp to Cash and Saga since it's doing a good job of keeping the weight on them, and of course the ground flax. Otherwise, the feeding program around here seems pretty reasonable!
What do you think? Any suggestions on things I should change up?
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Mid-week critter: I need titanium blinds
The cute little doggy? The one that doesn't stay in his bed?
Yes, this doggy. Don't let the innocent look fool you.
He did this to the blinds in our bedroom.
At first I thought about replacing these with titanium mini blinds, but they don't seem make them. Yes, I checked. (Maybe a new product opportunity for some enterprising person?)
I'm thinking about these instead - chain mail curtains. I'll just have to figure out how to attach the curtain rod to the wall to it NEVER comes off.
Hmph.
Monday, January 16, 2012
If your horse was a car, what kind of car would he/she be?
Over the weekend, I was trying to describe to a non-horsey person how different Cash, Saga, and Reddums are to ride. After fumbling around for a bit, I discovered that cars make the perfect analogy for someone who has never been on a horse.
For example, Cash might look like your typical QH-bred Paint - midsized and just sort of average-looking, but that hair trigger and incredible maneuverability makes him special.
The best comparison for him is an F-150 Lightning - looks like a normal truck, but man, when you step on the gas or turn the wheel, you'd better hang on, since there's some serious power and handling under the hood!!!
Saga, on the other hand, is like a mid-1980s vintage Crown Victoria. Not very fast from 0-60, but excellent at cruising highway speeds (i.e. galloping 'round foxhunting). Big, plush, and comfy, and of course, longer than a school bus. Drives approximately like a land yacht, or a couch.
Reddums is most definitely an Audi Quattro Rally Car. Total off-road vehicle, a go-anywhere, do-anything kind of guy. Sure, he's a little short and kind of wide, but it doesn't matter if it's mud, dust, trees, open fields, jousting, jumping or dressage - he's there for you and doesn't let you down. He shines up pretty nice too, come to think of it.
What about your horse? If your horse was a car (or truck), what kind would he/she be?
Not very exciting-looking, right?
The best comparison for him is an F-150 Lightning - looks like a normal truck, but man, when you step on the gas or turn the wheel, you'd better hang on, since there's some serious power and handling under the hood!!!
Holy Horsepower, Batman!!!
Saga, on the other hand, is like a mid-1980s vintage Crown Victoria. Not very fast from 0-60, but excellent at cruising highway speeds (i.e. galloping 'round foxhunting). Big, plush, and comfy, and of course, longer than a school bus. Drives approximately like a land yacht, or a couch.
Long, large, and comfy. How can you not want one of these?
Reddums is most definitely an Audi Quattro Rally Car. Total off-road vehicle, a go-anywhere, do-anything kind of guy. Sure, he's a little short and kind of wide, but it doesn't matter if it's mud, dust, trees, open fields, jousting, jumping or dressage - he's there for you and doesn't let you down. He shines up pretty nice too, come to think of it.
I see a distinct resemblance in form, don't you?
What about your horse? If your horse was a car (or truck), what kind would he/she be?
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Yay! Progress!
After yesterday's exciting flooding episode that resulted in us having to pull up the entire kitchen floor in the guest house, today was rather more successful. We salvaged all of the laminate floor except one board, where the edges were too badly damaged to reuse. Fortunately we'd bought extra flooring so getting a replacement piece was not a problem.
The floor and cabinets had dried out overnight, so we finished re-laying the floor this afternoon. After that, we got the baseboards (which was the start of this whole project) laid in. Yay! Dad also did a bang-up professional job putting the end cap on the formica countertop in the kitchen, so it's really starting to look finished! We still have windowsills and transition flooring pieces to put in, the trim all needs a touch-up coat of paint, and there are a few other odds-and-ends that need to be done, but having the guest house completed is in sight. It sure will be nice to knock that off the list!
Once we'd finished the flooring and baseboard project, my dad gave my hubby a "Soldering 101" lesson to repair some wiring that Anie had broken in one of her terrified-of-thunderstorm moments. Hubby's comment was, "It's like welding, only much, much smaller!" Of course they had to go to Home Depot to purchase a soldering iron, so we have another 'power' tool to add to the collection. Not that anyone is complaining, mind you.
The final project was to learn how to glaze windows. Part of the house has really nice wood-paned windows, but the glazing has all dried and cracked, and most of it has fallen out. We had someone who was supposed to reglaze and refinish them for us, and... well, he did a great job right up until he stopped showing up (long story, not worth telling). Dad has done glazing before and offered to show us so we could finish up the work... turns out, it's really pretty easy to do, and if you liked playing with play-doh as a kid, you can glaze windows without a problem.
The floor and cabinets had dried out overnight, so we finished re-laying the floor this afternoon. After that, we got the baseboards (which was the start of this whole project) laid in. Yay! Dad also did a bang-up professional job putting the end cap on the formica countertop in the kitchen, so it's really starting to look finished! We still have windowsills and transition flooring pieces to put in, the trim all needs a touch-up coat of paint, and there are a few other odds-and-ends that need to be done, but having the guest house completed is in sight. It sure will be nice to knock that off the list!
Once we'd finished the flooring and baseboard project, my dad gave my hubby a "Soldering 101" lesson to repair some wiring that Anie had broken in one of her terrified-of-thunderstorm moments. Hubby's comment was, "It's like welding, only much, much smaller!" Of course they had to go to Home Depot to purchase a soldering iron, so we have another 'power' tool to add to the collection. Not that anyone is complaining, mind you.
The final project was to learn how to glaze windows. Part of the house has really nice wood-paned windows, but the glazing has all dried and cracked, and most of it has fallen out. We had someone who was supposed to reglaze and refinish them for us, and... well, he did a great job right up until he stopped showing up (long story, not worth telling). Dad has done glazing before and offered to show us so we could finish up the work... turns out, it's really pretty easy to do, and if you liked playing with play-doh as a kid, you can glaze windows without a problem.
Glazing putty is available at your local hardware store. You want to start with a clean surface of both the window and the frame. Dad demonstrates how you take the putty and roll it into a long ribbon between your hands.
Next you sort of smoosh it into the groove between the window pane and the frame. This is the fun, squishy part.
Keep smooshing is down the window pane until you get to the corner. Use your finger to smooth it out a bit, then clean the window with water and vinegar.
We didn't get quite as much done this weekend as we had planned, but considering we managed to rip up and rebuild a kitchen floor in the mix, we didn't do too badly. We have a lot of other small projects planned for this week/weekend, so hopefully we can knock those out quickly.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Not actually our planned activity for today...
My parents have come to visit us for the weekend. My dad is uber-handy, and we'd saved up a couple of projects that we wanted some advice on. We'd had a few small things planned but nothing big, although we were going to do some work on the baseboards in the guest house while my parents watched the Saints game.
The hubby went into the guest house to do some final measurements, and when he stepped into the kitchen the floor squirted water at him!?!?!? A little exploration revealed that the water filter under the sink had been leaking for some time. The floor in the guest house isn't level, so the water had leaked all the way under the laminate floor all through the kitchen. Fortunately there's a heavy-duty vinyl moisture barrier under the floor, so the water didn't leak through to the plywood sub-floor.
The hubby went into the guest house to do some final measurements, and when he stepped into the kitchen the floor squirted water at him!?!?!? A little exploration revealed that the water filter under the sink had been leaking for some time. The floor in the guest house isn't level, so the water had leaked all the way under the laminate floor all through the kitchen. Fortunately there's a heavy-duty vinyl moisture barrier under the floor, so the water didn't leak through to the plywood sub-floor.
Unfortunately, the water was all through the kitchen and we ended up ripping up the entire floor. You can see the wet spots on the vinyl and the towels we used to mop up. There was an incredible amount of water under the floor.
We pulled out all of the flooring, dried it off, then set it outside in the sun to dry a bit more. Fortunately it was sunny and 60 today, so it dried out pretty quickly.
We managed to salvage all of the flooring and put about half of it back in this evening. We put heaters and fans on in the kitchen in hopes that the area under the cabinets, which had the worst damage, will dry out some more overnight.
We'll finish reinstalling the rest of the floor tomorrow, and then maybe we'll get around to installing the baseboards. :)
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