Working Drifter and Christmas photo shoot

Shayla is home for a week for Christmas, so we are taking advantage of that and getting Drifter worked every day. The little guy is not so little any more- over 15 hands at the hip, although 3 inches lower on the front end I'm sure he will catch up eventually. 

All our snow went away and it has been raining off and on for a week now. All the frost is gone from the ground so of course it is muddy , as you can see from Drifter's photos; apparently he doesn't mind laying on wet ground. We brushed as much as we could off, but short of bathing him, he gets to sport the pinto look!

I had my camera on the wrong setting  hence the blurred legs (eye roll)

He was a bit fresh the first work, but the second day he settled down much quicker. Love the mind on these Driftwood/Sunfrost horses, they learn quickly and retain what they learn without any drama.

He's really looking like a horse now, no more baby look.

He made good progress today, enough so that Shayla was comfortable in getting on him. This is his first time with her getting on when he is saddled- last time, in September, it was bareback.

He stood like a gentleman and waited until I led him out before he moved, absolutely no silliness. 

Checking things out 

We sure are happy with him! Today he will get some ground driving and once she gets on him we will have the reins attached to the bridle. I will have him on a long line while Shayla does the steering. 

After we were done in the round pen it was time for a Christmas photo shoot. ( Did I mention how happy I am to have my Nikon working again? )

I should have cropped his muddy butt out!

And this is the one I chose for our Christmas greeting: 

Hope you all have a blessed Christmas!

I has a happy

Because my husband fixed my Nikon camera!Not sure what he did but he got it working again. Big grin!
Now I can take artsy photos...

and kitty photos....

and muddy horse photos....

(yes that's Shayla, back in town for a week)

And of course.... Beamer photos!

It was warm enough on this second day of winter that I took his blanket off. It has been raining a whole bunch but was only drizzly today. We are supposed to have some snow tomorrow, hope so because I want to do a Christmas photo shoot with the horses.

Another saddle

I'm trying out another saddle, this one is very similar in appearance to the Billy Cook but it's built by Reinsman. It fits Gussie about the same but the seat is 17 inches which , even though it has a full padded seat, makes it more comfortable for me. For those of you who are wondering about why a full padded seat wouldn't be the comfiest thing going, my style of riding is with my knees and ankles all in a line below my hips, which means I ride on my crotch instead of the style where your knees are out in front of you which sets you back more on your seat bones (think cutting, roping etc.) So the pressure of the padding can be quite annoying. I am accustomed to a hard seat or padded only in the back half of the seat.

Above is my pre ride photo. The tip of the bars is just behind her big shoulders and the line of the billet strap and cinch is straight.

I rode down to the mail and back, at a walk.

That is the post ride photo. You can see that the saddle didn't stay put by the angle of the cinch, which is more clear in this next photo.

That angle was straight at the start of the ride.

You can also see in that photo that the saddle pad is right behind the shoulder blade, which is where the saddle started out. So I think my next option is to try different padding options with this saddle and see if I can make it work.  I feel that when the saddle slides back it raises the back of the saddle which will make the pressure of the bars greater at the front than the back.

Rides 71 & 72

A blog, a repair, and Preparing for Christmas

Thanks to Facebook, I discovered another horse blog. This one is called Doing the Work and I really like the latest post. Check it out!
Speaking of doing the work...
My horse shelter is lined with plywood on one side as a wind break, the other 3 sides are open. Drifter and Gussie have been.... modifying it, so to speak....so it was time to patch it using puck board which should resist their attempts at interior decorating for the shabby chic look.

Putting a lot of screws in so you can't pull it off!

Well all right then!

I haven't been doing as much riding this year sadly, but hopefully that will change next year. Ted finally got our second truck up and running so I will be able to haul during the week. I discovered a place to ride when I was out searching for a Christmas tree. Lots of old logging roads, some of which are active. 

Are you ready for Christmas? I am mostly. Just a cookie baking day this week for my sister and her staff, that's my sister Mary who is handicapped as a result of German measles and brain fever when she was a little baby. She had a bout of pancreatitis and was hospitalized for a couple of weeks unable to eat, and with some family intervention on her behalf and round the clock support and supervision from her staff, she pulled through. I think doctors are too quick to give up on non communicative people. And I think she taught the doctor something too, so it was good all around. I feel that Prayer and Persistence Paid off! So I am feeling thankful this Christmas- what about you? Do you have something to be extra thankful for this Christmas?

Gussie stuff

I didn't keep the saddle I was trying out, so it's back to trying different saddle pad combos to find something that works.  This next photo is using a thin neoprene pad with a single layer wool blanket over it.
The bars at the front are good....

Lots of room for me to slide my hand under without wrinkling her hide

However, when I get to the middle of the saddle.....

that's as far up as I can feel before the saddle is too tight. So that tells me the front of the bars are wide enough, but the angle of the bars at the waist of the saddle is too steep, which you can also see from the back of the saddle:

This means I will be doing a lot of bareback riding this winter, with the exception of cattle sorting and picking up the mail. Which we did last week for a package from my sister.

It was a scarf and slippers that she made for me; I let Gussie model the scarf. It's very soft and warm!

Gussie is also sporting a new halter I made for her. Early Christmas present!

I was looking at old photos of Gussie from when I first brought her back home.

Look how much of her pink skin has filled back in! She looks much better now. 

Then there is how much her body has changed.... no wonder I'm pulling my hair out over saddle fit!

Then:

This summer:

So much more muscle mass. Even the thickness of her neck viewed from above has doubled. Oh well, at least she is comfy to ride bareback!

Riding day 70

Stirrups

Who would think that something so simple as stirrups can have so much ellect on the way we ride and the horse's comfort and correctness. Give this video a watch:

Side note: I was taught that "heels down" didn't mean actually shoving your heels down but rather lengthening your leg by pushing down from the thigh, which has the same effect as recommended in this video.

After watching it, I googled angled stirrups and there are a lot of them out there. Here is a link to a blog post about checking the level of your foot: https://murdochmethod.com/level-your-stirrups-for-a-solid-foundation/

So my question to you is, do you ride with the angled stirrups and has it improved your equitation and your horse's performance? I an going to try shimming my stirrups to see how it works for me before I go and buy a pair. Also, if you do ride them, what brand do you use and is one brand better than another? Here is what I found on google images, the variety is overwhelming!

He has arrived

Here is Booncat with his new family! Note that one of the children is in charge of the leadrope, that says a lot about the gentleness of this colt!

Here is what they said: "He is perfect. He has such an amazing personality. We are thrilled. He loaded and hauled like a champ."

They also promised to send updates on him which I will share with you.

Saddle trial and Booncat leaves

I am trying out a Billy Cook trail saddle on Gussie (model 1777). It seems to fit her well so far, but I don't find it very comfortable for me. The seat is fully padded and has enough rise that the padding pushes against me enough to cause chafing (*ahem*, ladies will know what I mean!).
 I went for a short ride with the lady who owns the saddle.

She was riding her 23 year old Morgan gelding.

I plan to ride it a few more times before I decide if it is "the one".

I tried it with my SPH saddle pad

Either the bars are too steep at the rear of the saddle, or it's just the leather that will end up flexing and laying flatter.

It was a lovely day to ride. The grass is still green despite the week of sub zero temperatures we had a couple of weeks ago. 

 I like to pause at this spot near the river to enjoy the bright green of the moss.

We wound our way through brush and trees watching for wildlife as there was a lot of deer sign as you will see in this video:

But other than the antler rubs and a lot of tracks, we didn't see anything.  We made our way back  and just enjoyed the peaceful beauty of the day.

That's our driveway, and the neighbour's house. Gussie is listening to the calls from Belle and Drifter, who had spotted her.

So the saddle did ok, it didn't move or slide back and seemed not to have any pressure points that I could find.  I'm just not sold on buying a factory saddle after all these years of riding custom built saddles! If I could afford it, I would have my cousin (first cousin, once removed!) Shane Pittman make me a saddle. He custom builds his own trees after careful measurements of the horse's back and boy he does nice work. Here are some photos of his work.

His starting price is 4 grand though and I don't think I can swing that! It's so tough for me to look at those saddles and then settle for a Billy Cook..... 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....

Today, I loaded up Booncat and hauled him to the first stop on the way to his new owners. He will be there for a couple of days before heading to Alberta; the buyers are hauling a horse they started for the lady who will be meeting them halfway with Booncat. He loaded well and hauled well, only a bit of calling and a couple of times he stuck his li'l nose out the window slots. But when we put him in the big box stall he was like "what the heck!" Not a happy little Booncat! All by his little self! Hopefully she will put a horse next to him so he can have some company. I bet he will whinny himself hoarse though. 

Riding day 68 and 69

My apologies....

I have had to turn on comment moderation as I am being hit with spam comments. I check my blog every day so your comments should get published the same day. Thanks for your understanding!

Well that was quick

I made the decision to put Booncat up for sale a few days ago.

 I was hoping that Shayla would be able to take him but things changed for her and it wasn't going to happen. So I advertised him on Northern Horse .com, an Alberta website that has worked well for me in the past.

My ad: https://www.northernhorse.com/classifieds/AdDetails_Horse.asp?ID=24205

2 days later, he is sold!

 He will be going to a home in Duchess Alberta. The folks seem really nice, a couple with 3 children who train performance horses. He calf ropes, she barrel races and they think Booncat will be a nice versatile horse for them and have plans to show him. And I will be able to keep in touch through Facebook.

They will be coming for him next week. I had his feet done today, so he is ready to go. He will be company for another weanling they have for this winter. I'm happy that they are really excited to get him!

Saddle fit and sorting

This wonderful fall weather continues, this is the nicest first half of November I've seen in a while.

Last post I mentioned that I may have found a temporary solution to my saddle fitting woes (other than riding bareback!). I have one of those thin neoprene pads that has a bit of extra padding where the bars of the saddle sit, so I put that under my Diamond Wool pad and went for a trail ride. Just down to the river, and looking at all the plants that have winterized themselves.

It seemed to work, the saddle didn't slip at all . The true test would be a longer and more active ride though.

So Saturday I went sorting again. 

5 hours later and after 7 runs the saddle stayed put and I think it may work for now.

Lots of standing around in between runs, so I rode down to the other end of the arena a few times and worked Gussie at the trot to keep her warmed up. The first 3 runs were practice runs and my partner and I did it perfectly, all 10 cattle in order and none of the trash got through the gate. Then it was time for the jackpot runs, I had a different partner, and the time allotted was 30 seconds shorter- and we trashed out every one of the 4 runs! Oh well, we had fun! Next one is December 14, and barring a super cold snap or major storm we'll be going again. Gussie really seems to enjoy it as much as I do.

I also found another trail riding partner, hopefully I'll get to go somewhere new soon.

Riding day 66 and 67

Wordless Wednesday

Come along now Booncat

I'm thankful that November is reasonably warm so far! Warm enough to get me in the saddle today. I rode Gussie down for the mail, it's about a mile each way. I was noticing all the bare trees and ditches full of leaves; all the colour is laying on the ground now. The berry bushes that have the white berries that we used to love to pop when we were kids are heavily laden; the elderberry trees have been stripped by local folks with only a few berries at the top for the birds, and the wild rosehips are a nice pop of colour.
Once we got back I decided that Gussie had a little more work to do, so it was time to pony Booncat around the yard.
Well, at least, that was the plan....

Apparently, Booncat has a bit of a stubborn streak! He wasn't about to move and though he be but little he be strong!

The trick was to make him circle by bringing Gussie around him; around and around and then line out.... rinse and repeat.... he'd come a little ways and then it was Nuh-uh again. 

Gussie is so good for this, When she feels that he stops and hits the end of the rope it locks my position in the saddle and she stops and waits to see what I want her to do next- circle, back up, or pull. She can pull him but I would rather he moved his feet willingly hence all the circling. He always does better if he thinks it was his idea!

After we were done he earned his li'l self some time standing tied at the hitching rail to think about things. He's actually standing tied really well now. 

He didn't fuss or pull, just stood there quietly mulling things over.

Once I get him ponying better- I think maybe 2 more sessions should do it- I will have some fun taking him through the bush and down to the river.

Oh- and I may have a solution to my saddle fit problem. I'll be checking it out with more rides this week before I post about it.

Riding day 65

November already....

It seems that winter hit early this year. Normally it's late November / early December before I have to start plugging in the water heaters for the horses, but it was the last week of October this year. No snow down here in the valley to speak of; we had a little blast on the 28th of October but it's mostly gone, but with the clear skies come the cold temperatures; -10 to -12 Celsius at night lately.
I have taken to blanketing Beamer at night to keep his old bones warm and I think he appreciates it.
I found something interesting in my essential oils book:

so I started using it on his knee mixed with sticky bud oil a couple of times a day. He seems to be moving better; combined with the Streamz bands and the camelina oil (2 oz. a day) I think I am doing all I can to make him comfortable as he can be with a big knotty knee.

Drifter is doing well, I work him a couple of times a week for about 20 to 30 minutes which is plenty for a long yearling.



I also took the longe line off and free longed him for the first time; he did hunt the gate but it was easy to persuade him to just go on as if I had the line on. A few more times of this and I'll put the reins on and get him to give to the bit from the ground in preparation for ground driving.

Booncat is also making progress; I have ponied him 3 times now and he is better every time; I should be able to take him out of the pen for a ponying session soon.

I did lead him around the yard and he thoroughly enjoyed it, interested in everything and not spooky or silly at all - so ponying around the property should go well. I had him stand tied yesterday as I picked up all his feet and used the hoof pick on them; not too bad; I'd give him a C+. I do that every day before I put him in the foaling pen for his special feed. I also started adding camelina oil to his feed.

The search for a new saddle for Gussie goes on. I tried adding extra padding in the hollows of her shoulders but all it did was make the saddle tippy and probably added extra pressure to the back of the bars.

Riding day 64