Baby Greenie Support Group now open: Share Your Pain!

[Duffy]

Methinks that was a much abbreviated version, Merry!!! Congrats to you and Hammie!!! My trainer has that “coming back in the line” down pretty well with Gramento, but I don’t yet!

I am so impressed by many posters’ bravery!

Oh, not that anyone has asked, but my daughter’s Childrens’ Pony debut went GREAT! Both she and Mini were stars. I was so proud of both of them - goosebump and tears welling up kind of feelings. Here is a picture of them before the jogs. (This was her first time jogging and she got to do it twice!)

[Beezer]

For those of us who’ve spent our horsie lives in urbanized California, what you describe is what we’ve lived. Always.

It’s just a whole 'nother way of having horses. Land is too expensive and the people too plentiful for there to be much in the way of space for the critters (just ask the coyotes, mountain lions and black bears ).

In the end, you adjust. So do the horses. As one racehorse person once put it (and I know I am misquoting here), “I have no doubt that European racehorses have a much more ‘normal’ and scenic life that U.S. racehorses. But we do what we can to make life the best we can for them.”

Same goes with the West Coast versus East Coast realities of horsekeeping.

Bulletin Board Goddess

[Merry]

Absolutely! I would say Beezer’s Tigger was the all-time easiest horse I ever broke & started. Liesl, a Trakehner filly we raised, was a close second. I think I was cantering her the third time I was on her back. A couple of the TB’s we raised for the track were very easy, too. All of which makes me wonder why, in my “old age” I am acursed with two clowns like Hammie (my trainer’s latest comment was, “He’s so unimpressed with the jumps that he just goofs off half the time”) and the Barbie Cow (who every 2 or 3 rides throws what my mother describes as a temper tantrum).

“Friends don’t let friends eat fish tacos.”

[Lord_Helpus]

Bummer, Merry. You would have to remind me of the jump off… I had these floating visions of us galloping around a 3’6" course with her 16’ stride, making wide bee-yoo-tiful turns and cantering down to the next line and winning the blue based on the length of her stride and the excellence of my eye which can (r-i-g-h-t…) always see the perfect spot as I turn the corner so I can come forward, galloping out of the turn…

I guess I rode with Joe and Conrad for too long. No hustle and scurry there, Just good riding and discipline. Made it look easy.

Actually I sold them Fife, because he reminded them of Touch of Class. Maybe Joe can be talked into SM because she will remind him of Mill Pearl…

Now all I have to do is mount her and ride her…

[Merry]

Here is view #1. Ironically, it arrived the day after I interviewed the lady who bred and raised one of the all-time great Arabian stallions, Khemosabi. Hence, after viewing this picture, I now refer to it as “Hamosabi”. My horse looks like an Arab!

What’s up with his arched neck, pricked ears and flagging tail?

“Friends don’t let friends eat fish tacos.”

[Dana]

I can totally understand your pain. A few years ago, I had this awesome QH gelding. Jumps were great, but he just couldn’t get the stinking lead changes through his head. I was on my last straw at a QH show, and asked a trainer friend of mine to climb on him. Have I missed something? What’s the problem? Well, Brian got on him and another trainer friend was riding out there (multiple World Champ western riding trainer) and, between the two of them and about an hour and a half later, Corey had perfect lead changes both ways and never missed another one! LOL

Keep plugging away, Justice. It’ll eventually be there.

Here’s a pic of Corey with the hunter trainer I used then doing the 3’ at his first show.

[Bumpkin]

I hope that the saddle works for Murphy.
Elliot and I personally broke that saddle in and took loving care of it.
Although I have not seen it for many months…

Ride in only it for a week, to see how it works out.
I love the WIDE gullet it has.

[headsup]

Let us not forget the “greenie eating” storm drains when we venture to the shows…those are a lovely way to smack your TS clad butt on the pavement

[system]

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> I will wave wand, wiggle my nose, shake my ponytail, whatever…
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Hmm. Lets see. I have a lil green pony who is actually rather not green. But she is still a punk at times. But I would wish that she would… Not spook at the imaginary deer lurking beside the show ring. Remember what a LEAD is during her classes. Not buck after I ask for her to canter. And last but DEFINITLY not least be more polite on the ground. (Not buck, rear, try to trample me etc…) But whenever she seems to get a breakthrough and be polite again she learns some knew trick and acts like she has gone into season. Oh yea… Jumpsalot-how old is Lio?

[JRG]

High Eq, go back and read the “leg spur, crop” part of the conversation we have been there. It will come, just mean it. When you ask for something and don’t get the desired reaction-make it happen, leg spur crop what ever just don’t let the horse get behind your leg.

Now for me. We had our lesson tonight, now we are working on stuffing more strides down the line. The threat tonight was “If you don’t get five, I will ask for seven and we will be here all night.” Neadless to say we ran a little over tonignt…something about getting a big horse to do the small stuff is worse than getting a small horse to open up. I am tired.

[dublin]

Glad to hear your first lesson back after the infamous lawn dart incident went so well, and that you were feeling so positive and pain free while you were riding.

I’d say that is a good start to 2002 for you both!!

[Lord_Helpus]

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Merry:
Perhaps I should develop an “O.Q.” for baby greenies, an “Obnoxiousness Quotient”. They’d be measured on:

1. How often they chew anything constructed of wood or leather when you’re not looking.

Do they get extra credit if they do it while you are looking —staring you down, even as a rein disappears into their mouth?

2. How long it takes them to utterly destroy their custom-made show blanket.

If it is unrecognizable as a blanket, add 10 points.

3. The frequency they pull off their aluminum shoes, regardless of how well they’re shod or how well they’re booted up.

Slicing bulb of heel or stepping on sprung shoe with nails in it are extra credit.

4. The way they seem to delight in blowing a hack class by suddenly recognizing _____________.(Fill in distracting item of your choice).

Or spooking at absolutely nothing at all (that the human eye can see). ANY horse can spook at a real live distraction…

5. To what level they clearly display their distaste for your requests, i.e., kicking out when asked for a flying change, or rooting on the bit instead of suppling up for a sitting trot in an eq. class.

I vote for an option D: All of the above.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[JustaLurker]

Beezer, I’m so sorry to hear about all the problems Tigger might be suffering through right now. Certainly it seems to be true that when it rains, it pours! Hopefully, whatever this latest thing is, it can be fixed. A layup would even be acceptable, I’d guess, since you now have the new and fun, but very uneducated Sam to play with. He certainly sounds like he may exactly what you had ordered. Good luck!

[LittleWitch]

I guess I am going to bring down the average because I am only 25. This is my first baby greenie (all of the others have been grown up greenies ) and I am having a great time with him. He is starting to feel more like a ‘real’ horse every day.

[LaurieB]

my horse hates me too. And here, I’d thought we were best friends.

I was away for a few days last week (all right, I was away riding all sorts of pretty warmbloods, but did she sense the betrayal, or what?) Ever since I got back, Tess has had a severe case of the screaming winter willies.

Today, I could barely get a saddle on her: wind blowing, branches slapping against the roof of the barn, and Tess deciding that every sound contained a cougar about to pounce. We broke a cross-tie she wasn’t even tied to. Finally I had to put a chain over her nose just to get her tacked her up. If I’d had a pair of hobbles, I’d have slapped those on, too.

On into the thankfully empty indoor. More wind noises. Okay, I figured, don’t try to work. Just trot. For twenty minutes straight, we made like a Standardbred in the Hamiltonian. Around and around and around, at the speed of light. Who knew that head-high, short, choppy strides could cover ground that quickly?

It took half an hour to reach the point where she was slightly aware that there was a rider on her back who might want to have some input. Grrr. I hate that kind of ride. And she knows better. At least, I like to think she does.

Back in the barn, she started spooking again as I was untacking. Since bridle and saddle were already off, this time I just let her go. Stood in the barn door and waved good-bye (our 40 acres is fenced. ) Gathered her up half an hour later and threw her back in the pasture. Not my finest hour.

Bumpkin, great news about Elliott’s show. Congratulations on doing so well!

[Merry]

Yes, once they get the whole idea, I believe you then go throught the “Whoopee, it’s a ‘horse party’!” period, followed closely by the “You know, I’ve been thinking. This isn’t quite as much fun as I first thought it was,” period.

“Friends don’t let friends eat fish tacos.”

[Bumpkin]

My lesson tonight was our worst!!!
I felt like Elliot was taking off with me through this gymnastic, when we would do a simple trot in 5 canter stride line… well he jumped big and loved giving a good kicky thing.
I rub his side with my heel and that really sets him off!!!
We had a couple good fences but this was the first time I felt I was not in control.

It was refreshing to see most of the horses and ponies in other lessons were about as bad. LOL

Guess it is because there is a bit of a cold snap going on.

“Have You Hugged Your Trainer Today?”

[Merry]

“Hmmm…” Merry muses, looking through her collection of maps, “I wonder if I have a Thomas Guide Book for the highways and byways of Lexington.”

Note to Beezer: Me thinks we should make another trip to Kentucky!

I turned Hammie out to play yesterday and he ran around like Secretariat in the Belmont, so of course, he trotted back to his stall a nickel’s worth off again in that left hind! I don’t know what to do. The vet, who has proclaimed there is nothing seriously wrong with Hammie other than a slight pulled muscle, is just, well, doing this at my histrionics:

Here’s my procedure: 1. Rest horse; get him unsore and sound. 2. Since not allowed to lunge horse, get on and get A)nearly pitched off when departing into canter, and B)intermittently feel like I’m riding an exploding giraffe when he spies something that sets him off. Yup, that’ll win a hack class. 3. Give up, turn-out young horse, watch him buck and play, and cross fingers he doesn’t re-pull muscle. 4. Stare at entry form for final show of year and wonder whether I should enter or just catch ride my friends’ horses… something I HAD SWORN I WAS RETIRED FROM DOING FOR THE REST OF MY NATURAL LIFE!

I need tranquilizers. For me, not the horse!

“Friends don’t let friends eat fish tacos.”

[Merry]

I’m guessing you’re referring to a chambon? When the horse elevates, the chambon exerts pressure on the horse’s poll. As the horse stretches down to the bit, the pressure is released. Hammie gets an occasional lunge in his own chambon. (Pronounced “Sham-bo”).

“Friends don’t let friends eat fish tacos.”

[CoolMeadows]

On the subject of bucking greenies… I am the proud owner of a former rodeo bronc! Yes, yes we all do stupid things. But he was just so cute, I couldn’t resist! He’s a six year old (born on the fourth of July) Welsh Cob/Tb, 16h. Apparently went through 4 cowboys, and then off to the rodeo. I HAD to get him - my first horse, who I still have and do the low A/O jumpers on (used to do the highs) is a Welsh/Tb. So I’ve had to bail off of the new baby a couple of times (only when getting on - rodeo flashback!) and had to sign a liability release when I dished out that $500 for him, but he has come so far! We’ve had some nice double clears in the hopeful and schooling jumpers. He has the sweetest personality, he just loves people. Pretty unbelievable attitude considering all that he went through so young, although memory retention is pretty questionable at this point! Ah, the babies are so much fun, two steps forwards, one step back… I am attempting to attach a picture of him at his very first local show. Yes I know, my position sucks - a tad defensive I believe.