Baby Greenie Support Group now open: Share Your Pain!

[Beezer]

Good news: The Samburger passed the “riding under the lights at night – OH MY!” test with, if not flying colors, at least an above-average grade.

The worst moment (for both of us) was when the neighbor’s cat (well, I assume it was a cat!) hopped from the fence dividing the properties and landed on something metal with a big BANG! Poor Sam … he did the “duck and cover” move, but because of his biomass, it was pretty easy to stick with him. I got him stopped, he stood there a second with ears twitching and eyes bugging, then just heaved this heavy SIGH and shook his head – which about shook me off. He was a little worried about going by that spot the next few times, but we worked through it.

The best part, though, was after we were done and QHSM and I were standing outside the ring looking at Sam. He’s standing there with us, trying to be part of the conversation, and the next thing I know, there’s this big, black nose trying to work its way into my sweatshirt pocket, because he’s figured out that’s where I often keep treats. Bad manners, yes, but how could I resist THAT??

Yup … I think his butt is getting rather settled in the butter.

I see trees of green, red roses too. I watch 'em bloom for me and for you. And I think to myself … what a wonderful world. Yes, what a wonderful world." – Louie Armstrong.

[DMK]

wytymn - kudos? Nope. I think I will stick with your (accurate) assessment of the “very young and very stupid”!

[Merry]

I am truly considering sending him out in March. The Cow Beast is going, so you see I have no problem with her leaving, LOL! But Hammie… Well, he has so many quirks and the little ways I’ve learned to ride him to make him do his job properly… I just have this fear of getting back a hotter, more confrontational horse that falls in traveling to the right and gets quick off the ground to his jumps. Then I’d have to, oh, I don’t know, shoot myself or start doing jumpers on him.

“You just keep thinkin’, Butch. That’s what you’re good at.” – The Sundance Kid

[Beezer]

Poor Tigger. He is convinced that there is something seriously wrong with his (human) mom … and he may be right!

His version: First, at least two nights a week, my mom shows up well after dark to ride. She thinks nothing of tacking me up and climbing aboard after 8 p.m.! I mean, isn’t that past a 4-year-old’s bedtime or something?!?!

She is beginning to have a lot more rules (I think she’s been reading some of Aunt Merry’s books). Like before, it was OK for me to trot almost halfway around the ring before I cantered; now, it’s three or four steps and then I get popped if I’m not cantering. So then I get in a hurry (because I just want her to happy) and that gets me half-halted (and, boy, do I hate that) until I get “reorganized” as she puts it. So … is it fast? Or slow? Or fast-slow-fast??

And then there’s this: We’d been working for, like, forever on keeping my canter slow and collected, with my head down (I don’t know why my head is supposed to be down, I think I look so much PROUDER with it up, but whatever … I just want her to be happy). “Being balanced,” she calls it. Now, just when I think I have perfected this lovely, quiet, soft lope-y thing I see the western horses do, she’s telling me to leeeeeennngthen my stride and pick up my pace … but still keep my head down, still stay “round” – and no sea-serpenting, humpty-back horsing around, either. I ask you: What fun is THAT??

But, hey, I just want her to be happy.

Last night, though, last night was just beyond me. We’re out at 8:15 p.m., doing the canter depart faster but not too fast thing, with a longer, rounder stride but no bucking thing, when she starts asking me to collect again … HUH?? So I try to tell her, no, we’re leeeeeeeeengthening, remember? No, she says, we’re collecting. So, because I just want her to be happy, I collect. Good, she says … now lengthen. HUH!!! We repeat this confusing set of instructions several times. Collect – I do – lengthen – I do – collect … well, you get the picture.

I love my mom. She brings me great treats, pets me a lot and scratches my back whenever I ask (which is often). But sometimes … sometimes I just don’t get her at all.

Bulletin Board Goddess

[Bumpkin]

Well we do have our problems with that one too!!

Again I know it is all ME!!

When that happens we do a small circle, more than once until he changes, in most cases we are fine in front and off in back.

So most of the time I feel Elliot is thinking, “oh sh*t” down shifts into a quick trot and changes and knows mom is happy.

But I don’t want to do the downshift trot step change, we have to learn to make the change in that canter dear Elliot…

[Merry]

Great photo, Laurie! I love those kind of reflective poses.

And why is it, Beezer, that Hammie never tries to bite me, hmmmm?

I’m into being a cowgirl right now, so I have all this newfangled western equipment. Don’t worry. I’m using “The Bit O’Gold” with fancy split reins and a loose running martingale that snaps to the cinch of my western saddle. Yeehaw! Tigger was quite good on the trail, but he did do a couple of duck-n-covers. Hammie kind of strutted along, but he didn’t spook. The best, though, was Barbie Cow. She even looks cute in western attire. She’s perfectly happy to mosey along in cowgirl gear. Swell. Just what I need most: a Hanoverian western trail horse.

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

[infinitymax]

and another

Sophia’s mom

Sophia M. Taylor

[Beezer]

And so … so … true to life!

RUSTY!! Oh, am so glad to “hear” from you. Was just thinking this morning that I needed to post a thread asking where you’d got to. Must be some kinda karmic konnection.

BTW, all, I have dared Merry to measure Hammie this weekend. If he is “only” 16.3ish, I weigh only 120 pounds.

I see trees of green, red roses too. I watch 'em bloom for me and for you. And I think to myself … what a wonderful world. Yes, what a wonderful world." – Louie Armstrong.

[sprite]

Where do I start? You guys can complain about not getting your changes, mine cant even figure out the canter!

Your greenies are inattentive over fences, mine trips over ground poles!!

But what would be really nice is a little more bravery. He is a big big chicken. Not spooky, just a chicken. {{sigh}} He has a VERY wild imagination. Shadows on the pavement become 10 foot ditches, corn rustling in the wind means someone’s coming to get him, and even though the flatbed trailer has been parked next to the ring foe weeks, its STILL cause for alarm, LOL. Dont get me started on the neighbor’s goat…

[Bumpkin]

Started out the evening feeling ok, then I got sick, ugh, then around 3:00 A.M. I felt like my neck could not hold my head up…I felt very wussy to say the least.
Yes it was a concussion. Bum and shin hurt worse though.

Getting olde and falling off is the pits

But I feel a bit better this morning after two Aleve, that Vicodan does not agree with me at all.

And I told Mr Bumpkin I really don’t want to take it as it is “Addictive”!!!
His reply was, "Horses and Riding are Addictive, I don’t see you giving them up " haha

Well I am going to try the Troxel Gold, that is what Mallory has.
Is there a helmet that comes down over the back of my head???

I don’t dare start a new thread about it

[Royal_Blue]

Saturday during my lesson my boy was on once again. After Wednesday’s sit down with the trainer where she told me how perfect my horse was during that days ride I thought it would be weeks before a repeat performance. Boy was I wrong, we got all canter departures when cued & correct leads. Took all fences (even with me totally all over the place), I even took him over a little line for the first time. He was so great & took everything normal height (not 6 feet) and even went straight on his own. And the best part is that my little 15.1hh paint got the numbers so easy even with me riding him . I was so excited that I couldn’t see straight. Well sorry for rambling but I am just so happy with my boy .

[LaurieB]

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Merry:
You had that gorgeous palomino pony and now you’ve have The Lovely Tess? I’m sensing a lack of balance in the horse world here…

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Think of it this way, Merry. The luck I’ve had with finding nice horses and ponies kind of balances out with all those years that I didn’t get to ride at all.

An Alla Czar filly? Oooh, now I’m jealous. How about a picture? Beezer, I’m thinking you have some options here…

[Bumpkin]

I have no Baby Greenie news to report this week.
I have been home sick all week, and will miss my beloved lesson on Elliot tonight.
UGH
I hope I can get some riding in this weekend.

Our first show is at the end of the month, and I have not had a lesson in two weeks!!!
Entirely my fault.

[Bumpkin]

Let us know what happens ASAP tomorrow Beezer!!

I have the curb chain in hand as I type

[jreventer]

Wow there really are others like my 4 yr old out there…scary enough he would qualify for all of the above(or below!)

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

Lost track of the number of halters, lead ropes, cross ties…oh let’s not forget those brand new reins
2. How long it takes them to utterly destroy their custom-made show blanket.

Shredded a brand new turnout blanket in 1 day:) Has also climbed out of every blanket he’s ever worn…body clipping is not in the near future for him

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

Shoes tend to stay on, but I should have bought stock in a bell boot company

4. The way they seem to delight in blowing a hack class by suddenly recognizing
   _____________.(Fill in distracting item of your choice).
   One good thing-I can instantly clear a warm up ring when we walk in and he proceeds to buck, hop around, show off his “talents”

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.

Flying lead change-heck we’re still on “no you don’t have to show off to everyone how well you can, spin, and look beautiful at the same time”

Then we could all ask, when looking at a prospective purchase, “So tell me, what’s this
gelding’s O.Q.?”
Does that increase his price:)

“There are times when you can trust a horse, time when you can’t, and times when you have to.”

[Merry]

Today, my lovely, beautiful, A-circuit quality baby greenie hunter went totally wonkers. I led him out of his stall to his paddock. He was doing his “happy dance” all the way there. I put him in the paddock. I turned around to shut the gate. The guy who owns the cattle behind us was unloading a truckload of cattle feed in these big white sacks. Hambolarama catches sight of it, blasts forward, up/over/through the paddock fencing, tears down the barn aisle toward his stall, slides in the wet ground, spies Taylor (our cousin’s gelding) in the arena where Beezer is setting jumps, and LAUNCHES over the arena railing into the ring! He runs up to the loose Taylor, who promptly kicks him.

Now mind you, our ring is kind of set down below the railing, and Hammie jumped diagonally across the fencing, about a 5’ spread.

Good news: He escaped unscathed.

Most humorous part: Beezer goes, “Hmmm. Essentially jumping off a bank over a 4’ fence. Maybe he should be an event horse.”

“You just keep thinkin’, Butch. That’s what you’re good at.” – The Sundance Kid

[breezymeadow]

Hold on, Wtywmn4, while I try to dig up a dictionary. Are these words I’m supposed to know? Because the only one I don’t need to look up is “older”!

[VTrider]

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Bumpkin:

“Have You Hugged Your Trainer Today?”<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

No, but I’d like too

[Merry]

Oh, no, the “purring sound” is totally cool! There’s nothing wrong with it at all. It’s totally different than a horse with a wind problem. So don’t fret, Bumpkin!

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

[Bertie]

Thanks for the nice comments about Lola

LaurieB, I just knew we took her off the depo provera a couple of months too soon! September was definitely too early for the last dose Do you notice a difference in Tess after you take her off it?

Wendy, I feel your pain. But heck, this sort of thing is what keeps horses so interesting, right? There must be a name for horses that need to school before they warm-up

LH, the place is in Rhode Island. There’s a stone house too, attached to the barn which is so nice during these long cold winters.