Novice needs advices on naughty horse (We have a baby!)

AnnaCrew · August 20, 2020, 11:47am

OK, You convinced me - will continue this one! Puika is plain happy - he has his best girlfriend (they even try to sneak into the same box - that old Estonian horse - she is at least 27 yo now) It is possible only because he has awfully skinny now (according to his previous owner : “He had never been so skinny!”) Actually I think that he had never looked so good as at now - all muscles from running around and he lost that pig style fat. No health problems at all - as our farrier says - he looks like a horse now! If the promised thunderstorm will appear, will take some pictures of him tomorrow. With broken finger will not promise nice ones, but it is about the time to show them both

Ivy, we still must learn, learn, learn… Just the beginners. But slowly we are getting there. I’m so happy and proud of Guddy, I can not even describe. And if you are coming to Europe, I will be really upset if you will not call in to scratch between these ears!

Crooked_Horse · August 20, 2020, 11:48am

YAY!

FalseImpression · August 20, 2020, 11:48am

Wonderful!!! I just love reading your posts and looking at your pictures!
If some posters are upset, well, let them be! They don’t have to read any thread they don’t like!! They can put you on “ignore” and it will be their loss!!

Thank you!

outofthebox · August 20, 2020, 11:49am

Anna, please do not ever consider to end this thread. A few complainers should not be allowed to spoil the joy so many of us get seeing your beautiful farm and horses. I feel like I have a friend in Latvia.

Event4Life · August 20, 2020, 11:49am

YAY!! Looking forward to more adventures…Yes, how is Puika??

AnnaCrew · August 20, 2020, 11:49am

It is raining here! Yay! So later today there will be pictures! Otherwise we were letting them out only at 10 pm due to the nasty heatwave - too dark to make any pictures. Currently temps had dropped down by 10 degrees already in comparison with just 3 hours ago

WaningMoon · August 20, 2020, 11:49am

I am sure I am not the only one who regularly reads your posts but doesn’t comment. I would have really missed your posts, I have loved reading them and have since the first post. I am SO glad you have decided to continue. Don’t let a few ppl bother you, they can just choose to not open your posts if they are so bothered by them.

AnnaCrew · August 20, 2020, 11:50am

Special edition for Puika’s fans!

Here comes the Boy (With his dear Princess)
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490847227388030130

See, how much slimmer he is?
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490847232470220146

http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490847231799165218

This is Estonian (Tory horse) girl - Puikas current love - they are inseparable. She is some 25+ yo, but nobody knows her exact age.

http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490847399891129906

See, people, my life is not so bad - some grass, some girls and a drink at the end of day What else a man can ask for?

http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490847715852076898

AnnaCrew · August 20, 2020, 11:51am

And now - pictures from a weekend at the show

Last weekend our stable went to show with 3 horses

Gamma
http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae135/lillydelully/03-07-10usma/P7031021.jpg

Honey
http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae135/lillydelully/03-07-10usma/P7031020.jpg

and Guddy
http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae135/lillydelully/03-07-10usma/P7031044-1.jpg

But that’s not interesting for you. I think a tour about our show-going will be more interesting for you to see other setups.

So this is very small local show, for training purposes only. The prize money is small - 100$ for the 1st, 80 for 2nd, 60 for 3rd and 40 for 4th. The entry fee for each round - 10$. But it is great fun.

So we arrived on Friday and stabled our horses. We had rented a log cabin on the bank of the lake, 6 beds, 120$ for a weekend (including 3 boxes at stables).

Our log cabin on the left, lake behind Guddy
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490581577215900866

Lake itself is partially National Nature preserve (strongest level, some islands can be visited only with special permission). Lake is 10 miles long, covers 41 sqkm. Deepest place - about 14 meters, mostly - 5 meters.

On Friday night place looked calm and peaceful
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490572435808543714

Musician team was trying out speakers so it was great training for our horses, especially for Guddy - this was his first show.

Our team
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490574339277560322

http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490579078094929234

When the heat dropped, a lot of midges appeared
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490574939324126898
But it was not so bad as big, nasty flies on the next day

Saturday morning life started at 6 am
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490573250268978290

And teams appeared
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490573388645918194

Life only at warming up area
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490578713797440834

http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490573574535676594

It was getting hot and dusty
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490573835363557634

http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490574116285371010

On the winners ring at least one from our team
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490578307892416498

To be continued

AnnaCrew · August 20, 2020, 11:51am

Part 2

Between the rounds there was a small show - the project of the local riding club with the orphanage. In short - during the project children from orphanage got a chance to go to stable, learn about horses and learn the basics.
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490579659361107394
Video of their performance will be put together soon. It was so sweet

As soon as 4 ft fence round was finished…
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490899264417724882

The real FUN started!
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490580375269659074

http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490580387757364322

At +30 C heat + all the nasty gnats it was the most popular fun of the day for humans and horses

both very happy
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490895149040173714

Guddy had never been to such an event and also never had been able to swim… so he was scared
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490895721948330994

But keen
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490895905882906210

So he decided to be brave and dive in
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490896257223287282

And then he realized what a fun it is
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490896835135307138

It was splash, splash, splash… again and again
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490896997697954274

http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490898889095008210
(at the back is our log cabin seen)

Others also had FUN, FUN and more FUN!

For example, little Magdalen, who had her first show on a big horse and jumped her first course (poles on ground )
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490899449290187314

http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490899806104745250

Peter decided that it is time for a nap in a bit quieter place…
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490900160292695762

While horses continued to swim
http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490900639835593362

http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490901059722744034

Later there was a party with live music, dances, karaoke and all sorts of things all night through. Owners of the place provided freshly smoked fish and beer (for adults).

Our team crashed in beds at 4 AM to wake at 7 and take horses to swim again before the breakfast. And then it was time to start our trip to home for the first time, then back for the second trim…

I had not had as much fun as hoped as I broke one finger and cracked another on Friday - silly mixture of metal ring in trailer, lead rope and horse who lifted head up just to chase a fly away

Event4Life · August 20, 2020, 11:51am

Wow, what a weekend!! Your horse shows are SO different from ours in the states (just look at some of the pics on separate discipline boards). Our local shows are not even that fun. I love that they offer log cabins right on the grounds for people to stay, how cool! Swimming with horses is such great fun - some of my favourite memories from camp and beach rides involve taking the horses for a dip.

http://picasaweb.google.com/oakhills5/Usma20103rdJuly#5490898254038422370 I love this picture!

outofthebox · August 20, 2020, 11:51am

Wow, what a lovely show day! OK, who is up for a trip to Latvia to visit Anna and Peter?

AnnaCrew · August 20, 2020, 11:52am

No, do not get confused - serious shows are not much fun - everybody is tight, competition is hard and no parties But small shows, like this one, mostly just for training purposes - it is fun, more fun than sport. Everybody knows everybody anyway, and saying Good bye you already know who you will see where the next weekend

This one is close to our house (only 2 h drive) so we were able to take 3 horses and make 2 trips, and stay for a weekend as the owner 's business is tourists thus the log cabins and so on. The lake is 4th largest in Latvia and nature there is so peaceful and nice.

AnnaCrew · August 20, 2020, 12:04pm

It is about 28 C now at 9 pm, the coolest tonight is promised 23 C, and tomorrow will be 33 C again (It is somewhere over 90 F and with our humidity… Brr… Horses are going out at 10 PM and run in at 7 AM, and then the rest of the day are tucked in stables) It is not fun! Where our nice weather has gone? This winter we had below - 25 C for month and the first snow from mid December stayed until March… And now this heat!