Christmas and New Year Greetings

I hope you are all enjoying your Christmas holidays!  I've been spending valuable time with my family and making a point of resting.  My horses are fine, although probably getting kind of bored by now.  I am getting out to the barn at least once a day for chores, and usually taking my dog out for a walk each day.  Otherwise, my recovery is going much more slowly than I'd like it to.  The medication I started in early November hasn't done much (other than make me sick and tired, and that's not what we're looking for!) so I'll soon be trying something else.

Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement.  It means so much to me.  I am probably the luckiest riding instructor in the world to have all you guys coming to me!

I really want to get back to work soon, but I know realistically I have to be feeling well enough first.  I am going to take as much time as I need to get myself back in shape.  And then, we will all be back in the saddle!

Thank you for sticking with me though out 2014, and let's look forward to 2015 being full of health, happiness… and horses!

-H

As some of you already know, I had to take some time off at the end of October.  Now I will tell you know what’s going on.  I am getting treatment for depression.  I’m on some new medication, which unfortunately has nasty side effects, mostly nausea and fatigue.  I’m trying to stay optimistic that soon this will pass and the medication will have positive effects instead, but we’ll have to wait and see.  It could take months to find the right treatment.

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been resting a lot.  I get out to the barn every morning to do my chores and visit my horses, which I believe is important for me.  I need the fresh air and physical activity… and I need my horses!  I’d like to think I’m starting to feel better, although I wear out quickly and the medication has done awful things to my appetite.  So far I’m not losing weight so that’s good. 

I honestly don’t know how long my recovery will be.  Maybe the timing is good, since winter always slows us down anyways.  I had decided to stop lessons here at home for winter.  My plan has been to continue at Jakin Equestrian (RR#1 Tavistock) like I did last year.  It is a beautiful property with an excellent indoor arena, nice horses, and friendly people.  At this point, I’m hoping to get going in mid-January, but I’ll have to re-evaluate in the new year.

I sincerely hope to see you again in the new year.  I spent months wanting to keep this personal stuff quiet, but I think you fine folks deserve to know what’s going on.  

 Thank you!

Heidi

PONY PARTY - come meet Parker!

Sunday September 28
after 2:00

Come out to the Old Homestead, say hi, and get to know our new pony.

No cake and balloons, just come out and pat horses!  Wear closed shoes and be ready to go home smelling like a horse.  Hope to see you there!

Looking back on summer 2014

 This summer wasn't as busy as last year, but there were many memorable moments.

First of all, in early June, we had a very special visitor come out for a ride. This is Lucy, from Kenya.  I don't think I'd ever met anybody from Kenya before!!  She is definitely the student who has travelled the farthest for a lesson!

Lucy had never ridden a horse, and decided this was something she wanted to accomplish while visiting Canada.  She had never even been near a horse in her life, but only seen the from a distance.  She lives in a big city and just hadn't had the opportunity.  Can you imagine??? 

She and Phoenix hit it off immediately.  Lucy caught on quickly and thoroughly enjoyed her time with my wonderful horse.  She was awestruck by the size and beauty and gentleness of these animals, and I was so impressed by her ease and comfort with them.  For me, having grown up with them, I can't imagine interacting with the for the first time as a young adult.  I hope Lucy has more chances in life to see more horses!

This was such an amazing experience for me.  What an honour to help fulfill somebody's dream!!!! 

Another special long distance student joined us in July.  Lucie, from British Columbia, was in Ontario visiting family.  We scheduled some lessons, and a Farm Day with Laura, one of my regular students.  These two girls made a great little team and we're already hoping our girl from BC can come back next summer!

By this time, Copper had come up lame, so the riders took turns with Phoenix while Copper stayed under the shade tree with me.  We invented a few games requiring one mounted rider and one person on foot, involving several barrels and buckets and things hiding in buckets.  Shenanigans and hijinks resulted, fun was had, and all the brushes and lead ropes and gloves eventually ended up where they came from!

In the afternoon, the girls tried sitting bareback (and we had a little photo shoot with my favourite photographer, Selina Bailey).

As summer went on, I realized that Phoenix was getting sore, and I set out to make it right.  After several chiropractic adjustments and saddle fitting sessions, I started on the process of finding a good saddle that would fit him comfortably. Here are just a few of the eight saddles I had for trial.

Hereford Tex Tan 16" show saddle.  I really liked it.  He did not.

Western Rawhide 16" trail saddle.  Too big, for both of us.  

Western Rawhide 15" barrel racer.  I really liked it. It was in consideration.  But it slid back after a short ride and sadly, it was not the right saddle for us.  

Circle Y 15" barrel saddle.  Much fancier than I was looking for, but it seems to fit better than any others.  Still slid back a little but not so much that it was uncomfortable.  Notice how short the skirt is.  I think that is the deal here.  Phoenix has very wide shoulders but a disproportionately short back.  (Other than that, he's perfect; at least that's what I keep telling him!)  So I bought a barrel racing saddle for my laid back easy going slow horse!  

Because of all this, my Farm Day program stalled. I didn't book as many as I would have liked to.  But the ones we had worked pretty well considering everything we had to deal with.  I have learned how to get creative and work with what I've got, even if what I've got happens to be a sore horse.  

In August, cousins Emma and Avey had a Farm Day.  They took turns riding Phoenix - notice the nice new saddle! - while the other would be leading Copper.  This way everybody had something to do, both girls got to ride, and Copper could get back into the routine.  This was Avey's first time here and I thought it was a great day for the girls to spend together!  Sometimes it's just good to hang around with a horse, however we can.  

The girls had a great morning riding and leading.  After lunch, most of the remaining time was spent visiting the chickens in the field and patting the horses.  There were a lot of "horse selfies" taken!

By the end of August, I cautiously put Copper back to work.  With her hind legs wrapped, there was no swelling, and best of all, she seemed very happy to be busy again.  The brother & sister team of "Rawhide" & "Butch" aka Maddy and Ryan, were the first and only to ride together on a Farm Day.

Here they show off their big smiles after a great morning ride.  

I felt so good to have these two kids back in the saddle again, especially with the two horses getting back in shape!

September came, the schedule changed as my young riders started school, and the air felt different in the mornings.  Summer was ending, and we could feel it.  But before summer came to a close, there was one more big change, and it was a change for the good.  Our new friend Parker joined us!

Don't you think next summer will be fun?  

ANNOUNCEMENT! Introducing, Parker!

This is our new addition to the herd.  His name is Parker, he's an 11 year old pony gelding, he's nicely broke to ride, and he's a sweet friendly little gentleman.

At just 11hh, he is smaller than what I was looking for.  But I guess I was wrong, because this just feels like the right choice.  He's so small that I won't be riding him much.  He can carry about 100 lbs, which makes me a slight bit too big for us to do any long rides.  He came from a family with some horse crazy kids, so he's good at handling lots of attention. 

We're getting to know each other, and I like him very, very much!

Bringing a new horse into the herd is always rough.  There are grunts and squeals and kicks as they all sniff each other out and figure out what the new hierarchy will be.  

This picture was taken on his second day here, first time out in the field with Copper and Phoenix. The herd assimilation went well and now, four days in, they all seem to be good friends.

For all these years I've kept the cart and harness I used when I was a kid, always with the hope that I'd have the right pony for the job someday.  Parker is about the same size as the two little mares I had in my childhood.  He's not in lessons yet, mostly because it turns out I no longer have the tiny cinch I used for my ponies way back when!  We'll get that sorted out soon.

 If you want to come out and meet him, feel free to contact me.  I'd love to show him off!

(Pictures by Selina Bailey)

What's coming up next?

I'm putting together a little report on our summer here, and there will be pictures, so check up to get a look at that.

Aaaaand…. there will be a very exciting announcement coming up very soon!  I mean, really exciting.  You're going to love it.

See you soon!

NEW HAMBURG FALL FAIR HORSE SHOW 2014

Saturday September 13 - New Hamburg fairgrounds --

CANCELLED

Due to rain and extremely wet ground.

(see you next year!)

Stay tuned for photos...

I've been having phone-gadget-camera-computer problems for quite awhile now, and hope to have that figured out so I can post pictures.  (There are reasons I'm in the horse business and not the I.T. business, y'know?)

Meanwhile, enjoy nice weather when we have it!

I've been getting the horses back to work.  I've discovered how much they are affected by a long time off.  After spending most of the summer hanging around side by side, grazing and swishing flies together, they are much more herd-bound than usual.  Normally one horse can be in the corral working while the other is tied in the shed, but after their little vacation, they're hollering at each other and concerned and anxious about being more than 5 feet apart!  It is definitely improving with time though, and now at least the horse being ridden can concentrate on the job.  I expect they'll be back to normal soon.

It's been a challenge to get the horses back in shape.  Copper hasn't had a problem with her leg -yay! - and I've been wrapping her hind legs with polo bandages to keep it that way.  So far, so good.  Her strong work ethic could be a problem but I've been inventing lessons that will keep her busy mind occupied without working her too hard physically yet.  Phoenix has been right back to basics, with lots of slow exercises to strengthen his back and get him flexible, as well as readjust his attitude.  It's amazing how a horse's attitude deteriorates when he's uncomfortable!  But he's such a sweet guy, and still loves all the affection and attention.  As much as I feel bad for not recognizing his discomfort sooner, I'm glad I finally started listening to the signals he was giving me.

Alright, I'm going to go mess with my computer now.  Wish me luck!!

Making progress!

Although I have to admit this summer is not going as I planned, I'm staying optimistic.  Copper isn't limping anymore, and I'm looking forward to starting her on light work to get her ready for lessons.  I don't know when that will be, but as long as she's okay, I'll be okay.  Phoenix has had his back adjusted and I'm figuring out what kind of saddle he needs.  This has been soooo educational!  I feel pretty sorry for him that it's taken me this long to figure it out, but luckily for me he's pretty forgiving.

I'm currently trying out a Western Rawhide Barrel Racing saddle.  It's kind of funny, because Phoenix is not naturally a speed horse!  However, there's a good chance he'd move better if he's comfortable!  I really like this saddle.  It's lightweight, nice looking, and fits him the best of the seven saddles I've tried out so far!!  He is moving so much more nicely with it.  On our last right I had him loping off from a standstill, on both leads, which he hasn't done in… well, I can't remember if I've ever been able to get him to lope from a halt on the left lead.  So there's definitely an improvement!! There's still a problem though.  After a half hour of riding, the saddle has slipped back about a hand-width from where it was when I cinched him up.  I'm not sure if it's settling into where it should be, because it doesn't feel right from where I'm sitting, and it doesn't look right either.  But then, at this point, I'm doubting everything!  My next step is to try different saddle pads and cinches, because those things all can make a difference too.  I figured out years ago that he's got a short back compared to the rest of his proportions. Phoenix is a very unique shape!

I'm grateful to all the help I'm getting from Dennis Ropp at Sprucewood Tack Shop.  He's been here to check the fit and give advice and it's been valuable, especially with them being just down the road from me.


As a result of being sore, he's developed some cranky habits while being ridden.  Right now I'm sorting out what's actual discomfort and what's attitude.  I can tell he's slowly dropping his sourness as he figures out that he's not hurting.  Horses are creatures of habit and if they get used to pain, they react, they expect to feel pain, and that reaction becomes behaviour.  Luckily for us, that can be reversed if we can prove to them that they're ok!

So there hasn't been much action out here, and yes that is worrisome when I've got bills to pay and less income!!  But I thank you all for your patience!

I didn't think I needed  so much time off this summer, but apparently my horses decided otherwise.

I hope to be getting back to lessons next week (august 18th) and have a few booked.  Remember, if you need a horse fix, just give me a call and see if I'm home.  The horses and I would always like to see you!

UPDATES: Saddle fitting, and how Copper is doing

Good news first - The vet has given the go ahead for Copper to start ground work, and light riding next week, or when I feel she's ready.  The swelling in her leg has completely cleared up and she's walking normally.  There is still a lump in the front of her cannon bone but there's a chance that might not go away.  As much as I dislike seeing a blemish like that, if it doesn't affect her soundness, I consider myself lucky.  I'll be keeping a close eye on her to see how she's progressing for the next few weeks.  She won't be up for any hard work for at least a few more weeks and possibly for the rest of the summer, but at least she can do a few beginner walk lessons and participate in Farm Days.

She has handled all of this beautifully.  I had to hose her leg with cold water for 20 minutes, twice a day, for a week and a half.  Can you imagine standing there that long with cold water blasting at your legs?  And then she had to stand there a little longer for me to wrap her leg.  And for four days I was shooting medicine into her mouth.  She's been so patient.  Of course, being Copper, I can tell she's eager to get out there and do stuff instead of standing tied in the shed watching Phoenix have all the work fun!

And in other news - Our appointment with Todd Bailey was very interesting and educational!  I have to admit, my head was very full after an hour and a half of learning more about how the shape of a saddle works with the shape of a horse.

The results are that two of my saddles do not fit either of my stocky little horses.  So, if you're thinking of buying a saddle for a slim horse with narrow withers, give me a call!

Copper was a little easier to fit, with her classic stock horse shape.  So she's good to go.  I understand better now which ones fit best and what kind of saddle pad will keep her more comfortable.  All of my suspicions were correct.  I might get an eye for this after all...

I knew that Phoenix was not comfortable.  You learn to recognize the signs, and after seven years with this horse, I know when he's not happy.  I also know that he is very wide in the shoulders, and his saddle usually moves around a lot, no matter how hard I cinch it down.  Can't be good, right?  Well as it turns out, he needs an extra wide saddle. Mr Bailey even suggested that I look into draft saddles.   Out of the eight we tried on both horses, only one fit him decently.  And here's the bad news: that saddle, known as "Oak Leaf," which has been in my life for well over thirty years, is broken!!  At least I can measure it up and use what I've learned to find something to replace it.  The only other saddle that fit him decently, "Bloomington" has a few problems too though.  The rigging, (cinch attachment) isn't quite in the right place for him, which puts too much pressure on his back once it's cinched down and carrying a rider.


So basically, I'm making do with that one until I can save up to buy something else for him.   In the meantime, he continues to do his job because he's such a good horse. He totally deserves to be comfortable.

Next - I'll tell you how my summer is going and who's been out to ride!

SADDLE FITTING DAY

Here's an opportunity to learn from a professional about correctly fitting a saddle to a horse:

Monday July 14

11:00 am

Here at my place


TODD BAILEY

from Bailey Saddlery in Ridgetown Ontario 



Since my knowledge of saddle fit is far from expert, and I have a horse with a sensitive back, I'm really looking forward to this.  My horses carry around a lot of different riders and therefore different saddles, and I want to do all I can to keep them comfortable.

Would you like to join us that day?  The cost will be the regular group rate of $30 which will go directly to Todd Bailey.  I expect it will take about an hour and a half.  You can let me know any time.

Copper needs time off again

Sadly, Copper will not be in lessons for the next month or so.  She has injured her hind leg.  The vet has advised a treatment routine involving as much rest as possible, cold hosing twice daily, and bandaging.  Basically we're trying to get it healed and avoid scar tissue, which would probably limit her mobility.  She's not limping and seems fine otherwise, so that's good at least.  I'd like to be optimistic that she'll be able to do a few walk-only lessons in a couple weeks, but realistically, it's best not to push my luck.  We want her to heal up nicely!

This little horse has been through so much, but she always bounces back!

So as for lessons…

This week we'll be getting creative.  Phoenix will take as many lessons as he can, and anybody with a semiprivate lesson can choose to keep the date and we'll do some mounted/ unmounted games.  I'm in the process of looking for a horse to lease for the summer.  Even when Copper has the go-ahead I won't be pushing her hard physically, so this might be time for me to bring in a third horse.  I'll keep you updated.

Who's ready to ride?

Oh my gosh, it's the middle of June and I'm finally convinced that winter is over and we can get on with it!  The horses are sleek and muscular and, considering how the pasture grew with all the rain last month, getting quite fat as well!  The barn isn't as clean and tidy as I like to have it, and I'm still wrestling with what's left of the manure pile, but otherwise the place is looking pretty okay.

It was not easy getting back to work after taking five months off.  Copper especially had a hard time adjusting.  Well, I did too, to be honest!  But now I'm getting two or three rides a week and it's going well.  I'm so thankful to Phoenix for being such an easy-going horse!

My lesson schedule isn't quite back up to where it was a year ago at this time, but I've got enough riders to keep me busy (and still get enough rest!)  Those of you who've claimed a regular time slot can keep that time as long as you wish, and anybody else can contact me anytime to see when I've got lessons available.  Short notice is fine; if I can get you in, I will!

In the last couple weeks, Phoenix and Copper have both gotten hoof trims, a dose of dewormer, and chiropractic adjustments!  Next up, a checkup with the vet.  Horse care is pricey but these two work for a living and I figure they deserve and need good care.

PLANS IN THE WORKS:

- Anybody up for a tack cleaning day?  I'm thinking of two separate Saturday mornings.  Let me know if you're willing to lend a hand!  I will keep you updated.


- It's almost Farm Day season… got a sibling or friend you'd like to bring out for a day?


- I'll be hiring a saddle fitter to come out sometime in July.  I'm really excited about this, since my knowledge of how saddles fit horses is very basic, and I suspect my horses could feel a lot better and perform better if I always saddled them up in something comfortable.  And of course, anything I learn will benefit my students.


- Stratford District Saddle Club shows this summer are taking place June 22, July 6, July 20, August 3. I won't be taking horses there (that would require a trailer, a truck that doesn't have anything wrong with it, and me to be less lazy!) but if you drop by there's a chance you could catch me there helping out and visiting my horse friends.  I used to show here and love this club.  Check out their website for more information!


- The New Hamburg Fall Fair held a Western show in 2013, for the first time in about fifteen years.  I volunteered to help plan and act as ring steward on show day.  It was such a good experience I'm back for more in 2014.  More details will follow (and if you live near NH the fair booklets will be available soon.)


Other than that, I will actually be working on that trailer situation soon, when I borrow a nice stock trailer for a day and practice loading.  Copper hasn't been on a trailer in probably ten years, and Phoenix hasn't left the farm since he got here seven years ago.  It'll be a challenge, but even if we don't end up going anywhere, it's a skill I believe a good horse should have.  Wish us luck!


And finally, somebody around here will figure out why my gadget-phone-camera and my computer aren't agreeing on the subject of putting pictures from one to the other, and when that gets figured out, I'll be back to posting pretty pictures here for your enjoyment.

Alright.  I'm going to go sit on a horse for a few minutes...

Spring 2014 - Off to a slow start.

The good news first:

All of the snow has melted, the corral is drying up, the grass is starting to turn green, and the horses are getting to the end of the shedding phase.

And now the not so great news:

The corral is still in need of a tractor and bucket to clear out the manure, there's even more yard work than usual after this harsh winter, and the horses are acting a little silly (as they usually do this time of year). And of course, they're still shedding, which means horse hair everywhere!

The biggest difficulty this year, however, is with me.  I've been really struggling to stay healthy for the last few months.  I blamed that harsh winter for wearing me out, but I'm having a hard time shaking it, and feel like I'm constantly fighting off a bug of some kind.  I can get the barn chores done, and I've been able to pull it together for the two - three lessons a week that I've been doing, but I feel pretty worn out on a regular basis.  As a result, I haven't been getting any rides on my horses, which is a problem because that's a very important part of my work.  I need to spend that time with them to work out any lazy or bad habits they might have picked up, see how they're doing in general, and get them physically conditioned for the upcoming season. We are very far behind, unfortunately.

I know a lot of you are wanting to get back in the saddle.  I expected to be totally ready to get back at it by now.  I apologize for the delay, and I ask that you please bear with me as I sort everything out.  I haven't forgotten about you!!!

I'm trying to gradually fill out my schedule in a way that won't tire me out, or ask too much of Copper and Phoenix, since they've spent a long time off as well.

All of you riders are valuable to me.  I am looking forward to a productive and fun-filled summer riding season.  It will happen.

Please feel free to contact me, about lessons or even just to say hello!

I'm still here!

I've been starting to hear from riders who are getting ready to saddle up again.  It's taking a very long time to recover from winter this year, and as much as I'd like to get riding, it'll be a few more weeks before we're back in business.

There's a lot of work to do yet to get the corral cleaned up, specifically the manure pile, which normally would have been on the other side of the fence.  Once that's done, the yard will dry up better.

I'm looking forward to getting back in the saddle too!  The horses are handling this with a pretty good amount of patience.  Imagine that - they might be better at being patient than we are.

There will be updates as to what my schedule will look like.  Stay tuned, and we'll be riding soon!

March Break???? Already??

Well that snuck up on me.  I wasn't thinking of anything other than how it feels so much like winter!

I don't have anything specific planned for the March Break week, mostly because there isn't much room for riding or even for the horses to move around much with all the snow in the corral.  However, if you are looking for something to do, feel free to contact me, even on short notice!

We can do indoor lessons (see "winter group topics") or if we can get a group together we can do a half day, involving chores, cats, goats, horses, and hay.  I'm still thinking it through but I'm sure if you're looking for something fun to do I can help you out with that.

I'm so much looking forward to seeing all my riders again, even if we wait a few more months.  It's been the most difficult winter I can ever remember, but I know it will end... because of science.  The horses have started shedding!  It's the longer hours of daylight that signal the shedding of the winter hair.  This is how I know that even if it feels like the cold will never end, it has to!

Not quite business as usual yet...

Well, I hope everybody is surviving the deep freeze we've been having!  I had lessons planned this week, but I have my limits: if it's not safe to drive, or dangerously cold, all lessons will be cancelled.

I'll let you know if that happens, but if you have a time booked and you're not sure if you we're going ahead, you can reach me by phone or text or email, whatever is convenient for you.

At this point, there won't be much riding until we can get into the corral with the snowblower, or we get a thaw, whichever comes first!  The snow is now higher than the red windowsills on the east side of the barn and I've spent a lot of time shovelling around the gate. The path to the manure pile is completely drifted over, which means I now have a new manure pile just outside the barn door.  But the good news is, the water tap thawed out today and we have running water again!

The horses are fine but do appear to be getting bored! There's not much for them to do, other than eat, which is just as well because in weather this cold they need to eat more.

Usually in winter I don't ride much.  Moving snow and manure takes up a lot of time! But despite all my complaining... I'm still thankful for this job.