Mud

Mud... such a prohibitive substrate to jump from.

It can interfere with your take off.  Sticky stuff.

Hmmm... I don't recall putting my foot here....

The Sweet Spot

I still have a lot to learn about jumping.  This week, my oxer was giving me trouble.

Everything looked fine at first...

But my joints started to feel creaky.  And I began having trouble finding that sweet spot.  My legs just wouldn't do what I wanted them to do.  

Whoops!  How embarrassing!

So, back to the cross rail with it's ground pole to help me find the take off spot.

When I step over the ground rail, I should be perfectly placed.  X marks the spot.

I was finishing up my workout with one last try at the cross rail after totally demolishing the oxer.  I had just stepped over the ground rail and was at the point of no return when off to my left from the barn, I heard a whinny of encouragement from the pony "You can do it William!"  My ear flicked that way, and for a moment I hesitated...  but wait, I was in the middle of something... wasn't there a jump around here somewhere?

So I took a page from the Thelwell Jumping Manual.  I am no quitter.  I have committed to this jump.   From a stand still I jumped as high as I could straight up off all four.  Certainly that would do the trick!  To my right I heard Mom start laughing.  And up above, Brita was sitting there wondering:

#1. Would we ever come back down?
#2. Which side of the jump will we be on?

Not to worry, my Herculean effort paid off.  I had just enough forward momentum to carry us over.  We landed safely on the other side.  And I got to quit because, by golly, I didn't touch anything.
And thankfully, no one got it on on tape so no embarrassing photos will ever surface.  You will have to rely on my description.  I was gazelle-like. In the best possible way.

Oxers

My work on my new playground equipment has me feeling fit and as sleek as can be.

We have gymnastic grids where first, I trot through poles, and then...

...we bounce out.  (I like to bounce)

The cross rails keep me aimed in the right spot.  These are easy.  We trot up to them to keep me from getting over eager.

But there is something more complicated ahead.  And it is sporting fresh, new, bright lumber...  I give it the "stink eye".

It's an "oxer".  Back in Merry Olde England, where fields are fenced with hedges, they would put a rail on one side to keep the cattle (oxen) from rubbing and pushing through the hedge.  This rail was called an oxer.  So, and hedge with a rail was an "oxer" .  A rail on each side made the hedge that much more formidable for the hunters to jump.  They could not just brush through the tops of the hedge. They had to jump the full height.

So, two jumps side by side, just as wide as they are tall, are called an "oxer".  I am getting used to oxers gradually.  Mine has a rail down but I still look at it funny because it is bright and new.  Brita threatens to paint all our equipment white next year....

But still I have fun!  I am the Horse with the flying tail!

New Equipment

My Playground has new Equipment in it!

We are practicing and practicing on the old equipment while we get good pictures to show you how much fun I'm having with my NEW equipment!

It's so much fun!  I feel like I'm flying!  I always keep a happy face...

...Brita has to concentrate lots.  She keeps her "OMG I'm too old for this" face on.

Yee Ha!  Let's go again!

Oh Deer

Ummm... hello?

Why are you not moving?

Hey buddy, are you OK?

Obviously something is amiss.

Nudge...

 

Geez... it's fake isn't it?  Ppfffttt.

Pesky Critters

 

 

Summer is winding down and I am savoring every bit of grass.  The high pollen count from the golden rod and other flowers gives me itchy watery eyes, but it's worth it.

 

Each morning and evening I spend munching clover.

 

It is especially succulent in the cool of the morning.  The dew gives me what Mom calls "grass face".

The other day I went out to my paddock and guess what I saw?  A big ole fat woodchuck eating MY clover!  I'll bet you know what I did!  I put my head down in the most threatening manner and ran that fat little bugger right back to his hole outside the fence.  Hmmpppffhh.  I don't share my clover.

A Cure for the “Octobers”

It finally stopped raining! Hooray! We haven’t seen the sun in over 10 days, and we were rewarded with a perfect autumn day… high, crystal blue skies, lush green grass, and brilliant color. What a view… and what’s that I spy?

Tally ho!

The oatfield, now lush with a winter cover of red clover, was a bit mushy, but the gusty winds will soon take care of that! As soon as I rounded the lower end, I slipped into a brisk canter just knowing that I would be allowed to breeze up the side. Brita had forgotten her grab strap so she gave me a cautionary warning and tried to keep up. I held it together (despite a motorcycle whizing by) and it felt so good to get out and stretch my legs!



Mom met us on the roadside to take some pictures.

I don’t remember my canter depart being that ummm…. abrupt. Normally I am a pretty mellow fellow. But it made for inspirational photography!

Such a Mellow Fellow

.... and then some days I am so mellow that you would never believe that I could pull stunts like throwing my rider and performing airs above the ground. Some days I have what Brita calls a "quiet mind". On days like these, sometimes it is difficult to coax me out of a meandering walk.

Part of it is that I got a new bit that I really like. It's smooth, and unchewable. It does not beg to be fiddled with like some of the other bits I have known.

It doesn't make me want to do this....

Or this...

Or this...

It makes me much more relaxed, and as Brita says, "almost straight necked" which is sort of a big deal for a Saddlebred, as we have very flexible, hingy necks and sensitive mouths.


My quiet day just happened to correspond with the re-emergence of the caveleggies. It's been almost a year since I've seen them as they were acting as the table legs for the hay soaking station. Nowadays, all my hay has been showing up dry, and the caveleggies are back in action. I admit I didn't feel much like doing serious exercise, but I know if I'm pointed at a row of poles I am supposed to come out the other side, so I did my work.

We did some dressage, which I think is soooOoooo boring. Sure, it comes in handy now and then. It's important to be able to leg yield so you can avoid mailboxes or chuck holes when you're out hacking. And yes, I suppose it makes my gaskins look sexy, but other than that, I lose interest really fast.

I was so good and quiet, naturally it was a good time to go out and about, so we took a tour of the fields and watched the farmer discing the cornfield (from a safe vantage point). I was so quiet I would have been a safe mount for even the most timid rider.

This is Brita's favorite time of the year to ride. There's something about the September sky and the colors and the air quality that make her want to travel. Last year we even came across a fox. Wouldn't it be fun to ride to hounds and gallop with a purpose? I don't know if I will ever be trained enough to jump fences and mind my manners on cold foggy mornings, but we went and leapt the ditch between the fields for practice anyway.

Wild Life

Remember these cows from the summertime? Well, I saw them again....

This past week has been absolutely beautiful. Warm weather, clear skies, the mud has dried. I have been going galloping again in my big field. Oh it makes me feel so good to stretch my legs! I've been feeling quite mischievous, and getting a chance to run just makes me so much more relaxed. The only down side is that I have my winter coat, and I get really warm. Brita says no sense clipping any of it off since we will be needing it later and we won't be running in the winter. It just takes longer to get cleaned up, and I have to wear my blanket for part of the day until I'm really dry and comfy again. Since the weather has been so warm, being damp around the edges hasn't bothered me much.

Today when we went to the field, we startled four deer. They had been hiding in the weeds, and they jumped up and ran.

Deer don't scare me. Whenever I see them, they are always running away. They seem more scared of me than I am of them. But, while I watched them, they jumped the pasture fence and went running off to the left. I followed their progress because it is so interesting to see their fluffy white butts bobbing away in the distance. Then I realised that far away, over there, was that herd of cows. All of them! And they were looking at me. I guess they've been over there in the pasture all along but I've never really noticed them before.

Brita put me right to work and said there would be no fun galloping today. Only cantering and circles and stuff so I didn't lose my marbles and get carried away. I behaved rather well under the circumstances. After all, the cows were far away. But every time she let me stand and look at them, I would snort and flag my tail and try to look big and dangerous so they wouldn't come after me.

Cows must either be really dumb, or hard of hearing. Even when I snort four or five times in a row and make a big fuss, they still don't run away. I was still snorting half way home. But from there I really couldn't see them. I looked, but they were just tiny black specks like ants. It seemed silly to snort at ants. But I tried it a couple of times anyway, just for good measure. I don't want those dumb buggers following me home and knowing where I live. I've got enough cows to deal with as it is.

Wandering Caveleggies

Today one of the Caveleggies wandered away from the group, and got bigger, and Brita expected me to get over it anyway. The first time I just stopped and walked around it. That wasn't hard, it isn't too wide. But no one was happy about that, and Mom put poles on either side to make that inconvenient. So, I hopped over it. That made everyone happy.

I admit, I tried my best to find a way around, but I did end up jumping over it each time even when it got taller. It was such an unexpected occurrence, I just couldn't keep my eyes off it. Mom kept going up to it and making adjustments. I watched each time to try to figure out what the point of this exercise was. I did what I was asked, and I guess it was fun. More fun than just trotting around in circles... but still weird.

Then I got to go for a walk in the woods, which I love. It's cool and shady in there. Brita had to carry me through some water but other than that, I was fine. I just didn't want to risk getting my boots muddy. Playing in mud is fine on my day off, but I hate to get my equipment dirty. Especially when it has that fresh laundry smell.

Caveleggies

Brita had her husband Tim build me some things called Caveleggies, or Cavelettis. We're not sure, she's the only one who can pronounce it. We have 4, but one is still "in the shop" due to a construction set back... not my fault! I spotted them in the arena as soon as I was led out of the barn. I have done ground poles, but these things looked a little dangerous with their scissor-like ends. Brita is pretty non-confrontational, so when she saw my hesitation, she just turned me loose to investigate by myself instead of trying to "train" me to do something. She's pretty sneaky. She snapped a carrot, and stood in the middle of the "Leggies" munching....

"Here Horsey...horsey...horsey...."

She kept moving around, and before I knew it, I had stepped in the middle of those stick-people critters trying to get my share of carrot.

Then she put me on the longe line and got me circling.
And aimed me for the middle....

Now I'm a pro at it.

I forget... were these supposed to be scary?

I continued my gymnastic exercise, learning to watch my feet and adjust my timing so I wouldn't trip.

We have another scary wooden object that landed in the lawn. This one is called a "picnic table" but the first time I saw it I thought it was a bright red alien. I didn't want to get close to it, but Brita insisted on sitting in the shade.

Each time I see someone sitting at it, I lose my focus and have to look over there to make sure they aren't being eaten. If it moves, I'm outta here!