Loaded Up and Gone

Ava has improved a lot since I last posted. After speaking with my BO about her condition he thought that she could have possibly picked up the habit moving like that. Horses are an animal of habit so that wouldn't surprise me. So, I've been getting her to move out on the lunge more and she looks back to normal!!

Although now, she has been having thrush in her front feet so I've been treating that with Trio-dine. It actually seems to be helping.

Sunday was our last day down at The Ranch. I truly cannot believe how fast those months went by, things have been so out of place lately, I wish I could have enjoyed it more. But there was a little farewell party and I was able to goodbye to everyone for the last time. It was emotional and it overcame me, crying ended up being inevitable.

The next day we moved. It all went smoothly and the horses were all calm when they unloaded. On top of that the weather was very nice. After we let the girls loose we headed up to the tack room and claimed our spaces. I couldn't help but be sad almost the whole day, The Ranch will always be our "home." I feel as if I'm going to have to start everything over again. We'll just have to see what happens.

The new place definitely isn't the ritz but it has what we need and it will serve us well.

Enjoying the space

Sweet girls

The end of their pasture

Please Excuse...

My inability to stay consistent in posting. It is mainly due to my laziness.

One of my favorite boarder's horse standing like a boss.
They aren't here anymore..

Things have been pretty well. Ava and I have been trying to spend more time outside if the weather permits and are working on our western pleasure prettiness. She is becoming very soft in the mouth, almost to the point where I can barely touch the reins and she will give, it looks so lovely too! The only thing is is that she is becoming harder to catch. Like today I walked in and she and Poco start walking away from me (surprise surprise) so I moved them off. They started out slow but then for the next few minutes they were cantering and galloping all over their pasture (most of it was me but I didn't have to do much...) I'm not sure as to why she is being such a butt but hopefully we'll get through it.

One other thing that I want to make a note of is that she gets a little fidgety when I cinch up. Keep in mind that I don't go straight for ultimate tightness all at once, I gradually tighten it. Maybe the saddle is bothering her or possibly being in heat could make riding a little more agitating... I've also been wanting to get a pad that fits the saddle better, maybe that would help...

As for our moving plans we are still a little in between... I don't want to get into it because it could take me forever to explain but I will let you know our committed plan when we come to it.

After a nice bareback ride

Today it was freezing cold, only because of the darn wind! We rode inside and did a little with the cows, Ava gets excited when the cows are around. One tried to ram his head towards her too! Ava reared slightly but handled herself well. Finally when the cows were gone we worked on our western pleasure and transitions, she is getting really good! I also tried her in a new bit and although it has a shank I could tell that she liked it much more than her snaffle. After that we helped a novice rider by having her horse follow behind Ava as we cantered. Other than that we rode a little outside and finished up.

Ava sniffing Morris the barn cat

Sniff sniff, Morris is so sweet!

Hi there!

Today I also finished the book Horses Never Lie by Mark Rashid. Holy cow, it has been moved to my all time favorites list. Wow!! It was amazing. Really gave me a good look at horse training. I've started applying some of his teachings to Ava and it really helps the both of us.

Check it out!

Deworming Day and a Little More

It is that time of year again. After working Babe I argued with her on how she has to have the dewormer. She wouldn't have any of it until finally she stopped the head bobbing for a few milliseconds and I squirt it in. Poco on the other hand was a pure angel! I would show it to her, let her smell it and she was chill, even when it was pressed into her mouth!

Today it was rainy and cloudy so we worked inside. I totally forgot but they were having a cutting lesson today but my BO was nice and let me join in. So, we worked on our cutting techniques. Ava benefits from this but she does get a little antsy towards the end.

We also decided where we are going to move to. It isn't 100% but unless something better comes along then it will be. We decided to move back to RS. After much conversing it sounds like it would be the best decision (at least for the time being.) They have what we need, they are hosting lots of shows which would be great for us to participate in, and one of the boarders at The Ranch will be moving there as well. So, although it won't be perfect it will do just fine.

Decisions Decisions!

The new barn hunt isn't going as great as I had hoped but the places that we've found look quite promising.

Right now I have three to consider.

The first one is RS, the place we moved from. The pros are: it has everything we need; great care, indoor and outdoor arena, round pen, and trails etc, and it has job opportunities as well. The cons are: it can get really windy out there, a lot of the people are kind of judgy and snotty, and it always seems to be busy.

The second one is a high end cutting barn barn. From the pictures that I have seen it looks great! The pros are: indoor arena, great facility, well known trainer, etc. The cons are: it gets windy, it is more expensive than any of the barns we've stayed at, the horses would have a smaller pen than any of the other places, and no trails within riding distance. I will know more about it soon after we have taken a tour.

The third one is more of a private place. I took lessons out there when I first started riding. The pros are: it is really quiet, we would at most times have the place to ourselves, the horses would have a really large pen (right about the size at The Ranch or bigger), they have what we need (a lit outdoor arena, roundpen, and lots of trails), it is closer to home, and the weather seems pretty decent. The cons are: no indoor for winter, it is quite rocky, since there aren't many boarders around I don't feel as safe, and our opportunities for different things would be minimized to almost none.

Reading back on these it makes it seem like RS would be a fair choice, besides having to deal with those kind of people again. We'll just have to see.

Ava after a ride in our "almost" saddle

I trimmed Ava's feet the other day, and it was hard work! I think she feels much better though, she was being kind of a butt beforehand.

My BO also had a saddle for me to try out that he was considering selling. It was an old bull-dogging saddle and when I placed it on Ava's back it seemed to have also meshed onto her back. I was so happy, I was going to try it a couple more times then buy. Although, sadly the next day after riding in it my BO tells me, as he's laughing, that he sold my saddle. First I thought he was joking but no... I was so pissed off at him and now leaving won't be as hard as before... Anyways, I did my best not to let it ruin my time down there, every minute needs to be savored.

Update on Boarding

I just wanted to let you guys know that moving Ava and Poco to my aunt's property is not going to work out. I'm pretty bummed but we're going to put an ad in the paper and hopefully someone will come forward and have a good place for them. I'm going to be pretty picky though. I will be asking a load of questions and if the people seem at all snarky or bossy than I'll toss their offer aside. I'm not dealing with those kind of people anymore, I'm sick of it... All I want is to own my horse without being told what to do! I'm praying that something good will turn up before the winter.

Finally! Pictures of the Indoor Arena!

I finally got some pictures of the indoor arena! I don't know why I hadn't done it earlier but oh well here they are now. I also worked with Ava in there too and she did so much better than yesterday, I think she is starting to relax. It is really neat inside and super quiet too, it must be insulated somehow. Also, all the tack you see in there can be used! I also have permission to use a western saddle whenever I like, how cool is that?! Moving to this barn has been one of the best horsey choices that I have made (at least so far).

And now a couple pictures of Ava right after her rinse off

Now for a video of her getting all dirty again, that stinker!

Our New Home

Yes! We're now at our new barn and from now on I'll be labeling it as The Ranch.

I was really nervous driving down to RS (our old barn). I was praying that Ava would do well, getting in the trailer, not spooking at things too much, or not act like a fire-breathing dragon. So, to help that I worked her in the round pen for about an hour and then went around the barn desensitizing her to more things. She did very well and she really seemed to be trying.

Then after waiting for the trailer to arrive we loaded her up. She got on great but tried turning around after being tied but couldn't succeed (really it was my fault she tried turning at all, I didn't tie her rope short enough.) Then we shut the divider, locked the door, and we were off. The drive over was very smooth and it didn't seem like she tried anything dangerous.

Finally we arrived. I was thinking to myself the whole drive over to The Ranch "please let her behave, PLEASE!" So, when we got there I just hoped for the best. We opened the trailer door, unlatched the divider, then my new BO went in, untied her, and backed her out (this being a stepping up/off trailer) then handed me the rope. When she stepped off that trailer backwards I couldn't believe it, what a good girl! Afterwards I let her look around for a second and it seemed like by her expression she was thinking "cool, I like it." I walked her around the whole barn and she only spooked once, once! At the old place she was still spooking at things. Anyways, we took her to her new paddock pasture! let her loose then went inside to sign the papers. It still doesn't feel like I am boarding down there, I thought that place would only be a dream but now that dream actually became a reality. Ava and I are really happy and hopefully we'll be staying there for a long time.

Last few hours at RS

 Ava's new pasture, gorgeous right?!

Indoor arena, I still need pictures of the inside!

 Poco!

The white arch is the outdoor arena and it is gigantic

I gave Ava her first bath of the year (she did amazingly) and of course she had to roll