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

Another Heartbreak...

Before getting out to the barn yesterday I returned the saddle... The more I looked at it it looked like it had a twisted tree... (boo) Which made me really sad/agitated/depressed because I would've bought that saddle if it didn't...

It was quite windy at The Ranch yesterday, windy and cold! I wanted to take Ava to the outdoor arena so we could have our privacy but instead I took her inside and worked with her in there. I worked on all the games with her and couldn't believe how well she behaved while lunging. I did not move from my spot and asked her to trot, she trotted until I brought her in. Very happy, even more so because the barn and wind was making her nervous. That was all I did with her, I didn't want her to get sweaty with all that wind outside!

In other news, I have another depressing thing to tell you all... I have to move barns (I only found out last night!)... I guess the lease is about to run out and my BO will not be renewing it (I feel bad for him because I know that he loves that place), so in turn all the boarders have to leave, like within two months at the most, more like that end of the month... Although I may complain a lot about being down there that has literally been my favorite place I've ever boarded, Ava would never be at the stage she is at if we didn't move down there. So, I am heartbroken (again...) and now I have to find a place pretty quickly. Just thought I'd update you all and thank you for all the wonderful comments you have sent me, they always lift my spirits.

Sittin' on a Fence Post

The Ranch was insanely busy today, probably one of the busiest I've seen. So I didn't even bother going in. There were a couple people I was not fond of in there, those know-it-all's that don't really know anything type of people... I didn't even want a chance to cross paths so I went out to the girls pasture, sat on the fence post, and enjoyed some peaceful time with them; along with snapping a couple photos.

The horses in the next pasture over were quite intrigued
with me sitting up there.

Ava and Poco standing next to each other <3

I plan on going out tomorrow, hopefully it won't be quite so hectic and will be able to ride. I am not really liking how little room there is, it is almost becoming an inconvenience. I mean my BO is making his horse training and lessons a priority over his boarders... Which shouldn't be the case. It is becoming quite agitating and I think I'm going to try and keep an eye out for another place. I mean I absolutely love the facility (I plan to own it one day, haha!) here but the people are starting to wear on me, some of them anyways... I don't want to go on a rant but I just don't understand some of these horse people sometimes, I just don't get it...

In other news Ava and I are entering a show! And not just any show, we are entering an online show! We won't even have to leave The Ranch! I found this site called Horseshow.com and it hosts online horse shows. At first I was like "yeah right, this is too good to be true, there must be a catch..." But it is totally legit, testimonials, they sponsor other live shows, it is wonderful! Anyways, we are going to enter the Spring Youth Festival, most likely do the showmanship and either the hunt seat equitation along with english pleasure or do western equitation along with western pleasure. Maybe do them all! It also says that you don't need show apparel but I am totally dressing up for this, I mean why not? I'm super excited and also if you get first you can win a $100 gift certificate to Dover Saddlery! We are going to be practicing a lot, this is going to be fun!

The Busy Bee Barn

Holy moly! The barn was so busy today!!

I ended up only working Ava because there were a lot of people down at the barn today; Poco needs a calmer day to focus as she progresses though the more commotion I will let her take on. Anyways I brushed Ava off for a minute while waiting for a horse to be moved out of the round pen but another person ended up going in there so I just lunged Ava in the arena. After I got her all warmed up I scurried back to the cross-ties and tacked up. Then another cutting lesson started in the arena. I don't mind the cutting lessons too much but it takes up the whole arena and since the outdoor is dumped with snow it would be almost impossible to get anything done. So I stuck with the round pen and the holding area. We worked on disengaging the hindquarters around the mounting block, sidepassing, and backing. When the arena finally cleared I long trotted Ava around quite a bit and then finally cantered. We worked more on collection but she is starting to resent her bit a lot and it is becoming quite agitating. I'm looking for a new one, I'm thinking just to move her in a curb, it is about time she was to be moved to one anyway. After she got all huffy and puffy I worked on her neck reining, she can almost be ridden on a nice loose rein! Then we cooled out and ended on a good note. Very proud of her. Besides resenting the bit she is coming along just fine.

I have also decided that I would like to start Ava's showing career in roping. As I think about it more and more it becomes more and more our thing. Even during the summer I loved working on the metal calf and lassoing a cow for the first time, Ava is also very tolerant and learned all of it so fast. So, for now that is what we will start towards. I also saw this roping saddle from Cultured Cowboy, it would be astonishingly perfect for us, so I want to start saving up for something like this.

I won't be going to the barn for a few days. I have work scheduled at the times I would be heading down there; not only that, school starts on Tuesday! I swear, the time flies when you don't want it to!

Between the Misty Mountains

Went to the barn today and actually worked Ava and even rode! When I got there I saw that some clouds were covering the mountains, it was gorgeous!!

So pretty!

This one is my favorite, the color is great!

I grabbed Ava and walked her inside. She was dirty but luckily I don't think she rolled, my job would have gotten about a thousand times worse if she did. I took her inside and brushed her off. While doing this I noticed that Ava had some swelling on her hind left leg (from her ankle to her the top of her cannon). She gets it a lot in that leg but doesn't seem to cause her any pain; she may have slipped on the mud and tweaked her leg a bit. Exercising seemed to help but at the end I put some Sore-No-More on it just in case. After I groomed her I free lunged her in the round pen until her freshness wore off. I didn't even plan to ride until I was done lunging, I thought I would give it a shot. Got her all tacked up (while she stood like a champ) and then went back into the round pen for round 2. Ava remembered everything, she only needed some minor refreshing on a couple things but otherwise she was great. I'm really happy to know we've made progress throughout this year. If this was a year earlier I would be starting from the beginning again. So she has come a long way! I have been longing for a day like this, I never thought we would get this far.

We didn't ride too long, I thought it was enough for the first day back. I finished with a nice grooming and then gave her a little bundle of grass as a treat.

Pretty girl in front of the misty mountains, I love this photo!

I also made ornaments for all of the boarders down at The Ranch. They are mini hats, I'll have to show you guys a picture of them, they are adorable and super easy to make! Maybe I'll post a tutorial for everyone to try. Anyways, today was a good day and we still don't have any snow, yay!

Ornaments for The Ranch boarders.

A Trail Ride and A Metal Calf

Saturday was such a fun day for me. My BO's older son comes out to help him with stuff around the barn. So, we pretty much hung out the whole time. I rode Ava for a long time and even started to desensitize her to the lariat (rubbing and bouncing it on her sides and even having it drag behind her). We ended our ride with that. She did really good and was very calm for all the commotion going on around the barn.

After Ava was put away I rode one of my BOs horse's. I like riding other horses besides my own, I think it really does help with my seat and helps myself to "never settle" into one horse. She could be a stinker though, she kept trying to ram me up against the wall and my knee ended up getting skinned pretty bad, it stung forever! I liked how light she was though. Eventually the indoor arena was getting pretty crowded so my BO's son (whom had been talking to me the whole time this was going on) and I rode outside for a while. It was really nice and although my BO's son (let's just call him Cappy) can tease me and sometimes mock me it surprisingly doesn't annoy me in the slightest (mainly because I do the exact same thing to him). So, it evens itself out. On our way back the horse I was riding kept prancing to catch up with Cappy and his horse, it kind of annoyed me but when we finally did catch up she was fine. Such a nice little trail ride.

After I was completely done riding I went off to put my horse away and then said bye to Ava (officially). When I walked back into the barn Cappy was roping a metal calf and asked me if I wanted to learn. I was like "heck yeah!" and then we practiced until I had to leave. It was so much fun and Cappy is a great teacher too, easy for me to understand. I really want to practice more roping the next time I go out.

Finally it was time for me to go home. I helped Cappy clean up our roping set up, said our teasing goodbyes and then went home. On my way back I checked the clock, it had been almost six hours! Time flies when you're having fun.

My saddle, I'll get more pictures soon!

Summer's Almost Over?!

I just realized that in a week and six days I will be starting school... My wonderful school free summer will be over. It is really bumming me out, sometimes it is hard to put a smile on my face knowing that I will be busy with schoolwork for the next four months. Not only that but almost everyone I know will be going back to school too, which means I won't be seeing them anymore. I hate it, I wish summer could be forever.

My girl has been doing good with her training for the past few days. She can almost get the correct lead every time and her pace for trotting and cantering is getting quite a bit better. She isn't as out of control as in the beginning. She also stands nicely in the cross ties. I had to go and untack a horse that had the saddle I was going to use and Ava stood there like a champ, no pawing, nothin'! Even with a ton of stuff going on, I was really happy. When I start school back up I plan to make a post of our achievements so I can see how far we've come and be able to look back on it.

After we were done with our session I took her out for a bath. My BO's older son came out there with one of the lady's grandson and was talking to me basically the whole time/teasing me the whole time. It was quite entertaining. Even though he can tease the crap out of me sometimes, I'm actually going to really miss it. We have fun "torturing" each other. He and his brother start school, I think, on the same day I do and I don't think they will get down to The Ranch much or at all. I still have to ask but I can't see it happening. The barn will be so different without them, who is going to tease me for the whole winter! Maybe they can do it on the weekends...

Where the Cattle Roam

Breezy and hot was today's forecast.

It is my brother's birthday and I am trying to write this all up before our party guests get here.

I had to see Ava early today because there was much to do at the house. Seeing her early was actually a better time than going later. More of the other boarders were out there and it made me feel less self-conscious. I think I will try and do that more often.

Well, I started out by roundpenning Ava and she totally wore herself out because after we were done I saw that she was actually dripping with sweat and she would actually stand tied. We then saddled up and I worked on rollbacks, 360's, leads, and a little bit of breaking at the poll (she has a real hard time with it.) She did great, I bet she was just really tired and didn't want to fight with me but that worked out just fine!

We finished our working ride and then went outside to cool off. I'm trying to stay consistent with the things we do (not too consistent though), Ava likes consistency and hopefully if I stay consistent with her she will give me more good consistent rides. Anyways, on our way back from our very short cool off ride I saw my BO's older son riding towards me. We stopped and chatted for a bit. While we were chatting I somehow mentioned that I wanted to go out and ride in the fields, not hinting or anything! And then he said he has a few minutes before he has get back to work and if I wanted to he could take me out there. I was like, heck yeah! So, for the first time I went riding out into the beautiful cow fields with Babe. She did so good too (only one tiny spook when a sprinkler got her), having the other horse there helped a lot. I'm so glad we got to do that and I'm glad he asked! It was really nice going on a trail ride, chatting, and just enjoying the view. It ended up being a really nice day.

After we rode and Ava got bathed and put away, I had a smile on my face the whole way home.

Sorry for no pictures, I will hopefully get some soon!

Tiredness, Tack, and Agitation

This has been a very long long week, well two weeks to be exact and it won't be until next week that everything will be back to normal (hopefully at least.) I had been babysitting/nannying A LOT for these past weeks and it is starting to wear me down. Don't get me wrong, I love the kids, I've known their whole lives (literally!) and out of all the kids I have babysat for they are the best. It's just getting to that point where I need a break. I'm mentally and physically very tired. And it doesn't help having to ride your super athletic horse five days a week and give medication to your sick ferret three times a day. I'm just physically and mentally tired. But I am making money and that is a great thing. So, I thought I would buy myself something nice and what I mean by "something nice" is a horse item! I bought myself this nice Weaver headstall off of horse.com. This headstall is perfect for everyday riding but has enough bling for the show ring, which is perfect for me. I'm really excited, I don't have many "nice" horsey items so this will be great. It should be here next week.

Tomorrow (Thursday) is my brother's 17th birthday! 17! So, we'll have some cake and presents then the next day we're going out of town for a few days. He wanted to go walk around in the city for some reason, haha! It should be nice to get out of our little town for a bit.

I worked and rode Babe yesterday and will do it again today. I hoping I can get in some hours tomorrow as well, maybe I'll go really early before my brother wakes up. Ava had two days off of being worked and it showed. She wasn't controlling herself very well and practically wore herself out cantering on the lunge. Fine for me though, I didn't want her freaking out with me on her back. We did walk, trot, and canter, rollbacks, 360's, and just warming up to where we were again.

I wasn't in a great mood when I went down there, I didn't want to see my BO but he's always there so I just had to deal with it. His son's were there too. His youngest kind of annoys the crap out of me, he is very much a country boy and doesn't seem to care much for horses at all. I know this because when Ava was pawing while being tied he called her a stupid horse. Ava is not stupid or instead, horses are not stupid, they are brilliant, talented, and amazing. How many prey animals do you know that can be saddled up, be ridden, and be asked to do things that are all very unnatural to them?! Not many... So, that kind of ticked me off when he said that, I think he was mainly trying to get my attention but I just ignored it... His older son on the other hand was actually pleasant. He would still tease me but just enough where it could make me smile and not annoy me (I think he could tell I wasn't happy), and since I wasn't in a great mood it actually made me feel a little better. When he's down there it almost makes it tolerable to deal with his dad and brother. He's going to be the thing I miss the most when I leave, him and the beautiful facility.

A Good Ride and a Lot More

Well, a few things have happened since I have last posted...

My father came into town for a day. I hadn't seen him since 2010 and then all of a sudden he says that he, his wife and her son were coming up to see us. I dreaded every minute of it, the only good part was that I got some free meals...

Earlier that same day right as I was about to go home from The Ranch my BO comments that I need to work Ava more... My heart sank when I heard it. I am down there five days a week for at least three hours working her!! I was heartbroken when he said that. I am trying the best I can with her and if he can't see that then screw him! When I got in the car I started crying, it really hurt my feelings and he has no right to say something like that. I am paying him to feed and keep Ava's pasture clean, nothing more... It's not like he has been super nice to me or anything but I would at least think he wouldn't say something like that...

Which leads me to this. My aunt and uncle own an acre of horse property. Although it is fenced, it doesn't have a shelter. So, my aunt and I were hoping to get my uncle (whom is also a contractor) to build a little shelter on that property and then move Babe and Poco out there. It is a little overgrown and needs to be fixed up a bit but it has a lot of potential. Also Babe and Poco won't mind as long as they have some pasture, hay, and water. I am really hoping it works out. I am getting sick and tired of dealing with these horse people, they won't just let you be... So, if I have to care for my own horse on our own piece of land then fine, I'll take more work over dealing with an a** of a person any day...

I rode Ava yesterday. I tried to avoid the BO as much as possible, of course he had nothing bad to say now... I still don't forgive him. But anyways, Ava glowed in the arena. This was one of her best rides yet. I did some trotting for a bit then went straight to cantering. After she was cantering fine I turned her towards the middle of the arena, made her trot then lope off the other lead. She got her leads every time!!! We hadn't even tried it before and she did superbly. I was so so sooo proud of her. I then worked her a little longer so she would get some more exercise then after I took her outside on a little walk. She did amazing and I didn't even expect it.

I was thinking of starting with a little shelter like this one above, it doesn't have to be metal or anything, just something along the lines of this.

Then maybe when the horses are (hopefully) moved, then my uncle could maybe start with a more permanent one, like these below.

I don't want to get my hopes up too much but I think this would be amazing if it could work out. Finally my aunt, Ava, Poco, my mom (all this stresses her out too!), and I will be in peace...

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