Ridin' Ridin' Ridin'

Cookie please??

Lots and lots of riding! Such a fun day Saturday! Had some errands to do that morning and then put little girl down for her nap. Shot a text to the BIL (Stormy's owner) and asked him if he wanted to be my riding buddy! He was all for it.

Threw all my tack in the explorer and left the husband with sleeping beauty. The horses were up by the fence of course, taking a nap. I called to him and he perked his head and ears up, so cute. They both came toward the gate when I went to go get him, but he hung back and let Stormy see me first. She is the boss, which I expected, but they are good buddys.

The FIL came out to help with Stormy, thankfully, so I could focus on big boy. She hasn't been ridden in quite some time, and even then she was quite green, so I knew he wouldn't be able to just toss the lead rope over her neck and throw his tack on her like I could with Cisco. (Yes, we need a tie post!) She gave them a little trouble with the bridle but other then that was golden. (which I was stuffing her face with cookies during the saddling, so I'm sure that helped!)

Speaking of the cookies, I am having so much fun 'babying' him, I bought him some apple cookies, a new brush and hoof pick. I've never bought cookies for any horse! He is just so lovable though that I love getting him stuff he will like. He is also getting his very own new winter blanket coming in this week! For those days we have rain/snow and cold temps all together. We almost got some freezing rain last week but it didn't pan out, thankfully!

Here is the blanket we ordered him: http://www.sstack.com/horse-blankets-and-sheets_waterproof-turnout-blankets_euro-fit/stormshield-classic-euro-contour-collar-turnouts/

He is going to look so snazzy! The big scudder wears a 84! Good grief! Daisy wears a 72! We also bought one for Dixie, my moms old horse, in purple. She wears a itty bitty 68. We went ahead and got her a 70 though, just in case. Hopefully it won't be too big. I know it seems kind of squirrley to just now be buying blankets, but the really bad weather around here doesn't usually show its face until after the first of the year. We have gotten some awful snow storms in March before!

So we got them all tacked up, this is the first time I've tried Cisco's new pads on him. The black no-slip I like, the other is smaller then I thought it would be. Next time I will have to try folding it different to see if I can get it to show more.

We both climbed up and were ready! We decided to hit the round pen first to try out their paces, get everyone steering and woahing well. So Cisco and I headed out and were the 'fearless' leaders, lol. Cisco was very looky and interested, but never did spook and was a good boy! I was kind of nervous about Stormy, the younger brother in law is really quite a green rider, but he insisted she wouldn't do anything and rode her to the round pen instead of walking her like I suggested. He was right! She was just fine.

I thought originally two of us in there would be too much, but we fit okay! Until I tried to rack with him and kept running into them, haha. Well not physically but every time we got near her he would lose motor. So, I was hoping he would be easy to get to rack and not get pacey, but boo, nope. I got a pace much more often then I did a rack. I did get it a few strides a couple times, SO FUN! We will work on it! I wish I could go take a lesson at a gaited barn, that would be the best. I really am quite clueless about gaited horses and their mechanics. I've done a little checking and haven't come up with a place that looks decent just yet. We'll see.

After we got bored in there (and Cisco decided the tractor moving hay around 2 counties away wasn't going to affect him in any fashion) we ventured out, the plan to go down the road a bit towards my house. I was in the lead again of course, Cisco has a motor and he goes until he's tired! (which doesn't usually take very long, lol) So he's doing his power walk down the road head in the air checking it out and we leave Stormy waayyy behind, lol! She not only is about a hand shorter but she walks slow! Typical QH walk, lol. So I circled back a few times, made him woah a few times and wait. He wasn't too keen on that, but it was good practice! We made it down the road and turned back before we got too far, didn't want Tuff and his buddy seeing us and causing a ruckus! I called the husband out and had him take some pictures of us.

Look at their cute faces!

 After that we went on into the woods behind the round pen. My husband has a deer stand down there. Cisco looked at the little opening and was like, "Really?" but after I gently persuaded him he was like ok! As we got toward the end of lane two or three squirrels jumped out of the clearing and took off into the woods. He jumped a bit but kept on trucking like a good boy! I had so much fun, there is a lot of brush and trees down in there so we weaved in and out, bushwhacked our own paths. There is a big deer feeder down there and the stand, but neither horse even gave it a second look!

We played around in there a few minutes and then headed back out to the pasture they live in. We walked around in there for a while, again weaving in and out of the trees. I also used that time to get as far from Stormy as I could so he knew he was okay without her. He swished his tail a bit about that, but got over it pretty quick. Then I walked him around behind her a bit to get him used to following at a slower pace, he rated himself pretty well if I helped him, lol, but definitely would have run up her hiney if I hadn't! He had to take little baby steps.

By then it was getting later and the BIL had to be at church for a meeting soon so we called it quits! We were both so proud of our 'greenies'. They need lots and lots of just that sort of thing!

Snoozing after our ride. Need to re-braid that mane!

Cisco was so cute when I let him back in his pasture, he followed me back to the gate and was like, "more cookies, please??" Silly boy!

Well as usual I have gone way long! Will be back with more of our adventures!

Settling Cisco In

Rocking some boots with the fur

Fun, fun day with my Cisco boy Sunday! Came home from church and ate a little lunch, let little girl take her nap, then we hoofed it over to the grandparents! Thats little Chlo on the right, how much cuter can you get?? Not much, friends.

Cisco and Stormy were chilling right by the front of the house so I grabbed a lead rope, a step stool for Chloe, and a chair to set my bucket of grooming tools on. I sat Chloe on the chair and told her to stay put while I got the monster out. Then I parked Cisco in front of her chair and set up her step stool (its a mini sort of scaffold thing the FIL got for Christmas, pretty neat!) right next to him. I thought he might give it the hairy eyeball, but he barely sniffed it. I plopped Chlo up there and a brushing we went! She likes the mane brush so she did that while I used the soft brush. Her interest waned pretty quick though so I put her down and she spent most of her time playing with the cowboy magic bottle and spraying anything in reach down, lol.

My little helper

We had to be back at church for a singing that night, so I just planned on grooming him. After I gave him a good rub down I tackled his chestnuts. They were pretty long and gross looking. As I tried to peel on them they came off in puzzle pieces, instead of a long strip! Weird! So that took awhile, but he was so good and just stood there. I know some horses pick their feet up a lot when you do that. Really the whole time we were messing with him he just stood there with a foot cocked and head down, sweet guy.

After I got his chestnuts looking good I braided his mane over, hopefully it will start deciding to stay on the right side! Some of it does, but most of it hangs out on the other side. As I was doing that I noticed he has a lot of crest up there that flops around, I'm hoping as he loses some weight that will go down too. He is definitely an easy keeper. Also, looking at the picture I probably should have braided it quite a bit tighter up top, oh well, I will have to redo it in a few days anywho!

So after that I worked on his backing with a wiggle of the lead rope and then some lateral flexion. He remembered a little of it, but still wanted to lean on me a bit. Then he thought he was supposed to be moving so we had to work through that. By the time I was done he was doing pretty good. And I started looking at that big fluffy back, oh yeah, gotta jump on! I had the little BIL bring me another lead rope and stood him next to the mini scaffold and hopped up! He didn't even bat an eye, although he did move right off, lol, how embarrassing if I had slid off right then! But I manged to gather myself and just let him walk on. Um, anyone else out there rode a gaited horse bareback?? HARD. They move so lateral that I was sliding off every other stride! Thank goodness for those braids, lol, I grabbed one and got my bearings a little. We were also traveling in a pretty much constant circle, so that didn't help.

Maybe its just him, I don't know, but he does have a very long and low ambling stride. Aside from that I had a great time! He just strode along with his big head hanging, except when we went by the patch of green grass, lol, then he thought he needed to stop for a snack. Our woahs weren't the best in the halter, but not surprising.

After I had my fun I jumped off and did some more flexion with him. Then I decided it would be fun to try to teach him to park out. I had loaded up my pocket with cracked corn so every time I stepped forward when I tapped his fetlock I gave him a bite. He was VERY happy about that! He even started watching my pocket, lol, he knew where it was! Well that didn't go too well, he would move his front foot but his back would usually come up too. Then he was so excited about the grain he would get frustrated and try to paw. So I got a few good moves and left it at and tossed him back in with his girlfriend, who definitely missed him, lol.

So good time by all!! Stay tuned for more, hopefully I will get a real ride in soon.

He's Finally Here!

Well after weeks of rain or conflicting schedules, my mom and I finally made our trade! It all went so smooth and well; way better then I imagined it would!

I was nervous about the trailer part really. I hate hauling horses, so nerve wracking! And Cisco hasn't been on a trailer in years and only a few times period! Also, I was using the two horse of my neighbors again, which was big enough for him but its still a small box he had to climb in.

So we loaded Daisy up with little effort and headed to my parents place. My mom was out in the barn brushing Cisco who was very excited to see a new horse coming to visit! He and Daisy hollered at each other a bit and then I took her to the side gate and put her in the round pen. We figured that would be the easiest way to get them acquainted since it was in the pasture, without just throwing them together.

Mom untied Cisco and let him out and he ran out there and bugged her for 20 minutes, lol. He racked and trotted and cantered around showing off it was so funny. Daisy trotted once a few strides with him and then just walked around or ate grass. She was definitely not too impressed.

Through most of this Dixie, who we were really trying to get together with Daisy, was out in the back pasture! She finally ambled up there after a bit and they sniffed and squealed a bit but that was it. My mom let Daisy out after we left with Cisco and she said they did well. This morning my dad said Dixie was laying down with Daisy standing near her, so all seems well! Yeah, mares!

After he got over Daisy a bit Cisco came over and visited with us. He was so cute letting me love all over him and give him hugs and kisses, all things Daisy does not appreciate! ;) He's just a big love bug.

So my husband got done putting up a garage door opener for my parents and we got Cisco's saddle loaded up and grain to bribe him with. I wasn't real sure how I wanted to go about getting him in there but I knew I wanted to go slow and easy and just let him figure it out.

I grabbed a whip to cue him with if needed, remembering how we used to get my young QH mare I had when I was a teenager, into a trailer. But we didn't need it! I simply walked him out of the pasture, let him sniff the trailer (which he wasn't alarmed about really at all, just curious) and then my dad started shaking the grain can and pouring a bit out, etc, to entice him. And oh! Was he enticed, lol. I sniffed and sniffed, then he would look at the trailer floor and think, like hm, what do I have to do to get that?? After a few minutes he decided to just step on up in there and grab him a bite! GOOOD BOOOYY! Every time he even thought about moving forward I would praise him and pet him, he does really well with verbal praise.

So he chomped on some grain for a moment, but then we realized we had a problem. He is plenty long enough to reach the hay manger without putting his back feet in! Hm! I didn't want to rush him though so we let him relax in there and eat, and I tried pushing on his hiney a bit to get him to step up but he took that as a cue to get off and hopped down. No problem! I let him figure it out again and he hopped right back up and ate some more. This time as he was getting up he almost put a back foot in. Again he ate a bit and this time we tried pulling a bit on his halter after a minute but he backed out again. So I pulled on his lead and clucked to him to get him back in and this time he jumped on up, all four feet! Yeah! We all went SHUT THE DOOR, lol, and in he was! This all might have taken 10-15 mins? Such a smart boy.

He wasn't real happy to be in there after he got in, and of course his mama neighing at him didn't help! Mom opened the front window to check on him and he poked his big old head completely out of it!! I was thinking, oh great, please don't think about climbing out of this window and/or get your head stuck! But he pulled it back in and we shut it to prevent that again! The picture there is right before we closed it back up, lol.

We got Chloe in her seat and jumped in and off we went! I decided to go on down the interstate even though its louder etc, then through town. All the stops and goes are hard on them balancing. He did good! Although my hubby said he moves a lot more then Daisy, you could feel the truck moving a bit as we were going down the road, which made me nervous!! I don't know if it was him being nervous, or just not know how to balance in the trailer.

Anyway we had to make a stop for my brother in law at the dollar store for oil and he was completely still and silent the whole time except for neighing at us when we came to check on him, lol. After that it was straight home! We had a little trouble trying to get into our usual unloading place, the husbands diesel is a 2wd and it was rained nonstop for days here. So we ended up unloading kind of in the gravel drive, oh well.

We thought he would want to race off so I  worked for a few minutes to get the butt bar unhooked before we opened his door, but after all that he had to be told to back off with some encouragement, he was pretty sure the ground was not going to be there, lol. He did finally step off and instead of a horse on the end of my lead I had a 10 foot tall GIRAFFE! He was like where the hades am I?? He listened very well though as I walked him toward the pasture. We did some stopping and backing to make sure he remembered I was attached to his head that was in the clouds, and then went to see his new girlfriend that was very excited to see him!

I parked him in front of the fence and asked for a brush, his shoulders had gotten pretty sweaty, I guess a combination of the closed in trailer and nervousness. (Daisy was a little damp all over when I got her out, crazy, I had most of the windows all the way open, but thats why I would rather haul stock type trailers, better airflow). I brushed him down and bit and let him relax, which he did fairly quickly. Then I let him and Stormy sniff a bit and felt pretty good about tossing him in there with her. They trotted and cantered around a bit but that was about it. Mostly it was Cisco running about checking out his new digs with Stormy following like a puppy dog, lol! She kept having to trot to keep up with his power walk. They settled down and ate hay together and all was well!

Thats about it folks! Oh, while I was at my parents I took a picture of the disaster that happened New Years night.
    

This picture is all that is left of my parents shop. Which housed 3 muscle cars totaling over $100,000, two boats, thousands of dollars of tools and equipment, another muscle car in production, and countless items from when my brothers and I were kids. SO DEVASTATING. I feel so bad for them, but they are doing okay. My dad is still trying to get over it, he lost two of his 'babies', a '66 GTO that he restored ground up basically for 3 years, and a '70 Chevelle that he just bought last year. My mom's car, a '71 Lemans convertible was in there too. :( Won't ever know what the cause was, too big of a disaster, but they think it was something electrical, possibly my dads Chevelle, since that was the spot of the most damage.

We are SO happy though that it was just the shop and didn't get to the house! 'Stuff' can be replaced, but it still hurts. Thankfully it was all insured except for the boats.

Anway! In other news we got a colossal snow storm (for us at least!) Thursday afternoon. Dumped nearly 4 inches on us! The roads were a DISASTER. I barely made it home. But after that we had a awesome time playing in it. Sledding, making snow men, snowball fights. Just wonderful. Chloe loved it! I had put Daisy's blanket on her two days before because it had been raining forever, and the temps were dropping in the 30's at night. So thankfully she was all ready for the snow! I finally got to pull it off her Friday when the sun reappeared!

Sweet baby! I knew she would need that snow suit and boots when I bought it this summer!!

About to go down the hill!

All snuggly!

All nakey again. I wish she would grow more coat!

Well I am finally going to shut up, thanks so much if you made it this far! Another post coming soon about Cisco boy!