Thursday, November 19, 2015

TRM Blog Hop: 25 Questions

Yay for filler posts. This one comes from That Red Mare

1. Mares or Geldings? Why?
Either. Most of the mares I have met have been fairly even tempered. But I've also met some moody geldings. It all depends on the individual

2. Green-broke or Fully Broke?
Right now, I much prefer fully broke. I don't so much mind a horse that needs some refreshers, but he needs to have a good head.

3. Would you own a "hotter" breed (ie. Arabian, Trakhener, etc).
Probably not. I prefer my drafty types.

4. What was your "dream horse" growing up?
Palominos. Then I grew to love the chestnut with flaxen mane.  Haflingers for the win!

5. What kind of bit(s) do you use and why?
Max just goes in a double jointed eggbutt with copper lozenge. I've read that the double joints can be a bit better for haflingers that tend to have low palates. I would like to try others, but just don't have the time or money right now to be buying them.






Just add some copper.


6. Helmets or no helmets?
Helmet.

7. Favorite horse color?
A nice golden palomino or chestnut (with flaxen manes)

8. Least favorite horse color?
Plain brown, or black. Black seems to attract more bugs in summer.

9. Dressage or Jumping?
Right now I don't really do either, but I could see myself enjoying jumping more.

10. How many years have you been riding?
On and off for about 10.

11. Spurs/whip or no spurs/whip?
No spurs. Occasionally I ride with a crop. Half the time it's because I want to work on something specific that requires extra reach. The other times it's used to flick flies off his ears.

12. Your first fall?
I was riding bareback and was trying to mount from the ground. I managed to lay across her back, but swung my leg over too hard and flipped over onto the ground. Pony just gave me a look and started grazing.

13. When was the last time you rode and what did you do?
It's been a few weeks. We just puttered around the paddock bareback and went over the teeter totter. I think we worked on some leg yielding too



The yak is here, the snow is coming sooner than I like.



14. Most expensive piece of tack you own?
My western saddle simply because I bought it new.
15. How old were you when you started riding?
Not any real riding until I was in my early 20s

16. Leather or Nylon halters?
Nylon. It's easier to care for I guess.

17. Leather or Synthetic saddles?
Synthetic. I'm lazy and don't show. I also don't want to worry about getting the saddle wet when out on a trail ride.

 18. What "grip" of reins do you like?
Webbed or something else synthetic. I have some cotton reins I really like.

19. English or Western?
I lesson in english, but prefer a western saddle for trail riding (for the most part, that's another post altogether I think). I would also like to learn how to properly ride western.

20. How many horses do you currently own/lease?
Just Max

21. Do you board your horse? Self-care/full board? Home board?
Max is kept at home, so his care is 100% up to me.

22. Have you ever had to put down a horse that you loved?
I haven't had to put one of my own down yet. Several I have known have passed away.

23. How many saddlepads do you have?
One western pad and I might still have an english pad if the mice haven't eaten it yet.

24. Slant-load trailer or straight haul?
I have a slant load and like the way it loads better.

25. Why do you ride?
It makes me a happier person. It still amazes me that we can form this kind of partnership with an animal.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Haikus

Jumping on the bandwagon here since I don't have much to update on.

Written by the yak himself:

I love life right now
No work, no heat, just lazy
Could use more food though

FOOD!


Food, food, food, food, food
Food, food, food, food, food, food, food
Food, food, more food please?

He does this on his own now if he think it will get him a treat.


Oh, I see a treat!
Here, let me bow for you
I'm a good pony

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Drunk Pony

The vet came out last Friday for fall vaccines, teeth and other stuff.

Stuff I learned:
-Drafts are lightweights when it comes to sedation
-Even when heavily sedated, Max was able to stop the float by pressing his cheeks against it, forcing it against his teeth
-You can tell if a llama needs to be dewormed based on the color of the inside of the eyelids
-I'm an idiot:  I've been leaving the hose in Max's water bucket.  Apparently, the hydrant will continue to siphon water back out. I'm not convinced this completely explains the bucket being almost drained every day, but it's a possibility. The bucket wasn't being drained as quickly in the day or two before the vet came and now is being drained even less.  I decided to skip the blood work since everything else seemed to be fine with him. She gave me some other signs to watch for.
-Max snores.  The vet, her student and the tech were all amused when they left and he was snoring away.
-Vet said his weight was perfect and was impressed. Yay! I constantly worry about his weight and think he's either getting a little too thin or too fat.  Guess I'm doing something right.

A very drunk pony
I was glad I had taken the day off. Shortly after this picture was taken, he started to cock his left front leg while keeping his back leg up too. I thought he was going to go down in his stall for a minute.