Ben was the only Standardbred participant at these shows, and I think we did a good job of educating and changing the thought of "Standardbreds Can't" to "Standardbreds CAN" :) Way to go big guy, so proud of you!
Monday, November 25, 2013
Year End Award!
Last night I went to my local Saddle Club's Year-End Banquet...low and behold Ben and I were W/T Champions!
In addition to a really fun ribbon, we also won a $75 gift card, a bunch of horse treats (apples, carrots, mints, a jimmy hanging ball thingie, and a himalayan salt lick), horsie shampoo, and a t-shirt with a screen print picture of us showing. Cute! I've never participated in year-end anything, so it was super cool!
Ben was the only Standardbred participant at these shows, and I think we did a good job of educating and changing the thought of "Standardbreds Can't" to "Standardbreds CAN" :) Way to go big guy, so proud of you!
Ben was the only Standardbred participant at these shows, and I think we did a good job of educating and changing the thought of "Standardbreds Can't" to "Standardbreds CAN" :) Way to go big guy, so proud of you!
Monday, November 18, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
I Do Not Heart Setbacks
Ugh, things were going so well there for a few days! And then Ben went ahead and lost his front right shoe. No big deal...hmm wait, our farrier is in San Diego and can't come till Friday, which is our regularly scheduled appt.
All the same, our arena footing is soft enough, i've been doing some in-hand, driving, and light longeing work - just to keep him active, and warmed up for stretches. He's in good spirits, as always :)
All the same, our arena footing is soft enough, i've been doing some in-hand, driving, and light longeing work - just to keep him active, and warmed up for stretches. He's in good spirits, as always :)
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
I Heart Autumn AND the Trails!
Seattle fall started off quite warm, then in came some nasty storms. From there, it got better, but we've been sitting under this thick layer of cold fog for weeks. The air above was warm in the 70-80 degree range- but we didn't get to benefit at all from it. Finally, this weekend, things changed for us - and after a small storm, the sun and blue skies were beckoning us to go play outside!
So play we did. My friend and I decided to FINALLY go explore the trails off our property. Who better to do that than my wonderful big guy, Ben. So we had a nice warm up/schooling session in our outdoor arena. Ben's canter has seriously just blossomed overnight. I can put him in canter and he just stays, and its slow, and balanced. I showed my friend and she was in shock at how he was going.
But that is not the point of this post...the point is...we finally rode out to the Pipeline trail. Ben was fantastic. He doesn't have much experience out, so I never really know what to expect...but he was honest and wonderful, albeit a bit SLOW. He'd much rather just take it all in at an ambling walk (hmm and maybe stop for some nibbles...naughty!) vs his friend who wanted to blaze trails. We had a lot of catching up to do.
It was tons of fun. Except on the way back- friend's horse decided to be naughty (he's new, we didn't know what to expect from him) and so she ended up having to get off and school him in hand all the way home. In solidarity, I got off too, and hiked home. Ben was a rock star for that too - having loads of patience while his friend learned to pay a bit more attention to his owner, vs getting home so quickly.
So of course the next day we headed out there again, this time for a shorter trip (losing daylight), to make sure the new guy learned his lesson. Learned he did. Ben was the same, and we had a nice on-the-buckle-hack.
Today marks our 3rd session and week of stretches and massage- how time flies. So far, Ben is doing much, much better. Still have a few trouble spots to figure out - but overall things are going much better for the big guy.
So play we did. My friend and I decided to FINALLY go explore the trails off our property. Who better to do that than my wonderful big guy, Ben. So we had a nice warm up/schooling session in our outdoor arena. Ben's canter has seriously just blossomed overnight. I can put him in canter and he just stays, and its slow, and balanced. I showed my friend and she was in shock at how he was going.
But that is not the point of this post...the point is...we finally rode out to the Pipeline trail. Ben was fantastic. He doesn't have much experience out, so I never really know what to expect...but he was honest and wonderful, albeit a bit SLOW. He'd much rather just take it all in at an ambling walk (hmm and maybe stop for some nibbles...naughty!) vs his friend who wanted to blaze trails. We had a lot of catching up to do.
It was tons of fun. Except on the way back- friend's horse decided to be naughty (he's new, we didn't know what to expect from him) and so she ended up having to get off and school him in hand all the way home. In solidarity, I got off too, and hiked home. Ben was a rock star for that too - having loads of patience while his friend learned to pay a bit more attention to his owner, vs getting home so quickly.
 |
| Admiring the distant mountains while waiting for our friends to get ready |
So of course the next day we headed out there again, this time for a shorter trip (losing daylight), to make sure the new guy learned his lesson. Learned he did. Ben was the same, and we had a nice on-the-buckle-hack.
Today marks our 3rd session and week of stretches and massage- how time flies. So far, Ben is doing much, much better. Still have a few trouble spots to figure out - but overall things are going much better for the big guy.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Saddles, Anyone?!
So, after a summer of saddle fitting fun for 3 horses, I am left with 5 to sell off...so I can of course start saving for jumping saddles! LOL
That said... know anyone who might be interested in the following:
17.5" Wintec Isabell - FLOCKED, 2013 model. I cut off the stupid over-girth thing that is supposed to hold the flaps down, otherwise, in GREAT condition. $950
17.5" Wintec Pro Jump - CAIR panels...had hoped it would work for Ben, and too long for Finn. $450
18" Heritage Bespoke Olympia Monoflap. Brand new, and pretty dang wide - gorgeous in so many ways, just not the right fit for my body. Very, very sad about this one.
18" Enlightened Equitation Flexee VSD - leather treed saddle. This one I'm on the fence about selling...but if it finds a home I won't be heartbroken.
18" HDR Austal. Pretty much brand new. Purchased for that little red gelding I had featured on my blog awhile ago. I was going to keep him, had found a saddle to suit his short back...and he sold to someone else. I haven't really talked about it on here as it doesn't involve Ben, but the situation was heartbreaking and now I have this leather reminder of life-gone-wrong sitting in my house.
I'm in the process of taking pictures, putting ads up, etc - but if any of these interests you, please let me know. Thanks!!
That said... know anyone who might be interested in the following:
17.5" Wintec Isabell - FLOCKED, 2013 model. I cut off the stupid over-girth thing that is supposed to hold the flaps down, otherwise, in GREAT condition. $950
 |
| Wintec Pro Jump - brown fittings (see heritage below) included. |
17.5" Wintec Pro Jump - CAIR panels...had hoped it would work for Ben, and too long for Finn. $450
 |
| Heritage Bespoke Olympia Monoflap- fittings not included |
 |
| Enlightened Equitation Flexee |
18" HDR Austal. Pretty much brand new. Purchased for that little red gelding I had featured on my blog awhile ago. I was going to keep him, had found a saddle to suit his short back...and he sold to someone else. I haven't really talked about it on here as it doesn't involve Ben, but the situation was heartbreaking and now I have this leather reminder of life-gone-wrong sitting in my house.
I'm in the process of taking pictures, putting ads up, etc - but if any of these interests you, please let me know. Thanks!!
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Cross One More Thing Off The List
Ben is doing SO much better. His 2nd body work session was last night, and prior to that, I thought it would be good to get him out and loosened up. The sun was shining, a rarity in Seattle in October, so a sunset ride was in order. It was so beautiful out there. I wish I had had my phone on me to snap a picture, oh well.
Our ride was all about just loosening and warming up...but then I decided to see if i could maybe execute a training level test. And much to my surprise, it didn't feel half bad! To cool out, I untacked Ben and was walking him around and then decided on a whim to hop on bareback. It is something I've always wanted to do with him (I even put it on my 2013 goals), but never really get around to, or make time for. So up I went, and we puttered around bareback for 10 minutes or so, watching the sun go down. It was such a quiet, beautiful evening.
His check up and 2nd massage went well. The exercises and stretches have been paying off- it is very clear that his range of motion has increased quite a bit. Ben still does have issues, however, all across his topline- and will likely take a bit longer to fully resolve - no one thought it would happen in 1 session. So, armed with some new exercises along with the old, and keeping up with the weekly appt's, we're going to try our darnedest to get him feeling top-notch.
Our ride was all about just loosening and warming up...but then I decided to see if i could maybe execute a training level test. And much to my surprise, it didn't feel half bad! To cool out, I untacked Ben and was walking him around and then decided on a whim to hop on bareback. It is something I've always wanted to do with him (I even put it on my 2013 goals), but never really get around to, or make time for. So up I went, and we puttered around bareback for 10 minutes or so, watching the sun go down. It was such a quiet, beautiful evening.
His check up and 2nd massage went well. The exercises and stretches have been paying off- it is very clear that his range of motion has increased quite a bit. Ben still does have issues, however, all across his topline- and will likely take a bit longer to fully resolve - no one thought it would happen in 1 session. So, armed with some new exercises along with the old, and keeping up with the weekly appt's, we're going to try our darnedest to get him feeling top-notch.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
We Did It!
After a few more days of trialing, I decided to go ahead with the Black Country Eloquence X. Is it perfect? No - in a perfect world the seat would be smaller, and the flap would be a touch more forward rather than straight up and down. BUT - it is workable - moreso than anything else has been. The important thing is that Ben seems to be alright with this saddle- he has lots of freedom in his shoulder, and the saddle is not bouncing everywhere. The panels have nice contact with his back, it is level, and there is no pinching anywhere. For me- the twist is rideable- it is actually quite comfortable. I can sit in the saddle, I can rise out of it- and I feel balanced. SOLD.
Today is Ben's 1 week check up/ 2nd massage. We've been doing our exercises all week, with the exception of a few days I've been sick and at home. I don't know how much improvement the bodyworker will see, but I have seen quite a bit. His walk and trot are not so short strided in the front- he's got even reach from left to right. he no longer swings around to look at me when I'm brushing him or tacking him up. Yes, he still has crooked issues - esp to the right - definitely more to work on. But- it has gotten better.
So between the saddle and the massages- I'm poor. But hey, my horse is happy...
Today is Ben's 1 week check up/ 2nd massage. We've been doing our exercises all week, with the exception of a few days I've been sick and at home. I don't know how much improvement the bodyworker will see, but I have seen quite a bit. His walk and trot are not so short strided in the front- he's got even reach from left to right. he no longer swings around to look at me when I'm brushing him or tacking him up. Yes, he still has crooked issues - esp to the right - definitely more to work on. But- it has gotten better.
So between the saddle and the massages- I'm poor. But hey, my horse is happy...
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