Another trail ride!

Caitlin and I went riding today- she rode Medias, and I rode Abner. We had so much fun!

We pretended to be Lewis and Clark (I was Clark), and we went adventuring to find "a new America". We played around, and Abner forgot that he wasn't a racehorse. We did a little bit of cantering, and a lot of trotting around. Abner behaved himself, as always!


I didn't get many pictures of me on Abner today, except the one where I am hugging him. He is always good for snuggles, and tries to turn his head around to see what's going on.

Abner saved my butt today- more than he usually does! We were walking along the grass, and I was talking to Caitlin and distracted. All of a sudden, Abner took off in this slow, weird canter. It turned up that he had walked into some REALLY thick mud- and he got himself out! My reins were on the buckle the entire time, and as soon as we were clear from the mud Abner stopped, as if to make sure I was okay.


I am thankful to have such an amazing horse, and fun friends to ride with!









(In this picture, Abner had just finished throwing a fit because we were brushing the other horse. He threw everything off of his stall- all the brushes, his halter, leadrope, everything. He had been sticking his tongue out like crazy trying to get our attention! He has so much personality- what a cool dude. See his tongue out, trying to lick Caitlin?)

How to Save Money...And Still be Fabulous.

Okay, so I have been wanting some TwinkleToes for a while now for Abner. For those of you who don't know, TwinkleToes is a sort of glitter that I can use on Abner's hooves and anywhere else I want to sparkle.


Well, TwinkleToes cost about $20 for a small bottle. But I had a better idea- I'm going to buy plain glitter in the color of my choice (probably silver, because we're trying to be Classy, not Trashy), and sprinkle it on top of plain hoof oil- which I use quite a bit for Aby.


Now, how cool is that?! I can make my horse prance around glittering like a fairy without spending all of my money.

Regular Glitter- about $3
Hoof Oil- Free, because I've had it.
Making my horse a glitter princess- Priceless.



I'll have to grab some pictures next time I do it!

Awesome trail ride today!

I went on an amazing trail ride today with Christina, who rode Medias. We didn't bring the camera because I was scared of dropping it, but I wish we had brought it!

Christina loves Medias, and Abner was great. Well...except when he forgot he had brakes once while we were cantering...


He is such a steady trail horse- he's so fun!


Abner also had a visit from his old owner, Cindy. She came out and fed him an apple, which I'm sure he loved. :) I'm disappointed I couldn't be there, but definitely next time!

Here are a couple pictures from around the barn today:

Christmas With Abner

I got a whole bunch of stuff for Abner this Christmas. I got a new saddle pad, some show sheen, and some white spray for his legs. (I'm sure he's going to love my new assortment of sprays...)


I rode him around and made my dad take some pictures, too. I figured I needed some record of our first Christmas together!


Abner loves the snow- once I got on him, he wanted to trot around and play a little bit. I just let the reins go loose, in case he slipped, and just hung on. I was in my PJs and boots, so the pictures aren't very "professional", but I like them.


I gave my dad a framed picture of Abner and I for his desk for Christmas.


Here are a couple pictures that I took!





Okay, and I totally have to give props to my dad, the best hay feeder/caretaker in the world. He's wearing the hat I made him for his birthday! He loves Abner as much as I do. :)

Just a quick update..

I haven't been riding because of the snow, I hate the snow. :) I'm probably going to suck it up and go riding this week, just to get some fun pictures.


Last week, Aby bonked his head (or got kicked, we have no idea), and pretty much had a black eye. We cleaned it up, and it's completely better now.

My friend Caitlin came out to the house the other day and she rode Abner around a little bit before he ate dinner. He was a little bit grumpy, and reminded me NOT to mess around with dinner time!


I'll try to get some pictures of Aby this week!

So much fun today!

I took Abner on a huge trail ride today!

There's a big field next to our property and leads to the C&O Canal. My dad went with us, and he had Jack in the backpack. I could tell that Abner had been a foxhunter! We didn't do any "real" work, but it was a great break from the usual work in the pasture. Abner's ears were pricked forward the entire time, and he didn't spook once!

We jumped a small creek, and he took it all in stride like he does this stuff everyday. There was a small creek, which made me a little nervous at first, but Abner jumped it like a champion. This summer, once we're both in shape, I'm going to look into joining a foxhunting club- we're still going to do dressage, but it'll be fun to do all sorts of things.


When we were in the field, we took the opportunity to canter a little bit on the paths. Abner sometimes get excited and canters like a madman, but we were cantering on a loose rein on the buckle, and he was so calm and relaxed!

When Abner gets really excited or spooky, sometimes he'll "roar"- that's always my heads up that he's going to do something! During our ride, he was roaring a LOT! He never did anything bad afterwards, so I think he was just really excited.


I decided today that Abner's color is purple. He's wearing a purple blanket right now, and I want to get some purple polos and saddle pads- I like the dark purple the best, because it's the color of royalty. :)


I also decided that I wouldn't sell Abner for a million dollars. Well, I wouldn't even sell him for four million! He's worth his weight in gold, at least! I feel so safe when I go riding on him, even if I'm just riding in a halter and lead rope. I think he's definitely my "forever horse", and he's totally irreplaceable.



We're going back on the trail tomorrow, and I will definitely take some pictures!

Fun Winter Pictures!

No, no pictures of us cantering in the snow. Yet. :)

It's been way too muddy to do much outside, I'll ride him around bareback, but otherwise we've been taking it easy. He loves to hang out in the barn with me, and Christina was with me today and took a lot of great pictures.







I love having the same color hair as Abner. :)

Christina got a picture of Aby bowing today- that horse is FLEXIBLE for being the age he is! I know it looks like his belly is big in the picture, but it's really just the angle! And it's winter, he's hibernating, you know?




In this picture, I am giving Abner a stern talking to about how he needs to put his head down and POSE like all the famous-ribbon-winning horses do, because otherwise, how will we know what to do when we win those ribbons?



In most of the pictures of me sitting on Abner, he is wearing nothing but his halter. I had unclipped the lead rope because it was annoying me, and it amazes me how he still listens even when he KNOWS I have no control over him.


Today, while I was lunging Lady, she was bucking/rearing/striking out like a maniac, and Abner was trotting around on the lunge line like he was in his own little world. I love when he does that, and it's especially funny when he'll look at her as if to say, "Um, what are you doing?!" We like to show Lady how to be a good equine citizen by using Abner as an example.




I love when Christina comes over, because I always end up with great pictures. :) She ate dinner with us today, and we had a lot of fun! (Well, except when Albert started trying to constantly hump her arm/leg/whatever body part was closest...) Good thing Christina has a sense of humor!

And here is the leg humper himself. Shame. (Okay, I wasn't much help! I was laughing too much to do anything!)

Mental Images

When I woke this morning and looked out of my window at all this snow, one mental image popped into my mind immediately: riding in the snow.

Here's how it was in my mind:

I'm riding my (spotless) horse in the snow bareback, his mane is flowing, he's prancing like a parade horse. We canter through the snow, I'm of course helmetless, so my hair is streaming back behind me, as well as his tail.


Here's how it really would have gone:

I'll be riding my horse, who is covered with mud and snow around. I'm slipping and sliding on his wet, muddy back, desperately grabbing for his mane (that needs to be pulled). All of a sudden, I feel his legs moving higher. We're prancing! No...we're falling. Abner would have stepped on a slippery spot, pulling me down with him. I'd stand up, victorious that I managed to fall onto my feet, without getting myself muddy. I raise my arms in victory, but I pull myself off balance, falling into the mud.


I'll leave the snow riding to the reindeer, thanks. :)





I think Abner resembles Rudolph a little bit.





And yes, we do have Christmas Spirit.

Routines

Abner gets really mouthy when I give him too many treats. I have made it a habit to give him a treat when I take him out of his stall, after he works, and before I turn him out. It's become quite routine for him, but sometimes he gets extra treats when friends come over.

He doesn't really "bite" at all, he just seems to think that every time I move, I'm giving him a treat. :) He does this thing where he'll mouth my arm or jacket, and he seems to understand that teeth=BAD. I've had to give him a quick smack when he forgets, though. Especially when I have the good stuff, like apples and carrots.

I also have started a routine where his bridle=work. He knows that when he gets his bridle put on we're going to actually do something. (Lunging, riding, etc). When I ride him around bareback in a halter and leadrope, he seems to know that we're just playing- we play this game where we trot around as fast as possible, and he loves it!

He's also gotten quite used to not being allowed to eat with the bridle on- it's not good for him and it also makes his bridle really messy! It's been a while since he's tried to put his head down to eat with it on.

When he gets cuts on his legs, I spray it with this purple stuff (totally forget what it's called, Cindy gave it to me), and Abner hates it. Absolutely HATES it. We had a couple discussions about this medicine, and we finally came to an agreement. He's allowed to step in place, but the second he starts to try to run over me or get away, that's when I correct him. It's gotten to the point where I can go spray his cuts in the field with just a leadrope over his neck.


I love my horse and all of his funny quirks. It's so much fun to learn what his buttons are!




(This is his "treat?!?!" face!)

Mini-Photoshoot!

My friend Christina came out today to hang out with me and Abner, but he had a small cut on his leg and was a little sore, so we decided not to ride. I put some stuff on his cut after I washed it out (I forget what it's called, but it's the purple stuff that got on his lip (and my arm!) because SOMEONE (*cough* ABNER *cough*) decided to sniff the medicine.

Christina got some amazing pictures! I am glad to have someone to take pictures of Abner and I, because we haven't had any "real" non-riding pictures taken yet.

Thanksgiving Ride

I rode Abner on Thanksgiving, a little while before we ate. He was really speedy, but overall he was great. I lunged him after I rode because he kept trying to take off into the canter (although, I admit that I wasn't feeling good and wasn't riding my best), and he was great on the lunge line as always.

I taught Julia, Debra's niece, to lunge Aby. He was a very good guy, and incredibly gentle. I stood in the center with her and held the lunge whip.

Abner is starting to get back in shape, and I think he's going to look great when winter is over. We have been working on getting a nice extended trot, and we've had to work especially hard at getting a working walk. Abner prefers to walk like he's taking a Sunday morning stroll after church, so if I let him pick the pace we don't get anywhere at all.

A Funny Fact

Yesterday, I found out that Abner would rather jump a small puddle (seriously, I can jump across it!) than step in it.

He also pretty much refuses to step outside when it is extra muddy, or raining. I don't mind, and he is used to being loose in the aisle while I do stalls. If I put up a stall guard, he attempts to crawl under it.


I love the looks he gives me when I ask him to do something he doesn't want to do- he's such a princess. (For Christmas, I'm asking for a bling browband and hoof glitter. I'm pretty much turning him into a my little pony- he loves it!)

11/22/09

I have been teaching my dad to lunge, because he has dreams of getting his old horse, Lady, back in shape. She's actually only about 17, but she has had soundness issues and has never been worked consistently. She is FINALLY sound, and my dad wanted to watch me lunge her today. I didn't tack her up, because I wasn't sure how far we would get with the lunging.

She started out like a maniac- rearing, bucking, striking out. I kept her working until she wanted to stop, and then I worked her some more. We finished when she was able to walk and trot in a nice circle like a good citizen. Hopefully she will stay sound enough to continue to get in shape! Here are a few pictures I have of Lady. As you can tell from the pictures, she loves to roll in the mud- no matter how hard we try, she is always dirty.









Abner was his usual wonderful self today. I rode him around for a few minutes bridleless, and he was great. I let my dad lunge him for a while, and they both learned a lot. I lunged Abner once my dad was done, and he was relaxed and calm. Dad is going to lunge him for me once a week, that way he can continue to get in shape.

11/21/09

Abner and I had a really good workout today! This morning, I went out and free lunged him around the field- he moves around me in a perfect circle, as if he is attached to a lunge line! It's really interesting, and I got some really beautiful pictures of him. As much as I love seeing pictures of him all cleaned up, I cannot resist him when he is natural and fluffy like a big teddy bear.













This evening, my dad asked me to teach him to lunge. I brought out Abner, who is the only horse we have who lunges well. We did a lunging lesson, and then I decided to see if Abner would trot through the puddle in our field. He jumped it! He's not a bad jumper at all, and he was SO SO proud of himself. I could feel him prancing around when I was walking and trotting around after. Here's a picture that I took of him when I was trying to get him to come in for dinner- he didn't want to walk through the mud, but was finally coaxed inside with a couple of treats.

How Do You Warm Up?

When I start out riding, especially after a long break, I like to make sure that I warm myself and Abner up properly.

I start out with some long, low walking. I do my stretches (to his ears, tail, and both of my feet), and then I start to ask him for some lengthening in the walk. After a little while of doing that, I ask for a trot. I always start the trot off on a loose rein, on the buckle, and let Abner get out his coughs. (He always coughs 3 or 4 times when we first start working.) I do circles, changes of direction, and transitions.

Abner is not in good enough shape to do a lot of canter work yet, so we'll usually do maybe 2 circles of cantering. I don't like to canter too much in this mud, so lately we've been doing a lot of trot work.

How do you warm up your horse(s)?

My ride on 11/14

It has been insanely muddy at our house, so I haven't been able to do much "serious" riding. I brought Abner in and groomed him, it took about an hour to clean him off. He was a little impatient, because he didn't want to stand still for grooming.

I rode him bareback, because I knew I wasn't going to be able to do too much with Abner. We did a little bit of trot work, and he was very good! I like to ride bareback because it helps my muscles too.

After our ride, we went for a short walk up the driveway next door. We haven't been up there for a couple weeks, so Abner was a little bit spooky and looky. But, in the long run, he was a very good boy. I don't have any pictures, but I'm going to get some this weekend!

Days Like These

I finally found the cord for my camera, so I am able to upload all sorts of new pictures.

This was taken on one of the last beautiful days this past month. Days like these are Abner's favorites, because he can stay in the sun all day and sunbathe. I love the look of him in both of these pictures- I snapped them while he was taking a nap in the sunshine, right before he spotted me.






Unfortunately, this horse is not around anymore. In his place, I have a huge, furry wooly mammoth. Who stole my horse and replaced him with this fuzzy creature? I have to get some pictures of him tomorrow- he's insanely fluffy!