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. :)
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!
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!
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!)
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. :)
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!
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.
