Virtual Horse Shows

Has anyone jumped on the virtual shows train? I found a reining one so B recorded her entry Saturday and I know I am bias but I think she and Scooby did amazing!!

See for yourself!

https://youtu.be/9sIqYsCeS4k

Cole and I got in a lesson too and I feel like I am still having ah ha moments ever lesson and I love it!! I feel really accomplished at the end of my rides. I may not get in as many rides as I would like during the week since I have become a teacher (send help, I am not made for this) but I am getting some in and lessons.. Can't complain.

Saturday is for Social Distancing

Saturday B and I went for lesson on our beloved Unicorns Scooby and Cole.

We ride with different trainers but they are at the same barn and they have lots of room so they did our lessons at the same time which is super nice!

I have had Cole 5 months now, it's been a learning curve for me to get all of the reining stuff down. Henry is broke and I've walked the whole training process with him, making it so I know him so well and he knows my riding.

Cole is super broke and was an open horse (meaning Professional caliber) so he is like a Ferrari... and I have never driven a Ferrari BUT I am learning. I feel like ever lesson we are getting more tools and I am enjoying this process SO much!!

B and Scooby during their lesson

Night Checks

My night check helper and my fav Henry <3

Baby Chase

Baby mama: Funny Face Smoke (https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/funny+face+smoke)

Baby daddy: Bridlewood Bacardi (http://bridlewoodwelsh.com/bridlewood-bacardee/)

Equals Chase...

Mom is a paint and dad is a black welsh... and I got a SOLID bay baby lol!! Fancy (mom) is a finished reiner but doesn't compete any more and has had a super cool welsh cross that does pony hunters. My sister and I both own her.

If the girls don't want to do anything pony, we will probably sell him but for now we are enjoying him, B has been enjoying working with him and it's such a cool experience for her.

Right now he is going through the pregnancy phase lol

I will dig up his new new pictures for you. What a cool deal it has been to have a baby born at home!

Schooling Schooling Schooling

The weather has been amazing!! I love being able to have a CLEAN horse... Cole does his best to be as dirty and nasty as possible.

We still have lots of green grass... everyone in the barn is worked up to being out all day which they love and I love.

Cole and I have been getting in a ride about every other day... Hubby is still working and I am home 24/7 with the girls. I am so thankful they are willing to put up with me riding- even for 20-30 min. My littlest is mostly good at playing in the dirt and then insisting she gets a ride on each horse that's out haha! Her absolute favorite is Scooby and she tells everyone who will listen that he is hers- my oldest doesn't like that because she is very in love with her horse and does't want her little sister to steal him ha!

We are headed to a lesson tomorrow - hopefully getting some good schooling and show prep for whenever we are allowed to show again :)

Arena

I am pretty proud of the work I have done to create this space... lots of time dragging, weeding, picking rocks and junk.

Enjoy!

Henry is Still Number ONE

Don't worry, Henry is still the king of the castle.... Sadly I just can't afford two show circuits so for now hes living his best life.

His best life is hacks, every day turn out on grass and nightly buffet in his stall... he's not mad.

He defiantly has more of a dad bod now, to go with my mom of three little kids bod haha!! But we enjoy each other- there is something about an almost 9 year bond that is just always going to be home, he's my ride or die.

See that white fencing, that is supposed to be my arena but the previous owner dumped crap dirt in there and no matter how I tried I couldn't make it work... so I found this lovely sand behind and have turned it into my arena. I will take a picture and let you guys see it's full glory.

Henry living SIP without a care in the world.

Wesley is all Grown Up

My baby is all grown up! He's had 3 months with my trainer and is so handsome!! My sister will be taking him again in May and hopefully will get to show him later this summer or fall.

Schooling show and Affiliate 1

Before the world stopped.. we were able to attend a schooling show in the end of Jan and the first Affiliate show in the beginning of March.

Schooling show...

This was all a learning experience for us.. Cole is new to me so I had no idea what type of prep work he needed or how he would be in the show pen.

I learned
- he needs a tad of lunging day 1, but not much and its way more work for me when him to lunge
- getting in the show pen to just school was so good for both of us
- he is so smart and a pro at this, he knows its game time and we are competing when we step into the show pen

- I didn't feel nervous at all once I got going in the warm up arena.. this is a whole new feeling for me since puking was the norm when showing hunters ha!!
- reining shows are like a big family hanging out, lots of meals together and hanging out
- I had SO MUCH FUN

Affiliate 1

This was at a new facility that I had never been to.. normally our shows are at 2 different facilities only an hour and a half away. The first show was at a place over 3 hours away and a new facility- it was good for me to see how he acted when I wasn't familiar with where we were.

Spoiler- he was pretty great, a tad spookie at one corner (the second time he went in the show pen, so I call his bluff lol)

We headed up Friday- getting the horses settled and a schooling ride to stretch their legs and get our bearings.

I did a schooling class on Saturday- it's the "level above" where I am showing but we wanted to get in the pen and let us both see it... it went so good! he was game for it all and I stepped up to the plate. We ended up getting 3rd in the class...

Sunday it RAINED SO hard on us all day... lovely weather for showing. Thankfully they have a covered warm up arena and show pen... but you got soaked walking from the stalls to warm up and then show pen.

We had a great ride in our Green as Grass class, not as killer as Saturday but still we got a score in both our runs, didn't 0 and didn't forget out pattern. We ended up tied for 4th.

I am so thankful to have those horse... I feel so lucky to get to show him.

What day is it?

Is this all over yet? I know this is going to be first world problems but its ok, im allowed to have feeling lol!

I have been working hard and had but goals for this show season... in reining you can only do the division I'm in for two years and I wanted to fully take advantage of it. My plan B was that I could win the buckle next year if I had a major mess up but I didn't plan on being sidelined after only one show.

I know everyone else is in the same boat but I am still bummed. Really bummed if I am honest...

I am VERY thankful that my horses are at home. We are really not hurting too much other then I can't wait to eat out or have someone else cook for me and to see our friends/people.

Cole is back home now, but for January and February he was at a barn right by my house that has a covered arena so I could prep for show season and not miss out on riding ... jokes on me now lol

I'll recap our schooling show and Affiliate 1 show next time.

Hope you are all doing well <3 <3

Meet Cole

So I’m jumping into the world of Reining... my oldest has fallen in love with reining so if I want to show I’ve got to join her. We can’t afford two circuits so here goes nothing.

This is Cole... he’s a 9 year old QH who’s been there done that and ready to show me the ropes. My trainer found him in Texas and so we bought him and a had to wait a couple weeks and he was shipped here to CA.

I’m still learning my timing in the stopping but spinning is fun! 

It’s ‘easy’ to ride him but I want to ride him well so lots of practice and guidance but I know we will be a great team in no time!

Blogger Exchange 2019

Seriously what better then another horse person getting you a present?!

Cruisen In Stilettos sent me the most wonderful present!

A super lovely Daughter of the King shirt, the best note cards and a cute boot necklace my girls already claimed.

Thank you Michelle - you are awesome!!

20 Things About Me

Snatched this from the900facebookpony and also found a new blog to follow mayaswellevent ... So lets see if I can think of 30 things ha!

1. I was home schooled through 8th grade, hated it but now that I am a parent I understand why my parents did it and the struggle parents feel when the schools around you aren't the best or there is a bad teacher...

2. I have never broken a bone- well i think i have broke a toe but thats it... wasn't officially diagnosed though.

3. I didn't get my first horse till after college when I bought her myself.

Maddy

4. I started riding at 8, my parents told me I could take lessons if I found a place to ride... I hit the phone book (do those exist anymore?!) and called some places and ended up with my first trainer Christine.

5. I could live on Dr Pepper and Mexican food.

6. I LOVE candy, it's a problem but I have no desire to kick it ha!!

7. I grew up in a beach town.

8. I love to grocery shop.

9. I went to college out of CA so that no one can say I never tried another state... I loved Texas but finding a job that enabled me to live and pay off student loans was impossible.

10. When Wes gets older, I plan to take up reining and give it a go.

11. I have never been out of the country... other then a mission trip to Mexico

12. I currently am addicted to Dutch Bros.... soooooo good

13. I swam competitivly from age 9 through high school... I wasn't tall enough to really be competitive any further... swam varsity all 4 years of HS and loved most of it ha!

14. I went to a private HS... which enabled me to ride for PE. The riding program was for beginners so I rode during 7th period where I helped train whatever new horses they had or straighten out ones who were naughty - pretty awesome.

15. I have a very very very close relationship with my grandma, she is probably the most special person to me.

16. I’ve recently switched to reining...

17. I have a tattoo of Henry in my arm.

18. I competed a Super Spartan race in November.

19. Christmas is my fav time of the year 🎄🎄🎄🎄

20. I’m hopefully back to blog for real again 😝

I need a fake tail stat...

Well that consistency was short lived ha!!!!! But the gap isn't as bad this time...

A friend tagged me in this and it's SO true lol 

I don't think that I addressed Henry's tail on the blog yet... I am maybe kinda sorta possibly at a point that I can talk about it without feeling sad and a sick feeling in my stomach...

Wes was stalled next to Henry when I first got him and all was well for a few days ... well that was short lived because he ATE half of Henrys tail :(

It has a little longer strand but most of it is up to his hocks... like for real?!!? He could have chewed another other horses tail, why Henry why???!!

So I am for sure going to need a fake tail when we get back to the show ring... anyone have a hook up for me and a tail? ha!

Henry and I are slowly trying to get our groove back... we are both so out of shape. I also think that he could benefit from the chiropractor and probably his hocks done again, it's been over a year since they were done, maybe closer to a year and a half.

So who has the fake tail hook up?!

Stall vs Pasture

I have always been a person who likes to have my horse in a stall... they are easier to micro manage and oh how I love to control stuff ha!!

Henry likes his stall... Holli, Wes and Jet like to be where Henry is ha, meanwhile he could care less about the three of them.

Over the last almost 2 years of having my own place, I have had the luxury of moving my horses around where ever I want them at any time. Henry LOVES pasture time especially when grass in involved.

In CA turn out is slim pickings so I am so luck, or my horses are lucky that they get the best of both worlds... so spoiled. And they don't get just light turn out- they get giant pastures... like multiple acres.

When the weather is nice my horses get to be out as long as they want, I get to move them around the different pastures and mix/match whom ever I want in each pasture.

He even looks handsome when drinking lol

When the weather is bad they all have a warm and cozy stall all to themselves with a buddy next to them.

I have a 6 stall barn, 4 stalls are used for the horses, 1 is used for hay storage and 1 is used as the grain room/storage. One day I would like to have another hay storage closer to the barn or an atv that I can load hay in and make it easier to feed. The large hay barn we have needs a front cover in order to store hay during the winter, currently we tarp any hay that is in there when it's going to rain.

Are you a stall or pasture person? Or both...

Super Bowl Sunday- Equestrian Style

When hubby is finally home, it's 70 outside, the baby is napping and there is daylight... you don't sit inside and watch football.. you go outside and do this:

The ground squirrels and gophers have taken over our spot we were riding in the field... I am currently figuring out how to rage war on them. B and I rode a little and then decided to wander around since there were too many holes that we couldn't avoid.

These two are spoiled

I gave Henry and Jet both hose downs and washed their tails... of course they both rolled when I put them back in the pastures ugh.

Meanwhile Bayley was doing this:

I should have gotten a video of her trying to get on, it as hilarious and even more reason why Holli is a saint and the best pony in the world.

Happy Monday everyone.. hopefully I will get to ride again this weekend- I really need lights so I can ride at night after the kiddos go to bed.

Plans

With all the fires in CA, north and south of me... I have been thinking more and more about my plan.

Who wants to buy me this? lol

I had thought about this before when we had the fire at the barn when I boarded at before moving the horses home... but now that I have more horses then space in the trailer, it has me thinking again.

I have ordered tags to put on my halters with my name and number, that why if I have to set horses free- hopefully someone would find them and call me....

Hubby and I have also talked about getting a bigger trailer- at least a 3 horse so that I could load everyone up- even squeeze all 4 in if needed leaving the dividers open. Thankfully all 4 of them are very chill and no one is a bully or kickers.

BUT footing is the top priority soooooooo the trailer will have to wait ha!

Also if I have to grab one what I could carry, my saddle would be the first thing id snatch... alone with other tack if possible and my tack trunk. I have often thought about storing things in the trailer so that it is already loaded up in case of an emergency but haven't done that.. yet.

Pretty trunk.. I will take 10 of these please haha

So do you have an evacuation plan?

What would you grab if you had to act quick and didn't have time to take it all?

Maybe I am back to Blogging...

I am hoping that I can start blogging again, maybe even a couple times a week... baby girl is starting to sleep a bit more on her own, my middle little is doing preschool 2-3 times a week for  hours and my oldest little is obviously in school (but she is easiest so she doesn't count)... now that I just said all that, everything is going to go hay wire ha!!

It was been pretty wet so I haven't been able to ride but a handful of times since I was cleared by my doctor... 

There is a ranch right down the road from me that has a covered arena so I talked to the owner and he said I can pay the pasture board price and use the arena. HOPEFULLY that will enable to me to get some riding in... Hubby is 3 days into a 4 week training out of town soooo at the moment grooming and maybe a quick lunge in the dark will be all I get in. 

B taking pics again- actually really like this one :)

Mr Wes has been giving me a run for my money... in the stall he is great and I have gained his trust. BUT if I turn him out, he is almost impossible to catch. The fact that the lady didn't handle him at all or do anything is very apparent.. so I just keep plugging along trying to make him love me ha!

We have been working on haltering, being patient when tied, lots of grooming, being hosed off, blanketing, clipping his wiskers and handling his feet- currently pretty good with the fronts woot!

Right now Holli is out with him in hopes that he will become more friendly and she will help him be more civilized *fingers crossed*

Holli is amazing as always, B loves riding her and lately just wants to ride bareback all over which is so great for her balance/confidence/feel of the horse. Holli is of course a saint even when being ridden in just a halter with the trains whizzing by and out in the field (our arena is un usable currently, the footing is no good no matter how much i have worked it and tried to make it cooperate.. so the plan is to try and save for some footing)