Hi all, sorry I've been so remiss in posting. Am going on another ride this weekend and I promise to post some pics and a blog about the weekend. Talk to ya then.

Keith

Accident

Hi all,

Well, it's been quite a while since I chimed in here. Been very busy with life. I have started school and am enrolled and attending a two year associates degree program in veterinary techonology. We'll see where that takes me. Summer is around the corner and Betsy and I were really looking forward to this riding season, however, that has been put on hold as she had an accident a few weeks ago with her horse and has a broken leg and ankle.

Betsy and her friend Samantha were riding down a road close to our house when a young man in a pickup truck with loud exhaust hit the gas and scared Betsy's horse. He reared and went over backwards and landed on her right leg and shattered it. She sustained a compound fracture of both bones and her ankle is in five pieces. Thankfully, that is all the injury she sustained and her horse Jazzy is fine. Also, Samantha is just getting some confidence and her horse did very well and she wasn't also injured so we have much to be thankful for.

The downside is that Betsy will not be riding a horse for at least three or four months and I have tjo take care of her and the farm as well. We are making due and this whole experience is bringing us closer as we have to put aside our petty wants and needs and focus on getting things done and not killing eachother! LOL It's not easy taking care of someone who is immobile and making constant demands of your time. It's a lesson in patience for me also as I have to remember that Betsy would much rather be able to fend for herself than have to rely on me for almost everything. I only hope that the person who caused this accident is held accountable for all the strife he has caused. Thank goodness Wisconsin has statutes on the books that protect riders and horses on the roadway.

Things like this happen from time to time and you learn to take em in stride. It's all part of horse life. No matter how well you train them, they are still animals and can be unpredictable at times. Usually at the most inconvienient time, I've found! So we are concentrating on getting Betsy healed up and gettin on with things. I would love to hear any stories or events going on with any of you. I think I will have more time for blogging now that I am homebound for a while.

I will be going on a private trail ride at my friend's place in a few weeks and will post pics and a blog afterwards so look for that. Take care and have a great week everyone.

Icy Paddocks

We recently had some freezing rain here and it has brought up a subject that I thought would make good blog material. Our alley leading from the barn to the paddocks is covered in ice. We didn't have salt handy at the time of the storm, lesson learned about preparation there, and so had to bring the horses in across that ice.
I am not a timid person when it comes to handling and riding my horses. A fact that gets me in trouble with my girl quite often. However, ice is one thing that makes me very nervous, both on the ground and riding. I am always concerned that one of my animals will fall and hurt a leg or ribs ect...
For that reason, I try to make sure there is always an ice free path to water and pasture for the horses to get around without having to cross ice. My arabians are quite sure-footed but the ice really makes them nervous. Of course, when horses get nervous, they don't think well, the instincts kick in and the flee instinct is especially strong at that time.
We made it thru the few days without any injuries but one boarder's horse fell four times. A fact that I was fairly disappointed about. The person brought the horse in and out of the barn repeatedly after she fell the first time. We love this person who is a dear friend, but sometimes people need to use more common sense. She should have done something different after the first fall. Now the poor horse is so scared of falling, she won't come out of her stall.
We had to really salt the alley to make it safe, and shoveled dirt on that. We don't salt the paddocks as the salt is hard on hooves and so we don't want them to have to stand and walk in it more than neccessary for their safety. I am told that barn lime applied after salt melts the ice will provide traction and dry up the water from the melted ice. Will try that next time.
So today, I will be chippin and shoveling ice from the alley now that we got it melted and workable. Just another learning experience in our horse education!

Winter

Winter is upon us and it's time to start winter feeding and care for the ponies. We went and got wood shavings yesterday for our stalls. We get our shavings free from a local pallet factory, they make great bedding. They are absorbant and keep the barn from smelling also. We have to clean both shelters every day now as manure freezes and we don't want our horses walking on it as they can turn an ankle or get bruises on their soles.
We keep them in at night as it gets very cold and we don't want them losing weight trying to stay warm. The manure has to be piled by the barn and will be spread in the spring as it jams the spreader when it's frozen. We have the farrier coming to look at a couple one more time for the winter. Have shoes on one horse that have to come off and want him to look at our boarder's horse. He has a front foot that's turned out and we want to see if some corrective trimming will fix it.
We are trying to get our own riding club started so that we can get the horse council to help us put in trails across the road on some state land. That project is now under way and if we can get it done, we may put some campsites in the back pasture for horse camping this summer. We would also be able to host a trail ride if we get the trails in so hope that goes well.
The horses are doing well, my arabian has put on weight and is rounding out now and looking great. So far, all is going well here at serenity ranch.

longeing

We have a new boarder at our place. A young lady named Sam. She has a nice quarterhorse gelding named Grey. A friend of Betsy's trained him and seems like she did a good job with him. Trouble is, Sam is a novice with horses, she is learning how to tack up, and we are helping her with her riding. She is a little nervous as most beginners are, and she has a green horse, which I really disagree with. I am a firm believer that a green rider should buy an older more experienced horse who can teach them what they need to know.
Sam takes Grey out in the round pen and "longes" him, and I think she is just letting him run one way and then the other with no idea of why she is really in there with him to begin with. If she is allowing him to be the boss in the round pen, it will transfer to other areas and he will not respect her. Yesterday she couldn't get his headstall on to go for a ride.He's been fine to this point, so I am thinking she is letting him call the shots when she's handling him and he's decided he's going to be the boss.
This happens a lot with people who see someone longeing a horse and think they can do it too. It looks easy if the horse is a seasoned longer, but the purpose of longeing is to establish respect for you in the horse. For him to learn to respond to and respect your commands and to learn gaits and direction and such. I see so many people letting horses do what they will in the round pen and then wonder why they don't listen well on the trail or in the arena.
Longeing is an aquired skill. It takes time to learn to do it well. I am still not as good at it as I want to be, but I am always working on my technique. I have a good trainer who is helping me with my technique but I always focus on making sure I am giving the horse the right signals. If you don't know what you're doing in the round pen, you can do more harm than good. I suggest learning from someone who is proficient at it before you try it yourself, and start with seasoned horses who will help you develope your technique not green horses who will only show you how much you have to learn!

General horse banter

Well the holiday has come and gone. We are working on getting a ride organized at a friend's in bonduel in a week or two. It will be cold, to be sure, but it's a trail we haven't ridden yet and we are itchin to get out for a good long ride with our friends. My arabian gelding Blaze is doing great. He is putting on weight at a good rate and looking good.
I got gates put on all the stalls in the barn and it's much better for bringing in the ponies and for them to be in at night when the weather is bad. Have a few saddle racks to build and a storage bin to make for the wood shavings we use for bedding in the stalls.
Gun deer season will end this weekend so we will be able to get out in the woods again on the horses. Rode some short rides last week but had to stay on the roads as it is hunting season and we don't want to take too many chances on a pony getting shot.
I am already looking forward to April and the Midwest Horse fair. Want to pick up at least one good set of custom tack for my horses. Hope to be able to get two sets, one for each. A new saddle is not in the budget this year. Maybe next. Want a circle y flex ll. Really nice saddle but, the one I have will be fine for another year.
Still going to try to get permits and insurance to haul ponies for extra money. Want to put up wood fences round the pastures this summer too. Also going to build a large arena for riding lessons and team penning and ropin. So I have plenty to do to stay busy. Still trying to get funding for farrier school too. Doesn't look like I'm gonna make it in January.
We are taking in one boarder for the winter to help offset costs. Have seven horses already so one more is not much bother. Built another stall in barn for the new one, see how it goes. Nice kid with a blue roan quarterhorse. Both young, am looking forward to helping her with her horsemanship and riding. She's pretty timid as she just got back into riding a short time ago. That will go away in time ridin with us!
Any subjects anyone would like to talk about just drop me a line on my email guoleemonster@yahoo.com I am happy to address any topics of interest to anyone. If I don't have the info you need, I'm sure I can find it. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Boarding

We recently were contacted by a young lady about boarding her horse with us. We are not a boarding facility, but have the room and are considering taking in one horse and see how it goes. My girl Betsy used to run a boarding facility in Green Bay where she cared for 14 horses.
While she is very knowledgable in regards to caring for horses and running a barn, she is hesitant to get into it again as there are so many headaches when boarding other's animals. At her former stable, she had issues with arena time, and arguing between boarders about so many different things. We met with Samantha and were happy to find out she is a nice young lady who has been injured when she was younger by her horses and is getting back into riding after a long time off.
She is understandably timid about her riding as she has a young horse and hasn't been riding for long since starting back up.I have a lot of respect for someone who gets seriously injured and doesn't let it end their life with their horses. She was a child when she was trampled and broke her leg. I know quite a few people who would never have gotten on a horse again so kudos to her.
At any rate, we recently improved our barn stalls and are making more improvements to make things faster and easier for us as we now have seven horses between us.We take pride in the care and behavior of our horses and see so many owners who don't take the extra effort to give their horses the best care possible. They get grained twice a day, and get good hay twice a day as well. Have plenty of turnout room, with stalls for really bad weather and plenty of shelters.
This spring we will be discing and planting more pasture for them and building a large arena for ropin and eventing. I have seen some less than adequate boarding facilities where the bottom line takes precedence over the care of the animals. It happens more often than you would think. I don't mean to imply that most are that way, there are many really good facilities run by very professional owners, just that it is important to know what to look for as you want the best for your horse. I have learned a lot in the last year from Betsy about nutrition as well as training. We love our horses and are looking forward to helping Samantha get comfortable with her horse again. We hope this will be a good experience for us all.