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.

sunday

took a friend and her step son for a ride sunday. Weather was beautiful and we were out for bout two hours. Didn't ride long as Alexis( my friend's step son) is not in very good shape and we didn't want him to be too sore monday for school.
Debbie rode Val, my girlfriend's tennesee walker mare, and Alexis rode my arabian gelding Blaze. I rode my arabian pinto Ice T. As is usually the case with teenagers, Alexis listened to less than half of what I told him, Blaze is an excellent beginner horse as I've been teaching with him for three years and he anticipates beginners very well and is patient with them.
Alexis did ok for his first time out of the round pen or arena. He made the usual beginner mistakes, leaned forward, held on to the horn, held his reigns to tight. All common beginner mistakes that are easily corrected. Had his legs too far behind him which throws off your center of gravity and balance. This is another common mistake that will get you a close up look at the dirt if your horse spooks. All in all he did ok, I like to start kids slow and let them gain some confidence before I start to advance them. Otherwise, they are to ridgid and nervous and the horses pick up on it.
He got a lesson in humility from Debbie as she was leading on our way home and cantered Val across a field with Blaze close behind. Alexis panicked and grabbed the horn which renders you helpless to control the horse, another point I made before we left that he didn't pay attention too.
So he got a little scared there for about a hundred feet or so. Deb took it easy on him and stopped Val before he lost his balance to much or Blaze decided Val wanted to race. He would have been in for a wild ride then as Blaze is a fast horse and loves to race.
Anyway, we made it home without any falls so it was a good ride for Alexis and he learned a few things.Also, the Packers beat the Cowboys so it was a very good day indeed. Will keep you posted on Alexis's progress as he will be taking lessons with Betsy and I.

today

Another beautiful day and more on the way. Have all our horses doing well. They are leading and dropping their heads for halters. My arabians are walking without getting flighty and wanting to go faster. I am almost done with the shelter for the phillys at our friend's and am starting on the gates for our stalls tomorrow.
Also have a young lady at the ranch where I used to board who wants to show one of my arabs at the fair next summer. It will be his first experience with showing but I think he will do well. He has done lots of arena work for the last few years. I use him for a lessons horse with young children and he is great at it. He will stay right on your shoulder at any gait.
Have some horses to trim this week for various customers. Am almost moved in completely now with Betsy and so can begin working on this place . We have so much to do for next year. Fields that need discing and fertilizing. patures that need work also. we are also trying to start our own riding club so that the horse council will help us put in trails on some state land across the road from our place. Lots going on.

today's ride

today it was really nice out so My friend Debbie and I took my two arabians out for a nice ride. We rode in only shirts, which is awesome for november in Wisconsin. Deb rode my sorrel Blaze and I rode my pinto T. We checked out some state land down the road and had one of my girlfriend Betsy's cats follow along for the ride. Lily made it home safe and sound, she was waiting close to home for us on the return trip. We stopped at a harvested carrot field and gave the boys a treat. Did a little trotting but no cantering or galloping as Deb is on the down side of a accident suit and can't chance a fall.
Saw a couple deer and got to ride part way back in the dark. It was really balmy and no wind so we really enjoyed ourselves. We talked about how the boys are trained to respond to neck reigning and leg pressure. I let lots of people ride my horses so they need to be easy to ride so I dont' have to give lessons when I take people riding. Anyway, it was a beautiful day and we had a great time.

Training your horse

I train my own horses for a variety of activities. My horses are mainly used for trail riding however, I find that the longer I own a horse and the more time I spend with them, the more things I want to try with them. I now have two arabians. One sorrel and one tri color buckskin pinto. They are both very athletic and adapt well to almost anything I ask them to do. I spend a lot of time with both of them though. It's important to develope a strong bond with your horse and trust if you want the most from them.
I know a few people who have five or six horses and don't do anything with any of them. They are not trained to even stand for tack or farrier and are not green broke to ride. I don't personally understand why someone would undertake the cost and work involved in having that many horses if they aren't going to do anything but be pets, but our relationships with our horses are different for many people. I certainly respect someone's right to have whatever animals they want so long as they are well cared for.
Of course, caring for horses involves more than just throwing hay over the fence and fillin the water tank. When an owner doesn't take the time to train a horse to trailer, stand, and ride they set the horse up to end up in a bad position. Not many people are looking for horses that are not easily handled. So if the owner comes on hard times, now they have horses that aren't marketable and they can't find good homes for them. Often times that spells disaster for the horse.
A horse that is well trained is almost always in a position to go to a good home. With the market what it is right now, you may not get as much for them as you'd like, but chances are good that there's someone out there looking for a good horse. I am in the position of having a horse that is not trained as well as he should be and that is my failure as I haven't devoted enough time to ground training. I have saddle trained him and must admit, I "cowboyed" him as I threw a saddle on him and rode him and didn't pay enough attention to ground work. So now I have work to do to get him where he needs to be to make someone a good horse.
That, or I will have to sell him for far less than he's worth to someone willing to do the needed work. I just sold a quarterhorse that I bought last year and I spent a limited amount of time on training him. He was a good horse and responded well for me with some patience and time. They are all different and some of the really stubborn ones will often turn out to be some of the best ones if you have the patience and perseverence to give them a chance. When it comes down to it, it's the owner's responsibility to make sure a horse gets the training they need to have a safe active life.