The Cold has Struck

Where have I been? Believe it or not, I have been at the barn with Gambler. I don't have a good excuse for not writing. I just didn't feel like writing the same thing over and over and over. That's what its been for the last week or so. Repetitious. There is nothing wrong with repetition, in fact, it's beneficial for a young horse. It is not, however, good blog material.

The cold has struck. Right now my phone says that its 0 degrees at the barn and feels like -7 degrees (Fahrenheit). Granted, it's nothing compared to last year when it was ten to twenty below nearly every night, but it is cold! As a result my sessions with Gambler have been the same every day. Bring the horses in, feed them, put Gambler in the cross-ties, put the bareback pad on him, pick up/pick out all four feet. He continues to improve. The bareback pad is hardly an issue anymore. He's putting up more of a fuss with his feet, but I think that is due to the cold and the fact that he hasn't had a good work out in several weeks.

Gambler in the cross-ties last week.

Last night we put the horses in their stalls overnight for the first time. I haven't heard how that went, hopefully Gambler stayed in his stall this time. We'll be heading over there in a couple hours, so I'll try to update tomorrow. 

Gambler in his stall last night. You can see his little purple ball hanging from the rafters. I was hoping he'd play with it, but so far he has just ignored it. 

Little Victories

I woke up this morning feeling absolutely wonderful. I slept soundly and woke feeling completely relaxed, refreshed, and rejuvenated. I didn't have to get up early or hurry to get anything done, so I just laid in bed a while thinking about how thankful I am (I'm aware that Thanksgiving was a couple months ago - deal with it). There was a time only a few years ago where I felt alone with nothing and no one. Now I am so happy. My dreams have come true. That reality never really will sink it.

Gambler, one of my own dreams-come-true, was amazing today. I am so proud of how far he has come. Looking back over our (almost) nine months together to write the overview post really put it all in perspective. It was cold and windy, so Gambler was spooky. But when I asked him to stand still, he did. When I asked him to circle, he did. When I told him to move away from me, he did. When I asked him to stop kicking up his heels and stand still a few feet away from me so I could take pictures, he did. 

Not bad for a phone pic huh?

Ever curious.

Even with the scary trees and the scary wind and the scary invisible monster in the empty field, he listened and licked and chewed. Every now and then he would get very, very still and then something would happen and he'd jump a little, but he never truly spooked.

I didn't do much outside. I longed him walk/trot/canter in the snow. It was soft fluffy stuff that wasn't too deep and his gaits didn't seem affected. I didn't do any mounting prep because I didn't have anyone to hold him if I did get on. So after he goofed around in the snow for a while I brought him into the barn. I had put the bareback pad on him before I took him to the arena and I just left it on when he and Kezi were in the barn.

Still phone pictures, I'm pretty impressed. 

After feeding him his grain and Sand Clear by hand (little stinker!) I switched halters and put him in the cross-ties. He stood calmly, even when the wind howled and I wandered all over the barn to get things. A far cry from April, when he wouldn't even stand still in the cross-ties to be groomed. I picked out all four feet and picked them up multiple times, making sure that I set them down. He kicked a little with both the front right and the right hind, but only a little. 

Now, I've been reading Liz's blog In Omnia Paratus and one thing I find intriguing is that she trims her own horses' hooves. I don't plan on trimming Gambler's hooves myself, but I find it all fascinating. She takes pictures of her horses' hooves now and then to show how they grow and change and improve. As I read those posts I found myself thinking, I wish my horse would let me do that . . . Since he was being so good today, I thought I'd try. He let me pick up all his feet with one hand and hold them to take a photo! It seems so silly, but Gambler has been a pain with his feet since before I even got him and I've worked so hard to get to this point. It may be a little victory, but it means a lot to me!

Back to a legitimate camera now.

Left front

Left hind.

Right front

Right hind

Gambler continues to improve everyday. I am so proud of my little buddy. My favorite part is still the fact that he is mine. He is a horse, but in some strange way, he is a friend. We understand one another. That means more to me than picking up feet or even riding.

Dem Dapples!

Lessons (Never) Learned

You'd think by now I'd know that whenever I plan out my session with Gambler something will cause it to go awry. But that is a lesson I never seem to learn. Today I thought it all out. If the ground was frozen, I'd stick to picking up his feet and mounting prep. If the footing was okay, I'd play stick-to-me on line. However, when I got to the barn Kezi and Gambler were in the weirdest mood. Think playful and grumpy; spooky and chill. I guess they just didn't like the cold and the wind.

Watching me through the window.

Zoooooom!

Having an argument.

Anyway, I tried to lure them out of the arena into the pasture with a little handful of hay so that I could close off the arena (in case anyone is wondering, the arena is part of the pasture that can be sectioned off). Usually this works, but today instead of eating the hay, they just followed me around bucking, kicking, squealing, pinning their ears at each other, kicking each other. You name it, they were doing it. I would have just asked my Mom to hold them while I shut the fence, but she was running a quick errand. Instead I decided to bring them in and feed them. I could take Gambler into the arena if I still had light afterwards, or just pick out his feet in the cross-ties. 

I prepared their grain and opened the gate to let them into the barn. The way the barn is set up, the one gate opens straight into the pasture. Each horse knows where his (or her) stall is so all I have to do is open the door. Well today Kezi and Gambler ignored their grain, trotted all the way to one end of the barn, then spun around and trotted all the way back out. They would have come back in again, but I shut the gate and told them sternly, "You have to stop acting so ditsy first!"

So I stood there and waited. They seemed to lose interest in getting fed. They just stood stock still looking out to pasture. To give you an idea of how still they were (like horsie statutes) I got several pictures of Gambler's face in focus, even in the bad lighting. On most occasions it is very hard to get a good picture of Gambler's face because he never stops moving.

Check out those dapples. I'm excited to see if Gambler will grey out any more, or stay this color permanently.

Abruptly, Kezi and Gambler headed out into the pasture. Then they came back again. I got a really nice video of Gambler cantering back, but the camera spazzed out because of the cold and it was lost. 

When they got back I attempted to let them into the barn again. This time they just stood there and looked at me like I was crazy. "Why would you possibly want us to go into the barn we always go into at the time we always go into it and eat the grain we always eat?"

Then my mom got back. Of course, when she opened the gate they walked into their stalls like perfectly normal horses. I see how it is!

I asked my mom to hold Gambler while I picked out his hooves so that she could back him up when he misbehaved. I picked out three of the four today! I was very happy to see that his back feet weren't nasty, because I haven't picked them out for weeks and I was starting to worry about thrush. I had no reason to worry. Both back feet look fine and the one I picked out hardly had anything in it. Gambler will now let me pick out his front left foot without complaint and his back left and front right foot with complaint. That one foot, the back left, is his worst. He still does not like to have me pick it up and has a tendency to kick out. 

All in all, it wasn't a bad day, even though it didn't go according to plan. Gambler is improving and I am enjoying myself. Really, that's all that matters. 

Biding My Time

So far this winter has been much milder than the last, or the one before that. We'll see how long that lasts, we could get four inches within a week. Originally I thought that was great. I thought a warmer winter would mean that I could progress further with Gambler. I'm not sure I agree anymore. Snow is cold, but as long as it isn't icy it's not bad for riding. Mud on the other hand . . . And snow is cold, but if you bundle up you stay dry. Rain on the other hand  . . . Snow is cold, but it's pretty cushy if you fall. Half-frozen mud/dried grass on the other hand . . .

But who knows. Maybe we'll get warm, dry weather and Gambler and I will have a ton of fun. Or maybe it will get cold and snow and Gambler and I will have a ton of fun. Or maybe it will stay wet and muddy and Gambler and I will find a way to have a ton of fun.

I didn't get very good photos today because the light was fading. That and the camera doesn't like cold weather. Even forty degrees is too much for it. I had planned to put the bareback pad on Gambler in the cross-ties, but he was a muddy mess. So instead we worked on picking out the feet. His front left is really good right now. He still kicks with his right, but he used to kick free and he doesn't now. It's clear that he isn't really committing to getting his foot free, just complaining a little. He is still bad with his back feet. He will pick them up if I squeeze his hocks, but if I try to hold them he kicks out. Little by little will get over this stubborn hill.

"But mom the wind is scary!"

He decided to roll in the mud. I tried to groom him, but there was no point.

I took this picture by kneeling on the ground to steady the camera. Gambler is asking me why I'm on the floor

Consistency

Today was the perfect winter day. I would be overjoyed if the next four months were like this. The snow melted, the temp cool but not below freezing, the ground damp but not slippery or boggy: it was wonderful.

I think the western saddle might be too narrow for Gambler (*cough* fatty *cough*), and even if it isn't he has been working himself up during the saddling process. So I put the bareback pad on him instead. I know that he doesn't have an issue with the bareback pad because I put it on him way back in June or July without any negative reaction. Today, however, he tried to get out of it by moving around and grunting. I know for sure now that the grunting is an excuse. He is not colicking. I haven't put a saddle on him for weeks. He doesn't grunt consistently. Not to mention that he was grunting before the girth even touched his belly. How does that work? It just so happens that I have one of the goofiest, smartest, brattiest little horses out there.

I longed Gambler walk/trot in both directions with the bareback pad on. I would have asked for a canter, but the ground was still a little sketchy. He didn't react at all to the bareback pad once it was on. Then I sent him over a "jump." It was a pole on a tarp on the ground with buckets on either side. He didn't jump it, which didn't surprise me because it wasn't jump-worthy, but the point wasn't to jump it. The point of the "jump" was to give Gambler something interesting to think about so that he didn't get bored.

After that I did more mounting preparation. I've gotten on him before, but I want to slow down the process. So many horses, both green and fully trained, have a horrific habit of taking off when the rider gets on. Right now I want Gambler to learn to stand calmly and quietly while I get on and off. He is doing much better. I can now stand on the mounting block, rub his back, and lean on his back without him moving around too much. He still gets fidgety when I jump up over his back though.

I have pictures, but the light was fading and neither Gambler nor I were holding very still, so they're blurry.

I think the biggest setback in Gambler's training is the lack of consistency. When I spend time going over the same task three or four days in a row he picks up new skills quickly, but when we take a few days off he falls behind again. The barn owner installed a light on the side of the barn that shines into the arena. It doesn't give a lot of light, but I think it's enough to get some basic stuff done. I want to see what I can still do with Gambler's on Tuesday and Thursday, even after the sun has gone down.

Pictures

It's been a long time since I've posted. I still see Gambler every Tuesday and Thursday, but due to daylight savings time I don't have any daylight on those days. Today I had plenty and time and wonderfully warm weather, but as luck (aka my forgetfulness) would have it I didn't have my helmet so I couldn't do mounting prep. On top of that the ground was soggy, so I didn't want to longe him or anything like that. So we just had a low-key grooming session in the pasture. Kezi and Gambler both wanted attention. Gambler was being a little snot and pinning his ears at Kez to chase her away from me. They've both been grumpier since the grass died.

Such grumpy faces.

Sniffing the coffee and Subway (notice that in this picture his mane has been combed nicely).

I was trying to get a picture of Gambler's double swirl here. You can't quite see it, but the second swirl is above his left eye.