More Nerves, More Wugs

November 21, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

Brian is still suffering from a sore shoulder and doesn't feel up to riding again yet, but we've had the wug we purchased for Bear sitting around for a while now and we keep forgetting to take it to the barn with us. Today we decided we really needed to go try it on him to make sure it is the right size before we actually need it. We arrived at the barn to find everybody a bit stirred up. The barn owners have been removing a lot of dead trees on their land and probably the noise had the horses excited. We brought Bear and Steen indoors and they were both a bit antsy (Steen significantly moreso than Bear, of course). We did our normal thing - groomed them. Neither of them were being horrible, but they were a bit more mobile than usual. After grooming, I started on some groundwork with Steen and Brian tried the blanket on Bear. Well, we definitely guessed wrong as far as the size ...

Birthday Ride

Robin

November 15, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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Today I told my clients I had late morning "meetings" and headed to the barn for a birthday ride. I actually hadn't gone out alone for a very long time, and I was feeling excited about the prospect of a mellow indoor ride on Steen.

Everything was quiet in the pasture when I arrived. Steen's weight has so far held steady as temps have slowly dropped, so I am hopeful I won't see the weight-plummeting phenomenon he's undergone the last two winters. Plus, yesterday Brian and I helped erect a not at all pretty but highly effective wind-barrier in the pasture, which should further help prevent him burning all his fat off trying to stay warm.

Pearly Whites

Robin

November 14, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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Steen usually gets his teeth floated in the fall, and yesterday I got an email from our barn's owner, saying our vet was coming out to do teeth today, and would we like to be included? When Bear got his vet check a couple months ago, the vet's one comment was that he would need his teeth done soon. So, we put both our guys on the list.

It was a damp, dreary day at the barn. Brian and I headed out in the late morning and our vet, Jim, had already worked on a few horses by the time we arrived. We decided Bear should go first and also that I should do the handling because Brian's shoulder is still very sore from his recent fall. So, not knowing what sort of experience we would have, I let Bear into the stall and Jim gave him a sedative. He took the shot without protest and things continued in that vein. I have now helped a number of vets float the teeth of quite a fe...

I Do This For Fun?

Robin

November 8, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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On Friday, Brian and I almost didn't go to the barn. We were both tired, he'd had a long day at work, my neck was still stiff from my fall, and it was chilly. Somehow, however, we talked ourselves into going and so Friday afternoon found us tacking our two boys up in the barn aisle.

At first, it seemed like we'd made the right decision. Both Steen and Bear were good for tacking, grooming, leading, mounting and almost 30 minutes of riding. The sun was shining and it was pleasant to be outdoors. Steen was actually extremely awesome - way better than the last two times we rode. Quiet, responsive, engaged, happy to go, happy to stop. I was wearing my new helmet (which I find significantly more comfortable than my old one) and feeling relaxed and happy.

Then we decided to call it quits for the day, but first to amble down to the bottom of the strip and then...

Halloween Spook

Robin

October 31, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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This morning we headed to the barn in high hopes for a good ride. The sun was out. The day was fairly still. It seemed luck was on our side. That is, until we got to the barn. When we pulled up we saw the herd of cattle on the strip, but decided this wasn't a huge deal. They usually move away if there is activity nearby.

We took the boys inside and Steen was quite nervous, wanting to look towards the door and fidgeting way more than is normal for him lately. Perhaps I should have put a saddle on him at that point, but I did not. I did a little bit of groundwork with him in the indoor while Brian finished tacking Bear and he seemed to calm down, so we went outside.

When we got outside we discovered the cattle weren't just hanging out on the strip, they were mating. I am wondering if all the smells and hormones is what had Steen upset. At any rate they did mo...

Perfect Fall Day

Robin

October 31, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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Today was a beautiful fall day - temps in the high 60's but sunny and relatively still. We thought it would be a great day to head out to the barn, and we were right. I decided to go bareback today. I'm not actually sure why I've been using a saddle so much lately. When we're in familiar territory, I really don't need it. Steen's panic attacks and explosions have diminished so much, they really only happen when we're far from his comfort zone.

So, we got the boys ready and hit the strip. Steen was actually a bit distracted at first, not really interested in giving to the neck-rein. His figure-eights were completely the wrong shape and when I asked for the trot he was super erratic. H...

Another Trip to AZ

Robin

October 29, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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I recently returned from a vacation in Arizona, where I spent some time teaching my brother's brother-in-law, Simon, to ride my sister's horse, Jak.

It was a nice break from work, and the sun felt really good, but we got back later than expected and so on Tuesday afternoon I had only been back in town a few hours when I went out to the barn to meet the farrier. The boys were both happy to see us - Steen whinnied and ran for the gate and Bear also loped up to greet us. It is actually astonishing to me how much Bear has changed in the last two months. He's lost a lot of fat, gained a lot of muscle and is significantly more mobile and alert.

Things went well for the trims, even though Steen was in some remn...

Hitting the Hills

Robin

October 14, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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So far we've had a mild fall and Steen is still looking pretty darn good:

But we've started to supplement his diet with some chopped hay just to keep ahead of the curve. The last couple of days Brian and I have continued our hill-hiking regimen. Yesterday we were a bit disrupted initially because there was a massive (horse-eating) truck spreading something in the soybean field, so we had to relocate to a slightly different area than usual for warm-ups. Steen and Bear were both a bit skeptical about this arrangement right at first, but Steen actually settled in quite quickly, with Bear remaining just a tad worked up which mostly reflected in his unwillingness to stand. But Bear and Bria...

No More School

Robin

October 14, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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I have been lucky in my dealings with horses in that although I'm going on twenty years of riding and owning these wonderful animals, I have not yet lost a horse of my own. This week, sadly, I am watching a friend have to say good-bye to hers. Jean's horse Schooley (AKA: No More School) has been fighting with navicular for the last many months, and although treatment did help for a while, he is now suffering a good deal. At 20-years-old, Schooley has had a long and impressive life, starting as a race-horse and retiring to compete in eventing with Jean.

(I swiped this photo off of Jean's facebook ...

Indian Summer

Robin

October 12, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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I guess this is what they call Indian Summer. We've had sunny days in the 80's and no rain. It's October. On Friday Brian and I headed out to the barn in the afternoon. We kept the ride pretty simple but after a little warm-up ventured past the strip into the soybean field, where we walked a few laps. Steen was very calm and responsive throughout, and we had a nice time. Bear started out nervous, wanting to trot the downhills, but with some quiet reinforcement, he settled. On Sunday we headed out again. Steen was way, way out in the pasture, but fortunately he saw me and came a-running:

OK, actually I think a bee was chasing him or something, but nevertheless he came flying back...