Away for Awhile

May 11, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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Brian and I are heading over-seas, and while I'm excited both to walk the Highland Way North from Glasgow for a couple weeks and then toast my brother's nuptials in England, I sure am going to miss my horse.
Fortunately, Steen's out in the large pasture with the rest of the herd now (though choosing to confine himself to the smaller lot in this photo for some reason) and he's got over a dozen acres of grass to eat while I'm gone. I've actually hardly been out to the barn lately because I've been trying to finish quite a fewRead more

Spring Vet Day

April 24, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

Tipped Z - 3 Covers Learn More
Today Steen got his yearly vaccinations. He was absolutely wonderful for the vet. He hardly reacted to the shots at all, and Jim told me his old owner asks about him regularly and is always happy to hear he's doing well.

Steen was also good before the vet arrived. Brian and I groomed him and I rode bareback for a while in the indoor arena. He was very relaxed, even standing for long periods of time.

Then, Brian got a treat. Jean let him hop on the very tall, very well trained Schooley.

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Creek Crossings and Covered Bridges

April 20, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

Tipped Z - 3 Covers Learn More
Yesterday I went to the barn for the first time in a week. I definitely felt I needed a break after the emotional exhaustion of Sham's departure, and also last week my free time amounted to just about zero. I'm building so many websites these days, I hardly have time to eat, much less ride my horse.

But on Monday morning I finally decided I simply had to get out there again, and the prospect of a ride with Jean and Schoolie was a good motivator.

I found Steen hanging out with the pasture horses seeming pretty relaxed. He's shed most of his winter coat and is apparently getting plenty to eat. He has the large belly, skinny legs and chest look going just now. I really need to get him back on a regular exercise program so he can put some muscle back on...

Anyway, Jean and I tacked up and headed out. ...

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Sham’s Portrait

April 12, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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I'm adding this photo a year after we got Sham and almost ten months after we sent him back to the people we bought him from. I wasn't thinking about horse portraits when we had Sham, but I did get one shot that I think qualifies:

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A Shame

April 12, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

Tipped Z - 3 Covers Learn More
Lately there has been all this stuff in the news about the American woman who sent her adopted Russian child back to his native country by loading him up on a plane and driving away. Every time I encounter this story I feel an uncomfortable twitch of guilt. The reason for my guilt is we don't have Sham anymore.
 I don't think anyone in the world would try to claim that sending a horse back to the person you bought it from is anywhere near the same transgression as sending an unaccompanied minor back to a country that is no longer its home. Still, as I consider the chain of events that started late last week and ended on Sunday, I am still caught in a loop of regret, trying to make sense of it all.
On one hand, the story is simple. One afternoon the girl who takes dinner to the horses in the feed lot (only Steen and Sham at that point) walked into the pas...

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Monday on the Trail

April 5, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

Tipped Z - 3 Covers Learn More
My current plan for the summer is to ride each Monday with Jean and Schoolie. Schoolie is a 20 year-old ex-racehorse that first retired to the life of an eventer and has now retired to the life of a pleasure horse, but still has a whole lot of 'go' in him.
Unfortunately, today Jean got held up on some work so Steen and I had to go it alone. Before the ride I put a lot of effort into getting the scraggly remains of his winter coat off and was pleased at how he cleaned up.

Easter at the Barn

April 4, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

Tipped Z - 3 Covers Learn More
Today Brian and I logged some more good hours with Sham. Our main focus was emphasizing the concept that Sham needs to stay in his own space at all times, particularly when led. We started with groundwork outdoors, and at first were able to get some very calm leading and good yielding from him. Then there was a brief period of back-sliding during which Sham really, really wanted to crowd into Brian and barge ahead when asked for a right turn. We worked on refining our rope-swirling technique, which continues to be very useful. After some more practice and reinforcement, Brian was able to begin to teach Sham that his line is several feet away from Brian's line. Things progressed into lots of calm leading, interspersed liberally with calm standing. Then we went indoors.
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Bits and Swirling Ropes

April 3, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

Tipped Z - 3 Covers Learn More
We've had lots of sun lately and some good long sessions at the barn. On Thursday Brian(!) caught Sham with little difficulty and we took him indoors. But Sham is still antsy inside and I took over with the handling again. We managed to groom him and tack him and then we went outside, where I did more groundwork with him. I worked on a new method for "moving" him. While Steen really responds to the stick, Sham basically ignores it. While a light pop on the butt is a very good "pay attention" reminder for Steen, the same level of pop has approximately zero effect on Sham. I didn't like finding myself in a scenario that went like this: horse ignores me > I pop horse on butt > horse still ignores me. It leaves me either having to agree to be ignored or hit the horse harder. Since I'm generally against hitting horses except in ver...

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One Happy Family

March 31, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

Tipped Z - 3 Covers Learn More
Today Brian and I headed for the barn after I got off work. The days are staying lighter later and that has increased our barn-time flexibility a bit.
We found our boys in the feed lot. Steen and Stella were still in their pens after receiving their dinner. Sham was at large and following Becca (the barn worker) around in hopes of getting more treats.
The daily feeding combined with getting to know us better is apparently working wonders. Although I let Brian halter Steen and take him out of the pasture before I started the process of haltering Sham, it turned out not to be a process at all. I walked up to him and put his halter on, simple as that.
Afterwards we went to the outdoor arena, where we grazed and groomed and did groundwork. Then Sham got to go inside and get yet another treat. When we put him b...

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Steen vs. the Babbling Brook

March 29, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

Tipped Z - 3 Covers Learn More
Monday found Steen
and me out on our first real ride of the season in the company of Jean and Schooley. The horses were pretty calm starting off, and the sun was out, there was a nice breeze and it felt good to be in the great outdoors. We meandered around the property for a while, the only incident being the startling emergence of a wild turkey in the underbrush. Steen bolted but didn't stay freaked out after I brought his brief dash to a halt.
 
From Cathi's land we went to the adjoining ...

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