Friends

February 23, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

Yesterday Brian and I went again to the barn in the afternoon and I gave my well-behaved Steen the day off. Brian and I once again focused on Sham and building positive experiences that involve us and going indoors. Yesterday, we had a great one. Sham left his afternoon snack to meet us at the gate and let us pet and rub his neck and withers immediately without drawing back. Brian got the rope around his neck in seconds and then coaxed the halter onto his face after just a little bit of non-mobile reluctance on Sham's part. No airlock needed!

We took Sham indoors. He was interacting with us from the start in a way he wasn't just three days ago. His head carriage was low and his ranch-horse inclination to conserve his energy surfaced a bit. He began to walk much more slowly, never crowding Brian or trying to pull ahead.

Steen the Great

Robin

February 21, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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Both days this weekend Brian and I headed out to the barn in the morning. Yesterday things didn't start off great. Sham decided to give us a bit of a run-around when we went out to catch him and we only succeeded in getting his halter on after coaxing him into the airlock with a bucket of grain. Partly because of his clear reluctance to let us put anything on his face, we've decided there will be no more riding or bridling Sham until he gets his teeth done. Since he'll approach us without hesitation and hang out with us until we try to put his halter on, to me it seems pretty obvious that the pain in his mouth is leading to anxiety - so we need to take a step back and fix the problem before it gets worse.

Once caught, Sham was ok yesterday. He was a bit nervous about coming in and b...

Cheating

Robin

February 18, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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It always seems that when one is shopping for a horse, one either stumbles across the right one a little sooner or a little later than is really ideal. Sham came a bit early, since Brian has been working towards racing the Birkie for nine months. His race is a week from Saturday, and he's trying his best to stay in peak condition. Since he also has a job, this means most days he has the option to either ski or go to the barn. For now, he sort of has to ski.

But, new horses require attention, so yesterday found me out at the barn to meet Duke, so Sham could get a pedicure. He has good feet, and they weren't in bad shape, but his toes were a bit long, which was making him rock back on heels a little, which was causing the heels to wear a bit fast. It only took Duke about ten minutes to fix the problem. Then he left and there I was at the barn with Brian's new horse. Since t...

My Dreamhorse

Robin

February 17, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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I will admit there are times when horse ownership is not all that great. The arrival of a bill from the vet is rarely a happy moment, but there are more emotional occasions as well, like when your horse embarrasses you in front of a bunch of barn people by acting like a total spaz.

When one buys an untrained horse, one opens the door to the possibility of plenty of those moments. I have had my challenging times with Steen, and there has been the odd day I've left the barn wondering if owning hor...

Valentine’s Day at the Barn

Robin

February 14, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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This afternoon Brian and I headed for the barn again. We had a plan to do things a little differently than we did them yesterday. We arrived and went to get Sham out of the pasture. Sham recognized Brian immediately and walked from the round bale to where Brian waited. We thought that was a very good sign. We brought him indoors (leaving Steen outside), got him tacked up and got Brian on board with minimal stress. Again, Sham seems the calmest when we are more or less ignoring him and just going about our business.

At the start of the ride, Sham was a little inclined to go. This wasn't helped by the fact that the stall horse herd decided to gallop around outside. Sham could hear them, and kind of wanted to run, too. He broke into a trot a few times so I suggested Brian just trot him for a while. He treated B...

The Boys – Day 1

Robin

February 13, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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Today Brian and I went to the barn for our first time hanging out with our two horses together. First, we put them in the airlock for a meeting unimpeded by Brian and me. It's pretty clear that Sham is not a submissive horse in any way (he's already slotted himself into the top gelding position in the pasture herd). However, he's also not particularly aggressive. Steen isn't one to pick a fight. He tends to disengage himself from horses looking for a conflict. We hoped there would be little excitement. We got what we hoped for.

Let’s Not Forget the Star of This Blog

Robin

February 12, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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Today I went to the barn to pay some attention to MY horse. We've been so wrapped up with shopping and test-riding for Brian, Steen has been a tad overlooked the last week or two.

Steen is actually developing a belly. Woohoo!

First I went out and checked on the cut on Sham's knee. There is no swelling and it looks uncomplicated, so that is very good. Then I went and retrieved my boy. He was in fine form, looking cute in his blanket and happy to see me.

...

Sham Arrives

Robin

February 12, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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Today Sham walked off the trailer and into our hands. The guy hauling him was late, and Brian had to run home to receive the home-owners insurance inspector, so I was the only one there to receive him. He came off the trailer with a hilarious leap and a cut on his knee. I brought him inside and he rolled almost immediately, already seeming quite at home in the new place.

in the indoor

I hung out brushing the sweat out of his coat until Brian arrived. Sham seemed to warm up to me during that brief time, and expr...

Meet Sham

Robin

February 7, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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Today, Brian bought his first horse. Sham is a bay quarter-horse, 15.3 and good-looking. He will celebrate his ninth birthday next month. We will be his retirement. He was a working ranch horse before he went to the Meyer Horse Co., where he was polished up for a few months and now, sold to us.

We are very excited.

Chilled Out

Robin

February 6, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

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

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I had a particularly wonderful Friday this week. I didn't have to go to the gallery, so I went to the barn. Steen and I had the place to ourselves. I kept up with the smiles and he was very relaxed through the whole grooming and tacking process. I also bought a clip-able bungee for use with an elastic cross-tie so I can tie Steen up in a way that is secure but involves a quick-release and also has some give. All Steen's anxieties seem to crop up when he finds himself tied with a rope that has no flex. He'll pull against it and get upset when he feels he's out of rope. Then he'll pull more and get more upset. But if he's tied with a bungee, he doesn't seem to mind and will pull once or twice and then get over it.

So, it was a big help to have a way to leave him for a moment to retrieve his heated bit and my riding boots from the lounge. I then climbed aboard and had ...