Training and AOT

How to Prevent Blanket Rubs

Do you have an impossible horse to fit a sheet/blanket to, but still want or need to use one for some reason or another? A wonderful suggestion from a friend of mine has eliminated Duke’s awful rubbing. Shout out to Emily and her Mom for this tip! Duke is either the worst to fit, has super sensitive skin, or maybe both? Earlier this year (somewhere around the end of June, beginning of July), he broke out in bumps all over his body due to biting flies and/or mosquitoes. To try and fix it, I went out and got the latest and greatest Ultrashield Gold fly spray. It was supposed to be great, as I’ve read and heard great things. Well, it gave Duke massive welts all over his skin ON TOP of the bug bites. Poor thing was miserable and after feeding him zyrtec at the suggestion of my vet, I broke down and purchased each horse a Rambo Protector Integrated Hood (meaning it doesn’t detach) fly sheet. My bank account hates me. It’s always something. Don’t mind me while I go make a withdraw and light it on fire and that’s about how things go around here.

By the way, the Ultrashield Green, their Natural Spray has worked pretty good for us this year during training, doesn’t do squat for turnout though-nothing seems to last for turnout.

Anywayyyy the Rambo sheets fit pretty nice and it was working well without rubs for a few weeks, I was so happy! Then one day I brought them in and noticed it had started rubbing too. Once it started rubbing, within a few days his shoulder was basically raw. I wanted to scream. I may have yelled profanities out loud in the barn. I can put literally anything on Fizz and he is fine. He could wear a garbage can and not have any problems. I could put a billion dollar cashmere and luxury silk sheet (or whatever fine expensive soft fabrics are out there, I’m really no fashionista) on Duke and he’d be rubbed raw within a few weeks.

Enter this little stick of awesome. Just rub it on like you would deodorant in the spot(s) being rubbed and voila! I put it on once daily when I put the sheets on in the morning before turnout. They are usually outside sunrise to sunset. His hair started growing back within a week. After a month, it’s fully grown in. It looks a little weird being as the rest of his hair is bleached from before getting the sheets and the patch grew back unbleached black, but there is hair! Hallelujah! It is 9/18 and I’ve used 2 whole sticks at this point from August 8 to now, but that 13 dollars is worth every penny. I might as well buy a few cases of these things at this point.

The photo on the left was taken August 7th. The one on the right was taken Sept 6th. The hair has completely come back in.

Just putting this out there, maybe someone somewhere will find this and it will help them and their horses from getting terrible blanket rubs!

Comparison is the Thief of Joy

Do you ever look at your horses and think “you could have been so much more, if you weren’t just stuck with me?” Do you ever compare where you and your horses are to where other people and their horses are and think “we aren’t doing enough” and get a little upset at that?

So many times I flip through magazines and I see all these people and horses in tip top shape doing all these big things and I get a little down. I lose motivation and I lose some faith at times. I look at my knowledge and skill level for training, I look at the talent and natural ability of my horses and I think, they could have really gone to the top. I look at them in awe of their natural abilities, in awe of their tolerance and forgiveness for me, and I wonder what they could have done under a compassionate, more skilled teacher. I look at other horses that maybe aren’t as naturally talented working and showing under very talented trainers and doing big things and I think “that could have been my horses” if it weren’t for me. If only I had more money to pay someone to help them, to help me. If only I had more skill, more talent, more, more, more. It is so easy to feel guilty in the horse world, to feel like you’re not enough, you don’t have enough, aren’t doing enough. It’s so easy to downplay your accomplishments because you are too busy judging them against others.

But, isn’t that part of the problem with the horse world anyway? Isn’t this supposed to be FUN? Sometimes I have to force myself to take a step back. Maybe even a lot of steps back and look at my horses; Horses no one wanted because they were labeled “problematic” among other things, due to being under the direction of people who didn’t believe in them, pushed them too hard, had expectations beyond the horses skills, didn’t have enough time for them due to other responsibilities, etc. I have to look, I mean really look at how far they’ve come with only an amateur to teach them. I have to look at myself, where I started to where I am now and the skills I didn’t have in the beginning that I have learned over the years. When I really look at all I have learned since I began my AOT journey, not only out of necessity but also out of sheer determination, then I can see my horses have overcome so many hurdles and proved so many things people have said about them wrong. I have done the same myself. These horses have excelled because I have not given up on them when others did. I have made it a point to learn from anyone I can, find answers any way I can, and I have kept that “try, try again” attitude through setbacks, through failures, through all the highs and lows that come with working with horses. I have to meet them where they are, praise them as they stand, and be proud of how much we have done with so little.

At the end of the day, the horses don’t care. They are happy to stand in a field and eat grass and hay and they are happy to be loved and fed and cared for. THey could care less if we go to a horse show. They could care less what anyone thinks. They are happy to have someone kind to help them learn skills they didn’t even know they needed. They are truly and honestly GOOD boys who try so hard. So what if they could have done more? Others with more skills than myself could have done more for them, but they didn’t. They could have ended up in bad situations but instead, they landed with me: The determined amateur. And I won’t stand for ANYONE to talk poorly of my good boys, even if we accomplish absolutely NOTHING. So, why would I stand for myself looking poorly upon our accomplishments? I need to learn to use that at motivation as we ramp up into show season. There’s always things to learn and always fun to be had.

Comparison is the thief of joy. Learn to be happy as you are, and if you want more, go WORK FOR IT!

In A World of Yes or No, I vote OTHER.

If you are a Saddlebred enthusiast, own a saddlebred, or have any involvement in the saddlebred industry whatsoever, you have at least heard some rumblings of the mess going on within the ASHBA (American Saddlebred Horse and Breeders Association). That is, unless you’re living under a rock somewhere very remote, then maybe you’re actually better off. I try to keep my distance from drama, but if you’re at all involved, you can’t really ignore everything that is happening. The board, the members, everyone from the “elite” to the “nobodies” and all in between are ready to throw hands over who is right and what is to be done about it. This is, in my opinion, the boil finally coming to a head after many years of festering infection below the surface.

In 2024, the KY State Fair decided USEF should not be the governing body over the World Championship Horse Show, even though the ASHBA had a contract with USEF for the prize programs held within the World Championship. However, the ASHBA does not own the rights to the World Championship Horse Show, the KY State fair does. And so, the Ky State fair did what they do, and said to hell with ASHBA’s contract with USEF and went with another governing body for the show. ASHBA responded by moving the prize programs to the Indianapolis Charity Horse Show in Sept 2024. Many big barns didn’t attend WCHS as a result. From there, it has just spiraled. Some big breeders, one in particular, are calling out the ASHBA on their standard practices and demanding more transparency. As part of that uproar, new bylaws for the association were proposed. I’m not an attorney and I don’t really understand a lot of the lingo or the process, but now it’s coming down to membership casting votes on “keeping things as they are” (NO) or “doing something new” (YES) at the annual meeting in February 2025. Some trainers have posted videos stating their reasons for voting NO, the association has sent out documentation encouraging people to vote NO, and I’ve seen a lot of breeders and members speaking out that things need to change so voting YES is the answer. Both sides make very good points and arguments for their reasoning.

I’m over here thinking everyone looks ridiculous and this is pathetic. It’s all absurd and it is a really bad look for our breed as a whole that the people running the show are all fighting with each other. It makes us look like fools. ALL of us. Worse yet, NO ONE wins. What is most critical is, no matter what, the horses are the ones who lose. The horses, who someone chose a mare and stud and intentionally chose to bring them into the world. The powers that be in the association are too oblivious to even realize all of this bickering is hurting everyone and helping no one. Both sides are so focused on the “who’s who” and the “world champions” that they could give a rats ass about anything or anyone else.

Every chance the Association (and/or the Saddlebred museum-which is yet another conversation) gets they send solicitations wanting donations or for you to attend some exorbitantly priced fundraiser or go to a convention or event in some fancy place hundreds of miles away. And if you can’t? Well, you’re a nobody and you’re part of the problem. Or at least, that’s how it feels.

The other side has been caught stating if there’s not a world champion in every one of their foal crops, it’s considered a failure. Imagine saying those lives, who didn’t ask to be here, are failures because they are not in the top 1% of their breed. That sounds a lot like if humans were to say kids who don’t grow up to become president are failures. That everyone else is useless.

Will the “new” board and “new” bylaws change any of that? I’m still not convinced.

As an AOT who has seen the best and worst of this industry and the people in it in the last 35 years, I don’t even know what to think anymore. In some ways I feel like I should stick with the devil I know, but in other ways, I think a change might be for the better. I love the breed.  Some of the people I have met in this industry are the best I’ve ever met.  Some are literally the worst.  The upper echelon of this breed and the association seem not to want me, people like me, horses like mine.  It’s frustrating and disheartening and there are so many times I just want to give up, but I love the saddlebred and somehow that’s always managed to be enough for me. Even when every turn has an obstacle, every show has politics, many shows come with a price tag I can’t afford, and it gets worse year by year. 

Not to mention the price of a saddlebred coming out of a show barn these days.  Imagine paying for one individual horse what some people don’t even pay for their entire home (over the course of a 30 year mortgage). Then imagine people having one of those for every division for themselves, or their kid, or both and they are paying $1200-$1500 per month each for training, not to mention any other associated costs (shows, vet, farrier, chiropractor, massage therapist, magnawave, and the list goes on and on and on). Hello! The training bill for one horse alone is more than my monthly mortgage payment on a home that didn’t cost a fraction of what one of those horses did. THOSE are the people this industry wants. Those high dollar horses are what this industry wants. The resounding feeling I get is if they aren’t those, they are not good enough. And if they aren’t good enough, they’re thrown away. Shunned. Frowned upon. Thought as “less” and worst of all, forgotten.

Let’s be honest here. The “less than” horses are probably about 75% if not more of the entire population of Saddlebreds walking this earth, and therein lies the problem. Preach you want to grow the breed. Preach versatility. Preach your love for the saddlebred. But then ignore every person and every horse who isn’t showing and winning at the top breed shows and at the World Championship level. Remember, this is the same “World Championship” for this breed promoted as so versatile, where people had to fight tooth and nail to get ONE western class (qualifier and championship) and ONE hunt seat (qualifier and championship) flat class. Then, the same horses show in both qualifier and championship because they take so few they don’t need to eliminate anyone. THEN, “they” act like that was such an accomplishment when there are saddleseat classes of all types and age groups for DAYS. It’s so difficult for the western and hunt horses to even qualify to go there that you basically have to kill your horse, yourself, and your bank account by trotting through every open gate you can get to at every show in the country to even stand half a chance. But that’s yet another conversation.

Something needs to change. I’m not saying the proposed “new” bylaws are the change that’s needed, but over and over again, people have spoken up and over and over again, the ASHBA has changed… nothing. They have continued to cater to the elite people, the elite horses, and “forget” everyone else. People are feeling it and that is where the conflict is.

This past year has been very eye opening and as I said before, it’s not a good look for the breed as a whole from any side. Considering the controversy surrounding our breed, our training practices, the “look” of our horses, how we treat and more importantly how we educate people about our breed matters. As someone who has been involved with the saddlebred since I knew what one was, I still feel like an “outsider” and feel unwanted in the industry I’ve been a part of for the better part of 3 decades. The conflict and divisiveness just pushes me further away.  What do you think that does to people who are looking at the Saddlebred as a potential breed to become involved in? What taste do you think that puts in their mouths? It probably tastes like the soap my mom used to wash my mouth out with as a kid when I said something ugly. Infact, it probably tastes worse.

It’s so sad for the horses. Ultimately losing people like me only hurts the horses in the end. People like me are the majority, and the elite are a fairly small group if we’re being honest. People like me give that 75% a place to go. People like me can’t afford top horses, but would go hungry any day of the week just so some of that 75% could eat well. People like our rescue and repurpose organizations who take in the “not good enough” ones and repurpose them into someone’s best friend, someone’s best lesson horse, someone’s favorite trail mount, the next great eventer, or the fanciest dressage mount, despite those horses being thrown away by their breeders and trainers and despite them meaning nothing to those whose opinions “matter” in this industry.  It seems like the well being of the horses, and having a place for everyone, would be good for everyone. The feeling I get though, is “everyone” isn’t “someone” to the ASHBA and every horse doesn’t deserve to be represented if it doesn’t cost 3 normal people mortgages to buy.

So don’t mind me over here. I am just a measly little AOT, a nobody, sitting here in my modest home with my small personal barn where my 2 throw away horses I train myself live because I can’t afford any different. Myself and my husband have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice a LOT to even afford that, and I realize it’s a privilege. One I am very grateful to have. However, I’m still patiently waiting for the governing association that holds the registration papers for my two “lesser than” saddlebreds to get their shit together; To be better, do better, and practice what they preach. Include us. ALL of us. The world champions down to the throw aways. Embrace all disciplines and encourage everyone. We ALL matter and it’s time that is realized, otherwise, I fear the future for this wonderful breed.

Here’s where I stand, outside looking in at the ASHBA: Look down on “us” if you want, but you know what? That says more about you than it does about us. Ignore the crazy ramblings of a nobody: You’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember. Exclusivity has put your numbers on the decline for years, but isn’t that what you wanted? To be exclusive? To exclude people like us? If that wasn’t the intent, it sure was the result. If you want that to change, inclusiveness is something you should consider. Whatever changes or bylaws supports that, that’s where my vote goes.

All that to say, I vote “OTHER” and why can’t that be an option?

Back to Work

Before I started on my AOT journey many years ago now, I didn’t know all the details surrounding actually working a horse. I understood things like ground work, long lining, driving, riding, etc. But I didn’t know a lot about when to do what and how much was enough, or when was too much. Since having my horses at home, I’ve walked the fine line and in the end, the horses always tell you what they need. At least if you have opinionated dragons like mine! I have also made it a point to give them some down time after show season is over. This gives them time to be a horse, to get dirty, to play, to have fun, to rest, and many things that I feel are good for their bodies and brains. We may do a little ride here or there, a trail ride thrown in on a random weekend. Some fun stuff, but no serious work. 

Now that it’s the new year, and the icepocalypse and snowmageddon that beat us down the first part of January is finally starting to melt, it’s time to start thinking about our upcoming show season. For us will probably start in April or May. When you’re starting a horse back to work, you can’t just go full blast back the way you were at the end of last season if they’ve had a lot of down time. Think about your own athletic ability. Say you run 6 days a week for 8 months (Feb-Sept), then decide to take 4 months off (Oct-Jan) and enjoy your extra lavish holiday meals with minimum exercise. How do you think you’re going to feel when you pick running back up again at the end of that 4 month hiatus? You’re not going to have the same stamina you had after all those months of running consistently, right? The same applies for your horse(s). You have to build them back up slowly when bringing them back to work. Otherwise, you risk injury, among other things, causing setbacks you don’t want or need. 

So, how do you do that? It’s easy. Same as you would do for yourself. Take the things you want to do, and start slowly by doing shorter, easier works at first. Gradually increase time and intensity as the days and weeks progress. Now, each horse will be different, the same as people. It could take one horse 2 weeks to get “back in shape” while another takes 2 months or even longer. Age, diet, attitude, and how they are kept day to day all play a role in how long it will take them and you have to treat each one as an individual. I like to start by doing mostly walk, a little bit of trot works on the lunge line for the first few days to get them back into the routine of doing something, but give them something that isn’t very hard to do at first. Next, I will add in long lines and work on bending, steering, body awareness, and contact. Once they are going nicely in lines and listening well to basic commands, I bump up the intensity and length of the sessions. Then I will add jogging with a cart to the mix a day or two a week (more on that below). Lastly, I will mix in full training sessions in the saddle once I feel they have built back up a nice amount of stamina and strength. I may saddle them up before that and try to do a light work, or a trail ride, but it’s not going to be intense 3 gait training.

Once they are going under saddle again, I like to remind them of leg aids and voice commands. My horses know these things, but it’s easy for them to forget when they haven’t been doing them consistently every day for months, so they deserve a little leniency when they don’t respond immediately, or they respond incorrectly and need a reminder of what the aid means. Practicing kindness and understanding goes a long way with the rapport you share with your mount. Rest assured, they will remember, you just have to give them a chance. It may not be on the first try, or the tenth, or the 50th, but keep your consistency and they will come around. My guys usually take several weeks of “reminders” to get back to what I consider appropriate responses and times.

I will also add in ground poles (at the walk) and trot work (on their aids) and do lots of transition work between walking/trotting, poles, and backing up. If you have access to hills, those are great at building strength and stamina and promoting proper movement, even if all you’re doing is hand walking them. I like to long line all around my property and the various terrain, as it gives my horses AND me a workout. Let’s face it, I could stand to have some exercise too after the holiday season and all the snacks my Mom made and I was forced to eat. Ok, fine, forced may be a little bit exaggerated but they were there and I just couldn’t let all her hard work or delicious treats go to waste, OK? Don’t judge me! 

If you have access to a jog cart and you and your horses know how to drive, pulling a cart is excellent for fitness and maneuverability. Plus, it helps to save their backs from so much riding, which I like. When my horses are in full work, I do drive them multiple times a week. Fizz knows how to canter pulling a cart, and it’s really helpful for him to still practice it without the weight of a rider. At the end of last season, I started teaching Duke, but then show season ended and they were turned out so I guess I’ll pick back up when we go back to work this year! My horses do prefer less riding sessions and more of other work, so I try to stick to their rules so that they are also enjoying our sessions. Fizz in particular gets really angry if all you do is ride. Duke is less particular, and will accept more days riding, but not until he’s been fully reminded of everything he knows via lunging, lining, and driving otherwise he will make your life a living hell.

Overall, I like to give them at least 60 days of consistent work to get back “in shape” before taking them to a show. Consistent work meaning 4-6 days a week. Now, sometimes this is possible and sometimes not, but that’s my goal.

DIY Bit Butter

As a person who is constantly seeking knowledge and new ideas to try, I ran across “bit butter” or “mouth butter” when going down a rabbit hole about bit fitting, bit choices, and helping a horse be more comfortable in the bridle. I’m guessing since long established companies like Effol have this option, that it isn’t a new concept, but here I am just learning about it for the first time.

Also as a person who is horse poor, I obviously don’t want to spend anywhere from $12 for a measly 2 ounces on up to 20+ for 4 ounces. Instead, I just spent $50 in materials to make, well, a LOT. I’ll have bit butter for YEARS.

Bit Butter purpose/use: To moisturize the horse’s mouth, prevent rubbing of the bit, and encourage acceptance of the bit. It also helps to heal any existing dry or split areas. Basically, it’s chapstick for horses.

To use: Apply to corners of the horses mouth directly. Can also be applied to the bit where it comes in contact with the corners of the mouth.

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Beeswax
  • 2 oz Shea or Cocoa Butter
  • 3 oz Mango Butter
  • 2 oz Jojoba Oil
  • 1.5 oz Sunflower Seed Oil
  • 1 TSP Vitamin E
  • Peppermint Essential Oil and/or Peppermint Flavoring

Notes: I chose peppermint flavoring, from the cake making section in Hobby Lobby. I also purchased the other ingredients from Hobby Lobby, because I am an impatient human and decided I was not willing to wait 2 days for Amazon prime although the same ingredients may have been cheaper there.

Directions:

Melt the Beeswax, She/Cocoa butter, Mango butter, Jojoba and Sunflower oil in a double boiler. I used a regular stock pot with a candle making pitcher. It’s aluminum with a handle, so it’s easy to pour your melted ingredients into a jar or jars. If I didn’t have the pitcher already, I’d probably have just stuck the ingredients into a jar and put it in the stock pot with some water. Then, once it’s all melted/blended, you’re already done! You could also use a microwave, heating 1 minute at a time until fully melted using a glass or ceramic container. I used a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients.

Tip: I would not personally use something I cook with to mix this up because the wax is pretty hard to get out once it’s there and honestly who has time to work that hard cleaning? I mean, as a horse person who has time to cook either, but whatever! You do you.

Once melted, add the vitamin e oil, peppermint oil/flavoring and stir. I used a wooden kebab stick that I found in the pantry, among all the other sad kebob sticks that never kebab-ed because I guess I had good intentions to make delicious kebabs that never came to fruition because, horses.

Anyway, just pour your combined ingredients into a container that will withstand high heat, I used an empty shea butter container and a glass jar. I prefer the glass jar, but who am I to throw away a perfectly good container with a lid? You can see the finished product in the picture!

Another tip: Have dogs? You can use a variation of this same recipe to make Paw Balm to moisturize their paw pads! Just leave out the peppermint flavoring. FYI peppermint essential oil is TOXIC to dogs. If you choose to add any essential oils to either the bit butter or paw balm, make sure it is safe for the animal you intend to use it on. I actually don’t hate the way my hands feel after using it on my dog, and all ingredients are human safe so if you want to use it as a heavy duty hand cream, by all means go for it.

Don’t Tell Us We Can’t

I’m not sure who is more stubborn, me, or the horses. I have heard so many “you can’t” do this or that with show horses, with my horses specifically, etc. You can’t turn them out during show season, you can’t work them twice a day, you can’t get on from the correct side or from a mounting block (Duke), you can’t ride him bareback, you can’t ride him just in a halter, you can’t run barrels, you can’t trail ride show horses, especially saddlebreds, they’re too spooky. Excuse me, what? No. We can do anything we want. Don’t tempt me with a good time trying (even if we fail). Which we won’t. Because we’re awesome. And we’re too stubborn to stop trying until we figure it out. Saddlebreds are smart, resilient, brave, and versatile. Despite what people think, they ARE multi purpose. At least mine are. I don’t really give them a choice not to be. 

Many years ago when Fizz first came into my life, I was determined to give him a well rounded education. What I didn’t know is that I would be educating myself along the way. Over the years, I have learned many things outside of the saddleseat background that I grew up in. The key is to take knowledge from any and all places, no matter if you agree or disagree or like or dislike the discipline. There are principles of training in literally every discipline that you can use to make your horse better. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t believe that teaching them things outside of their intended use is going to make them less good at their primary job. 

From saddleseat to dressage, to jumping, to reining, to barrels, to trail riding and everything in between, there’s something in each and every one that can help build your horse. I do the same exact job every working day and it makes me bored as all hell. What makes us think our horses don’t like variety? I know from my experience the happiest my horses are, is when they aren’t asked to do the exact same things every single day. The least happy they are (or at least Fizz was) is when I was doing the same thing day in and day out hoping to make a saddleseat horse out of him in the very beginning. That is all I knew. The best thing I ever did for him and for me is to open my eyes and learn. Most importantly, HAVE FUN.

Am I saying you have to trail ride if you don’t want to? No. Am I saying you have to take lessons in dressage? No. Am I saying you should run out and set up jumps and jump them? Absolutely not. But certainly don’t discount the training principles of the disciplines other than yours and give some solid thought to the ideas behind them, how they can help your horse(s). You have the option to try, and if you don’t like it or it doesn’t seem to work well for you, the beauty of life is that you can choose to discontinue doing something whenever you want. True that consistency and repetition is how horses learn, but once the basics are covered I am a FIRM believer in that horses adapt very easily to different things. The consistency comes in your handling. You keep your contact the same in their mouth, your cues stay the same no matter what job they are doing, you have the same basic rules and they can adapt to any task at hand. It’s OK for them to question it but at the end of the day, they should rely on you and trust you to support them in the same ways you always do and they can overcome any obstacle.  

Enjoy these photos of the boys doing many different things. SUCCESSFULLY. 

No One Sees the Magic

There are good days and bad days working horses.  It’s always the great days that no one sees and there’s no evidence of.  I am beyond lucky to have 2 very special, talented horses to work even if no one sees their best days but me. Ideally, their best days would be at a show, in front of God and Country and everyone else, but alas, we are rarely that lucky.

As an AOT,  it’s been a very difficult road (with a stint somewhere in the middle where I just about gave up) but I have learned a lot in 10 years. People have asked me how I do it.  Well, honestly, I didn’t know I had another choice. I can’t afford $2,000-$3,000 a month for professional training (the going rate here in KY is between 1,000 and $1,500 per horse). This doesn’t include any farrier, vet, or other needs. It’s also well above what we pay for our mortgage so… yeah. We are not in a financial position to pay more for horse training than we do for a home to live in.

When you don’t have money but you have work ethic and an undying stubbornness inside of you that refuses to give up, you can create your own 5 figure horses out of next to nothing. Granted, they may not be the best of the best, they may not ever be world champions, they won’t win every class they are entered in, but they are FUN. They are (Mostly) SAFE. They are talented. And if I were to go out and purchase horses of this quality at their current training levels, they would NOT be cheap. Even with their quirks.

$500 horse on left, “free” horse on right. However, just because they didn’t cost much up front doesn’t mean they haven’t cost. They have both had a LOT invested into them. They are worth every ounce of frustration, financial hardship, time, and sanity that I have invested into them.

It’s Hard to See the Forest Through the Trees

Do you ever get that feeling like you’re just missing something? Maybe it’s right in front of your face and you just can’t see it? Yeah, me too. Since Duke got here in July, and even before that, my goal with him has been to get us to a (real) show, under saddle, IN A SUIT, all up in front of the public and NOT embarrass ourselves. We have hit roadblock after roadblock (he had an abscess that took forever to heal, I had surgery that put me off for 6 weeks, WINTER, mud, etc). It’s so easy to become frustrated and sit back and say we’ve gotten no where. The wheels of progress turn so slow, and the winds of change are barely blowing.

However, I cannot in all honesty say we have not made any progress. While the progress sitting in the saddle isn’t as noticeable as I wish it were, and we still have quite a way to go to be ready to hit the show ring, there are other areas where the level of progression is much more noticeable. On the ground, he is a different horse. I can put a brush to his face without him running backwards. I can put a blanket on without him running sideways. I can work around him without fear his teeth will take a chunk out of me when I’m not paying attention. I can use a mounting block. He still hates anything being sprayed on him, but we are working on it. He might squat a little but he no longe3r becomes a crash test dummy who would slam himself into anything around just to try and get away.

I have never dealt with such an incredibly sensitive horse in my life. So, what do you do when you have a horse that is so (over) reactive to literally every move you make? You just don’t react. You keep going. You take it slow, but you make it a point to continue on. Don’t panic when they panic, just keep going like nothing is happening. It’s just not your turn to have a meltdown. And it probably never will be.

I can’t say this is the way to go with ALL horses, but with Duke it has proven to work. After MONTHS of flailing my hands around his face, dropping things on purpose, kicking things all around him, touching him with any oddball thing I may be walking through the barn with (a broom, a rake, a pitchfork, a feed bag, a shavings bag, a giant rolling magnet, you get the point) he finally just stands and looks at me like I’m the most ridiculous human on earth with most things. He doesn’t shake in fear, he doesn’t run backwards or sideways or anything else. If I happen to drop something next to him, I don’t have to worry he might take me out on the way to getting the hell out of there, or that he will break the crossties trying to escape his fate. He stands there, 98% of the time. None of us are perfect, I’ll take 98%.

Duke: “There better be snacks involved after this”
This is his “are you serious?” face

I go by the rule that if you spook at it, you get to wear it or be by it or look at it so you can realize it isn’t scary. It may take a few days of seeing it, being touched by it, etc. Some people might think this is cruel, and to those people I ask: how else are you desensitizing your horses? How are they supposed to understand something isn’t going to hurt them if they aren’t exposed to it? If they are not physically shown there is no harm to come from being “brushed” with a broom or “ridden” by a bag? Or whatever else. Please. Enlighten me. I’m always open to new ideas. Everyone has good ones, and I’m ready to hear them. However, this is what is working so far on my extremely sensitive guy, and he’s no worse for wear. Until a better alternative is offered up or discovered, I will stay the course with this. Do I annoy him? Probably. Is he safer to work around (and even ride) because of it? Absolutely. Does Fizz look at me like I’m a horrible human for “torturing” his brother? Nope. Been there done that is probably laughing from the other side of the divider.

Anyway, just because you can’t see progress every single day doesn’t mean progress isn’t getting made. When you feel you’re in a rut, take a look back at where you were a month ago, 6 months ago, a year ago. Don’t focus on today, yesterday, and the frustrations you may feel in each moment. Don’t look at your end goal and think about how far you have to go still. It can make it seem hopeless, believe me, I get it. Instead, focus on where you came from, where you are, and where you want to be. Adjust along the way if necessary. Look at the big picture. See the whole forest (all the little hurdles you’re jumping on the way), not just one tree (your end goal). It’s OK to trip. It’s OK to stand still and evaluate. It’s OK to proceed with caution. As long as you’re not going backwards, you’re doing all right.

The Stubborn Abscess

In typical Duke fashion, he has caused trouble again. I mean, not intentionally but if I don’t make light of it and laugh at the troublemaker, I just might cry. I have dealt with lameness in the past before with Fizz, but never to this degree. It’s always been “Oh, you removed my shoes? I’m now crippled” or something else that is basically no big deal in the grand scheme of things. It’s never lasted more than 3 days. This had been going on since the end of September. It’s December now like really can Santa bring me an unquestionably sound horse?

On Sept 25th, we had the boys reset. Since we are going into winter in KY we had Duke’s show shoes (with the little leather pad) removed and plain plates put on. If you read/remember the post about Keratex, I was absolutely thrilled his feet were in good enough shape to even be able to do this. I thought, this will be GREAT for winter work. Then on the 28th, he turns up dead lame. My initial thought was, he’s uncomfortable after we took the pads off. Give him a bit for his soles to harden up, and he will be fine. So I waited a week, but he was the same. The farrier came out to put hoof testers on him and he removed a nail on one side where he noticed a little bit of heat, thinking it could have been a hot nail. I didn’t notice this heat, but I’m no professional. Anyway, it wasn’t that. He believed it was an abscess and suggested I soak and wrap for a week, and see where we were. I agreed and did as directed. Below you will find “how to” of sorts.

If you’ve never soaked a fidgety horses foot before, good luck, Godspeed. I hope you have the patience of a saint, especially if you’re trying to use a bucket or pan like normal people do. If you’re like me and have maybe just a smidge more patience than your horse who thinks standing still is stupid and knocking over buckets is funny, I highly suggest you invest in a product that stays with them as they move. There are multiple products out there but I got the little contraption below from my local Tractor Supply and it’s worked out well for soaking thus far (with the exception that Duke promptly broke one of the keepers for the velcro straps).

Dissolve some epsom salt in warm water with a splash of betadyne (if you have it or want to go buy it-my vet recommended it).

Soak the horses foot in the solution for a minimum of 15 minutes once daily.

I like to wipe it “dry” with a towel, inspect, then wrap.

There are some options with wrapping. You can just put some warm water and epsom salt into a baby diaper and wrap if you don’t have anything else on hand, but I find that an epsom salt poultice you buy is easier to use and stays “in place” better. You can also use something like icthamol drawing salve, or some sort of hoof packing like sole pack. In all instances, you still should wrap with a diaper (or other type of cotton) and duct tape boot on top. I use the diapers because the generic ones are cheaper than rolls of cotton and they secure on the foot so it makes wrapping slightly easier. I suppose you could put on a hoof boot or some other hoof wrapping if you choose but I haven’t found anything I like that works as good as the old duct tape way. If you have a better method, I would love to hear about it!

If you’re like me and you have never had to wrap a hoof by yourself before, again, good luck and Godspeed. haha. But really, don’t fear, for we don’t live in the stone ages and there is YouTube now.

This video will explain how to make a “duct tape boot” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FfUjQ8b8jg

Check out this video for some good wrapping tips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TABfU2uLcA

After the initial week of soak/wrap process, nothing had changed. Another week of soaking/wrapping. Duke’s frog was soft and pliable and seemed to be bothersome, so the farrier came back out to trim his foot and make sure the shoes didn’t need anything. Still, the lameness persisted. I thought, let it go and give it a few more weeks. Still the same. Unfortunately.

I watched and waited about as long as I could tolerate him looking uncomfortable and to the point where I had exhausted all efforts that I knew of and that had been recommended to me. Then I called the vet. On Nov 3rd, they came out and performed an exam. He didn’t respond to hoof testers. His digital pulse was not elevated. There was no heat. But the lameness was evident. They did X-Rays to diagnose, since everything else looked normal. However, the X-Rays proved it is without a doubt, an abscess. As shown in the images below, the “pocket” of infection is clear. The vet was concerned about the infection spreading to the coffin bone, so prescribed antibiotics for that, bute to make him more comfortable, and ulcerguard to help ease his stomach from the bute. You would have thought I was poisoning his food, but he reluctantly ate it over the course of the next 10 days. The vet recommended to resume the soaking/wrapping and wanted a report in a week if he was still uncomfortable. It did not resolve.

The farrier came back on the 9th to trim and reset, and recommended another soak/wrap immediately following the trim. And then….I had surgery on Nov 11th!! I was not able to soak, wrap, or really do anything after the 10th! However, it still had not totally resolved. He seemed more comfortable on and off, but would still take “gimpy” steps trotting around the turnout and coming out of his stall. On Nov 17th, the vet returned to do magnawave therapy on his hoof to draw the remaining abscess out. They said improvement should be seen within 24-48 hours and if not, they could do another session, or more! At this point, I’m wondering (not for the first time during horse ownership) if I needed to find a street corner somewhere, or sell my soul to come up with enough money to pay for this insanity. How has it been 2.5 months and this thing is STILL hanging on?

Being the stubborn horse person that I am, I enlisted my poor non-horsey husband to help me soak and wrap… it can’t hurt, even if it hasn’t helped (yet). We did one day with epsom salt, then the second day we packed with sole pack. Left this on for nearly 24 hours. Yes, I realize the package says 18 hours max. But, being limited in what I could do, that’s the best I could manage. When this wrap was removed, a literal CHUNK of his sole picked away with a hoof pick. I was concerned, but it didn’t seem to bother him. I turned him out without soaking or wrapping and over the next several days, he seemed a lot more comfortable.

THEN, he threw a shoe. Actually, both of them did. They both threw one front shoe each. FAIL. Duke’s abscess side shoe was still hanging tight, but called the farrier anyway. Thank GOD for a good farrier, he showed up the next day. We had a nice chat about their work and living arrangements over the next few months and decided to pull ALL shoes off BOTH horses. I was SO nervous this was going to be a disaster, but the farrier assured me they would both benefit from it and if not, he would come back and nail shoes back on. Both barefoot boys pictured below.

He examined the abscess hoof and he thinks it may have blown out under the piece of sole that came off. I tend to agree. They have been barefoot for 2 weeks now and today, he was a hot mess but he looked like a SOUND hot mess! Praise the lord I (cautiously) think we are over this, but apparently this is the most stubborn abscess in history and soaking/wrapping usually works a lot faster! In extreme cases the vet can cut in and drain, but in Duke’s case the vet thought that would cause additional problems and felt it would be best to let it come out in it’s own time.

If you’re dealing with lameness, and everything you are doing isn’t working, PLEASE have your vet out to confirm an absolute diagnosis. It could be a (should have been more simple) abscess, but really while you’re blindly treating symptoms there could potentially be a bigger issue that if treated sooner, would have a better outcome. While my bank account may be drained, my heart is happy knowing I have done my due diligence as a horse mom and caretaker. I exhausted every effort I could do myself within a reasonable amount of time before enlisting professional help (and spending a small fortune) but at the end of the day, my horse is happy and comfortable now and I feel good that I didn’t let it go on and on without asking for help. As much as we ask of our horses, we owe them that much.

I’m Afraid of my Pizza Cutter

You read that right. I’m afraid of my pizza cutter. Laugh all you want, but you’ll understand the relevance if you keep reading. Years ago, I got a fancy new Pampered Chef pizza cutter. One of the first times I used it, I made a mistake in taking the cover off and it sliced the bejeesus out of my finger. I maybe should have gotten stitches, but I’m a stubborn fool and pretty much felt like since the finger was still attached, it was fine. It took weeks to heal, kept busting back open and bleeding-fingers are the worst place to have cuts. I think about that literally every time I use the stupid thing now though, and it’s been probably over 10 years. I think about how it cut me, but I still use it. I have come to understand my mistake and that if I use it correctly it won’t cut me anymore. I learned from my past experience. I moved on.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. This is a blog about horses, why is this lunatic telling me about a stupid pizza cutter? I’m not here to read about how she doesn’t know how to appropriately use kitchen tools. Well, my misguided use of kitchen tools isn’t really the point here. The point is, fear from past experience is a real thing. When you are afraid of something, it affects your decision making and it alters your future choices. Sometimes permanently. Horses are not different in that regard. Helping your horses learn to move past or work through the things that “cut” them in the past, the things they fear in the present, or both, is what training horses is all about. Help them to learn. Help them to move on. We just have to try our best to maintain good judgement and hope we do not become a thing that “cuts” them too.

Horses are inherently flight or fight animals. They have an instinct built in that tells them if something is scary, to just run away as a first resort. If they can’t run away, their next instinct is to fight. The hurdle for us as trainers (or in my case, an amateur just trying to do what I can) is that we must find a way to teach horses that the things they think are scary, are actually not. To build a rapport with that animal so that they know you are not asking them to do things that will put them in danger. My opinion may not be the most highly sought after opinion on horse training, but I think this starts with trust. If your horse does not trust you, how can you expect it to “walk through fire” simply because you asked it to?

Exhibit A, I offer you Duke. He is absolutely not the bravest creature that ever walked this earth. Bless his heart he’s afraid of his own farts. I do think he is very talented and very special, and because of that, he was pushed to be something great before he was ready. Since he has a very high flight instinct, he was labeled a jerk, a no count asshole, difficult, and those are the nicer terms. He was not given the time he needed to mature, and some horses just take longer (cough cough FIZZ). Since he has arrived at my house, I have spent quite a bit of time offering him love, patience, and understanding. I have spent time learning his favorite places to be scratched, rubbing on him, telling him he’s a good boy, and making him feel safe just being around me. It’s been more than a month and we still have good days and bad and I expect that will continue. Possibly always. However, I did this with Fizz when he first came into my life and that horse WOULD walk through fire for me if I asked him to. Back then, I was just so happy to have a horse of my own that I enjoyed spending time “hanging out” with him, I didn’t realize this would be invaluable to our relationship as horse/human. So, I feel this is an important step to take with Duke also.

I can tell his attitude is slowly changing. This isn’t to say that he wasn’t ever offered love or understanding, but having someone spend that extra time just being near him, working around him in a way that shows them your intentions don’t need to be questioned, maybe doing things that are not quite “normal” just to give a reference point for trust. You may not think so, but that is also training. For example, I have “brushed” Duke with a broom several times. At first he thought I was coming to beat him to a bloody pulp. Now, he thinks it’s fun and tries to eat the broom. I drop things around him on purpose. He has stopped reacting to this now. I put strange things near where we work on purpose. He eventually stops snorting and running sideways. I am not gentle in the way I move around him, I am clumsy and flail things around and make a lot of noise simply to show him noise isn’t the enemy. Does he still react? Yes, but it is a simple head raise and ears pricked forward and maybe a slight body twitch as opposed to a running backwards or sideways, into whatever is in the way or over whoever is in the way like it used to be.

Yesterday, we did ground poles in long lines. I walked him back and forth and he walked right over them with me beside him on the first try. Not even a slight side step. Then I left his side, went into lining him as I normally would, and asked him to move over them without me. You would have thought the things grew legs and were standing up ready to take him down. So I went back to his side and we did it together. We had to keep going over and over them, with me gradually moving away each pass. By the end, he was going over them on his own. I wouldn’t say gracefully… but give him a break, it was his first try. He did good enough, he tried and that’s all I can ask of him. But it showed me something, he trusts me. He thinks if I am there doing it, he is OK to be doing it too (at least from the ground). It showed me that I need to work on his confidence, and that if I am asking him to do something alone, it is still OK to do even if I’m not right there.

Horses do talk to you. You just have to know how to listen.

Hay in my Hair and Sweat in my Eyes

It’s been nearly 3 weeks since I pulled the trailer into our driveway with my boys in tow.

Since we are honest folk here at Twisted Sisters, I’m going to lay it out nice and clear for you. If you are a person who dreams of owning a horse and keeping it at home, and also believes doing so is full of nothing but butterflies, rainbows, and unicorn glitter, you are sadly mistaken and living in a dream world. Come back down from the clouds and join the rest of us here in reality. If you are perfectly clean and look like a million bucks all the time, you’re probably doing it wrong.

That aside, it is still in all reality, a dream come true for me. I take pride in hosting my horses in clean stalls, making sure they are fed, and that they always have clean water. If that means I pick stalls every time I walk by and see a pile of poo, so be it. I have that luxury where I didn’t used to and I am grateful for a life that has given me this opportunity. So I will do all the things and I will be happy that I have that luxury. A lot of folks do not. A lot of folks would love to. Some are happy to pay others for the dirty work, but I’m not that kind of gal. I have always dreamed of a life where I could be intimately involved in every detail of my horses care and I FINALLY have that opportunity. I would venture to say most truly hardcore equestrians dream of a life where they can spend it day in and day out doing all the “horsey” things, even the dirty ones. Either way… here’s my experience and things I have learned so far as a first timer having horses at home.

Helicopter Mom: Apparently, that’s me. I installed a camera to spy on the boys. I check it incessantly. If I wake up during the night, I look at it. If I hear a noise outside, I look at it, if I am working or busy and can’t walk outside just to see if they are OK, I look at it. I mean, in the last 2 weeks I have looked at the camera like I believe at any moment either horses legs may detach from their bodies or some other horrific thing might happen. What do I find? Them munching away on hay, looking outside, or laying down sleeping. Perfectly content with life. OR I find Fizz rubbing his tail, and I can scold him through the talk feature on the camera. Both horses now think God talks to them, below is them listening-they don’t know it’s just little ole me.

Hay: I am pretty sure there will never again be a moment in my life where I am not wearing hay as an added accessory to my outfit. It’s itchy and it gets in places no one should have hay, ever. How does it even get there? Does it grow legs and crawl to really weird spots inside your clothing? Just, how?? Also, if you like to watch your money turn to poop… Just look at your horses happily munching on hay.

Sweat: It’s summer here in Kentucky. It’s HOT and it’s HUMID. I spend a lot of time outside and always have but when you’re working with horses it seems like the heat is amplified 10 fold. I can’t explain why. My eyes have never burned so much as in the last several weeks. I think I’ll keep this as opposed to frozen fingers, but still. I am pretty disappointed I’m not skinny yet after all of this sweating. The universe owes me an explanation on this.

Poop: So much poop. Like, I realize they are large animals and I have worked jobs where stall cleaning was a part of it (back in college and as a kid) but there is SO MUCH POOP. Literally they are poop factories. How did I not remember this? And I feel for all of you who have barns full of horses because just these two create so much!!!

Dust: There is literally so much dust. I use a combination of pellet bedding and bagged shavings, which I had read this combo was supposed to be low on dust. I would like to know what definition of “low dust” is on the internet because this is not it. Therefore, I have been researching this. Evidently, I need to “water” my stalls. Um, excuse me? I don’t even water my flower beds. Those things need to live off the water God gives them or they don’t survive well here. Somebody send help.

Crisis: If you think you’ll never feel like you are in a crisis, just give it a minute-one will come and your little fantasy bubble will have been popped. If you have thought about it and planned for every crisis you could think of (like me) and think you know how it will go, just know it goes nothing like you thought it would. Also know that of all the crises you could think of, the one that will happen is something you NEVER thought of. There’s a back story here I might visit later, but my first “crisis” was experienced and it is over now. Bless my husband, my friends, and my very lovely Vet for putting up with me. I probably worry way more than I should.

Bills: There are just SO many bills. Hay, grain, bedding, vet, farrier, supplements, and the list goes on and on and on into eternity. Some bills can be more than you expect, by a LOT. You might think about finding a street corner to call your own, but in the end you’ll do whatever it takes to make sure your horses are healthy and happy. Even if that might mean eating ramen and never leaving your house again.

Help: Having help is CRUCIAL. I can’t say this enough and to those of you out there doing it by your very lonesome, what kind of super hero DNA do you have and where can I get some of it? Or are you just an alien with weird superpowers I can’t even begin to imagine? Because I would NOT have made it even these last few weeks without my poor non-horsey husband who has gotten a very rude intro on how to restrain a contrary horse, how to work a twitch, and some of the other unpleasant things things that come with being around horses. He has also been learning how to pick stalls and he does so without even being asked. BLESS HIM. Ladies, a lot can be said for a man who isn’t into horses but cleans stalls without asking simply because he knows YOU want your horses living in the cleanest stalls in America. I would also not have survived without my Mom, who comes over simply to make sure I don’t die while working these creatures. She’s a saint.

Work: Having horses at home is work. I work a real big girl job. I spend every other amount of time doing things for the horses and the dog. What exactly is this “spare” time everyone speaks about? Who exactly in this world gets to “sleep in” because yeah, that’s not a thing here (for me). Everyone else is taken care of before me. I am the last to eat, the last to be clean(ish-you know, because hay exists…), and I’m fairly certain the horses stalls are cleaner than my house. I can barely manage to do something as simple as boil noodles and slap sauce on top for dinner most days. Dishes left in the sink? Oh well, maybe I’ll get to those tomorrow. Or not. As long as the 4-leggeds are taken care of those dishes can sit another day. Paper plates? Meals that don’t require silverware? Even better. Sign me up.

LOVE: These animals have so much love to give. They make me laugh daily and they fill my heart with so much joy despite all of the above. I truly enjoy simply watching them exist day to day. Every person has good day and bad days, and I believe all creatures do. Our job as humans and facilitators of these animals is to make sure their days are all as good as possible, and understanding that they too, have days that are “off” and they deserve our compassion and understanding. No one, and no animal, is perfect all day every day. These horses (and our Dog Dixie) give me a break when they know I’m having an off day. They offer me peace and acceptance, despite my shortcomings. The least I can do is offer them the same.

It’s ALMOST Time

LONG post alert, so if you’ve wound up here prepare yourselves. If you’re not willing to stay a bit, please pass on by to other content!! If you’re invested enough to read this whole thing, bless you!

I have dreamed of having horses at home since I was a little girl begging my parents to house a horse on their little 3/4 acre lot as a 6 year old. While that dream never came to fruition, here I am a 38 year old “little girl” a week away from my childhood dreams coming true. I have literally put blood, sweat, and tears (plus some, ok lots, of swear words) into this place for good measure. It’s been a process, and I have to say building outbuildings on this property has been one of the most trying “adventures” of my life. I have laughed, I have cried, I have cursed (a LOT). I have juggled obtaining permits, hiring contractors, contractors not showing up, having major delays, getting inspections, doing physical building, making hundred of phone calls, and trying to keep my husband from divorcing me over this whole process (I kid, I kid) but really… it’s been crazy to say the least. It has not been easy by any stretch of the imagination. But I do think it will be worth it.

So lets talk about the emotional overload that is going through my head right now as someone who has never had horses at home. This is a subject so many horse people experience and yet, few really talk about it. I realize that being the primary caretaker of horses is work. I realize that it’s a labor of love. I am no stranger to doing hard things, but if I am being real and honest, it is a little bit terrifying to know I currently rely on someone else, who provides food, water, stall cleaning, training, and everything in between to my 2 horses… and soon all of those responsibilities will fall on me. Soon, 2 living breathing, very large and complicated animals will rely solely on me for their every need and overall wellbeing. In theory (as a horse person for the vast majority of my life) it sounds easy, but I’ve never been one to pull the wool over my own eyes.

I will have to procure hay, grain, and bedding and make sure it’s constantly available. I will have to clean stalls. I will have to make sure they are fed and watered. I will have to schedule vet appointments, farrier care, and any other care needed. I will have to make sure broken things are fixed and that every environment the horses are in is the safest it can be. Ya’ll, do I sound crazy for thinking those will be the EASY things? I have to WORK these beasts, continue their education, make sure they are upstanding citizens of the equine world. Basically ALONE. I’d be lying if I didn’t feel a little overwhelmed thinking about that part.

Back when I was working Fizz as a new AOT, I LOVED every second of the planning but lets be honest. I had zero idea what I was actually doing as a “trainer” and I flew by the seat of my pants most days. Looking back, I thank God every day that I ended up with such a smart, intuitive, and TOLERANT animal. That said, I feel like I have grown and I have learned a lot since 2013, and myself and both boys are better off for it. I have gained friends in this industry who have a wealth of knowledge that I have been able to tap into. I have people I can turn to for help now that I didn’t have back in 2013. How lucky am I? How lucky are my horses?

So lets talk about fears as the complete vulnerability of a “new” horse parent exposing everything for the world to see is something I have not run across. I’m not sure if people just don’t talk about this publicly or if I am that crazy overthinker who can’t stop “What Iffing” things to death. I’ve been riding and showing for a long time and I have cared for other people’s horses in the past. My first year of college was spent taking care of a farm of Friesians and Andalusians. But they were not on my property and I did morning feeding and stalls, and afternoon riding. I was not their one and only sole caretaker. I am not exactly a “new” horse owner, but being “new” to caring for them 100% of the time still comes with some real fears.

Fears about training 2 horses as an AOT, and doing it basically alone:

  • What if they regress with an amateur “trainer”?
  • What if I fall off and they get loose?
  • What if I can’t get them hooked to the cart for exercise?
  • What if there is an accident?
  • What if I have problems I can’t figure out?
  • What if I can’t work them enough?
  • What if I don’t do the right things? Or do the right things, the wrong way?
  • What if I get hurt and can’t exercise them?

Fears about keeping horses:

  • What if they get injured?
  • What if I don’t notice if something is wrong?
  • What if I can’t get what they need (hay shortage, etc)
  • What if I can’t be here?
  • What about vacations?
  • What about emergencies?
  • What about holidays? (4th of July and massive fireworks being shot off for weeks on end comes to mind)
    • What if I can’t get them calm?
  • What if I can’t get a vet here for emergencies?

These are things I can only think of off the top of my head as things I’ve thought about previously and had concerns about. However, as an overthinker, a planner, and a “hope for the best, prepare for the worst” kind of person I have taken steps to prepare for most of these and ease my mind to the best extent that I can. Some things will just have to fall into place after the horses are here, we have a routine, and I see that my incompetence isn’t actually as bad as it is in my head a lot of the time. I mean honestly I don’t give myself enough credit. Not to toot my own horn, but I am stubborn. I am tough. I am resilient. I do not give up and I do not lay down and sulk in my own deficiencies. I get up and I research and I ask questions and I strive to do better every day. In my opinion, there is no other option when such smart, also resilient, and talented creatures are relying on me to not only survive, but to thrive. So, lets go through the list again, this time with some answers.

  • What if they regress with an amateur “trainer”?
    • Keep doing things you know work
    • Have resources and don’t be too proud to contact them
    • Be humble enough to own your mistakes and do better next time
    • Don’t beat yourself up. Most horses are resilient and forgiving.
  • What if I fall off and they get loose?
    • Put up barriers on the property to contain them as best possible
    • Duh, ride better, don’t fall off (ha!)
  • What if I can’t get them hooked to the cart for exercise?
    • Teach them to stand quietly until you ask them to move
    • Ground work is just as important as other work
  • What if there is an accident?
    • Accidents happen, have a plan in advance
    • First Aid kit (horse and human)
    • Vet #
  • What if I have problems I can’t figure out?
    • Again, don’t be too proud to ask for help or bounce ideas off someone else.
    • Have a network
  • What if I can’t work them enough?
    • You can only do what you can, and it will have to be enough
    • Set your priorities and make a clear, easy to follow schedule ahead of time
    • yes it requires thought, but it’s important so DO IT
  • What if I don’t do the right things? Or do the right things, the wrong way?
    • If something isn’t working, change it
    • Try new things. Everything great was once just an idea.
    • Ask someone to watch you, give you tips or correct you
    • LISTEN when someone corrects you
  • What if I get hurt and can’t exercise them?
    • Then you ask for help. Remember your circle and keep them close. Support them on their journey, and offer help when they need it and they will, (should) support you too.
    • Otherwise, have (for us: create) a turnout area and let them be horses!! They may not make training progress, but they’ll survive and be happy.
    • If turnout (at home) isn’t possible, arrange for alternative care off property.
  • What if they get injured?
    • Keep vet information handy
    • Read up and have a good base knowledge of basic care for wounds, etc
  • What if I don’t notice if something is wrong?
    • know you can’t be there 100% of the time
    • make sure you know warning signs for common problems
    • know your horses “good” vitals and keep what you can documented
      • Temperature (Average horse should be between 99-101F)
      • Heart Rate (Average should be 36-40 beats per minute)
      • Respirations (Average should be 8-15 breaths per minute)
      • Gut sounds (A mixture of grumbles, tinkling and roars. There is no rhythm but you should hear a sound every few seconds)
      • Capillary refill (should be 2 seconds or less)
      • Hydration (If you pinch your horse’s skin it should return to lying flat within 1-2 seconds. The longer the skin stays pinched up before flattening, the more dehydrated the horse is.)
  • What if I can’t get what they need (hay shortage, etc)
    • PLAN AHEAD
    • Have a standard supplier
    • Have a backup supplier
  • What if I can’t be here?
    • Have a backup plan and arrange alternative care as early as possible
  • What about vacations?
    • Plan early, book a house sitter or arrange to take your horses off site as soon as you set dates
  • What about emergencies?
    • Keep all emergency contacts in an easily accessible location
      • Veterinarian (all contact information including emergency numbers)
      • Farrier
      • Insurance Agency (If horse is insured) to include their 24 hour line
        • details about insurance coverage
  • What about holidays? (4th of July and massive fireworks being shot off for weeks on end comes to mind)
    • Discuss with Veterinarian and have a plan IN ADVANCE (medication, ear plugs, stall fans, music, whatever it is)
  • What if I can’t get them calm?
    • Don’t doubt your abilities to handle a crisis
    • But for real, also don’t live without some reinforcements.
      • Make sure you have something from the Vet (Ace, etc) or otherwise (calming cookies, calm n cool paste, etc) and you know how to administer it incase you need to.
  • What if I can’t get a vet here for emergencies?
    • Get annual exam done so you are on file with local veterinarian and eligible for emergency/after hour calls
    • There is always the option to trailer to an emergency clinic
    • Again, know basic care and make sure you have basic items on hand to use/administer if needed and know what is appropriate for most basic situations.

So there you have it, me in all my uncomfortable vulnerability. Ew. Anyway, I wonder if any more experienced horse keepers have anything to add here? Words of advice, encouragement, knowledge to share, etc. I’m sure there is a lot I am not covering or not thinking about and I’m sure so many other things will pop up over time. I haven’t really talked extensively about this among my small circle, but I am sure if there is anything I need they will have my back.

Overall, I am excited beyond words and I can’t wait to have my boys home with me. So, if you’ve made it through this entire post, congratulations for your exceptional patience, haha, and enjoy these photos! I will make a post eventually on the barn build and how much of an experience the whole process has been! Maybe after I’m happily caring for my horses and the frustration from building has gone to the wayside and I can recollect the process without so many swear words.

What’s the Rush?

For all my (like maybe 2) followers, you might have noticed we added a page for a new horse!

Those that need a reminder, check out the post here: DUKE

Anyway, this guy is a 2015 model American Saddlebred. He is ALL BLACK you guys. My own personal black beauty. In real life. Like, how did I even get so lucky? My luckiness has not come without it’s struggles though.

Duke is, for lack of better words, a firecracker. He is bred to be hot. And HOT he is. When I first started driving Duke for his previous owner, the first time I grabbed the lines was at our first show together in Sept of 2020. We had a short little warm up that went really well. The literal MOMENT he stepped foot into the show ring though, I had a different horse. It took me by surprise, and I fell in love. That is a feeling I can’t explain. I have shown in many classes, on many different horses, in many different situations and places and this was a feeling that was completely new to me. I had a show horse. A fancy, fire breathing dragon who stomped the ground like he OWNED the place.

He had barely been pulling a cart for 30 days at that point, and since I had never driven him before we did have our share of mistakes. But we looked pretty good at our first show together and the few subsequent ones if I do say so myself. Evidence below. Disagree? You’re allowed but please kindly take your negativity elsewhere!

July 2021:

Fast forward to April 2022:

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, Fizz and I moved to Brickyard Farms in early 2021, where Duke had been since late 2020. As time has rolled on, it’s becoming apparent that pulling a cart is not where Duke will ultimately excel so over the winter 2021/2022 we began to switch gears and focus more on riding. Duke has had a lot of negative experiences with riding in the past and has not been taught a lot, so we are basically working from the ground up here to re-teach him things that are paramount to his success.

So aside from my rambling because I haven’t talked much about this horse, my point is that too often, horses are rushed into situations for which they are not prepared. They are pushed too hard too fast and they do not learn everything they need to learn before they are expected to do all the things right. Then, when the FLIGHT animal shows it’s flight instincts, people misinterpret that as bad behavior. However, is it really fair to assume they are misbehaving, when infact, they just have never been given the chance to understand what is expected of them, and to learn a basic foundation on which they can rely on? The answer, in my book, is no.

Teach them the easy stuff. Let them understand the basics. Don’t expect them to know the hard stuff automatically just because you’re asking it. And if you are asking them over and over, and getting the same results, maybe evaluate how you are asking and ask in a different way. Just as with humans, horses do not all have the same personalities and they do not all learn the exact same way. This complicates things and makes training more difficult, but to me, a good trainer has patience. They have the good sense to know when to change their methods. They research. They learn new things. They are humble enough to ask for help.

All that said. We are still being patient. We are still researching. We are still finding new ways to ask for what we want. Slowly but surely, Duke is beginning to provide the right answers more often than not. We are in no hurry, when he’s ready, he will let us know. Check out the short video clip below. Please ignore my chattering, asking him not to “fall apart” since he was going along so nice!

Is 14 Really the Age they Grow Up?

Ya’ll. Again, it’s been a while. Things have changed, AGAIN. My husband Wes and I are in the process of building a barn at our home. We have been here for a year now, and I have only been trying to get a working barn built for basically the entire time. Hopefully soon it will be a functional space for Fizzy and Duke to come live, but in the meantime, they are happy and healthy over at Brickyard Farms. A little over a year ago when Phoenix Farm shut down their training operation, we were scrambling. We weren’t even sure if shows were going to be a thing for us. Plus, the stupid pandemic, you know. What an epic disaster.

Since Duke (before I officially owned him) had been living at Brickyard for a year, it was the obvious first choice for Fizz to go there too. That way, both horses I was showing could be in the same location and I could work with both of them at the same place. Luke at Brickyard welcomed Fizz to join the crowd there and got to work. And lord has it been the blessing we have been looking for. His alternative thinking and fresh outlook has been just what we needed. Plus, he loves Fizz and Duke like they are his own, and there’s no amount of money that can buy that kind of support.

Anyway, we only went to a few shows in 2021, but they were nice, successful shows. We had FUN. And isn’t that really what it’s all about anyway? So, fast forward to now. We have successfully gone to our first real show of 2022, the BlueGrass Arabian Horse Associations Spring Blast Open Show. Yes, that’s a mouthful. However, LOOK AT IT.

So, yeah. That happened. And I am just over the moon with how well behaved this horse was. He’s fourteen this year. I simply cannot believe it’s now been NINE years with this incredible horse. He continues to keep me on my toes, humble me, teach me new things, and the list goes on but I won’t bore you all. It seems like fourteen is the year my sassy colt has finally decided it’s time to grow up and play ball with the big boys. I do not deserve him. He is literally too cool for me, but I am just going to soak up every minute and feel grateful that he’s mine.

That’s all for now!

Sometimes Maybe it’s YOU

Ya’ll. Again, it’s been a while since I posted here. Things are ever changing and ever evolving and I constantly re-evaluate the horsey things in my life and wonder if I am making the right decisions. Sometimes I regret not making certain decisions sooner. Sometimes I think I suck, and sometimes I think I am a genius. Everyone has their days I guess. But here’s some facts for you.

I am what I would call an experienced rider. I like to think I can hold my own and I like to believe I can handle a tough mount and enjoy a good one with ease. BUT, when I watch a select few others ride my horse and NOT have the same problems I had, I started wondering if it was just ME. SO, a while back (maybe about a year or so-has it really been that long?) I decided to start working with a riding instructor. As an ADULT. Who has been riding since I was 6 years old. She comes to visit Fizz and I and she gives us lessons together. Sometimes she schools him, which is GREAT for both of us, but mostly she coaches while I ride. Do I consider myself a failure because of this? HELL NO.

I consider myself a badass. You know why? Because sometimes it IS YOU. Sometimes you need to be humble and you need to admit that regardless of your experience, you do not, and will not ever know everything. Others have had experiences that can help you. Others have knowledge to share. You need to be open to accepting their knowledge, to learning from them, and to reaching a new level of potential you maybe never knew existed within you. And you know what? IT FEELS GOOD.

That moment when you’re sitting on your horse and you have a ride like you’ve never had before. A ride where you don’t struggle with things you used to struggle with. A ride where you don’t fight with your horse. A ride where you realize for the first time in YEARS, your horse is HAPPY. All the puzzle pieces are there, and you made them fit together. Maybe you don’t have a perfect ride consistently, 100% of the time. BUT, you did it and you FINALLY realized that you’ve moved past the hurdles that once stood in front of you and you didn’t trip and fall on your face trying to jump them.

If something is not working, CHANGE IT. Get help. Keep working, keep training, both you AND your horse can benefit from it. I mean, even professional sports teams have coaches. This is just like that. Go out and DO WORK ya’ll. Respect and appreciate your coaches and learn yourself something. Your horse will thank you. YOU will thank you. That’s all for today, I’ll report on other news soon! ❤