Horses... Best Friends... & New Experiences = Best Weekend Ever!

 Let me start this blog with a question. How many people reading this can say they are lucky enough to still be best friends with a childhood friend as an adult. I bet not many! This past weekend Rio & I had a blast giving pony rides to my best friend Jen and her mom. It was the first time I'd seen her in almost 5 years. With her being in the Air Force we live on opposite coastlines which makes it difficult even when she's not deployed overseas. 

Jen and I grew up on the same street, went to the same elementary school, and have been friends since we were probably 4 or 5 years old... which is pretty much 95% of my life. I can't imagine us not being friends... we'll probably be 90 & senile sitting on rocking chairs next to each other someday. No matter how long its been since we've seen each other or talked we always pick right back up where we left off... no awkward pause at all. And, we're always there for each other be it a big or a small issue. I feel insanely blessed. 

When we were kids she used to be the one I invited for a birthday riding lesson. And, when we moved  our horses on to our own property she would come ride double bareback around the trails with me for hours.

Even though I've had Rio for almost 8 years (yikes really?!?!) she's never seen him because the last couple of times I've seen her I've had to fly to her. I was impressed both with how much she remembered and how well she did on him, as well as how well behaved he was for a new rider who really would be considered beginner. With more riding and him being more fit he really is an intermediate mount and can be a challenge. I was waiting for him to try to pull Jen around or out of the saddle, or to spook and run away... neither happened. If anything he was lazy and nonplussed by the whole situation. Jen's mom even got on and played with him for a few minutes... I can't get my own mom to ride... it was fun to share it with a woman I could probably call a second mom given how much time Jen and I spent together growing up. 

Over all it was a great weekend. Along with the riding I tried a few new things... golfing! I have no idea how they manage to hit the tiny ball with the club that accurately to get to a hole that far away.... I mostly watched and drove the cart, but I promise to try actually playing sometime... then they'll really have something to laugh at. We also tried eating a few new things... for example gator.... yes you heard me correctly gator. Can't say that I'd do it again, but it wasn't horrible. Gator tasted kind of like chewy chicken. I also tried muscles for the first time which were really not too bad. My favorite of the weekend though was Eggs Benedict!  We discovered some great local restaurants. If you live in the Sanford Lake Mary area may I highly suggest a visit to Peach Tree Cafe & Giovanni's.  We finished up the visit painting pottery and watching Les Miserables.... best weekend I've had in a very long time... horses, time with my best friend, and a of fun activities.  And, on Monday after she'd left I took Buster to the vet to get his stitches out and found she'd paid off his surgery bill.... which just demonstrates the kind of friend she is. She does things like that with out being asked. Even though we would have been fine making the payments it did take a burden off my shoulders, especially given a second injury to Busters knee that now needs treatment. 

We have plans to bring her girls out and let them ride next time! Can't wait for that & I may even spend the summer out with them in California... hey being a teacher might actually pay off... 3 months to spend with my best friend and her girls... the downside is missing my animals, but what an amazing experience it would be. 

How did I every get so lucky in finding a friend like Jen? I will never know!

My Horse is "Special"...

Rio playing with clip on reins

 My horse is special in more then one sense of the word. It never ceases to amaze me, some of the comical scenarios he finds himself in or absurd reactions he sometimes has to things...

Case in point. Today I had him tied to a post. Now in his defense I don't think he's ever, in his 13 years of life, been tied straight to something. He's always been cross tied. And, his stupid owner (yes, that would be me) who had clip on reins attached to his halter from a bareback ride decided to be lazy and just clip him to the post... never really smart. You can point and laugh at me now. I was fly spraying the big spotted beast, something we do almost daily, something he's had done a thousand and one times in his lifetime and then some. He decided to spook and pull back, which of course    scared   The poop out of him when he felt the pressure from being tied. He literally sat down like a dog on his haunches, something a kin to this Disney clip of Maximus the horse in the Disney movie Tangled. 

I might add that I'm pretty sure he's related to Maximus... maybe a far distant cousin... because his tendency to sit when he spooks (yes its happened before) is not the only character trait the two share. He is absolutely chock-a-block full of personality. If there's such a thing as ADHD in horses he has it. Fitting since I work as an ESE teacher with many ADHD prone kiddos. He can not stand still to save his life during a ride... ok he can, but he seems to forget that when its truly important, like on a group trail ride, at a show, or in the middle of a group lesson. 

 He's constantly looking for something to play with or some trouble to get into. Once upon a time I left his cookie container sitting out. I felt it was pretty horse proof so when  he picked it up by the handle I laughed... until he dropped it and rolled it on the floor and managed to get it open... it was like the horse version of a kong and he was so proud of himself. 

When we go out on a trail ride he'll pretend to be brave and rush to be up front, but then act like a baby and spook at something completely silly until mom comes to the rescue with some reassurance. 

But, even though he'd probably fit right in on the short bus his personality is  part of what has endeared him to me & there are some other things that make him pretty darn great too. He'll try his heart out to please his rider if they are willing to push and support him in the right way. He's brave and adventurous and really enjoys learning, not to mention he is ridiculously smart. He is gorgeous to look at hello big bay spots, with a super cute expression,  and a nice size... not too big, or two small. He is forward and fun to ride with scopey movement, but comes right back when you ask. I can put just about anybody on him. Even a brand new beginner or child under the right supervised circumstances and know that he's going to keep that person safe. 

Rio & 5 Year Old Desirae

I've known from just a few short weeks into a free lease that he had the potential to be an amazing horse so when the owner sold him you can bet I jumped at the chance to buy him. Being different, in his case a very spotty Appaloosa, is sometimes frowned on n the dressage/English riding world. I've been told, I don't know how many times "he won't be a good jumper", or "he won't make it past training level dressage" because he's an Appy and Appaloosa's just aren't suited to those disciplines, but here we are proving everybody wrong. 

Since we moved the eventing trainer at our new barn has fallen in love with him... and she's a great trainer too... which is going to make it very hard to not at least try to budget for a lesson here and there because I'm dying to take advantage of having a European trained rider to learn from. 

The BO has, not so subtly offered to buy him if I ever want to sell. Talking to her partner today while she was watching us ride she was telling him what I paid for him and said if she ever had the horse she wouldn't let him go for $5000 let alone what I paid which I won't share share here, but it was a bargain.

I have to admit that, while in most cases, I rarely care what others think, its nice to see others appreciate him as much as I do because he is truly awesome.  We've come a very very long way since day one and I am excited to share our progress in the continued months to come because he is going better then every under saddle, and we are finally at a barn and with other riders and trainers where we'll have the chance to grow beyond what I've been able to do with him myself. 

Even though I was hesitant about the move at first, I think it will end up being the best decision I could have made at this point in time for both of us. 

Get Ready 2013 will be awesome!

Rio & Sky Say "Hello"

P.S. Coming soon... the final chapter in the continuing saga of the great migration as told by Sky & her mom Crystal... just as soon as I convince her to do a guest blog... you'll never guess how it ended!

The Great Migration Continued / My Horse Is A Superstar!

If you're just tuning in to the blog here's a quick recap for you... though I might suggest reading 

The Great Migration Part 1 if you want the full story... When last you heard from Rio & I we had just completed our move to a new barn. Rio's girlfriend Sky had refused to get on the trailer (long story short). 

Today, I went back with the help of another boarder, and a small army of friends and attempted to load sky again... sorry no pictures today as I tried to stay hands free given her previous behavior. Come to find out that she not only hit her head and her leg on the trailer, but she broke 5 or 6 fence boards by falling on top of them. Being New years weekend it was impossible to get a vet out with Ace (a tranquilizer) so we had to settle for banamine to relax her muscles and 2 days of no food in hopes she'd get on the trailer to eat.

Sky's  wounds the day after the first trailer incident... what a mess!

As I suspected neither really helped. While Don was very calm with her, and she stayed quiet during the whole process it was clear that now, not only is she a stubborn mare, but she is very very scared of getting on the trailer probably as a result of this weeks fiasco. 

We came very close to getting her on using a step up open stock trailer parked in a ditch to minimize her need to step up or stand on a ramp neither of which she likes doing, but in the end we opted not to push her beyond her tiny TB brain's mental capacity... the more upset she got about it the more you could see she was just completely shutting down. Initially we'd agreed to try and load AGAIN next weekend with a vet present and some stronger drugs, but come to find out Crystal decided to ride her the close to 10 miles down back roads... she has yet to arrive and if she actually makes it alive in one piece there will probably be a third blog update to this saga. 

In the meantime I have to brag on my pony. We went for our second ride at the new property today. The first one was in the ring yesterday and he seemed to really settle no major issues... even let the less experienced girl who rides/leases him take a spin. The trainer who comes to the barn a few days a week was there and watched us ride. She loved him which is saying something given her experience level as a classically trained dressage/event rider with a lifetime of experience riding and training others. Its refreshing to  find a trainer who doesn't have her nose in the air when it comes to the idea of someone riding an Appy rather then a $30,000 warmblood. She seems to genuinely love horses and it will be nice to be able to work with her when the opportunity presents itself financially. I wish I had an extra $250 a month to take riding lessons twice a week consistently... we might actually get somewhere! But, alas I will have to settle for the fact that I at least have a trainer onsite and available to me for the occasional lesson for the first time in 2 years! 

Today we went with a group of 7 other riders out on the trails. Even though he started out a little hot and nervous he road towards the front second or third from the line leader or out in lead himself the entire ride with only a minor spook incident here or there. The barn owners were super impressed with him. They love him already and offered to buy him from me if I ever sell ...yeah right... however the feeling is mutual. They are amazing. I actually had the thought that God forbid it ever comes to me selling him... cause lets face it... teachers don't make much and its hard to keep jobs in this economy... I finally have found a person I would consider selling to where as up to this point I would have literally died before I'd have let him go to someone else.... but I'm not going to think about that. I'm going to keep working my tail off to afford him because... he's just such an awesome once in a lifetime type of horse. I can't begin to explain how lucky I was to  get this guy...

Trish has pictures from our ride and when I get them I'll post them for the handful of dedicated blog readers I have... one of my new years resolutions is to write more and maybe gain a following, but hey not gonna hold my breath!

Happy New Year to All! May 2013 be amazing! <3 Rio & Sam