Kat Starts to Look Like a Real Horse

It’s been a while since we had an update on Kat, huh? 

She is doing VERY well, and coming along nicely under saddle.  Her cruise control button is very slowly establishing itself, and her regular rider is very pleased to report that we finally have a LEFT LEAD canter.  This is very exciting, because the first couple times I rode her there was no way it was happening.  Laura, though, has finally gotten her cantering on the left lead, and from what I saw yesterday her balance is improving a ton.

Her body is also changing quite a bit.  Her baby-belly is pulling up from the ground, and there is muscle in her butt and along her back.   Her way of going is still a little shuffly behind, but also improving.  She’s starting to look all fancy!

And to show you all:

So Pretty I Almost Can't Take It

Ooh… looking again, looks like you can even see a hint of dapples! Yay!  It’s about time her looks matched her classy personality!

Trottin Along

Look At Me, I'm FANCY!

And remember folks, she’s available now.  Interested?  Pretty girl like her, for a bargain basement price!

More Pictures from Lazy Horse Ranch

See, when I have nothing else to update on, at least I can rely on pictures!  I took a swing up to Lazy Acres on Friday sort of as a spur of the moment thing, with a few folks who had been dying to meet Mikey (we could sell tickets, I swear).  What was slightly unexpected was that Leo may have stolen the show.  He loves people, apparently, and proved to be the most difficult to leave behind. 

His parts may be totally mismatched, but he’ll win you over with looooooove. 

Hey There, Whatcha doin'

Please, Never leave!

Oh yeah, that's the spot!

Apparently, he loves a good massage about as much as I do.  I do believe that if Connie had let go suddenly, he’d h ave fallen over, he was leaning so hard.  In any case, as hard as it is to move on from the cute, I have a few more to share.

Magical Mikey Strolls Through Horse Paradise

Rosey - Looking FANTASTIC! Quick, someone get her!

I’m not kidding, either.  Rosey is needing to go back to work, and is looking pretty amazing.  Rumor has it that she may be going off to boarding school with Jess (from the Dixie Rumble blog) soon.  Which means that she will go from pretty awesome to ragingly awesome in short order.  Oh, and that’s Wek behind Rosey.  Wek also needs a job, pretty desperately.  She followed us all over the field, begging for a job, in fact.  “Please!!! Please!  I need something to DOOO!!!”  Anybody want to give her a chance?

In addition to all that cuteness, there are a couple new horses floating around as well.  I have no idea what their names are, and because I had no clue what they even looked like, identified them by their track shoes. 

The New Boy

The New Girl

I need to get out there more often.  I also need 40 hours in a day.

My Pretty Pony

Maryland has finally been blessed with some nice weather and rain-free days, so I got a couple people together this weekend to head out to Adamstown to visit with the CANTER horses there.  I had an actual plan, as we needed to get pictures of a couple available horses for their sale ads.  Cecil and Whisper, mostly. 

Cecil has had about a year off for his bowed tendon.  His feet have gotten much more normal, and when we last visited, he free lunged looking very sound and happy.  So I thought I’d throw the saddle up there and see how he did.  Cecil is sort of a funny character- he’s a little bit snarky and likes you to know it, but I swear his eyes lit up when we started tacking him up.  Not only that, but he stopped fidgeting, put his head down, and exhaled deeply, like it was the greatest possible thing in the world to be going back to work.

Usually they’re pretty good about being tacked up, but my expectation is always that they might try to walk in circles or object a little bit to the girth.  Cecil was no problem.  And when we walked him to the ring he had his head up and looked like he thought he was the champion of the known universe.

I am a VERY IMPORTANT horse

For first rides, the big thing is just to see how they react to very basic stuff.  The mounting block, starting, stopping, turning, etc.  For Cecil the big hurdle was the mounting block.  He seemed to have an inkling of what it was for, but gave it the hairy eyeball and just wouldn’t quite get close enough for me to use it.  I had to stand on it for a few minutes and walk him around it, sort of reeling him in until he was in a good spot.  Then he stood (many don’t, as horses at the track are generally mounted while walking), and let me get on like he’d been doing that his whole life.

He spent a good deal of time checking out the mares in the next field, but within a few minutes we had verified that he goes (he totally seems to understand what leg is for), stops (easily!), and steers (very well, actually).  I rode him around a little in both directions, just to get a feel for him.  He feels pretty good- a little funky (thinking some shoes might be in order for real work) but the bow doesn’t seem to be bothering him a bit.  My general impression is that he’ll be a really fun horse for somebody- he feels nice and solid underneath you, and even when looking around and checking things out does not feel even slightly spooky or jumpy.  Hopefully we’ll get him out on a trail soon and see how he deals with the great outdoors.

Taking a little trot around

After Cecil was done, it was Whisper’s turn.  Whisper is the love of my life, so keep in mind that if anyone is interested in him, they must complete a psychological exam in addition to the regular application.  I’m really serious- this horse has to go to someone REALLY special, because HE is that special.  If anybody says anything bad about Whisper I might get violent.  Just so’s you know.

In any case, this was Whisper’s second ride off the track (unless you count giving pony rides to a three year old girl, which he did while being fostered when he initially came off the track with a condylar fracture of a hind cannon bone).  Last time, we went for a trail ride where he stepped over logs and went in the river like a pro, so I knew things would go pretty well.

Just like last time, he stood perfectly at the mounting block and didn’t walk off when I got up there.  Easily passed the go/stop/turn test, and was happy to trot and even canter when I asked (Ok, the canter took a little cheerleading, and was slightly disorganized at first, but after a few strides developed into a very nice and comfortable canter).  He got a little strange with contact a few times and twisted his head a little bit, but was otherwise completely wonderful. 

pretty pretty pony

MIne! My Barbie horse!

Gosh he’s pretty.  And so kind, too.  Someone Very Special, are you out there? 

In other news, Admiral is looking AMAZING these days.  Adam was adopted out to a home that seemed to be pretty good.  The application responses were fairly thorough and a local vet had signed off on it.  But somewhere along the way, things went wrong.  The folks who had him apparently didn’t know as much about feeding thoroughbreds as they thought, and Adam began to lose weight.  Then he began to crib.  The vet who handled their horses was not called for advice, despite assurances to the contrary, and he began to go very much downhill.  CANTER re-possessed Admiral earlier this year – Jess took him to her farm in Delaware and began getting weight back on him- a big project since at that point pretty much all the bones were showing and he certainly wasn’t feeling well.

I didn’t want to write too much about this, because we like super duper happy posts here in CANTER-land, and also because I hate to admit publicly that a mistake might have been made.  But thanks to the fact that we do check on our horses to see how they are doing, we caught him and he got a nice soft place to land.

Here he is shortly after getting back to Jess’s place:

Not looking so great here... spine and hips... *sniff*

Adam got back to Happy Horse Acres a few months ago, where his primary diet is… grass.  Yep, that’s it.  Grass, and maybe some hay, and maybe a handful of grain every so often so that he would enjoy coming in for the farrier and vet.  And how does Adam look today?

Same horse? I had to double check!

Really, I had to flip his lip to be totally sure he was who I thought he was.  His giant ankle is sort of a dead giveaway, but he looks so stunning I just wasn’t quite ready to believe it.  He is fat, happy, and back to his old self.  And really, it wasn’t *that* hard.  He’s in this condition just from good grass.  I’m not sure what his people (hate to call them that) were thinking, or how they were able to look at him and think everything was fine.  And I’m really glad that everyone on our end followed their gut, and followed through for him. 

Till next time…

Prettiest Girls

I think CANTER has some of the prettiest mares of all time.  I posted Kat’s daughter Minnie last time, but check this fine lady out:

I may have nicked that from Allie.  She took it and owns it.  But look how lovely Miss Rosey is!  She is sleek and shiny, and oh so ready for someone to love her.  She has truly grown into herself- will have to nab some of the other photos to put on here, because it really is amazing how good she looks now.  When she’s not stuffing her face, anyway

As for the other ladies, Katerina continues to get better every day.  She got a pair of shoes last Friday, as she was starting to feel a little funky on her feet (though I suspect it felt funnier than it looked).  In any case, she was moving a tad bit “shuffly” and after getting her new feet, seems to be starting to get more into the idea of really throwing her feet out, which makes her look quite fancy.

Under saddle she is gaining confidence, so it is probably time to start asking a little more of her.  Consistent pace is not her strong point – her cruise control is a little tweaked, so we’re asking her to do things like spiralling in and out, small figure eights and serpentines, etc.  Not large patterns, but smaller ones that keep her from getting too quick, while simultaneously allowing us to keep some leg on and keep pushing her hind end under her.

Her belly is ever so slightly starting to come up, and the rest of her body has filled out nicely – so she’s really starting to look quite stunning. 

I'm so pretty...

Spaceman Mikey

Hello there, Mikey fans.  I finally have managed to get some pictures uploaded (I am so sneaky.  This will be much easier when I get a new computer for home!).  As I mentioned last time, Mikey has been put in the Jenny Craig paddock, with a grazing muzzle because he is too fat.  He’s not the only one, really – Paradise Acres seems to have this effect on ALL the horses, not just the “unusually easy keepers.”  Thoroughbreds love some grass, apparently.

But I couldn’t take about Mikey and his crazy spacesuit without at least posting a photo, right?

luuuke, I am ur father!!!

As for the other characters in our story, I also grabbed a few pictures of Cecil, who is looking wonderful.  Quite sound, and also HAPPY.  Compared to the nasty mean faces we used to get when he was still on stall rest, he is now quite the mellow dude.

Look at me!

Checking out the ladies

In contrast, the new guy with the big bald face is not so pleased to see us yet.  Still ouchy, it has an effect on his personality, and he does his best to avoid contact for the time being.

This is as close as you get, lady.

Stephen, on the other hand, loves everybody.

Hey there.

And just for kicks, a little sneak peek at Kat’s daughter, who is looking fantastic and should be getting re-started soon.

Think she looks like a hunter?

Till next time…

Odds and Ends

As mentioned on klon’s blog, I’ve been pretty busy lately, what with the moving and all that.  And though I took a whole bunch of pictures when we visited Humble Acres last weekend, I don’t really have a way to upload them, which is terribly sad.

Just the same, some updates

Katerina is doing well- with more time under saddle, she has developed a little bit of confidence and eagerness.  She actually was getting to the point where she didn’t really want to walk, and was so ready to get going, she’d try to jig around a little bit.  Enter Allie.  Sometimes all it really takes is one good reminder of what “manners” are, and Allie in one ride managed to remind her that walking is just fine. 

Additionally, the issue of her lack of flexibility is being addressed- not only are we doing attempting carrot stretches and such on the ground, Allie started really asking for some lateral flexion through the neck the other day.  From the ground, with tack on, she asked Kat to give to both sides- something that was very difficult for her and she kept trying to spin in circles instead of just relaxing and stretching through her neck (and back).  Eventually she began to figure it out, and after a couple repetitions seemed more able to do it. 

Kat is also gaining weight- she’s in the best of the field board fields, as far as grass goes, and she has expanded accordingly.  This makes two horses in the program that fit in my wide tree saddle originally purchased for a draft cross.  And here I was thinking of grabbing a medium narrow just for the canter ponies… ha!

Rosey has also expanded a little- not just outwards but upwards as well.  In our visit to Paradise Acres, we pulled her out to take a few new conformation shots and see how she looked.  She has evened out quite a bit- her front end matching the back, and at least a half inch (if not full inch) taller than she was last fall.  Along with the growth, she is looking super sound and moving even fancier than she was before.  Seriously, someone needs to buy this lady, she’s looking AWESOME and would look fantastic at some local hunter shows with a kid   Or eventing.  Either way!  She is fancy fancy fancy!

Cecil also joins the expanding waistline club.  And not only that, but Mr. Crankypants has even gotten friendly.  Towards the end of his stall rest, he was really quite irritable (can’t say I blame him) and tended towards trying to bite.  Time off in some rolling fields seems to have done him good, and he seems happy to get attention now.  He also looks fabulous, and appears to have healed quite well.  We had him trot around a bit to see how sound he looked, and he looked great.  The bow, which was really huge when he first came, looks minor now, about the same size as Klondike’s old one. 

Stephen is back from his foster home, and looks wonderful.  He has gained some weight and lost his fuzz, so is looking like a normal horse now.  He’s also been exposed to lots of trail riding and hunter paces, so comes back a little better educated. 

Leo, the new horse with the floppy ears and funny back, has settled in very nicely and loves it when we come to visit.  Like all the others, he is going through his “super sensitive” phase right now, and has a small case of hives and itchy skin.  His new joy in life is standing there while you scratch his chest.  He’ll also follow you around a bit and just rest his head ever so lightly on you.  Once he’s fixed up a little and sounder he’s going to make someone a great best friend.  And even with his slightly funny conformation, we get the sense that this horse might go the extra mile for you, and that he might surprise a lot of people once he gets going under saddle.

Baldface McGee, on the other hand, is not so thrilled with people at the moment.  He doesn’t do anything, or go running away, he just prefers to avoid interaction.  His feet are still bothering him quite a bit, although he is getting around better than he was.  When you try to approach him, he will let you get fairly close, but then walks or turns away.  It’s not so unusual, really, for a horse who is sore and not feeling good to react this way.  Time (and good footing/grass) should heal all  

Kat’s daughter Minnie looks amazing, and seems to have recovered 100% from the hock injury she sustained shortly after coming to CANTER (a puncture wound that required surgical intervention).  She will probably be entering a training program shortly, and looks to be a great hunter type like her mamma (but with a better hind end).

Admiral is now back at the Frederick Farm, and getting back into his groove of making trouble with Truckee.  They both look great, and Adam has gained back a significant amount of the weight he lost while at his last home (read about that on the adoption program page).   Adam should be trail ridable fairly soon, and will probably appreciate the attention. 

Mikey has a bit of a problem in that he has grown too rotund.  As a result, farm management has relegated him to the Jenny Craig paddock and forced him to wear a grazing muzzle.  Along with that muzzle goes a fly mask, to help prevent rubbing from the halter and muzzle, so he looks like a space alien horse right now.  He is not pleased with this situation but seems to be making the best of it.  Once I figure out getting pictures up, I’ll post some- he seriously looks like one of those horses from WWI, decked out with the gas mask and goggles:

New Ponies… And News!

Saturday, I went along with Allie to shuffle horses around, which of course meant a visit to Fat Horse Ranch, where I was delighted to not only see my favorites (TRUCKEE!!!!!!!!! Mikey!!!! Whisper!!!!) who are all starved for attention, but also to meet some new faces.  I even came up with a nickname for one.

Good Omen is a very tall bay gelding, with an honest and kind face, and giant ears that flop out to the side when he is relaxed.  Like, all the way out to the side.  As soon as Allie mentioned his lop ears, and I met him, I started calling him Leo.  He just looks like a Leo, and he has ears like the bunny in those storybooks I used to love when I was little(r).

Anybody else remember those? In finding that image I also found the complete list of titles, which brings back some serious memories.  Wow.  (sorry, random digression).

Leo and his companion (who has yet to receive an appropriate nickname) are just getting used to things at Club Paradise, and don’t seem sure what to make of things yet.  Both have some sore feet, and Leo is suffering from a mild case of hives as he gets used to things like sunlight and bugs and grass.

The other horse is a seriously flashy and sporty chestnut with more white than you usually see on a Thoroughbred.  His face is covered in a giant white splotch that covers one eye, and hooks upwards on his opposite jawbone.  He looks like a little paint horse.  At first, he seemed sort of hesitant about being sociable- he is quite sore not only in his feet, but in his body, and as a result he’s not sure he likes people.  As I hand grazed him for a while, he repetitively spooked himself with his own feet.  His attempts to reach the grass to begin with were a little sad, as he attempted to do it while also taking weight OFF his front feet. 

Time and care should see him much better, and after some serious attention from us (scrubbing his legs, rinsing his body with cool water, and lots of pats and scritches) he seemed to relax, and even tried to rub his head on me a little bit.  We turned him out, and he immediately went running to his buddy Leo- well, as well as he could run anyway.  They seem quite attached and immediately wandered off to a corner by themselves, away from the larger herd. 

So, it’s not a great picture, as it was raining and sort of miserable, and the two boys were feeling a little pathetic, but here they are:

New Guys- Not Sure What to Think

You can see in the pic that Leo is standing a little splayed out- that seems to be a product of foot soreness, and should resolve itself as we get his feet better balanced and more comfortable.  The other guy was still wanting nothing to do with people there, but look at that face!  He’s built like a tank, and the more I looked at him, the more I liked what I saw.  He’ll be one to watch as he gets to feeling better, mark my words

In other news, about a week ago a small article came out in the Frederick News Post about the retraining effort.  I neglected to pop it in here because I’ve been crazy busy, but go read now!  Also, there’s a video under the multimedia header- as much as I HATE seeing myself on video and hearing myself talk, you can get a little glimpse of Miss Kat during her second ever ride.  Complete with cameos from former CANTER horse Piper (the chestnut with the giant blaze) and my own horse (the grey one who really wants a treat).

Also, any suggestions on names for that new flashy boy would be appreciated.  I kind of like “Jake” but I’m not sure it fits him yet. So if you have better ideas, go on and post them!

Kat Leads the Way

Miss Kat has been getting slowly back into the routine of being worked- the baby belly is tightening up a little bit, we’re doing a routine of stretches after riding to get her more limber (she’s awfully stiff!), and getting her ready for her very own person (we KNOW you’re out there somewhere!!!).

In addition to ring work, she’s been going on trail rides where she’s been fabulous.  She crosses water, handles mud (she doesn’t LIKE mud much, but she deals!), is OK with deer and small dogs running past her, and handled the somewhat innapropriate attention my gelding was giving her with class.

Heading Out

What a brave mare!  She’d never been on a trail ride before, and she was perfectly happy about it.  She reminded me of Rosey, whose trail attitude was mostly curiousity and eagerness- “what’s around the next corner?”  Kat just wanted to scope everything out, and acted like a perfect lady.

This Ain't Nothin'

That’s her first water crossing.  It was preceeded by a whole lot of nasty mud, which she wasn’t too fond of.  Her way of figuring it out was to lean back a little, and test the depth of the mud with her front foot.  As soon as she knew how deep it was and where the footing was, she marched on through like a soldier.  When she got to the water, she only hesitated for a split second before figuring it out and moving on like it was nothing. 

C'mon, let's get moving!

It was almost like she was saying, “hmph!  let’s MOVE, people! We’re on a mission!”  yet at the same time, she was perfectly happy to sit and wait for us all to catch up.

Isn’t she lovely?  Don’t you want to take her home? 

I Don’t Even Know Where to Start

I know you’re supposed to begin at the beginning, or go in chronological order, at least, but so much stuff has been going on lately it’s all competing for priority in my brain.

So let’s see… Katerina’s Song has officially commenced riding training. Our volunteer Laura has been working with her on lunging and progressively increasing her exercise time, and so last Tuesday, Allie decided she was more than ready to begin being ridden. Her first ride went incredibly well- she stood for mounting and though weak and green, she was very willing. Her second ride took place the next day, after Klondike came in with a giant neck hematoma and I thought better of asking him to work in front of a local newspaper videographer. So who do I grab? The mare with one ride who doesn’t like the indoor so much (it was also POURING).

She was a superstar- she walked, trotted, and did a tiny amount of cantering in each direction, as I talked a little bit about teaching steering and cruise control. She also was a great example of the “standing at the mounting block” problem.

In the days since then, Kat has had several more ring rides and also her first trail ride, where she let 99% of the way, crossed mud and water, and didn’t flinch at stampeding wildlife. She will be appearing on the website soon as available for adoption

In other news, on Saturday Charles Town Races presented the first annual Charles Town Classic. The big race was worth 500,000 to the winner, with a bonus for winners of graded stakes races. Commentator, the Nick Zito trained favorite, was eligible to take home 1,000,000 if he won. Instead, Researcher, a local horse stabled at the Chaz, took home the number one spot in a thrilling and amazing finish.

Russell Road, another fantastic Chaz horse (yay!!!!) also dominated and beat out the ship-ins in a spectacular drive to the finish. I mention all that simply because it was very exciting, and I sincerely LOVE seeing “our” horses beat out the horses who had only come to town for the bigger than normal prize money. Russell Road was also the SOLE West Virginia-bred horse in his race. I’m very happy for their connections- they are trainers we see and communicate with regularly, and the wins could not have happened to better people. ALSO, Charles Town picked that historic night to present CANTER mid-atlantic with a grant, in official Winners’ Circle, Ed McMahon check style. It was a really wonderful moment for us- getting that kind of support directly from track management is very meaningful.

Did I mention we also had a great time?

Sunday dawned impossibly early, it seemed like I’d just gotten home, but it was soon time to accompany Allie up to Delaware to meet with Delaware Park track management about starting up track listing and rehoming from that track. It was a very exciting meeting- the people up at Delaware are fantastic, tuned in to the issues, and I think we will be working out of that track soon It is also a beautiful facility. Granted, my track experiences are basically Pimlico and Charles Town, where one sees a lot of concrete. Delaware Park is totally different- grass and a surrounding golf course make for a beautiful, park-like setting. Even the saddling paddock is beautiful (with a mulched walking circle and more beautiful surroundings!

As I’m sure most of our readers LOVE browsing the listings, I figured this would be an exciting and welcome development

And now… a few days of normalcy, before shipping off for ROLEX!!!!!

The Afton Mountain Update

Since I’ve been so busy with Klondike and such, I have to admit this blog has been getting a little neglected.  I thought to make things more interesting, it would be fun to have Afton’s (now named Owen, which I think is wonderful and appropriate!) new owner contribute a guest post.  She happily agreed, and it makes me super happy to post it here- complete with pictures showing what looks like a VERY happy, shiny bay horse

*************************************

Hi everyone!  Kelly asked if I wanted to provide a blurb for the blog, giving an update on Afton, and I happily agreed.  Who wouldn’t want to brag about their CANTER cutie, right?

I’ll start with a little background. 

I first found Afton Mountain in December of 2008 on the CANTER MidAtlantic website when idly searching for my next project. He was the first horse listed under “CANTER OWNED” and his picture and description captivated me from the first.

The only problem was I still had the horse I was trying to sell and couldn’t do anything about moving on until I had found her a new home. I had a buyer in the final stages, though, and was hopeful enough to begin shopping. Whether that was a jinx or not, who knows, but the sale fell through and I was back to the beginning. Advertising, showing, hoping, waiting. Selling horses is never fun or easy (although since this was the first one I had ever tried to sell, how did I know?) but as the economy got worse, the prospects of selling a 17 year old horse were getting dimmer.

That was when the person who had first come to try her back in the summer of 2007 emailed me out of the blue to see if she was still available. Sometimes the stars just align. Within 10 days, the sale was complete, and my 17 year old OTTB mare – eventing partner for 9 years –  was on her way to her new home. By all accounts and reports, she is well loved, being cared for like a princess, and impressing all the trainers with her abilities and her condition. I guess I did something right.

In the meantime, it was no almost three months since I had first seen Afton’s photo and started reading his blog and tracking his progress. I was amazed that the horse was still available, considering how well he seemed to be taking to his new career.   I immediately started the process of seriously evaluating for my needs based on all of my requirements.  I really intended to shop around, try at least 5 horses before I bought anything, since I tend to always buy the first thing I sit on, and twice have bought them sight unseen.  Since he was four hours away, this evaluation thing was a challenge. (Eventually, I just took a Saturday and drove down to try him.)
 
I was looking for a bay gelding (no more chestnut mares for a while!) — check — between 15.3 and 16.1 — check — between 4 and 6 years of age — check — with good conformation — check — and no known soundness issues or vices — check — that had a pleasant expression and seemed to like people — sort of check. When I first saw him in person, he had a very cautious look on his face, as if he were skeptical of this person’s intentions. I think the track horses can get this way, as they get shuffled from trainer to trainer, groom to groom, they are never able to make strong connections with specific people. Some horses don’t care, some do. His expression wasn’t bad or mean by any stretch, Kelly described it is a bit “cynical”. I continued with my evaluation.

"Not so sure what I think of you..."

 I was on my own with this adventure, which made me a bit nervous. My dear friend Pat went with me for moral support and to man the video camera, but my trainer wasn’t there, and my husband was in Aiken, SC competing. I had only my own judgment to go on, which had me a bit nervous.

When it was time for me to get on and ride him, I was nervous. Getting on a young just off the track thoroughbred can have unpredictable results. What impressed me the most was that my nervousness vanished as soon as I sat on him. I was totally relaxed and comfortable. I have no idea why, but that made a huge impression on me. He was willing, pleasant, and oh-so comfortable! Walk, trot, canter, turns were a bit wobbly and assisted by the indoor arena walls, but that’s a baby horse for you. He even happily jumped some little jumps, never surging in front of them or on landing. I walked him out the driveway and around the front field, where trucks, cars, and motorcycles were whizzing past, and he was rock solid.  Kelly had really done a nice job with this guy!  His expression had even softened by the time we were finished, as he began to trust me.
 

OK, so maybe you're pretty OK...

I was beginning to get excited.  On the four hour drive home, I had lengthy conversations with Duncan (husband) and with Maureen (trainer) to tell them my experience and my thoughts. I was trying to be dispassionate, but could find nothing to tell me not to buy this horse. I decided to proceed with the pre-purchase vet exam.

The following week was a whirl of making plans long distance (scheduling the vetting, coordinating people to be in certain places at certain times, all while being insanely busy at work and with Allie on crutches!) and then waiting. The vetting was scheduled for Thursday. Waiting is the worst. In the end, though, it was all okay. The vet called Thursday night and found nothing to raise red flags, so Maureen drove down on Friday to bring him home.

Afton Mountain was my project!

Since then, we have had so much fun!  His barn name is now “Owen” but due to popular demand, he will show as Afton Mountain.  He has his own big stall, all the hay he can eat (and not to say he wasn’t getting fed by any means!  He just thinks he’s now being pampered ), his own SmartPaks with hoof and coat conditioners, and is now being turned out in a big pasture all day long with two other Thoroughbred buddies.   He got shaved the first weekend, and went on a trail  ride at the Bucks County Horse Park the second weekend, and was a perfect gentleman!  He did show a bit of a stubborn streak when asked to cross a gully, but happily followed Big Brother Tip.  Here he is, naked and waiting to be tacked up for his trail ride:

 

Oh dear! He looks so naked! hee!

We’ve been working steadily on explaining the concept of yielding to contact, by simply following him all around with the contact and a soft supporting leg, and he is really starting to get it.  He natural head/neck carriage which was a little upside down and braced has begun to soften and drop about 8 inches, and he even goes really nicely round now and again!   I have felt the promise of a really big extension in there somewhere.  All I can hope is that I have the patience, understanding and skill to bring out the best in him!
Here are some photos from a week ago today  (Sunday), schooling at home.

Walking Into Contact

A Really Lovely Trot

Canter, please!

From a distance, a lovely little oxer

 
Now looking more cute than cynical, don’t you think?

 

Relaxing at the end

Sorry this went on a bit long, but I am just so excited to have this lovely horse, and to be looking forward to so many adventures!  I am honored to have a CANTER horse, and to have entered into the special group of people who have also taken these terrific creatures on to new careers.  Thanks for listening, and I’ll be in touch, if you all want me to!

Susan & Owen