Well, at least for today. Yesterday we got some rain and a cold front. Temps dropped to the 80s and it was such a nice relief from the heat. However, not having that burning feeling while being outside, got the hitch fire burning again. It's time to get those horses working again.
Good news came from a phone call the other day. I am wanted for wagon rides the 2nd and 3rd weekends in December. In Greenville, TX, there is a historic street called "Park Street". Every year they decorate their houses all pretty and give wagon rides on the Friday and Saturday nights before Christmas. This is a real sweet deal for me and I've been invited to do it all 4 nights. They really want a wagon that seats 15 people. To me, this means I need to be on the look out for a larger wagon, and more importantly, I need to have the team ready. Rachel is not a worry, but Pam is going to have to get some miles under her. I'm real excited about this. last year I got to do it for one night, and it was awesome. Looking forward to it.
I'm also looking to begin actively pursuing my goal of haying my field with my horses. This is tough though, because I need the equipment to do this, starting with a mower. If anyone knows of a horse drawn mower here in Texas that is up for sale, please let me know. I also need a good forecart so that I can pull other implements too. Keep your eyes open for me and let me know if you find something that is within a half a day's drive to me. :)
When I harness the girls up next, they'll be using their new liverpool straight shaft bits instead of the twisted wire bits that came with the harnesses. I'm excited for this. I've been really impressed with the liverpool bits and love the control that they give. I just hope Pam and Rachel don't complain too much. :)
Hooray for fall almost being here. Time for this lazy boy to get outside and get busy again. Summer break is OVER!!! :)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Dog Days of Summer
It's been hot as hell here in North Texas. The last 5 days have been over 100 and sitting around the 105 mark. Due to the heat, it's pretty safe to assume that not much is going on as far as working the horses goes.
In my riding club newsletter they posted a pretty good little blurb about horses and heat. I figured I'd include it here. It's an easy forumula and can help you know when you should be concerned with your horse.
Other than that neat idea below, I have nothing else going on. I've been staying indoors and making use of the modern conveniences of air conditioning. I tell you, I sure have a respect for those who lived 100 years ago, who had to work the land, even in head like this. And they even did it without gatoraide! :) Hopefully we get some rain or a cold front soon.
The Heat is On!
We are now into the hottest weeks of summer and need to be aware of the effect of heat and humidity on our horses. Endurance riders use a simple formula to determine when weather conditions become stressful to the equine athlete. It is called the Heat Index (H I), which means in this context, the sum of the temperature and humidity. Any time the H I reaches 150, we need to pay attention to our horse’s condition. When the number exceeds 180, a horse can quickly get into trouble. Always encourage water consumption. Electrolytes are essential for horses working in the heat. Commercial supplements are available, but here’s a simple, cheap, home-made formula: One 26 oz. box of table salt (plain, not iodized) Two 11 oz. boxes of Morton’s Lite Salt Two oz. (4 TBSP) dry Epsom salt
Mix well and feed ½ oz. to 1 oz. per day, depending on level of work. (1 to 2 TBSP)
One of the most important things you can do to encourage your horse to drink water is to provide a clean, cool source. If the water source looks too dirty for you to drink out of, then your horse probably isn’t too keen on it either. The exception to this is pond water; they love it!! Go figure!
In my riding club newsletter they posted a pretty good little blurb about horses and heat. I figured I'd include it here. It's an easy forumula and can help you know when you should be concerned with your horse.
Other than that neat idea below, I have nothing else going on. I've been staying indoors and making use of the modern conveniences of air conditioning. I tell you, I sure have a respect for those who lived 100 years ago, who had to work the land, even in head like this. And they even did it without gatoraide! :) Hopefully we get some rain or a cold front soon.
The Heat is On!
We are now into the hottest weeks of summer and need to be aware of the effect of heat and humidity on our horses. Endurance riders use a simple formula to determine when weather conditions become stressful to the equine athlete. It is called the Heat Index (H I), which means in this context, the sum of the temperature and humidity. Any time the H I reaches 150, we need to pay attention to our horse’s condition. When the number exceeds 180, a horse can quickly get into trouble. Always encourage water consumption. Electrolytes are essential for horses working in the heat. Commercial supplements are available, but here’s a simple, cheap, home-made formula: One 26 oz. box of table salt (plain, not iodized) Two 11 oz. boxes of Morton’s Lite Salt Two oz. (4 TBSP) dry Epsom salt
Mix well and feed ½ oz. to 1 oz. per day, depending on level of work. (1 to 2 TBSP)
One of the most important things you can do to encourage your horse to drink water is to provide a clean, cool source. If the water source looks too dirty for you to drink out of, then your horse probably isn’t too keen on it either. The exception to this is pond water; they love it!! Go figure!
Monday, July 26, 2010
A Pictorial View of my first clinic (LONG!)
So last friday night was my first ever clinic. It was pretty good. There were 50 people that had RSVP'd, and I think we probably had close to that show up. I was busy all day cleaning up the girls, trimming bridle paths, and scrubbing them till they sparkled. It was definitely a long day for me, but it was awesome. The pictures below should pretty much lay out what happened at the clinic. It will almost be like you were there! Just be a little considerate of how funny I look in many of the pictures. Most shots were snapped while I was talking and explaining things, so I look rather funny.
Things started with an introduction. I introduced myself, and learned quickly that I didn't need a mic, because I have a loud voice.
After introducing myself, I introduced the girls. I had Rachel up front, and I used her to introduce the group to the Belgian Breed. She's a very capable model and she sure looked good for the event. Pat Chase walked Rachel around for me.
Next came an introduction to the collar/hames style harness. I used my pretty nylon harness for this.
I tried to be as photogenic as Rachel was
Questions before we harness up Rachel?
Up Next ... Harnessing Rachel (Isn't she a gorgeous model?) Pat was a great extra set of hands!
Collar on, making front adjustments
Explaining about the harness
Adjusting the speider and breeching
Putting on the bridle
And here she is, a harnessed horse
Next was ground driving. I did a lap of example, and then my friend Yvonne took the lines. Yvonne is a lifelong horse person, but has never driven. She got to try everything I did after I showed her what to do.
More Ground driving
And more ground driving.
After ground driving, I set up to pull a tire around the arena. Jodi Fry did great at holding the lines for me while I got set up.
Explaining the single tree and how it works
Starting to work
More tire pulling
More tire pulling
Yvonne demonstrating the tire pull
Next thing to do is hook up a sled. I hooked the sled up.
Next I gave a few instructions and then drove the sled around. This was followed by Yvonne demonstrating the sled.
At this point, I told the audience we could either talk about team ground driving, or I could hitch up the wagon. We decided on the wagon, and hitched up. Roger Barnes, Pat Chase, and Mike Featherstone helped so we got it done quickly.
I then showed how to walk the horse with a wagon so they can get used to the sounds and noises it makes.
Next I hopped inside the wagon and drove around myself.
After that, it was time to take all the kids there for a wagon ride. They were very excited about that.
More of the kids,
And more of the kids,
And more. This kind of ride is the best in my opinion. The joy of children is awesome to behold.
After the kids were done, I offered to let anyone in the crowd who wanted to drive the wagon have a go at it. I had a few takers on that, and made some good friends out of it. SUCCESS! The clinic went well.
One of my favorite parts of the clinic was seeing all the teamster friends I've made. Chuck, Roger, Pat, and Jodi were all there. I also met a friend Jerry from my yahoo group. It was great to get all together and chat. I get the feeling we'll be trying to get together again soon. Always fun when you get together with people who share the same interests and hobbies.
I have to give a special thanks to my wife, and my teamster friends for helping to make this event happen. A big thank you to Connie Pitkin for letting us use her covered arena. Thanks also to my riding club, the easy rider saddle club, for providing the food and for getting so many people there. I'd definitely do this again if given the opportunity.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Picture of Rachel from the clinic
Monday, July 19, 2010
Line adjustment and coming around
My girls. Notice the letters I added to their blinders.
This last saturday, I got up at 5:45 AM and worked the girls for the first few hours of daylight. This is the only way to beat the summer heat. It was still 80 degrees, but at least it wasn't 100. If you recall my previous blog, I was looking into line adjustment. I found an article on rural heritage that talked about how to adjust your team lines. (Link Here) It basically said that for a 36 inch tree you should adjust your team lines so that your check line is 8 inches shorter than the outside line. He said that for a 42 inch tree, you should adjust the checkline out one more hole on the line. I got out a tape measure and did this. Turns out that for 8 inches of difference, I was on the hole closest to me. My tree is 42 inches, so I adjusted it out one more. I was pretty happy with this. Pam and Rachel did very well on it, so I was very pleased.
When I posted about what driving commands I use, Jim asked a very good question that I hadn't thought of. How do you train a horse to come around? It is a sidepassing motion, but not completely. The movement is more like the horse is the minute hand on a clock, and the wagon stays right in the middle. So how do you train this? I tried on both Rachel and Pam both individually, and it's a tough on. Both girls did not want to move their back end, they wanted to pivot on their rear feet and just turn the front end. What I was doing was giving a little more pressure on the inside of the turn, and keeping tension on the outside line as well. I was trying to communicate that I wanted them to turn, but that I didn't want them walking forward to do it. They were slightly catching on, but the most I could get was one step on the rear end, and that was from Pam. Rachel struggled grasping the concept.
There has to be a better way to teach that. My friend Pat has some Cathy Zahm vhs movies, and I'm going to borrow them. He says she covers it pretty well. In the meantime Jim, I'm not sure what the answer is. I'm definitley going to figure it out though. I haven't done that manuever since I had Lily, and she was already trained so that the minute you said "come around" she just did it. She was trained so well! Remembering this kind of thing really strikes the heart strings for me and makes me remember the wonderful things I miss on my wonderful horse.
I should also note that the farrier I use is AWESOME! His trim on Rachel's rear foot is doing a perfect job. She is carrying her weight on her frog like he wanted. This means that her tender sole and hoof wall where the abscess was is growing out great. I'm very happy with it and hopefully Rachel will be crossing rock roads without wincing in pain soon!
After I worked the girls, I hosed them down and let them dry, then I fly sprayed them. I actually got a few pics, so enjoy.
A shimmering wet Rachel
A nice clean Pam
Friday, July 16, 2010
Driving Commands
So I am writing up some things to get ready for this clinic, and I compiled a list of all the commands I use. I figured I would post it here, just so anyone else can see what I use.
Driving Commands
Step Up (may accompany with clicks) – move from stop to a walk.
Get Up – used in team driving to get one horse to step up and pull evenly with the other horse.
Trot Up (may accompany with kisses) – move from walk to a trot
Walk – move from trot to walk
Whoa – stop
Gee – turn right
Haw – turn left
Come Around – sidepass to the right or left
Back – back up
Easy – stand and be still; I also use this anytime I feel a horse is getting a bit anxious and needs to relax.
*NOTE – I always begin any driving command (except Easy) with the horse’s name. This lets my horse know that I am talking to it. This will help your horse not queue off any other person who might be saying those words. (Example: Rachel, Step Up; Rachel Gee; Rachel Whoa)
Driving Commands
Step Up (may accompany with clicks) – move from stop to a walk.
Get Up – used in team driving to get one horse to step up and pull evenly with the other horse.
Trot Up (may accompany with kisses) – move from walk to a trot
Walk – move from trot to walk
Whoa – stop
Gee – turn right
Haw – turn left
Come Around – sidepass to the right or left
Back – back up
Easy – stand and be still; I also use this anytime I feel a horse is getting a bit anxious and needs to relax.
*NOTE – I always begin any driving command (except Easy) with the horse’s name. This lets my horse know that I am talking to it. This will help your horse not queue off any other person who might be saying those words. (Example: Rachel, Step Up; Rachel Gee; Rachel Whoa)
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Clinic Attendance
So my clinic is next friday. We're trying to get a headcount on how many people to plan for, so if anyone reading this would like to come, please let me know. Thanks in advance!
Link to clinic information is HERE: http://thegreenteamster.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-first-clinic.html
Link to clinic information is HERE: http://thegreenteamster.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-first-clinic.html
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Summer update
It's HOT! I really hate summer. Not only is it way to hot to find any joy in being outside, but I feel bad working the girls because they're already sweating before I even attach a halter. I find myself waiting for storm systems and trying to get a few minutes before the rain hits or after if its not muddy. Needless to say ... the girls have been getting a break.
For Rachel this is a good thing. I had the farrier out, and he cut away a lot of dead frog and dead hoof on her rear left hoof (the one that had the bad abscess a few months back). he's really good at what he does, and had to trim her to get her weight to distribute onto parts of the hoof that aren't tender from that abscess. I was pretty shocked when I saw how much of her hoof was dead and regrowing. He told me that she needs to grow out and that until she does, I shouldn't work her hard. He said pulling something light in dirt is okay, but do NOT take her on rocks or on the road. So it looks like we get to play the waiting game for Rachel to grow out enough so that I can work her again.
Pam is busy being as sweet as ever. Giving her a job has been an awesome thing for her. I have found now more than ever that she comes right up to me when I call her, even if I'm holding the halter. It's very nice. We got some blood drawn today for a pregnancy test and so within a few days I'll know if next march we're expecting. Very cool!
I've been slowly starting to prepare for the clinic next friday night. I was expecting the clinic to be a small thing with a group of friends from the riding club, but it got advertised pretty well, including an article and picture in the company email news. With free pizza and prizes, I'm thinking we may have a few more people than I thought. I'm really looking forward to it though. Most of my teamster friends here are going to be there, so it'll be kind of cool just to have us all meet up. Pat, Jodi, Chuck, and Roger are all willing to help and have offered me any of their resources I need. I'm very grateful to have such good friends. I'm pretty sure that teamsters are a cut above the rest. Most horse people I've met will gladly give you the shirt off their back; but a teamster will give you their shirt and a harness for your horse too. :) I am very blessed to have such good friends.
I ended up not doing the parade on July 4th. Roger offered a horse and wagon to drive, but a local red dirt country band I play the drums for was playing a show up on Lake Texoma that night. We ended up having a practice that day at noon, so I figured it was probably best if I didn't rush up and rush back. In my experience, I've found that Horse + Rush = frustration and trouble.
I've been looking for bits online and all I can say is that the 3 slotted liverpool straight bit (for buckle lines) is a VERY popular bit and hard to find cheap. I need one so that I'll have 2 and can use them on both the girls. I've been scouring the web and can find them for 45+shipping. I found them on ebay for 35, but by the time I clicked the buy button, they were already sold out. Like I said ... popular bit! I did buy one liverpool with the two round openings for snap or buckle lines. That one will go on my nice looking single nylon harness, which makes sense since my single driving lines have a snap. The slotted bits will go on the team harness.
That's about it for me. Not much going on, just trying to beat the heat and get ready for the clinic next week.
I think I should take a moment and brag on my friend Pat's colt again. I went over the other night to pick up some hay and give Pat a line drop I got for him as a present. He had his mares and colts up and I got to see Ace again. Wow is that little guy put together well. He holds his head almost like a swan. Head way up, and nose down a bit. His shoulder line is awesome, and his feet and pasterns look awesome. Pat is going to try to show him in the upcoming Oklahoma State Fair. I'll probably see if I can't tag along for it. Usually the weanling winners are born in January, so Ace has a 2 month disadvantage there, but Pat figures by the time he gets to the yearling shows, he'll have no problem holding his own. He's beautiful to look at and really shows off the Belgian breed well. Great job on a great colt Pat!
For Rachel this is a good thing. I had the farrier out, and he cut away a lot of dead frog and dead hoof on her rear left hoof (the one that had the bad abscess a few months back). he's really good at what he does, and had to trim her to get her weight to distribute onto parts of the hoof that aren't tender from that abscess. I was pretty shocked when I saw how much of her hoof was dead and regrowing. He told me that she needs to grow out and that until she does, I shouldn't work her hard. He said pulling something light in dirt is okay, but do NOT take her on rocks or on the road. So it looks like we get to play the waiting game for Rachel to grow out enough so that I can work her again.
Pam is busy being as sweet as ever. Giving her a job has been an awesome thing for her. I have found now more than ever that she comes right up to me when I call her, even if I'm holding the halter. It's very nice. We got some blood drawn today for a pregnancy test and so within a few days I'll know if next march we're expecting. Very cool!
I've been slowly starting to prepare for the clinic next friday night. I was expecting the clinic to be a small thing with a group of friends from the riding club, but it got advertised pretty well, including an article and picture in the company email news. With free pizza and prizes, I'm thinking we may have a few more people than I thought. I'm really looking forward to it though. Most of my teamster friends here are going to be there, so it'll be kind of cool just to have us all meet up. Pat, Jodi, Chuck, and Roger are all willing to help and have offered me any of their resources I need. I'm very grateful to have such good friends. I'm pretty sure that teamsters are a cut above the rest. Most horse people I've met will gladly give you the shirt off their back; but a teamster will give you their shirt and a harness for your horse too. :) I am very blessed to have such good friends.
I ended up not doing the parade on July 4th. Roger offered a horse and wagon to drive, but a local red dirt country band I play the drums for was playing a show up on Lake Texoma that night. We ended up having a practice that day at noon, so I figured it was probably best if I didn't rush up and rush back. In my experience, I've found that Horse + Rush = frustration and trouble.
I've been looking for bits online and all I can say is that the 3 slotted liverpool straight bit (for buckle lines) is a VERY popular bit and hard to find cheap. I need one so that I'll have 2 and can use them on both the girls. I've been scouring the web and can find them for 45+shipping. I found them on ebay for 35, but by the time I clicked the buy button, they were already sold out. Like I said ... popular bit! I did buy one liverpool with the two round openings for snap or buckle lines. That one will go on my nice looking single nylon harness, which makes sense since my single driving lines have a snap. The slotted bits will go on the team harness.
That's about it for me. Not much going on, just trying to beat the heat and get ready for the clinic next week.
I think I should take a moment and brag on my friend Pat's colt again. I went over the other night to pick up some hay and give Pat a line drop I got for him as a present. He had his mares and colts up and I got to see Ace again. Wow is that little guy put together well. He holds his head almost like a swan. Head way up, and nose down a bit. His shoulder line is awesome, and his feet and pasterns look awesome. Pat is going to try to show him in the upcoming Oklahoma State Fair. I'll probably see if I can't tag along for it. Usually the weanling winners are born in January, so Ace has a 2 month disadvantage there, but Pat figures by the time he gets to the yearling shows, he'll have no problem holding his own. He's beautiful to look at and really shows off the Belgian breed well. Great job on a great colt Pat!
Friday, July 2, 2010
More teamwork
I tell you what ... having a nice storm system swirling about all week has been so awesome. I've played with my horses almost every night. I'm real happy about that.
Last night was teamwork night. 2 horses, one sled, 2 hours of work.
The highlight of the evening was to see that both horses are actually beginning to see that they are workhorses. Let me explain. It's one thing for a horse to tolerate a harness and then do what you say, and another for a horse to know that when the harness is on, they are gonna work and actually look forward to it. Rachel is changing right before my eyes and it's awesome. I always put her collar on by just sliding it over her head and down her neck. Up until this week she kind of mildly tolerated it. This week she is actually pushing her head through. I just hold the collar up over her nose and she does what she can to get it on. She knows where it goes and seems to want it on.
Also, the last few nights, she has surpassed Pam in wanting to pull. Rachel has been a constant step ahead of Pam the last few nights. This is different from Monday night when Pam was a step ahead. I find myself getting after Pam to step up, and then when Pam does do a quick step to get even with Rachel, I have to make sure to hold Rachel back so she doesn't just break into a trot to stay ahead.
Last night the girls seemed very full of energy and so I did lots of trotting with them. This is good because it let's us work on the "trot up" command I'm trying to ingrain in them. I was real impressed though. Both girls seemed to have no problem and I didn't have to get on them about wanting to stop either. Great progress.
The lowlight is my rein control. I'm not happy with things and need to do some research and try and get it to where I feel like I have more control on the lines. I think the biggest issue was that the girls seemed to not keep a constant relationship next to each other while working. Pam was always falling a step behind and in the process of stepping up, she would get really close to Rachel, or further away than she should. They have a yoke on, but sometimes they are 4 inches from each other, and other times they're over a foot away from each other. This makes it a nightmare to try and keep line tension good. Rachel seems steady as can be so I want to say that Pam is just not falling in line like she should. I don't know though. There were many times when I'd try to turn and I'd get the inside line on one horse with good tension, but there wouldn't be any tension on the outside line of the other horse.
I'm going to look more into team line adjustment. My current line setup up has me using some spreaders on the inside. The lines have a few holds where you can adjust the check lines. I don't know how to know when and what to adjust those to. I'm going to do some research in that and I'll try some things and let y'all know what I find out.
In other news ... I noticed that Pam is doing the head movements I talked about the other night anytime I stop. I unhooked the overcheck completely and got way too much head movement. I hooked it back up but gave her some slack in the line, and she would still lower her head till the overcheck was tight and then jerk it back up. Is it possible that she just likes the feeling of the twisted wire bit being tight? As of right now, she looks like she is constantly nodding "YES" when we're stopped.
I think I'm also going to switch out my 2 twisted wire bits with Liverpool straight shaft bits. These twisted bits came with the team harness and so I thought I'd try them. They work okay, but I don't feel like I'm getting the response I want. Maybe switching bits could help with Pam nodding her head too. Who knows.
Tomorrow I should be going to Paris Texas to be in a parade. Due to Rachel's hoof still healing up, I'm not bringing my own horse. I will most likely drive one of my friend Roger's horses on one of his wagons. He's got beautiful Belgian horses so I'm sure I won't mind at all. For more information on Roger, check out his website at http://www.oldtimetransport.com/.
Last night was teamwork night. 2 horses, one sled, 2 hours of work.
The highlight of the evening was to see that both horses are actually beginning to see that they are workhorses. Let me explain. It's one thing for a horse to tolerate a harness and then do what you say, and another for a horse to know that when the harness is on, they are gonna work and actually look forward to it. Rachel is changing right before my eyes and it's awesome. I always put her collar on by just sliding it over her head and down her neck. Up until this week she kind of mildly tolerated it. This week she is actually pushing her head through. I just hold the collar up over her nose and she does what she can to get it on. She knows where it goes and seems to want it on.
Also, the last few nights, she has surpassed Pam in wanting to pull. Rachel has been a constant step ahead of Pam the last few nights. This is different from Monday night when Pam was a step ahead. I find myself getting after Pam to step up, and then when Pam does do a quick step to get even with Rachel, I have to make sure to hold Rachel back so she doesn't just break into a trot to stay ahead.
Last night the girls seemed very full of energy and so I did lots of trotting with them. This is good because it let's us work on the "trot up" command I'm trying to ingrain in them. I was real impressed though. Both girls seemed to have no problem and I didn't have to get on them about wanting to stop either. Great progress.
The lowlight is my rein control. I'm not happy with things and need to do some research and try and get it to where I feel like I have more control on the lines. I think the biggest issue was that the girls seemed to not keep a constant relationship next to each other while working. Pam was always falling a step behind and in the process of stepping up, she would get really close to Rachel, or further away than she should. They have a yoke on, but sometimes they are 4 inches from each other, and other times they're over a foot away from each other. This makes it a nightmare to try and keep line tension good. Rachel seems steady as can be so I want to say that Pam is just not falling in line like she should. I don't know though. There were many times when I'd try to turn and I'd get the inside line on one horse with good tension, but there wouldn't be any tension on the outside line of the other horse.
I'm going to look more into team line adjustment. My current line setup up has me using some spreaders on the inside. The lines have a few holds where you can adjust the check lines. I don't know how to know when and what to adjust those to. I'm going to do some research in that and I'll try some things and let y'all know what I find out.
In other news ... I noticed that Pam is doing the head movements I talked about the other night anytime I stop. I unhooked the overcheck completely and got way too much head movement. I hooked it back up but gave her some slack in the line, and she would still lower her head till the overcheck was tight and then jerk it back up. Is it possible that she just likes the feeling of the twisted wire bit being tight? As of right now, she looks like she is constantly nodding "YES" when we're stopped.
I think I'm also going to switch out my 2 twisted wire bits with Liverpool straight shaft bits. These twisted bits came with the team harness and so I thought I'd try them. They work okay, but I don't feel like I'm getting the response I want. Maybe switching bits could help with Pam nodding her head too. Who knows.
Tomorrow I should be going to Paris Texas to be in a parade. Due to Rachel's hoof still healing up, I'm not bringing my own horse. I will most likely drive one of my friend Roger's horses on one of his wagons. He's got beautiful Belgian horses so I'm sure I won't mind at all. For more information on Roger, check out his website at http://www.oldtimetransport.com/.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
My first clinic.
In July I am putting on a clinic for the riding club I belong to. They just sent me the flier for it, so I figured I'd post it here.
Have you ever wished you could do more with your horse than just ride? Would you like to hitch to a wagon, skid some logs, even pull a stuck vehicle out of the mud? Your horse can do these things!! This month Easy Riders Saddle Club member Tim Adams will be doing a driving demonstration/clinic. Tim has been working with Belgian draft horses and is very passionate about all things hitch related. Tim has used his horses for many different things on his farm. He has been in parades and given Christmas wagon rides on Park street in Greenville last year. Tim currently has a team of Belgian horses he is working. Tim is going to cover topics that could enable any horseperson to begin working their horse into other uses, besides riding. Topics to be covered will include: a brief history of the Belgian horse breed, introduction to a work harness (collar/hames style), how to fit a harness to your horse, introduction to ground driving, introduction to using a sled. Tim wants this to be as hands on as possible, and hopes that anyone who wants to try their hand and driving will have the chance.
There is no charge for the demo/clinic and it is open to the public. The arena is covered with a limited amount of seating.
The Demonstration will be held at John & Connie Pitkins Farm at 3915 Old Mill Road, Greenville, TX 75402-5417 at 6pm on July 23, 2010.
The public is welcome.
Free gifts and Pizza will be handed out till gone. If interested, please email Yvonne Gurzell (yvonne.r.gurzell@L-3com.com) or Ann Sides (Ann.Sides@L-3com.com) so we can get a head count. You can also call Yvonne at 443-854-1042 for more information.
Directions to the Pitkins Farm:
From I-30, go south on Hwy 34 for 4.4 miles. Turn left on CR 3318. Go 1.2 miles on CR 3318 and turn left on Old Mill Road. The farm is on your right after you turn. You’ll see a large covered arena.
From L-3, go west on Hwy 1570. Approx. ½ mile turn left on Old Mill Road. Go 2.5 on Old Mill Rd. and you’ll see their place on the left, before you get to a “T” in the road.
Easy Rider Horse Club to sponsor a
Horse Driving Demo/Clinic
Horse Driving Demo/Clinic
with Tim Adams
July 23, 2010 – 6PM
Have you ever wished you could do more with your horse than just ride? Would you like to hitch to a wagon, skid some logs, even pull a stuck vehicle out of the mud? Your horse can do these things!! This month Easy Riders Saddle Club member Tim Adams will be doing a driving demonstration/clinic. Tim has been working with Belgian draft horses and is very passionate about all things hitch related. Tim has used his horses for many different things on his farm. He has been in parades and given Christmas wagon rides on Park street in Greenville last year. Tim currently has a team of Belgian horses he is working. Tim is going to cover topics that could enable any horseperson to begin working their horse into other uses, besides riding. Topics to be covered will include: a brief history of the Belgian horse breed, introduction to a work harness (collar/hames style), how to fit a harness to your horse, introduction to ground driving, introduction to using a sled. Tim wants this to be as hands on as possible, and hopes that anyone who wants to try their hand and driving will have the chance.
There is no charge for the demo/clinic and it is open to the public. The arena is covered with a limited amount of seating.
The Demonstration will be held at John & Connie Pitkins Farm at 3915 Old Mill Road, Greenville, TX 75402-5417 at 6pm on July 23, 2010.
The public is welcome.
Free gifts and Pizza will be handed out till gone. If interested, please email Yvonne Gurzell (yvonne.r.gurzell@L-3com.com) or Ann Sides (Ann.Sides@L-3com.com) so we can get a head count. You can also call Yvonne at 443-854-1042 for more information.
Directions to the Pitkins Farm:
From I-30, go south on Hwy 34 for 4.4 miles. Turn left on CR 3318. Go 1.2 miles on CR 3318 and turn left on Old Mill Road. The farm is on your right after you turn. You’ll see a large covered arena.
From L-3, go west on Hwy 1570. Approx. ½ mile turn left on Old Mill Road. Go 2.5 on Old Mill Rd. and you’ll see their place on the left, before you get to a “T” in the road.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Pam vs. the sled ... alone
We still have a storm systems swirling about, and for some weird reason, my house didn't get enough rain to make it muddy. This was wonderful! It meant that I could work the horses again!! Hooray!
My son wanted to ride, so I saddled up his horse, and let him at it. He's doing very well! I think the highlight of watching him tonight was watching him back Duncan up. He knew how to do it just from watching me. It was very cool to watch him give the command and see Duncan follow his orders. I sure am pleased with that kid!
Tonight I decided to give Pam a little one on one time with me and ... (duhn duhn duhn) ... the sled. She wasn't real keen on the idea of getting harnessed up while Rachel was all relaxed in the pen. Those two were talking back and forth, and I could just tell that Rachel was giving Pam a hard time. :)
Pam actually did well right out of the gate today. I did one loop ground driving her to make sure all her wiggles were out, and they were. She stood fine for me while I hooked up the single tree and the sled. Then we were off.
We did a few laps around the area close to my house, then we went out around the pasture. I found out something very interesting too. Together, those horses can pull my little sled to hell and back without breaking a sweat. However ... alone ... this sled is a great workout for them. When we were nearing a third the way around the pasture, I could see Pam starting to walk slower and slower. I chose to do a pre-emptive "whoa" before she stopped, that way it was my idea. She gladly stopped, and I could see that she was really working. She had a little bit of sweat around her collar, and her sides were moving good from breathing. She wasn't blowing by any means, but she was definitely working out.
After a short break, I had her step out again and we made it the next third the way around the pasture. I barely made this though. She tried to stop many times and I just kept coaxing her along. Pam was doing wonderful at listening and doing what I wanted.
The last third of the lap took the longest. I took a break every 100 feet or so, and I also stood on the back of the sled, behind the seat, so that my weight would drag as little as possible. This seemed to help her out a bit and I'm sure she appreciated it.
We only had one little trouble spot, and it was when we tried to get on the gravel driveway to cross through the gate closest to my house. With Pam, when the sled is on the gravel, I have to constantly tell her it's okay. I keep repeating "easy" to her, and she seemed able to make it through okay. She gets really poppy on her feet while that noise is happening though. Tonight, on the way back to the house, we were on the gravel and things seemed fine. Then she got more poppy on her feet, and broke into a little trot. I tried to pull her back, and she decided that rather than stop, she was getting off that loud gravel. She made a right turn while trotting out and I finally got her to stop when the sled was well off the gravel. Well ... I don't give up on that kind of stuff. I gave her a small break and listened to my son laughing. He was sitting on his horse, 50 feet away, just laughing at me. He thought it was sooo funny that Pam trotted off the road. What a kid! LOL. Once the break was over, I did a big loop and got on the gravel much sooner than the previous time. This meant that we'd be on gravel for a longer amount of time. This time, my words calmed her and she did just fine.
By the time we got back to the house and did a few more laps, that girl was pooped! I unhooked the sled and drive her back to be tied so I could take her harness off.
OK ... so now I have a question that I need some input on. Jim, Claire, or anyone else ... please let me know what you would do. When I tied Pam up, she started getting real impatient about removing the bridle. She just kept throwing her head down over and over again. The over-check was still hooked up, so she could only go so far, but she was just being a turd about it. My first thought was to keep it on her and let her stand for a while with it. However, I had just completely worn her out and was very pleased with her progress. What I did, was to walk over, make her stand completely still before I would unhook the over-check line and remove the bridle, and then removed the rest of the harness. Was that the right thing to do? I sure don't want to encourage her into thinking that throwing her head around gets it taken off. On the other hand, I didn't want tonight's wonderful hitch training to be overshadowed by a standing lesson when she was plum worn out. What would y'all do?
I sure hope this cold front stays around. I'm really enjoying being able to make use of this summer daylight!
My son wanted to ride, so I saddled up his horse, and let him at it. He's doing very well! I think the highlight of watching him tonight was watching him back Duncan up. He knew how to do it just from watching me. It was very cool to watch him give the command and see Duncan follow his orders. I sure am pleased with that kid!
My son on his horse. He's doing awesome!
Pam actually did well right out of the gate today. I did one loop ground driving her to make sure all her wiggles were out, and they were. She stood fine for me while I hooked up the single tree and the sled. Then we were off.
We did a few laps around the area close to my house, then we went out around the pasture. I found out something very interesting too. Together, those horses can pull my little sled to hell and back without breaking a sweat. However ... alone ... this sled is a great workout for them. When we were nearing a third the way around the pasture, I could see Pam starting to walk slower and slower. I chose to do a pre-emptive "whoa" before she stopped, that way it was my idea. She gladly stopped, and I could see that she was really working. She had a little bit of sweat around her collar, and her sides were moving good from breathing. She wasn't blowing by any means, but she was definitely working out.
After a short break, I had her step out again and we made it the next third the way around the pasture. I barely made this though. She tried to stop many times and I just kept coaxing her along. Pam was doing wonderful at listening and doing what I wanted.
The last third of the lap took the longest. I took a break every 100 feet or so, and I also stood on the back of the sled, behind the seat, so that my weight would drag as little as possible. This seemed to help her out a bit and I'm sure she appreciated it.
I actually stepped away to snap a shot of the sled and horse together. Pam was enjoying her breaks!
We only had one little trouble spot, and it was when we tried to get on the gravel driveway to cross through the gate closest to my house. With Pam, when the sled is on the gravel, I have to constantly tell her it's okay. I keep repeating "easy" to her, and she seemed able to make it through okay. She gets really poppy on her feet while that noise is happening though. Tonight, on the way back to the house, we were on the gravel and things seemed fine. Then she got more poppy on her feet, and broke into a little trot. I tried to pull her back, and she decided that rather than stop, she was getting off that loud gravel. She made a right turn while trotting out and I finally got her to stop when the sled was well off the gravel. Well ... I don't give up on that kind of stuff. I gave her a small break and listened to my son laughing. He was sitting on his horse, 50 feet away, just laughing at me. He thought it was sooo funny that Pam trotted off the road. What a kid! LOL. Once the break was over, I did a big loop and got on the gravel much sooner than the previous time. This meant that we'd be on gravel for a longer amount of time. This time, my words calmed her and she did just fine.
By the time we got back to the house and did a few more laps, that girl was pooped! I unhooked the sled and drive her back to be tied so I could take her harness off.
OK ... so now I have a question that I need some input on. Jim, Claire, or anyone else ... please let me know what you would do. When I tied Pam up, she started getting real impatient about removing the bridle. She just kept throwing her head down over and over again. The over-check was still hooked up, so she could only go so far, but she was just being a turd about it. My first thought was to keep it on her and let her stand for a while with it. However, I had just completely worn her out and was very pleased with her progress. What I did, was to walk over, make her stand completely still before I would unhook the over-check line and remove the bridle, and then removed the rest of the harness. Was that the right thing to do? I sure don't want to encourage her into thinking that throwing her head around gets it taken off. On the other hand, I didn't want tonight's wonderful hitch training to be overshadowed by a standing lesson when she was plum worn out. What would y'all do?
I sure hope this cold front stays around. I'm really enjoying being able to make use of this summer daylight!
More teamwork
Last night I got home from work and the temperature was in the mid nineties. It looked like there were clouds to the west and north, and I was thinking how nice a storm system would be. Well after an hour I had a wonderful thing happen. I looked outside and noticed that there was a wind blowing. I stepped outside to feel the heavenly feel of a temp in the 80s. A cold front was coming through! With weather like that, I knew just what to do!
I had the girls haltered and led up to the house in no time at all. They were all brushed out, hooves picked, and fly sprayed in no time. I kept an eye on the west, and kept guessing whether or not I had time before the rain came to work the girls. I finally decided to heed the words of Nike, and "Just do it". I got the girls harnessed up and hooked them up to the sled for some good training/exercise!
Some interesting things I noticed this work session:
I'll try to make my wife take pictures of me next time. She had put in a 10 hour day, so I didn't make her come out and snap a few pictures. Next time I will. :)
I had the girls haltered and led up to the house in no time at all. They were all brushed out, hooves picked, and fly sprayed in no time. I kept an eye on the west, and kept guessing whether or not I had time before the rain came to work the girls. I finally decided to heed the words of Nike, and "Just do it". I got the girls harnessed up and hooked them up to the sled for some good training/exercise!
Some interesting things I noticed this work session:
- I am so grateful for Rachel!! Rachel is trained pretty well. She really knows her job, and you can pull her out of the pasture after a month of not doing much and she is as ready and steady as she was the last time I worked her. I believe this comes with a horse who has quite a few miles under their belt. Pam on the other hand, is not this way. The minute that bridle was on, she started throwing her head and acting like she'd never had one on. I double checked the bridle to make sure it was correctly adjusted to see if maybe she was trying to tell me something, but it all checked out fine.
When I started working the horses with the sled, Rachel was the steady girl who responded exactly like I said. Pam was quite flighty at first. She didn't want to stop for anything. Keep in mind that when I work these girls, I am doing it alone, so in order for me to hook up the double tree and the sled, the girls have to stand still. It took Pam 5 minutes of woah's to finally stand still. She would stop with a woah, then 2 seconds later try to walk again. I was steadfast and immovable in my commands though, and soon she was standing still. Once hooked up to the sled Pam did great, but she would still take a few minutes to stop moving and trying to walk. This is where having an awesome horse like Rachel is great.
Having Rachel there is really enabling me to train Pam at a faster rate than I could without her. When Pam gets flighty, or spooky and starts popping her feet up, Rachel is there, sound and calm by her side, holding her back and in her place. When I issue a "woah", Rachel stops and stands and is perfect, helping Pam realize that she's okay and that she can stop. Rachel also helps to be an anchor so that when Pam tries to start walking, she has an anchor to her side that won't move. Without Rachel, I would not be driving Pam in front of a sled or wagon yet. Because of Rachel, I have a 15 year old brood-mare for life, that is stepping out perfectly on command, and responding to the input on the bit very nice. Rachel is the reason Pam is as good as she is. This is so awesome, because Pam is built like a tank, and I don't think I've ever worn her out yet. She's going to be an incredible worker when I get to my goal of doing my own hay with horses. As of right now, Rachel is the brains, and Pam is the brawn!
- The sled I built is a real lightweight one. Last night I got to see first hand how light it is when being pulled by a team. Pam, was quite anxious at first, and I knew that once I wore the edge off of her with work, she'd fall right in line and respond better. How long would you figure it would take to wear the initial edge off a Belgian mare on my sled? I figured a few laps and I'd be good to go. WRONG. Try 30 minutes. That's right. For the first 30 minutes of doing laps around my place, anytime I stopped, Pam was antsy to get moving, and she wasn't even breathing hard. I figured that dragging a sled with my fat butt on it would not be an easy task. I guess I was wrong when it comes to this sled I built.
After 30 minutes, and going up every hill my flat property has to offer, I finally reached the point where I could say woah, and Pam would stand still. I could also see her breathing a tad heavier. So ... the lesson here is ... draft horses are so much stronger than we give them credit. A friend of mine named Marty told me to build a sled out of 8 foot long telephone poles as runners and then deck the top of it. In my mind I thought there was no way they'd be able to pull that. After watching how they pull my sled, I believe that they could pull that with no problems and it would be a great workout for them. Look for a new sled to be constructed soon.
- The last observation is simple ... having a sled with a seat is AWESOME and the only way to go! Last night was the first time I have used my sled with the seat installed. That was nice! Up till now I was so busy trying to balance while standing on the sled that it was really hard to focus on my line tension and make sure the girls were working like I wanted. Last night, I sat there all relaxed and focused on making the girls go where I wanted. It was great!
I'll try to make my wife take pictures of me next time. She had put in a 10 hour day, so I didn't make her come out and snap a few pictures. Next time I will. :)
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Snakes!
Water Moccassin aka Cotton Mouth (image from internet)
This post doesn't have much to do with horses, but more about life on the farm. Let me also preface this, by stating that I appreciate that snakes are a vital part to any ecosystem, but I have taken the stance that if I see a snake, I kill it, unless I can instantly identify that it is a non-dangerous type (like the green/black striped racers I see in the pond). If I see a snake that is black, I don't take a chance on guessing about how dangerous it is. I have a son who plays outdoors quite a bit, and I have taken this stance to make sure the snake population stays low around our house. We also make sure that we have no leaf litter or any other debris piles near the house where they could hide. We try to discourage them from coming near our home, in hopes of saving their lives.
Since I moved to this place in 2005, I have seen many snakes. Being a non-Texas resident, the snakes were new varieties that I had never seen. I had heard enough tales from people to make me beleive that every snake I saw was a water moccassin aka cotton mouth. This breed is VERY venomous, and very aggressive. If this breed has the choice of fight or flight, it chooses fight almost every time.
As the years have passed, I have begun to study the different snakes as I kill them and tried to determine if these snakes I'm seeing really are moccasins, or something else. A recent trip to Utah was awesome for this. We went to the zoo, and they had one. I immediately noticed that this snake was a short and super thick snake. The one in the zoo was around 3 foot long, and was as thick around as my forearm in the middle. This specimen in the zoo was obviously a very old one.
This year has been horrible with snakes. This spring, I have had 8 ducks, and 20 chickens that have been laying eggs. This means I have had an over-abundance of eggs. The snakes learned of this, and I have been battling them. This week alone I have killed 4 rat snakes, all longer than 4.5 feet. To help with this, I have now disposed of all duck nests, and I gather my chicken eggs daily. I am trying to remove the food source, so that these snakes will take their appetites elsewhere.
This morning I opened the chicken coop, and found a poor frog stuck in the chicken wire of my brooder. Inside my chicken coop, I have a separate brooder that the chickens cannot get into. A big ol' frog had tried to go through the chicken wire and gotten stuck. His head and front legs were through it, and his rear legs and midsection where stuck. I have seen this frog in the chicken coop all year, and he was just a resident there. I had compassion on him, and helped squeeze his legs together so he could finish getting through the wire.
So tonight as I was gathering eggs, I looked in the brooder to see this frog. Instead of a frog, I found a snake, curled up in the corner. Right away, I noticed that this snake was not a rat snake like I've been seeing all year. This snake was much shorter, and he was pure black on top. His nose was also more pointy than the rat snakes. I also noticed a fat section in his body, which immediately let me know where Mr. Frog was now residing. :(
My son was with me, and I took this opportunity to show him the snake, and explain what had happened. We talked about why the snake was there, and what he had just done to poor Mr. Frog.
The next paragraph is of me disposing of the snake and some things I noticed. It could be considered graphic, so if you wish to not know of this, please skip this paragraph. I keep a spade shovel in the chicken coop just for snake disposing. I told my son to stand way back, and then I grabbed the shovel. First, I pinned the snake to the ground in the middle. The snake began striking the shovel and I noticed two things. One, was a milky fluid flying all over the place, and the other was a smell. A very rank musty smell began to spread. I had obviously identified this snake correctly, because the milky stuff was venom, and the musty smell was something I had read about. I slowly worked the snake out of the brooder, always make sure I had him pinned so that he was in as much control as could be. This lead to me pinning him right behind the head with the shovel and with one pound from my boot, the shovel did the job. The snake was now head-less, and not as dangerous ( keeping in mind that the head was still dangerous!)
Snake Body: Notice the texture of the scales. Reminds me of a tire. Not smooth.
This pic was to show the length in contrast to my spade shovel.
Snake Head: Click on this to see the texture. Very amazing to me.
Underside of Snake: This was a creamy yellow color.
I then took this opportunity to teach my son about this snake. I showed him the texture of the snake, and it's colors. I also used a stick to show him the inside of the mouth and how big the fangs were. I swear, the fangs on this thing were as long as it's head was! I also took some pictures just so I could know for myself what a moccasin looks like. I taught him that we only kill snakes if they are interfereing with our life and that we try to do our best from discouraging them from interacting with us in the first place. We then walked over to the pond and tossed the snake in it. The snapping turtles we have do a wonderful job of disposing of these kind of things.
That's life on the farm. I am very happy to now know firsthand what moccasins look like at our place, so that in the future, I will be able to readily identify them. This may save a few rat snakes lives! :)
Monday, June 21, 2010
Riding with my boy
Is there any better feeling than riding a horse out on the trail with your boy? I think not. My son has been really itching to ride lately, and so I told him that tonight would be the night.
Of course, this meant that when I got home, I was immediately assaulted with verbal pleas from the boy. Since it was 5 o'clock and over 90 degree's, I talked him into playing a video game for an hour or so till it cooled down a tad.
That time flew by, and soon it was time. The wife had gone to a pampered chef party, and it was guys night out. If you were to ask my son what that means, he would respond with a loud "IT MEANS WE HAVE FUN!!!". Duncan was a perfect gentleman and once I tied his rope halter on, Riley escorted him over near the garage. We then brushed him down good, and began saddling him up. Once saddled, I walked Riley around a few laps so he could get over some initial fears, however, he'd tell you that it was to "make sure Duncan is calm for the ride". That kid cracks me up. I then turned him loose while I went and got Rachel and saddled her up.
Riley did really well. I was very happy with him. He showed a lot more control this time in the saddle. I had to keep on him a little bit about letting the horse have the line back after he points him in the direction he wants to go, but he showed major improvement. I was very impressed with Duncan. I could not have a better horse for him. He was calm, and very patient with Riley.
I hopped on Rachel, and we were off. This was where Duncan really impressed me. Duncan basically showed his trail riding wisdom by just following me. If ever he seemed to be slowing up behind, I could just yell for him and he would start walking towards me. This is wonderful! It allowed my son to gain a lot of confidence, and have a lot of fun, while at the same time, allowing me to not worry about them getting into trouble. A while back we borrowed a pony named Smokie that was this way. Smokie is an amazing pony, and it's awesome to see Duncan have similar traits.
We went riding in the 100 acres behind my house. I got permission from the owners to ride on it, and it's pretty good. No trails, but some nice pasture and tree's. It was a nice peaceful ride. I had a wonderful time.
What a night. I love doing things like this with my son. His talking is just music to my ears. He says some of the funniest stuff. I'm real proud of that kid, and so happy that we share the same hobby. It doesn't get much better than that.
Pictures are attached. One is of Rachel all saddled up. Another 2 are of Riley just posing on his horse. I snapped a picture of my goslings. I have to say that my friend Kim is right as can be on ganders raising goslings. I still have all 5 goslings and that gander makes sure nothing gets near them. I also snapped a picture of feed time. 3 happy horses eating after a nice ride.
I should note, that Pam was going bonkers in the pen. I had the sprinkler on to help the grass not burn up, and I got to watch her totally wipe out as she tried sprinting through the pen. She went down and slid on her side about 10 feet. Then she got up and acted like nothing happened. So funny. I think you had to be there though.
Of course, this meant that when I got home, I was immediately assaulted with verbal pleas from the boy. Since it was 5 o'clock and over 90 degree's, I talked him into playing a video game for an hour or so till it cooled down a tad.
That time flew by, and soon it was time. The wife had gone to a pampered chef party, and it was guys night out. If you were to ask my son what that means, he would respond with a loud "IT MEANS WE HAVE FUN!!!". Duncan was a perfect gentleman and once I tied his rope halter on, Riley escorted him over near the garage. We then brushed him down good, and began saddling him up. Once saddled, I walked Riley around a few laps so he could get over some initial fears, however, he'd tell you that it was to "make sure Duncan is calm for the ride". That kid cracks me up. I then turned him loose while I went and got Rachel and saddled her up.
Riley did really well. I was very happy with him. He showed a lot more control this time in the saddle. I had to keep on him a little bit about letting the horse have the line back after he points him in the direction he wants to go, but he showed major improvement. I was very impressed with Duncan. I could not have a better horse for him. He was calm, and very patient with Riley.
I hopped on Rachel, and we were off. This was where Duncan really impressed me. Duncan basically showed his trail riding wisdom by just following me. If ever he seemed to be slowing up behind, I could just yell for him and he would start walking towards me. This is wonderful! It allowed my son to gain a lot of confidence, and have a lot of fun, while at the same time, allowing me to not worry about them getting into trouble. A while back we borrowed a pony named Smokie that was this way. Smokie is an amazing pony, and it's awesome to see Duncan have similar traits.
We went riding in the 100 acres behind my house. I got permission from the owners to ride on it, and it's pretty good. No trails, but some nice pasture and tree's. It was a nice peaceful ride. I had a wonderful time.
What a night. I love doing things like this with my son. His talking is just music to my ears. He says some of the funniest stuff. I'm real proud of that kid, and so happy that we share the same hobby. It doesn't get much better than that.
Pictures are attached. One is of Rachel all saddled up. Another 2 are of Riley just posing on his horse. I snapped a picture of my goslings. I have to say that my friend Kim is right as can be on ganders raising goslings. I still have all 5 goslings and that gander makes sure nothing gets near them. I also snapped a picture of feed time. 3 happy horses eating after a nice ride.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Back from camping!
Well I'm back. Last week I was camping with Rachel. For my church, they had an activity where they were re-enacting the pioneer handcart company treks across the US. Many of the adult leaders were on horseback, and two of us were asked to come along as the wranglers for the group. It was our job to feed, water, saddle, unsaddle, and basically just care for the horses. The adults had many things to tend to, so having us care for all horses was a must. Since I knew we would have some downtime, I took Rachel, her harness, a singletree, and her saddle and other tack. We camped up at the LBJ Grasslands near Decatur Texas. It is public land and was an awesome spot for horse riding!
It was very cool to camp with Rachel. I've never done this before. It's a whole lot more work than camping without horses, but it was pretty dang cool. We brought stalls for the horses since we were caring for 12 horses. The pictures attached show a few of the pens configured and you can see Rachel in one of them. Water was about 300 feet away and provided by means of a windmill on a well. We basically had to dip 5 gallon buckets in a giant round water trof that the well/windmill emptied into.
I got to ride Rachel the first night there and the one picture is of me riding her. She decided to stretch her head forward right as the picture was snapped, so she looks pretty funny. I took the other picture from her back.
My highlight for the trip, was swimming with Rachel! There was a pond, and even though I'd only ridden Rachel a handful of times, I was able to coax her into the water. She had a good time splashing and playing in it. I got her to go deep enough that she was fully swimming. I was on her back, the water to my chest, and her nose was just above the water. I could feel her feet a paddling for all they were worth. I was taught that the correct way to do this, is that when the horse looses it's footing and begins swimming, you are supposed to let go of the reins and just hold on to the mane. Then once you feel them getting their feet back under them, to swap back. I did this a few times and it was so fun. I was so impressed with this sweet horse of mine and very happy with her willingness to do what I asked.
Taking care of 12 horses was quite a task. I am very tired, and wore out muscles that I didn't know I still had. :) I did find sometime one afternoon to do some ground driving. I was going to drag some downed tree's around with Rachel, but then we went horse swimming instead.
Good times! I hope to camp some more with horses! Lots of fun.
It was very cool to camp with Rachel. I've never done this before. It's a whole lot more work than camping without horses, but it was pretty dang cool. We brought stalls for the horses since we were caring for 12 horses. The pictures attached show a few of the pens configured and you can see Rachel in one of them. Water was about 300 feet away and provided by means of a windmill on a well. We basically had to dip 5 gallon buckets in a giant round water trof that the well/windmill emptied into.
I got to ride Rachel the first night there and the one picture is of me riding her. She decided to stretch her head forward right as the picture was snapped, so she looks pretty funny. I took the other picture from her back.
My highlight for the trip, was swimming with Rachel! There was a pond, and even though I'd only ridden Rachel a handful of times, I was able to coax her into the water. She had a good time splashing and playing in it. I got her to go deep enough that she was fully swimming. I was on her back, the water to my chest, and her nose was just above the water. I could feel her feet a paddling for all they were worth. I was taught that the correct way to do this, is that when the horse looses it's footing and begins swimming, you are supposed to let go of the reins and just hold on to the mane. Then once you feel them getting their feet back under them, to swap back. I did this a few times and it was so fun. I was so impressed with this sweet horse of mine and very happy with her willingness to do what I asked.
Taking care of 12 horses was quite a task. I am very tired, and wore out muscles that I didn't know I still had. :) I did find sometime one afternoon to do some ground driving. I was going to drag some downed tree's around with Rachel, but then we went horse swimming instead.
Good times! I hope to camp some more with horses! Lots of fun.
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