Horses here, there and everywhere!

 Wow - can you believe I've got another update here?   I've had the meat of the post ready for a while, but haven't had the pics to go with it.  I'm working on getting caught up and then hopefully I'll be able to stay current-ish with posts.

The last year has seen a lot of changes in my little herd. The collective herd is now NOT little, with 8 horses between my friend and I.  We co-own 3: Rip, Ivy and a new broodmare, Momma Mia.  I own Fred and Copper and she has Spunky and Lucy. My friend boards a mare for her sister, which makes 8! The reason I include all of these horses in “my” herd is that I help train and handle most of them! 

Ivy and Fred this spring. Fred looks teeny in this pic. Lol

My friend moved back to her childhood farm this May and by early June, all but Fred and Copper had moved to her place.  I am ok with just the two boys here for now, as I had a full house all winter, with horses inside, outside and Fred boarded to get some training.

We found a new broodmare this spring – I don’t want to say we “rescued” her, but we rehomed her for a very low price.  The lady that owned her had a big herd and was having some life issues and was downsizing.    We had a bit of vet work to do to get her back to what I consider the basics – teeth, vaccines, hoof trims, etc.   She is a registered QH with some decent older bloodlines.  She has good bone, great feet (despite a bit of neglect) and a fantastic temperament.

Ivy on the left, Mamma Mia on the right.

The mare is sweet as pie and has loved all the attention we’ve been giving her (and grain, let’s be honest!). Well, accept for the farrier… We had to use meds to sedate her so we could get her trimmed.   Her feet hadn’t been trimmed in over a year (!) so that was important to do.  The good thing is that despite not being up to date on vet/farrier work, she was in good shape. 

She approaches you cautiously, then comes in for scratches and attention.

We were able to get her all checked out and then we bred her in June to a nice local red roan QH stallion owned by an acquaintance.    We did the 45 day ultrasound and all looks good, so cross your fingers for a foal next May!

Momma Mia will stand here and quietly nicker until you give her a treat.

I boarded my friend’s sister’s mare, Tilly here for a couple of months this spring while my friend moved and settled in.  I put a few rides on the mare to see how broke she was.  Long story short: she is broke w/t/c and whoa. She doesn’t have any fancy buttons, but seems to be a solid equine citizen.  I’m still helping with this horse as her owner has major fear issues. 

Tilly is nice and quiet and should be good for my friend in time.  Tilly is a cute grey APHA mare and is not in foal, despite looking a bit round in the pic below!

Tilly - the grey (not in foal!!) mare

Ivy and Mamma Mia on the left

I don't have any pics of me riding, but I have been in the saddle a few times this summer.  I can't say that I'm loving riding at the moment (WEIRD!!) so not sure what is going on there. Something to unpack over the fall and winter maybe??

An update on Fred

 Well, this update is long overdue! I meant to write it in January, but here we are.  Lol.  

Fred went to live with an acquaintance of mine that was looking for a horse to work with over the winter. She just bought a little farm with a nice indoor, so it seemed like a good fit.  I took him there Dec 1 and he is due to come home on May 1. I'll be happy to have him him home- I miss the big red goofball!

The goal of sending him was to get him going under saddle.  He wouldn't be getting formal training rides 5-6x a week like you might expect, but just 2-3 sessions.  This lady isn't a trainer per se, but has started a few horses in the past.

I sat on Fred a couple of times this fall and he was having a hard time figuring out the whole "forward" part of working under saddle.  This was resolved pretty quickly at the new barn.  I went to see him in early January to see how he was going.  

Side note: We've been in and out of lockdowns pretty much since Christmas, so I've really limited any trips to do anything. Fred's barn is over an hour away, so not a quick trip.

He was even doing a bit of trot under saddle at my first visit!

Trotting Fred!

By all accounts, he has been super quiet and hasn't offered to buck or spook, even when the snow came zippering off the coverall roof!  The only thing that got him a bit upset was being nipped at and followed by the lady's two heelers.  Lol. 

He tends to just meander along at the trot so far - the lady says that she has been working on adjusting the trot speed a bit, but that he is still pretty green.  Here is a video from Jan 2, so only a month under saddle at this place.  We noticed that he is just a bit NQR in the front and it would get better as she worked him and it wasn't as obvious some days vs others.  

My next visit was in March and he was starting to canter a bit under saddle! Woohoo Fred.  He is a bit clumsy with those long legs of his, so the lady was just working the canter when he felt steady.  

At then end of March/early April, Fred blew two abscesses - one in each back foot... D'oh!

He needed antibiotics for the swelling and both blew out the heel bulb, so they were not pleasant for the poor guy!  He has been starting back with doing a bit of walk work now, so hopefully he is ok moving forward.  He did the abscess thing to me this time last year as well.  

Moving forward, the vet and farrier recommended shoes for him or possibly hoof boots. I'll be measuring him for hoof boots to start, as I would prefer that over shoes to try first.  He seems to get bruised soles in the transition seasons when there is lumpy frozen mud out in the paddock.  He could also stay in more during those times...there are a few options to check.  I also had him tested for PSSM (negative thankfully!) just to rule some things out.    

He enjoyed his bodywork session.  Lol at the pally mare getting in the photo...

I found a great bodyworker and she has worked on him for two sessions so far. I think he'll need more maintenance than an average 6yo horse due to his wacky conformation and his size.  He is at least 16.3hh now, maybe even 17hh!  (Note to self: buy a proper stick!).   I'm really looking forward to having him home and having eyeballs on him more regularly.  The lady did a good job with him, but he isn't her horse, so some things just don't get done the same way I would have.  That is ok - part of the risk/considerations when sending a horse out for training.  

I'm a little apprehensive about riding Fred, since he is so huge.  I'm really short, so I've never really looked at or ridden tall horses. Spencer was 15hh on a good day!  I'm sure I'll get used to it though, as he is really the only rideable horse I have.  (Note to self: buy a new helmet)

And now I'm all caught up with Fred.  More updates on the rest of the herd/life to follow!  

I'm still here!

I think I'm currently the world's worst blogger!!! Lol  I didn't meant to take a break, since I've been busy with horse stuff!   Work was super busy over the winter and is just starting to ease up now, so I feel like I can breathe a bit and do some other things!

A few quick updates:

Spring is coming - woohoo!

Rip is fine and growing like a weed! Mom is doing well too.  I have a lot of pictures and video, so will try and get myself organized and post some chronological updates.  I really want to have a record of things with this first (adorable but a bit bitey) foal. 

Mom was enjoying some cookies and Rip can now see over the door!

Fred is fine (mostly) and learning to work under saddle. He has some minor-ish hoof issues that I'll talk about later, once I get myself organized and gets some updates sorted out!  I also have some video of him working under saddle so that is a first that I have some actual media! Lol

Fred is doing well and is cantering under saddle a bit now!

A little road trip - mares and foals

Yesterday I piled into a truck with 3 friends and we took off on a little road trip.  We didn't venture far, just a couple of hours away to visit a friend's foals.  My friend has 2 mares that she bred - one foal is 22 days old and the other one is about 2 months old.

so cute. omg.  22 days.

And you guys?  I turned into a teenaged-horse-loving-weirdo all over again!  lol  I couldn't get enough of their soft fuzzy coats and soft little muzzles.  I have horses at home and can visit them multiple times per day... but these ones were just extra cute. 

2 months and lots of sass

The barn was full of mares and babies: 2 more mares were about to have babies, 2 yearlings (omg so cute) and 2 older broodies.  What a different place than most barns with riding horses.    The guy that owns this barn has agreed to take our mare Lucy next December to foal her out.   He has been breeding horses for ages and loves the breeding/foaling part of horses the best. He is retired, so he also works with the babies to get them to lead, pick up their feet, etc. 

*sigh* so cute. 

I totally fell for this yearling colt - he just wanted attention and scritches and would nicker if we walked away.  He is out of a reining stud, so not really what I would look for in a riding horse, but man, if I had lots of disposable income, I might have bought him on the spot!   The owner was also trying to sell me one of his broodmares - a cute chestnut appendix mare - who is the mom of the colt above.  I had to laugh at his sales attempt, but my budget is sadly fixed and won't allow for another mouth to feed right now. 


We ended our visit with a few adult beverages and a nice home cooked dinner.  I hope I get to make the trip out here again in a few weeks when there will be even more foals! 

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday: Yahooo!!!!!

This:

Plus this:

Equals this:

Yasssss!!!!

And now we wait and cross our fingers that all goes well.  I'm not good at waiting.  

via GIPHY

Halter horses - On Breeding and choosing a stud muffin – part 2

Continuing on from part 1 of my halter series, this post goes a little more into why we are choosing to breed and what we hope to achieve with the foal. 

I will admit that I'm a little torn on the whole breeding thing.  There are so many horses out there that need homes and breeding your cute mare to a nice stud usually isn’t the best choice.  I can tell you that if I was looking for a riding horse, I would not be breeding.  That being said, owning and training a foal has been on my bucket list for eons, so having a chance to potentially cross something off my bucket list is pretty exciting.

Totally me...

Our decision to breed was based on a few factors:

• Major bucket list item for me
• My friend has the mare and wants to take care of the breeding, I want to show the foal and she doesn’t, so it is a good split
• We have help from “The Boss”, our halter guru and good friend
• A crappy exchange rate on the US dollar – that ruled out buying a baby from the US (taxes, shipping, etc. on top of the purchase price make this a tough option).  Although, our stud is in the US, but we just had the flat rate stud fee in USD, so that was manageable.
• No high quality halter AQHA/APHA breeders “locally” – which to me is within 8-10 hrs drive
• Lots of breed show class options for weanlings – 3yos without worrying about under saddle training
  • halter
  • longe line (APHA)
  • In hand trail (APHA)
  • Showmanship

I don’t have a lot of science to go on for choosing a stud, but more about the general principles we used.  Keep in mind we also had a very experienced exhibitor and breeder (aka The Boss) guiding us.  I don’t know that this is something I would tackle on my own without extensive help.

The mare we are breeding has a few criteria that are important to us:

1. proven broodmare
2. 5 panel negative (HYPP N/N in particular)
3. halter bred w/ good bloodlines
4. local show record

Baby Mamma

There are many theories to breeding and choosing horses that will produce well and as a newbie, I know very little about this.  Do you pick something that is similar in quality to the mare and hope she produces higher quality?  What about a stud that is known to throw a specific trait you are looking for – ie – height? Or do you choose the best quality stud you can afford and cross your fingers it all works out?


In my opinion, we are starting with a good quality mare, not a superior quality mare.  So, we are hoping for a foal of high quality, by choosing a stud that is superior quality.  Our plans are to show locally and maybe hope for something that could be competitive in provincial/state futurities. 

Our specific criteria for the stud fluctuated a bit and we both made up a short list of our top 5 choices.  In the end, we went with one that was on both our lists that was made a bit more accessible by the Boss and someone she knows.  Our criteria were (in no specific order):

1. tall – at least 16hh - and known to throw height
2. good conformation
3. overall “wow” appearance
4. proven halter bloodlines
5. proven show record – in this case, we were looking for Congress and AQHA/APHA world show wins, not local shows
6. proven offspring – in this case, futurity halter wins (over $100K US in 2019!) and APHA world show wins
7. 5 panel negative (HYPP N/N in particular)
8. optional – double registered AQHA/APHA (for more local show options)

The stud we choose hit all the criteria except #8.  He is APHA only and AQHA does not recognize APHA studs on AQHA mares.  APHA recognizes the reverse, but that isn’t the case for us. 

Image from an ad online

Many halter horses are N/H (they tend to gain more muscle if they are N/H) and many breeders still don’t see it as a negative thing to perpetuate that trait. I am not a big time breeder or a vet, but I feel that my part in not furthering the issue is important, even if small.  I sort of see it as the same as reducing my plastic usage – I can’t save all the turtles - but I can sure do my part.

My fingers are crossed that all goes well and we have a healthy foal! Only 16 or so months to go!

True dat!

Halter class - the basics - part 1

I’ve been trying to draft this post for a while!  I have a hard time 100% endorsing halter classes, with the halter industry being so specialized.  Yes, I own a horse from halter bloodlines that was bred in the hopes of doing well in that one particular class.  There is A LOT of criticism of halter horses online – a quick google search will show you all that you need to see.  As an amateur, I feel that I can experience the class, learn about how to show my horse and learn about feeding and keeping him fit to do as well as I can locally without being a big supporter of the whole industry.

Having "fun" at a schooling show with a broken ankle. 

Why do I do it if I don’t 100% like it?  That is a question I struggle with – I wrote about it more detail in an earlier post so I won’t go into it again here.  Tl;dr – I can work with Fred at home without a coach, lessons or fancy tack and I can still experience breed shows without needing a fancy riding horse.

Another note: I did not want to use photos I found online from shows/breeders in this post, as I don't want to bash anyone or anything, as that is just not how I roll!

Ok, on to the meat of this post:

AQHA has halter classes broken down by age and sex and they also have a performance halter class, which is for riding horses that have a certain amount of points from riding classes.    All of the 1^st and 2^nd place geldings from all the classes then go in for a grand/reserve championship and then the same happens for mares and stallions.  The grand/reserve titles are what people are really after, as your horses is up against a larger selection of the best at that particular show. 

Reserve champ x 3? Sure just give me all the ribbons!  Also, with this horse (not Fred) I said a lot of "whoa motherfucker" in the ring! LOL

Many western performance classes are scored and have comments, such as showmanship, horsemanship, trail, reining, western riding and ranch riding.  Halter does not have any scoring or feedback, so it is purely the opinion and tastes of the judge.  All breed show judges are carded and go through training, but trends, personal preferences and politics (at big shows) definitely come into play.

There is some really good info on the University of Arkansas Ag Dept. website about judging a halter horse (https://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource002677_Rep3962.pdf) and some of the info in my post is from that article. 

The halter class is a class where the horse is judged based upon its conformation, overall appearance, and usefulness. Conformation is defined as the physical appearance of a horse due to the arrangement of muscle, bone, and other body tissues.

When evaluating a halter class, the following four factors should be used (in that order) to select and rank the horses being judged.

1. Balance and Quality
2. Structural Correctness
3. Breed and Sex Character
4. Muscling

This stallion photo gives you an idea of the balance and proportions that are sought.

(Edited 11/16) For a halter class, you walk into the ring toward the judges, they then move out of the way and you jog the horse straight away from the judges and then around a corner.  They are watching for soundness and decent movement and if the horse tracks well (ie  - minimal paddling/interference, etc. ) A lack of muscle and overall turnout/appearance will affect the judge’s first impression also. 


The handler is not judged in a halter class, but if you cannot set your horse up in a way to show it off to the judge, it will affect your placing  – especially in an open class, in amateur classes they cut you more slack.   For example – if you do not try to set your horse up squarely (breed halter doesn’t use the same set up as English in-hand with one back leg set back) or are not trying to show your horse to the best of your ability, they will ding you. 

I don’t have many pics of me showing Fred, but here is one where I am trying to keep his head and neck up and his ears up.  The horse can’t be moving around and bopping around with their head.

You can’t tell a lot from this picture of Fred (he is a 3yo here), but he has moderate muscling – especially his forearms, gaskins and hip.  He is turned out properly – clean, shiny, chalked white socks, properly fitting show halter.  Fred is a bit weak in how his neck ties in to his withers and in this picture, needs more weight over his ribs/mid section.   He doesn’t have the nicest head either – he is a bit plain looking.

Now that he is 4, going on 5, he has put on more weight, his topline is filling in and his chest has widened, but I don’t have any pictures since he looks like a yak right now! lol

Compare Fred’s head to this picture of my friend’s horse – I showed him in 2016. He has a gorgeous head and is very striking.

Me and Spunky (not Fred)

Here is a video that is teaching people how to judge a halter class:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXJ4L5dsUeI

If you have time to watch the video all the way through you’ll see a pretty standard AQHA/APHA judging of a halter horse class.  They show the suggested placings and some rationale.  Read the comments though and you’ll see another story.  The horse that people would want to ride is not the class winner.  This kind of thing is common in halter as a specialized industry.  Some judges prefer “performance” horses, which are horses that are successful under saddle as opposed to the specialized beefcakes.

If you are interested in more details on QH conformation for halter – the University of Nebraska has a good 20 min video with lots of information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z9AlY-xMkQ

And that is it in a nutshell...  More to come on selecting a stud for breeding to hopefully show in halter...

A little heartbroken

I have been struggling with what to do with Spencer for a while now.  Do I retire him? Do I sell him? Do I find another home?   He is semi-retired mostly because I don't have the time to ride, fit and show two horses.   I feel a bit guilty looking at him out in the field, thinking I should ride, but I don't feel like it, thinking he could be doing more, even at 18 and/or I could sell him, but I don't want him to go to a bad home, etc. etc.  Spencer is sound and healthy and happy to run his little herd out in the field, but I feel that he has more to give for the right person.

Spencer - in 2012, shortly after I brought him home

I was hoping a kid for him would come along via my show acquaintances, but that hasn't happened yet.  (Here is a flashback from 2013 from our 2nd schooling show...I feel lucky that I got out to 4 shows that year. ) Getting out and doing stuff without a trailer has been really hard (obviously) and is a big part of my frustration with riding...

Haha Mr Grumpy Face...

A few weeks ago, a good friend reached out to me about a therapeutic riding program that was desperate for small horses or ponies.   She has a horse in the program and had good things to say about it.   The horses they use need to be small enough for handlers to reach up and support some of the riders that have balance issues.

I hemmed, hawed and maybe even cried a little, then decided to send them an email.    They came out to meet Spencer this past weekend and fell in love with him instantly.  Even though I've only been on him 4 times this year, he went out and did w/t/c with a new rider no problem.

He will be going there on a 1 month trial and if that works out, he'll stay in their program. I'm free leasing him to the program, so when he is ready to retire, he will come home to me.  If he doesn't fit their needs, he comes home to me, so I feel it is win-win for all parties involved.

I started this post earlier this week... and as of now he's gone... They arranged trailering for him and the old retired horse guy was an hour early.  He was here before I got home from work.  Lol  I had planned for an hour to say goodbye and get organized, but I guess it was to my benefit, since I just had to rip of the band-aid and get him loaded. 

Bye...

I'm having a hard time with this, but I feel it is a good option right now.  He will be treated like a prince and will do a few walk/trot lessons with kids that need help in return.  He will be groomed and fussed over and worked lightly all winter (they have an incredible heated indoor arena), which is much more than I can do here.  Not a bad semi-retirement job, I hope!  And the best part, is that I can go visit whenever I want.  I even have a hunch they will let me ride once in a while as well.

Weight gain and weight loss (of the equine variety)

Or, alternatively titled, "Oh lawd, he comin'"

Well, that is more for Copper, not for Fred.  I'm sure you guys are familiar with the "chonk chart"?  Someone needs to make a horse version!

from imgur

Now that my ankle is feeling (mostly) better and most of the horse shows and little trips are over for the summer, I need to get going on working with the horses.

A fine boi?

Copper has been living large the past few weeks and has gained a fair bit of weight, which is pretty easy for minis and ponies.  I had him in a grazing muzzle in the spring and then took it off when they devoured the grass and the pickings were slim.  I also had round bales out for a few weeks in July and I don't think he can eat hay with the muzzle on.  So, even with limited grass, he has blown back up and that isn't great for his joints or his wonky shoulder (old injury).

HEFTY CHONK?  

This is my good side...Copper, probably

Fred, on the other hand is still growing and is like a teenager with his lanky legs and endless appetite!  He has been getting grain and hay and a bit of grass, but he needs more.  I'm hoping to show him next year and for halter he needs to fill out more.  I need to start now and get more food into him.

Having my horses at home gives me a good chance to work on this. I've been pondering how to best get all the horses the food they need.  The other two QHs are easy keepers, so I don't want to overload them either.  I contemplated putting in some temporary fencing to separate them, but Fred has a tendency to charge through fencing and Copper is willing to take a little zap to escape to eat on the lawn.    I think my best option is to keep both of them in from when I get home from work and overnight.  They can then go out with the other two during the day.

Nom nom, Fred probably

Fred will be getting a small amount of grain, oats and oil in the morning and then more grain, oats and oil when I get home.  He'll then get a pile of 2nd cut alfalfa and likely a bedtime snack of grain and 1st cut hay overnight.  I haven't quite decided on the exact ratio, but he needs fibre and roughage as well as the protein/fat he gets from the grain.    Copper will be getting a whopping 1 flake of 1st cut to pick at while inside.  He doesn't seem to like to eat from a slow feed hay net, but I'm hoping to get him doing that so it lasts him longer. I have these cute trailer sized 1" hole nets that hold 1-2 flakes that I want to start using with him.

**edited to add:  Fred has been checked by the vet and had his teeth done, been dewormed, etc.  I think he is just growing right now still...

Both horses move around a fair bit in the pastures, but could benefit from some focused work.  I am feeling confident that my ankle is healed enough to longe and do groundwork, so Fred will be on a light program starting this week!  Copper would benefit from some walking over poles and stuff like that to strengthen his shoulder and develop some muscle.

Have you had a hard keeper that you put weight on?  Any tips?  What about a chonky boi that needed to slim down?

Weekly wrap-up

This week is the local AQHA show in the town close to my house.  I normally show there or volunteer, but this year I did neither!   I took the week off to help some friends that were showing and I spent the rest of the time parked on my butt in the shade watching the show.  It was relaxing to not have to worry about having a horse there, but I did sort of miss it too.

The club had their annual awards banquet and bbq on Thursday night, which is always fun.  Fred and I were the high point overall halter gelding and the high point open and reserve amateur 3yo gelding so we got a bit of loot.  The prizes weren't quite as nice this year, but that is ok. Missing from the pic below is a ball cap with the club logo on the front and "champion" on the back.  I'll probably get the most use out of that.

A portfolio and a picture frame.

I helped my friends get their halter horses prepped.  For this show format, which is 7 days! (omg) exhibitors show to 3 sets of judges over the week - 4 on Tues/Weds, 3 on Fri/Sat and 3 on Sun/Mon (it is a long weekend here on Monday).  The halter classes are the first to go on the first day of each "show".  They showed Tues am, this morning and will go again on Sunday morning.  A lot of QH shows are run this way or in a similar format.  You rarely show to just 1 judge any more.  7 days is a damn long show though - people that travel long distances often have to buy hay and other supplies as they just can't haul enough to last them.  And many people were at a show in Quebec before coming here, so they would be on their 2nd week away from a regular bed and laundry facilities.  Wild!

Halter horse up close and personal.  I was holding him to be groomed, but he just wanted to cuddle. 

Banded mane - something I need to work on this fall...

The entries for a lot of the breed shows have been down the last couple of years.  Costs to show keep going up and more and more people are staying home.  It is too bad, but maybe things will bounce back?

A halter gelding class

Now,  the most important thing about being at a horse show is the horse show food, right?  Right.  And adult beverages...it's five o'clock somewhere?  Totally.

yaasssssss - poutine!!!  And water - err...coors light... 

I even took Sophie over to the show for a few hours most days.  She enjoyed watching and meeting all of the horse show dogs that were quite literally everywhere.  Although, don't get me started on the people that have their dogs off leash and then happen to be looking the other way when they poop.  Argh. So rude!

Watching from the shade.  

 I'll miss the rest of the show, which is ok - it does get a little boring after a few days of the same stuff being repeated!  I'm heading "down south" for a few days to visit my Mom for her 70th birthday.  She lives near where I grew up, which is about a 7-8 drive SW of here, still in the same province.  I'm looking forward to a nice family visit.   I've been feeling stressed and grumpy lately, so some good laughs with my family should help!

Well, that didn't go as planned...

Fred and I did make it to the show yesterday.

Fred and Bailey ready to go!

We managed to do our halter class, getting a 2nd out of 4. Halter does a grand and reserve champ as well, where the first and second place horses from all halter classes go in together. We did not do well there but that’s ok, I had a bigger problem.

Fred was having trouble standing still. We ended up a bit out of line...lol

Working on setting up his feet.

He was slightly distracted by the goings-on outside the ring, but it was ok.  He put his ears up and looked cute.


Not only was my ankle sore (really sick of talking about that!) but this last week I developed a cyst in my right knee joint (same side as the ankle) and it made it very painful to walk ( it is called a baker's cyst and there isn't much you can do about it - since it is internal to the joint - until it bursts and goes away!). I had to scratch my showmanship and in hand trail as I couldn’t jog my horse in the deep sand, let alone walk him much. 

Slightly discouraged, but still trying to smile.



Fred didn’t seem to mind. He was tucked into a nice stall with 2nd cut hay, lots of friends nearby and the best horse treats. :-)

The best treats! Locally made and apparently very tasty!

I, on the other hand, was more than a bit bummed out about the whole day.  I did have fun visiting with friends and enjoying the nice weather.  Fred was a champ and loaded no problem.  My friend's difficult to load horse is now walking right on the trailer.  I'm pretty pleased with that.  Somehow we seem to have got it through his thick skull that the trailer isn't so bad.  I hope that trend continues, so my friend can get out and show more. 

This year has been frustrating to say the least. I don't want to be negative, but I do want to keep this blog somewhat realistic with my struggles.  It seems my health is causing more problems than the horse, which I think is a first.  lol  I knew going in to this season that Fred wouldn't be very competitive as I haven't had the ability to work him and prep him as I normally would.  The outcome of this show is that I need to focus on me and getting myself feeling better physically and mentally.  Not any easy task, but definitely important.  I think that will be my 2019 Q3 and Q4 goals!

And I also realllly need to go through my show kit and sort out where all my stuff is. A few things were missing from my toolbox that would have come in handy.  We have a long weekend coming up this weekend (yeah Canada Day!) so my plan is to go through all of my stuff and get organized.

Roxie my feline supervisor is on the job!

So, all in all, the show was a bust. However, it did highlight some things to work on.  And I had some fun...sort of...in between bouts of pouting and grumbling.  lol

Anyone have any tips on mental preparedness and such for shows and goals and life?