A day at the stables

[Pal-O-Mine]

I'm working on it gang! Maybe tonight! Work gave hubby a laptop with photoshop.

There's 2 types of jousting : full contact and ring jousting. I only do ring jousting. Full contact is the stuff like in "A Knight's Tale". You WILL GET HURT doing that! I'm not that much of a "stick jock"! Ring jousting kids can do. There's a really good, professional pic of me ring jousting in costume on the web-site haflingerhorses.com. Those were the days before Alex. There's also a pic of our Alex on their stallion section. Our farm name is Pocket Pony Farm.

Hopefully I'll be able to share pics of the horses AND Fran later tonight or tomorrow.

Looking forward to more pics of your guys no matter how long it takes to load!

Devon

 

[Pal-O-Mine]

Success! After spending close to 2 hours waiting for pics to load I FINALLY can show off my brood to you guys! So if you want to see my ponies, go to my album.

Devon

 

[Jynx]

Devon he is gorgeous! I love the way those golden Haflinger coats shine You should post pics in the other thread too!

 

[diamondlil]

Devon he is gorgeous! I love the way those golden Haflinger coats shine You should post pics in the other thread too!

Absolutely!

 

[diamondlil]

I just got a call from Kim telling me Angel, the arab x connemara mare has been put to sleep. Angel had an old injury to a front leg from her eventing days that she'd hurt again just after her foal Alhaja was born. The vet's treatments and painkillers just didn't work, even with remedial work from the farrier Angel was progressively lame to the point where she couldn't put the foot to the floor.
Angel was the sweetest out of the mares, very loving and always demanding kisses and hugs and I'll miss her terribly. RIP Angel.

 

[snakemom1961]

Wow Lil, I'm really sorry to hear that. She certainly was a very beautiful mare. May she now get the peaceful rest she deserves.

 

[reyshells]

I'm so sorry to hear that..
She was very pretty. At least she doesn't have the endure the pain anymore, she is in a better place now.
On another note, I really enjoy this thread. I've been reading it for a bit now and you're lucky to have friends with such beautiful horses (who are willing to let you ride them!) I used to ride horses and help at local stables. I stopped after being thrown off an overly-energetic horse. It'll take some time for me to build up trust again, but I hope to someday ride again.

 

[diamondlil]

Wow Lil, I'm really sorry to hear that. She certainly was a very beautiful mare. May she now get the peaceful rest she deserves.

What I can only try to convey is how beautiful she was in character. The stud owner had her from a yearling, loaned out for a few years in her teens then had to fight hard to get her back. She was supposed to retire after this last foal and take up the post of 'nanny' to weanlings.

 

[diamondlil]

I'm so sorry to hear that..
She was very pretty. At least she doesn't have the endure the pain anymore, she is in a better place now.
On another note, I really enjoy this thread. I've been reading it for a bit now and you're lucky to have friends with such beautiful horses (who are willing to let you ride them!) I used to ride horses and help at local stables. I stopped after being thrown off an overly-energetic horse. It'll take some time for me to build up trust again, but I hope to someday ride again.

I really am lucky to have such good friends. I was too scared to get back on a horse for 30 years, I wish I hadn't left it so long but I'm thoroughly enjoying re-learning.

 

[Jynx]

Awwwww! She was one of my favorite mares Was her foal weaned at least? My heart goes out to the stableyard Janine! She was a lovely mare.

 

[diamondlil]

Awwwww! She was one of my favorite mares Was her foal weaned at least? My heart goes out to the stableyard Janine! She was a lovely mare.

Alhaja is just over 5 months, but on the advice of the vet she was encouraged to feed on more hard feed earlier than usual, in preparation for if this day came. (Including some kind of milk pellets and balanced vitamins and minerals) She's always been a very confident filly, with 100% of her dam's sweet nature. Kim said she's settled straight in with the other weanlings as if she's been independent already. (I was just on the 'phone for updates on her).

 

[kathylove]

The loss of the mom is so sad. I am happy that she seems to have left a great legacy in the genes of the young filly.

 

[diamondlil]

Thank you Kathy. I only knew Angel for 4 years but I count myself privileged to have enjoyed her company and to have heard her whinnying greetings to me.
Missy is one of her fillies from a liason with a showjumping stallion, and apparently she foaled several times while she was on loan in her younger days. Missy had a stillborn foal last year but is fat and looking well and I think due to foal Angel's grand-foal in April or May

 

[diamondlil]

No pictures from my birthday visit to the stables, it was too busy to get the camera out!
First off, birthday cards for me! And very thoughtfully, my 2 friends and Kim's boss all got me vouchers to use at the feed store / tack shop, so I can get whatever I need, probably posh new long riding boots, although I have been coveting a bright pink Rockfish Riders jacket......
Then we fed and turned out the horses, and the vet arrived to geld Corsario the stallion. She brought another vet, a vet nurse and vet student, and they brought hot drinks and snacks in honour of my birthday! The gelding seems a shame, but Corsario was starting to get aggressive and hard to handle recently. Once his hormones settle he'll be able to turn out with a companion, be re-schooled, ridden, taken to shows and generally have a more fulfilling life.
Then I had my play session with Lola and Alhaja, the fillies. They will be my project to get them more used to handling, grooming and leading. I'll have to read up on foal starting, although they've both known me from birth I've got to do it right to give them good manners and confidence in people.

 

[diamondlil]

After lunch, my riding lesson on Merlin. All was going well, he was responsive and willing, I got a fantastic collected trot from him, following formal patterns of circles, spirals and serpentines, changing rein and getting him to bend around my 'inside leg'.
Then we started to canter, and disaster! I lost my stirrups, bounced out of my seat, onto the pommel -HARD!-and ended up on his neck with my bottom in the air, cantering towards the fence! Merlin slowed and stopped for me, we re-composed, worked to a balanced trot and into canter......and it happened again! It looks like the new stirrup leathers have too much stretch in them, so instead of having a firm point for my feet to be grounded and a deep seat, I couldn't keep my feet in them and lost my balance. Hence some bruising where a lady shouldn't be bruised, thankfully improved now. Kim's sorting out the leathers for next week's lesson, and was very impressed that I;
a. didn't fall off
b. stayed calm
c. stopped Merlin with my voice rather than pulling at his mouth
So even though the lesson went wrong, it proved that my confidence is coming on and that Merlin trusts me enough not to freak out when things go wrong.

 

[snakemom1961]

Sounds like you had a wonderful birthday. I couldn't think of a better place to be if it were my birthday. I'im sure you'll turn those fillies into fine mares.

 

[diamondlil]

I had a great day at the stables today. I played with the fillies, Lola and Alhaja. Alhaja (although 4 months younger) is definately dominant, and because she's so fond of cuddles Lola is following her lead and getting bolder.

 

[diamondlil]

Two of the mares were moved into their foaling paddocks, so we were busy moving and resettlling the pairs turned out together. The gelding colt Valiento is now out with Merlin, the cremello mare Ellie is turned out with her half-sister Gypsy, and the andalusian mare Descarado (totally filthy in the mud) is turned out with the dun filly Corsaria.

 

[diamondlil]

We went to spend my birthday vouchers at the tack shop, I bought a set of stirrups that are a better fit for my feet, stirrup leathers, a lunge line and a lunge whip and ordered some new chaps.
For my lesson Kim decided I could work on my sitting trot and canter on the lunge line. With the new stirrups I was more secure and able to get some lovely collected paces and transitions from Merlin. I think my huge grins say how I felt afterwards!

 

[diamondlil]

Yesterday was my first opportunity to visit the stables this month, and
Merlin made his feelings about my absence very clear! Kim said he'd been missing me, but I got greetings from every other horse but him! He turned away from me in the field and when I put him in his stable to groom him he put his head in the corner and ignored me!
It took an hour of fussing before he'd forgiven me, and tucked his head on my shoulder for a cuddle. Our riding lesson went well, testing out a new 'non-slip' girth and numnah, but much to Kim's disgust it's less secure than the old combination, I didn't slip because we were balanced, then stood in the stirrups and demonstrated that I could make the saddle move from side to side if I wanted to.
The stallion Rudi has been gelded, so this year's foals will be the last from the andalusian boys. The owner has decided to keep the boys as riding horses, sell some of the brood mares, and scale down. Kim is buying Valiento the gelded colt to be her riding and competition horse for the future.
My project, bringing on the fillies Lola and Alhaja until they are sold, continues, both girls have developed very bad manners around food, which will need firm handling. They barge each other without due regard for people in the field and Lola has double-barreled the owner twice.