Farrier adventures

The farrier came out last week. I hung out (or should I say, hung on to horse) for about 45 minutes, but then had to get back to work so he finished her up on his own. He said he didn't see thrush (we thought there was some under her over-grown frogs), instead it was just the process of her shedding the frogs. He also said thrush would smell much, much worse. It seemed almost impossible that thrush could thrive in such a dry and arid climate, we hadn't gotten any rain or snow in weeks.


Anyway, Naomi was a bit of a jerk about her front feet, a common issue from the time I've had her, but certainly improved with more consistent handling and rope work.  But, with my back injury, I haven't had the capacity to clean her feet daily, or even stoop down so low that I can 'handle' them. She was doing anything she could think of to rip her front right leg out of Steve's grasp... coming close to pegging me in the hoo-ha when she tried to be a 'Broadway Rockette' and do a high kick. She also came very close to sitting down on her butt, to get leverage against poor Steve, when hopping around on 3 legs didn't work. Steve is a young, agile (and rather handsome) guy, but I am still amazed that Naomi hasn't snapped his leg in half or taken him to the ground yet.


Last time he did her feet, he was all alone and she stood well for him apparently, but he remarked that this time, 'She's quite a bit stronger.' 


Oh Naomi. You beefcake.

Pretty in Pink

Why wouldn't I put my large black horse in a pink turnout???

We've Come a Long Way, Baby.

This photo was taken September 29, 2010. Naomi has been under saddle for a couple months. Unfortunately, 4 days after this photo was taken, Naomi spooked when my boot caught on a fence post and dumped me on the ground, butt-first. It was a complete accident. I fractured my L1 vertebrae. So now I'm grounded until the spring. Thankfully, my trainer will continue to ride her once a week or as much as she can, but I'm still disappointed that I've had to stop riding. At least I still get to go and do some chores, exercise her and give her the loving she deserves.

feety-feet feet

that's what I've been working on most...

it's move-in day!

did I mention, it's MOVE-IN DAYYYYYYY!

i could use some hard liquor right about now. i'm trailering a horse and i have no idea if she is trailer-able. it could be easy-peasy, or complete disaster.

...must maintain zen-like state...

"boy, she's FAT!"

that's what the vet says. she's very right. naomi, for being a rescue horse, is quite the porker. it could be the constant standing around, doing nothing all day. she's so laid back, i doubt she runs around much for fun. in fact, i've only seen her run when i've chased her around the pasture. yes, a chubby horse, being chased around by a chubby girl... i'll just leave you with that entertaining mental image.

but anyway, the vet came, said aside from her weight, that Naomi is quite healthy. no sand in her belly, decent teeth, and easy to draw blood, no spazz-out needed. we will get her coggins' test results back on tuesday. with that, im still awaiting the brand inspection (this is a new one for me, being a new yorker where livestock isn't nearly as much of a commodity)... apparently there are only two El Paso county inspectors, and they are very busy folk. but still, we forge ahead. Naomi's new move-in date for USAFA is Tuesday, 7/27.

still waiting...

the move-in date to the academy has been Sunday, the 25th, for about 3 weeks now. But things weren't getting done like I thought they were, so now I have to scramble to get her Brand ID card (something I've never heard of being from NY) and get her health certificate and Coggins test done. This puts me in a bit of a jam. PLUS, my guy to trailer her may not even be available on Sunday. So now we are hoping for Tuesday the 27th. It's been such a waiting game, but I know we have to do things right, or we end up in a bad spot.

fun times in the round-pen

so in a relatively short period of time, I've gone from a horse that runs away when I try to catch her, to one that follows me around. i can get her to lower her head with my hand so that I can halter her, i can pick up both her front feet without really trying, and make her walk and trot around the round pen, and stop when I tell her. while i can get her to change directions, she's not too sure about going clockwise-- her rear faces me too much, and I can see her lifting her head and contemplating jumping OUT of the round-pen (she's succeeded in knocking herself out of there before... it's quite a show). but we will keep trying until Naomi is comfortable with it.

daydreams of... buying stuff.

I've been making mental lists of everything I want to get for Naomi. I know she needs a hay rack and a water tub first and foremost. I need to measure her head for a custom rope halter, at the suggestion of my trainer. I'll be in search of a cool 'gear' trunk to be placed in front of her stall, and I'm wondering how my husband will handle our basement (aka, Man Cave) turning into storage for bedding... I'm just so antsy to get her over to the stables! July 25th can't come soon enough!

adoption is a-go-go!

Today I will go over to black forest animal sanctuary and fill out the adoption paperwork. i adopted naomi for a fee of $400. I have reserved her stall and run at the equestrian center, and she will be moved there (tentatively) July 25th. hooray! progress! i've also hired on a trainer, Danielle, to work with us. Her goal is to basically train me to train naomi. here are the things we're presently working on:

Walk up to her, pet her, walk away; repeat.

Walk up to her with rope/halter in hand, pet her (with and without rope/halter), walk away; repeat.

Walk up, catch her, pet her, remove halter, walk away.

Repeat above every day until she is no trouble to catch. Then review periodically just for fun.

Ask her to drop her head (have twine in place, just in case).

Walk up, pet, ask for a head drop, pet, halter with head low, pet, remove halter, pet, walk away.

With her haltered, rub and /or swing the rope all around her body. Allow it to gently tap all areas (except face/ears--we'll work on that part later) at some point.

With her haltered, loop rope around front legs, and ask her to lift leg. Repeat until she stays relaxed.

adoption pending...

i need to convince scott to let me have naomi, and he's being ornery about it. i thought if you ran a horse rescue, that adopting out your animals would be a large priority. especially when you know they're going to great homes.