A Post by Codi: The Clone

We are on our way to FL, FINALLY! I picked up Jana in VA on Tuesday morning and we started our journey with Georgie in the back riding high on top of all my crap:) We drove to Savannah, GA and met up with one of Jana’s good friends, Ben, for a very entertaining night out. We stayed the night, got our traditional Waffle House breakfast, then hit the road for the second half of our trek. While Jana does some driving I thought I would try and catch up on some blogging stories…

Some of you may already know about Gemini, Gem Twist’s clone, but for those of you who don’t, google Gemini or Gem Twist clone and you will find a couple very interesting articles on Gem and the cloning process. Gemini had been living at the breeding farm down the road from Chado since my good friend Jimmy helped break him last year. He returned to Chado in October and I was lucky enough to get the ride. It was an amazing experience to work with the clone of such a famous horse as well as have Frank Chapot giving me bits of advice as we progressed with his training.

We started him on the lunge with the help of Steve Bostwick on the ground. We got him moving forward to our cluck before we even got on him. He was very well behaved to start, every now and then would sulk back but with a cluck he usually moved right on. We tried to use the whip sparingly since he would tend to suck back and get angry when he got spanked. He was walk, trot, cantering by the second ride. Frank had me start doing big figure eights over a pole in the center of the ring, first at the trot, then the canter. He had me ask for the change over the pole and tap him with the whip on the outside after the pole if he missed the change. Gemini was ALWAYS brave and very smart with everything we did. He got the changes almost every time and if he missed it and I tapped him, he almost always swapped… Sometimes with a small kick out just for fun:)

After we established some good steering and flying changes over the pole, Frank added a small jump on the wall in either direction about 4 strides from the pole in the center. We would canter the pole and canter 4 strides to the tiny jump, around to the pole, new direction, 4 strides to the other small jump, then continue around and do the whole figure of eight again. We continued around the exercise until he seemed confident with the pattern and landing on his leads, then changed the pole out for another small jump. Gemini never batted an eye. He really seemed to like jumping. By the end of our time together we jumped everything in the ring and even a small water jump outside. Of course we kept everything very small but I don’t think height will be much of an issue for him…

The last month or so of training really was just flatting, working on moving forward off my leg without throwing a fit first, and some big figure of eight exercises over one small wall in the center. By the end he rode the same even with other horses (mares included) in the ring and was always a gentleman walking in and out to the paddock and to be tacked up. As he became bored with work he started trying new tricks and Got rather stubborn about going forward at times but Frank and I always prevailed and ended on a good note. He went back to the breeding farm where he will spend the winter. We are all very excited to see how a little time to mature affects him. See you in the Spring, Gemini!

A Post by Codi: Breaking the Babies

Frank Chapot has been breaking horses for more than 40 years. I was lucky enough to work along side him this September backing and starting the four youngsters at Chado. I will start by saying, what an experience!

Once the babies are weaned they are put out together in a side field that butts up to the path where most of the action happens at the farm. They see us walking from the barn to the indoor with all the horses we ride and the tractor is constantly going back and forth. So although they aren’t handled much, they are exposed to plenty. They are halter broke soon after they are weaned and Steve Bostwick, farrier/cowboy/naughty horse trainer, helps give them some basic ground manners. He is very patient yet very stern. He trims their feet every so often and will spend extra time with the youngsters if they are too unruly. If a colt shows too much aggression, the Chapot’s cut them fairly early (this is typically the case:).

This batch of yearlings are a particularly well mannered bunch, I’m told. There are 3 fillies and 1 colt (now gelded). Hannah is by Orlando and out of their retired jumper mare, CZ, Heidi is by Quite Easy out of their retired jumper mare, Samantha, Helga (I’m not sure of her sire:/) is out of Laura’s retired jumper mare, Sprite, and Havoc (the colt) is by Brat Z and out of their retired jumper mare, Star Twist.

Once we were done with the last of the away shows we started working with them. That made them about a year and a half as we started backing them. I understand not everyone will agree with starting them so young but they are by no means small and unsteady, I am a fairly small jocky at a fit 5’2″, and we do not do much with them. We worked them 5 or 6 days a week for less than 3 weeks and only rode them for an average of about 10 minutes a session.

On the first day I was amazed… We caught them one at a time, brought them into a stall, attached a bit (a snaffle with dangling pieces hanging from the middle) to their halter and put it in their mouth. They were so distracted by playing with the bit that none of them hardly reacted at all to the saddle pad rubbing on them, settling on their back, the small racing saddle next, then the girth going on, loose at first of course. Frank was watching and instructing from the door as Kaitlyn, my co worker at the time, held them as I put the tack on. Once the girth was on she walked them a few circles and we slowly tightened the girth. I’m telling you, NONE of them freaked out. Super calm, maybe their heads lifted and ears flicked back as we tightened the girth but never a kick, buck, and no leaping forward. Once they seemed cool with their tack I would pat on the saddle and pull the stirrups down and they walked a few more circles. Then Frank instructed Kaitlyn to give me a leg up…. Would you even believe me if I said none of them cared one bit?! I was perfectly confident and calm as was Kaitlyn which I think is very key. Up and over I went and Kaitlyn proceeded to walk me around a few circles in either direction. Once they walked confidently without stopping around the circles, Frank told me to hop down and back up again if they seemed nervous at all about me bouncing next to them, then down to the indoor we went.

We always had a lunge line attached to the bit and carried a whip. Frank or I would follow close behind with a whip as we walked to the indoor to insure they kept moving forward. Just as a side note… This has all happened within about 10 minutes. Also keep in mind these babies are bred very well, are super smart, and I wouldn’t say this is the best program for every youngster but it sure did work for these babies!

Once in the indoor the lunging began. For those of you who aren’t aware of Frank Chapot’s history, he was a student of the very famous horseman, Bert de Nemethy. Ground work was very important and Frank has obviously spent a lot of time on the end of a lunge line. If you haven’t already, I recommend reading The de Nemethy Method. Although Kaitlyn or I were typically the ones to lunge the yearlings, Frank would instruct us or step in and take over himself when needed. Let me tell you, the man is almost 80 years old but he has STILL got it! The babies caught on fairly quickly how to trot a circle around us but I have also seen Frank lunge a VERY naughty pony who wanted to either stop and face you or run your ass over and he was able to get that thing moving around the circle like a champ in no time!

We would keep them on a short line and encourage them to move around the circle with the whip trailing behind them. The basic body position and quick reaction is very important. You must stay behind their shoulder and keep driving them forward. You keep the line fairly taught at first so their head is being pulled slightly inward, making them circle rather than drag you out the door in a straight line:) Using your voice, cluck to go (enforced with the whip) and “whoa” to slow down (enforced with a strong tug on the lunge line) is simple and easy for them to understand with little repetition. Frank always puts down a very very low cavalletti, a pole literally 3 inches off the ground. Every now and then they would knock their feet on the heavy rail and what I believe Frank was trying to accomplish was to make certain they were sure footed. If they tripped with a person on their back you would want them to feel confident about how to stay on their feet. It also makes them careful because I’m sure it didn’t feel that great whacking their dainty little legs on that fat rail.

Again, all of them were so good with everything. Only one, Helga, was tough to lunge and lead around. She wanted to be in your personal space way too much and wasn’t sensitive enough to the whip or an elbow to the chest. Steve stepped in with Helga as my ground person and all it took was one session with him on the ground and me on her back and we had a baby who understood her space versus our space.

We lunged them until they were comfortable continuing around the circle over the pole at the trot, whoaing and going forward on command. We then lead them over to the mounting block which was next to the wall. This made it easy for us to make them stand next to the block because they didn’t have space to swing around. Some of them took a few times circling around the block and halting before they didn’t want to walk forward out of the tighter space. I would step up on the block confidently yet smoothly, pat them, the saddle, flap the stirrups, reach over and pat the other side of the saddle, put my foot in and out of the stirrup, put weight in the stirrup, lifting myself up and down next to them, put my hip in the saddle with my foot in the stirrup, and when they seemed fine with all that, up and over I went. I would sit very softly and slowly down on them as to not startle them with my weight but they didn’t care. Hannah was most concerned about me touching her from up on the block so we took longer with her but she soon relaxed and didn’t care at all as I swung my leg over and sat down on her back.

From there I would get on and off a couple of times. Once settled, Kaitlyn would lead me in a small circle around the block and I would get on and off again. Two of them were confident enough Frank has Kaitlyn lead me out to the lunging circle and around a few times, returning to the block to dismount and finish for the day.

So to recap, day 1; bit, saddle, mounting, lunging, and leading with rider on. Holy crap these babies were smart! Frank is sure not to spend too much time doing one thing so they do not get bored and figure out how to be naughty. They are so young at this point they don’t even really know what naughty is. Perfect:)

In the next few days we repeated the same process in the stall and at the mounting block but continued out onto the lunging circle. Kaitlyn would lunge me on them at the walk and we would try and let them break into the trot on their own for a couple steps and stop them. Once they showed they were comfortable carrying my weight at the trot, we would let them continue at the trot around the circle and over the cavaletti with me sitting the trot then posting here and there to get them used to me moving around. I literally was a passenger though. They were very reliant on Kaitlyn telling them what to do from the ground. Gradually I started to pick up the reins and help steer them a little more but I still had Kaitlyn attached in case they didn’t understand. No leg pressure involved what so ever. All just balance and clucking and whoaing.

Most of them were ready by the 2nd day for me to be let off the lead and walk around the ring with Kaitlyn close by with the whip to help keep them moving forward. By the 3rd or 4th day they were all walking and trotting around the ring with me, Kaitlyn in the center of the ring. We would reverse direction across the diagonal. Some took a little more encouragement to keep going in the new direction but they were all pretty smart about it. We would always return to the mounting block (safety zone) if they seemed upset, get on and off a few times and return to the rail for a lap or two and finish. We always finished on a confident, in charge note. This is basically all we did for the next 3 weeks. They became more and more confident with steering, my leg along with the cluck meaning go and a slight feel of their mouth with a “whoa” meaning slow down.

I fell off of 3 out of the 4, once each:) Each was the same situation. As they became more confident carrying me around they would start to get bored and distracted. They might hear their friends calling for them and want to run to them but OOPS there is a person on me and OMG now I’m a little freaked so they would have a fearful, out of control moment and without much for me to hang on to, I’d flip off. Again, nothing too terrible and I got right back on each time and got them around the ring confidently before we quit, making sure not to push them past their limit. We ended with them all being so easy around the ring. It was an awesome feeling.

Once we were finished with the youngsters they were turned back out and there they will stay until we return in the Spring from FL. I can’t wait to see how much they remember.

Soon after we finished breaking the yearlings, a very special horse returned to the farm… Gem Twist’s clone, Gemini. That’s a whole other exciting experience I will soon share in my next post!

I won’t be blogging for awhile

In case anyone wonders where I am from now until I don’t know when, I won’t be blogging for awhile. 

Of course I realize that when you post something in a public forum, it is there for the world to see.  But it never dawned on me that there were a group of adult women out there picking my every move apart, likely critiquing my every activity, talking about my friends who I post about and likely cheering as I went through life’s harder moments such as burying my little dog or my beloved equine friend.  I can only imagine the joy when they read about me being body-slammed to the ground so hard that I lie motionless and breathless for several minutes before I could finally muster the strength to get back up. 

Bob is the most precious thing in the world to me so I try not to blog much about him but now I know I’m being watched mostly because of my relationship with him. 

I don’t even know what to say for people like that.  I can only say that it is sad and pathetic.  I don’t understand that level of meaness and ‘sport’.  I don’t get it.  Life is not easy.  My life has not been easy.  But it has been fantastic for the past nearly 15 years.  A gaggle of piteous, petty women won’t be changing that for me. 

I like to help people.  Nothing makes me happier than helping.  So, one of the reasons why I blogged was to help people learn from my mistakes or get tips from information I gathered.  I am always happy to share information and I find other people’s blogs helpful to me. 

I am not a perfect person.  I cuss like a sailor, am a slacker when it comes to keeping a home, although I’m by no means a slob, I don’t have a schedule that allows me to cook home meals and I’m terrible about leaving my clothes in the dryer (which Bob always, very sweetly folds for me).  I never bathe my dog, she sleeps in the bed with us, my closet looks like a bomb blew up in there right now, I’m terrible about keeping my car serviced, I’m an impatient driver, I’m terrible at remembering people’s birthdays, I don’t see my dad enough or spend enough time with my sister and I really do not clean my tub nearly as much as I should.  But, I am a good person.  To the core.  I feel like a braggart saying so but I know it for certain now.  I am constantly worried about being good.   Doing the right thing.  Helping anyone wherever and whenever I see a need.  I cannot bear to see someone down, even if I don’t know them.  I help perfect strangers.  I watched a woman trip in DC once and get completely obliterated on the sidewalk – papers flew everywhere and no one stopped to help.  I was on the other side of the street and couldn’t get to her fast enough to help and it broke my heart.  Another time in DC, I literally saw a man get hit by a cab and I could NOT believe how people just stood there!  I remember seeing it and going, “OH MY GOD!”  Expecting others to rush in, I held back.  I always feel like I’m somehow first on the scene and I really try to remove myself so I’m not constantly inserting myself into situations.  But people just stood there.  I was in very high heels and ran as fast as they could carry me and there I was, the smallest one in stature on the scene, in freaking heels, helping that poor man to his feet while able bodied men stood by.  I was so angry at everyone standing nearby.  I remember shooting a look at one man like, “What the fuck?  Get over here, asshole!”  I get that everyone was in shock but c’mon people. 

So, I take comfort in knowing that I am a good person and the best friend you could possibly have but it is very hard for me to process knowing a bunch of catty women are spying, poking fun, dissecting, just for sport.  And I write about it here because I want them to know how pathetic I know they are.  And how they should be ashamed. 

There aren’t a lot of good people in the world.  But I do know there ARE plenty good people in the world.  Don’t destroy the good ones.  If you envy them or are jealous of them, watch only to observe and maybe copy to make your life better so you can then maybe make someone else’s life better.  Don’t destroy what is good. 

I know I’ll hear from my close friends on this.  I’m fine.  I had breakfast with Scott who makes me laugh like none other.  I could easily be heard throughout the restaurant as I cackled at some of his most recent stories and just the funniest shit that he says.  Then, I have lunch with Sam (for the dog pack’s benefit, Sam is a female) who I just adore spending time with and never get to see enough because she’s in school in NC now.  Tonight, I get to see Dave, who, next to Bob and Lisa, is probably my biggest treasure (aside from family, of course).  We’ll do some obscure movie (because he always calls the shots in the movie selection department) and we’ll eat some kind of food that Bob would avoid like sushi or Indian or something like that so I can get my international food fix on.  Then, I will be ready for another day. 

This says it all.

Beat the winter doldrums

I’ll admit, as the cold sets in, as I’m sure it is for a lot of people, my motivation to get to the barn declines.  One thing I have on my side, though, is drive, determination and persistence.  By the time I can get out of the office, it is dark and I’m jumping into the nation’s worst traffic to get to the barn.  It really doesn’t matter if I get there at 4:30 or 7:30, it’s going to be dark and, we are going to be alone.  But, my drive, determination and persistence  (DDP)  bargains with me and I move on.

Me: “Augh!  It is so cold and dark out and I soooooo do not want to go out tonight.”

DDP:  “Vigo always benefits from just a grooming so at least go out and do that.”

Me: “Yeah, good point, I can work on ground tying while I do it.  Good idea.”

DDP:  “Yeah, see how you feel after that and then maybe do some longeing around the perimeter of the ring, some changes of direction and work on backing.  See if you can get him to back with just a wiggle of the line.  He’s getting good at that.”

Me:  “Yes, he is!  Good point.”

DDP:  “Tack him up first and after you do all of that, you might as well hop on and do some transitions…”

Me:  “I see where you’re going with this!  OK, we’ll see how things go…”

And so the conversation goes.  The point is, I make up a plan.  Or a goal.  Even if it is just one little thing.  I have to have a target.  If I just go out there with no plan, I’m not nearly as productive. 

Now that Vigo has settled into his new home, I’m going to start going back to working from some of my favorite books (click on the tab Bedside Table to see what they are).  I’ll still continue to start my sessions with 10 minutes or so of groundwork – it is just too beneficial to not do so but Vigo really, really likes doing gymnastics and hopping over cavaletti so I need to start setting some stuff up.  That gets us both really motivated.  I’m sure I’ll be reporting on that soon!

Intermission…

It’s been crazy so I haven’t had time to sit down and update.  In the meantime, please enjoy the pictures from this past weekend.

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A Post by Codi: My Three Jobs:)

Last I left off was so long ago I might have to post twice before I’m actually all caught up! I’m still in a very happy place in life and am absolutely satisfied with the way things are moving along…

Since we returned from Saugerties we have been at home, focusing on breaking the babies and getting the younger horses to some schooling shows. Lots of riding going on. I have also been working 3 jobs, which I love. I get up early, 5:15am to be exact, to leave for Stacy Casio’s farm, hardly 10 minutes from Chado. Stacy has been riding and showing with the Chapot’s for years and trailers over for a lesson here and there. It’s an easy job, Stacy is wicked nice, and it’s extra cash in my pocket! I was caring for his 3 horses, now down to 2 with the pony getting a new home recently. The boys are super sweet.. Welllll… The older gelding, Spencer, is super duper sweet, the younger gelding, Jackson, he’s a bit of a naughty boy. He actually bit my butt the other day when I was unhooking his water bucket to dump…jerk! He likes to mess with you for entertainment but he is pretty darn cute and picked up fairly quickly that I wasn’t going to allow him to walk all over me. We have an understanding, you stay out of my space and I won’t scare the crap out of you to make you STAY out of my space:) Lovely. I do all the normal chores; feed, water, hay, sweep, de-cobweb, and feed his super cool cat, Bob. Takes a little less than an hour so I get back to Chado in time for a quick breakfast then off to the barn by 7am. I work at Chado from 7-12 then 3 or 4 afternoons a week, I work for Liz Perry over at High Brass Farm in Pittstown, NJ.

It’s about a 30-40 minute drive to HBF but totally worth it. George gets come with and play, which is awesome since he’s not allowed down to the barn at home. Of course everyone loves him. I swear he gets the better greetings wherever we go…”Gggeeeooorrrggee! Yay! We love you!!! Oh, hey Codi:)” hahaha He brightens everyones day. Another AMAZING part of HBF is that one of my very best friends, Kyley Dufek, is the barn manager! I have mentioned Kyley in the past but I met her when I was working at Market Street where she would fill in here and there. We really hit it off and have stayed very close since then. I typically am there from 1-5 and ride the entire time, although on occasion I’ll help with other chores, whatever needs to be done, I’ll do it. Liz has a rehab program as well as show hunters and jumpers. Many of her rehab horses are horses right off the circuit, which is super cool. I’ve helped rehab one of Schuyler Riley’s horses and we just got in a Scott Stewart horse. They have one of the only underwater treadmills on the East Coast, the Aqua Pacer, and have had great success with it. I do everything from walk rides to full on training rides for some of Liz’s show horses or client horses when Liz is unavailable. Kyley loves when I’m there because it gives her a chance to be in the barn instead of riding. She is an obsessively organized person, which I absolutely love about her, so she often gives me her extra rides so she can clean or organize around the barn. I heart Kyley:)

Liz rode for Nona Garson for about 7 years before starting her own business so she has plenty of connections in the area. She’s been super nice and has already introduced me to some people I may have otherwise never have met.

One exciting connection Liz introduced me to Scott Stewart and Ken Berkley. I got to visit their BEAUTIFUL farm, only 20 minutes from Chado. They were about to pack up and head to Palm Beach after Washington wrapped up (about a week from the time we met). I’ll likely be tracking them down again once I get to FL.

FL is bittersweet for me. Although I’m DYING to be at WEF amongst all those fantastic horses and riders and some of my best friends, I will not be doing nearly the same amount of riding and certainly not jumping many jumps. At least I know there will be plenty of rides waiting for me when we return in the spring:)

Next post; breaking the yearlings, getting to horse show, and a very special horse returns to the farm:)

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Another great night

Another great night last night.  Temps were in the low sixties which made for perfect weather while riding.  The barn was dark when I came in – again, I felt so bad turning the lights on since everyone had been tucked in for the night. 

Vigo was so cute when he saw me.  He blinked his eyes hard several times while his eyes adjusted then gave me one of his very throaty, very masculine nickers.  I love when he nickers for me.  Always makes me feel so welcome. 

Having figured out where the switch was for the flood lights on either end of the barn, this time, I had enough light to get myself to and from the ring.  I do love flippin’ that switch on the ring and seeing the lights warm up! 

As we did the night before, I walked Vigo around the ring on foot first, doing a little ground work along the way.  Then, hopped on and did circles all around the perimeter of the ring so that Vigo would have plenty of time to look around each part of the ring.  I did this to the left, as well as to the right, which also makes for a good stretching exercise.

We practiced a few halts and backs, then did some trotting transitions.  I continued to ride circles, although this time, making them much larger.  Then, as our trot took us back to the rail, I broke to the walk, had him walk straight, then started a turn and moved him back up into the trot.  I don’t think you can ever do too much transition work.  It is a good workout for their hind ends and gets them in tune with your leg.  Vigo is always more responsive once I am done with the exercise. 

We moved on to riding some serpentines.  Vigo has recently been shod behind and between the good footing, the levelness of the ring and the size of the ring, for the first time, I really felt Vigo ‘stroking’ at the trot.  What a great feeling.  Sometimes, as we passed through the stream of a light, I could catch a shadow of us and Vigo just looked spectacular.  He carries himself so beautifully and those little ears of his are always forward.  Vigo always takes great interest in what he is doing.  Jenn even said he is a wonderful student.  I agree!

As Vigo hacks around, it makes me feel good that he is now trusting where I send him and were we go together.  Ground work has really helped with that.  While the ring is beautifully lit, the woods that surround us are not.  Deer stand nearby, curious of what we are doing and there are new shapes of rocks, stumps and such that Vigo could easily mistaken for a predator.  But, Vigo is walking along with me or carrying me along in a much more confident manner than he ever has. 

For those who don’t fully understand what ground work is, Wikipedia probably explains it better than I could:

Natural horsemanship is the philosophy of working with horses by appealing to their instincts and herd instincts. It involves communication techniques derived from wild horse observation in order to build a partnership that closely resembles the relationships that exist between horses.  Most natural horsemanship approaches emphasize the use of groundwork to establish boundaries and set up communication with the horse. This can include leading exercises, long reining and liberty work.  The object is for the horse to be calm and feel safe throughout the training process.  A horse that feels calm and safe with his handler is quick to bond with that person, and the results can be remarkable.

So, there you have it.  In the beginning of my journey with Vigo, all of his acting out was simply because I wasn’t taking the appropriate leadership.  In a herd, someone has to be the leader and being that horses are lazy, no one really wants to pick up the job.  Most probably hang back as long as possible then, finally someone steps in and says, “OK, fine.  I’ll do it.”  I’m sure this was the case with Vigo.  He was a horse that really needed leadership in a clear manner.  I was working around Vigo as I would with an older horse and eventually, it caught up with me.  Incorporating the ground work that natural horsemanship teaches gave me immediate, very positive results and I’m thrilled with our progress.  He is just a completely different horse.

Vigo’s only spook of the night (albeit simply a flinch) was when I flipped the switch to turn the lights off in the ring.  From there, the moonlight guided us back to the barn.

I listened to our nifty sound system while I cleaned tack, then stepped into the heated lounge to heat up my dinner.  My barn owner popped down for his usual night check and to give one of the horses their evening cycle of meds.  He gave me a glowing report on how Vigo is settling in with his field mate.  I’m so glad to hear that Vigo is happy.

Comments subscriber ‘Wanderingblonde’ will be happy to know that Bob and I have a safety measure in place now.  Once I’m on, I text him to tell him so and give him an estimate of the duration of my ride.  Then, once I’m off, I text again.  As always, I call him when I’m on my way home. 

The cozy lounge - I'm watching X Factor. That's Simon there.

That’s our little lounge above.  It’s actually a little more swanky than the picture depicts.  The floors are tile and to the left is a little toity that is tucked under the stairs.  To the right is my barn owner’s office and along the walls are show ring pictures with Champion ribbons hung upon them.  There is another bench to the right which is like the one pictured under the flatscreen and there are two director-style chairs facing the TV, which is where I ate. 

The cabinets have coffee mugs and silverware stored in them.  I’m going to bring a few other conveniences to keep on hand for when I heat up my dinner. 

That’s all for now!

Light on the subject!

What a beautiful evening it was! It was in the low sixties and windless. It only took me 40 minutes to get out to the barn and I pulled in shortly before 5:00. All the horses had been tucked in to their beds for the night and the barn was cozy when I walked in.

Vigo just looks so at home! His eye looks so soft and relaxed and reports back on him are that he continues to be a gentleman at turnout. He met his field mate today. He was turned out by himself first so he could run for a bit and once he settled, Will was turned out with him. They both settled in to grazing with no problems. My barn owner really likes Vigo and that always helps. It also helps that he likes OTTBs in general and has had several himself.

As I pretty much expected, I had the barn to myself. It was so quiet that I felt it needed just a little something and happened to notice a stereo in the tack room. Little did I know, when I turned it on, it was a premium sound system that went through the whole barn! Loved it!

Vigo was knee deep in his hay when I found him. Just a happy little clam. In no time, we were tacked up and headed out to the ring. This would be Vigo’s first time in the ring. My heart definitely went pitter pat when I lifted the switch to turn the lights on. Oh my. Heaven. We were very spoiled too at our last little barn with its perfectly groomed surface that Leslie always made sure to do every day but it didn’t have the same lighting as this!

Vigo was very curious about exploring this new corner of the farm and looked out across the ring with interest. I walked him around it on foot first, doing a lap each direction. We did a few stopping/backing exercises and when he looked a little tense while gazing off into the woods, we did a few ‘head downs’ and Vigo trusted me that all was fine and relaxed right away.

Once on, we continued to walk around the ring on a loose rein but did circles so that he could have a 360 view of every bit of the ring as he tracked around. He did great and we struck off at the trot, riding more circles. Then we moved on to our figure of eight exercise, eventually adding in the canter with simple change in the center. The ride was wonderful and such a great experience for Vigo’s first night under the lights.

After putting Vigo back, I checked out the flatscreen in the lounge. I was regretting forgetting my dinner to heat up so I could catch the news while I got dinner before getting on the road home. I was SO hungry on my way out to the barn! I am loving all the nifty conveniences.

My barn owner stopped in to give one of the boarder horses his eye meds and I told him how in love with the place I am already. When my pony’s happy, I’m happy!!

The ring at dusk

Vigo’s new home

Saturday was a very exciting day, moving day!  It was a gorgeous day and I headed out to the barn right after breakfast with Bob. 

My friend Scott was meeting me there to help me with some things on the van.  While doing our ramp training, I left the ramp out for my barn mates to also train on it and the sides, being plywood, did not fare well in the rain.  There was just enough of a bow in both of them to make slipping the pegs into their holes on the ramp a little impossible.  Two would slip in on each side but the third would not.  So, Scott made some adjustments and everything worked just perfectly. 

The other thing he fixed was the passenger side mirror.  That was tricky because it required taking the door panel off.  We now know what color Buck was when he first rolled off the assembly line – a deep red, almost ox blood.  Now, his sexy ‘cowboy crimson’ interior makes sense. 

Mylene happened to show up just as we completed the job and offered to follow me to the new farm!  Which was wonderful because that meant I didn’t need to put a kink in Bob’s day and I really wanted Mylene to see the new place.  And, as always, she captured the entire event in pictures! 

Buck and Van carry their precious cargo away.

Up the hill to the new barn.

The drive outside the barn had this lovely pitch to it that took the pitch out of the ramp.  It’s a perfect area for loading and unloading the van!  Even better, my barn owner LOVES Buck n’ Van and even said he’s jealous and wants one.  Ahhh…so good to have the van-love!

Diss yoo new home, boy!

My barn owner just said, "He's HUGE!"

 

Vigo swaggers down the aisle

A nice view out the back...

...and a nice view out the front.

The view out the back of the barn, facing the turnouts.

A breathtaking view

 

The boarder's barn - home sweet home!

As you stand at the back of the barn, facing the paddocks, you can see the vineyard below.  The building with the green roof is the run-in shed.  Yay!  I’m so happy to have a run-in shed, I can’t even tell you.  Poor Vigo!  I used to watch him run for the willow tree or the tiny slice of protection the cedars on the fence line offered as he got caught in downpours.  Now, he’ll have a good place to go if there is a sudden change in weather.

After giving a tour of the place to Mylene and tucking Buck and Van into their new spot, I left Vigo to get to know his new surroundings.  The stalls have bars between them instead of boards so they can all see each other so he got to nuzzle with his neighbor.  And the stall floors are seamless rubber-lined with the rubber futons (StableComfort™ flooring) underneath! 

Vigo had a half-bale of hay stacked in a corner waiting for him.  The next day, my barn owner told me he ate every blade of it and said, “We’ll give him as much as he’ll eat.”  Um… YAY.  That means I won’t have to buy additional hay cubes to hang anymore!

Sunday morning, I spent reorganizing my corner in the garage where my trunk (that I haven’t been able to use in over 10 years) and other horse stuff is cluttered.  I gutted my trunk and Bob helped me take it out to the barn.  On the way home, I got three large plastic stacking tubs to put all of my equipment in and got everything organized.  Slowly but surely, I’ll get everything set up in my trunk at the barn but for right now, I have the essentials for my rides.

When I went back out in the afternoon, Vigo was napping in the shade not far from the gate.  I always love how he comes to me when I call him, little ears pricked forward.  Always makes me feel so good.  I stroked his head, catching his cute little chin in the palm of my hand and gave it a little tug and gave him a kiss on his muzzle and asked, “Do you like your new home boy?”  I am certain he does.  My barn owner told me that when he was turned out that day, he was a gentleman walking out, waited patiently at the gate like he always does and after he was loose, took a few gallops around the field before settling in.  I loved that part – the part about galloping.  It is a HUGE field with a ton of grass which means plenty of traction and lots to munch on.  YAY!!

Vigo and the vacuum

Tomorrow is the big day. Vigo and I are ready. I’ve packed everything but bare essentials for riding and grooming. I will pack those up in the morning.

Finally got to use the vacuum! Woo-hoooo! I have NEVER seen Vigo stand so quietly on crossties, other than when he’s been sedated for a veterinary procedure. He LOVED it.

“Vigo – check out this cool new thing I got for you.”

“It’s a blue box. What’s a blue box gonna do for me?”

“You’ll see. Now, don’t freak out, I’m gonna turn it on but it’s quieter than the blower for the aisle.”

“Hm. Yes, it is. So now what?”

“Well, I’m gonna run this thing across your coat and it’ll get all the dirt out of it.”

“I’m not sure if I like that idea.”

“You’re the horse, I’m the human, you have no choice. Trust me, you’ll like it.”

“Skeptical.”

“Here goes….”

“Oh. Oh my… ohhhhhhhhh… it sucks!”

“You don’t like it? You look like you like it.”

“Oh, I like it. It sucks.”

“Vigo, don’t say, ‘It sucks.’ In human speak, that means its something we don’t like. Besides, it has other connotations.”

“What’s a connotation?”

“Leave the vocabulary up to me. You just enjoy the su… the vacuuming.”

Oh that's the spot, right there...