Patience is a Gift

And I don't have it. Patience I mean. In some areas yes, but when it comes to shopping, or wanting things, I have no patience. I want what I want and I want it right NOW. My husband is the same way. We often end up giving each other small goofy gifts at Christmas because we've already given each other really big gifts throughout the year. As evidenced by the new lawn tractor he just bought me out of the blue. Damn that man, he's one upped me right before his birthday.

One year I got a new puppy, a horse trailer and a four wheeler all within a six month span. I can't even recall what I got for Christmas that year. So here is my dilema. I want to be able to ride with my husband, which means getting another trail horse. But every time I do the cyber horse stalking thing I want something tall, able to jump, and do trails.  In my heart I'm still looking for that low level event horse even though my head says stop.  I could get a trail horse, but I guarantee that I'd be trying to teach it to jump within a month.

But if I wait, if I save up my pennies(a lot of them) I could get something really great. So what's my dream, that I'm trying to learn the patience enough to wait for?  I love all things Irish. Super hubs swears I was an Irish potatoe/horse farmer in a past life. I want an Irish Draught.  I want something built for sport, but not bred to race. I want something safe, sound and honest that doesn't even know the meaning of the word buck, bolt, or rear. But Irish Draughts are not cheap. Even the not so well bred ones are pretty expensive.

But I've learned if you want something bad enough you can find a way. I want. So here's to the Irish Draught Dream fund! Love all around and keep it between the flags, wether they be Irish, American, or Eventing!

The Every Day Sweetness

So today is bitter sweet for me. I finally got my head and heart to agree and said out loud, that I was retiring Seneca to non-riding horse status. I didn't want to but I wasn't sure what another vet visit would accomplish except more vet visits that may or may not get to the bottom of Seneca's lameness issue.  So she is now officially and ornament/babysitter/grooming therapy horse. 

Meaning when I feel like talking to a great listener I go out and groom her, or rub her, or love on her like do every time I go out to feed her. I pour her feed in to her pan, give Cowboy his so he will stop circling like a shark, then come back to her, give her a hug, rub her neck, scratch her withers, then give her ears a last rub before leaving her to eat in peace. She'll have a home with me until it's time to let go, but now her only job is to listen to me whine about work and look pretty.

And she does, look pretty I mean.  It strikes me at the oddest moments that she is one of the most beautiful horses I've ever owned. She may be just a bay with a bit of white, but her classice thoroughbred head, and long graceful neck strke me to the heart.  Like when I came home from work the other night and couldn't see my two four foots hanging out under the trees so I went to the fence and called them.  Seneca came out from around the corner of the view blocking shed and just looking at her profile trimmed in moonlight. My heart lifted just looking at her.

So what does that mean for me? New event horse? Well, yes but not anytime soon. I really need a packer and they are way out of my price range right now. And I'm not ready to try my hand with another OTTB just yet. Sooooo Cowboy is it. He does have all the makings of a good event horse, and as much as I hate the thought of starting another greenie he's what I have.  I will be looking for an uncomplicated trail horse so super hubs and I can continue to ride togther.

Which brings me around to the job issue. So I'm not going to Japan, or Italy, or anywhere far away. And the ship I thought I might get assigned to thankfully was given to someone else. I am going to a unit right around here and it's deployment schedule which I don't know yet hopefully won't be taking me anywhere this summer or fall. Because the plan is for me to take lessons on Cowboy so he and I can get comfortable with each other and maybe event him at Starter level events in the fall.

So that is where I am right now.  Keep it between the flags everyone...

Forward, Future, Freak Out

While the past week has been warm and mostly dry I haven't been able to enjoy it which only makes me think dark, angry things about this job I used to love, and now...now not so much.  Having the job issue only compounded with the lame horse issue does not make me a happy camper.

Seneca looks sound-ish, but she is not her usual self. She's not chasing or racing Cowboy, she's not engaging in play like she usually would when Cowboy gets wound up and wants to play halter tag. Don't get me wrong, she's eating, drinking, and doing normal horsey things, but she isn't her sassy, bossy self. Which means even if she isn't limping, she's hurting.   The vet will be back out in a few weeks to do another round, but this will be it, if we can't find the cause then I will let Seneca retire to being a pasture ornament.

So is there a new member of Eventing at Midnight in the near future?  I'd love to say yes, and my cyber stalking of all horse sale websites would also love to say yes. But the answer right now is most likely not. There are a lot of things standing in the way, namely the truck's transmission. Because without the truck I wouldn't be able to compete much less pick up a new horse. So that's first on the long list of needs.

Then there is the other thing. My detailer(guy in the Navy who helps you find your next duty station) came up (FINALL!) with three billets(job openings). Two of them I'd take in a heart beat no questions asked. The third is well third for a reason. I don't particularly want that job, but I'd take it if it is the last ticket to freedom away from my current duty station. And it might come down to that.  If I have to take this third option I'll be gone for six months almost right off the bat and won't be back home until late fall.  There goes the entire eventing season, and the hunter/jumper/dressage season as well.  So while I'd love to do some serious horse shopping right this minute it wouldn't be fair to either me, the new horse, or super hubs(who will be holding down the farm in my absence) to bring new horsey home only to abandon him or her.

But there is one small bright spot in all this mess. I sucked down all my fear, fluffed up all my courage and started riding the Spotted Beast again.  I have made it pretty clear, that while he is lovely to look at, and a gorgeous mover, and yes spotted boy can jump, I don't care to ride him.  He's got that stubborn Appy streak, and he's reared up with me a couple of times when he got bored(not a plus in my book)  But I need something to ride, and he's right there. In his defense Cowboy does have one skill Seneca lacks.  He will pretty much load on the trailer every single time as long as the proper edible bribary is offered.

So Cowboy and I are trying to hash out a respectable relationship in which he does what I ask without giving me too much fuss. We'll see where this goes. Maybe if we can get the truck transmission soon I can take him to a couple of shows, and who knows if I get job 1 or 2 I might actually get to take Cowboy to a horse trial or two in the fall.

So keep looking forward and keep it between the flags everybody.

Where Do We Go From Here

Yesterday started my three days off. Three days in which it was going to be 80 degrees and dry.  So we started with a few laps of walking, then 8 minutes of trotting in one direction, 5 minutes of walk, 8 minutes of trotting in the other direction then another 5 minutes of walk.  All was going well, so I did one lap of canter in each direction.  Still all was good.

So we jumped a little, her working on being easy to and from the jumps, me working on getting up off her back a bit and being soft with my hands.  It wasn't perfect but she was manageble.

Then I got up this morning to feed and it had all gone to hell over night. Seneca was off again on the same right rear leg. Insert screaming and banging of my head against a wall here.

So we are back to square one. I have lots of options but none of them I really want to think about too hard right now.  I could have the vet come back out to the tune of another 300$.  I could give her more time off, do flat work only and see if she stays sound with no jumping.  I could just agree in my head and heart to retire her, at which point I will be doing one of two things. I could get a project horse put time, money and training in to it then sell it for a decent profit so I can possibly by the packer event horse I should have.  Or I could roll the dice on another OTTB again.

I'm just not ready to make these choices yet. I'm thinking May is when I'll make the hard choices. Until then I will try to get the Spotted Beast going and content myself with competing him.

Keep it between the flags everyone. 

I Spy

I spy with my little eye a sound looking Mare-Beast!  It is looking like the gamble I made of going with the joint injection rather than doing the blocks to identify the problem paid off and Seneca looks sound. I say looks because I have only been able to observe her as she moves around in the pasture. Weather and work have endeavored to keep me from riding.

I would like to say that I was going to get on her today but... I'm tired, exhausted even. This past week at work was one of the most stressful I've experienced there. I have been working towards getting a specific qualification for over six months and I finally got to the end and earned it on Thursday.  So I would love to say I am going to go get on my horse right this minute, but I'd rather watch her grazing and just let it go with hope that it won't rain on Monday so I can ride then.

I swear though the minute I finished that qual things in my life began looking up a little. Because I was doing research on the net and found a schooling horse trial that is within an exceptable distance, and far enough away that I can get Seneca fit for it!  Woo Hooo!

So now all I have to do is make sure that the truck is in working order, and *sigh* work on the High Queen's trailer loading. Because when I tried to reload her at Erin's she refused. For two days.  *loud teeth grinding*  I ended up having to walk her home. Four miles!  Past horse eating demon cows!

Those cows are evil! As we walking past them, the High Queen was already freaked, but the damn things started running down the fence so that it appeared to Seneca as if they were chasing her.  At which point she body checked me, jumped the massive ditch(a xc obsticle that we will never have a problem with I see.) and took me with her as I was still holding the end of the leadline.

So here we are at the begining of a whole new eventing season. And we have so far to go. We're both not fit, the truck has a transmission issue, and the weather is still crappy.  Soo the same as last year except the truck was still okay then. Eh, we'll get there.

Keep it between the flags everyone!

Seneca's Vet Holiday

Today was the big day! Yesterday saw better weather and I drove over to Erin's early to set up Seneca's  vacation suite.  The shavings didn't end up being what I wanted at all. Last time I got shavings the flakes were too big, and this time they were too small, more like sawdust so I felt a little bit like Goldie Locks trying to find the perfect happy medium that comes in a plastic bag which is better for keeping them dry during transport.

But other than that everything went according to plan and later in the day super hubs hooked up the trailer and then I got Seneca out gave her a bit of a grooming, can't have her going off on vacation looking like a muddy wreck. Loading as always was a bit of an exercise in patience. She didn't want to get in at the first or second presentation at which she got backed up until she changed her mind.

Then it was down to Erin's we went.  Seneca was very up when she got off the trailer, staring wide eyed, flared nose at everything.  In to her stall she went after super hubs and Erin fixed the sticky dutch door so that Seneca could see the other horses outside.   After she was settled in super hubs and I went home where Cowboy was still pacing and throwing a temper tantrum, which he is still doing sporadically.

This morning just as I was leaving my house to go over to Erin's the vet's scheduler called and asked if the vet could come early. YES! I love when the vet is early, and lets me know. So very quickly I got down to Erin's, cleaned the High Queen's stall, and then took her out for a bit of a walk before the vet showed up.

Seneca got clipped, scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed and then the needle. All of this of course was after the sedative kicked in which was sooo quick!  All the while Dr. R. is talking me through the whole procedure, which is great because then I understand exactly what is going on, and what problems I should look for.  Afterwards, my very sleepy pony got put back in her stall where I promptly took all her hay away and left her sulking about that while I chatted with Dr. R and paid the bill which was just at 300$ so not that bad.

I hung out with Seneca until I felt like the sedative was gone, gave her back her hay, gave her a pet and a kiss then left her to spend her day munching hay and watching the horses out in the pasture beyond her window.

Later today I'll go back down and feed Seneca her evening food, laced with bute for her comfort. Tomorrow afternoon she'll come home, although I'll keep her seperated from Cowboy for a day or two. Then business as usual, and hopefully in a week I'll be able to start riding her again!

Oh and before I forget a little humor for the day.  My friend Erin has a wandering flock of chickens of which there are a couple of different breeds of chicken.  This is to include some Rhode Island Reds.  These if you don't know are kind of assertive, curious and sometimes aggresive.  While the vet was getting her joint injection kit together and had all her equipment bays open this one Red jumped up in to the wheel well on top of the front tire. Then when it was done inspecting the tire it jumped in to the open equipment bays.  I tried to grab the naughty thing and it jumped further in and flitted around until I was finally able to get it out. We ended up closing all the bays to keep the cheeky chicken out of the equipment.

So until next time keep it between the flags everybody!

The Popularity of the Woodstove.

This is the crew in front of the woodstove.