Eventing Wonderland

Today I finally got home from my trip to watch the Carolina CIC.  From my first minutes in Southern Pines I was immersed in the eventing culture that we all love so much.

After a quick stop in Jacksonville to pick up my mother who was accompanying me on this trip we pulled in to Pinehurst dropped our luggage and immediately headed back out in search of food.   We intended to go to Chili's but accidently wandered in to Bone Fish Grill instead.  And man am I glad that I did.  Not only was it full of eventers, but just as we were being shown to our table Jimmy Wofford walked in! Then I had to try explain to my mother why I was practically bouncing out of my chair and craning my neck like a Justin Beiber fan who has just sighted the object of their obsession.

Ever try to explain to a non-eventer why Jimmy Wofford is a big deal?  It got complicated, but onwards with my story. After a good night's sleep Mom and I availed ourselves of the free hotel breakfast where I smiled over a parent's excitement over bringing their daughter all the way from Texas for their first 1*.

Then we headed over to the horse park.  After pulling out my fancy shmancy camera and some folding chairs Mom and I went over to start the day with show jumping.  As I am settling in to the bleacher seating I glance up and HOLY MOTHER OF EVENTING!  David O'Connor!  Again with the trying to look casual and still watch the eventing God.

Can you tell I've never been to a really big recognized event?  After watching some amazing show jumping Mom and I walked over to check out some cross country action.  Since my Mom's rhumatory arthritis makes it harder for her to walk and I didn't want my Mom witnessing a possible accident I plunked us down near the beginning of the course at the Stone Henge complex.

Loads of talented people flashing by on gleaming horses. I didn't get a whole lot of great photos from that position, too many things between me and the horses and because of the way the course ran it would be almost impossible to stand anywhere safetly.

Sunday dawned colder but the rain was supposed to hold off until the afternoon.  More free breakfast then off to the horse park.  The day before my mother had overhead the announcer talking about a rider who had gotten ditched in to the water jump. "I want to see that!" She exclaimed.  Seriously? I've created a monster.  So Sunday we found ourselves a spot by the water jump.  But I soon realized that the spot for spectators was great for watching but sucked for photos.  Looking around I spotted a couple of professional photographers and being bolder than I normally am made my way over to hang out with them.  Two of the ladies were from Brant Gamma photography, the other was a hobbyist with an awesome camera that I grilled her about.

Again tons of fantastic riders and lovely horses doing their thing and making the water complex look easy.  Not only did I see my most favorite rider Sinead Halpin galloping past but Karen O'Connor and Marilyn Little.  Through out the day I also spotted Ryan Wood, Buck Davidson, Sharon White, Charles Plumb, Doug Payne, Michael Powell, and jeez too many eventing Gods and Goddesses to count.

The whole experience was one I will always remember. The staff were friendly and helpful, the venue was great, the food was excellent and you can't fault the scenery.  Below are some of my favorite shots from the weekend.  Enjoy and keep it between the flags everyone.

Star Struck

I had a few minutes down time at work and decided to cruise over to the Entry Status on the Carolina CIC*** page just to see which riders were going to be there. Can you tell how excited I am!

I was scrolling through the list and saw not only is Dom Schram(SQUEEL!) going to be there, love his and Jimmie's videos, but my long time idol, the one and only Sinead Halpin will be there with the phenom New Forrest Pony, Forest Nymph aka Farrah, but Sinead will be riding Manoir de Carnival aka Tate in the ***

HOLY GODS of Eventing!!  I have followed Sinead's career since I saw her on an episode of that short lived eventing series on HRTV. But I've never been able to make it to an event where I might actually see her ride without a TV or computer screen between us.  I am soooo excited I can barely stand still. 

There will definitely be some photo stalking and if I can get a chance to have my photo taken with Sinead, or lets face it I'd be just as happy with Tate, I think I could probably die a happy woman.

There will be lots of other famousy eventers there, Kim Severson, Doug Payne, Will Faudree, and what's that guys name again? Oh yeah Boyd Martin.  I cannot wait for my adventure to begin! 

Until next time I am definitely doing a happy dance between the flags! 

Look Its Spring...No wait

And yet another try at riding Fox goes awry.  This past Saturday I had to work so no riding got done, though I did stop at the tack store on the way home and indulged in one of my obsessions, horsey socks.  I've become quite the conniseur over the years and I have my favorites but I'm always willing to try some new brands.  I picked out a fun pair to wear at the CIC*** in a few weeks, and a more working pair.

Sunday superhubs and lazed around in the morning ate blueberry pancakes and generally did nothing until noon.  At which point it was warm enough to pull the horses blankets and let them be naked for the day.  Superhubs and I pretty much finished the new run-in shed although Cowboy will be enjoying the sole use of it until his head has healed. 

Which is where the major issue of the day originated.  When Cowboy got hurt I shifted Fox over to Seneca's pasture.  I did not want to do this.  Even only sharing a fence line my two OTTB's are far too attached to one another. But it hadn't been a problem before.  Well Fox having been living with Seneca for nearly two weeks has decided she is the sun, the moon and all the stars.

So when I decided to ride Fox yesterday as it was nearly 70 degrees and there was snow and more crappy weather forcasted for the rest of the week he pitched a royal fit.  He screamed, she screamed, she raced up and down the fenceline despite Cowboy being in the pasture right next to hers.  At one point I had to turn Fox loose in one the empty pastures so he could tire himself out.  He raced around like a maniac for ten minutes then stared longingly at the other horses.  I forced him back to being tied at the trailer and when he still wouldn't behave I got the chain shank out and we took a little walk where I made him pay attention to me. 

At this point I knew I wasn't going to ride him that day and even lunging would have ended in an ugly argument.  But I didn't totally give up. I made Fox stand at the trailer while I pulled half his mane(something I've needed to do for awhile since he, like Seneca, has wild, thick, jungle mane) and afterwords we practiced his trailer loading skills.  Then I tossed him back in the pasture where he paced for a little while before settling down.  If the weather weren't so freaking crappy I'd put him in the furthest pasture from Seneca and leave him there until he remembers that the human is to be respected and life will not end if we lose sight of the mare.

Which is exactly what I will be doing as soon as the weather clears.  Solitary confinement may seem mean, but its better for both myself and Fox.  I have no tolerance for a herd bound horse and he absolutely wasn't like this when he was pastured with Cowboy.  So I know he can put his big boy pants on, its making him realize that he needs to that is the problem.

I made my hotel reservations for the CIC*** YEA!  And though my two friends probably won't be able to go I invited my mom who, though not a horse person, seems excited by the prospect of spending time with me.

Keep it between the flags everyone, even if they are encrusted with snow!

Update on Cowboy's Progression Towards Healing

Because I leave at a Gods awful hour of the morning that should be reserved for dreaming about cross country fences snug in my bed under the down comforter I don't get to see my horses very clearly some days as its too dark and a head lamp doesn't do my horses justice sometimes.

So I try very hard to be home before dark, I don't always manage it, but yesterday I made it home with just a little bit of daylight left.  I immediately threw off my uniform and tossed on farm chore clothes so I could go do Cowboy's daily wound cleaning.  That and his new, tougher, higher denier blanket arrived from Dover.  He's already mangled his other 150 weight blanket, it's not totally ruined but it's got some sizeable tears that will have to be patched before another horse can wear it.

I, like alot of horse people am a blanket nazi.  It has to last, it has to be tough, and it has to stand the test of Cowboy who is really the only one of the three who regularly tries to deconstruct his clothing.  Cowboy is now sporting an Amigo Bravo 1200 Lite/Medium blanket which is a 100 weight.  I like these alot. I have one for Fox, which used to be Cowboy's before he grew a bit. So far neither gelding has managed to destroy it.  So Fox and Cowboy have their Amigo Bravos, and Seneca is sporting on the cold but not freezing days an Amigo Mio 150 weight, 600 denier blanket.  Which is great for her, not too heavy, and she's never been a blanket mangler.  On the really, really cold days the boys get another layer, and Seneca gets switched in to her Weatherbeeta, mid-weight(250 gram), neck to tail blanket. I want to say it's a Landa, but can't recall for sure.  It's got a fancy diamond weave to the outer shell and so far it's been doing a great job.  Horseware is my go to brand, love the T buckles, and the durability (the Mio's not withstanding, but Cowboy is really rough on his clothes, so I'll give it a B rating), but I also love Weatherbeeta.  I have a turn-out sheet that I can't even remember how long I've had it, and as long as its not pouring is still doing a decent job of protecting the ponies.

But enough blanketing obsession and back to Cowboy's head wound.  Last night it looked, and smelled loads better.  The wound is starting to scab over (our recent drier weather has helped), it's oozing less fluid, and while there is still a bit of a bad smell it's not like the previous days where I could smell Cowboy from four feet away.  He still has some swelling in the area, but he's acting like the wound is a bit itchy. Cowboy tried to rub his face against my hands while I was cleaning him up. I'm taking that as a good sign.

Until the next bit of farm chaos, keep it between the flags everyone.

Luckiest Horse on the Planet

That would be Cowboy, the luckiest horse on the planet right now. The vet was out on Friday to take a look at Cowboy's head wound because it wasn't healing as well as I would like and a horrible smell had developed that no amount of cleaning, water, betadine, or anticeptic cream could remedy.

 The first vet, because my vet practice has five or six vets, came out, sedated Cowboy (had to hit him twice), cleaned the wound and told us she could feel what seemed like an abrasion or a crack on Cowboy's skull (que up the hysterical panic!)  We decided to do the Xrays on Monday since Dr. Collins (Friday's vet didn't have the xray equipment with her) and I needed to get the other two horses their semi-annual visit.

Dr. Gus came out Monday and I was actually home (Friday Superhubs had to take point and he does not deal well with animal wounds, but I think Dr. Collin's petite, blonde cutenss distracted him that time.) In fact I was just about clean Cowboy's head when the vet rolled up.  I had finally developed a system where Cowboy was not exactly happy about me fooling with his wound but at least more cooperative.  A spray bottle full of hot water, a wash cloth, medical gloves, and the cream Dr. Collins left.  After squirting Cowboy in the face a few times he would resign himself and let me clean the wound without much fuss.  Which was a relief because previous to that Superhubs would have to try and hold him while I attempted to clean the wound with Cowboy thrashing around.

Dr. Gus, with me acting as his assistant did a few xrays after hitting Cowboy with, again, two rounds of sedation.  There was indeed a fracture.  Which proved my theory that Fox must of caught Cowboy in the head with a hoof.  We don't know yet what will happen. The vets want to wait a week to see how the healing progresses before we move forward. 

Here is where Cowboy is lucky, although I'm sure with all the sedation, poking, prodding, and cleaning, he doesn't think so,  his fracture is right over his brain.  If he had been a hair slower to move out of the way I would have been making the worst phone call of my life.  Superhubs was a Marine, he's seen things I don't ever want to see. I've seen him cry a total of three times in our 17 years of marriage.  If I had to call him and tell him that his precious Spotted Beast was dead I don't know if either one of us would recover. I knew a horse that had this exact thing happen to him, a hoof directly to the middle of the forehead.  He died instantly.  I don't know if the waiting is worse than the instant death.  Because the waiting is all wrapped up in worry, anxiety and what if.  Where as the instant death is painful, but there is no room for hope to cut you deeper.    

We are not out of the woods yet.  The Dr. Gus is due back next Monday for a recheck to decide if Cowboy needs a field trip to the vet clinic for a better look at his head, or if he's healing and we can just hope that his brain stays where it should, and the bone doesn't die. I don't know what the prognossis is if the bone dies, I hate to even speculate, but the worry, the anxiety that we might lose Cowboy is right there digging a hole in my heart.   So cross your fingers everyone and keep it between the flags.

Viva Herd Revolution!

This evening I discovered something new about Fox that I was not expecting at all.  Last Sunday Cowboy got a nasty gash on his head.

In the interest in making Cowboy as comfortable, and stress free as possible I moved Fox in to Seneca's pasture.  I really did not want to do that.  Even living in adjacent pastures those two are far too attached to one another and I do not want to add fuel to a herd binding fire.  And I was also afraid Seneca would pick on Fox and bully him as she does Cowboy.

Yet that is sooo not what happened.  I fed Cowboy first, then grabbed Fox's feed pan from the field, both his and Seneca's grain buckets, and a lunge whip.  I was not taking any chances that Seneca might snap at Fox and he or she might run me over.   I swished the whip around as I entered to get both of them away from me and the tempting grain then walked out to Seneca's dish and filled it first.

I expected her to squeal, flick her feet at Fox and send him off.  Nope.  Fox dug in to the first pan of food while Seneca stood there confused and disgruntled.  I went and filled the second pan while Seneca and Fox had their stand off.  In the end Fox won and Seneca slunk towards me where she proceeded to eat her loser's meal.  Interesting.

I then proceeded to get everyone's hay from the hay shed.  Cowboy's hay went in to the run-in shed, where he quite happily chowed down in his newly established bachelor's pad.   After I divided Seneca and Fox's hay I treked through their pasture towards the house.  When I looked back at the two OTTB's,  Fox was leaving off hoovering up Seneca's dropped grain and was telling her to get away from his hay pile, which she did and went to the other pile as meekly as a toddler being put in time out.

Where did the High Queen go?  Where is my mare beast who is the most dominant horse in the pasture? How is Fox suddenly the King of all?  I didn't see it coming, but Fox is the most dominant horse in my herd.  

The Castle and a Horse Trial Adventure/Girl's Road Trip

After the last Snowpocolypse Superhubs and I started taking apart the horse shed that we had thrown up in all haste to protect my precious bay pony from the weather. Why would we take apart the shed we'd just built? So we can build a whole new, even more fabulous one of course!

Seneca supervising the building of her new castle.

It's not quite completed but Superhubs used his day off yesterday to put up the cross bracing for the roof. So hopefully by the end of this coming weekend it will be 99% complete.  What is that last 1% you say?  Why a gate of course so I can transform the run-in-shed in to a stall in which I can capture beasts that would rather roll in mud the day before a horse show. Or in case some canterous pony decides to injure themselves. Again.  Why again?  I don't have photos of it but somewhere between feeding Sunday AM and filling the water trough for the boys, a total of 15 minutes mind you, Cowboy mangled his head. 

I went to fill the water, Cowboy ambled over, dipped his head down and when he brought it back up I happened to glance at him.  EEEK!  Blood running down his face, massive gash on his forehead!  WTFing HELL!

Trying not to be alarmed I grabbed a bucket of warm water, a towel, leadline and then went to catch the Crack Beast. Not that hard, that is one his better attributes ever since the whole 2 1/2 hours of trying to rehalter/catch him when superhubs got him as a yearling and I made the mistake of taking the old, crappy, too small halter off, Cowboy has been pretty good about being caught.   It might have had something to do with the copious amounts of treats I gave him to encourage his happiness about being haltered.

After I tied him to the trailer and really inspected the manglement I had to wonder how exactly he got such a nasty gash.  My only theory is that he tried to take food from Fox who disabused him of that notion with a flurry of hooves.  This unfortunately is the second head wound Cowboy has gotten.  Any more and Fox is going to be living solo in his pasture, and Cowboy will go back to living with Seneca.  Seneca may have left some teeth marks on Cowboy's body, but never his head.

I doctored Cowboy's wound as best as I was able.  He was not happy about me touching it, no small wonder, it had to hurt pretty bad.  Which I remedied by giving Cowboy a bit of grain laced with Bute, which encouraged him to be okay with me fussing with the wound.

So as you've seen by the title of this post I am going on a horse trial adventure/girl's road trip.  While Rolex is still on my bucket list is just hasn't worked out for me to be able to go.  But the Carolina Horse Park is hosting a CIC ***   YEAH!  And super yeah! Since it's only about five hours from me.
http://www.carolinahorsepark.com/carolina-international-cic

When I started talking about this on Facebook two of my friends jumped on board with doing a road trip down to watch this amazing event.  Soooo at the end of next month I will be headed south to enjoy a really cool event, awesome riders, fabulous horses.  I will of course tote my fancy camera with me and document the whole trip. 

Keep it between the flags everyone.