indoors

Kate asked about an indoor arena and THAT is a whole other issue.
Last winter we were at a different barn and Nina was ridden in a heated indoor arena nearly every day.  There were lots of distractions, doors, windows to the aisle and she might spook a little when someone appeared in a doorway, but overall she was fine. It was a solid old pole barn and you really couldn't tell what the weather was doing when it was closed up tight.  Here she is indoors last winter.

The indoor arena at my current barn is a different story.  For one thing it isn't heated so it is at least as cold indoors as out.  It is an old metal building so it is a bit of a refrigerator.  When the wind blows the roof rattles and the doors slam and the wind howls, much worse than outside.  A lot of people going in and out do not bother to close the door behind them so the doors swings and slam. All the noise and echos and the building itself rattling drive Nina crazy and it is just one spook after another.  About the time she starts to settle down somebody slams a door hard enough to deafen you and off she goes again.  She needs to get over it and I will do some riding indoors with that in mind, but all in all I don't consider this a good place to work, regardless of the weather.

wind wind wind

I managed a ride in the wind today, although I have to confess that it was not the biting freezing cold wind we have been getting. It was fairly mild, I was in several layers of clothes but I was comfortable.  That icy wind we have been getting isn't stopped by any amount of clothes. 
So Nina was pretty good even when a horse blanket blew off the fence in front of her and a tumble weed blew right between her feet.  She discovered quickly that part of the arena was out of the direct blast, sheltered by a shed row building, and the rest was not.  She wanted to stay in the sheltered area and our circles got kind of flat when we stuck out noses out into the full force of the wind.  Not stellar, but not bad.  I used a new conditioner on my saddle last night that made it slippery so it's a good thing that Nina wasn't throwing a fit.  I need to clean that off tomorrow.
I feel like I'm in the winter groove now - I hope.

playtime

That icy wind was blowing again today and the no-steering riders are out on Saturdays so Nina got turned out.  But today she had a playmate, Tino.  Tino is a 5 year old TB that belongs to a friend and he lives at the barn when he is not in Fort Collins, where his owner is going to school.  We turned them out last year and they were ok so we turned them out today.  Nina had fun, not so sure about Tino.  She was chasing him around and herding him.  He was a little intimidated, he is still kind of a baby.  Hopefully she will be a little nicer to him next time, they both need a turnout buddy.
Here they were last summer, grazing in two little paddocks on the hill.

I love how they mimic each other's body position.... it's that herd thing. 

Get my head back in the game

I have been spending way too much time whining about the fact that I am cold (I am) and the wind is blowing (it is) and I already want winter to be over (I do and it isn't here yet). 
I need to pay attention to what this horse needs to keep moving forward with her training.  She goes really nicely for a few days and I forget how neurotic she can be and start pushing her to the next step and the next and the next and she can't handle it.  So I give her a few days off.  When she has had a few days off I am a little nervous and tense when I get on her because she is a little explosive and she is nervous and tense because of her history.  I realized yesterday that I was riding with my shoulders hunched and kind of shoving and pushing at her when she was spooky.  So she got stiff as a board and resistant. What I need to do is ride every day or as close as possible, but not train every day.  Or at least not train anything new or push her along. 
Today I made sure of my own position, was extra aware of my hands and legs and worked her for about an hour... all at the walk.  I gradually asked her to bend more and turn better and walk out more and she did.  She gradually relaxed and ended happy and with no resistance.
I know that it is tiny little steps that keep her moving forward and I forget because when she is going nicely she is as nice and responsive as any horse I have ever ridden.  She just can't maintain it yet because she starts to worry.  I can't just zone out and take a mental day off and expect her to carry on.  She has come a long way, I don't want her to get stuck now.

back to work

Here is Nina is her partial trace clip.  Last year I had to tranq her to clip her and as soon as the drugs wore off she tried to kill everyone nearby.  This year she stood quietly in her pen while I clipped her.  She was being so good that I decided not to push my luck and when I was this far done with a trace I just evened up the edge by her flank and quit.  Then over the next few days this seemed to work fine, she wasn't very sweaty and dried fast.  I firmly believe in only taking off as much hair as you have too, unless you are in a barn where someone else is doing blankets twice a day.  The more you take off, the more you fuss with blankets.
But when I clipped her, Nina wasn't through growing hair, now she is getting too hot again so I am going to finsh the trace clip in the next day or two.  She will look like a patchwork quilt with differnt length hair - but it's not like we are going on the winter circuit.
Finally got a good ride in today and she was pretty good considering how much time off she has had the last two weeks.  I think I'll leave it there.

completely sound - unbelievable

So, I just got Nina out to roll and lunge a little in the round pen and unbelievably she appears to be completely sound.  I would have thought that would bruise enough to make her at least a little off.  I did cold hose it within minutes and wrapped it as tight as I dared to, so maybe that helped.  I got to the barn too late to ride today and assumed she would be lame anyway.  Tomorrow - back to work.

I think this is such a classy job on the bandage.  *insert rolleyes here*  

Skin colored vet wrap, which looks gross, a bell boot adjusted to be loose and 

....drum roll.... duct tape.  

 She is apparently unconcerned about her fashion image.

One out of four?

Nina now has ONE leg without issues.  Poor thing, or maybe I should say poor me since I'm the one that obsesses over it.  She is very weak on her right rear, getting stronger but not quite right.  Not lame, just weak.  Her right front is where she had the abcess that blew out and left a humongous hole.  It just needs to grow out, but until it does it makes a weak area in the hoof wall so I have to keep an eye on it and still keep it cleaned out.  Yesterday while being a twit on the lunge line she managed to over reach, step on the back of her left front foot and partially glove the pastern.  At first glance I thought she had done serious damage and sliced it but it turned out to just be missing skin.  Nothing left to stitch so I will keep it bandaged until it heals.  I am so thankful that she was wearing bell boots and that I pulled her hind shoes last week.  It could have been much much worse.
I believe that leaves the left rear with no problems.  At least she isn't lame, not even on the latest injury which I would have thought would be bruised enough to make her at least a little off.  Nope, trots out fine.

Eventing Radio Episode 108 – Lucinda Green

Eventing Radio Episode 108 – Lucinda Green

Beautiful day today

Today was gorgeous and NO wind.  However we are supposed to get 80mph gusts tonight so I hope everything is nailed down good.  I had a lesson to teach this afternoon so I couldn't take advantage of the nice weather to ride.  I turned Nina out and she trotted around for a while and then got a good grooming.  Here she is all snug in her shed, eating dinner and ready for the night.

She do like her window.  Unfortunately, right after I took this shot I closed and latched the window because of the winds tonight.  I'm sure she is miffed.

We may end up taking the winter off

Seriously, I cannot handle the wind.  November is usually my favorite month, cool days with sunshine, cold nights, not a lot of winter weather.  The wind has been blowing and the clouds have been hanging around ALL month.  Colorado boasts over 300 days of sunshine a year, this November may have flushed that record.
Today I get to the barn and it is 50 degrees.  Wonderful!
Except that the clouds keep rolling in and the wind is blowing with gusts that rock you and it feels like the wind is blowing straight off of a glacier.  Step out of the wind and a sweatshirt is too warm, step back into the wind and a winter jacket complete with scarf and gloves leaves me shivering. 
Nina was tired after her antics yesterday, I fed her and left after dithering around for half an hour, watching the dirt kick up in big clouds in the arena. 
I used to give horses the winter off and not even try to ride, if Nina was further along in her training it would be really tempting.  But she's not, so I will ride as often as I can and not be miserable.  I'm too old to make myself miserable doing something that I do for fun.