So I have some stuff going on right now -- my show opened at Albion College in Michigan -- (Wisconson? no, Michigan, definitely Michigan...for some reason I can't remember what state it's in. The Midwest is sort of an amorphous blob to me, I am ashamed to say.)
They have a...disappointing...web presence for the Visual Arts Center so I won't even bother to link. But I have been interviewed by the school paper, and will link to that if they put it on-line.
Imax is doing much better, in that he is not lame anymore, we never really did figure out what was wrong. Mary, my Animal Communicator said it was a "nervy" type of pain. I had a Vet, a chiropractor and psychic all treat him, and while I learned a lot, mostly I learned I need a new Vet.
I also realized we were not ready for the Adult Rider's Camp at Tulip Springs, which is just so disappointing, I was looking forward to it so much. But I can't be sure how Imax will act in public in a strange place, with strange horses. We just need many more miles under our belts, before we commit to such a big deal.
I am trying to ride him in the arena with other horses as much as possible and going to take him on a trail ride to Bridle Trails on Sunday. We will see how that goes.
Showing posts with label Imax. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Imax. Show all posts
28.2.08
23.10.07
I have a crush on my horse.
Imax is doing so good, I am so proud of him.
This is a Then and Now photo. The one on the right is one I took when I was looking for a horse. The one on the left was taken yesterday, October 22.
click for big.
He still has a pointy croup, I don't think that will ever go entirely away, but his hindquarters are muscling up nicely. He has also gained about 100 pounds or more, which also helps. It is great to see this progress.
AND I got a new saddle. Which I also am enamored with.
It is a Stubben Juventus, in BLACK. Sexy.
I got it yesterday, and we had our first lesson in it. It made a HUGE difference. Jill had us do 20 minute trot sets with almost to no contact. For about five minutes, we were even on the buckle. Not the most beautiful circles you have ever seen, but he was responsive to my leg, and most importantly, pretty much stayed in frame. I hope to replicate this wonder when we ride tonight.
I can hardly wait.
This is a Then and Now photo. The one on the right is one I took when I was looking for a horse. The one on the left was taken yesterday, October 22.
click for big.
He still has a pointy croup, I don't think that will ever go entirely away, but his hindquarters are muscling up nicely. He has also gained about 100 pounds or more, which also helps. It is great to see this progress.
AND I got a new saddle. Which I also am enamored with.
It is a Stubben Juventus, in BLACK. Sexy.
I got it yesterday, and we had our first lesson in it. It made a HUGE difference. Jill had us do 20 minute trot sets with almost to no contact. For about five minutes, we were even on the buckle. Not the most beautiful circles you have ever seen, but he was responsive to my leg, and most importantly, pretty much stayed in frame. I hope to replicate this wonder when we ride tonight.
I can hardly wait.
12.9.07
Imax at the Sea
Oh my god Imax was a CHAMP. We went to Ocean Shores pn Sept 8th with nine other horses and riders. He had never been to the beach before.
We rode in the WATER and even cantered in the water.
I sort of tricked him into the water, we were in the middle of the pack of horses, and there were non-spastic horses around him, and they just normally kept walking when the water came up, and he suddenly realized - hey! the ground is WET!! He snorted and shimmied around, would stop suddenly and then just as suddenly start. But he calmed down pretty quickly and more or less normally walk trot, and cantered in two inches of water.
But at first when we got there, even damp sand was highly suspect and he had to shy around the patches until he realized all of the whole ground was nothing but damp sand, and then he started to forget about the shying.
We also went up and down sand dunes, all over the beach. After about two hours though, he decided he had had enough, and had a little spaz and would only walk sideways. So we just went the rest of the way to the trailer sideways. It wasn't nearly as fun for him when I was Telling him to go sideways, though.
Then in our afternoon ride we went for a gallop (!!!!) and he is FAST. I was holding him with all my strength, and he still passed everybody. I can't imagine how fast he would have gone if I'd let him go. Scary! But when I started asking him to stop, he did (eventually) but then he was so keyed up he sort of did this little jog/prance thing - he was a hit with the civillians on the beach. Lots of phone pictures of us out there now.
This is the only photo I got the whole time, I was too busy hanging on to take pictures...
Anyhow, so much fun. He is such a good boy.
We rode in the WATER and even cantered in the water.
I sort of tricked him into the water, we were in the middle of the pack of horses, and there were non-spastic horses around him, and they just normally kept walking when the water came up, and he suddenly realized - hey! the ground is WET!! He snorted and shimmied around, would stop suddenly and then just as suddenly start. But he calmed down pretty quickly and more or less normally walk trot, and cantered in two inches of water.
But at first when we got there, even damp sand was highly suspect and he had to shy around the patches until he realized all of the whole ground was nothing but damp sand, and then he started to forget about the shying.
We also went up and down sand dunes, all over the beach. After about two hours though, he decided he had had enough, and had a little spaz and would only walk sideways. So we just went the rest of the way to the trailer sideways. It wasn't nearly as fun for him when I was Telling him to go sideways, though.
Then in our afternoon ride we went for a gallop (!!!!) and he is FAST. I was holding him with all my strength, and he still passed everybody. I can't imagine how fast he would have gone if I'd let him go. Scary! But when I started asking him to stop, he did (eventually) but then he was so keyed up he sort of did this little jog/prance thing - he was a hit with the civillians on the beach. Lots of phone pictures of us out there now.
This is the only photo I got the whole time, I was too busy hanging on to take pictures...
Anyhow, so much fun. He is such a good boy.
1.8.07
A rough couple of days
The day after Mom passed away, I went to the barn to take Imax for a ride. It was relatively early in the morning and he had just been put in the pasture. i walked through the barn to the pasture to fetch him, and he saw me at the gate. He was on the far side of the pasture over by the mares where he always is (he is such a gigolo). he started walking to me, like he always does (he is a dream to catch, comes to you and puts his nose in the halter.) It looked like he was limping, and as he got closer, I saw blood running down his leg.
He had a two-inch gash on the inside of his left knee. I freaked out a bit, I certainly was not emotionally ready to deal with a bleeding, lame horse.
I washed the cut, ran cold water over it, and put some antiseptic on, and Mark, one of the barn owners, kindly called a Vet for me. When she called back, she basically told me what we were doing was ok, except I should get him a tetanus shot, which I did. A friend of mine Kerry, gave me a bunch of first aid supplies including Bute and some good advice. So I have been washing it out every day, running cold water over it for 15 - 20 minutes and putting a homeopathic salve on it that is also a topical anesthetic (sp??). I wasn't wrapping it for a while because it was pretty swollen. It has stopped actively swelling. So I wrapped it today.
The only thing I can figure what happened is he got into a fight with one of the other geldings in the pasture, and he got the worse end of it. It is not so surprising, he is really an instigator, he immediately challenges the dominate horse in the pasture and then wants to boss everyone else around. I may have to re-think him being turned out at all. Erin, his former owner stopped turning him out because he came back with a new scrape every time. I have to admit, he had a new ding nearly every day I have had him, too.
I realise this post is kind of boring to anyone but me, but believe me this is the abbreviated story - The wrap/don't wrap saga alone could fill this page and more.
So anyhow, I am grounded for at least another week to ten days. The up side is we are just hanging out getting to know each other. He is quite charming and funny.
He had a two-inch gash on the inside of his left knee. I freaked out a bit, I certainly was not emotionally ready to deal with a bleeding, lame horse.
I washed the cut, ran cold water over it, and put some antiseptic on, and Mark, one of the barn owners, kindly called a Vet for me. When she called back, she basically told me what we were doing was ok, except I should get him a tetanus shot, which I did. A friend of mine Kerry, gave me a bunch of first aid supplies including Bute and some good advice. So I have been washing it out every day, running cold water over it for 15 - 20 minutes and putting a homeopathic salve on it that is also a topical anesthetic (sp??). I wasn't wrapping it for a while because it was pretty swollen. It has stopped actively swelling. So I wrapped it today.
The only thing I can figure what happened is he got into a fight with one of the other geldings in the pasture, and he got the worse end of it. It is not so surprising, he is really an instigator, he immediately challenges the dominate horse in the pasture and then wants to boss everyone else around. I may have to re-think him being turned out at all. Erin, his former owner stopped turning him out because he came back with a new scrape every time. I have to admit, he had a new ding nearly every day I have had him, too.
I realise this post is kind of boring to anyone but me, but believe me this is the abbreviated story - The wrap/don't wrap saga alone could fill this page and more.
So anyhow, I am grounded for at least another week to ten days. The up side is we are just hanging out getting to know each other. He is quite charming and funny.
17.7.07
Imax news
Imax is settling in nicely, and has a fan club with some of the little girls who take lessons at Pony Tail. On Sunday, one of them updated me on his every move, and informed me that he likes apples.
Since Saturday was a settling in day, I just worked with him on the ground, mostly leading him around the barn and in the arenas, learning to whoa and back up when I tell him. I think I need a stud chain, he will drag me around if he feels like it. Erin (former owner) said you just have to put one on him, and that makes him calm right down and listen attentively. I have been using the lead-rope around his nose like a stud chain and that works just as well, but having that clunky clasp over his nose looks so mean.
Sunday morning we went for our first ride at PTR, and he was a very good boy. I started him in the round pen, pushing and chasing him a bit, until he was "chewing" and then he followed me around for a while.
He was mostly patient when I was tacking him up, since my tack is new for him, everything needed adjusting, so it took a while - also periodically and randomly picking up his feet. He is getting the idea that I will ask him for a foot at the oddest times.
We had a nice little hack around the jumping arena, and trotted some poles, and he did that just fine. I rode him all around the barn, and down the street about a block; he did great and I decided to quit while ahead.
Then yesterday, after work I decided to take him on the Lake Young trail, and getting down there he was fine, but once on the trail, he started throwing his head around and refusing to go forward. I circled him and kept asking him to go, and he did have a number of flip-outs. No bucking or rearing, but throwing his head around and backing up. When I would get him going forward, just about the time I would think he had been going nicely and we could turn around, he would flip out again. So our little trail ride turned into a test of wills. I finally had a good stretch of going forward and got to turn around. Once back at the barn, I had dismounted thinking to walk him around the arena to cool off, and he did the "drag me around" thing again. So, I put him in the round pen and ran his butt off, and got him following me around like a little puppy. I walked him and brushed him - gave him some carrots and we ended on a good note.
Speculation on what caused the bad behavior - There were a TON of mosquitoes, and he didn't like them, and also I think he has a sore spot on the girth line on the right side. I noticed he would react by flipping his head and lipping when I brushed that area. So today will be a day off from riding, more ground work. Also, since his wither is so high, the saddle slides back quite a bit by the end of the ride - I need to put some more holes in the breastcollar to help keep it in place. Even before I noticed him reacting to being touched on the girthline, I have not been cinching him down super tight, just enough to keep the saddle on - maybe too loose and the saddle is joggling around on his back. All things to watch in the future.
All in all everything is going just fine. I have already cried twice and beaten myself up for not buying Monty the paint. And then I go and see Imax and start to feel better.
Since Saturday was a settling in day, I just worked with him on the ground, mostly leading him around the barn and in the arenas, learning to whoa and back up when I tell him. I think I need a stud chain, he will drag me around if he feels like it. Erin (former owner) said you just have to put one on him, and that makes him calm right down and listen attentively. I have been using the lead-rope around his nose like a stud chain and that works just as well, but having that clunky clasp over his nose looks so mean.
Sunday morning we went for our first ride at PTR, and he was a very good boy. I started him in the round pen, pushing and chasing him a bit, until he was "chewing" and then he followed me around for a while.
He was mostly patient when I was tacking him up, since my tack is new for him, everything needed adjusting, so it took a while - also periodically and randomly picking up his feet. He is getting the idea that I will ask him for a foot at the oddest times.
We had a nice little hack around the jumping arena, and trotted some poles, and he did that just fine. I rode him all around the barn, and down the street about a block; he did great and I decided to quit while ahead.
Then yesterday, after work I decided to take him on the Lake Young trail, and getting down there he was fine, but once on the trail, he started throwing his head around and refusing to go forward. I circled him and kept asking him to go, and he did have a number of flip-outs. No bucking or rearing, but throwing his head around and backing up. When I would get him going forward, just about the time I would think he had been going nicely and we could turn around, he would flip out again. So our little trail ride turned into a test of wills. I finally had a good stretch of going forward and got to turn around. Once back at the barn, I had dismounted thinking to walk him around the arena to cool off, and he did the "drag me around" thing again. So, I put him in the round pen and ran his butt off, and got him following me around like a little puppy. I walked him and brushed him - gave him some carrots and we ended on a good note.
Speculation on what caused the bad behavior - There were a TON of mosquitoes, and he didn't like them, and also I think he has a sore spot on the girth line on the right side. I noticed he would react by flipping his head and lipping when I brushed that area. So today will be a day off from riding, more ground work. Also, since his wither is so high, the saddle slides back quite a bit by the end of the ride - I need to put some more holes in the breastcollar to help keep it in place. Even before I noticed him reacting to being touched on the girthline, I have not been cinching him down super tight, just enough to keep the saddle on - maybe too loose and the saddle is joggling around on his back. All things to watch in the future.
All in all everything is going just fine. I have already cried twice and beaten myself up for not buying Monty the paint. And then I go and see Imax and start to feel better.
12.7.07
Oh dear.
I keep getting struck with bouts of panic. I will just be sitting here and suddenly my skin feels like it doesn't fit and I have to sit quietly with my hands over my eyes for a moment until I get it together enough to be able to not scream a little.
You see, I have bought a horse.
The very horse in this picture.
His name is Imax. He is five.
He was bred for the track, but was weeded out before he was ever started.
From there, he was bought by a woman who "cowboyed" him around a little too much, and he didn't like it. Started trying to buck her off. She got scared of him and basically put him in a stall for a year.
She finally got tired of feeding him so decided to sell him at auction. The owner of Woodenview stables offered to buy him instead. I am not sure what she planned on doing with him, but a girl working at her barn, Erin, bought him from her. Three weeks later, her boyfriend got accepted to a grad school in University in Southern California. She decided to go with - and Imax had to go back up for sale.
I saw his ad on Dreamhorse:
Has been jumped over a few things & shows interest. I am moving to San Diego Aug 1st and unfortunately not able to take my baby with me! He is registered but previous owner lost the papers supposedly(very annoying). He's never raced, green but has a few months of training under him and really is just a big baby. I have tried him on a few jumps and he will jump and with training would probably make a great jumper. He needs an advanced rider or an intermediate rider with proof of a trainer as I want him finished properly. I have a trainer I work with regularly and will continue until sale. I can ride him English walk, trot, canter -he has real smooth gates, a nice sitting trot all will just get better! He has been to a basic level walk trot show, he clips, loads, lunges, bathes and loves to be groomed. Has been on trails, dogs & traffic didn't seem to bother him. Great personality, good with other horses. A real lover!!
If he passes the Vet check tomorrow, I take delivery that afternoon.
Oh dear. I need to cover my eyes for just a moment. Excuse me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)