Update on Rosie's lameness

Well it's still a bit of a mystery. My friend & I have been all over her leg & cannot find any heat or swelling. We cleaned out the hoof again to check for any damage or other problems & even though it seemed uncomfortable for her she didn't kick out or really struggle. She really is a sweat heart.
We felt all over & she doesn't flinch when you push on areas. It is definitely sore though as she is walking very gingerly. She can put full weight on it & use her other back leg to shoo flies away or scratch her head. From watching her we think it is sore in the hock.
Oh well she does seem a bit better this afternoon. It has after all only been 24 hours since she hurt it. If there is no improvement over the next few days we will call the vet out. Here's hoping that it is only bruising & a bit if rest will take the soreness away.

Photos from our first Pony Club muster

I received some photos today from one of the Mum's that was at our first PC muster a couple of weeks ago. It's really nice to receive them. Now I can critique my posture. I just have to remember that we are just starting with dressage & Rosie has never done anything like this before. It made me sad to see them especially now that poor Rosie is lame.

Rosie is limping

Well poor Rosie banged her leg on something this afternoon. We think that Galaxy cornered her next to the bath tub & when he bullied her she has crashed into the tub while trying to move out of his way.
She has opened up an old wound she had from her rug removal antics & also had a small mark just above her hoof. It's quite sore as she is very tender on it.
We have separated her into the small shed paddock with Midnight the old retired Brumby rescue as she is bottom of the pack & won't challenge her or push her around while she is sore. I washed it down with cold water & we have put butadiene on it to stop any infection & then a spray to keep the flies off it.
By the time we had all the new hay packed into the shed & sorted out which rugs were staying, going home & being thrown she was putting more weight on it & i saw her scratch her head with that back leg so movement is fine. Hopefully she will just need a week off. What a shame as she has been coming along nicely & Cath was going to take her out in the morning with some other friends as I have other commitments.
Will let you know how she is in a few days.

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Hay on order - time to clean the shed out

We've just ordered 50 bales of hay to cram into our little shed at the paddock. Everything is going to have to come out & what's not needed taken home, because there just isn't going to be room for it. At least it is going to be a good chance to give the shed a good clean.
I must admit that I am always a bit wary when delving into the depths of the shed, there could be snakes you know. And after all I am from New Zealand where we don't have snakes, they really do frighten me & I prefer to stay well clear. I find the best thing is to not think about it & just get on with the job.
The hardest part about all this lovely fresh hay is going to be convincing the horses that they can't have ay until winter when grass is short & they need a bit extra to keep their bellies warm. 

Rocky in particular will eat hay over his hard feed, he is very amusing to watch in winter, a mouthful of hay mmm a mouthful of hard feed, oh & then some more hay - it takes him for ever to eat his dinner





We have to keep Galaxy tied up or he will chase him off his dinner. None of the others have a chance of making him move though.

Soquilichi

Soquilichi have now expanded their horse rescue devision of their business. It's great news.
Check out both of their websites.
Soquilichi Rescue

Soquilichi

Benny our Bengal

Meet Benny our Bengal. We purchased Benny (then named Goliath) back in September from Little Paws Cat rescue. He was only 4 years old & had already had 4 owners. His last owner had surrendered him to the local pound because he had been hunting Wallabies in her paddock.
We couldn't believe that we had managed to find him. He is just beautiful - all 9 kilos of him. He is now really fitting in, he has become more sociable & will come down & spend time where ever you are working. I don't think he will ever be a lap cat but he is happy enough to stretch out beside you on the couch or floor.
Benny's favourite past time is sleeping, eating & playing hard. We have cat tunnels & a big basket of toys that he will help himself to. His favourite game is to sit half way up the stairs & for you to throw a scrunched up envelope to him so that he can either bat it back to you or catch it & then kill it.
From the beginning he hasn't been worried about the dogs. Jazz our Weimeraner is actually scared of him. Our old tabby cat Puss tries to boss him around & he could beat her up quite easily but he just backs off & moves on.
We love our Benny boy, or Slug boy as he is often called. What a great find! Here's just a few photos of him.

A great muster / sign on day

What a great day we had at our first sign on & club muster. 3 new members! & a couple of girls from a nearby club also came over to practice a dressage test with one of our instructors as they don't get much of a chance to do this at their club as they have a lot of members.
Rosie had her first dressage lesson today & I am so very proud of her efforts. We started off pretty rough, with a crooked entry down the centre lines & a bit of fighting in some of the corners. By the time we finished she was maintaining a steady trot throughout the test, cornering well, & I have found out that she has very good transitions from walk - trot & back. It was exactly the lesson I wanted to have with her. We really bonded & were working as a team. No cantering today, but now that we have a lovely controlled trot from her it won't be long & we will move onto the 20M canter circles & see how she goes. I have learnt how to do a half halt & she is responding well. Hope to have some photos later so will post these soon.
Some of the other members went with our other instructor & they practiced a few sporting events. Barrels, bending & flagging. Afterwards we had a sausage sizzle & a drink. It was very hot, approx 32 today so we were all in need of some shade & water, especially our horses. Of course they were looked after first!
Then we had our AGM meeting & elected the committee, planned for our dressage day in March & made a date for the Oldies day we will now hold in July.
Can't wait for the next muster, it's such fun to get out & ride with everyone.

Albany Creek Pony Club Official/Unoffical Dressage day

The Albany Creek Pony Club Official / Unofficial Dressage Program is now available. Approx 80-100 riders are expected at the event. It's a great day to attend.
We are also looking for sponsors for the event. Either sponsorship of medallions $250 - where your name is engraved on the medallions, mentioned throughout the day & you can also leave advertising material.
Or we are looking for either monetary or product donations for our raffle table. As we are a small club & help is greatly appreciated.
If you would like to help please contact me.
Albany Creek Dressage Program March 14th 2010

Manure - what do you do with yours?

I'd really love to hear from you all how you manage manure when you have limited paddock space for your horses. We have 3 paddocks that we rotate ours through. In Winter they are mostly in the shed paddock so we don't have to lug heavy winter rugs to far in the mud.

I have read how you can collect the manure & then spread it in the resting paddocks as it has grass seeds & is after all a great fertiliser. The same article also encouraged you to spread out any old hay or feed in the empty paddocks. These were suggestions for those of us who don't own the land & therefore didn't want ot spend a lot of money on fertilisers & other equipment.

Look forward to hearing about your methods.

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working together

The weekend riding lessons have paid off! I now feel like Rosie & I are starting to work together & the bond between horse & rider is growing. She is a fast learner, definitely faster than me. Reads my mixed signals & does what I ask, which isn't pretty because my signals were mixed. But now that I am getting used to her stride & how responsive she is I am sitting alot more comfortable. Still need to work on the canter. 

We tried out 2 saddles that we picked up off ebay. A Wintec dressage & a Status All Purpose. I really felt out of sorts in the Wintec - my canter was attrocious - bouncing all over the show & I just couldn't get comfortable. The next day we used the Status - ohhh what a difference. I felt quite at home.

We have also put the drop nose band on the bridle & Rosie is not holding her head so high & for most of the trot she is quite relaxed, we can even do a few complete circles with only a small amount of contact on the reins & the occasional half halt to slow her down. She also has a lovely halt.

We also practiced some figure 8's around a couple of bending poles, first at a walk & then at a slow trot. She turns well to the right the left isn't as tight but we just need to practice this some more. She really is a treasure. I still cannot believe that she was destined for the meat works - it just makes me shudder.

Made it to the weekend

Well we have been back at work for a week now & for the most part it has gone fairly smoothly. I have how ever really missed the daily riding. 

Tomorrow my friend Cath who is a Pony Club instructor is going to give Rosie & I our first official lesson. I am so looking forward to it - but know that it is going to be very hard work & I am going to have to be patient with myself. I never loose patience with my horses, it's myself that I get frustrated with & angry that I cannot master the skills that I need to get the best out of my ride. Cath says I am going really very well, but I have high expectations of myself.

So tomorrow we are going to put the drop noseband on her bridle & see if this improves her putting her head up so high in a trot & canter. I don't think she has ever done any dressage work, but she does move well off the leg & always canters on the right leg so we have good basics to work with. It is also a major learning curve for me. I have always ridden Caths horses who are great & if given the right commands will respond with the right anwser, now I have to learn how to teach Rosie what I want.

i will let you know how we go after the lesson.

Albany Creek Pony Club Sign on & first Muster

Hey All, Albany Creek Pony Club Sign on and first muster 24th January 2010 8am start. New members welcome. Please pass this on to anyone you know who may be interested.

An old dog & his best little friend

Our 3 year old nephew stayed over so Mum & Dad could have a break, he's a real delight. Loves animals which in our house of 2 cats & 2 dogs & horses is very important. He is especially close to our old dog Fleck. He is a 15.5 year old German Shorthaired Pointer - still full of life & they both have the same passion for food. Here are a couple of photos of the duo.

Update on Rosie

Well, we are very pleased with how Rosie our thoroughbred that we rescued from the doggers through But A memory horse rescue. We went on a long trail ride with all four of the horses this afternoon. Quite a bit of trotting & a small amount of controlled Cantering. She definitely would love to go for a good run, but at this stage everything is controlled. Not worried at all about the others, never kicked out of tried to bite when they were up close. And at the end of it all she was sound, so fingers crossed we have a good one. Either way we would still love her to bits & provide her with the 'forever home she deserves'.

Now that we know her a bit better we can start some schooling. Things we have to work on are, Learning to stand & wait while we are out. Dropping her head when we go into a trot or canter, she is trying to gain control. Not fighting to much but would like her to drop her head into a more relaxed position. And just general listening, but that will come with regular riding & practice.

Here's an updated photo of her, only 3 weeks & her coat is already a lot softer, can't wait until the shine comes through.

My Nephews First Horse Ride

Well it was great excitement, we went to visit the horses at the paddock this afternoon with my 3 year old nephew. He just loves them, no matter how big they are, & he pats them ever so gently, like you would a cat or dog. First he helped to wash down Rocky, as Cath had given him a workout prior to us arriving, then we caught Angel & saddled her up, he wasn't afraid at al. Jumped on with me & then we led him around on his own - of course Cath lead & I maintained a hand hold on him to make sure he maintained balance. For a 3 year old he did very well. 

Next he helped with feeding, carrying the buckets as best as he could, making sure that each one had their dinner. He even had to say goodbye to each one before we could leave. I don't think he stopped smiling the whole time we were there. Not 5 minutes up the road in the car & he was sound asleep. We now know next time he visits how to wear him out!!