Aires' progress (and mine)...

See, here's the problem with a state-issued ID. Not only do they cost around $40-50, you have to have your social security card in order to get one. Guess where my social security card is? Yup, you guess it! In my wallet, which is in my truck (because I never use my wallet, I just stick my debit card in my back pocket because it's more convenient and I've had money stolen out of my wallet at work before, so I keep my cash in my back pocket as well).

What makes all this even "better" is that I'm still having to pay my parents back for the $500 they spent putting a new engine in my truck...and they have no idea about my truck being impounded or anything. Yeah, pretty much FML right now, as far as that goes.

And you can't request they give you your wallet from your truck? :/

Sounds like a whole lotta problems going on! :( but I'm subbing so I can "stalk" Aires hehe

Haha...nope. Tried that. They won't give it to me because if I'm not who I say I am (even though I have the tow paperwork), I could steal my identity. Not that anyone would want it. In fact, if they stole my identity, they might actually IMPROVE my credit. Lol

Anyway...funny thing happened at the barn today that my friend texted me about and is too funny not to share.

So Aires got turned out with CJ and Rex (his two BFFs, both arabs) today. They were turned out next to the arena and three of the mares (Jazzy, Noel and Dakota) were turned out in the other turnout next to the arena (the one the mares were in is on the long back side of the arena, while the one the boys were in is on the short far side of the arena). Anyway, I guess the arab boys were being all arab and showing off for the girls. Well, here comes my big ol' drafty boy literally doing an arab prance! Head up, tail as far up as he can get it (his tail isn't made to flag like the arabs ), trying to be all arab with the boys. My friend said she was laughing so hard she nearly peed her self. She said she thought about getting pics, but she was literally by herself rolling on the ground laughing way too hard. Gotta love my weirdo!

Going on a ride tomorrow!!! :-D

I retrieved my bridle from my truck yesterday (finally got my license back and the truck is insured...now all I have to do is get my plates reinstated and have the impoundment hearing, but the impound officer and I are playing phone tag) and I asked the BO if I could borrow one of his saddles since I wasn't about to lug my saddle while walking 5.5 miles home. Probably going to use the BO's Circle Y saddle, since it's the only one that will fit Aires and me. Not looking forward to riding without the comfort and safety of my Aussie, but it is what it is.

For reference, it's the saddle the trainer is using in this pic (which is technically from Aires' very first ride ever...just not his official first ride ever lol).

YAY!!! I'm glad everything is working out!

Well, someone decided to act like a two-year-old today.

First off, my morning didn't start too great when I pulled my bridle out of the duffel bag I'd used to carry it home...and found that my dog had managed to completely eat the browband off my bridle! So, I was already irritated to begin with.

We got to the barn around 10:30 and had the whole place to ourselves. It was soooo nice. So, I go get my beastly out, take him in the round pen and lunge him a bit, just to make sure he's listening while my friend goes and saddles her gelding. Fifteen minutes or so later, out we come and we go to tack up. I was able to tack up by myself (the BO's Circle Y saddle that we used weighs a friggin' TON!), and we did a little dance trying to get the bridle on, so I finally ended up loosening it another notch, which worked. I decided to lunge him again for a little bit, just because he was acting a little antsy, so back into the round pen we went for another five or ten minutes. Out we came and decided to school in the arena a little until he was listening better. Went down to the arena and the little bugger wouldn't stand to be mounted and kept trying to eat the grass. So, we went back up to the barn and were going to use the mounting step there, but every time I got him positioned and I climbed onto the step, he would pivot his butt away from me. Went into the round pen again for a little while and then tried mounting again down at the arena. STILL wasn't standing, so we went back up to the barn. By this time I was incredibly frustrated, but not willing to let him win. Tried the mounting step again and he wouldn't budge past one of the stalls for one of the BO's horses because that horse had a bucket of grain and pellets hanging on his stall and Aires wanted it. We argued for a good five minutes about moving forward past the bucket, which ended in a "Come to Jesus" meeting in the round pen. Snagged a whip from another boarder and made him run...and run...and run...until he started listening (I usually don't have to use a whip...just my hand to direct him, or at most the lead rope swung at my side to encourage him). Went back down to the arena (the very idea of going out on the trail with him like this was ditched long before the meeting in the round pen) and was FINALLY able to mount up. Caught my bra on the stupid saddle horn on my way up (and people wonder why I wanted an Aussie saddle without a horn!), but got in the saddle okay.

So, we're in the arena now and all of a sudden Aires stops stock still and looks up toward where there's a private residence with horses just up the hill from the barn. They had their horses turned out in their arena and were letting them run around all crazy. So, of course that made Aires go "Are we all going to die?!" and gave him an excuse to be difficult. So, we're riding in the arena for a while and we're doing okay, then my friend comes down to ride with us in the arena. Aires wanted to be by CJ, so he started being a little butt and totally not listening. I finally got off and had my friend ride him, to see if he would listen to her any better. I think I nearly peed myself when she asked him to trot (which he did), then looked at me all confused and said "Is he trotting?!" No one believes me about how smooth his trot is!! Lol

Anyway, she rode him for a little while and said he was fine for her, so I got back up and rode him again. He was okay, but not his usually attentive, responsive self. He was playing with the bit CONSTANTLY (something he doesn't do normally) and kept wanting to go to CJ. It didn't help that I was in an uncomfortable (to me) western saddle and kept trying to sit it like I do my Aussie. I do have to say that I liked the aluminum stirrups on the saddle, though. Going to have to find a pair of those.

Anyway, I finally decided that we'd had enough and we went up and untacked. I turned him out, then took some pics of my friend with her gelding before she untacked him and turned him out as well. Then we turned the trainer's arab gelding out with our boys and played with them for a bit (made them run and "spooked" them). I got some great pics of them running, plus a vid that I hope to upload onto YouTube because I want to put music over the stupid audio of us talking in the background.

All in all, it was an okay day (even with the weirdos who showed up and were asking really odd questions of everyone). Got to meet the owners of the Percheron filly that came down with Aires from Canada. They're teaching her to drive (so she can pull a cart with Petey, the spotted draft/Percheron colt that came with the PMUs from Canada) and I asked them if it was difficult and we got to talking. They said that they have always loved Aires and they're glad he has a good owner who is using him and loves him.

Glad to hear you got things from the truck. Horses have off days-& you worked thorugh it, so sorry to hear about the brow band-you don't need more trouble in your life. Hope things get better soon.

I feel like we're going completely backwards, here. I am just so frustrated with Aires...but at the same time, it isn't exactly his fault because I haven't been out there as much.

Yesterday, my friend was nice enough to clean his stall and turn him out for me. She said he was bucking and kicking at her while she was cleaning his stall. Then, when she went to turn him out, he refused to be caught in his stall. When she went to bring him in from turn out, it took her over ten minutes to catch him. She tried to take him into the round pen to lunge him and it took the BO's son smacking him on the butt to get him to go into the round pen.

So, today, I went out to clean his stall after work and since it was early yet, I decided to just take him in the round pen, walking him around, then bring him out (no work). It was easier to halter him than it almost ever has been before, so I thought we were golden. Headed toward the round pen and he balked before we were even halfway there. So, he backed up until I decided we were ready to move forward again. This time, we got closer before he balked. We spent a good ten to fifteen minutes walking forward only to balk, so we'd back up again, or I'd try to lunge him in small circles on the lead line (he fails at lunging on a line...he'll yield his hindquarters til the cows come home, but forget lunging on a line). So, I decided to walk him around the property for a while to distract him and work on just leading. He was doing find until I stopped him and made him stand by the arena while a couple people were riding in there. Then the littler bugger tried to climb up my shoulder because he wanted to move and I wouldn't let him. So, I ended up leaning into him and elbowing him HARD in the chest to get him off me. After he was doing okay standing there, we tried going back in the round pen and failed again. So, I tried to walk him down the road. We almost made it to the end of the road before he planted his feet and WOULD NOT BUDGE. I backed him, I lunged him, I threatened him...nothing worked. So, we headed back to the barn (did get him to in-hand trot for about a hundred feet, of all things!) and the round pen, where we spent another fifteen minutes arguing over going into the round pen. The BO and his son had started feeding by this time, but I was not about to let Aires go eat yet (which would mean he had won). Finally, the BO needed to come by where we were and drove the tractor straight at Aires (he isn't afraid of the tractor in the slightest), then yelled to ask me if we were trying to go into the round pen. I was prepared to move Aires to the side out of the way, but said yes anyway, and the BO said "Okay, go ahead" and basically drove Aires into the round pen with the tractor (none of this was done maliciously or in a harmful way...he stayed for enough back that if Aires spooked, he wouldn't run into the tractor). When we made it into the round pen, I praised the heck out of Aires and then just walked him around the round pen on the lead before leading him back out again when the tractor was gone. I made him stop and stand in the door to the round pen, too. Then we went past his stall and a little ways down the aisle, where I made him stand again. Once he was good standing there, I took him into his stall, but wouldn't let him at his hay until I had unhaltered him. I kept him off his hay even after I unhaltered him to show him that I am in charge and have the say in when things (like eating) happen, not him.

So, it looks like we're going to be doing TONS of groudwork for a while. We're going to teach him how to lunge on a line, come hell or high water. I just don't get why all of a sudden he's being such a jerk. He is also grinding his teeth (especially if he gets frustrated), chomping on the bit while bridled (something he only ever did with the copper snaffle we had at first) and my friend said he was smacking his tongue up and down on the bars of his stall the other day for almost an hour.

There must be a "good horse gone jerk" bug going around.. I mean look what Sky did!

You'll get there with him. Lunging on a line is an art.. lol it's a talent. Once you get it, though.. your horse will get it.

Fingers are crossed for you!