Last Sunday, I finally payed off Playboy. I owed only $350 on him, and I actually was holding it for probably two months because I was waiting for someone else who agreed to have him at their barn (because I can't really afford $400+ a month in board since I pay for literally EVERYTHING for my horses (i'm only 17!)) to make room for him, but this person kinda had a horse overload problem and is now trying to get rid of a few of them.

That is why I decided to wait, so she could have a chance to get rid of a few of them. The deal with Playboy and his old owner aka my boss, was that while I was paying him off he could be used as a trail horse and sometimes lesson horse, and he didn't have to be payed off until the end of the trail season. Well, I made sure I got the whole trail season to wait.

But this last sunday, I got pretty POed when my boss was there and decided to use him for lessons. FYI, I only agreed to the deal above because I knew from the beginning that nobody rides Playboy anyway. Yea, I know, that WAS the deal, but I guess I just don't like others riding my horses. =/ Lucky for them, he's a gentle boy, even though he's still very green.

So now I have two horses to pay board for, and I was just given a exharness racer standardbred gelding last Saturday. I still have to seal the deal with his owner (get his papers and all that), but he's pretty much mine now. He's such a dork, and he acts more like a yearling on crack sometimes, but I think he'll turn out to be a great riding horse.

I feel so bad for my first, most loved and cared for horse, Athena. I'm not saying I don't care about my other horses, but Athena was my first for years before I got my second. I havn't been able to really spend time with her lately. I've either been too tired or too suffacated in homework to take some time off and actually give her a workout. The whole summer I rode her bareback. Whether it was racing Jesse and Comet in the pasture, or popping over a few jumps in the arena she hasn't had a saddle on in months. But that doesn't mean I didn't get a workout. Pfft, I probably have the strongest leg muscles in my school. Seriously, you find muscles you never knew exsisted when you're about to fall off at a full out gallop. haha.
Seriously though, Athena is FAT. I used to ride her every day or at least 5-6 days a week, do tons of laps in the arena for up to around 45 minutes, take her out on trail with a friend (which usually ended up becoming a race of some sort), and we'd come back to the barn looking like I just tacked her up. Not drop of sweat to be seen. Now, just one trail ride, and she needs a good hose down. Man, I'm slackin'!

Aww I know how you feel about Athena!
I have just taken on a third horse in August, and already had my wee pony (who was my first horse too) just sitting in the paddock, with the occasional play under saddle because I felt bad. I'm just too big to ride her these days... and although she is well cared for, and I spend time with her, I feel like my focus is on my riding horses more so. I'm so glad that I have a rider for Bailey now... and I do hope you have some more fun with Athena, and get her fit once again!!
Good luck!
x

__________________

♥ Bailey ~ Honey ~ Evo ♥

Thanks. :)
I think I'm going to end up having a schedule during the week on which horses to ride on which day. At least then I'll know that they each got a few rides in.

Hahah I just made mine the other day! And went off and bought a whiteboard and calendar for my shed! Lol Bailey's rider walked into the shed, gasped cos it was clean and then came out to find me in the paddock and went "Who and what made you organised?" Lol.
All the best!
x

__________________

♥ Bailey ~ Honey ~ Evo ♥

Today I groomed Athena a little, and come to find out she rain rot on her ahem... 'special area'. Don't know how that happened, but I washed it with iodine shampoo and will probably have to keep doing it for the next few days.
Then I went on a trail ride with Playboy. I rode bareback with one of those rope halters with the attached lead. He was fine, until we crossed paths with the murderous sprinkler. DunDunDUN!

9:00AM - woke up, got ready for work
9:15/30ish - arrived at stables, began to feed everyone their breakfast
10:00 - Left everyone in since it was SUPPOSE to rain, but let Comet, Neela, Athena, and Playboy out to eat grass
10:45 - Me and Aidan started on stalls; in the end we gutted Malabar, Mountain, Mia, Charlie, Anelle, and Neela's stalls, and I picked out Athena's and Playboys.
10:55 - Justine's new horse arrived, his nickname is Curly, but his registered name is Between The Cheeks because he has a white spot right in the middle of his butt. lol
12:00ish - Farrier arrived; he trimmed Tomahawk, Max, Petri, Dollie, Mia, Malabar, Mountain, Heavy, and Shadow. He also put front corrective shoes on Raja. He's coming back tomorrow to do:
Toby: re-shoe all four
Bella: shoes front, back trim
Tuff: pull shoes, trim
Eagle: pull shoes, trim
Cammie: pull shoes, trim
Cinder: trim
Annie: re-shoe all four
Anelle: trim
Next week he's coming to other barn to trim/shoe horses there.
**Snafu is getting his feet trimmed next weekend
2:00PM - tidy/cleaned up barn
3:00 - Potential buyers of Duke arrived, rode Duke, are still confinced he has leg problems and demand that he is taken to their barn for x-rays with their vet.
To their disappointment, they were told no, and to call the owner of the barn and Duke for more info/possbilities.
4:00 - It never rained, so me and Aidan took all horses out, threw a bale to each paddock, and left for lunch almost dinner
6:15 - After lunch, went to other barn, fed everyone, and brought them in for the night. Did a tiny bit of ground work with Snafu, and let him graze next to me while I took a short nap next to some tree.
7:30ish - Get back to stables, brought everyone in. Aidan and I grained, hayed, and watered everyone. Left Duke, Max, and Petri in the indoor since we have a shortage of stalls. Cleaned up barn a bit.
9:00ish - Went on a night ride by myself with Athena. Havn't done this in almost a year. She was a little nervous at first about being alone, but got over it after a while. We were out for about 35-45 minutes.


Last Friday:
Rode Snafu at night since it was the only time I could find a ride out to that barn in the last three days. He was good until we got to the part where I mount up. He shyed at my leg as I went to swing it over and I somehow skinned the inside of my knee of the saddle as he crowhopped/ran to the side. Ended up with a nice burn there. lol After that I got off, and spent the next half hour working on me getting on and off without him spooking or shying away at all. When I finally did get on, it was so late that I just walked him around the field once, and tried to get him to trot a couple strides before I had to get off. I do have to say that he has wonderful ground manners, and respects your space very much.

Playboy and I went on a trail today.
We went by ourselves, and I'm happy to say that he did very well.
I was very surprised, I thought he would be too afraid and put up a fight, but he didn't.
I cantered him too, and he crow-hopped only once.
I guess I'm kinda proud of my Pretty Boy.

I rode Snafu today.
He's finally figured out that he can trot while I'm on him.
Now we have to work and work and work on balance and bending.
It almost seems like he just flings his legs out where ever, he doesn't seem to know how to use them yet.
As weird as that may sound.
I'm just happy he's taking all this in very well, and he doesn't seem very bothered or upset about it like some horses I have worked with.
He's already learned a lot in a very short time.

One of the TB broodmares, Cinder, at our stable was sent to a breaking clinic held by the Brian Neubert sons yesterday, it lasts 5 days. There's a total of about 13 horses in the clinic, and I have to say that Cinder is the worst one there. lol
She has no problem with the saddle, doesn't mind you riding her, but cinching the saddle up brings out the true buckin bronco in her. There's not a horse there can buck higher than her, buck with one leg hobbled up, or kick out with such speed that you can hear the wind make a loud WHOOSH sound and her bones crack a little at the force.
We were getting annoyed because the sons thought it was perfectly fine to slap her in the face when she decided to walk too close to them, and it wasn't just a tap it was full out SLAP.
I would understand if she started to buck or kick at them (which she did), but slapping her just because she got a little too close to their personal bubble was a little on the extreme side I thought. This mare has serious insercurity issues and is very timid towards people, and I think hitting her wasn't helping anything.
One of their ways to get her used to the feeling of a cinch was hobbling one of her front legs up, and wrapping a tarp around her belly.
She didn't like that AT ALL, and I never knew a horse could barrel race with only three legs.
Because she was literally running around the one son that was holding her lead while the other son was holding up the tarp.
I felt bad for her because she was sweating head to toe, and was shaking like a leaf the entire time.
It took them 6 times in the arena (about 30 minutes each every other hour) to be able to put the saddle on her and cinching her up without the bucking.
Personally, I think she was just tired out, and tomorrow will be exactly the same all over again.
I have to give it to her, she has heart and spirit- she would NOT give in.
The whole time I was watching her, I kept thinking about the horse movie, Spirit, and how they tired to break him, but they never really could. Not until the indian boy became his friend, and I think that's something that we'll have to do with Cinder. One of the girls at the barn is already in love with her, and she has broke a few of her own horses. She's just dieing to buy Cinder, and have her for her own. So hopefully Cinder will have a happy ending because this clinic has just been like a slap in the face for her.
Before this, Cinder has been ridden before, crow-hopped once and that was it. She was never that uncomfortable with her hind end or with the cinch until this clinic.
Some of the Neubert sons ideas and training techniques I agree with, but there are some that I don't =/

I had Athena, Playboy, Neela, and Comet out eating grass today while I tried to push the round bales off the hay wagon. They were stacked on top of each other, so there were two layers. I only got three off. >.> They're heavy! So while I waited for my boss to come with the tractor key, I watched the horses eat the round bales straight off the wagon instead of the lovely grass below. They're spoiled rotten little brats. I was sitting on the second level round bales, when I got an idea. Athena was right below me, completely oblvious to what was going on around her. I stood up, jumped off the wagon and landed right on Athena's back! That's 3ft + about 6 ft counting two round bales stacked on top of each other. lol Luckily I landed in such a way that I didn't really put too much force on her back, but boy did she get a surprise! She jumped, turned her head to look at me, and pinned her ears. She was mad! I really thought I was in for it, I honestly had no idea Athena would be this upset about it. But instead of taking it out on me she pinned her ears at Playboy next to her and bit him right on the butt!
Turns out, she wasn't mad. I guess she figured she had to do work, but once she realised that I just wanted to sit on her while she ate, she could've cared less.