January 2014 – My Ex Racers

31Jan 2014 by myexracer

I’m on a horse

[caption id="attachment_877" align="alignleft" width="225"] Jez View[/caption] Finally! I rode my horse! Okay I mostly walked because the ground was harder then i thought when i first got on and i didn't get to ride the red-head because she has much more sensitive feets then the wild one. But i did tack up and get on. We did one trot set but that was all because i was worried about ice. It was about 25 degrees when i got on and gave it a go. Jezebel was a real trooper and for a horse that hadn't been ridden in a while because if weather she was a right good girl. No spook, no zoom, just happy to be working. If you can call what we were doing work. I was just…

31Jan 2014 by myexracer

Peanut’s big find

Barn tales

Its still frozen though each day its warming up. Yesterday it was in the high 20's Hazaar! The ring was almost ridable but i thought id give it another day to truly unfreeze. Since riding wasn't happening Mary, Peanut and I decided to go for a walk. She wanted to show me a trail she found that she thought might make good horse back riding. We ride on a lot of private property and some neighbors are awesome about letting us cross their land, others? Not so much. This trail was on the not so much neighbors land but yanno its always worth asking. The most people can say is no. The ground was still snow covered but it was melting and easier to slog though then the other day.…

29Jan 2014 by myexracer

Hurry up and wait

Barn tales

[caption id="attachment_859" align="alignleft" width="300"] Bridle path behind the farm[/caption] Its been too frozen to ride. The ground is covered in snow and beneath that the ground is frozen. I had a glimmer of hope yesterday when it got above 32 and the snow in my backyard melted. Of course its colder at the barn so ...no melt. Were supposed to get another inch tonight sticking. I know others have it worse but im really over this whole snow thing. I'm hopeful that it will warm up end of the week and the snow will melt and i can get my ponies back on a schedule. They are in the process of forgetting they are riding horses. Enough time with no work and my girls begin to think they are ornaments.…

27Jan 2014 by myexracer

Roeckl Winter Chester Glove – Review

Review

I always ride with gloves. Hot or cold it doesn't matter. Since i broke my hand though last spring i've been investing in better gloves. I used to just by anything on sale see how i felt about it but once the hand snaps you start to realize that maybe investing in something better is a good idea. This winter i bought a pair of Roeckl Winter Chester gloves. I needed a pair to ride in the cold having no indoor to ride in this year. I also wanted gloves not just help me with warmth but that would give my hands some protection. I bought these from Dover in VA because i needed to try on everything to see what would fit. I know my glove size but manufacturers…

23Jan 2014 by myexracer

Old man winter

Barn tales, Life with Circe, Life with Jezebel

[caption id="attachment_844" align="alignleft" width="225"] That looks delicious[/caption] It snowed again the other day. About 6 inches at home stuck and about 8 inches at the barn. It has been very cold out, highs in the low 20's or teens and wind chill factors making it feel at times below zero. Which of course means that the ground's covered in snow, under the snow the ground is frozen, i can't ride, i cant have my trainer out to ride, I don't want to get out of bed, i cant get motivated to do anything, my broken hand hurts like a motherfucker, i'm a bitch to be around and i miss California.. blah, blah, blah. Yanno the usual winter complaining bullshit. I read somewhere that this is the worst winter in this…

21Jan 2014 by myexracer

The good one

Barn tales, Life with Circe, OTTB

[caption id="attachment_827" align="alignleft" width="225"] The Circe Effect[/caption] It was Circe's turn to get clipped. I had done Jezebel the day before and was really happy with how successful it was. Circe is a pretty fuzzy and furry horse. The plan was to give her a little relief when it came to getting too heated up and to shorten the time frame it took to cool her down since she is in actual work (weather permitting) over this winter. Circe is supposed to be the easy one out of my two OTTB mares. Shes the one that wasn't phased by moving to a new place, she walked right into the confined scary wash-stall for a bath and stood for it with no complaints straight away. Circe has been easy to handle…

20Jan 2014 by myexracer

Life lessons by Bess

Barn tales

[caption id="attachment_822" align="alignright" width="134"] My first barn.[/caption] I know how to barrel race... sorta. I was taught how when i was just barely a teenager. I can do a clover hitch pattern and i always knock my barrels down when entering a ring to just ride on the flat. Its a habit or rather a custom i was taught. I'm sure i suck and i haven't attempted to run barrels since those teen-aged days. Though i bet it never leaves you, i suppose id still remember a little about it if i gave it a shot for fun today. [caption id="attachment_820" align="alignleft" width="240"] Bess and Mamma[/caption] I was taught by my barn manager Bess Chaney a barrel racer with some notoriety in CA before I even owned a horse. When…

18Jan 2014 by myexracer

The Maryland Horse Expo

Off Farm

Its that time of year again, Horse Expo time! If you didn't think that Maryland had more horses per capita then any other state just trot on over to the Horse Expo and see them all at one place at one time. Whatever your disciple is you will find something you have to have at the expo... at a discount. I again found a trailer I wanted. Okay it was like 100,000 bucks and was basically a motor home with horse stalls you could drive around. My better half said he would just by me a plot of land and stick me there with my pones in the trailer and come visit me once a week. It was pretty much close to the size of my duplex in LA. I…

18Jan 2014 by myexracer

Heartbreak in the making

Rant

Losing something you love is painful, it can rip your heat out of your chest. I do not wish that kind of pain on anyone. Owning animals brings that pain because we out live them. Animals are heartbreaks in the making. They will break your heart. Thats why I do the best I can for them, I am their caretaker. My dogs, my horses, its my responsibility to care for them. When my almost 10 year old greyhound mix cam down with two torn ACL's I borrowed money to get him to a specialist and if the non surgical option didn't work, i was prepared to sell my car to pay for the 16-18K worth of surgery for him. I was lucky i didnt have to sell my car and…

17Jan 2014 by myexracer

Clippity

Life with Jezebel, OTTB

[caption id="attachment_802" align="alignleft" width="225"] Gettin' clipped![/caption] Jezebel gets fuzzy. Shes got no issues growing that winter coat. Since she back in full work and with her trainer 2 days a week she really gets a work out. The other days i ride, i take it a little easier on her. Basically i'm taking it a little easier on me but the result is the same. So Jez has been getting sweaty and cooling her out takes longer. Usually I have to toss a cooler on her, wait for her to dry, blanket her in whatever weight the weather dictates and then I get to leave the barn for the day. Wait, that's after i do that two number two lovely Circe as well. So I've been wanting to clip her.…

Month: January 2014