28Dec 2013 by myexracer

The year in the rear view

Barn tales, Life with Circe, Life with Jezebel, OTTB
It's been a hard year in so many ways but also exciting and as always I did learn a little something. The beginning of the year started out great, Jez was learning to canter and not turn like a motorcycle and in mid March we started going out on the trails. It was going smashingly (even if she wouldn't cross water) and then on April 1st disaster, my worst fall to date. One ambulance ride later and I was to be laid up for months. Jezebel didn't fair any better seems I was bucked into the fence not because she was a bad girl but because she was herself injured. Right hind suspensory Poor pony! Seven long months of rehab were in order. It was a real tough 7 months.…
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26Dec 2013 by myexracer

Xmas Ponies

Life with Circe, Life with Jezebel
[caption id="attachment_624" align="alignleft" width="265"] Derp[/caption] Christmas was lovely. I spent Xmas Eve in the city at my favorite D.C. old school Italian restaurant, Filomena. They outlandishly decorate for every holiday which i love and the food is solid. I know southern Italian food because well I'm southern Italian (Calabria) It reminds me of my Italian grandmothers basement. Not my actual Italian grandma but the one I always wished I had. My better half and I ate (a lot)  drank (a lot) and were generally merry (a lot). We passed out at home super early after the long cab ride back to Maryland. Ha! As we discussed the next day, its really never a good idea to order that second bottle of wine but of course we did. [caption id="attachment_625" align="alignright"…
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23Dec 2013 by myexracer

Mud Honey and the Princess

Barn tales, Life with Circe, Life with Jezebel
[caption id="attachment_619" align="alignleft" width="300"] Oh hai![/caption] It was pouring so the training session got canceled.  I hate the unpredictable nature of the weather out here. The only thing I really miss about Los Angeles is the weather. It was always sunny and warm even in winter. Here in MD, not so much. Sunday is the day my better half takes his riding lesson. He had never been on a horse before knowing me and after about a year of "suggesting" he take lessons he jumped in last summer to see if he liked it. It's been only a few months and he just started his "beginning to canter class" Hes got great natural balance and is coming along nicely and actually seems to enjoy the lessons. He takes his lessons…
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22Dec 2013 by myexracer

Two Gross Ponies

Life with Circe, Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Training
[caption id="attachment_596" align="alignleft" width="300"] The other side of her is covered in wet sloppy mud[/caption] My trainer came out on Sat which is great cuz shes supposed to be out this morning as I write this but alas .. pouring. Though riding in the rain is certainly an option especially when the weather is warm like it is today (WTF weather gods is the 2nd day of winter and its 70 in Maryland!) The drainage in the all sand ring can be dicey when newly wet and sloppy. We elected to push the day to another. [caption id="attachment_597" align="alignright" width="300"] Yehaw! That right hind sure looks all healed[/caption] So back to yesterdays training session. Both horses got ridden, both horses improved, both horses were bad. Story of my life, bad…
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21Dec 2013 by myexracer

Trail ride adventure: The Wasabi edition part deux

Life with Circe, Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Trail Riding
[caption id="attachment_591" align="alignleft" width="261"] Im not Smiling but Jez is![/caption] I got the the barn by 9:30AM. Tina and i had made plans after the days before to try to the trail again. The plan today was to give Sabs 2mils of Ace IM and see if that made any difference to her at all with her tude on the trail. Jez would be going out sober. Sabs has competed novice level and gone cross country and she has lots of trail experience this being a pill on the trail thing is new. It was an experiment of sorts. After Sabs let us know the ace was on board we tacked up this time with rope halters under our bridles in case walking home happened. We headed out and all…
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20Dec 2013 by myexracer

Trail ride adventure: The Wasabi edition

Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Trail Riding
[caption id="attachment_583" align="alignleft" width="300"] On the trail...[/caption] My barn friend Tina who is a great rider has a 9 year old  OTTB named Wasabi who is super built and pretty cool. Sabs has competed at novice level and i was told will jump amazing heights (she once jumped over the gate the the barn much to the farm owners dismay) Tina and i have walked the bridle path together with our horses and even got into the woods (with Tina on Jez and me on Circe) Since the last time Jez went out she was a rock-star we decided to give it a go. Me on Jez Tina on Sabs. [caption id="attachment_584" align="alignright" width="300"] Tina and "Wild" Wasabi [/caption] It started out pretty good both horses were alert and happy…
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19Dec 2013 by myexracer

Night and day

Life with Circe, Life with Jezebel, Training
[caption id="attachment_575" align="alignleft" width="300"] Getting ready to throw her shoulder out![/caption] Finally the weather was such that my trainer could come out and work with the girls. Hazer! Jezebel was up first and started off good and got progressively worse. She was determined to not hold her body straight when asked. Throwing a shoulder out and occasionally throwing it in. Anything to not go straight. It was a struggle. Shes much better with consistent work and i think she just had too much time off because of the weather and she was being pissy about working at all. Michelle is much more stubborn then my wild mare and in her persistent, patient way kept asking IE telling Jez to do as she was told this pissed the wild one off…
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17Dec 2013 by myexracer

The was a little girl…

Life with Circe, Life with Jezebel
[caption id="attachment_554" align="alignleft" width="300"] My lovely Mare Mercy and I a lifetime ago[/caption] You ask a stallion, you tell a gelding but you have a conversation with a mare. That's the saying and its true. Mares have opinions and they like to express them. Some more then others. I've only had mares, its what i know and i enjoy the conversation. My first horse Merciful Heavens AKA Mercy never gave me the ugly mare face, never had issues with going into heat and being un-ridable but she did have her own opinions. I always let her express herself, we formed a bond, a trust that was unshakable. I rode that horse in the LA river with water up to her chest in raging rainstorms (okay now i know how dangerous…
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14Dec 2013 by myexracer

On such a winters day

Barn tales, Life with Jezebel, OTTB
[caption id="attachment_547" align="alignleft" width="300"] Round Bale Naps[/caption] It was cold, I know most of my postings have been starting out that way. Winter in Maryland, go figure. I headed down to see the girls thinking maybe, just maybe I could get in a ride if the footing in the ring wasn't frozen. When I went down to the field, Jezebel was napping in the round bale. Not by the round bale but in the round bale. Jes who lives in the stall across from her was standing guard. I love how they do that. I approached thinking Jezebel would get up. Nope. She opened her eyes saw me and decided that maybe she should have a hay snack while she was laying down. Okay then. I walked up to her…
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12Dec 2013 by myexracer

Horse blogs, ugh.

Rant
[caption id="attachment_540" align="alignleft" width="300"] Blah blah blah[/caption] Horse blogs are just as clicky as horse people. Certain blogs come into some kind of fashion I suppose, though I can never really figure out why some are popular and other better blogs are not. I read and enjoy a few, I stopped reading and do not enjoy many more. Most are horribly designed, I'm an ex art director and I think making your blog look good is an important element. Us design-ie people are funny like that. Many horse bloggers it seems use good old blogspot, which has a really terrible interface, is owned by Goggle (eww) and looks clunky and cumbersome. Compared of course to the more streamlined and better interfaced wordpress. Wordpress has the huge advantage of 3rd party…
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