29Dec 2013 by myexracer

I call her Besos

Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Training
[caption id="attachment_650" align="alignleft" width="225"] Im ready, lets go![/caption] It was a beautiful day out today and my trainer was able to come out to work with the girls. The barn was quiet and i pulled both girls out of the field and got them ready. Jezebel was up first and did much better today. She always does better when she's busier working and I was able to ride yesterday and the weather was good so we got in a good ride together. She still takes a long time to warm up but not as long as when she had too many bad weather days off. She was looking good at the trot and didn't give Michelle to hard of a time. When it was time to canter, her upward transition…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
29Nov 2013 by myexracer

The Girls

Life with Circe, Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Training
Things are going well. Having two horses two ride is a big adjustment from having one, then two broken horses to rehab and not ride. My trainer Michelle comes out twice a week, Sundays and Wednesdays. On Wednesdays its just Jezebel. On Sunday she works with both horses. Jezebel is improving a lot and my trainer (who is just about the best thing since slice bread) does great with her. We have my 7 month stall rested horse working like a champ. She's happy enough to work. She likes to throw her shoulder out and had trouble with the left lead canter. Both are improving with each session. Last session Jezebel picked up the left leap canter first try... Twice! Shes totally getting it. When I ride her she is…
Read More
14Aug 2012 by myexracer

Body Snatcher

Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Saddles and tack, Training
[caption id="attachment_269" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Who replaced my horse!"][/caption] I swear my horse has been replaced by aliens. Shes a body snatcher horse. Ive been riding her every day for 45 minutes plus and she been awesome. Shes being thinking and trying real hard to do everything I ask of her. Also after our first training session with my new trainer shes been very good about going in the wash stall and even letting me  rinse her down with out complaint. Now I don't cross tie her in there but so far I don't have to. We go in, I have her stand and rinse her down after our ride. Huge step forward. When riding her, shes been very good at the walk and trot. Her halts well they still need…
Read More
08Aug 2012 by myexracer

Rise and fall with the outside wall

Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Training
[caption id="attachment_266" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Work you say "][/caption] It's been 2 days now of serious ridding for me and Jezebel. Lots of rising trot and many, many circles. The Barn has been very quiet in the afternoons and I've been taking advantage of it and getting down to actual work. Jezebel is doing amazingly well for a horse that has had limited time under saddle. She's listening to me, trying to understand what I'm asking of her and keeping her cool though she is not foot sure all the time and trips a little more then I would like. I couldn't really ask for more then that from her. She wants to work and shes a much happier horse right now im sure because were working. As for me? I…
Read More
03Aug 2012 by myexracer

Whos horse is this?

Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Training
[caption id="attachment_256" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="The girls"][/caption] The rain rot is getting better and it doesn't hurt to touch her in her ichy spots so I started to work her again. It's Africa hot these days so "working" my horse consists of 20 minutes of lunging and yet another attempt to get my girl comfortable in the was stall (which is super scary it appears) I get my girl all ready with her cavason and lunge line, gloves on and we go into the indoor ring for some up down transitions. To my utter delight she does everything I ask. Walk, trot, halt, trot, walk, trot, halt, walk. I try to mix it up and she gets it. Shes always been shaky on  "walk" confusing it with "halt" but on this…
Read More
21Apr 2012 by myexracer

Walk Trot Trot Walk Repeat

Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Training
[caption id="attachment_186" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Pretty filly"][/caption] Ground work, ground work , ground work, that's my new theme. Since I have no saddle at the moment I'm focusing on lunging my filly. I've taken to lunging her for 20 minutes a day trying to get her into a routine. I bring her in from the field, groom her, put on her splint boots and caveson and we do 10 minutes in each direction walk to trot, trot to walk, and back again. Our circles are looking less and less like D's and more and more like circles, which I'm pretty pleased about. She is picking up the voice commands but doesn't have them entirely yet. Her trot is often calm and collected which makes me happy, when shes in a groove…
Read More
17Apr 2012 by myexracer

Beyond The Track- Book Review

Book Review, OTTB, Training
[caption id="attachment_180" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Step one... read"][/caption] After my really disappointing day a few weeks ago with my filly I decided to read some books. Its something I do a lot. When I get stuck anywhere in life I find a book on the subject, often I find many books on the subject and read and absorb and read and absorb. It's a habit I picked up as a very little girl which also is why I think I can learn and do anything but that's a tale for another day. I bought Beyond The Track by Anna Ford. I couldn't wait for it to get here cursing myself for not paying expedited shipping. When it did arrive I read it immediately, ignoring everything else. I was taking a horse…
Read More
14Apr 2012 by myexracer

Back To The Begining

Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Training
[caption id="attachment_159" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Work you say? "][/caption] Since I do not have a saddle that fits my girl yet, we are going back to square one. The lunge line. I'm going to be very aggressive with the ground work with my filly. She needs it and I think I do to. So after about a week off from horse land, a landslide of work and out of town holiday guests made that pretty easy, it was time to put my new ground work plan into action. I hiked to the back field and got my girl ready for some ground work in the indoor ring. It was the first time I put her splint boots on her and being a race horse she didn't bat an eye to them…
Read More