retired racehorse – Page 11

17Apr 2012 by myexracer

Beyond The Track- Book Review

[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…

16Apr 2012 by myexracer

Another Day Another Disappointment

Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Saddles and tack

[caption id="attachment_163" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="HDR All Purpose Saddle "][/caption] This saddle hunt is making me insane and that's putting it mildly. My girl is hard to fit which is making this process harder. I'm not made of money which is making it doubley as frustrating. Of course everything over a few grand fits her and fits her well, everything under.. nope. The boyfriend took a day off of work so we could drive to VA ( cuz VA is for saddles not lovers) to pick up a saddle from good ole Dover. After sitting on the barrel in a few different makes and models the best i came up with was a Henry De Rivel all purpose. This HDR was also on super sale, which is to say it was…

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…

02Apr 2012 by myexracer

Tough Day

Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Training

Its started out good and went well for a while, when it took the bad turn it was a landslide. Defeated is the word id use to describe how I feel today and I've only felt this way with my pretty pony when I was dealing with the hoof abscess after the time she kicked me. With out getting into too much detail, I'm sure it was all my fault but I need to regroup, my happy go lucky training attitude needs to be adjusted and I need to be tougher, more consistent and find a new way inside to Jezebel that works for us both. I cant be someone im not and I cant expect her to be the horse she isnt, in fact the horse she is is…

29Mar 2012 by myexracer

Happy Trails

Barn tales, Life with Jezebel, OTTB

[caption id="attachment_131" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="A good day for a ride"][/caption] It was a beautiful day even though a thunder storm was predicted, it wasn't expect for quite some time and the sun was bright and shinny. I thought it would be a good day to introduce Miss Jezebel to the trail. She loves to look out towards the trail and the tree line whenever we walk by the entrance, its almost as if shes trying to get me to take her there. Mentally willing me to take her out and explore the trail. I thought better of it until I knew she had brakes. The day was beautiful and I thought what the hell, it's as good a day as any I'll just go out for 5 or 10 minutes…

21Mar 2012 by myexracer

Saddle Sore

Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Saddles and tack

[caption id="attachment_122" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="My saddle looks something like this only more wear,lots more"][/caption] I own a rather nice saddle. It's a Lovatt and Ricketts close contact. I used it on my previous horse for years. I bought it off a women who had barely used it, she was focusing on dressage and didn't need it. She was also going though a divorce and looking to make some fast cash before her husband made her account for her assets. I bought it from the trunk of her car for under 100 bucks. I was lucky, it fit my horse like a glove. I never had any issues with saddle fit. Once I no longer had a horse I put my saddle in storage with my parents. When I was in…

18Mar 2012 by myexracer

Halt who goes there

Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Training

[caption id="attachment_106" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Treats?.. Yes please"][/caption] I've been starting slow with riding my ex racer. I spent the first couple weeks just getting to know her and letting her get to know me. Of course I had the hoof abscess to help me along with that. My adorable filly's manners were some what lacking. I chalked that up to a few things. 1. Shes only just barley 4 years old 2. She's a racehorse and sometimes acts like one 3. I'm a walking treat factory I am compliant in her sometimes bad manners or rather sometimes no manners. She's improving and I'm working on trying to have her earn her treats instead of just giving them out like the treat factory I am. I admit it I spoil her,…

14Mar 2012 by myexracer

First time farrier

Life with Jezebel, OTTB

[caption id="attachment_85" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="curouisty and the racehorse "][/caption] I was nervous as hell, it was time for the first farrier visit for my lovely filly. I was told she stood for the farrier but knowing how fidgety she is and how agitated she gets in the wash stall I was sure she was going to be a handful and as a result I was nervous. I had picked out a farrier I liked. I liked her website, her philosophy but most of all I liked how she worked. I had watched her work on another horse and she was skillful and happy enough to talk to me about he life as a farrier. Plus it's always a bonus for me when I can support women in non traditional roles…

13Mar 2012 by myexracer

New Friends

Barn tales, Life with Jezebel, OTTB

[caption id="attachment_80" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Best Friends Forever "][/caption] Things are so different here then in California. For example, turn out. It's not something that's done in the heart of Los Angeles. There its pretty much stall boarding only. I did for some time have my previous mare in an "in and out". A stall with a little extra out door area attached but that's as close to turn out as it got. Here in Maryland turnout is the norm. Horses spend half to more then half of their time out in a filed with other horses. In the winter then come in at night, in the summer when its hot they come in during the day and when the weather permits ( spring and fall) they are out 24/7 at…

10Mar 2012 by myexracer

Three days in

Life with Jezebel, OTTB

[caption id="attachment_67" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Just looking at this picture is costing me money"][/caption] Three days in and Miss Jezebel came up lame. Her hind left was causing her much discomfort and pain. She was walking broken legged. I took her digital pulse. I could feel it. Damn. I put her on stall rest, my barn manager gave her some butte and we hoped for a bruise. It wasn't to be, the next day she was still lame so the vet was called in. It was in fact an abscess. Less then a week with my ex racer and I was already calling in the vet. Welcome back to horse ownership to me! My vet was able to find the track, he poked the abscess and I started the process of…

Tag: retired racehorse