Horse Stories with My Dad

My Dad adjusting a jump back in the day...

I love hearing my dad's stories about his about his life with horses.  He's had so many different experiences, varied careers, and all while being largely self-taught since the age of 15.  I don't think it's just familial pride talking when I say that he has some fascinating stories.

If there are two types of stories I really like, it's tales of adventure and anything that has to do with a central equine character.  I've been hearing my dad's stories since I was a young child and it's gotten so that I can picture the horses he talks about and their names are almost as familiar as my own.  I never get tired of hearing about his life as a horseman, even the repeat stories.

So when at lunch recently, the conversation about thoroughbreds turned to my dad's experiences retraining OTTBS to become field hunters, I listened intently. 

He used to work at a hunt and it was part of his job to take the OTTBS the owner had inherited and turn them into suitable mounts for fox hunting.   This includes not only jumping, but being calm around baying hounds and having the whippers be able to crack the whip while mounted.  I can't even get one of the OTTBS at the barn to pick up the right lead canter!

He talked of one of the horses that broke out its front teeth, the big grey that even the timidest of riders could handle, and how he and his coworker got to take two of their favorite hunters to a show once.  He remembers that they swapped horses halfway through and he won one class on Simona and one on a bay.

This is where my mother comes in.  It must be said, that my father's horse stories wouldn't be as good without my mother.  She never rode the horses in shows or on hunts, but she acted as groom, stablehand, and horse show mother to my dad's students.  Her memories of the horses come from a different perspective that is no less detailed or valuable.

She corrects and says that it was Palazzo that he took and that Palazzo was more brown then bay.  In addition, she adds, Palazzo was also one of her favorites because of his sweet disposition.  

She remembers the people and horses that my dad does not and her stories about her experiences as a groom are the perhaps the most telling about the human and equine characters.  Though, since she loves any animal she meets, I swear that almost all of them are her favorites, which is telling about how kind my mother is.

Every time I hear a story from my dad, whether it's the first time or the tenth, I always learn something new.  They're also just fun to hear about.  Someday, I hope to record all of my parent's stories.  Maybe my future descendants will be as horse crazy as their ancestors!

Master and Commander

Speaking of thoroughbreds of the future, or rather, speaking of Buck.....

I thought I'd talk about how I learned what a lead change felt like which has everything to do with Buck, the school horse, but then I realized I should just explain the horse and the lead change bit will make sense later.

Buck is a school horse teeming with personality.

That's the best word I can come up with to sum him up.  In case you've forgotten, this is Buck.

This is how he looks a great chunk of the time. Not a lesson day goes by where he doesn't try to bite me while he's crosstied.  He is a bona fide crabby guy. However, sometimes, on rare occasions when he's happy or you have an apple in your non-camera hand, he looks like this.

Before I go into the list of things Buck dislikes (which is long), I thought I'd go through the list of things Buck actually likes (which is short.)

Buck likes:

1. Treats, specifically apples, but regular treats will do
2. Beginners. When my coach first told me that Buck loved beginners, I did not believe her. Now, I've seen it with my own eyes and I'm a believer.  This cranky, bitey, fussy horse turns into a complete babysitter with a newbie on his back.  He trots over poles with his nose poked out, he lopes around without so much as swish of his tail. Little kids can cling to his neck or goose him in the ribs and he will patiently continue on, utterly unflappable.
3. Jumpers.  Like Eddie, Buck is a cranky school horse who was once somebody's jumper.  Also like Eddie, Buck loves to relive his jumper past.  As soon as the oxers get wider or the turns sharper, he starts to get excited.  He will charge boldly down to a jump, yank his knees up to his ears, and round his back so hard suddenly your nose is in his mane.  On the backside he will execute a 180 degree spin rollback to the next jump at the slightest cue. His little ears are permanently forward and you can almost hear him saying, "Now THIS is an appropriate use of my skills."

That's it for what Buck likes.  So, here's the list of things that make Buck cranky.

1. Grooming
2. Wearing a girth or having it tightened
3. Non-beginner riders
4. Going in a frame
5. Bending through corners
6. Being asked to go forward if he's feeling lazy
7. Corners again
8. Trailering
9. Having people jump on his neck
10. Getting told the wrong distance one too many times

The last two are pretty understandable (what horse would like that?) and he's usually pretty generous the first three or four times it happens.  After that, and especially if you commit more than one cardinal sin concurrently, all bets are off.

Although, there was that one time I borrowed Buck for a clinic and was assured that he hated loading, hated trailering and was horrible the first day in a new place.  He loaded first time, rode quietly, unloaded like a dream, and worked all weekend like a rock star.  He even did bending exercises! If I hadn't known any better, I would have sworn that he winked at me when I returned him home.  Just when you think you've got him pegged, he throws you for a loop. He is quite possibly a mastermind.

How does the mighty and noble Buck express his displeasure?  His ears will be flattened against his head, his tail will wring furiously, and he'll stark kicking in his lead changes with more and more gusto.  Yes, there's the lead change tie in.  Many a time I've let out a "oof!" as my body is flung slightly forward.  One time, I think I even heard my back crack.  I must say though, Buck has taught to sit a lead change well.  That's what a good school horse does, teaches you to ride without being dangerous.  So Buck, quirks and all, is really an excellent teacher.

Now I need to go to my lesson so I can give him the treats he knows he deserves.

One Year Anniversary

A year ago today I wrote my very first blog post.  I wanted a place where I could write about horses.  My instructors have tried to incorporate my interests whenever possible, but there's only so much the curriculum will allow.  So, I created this blog so I can practice writing about what I love.

I didn't set out thinking that every word was going to be perfect or that I was going to be wildly popular with a bunch of followers.  A year later and the words are still sometimes wonky and I still get the feeling that I'm talking to an empty room.  But actually, that's just fine.

There's time for perfection or a big following.  Right now I'm still just enjoying writing for me.  Honing my words and writing new stories.  I can't wait to see what the next year brings.

So if you are out there in cyber space reading this, thank you.  Thank you for giving this blog, and me, a chance.  I have a bunch of new content planned including a blog re-design and some new illustrations!

Happy Birthday!

Welcome to 2012 and big Happy Birthday to all racing-bred Thoroughbreds out there!

Today is also the anniversary of the day I bought my own horse, also a Thoroughbred.  In fact, my dad used to joke what a poor financial decision we made buying my horse on his birthday.  Instead of buying a spry six year-old, we bought an older, depreciated seven year old.

If you're not a TB person, all TB racehorses have the same technical birthday.  For example, my horse was really born in March, but his official date of birth is January 1st.  So he was considered one year old on that date even though he was technically only 10 months old.  This has to do with races which are broken down by age groups, like the Kentucky Derby being a race only for three year-olds.  The goal is to have your foal born as soon after January 1st as possible so as to give it more time to develop.

Anyway, Happy Birthday Thoroughbreds!

A Phone Call that Changed Everything...

It was on this date ten years ago that I received what would turn out to be a very important phone call.

Christmas was over, all the presents unwrapped and food devoured.  I was home alone while my parents were out to dinner when the landline rang.  It was my trainer.  She called to tell me about a horse that was in the barn on trial.

Earlier that year, my parents had finally decided that the time and circumstances were right for me to have my first horse. So, we embarked on a journey to find a horse that fit my dad's requirements (both temperament and height) as well as our budget.

 Horses were tried and I became so desperate to have a horse that I could be heard saying after each trial, "I liked that one.  We should get him.  Please?" I said this even after riding a horse that tried, painfully, to scrape me off on a post.  Such was my desire to have a horse to call my own.

So, it was with eager attentiveness that I listened to my trainer's description of the horse.  He was in the barn on trial for another rider who was also looking.  She had decided that she didn't like him and my trainer thought maybe we would like to see him while he was still there.  He was a bit of a diamond in the rough, she said, but he had potential.  More importantly, he was quiet, tall, and in our budget.

His trial was almost up, so if we were interested we would have to look at him quickly and decide even more quickly.  I promised that I would tell my parents about it as soon as they got back.  As soon as I hung up the phone with my trainer, I squirmed and jigged around the house in excitement.

 If my parents had possessed a cell phone at the time you can bet I would have called them straight away.  However, they did not so I had to content myself to wait anxiously, hoping and praying that this horse, would finally be the one that would be my horse.  I swear a dinner never took so long as the one my parents ate that night.

We did go to see this horse and he was everything we wanted and more, but that's a different story.  This story is about a phone call, one that I still think of every December 28th.  Sometimes, one simple little phone call can change everything.

Merry Christmas!

For everyone who celebrates and everyone who doesn't, I hope today is filled with family, friends, love and good times.

 I hope today is a wonderful escape from our hectic day-to-day lives and that we are able to remember the things that are really important to us.

I hope that if you asked for a pony for Christmas, you got a pony.  If not, I hope your pony comes along real soon.

I hope you have fun and enjoy whatever it is you're doing today.

 My Christmas Pony many years ago...

Merry Christmas!

My Horsey Christmas List

Dear Santa,

This year for Christmas, I find that my wish list (aside from World Peace and family health) is filled with practical mundane must-haves.  I could tell you about how I need new barn shoes because the soles of mine have finely parted from the rest and I'm getting sand in my shoes, or that my string gloves are more hole than glove, that I need a new keeper for the strap on my helmet, or that I'm dreaming of new breeches that accommodate my ever-expanding thighs, but that wouldn't be fun for either of us.

Instead please find enclosed what my list might look like if I weren't a poor college student with an extreme lack of money.  Or you know, feel free to steal these ideas for other equestrian's on your list!

1. This adorable custom plush pony. Allright, I guess you could argue, Santa, that I'm not a baby and maybe a little too old, but look how cute it is! I almost want my siblings to have kids just so I can buy them each one of these plushies.

From monpetitamourbaby

2. I have to give Chronicle of the Horse the credit for finding this one. I love everything about these: love the idea of taken Breyers that have seen better days and repurposing them, love the concept, and love that they come in different prices in case you can't afford a big one.

From HoundstoothDesign

3.  Credit goes again to COTH and I doubt I could convince my boyfriend to put this behind our bed, but again I would have loved one of these as a kid.  Furthermore, I wish I had thought of this idea as an adult.  Kudos to go to mjoydesign for creative thinking!

Again, by mjoydesign

4. I like this shirt. a lot.  Though I have to say, a horse doesn't have to be a show horse to be wonderful.

For $22.00 from RefineryShop

5. Yes, I still color and yes I love these.

For $20.40 from RedElmDesigns

6. For some jewelry: I love the Scandinavian Dala Horses.

For $35 from TheClayPony

Moving away from Etsy (though I do love it a lot)...

7.This is purely traditional for me, as I try to get one every year that I can (although I don't remember them being quite so expensive!).

For $59.99 From Breyer

8. Dana's Doodles has a lot of cute designs and options but this one is my favorite because it embodies how I always viewed my horse, and what a great idea for a stall sign!

For $29.99 from Dana's Doddles

9.  Sometimes, as a horse person I find I have to rein in (sorry) my enthusiasm when it comes to other aspects of my life. It can be so easy to see something that I would otherwise think was tacky and buy it simply because it has a horse on it, but that's not the case with the totally adorable and tasteful apron. 

For $36.99 from ModCloth

10. All right, so technically I already have this book, but it totally was on my wish list until someone gave it to me for my birthday, so that counts, right? I can't wait to read it!

Hardcover for $16.59 from Amazon

In closing, Santa, I hope you know that a horse is always on my list and you wouldn't even have to gift wrap him!

Love,

EquestriAnnie