After an extended wait, Saturday Maggie had a big Colt just before dinner.
Meet Duncan!
I waited to post because I could not tell from the pictures what his leg marking are.
And I still don't, so since he has four white feet everyone who guessed white on legs got points. I think he has at least 3 stockings. He is super light though.
Congrats to Liz! Email me at equinpilot@aol.com and I will send your RW or other stores gift card.
Duncan made the news too click here
After a week of warm, wet weather the day before the show was cold and dreary. Luckily my mom had already cleaned Roscoe's mane and legs while it was warm. So Friday I only had to rinse off the dust and braid him. Roscoe had definite opinions.
Saturday started at 4am and I was totally stressed. Mom dealt with me and Roscoe getting both where we needed to be. Roscoe has matured so much since last year in the warm up. He and I are both still tense, but hopefully that will improve as we keep showing.
My first class was 2-2, a class of five and I was the second rider. The first rider was sadly eliminated three movements before the end of her test. Not easy to follow, but a bit of relief that I should be able to get a placing we need.
This was our first time riding the test at a rated show. Roscoe did super. We have plenty to work on, but it really was a solid test. He got a bit excited during the second lengthening and broke into canter. My friend who also showed, stayed around to watch. All the riding pictures are compliments of her husband.
Beware it was windy, so the video is wobbly.
After that class we had a little time.
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| My chill pony in between classes |
I really wanted to be done. Roscoe was ready to go. This was a class of nine so I did not think I had any chance to get the placing we needed. Unfortunately our test was going pretty well, despite tension, when I got lost and ended up going to the wrong letter. Then I mixed up the previous version of 2-1 with the current one and walked when I should have kept trotting. That mistake will haunt me for the rest of my life.
I told myself I was not looking at the scores until we had taken care of Roscoe. We set about giving him lunch and pulling out his braids. I pulled my phone out to take a picture of his post braid hair do and saw a message from my trainer. "Congratulations" I figured we had gotten third. She came back with 1st. I was amazed.
I looked at the results and saw that I had won the 2-2. 2-1 I had lost a tie for third, and again got fourth. I think I am doomed to that dang white ribbon.
The show was a success, we got one of the five placings needed for Roscoe's performance requirements and I have both scores needed for the Bronze. We are on our way. Plus Roscoe was the only pony at this level.
No babies yet, though Maggie looks ready to pop.
Every year our vet goes to Aiken, so we have to rely on his wife to do our coggins. Unfortunately, Mom could not get either of them to respond. Love them, but dang people customer service is key.
So Mom got ticked and checked with another area vet who is used in the neighborhood. She was able to fit the boys in the next week. And funny story, we tried this vet when she bought the practice from our old vet years ago and she was awful. We never went back to her again. Fast forward and she is the vet for our friend who does the Magna Wave and happened to be nearby when Ember had a choke episode. He had basically cleared it by time she came, but it was great of her to come by. She seems to have found a way to connect to owners since the first time we met her.
Mom got the boys ready and the vet offered something we did not even know was still available...handwritten coggins. Yep that poor vet had to draw Roscoe's markings. Been there, done that and it is no fun. Who knew in the age of everything digital that they were still an option.
And to make it even better, they were $25 each. Three horses and a farm call was only $125. My jaw dropped when my Mom texted me the amount. For that price I will scan my own coggins to apply online.
They arrived quickly too.
Bonus was the vet gave us a good tip for giving shots to horses who hate needles, go slowly putting it in. It worked when we gave Roscoe his flu/rhino.
She will probably be the first vet we call now. We are lucky to have a ton of vets to choose from, which I know is an issue in other places.
Just over a week till show day, and we have more rain coming. Hopefully the pony will not get too dirty. He also has a collection on Monday to see if he will be ready to do his other job. Can't wait for the babies to arrive!
Whew, breeding season was crazy. We had 15 collections for 8 different mares and had 4 pregnancies. Sometimes the mares do not cooperate.
So here are the Expectant Mares:
Maggie, Belgium/Arab Bred 5/6
Tegan Rhosyn Welsh Cob Bred 5/26
Lady Welsh Cob Bred 6/3
Remember When, Warmblood Bred 6/21 (finally a warmblood)
The basic's:
Guess the birth date
Guess the gender
Extra points for guessing chrome:
Face
legs
body
Coat Color
Winner of each will get a $25 RW or store of choice gift card.
Overall Grand prize winner (points combined) will get the personalized cross stitch.
Post your guesses in the comments! Good luck.
Now I have to tweak my resume so I can apply for a lateral move at work which will hopefully bring another boost to the paycheck.
After losing DaVinci, a winter storm and my computer going on the fritz, I took a break from the blog. I did not mean to take so long, but life happens.
I got a new computer during Christmas so I am going to start writing again.
2022 was quite the year of ups and downs. So here is a recap.
January: Three rides total, that is it. We had a crazy snow fall that screwed up traffic for miles and kept us away from the barn.
March: Beginning of a crazy breeding season. And Yes we will have foals in 2023.
April: Rated show debut at 2nd level. We survived a windy, cold day even though Roscoe thought he would be eaten by a newmarket cooler. I got my first bronze medal score with a 60%.
May: Second rated show, the wheels fell off. Combination of a scary indoor ring and saddle fit issues, made for a slightly disappointing day. We sadly lost Dottie when she could not stop spinning. The barn is so empty now.
June: The end of a hectic breeding season, resulted in four pregnancies. After utilizing Magna Wave for years we got our own.
August: Ember attended a bit fitting and got his own fancy bit that has improved his work. We finally got our saddle refitted after delays. Roscoe and I went to a schooling show for a redemption at 2nd level.
September: Brought our last show for the year and gave us enough scores to earn Reserve Champion 2nd level. We got a new trainer... but she did not last long.
November: All in one day I got offered a new job, Lauren Sprieser rode Roscoe and I got hit in the mouth with a tire iron while changing the flat trailer tire. Now if only I could get Roscoe to feel like how he was after she rode.
December: I started the new job, nice raise and got a new trainer. She is pretty awesome. Can't wait for them to come back from Florida.
Keep a look out for a Foal Pool!
Winter riding brings the need for warmth. For me my ears are one part that needs to stay warm or I am miserable. So years ago we found this headliner in the motorcycle section of our Marine Corps Exchange.
The liner is super thin, so it barely takes any room in your helmet. It is stretchy and can also be a balaclava or just a neck warmer.
It is sleek enough to wear at a show or clinic.
Just as many things the price has gone up over the years. It is still worth the $18 price tag.
We just gifted one to our Magna Wave practioner and she was thrilled. She has a long walk to get to her lesson and was looking at something to keep her head warm.
I will warn that it holds heat really well, so it can get very warm using it in an indoor. It is durable, mine is still in great condition.
Item:Seirus Thermax Headliner
Price: $18-$25 depends on retailer
