Winter Can Stay....

The last couple of weeks have been crazy busy. My mother hosted a luncheon/reception for over 100 people for my father (he did not want a funeral, he wanted a party) the beginning of the month, which I coordinated for her. Funny stories, lots of food and an open bar - a good combination! Our yearly audit at work started February 6th and finished on the 17th. On Saturday, Jean and I went to get Stu! Whew.

Stu's arrival was pretty much uneventful. For a horse that has been living the life of Riley for the last year out in the fields, he loaded like a dream, was in the trailer for 1.5 hours without incident, and came off the trailer easily! There was quite a welcoming committee to greet Stu when he came off the trailer. It's quite a novelty to have a Clyde at a Quarter Horse barn. :-) Jean walked him around the immediate property and actually through the old barn. Gem had just been brought in and Stu and Gem had an opportunity to touch noses and sniff each other. It was cool to compare them side by side. Gem is no longer the largest horse in the barn, but in reality Stu is not that much taller than Gem. Gem's head looks quite refined compared to Stu's and of course Stu's feet are twice the size of Gem's.

Stu's feet will need a bit of work. He's got great frogs, but has hoof cracks. Jean is keeping him barefoot and it will take a few trims, coupled with regular maintenance, to improve his foot health and get rid of the cracks. Timing is actually great, because Jean won't be riding him for a few months so it will give Stu's feet a chance to get into tip top shape.

The weather here has been pretty mild and I have been able to get a couple of trail rides in and a lesson. After lesson last week, I am happy to report that LA is pleased with my confidence level and how I am responding quicker to correcting Gem when he starts giving me the business. I appreciated her comment as I was actually feeling a bit "behind" in lesson compared to my other classmates, due to the fact that I was not in lesson very often over the last few months. I believe this subtle change in my attitude and confidence is directly linked to the fact that I have been trail riding. I am getting more and more comfortable being out in the open and my heart isn't in my throat for the whole ride any more. :-)

These pictures were taken two weeks ago. On this particular day, it was -20C so it was too cold to ride but it was gloriously sunny. After grooming my beautiful boy, I ventured down a couple of the trails.

I was greeted by this mare as I started out. She was making her way to the watering tub. She is expecting and due in March. She stays out 24/7. Of course, LA checks on her (and the herd) a couple of times a day.

The snow is deep, so our rides are pretty much confined to the perimeter of the fields. We actually follow the paths made by the herd,

Here's some of the herd chowing down. The forest provides shelter for the herd. There are great trails in the forested area and it's one of my favourite places when we go out.

See...it can be quite cozy in there....

Being out on the trails this time of year is beautiful. The crunch of snow under horses' hooves coupled with conversation is wonderful. I feel so relaxed and satisfied afterwards. With the recent mild weather, there is now a crispy layer of ice on top of soft snow. The odd time I deviated from the path to come up beside DH's mom, Gem sank up to his knees. For the time being, we have to ride single file. I did have a couple of heart-in-my-throat instances yesterday when I went out. The milder weather has caused pools of water on some of the paths, which freezes overnight. To me they look like size of skating rinks but in reality they are just large puddles. DH's mom just told me to sit square to maintain balance, loosen my reins and let Gem navigate where he wanted to go. He put his head down to sniff and see where he was going. There were a couple of times that he slipped every so slightly, but we did it. Another confidence booster!! My horse is amazing.

Spring is in the air. Yesterday it was -5C and sunny. I actually started to undo some of my clothing because I was too warm! I rode without gloves. Strangely, in a way I hope the snow stays a little longer! Yikes! Did I just say that??? Once we have a big melt, everything will turn to mud and we won't be able to ride out on the trails. Arena riding just doesn't have the same appeal to me any longer.....did I just say that??!! :-)


Life Lesson: Always have cab fare tucked in your wallet. To this day, I always have a $20 bill folded away in my wallet…probably won’t get me far by today’s standards, but it does provide a certain amount of comfort knowing that it’s there.

When Dreams Come True

Weekend before last, my riding buddy Jean and I went on a road trip. We had an appointment to meet a guy named Stu. Although we had not met him, we had heard that Stu was a nice guy and we were looking forward to meeting him and talking horses. After an hour and a half, we found the long lane way to the farm we were looking for. We were greeted by two large dogs, announcing our arrival. A tall (very handsome) man emerged from the barn and carefully maneuvered over the icy open area to where we were parked. After we introduced ourselves, The Farmer told us we would find Stu in the barn with his daughter.

I chatted with The Farmer (did I mention he was handsome?) as we walked up to the barn, asking about his milking operation and his hobby of driving. He currently drives double and four hitches and competes in the regional fairs, if he can get someone to babysit his cows over the weekend. Which brings us to the reason we came in the first place. Meet Stu....

Isn't he handsome? Jean heard about Stu through a friend. He is trained to drive single, double and in a four-hitch. The only issue....he's too short! The Farmer bought him as a 3 year old, hoping he would finish at closer to 18hh. But, at 6 years of age, he pretty well finished at just 16.3hh and at 1400 lbs (we measure him), he's too small to drive in pairs or teams with The Farmer's other horses. As a comparison, Gem is around 16.0-16.1hh and weighs in at 1300 lbs. Although Jean did not have plans to buy a horse until the Fall, Stu was pretty much exactly what she was looking for; he is the right age, the right size, a gelding, has a gentle demeanor, he is an easy keeper, has never had any health issues, is outside 24/7, has good feet and reasonably priced.

It's not all roses though. The Farmer was honest with us and said that Stu had not been worked with for a year, was living the life of a prince out with the other horses, is in the upper section of the 10-horse herd hierarchy and was sometimes hard to catch in the field. Oh, and he's never had a rider on his back.

Stu let us touch him all over (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) and we picked up his feet and held them up without issue. We couldn't trot him outside because of the ice. However, The Farmer's 13-year old daughter walked him up and down the aisle of the barn. He never pulled on the lead rope and was quite content following her. The Farmer did say that because he knew that Jean was looking to have a riding horse, he put his daughter up on Stu prior to our arrival to see what he would do! He said he wouldn't have done it if he wasn't confident that Stu wouldn't turn into a lunatic. He did it again for us. Stu sort of had a look of "hmmm...that feels different....", but he didn't twitch or freak out.

A date was agreed on for the vet check, a handshake sealed the deal and Jean and I said our good-byes to Stu, The Farmer and his daughter. We waited until we were driving down the lane way before we started whooping and hollering.

Jean excitedly told LA about Stu after our lesson last Tuesday. Instead of being excited for Jean, LA's response was guarded. She's concerned for Jean's safety. She thinks Jean is in for a lot of hurt and frustration. But what was hurtful was she doesn't quite get why Jean would want a Clyde in the first place. "You can't do anything with a Clyde." It was a bit of a letdown for Jean and when the two of us went for Burgers and Beers afterwards, I had to give her a little pep talk. However, LA's negativity and big horse prejudice has made Jean even more determined to prove her wrong. :-)

The vet check was done this past Wednesday and other than the vet wanting him to be a little heavier, he passed with flying colours. Unfortunately, because of icy conditions Stu couldn't be lunged in a circle, but the vet's examination did not lead him to believe there would be problems. All his vaccinations and a Coggins Test were done. His teeth will be floated in the spring.

Getting a Clyde or any horse that is +16.0hh brings on other challenges. Normal trailers can't handle a large horse comfortably. Most farriers won't work on drafts without the use of stocks. Getting a saddle may be a challenge. But you can always find a solution and it's amazing how horsey friends come together and help. I offered my English saddle to Jean just to get him used to having something on his back while she's working with him. A trailer was found and booked. Boarding arrangements, at the regular outside board rate (yipee!) with LA have been finalized. Stu will have his feet done before he's transferred to give Jean time to find local farrier that will work without stocks.

I am going to be Jean's ground person for the first while, and definitely when she's ready to start sitting on him. Her goal is to be riding him by the summer, eventually working towards taking him out in the small field to get him used to larger spaces with a rider on his back. I am excited for Jean - her dream has come true. I am looking forward to helping her; I think I will learn a lot. Stu will be here in 2 weeks....I can hardly wait!!! :-)