Comparison Photos - 2 Months!

I don't have much to say because the photos say it all. Dang, I'm lookin' goooooooood!

4 July 2012

9 September 2012

My Family Tree!

Mom was doing some research online and look what she found! My full pedigree chart goes back to my great, great, great grandparents, but only part of the chart would fit nicely on my blog so I had to take out a generation. Click here for my full chart.

At first glance, it looks like I am British-French-American. That is a lot of red, white, and blue running through my blood... Mom says she understands now why I've got such handsome coat colors. I've got gray, roan, brown, dark brown, and black-coated family members. Mom says she is going to try digging a little deeper for information and she might be able to come up with some pictures.

EASTOVER COURT (USA) gr/r. 1991	SEATTLE SLEW (USA) br. 1974 [BC]	BOLD REASONING (USA) dkb/br. 1968	BOLDNESIAN (USA) b. 1963
			REASON TO EARN (USA) b. 1963
		MY CHARMER (USA)* b. 1969	POKER (USA) b. 1963
			FAIR CHARMER (USA) ch. 1959
	HEAVENLY CAUSE (USA) gr. 1978	GREY DAWN (FR) gr. 1962 [BI]	HERBAGER (FR) b. 1956 [CS]
			POLAMIA (USA) gr. 1955
		LADY DULCINEA (USA) gr. 1963	NANTALLAH (USA) b. 1953
			SHY DANCER (USA) gr. 1955
MO CHUN (USA) gr. 1989	FEEL THE POWER (USA) dkb/br. 1982	RAISE A NATIVE (USA) ch. 1961 [B]	NATIVE DANCER (USA) gr. 1950 [IC]
			RAISE YOU (USA)* ch. 1946
		DAVONA DALE (USA) b. 1976	BEST TURN (USA) dkb/br. 1966 [C]
			ROYAL ENTRANCE (USA) b. 1965
	MOST BEAUTIFUL (USA) gr. 1967	DONUT KING (USA) br. 1959	DETERMINE (USA) gr. 1951
			STRAYED (USA) b. 1945
		MLLE. SOMEBODY (USA) gr. 1956	OIL CAPITOL (USA) gr. 1947
			EYES OF BLUE (USA) gr. 1943

(A) Bit Confused

Miss Jean and Mom have been trying to figure out what bit to use with me after switching to the English gear. I like to grab the bit sometimes (what can I say...we all have stubborn moments) and I am much softer for my riders when I have a curb chain so the double-jointed elevator bit isn't doing the trick. They tried a double-jointed Kimberwicke with a roller but didn't really like it and it was a smidgen too big for me anyway. A Waterford, which has many joints on the mouthpiece and would make it very hard for me to grab, would be perfect except there is normally no place to put a curb chain and no additional shanks on the side to give extra leverage like in the elevator bit. Miss Jean mentioned it would be awesome if there was such a thing as a Waterford Kimberwicke...but there isn't. Mom went online and did a lot or research though. She found a British company that makes some innovative bits and they have a "Waterford Universal" bit that might just be what we need. It has the Waterford mouth piece, an extra ring on the bottom for more leverage (like a half elevator bit), AND a place to put a curb chain. It wasn't inexpensive, but it sounded perfect so Mom went ahead and ordered it. I'll let ya know how it goes. Click on this link if you want some more information about the bit => Neue Schule Waterford Universal Bit.

More Ride Time with Mom!

So starting last week, Mom began coming out on Thursdays to ride in addition to our Saturday lessons together. Yay! She also snatched an extra ride with me on Sunday because she was trying out her new Wintec 2000 saddle. It works great for both of us. Yay! Mom tells me how much she loves our extra bonding time. We worked on keeping my head in the correct frame as we transition up to the trot. It is harder than Miss Jean makes it look...

Yesterday, instead of working in the arena, Miss Jean invited Mom and me to go on a trail ride with her because she needed to take Milton out. Miss Jean helped Mom fit my new saddle pad, girth, and breastplate.  Mom had cleaned up my bridle all nice too so we looked really snazzy going out together. It was the first time we rode in all of Mom's tack. I was super excited that I was going out with Milton too. Milton is the lead gelding in our herd and we've recently become pretty good buddies. I'll hang out with him and his girl, Lilly, when we are in Miss Jean's field. He's a really cool guy and a very kind leader so I felt confident and safe following behind him. I had taken this trail once before with Miss Jean. It goes into the woods and circles around the bottom of one of the mountains. It has a couple of small inclines so I get a good workout. Miss Jean hopes that by the end of October that I will have built enough muscle to ride the trail that goes up the mountain. All in all, it was a wonderful evening. :-)

A Month’s Worth of Change

So I thought ya’ll might like to compare some pictures of me when I first arrived at Miran Farm and a month later. I am starting to develop some butt muscles and Miss Jean estimates I’ve gained about 45 pounds overall. I still have a way to go to be in athletic shape, but I think I am coming along nicely.

 JULY 1, 2012                                                            AUGUST 1, 2012

Saddle Woes & (Future) Jumping Shows

Trying out the Merielle Saddle...yuck.

Sorry for not blogging in a while my dear human herd mates…I’ve been so busy in training! During the last couple of weeks I made the transition from western tack to English tack. Miss Jean put me in an elevator bit and Mom has been trying out a couple of different saddles. At first she tried a M. Toulouse Merielle plus 4 with Genesis (a monoflap), but I HATED that saddle…she was all over the place trying to find her balance and my back hurt. I’m so glad she decided to take it back. Then she grabbed a Wintec Pro Jump saddle thinking that is what Miss Jean has, but turns out Miss Jean has a Wintec 2000 so Mom has that one on order from Dover now. I was fine in the Pro Jump, but Mom’s knees were way in front of the flap so that was a no-go.

In other news, Miss Jean told me how proud she was of my behavior on our first long trail ride. We went with a couple of roping horses and I showed her how super good I am both following and leading. In the ring, she is still teaching me about how to respond to leg aids, give to the bit, and carry my head properly to better use my back muscles. In our lessons, Mom and I are working on getting smooth transitions to the trot and we had a chance to do a little bit of canter work in light seat. Mom is still trying to work on staying relaxed, keeping her hands even when steering, and sitting back and deep in her heals. We are both very excited about our work, though, especially after Miss Jean suggested we should train for jumpers instead of hunters since it suits me better. Yay for speed and high jumps…eventually. :)

Dentist Appointment (Wednesday, 25 July)

Doc came out again so I could get my teeth floated (Grandma Jill, that means I got my teeth filed down). It started out great for me. Doc gave me some good drugs that made me feel a little sleepy. I’m attaching a picture of me feelin’ good…

Doc had Mom reach in to feel my sharp teeth and then got to filing. Mom felt inside my mouth again after Doc was done and what a difference! Doc says the teeth floating should help me gain weight even faster. Mmm, food. Doc finished up by giving me some of my routine shots. I don’t remember a whole lot more because I was pretty drowsy. Mom took a bit of video during to appointment, though, so enjoy the entertainment at my expense.