Revelations
Monday, July 02 2012 by Editor
Don’t you hate when life gets in the way of your riding? I’ve been defending a trial for one of my firm’s municipal clients which means, essentially, that I’ve been living at the office. Now that the worst of it is over, I’ve come to some shocking revelations: 1. I have a horse! He’s really great, too. Almost forgot about him…. 2. I have a blog! Two blogs, actually. And there’s been nothing but tumbleweeds rolling around on here the past few weeks. Sorry about that, I hope no one has dust allergies. 3. It’s summer! I was having trouble determining the season given that I’ve been living in air conditioning and under flourescent lights for three weeks. Tucker eyes his saddle suspiciously... vaguely recalling its purpose This weekend, once my eyes adjusted to the daylight, I finally got to spend some real quality time with my horse, other than the hour or so I’ve been able to sneak in to check on him over the past three weeks. (I’ve been told by a few people who drive pick-up trucks that Tucker has been coming to the fenceline expectantly when they pull in, hoping it was me, which is basically just the saddest and sweetest thing I’ve ever heard). I’m happy to report that Tucker was really super this weekend! Even after three weeks off, he wasn’t spooky or fresh or tense when I rode him yesterday, just lovely and forward and relaxed. I lunged Saturday, and while he started off playing a bit, he settled right down in a few minutes, kept one ear trained on me, and responded to all my voice commands, which was a good sign. My fingers are tightly crossed that the Ulcer Gard is working, and it will be the solution to all the ridiculous spooking and carryings-on as of late. I don’t think I can say for sure until I’ve had a few more good rides, which I’m planning to do this week. We now have a new goal, which is to determine whether my horse is, in fact, pregnant, or whether some of this can be shed away with a few weeks of exercise: I swear I saw the baby kick....
- Published in Tucker The Wunderkind, Z-Blogs
Tagged under: bridge-farms, entries, farms, hatchaway-bridge-farms, the-barn-book, tucker, tucker the wunderkind, wordpress-org
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Tuesday, June 12 2012 by Editor
After a week of relatively relaxed rides at the new-old barn. . . we had another not-so-great ride yesterday. As you recall, I suspected a few weeks ago that Tucker may have been having a mid-life crisis . Yesterday I had to get off and lunge the poor beast (on a really hot day, which I really hated doing to him), because he was spooking (at something that shouldn’t have been quite that scary) so badly that he was becoming unsafe, for both of us. ( Read: I do not trust my big clumsy horse to stand on his hind legs and not kill us both .) As you know, these situations cause an immediate morph into Rider-Scientist Extraordinaire. I’ll walk you through my varied list of hypotheses as to the possible causes of this errant behavior, and show you where the Process of Elimination has gotten me so far. 1. I went with the easiest solution first — maybe it’s just a little extra-special Spring Fever, and maybe he just needs a few pro rides. Limited success there, I know the pro I was using had one very good ride on him. Since he was spooking and occasionally acting like a moron (sorry Tucker, but it’s true dear) even with the pro, though, I don’t think that was the solution. 2. Next guess was the grain, and this hypothesis definitely had merit. When I switched barns, we also switched feeds. He has been on Omelene 400 , which is a grain that I love, for about 3 1/2 years now (he also gets beet pulp, but that didn’t change). It’s low sugar, low protein (12%), and high fiber, and it’s forage-based (beet pulp), not grain-based, which seems to be better for Tucker. It also has the Amplify nugget built right in, which is a weight-gain supplement I had looked into even before I started this feed. When we moved, we switched him to Triple Crown Complete , which was the preferred feed of the barn manager there, who is very knowledgeable about nutrition and feeding. It’s also beet pulp-based, and it’s the same 12% protein level, so I figured it was comparable. It is, however, higher in sugar and lower in fiber, and anyone who has ever been on a diet will know immediately that means more calories. Since Tucker was high as a kite, I thought maybe the change in feed was making him fresh. Long story short, he’s back on the O-400 (has been for several weeks now), but the issue still isn’t resolved. So, the grain-switch may not have helped matters, but the buck (haha, pun intended) does not stop here.
- Published in Tucker The Wunderkind, Z-Blogs
Tagged under: bridge-farms, entries, farms, freshness, hatchaway-bridge-farms, tucker, tucker the wunderkind, ulcers
Working Moms
Thursday, June 07 2012 by Editor
Most of us horse owners aren’t fortunate enough to spend all day with our horses, and many of us are stuck in an office all day, instead of covered in dirt and dust at the barn like we ought to be. For those of us like me, who are chained to a desk most of the time, there are fewer joys in life better than seeing how our beloved horses are spending their time. Nothing brings a smile to my face quicker than getting a picture of my boy in the middle of my day.
- Published in Tucker The Wunderkind, Z-Blogs
Tagged under: boarding, bridge-farms, entries, farms, hatchaway-bridge-farms, the-barn-book, tucker, tucker the wunderkind, turnout, wordpress-org
The Best Nest
Friday, June 01 2012 by Editor
When I was little, The Best Nest was my favorite bedtime story (ironic, given that I’ve grown up with an irrational, debilitating fear of birds). If you’re not familiar with the story, here’s a run-down. Mrs. Bird wakes up one morning and decides she’s sick of the tiny little birdhouse she and Mr. Bird have shared for, the reader must assume, the early years of their marriage, and she’s ready to move on up. So she sends Mr. Bird out on the task of finding more suitable accommodations. Mr. Bird, eager to please his young wife (who seems a little needy, in hindsight, if you ask me), tries out all kinds of alternatives in an effort to please her: a church tower, which is lovely until the bells ring, a pleasant tree, which becomes very unpleasant when Mr. Raccoon returns home. . .
- Published in Tucker The Wunderkind, Z-Blogs
Tagged under: boarding, bridge-farms, entries, farms, hatchaway-bridge-farms, the-barn-book, tucker, tucker the wunderkind, wordpress-org
Dr. Norton Weighs in on the Row Boat Incident
Wednesday, May 23 2012 by Editor
Dr. Norton, Oscar, and Marty Dr. Norton, who runs Norton Veterinary Consulting & Education Resources , has been a friend of mine since we were both riding small pony hunters and studying for spelling tests on the bus to school. She’s a Tucker fan too, and did a great blog post today about The Umbrella Study , in response to the post I did yesterday about Tucker’s encounter with a deadly row boat . I found this study fascinating – go check it out. It’s cold hard proof that our horses absolutely feed off of our emotions and our thoughts. After reading about the Umbrella Study I thought back on the ride. I think we all know that I must have been wondering if Tucker was going to behave himself on our walk around the lake. I was probably feeling really comfortable while we took the path we always take, but as soon as we rounded the turn, making a right instead of a left (onto unfamiliar territory), I’m willing to bet my heart rate went up, sending all kinds of early warning signals to Tucker. It’s no coincidence he spotted the row boat/saber tooth lying in wait just after we rounded that turn. And I bet my heart rate continued to increase with every spook and spin, and probably didn’t go back to normal until we reached the row boat itself and Tucker didn’t seem all that scared, which in turn signaled to Tucker that everything was indeed fine, cueing him in that it was okay to proceed around the lake. In sum, I’m willing to admit that I started it. Tucker is (once again) the brains of this operation. Only as scary as you make it...
- Published in Tucker The Wunderkind, Z-Blogs
Tagged under: bridge-farms, entries, farms, hatchaway-bridge-farms, nvcer, the-barn-book, trail ride, tucker, tucker the wunderkind, wordpress-org
Trust Walk
Tuesday, May 22 2012 by Editor
Ever noticed how a lot of things in riding follow the old “chicken or the egg” principle? Sometimes it’s tough to know who is feeding off of whom, and who started it. I was pretty much fully recovered physically from my fall last week by Thursday (thanks to a steady routine of Sore-No-More, Advil, and Vodka), but the mental effects lingered well into the weekend. I’ve only been bucked off my horse once before (I’ve mentioned he’s basically a saint, right?), a few years ago, and I got pretty hurt, so it was a few weeks before I could get back on. After that fall, I found myself terrified of him, and had to lunge him before I got on (yes, the big sweet overgrown labrador, on the lunge line, for no reason at all, looking at me like I was nuts). This time was far less traumatic, but I still found myself feeling overly cautious when I climbed back into the tack. When he spooked at a jump standard as we trotted past it, I couldn’t help but wonder — am I creating this, because I’m worried about it? They read us so well, it’s entirely possible that I was giving off some weird vibes. So after the ride, we went for a long walk. There is a beautiful pond on the farm and I wanted to go walk around it. Tucker had never been back there, and ordinarily I would try to take him with a buddy the first time. But I felt strongly, on this beautiful Spring morning, with the birds chirping and the sun shining and everything smelling like sunshine and flowers, that we needed some bonding time. So we headed out alone, and Tucker marched along like a champ, enjoying the breeze, ears forward, tail swinging, until we got about 100 yards away from the pond. That’s when we spotted the Row Boat Tied to the Tree. Not something that would scare you or me, but Tucker explained, rather calmly [picture the voice-over on a National Geographic documentary], standing stock still in his tracks, that he is a 1200-pound, juicy, tasty, lean, flight animal, and he was therefore altogether NOT in the habit of nonchalantly approaching unidentified objects that could very well turn out to be sleeping predators just waiting for a mid-morning snack. It’s just plain common sense. Obviously. As I asked him to move forward, he became insistent that turning and running was for my benefit as well, and made a few bids to spin, which I somehow avoided by sitting still and guiding him forward with an opening rein. Tucker, on the other hand, was in FULL DRAMA LLAMA MODE. He is, after all, primarily responsible for my welfare, and will bravely escort me to safety in the face of certain danger , when necessary. So we took about ten steps at a time, stopped, threw the periscope up, and stared at the row boat/sleeping jaguar, about ten times. I tried to reassure him that it was just a boat. He said, “ I DON’T KNOW FROM BOATS .” I tried to reason with him, I asked him what else would be beside a lake besides a row boat? He sighed and explained that horses don’t have the time or energy for that kind of logic. Spook now, think later, live to tell the tale.
- Published in Tucker The Wunderkind, Z-Blogs
Tagged under: bridge-farms, entries, farms, flat work, freshness, hatchaway-bridge-farms, trail ride, tucker, tucker the wunderkind, wordpress-org
Tucker’s Mid-Life Crisis
Monday, May 14 2012 by Editor
Remember how Danny changed after that first summer? My horse appears to be suffering from a mid-life crisis. He did just turn ten, after all. Seems to be in the midst of some sort of existential dilemma, I’m afraid. Perhaps it’s an identity crisis? He’s been a good guy for so long, maybe he’s just experimenting with the bad-boy persona. Feeling his wild oats, literally. I had a jumping lesson with Lindsay yesterday and all started out well. We actually had some real lead change breakthroughs (!). We worked on counter-cantering, switching from outside to inside bend, and then we’d ask for the change just before the corner by pushing him out, stepping my weight to the outside and then asking lightly with my outside leg. I missed a few at first, but once I got it, they were great — smooth, and relaxed, and clean. Everyone’s always told me the counter-canter is a great tool for learning changes, but I feel like now it’s finally clicking for me. Then we started jumping, and things started off fine while we were working on some single verticals on a circle. Then Tucker’s turnout buddy left the ring, which shouldn’t be that much of a crisis, unless you a big fresh horse looking for a good excuse. He was clearly tense, but thus far behaving (other than squealing — which I could always do without), and I figured he’d get over it in a minute. When we added another vertical on the diagonal, landing with a sharp left turn, Tucker was a bit strong — pulling me to the jump on the last stride, then grabbing the bit and rooting the reins on landing. Still rideable, but less than pretty. Then we added another vertical on the diagonal, off the short turn, going toward home, and all hell broke loose. Tucker apparently mistook that vertical for the starting gate at Belmont Park, so we landed going Mach 10. (Not exactly the stuff that winning hunter rounds are made of).
- Published in Tucker The Wunderkind, Z-Blogs
Tagged under: bridge-farms, entries, farms, hatchaway-bridge-farms, jumping, lessons, the-barn-book, tucker, wordpress-org
Birthday Boy
Friday, May 04 2012 by Editor
Today is Tucker’s 10th birthday. It’s hard to believe we’ve known each other for ten years! My, how the time flies. On this day ten years ago… I was a week away from graduating college. I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. So I planned my escape, to the farm in Connecticut where I worked every summer, to take a year off and figure myself out. And then a few weeks later I met him… he was goofy, and awkward, and afraid of everything, and — to be honest — a bit of a jerk. The first time we met, he bit me in the stomach. I didn’t like him, though I’m ashamed to admit that now. And I really didn’t want to make time in my day to take care of an obnoxious yearling, when there was a barn full of beautiful show horses to be doted on
- Published in Tucker The Wunderkind, Z-Blogs
Tagged under: bridge-farms, entries, farms, hatchaway-bridge-farms, the-barn-book, tucker, tucker the wunderkind, wordpress-org
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