The Legend of Alibar: A Cup of Joe

One of my fondest memories of Alibar…

The only time I willingly wake up early is for horses. At my old job, I worked the late shift so I rode Alibar before work on weekdays. Each morning, I slipped out of my warm bed, pulled on my riding clothes, and drove down to the barn.

Alibar was quite the morning person in demeanor but he was arthritic and he needed a longer warmup than he did in his younger years. To make the mornings a little easier for both of us, Alibar and I developed a little ritual. Before I arrived at the barn, I purchased a big cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee. Since I arrived before the barn help, I always gave Alibar some soaked hay cubes and a handful of senior horse feed. Then I tacked up Alibar, I grabbed my coffee, and off we went. We walked around the perimeter of a large cornfield behind the barn and I drank my morning coffee as Alibar loosened up his muscles and old joints.

Alibar’s gaits were smooth and I never spilled a drop of coffee. The mornings were crisp and and bright. Steam curled out of Alibar’s wide nostrils and his tiny, tippy ears swiveled as he took in the sights and sounds. The path around the cornfield was cut but there was tall grass in the middle- large herds of deer browsed on the grass, bathed in morning sunlight. The only sounds were Alibar’s contented snorts and the occasional flock of wild turkeys, twittering to one another as they glided across the field. If there was a particularly tender patch of grass, I allowed Alibar to take a bite and chew as we marched along.

The horses at the farm could see the cornfield through the trees, and they romped and played at the sight of us. Most mornings, Alibar and I would walk the entire way, but if he was feeling especially good, we sometimes trotted or had a short hand-gallop.

By the time we got back to the barn, I finished my coffee and we were ready to meet the day: we could tackle dressage and could take on the world.

MORE Horse Snow Photos…

I’ve gotten ZERO saddle time this month but at least I got to get some fun photos of my favorite horses in the snow…

At Moonlit Run Equestrian Center, the horses strutted their stuff for the camera…

Apollo, a Belgian/Quarter Horse cross and Atlas, a Percheron, storm across the snow-covered pasture.

Atlas always seems to have a little smile on his face.

Ashton is a Percheron/Thoroughbred cross and he also enjoyed some fun in the sun and snow.

On to the next barn…

Mary the Morgan pranced and played in over a foot of snow…

Noodles the barn kitty was happy to be a snow bunny.

On to the next barn!

And Wizard and JR looked like two little kids at recess when they were turned out after being indoors overnight:

OK, now that we’ve all had our fun in the snow, can we please have SPRING?

PS: Product Rave: Ariat’s Bromont winter paddock boots are insulated and amazingly warm, even in snow. I was able to do hours of wintertime shooting in my Bromont boots.

Equine Photographer Sarah Andrew: Wizard in the Blizzard- Horse Snow Photos

Monday, 12/21/09: Over two feet of snow blanketed parts of New Jersey this past weekend. The snow is miserable for travel but spectacular for equine photos :^) On Monday morning, the sun came out and I trekked to the barns.

Photo note: For a lot of these images, I exposed for the horses’ coats, which overexposes the snow a bit. I shot manually or in aperture priority, depending on the background. There is debate about photo exposure in the snow, but this is how I do it :^)

Wizard and JR are absolute snow bunnies and they put on quite a show for me.

Next, I drove to my friend’s barn. Before I could get to the barn, I had to rescue a car from the driveway with Blue Thunder, the trusty tractor.

Paris was not as rowdy as the boys, but she looked quite elegant as she pranced and spun in the snow.

Bella and Kara were as happy to trot around as they were to groom each other when we removed their blankets.

Robbie, a Thoroughbred, showed off his athleticism and good looks for the camera.

Last but not least is Selena, who looked more like an Arabian than a Thoroughbred with her curled tail and animated moves.

Fool in the Rain

Thursday, 10/15/09

I am a fool. Thursday was cold, damp, and rainy. Possibly the worst day possible to give Selena a bath. But I did it. The plan was to put a sheet on her but my waterproof turnout sheet was professionally cleaned and spotless so I decided to give her a bath so she would be clean under the clean sheet. It was as skilled as brain surgery. Well, maybe not, but it was quick and efficient and successful. My friend and I had an army of towels waiting as soon as I finished shampooing and rinsing Selena with warm water. I used Pantene Silver Expressions shampoo to try to bring out her silvery color. The smell is pleasant and it did a good job. We dried her with towels and wrapped her in two coolers and I walked her in the barn to keep her warm. She dried remarkably quickly! At the end of the night, I had a clean horse wearing a clean sheet, snug as a bug in her stall as the rain poured down. I brought Wizard out to the indoor arena and let him stretch his legs. After he played for a little while, I let JR do the same. Brrrrr. I drove home and took a hot shower :^)

Selena Ride 23; Wizard Session 94: Nibble, Nibble…

Wednesday, 9/9/09

Poor little JR’s ankles are covered with itchy bites. He got them on our trail walk on Monday. I hosed his legs, scrubbed them with Betadine, and dried them off.

Wizard has them as well. I took him for a short trail walk tonight (light was fading fast!!!) for about 3 miles and did the Betadine scrub routine for him as well.

Another great ride on Selena! We had the deck stacked against us, since it was a chilly, windy night and most of the horses were in the barn, but we worked right through it! She was just a little tense and snorty at the very beginning of the ride, so I went right into our work on transitions and she responded nicely. We did walk-halt-walk work, some big circles, and used the traffic cones as guides. Then we graduated to walk-trot-walk transitions. She is working off my seat for downward transitions really nicely. During our last ride, I felt Selena round and maintain contact with the bit a few times- tonight, I felt it several more times. Yippee! She did it in both directions and did not back off when I held the contact with the reins. We trotted a ground pole about 4 times during the ride- she was a little wobbly over it so I kept my leg on her.

We’ve had a few big steps forward with our progress. Time for me to sketch up some new ride plans :^)

Selena Ride 22; JR Session 55; Wizard Session 93: This Little Piggy

Monday, 9/7/09

Wizard: I took Wizard for a walk in the woods with Mary the Morgan and her owner. We’ve been learning about the trail network around the barn and exploring the trails is becoming an addiction! I hiked with Wizard for a little over 5 miles, behind the barn, past a farm with a little pen of pigs, across the street, around a big loop, and back to the barn.

Pigs??? Yes! There were 4 pigs- 2 were friendly and 2 were shy. Wizard startled a bit when he saw them at first, but then he became bolder and actually touched noses with one of them. It was interesting to see his little wheels turning in his head as he changed from, “Nope! Nope! Nope!” to “Yep! Yep! Yep!”. I really like how curious and bold Wizard is.

The only problem I had with Wizard on the hike was on the last leg of the trail. Mary the Morgan had trotted ahead a little bit and was just out of our sight. Wizard became agitated and pranced and jigged until we were close to them again. It was especially interesting because he is not particularly buddy-sour or barn-sour, but the horse leaving his sight really triggered him.

After the walk, I turned him out in the arena and he cavorted and played for a few minutes. I put him in his stall and he snacked on Dengie while I worked with the other 2 horses.

Selena: Best ride yet! She had a few days off, but it seemed to work to our advantage this time. She was so relaxed, which I partly contribute to the conditions, since it was an hour after feeding time and the weather was very pleasant. We’ve also getting used to each other, which is wonderful. I put the cones out in the arena, this time in a straight line like how pole benders set up poles. I used the cones as huge loops for serpentines. From the very beginning of the ride, Selena was responsive. She heard every cue, and is really beginning to understand my half halts. She is already wonderfully responsive to leg so now she’s becoming a treat to ride :^)

Our transitions were lovely, she was actually a little quiet so I asked her for a canter so I could practice settling her down and relaxing her topline. She responded and her neck and back were tense, but she became more relaxed with transitions and bending. At one section of the arena, I could feel her round her back and accept contact with the bit. She did it a handful of times and it was a wonderful feeling. Now that I’ve felt it, I know that we have the potential to get some great things accomplished. Wonderful ride!

JR: After I was done with Wizard and Selena, I took JR for a hike in the woods. He has put on a little too much weight from inactivity so the exercise was definitely a good thing for him. We went a little under 4 miles, including past the pigs. JR was more fearful than his bold friend Wizard, but I was pleased with his reaction. When we approached the pigs, he telescoped his neck and reached toward them. He did not quite touch noses like Wizard, but he was curious enough to overcome his fears. I did have to handle a little hopping around when I put him between me and the pigs- he was far more comfortable when I was between him and the pigs. He even managed to step on my foot, which thankfully did not result in any injury. I’m 31 years old and I’ve been stepped on twice by horses in my life, both this year: once by Wizard and once by JR.

It was a great day for all the horses. I hope to keep taking advantage of this great weather by riding and exercising with the herd.

Selena Rides 1 & 2: Ricolaaaaaaa

Friday, 7/24/09

I did not get a lot accomplished- I need to work more on my ride plans so I don’t fritter my nights away. I worked with Selena, walking around the property and grazing her. JR and Wizard also got some grooming, walking, and grazing.

Saturday, 7/25/09

Wizard: I gave Wizard a little time in the indoor arena to trot at liberty so I could watch his movement. He’s definitely improving. My plan is to do lots of hand walking in the next few weeks. While he was turned out in the arena, he was arching his neck and doing his best to show off for his audience (me and my mom). He’s not quite the ham that Alibar was, but he did get a big laugh out of us when he sniffed the end of a hollow jump pole- the sound reminded me of the big horn used in the Ricola commercials.

Selena: My dressage saddle appears to fit her pretty well. I took her into the indoor arena and asked her to longe for just a few rotations, about five minutes. She broke from a trot to a canter several times. She’s out of shape so I did not want her exerting herself so I mounted up and rode her at a walk for a few minutes. She was good as gold. She shook her head a few times while I was hand walking her. Bugs? Teeth? Not fond of the bit? I’m not sure, but she did not do it under saddle.

Sunday, 7/26/09

A late night ride :^) I got to the barn around 9pm for a quiet, focused ride with Selena. I tacked her up, did about 5 minutes of hand walking to get her warmed up, and mounted up. She was fantastic again. We walked for about 15 minutes, stepping over a few ground poles and riding in large, easy patterns. She is a well-trained horse so my biggest task is getting her fit without moving too quickly. My plan is to start doing trot sets- walk the short side, trot the long side, etc.

JR got a few minutes turned out in the arena to stretch his legs. Wizard got 15 minutes of hand walking.

Ricolaaaaaa….

Groom n Graze

Monday, 7/13/09

Sometimes, the horses just get groomed and get a little grazing time :^) I also tried a few western saddles on JR. I think I found a likely candidate, and we’ll try it in a few days.

JR Ride 52: Wasn’t Born to Follow

Friday, 7/10/09

Blahhhhhhh, JR feels backsore again. This is after an evaluation/adjustment by a veterinarian/chiropractor, a saddle adjustment by a master saddler, a few weeks of topline-strengthening ground work, and a week or two of light riding at a walk with only a few minutes of trotting. I could feel it when I was grooming him- his back sank significantly. He’s also becoming more and more girthy. I also saw the beginnings of telltale dry spots behind each side of his withers :^/

My next step is to try a few western saddles on him. I thought my dressage saddle looked good on him, but it’s possible that his shoulders are starting to get pushed now that he is filling out and slimming down. Since our riding is basic flatwork and schooling, the discipline is less important than a nicely-fitting saddle. Now all I need to do it learn how to ride western :^)

Our ride on Friday was productive. I started by placing a few boogery objects in the outdoor dressage arena. I used a tarp, held down by two ground poles, and a potted plant, placed in the center of the arena. As expected, JR reacted to the objects. He was completely controllable, but snorted and pranced when he saw the plant. I think the schooling is helping, though, because he was trying to eat the plant within a few minutes. He walked on the tarp nicely once he got a look at it. I longed JR for a few minutes. It was a just-ok longeing session, since he was caving in on the circle again. I think he does it when he’s lacking confidence.

I mounted up and we rode for about 25 minutes, mostly walking with a little trotting until my ankle said no more. My ankle is improving- whew! Mary the Morgan and her owner came out to the arena while we rode. I figured that another horse would help JR get over any concerns about the woods in the evening since there are quite a few deer crashing around there. JR wasn’t born to follow, though, since he gave a good-sized spook when we were at the edge of the trees in the arena. I stayed securely in the saddle, and circled him around in one fluid motion and rode past a few times and he was fine. It was good for me to finally feel what his spooking feels like under saddle. I’m sure he can do a much bigger one, but now I know what the average one feels like. We did a little lateral work at the walk, leg yielding in each direction. Productive ride :^)

I turned Wizard loose in the big arena to watch his movement. Still a hitch in the hind end, but thrilled to stretch his Thoroughbred legs.

She may beg, she may plead, she may argue with her logic
And then she’ll know the things I learned
That really have no value in the end she will surely know
I wasn’t born to follow

JR Ride 51; Wizard Session 86: Happy Trails to Youuuuu…

Thursday, 7/9/09

To out an end to the Fly Bonnet Saga, I purchased a Lettia ear net/fly bonnet for the boys. It’s navy blue with grey, green, and burgundy piping. I picked a color that would complement a palomino and a bright bay.

I longed JR for about 20 minutes, working on transitions and asking for a little work on moving in and out on the circle. Then I hopped on and walked around the dressage arena with my barn buddy and Mary the Morgan. Then, we headed on the trails for JR’s first trail ride!

JR has been on the trails with his owner, but he has not gone out with me, except for hand walks. He has shown a lot of greenness in the past. Today, he was sterling. I think that the combined elements of a little work and a fearless trail buddy contributed to our success. We rode for about 25 minutes, going out on a little loop through the woods, and even rode through a part I never explored with Alibar.

On the way back to the barn, we spotted a deer. Mary caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye but I don’t think JR saw it. I turned his head away from the deer and kept trucking along. I’d like to do a little more de-boogering before we encounter a leaping deer :^)

I was really pleased with JR’s performance. I think that I’ll continue to take him out with other horses for a while before we try a ride on our own. He seems like he’ll be a steady-eddie once he gets the hang of it. He was happy to walk along behind another horse, which is always nice. Walking is good. Not having to be the leader is good.

I hosed him off and put him back in his paddock. He has been outside 24/7 for almost a week and I think it’s contributing to his happy attitude.

Wizard was equally willing and pleasant. My friend wanted to see the other loop of trails so I took Wizard out for a trail walk. He has the most delightful, ground-covering walk and I simply cannot wait to hit the trails with him. He and Mary would probably be a good pair, since she also has a mighty fine power walk. Wizard is bolder on trails than JR. When we were returning from our walk, I took him past a flapping flag. I expected him to give it the hairy eyeball, but he could not care less. I targeted the flag, and he shoved his entire head under it, wearing it as a hat. So much for deboogering him.

After the trail walk, I turned Wizard loose in the big arena. His hind end hitch is improving but it is still visible. I’m looking forward to hearing what the chiropractor has to say about him. And I’m looking forward to riding him again :^)