A break from writing, a break from riding and maybe sort of a break from reality? Nah. http://justanotherdayoutwest.com/back-from-a-break/
Posts Tagged ‘Kanak’
Back from a break
May 21, 2012Weddings and kittens and cow-ponies, oh my.
May 9, 2012I’m sure you all were missing me something terrible… here’s the rundown on what I’ve been up to.
http://justanotherdayoutwest.com/weddings-and-kittens-and-cow-ponies-oh-my/
Sneak-peak-picture-teaser, follow the link to see the rest…
Trail Riding
May 1, 2012New post today, about the rides I had yesterday. I even got some pictures in. http://justanotherdayoutwest.com/trail-riding/ Enjoy!
Kanak’s Story, Part 3
April 23, 2012Finally, I got it finished up. Well, I published it anyhow. Maybe I just got sick of looking at it as a draft. At any rate, here it is – http://justanotherdayoutwest.com/kanaks-story-part-3/
Kanak’s Story
April 12, 201230 Day Wonders
April 10, 2012New post… absolutely not what I sat down to write about. I usually try to be more positive with what I write, but something needed to be said… http://justanotherdayoutwest.com/30-day-wonders/
Hodge Podge
March 23, 2012I keep coming up with half-formed…
What I’m trying to say is…
What to blog about…
A little bit of this and a little bit o…
You get the picture? I got nothing cohesive to throw out to the blogosphere. So, here’s the hodge and the podge…
I did good body work today. Interesting things happened and it was good. Positive changes were made for chronic conditions.
The boys are healing up. The bay faster than the sorrel. The filly picks on the bay boy and forces him to move more. Moving keeps the swelling down, which seems to speed the healing process. Before I fed tonight I moved the sorrel around the pasture a bit… he started to loosen up after a couple trips across the pasture at the trot. He’s kind of a weenie, so I’m thinking I’ll need to repeat that process a couple times over the next few days.
I watched Kanak get worked. He is going along like he should be. He is actually doing very well for having maybe ten rides on him. The boy (it’s what his dad calls him) loped Kanak around the arena. He had been riding him outside the last few rides. All good stuff.
The weather has been gorgeous here. Our high was about 60 with a light to moderate breeze. It feels like Spring. Finally.
I realized over the last couple of months I have been eating an atrocious diet. Basically a gluten-free version of the Standard American Diet. Lots of sugar and grains. I need to stop that. A couple days ago I started to get a handle on it. I’m aiming to eat more Primal/Paleo. Tonight I had a steak cooked just right with some green beans that were tasty and salad greens with champagne dressing. Sometime, I need to learn foodie cooking terms, because I have no idea how to tell anyone what I did to the green beans. But they were perfect and tasty. Now I just need to get a chocolate munchies under control.
And I am wiped out… like I’ve been going full speed all day. Oh wait, I think I have been. Maybe that’s why the thoughts aren’t coming together much. Yes, it must be Spring.
Does 9:30pm count as early to bed? Or just worn out?
Training Update
March 13, 2012Today after I went to see clients in the morning I went into town. Banking. Groceries. Not too exciting. Stopped by the vet’s office and made appointments for the boys to get gelded, next Wednesday. Also made an appointment for the kitten to get fixed. I think she came into heat a few weeks ago. It appears that she is not pregnant. I think. I hope. They are booked out until May though to get her little surgery done. How often do they come into heat?
After making those appointments, I came home the back way. That took me by the arena where Kanak is living for the month. The guy who is starting him is a Senior in high school. Right now he does a half day in the morning at school, then goes and trains horses. I was figuring he should be out working horses by the time I was going by. Thought I would check in on Kanak and ask how he was doing. I did not expect to see him sitting on the horse in the round pen as I was turning down the driveway. Not that I thought Kanak was going to be tough, broncy or silly at all. I just thought it might take him a few days. That should teach me to think.
The arena and round pen are right next to the road. I have to drive down a longish driveway, turn past the pens and go into the parking area. I could see as I was turning to park, he was loping him. I have to admit I was excited, and proud of my boy.
When I had dropped the horse off last Friday, the trainer had said he’d give him a day or two to settle in. Today as we got to talking he told me he’d been up on him the day before and hadn’t really had a problem. Kanak had been a little humpy in his back, but didn’t offer to buck at all. That first ride he had someone help move the horse around the pen, so all he needed to do was be a passenger. Today he had him moving forward off his leg and seat. Second ride, trotting and loping. Even starting to steer. I think the horse kind of likes it too.
This is what I expected Kanak to do, but you never know for sure. In a way I feel like an idiot for being afraid to do it myself. I read this horse right. When I was 18 years old I would climb up on anything, no questions asked. Now, I ask a lot of questions first. I tell myself it’s because I don’t bounce as good as I used to. I know it’s because I’m afraid to get hurt. I also know that fear means a lack of trust. The colts need to feel some trust from the rider to make good choices. Or, feeling fear from their rider tends to lead them to bad (for the rider) choices.
For me it means accepting that I can’t/won’t do everything the best. I know this kid is doing a way better job of starting Kanak than I would. I’m happy he is doing such a nice job. There’s just this little nagging competitive part of me that wants to be able to do it, and do it better. My question is does that nagging little voice go away with maturity? Or is maturity knowing and making the best choice for the horse? I think I know the answer to this one already. I think I’m good with it, too. I damn sure know I’m proud of my little yellow horse.
Is it Spring?
March 11, 2012It must be just about Spring. Our highs have been in the 60s the last couple of days. I’ve been out doing way more, hence a lack of posts here.
Yesterday everyone (all the horses anyhow) got de-wormed. It must have been due, as I could see the dead worms being passed in the manure today. Yucky. Just, yucky.
Also yesterday, Kanak got to go to the arena where the trainer works. He was kind of an idiot with all the newness. There was a bucket full of tractor parts on the ground between where I unloaded him and where the pens are. He made a huge move as he spooked at it. He dropped way down and went to spin away, until he hit the end of the lead rope. I just looked at him, asked him if he was done, and we moved on. Once he got into his pen there, he settled right down. There was hay and a new girlfriend next door.
Today I stopped by to check on him about noon. Not that I was worried about him, but he is one of my kids. It wasn’t a special trip, I just chose to come home that way after a few errands in town. He was sacked out, oblivious to everything. A few of the other horses were crashed out too, they got up as I was pulling in. Not Kanak. He barely lifted his head. He didn’t even get up when I went to his pen. I think the excitement wore him out. My place can be a little busy at times, but there was a roping going on at the arena when I dropped him off yesterday. I have no idea how long it lasted. I’m sure he was watching the goings on intently. Plus he has all these new friends to meet. Did I mention he’s kind of a cool guy?
Today I got the all three of the yearlings brushed up a little and introduced them to the idea of working in the round pen. I had done a little bit with the colts on this a while ago, but hadn’t gotten much done with the filly. In fact, I still need to teach the filly to tie. She should be pretty easy. Her brother (Jr) got it figured out in about five minutes. Both the colts got some time learning patience. That means they got to stand tied for a while. Lets just say that both of them have a ways to go before they have patience mastered. They know better than to set back and pull, that part they figured out some time ago. There was some rearing and much pawing though. Much pawing.
Horses don’t have the sense of time we have. The older horses seem to figure out that there is such a thing as later, and if they get pulled away from their buddies they will get to see them again later. These babies seemed so relieved when I turned them loose together. I swear the boys were saying to each other: “Oh man, I thought I’d never see you again. Are you all right?” After which they both took a couple of cheap shots at each other, went for a quick romp around the pasture then settled down to munch. Normally, they tear around after each other, trying to bite each other’s face and legs and whatever else they can get at. The filly doesn’t put up with that so much, she’ll usually just leave if they start in on her. The colts were so much more polite to each other and the filly after I turned them all back out in the pasture. Amazing what a little bit of education can do for their level of respect.
Monday, I need to call the vet’s office to make appointments for them to be gelded. Is it wrong that I’m excited for this? The thought of only having one intact male horse around here is so relieving. I’ve even been having thoughts of castrating Jr. Except he is starting to look more grown up and has such a nice hip on him. Hmmm, he still gets a chance. Plus, the guy wants to see what he’s going to turn out to be before making that call.
I have managed to get a couple rides in on Sierra. There is a cow horse clinic I signed up for in May. It occurred to me last weekend that I have about two months to get the both of us in shape for it. My goal is to get her worked four to five times each week. That should allow us to be pretty well prepped for the clinic. I am hoping to get her as far as I know how to in that time, so the help I get at the clinic is new information. Not just reviewing how to get a horse to a point that I know how to do already.
Finally, I’m so excited I’ll have an extra hour of day at the end of my day. You will too. It’s not all mine. I’ll share. Daylight Savings Time starts Sunday at 2:00am. Since I almost forgot all about it, just thought I’d remind you.
