Trail ride o' doom.

Ok, so it really wasn't that bad. I thought it would be good to get out of the arena and do some trot sets up some hills. Went a mile down the dirt road and came to the old trail the hardcore eventing girls use.

Of course, there was a slope and then a stream you had to cross before you hit the actual trail. I got off and waded in first to be sure the footing was still safe after all the rain.... it came up to my hips ahahahaha. Berky kind of looked at me like, "You have to be kidding, right?" and followed me in (like a good boy, of course.)

He was a butt and wouldn't hold still for me to get back on, so I had to climb up the side of the ditch and kind of fling myself into the stirrup. The first time, he clambered up after me, mowing down a bunch of saplings in the process. Argh. So this is obviously a hole in our training- Standing. Still. We'll have to work on this.

The actual trail itself wa a little over two miles long and GORGEOUS. It wended up through the scrub to a little ridge next to a stream. There were some little logs and stumps to stear around, but considering its primary use, it was very nice going. There were a lot of dips in the path- closest thing to varied terrain we have in Florida.

We got off by some power lines and galloped a little ways down the road (shoulder, that is. It's very low traffic and wide.) It was amazing being able to open up like that- he seemed to enjoy it, too, and came right back to me even though we were in the snaffle.

Trotted a quarter mile or so and then had a nice long walk before we picked up the pace again. Just a nice canter- maybe a minute and a half's worth, followed by a walk-trot set. We walked the rest of the way home.

He seemed bright, albeit tired, after we got home. I was really pleased with how willing and bold he was- my spooky 17hh (Yep, We measured him- 17 on the nose... holy cow!) Thoroughbred out on the trail all by his lonesome. Tomorrow, Claire and I am going to have to go back out again and poke around some more.

Berky's day as a lesson horse.

For financial reasons, we may need to partially lease Berky out, and I have a horse-crazy advanced beginner cousin who volunteered to put him through his paces (under my supervision, naturally.) So I gave her a lesson. Walk-trot- ok, now posting walk. Back up. Stand up in your stirrups. Change directions. Just little stuff like that, done in a less-than-graceful beginner way, to see how he'd do.

He was saintly.

I mean, the floppy posting walk threw him off a little and he trotted, but he was very tolerant of her bouncy sitting trot and little fumbles. I walked with them on a trail ride- everyone behelmeted, of course, and a lead rope clipped to his bridle- to see how he'd do. Very well behaved. We've gone out a mile or so from the barn and he's always been good, but it's kind of different with a new rider.

So I guess I don't have to worry about him killing anyone anytime soon.

Hopefully, I can find an intermediate rider for him. He's so good, but he is a Thoroughbred and can be a little goofy. He's a thinking rider's horse. (Ahahaha i'm just being silly now.)

Anyways, having nothing else better to do, we decided to research his lip tattoo. He was less than amused by our poking and prodding (he hates having his lips touched), and I imagine things looked a little wacky (ahahaha) when I was on my tiptoes and Hannah was poised with the camera.

So we think the first letter is an A or a C. Which means he is either a LOT older than we thought (1971? Uh, Berky?) Or 12. if it's a C, he'd be ten. Which is pretty close to what we'd figured. Haven't gotten the results back yet, but I can't wait to learn all about his racin' days and whatnot.

Video

As promised.







I get so annoyed when my shirt rides up like that. Grr.

Back to work.

Working over our jumping course while the arena's dry. We attempted the rolltop, which ended in me falling on my butt. We came through the corner (it's on the diagonal) and he broke to a trot. Had to get the transition, and then two strides out, he started to run out, so I sat deep and gave him outside leg. He chipped, I got left behind, and so on. It was great. But it was his first time over it, and my first time with him, so I figure things could have been worse.

Today, we set up a slightly different course, but basically, diagonal 2ft-ish crossrail to vertical, outside vertical( 2ft), outside line (2ft), and, if we were up to it, rolltop (2'3). We warmed up over the crossrail, just working on trotting it slowly because he had been rushing yesterday. We got over that bump, then did the course a few times without taking a single rail!!! YAY! Yesterday, we knocked over the outside line almost every time we tried it. Today, I bumped it up a hole and really made him listen. Surprise, surprise! Success.

Had another first: we cantered through the WHOLE THING without any mishaps or having to fix a wrong lead. I wish I had it on camera- the battery died. I have some stills and video coming as soon as it's charged. He was nearly perfect, and my form's really coming along- I guess from riding bareback so much the past week. My release is still faulty- I put my hands along his crest instead of on the sides of his neck. Eh.

ETA:
Pictures.

More bareback fun.

With the approaching storms, all the horses were bent upon killing their riders. Kay ran off with Claire four or five times, and Berky bucked with me bareback at every canter depart. I thought it was his saddle pad annoying him, but I took it off and he persisted. Argh. I know he wasn't sore, nor was I doing anything differently. Horses ahahaha.

Well, I am pleased I stayed on. He threw some really big ones, too- once I ended up on his withers, but other than that, it wasn't too bad. I smacked his butt and made him canter on, and he'd eventually settle down, but eventually it got bad enough that I got off and longed him. We were in the dressage arena and I wasn't really thinking it would be fun to go over the fence.

Fudging it.

Ok, so I was initially planning on riding Ranger bareback again today, but I forgot to ask Karen to unlock the schooling room so I could get his bridle. Berky has been looking his usual self all week, and he was supposed to go back into work tomorrow anyways, so I walked him around bareback for fifteen or twenty minutes- nothing too strenuous. I'm sure it wasn't the smartest thing in the world to do, but he was no worse for wear.

We kind of compromised. I'm going to ride bareback again tomorrow too and incorporate some trotting and maybe a canter if things go well rather than bringing him back into full-on training. It has been too long since I rode without a saddle, and I had forgotten how much fun it was! He's actually very comfy- I put a saddle pad on him so his bony butt'd be a little more comfortable, and because he's so narrow (typical Thoroughbred ahahaha), I felt more secure on him than I do on Ranger the horsey lounge chair. Worst comes to worst, I eat dirt and come home with a new bruise.

I was so pleased with how good he was. I had him back in the eggbutt snaffle because I hate hate hate the corkscrew fullcheek and felt like he could go back to a softer bit. He spooked when a snake slithered under his feet while we were riding around in the grass, but he came right back to me- I think that answers our question for the moment.

Oh, and we got some sort of new cross-country jump, I think. It must be for the higher level girls because it's at least 3'3 through it's diameter. (It's a big black rolltop-like thing. Not a conventional XC jump- I think it's homemade.) Maybe they'll sink it into the ground or something? I really don't know.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to riding again.

Professional photos.

I found the photographer's website.



He was so relaxed between our, albeit tiny, fences. I was very proud.




I can't wait to get back to riding again. I was really aggravated when we had to scratch our bigger classes, but oh well. I'm just glad he's healthy.

Show photos.

Warming up.


Berkshire meditating on his rage toward the horse behind him. (My brother came up with that one.)


Looking like a show hunter. (Sort of.)




Claire placed in most of her classes. Hooray!


And lastly, the obligatory hopping-over-the-crossrail picture.

Showing Das Berky

Yeah, so we trailered down Friday afternoon with Claire. There were a million other horses there- mostly Quarters and Thoroughbreds. It was almost a game picking out the "Westlish" riders. For example, there was a Western Pleasure queen on her 16.2hh tricolor Paint, blingy belt, and bright blue eyeshadow. She was definitely interesting to watch. But I digress.

We schooled Friday night over a course of verticals, which resulted in a "Come to Jesus" moment between me, Berkshire, and Alanah when Berky kept rushing the fences so badly we nearly scratched our morning classes. Of course, this resulted in me "growing a pair" (Tyler- Alanah uses that phrase too. Felt you should know.) and keeping after him. We ended up having a very, very good round and then called it quits.

Saturday wasn't so hot. My dad and I showed up at 7:00 AM to get him ready to school, and he was his typical Berky self- vaguely curious, laid back, and soaking up attention. Schooled a mixed course (outside, diagonal, outside, diagonal- nice and easy), after which he was in a lather, gave him a liniment bath, and fed him breakfast. We hung out until noon- I was entering the crossrails division, schooling 18", and novice hunters, which didn't come until later in the day.

We rode our flat classes in the crossrails division and did very well, although we didn't place (not to be bitter, but the ribbons went to the peanut rollers and one rider who consistently sawed, kicked, and jabbed her horse into submission. It hurt to watch. :/). I was proud of him for bein such a good boy. Went to the over fences class and absolutely nailed our course- he didn't rush a single fence, we rode some really nice lines, etc. I didn't expect a ribbon for it and didn't get one, but I still could have squeezed Berky to death I was so proud.


There was a big gap between the crossrails class and the next division I was entered in, so I hosed him down and took off his bridle so I could hand-graze him. After a while, I untacked completely (there was some fiasco with registration or something), put him in his stall, and got some lunch. When I came back, he was lying down, puffing, and hadn't had any water. NOT GOOD. We thought he had colicked or was overheated, so we brought him out and hosed him while Alanah got some electrolyte paste for him.

Nothing made him more comfortable. He tried to snatch grass when I walked him, but he still hadn't passed manure or had anything to drink. We called the vet and brought him back to be hosed. When Dr. Merrick arrived, his temperature had spiked to 104.6 degrees. UGH....... She diagnosed it as a respiratory infection and prescribed antibiotics and paste Banamine, although we couldn't run a blood test because something had happened at the lab.

So back to the hose we went. He got a shot of Banamine and we tried to cool him down for another hour until the trailer was ready to take him home. Thus ended our show.


At home, he had dropped back to 99.1- right where he belonged. He is now in quarantine until Monday at least, when he gets tested, and out of commission for two weeks.

I went out this morning and he had eaten his breakfast and still had a normal temperature, thank God. We are going out again in a few hours to give him another dose of antibiotic. In the meantime, I'm baking him horse cookies and trying to come up with an applesauce-molasses concoction to dissolve his pills in.