Full Scoop

So it begins...

2012-02-06T22:33:00.000-05:00

The unofficial start of the 2012 show season has begun, with Ty and I heading off to Dunmovin Farm in West Chester, PA for a dressage schooling show. Since he was only shown lightly in 2011 because I chose to focus on Roze, I was very excited to get him back in the ring. He schooled so well this past week, I actually gave him Friday night off. He was wonderful warming up before our ride, like he's an old pro. Our test was ok, however the footing was way too deep for his liking and we pulled him from his second test. None the less it was great to get him out and know that he knows what the game is all about. We think he looks pretty good, but then again we're partial. We're starting to mark our calenders for shows this summer, so stay tuned.

Roze will likely not see the show ring this year, but will spend a lot of time with the vet. She's been all checked out to be bred and we will soon begin the process. We're very excited to see what she will produce, it's going to be a very long year!

Waiting Out Winter

2011-12-11T23:53:00.000-05:00

I always find myself getting a bit anxious this time of year. It's between holidays and still too early to seriously think about next year's shows. I find myself having to sit on my hands and not push my horses too much too soon. December always seems to bring a peak from our fall training push, it would be great to have some shows around to gauge our progress, before taking the next few weeks easy while winter throws its worse at us. We'll be looking forward to an early spring to continue our plans and of course show!

One of our last hoorays before the inevitable freeze, was hosting a Dancing with Horses Clinic. It was great to see many of our friends and of course Roze and Ty were able to participate. I had rode Ty in one of these clinics a few months back, but he has progressed so much in his training that I knew there would be some changes. Sure enough his tempo has changed as he has collected more, so we got some exciting Cajun style music to ride to. I also rode Roze, she hasn't been out in awhile and relished the attention and chance to show off. We'll be working on choreographing a musical freestyle for Ty this winter for the next show season. Interesting enough, the NJ Arab shows are now offering musical freestyle classes, so there is a lot to look forward to!

So for the next few weeks, we'll be waiting out winter, quietly enjoying our horses and keeping them in shape, while laying plans for next year.

We would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with as much hope and excitement as we have here at Roze Arabians.

2011 Christmas Card

2011-11-28T11:41:00.001-05:00

Holly Toile Christmas Card

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Leaps & Bounds

2011-11-14T23:07:00.000-05:00

Life and the journey of Dressage sometimes move at a snails pace and at times there are surprises along the way and we move forward by leaps and bounds. This past weekend Ty and I had the chance to participate in a clinic with Judy Westlake. I've had the opportunity to ride with Judy in the past and have always walked away with new tools and knowledge. Unfortunately the last time Ty and I rode with Judy, Ty had just recovered from his tendon surgery so we took it easy.

This time around was a whole other ballgame. Ty has been working very well. After a rough year he finally was beginning to feel like he was back where he was before his surgery. This weekend I fully intended on taking advantage of the chance to work with Judy and allow Ty to excel, it managed to exceed all expectations. Ty has officially blossmed into a true dressage horse and has shown some glimpses at his amazing potential.

Our first ride was on Saturday. We got off to a bit of a slow start, getting into a rhythm. We began by getting Ty working better off the outside rein and getting him to balance and hold himself up. We played with circles, sprialling in and out. We seemed to be just getting into the swing of things and the lesson was over.

Sunday I had scheduled two lessons, I wasn't sure if Ty was up for the test, but we figured we'd give it a shot. We picked up Sunday right where we left off on Saturday. Ty has an amazing memory and only in the past few weeks have I begun to truly realize how incredibly smart and willing he is as we've begun to start into new work again.

Ty was working off my outside rein, just as we had got him doing on Saturday. We then moved into working on the leg yield to encourage him to carry himself and work correctly off his outside leg. We worked through it at the walk, trot and then into the canter. We then played around a bit in the canter leg yielding in then going into counter canter.

Ty had a two hour break and then it was on to his second ride, a true test of both his physical and mental endurance. We picked the leg yield back up turning it into shoulder in. Again Ty picked it up quickly and efficiently. Then we moved back into the canter working our newly found shoulder in to perfect our 10m canter circle. We didn't quite master this movement, but have the tools. Ty was wearing out towards the end of our second lesson, but he was a trooper.

I could not have in my wildest dreams imagined we'd make this big of a leap this weekend. I knew Ty was a willing and talented partner, but his level of dedication to the task at hand left me speechless. Ty is still young and has a ways to go, but I'm confident that he has the talent to do something truly remarkable one of these days.

2011 Show Season - That's Not Quite How We Planned It

2011-11-05T20:00:00.000-04:00

Roze's first go at Native Costume

So our 2011 show season has officially ended. This season had a lot of highs and some lows. As always our season started out with high expectations and didn't go as planned. Roze was finally back in the show ring after a two year hiatus that included recovery from major hock surgery. Ty was back in the ring after his rookie season was cut short with a disappointing injury and recovery from tendon surgery. There was a lot on the line for my goals, I wanted Roze to earn enough points to receive her Legion of Honor and I wanted to have the opportunity to take Ty to Regionals and possibly Nationals, a feat I have personally been trying to achieve for years.

Our first show started on a rocky note, Roze was a bit rusty and Ty was fighting some body soreness. We opted after our first show to give Ty some extended time off to rest, finish growing and hopefully recover. With Ty off it also gave me the ability to focus on Roze 100%.

Roze's last show at PAJAG

Roze went on to have a fairly successful season. We successfully competed at second level. It was certainly a reach for Roze's ability but she tried very hard for me and earned respectable scores. She handled her very intense show schedule with her normal eagerness. I was able to earn one second level score towards my USDF Bronze Medal. We also made it out to some open dressage competitions where Roze earned a new career high score of 71.786%. The culmination of Roze's show season was that she ultimately received enough points to earn her Legion of Honor. With this success achieved and Roze growing weary of the dressage work we ended our season in June. It was a good note to wrap up what was likely Roze's last time in the dressage ring for awhile. She was happy to have the pressure off and we went on to try some new disciplines, trail ride and just enjoy some down time.

With Roze's shows wrapped up it was time to get Ty back to work and see if he would come back. We started back to work in August. It was a slow journey getting him back in shape. Unfortunately we missed Regionals and Nationals was out of the question as he wasn't in tip top shape. The time off seem to have done wonders for his body and mind. He came back eager, happy and sound. September was looking good and we did joke about entering him at Nationals last minute. I guess the fortunate part was the post entry fees were cost prohibitive and it was likely a good decision not to push our luck. I opted instead to enter him in one last show in October. It was an open dressage show and of course Ty was in great shape and I was sick as a dog. We went and tried our best, our scores were not what we had hoped for but Ty was back, we survived and made it through our tests and we have a good starting point to work up from for next year's shows. Ty also had the chance to participate in the Dancing with Horses clinic with Michael Matson. Ty was a hit at the clinic and really likes to "dance" to music. We enjoyed this clinic so much that we're sponsoring one locally and will try to put together a dressage musical freestyle for Ty this winter.

Ty warming up at Bucks Co. Horse Park

This winter Ty will be working hard to become a solid first level horse and start on second level. We have a great team of trainers and clinicians lined up to work with. Of course only time will tell if his talent and our luck will hold up. I'm sure we'll learn a lot along the way and in the end that's really what it's all about.

Roze's future in the show ring is a bit less certain. She will bred in the spring and it will really be up to her if she wants to compete and if she'll be comfortable. Managing her arthritis and hock issues is becoming ever more challenging. She's still very happy to work but definitely is not as limber as she used to be. Roze has went on to achieve more than I could have hoped for given the challenges she has had to overcome. She has given more of herself and worked harder then most horses would have ever been willing to do. Her future under saddle is hers to chose at this point.

If you are facing in the right direction, all you need to do is keep on walking.

- Buddhist saying

Remembering 9/11/01

2011-09-11T08:31:00.000-04:00

It may seem strange to write about 9/11 on a blog about our horses, but I contribute the events of that day and the surrounding days as to why I'm back in Central PA and why I decided to pursue my dream of owning horses.

I was living in Northern Virginia, just minutes from the Dulles Airport in 2001. I was working in Herndon, VA on the morning of 9/11. I recall the moment one of my employees came in my office to say that there had been a terrible accident and a plane had struck one of the World Trade Center towers. We had a TV in our office that we immediately turned on and it began a day we'd never forget.

Not long after the first plane struck, I was to leave the office to head to Tyson's Corner for a meeting at our corporate office. Just before leaving my employee, whose wife had worked at the White House, came in and said that they were ordering an evacuation of the White House. At that time we still assumed that it was an accident and I left for my meeting, listening to news on the radio along the way. It was also strange to me that along my route, which contained numerous government and military buildings, snipers and armed guards had taken position on roof tops of buildings, keeping an eye on the sky.

By the time I arrived at my meeting location, the second tower had been struck, making it clear that the events of that day were going to be monumental. At my corporate office, a building that also contained government offices, the TV was on and business operations had ceased while everyone was glued to the news feed of NY. I remember the moment when the first tower fell, someone screamed and the rest of us gasped. I remember the pit that developed in my stomach that took months to leave. There was much talk to whether we'd be able to leave, they were talking about locking down the building. I made the decision to head back to Herndon, VA to get back to my staff and my property.

Again on the way back I was amazed by the number of snipers and the immediate change in security that was visible. From my office in Herndon, we watched the rest of the day's events play out. Being so close to the action, many rumors flew about other attacks or potential bombs, we felt as if we were in the middle. We heard many fighter planes flying over head, we knew one of the planes that was hijacked was from Dulles, we didn't know if there would be others and would they fall over us. We knew people who knew people in DC and at the pentagon, of course as heard about a plane in PA and the crash, my thoughts immediately went to my family in PA, fortunately no one on the ground was injured in the PA crash.

Late that afternoon I made the decision to leave work a bit early, I went to my house, packed an overnight bag, grabbed my dog and headed home to PA. I didn't sleep much that night, but felt much safer in the confines of my parent's house and was happy to home in Central PA. I returned to work the next day, but it made me realize that I was not the big city girl that I had tried to become and over the course of the following months took steps to find a job back in PA and made my way home.

The events of 9/11 made me very aware that our life is short and fragile, an awakening of sorts that my naive youth had not yet afforded me. It made me realize that I needed to follow my dreams and my passion and hold close to me the ones I loved as no tomorrow was guaranteed. It also made me keenly aware that there were people who wanted to do harm and take lives, life to me was a precious commodity and death had been something I always had a great fear of. Perhaps it was the unknown or perhaps it was the possibility of unfinished work or un-pursued dreams. In any case as I did a lot of soul searching in the following months and was renewed in pursuing my dreams and life passions.

In the spring of 2002, I moved back home to Central PA. Once I settled in, one of the first things I did was to purchase my first purebred Arabian. From there the rest is history and history is still being written.

While the events of 9/11 were tragic beyond words, the aftermath brought about a new hope and passion in many people and in our country. It's sad to see ten years later that our country has not held onto that renewed hope and strength that came in the days and months that followed, perhaps this anniversary will remind them again.

We will never forget the victoms who lost their lives and the brave men and women who gave theirs to try to save others. We'll also never forget the courage of those on Flight 93 who gave their lives to save others.

New Disciplines

2011-08-03T15:03:00.001-04:00

Roze at Twinbrooks

Summer is quickly passing by and I realized it's been awhile since I've updated my blog. Our formal show season in a sense has come to an end. Roze has done and given more this year than I could have ever expected. She has earned more than enough points to be awarded her Legion of Honor and has earned me one of two scores I need at Second level for my bronze medal. She's been a real trooper and exlemplifies the meaning of a willing partner, trying to please me more than ever.

During our last show in June Roze made it clear that she had enough of dressage and as I promised her (minus one lesson with Sarah), we took most of July off to relax, trail ride and pursue other avenues. We have gone on several trail rides in which Roze was the trusted and enthusiastic lead horse and we decided to attempt jumping again. It has been three years since Roze or I went over a jump, but being at a hunter barn, the opportunity is always available. One weekend this past month we decided it was time to give it a go and did Roze love it. She made it loudly and clearly known that this is her chosen discipline, at least for the moment.

Since our accidental discovery of Roze's love for jumping we have managed to squeeze in two schooling shows and a lesson. She has been eager, pleasant and willing during all our rides while jumping. We have some more lessons planned in the near future and will be looking towards trying some eventing. With this shift in direction we'll be leaving the Arab shows behind for the year and giving Roze an opportunity in a new venue. Stay tuned as I'm sure we will have some interesting adventures.

While you may be thinking that Ty has been left behind, fear not, he just had an extended summer rest, that has come to an end. Since Ty got a bit sore after our first show we gave him the last two months off to rest, recoporate and hopefully finish growing. He's slowly getting back into a work routine and we will start making plans for shows again soon. It was extremely challenging to have two horses at a show and while I would rather Ty was not sore, it did sort of work out for the better. He needs a bit of fine tuning but Ty has not forgotten his training. I expect him to come back better than ever.

New Records & Closing in on the Goal

2011-06-02T21:47:00.001-04:00

Roze has gotten better and better with each show this summer. She's had a very taxing schedule with 4 shows in the last 5 weeks and a clinic on the one weekend off. We have three more planned shows for June and then she'll get a break before we decide our next move.

Getting Roze back out on the show circuit has made me realize how much she's matured. It's been two years since she was shown. Previously we had to plan to work for at least an hour before any class to get some of the crazy out and get her to focus, this year has been entirely different, a light warm up and we can head into the ring with her focused and responsive. I think she's thrilled to be back in the show ring and it shows on so many levels.

One of my goals for Roze this year was for her to obtain enough ponts to earn her Legion of Honor before "retiring". If my calculations are correct Roze is now just 3 1/2 points away. I'm very anxious and feel like putting Roze in bubble wrap to keep her sound and healthy for those last few points. We're hoping this weekend she'll score well enough to earn her final points and then I can take a deep breath and relax a bit more.

Roze earned a new career high score this past weekend of 71.78% at Heavenly Waters winning her class. I had no expectations of earning any 70's with Roze, but she was having a good day and we just went for it with our second ride and it paid off.

Our next step is to finish her Legion of Honor scores, we'd like to perfect our second level rides to get those 60's needed for my bronze medal and then maybe, just maybe we'll shoot for third level next spring ;) In the meantime - enjoy the photos from one our recent shows.

Ever Changing Plans

2011-05-08T22:18:00.000-04:00

So as life goes, it has a way of not going as planned. We started out with high hopes for both Roze and Ty this year and a full schedule of shows, as luck would have it, Ty's tendon is bothering him again and he's off for a few weeks. With this time off he likely won't hit the show ring again until late summer if at all this year. We'll have to carefully consider his performance future as he heals and rehabs.

Roze on the other hand is doign quite well. She's now got two shows under her belt and is back to the show horse I know and love. You'd never know she hadn't been out to a show in two years. Mason Dixon was a bit rocky as I think the upper second level tests are a bit out of her range. This past weekend at the Empire show she was better.

We have a clinic coming up next weekend with Judy Westlake to fine tune her talents and then back to the show ring with a full schedule for the summer with hopes that we'll obtain the points necessary to earn her Legion of Honor. Stay tuned...life is full of suprises.

What a Difference a Year Makes

2011-03-10T11:14:00.001-05:00

This time last year, Roze and I, made a journey 12 hours west to Purdue University for her to have surgery on her right hock. It's hard to believe that it has only been one year.

Looking back there was a lot of uncertainty at how good the outcome would be. At best we were hoping she'd be comfortable being ridden and at least be more comfortable getting around day to day. There were a lot of possible complications, this was only the third time this type of surgery was being performed so that in and of itself left a lot of questions, and of course anytime you put a horse under general anesthesia there are great risks of complications.

After a tense week at the University's hospital, Roze pulled through with flying colors and we safely returned home. We had to wait a long six months for Roze to fully recover to see if the surgery would allow her to be ridden and compete again.

Roze's hock post surgery

Despite a set back in December when Roze buggered up her left hock and needed stitches, she is back in full work and ready to compete. We'll be at a schooling show this weekend and Mason Dixon is scheduled for the end of April.

I will be forever grateful to Dr. Adams at Purdue and Dr. Juzwiack at Manor Equine for giving Roze another shot at competing. We're hoping Roze will earn her Legion of Honor this year and whatever the outcome is, it's great to have my show horse back!

Our plans are to breed Roze next spring and we'll show her as long as she's willing and able. We're excited to see what Roze will produce as she's the quintessential show horse. Stay tuned for the next chapter....

Video from this month's riding lesson:

We've still got lots to perfect, but we're getting there.

Dreaming of Warmer Days

2011-02-06T21:34:00.001-05:00

From Blog Photos

So the days are finally starting to get a bit longer, the snow is slowly melting, and the horses are beginning to show the first hints of shedding their winter coats. This time of year for many signals that spring and warmer days are a head, however for me the show season count down officially begins. We're just three months away from our first planned show of the season and of course there is still so much to learn and prepare for.

Roze has healed very well from her Christmas day fiasco. She's back to work, albeit a bit out of shape again, but full of energy and feisty. We're schooling second and third level movements, hoping she'll debut at second level this spring and garner enough points this year to achieve her Legion of Honor. We'll also head back to the Hunter Pleasure ring where she enjoys showing at the hand gallop. We'll allow her to work as long as she's comfortable and happy doing so.

From Blog Photos

Ty continues to be amazing. I continually have to remind myself that he's still a baby under saddle. He's very easy going and just an all around wonderful horse to work with. We intend for him to debut at first level in the spring and to show second level by the end of summer. We'll continue to move him up as he's ready.

From Blog Photos

“None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

2010 In Review

2010-12-31T18:13:00.001-05:00

2010 has been a roller coaster of a year. Both Roze and Ty have experienced a number of ups and downs, which I guess keeps life interesting.

Roze started the year off having surgery at Purdue to fuse her right hock. It was a gamble and the final outcome is still yet to be determined, but after recovering most of the summer Roze is showing promise that she may return to the show ring next year. During a follow up vet visit we learned that while her recovery from the surgery has gone exceptionally well she has developed arthritis in her left hock, it will limit her future ability to show, only time will tell how long she'll have. We did manage to make it to a schooling show at the end of November and while we're still rusty it was great to actually be back in the ring.

Roze never wanting to leave us with a dull moment some how managed to get her leg hung up on something on Christmas morning and needed 6 stitches, she's healing well, but I'd really like her to just be happy with work for awhile. She'll have her stitches taken out next week and I'm hoping before the end of January she'll be back in the ring.

Ty also had his fair share of ups and downs this year. He had a stellar start to the show season only to have it cut short when he injured his annular ligament which resulted in surgery for him. Ty scored 70's on all three tests at his last show in June, it was two weeks before Regionals and we were extremely excited at his chance of doing well, but alas it was not meant to be this year. Ty has fully recovered and is now back to work schooling at First and Second level, we're going to keep our fingers crossed for next year.

Even with a short show season, Ty placed 6th in the USDF All Breed Awards at Arabian Training Level with a score of 65.079% and placed 4th in Region 15 for USEF Horse of the Year Award Arabian Training Level. He's certainly proven to be a diamond in the rough and I'm happy to have him as part of our family.

We wish everyone a prosperous and happy 2011!!

From Snow 2010

The Journey Back Begins

2010-10-22T10:06:00.000-04:00

It certainly has been a long and trying road with Roze, she's been off for nearly two years and was dealing with issues for two years prior to that. We are extremely hopeful that we have resolved her soundness issues once and for all and Roze can get back in to shape and accomplish what we set out to do all along.

Roze is currently 6 months post op and is doing fantastic. She's improving weekly and getting stronger and back in shape. The video above is from our second lesson since Roze has been back under saddle. In my opinion she looks better than ever. She's extremely happy to be back to work and once again the center of attention.

Back on Track

2010-09-29T20:48:00.000-04:00

Roze has now been working lightly under saddle for a little over a month. I've slowly been pushing for a little more and a little more. Our time to work on the trot is brief, per vet's instructions, so I've been trying to behave and not push too much. I usually warm up at the walk with some lateral work. Then I move into the trot for just two or three laps around the arena each direction. The last two rides I have truly got some amazing, albeit brief, trot work from Roze. She rises through her back and drives with her hind end! It's been at least two years since I've felt her this good. I am so excited for what her future may now hold and anxious to get back to the vet for the official all clear. Roze certainly has the heart of a champion and has proven herself to me even if she never sets foot in the show ring again.

Roze's First Lesson Since Surgery

2010-09-19T20:45:00.000-04:00

Discussing the game plan

So Roze has been slowly working back since her surgery in March. We put shoes on her front feet this week and decided we could take a half hour lesson with Sarah to begin getting her back in gear for full work. She jumped on the trailer as if she knew she was going somewhere fun. In typical Roze fashion her entourage (and my friends) came out to cheer her on. She did very well and seemed happy to be out and working. We worked on some leg yielding and a little trot, nothing spectacular, but quite amazing for a horse who I had contemplated putting down last summer because she was so sore and miserable. It was nice to reach this milestone today and hopefully there will be many more in the near future.

Remebering leg yield

Looking a little like her old "show pony" self

Recovering Again

2010-09-13T20:50:00.001-04:00

This time Ty gets to be the patient. He had surgery last week to cut his annular ligament. After the injection into the tendon did not prove helpful and careful consideration we opted to proceed surgically which has a high success rate. We're hopeful that once rehabbed Ty will be able to continue his training and be ready for First level next spring.

On the plus side Roze is doing excellent under saddle at the walk. She gets shoes on this week and I'm hopeful that she'll be happier and ready to do a little more serious work. Looks like this winter we won't get quite as much done as we had hopped, but we'll try to be productive.

2010 Show Season in Photos

2010-08-11T09:44:00.000-04:00

Double click on the photo to view the entire album.

Back to Work

2010-08-08T21:29:00.000-04:00

After not getting to the barn for two days, I put Roze and Ty to work today.

Ty got lunged and he looks 100%. He was still a bit naughty, having not been worked in a month, he'd let out an exuberant buck or hop on the lunge. After a bit I decided it was time to hop on. He was a bit tense, and threw in one buck but we got a quite a bit of walk and a little trot. I think in about a month or so he should be back to where he was.

I put Roze on the lunge today outside and she acted as if she had never been lunged before, even though she was on the lunge just two days ago. Deciding that we'd had a enough of lunging I just jumped on her bareback. She was a perfect angel. Put her head down and went to work, the diva is officially back. I'll continue to work her back slowly, hopefully she'll be back in the show ring next year!

It was a great day to have both of my horses back to work.

There's Hope Yet

2010-07-29T20:21:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was our much awaited follow up visit to Manor Equine for Roze and I took Ty along for a second opinion.

This was Roze's first vet follow up since her surgery in March. She has been feeling well and misbehaving in the pasture so I was confident she was doing well. The vet began by flexing her hocks, surprisingly she trotted off sound on her right hind, which is something she's never done in her life. The vet was also very surprised that she was doing so well. We then took a few x-rays just to see what was going on. Her hock is fusing very nicely. As a precaution to help with any inflammation left we injected her hocks to help finalize the healing process. The vet is going to consult with her surgeon at Purdue, but he feels it would be good for her to start work in a week or two when she's recovered from her hock injections.

I also took Ty along to get a second opinion as my local vet had diagnosed him with a hairline fracture in his front right pastern, which is club foot. When he was flexed he trotted off better then he had a month ago so at least he had recovered some since going on stall rest. The vet reviewed the x-rays from my local vet and also took a couple more of his own and found that Ty had been misdiagnosed, he has no fracture of any kind. He suspected an issue with his tendons or ligaments which we confirmed with an ultra sound. Ty has a tear in his annular ligament. A side affect in some ways from his club foot. We suspect that at some point he must have over flexed his foot and aggravated this tear. We injected Ty's joint/ligament and the vet recommended he resume normal activity in about a week. I also discussed at length his opinion of Ty's future soundness and he indicated he was very optimistic.

Needless to say I'm very relieved, although a bit frustrated with a misdiagnosis on Ty. Hopefully in a week or two both of my guys will be back under saddle. I may try to take Ty to one more show this fall. We'll see how quickly he comes back around but I am hopeful that we'll get one more in and Ty will continue to progress and excel in the dressage ring.

2010 Show Season Wrap Up

2010-07-05T21:50:00.000-04:00

While Ty's rookie show season came to an abrupt and early ending, looking back it was still a show season to be extremely proud of and if this is any indication of his talent and ability, his future is very bright.

With just a year under saddle, Ty placed consistently in dressage with a median score of 65.08% at Training Level, ending his show season with scores in the 70's on his last three tests!

This is from our second show riding Training Level Test 2. Ty has improved by leaps and bounds even since this video was taken in May.

We also took a shot at SHIH and SHUS, certainly we have some things to work on in these areas, but got some great feedback from the judges and it was a good learning experience for Ty to venture into some different disciplines.

This summer we also made our first attempt at First level, again a huge accomplishment for a horse that has only been under saddle for a year. We decided to go to a schooling show on a whim and only practiced the tests and movements a few days before the show.

This is our First Level Test 2 ride. Our plan was to debut officially at First level this fall, but that will have to until next year.

I'm sorting through our show photos and will add some when I get them together. Stay tuned....

An Unlucky Break

2010-07-02T13:23:00.000-04:00

Ty's 2010 show season has come to an unfortunate and abrupt end. Somewhere in the last two weeks he managed to get a hairline fracture in his front right pastern. We noticed a slight swelling in his ankle and quickly sought medical attention. After a thorough vet check and exam, they've recommended 8 weeks of stall rest and then reevaluation at that time. They expect he'll make a full recovery, but unfortunately we won't be attending Regionals or East Coast this year which had been our ultimate goal. Ty seems to be ok with his current vacation status and break so we'll let him rest and make plans to return next year showing First Level.

Roze Goes to Purdue

2010-03-02T19:56:00.000-05:00

Roze Pre-Op

Well it's been a long time coming, but Roze finally had surgery today to fuse her hock. It's been almost a three year process to find the cause of Roze's intermittent lameness and I'm hopeful we solved the problem. Roze so enjoys to work and be ridden that I hope we can give her another oppurtunity to get back into the show ring.

Roze had surgery today at Purdue performed by Dr. Adams and his staff. They fused the calcaneus and talus bones in the hock as well as removed an OCD lesion from each hock. Surgery took about 4 hours, but Roze seems to have come through it well for now. The next couple of weeks of course will be the true test and it will be about a year before we know if she'll be able to go back to work.

The staff at Purdue has been wonderful, they are very understanding and accomodating. They have been wonderful with Roze and have taken the time to explain everything to me along the way.

Roze has a few more days in Indiana and we hope to head home on Friday. It was a very long drive here, about 11 hours and I'm hopeful that the drive home will go a little more quickly.

I'm anxious to get Roze home and settled in for a few months of stall rest and I'm anxious to get Ty ready for the show ring. We're looking forward to attending Mason Dixon at the end of April.

Roze - the saga continues

2009-12-27T20:05:00.000-05:00

So after being treated for Lyme disease this summer, Roze was still off on her right hind after 60 days of Doxy. I decided to take her to another vet who specializes in lameness issues. X-rays were taken of her right hock and a strange spot was found around her calcanues and talus bones. The vet didn't know what the spot was.

In hopes of getting a definite diagnosis I sent Roze's x-rays to New Bolton. Fortunately a vet there was able to diagnose the issue as arthritis that had developed between these two bones. Apparently it is rare and uncommon for this to be an issue in this location. They recommended fusing the joints to allow Roze to go back to work. New Bolton has not performed this surgery in the past. So still searching for an answer I contacted a surgeon at Purdue University who has performed similar surgeries. He was cautiously optimistic that this could help Roze.

We'll be going back to the local vet to get some more images and he'll consult with the Purdue surgeon at the beginning of the year. I'm hoping we can find a solution for Roze to get back to work. She loves to work more than anything. I'm currently trying multiple supplements to help ease the discomfort. We're hoping for a permenant solution in the New Year.

Updates

2009-09-07T09:56:00.000-04:00

So I've been very bad at getting updates on this blog. I don't know where the time seems to go. If you would like more frequent updates you can follow us on Facebook.

Ty has continued to progress very well. My trainer rode him for the first time last week and was impressed with his gaits. I've posted a brief video to commemorate Ty's first one hundred days under saddle.

My mare Roze has finally been given some hope, we took a trip to Dr. Shoemaker who diagnosed her with Lyme and made several other suggestions to get her back on the road to work. She's started on antibiotics and we hope to have her back to showing next year.

Rail Classes

2009-07-22T22:20:00.000-04:00

I took Ty out to Twin Brooks tonight, they have Wednesday night schooling shows throughout the summer for mostly pleasure classes. It's great schooling for ring classes. I took Ty again tonight in and we showed in a walk/trot class. He placed 3rd out of 7 horses.

Ty's big issue is that he doesn't like horses cantering around him or any horses coming towards him. He gets wigged out by it. So we had some time to warm up before our class and after a couple of laps he settled in pretty well. During our class he was perfect with very few bobbles. He's been getting the hang of it.

We're planning to attend another schooling dressage show in August. I'm also working on getting Roze back into the swing of things. Her right hock is fusing and some days it gives her trouble. I'm hoping to get her back in the HP classes next year.

Progress Continues

2009-07-07T16:52:00.000-04:00

So I've been very busy lately riding horses and haven't had much time to blog.

Ty continues to progress very well. We've been working on cantering and getting bend when we circle. His canter is so smooth and big, its a ton of fun to ride. I can't wait until he really begins collecting, it will be even more fun. We went to another schooling show at the Quentin show grounds about two weeks ago. It did not go as smoothly as our first show. There were a lot of horses and also a jumping course and I could sense that Ty was definitely out of his comfort zone. He did ok in the warm up ring, but when we into the show ring he kind of lost his focus and was spooking. He didn't like riding up to the horse trailer where the judge was sitting. The topper of the day was as we came around the far corner and he was about to step out of the ring, I tried to push him back in and instead of moving in, he jumped out and I landed on my head. We did manage to finish our second ride although it wasn't very pretty. Ty had some time off last week and now he's back to work. I'm hoping to take him to Twin Brooks tomorrow night and just school him on the grounds, there's always a ton going on so its good practice for him.

Roze has also been coming along nicely. I've been riding her a few days a week and she seems pretty sound. She has a slight hitch on her right hock where it is fusing, but otherwise seems thrilled to be back to work. I am hoping after a couple good weeks of walk/trot I'll be able to get her back to cantering and then we can look at putting her back in the show ring.

I'm looking forward to July being a productive month with both horses, stay tuned for details.

First Schooling Show

2009-06-14T22:38:00.000-04:00

So it's been a little while since my last post. Ty continues to be spectacular. Last weekend in our lesson we cantered for the first time. He smoothly went into the canter in both directions, of course he was unbalanced, but it was very smooth and exciting.

This past week we just took things slowly and worked on steering and work under saddle. Ty also got his ears clipped, which he was not happy about, but we got past it.

Today we went to a dressage schooling show. After getting lost on our way to the show grounds, we arrived a half hour behind schedule but were able to get ready in time for our class.

Ty was well behaved for his first time out. The judges tent at the end of the ring was a little scary and Ty actually showed a little attitude at me having the whip with a kick out. It's good to know there's some fire in there. We received a 63.5% for Intro A and a 66.5% for Intro B. For three weeks under saddle with maybe a dozen rides, I could not be more thrilled at Ty's progress. We're looking at the show schedule to see what else may be available this summer.

First Trail Ride

2009-06-02T21:52:00.000-04:00

Well not a long trail ride, but we went out with Pam and her Halflinger, Marcus, around the back fields. You would never know that this was Ty's fourth ride under saddle. He even led for half the ride and only shied once when the tree branches brushed our helmets. Every day he amazes me. He was such a trooper today. I think I now trust him enough to ride him alone at least at the walk and trot without getting killed. He's so different from Roze its been a hard adjustment for me going from a hot tamale to a cool cucumber, but I'm adjusting. We've signed up for a schooling show to ride Intro A and B in two weeks so we're going to start practicing our tests and see how he does.

First Trip

2009-05-31T10:53:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I ventured out with Ty to attend a clinic with Judy Westlake at Sarah's place. The day was rather uneventful, which is amazing for a green horse taking his second trailer ride.

Ty was a bit difficult to catch in the morning, but Roze was not helping the cause teasing him from over the fence. Ty loaded very easily, once on the road he was pawing for awhile, we later learned he pulled the mats off my trailer wall, a small price to pay. He did not paw on the ride home.

He hung out in a stall while we waited for our lesson time. He was very calm the entire day. When it was time to work we tacked him up and lunged him for a few minutes in the lower arena. He was so calm I decided to just put him to work.

Judy gave me some great tips for steering and getting Ty around corners. Ty walked and trotted all over the arena and never once spooked. Near the end of our lesson we put Ty back on the lunge line and had our first canter under saddle, we will definately have to work on that one.

Ty was a super star. Considering he was standing in a pasture 6 weeks ago as an intact colt with very little handling, he has come leaps in bounds in such a short time.

Our First Ride

2009-05-24T18:01:00.000-04:00

So Sarah came up today for a lesson. I was expecting to work Ty on lunge and get him trotting well, but Sarah had other plans. We did start on the lunge and Ty was great as usual. Less than half way through our lesson Sarah felt it was time to take Ty off the line. So off we went at the walk around the arena and then off we went at the trot. Ty is a super star and has absolutely taken every thing in stride and perfectly in every way. I've posted some pics of our first ride, excuse my position we have some adjustments that need to be made to get the saddle in balance, which Sarah pointed out, I'll work on getting some pads to try on underneath it. Ty still has a lot of growing to do so we'll hold off on the saddle fitter for a bit. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I may be able to take him to an Arab show at the end of June, if not we'll definitely make it out to several schooling shows this summer :D

Ty Gets a Bath

2009-05-17T21:48:00.000-04:00

Ty can trot

After a hard workout

This doesn't make you clean

Handsome & Clean

Ty has been doing extremely well lunging and working in side reins and lunging the last few days. Ty was quite spunky today, he hadn't been worked or handled in two days due to my schedule. Today was the first day I put SMBs on him so when I tacked him up and let him run around a bit he went hopping and bucking around the arena. I've never seen him buck before so it was quite hysterical. Fortunately, after getting his kicks out, he worked well on the lunge line and is beginning to understand voice commands of walk, trot and canter.

After lunging I decided to get onto him again. My husband was there to help so I had my husband lead Ty around while I was on him. Again another eventful day under saddle. My trainer is coming up for a lesson next weekend and we'll start long lining him so hopefully soon I'll actually be able to ride him.

Since having an extra hand today I also decided it was time to get Ty cleaned up. He hasn't had a bath in who knows how long. He again took everything in stride. He wasn't thrilled but tolerated the scrubbing. I didn't bother doing his face today since I wanted his first experience to be as pleasant as possible. He's now shiny and clean.

Ty's Under Saddle

2009-05-10T21:02:00.001-04:00

So this week has been a little light. On Friday night we put a saddle on Ty for the first time and played around a bit on getting up on the mounting block above him and tapping on the saddle to get him used to the noise.

Yesterday we worked on getting used to clippers, he's good with them anywhere except his ears, so we can work with that.

Today my hubby was around to help, so I decided to go ahead and see if he was up for being backed. I put the saddle on him and dropped the stirrups so he got used to something on his sides and lunged him for a few minutes as usual without any incident. So once I was done lunging him I decided to go ahead and work on getting up on him. I stood in the stirrup and put some good weight into it, no reaction. Then I went ahead and thew a leg over his back and I was officially on Ty. He didn't do anything. I hopped off and we walked him around for a little but and I got back up on him, again no reaction.

I'm very proud of Ty. He's taken everything we've thrown at him and he just takes it all in stide. This week I'm going to work on lunging him some more and probably work on trying to get him on a trailer again. That may be our biggest challenge.

He's a Keeper

2009-05-06T21:08:00.000-04:00

Ty was very good tonight. He walked up to meet me at the gate and let me halter him without any issue. Once inside he did a few laps around the indoor, I think he does this just for giggles, then he came up and let me groom him and pick his feet out without being held or tied.

The ultimate test was going to the right on the lunge line. I put him on the lunge without side reins and he did very well, he was even stretching down without the side reins on. I put him in side reins for a few laps, no fighting and no resistance. I let him go with that.

Even with the pouring rain and the fuss of all the horses he was very mellow and well behaved tonight, I guess he was trying to make up for last night, but he smoothed me over enough tonight that I've decided to let him stay another week ;)

To the Right, To the Right...

2009-05-05T21:39:00.001-04:00

All you have to do is lunge to the right... I was signing to Ty this evening trying to get him to go the right. He was being very stubborn and very unwilling to go the right this evening. I put him in side reins, which seemed to not phase him. To the left he was perfect. Started him to the right, at first he'd just stop and I got so I could catch him before he completely stopped, then he learned I could catch that and he would just quickly pivot to the left. He was just being a complete stinker tonight. After 45 minutes of fighting him and keeping him moving I finally got so I could stop him and then ask him to go again. I did this about five times and called it a night. Sounds like we're only going to work to the right this week. He's very one sided.

First Day In Side Reins

2009-05-03T21:10:00.000-04:00

So my trainer, Sarah, came out to work with Ty and I today and we decided to put him in side reins. He did exceptionally well, he had very little resistence to them and the contact on the bit. It was great to getting him moving and working correctly. It's a great insite to what potential his future may hold under saddle.

I also got to spend a little time with Roze. The vet gave me clearence to get on her at a walk. She was so anxious to get a bridle on it was very amusing. I've never seen a horse so anxious to work. I hope that Roze makes a full recovery soon and can get back into work, I adore her and I know she likes having a job.

Ty's Extreme Makeover

2009-04-30T21:39:00.000-04:00

So it's been two weeks since Ty's been home and just about a month since I officially purchased him. Ty's been made over from pasture ornament to being a sport horse prospect extraordinaire. Ty's makeover began with his gelding. Since he's been home he's been properly groomed.

Yesterday my farrier tackled his feet. Ty has a mild club foot and since his feet were left to get too long they are very out of balance. Ty made it through his trimming pretty well, he didn't like his one back foot being picked up but otherwise he was pretty cooperative. His feet look amazingly better and his club foot looks a lot less extreme. My farrier will be back in two - three weeks to trim him again and will do so for the next couple of times until his feet are balanced and growing correctly again.

Today the vet was out to do Ty's teeth. Once he took his gallop around the pasture and let me catch him he was quite good about being handled by the vet, of course a little dose of drugs didn't hurt. Ty had a number of points on his teeth and had a wolf tooth pulled, he should be feeling much happier in his mouth in the next couple of days and will be officially ready for work!

Tonight We Lunged

2009-04-28T22:14:00.000-04:00

So tonight I put Ty on the lunge line, he did extremely well for the first time. I worked him for 10 minutes at most. He was really good going to the left, that seems to be his better side. It was hard for him to figure out that he could go to the right, but we eventually got a few circles and then called it a night. When I tell him to whoa he always walks up to me and stops, I guess there are downsides to the join up game, but he's very polite about coming in so we'll work on that a bit later on. Ty's going to be off for a few days, we'll probably get back to work this weekend. My trainer will be up on Sunday to work with us and I'm sure she'll have some new exercises then. Considering Ty has likely been handled more in the last two weeks then his entire life his willingness to please is extraordinary.

Two Hours & One Bottle of Conditioner Later

2009-04-28T13:24:00.001-04:00

We were finally able to get the dread lock that was Ty's tail out. It was amazing how tight it had wrapped up. Ty has a lot of hair so it was not easy. I'm sure I ripped a lot of it out but he now has a combed out tail. He stood pretty well for the process, we did let him have his dinner while we worked on the tail but otherwise he tolerated us. He wasn't too fond of water being sprayed on him so that will be something we will work on in the coming days, but at least his tail is back to normal. I'll have to get pictures of him tonight, I didn't get to take any before pictures as I was mostly intent on spending my time getting the knot out. I'm hoping to get out to lunge Ty a bit tonight. He gets his feet done tomorrow and his teeth done on Thursday so we'll give him a couple days off while he recovers from his procedures.

Oh the surprises...

2009-04-26T22:18:00.000-04:00

I didn't have much time to spend at the barn this evening, but wanted to spend a few minutes handling and grooming Ty. He's in need of a good farrier visit, which is scheduled for Wednesday. His feet are pretty dry so I wanted to get some conditioner on them tonight and it was another opportunity to work on him holding up his feet.

Since working with his feet went well, I decided to start working my way back to his tail and was hoping to make that look a little more presentable. I hadn't ventured towards his back end since last week when we put him on the trailer and I got a swift kick to remind me I had gotten too close, I likely bumped him in an area that was still tender from his gelding, but I wasn't taking any chances of heading towards his back end until he was more comfortable with me. Tonight as I ventured towards brushing out his tail, I found the largest rats nest I've ever come across. The very top part of his tail hangs down normally and just under that is the largest mat of hair I've ever seen! I don't know if we'll get it out, but we put half of a bottle of baby oil on it. We'll see what we can save, the rest of it will be chopped off. The good thing with hair is that it grows back. Every day has truly brought up new surprises both good and bad. I can't wait to see Ty in a year when he's conditioned and all groomed up to show.

I Did Buy a Crazy Arab, Right?

2009-04-25T19:54:00.000-04:00

I was back at the barn this afternoon to work with Ty. In the pasture he has good and bad days when I go to catch him. Last night he was determined to not let me catch him and we spent about 20 minutes with him running around the pasture. This evening he thought about running once and then promptly walked up to me, realizing the simplest path.

I took him inside and decided to introduce him to a saddle pad. He stepped sideways about twice and then stood perfectly still while I rubbed and flopped it all over him. Ty continues to impress me as he has taken every new thing in stride and seems very unflappable. Ty has also never been taught to lift his feet. We've been working on his front feet the last couple of days. Today I decided he was being good and I was going to push my luck and try to get him to hold up all four feet today. While he stood perfectly still in the middle of the ring he let me pick up all four feet, hold them for about a minute and tap on them. I worked on getting him to join up a little more and I only had to chase him for a second before he promptly followed me around the ring. We walked all over and changed directions often and he stayed right by my shoulder.

My friends were out today so once I felt he had gotten the join up idea I went to chat with my friends, Ty followed and stood with me for almost an hour while I chatted with my friends. He of course enjoyed the occasional treat and loved the pets and scratches my friends were willing to share. I had to take a close look at him today to make sure that I in fact did purchase an Arab who was only four years old and has had very little handling. Ty seems to not be fazed by much, he's curious but not afraid of much. I hope that it will continue as I continue to introduce him to new things.

Welcome

2009-04-23T23:03:00.001-04:00

Welcome to our blog. Since bringing home Ty I've decided to document his progress here as well as other interesting events that occur in my life with my horses. Bringing home a very green 4 year old who was recently gelded should make for some interesting events and I thought I'd share my experiences here.

Ty is a very sweet guy who just doesn't have a clue on what he's supposed to do with himself other than to charm those who share treats with him. He was gelded two weeks ago and has been home with me for a week. He's had his first trailer ride and has begun to learn how to lead. He has also learned to come when he's called, which is something I've yet to teach Roze. Today we put the bridle on him and after a little chewing he seemed to accept the bit very well.

Ty's had a big two weeks and its just the beginning. Plans are to put the bridle on him again tomorrow and get him to join up again. Next week we'll start lunging him and we're hoping to have him saddled in about a month. It should be quite an adventure...

Ty's first day home