Freezing and here to stay?

We've been having crazy weather this winter--50s some days, in the 20s the next. This weekend was particularly cold. Even though the reports claimed today would be the warmest out of the long weekend, it certainly didn't feel that way.

Perhaps speaking to the cruelty of the cold (or perhaps the adeptness of the barn cats!) there was a foreboding sign right as I stepped out of my car.

aww. 

It's a shrew (I think) and I don't know if the poor thing met its end before or after it froze, but I could believe such a small critter could freeze to death in this weather. There were even some crows perched in a tree not too far up, and while they usually would fly off at the smallest indication of my interest in them, I think it was too cold for them to even bother. In fact, they let me watch them for several minutes, as they made cute croaking sounds to each other.

The horses looked pretty cozy, though. Or at the very least they didn't seem to mind the cold as much as the rest of us.

Standing the in sun helps. 

I went out into the paddock to give Gobie some love, even though he was perfectly willing to come greet me at the fence line. I didn't want to take him away from his hay, since all that eating and digestion helps keep a pony warm. He was looking pretty good, if not a little muddy, but it was nothing that a good hand brushing couldn't cure.

He did come closer to the fence after I left him to go pull together some vitamins and seeds. I gave him his bucket through the fence, and he made quick work of the token food.

Noms, and frozen puddles.

He also took the opportunity to have a drink from the trough. It was heated, or else the water would have been frozen. It made me really grateful that Bonnie had heaters for the tank. Horses don't like drinking cold water in the winter, so something to keep it from getting frozen and to have be more palatable is fantastic.

Sluuurp.

I hope Spring hurries up! The fickleness of this weather has totally spoiled me and this cold snap is totally lame.

PS, we also payed Gobie a visit last weekend but it was pretty short, sweet, and unbloggable!

Holiday Treat

It's been unseasonably warm lately, but this week we're back to some more winter appropriate weather. I was actually looking forward to it, since for Christmas I bought some warm mash for Gobie--and it's far more appropriate to serve warm mash when it's cold out!

Lucky for us, it was freezing out this evening.

As usual, Gobie was at the gate waiting for me to let him in to the work area and give him some lovin'. But first we had some business to attend to: another dose of regular deworming. I think Bonnie did the other horses earlier but I always do Gobie myself--I think because she's not comfortable managing him on her own. Each time it's time to take his medicine, he gets a bit better with it. This time was a breeze and we were done in no time!

So it was back to pleasantries! Gobie got a quick once-over to get some dried mud and dust off. And so I could admire the state of his excellent winter coat.

So. Fuzzy.

But on to the main event! The mash I got from Dovery Saddlery. They had different measures available: one for horses and one for ponies. I got Gobie the smaller size. There were also lots of different flavors, but I opted for peppermint because he's so fond of his peppermint treats.

 Deco's Mini Monster Mash - Peppermint Piaffe! Fancy, ya'll.

The mix included: wheat mash, alfalfa, oats, un-sweetened beet pulp, cracked corn, ground flax seed and peppermint candies.

 Dry, in the bucket.

All you had to do was add water. I brought 6 cups hot water in a thermos from home. You can also use cold water, but it takes longer to soak and it kind of defeats the purpose of having warm mash!

With hot water. Let soak for 15 minutes.

The reason why hot mash is great: in the winter horses don't like to drink cold water which can lead to dehydration and digestion issues. Bonnie has at least one of her troughs heated, so it's not a big deal for these horses. But if you don't have a heated trough, offering warm mash can help your horse get some much needed water, and keep their guts in order. This brand of mash says it's can be fed as a treat or as a nutritionally balanced meal that "helps to improve digestion and gut flow."

But the best reason to feed mash is, of course, horses seem to really like it!

 Get that over here!

As soon as I put the bucket down, Gobie was ready to eat.

He practically DOVE into it.

omnomnomnom.

It actually took him a little while to get through it all, even though we had the "mini" size there was a lot of it. It was a little messy--he got some on his face (which was easy to wipe off) and on the ground (which was easy for him to nibble up).

 ...and the bucket, licked clean!

 Gobie definitely enjoyed his mash, and it was a well deserved treat. Some of the other horses gathered at the fence line to watch, longingly.

 Other horses, u jelly?

Definitely recommend the warm mash! We'll probably get some more when it decides to stay cold. The holidays have been great in the treat department--Bonnie really thoughtfully got Gobie some apple and oat biscuits, too. At this rate I'll have to start training him to be a riding pony to keep his cute figure. Ha!

Hooray! Our first backing!

It was a big day, everyone! I've been feeling pretty good about all the progress Gobie and I have made together, and was feeling pretty good and motivated generally. I thought today would be the perfect time to try sitting on Gobie for the first time--and an excellent way to say goodbye to 2011 and look forward to 2012.

Sam came along for this visit to make sure I didn't die, even though I assured him I wouldn't. As soon as Gobie saw me he came up to the fence, ready to work. We started things off low key with some grooming.

 Feels pretty good, right?

He was rather muddy, but it was at least dry muddy. I had a leadrope on him, and some rope reins. The sky was looking kinda cloudy and ominous, but it was rather warm for almost January.

 Hamming it up for Sam.

We first did a couple of exercises: lounging so I could gauge whether or not he was feeling particularly energetic, and then some yielding exercises to see how well he was willing to listen. He was a pro at everything, so I was encouraged.

I'm really glad we have such a great rapport, this pony and I. With all the paling around we do, I think we're both able to get a really good read on each other. That's important, especially when it comes to trust. When it comes to doing new things having a history of being well-meaning buddies buys you a lot of leeway.

All the same, I was pretty cautious about this next step. I've been a little worried that I would be too big for the pony--height and weight wise--and I didn't want to jump on and injure him. I realize this is kind of silly--smaller, stocky horses have carried full grown men around, after all. But I didn't want to lose some of the goodwill between us by doing this part wrong. So, as we were by the fence for grooming I started messing around a little bit: standing on cinder blocks, leaning over his back, giving his topline a good rub, and stretching my leg over his back.

 We're both like, "I don't think this is how it's supposed to work."

Gobie of course took all of this weird stuff in stride, so it was time to make an actual effort to sit on him. I think he was starting to get a good idea of what was going on.

Sticking his tongue out, his opinion on the matter?

There's a mounting block in the work area, so I dragged it on over. I had planned to get Sam to hold the lead rope while I had the rope reins, but I ended up using both. Gobie was little worried about the mounting block, but after he let out a sigh and got a treat all was well.

 Approaching the mounting block.

 Getting him into position...

For a horse it's weird to have a person towering over you, so even Gobie being relaxed about that was great. It's a sort of survival mechanism for horses to be leery of having something over you--think of a cougar jumping down on you from a ledge, or a lion jumping on the back of a wildebeest. It's pretty amazing that horses learned to carry humans at all!

It's not uncommon for a horse to want to move away after you've lined them up to the mounting block for this reason. You don't want them to do that, of course, because having one foot in the stirrup while the horse is moving is a good way to twist (or break!) an ankle. But Gobie didn't do any of that here. Back at the fence line he did try moving away when I was leaning and patting on him, but I turn him around at attention, and that got the message across that he shouldn't be moving away.

Back at the mounting block, standing nicely, I gave him a treat and...

 Getting ready...

 First leg over...

 Easing on to his back...

 Finally on!

What an attractive pair, right? He stood so patiently and attentively--his ears pricked in my direction waiting to hear what I wanted him to do. To be fair, I only had my full weight on his back for a moment but keeping it short and positive was important to me. I hopped off (beaming!)

 We did it!

Looking at the pictures afterward I'm happy that we don't look too mismatched for each other. That is to say, I don't look too big on him or anything. My feet aren't comically dragging on the ground and his back doesn't look swayed and over burdened. We look like we could go for a brisk trot in the woods, or over some misty highlands.

We didn't do that, though. Instead I got Gobie a treat from the feed room.

 Being nosy.

After a job well done, a little bit of black oil sunflower seeds, and multivitamin was well deserved.

om nom nom!

I let him back with this pals in the paddock, but he was still hanging around the fence line for us as we were getting ready to go. So I gave him one more treat.

Such a great way to ring in the New Year! I don't expect us to be riding off into the sunset any time soon, but I am looking forward to what lies a head of us. Like getting my hands on a saddle! 

Regardless of what the future holds, I'm really pleased and proud to have such a great horse.

Chilly Visitor

Last weekend I missed going to the pony all together because I was building a feral cat shelter. But I got to visit today, and hopefully will be able to get in another visit or two before this holiday vacation is over. Speaking of the holiday, things were cold and festive as always at the barn.

I always forget that it's like ten degrees colder at the pony than it is where I live. It's not that far away, and I don't think the elevation changes that much, but wouldn't you know it my fingers are always freeeezing in a couple of minute. I spent the time mostly just leaning over the fence, playing with Gobie and warming my hands up in his fur. He was pretty muddy, but looked comfortable.

I love how he looks so silvery and velvety this time of year. We hung out for a long time just messing with each other over the fence. It's nice to know when a horse appreciates your company. I even played with his ears a little bit. He didn't protest one bit.

Of course, he was pretty busy shaking me down for treats. At one point he had his fuzzy muzzle pressed to my face. But most of the time, he was busy slobbering on my coat trying to figure out how to get into my pockets and find those peppermints.

This is also how I get pony snot on my coat. I thought he had a little bit of a runny nose the last time I saw him, but there was nothing going on this visit. Good! He's always been a sturdy pony which I appreciate. None the less, I had brought with me one of his Christmas presents: a multivitamin in grain form. I figure it wouldn't hurt to give him a little extra help in the colder months. Plus I knew he'd like having another thing to eat. I mixed it with a little black oil sunflower seeds and let him have a nibble.

On a non-horse related note, the horse farm was busy with wildlife today! First on my slow roll into the driveway there was a hawk perched on the fence. It was really close and right at my line of vision. We just kind of looked at each other as I rolled by. The Second was a visitor to the treeline:

In case you can't spot him, he's circled in purple here:

It's a red fox! Bonnie had mentioned that she sees them sometimes, but this was my first encounter. He was well away from the horses who were all standing up near the house by the fence line. He was trotting along under the trees, looking purposeful. His coat blended in so well with the color of the pine needles on the ground, I probably never would have seen him if he wasn't moving. He didn't stay very long, but it was a rare and wonderful treat.

Winter coat

Brr, you guys! It keeps getting COLDER. It was 27 degrees today at the barn and you could tell--everything was frozen! It had rained last week so the ground was wet and squish, but thanks to the cold temps the ground froze solid into jaggedy angles. If that wasn't enough, the well traveled path along one of the paddock fence lines had deep hoofprints in the mud which then froze in place, filled with water, and froze into puddles!

 Frozen foot steps.

 Close up!

But even though it was so cold, it was still a nice visit. The air seemed a little hazy with tiny ice crystals hanging out in the sky.

Chilly, and beautiful.

I hung out with Gobie in the paddock with the rest of the horses. We didn't do much. I groomed him with my hands a little--he was super fuzzy and a little dusty but most importantly he was happy and cozy. Warming your hands on your horse is the best.

Bonnie wasn't around this visit, but Cinder's person came by so we ended up chatting for a little bit. Cinder has a runny nose--the vet thinks she's got a little bit of a cold--and has been on some antibiotics. I noticed a little runny nose on Gobie, but it was pretty clear. Cinder's lady said Bonnie was being vigilant about the other horses none the less. Tis the season for all of that nonsense, I guess. I'm always impressed with how busy Bonnie is around the place. I noticed she also put up a snowflake on the barn--cute and so appropriate for the weather!

Let's end on a warm note with a video of me petting Gobie and his luxurious winter coat:

Cold, relaxing

We took a break this weekend after doing all that exciting stuff LAST weekend. The weather is getting colder, but it was still nice to sit down under a tree and relax.

Looking for treats...

The fuzziest ears.

Prancing off!

Looking over the fence.

Remembering All The Things

It's been unseasonably nice lately! We got snow in October, but so far November has been feeling downright spring-like. We had a extra long weekend because of Thanksgiving, so I was able to get in some extra pony time this week.

On Saturday I went out to do some actual work with Gobie. The last couple of visits had been pretty laid back. We started with some grooming of course. I tied him to a post and he was quite good about standing still and being patient. Despite the warm days it still gets pretty chilly in the evening so Gobie's still sporting an excellent fuzzy coat. He was pretty muddy so he took a bit longer to get clean. He's also been getting some scabby spots that I'll have to investigate. I don't know if it's the rain, or maybe some bug bites of what. What is for certain is that Gobie is a tick magnet! I had to pick two of him today. Apparently chickens are good for keeping ticks down, but I doubt Bonnie would appreciate me gifting some to her. Ha!
After the grooming we did the usual yielding exercises--leading, back, turning on the forehand. He's a pro at this stuff by now, but it's always good to know what kind of a mood he's in.
I had read up a little on lunging earlier in the week, so we did some of that, too. Basically I learned that the key is consistency--so as long as I'm consistently bad he'll figure it out. Kidding! He did do a great job on lunging on both sides today, so either he was absorbing what we had done earlier or I was doing something brilliant that I wasn't aware of. I'm inclined to think it was more him than me, though.
I also put the bitless rope bridle on him and the surcingle. We had done this once before, but not both together. He was initially a little uncertain about it and didn't like me tugging on the surcingle, but got over it pretty quickly. The new thing added to the mix was running the lunge lines through the surcingle loops and attaching them as reins to the bridle. I have to admit, all that line was hard to manage and I was bit worried I was going to get Gobie's legs hopelessly tangled. But we managed pretty well thanks to my management and Gobie's easy going personality. Soon I had the long reins where they should be and me behind Gobie. I thought I would try getting him to back up since he's usually more than willing to do so. So, standing several feet behind Gobie with each long rein in a hand, I pulled back with equal pressure and asked him to "back." No problem! He backed right up, his ears tilted back to listen to my words. Now, if only the moving forward and the turning were so easy! I asked him to walk and he did, but it was obvious he found the whole thing a little confusing and he really wanted to turn to look at me and get some visual feedback on what I wanted him to do--and to get some treats of course! We ended but being able to walk in a little rectangle, but getting him to go straight and turn to the right wasn't going so hot. Whenever we got into a stick spot, though, I could always get him to back up and that was our saving grace. We ended the session with that so we could go on a good note.
Gobie stood quietly and dutifully as I took all that tack off. He really was trying to be a good boy. I brushed him down afterward and gave him a bunch of treats before turning him back out with his pals again.


I think part of the confusion may have been the bitless bridle. I think it's kind of a piece of junk--or I guess more accurately it doesn't work the way I think it should work. I'm looking forward to the Horse Expo in January so I can check out some more bitless bridle options. I think it will all start making more sense to him when he's got something better around his face. I may continue working with him in just a halter, since at least that will have some pressure release involved.

Before I left for the day I mixed up some black oil sunflower seeds and some supplements. It's been a while since he's gotten this mixture so I thought it would be a good reward. We did a lot, after all!

Tomorrow I'm visiting the tack shop for a couple of winter/Christmas type goodies for ol' Gobie. Monday afternoon the whole gang is due for a hoof trimming--Booboo's first at the barn--so that should be exciting!