Almost Over!

Fall semester is almost over! I've been pretty busy with exams, and finals are this week and next week. I haven't been able to spend a whole lot of time with Pony because of this, which sucks. But once it's winter break, and if the weather cooperates, than I should have some time. My sister and our friend, who boards her two horses with us, decorated the barn today. They hung up Christmas lights, and other decorations. It looks pretty good! They even bought stockings. Now we just have to put the the names of all the horses on them. I'll have to take a picture of it all; they did a good job. There's a lot more to type, but now I have to get back to studying. I'll have to make another, longer, post after finals. Wish me luck!

Snow in October

We had a big Nor'Easter snow storm came through yesterday. We mainly got rain, but at one point it switched over to snow. We got a nice dusting from it, but then it rained and melted. Snow is pretty rare here this early. Places up north got a lot of snow from it. The ponies got to stay inside during the worst of it. They were pretty content to stay in their warm, dry stalls and munch on hay. We turned them back out last night with their blankets on (which is the first they've had to wear their blankets this autumn.) With wind chill it felt like 25 degrees. Hopefully this isn't any indication of how winter is going to be, lol!

It Feels Like Fall!

The leaves are changing colors, the air is crisp and cool, and, unfortunately, the days are getting shorter! I love this time of year (all but the lack of daylight.) The horses are starting to get all fuzzy as well. They look so cute! Pony is awesome, as always. I haven't been able to get much riding time in, but hopefully I will this week. That's the main thing I don't like about school; I never have time to ride! Our little mousie is doing well. He's about 3 weeks old now, and is almost weaned off his milk. He's starting to act more like a wild mouse. Any sudden movements and he hides, but he will still crawl into your hands and check you out. The cats have discovered him though. They are a bit too curious to find out just what he is.

My birthday is less than a month away now! I'm going to be 21. On one hand, I'm excited, but on the other... I feel old, lol. I know I'm not, but I feel like I'm getting old. Thanksgiving is only a few days after my birthday (which is kind of cool since I can use my gift cards on Black Friday.) And, then, before I know it, it will be Christmas! Hopefully we wont get too much snow this year (not as much as the past couple of years anyway.)

So tired...

So, we've had this huge dirt pile that has been sitting outside for a while now. And, last weekend, my dad finally started using it for something. Halfway into what he is doing he came up to me and handed me a bucket. He said either "take care of it," or "do something with them." I looked down in the bucket and saw a bunch of blind baby mice. I, of course, had no idea what to do with them. Their nest was destroyed, and it didn't seem likely that momma mouse was going to find them. Also, my six year old cousin was there, and she was already naming them. So, my mom and I decided to try and keep them alive. Every 2 hours or so we would feed them kitten formula (which is part of the reason I am so tired.) Unfortunately, only one little mouse is still alive. We think that it may have gotten too cold for the others (even though we had a heating pad on low half the time.) We are now keeping the heating pad on medium, and it is on all day. Luckily, this mouse seems to be ok at the moment, and is full of energy. We've been called crazy by just about everyone that we know, lol. But, we were the ones who destroyed their nest, so I felt like we should at least try to keep them alive. He's a cute little mouse though, lol.

It's Cold!!

Welcome to October; it got down to 40 degrees last night! And, on top of that, it rained! The horses must have been pretty cold; they were acting like they were starving this morning at feeding time. I want to buy Pony a sheet for chilly rainy nights like that. I bought him one last year. It was a cheap off brand one though, and I had to return it since it didn't fit him right. I also want to get a bridle bag to keep my bridle in, since I wont be riding much during the winter. I already found one that I like, so maybe I'll get it for my birthday (which is next month.) For now though, I must continue studying. I have an organic chemistry test on Wednesday. It's my least favorite class of the semester (probably because I'm behind in it.) I would have to say Japanese is probably my favorite, and that's probably because it is the most interactive class I have. I'm hoping to get good grades in all my classes this semester, so that means I have to study, study, study! Wish me luck!

And the Culprit Is...

On the way out to feed the horses tonight we noticed that the horses were acting rather spooky. There was nothing obvious so I went in the barn, and we started getting the food ready. However, when we went out to bring the horses in we noticed that Glory had a cut on her nose. Only it looked more like a bite; a bite that was likely too small to come from another horse. We brought her, and the other two jumpy horses she's turned out with inside, and then went out to get the others. My mom and sister were looking around to see if there was anything she could have cut her nose on. I, meanwhile, started walking towards the other horses who were looking at the ground, snorting, and acting very spooked. My sister ended up spotting the culprit before I did...

(photos taken by my sister)

It was a big snapping turtle. It was over 12 inches long, and appeared rather ticked off. And, apparently our horses were a little bit too curious. Five out of the seven all got their noses bit. Two of them got bit twice. They were all very freaked out by the time we got to them. We brought them all in, and cleaned up their noses. Hopefully, they learned not to mess with weird, unknown creatures, lol. We caught the turtle and took him to a more suitable place to call home. 

I'm Procrastinating Horribly

Yup, I should be studying. I should have studied more yesterday, but I put it off. And, so, in another attempt to put it off I am blogging instead...

I miss riding... I've been so busy with school, that I've only ridden maybe 1-2 times since it started. And, when I do have time to ride, it either rains or something comes up. Last week, on one of the days when it was already too dark to ride, I went in Pony's stall and sat on him while we waited for the others to finish eating. I was going to try and ride this weekend, but it poured on Friday and rained a little yesterday which made the paddocks very muddy. I won't have time to ride next week either. I have a Japanese quiz and a statistics test on Monday, a Biology test on Friday, and a bunch of homework due throughout the week. However, next weekend, according to the weather forecasts, it should be dry. I won't have any tests to study for either, so maybe, hopefully, I'll finally get to ride.

Farewell Borders!

Today my sister, cousin, and I went to Borders for the last time; they are closed for good after today. It's kind of sad. I remember, when I was younger, begging my parents to go there whenever we drove by. I would spend over an hour there looking at books, and I would spend a lot of what little money I had there. Today I got 7 or so books for 11 dollars. Everything was 90% off. I honestly am not exactly sure what I got, lol. But, either the covers or the descriptions were interesting, so I hope the books I bought were decent. However, with the prices being so low, it was probably worth it.

After Border's we went to Toys R Us to get a toy for a birthday party we are going to tomorrow. I learned something from that. When you are going to a toy store with a kid (namely my cousin who is 6) do not expect to get out of there in a short time. She wanted everything that was in the store, lol. We had to tell her to "put it on her Christmas list." I'm sure her mom (our aunt) is going to be happy with us for that (it's going to be a long list.) We also went to Dover Saddlery, and got my cousin her first riding helmet for her birthday. Although then she got somewhat of an attitude, because we wouldn't buy her an 80 dollar toy horse trailer along with her helmet. So... we told her to put it on her Christmas list, lol.

I'm So Scatterbrained Lately

Yup, so apparently when I went to switch my old parking permit with my new one I mixed them up. I somehow ended up throwing the new one away and leaving the old one hanging around my mirror. This resulted in a 40 dollar fine on Monday. Luckily, they waived the fine, and I just had to pay 7 dollars to replace my permit. Today, though, I lost my calculator. I'm hoping it is somewhere around the house, but I'm going to need it tomorrow to do homework. And, those are a whole lot more expensive than 40 dollars... So, hopefully it will turn up tonight! Some good news though is that I got a 102 on my first Japanese quiz! It's the highest grade I've ever gotten in college. Hopefully my other classes will be this easy, but I doubt it. I haven't been able to ride at all since classes started. :( Whenever I do have time to ride it is always horribly muddy out. Hopefully the paddocks will dry out and the rain will stay away for a while!

Remembering 9/11

I was in 5th grade on 9/11/01. It hardly seems like it was 10 years ago; I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember my mom coming to pick me up from school. I remember gathering around the tv with my family; I remember being sad, confused, and afraid. We were only a couple of short hours from Washington D.C. and only a couple of hours more from New York City. I watched some of the memorial this morning and had to fight back tears. My heart goes out to everyone who was affected on that day, and to anyone who lost someone on that horrible day. I am proud to be an American, and I know I will never forget. God bless the USA.

On another note, today I finally got a decent picture, on my phone, of the newest little member of our barn. He/she scurries into the barn in the mornings, when we are cleaning stalls, and cleans up any food dropped by the horses, and then hurries back to her little den/nest (which is near our pool.) We've seen no babies; just this one.

First Week of School

The first week of school is done!! Well, we only had two days this week anyway (thanks to hurricane Irene.) So, far so good. Although I have a feeling that this semester is going to be hard. I'm taking elementary Japanese, Biology, Organic Chemistry, and Statistics. Japanese scares me, because the midterm and final will be a ten minute oral interview with the teacher. I'm a pretty shy, quiet person in real life, so stuff like that is pretty difficult for me. The other classes seem pretty difficult too. I'm going to have a lot of homework between Japanese and statistics (more so than previous semesters.) But, I am quite excited. I've always wanted to learn different languages. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with it all.

I rode Pony on Wed. night. He's so fun to ride; when he's in a good mood he kind of struts around. He also gets all excited when there is someone he can walk up to. The mosquitoes are awful. I think we had a population explosion of them with all the rain we had last month (over 15 inches!) So, poor Pony is always getting bit. When I ride him bareback he will kick up at himself, and my feet are at the right spot that he always end up kicking my feet, lol. He also gets all twitchy. I fly spray him, and it works pretty well, but not well enough. Currently we are using Pyranha. I am planning to ride him either tomorrow or Sunday (with the saddle this time.) Although, I quite like riding bareback, but it isn't really good to do that all the time, I guess.

There is also another hurricane that might be heading our way (hurricane Katia.) Hopefully, not; it's still quite a distance away though. So, they aren't quite sure what it will do. I'm hoping that it will stay out at sea and die out. There are quite a lot of people on the east coast who are not ready for another hurricane. My aunt (who is in Virginia) still doesn't have electricity. So, hopefully, it will stay away...

All is Well

Hurricane Irene is long gone and all is well. There really wasn't any damage, just a bunch of tree limbs that came down. Our basement flooded some as well. The horses were safe and dry in the barn during the whole thing. Our electricity didn't even go out during the main part of the hurricane; it did go out for a couple of hours afterwards when it was just windy. But, it was kind of surprising that it didn't go out before that; our electricity usually goes out during even the smallest storms. (We were having problems connecting to the internet though.) We were under a tornado watch during the night; there were a few tornadoes in our state, but none near us. Thankfully the hurricane weakened and it wasn't as bad a they were originally predicting. There is still a lot of people with out power, and a lot of areas are still flooded though.

Classes were supposed to start today, but because of the hurricane, they will not start until Thursday. I don't mind though; it gives me extra time to get prepare. I still need to get everything ready. I will be going into my junior year of college, and I'm majoring in animal science. I have no idea what I exactly want to do with my degree (I don't want to be a vet,) but I know I want to do something with animals. Hopefully my classes this semester aren't too hard, and I'll be able to get good grades. My classes also end a whole lot earlier in the day, so I'll have more time to ride than I did last year. :)

Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Irene is expected to hit us this weekend. The forecasts are making it sound pretty scary. We are already under a state of emergency. There is also a mandatory evacuation along the coast (we're inland though.) And, my university's classes, which were supposed to start on Tuesday, have already been canceled. My sister and I were out all day buying stuff we may need... batteries, flashlights, water, food, horse bedding, pet food, etc... The one thing that I don't like is that we don't have a trailer. So, we cant move our horses if we feel like we need to. Also, if our electricity goes out (which it probably will) then we won't have water since we have a well. So, we are filling all of the buckets and water troughs. Tomorrow we are planning to go get horse feed, clean the barn, and get prepared. I'm also going to pick everything from the garden, since it will just blow away... I might ride tomorrow as well since it will be nice out. Hopefully, I will have time. An earthquake and a hurricane all in one week; what's next? Prayers and good thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

Earthquake!!

Holy crap, we just had an earthquake here! Well, it was actually in Virginia, but we could feel it here in Delaware. At first I thought it was me, but then the vibration turned into the whole house shaking. Apparently, it was a 5.9 earthquake (which is huge for us.) I've never been in an earthquake before (at least not one that I've felt.) Anyway, I jumped up, grabbed our one dog, and ran to the a part of the house where nothing could fall on us. Our one cat was freaking out and running around. I'm not going to lie, it kind of freaked me out. Everything ended up being fine though, including the horses. It's all over the news. Hopefully there are no major aftershocks!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It has been raining an awful lot lately. As soon as the mud starts to dry up, it rains again! Just the other day we got about 3 inches of it. It was also a lot cooler than usual. Saturday morning, when we went out to feed, the horses were soaked and shivering. Poor pony! Needless to say they got to come inside, and hang out all day while eating hay. Hopefully, we will get a few days of sunshine so the mud will dry up and I can ride.

Last weekend we went to a Taylor Swift concert. It was pretty fun; she was very good live. The opening acts were pretty good as well. I have to admit though, towards the end I started to space out a bit. I guess my attention span isn't all that great, lol. It was pretty long though, and it took us forever to get out of the parking lot! So we had fun for about an hour in the car trying to get out. We danced (or tried,) talked, laughed, and were really hyper. Two concerts in a year! That's a record... and almost half of the concerts I've been to. I think I've been to like two or three others in my lifetime, lol.

Extreme Heat!

We're in another heat wave here. Today, with the heat index, it will feel like 110 degrees! And tomorrow it will be 115. It is also very humid out. Luckily it will be back in the 80's by Sunday. Pony gets the week off though. It rained on Monday and Tuesday, which were the two cooler days, and today and tomorrow it's going to be too hot to get ride. In fact the horses are going to spend today and tomorrow in their stalls with the lights off and the fans on (during the hot parts of the day at least.) It still manages to get down in the 70's at night time though.

Also the fair opens up this afternoon and lasts a little over a week, so I'll be going there a couple of times next week. I really wanted to go see 3 Days Grace in concert, but I don't really have the money. But, I'm still really looking forward to going there; I love going to the fair!

Happy 4th of July!!

Happy 4th of July everyone!! Today was a pretty interesting day. During feeding time this morning we got a phone call that my, not yet two year old, cousin fell down some stairs and they were waiting for an ambulance. My sister went over to my Aunt's to watch the other kids while my mom and I finished up with the horses. Thankfully my cousin is ok. They kept her for a little while and did some tests, but, besides being banged up, she is seems fine.

I also rode Pony today for the first time in over a week. I'm still sick with a cold, but I'm feeling a whole lot better. We walked around bareback for a little while. It was pretty dusty though, so I was coughing a good bit. After we rode, I ate chicken cheese steaks with the family. I then went swimming with my dad and we watched some fireworks that some people down the rode were setting off. The horses handled the fireworks like a pro, they were pretty calm during the whole thing.

Sick...

I've been sick for the past couple of days with a cold. I think it started on the day that I posted last. It really sucks though. I had a goal of riding 3-4 days a week, but I've been feeling really blah, so I haven't ridden at all this week...

Good news is that my laptop came today! It came way earlier than what I was expecting. I love it so far, and the speakers on it are amazing! So, at least it is giving me something to do. It's a little confusing though. My last laptop was about 7-8 years old, so there is a bunch of new stuff on this one that I am going to have to get used to. It's really pretty though.

Anyways... hopefully I start feeling better soon. I actually feel worse today than I did yesterday though. My dad was sick first; I think he is just now starting to feel better and his cold started about a week ago. Maybe, I will be riding by next week? I hope so... I also want to take some new pictures, so I can show you all the horses. Glory is getting so big, and Pony is as handsome as ever. I just need to find my camera first, lol.

New Computer and an Update

I've had my old computer for 7 years or so, and it was starting to slow down and gradually fall apart. It also recently got a virus and keeps freezing, which is why I haven't been posting lately. So, I finally decided to get a new computer. It won't be here until the 11th though. I decided to get a Dell XPS. I wanted a Macbook, but it would have ended up being over a thousand dollars. I'm hoping my new laptop lasts as long as my old one.

The horses have been doing well. I rode Pony on Friday. He did ok, but  got a little frustrated when I wouldn't let him go into the run-in shed (we were riding in the paddock.) We really need a riding ring, but they are rather expensive. We have other projects that need done before that though. We also want to repaint the fencing. Glory is doing ok. She has a short attention span though, and keeps getting distracted. It reminds me of when Pony was that young. She still tries to bite quite often, but hasn't tried to kick or rear at us in quite a long time.

A couple of days ago Rerun posted this link on facebook. It's a saddlepad with a logo design for OTTB. They are really cute. The place will also donate 5 dollars to the rescue that you put in the message section of the order form. They also say that if you don't like it they will refund your order along with the shipping cost. I would get one if I had an OTTB, but maybe I'll buy one for my mom for her birthday.
OTTB Saddle Pads

Vet and Farrier

The vet came yesterday and the farrier came today. The vet appointments are always quite the experience; you never know what to expect. I'll tell you about Jasper (aka: Pony) since his time with the vet is always the most dramatic/nerve-wrecking.  He is very wary of people he doesn't know, and tends to freak out when he thinks that they are going  to harm him somehow. The vet ended up forgetting that they were supposed to be quiet when they first got there so he doesn't hear them. So, Pony ended up hearing them talking along with their truck pulling up (we had the barn doors closed so he couldn't see them though.) He already knew something was up due to the fact that they were still in 20 minutes after they had eaten. So, as soon as my sister and I walked in with the initial sedation he was already pretty wired. His head was up, his eyes were wide, and started backing up. We tried to distract him with a bucket full of apple slices, but he was pretty jumpy. However, surprisingly, he didn't react as badly when he felt the needle prick him. He jumped a little bit, but it was over rather quickly. Last time he bent the needle and we had to try again with a different shot. The vet then came in and decided to let him relax some.

The other horses were all fine, except for Glory. She's the baby of the barn, a yearling now. She was pretty freaked out. As soon a the vet took her lead rope she started trying to run away. They ended up having to twitch her... poor baby. She didn't react to the shots, but she was pretty scared.After all the other horses were done they went back to Jasper. They had to give him another sedation (this time through the vein.) He freaked out somewhat when they came into his stall, and tried backing away with his head up. But, the most he did was flinch when they stuck him with the needle. He used to charge forward, and try and run away from them. My poking him with the toothpick seems to have worked somewhat. They waited until he was pretty out of it, and then floated his teeth and gave him his vaccines. I cleaned his sheath after they left (he peed while I was in the middle of cleaning it, lol.) I'm glad it's over though. It's very nerve-wrecking and I always feel really badly for Pony. But, he did much better than last time. I really need to find away to get him used to/not as afraid of new people.

This morning Pony had a fever of 102.9. The vet told us some of them might, from the vaccines. But, there was going to be a heat index of 105 today, and I didn't want him out in the hot sun. So, the majority of the horses ended up in their stalls with they lights off, and the fans going. I also went out about every two hours and sponged them off. I also gave Pony some bute to help lower his fever, and by the end of the day it was successfully down to 99. The farrier also came today. Pony is absolutely fine with the farrier. He's remembers him, and it is his feet that is handled... nothing new, nothing scary. Glory, on the other hand, threw a fit when it was time for her one back hoof to get done. She wasn't scared like yesterday; she was mad, and did not want him touching her. She tried running, and then she tried kicking, and then she tried leaning her weight against him. She actually ended up falling over. I think after yesterday, she just wanted to be left alone. It gave me a glimpse at the demon foal she used to be. She used to kick, rear, and strike out at us almost daily back then. She's mellowed out a lot since then. I'm quite glad the whole traumatic vet experience is over and we wont have to deal with it for a while.

NKOTBSB Concert!!!

We went to see BackStreet Boys and New Kids On the Block last night! They were amazing! The BackStreet Boys were my favorite band when I was like 10, so it was really exciting to get to see them perform. It was also my first big concert. I went and saw Carrie Underwood a couple of years ago, but that was at the state fair so it wasn't very big. Anyway I had a blast, and I bought a t-shirt (which was like 40 dollars!) I only knew a couple of songs from NKOTB, but they were still pretty good. After the concert we went and stood out by the tour buses and got to wave to them. They were all standing around talking to each other. And, I know I sound like a total fan girl saying this, but it really would have made my night if I could have touched or hugged one of them, lol. I remember cranking up the music and dancing around my room when I was 10 or so. So, being able to see BSB for the first time brought me back to my younger days. I have some pictures, but they aren't on my computer yet; I'll try and post some next time, if I remember.

As for the horses, they are all doing pretty well. Although the flies and the heat are making them somewhat miserable. Lightning's hooves are already chipping from all the stomping. Last year it got so bad that he was lame off and on from how far back they chipped (he also got thrush at some point.) The vet is coming out on Wed. to give shots and all. Pony isn't going to do very well with that. He is very wary of people he doesn't know, and he freaks out over shots. He doesn't get aggressive, but he rears and tries to bolt. I've been jabbing him with a syringe (that doesn't have a needle.) And, I'm going to poke him with a toothpick tomorrow. Usually my sister and I have to try and sedate him while the vet hides outside. Once that is done, the vet will come in and give him another round of sedation through the vein. He gets everything done at once... vaccines, his teeth will get floated, and then I'll clean his sheath. I'm able to clean his sheath without him being sedated, but I'm able to do it extra thoroughly when he is out of it. He used to get his teeth floated by our dentist, but he ended up having to come back several times just to get him done. So, now he just gets done by the vet. Hopefully all will go well (crosses fingers!)

Hay!

Well first let me start off by saying that Sunday was a very depressing day. Our barn cat, Tigger, was hit by a car that morning. Our neighbor, from down the road, pulled up to tell us that he was laying on the side of the road. We buried him near the barn. I really miss him. He was a great friend that always kept me company whenever I was outside. He was always in the barn with me, and would keep me company when I was in the garden picking vegetables. He would lay on my lap and keep me warm in the winter while I was waiting for the horses to finish eating. I really really miss him. I think I'm taking it worse than I did when my other animals died. I think because, with them, I had time to prepare; they were sick and weren't going to get better. I saw Tig the night before happy and healthy, and the next day he was gone. I don't really want to look at any pictures at the moment, but I do believe there is one of him in my second or third post that I've ever typed.

On another note, the same neighbor who told us about Tigger, cut our hay fields on Sunday. He's an awesome neighbor who has been a big help to us since we've moved here. On Monday the hay was flipped, and last night it was baled. We got just under 300 bales. However, they each weighed around 65-80 pounds, which is more than the average bale of hay. We had loads of help from neighbors, family, and friends. The country is great, everyone helps each other out. In fact before we did our hay, we went and helped another guy (the one who baled our hay) finish with his hay. Some of the hay is a little on the green side, so I really hope it doesn't mold. But, unfortunately, it is supposed to rain today, so we couldn't give it another day to dry. I actually just got in from raking up some of the loose stuff that got left behind from the baler (in almost 90 degree whether.)  It is hot hot hot outside!

We still have another field to cut. We should get another 100-200 bales off of that. I don't know where we are going to put it all. Our one tall shed is full. We have two small hay loft type areas in the barn that are empty. But, I think we are going to have to fill up the two empty stalls like we usually do (one is already has some hay in it.) This is only the first cutting though, and if the second cutting is as good as the first, then we might have to clear out another shed. Hopefully none of it molds; if it doesn't, then we might be set for winter. It will be great if we don't have to buy any! We also have to make sure the hay doesn't get too hot (especially the green ones,) or else they might catch fire. Last summer we didn't get very much hay, but this summer we have a ton!

Desensitizing the Pony

Yesterday, Pony came in off the field with a big scrape on the inside of his one back leg. Nothing serious, but enough that I wanted to put something on it. So, I go and get the purple woundcoat stuff. About a year ago I tried to use furral on him and he freaked out. I used to use it all the time when he got hurt, but he woke up one day and decided that it was really scary. So, yesterday I decided not to use the usual ointment and to try the spray. The first time I sprayed his leg he flinched. I didn't get all of it covered, so I went a second time and he started crab stepping away from me. And, then, he kicked up at me. His hoof actually connected with my hand the one time (just barely though.) He wasn't being aggressive; he was trying to get the spray away from him. For all he knew the can was going to spit out a snake at him with the noise it was making. And, in a way, it did when the spray actually hit him. He is fine with flyspray and being hosed off and all, but he is, apparently, afraid of aerosol sprays.

So, now I am working on desensitizing him to the spray stuff. I'm going around making a "chhhh" noise to imitate the sound the spray makes. He gets all tense at first and then slowly relaxes. I've been making the noise all the time, when I feed him, brush him, flyspray him, and when I'm just leading him around. I also took the can of woundcoat and imitated the noise it makes while moving it up and down along side him. (I didn't actually spray him though.) His head would go up, he would get all tense, and have this OMG expression on his face. I would do it for 10 seconds on one side, give him 20-30 second break, and then switch to the other side. After a few minutes he was way more relaxed and wasn't reacting as much. He even worked up the courage to touch the can with his nose and investigate it (which is pretty good since he would try and move away from it whenever I would take a step towards him with it before.) So, I think, in a couple of days, he will be much better with it. We worked through his fear of flyspray a couple of years ago, so we will work through this too. However, it does make me realize that I need to start desensitizing him to more stuff, and make him more "bombproof." On another note, his birthday is next week; he will be 6. My little boy is growing up so quickly!

Preakness and Horse Stuff

The Preakness was yesterday! I swear one of these years I will go there; Pimlico isn't that far from where I live. Animal Kingdom didn't win, so no chance at a Triple Crown winner. He came in second though, and if the race was just a little bit longer, he would have won it. Oh, well maybe next year; I at least hope that there will be one Triple Crown winner in my lifetime. I'm quite thankful that no horses were injured in the Preakness. Archarcharch, who was injured in the Derby, and required surgery, is doing well. He will be retired to stud at Spendthrift Farm.

So, you know the halter I had bought Pony about 3 weeks ago? Well, the leather part broke. I found it laying out in the middle of the field. Thankfully it was a breakaway, so he didn't get hurt with whatever he did. Although, I can quite imagine one of the other horses just grabbing it and yanking it off his face lol. So, now I have to go and try to get a replacement leather thing for it. They don't need to wear their halters anymore though, while turned out, since they are now out on grass more than just a couple of hours. (They are easier to catch now.)

My horse is such a sweetheart though. Last night he walked away from the other horses to see me. He leaned his neck against my side while I scratched his withers. He dozed off while I rested my head on his neck, and we just kind of stood like that until I had to go back inside. It was one of those awwww moments. lol

Another random thing that I thought I would mention is that Canter USA is having an online auction to raise money. The auction ends tonight at 8:00 pm though. Not very many people have bid, last I checked, but there aren't very many items. Some of the items include: a Ralph Lauren vest, Zenyata and Empire Maker halters, jewelery, riding pants, different riding lessons and clinics, and some other things. So check it out.

Canter USA

2 More Days!

As the title suggests, there are only two more days of classes left!! I have a test on Monday though, and I am procrastinating greatly which is why I am typing this. Although I am listening to the music I need to be able to recognize. Right now I'm listening to Stravinsky. Once I'm done classes I'll have 3 finals, and then it will be summer!

The horses are now up to about 4 hours of grass time during the day. More grass = less hay = money saved. Glory, our yearling, got kicked yesterday by the horse she gets turned out with. The 23 year old decided she wanted to be with the other horses, and threw a tantrum. Poor Glory was all confused and then got all nervous. Her leg was only a little bit swollen last night, but this morning it was worse. So, we cold hosed it again. She really isn't favoring it all that much though. She's putting equal weight on all four. We gave her some bute too, so hopefully it looks better by tonight.

I cant wait to have all the time in the world this summer. I'm going to work with Pony everyday. I do want to look for a job though. I need to start saving up money. I need to buy a new laptop. The one I have now is about 7 or so years old. It's been holding up great, but is starting to slow down. I cant decide between a PC or a Mac. Right now I have a PC, but I've heard great things about Macs. Any opinions?

The Kentucky Derby!

The Kentucky Derby was run just over an hour ago! I love horse racing, and every year I look forward to the Triple Crown races. I haven't really been following racing lately though, and I didn't really research any of the horses that were entered. I really wanted Pants on Fire to win though, mainly because it would have been awesome to have a female jockey win. However, Nehro was the name of the horse that was really jumping out at me. Nehro finished second and Pants on Fire got ninth. In case anyone missed it Animal Kingdom was the winner. ArchArchArch was pulled up and has a small fracture to some bone whose name I can not remember. He should be ok though. They said he will need surgery, but it is not life-threatening.

After the Derby we went and fed the horses. We've been slowly reintroducing them to the freshly grown grass, and they can be pain in the butts to get off of it lol. They see us coming and book it to the opposite end of the field. Last year Pony let me catch him, but this year he has to gallop a couple of laps before he decides it's time to go in the barn and eat his food.

I finally bought new leather cleaner! Last night I cleaned Pony's saddle and bridle. My saddle is a really old Theo Sommers saddle that I got for free (my aunt, who doesn't ride, bought it at a garage sale and had it sitting around.) Luckily, it fits both my and my horse nicely. I had never heard of the brand until I got it, but it's really nice. I also bought Jasper a new halter; its blue with green and lighter blue designs. Maybe I'll get a picture of it on him and post it. I also bought him glittery blue bell boots. He tends to overreach when he gets to running really fast. He got a few nicks that way when we were introducing them back to the grass last year in the spring. He looks all cute in them!

Almost Done!

14 more days left of classes! Not really looking forward to the final exams that come after that, but then it will be summer!! I'm excited to really start working with Jasper again. I haven't been able to do anything consistently with him for quite a while. Hopefully he remembers everything (he's still very green.)

I signed up for fall classes yesterday. It looks like it will be a pretty hard semester. I'm going to be taking elementary Japanese, statistics, organic chemistry, and the second part of biology (I took the first part this semester.) It will be fun, but it looks like it will be pretty tough. I also have labs for both biology and organic chemistry. I really dislike the labs; I probably dislike them because they tend to be 2-3 hours long. Oh well...

Oh, and, I didn't get to ride Pony this weekend like I was planning to. Saturday morning it was still pretty muddy, so I was going to let it dry out and ride in the afternoon. But, then, a thunderstorm popped up and it poured... again. The freshly fertilized fields are growing quite nicely from all of the rain we have been getting though. Hopefully we will get a lot of hay from them! Oh, and the Kentucky Derby is next weekend; I have no idea who I will be rooting for. Guess I better look and see who is running.... lol.

AC4H Auction

Hey all! April is here, (and already about half way over) yay! The horses have been great, like always. I haven't been able to do much with Pony because, when I'm not at class or studying for an exam, it's raining. This, of course, makes it very muddy. It also makes my boots get stuck when I'm trying to walk across the field. It's probably very entertaining to watch, lol.

I thought I would let anyone, who might be interested, know that Another Chance 4 Horse (a horse rescue) is having an online auction of donated items. There are a bunch of different things like books, movies, paralli dvds, jewelery, a 3 day trip to some island, $1,000 off a mother and daughter vacation at a ranch, and a bunch of different things. It's all done on facebook, and is the second auction they have done. Their first one was pretty successful, if I remember correctly. In fact my mom donated a new halter and lead rope to their last auction; we did try and bid on some stuff but didn't get it in the end. So, look around or spread the word. The money goes to a good cause.

Click Here

Oh, and the auction ends on the 20th of April at 10:00 pm.

Spring Break

Spring break hasn't been going as planned. I was hoping to horseback ride over the entire week, but it doesn't look that will be happening. Rain this afternoon, tomorrow, and on Friday. To top it off it's been anywhere from 10-15 degrees colder than it has been over the past couple of weeks. My horse doesn't seem to mind it though, less work for him. Looks like I'll be spending most of the week curled up in front of the tv or a good book. My friend is coming over Friday night though, so that will fun!

I did decide that I would clean my bridle tonight though. It would be the first time in several months. However, when I finally found my container of Leather CPR, it was all watered down. It wasn't anywhere where it would have melted. So, I guess I'm going to have to buy some new stuff which means a trip to Dover Saddlery! I also need to buy my pony some bell boots. He tends to get all excited when we reintroduce him to the grass in the spring time. Last spring he overreached with his back hooves and cut himself a few times. So, now I'm going to force him to wear bell boots in the beginning; I'm hoping for bright blue ones! He also needs a new halter. I wish money would grow on trees. If so I could buy him all the stuff he needs, or rather, all the stuff I want to buy for him lol.

I'm addicted

Yup, I am addicted to this online virtual horse game, lol. And, right now they are having a "lottery" competition where you can win virtual prizes to use on the game. Which means I am going on there every two hours or so to buy tickets, lol. Pretty sad... but then again there isn't anything a whole lot better to do on a rainy dismal day like today. The game is called Howrse by the way (if anyone is interested.)

Today, like I said, was cloudy and rainy. And, to make matters worse, I had an exam today. It wasn't too bad though. It was in one of my easier classes (music appreciation.) I'm not a music major though; I'm an animal science major. I have no idea exactly what I want to do in terms of career path, but I know it is going to be with animals. Yay! Oh, and spring break is next week! I'm going to work with my pony, and have fun. I cant wait! I also cant wait for summer; it never seems to come soon enough!

Photography

I've always loved taking pictures, especially of horses. I've never taken classes or anything; I just do so for fun. I'm currently saving up for one of those really nice cameras, but until then my nikon coolpix will do. Anyway, I was looking through some of my old pictures and thought I would share a few of my favorites. And, maybe now that it is getting all warm outside, I'll finally go out and start taking more pictures. Although, that might just kill my computer, since I already have thousands of pictures on it! lol

Ways You Can Help

So, I know this is supposed to be a blog about my life and horses. However, Japan has always been very dear to me, and so I felt the need to post this. Helping in general, not just Japan, is also important to me. So, the following are ways you can either help Japan, and/or nonprofit organizations.

Zazzle has made an official (for their site) t-shirt, that for each one bought, they will donate $10 dollars (USA dollars) to the Japanese Red Cross. There are also community t-shirts, and other items, that are made by other people. If bought, the royalties of these items will be donated.
http://www.zazzle.com/japanrelief

Click-to-Donate sites -these are sites where all you do is click once daily on a certain cause and a small donation is made towards that cause. It is 100% free for you. The money donated through the clicks are made through the advertisements of sponsors.
http://www.clicktodonate.org/clicktodonate.html
^Click on the pictures to donate to the different causes. Save the Children Foundation and The Red Cross are currently helping Japan. This is a pretty new site, so not many people know about it yet.
www.care2.com
^Another great click-to-donate site.

Search Engines:
www.igive.com -sponsored by Bing. Each search made donates a penny to the cause you choose. (A lot of nonprofits organizations are set up for this. A lot of horse rescues, too. You just have to search for them.)
www.goodsearch.com - Same as above but done by Yahoo. This one is strictly for nonprofits though.

Games:
www.freerice.com -For each question answered correctly 10 grains of rice are donated towards feeding the hungry. This is set up by the World Food Programme.

Of course you can always donate directly. I believe you can donate to the Japanese Red Cross through google, there is also the Red Cross, Safe the Children Foundation, and many other organizations to donate to. Just make sure that whoever you are donating to is reputable. I know of many other click-to-donate sites and games like free rice. If anyone wants me to post them in my next post I will. Thanks to anyone who does any of these!

March is Here

There seems to be so many natural disasters lately. I feel so awful for everyone affected. Japan has been a place that I've always wanted to visit. On March 11th, as many of you already know, they were hit by the biggest earthquake they've ever had which was then followed by a massive tsunami. Now they face the dangers of aftershocks and possible nuclear meltdowns. I wish these people the best, and will keep them in my thoughts and prayers.

On another, more positive note, Glory turned a year old on March 10th. The little monster is growing up so quickly! I remember the night she was born, which luckily we were able to be there. It was exciting and nerve-wrecking as well. We ended up having to help some in her birth. But, all worked out and both Glory and her mom were fine!

Soon after she was born.

Most recent picture (1 month ago)

Secretariat

I watched Disney's Secretariat for the first time last week. It was much better than I thought it was going to be; it wasn't all cheesy like most horse movies turn out to be. Secretariat was an amazing horse; one of the best racehorses of all time. Too bad I wasn't around way back when to actually see him race in person! I do hope there will be at least one Triple Crown winner in my lifetime though.

It's incredibly windy and rainy today; it made driving and walking around somewhat difficult. Hopefully it will be somewhat nicer tomorrow, and then maybe I'll be able to work with my horse! I sat on his back for the first time in months last night. Of course it was in his stall while he was eating hay, so it wasn't too exciting. But it made me really want to start riding again. There was a snow storm earlier this week, and now rain last night and today. Hopefully this weather will improve! I can't wait for summer!

Spring Semester Begins

Farewell winter classes, and hello spring classes! It's starting to feel like spring as well! It's going to be in the 40's (fahrenheit) all week! I can't wait for it to get warmer though; I cant wait to really start working with my horse again. Hopefully it will stay this warm, and won't get all cold again.

We did get a nice sized snowstorm a couple of weeks ago (nothing compared to last winter.) I managed to dig out my camera though and get some pictures. Pony had a blast; he loves his snow. It was Glory's first big snow; all she really did was roll in it... over and over again lol.

Sassy!

Pony!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I haven't blogged in a while; I actually completely forgot about my blog for a while there! I've been so busy with classes and barn work lately. With winter, everything seems to take twice as long, but the horses are worth the extra work. I cannot wait for springtime though. I haven't been able to ride my horse in a couple of months due to bad weather, the ground being frozen (we don't have a riding ring), and being busy. It will be nice to be able to work with the horses regularly again.

Pony (aka:Jasper) seems to love the cold though. He especially loves to eat the snow. He also likes to find bits of ice to eat as well. He usually is very hard on his blanket in the winter. He used to grab the straps on the front of his blanket and run around with them in his mouth. I finally found a blanket that works for him though. Its a Rhino; the one that simply clips in front and doesn't have the buckles. So, I am very happy that I wont have to get him a new one for next winter!

Glory will be a year old in March. Time flies by fast! She's a little devil horse though! She's very spirited and strong willed. I cant wait to start really working with her in spring; she needs to learn to be more respectful to humans! I wish I could post some pictures to show how much she's grown. But I cant, because I lost my camera.... again! I want to buy a new one, a really nice one since I'm kind of into photography. I cant afford to at the moment though. Hopefully soon! Maybe in my next blog I will actually have some pictures.