Friesian/Morgan Pictures

For FHOTDer's... here are more pictures of the grullo mare that was posted in the "Circus is in town" post from Fugly.

Sorry for the double pic.... I really am afraid she inherited a Friesian head on a Morgan body. I really want to find a home for her, so suggestions and help would be welcomed.

Gotta Love Lightning...

... because I'm blaming it for my silence the past 10 days. One's heart knows no brief failure resulting from a startle like that of a bolt of lightning hitting the house 10 feet away from you. I will admit that while I still enjoy thunderstorms, I'm still cringing a little each time there's a lightning flash. Several appliances were fried, including my computer power cord (and VERY thankfully not my computer!), and now, at last and finally, I have a new cord and my laptop back.

Much has happened, not all of it according to plan because life interfered. In my worthwhile experiences, I watched a dressage show that was both embarrassing and enlightening (an essay about trainers letting riders who are NOT ready to show in the ring is to come soon), but I walked away with great pictures and some new friends, both human and equine.

I jumped again, and it was lovely, happy and quiet, and I'm content with that. I've ridden David the Friesian a few times more and he keeps proving to me that a seasoned dressage rider I am not, but I've come to truly enjoy it and I plan to pursue riding dressage more seriously since I feel my time riding and competing over fences is coming to a close.

And the side of life that was disappointing in a way... I am back in Indiana, far earlier than planned. Due to an unexpected financial loss for my boss and her husband, they couldn't afford to keep me as an employee past July 5th. So now, I'm posting from my old bedroom in Indianapolis, having arrived here yesterday morning on an early flight from Atlanta. While I was welcomed to stay in Atlanta for the rest of the summer, I couldn't justify being there without earning a paycheck, sadly. Now I'm pursuing temporary jobs in Indy and I am glad to be back with my family and boyfriend. I was away for 7 weeks, and even though it was a tough separation, all the experiences I had and the friends and connections I made in the South were completely worth the frustration.

I'm not planning to post a blog any longer, since Jenn is no longer in "Jeorgia" and has returned to what feels like a very ordinary lifestyle for her. For all my school friends, you can always check out the albums and updates on my Facebook, and for other friends who have cheered me on... well, you have my phone number :)

Thank you for your kind patience in reading through my horsey times, even though my terminology may have been a bit thick for the non-riders. Godspeed!

~Jenn

Jacquelyn of All Trades

J.A.T... that needs to be my new nickname.

I am a zookeeper. I've been keeping an eye on a nest full of five baby sparrows, but thankfully none have fallen out yet. I have a barn full of twelve horses, and thankfully, none of THEM either are out... yet. And now, I have a baby blue bird sitting on my bed in a brand new critter keeper.

My boss walked into the barn earlier. "Hey Jenn... remember how you said you've rescued birds before?"

Ho boy. I laughed and grabbed up a towel. I'm guessing this bird is at least 10 days old and got too adventurous for his nest. Even though I replaced him twice, little Suicide hopped right back out the other side, only to fall on his beak. He's not too sure about the mealworms yet, so we'll be trying a little cat food soon.

I am also a stall scrubber. Think about what horses can do against a stall wall that leaves stains... yeah, no more on that.

I am she-who-rigs-pliers-on-a-rope, and girl-who-finds-lost-gallon-of-bleach.

Yife, what a day. We're supposed to get a lot of rain soon (Thank you, God!). We need it so very badly; the pastures are starting to get crunchy.

Catching Up...

Lots of information in this post, so here's an apology in advance.

Last Friday, I got the chance to go watch the USHJA International Hunter Derby at Georgia International Hunter Park. This is where the equestrian teams for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics rode and competed. Pictures are posted above. The Derby was made to replicate what a hunter horse would encounter in the field; water, fences, gates, etc. The jumps were 3'6" to 4' tall, and there was a $25,000 purse at stake for the winner.

I've been schooling the ponies a lot lately, and the trainers know that I'm more than happy to come have a "chat" with them should they be misbehaving for the smaller children. Penfield decided to start slinging his head around and scaring the very tiny girl on him, so I (a not so tiny girl) hopped on and rode him out. I made the trainer promise me I'd never have to ride that tiny saddle ever again if possible :)

The property was unexpectedly left in my sole care for a few days as my boss and her husband had to take care of life events, so I had an unusual experience with a quiet barn and all the horses buddying up to me. They know that I'm the gravy train now, and the horses in the paddock right by my house greet me with neighs when I walk out in the morning to feed. Yeah, I see where your hearts are... I'm free to ride pretty much who I want and when I want; it's a freedom I'm not used to and I am thoroughly enjoying it.

Tuesday turned into a day of exploration for me. I've ridden David a few times, but only at the walk and trot since I'm still working on steering him properly. I watch his owner ride him a lot, and after schooling a dressage test, she came up to me and told me it was my turn. Well aware that I'd never ridden as advanced a test before, nor even cantered or asked much of this horse before, I gave it a whirl. David is a lot of horse to hold together and "package". Being a dressage horse, I have much more control of his shoulders and hind end than I do on a jumper. I have to constantly control his shoulders and forward motion, flex his neck, steer, encourage forward, cue, etc. That's a lot to keep track of. Considering what I had against me, I rode the test pretty well once I figured out the geometry of the ring. David's canter is AMAZING; long, deep and smooth. It's so easy to sit pretty on him.

I've become good friends with David's owner, and we've down many activities together on my days off since we share similar interests in the shops and area history. After riding David, this lady gave me some news that is definitely very exciting. I can't give many details now since it's still in the works, but what I can say (tentatively at the moment) that I may be getting a very nice mare from her within the next year or so. Hopefully more news to come.

I've also learned that bathing a draft horse is a very refreshing experience. Yesterday was particularly miserable in the weather; it was one of those days where you feel slimy from the humidity and poor air quality. I went to rinse off Sadie, an old and retired Percheron mare who spends her days in the field. She loves her baths, and I found that holding the hose high over her (she's a big girl) let it mist on me. I ended up sitting under her and letting the water drip on me, and Sadie took a nap.

Trivia for the day: Did you know that hell hath no speed or intensity like that of two miniature donkeys who think you have food? I've faced down big and angry horses before without flinching, but for some reason, those gray fuzzballs aimed at my kneecaps made me shake...

I've also figured out that I am highly capable of A) catching a pony, holding onto it, catching another pony, holding onto those two, and catching the third B) sorting donkeys out from said ponies C) KEEPING said donkeys out from around said ponies D) and navigating 3 ponies out a gate, turning them around, closing the gate and keeping the donkeys in the field without letting the ponies eat a blade of grass... Phew. It was quite fun, nonetheless, walking up past the barn with a three-pony escort. It got a few smiles from onlookers.

I'm going to a dressage show tomorrow, with pictures to come. Later!

In This Episode of As the Barn Turns...

• Reggie discovers girls... one girl, in particular, and also pulls a bungee cord one too many times...
• Rosie returns to the "wild"...
• Jenn encounters medicine of the slung-from-a-horse-mouth-at-high-speed kind...
• Red the horse and Paco the dog have an intent heart to heart, and face to face...

Hehe, okay... the bungee cord one definitely deserves an explanation. Reggie, being the trickster he is, loves to try to escape his stall. Therefore, he has a bolt latch, a chain and two bungee cords on the bolt latch to slow him down a little. Throughout the course of the day, he manages to peel the various devices from the door, which are replaced (by me).

Well... Reggie got snapped in the nose by a bungee cord. I was actually happy to hear my boss say that Reggie had a bloody nose; I knew what it was from instantly. Sure enough, there was a loose bungee cord with a little piece of horse-nose flesh on it, and Reggie was in the corner of his stall pouting. After this, I led him out into the aisle to brush him. He glanced across the aisle to another stall, and there was...

**ROSIE!** (cue the butterflies and music) His head and ears snapped up and forward instantly, and he started dancing in the aisle, Heeeeeey cutie! Well, fate happened to put the two of them in adjoining paddocks for the night, and the lovebirds were last seen kissing through the fence (and very carefully avoiding the hot tape...) Much to Reggie's disappointment, Rosie's medicating period had ended, and therefore, she rejoined her buddies in the back pasture. But I'm sure they will see each other once in a while...

The high speed medicine requires no explanation.

And Paco got lively today and decided to go horse chasing. Red thought that was a lovely idea (NOT!) and promptly escorted the dog under the fence (at very high speed).

Oh, the animals...

Deja Vu

The barn has become more "mine" the past week as a routine has developed. Several horses decided to either get sick, hurt or lame recently, and now the feeding routine has what feels like a thousand new medications. Taking a day off is almost more work than not, with having to explain all the meds.

"Rosie gets these two eye ointments four times a day, starting with the morning feeding, then at lunch, then midafternoon, then the evening feeding. Tyrone's Robaxin got upped to 20 tablets twice a day, but you have to mix it like this to make sure the syringe plunger can get it all out. Then, Aries is still on bute, but down to one gram. Sadie gets the bute too, but three grams (I stick it in her mouth when she goes for her food). After all that, Aries needs to be handwalked for twenty minutes, but only in the indoor ring..."

Yeah. After handling those developments over the course of a day, I feel a whole lot more confident handling a barn and the fluctuating habits of the four-hooved individuals within. But, I can't get that confused with arrogance.

After I'd been here a few days, had the barn to myself and was riding horses for my boss, I found myself chatting with one of the trainers, who was keeping a watchful eye on a small student of hers as she tacked up a pony for her lesson. I knew I needed to ride Tyrone, so I asked the trainer if it'd be a problem if I rode during her lesson. She asked who I was riding and I smiled and replied, "Mr. T here."

Behind the trainer, the girl whirled her head around to stare at me, her eyes big. I smiled back at her, wondering what that had been about. Then I had a little bit of a flashback, or deja vu, if you will, that settled in when I was first riding and in awe of those who got to ride the good horses... the fancy jumpers, the owners horses, etc. I'd been there, and now I stood (and rode) where I'd seen those other girls. And now, that little student was where I had been.

Now for the not becoming arrogant part... I knew that Tyrone and my boss were a great combination. I also knew that they had done some serious showing and won a lot. But I had not known... that she and Tyrone were National Hunter Champions a few years ago. It was mentioned to me casually, and my heart kinda hit my stomach, but in a good way. I've been riding a National Hunter Champion horse for the past three weeks, and they're not rides I've had to beg.

"Tyrone needs to be exercised, and you have really good soft hands, so how about flatting him twice a week or so?"

While this new info doesn't change my role around here, it's certainly a compliment that humbles and makes me thank God twice more whenever I get on Tyrone.

On a lighter note, we harassed Reggie in his paddock with the remote control car. Next time, I promise we will have the video camera.

Main Question of the Day...

How many poor decisions must Reggie make before getting a clue?

Too many, would be my answer at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I really like Reggie overall, but he has "personal space" issues when someone comes in his stall. He thought he had me pegged when I was picking out his stall; I turned with a forkfull of horsey "presents" and he took the opportunity to bite my rear. Fortunately for me, full hands does not equal no punishment. He got a foot in the ribs and a roar, and he meekly retreated to a corner to pout through the surprised look on his face. She grew another arm instantly...? This horse is also starting to understand my very silent and very serious communication... The Look. He also gets now that if he receives The Look along with Crossed Arms, he'd better shut up before he ends up as a bedspread, fringe and all.

Also, the night before, Reggie decided that he thought I hadn't put enough hay in his stall and snaked his (not so little) head over his window at me, ears pinned and teeth bared. It was almost 10 PM, and I was in NO moon to tolerate his face making. I whirled around, waving my arms and yelled "Booga booga booga!" He snatched himself back so fast he smacked himself in the back of the head on the window frame, then bounced his nose around a couple times trying to turn around before his head had fully withdrawn... silly pony.

To sum up my past couple of days, see this little prayer of the Barngirl.

Dear Lord,

Thank you that Rosie's eye hasn't gotten infected yet, and that she's being good about having me stick ointment in it four times a day. Thank you that Aries didn't carry me more than ten feet when he decided that whirling around and trotting off was a good idea while I was wrapped around his head giving him medicine. Thank you that we found David's shoe, and please help us to find Red's shoe. Thank you that Tyrone only got one mouthful of medicine dribbled on my baseball cap before I noticed. Thank you that only four bales of hay fell on me. Thank you that the big arthritic draft mare didn't catch me up when she stumbled and tripped on the hill. Thank you that the vet was only an hour late, and that we could find a second farrier quickly so a student could actually have her lesson tonight. Thank you that one of our trainers didn't need stitches, and that we've only had four storms so far this week. Please don't let the coffee grinder spit Robaxin tablet pieces on me ever again; it tastes bad, and tell the barn cat that dead mice do not belong in the sink in the tack room.

Thank you that I'm still in one piece, and managing triage in an invalid yard of horses makes me happy, because that's how horses go and I have to convince myself that I like giving medicine four times a day for thirty days.