DefinitelyDressage.com

jeniferkey

Thistle is a 15 yr old 15.3 hh baroque-type Belgian/Welsh cross gelding. He's been on lease for the past 6 months at a dressage barn, and his rider is gone for the summer so he's coming home. He's working 1st level and schooling 2nd. Thistle's large bodied, but when working correctly, light on his f...

jeniferkey

An update that things are going quite well. I've hooked him alone and driven him a couple of times now. We have regular dressage type things to work on, his left turn needs work and I'd like to get shoes on his front feet at least for the gravel. He's eager and forward, but not proving to be spooky ...

jeniferkey

I don't put them up, and I think one of my dressage saddles doesn't have them, just a swoop up. I have enough trouble switching stirrups and getting the leathers on and off with them down. I've lost one stirrup and leather this way when I was 10 and my pony and I encountered a train. I had gotten of...

jeniferkey

I finally hooked Topper and rode behind him in the cart. There was some head tossing, we think because he wanted to go and I wanted to walk, but he was good and I was able to easily control him with my header there just in case. We're learning to communicate for the tighter turns, where he has to cr...

jeniferkey

I have had Neatos for a few years now. I had one start to go out and gave it to my mother. She moves it from level to level once a week to get the entire house. After a couple of years we've had to replace batteries, and it does do a number when the cat throws up and it gets spread about, but it's a...

jeniferkey

I know you're disappointed about the show year, but I've loved reading about his progress.

jeniferkey

Umm... Well, here's a video of a dressage show we did a couple of months ago. (oh, and commenting on your comment about being a better rider, that's the one thing my trainer has had me take away from all this). Riding something so small and, dare I say, squirrelly, has gotten me even more balanced a...

jeniferkey

We're in Fort Worth and we fox hunt North of Decatur in the area of the grasslands. We have a variety of properties. I've grown to like the wide open ones, where we can watch the hounds from quite a distance. Still, the ones with woods and creeks and ravines can be fun for the twisty-turny runs thro...

jeniferkey

Since I retired Miaren and Topper is slated for driving, I'm borrowing a friend's horse for fox hunting. He's an 11 yr old Morgan/Welsh pony cross who's lived much of his life on pasture. He's been trained to drive and ride, but he's not been in a consistent program in a while and rides like a rathe...

jeniferkey

I hold onto my bucking strap or the mane. I still kick out and hop off, but I need that hand hold to be sure I don't sit down if my feet don't want to support me. I have broken sesimoids in both feet and I have to be careful how I land. If the horse is taller I do tend to stay close and try to slide...

jeniferkey

I think Miaren's enjoying staying at the parents' with Emma. He didn't have big water puddles to play in at our place.
https://youtu.be/rbg9fwok0b4

jeniferkey

You sound perfect for each other! I'm borrowing a stocky 11 yr old 15 hh ish Morgan cross gelding and it is so nice to just have fun.

jeniferkey

Small update. He trotted up for breakfast two days ago, hadn't done that in weeks. I dropped him off at the farm with Emma yesterday. He was born on the place, and seemed to remember it as he raced around the pasture with his tail over his back. Then he settled with Emma and this morning they were h...

jeniferkey

Thanks for all the updates. It's interesting to hear all the results. And nice to hear positive news.

jeniferkey

His name is Simon. He's around 15.2. Maybe a little taller than Thuy, with about the same amount of body right now. He's already losing weight, but there's quite a bit of crest in that neck. He's insulin resistant and on some meds. I've added in the slow feed hay nets and luckily our grass is thin s...

jeniferkey

I do wonder if retiring will make things worse, but riding seems to make him feel worse than when he was off for the past year. I know Emma travels a lot over the 20 acres during the day, so it's not like he'll be keeping still and not getting exercise. My vet does not think it's EPM for a variety o...

jeniferkey

I posted elsewhere that I am retiring Miaren, and the Topper pony I got last year to use for hunting hasn't settled into riding like I'd hoped (we did go to our first dressage show and he was rather good), but I've been training him for driving and he seems so much more suited mentally. So, I talked...

jeniferkey

20 years ago I thought I wanted a draft horse. I browsed a lot on the internet and in my searching I saw a Belgian/Welsh pony gelding for sale up in Oregon. Back then I didn't know people who bought horses from across the US, but even then I could see a picture of a horse and know I wanted it. He sh...

jeniferkey

Not really a question, but I'm working up to the decision to retire Miaren. He's been NQR for two years now. First he started stopping at jumps and then I started feeling something happening with his hind end at the walk and eventually the trot. To catch it I had to video him and it showed he was tr...

jeniferkey

My last pair of Blundstone's also fell apart. A friend's did, too. The soles just shredded apart.

jeniferkey

I had switched to a mullen mouth pelham for the jumping phases with Mairen and was riding some of our dressage in it using mostly the snaffle. He was doing so well I found a mullen boucher that he seems to really like. I had to get it off ebay from England, but he goes so nicely in it.

jeniferkey

image.jpg You can see that if my saddle doesn't have too wide a twist my leg should lie mostly against him. image.jpg Out with the hunt in the dressage saddle. image.jpg We rode out with the huntsman on her new mount one ride. Topper was really eager, but always manageable, even with hounds around ...

jeniferkey

In the dressage saddle I push my heels down every stride and my legs stay long that way. I do have my stirrups a little shorter than usual to have horse to put my leg on. I guess he's pretty well sprung because I don't have trouble keeping my leg on. I've ridden a lot of ponies where my lower leg di...

jeniferkey

I went through this with Miaren. After the fall I wanted him to just go slow as even his energetic walk would intimidate me. Then after a couple of years, when I started wanting to think about 2nd level I realized that we had to face some retraining. Riding an upper level horse really helped to feel...

jeniferkey

We've been out with the hunt 4 times now and away for a XC school and trailered out to the local event farm indoor. This last hunt ride was the best yet. I only got off twice, and both times it was before I felt him get anxious. Once was when a part of our group needed to leave us quickly and the ot...

jeniferkey

Looks like fun.

jeniferkey

I have the 6x4x3/4 on the concrete apron around and in the barn. I also have 4 6X12 in my 12X24 stall. I like the larger ones because they cover more area and don't shift as much. They are expensive new though. I got mine used. I've noticed the 6X4 breaking apart as the glue seems to give way. Piece...

jeniferkey

He does look a lot like your Tuddy. I'm guessing my guy is a bit smaller but they have a similar look.

jeniferkey

He's a 6 yr old Morgan/Haflinger cross. He's not as confident in himself as Miaren, but he's braver. It's a strange contrast. Where Miaren might run away from something Topper walks up and sniffs it. Especially if food is involved. But you can wave your arms at Miaren all day long and clap and push ...

jeniferkey

I finally started a web page for him. Here's a link to a recent lesson http://www.draftymanor.com/topper/160124/ He's changed from when he first arrived. It's like he has woken up. He's from the Amish and has some of the holdover worry from that. For example he'll still shy trotting past my trainer ...

jeniferkey

I just recently did a return with Audible. I hadn't known it was an option before. My favorites are the Jim Butcher Dresden Files series. This is a good reminder to go get another book.

jeniferkey

That is interesting.

jeniferkey

I think coming from the Amish he was trained quite harshly to be absolutely obedient on the ground and in harness. I'd think that might be different from any horse I've personally brought along who didn't have that absolute fear of doing something wrong. He hasn't gotten to the point where he'd just...

jeniferkey

Yeah. We hired for IT a kid out of college. His parents came to check out the company and possibly to his interview. I was not shocked when he quit after a week (we paid for his move here and other perks) and it was because his parents offered to support him if he'd move home and work on an app he w...

jeniferkey

Thanks for the thoughts. I'm sure you're right that it's trust and bonding. My trainer suggests that he is just so well trained in hand that he has no thought of considering distractions, even if he doesn't completely trust me. On the other hand, under saddle he doesn't have that person beside him t...

jeniferkey

I've had my new a guy over a month now. I know that in and of itself means we're still in the settling in period, but I've brought a number of horses along and he has a different set of issues. He's a 14 hh-ish 6 yr old Morgan/Haflinger gelding who's a former Amish driving horse. Typical to that he'...

jeniferkey

First it lost its pull tab and I replaced that, then the bottom stopped grabbing right and I had to hold it a notch up to get it to catch, and now half way up the teeth act up and it pulls apart. I do think I need an excuse. It looks quite ratty and faded, but I think I will check to see what the re...

jeniferkey

My zipper has finally gone out on my Kyra K coat and I'm using the snaps until I find just the right coat. I don't like puffa coats because I feel claustrophobic if clothes are tight on my upper body. Most of my coats are a size larger so I can fit sweaters and other bulky clothes underneath. Do you...

jeniferkey

Marien is a Welsh Cob/TB cross. I admit I prefer them shorter and stouter, but he's almost 13 and we've had a lot of adventures together. Right now he's on a break. Hopefully this spring he'll come back to work and he'll feel ok. 05md.jpg and Topper, the new guy, is a Morgan/Haflinger. We'll see wha...

jeniferkey

It wasn't easy to find, but I switched Miaren to a Boucher Mullen mouth and he finally got easy. I figured it was that my hands weren't steady enough for the other bits, but I didn't really care since he seemed happy. Now the new boy is in a single jointed egg butt, because it's what I had that fit ...

Search found 40 matches