Delightful Canter

Today I caught Dancer, then put him in the arena and asked him to trot while he was loose. He had a good trot and then a good canter too.

I groomed him outside today, the sun was warm and L was out. The little cat also joined us.

Dancer and I rode for over 1/2 hour with half being a good trot. He cantered well in both directions for me and was very responsive. I was limited with time and had to go. I won't get to see him again until Sunday.

This weekend is the Hooker Convention in Couburg. I have three rugs being shown at it. Also, I am taking a Friday course. It will be a lot of fun. Mrs. Parent and I are sharing a hotel room and we have interlocking rooms with all the other local hookers.

Jessica and Dancer

We had a great time lunging Dancer. Jessica took lots of great pictures. The little barn cat was chasing the lunge whip again.

We measured him for harness and I am afraid he is rather large.

Dancer and Hero

Dancer and Hero were in the arena together today. Rosie and Hero joined us for our exercise. It is the first time I have ridden with anyone in a very long time.

The geese and the cat joined us in the arena as well.

Despite all the brushing, Dancer's coat is extremely dusty. I worked on his mane and braided it over to the right side. He has a bit at the top that doesn't want to behave. Dancer loved all the attention.

I have started to look into harness for Dancer. I tried on a horse size and it barely fit him. I think he is going to need a small heavy horse harness. I am now thinking he will need a collar.

Harness & Saddles

The past two days Dancer was so patient with me. Friday night I drove out with Laura and Sheri to try on a harness. I want to train him to buggy. Well the was so good about the bridle with blinkers, unfortunately this harness barely fit him. It was a no go.



On Saturday morning my other friend Laura dropped by having seen four western saddles at a yard sale. Her and I trucked off leaving our husbands to make breakfast. The allowed me to borrow saddles to take and try on Dancer. Once again Dancer was very patient as I tried the saddles. The first was far too high in the withers and the seat was too small for me. The second saddle fit him well, again it was a 16 inch seat and I need something larger. Again a no go. But what fun we had.



Back home, the hubbies had made breakfast. Pancakes and coffee for the group and scrambled eggs and potato for me (I'm gluten free).

After breakie Laura and I were off to Mount Horeb where there was a horsey yard sale. The rule was I could not buy a second hand saddle unless it was an 18 inch seat. Boy was I tempted with a 17 inch all purpose saddle...though that is not what I am looking for. We left there empty handed and drove to Victoria Feeds - Horse & Hound , here we looked over the harness catalogue.



Laura is going to ask her horsey friends if anyone can give me some pointers before I purchase any harness.

Vet Visit

Today Dancer had his spring shots and overall checkup. I arrived early to ensure he was suitably brushed. I had a bit of spare time so I took photos of all the farm animals.

Dancer went back to the field as I am still recovering...

Heavy Rain Drops

What a night, I was sick last night with food poisoning! Well I didn't get out to see Dancer for long today.

Dancer is less hairy, the lovely summer coat is almost in. After grooming him and cleaning his feet we were pelted with rain drops. I was grooming him outside to enjoy the weather when rain swept in. Even the baby bunny took off.

Dancer came into the barn and patiently waited while I put the brushes away. We then made the dash for the paddock. By the time we arrived at the gate the drops had stopped. It really didn't down pour, but the sky had that dark look about it.

Tomorrow the vet is visiting for his spring shots and general check up. I will have to spend lots of time grooming before the vet comes as Dancer is still very dusty.

Hay Bins

It is suppose to be another beautiful day... I am off to see Dancer.

What a busy day. We had a phone call, at the crack of dawn, and our friend Jan is a Grandmother...Becky her daughter had a baby girl... 8 lbs 8 oz Maddison, Maddy for short.

Then, Alan and I spent the morning going through New Zealand photos. We are creating a two hour presentation from our three months worth of photos...what a daunting task. We are showing the pictures on Saturday night.

Following a quick lunch, I was off again to see Dancer. It was beautiful outside. He enjoyed a quick brush outside, then a treatment of fly spray. Off to the pasture then a treat and I was off again. I forgot to mention the outdoor hay feeders. There is much less wastage and they are so sturdy and well made.

Next, I went to my sister's stable to see her riding her horse Stevie. We had a lovely visit ending with a cup of tea at the Country Cafe in Orono.

Finally, I stopped off at the Village Bakery for a raspberry roll and a chopsuey loaf, then the grocery store for pizza makings.

Off home again, I have spent the last few hours dying wool for a rughooking package for my sister Laurie. It is a cute cow mat to learn how to rug hook.

Blue Birds Have Returned

A blue bird was in the tree where Dancer and I were working today.

After a good half hour of grooming we set out to do our lunging. Dancer was wonderful. Also, we spent a bit of time with old fashioned halter work.

Riding was excellent. I am having a bit of trouble pushing Dancer into a more energetic trot. He behaved like a dream. The cat joined us and when we were halted, the cat came and rubbed around Dancer's feet. He stood without moving, but when the cat was going around the back feet, I was worried. All he did was cock his ears at an odd angle. I spoke to him, and he waited patiently until the cat was done.

The guinea hens joined us today. They love the spot by the gate as there are bits of old hay worked into the soil. As Dancer and I would come around, they would step out of the way then go back to their digging. Dancer was not even bothered.

Overall, for my exercise, it was over an hour.

Dancer's Moves

My Round Rug: Harry helped me finish the rug while Oli watch. I am happy to say that I have finished hooking this rug. Most is from reclaimed fabric, and I hand dyed all of it (with the help of my friend Mrs. Parent). This rug was started at least 25 years ago and I am done! Yippee!!

Alan dropped me off at the farm this afternoon. Rod was using the little backhoe to dig up bushes by the horses pasture.

Nava was not in with Dancer as her owner was having a visit. Well, between Nava gone and the machinery, Dancer was working himself up into a sweat.

Bringing him into the barn he remained anxious in cross ties. I had to close the back door and he still wouldn't settle down. Eventually he settled down after brushing him for about 15 minutes.

Lunging with the surcingle (?) in the outdoor arena was fun. We worked for over a 1/2 hour steady. He behaved very well with only a few questionable halts.

Back to the barn and we got ready for some riding. Dancer was wonderful. He trotted well - no spooking or skittering - despite the fact that the machinery was running close by and that Nava was running up and down. It was me that needed to stop. I trotted for over ten minutes. We even cantered. Dancer's head set and movement were beautiful. I was quite pleased with him.

Returning Dancer to the field, I walked him half way down to the water trough. Here I put his Horse Patootie in the feed bucket and left him. Part way back, I suddenly realized that I was hearing a horse, I turned and here was Dancer trotting to catch up with me, ears up and eager...I am sure it was in hope there was another treat.

Today, I lunged for a 1/2 hour and rode for a 1\2 hour, so I am counting this as one hour exercise. My biceps are getting a work out too, as they are aching. I didn't count the 15 minutes brushing and the walking to and from the paddock - it is a bit of a distance after all.

Green Grass

Today I called Dancer from the car. He headed over and was almost at the gate by the time I arrived.

It was funny when the chickens and rooster stayed on the door to the stall, right beside Dancer, while we groomed. He was even crowing and Dancer didn't care.

Much time was needed with grooming today. I oiled his feet today after cleaning them. Then he was thouroughly brushed with a dandy brush to remove mud. Then I used the brush to remove winter hair. Finally, I worked on his mane. He didn't like it as I worked on pulling it. It is looking lovely. Overall his coat is looking much better.

I spent so much time grooming, he only had a few minutes to eat the green grass in the laneway.

Heading home, I will be finishing my round rug.

I am not sure if this counts as exercise, perhaps 1/2 an hour.

The Old Dancer is Back!

14 Apr 10

Calling Dancer today and he looked up at me then put his nose back down and continued to eat grass. I was aghast. Call him once again, he decided to come. The new spring grass must taste great.

Grooming was on the agenda today as his winter coat is really coming out now. He looked great. Saddling him up, put on my boots and hat, the two of us were ready to go.

First lunging Dancer with the help of the little kitty, we worked well as a team of three. Dancer lunged beautifully. I was very pleased as he halted when asked, trotted etc. The little kitty played with the end of the lunge whip the entire time.

Following the lunging we entered the outdoor arena for a ride. Dancer walked in a grid pattern for me, then completed numerous circles. They were nice circles too. He has a hard time walking in a straight line, but after some practice he was completing this exercise with ease.

We again shared the paddock with the little kitty, only this time the two Chinese geese joined us too. At one point the geese flapped their wings, honking at Dancer before running from the arena. Dancer didn't even flinch despite behaving so skittish the other day. It seems my solid guy has returned.

Working at the trot, using the little inner part of the ring, as the outer part had recently been disked, Dancer was quite sluggish. Pushing him into the newly ploughed outer part of the ring he moved beautifully. In fact he loved it.

We trotted for over my ten minute minimum time for exercise. Dancer loved the exercise, however my breath was laboured with all the trotting. More exercise is needed for the rider, I suppose. After cooling us off, unsaddling and sweeping the floor, I took Dancer out to his pasture. He enjoyed one of the Horse Patootie Treats I made him.

As to exercise today, I am counting this as 1 hour, with grooming, walking to and from the pasture, lunging and riding!

22 Degrees Celcius!!

At last it is warming up. (72 degrees F.) Dancer is still loosing his winter coat. It is quite funny that the long hairs, that are about two inches long, don't fall out.

I decided to lunge in the outdoor arena today. Then I would ride in the arena. The little barn cat came and joined us again. She follows the end of the lunge whip and manages to stay out from under the horses feet.

Dancer was very well behaved. We had no wind, and no outside distractions. He lunged like a dream. When I rode him, I only managed about ten minutes. I was so sore from all the walking in my wellies yesterday.

I am going to have to start timing my trotting to build up my stamina. It has been so long since I have done any serious riding. I was having trouble keeping my heals down.

Rosie gave me some pointers. I still couldn't manage much of a trot. I will have to keep practicing.

I can only count this as 1/2 hour of excercise. I have to figure out a way to compile this my hours of exercise...thanks to my daughter Lisa.

Spring Fever!

It feels like a broken record when I say Dancer is a mess. Today he is covered in dry manure...Yippe! This picture is from a few weeks ago, but I couldn't resist showing that he loves laying down.

Despite the hour of brushing, his rump was still pure dust. Oh well, his ears were up and he was ready to go.

I decided to saddle him up, but start by lunging him at the end of the hay field. This is where he has found something to spook at. I thought it was the phone box, but now I think it may be either the lamas down the road or the turkeys in the bush.

We went out prepared to lunge. What a great walk on such a beautiful, warm and sunny day. The wind was quite strong and I should have realized as we began that Dancer was going to give me a run for my money. He was skitterish around the mail box, then he walked so quickly as we progressed to the far end of the field. We managed about ten minutes of quiet walk and trot on the lunge line, then we progressed to the problem area. I could not get him to settle down, so I could only walk him up and down. I walked in the deep dry grass at the side as well. He tried taking off, bucking and kept up with the skitterish attitude. I wish I knew what was bothering him.

Usually Dancer is the most stable, solid horse. He even lets the goats, chickens and geese run under his feet. Oh, and when I lunge him in the outdoor arena, a cat comes and chases the whip - that doesn't faze him.

What can I do to help Dancer...and me?

Well this is where I have decided that my fitness is fitting into the horse activities. We were in the field walking up and down, with some trotting for over an hour. Add that to my hour of brushing and sweeping, that is a total of 2 exellent fun filled hours.

I let Dancer loose in the outdoor arena after I was finished. I asked him to trot and he started trotting around the outside, then all of a sudden he was galloping like alunatic. I asked him to trot throught to a stop and he did. He turned for me but just broke into a gallop. Maybe I should chase him in the arena and work off a bit of his spring fever before I lunge and ride!

Snow!!

With snow in the air, Dancer was quite eager today. He was ready to leave the field meeting me at the gate. This meant he crossed the puddle, usually he waits on the other side and I have to lead him around it. As usual, the mud at the gate is still deep and sticky. I managed to keep my boots on. Today, Nava stayed back not crossing a puddle of water.

Leading Dancer in, I could feel that he was full of beans. I put him in cross ties facing outside. It took ages to brush him. Thank goodness for Joan's brush, it really helps with the shedding. I pulled a wee bit of his mane and will have to remove a bit each day. It grows quickly. I just can't get it all to stay one one side...any ideas about this?

Andrew, my son, is holding the baby bunny that were nesting underneath the geese.

The snow and wind put me off from riding today. I got something in my eye, so I wasn't feeling quite happy. We managed some ground training. He lunged very well at the walk trot. I have to work on the canter. I was pleased that he was responding to the voice commands.

Rosie arrived at the barn...she rescued me and took the hair out of my eye!
She informed me of the latest barn info. It is sad and unfortunate that at the barn in the last two days, a wild animal killed the ducks and two of the geese. The goats, guinea hens, chickens, two geese and all the rabbits are fine. But we will miss these elegant geese.

After brushing Dancer off, sweeping the hall and putting all the bits away Rosie and I walked him back down to the paddock.

I met Rosie's Mum and we had a cup of tea. Her friends phoned, they are fundraising for the local Pony Club. They are having an afternoon tea and fashion show. This is going to be fun as they are exhibiting horsey clothing. I asked for two tickets to the event and plan on taking Joan. I will have to talk to a few other friends to see if they want to go as well. I think this will be a fun afternoon. Then, they turned up. I at last have met Tracy and Crystal. We went outside and continued to drink in the garage....tea for me. Had a great time and look forward to future riding.

Rain & More Rain

I did a drive by Dancer, today. I opened my window and called. Well Dancer looked up, ears up - he looked so nice. I passed his field when driving to the vet's.

I had to pop over to the vet's to check on Harry's records. He bit Alan quite badly, so we ended up taking him to the doctor for a tetanus shot and antibiotics. The health unit is bound to call and quarantine him. Well he is an indoor cat, so I don't imagine this will be so bad. Harry had smelt another cat outside the door, and Alan had to pick him up at that moment. Well, Harry became a fur ball and bit him quite badly. I will now have to put him in the laundry room when children visit as he doesn't seem to like them. He must be getting old.

Muddy Marvels

Yes, it is still muddy. The little bit of rain we had has contributed to it. I am still wearing my wellingtons! Oh well, spring is here and we are almost through the mud.

Dancer seems to like the mud as he was covered on both sides today. Even his head and ears had mud on them, what a sight. But it does help remove his winter coat. I have spent over an hour brushing him, once again.

We lunged for about 15 minutes in the outdoor arena. Rosie had disked it so it was much easier going than the other day. I think I am getting just as much of a work out as Dancer is.

We then went for a quiet ride in the hay field. At least I thought it was going to be quiet. The wind was tremendous causing lots of bits floating through the air. Dancer didn't seem to mind, though he was still concerned with the phone box on the other side of the road. A police car went screaming by and that didn't even phase him.

Beside the hay field, I think there was a creature in the woods. It might have been a deer. Dancer certainly wasn't interested in getting too close, though he was giving it his undivided attention. We rode further down the field away from the distractions and practiced bending at a walk and trot.

He was such a good boy today. His winter coat certainly is coming out, but he still has some rather long hair on his head, shoulders, legs and belly. I bought him a flax additive for his feed. This will bring a nice shine to his new coat.

Hairy Conniptions!

Dancer was very muddy yesterday - stem to sterm. I almost lost my wellies bringing him through the gate, as the mud is so intense. Then Nava, the other horse in the field, saw an opening and tried to escape. I quickly squelched my way through the gate, holding Dancer and fending off Nava. She was upset we were leaving her. Lately she has become quite pushy at the gate.

Dancer grew an amazingly thick coat this winter. We had temperatures of below -20C and Dancer was outside all winter. He only wore a rain coat on rainy days. Since he has a touch of Clyde in him, he was shaggier than a Shetland pony!

Now that we have temperatures of +25C he is shedding. My horsey sister, Joan, lent me a different brush. It is shaped like a bear paw and has large plastic nubs on it. I have a smaller version, but tried this one and it really works. Dancer has shed at least one grocery shopping bag every day lately. My biceps are getting a work out. The unfortunate part of this is that Dancer still looks mangy and dusty despite all my hard work. But, I am seeing glimmers of a summer coat across his chest.

Lately Dancer has become friends with the little beige and white goat. She has no name, so I am going to have to think of one.

Andrew, my son, thinks we should call the goat LBG for little beige goat and then L for short, after Reece Witherspoon in Legally Blond... don't ask me where that came from.

When grooming Dancer, this little goat stands on the other side of him then we switch sides. I can imagine this little goat following us during training in the arena or pleasure riding in the fields and forest.

A sure sign of spring is the sound of the spring peepers. Not only are there baby frogs, but there are baby rabbits too. Rosie, the owner of the barn, found the goose nesting with three little baby rabbits under her her! What a funny place this is!

Yesterday, my little sister Laurie took her children snake hunting. Usually at Easter it is for eggs, but with her inquisitive boys, snake hunting was a success. Well, for Laurie it was a success as they found no snakes!

Horse Patooties

On-line I found an interesting recipe for horse treats and adapted my recipe according to what I had on hand.

Horse treat recipes

Well I went through my cupboards to see if all the ingredients were available and I was close. I had to use my gluten free corn meal and oatmeal along with ground flax and topped it up with granola (with no nuts).

The recipe called for 12 oz of molasses and I was short some. I topped it up with my husband's blueberry syrup and then used his peach pancake syrup in place of the syrup called for. Forming the balls was quite messy so I added one and a half cups of whole wheat flour and then it was too dry. Finally I added a half cup of olive oil. I figured that couldn't hurt. Oh and I added a half cup of seaweed for good measure.

This brown mass looked much like fresh manure to me. Filling up my mini-muffin tins I baked them for ten minutes. They sure smelled great.

Dancer sampled the first one and enjoyed it enough to come looking for another. Hero, another horse at the barn was allowed to sample them too, Rosie his owner was there to ask. He too enjoyed the treat. Success with the Horse Patooties. Dancer will enjoy them for awhile as it made almost a hundred.

The horsey girls met for drinks today, so is sent Jill, Louise, and Nellie some to take home for their horses to sample. Hope they enjoy them.

Horse Patooties
1 cup nut free granola
2 cups oats (mine weren't quick)
2 cups bran
1/2 cup ground flax
1/2 cup fine seaweed
2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup blueberry syrup (use extra molasses if necessary)
1 cup peach syrup (use corn if necessary)
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil


Mix all ingredients together, place in mini-muffin tins and bake at 350 for 10 to 15 minutes before they burn!
Cool and serve. Makes almost a hundred.

Riding Again

It's hard to believe after 24 years I own a horse once again. I gave up riding while expecting my second child, Lisa. Life passed by and I was called back to horses once again. My sister Joan was the catalist drawing me back. After unsuccessful leasing, then sharing her horse Stevie, my dream boy came up for sale.

The day before my daughter's wedding I found out that Dancer was for sale. I had leased him in the past and loved him. I agonized over this as we were heading on a three month trip to New Zealand following the wedding.

Well, I managed to fit in the vetting, the purchase, finding the stable (with friends to care for him ), in a few short weeks then left him for three months. It was very hard.

I arrived home at Christmas to deep snow and limited riding as there is no indoor arena here. But, spring is here and we are now out riding in the mud and I mean mud! My boots have been suctioned off a couple of times when leading Dancer through the gate and chasing his roomie, Nava, away.

The sun is shining and I can't wait to get riding.