Pony Kisses & Holiday Wishes

As hopefully you can all see, the Christmas holidays are right around the corner, and for every little girl that loves horses you can only guess what's on this year's wish list.

As for myself, my best christmas wishes have already come true. Jack will undergo some stall decorations-and maybe receive some prizes and treats in the process!-as will our house.

A special holiday wish is that of a leather bracelet with his name engraved on a plate.

Just imagine what a sight some people might have to see me walking around with "Jack" on my wrist.

(And a special wish oh Santy: maybe an inch of snow or so down here in old Louisiana? Sprinkle some of that North Pole on us, i'm sure there's enough to spare. Hahaha!)

Happy Holidays Dear Bloggers!

-Parrish & Jackaroo

The Great Move

Destination: southern Louisiana. 

Reason: there's an colored assortment, take your pick. 

Though when it comes to moving an equine, there's almost too much that goes into moving him halfway across the country. 

Strenuous is the word i've been using to describe how the trip had affected Mr. Jackaroo, and people can barely believe that.

"Why, he was only in a trailer for about two days! How bad could it be?" 

Ahaha.

A 6 hour stop was in need on the first day, where the horses were provided with stable rest and food/water. 

Even then, loss of weight was a bit more than I expected. No, he didn't turn out to be the most emaciated horse i've ever seen, but he sure wasn't the chubby Pillsbury Doughboy either. 

Even with two weeks down here in the South, things turn out very odd for such an overly curious horse as Mr. Jack. 

New friends don't come quickly. he made them, but with the pace of the fastest snail on Earth.

You could imagine that's pretty slow. 

Work-out schedules get messed with, and he now requires the ultimate lunging workout before sticking my foot anywhere near te stirrup. 

I'm ok with that. What happens, happens. 

I didn't expect heat. Or rain.

I should get smacked upside the head as if I were under the orders of a Mr. Gibbs, for not expecting so much heat.

The rain I could do without. 

But what a move does to a horse can affect the owner just as well. I know this all to well.

It's hard to find a god trailering company that gives you a reasonable quote for our budget. Finding the right barn to. That came easier than the trailering, actually. 

Have any of you ever had to make a great move? Or move to different barns? 

Tell me your story, and comment! 

Heat Burns

What temperature suits you? Enjoy it while it lasts!
We all know that in many states and regions, the temps. get more past our horses boiling points than they do ours especially in the summertime.
This is why I for once appreciate barns with fans.
I have known many a person within my area that has gone out to their horse one day in the summer as the sun swelters in the afternoon, and they find them sweating like the dickens, with or without a flysheet (normally depending on your fly sheet).
For goodness sake, put up a box fan or aim a floor fan down the aisleway.
Just find a way to make your horse comfortable. We do this at our barn, and we make sure our horses are as cool as we can make them.

I just went out today to check on my horse because of the heat, and some sweat marks had appeared on his shoulder. I took the sheet off, took his mask off, and went and hosed his chest. Beforehand, he was not hot, but I wanted to make sure he stayed cool for the afternoon. And that fly sheet will be locked yards away in the tack box (at least until I get so bugged by the flies i'll have to wear it).

Heat makes me crazy, and I mean it. I'm just a young adult, and I believe I may be getting my hot flashes already.

Shorts at the barn, tsk tsk.
Even I didn't expect it...

Effort Shows...For Sure

Saturday became the day of showing the true work and effort I had put into Mr. Jack's training sessions, though I did make a few mistakes within the judges' line of sight.

Halter is naturally not everybody's favorite class, including the horses' who must endure sometimes a half hour to an hour of waiting and standing among the 40+ other animals. Not everyone puts up with what some can get away with as well-the "steroid" horses tend to come up a lot in talk of halter, and they don't recieve the best of responses either.
Take this "little" guy-as the owner loves to put him- that comes to many of our open shows and sweeps away the trophies throughout the morning:

And this was just last year...recent pictures could come up and cause myself to comment. He stood in front of me this year in the line-ups, so Jack was most likely admiring how the horse could even stand, much less walk, with his view from behind.
Showmanship...normally I do good only in this, but my one chance at Hi-Point and I forget the very last part, easy-peezy lemon-squeezy. And the judge didn't let me forget it as I walked away.
J: "Hey now, you totally forgot to back up!"
Me:"Ohhh, i'm so sorry!" *very guilty look, Jack nosing me like he was laughing*

Second go-round, he said I shouldn't have done something-will not mention at this point-however, he ceased to dock points from me for it, as he said.
Well how about you tell me what I DID get points docked for so I now how to do something next time. Great advice.

Riding came as a surprise.
And I surprised myself as well. And seeing my compeitition made me feel all the better as I continued through the almost 90 degree afternoon.
Pleasure is no breeze for my old man, and he performed better than at home. And guess how-I for once gave myself time to lunge the crazy beast. Now I know better huh? 3rd place as a first placing for the day brought some good luck from the good ol' leprechaun over the rainbow.
Equitation we normally cease to succeed. But out of who knows how many, we ranked first, and people come to tell me that really was the best pattern.
Whoa...you talking about this horse right here? Gee thanks! *Almost confused until I hear enough I actually believe it!*
And so we then complete the day with another 6th in Color Pleasure-quite a few entrants as well-and then then 4th for trail, to my surprise. Attempting to eat the mailbox must have come in Jack's favor.

And so now we know how much our hard effort and constant pushing of both ourselves and the horses pays off. We all win, no matter the placing.
Remember those Showmanship patterns though-my memory fails at it, so hopefully you can show me-up and help me lose this dreaded short-term memory.

No Time Like Bathtime

<--(Escape is no option buddy...)

Ever had the experience where you turn out to be the horribly and inevitably dirty one when preparing the now clean horse for a show?
Happened to me today, and i'm proud to say I could even do all of it myself.
The only hard part was weather.
Stupid, yucky, cruddy weather.
What luck I was in to have the experience of speed-washing my horse-who is more white than I am-while the thunder and lightning rumble away outside all day long.
And getting soaked in a wash stall with your horse is just as bad as four inches of rain. I swear I can still feel the cold water from spraying Jack's legs still rebounding onto my face and legs.
And then comes the cooler, and then banding. I have this little tool I call the Band-It. And what a joy it brings to the world of sore fingers and tired elbows. For once, I enjoyed banding, though i'm nervous to see how it turns out tomorrow...oooo.
And then comes touch-ups and exploding bottles of hoof-black in all it's glory.
And then HOME.
But it turns out the tack gets its' own little bathtime, thankfully no spraying water.
Though many of us repeat the same process of preparing our horses-and yes, even ourselves-the day before a show, there is really no time like bathtime.

Rust Returns

Ahh, the olden days have yet to fully return.
The rusty color sports a vinatge look for the equstrain of today's hunter world, yet why has it made a small comeback?

For me, it has yet to make a match with any coat, and it takes a while to really be able to put together something that won't make you look seem as though you are disabled in seeing no color (no offense to those who may only see the black and white side of the world).
Raise your hoof if you have ever worn a pair, and actually enjoyed wearing them within the twenty-first century.
Have I ever worn a pair of rusties? No.
But you may just catch me making a statement in the Paint ring, which could get me kicked out.
But hey, who ever said that rust couldn't be the new beige?