Average Horses

Recently, there is a post on COTH forums asking what the average horse is capable of. With regard to eventing, the consensus is that the average horse can do Novice! I just want to do Tadpole/BN! Of course, my horses aren't very average. Trouble is having hock issues and refusing jumps (because she's a brat or because she's in pain? The verdict is, it started as 2, but now it's 1). Cotton is 24! That's awfully old to be starting to jump. Though I'm not sure what she has gone in her life. We bought her from a lesson barn with too many horses. They only had her for a few years, prior to that, she was a boarder's horse who went off to college.

In any case, I think I SHOULD be able to get either horse around the local Pony Club's Amoeba level (18", dressage + cross country). Trouble has been there three times, she's seen the scary Training level jump that is NEAR one of the Amoeba jumps, and she's seen the massive barrel construction that is the finale jump. And she'll put it a respectable dressage test. But, she may have some attitude and get me eliminated. Or dump me.

Cotton has less attitude. I COULD get her around a dressage test without getting eliminated. I mean, it's about having fun, right? Not winning? I don't care about winning, I just want to not get eliminated (though any ribbon would be nice...)

I do NOT want to take two horses. That's just TOO much going on for my tastes. So, which do I take?

Jumping Cotton

I was SO incredibly tired of dealing with Trouble's antics, that I decided to ride Cotton today. She is so uncomplicated! I took her over the poles that I had out from working with Trouble, and Cotton trotted right through them, no trouble! I also had out my half barrel jump. I decided to ask her to pop over that, and she did, so very willingly!

My horses are just so different. But while Cotton is less obnoxious than Trouble, both horses still have things that I need to work on.

Trouble:
1. MAJOR attitude
2. Does NOT want to jump.

Cotton:
1. Does not load into the trailer well. Never trailed without Trouble!
2. Very girthy
3. Cantering is not trivial
4. The rail is not her happy place
5. Knows nothing about dressage (what round? My nose is carried down and out!)

For now, let's ignore 5. Problem 4 is getting much better, though gets a bit lost at the canter... The solutions for problems 1-3 are all consistent work! Easy to do, just have to DO it.

Jumping Cotton, Take Two

After being totally unable to decide which horse to ride, I decided to ride Cotton. I think Trouble may have been a bit surprised, but neither horse did any calling for the other! Super!

Cotton was quite good. We trotted some cavaletti, popped over my half barrel jump, and "jumped" a crossrail. Didn't actually jump it, just trotted over it, but as long as it is FORWARD, I'm okay with that.

Cantering? My new plan of attack was to work on sitting trot (I always sit before I ask for the canter). During this, I'd be uber sensitive about her starting to root (drop her head and pull the reins out of my hands), to let her know that rooting is not kosher! After a bit, I asked for the canter. Got nothing. I tried the other direction, still nothing. Ears went back and had an ugly face, so I knew she knew what I wanted. I kept her trotting around, no getting out of work, even if we're not cantering! She finally gave me a nice canter (no rooting at all!) We went halfway around the arena, and then *I* asked for a walk, told her how very, very good she was, and then hopped right off. See, you canter when I ask and then we'll be done. For now, anyway!

One problem we do have is that Cotton is EXTREMELY girthy. I always just put the girth on the first hole and then take her for a walk, tightening it one hole at a time. Today, she nearly laid down in the cross-ties, after I'd put the girth on (first holes only!) A quick google search suggests:

1. Cotton is a brat
2. Cotton has ulcers
3. Saddle doesn't fit
4. Ribs are maligned and need a chiro.

I had this problem before and consistent, slow girthing seemed to solve the problem (had NO trouble girthing at the Poker Ride!). So I'll start with gentle girthing and see if the problem doesn't resolve itself.

Tale of the Auto Feeders, Day Two, Part Two

This evening, I set up the auto feeders before I brought the horses in. The less Trouble sees me messing with it, the better. Then I brought them inside their stalls and head for the feed room to get their dinners. Suddenly, there is a sound of grain filling a horse's feed dish! Noooo! Trouble has feed herself. Uncool! I yell at her, scoop the grain out, feed her breakfast, and reset the auto feeder (it was all a fluke, right?). So, Trouble eats her dinner, and then immediately feeds herself breakfast. Drats!

So, until the auto feeders are made Trouble-proof, only Cotton gets fed at 5 AM. Trouble must wait until I come out.

Okay, who was betting two days?

Tale of the Auto Feeders, Day Two, Part One

This morning, Cotton had eaten about half her grain. Our conversation went like this:

"Cotton! Come and eat!"

"Watching something out back window!"

"Breakfast!"

"Too busy watching darkness!"

"I'm going to drag your butt over here!"

"Try and make me!"

And Cotton gets dragged, unwillingly to the front of the stall.

"Eat!"

And Cotton spins and goes back to her back window.

And Trouble says, "I'll eat it!"

So they got turned out. Trouble seemed rather upset.

"What, no breakfast?"

"The feeders are instead of breakfast."

"You mean, in addition to breakfast?"

"No!"

"I want breakfast!"

"You already had breakfast!"

"That was a early morning snack! Wait, don't turn me out! I haven't had breakfast yet!"

So, apparently, we haven't yet adjusted to the new schedule yet.

Tale of the Auto Feeders, Day One

Today was the first day the auto feeders were in operation. Cotton, for whom the feeders were installed, had not discovered her grain - it was still in her dish when I went out at 5:45 AM. Trouble's grain had disappeared. I assume it dispensed, as scheduled, and she ate it. Of course, there's no real way to know if she ate it at 7 PM after I left, or when the feeder dispensed at 5 AM.

And so, we still had to wait 30 min for Cotton to eat breakfast. C'mon, figure out the system! Eat when grain is dispensed!

Automatic Horse Feeders!

We used four inch diameter PVC pipes to create two automatic horse feeders. The ends have a metal lid and a 66 lbf magnet, which is plugged into a timer (like Christmas lights). Ours are scheduled to dispense grain at 5 AM.

Any bets on how long it takes Trouble to figure it out?