Hunterland, hooves and head shaking. **Edited with working videos!

Nerd alert.

First up: I rode in my first hunter show in about a billion years on a horse I had ridden once and it was his very first horse show of any kind. Did I mention he's a multiple stakes winner OTTB? Well, turns out he's also a class act and despite not having a confirmed right lead canter, we actually won something! I definitely felt very, very out of place in hunterland, but it was fun and I would do it again in a second! I really liked just being able to go in the ring over and over again to get a feel for things. I had no idea how self-conscious I would feel in the ring though... at least in eventing you feel like you are competing against yourself when you are in the ring (or rather, that's how I feel) but it's hard not to feel self-conscious in a ring full of really nice horses where everyone knows what the are doing and I'm just trying not to make a fool out of myself! The day started off a little rough because of imminent thunderstorms. We got the horses tacked up, walked around and then hacked down to the rings (it was quite a distance) and just as we get there, I hear the hounds (the show was at the facility of a local hunt club) baying and lightning strikes really close by (I nearly pee myself) and then KABOOM (thunder)! My lovely catch ride, stood stock still while I dismounted and everyone walked back to the trailers to hide for the insane 20 minute storm! He also didn't flinch during a WTC class where a horse bolted straight at us and dumped his rider. Thoroughbreds, man... so good. I'm so lucky to have really nice horses to ride while mine is doing... well, what is he doing???

I can tell you what he's NOT doing.

He's not head shaking!

It's been roughly 3 months since his first symptoms showed up (beginning of May, though i think he had some signs in late April), by June they were so severe I was really worried about what the outcome might be. It's been at least a month since I asked him to do anything on the lunge line and the last time I tried to ride him was a disaster so I just kind of ignored him for awhile. Keeping him under a microscope was doing my nerves no good and it was making me a bit bonkers (just ask my horse friends).

I kept hearing more and more updates about how well he seemed and that his symptoms had all but disappeared so I thought Saturday I try to stick him on the lunge line during the hottest part of the day to test it out.

And while he was naughty... save for a few sneezes, he showed no signs. If you look at the videos from previous posts about this the change is remarkable. Ps. If he looks a bit short in these it's because he's barefoot on crumbly hooves.

I actually cried into his neck after this one (a combination of things, but more out of sheer joy to see my horse feeling better).

And I have to say, for a horse that hasn't been ridden or worked since May, he's looking pretty nice. He fist up very easily and he's quite fat and sassy right now, so we'll be lunging for a few weeks until he gets shoes back on and his head is back in the game. I'm still going to be carefully watching for indications of head shaking, because I want to keep him as happy/comfortable as possible and with the weather being as hot and humid as it's been, there's still a chance that we're not out of the woods yet and I'm not sure how he'll be under saddle.

I lunged him again last night and he sneezed a bunch (normal) and I maybe, maybe saw a tiny glimmer of the head shaking, but he was also being VERY cheeky!

I tried to take video but literally every time I did he took it as an opportunity to bolt and spazz out because there was weed whacking in progress nearby. Twit.

Thinking cap engaged.

Full of sass.

Not too shabby for a horse 3+ months out of work, eh?

So, he gets shoes back on August 4th, and the farrier is going to tidy up his crumbling hooves tomorrow so they don't completely fall apart before then due to him stomping flies and growing out the old nail holes. I was going to maybe take him to a hunter pace Saturday, but I want to leave his feet alone and I think it wouldn't be the best idea to risk bruising his soles. So I'll just ride something else (I'm so lucky to have access to lots of other ponies)!

In case you are curious... what's seems to be working:
35 grams of Magnesiumin feed
Taurine (he's part of a study on HS that we just started -- it's an amino acid that is supposed to help with nerve disorders)
Night turnout

*He was on Shake No More Gold for a month, but we just finished it and I am giving him a few weeks off to see if it was a contributing factor. I am very grateful that we haven't had to go the steroid/drug route yet.

Oh, and I have a lesson with a local BNR Thursday! She's going to teach me on one of her cool former upper level horses! Wish me luck!

Olde Hope Evening Shade III Schooling Trial (full report) -- lots of photos and silly blabber to follow.

Olde Hope is a wonderful venue not too far from us in Maryland close to Fair Hill and St. Augustine (I know, we are spoiled in Area II). They have a very friendly atmosphere and it's really designed to help inexperienced horses/riders get a real feel for eventing in a very comfortable environment. They run a lovely little series in the summer that hosts the events in the afternoons which makes for a much less rushed prep day!

He's always happy to get in the trailer!

We arrived to the barn with plenty of time to got our boys ready (Emily even has time to ride one of her other horses while I pulled Riley's mane and combed out his tail -- ooh and trimmed the top with clippers to look like more of an event pony). He got a thorough bath where I tried my best to get his sock white again and since I had plenty of time I decided to BRAID! I be fair, it's been at least 20 years since I've braided, but he's a great sport and I only had to re-do his forelock once since he had no idea what the heck I was doing fooling around between his ears. I wrapped his tail with an ace bandage to try to tame it a little and he spent the remaining time in his stall trying to rub it off -- butthead. We headed out right on time and picked up some adult beverages on the way to keep our helper (Emily's bf) happy and to hopefully celebrate after our ride!
We checked in and went off to walk our courses. I was terribly nervous about the giant teepee that was directly next to the first jump on the stadium course! Everything was really inviting (and very small), there were a few fences on stadium that I was a bit worried about including a mock brick wall and two gates. Both stadium and XC are on hilly terrain which was definitely a bit of a problem as many horses were slipping. The XC course was pretty interesting with a bank option (which I took!) and a few looky jumps, but I knew we were ready!

!!!!!! Olde Hope Evening Shade III Schooling HT !!!!!!

I still need to update about my great jump school last Wednesday, but first...

2nd Place at our second event!

So proud of my boy!!! (And how cute does he look braided?)

Catching up

I want a giant poster of this. Epic.

Phew, time for a quick wrap up. Over the weekend, I attended the Retired Racehorse Training Program Symposium at Pimlico racetrack. Opened in 1870, Pimlico gives off the same eerie feeling that one might get at great ballpark like Wrigley Field. The place exudes atmosphere and history. With only a few hundred people there for the symposium, it was an odd juxtaposition being in such a grand place that was otherwise deserted.

3rd floor betting room -- ghost town

If I closed my eyes I could hear the bustle of bets being made, arguments over winnings, talks about sires and jockeys, cheers as the horses tore past the post and the faint smell of cigarette smoke and beer. The photographer in me wanted to stay all day and photograph the cavern-like spaces that are typically bustling with crowds. I'll admit, I'm completely drawn to places that feel (or actually are in fact) abandoned and have a story to tell. Now I want to visit all the old tracks after their meets are over! I arrived early on Sunday to spend some time helping my friend with her lovely mare so I could get some photos of them warming up in the morning. As I pulled in I saw Rebecca Bowman coming back from the track with her RRTP horse, Riddle... bride-less. Yes, an OTTB sauntering along toward the stables without a care in the world while she texted from his back! So awesome!

No big deal.

Because I can be painfully shy, I stuck to Emily's stall area for most of the morning before venturing out for a little exploring. She was stabled next to Allie Knowles who was so lovely and friendly and had gorgeous horses to boot (and no, I didn't say hello, because again... shy). I did pet and say hello to lots of ponies though, and I wish I had photo documentation, but something horrible happened to my memory card (I still don't want to talk about it) and I lost two-thirds of my photos from Sunday. I watch Emily warm up Prima in the little arena they made on the track. It was right by the finish line which was so iconic, she looked fantastic and right at home! Emily had mentioned that some of the horses got really revved up by the atmosphere and being back at the track, but all it did for Prima was highlight her athleticism.

I did manage to salvage a few photos from Prima's session in the afternoon, and I might be a little bit biased, but she was by far one of the nicest horses of the day!

Warm up trot. Emily was even had a headset on so she could narrate her ride!

Such a gorgeous mare.

Showing off over a warm up cross rail!

Coming out of a line. Perfect!

I'm so proud of Emily and all the work she's done with this mare. She's come a long way in just 4 months!

The only other photos that came out (hopefully I can recover more this week) were of Jessica Bortner-Harris and Bug (Win the War), who I am totally obsessed with. they did a little demo on Sunday of OTTBs turned eventers and she blew everyone away jumping huge XC jumps in a tiny space. Bug was more than game and pinging around like it was a walk in the park.

I love how you can see the moment on the jumbotron too (Also, RRTP and Eventing Nation used my photo!!!!)

Rocket boosters enabled.

I watched the rest of the afternoon makeover horses and they had a few special exhibitions including a group of OTTB foxhunters that came flying around the track with hounds!

They dragged fox scent around the track for the hounds to pursue.

The huntsman was an awesome Irish fellow.

Also, this girl was my hero for the day:

WIN.

It was a beautiful day with gorgeous horses of varying disciplines. It was so encouraging to see how versatile OTTBs can be. 

Winners!

Thank you to everyone that entered our humble contest. I feel honored to have so many great followers here and the sense of community I feel is immeasurable. I've laughed and cried along with all of you throughout the last 6 years. Thank you for helping us to get to 200 posts and here's to 200 more!

For what it's worth, everyone that entered sent the most thoughtful photos accompanied by fantastic bios that made it nearly impossible to pick a winner! I chose the two top prizes by a random number drawing (btw, if you gave me a shout out on you blog you got an extra number) and my assistant (not a horse person but an animal lover) chose the 5 runners up.

Without further ado...

Winner in the OTTB Category:

Kate + Lucy of The Adventures of Lucy, congrats! You are the lucky winner of an OTTB saddle pad and matching ear net, which I am sure Lucy with look incredibly smart in!

Winner in the non-OTTB group:

Kalin + Red of Cash's Steppin' Up, congrats! You are the lucky winner of your very own custom paper cut!

Finally, the runners up! Each runner up wins an Absorbine Try-Pak:

Stephanie and Pyxar (I don't think she has a blog)

Kari Kay and Piney at Good Time to Review

Lauren + Simon at She Moved to Texas

Tori + Penny at Filly's Best Friend

Sarah + Hemie at Eventing in Color

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone that entered and to all of my blog followers. You can't imagine how much it means to me to have your support (I literally have 2 real life horses friends) -- looking forward to sharing all of our futures ups and downs together.

*I'll be emailing the winners to claim their prizes:)

200th Post! It's giveaway time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can hardly believe that I have written 200 posts! Let's take a little look back since I started this blog wayyy, wayyy back in May 2007 (really????)
While I haven't always been consistent with my posting (I mean, I didn't even own a horse until 4 months ago) it seems as though I've always had plenty to say. I've had almost 25,000 page views to date (though is suspect many of those are from me), averaging about 1200 a month. With a whopping 74 followers, I'd say that's pretty good. I know in the beginning, I was writing for myself as a way to journal my experiences with Kiki. I never imagined owning my own horse, or making such fantastic connections along the way. It seems silly, but blogging reminds me of my youthful pen-paling experiences and the idea of having friends miles and miles away that I communicate with through correspondence is still something I love. Throughout all the ups and downs I've felt supported by all of you and I am so grateful for all of your feedback and help over the years. I can't wait to see what the next 100 posts bring for me and Riley, most of all I just want us to be happy and healthy!

As a way to thank all of you, I've come up with a fun giveaway. It will take a little bit of work on your part, but I think the prizes are worth it!  Best of all? There will be two winners and 5 runner up prizes!

Rules:

*Send me a photo summing up why you love your OTTB
*If you do not own an OTTB, please send me a photo of why your horse is awesome
*These can be as simple or as creative as you want. You can add text, effects, etc.
*One photo entry PER horse -- that means you lucky individuals with more than one pony get multiple chances to win (limit: 2 entries)!
*You do not have to take the photo yourself, you may be in the picture too!
*I hate making rules.

Terms:

*Please send your entries to: xniamhx@gmail.com (put OTTB or non-OTTB in the subject line)
*Leave me a comment on this entry so I know you've entered (sometimes things end up in junk mail)
*Please include a small bio about your horse
*Re-post on your blog for more chances to win
*Winners will be chosen by a small panel of horsey and non-horsey people
*Contest ends 2 weeks from today on September 26th @ midnight! Winners will be chosen Friday, September 27th (that gives you two weekends to get your stuff together!)

The prizes:

1st prize in the OTTB group:

Woot!

1st prize in the non-OTTB group:

Picture your pony here!

5 runner up prizes:

Perfect to stick in your grooming box for shows!

Have fun and best of luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!