Now that it’s been almost two weeks since Tiny and I have relocated our horsing operations, I thought it was time for an update on barn life.  I got permission from the new BO to talk about the happenings there and take photos (which I’ve yet to do, unfortunately).  Tiny is settling in great.  She’s got a nice end stall, closest to the feed room which is all that really matters to her (and the tack room which is all that really matters to me)!  Her next door neighbor is Jolene, a gorgeous buckskin Quarter Horse mare.  She’s such a sweet doll!  Tiny also has a new BFF – her first friend since Abby!  Her name is Raquel and she is this absolutely adorable freckle faced Paint mare that gets turned out in the pasture next to Tiny’s.  They spend their evenings hanging out over the fence and getting to know each other.  The hope is that once Tiny is completely settled in, they can be turnout buddies.  Yay! 

Tiny's neighbor JoJo

I’m happy too, because now there is life at the barn.  It reminds me of the old days, with the radio playing country tunes and the sounds of life in the barn.  This place is full, with about 12 horses plus a few minis and donkeys.  So there’s always something going on.  There’s almost always someone around to chat with and I even found a riding buddy for myself.  We haven’t hit the trails yet, but one of these days we’re going to check them out. 

Tiny's pre-ride meditation

Tiny is looking better already.  She’s on a higher quality feed than what she was getting, so between that and the grass, she’s picked up a bit of weight.  Her hair is shining up and she looks much prettier.  This week she has her first meeting with the new farrier, so we’ll see how that goes.  All in all, it’s working out very well.  Tiny is happier and I am much more trusting that my horse is being cared for properly.  The only downside is that despite the dogs loving farm life (and me loving the ease of just taking them with me versus doing an hour long walk before I can even go ride) I’m going to have to stop taking them over there, I think.  They are coming home INFESTED with fleas and the flea preventative is doing nothing to alleviate it.  These are two dogs that haven’t even been on flea preventative since last August, and I haven’t seen a single flea on them until now.  I hate to stop taking them, but I can’t handle a flea infestation in my own house/yard, especially with Grady’s propensity for skin conditions. 

Anyway, that’s all for now and I promise to get some photos up soon of all the residents at Tiny’s new home!

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge was to photograph knobs and handles.  I had trouble with this and had NO inspiration.  So I fudged a little and did my own interpretation of  ”handles.”  Enjoy!

It’s so hard to believe that today my little pony is 17 years old!  She was such an unexpected gift to me in so many ways.  When she was born a month early, with twisty crooked legs, no one knew what would become of her.  She was so little and so awkward that she got lost in the foal crop.  It didn’t take long for us to realize how incredibly smart she is and when her leg surgeries were a success, it became my goal to one day compete with her.  And I did.  She is one of the kindest, smartest, biggest hearted, best horses I have ever ridden.  She’s true, and has been from day one.  I am more proud of Tiny and our accomplishments than anyone can imagine.  So here’s to Tiny – and to a year of great health and happiness at her new farm!

You’ve ridden your horse diligently, practiced your event until you are prepared to excel, and you arrive at a horse show ready to be a star.  So what separates the shooting stars from the falling stars?  It’s all in the details.  I’ve learned a lot of things about competing over the years, but the way you present yourself might be one of the most important details to perfect.  Think about it:  regardless of your chosen discipline, a judge sees tens or hundreds of competitors in a given day or event.  What would make YOU stand out?  You are being judged from the moment you enter the ring and it is very important  for that judge to sit up and take notice from that instant forward. 

I gave Tiny a makeover recently to illustrate the difference between an acceptable presentation and a stellar one and we’ll talk a little about the changes I made to help her look her best.  The photo below demonstrates a clean and clipped horse.  She is perfectly acceptable to enter the ring as she is, and I’ve seen many horses appear just this way at local open or breed shows. 

While the photo above demonstrates “acceptable” presentation, do you want to be “acceptable” after all your hard work?  Not me – I want to be “Stellar.”  I want that judge to look at us and think “now THIS is a horse to watch.”  Look at the difference a few small changes can make:

Big difference, right?  Which horse would YOU pay more attention to if you were judging an event?  Like it or not, appearance matters in the show pen.  The rider that pays attention to the details of their horse’s presentation is often the rider that exhibits that same level of detail in their riding preparations.  However, it is important to remember that no amount of scrubbing or shine can cover up a lack of preparation.  Your image will only attract the judge to you in the first place – it is up to you to follow through in living up to that first impression.  So what changes did I make to improve Tiny’s appearance so much?

• Fit Matters!

The first (and most important) thing I did was to adjust the fit of Tiny’s halter.  It doesn’t matter how much bling your equipment has, but cleanliness and fit are critical.  The properly fitted halter is far safer and serves to highlight Tiny’s face.  In addition, a long chain dangling down looks untidy and doesn’t serve a purpose in controlling your horse.  It is much better to run the chain under the chin and up the cheek to clip.  This gives you more control and looks better.  Finally, a bit of shine dabbed around the eyes, ears, and muzzle really sets the horse off and makes you look like a winner.

• Don’t Forget the Feet!

The horse’s legs and feet are often overlooked by competitors when attending horse shows.  The preparation begins at home, by keeping the horse on a regular farrier schedule and by keeping the feet strong and healthy.  It is also important to clip the horse’s legs about a week or two before the show season and keep them tidy throughout the season.  You can see the difference between Tiny’s untouched legs (first photo) and the neatness of the second photo.  Finally, add some shine to those feet!  It makes a huge difference in your final presentation if your horse has clean and shiny feet.  I used a sanding block to clean her hooves and then I painted them with some oil.  Voila!  Instant makeover.

•  Hair DO’s

One of the most dramatic changes you can make to your horse’s image is to add a tail extension, if your horse is lacking a tail like mine.  People sometimes complain the the ability to add an extension encourages people to slack off on caring for their horse’s tail.  As you can see, a long and full tail makes a HUGE difference in presentation and it is important for anyone that shows to do their best to care for the horse’s tail.  However, sometimes you might need some help.  Maybe you live in a state like mine, where the year round bug problem makes it difficult to maintain full tails.  Maybe your horse has a playful turnout buddy that likes to chew tails.  Maybe he got it caught on a bucket or stepped on it.  Any number of  things can result in a less than fabulous tail, but it doesn’t take much to correct with the simple addition of an extension.

• Band it Down

Finally, I recommend banding or braiding your horse’s mane and forelock, whichever is appropriate for your discipline.  It provides a neat and tidy appearance and really finishes off your look.  If you ride Western and choose to band your horse, you should thin and shorten your horse’s mane to a flattering length for his conformation. 

If  you follow these useful and easy tips you will take your image from Blah to Unforgettable.  It doesn’t matter if you show at a National level or a open fun show level – you should always present yourself and your mount to the best of your ability, down to the smallest detail.  Good luck and happy horse showing!

May is an exciting month over at Pets Blogroll. If you haven’t joined up yet, or if you haven’t visited in awhile, you should think about stopping by. We have two great giveaways lined up for this month and SlobberDog has been most excited to sample the products and tell everyone how much he approves!

 The first giveaway is from Best Pet Health, which is a brand new website that offers the full line of Nutri-Vet products.  They have a really cool Diagnostic Dog and Cat feature to help you choose the best product for your pet.  Amanda sent us some samples of their products and they get 4 paws up from my crew!

The second giveaway is for IN Supplements for dogs, donated by ALC INovators, Inc.  This family owned business has made a goal to provide a great supplement for family pets of any breed.

These nuggets work well as treats or crumbled over dog food.

If you would like to enter either (or both) of these contests, please visit Pets Blogroll for complete details.

This Sunday Stills challenge was to take creative photos of rust.  While packing Tiny’s things for our move I came across a bucket of old horse shoes.  They were perfect for this challenge.

A Study in Horseshoes

Thank you so much for visting!  I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of this challenge.  Please stop by Sunday Stills and check out all the great photos!

Yesterday was Tiny’s final night at her current barn.  The plan is to move her to a new place today.  I had gone over there last night to ride and pack my things, but I ended up not even getting on her.  We spent the evening just being together.  Yesterday I read a post over at Camera-Obscura that reminded me how important it is to soak in those moments of just being together.   I groomed her and clipped her so she didn’t enter her new home looking like a wild pony.  I grabbed my camera and took her into the neighbor’s field/front yard and let her wander around and graze while I snapped away at her.  It was an amazing night.  The colors of the sky were brilliant as the sun went down and Tiny’s coat shone in the warm evening light. 

Part of me feels sad about the move.  I don’t know why.  I knew from the first week at this barn that I didn’t belong there, nor did Tiny.  But I like the place – the stalls are large and clean, there are HUGE grandfather oaks littered throughout the property, the arena is huge and lighted with good footing, and best of all it’s close to me.  Although she’s not moving far (15-20 min drive vs 5-10 min drive now), it just feels far.  There is something about the security of knowing she’s just down the road from me that I’m going to miss.  I’m nervous, too, about the change.  I really thought THIS place was going to be great when I moved her there, so now I’m afraid to get too excited.  So keep your fingers crossed that our future will be filled with large, deeply bedded stalls and tons of fresh, sweet grass.  We’ll keep you posted!

This flysheet has survived more than a year of abuse at this time and is still holding up very well.

 Schneiders advertises this product line as “protecting against the smallest biting insects as well as large flies; shaping to the horse; allowing maximum air flow; staying cool in sun; providing 60% UV protection; and durable for turnout.”  I can tell you that these claims have proven accurate for me.  Tiny has gone through numerous fly protection products throughout the years and this one is by far the best.  I opted for the bellyband style to help protect her midline, where the majority of her sores were found.  I like Schneiders products because they have a unique Adjusta-Fit system that allows you to customize the shoulder fit for each horse.  Other nice features include fleece lined wither protection and a breathable nylon lining in the shoulder area to prevent rubbing.  I was worried that this lining might be too hot in the Florida sun, but Tiny doesn’t seem to be bothered by it.  In fact, it does a great job of polishing her coat and bringing out a deep shine!  The light color does a great job of reflecting the sun and doesn’t absorb much heat.

The fine mesh window screen fabric holds up very well to the abuses of turnout.  I would rate this durability as “excellent” although Schneiders claims the sheet is “very good” for turnout conditions.  I believe I’ve gone through about 3 of these sheets since I started using them 4 years ago.  I generally buy one per year because they do eventually get beat up; but remember, this is a horse that LIVES in these things.  The only time she gets them off is when she’s being ridden or groomed.  Year round.  Given that, I think my claim of excellent durability is solid, especially when this product is compared to others like it. 

There are only a couple of negative features that I would comment on.  The first is that the nylon lining in the shoulder area serves to increase UV protection for that area.  Therefore, I have noticed that she does get a bit bleached out on other parts of her body and she often has a “tan line” from the nylon lining.  It’s not terribly obvious, but if I were showing her in halter or showmanship it would be an issue.  Although most show horses aren’t turned out all day in the sun, either.  The second (and most troublesome) flaw is the difficulty I’ve had in ordering this product.  Every time I’ve tried to order it, it’s been on backorder for months.  Apparently EVERYONE loves this product as much as I do (it’s received 5 stars on Schneiders’ rating system) and they’ve had trouble keeping it – and the matching accessories – in stock.  I just checked the website and the product line seems to be well stocked at this time, so maybe they have increased production to meet demand. 

Tiny is so much happier now that we've found the Mosquito Mesh flysheet!

In summary, if you have a horse that is bothered by gnats, mosquitos,  and no-see-ums, consider using the Schneiders Mosquito Mesh fly protection line.  It has lived up to all of its claims and more and is well worth the $70 price tag.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge was to photograph flowers and wildflowers blooming in our areas.  Believe it or not, wildflowers aren’t terribly common in central Florida, especially right now with temperatures heating up and very little rain in the forecasts.  So I thought I’d do a little cheat this week and pull from the archives, as I have taken some decent shots of flowers during my travels.  I chose and prepped my horseless shots, but was surprised to find a few flowers on my ride this morning.  Given my self-imposed restriction to keep my photos “horse related” but reluctant to let go of my travel shots… I opted to cheat (again!) and give you all not one, but two Sunday Stills posts this week!  Lucky you.  =)   As always, thanks to Ed for another great challenge. 

I also wanted to let everyone know about a great photography contest I came across.  Check out Nickertown‘s website if you’re interested in participating in a little friendly horsey competition!  This is my first month to submit an entry, but it looks like fun.  Stop by, vote for your favorite (I think photos are judged during the first 2 or 3 weeks of the month), and check out some of their great photography tips.  Without further ado, here are my (many) selections for this week:  horses first!

Thanks for visiting and be sure to visit Sunday Stills to see all the other great photos that were submitted!

Here are the horseless flower photos that I’ve taken during my travels.   Hope you enjoy!

The first photo was taken at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden  near Cape Town, South Africa.  This place is a playground  for those of us who enjoy nature’s gifts. 

The  second photo was taken on a family vacation to Alaska several years ago.  The scenery in Alaska is so amazing that anyone can take great photos – even an amateur like me!!

This is another shot from Alaska.  I love the backdrop of the mountains to those fields of wildflowers.

That’s it for this week’s edition of Sunday Stills.  Thanks for indulging me the second post – I have all these great photos from my travels and no venue to display them.  Happy Sunday!