Well Mikey pulled a shoe sometime between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday evening, not sure when. When I went out Tuesday it was missing (I last saw Mikey Sunday when I turned him back out around noon), but no one had mentioned it to me so I'm guessing no one checked for shoes and because of all the mud, the horses don't make a clip clop noise down the aisle. Slight annoyance there (maybe more than slight, there's only 5 horses), but oh well. He's usually fairly sound when he pulls them and I checked with my trainer about doing 15-20 min of walk (very through and over the back) without it and she seemed to think that'd be fine... that's been our usual protocol with missing shoes and more than 24 hours until the farrier will be out. The sand in our indoor is so light and fluffy, it shouldn't hurt anything. I jogged him down a long wall and he was a bit gimpy, but he was also missing a shoe, so there you go.
The farrier made it out today and put the shoe back on (Mikey's been on stall rest since Tuesday), and said the heel bulb was tender and he might still be off. Basically Mikey did a super job of ripping his shoe off. I'm hoping I didn't add to it since we walked for 15 min Tuesday night. Sigh.
I think Mikey knew we were going to my trainer's for a lesson on Sunday. I'm going to bet that's up in the air if he's not sound when I get there tonight. He does need to go do some work before he's allowed back outside, otherwise he'll jump around like a fool and rip off more shoes or damage his tendon.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Getting Crafty
I've been looking for ways to make a little extra money, and I enjoy being crafty. It's taken some time to figure out what I want to make, but here's a preview:
When I have the details finalized, I'll be sure to let you all know!
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| I'm guessing people will know what this is going to be. |
Weekend Rides
I know Thursday isn't exactly the weekend, and Wednesday is kinda far from the weekend, but this post is about my rides from last Thursday to Sunday. Mikey had last Wednesday and Friday off.
I paid for my great lesson Tuesday with a super crappy ride on Thursday. Mikey was spooky, tense and in general uncooperative. I ended up spending the ride doing simple things such as trotting across the diagonal. Anything more complex and he got tense and reactive. I tried some of pirouette work in walk and I had resistance in that too. Same with halfpass in walk and trot. Something as simple as turning off the rail made him want to sit and spin and he did his usual tricks of shortening the neck, not meeting the bit (yet still running through me), and traveling with his haunches in. I didn't put boots on him, and he interfered pretty badly Tuesday (the inside by the fetlock joint of one of his front boots was ripped to shreds). Maybe he was whacking himself and didn't like it. Maybe he was still sore from Tuesday. Maybe we've been working too hard. Maybe he didn't go for enough rides this past week. He needs consistent work (5+ days a week) to stay polite and he ended up with an extra day off. Maybe his feed finally got to his brain (I upped it). I have no idea. I only know the ride was crap. I did work him in his double, but I hooked the buckle of the curb rein to my pad so the reins wouldn't move while I only used the snaffle. He got so uppity and sideways spooky on me that I took up the curb rein to help rein in the sideways. I did get some very nice trot and canter work, but it was simple and straightforward work. Nothing lateral. I tried to find a good spot to quit by that point because it wasn't getting better. Partway through my ride I stopped him and had him bend his head back towards my knees so I could stick fingers in his mouth to make sure the bits were laying right in his mouth. I have no idea. Just a bad day.
I rode again Saturday, and had a delightful ride. Go figure.
I worked him in his Micklem because I think he's on overload and he loves his Micklem. We did very basic things and he was great. I added in some lateral work and he wasn't stellar like he's been, but he was good. We spent some time getting over his fear of the arena door opening. I made sure as we went past it that he felt he could go out the "front door" and move forward away from it while trying not to smother him on the inside aids (seat, leg, forcing him to look in and away from the door). We did 10m circles at the start of each long side going away from the door because that way we ended up facing the door at some point in the circle and I could work on convincing him there's still a job to do. I spent some time in canter getting it forward and through, using the same 10m circles. He was incredibly adjustable and non-bulgy. I think it's a side effect of the canter pirouette work.
It rained beginning Friday morning and continued until Saturday evening. It was an awful wet mess Saturday. The horses have a run in, so out they go! Mikey did not want to go back out in the rain after I rode him.
Sunday I tacked him up in his jump tack with his Micklem and mullen mouth and we did 5 minutes of walk/trot/canter each direction in the arena and then went for a road walk/trot. He was very relaxed and did the walk on the bit and over his back. Even some slower trot work was through and floaty. I love the sound of clip clops on the road.
I paid for my great lesson Tuesday with a super crappy ride on Thursday. Mikey was spooky, tense and in general uncooperative. I ended up spending the ride doing simple things such as trotting across the diagonal. Anything more complex and he got tense and reactive. I tried some of pirouette work in walk and I had resistance in that too. Same with halfpass in walk and trot. Something as simple as turning off the rail made him want to sit and spin and he did his usual tricks of shortening the neck, not meeting the bit (yet still running through me), and traveling with his haunches in. I didn't put boots on him, and he interfered pretty badly Tuesday (the inside by the fetlock joint of one of his front boots was ripped to shreds). Maybe he was whacking himself and didn't like it. Maybe he was still sore from Tuesday. Maybe we've been working too hard. Maybe he didn't go for enough rides this past week. He needs consistent work (5+ days a week) to stay polite and he ended up with an extra day off. Maybe his feed finally got to his brain (I upped it). I have no idea. I only know the ride was crap. I did work him in his double, but I hooked the buckle of the curb rein to my pad so the reins wouldn't move while I only used the snaffle. He got so uppity and sideways spooky on me that I took up the curb rein to help rein in the sideways. I did get some very nice trot and canter work, but it was simple and straightforward work. Nothing lateral. I tried to find a good spot to quit by that point because it wasn't getting better. Partway through my ride I stopped him and had him bend his head back towards my knees so I could stick fingers in his mouth to make sure the bits were laying right in his mouth. I have no idea. Just a bad day.
I rode again Saturday, and had a delightful ride. Go figure.
I worked him in his Micklem because I think he's on overload and he loves his Micklem. We did very basic things and he was great. I added in some lateral work and he wasn't stellar like he's been, but he was good. We spent some time getting over his fear of the arena door opening. I made sure as we went past it that he felt he could go out the "front door" and move forward away from it while trying not to smother him on the inside aids (seat, leg, forcing him to look in and away from the door). We did 10m circles at the start of each long side going away from the door because that way we ended up facing the door at some point in the circle and I could work on convincing him there's still a job to do. I spent some time in canter getting it forward and through, using the same 10m circles. He was incredibly adjustable and non-bulgy. I think it's a side effect of the canter pirouette work.
It rained beginning Friday morning and continued until Saturday evening. It was an awful wet mess Saturday. The horses have a run in, so out they go! Mikey did not want to go back out in the rain after I rode him.
Sunday I tacked him up in his jump tack with his Micklem and mullen mouth and we did 5 minutes of walk/trot/canter each direction in the arena and then went for a road walk/trot. He was very relaxed and did the walk on the bit and over his back. Even some slower trot work was through and floaty. I love the sound of clip clops on the road.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Our House is Officially a Parking Lot
I started today with a Dodge Ram 1500 and a Toyota Camry. My husband has a 1972 Super Beetle and a Camaro. We added a 2005 Chevy Silverado 2500HD to the collection today!
The Camaro lives in the garage, the beetle and Camry live in the side parking spots, and the Dodge in the grass in front of the Camry (we have a long driveway). Well now the Chevy lives in front of the Dodge in the grass. Our neighbors are going to hate us. The Dodge is going to be sold ASAP, and the Camry sometime in the next year.
The Chevy drove very well, is in good shape, and will have an easier time pulling my horse trailer. It has the gooseneck hitch already in the bed, which is nice even though it's going to be a long time before I pull a gooseneck (if ever). It has a engine heater block thingy (I'm very technical), which would be better if it were diesel, but whatever. It's already set up to haul and my husband made a plug for the back that tested the wires to make sure they all worked properly. I think he should design and market them! He had to make one because he couldn't find one for the plugs that tested the brakes too. It has leather seats, 4WD (and buttons for 4WD, unlike my dodge where it's a stick and you have to be careful you don't grind it when you shift), new brake pads all around, new rotors in the back. It has a few more miles than I wanted, but it was the right price and the right truck with the right amount of add-ons. It has a dent in the tailgate where it looks like someone unhitched their gooseneck and then drove out from under it with the tailgate up. It only has a handful of other cosmetic flaws. I am excited to have a truck that should last me another 5-10 years (I only put 3000-5000 miles on the truck every year). We have to do a couple things to it like coating the bottom in a phosphoric acid rust remover, then painting the bottom with rustoleum and then oiling the bottom to protect it. I will also be putting running boards or a step of some kind for each door eventually, but not now.
My parents, husband and I all went to dinner in it last night. My mom and I sat in back and she kept telling me, "This truck has more space in the backseat than my car!" and "It's so spacious, I don't feel like I'm in a truck!" She was too funny.
Now the truck just needs a name!
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| Getting in to drive it home! |
The Chevy drove very well, is in good shape, and will have an easier time pulling my horse trailer. It has the gooseneck hitch already in the bed, which is nice even though it's going to be a long time before I pull a gooseneck (if ever). It has a engine heater block thingy (I'm very technical), which would be better if it were diesel, but whatever. It's already set up to haul and my husband made a plug for the back that tested the wires to make sure they all worked properly. I think he should design and market them! He had to make one because he couldn't find one for the plugs that tested the brakes too. It has leather seats, 4WD (and buttons for 4WD, unlike my dodge where it's a stick and you have to be careful you don't grind it when you shift), new brake pads all around, new rotors in the back. It has a few more miles than I wanted, but it was the right price and the right truck with the right amount of add-ons. It has a dent in the tailgate where it looks like someone unhitched their gooseneck and then drove out from under it with the tailgate up. It only has a handful of other cosmetic flaws. I am excited to have a truck that should last me another 5-10 years (I only put 3000-5000 miles on the truck every year). We have to do a couple things to it like coating the bottom in a phosphoric acid rust remover, then painting the bottom with rustoleum and then oiling the bottom to protect it. I will also be putting running boards or a step of some kind for each door eventually, but not now.
My parents, husband and I all went to dinner in it last night. My mom and I sat in back and she kept telling me, "This truck has more space in the backseat than my car!" and "It's so spacious, I don't feel like I'm in a truck!" She was too funny.
Now the truck just needs a name!
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Validation from the German Riding Master
I left work early Tuesday to go drive out to the barn and pick Mikey up to take him for a lesson at 6:30pm with the German Riding Master. My mom went along for the drive to keep me company... a good thing too, I left my house at 3:30pm and got home at 11:00pm... 7.5 hour day after a 6.5 hour day at work.
I got on Mikey and we walked around a little bit while I waited for him to come to the arena. My lesson time was the last one of the day and a little flexible with regard to the time because I figured I'd be pushing it to be there at 6:30 with rush hour traffic to contend with.
Mikey was a bit spooky about the arena, but settled nicely. When the German Riding Master (GRM for the rest of this post) came in, we had a chat about where Mikey was at and he said to warm up like normal and he'd see what we had. As I walked I mentioned I had moved a month ago and he's been really super and the flying changes are working. Once Mikey was loose and relaxed, and then off to trot we went. Within a couple strides I had my nice loose relaxed through horse and GRM was like, "He's much better now!" and "Good trot, much more through and active behind than last time!"
We worked a little half pass in trot, GRM told me to pay more attention to keeping the haunches bent and active in the half pass, keeping it a touch slower if I had to... I instantly got much more reach and a better tempo and bend.
On to the canter. Mikey was not as through as he could have been. We went for a little canter half pass, same thing, pay attention to the haunches and bend. I have a tough time influencing the canter half pass so they were average, but we started working the flying changes into the ends of them. He did a couple flying up front and a skipping trot step behind, so GRM pulled out the poles and said go over these a couple times so he can get his confidence back in this different indoor. Well Mikey saw the pole and 5 or 6 strides out was like, "Change now?" and he did. So GRM said ask for it early, if he gives it, pull off the line and skip the pole. We repeated that pattern many times, always getting a good clean change many strides before the pole. GRM was very happy with it and said now I needed to work on keeping Mikey through in the change. He inverts for the change and the stride or two after, then softens again. He said work the same pattern focusing on keeping to softness.
He liked that my hands were much softer than before and how Mikey does understand the changes and is trying and not getting upset. After many good changes, he asked if there was anything else I wanted to do so I asked about how to start canter pirouettes. I had worked on them on my own, but I wasn't getting the hind legs to stay in place.
He had me start in walk and trot, because "If you can't do it in walk and trot, how can you do it in canter?" He said to find the best aids for getting the point across to Mikey in trot, and get him to understand while staying through and not inverting. We did several in trot, and to the right was much easier than to the left. He doesn't need a lot of quick steps, GRM said to make sure I keep the steps quiet and slow so he doesn't get his legs hooked or over stress them. He said before you work it in canter, know that if he breaks in canter, don't push for canter again or get out of it, make the trot slower and continue the pirouette, and eventually making it a walk pirouette. He said right now Mikey needs to understand what you want, no matter the gait, so finish the movement no matter the gait and he will get used to finishing it no matter what.
We moved on to canter because the trot work went so well. The left was unspectacular, but I did get several good steps. I ended up carrying my whip in my right hand so if he was "dragging" his front end, I could tap his shoulder to make it keep up.
The right was much better. I was soft with my outside rein in trot, but in canter I absolutely smothered him with it. GRM was like, "Walk! Walk! Relax the outside hand, you won't get it by holding the outside rein, you'll get it by keeping it soft and using the inside rein to guide him on the circle." Once I relaxed my outside hand and used my seat and thigh like I'm supposed to, Mikey started to really sit and keep his haunches in one place. He surprised me the first time he did it because I never kept up with him and forced him to continue so he walked. GRM was like, "Ha! He surprised you. Make sure you ride it next time!" And ride it I did, Mikey would get two strides in, and then start to peter out, so I'd engage my seat to push "forward" while my thigh and leg still said to pirouette and then Mikey really started keeping his hind end planted and giving me several good steps. I'd let him out of it after 180 degrees or so.
Mikey was so super, and GRM was very pleased with how he's progressing. He asked if I worked it all on my own, I said, "Yes! I school him on my own. It helps my new arena has a short wall entirely covered with mirrors so I do all of my work towards them so I'm constantly checking myself." He said, "Good job!" It was incredible validation for my ability to train and school my own horse, without the constant supervision of a trainer. GRM was very impressed with how far we've come, especially with me working on my own for a month.
The best comment at the end of my lesson as GRM was talking to a couple other riders: "This horse has the activity behind that your horse is lacking. It's what your horse is missing for the collected trot, it doesn't have to be slow, just more active. This horse's collected trot isn't slow, but he's not hurrying, he's just active behind." Hind end engagement and back swing is something we have struggled with for years.
My mom had watched from the lounge, and she was positively BEAMING when she came out. She was like, "Mikey looked incredible! I saw him in August, and this is a million times better! He's a completely different horse. You have to stay at the barn with the indoor, he's doing so well there!" It was nice to hear that because she had been pushing for me to make sure Mikey does go back to the cheaper barn at the end of winter.
So my homework is to make the changes softer, and gently work the canter pirouettes. That's more than enough work for the next couple months!
I got on Mikey and we walked around a little bit while I waited for him to come to the arena. My lesson time was the last one of the day and a little flexible with regard to the time because I figured I'd be pushing it to be there at 6:30 with rush hour traffic to contend with.
Mikey was a bit spooky about the arena, but settled nicely. When the German Riding Master (GRM for the rest of this post) came in, we had a chat about where Mikey was at and he said to warm up like normal and he'd see what we had. As I walked I mentioned I had moved a month ago and he's been really super and the flying changes are working. Once Mikey was loose and relaxed, and then off to trot we went. Within a couple strides I had my nice loose relaxed through horse and GRM was like, "He's much better now!" and "Good trot, much more through and active behind than last time!"
We worked a little half pass in trot, GRM told me to pay more attention to keeping the haunches bent and active in the half pass, keeping it a touch slower if I had to... I instantly got much more reach and a better tempo and bend.
On to the canter. Mikey was not as through as he could have been. We went for a little canter half pass, same thing, pay attention to the haunches and bend. I have a tough time influencing the canter half pass so they were average, but we started working the flying changes into the ends of them. He did a couple flying up front and a skipping trot step behind, so GRM pulled out the poles and said go over these a couple times so he can get his confidence back in this different indoor. Well Mikey saw the pole and 5 or 6 strides out was like, "Change now?" and he did. So GRM said ask for it early, if he gives it, pull off the line and skip the pole. We repeated that pattern many times, always getting a good clean change many strides before the pole. GRM was very happy with it and said now I needed to work on keeping Mikey through in the change. He inverts for the change and the stride or two after, then softens again. He said work the same pattern focusing on keeping to softness.
He liked that my hands were much softer than before and how Mikey does understand the changes and is trying and not getting upset. After many good changes, he asked if there was anything else I wanted to do so I asked about how to start canter pirouettes. I had worked on them on my own, but I wasn't getting the hind legs to stay in place.
He had me start in walk and trot, because "If you can't do it in walk and trot, how can you do it in canter?" He said to find the best aids for getting the point across to Mikey in trot, and get him to understand while staying through and not inverting. We did several in trot, and to the right was much easier than to the left. He doesn't need a lot of quick steps, GRM said to make sure I keep the steps quiet and slow so he doesn't get his legs hooked or over stress them. He said before you work it in canter, know that if he breaks in canter, don't push for canter again or get out of it, make the trot slower and continue the pirouette, and eventually making it a walk pirouette. He said right now Mikey needs to understand what you want, no matter the gait, so finish the movement no matter the gait and he will get used to finishing it no matter what.
We moved on to canter because the trot work went so well. The left was unspectacular, but I did get several good steps. I ended up carrying my whip in my right hand so if he was "dragging" his front end, I could tap his shoulder to make it keep up.
The right was much better. I was soft with my outside rein in trot, but in canter I absolutely smothered him with it. GRM was like, "Walk! Walk! Relax the outside hand, you won't get it by holding the outside rein, you'll get it by keeping it soft and using the inside rein to guide him on the circle." Once I relaxed my outside hand and used my seat and thigh like I'm supposed to, Mikey started to really sit and keep his haunches in one place. He surprised me the first time he did it because I never kept up with him and forced him to continue so he walked. GRM was like, "Ha! He surprised you. Make sure you ride it next time!" And ride it I did, Mikey would get two strides in, and then start to peter out, so I'd engage my seat to push "forward" while my thigh and leg still said to pirouette and then Mikey really started keeping his hind end planted and giving me several good steps. I'd let him out of it after 180 degrees or so.
Mikey was so super, and GRM was very pleased with how he's progressing. He asked if I worked it all on my own, I said, "Yes! I school him on my own. It helps my new arena has a short wall entirely covered with mirrors so I do all of my work towards them so I'm constantly checking myself." He said, "Good job!" It was incredible validation for my ability to train and school my own horse, without the constant supervision of a trainer. GRM was very impressed with how far we've come, especially with me working on my own for a month.
The best comment at the end of my lesson as GRM was talking to a couple other riders: "This horse has the activity behind that your horse is lacking. It's what your horse is missing for the collected trot, it doesn't have to be slow, just more active. This horse's collected trot isn't slow, but he's not hurrying, he's just active behind." Hind end engagement and back swing is something we have struggled with for years.
My mom had watched from the lounge, and she was positively BEAMING when she came out. She was like, "Mikey looked incredible! I saw him in August, and this is a million times better! He's a completely different horse. You have to stay at the barn with the indoor, he's doing so well there!" It was nice to hear that because she had been pushing for me to make sure Mikey does go back to the cheaper barn at the end of winter.
So my homework is to make the changes softer, and gently work the canter pirouettes. That's more than enough work for the next couple months!
Monday, December 1, 2014
New Truck
I have a 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab, 5.9L truck. It does the job (barely) and is starting to show it's age and I don't trust it to be completely reliable to haul anymore. It has abandoned me twice before. Both times the transmission overheated. Once about a year into me owning it, but luckily I was almost at my destination and I was still eventing at the time and the rest of our group had already made it to the show. One of the ladies with a big truck came back to pick up my all steel trailer and Mikey. After that incident that weekend, it was an angel and hauled the empty trailer home (the same lady had an empty spot in her trailer and Mikey rode home with her). It attempted to abandon me again about a year later when I was hauling to our long format three day event in MD. That wasn't it's fault entirely, I made a bad judgement call about how to get there and ended up climbing mountains with it. A 4 hour drive became 7 with the number of times we pulled over and opened the hood to let everything cool down.
The transmission searches for gears and it's been stalling lately after filling it with gas. We've added gas treatment to the tank before filling the last few times and that seems to do the trick for the stalling bit. It doesn't run often and it sometimes sits with a half empty tank. We think water condenses in the tank and then mixes with the gas (or rather doesn't mix with the gas, so when I fill it and run it, water ends up going through the engine instead of gas). That's not it's fault, it's mine for not keeping it full all the time. It does have a loose steering column, meaning there is a bit of play in the wheel and it wanders a little bit. It is exhausting to drive the 4-5 hour drives because of it.
I know I'm near maxing out it's abilities and one day it will completely abandon me. Yes, I do keep AAA and US Rider for that day, and I will keep it for after that day. US Rider has been a godsend to several people I know and they have always sent knowledgeable and nice people to help. So I decided (with my husband's input) to start looking for a 3/4 ton truck while my Dodge still has some resell value as a useful truck and not as scrap. A one ton truck is just more truck than I will need in the next 5-10 years as I love my bumper pull and don't see myself with a gooseneck unless it has living quarters. Right now I can't afford the truck that will pull LQ, and it's going to be a long time before I can afford a trailer that has LQ (it must have a shower and toilet).
I'll have to sell my Dodge and my 1995 Toyota Camry to pay for part of the new truck though. I keep a car for daily driving- it's cheaper to have both and use the truck to haul only than to keep the truck as a daily driver. I'll miss my car. It only has 123,000 miles at almost 20 years old and it's in great shape with very little rust because it's a hand me down car from my grandparents. Every time they'd decide to get a new Camry, they'd give one of their old ones to my parents. I got the last two they handed down since I needed a car. My grandparents' cars lived low mileage lives in a garage. Every now and then they'd be expected to drive across the country, but then they always returned to their garage. They have very little rust and regularly make it to 200,000+ miles. My current Camry lived it's first 15 years/85,000 miles in a garage. My grandfather is 95 and will most likely stop driving in the next year, and I will get his car when he does. Yes, I don't have to work for a car that's in great shape. I know that won't sit well with some of you. This is how my family functions though- as long as you're in the financial shape to do it, you pass things around the family and help out where people need it. It's what my grandparents have been doing for close to 35 years. They've passed 4 cars on to my parents so far, this one will be the 5th.
I found a bunch of Dodge Ram 2500s on Craigslist and at used car dealers that were ok. They are more than I wanted to spend. I am not interested in a diesel (at all) or a gas truck with over 100,000 miles. I plan on keeping this next truck for 5-10 years, so it needs to be under 100k miles and in decent shape, so up the budget goes. I am not interested in another Dodge. I was looking at them simply because it's what I can afford. I am not pleased with the one I have, but in all fairness, it has done its job and I make an effort to plan my trips outside the heat of the day and I take it easy on it. The engine has never quit on me, but the transmission and steering column leave something to be desired.
Yes, I am that crazy person that holds on to a vehicle until it finally dies and has to be hauled away for scrap. Getting the hand me down cars has also taught me to take care of the vehicles I have, and you keep driving them until the end. Neither my car or truck is at the end, but there are high stakes with the truck (I will not be abandoned on the side of the road with my horse in a hot metal box), and the car must go as an unfortunate side effect of the cost of a new truck. If I could I would hold on to that sucker until the day it dies. It's a fabulous little car.
Over the weekend I found a 2005 Chevy Silverado 2500HD (gas engine) for slightly more than the Dodges I have been looking at. What's another couple thousand? I've already blown my budget. My husband and I went out to the lot when they were closed on Sunday to poke around and look at it. Believe me, I would have loved to go when they were open! But the closed at 2pm Saturday and won't reopen until Tuesday. I plan on going to see again Wednesday afternoon and hopefully it's up to snuff and we can negotiate a slightly better price (paying cash should help) and I will have a new (to me) truck! I'm hoping it's still there on Wednesday. My husband and I thought it was a great deal for what it is. I simply cannot get out there before Wednesday afternoon- they are closed today (Monday), I have meetings at work I can't miss in the morning and a clinic in the afternoon/evening on Tuesday, so I will be working a half day from home in the morning Wednesday.
If the deal goes through, I will tell you more about the truck. If not, well I'll probably say all the great things I lost out on and then whine about continuing the search. It wouldn't be the end of the world, I'm not ready to give up my little car! I'm a firm believer in things happen for a reason, so if it sells before I see it, there's a reason I wasn't meant to have it. Maybe that's just something I tell myself to make myself feel better, but I generally try my hardest to make things happen. Usually when they don't work out, either something comes up that would have complicated it or something better comes along.
Tonight I'll be riding and packing the trailer for my clinic with the German Riding Master tomorrow! I'm sure you'll hear from me on Wednesday, there will be a lot to say.
The transmission searches for gears and it's been stalling lately after filling it with gas. We've added gas treatment to the tank before filling the last few times and that seems to do the trick for the stalling bit. It doesn't run often and it sometimes sits with a half empty tank. We think water condenses in the tank and then mixes with the gas (or rather doesn't mix with the gas, so when I fill it and run it, water ends up going through the engine instead of gas). That's not it's fault, it's mine for not keeping it full all the time. It does have a loose steering column, meaning there is a bit of play in the wheel and it wanders a little bit. It is exhausting to drive the 4-5 hour drives because of it.
I know I'm near maxing out it's abilities and one day it will completely abandon me. Yes, I do keep AAA and US Rider for that day, and I will keep it for after that day. US Rider has been a godsend to several people I know and they have always sent knowledgeable and nice people to help. So I decided (with my husband's input) to start looking for a 3/4 ton truck while my Dodge still has some resell value as a useful truck and not as scrap. A one ton truck is just more truck than I will need in the next 5-10 years as I love my bumper pull and don't see myself with a gooseneck unless it has living quarters. Right now I can't afford the truck that will pull LQ, and it's going to be a long time before I can afford a trailer that has LQ (it must have a shower and toilet).
I'll have to sell my Dodge and my 1995 Toyota Camry to pay for part of the new truck though. I keep a car for daily driving- it's cheaper to have both and use the truck to haul only than to keep the truck as a daily driver. I'll miss my car. It only has 123,000 miles at almost 20 years old and it's in great shape with very little rust because it's a hand me down car from my grandparents. Every time they'd decide to get a new Camry, they'd give one of their old ones to my parents. I got the last two they handed down since I needed a car. My grandparents' cars lived low mileage lives in a garage. Every now and then they'd be expected to drive across the country, but then they always returned to their garage. They have very little rust and regularly make it to 200,000+ miles. My current Camry lived it's first 15 years/85,000 miles in a garage. My grandfather is 95 and will most likely stop driving in the next year, and I will get his car when he does. Yes, I don't have to work for a car that's in great shape. I know that won't sit well with some of you. This is how my family functions though- as long as you're in the financial shape to do it, you pass things around the family and help out where people need it. It's what my grandparents have been doing for close to 35 years. They've passed 4 cars on to my parents so far, this one will be the 5th.
I found a bunch of Dodge Ram 2500s on Craigslist and at used car dealers that were ok. They are more than I wanted to spend. I am not interested in a diesel (at all) or a gas truck with over 100,000 miles. I plan on keeping this next truck for 5-10 years, so it needs to be under 100k miles and in decent shape, so up the budget goes. I am not interested in another Dodge. I was looking at them simply because it's what I can afford. I am not pleased with the one I have, but in all fairness, it has done its job and I make an effort to plan my trips outside the heat of the day and I take it easy on it. The engine has never quit on me, but the transmission and steering column leave something to be desired.
Yes, I am that crazy person that holds on to a vehicle until it finally dies and has to be hauled away for scrap. Getting the hand me down cars has also taught me to take care of the vehicles I have, and you keep driving them until the end. Neither my car or truck is at the end, but there are high stakes with the truck (I will not be abandoned on the side of the road with my horse in a hot metal box), and the car must go as an unfortunate side effect of the cost of a new truck. If I could I would hold on to that sucker until the day it dies. It's a fabulous little car.
Over the weekend I found a 2005 Chevy Silverado 2500HD (gas engine) for slightly more than the Dodges I have been looking at. What's another couple thousand? I've already blown my budget. My husband and I went out to the lot when they were closed on Sunday to poke around and look at it. Believe me, I would have loved to go when they were open! But the closed at 2pm Saturday and won't reopen until Tuesday. I plan on going to see again Wednesday afternoon and hopefully it's up to snuff and we can negotiate a slightly better price (paying cash should help) and I will have a new (to me) truck! I'm hoping it's still there on Wednesday. My husband and I thought it was a great deal for what it is. I simply cannot get out there before Wednesday afternoon- they are closed today (Monday), I have meetings at work I can't miss in the morning and a clinic in the afternoon/evening on Tuesday, so I will be working a half day from home in the morning Wednesday.
If the deal goes through, I will tell you more about the truck. If not, well I'll probably say all the great things I lost out on and then whine about continuing the search. It wouldn't be the end of the world, I'm not ready to give up my little car! I'm a firm believer in things happen for a reason, so if it sells before I see it, there's a reason I wasn't meant to have it. Maybe that's just something I tell myself to make myself feel better, but I generally try my hardest to make things happen. Usually when they don't work out, either something comes up that would have complicated it or something better comes along.
Tonight I'll be riding and packing the trailer for my clinic with the German Riding Master tomorrow! I'm sure you'll hear from me on Wednesday, there will be a lot to say.
Total Saddle Fit Shoulder Relief Girth
Mikey had last Wednesday off, then we road walked on Thanksgiving, and then worked Friday in the arena. We had several discussions about moving off my leg into half pass. We also had a discussion about simply going straight in canter on centerline. No changes, no half pass, nothing. Straight and then track the direction we were bending. It was difficult for him. So difficult we will have to repeat in our warm ups every ride. A handful of the tests call for cantering up centerline, trot, halt at G or wherever, and in the past he's always been "What now, what now?!?!?" and made it difficult to get a good final centerline. Nothing ground breaking about the ride. Just a good, solid ride.
Saturday I borrowed my barn owner's Total Saddle Fit Shoulder Relief girth. I mentioned it in a previous post. I had mentioned it to her when she said her horse got very funny about shoulder and back restrictions, and she went out and ordered one a few weeks ago. Her horse loves it.
He loved it. Absolutely loved it. From the moment I sat down on him, he was more forward and less pokey. No pushing for more unless I wanted extended gaits. His shoulder was freer for sure. He had much more swing in the shoulder when I looked at him in the mirrors. His trot became hard to sit, and not because he wasn't through and so I didn't have somewhere to sit. No, he was very through and connected. He had so much swing to his step and lift that he created a much bigger motion to sit. His canters were forward from the walk, no shuffles and immediately off into a nice canter. I worked with my curb rein hooked through my saddle pad's velcro straps (see the above pic for the gray velcro), but that wouldn't have made that big a difference in his quality of work. We worked centerlines again, and I mixed in one flying change on centerline, and it worked! We worked 10m circles at the start of the long side in canter, then trot half passes and canter half passes from the centerline to wall. We did a couple flying changes on the diagonals to an extended trot to finish. He was absolutely stunning. I'll be ordering a girth for myself. He was so much freer in his movements, and so happy to go to work.
Total Saddle Fit Shoulder Relief Girth: A+ rating. Try it! The leather is super soft and supple, and it feels like memory foam when you squeeze it. At $134 or so after shipping, it's an incredible value. If you have a horse that is just not as free moving as he could be, give it a try. The company does 110% money back and a 30 day test period. You can't lose!
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| Sleeping in the sun Saturday morning instead of eating the hay I put out for his skinny ass. |
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| All tightened up. |
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| Maybe I should have cleaned my saddle and used a fresh saddle pad. |
Total Saddle Fit Shoulder Relief Girth: A+ rating. Try it! The leather is super soft and supple, and it feels like memory foam when you squeeze it. At $134 or so after shipping, it's an incredible value. If you have a horse that is just not as free moving as he could be, give it a try. The company does 110% money back and a 30 day test period. You can't lose!
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| Simply stunning horses get to stop working early and go for a road walk! |
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