tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58521299128128128162024-02-20T11:50:27.547-07:00The Well Groomed HorseThe hows and whys behind products and methods used to make your horse look their very best.Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.comBlogger324125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-78584573811964788092022-01-30T14:31:00.000-07:002022-01-30T14:31:02.874-07:00The past is the past<p>Calling it Old Times makes it seem so far away. A few months ago a long time friend of mine came to visit for a few days. It was nice finally getting to meet her in person and we had a good time relaxing, talking ponies and boozing' in the pool. She definitely needs to come back and we're planning for me to visit her place. I would post pics but I respect her privacy and knowing there is one person still stalks here and there online, well yeah... </p><p>Only recently I found out one of the old gang from back in the days of Fugly had passed last year. While we had not been close, I had chatted via email a few times with Cathy, aka Charles City Cat. RIP sweet lady. I found out via another blogger Go Lightly who has also been posting recently and had only found out herself not too long ago. I seen GL's blog in the sideline on Sherry's blog Fern Valley. </p><p>Otherwise a lot of the blogs have gone silent, not posting for months or even years. A few of them taking it private and shutting out anyone who doesn't pat their back (or ass) and tell them "Good job" even when it isn't well deserved. A few of them also stated - this will be my last post and here's why. I can respect that.</p><p>While this blog still has the views, the comments have gone silent. Looking back there have been no comments on the past several posts. Talking to Sherry the other day I told her that I have also considered taking this blog down. Some days I struggle to find something to post about. Other days I just don't have time and then there's days I just don't feel like it. </p><p>We also talked about different bloggers we knew and spoke to often and then out of the blue, they ghosted us for whatever reason and that was that. Neither of us understand why but agree it is childish and a cowards way out. At least own it and say why. </p><p>I recently ended a long time relationship with someone I had considered a really good friend. Things were said that were waaaay out of line and totally uncalled for. Of course I promptly called them out on it and no, there was No attempt at an apology. None. That tells me where I stand and that was that. Their last comment was that I am a very classy lady. At least they got that right! I agreed that I have class, because I could have easily said some equally insulting and hurtful things in response- but I didn't. I hadn't even considered it, because I don't do things like that to my friends. It does not make their initial statement any less bullshit than it is to begin with and only brings me down to their level. </p><p>So almost a month into the new year and here we are. I'm looking back one last time before closing that door and looking forward to what life has to offer. Lots of things in store and changes to be made. I haven't chosen my new 'Word of the Year' yet, but I have a few I'm leaning towards. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSKT4JF-Cw02jODW_pb1VwRiWZ1LeKU9y4WDadPLjG3w4mfpTLXPTh5Q1eKY21mB-Yl7c5KN5xyFYng-kAXSkdTQGIGdIMc7-vWIAQSxwyA3jONUJwhneWzlvBQx_7QuGSnehe4CBYngc44dm1PJWYGB-NWt-6stg1f4ACSKOrH9NJP3-58awljWif=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="1000" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSKT4JF-Cw02jODW_pb1VwRiWZ1LeKU9y4WDadPLjG3w4mfpTLXPTh5Q1eKY21mB-Yl7c5KN5xyFYng-kAXSkdTQGIGdIMc7-vWIAQSxwyA3jONUJwhneWzlvBQx_7QuGSnehe4CBYngc44dm1PJWYGB-NWt-6stg1f4ACSKOrH9NJP3-58awljWif=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-88248377741244312622021-09-04T14:19:00.000-06:002021-09-04T14:19:20.743-06:00Speaking Up! <p>The other morning on the news there was a story about a dog that was rescued. Not much about it would seem out of the ordinary, except the weather that has been wreaking havoc on so many states. Hurricane Ida has caused a lot of flooding, damage, death and destruction in her path. Power outages, evacuations and now shortages on clean water, fuel, food and shelter...</p><p>What was so special about the story of the dog? The owners left the dog chained up outside and then evacuated the area. <a href="https://lenexworld.com/rescuers-save-trapped-dog-cruelly-chained-up-outside-during-hurricane-ida/" target="_blank">Story here</a> That's right. They left the dog behind, chained up outside and were gone before the storm hit. There was a shed that collapsed on the dog and she was trapped with no food or water for roughly 4 days. </p><p>In all honesty, one of the newswomen speaking on the story annoys me. She's just too perky for me and 'way too excited to be here' so early in the morning. I'm not awake enough yet for that much energy so I don't care for her. But after this? Much respect! </p><p>As her and the other news host were discussing the story and showing the pics and video of the rescue of Bubbles the dog, she turned to him and said, "This upsets me. I am bothered by this story. I mean Who leaves their dog behind, chained up outside and evacuates? WHO DOES THAT????" The other host turned to her and flatly says, "You'd be surprised. It happens a lot. I don't agree with it either, but it happens. Not everyone treats their dog like part of the family."</p><p>When the story continued and there was mention that Bubbles would be getting a vet check up and care while they searched for the owners, she spoke up again. "They should not get the dog back. Bubbles deserves a new home with people who will take better care of her." I agree 1 ,000%. Bubbles deserves a family. </p>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-76456713910129402742021-08-15T14:27:00.002-06:002021-08-15T14:27:43.757-06:00Points to consider<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Everyone in the equine community has been talking and squawking about the German rider in the Pentathalon event lately. There has been posts on vlogs, video clips and comments galore pretty much everywhere online and likely in barns around the world. A lot of them post parts of the video footage although the IOC is citing copyrights to all video. Below is one I found posted on YouTube and shows a lot of the issues that happened during the jumping round. It was posted by someone in Europe so I'm not sure what the description says- I haven't googled it for translation yet. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_yTUpYAY5Js" width="320" youtube-src-id="_yTUpYAY5Js"></iframe></div><br />Let's discuss this. <p></p><p>-A lot of people are calling for this portion of the event to be removed. Others state this event has military origins and if a soldier was down behind enemy lines- these are all things they may have to do to survive and/or escape- sword fighting, shooting, running, swimming and jump on a horse to flee the area, jumping whatever is in the way. </p><p>-There is also the argument that these horses aren't suited for this level of jumps. Why are some horse and rider combos able to complete the course then? Others state these are school horses that are used to packing students around on courses while the riders figure things out. </p><p>-Some of these riders admit to only riding twice a month between competitions. IMO this is on them and why their riding is what it is. While I may not have a horse to ride or compete at this level, if I plan on attending an event of any kind- I ride or drive and fine tune what needs to be fixed at least a few months leading up to said event. I work with the horse at least a few times a week, every week and fix any of their issues that may pop up and fix my own too. The Olympics is a pretty large scale event and everyone has a pretty good idea when it starts and what day they will be competing. These people/athletes have plenty of time to plan for this and work on their riding skills. No excuse.</p><p>-I have seen where people state she had the option of asking for another horse. This is where knowing the rules of your sport is crucial. There is video on YouTube below with this same rider competing in 2012. Surely between then and now, her and her coach have seen or known of another rider asking for a different horse. Know your rules people! Know. Your. Rules!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MzMSB7Wc-3Y" width="320" youtube-src-id="MzMSB7Wc-3Y"></iframe></div><p>-Apparently Saint Boy didn't have a good round with the previous rider and had 3 refusals. Sometimes another rider can take a horse and get more cooperation out of them. They can soothe the horse and calm them down, managing to get around the course. If the rules allow you to ask for another horse after the 20 minute warm up and you two just aren't getting along, by all means get another horse. If she had done this, it could have been a completely different outcome and there wouldn't be anything to discuss. </p><p>-People are complaining that 20 minutes to warm up and get to know the horse is not enough. Others counter that with the fact- catch riders do this at shows all the time. Trainers get on new/strange horses all the time to evaluate them for clients or to see what needs to be changed and where they're at, before purchasing.... any number of reasons. If you were a soldier behind enemy lines trying to escape- there's no knowledge of the horse you're getting on having a.n.y. jumping skills at all. If a gate or fence comes up- you're praying like hell and hoping that horse trusts you enough to try to go over it. </p><p>-There's a photo posted online saying Saint Boy is back home relaxing and recovering from this event. Others saying its a pic of a different horse- if you look closely the trees behind him have no leaves and the horse has a full winter coat. Not what he would look like coming home from a summer event. </p><p>-There was also comments stating Kaley Cuoco has offered to buy the horse at any cost. You might know her as Penny from The Big Bang Theory. If this is true? Props to her and Much Respect! </p><p>Thoughts on all of this?</p>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-51684083854284687982021-07-21T22:41:00.001-06:002021-07-21T22:41:00.163-06:00Inches.....<p>A couple weeks ago that was seriously all that kept me from being in an accident. It had rained heavily overnight and on my way in to work there are places on the road where water collects. There was a white GMC truck next to me and as we came up on one of the roadside puddles I had already backed off the gas and was letting him pull away from me. I was in the left lane- big white truck in the right. </p><p>When they hit the water it was a nice big spray/ wave that came off the right side of their truck. Quite pretty actually. The driver handled it fine at first and all seemed good.... Until it wasn't. Suddenly they swerved halfway into the lane ahead of me. As quickly as that happened the white truck was sideways in front of me. I thought for sure I was about to T-bone them. Then I thought- I hope they don't flip it! Their truck was raised up some and anything is possible. </p><p>As all of this happened in the flash of about 2 seconds, (but felt like slow motion) I had already started braking. All of a sudden the white truck spun again and now the tailgate and bumper were literally inches from the front of my truck. Of course their brake lights were all lit up and I can still see it in my mind. At this point I was literally standing on my brake pedal and bracing for impact sure to come. Thankfully it never did. </p><p>Just like that they were back in their own lane and we were both still moving forward. A short ways up ahead the road curved left and opens up to 3 lanes. There's also an exit. The white truck took the exit. I figured they needed to go change their pants after that. </p><p>While this could have been avoided or minimized had they slowed down some before hitting the water, their driving and handling skills once it all started going south were quite impressive. I'm betting they learned their lesson about hydroplaning that day. When it happens, it happens fast.</p>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-600730491191926252021-06-06T15:28:00.001-06:002021-06-06T15:28:00.184-06:00Projected<div class="separator">The rest of the mats have been secured and delivered. A few of them it took very little effort to drop them into place (last 2 aisle mats). </div><div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlTQ4d6xmC4Q76WrFpL2c-iGS7pvPzrJmLotmbAmTXUm5nqaHCeVgVS-pG2lkXvidZ_Aeh0otqYdqJ8nFXivO_fc2tu5WJJ9f_SeyDO_5y9j-nT027eTATwZ13op4K5KUuqM98rG53HI/s2048/IMG_20210510_192306_01.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlTQ4d6xmC4Q76WrFpL2c-iGS7pvPzrJmLotmbAmTXUm5nqaHCeVgVS-pG2lkXvidZ_Aeh0otqYdqJ8nFXivO_fc2tu5WJJ9f_SeyDO_5y9j-nT027eTATwZ13op4K5KUuqM98rG53HI/w400-h300/IMG_20210510_192306_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>These front two still need to be leveled better, but for now everything is cut to fit and down where they belong. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVsyt0vx4rZBdR1awX56fbZIg-gfVI2YxrlbR9EAO_4PEQcRxxIoljQexy3R2Ts4WW5VGvc_QQy24aadlsNg8K7CoC-AESRqLDQrHN_B_mM4a5sksAwMmT6k9uUxBu0Y9N4AKAvBTx64/s2048/IMG_20210510_192250_01.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVsyt0vx4rZBdR1awX56fbZIg-gfVI2YxrlbR9EAO_4PEQcRxxIoljQexy3R2Ts4WW5VGvc_QQy24aadlsNg8K7CoC-AESRqLDQrHN_B_mM4a5sksAwMmT6k9uUxBu0Y9N4AKAvBTx64/w400-h300/IMG_20210510_192250_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The two middle mats on the outside portion- this had already been dug out and they could be dropped in place. Bam. Done.</p><p>At the time of this pic, the last two for outside needed to be pulled up, the ground leveled underneath and dropped back into place. I, just had to take the time and do it. Thankfully I got it all done before the rain started. Now there is enough room outside for grooming, farriers to work and also a place to rinse or bathe. Everything is sloped to drain and matted so there is no mud to step in. Win! </p><p>The next part of this project is to get some lightweight plastic to put on the lower portion of the stall gates. This will keep the shavings in the stalls and make for a lot less sweeping for me. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_HnOSdQ4zZ9l6U9epsqZ6V2kMOlUb71hzh52JuEjfwAMEEEI0kIM37ej3MCb7cFt3hYXvG9FmnPFd2WQG3Bn2ecJ1hUy3SNIdYSHdurwpnyGlh9CRMNEcj9rX7DQCdT6Jp-yYNsZET8/s2048/IMG_20210510_192711_01.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_HnOSdQ4zZ9l6U9epsqZ6V2kMOlUb71hzh52JuEjfwAMEEEI0kIM37ej3MCb7cFt3hYXvG9FmnPFd2WQG3Bn2ecJ1hUy3SNIdYSHdurwpnyGlh9CRMNEcj9rX7DQCdT6Jp-yYNsZET8/w400-h300/IMG_20210510_192711_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The front of the stalls already have wood between the bottom two rails. This is to keep the shavings in and also keep legs from going thru should a horse lay down too close to the fence. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQgyghHf3mc8tQfjvmUO20nD7YLmYE9xDIBxFqvF6hT08uILudG6GkOZZW9fOIVwLXGdyIXnQRHNpHw6waoHLlS8hBbck8VmT-il61znXOtwpH5PqqEz84BeBIvGIXpKbmT_BQzQoU60/s2048/IMG_20210510_192726_01.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQgyghHf3mc8tQfjvmUO20nD7YLmYE9xDIBxFqvF6hT08uILudG6GkOZZW9fOIVwLXGdyIXnQRHNpHw6waoHLlS8hBbck8VmT-il61znXOtwpH5PqqEz84BeBIvGIXpKbmT_BQzQoU60/w400-h300/IMG_20210510_192726_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the plastic is on the gates, then the last part is to put some kind of border up around the ends/edges of the mats to keep them all where they belong. Adding a thin layer of sand under them to keep them leveled would also be optimal. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-78078252122419866722021-04-08T15:17:00.002-06:002021-04-08T15:17:35.948-06:00Truth<p> Enough said.... </p><p>If you can't relate- you're probably lying. Lol</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fIHEECQ63bYT3gWDeOW5sLYpGrFA7-68NM-o98_NL9FaoxizjoPLGLOhnYYpMC_PverFNNih5ndAlM63hlwpymCUdFGTCbxgj4gAXbwQLCwLGINmDjVYX1ZNJP_TBQxoe0EvENsqIU0/s2048/IMG_20210404_121747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fIHEECQ63bYT3gWDeOW5sLYpGrFA7-68NM-o98_NL9FaoxizjoPLGLOhnYYpMC_PverFNNih5ndAlM63hlwpymCUdFGTCbxgj4gAXbwQLCwLGINmDjVYX1ZNJP_TBQxoe0EvENsqIU0/s320/IMG_20210404_121747.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-77639512197276325872021-03-12T00:06:00.001-07:002021-03-12T00:06:40.986-07:00Friday funny<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A friend of mine sent me this and it cracks me up. Thought I would share. I'm sure we all either know or have known a horse like this... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjVVhIhiXHJUMTusXcWs0ueorXRBtPWAfxfIgRBhLxB0Ij55H2e56PMKJ476YfwXu_iqMsLyDD4BBxMQWE3ahBeCbFLiedgNe2EShz_3DCn-TBOXcw0C7fBil03oHq1ll5bbpt7MtBPs/s919/IMG_20210312_005220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="919" data-original-width="718" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjVVhIhiXHJUMTusXcWs0ueorXRBtPWAfxfIgRBhLxB0Ij55H2e56PMKJ476YfwXu_iqMsLyDD4BBxMQWE3ahBeCbFLiedgNe2EShz_3DCn-TBOXcw0C7fBil03oHq1ll5bbpt7MtBPs/w313-h400/IMG_20210312_005220.jpg" width="313" /></a></div> <p></p>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-49517036593277680912021-02-15T05:18:00.001-07:002021-02-15T05:18:01.071-07:00Coping with Covid<p>No I haven't had Covid but for the first time it hit pretty close for me. I found out last weekend that the other boarder at the barn has it. Rather than ask for help, he has been coming out to feed when he has the energy to do it. Until I found out about it. Thankfully I have other stuff I'm dealing with at the moment that keeps me from getting to the barn until around 8pm. By then the other boarder Tom has been and gone. (Hopefully not leaving germs all over everything.... 🙄 Ugh!) </p><p>When the barn owner let me know what was going on (BO tested negative) I let him know I would be happy to feed, clean stalls and turn out his geldings, just stay home and get healthy. He has expressed his gratitude and appreciation several times over since then. When we're sick we aren't the best drivers. We feel like shit, our reaction times suck and our mind probably isn't focused on driving like it should be - making us a hazard to ourselves and everyone else on the road. </p><p>Add to that- we are already a man down at work due to medical leave. I handle a lot of things at the office, one of which is all the LTL shipments so I can't really afford to get sick. Taking in the care of the other horses was kind of two-fold. It helps him out so he can recover and keeps him out of the barn so I don't get sick. </p><p>I sent Tom a text the other night letting him know that his horses have all been well behaved and perfect gentlemen this whole time. They enjoy their time in turnout and go straight to their own stalls when let in. I have also been giving them all hot mashes for dinner and they really enjoy those too. The mashes also have a two-fold effect. The weather has turned cold here in Houston. Last night around 11pm and 1:30am we had freezing rain. The temps today are forecasted with a high of 23° F. Tonight it is supposed to get down to 16°-18° F (Yes you might read the F as meaning F that!)</p><p>Remember the coffee pot I have in my tack room? Well the hot mash helps warm the horses up, but actually the more soupy and sloppier the mash- the more water goes into the horse and the risk of colic and dehydration goes down. When it's that cold outside would You want to drink cold water? Horses don't either, so consumption goes down and the risks go up. A soupy hot mash gets water into their system and helps warm them up. They think they're getting a real treat and usually snarf it down. Win-Win! </p>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-6314967378218348192021-01-23T16:50:00.003-07:002022-01-30T14:32:18.859-07:00Pony love<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmCasvr8CcmdEvv3BgWE82DGCCeNkmvBCY7ErKnljhta1DECj0qHimQ8ZwuuUZaq6Q09ThVM5tUIkm7WLei1VuNZjtw-WbkblPzl3wPSaG6qZkzfKiihvkgr-EwAA0tck_fiFRLFLXxo/s2048/20210122_200143.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmCasvr8CcmdEvv3BgWE82DGCCeNkmvBCY7ErKnljhta1DECj0qHimQ8ZwuuUZaq6Q09ThVM5tUIkm7WLei1VuNZjtw-WbkblPzl3wPSaG6qZkzfKiihvkgr-EwAA0tck_fiFRLFLXxo/s320/20210122_200143.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />A few pics of Katman to make everyone smile. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGsFqyumQfTKIjGyViZ_I-Yo1x1HwW25IyYWHYGQCBi7S9bLnC8gdkc4m78sdzsS6nrsUGu_KygT-07QWpKAK0tNWBsERr3Fje2XZqQZyUyeCjXhReZ-9NJPMrKbYQoTi9wyRnN-QET0/s2048/20210122_200135.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGsFqyumQfTKIjGyViZ_I-Yo1x1HwW25IyYWHYGQCBi7S9bLnC8gdkc4m78sdzsS6nrsUGu_KygT-07QWpKAK0tNWBsERr3Fje2XZqQZyUyeCjXhReZ-9NJPMrKbYQoTi9wyRnN-QET0/s320/20210122_200135.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>You know your pony is relaxed when they can comfortably lay down in their stall. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4ntn72CNlehIbFyFh7i6uIyH9dBDZv8O6LTmwmHLGHFxzyo8DCorTKMFTT8PYbuMlixsBMyj6OzTFf0iz76GXoghc_Mw-8oyXyZe781yOrdIunW4MTdf1jf73vmJ4KZgyGi-ou0_mEU/s2048/20210122_200200.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4ntn72CNlehIbFyFh7i6uIyH9dBDZv8O6LTmwmHLGHFxzyo8DCorTKMFTT8PYbuMlixsBMyj6OzTFf0iz76GXoghc_Mw-8oyXyZe781yOrdIunW4MTdf1jf73vmJ4KZgyGi-ou0_mEU/s320/20210122_200200.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>These shavings are beyond awesome! So fluffy and a super fine grind- it's almost like sand and makes cleaning fast and easy. And what pony could be any more deserving? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6atMSzwz2n4bs4JZ2JOy8wA_3SkbxuVUchQzQ7hEMmai3fDZf2mwb-Bi0MFVfvwG8jzvcxekUPdpzULHaU9DJwYqvGqYc5qsjl23sVVvgEk5Ebm-6P90UoQLDr-MnkmqvMqaor1EU3Hc/s2048/20210122_200149.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6atMSzwz2n4bs4JZ2JOy8wA_3SkbxuVUchQzQ7hEMmai3fDZf2mwb-Bi0MFVfvwG8jzvcxekUPdpzULHaU9DJwYqvGqYc5qsjl23sVVvgEk5Ebm-6P90UoQLDr-MnkmqvMqaor1EU3Hc/s320/20210122_200149.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Definitely has the Katman seal of approval! </p><p><br /></p>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-4140597362546415862021-01-07T01:29:00.002-07:002021-01-13T02:14:14.110-07:00"I'll be damned!"<p>It's always fun to shock others that may not know us very well and set them back a little now and then. The other boarder at my barn has had this happen a few times. He's a team roper and for the most part in the 3 short months I've been there, I have ridden in either my close contact or dressage saddles or driven the pony. My western saddles had not yet graced the door of the barn or made an appearance. </p><p>The other night when we were talking, I was scooping feed and getting things together. It came time to load hay nets and when I turned for my knife to cut the strings, it wasn't where I keep it. Naturally I grabbed a piece of baling twine and ran it under the two on the bale and proceeded to pull it back and forth- cutting thru them both at once. About half way thru the process, he had asked me if I needed a knife. When the strings popped and the bale was open- he chuckled "I guess not..." </p><p>He's seen the small laundry hamper I keep in my feed room and has always wondered about it. When I put my slow feed nets in/on it and chucked 1/4 of the bale in it, drew the string up and closed he was shocked. "I'll be damned! I need to get me one of those." He admitted he has always struggled to keep the nets open and try to get the hay In them without half of it ending up on the ground. I loaded 4 nets in a matter of a few short minutes. Yeah I don't have time to screw around with stuff like that. Lol </p><p>The mats in the aisleway- he was surprised I had moved them. Agreed they are Heavy ass mo-fo's and once things were leveled, cut and in place he's liking the benifits. I have gotten 2 more to put in place in front of the barn, under the porch. Need to level it off and also get a few stakes to put in the ground to keep it all from shifting, a few more mats and soon we will have a place to cross tie the horses inside or outside depending on which way they're facing. This will also give us a place to rinse horses as well since everything outside is angled right for runoff and drainage. </p><p>When I made and brought out the blanket hanger, he wasn't quite sure what it was or its intended use. Once it was up and blankets on it- again, "I'll be damned!" </p><p>The latest addition to my tack room is a coffee pot. These are relatively cheap at Wally-World or online. Now if I want to I can make a pot of coffee or hot water for tea. But it's really not what I have intended for that. Nope! Now I can heat up a pot of water to soak feet or pour on feed. One of the ladies at the last barn had an electric teapot she brought out for making a hot mash for her horses on colder nights. I can also dump a pot or two in their water tubs so they have warmer water to drink. This helps fight dehydration and colic in the winter. </p><p>One of the vloggers I follow on YouTube had suggested using an inline water filter like people use for their RV's. It is good for about 3 months and filters all the junk out so your horse always has clean drinking water. She said they run about $8 but if they do I haven't found it yet. Everything I have seen so far is around $16-$20 or more if you buy a single filter, two pack or more. Still not bad for clean drinking water for me and the ponies. </p><p>Some days I don't think the other boarder quite knows what to think of me. I'm always doing things that he scratches his head and says "I'll be damned!" </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-60190053931712411682020-12-21T05:57:00.002-07:002020-12-24T00:02:12.243-07:00Projects<p>At the new barn there is not really a place I can hang up the bags on the front of the stalls to keep the blankets in. I suppose I could attach them on the stall gates but it may not go over well with the barn owner. Hanging things on gates is asking for issues later on. Throwing blankets and sheets over the gate while the horse/pony are turned out is one thing, but leaving weight on the gate for longer periods of time leads to sagging and gates not closing properly. </p><p>I needed something to hang the blankets and sheets on for storage but also give them a way to air out between uses. Since the blankets are short enough... I could make them a rack for in the tack room. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJXJ-wJ0UTaAL0a4X3llrNjJrUqM2eN5r1JRZaCBdqkWqJeCrCsUes9bPbuV1vKnW27qL9ZwhZ3Vz-II90BDPOWJbramqso7d-zEezXYWLnIB-k5ltDNbHrWDyaftwFA6aSrEc1QXdbk/s2160/Screenshot_2020-12-21-00-01-53.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJXJ-wJ0UTaAL0a4X3llrNjJrUqM2eN5r1JRZaCBdqkWqJeCrCsUes9bPbuV1vKnW27qL9ZwhZ3Vz-II90BDPOWJbramqso7d-zEezXYWLnIB-k5ltDNbHrWDyaftwFA6aSrEc1QXdbk/s320/Screenshot_2020-12-21-00-01-53.png" /></a></div><p>I had previously bought 3 of these <a href="https://www.harborfreight.com/v-shape-hang-all-68995.html">Hooks</a> from Harbor Freight for $2 each. I was using 1 of them for the hose at the previous barn but hadn't figured out where or how I would use them at the new barn. Until now... I found a 4 foot length of 2x4 in the garage at home and measured out where I would place the 3 hooks on it. Marked out where the holes would go and drilled them, then screwed the Hang All hooks to the board. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlMUftnBuqKZoFQAsJ3ZWkAF_6qnVF71LqNuPjOKiMiDcLwug6eoMrdxFQWlcssk3mGLfUiQ6cF3N2Yhi20JU48drTijCMq7dS8xhMRE2MiDnJNXDCJWLBPe1UAesZo8Ymwo6neOaT_o/s4160/20201219_125735.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlMUftnBuqKZoFQAsJ3ZWkAF_6qnVF71LqNuPjOKiMiDcLwug6eoMrdxFQWlcssk3mGLfUiQ6cF3N2Yhi20JU48drTijCMq7dS8xhMRE2MiDnJNXDCJWLBPe1UAesZo8Ymwo6neOaT_o/s320/20201219_125735.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All marked and ready to be drilled. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nCjGm99iR11jUwawPOPlQB0UFdR6-04Tq6XM4OkBWq3abumEd9vvEGbEax4j_btwd47d9hPrUSRpqXWgR3IQ8wzevBWcMdf9-p6v6mt-KPjKS2a2MHDkv3BBBzgF_RdkFvHRXMwCZ18/s4160/20201219_125730.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nCjGm99iR11jUwawPOPlQB0UFdR6-04Tq6XM4OkBWq3abumEd9vvEGbEax4j_btwd47d9hPrUSRpqXWgR3IQ8wzevBWcMdf9-p6v6mt-KPjKS2a2MHDkv3BBBzgF_RdkFvHRXMwCZ18/s320/20201219_125730.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div>One of the hooks screwed onto my board. I was going to sand the board and paint it, but since the paint would need to dry and I needed to use this now- I decided I would wait on painting this until later. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbk4j_2s3LTLTI-DitHRI_lcN53A89CGf7glhoesmzYWbKvk_pVZpVRjMb9sH3X5P1b2apwjkgfoGAsy6zNkiZMwfovypRfV6DOFGdvpPih7q2KtGZui0BGJTp2P1owf9XnTINAVCL5es/s2048/20201220_192325.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbk4j_2s3LTLTI-DitHRI_lcN53A89CGf7glhoesmzYWbKvk_pVZpVRjMb9sH3X5P1b2apwjkgfoGAsy6zNkiZMwfovypRfV6DOFGdvpPih7q2KtGZui0BGJTp2P1owf9XnTINAVCL5es/s320/20201220_192325.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>I used a couple of these <a href="https://www.harborfreight.com/jumbo-bike-utility-hook-47751.html">utility hooks</a> to hang it up tonight. I need to take the screw gun and level out and fix this, but for now it's up and being used. </div><div><br /></div><div>Since the blankets and sheets are sizes 58-60 and 68-70 they are hung up and don't quite reach the ground but the leg straps do. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBNpAAYADVGhrSY635-5xwhPyO7u6VlDGvEikAcCXI9h9qxn1lztXPU4vQzw1UCR6D1WQoMa8xyOW2kjKDGOrjHZujIhQJZ-h-IfL_osBmcAui7Zvk2c6q9xxJK32V90OwuVkSOXUrlw/s2048/IMG_20201220_192937_01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBNpAAYADVGhrSY635-5xwhPyO7u6VlDGvEikAcCXI9h9qxn1lztXPU4vQzw1UCR6D1WQoMa8xyOW2kjKDGOrjHZujIhQJZ-h-IfL_osBmcAui7Zvk2c6q9xxJK32V90OwuVkSOXUrlw/s320/IMG_20201220_192937_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>If I clipped the leg straps up it would be neater.... </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVuP9luw8r_RnQnsrE7YWXyNPgioeRx0wssSfPd3vodBgfhxYTQaCR4HtZmy6txMSmSU5OdUY38wvihsXFsE1YPhehMtzR81BYlL1CWqMpMNiT_1-qNmXY9fbbG_vIi1t7L5sahQTlLs/s2048/20201220_192336.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVuP9luw8r_RnQnsrE7YWXyNPgioeRx0wssSfPd3vodBgfhxYTQaCR4HtZmy6txMSmSU5OdUY38wvihsXFsE1YPhehMtzR81BYlL1CWqMpMNiT_1-qNmXY9fbbG_vIi1t7L5sahQTlLs/s320/20201220_192336.jpg" /></a></div><p>For now the blankets and sheets are all neatly hung up, each one has its own hook and yes I have a free shelf behind them for more stuff. I may need another hook for more blankets, sheets and coolers. There is room to add one more Hang All on each end of the board for a total of 10 hooks. </p></div>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-23715860641436864222020-12-04T17:27:00.014-07:002020-12-15T10:13:34.208-07:00No regrets<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBXCTX0xLPzVMrAM2ZIUI2abJvrgZno3oWqwWlma5FdA9Z4vpYPMyX2BDH6nDzYGC2KxhBgNMHumKleifZS0gxVwFkrVlMdjpdUQ1mTt2I1c9LT2NRZz2RO5Ak90xmNlNBhP703KKoX0/s800/917c830faab8d7ba7b6b8815ffbd890129d88d2aa20a924f56647aa44fe794e6_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBXCTX0xLPzVMrAM2ZIUI2abJvrgZno3oWqwWlma5FdA9Z4vpYPMyX2BDH6nDzYGC2KxhBgNMHumKleifZS0gxVwFkrVlMdjpdUQ1mTt2I1c9LT2NRZz2RO5Ak90xmNlNBhP703KKoX0/w400-h360/917c830faab8d7ba7b6b8815ffbd890129d88d2aa20a924f56647aa44fe794e6_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There have been a few recent posts on blogger about regrets in riding and all things horse. I could do a post on its own of all the things I have missed out on, watched slip by, have never quite reached or even gotten a chance at doing when it comes to this subject but the list would be long and that would just suck for plenty of reasons. </div><p></p><p>I will list two that a lot of others can relate to- my parents refused to buy me a pony and lessons were 'too expensive'. I can blame my parents and wave the flag- 'My childhood sucked', but it won't change anything. Since then life has handed me a whole bunch of lemons over the years so I've made a whopping batch of margaritas and let all of the disappointments go. Screw that and screw them. </p><p>Of the many things I Have gotten to do with horses, there have been times when I have doubted myself, questioned my own ideas and times when I said "Fuck it!", jumped in blindly and hoped for the best. Both have their pro's and cons. With this whole year having been a clusterf*ck, I have appreciated my time with the ponies and just being around them, even if it is just to turn them out and clean stalls. </p><p>One thing that I have noticed in showing- people fixate on one thing or another and work long and hard at solving why they can't get this movement or that one perfect. I would love to ride or drive a perfect dressage test and nail every movement but yeah, that's just not gonna happen any time soon! Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Kat and I could do ok in dressage and then kill it in the games classes, cones and obstacles. We function better with speed and not having to think about stuff. Just point and shoot, rip around the course with reckless abandon, just throw down fast times and often double clear rounds. It's what we do. Other people have some really nice dressage scores but then just don't open up the throttle on the cones, hazards or games classes. That's how they roll and that's ok. </p><p>For ridden dressage- the last pony I was working with, we did ok. We were in the ribbons every time out, got a couple of 2nd place scores at one show, tried Western Dressage & scored an 8 for our halt and overall I felt we did pretty well considering. A friend of mine commented that the judge seemed to like the pony but not my style of riding. </p><p>That's what we all face when showing. We aren't all going to nail every transition, every movement, every spin, every slide, every stride between jumps, every barrel pattern, every part of everything on every ride. We also aren't going to Wow! every judge either. We're human- they're human we all have good days and bad, things we like and don't and that's just that. When we struggle with transitions or half halts, making nice round circles instead of egg shapes or ice cream cones, we need to be able to chalk it up as "not our strong suit today" and move on. </p><p>Focus on other things for a while, try things on the test for the next level up. Maybe go back to something more basic for a refresher. Work on straightness, touch on balance in the stop, try some counterbending- and sometimes things will click for us or the horse. Now they understand what you're asking for. Now we have a better idea of more clear aids to use and when to give them. Maybe now we understand the why behind the previous movement and how it leads us into the next one. Now it all happens so effortlessly... Or it doesn't and it's just one of those things. </p><p>But at least now we know that this horse and I struggle with this- _________. In our test we will do it and not worry about it being perfect. We will just gloss over it and move on without making a fuss. And a lot of times we think it is more of an issue than others including the judge and our score is better than expected. We move on to the other movements we know we can nail and those scores make up the difference for the parts we worry and stress over. </p><p>Sometimes it is our worry and concern over this transition that makes it an issue. We get so tangled up in our own heads that we start doing things to make our horses react with WTF?!?! So when we ride thru it on our dressage test like it's no big deal- the horse agrees and executes it just like that. Which makes us scratch our heads and ask WTF?!?! too. </p><p>As far as regrets- they are personal to each of us. We can view them like we do our horses when we saddle up to ride- what horse are you today? Are you going to do everything I ask or fight me the whole time? We can hold onto our regrets and let them cloud our outlook or let them go and move on. When we let them go and move on, later we might look back and ask ourselves- Why didn't I do this sooner????</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-85230462802280825532020-11-27T05:44:00.000-07:002020-11-27T05:44:02.444-07:00Projects <p>Part of the perks at the new barn is a wonderful owner who appreciates a low key, no drama atmosphere and takes pride in his property. Now that he has put concrete floors in most of the tack rooms, he repiped the water lines giving each stall a faucet of its own to make filling water tubs easier. These are all now underground which meant my mats had to move for a few days. Not a big deal since I really don't get to work ponies during the week with the time change. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHexdVXwjvjHMD8-jAwl63ydwK_o2OfDdsoNOlHqUzxqoQ21HcXgO6mh1mPuG0NCq2ZSJIN2THlsJwM2Dqw26-_pO0cwC4hni25fr86EXW5kwXJHreQ390T9qMzcZT5begjpNxK-ObHn4/s2048/IMG_20201126_182432_01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHexdVXwjvjHMD8-jAwl63ydwK_o2OfDdsoNOlHqUzxqoQ21HcXgO6mh1mPuG0NCq2ZSJIN2THlsJwM2Dqw26-_pO0cwC4hni25fr86EXW5kwXJHreQ390T9qMzcZT5begjpNxK-ObHn4/w400-h300/IMG_20201126_182432_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Mat #1 is the right front, #2 is the left front, #3 is the left rear and #4 is the right rear.</p><p>The barn owner sends me a text the other night that the water lines are done and the old ones overhead were all taken down. When I got there that night, he had moved the mats all back inside. "I know they aren't how you had them but I felt I should move them back in since I moved them out." I can certainly appreciate that since they are heavy ass mats! I let him know that with the long weekend I would be moving them around, leveling the ground under them and cutting them to fit the aisleway. I needed to bring my good knife home from work to make the job a lot quicker and easier and he replied with this- 👍👍👍 Monday night I got the front right mat (#1) leveled for the most part and cut to fit. That was an easy one!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1uMp5ZiEUpth5EYqGFlOaEl14YGVzNNHfCE6CA_7zyMWHH-QCHTNh3UDpNUTv3_1aCosrHEKye2CdG87LP0FWfQ2o_94NuXAR9ztOYR77JbTVOiwzGtw-vdUxYqvWqXF0bBYIHF_kHUc/s2048/IMG_20201126_184515_01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1uMp5ZiEUpth5EYqGFlOaEl14YGVzNNHfCE6CA_7zyMWHH-QCHTNh3UDpNUTv3_1aCosrHEKye2CdG87LP0FWfQ2o_94NuXAR9ztOYR77JbTVOiwzGtw-vdUxYqvWqXF0bBYIHF_kHUc/w400-h300/IMG_20201126_184515_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Mat #2 was a bitch! Tuesday night I got the ground leveled but had to cut the whole end of the mat at an angle to fit the front of the stall and the wood protecting the spigot. I was able to get the notch for the spigot box done pretty easily, but the rest was going to take more time and more effort than I had that night. Wednesday night I got Mat #3 leveled and cut. That one went pretty quick and easy. Once I had the edges on the long side up against M#2, I could lay the short end on top of the base board and use it as a guide to cut along, pushing the mat down into place as I went. </p><p>Mat #4 needs to be leveled and turned, then cut to fit and it <strike>should</strike> will drop into place pretty easily. Since there is enough room, I may get 2 more mats to put across the aisle in front of the gates. This would make it easier to sweep the shavings up and back into the stalls. The farrier is coming on Friday and will get to see and use the newly matted aisle to work in/on. I'm sure he will appreciate it! </p><p>Some of you may have noticed that the way I laid out the mats, the seam down the middle is staggered or offset. It's more to the left in the two front mats and off to the right between the back two. If or when I put down 2 more, this one would also be more to the left. This is so that not only it has the appearance of brick or tile work but also the seams aren't all together. If a horse was to flip out and sit back in the ties, they would be less likely to get a hoof or shoe under the edge of the mats. The fewer edges in one area- the fewer places to get caught up and things to come undone. Since there is a covered area over the door of the barn, I may level that and put a couple mats down so the other boarders can use the cross ties too with their horse outside so the ponies in their stalls won't be interfering with them if the farrier or vet is working on their horse. </p><p>The next project will be to get some plywood to put between the bottom 2 rails, cut to fit and trimmed to make a nicely finished look. This will keep the shavings IN the stalls and also help protect the box and spigots from any stray hooves of a down horse. I'm sure the BO would be happy to have it done and can see that I take pride in my work and having things neat, making it a nice place to work. </p><p>He is also thinking to install a wash rack and I let him know I can get more mats for that when the time comes. There is a space right off the front of the barn that has ample drainage which would be perfect for it. It would also face the south so there would be plenty of daylight for warmth in the winter months. If he would like, I have contacts and could get a water heater relatively cheap for that added bonus in winter months. Talking to him a while back, his daughter showed horses back in the day and they boarded at one of the other barns I had looked at. In all honesty, his place is much nicer. </p><p><br /></p>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-86329834550989257892020-11-25T07:10:00.000-07:002020-11-25T07:10:36.142-07:00Happy Thanksgiving <p>Wishing everyone a Happy and safe Thanksgiving, how ever you choose to gather and celebrate it. </p><p>Things I am thankful for- the various horses and people who have taught me so much in life. Those still among us and those whose loss I have grieved. </p><p>RIP- Tess, Izzy, Punkin, Abby, Dooley, Pi, Mo, Mommy Mare, Solis, Berry, Fred, Shelly, Kodiak, Timber/Roo, Howie, Buzz & Holly Mooo</p><p><br /></p>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-84800658065111196462020-11-08T21:52:00.001-07:002020-11-08T23:17:28.595-07:00Perks 2.0<p>I got a couple of the stall mats the other night.... </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gk1sYq9oqqHEhi-mgrO0bYMagEpoGuWhIAIXrqMiNpI6Hc6E38FQUZOs5ZuMYLMVU3tI8DDw8bGPGWj7erAhpJMaJgWsUjVbdJ4djvyeclK7j5CAhyphenhyphenztjny25-JaHuEvFfsbvlCA-V8/s2048/20201104_182735.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gk1sYq9oqqHEhi-mgrO0bYMagEpoGuWhIAIXrqMiNpI6Hc6E38FQUZOs5ZuMYLMVU3tI8DDw8bGPGWj7erAhpJMaJgWsUjVbdJ4djvyeclK7j5CAhyphenhyphenztjny25-JaHuEvFfsbvlCA-V8/s320/20201104_182735.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I got two of them to start. When I get two more I will turn them and cut off the excess so it will be solid mats all the way across. When the other boarder showed up the next night he was asking how on earth I had wrangled those suckers into the aisle? They're Heavy! He's a tall, stronger guy and I guess he didn't figure my size and grit too well. Lol </p><p>Ummm getting them Out of the truck was the easy part! Gravity and backing the truck up to where I wanted them made it simple to move them. Just slide them out and they're already in place for the most part. Getting them up Into the truck was a different story. Because they're so freaking heavy.</p><p>The barn owner decided to fix up the floors in the feed and tack rooms. He had started at the other end of the barn since its empty. That meant I needed to move all of my stuff so he could fix the floors. Last week I moved my feed. I thought I was down to 4 bales of hay and it turns out I have 5. Bonus! But I had just bought alfalfa pellets the night before so I had to move them- Again. Wish I had known before buying them. Lol </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJO2byr9A5E53gL0D-QX2Cy1lpO5HHtq1guXBp74PlaaFqCNn9fw3hi9l4krWmwCE3PjUy6esIxvEjuoTcVRka-OlmMZjLMKzkr_gWe0NNe7-mzLTefj6QbWaLL4iRa7CnW2igE8v4Gg/s2048/20201104_182323.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJO2byr9A5E53gL0D-QX2Cy1lpO5HHtq1guXBp74PlaaFqCNn9fw3hi9l4krWmwCE3PjUy6esIxvEjuoTcVRka-OlmMZjLMKzkr_gWe0NNe7-mzLTefj6QbWaLL4iRa7CnW2igE8v4Gg/s320/20201104_182323.jpg" /></a></div><p>But this? This is Totally Worth It! No more wood floors. This is my feed room. Just gotta wait for the concrete to set up and then I can move it all back down to the front of the barn. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorirFEFdqaUCGpt26eXpi4F6kLMnxUPOUMsiZ5pl78QbGRdFRivbxRtHqWaXy5W7TKi0AaXJjjfIlI6T3zzLcXKcK2ttIwUHP-dnPpd2-dPV4V6ZyWjC0U0JY0b_Zsd9_4LCKAr60lHM/s2048/20201104_182456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorirFEFdqaUCGpt26eXpi4F6kLMnxUPOUMsiZ5pl78QbGRdFRivbxRtHqWaXy5W7TKi0AaXJjjfIlI6T3zzLcXKcK2ttIwUHP-dnPpd2-dPV4V6ZyWjC0U0JY0b_Zsd9_4LCKAr60lHM/s320/20201104_182456.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is the tack room next to mine. Concrete has set up a bit more already. </div><p>It would have been nice being able to just move everything to the next door down, but it's all good. I got everything moved and the BO will be able to make the changes needed. Some are getting concrete and others are getting the wood floors fixed up for now. Besides, with what's to come- it's a Good thing I didn't move everything one space over. </p><p>I'm feeling kind of spoiled at this barn. It's nice having a barn owner who takes things seriously and not only has a clean facility, but puts work into it and takes care of everything. While it's nice to have other boarders to talk to and people to ride or maybe show with- its just as nice Not having their damn drama. It's so nice being drama free. Such a difference! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2U62QbRVZpCpDt910H48ArUT5oAGNwqOqv-hg8fZAeu8nqe6dTxxsqHYmr4IalHkPHxGOJZW_fE7jNYostWrfwJ1FrdJcHFtigV5FSTgXu53xSr8mGh-mm-DiUd8kXIUsVHbChJVcyUQ/s2048/20201106_184053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2U62QbRVZpCpDt910H48ArUT5oAGNwqOqv-hg8fZAeu8nqe6dTxxsqHYmr4IalHkPHxGOJZW_fE7jNYostWrfwJ1FrdJcHFtigV5FSTgXu53xSr8mGh-mm-DiUd8kXIUsVHbChJVcyUQ/s320/20201106_184053.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>This is my tack room the night it was poured waiting for the concrete to set up. I'm looking forward to putting everything back in and already have an idea of how I'm going to rearrange it. Then I got a text message saying I could move everything back into my tack/feed rooms.... But there were ants in my feed room all across the back and half way down the wall. So I sprayed them and got their nest. The next night there were several dead bugs in there, not just the ants. <div><br /></div><div>I figured- why not knock down all of the spider webs and have everything clean and ready to go. In the process I found 3 big, dark colored spiders. Not black widows as they were thicker and meatier built with a silver butt. They got sprayed too and as a friend used to say- "it knocked 'em deader 'an hell". <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi116DfQITeZaYJonKVhS5lSbuJgi04uPTC3SQQcoQaaUEjHDxszsOkL7snaMXogBor8MTs4JOu-ctxdMUzJkeGIU1jOplE02EkreynSBPUN0CAeSzt8yQ7zv4kxy_DyCSzUx-0LANZoTo/s2048/20201108_182723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi116DfQITeZaYJonKVhS5lSbuJgi04uPTC3SQQcoQaaUEjHDxszsOkL7snaMXogBor8MTs4JOu-ctxdMUzJkeGIU1jOplE02EkreynSBPUN0CAeSzt8yQ7zv4kxy_DyCSzUx-0LANZoTo/s320/20201108_182723.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This. shit. rocks! Kills on contact and keeps killing for up to 6 months. I don't remember which store I bought it at but holy crap. Totally worth the money. This stuff is why not only the ants were dead but the other bugs in my feed room were too. So I decided to knock down the spider webs and spray my tack room also. Why not? There's nothing in either one right now so it's easy peasy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The webs weren't all that bad but I must've found a roach nest because when I sprayed along the back wall.... They started coming out of everywhere and hiding anywhere they could find. I ended up spraying all around the bottom of the walls, up the corners, behind any studs going up the walls and the inside bottom of the door. I let the barn owner know I would be letting things air out for a couple-few more days and he's cool with that. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I was feeding and cleaning up, putting things away, etc. I kept seeing roaches coming out of my tack room. It's like there's a Mass Exodus going on in there. I counted at least 10 that had already fled, another 4 or 5 that made their way down to the other boarders stalls before we left and who knows how many more will come out of the woodwork while I'm not there. At least they won't get the idea they're welcome back any time soon. Lol</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-53091143244431456992020-10-30T06:53:00.001-06:002020-10-30T06:53:02.479-06:00Perks<p>The new barn owner is super chill and so easy to deal with. Since I have moved in, he has agreed to let me make a few changes in the barn. </p><p>He doesn't mind if I bring in mats for the aisle at the front of the barn where I have my cross ties. If I want to put some down in the stalls- he's fine with that too. One of the ladies I used to board with has a lead on these for a good price. I may have to buy them a couple at a time, but so be it. </p><p>One of the other boarders recently moved out and left behind a weed eater. When the BO went out of town for a few days, I used it to mow down a bunch of stuff around the front of the barn. I also grabbed the nippers and trimmed what I could in the arena. </p><p>He also doesn't mind if I take the truck into the arena for something to stand on/in the bed of and trim the lower hanging branches. No more ducking and dodging when I ride. Before I could do that though, last weekend he had a few loads of sand brought in and dumped in the arena. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwvLjCbvuyKo9hAV7_UGdGICvjHYI3wVe4NXx27UvaV6R5QFghBRNMXfQfo8E9G7Sn8TnYgmUOLH5g19My5-2ud6No6OVus8ZUfffR83gzye1ypFBF03dignyUwN1z1CHHb0T0NpWUTI/s2048/IMG_20201022_185424_01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwvLjCbvuyKo9hAV7_UGdGICvjHYI3wVe4NXx27UvaV6R5QFghBRNMXfQfo8E9G7Sn8TnYgmUOLH5g19My5-2ud6No6OVus8ZUfffR83gzye1ypFBF03dignyUwN1z1CHHb0T0NpWUTI/s320/IMG_20201022_185424_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Looking to the west in the arena<br /><p>While I was in Hell seeing my girls for their birthday, (they are 12) the power company came in and cut back about 90% of the tree growth on the north side off the arena- the right side of the pic above. BO also worked the footing in the arena. This end had some deep spots that dried a little hard with holes from footprints in the mud- the other end had a few spots the same. About 2 days after he worked the footing I was able to ride on it. It is so nice riding in a freshly groomed arena! Still a little squishy on the east end but a shit ton better than the arena at the last barn. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3toBfcMQY-PFHA1XlDnEt23_CyD1U7FHpwTtu5I4ylJfKicVo1K9tV8zD6tKf9oh713XzG7vXW8ePzjrXKSaSM5KQjmggNjKr0j2S7sSTVeUuknYd5msoh5PLcg3cLxzANMC6RXf5h5U/s4160/20201017_174141.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3toBfcMQY-PFHA1XlDnEt23_CyD1U7FHpwTtu5I4ylJfKicVo1K9tV8zD6tKf9oh713XzG7vXW8ePzjrXKSaSM5KQjmggNjKr0j2S7sSTVeUuknYd5msoh5PLcg3cLxzANMC6RXf5h5U/s320/20201017_174141.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I also have the front stalls so getting shavings brought in is super easy too! A bag like this, fine grind, almost like sand is only $25. If you want a coarse grind then they also have a bigger bag for $35. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZnGa-zG7n0xRMI2gvjlm3QurQ11N98dFHtpP3A3452TXFrA8Pob-mU8Ii0MveDMVimgaHEiRKJO51-zzYCJ5jFyhk4iannycSVOSIHSchqD5EHwZKl_ZxTVeE4GpGu8i_dtFd7n6E04/s4160/20201017_185417.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZnGa-zG7n0xRMI2gvjlm3QurQ11N98dFHtpP3A3452TXFrA8Pob-mU8Ii0MveDMVimgaHEiRKJO51-zzYCJ5jFyhk4iannycSVOSIHSchqD5EHwZKl_ZxTVeE4GpGu8i_dtFd7n6E04/s320/20201017_185417.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Katman gets about 3/4 of the bag in his stall. He's a relatively clean pony- poops in the back corner so no shavings there, and he has one pee spot so that's easy to clean. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9nRPlDJAXbdG4tMYRyIc0lfsxsJQqSnFVrwmDWcP3wE0jlqEWtsXt53d8ucNb-lOuIiUiQa-R0CNpn4Hv1piENUTIRYhR8GGP_2A_1ak2w0bTpEsRyeWj7mQE_Zcxwihh7kwzzFMsgA/s4160/20201017_185427.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9nRPlDJAXbdG4tMYRyIc0lfsxsJQqSnFVrwmDWcP3wE0jlqEWtsXt53d8ucNb-lOuIiUiQa-R0CNpn4Hv1piENUTIRYhR8GGP_2A_1ak2w0bTpEsRyeWj7mQE_Zcxwihh7kwzzFMsgA/s320/20201017_185427.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The other pony however, can be a total slob. Her stall is stripped, his stall is stripped and the barely used shavings from his- goes into hers. Then she gets the other 1/4 the bag of new stuff on top. These shavings make it super easy to clean stalls. The wet stuff clumps almost like kitty litter and the dry stuff? Well it falls thru the rake without even a shake leaving just the manure. </p><p>Mice/ rats in the barn- every barn has them at some point. At the new place the barn owner routinely puts out bait blocks to keep them at bay or at least somewhat under control. I like this better than the last barn where they relied on some semi-feral cats to do the job, which they didn't. What they Did do instead was breed indiscriminately and were always popping out kittens here there and everywhere, besides climbing on tack and leaving deep scratches in the leather of 2 of my saddles- thru the saddle covers. Not cool! </p><p>Lights and fans are included in the board at the new barn. Each stall has them, as well as a window off the back that can be left open or closed. </p><p>Drama free zone- absolutely! </p>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-3567844212113365492020-09-29T18:35:00.001-06:002020-09-29T18:35:00.221-06:00Finding peace<p>Last month I found a new barn to move the ponies to. I had been looking for something else and had a few friends looking via social media. One of them had found a place, it would cost a little more, had a few more perks (like a covered arena with good footing) and a few things that would be different... (sharing a tack room), but definitely nothing unmanageable. </p><p>Coming down to the end of the month and I drop them a text- are we good to go? Nope. And then it happens. One of the previous boarders called to ask if I'm still moving out and if so can she have my 2 stalls? The barn she's at is just too far for her to drive (10 miles) to take care of her horses. Well since she has 2 stalls and I do too- I ask about the barn she's at? Turns out it's closer for me, board is reasonable, private feed/tack room for each stall along with lights and fans at no extra charge, the arena is a little smaller and not covered, but still a good size, the footing is good and after a rain it is rideable in a short time. The barn owner also does not allow stuff in the aisle way cluttering things up, getting in the way. </p><p>I met with the barn owner, got all our paperwork in order and picked up the other womans two horses, took them to the 'old barn'. I grabbed all my stuff, loaded the ponies and off we went. While I still like the previous barn and all, some of the people there too and I'm welcome back at any time, I'm really liking the new place so much more. It was probably a good two weeks before I met anyone there. Talk about Low Key, laid back and NO Drama! Lol </p><p><br /></p>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-57723411900628850512020-09-07T22:29:00.002-06:002020-09-07T22:29:33.875-06:00Creds vs Drama<p>Now that everyone has seen what I was talking about and how clueless 'trainer k' is, she went online to throw herself a pity party and try to gain the sympathy vote. Her and her little group of keyboard jockey, so called 'friends' are going at it, making threats and telling her to do stuff to other horses in the barn to "teach them (the owners) a lesson" and "see how they like it".... Of course the details of these were done thru PM so it could supposedly go under the radar. *sigh* </p><p>Naturally she tried to throw me under the bus and sling crap my way, because I'm one of many to blame and nothing is ever possibly her fault. LMAO! Like anyone would be immune to her tantrum? Please. *eyeroll* Besides, we all know that when people like her can't possibly create anything to compare- they have to talk smack and bring others down, hoping to build themselves up. Sounds a lot like someone else I once knew. </p><p>Since I drive Kat and have been working with a pony at the barn that's starting to drive- one of her so called friends Donna took a shot at me. "If you want I'll show up at the barn and have words with this aSs person and show her in 1 lesson How to cart train a horse." I'm still laughing at this womans blatantly glaring display of ignorance. </p><p>We all know it takes more than one lesson to train a horse to do anything, let alone do it well. Even the really smart and talented horses don't come out on the other side knowing all things after just one ride. What is the saying about improving each days training by 1% and after 100 days the horse should be fully trained??? We know that doesn't happen either. If it did-> the dressage divas would all be riding Prix St George in nothing flat. Reiners would all be in the $5M club and there would be a whole bunch of winners in- <u>pick your equine sport here</u>. Plain and simple- training takes time and while some horses learn quicker than others- it still all takes time. </p><p>I know my own personal level of knowledge, talent and skills. I know what I have accomplished on my own in the riding and driving worlds with no trainer, no lessons and a lot of sweat equity put into it. No blood or tears because it ain't nothing to sneeze at or cry over and blood Never looks good on the resumé. It just don't. *</p><p>For those who don't know- my first driving show, Kat and I won the reinsmanship class over a friend of mine and 2 other seasoned competitors- one of which I found out 3 months later had been long listed by USEF. Then a few years later we showed under Paul Sidwell, (well known and highly respected international driving judge) and then again under him 3 months later with our scores improved by 10 points. Again- all with no trainer, no lessons and showing Kat as a stallion. </p><p>If you follow my driving blog, that was several years ago and at the time, I mentioned winning the class, then later when I found out about the USEF long list-> congratulated the lady for her accomplishment. This post is the first time I have ever spelled it all out. After explaining all of this to a friend of mine at the barn (who knows not of this blog) she just said "Wow! I had No idea about any of that. Zero! You could be such a snob! Lol" </p><p>Another friend of mine that ran in the same circles as a Lot of the really Big Names in the equestrian world told me one time "You should drop names and 'post your creds' letting them know where you get your information from." She was a bit surprised when I told her I wouldn't for 2 reasons. 1) Her cred's, accomplishments and the people she knows aren't my story to tell. They're not and I can totally respect her privacy. 2) F that! I don't need to post who I know to impress anyone. They can see <u>What</u> I know by how my horses look and work and if it isn't obvious to them that way, they probably don't deserve my time or attention anyways. She agreed and laughed it off. </p><p>All things considered, I have been very fortunate to have gotten to compete alongside other drivers like that and show under judges like Paul and so many others of his peers. I worked hard for it, earned my placings and think it's pretty damned cool. For the record- Paul and several of the other driving judges I shown under in AZ at the various shows, CDE's and ADT's- were ALL down to earth, easy to talk to, helpful with tips and advice and a great group of people to be around. </p><p>Getting back to the point- after taking the pony to the local public arena and driving her and working on Prelim level stuff (she handled it all really well!), it has become a joke that I need to call Donna and see if she can teach me **all the things** in one lesson. I'm betting she would likely show me all the things what NOT to do. BTW- The pony has been doing Amazing! and has had less than 10 drives to date.</p><p>* The part about blood on a resumé... Apparently this girl took in a mare for retirement. Instead of giving the mare an easy life as promised- she started using her for lessons (which wasn't in the agreement) and 7 months later the mare is dead. Story is- she wouldn't tell the previous owner anything about what happened resulting in the mares death. That's not cool. </p><p>The midnight move-out I mentioned in the previous post came after the barn owner notified a previous owner of one of 'trainer k's' horses that the horse was for sale. The 'trainer' had gotten the mare thru a contract sale with a first right of refusal- meaning if she 'trainer k' decided she didn't want to keep the horse any longer, the previous owner was to be notified and they would take the horse back. So the previous owner found out the horse is for sale, came and took the horse back and cut off all contact with the trainer. Since 'trainer k' was in the wrong, she pouted, took her toys and went home, aka- moved her operations without notice. Apparently she also took down her FB training page because of this too. That way your clients can't find you either? Because that's what professionals do.... Lmao</p><p>Speaking of unprofessional behavior by 'trainer k', she has told a youth student who is obviously shaking and scared- "Get over it and get ON the FUCKING horse already!" </p><p>Told another client on the phone- "I can't teach you to FUCKING ride if you never FUCKING show up!" </p><p>Can't even pick up the correct diagonal when posting. </p><p>Still throws water bottles at her dog. Leaves her water bottles everywhere.</p><p>Still screams at her horses and still doesn't have a clue and according to one of the previous barn owners- she is a theif, has a bad temper and is abusive to her animals. </p><p>Yeah I have nothing to worry about. My horses and those I work with speaks for themselves. </p>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-27625327809007343802020-08-28T16:38:00.004-06:002020-08-29T06:37:51.678-06:00Drama vs Cred's<p>The new "trainer" at the barn has been causing a lot of problems, stirring a lot of shit and basically letting her mouth write a ton of checks her ass can't cash. Obviously this comes as no surprise. Lol I get it. She's young (21) and thinks she knows it all. Smh. She has so much to learn in life....</p><p>In an effort to gain sympathy she goes online and throws herself a pity party, just like we all knew she would. Only she leaves out one aspect of it all. That thing called the truth... You know, the one that hurts like hell when mixed with a healthy dose of reality and it bitch slaps us. </p><p>Shall we start with her barn etiquette? Here's a hint- she has none. </p><p>Wherever her horses crap- barn aisle, wash rack, cross ties- that's where it stays. There were at least 2 piles by the wash rack for over a week until the sun and water eventually broke it all down. Since she doesn't clean up their crap, why would she clean up anything else? Oh right. She doesn't. She clipped a horse and 4 days later... the hair is still on the ground in the cross ties.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivY6V6tbzyS-Cu9d27dpkWEbreFpBQZKdIKOrEFpXAjt6lSgEbi0HNfk-02zEPUbUEAbfPMgXzd1H3JL2FDhyphenhyphenC6HI3oonn6fC-Tx983fwyUiAVTqGEGwjidg5tNem8JhqjHJlsIWw90Ck/s4160/20200705_184633.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivY6V6tbzyS-Cu9d27dpkWEbreFpBQZKdIKOrEFpXAjt6lSgEbi0HNfk-02zEPUbUEAbfPMgXzd1H3JL2FDhyphenhyphenC6HI3oonn6fC-Tx983fwyUiAVTqGEGwjidg5tNem8JhqjHJlsIWw90Ck/s640/20200705_184633.jpg" width="640" /></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">With this kind of mess being the norm by her stalls every day, why would anybody be surprised to find the mess in the pic below or that she left it for two days</span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrSSp4yh7skPKeSqWszvENrfsv9kPb6kj6xJZ7capVHH3e57L84casWkE9jtEIKIs-_OwxIJBGvR9BmX_MUkkYffYcedyuBfQwtU44lj6ggbDJS1ZhwTgzsveI4UyqO9RoMLPKyqzkl8/s4160/20200808_161229.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrSSp4yh7skPKeSqWszvENrfsv9kPb6kj6xJZ7capVHH3e57L84casWkE9jtEIKIs-_OwxIJBGvR9BmX_MUkkYffYcedyuBfQwtU44lj6ggbDJS1ZhwTgzsveI4UyqO9RoMLPKyqzkl8/s640/20200808_161229.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">Nobody else in the barn has this kind of mess in the aisle by their stalls. Considering she has her own feed and tack area- there's no reason she should be leaving anything out other than pure laziness. She has left her saddles out a couple of times- "to see if anyone steals them". News flash honey, obviously nobody wants your cheap ass crap including you. Supposedly she had all of her tack stolen once before. SuuUUuure. If she had- she would be a lot more careful with her stuff now.</span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">Her messes in the barn are one thing. They don't exactly directly affect her horses. But theyre a good indication of other things she does or doesn't do that Does directly affect the horses. Like cleaning her water tank in the pasture- that she took over of her own accord... </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9Qy7_0Fx386G3ObXLPfaAcgImkiRPwGItFwbk27imo-RKHj6QwNeZdD5Fa5nrkymucg7z309E9XXJ6x1E0urTrNAYLtWyob4feIglgfPTq7OxhH-euKtQRWkNHhmhPmReXBicsg4Lho/s4160/20200708_191639.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9Qy7_0Fx386G3ObXLPfaAcgImkiRPwGItFwbk27imo-RKHj6QwNeZdD5Fa5nrkymucg7z309E9XXJ6x1E0urTrNAYLtWyob4feIglgfPTq7OxhH-euKtQRWkNHhmhPmReXBicsg4Lho/s640/20200708_191639.jpg" /></a></div><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">This tank looked like this for the next two weeks before she finally cleaned and moved it- where now it overflowed creating a big mud puddle under the gate. Then she claimed her mares all have mud fever and need to stay in the pasture- rather than be in their dry stalls and treated for it? No mud fever folks- she will say anything. A month later she finally bought a bigger tank and new float- miraculously the mud dries up. Shocker. </span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">Now, shall we talk about her horses??? </span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">This is what I meant by my last post of the horses telling it all. In her words- "They looked better before but we've moved barns a few times..." They've been at our barn 3 months now and still look like this, so no, 'trainer k' honey, you need to come up with another one if your lame ass excuses. Excuses are what you come up with when you don't have a legitimate reason. </span></div></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPWD31muTJuB3z7VeRxtG4yegzbN2TME_hO83Qff-dBlATAlVG-YZABHQLslei-_XDbn3x6DShAiZci_Ke6y2BzcwTZLzNhollfne2rOynspADtYyqsb3CxEXrcMroPL4MNAexXjLYTk/s4160/20200724_191654.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPWD31muTJuB3z7VeRxtG4yegzbN2TME_hO83Qff-dBlATAlVG-YZABHQLslei-_XDbn3x6DShAiZci_Ke6y2BzcwTZLzNhollfne2rOynspADtYyqsb3CxEXrcMroPL4MNAexXjLYTk/s640/20200724_191654.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="text-align: left;">One of her lesson horse mares.... Clearly she lacks weight and muscle development. </span></p><p><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOStCeWK2cWMB-EF0SHVKyjmjdai3vTHqwIB4O0pfFH_DFzo-rlcC5HhyphenhyphenE6aVoklRZsYI7_Rx__32S5DncAD21AW6vSitGr_rQajfRkGuLBEVjbF90pcYpQ5FoiyVqsLW9hTmqNVZfTDU/s4160/20200724_191620.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOStCeWK2cWMB-EF0SHVKyjmjdai3vTHqwIB4O0pfFH_DFzo-rlcC5HhyphenhyphenE6aVoklRZsYI7_Rx__32S5DncAD21AW6vSitGr_rQajfRkGuLBEVjbF90pcYpQ5FoiyVqsLW9hTmqNVZfTDU/s640/20200724_191620.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><p>Another of her mares. Doesn't she look thrilled to be alive? Again lack of muscling on this horse- nice dip in front of the withers. This can easily be remedied with proper work and I know this because I have fixed this same issue on another horse in as little as a month. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOtlkqsKnEHoiDILMDCgxMDnm1zpz7lwKTTo0uaZxvgjls99iKCXkXVm_7r6BnSBQaCkPfoHC0OR7UEphX3Sb-ilNWbF474sa4p7Xu3ZE5c8Q-xBYyLAKmdEbdKm6QIElkCNAs1-fnPY/s4160/20200705_183058.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOtlkqsKnEHoiDILMDCgxMDnm1zpz7lwKTTo0uaZxvgjls99iKCXkXVm_7r6BnSBQaCkPfoHC0OR7UEphX3Sb-ilNWbF474sa4p7Xu3ZE5c8Q-xBYyLAKmdEbdKm6QIElkCNAs1-fnPY/s640/20200705_183058.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Same 'thrilled mare' from another angle. Again the lack of development in the shoulder/ wither area shows this mare has not been taught to move properly which all goes back to her owners lack of training skills. Yes those are ribs showing thru too. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4G_2p-f6okNmUWm0M0ABUGZFFxd4CmKRLxOqJwEJpq_GC7zIaKDP8-4hsXCnyJ20cfzdOaaeJY2JzlA-z949SmlKEABVcJK1GUZ5W0e6LUc0eYQ8BPomK1wIk3T-9G9RdOLbX_mApo3g/s4160/20200705_183027_HDR.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4G_2p-f6okNmUWm0M0ABUGZFFxd4CmKRLxOqJwEJpq_GC7zIaKDP8-4hsXCnyJ20cfzdOaaeJY2JzlA-z949SmlKEABVcJK1GUZ5W0e6LUc0eYQ8BPomK1wIk3T-9G9RdOLbX_mApo3g/s640/20200705_183027_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><span>This mare was a hot mess. She ditched her for </span><strike>$200</strike><span>, -make that $700 as she raised the price last minute in a shady deal, claiming she had another buyer at $200 so she jacked the price - dumping her on another boarder who only bought her out of pity. This mare had a stomach and chest covered in welts, hives, bug bites or a combination of the three and'trainer k' couldn't be bothered to treat her for whatever it was... yet she's online looking at more horses. </span></p><p>When the new owner went to the local vet for the copy of the coggins and vaccinations for the new barn as she moved out- yep you guessed it folks. "They don't have it because the vets office mailed the vaccination record to me." Really? Because If the vets office had one, they would be able to print out another copy for the new owner. In fact I got a text <u>And</u> an email from the same vet office just the other day that my pony is due for his shots, because they're on top of things like that. Unlike her, who claims to be a vet tech and/or a licensed vet- depending on the day of the week and who she speaks to at what time... </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOH-Dt2hw5c9rPOEJ1npFqgrhcOzraSjWfGmKGlqG8nthmjUzvWPO3uiV4Pox_hUg1acZ-TtbcA-RHc8dm0c-7mUCumcfgrcNIL9Y1Ksv-irbiLI27gugxUIPUwVUvgI2_JMrVlbaSHDg/s4160/20200823_173921.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOH-Dt2hw5c9rPOEJ1npFqgrhcOzraSjWfGmKGlqG8nthmjUzvWPO3uiV4Pox_hUg1acZ-TtbcA-RHc8dm0c-7mUCumcfgrcNIL9Y1Ksv-irbiLI27gugxUIPUwVUvgI2_JMrVlbaSHDg/s640/20200823_173921.jpg" /></a><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">Then there's this one. An older mare she supposedly got from the humane society. Yes you can see her ribs... </span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGZ33Ez8SeVpQvqL9xHmfHyKwJuB4suBCCKyvfw1ES41iyqeqvWTsSzjhIoNfuwKk_hxn1AM2vWUzdCSXXNu8HiJpoLeYK3KaAvinIX-Rh2DvHdQManIwC3haVrKQbe_ySV2Xf748Y50/s4160/20200823_173855.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGZ33Ez8SeVpQvqL9xHmfHyKwJuB4suBCCKyvfw1ES41iyqeqvWTsSzjhIoNfuwKk_hxn1AM2vWUzdCSXXNu8HiJpoLeYK3KaAvinIX-Rh2DvHdQManIwC3haVrKQbe_ySV2Xf748Y50/s640/20200823_173855.jpg" /></a></div></div><div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Yes you can see her spine and hip bones. Does anyone else see a trend here? Yes animal control was called on her within the first month of the horses being at the barn. AC showed up and because the horses have feed... Nothing was done. </p><p>The mare gets fed all right. This girl literally fills her bucket with some kind of feed that honestly looks like dog kibble, soaks it down and that's what the mare gets to eat until she finishes it- no matter how many days it takes. When I took the next picture on a Friday evening, this was what was left from her almost full bucket from Wednesday evening. I have no problem with people feeding mush to horses that are older and have dental issues, but mix up what they need for one meal, let them eat it and the next meal- make it fresh for them. It's not that difficult. But again- lack of knowledge, concern and responsibility mixed with pure laziness = mix up 1 bucket to feed to use for 2-3 days and be done....</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi086RQvv3kAXM0fNv12fY_98QSxyXskj51rb0J3Ufed-zKIQShJX2Tn0s8cFJe6V77aeFQu6y9t1UsuDNEKmsDFoGIMbanvw7Kz_Q_o11ko5rgKOLm_GWR2jrR_J5Xt64RI5MvKRxrO0E/s4160/20200814_205341.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi086RQvv3kAXM0fNv12fY_98QSxyXskj51rb0J3Ufed-zKIQShJX2Tn0s8cFJe6V77aeFQu6y9t1UsuDNEKmsDFoGIMbanvw7Kz_Q_o11ko5rgKOLm_GWR2jrR_J5Xt64RI5MvKRxrO0E/s640/20200814_205341.jpg" /></a><br /></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>She lets this mare eat until the others are finished, whether she is done or not and then kicks them all back outside again. Whatever is left- sits in the stall until the next feeding, morning, the next evening, morning, evening, etc. until it's gone and time to refill it again. And the next mealtime isn't even that consistent. She doesn't drive "by personal choice" (or more like laziness and irresponsibility) so she's always calling, texting or messaging someone else to feed for her. Then she told one of the other ladies at the barn- "It's ok not to be consistent as then they won't rely on things or be impatient at a certain time. It's even good for them to skip a meal now and then too. It doesn't hurt them." I guess it wouldn't hurt her to miss a meal now and then either just to be fair? Because most horse owners I know, feed their animals before they feed themselves. Her boyfriend showed up at the barn a few nights ago to feed or that's my guess. He was in her feed room banging buckets around anyways, but he did not feed any of her horses before he left. Not sure what the point was of him even driving over there if he wasn't going to feed any of the horses. </p><p>For the record- she's been kicked out of the last 3 barns for different reasons- one of them being a midnight move-out and another because <u>after she kicked her dog</u>, one of her former clients started to video as she proceeded to <u>beat up on one of her horses</u>. The video was posted to her FB training page in the comments and then later she took her training page down.</p><p>I have seen the video and read the text and/or PM exchange where the barn owner said "That horse had no problems while he was here other than being lazy." Another person states "What isn't heard on the video was her asking the horse- 'Do you want another one to the face?'." This person also asked her Why she throws water bottles at her dog all the time? "That's just how she's treated and she's turned out fine." I know the mentioned barn owner and have spoken to her in the past. She's well respected in the horse community- yet this girl has stated in text messages to another friend of mine "That B/O is nuts and was slandering me all over the internet..." which is exactly what she was doing at the moment. Ironic? Somebody please call the whaaaaa-mbulance! Lmao</p><p>So where are the Cred's I mentioned? That comes in Part 2. You know there's a whole lot more to this... there's always more. *eyeroll*</p><p><br /></p></div>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-76865005802907075312020-06-15T18:05:00.000-06:002020-06-16T09:29:52.842-06:00Horses tell it allA while back another blogger- MiKael of Rising Rainbow- and I were talking about training and how people may talk the talk but can they really walk the walk? We all know the type, they use all the latest buzz words but have no idea what they mean or how to apply things.<br />
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Something she said stuck with me all this time. "Watch the way their horses work. That will tell you what you need to know." If their horses are moving properly, then obviously someone knows what their talking about and also how to apply it. If the horses aren't moving properly, then you might want to steer clear of them.<br />
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Taking this one step further- when the horses are moving properly it will show in their muscle tone. The horses will be fit and in shape with a well balanced look about them. As you develop your eye and learn what to look for- the little things start to stand out to you and scream either Here I am!!! or Nope!<br />
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We have had a few 'trainers' come thru the barn in the past few months. One girl was claiming to be retraining a barrel horse that had gate and alley issues. She would tell me at great length all of the things she was doing to fix his problems. What she didn't know was that I can see right thru all of it. One look at her horse gave it all away. When school started back up again last fall and she was consumed with classes, homework, band practice and all of that- I took on working her horse for a month since her family had been feeding my horses 2 nights a week for me. Nice people and I don't mind trading favors like that. Once her horse started moving like he should- his whole body started changing as well as his behavior when she rode him again.<br />
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One girl took on a young mare that she later ended up taking ownership of, but after several months the horse was still lacking muscle tone, her hip bones on top were still showing, her neck was undeveloped and she had hollow spots behind her shoulder blades. Life happens and she needed to sell the mare after breaking her foot in 4 places coming off another horse she was training. I stepped in to help get the mare turned around and sold.<br />
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What happened was funny and shows how quickly we can make a difference. I changed up the mares feed, started working her in long lines and in less than a month all of a sudden everyone was taking notice of this horse. This girl has mostly used liberty techniques when training, but seeing the physical transformation and dramatic changes in a short time, she's interested in long line work and dressage now. The mare- she got a number of hits on the ad I posted for her including new pics and Sold the horse before the months end.<br />
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Another trainer moved into the barn this month. A young girl that is into hunter jumpers and eventing as it turns out. One look at her horses told me all I need to know. All of them need work and help. She asked if I might be interested in lessons? I'm pretty sure she meant me taking lessons from her, but yeah that would be a hard pass. Instead I politely let her know that I don't intend to give up my ammy status any time soon. Lol<br />
<br />Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-7597581719405135352020-06-02T06:10:00.000-06:002020-06-02T06:10:07.659-06:00Being organizedA friend of mine at the barn has quite the setup in her feed & tack room. Her way of doing things is right up my alley. She goes to the $1 store a lot and is always finding things to make life easier, things run smoothly and she's able to do things quickly and efficiently.<br />
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She graciously allowed me to take the pic's and show part of her tack collection- her saddle pads. Dressage pads on the left, all purpose in the middle, Navajo pads on the right and even those are organized by color.... Lol<br />
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Her English pads have white hangers and western pads have black. Hangers come in packs of 7 at the $1 store. They also have these clips that come in packs of 6- 3 blue & 3 white. Two packs of clips and 1 pack of hangers will set you back a whopping $3 to hang up 6 saddle pads.<br />
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You can see in a few of the pic's that the clips have a hole for the hanger that allows them to stay on and slide back and forth easily.<br />
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Her navajo pads are all folded neatly and hung up. Depending on the size and weight of the pad, some have 2 clips and others need 4 to hold them up. Work pads, show pads, pad liners- all hung up neatly and ready for use.<br />
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She even has a few pads (both English and western) that are still new in the package and never even been to the barn. The pole holding all of her pads is actually an old rake handle sitting in the bridle hooks of her saddle racks. She has also admitted to needing something longer since there are still a few more to be located and hung up.<br />
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I have to admit I really like her setup. Of course everyone's mileage varies and what works for one may not work for some and vis-versa, but for a fast, cheap and easy way to organize and store your saddle pads, that's pretty cool.<br />
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<br />Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-36459883943445354792020-04-21T06:33:00.000-06:002020-04-21T06:33:00.372-06:00Words of Wisdom"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." Dr. Maya Angelou<br />
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Boy ain't that the truth. I recently had dealings with a local tack shop owner. I was going to consign one of my saddles and a few other things. Made arrangements to take everything over to him and it seemed promising. Or so I thought...<br />
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Speaking to him I was told he used to do hauling and yes he knew some of the same people I do from back then. Then he said something that in hindsight is a huge Red Flag and I should have left then and there! When he decided to get out of hauling, he decided mid-trip and at that point he did not care if this horse ever made it to their new home.<br />
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So if he didn't care if the horse ever made it home- I'm supposed to trust him with my tack??? I should have turned and run.<br />
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Fast forward about 6 months. After countless empty promises to get everything posted on their website, (still minimal items posted to date) and even placing an order with them for 4 items- they cancelled all but one with no explanation why- I decided to bring my stuff home. F that! I can post or list it and sell it myself online.<br />
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The drama begins... Supposedly posted store hours mean nothing. "I'm not there today, but you can come by tomorrow" - when they're closed. Ok what time? Crickets.....<br />
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The following weekend- I'm going to be headed that way and will come pick up my stuff. Please have it available. Again a faux answer and ghosting. The following weekend there was more drama, my stuff was still not ready and I called for police assistance. Again store hours mean nothing, ignoring my text messages and repeated phone calls. And then came the barrage of replies....<br />
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I'm being aggressive, no need to get the cops involved, my stuff still wasn't ready, he can't just drop everything and cater to me, and on and on and on. Another friend of mine had some similar dealings with this same person. Unexplained cancelled orders, shipping charges when promised Free shipping, no credit or refund even offered for the charges, no reply when asking about the cancelled items or free shipping but an almost immediate response when my friend posted to her own FB page that she was looking to buy a turnout blanket... "I have several, let me look in the shop tomorrow (when they're closed) and I'll let you know prices and sizes..."<br />
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It took a month to finally get all of my stuff back. I received an email that it would be ready on Friday the 1st of the month and I had exactly 1 week to pick it up or it was considered Abandoned Property and belonged to him. I was only allowed on the property one time to pick up my things and after that I would be considered trespassing and He would be calling the cops. Oh and again- Saturday posted store hours meant nothing, he couldn't possibly be bothered to be there so my things were to be in the nearby office and I was to get everything from them.<br />
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I got all but one item back. There was a note on the list in the bag stating that he *thought* this item may have sold and if so, he would send me a check. Yeah I rolled my eyes too. No I still have not received a check and yes, it's worth it Not to have to deal with that person anymore. So far my dealings with people with his same first name- they're serious whack jobs. That's another big Red Flag.Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-56384745943620804052020-03-19T19:05:00.000-06:002020-03-19T19:05:07.269-06:00Fuzz killA while back another blogger had posted about cleaning mildew or mold off their tack. Having never had to deal with this before, they had gone to horse forums for answers- because we all like to share what works in times like this. What seems to be the the "Go to" for getting rid of the fuzzy crap covering tack was vinegar. This just sounds all kinds of wrong to me because vinegar is an acid.<br />
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Being an acid, it can be used to cut thru calcium deposits from hard water and why it foams up like crazy when mixed with baking soda. Basic chemistry tells us that baking soda neutralizes acid. I can remember my dad pouring baking soda water on a car battery to clean the corrosion off the terminals.<br />
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In terms of cooking- vinegar is used in a lot of marinades because it breaks down proteins leaving meat tender. Since meat and leather both come from essentially the same place, it leaves me wondering if the vinegar would be breaking down the leather in some manner and helping things deteriorate a little quicker than they should? I guess maybe if someone was to soak their leather with vinegar or marinade it, it could ruin it, but what happens if I were to miss a spot when wiping it down?<br />
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I have also had to deal with fuzzy tack since moving to Houston. In aridzona it's a dry heat. Thus the arid.... lol, but it's hot and I spent time oiling my tack to keep it from drying out more than anything. In Houston it is far more humid and within a short time my bridles and some of my English saddles are fuzzy- used or not.<br />
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One of the girls at the first barn had said to use an antiseptic mouthwash like Listerine to kill the mildew. Use a spray bottle and spray it all over, wipe it down and you're good to go. This made sense so I've been getting the knock off brand of antiseptic mouthwash at the $1 store and using it. The minty fresh scent is much more appealing to me than vinegar too.<br />
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Then I had a Duh! moment and called one of the many <a href="https://www.tandyleather.com/en/store-locator" target="_blank">Tandy Leather stores.</a> Their advice was to use- a 50/50 solution of lemon juice and water. Spray this on to kill the fuzz and keep it from coming back, wait a couple of days and then oil the leather as usual again. If the leather is already pitted from the mold/mildew then the damage is done, but otherwise this should work.<br />
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The lemon juice mixture like the vinegar should certainly kill the mold/mildew as it contains citric acid. I guess being diluted it would minimize the risk of damaging the leather. So there it is folks. Diluted lemon juice, vinegar or antiseptic mouthwash. Whatever kills the fuzz, then oil the leather a few days later and you should be fine.<br />
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What is crazy though, at least to me anyways, I can oil all of my bridles the same day, hang them up side by side and a week or two later- one bridle still looks good, freshly oiled and ready to go... and the other one right next to it is already getting fuzzy.<br />
<br />Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-60112692455235093382020-03-14T00:57:00.000-06:002020-03-14T00:57:29.439-06:00S ClipsLong ago and far away when I was at a cutting horse show.... There was a guy there who had these same clips, except his were pretty big and easily fit over the pipe panel fence.<br />
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My much smaller version... </div>
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This made them incredibly portable, but what was even more interesting was what was on the other end of them. Tack of all kinds. He had a few bridles, halters & leads, a lunge line or two, all neatly hung on this clip. And when he needed something it was easy to grab and go. Just as easy to clip something on it and done. They were relatively cheap and easily found at the local outdoors sporting good store (R.E.I.).<br />
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Imagine the wheels in my head spinning when I seen these same clips in a variety of sizes at the local Lowe's. This size were $4 and two of them work great for hanging the manure fork up and keeping it handy while out of the wayway. The pony also can't knock it off the clips like he could the hooks. Bummer for him. They had larger clips, probably almost the size of the one the guy was using and they were $10 so pretty reasonably priced.</span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">I'm kinda bummed that this is a No Buy Year for me and I'm finding some really cool things or great deals and have to pass, but when I keep in mind the bigger picture and the rewards at the end- it makes it all worth it. </span>Cut-N-Jumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5852129912812812816.post-55490949327611885712020-02-29T16:33:00.000-07:002020-03-01T00:45:50.381-07:00This!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is why equestrians have home gym equipment.... <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjoAy7T-WmOuJV0qYSDsomidWlCDjd_YKtSAfQzgF49L-CMCa1s84vAxUK8vlRjHUTd7gv1Epy4B46eyjxKR9WLGBKiUYA-BXn1DHceQZHUtnIpGJ39EpQasCqoe__3nqcnGp1tUJ868/s1600/20200229_132919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjoAy7T-WmOuJV0qYSDsomidWlCDjd_YKtSAfQzgF49L-CMCa1s84vAxUK8vlRjHUTd7gv1Epy4B46eyjxKR9WLGBKiUYA-BXn1DHceQZHUtnIpGJ39EpQasCqoe__3nqcnGp1tUJ868/s1600/20200229_132919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjoAy7T-WmOuJV0qYSDsomidWlCDjd_YKtSAfQzgF49L-CMCa1s84vAxUK8vlRjHUTd7gv1Epy4B46eyjxKR9WLGBKiUYA-BXn1DHceQZHUtnIpGJ39EpQasCqoe__3nqcnGp1tUJ868/s1600/20200229_132919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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