Making Time and the Yellow Brick Road; Then and Now.

As I sit here bright and early all prepped to study with textbooks open wide, yellow highlighter glaring at me and beckoning me to get my a** back to studying, I couldn't help but think, yet again.... that I have been so neglectful of all my Blog buddies. And it is not just that, I love having a place to come back and reflect on where I was and what I was doing yesteryear.
So I made a deal with myself. I will take ten minutes at least once a week to recap the recent events and follow up on what everyone else has going on. I mean surely I can manage this until I get my Registration Number.

Anyhow, seeing as time is ticking away already, here we go!

Solo Front
Solo has been a marvelous little guy. He has his quirks and baby moments but I am learning he has a huge heart and a major will to do the right thing. So much so that he thinks so hard about what you want him to do that he ends up stressing himself out. MUCH different than Pal!
However, he doesn't show his stress like a normal, or well most horses. You only really know it is there when his scale tips. Then you get a little side dart or he just starts shaking (which seems to only happen with plastic bags or wash stall mats, weird!?)... the least type of spook in my books but also tricky being unexpected.
Observing him and how he reacts has prompted me to take different directions and really sllloooww things down seeing as he isn't all that mentally mature even though his body is starting to catch up.

Even so though, So is going walk, trot and canter. Leads are 70/30, but at least the scale is tipping in the right direction. He is still very unbalanced but this is to be expected since he cannot really gain a ton of muscle and strength only ridden 3x a week for 20 minutes. Yet this is all I feel he is ready for.
His gaits are absolutely massive when I let him get forward, but again, he isn't quite ready to give me that much forward so I 'coo' him back.

I have discovered he is virtually spookless to tarps and gizmos (gimongo ones at that, and trotting over them), gates while mounted are easy peasy, he LOVES trot poles which are great for getting that head down and back up. He also has an obsession for dogs....

We finally have his gut under control, (don't speak it out loud!). He has been on this powder called Select GI. I picked this up from a local TCO feed store. Hoping to wean him off now but it can't hurt seeing as it is mostly brewer's yeast.

His one quirk, now that we have solved his busy tiny mouth with a Mullen happy mouth (miracle I tell you), is his tail. Yes, yes... I have honestly checked tack fit, consulted the vet (I honestly think his assistant knows me by my voice now), his feet are getting a lot better etc. He just ... speaks with his tail. He has three tail moods. 'Happy Dog', 'Deep Thinker' and 'I KNOW WHAT TO DO!', haha.
He wags, like an actual dog when he is playful or a good ichy spot, sways 'flies' when he is thinking reeealllyyy... hard, and swishes when he thinks he knows what he is doing.
Depending on his mood the amount of tail is more or less, hyper or 'zen' days and if he starts to tire, so does the tail.
Based on reading it seems some horses just use their tail. A quirk if you will. Not an issue so much for me, I just like two know everything. :P

Oh and lastly, he truly is lowest on the totem. So was out with a group of geldings and was totally eaten all winter! Now, he is out with mares and fillies. He even has a girlfriend!


Palomis Front
Keeping this quick seeing as my short recap turned into chapter material. I have been silently following Paloma with the help of all her friends out on the world. Some people I don't even know but somehow know her, no I wont kid myself thinking I am the celeb, hehe. Her fan base seems to be pretty well spread too! Places I have never taken her...
Anyhow. Her new owner seems to love her to death but is also having a bit of a roller coaster ride. Not in the sense of going fast, because P would never go fast! But she struggles with A) Her lazy brain, even though I explained extremely thoroughly that she is lazy, just in the brain and B) with a few other issues I never had. Honestly. Like canter leads? The biggest thing I prided P on!
I try to reach out politely, offering help and insight, when I 'hear' from others what is going on but I don't feel it really helps. However, she swears she is smitten with her and has great rides too.

Sometimes I wonder if I actually should have sold her? I mean Solo is my 'it' horse but I maybe could have had two? Not likely....but...
I struggle with staying out of it completely or following along as much as possible and offering help when I see fit. (In moderation of course).


Back to the books! Have the greatest of days everyone!

K