JANUARY 2006

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January 28, 2006

Another great weekend.  Body clipped Justin yesterday.  He is such a saint!  He stood stock still the whole time.  Never flinches, doesn't walk, doesn't budge.  Such a good boy.  It's nice to see my pretty boy under all of that hair again.  It was so much easier to get all of the dirt out of his coat now that it is nice and short.  What a good boy. 

After I clipped, I went to Middleburg to Kelly's so we could brainstorm on a project we are working on.  Since we both were late in getting back from body clipping (she was elsewhere doing the same), we only had an hour.  We got some ideas out and then it was time for me to head home.  On the way home, I noticed the show at Foxchase Farm was still going on so I popped in there for a few minutes and watched some of the remaining jumper rounds.  Good to see that show is doing well.  Through the years, we've had some good times there when it was Paper Chase Farm so it is good to see some life around there again.

Had intended on riding Justin today but it was raining a bit.  So, I just groomed him and kissed on him, which he loves, and gave he and Topper some carrots.  As always, it was fun to chat with Lori to hear about Topper's latest trip to Morven and his visit from Dr. Dill.  Everyone loves to share their Dr. Dill stories.  Lori and Paul continue to spoil Justin rotten, which I love!  Lori takes care of Justin as if he were her own and I never have to worry about him.  I LOVE that.  Justin continues to put on weight.  His barrel is filling out back to his hips and his neck is starting to get some weight as well.  He also continues to get off his feet, taking long naps lying down which I love to hear.

The thing that always blows my mind is how Justin will be plowing through whatever he is eating and I can come up to him and say, "OK, I have to go, gimme kiss."  And he will take his head out of his bucket, stop eating and push is little nose towards me so I can get a kiss.  He is SO cute.

After visiting Justin, I headed out to Sabrina's to meet with Kelly for a lesson.  Kelly rode Scottie again and I rode Samson.  Samson is HUGE.  Samson is over 18h.  To get on, you have to turn the mounting block on its end and even then, it isn't tall enough.  I have to hold my foot up by one hand to try to get it in the stirrup and then STILL struggle to get up from there.  Anyway, Samson was a blast to ride -- very cute and such a good boy.  We worked on the flat a bit and did some jumping.  Not as much as last time because Samson isn't very fit.  Afterwards, Kelly and I body clipped Samson because he's being seen by someone on Wednesday.  Samson is so sweet and kind.  He stood like a rock for clipping.  Kelly and I double-teamed with with two sets of clippers.  He looked great when we were done.  He's adorable to begin with but he really looked fancy and clipped up very nicely.  Sabrina was thrilled with our finished product.

So, that was my weekend!  I can't wait to do it all over again!

January 22, 2006

Great weekend.  Did a little shopping at Middleburg Tack Exchange and Dominion Saddlery.  Was looking to see if there were any used sheets or blankets I had to have.  Didn't find anything.  Picked up my clipper blades while I was at Dominion.  Decided I was going to start clipping Justin.  He's just mega-hairy.  The day got to nearly 70 degrees so I bathed him.  I washed his tail twice and it looks SO much better.  His coat was all fluffy and he was so much cleaner.

Justin is SUCH a good boy.  He stood stock still while I clipped him.  I clipped his two front legs and his head but didn't clip his ears.  I am convinced that there is no such thing as sharpening blades.  I just don't think they can ever be sharp enough to cut unless they are new.  Since the blades weren't doing the best job, I decided not to do his ears.  But it was so nice to see his pretty head after all these months.  I just love how sculpted and classic his face is.

After I bathed and clipped him, I went to Saddlery Liquidators and bought a new pair of clippers.  They were only $30 so I couldn't resist.  I got a pair of boots for Justin as well.  Nifty, totally retro Hampas.  I'd seen a pair at MTE for $45!  This pair was $9.95.  Another purchase I just could not pass up.

This morning, I met my ex-husband and a friend of his for breakfast.  It was nice to catch up.  I showed him my new look.  I'm sporting a nifty new bruise.  I say new because another time, I got a horrible black eye from firing a rifle.  This bruise is a hematoma from the dentist.  He hit a vein when he gave me novocaine.  I have a Renee Zelwegger cheek and a nasty bruise.  Knowing how long that black eye took to go away, I expect to have this thing for a few weeks.  Lucky for my dentist, I'm a good sport.  I'll be amused to see my co-workers' reactions.

After breakfast, Kelly and I met at Sabrina's.  I rode Missy and Kelly rode Scotty.  We had a blast.  I really enjoy Sabrina's lessons.  We jumped jumps off long approaches, short approaches, and a bending line.  We were to alternate the bending line in 4, 5, 6 & 7 strides.  That was a fun challenge.  We both got a lot out of the lesson and can't wait for our next lesson.  Afterwards, Kelly and I went to lunch in Warrenton.

I went back to see Justin.  I didn't ride him this weekend because Topper fell while playing in the field and banged himself up pretty bad.  He's on stall rest.  Part of Justin's job at his new home is to be Topper's official buddy.  Topper gets very worried if he is alone.  So, had I ridden Justin away from the barn, poor Topper would have gotten unduly stressed.  So, my plan of clipping and beautifying was a good one. 

With a newly sharpened set of blades, I managed to clip another leg.  After those blades seemed to give out, I put another set in and those didn't do diddly.  Hence, my belief that sharpening doesn't really work.  I have hundreds of dollars of blades that I don't think work.  I am going to try one more place to sharpen them and we'll see what goes.  If they don't work, I am just going to resign myself to buy new ones each time I need to clip.  I finished his head with the new pair I'd bought the day before.  Again, I am thrilled at what a saint Justin was with the clippers.  He let me clip his ears with very little protest. 

So, now, I have a horse with a clipped head and three clipped legs.  Awesome.  I can't wait to get the rest of his body!  I just love, love, love my horse!  He's pretty much back to his little self.  Isn't depressed or worried anymore.  Today, when I was grooming him, he did the little thing I just love that he does where he curls his little neck around and just holds his face there while I give him tons of kisses on the velvety muzzle.  He just holds it there while I kiss away.  And before I leave I'll say, "Gimme kiss."  He stops munching his cubes and stretches his little nose out to kiss me.  Precious.  I'll see him again on Wednesday when he gets his new shoes.

January 14, 2006

So nice to have another long weekend.  This one, I actually got to take full advantage of so it was really relaxing.  Saturday, Lori and I took the boys out for a ride.  We rode up to Compass Rose.  I was glad we rode early because as anyone in this area recalls, the wind was blowing SO hard and it was pretty chilly.  Justin had his wooly coat nicely fluffed out but I wasn't as bundled up as he was so I was a little chilly.  Poor Lori forgot to wear gloves.  We said our hellos at Compass Rose and rode back and bundled the boys up in their heavies and let them back out to play.  It's very funny to watch them.  Justin just wants to eat and Topper just wants to play.  So, you see a lot of tail wringing and ear pinning out of Justin while Topper hops up and down saying, "C'mon!!  Let's play!". 

When I first took Justin's blankets off before the ride, I could clearly see he is starting to put on weight.  He's started to fill in on his back, around his withers and rump.  Lori is slowly upping his feed and is doing a great job of keeping him on track with the goal.  It is so refreshing to walk in and see Justin always with plenty of hay, a bucket of his hay cubes and a nice fluffy bed.  The only barn I've ever been in that is that clean was my own!  Needless to say, Justin and I are thrilled with the arrangement.

Afterwards, I headed to Sabrina's to meet with her and Kelly.  Kelly and I pulled four horses' manes and had intended to lesson but Sabrina was not feeling very well -- it was noticeable so we just did the manes then left.  By the time we left, the weather had really turned ugly.

On Sunday, Dad, Kathryn and Jessie came out to meet Justin.  Again, it was so cold, so we made it brief.  Jessie is excited about the prospect of riding with me when the weather gets better.  I'm looking forward to taking her out for a ride on Justin.  We'll ride double, bareback, just like I did when I was a kid.  I remember riding double with my girlfriend Tammy on her horse, Ginger, for years before I got my own horse.  By the time I got my first horse, Tabbie, riding bareback was a piece of cake.  So, I explained to Jessie that she can learn a lot by just riding in the back.  Justin has his moments so I'm not sure if I can quite trust him yet with my precious niece all by herself.

Bob and I did some house stuff.  Went and shopped for granite.  We're getting new countertops and they are going to be awesome.  We have two more quotes to get and we'll be on our way to production within the next few weeks.

The rest of the day, I spent cleaning the house, getting ready for Dad and Kathryn's visit.  They stayed with me Monday and Tuesday.  They'd been at Pam's prior to that.  It was great having them over and Sassy and Pippen actually behaved themselves pretty well.

Got a great call from Alyssa who had her first show with her new trainer, my good friend Terri Young of Clairvaux.  The show was at Foxchase in Middleburg.  The show had quite a turnout with approximately thirty ponies competing.  Alyssa was third in the hack and was sixth over fences.  Considering the sheer volume of competition, that was a fantastic start to the year for Bailey and her.  She said Bailey was brave and was landing on the correct lead all day so she was thrilled.  When she told me how long the day went and how cold it was, I laughed and said, "Have I mentioned lately how happy I am that I'm not training at shows anymore?!"  I do of course miss clapping for my girls but I DO NOT miss the cold!!!

Great weekend and I can't wait to do it all again!

January 8, 2006

Fab weekend.  Bob and I did some stuff around the house on Saturday morning, then I headed out to the barn to mess with Justin.  Vacuumed him -- he was such a good boy.  When it comes time to clip him, he'll be no problem at all.  I fired up the vacuum and didn't even bother to let him take a look at it.  He just stood there, a little curious, but didn't act like he was going to have a problem with it, so I just started vacuuming.  He was great.  Got a fair amount of dirt off but not a lot of hair.  Since shedding season is not quite here, that is to be expected.  It was just nice to get some of the deep down dirt out of his coat. 

Kelly met me at the barn and we went to visit Sabrina together.  We're going to help Sabrina with a clinic that we're looking to do in March.  So, we had our little planning session and got quite a lot done in terms of high-level ideas.  We'll now start to go into more in depth planning from here.  I think it is going to be great.

Back at the barn, I visited with Justin for a bit.  He was ready to come inside.  He's decided that 4:00 is time for him to come in.  Lori wasn't expected back from Pennsylvania until 5:00.  She was  there looking at a horse she is interested in.  I got to see a flyer of him -- he's really fancy.  It's a very exciting prospect.

Today, Lori and I went for a trail ride.  It was a lot of fun.  We decided not to bathe as we'd initially planned because this upcoming weekend is supposed to be much warmer.  Aside from crossing little creeks at Welbourne, today had to be the first day Justin has ever walked through knee-deep water.  Getting him off the bank of the creek was a bit of a challenge but Topper led the way and he eventually followed.  We had to modify the path for the next crossing.  At this one, Justin would have none of the sliding down the muddy bank into the water.  Topper wasn't interested either so Lori hopped off and led him down and across.  Her tootsies got a little wet on that one.  Justin and I went a little farther down the creek bed and found a more shallow grade to navigate into the creek.  It was very funny to sit up on Justin when he had his back feet planted on the bank and the front feet teetering on the edge, but not quite committed.  After some strong coaxing from my spurs and Lori's stick, he was in and splashing thru yet again.  I was proud of him for being so brave.

The rest of our ride was very peaceful.  We saw a few deer and took a gander at the neighbor's very inviting indoor.  It is all of probably a three minute ride from Lori's place.  We've decided we are going to introduce ourselves. ;)  After drooling over the indoor, we rode in Lori's ring for a little bit.  Her ring is very nice, has excellent footing and drainage.  Justin hasn't been in a ring since May so it was nice to play a little in there.  He was very, very good for not having been in work in months.  He felt very sound and even.  Just a little 'hocky'.  I will most likely make arrangement very soon to get his hocks injected. 

Back at the barn, it was nice to get Justin ready for his evening turnout session, right before his dinner.  I was very surprised to see that he remembered how to do a trick I taught him when he was at Sabrina's.  It is so adorable and I just LOVE to see him do it and give him tons of treats when he does it.  I'm just so amazed that he remembered.  The things they'll do for treats!  But of course, from me, he gets treats and lots of kisses. 

Justin is almost back to his old self in terms of temperament.  We think he's still a little depressed and confused, having been moved a bunch in the past year.  But we can also see that he's starting to settle in. 

January 2, 2006

I cannot believe it is 2006!  What a great year it is going to be. 

On Saturday, my friend Kelly helped me move Justin from Welbourne to my friend's place in Haymarket.  Alyssa and I passed each other on the road so I called her on her cell and told her to follow us if she wanted to see where he'd be living.  It was nice to see Alyssa, as always.

I think Justin and I are both happier.  I don't worry every time it rains or dips below 30 degrees or if the wind is blowing.  And Justin doesn't have to work so hard to stay warm or to fill his belly.  We're reintroducing grain into his diet very slowly.  He gets nearly a full bucket of hay cubes at night and six flakes of hay and by morning, they are all gone.  Lori said that when she comes in in the morning, Justin is completely laid out in his stall, which I love hearing because he never laid down when he was in Centreville.  Now he's got a big stall with rubber mats and he's enjoying the resort-like lifestyle.  He has two buddies to hang out with:  Topper and Scooty.  Topper is gray as well and if he weren't so much bigger than Justin, they could pass for twins. 

Justin has lost a considerable amount of weight.  A cough I heard at Welbourne hasn't seemed to resurface, but prior to my moving him, he had a big right eye.  No scratches anywhere, but it seems the swelling is going down a little each day.  He must've just bumped it on something or someone in the field at Welbourne.

Today, I set about the nasty task of picking rain rot off of one side of his back.  Really nasty stuff.  I'd never seen it with pus like this.  Oddly, it is confined to a small area on his back, not both sides, nor on his rump, thankfully.  But with it on his back, I'm inclined not to ride him.  I worked M-T-G (www.shapelys.com) into his coat and am hoping it will kill the fungus soon.  The first decent day we get on a weekend, I am going to visit neighboring Compass Rose to get him a bath.  They have a nice wash stall there with hot and cold.  The manager and I got to know each other while I was teaching Alyssa there (she's since moved to Terri's place, Clairvaux) and I know he'll let me beautify my boy there.  We just don't have the hot water at the new place.

Was going to go on a ride with Kelly and Afshin today with a bunch of other folks -- probably 15 of us, but we got rained out.  Which was fine with me because I really didn't want to have to rush through putzing around with Justin.  He looked so much better once I got his mane shortened.  It hadn't been shortened since I'd done it last which was probably in July or so.  So, I took more than half of his mane off and he has a dandy hunter length of mane now.  He has the best mane!

I'm looking forward to seeing my boy get fat, fat, fat!!