Been super busy with school again. Only a few more weeks to go but that includes a test, two finals and a few smaller assignments and presentations. And then get to go home for summer. Haven't had much horse time but did get down there after clinical on Tuesday and had a great ride and trimmed his front feet. He was really good for me riding and we did a short "trail ride" out to the back of the property. Everything is getting super green and Banico's weight is getting much better. We didn't do to much but he was so good. Apparently he is taking his fly mask off every time he goes out in pasture. I would just give up for the barn owners sake but he gets weepy eyes from the flies.
I had a good spring break. My boyfriend came here to visit and it was his first time in KY. We went to the horse park two days and walked the cross country course one day and walked through the museum and saw the attractions the second day. Also went on a farm tour which was fun.
Pictures are from boyfriend and barn owners facebook. Not in order.
Banico is doing really well and is completly sound. The bump is still there but it isn't painful so just leaving it. Have had some good rides and his weight is picking up nicely now that it is spring.
Today Banico told me very clearly that he didn't what to be stuck inside with his leg wrapped. He actually trotted away from me when I went out to catch him. I didn't blame him because it was a beautiful day outside. I did catch him and first washed his legs and tail and then got on for a bit. He just has a hint of being off on that leg. We had a good ride and he actually seemed to enjoy getting out to do something. He felt quite forward for the first part of the ride but his left lead canter still feels a bit off. The barn owner was out riding at the same time so we had a good conversation while we were riding. I trimmed his back feet and then we decided it was to nice to keep him inside. We will see how he is tomorrow with the exercise and being unwrapped.
Mouthy boy
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Banico is doing much better today. Was wrapped until this morning and the lump went down a bunch and he is much sounder. The barn owner was going to leave him in but apparently tried to tear the stall door down so she tossed him back out. I trotted him a short bit on the lunge and he looked much better. He was very wiggly when I went to rewrap him but it got done. The barn owner is going to try to leave him in with the wrap on tomorrow and then put him back out tomorrow night and then rewrap on Tuesday. He is fine inside when all his buddys are in but when they get put out and he doesn't he throws a fit. He has always been an opinionated horse.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Had a great winter break home even if it was way to short. Went on a hike and trail ride and just hung out mostly. Back to school now which is going well. This semester is Peds and OB and has been very interesting so far.
It was cold and Lily says this sucks. She has no cold tolerance
Banico is doing OK. He lost a bunch of weight over the break which was a combination of winter and that I have been a bad horse mom and let his teeth go to long. He is better now and getting a ton of beet pulp and oats and some alfalfa on top of grass hay. He has also been a bit off for awhile. He has a lump below his hock that I'm almost positive it causing it. Was mostly just watching it and hoping it would go away on its own but the mud dosen't help. The barn owner suggested we sweat wrap it so he is in with his leg wrapped.
This semester has been crazy busy with school. I have had 12 hour clinical every Thursday and lots of tests and big care plans to write. Only have three more weeks to go which includes a test in nursing Tuesday and one last clinical this week, then dead week and then finals and then home for break. Doing well in my classes and I have been really enjoying clinicals. They are a long day but I feel like a real nurse and have been seeing so much. The only boring part is post conference where everyone looks like they are about to fall asleep.
(Pictures are random pictures from about three years ago. Wild horse in a turn out and a trail ride the same day.)
Banico is doing good. Due to being busy with school I have only been getting out there once or twice a week. He is out in pasture part of the day so he is doing fine. I am really out of riding shape now. Did have a really good ride today. Did some jumping and Banico got really energetic about it. Think the jumps were about 2'6 but for what ever reason looked huge cantering up to them. I also ground drove him last weekend and he was great. Makes me want to start doing more of it.
I went with my roommate to her house for Thanksgiving. We had a good time. Mostly just relaxed and hung out but did go shopping for a bit. They have three cats and four dogs and it was nice to have animals around for the weekend. Our apartment doesn't allow pets so I miss my cats quite a bit. One of the cats slept with me for the first two nights for which my roommate has called him a trader. I did appreciate having a cat sleep with me for a bit. Thanksgiving dinner was very good. It was defiantly nice to get out of the apartment for a few days and have a nice home cooked meal.
I have been really busy with nursing school. This semester includes one day of 12 hour clinical in the hospital and lots of other work. I have only really been getting out to see Banico once or twice a week but I have a really great barn that takes care of him and he is out in pasture at least half the day. Think he is quite content just hanging out in pasture and bossing all the other horses around.
Sence he destroyed his last turn out (see link for the story ) I have been looking for a new winter blanket. My aunt Julie found this one on sale:
Many thanks to her.
And just a cute face with burrs in his forelock. He managed to completely fill his forelock with burr this week and would not let me get them out so he still has a bunch. They mowed the pasture so hopefully he wont be finding so many any more.
I had a busy summer. This post is mostly random picture overload of what I did over the summer.
Spent a bunch of it tagging along with my boyfriend while he worked as a farrier. I learned how to pull shoes and some about finishing but never got good at that. I also learned a bunch about shoeing and trimming in general. I have been trimming Banico for awhile so I knew the basics but it was interesting to see all types of feet.
Pulling back shoes on an old TB gelding
Attempting to finish
Cutting clenches on a huge warmblood
Same on back feet
Boyfriend hot shoeing
Went sailing a few times and had a bunch of fun. I have been sort of learning how to skipper the boat and have enjoyed it. I almost dumped us over a few times but never did. No tsunami this time around.
My boyfriend sold this pony/mini cart and the lady that bought it convinced me to help her train the mini to drive. The mini was very smart and basically picked it up in two sessions of about 2 hrs total. It was just the basics of ground driving and getting hooked. She never spooked at the cart and was basically ground driving by the end of two hours.
Isn't that the cutest little face ever?
Took Sophie to a hunter schooling show that the ETI group I use to show at put on. Sophie is an old hunter ring veteran that got sour on the show thing but she seemed to have a good time. She really is a pro at jumping and is really fun once you get her going properly. We went in 4 classes and got first in 2'9 hunters and working hunter under saddle, forth in 2'6 hunters and fifth in hunter obedience (she is a great horse but obedience is just not her thing). We ended up getting day end high point for the 2'9 division.
Short video of part of the 2'9 class
Also rode her quite a bit during the summer and had a bunch of fun jumping her.
My boyfriend found a baby king snake in the hay stall at the ranch that was partiality paralyzed. She has a very obvious lump about a third of the way down her body and only has partial control over the last 2/3 of her body. She got named Ripley. My boyfriends chiropractor also works on animals but is terrified of snakes. But she still did some work on Ripley and even brought out laser therapy to work on her. Apparently she has become my snake as my boyfriend already has a ball python so he is trying to get me to bring Ripley out here to have as a pet.
snake laser treatment
a mostly recovered snake. Her front end is normal and really strong so she can get her self up on things but gets her back end tangled on thing sometimes.
Also went on a few hikes over the summer. My boyfriend is a big outdoors person and likes to go backpacking in Yosemite so we were trying to get ready to do that. We ended up not being able to go for other reasons but still had some great hikes locally.
