Cob Jockey

Probably the hardest part about the leaving process so far was telling FBR (Favorite Barn Rat).  In fact, I waited a couple extra days to break the news on the blog until I had a chance to tell her in private, just in case someone at my barn does read this.

FBR's horse taking a snooze a few weeks ago, probably the only time anyone's ever seen him lay down.

I told her on the drive back to her house one evening, with her driving my truck after I had just taught her to back my bumper pull into its spot, which requires maneuvering it around the 6H gooseneck and a flatbed trailer.

(I won't let her drive the trailer on the road til she has her actual license, but by gosh, I will turn her into a bumper pull backing champion while she still has her learner's permit.  It took her a while, and she got frustrated, but she really figured it out at the end and got it precisely in the right spot.)

FBR talking on her cell phone while riding.

"I have some bad news to tell you...me and Connor are leaving the barn."

I guess we were also testing her ability to focus on the road during stressful situations.  (She kept her eyes on the road and didn't swerve, A+)  She said "WHAT???" and then her mature, rational, 15-going-on-29 side kicked in and she calmly said, "Well I totally understand.  But I'm going to miss you!"

Same night, FBR riding bareback Connor, making him look like a miniature horse.

Since then, the only time she's mentioned it to me was when I texted her to tell her I did some spring cleaning and there was a bag of free stuff for her to go through before anyone else.  "Please don't leave :(" she sent back.  Heartbreaking.  I keep telling her even though Connor's moving I'm not leaving the farm.  I'm still coming back for lessons and will come out for hacks with her.

She may be half my age, but she's become a really good friend, and she has a bright future ahead with both riding and life in general.  Most of the time I don't feel like she's younger than me, although every once in a while she'll say something that makes me go "Oh yeah, you ARE a sophomore in high school."


It'll be sad when we go, but I hope to convince her we won't be out of her life, even if we're not boarding there anymore.  Leaving the people is always harder than leaving the facility.

FBR continues to bask in the glow of "first horse ownership".  Her big red former steeplechaser and show jumper has spent the winter upping his game in Dressage and packing on the muscle.

She's growing up too, having just got her permit.  I gave her a ride home on Saturday, and let her drive my car.  Gotta say, it was pretty nice to only have to drive half of my 45 minute drive home, I could get used to that!

I told her to "look responsible" and this is what I got.  C+, needs work.

I also put her to work attaching my new blanket tags to my blankets (after a young barn worker that's not FBR put Connor's medium on him on a 65 degree day instead of his sheet as my trainer had instructed her, poor guy.  He's fine and she won't make that mistake again, both because she learned her lesson and because I'm labeling my blankets (which all look the same)).

She did the first two blankets, and then had to do the last one with Connor standing in the crossties knowing his grain had just been dumped in his stall five feet away.  He was a good boy, but he was definitely like, "Why the F am I still standing here guys...it's dinner time..."






Is it bad that I'm already dreading when she goes to college?  She's a fun kid to have around!

"Whatcha got there?"

"Where's Connor?!"

"There he is!"

I get told so often by barn workers and visitors that Connor is their favorite because he's always so friendly and happy to see people.  Just one more reason I love this breed!

Hello, I'm back from dropping off the face of the earth, and I have so much to catch you all up on!

Let's go back to a week ago Thursday.  I was having my last lesson before the schooling Dressage show, and my previous ride on Tuesday had been awful.  I couldn't even get him to go straight down the centerline.

Riding at the show grounds Friday night in my work shirt and a regular bra because I failed at packing that morning.  Womp womp.

When I said that to my trainer, she had me start at the walk going down the centerline, first in shoulder fore in the direction we came off the rail in, then switching to the other direction at X.  Once we had that, we started doing it at the trot.  But the most useful thing she gave me was a cue during this exercise to get me to sit deeper and quieter in the saddle:

"Make your lower back really wide."

This made me sit and relax my lower back both.  I imagined that my lower back was a wide rectangle, wider than Connor's back.

All photo credits go to FBR, who came with me to this show and stayed the night with me.  She took this from the judge's booth.

More than anything, when I was on my own at the show, that cue helped me when I was at the crossroads of using my seat to escalate a spicy situation, or to encourage him to keep a lid on things.

At the show grounds Friday night, I had an unimpressive but quiet ride in the show ring we'd be riding in the next day (dude, Dressage is awesome!  Got our flower spooking out of the way the night before).  Unlike at Majestic, Connor was like, "Ah yes, the Hoosier Horse Park, I must be here to show, ho hum," and gave just one whinny in response to someone else's whinny.  All things considered, I'll take mediocre over crazy for a pre-show prep ride.

Finally growing up?  Maybe?

Earlier last week, FBR had texted me asking if I would teach her how to braid sometime when it got warm.  I looked at the forecast, and saw a beautiful and unseasonably warm 70 degree day looming on Saturday.

"How about we do it this Saturday?" I said, "I'm going to want an excuse to spend as much time at the barn as possible on Saturday."  She of course agreed.

I did the first two, here she is trying her first braid.

I taught her sewn-in button braids, while also showing her a picture of hunter braids so she knew there are different types of braids.  She's got such a good work ethic, genuinely enjoys repetitive tasks like clipping, and tends to pick up skills quickly, I could see a future in which she pays for shows by braiding.

I said I would teach hunter braids to her another time if she wanted to learn them, I did learn them in college, but this area is pretty much straight Dressage and Eventing unless you go pretty far north, so there's really no reason for her to know them right now.

The eventual finished product - she did every single braid except the two closest to his ears.  Not bad for a first time!  Also, the flaxen mane looks so good braided.  Mmmmm.

Connor is such a good horse to learn things like this on.
1. He loves to be messed with by people, because it involves being with people, and he loves people.  (That Welsh Cob attitude)
2. He's patient (That Welsh Cob brain)
3. He's short enough that FBR only needed a stool for about half his mane.
4. He's a good sport.

I keep telling her I want her legs!  She's going to look good on any horse!

She started out pretty unhappy with her efforts and putting a lot of pressure on herself, despite me telling her this isn't something you just start out being good at.  Even after you know the mechanics, it requires a lot of feel and muscle memory developed through practice.  After her first two braids were braided too loosely and not far enough down the hair, she learned from her errors and really started to do well at it and enjoy herself.  Really, they both were enjoying themselves!

Such a good pony.

In the end, she did great for a first try.  His mane is a little long for braiding (on purpose, we won't be braiding for another two months yet) so they turned out a bit big.  I suggested in the future trying to make all of them the same size as my two (the two closest to his ears) which would probably require one more braid, or pulling it a bit shorter, or both.

The cutest Husky says hello.

I mean....neither one of us are thinking "Stop and stand around for 30 seconds" right about now.

It was a lot of fun.  She was just going to walk, then she got curious about trotting him, and then she was just going to trot, but she decided to canter in the end.  She had fun comparing him to her current ride, a former steeplechaser, then show jumping horse, now eventer, who regularly jumps 4' with his other rider.  He's spicy, and a very different ride from Connor.


I'd love to give FBR legitimate rides on him, but she's just too tall, which is so sad.  It's really the only thing that makes me sad that Connor is so small.

I officially made it one week longer without clipping this year than last year!

And this time, I had company:

Tee hee.  I had given him a quick and dirty apron clip two days prior,before my lesson, because it was 80 and I figured he'd die of heat exhaustion if I didn't.

FBR had asked me a long time ago if she could hang around while I clipped Connor, to which I said of course, but only if you help.  Seriously, can you think of a better horse for a 14 year old to learn to clip on?  He stands like a rock even for the ticklish spots, and he grows hair back so fast any clipper tracks will be gone in three days.  She could have turned him into a swiss cheese for all I care.

#legenvy

We made a deal that whoever got there first on Saturday morning would bathe him, which I assumed would be her.  Her mom drops her off in the morning and picks her up at night, and she spends her Saturdays picking up walnuts, catch riding and just hanging out, often by herself.  So she had him bathed when I got there and we started the long drying process.

We got into a rhythm where she watched me clip a section and asked questions, and then she did the same section on the other side of his body immediately after.  So we each ended up doing a side.

Mostly all I had to tell her was to remember to keep the clippers at the same angle to his skin, and watch for the hair changing direction.


I knew I wanted to leave a saddle pad patch this year, so I used my Supracor half pad without a cover as a template.  It worked out really well.  I showed FBR how to make a rough outline with it on, and then gently feather the hair using an upward motion with the clippers to smooth it out.  She did really well.


Connor did too - she brought two applesauces to keep him occupied.  What a good kid.


The finished result (her side).  Also keep in mind that I have the super fine Lister Star blades, so between that and Connor being a chestnut, she was set up for clipper track failure:

Not bad, right?

She kept saying "It's so satisfying when you clip a new section and all that hair comes off!" and asked if she could help me with round two in six weeks or so when he needs it again.  I said sure, it was way more fun with two people than one.  I think that girl has a future as a professional body clipper!