Grace's first trail ride went way better than I could have ever expected!
Up & Down hills that had me worried at times, stepping over logs, working her way through vines getting around her legs, going through water holes that were up to her hocks at times, riding along the park road with cars going by, taking a shortcut away from the trail making our own because we lost the real trail & crossing the dreaded bridge... She did it all like a champ! She honestly never lets me d...own every time I climb on her back!!! Super proud of her and so glad I decided to give these horses a shot. It is TOTALLY WORTH IT!!! #runbridled #secondstride #ottb #rrp2016hopeful #retiredracehorseproject #forco #stepoutofyourcomfortzone
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We put on a clinic today helping others tune their horses and showed them some things they can work on during the week, etc. I thought it would be good to haul Grace and let her stand and see everything. I only got to ride her for about 10 mins, but every time I had a few minutes I would go get her and do something with her like ground work.
Colton got on her and rode her around bareback in a halter and she did great. I think she is enjoying her second career so far! Last night we went to ride at a friends place since it's still so yucky outside. Mom had set up the pattern for Colton to work a horse on and while he was taking a break I decided to work Grace some.
I had trotted her through quite a few times just reinforcing her rate at each barrel and the pattern, especially focusing on where she should be going from barrel to barrel. Mom suggested that I lope her through. I wasn't really sure about it, but she said "well it probably won't be real pretty at first and you know that but just see what she does". Needless to say she blew my mind. She listened to me so well and her lead change after the first barrel really shocked me. I was highly impressed with her, just as I am almost every time I get on her back. Check out the video below to see her work :) Since I was not feeling too good after being sick for several days I decided to sit out riding. I asked Colton to pony Grace to get her exercise, and we all knew she would definitely know how to pony. There is a local arena that also has a walking horse track and we often go there just to long trot. I wondered if it made her think she was at a track at first because she was feeling awful good. Colton said he gained a ton of respect for the ones who pony at the track. He said his arm would be sore tomorrow from holding her back! We braved the cold this morning to get the "pedicures" done on everyone. We are super thankful to James Denton / Denton Horseshoeing for keeping our horses' feet in tip top shape and keeping us on our 6 week schedule! We have used James for around 15 years now and I honestly don't know what I will do when the day comes that he lays down his tools! I will be lost to say the least.
This was Grace's second shoeing since she has been with us. The first time we were able to set her up off her heel a little, and of course this time we were able to set her up a little more. We like more heel and not as much toe on one. I am super happy with her progress and am very thankful that she doesn't have the "racehorse feet" I was super scared of. She seems to really have a good foot on her and holds a shoe well. Pic below so you can see the change this time. The "before" & "after" pic is of course different feet but they are both front feet. You can see the difference in her pastern angle especially. Until next time stay warm & have happy feet :) ~ Melanie Thank you Kindal for getting Grace on the Theraplate! After being in a stall most of the weekend I thought it would be good to get Grace a little pampering. Let's just say once we were done and I took her back to her stall she was definitely showing how good she was feeling!!!
Kindal owns Rockin Peace Ranch in Whites Creek, TN. They carry Back on Track, Stance Equine, DAC products, Flair Nasal Strips, Cold Flex, Sore-No-More, Triple Crown Feed & More. They also have Theraplate & Equi-Resp Nebulizer therapies! #runbridled #secondstride #rrp2016hopeful... #ottb #backontrack #theraplate #rockinpeaceranch Learn more about Rockin Peace Ranch on FB! https://www.facebook.com/Rockin-Peace-Ranch-198296100355975/ I decided to bring Grace to Tunica to the Battle in the Saddle Barrel Race this weekend. I thought it would be a great way to let her see what her life will be like! I must say she settled in quite well the first day and when it came to to ride her Fri night she does like always and acted like she's been doing this all her life. We rode through the barn past all the four wheelers, people working, trash cans being emptied, etc. Then came the big test... riding into the main arena and holding pens where everyone was that was waiting to run. Once again, perfect & completely fine! Sat morning I got up early , got her fed and ready for exhibitions. I wanted to get in the arena early before they started. She walked right in and never looked at one thing. She went right to warming up as graceful as can be. No pun intended. I signed up for 4 exhibitions in which my intentions were to just trot her through to see if she could focus on what I was asking while being in a new environment with the noise and people. She made me happy and didn't let me down at all. There's quite a few that are friends on Facebook that got to see her today and complimented on how calm she was. I can honestly say I am totally smitten with her and I am happy with how our story is beginning! Grace's favorite part of the day, besides finding somewhere dirty to roll, is breakfast & supper! So I thought I would share what she has! We feed all of our horses Tucker Milling 14% feed. TM Equine 14 supplies the nutrition needed to keep your horse in top condition and maintain a high level of health and fitness with a high energy yet low starch balance of nutrients.
See the full details on this feed at: http://www.tuckermilling.com/equine14.html The only supplement she gets for now is Forco. I started her on it 1/9/2016. I have used it before and seen amazing results! Forco is not only good for her "tummy", it's also good for their hair, feet and all over health. "Remember to feed your bacteria!" Here's some info on Forco. "The Foundation For The Total Health Of Your Horse The digestive system is at the heart of most major problems in a horse such as colic, diarrhea, compaction, founder, poor doers, poor appetite and weight loss. FORCO® Feed Supplement Digestive Fortifieris a source of nutrients that feed and nurture the entire scope of bacterial and microbial populations in the full spectrum of the digestive system. The FORCO formula helps to bring a horse’s digestive system to full performance. Hay, grain, vitamins, and mineral supplements can now be broken down into a form that can be absorbed into the blood stream of the horse, thus, providing maximum nutrition to every microscopic cell in the horse. FORCO assists in producing maximum digestion for maximum nutrition!" Find out more about the Forco Feed Supplement Digestive Fortifier - http://www.forco.com/products/horsesupp The video below features the owner / founder of Forco, David Frank, going more in depth to what Forco is and how it is beneficial to your 4 legged family member(s). As far as hay goes they have round bales of Bermuda mix hay for the winter & then we hay them at night when we bring them up. Normally two pretty good size flakes when we feed and I recently found out my mom has been throwing them more at night when she goes out to rewater and for the last check of the night. I think the horses may be a tad bit spoiled by her!
So that's what her diet consists of for now! We try to keep things simple but will add in what we see necessary for their best benefit! Until next time! ~ Mel We got to take Grace to a new place today to exercise because with all of the rain we have had it is nearly impossible to ride outdoors. When we pulled up we noticed there was a pen with sheep and a llama in it. I laughed as I was getting out of the truck to go unload her & Hollywood. When she got out she immediately turned to check them out. She wasn't real sure she wanted anything to do with them at all. She bowed her neck up and started flaring her nostrils at them, she looked picture perfect although she was terrified! Mom took her up to the fence to see them but they wouldn't come very close which I think she was fine with. After we got saddled we walked through the barn and into the indoor pen. I just wanted to exercise her and work on some of the things we have been doing. I have been working her a lot to the right because she just wasn't as soft and didn't really know how to handle herself. However I noticed today since I have been concentrating so much on the right, it felt like she had almost forgot how to handle herself to the left. It didn't take but just a few minutes to get her back in the swing of things though. We worked on going forward and stopping with her just listening to my body more than my hands or voice. She has always been very sensitive to that anyways but I want to make sure I am keeping my movements the same, so I guess it was a good exercise for me as well. After that we worked some figure 8's at a trot and then decided to try some at a lope. Of course we didn't master any flying lead changes or anything today but she did really well with catching her correct lead almost every time. She only missed her lead twice, once each way. I get more excited each time I ride her about her potential. She is so smart and willing, it really just blows my mind. I am forever grateful for a friend who introduced me to these great horses! Until next time... ~ Mel |
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