Chrome Ride 149 - 100 Ride Challenge Ride 35 - Rocky Ride 16 (with us)

Today was uncharacteristically cool for July (the high was only 90F and humidity was around 67%) so I asked hubby to go ride with me.  Chrome and Rocky were both spooky as heck at first (more on that in tomorrow's post), but settled quickly once we got on the road.  We went 1.48 mile and rode for 38 minutes.  It was a quiet, walk only ride with only one big spook on Rocky's part and eyeballing from both of them.  I finally bought me a new riding bat (the kind with the loop on the end to go over the saddle horn or around my wrist, that has a popper) because I'm so sick of Chrome's balking, but I don't want to carry my dressage whip all the time, since I only need it a couple of times.  It took maybe two gentle taps to get his attention.  It was so funny though because when I had it in my hand he had his head cocked to the side and that ear back, eyeballing it.  It was hilarious.  I promise I wasn't hurting him though, just using it as a gentle aid to get his attention so I don't have to keep kicking him. Anyway, here are the pictures.

Sorry they are unedited cell phones pictures... I was being lazy so I didn't even crop them.

 Where did my horse's head go??

He was sniffing the pavement.

 Rocky and Hubby went off the road for some fun since our neighbor recently mowed the ditches.

Chrome and I walked in the grass for a while, but his stifles kept giving out on the uneven ground so I got him back on the road.  Even this short of a break is enough to mess up his stifles again ugh!

Their reward for being good boys.

I also noticed Chrome was rubbing his tail like mad, so I decided to do some investigating.  There are three things that I've heard can cause tail rubbing.... worms, needing to have the sheath cleaned or ticks.  I knew it wasn't worms because they were done recently (and that might be a myth, not sure).  So I decided to check the other two.  This might be gross to some people, but I have to brag because this is one of the reasons I love this horse!  I brushed his belly until he dropped (he almost always drops when I'm grooming him because he likes his itchy belly brushed).  Then I cleaned him up.  He wasn't dirty at all and I was able to wipe or peel off the dry, crusty stuff that was there.  I'm so glad he stays fairly clean in that area.  There are a LOT of horses who won't let you touch their sheath at all, so the fact that I can completely clean him without drugs (or even a halter.. yes he was loose in the pasture) is so awesome!

So the last thing to check (because as soon as I finished that he started frantically rubbing his butt on the fence again) was his tail bone.  Found the culprit!!  There were four ticks in his tail.  Hubby pulled them off for me because they gross me out, then I washed his tail with my anti-itch shampoo.  He LOVED having me rub his tail because it was so itchy.  After his tail dried I sprayed and rubbed my fly spray (that kills ticks) all through it and into the dock as best I could.  What do you guys use for keeping ticks out of their tails?  It's difficult getting fly spray all the way to the skin...

Well that's all I have for this post I guess.  After cleaning his tail I put medicine on his sweet itch sores and covered him in his neem oil.  Oh we did go to the store and I got them a sulphur block just to see if it makes a difference at all.  It's mostly salt so even if it doesn't, I don't care.  It's worth a shot.  Chrome seemed to like it.  I guess that's all.  Check this blog and my other one for exciting news tomorrow!

Chrome Ride 148 - 100 Ride Challenge Ride 34

It was only 95F degrees when I got home with a nice breeze and normal humidity (as opposed to the kind of humidity where you feel like you're drowning just trying to breathe), so I decided to hop on Chrome for a bareback ride around the property in just a halter.  As soon as I got on I could tell he was very tense.  When I asked him to walk up the driveway he was so hesitant I thought he was lame!!  Turns out he just didn't want to go up there, because when I turned him around he walked out really big and forward... ugh.  Above is the only riding picture I got because he was so tense.

As we headed up the driveway he first had to freeze and stare at all our hard work (in the above picture behind him).  He sniffed each post and then ignored it.  I walked him up the driveway and was standing near hubby, talking to him as he stretched the last bit of wire (we hang gates tomorrow) and a tree limb started squeaking where they were rubbing.  He flinched!!

Then something fell behind us and he jumped like he was going to bolt!  His head was straight up in the air and every muscle in his body was coiled for action.  My heart was racing in terror, so I got off.  Yeah I totally chickened out!  I'm not used to him being so spooky... it wasn't worth getting hurt or anything (and I'm paranoid right now because my best friend got kicked in the head a week and a half ago and almost died).  So the ride was only fifteen minutes.  I was talking to my dad later and he said it's probably the fireworks that the neighbors have been shooting off for two days.  Even the cat has been really freaked out.  Oh well, we didn't die.  We will try again tomorrow (with a saddle and bridle because I'm chicken... at least I was wearing a helmet!).

One more thing before I end the post. See the above photo?  See the muscles??

Those muscles???  Yeah!  He has butt muscles!!  His thigh muscles have never bulged out past his hip before.  :D  So the riding is definitely helping.  Hopefully this will get my motivated to get back to it despite the heat and humidity.  I'm way behind on the challenge so I definitely need some motivation.

Chrome Ride 147 - 100 Ride Challenge Ride 33 - Rocky Ride 15 (with us) - Rocky's New Saddle Pad

I got home from work and was surprised to see a box from the post office.  I opened it up and there was a saddle pad inside!!  Not just any saddle pad, but one made specifically for treeless saddles.  :D  One of my blogger buddies Olivia from Do It Yourself Horse Ownership sent it to me for Rocky, since hubby is most comfortable and pain free in the treeless saddle.  Thank you Olivia!!!  I'll email you tomorrow.  So of course we had to try out the saddle pad and since hubby was hurting from work, I had to ride Rocky.

Us taking pictures of each other lol.

In the first picture if you look closely you'll see Rocky's tongue hehe.

I just found out I have to go in early to work tomorrow, so I need to get to bed asap.  That means there won't be many words in this post.  I rode Rocky for ten minutes and he was good.  He tested me a few times by trying to turn toward the barn, but it was nothing that was difficult to work through.

 Looking at hubby.

When I went out to the pasture to get Rocky Chrome tried to stick his head in Rocky's halter!!  Then while I was riding Rocky, Chrome was screaming and galloping around!  My spoiled brat seriously doesn't like to be left out.... his galloping around was starting to get Rocky stirred up, which is why his ride was so short.  I wanted to end on a good note and I didn't have the energy (soooo hot and humid!) to deal with a fight if it came up.  Since Chrome was practically begging to be ridden and since I'm falling behind on my 100 ride challenge, I obviously had to ride him too.

He didn't disappoint.  He was fun to ride.  He's such a goofball!

 Sniffing the t-posts leaning against the building.

Remember what I wrote in this post (LINK) about hubby clearing the sides of the driveway and a path into the woods??  I said it was a secret.  Well the picture above and the two below are more hints.... ;)

 He was fascinated by all our hard work in the woods.

You can kind of see a hint behind Rocky too.

 He was stretched out again.  He's so weird.

 He was so excited to be going out on the road.

 I love this picture that hubby got!!

 Chrome shaking his head because of flies.  They are relentless.

 He wasn't wanting to stand still because of the flies again,

so we had to work on a lot of lateral flexion to remind him to stand still.

 I just rode up and down in front of the property.  We didn't go anywhere.

I only rode him for 22 minutes.  I cantered him twice on the driveway, but the rest was walking.

 He still looks for the neighbor horses.

Then he's resigned that they aren't there anymore.  Poor guy.  He misses his neighbors.  I've been noticing he stands more square more often.  It used to be that he always stood with his rear legs apart.  He's also building some of those quad muscles he needs for his stifles.  His thighs don't dip in as much as they used to.  I wish it was easier to get a picture to show you what I mean, but it doesn't really show up in pictures at all.

I had fun even though it was a million degrees outside with eight hundred thousand percent humidity.  Now I have to hit the hay so I can get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow.  Night guys!

P.S.  I forgot to get pictures of the new saddle pad, but I will soon, I promise.

Chrome Ride 146 - 100 Ride Challenge Ride 32

  Notice anything about my handsome boy?

I trimmed his mohawk!  Not very well either lol.

It was starting to fall over so it needed done.  I had to go pretty short because I waited too long.

 He is so relaxed during grooming.  He loves it.

I rode around the yard for 55 minutes.  We started off slow, just warming him up, but I did do some cantering at the end of the ride.  Notice anything about the driveway in the above picture?

Hubby used the bush hog and bucket to clean along the sides of it.  The brush used to come right up to the driveway.  There is a reason for this (other than making it look nice), but it's a surprise so you guys have to wait hehe.

He also made a path into the trees.... but again it's a surprise hehe.

Caught him shaking his head.

 Chrome was pissy during the ride because the flies were awful!! Even with loads of fly spray.  :(  I hate those stupid green headed flies....  He was shaking his head (I forgot his bonnet....), randomly stopping (because he wanted me to slap the flies off, which I did for the ones I could reach) and would NOT stand still.  The not standing still was getting seriously frustrating....  I feel bad for letting it get to me.  He was miserable.  It was so hot too.  We were both pouring sweat, even when we were just standing around.  The humidity is horrendous.  Remind me why I used to like summer????

 We still had a good ride when we weren't being tormented or fussing with each other.

LOVE this picture!  We were looking at the garden.  Hubby has done an amazing job with the garden. I will try to do a post on it tomorrow.

 He walks right up to the tractor with it running so I can talk to hubby.  :) So brave!

We were standing in the shade waiting for hubby to come back outside to get pictures of us cantering.

As I mentioned before he did not want to stand still.  He was pawing in the above picture.  Brat!

 I forgot to crop this one.  It's off of hubby's phone.  

He took it to show me how Chrome was standing.

 He stops and gives me this look when he has a fly. This is how he shows me what side it's on.

 Once I smack the fly he walks off again.

Cantering pictures!

He was so eager during the first canter.

Then he decided it was hot and a lot of work...  

See NuzMuz he definitely doesn't always have his ears forward.  

Oh and ignore my crouching forward, I was encouraging him to jump into a canter (which he did) and apparently I lean forward when encouraging him haha.  I do sit back up though...

More crouching eek!

It's probably a leftover bad habit from when I first started cantering him and he'd jump into it so fast it would catch me off guard.  I was very defensive back then.  Now it doesn't scare me at all, but I guess the habit lingers on.  I need to work on that again.

Just ignore me.

We were flying for the last one!!  I can't wait to gallop him.

He switched to his right lead and was downhill because he was tired. That's why this was the last canter.

My favorite thing is when we're done he goes right back to walking on a loose rein.  :D

I had fun cantering in the grass for a change.  I think I want to tie Rocky up and try cantering in the pasture again to see if I'm still too chicken out there.  Chrome did get to where he was anticipating, but all I had to do was say "eh eh" and he would go back to walking.  It was actually kind of cute, but I won't make the mistake of letting him get away with that.

We did have to have a serious discussion that involved using a tiny branch as a whip.  He was not wanting to go up the driveway and was doing that stupid throwing his shoulder right and then ducking left to try to turn around thing.  So I used the stick on his right shoulder to make him stop popping it out.  Once he would actually walk a straight line I praised him big time and called it good.  I hate having to discipline him, but not doing so could be extremely dangerous with a 1200 pound horse.  He didn't hold a grudge or anything though.

Hubby told me I should have taken a picture of the stick to share with you guys so you could see the massive thing I was beating him with... haha.  That's sarcasm by the way.  I actually popped my own leg on purpose to make sure I wasn't hurting him.  I baby him hehe.

 After the ride.  Tired, sweaty pony!!

Even his haunches were sweaty.  We didn't even work that hard! It was just that blasted hot and humid outside... we've been very fortunate this spring so far and it is June so I guess I can't complain.  It's normally this hot the first of May.

 So sweaty!

 Sweaty ears from the bridle.

I took him to the pasture to let him get a drink before taking him back to the yard to let him graze.  I love that I can lead my horse to water and actually have him drink!  I got some cute pictures once he was finished drinking.

 So itchy!  Poor guy!

 Look at this precious face!

 

 He couldn't figure out why I was crouched on the ground and was staring at me.  So cute!

 Grazing in the yard, all sweaty.

Then he had a bath!

 After his bath, still wet, grazing while he dries.

I washed him all over with his itch soothing shampoo, then scrubbed his shoulders and legs with dishwashing liquid because nothing else gets the Desitin off that I've been using on his sweet itch, then I washed his legs in betadine because I'm wondering if the flies are infecting the sweet itch sores and making his skin funk worse.  I also washed his tail twice because it was just that nasty.  I got his entire tail in the bucket, even his dock as far as it would go. He's such a tolerant horse.  Now he has a clean tail bone hehe.

I want to dye his tail white... it is so yellow and gross.  The funny thing is I can't find my big car sponge that I usually use for bathing horses, so I used one of my small kitchen sponges that has scotch brite on the back.  He LOVED being rubbed with the scotch brite.  It must have felt so good on all his itchy places.  His favorite places were his neck, chest and, believe it or not, between his sheath and thighs.  He must have been so itchy.

After his bath I was exhausted and dizzy and out of breath.  I got way too hot....  that's how bad it was outside.  Normally bathing a horse isn't that big of a deal, but when it's that hot and humid it sucks!

 Looking sexy after his bath!!  His legs and belly were still wet here.

His tail is soooo much whiter at the top now!

 I cringe at the bad job I did on his mohawk lol.  It doesn't take away from his cuteness though.

Tail is still yellow at the bottom.  I think I'd have to wash it everyday for a week to get it clean....
I'm going to have to get some of the whitening shampoo....

 His reward for his patience is green grass!  His favorite. :D

 Ugh!!! I see so many spots I need to fix!  Love his neck though hehe.

When I went back out several hours later to get them some more hay (having to feed square bales until our suppliers cuts more hay... it sucks!) he followed me a short ways and then stopped to pee.  I waited for him while hubby and Rocky walked on ahead.  When Chrome finished peeing he stepped forward with his hind legs, reared halfway up, lunged forward and galloped to the hay feeder!!  I was worried I might have overworked him... I guess not LOL!

Well that's all for now.  Be safe in the heat guys!