Just a few pictures I decided to post. :) Yall have a safe winter.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
I have a favor to ask...
Long time no post!!!! :)
For a while there I didn't follow my own advice. I stopped riding bareback, and stopped backing so much. Zora got R-U-D-E!!!!! Remember that it is SO important to keep habits up! Otherwise, all that hard work is for nothing. It takes repitition. Majorly. So I will start doing it again. Pinky promise.
But that means you need to promise me something. Sign a petition I made. If you haven't already, I highly reccomend reading my Premarin post. My petition is asking the makers of the premarin drug to stop. There are plenty of drugs with the same results that do NOT use premarin! I ask them, If your company is aware that there are other solutions, then why would you not stop the suffering of millions of animals right now?
I finish with the statement:
Alone, I can educate. Together, we can change.
The petition is at the link:
For a while there I didn't follow my own advice. I stopped riding bareback, and stopped backing so much. Zora got R-U-D-E!!!!! Remember that it is SO important to keep habits up! Otherwise, all that hard work is for nothing. It takes repitition. Majorly. So I will start doing it again. Pinky promise.
But that means you need to promise me something. Sign a petition I made. If you haven't already, I highly reccomend reading my Premarin post. My petition is asking the makers of the premarin drug to stop. There are plenty of drugs with the same results that do NOT use premarin! I ask them, If your company is aware that there are other solutions, then why would you not stop the suffering of millions of animals right now?
I finish with the statement:
Alone, I can educate. Together, we can change.
The petition is at the link:
|
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Just Back
My mare Zora spends her winter out of town. She is about an hour away, and throughout the winter I only visit her about once every other week, if that. I am a very busy with sports, homework, all of that teenager stuff! So, when I brought her back home, she was a bit out of shape, and she forgot some of her manners!
I took a jumping crop (a carrot stick or dressage whip would work too...) and I moved my space. What this means, is I "bring my energy up" by standing squarely on both feet, standing up straight, and waving the whip in to show Her where my personal bubble is. After she is comfortable with the whip waving in front of her, then I take a step toward her. I'm very careful not to change my bubble. I do not adjust; she does. As I walk at a normal speed toward her, she needs to move in order to get out of my bubble. If she doesn't move, my whip keeps waving and she gets touched.
It is very important to know the difference between touching and hitting. Touching is a reminder that gets stronger if it is ignored. It has a purpose, and is a demonstration to the horse. A hit is without direct warning, is not understood by a horse, has no training purpose, and is an act of aggression.
After she backs 3 (STRAIGHT!!!) steps, I stop moving. My bubble does not disappear, and the whip keeps moving back and forth. She should stop moving as soon as I "bring down my energy" by relaxing my body, not ready to move, and give a visual clue such as cocking my hip, slouching a bit, or sighing. The horse should do the same, and become relaxed. Don't worry if your horse doesn't do this right away, just stand there moving the whip at the same tempo until he or she relaxes.
Once she is relaxed, you have the option of bringing your energy up and doing the same thing with maybe a few more steps, stopping and scratching your horse, or trying something new with the same concept.
If you are going to scratch you horse, use your whip, not your hand. This shows the horse that the whip is a friendly reminder, not a horse-eating, fire-breathing beast. Best scratching places: behind ears, on under cheekbone, or on the withers. After you scratch with the whip, feel free to scratch with your hand.
If you are going to try something new, just remember to keep the whip moving in a steady rhythm, and that it is YOUR space, even if its not near you. For example, if you wanted to pivot the hindquarters around, then you would move the whip in a constant circular motion like stirring a sideways pot right next to the back leg of your horse. You should be standing right next to the horses shoulder, and hold your hand (the one with the leadline) at the horses eye level. This gives the horse a signal to not move his or her front end. At a constant pace, begin moving your space (the whip) toward your horse's leg. He or she should respond by moving his or her hind end around; the preferred step would be inside leg over outside but that comes with time and repetition. If the front legs move too, then continue to do what you are doing until you get 2 steps without the front legs moving. During this exercise, don't pull on the horse's head to keep the front feet from moving, or to keep the horse from walking forward. If the horse responds to the whip in anyway other than fright, he or she is TRYING to give you the answer, whether or not it is correct. Keep trying.
The key in moving your space is to be patient but persistant. Take your time and let the horse figure out what the right answer is. IF the horse is not trying, then continue to move your space with a faster whip. Do not stop shy of your horse, reach out and tap him or her, or soften the whip when it makes contact.
Remember that at the end of moving your space, it is important to scratch with the whip BEFORE you make contact with your hand!
By doing all of these things, you are re-connecting with your horse, whether he or she has been gone all winter or just overnight. These are also a good ending exercise for you and your horse, because it makes your horse think throughout the exercise, not just in the begging. Remember that you can move your space wherever you want, and after doing this quite regularly for a while, your horse should know exactly where your space is and where he or she should be.
So what did I do?
"Slower is faster."
I took a jumping crop (a carrot stick or dressage whip would work too...) and I moved my space. What this means, is I "bring my energy up" by standing squarely on both feet, standing up straight, and waving the whip in to show Her where my personal bubble is. After she is comfortable with the whip waving in front of her, then I take a step toward her. I'm very careful not to change my bubble. I do not adjust; she does. As I walk at a normal speed toward her, she needs to move in order to get out of my bubble. If she doesn't move, my whip keeps waving and she gets touched.
It is very important to know the difference between touching and hitting. Touching is a reminder that gets stronger if it is ignored. It has a purpose, and is a demonstration to the horse. A hit is without direct warning, is not understood by a horse, has no training purpose, and is an act of aggression.
After she backs 3 (STRAIGHT!!!) steps, I stop moving. My bubble does not disappear, and the whip keeps moving back and forth. She should stop moving as soon as I "bring down my energy" by relaxing my body, not ready to move, and give a visual clue such as cocking my hip, slouching a bit, or sighing. The horse should do the same, and become relaxed. Don't worry if your horse doesn't do this right away, just stand there moving the whip at the same tempo until he or she relaxes.
Once she is relaxed, you have the option of bringing your energy up and doing the same thing with maybe a few more steps, stopping and scratching your horse, or trying something new with the same concept.
If you are going to scratch you horse, use your whip, not your hand. This shows the horse that the whip is a friendly reminder, not a horse-eating, fire-breathing beast. Best scratching places: behind ears, on under cheekbone, or on the withers. After you scratch with the whip, feel free to scratch with your hand.
If you are going to try something new, just remember to keep the whip moving in a steady rhythm, and that it is YOUR space, even if its not near you. For example, if you wanted to pivot the hindquarters around, then you would move the whip in a constant circular motion like stirring a sideways pot right next to the back leg of your horse. You should be standing right next to the horses shoulder, and hold your hand (the one with the leadline) at the horses eye level. This gives the horse a signal to not move his or her front end. At a constant pace, begin moving your space (the whip) toward your horse's leg. He or she should respond by moving his or her hind end around; the preferred step would be inside leg over outside but that comes with time and repetition. If the front legs move too, then continue to do what you are doing until you get 2 steps without the front legs moving. During this exercise, don't pull on the horse's head to keep the front feet from moving, or to keep the horse from walking forward. If the horse responds to the whip in anyway other than fright, he or she is TRYING to give you the answer, whether or not it is correct. Keep trying.
The key in moving your space is to be patient but persistant. Take your time and let the horse figure out what the right answer is. IF the horse is not trying, then continue to move your space with a faster whip. Do not stop shy of your horse, reach out and tap him or her, or soften the whip when it makes contact.
Remember that at the end of moving your space, it is important to scratch with the whip BEFORE you make contact with your hand!
By doing all of these things, you are re-connecting with your horse, whether he or she has been gone all winter or just overnight. These are also a good ending exercise for you and your horse, because it makes your horse think throughout the exercise, not just in the begging. Remember that you can move your space wherever you want, and after doing this quite regularly for a while, your horse should know exactly where your space is and where he or she should be.
Understanding a Horse's Mind
To understand a horse's mind, you have to understand what they ultimately want. While dogs and humans work off a ultimate want of reward, horses work off a want of release. This is a commonly overlooked fact, because it is well known that horses like treats. However, they like any food, and this is not the ultimate goal of the horse. The best reward you can give your horse is release. This means, as soon as the horse does what you are asking, stop asking him or her to do it. Even if you want the horse to keep going, just think about it, and the horse should continue. It is very important not to dull out your horse, so release as soon as he or she does something right!TOUCH, TAP, NIP, AND BITE
My friends who don't have horses often tell me that it is mean to hit a horse. I tell them that I agree. Then they ask me why I do it. And I tell them I don't. A hit is a very different thing from a touch, tap, or "bite." You need, once again, to think about horse language.
In a herd of wild horses, one horse is calling the shots. This is the stallion. If a mare does something that is not approved by the stallion, then they get a nip. It is also important to note that the stallion nips are immediate, and then forgotten. Horse's remember, but never hold a grudge. Do NOT be passive aggressive with your horse, as this will not help anything and your horse will be ornery or even scared of you. This will not help.
- A touch is an AID TO THE HORSE, to let him or her know what you are asking. It is a gentle reminder that he or she isn't in the right space. The touch should be rhythmic and have plenty of warning before contact. Warning is the aid (whether it be your hand, carrot stick, crop, etc) swinging or 'stirring' (stirring a pot motion) in the air next to your horse's body, and gradually getting closer. If the horse does not move, then contact is made between the aid (still stirring or swinging) and the horse's body part that is out of place.
- A tap is a REMINDER. For example, before a jump (even though the horse shows no sign of refusal) it is okay to remind the horse you are asking him or her to do something, and tap 3 times with a crop in the last 3 strides. Taps remind the horse that you are in charge, just like a stallion showing a horse who is boss. If the horse refuses the jump after taps, then the horse should recieve 2 taps and 1 nip in the last 3 strides, and the jump should be taken immediately after refusal. Taps are used in non-jumping as well. Any reminder you want to give should be given in gentle taps.
- A nip TELLS the horse that he or she did something wrong. It comes after the misbehavior, and is smaller than a bite and has no warning. A bit also TELLS the horse that he or she did something bad, but usually comes after a large misbehavior.
You should NEVER hit your horse.
RELAXATION
Horses relax, and it shows. It is important to know when your horse is relaxed, so that you can tell when they are comfortable and released. If a horse is giving you a relaxed sign, that means that you are giving the horse what he or she wants. Like I've already said, horses want release over anything else. Release to a horse means comfort, and relaxation is the result of comfort.
Signs of a relaxed horse include licking lips, lowering head, drooping eyes, sighing, rolling, or flicking ears to the side. When a horse has done something right, especially when the material is new, allow him or her sometime to display these acts. Do not disturb the horse while he or she is just relaxing, as this will lower your horse's trust in you and he or she will start putting up a guard whenever you are around. This will not help you in the long run, and your horse will actually start to use his or her mind less and less during a work session.
Wait until your horse is done lowering his or her head, licking his or her lips, etc, to continue an exercise.
It is important to not fall into the trap that a lot of people do, and think that a horse with forward ears is happy. This is told in a lot of little children books, and is a common misconception among adults who do not know horses that well. A horse with ears straight forward is actually focusing on something, is not scared of it, but isn't trusting either. A happy (content) horse is one who's ears are drooping and off to the sides, or flicking carelessly around.
STARTING SLOW
Slower is faster with horses. Start slow and low. Horses are more scared of things high above their head than things below. If you are trying to desensitize your horse to a certain thing, start low. Let your horse sniff and touch and explore the thing on the ground before you pick it up. I have taught Zora a cool trick that I use in desensitizing. It is the command 'touch.' When I tell Zora to 'touch', she puts her nose on the object. When the object doesn't hurt her, she becomes more comfortable with it. After she touches it with no hesitation or fear, then I move on. Let us use a flag as an example. Flags are common issues with horses, and are commonly overcome as well.
To get a horse comfortable with a flag at a gallop takes time, but the fastest way to go is slow. What I mean by this is, start low. Ask the horse to sniff and touch the flag when it is flat on the ground. Have the rod of the flag attached. After the he or she is comfortable with this, pick up the flag and, keeping it just at your eye level, have the horse do the same thing. After he or she is comfortable with the flag at this level, raise it just above the horse's head. Next, rub the flag all over your horse's body. Work from the withers to the butt, then back up the body and up the neck to the head. Rub the flag all over your horse's head until he or she is comfortable with it completely. After that, you should get on your horse with the flag and stand still with it on both sides. Same with the walk, trot, canter, and gallop. Before going into a gallop, make sure your horse is okay with the loud snapping sound made by the flag by getting off and snapping your flag until the horse is no longer interested. After this, you can get on and do all four gaits again.
WITH GROUNDWORK FIRST
I've already told you about my bareback and backing habits, and starting with groundwork completes this habit collection (for now). Before getting on or putting the bridle on, put 5 or 10 or 15 minutes into groundwork. This could be backing, working on getting your horse to stay walking at your pace, or turning on the front hand and hindquarters. Groundwork is the base for everything you do with your horse. Improving your groundwork with improve your bond, your riding, and your horse's response time. Groundwork, just like backing, makes a horse think. Thinking is so incredibly important I cannot stress it enough. If you just work your horse on the regular things, like laps around the arena, you will never have a horse that will think. He or she will not be able to remember things, will be less trusting, and will overall be less fun to be around. Make your horse think and he or she will be a safer horse, better when facing problems, and will be more likely to be able to work out a problem instead of run away from it. Especially if you have a young horse, making him or her think will make for a more rounded horse.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Things To Do
So I realize that my last post was kind of crazy and sad. Some of my posts are going to be like that, because my goal is to educate. But I'll keep it light and fluffy like this one too. In this post I am going to tell you some of the things I like to do while I'm riding (and while I'm not). It's all personal preference, and it might not work for you or your horse, but it might also really help. Try it out! Enjoy!
- Make Playlists:
Music helps you keep a beat; that's a well known fact. But what you might not know is that each gait (walk, trot, canter, gallop) on a horse has a different beat. Walking is a four beat gait, trotting is a two beat gait, cantering is a three beat gait, and the gallop is a four beat gait (same as the walk). Listen to some of your favorite songs (I suggest country... :P) and decide what gait they match best. Make sure you have a good playlist or three (I suggest making a 10 min, 20 min, and 30 min), and then make sure you know what gait the song matches. Then, go out and listen to this music while you warm up. When the song changes, make sure that you pick up that gait. Also, if you want, match your horse's speed to the speed of the song. For a big challenge, try get to a very slow gait by listening to a slow song with the given beats. Move your hips and hands to the beat of the gait speed you want to get the rhythm. Your horse will be uncomfortable moving until he or she matches your speed.- Chew Gum
- Leave Your Hair Down
Ok obviously all the boys reading this do not need to worry about this (unless you have long hair) but I still think that it would be fun to read. In english you wear a hair net, in western you wear a hat, and for the recreational sport, most girls put their hair back. It might just be me, because hats and having my hair up usually bugs me, but I love the feeling of riding with nothing. Having my hair down, no hat, and no helmet is the best feeling in the world. Especially when I am cantering. Having your hair down and nothing on your head is a way of clearing your mind and focusing on your aids and your horse. It clams down your senses and gives you a easier time focusing on rhythm because it lets you breathe easier. (Wasn't that a Beatle's song? Breathe Easier?) Anyway... sometimes parents do not let you ride without a helmet. Although this is not ideal, you can still leave your hair down (Some in front of your shoulders and some behind) and it will have the same ultimate effect, just toned down.- Ride Bareback Every Day
Riding bareback also lets you find out what mood your horse is in. You have to remember that horses are living beings too, and they have their good and bad days, just like you. It is important to start slow and know what mood your horse is in. Try to work with what he or she gives you, not get mad when it isn't exactly what you want.
- Pretend You Are a Vaulter
It's always fun to mess around with your horse, and it serves as a good desensitizing. However, kneeling and standing on your horse also means that you gain a lot of balance and control. I also enjoy laying across her back on my stomach, flipping onto my back, and getting on and off the wrong side sometimes. Riding sideways, backwards, and laying down. Try riding like this a lot, and work on your balance. Soon, you will be able to stand on your horse, canter sitting backwards, and kneel at a walk and trot. This also improves your trust and your relationship with your horse. Even just sitting backwards or sideways requires deep trust with your horse. Please do not try to do ANY of this outside of the arena, as falls do happen even to the most experienced riders!- Have Fun
Mess around with your horse. Zora puts up with a lot of my ridiculousness. I love driving her insane doing things like putting my hat an her, playing with her lip, messing with her ears, just little things to mess her around with her. We have a bond that, after only a few months, has grown. I'm just reminding you to not always be working on a workout, improving your skills, working your horse. Don't forget to play with your horse, too. In order for you to be friends with your horse, act like it too. Some of the things I like to do with her is bobbing for apples, tag, and stretching her.Some of the best stretches for your horse are super easy! And so worth it too. Try pulling on his or her tail. Take the very end of the tail, stand with it taught straight behind your horse, and lean backwards on your horse's tail with all your weight. When you are doing this, remember to ease your weight on and off slowly, so that your horse doesn't get thrown off balance and possibly hurt themselves.
- Start Up by Backing Up
Around the same time that I developed the habit of riding bareback first, I also started the habit of backing up before anything else. Horses are built off a fight or flight response, which means they are built to run. Horse's do not need to think in order to move forward, as it is an instinct. However, they DO need to think to move backwards. Horses need to calculate every step and every move when going backwards. This means that backing up gets their brains thinking and working. What better way to start a ride than to get your horse thinking? Once you have developed a habit of backing up as the first thing you do, then try backing up in a figure eight, pivoting and backing, backing up in a clover-leaf pattern, etc. Make sure to change up your routine, otherwise your horse may stop thinking and just know that you back one lap and then start the work. This defeats the purpose of backing, so make sure that you use the horse's brain to its fullest within the first 5-10 minutes of any work. It doesn't have to be entirely backing, either. Try backing at different speeds. Look up while you back, too. Try backing then going into a walk without standing still. Then try working into a trot, canter, and eventually a gallop. Work into this slowly, as not to hurt your horse. Back on the ground too, and you and your horse will bond and have the ultimate bond. Backing is the first step to having the best relationship with your horse.Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Premarin Mares
My mare, Zora, is a Premarin Foal. She came to me when she was 9. She is an amazing horse, loves people, and has never known abuse or neglect. She is as sweet as a horse can be. When I did research on her background, I was shocked. Here is yet some of the information I gathered. I'd say 'enjoy', but it's quite impossible to do so.
“We are not spiritually unconnected from the drugs we take, or the pain and suffering that goes into their making.” ~ Alice Walker
Premarin is a hormone replacement drug, used by women to control menopausal symptoms. Menopause, in case you didn't know, is when a woman's ovaries run out of eggs, or follicles. Follicles are what produce all of the progesterone and most of the oestrogen in a woman's body. Menopause usually starts around the age of 50, and can include the symptoms: hot flashes, night sweats, menstrual inconsistency, loss of sexual interest, mood swings, faintness, loss of hair, sleep disorders, weight gain, etc.
Premarin is only available by a prescription, and is recommended to be taken daily. It can be administered as a pill and taken orally, or as a vaginal cream.
Some claim that Premarin helps as part of cancer treatment, yet studies have been made that prove the Premarin drug can INCREASE your risk of certain cancers (including breast, endometrial, and uterine), heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.
The FDA suggests that women should use Premarin for the shortest time possible, because these risks increase due to longer usage of the drug. They also state "Premarin should not be used to prevent heart disease or dementia, [because] this medicine may actually increase you risk of developing these conditions." Also, Premarin is considered dangerous to take while breast feeding, due to the fact that the drug may get into breast milk. But if it is toxic, if it poisons a our bodies, and if it increases our chance of fatal situations, why should we use it at all?So now you have read about the drug... but what does this have to do with horses? Here comes the sad part of this post.
The most commonly known and used drug for conjugated equine estrogen is Premarin. Premarin uses the urine of pregnant mares to supply women with replacement hormones. Premarin is made by a company by the name of Wyeth, which, as a company, merged with the pharmaceutical company, Pfizer Inc, in 2009. Now, Wyeth is a branch of Pfizer, and uses both names on products.
Each year, doctors prescribe menopausal hormone therapy to hundreds of thousands of unknowing women. (I'd like to think them unknowing because if they knew the whole story, I assume they would not accept, or ask for, the prescription.)
The most common prescribed drug for this is Premarin, which can be prescribed in both cream and pill form.
This drug has been proven dangerous to humans, but if that is not enough, uses horse abuse to manufacture the drug.
Premarin Mares are usually a Quarter Horse and Belgian Draft cross. A horse's pregnancy lasts about 11 months, and during this time they are milked for their urine, and confined into often barred stalls. Stalls are small, and the mares cannot turn around, and are limited to one step in any given direction. Mares are kept in these stalls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 11 months a year.Although it is a well-known fact that horses do not lay down to sleep, they do lay down to rest anywhere from 5 minutes a day to 3 hours a day. These stalls do not allow the mare to lay down. There is no law that requires any amount of exercise for these mares, so IF the mare gets any exercise, it is usually very limited and is controlled by the buissness' owner, or the rancher in charge.
PMU (Pregnant Mare Urine) ranchers are expected (But not required!!!) to follow the "Recommended Code for Practice for the Care and Handling of Horses in PMU Operations". This document was produced by a 'study committee' that included a representative from Wyeth (the branch of Pfizer Inc that manufactures most of Premarin drugs used today), and this document is not a legal requirement; it is on a voluntary basis. This document suggests that all horses involved in the PMU operation may be permitted "only as much exercise as is necessary for their welfare," but does not state an exact amount, and leaves that to personal interpretation.Urine is collected in rubber bags worn under the tail at all times for the 11 months of pregnancy. These bags create sores, blisters, and chafing. Bags hook around the tail and hang between the legs to collect the urine, and are not odor-containing.
Premarin mares are not allowed free drinking water. The mares are given the minimal amount of water, just enough to stay alive. This creates a urine that is as highly concentrated in estrogen as possible.
After the foal is birthed, the mare is re-impregnated and the cycle continues until the mare is too weak to birth again, usually around 12 years old. (The average horse lives 25-30 years) The mare is then sent to auction, and usually the worn mares are bought in large purchases by slaughter companies. Every 9-12 years, a new 'batch' of mares are 'disposed of' and the foals take their mother's place. Until the need for new mares comes around, the foals are taken to the slaughterhouse right after, or sometimes even before, being weaned from they're mother.The foals may also be put up for auction, however Wyeth-funded farms are not allowed to work directly with any rescue organization. Even on the rare occasion that foals or worn-out mares go to auction, they are most often bought by a 'middleman' for the slaughterhouses.
One PMU worker says, "See, the foals - and the mares [that] can't get pregnant any more - they are the byproduct of the PMU industry... We crush 'em and recycle 'em, just like [aluminum] cans."
A 2002 research study on 16,000 women came to an abrupt halt when the results came back conclusive. The information that was discovered is shocking. Hormone replacement therapy raises a women's risk of breast cancer by 26%, the chance of a heart attack by 29%, and the odds of having a stroke a whopping 41%. Research was stopped immediately, and the women who were being tested on were aghast.
On top of it all... there are simple and NATURAL relief to this! For example, trying a low-fat vegetarian diet (and yes, this IS proven... I'm not just saying that because I'm a veggie-lover myself), or just keeping a workout schedule and keeping the pounds off! I'd say that this is a pretty reasonable request, considering it will spare abuse, cruelty, and ultimately, death. Dr. Jennifer Hays from the Baylor College or Medicine even added that, "The average woman will not experience an improvement in her quality of life by taking this pill."AFTER THE FACT:
I was informed that my post lacked a big section of this topic; he was right. (As usual)
Natural hormone replacement formulations are usually available in the US only from certain compounding pharmacies, and require a physician's prescription. These drugs CANNOT be found at you regular pharmacies, and even at the compounding pharmacies where they are available, it has to be requested, and is not the first option for many doctors. These formulas are considered Natural Progesterone and are often referred to as triple estrogen, and can also be ordered from overseas, as long as proper precautions are used. They can also be purchased in many health food stores. Here are some of the more popular and well known:
- AIM International Inc
- Bio-Nutritional Formulas
- Broadmoore Labs Inc
- Dr. Helen Pensanti's Cream
- Dr. Randolph's Natural Balance Cream: for Women
- East Way International
- Life-flo Health Care Products
- Natural Pause-Natural Menopaus
- Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc
- Pure Essence Labs, Inc
- Restored Balance, Inc
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About me, HorseGirl101.
Hi. I, like a billion other little girls out there, was obsessed with horses when I was little. However, I never grew out of it. Most girls have a horse phase, where all they can ask for is their very own pony. I never got out of that stage... or I'm mentally stuck as a five year old. (Which if you know me...). I got on my first horse when I was less than one year old! He was a 15.3 hand Quarter Horse named Cowboy. (Of course). I grew up riding Cowboy, a mustang that my mom's friend adopted from BLM Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Center in Nevada named Chip, an appaloosa that was 27 years old and took me into rodeos, jumping, and parades named Sissy. I rode any horse I could, but never owned my very own. Until April 2nd, 2012. A year ago yesterday.
Ok, so now you know that. But now I need to tell you about her. She was 8 years old (her birthday is March 30th), now she's 9. She is half thoroughbred, quarter Percheron, and quarter Quarter Horse.
Now you might be asking who would possibly breed such a weird mix. Sadly, I have an answer. She was a Premerin Mare. If you don't know what that is, then stay tuned for my next post!
Enjoy!
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