The Frass

It's that time of year again! The holidays, and some little fuzzball has to work overtime to give all the nieces, nephews and friends that come to visit pony rides!




Sass has been such a good pony for us and has come such a long way from the timid little beastie we brought home from Spring Hill two winters ago. I still remember her following me around quietly as I took photos of all the neglected ponies. Thinking about it on the drive and then coming home and telling my husband, "ummm, we're getting a pony, but don't worry, she's small!"

Me & Candy a long long time ago . . .

Sass reminded me of a little pinto pony *I* learned to ride on years ago, she was an absolute saint and her name was "Candy".




Sass may be small in size, but not in personality! Sass can still be very fresh, difficult to catch and impossible at times to trailer; but worth her weight in gold when it comes to children. She *loves* kids and will follow them around all day and lets them groom, lead and ride her without any complaint.




Hannah rides her around all by herself and Emma is learning to trot so we hope to go to some more horse shows this coming summer and do lead line classes! I am working on getting Sass out in the yard and working her over obstacles to get her a little more trustworthy for the kids to eventually ride her outside the ring.

Bailey Update

So with Bailey home and settling in well, we got him all bundled up for the winter and are working on deciding how he will fit into our little horse family. He has a very fine coat and gets chilled easily so he has a whole wardrobe of winter blankets and liners to keep him warm and dry.



He is very social and loves to hang out with me while I clean the paddock or switch blankets and his favorite is having his face rubbed! Sonny & Bailey bonded over this as it was Sonny who used to give our old mare the best scratching!


Bailey *loves* the pony, Sassy, and will hang out with her when I want to ride Bucky. Bailey is very sensitive and easily stressed by change so having a variety of herd-mates to turn him out with is helpful!




We have done a little light riding with Bailey just to see how he does and he is still amazing, even at 16. He is a true gentleman and very light and sensitive to ride. He definitely has some creaks and cracks, but is very happy to have a job.



He loves Ali and will do just about anything for her!



Bailey had radiographs and evaluation by a veterinary chiropractor for his soreness. We are hoping with chiropractic treatments, acupuncture and supplements we can keep him comfortable and sound! Light riding is in his future to keep his joints supple and moving.



If all goes well he will spend the rest of the winter with Ali enjoying an enclosed barn at night and light rides.

Obstacle Challenges . . .

After many trail adventures, it was time to take Bucky to a few clinics to work on our skills. So October 24, we attended the first clinic at West River Stables . . . the first major obstacle, was keeping Bucky calm and focused in a ring full of horses!




There were about 15 horses at the clinic and Bucky was VERY well behaved and kept his cool as we practiced turn-on-the-haunches, turn-on-the-forehand and other skills needed to maneuver obstacles on the trail or in the show ring.

Jerilyn & Tana

We worked on backing up on an 'L' and also tricker obstacles like this horse-eater. A board on two barrels that you have to move on end attached to a rope while keeping the other end on the barrel. Jerilyn & Tana demonstrated this for us, Bucky got as far as moving the board, but we did no t complete the obstacle. It will take some time to get used to something attached to us moving!

Angie & Doc working the gate

We also practiced opening / closing a gate from horseback, a very useful skill and something we have also worked on at home. Overall Bucky is very good at this and let me latch / unlatch the gate patiently. I did get a big ole bruise on my knee at home though when we went through the gate without leaving room for my leg - ouch!





Then in December we attended the second obstacle clinic at Crystal Gait, and were able to use their gorgeous heated indoor arena. It was very nice to be in this ring while the wind howled outside and temperatures dropped!




Bucky adapted nicely to the indoor and was very good with the other horses in the ring. Sometimes I forget he is only 5 years old, having many adventures has definitely made him a more reliable mount.




There were a variety of obstacles to work on including this horse eating "teeter - totter" which Bucky thought was pretty scary. We did go over it (and leapt off) a few times, but ended with a positive experience. Bucky also LOVED the big ball to play with, herd and chase. I hope to someday introduce him to cattle work, which I suspect he would love.



We also got to do a mini "cowboy race" which was fun and Bucky was very good. Now it is time for him to have the winter off and get ready for more adventures next spring!

Home sweet home . . .

What a week! So Bailey started his journey home Tuesday afternoon and was sent off with love from his home in Florida . . . and he arrived safe and sound in Mass. Wednesday evening, only about 24 hours later! He traveled in style and arrived in good shape!





It is so great to have him home, he really has matured a lot and took everything in stride. He definitely was a little dazed to get off one big trailer, a quick rest and then into a little one to make the final leg of his trip up to Vermont.




Ali was so happy to see the gray boy and loved having him visit for a quick stop over, if all goes well Ali & Bailey will get to spend a lot more time together.



Bailey definitely thinks its a little chilly up here in Vermont and is glad we had plenty of warm blankets waiting for him.



Bucky isn't sure what to think of Bailey, he let Bailey know that he *is* the boss, but is happy to share his paddock and even hay (from a distance). Bailey on the other hand is in love with the pinto pony mare Sass and loves to hang out by the fence with her. But overall very minimal drama, you've got to love geldings!




Now its time for Bailey to settle in, relax and adjust to life in Vermont. He likes the warm fall days to roll without his blanket on and trot around the back paddock while I work with Bucky.




He is a sweet and beautiful boy and I am reminded everyday of how lucky I am to have him again in my life. This weekend we headed off to Equine Affaire and the hubby took care of the ponies, they were good for him too!

A homecoming of sorts . . .

Many years ago I worked at a Thoroughbred breeding farm, where I fell in love with a certain 3 year old racehorse by the name of "Booger" (registered as Snake Oil's Star). He was a little horse with a big personality and a recent race track flunky. He ran in a total of three races and embarrassed his owners by running last or close to it in all of them . . .

How Dear aka "Nana"

I also cared for both his sire and dam. His momma was a shy little grey mare affectionately called "Nana", though her registered name was How Dear. Nana was born in Florida in 1977, never raced but produced 16 foals, she passed away around 1998. And his sire was a handsome dark bay fella named Snake Oil Stevie, foaled in 1985. He sired some other racehorses and was also standing as a sport-horse. Booger had at least four full sisters, one was an adorable filly I also cared for named "Charm".

One of my very first rides on Bailey . . .

At the age of 3, Booger had already failed as a racehorse, so he and some other racehorses were scheduled to be shipped to auction. Foolish and young, I decided it would be a good idea to buy him and train him as a riding horse! The name had to go . . . so he was renamed "Bailey". Lucky for me he was a very sweet and willing colt and we had great adventures around the farm.




He loved to jump, once he got over the initial spook at new fences . . . and he was a beautiful mover. I was lucky to have a few dressage lessons on him as well and Bailey turned out to be a very willing partner. We did a few local shows and even trail rode on occasion (which was exciting!). But in 2000, I had to leave the East Coast to go to veterinary school and considered selling Bailey. He was an amazing little horse, but was very sensitive and I worried about finding just the right home for him . . . so decided to lease him to my best friend instead.






Ali & Bailey were an amazing pair! Ali really brought out the best in Bailey and he would always do his best for her. Ali took dressage lessons with him and showed him at training level.



After graduating vet school in 2004, Bailey came "home" to stay with me in Vermont. But in 2005 with life getting in the way, again it was time to find Bailey a new home . . . so he was given to a dressage trainer to continue his training and have a good home. As horses often do he changed hands again and spent a few years eventing and living the good life with a family that adores him in Florida.




And now Bailey is being shipped up from Florida tomorrow to come home - again. We can't wait to see him, it is so hard to imagine that he is 16 now! Our dapple grey boy is now all white! In photos he looks a little like his mother, but I have not seen him in 5 years. Although we already have plenty of horses to fill our barn, we had to make room for this sweet horse. He will always have a place in my heart and in our barn as well!

Ride for the Cure VT-NH

Today we set on a very important ride. My best friend Alison and I headed to Green Mountain Horse Association (GMHA) in beautiful Woodstock Vermont. We had collected donations to ride in the FIRST VT-NH Susan G. Komen Foundation "Ride for the Cure".




Learn more about the foundation at their link. Seriously. Learn more about this amazing and critical organization founded in 1982 by a woman who lost her sister to breast cancer. They raise money for breast cancer screening, treatment and research with the majority of funds raised going back into local programs.





So we clipped and plaited, glittered and ribboned our horses to prepare for this ride. Dressed in pink and covered in ribbons we rode to honor our family and friends who have battled this dreadful disease.



We again rode in honor of my grandmother, a breast cancer survivor, and in memory of my aunt Dyanne.




And in memory of Ali's friend Sandy who also passed away after battling breast cancer. But it was even bigger than that, even bigger than us and our loved ones, and over 100 people came, all of us touched by breast cancer in some way and raised over $40,000.




The trails at GMHA were great, very well marked and maintained, and the views were simply breathtaking. The weather could not have been better and we had a fabulous time. A day made up of those "moments" cantering through the forest on a trusted horse, with a good friend that make you truly happy to be alive.




The buckskins were wonderful, after a long weekend of traveling they were still willing to get right in the trailer and put up with all our grooming and ribbons! This is where they get to hang out and rest after a long ride and munch hay . . .

Driving Sass . . Day #2 with cart!

So we set out again to hitch Sass to the cart, today we hooked her with her full bridle on and took turns "driving" her while the other led her.



She was great! We did a little trot without anyone in the cart and she got a little quick, but overall she was fantastic.




Sonny keeps saying, "She's done this before". I'm going with "No, she hasn't", considering that you couldn't even catch her when she arrived home, but I think all our groundwork has paid off!




I still need to get the harness adjusted just right and add some padding for Sass over the breast plate of her harness . . . but we're on our way to having a driving pony! Just in time for snow . . .


Rocky says, "Don't get ANY ideas you two!"

Driving Miss Sassy!

Well almost! We have a cute little pony cart, a cute little pony who needs work and a harness . . . hmmmm! Previously we trained Sass to ground - drive as part of her training for riding, she knows voice commands and will walk-trot-whoa while ground driving. We have also hooked her to a sled and a small travois to get her used to things behind her.


Tonight we introduced her to THE CART . . .



We started out with me ground-driving her and Sonny actually pulling the cart around the paddock so she could see it and hear it, then Sonny walked behind her with the cart in place but not hooked to her at all. She was very good and patient, a few little spooks when the traces touched her, but she settled in quickly.


Then we took her full bridle off and led her in a halter while hooked to the cart. This allowed her to check the cart out and actually see it moving with the reassurance of someone leading her helped gain her confidence. I still need some help getting the adjustments on her harness, but we got it hooked up so it wouldn't bump her at all and she was great. She was very worried at first, but after some scratching and treats she settled in and was great!






Sonny really wanted to sit in the cart so after a few very calm laps he sat in it while Sass ate treats.




A few more sessions and we might be ready to actually drive this pony! We may need a little sleigh for winter.


All our groundwork and positive reinforcement has really paid off with Sassy, she has become much more trusting and took all of today's new experiences in stride. What a long way she's come!