Work!

Shadow has really been showing me what he can do lately. I think the fact that he is 17 only plays a role in my mind. He has been amazing me week after week as we lesson with Dom.

We have started jumping, as I mentioned in a post a while back (i think) and he has been doing great.
Gymnastics are what we are currently working on and he keeps proving to me that he will get it and be good at it.

I took an "almost fall" two weeks ago that scared me/took what was left of my riding confidence i think. So last week i was being a cry baby as Dom pushed me to continue our jumping lessons.

I should know by now that Shadow is my personal baby sitter. He would never do anything to hurt me and if things do go wrong he does his best to save me and keep me out of the way of anything that may potentially hurt me, but i am just not as tough of a rider as I was when I wasssss, let's say 10! lol

Blurry Picture from a Free Jumping video

Mike catching my "fall" on camera.

My body never actually hit the ground. My right leg got stuck in the stirrup, but i managed to wrap my arms around shadows neck and put my left leg down on the ground. When Shadow felt me hit his chest he put on the brakes and saved me! Now known as "The time April didnt' fall off" -_- lol

Dom continues to push me through our lessons even though i want to cry every time i see her touch a jump and Shadow continues to surprise me at how well he does and how good he really feels. What stifle injury?! :) 

This weeks gymnastics, Shadow rocked it. That last verical looked HUGE to me while I was riding, but it measured out to be only 2'6" and Shadow cleared it with room to spare, which means.. higher jumps. AHHHH 

KNEES!

I was scared, as you can see all over my face, HA

Video, I need ALOT of work, so don't even pay attention to me up there, but Shadow is doing EXCELLENT.

After a GREAT lesson on Saturday, Kris, Arrow, Shadow and I prepared for a 8 mile hunter pace in the Assunpink. The first of many paces held by Monmouth County Hunt. It was so much fun!

We got off to rocky start, it took us an hour to get shadow on the trailer. Kris has first parked in the parking lot where there are some rocks which were hurting shadows feet (problem #1) so I asked Kris to pull onto the grass, still with no improvement.. We tried everything to get him on. Finally as a last resort i asked Kris to pull Arrow off the trailer so i could try and load Shadow. I pushed the divider out of the way and handed shadow over to her, and like that he walked right on, Arrow loaded on again not problem and we were finally on our way. 

I was a little nervous based on this only being our second time doing a pace like this and it was longer than the last one. We didn't have a great start at the last one either, which added to my nerves, but I tried to stay calm. 

Shadow and Arrow did absolutely amazing. It was the best 8 miles I have ever ridden. The view was gorgeous and the horses seemed to really enjoy it. Every chance they got they were cantering through the open fields or trotting through clear trails. Shadow had a BEAUTIFUL slow collected canter and his trot is FINALLY perfected. I spent countless days just trotting, trotting, trotting and now it is a thing of the past. I don't have to think about it anymore, we just do it. 

I know it is a lot easier for Shadow to canter straight and in large areas being he still doesn't have the balance he needs to carry himself and me around corners in the indoor, but that is still in the works, I have spent literally NO time on it at all, i don't even think about cantering, but i think now it is time to move on to it and get it perfected because his canter is in there and it is amazing. 

It is great to see that the horses enjoyed the ride as much as we did, and they get along so well. Arrow is a great friend to Shadow, almost reassuring him that everything is fine and doesn't mind when Shadow rests his nose on his butt and Shadow keeps Arrow calm when they are side by side on the trail and Arrow just cant wait to run and I can't wait to do it again. They make wonderful partners. 

 I could not be anymore proud of Shadow, as Dom says all the time, it is too bad I got him so late in his life because we would have made one hell of a team if I could have installed all this work into him at a younger age, I do sometimes feel as though I am working against the clock, but Shadow has other opinions and shows no signs of slowing down. He is my best boy <3 

                              

                                  

                                     

                             

                             

                                     

Update

Having an indoor has been a great asset for Shadow and I.

His trot has FINALLY become more consistent and i don't have to work so hard. He is doing great. 

We have been able to lesson every week when it wasn't snowing on a saturday and i couldn't be happier. 

I dont have much else to say other than that, everything has just been going smoothly so i am going to leave you with a short video to show shadow's progress from out last lesson. 

LOVE my boy. <3

Breakfast

When Shadow lived at Bonni's, he was on a set feeding schedule of 7:00 am and 3:00 pm with his supplements in his night feeding.

With our move came a hiccup in his routine. He now eat between 8:30-9:30 in the morning and between 6:30-7:30 at night, with supplements in the morning. No biggie, he will just have to adjust.

I have noticed that he is not eating all of his morning grain since we have gotten there. He is still on the same food, the same out, the same supplements, just getting them at a different time.

While they do not eat until later, they come in right before the sun goes down, so around 4-4:30 and they are given a flake of hay to munch on until dinner time.

I was there for them to come in the other night so I helped the barn owner bring him and his pasture mate in and as soon as i let shadow into his stall, he dove his head into his bucket and finished what had left from the morning.

Then yesterday morning i noticed he had left about half of his morning feeding in his bucket.

He is still eating, everything, just on his own terms. I dont know if this is his way of adjusting, as if he is saving himself a "snack" because he knows he isnt going to get fed as soon as he comes in from outside or if it something else.

I am not really worried too much because like i said he is still eating, just not like he used to. He never left anything behind, ever.

I am going to give him another week to see if it lessens or stops, and if not i may switch his supplements back to PM and see if that has anything to do with it.

Any advise from anyone?


Also, what is everyone's take on Bran Mash? I have read so many articles some say yes do it and some say no don't. I have always given it to my past horses, but never to shadow and now with all the reading I have done, I am a little torn on the subject.

Thanks for your help!

Success!

On Thursday Shadow moved to his new home. 

He settled right in and was acting as though he had been there the whole time. 

The move itself was quite uneventful, as expected. Shadow doesn't really care about much.

It took a few minutes to get him on the trailer. It's not that he won't go on or fights me to get on, he just doesn't want to. He will walk onto the ramp with all four feet and perch himself there like, "okay i'm on, let's go"  and then eventually gives in and walks on. Needless to say, learning how to self load will be in our future. 

I said goodbye to Bonni, and off we went. 

He came off the trailer and went into his new field with his new pasture mate, made a little bit of fuss, then five minutes later they were sharing a hay pile. 

I hung around for most of the day, once he settled I left with Greer, and her husband and her son and of course Will to get some lunch to say thank you for all the help, then I ventured back to get myself organized. 

I helped the barn owner with a few things that she wouldn't have had to do if it weren't for me and shadow moving in, like getting a stall ready for her mare since we took her old one, and moving some things to the new hay trailer.  I helped her bring some horses in and a few other things all while Shadow continued his day peacefully. 

The indoor was quiet, so I brought Shadow in from outside and turned him loose to see what he would do. He was absolutely crazy, galloping and bucking and carrying on, calling to his new found friend for about 10 minutes and then he was over it. 

Once he calmed down I brought him back outside for a while before it was time for them to come in for the night. When he first came into his stall he was a little nervous. He was fussing with his hay and walking himself in circles. He is not used to having a stall that is completely enclosed. He likes to be able to put his head out, but he will get used to it. He does have a window for when the weather is nicer. We can open it up and he can put his head outside, but who really wants to do that when it is freezing out? The barn in pretty warm, so there is no point in making it colder. I did open the door and put up a stall guard for him so he could bring his head out into the isle since i was going to be there for a while.  He eventually calmed down and went on to eating his hay. 

Finally around 5:30 I went home. The barn owner doesn't feed until about 6:30-7:30 at night, so that is going to be a big transition for him,since he is used to eating on a set schedule of 7 am and 3pm. She texted me and let me know that he ate all of his grain that night and settled in nicely, then texted me again Friday morning to let me know he ate and went out like a perfect gentleman. I'm so proud of him, I think I had a harder time with this then he did. 

Friday night I went back with William to lunge him in the indoor. He really did great. He was moving very nice and i could barely tell he has been off for over a month. He was a little nervous with all the new noises and the walls and the MIRRORS, but he kept his cool and we even got a few minutes o riding in.  Mirrors are definitely the bad guy right now. We had to walk up to it very slowly, while snorting at the horse in front of him.  We eventually got close enough and he bashed his nose into it, realizing that horse was him. He is now alright with them, but every now and then he forgets and spooks. To be expected. 

Saturday Dom came out! I managed to schedule perfectly around the other trainers lessons and Shadow did great. It was really nice to hear Dom say we both looked happy. 

Sunday the Barn Owner has a meeting for all of the boarders and I hung around for while. Shadow had almost like a foam around his lips. I don't really know how to explain it, but I looked in his moth and he has just foamy saliva in his mouth, something I have never seen before? It wasn't excessive, I kept an eye on him, he was eating and drinking, everything normal. Once the trainer was done with her lessons the barn owner and I decided to ride. I took Shadow out of his stall and just checked him over because I wasn't sure why his mouth was like that. As I said, he was eating, he had belly noises and was completely acting normal. So I continued on to getting ready to ride. He was great, it took alot of work to keep him from breaking into his canter and just keep him trotting, but he was really so good. When we were all done all the foam that was in his mouth was gone and he was still fine. The barn owner threw then their flake of hay that they get before their dinner and he was eating again tucked away in his stall. I didn't think much more about it. I am so happy with the outcome after not doing anything for a month, he really gives his all every single time.

I really think having an indoor is going to a great thing for us. I really couldn't be happier. 

Shadow's new stall :) 

Getting to know everyone. 

First time in the indoor. 

Not so sure about this stall, ma. 

Our first ride in our new place <3

and this is how he felt about this indoor business!

See ya, 2014.

1. What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before? 
Left the country, took Shadow off the property for a trail ride at the horse park, started school for dialysis


2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 
I don't make them because i never keep them :) 


3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Jessianne to my godson Nikko, and Sharlyne to handsome DJ

4. Did anyone close to you die? 
A very dear, close family friends passed tragically and too soon.



5. What countries did you visit? 
MEXICO!!

6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014? 
a career


7. What date from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
June 28th, the day Nikko was born, such an emotional day!  

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? 
Keeping Shadow sound!

9. What was your biggest failure? 
Buying a new saddle, my dream saddle that I had to sell. Remind me never to do that again. -_-

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
i had shingles at the ripe age of 25. only me. 



11. What was the best thing you bought? 
hmmm, i don't think i bought anything that great, since will bought my saddle.. 



12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My Dad's. He did a complete 180 and I thank god everyday for helping him and keeping him on the straight and narrow. 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? 
Family. Family. Family.

14. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? 
of course, but we don't need to go there, it's a long list. 


15. Where did most of your money go? 
In shadow's stomach and on his body. 


16. What did you get really, really, really excited about? 
Going to Mexico and taking Shadow to the Turkey Trot in November.

17. What song will always remind you of 2014? 
Oddly enough, "Turn Down for What" lol 

18. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier
ii. thinner or fatter? Fatter
iii. richer or poorer? Richer, a little.

19. What do you wish you'd done more of? 
Riding and spent time with my nephew 

20. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Spending money 


21. How will you be spending Christmas? 
With mine and Will's families.


22. Did you fall in love in 2014?
I fell in love in 2009 and fall more in love everyday :) 

23. Did your heart break in 2014? 
I'm sure it did, but it couldn't of been anything too serious because I cant remember.

24. How many one-night stands?
none, duh. 


25. What was your favorite TV program? 
Sons of Anarchy


26. Where were you when 2014 began? 
in my bed sleeping I believe.. lol 

27. Who were you with? 
William and I don't think i made it to midnight but his sister and her fiance and their dad were with us too, at some point.

28. Where will you be when 2014 ends? 
no plans as of yet, probably home!

29. Who will you be with when 2015 starts?
William

30. What was the best book you read?
I don't have any time to read and it is really hard for me to find a book that keeps me interested.

31. What was your greatest musical discovery? 
remembering how much i love country music and how much everything else annoys me. lol


32. What did you want and get?
a new saddle

33. What did you want and not get?
new boots, not yet anyway

34. What was your favorite film of this year?
i don't think i really saw anything that i thought was really great.


35. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
my actual birthday was a Sunday and I worked and then spent the day out with Will. The night before we went out with friends for dinner, I turned 25 #overthehill


36. How many different states did you travel to in 2014?
i stayed in NJ until we left the country for the first time ever in October.


37. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?
I only get dressed on the weekends, haha


38. What kept you sane?
William 


39. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Charlie Hunnam


40. Whom did you miss?
Will. I know, i know, we live together but we work all day and then I go to school all night and we are so busy playing catch up on the weekends that we hardly have time to do anything together.


41. How many concerts did you see in 2014?
None


42. Who were the best new people you met?
Kris and Greer


43. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014:
Planning ahead NEVER works out.


44. What are your plans for 2015?
Nothing planned, besides moving Shadow to a new barn on January 1st, hopefully taking a giant leap in completing his training and not having to think so hard anymore. Finishing school in June and hopefully starting my career full time.  A house, maybe? who knows! I'll just continue to fly by the seat of my pants for now. lol

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year :)

Moving on

Since spring arrived the thought of winter was weighing heavy on my mind. Now that it's here, I cannot afford to allow Shadow to sit and do nothing all winter long again. It was such a set back, he needs to be in a consistent work schedule.

I finally decided to start looking at new places to board. This is something i never in a million years thought i would do. The thought of taking Shadow out of Bonni's care scares the life out of me. I know i never have to worry or if we need something it will always be taken are of without a second thought, but I just don't know what else to do. The winters are horrible and i just cannot ride outside in the winter in the place we are now. 

I dragged my friend Greer out on Saturday after doing a weeks worth of research and only came up with 4 place to look at. Two in Jackson, one in Allentown and one in Cream Ridge. I am not going to mention any names, but 2 out of 4 were complete nightmares, one was manageable and the fourth one i didn't even bother going because my brain was fried and I was supposed to go the following day. 

I made the decision to go to one of the ones in Jackson. They had a nice big indoor, a nice outdoor, miles and miles of trails and they even had a dressage schooling ring at the back of the property. They're fields were very very very muddy, but there were two that didn't look so bad and the owner was more than willing to make arrangements for me. I was also allowed to bring an outside trainer onto the property with me. I left there feeling confident, but not 100% confident. 

I informed them that I would be coming in on January 1st and then i broke the news to Bonni. I cried having to tell her and even after telling her I had a very deep nervous feeling in my stomach, but i tried to ignore it and tell myself this is what needed to be done and i had to at least give it a try. 

Sunday came and I had the boarding agreement all filled out ready to be dropped off, but then things took a turn. I had remembered a while ago William mentioning to me that one of his friend's girlfriend was 'into horses', whatever that means. lol I happened to see that friend of William's on sunday and we started talking. Turns out, his girlfriend OWNS a property with a large indoor and outdoor,  large barn, hot and cold wash stall and a heated viewing room attached to the indoor.

Sounded almost too good to be true. It is only a few more minutes into Howell from where Shadow and I are now. I contemplated it for a little while, then ended up taking a ride later that day to go see it. It was dark out, but as soon as i walked into the barn it felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders. All of the horses were tucked in happily munching away on there hay and all picked up their heads to greet me. They all looked great, happy, healthy, shiny and fat! 

The more i talked to the owner the better i felt. I took a look at the indoor and the wash stalls, tack and feed areas, hay, etc. Everything looked great. I didn't get to see the property because it was dark, but it turns out that a girl that i grew up riding with boards her mare there. (small world) 

The owner and I finished our conversation and she said she would be in contact with me by the end of the night or next morning about pricing and other specifics. In the mean time i did some of my own research and have heard nothing but wonderful things. The owner and I were in touch by the end of the night and came to an agreement, how exciting! 

I am going back Saturday with Dom and Greer in my presence to take care of all the final paper work, see the field in which shadow will be spending his time and to get verbal approval from the two of them as well as showing Dom where we will be working. 

It really feels like a weight has been lifted. The atmosphere of this barn is very similar to the atmosphere I am in now, and there is nothing better i could ask for. 

I unfortunately had to break ties with the first barn i had decided to go with, but I hope that they can understand my situation, i need to put Shadow somewhere that I can have piece of mind knowing he is being taken care of to my FULL expectations. 

We will be moving in on the morning of January 1st, stay tuned.... :) 

Supplement Struggles

For those of you that follow my blog you know shadow has a past stifle injury and know that he came out of last winter pretty much dead lame. 

Once I had seen it (I was not aware of the issue until that point, as I was not told when I adopted him) I was able to start him on Prevacox and a better joint supplement than what I had him on and he had done great. 

So in anticipation of having another winter of no riding I have upped shadow supplements being sure not to give him to much of any one thing as we all know too much of something isn't always the best. 

So I kept him on his Prevacox and his complete senior smartpak (even though he isn't a senior, lol) because I love the benefits of it. I also added another dose of HA in addition to the amount that the complete has in it and I put him on a muscle mass supplement which will aid in bulking, obviously but will also slow the deterioration when they are out of work. I'm doing everything I can to keep him sound if he is going to be off all winter again. 

So he's been on this supplement for About a month now and I have been dealing with all this back and saddle drama which is finally resolved. Shadows back is 100% better and I have bought a Pessoa that fits him like a glove. 

I went out yesterday to try my new saddle and ride my boy since he has been off since the turkey trot because I had surgery on my mouth. Shadow, he had other ideas. 

I have noticed a change in attitude lately.  When I get there to see him he is so excited and right ontop of me. Don't get me wrong he is always happy to see me but lately he has been crazy, almost like "omg mom! Hi mom, what're you doing mom" following me back and fourth and all over the place. Bonni also mentioned that she was in the barn getting dinner ready the night before and he was in the field acting like he was losing his mind which he has never ever done. 

I tacked him up and decided to lunge before I got on and with Nikko cantering around the other field shadow took one step away from me and jacked his tail up the sky and his nose followed suit. He then continued to prance around me snorting like a dragon. Did someone forget to tell him he was 16? 

So once he calmed down ( or I thought) I got up on him and he was still trying to run around with his tail up and snorting and trying to gallop the fence line with Nikko. So I took him to the other side of the ring and walked him until he was calm. 

I then decided to lunge him instead of riding him so we lunged for about an hour or so and he was moving beautifully. 

I am so glad he is feeling so good, but I would just like to ride my horse! 

So now begins the trial and error of supplements. 

I called smartpak and spoke to them about having any other cudtomers mention anything about the muscle mass stamina making their horse hot and they have nothing other than it making them "feel good" so she suggested I cut down the dose. 

Shadow next smartpak will come with a lower dose and I will have to keep an eye out for an attitude adjustment. *fingers crossed*

                      My new Pessoa