Biscuit Canters in the Arena and Got His Feet Trimmed

I went out to the barn and brought Biscuit up.  The Lee Ann's were in the arena riding Legatto and Rogue.  Biscuit had rolled in dirt and mud and looked like a pigsstye.  His hair was stiff as a board.  I brushed him to a semblance of clean.  I got out the lunge line to lunge him.

He did a GREAT job lunging today.  He even cantered to BOTH sides and did it well.  He walked, trotted and cantered.  Good Boy!!!  He listened to the voice commands and did a great job.  I dropped the whip and he nearly came unglued.  Poor guy...he truly was terrified.  He sat back on all four feet as far as he could go without falling over.  He looked like a frozen statue.  Poor guy.

Lee Ann P and I worked on his feet - Lee Anne doing almost all of it!  LOL  we are learning to do feet - she has the book and I need to get it so I can understand what to do.  Biscuit actually has really nice feet!  His left feet are a little larger than his right feet.  He was pretty good about us doing his feet....he was getting a steady stream of treats.  His front right is still got a little flairing but not bad at all!!  His frogs look like the pits but they will grow back.  We put Coppertox in his hooves to get rid of the thrush.  He was such a good boy.  

Biscuits Feet and being a pill

I went out to the barn today.  Went down and got Biscuit and brought him up to the washrack.  I groomed him and brush his hair out.  I cleaned his hooves and he was pretty good about it too.  Forrest came up and we were talking and he spooked hard.  After that he seemed jumpy.  He made a pissy move towards me and got a pop on the shoulder.  He still seemed a little cranked up but not bad.  I saddled him up and took him in the arena.  He didn't want to stand still but I finally got on.  He took off trying to trot and I pulled him up and he didn't stop.  He started throwing up his head and kept trotting off.  I tried again to stop him and off he kept going.  I wanted off and it was hard to get him to stand still to get off.  I put the lunge line on him and worked him for 20 minutes and he calmed down.

I haven't had him in the arena in a while.  He is so good when I take him trail riding.  I spoke to Kellie and she reminded me that Mr. Joseph took him to rodeos.  I need to speak to Mr. Joseph and see if they were running him on barrel or what-have-you.  I talked to Lee Ann P.  I am the President of the PPC this week it seems.  LOL  will work on not being such a wiennie.

Lee Anne P, Kellie and I talked about natural trimming at WW today.  She is trying to get Jean to host a trimmer!  Wow that would be great to have Darolyn Butler out there.  I would love it.  She is going to help me do Biscuit's fee Monday. 

Biscuit is from Down Under today

Back Left Hoof

Front Left Hoof

Front Right Hoof

Back Left Hoof

His feet have a nice convex cup to them now.  Frogs are still crappy looking but his soles look great!

I ordered a New Saddle

I am so excited!  I ordered a new saddle.  I got a 17" Alleghany Endurance saddle with a western pommel and horn.  Endurance wide stirrups, going to have oak and acorn stamped borders.  I ordered the deluxe padded seat.  They had said it would be minimum of 8 weeks but they do have the tree in the one Biscuit needs and it is the size I wanted so hopefully in 4 weeks I will have a new saddle.  That is so exciting!

It weighs about 24 lbs, will have stainless steel conchos on all four sides.  I requested a pocket to keep a folded hoof pick in.  I really can't wait to see it and go for a ride!  Kellie and Lee Anne P. are both getting new saddles. 

I went out to see Biscuit and Sarge yesterday but Brandi had a flat tire today and I went to get her so I didn't get to go see them.  I am off tomorrow and will spend time with them then.

Yellow Brick Road in Tyrrell Park

Yellow Brick Road Trip

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We were supposed to go riding in Kirbyville today.  We got up and got ready...got a text from Kellie that Randy thought it was too cold!  LOL  it was 23 or so in Kirbyville.  We decided to just stay home and ride Tyrrell Park at noon.

Barry and I went out at around 10:15 to the barn.  The boys were no trouble loading up.  Biscuit is such a sweetie.  Margaret had loaned me a saddle and I still had my Aussie with me.  I packed us a lunch and off we went.  We got to the park and ate our lunch.  I got Biscuit out of the Brenderup and started grooming him.  Kellie and Randy weren't there yet.  Sarge was busting a gut to go so Barry go on him and was loping him around.  Biscuit seemed a little excited  just a little and I thought I would try those relax techniques I read about in my trail magazine.  I started on his front right leg and wrapped my hands around it and found lumps on his inside leg up near his chest.  I could tell what it was so I got my glasses because I thought they were ticks....GAG...it was!  Poor guy had two ticks on him and two other lumps.  Don't know what they were.  I pulled the ticks off and killed them.  He also had two other little bumps near the ticks - poor guy.  I checked him over but I didn't find any ticks anywhere else.

Disgusting Ticks

I put Edward's saddle on him that Margaret loaned me - omg it was STIFF - I got off of that puppy.  My knees hurt just thinking about it.  I put my purple saddle blanket on Biscuit and the black Aussie.  Off we went though the woods and out by Willow Bayou.  Just before we got there it is wet and Biscuit was hurrying to catch up and get out of the mud and hit a lope for about 4 strides - wow wee...he never tried to go faster...didn't seem to be cranking up and slowed when I asked him.  He is adorable!

We went down the bayou to the big bridge and went left though the gates to try and find a passage to the other side of the bayou.  We walked down a ways and came to "The Yellow Brick Road Bridge".  It was a new bridge painted Safety Yellow and all metal - even the road bed.  Sarge was a little concerned when his hooves hit metal and backed up but Barry got him to go - picking those hooves up high as he went across.  I got off and walked Biscuit across.  He hesitated for awhile but he finally went and Reagan went too.  We crossed with no problems - Elan refused.  We all tried to get him to cross with no success.  We even walked down the bayou away from him so see if he would come with us.  We went past two hog traps!!!!!  It would be a great ride to go back there!!!  Elan refused.  Kellie whipped his butt to make him go but he said it wasn't happening.  We went  back across the Yellow Brick Road Bridge and we crossed over the big bridge and got off to clean hooves.  Biscuit was good about letting me clean his hooves.  We went over the land bridge and all the way to the back.  We passed the same big hogs we did last week.  Same spotted sow.

We went all the way to the bayou and to the cranky tree.  Randy and Kenny may go out there tomorrow and cut that trail.  That would be fabulous!

We started back and when we got up to the front part Reagen was crow hopping with Randy.  That is unlike him.  We came around to the bridge and went down the west side of Willow Bayou.  Biscuit was tripping quiet a bit and I got off AGAIN to clean those hooves.  Nothing in them so I think it is the saddle really pinching my boy.

We got all the way up to the front of the of the trail by the road and OMG there was an 18 wheeler size load of clay flattened on the top.  Sarge almost had a nervous breakdown.  He backed up from that and nearly ran over Biscuit.  Elan and Reagan were cranked a little by it too and Sarge scooted sideways and bumped into us.  I go off of Biscuit and we found a way around it!  It was a slim trail but we made it.  Reagan cripped up going over the bridge and Randy stopped to check his feet.  I walked Biscuit into the park area and led him over to a slope and mounted up.  I got off of Biscuit 3 times today.   

We went back the way we came though the woods and back to the trailers.  I got off of Biscuit and all of a sudden I heard a commotion of a horse running away like crazy.  I went to the end of the trailer to see Reagan shoot by the side of my trailer, saddle half off and rolling down and then under him and off while he took off.  OMG I thought it was Barry and Sarge.    Reagan was loose and not wanting to be caught.  Barry and Sarge kept him rounded up somewhat and we almost caught him by Biscuit but he took off again.  It took awhile to catch him.  Randy popped him good and put him in the trailer.  A little while later a big commotion and Reagan was out of the trailer and running around again.  We finally caught him and I am not sure what set him off today because he is normally the quietest horse.

Kenny showed up from the Kirbyville ride and we visited.  I tried the saddle forms on Biscuit and Elan while the guys visited.  We finally left and took the boys home to their feed buckets.

I loaded my trail from the Garmin and it was 8.4 miles.  Woot!!!!  Mapped another route!

I lost my GARMIN!

Tyrrel Park Jan 15, 2011

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Kellie, her nephew Chase, The Lee Ann's and I went riding in Tyrrell Park today.  I went to get the boys (hauled Sarge to the vet) and took their blankets off.  Biscuit spooked when the blanket touched his backside.  Poor guy...his butt passed up his shoulders and off he went.  I had to walk all the way down the row to get him.  Then he didn't want to load.  Sigh.  Got him and Sarge loaded up and hauled to Dr. Schneider's to have him tube wormed then out to the park.



Kenny came over and said Biscuit looked wormy!  LOL  I told him he was full of bull.  Off we went.  Horses a little skittery.  We went around the woods 1 1/2 times and then out by the canal.  We rode down to the bridge and over it.  Lee Ann P spotted hogs and we could easily see them.  I took some pictures.  We rode all the way to the bayou.  Rogue was giving Lee Ann B a hard time and Biscuit seemed a little wrought up himself.  We crossed over the bridge and were going up the canal and I realized myGarmen was not on the saddle.  I nearly had a cow.  Kellie said to call Kenny and bless his heart, he said he would go get his ATV.  We rode back to the trailers and I unsaddled Biscuit.  He had two big DRY spots on both sides of his back.  He is done with the black saddle.


Kenny came up and I sent Biscuit back with The Lee Ann's.  Kenny and I went back through the woods, down the canal, over the bridge and 2/3 of the way back before I found my Garmin!!  I was just so thrilled to find it.  The ride was 9.5 miles today and when you leave the parking lot and go to the woods and take one trip around it is 2 miles.

I worked with the Every Trail and went to GPS Visualizer and was able to create this topographical map!!! 

I ordered the forms for a saddle fitting!

I ordered the saddle fitting forms from Alleghany yesterday.  It was shipped and should be here Tuesday!  I think Biscuit has gained enough weight and I am worried about the black saddle getting too tight.  It is TIGHT on his withers.

It will take approximately 8-10 weeks to get the new saddle.  I will get the forms and put them on The Biscuit and take a bunch of pictures and then send the forms back.  I want a plantation saddle - I like the black one and the two toned one with a black seat.  The red one with the black seat is nice too.  I am going to order a 17" saddle with a heavily padded seat.  Woot!  I think it will end up running around $1200.  It will have a horn and I may get covered stirrups or the ability to cover them. 

It is an Amish made saddle by Eli Miller from the Alleghany Saddle Compay

Playing with Google Maps

I was laying with the Google Map thingy today and it has a distance recorder.  I didn't know that!!!  I mapped several different trails.


If we leave from the middle of the park, down to the stables, into the woods, around to the canal, down the canal, over the bridge and straight back to the bayou, is 3.9 miles, then back up to the bridge but turn left and go down the canal on the other side all the way to the road, back into the woods, around to the right side of the woods and back to the trailer it is 9.11 miles. 

The ride Kellie and I made a few months ago around the golf course was 4 miles. 

If we cut the trail from the back across beside the bayou and back to the land bridge and down the south side of the canal and up to the road, back into the woods and around the woods and to the trailer would be.....9.32 miles...that would be a great ride because you wouldn't be doubling back on yourself.  That is the ride I want to make!!!

A trot around the woods is about 2.44 miles. 

Kenny got the stables which is wonderful.  They are supposed to clear the back trail and hopefully cut more.  

The boys are still blanketed

I went out to the barn around 5:00 PM or so.  Edgar had just finished feeding the horses...Biscuit and Sarge were at their buckets eating.  I had 3 treats in my coat pocket so I got out of the Rav and went over to Biscuit.  I offered him treats and he gently took them and I rubbed his head.  He is such a sweetie!!!

It was down to 10º  Real Feel this morning.  Brrrrrrrr  cold.  It was 27º and finally warmed up to the 40's.   Cold!!!!!!!  It is 10:00 PM and it is 29º with a Real Feel of 20º. 

It is supposed to be 23º at 6:00 AM tomorrow morning with a Real Feel of 13º.  It is supposed to be really cold through Friday.   It is supposed to be 55º at noon on Saturday with a Real Feel of 54º.  We are going riding Saturday at Tyrrell Park.  Woot!!!

Brrrrrr......it is COLD and so Biscuit is in a blanket

Barry and I went out and put the blankets on the boys.  I will next time switch the blankets - I traded a blanket with Kellie and it is a little short on Biscuit and Sarge's is a little big.  I will switch them around.  Biscuit was a little uneasy at first but he settled right down and let me put a blanket on him.  They were running around fighting each other and kicking and rearing up.   They were funny.  Biscuit is looking terrific.

Biscuit is stylin' in his blanket

Showing off their new duds

Don't touch my blanket!!!

Biscuit before the blanket

Don't make fun of my dress!!!

It's ok...you look fabulous!

Kenny's proposal to the city was accepted today and so the Tyrrell Park Stables will house the Cowboy Church on the Rock.  Woot!  Kenny said we will start clearing trails and I will be mapping them.  I would like to ride all day out there one day - ride out at 10:00 AM - take a lunch on the saddle with us...and ride down to the bayou, back to the other side and back to the bayou...down by the side of the canal back to the road, back into the woods, then maybe around the side of the golf course.  An all day ride would be great.  I wonder if Kellie would like to do that?

Using my Garmin in the Park

Saturday Afternoon Ride

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I completed 3 three tier cakes by Saturday morning at 10:45 and Kellie and I were heading out to go riding.  I hitched up the trailer, gassed up and hauled to the barn.  Biscuit walked to the other side of the pasture but was really no trouble to catch.  He had a big scrape on his left butt cheek.  I loaded him up with no trouble...good boy!  Loaded the trailer with tack and off I went to the park.  On the way there, I talked to Lee Anne P who said that she put Legato in the pasture next to Biscuit and he was tearing it up in his pasture - running bucking kicking like a wild man.  She said "I told Biscuit Denise would NEVER get on him if she could see him now"  She said he is FAST and I had heard he is.  I just have never seen him run.

When I got him out of the trailer he was full of sweat.  I had the windows closed so they wouldn't be cold!  His hair is long though.  I brushed him - he was not dirty but I think he had rolled and had stuff sitting on the top and his hair was damp too.  His butt was shining to beat the band.  Good nutrition is coming out all over The Biscuit.  I cleaned his hooves with some trouble on the front left of course.  His hooves have grown out and I need to file them.  I will get Lee Ann P to supervise and I will try to file them some.

Kellie and I tacked up and I rode in the reins that Ronnie plaited.  I love those.  I set my Garmin (hoping it would work and I set it right!)  and off we went.  We went through the woods and the ground was soft and has some standing water but no problems.  We got to where we would go out onto the dirt road by the canal and there was a piece of bobwire we noticed last week right where we go out.  Kellie got off and picked up some and tried to pull up another.  She got out her knife that Frankie gave her and then we laughed because we couldn't close it.  We certainly aren't rocket scientist.  There was a buttonie thingy and after calling Randy and Hugh we got it closed and we rode down the side of the canal almost to the bridge.  We stopped and yakked.  It was hot in the shirt I had on.  We turned and went back into the woods and all the way around the woods.  We came out in front of the stables not beside it.

We had a great ride.  Biscuit was a doll as he generally is.  We decided to meet to go out to eat and we met at Cheddars and had a good time.  Back home and played with my Garmin and yes...we tracked!  We rode 4.9 miles and it took 2 hours and 30 minutes.  I now how the perimeters mapped.  Hopefully next ride will track all the way to the back.  I need on to map the interior of the woods and then all of the outlying trails.  We are going to Ebenezer in February - can't wait to do a trail of that park!!!
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Biscuit and Sarge

I went out to see the boys today.  Biscuit is getting so pretty!!!  Craig the Farrier said yesterday he thought he was pretty and he is.  I can't wait to see him in the spring when he sheds out.  I think he is going to look just fantastic.

Here are a few pictures I took of the boys awhile ago.

Walking down the ranch road to the Crazy Place

I went out to the barn and got The Biscuit.  I picked his hooves and he was good with both of the back ones but he gave me flack with the front left one.  He kept putting it down forcefully no matter how hard I tried to keep it up.  He got two slaps on the shoulder and a stern stop that!  He finally let me do his hoof and didn't give me trouble with the right one. 

I was going to ride with The Lee Anne's.  I told them I was a little anxious to ride past The Crazy Horses.  They felt Biscuit would do fine with the other horses.  I got on and rode down to where Sinnaboo is.  She can run around like a crazy girl sometimes so I got off and said I was going to lead The Biscuit so he could see that the horses were just a little nutty and nothing to take off for.

We were keeping an eye on Snippy, Elmer and Spirit.  They were in the back of their pastures.  We were going along and I was ahead of them just a little bit.  The Crazy Horses came running up and Biscuit went on high alert.  They turned to run up to the fence and then took off snorting.  The Lee Annes were almost unseated...really more Lee Anne on Rogue.  He was cranked out of shape.  The both dismounted.  I had a good hold on Biscuit and he was moving around and highly agitated.  Lee Anne P decided to "walk the gauntlet" to show the horses that The Crazy Horses weren't going to hurt them.  We walked with plenty of space between us.  I stopped several times while Snippy rushed around and so did the other re re's .  OMG those horses are crazy.  We got to the end and walked them back.  We stopped in the center to let them calm down and eat grass.  I kept reassuring Biscuit that he was ok.

Elmer came up pushing on the fence trying to reach Biscuit and The Biscuit let a back right hoof fly.  Good thing Elmer moved or he'd have had a split lip.  Snippy was pushing on the fence too.  I think because they are never fooled with they are nuts. 

I told Lee Anne they needed to GO live somewhere else.  I walked Biscuit back and took his tack off and walked him back down to the pasture.  He has really put on weight and is looking great.  I think he will look fantastic in the summer.  His long hair on his midsection IS shiny now.  Woot!  Good nutrition is paying off.

Sarge is going to the vet next week to be tube wormed.  I think he needs a stronger wormer than I give him.

I am hoping to order Biscuit a new saddle soon.  My black Aussie is getting a little tight for him and I don't want to hurt the poor guy!

First ride of the new year

Barry and I loaded up the boys, stopped at McD's for fish burgers and on to Tyrrell Park.  I got Biscuit out and a car load of people showed up and started dragging out all kinds of stuff.  Biscuit seemed very tense.  Hummmm...Kenny showed up and we talked to him.  Elan was waiting patiently for me to give him a treat.  He comes over to the trailer to wait.  He is so cute!  We saddled up and headed out.  Allison was a little tense she said.  She had got Bobby to get in the trailer and we were excited that she was going.  

Legato had a little melt down and Lee Anne walked her to the stable area and Barry and I stopped for her to get on.   We continued on into the woods.  We went down to the canal area and kept going around to the middle of the woods so that Bobby and Legato could get into a rhythm.   We walked down the "old" road and down the canal to the bridge.  We crossed the bridge and got off to clean hooves.  We went to the right of the bridge and down the other side of the canal.  We got way down there and Bobby started rearing and turning and trying to run back the way we came.  Poor Allison got off and walked him but no matter what, when she got on he was backing up, turning, flipping around.  Ugh.  Esther got on him and worked with him and then lead him.  She was finally able to mount.  We went all the way down to the ditch and then to the left and then around back to the right past the ditch.  We went all the way up to the road and crossed the little bridge on the city road (Sakara had a stopping hissy in the middle of the bridge) and then back into the park.  We went to the trail and to the left. 

I was riding behind Bobby and he lifted his leg to kick Biscuit.  What a pill.  Something fell from a tree and all the horses kinda spooked!  LOL We got back to the trailers and we all had a good time!!!  I took some pictures of Barry and Sarge and he took a picture of me and Kellie.

It was me, Barry, Kellie, Lee Anne P, Lee Anne B, Esther and her friend, Herb, and Allison.  It was a beautiful day - blue skies and just the tiniest breeze.  Can't wait for next week...I am ready to go again!