Eftertanke...

Kanske gick ut lite väl hårt med senaste inlägget. Kan vara frustration över att vara tämligen ensam här uppe i "riktiga" världen med att jaga kossor. Tid att flänga runt till träningar och tävlingar, där den närmaste ligger 30 mil enkel, finns egentligen inte heller när man har 13 hästar hemma, ungar och ett företag att sköta.

Tycker fortfarande att det bör finnas inkörsportar på tävling utan bett-krav kopplat till hästens ålder.

Ja, ja...vad är väl en bal på slottet....

Tävlingsfunderingar....(jupp, på svenska!)

Tänkte sticka ut hakan, med risk för skäll...

Funderar lite på och kring tävlingsupplägget vad gäller ko-grenar i Sverige. Å ena sidan har vi Cutting och Cowhorse föreningarna, RHA och andra som försöker lyfta evenemangen från sandlåde nivå, följa moderföreningarnas regelverk vad gäller ålder, betsling osv, och ge tävlingarna högre status, vilket även jag, i sak tycker är nödvändigt. Samtidigt måste vi inse på vilken nivå vi faktiskt befinner oss i det här landet. Allt för ofta är vinnaren idag det ekipage som gör minst misstag och får minst penalty´s. Sällan ett ekipage som inte bara är felfri, utan även håvar in credits och pluspoäng av domaren. Skall exempelvis vinnaren av SM vara minst dålig eller bäst? I min värld är det skillnad....

Inom alla sporter jag känner till krävs en stor och bred bas för att skapa en konkurrenskraftig topp, med möjlighet att tex hävda sig internationellt. Underlaget i vårt land är begränsat vad gäller utövare men framför allt kraftigt begränsat vad gäller möjligheter att träna och tävla! Av naturliga skäl kan de flesta som vill inte hålla boskap hemma, och många pengar blir det om man skall ställa i ordning en vettig ridbana, säker för både hästar, folk och boskap. Likaledes blir det kostsamt att delta i clinic efter clinic för dyra pengar och långa transport mil. Alla tillfällen att komma ut och känna på tävlings biten under ordnade former borde vi, ALLA i ko-svängen, applådera! Ju fler som ges möjlighet att träna/tävla ju större bas. En bredare bas skapar konkurrens vilket naturligt ger en vassare topp och skickligare utövare. Jag förstår falangen som vill lyfta evenemangen till en högre status, men det blir ju bara löjligt när "minstsämst" står som segrare, placerar sig på en 60 runda osv.

På varje ko-tävling som anordnas i detta land (aldeles för få) bör det i min mening, finnas möjlighet att delta i utbildnings klasser i herdwork, cowhorse osv utan ålders eller bett krav. Hur dessa skall utformas kan naturligtvis diskuteras men att missa dessa tillfällen att bredda sporten är nästan kriminellt! Vidare måste det finnas möjlighet för en 10årig cowhorse valack att tävla i snaffle eller hackamore! Vill vi att en relativt grön ryttare, brinnande för sin nya passion cowhorse, skall tvingas ut i en bridle-klass med sin ny inhandlade läromästare? Eller vill vi tvinga denne att rida en ung, orutinerad häst i sina första tävlingar i snaffle eller hackamore?

Fel väg att gå tycker jag. Fungerar utmärkt i USA där träningstillfällen och boskap finns i överflöd. Men nu bor vi ju inte i USA...

Nej, toppen kommer av bredden, aldrig tvärt om! Vill man inte lägga en tidskrävande herdwork med "en miljard" deltagare, prime time på sitt evenemang, får man väl lägga den sist, egen dag etc. finns viljan går det alltid att lösa. Sist på dagen skulle kanske vara att föredra då man kan återanvända boskap från cowhorse, cutting som inte gått för hårt. De som tror att boskapen blir dåliga av att vara med i en cutting där 2 ryttare av 12 inte tappar en ko får nog tänka om...

Vad tycker ni ute i stugorna?

Ytterligare en aspekt är de hästar (eller ryttare) som inte är klara att tävla i snaffle eller hackamore innan hästen fyllt 6år. (De finns sådana, trot eller ej) De är helt plötsligt hänvisade åt bridle klasserna enbart! Vem gynnar detta? Sannerligen inte mängden utövare eller bredden på sporten!

Slutligen vill jag säga att regelverk och klassindelning inom föreningar som NRCHA, NCHA, AQHA mm är bra och utmärkt, MEN det måste finnas komplement för alla de ekipage som inte passar i mallarna.

Hackamore Classic

Some pretty decent horses in the Hackamore Classic today. It´s the cowwork to wrap up the event. After the herdwork and reinwork, Smart Miss Merada and Doug Williamson leads the pack with a score of 291. My bet is on CD Dee Vee Dee and Ron Ralls though, currently 10th. Another one to keep your eyes on is Smart Boons with Corey Cushing in the saddle. He is currently 11th, trailing CD by half a point with 284,5. I really like him and he´s similarly bred to Pollys sire Peeka Pep: Peptoboonsmal on a Smart Little Lena mare.

Had a go at the fillies again today. Cat showed alot of improvent from yesterday. Roped her again but after that she was terrific infact! Listened good and kept her focus on me for the most part. Sacked them out with a big ol´ plastic sack at liberty and they took it really good. Molly was Molly and it takes a whole lot more than some stupid plastic sack to rattle her.

Run, little deer

I´m afraid of mentioning this, but we let food for a couple of weeks get away this morning. I was at the barn letting the horses out when Annelie called and told me to hurry home, and bring a knife or scissors with me. Right by the house next to one of our pastures is a soccer field. When I came running back home I saw Annelie by one of the goals and a DEER tangled in it´s net! It was a pretty handsome buck but this guy was seriously stuck!!


He had managed to get his horns tangled along with a few turns around his neck. He was also pretty mad! So after some initial problems of getting on top of him,( they kick like crazy by the way and are darn agile!) I got a hold of his back legs and lifted him clear of the ground. Annelie got busy with the scissors. I don´t know how many turrns he´d managed to get around his horns, but it took a good 10 minutes to cut him free. He sounded like a rabbid dog too all the time we worked on him. My reluctance to mentioning this incident is Annelies family, her brothers especially will have a fit! They´re hard core hunters and spend more time in the woods than indoors almost. We basically had dinner delivered and set him FREE??!!

Felt pretty good though seeing him take off across the fields and head up in the woods!

Girls, girls, girls

Worked the fillies in the roundpen yesterday. Even Helens warmblood. They are sooooo different in both appearance and disposition.

Molly, who as a weanling showed some nerves but a ton of athletisism, is about as cool a custumer as you´ll find. Nothing seems to bother her. She just does what you want and then ask - was that all? It´s one of those deals where you show her something once and she gets it.

Cat is a bit stubborn, but you can still reason with her. She moves really pretty and well, albeit a bit high. You also have to take things a bit slower with her as she is liable to blow when she doesn´t understand what you want. Had to rope her to get her attention in the roundpen yesterday. When I can get to her with a bump of the rope she relaxes and starts to pay attention.

Helens mare Diva is just that, a DIVA. She knows she´s pretty and of more "noble" breeding then our scrawny quarterhorses, and it shows. She dances and prances around the pen saying look at me, why don´t ya! Still does what you ask, more or less, even if she needs alittle more repitition than the QH fillies.

Gator report:
Been giving Polly some paste to help her with a bit of diarrea. The foals get it when the mare gets in foalheat, usually 9 days after delivery. Halter breaking her and breaking her to lead at the same time. Our set up here requires us to handle the foals maybe more than most. We have to bring em in and out of the stall as it´s a bit to cold and wet on the ground still. I also like to get them used to us handling them and their bodyparts on a regular basis. You never know if and when they might get hurt and you absolutely have to handle them or haul them somewhere. Soon we´ll take Peppy to be bred again too and that means trailer, new stall, new people leading and handling them while at the clinic.

We used to imprint train em before. We´ve kind of gotten away from that alittle though over the years. I really think it dulls them in negative ways as well as all the possitives you get from desensitizing them to different things. It´s been my experience the horses respond in a more "natural" way when you start working them if you havn´t handled them too much. I like a certain fear and flight factor in them when you start them. That way they pay a whole lot more attention to you and what you´re asking. The release you give as a reward also has more meaning to them.

Back to Polly. As I´ve mentioned before, she´s a fighter, but also a thinker. You can really see her grey cells working in there when you apply preasure on the leadrope. She tries it a little, tries it a LOT, and then steps to the preassure and voila-release! She´s now a paint horse by the way. When I was giving her the paste for the diarea this morning she decided against it and started rearing and bucking in my grasp. The result? A beautiful little paint filly is now walking around with her mama in the pasture! There´s white paste everywhere.

Annelies School

Was with Annelie at the school where she works yesterday. She´s teaching some animal sciance thing at a junior college for kids with Aschbergers syndrome. We went there with Idas ponies and held a clinic of sorts. Working the horses from the ground, leading, longeing things like that. It was pretty cool to see the progress they made just after an hour or so. They really took to the excercises and really tried. Some of them had hardly been around a horse before so it was really rewarding for them aswell as me.

Off to work the fillies! Roundpen on the agenda and then maybe a new wrestling match with "Polly the Alligator". She really looks like a gator when she pinns her ears, lowers her head and look as mean as she possibly can. Pretty cute now, maybe not so much in a year or two...

Rest for my behind

Won´t be riding Brady for awhile as he managed to cut himself in the pasture yesterday. Nothing major, but a deep enough cut to render him some rest. The cut is on his front heel and of course he threw his shoe aswell, so now I´ll have to bend my back again( Nah, I´ll let Annelie shoe him...)

Gives me more time for the little rascals though. They need to be handled some. Learn to be off by themselves and not be so herdbound.

The new filly, Polly, is a handful! She´s as tough as they come and really fun to observe and handle. She spends more time on her rear legs than on all fours! Had to throw her to get a halter on the other day and if she could growl, she would have! I think the best mares I´ve been around has been on the tough side. Not alway´s fun to deal with, but I believe that grit and determination carries them a long way.

Ida & Elton

Idas pony, Elton has been very good for her. He´s a very well manered horse yet he still has some life in him and has enough energy that she has to work a little. She can´t just steal a ride on him. She´s really come a long way and they look very good together.




Had Brady in the two rein for a photo shoot yesterday for part 2 of the article series. He was a bit confused when we didn´t head out and just stood there outside the barn. His buddies hollering, mares neighing and me not letting him go anyware had him a bit frustrated.


Once we got down to business though he settled down and was pretty good.

The daily Polly...

She´s a total whirlwind this one!






Jumps, kicks and reares all the time. I don´t think I´ve seen her take a normal step yet! Every movement is a buck, twist or bounce!


She´s looking awfully good though. She´s just a week old so we´ll see were she´s headed when she gets some more meat on them bones.



If anything, she´s still alittle buckled in the knees. That usually straightens out over time but still...


Peppy is looking alot better this time around too. She´s been a little on the thin side after her previous foalings, but not this time.

Hello sunshine my old friend...

Ragnar on the porch.
Just wrapped up a great weekend!
Weather´s been great, green is showing in the pastures and it´s actually getting warm!
Finalé was a rock concert me and my friend Jonas attended. Our old heroes, Jethro Tull, visited Stockholm last night. They´re not exactly a youth movement nowaday´s, and some of the bandmembers should´ve stayed at the retirement home. It had it´s moments though, and the bands pointman, Ian Andersson was as good as ever.

The Chateau

Pastures surrounding the house.


Avenir Grazing with the pier in back
The ice covering our bay has loosened it´s grip, and I should get the boat ready for summer. We´ll see if I can find the time or if it´ll spend another summer in the barn.

Kick the Cat grazing

The usually inquisative and photogenic horses we´ve got here, are now impossible to get to raise their heads from the fresh, sprouting grass. I couldn´t get them to look up if I fired a shotgun over their heads!

Cat

Molly



Ida and a friend fixed Elton up too. Brushed, polished and fixed main and tail. Good thing he only shares pasture with the shetland mare Fiffilina. The other guy´s surely would give him a hard time, showing up with flowers in his mane and a pink halter!!

Won´t ever gripe again....(maybe)

Worked Brady both yesterday and today without any sign of the speed issue. Was a perfect gentleman the whole time. Worked the Highlands some today and he did great. As I´ve mentioned before, they have a lot of run in them. Now that the snows gone even more so. Pretty hard getting them in possition for a cut out in the pasture without any holders or help. Gotta move them around and wait for the set up to present itself. The chosen one hesitating for an instant, move in and block him from the rest. Anyway Brady was on his toes again and did really good. Only worked two head but he works them anyware. They might head up in the brush, over a ditch, in among the trees, he doesn´t care. Once he´s hooked to one he just goes crashing in there.

Yesterday we were at it in the two rein again. Just some basic manouvering at different speeds and gaits. No problems at all. Soft and responsive, felt really good.

Working on some fancy roping too. Got a whole lot of shots to "master" before heading over the pond this summer for the fiesta. I´m lucky nobody´s around though as the shots are not exaxtly shoolbook. My horse is the only witness and if he wants his grain he better stop laughing and keep quiet!!

Heads up on a Hackamore article

Lucky Rider Magazine will feature an article of mine on the Hackamore in their next issue. Don´t know when it´s due though. Don´t really know what it´ll look like either as they do the layout and stuff themselves. It will however be a thorough piece on history, craftmanship and function as well as some tips and tricks.

More Brady

Me and Brady were at it again yesterday. Started in the two rein rig but had to go back to an Argentine after we had a difference of oppinion regarding speed again. I do not want to mess with him in the two rein and chose the Argentine as it gives me a little more authority and control without beeing in his mouth or nose too much. I set it up for him to have a choice of loping in the speed suggested, nice and relaxed, or back circles `till hell freezes over! He tried the hell thing at first but soon realized it was a whole lot of work! Gave him a choice again after a breather, and he was smart enough to stay with me in what almost resembled one of those weird pleasure jog things. (Might be his new forté?)

After that he was as good as he´s ever been! Spun like a madman, calm and collected in the leadchanges, no tendencies at all of taking off. Just gotta figure out a way to avoid the aforementioned conflict....

Yeah, I´m talking about You!

He´s as strong willed and opinionated horse as I´ve ever been around and has alway´s been. Might start him in the Argentine and get the *!@*#!! out of the way before hanging the two rein on him...?


Will go nice and slow today. Just steering exercises and some miles on the trail.

Showing...... or not

Worked Brady in the two rein yesterday. He did alright, though at times he gets alittle chargy.
He gets better when we stop and he has to back circles when he want´s to take off. Just wish he´d simmer down and stop questioning my choice of speed all the time. Takes up a bunch of time and just ads frustration. Well, gives me an opportunity to work on my patience I guess.

Just realized that if we´re to show this summer, we´ll have to do it in the bridle! Hadn´t really thought about that before, but as he´s 7 years old he´s disqualified from the hackamore and two rein. Not sure he´ll be ready for the bridle by the time the shows we´re aiming for gets here. He´s had some issues with soundness and I´ve had a lack of time over the years, so we´ve really took things slow and easy.
Late last year was really the first time I ever thought about competing. He´s really good in the hackamore, but he needs to know I´m there to correct him at times, lifting a shoulder, tipping a nose etc. He really needs to be framed up in the lead changes aswell or he´ll take it as an excuse to say sayonara, and be gone! These issues are not quick fixable in the bridle so we´ll see how far he´s along in the two rein come summer and take it from there.
I will definately not rush him for a show that he´s not ready for! So we´ll see...

(Oh yeah, Polly is looking good!)

Fillies

Worked the ladies a little today aswell.

Kick The Cat


They are both doing fine. Listens good stops and turns without any fuss.

Molly



The both show some pretty decent moves. Molly did a P.J. impersonation today.

Molly

P.J. or Pistolero as he´s called now

The lens I had to use shoting the photos distort the proportions a little. It was a bit tricky longeing and taking pics at the same time, luckily we have pretty good minded ponys!

Jup, more pics of Polly!

There might be a few pics of Polly from time to time here on the blog. So for people with a low tollerance for mushy, corny and cute, get the sponge and bucket ready now!




More on Polly and her breeding can be found on the 4corners website: http://www.4corners.se/Polly.html


She´s such a sweet little thing! Loves beeing rubbed and scratched. This one might even be better than Molly, and that´s saying alot. She shows the same body control and use of her back end when she stops and turns, so that´s promising. Colour is still unknown but looks like bay or blue roan. We´ll see...




They´ve spent a whole lot of time basking in the sun today. Peppy was a bit anxious and restless yesterday when she couldn´t see the other horses so we moved the other mares to the pasture next to hers.

Welcome Polly!!

This is what popped out at 12.30 last night!



A super pretty filly Ida named Polly. She´s got the same doll head her sister Molly has, Looks like good musceling and clean, straight legs.


She´s was up and about after some 20 minutes, nursed and kicked at her mother after 40 minutes! Not really sure what colour she´ll be but there might be some roan there...



She´s really curious and want to check everything and everybody out. Mama´s not too pleased with that though.



Unfortunately it´s pretty cold today, so she´ll be limited to shorter periods outside. We´ll need to bring her inside to lay down and rest as the grounds wet and even frozen in places.


Needles to say, we´re really pleased with this one too, and very proud of her mama, Peppy!

Birthday Girl!

Idas 8th birthday today!

Breakfast in bed, Grandma, unkle with girlfriend, mom, pop and bigbrother Ben woke her up this morning with presents and a song!
Grammy: Do not take a pic! yeah, that´ll work...
Later her friends arrived for the party!


She got a Playstation and Singstar with mikrophones and the works. Needles to say we have a stage with non-stop performances in the livingroom now!


Happy Birthday, Ida!