Big slacker right here....

Ok ok, I know I've been dropping the ball about my princess.  So here's the updates (since we haven't talked in weeks!)


Layla is doing fabulous!! We had a good week of no riding thanks to Hurricane Isaac (which she handled beautifully).  Nothing nothing like looking out of your kitchen window during a Cat 1 to see the ponies just chowing down in the field.  We were short stalls so Mrs. Layla was one of the 4 booted to the field since I knew she didn't get to come in at her old home & was used to being rained on.  haha. Her & our mini, Peepop, (whom she believes is her baby) were totally unfazed. 

After the ground dried out enough to ride again we got back to work. She continually impresses me with her willing nature and open mind.  So a little recap, after her teeth, she steers about 1,000,000 times better.  Still can get alittle locked, especially to the right but is getting there.  We took her on a little trail ride around the back 10 acres of the property after the storm and she was flawless.  Crossed water, didn't care about mud, OK in 4ft grass, was fine in the lead, in the middle, & in the rear.  Didn't blink an eye at the deer stand or the old cart back there, or anything.  Birds flying out of the woods were no big deal, just super laid back!  Loved it! She, even at 4 years old, was much braver than her Trakehner & OTTB trail-mates (12 & 7 respectively). 

We also picked up her papers & got the bill of sale signed from previous owners.  Her registered name is Drifts Star (not too bad for an AQHA name!).

Last Friday I gave the poor girl a crash course in jumping.  One of my clients wanted to send her daughter's horse to me for 30 days of training & wanted something the girl could still ride during lessons at their house, so I told her I could loan them Layla, as she is very similar, knowledge & brain, as their horse.  So I wanted to get her over a few little jumps before I took her to see whether the girl could continue with her X work.  She blew me away.  I had planned to only jump a few X's but she was so willing and tried so hard we did, 3 X's (with fill & flowers) and a small 2' vertical with fill.  She even trotted in & cantered out of the line!

Her canter is also really coming together.  She falls apart in the turns.  Its times like this I'd LOVE to have a round pen.

So that's where we are.  She's been at my clients' house for about a week, her daughter just loves her.  Lessons have been going well, she's trotting X's with the 12 year old & the 12 year old is even able to canter picking up both leads now!

So happy with my decision to take a chance on this little girl.  She's just been a doll so far. 

Pony Overhaulin'

Layla got the works yesterday!  She vetted wonderfully, super clean legs.  She got her teeth floated (for what looks like the first time in her life) and a wolf tooth pulled, she got vaccinated & her coggins pulled. 

Rode her yesterday since the rain finally slacked up and she was good!  We got both leads, she's learning to bend in the turns & regulate her stride.  She was alittle more up than the first time I rode her but I've been shoveling alfalfa & hay & a nice grain in her as well as all the grass she can eat so I'm assuming once she gets used to feeling better the lazy pony will come back.  She was completely manageable, just not a constant kick ride.  She's still going great in her rubber snaffle & is 100x better about putting halters & bridles on. 

I clipped her yesterday as well and found 2 tics in her ear, so that may have been part of the issue with the halters/bridles. 

Here are some pictures of her during/after her teeth floating! 

Raining Raining Raining

So Layla's plans have been put on hold due to the monsoon we've been getting.  We got her feet trimmed day before yesterday & the vet is coming tomorrow to vet her. 

Fun Layla facts we're discovering since we've been rained out:

• She cross ties & straight ties
• She also ground ties!  
• She doesn't care about treats at all
• She's the only one on the farm who actually likes our mini, Peepop
• She tolerates the dogs well
• She stalls well.
• She's a kicker when it comes to other horses (though I haven't actually seen her land any kicks)

What in the world are those things!

Little Girl went for her first ride on the farm this morning.  She's already getting better about haltering & bridling.  The jumps were a whole new world to her, she found them a bit scary to go near at first but worked right out of it.  She definitely needs work but she was quiet, willing & trying hard to give me what I was asking from her. 

We mostly worked at steering at the walk and trot but also spent a little time at the canter.  This may very well have been her first time cantering with a rider.  She was very good, just lazy into the transition and took a lot of leg to keep going.  Only offered me her left lead but as green as her canter was, I'll take what I can get. 

I have a few clips from today.  Quality is lacking (a client videoed us on her iPhone and we lost some quality in texting the file) so I apologize.

She got moved to the front yard with the mini horse and the dogs because she didn't get along too well with my other girls and my jumper (he loves his little harem). 

The Long Ride Home

I picked up our little Craig's List find this morning around 10 for a 2 week trial.  She walked right into the trailer and off we went to her new farm.  She's lived by herself for over a year so she was excited to see other horses but was still very sweet and quiet.  I turned her out for most of the day to let her stretch her legs after the longest trailer ride of her little life (only about 2 hours but she was born across the street from where I bought her). 

Here are some shots from today.  We just did a little work on the lunge. 

"Hello! Are we there yet?"

Our "Before" conformation shots.  Can't wait to see the "After" with some weight and muscle!

Pony hugs during our conformation shot session.

She's got those big brown eyes. 

"It's like looking in a mirror!"

Her Story Begins: The Ad

So browsing Craig's List I found an ad for "Horse for Sale" out of Gonzales, LA.  It was your typical CL ad: typeos, no information, & a number to contact the owner.  The ad read:

"I'm selling my 5 year old quarter horse mare. She is really gental rides good, but hasnt been rode in a while thats the reason i'm trying to sell her. We just never have time to ride her anymore. She also has papers and some accessories to go.... asking 900obo for more info call or text anytime Kyle ###-####"

The photos were of a cute red mare. 

The mare was put together well, so on a whim, totally not in the market, I decided to text the number & was told shes ~12 hands.  They sent me some photos and a video of her under saddle.  Seeing her next to someone she was obviously bigger than 12 hands so the big question was, how much bigger.  I set up a time to go visit and packed my tape measure.

I arrived on Sunday to a very nice young couple and an adorable pony in a barbed wire field with a bathtub water trough and a tarp run-in.

I immediately got my measuring tape to check her height and she was a solid 14.2.  Now I'm excited, this sweet little girl was a top of the line large pony.  She stood quietly, head low, eyes soft as I put my saddle on her.  She gave me a little trouble with the bridle but eventually gave up.  I lunged her for 1/2 a circle and then hopped on.

She doesn't steer she's lazy but she has breaks & seemed pretty bomb proof.  Her field backed up to a busy highway but she wasn't phased by the passing motorcycles & 18-wheelers.  I'll post a video of me trying her later tonight. 

We came to an agreement that I could take her for a two week trial to get her vetted and see how she works full time.  I go to pick her up tomorrow!  More updates to come!  This is the little red mare's story.

Any name suggestions?  They've been calling her horse/baby/little girl, apparently her AQHA registered name is something Star but that's a bit overplayed.