I had to let her go

Its been about a month since Zippity went to a new home, It was really hard to give her up.

I had the vet come out and take a look at Zippity because she wasn't getting any better lunging something was wrong with her. It turns out that Zippity had fluid on her stifle.
( knee cap) I had a couple options one to sell her, two to try and give her steroid shots and see if that would clear it up, but there would always be a chance that the fluid would return.  I had to make a choice on what to do. I talk to my trainer and she told me she would sell her if it was her. I also did some research on the Internet, once a horse has stifle issues they seem to always have issues. I knew I wouldn't be able to sell her in today's market. Who would want a lame horse?

After a few weeks a thought came to my head to find a horse rescue and see if they would take her in. I located one near me and told them about my Zippity. They said they would take her. I was joyed at the fact that she would be in a good home, but very sad at saying goodbye. Zippity has now been adopted to a loving home.Where she will be loved by just being her.

I am now trying to find a new horse to replace Zippity. I am not looking for a baby horse this time, because Ginger is 30 this year, and I really really want a horse I can ride. So far I have tried out an Arabian that didn't work out and a fox trotter that was nice but not for me. I now have found a 4 yr old quarter horse that might work out for me. I'm going to try her out for a few weeks and see if she is right for me.  I also have appointment to see a 10 yr old mare on Wednesday. I really hope to find a horse that will be my next horse and start a new adventure.

I will always love Zippity she taught me a lot, she just wasn't the horse for me. I really hope she is happy in her new home and that she is getting the love that she deserves.

Good News Bad News

So do you want the good news or the bad news? I think I will start with the bad news, because I want to end on a happy note. I always hate stories that end sad.

So the bad news is.......... you ready?  Are you sure?  Ok  I will tell you what it is,
I rode Ginger today, and I think it is almost time to retire her. I don't think I will be doing any mountain riding on her anymore. She is anywhere between 25 and 30. She is slowing down and her back legs seem to give out on her sometimes when we are riding. So I don't dare go any faster then a trot. When I was out today with her, I just got the feeling she was telling me, " I'm old and tired can we please go slow". I will still take her out around a bit just to keep her moving. Ginger has given me so much, I'm happy to let her spend the rest of her life just being loved.  I have so many happy times with her. I went on a few dates on her with my husband. Had many many wonderful times with her up at  Mona Pole riding with my cousin Candace.  Ginger has had 3 beautiful babies, all were buckskin.  I think she has had a good life. Hopeful I will have lots of time just to love her and baby her.

So now for the good news...... are you ready?  Yesterday I was working with Zippity on the lunge line. She is a lazy horse doesn't want to go any faster then she has too, and she will fight you if you ask her to go faster. By the way I don't understand because she ends up working harder by fighting me, anyways back to yesterday. I was lunging her and she decide she would come at me when I would ask her to go faster. I cant have her running me over. So I took the lunge whip and and would whip it in front of me if she started to come at me, so that she would hit the whip and not me. After a few mins she started to listen to me and I got her to LOPE on the lunge line. I then put the rope around her neck and walk around she started to follow me, I couldn't believe it.

Today  I went to work with her again, wondering what today was going to be like. Would I have to fight her again or would she just go? 
I had her going at a lope both ways I couldn't believe it. I think I finally got the respect I have been wanting.  I ended the work with Zippity with her just following me around without me holding onto the rope. I think I'm seeing hope here. This just might work out in the end.

WOOT Zippity is now 2!

Well Zippity is 2 now. I'm not ready to send her to the trainers yet, however I needed to do something with her. I needed to find a trainer that would come to my house and help me to work on ground work with Zippity. I didn't want someone to come in and do it for me I wanted to learn. I found a trainer that comes to my house once a week and helps me with Zippity. I can tell that I am feeling a lot more confident around Zippity. I still have a lot to learn.

 

I have been working on lunging Zippity and trying to get her to respond more to me and to listen to me. I am now putting the bareback pad on her when I work with her to get her use to having a cinch around her belly. I can get her to trot just fine but if I ask her to go faster she darn right will not do it, she fights it. I hope the trainer will have some idea as to why Zippity is doing this and how to fix it. When she fights like this it makes me wonder how Zippity will be once I get on her back. Is she going to fight it? Will I be able to handle her? Will I need to sell her because she is too much for me? So many questions that only time will tell. That's kind of a bad thing about me is that I HATE waiting to know, but there is nothing I can do about it.

 

Another thing we are working on is taking Zippity out on walks and trying to get her used to being out on her own without Ginger. She did really well the first time we took her out. When she got spooked she didn't freak out she would just stop and stare at what ever spooked her and then slowly move towards it, stuff like that gives me hope. I like to mountain ride and I cant have a spooky horse.

 

Soon we will be putting a saddle on her and a bridle. I wonder how she is going to take to that. Horses really are amazing animals.  By the end of summer I should be able to saddle Zippity up and take her out around the block and have both of us confident with each other. Thats my plan anyways, only time will tell if that happens.

Its been awhile!

Well its been awhile since my last post. Nothing much has been going on since it is cold and I don't like to be cold. Zippity is getting really big and has lots of energy.

The barefoot trimming is going great. Ginger and Zippitys feet have never looked better. I cant believe that Zippity will be 2 this April. I'm hoping to hire someone to come out here and help me work with Zippity, My barefoot trimmer knows someone that comes to your house and helps you with your horse. I am going to have to do a lot of work on Zippity this summer I hope I am up for it!

Sometimes I wonder if Zippity is going to be too much for me. I think I really need to take some ridding lessons on Ginger, and get more knowledge about horses. I am feeling like I know nothing but how to feed and water my horses.... lol. I really want to know more. This has always been a passion of mine, but I'm starting to wonder if I have what it takes.

To Shoe or NOT to Shoe?

I have decided to try barefoot trimming on my horses. I have been thinking about doing this for awhile now. The lady I ride with goes barefoot with her horses.
Ginger and Zippity really needed a trim, and my trimmer had some stuff come up and couldn't make it out. So I called my friend and luck has it her trimmer was coming soon to do her horses. I called him up and asked him if he would take a look at my horses. He came over after he did my friends horses and took a look at Ginger and Zippitys hoofs. I didn't tell him anything about the issues I have been having with them, and he could tell within a few mins. I was really impressed.
Ginger had a crack in her hoof that I have been watching for awhile now, it wasn't a very deep crack. Zippity had a tender hoof on the front. He told me that he could fix both issues. Ginger also was still having some issues with tripping. He told me that her hoof was part of the issue with her tripping.

He came back the next day and trimmed the horses. It has now been a few weeks and there feet still look great. NO more cracks!!!! Zippity is walking a lot better, and Ginger tripping has almost disappeared. The crack in Ginger hoof is gone. I have been trying for 2 yrs to get that crack gone and with one trim I cant even see it anymore. I cant wait for next summer when I can ride more, I cant wait to see how Ginger will be next year.

I bet Zippity will be huge next summer, I cant wait. It has been a great summer with my horses. I hope next summer will be just as great!

WOW, its been a year already!

Well its been a year since I saw Zippity add on ksl. Where does the time go? As I have read and looked back on the past year, I'm amazed at how much Zippity and I have grown. Zippity whinny no longer sounds like a baby horse, she is almost as tall as Ginger. She is reminds me of what it was like growing up going to my grandpa house and going down to the horse corrals.

My grandfather horses were always so friendly and trusting. I could go into any of the corrals and pet and groom his horses. They loved being around people. Zippity is very friendly and trusting. She lets me do anything to her. I can put a saddle on her a tarp, throw rope around her head and around her legs. I can lunge her, pick up her feet and she almost lets me deworm her.

My grandpa was amazing with horses. I really wished I would have taken a summer and lived with him and learned all I could about working with a horse. I did learn some things but not much. I also wished that my grandpa would have been able to come with me to help me pick out my first horse, tho I think he would have liked Zippity. One thing about my grandpas horses that I have always loved was the fact they all loved him and would follow my grandpa around anywhere. They were like big puppy dogs. There was this one horse named Posie, he would do anything to be with my grandpa. He would escape out of the corral go behind my grandpa and take his gloves out of his back pocket and run. I recall my grandpa telling me how when he was camping Posie untied himself and tried to climb into the tent with my grandpa. He was a great horse for my grandpa for everyone else he would tolerated them. I have always wanted this kind of relationship with a horse. I feel like I am getting what I wished for so far. When ever I work in the corral Zippity is always right next to me. She follows me around and has to have her nose into whatever I'm doing.

This is Posie with my brother in law on him, as you can see Posie is sleeping. This is just example of how he only tolerated other people ridding him

I am looking forward to this next coming year with Zippity to see where things will go. I am thinking I will send her to a trainer when she is 3, I will continue to work with her on the ground and work on getting a cinch around her belly and don't forget getting a bit in her mouth. She is a big part of the family, my kids just love her. My youngest always tells me that Zippity is her horse and maybe one day she will be.

This is a picture of my grandpa when he was younger moving cattle

Give me a WOOT!!!!!

I just put a kids saddle on Zippity, and she could have cared less. Can everyone give me a WOOT WOOT!!!