SPRING BREAK! almost 1 month w/ Super Pony <3

Here are some great pictures I got at the barn today of Super pony and her horsie "boyfriend" Marco. He is alot like my morgan mare I owned for 3 years! He is in the stall next to her, and they get turned out togther with Cheif and PJ. He is very in love with Klassy, and protective over her, its just adorable to watch.

Today I sat on her again and she did great :) Just worked on the same old, wrapping legs, and she stood still, walked on the trail, all tacked up with her cooler over her, and she enjoyed it alot :) and did our ground work. We have our lesson on Sunday and hoping for good weather and a postive fun time with Bo!! I am thinking on moving her to the island alot sooner then planned... Its proving hard to get out to Fall city, Klassy needs lots of work and day to day training to keep up practicing what we have learned so far and getting to do more muscling work to get her in shape. Hutch's is a great Place and has really been great for us.

I live 5 minutes from the vashon/Southworth boat and its a easy bus ride (10 minutes or less) to the dock and then I can easyly walk to the barn were id like to keep her. Just want to stay out of the "Vashon Horse Drama" or VHD lol

Hope all is well with everyone! enjoy the beautiful fun pictures!

sam and Klassy

Spring break :)

I start my spring break tomarrow :)
I will at the barn pretty much ALL week, I brught my westernt saddle home from my grandma Lori's and will be letting her get used to it, I am going to start breaking her this week and i am hoping for sunny warm weather, so lets all cross our fingers, ITS MARCH ALREADY! LETS SEE SOME SUN!

Wish us luck, and yes I will take tons of pictures:)

Lesson cancled :( 3/22/09

(Horses coming to say "Hi" to us on our walk)


Well I will keep this short, as my lesson with Bo was canceld due to her being sick, as am I, or at least I have a good cold. I should have stayed home today but no, i went and took care of my brothers dog in Clumbia City and took my two mutts to the dog park along with my brother's dog Magoo. Then headed out to the barn.



I free lounged her in the arena and then did some ground work with her, and she is really smart, she is remembering alot of what I teach her.

We can now walk, halt, set up, hind end turn 180 degrees. halt. Trot forward and halt set up. and back. It sounds all very long but very straight farward, the main thing I am working with her on this pattern is keepin her head and shoulders straight. She is one to look at you and ask did I do it right?!



So then I decided to work with her on bridling. When I first worked with her before I bought her she wouldnt let me bridle her. she would stick her ead up and turn away, she was only used to one person doing it. So every day I am out working and playing with her and getting to know her more and more I have been teaching her to put her head down. So i expected the same behavior as before, head up and not wanting to except the bit or have the bridle put on over her ears.

I was so proud of her when she just stood there, her head at my level and she excepted the bit as soon as I showed it to her and slid the crown peaice over and she was fine, she even let out a sigh on relife! i was so proud of her!!

So i still had her halter in under the bridle, and I took her for a walk on the trail that we walked on the other day just leading her with the lead rope. she was so good.



she also just stood there and let me wrap all her legs in polo's again, even stood still and played witha bucket when I hosed her legs off when I brought her in.



SH eis now no longer in the paddock, Hutch has put her out in a pasture, she is out witha morgan gelding who looks alot like Millie!! A huge fat bay gelding, and one other horse, also a Bay. She seems to love it vey much. she now has 12 hours of nibbling on grass with her buddies.

Pics of the barn

Front of the main barn (were arena dn Klassy are, out door arena is further to the left, to the right of the barn (by the car) are all the pastures, round pen and trails are out there :)

Outdoor arena

The main back pastures ( 8 pastures 17 horses 20 acres

In the earna looking into the barn, Klassy's stall is in the left isle

Klassy's stall is the closet one on the right

View from Upstairs to arena

Upstairs of barn, 2 bathrooms, and it over looks the whole indoor arena

What a great day 3/20/09

TODAY WAS SO AMAZING!

I got to the barn around 9ish and its was just cold and icky...BUT NEVER LET THE WEATHER GET YOUR DAY DOWN! NEVER EVER!!

Some how.. i have no clue how I got there and (drum roll please!) she was not caked in gue/mud/wetness!! just dried mud.. easy enough to brush off! way better then a ewwy gooey pony.

So I braught her in the barn from her paddock, she was eating her munchies (hay) next to her big ol' friend Milie, He is a HUGE grey gelding in the paddock nect to her. Anyways... We met Pancho.. a Black and White paint gelding (9 years old) and he hs one blue eye, and let me tell you! BOY IS MY GIRL A FLIRT... maybe she takes after me? haha kidding... so so kidding.. okay maybe not. haha

After meeting Pancho and his mommy we went to the arena and met Katie. SHe is a trainer at the barn, a hunter/jumper and dressage trainer. She is very sweet and pretty.. and NICE.

Today I worked on showmanship... square up, stand still and straight. turn on the hind end, back 3 steps, halt, trot forward, halt and square up to present. By the end of the day She had it down like a pro. I worked on that for an hour and thenturnned her back out to finish eating since it was all of a sudden sunny out!

I ate my luch, orginzed and cleaned my tack and sat and texted friends while she ate for 2 hours. Then I took her ona walk on one of the trails, its was so nice and she loved it, when we got back up to the pastures all the horses came running over to say hi and she got excited to say hi back but was more fasinated by the green grass I let her eat. Then we went back to barn and I worked with her on being okay with me handling her legs and hooves. I was able to wrap all four legs in polos and she stood still for the most part, sh ealso was alot better with me picking her feet and rubing her legs, she doesnt like have her right side handled, mainly her legs, she was so good though.

I also free lounged her in the arena to get her jollies out, she did a few handstands and flew around the arena, i wasnt even chasing her!

That was our awsome day, I was so proud of her and had so much fun!

I have a lesson at 11:30 on sunday with Bo, and am really looking forward to it!

More sunday!

Klassy's first lesson 3/15/09

Today Klassy and I had our first lesson with Hutch. He had us work on the "seven games".

Klassy wasn't sure at first and got frustrated a few times, but after I gave her a five minute break a few times, when I could see she was having a hard time geting the concept of what I was asking, and its was better when we went back to it she really listened and tried even understood even more and came through, we worked a lot more on stepping under and over, and we got a few steps in a row!!

When I got to the barn she was covered in mud and wet, and since we don't blanket the horses at the barn she is having to adjust to being "naked" lol so by the end of our lesson a lot of the mud and dirt had dried so I gave her a good brushing and she was so good, it was pouring down rain I think maybe even hailing, it was SO SO loud and she was just a little fidgty, but she started playing with her lead rope and entertained herself till i got all the mud of her rump and belly.

I decided to take her for a walk and let her eat some grass, since she is in a large hogs fuel paddock next to a huge grey horse. She enjoyed it so much, the rain and hail had decided to give up and so it was great, the smell o the "after rain and dew" and watching her graze and looking at all the green pastures with the groups of horses grazing or playing together. You can tell these horses are so happy here, and it brings a smile to my face whenever we pull up to the barn.

There are about thirty horses at the barn, all breeds and all colors. and all sizes.. though I don't think there are any tiny ponies there though. We have 3 shires, one is a cross, she is a bay and her name is Willow, she has a big blaze and is so sweet. One of the other two shires is a vaulting horse, I watched the little kids do some vaulting work on her and it was very fun to watch! There is a grey Arab named Abbey that Klassy and I met yesterday.

When you first come in through the front gate (that open for you on there own!!) you see two duns, three paliminos and four bays. They are ina huge three or five acre pasture and the first time we showed up to look at the barn to see if it worked they suddenly took off, all of them a huge herd and it was so pretty, It was just amazing.

When you drive down the driveway, you see Hutch's house on the right, its also huge and pretty. To the left you have the front pasture and barn, the front pasture goes all the way down to the bridge over the creek. once you are over the bridge you have play pens to you right and to you left some grassy area and the out door arena (its fence less) and then next to that is the barn Klassy is in. It was heated tack room, ten or so stalls, all new ceder and matted stalls. and there are two isles for the stalls and at both ends there is gate to the covered arena, see the whole barn is really the arena, but the barn is inside the arena, built inside, concrete floors and cedar walls. The arena is great, and big. There is giant upstairs to, its were the two REAL bath rooms are, complete with showers, for clinics. and lots of room.

That's all for now, I wont be out to the barn until Wednesday, because, yes I am going to be with friends for two days after I take my WASL.

I would have gotten more pictures today but lets cross our fingers for bright sunny and maybe even some warm weather!

Sam & Klassy

PICTURES (3/14/09)

Showing off her stride

"Hey whats up"

Playing with sticks

In the indoor arena

Klassy's head shot

Bringing Klassy in from her paddock after breakfest.

Our First Day 3/14/09

Well today was Klassy's and my first day together to really spend time together so far. She has had two weeks of no handling really, and before that she had been in a stall with maybe 2 hours of work or just "human" time being handled in the last four months, before that she sat in two different pastures in Kirkland, She was originally sold by her breeder who I was told through the grapevine of past owners that she wanted her to be on the track, but we don't really know why she never made it, I am guessing on her size, she is a smaller TB and pretty lazy when she wants to be...kinda like the whole SeaBiscuit story... only I am not training her to race, no no ladies and gentlemen this little horse will become a SUPERSTAR OF A JUMPER!

So about this little filly, she was born this month (March) in 2006, not sure what day, but hey lets say it was the 14th since that was my buying date, why not! haha

Klassy is a 3yr old bay, TB mare, and right now in March 09 stands about 15.0 hands, and is "downhill" at the moment, her booty sticks up just a little, but her tail makes up for it like none other. I have never in my life seen a young TB with such a thick tail, its so beautiful, and her mane is so "poofy" and think it very cute!!

Klassy is such a brat, but we love her for being such a cute sweet brat :)

Here are what I have found as her "Likes and Dis-likes"

LIKES :

*Lots of treats, anything edible that is in you hand... or pocket..or a bag

(carrots,mints,horse cookies,apples...I'm sure you could give her a pickle and I'm sure she would gobble it all up before you blinked!)

*Lots of pets and brushing..in a quiet place with just the two of us

*Her neck.. on the right side.. in only one spot. Oh my does she enjoy that.

*She can't live with out nosie Kissie's, she loves to blow sweet horsie breath right in you face, it always makes me smile :)

*She loves the two words : "GOOD...GIRL" she thinks it means "I must be done so I'll stop and let you love on me and look cute"

* She is very talkative friends, she also carries conversations on with me if I am out of sight from her.

DIS-LIKES

* Having her feet picked or held (we will be working with that)

* Horses right behind her...she might be one of those persnickety mares..hm how-a-bout that.

* Getting the bridle put on (I think she was roughly handled or just lack of consistent work on it)

Klassy and I had great fun today, at 8:20 I got to the barn and pulled her out of her stall, and since the barn owners had stuck their horses in the arena, I couldn't lounge her and get her used to the feel of her shipping boots, so I decided to spend time with her and groom her.

THIS MAY BE A LITTLE HORSE... BUT HAS SO MUCH HAIR YOU COULD MAKE A STUFFED ANIMAL FOR A KID FROM ALL OF IT! She enjoyed her "massage" very much, and if it hadn't of been for her hunger she would have fallen asleep in all her glory. (The barn owners somehow skipped her while feeding all the other horses am feed) ugh!

After 20 minutes of grooming we found some hay and put her in her stall to eat while we all waited for the hauler. (we being her old owners, my mom, and my godmother Kathy and I)

Her old owner gave me all her old tack and brushes and vet care stuff, and wraps, bridle,lounge line, pads,and leather girth.. oh and her winter blanket. THANK YOU BETH!

By 9:30 the hauler pulled up.... 5 minutes later I had Klassy in the trailer safe and sound, and for all you who know how my Millie was with loading.... or heard the stories of Dakota loading... and unloading.. you would think I might pick another horse who thought "oh no.. trailer... must refuse to get in for a hour..at least" But no, again this little horse proved us all that she may be small but she can handle anything, no hay, no grain, no other horses, she just followed me up and in and rode so well.

After unloading and paying the hauler, we went for food to let her settle her into the new barn and her neighbor horsie friends in the paddocks next to her.

I came back and she was so muddy, even with her blanket on she had some how managed to get the two belly straps off and well her belly was so wet and muddy she looked like she had pasted 2 pounds of mud on her to look "cute".....not.

I played with her in the arena after an hour of just brushing and talking and giving her treats. We worked on moving away from me, I would ask her to move her shoulders to the right, away from her and at first she played with the idea of "back...?....forward?...no back..wait huh?"

So within 20 minutes I had her taking one -three steps over, crossing her front leg closest to me over and giving more space between me and her, I was so proud.

We worked on a few other little things, such as, back when I wiggle the lead, move the hind end and shoulders away from me when asked, trot, halt and back and trot again.

Hutch who is Klassy's and my new trainer and friend (He is the owner of the barn) came to play with her, seeing what all she might know and not know and to see what kind of horse she was. I watched and was so amazed with how I could see Klassy thinking and figuring out everything Hutch asked her, she tried so hard, every time she did the right think Hutch would pat her on the head and you could see her think " oh look I did right!"

I was most impressed when he worked with her on back when you wiggle the lead rope, trying to use as little movment of the arm and lead rope as you can, if you can get your horse to back just wiggling your pointer finger while holding the lead rope at the end and the should horse back up calmly, you have succeeded! Well at first Klassy had no clue, and was so confused, so after some BIG WIGGLES and some wide eyed looks of the long lead rope I watched Hutch wiggle the lead rope pretty small, and she took three steps back and sighed, dropped her head and chewed. I was so happy to see she was a fast learner and understood it after a short time. Afterwards, Hutch mentioned how impressed he was with Klassy, that she had a good mind and was a good mover.

After Hutch left, I worked on the same thing (backing) and she was so much more responsive to what I asked, I can see we will move faster then I thought. YAY

I spent a lot of my time taking pictures and videos of her, also making new friends, Abbey, a grey Arab, her owners name is Ashley and her mom was really nice, they were having a lesson at one end of the arena and I had fun watching what she learned and worked on.

Well that is all for now, I am off to bed here very soon. I hope you will enjoy fallowing me and Klassy on our big adventure, marking today as just the start to a long journey. Here is the web address of where I currently have Klassy, in Fall City: http://www.nwnhc.com/ I will be busing out to the barn on my school days (Monday-Thursday) and with my mom out there on the weekends. I will be posting pictures, videos and news as often as I can. Enjoy!

Sam