tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222Fri, 18 May 2012 20:18:03 +0000desensitizingblanketingadmincontestshorse showshorseback riding lessonstrail ridinghorse book reviewssafetyhorse tackdogs and horsesanimal rightshorse carehorse product reviewshorseback ridinghippotherapyhorse behaviorconformationhorse racingfeeding horseshumorhorse property searchhorse breedsweathermiscellaneousbarn lifehorse-related injurieshorse picturesground mannershorse slaughterhorses in the mediahorse trainingnatural horsemanshipvideoshorsey headlinestrailering horsesMesa Verde road tripfallinghorse storiesholidaysriding barebackhorse rescuehorse anatomyhoof caregroomingbackstorymucking stallshorse playabuse and neglectLife as a Horse Rescuerhttp://www.ponytalesblog.com/noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)Blogger916125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-1473030996758603787Fri, 18 May 2012 19:50:00 +00002012-05-18T13:53:20.658-06:00hoof careI've never been gladder of a week being almost over.  This has been a very busy week, with at least one (and sometimes two) appointments every morning.  On Wednesday, for instance, I had a vet appointment for one of the dogs and a farrier appointment.  Yesterday my trainer came for a double training session -- I had her ride Panama as well as work with Rondo, since I haven't been able to ride (http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2012/05/farrier-comes-rondo-improves-and-i.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-4963204703905554563Mon, 14 May 2012 19:33:00 +00002012-05-14T13:38:32.174-06:00horse-related injuriesYesterday afternoon I went to the barn for the first time since Rondo stepped on my finger Wednesday night.  My finger was still a little sore at times, especially when the splint got bumped, but overall I was feeling much better and wanted to get some horsey time in. Rondo's reaction when he saw me was quite surprising, and I believe demonstrated that he did know I was injured (after it http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2012/05/visit-to-barn-and-follow-up-with-hand.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-2310179596923146329Thu, 10 May 2012 17:38:00 +00002012-05-10T11:52:30.773-06:00horse-related injuriesI haven't blogged in a while again, and unfortunately my new news is going to be bad: I ended up in the ER last night.  The title of this post comes from what one of the ER guys at the desk put as the description of the incident -- horse vs. left hand -- and unfortunately, the horse won. The short version (besides "horse vs. hand") is that I did something really, really, really stupid last nighthttp://www.ponytalesblog.com/2012/05/horse-versus-hand.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-8264915043224856353Tue, 01 May 2012 00:02:00 +00002012-04-30T18:02:53.828-06:00horse trainingI've been struggling a bit lately to find time for the horses, so Rondo has been progressing somewhat slowly, but progressing he is. We've been working on ground driving to teach him about bit pressure and what it means. The first time we did it in the big outdoor arena, and he did fantastic, only to lose his mind (an adolescent moment, as another boarder called it) when we went to take off the http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2012/04/rondo-progress-and-two-birthdays.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-8889939376161604528Sat, 17 Mar 2012 04:51:00 +00002012-03-16T22:51:28.997-06:00horse careOf the four parts to this blog post, only one is about Panama.  That probably tells you how my week has been spent: taking care of Rondo since his injury on Sunday. The wound looks great and hasn't swelled up at all.  I've been very relieved not to have to clean a gaping wound on his face, but his medicine has proven to be its own challenge.  His antibiotics were a powder, and I found out the http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2012/03/healing-wounds-moving-targets-more.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-7433308328304978962Mon, 12 Mar 2012 07:05:00 +00002012-03-12T01:07:19.204-06:00horse careAs busy as I've been, I've still been getting out to the barn about 3 times a week — I just haven't had time to blog about it!  There are a few things I want to blog about, though, so I have some catching up to do. The star of the moment, though, is Rondo -- though whether he is the protagonist or the antagonist seems to be different every day!  Last Thursday I gave Rondo a thorough grooming to http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2012/03/rearing-fit-injury-and-perfect-patient.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-1947343070516426130Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:31:00 +00002012-02-27T13:31:45.021-07:00barn lifeIt amazes me how one place can be the source of so much drama, and at the same time, so much contentment and healing. I found out on Thursday that Rondo is chewing on other horses' tails in his corral — or should I say, chewing off.  The first one happened shortly after he arrived, but the owner just kind of shrugged it off as the price of keeping your horse in a social environment.  Things http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2012/02/barn-drama-and-horse-therapy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-7354180597943018679Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:05:00 +00002012-02-21T12:05:26.879-07:00horseback riding lessonsFor a few weeks there, my life really felt like it was getting out of control.  I'm not sure where the days went!  I was still getting out to the barn at least a couple days a week, but I had no time for blogging.  So this week, I'm regrouping, getting caught up on my blogs, and then next week I'm going to focus on establishing a better barn schedule.  (Not this week because I have another busy http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2012/02/trying-to-get-back-on-track.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-8203567652324113283Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:07:00 +00002012-02-09T00:20:17.109-07:00videosThis is funny mostly because it is so true.  How many of these things have you ever said?  How many do you say on a regular basis?  I know my husband hears "Is it cool if we check on the horses real quick?" and "It'll just take 2 seconds!" on at least a weekly basis, sometimes even more frequently than that. (Don't you love the clucking at the shopping carts thing?) And of course, there's http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2012/02/funny-video-stuff-riders-say.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-6900759218008611094Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:35:00 +00002012-01-31T12:35:46.800-07:00horseback riding lessonsLast Thursday, I had a double session with my trainer: a lunging session with Rondo (which went over time), and a lesson on Panama (somewhat shortened). Rondo did pretty well.  He was being a bit lazy and not as interested in moving forward as he was the previous Sunday when I lunged him.  He also seems to have a hard time translating the difference in body language between me and my trainer.  http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2012/01/calm-and-not-so-calm.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-5708893952017309502Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:14:00 +00002012-01-24T13:14:46.296-07:00horse behaviorYesterday I made it out to the barn to ride Panama, since I hadn't had a chance on Sunday and since today's weather was supposed to be a little nasty.  I had a limited amount of time, as usual, so I decided to just hop on bareback. There was a lot going on at the barn, though.  When I arrived one of the owners was washing out their stock trailer with some kind of pressure washer, which was quitehttp://www.ponytalesblog.com/2012/01/pressure-washers-angry-bulls-and-big.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-811901401815683930Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:13:00 +00002012-01-23T11:13:43.801-07:00horse trainingLast Thursday, instead of a riding lesson I asked my trainer to work with Rondo a little bit.  I'd been passing over him lately in favor of riding Panama — primarily because Panama is easier and faster, since I can just hop on bareback — and I was feeling bad for ignoring Rondo's training. She lunged him in the round pen so that he couldn't try running away from her again, and despite some http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2012/01/rondo-lunges-tantrum-free.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-8223970315183558440Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:08:00 +00002012-01-18T14:08:46.903-07:00blanketing Monday afternoon I blanketed Panama and Rondo before heading over to the stock show to see the Grand Prix jumping show.  It was supposed to snow a bit and it was going to be very cold overnight, and I didn't want to wait until after I got back from the show to blanket. As it turned out, though, I decided to stop by and check on Panama after the show — his blanket had a rip in it that I hadn't http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2012/01/has-anyone-seen-my-tail-flap.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-6520819466719487329Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:13:00 +00002012-01-15T17:38:38.448-07:00horse trainingI've been too busy to blog, but I have been squeezing in some horse time here and there.  On Tuesday I was able to hop on Panama bareback for about 30 minutes.  It was the first time in a week that I'd ridden, and he was fairly well behaved considering that fact — no silly behavior, and for the most part remembered to maintain a nice calm trot (after lots of tug-of-war, he has finally learned to http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2012/01/squeezing-in-horse-time-and-keeping.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-5080435106297661918Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:55:00 +00002012-01-06T13:22:32.487-07:00horse trainingMy life has been a little nuts lately.  On New Year's Eve Day, our dog Emma, who has been sick with pneumonia, had to go to the doggy ER.  Although she'd been doing seemingly better on Friday (which was why we didn't take her back in to see the vet), on Saturday she stopped eating and drinking entirely.  What else can you do with a dog who won't drink?  Not a lot of options there, so into the ER http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2012/01/making-time-for-horses.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-1707348838674119458Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:43:00 +00002011-12-27T11:43:48.604-07:00miscellaneousYes, I am feeling guilty: Between the holiday activities and our dog getting sick, I haven't been out to the barn since my husband and I pulled blankets on Saturday... and I haven't ridden or done anything interesting with the horses since my lesson on Wednesday! Most of it is just everything happening at once.  Overnight Wednesday night and during the day on Thursday, we got dumped on by at http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2011/12/guilt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-1937543183102945866Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:45:00 +00002011-12-22T16:45:20.928-07:00horseback riding lessonsYesterday morning the little girl I nanny for (let's call her V.) suffered a disappointment: Her riding lesson was canceled at the last minute (supposedly the ring was too sloppy, but we were actually there already and it wasn't), and she was quite disappointed, so I took her to my barn later in the afternoon for some horsey time and to see my lesson.  I think she had a good time, and enjoyed http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2011/12/horse-crazy-girl-and-her-nanny.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-5443544379871758059Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:56:00 +00002011-12-20T21:56:04.503-07:00videosThis time Panama had a playdate with Spaghetti.  I took the 4-year-old boy I nanny for with me when I went out to the barn to pull blankets, and we turned Panama and Spaghetti out together.  He wanted to see Panama and Rondo play, but I knew it had been a while since Spaghetti had been out.  He and Pan were both full of beans! http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2011/12/another-playdate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-4218531575560126782Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:00:00 +00002011-12-15T10:00:11.740-07:00horse behaviorYesterday I finally had an opportunity to turn Panama and Rondo out together again for a playdate. This time Panama warmed up to him a bit, and condescended to play with his big little brother. At first they just kind of hung out together, with Rondo making the occasional playful overture, and Panama generally squealing (he squeals like a mare!) and turning away.  Rondo followed along, http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2011/12/panama-and-rondo-play-and-i-get-some.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-1004126058043994376Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:29:00 +00002011-12-09T12:29:26.790-07:00miscellaneousSince my bareback ride on Wednesday, I haven't had time to do much with the horses, other than blanketing and pulling blankets.  Even so, there have been some various improvements. For one, Rondo is standing much more patiently in the cross ties, and he is tolerating the blanket better when it first goes on.  Last night, for example, I had to leave him in the cross ties for a few minutes while Ihttp://www.ponytalesblog.com/2011/12/various-improvements-in-all-areas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-1741977192934218492Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:18:00 +00002011-12-08T11:18:07.514-07:00horseback ridingYesterday the weather was gorgeous — well into the 30s when I was at the barn — so after pulling blankets, I threw my bareback pad on Panama and took him into the indoor arena to ride.  We rode for a long time, nearly an hour, alternating between trotting and leg yielding practice (at the walk).  I think by the time we stopped working on the latter, he was getting a little better at crossing overhttp://www.ponytalesblog.com/2011/12/long-bareback-ride-and-well-behaved.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-6318465733565300947Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:20:00 +00002011-12-06T22:20:19.789-07:00blanketingWe finally got a warmer day — "warmer" being above freezing — and due to a last-minute scheduling change, I ended up with a lesson this morning. It was so cold last night, however, that when I got out to the barn at 10am, the temperature was still only in the teens.  It was so cold that my feet felt like blocks of ice after walking around in the snow and on the frozen ground for only about ten http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2011/12/warm-enough-for-ride-and-snuggle.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-4052007588148722062Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:52:00 +00002011-12-05T10:52:31.795-07:00weatherI never thought I'd be saying this only a few days into December, but I am so sick of snow and cold weather.  We've had several consecutive snowstorms, which has amounted to probably nearly a foot of snow at our house (less in some areas around metro Denver, though).  And today the temperature is going to top out at a rockin' 15 degrees...  If it ever gets there!  Currently I think it just broke http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2011/12/snow-snow-and-more-snow.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-8010772843667196153Fri, 02 Dec 2011 03:02:00 +00002011-12-01T20:02:00.585-07:00horse slaughterI'm a little late to the party on this one — from what I understand, it was top news yesterday in the horse world.  Apparently Congress passed, and Obama signed, a bill that will essentially allow horse slaughter to make a comeback in the United States. From my understanding, horse slaughter was banned in a rather roundabout way: A bill was passed, back in 2006, that removed all federal funding http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2011/12/horse-slaughter-revived.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917148691063100222.post-6785710007146636821Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:41:00 +00002011-12-01T11:41:58.144-07:00blanketingIt's December 1st, and guess what?  It's snowing. We have quite a snowstorm blowing in.  Considering that it has been in the 50s and 60s lately, and that I was riding in short sleeves yesterday, it's quite a shock that it's now in the 20s and snowing — and that it's supposed to get down to about 10 degrees tonight. This meant that Rondo had his first experience with a blanket yesterday.  I was http://www.ponytalesblog.com/2011/12/december-brought-snow.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan)2