Meals on Wheels....

I make his beet pulp at home when he is not showing, so I drive to the farm every day he is home. Morgan gets to make it when he is. I'm doing his Bend laundry trying to get organized for Evergreen. Since I will be going up to the show every day I will be making his soup at home. One less thing for Morgan to worry about.

Thunderbird lost his entries so I had to fax those to them this evening. Mine were sent with Morgan's stall count. They can't find them. Lovely. The ones I faxed had no signature for Morgan.

We pack and go again this coming Monday. Then another week at home and off to British Columbia for Thunderbird.

He's HOME!

The "bus" got in at 11pm, I got the phone call at 10:27pm. They made great time. Got him all undressed and he was drinking water and eating hay, his soup was in his feed tub. I don't think he realized it. He was more interested in the hay.

My crazy carrot is home.

On the road again...

Got the call at about 5:30pm that they were headed home. It is a 6 hour drive on a good day. The truck sometimes needs to rest part way up to the pass. I guess they will be rolling in around 11 or 11:30pm. Morgan will call so I can meet them at the farm to help unload. I just like to do that and know that my little Pumpkin is home safe and sound. I also have his Sunday beet pulp soaking. He shares some with his neighbor Jete' or she throws a fit. I've made her up a little bucket too, she hasn't had any in two weeks. I'm sure she thinks she is starving.

Morgan said Pip dragged him to the trailer, trotted on and smooshed him in the corner. Morgan yelled at him and Pip was like, "What?"

I can't wait to see him!! Seven days until they ship to the Evergreen Classic! I'm really looking forward to that show. There is an International Hunter Derby, should be very exciting!!

The results will be here.

Bend II

This is a random picture of the horse show location, near one of the 3 jumper rings.

Added the Young Hunters, and no schooling in the sand ring. He schooled on the grass, someone moved a fence out to the grass.

He went around!! YAHOO!!! Got prizes in nearly all his classes. Won the Young Hunter under saddle. His last Baby Green class he was 2nd, he went brilliantly. The light bulb went on and he figured it out and let Morgan HELP him. Morgan came out of his last two classes grinning. No wiggling, no lead swappage in the lines, no other interesting stuff. He WAITED to the jumps instead of attacking.

I stayed another day because I was not driving home on Thursday with basically no sleep and hauling the golf cart. The other two dogs were very happy to be sprung from jail, Kobe so much so that he scratched me - trying to jump up in my arms or something. At 84 pounds that is a little much. Pippi, the old lady Corgi survived her second horse show in two weeks. She is such a good girl.

We have a week off from showing, kennels and driving! Then on to the Evergreen Classic in Carnation Washington. It will be nice not to stay in a hotel, have the dogs all at home and not pay for the world's longest ship for the horse.

Results from Bend II

Pip at Bend without Mom

Pip eating and being happy. Of course he is becoming Morgan's mode of transport.

Pip's still at Bend

Bend was interesting. The drive was... um, long. I was hauling the golf cart. Got stuck in Tacoma traffic and went to light a ciggy, NO FREAKING LIGHTER! GAH!! Then I remembered one was in the golf cart glove box, perfect excuse to stop at the first rest stop and let Ms. Pippi out for a walk about.

It was hot. It was long. It was beautiful. I'd never been to the east side of the mountains in Washington or Oregon. The high desert is an interesting place.

I don't have pictures from this week, I'm going back next week for two days.

He was a Cheeky Monkey in the over fences on show day. He had schooled, brilliantly on Tuesday, the show rings are grass. Schooling ring is sand. He jumped in the schooling area well, went to the ring and STOPPED. This horse never stops. He kept doing it. He was awful. We made him jump 2 more classes besides the Baby Green. He finally went around, though it wasn't pretty.

Then he won the hack - it was big there were 18 horses in it. He kept his wits about him and just marched around one of the longest hacks ever.

Second show day for him was nearly as bad. He stopped, he wiggled, he was not playing. I left ringside and sat on the golf cart far away. He went around for his last class but it was not pretty.

I have to think about what is going on in his little pea brain. We have added a martingale and a metal bit (he normally goes in a rubber snaffle) that helped a little. I think he might be not so keen on the grass. In the schooling area he is brilliant - gets in the ring and canters to the first jump and just says "no".

No rest for the wicked, he probably won't get any days off this week, and he shows again next week at the second Bend show. Oy.

Results from Bend I

Pip at Bend

The flotilla made it to Bend. Pip dragged Morgan to the trailer and trotted on. I guess he likes to go. As long as he is happy and healthy. Today is schooling day and I will be heading out shortly. He shows Wednesday and Thursday, I hope to be able to stay long enough to see him go on Thursday. It should be interesting, I've never been to Bend and am not looking forward to the drive, with the golf cart in tow. Doesn't sound like fun. I will know soon.

Here he is - in jail....

Hood River From June 15th

They are due back today. I miss my Pumpkin horse.

He jumped on the rig and was ready to go. They had to stand there for about 10 minutes and Morgan said he was a very good boy about it. Then didn't want to get off once they got to the show. Typical. He probably won't get off when they get home either.

Weather Report - it snowed there on Monday, was wicked windy and cold on Tuesday, I arrived late Tuesday afternoon and it was spitting rain, cold and miserable with the wind. Wednesday - horrid windy and cold. Had to keep the old lady dog on the golf cart wrapped in Scooter's old Stoney Ridge dress sheet. Pip was a good boy in spite of all of the wacky weather. Thursday was BEAUTIFUL, 70's, clear sky, light breeze and I'm sporting a very sunburned face. I left the sun block on the coffee table in the family room. So much for putting it out to remember to stick it in my bag.

He managed to go in the ring three times and not get stuck at the gate. He was wiggly down the lines, not fond of the ends of the ring, it is on grass in a field so there is a bit of a pitch to the ring he showed in. He got better with each trip, and was 6th in his second Baby Green class.

Thursday - he started out with the under saddle there were 18 in the ring!! HE WON IT!!! What a good boy, he behaved very well but decided standing in the line up was boring and started to dig. I'm so very excited about how he went and that he was used first, there were some nice horses in the ring. I was nervous that he wouldn't behave, but he did and he listened to Morgan.




Then came three over fences, he was a cheeky monkey as Morgan put it, his last trip was best but he didn't get used. He did some interesting things, like get to the end of the ring near the gate and decide he was done, kicked out at Morgan's leg. He jumped the jumps great but was doing baby things, and expressed his opinion to Morgan going down the judges line on more than one occasion. He is like a box of chocolates you never know what you are going to get.

Frank Willard was the Thursday judge and Brian Lenehan was the Wednesday judge. They are both on my good list.

William Sparks used him well at Mother's Day

So there you have it. His first outside show, with studs - there was a bit of "feet.won't.move." the first time he had them in on schooling day but he went around and got use to them. He was a very good boy although Jenni probably doesn't think so! She gets to deal with him first thing and he can be a pill. I'm very pleased. Morgan wants an animal communicator to have a chat with him. This should be interesting. I've got a line on two and I will probably try them both.

His beet pulp is soaking in two buckets in the kitchen sink for when he comes home. He loves his beet pulp.

On the road From June 9th

I think this horse really likes to go for rides. I also think that is the understatement of the year. He nearly ran Jose over to get on the rig and put himself into his slot. We are shipping commercially to Hood River. Air ride, 4 horses on a 12 horse rig, every one gets a stall and a half. He probably won't want to get off when they come home in a week.

I guess liking to go, correction, LOVING to get on the rig and go to horse shows is a REALLY good thing in a show horse. We have a pretty light schedule this year, I don't know what he would be like if he did this week in and week out but he does seem to think going is the best thing since beet pulp.

I'm going on Tuesday for two days with the old lady - Coltsfoot Pippi Longstocking. She went with me last year - the other two will be at the kennel. They don't mind too much, Kobe is never thrilled to go but he seems to like the people there.

Pip jumps some big ones! June 6th

Morgan went nuts. He started tiny. I built the oxers on the diagonals a little larger, 3 foot or there abouts. Then there was an oxer on the long side, and that went up once during the school. To nearly 3'6"!! My baby jumped it once and was SPECTACULAR!!!! He just marched on down the the biggest thing he has ever jumped, found the perfect gap and jumped the snot out of it.

As a reward for being such a good boy I didn't get on him for my little trot around the ring. Although I have added cantering to the mix. He didn't deserve to have to have me motor around on him.

This horse is the real deal. I'm pretty excited about him. Three more days until they leave for Hood River.

Pip gets cast - again From June 4th

Last night Pip managed to get himself upside down right in front of the door. Oy.

We were all talking at the end of the aisle and hear this tapping, tippy tapping. Chaps, Morgan's dog was quicker to pick up something was going on than the rest of us. I walked down the aisle to see what was up. It was Pip.

He started to scramble a bit more. Morgan managed to get in the stall, without getting hurt. Pip settled down, guess he figured he was going to get help. Morgan threw my cotton (yay for cotton!!) lead around both his front legs and pulled his front end around. Not an easy task, they were calling him a double wide earlier in the day! He only weighs 1150 lbs. At least it wasn't Abbie or some of the other HUGE horses we have in now. Pip sorted himself out and got up. Shook. Then decided Morgan needed to be chewed on. After Morgan checked him out and left the stall he stuck his head out and tried to suck on my hair. His version of a thumb. Then went back to eating hay.

He will be the death of me yet.

Next Horse Show Hood River!! From June 1

It's 8 more days until we pack up and head out again. This will be Pip's debut showing outside. He went to Hood River Classic to hang out last year and tried to leap into the blackberry bushes with Morgan on him. We don't know why. He just "does stuff".

This is a horse that doesn't spook, he startles which means he stops and stares at whatever it is, when he decides that it should not have bothered him and he now looks stupid he gets angry. If it is something he decides is interesting he will go over to it and examine it. He is very different and figuring him out is not easy. At least he has grown up somewhat and doesn't have melt downs anymore.

School over Fences May 31

Pip schooled over fences a couple of days this week. He wasn't paying attention and tagged the front and back of the oxer - he landed squawking at Morgan and cantered to the end of the ring. Then threw a fit. He acted like he was going to buck, he doesn't do that with a person on him, so had to be satisfied with stomping around, digging with one leg, and shaking his head. Poor Punkin' He didn't touch anything after that and PAID ATTENTION.

It's really hard being 4.

There is an Arabian Show at the farm this weekend - when they started arriving on Thursday he was in the cross ties watching them unload. He found them very interesting, they were like nothing he had ever seen before in his life.

People were complaining about our horses being turned out. Today the boys were going to get there early to throw the hard players out first thing. Pip being one of those. Apparently yesterday he found a stinky puddle in the turn out and was splashing around in it. Jose had to give him two baths! With soap.

Pip's World

I'm going to post Pip stories here. I don't know that anyone will care or read it but thought it might be interesting to do.

I actually cantered Pip for the first time since he did his airs above the ground with me. The longer I sit on him the more comfortable I am. He was a good boy. Morgan put a rail out for me to trot over - he jumps rails on the ground from the trot. So technically I also jumped him. Using the Vanessa Brown teaching method of "grabbing mane and bending over" It works!

From May 30th 2008