Riding between rainy days

May be this post should titled be "Mud, Mud, Mud". It seems like we have been getting a day of sunshine and a day of rain and another day of sunshine. I am not one to ride in the rain but after 11 days of not riding a light drizzle was OK to ride in. Brandi and I'Claire rode in the drizzle. Brandi was not feeling to good prior to starting but after a little while in the saddle, all smiles she reported her headache was gone and she felt good! See our horses really are excellent therapy of us! Margrit who is visiting from Germany rode the Big Boy "Freederic the Great" She had him going forward nicely! We had Margrit's husband Axel on the John Deere tractor grooming the arena prior to our rides.

Snuck in a ride in the drizzle

Bill and Freederic the Great

I called my friends who live out in the rain belt and said "Come ride, my footing is perfect"!

It was dark grey on the horizon but it was a high cloud cover with Haleakala and Kauhakuloa clearly visible. As we started to knock the mud off it started to drizzle very lightly.

Linda and Bambino arrived just as I finished riding. While Linda lunges Bambino. I get Kalae ready. Soon Julie shows up and amid a very fine intermittent drizzle we get our rides in. Kalae is back on track after 3 weeks of being sore from shoeing and off from being kicked in the hind pastern. Next Jessica with Roo and Julie 2 with Elroy arrive for a group lesson. Late in the day Bill arrives to ride Freederic. It was a great day with horses and Friends.

Rain inpeeding the training

Rain, rain go away. We have not been able to ride at all this week. Yes, It is still winter in Hawaii. We have not been riding for the last week due to gale force winds and cold spitting rain. The horses are all slipping in the mud and full of energy. Evenings are spent in front of the roaring wood burning stove wrapped in sweaters trying to get warm. 50 degrees at 90% humidity is quite cool.

Bambino

My name is Bambino. I am a big kid, I think I might still be growing. If I played football I would be a lineman. My dad's a TB and my mom is part Clydesdale. They say I am 17h something what ever that means. My mom says I am a character. I'm a teenager and like to kid around. Sometimes I get into trouble. Like when I remove my mom's halter, chase the dog, chew any thing I can get my mouth on...lunge line, halter, reins. Ha I even pulled the saddle off at a big clinic, before my mom tightened the girth and that sacred me a bit and I couldnt let go as it dangled from my teeth. I have been pretty good in my school lessons. I study round pen, ground manners, trailering, dressage, trail riding and jumping.
I was kinda fooling around, trying to see what I could get away with the last 2 dressage lessons. Kinda like slowing down when the teacher said go. Putting my head in the air and twisting it. They were thinking it might be the saddle or my teeth until My mom figured it out.
Man, I am had! She put me in the round pen first thing to make sure I was listening on the ground and paying attention. "If he isn't listening on the ground, he wont be listening under saddle" Then they lunged me with side reins for 10 minutes. Then Mom got on and I tried to suck back but she yelled at me to go forward and tapped me with the black stick, thumped me and I decided I better not to fool around. There was this other lady watching. She is a school teacher for special education kids and she was telling them kids don't want to misbehave, they want guidance and ground rules and the quicker you nip the bad behavior in the bud, the better the kids are. The kids are just testing to see if you are going to be the leader. They told me I did really well in school today. I guess I was flying and actually had fun too.

Rupert - A Rubenstein Grandson

For my 16th Birthday I received my first horse. A 8 yo 14.3h blood bay Quarter Horse mare. She was a barrel race/ polo pony who was perfect for a beginner. 5 years later she had a colt named Kimo. Kimo and I did everything. Gymkhana, Hunter, western, dressage, trail riding, camping and swimming in the reservoirs.
Fast forward 15 years and I began to dream of a Warmblood. Thinking I would never be able to afford one until I retired in 20 more years, life circumstances changed . I realised "Life is too Short". I borrowed $$ in 93 and purchased my first Hannoverian mare. "Gorgeous" was found on the East coast, she was a 6 yo 17h dark brown mare who was a dream come true. 2 years later she passed away from a gastric ulcer. Ulcer's were unheard of then. A few months later I went to a Hannoverian auction on the west coast. Intending to replace Gorgeous, I had a weak moment and bought 4 mares, two who were pregnant. Suffice it to say, 6 months later I owned 4 mares and 2 filly's. I was launched as a Hannoverian breeder with a exponential learning curve. In 1998 I bred 3 mares not realising that the next summer I would welcome 4 foals. A set of twins! With a self imposed ban on any further breeding, my dream of a Rubenstein foal was on the back burner. 6 years passed and in 2005 my dream foal was born.
Rupert (Routinier/Pueo/ Pointmaker) is a Rubenstein grandson. He arrived as a chestnut with a big bald face and has been the sweetest, kindest, most personable love bug on earth. Now as he approaches 3 years and 9 months it is time to begin his under saddle training. I like to wait until my youngsters approach their 4th birthday to begin their training under saddle.
Rupert leads, walks in and out of the trailer but has never had the door shut. Has been in the round pen with his mom a few times. wears a blanket. Stands still to be groomed and shod. The biggest hurdle is......he needs to be separated from his mom. Due to limited space he has stayed with his mom and is quite attached. Now I have a huge 16.1 1,100 pound baby who wants his mother. The plan is to construct a sturdy paddock and slowly move his mom further away.

ALOHA!

Maui Dressage Academy is interested in blogger style discussion of dressage topics. This spring I will detail the starting of RUPERT (Routinier/Pueo/Pointmaker). Rupert is a 16.1h 3.5 yo chestnut gelding born on Maui.

For more about Maui Dressage go to the link on the right www.mauiproteaflowers.com