Have a Ball!

Found in this month's Practical Horseman magazine - Have a Ball!  Reduce your horse's boredom or vices in a stall or run-in with the Equine Distraction Aid.  Slide carrots, apple slices or other favorite treats under the rope "sling" that encases the 10" diameter plastic and rubber ball to keep him entertained for hours.  Bungee cords allow you to hang at eye or mouth level.

I've got to find one of these because there's an angry and bored horse wanting desperately to get out of his stall and race around the paddock.  It hasn't even been a full week of stall rest yet and still another 2 to go!

Made with love by Dad

Early in the spring of 2005, my husband decided to attempt the project of making a "tack box" for our daughters equipment.  The barn she was in at the time,  had small cubbies for their day to day needs but larger amounts of space for tack boxes. He researched online for plans and consulted with the rider to make the final decision about the type (upright or chest), wood to use, color etc.  It was a big project but one he thoroughly enjoyed.  The box is made with oak which does make it a bit of a brute for moving around, however, it is on wheels.  I expect this box will last a lifetime and be a wonderful reminder of her father's love.

It's not always about the horse....

If you're thinking our life revolves around the daughter and her horse, you wouldn't be far from wrong. However, we do find time to watch our son play baseball or hockey, (he's totally NON-horsey) and occasionally we'll find something fun to do with the dog.

We try to travel in the "off season" or before show season starts so that usually means someplace warmer than Ottawa which is not too hard to take!  

Home from the show

For those who might be wondering, Rachel & Stormy left the show on Thursday (20th) after doing the 1.30M class. The class went beautifully with one rail down but after some "chill time" in his stall, Stormy seemed a little bit off. He's a precious commodity and not wanting to take any chances we packed him up, took him home and paid a visit to our vet - Dr. Larry Butler at OVLAC.

A knee strain was diagnosed which requires nothing special except for some R&R for a couple of weeks. We were greatly relieved because we were thinking of all the possibilities that could be wrong.

So, now the question is, how to entertain an athlete who is suppose to take it easy for 2 weeks?  Nothing more than hand walking for exercise allowed ....... I'm sure this will be good fodder for the blog, stay tuned!

CSI ** National Tournament

We're back at the Nepean Equestrian Center for the 2nd week of the National Capital Show Jumping Tournaments. Yesterday (19th), Rachel started with 1.20M Table A class to "warm up" and finished 11th out of a competitive field of 66 riders! In the afternoon the team competed in the 1.30 Jr/Am Table A and finished the course with 2 rails down. Coach and rider were very pleased with the result!

Today is the 1.30M, Jr/Am Table A Speed in the morning and a 1.20M, $2500 Table A Speed CLC in the afternoon.

$3500 Jr/Am 1.30M Classic

Today was the $3500 Jr/Am 1.30M Grand Prix. All week horse and rider have struggled with rails (at one point Rachel referred to herself as a "lumberjack" for all the wood she was laying down) but today it all came together. Although not a clean round, it was very well ridden and the effort put in by the little guy with the big heart was second to none. We couldn't have been more pleased with the result.

Rachel & Stormy received tips from Gillian Henselwood which were much appreciated and special thanks to Jeff McKessock for laying the groundwork with his ongoing coaching and support.

Kudo's to the show organizers who excused jackets because of the extreme heat and humidity.

We've gone back to the farm for a few days of R&R but will be back at the show on the 19th!

Did you pack ....

Every time we go to a show, there's a plethora of "stuff" we take along. For the next 2 weeks we're showing in our own backyard at the National Capital Show Jumping Tournament, which is approximately 20 minutes from Westar Farms. Distance from home didn't seem to matter as we managed to bring just about everything except for the kitchen sink. Here's an abbreviated list, no wonder we needed a truck!

For the horse;

• 40kg grain (Stormy eats approx 5kg of grain per day)
• 5 bales hay (more will come from the farm tomorrow)
• 4 bags shavings (another 2 will come tomorrow)
• 2 water buckets
• feed bucket
• bath supplies – shampoo, sponge, scraper, Ventrolin
• wash bucket
• 8 saddle pads
• 2 half pads
• 2 bits (loose ring snaffle & Sprenger KK Conrad Ultra Universal bit)
• 2 types of reins – rubber and woven
• martingale
• bridle
• saddle
• 2 different style of crops
• 2 pair of spurs (different sizes)
• corks
• 2 different pairs of horse boots
• fly spray
• grooming supplies (brushes, show sheen, hoof pic, hoof oil)
• 2 fly veils
• fly sheet
• sweat sheet
• towels
• 2 lead ropes & halter
• saddle rack
• tack cleaning equipment
• 4 prong tack hook
• S brackets
• zip ties
• stall guard
• horse treats

Almost all of the above fits very nicely into a "customized" large Stanley tool trunk. Great trunks which are lightweight, durable and customized with horse & riders name and the Westar Logo. Once the horse is looked after then there's the riders necessities!

• 2 helmets
• hairnets
• 2 pair of gloves
• boot socks
• tall boots
• sunscreen
• change of clothes
• lawn chair
• water, water & more water
• snacks
• wet wipes

And of course, must not forget the skip and pitchfork for mucking the stall!

National Capital Show Jumping Tournament

The end of the season is drawing near but not before two weeks showing in our own backyard. Hayes Co. has brought show jumping back to the Nepean Equestrian Center for the 2nd year and we're thrilled to have such a quality show just down the road. A great place to visit not only for the competition but also great shopping and dinning. If you get the chance, stop by the park for some great entertainment! Pictures will follow shortly.

We're enjoying a long weekend in Niagara and are very excited for our trip back to Ottawa tommorrow. We have appointments at two farms in the King City area. Kingridge Stable & Gimcrack Equestrian Center have young horses which may be a possibility to replace our current horse. I hope to have pictures and video uploaded over the next few days.