Killing Andrew with Kindness

Okay, I didn't actually kill Andy with kindness. But I did do something that I thought was nice that actually ended up being not so nice. I got one of those Redmond Rock salt rocks that they advertise on RFD-TV. I figured that he needed a salt lick, and those looked like the Cadillac of salt blocks. I put in in his feeder, because he needs rocks in there to slow down his eating. Otherwise, the dumbey chokes. So I put it in there on Friday night, and came out after dinner time the next day. To my concern, Andy had left a lot of food uneaten. This is really odd for him. Normally he wolfs his feed down like it's his last meal. Of course, I started worrying about horse herpes (Okay, EHV-1, but I like saying horse herpes better), colic, and other assorted things that would put him off his feed. Then I took a look at his food, and it looked a little odd, like the consistency was off. So I tasted it (sidenote- I taste most everything my horse eats, minus hay, because that might just kill me.), and it was incredibly salty. The soaked beetpulp must have leeched the salt out of the salt lick. Poor pony. I gave him some more grain in my blue feed tub, and he nommed it up, then I took him outside to eat some grass to apologize. The salt rock is now on the ground, and I cleaned all the salty mush out of his feeder. Sorry Drew-Face. Sometimes when I try to be so nice I end up being so stupid.

Of course I have a lot to tell. So much that the thought of posting it all is so overwhelming that I don't really want to, but I will. I've done three shows with Andy. The first one went well, minus me stressing and freaking out. My dad has an intervention with me, and I admitted that I am an obsessive perfectionist when it comes to riding. I resolved to have fun riding and showing after that. Then I went to the ODS adult team show in April, which was great. It was at the state fairgrounds in Salem, a big, scary new place with lots of horses, riders, and scary things. Andy was a total rockstar from Mars. Literally cool as a cucumber. I couldn't believe he was my Andy. In the warm-up arena there were horses spooking and bolting, and old ladies falling all over the place, and MY horse was the calmest one there. Really surreal. We didn't score that well (57% and 58%, 7th place, bleck), but he went so well, and I rode the tests so much better than the last show that I was thrilled nonetheless.

The last show? Well...it was ugly. Andy was behind my leg and would not accept the bit whatsoever (no wonder; without forward there's no way to get a horse on the bit and round). I in turn got stressed out and grabby on the reins, when I should have been busy getting him in front of my leg. Lots of hollowness and head-tossing ensued. Intro B was absolutely awful. To make matters worse. I went to the judge after my salute to say thank you, and that bitch had the gall to roll her eyes at me and say in a really sT. Boy was I pissed (after I stopped crying). 1) it was a schooling show. 2) Like she's never seen a horse melt down, and flub a test? 3) It was not a good test, but I completed all the moments at the correct gaits. I've seen worse. That was not a good show, and I think a lot of it had to do with me being so stressed about my dad, who had just gotten out of the hospital two days before.

After that I had a minor (okay, major) meltdown concerning Andy. I just was so tired of always fighting with him. He's also been been nutty on the ground. We had an incident in the crossties in March, when he almost flipped over after spooking at a blanket, and since then I haven't been able to cross tie him. He's also been very spooky and reactive. The week after the show I was warming him up for a lesson with Sara, and when she drove up he spooked so big that he dumped. She walked in on me sitting on my butt in the arena, crying, while he stood there trying to look innocent. A few days after that I had him at Kandice's for a lesson, and he pulled back in the crossties (I had the ties clipped to bailing twine tied to the halter, so it broke easily), and ran me over in the process. I was fine, just shook up, so poor Kandice had to deal with me sobbing and my spooky, crazy-ass horse. I love Andy, and I am committed to him. I will never sell him, and I want to ride him. Therefore, I am sending him off to Sara for a month of full training. Sara and I had a long talk, and while we both agree that I could continue to ride him and progress his dressage training, I am in sore need of a mental break from him.

So he will be in boot camp during June. Hahaha, that sucker won't know what hit him. I'll be there for most of his training sessions, and will probably be taking 2 lessons a week on him. Sara will be doing a lot of desensitization/sacking out with him, since we figure when he should have had that done he was busy racing. He'll be staying at Horsin' Around, which isn't my favorite barn but I know they'll take good care of him. He is going to miss LB so bad. I am glad to be breaking up that bad romance. Somehow they've gotten a little too bonded. When I brought Andy back from his weekend in Salem he screamed in delight when he saw LB. I even caught him grooming her last week. So cute. What was not so cute was when I tried to bring him from the pasture he flipped shit, crawled in my lap, ran circles around him, and was such a monster that I had to bring Love Bug in too. Who was also a screaming, circling monster when I brought her in. PONIES MAKE ME SO MAD SOMETIMES.

On a happy note, I had such a good ride on Callie today. I got her to be so soft and round right at the beginning of my ride. I had an aha moment in my lesson last week in term of my hands and maintaining contact, and I guess it was the key to getting her into a frame. Kandice is also bringing a few horses here from her mom's farm. One is this hunter school-master that she's going to give me free reign to ride whenever to get him back in shape. Another is this 7 year old TB mare that she has had since it was a weanling. She's green-broke and has been started over fences on the ground, and apparently has a great aptitude for jumping. And I just might have enough $$ to bankroll another pony. Life is good :)

Ooooh, I also got to ride a nice horse named Pickle, who is currently schooling 2nd level. So much fun! I actually got to ride him in a schooling show last week, and got a 71% in Intro c, and a 70% in Training 1! So I can ride training level well! It's not just me! Andy's just a jerk sometimes.