Horsehair Creations

Over the years I have accumulated a decent amount of Telly's tail. Not that this is a good thing as it was all ripped out from him either stepping on it or getting it caught on something. But I have always wanted to do something with it and really love the idea of a bracelet.
  I came across this site which makes beautiful bracelets, necklaces and more. You can send in your own horses tail and have one made from it. This would make a wonderful Christmas gift, so it is currently at the top of my list.

http://www.ocalacountryventures.com/

I Forgot About You...

Whoops...I guess I did not take this blog very seriously because it has been 2 years and no posts. Disregard the post I made about a "job", that lasted a whole 3 weeks and I was back home feeling let down. I was really looking forward to my independence and new adventures in my life. I guess in the end it all worked out for the better as I am getting to do what I love, it just happens to be still at home.

I don't take it for granted and am very fortunate to be able to run Rising Stars as my own and take care of all the day to day operations. I love being a barn manager and doing all the duties of one; even stall cleaning.

It has been an up and down past 2 years more so on the family front than with the horses. I finally managed to get my warmblood, Vinny, sold. Though thinking about it now it is bittersweet. I miss having more than one horse. But I am stuck paying for Star so I really can not afford a 3rd mouth to feed no matter how much I would love to have something else to ride. Thankfully there have not been any more mishaps with Telly which is something that makes me really happy to write. He has only been getting fitter and stronger and making a real comeback. I started giving a few lessons and used him in the process and he was such a gentleman. He started doing so well that going to a show was looking like something achievable in the near future.

So in December 2011 we attended the Gold Coast AQHA show.....it had been over 4 years since our last competition. I wanted a strong comeback but more so just a fun experience that had us walking away with a smile on our face. Things were a little hectic because my sister also took him in a class and then a girl I was giving lessons to did a few walk/trot classes with him. Not having just his focus on me and the overwhelming feeling of being back at the shows with all those horses sorta hindered our performance some. But by the last day and my last class I knew we were connecting strongly and I really did walk away feeling an overwhelming amount of pure joy and excitement.

I was thankfully able to show again in May with a good friend from the barn. It was just an open hunter jumper show but I felt after months of preparation that we were jumping together better than ever before. I did a jumper class the first day and unfortunately had a refusal at the first fence. But we finished the course strong and awaited the next day. I did 2 eq classes and a medal class. We started off rough but managed to end the day in top form and looking ahead to the next show.

I am excited to see what the future holds with horse shows. I will probably be doing more hunter jumper than QH since I have someone to show with, which makes it all the more fun. I still have my sights set on doing a hunter derby and I really think Telly is capable of taking on that challenge. Since AQHA now offers this class I am going to prepare as much as I can for the event held in January.

The Bad Luck Still Remains...

Wow! Things have been going really well with Telly lately, so much in fact that we are planning our comeback for the Gold Coast. But as our luck should have it I know better than to get ahead of myself and think we are in the all clear. I have a feeling I pushed Telly too hard the other day when we were jumping and now we are both paying it for (him more so than me). From my own judgement and experience from last year I believe he may have torn the same tendon sheath. The tragic news that no one wants to hear. Not only did I order myself a new show jacket and shirt, but my mom is really excited and has already booked her flight down to watch us compete. I just do not understand why life has to be so unfortunate for Telly. He is such a hardworking and gentle soul that he just does not deserve to always go through this pain.

I guess I am to blame though. I should have known better than to ask him for as much as I did. He has been so good lately and felt really nice over the fences. I have been working on lead changes, as they have always been his weakness, and he has performed beautifully. I really thought we were on the right path for once, but then we hit yet another roadblock. The showing bug has returned and all I wanted was to get him back in the pen, even just once, and show everyone we still got it. But maybe that time is going to have to wait, and maybe that time will be with a different horse.

So Here is Some Big News...

I am moving to South Carolina!! Say What?
It is true. Telly, Vinny and I are leaving on the 21st and I will be starting my job. I am very happy I get to bring both of my boys but Vinny is only able to stay there for 2 months while I try to sell him.
The place covers a lot of acreage and is just very beautiful and peaceful there. They have a racetrack and tons of trail access. I believe Telly and I will be quite happy there.
I am looking forward to the next chapter of my life and feel this is the right step for me to take. I will be helping to oversee the barn and horses and will have plenty of opportunities to ride. I am going to see about helping out other barns on my days off if possible to make some extra cash.
I plan on keeping up with my blog more once I settle in to have something to look back on of my first real job experience. So until then, hang tight and stay cool.

The Diagnosis Is...

So Telly has a torn tendon sheath. It is very upsetting and I want to know how he managed to do that. I just do not understand why these things keep happening to him. All I want is for him to be comfortable, healthy and happy. I can give him all the love in the world but if he is in pain then it breaks my heart a little more everyday.

He has to be on one month of stall rest and I can take him out for hand grazing. I let him go out in the roundpen for a little bit in the morning before it gets too hot and then take him out again later in the day. I was told for the first initial 7-10 days put his leg in a bucket of ice cold water and soak for 20 min. He has been very good at doing this and will stand patiently for the most part. He seems to be more comfortable on it than before he was taken to the vets, so I hope the healing will continue properly and he can resume life after the month passes.

Once we get over this hurdle, I plan to start saving my money so we can take him to have an MRI on his hind end. I am hoping this will help to diagnosis what is going on that is making him so lame and that there will be a fix for it. Then I can start riding him again. But I won't get too far ahead of myself because I know anything can happen, and if it does it will happen to Telly unfortunately. But I will never stop loving or caring for him and we will be together till the end.

That Time Again...

After another nice massage yesterday for Telly and no improvement, I decided to discuss with my mom about taking him back to Ocala and have him checked out. It has now been 17 days since I first discovered him to be moving more off than usual. I still cannot pinpoint if it is the left or right hind that is bothering him more. He had that odd swelling and is resting the left hind more so than normal, but when he is walking he looks to be having a more difficult time using the right leg. So I guess we will find out tomorrow what crazy stuff is happening to my poor boy. I really hope they can figure out not just what has happened recently but what has been making him so off for all these years. I am praying for a miracle. I really just want him to feel more comfortable and not be in so much pain. I do not think it will ever be pain free what with the arthritis and all but I have him on a supplement now and am hoping that will ease some of the stiffness. I only want the best for him and will do whatever I need to because he is my all. I hate putting him through all this vet work but if it helps him live a longer happier life than I feel it is worth it.
Farrier is supposed to be out before we leave in the morning to trim his hooves.

Hoping to get more boarders soon so I will have more money and will save what I can to make sure Telly gets the best of care, that might even be putting shoes back on him. Only time will tell.

Massage Therapy baby

So I had a massage therapist come out this afternoon and work on Telly. She was here for an hour and worked both sides thoroughly. Telly was definitely enjoying himself, was relaxed and did not seem bothered in any areas. I was hoping for a more extensive massage that involved the legs too and not just go over the body but am having her come out on Wednesday and will go from there.
I might try somebody else in July if I have the money and feel that these two sessions helped him out in any way. I would like to start saving up my money though to have a MRI for Telly and that may be able to pinpoint his troubled areas. I guess only time will tell.