Ridding Gabe

Well, I ahve been doing some serious work on Gabe the Babe! He is looking GOOD!!! All toned up! We have been working on giving to the bit instead of leaning on it!! It is amazing what a little o-ring work will do for a horse!!! Now I am wondering if I need to change up my bit for our actual runs! NO, I refuse to run him in an o-ring! He just gets too fast coming out of the pen and not being able to stop is a BIG issue for me! he wont even slow with the o-ring coming home and I am sure that what ever I run over or into leaving the arena will hurt just as bad going mach speed....But, i am thinking about trying a lifter or a gag bit for running instead of the hack. Or, maybe I will go back to the beetle hack or the side pull hack??? Lots of things to think about! Looks like I have 3 weeks to think too! I have not run barrels since April and will not run barrels again until July 4th...Yeah, that is a LONG time, but, we needed the break to work on issues! Now, we are ready but have NO money and need to pick Joe up in Marshall that weekend from the trainer, so, I am going to go up there on the morning of the 4th and ride Joe before anyone gets there. Then, I will get Gabe ready for that night. I might run an exhibition too... Just to get a feel for him running again! Ever since he got his injections, he moves a little different and I am not sure how he will actually turn the cans now!

Joe from Today

LOL, see what he thinks about going to the trainer....

Joe to the Trainer, Gabe Got a Tune Up!

Well, Joe is now two, has been gelded after he bred both of my mares. Now he is at the trainer to be broke to ride! I have him working good in the round pen. After his surgery, he had to be worked every day for the last 3 weeks to keep the fluid moving,so he is in shape! Lots of long trotting! I also have saddled him and gotten him used to that as well as taking the bit with ease. Junior, in Marshall, TX, is going to break him, sack him out and get him going good under saddle!
Well, to make sure that I liked this trainer, I decide that he needed to show me his abilities by ridding Gabe, and yeah.....he is good! We spent an hour working on Gabe. He informed me that Gabe has been lying and bullying me. So, he got him to really give to the o-ring and we managed to get several good runs out of him with out him cheating me on the first barrel! I must say that I was impressed! Not only with Junior's skills, but also with Gabe! Man, that horse can inhale a barrel! We have some homework consisting of giving to the bit and keeping his head down when I ask him to bend around the barrel. I think we will work on these things and make our come back in July!

Life and Horses!

I woke up at 6am and jumped out of bed to throw on some jeans, boots and head to the barn..Why you ask? I have been having a really hard time getting out of bed for the last year. Basically, the snooze button was my friend and my pillow was the enemy....I just did not have the drive to get up and be "functional".

I started to think about why it is that when I head home my head ache that I have had all day and the sleepiness that has been lingering all day just goes away!!! Well, I figured it out! My horses. My horses drive the evil monsters from my soul. This is what sets barrel racers and horse owners/ riders apart from the rest of the world! We would rather be shoveling manure than sitting behind a desk ANY DAY RAIN OR SHINE!!!

Well, after realizing all of this, I decided that I need motivation to rise and shine. So, now, I will rise to the urge to ride and shine all day long to think about what I accomplished while most folks would be reading the paper, drinking coffee or sleeping. I WOKE UP AND RODE MY HORSE FOR A MILE AND A HALF AT THE LONG TROT AND LOPE!!!!! Grin And because I did this, when I get home, I can work the fat kid! Or the colt! Or what ever!!! Because I Did my work out this morning!!!!

2 Mares Bred!

Well, Chivas (MJG Scottish Scoot) and Day (Bring On The Day) have both been bred by JoesStreakinForCash! Chivas is Due to foal March 26, 2009 and Day is due April 4, 2009! I am SOOO Excited! We were a little worried that my young, 2 year old stallion, would not be able to cover the mares. Neither mare showed any interest in him during their foal heat. Well, last weekend, Chivas showed interest and was bred several times. Sunday night of this weekend, Day began to show some interest! Looks like Joe will be heading to Lufkin to have his brain surgery soon! He will be gelded and then begin his training! He is such a nice looking horse. I cant wait to start riding him!

Destry's Free For All in Alvarado, TX

Well, we set off for a weekend at the barrel race. The weekend was long starting Friday morning. I saddled up Gabe not 15 minutes before my run on Saturday Morning (we got a little mixed up) and headed up to the arena. Gabe was acting a little off, but, nothing to cause great alarm. We went running into the arena and about the time we got to the first barrel, he bobbled then proceeded to crow hop the rest of that turn and the entire pattern. Everyone was yelling for me to push him, but, this was VERY unusual for Gabe. He was literally crow hopping every stride. I came out of the pen after finishing the third with a 21.6 second run on a standard pattern...Yeah, no where close to the money. But, hey, it was a clean run and I did not get bucked off....So, I headed down to the warm up pen to work the buck out of him. We did several circles when I looked down to see his shoe complete with all six nails. Ah, that was the problem. His shoe came half way off on the way to the first barrel and the nails were sticking him in the arena....No big deal, go get the shoe put back on to the hoof that is now missing half of the sidewall. I gave him some banamine and a bath to sooth him.
Got ready for round number two around 6pm. He felt good and was really flexing nice. We went running in to the pen! YAY! I thought he was flying! 3 strides to the first, he cuts hard to the left. Yup, we run to the left....He was lined up to mow over the first barrel. I stuck him hard and pulled him over...NOPE, he would not respond to anything! Before I knew it, he turned before he got to it and I pulled him up, made him do a hid end pivot to the right and took off to the second barrel. man, his second and third were AWESOME! He still clocked a 21.6 even with me STOPPING him. Yeah, he was cruising! To bad it was a no time...
After long thoughts about this run, I figure that he thought he was going to turn the barrel and get spiked in the foot again. I sure hope that this is not a new habit. I guess we will pick up an exhibition before our next open run to make sure that he is over and done with the ducking issue. After all of that, I can say that I had my two worst runs ever on Gabe in ONE DAY. But, I actually had the best seat on him than I have ever had in the past. Not once did he bounce me out of the saddle! Too bad no one noticed that part. I guess I am good at staying on him at the crow hope and can catch myself when he does the unpredictable....

Pictures of My Babies! The Lineback Dun is Dually and the Sorrel is Cooter

Some Pictures of Cooter and Chivas

Here are some pictures I took today of Cooter's Runnin Shine and MJG Scottish Scoot. Cooter is now 11 days old!!!!

Waiting on Foal #2! And, How we did at Crockett!

Well, I am waiting on Foal #2. Bring on the Day was Due yesterday...Nothing yet, but, she sure is acting like she wants to foal right now!!!! Anyhow, she is out front grazing right now and seems very uncomfortable! So, maybe tonight???

Yesterday, Gabe and I along with Hannah and her mare Jazz went to BRFC in Crockett, TX. Gabe came into the arena strong and fast! We found the first barrel, went a little past, but he recovered great and headed to the second barrel! Well, we meaning I needed to push him just a little bit past that second barrel and I set too soon causing the barrel to crash and burn. However, we did recover and headed to the third in perfect form! His third was nice and clean with a strong run home. We ran a 16.??? I imagine he would have fallen right into that 4D spot at this 5D race had we not turned over a barrel! But, we can try again next weekend!