In late October, Clay Evans, a first year graduate student at Marquette University studying mass communications, came out to shoot a story for a graduate class he is taking. Clay did a wonderful job taking photos, as it was his first time shooting horses. I was able to retrieve the photos from Clay and thought I would share them with you. The photos show what a typical riding lesson is like with Kristin. We warm up on the flat doing lateral work and working on position for 30 minutes before we jump. This particular lesson we did grid work. Grid work consists of several jumps in a row, going smaller to larger. Doing this is a way to make your horse not only stronger as they have to use their hind end but it also makes them more cleaver to the jumps. It was a good time Clay came out when he did as I have not been able to jump Rudolf since these photos were taken. Rudolf has had a rough seven months. In May, Rudolf and I went to a horse show at Ledges, a show facility in northern Illinois, and it was a total disaster. Normally Rudolf is great at shows but this time he was acting very strange and stopping at jumps, which he rarely does. Needless to say my mom and I knew something was up and we had the vets look at him once we got home. He needed his knees injected which is why he was stopping. Poor Rudolf was hurting and I know that the only reason he stopped at the in-and-outs was that he knew he was not strong enough to get us through them and we had the possibility of getting hurt. A week after Rudolf got his knees injected; the horse dentist came out to float all the horses’ at Wild Woods teeth. In order to float a horse’s teeth the horses are put under a heavy level of sedation. The sedation, although necessary, can have some negative side effects on horses such as slowing their digestive systems down thus causing colic or tying up. Having those two things done to Rudolf in such a close period of time put Rudolf’s body into shock and he tied up very badly. (Tying up is when a horses muscles become so tense they often are unable to walk. It is very uncomfortable and they can tear muscles if they are trying to move. IV fluids and time off are the best remedies.)When I was standing with Rudolf as he was tying up, I felt terrible. I did not know that his body would react so negatively to having his knees and teeth done so close together. I thought I was helping my horse when I was really over loading his system until his body had to tell me it was too much. At that point I decided I was not going to show the rest of the summer and I would not jump him until fall. We took the summer off and just did flat work. It was actually very nice having the summer to spend with my family and friends with out being gone all the time at horse shows. This was the first summer I had taking off in 6 years. It was the best thing for both Rudolf and myself. In September I started to up Rudolf’s work and slowly brought him back to jumping small fences once a week for over a month. In late October, when Clay came out, was the first time I had jumped Rudolf 3’9 since May. It was the best feeling and I was so happy he was back to his old self again. This did not last very long as the next week when I got on him he was lame. Rudolf’s knees are starting to go. They are not to the point where he can’t jump any more but he is getting older and needs to be injected every 3 months. After what had happened last time having him injected I was very scared to have his knees done again, so I decided to put him on bute therapy and gave him more time off. He was doing fine until the first week in November when he had a very bad case of colic and had to spend two nights in the ICU at Wisconsin Equine Clinic. Having a sick horse is the worst feeling in the world. He is my child and I want to make sure he is always comfortable and healthy. I gave Rudolf two weeks off once he was able to come home. I think he enjoyed the time off. Tomorrow my vet is going to come out and look at injecting his knees which will make him more comfortable but I am still worried. I know he needs them done but I still worry. I miss jumping him so much. And I know he misses being in work. I hope tomorrow is good news.
Today I was able to help Kristin school one of the boarders horse, Northside. Northside is a 12 year old Thoroughbred gelding owned by a 13 year old girl. They are currently showing him in the 2’6 hunter divisions. He is a good boy and does a great job at taking care of his owner.
I love to watch Kristin ride. She is such a beautiful rider and I find that I can learn a lot by watching her. Watching professional ride is very beneficial for armatures. Consider it similar to college basketball students going to an NBA game. They are able to pick up on what they are doing in order to make the game winning shot or how they can improve their defense, all by watching.
Just as it is important for the rider to watch professional ride, it is also important that the horses are ridden by professionals on a consistent basis. The majority of the horses at Wild Wood are ridden by Kristin once a week. This helps keep them up to date on their training.
Just a quick clip of Sparky and Scooter interacting at Wild Wood.
 mommas boy I made a big step this week. I am going to let a girl at the barn take a jumping lesson on my beloved, Sparky. In all of my almost 20 years of riding I have never let anyone other than my trainer jump any of my horses. I just have always had such a hard time allowing anyone ride my horses. Maybe I am just the over protective mother type but I worry constantly when I know someone is riding them with out me being there. Especially jumping… No go on that, ever!
But recently I have been letting a girl, Beth, at my barn ride the boys for me since I am so busy with work and school. Beth is a senior in high school at Arrowhead high school in Hartland, Wisconsin and is such a wonderful girl who really helps me out a lot. Beth has a thoroughbred mare named, Scarlet but she has been pretty sick for the past two years having issues with her feet due to foundering. I feel bad for Beth, as I know what it is like to have a horse you can not ride.
Since I have been in California for the week she has been taking care of the boys for me. Yesterday she texted me asking if I would mind if she rode Sparky in a lesson since there were no other lesson horses available since the other lesson mare is currently out from a hind leg injury. Beth has asked me about lessoning on Sparky before and I never have been able to say yes. But for some reason this time I did. And while I type this she is riding my pony! Ahhh. I really hope it is going well. I know I sound crazy but I just worry so much and I have sent her a million texts making sure she wraps him when she is done and gives him treats. I am sure he is fine but it is still really hard for me to share.
This past weekend I spent in California visiting my aunt and uncle who live in Long Beach. During this time I was also very fortunate to be able to watch a dear friend of mine from Green Bay ride in a clinic in the area. A clinic is similiar to a regular riding lesson except that you are riding with a more well known trainer who comes in from out of town to teach. Often time people come from all over to audit these clinics) Taylor has ridden in clinics before but this was going to be her first time in the next larger hight group.
Not only was it wonderful to see my friend, but I was also able to audit a clinic. She hauled her horse over from the Las Vegas area farm, Hunter’s Edge, to ride with a very well known west coast rider, Carol Dean Porter. Carol judges many horse shows throughout the west cost and has been a very successful trainer and grand prix rider.
Taylor has been riding for almost ten years and in the past two years switched disciplines from the Quarter Horse and open show circuit and took up jumping. I like to think I had something to do with that! Taylor has made huge steps forward in her riding. Although she is only able to take lessons once a week since she is a full time college student at UNLV and works at the farm teaching young children the basics of riding.
I was so proud of her. She was working on a type of figure eight exercise that is very difficult as you need to have your horse balanced and in-between your hand and leg in order to keep a nice flow through out the turns. Taylor rode up well to all the lines and really showed me how hard work and dedication can really help a person improve quickly.
Jumping is in my opinion the hardest discipline to master. It is a solid combination of how you and your horse communicate on the flat, making sure to incorporate dressage skills, and then throwing in jumps that can test horse and rider to the max. It is not just only getting over the jumps but on how well you ride in-between jumps that will make the jumps ride up smoother.
I have always wanted to have Sparky and Rudolf’s portraits done. Not those tacky drawings that make them look cartoonish or fantasy but classy beautiful black and white drawings. I feel like they would be one of those keep sakes that I could have for the rest of my life and maybe my children could even have them too long after both myself and my horses have passes away.
I always keep my eyes out when I see beautiful drawings of animals but most of the time the artists wants close to a thousand dollars for anything of substantial size. I wanted to have them done in the 18x24 inch size range. Being a poor graduate student this was far too much for me to spend, especially since I wanted to get both of them done.
Through riding at Wild Wood I met a woman named Ann Bannister and got to know her quit well as she works in the social media and marketing area which is what I hope to do when I get out of school. Her company, Bannister Creative, is a small company she runs from home but she does rather well for herself working from home and still owning 5 horses. Anyways, I always knew she could draw but I had no idea how talented she really was until she put photos she had drawn up on Facebook that completely took my breath away. She uses charcoal and other forms of water colors to create these gorgeous pieces of art. Immediately I sent her a message to see if she would be willing to draw the boys for me and what it would cost. She was willing to do both for me and have them mounted for half of what one drawing would be at any other artist. If you ever want an animal drawn and are in the Milwaukee area I encourage you to get in contact with Ann. Here is what she produced for me.
 Rudolf's Portrait
 Sparky's Portrait
I have not written about the main man in my life yet, although he is not on the equine species, he is right up there! My dog, Scooter, and I are inseparable. He is a year and a half old goldendoodle that I got on May 18, 2009, the day after I graduated from undergrad. I grew up with standard poodles and loved them like crazy but was always intrigued by the poodle mixes. So I settled on the goldendoodle and I would never have another bred of dog. He is lovely, great with people and even better with the horses.
I started bringing Scooter to the barn with me just two days after I brought him home. I wanted to make sure that he was able to adjust quickly to life around the horses. I needed to have confidence that if he were to become a “barn dog” that I could train him from a young age about how to be respectful of the horses so he would not get hurt being around them. He caught on very quickly and knows which horses to stay away from and what “watch out!” means.
There is one thing that I don’t think Scooter understands. And that is who the horses actually belong to. I swear he thinks they are his. He knows each horse by name. If I ask him “where is Sparky?” or “where is Rudolf?” he will actually go sit outside of their stalls. It is very cute. Normally horses and dogs are indifferent about each other but do not really interact. That is not the case with my animals. I really think they genuinely like each other. Scooter will go on trail rides with Sparky and I, running along side as we ride. He watches over them when they are outside, and will even lay next to them as they graze. I have never seen a dog grow so attached to horses before or have horses that didn’t mind having a dog so close to them. He knows they are a part of our family. It is really very cool to see how they interact and that they seem to know that the three of them are all connected.
 Recently, one of my dear friends, Jenna Fluery, was faced with one of the hardest decisions of her life, having to put her horse of nearly 8 years down. Bucca had hurt himself while being turned out and broke his leg. When a horse breaks their leg chances are they will not recover since they are such large animals that need to be on their feet. Jenna did not take this well at all, and who would. I would like to share with you a touching essay she wrote about her horse and what a great impact he had on her life.
The Horse That Saved My Life By Jenna Fleury
His name was Sambucca or Bucca for short. He became ours August 30, 2001, 5 days after my tenth birthday. When we got him he had sat out in a field for two years and hadn’t been ridden. Needless to say there was a lot of evidence of that once we got on his back. He began to fill out and became breathtaking. Dark bay, muscular, and the most gorgeous horse I had ever laid eyes on. Before he left this world he made sure he had completed his purpose. I thought I knew who I was before I met him, but I was wrong. He taught me who I was and he made me the person I am today.
When I met Bucca I was a quiet, shy girl. I followed around another girl at our barn, Forest. Forest became a good friend of mine and I believe that Bucca put her in my life for a reason. I turned to Bucca for a lot of support when my parents got divorced. I was 12 years old and it was a rough road. Bucca was always there for me when I needed a neck to hug or cry on. He stood there quietly and allowed me to just breathe in his scent. He was what I needed the most at that time. After my parents’ divorce I found it very hard to trust people. Again, Bucca was there for me. He silently healed my wounds. He allowed me to come out of my shell and to blossom into who I am today.
Bucca made me aware of who I am and he allowed me to be able to speak my mind. He taught me how to love and he taught me that trusting another person was okay. He also taught me how to accept being hurt and let down. He had a lot of issues with his feet over the years and I missed out on a lot of horse shows and lessons. I never regretted owning him though, and I made sure he had the best because he meant the world to me. It really opened my eyes to dealing with letdowns. I always knew he would be a part of the family. People that don’t own horses really don’t understand just how tight of a bond we form with them. He became number 1 in my life and it was like he was my son. I did everything for him and he paid me back in every way possible.
When I got that phone call I was completely unprepared. I was told he had a cut and wasn’t moving. 2 weeks earlier he had cut his nose deep and had required an emergency vet call and stitches. I figured this might need stitches as well and wasn’t something to freak out about. But I sped out to the barn to find my horse standing in his field. I was told he was bleeding profusely before I got there but they got it under control. The vet got there 5 minutes after I did and that’s when I received the terrible news. She told me that Bucca had fractured his leg and that there was nothing they could do for him. I immediately lost it and told her I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. And I wasn’t ready. There was still so much I wanted to say to him and so much I wanted to do with him. I wanted him to grow old in that field and I wanted to always go out and see him, happy and enjoying his retirement. I called my family, hysterical, and told them the news. They all were on their way out to the barn but the vet said we couldn’t wait any longer. The barn owner’s friend gave Bucca IV Banamine (NSAID-Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug), but the vet said he was in excruciating pain. I had to make the decision all by myself to put him out of his pain. I was feeding him carrots and mints and he was head-butting me. I could tell he was in pain, but he was trying to be strong for me. His best buddy was out in the field with him and stayed with him through the end. Making the decision by myself was the hardest thing I have ever done. I believe that Bucca gave me the strength to be able to do it, but I wasn’t alone. He was with me until the end. He is still with me now.
Bucca leaves signs for me that he is still here every day. On one occasion, the day after I had cried myself to sleep, I found 4 of Bucca’s hairs. He lets me know he’s still with me. I believe that animals are here for a reason. They are here to fulfill a purpose and once they have filled that purpose, they leave this earth. But they do not leave the lives that they have touched. They are with us forever. Animals are a special part of this world and are not to be taken for granted. Bucca made me the person I am today; he saved me in every way possible. I miss Bucca every single day, but I know he is always with me. I owe everything to Bucca. I love and miss you buddy. <3
 Recently, I purchased a new jumping saddle. I went back to my beloved Antares. Antares is a French owned company that produces top notch saddles, brides, helmets, and other basic riding essentials. I have had my last Antares for over six years and was looking to get another as mine was starting to get very warn. When buying a saddle many factors come into play such as fit, style of saddle, price, comfort, and recently a new factor has come into play hide. Traditionally all saddles have been made from calf hides but now more and more saddles have been made from buffalo hides instead.
Now you may ask the difference between buffalo and calf hide. Well, I am here to tell you! Calf hide is a softer leather than buffalo and can be worked with greater easy and it takes less time to break in. Buffalo on the other hand is a stronger hide that is ideal for those people who ride several horses a day or very often. Saddles are very expensive ranging from one to seven thousand dollars. And just like anything else you get what you pay for.
When the saddle fitter came to Wild Wood to measure Rudolf’s back for my new saddle she encouraged me to spend the extra money on the buffalo hide instead of the calf based on how quickly my old Antares has warm out. I do ride a lot and I felt that spending the extra money would be a smart thing to do in the long run.
Below is a short video on how to properly fit a saddle to a horse’s back. Often times people with multiple horses will own more than one saddle. I have five different jumping saddles and every time I purchase a new horse I have to buy a new saddle in order to make sure my horse can perform at his or her best. Consider wearing a pair of running shoes on a long jog that do not fit correctly. It isn’t very comfortable is it? Same thing goes with a horse and their saddles.
This weekend Wild Wood held its first ever schooling show for its lesson students and boarders. A schooling show is a mock horse show that is usually done with in a barn for inexperienced riders. It was a great time for everyone and the students were able to experience what it would be like to be at an actual horse show. Wild Wood is hoping to hold a schooling shows three times a year.
The video I am uploading is of Joanna Carlson, a long time friend of mine who has only been riding for 6 months. She is in her first flat class where horse and rider are being judged on how they execute the three different gates of a horse, walk, trot, and canter.
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