Our Mud, aka "Sedona"

Our Mud, aka "Sedona" This page is to document the adventures, progress, strife, and struggles with my mare, Sedona, registered name "Our Mud".

Just in case you forgot what her name is... :)
01/19/2017

Just in case you forgot what her name is... :)

Two steps forward, one step back.Sedona has been "off" for pretty much the last month. It's so nice being spoiled rotten...
08/21/2016

Two steps forward, one step back.

Sedona has been "off" for pretty much the last month. It's so nice being spoiled rotten that she just gets to sit and enjoy being a horse in turnout pretty much ALL the time. Lucky pony.

But really, it's kinda sucked. The last month she's been on minimal work duty for getting her shoulder caught and sliced up on a fence. Then today, with her farrier visit, I discovered multiple mini abscesses in her hooves again. 😢 She showed me a few weeks ago when I got her feet moving that she had been a bit ouchy that weekend, but I figured it was just because of her shoulder - not that she was getting more abscesses again!!!m

So yeah....back to rest detail for this big softy. She's doing okay since I'd gotten her feet moving before the farrier came out and she wasn't acting ouchy, but all the more reason to take it easy for the next few visits. One day I swear we'll be able to ride again... Ugh!

😢🐴

Somebody was ornery today. I guess it has something to do with being a mare...and in cycle....and always getting to star...
06/26/2016

Somebody was ornery today. I guess it has something to do with being a mare...and in cycle....and always getting to stare at the pretty boys on the ranch.

We didn't get to do much riding at all today, but instead worked on just mounting and standing still. It's been quite awhile since we've done review work like that, but apparently it was something she wanted to work on. Pressure and release. You want to move? Okay, let's go. Move! I'd much prefer if you just stood there though. That's a much happier spot to be.

It took a little while, but we finally ended up with me sitting in the saddle without walking off. Something apparently she decided to forget completely today. Oops! At least it's good that we find the holes sooner rather than later. :)



!

Good workout from the beginning to the end. Sedona even sweated like a normal horse, too! She's always been one extreme ...
06/12/2016

Good workout from the beginning to the end. Sedona even sweated like a normal horse, too! She's always been one extreme or the other - either swear all over (from stress) or don't sweat at all. Today just goes to show we had a good workout.

She even got a nice bath afterwards while she got to flirt with her favorite boy, Hopper, over the fence. I wish I'd gotten a picture. So spoiled. 😍🐴

Getting used to Arizona weather is difficult! I had plans to go ride my girl last night, but when it's still going to be...
06/04/2016

Getting used to Arizona weather is difficult! I had plans to go ride my girl last night, but when it's still going to be in the three digits until 1am, your plans kinda change. So got myself out the door by 8am, this morning, and as I'm pulling up to the barn at 8:30, it was already 91 degrees! This is insanity. We don't normally work horses in 90 degree weather in the heat of the afternoon in Cali - BUT THIS IS 8:30AM!!!! Insanity. O_O

So. I cuddled with a cold soda and we enjoyed a mellow morning. Sedona never ceases to amaze me being here, though. She had ZERO destination addiction today. None. Zilch. Nada. This is the horse that gets hooked on fences just because that horse over there MIGHT look at her. But with getting turned out daily, she was able to focus on our workout instead of other horses. The DA work we've done in past weeks plus regular turnout has equaled success for this pony!

So we did a bit of trotting and working on our left-right exercises. Getting light at the trot is gonna be a long road, and it turned into a lot of working on keeping up the trotting momentum, but we got to a good point and decided to cool off with a bit of the 50 foot trail ride.

We got to the first gate no problem. Passed right past the herd of mares she normally turns out with, and got sticky feet for a few. Passed it within a few minutes. Then we got to the second gate, where we pass the last group of horses and the house. Sticky feet for just a moment, and even less turns back this time before she chose to walk forward. Then, left or right. I let her choose. She went left. Got major sticky feet there, then tried to backtrack. Then she decided to go forward, but to the right. Okay, sure. It's still a "trail", so let's go.

That's when she almost discovered the cactus. Oooookay. Let's try the other way again, cause I don't want to play that game.

Back to the left, and she walked right out the third gate and on to the actual trail. We got about 50 ft in both directions before I turned her around and pointed her in the direction of home. That was a huge progress over the horse that was terrified to leave home the last few times we've gone out. I'll take it!

She was rewarded with hugs and scratches and we shared a few apples (thank you to whoever donated those to the barn!), and then a nice bath to cool down. Then....I got to turn her out a bit more. How spoiled is she!!!?! 😍 Even though it was 100 degrees at 10:30, when I left, it ended up a great morning.

We did a lot of review work, as well as some new things today. Today was the first work day after a major move across th...
05/20/2016

We did a lot of review work, as well as some new things today. Today was the first work day after a major move across the country, and she did shockingly well. I have to say it may be from the atmosphere of the new place, as she's turned out with a small herd of other horses daily and gets to be up close and personal with horses without other owners going "ohmygawd my baby's feelings are getting hurt!!!!" while the horses are just figuring out the herd dynamics and who's boss - aka, they're just being horses!

So today, after a week of her just getting to be a horse, I got to visit and ride for a bit (though I had no expectations of actually getting to sit in the saddle), which went rather well for being in a brand new place. We worked on a lot of destination addiction (gate, horses on the fence, other horses tied on the other side of the fence) and the neighbor's scary goats and cows. The latter took 5 minutes for her to be "eh, whatever" about it, but the DA has continued to be a big thing with her. For day 1, I'd say it went about as well as it could have.

Oh. To top it all off, we are right next to a very active Air Force Base, that happens to have large jets taking off, landing, and flying overhead like its no big thing. Sedona didn't even flinch to multiple jets taking off overhead, although my ears could have done without the loud sound for what felt like ages lingering up above.

All in all, a very productive afternoon.

I'm kind of a weirdo. While the arena has filled and is being used by not one but two other riders (the most activity I'...
05/04/2016

I'm kind of a weirdo.

While the arena has filled and is being used by not one but two other riders (the most activity I've seen here!), Sedona and I are sitting in the middle on one end....resting. Thinking. She's getting some good old thinking done, soaking it all in, while I'm letting it happen.

See, she's got some major anxieties when it comes to other horses in the arena. She wants to latch onto them and follow. While me? I just want to enjoy a nice relaxing ride with my horse. So, with one horse in the arena, we discovered there would be no riding today. But with two?! That was like meltdown central! She turned into her crazy bucking looney self, and while the other riders were gracefully galavanting around the arena on their dressage horses, my bucking bronco was having the time of her life.

We tried some groundwork, disengaging from the hind, which she has down pretty solidly, and some moving off the forehand, which...isn't so solid. It went from so-so to just plain awful, and then she couldn't keep still. So bronco it was! This way, and that way, every turn she would buck and kick...all while the other two horses are doing flying lead changes and pirouettes.

Suddenly....she was done - and we haven't moved since.

She is now standing ground tied in her resting spot, and me? I'm sitting on my butt in the middle of the arena typing this. All while wishing I could ride, too.

I think we're going on 10 minutes sitting here. And she hasn't moved. Her head is low. Her body is relaxed. And while she's /watching/ the other horses, she doesn't have that desperate want to be with them look in her eyes. She just....is.

We didn't get nearly as far as I'd liked to, today. But as my new motto goes, "work with the horse you have today." And I think today, we got quite a bit done. :) 🐴💕

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6725 N 160th Dr
Litchfield Park, AZ
85340

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