Run baby

Hiiiii! Got back from the dells friday night and went out to see 'cedes on Saturday. Becky came out and took pictures with her new camera! Aaaamazing camera, but alot of them were in the arena and our arena SUCKS, its sooo dusty, so most of the pictures stink because ALOT of editing had to be done so that you could even SEE, haha. Here are some of my favorites:

Mercedes loooves to play. :D But anywayyss, when I got back BOTH mercedes and frosty had dried blood on their legs! I leave for 3 days and they both get hurt, what are the chances! They weren't anything serious from what I can tell but I have not idea how they got them. Maybe when they were in the stalls they got scared and freaked or something? Not sure...

I brought Nancy out with me to the barn so she was leading Mercedes while Becky was taking pictures...and Mercedes was being so disrepectful that we had to switch horses! I've corrected her when I can, but it's obviously an issue that needs to be dealt with in a broader range than just punishment when she does it. SO, if anyone has any advice on trust/respect/boundry games, that'd be greaaat :)

Bad Habits

I finally got out to see Mercedes today and actually DO something with her. I think she was excited to see me too because when I went out, she ran over to me! There was another lady there turning her horse out and she went "AWWW! How cute is that?!" I just grinned ;D I actually think she spooked and was like "MOMMY!" but whatever, it was still nice.

I've noticed that she is getting a few bad habits! She is constantly pawing at the ground and when Frosty leaves her she won't stand still in the crossties. She is also starting to pull her legs away from me when I'm trying to pick them out. I don't know if she has thrush and it hurts, or if she is just being a dork. I have a feeling she has a bit of the thrush but not bad enough that it would hurt, I think. She is definitely not lame, so that's a good thing.

Anyways, after I was done grooming her, I took her into the arena to work in hand on her ground manners. She has gotten a little too pushy and likes to run into me when she gets scared, which is NOT safe. I was walking her in the arena and she was getting waaay ahead of herself so I would gently "tap" on the halter to remind her to take it easy but she would just push against it, so I tried to make her stop but all of a sudden she just BOLTED and freaked. At first I thought she had just spooked but after that happened 3 times in a row and her not looking scared at all, I knew she was just misbehaving. So we tried it again and when she did it again, I promptly made her move in a lunge, changing directions every so often. After a while I finally got her to listen and was able to control her and halt her when I wanted without her getting angry and lunging forward.

*Sigh*...I have alot of rework to do. She needs more confidence, in herself as well as me.

My Mercedes Ego

Okay, so it's bad enough that my horse ego is already inflated...but when new boarders come out and go "Oh my gosh! You have a beautiful filly" "Lovely mover" "She has suuuch a creamy color"...it's BAD! Very BAD! Because that ego goes from high levels to extreme levels.

lol, I am just kidding. But seriously, it's so nice to hear people say that about my horse. Especially since she was a rescue from an auction you know? It PROVES the point that good horses DO go to slaughter. I mean, I am sure that everyone already knew that...even if they don't admit it, it's nevertheless true.

Anyways, this blog will most likely be about my journey with Mercedes. So be prepared! Here are some quick facts:

Registered name: Dolly Dun Twisted It
Barn name: Mercedes
Breed: Breeding stock paint
Her sire was a registered paint, her mother a dun.
Age: 20 months
Disciplines: She will mainly just be used as a trail horse :D *Fingers crossed*
Background: She was taken from her mother at an early age before she was even weaned and sent off to auction where she was repeatedly hit in the head with her lead rope. She had a gash above her eye that needed to be drained and stitched up. When she was bought they put her on a milk replacement and other than that, left alone to heal :) She was extrememly head shy but soon grew out of that. I received her for Christmas when she was 6 months old and it's been a rollar coaster ride from there!

We'll see what the future holds on our adventure.