6/8/05 Greggory's 3rd birthday! Have accomplished my goal of having him broke and trotting, but still working on getting some decent pictures to post! Meanwhile this is all I have for now (taken from a video)
5/10/05 Rode Greggory, this time trotting more and using a crop to help keep him going. Did't have to use it but just moving it towards his rear helped keep his momentum and managed several laps at the trot. Starting to drive him outside the round pen, but he gets very nervous and becomes as strong as an ox! Will need to do lots more from the ground, before trying to ride him out of the pen.
5/6/05 Trotted Greggory almost full circle of the round pen!!!!! Big milestone. Didn't die. He was awesome!!! * Doin' the happy dance *
5/3/05 Got all the horses' feet trimmed. Worked Greggory, then rode him in round pen. If it's nice tomorrow, will try for a trot! Was waiting to get his feet trimmed as he's been tripping and I can do without being on him when he does that (ouch, my back!)
4/29/05 YES! We did it, I rode Greggory in the round pen today and it went great. He's all over the place at times, but mostly listens to me and especially when I say 'woah', I hardly have to put any pressure on the reins, just brace my back and he stands square for me. I'm so proud of him!
4/27/05 Big day for me and Greggory. I managed to get on him and rode him around his stall. I then drove him a little in the round pen, to sharpen his transition from walk to trot, so that tomorrow, when I ride him, he'll be more willing to trot for me! Fingers crossed:O)
4/19/05 Rambo is coming along nicely. Had another great ride on him this morning, but the ground is like concrete, so can't do much till we get some rain. Greggory has given me a few challenges while working him. He's trying to 'argue' when he doesn't feel like doing something and when I push him, has answered back! One thing I do not want to do, is get him sour about his work, so am being very careful. Haven't got on him yet, mostly because my mounting block I used last year to back him, is now about four inches too short! That extra little 'hop' needed to get on him would never have been an issue when I was younger, but these days, my back just won't cooperate. I did give it a try, but he spooked and knocked me against the wall. " We're going to need a bigger step!"
4/11/05 Mum's birthday! Had a great day at the barn. Rode Rambo for the first time in about ten months! He was a good boy and nice and sound. Then I saddled up Greggory and lunged him in the round pen. He was super good and looked freakin' awesome!! Can't wait to get on him and feel that incredible trot. Will drive him a bit first, but am aiming to be riding him in a week or so (if the weather doesn't screw up my plans)
3/22/05 Spring at last!!! Still hanging in there. All the 'boys' are fine, as are the cats. Greggory has grown some. While grooming him yesterday, it dawned on me, I was having to reach much higher than usual to brush his back, so I got out my measure and lo and behold, the sucker is 17HANDS at last!! Made my day. Anyway, thought that was good enough reason to make an entry on the page and post his latest picture above. Handsome buggar, isn't he:?)
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11/28/04 Okay, so it's been six months since my last update. The Cicada's came and went, leaving their mark on the trees and vehicle's windshields! Greggory hasn't been asked to do much since the last time I worked him. I decided to just let him grow up a bit. He's now 2 1/2 years and only 16.1 1/2. I'm hoping he'll at least make 17hands, but not sure how much more growing he has to do. He's still as naughty as ever! I haven't been riding at all. Rambo has had the summer off, but not because he's been lame, just because I haven't felt like riding. Could be the commute from Charles Town, twice a day?? Saxon and Gilligan are fine. Actually, Saxon has been better than ever for the past few weeks. It's just so nice to see him comfortable, as he comes cantering up to the gate for his feed. Oh, I almost forgot, I have another kind of 'horsepower' in the barn now. Well, more like 'mousepower'. I bought a Moggy! That's a Morris Minor to anyone who's never heard of them. It's a 1968 Traveller, imported from England just last week. She's a real sweetie and I've been having so much fun, driving her around. I get honked at, waved at and given the thumbs up, as I'm driving along. When I stop for gas, I get mobbed by people wanting to look at her. It's too cool. I took some pictures of 'Bessie' at the farm, here she is from close up looking straight at her, so you can't see her in all her glory. But here, you can! This one has Greggory in the background. Speaking of 'his lordship' , that's the latest picture of him, taken a couple of weeks ago.
5/27/04 Rode Greggory in the round pen for the first time!!! Very proud of myself and him - he was a really good boy (though we could use power steering and brakes) for his first time, he was awesome.
Mother's Day May 9th 2004 It's getting hot out there. Still no sign of the 'super cicada's' or however you spell it. The seventeen year phenomenon should be emerging from the soil any time. The horses are all wearing their summer coats and feeling frisky. Rambo is particularly full of himself. He's getting really fit as I've been riding and jumping him 4 or 5 times a week. Yesterday, he tried to dump me. He's got a wicked spook when he wants to, and there doesn't have to be a reason, other than the devil in him. Well he threw one in while we were trotting and spun around so fast I was clinging on for dear life, then he started throwing himself around trying to dislodge me. We survived, but my ego was a little bruised as once again, I realized, I'm totally at his mercy. We carried on working and he ended up with a superb extended trot, so he got goodies despite our little dispute:| Greggory has been doing well. I introduced him to ground driving, which he seems to 'get' without any fuss. I'm at the point of actually getting on his back now, but haven't gone so far as to get all the way on yet. He stands fairly well for me, but I'm being cautious- not having anyone there to hold him in case he flips out. Based on how he was yesterday, I think I'll set up the video cam' and go for it today. I want to capture the moment, so even if it's a disaster, I can maybe see why and who knows, could be fodder for America's Funniest Videos. (Later the same day) I DID IT!! I got on Greggory- first time he's had anyone on his back and he was super.Got the video too. Hurt my back in the process, but it was worth it. Feeling rather proud of both of us.
5/2/04. A lot's been happening down on the farm. Mostly the fact that I've started breaking Greggory! We've only had three sessions of lunging with tack so far, but he's really taking to it without too much fuss. I'm also leaning across his back in his stall while he's eating. He doesn't seem bothered by that either, so I'm about ready to ground drive him now and I'm dying to get up on him. He's becoming quite the 'stud', so I have to really keep my eye on him at all times. He's nipped me a couple of times, just by accident, trying to grab the rope or whatever, but I always scream at him and pretend it hurt a lot, so he knows not to be so careless. He seems to know what I'm mad about, as he always comes close to me but doesn't attempt to bite, just looking for reasurance. To say he looks awesome while lunging with his saddle on, is an understatement. He's been taking my breath away since before I owned him, but when I walked him out into the round pen for the first time, saddled and bridled, I was overwhelmed with pride for my baby boy-(no one around to see, but I did manage a half-ass video)Okay,enough of all that sugary nonsense. Rambo is doing well also. We're jumping again and he's getting more confident each time. I just hope my back holds up. Having two horses to work, is hell on my social life, but I wouldn't trade it for the world:)
3/17/04. We're ba-ack! Well, after I don't know how many weeks/months of not being able to download photos, and getting thoroughly pee'd off with this thing, I think I've finally cracked it! Rambo is barefoot now and totally sound! I rode him for the first time since last August and he was superb. Now, I have to think about breaking "his lordship"- Greggory himself. Wish me luck :).....
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1/13/04 Today was a sad day for Montcalm Farm and the Marsh family. After only a few short months, Nancy lost her battle against breast cancer and died at home on Friday. The funeral, or rather "Celebration of Nancy's life" was this morning. At barely 60 years of age, and a young 60 at that, I just keep thinking ' what a waste of such a lovely and generous lady'. I know I'm not alone there , she was well known, respected and loved by many people in our community. Nancy's love for horses was made evident by her constant support and charity to them. My own horses included. We will all miss her, but feel lucky to have known such a warm, sweet, smart lady. Her light will not fade. God bless you NancyX
12/24/03 Merry Christmas everyone! Rambo has made a miraculous recovery after a month of Hyaluronic Acid supplement. He's moving fantastic and being a snott as usual.(That part I can do without, but I"ll take it if it means my horse is feeling good again) Greggory is just growing and getting more dominant day by day. He's feeling more 'the man of the barn' now. He tests me every single chance he gets, so I've had to clean his clock a couple of times! Well, it's either that, or be stuck with an 18 hand stud that's unmanageable. Then it'll be my own fault. I'm now having to work-out with weights to build up my strenghth, just so I can keep up with him. Saxon is feeling and looking, better than ever, bless him. Gilligan is taking it all in his stride and seems entertained by Greggory's antics.
11/30/03 Well, I don't know where the last month went! Still no computer to get pictures onto website. Nothing too exciting happening anyway, though Greggory has graduated to the 'big saddle'. He's so funny, he still looks a lot like a baby but the little stinker is nearly as big as Rambo! Rambo is really having problems with his joints since I had to remove his shoes and couldn't keep him worked and in shape. He's gone downhill in the last couple of months and I'm now having to take drastic measures to bring him back. Unfortunately, my farrier still can't get shoes on him yet. Not really sure how this will turn out, but giving him every chance I can, to get back to being sound enough to ride. Really depressing though. I haven't ridden in months. Saxon is doing great, I should get on him I suppose. Getting lazy in my old age.
10/28/03 Happy Birthday to my sister Viv!! What a drive to pick up my trailer. I was on the road for seven hours, but it was worth it. I could hardly tell I was towing a trailer on the way home- except, when I looked in my rearview, all I could see was white. Greggory is getting so damn big! Ever since I got him, I have a habit of resting my arm on his rump when I walk behind him while he's eating. Well, every now and then, it hurts my shoulder to do that and I have to stop and look at him, then I can see why, he's much higher now and I can't reach up there so easily! It's wierd- I knew he was going to get big- but it still amazes me when I actually notice him growing. I put a saddle on him tonight, for the first time! He jumped away at first but then decided that was too much trouble and just stood there like a dope. I was thinking of laying across his back but I would need a leg up, he's so tall.
10/24/03 Going to pick up my trailer tomorrow. It's a three hour drive to Lexington so I'll be gone all day. At least the weather's supposed to be nice.
10/20/03 Looks like I finally found a trailer! A new Sundowner warmblood size with dressing room! Will have to drive down to Lexington to pick it up later this week, but I got a great deal on a 2003 model- and ten year term financing will keep my payments nice and low. I am still working from this bloody laptop, which is why I haven't been able to post pictures for weeks- but Greggory is doing great and has grown another inch- now at almost 16hands and still only 16 months old. Also, I've been working with him a bit. He now wears a surcingle (girth) and doesn't object to the tension around his ribs. I'll be tacking him up soon!
10/1/03 Got a new truck!! A 1998 GMC Sierra Club Coupe extended cab with 64k miles, drives like new and is in great condition. Another green one, but green is my favorite colour. It has a 5.7 V8 with 4spd auto trans, all the bells and whistles too! Has a third door for easy access to the back seat and a matching fiberglass lid enclosing the bed, plus a CD player that holds ten cd's. I'm in love! Pictures to come. Will be looking for a trailer next!
9/29/03 Well, it looks like I don't get to see the other truck till tomorrow. The dealer called to say they had to do some cosmetic touch-ups and the paint won't be dry enough to drive it. It's not looking good for that truck, I may end up with the GMC K1500 Sierra, if they can give me a better interest rate. Either that, or I'll just keep the Sonoma.
9/28/03 Have to make a choice tomorrow. Do I stick with the Sonoma, or go for the V8 so I'll be able to pull a trailer? I love the Sonoma, but do I want to be stuck with another small truck for the next five years? I'd love to keep it and get a big one too, but let's be practical. Ok, I'll get the Hummer instead.I have no idea what's going to be parked outside, this time tomorrow. But I'll go to bed, dreaming of the Hummer:)
9/25/03 Well, the barn roof did take a beating. About a 25' section of the metal was torn away from the wood, just peeled back like a sardine can, right over where we keep the hay! It's fixed now though. Am still waiting for my other computer so I can download pictures. Oh, I got to test drive a Hummer2 for half an hour! Courtesy of 'Hank' at Carmax. I can only say "amazing, unbelievable, awesome, truly a thrill" well, I could go on. Simply the best driving experience ever, and they only want 47k for it! So, I had to settle for a GMC Sonoma 4x4, but have my eye on it's big cousin, a K1500 Silverado 4x4. Both are used and have around 65k miles, but the big truck is $4k more and 3yrs younger. I have 3 days to decide.
9/18/03 Hurricane Isabel is threatening to cause flooding and possible power outages in our area. By 4pm today, it's just blowing a lot and raining, but we're getting the brunt of it later tonight into the early morning hours. Fingers crossed- the barn roof doesn't blow off again!
9/11/03 Okay, back from vacation (kidding). Just been sidetracked slightly. Rambo is still sore, the shoe had to be reset but it's still uncomfortable for him. I feel like taking them all off and letting him go barefoot a while. Went to look at a friend's horse property, just north of Charlottsville, yesterday. Could be persuaded to move down there!
9/5/03 Rambo's still lame so only walked him. I'm concerned about how long it's taking for him to feel better. He's never been this sore for this long.
9/2/03 Rode Rambo but didn't accomplish much. He's still a bit sore from the last shoeing. Greggory's grown another inch!
9/1/03 Added very important text to 'Gilligan' page. Please check it out and pass it on, he's anxious to get the word out (and the barn cats have worried looks on their faces!?)
<8/31/03 Finally, some cooler weather. Should be back riding tomorrow, all being well. Though, my back is still not 100percent.
8/29/03 My back is feeling much better today, but not going to ride for a few more days- so frustrating!
8/28/03 Well, no riding for a while now. Put my back out again. Can barely walk, let alone ride or work with Greggory. Am forcing myself to walk on the treadmill, but not sure if I should be doing that. It's that- or go crazy though.
8/25/03 Back in the saddle again after almost two weeks! Rambo lost a shoe and half his hoof with it, so has been too footsore to ride. Did pretty good this morning though. Everyone else doing fine too. Will post more pics when I get my computer back.
8/20/03: Added text and photos to 'Greggory's page'. Also added photos to 'Faccombe Manor'.
Handsome boy: Rambo.
8/17/03: Added to 'How it all began' two new stories of horses I've worked with- 'Rannayya' and 'Man Tann'.(both are WIP)
8/16/03:Picture taken from inside barn while cleaning stalls.
8/15/03: Craig's 20th birthday!. Measured Greggory and got a shock. 15.1hh at fourteen months!(maybe I was wrong about him not being big for a Shire?)Having his feet trimmed today- that'll take him down a peg:) Added to 'Poetry'-a poem by my brother Stuart-'The World'.Nice one! Thanks for sending it in. Would love to hear more poetry from all. Send it in- I'll post it.
Gilligan wants to let you know he's doing just fine and thanks for signing the guestbook!Hope you guys up north get your power back on soon.
8/12/03:Added 'Nathan'(The story of a problem horse I worked with in CA.)to 'How it all began'. Also, to 'Susan' page, added pictures and text to 'California Desert'and to'Poetry', added 'To Shine'
8/11/03:Changed Greggory's page and added his new picture to the 'intro' page.
8/9//03:Rambo continues to improve, more so, in his flatwork than jumping!. I have to be careful not to overdo the jumping as his knees could cause him problems and I don't want to jeopardize his lovely movement.( Guess I'll have to wait till Greggory is old enough to start jumping before I can get my fix.) Below are some pictures taken from video (sorry about the quality) but you can see how nicely Rambo wants to move. I wish I had a trailer!!
This is a lovely picture I think.
We actually made it over the wall!
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8/8/03: Added "California desert creatures" on 'Susan' page. Also, added to 'poetry'.
8/7/03:Added text to "Saxon's Story" and "poetry".
8/4/03: Added to 'Susan' page with- 'Henry'- 'the loss of my parents' and 'poetry'. Also added to 'How it all began' with- 'Eckersley's Farm'
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8/01/03:Added text to "Passion For Wildlife" on "Susan" page. Happy Friday! Rambo gets the day off today. "yawn"- too tired to ride. He was super, yesterday. I jumped him quite a bit and took video, alas though, the quality of the pics, taken from the video is crap, so not going to bother posting those.
I'd like to be able to report, Greggory is calming down some, but a picture's worth a thousand words.......
I refuse to comment on this one.
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7/31/03: He wants to let you know how he's feeling!
He seems to think, because he has 'feathers' he can fly.
I give up!
Taking a bow after his performance.
My future dressage horse.
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7/29/03:Rambo.
As Rambo gets fitter, he's also being a little silly over the jumps. He's 'looking' for scary spooky things in them and jumping too big. His flatwork though, is wasted, out of the dressage ring! He needs to go to a show.
7/29/03- PS. I'v added text to pages "how it all began" and "Susan"... later.....
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7/27/03:GREGGORY FEELING HIS OATS!
While taking pictures of the barns, to add to the page "Montcalm Farm", Greggory decided the picture needed a little action. He appeared from nowhere and totally 'ruined' my shot- He thinks- NOT.
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Me and Rambo,Friday morning ride.7/25/03
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7/23/03:
After yesterday's heavy rainfall, the ground is finally soft enough to get back to doing what I love to do more than anything else, jumping! Rambo was feeling good and fairly relaxed, so I thought I'd try him over a couple of jumps. After a few minutes of basic warm up on the flat, I was heading for a small crossrail, that we've jumped many times before, has to be 18" high tops. Well, we're trotting up to it nicely, when I suddenly feel him tense up , mind you, we're only two trides away and he puts the brakes on, throws up his head and walks right through the damn thing!
He'd seen something on the fence ahead, a crow or something. So I popped him on the head, between the ears with my crop (not hard enough to hurt, just to get his attention), then off we went again. This time I decided to come into the treble jump ( series of three jumps in a row, with canter strides between each jump) from the other direction. He was more committed this time so I rode him through, first he took the small crossrail, then jumped the upright, perfectly.Then (and here's where it becomes exciting for me), I was faced with the decision to either pull him out, away from the brick wall jump, or go for it.
I had built this brick wall last year, but as of yet, never attempted to jump it. Well he was just flowing through on a nice stride, so I kept him centered and held him firmly between my hands and legs . He was definitely looking at it and thinking twice , so I prepared for either a flat out refusal, or a huge overjump that could unseat me. Without doing anything drastic, which might make him more nervous, I kept my cool, he kept his, we met it perfectly and he soared over and cleard it by a good foot. On landing, it was as if he was just as proud of himself, as I was of him. He put his head down and tried to buck!. I was ready for him though and sat deep and just let him 'feel good' for a few strides. Boy, did he get goodies after that. My reward? I'm still feeling the high!
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Ps> am working on getting pictures of Rambo actually jumping the fences, which is not that easy when you're up on top trying to stay there!.... Later..........
7/24/03Thursday morning- Almost got bucked off this morning! Rambo is getting a little cocky (there's nothing 'little' about this guy) We jumped the wall again and this time he jumped it huge and I barely stayed on, so when he landed and started bucking, it got pretty scary for a while. I had my video cam on the fence post so was thinking 'at least I have film of me dying', but the darn thing wasn't recording.
After his episode of 'fooling around', he gave me some really nice flatwork and a fairly decent 'passage' (almost slow motion ,very elevated, cadenced trot). This felt better than any jumping I've done! (especially this morning:p
