Horses And Poker

When you think of cowboys from the old west days, horses and poker both come to mind.  Joe and I both started this week with an exciting weekend, he with poker in Iowa and I with my horse at a riding clinic in Crossville.  I love horsing around, especially if it involves riding.  Joe on the other hand, prefers playing poker, specifically Texas Hold'em. 
There actually is a game of poker called HORSE.  It is really an acronym for a combination of five poker games:

• Hold'em.
• Omaha Hi/Lo.
• Razz (Seven card stud low)
• Stud (Seven card stud high)
• Eight-or-better (Seven card stud high-low)

Also while googling the words horse and poker, I discovered there are many riding events (usually fund raisers) that involve poker on horse back.  That would be cause for me to start playing poker, otherwise forget it.  But I doubt it would get Joe to start riding.

Saturday I was up before 5 am, in spite of the late night bedtime.  I was so excited (and nervous) about the weekend.  I sat here at my computer, catching up, while having just one cup of tea and then put all my pre-selected and pre-made food items into my cooler.  And soon I was off.  It was nice I didn't have the dog (who was at the kennel) to slow me down.






I got to Christie's 30 minutes ahead of my schedule, and took a look around at all the trailers that had gotten there since Friday afternoon.  I unloaded hay from my trailer (seen above) and took care of feeding and watering Amiga.  She was very interested in what was going on out in the round pen (seen right). 

There were twelve colts, that had arrived after dark the night before.  A mare with her colt would be staying to go home with one of the clinic participants.  The rest would be leaving soon to make their third and final leg of their trip from out west to North Carolina. 

After cleaning Amiga's outside stall and getting her brushed and tacked, I had 15 minutes to spare, so I let her graze while waiting.  Seen behind Amiga is Christie's four stall barn, including kitchen, full bath, wash rack for the horses, and plenty of storage space.

While standing with Amiga grazing, the colt haulers hooked their truck to the stock trailer that was parked with the back end towards the round pen gate (seen in left photo), with a shoot connecting the two.  The side of Christie's covered outdoor arena is seen in this photo.

 

Once it was time for the Barb Gerbitz Intermediate Clinic to start (Barb has trained under Buck Brannaman), I walked Amiga into the arena with the other 11 horses.  While they were doing a sound check, the colts were getting loaded.  This (video) shows them working with the last eight, trying to get them on the trailer with the four that had already gotten on.  At the end of the video, Amiga started walking off without me and I had to go get her.  So I didn't catch the final loading, but soon the round pen was empty and the truck with trailer pulled out.  The remaining mare and her colt were not happy to be left behind.

Our clinic started with ground work - a series of structured exercises performed on the ground with a horse, which helps your horse work more relaxed, in balance, and correctly responding to the aids when the rider is in the saddle.  There are tons of articles on the internet that discuss the importance and benefits of ground work.  I really like (this one).


This is Barb riding Holly, a horse Christie had kind of rescued.  In the photo, you will notice that Barb is riding her with just a halter and lead rope.  As it turns out, she is a great horse, but needed to be 're-started' with ground work, that she appeared to be lacking.  Christie had been working on this for a month before the clinic, so Holly did great.  By the end of the clinic, one of the participants purchased her.   Anyway, because her name was Holly, it sometimes caused some confusion on my part.  Barb would say, "Look at Holly and notice how she is dropping her right shoulder."  And I would think it was me she was addressing.

Amiga did fairly well on the ground exercises because Christie has twice worked with her.  I need to get better because I mix up my cues.   This (video) shows the participants as we watched and listened to Barb.


Jan (seen standing at the round pen here) audited the clinic both days, and helped support me in many ways; from showing me a thumbs up, to holding Amiga while I ran to the restroom, to taking lots of videos of us, and to giving me words of encouragement (to name a few).







After a one hour lunch break, we started the afternoon session in the round pen.  Seen in bottom right foreground of right photo, the mare and yearling who were left behind.  They were really calling out when the trailer of colts first left.



Barb had three to five participants at a time go in to the round pen with her.  She would work with each of us individually on one or two of our personal goals.  Seen left, part of the cheering section, watching and picking up great tips.  This was some of the riders who had just gone or were waiting to go into the round pen.

This photo of Katie riding her quarter horse, the upper right photo, and the lower photo were all taken by Mandy Howe.  In the lower photo I am sitting on Amiga who was resting after her work out.  Our round pen session was kind of a train wreck until Amiga and I both caught on.  I thought we were to be riding with just leg cues.   So at first (video) Amiga was taking me for a ride, moving fast and turning when she wanted.  This shows me how much I rely on my reigns for direction and speed control.

In all fairness to me, I couldn't hear what Barb was saying much of the time and didn't know I was supposed to be using my reigns to stop Amiga from tipping her nose left and then spinning that way (video).  Once I realized this and Amiga finally got tired and slowed down, things got better (video).  It was during this session that I realized I really needed to stay completely tuned in to Amiga and stay connected with her and be prepared to correct her before she makes her move.



We didn't finish with our afternoon session until close to 5:00.  I took care of Amiga's needs first, then set up my sleeping bag in the tack room of our trailer.  I had to put the gold towel over the saddle rack so I wouldn't forget it was there and run into it.  Or if I did hit it, it wouldn't hurt so much.  I came and went through the side door (seen to the left, partly open) that leads into the back of the trailer where all my tack, grooming supplies, feed buckets, and hay were.  This photo was taken from outside through the opening of the other door.







I had a picnic dinner including a sandwich from Jan.  Then I went to Christy's house to hang out for a bit.  Several of the clinic participants were there along with Barb.  I also met Christie's husband Norm, their four cats and her dog Cooper.  So many wonderful people and a very lovely home.

It was early to bed and I slept well in the trailer.  The pain reliever/sleep aid did it's job.  So I was up Sunday, before the sun, at 5:15.  I read horse magazines and my Amish mystery, in the barn kitchen while my tea steeped.









After breakfast and the sun started to rise, I started on chores; rolled up sleeping bag and stowed it and lawn chair pads and blanket in the car, fed and watered Amiga, cleaned her outdoor stall, stowed the extra bale of hay in the tack room, and neatened up the trailer.  I had extra time on my hands, so decided to clean my saddle while watching others rise and shine and do their chores.

The clinic started back up at 9:00, with a review and answering of questions.  After a little more ground work, we were in the saddle working on leg and rein cues to turn on the forehand, turn on the haunches, and backing.  Backing was done quite differently, so this may be one new technique I choose not to adopt.



Mike had come with Jan for part of the morning session.

After lunch we worked on ground poles, first from the ground, getting our horse to step where needed to not hit them.  We started at a walk and moved to a trot.  Then we worked from in the saddle (video).  Seen below, I was impress with the ladies who had their horses stand at the fence and got on them from there.  Amiga always swings her rear out and away when I try this out in the field, to ride her back to the barn bareback.

Amiga did great at placing her feet to miss the poles, even at a trot.  I think she has gotten good at this from all our rides out on the woodland trails with rocks and logs in the path.  It was a ton of fun riding Amiga through the poles, however, when we picked up the trot Amiga would increase speed and start to canter, so I had to circle her (in a small circle) to slow her down (video).

Near the end of our afternoon session, we lined up our horses forming a path down the middle of the arena.  Then three at a time, riders would trot the poles around the outside of the arena and canter down the 'gauntlet' in the middle.  Seen right, Christie is cantering her big horse and I am on Amiga, standing watching.  We were to keep our horses still and quiet in this spot, which was not a problem because Amiga was tired.  I had to correct her when she laid her ears back each time one particular mare went bye.  Bad horsey.  When it was my turn to ride, cantering the gauntlet, at first Amiga would take off too fast or turn on me.  After Barb's suggestion, I really paid attention to Amiga, finally connecting with her and getting her to respond to my cues.  This (video) was my final run, much improved.  It was a blast.

The clinic didn't get finished until 4:30, so I was a little distracted and concerned because Kaylah (along with her two young boys) were waiting to take my trailer (with Amiga) back to Wildwood.  I also had to call Shirley to pick up Maggie at the kennel because I wasn't going to be able to get there in time.
Seen left, the wonderful group who attended the clinic.  We had a great time of learning & development!  The clinic take-aways listed here, mostly for me to refer back to are: * I need to make calculated corrections - to know the right moment, the right type, and the right degree of correction.  * I have been letting Amiga take me for a ride, instead of riding her (directing her and controlling her speed).  I need to stay completely tuned in to her and be prepared to stop her from going her way or doing her thing.  *Amiga tips her nose left, just before turning that way, which I need to block the second I detect it, to keep her moving straight.  * Amiga drops her left shoulder during ground work and comes into my space, which is a big no no that I need to watch for and correct.

Barb on Holly while Kathleen works.

I would also like to emulate several of Barb's characteristics.  Not only is she a beautiful cowgirl, but she always puts the horse first.  She is very experienced, knowledgeable, passionate, goal oriented, and willing to answer questions.  When working with any horse (and us riders for that matter) she was always patient, calm, un-emotional, positive, understanding, and firm.  She has an instinct and timing I lack, and causes as little stress & fear as possible.  And she always has a solution or helpful hint.

I was a little over my head in this intermediate level clinic, not having all of the foundation most of the other riders had.  And some things were not always clear to me because I did'nt know all the terminology.  For example, Barb would explain to use the McCarty a certain way and I didn't even know what it was.  Come to find out, it is an extra rope attached to your bridle that can be used in several ways, and I didn't even have one. 

Amiga loaded nicely (fairly calm and in five minutes) and Kaylah did a great job driving the trailer back to Wildwood, pulling it with her truck.  (This was the second time she has pulled a trailer.)  Unloading, Amiga was the usual cannon ball being shot from the trailer.  At least she completely stops once all four feet are on solid ground.  I put her in the round pen to eat grass and roll if she wanted while I unloaded the trailer.

The sun was setting and night was soon upon us.  Zorro and Rocky can be seen in the bottom right corner of the photo below.

I had an extra bale of hay so put it under the tree in the gelding pasture for Zorro and Rocky.

Maggie and the cats were delighted to see me when I arrived home.  I fed them all a late dinner and then took a much needed shower before eating and then unloading my car.

It was 8:00 by the time I sat down here, and I quickly saw that Joe had done quite well in his weekend of poker, and that he would be playing a third day, rather than coming home.  This photo was taken and posted Monday when they started up play again.

Monday morning I worked on last week's blog while waves of storms blew through, some dumping a ton of rain (three inches total by the end of the day).


I tried to get Maggie out during the breaks in the precipitation but got soaked a few times.

I went to Ballroom aerobics, getting my somewhat sore body moving, which was good.  The stretch at the end of class was especially needed.



I stopped in at Shirley's on the way home and we chatted for quite a bit.  We always have plenty to talk about.

Once home, I had decided to stay put for the day, as more rain came.  I did go out to get some photos of the drainage ditch to make note of where it needs some additional work.

I also got sprinkled on another time while walking the dog, so I decided to turn on the fire to dry us off and warm us up.

While sitting here finishing up and posting last week's blog, I was quite distracted by up-dates of Joe's standing in the poker tournament, which went from noon till 6 pm.  

While Joe was jockeying for top position at the poker table, our three pet kids were doing the same for the dog bed and hearth.  As for me, I was up and down, unable to sit still, checking in on Joe's progress.  


Finally, sometime after 6:00 I got the news.  Joe won the WPTDeepStacks Iowa Main Event at Riverside Casino.  It was posted on Facebook by his sister Teresa (who was at the Casino) and then later by WPT.

I am not a big fan of Joe's poker playing, but I must say, I am mighty proud of him for winning this.  I am also pretty excited about the extra money too.  Seen left with Joe, Tracy and Teresa who there watching the exciting ending.

Tuesday morning this buck wandered through the back, about 30 minutes after the herd of doe and this year's offspring.  Later I discovered some damage to trees he probably did.  Bad boy buck.









I finally got serious about getting some blogging done and stayed focused all morning.  I loaded several horse videos from the weekend onto Facebook and got all my photos and notes organized.

I had to stay close to home because two of our older, swivel desk chairs were getting picked up by Habitat.

Once Joe arrived at Patty's new house, I picked up Brian and we headed to Patty's to help Joe unload.  We got a slow start because the U-haul door was hung up on something and wouldn't open.  Once open, the unloading went fast.

 



I called the vet when I got home because again,  Monita was really sneezing a lot, her eyes were watery, she had the sniffles, and her breathing was raspy.  Although she is still full of energy and very playful, these cold symptoms concerned me because she has an appointment for spaying on 11/14 and needs to be healthy.

I am fairly certain Monita has (FHV-1) which can go dormant and then re-emerge when a cat has a weakened immune system or is under stress.  Maybe her first series of shots given last week triggered this.  The vet decided to put her on another round of antibiotics, so I dropped by his clinic to pick more up.

From there I went to the Wellness Center to lift weights.  I didn't have time to get them all in before the stretch class started.  Boy did it feel great to stretch out my tired, sore muscles.  Joe had gone shopping so we had store bought salads at 6:30 when I got home.  It was a quiet evening and early to bed for me.  Joe was basking in the glory of his poker win and making plans for his all inclusive trip he also won, to play at a big tournament in Ca. in early December.

Wednesday morning it seemed the sun was slower (or just later) than usual to come up.  I hate having the days get shorter.  Once the sun did hit this side of the earth, it was very foggy out.








After Ballroom aerobics I brought outside potted plants in and watered everything because it was going to get cold.



Monita, like Stevie, is always ready to help me, or at least supervise.  However, pretty soon both cats started tasting the plants I had just brought in.  





I went to the barn to ride and just as Kaylah's husband arrived with her new horse in our trailer, Joe got there to take the trailer to pick up his new 'horse' that had been in the shop.

The winter rye in the bean field was lush and I let Amiga graze awhile, as a reward for being good out on the trail.  We also practiced turns and keeping at a walk doing the weave poles.







These two photos were taken a few weeks ago, by Art, when I rode with Pat to take Rocky to Terry's.  Unfortunately, it wasn't a good fit for him to be over there and now he's happy to be back with Zorro and two new young geldings.

Trailering the scooter went well for Joe and so did his driving test at the DMV.  The thought of him zipping around on this cycle definitely makes me concerned.  His 'horse' is more predictable than mine, but goes much faster and is traveling in a lot more dangerous terrain (conditions being the road with crazy drivers).









When I got home at 3:30, I contemplated doing some yard work, but quickly talked myself out of it.  I was cold, it was 55 degrees cold and windy out, it would be getting dark fairly soon, and I was tired.

It was a poker night for Joe, and he had to go to show off his trophy.  So it was a quiet, snugly evening here at home for me and my fur babies.  This is Stevie's cute little paw, that even without claws, can be quite handy for her to get into trouble.

I did get off my duff and take Maggie for a long walk at day's end.  In the left photo, our two round deck lights can be seen across the pond.

The right photo was taken while I was standing on the cart path leading up to the 18th fairway.  The 17th green is seen with its fairway and the mountains beyond.

Thursday morning I continued to try to get caught up on blogging.  Not only had Joe used the trailer to get his motor scooter home, but he also drug home this riding mower that he got a great deal on.  He had mowed Patty's grass with it first, but it was really too big for her yard.

I spent the whole afternoon working in the yard.  Notice the weeping willow I have down back, has had a third of its trunk diameter stripped of bark, for over two feet of it.  That bad boy buck really damaged this poor tree.  There were two others I noticed, but they were just scrub brush I wasn't all that fond of.

Before constructing this deer-proof caging around the tree, I dumped a large bag of garden soil around its trunk because some of its roots were exposed.  Then I planted all the bulbs Brian had given me.  

I also moved a bunch of dirt from the creek to low lying areas of the oasis, which is why the grass looks so muddy.  I plan to do another layer of leaves and then mud from the creek and will plant new seed in the spring because this low ground still needs to be raise up more.

Next I moved this red bud from beside the front of the deck to this spot behind the bench by the pond.  I decided I really want a dogwood in front of the deck.  Their leaves are smaller, they grow 'lacier' looking, and it is easier to see through their foliage.

For dinner, we went to Stonehenge to dine with Nolan and Lisa.  Seen right, Joe was texting them our location and I was giving him grief for standing at the table and not sitting to join me.  He was so engrossed in his messaging he didn't notice them come up to our table.  LOL.  We enjoyed our food and then we all splurged and got a brownie sundae for desert.  

Joe and I ended our evening by the fire watching our two survivor shows.  Of course the critters all joined us there.

I horsed around Friday from 9:30 till 2:30, riding for almost four hours.  The creek was running full on Holly Trail when I crossed it.  Blogger did it again, turned my photo without my wanting it to.
 
Amiga and I met Jan and Cash out on the trail.  While riding, Jan and I practiced some different things we had learned during the clinic.  A couple of times Amiga spun left on me, but usually I anticipated it and circled her to the right just before she could make her move.

When we got to Terry's we practiced several maneuvers from the saddle, in a round pen like setting, only without a round pen.  Karen, seen here, was taking a break from chores.  She was filling in for Terry who was out of town.









I didn't have time to start any of my outside projects, so I showered and napped.  Before I knew it, it was time to get dressed up, back into my Halloween costume used a week ago.  Shirley picked me up at 5:30 and we were off to met up with Judy and continue on to R-Place.

Donna had saved a table for a bunch of us (16 total).  We had a tasty dinner, more than I could finish.  Sherri and Mary came a little bit later and then the band got started.  They were more country than rock, but played plenty of fun songs.  There was also plenty of dancing going on as well (video).












I was in the running during the costume contest, but a cute scarecrow was the crowd's favorite.  I liked Mike's costume (seen above) and his sense of humor.

Joe, seen with me in overly dark left photo, showed up at 10:00, after he had left the poker table.  The band played one more set and we enjoyed a few dances together.  It was almost midnight by the time we got home.  What could be better than horses, poker, dancing, and Halloween fun?