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The Ginger Giraffe, part 1

Eventing Nation's UK connection, aka lec, recently adopted a rescue horse and generously offered to take us on a multi-part tour of the horse's development.  Today she writes about how she came to find the "ginger giraffe" and their first few weeks together.  Thanks for writing this lec and thank you for reading.   

----


From Lec:  


I have always had a joke with my trainer that as soon as I get to the 2* level I can give up horses. It's a good enough level that you are above average but its also a level that I believe is achievable to an amateur who works full time. I have not gotten close enough to this target so I am still riding!

 

Rodney was supposed to be my steed in this quest. I had such a feeling that he was going to be an awesome horse. He was great in the dressage, ok in the show jumping depending on how spooky he was being, and brave on the cross country. Unfortunately things started to unravel especially in the show jumping and in 2009 Rodney was diagnosed with chronic hock arthritis. Two lots of injections failed and I was left with a lame horse who was only 11 years old. Roll on to 2010 and Rodney is now thankfully sound and I have loaned him to a friend who wants to do low level stuff with him and just have fun.


Rodney before the problems!

So I was left horseless with very little money to spend on another horse. I went to see some problem horses who had the right breeding and were cheap but had an issue like a mean buck in them. None of these really appealed to me and so I was debating going to Ascot horse sales and buying an ex racer.

 

Then my mother (who is horsey) went to a dinner party with an old family friend and after quaffing a few alcoholic beverages went out and looked at the friends new horses and told her that I was looking for a new horse. The next day my mother told me to ring the friend and tell her if I was interested in having the horse that she had looked at. I asked my mom for details but all she could remember was that he had a nice head. My mother said to go and see the horse but I trusted our friend and so I said I would have him. This was 4 weeks ago and the horse known as the ginger giraffe is still with me and I rather like him!



Arthur is a 17.1hh gelding who is 7 years old. He is a Danish Warmblood with Weltmeyer dressage lines and a lot of trotter in him (I keep telling myself not to worry about this as the French use a lot of trotter in their show jumpers) and he was only broke just recently.  The family friend bought Arthur in march to save him from being sold as meat.  At that time, he was covered in encrusted muck and had his head collar engrained into his face. He could not be turned out in public when he was finally bought because the welfare charities would have justifiably gone crazy.  Even though you might be able to explain having one horse like this, my friend had bought two from the same place to give them a chance of life, so we had to be careful. Arthur spent a few months with my friend being bought back to health and being taught the basics about life. He was very clingy to other horses and very funny about his mouth and having a headcollar on (not surprisingly). There was a lot of muck encrusted into his elbows and he unfortunately got septicaemia in his leg but he managed to survive this and now has baggy elbows.



Arthur was sent away to be broken by a very good horseman and after a couple of weeks he came to me. So far he seems to have a really chilled personality apart from when it comes to picking up his hind legs. Having been flung across the yard once, I am a little wary about this now. Slowly he is getting better with picking up his hind legs and he is now able to be shod. I may have lost a battle but I will win the war!! So far he has been out hacking lots and will now ride on all the roads by himself and go over motorway bridges. We went to my trainer's for a lesson and they liked him and gave me some things to work. It was a group lesson and Arthur was in fact better than Rodney, who should know better. I have also taken Arthur to a local horse show and ridden him around just to get used to the atmosphere and lots of horses and people. Finally, yesterday I jumped him for the first time. Each time I rider him, I have been working on getting his neck longer and helping him to stretch forward into the contact. At the moment he is more ginger giraffe than long and low but it will come. He has no canter at the moment and has this horrid habit of kicking out on the transition. He did not do it jumping or following another horse so I am hoping it's a "forwards" and "youngster with handbrake on" issue. I am very lucky and live only 15 minutes from 6 miles of flat beach so he can learn to follow another horse in canter easily to get him going forwards.



One person said to me the other day he will be a struggle because he was only broken at 7 years old and they said horses are too set in their ways at that age.  But so far Arthur has not proven that and he is actually mentally and physically like lots of 4 year olds I have ridden. I thought it would be interesting for everyone to see the way we do things in the UK and the opportunities that we have. I will make a lot of mistakes along the way so bare with me and there is the possibility if someone offered us mega money he would be sold or if I decide he is not going to be up to scratch he will go back to his owner but until it ends, I hope you will enjoy this journey!

7 Comments

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He is adorable! Good luck and good for you for giving him a new life :)

He's a beauty! Good on you for giving him a second chance. Can't wait to hear about your progress!

Super cute, totally my type. Best of luck with him!

I started a 9 year old that had spent his life in a small corral. He turned out to be(once I survived the sudden transitions from one side of the ring to another, and his rather amusing desire to rub me off at every tree......) one of the best horses I have ever ridden.
Thank you for sharing this adventure!

Lec-
I love this story! Do please keep us going with many updates :)
Arthur's trouble with his hind foot pick-ups combined with the horrid canter departs forces me to write. I had the same in my last TB. He too had a lousy start in life and these 2 symptoms, along with a laundry list of other "odd/quirky" behaviors. He turned out to have EPSM. Once I got him onto a VERY high fat diet and carefully monitored his food intake, he became a different, happy fella. Food for thought is all. He might not be acting badly but rather feeling badly.

We are cracking the hind foot issues - many people mentioned shivers to me when I asked about it but he is fine when he concentrates but he just cannot handle balancing on his legs when his mind is elsewhere. When I first had him I think we spent more time tripping than walking but as the muscle has come this has got better until he gets tired. Anyway I have just entered him in first dressage comp so will get video for a good laugh!


wine on the table rules, men must learn, a woman must understand


- drinking the saying goes, Yuehe Yue wine is thick, but at the reception desk there are a lot of knowledge pay attention to, the following summarizes some of the wine on the table you have to pay attention to small details.
details are: drinking before the leadership of each other turn their toast. Toast to stand up, his hands toast.
details of the two: can people respect a person must not be more than one respect, unless you are a leader.

details of the three: their respect others, if you do not clink, drink yourself how much can the case may be, such as other alcoholic beverages, other alcohol attitude, must not drink less than the other, to respect people know their own .
details of four: his respect others, if the clink, a, I finish, you are free, side was generous.
details of the five: remember to add wine to the leadership or the customer, not blind to the leadership on behalf of the wine, is to generation, but also in leadership or customer looking for someone to do, but also because you want to pretend that he is not drinking In order to give leadership on behalf of the wine and drink. A numerous liquor such as leadership, respect by beating about the bush to prepare the leadership of a person stopped.
details of the six: reach for the glass (beer glass), cups his right hand briefly, his left pad bottom of the cup, remember their cup is always lower than others. If their leader, got the message, point, do not put too low, or how a man called the following?
details of the seven: If there are no special characters present, the best time the needle touched the wine order, not favoritism.
details of the eight: clink, toast, have arguments, otherwise, I tmd Why drink your wine?
details of the nine: do not talk business on the desktop, drink good, business is also almost the same, all inside a clear understanding of the heart, otherwise people will not open up to you to drink.
details of the ten: if, purely if the encounter would not be enough wine, the bottle on the middle of the table, people add their own, Do not be silly not to waste one by one pouring, or the people behind the alcohol and how to do ?

on toast
1, owner of King guest of honor.
2, Peiqia King guest of honor.
3, the guest of honor retaliate.
4, Peiqia mutual respect.
Remember: a stranger must not overwhelming and chaotic toast, that would be very rude, is very respected owner.
5 - pouring tea knowledge
mentioned here both for the customer to the company visits, the same applies to business table.
first tea to clean. The guests came in, let sit, back-up tea. Before tea, must take the tea to wash clean, especially the long-unused tea set, it is inevitable dust, dirt, but also to carefully wash with water again. In tea, the best scalded with boiling water before pouring teapot, cup. In this way, pay attention to health,Coach bags store, but also seems polite. If the cleaner is not clean either tea, wild tea to guests, it is impolite performance. People saw the teapot, cup stain on the trail of nausea, but also how you willing to drink the tea? Companies are now generally disposable cup, the tea cups before one-time pay attention to put the cup holder, so as not to heat hot water, so guests can Duanbei tea moment.
Secondly, tea should be adequate. Let me talk about tea, generally appropriate. Tea should not be too much, nor too little. Too much tea, tea flavor too thick; tea too, nothing out of the tea flavor. If customers take the initiative to introduce their favorite habit of drinking strong tea or weak tea, then by the mouth of the stomach to the guests a good tea. Besides tea, no matter how large cup small cup, are not down too full, too full of easy to overflow the table, stool, floor wet. Not careful, will burn the hands of their own or customers, so that two sides are very embarrassed. Of course, we should not fall too low. If the tea had just cover bottom of the cup on the end to the guests, will make people think it is the bumbling, not sincerity in.
again, some tea to be successfully implemented. In accordance with the traditions and customs of our people, as long as hands are not disabled, the guests are served tea with both hands to the. But now, some young people do not know the rules, gave the guests tea with one hand trouble. Hands should be very careful tea, the cup of a cup ear, usually with one hand grasp the cup ear, boosting the bottom of the cup the other hand, the tea side to the guests. Not filling the tea cup after cup ear the whole body hot, his hands not close, and some comrades just-do, with fingers pinch edges of the cup before the guests get aboard. This method, although some tea can prevent burn accidents happen, but it is unsightly, not enough health. Consider, for guests of the owner's mouth lick finger marks, you feel better?
Tim tea. If your boss and clients need to add a cup of tea, you should obligatory to do so. You can indicate waiter Tim tea, or let the waiter leave the teapot on the table, by adding your own is better in person, it is not know what to say when the best way to cover up. Of course, when the first add tea to the boss and clients add tea, and finally give yourself Tim.
6 - leave
general reception and tea for a long time, about two hours there. Perhaps visit a few times, recognize some people, you soon want to leave. At this time, leave the middle of some skills, you can not understand.
common is a party to get warm when, because someone wants to leave, which leads to the result of crowd agents just quickly disappeared, so that the organizers really anxious hopping. To avoid such unpleasant consequences, if you want to leave halfway, and do not talk to everyone in eleven circles say goodbye, so long as quietly and around two or three people say hello, and then will leave.
picking up and leaving the reception site, be sure to invite you to the master note, an apology, not swiftly vanished.
and greeted the owner, should go at once, do not pull the door to the master in the big talk incessantly. Because the other day to do a lot, there are still many site visitors waiting for him (her) to say hello, too much time on your master account will cause him (her) in front of other guests rude.
Some people attended the reception, tea party, when the half-way ready to leave, will be 11 asking everyone she knows to do a walk. The results have been bustling scene, she was such a agitation, all of a sudden they finish at the advance. This bustling thing, the hardest was the banquet master of understanding, a gentlemanly person, be sure not to commit this clock error.

preparation
wine before drinking can hurt the liver, which is well known channel, in order to minimize the effect of alcohol on the stomach and liver damage, reduce the incidence of fatty liver. Preparatory work before the wine is very important, which is to ensure you never drunk wine on the table the key factor. In to dinner before the first bite to eat at home, something a little cushion for the stomach. It specifically eat what is good? Generally better to eat high-protein, such as eating two eggs, drink milk, soy milk, as these high-protein food in the stomach and alcohol can combine, react, reducing the absorption of alcohol. Also, eat biscuits, cakes, etc. can make the stomach a little something, because an empty stomach drink alcohol in the stomach can easily be absorbed, resulting in easy to drink. Note, do not use salted fish, sausages, bacon drinks, such as smoked food contains a lot of pigment and nitrosamines, and alcohol react not only to liver injury, and damage to oral and esophageal mucosa, and even induce cancer.

In addition, regular or frequent drinking wine server who can try some of the methods documented in ancient books. Anonymous as in the Qing Dynasty wine market proverb, which explains the other hand, the importance of drinking bite. Before drinking, as much as possible eat a la carte, and then drink, its principles and as said earlier. Fasting is strictly prohibited alcohol, both easy to drink, easy Shang Wei. Sober up after drinking measures
after drinking, dizziness, headache, vomiting, and even unconsciousness, drunk to withstand great pain, this time to sober up as soon as possible to reduce the pain caused by drunkenness, and prevent more damage may occur. Here to teach you the recipe for sober approach is simple, drinkers according to their own circumstances, to choose their own way, worth a try.
★ ☆ Beverage white radish juice: raw white radish, washed juice, a little heat dose, every time a cup, 10 minutes time, three times to go to the alcohol solution.
★ ☆ eat cabbage heart: the heart out of shredded cabbage, one is not enough to take two, plus a small amount of sugar and vinegar and mix well pickled thirty-five minutes after the dose, this method soon hangover.
★ ☆ service celery juice: Wash chopped fresh celery juice, drunk as a tea, drink three times (every 5 minutes), this blush for a drink headache effects of brain swelling.
★ ☆ drink fresh orange peel water: two fresh orange Piga 1 kg of water to boil, then add a small amount of salt after shaking drunk as a tea, a cup once, 5 minutes to drink, three times effective.
★ ☆ drink green bean juice: green beans, 2 2, plus Shui Zhushu after drinking the soup with beans such as green beans mashed with boiled water will be a hangover effect.
Also how to reduce drunk due to headache, dizziness, nausea and other symptoms? Here also are a few foods, which is the U.S. National Headache Foundation, researchers found, we may make a reference:
★ ☆ drink honey water treatment headache: a special kind of honey contains fructose, can promote alcohol decomposition of absorption, reduce headaches, particularly red wine-induced headaches. In addition, there are hypnotic effects of honey, can make people fall asleep quickly and wake up the next day will not be a headache.
★ ☆ dizziness tomato juice drink: tomato juice is also rich in particular fructose, can help promote the decomposition of alcohol, one drink 300 ml or more, feeling dizzy after drinking can gradually disappear. If a small amount of salt before consumption, but also help stabilize mood.
★ ☆ fresh grape drink rule nausea, nausea: If you eat before drinking, but also effective in preventing drunk.
★ ☆ watermelon juice drink body heat: watermelon with a goal can be heat, speed up the alcohol from the urine.
★ ☆ eliminate mouth alcohol grapefruit: grapefruit dipped in sugar to eat meat, drink on the elimination of alcohol in the mouth helps a lot.
★ ☆ celery juice drink gastrointestinal discomfort, facial redness: it is because celery is rich in B vitamins, break down alcohol.
★ ☆ yogurt drink irritability rule: yogurt can protect gastric mucosa, slow alcohol absorption, including calcium-rich drink to alleviate irritability particularly effective.
★ ☆ banana drink rule palpitations, chest tightness: drink and eat 1-3 bananas, can increase blood glucose levels, reduce the proportion of alcohol in the blood, to achieve the purpose hangover. At the same time, it can alleviate the symptoms of palpitation, chest depressed elimination.
★ ☆ olive drink anorexia treatment: olive sober since ancient times, Qingwei heat, promoting appetite,
thought that tea can sober up, but I do not know it was falling weight, bladder cold sore, and suffer from phlegm edema. Modern medical research also pointed out that tea will stimulate gastric acid secretion, making it easier for alcohol damage to the gastric mucosa; the same time, theophylline in tea and alcohol as causes rapid heart beat, and more heavy burden on the heart.
sober drug
above the current market there have been many sober drugs, such as Sea King Jinzun, These drugs really work? After all, nothing but the so-called hangover drugs through the following two ways to achieve the purpose of sobering: one can quickly break down what, to lose the effect of alcohol, or blocking of alcohol in the gastrointestinal absorption, reducing the amount of alcohol into the blood, so naturally you can achieve the purpose of sobering, but no matter what the hangover drugs, no matter how effective its magic, there are certain side effects, can not eat, especially for those who often or wine server often entertaining people, even more so. generally do not eat, because even if you take medicine, or alcohol into the body, causing damage to the liver, the best is to drink, to drink, when, with the first while other ways to sober up.
care
drunk drunk themselves often do not know their own behavior, not to take care of themselves, so as relatives or friends must take care to note several aspects :
1. intoxicated persons, such as unsteady gait, should be careful not to let it fall to prevent bruises, or other important parts of the head bump.
2. keep warm, because the decline in physical function drunk , easy to catch cold at this time. Let's head twisted to one side of the drink to prevent them from vomiting, if vomiting, to clear the mouth of vomit, to prevent access to the trachea, causing asphyxia, or pulmonary infection.
3. drink more severe cases, and can not take sober goods, you should make it spit out the stomach contents, you can use your fingers, cotton swabs, etc. to make it into its throat and vomiting. If necessary, you can use warm water or 2 percentage number of sodium bicarbonate lavage fluid. more serious then quickly call 120 or immediately sent to hospital for treatment.



room taboo:
1. implantation child not being
any direction if the child is bad
impact of health and feelings are more likely to affect
outside .. a child is like the soul in the room
make room for human anxiety ..
if we have the best safety in the house ..
see in the bed position ...

2.
if the room was at the side ..
bed room should not be placed on that side by
for housing makes the spirit .. bad-tempered

3.
avoid ...
bed above the ceiling is not whether there is cause to put the spirit of
Health
force pain and other diseases caused by forced sense ...

4.
bed not being on the mouth if the CP or room
room light to avoid dark-colored soft light is too light
If people easily if the light is too dark spleen easily irritable
students love ..

6.
bed gap
To avoid a significant or material .. there are gaps
This is not things develop very ..

7.
bed room if the
position may also not close to the that side of the and to always forward ...
Do not place or thing ...
sound bed rest ..
students are not tokens of love and shadow

9. also possible not to put house plants
or Show aquarium ... the emotional impact ..

10.
room in addition to the outside .. Do not ..
24 per person per day .. just friends ..
very fair too tired and do not give birth to their disease

11.
pillow quilt volume .. ..
best friends than the feelings of happiness ...

12.
of Rooms Do not Health and mouth ..

13.
room do not let antique shadow health .. ..
easily make the blood barrier or even decline
strange and biological or ...


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