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The Challenge | The Trainers and Students | Event Information

Thursday, July 29

My super farrier put front shoes and pads on Sterling yesterday, which was a lengthy process, and I'll admit I was a little cautious about the whole thing, since Sterling isn't even really used to having his feet done yet (as they've only been trimmed a few times in his whole life!), but he stood like a PRO! He was super good for his first set of shoes, and afterwards he walked off sound :). Although I had to laugh at the funny way he put his fronts down - as though they were so heavy he could hardly move them.

Today I brought Sterling out, crossing my fingers, to test the new kicks, and found that he is almost completely sound just from having the shoes and pads on. You can see, though, that he isn't used to having the extra weight on his hooves, and he moves a little funny because of it. I would guess, too, that since he's a lanky but not very muscly boy, that his front legs and shoulders are probably feeling the strain of the extra weight right now. I'm hoping he gets used to the strange feeling and starts moving more freely, but I am super thrilled that we seem to have found a solution to his lameness and tender-footedness.

In YouTube video I made, you can see his walk, trot, canter, and the beginnings of a jog trot (which I'm sure a pleasure trainer could perfect in no time), and his expertise over the tarp, the bridge, and the poles, as well as a little bit of pivoting. He really is a sweetheart (I just got in from a little snuggle session as I took his fly mask off for the night). Tomorrow we're heading to a friend's farm, along with Guy, for a day of playing with a couple horsey friends and another trailer trip! Update to follow :).

Here's the link to the YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgwBVOAIfgY

Wednesday, July 21

Poor Sterling, handsome and willing boy that he is, went off his feed a few weeks ago. I was pretty concerned, since he's kind of lanky and on the slim side to begin with, so I began trying things to coax him to eat up, but to no avail. Thanks to Drew's kindness and my vet's expertise, we diagnosed him with ulcers (and really, when your life has changed this much, who wouldn't have ulcers?!?). He received a full eight days of Ulcerguard, double dose, and has been eating like, well, a horse again! In the week and a half that the ulcers were flaring badly, though, he dropped some weight, and he is slowly putting it back on (but looking GOOD!).

So back to work, I thought, we would go, since he had a couple weeks off to fix his tummy. However, when I began trotting him under saddle again, lameness was apparent in both front feet. We examined his fronts and can't find anything conclusive, like an abscess, but my farrier (also my husband) pushed on his soles and felt them flex underneath his fingers. He thinks the problem may be Sterling's weak, thin soles (which could very well be from being stalled his whole life, and not being able to walk around in the grass and rocks and dirt and develop a nice thick callus on his soles), so we may possibly try shoeing him with pads to try and remedy the problem . . . when we both have time. Hmmmmm . . . midnight shoeing, maybe? It's 8:00 as I write this and I just arrived home, having been working since 6 this morning, and my husband is still gone. No time!

Otherwise, I've been trying to do light schooling with Sterling in the indoor, with the soft sand footing, until we get his lameness thing figured out. So today I thought I'd throw my jumping saddle on him and finally move up from the western saddle I steal from the hubby for young horse training :). Sterling, in the humidity and with the 'sore' front feet, proceeded to throw out a buck and rampage around the lunge line, leaving me to stare at my close contact jumping saddle with chagrin, thinking it was a good thing my cellular device was strapped to my hip!

However, he got the heebie jeebies out and settled down to a super nice jog trot, and proceeded to work under saddle doing everything but cantering (which he has no problem with under saddle, but the sore feet prevent it right now). He sidepassed, did figure eights, turned on the haunches, on the forehand, started stopped backed and sped on command. And then he followed me around while we picked up our mess. What a trooper! He is a sweetheart, and has the natural ability to make somebody a FABULOUS pleasure mount - both english and western, I think! I'll be sad to see him go because of his personality, but I'll be very happy to see somebody riding this gorgeous steel-grey beauty in hunt seat pleasure. Ahhhhh . . . . .

Hopefully some pics to come, of us riding english! Maybe I'll get ambitious and do another vid ;)

Thursday, July 1

Sterling has been doing wonderfully under saddle - we're working on all the basics, plus some stuff for the obstacle course. He took his first big field trip to the Pierce County Fairgrounds to help me coach some 4-H kids last week, and he was an absolute champ!

Right now I'm trying to figure out a feeding program for him, as he is losing weight. I'm guessing, because he's been growing again, that he's putting lots of energy into getting taller and not so much into getting wider! He's proving to be a little bit of a picky eater, so I'm trying a few things to try and get some calories into him, poor guy!

Otherwise, Sterling is enjoying hanging in his paddock with Dillon, who is his new best friend, and he has had his first hoof trim at our place. He continues to be quite the charmer, and I'm really enjoying riding him.

Wednesday, June 2

I have just a smidge of time for a quick update - Sterling is now officially 'started under saddle'! Though he's not yet wearing a bridle, it's a great first step!

You can check out his first big ride at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C87pB4u2wUA

Thursday, May 27

So for anybody who doesn't know the back story on Sterling, he was locked in a stall for over three years. Locked as in never went outside, never interacted with other horses, and the stall was never cleaned. When he came here he was very good for trailering, but I put him straightaway in a stall at my place, since that is what he's accustomed to. In fact, the first day I turned him out in a paddock he ran around twice and then planted his face in the corner of the lean-to and wouldn't come out. I tried enticing him with a handful of grass, which he sniffed and then dismissed as 'something strange, not to be put in my mouth.'

I realized that while Sterling has been really fantastic to work with, he is dealing with a set of issues that I have never seen before - namely, that he has no concept of the outside world whatsoever. He went out to his own paddock to learn how to be a horse on his own time, and I was thrilled a few days later to see him reaching his head through the fenceboards to eat grass!

Sterling was also gelded when he came to MHARF, and I was a little concerned about having a five-year-old recent gelding on our farm, since our fencing isn't set up for stallions and we do have mares and geldings together. And, actually, the first day Sterling went outside to live he must have started feeling strange things in the hormone department, because there was a good deal of rearing and striking going on. While he didn't strike at me (only out in the paddock), he did do a little rearing and I spent a couple sessions reviewing the concept of ground manners and addressing some aggressiveness issues.

It is amazing, though, what it will do for a horse to be turned out (and now he has a paddock buddy whom he shares all his grain with), because after about two days Sterling settled right down and has put 175% into all of our training sessions. He has worn two different saddles, learned endless ground control, played horsey soccer, worn a tarp, and bonded with me. I admit, I'm having fun with him - he is an absolute darling thus far.

I am hoping to get on his back sometime before the weekend is out, and we'll go on from there to learning about bit control and maybe do a little ground driving. I promise to update soon (I've given up on waiting around for free time to find me, and I'm multitasking by updating this while eating dinner and playing with the new puppy).

> Back to the Trainers and Students

To get in touch with Rachael Walker regarding Sterling, or to set up a time where you can meet them both, please feel free to contact Rachael via e-mail at rgwalker@walkerfarms.info or at 715-307-3762.

About Rachael Walker: I'll spare you the details of how I was a horse-crazy girl (who wasn't???) and all the hours of stall picking that went into leasing and then boarding a horse - suffice to say I have arrived at this point in my life with horses, and I plan to go all the way to the end of my life with them.

Currently I am without a true mount of my own, but I am an eventer by preference of discipline(s), and Drew is very kindly keeping her eyes open for an OTTB that can hopefully partner me.

In the meantime, she has coerced me into taking on Sterling, by virtue of the fact that he would very much like to be a hunter pleasure horse, and I ride english. I admit, I was cautious. I am forever saying I'm not going to take on any more unbroke horses, and yet I find myself in these situations. So Sterling and I are going to be all leggy and english together, and maybe learn to jump a few little things on the way.

My husband, George, and I own Walker Farms in Beldenville, WI. We do pretty much everything, meaning I train, teach, ride, and do all things eventer, and he is a farrier by profession. In all our spare time we farm with a team of Belgians, raise pasture chickens for sale, raise hogs, play with our two useless (but totally cute!) goats, and engage in leisure activities such as digging post holes for fence lines, stacking hay, fixing trailer tires, and chasing two Corgis around. I also coach the IHSA hunt team for the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, during the school year.