Tom Thumb Bits and a One Year Anniversary

 

I just realized that this week is the one year anniversary of me buying my Apache mare.

I decided I wanted to take a little walk down memory lane to remember that time in our lives. It already seems so long ago.

My friend Colleen, an experienced horsewoman, helped me during the “shopping” process, so I wouldn’t make the same mistakes that I made when I bought my first horse a few years ago.

After finding out about “Sugar” aka Apache, we went down into the Rio Grande Valley, loaded her up and brought her back up to Colleen’s ranch, where we spent several weeks getting to know one another, having Colleen test her out, getting vet checks, and having everyone in my family take turns riding her.

This is Colleen riding Apache for the first time, on a very windy day in her arena. 

 

This was Apache’s first ride over at Colleen’s ranch. She had a very fun obstacle course set up on her land.  

 This was my very first ride on Apache and I was a nervous wreck. It had been a year since my first horse injury and subsequent surgery, and I had been taking lessons on several other horses for a couple months by that time, but this was a horse that was basically a stranger to me and to Colleen. Plus there was the added pressure hoping she would work out, but I was also not willing to settle. I need not have worried, though. Apache was perfectly well-behaved.

 

The deal was almost made for me when my daughter rode Apache for the first time…or should I say, was willing to ride for the first time, because before this time, Jen was too afraid to sit on most horses. She must have sensed something special and gentle about Apache, though. And she was thrilled to go for pony rides on her.

 

About a week later, we trailered her over to Cedar Hill Farm to play in the indoor arena and take some lessons during the weekend. It was my first time riding Apache bareback. I used to ride Baby Doll bareback often, but I didn’t know this horse, so I started off a little nervous, but Apache took good care of me. Her back is perfect for bareback riding, too. Very comfy!

 

 But the biggest test of all that Apache had to pass was The Trail Ride. That was the big mistake I made with buying my first horse. Baby Doll was her best when riding in an arena. Out on the trail she was barn sour, cranky and spooky. She’d do 360 spins, crow-hopped, bolted, ran backwards, and spooked big sideways.

Before I bought Baby Doll I took about 2 months of lessons on her at the boarding barn where she was being kept. But I never rode her out on the trails, which is odd because, for me, working in the arena tends to get boring. I yearned to be mosying on down a forested nature trail on my trusty steed.

So, after our day in the arena, the next two days I rode Apache all over the trails at Cedar Hill Farm with a group of friends from Walkin N Circles Ranch Horse Rescue and it was just the way I dreamed it would be.

Wonderful and fun!

This was taken just before we headed out. Apache and I are in the middle and Colleen is just to the left on her very tall paint mare, Kitty. 

 

On the last day of that weekend, I brought Apache home to Laughing Orca Ranch, where she settled in quickly, getting to know her equine neighbors, Scout, Yalla!, Annie and Nadia, my neighbor friend Val’s horses of Fantastyk Voyage Blog

 

 

Nothing fazed her, not even my three goats and two llamas. She was curious and friendly to all. 

 

That same week, I made the drive into town to meet Apache’s owner, so I could finally make her mine. I gave the lady the cash and returned all of “Sugar’s” tack, that we never even used while she was in our care.

Her previous owner warned me to never ride Apache without a tie down, because Apache had reared on this lady several times. I asked her if she had ever floated Apache’s teeth, and she said she didn’t believe in that because horses don’t have it done in the wild.

Notice the Tom Thumb Bit and the full head tie-down in this photo.  

 

A great article about Tom Thumb Bits by Mark Rashid.

And a video with a very strong message concerning Tom Thumb bits from Rick Gore.

This was Apache’s mouth just before her teeth were floated. My equine dentist was kind enough to keep my mare’s mouth open, while pointing out all her dental issues, while I took photos. Apache had some minor stepping, some waves, and many sharp points, but her most serious issue was that 2 inch long hook hanging like a stalactite on the right side there. You can imagine the pain that she must have felt when the Tom Thumb jointed bit cracked up against that tooth. And with the whole head tie down, she had nowhere to go to escape the pain, but up. 

Please get your horse's mouth checked out every year!

 

This is Apache about a week later after her float and vet visit, wearing the new 3-piece French-link D-Ring bit I bought her, along with her new saddle (minus pad). She was very relaxed in her new bit and her new saddle. I didn’t like the feel and swishy noises that the synthetic fenders made, plus my other saddle’s fenders were permanently turned, so along with the latigos, keepers, cinches and saddle strings, I switched them all out for the leather off of my other saddle, and then the new saddle was perfect for me.  This photo makes me laugh seeing my female llama’s head poking up over the saddle, and my male llama’s butt next to Apache’s cheek. They’re such busy-bodies. lol!

 This was taken right before we rode in our first ACTHA Competitive Trail Ride just a month after I bought Apache. It was a themed ride and I went as a pseudo Western Fur Trapper lady…..see my furs strung up on Apache’s back and the raccoon tail on my helmet? lol!

This was taken as we were preparing to complete our first judged obstacle: the bridge. We aced it!

 

Apache and I went on to ride and compete in several more ACTHA Competitive Trail Rides last summer, including this one in June. Man! That was fun!

And then I took Apache up to the Carson National Forest, up near the Colorado border, for a horse camping weekend with a small group of friends from Walkin N Circles Ranch Horse Rescue, where we rode along rugged ponderosa-lined mountain trails,

across beautiful meadows where huge elk came bounding across our path,

and through magical aspen glades that could have been home to fairies and elves.

 

It was a terrific weekend, but ended in a shoulder injury for Apache, which was followed by Sage Poisoning, and then some behavior issues. The first half of 2010 was amazing and wonderful. The second half……not so much.

We’re having to work hard at rebuilding trust and respect now. But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I am hoping to have many more special times with my mare this year. And we have big plans for that to happen very soon.