Dirty Feather

 Black Orchid Ambleside

Shes got a lot of feather but thankfully not as much as so many Gypsys. It's enough to be impressive and gorgeous but at the same time not too heavy and cause problems.

On Thursday we're going to have a visitor, Stephanie will be coming over to help me get our harness sorted, the biothane harness I purchased for $900 & had shipped here from southern California. I know its got 3 pieces missing, 2 of which are the ones that will attach it to the cart. Stephanie is also going to be teaching me how to drive, since Amble already knows how to be driven.

The photo above is Amble with semi clean feather and tail, which this IS NOT a current thing. She hasn't had them washed off in quite some time and I do not want them dirty when Staphanie arrives. So on Wednesday afternoon, after I get home from work, I am going to give them a good washing.

I will be taking the Dawn dishwashing soap to the barn with me and I will follow directions I have had written down and attached to my computer monitor for over 10 years.

1. Wash tail

2. Condition.

3. Soak in white vinegar

4. Using Dawn, wash feather, deep down to her skin, watching for anything in there that might irritate her or cause concerns.

5. Wash, rinse, condition again

6. Leave in conditioner, aka Cowboy Magic

I'll leave her overnight in her stall with a deep bed of shavings. In the morning they will be dry and fluffy and as long as there were no issues noticed while washing, I will brush them out let her hang out in the arena till noon, when Stephanie arrives.

In November I had the riding instructor over to give ME a lesson & Amble bucked her off. I do not know if that was due to an ill fitting bit since I have a 5.5" and need a 6" or if it was the saddle not fitting properly. So I have ordered a saddle pad with shims. 

This is a dressage pad but I am hoping it will work with she short western saddle. I could not find any in a pony length.

Lessons?

Amble and I were supposed to have driving lessons with a guy flying in from the Netherlands Friday evening and Saturday morning, but they got changed to Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. I had to change work, had to use PTO, which I'm stingy with, and got a call that the guy has been sick and isn't coming yet. As of right now, we don't know when he might come over. As for work, I picked up two shifts, today and tomorrow 2-midnight and I'll end up having 8 hrs OT for the week. Last week I got 7 hours OT and I'm going to need to take it all as pay since I am so strapped for cash. 

I *might* get paid Friday and IF I do, I have all the money already going to bills and probably not enough cash to save towards our vacation in a month. Good news though, I *think* I might only owe another $155.

HORSE NEWS:

I have a $900 saddle I need to sell so I can get another one that fits Amble. This whole set cost me $1,250 and it's rare that anyone wants to pay good cash money for an XW saddle, rarer that someone will be selling one that is WIDER and God forbid, matches the accessories I've got. 

While in the tack room today I saw Joeys saddle, don't know if I can EVER sell it; there were a lot of miles with us riding together in the mountains. His is a cheap western Cordura that I paid $400 for in 2000. Once stolen, after I got it back I wrote my name on the cantle in thick sharpie so no one else will ever want it.  Wifi has a nice Bates dressage saddle and even though its got an adjustable gullet it will never be wide enough for Amble but I could probably sell it for $800 with all its accessories.  Theres also the Pessoa I rode Joey in but it needs cleaning up and I'm sure even clean I wouldn't get more than $200 for it now.