Cathleen's baked creations--tried to highlight the Donovan pony cookie, front left, next to the Dutchie cookie and EZ cookie, also of course the EZ Dollar egg that I decorated yesterday. We're not obsessed, or anything.
Living the EZ Life: Making creepy-horse-girl dreams a reality
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter!
Cathleen's baked creations--tried to highlight the Donovan pony cookie, front left, next to the Dutchie cookie and EZ cookie, also of course the EZ Dollar egg that I decorated yesterday. We're not obsessed, or anything.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The most exciting horse race in the history of horse races
Look what I found.
The place: Aquaduct.
The date: 1/31/08
The competitors: E Z Dollar, #4 (and a bunch of less important horses).
Here comes EEEEEEEE Z Dollar for the challenge!
E Z Dollar is neck and neck! (Please notice the discrepancy in size between the delicate and dainty Mr Dollar and the favorite to win--dude is built!)
E Z Dollar pulls ahead of Mr Muscles!
E Z Dollar streaks toward the finish line!
No one can catch him now! (Check out those ears)
It's E Z DOLLAR!!!!
Let's get a close up of that stunning horse.
The winning horse!
Cutest winning horse in the history of winning horses!
Here's his nice easy cool down canter. Looks more familiar.
Cutest winning horse with his cutest little face!
Everyone is so happy.
Bye E Z Dollar, you done good.
To date, I have watched this video approximately 259 times. It made me cry. He tries so hard! It makes my heart burst.
If I am near you and a computer, you can be sure you will be seeing this video, from calracing. com. And, you better believe I tried numerous questionable ways to try to get the video itself posted here, but I'm not quite tech savvy enough/I think it's illegal. Sure these screenshots are totally fine though...
When I was finding out about EZ's racing past, a friend at school asked me what it meant, how the news changed anything. I tried to explain that it doesn't change anything really, other than make me more proud of him, knowing more about how different his previous lives have been and how good he is in this one. On one hand, I just love the lil guy, and so finding out anything, particularly video evidence, of his little face before I knew him is exciting. Then add to that fact that it's horse racing we're talking about, which is pretty inherently exciting, and the lil guy actually wins, well you've just gotta be proud of the bugger.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Frazzled
I forgot socks today. That's what started it. I was wearing tights to school, and realized I didn't have other socks to ride in. I sat barefooted on the bench outside of the Dining Hall bathroom (/my dressing room), contemplating. I could ask a kid to lend me socks. I could ask an on-campus faculty member. I could tear the tights currently in my hands into socks. For some reason, at the moment that seemed like the best idea, I guess because they were ripped already? More likely because I was due to be driving kids in about 30 seconds and I still had to pick up the van. Tights-to-socks conversion did not work though. Weird.
So I gingerly put my poor bare feet in my paddock boots. This would have to do.
I ran to the zoo in my unzipped boots (still could not commit to being sockless), since I use the zoo's minivan on game days as my usual Millbrook short bus, similar to the one below (and JUST as much fun), is used for games.
Since it only fits 5, I need to make two trips to bring the 9 riders back and forth to Kildare. I had turned on my phone and had it with me, noticing I had a voicemail marked "Urgent." Excitement! Who would've possibly left me a voicemail? And having been left a voicemail, what could it possible pertain to that would merit such a designation? Sure, I was late to get the kids, but this was urgent!
There were no parking spots at the zoo, so after shuffling the minivan out and my car in, I stood listening to the message on the shaky single bar service. Ron Ross, horse dentist extraordinaire! Asking if Friday morning would be good for him to come by for EZ's mouth. I was psyched. Since the vet was here 2 weeks ago, saying he could use some filing, I have been imagining his poor little mouth being ouchie. So the day could soon be here!
This is neither EZ nor Ron Ross, but it looks like the level of fun I am imagining.
Anyway, Ron needed confirmation, so since Friday morning (like the rest of my life) I am in school, I called to ask mom if she would be around, leaving a message since she was galavanting.
Then I drove the van, smelling mildly of red panda, up to campus to pick up the first load of kids. As I left campus the phone rang, and I irresponsibly answered it when I saw it was Ron Ross. Of course, the one bar of service was nonfunctioning, so I tried to yell at him for a minute before my fear of endangering the lives of my students overcame my desire to make EZ a dentist appointment. But Ron Ross is persistent, and he left another urgent message so that he could confirm his other appointments. I needed to be in on that confirmation!
So I idled at the end of Kildare's driveway before picking up the second group of kids, reached mom, confirmed her always helpful presence for Friday morning, and was able to also finally talk to Ron Ross, with the bar of service only causing intermittent instances of talking over or blanks. Yes! Friday morning is great! He'd call before he drove over--which meant I had to give him the house phone number. No, not that house phone, that's on campus, the Indian Pond Farm number, oh you need a pen to write it down? Oh you're driving? Oh you'll call back? By the time he had called back I had lost the bar of service and to find it again had ended up backing slowly down Kildare's driveway, in the rain, in a zoo van that smelled of red panda, with my bare feet stuck in unzipped boots, yelling, Ron?! Can you hear me now?! while students were waiting for me both in the barn and still back on campus, thinking, I have never been more ridiculous. Which is untrue, I totally have (see below), but still.
I gave up, drove back to campus, and while the second group loaded up (after crying tears of joy that I had not completely abandoned them so that they would be forced to walk the three miles to the barn) sent a text to Ron Ross, apologizing profusely so that he would like us and giving him mom's number, while promising she is much more helpful than I am. Mission completed; I hoped I hadn't discouraged him.
Back at the farm, while reluctantly putting on my halfchaps over my finally zipped boots, I realized that in my eager friendliness my sent text had started off, Hi Ross! Nope, that's not his name. Not what I meant at all.
If only Ms Frazzle was as popular as Ms Frizzle.
So I gingerly put my poor bare feet in my paddock boots. This would have to do.
I ran to the zoo in my unzipped boots (still could not commit to being sockless), since I use the zoo's minivan on game days as my usual Millbrook short bus, similar to the one below (and JUST as much fun), is used for games.
Since it only fits 5, I need to make two trips to bring the 9 riders back and forth to Kildare. I had turned on my phone and had it with me, noticing I had a voicemail marked "Urgent." Excitement! Who would've possibly left me a voicemail? And having been left a voicemail, what could it possible pertain to that would merit such a designation? Sure, I was late to get the kids, but this was urgent!
There were no parking spots at the zoo, so after shuffling the minivan out and my car in, I stood listening to the message on the shaky single bar service. Ron Ross, horse dentist extraordinaire! Asking if Friday morning would be good for him to come by for EZ's mouth. I was psyched. Since the vet was here 2 weeks ago, saying he could use some filing, I have been imagining his poor little mouth being ouchie. So the day could soon be here!
Anyway, Ron needed confirmation, so since Friday morning (like the rest of my life) I am in school, I called to ask mom if she would be around, leaving a message since she was galavanting.
Then I drove the van, smelling mildly of red panda, up to campus to pick up the first load of kids. As I left campus the phone rang, and I irresponsibly answered it when I saw it was Ron Ross. Of course, the one bar of service was nonfunctioning, so I tried to yell at him for a minute before my fear of endangering the lives of my students overcame my desire to make EZ a dentist appointment. But Ron Ross is persistent, and he left another urgent message so that he could confirm his other appointments. I needed to be in on that confirmation!
So I idled at the end of Kildare's driveway before picking up the second group of kids, reached mom, confirmed her always helpful presence for Friday morning, and was able to also finally talk to Ron Ross, with the bar of service only causing intermittent instances of talking over or blanks. Yes! Friday morning is great! He'd call before he drove over--which meant I had to give him the house phone number. No, not that house phone, that's on campus, the Indian Pond Farm number, oh you need a pen to write it down? Oh you're driving? Oh you'll call back? By the time he had called back I had lost the bar of service and to find it again had ended up backing slowly down Kildare's driveway, in the rain, in a zoo van that smelled of red panda, with my bare feet stuck in unzipped boots, yelling, Ron?! Can you hear me now?! while students were waiting for me both in the barn and still back on campus, thinking, I have never been more ridiculous. Which is untrue, I totally have (see below), but still.
I gave up, drove back to campus, and while the second group loaded up (after crying tears of joy that I had not completely abandoned them so that they would be forced to walk the three miles to the barn) sent a text to Ron Ross, apologizing profusely so that he would like us and giving him mom's number, while promising she is much more helpful than I am. Mission completed; I hoped I hadn't discouraged him.
Back at the farm, while reluctantly putting on my halfchaps over my finally zipped boots, I realized that in my eager friendliness my sent text had started off, Hi Ross! Nope, that's not his name. Not what I meant at all.
If only Ms Frazzle was as popular as Ms Frizzle.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Spring Time
I am declaring it spring. The evidence: blankies off (mostly), mud, no frozen skin when exposed to the elements, green sprouts emerging. This is a big deal. A huge deal. This means the ground is no longer frozen (I guess I gave that away already with the "mud" comment), and it logically follows that this means EZadorbs and I can galavant around the countryside again.
Which is pretty good, considering we are supposed to be getting ready for our big ("big" in this sense being totally subjective) event in a month. ish. We have access to our grassy area again, although I am trying to tread gently because of this mud issue that seems to be cropping up so often in this post. And, I get to install our dressage letters now! I can't wait. I have to make sure I make the correct measurements so that we can practice our little dressage test accurately.
No big deal, right? The trickiest part is the conversions. Or else I need to buy a meter measuring tape.
So there's our dressage, taken care of, totally. I am glad though that we had our winter time at Broken Wheel Ranch to get some consistent work done, EZ is just like a flexible, stretchy, on the bit machine. And I've been still been hacking over once or twice a week to practice in a proper arena.
Then it's just a matter of doing it at Kent! And then the small detail of the stadium and x-country! Sure it will be just a breeze. Without, you know, jumps, it's a little tricky to get tons o' experience with that stuff. But, I am doing lots of cantering around fields. And water obstacles. Yeah, they're puddles, so what? They are pretty legit puddles though, lets say mini lakes, maybe really-super-mini-lakes, and EZbigbraveboy just canters right through. Sometimes on the second try. But mostly on the first!
And, since he was so good at the jumpers show in February I'm hoping I'll just keep it together enough for him to continue going over things. Ronan has promised to take me both stadium and x-country schooling, so I am not a nervous wreck. Will be an adventure!
Meanwhile, we're getting all tuned up--vet, dentist, farrier, the works. Very inexpensive.
EZ's favorite part of being fussed over is the end. Because that's treat time. His devotion to treats means that he will invite himself to hang out when I'm in the tack room, giving his bridle a much needed clean.
I am sorry to admit that I don't discourage it. EZ's company is quite excellent and his face particularly fetching.
This lack of discouragement of course translates to an invitation to just come on in in horsey language. Take a look around! Have a gnaw on the broom!
This dude takes invitation to enter to a whole new level though. Just prances right on in like it ain't no thing, his tiny hooves seemingly giving him blanket tack room permission.
Myma's just about as bossy as declaring the tack room her own space, but although loud about it, not consistently effective.
The tack room shenanigans convince the other cranky equine herd members that there might be something good for the getting, and they come down to boss EZpushover around. He hides behind me for protection.
I attempted to take photos of the frenzy for noms, so he thought the camera was a treat source and as a result I got several shots of pure nostril/lip.
And also this awkward-angle eye shot, in which you can see the crazy nom glint.
Which is pretty good, considering we are supposed to be getting ready for our big ("big" in this sense being totally subjective) event in a month. ish. We have access to our grassy area again, although I am trying to tread gently because of this mud issue that seems to be cropping up so often in this post. And, I get to install our dressage letters now! I can't wait. I have to make sure I make the correct measurements so that we can practice our little dressage test accurately.
No big deal, right? The trickiest part is the conversions. Or else I need to buy a meter measuring tape.
So there's our dressage, taken care of, totally. I am glad though that we had our winter time at Broken Wheel Ranch to get some consistent work done, EZ is just like a flexible, stretchy, on the bit machine. And I've been still been hacking over once or twice a week to practice in a proper arena.
Then it's just a matter of doing it at Kent! And then the small detail of the stadium and x-country! Sure it will be just a breeze. Without, you know, jumps, it's a little tricky to get tons o' experience with that stuff. But, I am doing lots of cantering around fields. And water obstacles. Yeah, they're puddles, so what? They are pretty legit puddles though, lets say mini lakes, maybe really-super-mini-lakes, and EZbigbraveboy just canters right through. Sometimes on the second try. But mostly on the first!
And, since he was so good at the jumpers show in February I'm hoping I'll just keep it together enough for him to continue going over things. Ronan has promised to take me both stadium and x-country schooling, so I am not a nervous wreck. Will be an adventure!
Meanwhile, we're getting all tuned up--vet, dentist, farrier, the works. Very inexpensive.
EZ's favorite part of being fussed over is the end. Because that's treat time. His devotion to treats means that he will invite himself to hang out when I'm in the tack room, giving his bridle a much needed clean.
 |
| Noms? |
I am sorry to admit that I don't discourage it. EZ's company is quite excellent and his face particularly fetching.
This dude takes invitation to enter to a whole new level though. Just prances right on in like it ain't no thing, his tiny hooves seemingly giving him blanket tack room permission.
The tack room shenanigans convince the other cranky equine herd members that there might be something good for the getting, and they come down to boss EZpushover around. He hides behind me for protection.
 |
| Noms?? |
I attempted to take photos of the frenzy for noms, so he thought the camera was a treat source and as a result I got several shots of pure nostril/lip.
And also this awkward-angle eye shot, in which you can see the crazy nom glint.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Mind=Blown
I discovered EZ's lip tattoo last week. The vet was here poking around, she asked if he had raced, I replied that I was told he hadn't, then when feeling his teeth she found his tattoo, remarking that he must have at least gotten close to the racetrack then. Him not racing had made sense to me--he is so low-strung, never jittery, so supple and responsive. He also though is pretty unflappable, like he's seen it all before, which would fit with life in the races.
So I did a little bit of searching, found an E Z Dollar born in 2005 with 15 starts, with 1 win, winning about $35,000. I put Kathleen on the task because solving thoroughbred mysteries is her favorite game. Check out the results:
Looks impressive enough to me.
His papa:
It's jacked up EZ Dollar!
More details of his stats:
Kath was all psyched up because fancy pants Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux sat on my horse.
Kathleen, intrepid researcher, also found evidence of his post-racing, pre-Indian Pond Farm life. Trainer KC trains OTTBs at Akindale and has a blog of her own, and wrote an entry about how fine Mr EZ is, and plans for him for a client of hers: http://thundermoonfarm.
Unfortunately he didn't work out for KC's client, or for another adopter that Akindale tried placing him with http://thundermoonfarm.
So.
He was a little race horse. The little pushover that he is I am surprised and impressed that he had it in him. I also am even more impressed and appreciative of his mad skillz and that he is as good as he is at this other life I am asking of him.
**OR I'm wrong, and E Z Dollar racehorse is different from my little EZ Dollar (the space between the E and the Z being the question). I need to verify by his tattoo number to know for sure...
So I did a little bit of searching, found an E Z Dollar born in 2005 with 15 starts, with 1 win, winning about $35,000. I put Kathleen on the task because solving thoroughbred mysteries is her favorite game. Check out the results:
| PETIONVILLE (USA) dkb/br. 1992 | SEEKING THE GOLD (USA) b. 1985 | MR. PROSPECTOR (USA) b. 1970 [BC] | RAISE A NATIVE (USA) ch. 1961 [B] | NATIVE DANCER (USA) | gr. 1950 [IC] | |||||
| RAISE YOU (USA) | ch. 1946 * | |||||||||
| GOLD DIGGER (USA) b. 1962 | NASHUA (USA) | b. 1952 [IC] | ||||||||
| SEQUENCE (USA) | b. 1946 | |||||||||
| CON GAME (USA) dkb/br. 1974 | BUCKPASSER (USA) b. 1963 [C] | TOM FOOL (USA) | b. 1949 [IC] | |||||||
| BUSANDA (USA) | blk. 1947 * | |||||||||
| BROADWAY (USA) b. 1959 | HASTY ROAD (USA) | dkb/br. 1951 | ||||||||
| FLITABOUT (USA) | b. 1945 | |||||||||
| VANA TURNS (USA) dkb/br. 1985 | WAVERING MONARCH (USA) b. 1979 | MAJESTIC LIGHT (USA) b. 1973 | MAJESTIC PRINCE (USA) | ch. 1966 | ||||||
| IRRADIATE (USA) | gr. 1966 | |||||||||
| UNCOMMITTED (USA)* b. 1974 | BUCKPASSER (USA) | b. 1963 [C] | ||||||||
| LADY BE GOOD (USA) | b. 1956 * | |||||||||
| THE WHEEL TURNS (USA) ch. 1977 | BIG BURN (USA) dkb/br. 1970 | NEVER BEND (USA) | b. 1960 [BI] | |||||||
| BOWL OF FLOWERS (USA) | ch. 1958 | |||||||||
| MANINA (USA) ch. 1967 | MANGAYTE (ARG) | b. 1959 | ||||||||
| INANAME (USA) | b. 1948 | |||||||||
| SONG OF DIXIE (USA) b. 1994 | DIXIELAND BAND (USA) b. 1980 | NORTHERN DANCER (CAN) b. 1961 [BC] | NEARCTIC (CAN) br. 1954 | NEARCO (ITY) | br. 1935 [BC] | |||||
| LADY ANGELA (GB) | ch. 1944 | |||||||||
| NATALMA (USA)* b. 1957 | NATIVE DANCER (USA) | gr. 1950 [IC] | ||||||||
| ALMAHMOUD (USA) | ch. 1947 * | |||||||||
| MISSISSIPPI MUD (USA) b. 1973 | DELTA JUDGE (USA) dkb/br. 1960 | TRAFFIC JUDGE (USA) | ch. 1952 | |||||||
| BEAUTILLION (USA) | blk. 1953 | |||||||||
| SAND BUGGY (USA) dkb/br. 1963 | WARFARE (USA) | gr. 1957 | ||||||||
| EGYPTIAN (USA) | br. 1953 | |||||||||
| SONG OF SYRIA (USA) b. 1985 | DAMASCUS (USA) b. 1964 [IC] | SWORD DANCER (USA) ch. 1956 | SUNGLOW (USA) | ch. 1947 | ||||||
| HIGHLAND FLING (USA) | br. 1950 | |||||||||
| KERALA (USA)* b. 1958 | MY BABU (FR) | b. 1945 [B] | ||||||||
| BLADE OF TIME (USA) | br. 1938 | |||||||||
| PASSERINE (USA) ch. 1977 | DR. FAGER (USA) b. 1964 [I] | ROUGH'N TUMBLE (USA) | b. 1948 [BC] | |||||||
| ASPIDISTRA (USA) | b. 1954 * | |||||||||
| PASHAMIN (USA) b. 1966 | MY BABU (FR) | b. 1945 [B] | ||||||||
| TIR AN OIR (IRE) | ch. 1949 | |||||||||
Looks impressive enough to me.
His papa:
It's jacked up EZ Dollar!
More details of his stats:
| Date | Conditions | Race Result | Jockey | OR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13Jun09 | Bel | 8AF | 3y+ F(15K) | 8-2[15/1] | 10th of 13 27.75L behind Tenacious Greg (IRE) | Maylan Studart | |
| 25May09 | Bel | 8 | 3y+ F(18K) | 8-9 | unplaced in race won by Manitowish Waters (USA) | K Desormeaux | |
| 29Apr09 | Bel | 6 | 3y+ F(17K) | 8-1[14/1] | 7th of 15 9.38L behind Golden Weekend (USA) | Amanda Casey | |
Kath was all psyched up because fancy pants Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux sat on my horse.
 |
| Fancy Pants Jockey. But not E Z Dollar. Sadly. |
Kathleen, intrepid researcher, also found evidence of his post-racing, pre-Indian Pond Farm life. Trainer KC trains OTTBs at Akindale and has a blog of her own, and wrote an entry about how fine Mr EZ is, and plans for him for a client of hers: http://thundermoonfarm.
 |
| EZ's potential being recognized at Akindale! |
Unfortunately he didn't work out for KC's client, or for another adopter that Akindale tried placing him with http://thundermoonfarm.
So.
He was a little race horse. The little pushover that he is I am surprised and impressed that he had it in him. I also am even more impressed and appreciative of his mad skillz and that he is as good as he is at this other life I am asking of him.
**OR I'm wrong, and E Z Dollar racehorse is different from my little EZ Dollar (the space between the E and the Z being the question). I need to verify by his tattoo number to know for sure...
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