I like to think I’m a pretty fit dog. I mean I exercise regularly, I try to eat a healthy meal (aside from that 1/2 a hoagie I stole off the dining room table the other day….but that hardly counts), and I’m always ready for fun adventures!
So when I recently caught sight of the TV show, American Ninja Warrior, I was totally hooked! I mean I could EASILY get through those tough obstacle courses.
Half the battle is having flair anyway, and I totally have that covered!
Unfortunately American Ninja Warrior doesn’t accept dog submissions. But, that wasn’t going to stop me from having a little fun of my own, because I invented AMERICAN BARN WARRIOR….
Just as challenging, and with equal amounts of flair, American Barn Warrior is going to be the next big thing.
Hay Bale obstacles, trenches, and perhaps a horse or two….it’s not for the faint of heart (or those of you who didn’t eat your wheaties today!).
So what do you think, are you up for the challenge? Do you think you could master my American Barn Warrior Challenge?
Every year during Birthday Week I like to come up with some fun diy projects that can be made at home for your pet. While I do have some brand-new projects to share with you this week I thought it would be fun to take a look back at all the previous projects I created for my blog (with a little help from my mom).
So here’s some of my favorite DIY Projects for Pets that you can make at home!
Who would have thought there would be so many things you could make for your dog? Stay tuned tomorrow as I’ll have some fun NEW DIY projects to share with you, and if you want even more inspiration, be sure to check out all my past DIY projects.
It’s been a while since I shared much about my ongoing agility training. The fact is, I actually haven’t been to any training classes since last year, mostly I blame it on my mom because her schedule got too hectic to take me.
But even though I may not be taking regular classes, that doesn’t mean that I’m not doing a little training on the side, because….
Agility is a great way to keep me muscled and fit, plus it’s fun too! Early this Spring my mom decided to move all my agility equipment out to the farm so that we’d have more room to practice. And you know what, I completely forgot to share with you this fun little video of me running the agility course in the horse arenagiant sandbox.
Obviously I was a bit rusty, but not too bad! I’ll just have to keep up with even more practicing.
If you’d like to find out more about how much fun agility is for you and your dog, you can check out some of my old posts.
Over the 4th of July weekend I packed up my ponies and headed north 5 hours to New York!
After so many pit-stops I was fully expecting to end up in the big apple, but instead I ended up in the middle of nowhere at a horse campground!
I unpacked my ponies and tucked them in for the night….
…and pitched my tent for yet another fun weekend of camping!
I may or may not have hogged all the sleeping bags in the night. At least I was comfy!
When I awoke the next morning it became apparent that my ponies had made the long journey to New York to compete on a dog agility course! (at least that’s what it looked like to me)
It had a teeter totter….
…and some sort of porcupine looking things…
…and chickens? Ok well maybe it was the advanced dog agility course, which would explain why I’ve never seen any of these obstacles at my training classes.
Regardless my ponies were super brave and attempted each and every one of these challenging obstacles over the weekend!
I had a relaxing weekend watching them perform from the comfort of my favorite seat in the car. I even had my portable fan going to keep me cool.
I even got to pack in some tanning during my weekend in New York. And before I knew it we were on the road again headed back home to Pennsylvania.
And the good news is, we only got one flat tire on the way home! (not to worry, I’m an expert at changing tires).
What sort of adventures did your dog have over the 4th of July weekend?
Check out some more photos from my weekend adventure on the Painting Pony Blog.
As you may already know I have been taking agility training classes for a long time now. I have yet to ever compete, and someday I might, but mostly I just enjoy the exercise and mental stimulation.
However, despite my love of running the courses, sometimes I have off days too. For example last week I was a little off my game. Having just been to the vet for a nail trim (sort of stressful for me) and having to wait extra long in my crate for my turn on the course (stressful as well when you aren’t a huge fan of the crate), I had pretty much worn myself out from worrying by the time it was my turn to run the course.
I tried my best, but I was just a bit distracted (hence why I missed a few obstacles and did some very poorly executed weave poles) and much much slower on the course than normal. But hey, we’re all allowed to have off days – perhaps next week at class I’ll have a little more pep in my step!
Over the weekend I took my very first trip to the Fair Hill International Event, one of the most prestigious international three day events in the world, this is the ultimate test of a horse and rider. Through tests in dressage, endurance, and stadium jumping the horse and rider teams work together to show that they can compete in the most demanding and highest levels of equestrian sports.
But before I could attend the event, I had to go on my very first school bus ride!
Trooper tagged along with me on this adventure, and we were both pretty excited about taking the bus to the event grounds from the parking lot.
I can only imagine how exciting it must be to take the bus everyday to school! Those lucky kids! I even sang the wheels on the bus during the ride just to make it even more fun.
Once in the park I quickly made my way to the arena, because the real reason I came to the Fair Hill International was to cheer on my friends from the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team!
Made up entirely of Chincoteague Ponies (and the only one in the world), the drill team performs at events to choreographed music. It was great to see my friends again, as I had not seen them since I went to Chincoteague a few years ago so that my pony friends could frolic on the beach.
After I said goodbye to my friends I was ready to check out the other events at the Fair Hill International. (Above is me pictured with Misty’s Icicle, the only cremello colored pony in the Misty family line of ponies)
Of course my number one mission was to RIDE A PONY! But since most of them were busy competing I settled for this cardboard cutout of one instead.
And here’s what I would look like if I was a world class eventer like the riders that were competing at Fair Hill! Dashing right?
Next up I hit up the Dog Agility area, where they very nicely let me try a practice course – which was the first time I tried a course outside of my weekly classes at the Dog Training Center. I was a little distracted by all the smells on the course (and the fact that some of the obstacles seemed a bit different than what I was used to), but I did complete all the obstacles!
You may have heard my pal Trooper crying in the background of the video – he was utterly convinced that the course was going to eat me up if he wasn’t out there to protect me – or better yet, herd me around the scary obstacles. Oh Trooper, such a silly boy.
Next I headed over to watch some of the show jumping on the hill with the other dogs. You might not be able to tell from this photo, but almost every person came to the event with a dog. Great Danes, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Greyhounds, Jack Russells, Labradors, and I even spotted a few Dachshunds among them.
Watching the show jumping was quite spectacular as the horses soared through the air, but I have to admit, the Fair Hill International really wore me out!
I’m already counting down the days until next years event though!
Make sure you check out some more photos and video of the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team at the Painting Pony Blog.
It’s time to take a look back over the past month at all the exciting things I’ve done! So just incase you missed it, here are some of my highlights from June!
Now that I’m back to my regular weekly agility classes (after mom had knee surgery and I had to take a little break) I’ve jumped right back in where I left off and I’m now doing full courses! I’m still a bit of a novice and have plenty to learn, but I’m having loads of fun running the courses!
So what do you think? Does it look like I’m having a blast?!
Now that it’s May I thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of the adventures I had in April! Boy did I have a grand time – so incase you missed it, here’s a look back at some of the highlights from last month!
I had a blast visiting with my family on Easter. Easter Recap
It’s time for me to send a big wet sloppy kiss to my sponsors! They keep my website up and running and make it possible for me to bring you lots of adventures!
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And thanks again to all of my wonderful sponsors, I couldn’t do it without you!
Well when winter rolled around I had to pack up my poles since it was just too cold to practice outdoors. That was until my dad surprised me for Christmas with a set of homemade 2×2 Weave Poles.
I’ve been using my set all winter, and I’m proud to say I can now weave, but I completely forgot to share how they were made with all of you! So better late than never – here’s my tutorial for building your own set of indoor 2×2 Weave Poles!
Step 1: Cut your 3/4 inch PVC pipe into 6 pieces that are 38 inches in length. Then place the PVC caps on one end of all your poles. Then you can stripe your poles with colored duct tape to make them more visible.
Step 2: Cut your Steelworks Plated Slotted Flats into three 36″ length pieces and six 9″ length pieces.
Step 3: Drill a hole the same size as your carriage bolts into the bottom of the PVC Plugs.
Step 4: Place the 9″ Slotted Flat pieces on opposite sides and 6 inches from either end of your 36″ length slotted flat pieces. Place your carriage bolts through from underneath to hold them together, with the PVC plugs on top. Add your washers and hex nuts to the inside of the PVC plugs and tighten to hold them together.
Step 5: Slip the PVC couplings onto the bottom of your poles and then slide them into the PVC plugs that are attached to the Slotted Flat pieces.
Step 6: Lay out the Weave Pole Placer as a guide as to where to place your poles (you can opt to leave it under the poles or remove it after they are placed). Your poles will work best on a carpeted surface.
For a quick tutorial on how to teach your dog the weave poles using the 2×2 method check out the video HERE. You may want to find a dog agility trainer or class in your area for more detailed instructions.
If you would like to make a set of outdoor weave poles, check out my tutorial HERE.
