Filler- This or That

Haven't ridden in a week... between work and feeling crappy, just wasn't gonna happen. Lesson tonight so at least my fix is in the near future :)

pretty much how I feel

This or That:

Appaloosas or Pintos: Pinto, big, loud splashes!
Palomino or Buckskin: Palomino 
Bay or Chestnut: Depends on breed... like either with white socks/stockings

drunken painter at work

Star or Stripe: star unless the stripe is relatively symmetrical... I can't hang with the stripe that wanders off the nose

Mare or Gelding: Gelding

Quarter Horses or Arabians: Harder to answer these days... Prob QH, don't have the energy for Arabs right now
Fjord or Haflinger: Fjord., but I'd like to try a Haflinger
Clydesdale or Percheron: Clydesdale
Thoroughbred or Warmblood: TB
Saddlebreds or Tennessee Walkers: TWH! I would own one if I hadn't gotten into H/J, so nice on bad backs, and sweet personalities to boot
Connemara or Welsh Pony: Either, Welsh are adorable, but Connemara make some cute mixes.

Cross Country or Fox Hunting: Hmm... both sound fun but fox hunting sounds like an adventure
Equitation Under Saddle or Hunter Under Saddle: HUS, my riding won't win me many points
Dressage or Cross Country: Dressage
Local or Rated Shows: Local- I'm still a greenie at showing 
One Day or Weekend Shows: One-day, baby steps ;)

County or Antares: Uh, not that I have really tried either but I like Antares from what I've seen
Flash or Figure 8: Figure 8
Polo Wraps or Boots: Either or... Polo's flat or on horse that knows to pickup his feet over a jump, otherwise open-fronts for jumping
Standing Wraps or Shipping Boots: Shipping boots
Square Pads or Baby Pads: Baby Pads

Standing or Running Martingale: Standing

Ariat or Tailored Sportsman: Tailored Sportsman
Traditional or Technical Fabric Jackets: Traditional, agree with L, Tech tend to look cheaper
Field Boots or Dress Boots: Field Boots
Black Jacket or Navy Jacket: Navy
Spur or no spur: Spurs- they can always be small
Crop or no Crop: Crop
Charles Owen or GPA: Charles Owen

Moving onward

Lesson last night. Back on Magic, which felt comfortable. After a chubby pony he felt lean and comfortable. At least I know all of his games. Found out the pony I tried was bought by some lesson kids my trainer teaches. Had one of those green-with-jealousy moments, got over myself (my budget is my budget) and got to work. Magic was clean and shiny since some of the lesson kids had given him a bath earlier in the day so grooming was easy. He really is a handsome boy these days. 

Putzed around the indoor arena while everyone else got ready and then headed down with a new girl. We did a ton of posting and two point work while waiting for Karley to get Henry out of rodeo mode. Trotted a baby cross rail back and forth, Magic was in the 'I choose to ignore your half halts and will run at the jumps thank you very much' mood. Finally got him to maintain a more normal speed and did the cross rail around to a wall. Didn't mess up, so i didn't have to do it again, yay.

Very short video, poor hubby was wrestling a kid and a camera.

Maybe a hack Friday, trainer has some horses she's feeling out about, so maybe some more shopping in the future :)

Radio silence

Spent the last week with a horse on trial. Didn't work out, which left me more bummed then I thought I would be, even though I wasn't expecting it necessarily to.  Basically he was 8, very very cute, very agreeable to trying new things, and just financially out of my reach (where's my fairy godmother when I need her?). I won't really go into details about the horse, since he is not mine to talk about. At least I was able to ruminate on some things about myself and where I am at as a rider.

yes I am crooked,
 we had some slippage issues lol

1.) I like ponies. The horse was tech 14.2 so yup, at a point I was feeling I could step up in size, my trainer brought me a pony. I forgot how fun it is to be on a horse so close to the ground (bring it on pony, I can practically step off your butt!). I did feel like the little kid of the group when standing next to all my big TB riding buddies. I think I could go either way with horse size at this point.

2.) I like paints, a LOT. I kinda have an OCD issue with crooked blazes and asymmetry but other wise,I love big splashes of color on a horse. 

3.)Yoga needs to be my friend again. Ground mounting (especially on the move) requires flexibility I am currently lacking. For that matter some core strength would be a brilliant addition as well. 

4.)  I need a horse that doesn't try to roll you off his shoulder or step out from under you when he spooks. I am getting too old (and the whole being the sole family income) to get dumped because a rock moved 3 inches. I don't mind some sideways movement, but I still need to work on calming the f- ...relaxing in the saddle so riding a spaz just makes me worse.

Yea I'm sure Magic will be down for this...

5.) I don't need something finished or fancy , just basically broke with a sound, calm mind for me to work with. Enough energy to clear a fence is all I need. I'm never going to jump big, its not something I even stride for, baby jumps work just fine for me.

Lesson tomorrow back on Magic's happy self. Which I'm ok with for now, he's well trained and at least begrudgingly does what you ask of him. Eventually the right horse will come along at the right price. 

Productive Morning

Wednesday- 

Had a morning lesson with Karley and J. It was actually nice out so I wasn't sweating like a pig from just grooming. I ran a few good bucks out of Magic in the round pen and then headed down to the outdoor. Did the usual sitting, posting, two-point laps while our trainer was setting up jumps. Another trainer and a rider were jumping a gymnastic, which made going around interesting at times. I am always impressed with what the eventers set up and jump through even as beginners. 

As I was going around I was trying to figure out what I was going to be jumping since everything kept getting taller than I normally do. Then she pointed to the baby wall. It was weird jumping something so low and without wings or standards, I had to work a bit at first to make Magic believe that was what we were aiming at, especially since the eventer gal was jumping the line angled next to it. Trotted it a few times then cantered in, which since it was a tiny jump and because I finally feel more in control of both of us, wasn't scary (yay!). So far I have been able to just take a deep breath when I get nervous and just let go enough to not stiffen up like a mannequin.  Nothing amazing, but good solid work from me. No whining, just riding. :)

Love my hubby for getting video of all of us while holding a squirming 1yr old :)

Went to the County Fair...

the birds and the beasts were there... Sorry, my brain is now chalked full of kids songs and nursery rhymes... I listen to lots of hard rock on my way to work to counter the effects ;)

Friday- It's still hot. Woke up (in the afternoon vampire night-shift-worker that I am) and dragged down to the barn. Of course Magic had rolled in some awesomeness and was a filthy pig, double annoying since he is ridden in the morning, which means it happened in just a few hours in between. Got the beast presentable and hopped on in the indoor. A little girl was getting a lesson on another trainer's rather naughty pony, making doing consistent laps rough with the pony darting in and out in front of us. The other trainer was so apologetic, but I kept replying with the truth, I don't mind when its a little kid learning, we have all been there. L was there with Ramone, it was so nice not being the only one on our end of the barn.

Saturday- Went to the fair with my little one in tow. Out of everything he loved the motocross show, apparently big loud bikes are enthralling, and probably something in his future. It was pretty dang hot again so we kinda bounced from shade to shade. We saw some Arabian horse races, its funny, they're harder to see over the rail lol. Watched the Frisbee dogs, further confirming my lack of ability at dog training. Next year will be all the kiddie rides etc, but I love all the animals and art.

Perspective-Realizing what I do is nothing to be worried about

puppy almost came home with us- so sweet

Go little Arab go!

Monday- Hack with Karley day. It was... you guessed it... hot. Not in the hundreds at least but still in the 90's when I arrived out at the barn. Luckily Magic was clean, so I quickly groomed, ran him a bit in the round pen (got a few bucks out) and walked him in through the 'scary' open end of the arena. After a few snorts, he really had no reason to play it up after that, we both knew there was nothing there. Did lots of sitting to posting transitions back and forth, trying to not lose impulsion. Karley got a couple pics of me at the canter, up creep the heels again...

Lesson this morning, more on that later :)

Eat me, Drink this!

So for the last few weeks, Magic has suddenly felt short. I have always liked his height for the gee way closer, and I have no idea what changed in my head; did I eat the cake in Wonderland and grow, or is it just confidence slowly returning? Hmm.....
i'm closer to the ground factor, but now he feels like








6-28-13  (Friday)

Its a million degrees out, what to do... what to do... Oh yea I should totally schlep my dusty, squeaky old barrel saddle down to the barn and plot around the arena! Yup, Cali's recent attempts to make us feel like we are living inside a furnace makes me miss big western saddles and trail riding. It what I did as a kid, slave away cleaning stalls, and trek mostly first timers and vacation riders around park district trails on guided rides. It was so much better back then, if you could even remotely hold on we would trot and gallop, canter in a safe, collected manor, along fire roads and cow trails, achieving some pretty darn nice views on our longer rides... Since it was still over 100F when I got to the barn I took my time grooming until I felt the temp break a bit, then saddled up and did some laps at a walk around the indoor arena. Worked on still bending even though its just a walk, and having some sort of forward pace, even though neither of us felt real peppy. Groomed and loved on him a bit and tucked him away.

7-2-13 (Tuesday)

No hack yesterday, it was just to dang warm. Thanks to the BART (Northern Cali's above ground rail for the few non-local readers) strike, I was late getting to the barn and since there was a lesson after me, it was (thankfully) short and sweet in the growing heat. Did some posting trot/sitting trot transitions, not our best work as Magic just kinda loses all impulsion if you let him (and I tend to). Then we did some quick crossrail and baby vertical work. Maybe it was the heat, or maybe it was the little kids watching, waiting for their turn to ride, but I was totally chill about jumping, I kinda had one of those, whatever, I got this moments that I rarely if ever feel when I see those jump rails in front of me. Nothing spectacular watching the video, but my legs don't move much anymore, and I don't look like I'm facing impending doom, a nice change ;) Trainer said it was some of my best jumping to date, which is a compliment since she doesn't sugar coat anything. Of course if I keep looking this comfortable then the jumps will get bigger and scarier, so maybe I should feign some more fear lest I encourage her... Hopefully a hack on Friday, and a trip to the County Fair this weekend.