Quickie

Ok, so nothing super exciting in New Horse Land, just working our way along. Trainer rode lastThursday, and the WS rode/ jumped Holly Fri and Sat, and all who have seen her said she was great.

baby head-gear

She still has many things to work on to be my H/J queen, like picking her head up in general, let alone when she's hurdling herself over objects. This has greatly improved since my trainer switched her to a snaffle gag bit last week. My uncoordinated self finally graduated to double reins lol. The gag action is working perfect at getting her to lift her head and break at the poll, and in just a few rides I am amazed at how much better her frame is.

Monday I rode Holly in the indoor because it was super windy, while my trainer rode her QH. (I swear she sees more while she rides). We were all good until her horse decided some random change outside the arena spelled eminent death for us all, and spooked and spun. This of course caused Holly who was also at the open end to assume we were also perilously close to death and spin and freak. (Why does this always happen when your walking on the buckle-argh). I managed to awkwardly stay atop while taking up my reins, and quickly convinced her we were not going to die. She settled pretty fast and reminded me to pay attention to what she's paying attention to, she is still a baby, calm or not.

Tuesday I arrived for an earlier lesson, brought Holly up to groom, only to find a horse had died suddenly, and very close to the barn. I groomed Holly and turned her out (not that she did more then graze) and offered any help/ solace I could. It was horrible thinking of losing a beloved animal so suddenly.  Went home and hugged those I love.


I had a lesson Wednesday and this am, but I'll save that for another post once I edit the hubby edits some pics he got.

And good luck to L and Karley in their show tomorrow!

Barn baby :)

Getting down to business

Yesterday had my 3rd lesson in a row. Ugh, yea gonna take a bit to get the stamina for that routine (+100 sit-up/ crunches). Had to really push but finally got some action on the lunge line. Apparently she was as pooped as I was by day 3 because the rest of the ride I had to push push push (fine by me for flat work). Did more two-point. I raised my stirrups, which makes it a little easier, but I feel like my legs move more now... argh...I know the cure... more two-point lol. We worked on pushing into a proper frame... not head down between her knees, lol, and really using her back. I'm not used to having to really work at this either, so my trainer is probably hoarse after barking orders at me all lesson.

Watching video/ looking at pics, makes me really question myself. I've caught myself yelling at the video like I'm watching some reality show, "good god, stop making that face when you cluck", and "geez get your chicken arms tucked in", or "wtf is your leg doing?! I know I just need to settle into her stride, she's not smooth, but her stride is nice and big, and once we get things worked out I'm sure I will be less spazzy.

my pony :)

no caffeine glazed stare

well at least she looks happy

Trainer text today and said she was good for her trainer ride, and she has something different to ride her in to help keep her head up. I think my trainer has at least one of every bit imaginable.

Out of town til Sunday, then likely ride Mon, Tues, and Wed or Thurs.... still working on the new routine.

Allow me to Introduce......

Holly! 

I did say I really wanted to have a girl next :)

My 5 year old appendix mare... holy crap I own a horse... I mean woo hoo I own a horse!

So, even though her x-rays revealed she should never jump things too big and scary for me to fathom jumping over anyways, I was hopelessly in love, and with a little negotiation, she was mine. Check is in the mail, and her papers are being sent to me (AQHA reg). 

Beware sleep-deprived rider

 Saturday lesson was like being in a wind-tunnel, we were all straining to hear anything our trainer said, but after a few spins on the lunge, Holly was totally nonplussed by the gale force winds and the outdoor arena she had only meandered through several days before. She had many things to learn (head up head up head up!) and since she's a very different ride then Magic, its a lot of me actually needing to pay attention (novel idea right?!). 



















L got on and jumped her a bit over new and scary walls, which got no more than the hairy eye. 

Clearly scared of the wind

Tonight I didn't get much out of her on the lunge line and she was a bit looky walking down to the outdoor with L. We were all good until out trainer came flying down to the arena, right as i had passed, causing Holly to tuck and scoot forward (can't blame her- self preservation lol). Like 4 steps and she was over it. Circled back around and meh- nothing to worry about. 

I was all prepared to jump the baby x, but trainer is keeping it slow, which hey I'm not gonna fight, and I still will jump Magic-beast to keep up my totally (not) awesome jumping skills. 

I think my painfully slow reaction time made my trainer think I was nervous, but so far anyways, she has given me no reason to get nervous, on the flat anyways... we will just say she has room to grow jumping. She clearly isn't used to trotting to jumps, and doesn't know about collecting and lengthening, so at least the $$$ I'm gonna cough up for full training will yield some great stuff. 

(Not my best riding- but first time I jumped her)

(Hope L doesn't mind but better video then me jumping lol)

Tons more pics and video already but that whole working mom thing has kept me from getting it all edited, and really since hubby manages a screaming toddler while shooting it, I feel guilty asking for post editing all the time too.

Need a good conformation shot and..... yay shopping!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Decisions, Decisions...

First off, I joined the sit-up challenge, yay for finding my core muscles that were already hibernating for an early winter. I didn't start until the 3rd, so I figured I have 2 days of penance to make up at the end (or just add the sit-ups on near the end). I'm kind of having to mix crunches with full sit-up, my back doth protest full sit-ups too much.





On to other such news... I went and tried a horse last Friday. She's an adorable 5 year old appendix. She was very calm, and sweet on her home turf. She's a western pleasure/HUS reject of sorts, so its very different riding a pony who constantly tries to drop her head between her knees and do that thing they call cantering.

The owners were kind enough to trailer her down to our barn for a trial after they took her to a show last Sat. So now I've ridden her around our barn, lunged her, run the gamut of grooming, bathing etc and overall really like her brain and demeanor. Not many 5 year olds can be pulled out of a stall on a windy day in a new place and just give the occasional hairy eye.


I had a lesson on her Saturday, it was awesome getting to ride with the Sat group, even if I was exhausted from work and the super crazy dusty wind didn't show my sore throat any love. I learned I still really need to work on independence of hands and body, as Maybe Pony got heavy I found myself getting dragged forward, making things like two-pointing harder to maintain. Sh'e pretty heavy on the forehand and a little downhill so there's lots of growing to do.

Did lots of WTC with two-point at the trot and canter, and worked on our really really bouncy sitting trot.

L and Karley jumped first, then L hopped on Maybe Pony to see how she did over things that weren't poles. She did great, she's not too sure about this whole trotting up to jumps, and the little panels were definitely new to her, but she just gave them a hard glance and bounced over. Still needs to work at cantering out and ya know everything else. L commented that she felt super small and bouncy, which (1)validated my feeling that she was, and that its not just me lol and (2) cracked me up since she's 16h, so she's actually a bigger horse to me, just not a gigantic beast like Ramone, shows how quickly L's adapting to her baby.

So Maybe Pony's vet check wasn't perfect and after initially freaking out pondering upon these issues, I'm moving forward to x-rays on Monday. My trainer doesn't really think they are red flags, and I really really hope she is right. As long as she doesn't have anything crazy show up, I likely have my new pony.... Obviously many more details and all sorts of media if it all goes through :)






Also realized I have a fair list of things I need....

-bridle  (I don't think my one-ear western is gonna fly),
-open front boots and rears  (she doesn't fit any boots I have currently argh) ;P,
-half-pad  (prob going more towards a gel/ foam if I get Maybe Pony),
-blankets  (starting with season appropriate)
-cooler
-buckets for grain etc (skinny pony)
- I am sure a million other things... luckily Christmas is right around the corner, and some of these aren't so horse specific that I can't get them even if i don't get her.

Tomorrow, hack then x-rays.... ...

The beginnings of Fall

Had our first lesson inside in awhile. It was howling windy outside, and the temperature was dropping, leaving the inside arena feeling a little more inviting. Then we remembered it kinda sucks. No L, so it was just E, myself, Karley, plus a few others not in the lesson. Our trainer has already informed us that their would be lots of interesting grids etc this winter to keep us busy, and tonight was no exception. We did lots of shoulder in/ haunches in, which I haven't done in forever with any real effort.... uh yeah.. we will add that to the Monday hack to do list. Decent canter work other then my chicken elbows flapping a bit, really awesome looking I'm sure.

Then we went to jumping... Took a picture to better describe what I will call  barrel racing with jumps.

So basically, we trotted the first x-rail, then instead of jumping the second, circled around the mounting block at a canter, then jumped the second x-rail. It sounded cool, and I was happy I did it later, but it was work while Karley and I were doing it. I was of course, my normal tense self, and had to apologize to my perpetually grumpy mount for bumping him a few times. Funny thing was after the first couple times I wasn't as tense over the jumps as I was circling the mounting block. I've never had to look so far over to one side from a jump, it was hard to deviate my gaze to the side. Ah so many things to learn to relax into. Once we kinda had it down of course our trainer made us circle twice, just to keep 'em guessing. 

This will be an interesting winter for sure.