So it was only a training show, and I didn't compete, but it was still a lot of fun. Marie told me a few weeks ago that there was a show coming up and I was ready, if I wanted to compete. Unfortunately, with A/C repair bills and school shopping this month, I knew I wasn't going to have the funds available. I asked if she would mind if I tag along anyway and she said I was more than welcome. So on Saturday at 7 am, I filled the truck up and headed out to Plant City. The show was held on a beautiful little horse farm. When I got there, the two girls riding Eclipse were tacking him up and making him pretty, so I sat and watched while chatting with Marie's mom. Eclipse was being ridden by a very young girl in dressage and a college student over cross-rails. When he went into the dressage ring, he stretched out right in front of the judges and peed. The judge was fine with them re-entering the ring and starting over, but it basically removed M from the judging - she was heartbroken. Luckily, the judge didn't disqualify them and M ended up with a ribbon anyway.
Around 1:30, it was time to start warming Eclipse up for the jumping. When K took him to the warm-up jump, he refused. I looked at Marie's mom and asked if she'd ever seen him refuse before. Nope - odd. When I turned back they were approaching the jump again - and he refused again! Holy crap, what is going on?! K got him over the jump a few times and then it was her turn in the ring. Eclipse was ok over the first two fences, then he ducked around the third. He refused the same fence four times, so Marie went into the ring and helped K get through the course. It turns out that Eclipse is fine with you dropping all contact over fences at home - but he will not jump anywhere else unless the rider lifts his head and keeps contact through the jump. So, K was pretty disappointed. I don't blame her, but I doubt this will happen again now that Marie has his number.
Monday's lesson: Was all about my leg. Marie really wanted me to get it right, and keep it there. It was so much more difficult than I thought. My left leg is worse than my right, so I've been stretching it, but not enough. And the leaning HAS GOT TO STOP. It doesn't help that it feels like I'm vertical when I'm actually leaning forward. Ugh. After that, we did a few laps riding around the arena in two-point. Then Marie wanted to try the canter again. She said I'm past ready for it, if we can get over my nervousness. This time, I was to stay in two-point throughout the canter - and I did so much better. I didn't feel off-balance even a bit. It was fantastic. So, Marie said that I'll learn to two-point the canter, then sit - opposite from everyone else on the planet. Hey, I never claimed to be normal.
Wednesday's lesson: We started out with the usual, walking for a lap or two, then starting the rising trot. We wove, did circles, trotted poles. Then Marie taught me how to collect and extend the trot. We would collect on the short sides, and see how extended I could get the trot to be by the time we got to the end of the long side. After a while, we did a few different jump courses, with me trying to keep the canter after the double - poor Eclipse didn't realize that I was actually serious about cantering this time, lol. In his defense, I have a very hard time collecting myself after the first jump and it probably feels like I've completely abandoned all semblance of riding. He would take a few strides in canter, then pop back down to a fast trot. We'll get it. Then we walked over to a large field and Marie had me trot two laps around it. She wanted me to start getting used to moving at speed in the open while watching the footing for my horse. Hopefully this is in preparation for a lease with Eclipse. When we were done, out of curiosity, I asked Marie what level I'm riding at. She said that as soon as I get comfortable with the canter, I'll be intermediate. Excellent.
On to more distancy-riding talk. There is a club called the South Eastern Distance Riders Association (SEDRA) that is holding a clinic at the end of next month. It's an Introduction to Competitive Distance Riding clinic. The hubby and I will be attending. The kids will be staying with the grandparents, and we will be camping out. Through their website, I found out that there's a lady in the next town that is willing to mentor the newbies in the area. We will be meeting up at the clinic. A whole weekend of horses - it's going to be heaven.
In the meantime, I'm torturing myself looking at horse ads on dreamhorse.com and other websites. It turns out that Doll is a kicker, so that's a no-go. I'm also considering having a trainer evaluate Bourbon to tell me if he's actually ok for me to ride. We'll see.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Insert clever title here
This last week has been so incredibly busy, with trying to get the kids ready for school (started yesterday) and with my Statistics class (kicking my butt!), that I haven't had time to do anything horse-related until yesterday. I had a lesson scheduled for 10:30, but Marie called me when I was pulling in - the arena was a sloppy mess. We didn't want to risk it, so we chatted for a bit. Marie will start teaching at a local college later this week and when that starts, she'll have less time for lessons. This is going to help her out a lot - right now, when it rains, she basically gets no income for the day. In Florida, it rains nearly every day during the summer. I asked if she would need to drop any of her students after her job starts and she said she might have to let a few go that will likely have scheduling issues, but basically she just won't be able to take on any more than she has right now. Then she said she will probably have a hard time keeping her horses ridden so we might be able to work out a half-lease with Eclipse! I have a total horse-crush on Eclipse. Considering that my ultimate goal is endurance, I asked how he is on the trails and she said he's great - I figured he would be, he's just that kind of horse.
Then we started talking about the schooling show this Saturday in Plant City. I know I'm being ridiculous - I'm not even entered - but I am excited to be included in this little venture. The plan is to meet Marie up there and help out/hang out/learn something during the day. She has 5 or 6 students going, should be a fun-filled day. She also mentioned that if I wear my breeches, I may be able to ride Eclipse in between classes - she's totally spoiling me.
In the end, we bathed Bounce and Marie lunged Charmont (her big flea-bitten grey gelding) and we agreed to try for 10 o'clock this morning.
It was a perfect morning for riding. A little breeze, enough fluffy clouds to block the sun a bit and the humidity was lower than usual. I got to ride Eclipse (yay!). After our warm-up, we began the lesson with me trying to back Eclipse around a bend made with poles. Let's just say that when he hit the poles, Eclipse was convinced that he could not do anymore backing in that spot. So, we went in the open and worked on it. It was tougher than I thought - I wasn't giving clear signals I guess. I was leaning back but not enough and Eclipse has a tough mouth (he is a lesson horse after all) and I had to pull much harder than I liked. All this and giving a cue to move over with my leg - and he was definitely rusty assuming he has ever had to do this before. After we got some nice backs with turns, we went onto more fun stuff. Today was mostly focusing on controlling my position and using better/more consistent leg aids while keeping the horse trotting through tight turns. Phew, it was a little tough. Marie set up some barrels to ride between, then put three poles splaying out from one of the barrels. I was supposed to trot between the barrels, then curve and trot the poles and back through the barrels. Slowing Eclipse down while still trotting and watching where we were going (not where we are!) and not leaning, whew. It was ugly at first, but we got the hang of it. Then Marie set up some jumps. Jumping is ridiculously fun when you're riding a good horse. Posting trot around the arena, two-point over the jumps, and do the barrels again when we came to them.
Then we started talking about the schooling show this Saturday in Plant City. I know I'm being ridiculous - I'm not even entered - but I am excited to be included in this little venture. The plan is to meet Marie up there and help out/hang out/learn something during the day. She has 5 or 6 students going, should be a fun-filled day. She also mentioned that if I wear my breeches, I may be able to ride Eclipse in between classes - she's totally spoiling me.
In the end, we bathed Bounce and Marie lunged Charmont (her big flea-bitten grey gelding) and we agreed to try for 10 o'clock this morning.
Miss Dixie in her stall begging for treats.
It was a perfect morning for riding. A little breeze, enough fluffy clouds to block the sun a bit and the humidity was lower than usual. I got to ride Eclipse (yay!). After our warm-up, we began the lesson with me trying to back Eclipse around a bend made with poles. Let's just say that when he hit the poles, Eclipse was convinced that he could not do anymore backing in that spot. So, we went in the open and worked on it. It was tougher than I thought - I wasn't giving clear signals I guess. I was leaning back but not enough and Eclipse has a tough mouth (he is a lesson horse after all) and I had to pull much harder than I liked. All this and giving a cue to move over with my leg - and he was definitely rusty assuming he has ever had to do this before. After we got some nice backs with turns, we went onto more fun stuff. Today was mostly focusing on controlling my position and using better/more consistent leg aids while keeping the horse trotting through tight turns. Phew, it was a little tough. Marie set up some barrels to ride between, then put three poles splaying out from one of the barrels. I was supposed to trot between the barrels, then curve and trot the poles and back through the barrels. Slowing Eclipse down while still trotting and watching where we were going (not where we are!) and not leaning, whew. It was ugly at first, but we got the hang of it. Then Marie set up some jumps. Jumping is ridiculously fun when you're riding a good horse. Posting trot around the arena, two-point over the jumps, and do the barrels again when we came to them.
Barrel obstacle on the far left
On our first round, we did barrels first, circling right around the arena. On the first jump, I didn't lean forward enough on my two-point - and when Eclipse's butt went up over the jump, the saddle hit me in the butt and almost threw me over his right shoulder. A year ago, this would have scared me, but not today. I pressed on and we completed the course. We did several rounds, and on the last round, Eclipse broke into a canter after the last jump. No worries, just sit and ask for a trot. Wow - I have only cantered a few times but again, no fear even with an unexpected canter. I may be getting slightly comfortable with my mad riding skillz. Well, at least while riding a fairly predictable and ridiculously calm horse in an arena. I'll probably never be one of those people that loves to ride the fire-breathing dragon horses, but that's ok with me.
So, onto the plans. There is supposed to be a network of trails across the street (south) from the stables - but it appears to be very overgrown. If I lease Eclipse, we will be exploring this area for sure. To the west of the stables is a golf course/private housing development thing. They appear to have a nice network of golf cart trails but supposedly do not allow horses. To the east is a fairly busy road of which there are parts with no shoulders, just ditches. Google maps show some trails or possibly dirt roads to the north, that we should be able to get to if I take this road. Hmm, I may have to scout all this out via vehicles and feet.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Today's Lesson
But first, more from last Saturday. Saturday afternoon, after studying for hours and hours (statistics, ugh!!!) I decided to text Marie and see if she was at the stables. She didn't answer but I figured she was in the middle of a lesson and I went down there anyway. When I arrived, I saw Eclipse being ridden around the ring - I was right, I thought with satisfaction. Parked the car and got out and didn't see Marie in her usual spot on the gazebo by the arena. She wasn't in the arena either. Odd, but her truck was there so I asked the stable owner, who was watching the girl and Eclipse zoom around. He tells me that Marie's in Pennsylvania all weekend. Hmm, guess the barn owner and Marie have something worked out, so I feel dumb because she's not there and leave :)
But, I'm not going home without horse time so I head over to see Bourbon. He's out in the pasture with his buddies, and of course he's standing as far away from the gate as possible. When I got close, he stopped grazing and starting walking towards me - then he seemed to recognize me and turn away! Great. I wasn't going to chase him so I walked toward his shoulder and he let me catch him. Half way through the pasture, he let's out his 'where are my friends' whinny - that's right, we were still in the pasture. Bourbon, I promise I'm not a horse thief. I decided to groom him real quick before anything else, so we walked over to his stall. C has one of those Aussie tie-rings, so I put the lead rope through and turned around to get the brush bucket. That's when Bourbon decided to not only pull back but to rear up while doing it. The rest of the grooming was uneventful and we walked to the round pen. He had clearly been desensitized to a rope and stick, so we worked on walk/trot and changing direction. He has never really been taught to stay out of someone's space - actually, I guess you could just generalize and say that he's never been taught to give to pressure. His butt kept getting closer and closer when he was going around. He didn't feel the need to get out of my space when I asked, while lunging or leading. When he was going nicely, I put him back out.
When I got back in the car, I asked C if he's ever pulled back or reared up before. Not in a long time, she said. Another hmm. Pretty sure I asked if he had any quirks or bad habits. How long's a long time?
So, I've been contemplating. Bourbon is (slightly) disrespectful when you're barely asking anything of him - what happens when you turn up the pressure? I thought on it until this morning.
My lesson was scheduled at 10. I rode Dixie again, and she was wonderful. After warming up, we did a schooling level dressage test, then an equitation test. I was doing alright until Marie asked me to trot around without stirrups, first sitting then posting. I was sliding all over the place on the turns, and would have to point my toes down and grab with my calf. It was messy. Marie said I was looking alright, but I fessed up. It's something we're going to have to work on for sure. Then she said I could have my stirrups back and gave me a course to cover, in two-point. For anyone who doesn't know, riding in two-point really works those back muscles. I think I did the course twice. The first was very sloppy, the second was better because I had a better leg position. After the course, Marie sent me off at a trot when poor Dixie just quit. No amount of squeezing was getting her back into a trot - really, my legs were screaming by the time Marie asked me to walk her to the gate for a drink. Marie rinsed her legs and belly with water and we tried again, but it was just too hot and humid and Dixie was too pooped to go on. We got her un-tacked and walked her into the barn for a cool bath. So, I told Marie about coming out on Saturday and found out that she had never given Jim (stable owner) permission to let anyone ride her horses while she was gone. To say she was livid is an understatement. She asked if I was sure a few times and now I wished that I'd looked closer on Saturday, but I didn't. That being said, Eclipse is pretty easy to spot because he's got a golden-brown color to his coat instead of the usual red-brown. At this point, I'm hoping I was mistaken and the barn owner is not a raging d-bag.
And I asked her about her opinion of Bourbon. She doesn't think it's a good idea, basically the same reasons I was thinking. Bourbon needs a full training tune-up, not just attention. And I'm definitely not comfortable riding with a twisted wire snaffle. I realize they have their place, but I've never used one and would be afraid I'd unintentionally hurt him. So, she suggested I wait until she's able to contact Doll's owner (the little QH mare). She enjoys attention, and I really liked her. Crossing fingers.
But, I'm not going home without horse time so I head over to see Bourbon. He's out in the pasture with his buddies, and of course he's standing as far away from the gate as possible. When I got close, he stopped grazing and starting walking towards me - then he seemed to recognize me and turn away! Great. I wasn't going to chase him so I walked toward his shoulder and he let me catch him. Half way through the pasture, he let's out his 'where are my friends' whinny - that's right, we were still in the pasture. Bourbon, I promise I'm not a horse thief. I decided to groom him real quick before anything else, so we walked over to his stall. C has one of those Aussie tie-rings, so I put the lead rope through and turned around to get the brush bucket. That's when Bourbon decided to not only pull back but to rear up while doing it. The rest of the grooming was uneventful and we walked to the round pen. He had clearly been desensitized to a rope and stick, so we worked on walk/trot and changing direction. He has never really been taught to stay out of someone's space - actually, I guess you could just generalize and say that he's never been taught to give to pressure. His butt kept getting closer and closer when he was going around. He didn't feel the need to get out of my space when I asked, while lunging or leading. When he was going nicely, I put him back out.
When I got back in the car, I asked C if he's ever pulled back or reared up before. Not in a long time, she said. Another hmm. Pretty sure I asked if he had any quirks or bad habits. How long's a long time?
So, I've been contemplating. Bourbon is (slightly) disrespectful when you're barely asking anything of him - what happens when you turn up the pressure? I thought on it until this morning.
My lesson was scheduled at 10. I rode Dixie again, and she was wonderful. After warming up, we did a schooling level dressage test, then an equitation test. I was doing alright until Marie asked me to trot around without stirrups, first sitting then posting. I was sliding all over the place on the turns, and would have to point my toes down and grab with my calf. It was messy. Marie said I was looking alright, but I fessed up. It's something we're going to have to work on for sure. Then she said I could have my stirrups back and gave me a course to cover, in two-point. For anyone who doesn't know, riding in two-point really works those back muscles. I think I did the course twice. The first was very sloppy, the second was better because I had a better leg position. After the course, Marie sent me off at a trot when poor Dixie just quit. No amount of squeezing was getting her back into a trot - really, my legs were screaming by the time Marie asked me to walk her to the gate for a drink. Marie rinsed her legs and belly with water and we tried again, but it was just too hot and humid and Dixie was too pooped to go on. We got her un-tacked and walked her into the barn for a cool bath. So, I told Marie about coming out on Saturday and found out that she had never given Jim (stable owner) permission to let anyone ride her horses while she was gone. To say she was livid is an understatement. She asked if I was sure a few times and now I wished that I'd looked closer on Saturday, but I didn't. That being said, Eclipse is pretty easy to spot because he's got a golden-brown color to his coat instead of the usual red-brown. At this point, I'm hoping I was mistaken and the barn owner is not a raging d-bag.
And I asked her about her opinion of Bourbon. She doesn't think it's a good idea, basically the same reasons I was thinking. Bourbon needs a full training tune-up, not just attention. And I'm definitely not comfortable riding with a twisted wire snaffle. I realize they have their place, but I've never used one and would be afraid I'd unintentionally hurt him. So, she suggested I wait until she's able to contact Doll's owner (the little QH mare). She enjoys attention, and I really liked her. Crossing fingers.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Bourbon
Thursday, my hubby called me up and told me that one of the ladies he works with would love to have me help out with her horse. When I spoke with her, I realized that actually what she wants is someone to get her horse ready to ride again. I asked her lots of questions about his behavior and went out to meet him today.
Bourbon is a 5-year-old Quarter horse that hasn't been regularly ridden in a few months. For personal reasons, he hasn't been ridden by his owner in two years. The backstory: C had a good friend that had once been a rodeo queen. That woman decided that she wanted to get a young horse to train in reining and cutting for her daughter - and C should get one so that the lady could train one for her. Six months later, that lady sold her horse and C had to remove Bourbon from her property. She was now completely on her own with a yearling.
That being said, she seems to have done a pretty good job with him. He was sent off for training as a 2.5 year old and had been long-lined before that point. He bucked her off once when throwing a fit due to buddy-sourness. He seems to have ok ground manners but she said he's very spooky, especially with plastic bags and tarps. She said he's very athletic with a killer spin - sounds like fun.
After introducing myself, we took him to the round pen. I free-lunged him and he was ok until asked to change directions. He tried to blow past me, and when I said you WILL turn, he pinned his ears and cut to the inside. He didn't threaten to run me down, but he knew he wasn't supposed to cut into my space. He did this several times and when I got a nice change of direction, I asked him to stop. He stopped and when I took a few steps back, he decided to keep walking, lol. So, we did it all again. After a few times, he stopped and looked at me when asked. Then, I went and got the horse-eating plastic bag from the car. I wanted to see how bad he spooked, since C seemed to be worried about that the most. I shook it around him and he was definitely worried but didn't respond explosively. I ended up sticking it in my back pocket and walking over to talk to C again. A few minutes later, I had a very large and very curious equine trying to sniff my butt. So, there is hope for the plastic bag. C told me that at one time they'd tied plastic bags to the saddle in an effort to desensitize him - he ran himself for 30 minutes, so it may take a good while to cure his phobia.
He was disrespectful one other time. I wanted to pick up his left front foot in order to check out a crack. When I approached, he walked off. So, I came at his shoulder again, very non-threatening, and he turned his butt to me. I went to grab the dressage whip and approached again, non-threatening, at the shoulder, slow, no staring and this time he stopped and let me pick up his foot. He held it up for me while I tried to dig the sand out and look at the crack. It doesn't appear to go through the hoof wall but I will have to research what can be done for that.
We went to turn him back out in the pasture and C went to show me where the tack was. She explained that she hasn't cleaned or oiled anything in a while so I told her I'd take her bridle and at least get that oiled. When I got to the car, I realized that the bit is a thin, twisted wire snaffle. Yikes. I'm going to have to find out why she's using such a severe bit. I have a thick snaffle here that belongs to Judy (oops). I may have to ask her if she can find my D-ring at the barn in CA.
In short, I have a horse to play with when I'm not studying, or cleaning, or cooking, or being a mom, or at my riding lessons. I'm not sure where this will go, but I'm willing to try. I may even be able to help C get back in the saddle again.
Bourbon is a 5-year-old Quarter horse that hasn't been regularly ridden in a few months. For personal reasons, he hasn't been ridden by his owner in two years. The backstory: C had a good friend that had once been a rodeo queen. That woman decided that she wanted to get a young horse to train in reining and cutting for her daughter - and C should get one so that the lady could train one for her. Six months later, that lady sold her horse and C had to remove Bourbon from her property. She was now completely on her own with a yearling.
That being said, she seems to have done a pretty good job with him. He was sent off for training as a 2.5 year old and had been long-lined before that point. He bucked her off once when throwing a fit due to buddy-sourness. He seems to have ok ground manners but she said he's very spooky, especially with plastic bags and tarps. She said he's very athletic with a killer spin - sounds like fun.
After introducing myself, we took him to the round pen. I free-lunged him and he was ok until asked to change directions. He tried to blow past me, and when I said you WILL turn, he pinned his ears and cut to the inside. He didn't threaten to run me down, but he knew he wasn't supposed to cut into my space. He did this several times and when I got a nice change of direction, I asked him to stop. He stopped and when I took a few steps back, he decided to keep walking, lol. So, we did it all again. After a few times, he stopped and looked at me when asked. Then, I went and got the horse-eating plastic bag from the car. I wanted to see how bad he spooked, since C seemed to be worried about that the most. I shook it around him and he was definitely worried but didn't respond explosively. I ended up sticking it in my back pocket and walking over to talk to C again. A few minutes later, I had a very large and very curious equine trying to sniff my butt. So, there is hope for the plastic bag. C told me that at one time they'd tied plastic bags to the saddle in an effort to desensitize him - he ran himself for 30 minutes, so it may take a good while to cure his phobia.
He was disrespectful one other time. I wanted to pick up his left front foot in order to check out a crack. When I approached, he walked off. So, I came at his shoulder again, very non-threatening, and he turned his butt to me. I went to grab the dressage whip and approached again, non-threatening, at the shoulder, slow, no staring and this time he stopped and let me pick up his foot. He held it up for me while I tried to dig the sand out and look at the crack. It doesn't appear to go through the hoof wall but I will have to research what can be done for that.
We went to turn him back out in the pasture and C went to show me where the tack was. She explained that she hasn't cleaned or oiled anything in a while so I told her I'd take her bridle and at least get that oiled. When I got to the car, I realized that the bit is a thin, twisted wire snaffle. Yikes. I'm going to have to find out why she's using such a severe bit. I have a thick snaffle here that belongs to Judy (oops). I may have to ask her if she can find my D-ring at the barn in CA.
In short, I have a horse to play with when I'm not studying, or cleaning, or cooking, or being a mom, or at my riding lessons. I'm not sure where this will go, but I'm willing to try. I may even be able to help C get back in the saddle again.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
A good day
My father has been my kid-sitter when I go riding. Last night when I called him up to ask him to watch the kids today, he asked if he could come along. Hell yeah, I said. My dad basically grew up on the back of a horse. He and his father went out and rode everyday tending (someone else's) cattle. They also participated in local shows. My dad has tons of horse (and cow and grandfather) stories and I used to love to hear them.
So, today, I picked up my dad at 12:30 to head out to the stables. I got the kids set up on the gazebo with the iPad and my laptop, and we went to meet Marie. We bathed her sorrel gelding - she wasn't kidding, he has some serious nastiness going on.
Poor guy. He has spots up his neck, face, ears, and flanks too, but his chest is the worst. He has rubbed his mane and half of his tail out. We washed Bounce (love his name) with a medicated shampoo.
So, today, I picked up my dad at 12:30 to head out to the stables. I got the kids set up on the gazebo with the iPad and my laptop, and we went to meet Marie. We bathed her sorrel gelding - she wasn't kidding, he has some serious nastiness going on.
Poor guy. He has spots up his neck, face, ears, and flanks too, but his chest is the worst. He has rubbed his mane and half of his tail out. We washed Bounce (love his name) with a medicated shampoo.
I'z so pitifulz. I can haz more treatz?
We squeegeed him off and walked him around until he dried, then Marie put some medicine on all of his boo-boos. Poor Bounce is California-bred, and lived in Arizona most of his life...and he seems to be allergic to Florida. With treatment, he's getting better- hopefully enough to stay with Marie here in FL. When he was done, he got put back in his stall - which he hated. He's used to being out on pasture, but Marie's hoping that keeping him out of the rain will help his skin.
Then it was stand around and wait for the vet time. So, we scritched horses and swept the barn isle. Marie had an older lady show up that wanted to talk lessons (she had talked to her earlier in the day, but the lady had said that it was too long of a drive...then she drove) for her grand-daughters. We met the owner of the stables. And I met an adorable QH (I believe) mare. She was standing in her stall with her muzzle in the grain bucket - waiting for dinner. So, I started rubbing and scratching. She wanted her ears rubbed, so we did a lot of that. Then Marie walked over and said since she's been at Schalamar Creek (1.5 years) the owner of this horse had not come to the stables once. She lives 4 days a week in her stall, 3 days on pasture and has her feet trimmed a few times a year - that's it. There could be a number of reasons for this situation but it made me sad for this mare. There are horses that don't really care for people but this little mare enjoyed the attention. So...I did something a bit foolish. I asked Marie to try to get in touch with the owner to ask if I could groom and work with the horse - as long as she's sound and sane. We'll see if anything comes of it.
And...we're still waiting for the vet to show up to do Confetti's teeth (love his name too!). So, Marie asks me if I want to take Eclipse for a spin. I told her I didn't have my helmet because I wasn't planning on riding - so she let me borrow one of hers. Yay!
Eclipse was a total mud-ball today - there were even chunks stuck in his mane. It took me quite a while to get him groomed. Finally, we were ready. I haven't ridden Eclipse in a couple of weeks (have ridden Dixie the last two lessons), so I was excited - I just really like this horse. The stirrups were a bit too short, but it was hot, so I dealt with it. My dad took a couple of pictures with my phone from across the arena, so forgive the blurriness.
Not too shabby.
Leaning? Check *sigh*
And finally, the cheese shot.
I kept it short - it was incredibly hot and there was no shade in the arena. Besides that, Charmont was flipping his lid that his bestie was missing. He was actually doing sliding stops up to the fence. Eclipse couldn't have cared less. I stopped and got everyone a zebra cone on the way home - the kids were fabulous. They even admitted that riding looked like fun, and K wanted to pet Eclipse's nose afterwards. Yep, it was a good day.
Goals
Figured it'd be a good idea to actually type my goals out so I can check them later - and hopefully see some progress!
First, I need to become a proficient rider at all gaits. In order to progress faster, I need to go up to at least twice a week lessons. This is not possible right this second, due to budget constraints. In a few months maybe. In the meantime, I'm doing what I can to cut costs in other areas, as well as looking at getting a weekend job. When the kids head back to school, I will probably look for a job during the week. I guess I need to state that I'm currently a stay-at-home mom. There are multiple reasons for this but the two biggest: when my husband and I were both working, it was nearly impossible for us to put our kids first - no boss wants to hear that your kids are sick or have doctor's appts or a school activity. The second is so my husband can work on his career. His job always had to come second to mine while I was in the Air Force. When/if I do start working, it will be part-time and I will tell my boss to shove it if they try to make me choose between my kids and my job. If that makes me a liability or a bad employee, so be it.
In a year or so, when I'm comfortable with my riding abilities, I hope to start looking into leasing a horse. I will still be taking lessons, and possibly doing some schooling shows as practice. I am learning low-level dressage and jumping, so that I can both handle obstacles out on the trail and teach/help my future horse collect him/herself when out on the trail. Hopefully by that time I'll have some horse buddies in this area that will allow me to tag along when they trail ride.
Currently, I have only an hour or so horse time each week - not nearly enough for a fanatic like myself. I have tried a few different things in order to increase my equine face time. I volunteered a few times at a local rescue. They were unorganized and clique-ish, and I spent most of my time there standing around while I waited for the person that was supposed to tell me what needed to be done next. If half of my time was spent standing around, then they have plenty of help and can do without me. Next, I posted on the AERC Facebook page that I was willing to help someone in this area - mucking stalls, cleaning tack, crewing for rides. I even said I did not expect to ride their horses (not good enough yet to even consider it), but I got no bites. So, I asked Marie if she knew anyone that needed help - turns out that she could use some help with her own (duh!) so I'm heading out there this afternoon. I'm going to help her during a teeth-floating appointment, then bathe her chestnut gelding. Yay for FREE horse time!
And eventually, I would like to participate in endurance rides with my own horse. At this point, I would like to get up to 50's, specifically multi-days. I don't plan to race, but instead just enjoy the countryside and time with my horse (and, hopefully, with my husband). One day, I'd like to meet some of the folks whose blogs I follow and actually have something in common with them.
Endurance riding is so much like my childhood dream - to climb onto my horse and ride and ride and ride. Explore all the little side roads and trails (and properties with No Trespassing signs :D ), go to sleep and start it all again the next day. I crave a deep bond with a horse, from all of our time spent together. Bernice Ende is doing this right now - just riding and camping with her horses and dog. She's been riding since 2005, and has covered 18,000 miles. Ahhhh, the dream.
First, I need to become a proficient rider at all gaits. In order to progress faster, I need to go up to at least twice a week lessons. This is not possible right this second, due to budget constraints. In a few months maybe. In the meantime, I'm doing what I can to cut costs in other areas, as well as looking at getting a weekend job. When the kids head back to school, I will probably look for a job during the week. I guess I need to state that I'm currently a stay-at-home mom. There are multiple reasons for this but the two biggest: when my husband and I were both working, it was nearly impossible for us to put our kids first - no boss wants to hear that your kids are sick or have doctor's appts or a school activity. The second is so my husband can work on his career. His job always had to come second to mine while I was in the Air Force. When/if I do start working, it will be part-time and I will tell my boss to shove it if they try to make me choose between my kids and my job. If that makes me a liability or a bad employee, so be it.
In a year or so, when I'm comfortable with my riding abilities, I hope to start looking into leasing a horse. I will still be taking lessons, and possibly doing some schooling shows as practice. I am learning low-level dressage and jumping, so that I can both handle obstacles out on the trail and teach/help my future horse collect him/herself when out on the trail. Hopefully by that time I'll have some horse buddies in this area that will allow me to tag along when they trail ride.
Currently, I have only an hour or so horse time each week - not nearly enough for a fanatic like myself. I have tried a few different things in order to increase my equine face time. I volunteered a few times at a local rescue. They were unorganized and clique-ish, and I spent most of my time there standing around while I waited for the person that was supposed to tell me what needed to be done next. If half of my time was spent standing around, then they have plenty of help and can do without me. Next, I posted on the AERC Facebook page that I was willing to help someone in this area - mucking stalls, cleaning tack, crewing for rides. I even said I did not expect to ride their horses (not good enough yet to even consider it), but I got no bites. So, I asked Marie if she knew anyone that needed help - turns out that she could use some help with her own (duh!) so I'm heading out there this afternoon. I'm going to help her during a teeth-floating appointment, then bathe her chestnut gelding. Yay for FREE horse time!
And eventually, I would like to participate in endurance rides with my own horse. At this point, I would like to get up to 50's, specifically multi-days. I don't plan to race, but instead just enjoy the countryside and time with my horse (and, hopefully, with my husband). One day, I'd like to meet some of the folks whose blogs I follow and actually have something in common with them.
Endurance riding is so much like my childhood dream - to climb onto my horse and ride and ride and ride. Explore all the little side roads and trails (and properties with No Trespassing signs :D ), go to sleep and start it all again the next day. I crave a deep bond with a horse, from all of our time spent together. Bernice Ende is doing this right now - just riding and camping with her horses and dog. She's been riding since 2005, and has covered 18,000 miles. Ahhhh, the dream.
Never sell your saddle
Last November when I watched my horse leave in someone else's trailer, I thought I'd never own another horse again. I didn't want to - I'd had my shot and blew it. I let fear creep into my mind and convince me that I couldn't do all the things I wanted to do with my horse. What a load of crap, wow. It seemed impossible at the time, but I'm sure I could have found the time and cash for a few riding lessons here or there. I could have ridden Karma around her paddock, working on transitions - something! But fear of failure and possibly turning my horse into a monster left me paralyzed. I didn't think I deserved another shot. Did someone steal my big girl panties? I'm sure I had a pair somewhere...
So, I tried to sell my saddle. Wonder of wonders, no one wanted to pay my asking price for such a monstrosity as this, even with the Toklat woolback and Equipedic saddle pads.
Btw, the knee roll looks faded for some reason, but I assure you it isn't. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the most comfortable saddle I have ever had the pleasure to squeeze my ghetto-sized butt into. My first time truly riding in it was during a trail competition - loads of fun, if you ever get to attend one, btw! My horse and I pulled a log through a small obstacle course and it was completely secure. And when I climbed down off my horse a few hours later, there was no stiff knee syndrome. I was in love.
Anyways, the moral of the story is, don't ever, under any circumstances, sell your saddle. Things might seem bleak right now, but push through. When you finally locate your big girl panties, you'll be glad you held on to your saddle. My saddle has a ton of good memories attached to it, and I'm so glad it's still with me.
So, I tried to sell my saddle. Wonder of wonders, no one wanted to pay my asking price for such a monstrosity as this, even with the Toklat woolback and Equipedic saddle pads.
Btw, the knee roll looks faded for some reason, but I assure you it isn't. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the most comfortable saddle I have ever had the pleasure to squeeze my ghetto-sized butt into. My first time truly riding in it was during a trail competition - loads of fun, if you ever get to attend one, btw! My horse and I pulled a log through a small obstacle course and it was completely secure. And when I climbed down off my horse a few hours later, there was no stiff knee syndrome. I was in love.
Anyways, the moral of the story is, don't ever, under any circumstances, sell your saddle. Things might seem bleak right now, but push through. When you finally locate your big girl panties, you'll be glad you held on to your saddle. My saddle has a ton of good memories attached to it, and I'm so glad it's still with me.
Tuesday's Lesson
I have had 8 lessons with Marie so far, and already my riding has improved dramatically. I am comfortable trotting, and can even steer and keep the horse going when needs be.
On Tuesday, I rode Dixie again. Dixie is a 19-year-old Thoroughbred mare with an Arab-like face. She belongs to the stable owners who allow Marie to use her for lessons a few times a week. She doesn't particularly like scritches, but she's an honest horse and I like her. We tack up and start our warm-up walk around the arena. Our second time around, I notice Eclipse in the next pasture lying down, not moving. Dixie saw him about the same time I did. Poor Dixie - she was convinced that the horse over there was dead and there had to be a monster lurking. I've never been with her when she spooked before, so I let her stop and look...and look...and loooooook. Then I asked her to move on. About that time, Eclipse started moving and Dixie decided maybe it was ok to keep going.
Our first few minutes of trotting were atrocious. I was all over the place, on the wrong diagonal, leaning forward, heels up, the works. Ugggh. This is what happens when it's been just over a week since you last rode! We trotted, worked on posting, worked on trotting in two-point (ow), worked on halting at a predetermined spot from a trot. I kept missing my stopping point by at least one stride - I tend to wait too long to cue the whoa. Worked on changing direction and dressage-y terms (how to do a 20-meter circle, etc). My sitting trot was horrible, I was having such a hard time moving with her. Then Marie gave us a small 'jump course' to do - poles were lying on the ground, but I had to navigate them in a certain order. Most of the poles were singles, but the second was a set of three. We were to start in a trot, come out of a corner, go over the first 'jump', cut across the arena to the triple poles, go around two corners, over a pole, cut across the arena for the last pole. Before getting to the poles, I was to go into two point to simulate an actual jump and allow Dixie to use to her back and neck. That first triple, poor Dixie hit every pole - guess I didn't give her the reins when I went into two point because I was still trying to collect myself after that last turn. The next several rounds were pretty good. She never hit another pole and I was collected enough to do proper two point position as we went over them. There by the end, my body had remembered how to sit a trot! And then it was over. I was absolutely exhausted and exhilarated. And HOT. Phew, Florida is awful in the summer especially when you're used to dry California summers. We rinsed Dixie off for a good 15 minutes but her veins were still visible when we put her in her paddock.
Things learned during our lesson - shoulders back immediately after two-point, none of this leaning forward stuff. Hips forward when posting, none of this leaning forward stuff. Heels down, even when cueing for a turn, none of this leaning stuff. See a pattern here? Yeah, me too. Also, I have got to start working my back muscles in between lessons - my muscles were so sore yesterday from all of the two-point. But, my two-point position has improved - I wasn't leaning on her neck to keep my balance. Small improvements, but it's nice to see progress.
On Tuesday, I rode Dixie again. Dixie is a 19-year-old Thoroughbred mare with an Arab-like face. She belongs to the stable owners who allow Marie to use her for lessons a few times a week. She doesn't particularly like scritches, but she's an honest horse and I like her. We tack up and start our warm-up walk around the arena. Our second time around, I notice Eclipse in the next pasture lying down, not moving. Dixie saw him about the same time I did. Poor Dixie - she was convinced that the horse over there was dead and there had to be a monster lurking. I've never been with her when she spooked before, so I let her stop and look...and look...and loooooook. Then I asked her to move on. About that time, Eclipse started moving and Dixie decided maybe it was ok to keep going.
Our first few minutes of trotting were atrocious. I was all over the place, on the wrong diagonal, leaning forward, heels up, the works. Ugggh. This is what happens when it's been just over a week since you last rode! We trotted, worked on posting, worked on trotting in two-point (ow), worked on halting at a predetermined spot from a trot. I kept missing my stopping point by at least one stride - I tend to wait too long to cue the whoa. Worked on changing direction and dressage-y terms (how to do a 20-meter circle, etc). My sitting trot was horrible, I was having such a hard time moving with her. Then Marie gave us a small 'jump course' to do - poles were lying on the ground, but I had to navigate them in a certain order. Most of the poles were singles, but the second was a set of three. We were to start in a trot, come out of a corner, go over the first 'jump', cut across the arena to the triple poles, go around two corners, over a pole, cut across the arena for the last pole. Before getting to the poles, I was to go into two point to simulate an actual jump and allow Dixie to use to her back and neck. That first triple, poor Dixie hit every pole - guess I didn't give her the reins when I went into two point because I was still trying to collect myself after that last turn. The next several rounds were pretty good. She never hit another pole and I was collected enough to do proper two point position as we went over them. There by the end, my body had remembered how to sit a trot! And then it was over. I was absolutely exhausted and exhilarated. And HOT. Phew, Florida is awful in the summer especially when you're used to dry California summers. We rinsed Dixie off for a good 15 minutes but her veins were still visible when we put her in her paddock.
Things learned during our lesson - shoulders back immediately after two-point, none of this leaning forward stuff. Hips forward when posting, none of this leaning forward stuff. Heels down, even when cueing for a turn, none of this leaning stuff. See a pattern here? Yeah, me too. Also, I have got to start working my back muscles in between lessons - my muscles were so sore yesterday from all of the two-point. But, my two-point position has improved - I wasn't leaning on her neck to keep my balance. Small improvements, but it's nice to see progress.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
A Little Background
I was one of those horse-crazy girls that just wanted a pony, any pony, growing up. Unfortunately, my parents were never in a position to get me that pony, so I grew up dreaming, drawing, reading horse fiction, and listening over and over again to my father's horse stories. In high school, I was allowed to volunteer at a local trainer's barn. We agreed to trade hard labor for riding lessons. I mucked stalls every day after school and over the weekends as well - and rode maybe 4 times in 1 year. But, I did get horse experience - the kind that causes you to realize that all those stories you read growing up were a bit idealistic. Then I joined the Air Force and horses got put on the back burner.
Fast forward to summer of 2007. I am married and have two toddlers at home. Horse-craziness has been back full-blast for several years now - I even bought a halter for my future horse. I start leasing a black Morgan mare named Shadow that is living at the base stables (for those that don't know, most Army and ex-Army bases have horse stables!!). Shadow has some issues - she will not stand for mounting, will not allow you to pick up her hind feet, and likes to go faster than a newbie should be going when not dangling from the end of a longe line. Even with her quirks, Shadow was a sweet girl and I offered by buy her. Her owner wanted $3500 - too much. So I started horse shopping.
I didn't own a saddle, so my first several rides were in a bareback pad - and Karma was amazing. She never offered to run off or do anything remotely scary. A few weeks later, I bought an old English saddle that happened to fit Karma very well. I met a lady named Judy, who owned two horses of her own. Her youngest was a half-Belgian gelding whom was in trail training. She offered to trailer us to a local poker ride. We had a blast! We went over logs and through a belly-deep river crossing. The only time Karma hesitated was walking over a bridge but she went with a little coaxing. She was so fantastic I even had someone offer to purchase her after the ride. It was a great day.
I started taking lessons with different people - let's just say that knowing how to ride doesn't make you a good instructor. One of the folks was helpful but most were a waste of time and money - and actually made me nervous to ride my horse, who had a HUGE trot. And Karma started to develop bad habits. It was a slow thing, but once it happened, I didn't know how to correct them. For instance, I had Karma professionally hauled to a vet clinic once when I was afraid she was colicking - and my once easily-loaded horse had to be tranq'd in order to get into Judy's trailer to be hauled home. She never loaded easily again and would kick the door of the trailer while hauling. She was still a great horse, but I was beginning to become afraid that I wasn't good enough for her. This turned into a vicious cycle of me doing almost nothing with her, for the fear that I was doing the wrong things. While this was going on, I had a surgery on one of my feet that didn't go as well as hoped, and now affects my hips and back - this made me clumsy while mounting my tall (for me) horse, which in turn caused her to move while mounting *sigh*. This all happened over several years, and it got to the point that I would only ride her about twice a year. She was still *mostly* well-behaved during these rides. It made me feel so guilty that she was basically wasting away as a pasture pet when she could do much more. During this time, I became very interested in endurance riding, but I just couldn't see a feasible way to get from where we were to my eventual goal. I did buy a lot of the necessary gear though - Sensation saddle, beta biothane tack, etc :)
I was discharged from the Air Force due to the afore-mentioned surgery and after effects in January 2012. I had to get a civilian job and was working as many hours as during my AF career, which meant I had little time (and a convenient excuse) for riding or working with Karma. I still hung out with her and she was still a total pocket pony. In Sept of 2012, my husband started gearing up to get us back 'home' to Florida. We'd been gone for 12 years, and it was time to move closer to family. Our income during this time had dropped by 1/2-2/3. We had no idea exactly what would happen after we arrived in Florida, but we knew we wouldn't have the money to board Karma. I talked to my friend Judy. I told her what was going on and that I needed to find a home for Karma. I wasn't asking for any money, but I would not let her go to just anyone. Judy told me she'd help me find her a good place. A couple of weeks later, a girl came out with her mom and trainer to try Karma out. Karma ended up going home with them a week or so later. She's doing great, and has a little girl to love on that loves back on her. She's in hunter/jumper training. If for some reason she doesn't make it as a hunter (if she starts disliking her job), Judy will find her another home.
Anyways, I was so bummed that I didn't even think about horses again for 8 months. Then, I started getting cabin fever and realized that I really needed to go riding. I have found a great trainer (a real trainer!!), and have had 8 lessons so far. I'm comfortable trotting now - I have even jumped (!!!), though I still have a lot of room for improvement. Marie, my trainer, told me that I'm ready for a schooling show but with school shopping this month, I really shouldn't - and so, I won't. I will still accompany them to the show though :)
Plans for the future: I will not get another horse until we are back out of debt. I'm currently using my GI Bill to get my bachelor's degree in Accounting and Health Science - this will actually pay for my lessons and help us get out of debt faster. I may start volunteering at a large animal vet clinic after the kids start school - this is actually what I would most like to do with my life, but it would be dumb not to take advantage of my GI Bill after I paid into it. I will continue to take riding lessons until I get another horse of my own. I'm currently taking one lesson a week but hope to go up to two per week in the next couple of months.
PS. To those whose blogs I follow - I have been reading your blogs anonymously for years - just in case you were wondering!
Fast forward to summer of 2007. I am married and have two toddlers at home. Horse-craziness has been back full-blast for several years now - I even bought a halter for my future horse. I start leasing a black Morgan mare named Shadow that is living at the base stables (for those that don't know, most Army and ex-Army bases have horse stables!!). Shadow has some issues - she will not stand for mounting, will not allow you to pick up her hind feet, and likes to go faster than a newbie should be going when not dangling from the end of a longe line. Even with her quirks, Shadow was a sweet girl and I offered by buy her. Her owner wanted $3500 - too much. So I started horse shopping.
Shadow
It wasn't too long before I saw a Dreamhorse ad for a 4 year old, Standardbred/Morgan mare. This mare was everything I was avoiding due to my father's cowboy advice (your first horse should be a 20-year-old QH gelding). I answered the ad anyway, as the woman clearly adored this young mare. I went to meet Karma, and we clicked. She was young, but she was level-headed, sound, barefoot, and slow. In fact, she had originally been purchased for the woman's 9-year-old daughter, but the daughter preferred her mom's (faster) gelding. We scheduled a vet check and I brought Karma home to the stables a week or two later. I didn't own a saddle, so my first several rides were in a bareback pad - and Karma was amazing. She never offered to run off or do anything remotely scary. A few weeks later, I bought an old English saddle that happened to fit Karma very well. I met a lady named Judy, who owned two horses of her own. Her youngest was a half-Belgian gelding whom was in trail training. She offered to trailer us to a local poker ride. We had a blast! We went over logs and through a belly-deep river crossing. The only time Karma hesitated was walking over a bridge but she went with a little coaxing. She was so fantastic I even had someone offer to purchase her after the ride. It was a great day.
Ready to go! Yes, she is quite lovely.
I started taking lessons with different people - let's just say that knowing how to ride doesn't make you a good instructor. One of the folks was helpful but most were a waste of time and money - and actually made me nervous to ride my horse, who had a HUGE trot. And Karma started to develop bad habits. It was a slow thing, but once it happened, I didn't know how to correct them. For instance, I had Karma professionally hauled to a vet clinic once when I was afraid she was colicking - and my once easily-loaded horse had to be tranq'd in order to get into Judy's trailer to be hauled home. She never loaded easily again and would kick the door of the trailer while hauling. She was still a great horse, but I was beginning to become afraid that I wasn't good enough for her. This turned into a vicious cycle of me doing almost nothing with her, for the fear that I was doing the wrong things. While this was going on, I had a surgery on one of my feet that didn't go as well as hoped, and now affects my hips and back - this made me clumsy while mounting my tall (for me) horse, which in turn caused her to move while mounting *sigh*. This all happened over several years, and it got to the point that I would only ride her about twice a year. She was still *mostly* well-behaved during these rides. It made me feel so guilty that she was basically wasting away as a pasture pet when she could do much more. During this time, I became very interested in endurance riding, but I just couldn't see a feasible way to get from where we were to my eventual goal. I did buy a lot of the necessary gear though - Sensation saddle, beta biothane tack, etc :)
Me and Karma after the Veteran's Day Parade 2011
I was discharged from the Air Force due to the afore-mentioned surgery and after effects in January 2012. I had to get a civilian job and was working as many hours as during my AF career, which meant I had little time (and a convenient excuse) for riding or working with Karma. I still hung out with her and she was still a total pocket pony. In Sept of 2012, my husband started gearing up to get us back 'home' to Florida. We'd been gone for 12 years, and it was time to move closer to family. Our income during this time had dropped by 1/2-2/3. We had no idea exactly what would happen after we arrived in Florida, but we knew we wouldn't have the money to board Karma. I talked to my friend Judy. I told her what was going on and that I needed to find a home for Karma. I wasn't asking for any money, but I would not let her go to just anyone. Judy told me she'd help me find her a good place. A couple of weeks later, a girl came out with her mom and trainer to try Karma out. Karma ended up going home with them a week or so later. She's doing great, and has a little girl to love on that loves back on her. She's in hunter/jumper training. If for some reason she doesn't make it as a hunter (if she starts disliking her job), Judy will find her another home.
Karma and her new BFF
Anyways, I was so bummed that I didn't even think about horses again for 8 months. Then, I started getting cabin fever and realized that I really needed to go riding. I have found a great trainer (a real trainer!!), and have had 8 lessons so far. I'm comfortable trotting now - I have even jumped (!!!), though I still have a lot of room for improvement. Marie, my trainer, told me that I'm ready for a schooling show but with school shopping this month, I really shouldn't - and so, I won't. I will still accompany them to the show though :)
Plans for the future: I will not get another horse until we are back out of debt. I'm currently using my GI Bill to get my bachelor's degree in Accounting and Health Science - this will actually pay for my lessons and help us get out of debt faster. I may start volunteering at a large animal vet clinic after the kids start school - this is actually what I would most like to do with my life, but it would be dumb not to take advantage of my GI Bill after I paid into it. I will continue to take riding lessons until I get another horse of my own. I'm currently taking one lesson a week but hope to go up to two per week in the next couple of months.
Me and my usual lesson buddy, Eclipse - please excuse my chunkiness!
So, that's about it. Long and whiny, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed with how I handled the first shot at my childhood dream. Mostly this blog will be about my continued progress during lessons and any extra-curricular horse stuff I can manage to squeeze in. Btw, if you are a horse fanatic with a tolerant spouse, please be sure to give them an extra hug. I cannot imagine what it must be like for those that don't share our equine obsession - to see the money, blood, sweat, and tears that go into horses but not to understand/share in the joy. The time away from them, if they aren't horse people too. I love you, babe! Thank you for letting me take what little extra(?) money we have and throw it away ;)PS. To those whose blogs I follow - I have been reading your blogs anonymously for years - just in case you were wondering!
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