Grr. Argh.

I always have the lamest titles for these things.

It's nice to actually be awake enough at 9:30pm to write a blog update! Wahoo!

So here I am, watching the new episode of Ghost Hunters, and writing on my blog.

Let's see...This Friday I'm working a semi-half day (I get off at 2pm, how charming...) so that I can (attempt to) put Bailey on a trailer and ship to Middleburg, VA for the night. My very good friend, and former college roomie, works for a Grand Prix dressage rider down that way, and I'm taking a lesson with her Friday and Saturday. I'm pretty excited to actually take a lesson for the first time in ages, even if it isn't jumping. I've never taken a full-fledged dressage lesson before (at least, not on a horse capable of doing anything more than walking *cough cough* Wilson College...) so I'm pretty excited to see what happens. Hopefully it goes smoothly. It's the furthest I've ever trailered, let alone by myself.

In bad news, I missed the show on Sunday. Bella pulled a shoe Thursday morning and my farrier didn't make it out in time to reset it. Somehow, I'm paying an exorbitant amount of money to stable her someplace with an indoor for the winter, yet they don't change blankets (she was drenched, standing around in 68 degree weather with her mid-weight on) and pulled her shoe because she was pacing the fenceline so dramatically that she twisted it right off and no one thought about bringing her inside. Wtf...I mean, I'm all for low maintenance horses, but I'm paying $575 a month here people...let's at least make sure the horse is happy. Not to mention, they feed the bottom of the barrel Pennfield feed. I like Pennfield, I do. It's great stuff...but that's a lot of money to be getting fed the low-end product line. Oh the joys of public boarding. I forgot how it all went. Yikes. I hope it's a mild winter...

I don't know if I mentioned that I'm riding a friend's horse for her. He's fantastic. I love him. If I thought she'd take the money I'm willing to offer, I'd buy him off of her as my A/O horse. However, she has a lot of money in him, and the person who takes him needs him to be a 'long term' horse, not a flip. I'll just have to enjoy him while I can! I do have to say though, if anyone is interested in Irish horses, she's really doing something special with the breed. I have more information if you're interested. She has a really nice stallion standing at stud this spring for his first season. All her horses swept up the ribbons at the annual Irish show this year;) So congrats to her!

My farrier did finally make it out at his scheduled time yesterday afternoon. He handcrafted her some pretty spectacular hind shoes. It took him nearly two hours to do her, and they are truly a work of art. It's a really great feeling. I know Bella will never do even a low A/O course, but the fact that Joe does everything he can to get me the most out of what she can give me is just phenomenal. He gave her these shoes that have a slightly outward curving trailer on the hind feet, so that she has more of a platform to push off of in front of a fence. Bella has always been nervous about jumping situations that test her hind end strength, so I can't wait to try jumping her with these shoes. Normally when a farrier asks if I felt any difference in my horse, I have to lie and say, "Yeah man! She felt amazing!". With Joe, there is no lying. My horse's dynamics have totally changed each of the three times he's shod her. I can't wait to see what time number 4 does!

Nathan met one of our neighbors today. Their wild, crazy horse went galumphing down our driveway, apparently. From what I understand, the father looks like Doc Brown with less hair, and the daughters totally love horses, but have one they can't ride. Somehow, they got the impression that they can come ride our horses when they get there. Umm. Right. Oh, neighbors. And here I thought that, by moving to the middle of practically nowhere, we wouldn't have weird neighbors. Clearly I have been mistaken.

Well, I think that's all for now.

Anybody have any great Turkey Day plans?

Boy oh Boy, what else can go wrong?

I just keep getting myself into messes...grrr.

On a totally off topic, I got a new phone! Despite the love I possess for my iPhone, I made the switch to the Blackberry Torch since it was $100 cheaper (and we all know how that goes...). So far, I really like it. Maybe more than my iPhone *gasp*!

Anyways, I had planned to ride Bella in my lunch break this afternoon in prep for Columbia this weekend. What happens when I get there? She's twisted a shoe and jammed the clip into her hoof. Fantastic. To top it off, it was nearly 65 degrees today and they left her heavy sheet on. She was drenched, and I mean lathered, in sweat. What. Retards. I'm sorry, I understand that operating a horse farm is tough, sucky, b.s. work...but I am NOT. I repeat, NOT paying $575 a month for that kind of crappy care. Especially when I cant ride my horse because she's too busy pacing the fenceline and pulling her shoes! Argh. I put a text into Joe, my miracle farrier. He hasn't gotten back to me yet, but I'm hoping that he can tack it back on in time for me to school up for Sunday. It's a 1.10-1.15m class...not something to just go into blind! Oh Bella...

The babies continue to have some time off. I guess it's no huge deal, but I do need to school Bailey up before next weekend. We're shipping off to Middleburg, VA for a night to take a lesson with Margot McAllister, a Grand Prix dressage rider that my very good friend Stephanie works and rides for. I'm super excited to hear what she has to say about Bailey, and learn some new techniques on the flat. Basically, I'm just excited to do something. Plus, she seems super nice and is giving me a super heavy discount, which is always a perk.

One of my boarders left today, so I think I'll be acquiring a new boarder horse soon. It's going to be another one that belongs to a girl that already has two here. She's trying to get her ISH breeding program off the ground, and I've mentioned her before. She's off to a great start. I really like the horses that she's producing. Anyways, I'm happy she's taking the stalls because that means that I can't fill them with some other project I can't handle right now.

Raleigh is this week and next week. I wish I was there:( It was such a fun show.

I'm so tired. I think I forget what it feels like to be awake. Is that what it's like in this industry? I hope it's something that goes away after a while. Once I'm 'established' and all. I think I just need to suck it up, throw out my amateur status, and rent a place. It seems like people would pay the money, and if Bella's current home is any clue as to what boarding facilities are like these days, it shouldn't be too hard to gain clientele.

Oh, life. Stop throwing curveballs, please?

Anyone have any big Turkey Day plans?

Life as an adult is exhausting

I'm not even sure where I left off last...

I've started riding one of my boarder's horses that she keeps at another facility. He's a 5 year old ISH named Cooper. I get to sit on him all this week to help her prepare to show him to a potential client on Sunday. He's pretty spectacular. As much as I hope he sells, for her sake, I'd almost love for him to stick around because she's offered to let me show him:)

On another note, Bella left for Pickwick Stables this past Saturday, where she will be dwelling until probably the end of February or March. It's tough not having her under my 24/7 scrutiny, but the indoor arena will be vastly helpful. We're headed to a schooling show at Columbia Horse Center this Sunday to do the 3'6" to 3'9" money classes (yes, money at a schooling show!). I'm a little nervous, but we need to step up to the plate at some time or another, and she's been doing really well. Though, she's probably a little perturbed with me right now because her left side is clipped, but only the outsides of her right legs are done on the other side. That's what happens when you don't have more than 20 minutes to a half hour to mess with your horse at any given time! Oh well. I've decided against showing Patrick this Saturday, so I'll hopefully have her cleaned up and ready.

I never heard back from the little girl that came to try Patrick. They weren't professional horse people, nor were they clued in on proper horse-trying etiquette, so I have a feeling I won't hear anything more from them, despite the fact that the girl specifically said, "I love him!" with a big, dopey smile. Selling horses is rough.

I've also signed up to be on a mailing list that will hopefully clue me in on some upcoming clinics, since I'm trainer-less and wandering.

So now I work from about 6:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night. It's exhausting, and it leaves little time to even pretend I'm human.

On a bright note, Nathan and I have started working on the house. We bought appliances last weekend (super deals at Sears!) and got them moved in this past Sunday. It should only be another two weeks or so until we can move in:)

Well, off to work again. It never ends.

So, uh, what's new??

I really should keep up with this thing. I really mean to, but things have just been so crazy and worthless in my life, that it's pointless to try talking about them. I really have very little time to myself anymore, unless I'm sleeping.

So I'll try to start somewhat from the beginning.

I now have three boarders at my farm. They're all pretty nice, and their horses are well-behaved, so I can't complain that they're helping pay some bills. They've also given my dad the incentive he needed to start working on the barn again. Since I last posted, he laid cobblestone pavers down as the aisleway and it looks beautiful. I'll have to grab some pictures when I get a chance.

My job has been alright. It's definitely not something that I want to be doing in five years, or even one year, but the paychecks have allowed me to buy a lot of the things I haven't been able to afford for quite some time. I feel pretty wasted, mostly because I think my boss believes I'm rather incompetent. I guess it's probably better that way, though. The less I appear to know, the less responsibility I'm trusted with. Since I have way too much going on at home, I don't mind that at all.

Because of all of this, I don't find a whole lot of time to work with my horses. They're all still staying in fairly consistent work, but it's more like 4 to 5 days a week instead of 5 or 6. Patrick is pretty much on hiatus, unfortunately. I flat him maybe twice a week and jump him once in a while, just to keep him going. He really doesn't need or want the steady training, so it works for us both. He's such a fantastic little horse. The last lesson I took on him, we jumped a solid 3'3" oxer that had a 4'0" spread. It was incredible. I wish I needed a horse like him, but I've always been told that the best time to sell a horse is when you really don't want to. Well, I've reached that point! There's an 11 year old girl coming to see him on Saturday with her grandfather. She's interested in leasing him, but I have very low expectations. She only jumps 2'0" in her 4H club, and I think she's used to kick-to-go kind of rides. Patrick is uncomplicated and quiet, but he's also been in training with an (unofficial) professional since he was broke. Cross your fingers that this doesn't lead to a lawsuit...

In other news, I've officially walked away from my trainer. It was probably the hardest decision I've ever had to make. It quite literally felt like I was walking away from my dreams, but the stress of dealing with his flaky attitude was really getting to me. I guess attaching myself to him like that is really taking the easy way out, and I want to make it because I'm good enough...not because I'm good at kissing ass. So, now that I need a hefty prescription of Xanax, I'm yet again on my own. It's not so bad, because I really don't have a horse right now that I need help with. It's just tough because I know I'm starting to develop bad habits, and I don't have anyone I trust to help me out.

Nicole, is Annette still teaching lessons? Could I trailer Bella in, do you think? I keep on meaning to get a hold of you to ask!

I'm stressed. I'm depressed. What else is new?

We close on our house tomorrow morning. By noon, Nathan and I will officially be homeowners. Yay! That is something I'm excited about. It'll be nice to have our own little place to play around with. Plus, it'll give Quinn, Fiesta, and Scooter a nice place to retire (at least until I try to breed Fifi again in the spring). We're camping out there tomorrow night, so I'll get some pictures to show you all the rough get-up we're acquiring!

So, now that I'm on my own, I've laid out some shows to go to with my horses this winter. Thankfully, this show facility 45 minutes from my house does a winter schooling series with jumpers. So Bella will be venturing up there once a month to do the 3'0" to 3'3" jumpers. It's not quite the height I would like to be working on, but it's enough to keep her going until the rated shows pick up again in April. I think Patrick is going to do the hunter divisions through the winter, just because they're on a different day, so I won't have to trailer two horses up and leave someone standing around. Plus, I think he'll like that a little more as he develops this winter. I'm taking Bella to a schooling show on the 14th of November that has some money classes. It's probably only $50 if you win, but hey, it's $50 more than I have now! Plus, it's 1.15m:)

Ah, did this post sound totally pessimistic? It felt that way. I feel that way. Sorry guys!

I'll try to update more often. I forgot how much I like venting out on this thing!

My life is a mess!

Oi vey.

I'm so not going into details. But my life is a wreck.

And unfortunately, I've discovered CANTER. I'm headed to the track on Sunday, and if this crazy old man agrees to let me give him some cash, I'll have a new horse =/ Still not sure that's good, haha. His name is Bushy. What a dreadful name for a handsome horse!

In the mean time, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eet-Vbg-YJ4

Holy cow, right? Stephanie tipped me onto that amazingness, and I couldn't not share it with everyone!

So tomorrow I think I'm bringing Bailey to Oatlands and my new found awesome horsey friends are going to help me do some flat exercises on her. I've realized that I'm quite good at teaching horses basic dressage, but I have no idea what I'm doing to get them there. So we're on an adventure to find out!

I'm off to Wal-Mart to print some pictures. Hopefully I'll have some more things to tell you all later!

Where does time go?

I feel like I never stop! Somehow the hours just keep ticking on by.

I recent news, my job has gotten better. I think maybe I'm reading into things, but it's only been a few weeks. I'm trying not to pass judgment too quickly, and just see how it goes. Today we went on a trail ride, which was super nice, especially since the horse I rode actually trail rides, instead of just bouncing along.

I have a boarder. Did I mention this last time? It's an 18hh Hano. He's a total dollface, and gives Patrick someone to rough around with, since Bailey doesn't much enjoy his play sessions anymore. She's turning into a bit of a diva princess. I also have two other girls that may be boarding horses at my house sometime in the near future. I don't know where all of this came from, but I like it! Now I just have to get the new place fixed up asap so I have room!

Also, I got a new farrier out yesterday to do the horses. I had known him a while back from my old barn, but I lost touch with him and wasn't sure if he was still doing farrier work. Thank my lucky stars, he is, and he did a GORGEOUS job. I'm seriously tickled with how Bella's feet look. I want to take pictures of them and frame them on my wall, that's how lovely they look. Finally! Now I just have to call and cancel the other guy...please go to voicemail, please go to voicemail, please go to voicemail...

My sister has been riding Patrick a lot lately, which has been good for everyone involved. It gives me less to worry about, her something to ride, and him a rider he doesn't totally hate (like me!). Bella is jumping around super fab. I'm thinking about taking her to do some eq stuff at the finale county show this weekend, just for the hell of it.

$1 Million Dollar HITS Grand Prix this weekend! My trainer will be there competing, and I'm going to be plastered in front of the computer watching!

I'm gunna be dead tomorrow

I should be dead now, but for some reason I find myself perusing the internet. I guess it's a good thing. It's been ages since I left you all with something to read!

Now, I know I don't have time to update everything, but here's the gist of it.

I hate my job. I know, I know. It's only the start of week 3, but trust me. I had a lot of trouble in college finding roommates that I could tolerate living with. They all turned into good friends, but I just had to accept that I can't live with certain people. Apparently I'm the same with my work environment.

I tried to show initiative and take care of a few things, and I got patronized and chewed out. That's fine. I'll just do what I'm told, when I'm told, and nothing more. Easy enough.

Now my plan is to move my geriatric horses onto the new farm as soon as possible, and begin to advertise for boarding, training, and breaking. I don't need a ton of money, just enough to survive, and I refuse to be miserable trying to make money when I don't even have the time to enjoy spending it on my horses. What's the point?

Enough of that. My little sister took a lesson on Patrick today, and they were both phenomenal! I was so proud of her. Now I know who's going to take my place when I become an old cripple:)

I jumped Bella on Saturday for the first time in several weeks. I was a little nervous that she'd be put off by the change in fences, but she trooped right down my oxer/oxer/oxer triple (all set at 6.5m. Great exercise for horses that lack power in the take-off). I was thrilled, to say the least! Everyone else has been consistently well-behaved, even Patrick, who tried to take me to the rodeo the other day.

I have noticed that I'm beginning to develop a bad habit on Bella. I blame my lack of lessons in the last five months, but really, what can I do? I've begun to ride a little crooked, which is natural. We all stabilize more on one side of our body, but without eyes on the ground it's become tough for me to hold a neutral position over a jump. I didn't think it was drastic, but Bella's bad feet combined with my weakness has made her almost impossible to get to land on the right lead. Thankfully, this weekend I made two new horsey friends: Sarah and Kate. They're both excellent horsey girls, and they love beer. My kind of women! So we're all going to try to get together to help one another, since none of us pay for regular lessons, and we're all young adult professionals in the industry. I'm excited about the idea! P.S.- Sarah has a GORGEOUS Irish gelding for sale, if anyone wants a super fancy prospect...

All in all, I can't complain. My 'full-time' work schedule kicks in tomorrow. I'm not happy about it. There's no way I can ride all three horses, eat lunch, and drive home and back in 3 hours, so I've given Becca the responsibility of riding Patrick. Thankfully it's a great match, and I think it'll do them both good to spend some time together. Urgh. How is everyone else been doing these last two weeks that I haven't been updating??

Oh, here's that video I promised:) Others are listed under my Youtube: Anner1121

We wanted to see the mechanics of Bailey's natural jump...I'd say she has what it takes;)

'Night all!

Ahhhhhhh!

I swear, sometime soon I WILL update! I think all of my time has gone down the tubes...Hopefully this weekend I'll have a few minutes to load the videos I promised and let all of you know what's going on in my life.

Now, I must try to force myself to sleep. No more venti White Mochas before bedtime...

Nicole, this is for you, only because you asked!

I'm deadddd tired!

Anyways, it was requested that I discuss the first few days of my new working experience, so here I am, typing like a tard out of exhaustion!

I don't whine, nooooo way ;)

Anyways, I started my first day on Monday afternoon, and I only worked a few hours to cover the p.m. turn around and 'get my feet wet', as I so delicately put it. It was pretty standard stuff. Feed, bring some in, turn some out, clean a few stalls (and seriously, just a few. Like...three. AND she beds super light! Booyah! As we said in the nineties!) So all in all, it was very straight forward. No one was hovering and supervising, it was just do the work and you're free to go. Pretty fantastic! She does ask that we clean the manure out of the fields regularly (6 fields, 2 per day). I find this a little strange, though I understand the philosophy behind it, worms and all. But hey, if she wants to pay me bankroll to pick piles of poop out of the grass, I'm A-Okay with that!

When it was all said and done, I felt pretty darn good about the day.

Tuesday I had off because there wouldn't be anyone around to continue to show me the ropes because they were all going to school Waredaca (xc facility, for those of you not from MD). I had planned for my trainer to come out and help with my horses, but as most of you know, that of course didn't wind up working out. Instead, Amanda came over and jumped Sir Patrick around a bit and played with the bounces some more. I let her hack Bella, too, just so she could start working on her feeling a bit more. She's such a good little rider, she just needs to ride horses that help teach her, instead of the usual vice versa. Bailey worked in the chambon like a superstar, and continued to be amazing through the 2.80m canter poles. I. Love. Her.

Then this morning I had my first 'long' a.m. shift with the current manager, Megan. I really like her. She's knowledgeable without being cocky or patronizing (which all of you know is a rare combo in the horse world), and my own age, which is pretty great. She has a good routine down at the farm, and it kept us busy for the full 5 hours we were set to work. We did the basic barn care (in the pouring rain, and guess who didn't have a raincoat and wore a tank top? Yup, this girl) and then lunged two horses. When I say lunged, I mean stuck on a lunge line and let work in a circle. Nothing fancy, just plain 'ole 'stretch your legs' kinda stuff. So. Easy.

Everyone is super nice there, too. This is like the twilight zone for me. I'm so used to backstabbing, jealous individuals who are instantly skeptical about your motives upon entering 'their territory'. It's like a snarky wolf pack, 'ya know what I mean? None of these people are like that, and everyone is more than willing to answer questions or help you out. Ahhh, so refreshing!

Then Amanda came over again today and my trainer finally showed up. Can I get a 'hooray'?!?! It's about time!

He had Amanda jumping Patrick over some pretty amazing stuff. I video taped it all, so you'll get videos tomorrow when I'm not dead ;) They jumped over a 3'6" oxer, which is 6" higher than either of them had ever jumped before, and man let me tell you...that little $500 chestnut boy of mine can JUMP! I was literally standing there picking my jaw up off the floor.

My trainer says if I get auto lead changes on him (aka two weeks of work, at the most) that he'll take him to the shows and I could probably get $15,000 for him. Uhhh. What? Like, are we talking in yen....? My little boy is all grown up!

Then, since he conveniently forgot his half chaps, I hopped up on Bailey. Of course, being the impatient South American he is, he set up a little tiny baby cross rail for her. I whined and protested the idea for about 15 minutes before giving into my curiosity about her jumping ability. I have it on video, which will also come tomorrow, but that's all I'm going to say.

I'm leaving you with a cliff-hanger...stay posted for a followup. Hahahaha, I'm mean! Sorry!

A dull, rainy day makes Anna a sad girl

I was supposed to jump Bella and Patrick today, in preparation for our lesson on Tuesday, but alas, I awoke to drizzly, gray skies that have been relentless all day long.

So I made a feed store run and bought a video camera. Why are they still $350? It's 2010 people! Sheesh. Oh well. I'm sure it will come in handy on down the road...or so I can hope.

Since I didn't get to ride today, it's kind of a random 'talk about stupid things blog'...but it comes complete with videos and pictures! Hooray!

First off, I spent considerable time yesterday looking for Youtube videos of Bailey's half-brothers and sisters. I had very limited success, but it wasn't completely hopeless. There were a few I recognized from the stallion's (Coromino) website as Thoroughbred crosses. They were dreadful. No, really...like, super not classy. Skinny necks, weak hip angle, almost no 'warmblood' to be seen. I got a little worried, but I also reminded myself that Bailey is pretty far removed from the Thoroughbred bloodlines, so I persisted in my search and found another gelding I was familiar with, but they had some new footage of him. See his first jumping experience here: Commotion SPF. He's a year older than Bailey, and built a little different. I don't like his topline as much as I like Bailey's, but there are definitely similarities. There was another half-sister somewhere in the midwest region that looked like it could have been a nice horse. It definitely had power. But the rider and trainer were just terrible, so it's a total waste. Oh well, it's better than being totally blind I suppose!

I also started thinking about breeding Bella and Bailey next spring. I have access to a very nice 6 year old stallion in North Carolina. The idea of losing out on both of my horses for a year is a little daunting, but the end result would definitely be worth it. I'm thinking of talking to my trainer (the owner/competitor of the stallion is a close friend of his) and seeing what kind of stud fees the big boy has. Here's a video of him: Quincy Car. The boy can jump, no doubt about it. He'll be going Grand Prix in the next two or three years and I figure, I may as well get him while he's cheap. He comes from a really exclusive bloodline, too. I think it could make my year off a worthwhile experience, especially if I can sell them both as weanlings to help fund my never ending horse project...

Just for the hell of it, here's a video of Patrick's second trip at his show, and Bella's third trip.

I gave Bella a massage the other day. Before I was totally broke, I was paying a massage therapist to come out every three months (she was dirt cheap!) to work on her. I don't know if it made a physical difference, but she certainly loved every minute of the hour I paid for, so I kept it up. I decided to spoil her a bit, and did a few of the exercises. As you can tell from her lip, she rather enjoyed it:)

I took an updated photo of Bailey as well...

I want to say she's pushing a solid 15.3 to 16 hands these days. She's starting to stretch out again, so everything is out of proportion =/ Oh well, it will all work out in the end, right?

So here's a crazy picture, but first, the story. We got some crazy, wicked storms the other day. One came complete with a tornado warning and everything. After it passed, I drove to Virginia to stay the night with a very good friend of mine. We went into Middleburg for dinner, and took a different route home afterwards. We were driving down this rural, dark road, and we saw flames and smoke up ahead...

This old barn had apparently been struck by lightning and burnt to the ground. As you can see, it was still going with a vengence. You can still see the two silos standing on either side of the photo, but the rest of that was just charred rubble. Must have been devastating for the owners.

Sooooo I start work tomorrow =/ Wish me luck!

I feel like it's been ten years since I posted last...

I'm not even sure where I left off, to be honest.

Everyone has been doing fabulously. Amanda has been coming out to ride Patrick like it's her job (and I wish it was, because it saves me a ride!). But she goes back to school next week, so that means I either need to find another minion, or SELL HIM! Things have been very quiet lately, however:(

Bailey is improving by leaps and bounds. I started her over 2.80m canter poles yesterday, and you would have thought she was born to do them. I hope this translates into "born to jump, baby!"...but I'm not going to jinx it! She's just so powerful, and such a blast to ride. I know I should put her on the lunge more often, so she learns to balance herself without me interfering, but I just can't help myself...I'm sure Jess can relate on that note! Sometimes, you just can't help but crawl up there and ride.

My trainer is hopefully coming out on Tuesday to set some jumps, give Amanda and I a lesson on our respective 5 & Dime horses, and ride Bailey. That will be interesting. Bailey is very skeptical of strangers, and extremely loyal. I hope he brings his helmet...

On another note, Nathan and I have officially (kind of...) put in our offer on the house. There are a few stipulations that they came back with, but I hope that means they're going to take our offer! It could be the start of something all new for us both!

And here's my questions for the day...has anyone had experience with the Royal Rider stirrup knock-offs? I really love their stirrups, but I don't want to pay $150 for them if the $20 cheapos work just as well! However, I also don't want to waste $20 if the cheapos are just going to fall apart after day two of riding four horses a day...

Also, every late summer through early spring I consistently have problems keep weight and muscle on my older horses. Bringing in round bales to graze helps a bit, but does anyone have a feed-through suggestion for maintaining their condition all year? I've tried sunflower seeds, and that works pretty well, but most of the horses don't like the taste of them. Any ideas (that won't totally break the bank)??

A day spent with horses is a day well spent

I can't even begin to put into words how physically exhausted I am right now. But it's not that 'sleepy' tired...just an, 'I worked hard today' tired. I love that feeling. I can rest easy knowing I got a lot done.

For some bizarre reason, I woke up two hours early this morning and putzed around like a zombie with my coffee mug in hand. By the time I was awake enough to do something productive, I had a massive case of the shakes from drinking four cups of my black liquid gold.

Early on, I ran to Wally World to buy some cheapy shampoo for a good ole' fashioned bath day (which, of course, didn't really wind up happening). I had good intentions, anyways.

I rode Bailey (who, after a day of walking was fabulous) and Bella, and gave Patrick a really good lunging workout. I really don't like flatting him much anymore. He just hates me so much, it's much easier to let someone else ride him so they can all be happy. I guess that's just part of being a professional...grrr.

Patrick went around the lunge amazingly. I don't even have words for it. He was floating on air. I wish I'd had a video camera so I could stick it on YouTube (fyi-he's now listed on Craigslist! Haha). Bella was average; a little tense, a little stiff. About what you would expect from a horse that's had two weeks off because of bad feet. However, I'm relatively happy with how they look now, so we'll see where we are in 6 weeks.

So, I was pretty proud, after all that I cleaned all my tack and gave Bella the bath of a lifetime. So I guess I didn't totally bail on the Walmart shampoo...She's seriously almost white, for the first time in a long time!

On a different note, there's a "B" show coming up on August 22nd, and they have a $1,500 Adult Am. Jumper Classic. I figure, with as well as Bella has been jumping, it could be worth it. First place gets something like $475...and we all know how poor I am. Plus, I wouldn't even need a stall because it's only 40 minutes away...Food for thought.

Also, I want to tell everyone my exciting news:) I decided to blab about this in light of Jess's recent engagement, because it's pretty exciting for me! My boyfriend of 3 years and I are looking into buying a house near my parents place. It's a little 1900's farmhouse that's been partly renovated and it sits on 5+ acres in a really great area. It already has a big, old red barn and a run-in shed with three stalls and a storage area. The entire property is fenced in and has really great pasture land. We're in the process of putting in an offer (and it's a foreclosure, so it's a great price!). It's a huge investment, financially and emotionally, but I'm so excited about it. Quinn, Fiesta, and Scooter would all have a happy little retirement farm, and Nathan and I would have a super fun project on our hands finishing up the house. Cross your fingers for us!

Hopefully it works out, because at the end of August I have a boarder horse moving to the farm!

And, one last time, congratulations to Jess, Bill, and Jimmy Choo on their new-founded, soon-to-be official family:)

A Good, Relaxing Day

Today was pretty quiet on my part. I took Bailey and Bella for a walk around the property, just letting them relax. It was Bella's first day back into work, since they got their feet done yesterday. The farrier actually did wind up calling me and rescheduling. Apparently he tried to leave me a voicemail...I'm skeptical.

Anyways, Bella had pulled a shoe and broke her foot up a bit, despite my best efforts to keep it in tact. So when they went to trim it for the shoe, it got a little short and ouchy. So I gave her yesterday off again, and just planned on walking her today. I let her trot around a bit, and found that she was feeling pretty good. Hopefully tomorrow we can do a full work out! It's been too long. I miss my girl.

Then in the afternoon, Amanda came over and took a lesson on Patrick. We did some different lines and jumps, and even raised a few of them up. They both looked fantastic, and I was really pleased. Patrick was jumping great, and Amanda is really learning how to ride him well. They even did a line to the coop! One time, Patrick hit the pallet and it had a square rail on top. The next time she brought him around to it, he jumped the thing like it was four feet tall and totally launched Amanda. Thankfully, she stuck like glue and brought him around again. After that, he decided it wasn't out to eat him alive, and they jumped down the line beautifully. I don't want her to go to school! She does such a great job with him.

Anywho, I'm buying tickets for the WEG tomorrow!! Yayyyy! Now I just have to inform my new boss that I already need a week off...eek. Any tips? Haha.

What did we do before internet?

So my internet is back. Yay! I'm typing from the comfort of my bed. Well, at least I would be comfortable if Patrick hadn't busted my butt yesterday.

Yes, I decided to pick a little fight with him yesterday while I hacked him. Amanda had jumped him Tuesday afternoon, and he was very well behaved, but he was fighting her contact a little bit. I decided this was a developed bad habit (it's started since I've begun putting less experienced riders on him) and that I was going to work on it Wednesday when I rode him.

Well, he decided that he wanted a say in it, and he always gets rotten when that happens. It's been a while since we had a battle of wills, and this time, he got a good hit in. At the canter, he started acting stupid, so I brought him down to a halt, and asked him to back up. Instead, he went up on his back legs, and dropped to the ground. It's not even like he reared and lost his balance. He deliberately just fell over. Thankfully, since it was deliberate, there was enough momentum to throw me free of the saddle, so all I wound up with was a headache, a buttache, and a squashed foot (which only happened because when he went to stand up, he stepped on it). Anyways, when we landed, I managed to hold onto the rein that was against the ground, so he couldn't immediately get up. I made him lay there until I felt like he had 'thought about what he did' (which really translates into 'I couldn't move yet and I didn't want him getting up until I could get out of his way').

Ah, the joys of training babies. Needless to say, after that I grabbed my dressage whip and my 'no nonsense' attitude and made him canter around until I felt like I had his attention. We were not happy with one another at the end of the day, but at least he finished on a good note. This 'rearing as an escape from doing the right thing' has just got to stop, but for some reason, he only does it with me. Of course.

Anyways, what with a sore butt and all (I legit thought I broke my foot and tailbone) I just lunged Patrick and Bailey today. Naturally, Patrick was a total superstar on the lunge. We did transitions at all paces, and he was super stretched out through his topline, and was almost floating around me. Go figure. I think it made me even more mad at him. Bailey, as usual, putzed along at the world's slowest trot and did a couple of walk/trot transitions.

Now, after consuming yet more Advil, I'm going to curl up with a movie and not think about horses for a while.

Oh, but I did get the job! I start August 16th. I'm pretty excited to be making money and working again. I think it's really going to work out well for me!

AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry I haven't updated recently.

My dad was gardening, and he cut the tv/internet cable. So here I am, sitting in the grocery store Starbucks, typing away on my Netbook. Pretty awesome, right? Well, at least the coffee is good!

So the farrier saved me the trouble of firing him. He didn't even show up for our 9am appointment this morning. Not even so much as a phone call. Now, I know I'm not a big name in the area, but I know enough people. And none of them will be recommended his name! I was at least hoping to get the horses all in a rideable/comfortable state so that I had some time to find a new guy. Now I have barefoot horses with busted up walls, and Bella is wearing three shoes and has about 3 inches of overgrowth on her toes. I'm pissed. FUMING.

 Before I found this guy, she had gone 9 weeks without having her feet done. They looked infinitely better than they do now, at just 6 weeks! AHHHHH!!!! I'm going crazy.

Anyways, on a brighter note, things have somewhat picked up with Patrick. A woman came out to try him yesterday, and he was really good. She's interested in leasing him and taking lessons from me (Shhh...don't tell anyone!) and it would put some money in my pocket while I continue to try to sell him. Then, this morning a woman emailed me about him, saying that she's looking for a horse for her 16 year old daughter. Hopefully they come try him as well. The woman that came yesterday has two more horses to try before she makes a decision, but from the sounds of it, he's her best option.

The woman from the farm I applied at emailed me to offer me the job. I'm not quite as excited about it as I was, because she keeps changing the parameters on me. First it was weekdays, no riding. Then it was the occasional weekend. Then it turned into riding upwards of 5 horses a day. Then it turned into, "Don't horseshow too much and leave me high and dry". Ummm, lady...you said you were flexible. That's why I applied! Now all of a sudden, I'm not sure I'll have time for my own horses! And again, AHHHHH!

Hopefully it just all falls into place...riiiiiiight. 'Cuz that always happens.

On another note, it looks like 5 & Dime Acres will be expanding. My boyfriend Nathan and I are looking into buying a foreclosed farmette about 20 minutes from my parents' place. It's got a super cute 1900's farmhouse on it, a huge storage barn, and a bank barn with three run-in stalls; all on 5+ acres.  I'm super excited. We might put in a contract on it on Wednesday, if all goes well! It needs a ton of work done on the inside, but the previous owners restored all the tough, expensive stuff. Now it just needs to be classied up. Nathan and I are both 'do it yourself' kind of people, so it's really the perfect place for us. I'll try to get some pictures, because it looks like a jungle right now, haha!

Anyways, have a great week everyone, just in case my internet doesn't come back in the near future!

I bet the WEG isn't happy...

There's still a mess of availability left. I don't think any hotels are sold out yet! I got the e-mail from the USEF trying to promote the events, but my aunt who lives in Richmond (about 45 minutes from Lexington) said that because of the World Cup the games won't be nearly as big as the WEG was hoping. I suppose that's good for me! For 2 (cheap) tickets to all of the Jumper events, it's $1,006.00. Holy Robin eggs, Batman. I think I need to talk to my dad again...Parking at the Horse Park is $100 a day! It's crazy. Slap a horse on it, and quadruple the price.

Anyways, I have a busy weekend coming up. Tomorrow afternoon I'm making the trek east to visit my grandmother. She had surgery to remove a cancerous lesion from her colon last week. She recovered amazingly well, and already made herself a hair appointment two days after being released from the hospital. I hope I'm that resilient at 80 something!

Then on Saturday I have to school up Patrick really well in the morning, because a woman is coming to try him Sunday afternoon. I'm not thrilled about this. She's only interested in leasing him, and I think she's one of those women who thinks they're better than they are, so that automatically means they need a green bean to train. She was very proud of her 22 years of riding experience, and made it a point to mention she owned her own horse at one point, from the ages of 15 to 21. Ummm...I wanted to ask her if she'd noticed Patrick's age. I mean, yes...he's honest, quiet, willing, and generally a super little guy. But a 30 year old doctor who has been taking 1 lesson a week since she got her doctorate? I don't think she's going to like him, but that's fine. I don't really want the hassle of dealing with a lease anyways. I'd much rather just sell the little fella'.

Then, ALSO on Saturday is my good friend Britteny's college graduation party. Something tells me I might be feeling a little ill come Sunday...

But hopefully the fact that I'm forcing myself to wake up early Sunday and go to Swan Lake will deter too much drinking. Swan Lake is a show grounds/riding stable about 45 minutes from my house. They host one "AA" show a year, a myriad of "B" shows, and a mess of small schooling shows each year. I competed there once on Quinn eons ago, but I thought I might drive up and observe their "B" show this weekend. If all goes well, they have another one mid-August that I might bring Bella to. It's close enough that I wouldn't need a stall, and I think their "B" circuit shows are fairly inexpensive...which, of course, is relative.

Anywho, my sister rode Patrick today. He was a little turtle and poked around all lazy-like with her. He's so good. The best $500 ever spent, I think.

Bailey was a little bit of a spitfire, but she was still trying to behave herself amongst all the fussing. She's such a little filly, always letting me know what her opinion is, though trying to please me at the same time. There were a few really incredible moments, and I just can't get over how much power she has. I can't wait until she's fully grown!

Bella, of course, is taking all this week off until that good-for-nothing blacksmith comes back and tacks some decent shoes on her feet. I still spew steam out of my ears whenever I look at her feet. Again, I will be collecting phone numbers over the next six weeks...I'm back on the farrier prowl yet again.

When will it end?

Grrr...

So, I've been meaning to rant about this for a while now, and I'm just now getting around to it.

My horses' feet look TERRIBLE. I'm really upset about their condition. I understand that it's summer, and the flies and stomping cause them to break up. I get that. Soooo the least of my problems right now.

Bella's feet look like they haven't been done for 12 weeks. The worst part? I noticed that they looked this way after 3 and a half weeks. They've never grown this fast, even when she went 8 weeks without getting new shoes. Now, her shoes are twisting, the nails are all popping, and her toes are so long that I feel like a horrible mom. I'm about ready to grab some nail cutters and pull them all myself, except I fear her toes are so long that that will only make the situation worse. Everyone else's feet are in various stages of crappiness as well.

I think I'm going to bring up my issues with the farrier (if he shows up) and give him this chance to redeem himself, and get a few more numbers in the following six weeks. I paid attention to some of my friends' horse's feet at the show this weekend, and I think I'll go for recommendations this time, instead of the equine newspaper. I HATE farriers!!!

On a better note, my dad and I are taking a trip to Lexington in October to go watch the show jumping finals at the WEG. I'm pretty excited, even though tickets are soooo expensive! For two 'best available' tickets to the three finals (team, individual, and top four jump off) it was almost $700! That's crazy. I could go compete there for less! Thankfully, I have a lot of family in the area so we're hopefully going to have a place to stay.

I went and rode for my (hopefully) future boss yesterday afternoon. I thought it went terrible; she trains her horses much different than the way I'm accustomed to riding. It will be a serious adjustment, and one that I'm nervous to make. However, she seemed pretty pleased with the whole thing, and said she has a really good feeling about me. I hope that means I have the job, because I could really use the money! As my last 'hoorah', I think I might head up to Saugerties next weekend and hang out with some friends, my trainer being one of them.

I feel like such a jerk, because Amanda is so excited to take a lesson with Manuel, and he just keeps flaking out. I'm beyond caring about it for my own sake, I mean, my horse maxes out at 3'6", and this weekend I think we proved we don't need any outside assistance with that height. But for him to skip out on Amanda is really crushing for me. I know what it's like to want an opportunity like that, and I really hope I can give it to her at some point. She's still coming out to ride Patrick quite frequently, and I'm excited that she still enjoys him. She does a really fantastic job with him. Bailey has also been doing really quite super.

Anyways, I think some woman is coming out to see Patrick this Sunday. She just wants to lease him, and I don't think that she'll be interested, but oh well. Maybe she knows a friend of a friend...it's always worth the free advertisement, I suppose...

Just a few of those pictures I promised

All photo credit goes to my ever wonderful friend Stephanie Hansen:)

Ah, what a day!

I don't think I could have asked for a better day. Well, okay, it could have been about 15 degrees cooler, but we can't have everything, right?

The morning started out pretty well. The jumper ring actually started fairly close to the designated time, and I was pretty pleased with that. We all know that horse show motto, 'hurry up and wait'. Thankfully, I had very little hurry or wait today.

The show grounds were pretty dead yesterday, so I was excited to see that there were quite a few more trailers. There's really no point in trying to school your young horse when no one shows up to make things interesting! So before I knew it, I had Patrick out of the trailer (and Bella stood perfectly after I took her friend out of the trailer!) and getting tacked up. Before anything could go right, he decided to throw out his (only) curveball of the day. While buckling his noseband, he reared up, flipped over, and smacked right into someone's mini-van, all totally out of the blue. After he righted himself, he quite literally stood there and looked at me like nothing was wrong. It was really rather strange, because when he wants to act up, he acts up. It's never just a rear and then nothing...beats me. Thankfully, horse, humans, and mini-van all came out of the encounter in tact. I mounted from the ground, afraid he was going to do something stupid, so I didn't want anyone else nearby. However, he stood perfectly and walked like a gentleman right down into the schooling ring. Talk about an odd start to the day!

He jigged around the schooling area a little bit, but overall he was quite controlled. I jumped a little cross rail a few times (the schooling area at this farm is dreaful...) and just went into the ring for our first trip. There were so many people in the warm-up and so little space, I just decided winging it in the ring alone was better than having someone land on him because they couldn't call their jump.

In our first course, he pittered out on the first fence. It was a little single oxer, and quite honestly, I don't think he knew we were in the ring to jump. He was too busy staring at everything outside the arena to even notice the jump. I gave him a little smack behind the saddle to say, 'hey dude, there's a jump here and we're doing business now', then rubbed his neck, talked to him a little, and started again. This time there was no questions asked. He popped right on over it and continued right on his merry way. There were a lot of wobbles, weaves, and funny distances where we pittered out and jumped like a deer, but we made it around the whole course!

The second course was absolutely fantastic. He got a little rushy into the triple line and pulled the first rail, but I could have cared less about that! The third trip was even better, only he got a little too honest, and started getting a little gung-ho. Twice, I did a straight-line halt, backed up a few steps, and then continued. I wasn't out for ribbons, and I wanted a confident ride with no fighting. It did the trick, and I think he was super pleased with himself. I know all the girls from the farm were happy for him! Everybody was really proud, especially my sister and I. My old boss even came out to see him go!

I do have to say, having my very good friend and old college roommate there to hand me a gatorade after each trip was a God-send. It was a blistering, stagnant 95 degrees in the sun, alllllll day:(

After I watched Amanda do two of her trips in the 3'0" jumpers, I pulled Bella out and started getting her ready for the 3'6" schooling jumpers. Of course, Patrick did not like being alone, broke his halter, dented the roof of the trailer twice with his head, and scuffed up his face. Finally, my dad just had to give up on his ideas of seeing me ride Bella, and stand in there with him. I hope he's sore tomorrow. Those dents certainly looked  like they hurt, and I have very little sympathy. I know what he's going to be practicing this week...

Anyways, Bella had three amazing rounds. Several times, I made a poor judgement call, and she helped me out enormously. Our first and third trips were nearly flawless as far as my personal expectations go, and I was thrilled to bring home a blue ribbon and a red ribbon:) And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the reason I just can't sell her!

All in all, it was a really great day. There are pictures (and hopefully videos!) coming! Stephanie took some really great shots, and my sister got some, too:)

How was everyone's weekend?

Exhausted is only the beginning

Today was just plain tiresome.

I woke up at 5:30 to get Bailey ready for her first trip off of my farm. She loaded up great, and got off the trailer really well. I handwalked her for about 20 minutes or so, and then tacked her up.

There were your expected snorts and jumps, but nothing out of control. All things considered, she was a star!

We started out walking around the hunter ring, because it was dead quiet. The first few times someone took a jump near her, she jumped out of her skin (in a contained way), but she settled right back down. Once a kid almost jumped on top of us, I switched to the jumper/pony ring. For some reason, she loves ponies. Maybe they're her safety blanket since she gets turned out with Scooter? Strange thought...but she settled down almost immediately and let me start working her. She was even better at the show than she was at home. She was stretched out on the bit, and really paying attention. Even her bends were near perfect! Go figure, right?

So needless to say, I was THRILLED. She even stood still for a half hour or so calmly munching grass while she dried off. Getting back on the trailer was a bit of an event. She didn't want to leave all the grass and her new friends, but with the help of a friend, we managed to get her on in about 5 or 10 minutes.

After she was settled, I jumped Bella and Patrick around to school them up for tomorrow. Bella's feet look absolutely dreadful. They're infinitely too long in the toe, and one front foot has a different angle than the other. I'm going to give this farrier one more shot, but there's simply no way she should be that long after 4 weeks. I'm almost nervous to show her tomorrow, but she seems perfectly comfortable...just really long. Urgh. I really don't want to have to find yet another farrier!

So tomorrow is Patrick and Bella's day to shine. There are a whole bunch of people coming out to watch them, so I hope they keep their cool!

Oh, and Patrick officially has a sale flyer posted at the concession stand:)

I am a busy beaver

It's been a while since my last post, and SO much has happened!

On Tuesday, Amanda came out to ride for me. I was almost positive she'd be perfect for what I need, but now I'm know I made a great decision. First, she jumped Patrick around. She seemed to really enjoy him, and he was so good for her. She was quite brave, and willingly jumped anything and everything; she even went down the triple, and he's still a bit inexperience at that. When I asked her what she wanted to finish up on, she asked to jump the coop! I pulled the poles off the top and set it up for her. She rides in the hunters and equition, so her position is very forward, and Patrick took advantage of her the first time around. When she came back to it again, she was much straighter and more aggressive, and he jumped right over it without hesitation. It was amazing to watch my little boy all grown up!

After Patrick, I wanted to jump Bella around a little bit, just to start prepping for this weekend. I hopped her over everything, and she was jumping super. Her rhythm was dead on, and my eye was really there for me. Since she was going so quietly, I put Amanda up on her. Bella is something of a superstar at my old barn, and all the girls love her. I hope she gets to make a few of the other girls jealous! She jumped her over just about everything (minus the big coop), and I made the liverpool it's full 4 feet wide and set it at about 3'3". I'm not sure how much experience Amanda has over 3'0", but she jumped it beautifully!

She thanked me afterwards (and quite honestly meant it, which is rare in kids these days!) and went off to ride her own horse while I finished up on Bailey.

Yesterday, Bella had the day off because she was just so good on Tuesday and it'll be a busy weekend for her. I did a light flat on Patrick, just to get him stretching out, and I flatted Bailey again. She's really starting to get strong, which means she's quite good at picking fights when she wants to. I don't like taking so much contact with her mouth, but it's to the point where I almost have to, or she goes balls-to-the-wall extended, so to speak. Thankfully, usually when I take up contact and really push her into it, she calms down, backs off, and rounds up (at least for a few strides, before she decides to test me again).

Last night, I realized just how good Patrick was. Amanda texted me and asked if I needed any more help riding this week. I had planned on working them all myself, since I have to take them to the show this weekend, but Patrick is only doing the 2'0" division and I know the jumps won't be the issue, if anything. So I told her she was more than welcome to come flat him this afternoon, and she was at my house promptly at 11am. We rode Patrick and Bella together, and I gave her a mini-lesson to help get her seat positioned more correctly to ride my horses. She's a very pretty rider, but she has a very American seat and sometimes lets her shoulders get in front of her seat. This makes all of my horses back off and go veryyy sluggish, because they aren't being engaged. By the end of the ride though, she had caught on and Patrick was very stretchy. I was extremely pleased:)

To round out the afternoon, I did another lunch session with Bailey on the trailer. She's more than willing to hop right in there now (one fantastic thing she inherited from her mama). Then I got myself covered in berry pink and grape purple spray paint as I painted two more poles. They are gray/pink/purple and actually go quite nicely with my flower boxes. I also painted two more standards white, but they need another coat because I used cheapy $0.97 white paint. And then, ladies and gentlemen, I started cleaning my tack room for the first time in about 4 years. My goal is to paint and wallpaper it this summer. I know, I'm probably dreaming...especially if I get this job. Speaking of which, I've already created a list of horsey things I need to buy once money starts coming in...cross your fingers for me!

Picture update coming soon. I need to show you all my jumps, and I know there will be photos from this weekend's show!

What a loooong day...

I don't think today could have dragged on any longer! It was, however, productive.

First off, I went to Homely Depot with my mom and bought some more paint. They didn't have any 'Oops!' paint, but she offered to buy me some spray paint. I bought enough to do two red/white/blue poles, and two pink/purple/gray poles. I'm still up in the air about my remaining four standards. I have two navy and two yellow. I think the last sets need to be kind of generic...I also added two neon orange/black poles to the mix. I really wanted to paint something neon orange...

Anywho, I got around to painting the two red/white/blue poles before I hopped up and rode. Both Bella and Patrick got fairly extensive flats today, and I hope to jump them around some little stuff tomorrow. Mid-Patrick, the woman from this job ad returned my phone call. I was a little worried, because it did turn out to be this small event barn that I was thinking of. However, the woman was extremely nice on the phone, and had a really great sense of humor (I can always get along with someone like that). She had already lined up several interviews, and asked if she could really inconvenience me and have me come out that very afternoon.

For any normal person, that would be an insane hassle. Thankfully, for me, I make my own hours, and told her I'd be right out! Turns out, it's a ten minute drive from my house and sits right on the Liberty Reservoir. It's a really small farm, 10 stalls and no more than 15 horses at any time. She has about 20 students, all low-level event riders, and everyone that I met seemed like your typical young rider, friendly, nice, and horse crazed. She was a woman who knew what she wanted, which I truly love in the horse industry. I hate working for people who aren't sure how they want things done, and change on a whim. She had a set list and an order for doing things, and it was all your basic barn stuff. Turns out, a girl I used to ride with already works there and she's happy with her position. Also, another woman I used to ride with worked there for several years. Margot, the barn owner, knows most of my past employers/trainers, and was familiar with my background as a jumper rider. She informed me that it's all very laid back, she wants someone happy with their job, and is very flexible with scheduling. That last part was what really hooked me.

So I think I'm probably going to be offered the job. She said she had a lot of other people to interview, but that it was more about going through with the semantics, because she really thought I'd be great for the position. Yay! I gave her a few references, minus my trainer, who has yet again disappeared, but told her that I'd give her his info as soon as I get his business number. Urgh. He's so frustrating.

After all of that went down, I came home to feed my horses. Of course, to make my day longer, Quinn decided to bolt his feed down, despite only getting a little over a handful of pellets and having three salt block chunks to break it up, and he got a wonderful case of choke. Thankfully, I've dealt with this several times before in a few of our older horses. That did not make it any more fun. I did everything my vet usually tells me to do: banamine, massage the neck. If that doesn't work, jump him over tiny fences to try to dislodge the mass. No luck. Next, if it still doesn't work, squeeze the throat fairly hard to try and work it out. Squeeze the windpipe to induce coughing. Nothing. Finally, I did what I hate doing, but usually works: I stuck the hose in his mouth a few times. It loosened it up enough that after standing for a few minutes, he began to walk around, and eventually to graze. Needless to say, after an hour of this, I was hot, drenched, and tired. Thank you Newton, it had to go wrong, didn't it? I think it's time to ask my vet for some ace.

Now, on a good note, Amanda is coming to ride Patrick tomorrow! I'm so excited. I hope she likes him! And the girl I used to ride with that I saw at my interview is having some issues with her young horse. I offered to let her bring him over to my place and I'd help her with him. I hope she decides to do it! I think that could be a pretty cool experience, and hopefully rewarding for her!

I'm going to go get some grub and sleeeep!

Keep cool!

Back to work!

Ah, vacation, I miss you! But more often than not, I was ready to come back and ride!

So today was my first day putting my nose back to the grindstone. Let me tell you, one week off and I was DEAD by noon!

Despite the heat, humidity, and stagnant air, I had a fairly good, productive day. I fixed my jumps up (most had been knocked over) and set a few new things. I relocated my single vertical so I can jump it off the other lead, and set up some more canter poles at 2.60, which is .20 meters shorter than Patrick is used to. I figured I should start challenging him again. Onward!

Everyone got a good, solid flat today, and I thought I was going to die. Side cramps combined with heat exhaustion is not a fun mix! Even my legs were all loosey goosey, not cool guys! Thankfully, my horses picked up the slack. Patrick was super about the shortened canter poles, and figured them out pretty quickly, provided I could keep my leg on long enough to find him a distance.

Bella was her usual self, calm, quiet, and fairly laid-back. She's so difficult to ride when you're out of shape because she's just so round. I'm going to be sore tomorrow, you can count on it!

Bailey did a lot of walk work today. She's finally beginning to learn that leg pressure doesn't always mean 'go forward', and by the time she was tired and less 'jumpy', she was starting to show the hint of a bend around my leg. I even trotted her over some ground poles and a little 1ft jump! She clacked her feet against them more often than not, but she didn't mind going over them, even when they're painted neon orange and black. I hope that's a good sign!

Anyways, this is all in preparation for this coming weekend. There's another show at my old farm, and I plan to bring all three of my training horses there. Bailey will go to school on Saturday morning, and Bella and Patrick will show on Sunday in the jumpers. I'm going to take Patrick in the 2'0" stuff (and maybe a 2'6" if he's stupendous!) and Bella will move back into the 3'6" stuff, provided all goes well this week. I finally got ah hold of my trainer while I was in North Carolina. He's going to try to come up this week to help me school my two jumping horses, and he's going to ride Bailey. I have a fear that she'll become a one person horse, because she's so leery about strangers. So I decided I needed someone as good as, or better, than me to hop up on her. Hopefully he keeps his word and comes out. I could use the tune up.

Also, tomorrow afternoon I'm going to call this farm looking for a barn manager. I'm not sure if I'm interested; there's little information provided in the ad. However, I figured it can't hurt to inquire about their facility, and maybe I'll get lucky and it will sound promising! I hope it's a low key H/J facility that does some local 'A' rated stuff, that way I can get my horses out to the shows without taking time off from work. If it's too time consuming or not a competitive barn, I think I'll have to pass on it. It would have to be really good to get me away from my own training program.

And lastly, Patrick is officially listed on Dreamhorse.com as 'for sale':( I'll be so sad to see him go, but I know he needs someone who can really appreciate what they have in him. He's listed at $8,000, which is a bit more than I expect to get for him right now, but if I've learned anything about selling horses online, it's ask for a lot more than you expect to get. Plus, I did a search on horses in the area, and judging by what I saw, it's really not that far out there. Go figure. Hopefully a girl can get lucky!

Oh! And Bailey started trailer training today! She walked right in and ate her lunch:) Yay!

Goodbye Maryland, Hello OBX!

So I had every intention of riding today, really, I did.

Then I went out bar hopping last night, and wound up getting home and into my nice, cozy bed at about 6am. Yikes.

So I rested during the day, intent on riding in the evening. Well, I went out at 4pm and it was hotter than blazes outside. Yup. You guessed it. I said, "Eh, what's one more day's vacation for the horses?"

I'm sure they don't mind at all. Besides, they've all been super lately, and if my bank account allows it, the show schedule will pick up a little after the beach. They could use a vacation, too!

Anyways, I was flipping through our monthly equine news magazine, and there's a help wanted ad very close to my house. They want a manager for 30-40 hours a week, only on weekdays. It's in a town that doesn't have a whole lot of barns. I'm pretty sure it's either this trail/pleasure barn, or this new low-level h/j barn. I'm hoping it's the latter of the two, because that could be yet another foot in the door. Anyways, I'm debating calling them before I leave for the beach for a week. Would it be totally rude to call and inquire, but say I can't come out for a week? Eeep. I'll talk to dad tonight, and maybe I'll be putting together my resume while I'm soaking up some non-horsey sun! My only fear is, 30-40 hours a week would put a serious damper on my personal horsey time, and I simply can't afford to cut back on training with Patrick and Bella, if I'm ever going to get them sold/leased respectively.

Urgh. Why can't things just be easy for once?

Talk to you all in a week!

There are some perks to the heat

It was only supposed to be 94 today, but the humidity had it feeling like the triple digits again. Talk about miserable! However, the extreme heat combined with the drought Maryland has found itself in has done wonders for the ugly weeds that my dad never gets around to 'whacking'. They're drying up and dying quick! Granted, this makes things really ugly...but at least they're dead!

I think I accomplished a lot today. I started out later than I wanted to, but I just couldn't get myself out of bed. So when I finally got started, it was already hot and muggy out. I hacked Bella around really quick again. She was less than enthused, and much prefers sitting in front of her fan looking like a surfer dude. But she was well behaved (mostly because I think she wanted to be done quick!).

Then I went around and set the fences smallish, about 2'9", and decided that I should jump Patrick around one good, solid time before I leave on vacation. I tacked up and warmed up as quickly as possible, saving energy for the jumps, and started popping over some fences. He didn't even bat an eye at the larger vertical and oxer I set, and hopped right over my log jump and liverpool from every which direction and angle. It was such a great feeling! I even sat there like a mannequin and let him lope up to the jumps entirely by himself. No matter the distance, he willing found a way to the other side. This is perfect. It's just what I need to advertise him as a kid's horse. So just for the sake of throwing something from left field, I showed him the little 3'0" coop, and geared him up to canter to it. He. could. have. cared. less. Jumped right over it (he did overjump that one a little) three or four times, and I practically sang his praises up until he was back in his stall. Holy cow! Not bad for a $500 horse!

After downing two bottles of water, I decided Bailey was so good yesterday (and hates the heat as much as I do) that she could afford a day off. I'll hack her/lunge her good tomorrow, and then they all have their week of rest while I'm at the beach:)

Since I didn't feel like going inside, despite the extreme temperature, I decided to oil and clean all of my tack (Bella promptly tried to EAT my Antares, leaving lovely tooth indentations). It hadn't been done in ages, and since I can't afford new stuff, I figured I should probably do something about that. Then, to top off my day of productivity, I rounded up some more 'Oops!' paint (bright yellow) and painted some more. I now have two navy/yellow poles, two yellow standards, and two navy standards. Now I just have to find my rusty red and my mint green paint, and decide what to do next! Needless to say, my place gets slightly classier every day!

How are you all dealing with the heat??

102 degrees...two days in a row

Yesterday was the first day of the year that tipped into the triple digits. By the time I had had breakfast and coffee, it was 11 in the morning.  I had already gone out to clean up the stalls and get them ready, figuring the horses would be inside for most of the afternoon once I rode. However, when my mom walked in the room and said it was 94 degrees by 11am, I swiftly changed out of breeches and said 'to hell' with riding. I brought all of the horses inside and opened their dutch doors. Their fans were promptly set to 'high', and I even watered down the aisle to keep things as cool as possible. They were already lathered in sweat from just standing around.

Today I was slightly more prepared for this stagnant heat. I stayed the night at a horsey friend's place, and since she had to be at work by 6am, I was up and moving at the same time. I drove home, fed at 7, and was out tacking up my first ride by 8am, trying to beat the worst of the heat. However, it was already 90 degrees out!

Needless to say, Bella was super sluggish and not terribly motivated, which is a little unusual for her, but I certainly didn't blame her. She loosened up a little bit as we worked, and I did a lot of collected sitting trot with no stirrups. She felt really great, and I finished up as quickly, yet as efficiently, as I possibly could. She about passed out on the aisle while I untacked her, and as fit as she is, she was sweaty.

I gave Patrick a good hearty flat as well, since it's been a while since I've genuinely worked him. These days it seems everyone else rides him except me! He definitely needs me on him though, as I learned today. He's starting to get a little heavy and obstinate in his mouth, so I spent a lot of time bending and really working his mouth trying to get him to soften. By the time we were done, he was moving great and we were both sweaty and tired.

Chug a bottle of water, tack up Bailey. Whew!

I spent more time just flexing her at the walk. We did a few walk/halt transitions, not moving until she stopped fighting the contact. She's really learning that the bit doesn't give in, she has to, and she really had some nice moments thrown in with her baby fussbudgeting (as I call it). We did a little bit of trot work, for which I received another saddle sore thanks to her wild suspension, but she did eventually settle into it and really did some nice stretch work into the contact. It wasn't in my plan to take any contact in her mouth this soon, but she does it almost naturally. It's unbelievably nice to have a horse built for this kind of work, instead of trying to manipulate their musculature to carry them the way I want. I love my thoroughbreds, but this is a whole different ballpark!

Anyways, I finished by 11am, and it was already pushing the mid-90's. Yuck. I'm so thankful to be reclining in my bed typing this!

In other news, I finally heard from my trainer. He claims that I was the one who disappeared. I'm not sure if it was a genuine misunderstanding (I have my serious doubts), or if it's another brainwashing technique, but either way I just keep telling myself, "I will NOT burn this bridge, no matter HOW angry or betrayed I may feel".

In other other news, my CIT from several years ago, Amanda, agreed to come jump Patrick around for me. Yay! She's a really quiet and patient rider, and a sweet girl. I realized that I may not be moving up in the ranks any time soon, but I have more than enough to offer someone else an opportunity. So I sent her a Fb message, and she thanked me twice and seemed really excited!

Here's a few pictures:)

Tidus balances precariously trying to get a drink, while Ashe waits his turn.

Bailey yawns in the heat. She's the sleepiest little filly I've ever seen.

My cheapy attempt at stall guards. They work for everyone except Scooter and Patrick so far!

Fiesta looks out her dutch door.

Stay cool!

Happy Independence Day!

I've been feeling crappy all day. I think I slept through almost all of it. Oh well. There's one every year, right?

And I leave for the beach in less than a week now! I can't wait. I need a vacation.

Yesterday held several landmarks for Patrick. He jumped his first liverpool, his first line (which was also his first triple combination), and his first crossed oxer. I wish I had something interesting to say about it, but he was great. Definitely a little wiggly and confused in the line, but that's to be expected. He didnt even overjump the liverpool. He's definitely going to be worth every penny someone spends on him.

I jumped Bella through the canterpoles/oxer exercise a few times. I put the jump up to about 3'6" and she went through it great. I think she'll be ready for the July Pickwick Show's 3'6" class with no problems. I tried putting the jump up to about 4'0". She wanted so badly to jump it well, and tried a few times, but it was just too much for her. I backed it down to 3'6" to finish on a good note and decided to think on the outcome of the experiment. I wish I had my trainer there to know if she was having problems because she's never jumped that big, or because she's topping out. She felt unsure, not splinter-bellied, but it's tough to tell when you're just the pilot and not the eyes on the ground. Maybe it's something to work towards.

Speaking of my trainer, it's been two and a half weeks since I heard from him. I was about to give up earlier this week, when I received a phone call from his groom. He told me that my trainer was out of the country giving a clinic, and couldn't call me. He wanted me to get online one night this week because he really needs to speak with me. Weird, right?

Well, I'm always logged on AIM because of my iPhone, and I saw him online at least twice. He never responded to my attempts to talk to him. I don't know what is going on, but I'm beyond frustrated. I'm hoping this trainer friend-of-a-friend is interested in Patrick so I can just move on and forget about being burned for the fourth time. I'm really starting to lose faith in the people of this industry. I don't think any of them can be trusted.

Anyways, easy week this week. I may jump Patrick once before I leave on vacation, but Bella's going to take it easy. She doesn't need the extra work, and as much as I want to jump her every day, I could do without the added work, too. I think my friend will come ride Patty Thursday and Friday. I'm sure he'll be super, as usual. I'm excited to ride Bailey some more, too. I lunged her yesterday, and she looked amazing. I can't wait until she's ready for more work. Just the idea alone gives me some hope for myself:)

Happy Fourth Everyone!

I'm finally getting somewhere!

I love those landmark days where you finally feel like you've had a break through. This one doesn't really feel like something I accomplished, but I was thrilled either way!

Bailey is starting to learn how to give to the contact! I think it's more the lunging in side reins combined with her natural build and ability, but it was still phenomenal! She's learned that when there's contact in her mouth, she just has to stretch her neck down and bring her nose in to relieve the pressure. As soon as she did this, I immediately rewarded her with a slackened inside rein and sent her forward into the contact. There were a few times it was nearly perfect. I've never had a horse with so much power in her hind end. It's a truly incredible feeling, just at the trot! When she moved forward and really stretched her back, her hind end was bouncing me up out of the saddle. Now I have to be careful because she actually clipped her front heel. I assume it's because she's still a little 'butt high' and can't get her shoulder out of the way yet, so I think a pair of bell boots are in order. Thankfully, I have an extra pair lying around somewhere. After about 25 minutes of really great trot work, I let her end on that stellar note.

Other than that, it was a calm day. I had a late night in Gettysburg last night, so I didn't much feel like putting a lot of effort into my work. As if my horses knew this, they were all super and required very little work today. Even Bella felt great and really put her mind into getting in and getting done. She's been so light and forward since she got her feet done. I'm really thrilled that things are going well for her again. My vet warned me about the farrier and said he's not very reliable, but as long as my horse is going better than ever, I can deal with a few quirks. I just hope that's all they are.

Becca rode Patrick again, and as usual, he was super. I don't think you could find a better kid's horse than this little guy. My friend Britteny, who has ridden and jumped him a few times, knows a trainer that may be interested (did I already tell you that? I think I did...). I hope something comes of it, because I know she has a lot of young riders that would really just love him to death. Otherwise, he's going to the July show and hopefully attracting some attention. This means I really need to get going with his jumping when I get back from the beach on the 17th. He may be trotting his courses ;)

I'm also hoping to be heading to Culpeper for two weeks in August. Entries aren't due until the end of July, so I have some time to think about it. I did the calculations, and if I show in three classes a week, it works out to be about $382 a week. That doesn't include a hotel, but I'm thinking I could just put a blow up mattress in the dressing room of my trailer and camp out. I'd only be there three days each week, and it would still beat the week Morgan and I slept in the back of her mom's Tahoe the whole show week...oh, yes. We know how to horse show on a budget. Anyways, I'd be doing the lvl 3 or it's equivalent, which is non-nominated, so I really don't think that's a lot of money for an A show. Hopefully I'll have someone to come with me, at least to act as jump crew, but if not, it'll still be a good experience for Bella either way.

Anyways, Patrick jumps tomorrow. Hopefully all goes well! I'm thinking about throwing a baby liverpool into the mix...could be interesting!

I'm falling behind

So I've been keeping busy. I had a nice relaxing afternoon yesterday that was spent with family out on my uncle's boat. Needless to say, the horses had a vacation day. It was great to see them again. They live out in Kentucky, so visits are few and far between.

Anyways, the horses have just been taking it easy these last two riding days. I've been hacking them out in the galloping lane or just lightly schooling them in the ring. I figure, I leave for vacation in a week and a few days. I may as well let them take it easy.

Bailey went out to the galloping lane to work for the first time this afternoon. I was a little leery about it, because she'd never been out alone before, but overall, she was pretty decent. There were a few nervous moments when Patrick kept calling for her, but she didn't do anything unmanageable. I think it actually did her a lot of good. I was able to just plant my hands in her neck with a light contact, and let her move nice and forward at the trot. Eventually, we had a few nice seconds where she would start to relax into the bit and put her head down. I was pleased and ended on that note.

My friend came over and rode Patrick again. I swear, he hates me. He goes so much better for someone who doesn't make him work as hard as I do. She even jumped him around, and he was a little angel. I think she was pretty impressed with him, what with being 4 and all. She's even going to get in touch with a friend who has a few students that might be looking for horses. That would be GREAT! I certainly wouldn't turn down the money at this point in time!

All in all, it's been a pretty mellow week. I started painting some of my jumps (after YEARS of having natural standards and white poles!). As long as color doesn't matter, I highly recommend going to Home Depot and buying their "oops!" paint. You can get a quart for $1.00, (or a gallon for usually about $5.00, but who needs a gallon?) and usually there are some very useable colors. I have found a nice, rich navy blue which I used on two poles and standards, a minty green, a peach/pink color, and a reddish brown that I think will look great on the coops.

Stay tuned for more of Anna's DIY jump making tips:) I seem to find plenty!

Another quick update...

I meant to include this in last night's post, but I totally forgot.

Still no word from my trainer. It's been nearly two weeks now, without even so much as a text message. Anyways, I'm just throwing that out there. I'm trying really hard to just forget about it, especially since Bella has been jumping more amazing now than she ever did in Florida. At least I know my horse well enough to succeed on our own, and that's all I need at this point!

Anyways, on Facebook I made mention of karma exacting her revenge. My trainer didn't place in the Grand Prix Saturday night, and his daughter and student didn't pin in their money classes either. I'm not laughing about it; I'm no champion rider myself. But I do find the timing rather ironic, because it's not very often that he doesn't pin in the company he was in. I think this just furthers my belief in 'what goes around, comes around'. I was starting to think I was somehow on the losing end of the karmic battles...but with as good as Bella's doing, my dad's quiet encouragement and support, and my trainer's bad fortune this weekend, I think maybe things aren't going to be as bad as I initially thought.

Now I just need to find a way to afford a few shows this summer! Anyyybody want to buy a super cute 4 year old gelding?? Haha

It's one of those days where you just feel goooood

Everyone was so good today. I couldn't be happier. AND, I have pictures:D Yayy!

I took Patrick out into my 'galloping' lane today. Turns out, he quite loves being out of the ring. He was super forward and really stretched and relaxed. We did 4 extended trot laps and 4 working canter laps then considered it a job well done. I think he's going to do a lot more of that. I'd been afraid to take him out there because sometimes he gets a little snotty about adventures, but he was great!

I sat and thought about Bailey for a little while, and I realized that I'm just too excited. I can't wait for her to be fully trained and ready to go, and because of that...I need to back off. It's not that I'm pushing her too hard, but I don't want it to get to that point (and who would!). So today I just put her on a lunge line again in some stretchy side reins and really pushed her forward. She's really flexing her neck now and engaging her hind end (she's tracking up a good extra two inches, where before it was hardly noticeable). However, to the right she steps in a little to the inside, instead of tracking straight, and she doesn't roll her belly into the bend. This is where our issues under saddle are stemming from. BUT, it's improved. So we're going to do a lot of lunging at the trot, a lot of forward movements in the galloping lane, and a little bit of pressure under saddle, and see where we get in a few weeks.

Bella was a totally superstar today. It was one of those days where I couldn't have put a pricetag on her if Bill Gates walked in the doorway. I put the jumps up, nothing was under 3'3" (unless it couldn't go up i.e. the coop line) and the 'big' oxer rode about 3'9". She jumped everything without hesitation, and was even less concerned about the big oxer than when my trainer hiked it up. She hardly put out an effort. I really almost thought she was going to stop she was so nonchalant about it all, but she knew better than me and hopped right over it in super delightful fashion. Here are some pictures:

The one above this is her "I hate coops!" crooked way of attempting to jump it and express her disdain, lol.

Can you tell the above picture was the last jump? She jumped it significantly bigger than the first time we tackled that jump!

She doesn't mind the little coops anymore. Clearly it's okay to jump them straight...

Anyways, we finished up with a vetrolin bath and a nice poultice wrap. I'm so looking forward to having tomorrow off!