Well, yesterday was an interesting day, to say the least.
I trailer Patrick down to this girl's barn so that she could take a lesson on him someplace unfamiliar and give her trainer a chance to see him. Regardless of whether or not they buy him (and I really hope they do. He's the perfect horse for her), I am so proud of my little guy. He stepped off that trailer like a champ. They gave him very little time to settle in. I think the trainer took one look at me and decided it wasn't going to work out, and really wanted to prove the parents wrong in their choice. So they threw his tack on and led him on up to the ring.
Not once did he do anything bad. He was a little forward, which I expected, but the girl wasn't intimidated in the least. A few quick corrections from me would have set everything right, but this particular trainer is very 'new world' hunter: upper body 30 degrees from the verticle, no direct rein contact, low hands, etc. Patrick wasn't trained this way, but I did do a few quick schools to get him acclimated to that type of ride, and thank goodness he's a quick study. It wasn't the perfect ride at first, but I was such a proud mom. Then he proceeded to jump around the horribly ugly jumps (thankfully, mine are uglier!) without a second's hesitation. Any distance at all, he took, and boy were there some bad ones!
Once it was all said and done, the trainer determined that come February, when it's cold and the wind is whipping, he may be too much horse for her. I really wanted to interject that if she isn't good enough at her job to have this girl comfortable on her horse after a year then maybe they needed to find a new trainer. However, they decided to write me a check contingent on this weekends' rides and a vet check on Monday. So she's going to hack him around today and take another lesson tomorrow morning and then they'll let me know if they're going to go through with the vet check. Cross your fingers!
On another note, Fiesta contracted the early stages of aspiration pneumonia yesterday. She had a really bad episode of choke, which has never happened to her before. Then yesterday morning when I went to feed, she hadn't drank anything, wasn't eating enthusiastically, and seemed kind of out of it. At first I wanted to just assume she didn't feel good after a long choke episode and was upset that I turned her breakfast into soup. But something kept nagging at me, so I had my mom call the vet and let him know what was going on.
He drove right over.
He said if she had gone 24 hours like this, she would have been beyond saving. Thank God I followed my gut instincts! So he gave her mega-doses of a few antibiotics and put her on a heavy dose of Doxy. Almost instantly she perked up, so hopefully that means we're on the right path! I'll keep you posted on her progress.
Anyways, I have to go wolf down some coffee and muffins and hold horses for the farrier. Then it's Derby Day!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Oh, Weather...You never fail to ruin my plans
Still no pictures from Culpeper...apparently printing them, stuffing them in an envelope, and labeling it is VERY difficult...
So the trial on Sunday went fantastic. Patrick was a doll, though I did have a moment when I was a bit worried!
Despite driving up in a brand-spanking-new beamer and touting that their daughter attends private school, the poor girl was riding in the most god-awful saddle I've ever seen in my life. When I mounted up and asked Patrick to walk away from the mounting block, he started hopping like he wanted to rear...wonderfullll. So I yanked the saddle and stuck a riser pad underneath of it, and that helped. You could tell he still wasn't happy, but he didn't do anything bad.
Whew.
The girl hopped on after me, and you could tell she was nervous and tense. Patrick, once again, did nothing to take advantage of her. He. Was. A. Superstar. He hopped around a few little crossrails for her, and seemed really happy with her. I'm a little worried that he might be too much horse for her until he's back in work, but he seemed happy with the match. I know if she had tried him last summer when he was fit and in training, they would have been absolutely perfect for one another.
So they asked to take him on trial, to which I told them that won't be happening. I don't know them or their trainer, and I've never had a good experience with a trial (and neither had my consultant; thanks Steph!). So we compromised. I'm taking him to their barn on Friday so the girl can take a lesson on him. If it goes well, they are going to cut me a check right there, and consider him sold pending a vet check. Ahh!!! So I've been working really hard these last couple of days to make sure he's ready for her. I would really love for him to go to this girl. It would be absolutely wonderful for them both. She's 15 and 4'11". She fits him beautifully, he's quiet enough for her to do the 2'3" stuff on now, but he can jump around a 3'6" course and take her up the ranks. Plus, he's 5 years old! She'll never need another horse. Plus, my boss's farrier knows the trainer very well, does the feet at her farm, and says he'll have a great home and that she's a confident enough rider to school him up for the girl if necessary. Doesn't this sound too good to be true? I hope not! That money would fund the rest of my show season and really jump start Bailey's future.
Cross your fingers for me! Hopefully I come home with an empty trailer Friday afternoon!
So the trial on Sunday went fantastic. Patrick was a doll, though I did have a moment when I was a bit worried!
Despite driving up in a brand-spanking-new beamer and touting that their daughter attends private school, the poor girl was riding in the most god-awful saddle I've ever seen in my life. When I mounted up and asked Patrick to walk away from the mounting block, he started hopping like he wanted to rear...wonderfullll. So I yanked the saddle and stuck a riser pad underneath of it, and that helped. You could tell he still wasn't happy, but he didn't do anything bad.
Whew.
The girl hopped on after me, and you could tell she was nervous and tense. Patrick, once again, did nothing to take advantage of her. He. Was. A. Superstar. He hopped around a few little crossrails for her, and seemed really happy with her. I'm a little worried that he might be too much horse for her until he's back in work, but he seemed happy with the match. I know if she had tried him last summer when he was fit and in training, they would have been absolutely perfect for one another.
So they asked to take him on trial, to which I told them that won't be happening. I don't know them or their trainer, and I've never had a good experience with a trial (and neither had my consultant; thanks Steph!). So we compromised. I'm taking him to their barn on Friday so the girl can take a lesson on him. If it goes well, they are going to cut me a check right there, and consider him sold pending a vet check. Ahh!!! So I've been working really hard these last couple of days to make sure he's ready for her. I would really love for him to go to this girl. It would be absolutely wonderful for them both. She's 15 and 4'11". She fits him beautifully, he's quiet enough for her to do the 2'3" stuff on now, but he can jump around a 3'6" course and take her up the ranks. Plus, he's 5 years old! She'll never need another horse. Plus, my boss's farrier knows the trainer very well, does the feet at her farm, and says he'll have a great home and that she's a confident enough rider to school him up for the girl if necessary. Doesn't this sound too good to be true? I hope not! That money would fund the rest of my show season and really jump start Bailey's future.
Cross your fingers for me! Hopefully I come home with an empty trailer Friday afternoon!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Culpeper Results are In!
My sincerest apologies!
So nothing really went as planned since last I wrote, nearly two weeks ago!
That Sunday, the show was cancelled. It had rained and rained and rained all week, so they just 'postponed' it until June...really? So needless to say, Patrick and Eden hit the backburner while I prepared Bella and Bailey for Culpeper. Wednesday afternoon, my mom and I loaded up and made the 2.5 hour haul to Culpeper, Va. It was a pretty easy drive, minus the fact that I got a spectacular redneck sunburn on my left arm from hanging it out the window of my truck while I was driving.
The girls settled in pretty quickly. It was pretty awkward at the barns because I was stabled right next to my old barn and Amanda was also one of their students and still boards her horse there. I was a little worried things would be weird, but it didn't come to anything.
The whole week, both girls were fantastic. Bella started in the level twos on Thursday, mostly because I was a chicken. She handled it like a total champ and jumped around clean. Friday and Saturday I bumped her up to the level threes, and yet again, she was amazing. We were 5th on Friday, and that was against several professionals! I do have a video of the level 3 on Saturday, where we pulled a rail because the footing was dreadfully soupy and I overrode her to the jump. Oh well! I'd rather have to blame myself than my horse! It went so well, that I'm actually going to try her in a level four next time:)
Bailey gave me a few bronco shows, but once I got her moving she was great. The occasional buck, but nothing unmanageable. I'm really excited to get her going. My goal is to have her in the level 0 by the next show, and then I want to aim her towards the 5 year old divisions, which means she has to be jumping 1.20 by next spring...that's a level 5! Ahhh, that's nerve-wracking, but I know she's talented enough. I just have to find the confidence within myself and believe in us both!
I did order three fantastic photos of Bella and I, and as soon as they come in I'll post them. The video will go up as soon as I get it loaded as well! Between work and the weather, I haven't ridden since the last day at the show, so I'm off to finally sit on the horses since I have a gorgeous weekend to play around with!
Tomorrow a woman and her 15 year old daughter come to see Patrick. I'm hopeful. It sounds like it could be a good match, and I would LOVE to get him sold! Not only would it make my life easier and give Patrick the attention he so desperately wants, but the money would definitely fund my show season:) Then I just have to get Eden going and sold, and I'm on my way! But, let's not get ahead of ourselves!
I'll keep in touch! How is everyone doing?
So nothing really went as planned since last I wrote, nearly two weeks ago!
That Sunday, the show was cancelled. It had rained and rained and rained all week, so they just 'postponed' it until June...really? So needless to say, Patrick and Eden hit the backburner while I prepared Bella and Bailey for Culpeper. Wednesday afternoon, my mom and I loaded up and made the 2.5 hour haul to Culpeper, Va. It was a pretty easy drive, minus the fact that I got a spectacular redneck sunburn on my left arm from hanging it out the window of my truck while I was driving.
The girls settled in pretty quickly. It was pretty awkward at the barns because I was stabled right next to my old barn and Amanda was also one of their students and still boards her horse there. I was a little worried things would be weird, but it didn't come to anything.
The whole week, both girls were fantastic. Bella started in the level twos on Thursday, mostly because I was a chicken. She handled it like a total champ and jumped around clean. Friday and Saturday I bumped her up to the level threes, and yet again, she was amazing. We were 5th on Friday, and that was against several professionals! I do have a video of the level 3 on Saturday, where we pulled a rail because the footing was dreadfully soupy and I overrode her to the jump. Oh well! I'd rather have to blame myself than my horse! It went so well, that I'm actually going to try her in a level four next time:)
Bailey gave me a few bronco shows, but once I got her moving she was great. The occasional buck, but nothing unmanageable. I'm really excited to get her going. My goal is to have her in the level 0 by the next show, and then I want to aim her towards the 5 year old divisions, which means she has to be jumping 1.20 by next spring...that's a level 5! Ahhh, that's nerve-wracking, but I know she's talented enough. I just have to find the confidence within myself and believe in us both!
I did order three fantastic photos of Bella and I, and as soon as they come in I'll post them. The video will go up as soon as I get it loaded as well! Between work and the weather, I haven't ridden since the last day at the show, so I'm off to finally sit on the horses since I have a gorgeous weekend to play around with!
Tomorrow a woman and her 15 year old daughter come to see Patrick. I'm hopeful. It sounds like it could be a good match, and I would LOVE to get him sold! Not only would it make my life easier and give Patrick the attention he so desperately wants, but the money would definitely fund my show season:) Then I just have to get Eden going and sold, and I'm on my way! But, let's not get ahead of ourselves!
I'll keep in touch! How is everyone doing?
Saturday, April 16, 2011
And Voila!
This will have to be a brief update; my mom will be here any minute so we can go treat ourselves to a manicure:) Ah the spoils of being a woman...
This week I tried my old Bates on Bella again. It's not a perfect fit, but combined with a back pad, it's better than the Antares I bought for her two summers ago. My position isn't perfect, but it's significantly better than before. It never ceases to amaze me how much we can take for granted in this industry. Sometimes we blame our issues on the bigger picture, but it's the simple things that make all the difference!
When she felt about 75% better, I couldn't help myself and took her down a line I had set up earlier this week. It was a verticle-one stride-wide oxer w/liverpool-two strides-verticle-one stride-wall. I was SO excited to ride it; and I knew seeing the wall for the first time would give me an idea of how brave she was feeling. Not only did she jump right down the line, she jumped straight! No leaning or twisting. Again, I know that it wasn't ALL thanks to the saddle, but I hope I'm on the right track!
Yesterday I had someone come out to look at Patrick. I have to admit, I was a bit worried. He hasn't been on his best behavior lately. So over my lunch break I took him out and jumped him around all the jumps so he'd seen everything; more for my peace of mind than his, because he could have cared less. Low and behold, when they came out and asked me to hop on him, he was an absolute SAINT. I swear, he's trying so hard to get someone to buy him so I don't have to ride him anymore.
It was a husband/wife team looking for a new horse for the wife, but the husband asked to sit on him too. After I took him around for them, the woman hopped on and I could tell from the beginning that it was a disaster waiting to happen. They made it clear that they were pleasure riders (so why they came to try a horse that is 5 and CLEARLY labeled as a show prospect I have no idea) and did not and had not taken 'real' lessons, though I heard mention of a trainer in the picture. The woman kicked poor Patty right off the bat, asking him to walk on. All he did was lift his head and swish his tail. I don't need to kick my horses...he had no idea what she wanted. So again, she walloped him with her leg, and he hesitantly walked forward.
I swear Patrick knows when he has a novice on his back. With me, he's always very forward but from the get-go, he barely moved with this lady. Despite her kicking, clucking, and unstable position, he varied between a slow trot, breaking to a walk when she wobbled, and a relaxed smooth trot when she had her balance back. It was ugly and a bad match to say the least, which was emphasized when she asked him to canter by creeping up his neck into a jockey position and pony-club kicking his ribs in. He did NOTHING. He just kept putzing around at the slowest trot known to mankind, and when her huge kicks knocked her off balance and she teetered on his mouth, he went right down to the walk. Never once did he even try to canter with her, and I swear it's because he knew she wasn't skilled enough to do it. God bless this little horse.
When the husband got on, it was a different story. He was all of about 6 foot 2 on my poor little narrow 15.2 hand horse, and right away Patrick was nervous. His ears were back, he started grinding the bit, and his eyes were clearly unhappy. I sent him a silent plead to be good, and off they went. Immediately, the man's death grip on his sides sent him into a canter, but it was a hoppy nervous canter, not his usual relaxed one. The transition sent the man sprawling backwards, catching himself on Patrick's mouth, but Patty grinned and smiled through it, not breaking stride because I think it would have put the man on the ground. Again, this little horse saved the day. He pissed his way through the walk, trot, and canter both directions, ears back and unhappy. He even jumped a little oxer for the man, nice and flat so as not to disrupt him (and got the flying change on the backside!). I was leaping for joy inside that I had such a wonderful little horse.
The husband dismounted, upset that he was far too large for him, stating that he'd take him right now if he had fit. "He's a lot of fun! What a good boy to put up with my position! I was all over the place!" At least he could admit it! The wife, however, was sour and displeased, and seemed to think that since SHE couldn't get him to canter, I clearly had done something wrong with him. When they left, I kissed that little horse so many times, and threw three handfuls of treats in with his dinner.
Boy, did I pick a winner four and a half years ago! At least now I know that I did a wonderful job with this little fellow. Now it's just a matter of finding his person! (*cough*cough..AMANDA!)
So today will be spent shaving Bella and Bailey's beards...so they don't look like mountain goats at Culpeper, and hopefully finishing Patrick's body clip for the Howard County Opener at McDonough tomorrow. If it comes down to it though, he'll be doing the classes in a trace clip. I'm sure, on this political little circuit, that will guarantee him out of the ribbons, but who cares so long as he puts in a good trip for me. We'll worry about that later.
Anyways, next time you here from me, hopefully I'll have at least a few photos and show results for you!
This week I tried my old Bates on Bella again. It's not a perfect fit, but combined with a back pad, it's better than the Antares I bought for her two summers ago. My position isn't perfect, but it's significantly better than before. It never ceases to amaze me how much we can take for granted in this industry. Sometimes we blame our issues on the bigger picture, but it's the simple things that make all the difference!
When she felt about 75% better, I couldn't help myself and took her down a line I had set up earlier this week. It was a verticle-one stride-wide oxer w/liverpool-two strides-verticle-one stride-wall. I was SO excited to ride it; and I knew seeing the wall for the first time would give me an idea of how brave she was feeling. Not only did she jump right down the line, she jumped straight! No leaning or twisting. Again, I know that it wasn't ALL thanks to the saddle, but I hope I'm on the right track!
Yesterday I had someone come out to look at Patrick. I have to admit, I was a bit worried. He hasn't been on his best behavior lately. So over my lunch break I took him out and jumped him around all the jumps so he'd seen everything; more for my peace of mind than his, because he could have cared less. Low and behold, when they came out and asked me to hop on him, he was an absolute SAINT. I swear, he's trying so hard to get someone to buy him so I don't have to ride him anymore.
It was a husband/wife team looking for a new horse for the wife, but the husband asked to sit on him too. After I took him around for them, the woman hopped on and I could tell from the beginning that it was a disaster waiting to happen. They made it clear that they were pleasure riders (so why they came to try a horse that is 5 and CLEARLY labeled as a show prospect I have no idea) and did not and had not taken 'real' lessons, though I heard mention of a trainer in the picture. The woman kicked poor Patty right off the bat, asking him to walk on. All he did was lift his head and swish his tail. I don't need to kick my horses...he had no idea what she wanted. So again, she walloped him with her leg, and he hesitantly walked forward.
I swear Patrick knows when he has a novice on his back. With me, he's always very forward but from the get-go, he barely moved with this lady. Despite her kicking, clucking, and unstable position, he varied between a slow trot, breaking to a walk when she wobbled, and a relaxed smooth trot when she had her balance back. It was ugly and a bad match to say the least, which was emphasized when she asked him to canter by creeping up his neck into a jockey position and pony-club kicking his ribs in. He did NOTHING. He just kept putzing around at the slowest trot known to mankind, and when her huge kicks knocked her off balance and she teetered on his mouth, he went right down to the walk. Never once did he even try to canter with her, and I swear it's because he knew she wasn't skilled enough to do it. God bless this little horse.
When the husband got on, it was a different story. He was all of about 6 foot 2 on my poor little narrow 15.2 hand horse, and right away Patrick was nervous. His ears were back, he started grinding the bit, and his eyes were clearly unhappy. I sent him a silent plead to be good, and off they went. Immediately, the man's death grip on his sides sent him into a canter, but it was a hoppy nervous canter, not his usual relaxed one. The transition sent the man sprawling backwards, catching himself on Patrick's mouth, but Patty grinned and smiled through it, not breaking stride because I think it would have put the man on the ground. Again, this little horse saved the day. He pissed his way through the walk, trot, and canter both directions, ears back and unhappy. He even jumped a little oxer for the man, nice and flat so as not to disrupt him (and got the flying change on the backside!). I was leaping for joy inside that I had such a wonderful little horse.
The husband dismounted, upset that he was far too large for him, stating that he'd take him right now if he had fit. "He's a lot of fun! What a good boy to put up with my position! I was all over the place!" At least he could admit it! The wife, however, was sour and displeased, and seemed to think that since SHE couldn't get him to canter, I clearly had done something wrong with him. When they left, I kissed that little horse so many times, and threw three handfuls of treats in with his dinner.
Boy, did I pick a winner four and a half years ago! At least now I know that I did a wonderful job with this little fellow. Now it's just a matter of finding his person! (*cough*cough..AMANDA!)
So today will be spent shaving Bella and Bailey's beards...so they don't look like mountain goats at Culpeper, and hopefully finishing Patrick's body clip for the Howard County Opener at McDonough tomorrow. If it comes down to it though, he'll be doing the classes in a trace clip. I'm sure, on this political little circuit, that will guarantee him out of the ribbons, but who cares so long as he puts in a good trip for me. We'll worry about that later.
Anyways, next time you here from me, hopefully I'll have at least a few photos and show results for you!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
I love late mornings
I've turned into a form of early riser. I like waking up at about 8 in the morning, lounging in my pajamas and drinking coffee. I've also developed quite an addiction to muffins. Especially cinnamon streusel muffins. MmmMmm.
So to start, I would like to comment on how old my horses are getting. It makes me notice my own aging process, and I'm not particularly fond of it. Bailey just celebrated her 4th birthday on April 2nd and Bella turned 9 on the 7th. It's hard to believe we've been together for over 7 years now. Then, of course, Patrick turned 5 on St. Patrick's Day.
I don't believe I mentioned this before, but I was a bit worried that I would have to cancel taking Patrick to the hunter show this Sunday because I got put on the work schedule without being asked. I had resigned to doing it, since I've already requested next Wednesday-Friday off for Culpeper. However, our newest employee, who as it turns out is pretty awesome, offered to cover the morning feeding for me so that I can take my little monster to the county show. Now it's rush rush rush! Oh wait...it's pouring rain outside.
I registered him on the circuit under the show name 5 & D Court Jester. I've been debating his name for a while now. I bought him with the name "It's The Luck of the Irish!"...which is just plain stupid, and yes, it DID contain an exclamation point on his sale documents. But I thought long and hard about it, and I decided I wanted something that clearly stated that he is the class clown (which, now that I say that, THAT would have been a cute name...). So on a whim, I chose Court Jester. It's not in the USEF yet, so any thoughts?
Now, on to the good stuff.
The last two days were a bit of a setback and a realization period for me. I mentioned that I've been having difficulties with Bella on our right sides. The other day the mares were left in for 48 hours because of our dreadful weather, so after riding them I let them stay the night outside so they could have some time to be horses. When I brought Bella in the next day, she was dead tired. I didn't think much of it until I started to curry her and she was hollowing her back out under the grooming! Thankfully, I HAVE owned Bella for 7 years, and we know each other like the back of our...hooves? Normally she loves being curried. She leans in and makes faces and cocks a leg and just enjoys it. This was clearly something different. Her eyes were worried, her ears were dialed to 'stressed', and she was flinching. Now, we have been jumping back into some serious training to prepare for next week, so a little bit of soreness is to be expected, but I had a hunch.
I decided to check my saddle fit. Low and behold, my $3,000 saddle bought just for her doesn't fit her anymore. At all! It was a horrible fit, even with any of my pads. My old Bates fits her slightly better, especially with a riser underneath, but it's still not the greatest. I know a lot of this is because I fit her saddle at the peak of fitness and now her topline and shoulder aren't muscled out like they should be. However, this has created quite the dilemma for the time being. Now I know why top trainers get saddles in all tree sizes...
Anyways, I realized an important lesson. Sometimes preparing for the marathon is more taxing than the race itself. It's easy for us to realize when we're sore and don't feel like working hard, but our horses, even on a light training day, still have to wear a potentially ill fitting saddle and carry the burden of our weight on their backs. Despite what our goals are and when their deadlines may be, sometimes we just have to step back.
So that day I just put her on the lunge with really low set side reins and let her stretch out. She was visibly stiff (she DID run a lot in the field because I put Eden out with the girls for the first time) and quite uncomfortable in the beginning. So I kept pushing her forward and encouraging her to stretch those muscles out. By the end, she was a little better but still not herself. We rounded out the afternoon with a nice bath, a body brace rinse with liniment, and a gram of Bute. I repeated the lunging again yesterday, and there was some improvement. Hopefully I'm on the right track, because we only have a week until Culpeper!
Eden, on the other hand, has been simply fantastic. I've never worked with a horse off the track before. Those OTTB people talk like they're something special and the horses require a certain knowledge. I haven't found that to be true. It's just a matter of knowing your basics and sticking to them. Naturally, a certain amount of patience is necessary, but it's just training.
Here lately I've been starting her on the lunge with low-set elastic side reins. One thing that is nice about racehorses is that most of them (given the correct conformation) already know how to set their head. However, the challenge lies in moving forward, believe it or not. When racing, they lean on the jockeys hands for support. This causes more of their weight to be shifted onto their forehand, which when translated into the arena means they don't track up. It's a tricky thing to notice because they aren't heavy in your hand. Quite the opposite actually; you can possess no contact with the mouth and they still carry their head 'in a frame'. I think this tricks a lot of people into thinking they just need to slow the horse down, and ta-da! They have a show horse!
So my mentality has been to shift Eden's balance and push her forward, forward, forward. Rein contact with a jockey is high up. Then they bridge the reins, plant their hands, and the horse moves into that contact. By placing the side-reins low and using ones with elastic, I've forced her head and neck into a position to engage her topline, however I've given her nothing to lean against. Naturally, in this position, where she off balance and unfit, she moves about at a snails pace. So this is when I constantly push, cluck, and encourage an extended trot. She's catching on so quickly, I'm genuinely impressed.
I originally thought I'd just sit on her, get her going w/t/c in a ring, and then throw her online for some small bit of money to flip her fast. Nowww....I think I'm going to keep her around for a while ;) After I lunge her, I hop on her and walk trot around a bit. She. is. smooth. as. glass. to ride. I'm so excited! I never expected this, but I'll admit, I DID hope for it! Hopefully video will come soon!
I don't know if the whole re-training a racehorse thing is interesting at all...is it worth documenting?
So to start, I would like to comment on how old my horses are getting. It makes me notice my own aging process, and I'm not particularly fond of it. Bailey just celebrated her 4th birthday on April 2nd and Bella turned 9 on the 7th. It's hard to believe we've been together for over 7 years now. Then, of course, Patrick turned 5 on St. Patrick's Day.
I don't believe I mentioned this before, but I was a bit worried that I would have to cancel taking Patrick to the hunter show this Sunday because I got put on the work schedule without being asked. I had resigned to doing it, since I've already requested next Wednesday-Friday off for Culpeper. However, our newest employee, who as it turns out is pretty awesome, offered to cover the morning feeding for me so that I can take my little monster to the county show. Now it's rush rush rush! Oh wait...it's pouring rain outside.
I registered him on the circuit under the show name 5 & D Court Jester. I've been debating his name for a while now. I bought him with the name "It's The Luck of the Irish!"...which is just plain stupid, and yes, it DID contain an exclamation point on his sale documents. But I thought long and hard about it, and I decided I wanted something that clearly stated that he is the class clown (which, now that I say that, THAT would have been a cute name...). So on a whim, I chose Court Jester. It's not in the USEF yet, so any thoughts?
Now, on to the good stuff.
The last two days were a bit of a setback and a realization period for me. I mentioned that I've been having difficulties with Bella on our right sides. The other day the mares were left in for 48 hours because of our dreadful weather, so after riding them I let them stay the night outside so they could have some time to be horses. When I brought Bella in the next day, she was dead tired. I didn't think much of it until I started to curry her and she was hollowing her back out under the grooming! Thankfully, I HAVE owned Bella for 7 years, and we know each other like the back of our...hooves? Normally she loves being curried. She leans in and makes faces and cocks a leg and just enjoys it. This was clearly something different. Her eyes were worried, her ears were dialed to 'stressed', and she was flinching. Now, we have been jumping back into some serious training to prepare for next week, so a little bit of soreness is to be expected, but I had a hunch.
I decided to check my saddle fit. Low and behold, my $3,000 saddle bought just for her doesn't fit her anymore. At all! It was a horrible fit, even with any of my pads. My old Bates fits her slightly better, especially with a riser underneath, but it's still not the greatest. I know a lot of this is because I fit her saddle at the peak of fitness and now her topline and shoulder aren't muscled out like they should be. However, this has created quite the dilemma for the time being. Now I know why top trainers get saddles in all tree sizes...
Anyways, I realized an important lesson. Sometimes preparing for the marathon is more taxing than the race itself. It's easy for us to realize when we're sore and don't feel like working hard, but our horses, even on a light training day, still have to wear a potentially ill fitting saddle and carry the burden of our weight on their backs. Despite what our goals are and when their deadlines may be, sometimes we just have to step back.
So that day I just put her on the lunge with really low set side reins and let her stretch out. She was visibly stiff (she DID run a lot in the field because I put Eden out with the girls for the first time) and quite uncomfortable in the beginning. So I kept pushing her forward and encouraging her to stretch those muscles out. By the end, she was a little better but still not herself. We rounded out the afternoon with a nice bath, a body brace rinse with liniment, and a gram of Bute. I repeated the lunging again yesterday, and there was some improvement. Hopefully I'm on the right track, because we only have a week until Culpeper!
Eden, on the other hand, has been simply fantastic. I've never worked with a horse off the track before. Those OTTB people talk like they're something special and the horses require a certain knowledge. I haven't found that to be true. It's just a matter of knowing your basics and sticking to them. Naturally, a certain amount of patience is necessary, but it's just training.
Here lately I've been starting her on the lunge with low-set elastic side reins. One thing that is nice about racehorses is that most of them (given the correct conformation) already know how to set their head. However, the challenge lies in moving forward, believe it or not. When racing, they lean on the jockeys hands for support. This causes more of their weight to be shifted onto their forehand, which when translated into the arena means they don't track up. It's a tricky thing to notice because they aren't heavy in your hand. Quite the opposite actually; you can possess no contact with the mouth and they still carry their head 'in a frame'. I think this tricks a lot of people into thinking they just need to slow the horse down, and ta-da! They have a show horse!
So my mentality has been to shift Eden's balance and push her forward, forward, forward. Rein contact with a jockey is high up. Then they bridge the reins, plant their hands, and the horse moves into that contact. By placing the side-reins low and using ones with elastic, I've forced her head and neck into a position to engage her topline, however I've given her nothing to lean against. Naturally, in this position, where she off balance and unfit, she moves about at a snails pace. So this is when I constantly push, cluck, and encourage an extended trot. She's catching on so quickly, I'm genuinely impressed.
I originally thought I'd just sit on her, get her going w/t/c in a ring, and then throw her online for some small bit of money to flip her fast. Nowww....I think I'm going to keep her around for a while ;) After I lunge her, I hop on her and walk trot around a bit. She. is. smooth. as. glass. to ride. I'm so excited! I never expected this, but I'll admit, I DID hope for it! Hopefully video will come soon!
I don't know if the whole re-training a racehorse thing is interesting at all...is it worth documenting?
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Hopefully this post comes with things to look at...
So yesterday I went to the local (Joe Schmoe) tack store to look for a few things I needed for Culpeper. It's still a week and a half away, but my work schedule is going to keep me from doing anything other than procrastination, so I decided to swing by and grab a few things. Naturally, I walked out spending $253.00, but what one of us hasn't done that? They had the $140.00 Cosequin on sale for $99.00, so I bought the next two years worth of Cosequin and saved $80 in the long run. It made sense. Sort of.
Anyways, their customer service was particularly shotty yesterday. I waited at the cash register for nearly 30 minutes trying to get someone to help me! This is against their norm; usually you can't walk in there without getting hounded. However, it wound up being a rather fruitless shopping trip, aside from my supplement spending spree. They don't carry gag cheek pieces. The only reason I even looked is because they're on backorder at Dover until July, and that doesn't do me any good! Oh the frustration of living in a rural area.
I've decided to try Bella in a gag. I got the softest mouthpiece I could; a rubber snaffle. It's not that she's strong...quite the opposite actually. She has a very soft and willing mouth. However, her balance has always been a little off, and she tends to pass my distances a bit, which gets us into trouble over anything bigger than 1m. I figured I'd give an elevation bit a try, but I don't want leverage. Then she just tucks her nose and gets nervous. Hopefully I'm on the right track, I guess we'll find out IF I ever get cheek pieces for it! Grr...
I went to ride yesterday with the intention of putting Bailey over a few little jumping exercises. I really wanted to see how she'd handle herself since it had been a while since I showed her a jump. So I got there and my arena was still pretty wet. Boo:( But since Bailey doesn't wear shoes yet, I went through with it. I figured the footing would provide her with another challenge. It wasn't dangerous, just sloppy.
To say the least, I am jumping out of my SKIN with excitement over this filly. The first time over it, which I didn't catch on video, she jumped very square and tight. Not exactly a 'green' baby jump, just very nice. By the third and fourth attempts, which I recorded, she was already comfortable and relaxed.
Enjoy, I sure did!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgfeMNkEFKQ
The other horses got the day off (again). I was worried about Bella pulling a shoe, and I didn't want to risk Patrick because we have a show next weekend. Besides, if he's going to be a hunter, I don't want him fit anyways!
So for the rest of the afternoon, I headed out to Pickwick and rode Luna again, hoping for a better ride than before. It would have been the perfect day to get some video or photos of her. She was fantastic! Go figure. I guess all I need to do is get after her a bit, and she raises her standards a bit. By the time we finished our ride, she was almost consistently on the bit and moving forward (and even seeking!) into the contact. Maybe I've actually gotten through to this little mare, finally!
After these photos upload onto to Facebook (we have satellite internet, so you'll get those tomorrow), I'm going to head out and hopefully sit on five horses today. I'll let you know how it goes:)
Anyways, their customer service was particularly shotty yesterday. I waited at the cash register for nearly 30 minutes trying to get someone to help me! This is against their norm; usually you can't walk in there without getting hounded. However, it wound up being a rather fruitless shopping trip, aside from my supplement spending spree. They don't carry gag cheek pieces. The only reason I even looked is because they're on backorder at Dover until July, and that doesn't do me any good! Oh the frustration of living in a rural area.
I've decided to try Bella in a gag. I got the softest mouthpiece I could; a rubber snaffle. It's not that she's strong...quite the opposite actually. She has a very soft and willing mouth. However, her balance has always been a little off, and she tends to pass my distances a bit, which gets us into trouble over anything bigger than 1m. I figured I'd give an elevation bit a try, but I don't want leverage. Then she just tucks her nose and gets nervous. Hopefully I'm on the right track, I guess we'll find out IF I ever get cheek pieces for it! Grr...
I went to ride yesterday with the intention of putting Bailey over a few little jumping exercises. I really wanted to see how she'd handle herself since it had been a while since I showed her a jump. So I got there and my arena was still pretty wet. Boo:( But since Bailey doesn't wear shoes yet, I went through with it. I figured the footing would provide her with another challenge. It wasn't dangerous, just sloppy.
To say the least, I am jumping out of my SKIN with excitement over this filly. The first time over it, which I didn't catch on video, she jumped very square and tight. Not exactly a 'green' baby jump, just very nice. By the third and fourth attempts, which I recorded, she was already comfortable and relaxed.
Enjoy, I sure did!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgfeMNkEFKQ
The other horses got the day off (again). I was worried about Bella pulling a shoe, and I didn't want to risk Patrick because we have a show next weekend. Besides, if he's going to be a hunter, I don't want him fit anyways!
So for the rest of the afternoon, I headed out to Pickwick and rode Luna again, hoping for a better ride than before. It would have been the perfect day to get some video or photos of her. She was fantastic! Go figure. I guess all I need to do is get after her a bit, and she raises her standards a bit. By the time we finished our ride, she was almost consistently on the bit and moving forward (and even seeking!) into the contact. Maybe I've actually gotten through to this little mare, finally!
After these photos upload onto to Facebook (we have satellite internet, so you'll get those tomorrow), I'm going to head out and hopefully sit on five horses today. I'll let you know how it goes:)
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Will winter ever end?
It's very difficult to train your horses during a monsoon. Not only is the footing standing in inches of water, but your tack gets sticky and your breeches get leather stains. So once again, the rain prevented me from riding any of my horses yesterday. Instead, I had to give myself a swift kick in the butt to go ride Luna, my training project for a client of mine. I've been working with her since mid-November and she's doing well, but she has quite the attitude. Normally I'm very lenient with young horses and their fussy nature. Bailey likes to give me a run for my money during the first 10 to 15 minutes of our rides, but normally I can just canter her around a few laps and then get down to 'real' work. Luna, however, will fight you tooth and nail for every second of your ride. Some days are better than others, but all of them come with their quirks. Now I know why they hired me to break her...Unfortunately her temper tantrums are nothing over the top. They're never dangerous or threatening...just really annoying and unproductive. Yesterday, for the first time since sitting on her in her stall all those months ago, I actually had to get after her a bit with a crop. She's lived there every day of her life for the last 4 years, and yet somehow every little thing in the arena was traumatizing. Finally I stopped treating her like a baby and raised my expectations a bit. After a few rounds, we finally ended on what I thought was a pretty decent note. Maybe I'm finally getting some respect in that little mare brain of hers!
Since the weather hasn't been cooperating, I still don't have any fun photos for you to look at. Sorry! Hopefully today I can get some things accomplished.
I did get to ride on Thursday evening, which was spent schooling Patrick and Bella up for the spring shows. I've been attempting to re-perfect my hunter seat, and finding it really difficult to do. Patrick naturally goes a little on his forehand, despite having a decently uphill build. This is what really convinced me to turn him into a hunter. However, I can't ride in a light hunter seat, one that is so favored in the ring today, and still get him to the jumps correctly. I have to sit and elevate him to the jumps. So now I'm spending my rides on him trying to figure out how to ride him correctly (which takes a bit of work) and still make it look like I'm not doing anything at all. Oh, the drama.
Bella has been schooling really well lately, but we're both crooked. We have the same weak side, and mine is unfortunately emphasized by barn chores: I always clean stalls/rake/shovel on the same side. So now we're slightly crooked, which makes riding to the right really uncomfortable. Talk about frustrating. So we're going to grin and bear it for now, long enough to survive Culpeper, and then head down to Middleburg for a dressage lesson and see if two pairs of experienced eyes can help us out.
Patrick is going to the Howard County Horse Show Opener on April 17th, provided I can find someone to work for me in the morning. Work really gets in the way of living, I've decided. I know this is something that every adult realizes and copes with, but it doesn't work for me.
I'm going to be successful doing what I love, and I WILL continue to love it.
On that note, I've created my business card and I just emailed my advertisement to the local equine paper. After a LOT of swearing at Microsoft Word and Adobe, I finally created (then forwarded to Nathan to perfect...) my advertisement. Now I just have to right a check for $255.00 per month it's run, and we're good to go. Holy cow, that's a lot of money. It better work.
So if anyone knows someone looking for board, lessons, or training in the area, please tell them to support their local poor up-and-coming professional and give me a chance!
Once I'm on my computer (I'm typing from Nathan's) I'll load the picture of my ad and card:) I'm pretty proud of myself!
Take care!
Since the weather hasn't been cooperating, I still don't have any fun photos for you to look at. Sorry! Hopefully today I can get some things accomplished.
I did get to ride on Thursday evening, which was spent schooling Patrick and Bella up for the spring shows. I've been attempting to re-perfect my hunter seat, and finding it really difficult to do. Patrick naturally goes a little on his forehand, despite having a decently uphill build. This is what really convinced me to turn him into a hunter. However, I can't ride in a light hunter seat, one that is so favored in the ring today, and still get him to the jumps correctly. I have to sit and elevate him to the jumps. So now I'm spending my rides on him trying to figure out how to ride him correctly (which takes a bit of work) and still make it look like I'm not doing anything at all. Oh, the drama.
Bella has been schooling really well lately, but we're both crooked. We have the same weak side, and mine is unfortunately emphasized by barn chores: I always clean stalls/rake/shovel on the same side. So now we're slightly crooked, which makes riding to the right really uncomfortable. Talk about frustrating. So we're going to grin and bear it for now, long enough to survive Culpeper, and then head down to Middleburg for a dressage lesson and see if two pairs of experienced eyes can help us out.
Patrick is going to the Howard County Horse Show Opener on April 17th, provided I can find someone to work for me in the morning. Work really gets in the way of living, I've decided. I know this is something that every adult realizes and copes with, but it doesn't work for me.
I'm going to be successful doing what I love, and I WILL continue to love it.
On that note, I've created my business card and I just emailed my advertisement to the local equine paper. After a LOT of swearing at Microsoft Word and Adobe, I finally created (then forwarded to Nathan to perfect...) my advertisement. Now I just have to right a check for $255.00 per month it's run, and we're good to go. Holy cow, that's a lot of money. It better work.
So if anyone knows someone looking for board, lessons, or training in the area, please tell them to support their local poor up-and-coming professional and give me a chance!
Once I'm on my computer (I'm typing from Nathan's) I'll load the picture of my ad and card:) I'm pretty proud of myself!
Take care!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
I'm Baaack!
I know I've said that a few times before, but I think this time I mean it!
I am going to try to take things in a new direction though, which probably means you'll get a lot of my soap box gripes here soon. I've decided to blog about my experiences as an up and coming professional in the equine industry. That was sort of an underlying theme before, but I've (almost) officially renounced my amateur status and declared professional.
There are a number of reasons why. Some of which I can't discuss publicly because the wicked witch of the west that caused the decision may find out about this and stop paying me money. That would be bad. Very bad.
Anyways, for the last few weeks I've been getting things in order so that I can begin advertising my facility and hopefully acquire a few clients. I designed my own logo and business card (hooray for not being TOTALLY technologically illiterate!) and two nights ago I created an ad to run in the local equine monthly magazine. One thing I've learned so far that is a real hindrance, it takes money to make money. That causes a lot of problems. So I'm still working at the eventing barn as the figurehead manager, but I'm secretly hoping that I get some clients pretty quickly so that I can just work at my own place full time.
This is just a quickie "get you up to speed" entry. I need to get some pictures and whatnot of everything, because late this winter I acquired another sale horse project, fresh off Charlestown Racetrack:) She's turning into a real doll, so I'm super excited to get her going. She's a coming 7 year old 17.1hh redheaded mare, which sounds like a total beast, but she's a real sweetheart. I hope she makes a quick turnaround, but that all depends on how big she can jump. She has a shoulder the size of Maryland itself, so I'm hoping she might be at least a Low A/O prospect, not that I could compete her in it anymore...
If this weekend is nice, it'll be one of photo and video updates!
Lastly, I've reserved stalls for the April Culpeper show in roughly two weeks. I'm taking Bella and Bailey, mostly just to get out there and do something fun. Bailey really needs to get off the farm, and Bella is just fun:) Patrick was originally supposed to go with Amanda, but her and her mother decided that it wasn't worth the hassle of getting him there, much to my dismay. I really need to get him out doing something and get him SOLD! I thought about bringing him on his own, but it doesn't make sense for me to pay that kind of money to show him at something of that size. So instead, I'm going to campaign him in the local county circuit and see how he does. Oh, another change...he's now a hunter. So I've been practicing my 'hunter perch' again, and finding it significantly more difficult now that I know how to ride correctly. There really is a skill there that no one in the hunter/eq ring actually teaches. I think you have to ride the jumpers to learn how to ride the hunters correctly.
I think that's backwards from Mr. Morris' original intentions for the hunter ring...*cough cough* But then again, I've never liked him or his philosophies and I'm disgusted that college's base their equitation programs off of his cacamamey bullshit. That's a soap box right there. Sorry.
Anyways, look forward to hearing from me a little more frequently than never!
How IS everyone???
I am going to try to take things in a new direction though, which probably means you'll get a lot of my soap box gripes here soon. I've decided to blog about my experiences as an up and coming professional in the equine industry. That was sort of an underlying theme before, but I've (almost) officially renounced my amateur status and declared professional.
There are a number of reasons why. Some of which I can't discuss publicly because the wicked witch of the west that caused the decision may find out about this and stop paying me money. That would be bad. Very bad.
Anyways, for the last few weeks I've been getting things in order so that I can begin advertising my facility and hopefully acquire a few clients. I designed my own logo and business card (hooray for not being TOTALLY technologically illiterate!) and two nights ago I created an ad to run in the local equine monthly magazine. One thing I've learned so far that is a real hindrance, it takes money to make money. That causes a lot of problems. So I'm still working at the eventing barn as the figurehead manager, but I'm secretly hoping that I get some clients pretty quickly so that I can just work at my own place full time.
This is just a quickie "get you up to speed" entry. I need to get some pictures and whatnot of everything, because late this winter I acquired another sale horse project, fresh off Charlestown Racetrack:) She's turning into a real doll, so I'm super excited to get her going. She's a coming 7 year old 17.1hh redheaded mare, which sounds like a total beast, but she's a real sweetheart. I hope she makes a quick turnaround, but that all depends on how big she can jump. She has a shoulder the size of Maryland itself, so I'm hoping she might be at least a Low A/O prospect, not that I could compete her in it anymore...
If this weekend is nice, it'll be one of photo and video updates!
Lastly, I've reserved stalls for the April Culpeper show in roughly two weeks. I'm taking Bella and Bailey, mostly just to get out there and do something fun. Bailey really needs to get off the farm, and Bella is just fun:) Patrick was originally supposed to go with Amanda, but her and her mother decided that it wasn't worth the hassle of getting him there, much to my dismay. I really need to get him out doing something and get him SOLD! I thought about bringing him on his own, but it doesn't make sense for me to pay that kind of money to show him at something of that size. So instead, I'm going to campaign him in the local county circuit and see how he does. Oh, another change...he's now a hunter. So I've been practicing my 'hunter perch' again, and finding it significantly more difficult now that I know how to ride correctly. There really is a skill there that no one in the hunter/eq ring actually teaches. I think you have to ride the jumpers to learn how to ride the hunters correctly.
I think that's backwards from Mr. Morris' original intentions for the hunter ring...*cough cough* But then again, I've never liked him or his philosophies and I'm disgusted that college's base their equitation programs off of his cacamamey bullshit. That's a soap box right there. Sorry.
Anyways, look forward to hearing from me a little more frequently than never!
How IS everyone???
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
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?
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?
Thursday, November 11, 2010
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?
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?
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
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!
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!
Friday, September 10, 2010
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!
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!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
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 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!
Monday, August 30, 2010
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!
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
'Night all!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
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...
Now, I must try to force myself to sleep. No more venti White Mochas before bedtime...
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
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!
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!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
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!
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 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!
Friday, August 13, 2010
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)??
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)??
Sunday, August 8, 2010
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:)
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:)
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