6 DAYS & COUNTING.....

Going to The Cutter Farm Jumper Show in Dracut MA on Sat. I was fortunate enough to have hooked up with Candace today so that we could school our horses over jumps. Once Angel is warmed up he is a peach. A new indoor today over in Lyman - nice & new with lots of natural light and flush walls with mirrors at one end. Just big enough to have 3 jumps set up inside. A little tight with two 17h horses striding around but we we made it work. I was very appreciative that she jumped off to reset the jump I knocked down.... twice :( - Probably all me, looking down and or something else. He is so easy going after he gets soft in the bridle - and he likes to jump ... I give him that! Its not pretty right now - its not like he is a natural llofty jumper but he clears them and he wants to figure this game out. So its fun for him, for now :)

VERY bitter out. Windy as a mutha' and I hate having so many layers on, that I am hot, then I am cold ... then I am chilled because I was sweating. UGH.... those Mountain Horse Rimfrost Riders are the BEST! My feet never get cold and I only had a thin sock on! I do need a new helmet though... maybe santa will be nice to me for xmas?

Hopefully Charlie will be ridden tomorrow. Rain I think? Poor guy... he watched from the paddock as Baby and Misty got to get out with the girls hacking them around - I watched him from my office window... sulking like a boy kicking stones down the road with his hands deep in his pockets. :(

Even though I have been fortunate enough to enjoy my horses, almost daily if I so choose, I dont actually feel like I am doing anything with them still. Like a show is the only thing that can affirm my hard work? Why is that? Just saying that I am going "somewhere" solidifies / proves that I have actually done what I say I have been doing. It is the wierdest thing. Something I have to change - I need to feel like I have accomplished "things" just by having them home - not by showing by someone elses standards.

I will work on that. Dogs barking - gotta run!

Depression begins here....

Well... havent ridden in two days... its so darn cold out. Researching the cost of adding something to the outdoor arena to keep it thawed. May not be cost effective - therefore I may just succumb to keeping the truck and trailer hooked up to get to the indoor. The question is which one? They all have their quirks... and I am not sure which way to commit. I wish I could just do what was done last year... but as alot of us are starting to realize... "those were the good old days"

I must work them all though. If I just hadnt committed myself to 3 horses to ride! I should just "commit" myself now! With good intensions I march onward. I will make a few calls today and hopefully give myself some direction and goals.

I also think its time for some housework - well painting, rearranging and what not - while the cats away :) - xmas will be up and complete - may even have a tree by the 6th and that will lend some uplifting!
Time to go out and feed lunch...

THE COLD SEASON....

has started. I mean C O L D! not getting above 35 today and it hasnt even snowed yet! Jason leaving for Canada in the a.m. hunting in Manitoba for a week. WHY head to colder weather to kill something when we have all those great amenities right here in our own back yard? Ya I cant figure that one out either for the last 18 years... & all done trying.

It was cold at the indoor yesterday too. That will not be a fun time this winter. Got over 2' jumps in a figure 8 and he is progressing nicely. He may not compete next weekend, but a least we will be there just in case it is one of his good days. Doesnt hurt to get him out there right?

No more riding in the arena due to its now frozen .... which reminds me ... I have to get both extension cords out to the barn to plug in outside heaters in both front and back pastures, as I was breaking 1" thick ice this a.m. with a hammer :(... I still cant believe its here... THE COLD is now staying... so very sad!

On a postive note ... everyone has their own personal waterproof turn out blanket, which keeps the chilling wind sheer at bay... and they needed that today. I stayed in all day working on designs... I would have all 4 of them in my living room or at the very least in my heated day light basement if I was not married! I think we all would secretly do that... but taking a chance in saying it out loud and looking like a wing nut... nah.

Video attached of Angel over jumps. I wish I could get footage of me over jumps without the camera person having parkinsons! (taylor ... haley!) but thank you for trying!

EQUINE AFFAIRE

Trust me ... this post will be well worth the wait!

Sorry I have been gone since WED - very busy at the E.A. - gathering lots of information, taking notes and attending seminars and clinics all day Thurs, Fri & Sat. Exhausting to say the least but well worth it! I was able to spend some time with my mother and also get off the "farm" :) Herbal supplements, aromatherapy for equines, jumping & dressage clinics were just a few areas of interest for me. Enjoying it all with of course a little retail therapy makes for a great 3 days away!

The Pfizer Fantasia. ...was dissappointing in the first 1/2 of the show... after the 20 minute intermission it was a whole lot better. Leading up to the best part of the show was the Lusitano trainer going one on one with her stallion, and the dressage presentation segway into the ride off between dressage and reining .... very funny choreography between them... in the end... a dressage rider CAN NOT do those moves bridless so hats off to reiners! The best part of the show was the 6 Arabians racing about the arena and the dynamics between them and their trainer! I took a 4 min video that I will try and down load but for an appetizer you will have this short piece to hold you over.

Other pics of Hildago, my mom with driftwood horses & mom, jan & Julie Goodnight were nice to get!

Check out the dressage moves! My favorite is the beautiful extension!

So with that.... its now 10:45 and I have to run - I am behind the 8 ball as they say! Hit the bank and drum up some work... then its off to my trainers for 3:30 so... will have more to post in the a.m. See you on the up side!

NOT SO BRILLIANT AN IDEA!

When you feel sorry for your equine partner - then make accommodations - they really dont appreciate you. That is why I now shall have individual paddocks! Since Angel has supposedly had no experience with; Electric Fencing, being out with other horses, trail ridden or anything else for that matter... I thought it would be nice to have a paddock buddy for him.
Now that Baby is well and they are of the same mind set and laid back... why not?

WELL BECAUSE... ITS JUST NOT A GOOD IDEA!

LETS MAKE MORE WORK FOR ONESELF SHALL WE?


Ok.. a weak moment - now lets go back to plan A - he will be seperated from the others because we dont need to hear him wale about it on the cross ties when you are trying to tack him. Nor do we need to constantly remind him that his eyeballs shall not wander looking for the big white ass in the front pasture! UGH... how about those 20 meter circles... hows that working for you?


NOT SO WELL TODAY!


So Baby will return to being the third wheel & bottom of the pecking order with the other two meanies that only love to hate each other.
Why cant we all just get along?

Trail Ride

WELL! It was a very productive day - WE all got to go on a trail ride. Started out like hell though - just getting the kids off the trailer and tacked up was a nightmare! Horses jumping around, rearing and bucking, acting out.... ooooo what fun. I love how they are perfect at home and act like morons when out. I got a good cow kick from Charles. Mindy got a rope burn from Misty of all horses, and Haley forgot the girth to the saddle. We were batting 1000 at 10:30 this a.m.... and all we wanted to do was ride! Well, we finally did after I got Charlie worked out in the round pen, then we all went down to the arena and worked some more before finally getting to head for the trail which by the way the trails head was a beautiful brook running briskly from the weekend rain. How nice! Oh... we have to cross it? UUUUUUUUUUGH... poor Haley, poor Mindy... first real trail ride together as mother and daughter and lets start off on the right foot! Well to say the least it was informative but not uneventful... as if you couldnt tell from the start - you know what kind of ride you are going to have when it begins as it did. Six people, 3 green horses, 3 green riders.... & not in that order....OMG!

The trails were nice, the weather was mild, the horses were behaved 3/4 of the ride... and what more could one ask for? NOTHING! A learning experience that each of us need. Certainly the greenbees :)

So with that said, not bad, just not a stellar ride... but at least we GOT OUT THERE... and stuck to our guns and made due with what we had... RIGHT HALEY! We even trotted a little... and got to use our one rein stops frequently - NO accidents, no falls. A hind quarter kick, a little jigging and a lot of jockeying for positions. Thank you again mike for putting on those tall boots and leading some of us across the brook.... twice! We couldnt have done it without you.

Riding In The Rain

As I promised .... some pictures on Babys injury ... how amazing that its almost all healed. I am not quiet sure if she is "off" as I am always looking for it - making sure not to push her too much. Today she was doing impressions of Lipizzaners Airs Above The Ground - I have video to prove it, which in turn makes it a hard to give her sympathy!

Keeping in mind that this is what it looked like within moments of stitches.....
Riding in the rain ... actually it was drizzle. Last night I got a ride in on Baby just before dark, in the drizzle and then today, I rode Baby, Charlie and Angel. Yes... in the drizzle. Heavy overcast, almost looked like dusk all day. Weird day ... 61 degrees, but wet out, not damp to make you chilled to the core, just wet. So we rode, we all rode & they all got ridden. That is a good thing.

Charlie gave a little hassle being green in the bridle... but a few one rein stops and some bending and I was trotting around. Baby was being a little childish while Haley lounged her so I had to finish the prep before she rode. Angel actually wasnt quite warmed up before I asked to canter him and he let me know it! He gave a huge buck - and then he had a little one reining session. So he got to work on bending too :)

A great exercise that I have incorporated into my warm up is circling my haunches around my forehand while keeping my forehand stationary. Slightly in front of verticle keeping my weight on the forehand, and leg pressure behind the girth. When asking the haunches to circle around my forehand, I make sure I am slight behind the verticle so that my weight is on the hind to free up the forehand to float through the open door I have provided. Its a great opportunity to stretch and bend and get those shoulders and hips working for you!

Sunday we are supposed to head to Mikes for more safe work with Charlie in the round pen and arena and maybe have Baby ridden by Haley and Misty ridden by Mindy and all go for a trail ride up there.... as it is SUNDAY - and the only day to go trail riding as its HUNTING SEASON!

Routine At The Indoor

Trucking to Scarborough to ride - not so bad. This time loaded him up, and trucked him alone. He was fine. He is JUST FINE! Gosh... where is that quirk lurking? A needle in a hay stack it is it is!

Jaime got right on and rode him.... she stressed again to really work on stretching his neck down and then that will extend his gait and stretch his back. After he is warmed up with doing that at the walk and trot he comes right into it. Getting better at the leads and didnt argue aproaching jumps. He is a good boy! I enjoy watching him go - it relaxes my mind, as I see the improvements in his way of going as the ride progresses. I know that he is a fair minded horse, and if you treat him fairly he will do anything for you. He is what I was looking for - Sorry Charlie, Sorry Baby. You kids are not ready yet to go where I need to venture first. Angel and I will iron out all the details to make a clear path for us at a later date. This boy is ready to rock and roll. Sorry the video is dark... it was very bright in there - but the settings where not right in the video.

I was invited to attend the Cutter Farm Thanksgiving Schooling Jumper Show
Saturday November 29th with Candace. She wasnt sure where I was at with Angel but thought an "outing" would be good for him. My first thought was YES! Then I think ... well what if this and what if that and I dont want to be an inconvenience for anyone else. I could take my own truck but MASS is a distance for my lovely 96 1/2 ton with 240k on her hauling a 3 horse goose is it not? Well she has treated me wonderfully but I dont want to wear out my welcome and end up stranded somewhere with a horse in the back. NOTICE how that thought didnt cross my mind running down to Suffolk Downs for my darling Angel? Where was my head? No matter - we made it... but its not a matter of "IF" it will happen, its "WHEN". For example - Babys injury - I cannot feel enough guilt regarding that - and am blessed it was only what it was. You can never be careful enough when it comes to your precious equine stock. I dont care if I got them all for free - they are still precious and why would you take the chance to allow something like that to happen? You can only claim ignorance once - ugh... anyway.

So drizzle today - but hey ... mild still and I dont believe I will melt - if you know what I am saying. Had to have that Austrailian oil skin 3/4 legnth riding jacket and matching hat hugh.... I dont believe I have an excuse even if I would melt. DARN! So to RIDE or not to RIDE is NOT a question.

See you on the dry side!... OH crap... is that sleet I hear pinging at my window?

Another Beautiful Day....to ride so get out there!

So blessed with another beautiful day to ride and enjoy the weather. I cant wait for the horses to get done with breakfast so I can go out and finish what I started yesterday. Charlie got worked and ridden and even trotted around the perimeter of the arena. He didnt give me too much trouble so that was good. Angel is going smoother over jumps.... and its now time I feel to make those custom cavalettis I have been dreaming of - a trip to home depot and 2 hrs of my time should bring those beneficial tools into fruition. Misty got worked yesterday - that canter needs about a dozen more rides on it to make it consistently smooth, willing and collected.

So Baby got left by the wayside - today she is first and I will take a picture of the healed hole. It looks great! Back to the drawing board with her, transitions transitions transitions and extension of gait.

I do have the farrier coming today for all of them if they need it. Angel of course needs to be kept short - but to shoe or not to shoe is the question. I have clinics and winter jumper shows that I would like to go to - and chipped hooves are always an embarrasment, even though its for the better sometimes.

So out the door I go... unfortunately having promised my husband that I would stack that last truck load of wood we didnt get to on Sunday :(

My Sweet Angel

I know exactly what to expect when I get on him. That alone is comforting... I know that I will have a little conflict in getting the left lead and sometimes when cantering around he drops that inside shoulder but besides that he is very consistent. We schooled over a 2' spread today between barrels and then on the other side of the arena we we jumped over a set of barrels. He flies over them ... I would love to be able to see us as a team. Where is my leg positioning? Are his ears forward? Do I look like I am too forward? Are his front legs tucked? It feels ok for being green in jumping. My saddle fits us both well, me moreso' as I feel safe, balanced and confident in it.... I didnt even have to pay extra for that!

So tomorrow ... more of today but with more schooling in the half seat. I have got to build my stamina up! I am out of breath after several times around. I feel strong in my half seat when I am jumping - most likely due to adreneline - but then once I stop I realize I am exhausted and breathing hard.... thank GOD I am not a smoker! Maybe tomorrow I will take Baby for a brisk walk or jog up the road. Luckily our road turns to dirt and is quiet. Why take the dogs when the horses like to get out too! I am sure they will like it even more knowing that they wont have to haul me around! Let's not even repeat what we think they could be saying ok?

Tomorrow up in the 60's! Wooooohoooo! It wont be long before we say .... up in the 40's! Wooooohooooo! I know... crazy hugh?

Well until then I am sucking up the grace that mother nature is bestowing upon me this week. I have lots to work on as you know. Misty - my dear Misty needs a slow collected canter so she will not discourage her riders. Charlie - leg yielding & one rein stops. Baby - walk trot transitions and halting in collection. Angel - well he is just perfect and I have to work on how long I can stay in my 1/2 seat .... which reminds me.... its going to have to be at least 12 minutes because that is how long the ROLEX cross country course is FOLKS! 14 miles ....so I may have to do Turbo Jam again.... oh and jog the horses up the road! UGH!

It Gets Discouraging Going It Alone

Especially when you have a trying 2 yr old that creates interest if your not interesting enough. Charlie is going to be that amazing horse .... someday. But most days he has been a real pain in my ass. Rearing, striking and nipping or turning to kick and take off is what I have been looking forward to when mustering up the energy to deal with him. So I just havent. Knowing full well that the longer I avoid him the worse he will be. I know its easy to say he just needs more work, but when you actually have to be thinking what he will do or do to you next... its really exhausting. So instead I have been putting my efforts into Baby (up until her injury) and Angel with great pleasure and feeling of acomplishment. My mother told me it was my frame of mind entering the arena with dread in tow. So I tried to smile and laugh the whole time I worked with him.... to no avail. I wanted to be interesting to him like the old days.... (all of nine months ago) when he was wanting to please me in everything we did. My students of 9 and 11 could work with him... now I cannot trust anyone to lead him in the barn! How humbling as an owner to have to say... "& its all my fault"... I dont want to take responsibility for his digressing.... but I have to. Now we are finally beyond all that.... and a big THANK YOU goes out to Mike. He suggested I bring him up to his place and we work him in the round pen. GEEZ - thinking to myself ... been there done that... ground worked him to where he could do a showmanship patterns halterless. Saddled him, bridled him and rode him.... why would we need to go back to the round pen? Well.... maybe it wasnt for Charlie... maybe it was for me to establish trust in HIM again. Did I miss something the first time around? I couldnt have... I worked it to death. He was a star....

Well I did load him up and take him to Mike today and I am sure glad I did! I was able to accomplish more today than I have with him in the last 6 months! We cantered carefree and did some patterns.... I was able to fill my bag of tricks and it was a treat. It wasnt Charlie all these months - it was me! I mean ... it must have been all in my head, he beat me down and made me eat humble pie - that bastard. Well, I am over it now. This week with the warmer weather temporarily moving in, it will give us a leg up to moving in the right direction together. So from 4 horses and not one for me to ride .............to..............I am supposed to be riding all of them every day all week. ... now... about that TurboJam! Do I really need that? :)

The pics of Mike working with him show just how happy he is to be out and about and doing SOMETHING! Although he did arrive in a trailer alone and shaking like a leaf.... the SALLY!