I said, "Brr.. It's cold in here!

Today was a day that could freeze your **** off! Christmas is soon (so soon!) and with the cold here, and the snow soon to come, riding is taking a backseat... just like last winter, I feel exceptionally guilty to not be riding very much... but I think this happens to me every year, followed by some serious sadness and then grumpiness until I'm in the saddle again... I know you hard-core horse people out there will tell me to ride in the snow and the cold, but I'm not that girl... I hate cold - part of me is ready to pack up Sky and spend the winter in El Paso with Bob!

Anyway, Christmas soon and that justifies the cold - after Christmas and New Year's are over we are left with nothing but the cold...

Sky is fine. She's haired up and hanging out with her horse friends and eating round bales and is cozy at night in her stall. I am making Christmas stockings and another baby quilt and preparing to someday do some Christmas shopping... I'm all for changes in season and changes in routine, but it's not even January yet and I'm longing for a warm spring day when you can smell the mud and feel the last of the snow melting and hear the sun come out behind the clouds... I am ready to spend hours shedding out. I am ready to be thinking about next year's shows. I am ready for camping and trail rides and hot days....

it's early to be longing for all of that... I know... but it's freezing out and all I have are thoughts of spring to get me through!

Merry Christmas.

C

Thanksgiving

Well, this week marks the start of the holiday season, and the traditional American holiday of Thanksgiving. I am a big fan of Thanksgiving and I'll tell you why - it is the ONLY holiday that there are no gifts! Now, don't get me wrong, I like Christmas and I am not one to turn down a gift, but as an adult, I have come to be jaded by obligational gift-giving... I suppose I don't understand the concept that we have fully celebrated a holiday if I buy you a gift card and you buy me a gift card - why didn't we each just keep our twenty bucks!?

Anyway, my aversion to over-commercialized Hallmark Holidays is a topic for another day... Thanksgiving is my favorite because it's a great excuse to get a family together, with nothing more than a simple meal and togetherness. I also love that there are no expectations. And the thanking - I am a big fan of the Thanking!

So, in honor of Thanksgiving, and in the true spirit of being thankful for all of the blessings in the past year, I have compiled a short list of things I am thankful for - Thanks for reading.

- Thanks for the great family I have. I might not see them as much as I should or always appreciate them, but at the heart of my existence are two parents who raised me right and have always supported me, and an extended family that is super strong and full of love.
- Thanks to my husband, who is the only person who can drive me to the brink of insanity and still be the only person I want to be around! Thanks to him for being strong, putting up with my crazy schemes, and for always being calm when I am not.
- Thanks to Lisa, who has welcomed Sky and I into her barn and her life, being a good friend and letting me tag along with her to every show I could muster this year. Thanks to her for not thinking less of me when I was scared to get Sky off the trailer in the middle of a rainstorm, for instantly offering to let me live with her and Josh upon learning Karl was to go to Iraq, and for always being a phone call/text/email/ away.
- Thanks to John, who spent the majority of this year giving me free advice rather than lessons, which I couldn't always afford. John has been the Yoda of Sky and I this year - without him our progression certainly wouldn't have been so smooth.
- Thanks for Sadie, who although she is just a dog, is the most loyal person I know. Thanks for all the kisses, Sadie, and all the cuddling in a chair that shouldn't fit two of us, and for sleeping with me when Karl is gone, and for the wags... I so love the wags.
- Thanks, to SHA - Sanborn, Head & Associates gave me a job when I was not sure what was going to happen next, and now that I've been there almost ten months, thanks for being there to anchor me down when not much else was making sense. It's not always the most fun place to be, but it's constent and that's good sometimes.
- Thanks for Sky - I have said a lot on this blog about how important Sky is to me, and I could go on and on again but I'll just say this... she makes a great Kleenex when I need to cry - all things about her presense make me feel better by the time I leave her stall.
- Thanks for the roof over my head, and the food in my lunchbox, and the shower I took yesterday. Thanks for the second car (finally!) and for gas being under two dollars, thanks for things that I take for granted everyday.
- Thanks to Christina, who is my kindred spirit and my margarita buddy.
- Thanks for Beth (and Marcia) and for another great year at East Corinth... Thanks for another great year of trails.
- Thanks for Betsy, and Harvey, for leading us out on such great rides this year - and for allowing us a spot in the trailer!
- Thanks for everywhere I have been and everywhere I am going... thanks for the bad days that led to better ones and thanks for the messes that led to successes... I am so thankful that I have so much - but most of all I am thankful for the opportunity that lays ahead of me. I have the power in my life to make tomorrow better than today - there is SO MUCH ahead in life for me and that is what I am most thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving to all - I hope you take time to remember what you are thankful for - don't give gifts, don't send cards, don't make Thanksgiving something it's not - eat Turkey, laugh with your family, and be thankful... that's all Thanksgiving wants.

:)

Oh, the Equine Affaire… a glorious excuse for horse people all over New England to take time off of work, spend too much money, and sneer at other horse people who certainly cannot be nearly as knowledgeable/talented/dedicated as you.

This year was a little different for me b/c I went with Lisa, instead of hooking up with Beth and the Keene gang. Despite the rain we had a good time, although the mystique of the event is wearing off for me. I know too much what to expect, I suppose. There’s the buildings full of vendors selling everything there is horse – from the latest vitamin supplement sure to cure all your equine’s ailments to manure forks guaranteed to cut your barn chore time in half. There are the clinics – trainers from all over who all think they have the magic answer. And then there’s my personal favorite, a parade of horse trailers (as I told Lisa, this section is my “crack”) that are all too expensive and out of reach but yet I always wander through, smelling the “new trailer smell” and visioning me and Sky camping and showing and going to clinics in.

There was one trailer (see the photos) that I loved. Lisa and I thought it was great, but of course my husband was unimpressed considering he doesn’t understand that the only other one-horse alternatives are flimsy European jobs… I love this trailer – it’s SO CUTE. I loved that it had a dressing room and was so slim and cute…. I could totally see Sky self-loading on it and me setting up my bed in the back on camping trips (don’t laugh, it can be done!). My only beef about it is that it’s $8500!! Now, here’s my philosophy on this. If the four-horse is twice as much as the two-horse, then why isn’t the one-horse half the price of the two-horse! I think it’s only logical, don’t you?

Lisa was more interested in shopping than the clinics, which was fine with me considering there wasn’t anything I was dying to see that day. I bought Sky a winter blanket and myself a new vest. I got a Paint decal for the Explorer, which I am waiting to see how long it takes until Karl notices its presence (he won’t be happy about it).

We bumped into a lot of people we knew - Beth and her daughter, John and Lisa Toli, Marty from East Corinth – and of course lots of people Lisa knew and I think I may have met before. There seems to be a lot of drama surrounding the upcoming election for NHQHA which I’m a little glad I’m not involved in (sorry to those of you who are).

It wasn’t as crowded as I remember it being, which is good b/c after an hour or two pushing and shoving in a crowd of people, I am not as pleasant as I am normally. Lisa got tired pretty quickly, which I can understand, so we cut out around three.

Seasons change

Well, now that it’s officially fall and officially cold and officially dark at 5:00, I am not doing much riding. I didn’t ride for two weeks and then Sunday Betsy and I headed out to the last Blackwater Trail Rider ride of the year, at Marsh-Billings Rockefeller National Park in Woodstock. I think neither one of us really wanted to drive the hour away but did really want to see the park.

We met up with about six or seven women, some from our group and some from a northern NH group, I think from Canaan. It was a beautiful town and the rumors that there is a lot of money there are not false, according to the stately buildings and cute shops. We parked in a great little lot and after crossing someone’s backyard, headed into the park. The trails were lovely – mostly gravel packed roads, big enough to ride two-by-two on. It was easy to see that the trails were made carefully… all the drainage went off the trails and they followed loops around the woods so would be difficult to get lost.

We headed up a gradual slope to a great lookout. On the way we passed through a couple of gorgeous fields and someone’s horse decided to roll in the yellowing grass! (see photo!) The lookout was beautiful and there were even hitching posts there! The ride just made me want to bring Beth and Marcia, who I know would appreciate the trails… some of the ladies said this place was better than Arcadia, and that made me think an overnight trip might be in order! I think it would be a cool place to go for a weekend!

Anyway, we rode for about two hours and my favorite part was the pond which we circled. We met a young family there and when the kids asked to pet a horse, I was surprised no one said anything… so I offered Sky for them to meet and they were really grateful. I think it’s important to share horses with kids… especially nowadays when kids don’t seem to care about anything that isn’t a video game!

I thought it was a long trip for such a short ride, but it was fun. Sky did great, although she was a little excited to be near Harvey. I can’t blame her. Overall she behaved really well. I need to ride more but it is dark by the time I get out of work, which is just leaving the weekend.

Other than that, I am doing well. I started going to the chiropractor, which is interesting. Karl is working a few jobs and is doing well. Thanksgiving is coming and we’re having a passel of people at our house! The Equine Affaire is Friday and I’m taking a day off… it’s fall… I’m already counting down to Spring!
C

Sky’s Grand Adventure

When one gets a phone call on a Saturday morning from a friend who is not the friend who keeps one’s horse saying that said horse is in this friend’s yard, one tends to panic.

Betsy called me and left a message on Saturday morning. I was in the middle of frantically finishing a baby quilt for a friend’s shower the next day, so I did not hear the phone ring. Immediately I thought that Betsy wanted to ride and as I checked the message, I felt badly b/c again there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. However, upon listening to this message I realized it was a whole other story.

Betsy said something to the effect that “a horse that looked likes Sky and a Chestnut that she didn’t know” were in her yard and that she was going to call Lisa and then try to catch them… I immediately call Lisa who had no idea what I was talking about and ran outside to count horses…. Here I am on the phone and she’s calmly going... “One, two, three… Scarlet, Onyx, Willow…” It was pretty funny.

So, we agree that she’s going to call Betsy and call me back and when she does I find out that Sky is caught over there and in their paddock but the other horse, who we determine to have been Gypsy, found her way back on her own.

Without much drama, Lisa takes a halter over to Betsy’s and walks Sky home. Other than Harvey being upset that his houseguest was leaving, there was no harm done. After laughing about how silly Sky is to have gotten out and found her way to Betsy’s house, where’s she’s been on more than one occasion, I realize I am lucky. If she had gone up the power lines instead of down the trail to Betsy’s she could have been really lost – she could have gotten out to the highway. It made me think of all those people whose horses get lost in forests, never to be seen again.

My panic didn’t last b/c my horse was back in her pasture eating a new round bale before I knew it. Lisa felt pretty badly about the whole thing, which she didn’t need to – stuff happens. I am just glad my horse is smart enough to go visiting through the woods, and not down the road!
I will hopefully get to ride tonight – it gets dark out so fast!

C

Rewards

Some things happened this weekend that got me thinking about hard work and what comes out of it. Sadly, sometimes you get nothing. However, I think that in life one of the only guarantees is that if you actually put effort into something, for better or for worse there will be a result.

The Oak Rise Year End Awards Banquet was yesterday. As you can see, Sky and I got some stuff. Mainly we got awards b/c we showed up to enough shows, but we did do some winning this year, so I can’t say I was surprised. We got W/T Adult Champion, which I knew was coming but it still felt good to hear them call Rose second and me first. We got a big ribbon and a garment bag with embroidery for that. I have to say, I am a little bummed I didn’t get the director’s chair, but you don’t get to pick your prize.

Then we had some surprises. I won a trophy for Overall Adult Champion, which I had no idea I would get – I was expecting to get fourth or fifth on that – and Overall Adult Pleasure Champion, which yielded a very cool trophy with a horse who looks like Sky on top! Of course I was thrilled to be recognized for doing well, although I cannot shake from my mind that, considering how much money I put into the shows, I simply paid for all of this stuff instead of winning it. But the stuff wasn’t the good part.

The good part was having Karl sitting next to me during the banquet when he, if it were not for a bum shoulder, would be in Iraq in danger of being killed. The good part was having John and Lisa Toli call us over to sit with them and John getting excited over my photos from E. Corinth. The good part was having my good friend Lisa calling and texting me, asking how we did. The good part is the people that I have met through the shows and seeing them be recognized too.

John had us go to look at the new place in Bedford. We toured the house being built by John’s new boss for the Toli’s to live in, and the barn that is in construction for the three horses and four miniature donkeys they will be in charge of. To say that it will be nice is a dramatic understatement. The barn is literally nicer than any house I will ever live in. It’s beautiful in a way that art is beautiful (only a horse person would say that). The owner’s house is up on hill, visible through trees from the barn and from what I could see, could be classified a mansion.

During the tour I learned that the owners started their company and have become very successful. Despite my insane jealousy over all they have, I was happy for them that their hard work paid off. I imagine that the journey to where they are now in life wasn’t easy and that life wasn’t always so comfortable. Their barn, the land, and the horses, are their rewards.

My rewards are simple, really. When I think of Sky and the hard work we’ve done, I think of riding in the heat of summer in New Mexico at Josh’s. I think of the first trail rides in NH when I had to go out alone and feared spooks at everything! I think of the hours practicing what John had given us for “homework”. I think of when she was two and was literally afraid of her own shadow.

My reward is not trophies but really the trail ride I took with Betsy on Saturday - when we were on the road and a tarp flew off a passing truck and she didn’t freak out… and when she bravely stepped over a bridge Harvey wouldn’t… and when she trotted along the trail collected and under control, despite not being ridden for nearly two weeks. Those are rewards for my hard work – ones that will last a long time. My hard work to come with her will pay off when we show w/t/c next year and when we go to EC again and she’ll be even calmer and more experienced.

I might never have a big house or my own barn. There are a lot of things I don’t have, and I’ll admit sometimes it bums me out. However, I will also admit that most of what I do have, I have gotten through hard work and in my book that counts for something.

The rest is just luck and life – a great trainer who believes in us and is willing to stick with us despite all else he has going on, a good husband who is supportive, and a good friend who cares enough to have bad dreams that I left her when I don’t call her back! The luckiest might be the horse who backed off the nastiest trailer at the nastiest stable in all of Texas and has since given me her whole heart and all her best effort.

C

What will happen when it's our turn?

Well, I have not ridden once since my trip to VT, something that is becoming tradition because after last year’s ride I left her alone for a week, too. But after dinner out with friend’s tonight, I’ll be back to a normal schedule. Things have been busy with Karl coming home…

This weekend we drove out to Syracuse to see some friends of ours that we don’t see too often (obviously due to the 5.5 hour drive).

They had a baby in July and – like all the other couples we know who have had babies – I was amazed at how much they have changed because of it. This free-wheeling, always traveling, designer label wearing couple has been instantly transformed into one wipes drool up with sleeves, centers conversations on feeding schedules and is adamantly against daycare.
Now, do not get me wrong here – there is absolutely nothing wrong with your child being the center of your universe – in fact, I believe that’s the way it should be. And my thirty-year-old-self is definitely feeling the baby-pangs. While most of our friends are “finished” after their second successful attempt at parenthood, Karl and I have yet to buy a house, have a second car, or go on a cruise – the many milestones of early marriage we have yet to conquer before one has children, although I’m slowly getting over the life-progression timeline I had in my head at age 18.

We are mostly without a baby at this time b/c of all the moving and Army stuff we’ve gone through, and that’s ok – I would not trade my trips to Korea, my time in El Paso, or the past year for anything else. I am very glad we did not rush into becoming parents. However, I believe the time is coming for it to be our turn.

And that thought makes me wonder, how will we change – past experience with my many child-rearing friends is telling me that babies change everything so I can only ponder at my own 180-degree change.

This makes me think of Sky, and how my life with her will be affected. I’ve already seen horses go without riding b/c their owner is now a parent and I’ve seen much-loved dogs go ignored after the new arrival comes. What will happen to my horse? I know I’ll ride as long as I can while pregnant, something some people in my life will understand and others won’t – but what about after? Aside from the obvious monetary issues, will Sky be as important to me? Will I have time for her? Will I ever show again after I’m a mom?

I know I have visions of an imagined little girl winning lead-line ribbons aboard my beautiful mare – and of my beautiful mare’s baby becoming the horse said little girl rides someday… but experience tells me that kids fill up a life and that there isn’t room for much else… I also know what everyone reading this will say to me – that life is what you make it and if you make room for the horses, there will be. I know it is possible to have both, but is it really feasible? I have never been one to like letting a horse be a lawn ornament and I will not stand for my own to be one. But the thought of giving her up is nearly as bad.

Anyway, that’s the thought for the day – what happens to my horse life when babies are in the mix? I hope someday I get an answer – a good one.

C

Rain, Rain go away!

Well, after a long wait, I finally got to go on my vacation – a week in beautiful Vermont! I was so excited to ride and ride and ride – and think of not much else…

Lisa brought me and Sky down to Beth’s house in Swanzey on Sunday – about an hour’s drive. We then hit the Cheshire Horse – the best tack shop in the state – and spent WAY too much money… well worth it, though as Lisa found the blanket she wanted for Onyx and one for Lance (the great dane) too. I splurged on two new saddle pads for Sky (like I needed those!) and some other supplies.

After a night at Beth’s, we packed up horses and hay and camping gear in Beth’s trailer and headed out on Monday. We made it to the farm ok, and then on our way over to the other field, we had a little mishap… well, when I say we I mean Beth ‘cause she was driving, but it was all our problem! She got herself stuck on a rock – the footboard of the trailer was wedged over it and the rock was winning (there are photos!) – so Beth and Marcia and I pilfered a shovel and crowbar out of the shed and after a lot of grunting and swearing moved the rock out from under the trailer… Eventually we got the trailer parked and our campsite set up and we were grateful no one was around to see that we were the ones that made the rut in the grass!

We rode without incident on Monday and Tuesday, although we saw a shower on Tuesday morning. Wednesday was a complete wash of rain – we tried during a small lull in the rain to saddle up and get out, but it started to fall again and all of us but Beth changed our minds! She threw on her Outback jacket and hat and was off by herself!

Part of Thursday rained, but we got out for a ride anyway and met up with Marty on the trail. Friday Betsy showed up (in the rain) and brought some good weather… we got out on Friday afternoon but got rained on for about 15 minutes before the sun came out and dried us! Saturday was the parade and the ride to Tucker Mountain which was a little cold and windy, but rain free. Sunday we took Betsy on the Juniper Hill ride and that was nice too.

The week was good. We sat around and told and heard stories (the best ones from Frank!) and laughed and snacked and drank. We sat around the big fire for chats and games and the auction on Saturday. It was so fun to see people I saw last year, like the Kelly’s and Roger and Ken and Sue… it’s neat to see the same folks every year. I could have done without Marcia’s snoring but that’s a small detail.

Everyone loved Sky again! She was really good overall – she did a little bit of jigging here and there, but nothing major – wanted to be out in front more than I expected, which is good. After she jigged me one time, I rode her in the field afterward, but on the later days there were too many trailers to have much room for that.

I tried to make her do both the back and the front and most of the time she was good. She seemed to love getting to lope and really stretched out on some of the hills! She got along good with Harvey, who became her pen-mate after Betsy arrived. They did figure out the fence wasn’t on and broke out on Saturday night, so we wound up hooking up the electric (in the dark, mind you!)

So, Karl got back on Tuesday and seems to be doing ok. He’s pretty hopeful about finding a good job – is interested in substitute teaching but doesn’t quite have a resume together that he feels good about. We’ll all hope for the best!

Life will get back to normal now – whatever normal is! I suppose it will be a new normal.

Put in blue ribbon fork in me…

.. I’m done! Done showing, that is, for the year – Sky and I finished our 2008 show season, our first in NH and our first full year of showing this Sunday. We did ok –not as great as we have in the past, but good enough – we placed 1st of 4 in Adult W/T Equitation, 1st of 4 in Adult W/T Pleasure, 1st of 3 in W/T Adult Trail, 3 of 3 in W/T Western Pleasure and 2nd of 3 in Adult W/T Discipline Rail. Basically we did great in the morning and worse as the day went on...hence the “done” reference. Now, I just hope to get something for year end awards!

So, now that that is all over, I’m getting even more excited for East Corinth and more trail riding coming up! We’re leaving Sunday to go to Beth’s (thanks to Lisa) where we’ll stay overnight and head to EC on Monday (Thanks to Beth) –we’ll stay the week and go home with Betsy who is coming on Friday (thanks to Betsy!) – Like I told Lisa, we are nomads in other people’s trailers… for now, anyway! So, all pray and pray and do “no rain” dances b/c the weather indicates I’ll see some shows on my va-ca – grrr… I’m sure good times will still be had! Good thing I got that new saddle bag so I can bring my ‘foul weather gear’ as Frank calls it.

Not much else is new on the Marston front. Karl is still waiting around to be released from the limbo he is in – hopefully that will be soon – soon enough that he can get home and find a great new job and long enough that he can earn one more Army paycheck! I’ve been working on a quilt to sell at my step-mother-in-law’s (not as bad as it sounds, she’s super great!) booth at the Deerfield Fair and other craft fairs… It’s cute, in my humble opinion, so far.

Anyway, so this week is all about getting stuff together and packing and heading out! Can’t wait to tell you all about it!
C

what next?

Well, I think Sky and I are both ready for East Corinth! The last two times I’ve gotten on her, she has headed right out the driveway and down the trail! Far be it for me to begrudge having a horse that will go out alone, so down the trail we go – no deer lately, which is good, although I can tell she is looking out for one… I’ve taking to singing along the trail as to warn any wildlife that we are coming… it’s probably a good thing we are alone, then!

I haven’t been riding a lot – it’s a phase I go through – but I can tell Sky wants to get out (she actually came when I called her yesterday!) – I think there are Blackwater rides this coming weekend but there is also the final show of the season on Sunday. (Where we will clinch our title as Walk/Trot Adult Champion! – HA) Anyway, what I’m getting at is there is lots of opportunity for riding ahead…

Although there has been little horse drama, there’s been lots of life drama – for those of you who haven’t heard, Karl is being sent home from his deployment due to arthritis in his shoulder. So, after all of the stress and depression and crisis management … and the setting of mindsets and the preparing for the year ahead .. after all of that he’ll be home at the end of the month! I have to admit, I might have taken it badly… I had worked so hard to come to terms with the fact that he would be gone and how I was going to make it through I felt a bit betrayed that I had been forced to go through the immense amount of stress over the last two months for nothing. But, after some straightening of my mindsets (again) I am looking forward to him coming home and us starting over (again).

Other than that, things have been quiet. I served as the ring steward for a NHQHA show this weekend, and it was fun – tiring but fun. Lisa did well with Onyx and even tried her hand at pole bending and barrels – Onyx had a blast, which is hilarious since she’s such a… character, most of the time!

So, I’m back to work for another week and will be getting ready for Oak Rise, although both of us are pretty much on autopilot for that.

Till next time – happy trails.
C

the countdown begins... 398 days to go

Well, the preparation is over, the parties are completed and Karl has gotten himself down to South Carolina and back into the folds of the Army… it just sucks.

He’s with people who are in the same situation as him, if that could possibly make anything better. I cannot pretend to know how hard it must have been for him to leave his family and force himself to go. I wish I could know more of what he is going through, because then I could empathize more.

I took half of the day Friday and the whole day Monday off to be with him and re-group. I am trying to focus on all the things I am looking forward to and not on the fact that he’ll be gone for so long. The house seems empty, though, as does everything. I think Sadie misses him a lot right now, which is sad.

Lisa is trying to keep me busy, I think. She offered me the ring steward job at the NHQHA show on Saturday and I think that will be fun, although I have a suspicion I’ll be missing a Blackwater ride to do it. She also suggested I join the board, which she is on. I like that organizational and involved stuff so I’ll do that too.

I’m super excited for East Corinth, so much so I’m sure others are tired of me talking about it. But on top of being a great trip and a time to see old friends, it’s a vacation and I don’t think I’ve needed one so badly in a long time…. Then there’s the Deerfield Fair to enjoy and the Equine Affaire, and lots of Blackwater rides – one show left, too, although I’m more interested in just riding right now.

Sky was abandoned while Karl was getting ready to go and she wasn’t thrilled about being brought out yesterday, although she was a trooper about having to go under the hay conveyor and by the HUGE truck that delivered 800 bales for Lisa yesterday afternoon. Once we were in the yard she was a royal snot, though. The bugs were bad enough without her stinky attitude…. She’s continually awkward and gawky and overall bad after she hasn’t been ridden in over three days – the next time I ride she’ll be great, that’s how it goes… she’s a horse that likes to be used or left alone and there isn’t much in between there – for how good she is, she is still a mare!
Anyway, life will even out into a new sense of normalcy this week, I imagine, although it will be a while before I’m settled again. I’ll start packing soon for the move to Lisa and Josh’s and then go on vacation and then maybe the waters will be calmer. In the meantime, I will take each day and emotion as it comes because that’s all you can do – one step at a time and when I’m comfortable with that, I’ll look up again.

C

What’s going on…

So, I know I haven’t written much here in a while (hey, that’s how I start all my journal entries nowadays too!) but things have been busy.

Sky is doing well. We went on our nearly weekly ride with the Blackwater group the Sunday before last, but it was a little different b/c I just rode to Betsy’s house! That was the first time in a long time that I had taken Sky out on her own and I thought she did really well. I didn’t have to push her too hard to go down the road and she only spooked at the first car that passed us. Once we got to Betsy’s our accomplishment was shown up by Melissa, who rode her Mustang from Northfield to get there! Oh, well, I was still proud of us.

We rode some amazing places – to a pond that was part of some conservation land and then to a pond owned by a rich guy – that one was super secluded and lovely. The snowmobile trails were good and I thought Sky did well overall – she was pretty pokey and I am sure not out of tiredness. She did come to life when everyone trotted, though. This is when Sky has decided she’d like to canter… I figure as long as she can lope slow enough so we are not on the butt of the horse in front of us, that’s fine with me. It’s pretty funny – she tries her best!

Anyway, other than that, we haven’t had much going on. My schooling riding time is pretty limited, mainly because I am trying to spend more time with Karl before he leaves, and other “life” things getting in the way. She doesn’t seem much worse for the wear over it – if I ride after a few days off she seems to have retained whatever it was that we worked on the time before. It seems like there are never enough hours in the day to get everything done. For instance, I invited Christina over to hang out and have margaritas while I made Chili for last Wednesday night’s Blackwater meeting – which means there was no riding then or Thursday when the actual meeting happened… the chili was a hit, though. I’m looking forward to Fall cooking.

This past weekend was Labor Day weekend, and Karl and I did some stuff together – went mini golfing (I’m a much-improved putter!), visited my parents in Rumney (his request, not mine!), and went to the Hopkinton Fair, (where both of us agreed Sky would have cleaned up at that show!)… it was a good weekend – I fed a bit for Lisa while she was away at a show with her trainer and I rode a little. Yesterday, I rode and thought the bugs would eat us both alive, so I wasn’t out for very long. I should take her out more often. I’m looking forward so much to the Fall trail riding, which is the hands-down best time of the year – period. Blackwater has a lot of cool rides planned and East Corinth is heavy on my mind since it’s my big vacation and I am totally in desperate need of a big vacation… I have been dreaming of the rolling hills, the steep trails leading to the BEST views, the wet grass of the field and the low fog of each morning when you are certain to see at least one deer and the inevitable gut-busting laughter from hearing another of Frank’s outrageous stories.

We do have one more show left – the 21st… I’m skipping the one on the 7th, despite wanting to do it even though it’s the day Karl leaves – it’s just too much in one day and John says we can kick everyone’s walk/trot ass anyway (that’s validation enough, screw the ribbons!)
This week should prove to feel pretty short, hopefully, and then there is a party for Karl before he leaves, and then his actual departure. He’ll spend about 14 days at Ft Jackson and then go to FL to join a guard unit. He seems to be in better spirits regarding the whole thing, although he clearly does not want to go. Like I tell everyone, it just sucks and there isn’t much more anyone can say about it. I’m doing my best to think of the good things I have coming up and that way I have to think less about being alone for another year.

Anyway, slacker me has to get back to work – until next time, happy trails.

C

El-Stop-O

So, I have to tell this story – it’s not the usual Monday update, I know, but it’s funny.
John had me working on slowing down and stopping the horse by using my seat and using my reins last when I had to… this is to teach the horse to slow down and stop without showing it – it took a while for me to get it while trying to learn on one of their lesson horses, but by the end I kind of sort of got the idea.

So, when I got home I tried it on Sky a little and she easily slows from a trot to a walk on seat alone. I figured that they had taught her a little of this in New Mexico at Josh’s.
Yesterday, I went out on the trail with Lisa for a short bit and I made Sky lead on the way out and on the way back, be behind. She did good and seemed to have a lot of confidence going out. I need to work on this more, because I want to surprise my friend Beth in East Corinth (Sky wouldn’t lead on the way out last year).

So, we got back and Lisa had to go but Sky and I stayed in the yard to work a little more. I loped her off and she’s taking off beautifully. So, as we lope around I use my seat to slow her down and try not to tuck her in so much and she does a beautiful job (in my opinion anyway). As I get ready to ask her to slow down, I decide to try to use just my seat and get her to go down to an easy trot or even a walk. Lope, Lope, Lope … ok, “I want to walk…..now.” and I so I put my hand down, squeeze my butt and push my hips forward (or whatever version of that I’ve got going on now, it’s not perfected) and boy did the breaks go on! Sky stopped DEAD in her tracks – I’m glad I picked the dirt spot to stop! She didn’t necessarily slide, but she did screech to a halt! It made me laugh out loud, she’s so cool! I guess Josh taught her something I hadn’t used in a while!

FYI – she did it going the other way too! (Check out Sky's new mane in this photo! I look terrible, but whatever!)

A Clean Sweep

Hi all! We were lucky enough to have a mainly rain-free weekend, which is really lucky because it pretty much hasn’t stopped raining all summer!

Saturday, Lisa and I made plans to go trail riding, which turned into me and her and Betsy and a lady named Kathy. Kathy might be coming to board with Lisa, which would be lucky b/c she is really cool and has a very sweet and cute horse. She competitive trail rides and rides all over the place. So, we’re hoping that she will leave where she is and board with Lisa.

So we met Betsy at her house and wound up going for three hours, which was beautiful – we rode trails and power lines and dirt roads. Sky did pretty good – she had a couple of funny moments, the first of which when we had to maneuver around a broken bridge and over a little creek. Lisa stayed on Shiloh and went hell or high water, leaping back onto the trail. The rest of us feared broken legs and concussions and got off. Kathy and I (picture this) both hopped the creek, holding reins and tried to get out of the way while our horses contemplated how best to get over the two foot ditch with water below. I swear Sky and her horse looked at each other and counted, “ready…. One… two.. three!” They each took a flying leap over the creek and watching it made me think Sky could be one hell of a jumper!

The second feat we accomplished was letting Betsy and Lisa take off on their horses while Sky and Kathy’s horse stayed behind. At first Sky tried to run off and when I held her back she fought me a little (and by little I mean I was sitting on 975 pounds of pent up energy!). But she calmed right down and took it pretty well. I loved it!

We spent the rest of Saturday hanging out and getting Sky ready for the show Sunday. Lisa helped (and by helped I mean pretty much did it – thank you Lisa) pull Sky’s mane, which I’ve been contemplating for a while. I felt like I was chopping off my own hair but it looks really good – photos to follow.

Sunday was Oak Rise 4. Lisa went to LRSS but I was able to catch a ride with Betsy so I decided to try to increase my year-end point run at Oak Rise. So, Betsy was late coming to pick me up, and her truck continued to have trouble, losing power on the highway. I spent most of the ride down there praying we would make it and visioning being broken down on the side of I-93! But we did make it there without much incident.

We had a lot of time to hang around before our classes started, so I made time to chit chat and see some people. I talked to Carolyn, who competes with me in W/T and neither of us spotted my nemesis, Rose. She didn’t come so I was kind of bummed b/c I figured that meant that it would just be me and Carolyn in my classes, and I wouldn’t have an opportunity for PAC points or, really, any meaningful ribbons.

I was proved wrong when W/T Adult Equitation was called and there were a total of 5! I was so excited and as we were riding, tried very hard to think of what John had told me, about knowing that I was good enough to win and being confident. I pushed Sky deep into every corner and she was a marvel – she had a great slow trot and a beautiful headset and we went along perfectly. As they called the ribbons, I expected second or even third b/c I’ve never been super at equitation. Carolyn got second, which I was so excited about b/c she tries really hard and nearly always places last. That meant Sky and I were first and I was so excited!

Along went pleasure adult, (1st of 5) and western pleasure (1st of 6!). By the time that the afternoon came, it started to cloud in and thunder so they stopped the show for a while. It never really rained but we did see lightening. People bailed left and right so when they resumed I was the only one in Discipline Rail and Trail – she did good in both of them – stopping from a trot and picking up the trot from the stop in DR really well. The judge even told me so.
So, we won 5 of 5 and got the day end high point. It was a good day.

I feel a little guilty b/c Karl stayed home all weekend while I was on my adventures. I think he feels a little abandoned right now. I’m going to try and throw him a surprise party soon, so maybe that will cheer him up.

Till next time,
C

The Latest

Not much is new. Sky is doing really well and her back is mostly healed up! I hope she doesn’t get beat up anymore – I might have to go and defend her on the playground!

We rode a few days this past week – nothing special. She’s doing much better at her lope and that is good. On Thursday I went with Betsy to a Blackwater Trail Riders meeting and that was good. It’s just a bunch of local (I think it’s all women, big surprise) riders who get together for rides pretty much every weekend – it’s purely social and fun and everyone is very nice so that’s good. The meeting conversation surrounded the idea of doing a beach ride this fall and possibly going to VT for an inn-to-inn or overnight trip as well as talk about T-shirts and vests with the ultra cool logo on them. Good times.

Saturday we went on one of these rides (thank goodness for Betsy who picks me up). This one was in Belmont at the home of a mother and daughter who are part of the club. The trails were great and out of the nine horses that went, Sky was the most beautiful (I’m a little biased!). She did really well in the pack and I moved her from the front to the back (not leading, though) and she was good. We had to maneuver some big hills, both up and down and she barely breathed hard at all – it’s nice to see her get in such good shape ‘cause we’ll need it for E.Corrinth!

One part of the ride we took a trip around a big field and let the horses trot and canter. Sky led this part, which I was proud of, and loped beautifully! She was slow and collected and such a pleasure to ride! It’s a great lope, not too fast but still covering ground… I was so proud of her and nobody got it but me… but that’s ok.

Sunday Lisa and I hung out and went around to nearly every feed store in the area getting stuff for Miss Willow who’s leg is still infected… poor girl. It was good to just hang out, though, and it was a good day. I needed to get out of the house as things aren’t the greatest at home. Karl’s getting more and more depressed as the weeks go on and I’m not sure how to deal with it. I’m sad about him leaving too, but we can’t live sad all the time, either. For my part, I’m starting to see a counselor this week and I’m hoping that helps. Wish me luck as I’ve never been shrunk before.

I’m not sure if I’ll get a lesson in this week or not. Oak Rise is Sunday and I need to prepare for that.

Hope all is well with everyone. Take care,

C

The land of the living is a good place to be

Ok, I know I am way overdue for another installment. I wish I had better and more exciting things to report.

Friday I stayed home sick from work, although I was more tired than sick (which is still reason enough to take a “mental health day”) and I rode Sky after a full week off, which she had due to the horse bites on her back as well as the immense rain that wouldn’t let up last week! Friday, she rode like a horse that hadn’t been ridden in a week –s tiff and a little difficult.

Saturday, Lisa was gone up to her trainer’s barn to stay overnight in order to go to a show on Sunday, so I went up there around five to ride with Betsy and then feed. I met Betsy up behind Lisa’s barn, on the power lines and we rode around the trails and down the lines, and then turned around. Sky was pretty content to be following Harvey and wasn’t too adventurous – we did go over a lot of bridges and she did great at that, although not first.

When I got back, I fed and put everyone away and then went back up on Sunday morning to feed and meet Betsy to go on a Blackwater Trailriders ride. This one was in Northfield on some snowmobile trails which were pretty nice. She did ok on the rocks, I always feel bad when she’s ouchy but after the ride she is never worse for wear. The rocks were not our big issue, though – it was the DEERFLIES! Ewww… they were swarming all of us, horses and people alike and it made the majority of the ride unpleasant. One woman had a fly whisk, which seemed like a genius idea at the time! The rest of us used branches to brush the flies away, which the horses kept trying to eat! Sky and I were both grateful I’d given in and bought her the doily looking ear net thing which was draped over her ears and face. It looks like she just fell out of grandma’s sitting room, but it kept the bugs off!

Anyway, after that ride, I went home and got some pizza with Karl (Feta, Broccoli and Spinach was a bad choice by me) – after that I didn’t feel so good. I don’t blame the pizza, but that didn’t make my stomach feel better. After not sleeping well I did try to drag my butt to work but after one look, they sent me home. I spent the rest of the day sleeping and preparing to die, and thought I felt better the next day. I made it through three hours of work before going home again on Tuesday, but felt much better in the afternoon.

So, I rode Tuesday and Wednesday and that brings us to today. She’s doing great! Her trot is slowed down a lot and her lope is improving at such an impressive rate, I can’t believe it. She has collected her stride so that we are both balanced and she is listening when I ask her not to drop her shoulder. She is still trying to get her head up at the lope, though and I have to tweak her with the reins to get her to drop her head. But she listens and that is the most important thing.
She’s a funny horse, my horse. She is full of personality and heart and shows it all on her face – even Lisa says she has expressions. We’ll be getting ready for the August 10th show, next weekend. Other than that my goal is to get to some cows and do some sorting!

C

Down Time

So, this past week and weekend were not super eventful. I am trying to be at peace with that being ok.

I am a go-go-go person – even when I’m doing “nothing”, I’m doing something. It drives my ultra laid-back husband crazy.

This past week I rode Sky two days. I gave her a well-deserved day-off on Monday after our trail ride and show over the weekend. Tuesday I rode a little while in the yard. Wednesday it rained. Thursday I rode until the bugs drove Sky and I both crazy. That was an off day. Sky was pissy, I was pissy – it was all bad so I didn’t ride long.

Friday we had a lesson with John. I felt a little ill-prepared but he seemed impressed with how our progress was coming. We worked on the lope, which is good and also worked on extending her trot and pushing her shoulder over in turns. I learned how Sky drops her shoulder going to the left and how to fix it. He thought I should give her a few days off due to the bites on her back, which she is getting from the dominant horses in the herd. They aren’t healing well, so we’re going to take away the stress of the saddle pad rubbing her.

So, Sky had the whole weekend off (we didn’t have anything planned anyway). It’s a strange thing to be away from horses, for me. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like it I didn’t ride. I’ve been riding so long I barely remember. It’s not that I always want to, but it’s a rare occasion for me to not want to be around the smells of hay and leather and the sounds of tails swishing and of grain being eaten. It’s too natural to heft my saddle onto her back and for my foot to find the stirrup.

Riding and horses are such a part of my routine that it hardly ever occurs to me that I’m missing out on something by spending my time at the barn. I feel completely justified in having tan arms and white legs in July, for smelling of bug spray and horse sweat when I finally get home at 830 on a typical weeknight, for talking about Sky the way my friends discuss their kids at parties.

Here and there I’ll get a pang of longing for a “normal girl” life – to have the time and motivation to go get manicures and dedicate entire shopping trips to lip gloss and sunglasses – whatever it is useless girls do. I think in this moment of how I could be sleeping in on Sunday mornings instead of scrubbing white hocks in preparation for another horse show. I think of how many more dinners would be cooked at home and how much more time I would spend with my husband.

But then I remember, quite quickly, the feeling of riding well in a show, of accomplishing a new skill and of four legs below me climbing to the top of a mountain. I think of all the amazing people I have met because of riding and of the incredible places I have been with my horse. I think of the bond she and I have over all the changes we’ve been through together and all the learning that has been done. I remember how badly I wanted horses when I was a young girl and of how it’s still, and always has been, both a thrill and a comfort to be in the saddle.

Needless to say, the idea of not being around horses doesn’t last more than an instant. Then I remember who I am and where I feel at home. I miss Sky after this weekend. Yes, I worked on my quilt that has been ignored, Karl and I saw more of our friends, and I did get some more sleep. But I miss her and I’ll be seeing her tonight after work – I’ll give her one more day off and see how she’s healing. Life as I know and love it goes on.

C

Sky’s Busy Weekend

Hi. Here we are again. This past week has been crazy – I’m kind of glad to start over another week.

On a non-horse note to my many blog readers – I know you are out there – my husband, Karl has been pulled from his Army Inactive Duty Status and is being called to report to South Carolina in September – from there he will be deployed, probably to Iraq. It sucks. There isn’t much more to say about that. He’s really upset and in his heart of hearts doesn’t want to go, which I understand. I don’t want him to go either. It’s hard to think about him being away from our house and our dog and our life for another year. When he was in Korea, I think it might have been easier, because we really didn’t have a life together yet. Now, we are finally back home and settled in NH and it’s all going to be uprooted again. It’s not fair.

Anyway, our family and friends are being very supportive about it and I’m sure we’ll make it through ok. It’s just a lot to deal with.

So, our weekend - well, my birthday was this week and we had a show coming up, so I tried to plan a lesson with John. However, rain and schedules and vet checks got in the way, which is fine except that I had to either start reining one handed in the show ring or else go back to the d-ring snaffle. John wanted us to rein one handed, so I tried to practice. The first time didn’t go so well, but rain and thunder interrupted us, so I truly didn’t get much time in over the week.

Saturday rolled around and Betsy was kind enough to pick me up to take me to a Blackwater Trail Riders outing in Webster. There were a total of seven riders, all women of varying ages with equally different horses. The trails were rocky in some parts, but overall it was gorgeous riding! Sky was pretty ouchy but I don’t think we did any damage. I tested her a lot (since what is now known as the jigging episode), taking her to the front of the line, then the back, then the front again… we rode beside people and all around and she barely blinked an eye. After about an hour into the ride, four of the ladies wanted to head back, but Betsy, me and a woman named Denise decided to go out longer. On the way back, we were loping and Denise’s horse bucked and she bailed… now, this is not funny except that Sky watched with her ears perked as the horse bucked and shied across the trail at the sight of the woman flying through the air. It was almost like she was saying, “where’s she going?!” BTW, the woman was fine.

So, we made it back to the trailers and shared lunch items and chatted. It was nice.
When we got back to Lisa’s, I went home, fell asleep for a while, and then went back to get Sky ready for the show. Sunday morning, we were at Oak Rise bright and early. We chatted with John for a while, who told us this judge likes horses that move out more. (score for Sky and I)
I got on as soon as I could and did a lot of warm up. She looked and felt great, walking and trotting with her headset right on the vertical and going at a great pace.

Through the day, things got better. We placed 2nd of 3 in Equitation, 2nd of 3 in Adult Pleasure, 1st of 3 in Western Pleasure, 1st of 2 in Trail and 1st of 2 in Discipline Rail. We tied for the high point opposite the overweight, overly made-up woman riding a big bay western pleasure quarter horse that moves about as slow as molasses. Next time we’ll beat her all the way (I’m not competitive at all, btw)

Lisa had a weird day. Since the judge wanted horses that moved out, he told her that’s what he wanted to see when he placed her low in one of her eight (count them, eight) classes. So, she practiced and got Onyx to move out more (not a natural thing for either of them considering that they’ve worked very hard to get her as s-l-o-w as she is). She placed low again. So, she asked the judge why. He tells her that the canter was better, but the trot was still not moving out enough. So, she works on that – still places low… not fair, in my humble opinion. So, she finishes the day thinking she should have just kept doing what she was doing in the beginning ‘cause that’s what wins her everywhere else!

I feel bad that she didn’t have a good day considering the first Oak Rise she went to wasn’t good for her either. Now she’s more invested in LRSS and I’m more invested in Oak Rise since I didn’t go to two of the LRSS and I went to Oak Rise when she was in MA. She has a wedding to go to on the 10th, which is the next one for both, so I’ll probably get a ride there and back somehow another way and do Oak Rise 4 – I figure if I go to the rest of them, I should stay ahead in points b/c this lady wasn’t at the first show.

Anyway, I hung my ribbons up on my new “wall of fame” and am moving on – back to work. Sky will get a day off today and then we’ll continue to work on our lope take off etc.

Take care, all. And Thanks!

A Follower No More/Clinton Anderson Weekend

Part I – Fourth of July

Fourth of July – I had the day off so wanted to go riding for a while. Lisa and I agreed to trail ride, so I invited Betsy from just down the road. Our group grew when Lisa’s husband, Josh decided to come along with two of their guy friends. So, those guys took over the most broke horses and Lisa decided to ride their young mare, who doesn’t have a lot of saddle time. She figured that she would go well in a large group.

Since we were taking so many horses, she put the other two in stalls and we used the paddock as our access to the power lines. Now, I’m pretty used to being the green one in the bunch, with my horse feeling the need to tuck in behind somebody’s butt and hide “I’m not looking, I’m not looking”… But Sky today decided that she was ready to be the leader. Once we got on our way, I found myself being the one asking, “Which way?” and actually stopping her so everyone could catch up. Now, she has faked me out before, leading about ten minutes or so, then doing the dive and tuck behind the first available horse.

I guess all of my pushing her out into the front and beside other horses made her more confident. She led the whole way out, over bridges, through a little water, and through ditches and spooky stuff. Now, I should have seen this coming considering she was so proud-as-punch to be in front, but I somehow was surprised when we turned to go home.

She was now in the back and un-happy… grrr… now it was jig, jig, jig, jig Grrr… Double Grr… If there is one thing I really cannot stand, it’s a jig… jig,… jig… GRRR…
I seriously thought she was going to explode from the inside out, she had so much energy. I tried to get her to slow down, (no) tried to get her to do a trot (no), even asked her to lope (really no, that got us nearly bucked)… My gracious!

Luckily, Betsy wanted to show me how to get to her house so we separated from the group and after ten minutes, she was following Harvey with no problem. After that ride, I was pretty determined to fix that and in a hurry!

Part II – Clinton Anderson

Now, I’d been planning this since December. Of course I am disappointed that Marcia didn’t go and that I couldn’t give away the other tickets, but oh, well. My great friend, Beth came through with her trooperness and came with.

The hard bleachers were the worst part (my butt is still recovering!). The riding demos were the best part (I am now recommitted to doing reining and cow-horse someday) After seeing all the problem horses and issues people have, I am reaffirmed that Sky is a pretty good horse. However, she has a lot of finishing work to do to get her where I want her. I am taking away from the weekend to do more groundwork even when I don’t think it’s necessary, to train on the trail more, to work on refining the maneuverability of the different parts of her body, and to flex, flex, flex (which I have stupidly stopped doing)

Clinton Anderson has a ton of sayings, likes to talk, and does this annoying thing where he acts like he wants everyone to finish his sentence (all the time). However, I still like his methods. I love how he calls people tree huggers, is honest about what the horse is here to do for people, and is very black and white about what he does. I think he makes sense. He reminds me of Josh from NM but more talkative and full of himself. They both say basically that training is all pressure and release. That’s it. The horse does not share your emotions and does not think the way you do.

Anyway, it was good. Beth joined the No Worries Club and got a bunch of DVD’s. I hope she actually uses them to get control of her babies. She’s put so much into them to not succeed now. I showed amazing restraint and only got the $10 Training on the Trail book, which I hope will help me solve our little jigging problem! I’ll admit I wanted the stick and the halter/lead rope and lots of stuff, but I figure the method is more important than the stuff.

So, this week I’ll be getting ready to show at Oak Rise on Sunday. I’m not sure how to rein, considering we have a shank bit now, but still riding two handed. I’ll do a lesson with John this week, hopefully, to get ready.
Take care, Me.

Settling In

New places are funny. Yesterday I went out to Lisa’s after work (after getting on the highway the wrong way and having to turn around!) to ride. No one was home, so I went out to the barn and spotted Sky waaaayyy out back, away from the rest of the herd who was by the barn. Now, going out to get her was not what made me hesitate – it was having to cross the mud lined stream that was between me and her.

Lisa came home while I was still plotting the best way to go and before I could protest, she climbed aboard her only gelding bareback with my lead rope as a lasso. Her husband and I had a good laugh as she tried to snag Sky but she was pretty proud of her cowgirl skills when she brought her to the barn.

Sky rode really well. I loped her off about three times each way and she did good. It’s really cool to feel her tuck her butt under her and push into the lope with her butt rather than the leaping lunge that she used to use to take off with her front end. I get less nervous about it every time we go, so that’s good too.

I worked on other things too – reining too handed but neck reining a little too. We stopped and departed from the stop at the trot, which she does well. We worked a little on turning on the haunches and the forehand and a little on side-passing. I rode with Lisa’s lesson girl, who’s about 16 and riding her pokey old show mare. I was surprised to find that her yard area where we ride is big enough to have two riders, which is good.

When we were finished, I let my mind wander a little and let Sky go wherever. To my surprise she perked her ears up and headed toward the road.. .mmm… Now, I am happy that the traffic going by didn’t seem to bother her and that the close proximity to the road will only make that better, but I didn’t expect her to want to go that way… So, I said to myself “what the heck” and encouraged her toward the cornfield/power lines that we had ridden toward before. She poked her way pretty bravely through Lisa’s neighbors yard (she has permission), through old cars and scary stuff. I had to push her a little to go up the little slope beside the cornfield but she went along well. In typical Sky fashion, she stopped about three times and tried to chicken out and go home, but I kept her going and made it my own decision to turn around when I got to the end of the field. A job well done, I thought.

I am trying to convince Lisa to go trail riding on the 4th, and I think Betsy will come too. John is being really supportive with our progress and our next show is July 13th at Oak Rise, which Lisa’s is willing to give another try.

Till next time,

C

Moving Day

Sky and I are going through some change. Change is hard, but Sky and I are both pretty experienced with it.

Friday, I went to the barn despite the rain and thunder figuring it was my last chance to use the indoor! I think I might have spent more time talking than riding but that’s ok. I, obviously, chatted with Christina about all the drama – about the news that Robyn and Rich were going to ask Sarah to “shape up or ship out” and what that meant for her. I tried to convince her to talk to them and maybe carve out a better position for herself instead of leaving as she was planning on giving her notice, but she seemed too worn out on the place to try again.

I talked to Ginny, too - Ginny who is cooky and funny and perhaps a little crazy, but nice just the same. She went on about her horse, Fred, and how she was recovering from her fall last year. Cassie was getting Fred ready for a 4-H qualifying show in the aisle, doting over his every stand of mane.

So, I did ride a bit and even loped (both ways) – she did well.

Saturday was our “moving day”. I met Lisa at 2 at the barn. When I got there, there wasn’t a soul around. (well, Sarah and her so-called barn manager were around but I avoided them). I knew the Kelly’s were at the 4-H show and I did feel bad that I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Robyn about when Sky was actually leaving. I got my stuff all together and I did feel a bit sad. It’s not that I don’t like it there. I like the rings and the trails and the barn is ok. I don’t really mind Robyn and Rich. For a few minutes I wondered why it was that I was leaving. I tried to remember the changed stalls and the nearly-missed feedings… I tried to remember the times when there wasn’t a soul around to ride with and the needless spats I’d had with Sarah. When Lisa backed into the driveway, I was ready to go.

When all that was left to pack up was Sky, Robert (the Kelly’s son) appeared to inquire what was going on. I felt bad for the kid, but not really. As I chased Sky around to nab her from her grass, Sarah appeared and chatted Lisa up. She left before I got Sky out of the field – Lisa informed me that Sarah had told her that “all nine of my horses are out of here tomorrow morning and they don’t know yet”… mmmm.. the plot thickens. Weird.

So, we took Sky to Lisa’s and put her in a stall with a half-door between her and the herd. There was a lot of squealing and she did smack her face once, but other than that, it was ok. Lisa and I took a quick ride with a couple of people who came up to see her and then hung out for dinner. After the ride, I spent some time in the yard riding around – loping her too. She did great that time, taking off on the first stride I asked for and keeping relatively calm.

Sunday morning, I get a call from Robyn, who reminds me that I left Sky’s winter blanket at the barn and to tell me that Ginny’s horse, Fred (gulp) DIED on the trailer on the way back from the 4H Show on Saturday. Holy F***Balls! Yeah. Robyn was sobbing uncontrollably and told me something about Fred being scared of the carts at the show and having gotten himself worked up and that the vet said he had a heart attack on the trailer! Poor Ginny must be devastated – Cassie too! AND she was full of surprise to tell me that Sarah had packed up her horses and left AND taken Natasha with her daughter and mini horse with them! I cannot help but feel bad for them. I immediately called Christina to tell her what was up.

When I got to Lisa’s, I rode a quick half hour and then we let her out with the herd. It was funny because she squealed once to Onyx, who she knows anyway, and that was it. No pushing around, not sniffing and kicking… good. I’ll go up today to see how she’s doing and hopefully ride. The rain has been brutal. There’s been so much drama going on, I am in need of time to just enjoy my horse.

C

Progression

I have a theory that one either has time or money and that it is only the truly blessed who get both at the same time. I have this theory because it holds true to my life so far – I have had jobs that left me plenty of time to do what I wanted, but not the funds and I’ve had great jobs that paid well but left me no time to do the things I now had the money for. And let’s not forget the scenario of not having time OR money, which I have to admit I’ve been through as well.

The reason I bring this up is because I have this conundrum now. This is not necessarily because there isn’t any money, but in my married life there is only so much money for the horse. (When I was single that budget was much larger!) So, I have to make choices and this means sometimes missing out on things, like last week when I chose to go trail riding instead of showing, which made it possible for me to get a lesson from John as well. And since my lesson went so well, and I can see and feel the improvements that we are making together, it makes me feel that that progression is more important that ribbons.

Anyway, my lesson – John brought Sky a new bit and even though he said they would help her, I had my doubts… she’s been in curb bits before and all she has ever done is play with the shanks. So, I was expecting her to toss her head and grab at the bit with her lips and be a mess. I was so wrong! She held a beautiful headset with the slightest tweaking and didn’t pop her head up half as much as she did with the snaffle. Lovely.

Then, Mr. Crazy John Toli asks me if I could go down another notch on my stirrup. I quickly responded with my best skeptical look and put my faith in his opinion. I told him I’d try it. FYI – I can barely reach the stirrup with the bottom of my foot now, but I got used to it fast. I think the longer your stirrup, the less you are able to rely on your feet for balance and the more you have to rely on your hips and butt to keep you in the saddle, which I’m ascertaining is the point. It’s a good thing that I’m someone who doesn’t like change, but is willing to do different things for the greater good.

So, I feel like we’ve accomplished a lot – I got a new bit to play around with and my seat has changed again with the stirrup length but John was not done. I should have known. He knew I wanted to start loping again so we were gonna. Oh. (I forgot to tell him that as much as I love a good canter, it’s also when my fear of falling, hitting my head and becoming a vegetable kicks in)
Overall, it wasn’t so bad. The first time we tried, she hopped into the lope and I was so anxious about it, I couldn’t relax into it. We tried again going the other way and it worked out much better. John told us to work on the departure and concentrate on that part, which is good because I won’t have to worry about her going so fast, but just get her off to a good start.

Then, he had us work on our lateral work…. Work on… We do this all the time! The only thing was when he tried to set down a pole, um, while she was OVER it… She took the movement well, it was the sound of PVC on sand that gave her a spook… She’s so FUNNY – it was like “oh… oh gheeze… what are you doing… ok, I’m moving! Whoaaaa.” I think she trusts me enough not to dump me, so she just shied away and then we moved on. She’s always been great at sidepassing etc.

So, that was my lesson. I’m excited to work on the new stuff and get that right. John says he’s proud of us and how we are doing and that means the world. I can’t wait to take her to East Corinth this year and let everyone see how much she’s grown!

Anyway, other than riding, the horse drama continues. I’m apprehensive about leaving MMF, which we are on Saturday. Any change is always hard and I have a hard time knowing if I’m doing the right thing or not. Robyn and Rich aren’t bad people and they try (sometimes). I hope Lisa and I still get along when I’m at her barn and I hope she won’t mind if I don’t want to show EVERY weekend. I hope she’ll want to do other stuff with me – camp and trail with the horses and go new places. I hope Sky does well at Lisa’s barn and is happy.

Until next time, happy trails.

C

I left my show clothes at home

So, I had a choice to make this weekend… show or trail ride… the age old question. Honestly, I struggled. On one hand, I wanted to hang out with Lisa, who I haven’t seen in a couple of weeks and I did want to add to my ever-growing collection of ribbons. But, on the other hand, I am short on horse funds, a little tired of the scene and a little sad for some good old fashioned riding (you know, the kind where you actually go somewhere!)

So, I got up later on Sunday morning and was grateful not to be out of the house at dawn. I got Sky ready and Betsy rolled in right on time. Bear Brook is much larger than I thought, and I found myself spying down every trail we passed on the road to check out where it might lead.
After we deciphered the overly detailed map, we headed down a trail with the attitude that if we got lost we’d find our way back eventually.

Despite having little to no audience, I matched my shirt to Sky’s saddle pad – no reason not to look good!

Anyway, the trail was a little rocky and I worried about Sky’s feet, but overall it was great. We walked and trotted a little, with Betsy’s horse, Harvey leading the way. They must have made good friends in the trailer, because Sky took his lead well as we went through mud and such. Sky chose to boondock me through a big tree limb, though and my left arm is a little worse for the wear!
The trail got rockier and rockier and then we came across a steep incline lined with natural stone steps…. Gheeze… how are we going to get up those? Well, Harvey picked his way right up, no problem.
My lovely horse tried to turn around! Literally… it was like “ok, I’m done, let’s go back to the trailer!” But I turned her back and edged her on and after a good five seconds of deep thought on the subject, she lurched forward and powered her way up the steps. I felt like Rocky! I could practically hear the music!
Betsy and I cursed ourselves for not taking a photo of the steps but were unwilling to go back. We went by a beautiful marsh and then met more than one mountain biker, hiker and dog walker. Both horses spooked a little, but took everything well. I am amazed at how well Sky takes a bike… she used to be terrified. She even led a little as we went on.

After a couple of missed turns we were headed back… We trotted a bit to beat the thunder we heard rumbling in the distance and then Betsy asked me if it was ok to canter… after a decidedly long pause, I yelled back that I would try.. so Harvey lopes off and I urge Sky to lope as well. She kicked into it with no problem (and by that I mean the “ooh I get to run” buck I was expecting). I even got her to collect some as we went along. It was great! She did break back to a trot at one point and then kept trotting faster and faster… I was urging her on but she wouldn’t break back into the lope until I literally told her it was ok to – then she was right back in it! Funny!

It started pouring as we drove home, and I was grateful we weren’t on the trail. I did feel a pang of guilt and missing-out when I heard from Lisa about the show, but it’s not the last show I’ll have the opportunity to go to. It was a good day and that’s all that matters.

Oak Rise – 2

So, I went against my better instincts and took Robbyn up on the ride to Oak Rise this past Sunday. When I got up on Sunday morning and heard the pouring rain outside, I nearly called her to say that I wasn’t going… but then I remembered Christina was stuck going to coach Elena and I couldn’t leave her alone with them all day. So, I went.
The good thing is once we got there, it did stop raining. Plus, we parked close to John’s barn and I got to hitch Sky to his trailer for the day. The bad thing was that it was a bad day to be associated with Majestic Meadow and although I was lucky enough to be able to separate myself from them, Christina wasn’t.
Let’s start with the bad stuff… that way it’s more fun to get around to the good stuff.
Christina and I got there early with Elena, who leases Colorado so Colorado would settle in. Christina tried to get Elena to walk him around and get him acclimated, and it seemed to be going well for a while. Robbyn came back with her daughter, Cassie, and a student of theirs with two other horses and all seemed to be fine until their first class. I watched the class in horror as Colorado overall acted ridiculous and behaved poorly going around the rail. Elena did the best she could but barely made it out of the ring with her 6th place ribbon…. Then Lily (Cassie’s three year old) nearly knocked the ring steward over when she went to accept her ribbon… SO EMBARESSING!
Christina basically got bullied into riding Colorado in the practice ring for Robyn, and finally got him around, but she convinced them to scratch him from the rest of his classes. Cassie had an out of control horse which everyone seemed to want to ignore – she was cantering in the practice ring, which is against the rules, and when I tried to tell them so I go attitude from both mother and daughter. Then, Lily got out of control in not one but TWO of her classes, but Cassie managed to get Reserve Champion anyway… that chapped my ass.
When Robbyn tried to finally leave, she had a flat tire on her trailer, which was a fiasco. It took over an hour to get it changed and for her to pull out with her first round of horses, which was actually a good thing (which gets us to the good stuff) because Christina and I got to hang out in John’s barn for his BBQ while we waited for a ride for the horses. It was a good way to relax.
And now for more good stuff – Sky rode fabulously and I think I did ok too. We got 4 of 5 in equitation (I was so robbed, but whatever), 2 of 5 in pleasure, 2 of 3 in Discipline Rail and 1 of 3 in Trail – the last of which got us another PAC point! I was very happy with how I rode and I think that Sky did great too… and that’s all that matters.
It’s funny because I knew that’s what John would say when he got to the show when I told him about my equitation class and how I thought I rode well but didn’t place great – I could hear it in my head but it was so great to hear him say it too… I think Sky and I are both getting more confident. I’m getting her goat lately, like when she doesn’t want to go in the ring at the end of the day or into the woods for a trail ride like she did to me last week – I’m beating her every time lately and she gives up more and more easily. We’ll have to try the water crossing again soon!

I just looked at her

So, I was having a bad day yesterday (a story I really don’t want to get into). I had to drop off board money b/c the first of the month had already come and gone, but I didn’t really feel like riding. I should have ridden since I’d spent Monday afternoon helping Lisa clean out her overstocked dressing room in her trailer, but I just didn’t feel like riding.
So, I got Sky out (nearly being eaten to death by black flies) and took her in the barn to brush her and spend some time with her. I think it’s nice every now and then to take a moment to really look at your horse… we get so busy and hurried with trying to squeeze all the rides in that, for me, it’s pretty cool every now and then to just hang out with my horse.
Sky’s pretty funny. She sighs and gives me silly looks (if horses can actually give a looks, which I think they can). She seemed to know I wasn’t feeling like myself b/c she stood super still, not tied or anything and let me lean on her. I think she leaned on me a little too. I talked to her and told her my problems and I think she listened with a sympathetic ear.
I knelt down in the stall and she sniffed my face and looked down at me, probably wondering what we were doing, but appreciating the break from the routine all the same. There are a lot of things I love about Sky that I forget to notice sometimes. I love how her markings make her unique – kind of like a cow, but totally not. I love that you can see the veins in her face and her legs, like a bodybuilder. She has perfectly shaped ears and beautifully shaped feet. Her muscles are more defined than they were this winter, now that she’s being worked. Her crest is tall and muscled up and her hindquarters are stiff to the touch, where this winter there was a little give. Her shoulders are big and she looks capable and graceful all at the same time.
Sky’s pretty understanding – you know, for a horse. She’s been a constant in my life for two years. A lot of other things have changed but she’s always been there for me and been the same… eager to learn and full of curiosity… full of trust – willing to go wherever I take her (well, most everywhere!)
She’s a good horse and I’m lucky to have her. I think it’s important to remember that every now and then.

C

A Day of Reds

So, I had reservations about going to the LRSS show on Sunday, but I eat my words. It was good. I actually had 4 (count them… FOUR) people in my classes (of course, that counts me too!). They were all adults too – I didn’t have to feel guilty for beating a kid!
We did four classes, skipping the showmanship and halter, which Lisa won anyway. We got to practice longer and with less people which made us both more relaxed. Sky was in heat which didn’t matter much in the grand scheme of how she was acting but for her, she was a little off. She even rode with a stud in the practice ring and was fine… goes to show you all the training she had being ridden along with the reining studs in NM paid off.
The classes went really fast and I barely had time between my equitation and pleasure classes to get a drink. I stayed on the rest of the day, until I was finished which was only around 2. Not bad.
We had practiced the equitation pattern and done great, but in the ring it wasn’t so great. She was what I call “jabber jawey” – my term for spitting the bit out and pulling against pressure. That’s her biggest problem. Pleasure went better, just being rail work. Discipline Rail was good and we did a beautiful turn on the haunches when the judge wasn’t looking! Trail could have been a lot better. She dealt with the mailbox perfectly but the bridge was too scary and it took three tries to get over (she did do it!). We backed through a set of cones and that was the best part.
All in all it was a good day and we got 2nd in every single class – to the same girl too! She was nice, so I didn’t min d losing to her too badly – an English rider with a bitless bridle on her cute horse. That left us with the Reserve Champion of the day. The other riders in my classes were a nice woman about my age on a big stock bred paint who was experiencing her first day off the farm and an older lady who had a crazy forward Arab or something.
So, we have next weekend off from showing (thank GOD) and the 15th is the second Oak Rise Show. The 22nd, the week after that, is the next LRSS – I’m not sure if I’ll go to Oak Rise or not… Lisa will be gone so I won’t have a ride unless I scrounge one up and I think I should concentrate on improving more than just showing more often. I’ll think on it.
Today I’m helping Lisa to clean out her dressing room in her massive trailer – give Sky a day off!
Happy Trails. C

Against my better Judgment

I’m not trying to get out of doing any real work at three o’clock on a Friday afternoon. I’m not.
I swear.
So, I’m going to take Sky to the Lakes Region show on Sunday. My first instinct after the marathon that was Oak Rise this past Sunday was to skip this weekend’s competitive activities in favor of quilting and possibly some trail riding, but Lisa convinced me to go – against my better judgment.
I’m sure it won’t be as bad as I’m thinking – that is if the rain goes by Saturday and I can climb out of the worn-out rut I’ve been in all week. I swear - I could leave her alone for a week! I basically have. I rode Wednesday and I’ll ride today once I’m freed from this desk I’m chained to. I’m hoping her she’s not bitter in her horsey brain about the long day of work she put in this past weekend when she realizes she’s got another one ahead of her.
I tried in vain to find out how many entries there were in my ever-so-popular walk/trot adult division, trying to rationalize that if there were enough it would be worth it to go for the possibility of PAC points. It’s Senior/Adult (meaning 14+) this time, so maybe we’ll get to compete. I love showing, but not paying ten bucks for a two dollar ribbon that doesn’t mean I’m better than anyone!
So, now my weekend is busy. I’m too tired for busy, but here we go… Tonight I have to do laundry and show pack. Saturday I have a brunch date with a friend I haven’t seen in five years, and then I have to get Sky ready and packed up to Lisa’s for the night. She swears LRSS is always over by three, so I might be able to salvage Sunday night for some rest.
I’ll, of course, let you all know how it goes. If I’m less nervous than the last time, it’ll be worth it.
C

Shows and Bows

Oak Rise, 2008 – first of the series. In the morning, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop somewhere – I was too eerily organized. I had my coffee, my stack of saddle pads and brushes were ready to go in the driveway and although she’d been roaming the field the night before, Sky was surprisingly still clean from her hurried bath the day before.
Lisa was right on time and we pulled out well ahead of Robyn and Cassie. We got there early and settled in, although my nerves were jumping… by the time I got her saddled and was up and riding in the practice ring, it got worse…

Now, I have little to no explanation why this happens to me – I have hosted Army Generals, & heads of State at the O’Club, I’ve performed for thousands of people while cheering in college and I’ve traveled all over the world in places where I didn’t speak a word of the language, but little open horse shows get the best of me!

It probably has more to do with the fact that my nervousness now affects another being. If I’m nervous, I’m tense and if I’m tense than Sky’s tense, which makes for a bad situation when we’re circling the practice ring with 50 other horses and riders. She’s spitting at the bit, tossing her head, going too fast at the trot – typical “Bad Sky” behavior. That’s when John’s wife Lisa, who recognized me before I recognized her, paused in coaching her own students to tell me John would be there soon. I was so grateful for the familiar face and kind words that I relaxed a little and so did Sky. On our next turn around Lisa offered a tip or two and this helped us even more.
Sky, who has never made a peep more than once in the two years I’ve owned her, decided today would be a good day to be vocal! She whinnied out to Lilly when the MMF crew arrived in the practice ring, and then called out to whoever was near!

By the time our first class arrived, things were better but not great. I was silently begging for a peracet or a beer to calm me down since I knew Sky was just fine and all of our nerves were solely on me.

Walk/Trot Adult Equitation turned out to be me and a forty + year old English rider on a short Appy. We chatted at the gate then did our walking and trotting in front of the judge. Lisa (my friend this time) perched herself at the rail and whispered tips to relax me as we went by… this in addition to my nephew Dale yelling to me in his two-year-old voice made me smile and laugh and there were no major disasters. When they had us line up at the end of the class, I prepared myself for second. I’d been tense and Sky wasn’t super soft and I really missed the patterns they gave us for Equitation in Texas. But, when the time came and the other lady’s name was called first, I was announced the winner. Yeah for us!
Immediately, I was myself again.

The rest of the day went very smoothly. We watched the girls from MMF go through the walk/trot green horse classes, chatted with John who finally arrived, and spent a lot of time with Karl and the family who had come to support us. Lisa and I got a good laugh out of the fact that Sky and her horse, Onyx, had decided to be best friends considering we had been worried about a fight when we’d tied them side by side. The hot day dragged on as class after class went by. Lisa and I both did the trail course before lunch and although I’m pretty sure I made one error, I was very proud of how we did. I did an extra sidepass move for extra points and I think that helped.

The rest of our classes went really well, with both John and Lisa whispering silly advice to get me to relax and remember how to ride and my family cheering from the stands. We had a repeat of the Equitation for the Adult Pleasure W/T, then got 2nd out of 4 for Western Pleasure W/T (beating two kids and losing out to an older lady on a seasoned horse), got 1st of 4 for Discipline Rail (beat three kids this time) and heard at the end of the day that we got 1st in Trail and the High Point for the day. Sky did particularly well in Discipline Rail when we performed a turn on the haunches and a turn on the forehand. Even now, I’m not sure if I was seriously inquiring or being a smart ass when my answer to the judge when he asked me if I could turn on the forehand was, “which way?” - I like to think I was being a smart ass.

The day did drag on. We arrived at 7:15 and didn’t leave until nearly 6. Lisa’s classes were late in the day and she was not thrilled with the drag of the schedule. Her classes had been crowded affairs, full of English and Western riders - she’d placed well in Halter but her riding classes weren’t the sweep I think she’d planned on. In one class, she had to contend with a dressage rider carrying a whip on a huge Fresian flying by on the inside, going a-buck-ninety at the canter in the tiny ring. Onyx stopped and nearly kicked the horse, resulting in Lisa placing 6th. John, Karl and I were standing at the trailer watching and he knew she’d be livid… but when she rode over I’m pretty sure all three of us reeled back a little when, still mounted, she threw the green ribbon into the dressing room before commenting on what had happened. Drama.

Anyway, I had fun and that’s what I went for. I wish there would be more people to compete against, but I guess for now we really have to ride for ourselves. It was good to have John around and to see the girls from MMF there. Lisa will be gone when the next one comes around, so I have to find another ride. I might skip LRSS next weekend b/c of money and tiredness and I know this week I’ll be doing some trail riding (and yes, John, riding over the stream this time – I’ll let you know how it goes and hopefully not from my hospital room).


See www.snapfish.com for the photos. I’ll send you all the invite to view them.
C

Trail Rides & Show Prep

Hi all,

So, I’m glad people are missing my blog, but I gotta be good b/c blogging at work is frowned upon. Anyway, a quick note about what we’ve been up to… Sunday Robyn and I went on a trail ride – wow, I know… This is the first time since August when we got to MMF that I’ve seen her ride! She decided Colorado would be a good choice – a bay standardbred that is recovering from a skull injury after getting kicked by a stud… poor guy. He came to MMF a few weeks ago on a trial basis and is doing well so far – doesn’t know much although the previous owner claims to have ridden him often… anyway, he’s on a half lease out already to one of the lesson kids and seems to be a good horse with a good disposition. That can be worked with.

So, we head out and she’s pretty nervous. We head out the power lines and Sky surprisingly decides it’s ok to lead (shocker)… that is until we get to the stream and then she becomes the mule that she can be when she doesn’t want to do something. I don’t blame her for being scared, but I do feel a twinge when I know that when she wants to go somewhere, a little stream isn’t an issue. Because Robyn is nervous and Sky won’t go, therefore Colorado won’t go either I expidite the process by getting off and leading Sky over the stream (the snowmobile bridge put in this winter helped out by I still got mud on my boots).

After that we did ok – not great, but ok – we struggled through some big puddles and made it down a little bit of paved road and finally to the other conservation area up Shaker Road. But just as we were headed up to the fire tower I’ve always wanted to make it to, it started to rain and Cassie was headed to meet us. So, we turned around and made it back in half the time it took us to get out there, making for about a two hour ride. Sky decided she wanted to lead on the way home, but I made her go the back instead. Right before we got home, I thought she’d pop a tendon if she walked any faster , so I made her lose sight of the other horses – not making her a happy camper… she tried to jig but I made her stop and back and stand until she walked normally. When we got back, I rode in the ring more to prove to her that there was no rush to get home, ever. It was fun and that’s what counts, anyway.

So, this week I’ve been ring riding – trot/walk/trot – circle/circle/circle…. Walk/trot/walk…. Trying to get ready for the Oak Rise Show on Sunday. She’s started doing the same thing she used to do going from a walk to a trot, but in reverse – sticking her neck out and her head up when changing gaits… now it’s from a walk to a trot but I’m working on it. She’s doing ok. I’m less stressed than for the last show and I think knowing it’s not going to rain helps… also it always gets easier. John will be there to help, which is generous considering I can’t afford to do a lesson and the show in the same week. So, I’ll be riding today and tomorrow and Saturday morning, then give her a big bath, decide whether to go with the same old show shirt and pad or change it up to a white shirt and teal pad (maybe the red), and loading her up! Then, next week Robyn and I planned another ride together, then we have the “ride” at the barn, which isn’t going to be much considering we have no one signed up! And on the first, we have Lakes Region Show Series… I’m not sure if I can keep up.

One day at a time!