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 So
uth 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 r
ode 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!
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 So
uth 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 r
ode 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!
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