.. 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
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
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
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
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
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
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
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
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
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
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