The semester here at college is finally over! I'm in the process of packing up myself and my horses to ship home Saturday morning :)) Poor Johnny though will have to turn around Sunday afternoon and ship out again for a horse show, but I'm sure he's gone through worse traveling in his life as a race horse so I'm not super worried. I checked online today and got our ride times. Dressage is at 1:42pm and stadium is from 2:30-4:00. The good news is that we don't have to get up super early and rush around to get there...the bad news is that the forecast is calling for A LOT of rain...and of course, the show is held outdoors :( I guess that in bad weather they open up the indoor for warm ups, but the show rings are still outside. C and I were debating about what we were going to wear for the show. I'm DEFINITELY not wearing my show clothes in bad weather, but all of my rain coats have hoods and that's frowned upon as a safety hazard. Might be heading to Walmart tomorrow to try and find a hoodless rain coat. Some slightly better news is that the footing in both the dressage and jumper rings is really good, so even if the weather is less than perfect, at least we won't be slipping. I was going to use my nice new Roma boots for stadium but I think I may forgo that if the weather is bad. I want more protection for his legs so it will probably be the SMB's on the hind and my brushing boots and bell boots on the front. I'll update again after the show! Wish us luck!!!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Showing posts with label college riding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label college riding. Show all posts
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Back to School
Just time for a short update before I run off the school barn for my hunter class, dressage class and IHSA practice. Emmy and Johnny both made it up to school safe and sound despite the weather and they both seem to be settling well. Johnny jumped right back into the swing of things up here but it's taking Emmy a little more time to adjust in her old age. She's not a huge fan of change so much anymore, but she sure does like being ridden again! She's sound and crazy happy to be back under saddle!
I worked some more on Johnny's clip yesterday...my new clipper blades are a champ! Should be able to finish up the clip in the next two days. I just dont have the time to sit there and work on it!
Here is a picture of Johnny's first day back:
I worked some more on Johnny's clip yesterday...my new clipper blades are a champ! Should be able to finish up the clip in the next two days. I just dont have the time to sit there and work on it!
Here is a picture of Johnny's first day back:
Goofy boy!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Packing, packing, PACKING
The latest weather report shows that our snow storm should be tapering off sometime late tomorrow morning. I didn't ride at all today in an attempt to get the horses packed and ready to go should the roads clear up by tomorrow afternoon.. Tentatively, our plan was to leave Sunday but if the weather turns out alright on Saturday I would really prefer to take the horses then. It would give me a day to make sure Emmy settles before I go back to class on Monday. Not that I don't think she will, she's got TONS of show mileage so she handles change pretty well, but I'm a worrisome mother and I like to make sure she's adjusting alright in her old age.
I got in a fight today with my clippers while body clipping Johnny and ended up having to drive all the way out to Big Dees to get a new blade. I still have the original blade on them and I've had these clippers for at least 3 years, so I figured it was time. Of course, that ended up taking WAY longer than anticipated and so I never did get to finish Johnny's clip. I guess he's just going to have to go back to school looking like he got in a fight with a blender.
I've still got SO MUCH to do to be ready in case we leave tomorrow...about a million pounds of horse laundry, still have to sort through Emmy's brushes and decided whats going and whats staying (do you really need 10 brushes between two horses? I think not...) I have my own people laundry to do, clean my saddles, clean out the car and try to cut down on what I'm taking back to school with me...because of Christmas and the second horse, I'm going back with waayyyy more then I anticipated taking...packing the car should be super interesting.
Did I mention that I have to pack up my fish too? Gosh I hate making that poor thing travel...
Pictures tomorrow if we make it up to school.
Peace.Love.Ponies.
I got in a fight today with my clippers while body clipping Johnny and ended up having to drive all the way out to Big Dees to get a new blade. I still have the original blade on them and I've had these clippers for at least 3 years, so I figured it was time. Of course, that ended up taking WAY longer than anticipated and so I never did get to finish Johnny's clip. I guess he's just going to have to go back to school looking like he got in a fight with a blender.
I've still got SO MUCH to do to be ready in case we leave tomorrow...about a million pounds of horse laundry, still have to sort through Emmy's brushes and decided whats going and whats staying (do you really need 10 brushes between two horses? I think not...) I have my own people laundry to do, clean my saddles, clean out the car and try to cut down on what I'm taking back to school with me...because of Christmas and the second horse, I'm going back with waayyyy more then I anticipated taking...packing the car should be super interesting.
Did I mention that I have to pack up my fish too? Gosh I hate making that poor thing travel...
Pictures tomorrow if we make it up to school.
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Dopping a line...
Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been having a bit of a personal catastrophe lately but I just wanted to stop by to say that Emmy AND Johnny are both shipping back to college after winter break. Dad, who has been cleaning her stall and taking care of her, majorly threw his back out last night and therefore can't clean the stall for a while so we decided to send her with me for a few months until he's back on his feet. The vet is coming tomorrow to pull a new coggins for her and the stall is already arranged and set up at the barn!
Johnny, in other news, has been thoroughly enjoying his time off! I think he is going to come back to school with a much fresher attitude after a month in the field!
More later.
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Johnny, in other news, has been thoroughly enjoying his time off! I think he is going to come back to school with a much fresher attitude after a month in the field!
More later.
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
IHSA Show - Saturday
"Cuz the party don't start 'til I walk in..."
The IHSA show this weekend went really great! Our team rode EXCELLENT and M picked all of the right point riders because Saturday we ended with almost a perfect team score...49 points, over 15 points ahead of any of the other teams. I just so happened to draw a gelding that is part of my Hunter class ride string, so I was really familiar with how to ride him and (as my friend N told me) I "look really good on Cruz." He can be a bit of a spook and because of that, we've never used him before in IHSA, so I wasn't sure how he was going to be. During his first class (with another rider) one of the team banners fell, which sent him leaping sideways and his unsuspecting rider ended up in the dirt. My best friend C and I were running the barn, so I didn't get to see it, but it made me worry a little because I was the next rider on him. As we walked through the ingate, I used my forefinger to scratch his neck. He eyed the wall once (where the banner had fallen from) and then proceeded to be absolutly perfect for the rest of the class! Some of our downward transitions were a little abrupt, so going into the line up, I wasn't really sure how the placings were going to fall. There were 7 girls in the class and 6 ribbons to be had. I held my breath all the way until there were three riders and just two ribbons left. Second place was called. My heart was seriously beating in my ears. Had we really ridden that badly? The announcer came on and called first place...my number! My good little chestnut Throughbred pulled through and we won our Intermediate flat class!
More about Sunday to come!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
The IHSA show this weekend went really great! Our team rode EXCELLENT and M picked all of the right point riders because Saturday we ended with almost a perfect team score...49 points, over 15 points ahead of any of the other teams. I just so happened to draw a gelding that is part of my Hunter class ride string, so I was really familiar with how to ride him and (as my friend N told me) I "look really good on Cruz." He can be a bit of a spook and because of that, we've never used him before in IHSA, so I wasn't sure how he was going to be. During his first class (with another rider) one of the team banners fell, which sent him leaping sideways and his unsuspecting rider ended up in the dirt. My best friend C and I were running the barn, so I didn't get to see it, but it made me worry a little because I was the next rider on him. As we walked through the ingate, I used my forefinger to scratch his neck. He eyed the wall once (where the banner had fallen from) and then proceeded to be absolutly perfect for the rest of the class! Some of our downward transitions were a little abrupt, so going into the line up, I wasn't really sure how the placings were going to fall. There were 7 girls in the class and 6 ribbons to be had. I held my breath all the way until there were three riders and just two ribbons left. Second place was called. My heart was seriously beating in my ears. Had we really ridden that badly? The announcer came on and called first place...my number! My good little chestnut Throughbred pulled through and we won our Intermediate flat class!
More about Sunday to come!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Horsemen vs. Riders
Courage is not the absence of fear. Stupidity is the absence of fear. Courage is the ability to acknowledge fear and then let it dissipate from your mind.
With our second IHSA show quickly approaching (tomorrow is course set, schooling and prepping!) I've been thinking a lot about the differences between horse people. For our IHSA shows, we always braid our Open and Intermediate division horses because it makes them look professional and this year, only three other girls beside myself offered to braid horses for the show. I thought to myself "that's it?" out of a team of 40 girls, only 4 know how to braid? To me, any person who shows should know how to braid a mane. It's part of learning horsemanship. Anyway, it got me thinking. In my mind, there are two types of horse people: those who are "riders" and those who are "horsemen."
Horsemen (or horsewomen if you want to be politically correct) are the kind of people that always put the horse first. These are the ones who forge their way to the barn in all types of weather (be it monsoon, tornado or snow storm) because they can't bear the thought of their horse a) standing in a dirty stall b) not getting turned out or c) all of the above. These are the ones who know exactly how much hay and grain their horse eats, they now how to give shots and manage a deworming schedule...these folks are the down and dirty, the ones who manage every aspect of their horses well-being. These are the ones who, in the saddle, take responsibility when things go wrong, like a missed distance to a jump. Instead of "my horse is being a jerk" they answer with "I dropped my shoulder at the fence." After all, 90% of mistakes are the riders fault right?
Then there are the riders. The type who put themselves first, who want to ride the horse and go home and who don't at all mind skipping a day at the barn when the weather isnt just right, never mind if Tubby is going to be standing in a filthy stall all day weaving from boredom. The rider prefers to pay someone to know how to take care of their horse rather than to know it themselves and in the ring, most mistakes are blamed on the horse. This is not to say that the riders are bad people, but they arn't horse people.
Over the summer, I made a really great friend while traveling as an A circuit groom for a local hunter barn. She is the epitome of horsewoman at the highest of levels where the horsemenship of clients has been replaced by grooms. All summer she traveled with her Junior Hunter mare and a second leased Junior Hunter gelding and even at the most prestigeous of shows, her first and foremost concern was the well being of her horses. Although she payed for a groom at shows, she almost always took care of her horses herself. She was there every morning, sometimes as early as 5:00am, to braid both of her horses manes and tails. She tacked them up herself and wrapped them when she was done. During the day, she made sure that they got out for walks and for plenty of grazing time. She was a little bit of beacon of light for me...living proof that horsemanship is not dead among the junior ranks.
So which are you? I have become a horsemen for two reasons 1) out of my love for the animal and 2) out of necessity. Growing up in a household of 6, money was never truely abundant and although my parents tried their hardest to support and provide for each of their children, we had to learn to be resourceful. My first horse (Emmy) was purchased for $700 from a local riding stable because she was a crazy Thoroughbred that no one could ride. Looking back on it, she was definetly too much horse for a 13 year old kid, but I loved her anyway and in return she threw her heart over every jump for me. When I wanted to start showing, I taught myself how to braid and used to get up early to braid other peoples horses in order to make the money to pay my entry fees. If I close my eyes I can still feel myself standing on a bucket in Emmy's stall for hours at a time, trying over and over again to get the mane and tails braids right. No one ever taught me how, I just watched over a few shoulders and practiced. When Johnny came along, I realized that I couldn't afford to pay and have the vet come out and give two horses their yearly and bi-yearly vaccinations and so I asked a vet to show me how and have been doing it ever since. Sometimes, we learn to be horsemen because we have to be, but it's the ones like my dear friend, who learn because they WANT to learn, that give me the most hope :)
Which are you?
Peace.Love.Ponies.
With our second IHSA show quickly approaching (tomorrow is course set, schooling and prepping!) I've been thinking a lot about the differences between horse people. For our IHSA shows, we always braid our Open and Intermediate division horses because it makes them look professional and this year, only three other girls beside myself offered to braid horses for the show. I thought to myself "that's it?" out of a team of 40 girls, only 4 know how to braid? To me, any person who shows should know how to braid a mane. It's part of learning horsemanship. Anyway, it got me thinking. In my mind, there are two types of horse people: those who are "riders" and those who are "horsemen."
Horsemen (or horsewomen if you want to be politically correct) are the kind of people that always put the horse first. These are the ones who forge their way to the barn in all types of weather (be it monsoon, tornado or snow storm) because they can't bear the thought of their horse a) standing in a dirty stall b) not getting turned out or c) all of the above. These are the ones who know exactly how much hay and grain their horse eats, they now how to give shots and manage a deworming schedule...these folks are the down and dirty, the ones who manage every aspect of their horses well-being. These are the ones who, in the saddle, take responsibility when things go wrong, like a missed distance to a jump. Instead of "my horse is being a jerk" they answer with "I dropped my shoulder at the fence." After all, 90% of mistakes are the riders fault right?
Then there are the riders. The type who put themselves first, who want to ride the horse and go home and who don't at all mind skipping a day at the barn when the weather isnt just right, never mind if Tubby is going to be standing in a filthy stall all day weaving from boredom. The rider prefers to pay someone to know how to take care of their horse rather than to know it themselves and in the ring, most mistakes are blamed on the horse. This is not to say that the riders are bad people, but they arn't horse people.
Over the summer, I made a really great friend while traveling as an A circuit groom for a local hunter barn. She is the epitome of horsewoman at the highest of levels where the horsemenship of clients has been replaced by grooms. All summer she traveled with her Junior Hunter mare and a second leased Junior Hunter gelding and even at the most prestigeous of shows, her first and foremost concern was the well being of her horses. Although she payed for a groom at shows, she almost always took care of her horses herself. She was there every morning, sometimes as early as 5:00am, to braid both of her horses manes and tails. She tacked them up herself and wrapped them when she was done. During the day, she made sure that they got out for walks and for plenty of grazing time. She was a little bit of beacon of light for me...living proof that horsemanship is not dead among the junior ranks.
So which are you? I have become a horsemen for two reasons 1) out of my love for the animal and 2) out of necessity. Growing up in a household of 6, money was never truely abundant and although my parents tried their hardest to support and provide for each of their children, we had to learn to be resourceful. My first horse (Emmy) was purchased for $700 from a local riding stable because she was a crazy Thoroughbred that no one could ride. Looking back on it, she was definetly too much horse for a 13 year old kid, but I loved her anyway and in return she threw her heart over every jump for me. When I wanted to start showing, I taught myself how to braid and used to get up early to braid other peoples horses in order to make the money to pay my entry fees. If I close my eyes I can still feel myself standing on a bucket in Emmy's stall for hours at a time, trying over and over again to get the mane and tails braids right. No one ever taught me how, I just watched over a few shoulders and practiced. When Johnny came along, I realized that I couldn't afford to pay and have the vet come out and give two horses their yearly and bi-yearly vaccinations and so I asked a vet to show me how and have been doing it ever since. Sometimes, we learn to be horsemen because we have to be, but it's the ones like my dear friend, who learn because they WANT to learn, that give me the most hope :)
Which are you?
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Update
Johnny is coming friday!!! Yay!!!
I've been riding a lot the past couple days at school. Tuesday I rode three horses at the barn and today I had time just to hack one. My back flaired up a bit from all of the riding, but hopefully it will calm back down. I've been doing my phyiscal therapy exercises when I can. Tomorrow I only have one class, which is my hunter riding class out at the barn, which is going to be super fun! I will update after!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
P.S. IHSA tryouts are next week :)))
I've been riding a lot the past couple days at school. Tuesday I rode three horses at the barn and today I had time just to hack one. My back flaired up a bit from all of the riding, but hopefully it will calm back down. I've been doing my phyiscal therapy exercises when I can. Tomorrow I only have one class, which is my hunter riding class out at the barn, which is going to be super fun! I will update after!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
P.S. IHSA tryouts are next week :)))
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Back to School
Sorry it's been so long since my last update. It's been a difficult week, getting ready for school and I'm finally all moved into my apartment. Tomorrow E and I are going down to the barn so that she can try Johnny. I miss him and Emmy already :( The good news is that Monday we have an IHSA meeting, which I am SO EXCITED for and my Hunter class starts monday as well...where did summer go?
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Peace.Love.Ponies.
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