So this morning was sort of entertaining...
I get to the barn and feed - all normal. Tack up Jack and go to take him out; door won't open. That's right, snow drift big enough that even the Jacksaurus couldn't plow through. Boo. Ok leave Jack in cross ties and shovel our way out. Eventually get out to the ring - Jack was pretty high, so it was a fairly intense and long ride. But eventually get something good and he can finish and go home.
So then start t/o -- about half hour late since Jack required more time than usual. Apollo sees the snow and starts dancing. hmmmm ok. Let him free and he goes for a good gallop around his paddock. Think galloping teddy bear. hahaha Girls all turnout ok. Then turn out the rest of Apollo's paddock. Sienna first. Who hasn't been ridden in weeks but is still super fit so feeling pretty full of herself. So she's running around in the paddock all by herself (Apollo totally ignoring her). I turn Jack out and before I even have the halter off she's there trying to convince him to play with her. Rearing and spinning and running in circles - just generally being a pest. Jack takes one look at her "look lady, I just worked for over an hour, I'm going to eat." and promptly strolls to the hay bale completely ignoring her while she runs in circles around him. So I go get Nick. Sienna's at the gate again "play with me, play with me!" Nick does the equine equivalent of rolling his eyes at her and goes to roll in the snow. Even as he's rolling, she's trying to play halter (or in his case crib-coller) tag. I don't think I've ever seen a horse continue rolling with another horse behaving like that. But when he gets up, he deigns to play with her for a bit and the two of them boot it around the paddock for a while. Apollo goes to roll and comes up with all his black markings white, which drew both their attention. Si was super excited to have TWO horses playing with her. And all three of them tore around for a bit - Apollo has to take the occasional short cut to keep up *g* And Jack, all the time, just hanging out in the round bale. Anyways - it was a lot of fun to watch and it made me smile, so I thought I'd share. I'm glad *someone* is enjoying the snow!
And now I have an hour to do 2.5h worth of chores. hmmmm :)
5 minutes you'll never get back. Consider yourself forewarned.
Posted by
Lauren Cude Horsfall
comments (0)
So growing up in Canada, I (and most of my friends) ended up with an interesting mixture of British and American systems. I use British spelling almost exclusively - almost. But with numbers, I use feet for height and short distances (like walking courses :), while I use kms for longer distances. Celsius for temperature - except for body temp which for some reason I know in Fahrenheit. Etc etc. And since most people I know of my generation who've grown up here have the same random usage of systems this is not often a particularly big deal (although I discovered when I was in the UK that referring to distance in terms of time is considered Canadian. hahaha As in "how far away is it?" "oh about two hours." We all know what that means, but I got some great reactions when I did it there :) Ok so back to the point of my story...
Stop laughing - there is one. Some where.
Now in my handy dandy mixture of systems, I do weight in lbs. No problem right? Except when I tried to deworm the horses and the instructions were all in kg. hmmmm. They have to be in English and French, which is utterly useless to me. I'd much rather they use both measurements! hahaha but no. So, then the question is how to translate from lbs to kgs? No problem right? Except I had no internet at the barn and my phone is of the not-so-smart variety. But I had a student there who has an internet friendly phone. No problem. Ah yeah - but no internet connection in the barn. Boooo. So no google. Now what?
Was about to give up entirely and wait and deworm the horses another day after I'd gone home and figured out the exchange rate, when I realized I have a scale that I use for weighing their grain... Old fashioned, simple kitchen scale. But - it has both sets of weights. And so when modern technology failed, the old-school simplicity saved the day. Is it sad that I was highly amused by this? Not that my horses were terribly thrilled with that *g* But at least they'll be healthy!
So yeah, I had a huge list of computer related things to do today and am feeling particularly unmotivated to do any of them *sigh* But I *did* get to ride :) That counts right? hahaha Lissy was a superstar. Jumped her over all the "scary" boxes that she's never seen and she was all for it. Such a good little horse :)
The guys from the OEF came to visit yesterday - we're now officially on their list :) Sweet. What can I say, it's the little things in life *g* (see above!)
Alright - off to pretend to be productive now.
Stop laughing - there is one. Some where.
Now in my handy dandy mixture of systems, I do weight in lbs. No problem right? Except when I tried to deworm the horses and the instructions were all in kg. hmmmm. They have to be in English and French, which is utterly useless to me. I'd much rather they use both measurements! hahaha but no. So, then the question is how to translate from lbs to kgs? No problem right? Except I had no internet at the barn and my phone is of the not-so-smart variety. But I had a student there who has an internet friendly phone. No problem. Ah yeah - but no internet connection in the barn. Boooo. So no google. Now what?
Was about to give up entirely and wait and deworm the horses another day after I'd gone home and figured out the exchange rate, when I realized I have a scale that I use for weighing their grain... Old fashioned, simple kitchen scale. But - it has both sets of weights. And so when modern technology failed, the old-school simplicity saved the day. Is it sad that I was highly amused by this? Not that my horses were terribly thrilled with that *g* But at least they'll be healthy!
So yeah, I had a huge list of computer related things to do today and am feeling particularly unmotivated to do any of them *sigh* But I *did* get to ride :) That counts right? hahaha Lissy was a superstar. Jumped her over all the "scary" boxes that she's never seen and she was all for it. Such a good little horse :)
The guys from the OEF came to visit yesterday - we're now officially on their list :) Sweet. What can I say, it's the little things in life *g* (see above!)
Alright - off to pretend to be productive now.
Happy Birthday Steve :)
Posted by
Lauren Cude Horsfall
comments (0)
Alright so the most important part of this post is to wish Steve, my honorary boyfriend (thanks Ker!), a wonderful birthday!!!! Hope it's amazing Steve :)
Sooooo March Break was fun :) Not such a break really, but highly entertaining. Productive? Well... that's debatable. Got lots of riding done, lots of pictures taken (thanks Hailey :) and a bunch of little odds and ends accomplished. The barn is feeling more and more settled, which I love :) Marketing and various other business aspects of the school might not have progressed all that much... Did just enough to not fall behind, but definitely didn't progress anything any *sigh* It'll come. I still have faith I'll find the right balance one of these days. Right about the same day I win the lottery probably *g*
I've been sort of amused by the disproportionate number of spam emails I've been getting for my "new career in nursing" ummmm yeah. That's going to happen. But I have to admit I've been thoroughly enjoying my chosen new career. Although find it interesting that the number one comment I hear from my friends is "you seem so much happier" -- which is true, but makes me wonder how depressing I was before! hahaha ah well, all good now. Even on the crazy days.
Have not had any time to write. Boooo. That is a definite down side. Even the blog has been sorely neglected! Too busy living life to write it? Possibly. But it turns out I *like* writing (I'm a geek, I know :).
Today though, I had my first morning to really sleep in since Jan 1! Woohoo. Which is how I gained the time to play online :) Thanks to my super working student Amy :) Combined with a ton of people still away for March break *g* And tomorrow, thanks to Hailey, another day! I don't even have to set my alarm clock. Sweet! Yeah so it's the little things in life.
Hailey's been keeping me entertained this week - superstar working student spent her whole break at the barn mucking stalls, setting fences, holding a pony who shall remain nameless who wanted nothing to do with clippers, multiple trips to the tack store *sigh*, treks through the mud, hauling water, learning to use a hammer, photographing lessons, and of course, riding horses :) Really, why would you spend your vacation any other way? Those who know cannot explain; those who don't know, can never understand. I'm lucky to have students who know.
So yes, the pony... The not-so-nameless Bella desperately needed to be clipped -- when the temp shot up more than 10 deg in one day she was having trouble even standing still, sweating in her stall and puffing. Poor girl. So dig out the clippers and discover... Blades don't go on... Huh? They used to fit? I've never investigated clippers before because you always just slide the blades on and hit the power switch... But suddenly the blades wouldn't go on :( Went and asked a friend who has also clipped entirely too many horses in her time and she couldn't make them fit either. Booo. So Bella had to last another night and the next morning took the clippers to Rens where the blades were sharpened. "Ummm hi, I'm hoping I'm just being an idiot, but do you have any idea how to make the blades go back on the clippers?" Woman takes one look and "oh yes, one second" A pair of scissors strategically applied, and suddenly blades fit again. Apparently a problem they've seen a few times :) Plus side all around - I wasn't missing something obvious, but it was easy to fix (and free :), and Rens customer service person made a semi-regular client very happy very quickly. All good.
Alright, so now armed and ready. Fuzzy pony comes out. Takes one look at the clippers, and leaves. hmmmm less of a good plan. So arm Hailey with treats and eventually get pony to the point where I can mostly clip her. All of one side is ok. Till we turn her around and go back to "omg they're going to eat me!!!" hahaha she wasn't bad - not in the sense of those who *truly* lose it; certainly not in the "handler is going to die and we need 3 shots of tranq" sense - but definitely not the quiet super calm easy going Bella I was expecting! And yet some part of me, the part that knows ponies, had a funny feeling this'd happen. In the end we had to clip her in a stall where we had two walls to keep her somewhat contained - and even that had some moments! It also had the unfortunate effect of blinding sunlight and a dark bay pony hidden in shadows, meaning I was effectively clipping blind. To give her credit, she never tried to kick or flip over or collapse... All she did was try to run away. Super pony. Super pony who now sports a somewhat interpretive clip. It's going to be in the Pony Club manual next year. The Thelwellian Bella clip!
So new life lessons from dressage the other day. Teaching several riders their first dressage test... "some things you have to do right the first time" hahaha or else don't try sky diving! They'd do something and it wouldn't be perfect so they'd repeat it. Ummmm no, not allowed. And the closely related "don't let a past disaster ruin the present" - sure that transition sucked, but there's no reason the circle can't be perfect. And of course "live in the present" - racing through and cutting corners because you're trying to get to that next circle really doesn't help. It was an entertaining couple evenings :)
hmmmmm looking at the time - it's amazing how easy it is for me to shift back to sleep in and stay up late. I'm good to go for another few hours yet... But... Come Monday that'd suck :( Booo on reality! hahaha somehow never outgrew the teenage "mornings suck" phase. But then I never outgrew the horses phase either, so really I'm convinced they go together >;-P When reality doesn't work, simply change the reality. But I have to stop typing and post this now so it'll *actually* post on Steve's birthday or the whole long post would simply have to be deleted! And really, that's a lot of typing to delete! So I'm off. Cheers :)
Sooooo March Break was fun :) Not such a break really, but highly entertaining. Productive? Well... that's debatable. Got lots of riding done, lots of pictures taken (thanks Hailey :) and a bunch of little odds and ends accomplished. The barn is feeling more and more settled, which I love :) Marketing and various other business aspects of the school might not have progressed all that much... Did just enough to not fall behind, but definitely didn't progress anything any *sigh* It'll come. I still have faith I'll find the right balance one of these days. Right about the same day I win the lottery probably *g*
I've been sort of amused by the disproportionate number of spam emails I've been getting for my "new career in nursing" ummmm yeah. That's going to happen. But I have to admit I've been thoroughly enjoying my chosen new career. Although find it interesting that the number one comment I hear from my friends is "you seem so much happier" -- which is true, but makes me wonder how depressing I was before! hahaha ah well, all good now. Even on the crazy days.
Have not had any time to write. Boooo. That is a definite down side. Even the blog has been sorely neglected! Too busy living life to write it? Possibly. But it turns out I *like* writing (I'm a geek, I know :).
Today though, I had my first morning to really sleep in since Jan 1! Woohoo. Which is how I gained the time to play online :) Thanks to my super working student Amy :) Combined with a ton of people still away for March break *g* And tomorrow, thanks to Hailey, another day! I don't even have to set my alarm clock. Sweet! Yeah so it's the little things in life.
Hailey's been keeping me entertained this week - superstar working student spent her whole break at the barn mucking stalls, setting fences, holding a pony who shall remain nameless who wanted nothing to do with clippers, multiple trips to the tack store *sigh*, treks through the mud, hauling water, learning to use a hammer, photographing lessons, and of course, riding horses :) Really, why would you spend your vacation any other way? Those who know cannot explain; those who don't know, can never understand. I'm lucky to have students who know.
So yes, the pony... The not-so-nameless Bella desperately needed to be clipped -- when the temp shot up more than 10 deg in one day she was having trouble even standing still, sweating in her stall and puffing. Poor girl. So dig out the clippers and discover... Blades don't go on... Huh? They used to fit? I've never investigated clippers before because you always just slide the blades on and hit the power switch... But suddenly the blades wouldn't go on :( Went and asked a friend who has also clipped entirely too many horses in her time and she couldn't make them fit either. Booo. So Bella had to last another night and the next morning took the clippers to Rens where the blades were sharpened. "Ummm hi, I'm hoping I'm just being an idiot, but do you have any idea how to make the blades go back on the clippers?" Woman takes one look and "oh yes, one second" A pair of scissors strategically applied, and suddenly blades fit again. Apparently a problem they've seen a few times :) Plus side all around - I wasn't missing something obvious, but it was easy to fix (and free :), and Rens customer service person made a semi-regular client very happy very quickly. All good.
Alright, so now armed and ready. Fuzzy pony comes out. Takes one look at the clippers, and leaves. hmmmm less of a good plan. So arm Hailey with treats and eventually get pony to the point where I can mostly clip her. All of one side is ok. Till we turn her around and go back to "omg they're going to eat me!!!" hahaha she wasn't bad - not in the sense of those who *truly* lose it; certainly not in the "handler is going to die and we need 3 shots of tranq" sense - but definitely not the quiet super calm easy going Bella I was expecting! And yet some part of me, the part that knows ponies, had a funny feeling this'd happen. In the end we had to clip her in a stall where we had two walls to keep her somewhat contained - and even that had some moments! It also had the unfortunate effect of blinding sunlight and a dark bay pony hidden in shadows, meaning I was effectively clipping blind. To give her credit, she never tried to kick or flip over or collapse... All she did was try to run away. Super pony. Super pony who now sports a somewhat interpretive clip. It's going to be in the Pony Club manual next year. The Thelwellian Bella clip!
So new life lessons from dressage the other day. Teaching several riders their first dressage test... "some things you have to do right the first time" hahaha or else don't try sky diving! They'd do something and it wouldn't be perfect so they'd repeat it. Ummmm no, not allowed. And the closely related "don't let a past disaster ruin the present" - sure that transition sucked, but there's no reason the circle can't be perfect. And of course "live in the present" - racing through and cutting corners because you're trying to get to that next circle really doesn't help. It was an entertaining couple evenings :)
hmmmmm looking at the time - it's amazing how easy it is for me to shift back to sleep in and stay up late. I'm good to go for another few hours yet... But... Come Monday that'd suck :( Booo on reality! hahaha somehow never outgrew the teenage "mornings suck" phase. But then I never outgrew the horses phase either, so really I'm convinced they go together >;-P When reality doesn't work, simply change the reality. But I have to stop typing and post this now so it'll *actually* post on Steve's birthday or the whole long post would simply have to be deleted! And really, that's a lot of typing to delete! So I'm off. Cheers :)
For the curious...
Posted by
Lauren Cude Horsfall
comments (1)
I swear I haven't disappeared off the face of the planet. Just been, ummm, a little busy :)
As for disappearing off the planet - Stephy's being homeless for 5 days to raise awareness of homelessness... Her blog of the event is worth a read: http://www.5days.ca/blog2011/?author=156
Bella came for her week trial and was *such* a superstar we had to keep her. She rates her behaviour according to her riders -- for the lungeline level, she's pretty much a saint. For the kids who think they can ride, she puts them pretty thoroughly in their place *g*
So Hailey's been here all week in intensive training march break camp/working student :) hahaha From Apollo to Bella getting lots of time in the saddle - been fairly entertaining from my pov. And keeping me going too since I'm as likely as not to ride the others at the same time she does. Kinda fun having company during the day. I think the next time will be when Stephy comes back home for a week :) One of those rides we discovered Bella came with springs for shoes. We jumped her and Lissy the other day and she was by far the superstar of that particular ride :) Didn't push it too far because she's only just starting to get fit, but in a month or so we'll try again and I suspect she'll be jumping higher than any of her riders are likely to want to go :) Lissy's becoming a superstar; this month's focus for her is strength building. But I think once we've got that, she'll be good to go :)
Bella and Hailey
Vet in today - spring shots and teeth done. Sweet - one thing off the list :) Although I admit seeing the bill for 7 horses is not something I'm looking forward to!
Ok, back to work with me. Attempting to knock off some paperwork while I have help in the barn :) Good in theory. Less fun in practice!
Cheers!
As for disappearing off the planet - Stephy's being homeless for 5 days to raise awareness of homelessness... Her blog of the event is worth a read: http://www.5days.ca/blog2011/?author=156
Bella came for her week trial and was *such* a superstar we had to keep her. She rates her behaviour according to her riders -- for the lungeline level, she's pretty much a saint. For the kids who think they can ride, she puts them pretty thoroughly in their place *g*
So Hailey's been here all week in intensive training march break camp/working student :) hahaha From Apollo to Bella getting lots of time in the saddle - been fairly entertaining from my pov. And keeping me going too since I'm as likely as not to ride the others at the same time she does. Kinda fun having company during the day. I think the next time will be when Stephy comes back home for a week :) One of those rides we discovered Bella came with springs for shoes. We jumped her and Lissy the other day and she was by far the superstar of that particular ride :) Didn't push it too far because she's only just starting to get fit, but in a month or so we'll try again and I suspect she'll be jumping higher than any of her riders are likely to want to go :) Lissy's becoming a superstar; this month's focus for her is strength building. But I think once we've got that, she'll be good to go :)
Bella and Hailey
Vet in today - spring shots and teeth done. Sweet - one thing off the list :) Although I admit seeing the bill for 7 horses is not something I'm looking forward to!
Ok, back to work with me. Attempting to knock off some paperwork while I have help in the barn :) Good in theory. Less fun in practice!
Cheers!
Just a little late...
Posted by
Lauren Cude Horsfall
comments (0)
Ok so I *finally* got around to posting my nano-novel! hahaha and glancing at it I found so many things to fix *sigh* But that will have to wait a bit. The 50,000 words however, in all their rough and ready form, are up. Unedited. And somewhat disjointed. But still a story with some strong points. I think. I hope :)
Give it a read if you have some time and inclination :) And let me know what you think! The good, the bad, the ugly... Is it worth polishing? Or should it be banished to the realms of ones and zeros never to be read again?
Oh, and it still needs a title. Any suggestions?
Thanks for reading!
The link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/28889
Edited to add: For those who joined after, the story behind the story can be read in the Nov 2010 posts on this blog. More info on the official overall adventure at www.nanowrimo.org
Give it a read if you have some time and inclination :) And let me know what you think! The good, the bad, the ugly... Is it worth polishing? Or should it be banished to the realms of ones and zeros never to be read again?
Oh, and it still needs a title. Any suggestions?
Thanks for reading!
The link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/28889
Edited to add: For those who joined after, the story behind the story can be read in the Nov 2010 posts on this blog. More info on the official overall adventure at www.nanowrimo.org
Random update :)
Posted by
Lauren Cude Horsfall
comments (0)
Wow - I think that might be a record length with no posts! Yikes :) Sorry about that, been busy riding, teaching and oh yeah - trying to run the business! hahaha
Still actively recruiting students. Remember if you bring somebody in who signs up for a lesson, you earn a free private yourself! And, as a couple students have chosen to do, you can save said private lesson for warmer summer weather if you're so inclined :)
Have you met Bella yet? Bella's here for the week to see if she wants to stay :) She's the gorgeous dark-bay pony, who's pretty sure she's the queen. Bella will be for everybody from first-time beginners through pre-entry level eventing. She has a super-smooth canter and seems to love jumping! Just waiting for a few more of her potential riders to tell me how they like her :)
Sienna is officially for sale :( I really don't have time to ride her - and she likes to be ridden almost every day... Boooo. If you know anybody who can ride (Si's not a beginner horse) who wants an affordable superstar show prospect, send them this way...
hmmmm let's see... As far as the other ponies go: did some research into Dixie's background and found out she has superstar bloodlines :) Looking forward to introducing her to xc this summer! Jack is proving himself to be a pro - floating around the ring in dressage and mastering gymnastics like there's nothing to them. Apollo has decided he loves jumping; it may never be his greatest strength but he certainly has enthusiasm for it! And as far as strengths go, he's quickly picking up the whole dressage idea. Sweet! Nick is just an all-round superstar. Almost all the adult riders seem to want to ride Nick :) Super quiet, super smooth, and knows everything - what's not to like? And Lissy... Little Lissy... Lis has proven she knows her job well. For lunge lessons and beginner riders she is super patient and super quiet. Put an advanced rider on her and she's forward and goes on the bit. She adapts to whoever is on her and is learning super-fast.
Be sure to check out our FB page: http://www.facebook.com/GraduateRidingSchool I'm posting something new there (usually youtube vids :) every day! Check them out and let me know what you think! The feeds will also post on the home page of the Graduate Riding School site.
Still actively recruiting students. Remember if you bring somebody in who signs up for a lesson, you earn a free private yourself! And, as a couple students have chosen to do, you can save said private lesson for warmer summer weather if you're so inclined :)
Have you met Bella yet? Bella's here for the week to see if she wants to stay :) She's the gorgeous dark-bay pony, who's pretty sure she's the queen. Bella will be for everybody from first-time beginners through pre-entry level eventing. She has a super-smooth canter and seems to love jumping! Just waiting for a few more of her potential riders to tell me how they like her :)
Sienna is officially for sale :( I really don't have time to ride her - and she likes to be ridden almost every day... Boooo. If you know anybody who can ride (Si's not a beginner horse) who wants an affordable superstar show prospect, send them this way...
hmmmm let's see... As far as the other ponies go: did some research into Dixie's background and found out she has superstar bloodlines :) Looking forward to introducing her to xc this summer! Jack is proving himself to be a pro - floating around the ring in dressage and mastering gymnastics like there's nothing to them. Apollo has decided he loves jumping; it may never be his greatest strength but he certainly has enthusiasm for it! And as far as strengths go, he's quickly picking up the whole dressage idea. Sweet! Nick is just an all-round superstar. Almost all the adult riders seem to want to ride Nick :) Super quiet, super smooth, and knows everything - what's not to like? And Lissy... Little Lissy... Lis has proven she knows her job well. For lunge lessons and beginner riders she is super patient and super quiet. Put an advanced rider on her and she's forward and goes on the bit. She adapts to whoever is on her and is learning super-fast.
Be sure to check out our FB page: http://www.facebook.com/GraduateRidingSchool I'm posting something new there (usually youtube vids :) every day! Check them out and let me know what you think! The feeds will also post on the home page of the Graduate Riding School site.
To those who ask why...
Posted by
Lauren Cude Horsfall
comments (0)
Because tonight answered that question just as well as last night...
Got home after a very long day, signed into Facebook and... Well, a picture's worth a thousand words right? All I'll say is, I'll be smiling about that for quite some time. Thanks Hailey :)
Got home after a very long day, signed into Facebook and... Well, a picture's worth a thousand words right? All I'll say is, I'll be smiling about that for quite some time. Thanks Hailey :)
To those who ask why...
Posted by
Lauren Cude Horsfall
comments (0)
So this afternoon... Lessons were done - they all went well - 1st and last students doing a spectacular job and everybody in between doing well too :) One of those days where you feel everybody's progressing, but by the end I was *really* cold. Don't know why as it wasn't particularly brutal out but I was totally frozen. And really not the least bit interested in riding. But I had to. Note, didn't *want* to *had* to. Not a great sign :(
Sobeit. First do usual afternoon chores - which always seem more when you're tired and cold. Bring in all the horses and feed everybody. Clean up after the day's lessons. Good to go.
But now the horses have just eaten, so not such a good plan to ride. And I was freezing. And hungry. And that's a significantly bad combination. And... well nothing else, I just felt the need for another And *g*
So I leave the horses to their dinner and retreat to the bunkie. Some heat and food later and I'm feeling almost civilized. Not the least bit inclined to ride -- more like sleep! But at least now not actively *not* wanting to ride.
But I had to. So I tacked up my pony and out we went. And she was a star. The kind of ride that makes me cry that she's for sale. But I put that aside and really enjoyed it. So through and forward and connected and whatever I thought, she did. Just lovely.
Finish ride and take forever grooming her. And Si, who doesn't always enjoy being groomed, played happy pony the whole time. Pulled her mane, trimmed her, just generally got her to show condition. The kind of generally fussing I usually never have time for. And it was sooo nice and peaceful. Put the pony away and cleaned tack. Properly. Nobody there but me and the ponies - who nickered every once in a while gently suggesting that maybe I should feed them soon. Can't help but smile.
And so I found myself doing night feed feeling happy and relaxed and peaceful - when I hadn't even particularly wanted to be there. And *that* is why.
Sobeit. First do usual afternoon chores - which always seem more when you're tired and cold. Bring in all the horses and feed everybody. Clean up after the day's lessons. Good to go.
But now the horses have just eaten, so not such a good plan to ride. And I was freezing. And hungry. And that's a significantly bad combination. And... well nothing else, I just felt the need for another And *g*
So I leave the horses to their dinner and retreat to the bunkie. Some heat and food later and I'm feeling almost civilized. Not the least bit inclined to ride -- more like sleep! But at least now not actively *not* wanting to ride.
But I had to. So I tacked up my pony and out we went. And she was a star. The kind of ride that makes me cry that she's for sale. But I put that aside and really enjoyed it. So through and forward and connected and whatever I thought, she did. Just lovely.
Finish ride and take forever grooming her. And Si, who doesn't always enjoy being groomed, played happy pony the whole time. Pulled her mane, trimmed her, just generally got her to show condition. The kind of generally fussing I usually never have time for. And it was sooo nice and peaceful. Put the pony away and cleaned tack. Properly. Nobody there but me and the ponies - who nickered every once in a while gently suggesting that maybe I should feed them soon. Can't help but smile.
And so I found myself doing night feed feeling happy and relaxed and peaceful - when I hadn't even particularly wanted to be there. And *that* is why.
Spring Fever
Posted by
Lauren Cude Horsfall
comments (0)
Alright so it occurs to me that I haven't ridden since Friday. And for some reason thought nothing of putting three horses on today's schedule. Anybody surprised by this?
So Jack was, well, a superstar. Scroll down for that story :) Did all the usual chores. Then the debate: go eat lunch or ride. The thing is if I eat, I won't usually ride. And I wasn't particularly hungry. But I've been trying really hard to make sure to eat at least two meals a day so lunch had to stay on the schedule... hmmmm ok well go get lunch fast and be careful not to get into anything too complex on the computer while I'm at it. Cause really, once I start that "more necessary" work I'm in till time to feed. So answer some emails and be done eating at about the same time. Handy that.
And head back out. Yeah! Lissy first. She's easy and fun. Usually :) But today very very annoyed with me for bringing her in without her other half *g* To be fair, Lissy's idea of protesting is to run around a little and lean instead of bend. By the end, she was back to being her usual superstar self. However, it was way more of a ride than I'd been planning on. I actually had to *work*. The nerve.
Alright so Sienna's turn. I basically decided I wasn't up to more dressage so I'd just put on jump tack and have an easy ride of the conditioning variety. Wanted to go hacking but footing was very dodgy. So go out and get on, all good. She walks two strides and starts cantering. Not actually doing anything bad and still steerable (side note - I can't believe my spell check doesn't flag that??? But misses teh???) and even somewhat ratable, just *really* wanted to canter. Of the 45 min ride, a solid 35 mins was at the canter with the other 10 being at a power trot. The first 10 mins were a bit exciting but after that some of the *best* trot and canter work ever. Forward, round, light. But really?!?!?!
So when she was eventually done, I took her out for a walk outside to cool out for a bit -- respiration dropped to normal within about a lap of the sandring. Amazing how fit she is given how rarely she's ridden these days *g* I love TBs :)
So I get off and sort of mentally celebrating being more fit than I thought I was, feeling all fine when I rarely ride more than two these days - and even that's seriously hit or miss (literally haven't sat on a horse since Fri!?!?!). Put her away and start afternoon chores and all of a sudden the adrenaline wore off. Oops. hahaha maybe not *quite* so fit afterall - just have enough instinct to ride well when I have to... And I would be wondering about Si too, except that I've ridden her when she's on an adrenaline high and that's not that horse :) Will be interesting tomorrow morning to see if *either* of us has any energy!
So I have to laugh at my latest take on "the little things" in life. It's amazing how excited I get when I actually manage to fix some little thing around the farm - like the gate latch that didn't *quite* reach. Takes no skill or knowledge to fix but somehow still easily excited but the little successes. But it kinda highlights the completely different lifestyle now. No more celebrating the finished project or the great presentation or acing the thesis - nope now it's yeah! The gate closes! hahaha but somehow so much more satisfying. Not sure exactly what that says, but it amuses me to no end.
While today was incredibly productive, tonight... Sadly not so much. All of tonight's things have been rescheduled to tomorrow. Yikes! Wish me luck :)
So Jack was, well, a superstar. Scroll down for that story :) Did all the usual chores. Then the debate: go eat lunch or ride. The thing is if I eat, I won't usually ride. And I wasn't particularly hungry. But I've been trying really hard to make sure to eat at least two meals a day so lunch had to stay on the schedule... hmmmm ok well go get lunch fast and be careful not to get into anything too complex on the computer while I'm at it. Cause really, once I start that "more necessary" work I'm in till time to feed. So answer some emails and be done eating at about the same time. Handy that.
And head back out. Yeah! Lissy first. She's easy and fun. Usually :) But today very very annoyed with me for bringing her in without her other half *g* To be fair, Lissy's idea of protesting is to run around a little and lean instead of bend. By the end, she was back to being her usual superstar self. However, it was way more of a ride than I'd been planning on. I actually had to *work*. The nerve.
Alright so Sienna's turn. I basically decided I wasn't up to more dressage so I'd just put on jump tack and have an easy ride of the conditioning variety. Wanted to go hacking but footing was very dodgy. So go out and get on, all good. She walks two strides and starts cantering. Not actually doing anything bad and still steerable (side note - I can't believe my spell check doesn't flag that??? But misses teh???) and even somewhat ratable, just *really* wanted to canter. Of the 45 min ride, a solid 35 mins was at the canter with the other 10 being at a power trot. The first 10 mins were a bit exciting but after that some of the *best* trot and canter work ever. Forward, round, light. But really?!?!?!
So when she was eventually done, I took her out for a walk outside to cool out for a bit -- respiration dropped to normal within about a lap of the sandring. Amazing how fit she is given how rarely she's ridden these days *g* I love TBs :)
So I get off and sort of mentally celebrating being more fit than I thought I was, feeling all fine when I rarely ride more than two these days - and even that's seriously hit or miss (literally haven't sat on a horse since Fri!?!?!). Put her away and start afternoon chores and all of a sudden the adrenaline wore off. Oops. hahaha maybe not *quite* so fit afterall - just have enough instinct to ride well when I have to... And I would be wondering about Si too, except that I've ridden her when she's on an adrenaline high and that's not that horse :) Will be interesting tomorrow morning to see if *either* of us has any energy!
So I have to laugh at my latest take on "the little things" in life. It's amazing how excited I get when I actually manage to fix some little thing around the farm - like the gate latch that didn't *quite* reach. Takes no skill or knowledge to fix but somehow still easily excited but the little successes. But it kinda highlights the completely different lifestyle now. No more celebrating the finished project or the great presentation or acing the thesis - nope now it's yeah! The gate closes! hahaha but somehow so much more satisfying. Not sure exactly what that says, but it amuses me to no end.
While today was incredibly productive, tonight... Sadly not so much. All of tonight's things have been rescheduled to tomorrow. Yikes! Wish me luck :)
Totally thrilled by... dressage?!?!? How did *that* happen? >;-P
Posted by
Lauren Cude Horsfall
comments (0)
(from GRS blog)
Alright so it's all of 9:30 am and I should be doing stalls. But guess what? The boss said they could wait till after typing this post :) She's kewl that way.
So if you take a hot-blooded horse, say a TB... And cross it with a cold-blooded horse, say a Percheron... (totally hypothetical here of course :) Do you get a warm-blooded horse? hahaha cause I have to tell you, Mr. Saurus certainly seems to think so!
Ok now you have to understand, I *love* the little horses. Given the choice, I've always ridden the little horses. The sports car model. See how excited I was the day Arthur lent me his sports car model to ride in a clinic last fall? And, well, anybody who knew Zel will get it. But the fates being what they are, I'm usually actually better at riding the big ones. Classic eh? But since I don't enjoy them nearly as much I stick to the little ones and we work it out :)
But today, Jack reminded me why people like the big horses. There's definitely something to be said for being able to sit deep, wrap your legs around with no effort whatsoever, and float. TBs you just can't put your leg on like that (at least, not the ones I tend to ride :).
So for whatever reason I decided to ride Jack first today. And score one for the draft side of him - there was no temper-tantrum or dismay about me changing the schedule. I kept waiting for it, but it just didn't happen. Sweet. Good pony :) So we walk around doing some bending and he's pretty consistently through from the beginning which is nice. Some above/below the bit - we're still working on steady appropriate contact (given his complete lack of consistent training *my bad* he's doing remarkably well! And credit to his part-boarders Rowan and Steph who've been helping him out :) but for the most part good. Go into trot and let him warm up. A bit of a tank, but not bad. Really work on the suppling and pretty soon he's staying reasonably consistent. Sweet.
Then the canter - our first canter was just to get him going (amused me to no end when he randomly felt the need to jump the sunbeam!) But all of a sudden that forward turned to up, and w/o really intending to ask for it he's cantering around like a super-star dressage pony. And balanced. Really balanced.
So discretion being the better part of valour, I brought him back before he could fall apart - while all was still good. Canter-trot transition doesn't exist yet so took me a good 10 strides to get the trot rebalanced (kinda like a freight-train running downhill!) But what I was really impressed by is once I had the trot, he was totally and entirely responding to my seat. Which of course lead me to see just what he could do *g* HUGE trot, but connected and loose and light. Losgelassenheit from the draft - sorry wb! - greenbean. Yeah, I didn't really believe it either :) Fortunately for me we had an audience, so I know I didn't imagine it!
Randomly decided to ask for a turn on the forehand - mostly to see if he'd figure it out (usually I teach that in hand first) but sure enough, he thought about it for a moment, stepped back, got corrected, moved correctly, got big pats, and then was totally fine with doing it over again and the other direction.
From here, with his hind quarters a little more under control, we moved onto some w/t transitions, which until today have been more a case of "make the correct gait happen" rather than actually riding a transition between gaits. It took him all of two tries to figure out what I wanted. Friggin smart horse. N then he had it - we could repeat it and it just kept getting better. W/t only - he's not quite strong enough to maintain through the canter depart yet -- but give me a few weeks *g*
So yeah, I'm pretty thrilled. And thinking since my abs are now toast, the other two horses will be hacking or jumping today >;-P
And it's back to stalls for me :)
ps - if you want an interesting article technically on Losgelassenheit, but also on training in general: http://www.artisticdressage.com/articles/losgelassenheit.html My fav line: "Loving owners with the best intentions can train their horses to become veritable little monsters...."
Alright so it's all of 9:30 am and I should be doing stalls. But guess what? The boss said they could wait till after typing this post :) She's kewl that way.
So if you take a hot-blooded horse, say a TB... And cross it with a cold-blooded horse, say a Percheron... (totally hypothetical here of course :) Do you get a warm-blooded horse? hahaha cause I have to tell you, Mr. Saurus certainly seems to think so!
Ok now you have to understand, I *love* the little horses. Given the choice, I've always ridden the little horses. The sports car model. See how excited I was the day Arthur lent me his sports car model to ride in a clinic last fall? And, well, anybody who knew Zel will get it. But the fates being what they are, I'm usually actually better at riding the big ones. Classic eh? But since I don't enjoy them nearly as much I stick to the little ones and we work it out :)
But today, Jack reminded me why people like the big horses. There's definitely something to be said for being able to sit deep, wrap your legs around with no effort whatsoever, and float. TBs you just can't put your leg on like that (at least, not the ones I tend to ride :).
So for whatever reason I decided to ride Jack first today. And score one for the draft side of him - there was no temper-tantrum or dismay about me changing the schedule. I kept waiting for it, but it just didn't happen. Sweet. Good pony :) So we walk around doing some bending and he's pretty consistently through from the beginning which is nice. Some above/below the bit - we're still working on steady appropriate contact (given his complete lack of consistent training *my bad* he's doing remarkably well! And credit to his part-boarders Rowan and Steph who've been helping him out :) but for the most part good. Go into trot and let him warm up. A bit of a tank, but not bad. Really work on the suppling and pretty soon he's staying reasonably consistent. Sweet.
Then the canter - our first canter was just to get him going (amused me to no end when he randomly felt the need to jump the sunbeam!) But all of a sudden that forward turned to up, and w/o really intending to ask for it he's cantering around like a super-star dressage pony. And balanced. Really balanced.
So discretion being the better part of valour, I brought him back before he could fall apart - while all was still good. Canter-trot transition doesn't exist yet so took me a good 10 strides to get the trot rebalanced (kinda like a freight-train running downhill!) But what I was really impressed by is once I had the trot, he was totally and entirely responding to my seat. Which of course lead me to see just what he could do *g* HUGE trot, but connected and loose and light. Losgelassenheit from the draft - sorry wb! - greenbean. Yeah, I didn't really believe it either :) Fortunately for me we had an audience, so I know I didn't imagine it!
Randomly decided to ask for a turn on the forehand - mostly to see if he'd figure it out (usually I teach that in hand first) but sure enough, he thought about it for a moment, stepped back, got corrected, moved correctly, got big pats, and then was totally fine with doing it over again and the other direction.
From here, with his hind quarters a little more under control, we moved onto some w/t transitions, which until today have been more a case of "make the correct gait happen" rather than actually riding a transition between gaits. It took him all of two tries to figure out what I wanted. Friggin smart horse. N then he had it - we could repeat it and it just kept getting better. W/t only - he's not quite strong enough to maintain through the canter depart yet -- but give me a few weeks *g*
So yeah, I'm pretty thrilled. And thinking since my abs are now toast, the other two horses will be hacking or jumping today >;-P
And it's back to stalls for me :)
ps - if you want an interesting article technically on Losgelassenheit, but also on training in general: http://www.artisticdressage.com/articles/losgelassenheit.html My fav line: "Loving owners with the best intentions can train their horses to become veritable little monsters...."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Subscribe To
Posts
All Comments