Not even Kodak could capture all of these crazy memories!

YEAH MORE Truly Intelligent People!!! Although I fear you'll think you've ended up in the wrong place after reading today's post!!! hahaha hmmmmm any chance we could get up to 20 b4 I go south?!?!?! (that'd be FRIDAY people WOOHOO!!!! :) Comeon, any lurkers left out there???

hahaha omg Kerri I was totally thinking of you and the rolling-the-roundbale-in-the-mud today! For those of you who weren't there for that (which would be everyone OTHER than Kerri :) our boss had gotten the tractor stuck in the mud while trying to put a round-bale out for the horses and was NOT happy about it. Then Kerri had the brilliant idea that she and I could ROLL the roundbale the rest of the way. Uphill. In the knee-deep-tractor-sucking mud. N somehow convinced me to go along w/ this. By the end I (who can ALWAYS stay clean - or that's the story anyways) was absolutely COVERED in mud and my sides hurt from laughing so hard. I'm sure the horses watching us thought we were insane :) It was definitely a you-had-to-be-there moment, but I have faith that those of you w/ vivid imaginations can come up w/ a pretty accurate visual.

Anyways -- fast-forward a couple years and you get today. The goal was simple -- take the XC start-box (think heavy wood portable fence) and move it to Summer Barn (Summer Barn is WAY @ the top of the mountain -- basically temporary stabling for their horse-shows etc. Cute little barn -- in the winter it's used as storage for all the stuff they don't want to leave outside).

Temp's about 5 deg and it's sunny out. Not bad for this kind of job. Now the farm truck was not easily accessible, so we took the gaiter instead. NP. Except that when we got to the XC start box we realized that the pieces are all significantly BIGGER than the gaiter’s trunk (for lack of a better word). And they're heavy and awkward w/ big feet on the bottom of them -- but the gaiter being the size it is, only ONE foot could fit in at a time. And of course they're NOT big enough to have BOTH feet out (which would've balanced it all).

Anyways -- Tory was determined that we could do this, so we set about figuring out HOW. And as we maneuvered the first (of 6) pieces of the start box around to figure out how best to do this, it started raining. Classic. Well w/ some creative stacking we managed to get 5 of them on. Ok from side to side, but precariously balanced front to back...

So we climb back into the gaiter -- she's driving. I'm sitting in the passenger seat, twisted around to hold on to the one KEY piece of our stack -- so long as it stayed in the gaiter, so should the rest *g*. And to add to this, Remy (the dog!) is trying to sit on my lap, while I'm twisted around backwards. And Remy is NOT a lap-dog size :) He doesn't outweigh me yet, but prob will by this time next year!

So we start slowly moving. And the rain changes to hail. And the wind directs it right at us. Tory's trying soooo hard to get us up the mountain w/o running into any of the XC jumps while being blinded by the hail. I'm doing everything I can to keep the stuff from sliding off the back. Remy's keeping guard and shaking like crazy cause the temp dropped like 10 deg in 5 mins or less... And then we get to the first steep part of the XC course... Still trying to get UP the mountain to Summer Barn... Now you'll recall, the instability was front-back. Which means as we start to go up, that damn gravity interferes and tries to pull our wonderful creation back DOWN. hahaha Well there were def a few moments that I wasn't convinced we were going to make it w/o losing everything. N by this point the weather was REALLY horrid so it was very much a laugh or cry moment -- there was a lot of laughing going on throughout this endeavor.

We finally get it where it should be and then have to figure out how to disassemble our wonderful stack! hahaha Well gravity actually (albeit unintentionally) helped w/ that -- fortunately we didn't break any in the process (although one, admittedly, may need a quick tune-up before it gets used next year!). Then there was the issue of the stall door wouldn't stay open so we kept getting stuck. It was really a bad comedy routine -- under the truth is stranger than fiction category; if I'd made it up it would've been rejected as unbelievable! But we did, eventually, get all the pieces safely inside. And returned all the way back for the one lone one we'd left behind... And it was almost harder to get up because it didn't have any others to counter-balance it so it was unstable side-to-side as WELL as front-to-back. But by this point at least the hail had turned to snow.

I, however, was still dressed in my 'sunny and not-to-cold' clothing. Which was def NOT waterproof. So by the end of this I was pretty freezing :( Tory made the executive decision that the next chore on the list should be the one in the only heated place on the farm :) hahaha and by the time we were done that it was sunny and warm again. The weather gods were having fun at our expense today! >;-P

And later this afternoon it was nice enough to go hacking. Seriously. And I met a deer. One deer, all by himself, who had staked out his place on the path and was NOT about to let us pass. A troll-deer I swear! hahaha and little RC who taught me all about Cow-Eggs (ummm see the other post :), wasn't the least bit phased by the troll-deer. I, otoh, was far more concerned about a prey animal that doesn't run away than I was about a rock -- but what do I know? We took another loop around, but sure enough when we got back the deer was still there. I have no idea what it was doing. It's very lucky I wasn't a hunter! It eventually meandered enough off the path that we could pass, but stood and watched us the whole way... I almost wonder if it's the same one I met at the water jump a few wks ago -- it wasn't the least bit concerned about my presence either. I do wish I'd had my camera w/ me though -- could've had lots of close-up deer pics today!

Lesson learned today -- do NOT, under any circumstances, have a pizza and a GIANT hot-chocolate right before a dressage lesson. No matter HOW friggin cold you are. Or how you THINK you have a good 3 h to digest before the lesson (time got bumped up significantly :)... Just don't do it. It's not worth the risk. N of course it *would* be the first serious dressage lesson I've had since I've been here. Only advantage to that is it was short cause RC can't DO serious dressage for very long yet!

Never fail to recognize the sucess in failure.

So when you're an adult, and you decide to randomly put your life on hold, there is a fair amount of chaos involved. What do you do w/ your apartment? How will you pay your bills? (funny those don't disappear just cause you're making no money!) What do you do about your job? (that one was very easy since I was being downsized anyways :) But really, all of these things fall into place. The biggest concern for me was What do I do w/ my pets?!?! Now my last fish had passed on and not yet been replaced, so the tank just went into storage. My horse was sold the week before I left. My parents very kindly accepted my cat for the interm... But I didn't know any bunny-people... What to do w/ Bilbo? Well Anna saved the day! And has been taking GREAT care him -- I'm not sure he'll even want to come home... And the point to all this -- it's Anna's birthday!!! Woohooo! hahaha so happy birthday Anna, from me, and Bilbo, and anybody who's enjoying this blog -- cause none of this would be happening w/o you :)

So today was XC day again!!! Woohoo!!! And for the first time I didn't feel completely discombobulated. Take a year off and it takes FOREVER to get it back (and by forever I mean what like 4 lessons? hahaha but still :). That being said, it was also the first time I thoroughly screwed up -- but it proved Denny's point quite nicely so I was forgiven *g* Yeah I was pretty close to being eliminated at the 2nd fence. Skinny brush jump (about pt height). No problem. Except it's A, skinny, B, very upright, and C just happens to be located at the bottom of a hill off a turn. N worse, a hill that didn't LOOK bad @ all -- till u were riding it. I got totally suckered. hahaha Yeah so I had TWO runouts before I smartened up. Sheesh. And then on the 3rd try I cheated and trotted. And definitely got called on that (trotting fences is not allowed - and I KNOW it's not allowed. But I also know it works! hahaha and sometimes you just have to get the job done.) "Alright -- now go do it properly. In canter." hahaha - yeah ok. But we've already cheated so won't be any problem now. Sure enough, a non-issue. Ah well -- overall though it was a much more sucessful school then the past few have been. Partially cause little RC is getting more fit, so he CAN get his hocks under him, and partially cause I'm getting back into the whole jumping thing AND getting used to the whole MOUNTAIN thing :) May (Denny's wife) was out w/ both a vid and a still camera -- n from what I've seen she's got pretty good timing w/ the stills... So I'm hoping I'll get to see some of those (very good w/ a camera. Not so good w/ a computer -- whether or not they make it to me might be questionable).

So XC theory -- when you get into trouble, STAY STILL! (not sure this particular riding lesson applies so well to real life... Maybe that's why people find it so hard?) He says one of the most fatal mistakes he sees is when people can't see their spot and they panic and throw themselves up the horse's neck... (thinking this is his variation of my "Jump 1st = Jump Alone" :) But of course throwing yourself up the horse's neck then puts all your weight ON said horse's neck -- making it very difficult for them to lift themselves up and SAVE you! hahaha If you're counting on your horse to bail you out, the least you can do is make it easy for him. Sit still, keep your chin up and your leg on, and do NOT go forward until you feel him leave the ground.

There was one girl riding (solid @ T, was here to see if Denny thought the horse had potential for prelim - answer was absolutely). Anyways - you would not believe the difference this made. I mean yeah the general concept is pretty classic -- but her "jumping up the neck" was *maybe* an inch. She was about 1/4 a stride ahead of the movement. Really subtle flaw. I would never have caught it if it hadn't been pointed out to me (yeah coach's eye improving! Cause now I'll know it if I see it again -- well when I get students to this level and can worry about it! hahaha gonna be an intense summer girls *g* :) But anyways, Denny called her on it and when she did it right the diff in her horse's jump was amazing. He always had a little... hmmm almost, hesitation... before takeoff. Nothing really bad, but just a pause b4 he jumped. Well when she managed to stay still that went away and the horse just flowed over the fences. Was really kewl to watch. N you could tell she felt the diff cause when she did it right she came off the course just beaming :)

Thanks to Zel, I don't have this issue :) My focus of the day was entirely keeping the horse balanced and in a frame he could jump out of (an issue none of the others had -- movement to die for!). But we're starting to be allowed to jump real fences, so that makes it a little more interesting.

One phrase of the day that caught my attention, although it wasn't directed at RC... "That horse is stuck to the ground". Now whatever image you've got is prob pretty accurate *g* Horse was being VERY nappy -- didn't want to leave his friends to go jump. N was basically stuck to the ground. "I'm not moving and you can't make me" hahaha but he DID get going and after that was the FIRST to do any course and that helped a lot.

Moving date's been changed again -- 14th now. Sheesh >;-P So we'll see...

Later!

-- ps all you lurkers out there, it's time to become Truly Intelligent People!!!

-- pss - no not really, I just had to include that for Paula :)

A picture's worth a thousand words... Well maybe not these 'pictures'!

So the elections today caused a traffic jam on my way home from work. And by traffic jam I mean I had to slow down slightly where the two roads intersect (there are no actual signs there) and actually SAW another car on the road. hahaha

18 deg and sunny today. All the jumps have been put away for the winter :( The solution to this -- XC!!! Woohoo! Doing actual courses now, so was able to get rolling and settle into a rhythm. Waaayyyy more fun. DO think a running martingale would've been a good thing though... hahaha forgot that minor detail till it was too late -- oops :)

So today's jumping theory will be illustrated in stick figures. (I just hope this posts correctly!)

awwwww stick figured didn't work :( Not a fixed-width font and I can't figure out how to change it. So now we have the revised version:

/ <-- br="" galloping.="" horse="" is="" this="" your="">

| <-- be="" before="" br="" horse="" how="" is="" jump="" this="" to="" want="" you="" your="">

_ <-- br="" don="" end="" how="" if="" is="" t="" this="" up="" you="">

hahhaha Denny illustrated all this by means of hand signals :) Basically the horse naturally gallops flat, long and down. And will get flatter, longer, and lower as you go if you let him... It is very hard (and SCARY!) to jump out of that position. So before the jump you have to convince him to go back together and get his hocks under him so he CAN jump (apparently horses don't understand physics -- but then if I recall correctly I didn't do so well in physics either!). Anyways -- this was why we got to do actual courses cause in order to play w/ the gallop and learn to adjust it, one has to actually gallop :) Fun fun fun!

He wants them sitting up 3-4 strides before the fence. Every clinician I've ever ridden w/ has a magic number (David O'Conner's was EIGHT) -- and everybody's magic # seems to differ... I like the 5 range personally (and that's together by 5, not starting to get him there then! hahaha) cause I figure that leaves enough time to adjust if the distance isn't perfect -- by 3 you're really too late! Or @ least I would be *g* But that's just my opinion.

That being said, we were doing PT courses so 3-4 is just fine cause really the horse could jump any of them at a trot (or flat-out gallop as the case may be) if necessary. But still, the concept is to learn so to be able to apply @ prelim +...

Anyways -- I have to go pretend to be social now :( Later!

All I'm doing is rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic...

So the barn is basically in a state of almost-controlled-chaos as the packing continues -- esp as nobody seems to know for certain when we're moving. I'm highly amuesed by the fact that the most inefficient person I've ever met, is the one w/ all the lists! hahaha Could prove an interesting challenge -- esp if they randomly move the date up again. I'm also a *little* concerned as I don't have anywhere to live down south yet... hmmm but I figure that'll sort itself out :)

Today's leeson: "It's all about core-strength". Yeah -- you can imagine where the lesson went from there :) hahaha so I *might* be a little sore tomorrow, but I'm absolutely certain it'll be nothing compared to that one lesson w/ Mary -- and I don't think she was even trying! >;-P hahaha sorry Mary *g* I know, wimpy eventers... But seriously, if you want an ab workout, call her.

On the plus side, I'm finally relearning how to sit a brutal TB trot... "This horse is a good example of why you rarely see TBs in competitive dressage." -- yeah so that's what I'm starting w/. We're working mostly on developing enough strength so that he can carry himself, and then convincing him to carry himself uphill and together instead of long a strung-out. "Selling Zel was the right thing to do. Selling Zel was the right thing to do." Maybe if I say it often enough I'll believe it? But man did she ever spoil me in some ways :) To be fair, this one does too -- just in different ways. I sincerely doubt he'll ever buck me off (hahaha now who wants to guess what tomorrow's post will be about.... :) N while he can be quite spooky, at least he doesn't seem to hallucinate (although I gotta admit that particular tendency usually amused me :) But really, other than the fact that they both go forward and they're both little, they're about as different as you could get. But hey, a good rider should be able to ride anything right? What I really want to know is if he can JUMP. We've only done baby stuff so far (and admittedly that's all he's fit for) but I'm not convinced yet that he really has the scope in him :( Although after yesterday I KNOW he's got the speed, so if he can jump we're set.

On a completely random note -- the people I'm living w/ here are having an election-party tomorrow. This tells you something about the people I'm living with. I'm a little curious as to what would happen if their guy lost hahaha

We shall see...

To ride or not to ride? What a stupid question!

So I went on THE most fun hack ever today. But I have to tell you, the people I was riding w/ don't define "hack" as "lazy-trail-ride" the way I tend to hahaha. Oh no. There was a whole lot of power trotting, some cantering, a fair amount of bouncing-in-place (given that 2 of us were on TBs and the one who knew were we were going was NOT :) and a couple gallop sets :)

I, not knowing the plan (but admittedly easily convinced), was in dr tack :( Boooo on that. So stirrups promptly got rolled so I could at least get off his back... Still not proper XC length of course, but better.

3 horses, little RC who's full TB but not very fit, Johnny who's also full TB and IS very fit, and Cotton who's paint w/ who-knows-what in him. Both Johnny and Cotton upgraded to T the weekend I got here so they're pretty well good to go. RC was living in a field till a couple wks ago *g*

Some of the trails we were on were snowmobile trails, so they were A, in very good condition and B, signed. hahaha the one that had a "sharp curve" warning had grafitti scribbled on it saying "REALLY BAD". We took that particular warning to heart and slowed down a bit *g* -- I wish I'd taken a pic, but we were going entirely too fast for that.

Very good thing these are XC horses cause more than once we found ourselves in water obsticals; one in particular was entertaining -- bridge was under water and def not safe for horses... so we just went around the bridge and through the stream instead. hahaha there was another area where the path had been flodded out except for one tiny section in the middle of this "lake" -- we figure all good water complexes have something in the middle of them. There were also a few random logs etc that you just have to go over... hahaha

So being as we were on a mountain the trails twisted and turned and we were generally always going up or down. We quickly got into the habbit of going up a whole lot faster than down *g* But never super-fast cause the two of us on fast horses don't know the trail. But then the woman who was leading turns to us and says "ok so as soon as we make this turn, there's a gallop hill that should even tire Johnny out. You guys can be as idiotic as you want; I'll meet you at the top" hahaha So Johnny's rider looks at me "you ready?" oh yeah... But they've been doing cross all summer and have the 0-60 in a stride or less thing down. hahaha RC hasn't quite got the instant take-off down yet -- it took him 3 or 4 strides to really kick into gear -- BUT we caught up! And WOW what a ride. hahaha I haven't gone that fast in several years. Zel was VERY fast when she wanted to be, but not full-TB fast. I'd forgotten what that kind of ride is like. N of course the first time you duck to dodge a branch the horse takes your weight-shift as a sign to go faster... hahaha There was one turn that little RC did entirely on his own cause I couldn't even see where we were going! Good pony :) Now we were, in fact, going almost straight up a mountain -- n I could feel RC run out of gas b4 we reached the top... But of course, being a TB, was running on adrenaline and had NO interest in stopping. And I admit I just let him go :) I could see where it ended so I didn't think he'd really come to any harm. N was soooo much fun, for both of us *g* But I def made sure he got a nice long walk break at the top of the mountain. I was very impressed that he could keep up w/ the other (fit!) TB -- I really hadn't expected him too. The last horse made it up a min or two later... She also galloped, but on a different scale *g*

So once we break through the trees at the top of said gallop hill all of a sudden there's this stunning vista. Unbelievable views of the mountains around. And there's a random telephone pole in the middle of the field, which Johnny's rider immediately trotted over to "here Laur, you have to sign the book." ummmm ok??? So there's a box attached to the pole, and in it is a zip-locked bag w/ a book and writing untensils. Sure enuff, messages from all sorts of people who made it to the top of the mountain w/ dates etc... They *think* it originated w/ the snowmobilers logging miles, but seems to have been taken over by everyone. So yes I signed the book :) They told me I couldn't dismount to do so, so I'm not convinced it's legible, but it did amuse me. N of course RC was tired enuff after the gallop up the hill not to wander toooooo far.



I'll tell ya, much as I enjoy the fall hack w/ the ladies @ home (you know who you are) every year -- this just blew that all away. The unbelievable scenery and crazy mountain paths, combined w/ the adrenaline rush XC. D I really wish you'd been here for this one.

I'm still grinning. Hours later.

Pics if you're interested: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=175028&l=abe99&id=823765365

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort!

I am just in the best mood. No real reason, but have been all day :) N amazing how when things start that way good things happen...

So we were told a few days ago some of us would be going south on the 14th and some on the 17th (the horses go in two loads). Was very def hoping to be in the first group :) Well first thing this morning I find out I'm to leave on the 12th! Woohoo. Then at lunch it's "it looks like we might be going a week earlier" hahaha I could leave next Wed!!!! But won't know for sure till Mon or so. Craziness.

XC lesson got cancelled cause, well, the jumps are all burried :( Ah well. Dressage instead. Sheesh :) Theory quote of the day was "when he's being good, ask him to be good" -- which is a whole lot like "ride every stride" -- basically just cause you FINALLY get it, doesn't mean you get to stop riding. Oh no, in fact more likely than not, you actually have to ride more. Sheesh. WHY do we do this again?

Oh yeah -- cause the hack AFTER the dressage was phenominal :) By that point the sun had come out and the sky was blue. Temp just around zero (but w/ nice fuzzy winter breeches it's all good :), big fluffy snow covering everything, horse a little high and bouncing cause the temp's just right for that (funny - he didn't bounce when we were doing dressage....) etc etc etc. Absolutely amazing. N in the middle of nowhere, hacking alone. Soooo peaceful. Only sounds are the horse's hooves crunching the snow and the stream babbling off to the side...



Anyways -- back to dressage. The point was basically it's easier to keep him there then to get him there (theoretically that is -- at the moment he's so unfit I actually find it easier to get him there than to convince him to hold it. But I do agree w/ the theory -- I'm reasonably certain I've even been guilty of saying it to MY students *g* :) Also discussed the concept of dressage being like going to the gym -- do a certain # of reps in each set; take a break; rinse and repeat... hahaha I'll mix metaphores if I want to thankyouverymuch! >;-P

Right yeah back to dressage... it being the weightlifting component of riding -- do it, do it correctly, but don't do it very long. Then change dir so both sides get same workout (or 60-40 for the weak side). Give horse a break -- either entirely (long rein walk) or by changing the exercise to focus on something completely different for a bit. Then come back to it -- and the next time around still expecting perfection, but shorter bursts cause the muscles have already worked (again like being @ the gym... Have to be a trainer in ALL aspects of the word). This, of course, is all after having walked for ages, then warmed up and been all relaxed n soft n all that other ooey-gooey-good stuff.

hahaha yeah so I'm being a little silly tonight sobeit >;-P

So back to dressage... hahaha no -- I wouldn't do that to you again!

Well I'm off to go make Hallowe'en cookies so tomorrow we have junk at the barn. (there were donuts AND cinnamon buns today. Maybe *that's* what made it such a good day!!! hahaha of course the donuts were from the rather unfortunate soul who had an unplanned dismount the other day. Still don't know where the cinnamon buns came from... But at least a few days/wk there's usually fun stuff to snack on. It's a *very* good thing this job burns so many calories or we'd all be round!) Now don't worry that I've been taken over by this whole baking/cooking thing -- by "make", I mean "take out of the box and put in the oven" hahaha as baking SHOULD be :)

I have not yet begun to procrastinate.

So could somebody tell me why the horse who's afraid of EVERYthing decides a PORCUPINE is the creature worth investigating?!?! Poor thing had about 8 quills in his muzzle this morning... I've never actually seen porcupine quills before. They're pretty intimidating looking.

Went on a conditioning hack yesterday -- sooooo much fun. Man the day I figure out how to get those gaits in dressage, I'm set! hahaha Little RC is getting stronger fast, and being a TB is already pretty well aerobic fit, so we're slowly starting to do more. Flat lessons have been consistently focusing on relaxation b4 anything (ummm which part of TB did you miss???), follow the training scale, etc etc. And we're finally getting to the point where we don't have to quit as soon as we get said relaxation so starting to be able to work a bit. He's willing enough but dressage is never going to be his strong point I'm afraid -- I now know enough to appreciate Miss Zel *g*

For the curious, RC and I from our first XC school: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=172632&l=e08e1&id=823765365

And for comparison purposes -- the real Rio: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3424008&l=21b5a&id=823765365 hahaha I'm not *that* far off in calling borrowed horse RC!

Yeah so I really have nothing exciting to say tonight. Really just typing to avoid going out in a wicked storm to feed late-night. Later!

The one thing scarier than cows...

is Fjords!!!! hahaha they kinda smell like horses, move like horses, but man they just don't LOOK like horses. CLEARLY they're aliens attempting to impersonate (imhorseate?) horses!!! And really, doing a pretty miserable job of it. RUN!!! RUN while you still can!!! hahaha or @ least that's what RC and his other afraid-of-cows hacking buddy thought. Could feel his heart pounding rapid-fire. hahaha poor guy :)

Perfect practice makes perfect

woohoo!!! More Truly Intelligent People!!! hahaha is it sad that that's a highlight to my day? But there are sooooo many *stupid* people we all have to deal w/ that increasing numbers of intelligent people SHOULD be celebrated! Or that's my take on it anyways :)

So jump school today was one of the most challenging I've ever had -- and the fences were tiny. 4 riders @ 4 diff levels -- from child on pony doing grasshopper to child's father doing prelim. Inbetween were RC who's about E level right now and the fourth horse is solid at T. Everybody did the same lesson -- although it was interesting to see how much harder he was on the two of us who are working there *g* Little pony did the course @ about 1'6. RC and T horse @ 2'6, P horse @ 2'9. So clearly height was not the challenge of the day.

Theory (in pt form cause we've done most of this b4):
- everything depends on the quality of the canter. Must create/maintain speed, balance and impulsion. (any of this sounding familiar?)
- should practice said canter in the flat work -- this is the point of dressage.
- 3 stages to a jump (this is based on George Morris): 1st stage is creating the canter, 2nd stage is seeing/riding the spot, 3rd stage is jumping the fence. Denny also suggests that in reality there's often a Stage 0 - where the horse is long/flat and in cruising and/or speed mode before you enter phase 1. The problem that occurs is that people try to combine phases 1&2 (create the canter and find a spot at the same time) and end up w/ neither.
- you have to practice to get good at it. This is one of those blatantly obvious things we all tend to forget.
- school little jumps for 3 reasons: easier on the horse so can do it more, less intimidating for the rider so more likely to do it correctly, if you do screw up - and you will - it's less catastrophic. hahaha

So our course had 11 fences -- most of the scary stuff has been put away for the winter (we leave in 18 days! Not that I'm counting or anything :) so nothing really *looky* to the fences, and as has already been stated, they were small. Now the only interesting thing is it was very much of what my students quasi-affectionately refer to as a "Lauren Course" hahaha and will know exactly what I mean by that. For those who haven't had the pleasure -- it's *very* twisty, with lots of turns in directions you wouldn't usually expect, and lots of related distances. So basically you have to think while you ride.

Still np right -- I mean seriously, not that big a deal, esp when the fences are tiny.

Here's the minor catch -- every fence had to be perfect. That's all.

Pace (broken down into speed/balance/impulsion) had to be perfect (on the horse who's still not strong enough to maintain it -- although rapidly getting better! I love TBs :). Uphill canter, butt under him, while maintaining enough speed (but not too fast!!! Damn!), etc etc

Path -- this was not such a prob, except on one S type line w/ only 3 strides between each fence, where we jumped in too big on fence 1 and *really* overdid the curves to get the other 2 fences *g* hahaha 2nd try was better. And oh yeah -- make sure you get the perfect spot every time while you're at it. This is non-negotiable.

Position -- *always* has to be perfect. This, unfortunately, includes "shorten your reins" hahaha Did make it around more than 1/2 the course w/o being told that though, so that's progress *g* It was every 2 or 3 strides the first week.

Basically the quality of the canter he wants is such that whether the fence is 6 inches or 6 feet, the horse could jump it. *That* balanced and rocked back on the hocks. And he says it's a real problem how many riders are doing prelim/int and even adv who can't jump around a 2'6 course perfectly. Too many people skip this step because it's *hard*. Hard to do and hard to teach. So they buy really expensive horses that'll do the job for them and put the fences up so the horse does it right out of self-preservation. "oh but the fences have to be bigger to back my horse off/for him to jump well/etc etc..." *substitute your own excuse here* -- we've all said it :) Well except maybe the DQs *g* I'm not quite sure what their equivalent would be -- suggestions??? hahaha anyways -- his point is that if that's true, you're relying on the fence to do YOUR job for you, so you don't have to ride properly. Said you should be able to create and maintain that canter regardless of height.

Did think that was a pretty good point (although I've certainly never been in a position to ride a horse that'd do it for me!!! I can dream though! Wait -- I don't think that was *exactly* what we were supposed to take from that :) hahaha

Now all that being said and done -- he did make a point to say that jumping little fences ALL the time isn't going to cut it -- you and your horse both have to get comfortable w/ height. Just that the majority of your schooling can be done low, so long as you insist that what you do, you do perfectly. Essentially 10 mins of perfect practice is better than 10h of *whatever*.

I had a thing up in my apt @ home that said "Expect Perfection, Tolerate Excellence" hahaha well apparently that's just not going to cut it here :) But hey, maybe I'll learn to ride a little. *g*

Whoever knew Entry could be so much fun!?!?!

So I wrote a thing a couple years ago about why we do it... What makes it worth the tears and frustration... (hmmm if I can find it, I'll put it here) -- anyways today was a shining example of why :) Not doing anything terribly exciting -- E level XC (well E level on a mountain! Makes a HUGE diff :) hahaha but omg I haven't had that much fun in I can't think of how long.

So of the 5 people invited to the cross school, only myself and ONE other showed up?!?!?! What planet IS this??? hahaha but WE had a blast :) Or @ least I did, and she was somewhat amused by how much fun I was having *g*.

Now you have to realize I've jumped this horse over maybe 10 fences, total, ever. And none of them were more than 2'. Beyond tiny. FIRST fence of the day is thoroughly solid, about 3' (PT height) and at the top of a hill (which always makes them ride bigger). 2nd fence is tiny, but has a rather significant drop on the landing side. For a horse who's already built downhill. THIS is our w/u :) Sheesh. But oh so much fun. Ended up actually being the most challenging run of the whole day (like I said, most stuff was E level) but what a way to start! Only thing is that Denny is overly cautious about pushing horses/riders so if he said to do it, I figured it was a pretty safe bet the horse would have no prob w/ it. Sure enuff -- superstar. Landing from the drop fence was a little dodgy the first time, but I found the buttons for the 2nd attempt :) Those would be the "please don't land on your head" buttons. hahaha


Clearing a tiny log by an insane amount


So yeah I haven't really done XC since last summer (running Sug around Marg's and Checkmate doesn't count :) and I haven't done real hills in... ever :) (see the mountain post) Closest thing would prob be stonehill... Headwaters has good hills but most of the jumps (@ least till prelim) are on flat sections. Anyways -- got thoroughly laughed at till I found my balance for jumping/galloping/turning on a significant slope. Def took a round or two b4 I got it down. Fortunately horse was being exceptionally tolerant of this (the fact that he was pretty zonked after our crazy mountain hike yesterday definintely helped!).

And I def turned right instead of left in our first course. Somehow taking "the scenic route" didn't go over nearly so well w/ him as it does in my classes :) hahaha and omg I was sooooo inclined to "speed-bump" this one T fence (near the end of the ride) -- it was SO in the way. But I'm not quite *that* at home w/ Denny's lessons yet. hahaha



The comment of the day "slow down". Every other instruction was "slow down" hahaha sound familiar anybody? "XC done properly should be balanced and under control -- no yahoo-cowboys" hahaha ok so balanced we were not, but we WERE under control -- it was just a whole lot faster than I was technically *supposed* to be going :) But hey, I was supposed to be testing out the horse right? HAD to see what it could do... I did not, however, feel I should mention that *g*

I often wonder which is worse -- ignorance or incompetence? I knew and didn't do it anyways? Or oops didn't know that -- when I should've *g* Often in lessons I think ignorance is the safer route. But then my ego gets in the way ;-P Funny how I don't mind being incompetent but have real probs w/ being ignorant. Ah well :)



Had some theory about the difference in your crusing gallop and your "we have to jump now" position and balance. And how best to effect the change. Fortunately this is a skill I actually have *g* -- (had to be SOME advantage to years of training babies! I'll tell ya, b4 they understand that XC can be ummmm terrifying! hahaha that's the real reason E speeds are so slow! Green horses OR green riders going any faster is just not a good idea) anyways -- got it through to little RC pretty quickly and our comments got significantly better.

Mostly it wasn't so much a lesson as a test-out-the-horse XC day. But oh so much fun. Next time I want to test out the big stuff! hahaha but little RC's def not ready for that *quite* yet.


Bank Combo

So after work I went... riding >;-P Yeah I'm a geek, what can I say. A friend here wanted to work her baby horse and baby horse needed a babysitter, so along I went. Rode this 14.3hh squared fuzzy little pony w/ no withers @ all that we randomly pulled out of a field (hahaha Kerri is this sounding @ all familiar?!?!?! This one wasn't *quite* as wide as Callie, but came pretty close!) hahaha it was the cutest thing ever. Super friendly. Calm but entirely green -- apparently has done a ton of ground work but never really actually been ridden *g* -- this I get told AFTER I agree to go :) But I basically spent the whole ride giggling. I swear it was like riding a stuffed toy. Trot? What trot? We're not trotting *looks down @ the legs in disbelief* omg, we are! hahaha

Oh and the best part -- Denny brought a camera to the XC school -- had the other girl and I take turns taking pics/vid of each other!!! For the middle section of the lesson anyways (not the beginning or the water and banks which were on the way home) hahaha I'll post the link here once I get them -- if any worked out (the sun was setting, it was a little blinding in places) :) Hopefully later tonight but we'll see.

What goes up must come down....

Woohoo! 3 weeks till we go south!!! Got the official date today -- n it's *much* earlier than originally stated. I'm THRILLED! hahaha can't wait :)

So dressage lesson today was pretty good -- a repetition of one of my first ones here... Training pyramid (rhythm, gelassenheit - suppleness, contact . . . etc -- we don't even discuss the other levels :) -- focus on relaxation, correct muscle use, and rhythm. hahaha @ one point he was demonstrating muscle X is in use (just below the crest -- sorry my anatomy is failing me @ the moment n that book is DEF packed away in storage :) and how soft and flopping the lower neck was etc etc -- and all I could think of was Marg's steak analogy -- which I have to admit has always creeped me out a bit *g*. Clearly shouldn't have lessons right b4 lunch time!

Horse was going *really* well by the end though so I was quite happy about that. N positional issues appear to be gone. I asked about it today and he looked at me like I had three heads -- apparently the way it goes is if he's not correcting it, it must be right. hahaha I can understand that -- I know I've been guilty of doing it to ]my students in the past. Maybe I should try "what are my things?" and see what answer I get eh Stephy? :) Actually from Denny I'd prob get a novel length answer! Could be brilliant. That or I'll get the three-head look again *g*
Will try on next flat day.

Which is not tomorrow because tomorrow is XC!!!! woohoo!!! Was really funny to listen to Denny going around this morning to ask each person separately (I just happened to be where I could hear all the conversations) "the weather's supposed to be excellent, do you want to do XC tomorrow?" hahaha you can bet nobody said no :) That's one of those questions you really don't have to ask at an eventing barn... N then all morning the atmosphere in the barn was amazing cause everybody was all excited for tomorrow. hahaha the little things in life eh?

Went on an AMAZING hack this aft. Parts of the property I didn't know existed. But straight UP the mountain -- which is brilliant, till you realize you have to come back DOWN!!! I now understand how cats climb trees and get stuck. I've never been afraid of heights, but man I def had a few moments sitting at the top of said mountain thinking getting off the horse and sitting down before we fell down would be a really good idea (although the view was spectacular!!! If we go up there again, I'm bringing my camera :) hahaha omg seriously though, all you DQs out there who want to improve your seat -- ride straight DOWN a mountain! Scariest thing ever, but my position was brilliant outta self preservation!!! hahaha and if you lean forward you're dead so it's best if you don't do that :) I was never so grateful to be on a surefooted horse.

Anyways -- I'm being called to go to... cooking class now :( Only I could end up renting from a woman who teaches cooking! And is mortally offended that I don't cook. So today is beginner day and to mollify her I promised I'd put in an appearance. NOT looking forward to it though. Ugh. Anybody who wants to call and gossip, now would be a REALLY good time :) Long dis phone calls are an acceptable excuse :)

Do not cloud the issue w/ reason and logic...

Little RC had the *best* canter transition today :) I was sooo happy. Yes it's the little things in life. hahaha if you're a horse-person, you'll get that; if you're not... well that's a shame >;-P Those who know, cannot explain; those who don't know, cannot understand.

I gotta admit, most of the critters I've been riding lately have led me to a new appreciation for Zel. Rhythm on her was pretty idiot-proof :) In fact most things on her by the end were pretty idiot proof *g* And yes I know, logically, that she still can't do what I want to do, but that doesn't make it easy to accept. Oh who are we kidding -- I did dressage for a YEAR to avoid accepting it >;-P hahaha That being said, b4 said year I doubt rhythm would ever have occured to me so perhaps I did manage to learn something from it >;-P

So the F-word discussion. We all know the standard F word; well in a random non-lesson conversation the other day Denny suggested the real F word is Fat. Particularly in relation to women (this whole thing started after some smart-ass comment about the fact that I tend to go *through* the fences that I can't go over (top rail is electrified) rather than around... And that I *just* fit... hahaha) -- if, generally speaking, you tell a woman she's fat, she's going to be far more p*ssed and/or hurt than if you tell her to F-off. We were talking about the out-cry when George Morris told certain riders they had to lose weight and how everybody and their sister got all huffy about it. But then realistically, how good an athlete can you be if you're not physically fit? (and yes I know you can be heavy AND fit; those are not the people we're talking about here :) And how can your horse perform to his best if he has to cart around xtra weight?

So I got to thinking about that -- n while it's obviously in *very* general terms, there might be something to it. And in a slight variation -- IF we accept the premise that the offence is true, what does it say about society? That being called fat (which in some cases is an inarguable statement of fact) is among the worst insults out there...

Anyways -- just struck me as interesting, if somewhat random...

And more of complete randomness: we had a NH type person in today who was killing time waiting for one of the girls, n he was going around and analysing the horses' personalities based solely on appearance (swirls, ears, eyes, etc). Entirely old-wives tales... But the thing is, there's usually a grain of truth in those somewhere. While I'm not convinced I believe it, the analysis was pretty close for almost all of them. Sort of interesting. Almost want to put together a crib-sheet for the next shopping expedition! hahaha Of course who knows how much he's heard about them b4 too -- although I doubt he'd've heard enough to know *which* of the dark-bay tbX horses he was looking @. N none of them are ever in their right stalls. I'm really not sure why they even *have* assigned stalls.

For the curious -- the little I remember about swirls. Most have one between or just above the eyes and that doesn't tell much. But if it's somewhere else... One long swirl in the middle of the forehead = super-friendly w/ people (was pretty accurate). 2 swirls connected is going to be difficult -- highstrung or unpredictable (that one was bang on - had everybody laughing when he came up w/ that analysis). One swirl right in the middle and low = very intelligent (able to solve puzzles, untie knots, open gates, etc... Anybody @ Myrddin reading this want to go look @ Marty for me???). Apparently way off-center to the left is likely to be opinionated and/or stubborn; way off-centre to the right you may as well give up and go home. There were details about all sorts of other things too, but it was the swirls we were running around looking @ so that's what I remember *g* Apparently Linda Tellington-Jones has a lot of this in her books, but I haven't read them so I couldn't say for sure.

Is there logic to this? The only thing I can think of is that swirls etc are inherited much as personality traits are and so both are handed down together. Beyond that, I've no idea... Anybody w/ more than 101 level genetics experience care to comment?

Of course there's the whole chestnut mare w/ 4 white socks thing too -- but I still adored Zel :) So not putting tooooo much faith in it :) Although it was a good excuse when she was being... ummmmm... interesting *g*

Moooooo

Ok so there are these stupid flies that are driving me absolutely insane. Take your normal fly and make them 10x dumber. These things just fly around in circles till they die! It's gross -- there are dead flies everywhere, and live ones buzzing around crashing into walls. And they are EVERYwhere -- driving the horses insane at the barn, driving me insane in the house. Ugh. Apparently they're a real problem at this time of year in VT. Blah. Harmless -- just annoying and a little icky when you find yourself walking through dead flies :(

Ok so jump lesson today -- which, naturally, means I was happy :) Gymnastics for the first time since I've been here. Was also happy about that (being the gymnastic queen and all) AND since they were set up on a trot distance, it meant the whole fact that little RC isn't strong enough to canter properly doesn't matter. I rode in one of D's saddles since mine's been banned and I really thought showing up bareback wouldn't go over very well *g* Although I do admit to at least considering it hahaha but I figured making that particular point wouldn't be well received >;-P So yeah, riding in other saddle got told "oh look at that, your leg goes exactly where it's supposed to. Much easier when you're not fighting your tack isn't it?" ok ok I get the point. Want to guess the pricetag on that particular saddle? Comeon, take a guess... Got a number in your head? Ok -- now double it. Yeah -- those saddles apparently average about 4k. Cute eh? Ah well. I'll let myself be spoiled while I'm here Reality can kick in when I come home again :)

Had the strangest thing happen out hacking today -- still not sure exactly *how* it happened, but was def a first for me (and honestly, I don't think there are too many horsey firsts left! At least not ones I want to ever experience!)... So there were 4 of us out together. 2 whose horses love cows, 1 who really doesn't like them but has a bit of a brain (the one I was on), and 1 whose brain falls out its ears when there's a cow in sight (or any other excuse really). So we cross into the area where the paths diverge and standing there to greet us is a COW! hahaha had evidently let herself out of his paddock... Ok now that part was ok. The one horse was losing it a bit but not tooooooo badly, cause of course the cow hadn't moved. That was all well and good -- till the two riders sitting on cow-friendly horses decided they were going to herd the cow back into the pasture.

hahaha omg -- first of all it was insanely funny to watch them trying to do this, since they have absolutely NO idea how one goes about herding a cow (not that I would've been any better, but as my horse was spinning in circles at the time I wasn't exactly able to be involved). Anyways -- once the cow AND the two horses start cantering about playing this game, the other horse I was w/ LOST it. Which ironically helped my horse a bit cause he tried to chill her out. But then the cow cantered down the hill towards us, followed by his herders, and both our horses were out of there. Spin and gone. No biggie, we got them back under control w/in not tooooo far (just out of sight of the cow - imagine that :) -- but when I got mine stopped, he no longer had a bridle on! Seriously. I have absolutely NO idea how this came to be. He seemed not the slightest bit aware of it -- was still focused on where the cow was. Fortunately for me he kept his mouth closed -- so the bit stayed in, but the whole bridle was OFF. Still entirely done up, but hanging under his chin from the bit. Was the most random thing. I have NO idea how it happened. The two people who saw it have no idea how it happened (although admittedly the one was rather busy w/ her own horse :). So I hoped off and tried really hard not to lose him while I put his bridle back ON. hahaha then remounted and we set off back towards the scary cow area. The whole time he was entirely too focused on where the cow *might* be to pay any attention whatsoever to me.

By this point the cow and the would-be herders had vanished entirely. We knew they were on one of the upper paths, so we decided to stick to the lowest path :) My horse oh-so-bravely power trotted by the scary area ("ok, I'll go by, but I'm not going to walk -- the monster might come back and I'd need a running start!") and the other horse followed us... Then we met the scary excavator -- which her horse felt was terrifying and my horse couldn't figure out what she was scared of. hahaha so after that was all good. When we eventually met up w/ the other two we found out they never did manage to herd the cow back through the gate - but they found out how it gets out. Evidently it goes THROUGH the fence. Over the bottom wire and under the top (UGH a FLY just died on my keyboard!)... Anyways -- evidently the cow let herself back into her paddock when she got bored of being herded. We recommended to the cow's owner that perhaps the electric needs to be a *little* stronger :) hahaha

Are you a truly intelligent person?

So if you've been reading this and are not yet on the list of "Truly Intelligent People" -- could you join?!?! Can use a fake E for all I care (if it even asks for one? I don't know -- I just see the names), I'm just *really* curious who I'm writing to!!! Let me know :) *edited later -- ok as silly as it seems to follow your own blog, I just added myself. It's a relatively painless procedure...*

Mr. Cayman met the cowboy today -- seems to be a really great horseperson w/ an interesting combination of natural-horsemanship and practical usefulness :) One horse he's working w/ on the farm (who actually has *very* similar issues to C -- maybe that's why the reaction to C's behaviour was more dramatic than perhaps otherwise called for?) Anyways -- he was riding her out and when she started acting up he just rode it through till it was a non-issue (this after 2 wks of training). Clearly willing to deal w/ the issues mounted etc. But w/ Cayman today (being the first day) he had him free in the ring and w/in a few minutes had him chilled out and following him around. No drama, no props, entirely body communication. But was really brilliant to watch. N he seemed to have a pretty good read on him too. Anyways -- hopefully he can help us figure out what's going on and if it's 'fixable'. Fingers crossed. After all "it's the difficult horses that have the most to give you" -- or is that just wishful thinking on the part of all people w/ difficult horses?

Jumping today -- FINALLY! Theory was mostly about the differences between jumping position and dressage position and why... The whole form follows function thing. Tight, short leg for stability and strength in jumping. Soft, long leg for suppleness and subtlty in dressage. Lower leg forward jumping for defence/strength, lower leg directly under for dressage for precision/suppleness. etc etc

Now not only has my HORSE been banned from lessons, but so has my jumping saddle! :( So sad. Was informed that it's making it impossible for me to ride correctly (hmmm this conversation sounds sorely familiar in ref to my dressage saddle. Sheesh) and there's no point to me coming to lessons if I don't even have a *chance* to do it right. Upon mentioning that it happens to be my ONLY jump saddle (sorry -- still haven't won the lottery) I was told to try one of his (or several till I find one that works)... Which is great and yet not, cause the last time I borrowed a saddle from my coach it got taken away from me at a show to be loaned to somebody else and I was left w/ nothing (thankfully I have great friends who bailed me out!), so I'm def a little gun-shy on that one. But that being said, no shows for 5 mths, so no real need to worry... Of course the other catch is that if I find the perfect saddle for me here, I'm toast, cause I could never ever afford one. But for the moment at least, I'll be doing as I'm told :)

I got a little frustrated in this lesson because I was being asked to make the horse canter a course in a fashion that yesterday was deemed to be too hard for him (@ his current level of fitness) for more than about 3 strides... N I'm thinking, if we can't do it on the flat, how are we supposed to do it over fences...? Basically got told, "yes well do it anyways" >;-P Needless to say, it didn't work out very well. :( Ah well -- such is life eh? Horse I was riding today has quite a cute jump though -- was happy w/ that.

So this morning I got "you're a techie person -- want to help me w/ my computer and maybe do some typing?" hahaha now WHERE did he come up w/ the idea I'm a techie person...??? I certainly didn't tell him :) And nobody else here should know... And yet again, I seem to be destined to become the barn secretary *g* hahaha has happened at every barn I've been at since highschool. Sheesh. Just as well I don't actually mind eh? It's a good mental change from normal barn chores, and sometimes you get to find out kewl stuff too :)

On a completely different note -- finally posted more random farm pics if you're interested: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=168608&l=449e0&id=823765365

I *swear* I've sat on a horse b4!!!

So I rode the Rio-clone in my lesson today. Cute little horse -- a bit downhill (well I *did* say he was like Rio :) Nothing terribly exciting about him, but nothing bad either. Lesson was awesome though from a rider-focus pov (as opposed to a horse-focus which 90% of them are). Think lunge-lesson type details, except not actually on a lunge *g*. @ one point I started to laugh cause I had 4 corrections in less than a stride. Literally. Just think of how FAST the corrections were coming for that to happen! And of course they didn't stop at that stride...

Sit deeper, shorten your reins, relax your thigh, eyes up, lower leg on... but SOFT!, shorten your reins, bend your elbows, chin up, hands lower, hands higher (that combination amused me), inside leg forward, rythym (what?!?!?! I'm just trying to keep me ON the horse in the right position, or some variation thereof -- you want me to RIDE too!?!?! Sheesh! hahaha), outside leg back - too far!, stretch up, outside rein shorter, bend your elbows (I admit I have trouble bending my elbows when my reins are really short! It's still an either-or propsition @ the moment so those two commands tend to come together often), chin up, softer back, rythym, leg down (yeah Mary that one's still haunting me!), shorten your reins . . . Well you get the gist. Can you figure out bad habit number one?!?! Continue this for half an hour or so... It was like being in step-class a level higher than you really should be :) Eventually you get so tangled up you don't know WHAT you're doing -- but then when you do get it you're thrilled. Except I'm not sure I ever got it! >;-P

But man did it ever make me think about exactly what I was doing. N it was highly entertaining (is it bad that I'm thoroughly amused by attempting to achieve the impossible?). @ one point I got so confuzled (yes that's a word :) that even real basics were getting lost while I tried to organize everything else. Which I suppose is technically NOT a good thing, but I loved the challenge, and Denny seemed happy w/ the attempt if not necessarily the result. Although he did seem to think there's @ least a smidgen of potential there, so that's a relief!

My record before today was 7 corrections @ one time. N that was YEARS ago. Marg came close w/ 6 back when I was riding Rios. I remember that :) Today I think blew all records away. N since I was actually trying to apply them all (rather than counting them!) I didn't have enuff brain cells LEFT to count! I'm afraid calculus is forever gone -- it got ejected from memory somewhere between "hands down" and "hands up" hahaha Such a shame.

On a completely different note that many of you will understand -- this particular horse is beyond terrified of cows. Now he's only been on the property since yesterday (this woman brought him in for me to ride since Cayman got vetoed) -- so he's still a little concerned about life and spends a lot of time calling. Off we go for a hack (unescorted -- woohoo!) and he's calling and calling and all the horses are ignoring him. Well I guess this one kind cow took pity on him and answered. A nice long low Moooooo. OMG was poor RC (Rio Clone) ever stunned. Whipped around in a circle and froze. His little heart was pounding at top speed. But the cow was well out of sight... hahaha well I'll tell ya -- RC didn't make another sound for the rest of the ride :) hehehe if you yell, it tells the monsters where you are! Well it amused me anyways :)