Mental Time Off

Hi! Okay so its finally spring break, hooray!! I can finally have a little room to breathe before jumping into the chaos again. School is going well, but once again really hard and some disappoints are never avoided. But I am continually working and hopefully that will pay off in the long run. So apart from complaining about my difficult college life, the pony is doing well. I had the chiropractor come out and work on Sam. Well I wish I had done this sooner! He feels so different and wonderful, our dressage is stunning now! I am so proud of my pony : ) The chiropractor is the mother of my trainer and I trust her completely, she is well known in the area and is highly recommended. Anyhow she gave me a couple exercises:

1. Do carrot stretches, between the front legs and side to side
2. Do back leg muscle stretch, specific way of doing this
3. Back lifts
4. Shake the legs
5. Massage butt muscles

So again I have homework, the list of things to do with this horse is growing! But I can definitely feel the difference and I love it! He just feels so smooth and I feel his mouth in my hands. He feels heavy and going with my hand. Its really amazing and I am so proud of in what we have accomplished. On another note, you ask hows the two point exercises going, well its painful! I do have to say that after doing it for a couple of days, its easier now and less painful! And Sam really likes it too, it gives him a chance to "just trot" and just enjoy the scenery. I am getting stronger and it feels great!

I visited one of my friends from my old farm this weekend and it was great seeing both her and her awesome horse! It is really a cute place and lots of room to gallop and have fun! I watched her ride in the field and jump some cross country fences. It was so relaxing to sit outside and just watch the fun the two were having. I loved it and they will be competing this fall, so it will be awesome to see the two in action : )

The weather today was dreary and the type where you only should stay in bed. However I somehow had the energy to do stuff today! I did some school work this morning, yes even if I am break I will still do work. Its like a disease, I can't get it out of mind and can't get rid of it. In the evening I went to the barn to ride the pony and it went beautifully! He was so good and loving to me, such a cutie today! Even it was drizzling a little I still went into one of the fields and trotted and walked around, it was really nice to be outside : ) Spring is here and summer is on its way!

It was so quiet in the barn today that when I rode Sam, each step he took, you could hear the sand shifting and the sound of the boots connecting with the sand. It was really cool, something you don't realize on a day to day basis. Just one of the small things that make me smile! I hope to take some pics of Sam this week since I am off and hope to post them! See you soon and I will leave you with my favorite quote: "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beat." G.K. Chesterton

Back in Action

Hello hello! Well lets see its been a long time! So the spring semester of college began! A little bit closer to summer : ) I have a pretty busy schedule this semester with a bunch of hard classes. I am taking chemistry( 2nd year), calculus, an English class, and chemistry lab. So a bunch of chemistry this semester and for a while thats all I can think about. So riding has been indefinitely limited to once per week, which is usually on a Friday night. But it works out and Sam seems to like it a lot. It's kinda funny of how I am not really upset about not going to the barn continuously. It is not that I don't like horses or riding anymore but its just nice to not stress about like something I need to cross off on a To-Do list.

However, somehow in my crazy busy schedule I managed to take a class with my new trainer this weekend! It was fanatastic! We are now starting to rework my body when it comes to jumping. Its a long road ahead, but when everything comes together it feels awesome! Sam was especially good too, he seems to really respect the trainer and likes to work with her. So of course the list of things to work on:

1. When jumping don't lean forward and look straight and up.
   
2. Keep heals down and toe out, no knee pinching.
3. When asking to go forward use your whole leg.
4. Develop stomach muscles.
5. Every ride to 15 minutes of jump position in trot.

Seems easy enough, right? Uh, I don't think so... So I have a lot to work and develop but we both have plenty of time to figure it out.

Another note, I guess we will be calling the chiroprator out for Sam. My trainers mom is a horse vet that does chiropratic work and she is highly recommended. So she will hopefully be coming out soon and work on Sam's back. He will be all brand new and feeling good : ) Can't wait for spring break to roll around so I can have more time with Sam and work for more things! But meanwhile I hope to be coming back to my trainers barn soon for another really great lesson! I hope I can post a video of our lesson that is if I ever figure out how to do that!

Oh and I all most forgot, I am planning to go and volunteer at the Morven Park Horse Trials, which will be great fun! They mostly run higher levels of eventing which is always awesome to watch. So a friend of mine and I are going to be cross country volunteers. To set and run such a big event really depends on the volunteers. And since competing in so many it's a good idea to give something back to the sport! So hopefully spring weather is right around the corner and we can start riding outside! Happy trails and will write soon!

The Start of Something New

Hello again! So I finally had a lesson in months and it went really well! The trainer I am now going to work with is amazing, I absolutely love her! First, I really liked how she taught, she was very direct and immediately told me what I was doing wrong and how to correct it. I really like this in a trainer, because I would rather have a person be blunt about something so I know immediately and can fix it. But she gave me really good explanations about what I should correct and why. So here is my homework that I need to improve on and show in my next lesson:

1. My horse is moving off my leg when I press with my WHOLE inside leg, not just the heel
   
2. My body should stop "pumping" and sit still
3. Get a slower rhythm from my horse, forward doesn't mean fast
4. Keep my hands up and especially during transitions
   
5. Keep my hands still and my leg back and knees not pinching

So that's the list! And I know I can do it! I am really ready to pick up my horse's training where I left off in the summer, it feels amazing doing something right again! I haven't been excited about my lessons before so this is great!

So I rode the beast today and implemented all of those points and it really made a difference! I felt Sam moving off better and our canter departures were really strong and powerful, which was awesome! Even the barn owner came out and helped my a little to find my rhythm in the trot which was great because I love another set of eyes! So all in all it was a very rewarding experience and really influenced me to jump back and take riding seriously again and pursue a goal. So here is my goal, by my last year of college I plan to take my horse up to training level in eventing! It's a pretty big goal if you know us (Sam and I) but with my new trainer and my inspiration I believe we can make it! On another note I have a dressage lesson on Wednesday so that too will help me whip into shape : ) So long and try to have that great lesson because that makes all the difference!

The Little Things in Life

Hello! Its definitely been a while, but of course when I got off of school I had to go and get sick : ( But I am slowly recovering and decided to spend some time writing! For a couple of days this week I did AM chores at the barn. During the school year I am so stressed that all I can think about when doing horsey chores is: When am I going to be done? But during break I have all the time in the world and I take a step back and enjoy the morning I get to spend with all my horses. I love feeding in the morning and preparing grain! The horses are so happy to see you, like they thought you were never coming. I take it slow and everybody gets special attention : ) And then comes my favorite part, mucking! Because our barn is very small I am the only person out in the mornings, so I have the place all to myself, yay! Mucking is so therapeutic, the shoveling back and forth and the silence of the barn is everything you need to calm your mind. I love it and can't get enough of it either!

So with this time off for me I decided to have a little boot camp this week. We are planning to go and have a lesson on Friday with a near by trainer. Considering Sam and I haven't done a lesson in months, it will certainly be entertaining to watch both of us working our butts! But hopefully all will go well. Then on Sunday we have a fix a test dressage clinic which I think will be very helpful for us. And finally I am going to have a dressage lesson with a trainer I rode with previously but due to time I haven't been able to ride with her very often. So I am expecting a lot of information and more than enough to work on after this week. But all in all it will help Sam and I improve our riding. So that is my plan and will let you know how everything goes. Oh I will post pictures soon from the winter days and hopefully videos from the clinics and lessons : ) Have a wonderful Christmas and will write soon!

Done!

First semester of college done, hooray!! Let me just say that everything you hear in high school that college is way easier then all those AP classes, it's a lie! My first semester was the hardest I ever worked for school. In high school I had straight A's for every class and the work load I thought was a lot, boy I had no clue when I got into college. Every night I did work and studied for all the classes. And the sad part it is just the beginning. But I think I just needed to get adjusted to the schedule and the method of studying. So hopefully next semester will be less stressful, ha sure... I am really proud of myself though : ) Now the exciting part, more than a month off! Thank goodness for that. It makes sense to me, work hard for three months and then you get a well deserved long break. So I survived and it's just going to keep on getting funnier, that was sarcastic ; )

So hows the pony doing now, well he's really the same. I rode him the other after finishing my last exam and getting home. He was actually really good. I set up "scary" jumps and he paid no attention. I am trying to plan to do some clinics/lessons over my break so I can keep improving my riding and Sam. We will see what comes up. Because I have so much free time now, I am going to barn to help out all here and there. Since the barn owner does so much for me, I am more than willing to help out when I can!

When I was driving home from school I stopped by our local library to grab some books! I love to read and during school I feel my brain can't keep all the story details and equations for chemistry at once. So reading for pleasure is put on the back burner till break! So I got a couple of books which I am excited to read, yay! My reading tastes have slowly changed to books more about bibliographies and such. I find it really interesting to read other people's opinions and the stories of there lives. In addition currently I am completely drawn into reading the classics, such as Crime and Punishments and Vanity Fair. I love walking into the library, you are surrounded by so many books that it's such a homey feeling. Reading I think is the best way to escape your current situation or just unwind. When I read a book I enjoy, I feel as if I am catapulted into the book and watch the story play out as watching a movie. It a fantastic feeling! Well I do have a busy week in front of me so if I don't get to write, Merry Christmas : )

Horse Psychic

So I am not one of those crazy people, but I invited a horse psychic to come out and read my horse. There are some behaviors that I don't understand why Sam does and I wanted to find out more. So this woman come out that a friend of mine recommended me to and she was a big help! It was really interesting what she had to say. And strange enough everything she said was spot on. The moment she came to him, she told me how playful and dominant he is and that's all what he wants to do, which is totally him. She also randomly mentioned about that he is a little scared riding on trailers, but after some coaxing he will get on. She said that there was a spot on his back that might benefit from a little chiropractic work, but other then that he is a really healthy horse. She also said that he really likes things that are repeated, like courses and exercises. It was a really insightful experience and I really believed that she knew what she was talking about.

On another note, the field across from our barn we finally managed to get over there and see if we can ride there. It is really awesome, the track near the tree line is a beautiful grass turf and that will be perfect for galloping and hacking when the ground thaws out! Can't wait! Well I will be free soon, two more days and after that its a personal goal of mine to reorganize the feed room. I really need to take a before and after picture to really show the progress. In our barn we get lazy very easily and sometimes don't get to cleaning up stuff so our tack and feed room kinda looks like an explosion happened : ) So my winter break project is going to be just that and the sad part after a month the mess will come back! Stay warm!

Look Where You Want to Go

Considering I don't ride too often anymore, my horse gets jumped once every two weeks. I think he really likes that schedule too, its like a breath of fresh air for him. But the other day I made it my plan that I would set up a course and work on some jumping. My mom plays a bigger role with helping me with my horse and in some aspects she is my trainer. She definitely doesn't let me get away with things, such as my position or if I am slacking off in my riding : ) But I asked her if she could set up a course for me and boys she made us work. It was a really cool exercise, you had a line of two jumps that were two strides apart and the jumps were shifted so that you had to jump the side of one jump and the side of the other jump in order to go in a straight line. So the exercise was you jumped the first jump and made a circle right after it and come back to the jump and then jump the line to the second and make a circle after the second to the other direction. In addition you needed to change leads when you are making the circle after the second jump. This really made us work! But surprisingly it wasn't long till we got the exercise and mastered it. It was really a blast.

I get all my jump exercises from the book, 101 Jumping Exercises. This book is amazing it really takes you step by step through the introduction of jumping to the higher levels. Since our jumping ring isn't big enough for some of the exercises we will usually improvise, but it still fits the purpose perfectly.
With Sam repetition means boring, so if I jump less often he enjoys it more which I see in his character. But it works with me! On another note Christmas is coming and I think the only thing horsey that I will get this year is the quarter sheet, so trail riding in the winter won't be painful, hehe! But since this year Sam has a stall, I am thinking of making him a Christmas barn mash, with carrots, cinnamon, some stud muffins, and a bunch of other yummys. Knowing him he would REALLY enough that : ) So I am off to continue studying, the end is almost near, hooray! Be back to write soon!