A Mix of Thing, Horses and Books

Well lets start off that I haven't written in quite sometime! The pony is doing well, of course I had to change some things, such as farrier, saddle, etc. But all is for the greater good : ) Summer is a such a lovely season! Everything is green and luscious! Trail riding through the forest is magical, I feel as if that I enter another world. Such as from a novel or book. The breeze that shifts through the trees and makes them come to life. The wildlife replaces people and crowds. And the best part all this witnessed from the back of your most truest friend. Only truly lucky and blessed people are able to experience such pleasure. Horses transport our minds away from the continuity of daily life and lead us into a a truly magical world.


The next topic is saddles..... Everyone cringing at that phrase, or at least I do. I detest saddle shopping because financially it is always a pain. But this time my trainer recommended I buy a All Purpose Wintec saddle. I tried hers and my jumping position definitely has improved. So hopefully, fingers crossed, I can sell my current saddle and get some money to buy a new one! Again fingers crossed!

Since it is summer, infinite opportunities, I have been reading an abundant amount of books. It is really heartbreaking and sad that today's generation do not appreciate books like previous ones. They are obsessed with their virtual realities and televisions. And they do not realize what they are missing. The way I describe what reading feels like, is that it resembles a movie playing in your mind. The characters you dress up and they play their parts out in your mind. This encourages imagination and creative thinking. Ah, every time I walk into the library I get chills by seeing all those books, and all free! The classics are nicely mixed with the modern/popular novels, like all are equals. Ahh reading is another magical experience..... Well all for now.. Another note, Harry Potter WOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The New Place

Hello again! So talking about moving on... well Sam and I have moved to our new farm! It's a really private place and it's not advertised anywhere. The barn itself is not anything special, it has an outdoor wash stall, tack/feed room, etc. It reminds me a lot of my old event farm, which I loved with all my heart. The amazing thing about this place is the people, trainer, and surroundings. Firstly there are literally miles of trails in the "backyard". This farm is the trainer's parents farm and so far I love it! I guess what I really like about this place is the people that own/care for the horses allow the horses to be horses. They don't "baby" them and make sure that they treat people with respect. They mesh with my personal opinions about training horses.

AND the best part is that I have weekly lessons! Yuppy! I have to say I am sore every week so far! And this is great, my body is changing! Since my previous barn didn't have any trails or places to ride outside, I was really constricted. But so far I have gone at least on four trail rides this past two weeks! Its so wonderful and I have completely forgotten how peaceful it is! The blue skies above you and the endless possibilities feel like complete freedom! Love it, seems to good to be true! Especially for the budget!

On a different note, I have to make a comment about my finiancial independence with my horse expenses. Now don't mistake me, my parents are still helping me a little! However compared to last year I really have contributed to the horse expenses! I feel really good about it, because it shows I can some what afford a horse sort of by myself. Although if my parents want to chip in they are most welcome! Hehe! Well almost done with school and will post again soon the progress of the furry animal and me! Bye!

Keep on Moving

Hello! So of course a lot of time flew by since my last post! So many things have happened lately, but all in a good way! First the pony of course! He is doing really wonderfully! I keep trying to remember to take pictures but alas I keep forgetting. With this new trainer we are really turning a new page! His dressage is getting so much better, he is really listening to my body and responds to it. The jumping the coming along. I need to change my body and position and then we can really get somewhere : ) I definitely am back into the flow of things mentally and physically! I really have driving force to keep riding and especially after seeing all this progress! This training will be able to regain both of our confidence and we both can jump back into eventing with a full force! For the first time in years I feel I am riding correctly and the connection my horse and I have is magical. I feel he does everything when I think of it! It is truly the greatest feeling.

On another note, a friend of mine and I went to Morven Park horse trials to volunteer a couple weeks ago. It was a blast! It was great sitting for six hours and just chatting and having fun! Although we did complaining about the cold wind and spent most of the time praying for the sun to come out! I have to say the jumps that we judged at nobody had a problem with, no refusals or falls! We felt pretty successful! I love the air of an event competition! Even if I am not competing, I love seeing the action and determination of all the riders/horses. It definitely has som magic about it. My friend will be competing pretty actively this season, so hopefully I will be out there and grooming for her! They are an awesome pair!

And of course the topic of school is always on the horizon! It is going well but hard. I am working continuously and really hard too! I feel I am just balancing my time between school and the pony. But it is worth it and some weekends I will see my friends, especially my horsey friends. School will be done is a couple of weeks and the summer awaits! This will be probably my last summer where I can enjoy my time and relax. After this internships and research awaits, ugh! So this summer will be dedicated to ultimate horse time, reading, relaxing, and friend time! Can't wait for all the trees to bloom and the world to turn a rich green color, full of growth. Can't wait to go galloping through the fields and endless trail rides! Especially can't wait for my pale skin to turn into a nice tan! Summer is teasing us, it is so close! Please come soon! Lets hope I will take some pcitures this weekend! Next week I will be at my friends event grooming, so it will be fun to be outside all day! Until then, toodles!

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!