Monday was MLK Day and also the last day of winter break, or so Amanda and Robert tell me. This turned out to be a HUGE deal!!!! Let me tell about it.
First, let me tell you I LOVE trailer rides. There is something soothing about being jostled around in the back of a steel cage where my balance is crap and there are other horses constantly bumping into my personal space bubble... but that's ok. I overheard that we were going to a cross-country schooling day! I like jumping and all but, schooling?!?!? I am a 9 yr old horse! I know how to walk trot and canter! I can even jump over 2'3" fences! why do I need to go to school? But there will be jumping!
So, at the break of day Maggie came and got me from my paddock and dragged me away from my cozy round bale. I really didn't mind. Jellybean was being a special pony and bucking around. I will never understand the exuberance of youth. So much wasted energy that could be put to use eating hay.
Everybody got on the trailer with no issues, It was a big trailer but still cozy with me, Knots, and Duncan. We were flying down the road and enjoying the wind in our manes! It was like galloping without running. Before we knew it we were there! It seemed like we were early since we had the whole area to ourselves. There was lots of lush grass to eat. High Point Farm is the best for grazing. Next thing I know there is a saddle pad then a saddle and a bridle! Oh God! when did we decide to ride instead of eat?!?! Why am I on a lunge line????? Circles!!!!!! NOOOOOO!!! My nemesis! oh, ok... I'll settle down.... can we stop this circle thing now? whew! thanks.
There is sooooo much room for activities here! Wide open fields for cantering, if I feel like it, (wink wink Maggie.) and all of these fancy obstacles! So much fun! We jumped logs and step ups, and coops. Then Maggie tried to do a water element... Robert must not have told her I don't like water elements. I am a trooper though. I splashed right through that water even if I had a funny look on my face. Then just like that we were done. That wasn't so bad. I think I can handle this in a show setting. Come on High Point Derby!
Back on the trailer for the ride home and some well deserved round bale. We are rolling down the road enjoying the wind in our manes when there is a scary loud popping and rumbling sound from the trailer!!!!!! Oh God! why is it leaning that way! Why are we stopping???? Knots and Duncan don't know either! We are trapped in the leaning steel box of death on the side of the road of death with death cars flying by at 80mph!!!!!! Save us! I can hear Amanda and Maggie outside the box of death! They sound unhappy. I am going to paw at the walls until they tell me what is going on.... Still pawing.... still pawing... no answer. maybe the cars of roaring death got them.... we are all going to die! Still pawing....
Finally I hear Amanda, Maggie and Katie talking about TWO flat tires on that side of the steel box of death. Oh, no. sounds like we will be here awhile. still pawing.... but to no avail. The people are not listening. I stop pawing and just wait... ForEVER!
There is lots of noise and movement from outside the steel box of death as the roaring cars of death thunder by. It sounds like someone is fixing the steel box of death. More waiting.... then we suddenly start moving again. whew! we may not die in here.... But why are we going so slow? there is no wind in our manes. We could walk home faster than this. At some point I took a nap because the next I remember is the trailer door opening at home. We all get to go back to our round bales and relax.
Except for me, I see Jellybean has missed me. She is bounding around the paddock like an idiot. Good thing for her, she is part of MY herd.
It is good to be home.
-An excerpt from the diary of the big grey horse (Gracie) dated Jan. 20 2015
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Cross Country Adventures
Monday was a holiday around here, so we were invited to an open schooling at High Point Farm with Amanda and company. I took Knots and Maggie took Gracie, and our other barn peeps Jeannette and Katie also came along. Katie, Maggie, and me loaded up the trailer at the farm and actually made it down super early. Like 45 minutes before we were supposed to begin the lesson. I realize this isn't early for many people, but it was for us and I was excited.
We slowly tacked up and got our horses warmed up. Maggie spent some extra time lunging Gracie since she settles better into work if she has the opportunity to buck on the line instead of under saddle ;). Then the rest of the lesson people descended and it was time to warm up with the group and then head out.
Knots and I had a good warm up, we have been working on moving back to dressage fundamentals in all warm ups until he starts relaxing. I was riding him in a D-ring, fatter snaffle for the schooling with a running martingale (this is important as the day continued on haha). We managed to finish cantering just as the group was ready to move off to the first jumps.
The first group was a series of logs, horizontally probably 2', 18", 2'3", and 2'6". Plus or minus a few inches, I am not as good of a guesser from horseback. We schooled a combination of two (Gracie and Maggie) or three (Knots and I) to warm up. I started off by dropping him and letting him run to the first few, which gave us crappy spots and ugly riding. So we refocused some more and I tried to keep my body back.
Next set of jumps was a 2'ish box, a log pile 2'3"ish, and some tires (however tall tires are... 2'3"?). I took a picture.
We didn't work over the big jump farther back in the picture. Anyways we jumped the logs and then circled around and jumped the tires. Knots was a little shaky going into the tires, but luckily my leg was engaged. Maggie had a little bit of trouble over the logs. Gracie is still jumping weird, and got Maggie jarred a little bit in the tack, then basically stopped and bucked after the jump. Maggie went up into the air, took her foot out of the stirrup, and landed one her feet with the reins in hand. Wow. I got a couple of pictures before the jump:
Gracie learned a trick too, the jump after Maggie dismounted, she tried to slam on the breaks on the backside of the fence and knock Maggie loose again. Maggie fixed that problem. After successfully navigating those jumps, we moved on to the next combination series, of which I actually got some video. For Gracie, Maggie jumped a 2'ish log, then came around over a 2' green box, then up the hill to some 2'ish logs standing upright. See video:
My combination was the bigger log to the right, then the brown ramp and the table/house thing in the middle of the third set. We had some trouble at the ramp the first time through. We didn't quite commit and we jumped the space in between the two jumps. Oops. Then we tried to add back the table thing, and Knots was getting tired and strung out. I ended up letting him gallop up the hill all strung out, and he took a very long spot to the table and I got left behind pretty good. This was good practice though, because I need to really keep working at checking his speed and not running. He needs to continue getting stronger so that cantering up a hill to a jump isn't as challenging.
Before moving along, we jumped the last couple of elements, the steps. There was a step up and a step down. Knots and I have practiced these at Pine Hill, so I thought they were kind of fun. Except Knots wouldn't trot. He wasn't quite trantering, but just a very up and down excited canter. Gracie didn't do anything notable, just went up and down.
The last area we moved to feature a couple of fake ditches, a bench, a table, and some railroad tie jump thing. I didn't get a picture, but you might be able to see some in the last video.
Maggie jumped the "ditch" which was two poles on the ground about 2 feet apart, then over to the green box, then the stand up logs, and finally the step up. Gracie just did not feel led to canter during these exercises. You can see in the video that she just doesn't hardly want to move forward.
For Knots and I, we started with the same ditch, then jumped the railroad thing, then over to the ramp and up to the table, followed by the step up and down. I felt more in control for this round, and we didn't get strung out and gallop up the hill!
I thought we were done at this point, but as it turns out we went to the "water complex" and jumped into the stadium bit. We jumped the three logs from jump number two, then turned and cantered through the water, over some barrels, and then onto the stadium in jump (a small coup). Knots and I had some trouble getting over the barrels. I let him get strung out going through the water and lost my reins, then couldn't steer over the barrels. Several times. Finally I made it over, then jumped into the stadium and apparently lost my phone.
I didn't realize this until later, and luckily Katie noticed it in the stadium arena. Whew. I definitely didn't want to tell Robert I needed another new phone (I just replaced a cracked screen...). Gracie didn't have any problems going through the water, although she had a "this is yucky" look on her face the entire time. She jumped the same jumps and then at long last we were finished.
We took care of the ponies and then loaded up and rolled out, dreaming of lunch. Ha. That wasn't going to happen.
We were about 20 miles from the farm on the highway when our tire blew on the trailer. Both tires actually, on the same side.
Luckily we had a great friend with a floor jack, and we managed to eventually... make it home. The horses were not too bothered by the experience, Gracie even stopped pawing eventually haha. Life lesson here kids: always trailer with a floor jack, a spare tire, and one of these:
We made it home unscathed, hungry, and tired, but at least we got Katie's papers graded ;) Maybe more pictures to come. I'm crossing my fingers one of the other riders friend took some awesome pictures to share.
We slowly tacked up and got our horses warmed up. Maggie spent some extra time lunging Gracie since she settles better into work if she has the opportunity to buck on the line instead of under saddle ;). Then the rest of the lesson people descended and it was time to warm up with the group and then head out.
The first group was a series of logs, horizontally probably 2', 18", 2'3", and 2'6". Plus or minus a few inches, I am not as good of a guesser from horseback. We schooled a combination of two (Gracie and Maggie) or three (Knots and I) to warm up. I started off by dropping him and letting him run to the first few, which gave us crappy spots and ugly riding. So we refocused some more and I tried to keep my body back.
Next set of jumps was a 2'ish box, a log pile 2'3"ish, and some tires (however tall tires are... 2'3"?). I took a picture.
We didn't work over the big jump farther back in the picture. Anyways we jumped the logs and then circled around and jumped the tires. Knots was a little shaky going into the tires, but luckily my leg was engaged. Maggie had a little bit of trouble over the logs. Gracie is still jumping weird, and got Maggie jarred a little bit in the tack, then basically stopped and bucked after the jump. Maggie went up into the air, took her foot out of the stirrup, and landed one her feet with the reins in hand. Wow. I got a couple of pictures before the jump:
Gracie learned a trick too, the jump after Maggie dismounted, she tried to slam on the breaks on the backside of the fence and knock Maggie loose again. Maggie fixed that problem. After successfully navigating those jumps, we moved on to the next combination series, of which I actually got some video. For Gracie, Maggie jumped a 2'ish log, then came around over a 2' green box, then up the hill to some 2'ish logs standing upright. See video:
My combination was the bigger log to the right, then the brown ramp and the table/house thing in the middle of the third set. We had some trouble at the ramp the first time through. We didn't quite commit and we jumped the space in between the two jumps. Oops. Then we tried to add back the table thing, and Knots was getting tired and strung out. I ended up letting him gallop up the hill all strung out, and he took a very long spot to the table and I got left behind pretty good. This was good practice though, because I need to really keep working at checking his speed and not running. He needs to continue getting stronger so that cantering up a hill to a jump isn't as challenging.
Before moving along, we jumped the last couple of elements, the steps. There was a step up and a step down. Knots and I have practiced these at Pine Hill, so I thought they were kind of fun. Except Knots wouldn't trot. He wasn't quite trantering, but just a very up and down excited canter. Gracie didn't do anything notable, just went up and down.
The last area we moved to feature a couple of fake ditches, a bench, a table, and some railroad tie jump thing. I didn't get a picture, but you might be able to see some in the last video.
Maggie jumped the "ditch" which was two poles on the ground about 2 feet apart, then over to the green box, then the stand up logs, and finally the step up. Gracie just did not feel led to canter during these exercises. You can see in the video that she just doesn't hardly want to move forward.
For Knots and I, we started with the same ditch, then jumped the railroad thing, then over to the ramp and up to the table, followed by the step up and down. I felt more in control for this round, and we didn't get strung out and gallop up the hill!
I thought we were done at this point, but as it turns out we went to the "water complex" and jumped into the stadium bit. We jumped the three logs from jump number two, then turned and cantered through the water, over some barrels, and then onto the stadium in jump (a small coup). Knots and I had some trouble getting over the barrels. I let him get strung out going through the water and lost my reins, then couldn't steer over the barrels. Several times. Finally I made it over, then jumped into the stadium and apparently lost my phone.
I didn't realize this until later, and luckily Katie noticed it in the stadium arena. Whew. I definitely didn't want to tell Robert I needed another new phone (I just replaced a cracked screen...). Gracie didn't have any problems going through the water, although she had a "this is yucky" look on her face the entire time. She jumped the same jumps and then at long last we were finished.
We took care of the ponies and then loaded up and rolled out, dreaming of lunch. Ha. That wasn't going to happen.
We were about 20 miles from the farm on the highway when our tire blew on the trailer. Both tires actually, on the same side.
Luckily we had a great friend with a floor jack, and we managed to eventually... make it home. The horses were not too bothered by the experience, Gracie even stopped pawing eventually haha. Life lesson here kids: always trailer with a floor jack, a spare tire, and one of these:
We made it home unscathed, hungry, and tired, but at least we got Katie's papers graded ;) Maybe more pictures to come. I'm crossing my fingers one of the other riders friend took some awesome pictures to share.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
The pros and cons of pasture boarding
It has recently come to my attention that my horses might do better in the pasture than in the current paddock with high tensile wire that they play like a cello (hehe). So I decided to make a list of pros and cons for pasture board and share it with my friends here. Tell me what you think I should do in the comments.
Pros:
More horses to socialize with
More space
Cheaper (100 bucks/month)
No evening chores
Grass/Round Bale I don't have to buy
Cons:
Farther away from tack (like 300 feet)
Realistically, no daily eye check
I will have less extra spending money from working at the barn(this one is kind of complicated... but true)
Feeding routine is really good right now, I would worry about Gracie losing weight (maybe needlessly, should be fed the same thing in same amount).
No shelter (not that we have one now, but a new paddock should be built over spring break... which will have a shelter)
I feel like I have forgotten a few. And my cons list is definitely very wordy. Bonus video of Jellybean and Gracie reuniting after the rodeo trip:
Pros:
More horses to socialize with
More space
Cheaper (100 bucks/month)
No evening chores
Grass/Round Bale I don't have to buy
Cons:
Farther away from tack (like 300 feet)
Realistically, no daily eye check
I will have less extra spending money from working at the barn(this one is kind of complicated... but true)
Feeding routine is really good right now, I would worry about Gracie losing weight (maybe needlessly, should be fed the same thing in same amount).
No shelter (not that we have one now, but a new paddock should be built over spring break... which will have a shelter)
I feel like I have forgotten a few. And my cons list is definitely very wordy. Bonus video of Jellybean and Gracie reuniting after the rodeo trip:
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Jellybean Goes to the Rodeo
So Maggie's son has started hauling to rodeos. He's your normal teenage boy, and while he's too cool to really tell me he enjoys me coming, he is pleased when I show up. And I like spending the day doing horsey things. So this morning we loaded up the trailer and the calf roping horse, his friend's horse, and Jellybean. Because why not...
So I grabbed her from the pasture and loaded up. She didn't know about the slant layout. So we put her in last, where there is no trailer tie and closed the door ;). She didn't actually mind, but she didn't much love the layout of the trailer. By the way, this makes her "conquered" trailers list include: stock trailer (cow and horse), slant load, and a two horse straightload (or at least that's how it was configured for the ride).
We made it to the rodeo and I unloaded her and then brushed her while we figured out the entry status. Apparently we were a little bit late, so the kid rushed off to rope and we rushed off to watch. He took his two shots at the calves and caught one and missed another. Then it was decided he could enter another division, so we started waiting. Jellybean continued waiting.
And so it went. We got bored watching the breakaway roping and came back and socialized with Jellybean. I banged her tail. She moved all around being impatient.
For the second division, again missed one and caught one. Then we loaded up to head home. Jellybean went in first this time, and didn't have a problem at all. Also didn't have a problem backing off the trailer. Champion I tell you.
And so it went. We got bored watching the breakaway roping and came back and socialized with Jellybean. I banged her tail. She moved all around being impatient.
For the second division, again missed one and caught one. Then we loaded up to head home. Jellybean went in first this time, and didn't have a problem at all. Also didn't have a problem backing off the trailer. Champion I tell you.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
New Tall Boots Tomorrow!
The title says it. I got my first pair of boots as a young teenager, then I upgraded to some Ariat Heritage boots as an older teenager. The Ariat's were modified at the cobbler to accommodate my wider calf, and are getting pretty schooling quality these days. So I taught Christmas camp and ordered myself a new pair of boots :) Which will be here tomorrow! Whoop!
Monday, January 12, 2015
Why do you read our blog?
I have noticed the page views picking up dramatically in the last few weeks. Maybe its because I'm posting more, maybe its because we have some new readers [did you know you could subscribe?! look on the right panel and add your email address]. In any case, I'd love to get to know people better and what aspects of our story they like reading about. So I made a survey.
Click here to take our short survey
It had two questions. Check it out. And/or comment with any thoughts you have about the blog, since I was having trouble coming up with more answer choices :)
Click here to take our short survey
It had two questions. Check it out. And/or comment with any thoughts you have about the blog, since I was having trouble coming up with more answer choices :)
 |
| Robert and his friend Auggie in their riding lesson |
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Then everything was cancelled
Well nothing exciting this weekend to report. Everything was cancelled and it rained more. Almost made it to freezing rain, but then it was just a few degrees too warm. Its for the best I suppose. We get two more weeks to prepare.
Our dressage lesson went well enough on Thursday. We reiterated the rhythm aspect of the lower level tests. Apparently BN B has an obnoxious movement where you make the long diagonal and then immediately pick up the canter in the corner, which Sarah talked about. She reminded me to keep working on sitting up straight and focus on the rhythm above all else. Easier said then done, but we shall keep working.
Friday we were supposed to school cross country at Pine Hill. We loaded everything and got all the way to Bellville when the instructor called Pine Hill and the owner said too wet. Bummer that we wasted over two hours driving and the gas for a phone call that could have been made earlier. Next time I will personally call the facility before we load up the trailer.
All in all, meh weekend. I worked at the lab on Saturday and made Robert a pair of sweatpants on Sunday. And we napped. Done.
Our dressage lesson went well enough on Thursday. We reiterated the rhythm aspect of the lower level tests. Apparently BN B has an obnoxious movement where you make the long diagonal and then immediately pick up the canter in the corner, which Sarah talked about. She reminded me to keep working on sitting up straight and focus on the rhythm above all else. Easier said then done, but we shall keep working.
Friday we were supposed to school cross country at Pine Hill. We loaded everything and got all the way to Bellville when the instructor called Pine Hill and the owner said too wet. Bummer that we wasted over two hours driving and the gas for a phone call that could have been made earlier. Next time I will personally call the facility before we load up the trailer.
All in all, meh weekend. I worked at the lab on Saturday and made Robert a pair of sweatpants on Sunday. And we napped. Done.
 |
| Gracie did get her mane pulled before the dressage lesson |
Thursday, January 8, 2015
The Show Will Go On...at this point...
So the weather took another dip this week. Lows in the 20-30s, highs in the 40s. I definitely wanted to sit in the house with some soup and maybe even some crackers. BUT there is a show scheduled for Sunday.
So far haha. Anyways, I expect the show to be cancelled, but I can't plan on that, so I looked at the calendar. I have a dressage lesson Thursday, cross country schooling on Friday, and the show on Sunday. And so Wednesday was the last likely day to ride. Cue the 20mph winds. I haven't really jumped 2'6" very much lately, but I needed to have a jump school before the show so off we went.
The ride was very mediocre. Knots and I are still having a lot of trouble communicating before the jumps. I tried to work on being relaxed and half halting with my body instead of my hands, but the habit is fierce. We did spend more time regaining calm before jumping, instead of letting him build between rounds. We still have a lot of work to do, and I think its also related to Knot's confidence that he can jump 2'6" and higher. He doesn't get as fussy at lower heights anymore.
On a positive note, I am not usually worried about whether we will clear the jumps. Knots is very capable at this height and he rarely knocks rails, so the main challenge is that I pilot him straight to the jumps and stay out of this way. No dropping him before the fence! So we were in a slightly better place than before, still lots of work to do as we try to become confident at beginner novice this year.
In other news, the ponies get to wear their blankets for the next few days and enjoy the misery outside while I feel guilty about not owning water trough heaters.
So far haha. Anyways, I expect the show to be cancelled, but I can't plan on that, so I looked at the calendar. I have a dressage lesson Thursday, cross country schooling on Friday, and the show on Sunday. And so Wednesday was the last likely day to ride. Cue the 20mph winds. I haven't really jumped 2'6" very much lately, but I needed to have a jump school before the show so off we went.
The ride was very mediocre. Knots and I are still having a lot of trouble communicating before the jumps. I tried to work on being relaxed and half halting with my body instead of my hands, but the habit is fierce. We did spend more time regaining calm before jumping, instead of letting him build between rounds. We still have a lot of work to do, and I think its also related to Knot's confidence that he can jump 2'6" and higher. He doesn't get as fussy at lower heights anymore.
On a positive note, I am not usually worried about whether we will clear the jumps. Knots is very capable at this height and he rarely knocks rails, so the main challenge is that I pilot him straight to the jumps and stay out of this way. No dropping him before the fence! So we were in a slightly better place than before, still lots of work to do as we try to become confident at beginner novice this year.
In other news, the ponies get to wear their blankets for the next few days and enjoy the misery outside while I feel guilty about not owning water trough heaters.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Riding Recap
I mentioned wanting to do more riding recaps in this new year, so here is the first one:
Monday night I had a few extra minutes and I decided to ride Knots. Unfortunately the weather has been awful, so finding a nice place to ride was more of a challenge then I was hoping for. The places with ok footing were taken up by beginner riding lessons while the extra places in the open were going to get dark quickly. I hustled.
Initially I walked into the jump field and tried to do some trot work, but the lesson was three very timid little girls, and there was not additional room for me to trot, much less canter. I tried riding on top of the "hill" and Knots actually stopped and looked at something. Knots never spooks. I have never seen him jump away from anything (although as I am typing this I imagine he will spook later this week and I will bust my hind end). Apparently there were some deer across the pasture that he noticed and we watched them jump across the fence into the back 300 acres. After the deer I putzed for a few minutes and listened to the little girls make excuses to their instructors for why they could not trot, and then walked over to an empty grass spot before the light disappeared.
We had enough room for a 20m ish oval, and so we tried to work on our dressage. Although I was being really optimistic about the riding and had tacked up in my jumping equipment... Anyways, he was really stiff and trying to hold onto the bit, so we worked on transitions and focused on bending instead of holding. He started to relax and gave me some relaxed work at the walk and trot, even without my spurs, which is a nice things indeed.
Unfortunately, the canter really fell apart and I can tell we haven't worked much. He was trying to motorcycle around the turns and giving me some trouble running and then stopping. I think he hit a wall of [easy] strength and started to remember how he has mostly just been eating a round bale constantly.... Anyways, I worked on more transitions and bending and let him rest when he did it correctly. We had just enough daylight to end on a mostly good note.
I was glad to have the good dressage ride, but I am also hoping to have at least a couple jumping schools before the show on Sunday... and maybe even something bigger than 2'3" haha.
Monday night I had a few extra minutes and I decided to ride Knots. Unfortunately the weather has been awful, so finding a nice place to ride was more of a challenge then I was hoping for. The places with ok footing were taken up by beginner riding lessons while the extra places in the open were going to get dark quickly. I hustled.
Initially I walked into the jump field and tried to do some trot work, but the lesson was three very timid little girls, and there was not additional room for me to trot, much less canter. I tried riding on top of the "hill" and Knots actually stopped and looked at something. Knots never spooks. I have never seen him jump away from anything (although as I am typing this I imagine he will spook later this week and I will bust my hind end). Apparently there were some deer across the pasture that he noticed and we watched them jump across the fence into the back 300 acres. After the deer I putzed for a few minutes and listened to the little girls make excuses to their instructors for why they could not trot, and then walked over to an empty grass spot before the light disappeared.
We had enough room for a 20m ish oval, and so we tried to work on our dressage. Although I was being really optimistic about the riding and had tacked up in my jumping equipment... Anyways, he was really stiff and trying to hold onto the bit, so we worked on transitions and focused on bending instead of holding. He started to relax and gave me some relaxed work at the walk and trot, even without my spurs, which is a nice things indeed.
Unfortunately, the canter really fell apart and I can tell we haven't worked much. He was trying to motorcycle around the turns and giving me some trouble running and then stopping. I think he hit a wall of [easy] strength and started to remember how he has mostly just been eating a round bale constantly.... Anyways, I worked on more transitions and bending and let him rest when he did it correctly. We had just enough daylight to end on a mostly good note.
I was glad to have the good dressage ride, but I am also hoping to have at least a couple jumping schools before the show on Sunday... and maybe even something bigger than 2'3" haha.
 |
| This is Gracie and Jellybean hiding from the fireworks on New Year's Eve. Although in their defense, we were blowing things up reasonably close to them. |
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
2015 Goals
When I typed out 2015 it felt real for the first time. I have been working at Christmas camp, and in my spare time I have been really relaxing for the first time in quite some time. Something about sitting around all day in my soft pants really makes things seem quite easy. Byron loves when I am home though...
For 2015, I want to set some monthly goals and see what we can achieve. I want to set reasonable goals, and I hope to earn enough money to pay for some competitions this year. Money-wise, I get caught up buying new equipment and tack. I am planning to attend schooling shows this year, so I should be ok apparel wise.
Equipment purchases this year:
Tall boots
Cross Country Vest
Dressage Coat
Show shirt, including dressage stock tie
January Goals:
Knots: HPD Beginner Novice: finish without being eliminated
Jellybean: Ride at least twice
Gracie: Maggie compete at HPD
February Goals:
Knots: Pine Hill Horse Trials, Beginner Novice
Jellybean: Ride at least twice; prep for Dressage Show
Gracie: Prep Robert for Schooling Derby
March Goals:
Knots and Jellybean and Gracie: Topsider Dressage Schooling Show
Knots: BN A and B, Jellybean Intro A/B, Gracie with Rob or Maggie?
Gracie: Robert takes Gracies GAG at HPD
April Goals:
Knots: Keep fit
Jellybean: Start trotting over fences
Gracie: Robert compete GAG/Goldi at Three Brothers Spring Derby
May Goals:
Knots/Jellybean/Gracie: Dressage Show again
Keep ponies in work!
June Goals:
Knots: BN at Meadow Creek Farm
Summer camp, two weeks!
Pony Club Jumper Show?
July Goals:
Kids compete at Pine Hill! I want good experiences
Jellybean: jumping over poles and cross rails
General pony maintenance
August Goals:
Tack swap! Get rid of the old things.
Knots: prep for Sept HT
Jellybean: Prep for Dressage show
Gracie: Rob prep for Oct HT
September Goals:
Knots: BN at Meadow Creek
Jellybean: Dressage Show
Gracie: Robert Goldi at Three Brothers Stable Fall Derby
October Goals:
Take kids to horse trials again! Good experiences!
Knots: evaluate potential for novice
Jellybean/Gracie: general work
November Goals:
Knots/Gracie/Jellybean: Topsider Dressage Show
December Goals:
Knots: Novice at Pine Hill
Personal goals:
Improve jumping position: no turtles
Learn to count strides
Strong enough to hold galloping position during XC round
Blog goals:
Focus when I write a post. No more being distracted halfway through
Post more lesson/ride recaps
So these goals are a little bit fluffy at this point, I don't know about all the local show calendars yet. I also don't want to push horse showing above all else, especially for Robert. We do have other lives of course. Anyways. This is much more detailed than anything I have put together before, and I hope it will inspire me throughout the year.
For 2015, I want to set some monthly goals and see what we can achieve. I want to set reasonable goals, and I hope to earn enough money to pay for some competitions this year. Money-wise, I get caught up buying new equipment and tack. I am planning to attend schooling shows this year, so I should be ok apparel wise.
Equipment purchases this year:
Tall boots
Cross Country Vest
Dressage Coat
Show shirt, including dressage stock tie
January Goals:
Knots: HPD Beginner Novice: finish without being eliminated
Jellybean: Ride at least twice
Gracie: Maggie compete at HPD
February Goals:
Knots: Pine Hill Horse Trials, Beginner Novice
Jellybean: Ride at least twice; prep for Dressage Show
Gracie: Prep Robert for Schooling Derby
March Goals:
Knots and Jellybean and Gracie: Topsider Dressage Schooling Show
Knots: BN A and B, Jellybean Intro A/B, Gracie with Rob or Maggie?
Gracie: Robert takes Gracies GAG at HPD
April Goals:
Knots: Keep fit
Jellybean: Start trotting over fences
Gracie: Robert compete GAG/Goldi at Three Brothers Spring Derby
May Goals:
Knots/Jellybean/Gracie: Dressage Show again
Keep ponies in work!
June Goals:
Knots: BN at Meadow Creek Farm
Summer camp, two weeks!
Pony Club Jumper Show?
July Goals:
Kids compete at Pine Hill! I want good experiences
Jellybean: jumping over poles and cross rails
General pony maintenance
August Goals:
Tack swap! Get rid of the old things.
Knots: prep for Sept HT
Jellybean: Prep for Dressage show
Gracie: Rob prep for Oct HT
September Goals:
Knots: BN at Meadow Creek
Jellybean: Dressage Show
Gracie: Robert Goldi at Three Brothers Stable Fall Derby
October Goals:
Take kids to horse trials again! Good experiences!
Knots: evaluate potential for novice
Jellybean/Gracie: general work
November Goals:
Knots/Gracie/Jellybean: Topsider Dressage Show
December Goals:
Knots: Novice at Pine Hill
Personal goals:
Improve jumping position: no turtles
Learn to count strides
Strong enough to hold galloping position during XC round
Blog goals:
Focus when I write a post. No more being distracted halfway through
Post more lesson/ride recaps
So these goals are a little bit fluffy at this point, I don't know about all the local show calendars yet. I also don't want to push horse showing above all else, especially for Robert. We do have other lives of course. Anyways. This is much more detailed than anything I have put together before, and I hope it will inspire me throughout the year.
Monday, January 5, 2015
2014 Year End Review
Well its been two years on the old blog front. And its definitely time to do some reviewing of last years business. 2013 can be found here!
January
It was pretty cold and miserable. I hopped on Jellybean for one of the first times without Robert's help. We first noticed Oberon's lameness right before the first dressage lesson. The first dressage lesson was just about trying to respond to aids, and it wasn't especially awesome.
February
Ahhh. The entire debacle with Oberon happened in February. Basically I had a meltdown and couldn't pull myself together to work the horse. In order to cheer myself up, I posted a recap of all the horses I used to ride as a kid and some of the things I had learned.
March
Luckily February didn't last long, and I managed to reach a tense peace with Oberon. The two major events in March were the horse trials and the purchase of Gracie. The horse trials was both exciting and disappointing; we survived, but we were eliminated. We got Gracie started and tried to figure out which horse was going to be sold.
April
We decided to sell Oberon and keep Gracie, and the whole month was spent brainstorming sales tactics and meeting with potential buyers.
May
May was a busy busy month. Oberon was sold. Unfortunately in hindsight, the new owner was a terrible person! I didn't learn this until approximately six months afterwards, when I was contacted almost out of the blue about Oberon. Luckily, there is a happy ending. The horse eventually made it back to the pasture with a previous owner and is going to live out his days there. We also went to a dressage show, finished up the semester, and got to know Gracie better.
June
Summer started out crazy. I taught summer camp and rode some of the ponies. Jellybean finally pooped while being ridden.
July
July started off with the horse trials at Pine Hill where Knots and I competed in Goldilocks! Then Rob and I went on vacation for two weeks. Finally July ended with a cold front of sorts and the beginning of the fall stress.
August
August was extremely busy! We bought and sold some cool things at the tack swap, Jellybean went on a trail ride, and I made some saddle covers. I also got bucked off of Jellybean, which hurt my back pretty good.
September
September was when school really started heating up. Ponies starting moving into the backseat. The ponies moved into a paddock and Knots joined them for awhile. The rain started and Jellybean managed to cut her leg apart.
October
October was personally an awful month for me. I took my prelims, and the month was basically spend doctoring Jellybean then coaching the kids at a couple of shows.
November
More coaching and more prelim awfulness! I recapped my competitions and the first really cold front came through. I threw down the gauntlet and decided to try for novice next year.
December
I finished my prelims and went to Ohio for Thanksgiving. Then I came back from vacation fired up! I got back on the riding bandwagon in between the crappy weather. I pulled manes and got my life rebalanced! I also volunteered at a show and audited the Buck Davidson clinic.
Wow. What a year. Now that I have reminded myself of all the things I have accomplished (or not) this year, I can start to put down my goals for 2014 on pen and paper. What was your favorite story from this past year? Leave us a comment :)
January
It was pretty cold and miserable. I hopped on Jellybean for one of the first times without Robert's help. We first noticed Oberon's lameness right before the first dressage lesson. The first dressage lesson was just about trying to respond to aids, and it wasn't especially awesome.
February
Ahhh. The entire debacle with Oberon happened in February. Basically I had a meltdown and couldn't pull myself together to work the horse. In order to cheer myself up, I posted a recap of all the horses I used to ride as a kid and some of the things I had learned.
March
Luckily February didn't last long, and I managed to reach a tense peace with Oberon. The two major events in March were the horse trials and the purchase of Gracie. The horse trials was both exciting and disappointing; we survived, but we were eliminated. We got Gracie started and tried to figure out which horse was going to be sold.
We decided to sell Oberon and keep Gracie, and the whole month was spent brainstorming sales tactics and meeting with potential buyers.
May
May was a busy busy month. Oberon was sold. Unfortunately in hindsight, the new owner was a terrible person! I didn't learn this until approximately six months afterwards, when I was contacted almost out of the blue about Oberon. Luckily, there is a happy ending. The horse eventually made it back to the pasture with a previous owner and is going to live out his days there. We also went to a dressage show, finished up the semester, and got to know Gracie better.
June
Summer started out crazy. I taught summer camp and rode some of the ponies. Jellybean finally pooped while being ridden.
July
July started off with the horse trials at Pine Hill where Knots and I competed in Goldilocks! Then Rob and I went on vacation for two weeks. Finally July ended with a cold front of sorts and the beginning of the fall stress.
August
August was extremely busy! We bought and sold some cool things at the tack swap, Jellybean went on a trail ride, and I made some saddle covers. I also got bucked off of Jellybean, which hurt my back pretty good.
September
September was when school really started heating up. Ponies starting moving into the backseat. The ponies moved into a paddock and Knots joined them for awhile. The rain started and Jellybean managed to cut her leg apart.
October
October was personally an awful month for me. I took my prelims, and the month was basically spend doctoring Jellybean then coaching the kids at a couple of shows.
More coaching and more prelim awfulness! I recapped my competitions and the first really cold front came through. I threw down the gauntlet and decided to try for novice next year.
December
I finished my prelims and went to Ohio for Thanksgiving. Then I came back from vacation fired up! I got back on the riding bandwagon in between the crappy weather. I pulled manes and got my life rebalanced! I also volunteered at a show and audited the Buck Davidson clinic.
Wow. What a year. Now that I have reminded myself of all the things I have accomplished (or not) this year, I can start to put down my goals for 2014 on pen and paper. What was your favorite story from this past year? Leave us a comment :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)