Monday, October 27, 2008

The Last Local Show of the Year

The last local show of the year was this weekend. I was so excited, especially because I had plans to enter the costume contest, which I know I've detailed in other posts. Stella and I had a really great show.
We started out in showmanship, which I normally suck at. I was also the only English person in the class (Usually, everyone there does it in western attire, but I almost always do it English, and occasionally another person pops up and does it English too.). The pattern wasn't that hard, really. It was...er, set up, walk to the second cone in a straight line, turn and trot a half-circle around the third cone, halt, 360-turn, walk to the judge, set up. I know that's difficult to understand (at least for me) without a drawing, but it was kind of a right-angle pattern. Yeah. 
The sand was super deep and I could hardly get Stella to trot.  It was a decent pattern, though, and I was very happy with our go. We actually got 3rd in the class, which was amazing. I'm one of the youngest in that class (It's 13 and up, but I still think I was the youngest one, as Mindy didn't even do showmanship.), and there's some amazing competition in showmanship at this particular show. Stella and I both looked kind of nasty too.  My boots still hadn't been cleaned from State, my coat had grey hairs and dust all over it, my glove has a huge hole on the thumb, Stella's forelock looked ugly and crinkled (I just banded instead of braiding.), and I didn't even put hoof black on Stella's hooves. Oh well. I think the judge just likes Stella a whole lot.  This is the third time in a row that this judge has judged us at local shows.
We had a great time in the costume class. I had to change clothes immediately after showmanship--khaki pants, tennis shoes, t-shirt, hunt coat.  I had to take out my hair thing and put my hair into some funny kind of bun. Stella had to get a cloth "bandage" duct-taped to her butt, and I had to get her gown on her. I was going to give myself a little stubble with some face paint that I had, but it didn't work out very well and I ended up washing it off at the spigot near the mini ring. Of course, I had to have my cane and stethoscope too. Then, Stella and I went down to the ring for the class. 
A group of small children came up to me and said "Oh, it's a doctor and a patient!" I didn't bother correcting them or anyone else who simply said that I was a doctor. One woman, however, saw us as I was practicing with my cane. She had a really sudden look of excitement on her face, and I'm assuming that she was the only person who actually got it without an explanation. She made me really happy :)
In the class, I realized that I was definitely the oldest one, aside from leaders and sidewalkers. There were some really adorable costumes. Our vet's husband put devil horns and red garland on their horse and dressed their young daughter in an angel costume. The husband rode the horse with the daughter in front of him, and it was so cute. There was also a little girl with a palomino mini pony.  She wrapped his tail in tan vetwrap with tan faux fur at the end of the tail and as a lion's mane on the pony. The girl was dressed like Dorothy and was even carrying a small dog. It was absolutely adorable! There was also a bookworm and librarian, a bumblebee and flower, a native American and paint pony (That was Ellie, from our 4-H. She rode for the rest of the day with warpaint on her pony. It was cute.), a headless horseman, a snowstorm and a kid in a winter jacket, and some other cute costumes. 
I ended up taking out my prescription bottle during the class and sharing some dinner mints with Stella. I ate some, too. Stella thought they were great and wouldn't stop nosing me for them. 
Ultimately, I don't think the judge got why I was carrying a cane. She knew I was a doctor, but she didn't know that I was House. That's terribly sad, don't you think? I had fun, though, and Stella certainly had fun eating all my "Vicodin." And a tip for anyone who might want to carry a cane while leading a horse: practice, practice, practice.  I assumed that it would be easy to stay on the same leg while leading Stella, but I kept switching for some reason.  I can do it perfectly when I'm walking alone, but it didn't work well while I was with her.  I really, really had to focus on keeping with my right leg. We got honorable mention in this class, so they gave me a 6th place ribbon.
After the costume class, I had to rush even more to get ready for riding. Our first class was the Hunter Go-As-You-Please. Stella was really calm in this class, but I chose to trot instead of canter. She's better at behaving when we trot. We came out of that class with first. 
Hunter Equitation wasn't so good. Stella behaved herself, but...well, they did keyhole in the ring before the pleasure division. They left the chalk ring on the ground and it scared Stella. While we were schooling, I actually rode Stella through the opening and into the keyhole ring, but she absolutely refused to cross over the chalk line. I laughed at her and had to bring her out through the opening. In the equitation class, I inadvertently tried to canter her through the chalk lines. She came to a screeching halt, did a dirty duck-and-turn, and cantered toward the center of the ring. My butt stayed in the saddle, but my upper body got way left behind and I got kind of uncentered. It was right in front of the judge, too. Oh well. I doubt I would've placed in that class anyway. It looked like she was placing the forward-seat riders, especially since Mindy didn't place either. 
Hunter Under Saddle, in my opinion, wasn't a very good class. I didn't think it was a good ride for me at all, but Stella was well-behaved. We got 2nd place in this class. 
I had a whole lot of fun, and I was really sad when I had to leave Stella behind. I could only go to the show if Larry agreed to take care of Stella and take her home for me. I always miss the horses and everyone at the barn when I'm not there. 
Pre-Turkey is the next show, but Angie, our vet, hinted that she might be able to take Stella and me to a clinic that weekend. She said that it was all about learning to control the body and that it was especially helpful for people like me. I don't know what I'll do. My mom told me that Larry already heard about it and thinks that it'd be a good idea, but I really want to do both. I could always go to the Turkey circuit show, if Larry decides to go. I wouldn't mind skipping the usual torment of Thanksgiving (Yeah, I'm a vegetarian. Get over it, people.) for a horse show. I guess I'll figure it out.


Trail Ride!!!

For our flatwork lesson on Thursday, we went on a trail ride in the woods.  It was so much fun! I got to ride a cute, fat, fuzzy grey pony named Popsicle.  She had a nasty habit of biting at me, but otherwise we had no problems.  She was a nice ride, although she was mostly interested in doing exactly what the other horses were doing. We schooled in a completely different ring than we've ever been in before while we waited for Teresa to get her horse ready. Then, we set off to the pasture, where we went onto a trail.  
I mostly rode one-handed with slack reins. I thought that it would be better to let Popsicle have her head at all times, as I didn't know just how hardcore the trail was going to be. It was actually a great trail. There were some good water crossings, steep banks, logs in the path, and nice views. We saw some deer at one point on the ride. We also trotted on some of the straight, flat paths. I decided to stay in two point while we trotted instead of posting, just because it was easier to stay away from the awful branches. 
I haven't been on an actual trail ride since shortly after Mac died, so it was very nice. 

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

WHOA. It's on time today!

For once, I'm writing about a lesson the day I had it! Yeah, blows my mind too.
Today I rode good old John T again. I was so happy. He's really a fun ride, and he's so sweet. 
We did a little flatwork and then started to jump. It took me forever to get my stirrups straight, but eventually I got them evened out. 
I don't know if I'll ever be good at jumping. I doubt I'll be able to do it long enough to find out, really. Today I didn't hurt myself, but I sure did suck.
My first set of jumps was okay. By okay, I mean I didn't plant my face into John T's neck or the sand. The class took the first set at a trot. I lost my stirrup after both of the jumps. I guess my heel is going up on the landing rather than over the jump. Each time I lose a stirrup, it doesn't affect me too much. I'm not jabbing the horse in the mouth when it happens. I'm not grabbing with my knees in an ignorant attempt to stay on. I'm not falling when it happens, and my position doesn't change (My leg is very happy because it gets to lengthen to where it belongs, but I digress, as usual.). It's just annoying as anything. 
Things worked out better at the canter. I only lost my stirrup once, and that was OVER the jump. I think I might've thrown my weight again, but I'm not sure. 
I felt really sad while we were jumping today. Teresa told me I had the option of cantering the second set. By that, she either meant "You suck, so you can trot if you want." or "I feel sorry for you and don't want you to hurt yourself because you're a gimp." I can't think of another explanation. The former hurts because... Well, I'd rather not suck. I know we all have an inherent "suckiness" when we start jumping, but I don't feel so bad that I'm behind the rest of my class. The latter hurts because I can do anything I want, regardless of my limping, pain, and whatnot. Sure, I have to limit myself sometimes, but I'd rather die than quit living. Sure, I hurt myself when I ride sometimes. Everyone hurts themselves when they ride sometimes. Riding isn't one of the most dangerous sports in the world because it's possible to break a nail. If I were more familiar with Teresa, I might be able to figure out exactly what she meant. Alas, I do not. Therefore, I'll just have to let it go. 
I want to go home and see Stella. Please, weekend, come quickly.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Thursday's Lesson, Weekend, Costume Update

Yep. I'm slacking off again.
So, Thursday was what I'd call a pretty bad ride. I started out on Red, a big chestnut gelding. I LOVED his saddle (It was like a dressage saddle; I might have to work out a trade with Hazelwild, haha.), and he was a comfy ride. Then, we had to switch horses, and I rode a little bay horse named Emmy. She was SO cute, but her gaits were atrocious. We had to ride a pattern (rising trot to the corner, halt, left lead canter, circle, sitting trot, two-point trot, halt), and her canter was the absolute worst part. I can sit almost any trot, but I had to ride in a half-seat when I cantered. I couldn't even keep the horse going. I couldn't stand it. I sat her trot with some difficulty, but I made it through the pattern without too much trouble. After the pattern, we worked on the rail some more. When we cantered, Emmy tripped once, almost went down, recovered herself, and almost went down again. I had an awful flashback to my last ride on Mac, and then a pain shot through my hip. We stopped, walked over to Teresa, and ended our lesson right there. I walked around without stirrups for a while, crossed either leg over Emmy's withers to stretch, and tried to fix myself. Teresa asked me how I hurt my hip. Honestly, I don't know what I did. I told her that it was a combination of a few nasty falls, weakness, and many other factors. I wish I knew, though.
The combination of the flashback and the pain made for a terrible day. I wasn't scared that she was going to fall, really. I mean, I didn't want her to fall. I was just really concerned that I might have to relive my final moments on Mac's back. 
I worked at the barn and rode this weekend. The arena was a mess, but I had an excellent ride in there anyway. Stella was wonderful, and I was really using the "tree-grows-up-and-roots-grow-down" technique. I could just feel how strong, relaxed, and centered I was. Stella felt absolutely amazing. Then, we went out into the back field. As always, I rode over to Mac's grave to talk to him for a while. Then, Stella and I walked around. We trotted a little, too. She started to whinny at the horses in the pasture and get antsy, so we we didn't work too long. 
Our costume for the show this weekend is going well. My mom was able to obtain a hospital gown that actually fits Stella. Yes, it was designed for a human being :D Stella isn't a really big horse, but she's not small... I've also painted a t-shirt with the House logo on it, and I think it looks really good. I'm so excited about this weekend. I've wanted to do the costume contest since before Mac died. I was going to do a whole skeleton horse thing. 
I have to go do some Latin before tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll try to write an entry the day I ride for once. 

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Last Thursday's Lesson (And Fall Break)

I guess I'll update about LAST Thursday's lesson. I'm so lazy.
I started out on Barney. I actually got him to move quite well, despite his mulish tendencies. I held a crop, but I only used it when we cantered. Barney's a jerk when it comes to cantering, so I got up into a two-point like I wanted him to hand-gallop. He actually gave me a little more than a lope, but still less than a canter. 
Then, we switched horses. I switched with Laura. She had Merlin. I was really happy that I got Merlin, but I was kind of sad that I "took" Merlin from Laura. She likes Merlin almost as much as I do. After we switched, we had to ride a pattern. It was a posting trot to halfway down the long side of the ring, a sitting trot to the end, a left lead canter and canter circle on the far short side, a transition to the posting trot down the quarterline, and a halt at the group. I think my go was really good, but Teresa didn't say anything about it. I wasn't happy about that. She commented on everyone else's ride, but she didn't say a thing about mine :( Oh well. 
This weekend was fall break. I spent a whole lot of time riding. I rode Stella twice. The first ride would have been excellent, but I hurt my hip riding Tatiana right before. I had to two-point the canter because it hurt to sit it. I could barely sit or post the trot, and it even hurt to walk. I had to get off. 
I was going to ride Mr. Bizzle, the stallion that Larry is training, but Larry said that I ought to "save my hip to ride Stella." I had a good ride on Stella, but, once again, I hurt my hip. This time, it was a downward transition from the canter to the halt. I was not happy, but I kept riding for a while. 
I also rode Tatiana again on another day. Tatiana is going to be so amazing. She has a lovely trot. I can't wait until she's ready to canter! 
I also tried Stella's hospital gown on her. Her legs won't go through the armholes no matter what, but it fits her perfectly otherwise. I might just leave the armholes or pin them rather than cutting and sewing. I don't want to ruin the hospital gown, and I definitely don't want it to look like a regular old sheet, which is really what it reminds me of. I played veterinarian with my mom's crappy stethoscope (It works well enough for vet play, but it's not good enough for real stuff.) and practiced finding the heart of horses (which didn't work because of the quality of the stethoscope, I'm assuming. I tested respiration, hydration, and capillary refill instead.), dogs (which worked the best, except they were wiggly and kept on trying to lick my face while I was counting heartbeats), and cats (which was extremely difficult because Bob wouldn't stop purring). I was very sad because I'll never get to be a vet. Why? I love animals "too much." That's the same reason I'll never get to be a doctor. That's the same reason I'll never get to be a biologist or an ethologist. I love animals too much. 
Ah, but I digress. Being bitter won't change anyone's mind. 
I was also very sad this weekend because of my hip. It has really been hurting me lately. It's decided to hurt in one of the muscles in the front where the joint is. I'm limping again, and it's terrible. I had to dismount on the off side the other day because it hurt so bad. I'm afraid that one day I'll need help to walk, and worse, that riding will be out of the question. I imagined myself getting a leg up to lie over Stella's bare back because that was the only "riding" I could do. It nearly brought tears to my eyes.
Oh, and now for something completely different.
I just got back from the most dysfunctional study group I have ever been to. You're probably wondering why I'm talking about the screwy people in my Chemistry class when this is a blog about HORSES, but it relates :) One of the girls in there takes a riding class too. She rode Merlin the other day, or maybe it was today. Either way, she said that he fell while she was riding him. It sent a shiver down my spine. The last time my favorite horse fell, he died a month later. I hope Merlin is okay.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Like I Promised... (Detailing My Weekend and My Plan)

I said that I'd write about my weekend with Stella in a separate post, so here it is.
I rode Stella once over the weekend. It was a wonderful ride. I was so glad to have my stirrups at the correct length (At school, they want my stirrups jacked up even when I'm doing flatwork. It screws with my equitation and causes me a lot of hip and knee pain.), and I was especially glad to ride a "blessed beast" like my Stellaphone. Honestly, I've been spoiled by her. It's difficult to find a horse that moves quite like Stella. Her gaits are absolutely amazing, and I'm finally starting to appreciate them a little more. 
We had a wonderful ride together. She's so soft, so perfectly responsive, so willing and happy... Oh, I could go on for days about how I love to ride Stella! 
I did part of an around-the-world on Stella before letting myself slide off the off side. Stella looked at me as if she were saying, "Mom, mom! Why you riding me sideways? No, mom! That's backwards! Mom, that's sideways! Mom, mom, where'd you go?" She was fine, though; she didn't spook at all, even though I didn't expect her to. She also did some really nice leg yields to the left and right. I was really proud of her. 
Stella and I also had a little play session with the measuring cane. I was taking a break in the lounge when I saw it hanging from the cabinet, and I had a great idea. I picked it up, ran out to Stella's stall waving the cane over my head, and went inside. Stella was really interested in the cane, and she kept trying to pick it up in her mouth and hold it. I rubbed it on her sides, tapped her legs, balanced it on her back, touched her belly, rubbed her face, put the handle on her poll, and finally dropped it on the ground. She only snorted when I dropped the cane, and she didn't care about anything else. I was so happy! 
There's a costume contest at an upcoming horse show. I'm going to dress up like Dr. House, and Stella's going to be my patient :) I'm so excited.
We've already got a cane. I figure that I can wear my hunt coat as a dress jacket. I'm thinking about making a t-shirt with the show's title or a quote. I haven't decided yet whether I should wear jeans or khaki pants. I'll probably watch a few episodes and see which is more frequent. I can go to Wal-Mart and get some face paint this weekend, because I'm going to need some facial hair. I also need to experiment with my hair so I can tie it back in the best way possible. My mom has a stethoscope. Would it be inappropriate to bring an old prescription bottle filled with dinner mints and share "Vicodin" with my horse in a class full of little kids? Maybe, but sometimes it's fun to push boundaries ;) 
For Stella, I went to a thrift store and bought some old bedsheets for two dollars. I also bought a tan piece of cloth that I can cut into a bandage shape and somehow attach to her rump. My mom said that she'll try to order the largest human hospital gown they sell. I guess we'll see if that fits her. It'd be really nice if I didn't have to sew too much. Hospital gowns aren't that expensive, either. 
I can't wait to go home this weekend. 
Oh, yeah, and I practiced with the cane this weekend. I also practiced leading Stella on the off side. Dr. House carries his cane in his right hand, even though his right leg is the one that's messed up. In order to be realistic, I've got to lead Stella with one hand on the wrong side. A bonus is that my "normal" limp is on the right side, so I don't have to practice that too much :D I can just pass on the ibuprofen the morning before the show.
Like I said, I can't wait. Come on, fall break!

Big Update

Yeah, once again, I've waited to do this until I've almost got four lessons to write about. Nice.
Hmm. I guess I should get started.
Last Tuesday, I rode a grey horse named Merlin. Laura had told me that she hoped I would get Merlin and that I would like him. I was really surprised when I actually did get him right after. We jumped and had a good lesson. Once, I caught him in the mouth because I got a little left behind. I felt so terrible. Hurting a horse's mouth is an unforgivable sin to me. I spent the rest of the lesson patting his shoulder and apologizing to him. 
Merlin was wonderful. I took a picture of him after my lesson because he's now my favorite school horse :) 
On Thursday, we worked on the flat, as usual. I rode a chestnut horse named Blaze. Remember back when I had my makeup lesson and I wrote about how I was glad no one had been around when I was mounting Jasmine? Ughhh. Well, Blaze decided that he wanted to give me a hard time as well. I had to dismount in order to adjust my stirrups, because he was moving THAT much. When I tried to remount, Blaze walked off and started walking into the crowd of other horses. My breeches are meant for an extra tall person, so they're a little long in the crotch on me. I absolutely could not bring my leg over the saddle, and Blaze was just walking around wherever he pleased. I was lying on his back, turning him in a sharp circle with one rein, and trying to get him to stop. He was so hardheaded. Of course, I was laughing quite a bit, which didn't help my struggle. Eventually I made it up there, but not before I made a spectacle of myself. Oh well. It made me laugh. 
After the initial battle, Blaze and I got along just fine. He had an exceptionally smooth jog, which was lovely to sit. We did some work with one stirrup (Yeah, one. I thought it was a little messed up and it really hurt my hip, so I ended up dropping both stirrups behind Teresa's back. Hahaha. I'm sneaky.), and then Teresa couldn't get me to pick them back up. Call me a masochist, but I love stirrupless work. All we did after the stirrupless work was walk around and cool out, so I figured she wouldn't care. 
I had a great weekend with Stella, but I think I'll make a post right after this one to elaborate on that.
This Tuesday, I rode a big chestnut named Dutch. He had the most unusual markings--a black patch on his hindquarters and a black patch on the side of one of his cannon bones. I don't think I liked riding Dutch very much. I think a lot of it had to do with the saddle. It wasn't very comfortable, and it definitely didn't fit me properly. Dutch also cantered funny. I hated his canter so much that I two-pointed it. It felt like he was either cross-cantering or limpy-loping, or perhaps a combination of the two. It didn't help that my hip was hurting terribly. I was not pleased when I realized that it was Tuesday, our jumping day. 
We jumped some jumps, and Dutch took a lot of steering. Teresa warned me about it, but he ducked out the first time anyway. The second try was good. We got over on the first try of our second jump, but I lost my stirrup again and fell forward. Since it was the same stirrup as last time, I'm thinking I threw my weight to the left side again. It was all good, but I couldn't sit Dutch's canter very well and I really wanted my stirrup back. I wanted to try it again, but the lesson was over with. That's too bad, I guess. 
I wonder which horse I'll ride tomorrow.