A week's worth of updates.

I guess I'll start by adding a really funny detail from District. It was horrifying, yet so terribly cute and funny. My dad is still really unfamiliar with the whole horse show thing, and I asked him to hold Stella while I checked in with the paddock master. Stella was all set for showmanship in her clean bridle and polished bit. When I came back, there was a little flock of children surrounding Stella. I thought it was so adorable--until I realized that the kids were feeding her clumps of grass! Stella's bit was disgusting and her mouth was covered in green foam. I was fishing for a rag to wipe her off when judge Ken yelled at us to come over for the callback pattern. I ended up wiping it off with my glove. They're nasty already and so holey that I should just throw them out, so I didn't really think the green slime from Stella's squiggler would make much of a difference :)
Now for an update from the local horse show last Sunday! Stella and I went into showmanship, hunter go-as-you-please, hunter equitation, and hunter under saddle. I got her all straight for showmanship and then we went out to school in the deep sand arena. The arena is a real challenge to work in, regardless of whether you're riding or doing showmanship, because the sand is terrible. The judge even made a comment to everyone at the end of the showmanship class commending us for a job well done in the ridonkulous sand. She didn't say "ridonkulous," however :P The pattern was sort of P-shaped, without the closure of the loop. We walked from A to B, trotted a loop around C and all the way to the judge, halted and set up for inspection, backed one horse's length, did a 270-degree turn, and walked off. Stella almost, almost broke around the loop because it was very sandy and because it required a very sharp turn to go around the cone and align perfectly with where the judge was standing. We pulled it off, though, and I was really proud of the pattern that we did. One of the other people in the class (the woman who owns Blondie, the horse Larry was working with a few weeks ago) even congratulated me on a great pattern while we were standing in the lineup. When the judge turned her back, I planted a kiss on Wellaphone's nose because I was so pleased with how hard she tried for me. We came out of that class with second place, which I thought was amazing considering most of the people in the class have really nice showmanship horses and some of them were practicing showmanship before I even started riding.
Stella was also really good in hunter GAYP. We just trotted when the judge called for us to choose a gait. I didn't want to risk getting Stella worked up. She went beautifully for me, and we took first. Hunter equitation was okay. Wellaphone had a little mare flare when I asked her to pick up the right lead, and unfortunately it occurred right in front of the judge. She took the left lead for a stride or two before I halted her, but it was all too obvious to the judge. Oh well. We placed fifth, which was pretty decent considering what happened. Hunter under saddle was much better than a lot of classes we've had at other shows recently, but Stella repeated her little mare flare/wrong lead act, once again right under the eyes of the judge. The odd thing was, both times she did it were when I asked her to pick up the right lead. She took the left lead perfectly both times. She behaved herself during the class, though, and we took another second. I ended up with reserve champion in the division, which was a pleasant surprise.
The kids who've been coming to the barn came to the horse show to watch, and the little girl wanted to brush Stella. I'd just dumped a few buckets of water over her and she was soaking wet, but I let the little girl run a soft brush over her while Stella grazed on the lead. That little girl really likes me, evidently :) Her mom told me about how she asked her daughter which horse is the prettiest, and the daughter replied with my name. (I don't know if I should be offended or not, hahaha :D Nahhh...) Her mom asked her again, reminding her daughter that I'm not a horse, and the little girl asked what my horse's name is. The little girl really likes Stella. Maybe one day Larry will let me pop the kid on Stella for a short pony ride. The only problem is, well... If you've read this blog at all, you'll understand that Stella isn't a horse you'd trust to babysit your kids. She loves kids and wouldn't intentionally hurt one, but she just...does things...and doesn't think...and... Yeah. You'll get to hear some more of that as I continue with this particular post.
Mindy came over on Monday and we worked the horses. By "working the horses," I mean that Mindy schooled several of them and helped Larry longe the new paint mare, Curly Sue, while I rode (AND JUMPED!!!) Stella. I can't do but so much "crazy stuff" anymore, and I think Larry is very cautious about putting me on the babies now. Everything exacerbates my pain problems, and it doesn't help that I wear very visible knee braces now. (My knee pain is about 97% gone, though :)) I'm willing to acknowledge my limits and step back if it'll prolong the amount of time I have to ride before everything gives out, so I don't mind that Mindy and Larry get all the fun of working the little ones.
Stella was quite good working on the flat on Monday except for one little thing. We were cantering a circle around half of the arena. As we neared the fence and prepared to continue the circle with a right turn, Stella felt like she wanted to turn left. I tightened the inside rein just a tad and applied a bit more outside leg to focus her mind on turning right. She complied with my request--until we were one stride from the fence, where Stella whipped around and decided that she was making a left turn whether I wanted to come or not. She completely fooled me; I was certain that she was going to go right! My upper body continued toward the right and both my left leg and my butt started to follow until my left knee was up above the pommel. I yelled something that I'd rather not put into writing, which sent Mindy into hysterical laughter, and then I halted Stella and regained my seat. I really, really didn't want to hit the fence, which is what would've happened if I had managed to fall off. Other than that silliness, Stella was well-behaved. I trotted her over a crossrail a few times, and it was fun. I quit while we were ahead, while Stella was still willingly taking the jumps and while I wasn't in pain. Stella's learned that jumps are fun, not scary, and that they're another way to use the excess GO that builds up in her haunches.
Mindy said something so adorable about Stella. We schooled showmanship for a bit while the sprinkler was watering the arena, and Stella started squiggling her lips when I asked her to back. Several months ago, I stated that Stella's head contains a small metal pail full of white ping-pong balls. When she has a mare flare or otherwise goes berserk, the bucket has toppled over and the balls are bouncing around all over the place. In order to calm her down, I have to pick them up and put them back. Mindy said that when Stella squiggles, the ping-pong balls are moving around in the bucket. Stella also has a habit of popping her lips whenever she's confused or a little scared, and Mindy said that was when a single ball popped out of the bucket and onto the floor.
That makes me smile so much :) :) :)
Another day this week, I set up a "carnival" for Stella. Some of the "attractions" were REALLY scary. I set up some small cones to weave through, a jump standard with my jacket thrown over the top, a rag thrown over the fence railing, two poles that we could back through, two tiny beach balls and an inflated latex exam glove, and a paper feed sack. Stella was okay with everything except for the "balloons" and the feed sack. I eventually got her to wear the sack on her back and over her neck, basically everywhere on her body, but I decided to hold off with the "balloons" so that she wouldn't feel overwhelmed. They're still in the tack room for the next time the "carnival" comes to town.
The little kids also came back for another lesson. Once again, the little girl, whose name is Shelby, helped me groom and tack up Tina. I led her around for most of the ride, but I also let her walk around by herself for a little bit. I just walked nearby in case she needed a little steering assistance. Tina takes a lot of leg, even for me, so I know it's difficult for such a small little girl to steer her around. Her older brother, Dylan, has been riding a bit longer and got to canter in the lesson, so I tried to think of some exciting things for Shelby to try so that she wouldn't feel left out. She rode without hands and stretched down to touch her toes. I probably would've gotten her to do an around-the-world, but I personally hate to do them in western saddles because there's so much stuff to catch yourself on. Perhaps that's just part of the challenge :D Then, I brought out two poles and put them out so the kids could walk over them. Shelby told me that she wanted to jump, so I assured her that learning to ride well on the flat and working over poles is the best way she can start to learn to jump. She loved the poles and kept asking me to lead her over them.
After the kids left, Larry told me that I do a good job teaching the kids. That made me really happy. Maybe I should avoid playing crash-test dummy with the baby horses, but at least I can teach future generations of equestrians when I'm not riding Wella.
Wella did something really, really bad when I was tacking her up, but she was excellent when I rode her. I guess she got all the naughty out in one go! I had her all saddled and fly sprayed and everything. She just needed her bridle. Normally, Stella is PERFECT when it comes to being bridled and taking the bit. I don't know what happened tonight. As soon as I slipped off her halter, she took a step forward. I told her to whoa, but then she bolted out the open barn doors, dragging my bridle with her. I was scared to death that the bridle was going to catch around her leg and hurt her, and I was terrified when it actually did wrap around one of her legs. I was begging for it to break (It was Mac's bridle, but I really don't think he would mind.). Eventually she slowed down enough for me to come over to her and hold her head. I immediately unbuckled the reins in case she took off again, but she stood beside me until someone could bring a halter over to us. I checked her legs over for injuries but didn't find anything. I didn't even bother to see if the bridle was broken until after our ride. I grabbed one of Larry's western bridles that has a snaffle almost identical to Stella's on it and just rode in that.
Our ride was excellent. Stella was on the bit and driving beautifully from her hindquarters, moving at a nice pace and being wonderfully responsive to my aids. We did a great simple change. I know she's athletic enough to do flying changes and balanced enough to do them with a rider, but Larry says that he's never tried to get one from her. Since I've never really asked a horse to do one, I think I'll let Larry give it a shot before I try anything. I'd hate to confuse her or teach her incorrectly.
Oh, how I love Stella. She's the greatest horse in the whole world.

Back again.

I haven't done this in a long time, which sucks because now I have to make a huge entry to get caught up.
District was pretty fun. It was my last year to show there. Stella and I did really well in the first showmanship pattern, but I screwed up on the second pattern and we lost the class because of it. The judge that we had was my favorite judge ever, and he came over to me in the lineup to ask me what happened. I just told him that I got a little confused and we laughed about it. He's a great guy :)
Shortly before I mounted up, I loaded myself with a cocktail of painkillers to ward off any show-stopping pain. Unfortunately, I wasn't successful. The pain was AWFUL. I even skipped equitation because the judge kept calling for the sitting trot and I knew I couldn't do it. I knew my equitation would suck anyway. The pain always gets in the way and I have to ride defensively, screwing me over in the whole equitation department. Pleasure wasn't pleasant. I was in excruciating pain but I forced myself to ride the class anyway because it was my last year. I'm assuming Stella picks up on my pain. When I'm hurting, I tense up. That obviously doesn't help an already tense horse to cooperate with me. Her behavior was absolutely atrocious in the class. Wrong leads, threatening a rear, racing around and evading the bit, dodging, refusing to stand in the lineup...yeah, that class had it all. I'm only sorry that we had to go out like that.
I worked at the barn a whole lot all this week. Two little kids have started coming to the barn to ride, and they came once this week. The little boy went to ride Sissy with Larry while I tacked up Tina for the little girl. I love little kids, and I love helping little kids with horses. It makes me so happy. After she helped me saddle Tina and lead her outside, I led her around. I taught her about using her legs (even though her legs are really too short to communicate well) and holding the reins while we walked around through cones. She even got to trot. It was adorable.
Stella and I also had some really nice rides this week. I rode her in Larry's new saddle once. It was a great ride, but my entire seat was bruised--yes, bruised--the next morning. I also couldn't ride with stirrups on Larry's saddle because they're just not in the right spot for my build. I rode in my saddle the next day, and everything was good.
I would write about the show today, but I just woke up after dozing off at the keyboard. I think I'll go to bed and write some more tomorrow.

Solution?

My left knee is the one the chiropractor is more worried about. The left knee is the one that bears my weight and twists around as I mount. Screw tradition, I'm going to mount from the off side and see what that does for me! :)

Preparing for District

My day at District is Saturday, and I've been working with Stellaphone all week long. We've been fine-tuning our pivots for showmanship, working hard at riding, and I've been currying her down and making her look her best for our big day. This is my last year at District, so I really hope everything goes well.
I'm really worried about my hip and knees. In the six years I've been suffering from chronic pain, no one has been able to tell me what's wrong. I'm trying the whole horse liniment, max-dose ibuprofen, and heat treatment for my knees (and sore leg muscles, I'll admit) right now. It's making a positive impact on my soreness, but my knees are still killing me. At least the Absorbine smells good. I had to crawl up the stairs to get a towel because my knees hurt so bad. I also spilled water all over myself after accidentally dry-swallowing my pills and frantically trying to get some water down my throat before I choked on them. I found both of those things quite amusing and ended up laughing between each moan and groan, so at least I've got my sense of humor on my side right now :)
I'm sorry this has turned into my whine outlet. Hopefully it won't continue to be.
Stella and I had a good, hard workout today. We started with some showmanship. I worked on getting Stella to move off me and to pivot on her haunches. If we make it to the callback, we'll likely have to do some sort of pivot, and I really hope we'll make it to the callback. We also worked on taking up a trot at the same exact moment. Running alongside Stella was murder, but I ignored the discomfort and continued with our work. We slowed down and worked on coming in straight to a set point, halting, setting up, backing, and doing quarters. I wanted to make sure that Stella would stand still if I were to go back and fix where the judge messes with her tail or coat. She did a great job. At the end of our session, she would halt and set herself up before I even asked. I gave her lots of hugs and whispered sweet nothings into her mule ears because she's just so amazing :)
I longed her for a bit and then rode her. We rode hard, and it was a good ride. I had a little trouble posting the trot at the beginning of the ride. My lower legs and upper body wanted to slip forward, which irritated me and made Stella go all wonky. I eventually fixed it so everything was properly aligned, and the improvement of her movement was impressive. Our canter was very nice too. I felt like I was sitting correctly, nice and tall and soft, most of the time. I stretched a little bit in the middle of the ride because I could feel myself stiffening up and things were starting to hurt a little. It got better quickly, though, and we rode on. We did so much cantering. I'm sure that made Stella happy. As soon as I cued her into the trot at the beginning of the ride, I could tell that she was just begging to canter.
I've got to finish getting ready tomorrow so that we can leave nice and early on Saturday. Stella needs to be longed hard before we go into showmanship, and longed harder before I mount up to school. She really was a good girl last year, but there are lots of monsters and distractions (as Mac and I found out my first year, when he spooked and dumped me in a class) that I need to be wary of. If I can just keep her head between my legs and out of the clouds, we'll be fine.
I also need to pick out a song. For larger shows, I pick out a song to think about in my classes if I start to feel nervous. It usually takes care of things. I'm thinking something by Nine Inch Nails, maybe "Sunspots" because it's such a great song.
Here. I'll prove that it's great. Have a listen--

See? :) It's uppity enough to get me all energized, but it can still relax me.
I'm so excited.

Same old stuff...and playing vet :)

I've been going to the barn every day, cleaning stalls and taking care of the horses. I've also been working on showmanship, and I actually rode Stella today. It was a real ride! We could actually canter because the whole ring was nice and dry. We had a pretty good ride, but Stella was wild today too.
She just hasn't been working that much lately. I did manage to work some of her silliness out. We cantered for a long, long time. She started to buck at one point, but she only did it two or three times before I made her pick her head up and continue cantering. I think she was really glad to get out and canter. I, on the other hand, would've been perfectly happy to skip riding today and lie out on my bed.
I went to the chiropractor again today. Everything hurts so bad. I'm going to give it a day or two to get better and then I'll see what's going on. Last time I went, I was terribly sore afterward and I was in constant, excruciating pain all last week. I do NOT want that to happen again. After my first appointment, I swore I hadn't felt that good since before that awful day in gym class back in 8th grade, when I finally decided something was wrong with me. Now, I'm not feeling better at all. I do feel more aligned, but that does me no good when I can't stand, let alone walk.
Agh, enough about my pains. I don't want to think about it, and no one wants to hear about it.
I "diagnosed" a case of colic today. Blondie, the horse Larry has for training, was behaving oddly. She kept lying down and staying down for long periods of time. At first I thought the warm weather and flies might be bothering her, so I sprayed her with some fly spray but kept an eye on her. Larry had also just free-longed her, so I thought she might be tired. She started to roll, which I discouraged, and I brought out the stethoscope so I could listen to her gut. I didn't hear much, so I was really worried. I continued to keep an eye on her as I finished up the stalls. When Larry came back, he decided she was probably colicking too. Blondie seems to be better now, so I guess it was just a mild tummy ache.
I've also been fighting a tick battle with the horses and dogs. Fortunately, I haven't found many ticks on myself so far, but I've been plucking them off of Jack, Abby, and Stella left and right. Poor Blondie has a bit of swelling on her stomach from some sort of insect bite.
Abby's foot is getting much better. She cut it a while back. It was a pretty good-sized cut, one that I personally thought might need stitches (When the vet took a look at it, she also said it probably would've been a good idea, but the paw is healing nicely anyway.). Larry's been doing a good job keeping his little Hoo-Dog's paw clean and bandaged, and Abby is back to her old antics.

"Dry" day at last.

So, after a week I finally came home wearing semi-clean pants, though I'm all sweaty from a long day of working in the sun. My farmer's tan is developing nicely; my forearms are already getting really dark (for me, at least) while my upper arms are still as pasty white as my legs :)
I played with Stellaphone for a while and then I did a couple of stalls. I was soaking with sweat by the time I finished, and the kids came up to me to ask if I'd take them to a small ice cream shop in town. Since I was hot and tired, I was very willing to spend some time sitting under an umbrella and slurping on something cold and sweet. My sister got a cookie dough thing, Elizabeth got a gigantic sundae with extra strawberries, and I got a strawberry milkshake for Larry and a peanut butter milkshake for myself. When we got back to the barn, I shared my milkshake with Abby. She loves peanut butter.
The vet dropped by and checked to see if Sissy could be bred yet. She's not ready yet. I played with the vet's little daughter, Emily, and we played with the poles and jump standards. She really likes to adjust the jumps, and occasionally she'd ask me to help her jump over the jumps. I'd lift her over them and she'd laugh. Then she'd want Abby to jump, so I'd call her over and Abby, being a wonderful little hoo-dog, was glad to entertain little Emily. Emily got a great surprise after jumping on foot--Larry let her ride around on Sissy. Angie, the vet, and I walked alongside Emily as she held onto the saddle and patted the Boobah's neck. Emily was still interested in the jump, so I set it as low as it would go and we held her tight while Larry led her over the pole. Sissy just stepped over, and Emily was thrilled. I love watching little kids with horses.
Later on, Mindy dropped by and Larry worked with all of us on showmanship. It was fun, and Stella and I did a whole lot of work on our pivoting. Then, we actually got a chance to ride. It was a real ride this time!
Stella was all excited to get out and work. As soon as I asked her to trot, I could tell she was ready to spring into a canter. After some trot work, I did let her canter. We had a pretty good time with it. I attempted some counter-canter work, but Stella absolutely refused to pick it up. I tricked her into it by turning around and not asking for a lead change. She's just so set on picking up the inside lead that I thought maybe getting her to feel the counter-canter would help her get used to the idea that it's okay to get it "wrong." She was a little crazy tonight and didn't want to halt when I asked. I should have longed her before I rode her, but I didn't.
Right before I left, I found my sister and Elizabeth sitting in the lounge making prank phone calls to some kind of over-the-phone adult chat thing. It was funny to hear, but they got kicked off of the thing twice before I made them quit. Each time they left one of their silly messages, the thing would respond a minute or two later by telling them that the free service is for adults 18 and over. Ah, the things kids do to entertain themselves...
Then, the sky opened up and dumped out, and I don't think I'm going to get another chance to ride for a long time. So it goes.

STILL MUDDY. AGGGH.

It's STILL muddy out, but I went for a short ride today. It was fun.
As I've been doing for the past week, I went to the barn and did all of the stalls. My muscles are finally coming back :) I sat on the porch with Larry and Abby for a while. Abby was whining about something, and then Larry and I checked her for ticks. Did I mention that I really dislike ticks? I guess that's what happens once you spot a bullseye rash on your thigh and have to swallow down a course of antibiotics that make you seriously wonder whether you'd prefer Lyme over your next dose. So, yeah, it's personal.
Larry dragged the ring and made it suitable for a short walk-trot ride. I tacked up Stella and took her out to the arena, where Larry was already schooling Blondie, the palomino mare that he's training. Stella and I were standing by the gate while I checked her girth and put some fly spray on her legs. Suddenly, Stella pushed forward and slammed me into the gate. She seemed hesitant to push me any more, yet absolutely panicked about something. Blondie was flipping out and had bumped into Stella in the middle of her mare flare. After our little experience at State, I'm sure Stella was scared out of her mind. It really hurt, but I sucked it up and told Larry I was fine when he asked. He seemed worried about me.
I just hurried and got on Stella. She was ready to go, but I had to keep her in check because the ground was so slick. We did trot some, which was quite nice. The person who last rode in my saddle evidently likes short stirrups, because I had to take them down about two holes. (Stirrups are no big deal, just don't readjust my helmet when you borrow it! ;)) Stella wasn't pleased about having to stop and stand while I adjusted the stirrups. She wanted to walk off, so I backed her up and assured her that she'd be in a lot of trouble if I had to get off :D I'd already mounted from the ground once, and I didn't want to do it again.
Stella broke a canter one time when I was working at a sitting trot. She just got excited and leaped into it, splashing up water and clumps of mud with her wild hooves. I really wanted to canter, but I think two horse-and-rider falls are enough to last me for the rest of my life. It was a fun ride, though, and I was glad to get out on Stella for a little bit.
When we were all finished, I groomed Stella and braided up her tail so that Baby Jessie will quit chewing on it. All of her turnout buddies are mysteriously beginning to lose chunks of tail hair. Stella has been quite fortunate so far, but I'm not taking any chances. Stella's tail is long but very thin, so we can't afford to lose any volume! Stella was very squiggly tonight, which was funny. She got bored when I was working on her tail, so I had to keep distracting her from all of the chew toys that surrounded her.
My body hurts. It hurts worse than it did before I went to the chiropractor. My knees are awful. My hip is awful, particularly after Stella slammed me into the gate. It was really hurting me this morning, though. My lower back hasn't been bad lately except for the times I've had to sit for a long time, such as during my exams last week. I guess things will change with time.

Braving the muck again.

It's still mucky out. So much for all the riding I was going to do before District...
I went to the barn early today. Larry and I turned out the horses and then I got to work on some stalls while Larry tried to fix someone's car. Abby is still limping from a cut on her back paw, but it's healing. It was rather uneventful, really. Larry had to leave and he took Abby with him, so I decided to go home and get some lunch. I came back after a while to finish the stalls.
No one was around once everything was done, so I distributed fresh sawdust, hay, and water to all of the stalls. Then I brought in the horses, who were glad to come in for dinner. Tina was absolutely disgusting. She decided to roll in the really muddy area near the gate, and she was literally covered from head to hoof in thick mud. When I led her inside, she kept trying to rub it off on me and I told her that she was a "nasty, nasty Wiener." I went back out to get Sissy, who stomped in the mud outside of the gate and splattered mud all over my pants. Karma, perhaps? The horses were all glad to have their dinner, and I was very happy to sit in the aisle and listen to the grateful shuffling of hay and crunching of grain. I brought Stella in and gave her a quick grooming once she was finished with her grain. I went home after that.
I can't wait until it's nice out again.

Yay barn.

Yesterday was rainy and awful. I went to the barn to help do some stalls, and then there was a downpour. The whole sky opened up and dumped out over the barn as Larry and I rushed to drag our frolicking horses into their stalls. They were having fun munching grass and playing in the rain, so much that we almost left them outside to get soaked. Larry and I hid in the barn like a pair of wet rats once the job was done. We weren't about to go back out into the rain. Normally I like rain, but this was an uncomfortably heavy rain. As soon as it let up, I ran out to my car and went to the chiropractor.
My chiropractor appointment was interesting. They tried all sorts of things to make my muscles relax. First, they started with some electrical stimulation, which was strange but pleasant. Then, they tried heat. Then, the chiropractor started massaging my back. It worked after a while.
He worked on my hips and nearly pulled me off the table. I jumped to regain my balance after one attempt, but he just laughed and assured me that I wouldn't fall. He said it was difficult because I'm so flexible and it took a lot to make my hip pop. He fixed my neck, which hurt a little at the time. He finished up by playing with my knees. My left knee evidently moves laterally a whole lot. He didn't like that. He asked me if I'd ever injured that knee, but the only semi-serious thing I could think of was the time Mac kicked me in my right knee. I've really banged my left knee, but I don't think any of that would screw it up like it is. I don't know what's wrong with my knees, but they're still hurting... I'm still sore from the chiropractor. Meh. At least I'm properly aligned now.
I went to the barn this morning to see Larry, Abby, and all of the horses. Larry and I put the horses out and then I cleaned some stalls. Larry had to go to town, so I stayed at the barn and continued with the stalls. I got really hungry after a while, so I went home to get some lunch.
I came back and finished all of the stalls. I also played with Jack for a while and ended up pinning him to the ground to pull ticks off of him. He whined and writhed. He put his mouth on me. He nailed me square in the face with a back leg. I hope no one was watching, because it looked and sounded like I was hurting the poor dog. I think I got all of the ticks, though, so I felt like I'd done a good deed. I don't like ticks. I really, really don't. I gave Jack some fresh water and a few biscuits as a reward for letting me rough him up a little, and he appreciated them. I left and went home for dinner and to get my little sister.
I groomed Stella really well. I curried her and ran a hard brush over her, and then used a finishing brush to make her shine. I combed her mane and tail and brushed her face. I picked out her hooves and rubbed the mud off of her legs. I even pulled out the pocket clippers and trimmed her coronets and fetlocks. She looked so nice :) I was going to do her bridle path as well, but the pocket clippers weren't able to handle Stella's thick mohawk.
It was still really muddy out today. The arena was awful, and there were some slippery patches all around the yard.

Back into the swing of things...

I didn't get a chance to ride for about two weeks, but I've gotten to ride every day since I've been home. I feel so lucky :) I rode Stella last night, and I also rode her today. I even jumped today!
Stella hadn't worked for a few weeks, so she was ready to run last night. I think I've already mentioned that she's now getting a high-energy feed to help her gain some weight. She's looking fantastic now, but she needs regular riding to help her burn off some of the extra energy. I longed her for a bit and she behaved herself. Then, I tacked her up, mounted, and waited outside of the ring while Larry finished free-longeing a horse, a pretty palomino named Blondie, that he's training. The horse's owner came to watch. Stella was good while we stood outside of the ring, but I could tell that she was itching to go. I normally like to have a long walk to warm up at the beginning of a ride, both to stretch myself and because Mac always needed a long walk to loosen up his stiff muscles, but last night I let Stella move into the trot early on. She was excited to pick up the pace. We moved along nicely for a while. My shoulders looked like they were leading a bit, but otherwise we looked and felt very good. Cantering was very exhilarating. Stella was wonderful, although she really wanted to go. I alternated between letting her hand-gallop and bringing her back down to a normal canter. Stella got quite strong with me a few times, so I made her halt and stand. She didn't like that very much, but she eventually got the message and stayed focused on me even as we flew around the arena. I almost felt bad after our last canter because I knew her motor wasn't worn down yet. She's like the Energizer Bunny, always going and going and going and going and going...
One time at an AQHA show, actually a few weeks before Mac died, Mindy and I tag-teamed it to try and work the silliness out of Stella before Mindy took her into a class. She longed her, I longed her, Mindy rode her, I rode her, we longed her again, we rode her again, we longed her again, we rode her again...and Stella STILL exploded in the class with Mindy.
The horse just doesn't stop. It's absolutely amazing. Sure, she gets tired, but she'll surprise you with huge bursts of energy just when you think she's done.
Today was really fun. It sprinkled a bit and made the grass in Elizabeth's yard slick, so Elizabeth and Mindy moved a jump into our arena and they were schooling over the fence when I arrived. Elizabeth was on Sydney and Mindy was on Stella. I grabbed my helmet and Mindy handed Stella over to me so that I could pop her over the fence a few times. Mindy left to tack up Chester, but that's another story :) Stella trotted happily to the fence each time, popping over with ease. It only hurt my hip once, and the pain was mild and short-lived. We worked on the flat for a while too. Stella was still a little energetic, but she was very good for me. We had an excellent canter. I also rode with safety stirrups today. Mindy didn't put my saddle on Stella today, and the saddle that she used had stirrups that would slip open if I applied enough pressure in the right spot. It was a little odd at first. I've used the bent safety stirrups before, but never the peacock stirrups or the folding ones like I've used today.
I personally use traditional stirrups. There's no real reason why except that I always have. I'm all for equestrian safety--there have been only a handful of times I've ever mounted a horse without a helmet, just as an example. I've just had my current irons since I bought my saddle and I've never had an issue with them. Perhaps I'll adopt some form of safety stirrup if I ever get really serious with jumping, but until then I think I'll stick with my current irons.
Mindy still was worried about jumping Tina at this stage in the pregnancy, so Larry let her take Chester. Yes, our little stallion is growing up! He got his first lesson over fences today. He's never even had an English saddle on his back. Larry has taken him over ground poles a few times, but that's all. Mindy just hopped on, schooled him around for a bit, and pointed him at a tiny crossrail, which he sailed right over. It was amazing to watch. When we first backed him, Mindy and I told Larry that Chester was going to be an all-around horse. Now he's practicing his jumping and already pretty good at it! He's so amazing.
I might go to the chiropractor tomorrow. I need to go before the District show, too.

Home again.

The semester is over. I am home.
While I'm definitely going to miss school, I'm glad to be back. My pining for Stella was becoming quite overwhelming.
I went to the barn late because it was after 7 when I got home. I talked to Stella in her stall for a while, and then Larry let me ride Chester for a while. He was using the new western saddle on Chester, and I hate the saddle's stirrups. When I have my legs aligned with my hips, I can only keep the toe of my boot in the stirrup. If I keep the ball of my foot in the stirrup, my legs get jacked forward. Larry and I played around with the length of the stirrups, but it was all in vain. I surrendered and rode without stirrups or a problem. I only walked and trotted a little bit, but my legs are KILLING me. It's going to be a long, hard road to getting my muscles back.
I also cleaned a whole lot of stalls and gave all the horses water once I was finished riding. My arms were also aching from the first good use they've had in a long time (Sure, I lift light weights, but nothing can compare to real work.), and it felt great. I've definitely lost a lot of tone over the past few months. It's been making me very sad. I used to have a very muscular body, but I can't stand the repetition of a gym, physically can't run, don't have enough time to get the equivalent at a walk, and don't have a barn full of needy horses at college.
I went to see Stella again after everything was done. I hugged her. She's been rubbing her tail. Larry gave her some dewormer, and I'm probably going to wrap her dock with vetwrap tomorrow. It already looks awful, and she hasn't even done it that much yet.
Agh. I need some ibuprofen and sleep.