Hold The (Stella) Phone...

Stella and Daisy Jane

2011-06-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

I'm back. I know I haven't posted anything in a long time. For a while, it was really difficult for me to get home due to school keeping me busy every weekend. I was miserable and I hated watching myself losing muscle mass with every week I didn't ride. I swear I could hardly ride without stirrups for the first week or so of this summer, but I pushed myself hard and Stella and I are back and better than ever. Seriously, I'm loving everything right now.
I'm glad I can say that again, too. If I'm completely honest, I relapsed and had another depressive episode. I've been having a lot of family problems and I've been in some difficult situations over the past few months. This depressive episode was different from my last in that it got really bad really quickly. The first one was almost like unresolved grief gone wrong, but this one was out for the kill. Nothing was going in my favor and things got really, really dark for a while.
Horses are such great medicine. I've been having problems in most aspects of my life, but it's literally been a lifesaver for me to be able to head off to the barn to cool off and hang out with Stella and everyone else at the barn. I'm not going to knock the medicine I'm taking, but I don't think any of it would be nearly as effective without the pleasure I get from going to see the horses every day.
I had an amazing day today. I went to the barn early today and rode Stella. Heather came over and rode Sydney. She also jumped Sydney, and I got to jump Sydney once over a crossrail. I couldn't jump Stella today because of some other big news--she's pregnant! Stella worked really well today though, and I was very proud of her. She wanted to jump today; she kept getting antsy and looking at the jumps. She's the most dishonest horse I think I've ever ridden (she'll duck out of any jump randomly, haha), but when she does jump she's fantastically good at it and she seems to like it. She just has "moods" and once I pop her over one jump she usually won't refuse again. Stella also gets fussy about ground poles sometimes, which is ridiculous but also prevents me from ever being complacent. I think that's what Nancy always meant by "riding every stride" :)
I've been riding Stella a lot. The other day I did some sidesaddle with her (in a regular saddle, of course) and that was a lot of fun. I've obviously trained her to stop when I fall off from all of my random "emergency" dismounts while we're trotting around. I lost my balance a bit while I was trotting around sidesaddle (with no stirrup on the near side, I just feel safer knowing I can slide off versus getting my foot caught up) and opted to jump off before I fell off. I didn't stick the landing and landed flat out in the sand. Stella stopped beside me and looked at me, probably wondering why I make her put up with so much crazy stuff. I've also been riding bareback a lot. I realized I lean to the left slightly when I was riding some other horses. I really can't tell on Stella because of her withers, but I always slip to the left a bit when I'm on a horse with low withers. Bareback has been helping a lot, and it's a lot of fun now that Stella has gained some weight and she's not as bony :P
I've mostly just been riding her around bareback after our normal schooling and to cool Stella out, but I've also done some quick bareback rides when it's hot and I'm too lazy to tack up or when I don't have much time to ride and just want to have a little fun. The other day, I put a halter and lead on Stella and rode her out into the pasture so she could eat grass while I sat on her. It had rained too much for me to ride, but I felt like playing with Stella and she certainly enjoyed eating the grass. She honestly doesn't care that I sit on her back while she eats, and she probably enjoys the added withers-scratching while she munches :)
I think I'm getting way more adventurous with stuff that I do on horseback now. I'm finally feeling more confident, which has always been a big problem for me. I feel like I suck all the time. I'm trying to tell myself that I do well though. I mean, at the very least I can stay on a horse like nobody's business. Today I did something silly. I got a water bottle and tried to drink while cantering Stella in a two-point with no hands. It worked really well until I had to stop her. I didn't want to drop the bottle (my sister was holding the cap for me and I didn't want to waste good water) but I needed to use my reins a bit. I ended up pouring water all down the inside of my thigh, which sucked because it felt weird while I was riding. My jeans took forever to dry too, haha. It also started to sprinkle a bit while we were riding. It cooled everything down and felt really good, so I was glad.
I think Stella thinks I'm crazy though. The other night I told Larry about how much Stella has to put up with when I ride her and have ideas for funny stuff to try, and he told me that I have to put up with a lot from her too so we're even :P She's taking a magnesium supplement now which has really made her more calm. She still spooks a bit, but they're little spooks where she's like "Oh no! Back to work." instead of "OMG I'M GONNA DIE, MUST RUN ACROSS RING AND THRASH ABOUT BECAUSE THAT WILL CERTAINLY KEEP IT FROM KILLING ME!"
Stella is possibly the most interesting horse I've ever worked with. She's so much fun, and she's so sweet. She kept squiggling me yesterday while I cleaned her stall. I used a muck bucket because the wheelbarrows were full already, and she had fun picking the muck bucket up by the rope handles. If she'd been picking it up and throwing it then I would've made her stop, but it was just too cute watching her lift it up a bit and seem pleased with herself before gently putting it back down. Such a cute horsie :) I love her so much.
I also got to ride a pony at Miss Patty's house today. She had donated her little paint pony, Daisy Jane, to the therapeutic riding school a while back. Apparently the pony was doing well for a while, but she had been really nasty over a period of 10 days. They said she was biting, bucking, and kicking with the kids and they simply couldn't allow her to stay anymore. Miss Patty took the pony back and now they're looking for a home for her. Larry told me I should come over to ride her because he knows I love ponies and because she moves like a little hunter and I'm into that sort of thing ;) She's only five (so it's impressive that she was working at a therapeutic riding school!), and she's a bay paint.
I don't know if I'm glad I'm too big for her or not. I LOVE Daisy Jane and she's free to a good home. I dunno, I just kinda fell in love with her today when I rode her. She's really green but we just kinda clicked together. Larry and Miss Patty want me to keep coming over and riding her to train her, and Larry said I should teach her to jump. I think Larry hates riding her--I legitimately don't think I could sit her trot without bouncing all over the place. I didn't try to sit, but I was really glad I was posting :P Also, her canter strides are so short and fast right now that I really had a hard time sitting her canter. I got up into a half-seat a bit because I couldn't make my butt keep up with her! I think the saddle didn't help either. It was a crappy western saddle that I wasn't used to. Maybe if I put an English saddle on her then I'd have an easier time, honestly. The people at the riding school said that Daisy Jane was bucking horribly, but she didn't even try today. She hugged the rail to the point of almost taking my leg off once, but that was her only real problem. She had a hard time stopping occasionally, but I just think that was a product of needing more training versus being bad. She tried really hard for me today and I can't believe I fell in love with her so fast.
I always said I wanted Stella and a little tiny pony... And Daisy Jane is free! I think I'm going to buy Stella after she has her baby. I've saved up a good amount of money, and my mom said she would help me pay for her as my graduation present. Ugh. I wish I wasn't a poor college student so that I could have Stella and Daisy Jane and keep them both, haha. I dunno, I'd want to keep riding Daisy Jane for a bit, but I feel like she's got crazy potential and she seems really sweet. I kept hearing Miss Patty's husband complimenting my "control" and Daisy Jane's "relaxation" while we rode. And it was so much fun riding her!
Woooo, fantastic day :)
EDIT: Larry was also horrible today while I was riding Daisy Jane. I asked him if I could canter her (as in, had she been cantered under saddle since she'd been home) and he smiled and said "It's your life." Then he went to close a stall door that led into the arena, and was muttering something about the pony "running into the stall", "scraping me off on the wall", and "body parts scattered everywhere". Hahahaha, I love Larry.

Shelby. Growing up to be just like Mac.

2010-12-27T20:08:00.000-08:00

I haven't gotten to ride at all since I've been on break. It's really getting on my nerves that the ground is always completely covered in snow and ice when all I really want is to ride my Wella.
But I didn't come here to complain about not getting to ride.
Little Shelby is sick. She's very sick. She's been sick for a long time. It started when she was a baby and she never managed to shed out. We finally clipped her so that she wouldn't overheat in the summer sun. Jean thought something was wrong, but she didn't really bother Angie, the vet, with it until recently.
Shelby started going off her grain, getting lethargic, and stocking up in her legs (even with turnout). Her glands under her jaw were swollen, and she had a fever too. I think she had a bit of a cough, just to add something else bad to the mix. It was horrible. They took her to an equine clinic and they said it was something like bacterial pneumonia. She went home and got lots of antibiotics and steroids and stuff that would make her better (at this point, I really don't know what she's been getting because I've been away a lot and because of the sheer amount of stuff we're putting in her).
Now she's losing her hair and she's got raw spots on her skin. She's a horrible sight. But she started getting better. The swelling in her body went down tremendously. She started playing again, and roaming around the barn as we let her out of her stall for playtime. Her appetite picked up again and her fever went away.
And now she's gotten worse.
She's staggering around the stall, slamming into the walls and running into her buckets. She's almost fallen a few times. According to Jean and Angie, she almost drowned herself in her water bucket after "forgetting" that she was drinking and pushing her whole face in for a long time. She's only allowed to have a very small amount of water at a time now, and I had to stand there and watch her struggle to swallow while I made sure she didn't drown.
The worst part of this? It's a painful reminder of Mac's last days.
(Well, the worst part is that she will probably have to be euthanised unless something amazing happens, because the poor creature is suffering. But it still makes me think about Mac.)

All About Stella

2010-12-13T20:25:00.000-08:00

I found this while cleaning up in my room a bit today. I wrote it while preparing my 4-H project book for Stella, before the first year I showed her at State. It made me smile:

ALL ABOUT STELLA
"Hi everyone! My name is Steel Lukin, but everyone calls me Stella. My "dad," Larry, says that they call me Steel Lukin because I am dark grey like steel. Sam, my "mom," tells me that my name means "star" in Latin, and she likes to cut apples for me so that I can look at the star...and then eat it, of course!
I am an Appendix Quarter Horse, and I am six years old. [Note: she's eight now.] Mom sometimes tells me that I'm "fairly green," but I swear that I'm really grey! Okay, okay--sometimes I get grass stains on my withers when I roll, but mom is really silly. Not only does she say that I'm "green," but she also jumps off my back every once in a while and lies down on the ground. I mean, when I'm really super scared or confused, she jumps right off and leaves me to gallop around, wondering where she went. She always comes back though, and she promises that everything is okay.
I'm a very happy horse, and I like to do a lot of things with my mom. She likes to let me walk around and eat grass while she holds onto my pretty purple lead rope. (I love purple, and mom always tries to buy things for us that are pretty and purple.) I love to eat, sniff, and cruise around while mom fusses over me and talks to me. Sometimes I ask mom if we can hand-gallop when we ride. She usually listens to me and will tell me when it's okay. I love to go fast! I really don't like dark places on the ground, though. Mom just doesn't understand that she's going to fall into a bottomless pit if she walks into them! I also hate the sound of rain falling onto the roof. Where's that stuff coming from, anyway? I'm very friendly. I love dogs, cats, and other horses (except for the ones who nip, scratch, and kick). I really love people too, as long as they don't hurt or scare me.
Mom always tells me that she "loves" and "needs" me. Whenever we ride out to the back field, mom always stops me at a big mound of dirt and pats me. We sit there for a while, and mom whispers a few words to herself. I can never quite hear what she's saying, but she says it with great passion and sadness in her voice. When we ride off, I try to give her a good ride; she always seems so happy when I do. Sometimes mom goes out to the back field by herself. She comes back with tears in her eyes, and then she comes into my stall. I like to nudge her with my velvety nose because it makes her smile. Mom loves to kiss my nose. She calls it a "squiggler"--how silly! Then, mom leans on my shoulder and wraps her arms around my neck. I never move. She leans on me so much that she'd certainly fall if I stepped away from her. I feel like it's my job to keep her on her feet."

I feel like it ends pretty abruptly, but every time I read it I feel really sad and really happy at the same time.
Eventually I'll get around to posting about all the "adventures" I've been having. I've gotten lazy. Maybe tomorrow? :P

Three Years.

2010-07-15T09:41:00.001-07:00

Mac died three years ago today.
It's been a painful, challenging, and amazingly beautiful three years. I spent most of it suffering from clinical depression and fighting to get my life back. Once I emerged from the fear and the darkness, however, I started seeing life in a whole new way. I went from wanting to die to seeing beauty in just about every aspect of my life. I've been able to come through even some of the most negative moments in the past few years with a positive attitude where I can promise myself that I can make it through.
I remember some of my first rides on Stella in Larry's old Western work saddle (because it would have been too dangerous to ride her in an English saddle, as I do today). She would canter and basically bolt off. She would stop pretty well, but there was otherwise little control. I remember that I had to ride her in the pasture some and she was absolutely insane. I'm surprised I didn't fall off of her, let alone get myself killed, during some of those rides. She was really spooky, too. I remember halting her and just sitting in the middle of the ring, hanging my head and crying because my beloved Mac was lost forever. Honestly, I hated Stella back then. She was young and flighty, and I didn't want to deal with her. Moreover, she was alive. Stella was alive and Mac was dead; that didn't seem fair to me in my grief.
She's come so far over the years, too. So have I. Larry told me the other night that we've become quite the pair--Stella is maturing and I know her well enough to keep her on track when she feels the need to flare up. Mindy showed her a bit at the big Quarter Horse show we went to, and after a class where Stella had misbehaved, Mindy kept complaining about how Stella will basically fall apart if her rider isn't in complete control at all times. Nancy, a woman who gave me riding lessons a while back before going into therapeutic riding, once told me that I needed to learn how to "ride every stride" if I wanted to succeed in riding difficult horses. I could never seem to understand that concept until recently. It's an amazing feeling, too.
After three years, I think it's unnecessary to mourn Mac's death as I have in the past. I often think about him and all of the things that we experienced together, and sometimes I go out to his grave just to sit and think. I don't think I'll ever reach a time where I'm perfectly okay with thinking a lot about him and not tearing up. I'm slightly teary now, but I'm also smiling and thinking about the last three years of change. I don't believe in an afterlife, so I'm not banking on seeing him again someday. I do, however, believe that we all live on in stories and memories.
Long live Sir Mac!

Lots Of Updates

2010-06-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

This summer has been great so far. We've got two new babies on the farm. The first one is three months old today, and her name is Shelby. Tina is her mom. She was born a grullo but she started looking like a scruffy little bay; today we body clipped her because she wouldn't shed out and she was always too hot and sweaty. She still looked grullo underneath :) I really wish she'd stay that color because I want unique horses!
I was at the barn when Sissy gave birth to the second one. His name is Cody and he's a red roan. He's soft and absolutely beautiful, but he was born with a crooked front leg. Larry is renting a brace to straighten his leg before he gets older, both for aesthetics and to prevent future problems and pain later on down the road.
Both of the little babies are absolutely triflin'. Shelby didn't want me to take her inside one night, so she hauled around and kicked me in the shin. I grabbed her halter and whacked her on the neck, which made her very upset. It was very slippery in the yard that night, so I fought to keep on my feet and hang onto her as she sidestepped frantically across the yard. I won :) A week or so later, she decided that she didn't want to be caught again, so she kicked me in the stomach (lightly, thankfully) and galloped off. I came back over her and she tried to kick me again, so I nailed HER in the hindquarters with my foot. I did that each time she tried to kick me and then caught her. She hasn't kicked anyone since, hahaha. Cody mostly just bites, but he can be difficult when we have to put his brace on. He really doesn't like it.
Stella has been pretty good. I've had some really amazing rides on her so far, but I've also had some really horrible ones. I've been working with her on lead changes. We're at the point where she can do a simple change with only a stride or two of trotting, so I think she's ready to learn a flying change. I'm excited about that.
We've been to one show so far this summer. She was horrible when I took her out to lunge her. A panicky barrel horse came into the ring and she immediately started rearing and tearing around the circle, almost falling a couple times. She ended up pulling back and tearing my hand open, which has almost convinced me to start wearing gloves when I lunge. It's still healing and it was quite a while ago. She worked herself into a heavy sweat before I thought she was ready to go back to the trailer, and then I sponged her off with lots of cold water to cool her off. We did pretty well in the two classes I took her in. In showmanship, I got second. I was really proud of Stella considering I thought our pattern was atrocious. We got third in a go-as-you-please hunter under saddle class. Stella didn't spook or have any mare flares in the class, but I spent the whole ride trying to keep her from leaning on my hands and trying to hold her back. She never actually threatened to break into a canter, but she started to jig a little when we started on the second direction. I decided that my time would be better spent schooling more rather than going into the other classes, so I scratched. I went to the schooling ring and worked for a while. Some little kid came in with her mini and ran across the wooden bridge that was still in the arena from the trail classes. That set Stella off. She did her usual mini-rear, spin, and throwing herself around while I put my faith in my seat and try to refocus her. After that, I rode just long enough to keep Stella from associating her behavior with me dismounting and then put her in a halter to give her a bridges-are-not-scary lesson. She walked over the bridge eventually and I was very proud of her.
Stella has also been remarkably lazy lately, mostly regarding the canter cue. I carried a whip the other day, because I'm honestly just tired of it. She needs to learn to respect the canter cue the first time I ask, as soon as I ask. I just use it as a reinforcement of my leg and she's been responding to light cues while I hold the whip and don't apply it, but I think she needs more time with the whip before I can abandon it completely.
I've jumped Stella some already this summer. She's been very good about it. I'm only allowing her to trot fences because she's still really excitable when we jump. We've also done more than just crossrails! She jumped a gate that was about two feet one night, and we've jumped vertical rails that are probably a little over that. She's refused a couple of times, mostly at the gate because she'd never seen one before (even as we rode on the flat past it, she snorted at it to ask what it was), but she's been pretty good about stuff. She's tried so hard :)
I've also jumped Abby some, and I took her to the beach. We went swimming and ran on the beach together. She also decided to jump off of the dock, but I think she got saltwater in her eyes and didn't want to swim much after that. She kept wanting to swim really far out, so I had to go get her and bring her closer to shore. I didn't want her to get tired and need me to rescue her somewhere that I wouldn't be too willing to swim myself :D I picked her up out of the water a few times and she was still paddling with her feet! It was too cute. She also liked playing with clumps of dried seaweed that had washed up on the beach. When we both got tired of running and swimming, Abby sat down where the waves hit the shore and I laid down beside her. It was amazing to feel the waves washing over my legs and back with Abby at my side.
Elizabeth, my sister, and I went out to the pond about a week ago and we all went on the boat. I sat in the middle and rowed while Natalie and Elizabeth sat on either end. We went out to the side of the pond where there's a lot of seaweedy stuff growing in the water. Natalie and Elizabeth started dragging it out of the water and throwing it at each other. Aaaaaaand, of course, since I was sitting in the middle, I was covered in seaweed at the end of their game. It was lots of fun though :)
I want to write more, but what I want to write doesn't really belong in this post. I'll probably make at least one more. It's good to be back.

This Semester.

2009-11-27T23:06:00.000-08:00

I feel terrible because I haven't written anything this entire semester. The thing is, I really haven't enjoyed my riding class this semester. The school's barn got a new trainer and I don't like her. At the beginning of the semester, she picked on me constantly. Yes, my heels are near-level. They are telling me that they don't want to go lower, yet I have a remarkably secure seat both on the flat and over fences. She wants me in a chair seat so that I can bang on my horse's back when I post like the rest of the class and she wants me to ride all forward and silly-like. There are people in my class who shouldn't even be cantering (let alone holding reins because of their atrocious hands), yet she told me that I wasn't allowed to jump until I could see my toes past my knees and lock my leg (not in those words, but that was the result). She also told me that I had to post without stirrups--one motion that, for some reason, consistently strains my hip. She wouldn't leave me alone until I did and I was upset because my hip started hurting. One day, we were working patterns on the flat and someone forgot to change diagonals after changing directions. She called out the student's mistake and then asked the rest of us, who were lined up and watching, if we understood why a change of diagonal was needed at that point. I honestly thought it was a rhetorical question because no one in the class had any excuse not to know why. No one else answered either, but she decided to make me feel stupid by personally asking me the question again. I would have given her a good explanation, but I didn't feel that I should give her more than a nod's response for such a ridiculous question that had no purpose other than to try and embarrass me. I was so close to dropping the class and demanding a refund.
The school's barn also got rid of two of my favorite horses, Bugsy and Jasmine. Bugsy left with the trainer who left, and I think Jasmine went back to her old home for a while. I've been on Chloe, the huge Clydesdale, so many times this semester. I also rode Rascal a lot at the beginning of the semester.
The other day, I had to jump Chloe. I'm actually getting pretty good with her. I used to be nervous about riding her, and I was honestly scared to death the first time I had to jump her. She's just so big...and...er...gigantic. I'm starting to get used to her massive strides and her way of thinking, so I've had a lot of good rides on her. When I jumped her last Monday, we took a line of jumps and Chloe had a hard time doing the line because I don't think she's ever done a bunch of close jumps before (that's how our new trainer made it sound) and because it was a small stride for her. She ended up handling everything pretty well. We didn't have many problems at all until we did jumps that were far apart. The first jump was rather unappealing to Miss Chloe because, although it was really low and she cantered beautifully up to it, she slammed on her horsey brakes faster than I ever thought she could. It was such an amazing change--she was moving so powerfully with me following closely, then suddenly she stopped and, for a brief moment, I was still accelerating.
Thanks to my solid lower leg and quick reaction time, I moved less than double the height I would have while rising the trot before shifting my weight back and settling into the saddle. We restarted the course and did it quite happily before ending for the day.
During another lesson, Barney gave me a ride that I'll never forget. We were working over ground poles, and Barney refused to go into a certain corner. Our trainer decided to help by standing in his chosen path and, later, standing right in front of the pole. What did jumping-minded Barney do when his ground pole was blocked? Well, he sure didn't wait for our trainer to move out of our way. He took an alternative route--the huge jump off to the right side of the pole. I thought it was hysterical. Our trainer was scared to death because she didn't know Barney could jump and because she didn't think we'd make it over because we were so close to the larger jump when he took off. I could just tell that he was going to do it, and it felt absolutely amazing. Well, it's not like I had any choice of what was going to happen to me; either I was going over the jump with him or he was going to slam on the brakes and send me over by myself. There wasn't any time for my brain to interfere, just pure reaction and smooth movement. I'm striving to achieve that state of mind every time I ride.
And I've been on so many horses this semester whom I've been "warned" about--he's panicky, he's going to take off, hang on tight--and had wonderful rides on. Our new trainer has actually complimented me a lot for my rides on the school horses who tend to explode with other people. She said she was very surprised at their calm behavior. She also complimented me a lot for my ride on Chloe the other day, saying that I stuck with her beautifully. At this point, I doubt I'm going to ride next semester because of lack of time and money and because I've had a sort of love-hate relationship with this semester.
I saw my Wellaphone tonight and I swear she's more beautiful than ever. I love her so much.

Nightmare.

2009-08-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

I had a terrible dream last night. I haven't even written it down yet because it was traumatic for me to recall, much less "experience."
It was a little jumbled, but I remember seeing Mac. He was bathed in sweat, and he looked weak. He went down in his stall and I sat next to him, sobbing. He was dying all over again. I couldn't do anything but watch and sob. It was the worst Mac nightmare I've had. I've had a few where I've known that he was dead, where the other horses were freaking out because they knew he was dead, but none that forced me to relive the worst day of my life.
To make matters worse, Sissy was also sick in the dream. I don't know if I wrote about her in a previous entry, but both Sissy and Tina are pregnant. Sissy got sick in the dream, but the sickness caused her to abort the foal. She got better, though.
It's going to take me a while to recover from this one. Stella will help.
EDIT:
"La Mer" is helping until I can get to the barn.

Straight From The Horse's Mouth

2009-08-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

Stella had a visit from the dentist today. She had to have her teeth floated and a wolf tooth and a half removed. I kind of feel weird carrying around two extracted horse teeth, but at the same time I think they're really cool :)
Angie came over and felt around in Stella's mouth. She found a "small wolf tooth" on her left upper jaw, so we decided to go ahead and have it removed. It was very close to her molars and it wasn't interfering with the bit or her ability to eat, but we still wanted them gone. First Angie set out to remove the tooth, which was an interesting process to watch.
Stella was, of course, heavily sedated. I'm sure the tooth extraction was a painful process, so she got lots of happy stuff to help her get through it without a problem. Angie popped the little wolf tooth out and told us that it was probably a fragment left behind from a previous extraction.
After the half-a-wolf tooth was out, Angie floated the bottom molars. That wasn't a problem at...all except in my area. I had to support Stella's whole, drooping head while Angie filed away the sharp edges. She was a little heavier than I could easily support, but I just took a few pain pills and everything's fine. Then, Angie put the speculum into Stella's mouth to keep it open while she worked on the top molars. It was then that she realized that Stella had another, very large wolf tooth on the right side. The tooth was so close to Stella's molars that she'd thought it was part of them. After she finished floating Stella's teeth, Angie removed the speculum and started the process of removing the second tooth. Angie remarked that Stella is very clever; she was able to think of different ways to keep Angie from moving the rasp, so we had to stay on our toes. (Angie loves Stella and wants her, but I don't think she'll buy her because Angie knows that Stella means the world to me.)
Stella needed a bit more of the sedative before we could begin. She didn't try to get away from us or do anything bad, but she started to squiggle so much that Angie couldn't work. When the tooth was out, I watched Stella for a while to make sure she was okay after receiving the sedatives, and then I rinsed her off outside and put her back into her stall. She was bleeding a little bit in her mouth, but that didn't stop her from going straight back to munching her hay and, later on, chowing down on dinner.
Angie also performed some chiropractic work on Sydney. It was great to watch. She said that she attended a two-day course on equine chiropractic work, and she said that it was open to anyone. I'd love to learn how to do chiropractic work on horses. It's the only reason I can still ride, let alone walk comfortably; I'd love to make that sort of difference for a horse.
I had to go to a work party for the local horse show club. It was annoying. I was about 20 minutes late getting there because I'd been with Stella, but no one was there when I arrived. My poor Protege (a tiny little sedan) had a hard time going through the tall grass in the field at the showgrounds. In fact, some of the grass came up over the hood of the car because it was so tall. Everyone else except for one lady drove up in their huge trucks, so they didn't have a problem :) I seem to have a lot of problems bringing my car places. Remember the 4-H road cleanup? Ah, good times... A few people eventually came and we picked up some sticks. Wooohoo. Oh well.
And I can't even go to the show this Sunday. At least I'm heading back to school. I'm just going to miss my girl.

Hold The (Stella) Phone...

2009-08-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

It's almost time for me to head back to school... I'm very excited, but I'm going to miss Stella again. It's going to be sad, but we'll deal with it when it comes, as it comes.
I went to visit the horses tonight. Stella was doing well. Sydney also came back from trial at the therapeutic riding barn. I helped Larry do the stalls and feed the horses. Then, we went to the porch and sat down for a while. I got Abby to do some tricks, but I think she needs to learn some new, more challenging tricks. I'd like to teach her to pick up her toys or identify shapes, but I don't know how to do the former and I know it'll take me a lot of sessions to get her to identify shapes. I don't have time for lots of sessions right now--I'm going away :(
I gave Stella a great grooming tonight. She was dirty from being outside all day. She got a good currying, and then I brushed her off and went over her entire coat with a finishing brush. I put some spray-in conditioner on her mane and tail before combing them out. I picked her hooves and squirted some betadine on the hoof where she had her abscess. It's been so wet out that I didn't want it to get nasty again.
I did a little tiny bit of trotting her around the yard. We worked around the puddles, setting up, trotting circles, just walking and bending around. It was fun. Then she went back in her stall and I went home. It was nice. I'm going to miss her.

Horses, dogs, otters...you know, the usual.

2009-08-09T22:23:00.001-07:00

I've been going to the pond a lot lately. Larry had to go to town to get some things one afternoon, so I took Abby and Jack down to Jack's Pond. They played in the water while I sat on the overturned boat and dangled my feet in the water. I was in the process of putting my boots back on when I looked up. There were three "creatures" swimming toward me. At first I only saw one, and I took it as Abby still swimming around. I noticed the other two and realized that Abby and Jack were over at Abby's Pond, splashing around and making the frogs jump from their hiding places in the grass. Then, I thought the animals were snapping turtles, but I decided that the heads were definitely mammalian--and that I'd see shells. I assumed they were beavers, but their heads were too narrow to be a beaver. I also didn't think they were muskrats for the same reason. I decided that the animals had to be otters. After that point, I felt like I was having one of those weird, almost transcendental moments where I wasn't sure that I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. It felt like I was hallucinating or something. After a few moments of watching the animals swim toward me, they turned around and started swimming away from me. It was awesome.
The next day, I went out on the holey boat to see if there were any otters swimming in the pond again. I didn't see any, but I got soaking wet because I still haven't repaired the two huge leaks. I enjoyed the water and paddled around for a while.
On the day after that, I didn't plan to go to the barn. I've been having a really rough time with my hip, back, and knees, and I thought it would just be best to stay home and rest. Sure enough, Larry called me while I was eating dinner and asked me if I was coming. I told him that I didn't think I'd be able to and he understood, but he told me that Dylan and Shelby were there for a lesson and they were asking him why I wasn't there. I was upset that I wouldn't see them, so I took some more pain medicine and drove to the barn.
I was obviously limping, which concerned the kids' mother. I assured her that I'd be able to lead Shelby during her lesson, however, and that I was glad to do it. I'm really glad that I came. It hurt when I jogged beside Tina, but Shelby had a great time trotting and I didn't mind too much. Shelby showed Larry her skills at doing around-the-worlds, and even I was impressed. She's very good at them. Larry rode Tina after Shelby was finished riding, and I took the kids and the dogs down to the pond for a boat ride.
I told the kids about the otters. They thought that was very exciting, but we didn't see any otters. I took Shelby and Dylan out on the boat for a long ride. Once again, I got soaked. Most of the water pooled on my side of the boat because I weigh more than the kids. My seat got wet, which made my butt wet, which was rather unpleasant. The seat was wet because Abby insisted on jumping in the boat with us--once again, she needed me to haul her into the boat. I decided to stand in the boat and row back to our landing, hoping that the kids would sit still and Abby wouldn't decide to leap out of the boat, causing me to fall in the scummy water. Fortunately, I didn't get THAT wet.
Shelby also said that I'm a "good friend." We were gathering dirt to make a pretend fire, and I thought that was really sweet of her to say that. Little kids are so great.
After the kids left the barn, I turned on the floodlights and worked some showmanship with Stella. We only did a little bit of trotting, but we did lots of work on other things. I got Stella to do lots of bending. We also worked on setting up until she was doing it on her own whenever we halted. Sometimes, if we practice a whole lot, she'll start doing that. She's great :) We worked on pivoting, which eventually turned out to be pretty decent. I guess I ought to do whatever I can manage. Getting out and doing something positive, like playing with the kids and animals, is better than sitting at home and feeling like I'm too messed up to do anything.
I've been having some good rides on Stella since the arena dried out again. The first night back was okay. She was her quirky little "oh-I-forgot-how-to-do-that" self, as she usually is after a long stint of no work. She didn't do anything too bad, but she was a little spooky in one corner one time around, she insisted on trying to eat grass that was growing up from the pasture (which is right alongside the arena), and she decided that it was okay to ignore my canter cues for a couple of strides.
I also rode her the night before last. She was still a little "off," but she was improving. She wanted to rush a little and still wanted to take her sweet time to move into a canter. The one naughty thing she did was crow-hopping. Stella really felt like she wanted to have a nice hand-gallop. Since we were alone in the arena, I asked her to move into a canter and then got her to extend and quicken her pace. I stuck in a full seat until she really got going, and then I moved into a light half-seat. As soon as I rose from the saddle, she threw her head down and gave me two little crow-hops. They didn't jostle me, but I settled back into a full seat and gradually brought her back into a regular canter. I had a difficult time riding the right lead, so I thought working without stirrups might help. It didn't help, but it was still a good exercise. Our only problem was when Stella and I rode deep into a corner and Stella lost her footing. She stumbled a little and the sudden movement was really painful for me. It hurt all the way up my back and all through my pelvis. I only rode for a little while after that.
I spent a lot of time at the barn today. I cleaned stalls this morning and rinsed off all of the horses because they were sweating in the heat. They enjoyed their baths. I also took Abby to McDonalds. My sister fed her french fries and part of her chicken sandwich. The woman who was working at the drive-thru thought it was strange to see the little dog sitting in the passenger seat with my sister and eying the bags of food with the intent of snatching anything left unguarded. Abby was certainly ready to lap up Larry's strawberry milkshake--if only she'd been able to pop the top off! When we got back to the barn, I gave the dogs some of my Apple Dippers. They enjoyed the caramel. Jack enjoyed it so much that he put his tongue in my caramel sauce and got a mixture of drool and sticky sauce all over my breeches. I also gave one of the apple slices to Stella. By the time I was finished distributing the apples to hungry canine and equine mouths, I only got one or two slices. So it goes.
I took Abby out to Gregg's Place for a while, too. This time, I didn't let myself get disoriented :) She was very happy to go exploring with me. When we got back, Abby was covered in little green sticky-burrs, while I seem to have wandered into a nest of seed ticks. I took Abby and Jack down to the pond, where they splashed in the water and I tried to get the ticks off of me before I could get bitten. I laid down on the overturned boat and lowered my arms into the water, scrubbing violently. Suddenly, Jack and Abby leaped onto the boat and jumped into the water. I seriously thought that I was going to slip and fall into the water because of the way the boat shook. I carefully hooked my foot over the taut rope that was tied between a tree and the boat. That prevented any more near-mishaps, and the dogs continued to roughhouse in the shallow water. I got all of the ticks off, I think. Hopefully I got all the ticks off.
I rode Stella after the horses had their dinner and after it cooled down enough. Mindy came over to help Larry with Curly Sue. I had an excellent ride on Stella. My right lead canter was still a little funny, but I've also been in a lot of pain lately. I assume that it's difficult for me to ride the right lead because I'm out of alignment again. I'm going to the chiropractor tomorrow, however, so hopefully that will be fixed soon. Stella got another quick rinse before I gave her a cookie and turned her out in the pasture for the night.

Stella's Booty (No, this is not about her small behind.)

2009-08-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to ride in AGES because it keeps pouring down. I guess it's for the best, though, because I've been in excruciating pain for the past week or so, and Stella's front left hoof had an abscess. She never acted like she was in pain and I never noticed anything unusual on that hoof when I cleaned it, but the farrier came out and said that she had an abscess. Weird, huh? Stella's a tough cookie :) Now she's wearing a little hoof booty made out of betadine-soaked cotton, vetrap, and duct tape.
Jean helped me with the procedure yesterday, but I had to do it myself today.
It was an ordeal, to say the least. I cut off the old booty and tossed it out before Jack could get it and leave it in shreds around the yard. Then, I had to pick Stella's feet and get everything situated in my reach so that I wouldn't have to put her foot down again. Stella was okay with the part where I picked her hoof up to clean it, and she was willing to pick it up again so that I could do the initial cotton-in-bars, squirt-betadine-everywhere, and wrap-entire-hoof-in-vetrap business. My back needed a break and Stella was getting antsy from having to hold her foot up for a few minutes, so I figured she'd be okay with her foot down for a minute or two. The only problem was that she knew she was going to have to hold the foot up again and didn't want to. She was very difficult about picking her foot up again, but I made her hold it long enough for me to get the bottom of her hoof covered in a layer of duct tape. I guess the betadine started to sting a little (that, or she wanted to play with the booty) because Stella started to lift her hoof up and paw. I didn't let her do that, though. I wrapped the outside of the hoof in duct tape too, and then we were all set. My tough cookie got a cookie and then I put her back into her stall so she could finish her hay.
There hasn't been much going on at the barn lately. It's just been too wet for too much fun.
Oh, I forgot--but how could I? Yesterday, I came to the barn and heard Stella talking to another horse from inside her stall. I was confused because she normally doesn't talk to Tatiana like that when they're both in the stalls, and it didn't sound like she was trying to talk to the horses inside the barn. I came into the yard and saw that Chester was out and about in the yard, messing with Stella and Tatiana in their stalls. I went into the barn and discovered a disaster area. Someone had left his door unlocked. He dragged one of Larry's schooling bridles into his stall (It wasn't damaged, just covered in sawdust.), pulled all of the halters and leads off of the hooks beside each of the stalls, pulled both of the small brooms out of the corner and bent the metal one, knocked over two old box fans that we had sitting in a corner, tipped over the folding chair (He removed the padded seat and shredded it, leaving foam and vinyl-plastic shreds all over the aisle.), completely destroyed a hay bale, knocked over the industrial-sized fan that we keep in the aisle, pulled rags and saddle blankets off of the blanket bars on each stall, and threw the small orange traffic cones off of the fence post where we'd placed them out of Jack's reach. I guess they weren't out of the boy's reach. He didn't hurt himself and he didn't do any major damage; he just made a huge mess for me to clean up. Sounds just like a little stallion :)

Barking Mad, Pool Party, Et Cetera, Et Cetera

2009-07-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today we had a 4-H pool party and meeting. It was a whole lot of fun. We drove down to Cassie's grandma's house, where we immediately jumped into the pool. Well, I immediately got into the pool. I have no qualms about stripping down to my bathing suit, especially among friends, and I love swimming because it's good exercise that doesn't stress my joints. Heather and Mindy sat near the pool for a while until Cassie and I coaxed them in with a few gentle splashes. We got really crazy in the pool, splashing at one another and tipping raft-relaxers into the water (I got tipped two or three times; I was just asking for it!). We started up a jumping-in contest. Ellie's mom and Cassie's riding instructor judged the biggest splash, smallest splash, funniest jump, and the target jump, where we took turns trying to jump and land in, on, or through a big inner tube. I won the funniest jump contest with my beautiful slapstick-esque jump, where I pretended to slip and fall into the pool. After we'd had enough of swimming, we went to eat and then had our meeting.
We planned to have a yard sale, a bake sale, and a few other things in order to raise some more money before State in September. We also want to have a sort of arts-and-crafts night where we work on photo collages to hang on our stalls at State. The club used to have really nice wooden and metal plaques to hang on the stalls, but everyone who actually had one has either aged out of the club or changed horses. I think I had one, but it had Mac's show name on it. Cassie also had one, but she had a different horse as well. Yeah, everyone else has aged out--I used to be one of the younger members in the club, but now I'm the oldest by about two years.
I'm old. And I feel old.
Carolynn got a new puppy the other day. She's a little brown and white Chihuahua/terrier, and her name is Bella. Bella bites a whole lot with her little needle-teeth, but she's absolutely adorable. Abby is rather jealous, I think. And poor Jack can't do anything but bark whenever he sees her.
I took the lesson kids out to the pond yesterday. They thoroughly enjoyed the ride in the holey boat, which had a particularly big leak yesterday. I took the boat off the line and paddled out to the middle of the pond, where we watched Abby run around and splash in the water. Abby decided to swim out to us and wouldn't abandon the idea of climbing into the boat. I decided to help her into the boat, which involved tipping it over as far as I could without flipping it over, grabbing her front end, and hauling the filthy, wet dog into my lap. She showed her appreciation of our fine watercraft and her brave rescuer by shaking and soaking all of us as soon as she set paw on board. I was sopping wet from head to toe, but it was so much fun. I haven't taken the boat off of the rope in a while.
After our boat excursion, the kids came back to ride. After they had their fun, I longed Stella--who was in a wild, galloping mood and has been for the past few days--and rode her. She worried me a little when I had her on the longe line, but she made me proud when I rode her. We had a wonderful ride. My posting trot is getting much better. For a while my lower leg kept coming forward, which made my torso come forward, which threw everything out of alignment and made everything fall to pieces. Now, I've re-adopted the classical seat and Stella greatly appreciates it. Stella feels like she driving more from her hindquarters, and she's rounding up and coming onto the bit beautifully. She's really gotten the hang of a free walk, and she likes to cool out with some bending and a nice free walk. Last night I noticed that my right hip joint didn't have the same range of motion as my left. I don't know why. It was strange and it didn't hurt, but I noticed a slight difference as I was posting. Oh well. I'll have to see if I can feel a difference next time I ride.

Letter to a Lost Lover

2009-07-15T18:29:00.000-07:00

Mac,
I've missed you so much over the last two years. We haven't been able to talk the way we used to, with me trying to whisper sweet nothings into your pinned ears and you silently hoping that I wouldn't stop. Do you remember all of those times I spent sitting in your stall, watching you eat? I remember them. I remember the night I slept beside you and got to watch the sun rise through the barn doors with you. We were lying together in the sawdust, trusting one another so much as I rested my body between your hooves and my head on your powerful side. It would have been one of the most beautiful nights of my life had it not been your last.
I know I shouldn't dwell on that, my dear. So much has changed here. Your brother, Chester, is growing into a fine young stallion. He would make you proud, I'm sure. He reminds me of you every day, and I can't help but think of you whenever I ride him. Baby Jessie is the newest addition to the barn. She is somewhat related to you; her father is the same as Chester's. I guess that counts for something. She is a lovely little girl, and she is going to be an amazing hunter someday. Stella is becoming quite a fine young lady--already an amazing hunter. We've recently started over fences together, and she absolutely loves it. She doesn't look the same as she did when you last saw her, but I don't think that any of us do.
I've changed some physically, but I've changed much more mentally. I feel different, at least. I spent a very long time suffering after you passed, but I've put the pain behind me and chosen to live life with a new sort of vigor. There's no need to worry about me. Sometimes I sit alone at night, listening to music, and I cry when I think of you. Sometimes something will remind me of you and I'll walk off by myself as I feel the tears welling up in my eyes. Looking at pictures of you brings back good memories. Sometimes I think about our last year at State, when my mom was taking pictures of us at your stall with my blue Stable Management ribbon. I'll honestly say that I wanted to be out on the hill, letting you graze as I talked to my friends. I remember, however, one thought that I had... I knew that, one day, I would be glad to have those pictures. I really, really do love them.
It must sound like I cry a lot. I used to, but not so much anymore. I've come to a point where I like to think of the wonderful things we used to do together. I remember our first show together, where we won the halter class and I got my first blue ribbon. I remember the day that Jacqui rode you and you refused to move no matter what she did. I remember falling off at District because that woman scared you. I remember going for a trail ride to the back field. I remember the perfect rides we had, where we truly reached the state that I crave so much. I remember the day you bit me and threw me on the ground, and that day you bit Stephanie. I remember riding you around the yard and walking right up to those deer. I remember finally making it through the rope gate at State. I remember when you used to jump over the mud puddles in the arena because you were afraid to step in the "holes."
Now, Mac, it's time for you to remember something.
Remember that I love you dearly and that I will never forget you. You're gone and you've been gone for a long time now, but that doesn't change things. You're my good Sir and my wonderful gentleman. You'll live forever in my memories and the stories that I promise to share with anyone who is willing to listen. Much love, my love.

Lost (with a) dog.

2009-07-10T19:58:00.000-07:00

We were supposed to do hay today, but Larry decided that he just wanted me to clean the barn and give the horses their dinners instead. I took care of all that, kissed on Stella for while, and then decided that I was going to go out into the woods and walk to Gregg's Place. I had a slight feeling that it was a bad idea when I started heading out there, but I went anyway.
Abby followed me faithfully and led me bravely. She stuck fairly close to my side even though there were so many interesting things to get into. We crossed over logs and jumped over the dry stream bed. We ducked under the vines and thorny plants until we were surrounded by the mass mess of Gregg's Place. The only trouble was, we'd gone to Gregg's Place before when the trees were bare and the trailer was clearly visible. The whole thing was covered in thick green plant material, and I wasn't about to go plowing through there. It was the kind of place that would invite snakes and other animals; I'm not afraid of snakes and other animals by any means, but I definitely respect them and know that they're capable of seriously injuring me or my little Hoo-Dog. I decided to walk out a little farther to see just how far the clutter was spread out. I found a whole lot of old car parts and an old shopping cart, as well as a toaster, the top to a small saucepan, and a broken green laundry basket. Abby still followed faithfully and we strolled through the grasses. At some points, the tallest grasses reached my shoulders. I'm 5'7", so it really was some pretty tall grass. Abby ran along with her nose to the ground until I heard the sound of a car nearby and told her to stop and stand near me. I was scared to death because, well, I thought I was going to get caught for trespassing--and in this area, that could very well involve a shotgun. Gregg's Place is completely abandoned and most of the place I was exploring actually is barn property, but the part I was currently on, er...really wasn't. I crouched in the grass with Abby until I couldn't hear the car, and then I somehow got disoriented.
I should have known that I'd gotten myself turned around when Abby and I came to two massive fallen trees. Abby was able to squeeze under it, but it was well over four feet high and difficult for me to climb over because my hip was hurting. Looking back, I could have just gone around it (The hole where the roots had been was massive!), but I wasn't thinking entirely clearly because I was trying to move quickly. I was impressed by the size of the trees, but I didn't stop to think that, hey, I hadn't seen them before.
We eventually came to the end of the woods, where Abby and I stepped onto a small dirt path. In my head, I thought we were heading toward an asphalt road. I'd never seen the path before and I couldn't see either end of it, so I was very worried. I assumed that one way would lead me to a house and, obviously, deeper into the woods, while one would lead me to a/the road. I figured that as long as I made it to a main road, we'd be okay, even if it wasn't the road I originally intended to reach. While I was standing around and thinking, Abby decided to take off running one way down the dirt road. I hesitated and called to her for a few seconds, afraid that I'd get myself even more lost if I went anywhere without thinking, but quickly decided that I really didn't want to lose her and took off running after her. We ran together for a few minutes until I spotted an asphalt road. I hugged Abby and gave her a good scratch on her back for taking me to the road. I carried her a few hundred feet down the road and finally realized that we were heading back toward the barn. I carried her most of the way back to the barn, mostly when there were cars passing. She's so good about them, but I was still worried. When I finally saw the house and the willow tree and my car and the workshop, I was so happy. We walked back up to the barn and I gave Abby a quick bath because I thought I saw her run through some poison ivy. She wouldn't start to itch, but everyone else who petted her would. I also thought that I'd touched some, so I washed all of my exposed skin with apple-scented doggy shampoo :) We were both soaking wet, so I dragged Abby into the feed room to dry her off. She was absolutely WILD, wanting to romp and play instead of having her coat toweled and her Aussie feathering combed.
After she was all clean, I set up the jump in the arena and we jumped it for a while. I also set out the cones in a weave. Abby wasn't very interested in jumping today, so we didn't go very high. Usually, she can do about four feet, but I didn't want to push her today. I kept the jump between eighteen inches and two feet and covered it with saddle pads as a filler. She took it a couple of times before Jack moseyed over. He wanted to play with us, so I tried to call him over the jump. He ran up to it but chickened out and slammed on his brakes, sending him sliding into the pole. One of the jump standards is broken, so it toppled over when the pole was dislodged. Jack was amazed at what he'd just done, so he took the moment where everything was in a disarray to snatch up one of the cones and run off with it. I chased him around (which is exactly what he wanted) and eventually tricked him into giving me the cone. I put the one cone out of his reach and...he picked up another. We repeated the chase until I could get all of the cones up somewhere where Jack couldn't grab them. His finale was knocking down our jump again and then losing interest and walking off like he hadn't done a thing.
Everyone sat on the porch for a while and talked, and then we went home. I turned out Stella, Tatiana, and Baby Jessie before we went. They all ran around like crazy wild horses, kicking up their heels and a massive cloud of dust. They even coordinated themselves for a while, cantering and galloping in straight lines behind one another, running three abreast, turning simultaneously... It was very nice to watch.
This afternoon was a lot of fun. We have to do hay again tomorrow.

Quarter Horse...Part II

2009-07-10T19:09:00.000-07:00

I guess I'll go ahead and finish with my entry about our spectacular adventure at the summer AQHA show.
I guess I should explain the title of the last entry. We woke up at 5:15 AM on Friday morning to get ready and leave for the showgrounds, and we called for a wakeup call the night before. We never trust the alarm clocks in the hotel rooms, after all. So, since I'm the best at waking up early in the morning, I was busy getting dressed and washing up while my mom and sister were lying in bed and shielding their eyes from the bathroom light that I turned on. About five minutes after I initially got out of bed (Everyone else had gotten up by then, too.), there was a loud noise. I instantly knew that it was the fire alarm, so I rushed to put on my shoes and check the door to see if I could go outside. The trip was becoming all too similar to being back at college (We were actually very close to the college, and everyone knows about dorm fire drills...) when suddenly the alarm turned off and silence was restored to the dark halls. I glanced out the window and saw firetrucks in the parking lot, and Anna, Mindy's mom, called our room to ask us if we'd heard it. She said that she woke up and thought it was the wakeup call, haha :) My sister and I were all ready, so we flopped out on the bed and laughed about the thought of the fire sprinklers going off while people are sleeping in their beds. When we went down to the lobby to snatch up some free breakfast, the poor guy who was at the desk told us that someone had tried to go through the fire escape exit to go to the nearby Denny's restaurant. He added that he's on first-name basis with the local fire department because it happens a whole lot. It was so funny.
I wrote about all of my classes and how proud I was of my little girl. She honestly did give me some impressive rides. As far as pleasure goes, we won all of our classes :) I love her so much.
After all of our classes on Saturday, Mindy and I went to a trailer that was selling tack and other horse stuff. Stella lost her nice lavender halter about a week and a half ago, and I still haven't been able to find it. I'd borrowed an old halter from out of the trailer and we were doing fine with that, but I really wanted to get Stella a new halter. Mindy helped me pick out a few that would look really nice on Stella, and then I brought Stella up to the trailer so we could try them on. She usually wears ridiculously small halters, and I ended up getting a purple cob-sized halter for her. It was very inexpensive, but it looks great on her and I think she's happy to have her own halter again. They had some halters like the last one I had for her, but none of them were lavender and I really wanted to get Stella a purple halter. Sometimes I like to say that I've always wanted a girl horse because I can take her "clothes shopping," braid her mane and tail, and even put that glittery hoof polish (Eh, that's crossing the line...) on her without the guilty feeling of emasculating my poor horse. The funny thing is that I can't stand clothes shopping for myself, and I don't overdo the whole personal grooming thing. She's my little girl; I have to spoil her a little :)
On Sunday, I gave Stella a thorough grooming in her stall, put the new halter on her, and took her out to graze. She was SO happy. She loves to hand-graze. She usually likes to cruise around with her nose an inch or so off the ground until she finds the perfect spot, where she'll munch until the good stuff is gone. I think she was very happy to get out and have a nice snack. I remember the first year we took Stella to this show, just weeks before Mac died. I was leading her around while we waited for Larry to get the trailer hitched and ready for the horses. I turned my back while Stella was grazing and tried to get her to follow me as I walked a few feet closer to my mom and sister, who were also holding horses. I felt a small pull in the lead and heard the satisfied "sigh-plunk" of a horse about to roll, and I turned to see Stella taking a nice roll on the grass. She's a character, isn't she? I thought about that a lot while we were grazing in the same spot.
We packed up when everyone else was finished showing, and then we headed out for the ride home. I think Stella was very glad to be back in her own stall. I gave her fresh sawdust, hay, and water. Then, she got her dinner and I went home to have my own dinner. But first we shared kisses and sweet nothings as I thanked her for an amazing four days.
I'm so lucky to have a horse like Stella.

"I'm going to Denny's. Oh...oh, $#!+..."

2009-07-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

The quarter horse show was absolutely wonderful. I want to write about everything that happened, but I really need to backtrack to the stuff that we did before the show.
We went to a local show last weekend. Stella was well-behaved for part of the show (including one class), but I was really upset by her behavior in our last two classes. In our equitation class, we were having a great time until we started cantering. Even then, we had a great time...until someone on a very nasty little horse upset Stella by running up behind her and then shoving herself in the tiny space between Stella's haunches and the rail. Stella took off and then had a terrible mare flare right in the middle of the ring. She started acting like she was going to rear, so I got her moving again and we managed to canter a few more strides before the judge called for the reverse. She wasn't the same after that. She threw her head in the air and hollowed out her back, and she even tried to buck while we were trotting. I wasn't very happy with her.
In the next class, I could feel that Stella was ready to do something crazy. I was so right. Stella absolutely EXPLODED. I don't know exactly what she did, but it had the upward force of one of her bronc bucks and felt like she jumped straight off the ground (No, it wasn't a buck.). It completely threw out my hip to the point where I started crying from the pain. I was absolutely and utterly loaded with a cocktail of painkillers even before I started riding, so I shudder to think of what the pain would have been like if I had gone without them. I decided to be really stubborn (read: stupid) and not excuse myself from the class. Instead, I decided that I would go into the center and trot some circles with Stella until the judge called for the lineup. She wasn't terrible after I semi-excused myself, but I was in so much pain and she was just too volatile for me to try to canter her again.
After that class, I was really, really upset. I took her back to the trailer and tied her up while I hunted for some sort of pain reliever that wouldn't conflict with everything else I'd already taken. After I'd taken a dose of ibuprofen, I longed Stella again in the schooling ring. I made her work enough to get her calmed down, and then I jumped on her for a short ride. She was quite good for me. I wasn't in as much pain, but I still didn't ride for a long time. I was actually really proud of her. Someone even commented on the dramatic change. As I was leading her back to the trailer, Angie, our vet (who would really like to buy Stella from Larry but probably won't do it because she knows just how much Stella means to me--she was the one who ended Mac's life, after all), came over to me and said that I handled the last class really well and that she would've done the exact same thing. She told me that it looked like Stella had been jabbed hard in the belly with spurs, but she knew that was impossible because I wasn't wearing spurs and would never do that even if I did have them on. She also told me that there was a horse in the class who seemed to upset all of the others, and that particularly nasty horse was near Stella both times that she erupted, as well as near another horse who had a "tantrum" in the class. That's something interesting to think about...
At that show, I also judged the therapeutic riding classes. My old riding instructor, Nancy, called Larry and asked if I would help her out. I was glad to do it because I love the therapeutic riding school and love to help them out whenever I can. The kids were great, and they were having so much fun. I was supposed to judge the classes on equitation, so I mostly looked for a relaxed, balanced, safe seat. It was nice to see Nancy again, and I got some experience as an actual judge instead of just a ring steward.
And now back to the show.
Stella proved to me that she is the most unpredictable horse I've ever worked with. She was...wonderful. Sometimes I think she has all of her little "mare flares" at shows because I get nervous or something. Honestly, though, I never feel nervous at all until AFTER she does something, so I can't be the cause of it. When we got to the showgrounds, I unloaded her and put her into her stall. She whinnied to the other horses for a few minutes, but then she settled down with some hay and water. She usually runs circles in the stall all night when we go to shows like this one, but she was pretty calm in just a few minutes. We fed the horses and took care of them before taking them out for a ride. I longed Stella in the big arena and then walked her around the rail up to all of the spooky things. She used to be afraid of the show office, announcer's booths, and a trash can that was in one corner of the arena. She didn't spook at anything, and I took her back to the barn to tack her up. We went out and had a lovely ride together. I was so proud of her. That night, I bathed her and got her ready for our classes on Friday. We went to dinner at Denny's late that night after we'd finished at the barn. The restaurant was right beside our hotel (hahaha, more on that later) and it was open at the hours we were able to go and eat. We had a great meal and then put the horses and ourselves to bed.
The hotel was great. For the past few years, we'd been staying in one hotel, but we decided against it this year because of a little "incident," courtesy of our intoxicated neighbors, that made our first night absolutely miserable. It was pet-friendly, had an indoor pool, and very nice on the inside of the rooms. The beds were amazingly comfortable. They were much higher off the ground than normal beds (I'm glad I fell off the bed last year instead of this one :P) and it was a little surprising to slide that extra six inches or so to the floor first thing each morning.
The pool was also great. We went swimming and sat in the hot tub for the last two nights. The warm water of the hot tub helped relax my stiff muscles, while swimming helped me stretch and allowed me to be weightless and take the strain off of my joints for a while.
On Friday, I took Stella out for showmanship. I personally think our patterns were very good, but we didn't place. She's still a little slow with her pivot compared to the other horses. She also halted slightly crooked when we started the inspection, but I was worried about correcting it because I'm sure the problem would've just gotten worse if I messed with her too much. We did walk-trot after that, and she was very, very good. She moved out like the huge 17-hand hunters that towered over us (Stella isn't a "trendy" hunter, but I like to fit my horse...), rounded herself up, came onto the vertical, and gave me an impressive go. I was so proud.
On Saturday, we did showmanship again. We got 3rd out of 5 under one judge, and 4th under another. I still thought our patterns were really good. The small trotting circle screwed over a couple of horses in the pattern, but Stella handled it perfectly. After that, I tacked Stella up and schooled her before our riding classes. Once again, she was great. The one thing that distracted her was a truck driving around a nearby arena to pick up some jumps. She was interested in the jumps as well as the noisy truck. She didn't spook, but she really wanted to look and see what was going on. In the walk-trot class, Stella worked very well. The judges asked us to extend the trot. Stella didn't quite extend; she really just quickened her pace a little. At home, I can get her to extend her walk and canter, but I'm having some difficulty in getting some real extension of her trot.
I've really got to finish this tomorrow. I'm tired...

Two years ago today.

2009-06-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today, I rode Mac for the last time ever. Two years ago today, I was trotting stirrupless around the arena when I felt his knees buckle. Two years ago today, we were making jokes about Mac's clumsiness and my latest fall. Two years ago today... I remember it like it happened yesterday.
I don't think I rode on June 20th, 2008. The memory was even more painful back then, just a year after. I did ride today, however. It felt a little strange and I thought about it a few times, but it didn't involve the terrible discomfort that I thought it might.
I feel really sad now, but that's because I'm thinking about it. I remember the feeling of his knees buckling, knowing instantly that he was going down. He fell straight on his knees. When he stopped moving, I was still sitting perfectly astride as if nothing had happened. I was too shocked to move. Mac decided that he had to get up whether I was going to get off or not, and I fell off to the side when he was about halfway up. I scraped my hand on the wire fencing and my right leg started swelling from banging it up against something. I was so scared for him. Jean came out of the house and asked me what happened. I had already told Larry that Mac had been stumbling a lot. We finally proved that something was really wrong. I got back on after checking Mac's legs and comforting the poor boy. I didn't know that it would be our last ride.
I guess I'll talk about Stella now. I'm thinking about writing a nice memorial thing for Mac and posting it on July 15, so I guess I'll save all of my fun stories for then.
Stella and I have been on a roll for the past few rides. She's been absolutely wonderful for me. I've taught her to do a free walk, and she lowers her head whenever I ride on the buckle. She's been relaxed in all of her gaits, rounding up, and basically being the fantastic horse that I know she is. We've been working on our circles, and I've been working on not leaning into my turns at the canter. Because I'm correcting that, she's not leaning into our turns at the canter. It's amazing how much a rider influences her horse's performance.
I'm excited about the Quarter Horse show in two weeks. Hopefully Stella will continue to behave herself there just as she's doing at home. If she behaves this way at the show, I'll love her forever. Ah, I love her forever no matter what :) I'm so lucky to have someone like her.
EDIT:
I should add that Stella gave her first pony ride on Tuesday. Shelby came to the barn for a lesson, and we started her out on Tina. She got a little scared when Tina broke into a fast trot, but we comforted her and she was okay after that. She kept saying that she "almost fell down." I was scared that she was going to fall off too... I would've felt responsible for it. I know, I know :P Then, we put her on Sissy for a second ride. She had fun with Sissy, especially when Larry asked Sissy for a showmanship-style pivot while Shelby was riding. Shelby giggled the whole way through, and the sound of her laughter made me all happy inside. I do love seeing little kids learning to ride. Then, Shelby said she wanted to ride Stella. I figured she'd be okay as long as I longed Stella, Shelby didn't attempt to use her legs, and I held onto Stella at all times. I tacked Stella up in my English saddle (The kid had never been in one and wanted to know where she could hang onto. I told her that the pommel would make a decent handhold.), longed her, and gave her a stern lecture on how she was to behave with a small child on her back. Stella isn't a malicious horse by any means, but she is much less predictable than your average horse. I told her that she was to do everything in her power to keep the child on her back and that she would make me very proud if she could give Shelby a safe, fun ride. I feel that she understood the gravity of her job, because she didn't so much as snort as long as Shelby was sitting astride her back. As I was tacking up Stella, Larry half-jokingly told me not to "ruin a good thing." That made me very nervous, but I really think Larry had about as much faith in Stella as I did or he wouldn't have given the okay to put a kid on her back. I did have to tell Shelby not to run up to Stella and not to move her legs at all once she was mounted. Stella works off of very light leg aids, and I feared both for Shelby's safety and Stella's comfort if I allowed the child to attempt to cue Stella herself.
She really is amazing :) She's just not lesson horse material right now, and I'm not sure she'll ever be the kind of horse you can just put kids on.

Everything in one go.

2009-06-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

I know I'm slacking off, don't remind me.
I've been doing lots of working and riding and other fun stuff at the barn lately. The big summer AQHA show that we always go to is coming up soon, and I'm very excited. I'm hoping that Stella will behave herself as well as she did last year, but I'm also preparing myself for whatever she decides to do while we're there. Agh, unpredictable horses...
The kids came for a lesson yesterday, so I tacked up Tina for little Shelby and led her around. She told me to let her ride by herself, so I did. I just stayed nearby in case she had trouble getting Tina to steer or go. Tina really requires a lot of leg, and poor little Shelby doesn't quite have the length or strength to keep her going. She's still having trouble with the idea of using the left leg to turn right and vice versa, but I think she'll get it in time. She's really young, but she really likes it. She saw my English saddle in the tack room and asked me about it. I told her that they're for jumping when she asked if they're the kind that "you don't hang onto." I tell her to hang on tight to the reins and horn when I let her jog a little. When she gets longer legs and a more secure seat, we can work on weaning her off of the horn.
I felt so good when I was helping Shelby mount up. I couldn't lift her onto the horse, so I asked Larry to come over and give me a hand. Shelby looked a little worried and had to check to make sure I was going to lead her around even though Larry was the one who had to lift her onto Tina's back.
I also saw her, her mother, and her brother in the grocery store last Sunday. I was looking around for the least expensive carton of orange juice when a small child came running out of nowhere and latched onto me. Shelby spotted me and had to run over for a hug. It's kids like her who make me think twice about not really wanting children of my own :)
I rode Stella yesterday. She was pretty good, particularly toward the end of the ride. She's been really energetic lately. I blame the high-energy feed that Larry insists she eat so she'll be less "ribby," but I do agree that she really needed to gain some weight. She's just a hard keeper. Stella wanted to do her best impression of a giraffe at the beginning of the ride because she saw the other horses playing in the pasture. I worked the silliness out of her, though, and she relaxed enough to give me a lovely trot and canter. I mostly sat the trot yesterday. I don't know why. I wasn't hurting. I just felt like sitting, I guess. Stella got a nice rinse at the end of the ride. We were both covered in sweat and we both thoroughly enjoyed the cool water.
Stella got a break today. Larry asked me if I'd school Chester, and I told him that I would. He even said that I could use my own saddle instead of riding in his new western saddle. I miss his old one and I'm rather unhappy about the fact that he's loaned it out to someone :( I tacked up Larry's beastly stallion with my "wussy" English saddle and lavender saddle pad (which looks really good on Stella AND Chester), and we went out for a ride.
I mounted up and immediately started thinking about Mac. Chester is Mac's half-brother, out of the same mare, and I swear that Chester looks, moves, and acts a whole lot like Mac did. The thoughts weren't actually bad, but I was still uncomfortable at first. I miss Mac so much. Believe it or not, in eight days it'll have been two years since our last ride together. That means that it's been almost two years since he was euthanized. At this point I feel that I'm as healed as I can be after the traumatic experience of watching one of my best friends die in such an untimely, undignified manner. It still hurts a little, though.
We had a good ride together once I focused on the here and now. Chester really, really drives from his hindquarters. His power is absolutely amazing. He's just like Mac. His trot was lovely to post and to sit, and I spent time doing both. We even cantered tonight. I haven't really been able to canter him that much before tonight because he wouldn't readily pick it up. I hate to say that because it makes me sound like I can't ride anything but a pushbutton school horse, but each time I would try to drive him into the canter I'd have to get off and sit down because the pain was so bad. Even though I'm fairly well-muscled, something (Diagnosis, anyone? Please? It's only been six years...) prevents me from really driving. It was wonderful to finally canter him. He was powerful at the trot, but his canter was EPIC. I've never been on a horse who canters so powerfully. Mac wasn't even like this. I love riding Chester, even though it makes me miss my good sir.
Larry even said that I looked good riding Chester tonight. I didn't feel like I deserved that compliment, but it sure made me all happy on the inside :)
I'm excited for the Quarter Horse show.

A week's worth of updates.

2009-05-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-05-24T18:21:00.001-07:00

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?

2009-05-15T06:22:00.001-07:00

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

2009-05-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

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 :)

2009-05-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-05-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-05-08T20:37:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-05-06T17:28:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-05-05T19:24:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-05-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-05-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

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.

Dressage and NIN, what a beautiful combination

2009-04-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

I posted this on my other blog, but since it's horse-related...
Here's Isabell Werth riding a dressage test. Someone put it to clips of Nine Inch Nails songs.
Dressage is amazing. NIN is amazing. Whoever made this video is amazing.

I miss Stellaphone.

2009-04-28T10:51:00.001-07:00

I didn't go home over the weekend because I had to do a lot of studying and because I wanted to go to the computer science department's picnic. I haven't seen Stella in a long time, and I haven't been on a horse in a long time. I'm starting to get restless like I did when I had to stop riding for a few months because of my hip and back pain. It's crazy. I climbed into a tree outside of the dining hall the other day. I like sitting in the tree because I can watch people. The branch that I sit on is ideal because it's wide enough to be comfortable, easily accessible, low enough that I don't have to worry about getting hurt if I fall, and high enough to make me feel awesome :) Ah, but enough about the tree. I did my riding stretches while seated astride the branch--leg over the pommel, heel to the seat, various shoulder stretches, everything I do in the saddle.
A few nights ago, my mom sent me a text message with a picture of Stella attached to it. She wrote, "We miss you very much." Then, she sent me one of Stella's hindquarters that said "Butt we know you'll be home soon!" It was so cute, and it really made my night.
Amber and I talked about me being a veterinarian last night. I was helping her study human anatomy for her biology class. I explained a lot of stuff to her, and she said that I should be a Biology major since I like it so much. The reason I'm not a Bio major is that I don't like dissection and animal experimentation. Bodily fluids don't really get to me, and I don't have issues with the whole "death" thing. Everyone dies; so it goes. I don't agree with they ways they obtain their animal specimens.
The veterinarian talk really wasn't important. I'm not switching my majors, and that's that. We talked about surgeries and stuff, though, and I talked about watching a small portion of a surgery when I was at the horse clinic with Mac. We talked about Mac for a while. Surprisingly, I was able to do it. It was uncomfortable, yes, but I was able to talk about our fall, his illness, his last night, and the morning he was euthanized. I didn't cry. Sometimes I still do, but not last night.
Things have changed so much.
One month and 23 days until it's been two years since he first fell. Two months and 18 days until two years since he died.
It's about time.

Final Lesson of the Semester

2009-04-22T16:51:00.000-07:00

Today was our last riding class of the semester. We jumped today because we played games on the flat on Monday. I rode a chestnut gelding named Red. He was a good-looking guy with very sweet eyes, and he was a nice guy under saddle. He needed quite a bit of training to help him fix a...problem, but he was well-behaved.
His big issue was traveling in a straight line. He brought his head to the rail and canted himself with his hindquarters to the inside. He traveled sort of laterally for the entire lesson, which obviously didn't make jumping him very easy. It also made driving him into the corners ridiculously difficult, as well as steering him against the rail and avoiding jump standards that were a horse-width away from the rail. He was a little slow, so I tried to get a crop from Teresa.
I think Red was mistreated by a past owner. When I reached over to the announcer's stand to grab a crop, he spun away. Teresa ultimately had to lure him over with a candy wrapper and then hold him by the bridle as she passed me the crop. Even then, it scared him, and he nearly ran out from under me when I touched it to his side. Less than five minutes after our struggle, I clumsily dropped the crop. I survived without it, though, because I most certainly wasn't getting off to get it or struggling to have someone pass it to me again.
We worked on the flat for a while. Red's peculiar way of moving wasn't pleasant, but he would slam my leg into the wall each time I forced him to move in a straight line. I like my legs. I don't like it when horses crush them.
Jumping Red was also quite interesting. Of course he approached the jumps kind of funny because he wanted to go sideways, but it was a lot better than when he was on the flat. We did a whole course of five jumps today. It involved lots of interesting twists and turns, which was a challenge on Red. We had fun (and a few laughs), and I didn't fall off :)
I felt like I was going to fall off once, and everyone thought I was another time. The first time, Red threw his head down right before he jumped. I thought he was going to stop and was late getting into my two-point when I realized that he was actually going to take it. I think I compensated by throwing myself forward to keep up with him, and I lost my balance on the landing. I would've been perfectly fine on just about any other horse, but Red's lateral cantering kept me off-balance. I fixed it after a few strides, even though he turned on the landing and I wasn't sure about what was going to happen.
The second time felt pretty epic. I took a sharp turn into a line. I felt that Red was off-balance, but I continued approaching the jump anyway. I got the feeling that "something" was going to happen, and then we went over the tallest of the jumps. I don't know what happened, but everything fell out of place. I felt myself sitting on the cantle and then possibly behind the saddle, and both of my feet were out of the stirrups as we went over, and I had to halt a very surprised Red before he took the second jump in the line with such an awkward passenger. While everything was going on, I heard a few surprised "oh's" and "ah's" from my audience. Teresa immediately called out to me about my hip, but I assured her that I hadn't hurt myself. I was actually surprised that I was able to continue jumping (and I'm even more surprised that I'm still not hurting). I think I just scared everyone with my typical "something's going wrong" squeak. Whenever some unexpected movement jolts me, I usually make a little "ooh" or "eek" noise. I've also never fallen off without making a similar noise. Maybe it's just one of my many quirks.
I restarted the line and we took it well. It was really nice. We did the course one more time after that, and then the lesson was over. Everyone went back to the barn to untack their horses, and then we gave each horse in the barn a treat. I gave pieces of candy canes to Red, Jasmine, and Bugsy. I'm going to miss them all over the summer.
Aw, now I won't get to ride until next Friday at least.
I'm staying at school this weekend so that I can study for exams and so that I can go to the computer science department's picnic. I'm going to miss Tellaphone, but I'll get to see her soon enough--and then we'll be back together again for the whole summer.

Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday!

2009-04-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'm really surprised that I've gotten in so much riding over the past few days. I've gone riding every day since Friday, which is amazing. I also get to ride tomorrow for our final lesson of the semester. I'm kinda sad about this semester being over, but at least I'll get to go home and ride Stella over the summer.
Saturday was a very busy day. Larry called me up and asked me to puppysit Abby for a while, so I drove up to the barn and brought her back to the house. I took her for a short walk, but she got lots of time to run and play in puddles and visit with strangers. She also had a snack with me in the kitchen. Who says dogs don't eat applesauce and tofu? I also gave her a bowl of water and a few dog biscuits that I took from the porch at Jean's house. I had to take her back to the barn kind of early because the 4-H was planning to do a road cleanup for our community service project.
I was definitely ready for a torturous four hours, but the cleanup was exciting from the moment we got to Heather's house. Heather took me to the pasture to meet her horses, Skippy and Samson. They were adorable, and it was funny to watch Skippy chase Samson around. Then, Heather's dad got in his truck while Cassie, Heather, Elizabeth, my sister, and I crammed into my tiny little car. We drove down to a road that didn't have too much traffic and I parked the car off the side of the road. After a few seconds, I realized that I was completely stuck in the mud. I gave my car a little gas, kicking up a huge spray of mud that spattered the entire front half of the car but failing to move the car a single inch. What did we do? We laughed hysterically at my predicament. Then, we rummaged through my trunk for something to help us out. Cassie suggested taking two of my Quarter Horse Journals and wedging them under the tires to help, but that only got them all muddy. I used my ice scraper to dig away some of the mud that had engulfed my tires, but that didn't do anything to help either. Since we'd exhausted our resources, we stepped back and...yes, laughed and took pictures. Eventually, Heather's dad returned and he dragged me out of the miry mess that I'd gotten myself into. Everyone was making jokes about my ability to park my car, but they also thanked me for starting our cleanup with a bang :)
We went along well for a while, but eventually we got bored and started to think of things that would entertain us. A few cars passed by, and we pulled the good ol' invisible rope trick on each of them. One of us would stand on either side of the road, pretending to strain against some sort of line that was stretched across the path of the moving car. Of course there was nothing actually there--we're silly, not stupid. The motorists, however, were quite surprised to see a bunch of foolish kids giggling on the side of the road as they approached, and they would slow down and sometimes stop as soon as they realized that we were holding something (an imaginary rope) in their way. The looks on their faces were quite amusing, to say the least.
We also discussed the possibility of finding a human body as we were picking up trash. We were laughing about it until we discovered a spine...ribcage...skull... It was a deer skeleton, of course, but the discovery couldn't have been more perfectly timed. The scary (and very sad) thing was that we found about five deer skeletons by the time we finished.
After the cleanup, we counted 18 full bags of trash, which was a pretty good accomplishment. A guy who was working in his yard as we passed thanked us for doing what we were doing. Later on, we got him with the invisible rope, but he just stopped, smiled, and thanked us again :) We took lots of group pictures and then Heather and her dad helped me hose off my car, mostly the brakes and windshield. I was really pleased with the whole thing.
I went to the barn after I got home (after I got lost on some random back road), and I rode Stella. We had quite a nice ride, although it wasn't quite as nice as Friday's ride. She was steering correctly again, so I have no clue what had gotten into her. That's just Stella for you.
Mindy came over on Sunday and we rode together. Stella did something really cute when I got on her. She took a few steps as soon as I was mounted up, so I halted her and made her stand. Then, I asked her to walk. She really seemed like she wanted to do "something," and I gave her the reins because I was confused and wanted her to show me what she was thinking. Sure enough, Stella strolled over to the bath tub in the corner of the arena and started to drink. She's asked me to let her drink while we were riding before, but I thought it was pretty cool that we're getting to the point where we have little "conversations" that go beyond the basics of walk, trot, canter, extend, collect, halt, leg-yield, et cetera. She asks me to let her hand-gallop, or to let her canter for a longer time, or to let her have a drink of water during the ride. I'm becoming more subtle with my aids. I think we're quite a pair :)
We had an excellent ride on the flat. We walked and trotted and cantered for a long time, even with five people in the ring. Our ring is really small, and I think five is the most horses I've ever seen working simultaneously. I think five is the most we should put in there too. Larry, Mindy, Elizabeth, my sister, and I can all handle a tight ring, though, so we didn't have any horse collision mishaps. Mindy didn't want to jump Tina since she's pregnant and at the stage where the zygote hasn't yet attached to the wall of her uterus. She just didn't want to try anything with Tina that could abort the pregnancy. I offered to let her jump Stella instead. She took Stella over a few jumps, but Stella got a little crazy and she decided to end the jumping session while things were still looking good. I took Stella back into the ring and cooled her out, and then Stella got a quick rinse since she was so sweaty. It was a very fun day.
As usual, I had a lesson at school on Monday. Instead of jumping, however, we had a flat lesson. We did fun stuff for the whole lesson. I got to ride Blaze, a pretty little chestnut mare. She was a good sport through all of our silly human games, so I made sure that I gave her a peppermint or two as a treat.
Our first activity was the cup race, where we had to race across the arena, pick up a piece of rubber footing from the wall, race back, and drop it into a cup. We had to do that as many times as we could in three minutes. At first Blaze was a little confused, but she picked it up quickly and we got a whole lot of rubber bits into our cup. I think I had five.
Then, we played the musical blankets game, where Teresa put out a bunch of the little blankets that we use to cover the saddles while we walk to the arena when it's raining. We played just like musical chairs, but we had to get one hoof onto the blanket in order to be safe. I stayed in for a few rounds, but then I battled John T and his rider and lost. It was really fun to watch from the middle. One girl got really into the game and urged her horse on, so he broke into a gallop and started bucking. She sat it just fine and started laughing, so everything was okay.
The best game of all was when Teresa put us into teams of two and gave each team a length of baling twine. Each person had to hold an end of the twine and race their horses to the opposite end of the arena, then turn and race back. Allyson and I won both times. I was glad to finally get the chance to play this game. I'd heard about it a lot and it sounded like so much fun. It really was, too.
Our last game was ride-a-buck. Teresa got us to take off our saddles and mount up bareback, and then each of us got a slip of paper with our name on it. Blaze was awfully uncomfortable because of her withers, but her trot was fine to sit bareback. I lost my paper at some point. I've played ride-a-buck at shows while studying patterns--I fold up the paper with the pattern printed on it and tuck it under my thigh. It was fun to try it bareback, and I guess I need to work on keeping my legs from wiggling when I lack tack.
Today I had to make up a lesson from earlier in the semester when it snowed. I got to ride Merlin, who is one of my absolute favorite school horses. It was an advanced-level jumping lesson, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. When I was in hi-elementary, I made up a lesson in an intermediate class and scared the instructor to death because I almost fell off midair over a jump. I was kind of expecting the same thing, only on a more advanced level... It was a great lesson, though.
We started on the flat. Beth, the head coach for the riding team, was our instructor for the day. She asked us to drop our irons and do a sitting trot. That was easy enough. Then, she asked us to do a posting trot without stirrups. I explained to her about my hip and how posting without stirrups usually exacerbates the problem, so I got off the hook with that one. I just continued to sit the trot. She didn't like how I held my legs without stirrups. When I don't have stirrups, I allow my legs to drape around the horse. She told me to tuck my legs up, basically in a chair seat and with my knees higher than they'd be with stirrups, which reduced the security of my seat. I didn't like it, but I tried to keep my legs lifted whenever she was looking. When we got our stirrups back, we did some more work at the posting trot. Beth also didn't like my dressage-esque posting. She told me to post "forward and back" instead of "up and down." I knew exactly what she wanted and was perfectly capable of doing it (She said that it was "excellent" when I started doing what I've spent years learning NOT to do.), but it was terribly awkward and unnatural for me. If I posted like that at home, Larry would kill me. No, he would simply never let me ride one of his horses again and THAT would kill me. I did it the hunter way for a while before going back to the way I normally do it.
That's one of the main reasons I don't want to try out for the equestrian team. I just don't want to be forced to ride like that. It looks terrible and it's less effective. She told me to "untuck" my hips from under me. Larry would slit my throat if I did that at home. At my first year of District, the judge was placing forward-seat riders. Jacqui, a girl who used to ride with Larry, joked that she was going to go into her equitation class "showing off her butt and boobs" (as we often describe it at our barn, though in public we always use the term "forward-seat"). Larry said that she most certainly would not :)
When we cantered, Beth told me to stop moving my elbows. I was confused because I thought she meant that I should lock them and jab poor Merlin in the mouth with every stride. I thought that was atrocious, so I kept thinking about it. Finally I watched someone else in the class and I think I realized what she wanted. She wanted me to "pump" my upper body instead of opening and closing my elbows to follow his mouth. If Larry heard her say that, he'd flip out. He's spent years yelling at me and everyone else at our barn about "pumping." Once again, it looks atrocious. I do occasionally two-point the canter, either because I'm on an uncomfortable horse, my hip is hurting too much to sit, or I'm asking Stella to hand-gallop, but I don't allow my upper body to flop back and forth as if I have absolutely no abdominal strength.
I guess I'll have some more funny things to tell Larry next time I see him. Maybe I'll call him and tell him how they told me to "untuck" my hips (I told him that before, and he laughed out loud.), "pump" my upper body (He'll be flaming mad.), and show off my goods (sic) to the judge.
I personally felt excellent on the flat today. My hip was hurting a little bit before I got on, but I took care of that. I felt relaxed and everything was moving/not moving as it should. The experimentation with forward-seating was where my riding got a little wonky.
Jumping today was excellent, even though the flat portion of the lesson was slightly irritating. We did a combination for the entire lesson. It started out as a set of three very low jumps. There were two strides after the first jump and one after the second. We took the combination from both directions. I liked how Beth asked us which way we thought should be easier. Everyone in the class said that the direction that started with the two-stride set of jumps should be easier, but we were all wrong. Beth explained her reasoning to us, and it made a lot of sense. I really do like her teaching style, even though I disagree with a lot of what she told me today. I had a lot of very nice jumps, mostly because Merlin is a great guy.
The first time through the combination, we popped over the first jump and then Merlin moseyed out of the line. I felt him doing it, but I just couldn't stop him. It was a little embarrassing to have him run out like that, especially since we weren't even going that fast and he wasn't being difficult. He just decided that he wanted to scoot out of the line and trot back to his buddies. I made sure not to let him move off the path after that.
I also encountered a little problem once we reversed the line and took it from the one-stride side first. For some reason, I sat back down during the one stride between the two jumps, and I got a little left behind because I simply didn't have enough time to get back into two-point. I didn't do that again either :) The rest of our jumps were very fun and easy. I did get a little nervous at first because Beth raised the jumps up and they looked very high, probably the highest I've ever jumped. I relaxed though, and everything was okay.
Tomorrow's our last riding day of the semester... Aw :(

Lobsters are Jedis.

2009-04-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

I had a great time at the barn tonight. Larry called us and told us that we could ride, so I put on my riding clothes and met Stella at her stall. I could tell she was feeling her oats, so I brought her out and longed her for a bit. I'm glad I did, too. She was actually quite lazy as I worked her on the longe line except for the first canter departure. When I kissed to her, she squealed and leaped into a fast canter. I don't know whether that would've escalated into something bigger if I'd been on her back. It doesn't really matter, though.
I tacked her up and we had a very interesting ride. We spent a lot of time in that transcendent state of perfect understanding, where there's no resistance, no pain, and absolutely nothing more satisfying. My hip was terrible earlier in the week, but it didn't hurt last night when I was on Stella. Stella was a little weird during this ride, even though we had some amazing moments. When we were walking, she would randomly decide that she wanted to turn around and walk in a completely different direction. When I asked her to turn, she'd barely respond or almost do a 90-degree turn. We usually do lots of work in the center of the ring to avoid the whole glued-to-the-rail mindset (I've heard stories of pleasure horses who simply can't function unless they're plodding along the rail.), but we mostly stuck along the fence tonight so that Stella could get into her head that plunging to the inside of the ring at the canter is completely inappropriate. She did that a few times, and it was really annoying even though it didn't unseat me at all. I don't know what was up with her.
When we were trotting, Stella started out kind of silly. She was feeling very energetic and was having a good time flying around the ring. We trotted through a really muddy area once and Stella broke into a canter. She sent up an impressive spattering of mud, which decorated both of us for the rest of the night. We worked through the energy to have some excellent, unified moments. I think I'm still leaning forward a bit as I post down, even though I straighten out when I rise. I worked on that a little.
Our cantering was amazing. I was ready for Stella to take off bucking or something, but I was pleasantly surprised when we departed into one of the most beautiful canters I can recall. (Do I say that a lot?) We did an amazing lead change too. I'm so glad we got a chance to work together last night.
My sister and Elizabeth also sang me a song about lobsters. They love to hang out in the lounge and sing improvised songs about random topics. Since I love lobsters so much, they did one about lobsters. It was absolutely amazing. Then, they started to sing a song about squash. I found a roll of duct tape, so I ripped off a few shreds and made a duct tape mustache, reminiscent of the paper mustaches that I used to make and wear while "mocking" my old Latin teacher. I also danced along with their song. I happened to turn around one time and saw Larry watching me through the window on the door. It scared me to death, and I squealed in a combination of surprise and glee. I turned so rapidly that I lost my balance and "sat" down on my butt (I didn't actually fall, but rather allowed myself to plop down onto the floor.). Then Larry and I started laughing and pointing at one another. It was hysterical. I guess that's payback for scaring the kids so many times :)

Archie, Chloe, and Hodji

2009-04-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

I started out on Archie today. He was a good boy, but he was a little fast. I still had a pretty good time riding him, though, and I got to work on keeping a soft hand even when things are absolutely insane. We had fun together. He was shedding a whole lot in the stall, so I spent a lot of time rubbing him and pulling off a lot of loose hair. Archie's such a cute pony.
During our switch, I did one of my rotating dismounts, where I twist my body around so that I land facing forward once I touch the ground. Amber asked me if I was okay, and then Teresa commented on how I'm always doing "some sort of acrobatics" for my hip. Somehow my painkillers became the topic of conversation as I adjusted the stirrups on Chloe's saddle. I didn't bring them up; in fact, I hate talking about them in public. First of all, I don't like the stigma that comes with chronic pain. People feel sorry for me and people tell me I should hold back. I don't like it. I'm also not fully comfortable with letting people know what I take. Deep down, sometimes I wonder if people wonder if I'm addicted--I'm not. If I'm not in pain, I don't take it and I don't think about it. I also have this weird fear that people will ask me for some. Strange, yes, I know. Teresa asked me if I take one before every ride, and I answered honestly. Then she asked about what's actually wrong, so I explained what the chiropractor told me.
Finally I got to ride Chloe. She's a new horse at the school's barn. She's half Clydesdale, half Quarter Horse. She looks just like a Clydesdale, though, except her feet are only slightly feathered. I enjoyed walking and trotting her, and her canter might've been nice if we hadn't had so many...er, mishaps. Chloe was so WIDE though, nothing like skinny little Stella. I felt like my legs were all sprawled out.
Oh, I should describe our mishaps :P Well, Chloe had lots of problems with staying on the rail, and she definitely wouldn't go deep into the corners. She was very green, never bad, but green nonetheless. Her stride was massive. It was so massive that I could hardly sit it. We cut across the ring once and started to go between two jumps. Then, someone came up beside us and I had to make a quick turn in order to go through two jumps. The turn wasn't unreasonable except that I was on a gigantic horse with a very wide turn radius. I was amazed that she actually made the turn. I actually pleaded with an audible, pitiful, "Oh please..." Then, Chloe tripped and almost went stumbled headfirst into a nearby jump standard. Teresa freaked out because she thought we were going to die, and the girl who rode up and forced us to turn freaked out because Chloe's stumble scared her horse. Yeah, it was a tad frightening, but...yeah, Mac on the brain. Really, I don't think I'll ever let go of that.
I survived my ride on Chloe and we switched again. I got on Hodji, a small bay Arabian-like gelding. I've heard a lot of people say that riding him is torture, but he wasn't bad at all. We only did a little stirrupless sitting trot, and I did a normal posting trot while everyone else did it with one stirrup. I can't post comfortably without my stirrups. I mean, I can. It just involves a lot of physical pain. I can't wait for the day I'm kicked out of the ribbons in an equitation class for failure to perform that particular test. It's the only thing I worry that the judge will ask for. I've been in lots of classes where they ask us to drop our irons, but fortunately none have asked us to post without them. Hodji was very slow, even though I thought he would be a lot faster and a complete pain. But he wasn't.
It was a pretty good lesson.

Jumping on Socks

2009-04-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty good lesson. I got to ride Socks, who was a very good boy for me. He's absolutely adorable, too.
I didn't know how well I was going to be able to jump today. I started to lose focus in my computer science class, which ends about an hour before I leave for the barn, because I started to hurt. It was just an immense, excruciating pain in my knees and hips and even my upper and lower back. I popped a painkiller before I left to go to the barn, and it kicked in just in time for the lesson. I feel like I'm going to pass out right now, but at least I'm not in too much pain. Right now, it's just a dull ache in both knees and my back, and a slightly sharper pain in my hips. I need to go back to the chiropractor, because I'm definitely going back to where I was.
Socks is such a good pony. He was very good in the stall when I was tacking up. He was also well-behaved while I fumbled around with his boots. I've never really learned to put boots on horses because none of the horses I've ever worked seriously have ever needed boots. I'm always scared that I've put them too tight. I've finally figured out the direction that they go, but Socks' back boots looked like the skid boots that go on a reining horse and they really threw me for a while. At least I can say I've learned how to put boots and a martingale on!
We worked on the flat for a while and had a good time with that. Socks was a little slow, but it was okay for the first crossrail that we popped over. It was so small, he actually stepped over it once. Later on, Teresa turned the crossrail into a larger vertical. I absolutely couldn't get Socks to speed up, so he approached the jump and I just barely got into two-point. I honestly didn't think he was going to take it and was cautious about getting into a full two-point, but Socks was very honest and took it like the gentleman he is. I got a little left behind, but I managed to avoid catching him in the mouth.
We did lots of jumps today. Socks was excellent. Once I got a crop, Socks moved out and cantered the jumps wonderfully. I jumped one-handed several times because my hip was hurting and I needed the crop to replace my leg. It was all good, even though it was a little harder on Socks because he sometimes wiggled up to the jumps and I needed the reins to direct him more toward the center. I'm very tempted to take a jump with no hands sometimes. On one of the school horses, I know I could do it. I don't think Stella's ready for me to throw the reins away on her just yet. She needs me to direct her every move over a fence or she'll freak out and think that I've forgotten about her. On the flat, we do the whole WTC without reins and she's great for me. She really only needs the reins for a bit of refinement and reassurance. Heh, I digress :)
There was one particularly amusing jump that we had where Socks popped right over and I fell forward a little bit. I caught myself with one hand on his neck during the landing, but there were a few strides between catching myself and regaining my composure. In those few strides, Socks did a flying lead change with no help from me and headed toward the next set of jumps with only an awkward leg aid to assist him. Did I mention that Socks is a great pony?
I even called him "sir," which was somewhat uncomfortable for me. It just slipped out. It has been slipping out lately. Mac was my sir, the Good Sir. After Mac died, I remember that Chester was the first male horse that I called a "sir." It made me feel terrible. I don't think Mac minds, or even can mind. If he were still alive, I think he would be glad that I've found someone else to be my passionate lover, that I'm finally comfortable handling and riding his little brother, and that I'm still riding. I think he would be glad that I can actually go to sleep and not have nightmares. I think he'd be very happy indeed.
In two months and seven days, it'll be two years since the day he fell. In three months and two days, it'll be two years since he died. It's been a long time without him...
Aw, I sound pathetic.

Blessed Bucking Beastie

2009-04-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

I went to go see the love of my life this afternoon. It was a gorgeous day, and Stella wasn't wearing her blanket. I brought her inside to brush her off, and then we went out for a ride. I didn't bother to longe her because I'm lazy and didn't feel like it.
We had a beautiful ride together. I could feel that Stella was a little "excited," but it was all good. Larry had a client out to watch him work her horse, and she was taking a spin when I finally got out to the ring. Stella and I moved easily through the gaits, and my hip was surprisingly very cooperative. Larry took a whip to me earlier because I'd once again failed to make a chiropractor appointment. I really should go again. I'm almost certain that my legs are two different lengths again. Ah, but I digress.
Stella and I did have some difficulty in coming to a complete stop. I think Stella was just feeling good. When we started cantering, she threw her head down and rounded up to buck. Larry laughed and then remembered to tell me that he'd started her on some new high-energy feed to help her gain some weight. She also hasn't been worked in a week, so the combination of extra calories and no work made her feel quite good, I guess. I stayed alert for the rest of the ride, prepared for one of Stella's infamous bucking fits, but she didn't do anything big tonight. Near the end of our ride, she crow-hopped a little, but I put a stop to it immediately and sent her straight back into a canter. I don't think she was protesting the canter at all; in fact, I think she was expressing absolute exuberance. She's definitely a horse who enjoys a good ride, and she really doesn't protest unless she's scared, not feeling well, or feeling a little indignant because I've done something that she dislikes.
It was very dark out when I finally got off, and we went inside together. I gave Stella lots of horse cookies and a good currying. She also got a large pile of hay in her stall, which she greatly appreciated. We talked for a while. I miss her so much when I'm away. Hopefully it won't rain too much tonight so we can ride again tomorrow.

Cal and Rascal

2009-04-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

I finally rode the infamous Cal today. I guess it had to happen eventually. He was a rather large chestnut gelding with amazingly soft fur. He was a bit of a pain in the stall, but he wasn't terrible. I knew that everyone dislikes Cal, but I didn't know why (or at least all of the why) and decided to pop a painkiller.
I have to say that Cal was excellent for mounting. I'm generally firm about never throwing my leg over a moving horse, even if they're only walking. Therefore, I'm often caught awkwardly leaning onto the school horses as they mosey off, completely ignoring my request for them to stop and my tugs at the reins. Cal, however, stood perfectly as I mounted up. Of course, I got on him with the knowledge that he broke a friend's back at the beginning of the semester, but... Cowards never live at all, right? :P
He wasn't very willing to work off my leg, and he definitely didn't want to go into the corners. When we started trotting, he was slow. Also, I've never in my life felt the need to move my hands along with a horse's trot until Cal. Seriously. He was bobbing his head up and down like he was lame, but he wasn't. It was just...ack! He almost fell flat on his face one time, so I got Mac on the brain. I can't help it. Every time a horse even stumbles with me, I think of the day Mac fell, our last ride. It doesn't scare me, it just makes me think of what happened. Teresa made us drop one stirrup, and I've also never in my life felt like I was going to fall off because I only had one stirrup. It was pathetic.
CAL'S CANTER WAS ATROCIOUS. AND I MEAN ATROCIOUS. His canter ranks up there as one of the worst canters I've ever had the displeasure of sitting. He cantered slowly and I always felt like I was in complete control, but he felt like he was cross-cantering or something. He also had a very poor canter, which added to the discomfort. It wasn't fun.
Do I even have to say that I was glad to change horses? I don't dislike Cal the horse, I just dislike riding Cal. I was really, really happy to get Rascal. Today I learned that he's a Quarter Horse, which I suspected. Rascal and I had a wonderful ride together. We went around happily, and my riding improved so much just by switching horses and saddles. Rascal has the nice dressage saddle, after all :) We even had an amazing time cantering. I kept a rather short rein, but I followed his mouth closely and he worked very well with a little extra contact. He cantered beautifully for me. I thought to myself that Rascal is one of the school horses that I wouldn't mind owning. With a little training, he'd be absolutely amazing. Then I thought to myself that I already have the love of my life and don't need anyone else.
I get to see Stella this weekend. Ah, the love of my life.

Quite the weekend, quite the lesson.

2009-04-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

I didn't bother going to the barn on Friday night. I was sick. I don't take many days off from mucking stalls and taking care of the horses, but this one was definitely necessary. I was weak from the flu and rather unhappy that I couldn't go to see my girl.
I did go to the barn on Saturday, even though I could only carry a water bucket with assistance and felt wiped out after the short walk from my car to the barn. Stella gave me a few squiggles to make me feel better. The dogs tried to knock me down in order to make me feel better. Abby and Jack were glad that I was home, to say the least. There was a 4-H meeting at the barn, so I sat through that. We planned a few things, mostly fundraisers because we need money for State.
Of course we'll be having a bake sale, as we always do. We sell immense amounts of cookies and cakes to people who swear they're on diets, diabetic, members of an anti-cookie cult... They love the cuteness of the kids. The people at the feed store are also really great to us and they come out constantly to stock up on snacks. We might have another yard sale, which would be great because I should really de-clutter my living area. Our last yard sale was a huge success, and it was a whole lot of fun too. One of the parents suggested that we simply collect donations in front of one of the grocery stores, adding that we should wear our show clothes. Well, at least I had the gall to volunteer for that one... Seriously, I've worn my show/riding clothes just about everywhere: rest stops, just about every store in town, college classes, advising meetings, office hours, fast food restaurants, sit-down restaurants, doctors' appointments, emergency room, convenience stations, neighbors' houses, public speaking events, you name it. It doesn't bother me in the slightest. The meeting was painless, and the braiding clinic that followed wasn't too bad either. I already know how to braid and band, so I just sat back and looked at the horses. A couple of the younger kids experimented with giving the patient Tina an atrocious mohawk, I brought in (and actually ate) some chocolate chip cookies, said goodbye to Stella, and then had to leave because I felt like I needed to pass out on my bed.
I passed out on my bed for an hour or so, and then I think I went back to the barn. Yeah. I think I did. I obviously don't remember much of it.
I do remember Sunday, though. Sunday was a pretty good day. I went to the barn and cleaned plenty of stalls, despite still feeling weak and fatigued. I longed Stella for a bit, but she was being lazy. I let her quit and instead turned her loose in the arena while I set up some ground poles. I used the longe line as a lead and worked some showmanship with her. We did lots of setting up, backing, pivoting, and standing for the judge. We did a little trotting, but I saved most of my running for the ground poles. I walked and trotted her over them several times. She was so good. She didn't look at them twice, just trot trot trot trot. I would've led her over some low jumps, but I wanted to save my energy for riding and not hauling heavy standards across the yard and into the ring.
Our ride wasn't bad. I mean, Stella wasn't bad. I was the typical person trying to get over the flu. The posting trot nearly killed me. I was panting for breath. The canter wasn't so bad though. Cantering is a lot easier, though, at least in my opinion. At least with Stella. She was very energetic. She wasn't uppity, bad, or out of control. She was just slightly faster than normal and moving powerfully. We had a lot of fun, but the ride was cut a little short because my stomach was unhappy and all of my muscles were screaming at me for making the stupid decision to ride. I'm glad I did, though.
After our ride, Stellaphone got her first real bath of the season. I scrubbed her down with a brush and lots of good-smelling shampoo until all of the spots that are supposed to be white were actually white. I also washed her tail and mane until they were gleaming a gleaming platinum, and I sponged her face off to remove most of the dirt and stains. She had a lot of slobber around her mouth from our ride, so I took care of that. I even wiped out her nose. During her bath, she kept raising and lowering her head while snorting. Occasionally she would start to tremble, taking a step or two back. I really don't know if I ever found out what was bothering her. She used to be terrified of the black mats that we have the horses stand on for their baths. When I tried to lead her onto the mats last summer, she reared up, pulled away from me, and fell onto her haunches. She was okay, but very dirty and even more in need of a bath once I caught her. She's just silly like that. Someone had thrown their jacket over the fence rail, but that wasn't it. I also moved the ground poles away from the mats, but that wasn't it. I even got to the point where I was picking up clods of dirt and small twigs, but those weren't the startling objects either. I think the bucket, which was filled with a white, foaming mass, was the problem. I moved that and she stopped trembling, but she didn't stop snorting and moving her head up and down to get a better look at something. I just didn't want her to start pulling back; I wanted a nice, relaxed bath that could reinforce the "black mats are good" idea in Stella's head. It was a good experience, too.
I hand grazed Stella for a little while, which she enjoyed. She was very hungry the whole time I was working with her on Sunday, so I made sure to give her extra hay before I left. I hugged her lots before leaving, as always :)
Today I feel a whole lot better, and I think I'm almost back to normal. I rode Rascal again in today's lesson. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I actually felt pretty good about myself after the lesson. He was kind of a tough ride, but we stuck it out and had a nice time.
On the flat, his walk and trot were lovely. His saddle, obviously meant for dressage, was also lovely. His canter wasn't terrible, just very, very fast. I had some interesting moments, to say the least. I tried him on a looser rein at first. He was wearing a simple snaffle, so I assumed maybe he's like Archie and just wanted a softer hand and looser rein. He literally took it and ran. He needed me to hold him at all times instead. One time, I got up behind Bugsy and had to make a decision--fast. I was blocked by a jump, so I either had to risk ramming into Bugsy (Not fun, it's happened to me while I was on Stella...) by staying behind him or risk my own seat and/or hitting a jump standard by turning sharply and cutting the ring. I chose the latter, and, boy, did I really risk my seat! I was expecting a much slower turn, but Rascal did almost a 90-degree turn the instant I asked him to go toward the center of the ring. I really fought for my balance. Then, I had a run in with another girl who was cantering a smaller circle. I joined her circle and we both tried to fit into a small hole between two jump standards. I was going to go back to the rail, but someone showed up on another pony and I just couldn't do it. I just followed behind the horse and it felt like I wasn't going to make it. This time, I ended up standing in my stirrups, once again playing with my balance. It would've been a lot easier if I'd been on a slower, more controllable horse. Teresa's been making a point of putting most of us on faster, more advanced horses this semester. It's definitely making for lots of learning, and that's great.
Jumping Rascal was also really interesting. I popped over a smallish fence to start, and Rascal did a good job with it. I did something strange, I don't even remember what, but it was fixed by the next lap and next pop over the fence. We did that fence a few more times, and then we added another to it. Rascal did them both quite nicely, but he didn't want to stop after the first fence...or the second. It just took a bit to bring him back to the trot once he landed and decided to canter off. The second fence landings made for some pretty epic riding. Rascal just took off each time. Once, I had to do some serious sinking to stay on. After the jump, I turned Rascal hard to keep him from charging through the fence. The sinking was the only thing keeping my butt in the saddle when he made some barrel-racer-esque turns.
Our best go was the second before our last. He calmed down a bit and came back to a halt in a very reasonable amount of time. Our final go wasn't that bad, but it was a little crazier. It was still fun.
I asked Teresa about class for next semester. The only way I can repeat the Intermediate class is to go into my Latin class completely dressed to ride and then making a run for it as soon as class lets out. I could always go back to Hi-Elementary, which wouldn't be all that bad of an idea, really. It'd be the confidence boost I said I needed. I can pop over a crossrail comfortably on any horse with a shred of sense. They don't do too much more than crossrails and tiny, tiny jumps in that class. I honestly wouldn't take the class if I had to go down to Elementary, though. I just wouldn't. Basically, I take these classes to keep me in shape for Stella and to teach me how to jump for Stella, mostly the latter. They don't even do crossrails in Elementary (Not saying they should... Not saying anyone who can't ride without stirrups and reins should...), so it'd be a waste of my time and money.
I also don't think I'm ready for Advanced Equitation. I might repeat Intermediate a couple of times and then try.
An older man who rides at the school's barn was watching our lesson and said that I stuck with Rascal really well, particularly with our final jump. A girl in my lesson also complimented our ride. It made me smile :)

Bareback lesson

2009-04-01T14:22:00.001-07:00

Yes, we finally got the chance to try some bareback at school!
I rode Mersea again, which was lovely. He's a good boy, even though he can be kind of nasty in the stall. He tried to kick me again today. He also made several attempts at biting me before I whopped him in the shoulder with the heel of my hand and set him straight. He was pretty good for me after that.
We had a wonderful ride with our saddle. Mersea has a particularly comfortable saddle. Walking, trotting, and cantering were all very fun. Mersea was a little slow, but it was still very nice to ride him. I like his gaits. We worked over some trotting poles for a while, and Mersea was, of course, very good at that. He's good at just about everything, really.
Teresa called us over halfway through the lesson and told us to strip everything but the bridles from our horses. I was excited to hear that, except that my hip was hurting and I opted not to take a pain pill before our flat lesson. It wasn't too bad during the ride, though.
Mersea is very short compared to Stella, so I had an easy time hopping onto him. I remember one time when I tried to jump on Stella bareback. I was having a little...er, problem. I was about halfway on, and then Stella took an accidental leg squeeze as the cue to leap into a trot. I stupidly gripped with my calves in an attempt to stay on, so she broke into a canter. At that point, she hit the fence, turned right, and left me in the dust. It scared the poor girl to death, and I couldn't even tell her that she was naughty because she wasn't--she did exactly what I inadvertently asked her to do! I digress. For the millionth time.
Mounting Mersea was a success, so we walked around and had a fine time taking it slow. Teresa called for a trot, so I took up a little mane and off we went. The mane. My absolute favorite part of the horse's anatomy when it comes to close calls! Mersea and I did have a few close calls today. In fact, I've never had so many "oh-no-I'm-about-to-fall-off" moments in a single lesson, especially at Hazelwild. I did manage to avoid hitting the ground, though, and it was a lot of fun. Teresa let us canter individually if we felt up to it. I've never actually cantered bareback before, so it was quite the experience for me. It was fun! As you probably expected, I did almost slip off once or twice during the downward transition.
I want to do it again before the end of the semester, and I want to try Bugsy. He looks like the perfect bareback pony.
I would've already popped some painkillers, but I'm really tired and sure that I'll pass out once the stuff takes effect. I need to stay awake and finish my programming assignment that's due tonight :P If I can't walk, there are less distractions--that's a way to look at it!

Lots of updates because I've been lazy.

2009-03-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

Yeah. I totally didn't write about last Wednesday's lesson. I guess I'll do that now.
I started out on Aussie. I don't hate him like everyone else seems to. Sure, he's lazy, but there's nothing wrong with him. I can get him going really well with just a few taps from a crop. His saddle leaves a lot to be desired, but most of the saddles at the school's barn are like that. Jeff's saddle is even worse. I rode Jeff when we switched in the middle of the lesson. He was really good for me last time, but he was really fast this time. We did an exercise where we cantered the long stretch of the arena and trotted the short. It was absolutely impossible for me. It'd be a different story if I were on Stella, but Jeff didn't appreciate our little exercise in control and flat-out refused to break a trot when I asked. Oh well.
I went home this weekend as well. It rained a lot and was too muddy to ride. I played with Stella a lot, though, and we had a lot of fun. I sat in her stall for a long time and talked to her. She's so wonderful. I also hugged on her and took pictures of her lips, which were colored a funny pink because of her new supplement block. I played with her in the paddock on Sunday. She kept biting baby Jessie, and I kept telling her to stop. She didn't listen. She was shedding a lot. I'm sure she's glad to have her blanket off now!
Larry called me early on Saturday morning and asked me if I wanted to come get Abby and keep her for the day. I jumped at his offer, not realizing that she was absolutely covered in mud and bouncing off the walls with that pent-up Australian shepherd energy. I took her for a very, very long walk. We were gone for at least two hours, just walking and talking. First, I took her to the "nice" side of town, all the way to the creek. The only place I could find that didn't make me feel like I was blatantly trespassing on someone else's property was a plot of land that had a real estate sign on it. I was going to let Abby jump off the docks, but then an old man pulled up in his blue BMW and made me feel awkward. I eased away from the water, but then Abby broke loose from me and tore through some gigantic puddles. She ran into a very nice yard, and I was scared that someone was going to call animal control to come tranquilize a coyote. She looks like one when she's wet and nasty :D
I eventually caught her, and then I realized that the old man was still watching me. He didn't look pleased. I yelled for Abby to run and we bolted off out of sight. We met an older lady with a spotless white cotton ball of a pup. They didn't seem pleased either when I allowed Abby to jump into a gigantic puddle in a ditch beside the road. She definitely shared the love, too. I was soaked, Abby was soaked, and we were both very happy. We walked down to a convenience store, but we couldn't go inside because I'm broke and the owners just don't understand that speciesism is wrong :P Instead, we strolled down to a closed-up restaurant with a doggie theme. I thought it would be cute to get Abby to sit on the doormat, which has a dog on it, and get a picture. They were really cute pictures. We both sat on the doormat for a while, waving at passersby. A little kid saw Abby and squealed with delight. We headed out even farther, making it all the way to the vineyard. Abby frolicked in the open field and at the base of two gigantic corkscrews, the distinctive monuments that set the town papers ablaze. We started heading back, all the way to the park. I turned her loose on the tennis court, which she loved. Since she's so amazing, I let her run loose in the park too. She found some kids that she absolutely adored. The kids didn't like her very much, though. She jumped on them and got them wet and muddy, so I had to call her back. Abby was very disappointed that the kids didn't want to play with her! We took a drinking break at the fountain. I took her back down the first road that we took, but I didn't go nearly as far. I let her play on the beautiful grass at the inn (truly the nicest grass I've ever felt) and then we went back home.
After our walk, we were very hungry. We ate lunch together. Abby ate some fortune cookies and some bread and some hamburger (That PROVES that I love her.), and then I had to take her back to the barn because I ran out of stuff to feed her. Larry was back with four 700-pound bales of hay. The dogs were fascinated with these gigantic bales, so they decided to climb on top of them and wrestle. I was also fascinated by them, so I climbed on top and sprawled out for a little rest. Larry came over and started to fuss at me about the date of my next chiropractor visit, and then he "encouraged" me to get up by hitting me really hard and putting Jack on top of me. I almost fell off the bale. It was hysterical, but it didn't do much for the hip that concerns him so much :)
Yesterday, my sister and Elizabeth wanted to go out in the boat. Elizabeth didn't want to go get the paddles from her garage, so she decided to use a stick instead. My sister and I had the intelligence to skip out on this particular boat excursion (I sat in the boat for a while when it was still tied to the tree), but Elizabeth worked her way out to the middle of the pond...and realized that recent rain had made the whole thing much deeper than it's ever been. She was basically stuck, so my sister waded in and towed the boat back. She's so good to her friends. Had one of my friends done that, I would've made THEM get out, get wet, and tow the boat back. That's amazing, considering Mindy and I promised that we'd jump in the pond in a heartbeat to save Abby when we were "teaching" her to swim and retrieve sticks from the pond :) Of course, it never came to that. She may be a herder by nature (and she herds the horses quite well!), but she's an even better swimmer than Jack, who's half Labrador and has cute webbed feet.
I started out on Mersea today. I was so happy. Mersea is the little wonder jumping pony that everyone loves, but he's got some nasty ground manners. He's a tad headshy, but I understand that completely. Being headshy is a fear-based behavior, not misbehavior. Mac used to be terribly afraid of anything touching his face, and he would react violently whenever I'd try to comb his forelock or put on his bridle. Eventually he trusted me enough to let me do all of that stuff pretty well, but... This isn't about Mac, is it? Meh. Mersea also tried to kick me, which prompted me to say something very inappropriate very loudly. He tried to bite me a lot too, so I just bit my tongue and smacked him on the shoulder.
Mersea's so lovely to ride, though. He was a bit slow today, but we had a nice ride. We worked on the flat for a really long time. Mersea's canter is absolutely amazing, by the way, as is his trot. And his walk. I was starting to wonder whether Teresa had forgotten that it was our jumping day. When we switched horses, someone asked her about it. She had forgotten, so I jumped on Jack and we started jumping. Jack was giving his previous rider a lot of trouble, so I stayed alert. I really didn't want to jump him. If he were my horse, he would still be on the flat, improving his response to normal aids. I personally don't believe that a horse who won't come down to a halt in a reasonable amount of time should be jumping, but I also don't believe that beginning riders should be allowed to jump without developing an independent seat... I jumped him anyway, though. He wasn't so bad with the first crossrail. In fact, I was quite pleased. He's a wonderful jumper. He just gets overexcited, rushes, fights, and throws himself around in a tantrum when he's not allowed to continue cantering. After the first crossrail, he got feisty and I brought him back to a trot. He had a tantrum and started throwing himself around, but I made him walk and let him trot to the next two jumps. He was really rude during the first "course," but he was much better for the second. I made him walk to the crossrail and only allowed him to trot a short distance before. I let him canter to the second line, and it wasn't bad. The final jump, however, was really strange. He jumped HUGE, and it was one of those moments where I thought I was going to plant my face into his neck. I'm glad I didn't, though. After that final jump, Jack decided to squeal a little and took off. He rounded up and started swishing his tail like he was going to buck. I think he knew better than to buck with this bronc buster on his back, though :D I can't believe I've gone almost nine years without being bucked off. So far, Stella is in the lead because she's almost bucked me off twice that I can remember.
Oh man. I've jinxed it. I'm getting bucked off on Wednesday now. I just know it. Uggggh. I bet it'll be a little pony, too.

Even more of a confidence boost on the most unlikely horse ever.

2009-03-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

I talked about how I felt that I still need more confidence over fences in the last entry. I'm feeling a little better after two successful jumping days. Jumping Stella is a pretty big deal, but jumping a horse that I didn't even want to ride on the flat--Archie--is even bigger. Yes, my heart dropped when I checked the list at the barn and saw that I had to ride Archie in today's lesson. I'm so glad I got the opportunity, though, because I learned a whole lot today.
I gave Archie "the talk" when I got into his stall. I explained to him that I was loaded with painkillers (Generally, if I pop a pill before I ride, some horse somewhere is going to get "the talk."), that he should behave himself, and that I'll try very hard to understand him. I guess he listened to me :)
I focused on keeping my hands soft and keeping my entire body relaxed as we walked around the ring before the lesson started. I've been told that my hands are amazingly soft, almost to a fault, but I know I have a habit of locking my elbows and clenching my fists when things get crazy. That scares Archie...as it should. We moved into a relaxed trot, and then I think I had a small epiphany. I don't think I post straight. I think I always bring one hip forward just a little bit more. It could be because my hip is messed up, but it's likely just one of the many flaws in my equitation. I know that I often sit slightly "off" when my hip isn't just right, so it's likely.
There were a few times when Archie would speed up, but I didn't allow myself to stiffen. I tried to use my seat as much as possible, and then I turned to very slight half-halts in order to help him slow down. It worked quite well. He still does that nose-tilt thing, which is really odd. I've NEVER seen another horse do that like he does, and I have no idea why he did it a few times today.
Trotting went well, but I was a little worried that the canter would be out of control and absolutely dangerous like it was last time I rode Archie. He did get a little uppity when he saw the other horses springing into the canter (You can tell I'm one of Larry's students; I always take my time moving into the canter to plan my departure and set the horse up correctly.), but he was fine once we were going. He rushed the departure a little, but I was able to get him to relax and we had a very, very nice time. He has a lovely little canter once he relaxes. I kept my full seat and made sure my hands were wonderfully soft for such a wonderful horse.
We also had to jump a small vertical as we trotted around the arena. I hoped that he wouldn't get too uppity when he saw that we were going down the quarterline to a jump, and he didn't. We actually had some really nice jumps. After two passes over the vertical, Teresa got us started with gymnastics line. By this time, I wasn't worried about Archie at all. We had so much fun with it, too. There were four jumps in a row. They were all small, but that's okay.
I started losing my stirrup in the middle of the jumps one time around. I also started losing my stirrup just before the first jump one time, but I went anyway. I felt wild and crazy and very happy :) I think Archie also felt very happy.
Ahhhh. What a day.

Amazing weekend at the barn.

2009-03-22T17:15:00.000-07:00

I didn't do much on Friday because I got home late, but I did play with Stella a little bit and chat with Larry and Jean in the house.

I cleaned stalls on Saturday, and I also got a chance to ride Stella. Stella was a very good girl. She was really excited about cantering, though. She broke into a canter a few times while we were trotting, so I decided to let her canter and canter for a long time. She was very, very happy. She knows that I know what she wants. We had lots of fun, and I really let her go. There's nothing quite like that feeling, really. Our right lead canter was a little bit better than our left, probably because of my hip. It's slowly going back to what it was, so I'm probably going to make another appointment with the chiropractor very soon. I don't want to go back to limping and hurting every time I ride.

I also rode Tatiana for a little bit. I walked her and trotted her around, working her off my leg (Yes, I could actually use my legs!) and getting her to soften up. She has such a lovely trot. One day she's going to make a lovely western pleasure horse for Jean :) Jean actually rode her for the first time yesterday. I just longed her, schooled her a bit, and then Jean walked her little girl around. She seemed like she was having fun, and I'm sure it's been exciting to watch the little filly she bought at a veterinary college grow into a nice riding horse.

I had a great time today, too. Larry brought Mindy over to ride. My sister, Elizabeth, Mindy, and I schooled in the arena for a while. Stella was being very, very good for me. I also felt really good. We had a few of "those" moments. It was beautiful. Then, Mindy and Elizabeth went out to jump in Elizabeth's yard. Since Stella and I were having such a beautiful ride, I wanted to stay in the arena and work on our flatwork.

Larry started to fuss at me after a while and told me to bring Stella out to the jumps. I really didn't want to, but I did anyway.

This is really hard for me to admit, but I don't feel confident over fences yet. I'm not afraid, I just don't feel confident the way I do on the flat. On the flat, I know that I know what I'm doing, and I've worked through just about everything a horse can throw at me. Over fences, I just don't have that self-assured feeling yet.

I did end up jumping Stella over the jumps once or twice. I decided to end on a good note. We did actually have some nice jumps. I felt like I was riding pretty well. She's also very athletic and she jumps beautifully. If I can fix my hip completely, get a little more experience under my belt, and convince Stella that jumps don't always bite, we'll be unstoppable. I'm glad I got out there and gave it a try. Things would be so much better if we were in the arena (at least for my poor little mind), but today was a much-needed jumping confidence boost.

We also rode bareback when we got back to the barn. I walked Stella around bareback for a little bit, but I really didn't want to trot because her withers hurt really bad. Mindy and I switched horses after a while. She wanted to race Stella around the barn with Elizabeth on Sydney, so I got on lazy Tina. We did lots of sidepassing and a little bit of walking, but we really didn't trot. She's lazy. I did place an order to Pizza Hut while sitting on her back. The woman thought I was insane, but that's okay.

We all ate pizza on the porch before I had to leave. It was fun :) Before we rode, we also made a water balloon (AKA latex exam glove filled with water) catapult with a shovel on the top rail of the fence. The "water balloon" didn't go very far, but it was absolutely epic to watch it explode.

Who will I ride tomorrow?

(Oh, and I rode Jeff and Calibur for our flat lesson last Wednesday. They were both very good. Calibur was a little faster than Jeff, and he also couldn't walk a straight line to save his life. They were both pretty tall, and they were both bay geldings.)

Two rides on Jasmine.

2009-03-17T10:11:00.000-07:00

Last week, I rode Jasmine for our flat lesson. We actually went out into this huge field in front of the school to ride, and it was very fun. Jasmine was a little silly, but manageable. We did lots of trotting up and down a small incline. I didn't get to canter very much. As soon as we started, someone got bucked off and we had to wait until she was standing and someone caught her horse. The girl was okay, though, and everyone started riding again. It was a pretty fun ride, even though I wish we could've gone on a trail ride instead. The trails at the school are absolutely amazing.

I also rode Jasmine for our jumping lesson yesterday. I think we had a really good ride on the flat. For some reason, my posting was really funny. I think it's because at school they force me to force my heels down, which forces my lower leg forward and causes tension, which causes my posting trot to be a little funny. It's not bad, it's just different compared to doing it at home. It also could be because I'm constantly on horses of different body types and almost always in saddles that don't fit me properly. At school, I definitely sit the trot better than I post it.

We also had a very good jumping lesson. We started out going over poles, then added a small jump after the poles. That went well, so we started a course. I ended up doing a whole six jumps in one go, and it was great. I like jumping on Jasmine. She's a fun pony. It was absolutely exhilarating to jump her around the course. She's so fast and such a good jumper!

I can't wait until tomorrow for our flat lesson.

Spring break and...freedom.

2009-03-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

It snowed a lot over spring break, which sounds ridiculous even though it's true. I only got to ride four times the whole week.

Our first show of the season was at a therapeutic riding center. Everything was inside because the weather was absolutely atrocious. It was cold and rainy and muddy and windy and terrible. Stella was pretty decent when I longed her in the arena, but she got really upset as I mounted up outside the ring. I could barely get on, and Larry had to hang onto her so she would hold still. To make matters worse, my hip was hurting a lot. Larry led me into the ring for my first class, and Stella exploded. She started backing, spinning, ducking, and whatever foolishness she could think of. I'm sure she was afraid. She halted and started to lighten in the forehand--not in the good way. She was trying to rear. I managed to fight her out of the ring so that Larry could lead us away and so I could get off.

I cried. I know I shouldn't have left and gotten off, but I couldn't handle it. I knew my hip couldn't handle her silliness, and that unforgivable sin became absolutely necessary.

I longed her for a while in the outdoor arena, and then I popped on and rode her. The change was dramatic. We had quite a nice ride. A woman who was watching the gate even stopped me on my way out and said that she thoroughly enjoyed watching me school.

A few days later, Larry made me go in the house and wouldn't let me out until I scheduled an appointment with the chiropractor. He got the phonebook out, threw it on the table beside me, verbally prodded me until I dialed my phone and scheduled the appointment. I really didn't want to go, but I had to or I wouldn't have been allowed to go out to the barn :)

The guy was very talkative. He asked me lots of questions about what hurts, what exacerbates the pain, what I do, and all of that stuff. I told him about riding, and he asked how long I've been riding, how much, what I do, and how many falls I've had. He examined me when I was standing up and said the entire right side of my body was higher than the left. He also told me that I had something weird going on with my ribs (I didn't exactly catch what he said.), but he told me that it wasn't causing any problems because I was able to touch my toes without a problem.

Once I was lying on the table, the fun started. His first reaction was a sudden, "Whoa..." Then he told me that my left leg was at least an inch and a half shorter than the right. There was a lot of tension in my back, so he worked that out for me. Then, he popped a bunch of stuff and made a lot of terrifying sounds. I thought it was funny when he had to throw himself onto my hip two or three times to get it to pop.

When I was all done, he reexamined my body and had another "whoa" moment. I had to take off my shoes while he looked at my right ankle and foot in comparison to my left. He actually asked me if I'd ever had some kind of serious injury to my ankle because I was rolling it in funny and I had almost no arch in my right foot. He said that I had to get a pair of arch supports for my shoes or else I was going to destroy my knee. I...uhm...didn't tell him that I was already having terrible knee pain...

I left and immediately went out to buy some arch supports for my shoes. I only have one set, so I just switch them between my regular shoes and my riding boots. I've already noticed an amazing difference in my back, hip, and knee. I feel like I'm walking straighter, and people who know me well have told me the same thing. Larry also said I look like I'm riding differently now--a better different :) I feel different too. No. I feel amazing.

I rode Stella twice after my chiropractor visit. Neither time hurt. My hip didn't catch at all, either time. I didn't have to cut my ride short, and I didn't have to compromise my riding to make up for the pain.

I feel free. I no longer feel like the pain was mostly in my head. That's what happens to chronic pain sufferers sometimes. It's one of the worst feelings in the world when no one can pinpoint a cause for your pain and the only way you can feel a little better is to take a few painkillers that mask the pain for a couple of hours. I'm absolutely ecstatic. I'm walking a little taller, not letting even a single gimpy stride slip in. I'm riding more easily. I'm not fighting anymore. Today, I jumped an in-and-out with a rollback one-handed. In those last two rides with Stella, Larry actually said I looked good and said I looked balanced. I just can't begin to describe how happy I am.

I think I'm finally fixed. Hopefully my chronic pain and my limp are behind me.

I forgot one. Oh, and today's ride! (I'll talk about break in a separate post.)

2009-03-09T16:54:00.001-07:00

We rode again on Thursday before break. I don't even remember the name of the horse I rode at first. I think his name was Rascal. He was big and headstrong and I was nervous about jumping him. Some girl referenced him as "the demon pony" as I was tacking him up, and that didn't make things any better. I also couldn't keep a grip on the reins because my hands were sweaty and the reins were slick. I didn't have any gloves, so I rubbed my hands in the dirt to try to get a little extra grip. Then Teresa was merciful and let us switch horses. I got to ride Popsicle--the opposite of the first horse. Popsicle is so lazy, but she'll take a jump for you.

I rode Popsicle again today for our jumping lesson. We did a lot of flatwork before beginning to jump, which was wonderful. I actually had a great ride on her; Teresa dished out quite a few compliments about my riding. I rode a lot with one hand today because I needed to keep the crop behind my leg. I even jumped a few times with one hand. It was lots of fun.

We didn't jump anything really big, but Teresa had me do an in-and-out coupled with a rollback. It was fun. Some people in the class jumped a big oxer, but I didn't because Popsicle just wasn't able to do it. I had a great time at this lesson, and the beautiful weather made it even better!

Why was I able to ride so well today? You'll just have to read about my spring break in the next entry...

The Little Fox, Spoogent, and Grapes!

2009-02-23T14:42:00.000-08:00

There were only three people in our lesson today because the riding team had a show over the weekend and the riding team didn't come to lessons. It was really great. I like smaller lessons because we get more individual attention and we get to do lots of fun stuff.

I started out on Jasmine again. She was very fun to ride. I don't mind that she goes so fast. She travels with her back hollowed so that it's a little uncomfortable, but it's okay. She's very controllable. Now that I've been on her a few times, she doesn't even seem that fast anymore.

After riding Jasmine for a while, we switched horses and I got on Barney...no, no, SPOOGENT! :) I had a crop, but I really didn't use it that much on him. I just let him know that I had it. He wasn't that lazy for me. I lost a stirrup while we were cantering once, so I just dropped the other one too. I didn't feel like fishing around for it. Then, Spoogent almost took off my foot on a jump standard. He's a sneaky little guy.

I also rode GRAAAAAAPES, also known as Bugsy. Bugsy was a good boy for me. I haven't worked with him in a while, and I've missed him. I love cantering him. I also got to untack him, so we spent lots of time together.

I had a wonderful lesson today. We're going to jump on Wednesday. I can't wait to see which horse I'll get.

Whoops. Haven't done this in a while...

2009-02-21T16:42:00.000-08:00

I've been really busy, so I haven't bothered to do this in a while.

Last week I rode Oliver, a big black Thoroughbred, and another horse whose name I never really learned. Her tack said one thing, while Teresa called her another. I want to say her name was April, though. On "April," I rode in another student's personal saddle, and it was absolutely amazing. I wish I had one like that. It even had those stirrups with the flexible black shock-absorbing stuff. "April" was also very fun to ride. I liked her a lot. Oliver was also lovely to ride. He was comfortable and very sweet. He was very tall, though. I haven't been on many tall horses at the school.

This week, I jumped Jasmine again. We didn't really do any high jumps--just a single crossrail. We were working on telling where our horses took off (long, normal, or short) and judging strides. I had so much fun doing it. We also had a great time jumping together. Jasmine was so good. And I kept my stirrups the length I wanted them :) I was so happy.

I rode a gigantic bay gelding named Darby and that "lazy" chestnut gelding, Aussie, on Thursday. Darby was quite nice to ride, but he was very sensitive. He reminded me a lot of Stella. He also was a little fast, but I liked to ride him. He was so tall, but it was nice to ride a really tall horse for once. When we switched horses, I got Aussie. Everyone complains about how Aussie is so lazy, but I actually like him. I used a crop once, the first time I asked him to canter. After I showed him that I meant business, everything was fine. I never put it on him again, and I only had to use my legs. In fact, while I was riding a pattern, I noticed that I was carrying the crop upside-down, with the "using" part sticking straight up in the air out of the top of my fist. I don't understand where everyone else is coming from when they say they hate Aussie because he's lazy and mean. He's never lazy and mean with me.

I brushed Stella last night, played with her, and fed her some treats. Today, I rode Tatiana and Stella. Stella was very good. I was actually going to jump her, but Mindy and Elizabeth finished up their jumping before we felt ready to go. That was okay, though. We had a very, very nice time on the flat. Larry even complimented us after the ride. Mindy and Elizabeth trotted and cantered bareback around the barn for a while. I thought about it, but Stella is a really, really uncomfortable bareback horse.

I actually did sit on Stella bareback (She was wearing her blanket.) for around thirty seconds. Elizabeth and my sister held her in her halter while I mounted up, and they were going to lead me around. I just can't trust Stella in a halter alone, especially outside of the ring. Stella started getting upset and getting too strong for her leaders, so I just slipped off and decided I'd wait until I've got her in her bridle. I might try riding her in the blanket again. It made her withers a bit more comfortable, even though she was a little slick.

Thinking about bareback riding so much makes me think about Mac. He was such a comfy bareback horse. I miss him so much. It makes me tear up a little. I was just listening to "Asleep" by The Smiths, and it reminded me so much of the night I spent with him and those last few moments of his life. In fact, the last song I sang to him, in the few minutes it took for the vet to get the injections ready, was a song by The Smiths. It was "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out." I had to stop listening to that song for a very long time. Eventually I was able to hear it again without sobbing--and it's a good thing too, because I love it--but to this day I still find it almost impossible to listen to the song without thinking about Mac. I wish that he were still here. But I'm glad Stella is here for me now.

This might be a long entry.

2009-02-15T19:25:00.000-08:00

I have a lot to write about. First of all, I had a great weekend riding Stella and being at the barn. Second, we found something and it is SO AWESOME.

I rode Stella on Saturday. It was a pretty good ride. My lower legs were doing something funny, though. I asked my mom to get a quick video of me posting the trot, and I realized that my legs were going everywhere. I was also in a chair seat. I'd suspected both things, even though I had no idea what the cause was.

I also rode Stella today. Today was one of those rides where most everything was effortless. We were working together beautifully. I wish my mom had been around to get some video of me today, because I'm sure it was a wonderful sight. My hip locked once or twice, but that didn't bother me much. I just popped it back and rode on. It was the best ride I've had in a while. Larry also told me to take Stella out into the pasture. I walked and trotted her around a lot. I didn't canter because my hip locked again and I didn't want to push it. We had a great time trotting circles and serpentines up and down the entire pasture. Mindy also jumped Stella. I'm glad I wasn't jumping her. Mindy almost fell off twice because Stella pulled a few duck-and-spins, as well as stopping and spooking before a jump and then jumping it. I would've been in a world of pain; I haven't picked up my new bottle of painkillers from the pharmacy yet, and I have to jump tomorrow afternoon. Mindy rode her well, though, and Stella was a jumping fool by the time she got off.

And...now for the thing we found in the woods.

We walked out into the woods yesterday, farther than we'd ever gone. We found a very old trailer. The roof had caved in on the back side, but we could still go inside. We got up the gall to pry open the rusted doors, and then we found an old house from two decades ago. There were all sorts of things inside--old clothes, old books, old letters, old food in an old fridge...so much cool stuff. I just can't begin to describe it all. I took lots of pictures of everything.

Oh, and I rode Stella.

2009-02-10T13:13:00.000-08:00

I did get to ride a little this weekend, too. I rode Stella for a long time on Saturday, and I rode Chester for a few minutes on Sunday.

I had a very good time with Stella. We worked the usual WTC, and I did lots of bending and leg yielding with her. It really didn't hurt that much when I was riding except when I cantered in one particular direction. I did it anyway, though. The other direction was just fine. We had a few of those really nice moments where everything was effortless, but they were very short--a few strides in a row, at most. I had a lot of fun brushing and petting Stella after our ride. She's such a sweet creature.

My ride on Chester was fun too. I worked without stirrups for the entire ride, even though I didn't ride for very long because he'd already been worked. Riding Chester always makes me think about Mac, mostly in a good way nowadays. I still miss Mac, but we've still got Chester. Chester was so good for me. We walked and trotted and did lots of circles and turns. We halted and backed and I patted him and rubbed his neck. I told Larry that I wanted to ride Chester bareback one day, and he asked me if I wanted to get hurt again. I just laughed, because we both know Chester would never try to do anything. And if I was daring enough to be the first person to ride Stella bareback, I can definitely start Chester bareback too.

Stella was a little unnerved by the lack of saddle the first time I rode her bareback. Then, she bumped into the mounting block with one of her feet and took off trotting with me on her back. I wasn't quite ready for trotting on such a bony beast, but it was okay. I really haven't gone bareback on her much lately, mostly because I've been away and because she's got such prominent withers. It's not comfortable :P

Meh. Just meh.

2009-02-10T12:46:00.001-08:00

So...yesterday's lesson left me feeling a little incompetent...

I rode an absolutely adorable pony named Jasmine. She was a gorgeous chestnut with no white markings on her face. She had cute little ears like a fox.

Everything started out well. We were riding around and I was having a good time working with Jasmine. Then, Teresa told me to shorten my stirrups. I didn't have a problem with them, but I listened to her anyway. Shortly after, my hip started hurting, even though I took a pain pill before I even came to the barn.

My legs were way out in front of me and I was leaning forward--because my stirrups were too damn short! My hip kept on catching, and I had to stop once while we were cantering (the only gait that really makes it catch) to do my half-dismount-scissors thing. I was in excruciating pain, and that was before we even started to jump.

Jasmine was a little uppity at the canter, and I felt that I should work her in a smaller circle in the center. She had comfortable gaits, but I don't think I've ever been on a horse who traveled with her back hollowed so much and so consistently. I tried to encourage Jasmine to lower her head and come onto the bit, but it just blew the poor pony's mind and got both of us a little frustrated. Oh well, I'm not in charge of training their horses--even though I feel sorry for the animals sometimes.

Jumping was okay simply because I stayed on. On the first jump, a small vertical, Jasmine jumped WAY over the fence. That hurt my hip. The second jump was no better, and Teresa said that I was having trouble because my legs were too far forward. I went back to the lineup and promptly dropped my stirrups back to their initial length. From then on, the jumps were MUCH better...until a particularly rough landing ended my jumping for the day. It hurt EVERYTHING. It even hurt my neck, the same place it hurts from my old whiplash injury. My hip was gone, so I skipped out on the last set of jumps and just walked the pony around with no stirrups.

From now on, I'm going to keep my stirrups at the length I'm comfortable with. If they're a little longer than what's considered ideal, so be it.

I was very sad after this ride. One of the girls in the lesson asked me why I ride if it hurts me so much. I told her that I didn't know, mostly because I just didn't know what to say to that. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't ride, really. I think I'd be a very, very sad person.

Sometimes I wonder the same thing, though. It's always an uncomfortable thought. I think I'll go do some Chemistry instead. Even Chemistry is less uncomfortable than thinking about not riding.

My hip still hurts.

Updates from this week.

2009-02-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

Monday's lesson was not so good. I was in a world of pain from falling off on Sunday, and each part of my body had a different plan. My legs were flopping around everywhere, my hip kept catching when we cantered, my shoulders were rounded, and my hands weren't as soft as usual because my elbows wanted to lock up. I wasn't happy that we had to jump, either.

I rode a large bay pony named Ducky. She was a cutie, and I would've had a pretty good time on her if I hadn't been hurting so much. I took a pain pill right before I left for class, and it didn't kick in until I was almost done riding--then I felt tired and unable to control my mind or my body. I don't think Teresa quite understood that I was in excruciating pain, even though I flat-out told her that I was hurting and that I'd fallen off the day before. Ducky was also a little uppity when we were jumping, which didn't help anything. I have to admit I was a little jittery about jumping because of Sunday's events, but I got over it quickly. I think I rode the fences pretty well, considering how I was feeling.

Wednesday's ride was a whole lot better. I wasn't hurting anymore. I worked on the flat with a grey pony named Popsicle. I'm sure I've worked with her before. She's possibly the laziest pony I've ever been on. I asked her to trot the first time, and she PLANTED. I actually felt her plant herself to the ground from a walk, and I couldn't get her to move until I had a crop and spurs. Eventually we got on with just spurs. I hate using English spurs; I don't really do Western anymore, but I still prefer longer, roweled spurs. We did lots of work with one stirrup (which aggravates my hip at the posting trot), and we rode a pattern. We went over poles for a while. We also worked with half the class tracking left and the other half tracking right. I think I was the only person who picked the right direction the first time, thanks to Miss Janet :)

I want to go home and ride Stella. I miss her.

Number Eight

2009-02-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

I rode a whole lot this weekend. We went to Miss Janet's again so that we could have another jumping lesson. Stella did choose to go over the poles for the most part, though she ran out a few times and I hurt my back quite badly. We popped over a few crossrails in a combination, and Mindy also took her through once or twice. We also worked on leg yielding. Stella did a nice job at the walk, trot, and one direction at the canter, but she absolutely refused to do it in the opposite direction. That was the direction where I had to use my "bad" leg, the one that hurts the most when I try to use it. We had a great lesson, though, and it was a lot of fun. I don't know when we'll go back, but Larry might take us again next weekend.

Today I rode again. Larry told me not to longe Stella since I'd worked her pretty hard yesterday. I just got on her and started walking her around. Larry was working Tatiana in the ring, and he was trying to get her to go over some poles. He asked me to take Stella over the poles to "show Tatiana how it's done."

I'm a sucker for irony, so I find the next bit hilarious. I walked Stella up to the poles, and she planted herself to the ground. Larry urged me to get her over, and I kept asking her to step over the poles. I don't know whether she jumped the poles or suddenly leaped into the trot, but I got knocked off balance. I held on just long enough for her to carry me past the gigantic mud puddle and more toward the center of the ring, and then PLOP I went.

It was a really cool fall. I felt like I was defying gravity for quite a few seconds. My left wrist absorbed a lot of the impact, even though I tried not to land on it. I also hit my chin and almost broke off the visor of my helmet--a lovely faceplant. Larry had just disked up the ring the evening before and everything was still soft and damp from the precipitation a few nights before, so it wasn't too bad. To be honest, I think the feeling of cool, damp dirt against my skin is pleasant. I thought it was funny when I was lying there, because one of my first thoughts was, "Oooh, this actually feels kinda nice..."

Larry asked me if I was okay, and then he started laughing at me and telling me that I wouldn't have fallen off if I'd been using a "good saddle" (a Western one, of course...sigh... :) ) like he'd suggested. Then he said that he always gets me into trouble. Ah, it's okay. It happens.

The ride itself wasn't too bad. Stella was a little jittery after I got back on. She's really scared of people falling off of her or people falling off of other horses nearby, and I could tell she was still a little nervous for most of the rest of the ride. I also started stiffening up shortly after the fall, which didn't help me ride well or calm the horse down at all. My hip also kept catching when I cantered, and I kept on having to stop, dismount halfway, and wait for the little pop.

I get to ride tomorrow too, which is exciting. Hopefully I'll get one of the horses that I really like, and hopefully I won't be too sore. (I'm not counting on it, haha. My shoulder is already touchy.)

I've been slacking off again...

2009-01-29T07:20:00.000-08:00

But I have a slightly better reason than simply wanting to procrastinate.

On Sunday, Mindy came over so we could ride. I worked Stella, Mindy jumped her a little, and then I jumped her a little. Larry informed me that someone was coming to look at Stella. I was devastated, and it bothered me for the entire ride.

My hip also bothered me, which was why Mindy jumped Stella a little. After a while, though, my hardheadedness got the best of me and I decided to pop over a few small crossrails on Stella. I figured that I'd always regret not jumping her one last time.

The woman came and looked at Stella. She really liked her, too. She has Stella's mom, who is also a very nice horse. I'm not ashamed that I glared at the woman and even shed a few tears when I had to hold her so that the woman could take some conformation shots. I'm in love, I need her, and I don't want to be alone again. I never want to go back to what I was.

The woman decided that she didn't want Stella simply because of her height. Occasionally I'm a little envious when I'm riding the shortest horse in my classes, but I've never been happier to ride a "short" horse. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think 15.2 is all that small. Either way, it saved us for now.

Either I'm going to sell myself to slavery in order to work Stella off from Larry and pay her board or I'm going to relive the self-loathing, nihilistic depression that completely overwhelmed me after Mac died.

In happier news, I got to ride on Monday. I rode Bugsy again, and I think I'm absolutely in love with him. He's just so much fun to ride, and he's absolutely adorable. I had to jump him, though, which was quite comical. We had a great time on the flat. I was just really awkward when I was jumping. I guess it was a combination of getting used to riding a smaller horse over larger jumps. Stella's jump is really smooth, but Bugsy jumps weird.

Our best (read: funniest) jump was when he came to a complete stop in front of the largest jump, waited a second, then jumped straight in the air to clear the jump. I was back in a full seat when he jumped, and I got popped forward on his neck. On the landing, I wrapped my arms around his tiny little neck and just held on until I could balance enough to sit up. Everyone, including me, got a good laugh out of that. After that particularly awkward fence, Teresa gave me a crop to keep the Bugsy butt moving. We literally galloped the fences after that, and it felt really impressive.

We had a lot of funny jumps throughout the lesson, and I think I won the award for Most Awkward Jumper of the Day. I had a great time, though. It was so much fun, and I wouldn't mind riding Bugsy, Mersea, John T, and Merlin for the entire semester :)

We couldn't ride on Wednesday. It was still snowy and icy from Tuesday, and they sent us an e-mail telling us that class was cancelled. Oh well. I'll ride this weekend if it isn't too wet.

Last night was insane.

2009-01-24T11:14:00.000-08:00

I went to the barn after I got home last night, and I spent a lot of time playing with Stella. She wanted to squiggle me, and I wanted to pet her and lean against her side. Eventually I just sat down in the sawdust and watched her eat. It was a lot of fun. I've really missed her this past week.

Then, Elizabeth and her friend came over to see my sister. I scared them to death again with the same old gag--putting up my hood and walking up to the lounge window where they were sitting and chatting. I love hearing them scream.

I also played with Abby in the aisle for a while. I ended up attempting a 007-style roll down the aisle. It hurt for a few seconds because I really threw myself down, but it was okay. Rolling absorbs a good part of the impact, as most equestrians will tell you :) Abby wanted to go back on the porch, so I took her back.

Elizabeth wanted to go out to the woods where all of the old things are, but I didn't think it was a good idea. We didn't have a flashlight or anything, and there are thick brambles, among other dangerous things, in the woods. We went down to the pond instead, which was fun. It was windy there, and we decided to leave shortly after. Then, we actually did try to go into the woods. I led the party because the others were scared. I walked straight on into a thick patch of brambles, which was not fun. Elizabeth and her friend went to get some flashlights, and we went out into the woods near the big vines. I started swinging on one of the vines and landed in even more brambles. Every time the trees would creak, one of them would start screaming. Then, there was some weird noise that sent Elizabeth and her friend running. They were the ones holding the flashlights, so it was pitch black while my sister and I tried to work our way through the sticks and brambles. My sister is still in the walking boot, and she was having a rough time. I picked her up and tried to give her a piggy-back ride, but she wouldn't center herself and we both ended up on the ground. Eventually we made it out of the woods, and then we walked most of the way down to the back field. They freaked out again at the opening to the field, and we walked back to the barn.

It was crazy, but it was so much fun. I want to go back to the barn this evening.

Flat and Poles

2009-01-22T06:34:00.000-08:00

Today we worked on flatwork and also rode over a "course" of poles. I started out on Barney. No, wait, I didn't ride Barney...

I RODE SPOOGENT! Tehehehehe. The word "spoogent" popped in my head while I was tacking up, so I decided to use it as a nickname for Barney. He pinned his ears a lot at me, so I kept on petting him and calling him Spoogent.

So he's Spoogent from now on.

Riding Barney/Spoogent wasn't that bad. Teresa gave me a crop, and I used it when it was necessary. I can't always use my legs correctly, so it's always nice for me to have a crop as a helping aid. We walked and trotted and cantered with no problems, except that Barney/Spoogent was a little lazy when we went to canter. I mostly cantered one-handed with the crop behind my leg. The horses at the school's barn don't work off of leg alone, though, so I had to have my crop hand ready to give a rein aid. Nothing special happened while riding Barney/Spoogent.

We did switch horses, though, and I got to ride my favorite little bugger, Bugsy. He's just so cute and soft and tiny that you have to love him. Teresa started messing with poles as soon as I got on Bugsy, though, and I was worried that I'd have to jump him. In our last jumping lesson of last semester, I seriously injured myself by NOT falling off of Bugsy. I just have difficulties jumping him, and I think it's simply because of our sizes.

We just worked over a course of poles, though, which was fun. We cantered all of them and it was sort of like jumping a course. I had trouble seeing the last two poles, though, and I always had to make a sharp turn because I'd cut the corner thinking that they were a lot closer in. We made it though. It was fun, and I enjoyed riding Bugsy.

I enjoyed riding Spoogent too.

I want to ride Bugsy in the bareback lesson later this semester. He's fat and his withers don't poke out, so he'll be much more comfy than Stella, and he's tiny, which is good because I know I'll probably fall off at least once. A whole hour of bareback? Yeah. That, and my legs will fall off. I want to have a bareback lesson next week or something, because I can't wait until the end of the semester!

First lesson of the semester!

2009-01-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

I had a pretty good first lesson this semester. I started out on Dakota, a large chestnut pony, and then got to ride Barney for the rest of the lesson.

According to Teresa, Dakota is young (I suspected either that he was young or he was very poorly trained even before Teresa told me.), willing, and somewhat stupid. She said he wouldn't do anything bad at all, and he didn't. Overall, he was a fairly decent ride. He was a little bouncy, but that was okay. He also refused to go in a straight line, so I really had to work with him. He had trouble picking up the right lead, but that could have been something that I did wrong. He picked up the left lead perfectly on the first try.

We did a lot of work on the flat, basically just going through the gaits. Teresa had us ride with one hand behind our backs, which I appreciated. I ride without reins sometimes at home, and it's a lot of fun. It was a little harder on Dakota. He didn't respond as easily to my leg aids, and he didn't know how to neck rein either. Everything was okay, though.

I threw out my hip, though. It didn't take very long at all, and it hurt a lot when I was riding. It isn't bothering me now (But my right ankle is messed up--weird, huh? I don't have my ankle support here with me either.), so it's okay.

Riding Barney was...interesting. As soon as I mounted up, I went over and got a crop from Teresa. I assumed that Barney would be Barney, especially since he was being lazy for his previous rider. He was actually really energetic for me, though. He trotted out really nicely, and he wasn't even too bad cantering. Well, we did have a lot of problems cantering. Most of them were due to little "traffic problems" on the rail and jumps being in very inconvenient spots. Barney wanted to jump the jumps sometimes too. I felt really wild, though, when I was cantering him--one hand on the reins, one hand behind me tapping his side with the crop. He was going really fast, and it would have been super fun if we hadn't had to stop so often.

I think I like the people in my riding class. Two of the girls that I ride up there with are Pre-Vet, which is awesome.

Driving to the barn in a car instead of squishing four people into a single-cab truck is pretty nice. I still miss last semester, though.

Squee!

2009-01-13T15:32:00.001-08:00

I get to ride tomorrow!

Whoa, one more detail about our trip!

2009-01-10T21:36:00.001-08:00

We stopped at a convenience store on the way to Miss Janet's barn. Larry, my sister, Elizabeth, and I were inside the store and getting some food. Mindy was outside supervising Abby while she sniffed around and did her business. Right as the store seemed to reach the height of "fullness," we heard the ding of the store door opening, followed by the mad scrambling of a dog on tile floor.

Mindy was putting Abby into the truck so that she could get some food for herself, but Abby broke away and ran to the store--she KNEW where we'd gone because she's a very smart dog. Mindy came running in a few seconds after Abby.

Lots of people laughed as all of us yelled for her and tried to grab her. I think it made the store clerk's day. She thought it was hilarious to see our little doggie open the door and run around the store for her friends.

...Just thought I'd share :)

The Remedial Child

2009-01-10T14:48:00.000-08:00

Stella is my little remedial child.

The ping pong ball bucket toppled over today, and I found it difficult to pick the ping pong balls up again.

Larry took Mindy, Elizabeth, and me to Miss Janet's for a jumping lesson. I worked Stella on the longe line for a long time, and then I finally got on her and started working. Stella alternated between silly and sane during our longe work, so I didn't have any idea of what to expect of her under saddle. She wasn't terrible, though--she just showed her slow side.

We didn't do very much flatwork at all, which disappointed me. I enjoy doing lots of work on the flat to warm myself up and make sure the ping pong balls are secured in the bucket. It's also important for me to do lots of flatwork to assess my hip pain and determine whether I should jump or not.

Janet started us over some ground poles. Easy enough, right? Stella decided to be the remedial child and spook at the poles. She wouldn't even walk over them at first. I had the horse jumping about two feet the other day, and she spooked at ground poles today! I think she was just being silly. That's just how Stella works sometimes. Stella and I had to work over ground poles long after Mindy and Elizabeth started jumping crossrails.

Eventually, I got Stella to step over the poles and the crossrails, even though she was a little funny about going over them still. By the end of the lesson, we were popping over them pretty well, and it was a lot of fun. I wish Stella hadn't been so silly so that I could've gotten more out of the lesson, but it was okay. Larry says that he'll take us back to Janet's next weekend, which is great.

Tomorrow there is a 4-H meeting. I'm not sure if I'm going yet. I have to go back to school. I'm pretty excited about my classes; I can't wait to go back to riding at school. We have a quick orientation meeting on Monday, and our first lesson will be on Wednesday. I wonder which horse I'll get to ride first... I'll be sure to make an entry about our first ride.

Half Hunter Princess, Half Bronco Buster. All Awesome.

2008-12-30T17:55:00.000-08:00

I haven't done this in a while. I've been quite busy, even though I've gotten a few good chances to ride. I've worked in the back field several times, and I've worked in the pasture for three days in a row. The arena has been nasty, but I think it will be okay to ride in tomorrow.

It felt really good to ride in my English saddle today. I don't think I've been in one since my last lesson at school. Stella usually gets really wild out in the open, so I've been using Larry's old Western saddle. We went riding a while back, before Christmas, because we got tired of working on the roof. It was very fun.

The day before yesterday was the first time I'd worked in the pasture for a long time. I worked Stella on the longe line for a long time because I thought she might be very silly when I got on her. She was actually very good for me. She was also good for me yesterday. We didn't ride very long yesterday because it was late by the time I actually got on Stella. Today was the greatest, though.

Larry brought Mindy over so that we could ride. Mindy and I rode Chester in the pasture, which was a lot of fun. I love riding him. He's one of the best, calmest horses I've been lucky enough to ride. He's also Mac's younger brother, so I feel especially close to him. I see him do little things that Mac used to do, and it makes me both very happy (because a little part of Mac is still alive) and very sad (because Mac himself is not here). It's amazing that he's a two-year-old stallion. Mindy and I swear that we'll be able to take him to AQHA World one day :)

After we worked Chester, we worked Tatiana. I worked Tatiana on the longe line and Mindy rode her. I figured that I would "save my hip" for Stella, as Mindy wanted us to jump today.

The four of us (Larry, Mindy, my sister, and me) went to Subway for lunch. We ate on the porch with Abby, and then we had oranges. Mindy told me that two guys in line at Subway were checking me out before I walked in. That made me laugh. Maybe they had some sort of equestrian fetish. Hehehe.

I helped my sister get on Sissy after we ate. Now she's allowed to ride with her walking boot on, so she rode around a little with one stirrup. I'm glad she's riding again. After I walked around with her a bit, I brought Stella out and schooled her on the flat a little bit. She was very, very calm. We did plenty of trotting and cantering around before Larry got off the roof and came to help us jump. I led Stella over the jump the first time. I decided that I wouldn't ride the crossrail on her back unless I was sure she would agree to go over it. I'm at the point where I just can't fight anymore. It hurts too much. She was very agreeable about it, and she actually seemed really excited. I got back on her, walked over the jump once, and then trotted her over a few times. She got really excited about the whole thing, and I think she was really enjoying herself. One time, we approached at a trot, but Stella wanted to canter. I asked her to canter it because cantering is easier on both of us. She jumped it beautifully, or at least it felt beautiful. She didn't want to stop after the jump and let out a few small bucks, I guess because she was just so excited. I almost fell off, shouted something rather inappropriate, and then started laughing. She bucked a few more times after the jump, but I forced her to lift her head and quit being so silly. It really hurt my hip, even though I prepared before my ride by taking a pain pill. Mindy jumped Stella a few times. Mindy also wrapped her scarf around Stella's neck, which I took a picture of. Stella liked the scarf, even though she was a little scared of it at first.

I cleaned a lot of stalls and fed the horses tonight, so I also feel very productive :)

Epic Fails and Other Tales

2008-12-17T18:08:00.000-08:00

I should've made an entry yesterday, but I didn't. I get to type a long one tonight, which is okay with me :)

Yesterday, Larry and I rode up to the therapeutic riding center to take BJ back. Abby was absolutely crazy in the truck, and we threatened to throw her in the "living quarters" of the trailer. To be honest with you, she'd probably have been in the best part of the entire truck and trailer. Larry bought a normal four-horse trailer with a decent gooseneck and storage area, and he basically turned it into a living quarters trailer. He has a fridge, a microwave, cabinets, cedar paneling and flooring, custom trunks, a lamp and nightlight, and a big comfy mattress (I speak from experience--all those naps and nights in the back of the trailer have been wonderful.) with lots of pillows and blankets. It's really amazing, and he did it all himself. I digress, as usual.

I got to see Nancy again and watch a few of the instructors and volunteers school the horses. Larry also schooled BJ, which was nice to watch. Abby was crazy out in the arena and barn because so many people were excited about petting her. It was fun, even though it was really cold out.

I also helped Larry with the barn after we got back from our little trip. We cleaned lots of stalls and fed the horses. We also learned just how retarded Stella is. Stella and Sydney live in a separate barn (They aren't bad, they just happen to be the two who live in the "extra" stalls which can convert to a foaling stall if we need that sort of thing.), and they both have double doors instead of sliding doors. I opened Stella's bottom door while the top door was closed and locked. I left it open so that I could bring a wheelbarrow up to the door and pick her stall. Stella noticed the opening, put her head down, and proceeded to try to walk under the door. She approached at a good Stella walk, bumped her withers on the top door, threw her head up, backed up, thrashed around, almost fell, and then regained her composure as if she were saying, "I knew that door was there. I was just testing it." I laughed at her a lot, even though I had been very scared that she was going to fall.

I went to the barn again tonight and had a pretty good time. I cleaned some more stalls, estimated Stella's weight with a height/weight tape (She's about 950 lbs.), and... Aggh. I fail epically at pushing wheelbarrows up the ramp and into the manure spreader. I've got the bruises to prove it. I had a fairly heavy wheelbarrow full of wet sawdust and manure, but I managed to push it all the way up the ramp. Then, the stupid old wheelbarrow started tipping over. I slipped a bit when I tried to keep it from toppling off the edge of the ramp, fell down the ramp onto my butt, and the wheelbarrow came down with me. I thought I was either going to get hit in the face with the wheelbarrow, which would have hurt, or have the whole thing flip on me, which would have been pretty gross. I survived, though, and Larry happened to miss the whole thing :)

That wasn't my first time falling down the ramp, either. That thing is dangerous...

After we finished up in the barn, we went inside. I had some hot chocolate while Larry and Jean drank coffee, and then we made some more horse cookies. Larry is hysterical in the kitchen, in case I haven't already said that.

I'll end this with two inspirational Larry quotes:

"There ain't no such thing as try!"

"There ain't no such thing as can't!"

That's what he always yells at me when he either tells me to do something and I say that I'll try or that I can't do it. There is nothing less than success at Larry's barn!

Good Like Larry's Homemade Horse Treats :)

2008-12-15T19:15:00.000-08:00

My break has started out pretty good. I've gotten to spend a lot of time at the barn already, which is great. I spent pretty much all day there today, which made me very happy.

Larry and Jean made homemade horse cookies last night. They're delicious--lots of molasses, carrots, apples, oats, and peppermint pieces, with a little sugar, flour, and canola oil to make them cookie-like. Stella loves them, and all of the other horses do too. It was really funny watching Larry and Jean working in the kitchen. Larry was putting dollops of cookie "dough" on the sheet while Jean made them round and spread them apart. She fussed at Larry because there were six cookie dollops on the first row and only five on the others. They were having so much fun together.

Today, I went to the barn early this morning to help Larry and to ride. Larry asked me if I'd help him with the roof of the house. Because I'm afraid of heights and because I know nothing about putting shingles on a roof, he said I could pick up the old pieces of shingles off the ground and put them on a trailer. It wasn't too bad except that I was constantly worried about stepping on the square nails that were standing point-up and waiting for me to place my foot carelessly on top of them. I didn't step on any of them, which I was very happy about. I got a lot of work done, so Larry made me a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. He fed me horse cookies and an orange for dessert. Then, we went out to the barn to give the horses some treats and to ride.

I worked Stella on the longe line for a while because I knew we were taking the horses to the back field. She was downright lazy in the arena, but I knew she was going to go absolutely mad in the back field. I put Larry's work saddle on her and we rode down the path to the back field.

The back field is a rather uncomfortable place for me to ride. I don't know if I've written about this or not, but Mac's grave is in the back field. There's something about riding beside his grave that upsets me, as if he can still (or even would, if he could) care that I'm riding Stella now. Add the fact that Stella goes crazy when she works in the open, and there's a huge mess of ping-pong balls spilled everywhere and no one capable of picking them up.

When Stella "makes bad decisions," which I sometimes say as a little euphemism, I joke that the bucket of ping-pong balls in her head got tipped over and the balls started bouncing around everywhere :)

She wasn't too bad, though. She gets better each time we go out, usually. We trotted with a lot more control than I've ever had in the open, and she actually halted from a canter without having her head hauled around to my knee. It was kind of fun, too. Larry and I switched horses for a while, so I rode Sissy. I didn't like the stirrups on the new saddle that Larry was using, so I rode without them. Sissy and I jogged around for a while and did a few serpentines. She's a very nice horse to ride. She spooked when we were walking back to the barn because Abby ran up behind us. Stella spooked after that because Sissy spooked. That's Stella for you...

My back and hip were really hurting. I took a pain pill after I finished with the shingles and before I even brought Stella in from the pasture. The "maximum dose" didn't help me AT ALL, but I didn't take any more for several reasons, one of which was that I had to drive later and I'm not supposed to have any if I'm going to be behind the wheel. I was in a lot of pain and it sucked, but I'm not hurting so much now. I have another doctor's appointment on Wednesday, and he's finally going to check my hip.

After our ride, Larry and I took care of our horses, cleaned the barn, fed the horses, and finished everything up for the night. I had to go home, but Larry said that he would take me with him to the therapeutic riding center tomorrow. BJ has to go back home.

We'll see how that goes. I'm so happy I got to spend the whole day at the barn with Larry.

A Ride on the Blessed Beast

2008-12-07T17:17:00.000-08:00

I got to ride Stella this weekend, even though it was terribly cold and she was energetic from her long break from work.

I went to the barn on Friday to clean some stalls and brush the horses. I helped brush Chester and then got Stella so that I could give her a very thorough grooming. I picked her feet, curried her, combed her mane and tail, brushed her face, brushed her body, rubbed her body, straightened her mane (I made sure her forelock was in the middle of her forehead and brought all of her funky mane to one side.), and put some ointment on a wound. She also got some peppermints, which she loves.

On Saturday, I actually rode. I brushed Stella and put her on the longe line for a while. She's in season, she hadn't worked in ages, and it was cold. All of that together should have meant that Stella would be a lit firecracker between my thighs. She was a very good girl, though. She moved so wonderfully off my leg and worked so beautifully, even though she kept on asking me to let her go faster. I cued her into a trot, and it felt amazing. She got a little crazy after a while. I had a bottle of my pain pills in my pocket, and it was rattling every time I rose to the trot. I decided to take off my jacket; I wasn't that cold, and Stella did calm down a little bit after I put my jacket over the fence rail. A few times, Stella actually broke into a canter when I applied my leg at the trot. She was having a great time, and she was just begging to canter. I finally let her canter, and she really put everything she had into it. She was never out of control or behaving badly by any means. She just gave me a very powerful, energetic canter. It was truly amazing. I even allowed her to hand-gallop a little. It was somewhat difficult for me to two-point because I was using Larry's saddle and the horn kept getting in my way. It was okay, though. We had a blast. Stella was extremely responsive. As soon as I sat down in the saddle, she slowed to a normal canter, and deepening my seat and slightly squeezing the reins halted her.

I'm happy that she was happy to make me happy :) I miss her so much when I'm at school, and I miss riding her all the time. I can't believe that I hated her when I first started to ride her.

I think I've already written about Mac once or twice in this blog, but I'll tell the story again. Mac was euthanized about a year and a half ago. I had been working with him in the same way that I work with Stella now--he was really Larry's horse, but he was mine on his papers and I was his main caretaker and the only person who ever really rode him. He developed some kind of neurological disease and kept falling, but we thought he was going to get better. I didn't really expect to ride him again, but I didn't expect him to die. He was in the prime of life; he was about to turn 10.

I never wanted to go back to the barn. I just wanted to give up on riding, and basically living. Larry eventually "forced" me to come back to the barn (To this day, I assert that he MADE me come back, even though I really think there was tiny little part of me left that wanted to go back and try to rebuild my life.) and got me to ride another person's horse at Mindy's house. I made excuses--I didn't have a helmet, my hip hurt, everything--so that I wouldn't have to ride the horse, but I eventually mounted up in a gigantic, borrowed helmet and rode the horse without stirrups around the ring. I cried the entire time. Mindy tried to get me to smile every time I passed her, but I couldn't. I just cried harder.

Then, I went to our barn for the first time after Mac died, and I cried again. Mac's stall was empty, and I couldn't go in there for a long time. I couldn't walk on or face that side of the barn for a while either. I started riding Stella, and she gave me a whole lot of crap. She basically did the stuff that she does when she's nervous--spooking, bolting, wheeling around, throwing her head into the air. I spent a long time just angry with her. I hated her. I didn't want to deal with her. I wanted to go home and never ride again. I don't know what happened. I guess I realized that Mac wasn't coming back and that I was going to have to work with Stella from then on. I actually felt, for a while, that Mac's death was a sick joke and that he'd be in his stall the next time I went out to the barn and we'd all have a good laugh about how cute he was when he was lying in the stall and eating his hay while lying on a pillow of saddle blankets. I didn't want to love Stella because I didn't want her to be able to "replace" Mac, so maybe being angry with her was my screwed-up way of protecting myself.

I thought I might share that before I say the next thing. Yesterday night, however, I was playing with Stella in the crossties and brushing her face. I looked into her eyes, and I swear I was brought to tears out of my love for her. It was a beautiful moment. I love her so much.

I'm tearing up now.

Today I also went to the barn. I cleaned a stall and then played with Stella in her stall for a while. She loves gloves, so she played with my gloves for a while. She also played with my jacket and its zipper. Then she nipped me, so she had to get slapped on the shoulder. She got over it, though, and we played some more. I petted her a lot and scratched her neck, and I said goodbye to her before I had to leave.

I can't wait until I get to see her again on Friday :) I'll have a whole month to play with her.

Fun and goodbyes.

2008-12-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

Today was the last riding class of the semester. It was a whole lot of fun, even though it was really sad too.

We spent the day playing games. I rode Bugsy AGAIN, but it was okay because we weren't jumping. I also took a pain pill before I left, so I'm not in too much pain right now. Bugsy was actually really great for me.

The first game was a race involving those red Solo cups (See, they're good for all sorts of games!) and chunks of rubber arena footing. We had to race across the ring, pick up a single piece of footing, race back, put it in the cup, and get as many pieces of footing in the cup as we could in tw0 and a half minutes. I had three in my cup before Bugsy nosed the cup over, and then I got two more after. It was a whole lot of fun.

The next game was "musical blankets." Teresa set out a bunch of old saddle pads on the ground on the inside track of the ring, and we had to trot along the outside track while music was playing. When the music stopped, we had to get some part of at least one hoof on a blanket. It was really fun, even though I was the third one out. I sat sidesaddle in the middle for a while, which was fun. Bugsy wasn't as cooperative with the leg over his head as Stella usually is, which surprised me.

The final game was a relay race. It was the chestnuts versus the paints/bays. I was on the chestnut team, and I was the third person to go each time. Each person had a different task to complete while crossing the ring to pass off the crop. The first rider (Heather) had to ride a sitting trot, the second rider had to ride any gait without stirrups (Shannon cantered.), the third rider had to ride any gait in two-point (Moire cantered.), and I had to ride any gait without stirrups (I cantered.). We lost both times, but it was so much fun.

I like gymkhana games. They remind me of why I ride.

After the lesson, we untacked, ate some wonderful peanut-butter-chocolate brownies (courtesy of Shannon), and talked in a circle outside of the barn. I'm going to miss everyone so much. Some people are moving up to Intermediate like me, but I don't think anyone else is in the class that I signed up for. Some people are staying in Hi-Elementary.

I was thinking about joining the team next semester, but after hearing tales of the brutal social hierarchy, I'm not so sure. I hate, and always will hate, excessive competition and rude people.

NOM NOM NOM, Shannon made some bangin' brownies :)

Epic, but in a different sense of the word.

2008-12-02T20:21:00.000-08:00

I rode Bugsy again today, for the last jumping lesson of the semester. Today was not a good lesson at all, but I made the best of it.

I started out with no stirrups on my saddle, so I had to snitch a pair from another saddle. That problem was solved quickly and without a whole lot of fuss. If we hadn't been jumping, I would've just worked without them.

Jumping today sucked. I took a pain pill before I went to the barn in hopes that I would be able to avoid any hip pain. Hahahaha. Yeah. My hip started to hurt a little when we cantered. I decided I was going to ride properly, no matter what. I sat in the saddle and refused to two-point my canter, even if I couldn't finish the ride. Well, that didn't kill me...

Our first jump was bad. Bugsy approached the jump really well. He trotted straight to it, happy as any little pony could be, came to a near-stop, and proceeded to jump the fence. It wasn't comfortable for me, I lost a stirrup, and I jabbed the poor pony in the mouth because I seriously didn't think he could make the jump from a standstill and wasn't ready to take the fence.

Then, we had to do the first jump again and a line. The whole line, evidently. I thought we were supposed to circumvent the crossrail in the line and go straight for the second vertical in the line. It was really difficult to maneuver, but I managed it quite well--and then Teresa told me I was supposed to take the whole line. I wondered why the turn was so difficult X_x

Then, we did the first jump, the WHOLE line, and another vertical that was out there somewhere. The first jump and the line were nothing special. I took the first jump with one hand because the other hand was using a crop to smack some Bugsy butt. That was no big deal. I don't rely on my hands at all, and it was actually kind of fun. I've always wanted to take a jump with my arms outstretched, like I'm flying. Maybe I'll do that in the future, once I get Stella jumping and my hip fixed :) The fourth jump, the hay bale vertical, was a disaster, though.

Have you ever seen someone fall off at a horse show? It was like that, kind of. Everyone was lined up on the rail next to the jump. Something funky happened with the jump, Bugsy took the jump and went one way, and I started going another way. Everyone was like "Ohhhh!" and "Ahhh!" and "Gasp!" I definitely thought I was falling off for a few seconds, but then I remembered that I am the master of "nice saves" :D I'd lost my near stirrup, but I threw my weight to the off side and managed to land with my butt in the saddle.

However, not all was good. I was spared a mouthful of dirt at the cost of being able to walk. I'd already taken the one pain pill before my ride, but I could barely manage the walk back to the barn. I had to take another one as soon as I got back, which had some extremely pleasant consequences :) First, I was just in pain. Then, there was the euphoria. It was SO nice. Then, there was the drowsiness, which wasn't so nice. The drowsiness lasted until the medicine had almost worn off. My hip wasn't too bad when I could finally feel it again, so I chose not to take another pill. I'll see how I am in the morning.

Thanksgiving break

2008-12-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

I went to the barn a few times over break, but I didn't ride even once :(

I mostly played with Jack and Stella. Larry was off at another Quarter Horse show with Mindy, so I couldn't see either of them or play with Abby. Jack and I went down to the back field, where I talked to Mac for a while and climbed into the treestand again. I also went down to the pond and went out into the woods. I took lots of pictures, and I learned that my camera has a timer. I had a whole lot of fun with that. I was swinging on vines and stuff, and I got a few good pictures.

I also experimented with the horses in the pasture. I carried the mounting block out into the pasture, sat it down, and stood up on it. All of the horses--Tina, Jessie, Sydney, and Tatiana--came moseying up to me to see what I was doing. Stella was the LAST one to come and see me. Each horse had their own reaction. Jessie was actually really scared. I reached my hand out to her, and she jumped away from me. Tatiana and Sydney came up to me a little bit and were a little wary, but they lost interest and started grazing nearby. Stella finally walked up to me, pushed me once with her nose, played with me a little, and started grazing again. Tina would not leave me alone! She squiggled, she nosed, she looked over every inch of my body, she played with the block and tried to knock it over... That horse is so precious :) Jessie never forgave me for scaring her. I walked over to her and tried to pet her, but she trotted off. It was really fun, and I was really interested in their reactions.

I think that BJ is weird. He was doing a leg-lift-kick-head-turn-colicky thing, and it scared me to death. Jean had just fed him, and he ate every bite, which REALLY scared me. I got out the stethoscope and listened to his gut, but I didn't hear very much. Then, he pooped and I figured he was just being weird. He was alternating between both back legs, too, so it's not like he was injured or anything.

I wish I could have gone riding this weekend.

Oh, and I got the results of my MRI. The doctor said I have a slight bulge in the disc between L4 and L5, but that it's so close to being normal, that he's going to search for the cause of my pain in my hip joints next.

EPIC.

2008-11-25T12:20:00.001-08:00

As the title suggests, today's ride was EPIC.

There were only three of us in class today, so we had lots of room to ride. I rode a new pony named Mersea today. He was so adorable, a tiny little bay. I'm in love :) He was so great, and I had so much fun with him.

We worked a little bit on the flat, and I loved Mersea's gaits. We got a wrong lead cantering once, but I fixed it and everything else was most excellent. I could actually sit his canter, which made me very happy. I hate having to two-point my canter because it's rough and hurts my hip.

My hip hurts a little now, but it's not so bad. I can walk without pain meds, so I'm okay.

We jumped a combination that was made of four whole jumps. I was so nervous at first. I just kept picturing myself having a bad jump and taking a second jump a single stride later. In fact, that happened to me once, but it wasn't a big deal.

It was actually really easy for me to do, and I had the greatest time EVER.

Once, Mersea stopped at the first jump instead of trotting over it. There was a hay bale at the base of the crossrail, and he took the moment of confusion to pick up the entire bale and snitch a mouthful. It was really, really funny. I had to take the hay out of his mouth and a student who was helping Teresa had to put the bale back so that it wouldn't interfere with jumping.

I had one bad start over the first jump, the crossrail, and I had to jump the second jump with my right foot out of the stirrup and my entire body being off-balance. It was okay, though. I turned Mersea off the line before we came up to the third jump, which was supposed to be two strides from the second jump.

Ohhhh, man, I can't wait to go home and tell Larry and Stella.

I can't wait for break.

2008-11-24T07:25:00.000-08:00

I didn't do much at the barn this weekend. I did get to see Larry and Mindy before they left for the show. It was a tad bittersweet because I COULD HAVE GONE, but it was nice to get to hug them goodbye and play with Abby a little before they left.

There's a new horse at the barn. He's a therapeutic riding horse, but he has a problem. He bites the kids. Nancy sent him to Larry so that we could work with him. I personally don't think he's malicious. He hasn't bitten at me at all, and I cleaned his stall, played with him, ran with him in the paddock, everything. I think he's a squiggler, and I think maybe he starts to squiggle the kids and gets so involved that he bites them. It's not okay, but at least he's not plain-out mean.

Larry said I could ride him, so I guess I'll do that when I go back home. I didn't get a chance to ride this weekend. I basically worked at the barn in all the cold.

I played with Stella a lot. I was wearing some thick fleecy gloves with a velcro thing on the wrist. Stella played with the velcro and pulled the velcro through the loop, tightening the glove around my wrist until it hurt and I was trying to jerk my hand away from her (which, in reality, made this situation worse). Stella is getting so white. She used to be so pretty and dark, and her mane had just one platinum section surrounded by a deep, charcoal grey. Now, about half of her mane is the platinum color, and the dark part is getting all frosted-looking. I still love her, even though she's grey :)

I can't wait until break so I can ride again.

A Special Instructor

2008-11-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

I think we had a clinician come to teach us today. She was very nice.

We haven't had Teresa since she went away to the horse show. One of the girls who works at the barn said that Teresa is sick. I hope she gets better soon.

First thing, the clinician told me to shorten my stirrups. Since we were doing flatwork, I had my stirrups down to my normal, "dressage" length. It's easier for me to ride that way, and it makes me happy. It's a compromise. I told her that I normally ride with a very long stirrup because of my hip (It's true.), but she bumped me up a few holes anyway.

We worked on the rail most of the time, and we did a whole lot of sitting the trot. I was really unhappy because Archie's trot sucked and my stirrups were too short for me to sit it correctly. I think Archie was the one I came on here and ranted about the other day. He was super cute, but he made me so angry! I know he really can't help how he was trained, and perhaps any physical problems in his body, but I cannot get along with the horse. I can't.

We also did serpentines over poles. I really enjoyed how she focused on each rider and horse as individuals. She picked out problems that the horses had and told us how we might begin to correct them. She also emphasized bending, collection, rounding, accepting the bit, using the hindquarters--well, she didn't emphasize every one of them, but she did mention all of them throughout the lesson.

I had a great time. Archie irritated the crap out of me, but I still had a great time.

The Exhilaration of Jumping

2008-11-19T08:45:00.000-08:00

I really, truly experienced the exhilaration of jumping yesterday. It was cold (There were actually little snow flurries!) and John T's bridle and girth were nowhere to be found (I was so late for class.), but I had a great time. We played Red Light, Green Light. The team I was on lost (but it was only by a horse length or so), but it was fun. We also jumped three jumps in a row. First we started by trotting one, then cantering one. Then, we added a third jump into the mix. It was a whole lot of fun. The jumps were pretty big. I think they were two feet high.

I love John T so much. Something had gotten into him yesterday, though. He was a tad silly, and he really got excited when he realized that we were jumping. He loved it, and I loved it.

Our jumps felt great, and I wasn't in too much pain at all.

That's the thing. I go from wondering whether I'll ever ride again to jumping short courses and back again. It's really weird. I'm going to the doctor next Wednesday, so hopefully we'll be able to figure some stuff out.

And another equally depressing note...

2008-11-16T17:04:00.000-08:00

I'm probably not going to the big show this weekend. We've been planning it forever, and nothing's going in my favor. Jean can't go because I think she's got to get her mom from the hospital. My mom can't go because she's got to stay home and take care of my sister. I basically don't have a way to get there, that's all. It sucks.

I'm probably better off not going, though. I really need to stop riding for a while.

It's kind of hard, though, when I'm in an actual riding class. I'm sure they would understand. Maybe I should talk to Teresa about just taking it easy for a while.

Jumping Stella

2008-11-16T16:45:00.000-08:00

Today, Larry took Mindy and me all the way to the local showgrounds so that we could ride. He even helped us "steal" the jump standards from the neighbors' yard so that we could practice jumping. I was really grateful that he was willing to do all of that stuff for us, but my hip just didn't want to cooperate.

It was hurting before I even got on, and it didn't help that Stella was hauling me across the ring while I worked her on the longe line. She kept having little "mare flares," and I had to run with her in order to avoid losing the rope or falling down.

Riding her was actually pretty good, aside from the fact that I couldn't use my legs. Seriously. When I applied leg aids, everyone knew--I shouted out in pain almost every time. Then, I decided to be stupid and try to get Stella to go over the jumps.

Larry had to lead us over every one. I couldn't apply my leg, so I couldn't keep her from drifting. And, man, did she drift. She wasn't about to step over the one-foot vertical that we had set up. It was ridiculous. I felt ashamed that I couldn't do something as simple as put my leg on, and I felt frustrated because I can barely live like a normal, dignified human being. I really just wanted to cry. Eventually, Mindy got on Stella and took her over the jumps a few times.

I envy everyone who lives life without chronic pain.

I rode Tina for a while when Mindy was on Stella. I was stupid. I rode her over the jumps a few times. She drifted a bit too, which frustrated me even more. I just simply couldn't use my leg correctly. That should have been a sign that I shouldn't have been on the horses, but I'm foolish and hardheaded sometimes when it comes to my own well-being. I had one jump over the small vertical that was wonderful, though. My timing was perfect, and everything felt right for a few seconds. Then, it was back to pain and suffering. Mindy and Larry didn't even see it.

So, now I'm frustrated, disappointed, upset, angry, and about ready to give it all up.

I just can't see myself riding much longer at the rate I'm going. The thought brings tears to my eyes, but I just can't do it anymore. I need to see the doctor again, go back for more x-rays, get some stuff shoved back into place, maybe get a brace or something (I shuddered at the first suggestion of a back brace, and I hope I never have to wear one.), and get some more prescription pain relief.

I can't imagine life without riding.

Cold and Wet.

2008-11-14T19:39:00.000-08:00

It was so cold and wet on Thursday. I wasn't happy at all because of all the puddles. My old paddock boots had holes in them and my feet were soaked.

I rode Amber for almost the entire lesson. We did a stirrupless posting trot (I worked with no stirrups because riding with one stirrup screws with my hip.), some cantering, all of that business. I enjoyed riding Amber. I felt sorry that he can't pick up the right lead. I just let him counter-canter around the ring, and it actually felt really good. Then, I got switched to a big chestnut gelding named Aussie. Aussie wasn't thrilled about the idea of having to move, but I got him to go quite nicely. I liked his gaits. I might like to ride him again.

My hip is really hurting right now. Ibuprofen, rest, and Sombra (Think Hot Ice times ten.) haven't worked for me, and I can barely walk. I want to ride this weekend, though.

Elizabeth has been jumping Stella over some small jumps since I've been gone, and I really want to give her a try :) Larry said he might take us down to the showgrounds to ride. That would be a ton of fun. We'll have to see what the next few days bring.

I'm sorry I'm so lazy.

2008-11-11T20:42:00.001-08:00

I'm so lazy. And I started a new, general type of blog, so I'm forced to divide my precious type time between the two.

Okay. So, on Thursday I started out on Bugsy. I don't have an issue with Bugsy. Bugsy's a cute little guy, and riding him is okay. It's fun to canter him because I have to pretend like we're galloping and ride him like a jockey so that he'll just barely canter. Then, I had to ride Archie, or Archer, I don't know which. He was a tall bay gelding, and I didn't like riding him. He was resistant and too speedy, and he wouldn't respond to simple half-halts and such. I had to circle him a lot to slow him down. We were cantering poles, and I didn't feel comfortable doing that. He kept rushing and nearly fell flat on his face, so I forced him to work in a fairly small circle to work on getting him to slow and respond. I was not happy.

Today I rode Skeeter again. It wasn't a great jumping day, and I kind of hurt my hip again, but it was okay. I like Skeeter. He's pretty cool. He jumps like a pogo stick, though.

Oooooh, and Skeeter was lying down when I came to his stall. I straddled him bareback and patted his neck to encourage him to get up, but he wouldn't do it ("You idiot, you're sitting on me. Of course I'm not getting up."). I eventually coaxed him into standing so that I could brush him and tack him up.

Whee, another good jumping lesson!

2008-11-04T19:57:00.001-08:00

I think I really fixed my problem.

I jumped just fine today. I rode a cute grey mare pony named Annie. She was so sweet. I put a pink halter on her, which was very cute too. I really, really liked riding her.

She was lazy on the flat, but she had an excellent time jumping. She really livened up and started taking the fences like all of the larger horses. She was so good for me.

I'm really, really happy that I learned what was causing me so many problems. I wasn't bringing my heels up--I was being dragged forward by the horse. My first jump of the day was absolutely effortless. It was absolutely breathtaking. Teresa also spent a part of our lesson riding. She was jumping a horse over a massive in-and-out. Now, watching her was breathtaking.

Ah, such a good day. Laura took lots of pictures. I look really funny in most of them, but that's okay :)

A Sobering Reminder

2008-11-02T16:33:00.000-08:00

Today was certainly exciting, but not in a way that we enjoyed.

We went to the barn today, and Mindy and I rode the "children." I started out on Tatiana and then went to Chester. Tatiana was okay, and so was Chester. Mindy and I kept talking about how we think Chester is going to be good enough for the AQHA World Show. Wouldn't that be awesome? ;)

Later, Mindy and Elizabeth were riding in the pasture. I had Stella in the crossties, about to tack her up so that I could ride too. My sister went out to ride Tina with Elizabeth and Mindy. While I was brushing Stella, I saw a chestnut blur gallop past the open barn doors. I dropped the brush and forgot all about Stella, because Tina was running like mad through the barnyard. She was freaking out and I couldn't catch her. The shock came when I noticed that the reins weren't dragging on the ground--they were gathered on her neck as if my sister had been about to mount her. Mindy caught Tina and I ran over to my sister, who was lying on the ground and clutching her ankle. Evidently, Tina spooked as my sister was getting on, which sent my sister to the ground where Tina ran over her. The only contact that Tina's hooves made with my sister was on her helmet, but the ankle was seriously screwed up. I told my sister to lie down while Mindy unlaced her boot to relieve the already swollen ankle. We fetched ice packs from the freezer in the barn to bring with us, and somehow we managed to get my sister into a wheelbarrow to take her to the porch. David helped us carry her up the steps and put her on the couch, where we elevated her leg and called my dad. Larry stayed behind and put the horses safely in their stalls before coming up to the porch. Jean fetched a pair of David's old crutches, and we gently removed my sister's boot. We had to help her to my car, where I rushed her to the hospital.

We found out that she broke it, so I had to call Larry and tell him.

The really freaky part is that, about ten seconds before I heard anything or saw Tina gallop past the doors, I was thinking about broken bones and about how horrible it would be if someone fell off and got hurt.

Stella was a really good girl during the whole thing. She stood calmly in the crossties until I came back inside to get an icepack, and she was okay with the fact that I tossed her into a stall and locked her up with no logical explanation whatsoever. I would've come back to give her a pat, but...well, you know.

My sister was doing well when I left. She gets out of school for a few days, so she's really happy about that. She also got some awesome pain meds. She was just chilling on the couch, watching TV. I hope she gets better soon.

Three Days of Adventure

2008-11-01T16:39:00.000-07:00

This was actually a pretty good week for me overall.

Tuesday was possibly the best ride over fences that I've ever had. I rode a big chestnut gelding named Skeeter. He was kind of lazy on the flat, but he became very excited once we started jumping. We started with a crossrail, and ended up jumping four jumps total. I didn't lose my stirrups at all, and I figured something out. In an effort to avoid the "unforgivable sin" of catching the horse in the mouth, I've been sliding my hands up way too far--seriously, three-fourths of the way up the horse's neck. That, in turn, is dragging me forward on the landing. As soon as I figured that out, I started giving less release, still didn't catch the horse's mouth, and didn't get thrown forward over the jump. I didn't like Skeeter's canter, but I cantered him over a few of the jumps. He tried really hard for me, and I enjoyed riding him.

I rode another new horse on Thursday. His name was Amber, the poor thing. He was a small chestnut gelding, and he was so soft and fuzzy. I loved petting him. He didn't like it when I touched his ears. I enjoyed riding Amber as well, even though he had a medical problem where he couldn't take the right lead. We just counter-cantered one way, that's all :) We had to switch halfway through the lesson, though, and I rode Dutch again. I had to do a pattern on Dutch, which the whole class judged. I ended up being placed third in the class. I think it really depended on what horse everyone had. Some of the horses simply won't canter when asked. Some simply won't stop. Dutch didn't want to stop at the gate when I asked him to, and we went several strides too far. Oh well. I think I rode the pattern well, even though Dutch didn't cooperate at the halt.

Today was awesome, plain and simple.

I went to the barn and Larry made us rake leaves and walnuts in the yard for a really long time. It wasn't bad, really. It was a gorgeous day, and I really hate stepping on those walnuts. After we finished the section near the house, Larry ordered pizza for us and we ate lunch on the porch. I normally don't eat dairy products, so I'm not feeling very good right now, but it was still fun. Then, we went out to ride and play with the horses. We did a lot of fun stuff while we rode today. My sister, Elizabeth, and I did a "turtle race," where the slowest horse won. My sister and Sissy won; Sissy was the only western pleasure horse in the bunch, so of course she was the slowest :) We also had a few real races at the trot. Stella and I won the race once or twice. We also took turns cantering around the ring with no reins. Stella was very good when we did that. I used my reins to cue her, placed them on her neck, spread my arms like I was flying, and had a lovely canter. She really didn't even need reins to stop. I just used my seat a little and gave her a little "whoa." I also rode sidesaddle for a little bit, but I only did it at a walk. I thought about riding bareback, but I decided that wouldn't be a good idea. Stella just isn't a comfortable bareback horse. Her withers are just too bony. Maybe I'll invest in a bareback pad or something. After our ride, Stella and I did a little showmanship, hands-free. I let her go and she walked beside me. I clucked and started jogging, so she trotted beside me. I turned, so she turned. I halted, so she halted. It was really cool.

What Stella did during her bath was NOT cool, though. I was trying to get her onto the black mats, and she decided to rear up. She went up and over, got up, and trotted away. She let me catch her on the other side of the barn, but she was muddy and really needed a bath after that incident. She hates the mats, as you can tell.

Oh, yeah, and we went on an adventure before we had our pizza. We went into the woods and had a lot of fun swinging on vines. There was one that we held onto and could swing, and there was another that was suspended between two trees that we could sit and swing on. Then, we found a place that was full of a lot of old junk. There were a lot of interesting things. We had so much fun today. Mindy is supposed to come over tomorrow, so we'll have even more fun before I have to go to school.

The Last Local Show of the Year

2008-10-27T07:43:00.001-07:00

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!!!

2008-10-27T07:34:00.001-07:00

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.

WHOA. It's on time today!

2008-10-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

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.

Thursday's Lesson, Weekend, Costume Update

2008-10-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

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.

Last Thursday's Lesson (And Fall Break)

2008-10-15T17:09:00.001-07:00

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.

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

2008-10-08T18:09:00.001-07:00

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

2008-10-08T17:42:00.000-07:00

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.

Monday Make-Up

2008-09-29T14:35:00.000-07:00

I had to go to a make-up lesson today at 11:30. It was a pretty fun lesson, and I learned a few important things.

They were using the extra horse that they'd originally reserved for me, so I had to wait around and have them bring me a pony in from the pasture. The pony was absolutely adorable ("a little fox," as the instructor later described her), and her name was Jasmine. She looked like a nice chestnut at first, but I noticed what looked like a very faint dorsal stripe while I was grooming her. Hm. She was quite sweet, even though she pinned her ears and nosed at me while I did her girth.

I was the first person to finish tacking up, so I walked Jasmine down to the indoor arena and waited for someone to give me some instruction. A woman came out into the ring and told me to go ahead and mount. She disappeared for a while, and I'm so glad she did.

Jasmine didn't want me to mount her. She would take a step or two away from the mounting block (She was definitely short enough for me to mount her without a block, but I always try to use one for the sake of my hip.) and refused to back up when I asked her to move back to it. I put the block aside and attempted to mount without one. Jasmine, once again, walked off, and then the saddle slipped. I could've sworn the girth was tight enough, as I'd just adjusted it for the second time. I made it to the ground just barely on my feet, and then I had to tack up all over again while fighting with Jasmine to make her hold still. I eventually got on, though. I would've been terribly embarrassed if anyone had been watching me :)

We worked at a walk and trot on the flat for a while, and the teacher even asked us to drop our stirrups at the walk. I was so happy. Then, she asked us to do a posting trot over a single pole. That was easy enough. She made a little crossrail after everyone had been over the pole twice, and then we jumped the crossrail twice each. That was also easy, so I was happy. Then, I realized that we were going to jump some really big jumps. They honestly weren't very big, but they weren't crossrails; they were the biggest jumps I've ever jumped.

First, we had to cross the arena and jump two jumps in a row. They were far apart, but they were big for me. To add to everything, Jasmine got really excited when she realized we were jumping. The first two weren't so bad. They felt HUGE when Jasmine jumped them, but everything was okay. I just grabbed mane, gave her all the release she needed, and tried to keep myself balanced. The second time around, we did three jumps. We had to do the second jump from the first go, then canter around and turn to another jump, and then go diagonally, make a tiny turn in the line, and go over the third and final jump.

That was an absolute disaster for me. On the first jump, I don't know what happened. I got popped up, which hurt my hip really bad, and I had to circle Jasmine after it to collect myself and get her back under control. She got really excited before and after that first jump. The instructor happened to be standing behind us when we jumped the second jump. The second jump was even worse than the last. We took the jump and I felt myself shift my weight onto my left stirrup. My right foot came straight out of the stirrup as Jasmine began the jump. Then, of course, she took off after the jump. I had to fight her to get her to stop because I definitely wasn't taking the third jump with only one stirrup. The instructor told me exactly what I'd done and said she thought I was going to fall for sure. I was certainly happy that I hadn't, and then I remembered my terrible lean. Miss Janet was the first one to tell me about it during one of our lessons, and today I realized just how imperative it is that I correct it. I finally got to the third jump, and it turned out to be rather uneventful in comparison to the other two.

By the way, my name is Ann. Heh, yeah, that's what the instructor called me throughout the lesson :) I didn't catch her name either, so it's okay.

I would write about my weekend with Stella, but, like the final jump, it was rather uneventful. I cleaned stalls, played with Stella, brushed Stella, and did some horse photography. Oh, yeah, and I also ate figs.

I get to jump again tomorrow! That's exciting.

Tuesday and Thursday Lessons on Cotton and Ozzie

2008-09-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

This week, I got to ride two bay paint geldings. The first one was a horse named Cotton. He was fun to ride. We rode in the outdoor ring for the first time, which was kind of exciting. We also jumped, which was equally as exciting. I really didn't like cantering Cotton because he would just...stop. We would be cantering along, and then he'd break into a jarring trot, regardless of how much I used my legs. Laura rode him before, and she told me that he did it with her too. We worked on the flat for a while, even though I couldn't hear a word that Teresa was saying to us. I barely heard her ask us to canter, and then I didn't hear that she wanted us to canter in two-point. Jumping was great. We trotted the jump once and cantered it a few times after. Once, Cotton broke into a trot about 15 feet before the jump, and I didn't want to fight with him straight to the jump. I made him circle and then brought him back into line. We had some very nice jumps, or at least they felt nice.

Today I rode a pony named Ozzie. I walked up to his stall and started telling him that he was just too cute--because he was :) He pinned his ears and wrinkled his nose just like Mac used to do, and I couldn't help but laugh at him. When I was grooming and tacking him up, though, I wasn't laughing. I ducked under his neck while he was tied and I heard a little pop. It sounded like I'd bumped his chin and made him pop his lips, so I dismissed it. I was cautious, though, and I later realized that the little bugger was making serious attempts at biting me. I slapped him one time really hard and he didn't do it again. He was actually really good for me after that. He snapped and sneered as I did up his girth, but I glared at him and he didn't reach around after me.

Riding him was quite nice. He had pony gaits, but his canter was still lovely to ride. His trot was fine, except when he saw other horses cantering and wanted to canter with them. I think I was having a pretty bad day. I lost my left stirrup while asking him to canter the first time, but I just cantered on without it. I also got my right foot jammed into the stirrup once while cantering, but that time I stopped and fixed it. I definitely don't want my feet to be THAT secure in the stirrups. I seriously thought I was going to lose my balance and just slip off a couple of times. I hated the saddle. It was way too small for me, and the seat was really shallow. We played a follow-the-leader game where we walked and trotted around the ring, maintaining one horse length between horses, switching directions, and changing line order. It was different.

I can't wait to go home and see Stella and everyone at the barn.

Last Tuesday's Ride and...STATE!!!!!

2008-09-22T12:26:00.001-07:00

I didn't get around to writing about last Tuesday's ride before I left for State, so I guess I'll write about it now. I rode Laura's favorite horse, Hope. I think she was a bay, but I truthfully don't remember. That's really, really sad. Hope was really slow and I had to urge her on in order to get her to trot and canter. Beth taught us on Tuesday and we did a lot of jumping. It was so much fun. We jumped two jumps in a row, which I've never done. Of course, there were a lot of strides between the jumps, but it was still awesome. One of the jumps that I did felt absolutely amazing. I even cantered to the second jump, which made it feel so nice. I thought I was going to fall off one time, though. I think my heels came up, or, rather, just didn't sink down. I'm used to working with a dressage-type leg, but now I'm at jumping-intensive boot camp and I have to learn that the heels get shoved down more. I guess I'll figure it out a little better once I've hit the ground a time or two because of it.

Ah, but that lesson was a while ago. I've got to talk about State! Yeah, so I left school on Wednesday afternoon so I could get ready to leave early on Thursday. When we got to the showgrounds, I had to get ready for showmanship that evening. I turned in my project book and then started to braid Stella's mane and tail. Stella also had to be clipped, which was an ordeal. She's fine with clipping as long as we don't touch her mule ears. We had to have two people hold her--one with a twitch (I don't necessarily like seeing them used, but I don't like seeing horses and humans hurt and killed.)--and one person clipping her. Stella ended up stepping on my foot, and all I remember was shoving her and then yelling "Get her off! Get her off!" because I thought she was going to break my entire foot or the ankle itself. I couldn't do very much because she had stepped on the foot that was farthest from her and I couldn't turn around. I thought something was broken because I couldn't put weight on it for almost ten minutes, and then I thought my big toenail was going to come off because my big toe was covered in blood. Everything's okay now, though, and I just have some places on my foot where the skin got scraped and/or ripped off.

Sorry if you thought that was disgusting. Hahaha.

Showmanship went really well. Stella wouldn't go into the chute without exploding, so I requested to wait until I could go straight through without waiting around other horses. She still got upset, but no one else was around to get hurt. I got her to calm down once we were in the arena, and then we executed a decent pattern. I was really expecting a red ribbon, but the ring steward handed me a blue. Hunter showmanship at State really is a lot easier than Western, as there are less hunter people who've been taught how to do it. Lucky for me, I have a trainer who specializes in all of that fun Western stuff and thinks I ride in a "wussy" saddle :) I had to memorize the callback pattern after I got out of the ring, so I led Stella around with the book in my hand. Larry held her for me while I practiced the pattern on foot (I look like an idiot, but it helps a whole lot.) and then we practiced a few key parts of the pattern. Our callback pattern was actually pretty good. I overshot a cone by a foot or so because we were backing and I lost track of where it was; it was totally my fault. Stella also didn't want to come directly into a trot from a halt. We took a few extra strides, but it was all okay. All in all, I was very pleased. Stella even started to fall asleep while we were in the lineup. She fidgeted a little when people started to clap, but she was very good. I got 11th place, so I didn't get a ribbon. I was still happy, though.

Friday's schooling session was amazing. I tacked Stella up in Larry's old Western saddle and worked her in one of the outdoor rings. We did a lot of bending and leg yielding. Her trot was amazing. Her canter was brilliant. She was so soft and rounded, she accepted the bit, and her stride was long and slow. I felt centered, relaxed, and focused. I couldn't believe it, and Larry said that it was awesome.

I had my first go of pleasure on Friday. We had an excellent ride, but, once again, we got the wrong lead both ways of the ring. I caught it immediately both times, but the judge saw it at least one way. I don't know why she got the wrong lead. I asked correctly and she got the right lead every time while we were schooling. It was a great ride, though, so I was happy with her.

One of my schooling sessions was a disaster. Some idiot came flying out of the bushes on a bike and scared over half of the horses who were working in the ring. Both of my seatbones were on one side of the saddle at one point, so I have no idea how I stayed on. I saw the kid and tried to keep Stella focused, but when he came out of the bush, Stella just gave a massive leap and I tried to follow her. I got her to calm down after a while, and then we started to work again. I heard a little thud and some mad hoofbeats, so I looked and saw that someone's saddle had slipped and their horse was running madly around the ring. Stella usually freaks out when people fall off and their horses run around, so I halted her and hoped the horse wouldn't come near us. Sure enough, the horse came running toward us, and I started cussing and trying to get it to run away from us. The horse kept running straight for us. I hoped that the horse would run out at the last second, but I turned around and relaxed my body just seconds before the stupid horse galloped right into Stella's hind end. Stella, being a good-natured creature, didn't kick or even pin her ears. She just stood there and was very nervous and surprised. It took me a long time to calm her down again. People kept riding up on her, and Stella would get nervous and pin her ears. I felt so sorry for her. I'm realizing how alike we are. I used to be terrified when people would drive behind me after I got into my second rear-end crash.

Equitation was a blast, though. I felt so good, and Stella was excellent. The only catch was that the judge favored the two-point-cantering, butt-poking, crappy English riders over those who ride correctly. Yeah, we're supposed to be able to take a jump should one pop up in front of us, but as long as there's enough distance for the horse to make it, there's enough distance for me to get up in a two-point. Larry thought it was a great ride, and I personally think I would have placed high in the class if the 4-H trend wasn't to ride in an excessively forward seat. I was happy. I was especially proud of Stella. When we were working, a girl fell off right in front of us. Stella spooked and whipped around, but I got her under control and got her to calm down. The horse ran to the other side of the ring and everything was good. Stella also had a problem the first time we cantered because another rider rudely cantered--or should I say hand-galloped, perhaps bolted?--up behind us and barely made it past without running into us. Stella rightfully spooked and became upset, but I calmed her down and she went along fine after it.

Mindy and I stayed in the trailer on Friday night. Our friend John, whom we met at Southern Regionals a few years ago, came all the way from South Carolina to watch us at the show. We went to the hotel to take a shower and then we went to the barn to play with the horses. Mindy wanted to school Gemini in the trail arena before her class the next morning, so we went to get her saddle from the tack room. We ran into a little problem when we realized it was locked. Mindy decided that she wasn't going to ride, but John said that he would get it. We stood and watched as he climbed on a tack trunk, climbed on the stall bar, and hauled himself up and over the top into the tack stall. Mindy and I started to laugh when we wondered how he was going to get the saddle out. He told us to throw a lead rope over, which he brought under the swell of the saddle and clipped onto itself. We held it while he struggled to climb back up and out of the tack stall. I wish I'd had my camera, because it was very impressive! Mindy did get her saddle and rode for a few minutes. A show official made her get off because the EMTs had left for the night; I wanted to let the show official know just how hard we'd worked to get the saddle, but I understand the rule. We messed around with Leo's stable management card ("Remove bot eggs. Horse needs water. Clean stall. You suck." Sigh. The joy that a simple practical joke can bring...) and then got Abby from the trailer and played on the hill. I almost fell down the hill because Abby jumped on my back while I was sitting down. It was so much fun. Eventually John had to go back to his tent, so Mindy and I went into the trailer and got ready for bed. We brought Abby up into the gooseneck with us and gave her a spot between us. It was so nice and warm in the trailer. We hadn't realized just how cold it had been outside, and we were especially cold from sitting in the wet grass on the hill.

On Saturday, I had my final class, second go pleasure. I schooled Stella in the arena where the class was going to be held, and she was perfect. I rode her around a lot, and we had fun. I gave her a Gatorade, and we had to play tug-of-war so that I could get the bottle out of her mouth. I don't regret teaching her how to drink out of a bottle :) When it was time for the class, Stella freaked out in the chute again. Larry led me into the ring and Stella was calm again. She was actually being very good. I thought the class was much too large for the arena, but I figured everything would be okay. When we were asked to canter, Stella exploded. I don't know what caused it, but she simply exploded. I had to use her neck to help me balance because she was going absolutely insane. She wasn't bucking, but she was throwing herself around, backing, turning, and whatever else she could. After that, the judge called to split the class. Stella went well the second way, but the damage was done. The judge selected a few numbers to be excused, and we were one of them. The crowd applauded and cheered loudly for us, which caused Stella to explode again. I reined her in and sent her out of the ring, where she exploded again in the chute. A woman who was stupidly standing in the center of the chute with the horses saw Stella getting upset and started to shield her face and scream. Of course that didn't help, so Stella's explosion carried on into the schooling ring that the chute led into. I schooled Stella for a few more minutes before I got off and took her back to the barn. I untacked Stella, groomed her, gave her some hay, and picked her stall. I was really upset about what had happened. See, I really wanted to go to Southern Regionals this year, and I actually thought I could make it this year. The best laid plans don't always work out, though. I was upset that I had no clue why Stella exploded in the middle of the class like that. Larry walked with me to the coliseum and talked to me. He asked me if I was disappointed, and I told him that I was. He said that he was disappointed for me, and that my time would come someday. Then, he jokingly said that he could sell Stella and buy another horse for me to ride. He kind of wants me to start doing Western again, but he promised me a long time ago that he'd never again sell a horse from under me. I don't know. I always seem to feel a lot better when I talk to Larry. We went shopping in the coliseum for a birthday gift for Jean.

On Saturday evening, we went out to dinner at Ruby Tuesday. As usual, I had a terrible time finding something to eat, so I opted for a plain baked potato and unlimited trips to the salad bar. I made a gorgeous salad and ate every bite of it, and then I topped my potato with items from the salad bar and made a gorgeous baked potato. Guess what. I ate every bite of that too :) We came back and watched drill team performances. There was one that I really liked that was done to some very awesome techno.

On Sunday, I played with Stella and Abby for most of the day. Stella insisted on eating my cookies and picking up and dumping out the muck bucket when I was cleaning her stall. I was a total rebel as I walked around the showgrounds with Abby. The show officials discriminate on the basis of species, and Abby wasn't supposed to be there at all. But she walked around with me, played with little kids, came into the barn, sat in the tack stall with me, and even came into the bathroom with me. She hated that. I had to tie her to the hand rail.

This year was excellent. I can't wait until next year! And I can't wait until I get to ride tomorrow, either.

A Huge Post (Because I've slacked off over the past week.)

2008-09-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I've been doing a lot of stuff this week other than typing blog posts. For example, I was waking up early in the morning so that I could watch episodes of House online; they absolutely will not work unless I do it early in the morning. I've also been working on my project books for State, as I'll be leaving this Wednesday for the biggest horse show of the year. And, of course, I've been laboring over Chemistry and Latin work.

I rode a chestnut pony named Bugsy on Tuesday last week. He was very cute and very fun to ride. I liked his trot and canter, and he was very polite. On Thursday, I...actually...rode...a horse! His name was Magic, and he was a very large bay gelding. I loved riding him. His gaits were pleasant, and I enjoyed being on a horse for once. I also liked the saddle that I was using a whole lot. We even jumped! Teresa set out a small crossrail for those who had previous jumping experience, and I was the second person to go. My first jump sucked (I have almost no upper body strength, and I kind of fell forward onto his neck.), but they got better. I haven't jumped in a while, and, even then, it was just tiny crossrails on Stella.

The only downside to Thursday's ride was the pain. My hip has been bothering me for the past week or so, and riding on Thursday seemed to aggravate it. I remember riding a canter-trot transition that was particularly painful. After the lesson was over, I dropped my stirrups, tipped my head back, and nearly cried from the pain. Teresa obviously never saw the papers that I filled out during the orientation meeting, because I specifically noted my hip and back issues and the fact that they've kept me from riding in the past. She asked me if I'm nervous about jumping, and I had to explain to her how I was feeling. She was quite understanding about the whole thing.

My hip is actually hurting right now.

I went to a show this weekend too. It was a western show, so I planned to go and just school Stella, maybe do a bit of showmanship with her. When we got there, however, I decided I was going to try riding in a go-as-you-please class for a bit of fun. I just wore my paddock boots, jeans, one of the show shirts that I loaned to my sister, and my schooling helmet in the classes, and I used one of the extra saddles that Larry put in the trailer. I rode Stella just like I would if I had been in an English class, except I sat the trot instead of posting. I kept plenty of contact, trotted, cantered, rode with both hands (She was in the same snaffle she normally works in, but on a western bridle. The only problem was that she's 6, and the cutoff age for snaffle bits is 5.), the works. Of course I didn't place in that class, but she went along perfectly. She was calm, focused, and just...oh, I had to go in pleasure and equitation after that class!

Pleasure was okay. Stella stayed calm, just like in the previous class. We got the wrong lead BOTH ways of the ring, though. I have no idea why. It was probably my fault, especially since she was behaving herself. Sometimes she gets worked up when I'm riding and, no matter how well I cue her, she'll take off on whatever lead she feels like. But I really think something was off with me. After the pleasure class, the judge stopped me and asked me how old Stella is. I told her the truth, but I also told her that we were just in the class for schooling purposes and that we're normally an English pair. She said that it was fine, and that Stella was a very nice mover. She was the same judge who judged at the last show--the one who said that Stella needed to round up and collect. I guess she recognized us. She asked me how old Stella is at the last show too.

Equitation went very well. I didn't expect much in the way of ribbons, mostly because I had to sit a full-out trot while everyone else was sitting a comfy little jog :) Stella behaved herself for our third and final class, and I was so proud of her. The judge asked us to drop our stirrups at the jog. I got so excited because I love stirrupless work. Call me a masochist, but it's true! I came out of that class in 5th place, which was pretty good in my opinion. It was a pretty big class.

All in all, I was very pleased with the show. I hadn't been there in a very long time. It was actually where I had my first horse show, and where Squeeky fell over with me at that first horse show. Err, yeah. He had a little tantrum and ended up toppling over sideways onto my leg. It was actually one of my least painful falls, maybe my least painful. Haha, but I digress.

I rode after we left the show as well. Larry and I worked Chester for a while, which was a lot of fun. Chester reminds me so much of Mac; it almost makes me cry sometimes when I'm riding him. Today I rode Stella and Tatiana. Stella was very good. We did lots of stirrupless work, and I have the bruises on my knees to prove it. I was so happy with her. I almost did a bit of bareback riding, but I've learned my lesson about pushing my luck when things are going just THAT good. Tatiana was frustrating. It was my first time riding her without Larry holding on to her in some fashion, and I'm not quite sure she understood everything I was asking her to do. It took a lot to make her turn and move. We trotted a little bit, which was a whole lot of fun.

I had a good weekend, and I am so ready for State.

When the World is "Mud-Luscious" and "Puddle-Wonderful"...

2008-09-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

The hurricane completely ruined my riding plans this weekend, but I did get to go home and play with Stella. Larry was off at a big Quarter Horse show, so I didn't get to see him. Jean was there, though.

Stella did not enjoy all of the wind and rain on Friday. She tends to, er, freak out whenever it rains. I think it's mostly from the rain hitting the roof, but perhaps there's something else that she doesn't like that I don't pick up on. After the rain, however, I turned her out in the muddy arena so that she could trot around a bit and so I could safely clean her stall. I took lots of pictures of her because I happened to have my camera with me. There are also a few pictures of my poor paddock boots completely engulfed in mud and Jack frolicking in the puddles with a stick that he found, but they're mostly of Stella. I also brushed Stella after I finished her stall, and then we had a wonderful de-spooking session with the purple duster.

Stella got upset when I was dusting the cobwebs all the way across the barn, but when I finished with our de-spooking session, she thought of it as a funny-looking, purple treat dispenser. I started out by offering a treat to her, but only if she would bring her nose a few inches from the duster. I made her go closer until she was touching it and wiggling her lips over it, and then I started to rub it on her back and poke her with it. I touched her with it until she stopped twitching, and then I immediately removed it. I started to stroke her with it and touch it to random parts of her body. She was perfectly fine with the duster when I was all finished, so I offered her a final treat and ended our session.

On Saturday, I went to the barn for a while too. I basically did the same thing, but with more stall mucking and less de-spooking and photography. It was still fun, though.

Today, I went to the barn for an hour or so, just to say goodbye to Stella. I put her out in the muddy arena, cleaned her stall, watered the horses, and went to bring her back inside. She rolled right in the biggest mud puddle out there; her entire right side was caked. I waited as long as I could for her to dry and then curried the dried mud off. Hopefully a kind soul will see her tonight and finish the job for me :)

I went out to Jack's Pond to see how everything fared during the hurricane. Our boat was fine, but I saw two big black snakes. The first one really startled me. I was walking through some stuff and then I heard rustling leaves as the snake slithered away. I saw his entire body, and I'd guess he was nearly three feet long. I left that area and went over to the little tree that's fallen into the pond. A frog jumped into the pond and another snake slithered into the tall grass. I still can't decide whether it looked more like a brown tail or a black tail. Either way, both of the snakes could have been poisonous or nonpoisonous. Oh well, I didn't get bitten, so it's all good. I'll have to be more careful when I'm down there from now on.

I'm excited about riding again on Tuesday. I need to do homework before then, though. I guess I'll do it tomorrow, as it's nearly midnight now.

Thursday Lesson on Barney

2008-09-04T11:56:00.001-07:00

I got to ride another pony today, but he was super-cute. His name was Barney, and he almost looked like a fat little Icelandic pony. Laura suggested that to me, and I definitely agree.

I know I complained about the saddle being too small on Tuesday, but today's saddle was at least a size 17. It was hard, but it didn't bother me. I liked the fact that the seat was deeper than the last saddle I rode in, and I actually appreciated the saddle being too big. The one thing I was scared about, though, was the width of my stirrup irons. I almost didn't get on, and, looking back now, I probably should've gone back for different leathers. They were only slightly wider than my boot, which is EXTREMELY dangerous. I normally drop my stirrups if I think I'm falling off, but I think I probably would have been dragged had something gone wrong...

Of course, Barney didn't do anything that would have caused me to fall, let alone become unseated at all. (Uh, there was one thing, but I'll talk about that later.) I hopped on and walked him around the ring. He really didn't want to stand for mounting, but I jumped on anyway and made him walk in a really tight circle until he decided to wait for me. When he halted, we sat for a minute before I asked him to walk off. I made an assumption that Barney was going to want to go, go, go. Oh, man, I was so wrong.

As we walked, I found myself having to urge him on to keep him at a snail's pace. He also liked cutting corners, which I quickly taught him not to do. Teresa asked us to go into a posting trot, and I found it extremely difficult to rise with him. I thought my shoulders felt a little rounded, but Teresa never mentioned it to me. We did a sitting trot, which was very easy to do on Barney. Eventually I had to get a crop. Barney was making a joke of me, and he just needed a tap or two behind my leg before he went along properly. We also did a trot while in two-point, and I thought it felt pretty good. I think my back is flattening out, which is excellent. We did a posting trot over the poles a couple of times, and as I passed, Teresa said "Oh, wow, Barney actually went through." I'm not quite sure what she meant by that, because later she said that "Barney loves jumping."

Trying to get Barney to canter was ridiculous. Teresa divided us into two groups for cantering, and I was in the first group. I set Barney up, asked for the canter, and got...a very crazy trot. I tried again with the crop behind my leg and eventually got him back into the trot. At home, if Stella doesn't take an upward transition in a reasonable amount of time, I stop her and try again. Therefore, that's exactly what I kept on doing. I did eventually get him to canter, but it was on the wrong lead and I pulled him back just as Teresa decided to switch groups.

The other lead was a little better. I asked Teresa, and evidently she wants me to keep going in the terrible trot until he decides he ought to canter. I would be told to get off the horse if I did that at home, but I'll do things their way at this barn. Instead of kicking Barney into the canter, I whopped his little butt a few times and got him to do a little bit of the canter. He actually got the right lead, which earned him a pat. I also liked how he didn't use his head for balance nearly as much as the other two ponies that I've been on at this barn.

When we went back into the trot, Barney and I had to pass a jump that was near the rail. Because "Barney loves jumping," he thought he might try to jump over the jump instead of passing it. I pushed him back on the rail, but it was a tad too little, too late. My knee hit the standard and knocked the pole down; I almost thought I was going to take the entire standard out--that, or get pulled off (But, really, how could I manage that? Pants/boot getting caught aside.). It hurt a lot, and the pain was magnified because it was the knee that was already hurting for some reason. I do applaud Barney for not spooking, which is exactly what would have happened with Stella. Stella finally realizes that the stationary standards aren't going to bite or trap her, but I don't think she understands that the poles and standards can move without the world coming to an end. Barney tried to go through the poles once right before the lesson was over, but I made him stay on the rail and stay away from the standard.

I think I've decided that I prefer silly horses to remarkably lethargic ones.

Me?

2008-09-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

There's nothing horsey going on today. I only get to ride at school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I can't go home until Friday.

I think I should give a brief overview of my life with horses. It might help people understand just how I ended up with Stella.

Okay. So I started riding when I was 11. The barn was a mile or so down the road, and I took weekly western lessons on a horse named Sonny. I rode a few other horses at this barn, mostly when Sonny's arthritis was giving him trouble, but usually I just rode Sonny. I learned to walk, trot, and canter. My instructor wanted me to do speed on him, but I refused. We stuck to riding in the ring and going on trail rides, which I loved. Eventually, my lessons were just trail rides--"Go ride down to such-and-such point and come back." Then, my instructor decided that she didn't want to give lessons anymore. She offered to lease Sonny to me, but then she turned around and decided not to let me lease him. She was a little odd, to say the least.

I spent about a month without horses before I met a woman whose daughter owned a barn. She told me that her grandkids were both leaving for college and that I was welcome to come and ride. I took her up on that offer and started riding and having lessons at that barn. I had two people teaching me to ride, one who trains pleasure horses for the AQHA circuit (He's still my instructor.) and the other who has a background in just about everything horsey (She stopped giving lessons in order to manage a therapeutic riding stable.). I rode a horse named Hoppie for my first lesson, where I learned that I had been taught how to ride incorrectly. They started me on Squeeky, though, and I spent a LONG time learning how to sit correctly, cue the horse correctly, and generally do what I should have been taught the first time.

Squeeky was an interesting horse, and to this day I have no idea why they let me ride him. He wasn't bad, he was just intelligent. If he got bored, he would make up games to entertain himself. These games included "Throw A Bucking Fit," "Stop And Refuse To Move," "Come To A Screeching Halt In A Corner," "Make Unexpected 180-Degree Turns (Preferably At The Canter)," and "Run Like An Out-Of-Control Freight Train And Buck Randomly." Even though he did all of that, I still loved him. He had the greatest personality and most brilliant mind I have ever seen in a horse. He loved to jump, so one of my instructors got me to try English so that I might eventually show him over fences. Eventually, however, Squeeky was sold. (Don't worry, this part of the story ends happily.)

After Squeeky, I started riding a horse named Mac. Mac had been mistreated by someone, and he was really not a happy horse. He was extremely intimidating to anyone who didn't know him well. He didn't trust me to touch his face for a long time, but eventually I got him to let me comb his forelock, brush his face, and even put my hands around his ears and eyes. He never got over the clippers near his face, though.

I rode Mac for a long time, doing both English and western. He was a nice ride, but he could be quite resistant (likely due to physical pain) and was very spooky. We went to lots of shows, won a couple ribbons, and had a wonderful time together.

(This is the part of the story that really doesn't end happily. At least not for a long time.) One day, Mac fell while I was riding him. We were just trotting along when something felt wrong and then he dropped to his knees. We both got up unharmed, but the next day the vet came out to check on him. Long story short, we had to take him to an equine veterinary facility, they diagnosed him (a correct, but incomplete, diagnosis), he didn't get better, we realized that he probably had EPM, we started him on medicine, and he fell again. I spent the night with him, the vet said he was never going to stand again, and Mac was euthanized.

I stayed away from the barn for a few days. I seriously never wanted to go back. Then, Larry, my instructor, "made" me ride again at a friend's barn. It was about a week before I could go back to the barn where Mac died, a few days after before I could look at the stall where he died or visit the grave, a few days more before I could mount a horse at all, about a week more before I could go into the stall where Mac died, and several more weeks before I could ride a horse without having to stop from crying too hard. To this day, I sometimes think about him when I ride, and I often cry when I step into the stall where he died.

After Mac's death, I started riding Stella. Stella was green, energetic, and somewhat frightening to me. The thought of riding (and possibly loving) another horse terrified me at first, especially one like Stella. She is so nice that it's hard not to enjoy riding her--and that scared me. Of course, Stella is also extremely unpredictable, which bothered me for a while. I also spent a lot of time feeling plain-out angry as I rode. Eventually, I decided that I was angry because Stella is alive and Mac isn't.

All of that's in my past, though. Now, Stella and I are a happy, confident pair, and I miss her very much when I'm away.

The latter part of this post seems disorganized. That's probably because I'm hungry. Hm. It's lunchtime.

Tuesday Lesson on Missy

2008-09-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

I got to ride another pony today. Her name is Missy, and she's a cute little chestnut. I kind of wanted to ride a horse like the rest of the class, but I can't complain. Missy and John T are both very nice, and riding ponies is something I don't have much experience with. I just don't get all of the jokes about demonic school ponies--I skipped that part and went straight to horses. In fact, I had NEVER ridden a pony until a few months ago, when Ellie offered to let me trot Spanky around bareback one night.

I hated the saddle that I was riding in, though. I must complain about that. The seat was too small and too shallow, which is a terrible combination. It took me forever to get myself adjusted. First the stirrups were too short. Then, they were uneven. Then they were at my flatwork length, and I was happy. After I started around the ring, the instructor told us that we were going to be working two-point over poles. Therefore, I had to stop and adjust my stirrups again. Finally everything was fixed and I could actually ride.

Trotting around was nice. Missy was an absolute giraffe, but I guess that's how they do it at this barn. I really feel like my shoulders are staying back. I'm finally sitting back again (I think my problem was that my stirrups were too short. Once the stirrups came down a hole or two, I started sitting back.), and everything is starting to feel right. Teresa keeps getting on me about my heels. They do need to go down a tad bit. Other than that, she hasn't mentioned any other equitation flaw more than once.

We did a posting trot over the ground poles for a while, and then we did a two-point over them. I think Missy likes jumping. She did a little mini jump over the pole each time I went over in a two-point. I really had to keep her in check with half-halts because she wanted to rush the approach and departure. It was fun to work over poles again. I haven't done that in a while. I heard that Larry worked Stella over poles a few nights ago, so hopefully she won't be afraid of them come time for me to take her in Hunter Hack next season ;)

We cantered one at a time today. While the rest of the class trotted, one person would canter, and then we would switch. I have to say that Missy's canter was nice. She picked it up easily, and it was nice to ride. Like John T, Missy really used her head to balance at the canter. She moved her head less than John T, however. Missy also stopped very easily. On the left lead, she got a little strong. I had to use lots of little half-halts to bring her back to me. She was very good at the canter, though.

Missy didn't steer quite as easily as John T; she did steer nicely, but not quite like him. There was a big traffic jam up by one of the standards, so I circled off to avoid cantering into them. There was a maze of empty standards right where I was headed, but I was fairly certain that I could make it. Once I was there, though, my terrible depth perception (It's especially bad--and terrifying--when I'm driving.) told me that I might run Missy straight into a standard. Because I second-guessed myself, Missy broke. I picked up the canter again, but Teresa saw the break. After everyone had cantered, she called us over and told us what we need to do. She told me that I just need to avoid second-guessing myself. It actually made me feel pretty good.

I think it was a pretty good ride. I'm excited now because we'll be jumping every Tuesday. I also learned that we can try out for the equestrian team at the beginning of next semester, which I might like to do. I didn't try out this semester because I wanted to see exactly what they're going to be teaching me, but now I really want to.

I want to go see Stella. I also really want to go home this weekend. She needs a good workout, and so do I.

EDIT: As an aside, I just ate a fortune cookie that Jean gave me. The fortune says "The wheel of good fortune is finally turning in your direction!" Oh, I certainly hope so.

Starting Out

2008-09-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

I went home this weekend so that I could see Stella and go to a show. The show was okay; I came out of my classes on Stella's back rather than on a stretcher, so I was happy. She wasn't afraid of the standards in the middle of the ring, but that's probably due to the fact that she now knows what they're for. I got fifths all around in the Adult Hunter division, and I got a fourth in the Open Adult division. The judge did make a comment to me that Stella's a great mover, but she said that she should be more round and collected. I'm well aware of that, and Stella actually rounds her topline and collects herself when she isn't focused on running around like a giraffe and freaking out because people are throwing frisbees several hundred feet away. It was just one of her days, and it didn't help that I haven't been doing much riding at school.

There was one funny thing that happened while I was schooling in the field, though. Stella and I were working a trot circle when I saw Tina, who was supposedly tied to the trailer, put her head on the ground. The lead rope fell out of the tie ring and landed on the ground. Tina, being a wonderfully calm four year old, started to mosey around and nibble at the grass. I jumped off Stella, led her over to Tina, and captured our loose horse before she could wander off. Then, I led both horses over to Larry and told him that Tina got loose. He started fussing and asked me who had tied her. It wasn't me, haha. Abby also got untied from the trailer. She came running over to us while we were watching some classes, dragging her leash behind her. If two loose critters isn't enough for you, Sydney also got loose. Sydney hates being tied, and she hasn't been to a show for a while either. She got upset about something and started pulling back. I don't know if someone untied the lead or if it broke ('Twas the old red cotton lead.), but Sydney trotted off and Larry had to go catch her.

Yeah. Our horses and dogs normally don't get loose like that. And normally we also don't let our dogs get stepped on, which happened to poor Abby. Abby decided to lie down by Tina's feet, and Tina accidentally stepped on one of Abby's paws. Abby let out a terrible squeal until Tina let off of her, and then she started running around and jumping on people. I think she was saying "Oh, I just got stepped on! Please give me pats and kisses to make it all better!" Abby didn't seem hurt at all afterward, so I think she's fine.

I went to the barn to work and ride yesterday as well, which was great. Mindy was there, and she rode Chester while I rode Stella. We schooled for a while, and then we halted in the center of the ring. Mindy wanted me to take a picture of her on Chester, and then we got into a conversation about how calm Chester is. Mindy and I both helped Larry back and train him just a few months ago. Now, we can do just about anything on the horse. To prove this, Mindy stood in the saddle while Chester dozed off. Next, she sat back down and started swinging her legs up on the swell of the saddle. Chester's response? Cocking his back foot. I told Mindy about Stella's response the first time I attempted an emergency dismount at a walk, and she asked me how to do one. I showed her at a halt, and then we started talking about doing them at a walk, trot, and canter. Next thing I know, I'm trying (and actually doing) an emergency dismount at a walk. Of course, that didn't satisfy us. I cued Stella into a trot and tried an emergency dismount at a trot for the first time. On my first attempt, I couldn't quite get my feet out of the stirrups, so I dropped them and tried to bring Stella into a slow trot. I tried again, and I finally was able to bring myself up and out of the saddle. I'm thankful that Stella stopped, as I hit the ground laughing so hard that I wouldn't have been able to run alongside her.

It was so much fun. I'm going to miss Stella this week, but I'm hoping to go home again this weekend. Larry and Mindy are going to a big show this weekend, so I won't get to see them. I wish I could go, but I know it's impossible for me to get a ride there from here. Oh well, I'm sure there will be others.

I get to ride tomorrow, which is exciting. I kind of hope I get to ride John T again, but I'm up for a new horse too. I don't know who will teach the lesson. Perhaps it'll be Beth. She hasn't taught us yet; last week, it was Teresa, and Beth only watched. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.