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.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Everything in one go.
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.
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.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
A week's worth of updates.
I guess I'll start by adding a really funny detail from District. It was horrifying, yet so terribly cute and funny. My dad is still really unfamiliar with the whole horse show thing, and I asked him to hold Stella while I checked in with the paddock master. Stella was all set for showmanship in her clean bridle and polished bit. When I came back, there was a little flock of children surrounding Stella. I thought it was so adorable--until I realized that the kids were feeding her clumps of grass! Stella's bit was disgusting and her mouth was covered in green foam. I was fishing for a rag to wipe her off when judge Ken yelled at us to come over for the callback pattern. I ended up wiping it off with my glove. They're nasty already and so holey that I should just throw them out, so I didn't really think the green slime from Stella's squiggler would make much of a difference :)
Now for an update from the local horse show last Sunday! Stella and I went into showmanship, hunter go-as-you-please, hunter equitation, and hunter under saddle. I got her all straight for showmanship and then we went out to school in the deep sand arena. The arena is a real challenge to work in, regardless of whether you're riding or doing showmanship, because the sand is terrible. The judge even made a comment to everyone at the end of the showmanship class commending us for a job well done in the ridonkulous sand. She didn't say "ridonkulous," however :P The pattern was sort of P-shaped, without the closure of the loop. We walked from A to B, trotted a loop around C and all the way to the judge, halted and set up for inspection, backed one horse's length, did a 270-degree turn, and walked off. Stella almost, almost broke around the loop because it was very sandy and because it required a very sharp turn to go around the cone and align perfectly with where the judge was standing. We pulled it off, though, and I was really proud of the pattern that we did. One of the other people in the class (the woman who owns Blondie, the horse Larry was working with a few weeks ago) even congratulated me on a great pattern while we were standing in the lineup. When the judge turned her back, I planted a kiss on Wellaphone's nose because I was so pleased with how hard she tried for me. We came out of that class with second place, which I thought was amazing considering most of the people in the class have really nice showmanship horses and some of them were practicing showmanship before I even started riding.
Stella was also really good in hunter GAYP. We just trotted when the judge called for us to choose a gait. I didn't want to risk getting Stella worked up. She went beautifully for me, and we took first. Hunter equitation was okay. Wellaphone had a little mare flare when I asked her to pick up the right lead, and unfortunately it occurred right in front of the judge. She took the left lead for a stride or two before I halted her, but it was all too obvious to the judge. Oh well. We placed fifth, which was pretty decent considering what happened. Hunter under saddle was much better than a lot of classes we've had at other shows recently, but Stella repeated her little mare flare/wrong lead act, once again right under the eyes of the judge. The odd thing was, both times she did it were when I asked her to pick up the right lead. She took the left lead perfectly both times. She behaved herself during the class, though, and we took another second. I ended up with reserve champion in the division, which was a pleasant surprise.
The kids who've been coming to the barn came to the horse show to watch, and the little girl wanted to brush Stella. I'd just dumped a few buckets of water over her and she was soaking wet, but I let the little girl run a soft brush over her while Stella grazed on the lead. That little girl really likes me, evidently :) Her mom told me about how she asked her daughter which horse is the prettiest, and the daughter replied with my name. (I don't know if I should be offended or not, hahaha :D Nahhh...) Her mom asked her again, reminding her daughter that I'm not a horse, and the little girl asked what my horse's name is. The little girl really likes Stella. Maybe one day Larry will let me pop the kid on Stella for a short pony ride. The only problem is, well... If you've read this blog at all, you'll understand that Stella isn't a horse you'd trust to babysit your kids. She loves kids and wouldn't intentionally hurt one, but she just...does things...and doesn't think...and... Yeah. You'll get to hear some more of that as I continue with this particular post.
Mindy came over on Monday and we worked the horses. By "working the horses," I mean that Mindy schooled several of them and helped Larry longe the new paint mare, Curly Sue, while I rode (AND JUMPED!!!) Stella. I can't do but so much "crazy stuff" anymore, and I think Larry is very cautious about putting me on the babies now. Everything exacerbates my pain problems, and it doesn't help that I wear very visible knee braces now. (My knee pain is about 97% gone, though :)) I'm willing to acknowledge my limits and step back if it'll prolong the amount of time I have to ride before everything gives out, so I don't mind that Mindy and Larry get all the fun of working the little ones.
Stella was quite good working on the flat on Monday except for one little thing. We were cantering a circle around half of the arena. As we neared the fence and prepared to continue the circle with a right turn, Stella felt like she wanted to turn left. I tightened the inside rein just a tad and applied a bit more outside leg to focus her mind on turning right. She complied with my request--until we were one stride from the fence, where Stella whipped around and decided that she was making a left turn whether I wanted to come or not. She completely fooled me; I was certain that she was going to go right! My upper body continued toward the right and both my left leg and my butt started to follow until my left knee was up above the pommel. I yelled something that I'd rather not put into writing, which sent Mindy into hysterical laughter, and then I halted Stella and regained my seat. I really, really didn't want to hit the fence, which is what would've happened if I had managed to fall off. Other than that silliness, Stella was well-behaved. I trotted her over a crossrail a few times, and it was fun. I quit while we were ahead, while Stella was still willingly taking the jumps and while I wasn't in pain. Stella's learned that jumps are fun, not scary, and that they're another way to use the excess GO that builds up in her haunches.
Mindy said something so adorable about Stella. We schooled showmanship for a bit while the sprinkler was watering the arena, and Stella started squiggling her lips when I asked her to back. Several months ago, I stated that Stella's head contains a small metal pail full of white ping-pong balls. When she has a mare flare or otherwise goes berserk, the bucket has toppled over and the balls are bouncing around all over the place. In order to calm her down, I have to pick them up and put them back. Mindy said that when Stella squiggles, the ping-pong balls are moving around in the bucket. Stella also has a habit of popping her lips whenever she's confused or a little scared, and Mindy said that was when a single ball popped out of the bucket and onto the floor.
That makes me smile so much :) :) :)
Another day this week, I set up a "carnival" for Stella. Some of the "attractions" were REALLY scary. I set up some small cones to weave through, a jump standard with my jacket thrown over the top, a rag thrown over the fence railing, two poles that we could back through, two tiny beach balls and an inflated latex exam glove, and a paper feed sack. Stella was okay with everything except for the "balloons" and the feed sack. I eventually got her to wear the sack on her back and over her neck, basically everywhere on her body, but I decided to hold off with the "balloons" so that she wouldn't feel overwhelmed. They're still in the tack room for the next time the "carnival" comes to town.
The little kids also came back for another lesson. Once again, the little girl, whose name is Shelby, helped me groom and tack up Tina. I led her around for most of the ride, but I also let her walk around by herself for a little bit. I just walked nearby in case she needed a little steering assistance. Tina takes a lot of leg, even for me, so I know it's difficult for such a small little girl to steer her around. Her older brother, Dylan, has been riding a bit longer and got to canter in the lesson, so I tried to think of some exciting things for Shelby to try so that she wouldn't feel left out. She rode without hands and stretched down to touch her toes. I probably would've gotten her to do an around-the-world, but I personally hate to do them in western saddles because there's so much stuff to catch yourself on. Perhaps that's just part of the challenge :D Then, I brought out two poles and put them out so the kids could walk over them. Shelby told me that she wanted to jump, so I assured her that learning to ride well on the flat and working over poles is the best way she can start to learn to jump. She loved the poles and kept asking me to lead her over them.
After the kids left, Larry told me that I do a good job teaching the kids. That made me really happy. Maybe I should avoid playing crash-test dummy with the baby horses, but at least I can teach future generations of equestrians when I'm not riding Wella.
Wella did something really, really bad when I was tacking her up, but she was excellent when I rode her. I guess she got all the naughty out in one go! I had her all saddled and fly sprayed and everything. She just needed her bridle. Normally, Stella is PERFECT when it comes to being bridled and taking the bit. I don't know what happened tonight. As soon as I slipped off her halter, she took a step forward. I told her to whoa, but then she bolted out the open barn doors, dragging my bridle with her. I was scared to death that the bridle was going to catch around her leg and hurt her, and I was terrified when it actually did wrap around one of her legs. I was begging for it to break (It was Mac's bridle, but I really don't think he would mind.). Eventually she slowed down enough for me to come over to her and hold her head. I immediately unbuckled the reins in case she took off again, but she stood beside me until someone could bring a halter over to us. I checked her legs over for injuries but didn't find anything. I didn't even bother to see if the bridle was broken until after our ride. I grabbed one of Larry's western bridles that has a snaffle almost identical to Stella's on it and just rode in that.
Our ride was excellent. Stella was on the bit and driving beautifully from her hindquarters, moving at a nice pace and being wonderfully responsive to my aids. We did a great simple change. I know she's athletic enough to do flying changes and balanced enough to do them with a rider, but Larry says that he's never tried to get one from her. Since I've never really asked a horse to do one, I think I'll let Larry give it a shot before I try anything. I'd hate to confuse her or teach her incorrectly.
Oh, how I love Stella. She's the greatest horse in the whole world.
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.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Back again.
I haven't done this in a long time, which sucks because now I have to make a huge entry to get caught up.
District was pretty fun. It was my last year to show there. Stella and I did really well in the first showmanship pattern, but I screwed up on the second pattern and we lost the class because of it. The judge that we had was my favorite judge ever, and he came over to me in the lineup to ask me what happened. I just told him that I got a little confused and we laughed about it. He's a great guy :)
Shortly before I mounted up, I loaded myself with a cocktail of painkillers to ward off any show-stopping pain. Unfortunately, I wasn't successful. The pain was AWFUL. I even skipped equitation because the judge kept calling for the sitting trot and I knew I couldn't do it. I knew my equitation would suck anyway. The pain always gets in the way and I have to ride defensively, screwing me over in the whole equitation department. Pleasure wasn't pleasant. I was in excruciating pain but I forced myself to ride the class anyway because it was my last year. I'm assuming Stella picks up on my pain. When I'm hurting, I tense up. That obviously doesn't help an already tense horse to cooperate with me. Her behavior was absolutely atrocious in the class. Wrong leads, threatening a rear, racing around and evading the bit, dodging, refusing to stand in the lineup...yeah, that class had it all. I'm only sorry that we had to go out like that.
I worked at the barn a whole lot all this week. Two little kids have started coming to the barn to ride, and they came once this week. The little boy went to ride Sissy with Larry while I tacked up Tina for the little girl. I love little kids, and I love helping little kids with horses. It makes me so happy. After she helped me saddle Tina and lead her outside, I led her around. I taught her about using her legs (even though her legs are really too short to communicate well) and holding the reins while we walked around through cones. She even got to trot. It was adorable.
Stella and I also had some really nice rides this week. I rode her in Larry's new saddle once. It was a great ride, but my entire seat was bruised--yes, bruised--the next morning. I also couldn't ride with stirrups on Larry's saddle because they're just not in the right spot for my build. I rode in my saddle the next day, and everything was good.
I would write about the show today, but I just woke up after dozing off at the keyboard. I think I'll go to bed and write some more tomorrow.
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.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Solution?
My left knee is the one the chiropractor is more worried about. The left knee is the one that bears my weight and twists around as I mount. Screw tradition, I'm going to mount from the off side and see what that does for me! :)
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Preparing for District
My day at District is Saturday, and I've been working with Stellaphone all week long. We've been fine-tuning our pivots for showmanship, working hard at riding, and I've been currying her down and making her look her best for our big day. This is my last year at District, so I really hope everything goes well.
I'm really worried about my hip and knees. In the six years I've been suffering from chronic pain, no one has been able to tell me what's wrong. I'm trying the whole horse liniment, max-dose ibuprofen, and heat treatment for my knees (and sore leg muscles, I'll admit) right now. It's making a positive impact on my soreness, but my knees are still killing me. At least the Absorbine smells good. I had to crawl up the stairs to get a towel because my knees hurt so bad. I also spilled water all over myself after accidentally dry-swallowing my pills and frantically trying to get some water down my throat before I choked on them. I found both of those things quite amusing and ended up laughing between each moan and groan, so at least I've got my sense of humor on my side right now :)
I'm sorry this has turned into my whine outlet. Hopefully it won't continue to be.
Stella and I had a good, hard workout today. We started with some showmanship. I worked on getting Stella to move off me and to pivot on her haunches. If we make it to the callback, we'll likely have to do some sort of pivot, and I really hope we'll make it to the callback. We also worked on taking up a trot at the same exact moment. Running alongside Stella was murder, but I ignored the discomfort and continued with our work. We slowed down and worked on coming in straight to a set point, halting, setting up, backing, and doing quarters. I wanted to make sure that Stella would stand still if I were to go back and fix where the judge messes with her tail or coat. She did a great job. At the end of our session, she would halt and set herself up before I even asked. I gave her lots of hugs and whispered sweet nothings into her mule ears because she's just so amazing :)
I longed her for a bit and then rode her. We rode hard, and it was a good ride. I had a little trouble posting the trot at the beginning of the ride. My lower legs and upper body wanted to slip forward, which irritated me and made Stella go all wonky. I eventually fixed it so everything was properly aligned, and the improvement of her movement was impressive. Our canter was very nice too. I felt like I was sitting correctly, nice and tall and soft, most of the time. I stretched a little bit in the middle of the ride because I could feel myself stiffening up and things were starting to hurt a little. It got better quickly, though, and we rode on. We did so much cantering. I'm sure that made Stella happy. As soon as I cued her into the trot at the beginning of the ride, I could tell that she was just begging to canter.
I've got to finish getting ready tomorrow so that we can leave nice and early on Saturday. Stella needs to be longed hard before we go into showmanship, and longed harder before I mount up to school. She really was a good girl last year, but there are lots of monsters and distractions (as Mac and I found out my first year, when he spooked and dumped me in a class) that I need to be wary of. If I can just keep her head between my legs and out of the clouds, we'll be fine.
I also need to pick out a song. For larger shows, I pick out a song to think about in my classes if I start to feel nervous. It usually takes care of things. I'm thinking something by Nine Inch Nails, maybe "Sunspots" because it's such a great song.
Here. I'll prove that it's great. Have a listen--
See? :) It's uppity enough to get me all energized, but it can still relax me.
I'm so excited.
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.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Same old stuff...and playing vet :)
I've been going to the barn every day, cleaning stalls and taking care of the horses. I've also been working on showmanship, and I actually rode Stella today. It was a real ride! We could actually canter because the whole ring was nice and dry. We had a pretty good ride, but Stella was wild today too.
She just hasn't been working that much lately. I did manage to work some of her silliness out. We cantered for a long, long time. She started to buck at one point, but she only did it two or three times before I made her pick her head up and continue cantering. I think she was really glad to get out and canter. I, on the other hand, would've been perfectly happy to skip riding today and lie out on my bed.
I went to the chiropractor again today. Everything hurts so bad. I'm going to give it a day or two to get better and then I'll see what's going on. Last time I went, I was terribly sore afterward and I was in constant, excruciating pain all last week. I do NOT want that to happen again. After my first appointment, I swore I hadn't felt that good since before that awful day in gym class back in 8th grade, when I finally decided something was wrong with me. Now, I'm not feeling better at all. I do feel more aligned, but that does me no good when I can't stand, let alone walk.
Agh, enough about my pains. I don't want to think about it, and no one wants to hear about it.
I "diagnosed" a case of colic today. Blondie, the horse Larry has for training, was behaving oddly. She kept lying down and staying down for long periods of time. At first I thought the warm weather and flies might be bothering her, so I sprayed her with some fly spray but kept an eye on her. Larry had also just free-longed her, so I thought she might be tired. She started to roll, which I discouraged, and I brought out the stethoscope so I could listen to her gut. I didn't hear much, so I was really worried. I continued to keep an eye on her as I finished up the stalls. When Larry came back, he decided she was probably colicking too. Blondie seems to be better now, so I guess it was just a mild tummy ache.
I've also been fighting a tick battle with the horses and dogs. Fortunately, I haven't found many ticks on myself so far, but I've been plucking them off of Jack, Abby, and Stella left and right. Poor Blondie has a bit of swelling on her stomach from some sort of insect bite.
Abby's foot is getting much better. She cut it a while back. It was a pretty good-sized cut, one that I personally thought might need stitches (When the vet took a look at it, she also said it probably would've been a good idea, but the paw is healing nicely anyway.). Larry's been doing a good job keeping his little Hoo-Dog's paw clean and bandaged, and Abby is back to her old antics.
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.
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