Hi guys! Long time no post. The break suited no one in particular as it was less of a break and more of a "Sharknado." (I've never seen the movie but I heard it was mass chaos) I was banking on the holidays being a time of serene riding with little to no cares in the world and lots being accomplished. I think something about sunsets and me riding off into them were part of the wish/dream. Alas, that didn't happen. I thought it might be nice to recap my holiday adventures and project a different future (hopefully).
Let's start with Thanksgiving. Over that week I was responsible for no less than the entire barn, more or less. Bless everyone and their horse's souls, we made it to the other side of Thanksgiving. I think I hashed out with Amanda no less than 15 different situations that may or may not require veterinary assistance and what the cap was on her already maxed out credit card. Just in case. Feeding was easy. Maybe I'm not cut out for running a barn like I thought I was, but I found the boarders much more difficult to deal with. There were horses EVERYWHERE. In the jump field, in the yard, in random stalls, new horses showing up out of nowhere, like POOF, viola, new horse. Mind blown. My idea of policing was based on the logic of most 4 year olds... "I'm gonna tell Maggie and you're gonna be in BIIIIIIG trouble!" It worked I suppose because by the time everyone came back there was a new fence, the same number of horses as when we started this adventure, and no vet visits. Phew. You can see why I didn't blog for those 2-ish weeks.
Then there was basically 2 weeks till Christmas. So about Christmas shopping... My days off were rainy which is pretty much the only reason anyone got presents at all. Otherwise my plan was to ride. Jump. A lot. I also had to decorate and somewhere in there we got a cold spell followed by a rainy spell. Pretty much my riding plans were smooshed.
So then we have Christmas. This time everyone was going out of town. If you do your math correctly that leaves exactly no people around to feed. Luckily one of our little girls who was going to be receiving her pony for Christmas and who got some experience helping me feed over Thanksgiving volunteered (for a mere sum of $40 per person) to feed our ponies for us. And then Maggie decided not to leave so we were all saved. Still, going out of town means, at least for now, no riding. Boo. The Monday before Christmas I was bedding down stalls and gearing up for being gone. Unfortunately I forgot to use my professional weight lifting training knowledge and pulled a back muscle scooping all of 3 pounds of shavings. Besides being completely embarrassed that I can't lift more than an empty shovel, I also wasn't able to ride even upon my return.
That leads us to the new jumps! Yay! We got new jumps for Christmas. They are in poor repair and we got a little gypped because it's only half a course (or less I think) but it's more standards and poles that we didn't have before! We set up a combination 2 stride to a 1 stride, a diagonal 3 stride, an outside 4 stride with an oxer, a gate, 2 cross country jumps and a skinny. We then proceeded to have an outstanding lesson over the jumps. Marvel began with a giant leaping buck which made us all think I was going to have my work cut out for me but then he pulled out of it and jumped everything like a champ. He's really going places.
My last major story is more of a lament. As you all can tell by now, I didn't do much riding (or blogging, or facebooking, or walking, etc) over the break. And poor Cash got thrown a bit by the wayside once we got the new jumps. I've messed with him every day and turned him out but I'd say he got ridden 5 times the whole month of December. Now if you ask him, he's lived the horsey dream, he got fed blanketed, brushed, turned out and barely worked. What this actually means is that he regressed a bit as far as everything we had been working on. It's not a big deal, he can still walk, trot, canter, jump, etc but now he's a lot more frantic. New Years day after a stellar ride on Panda, I got Cash out and walked him around. We were chilling out in a pasture watching the men fix a pipe that was leaking when I got a hair brained idea to hop aboard my skittish pony. Amanda thought it was a fantastically clever idea if she did say so herself so she grabbed the lead rope from me and, blanket and all, I proceeded to try to board spooky black pony. To no avail. Because I came at him like a mountain lion, all running and bounding at his side and back. Little did I know, we had picked a battle. So over to a picnic table we all walk, because by this time I had an entourage waiting to see my eat dirt. I lift my foot up and he flies sideways. I had pretty much realized by this point that I wasn't going to stay on this pony if I ever got on him at all. Well, back to the picnic table, pat him on all sides, take the scary blanket off, lift foot up, semi still pony. Slide foot over, pony still standing. Slowly ease weight off picnic table, WTF am I doing?! Attempt to settle weight on pony's back, ACROBATICS. Before I knew it, his head was down and he had shot out from under me. It was a Roadrunner and Wyle E. Coyote cartoon where I was suspended in mid-air and I hold up a sign that says "ouch" before hitting the ground in a pile of dust, watching my pony run off into the not so sunset that is the barn. Needless to say, we got the saddle out and saddled him up, rode him around to show him I am not a pony eating feline but he looked at me differently that whole evening.
Now I am sitting at home and it's a warm and balmy 18 degrees outside. Yet another day lost to the ninja that is Texas weather. Seriously, it sneaks up on you. I have been watching the George Morris clinic put on by the USHJA and I have learned a lot. I'm ready to start practicing and also get the green jealousy monster off my back. I couldn't help but think I could've been there. And I used to be able to do that stuff. And now I'm popping my green unbalanced horse in the mouth over boring 2 foot fences. So instead of living in the past and the what ifs and the could haves and the wishes I'm making a plan for the future.
This year I am going to participate in a show. At least one. We are having an in barn show in May but I'd like to participate in one we have to travel to. Marvel and Panda will be jumping courses. I will work on my body and position when riding. I will do more no stirrup work. I will take lessons from other people. I will attend a seminar/clinic. I will work on and master flying lead changes. Panda will learn to turn. Marvel will stop bucking after fences, or at least realize another fence is coming. We will practice altering strides during a course. And we'll do all that by February. ;) Kidding. But it shouldn't take us to the end of the year to do those things. Now if the weather will cooperate that would be splendid! I am also working more and more toward getting my own barn up and running although that's more of a 5 year plan.
14 hands is back again. Happy New Year. Don't regret your past. Learn from it and have an awesome future. That's what we're trying to do!
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