I am just waiting for confirmation from Lisa regarding the Ride for Red show dates, and then I will post them so you can plan your vacations suitably :)
I wanted to run an idea by you guys as a possible new idea for Ride for Red. The idea for the show is to increase blood donations for Canadian Blood Services...so I was thinking;
In order to qualify for Prize Money, entries have to register a blood donation under Ride for Red. It doesn't have to be the rider/entrant, could be a family member, friend, or unsuspecting passerby who really wants a juice box. Riders that don't register a donation would have their prize money donated to Canadian Blood Services. One donation would qualify for both shows. The blood donation could happen anytime from Feb 1, to the show date.
Alternatively riders could donate a minimum of $20.00 to Canadian blood services and still qualify for prize money.
Thoughts?
Karen
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Lesson plan for this week
This week in dressage lessons we will be going over the first walk trot and training level tests. The Walk/Trot test is the same as last year, but the Training Level test is new, and presents some new challenges.
The main challenges I forsee in this test are:
1) Picking up a canter halfway through a 20 meter circle; requires making a transition while maintaining the circle.
2) Doing 20 meter circles and half circles at E and B. These tend to be hard to visualize.
3) Stretch circle at trot soon after the canter, with walk/stretch walk soon after.
Walk Trot Test 1
Training Level Test 1
Both tests require a nice straight line to X! These tests are both designed to be ridden in a 20 by 40 arena or a 20 by 60 arena, so we will be practicing in the 20 x 40 size.
Jumping students will also practice elements of these tests; learning to ride with precision as needed in dressage can help with riding correctly over fences as well!
For over fences work we will once again be working on lead changes using poles/small jumps in the corners. We will also be working on landing leads, and creating a balanced round canter to help with getting lead changes. More info to follow!
Karen
The main challenges I forsee in this test are:
1) Picking up a canter halfway through a 20 meter circle; requires making a transition while maintaining the circle.
2) Doing 20 meter circles and half circles at E and B. These tend to be hard to visualize.
3) Stretch circle at trot soon after the canter, with walk/stretch walk soon after.
Walk Trot Test 1
Training Level Test 1
Both tests require a nice straight line to X! These tests are both designed to be ridden in a 20 by 40 arena or a 20 by 60 arena, so we will be practicing in the 20 x 40 size.
Jumping students will also practice elements of these tests; learning to ride with precision as needed in dressage can help with riding correctly over fences as well!
For over fences work we will once again be working on lead changes using poles/small jumps in the corners. We will also be working on landing leads, and creating a balanced round canter to help with getting lead changes. More info to follow!
Karen
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Rain
Rain. That was nice. Just what the horses needed. And ice. Ice is great isn't it? The paddocks are ok, but the entrances to the paddocks are likely to be a little slick once the slush freezes, so be careful!
Silly, fluctuating weather.
Made for a pretty morning though, with mist rising from the hills as the rain sped evaporation.
Karen
Silly, fluctuating weather.
Made for a pretty morning though, with mist rising from the hills as the rain sped evaporation.
Karen
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Rest in Peace my Friend
Milo was put down today.
He went from be fit and demanding Milo kitty to being so small and weak in such a short time.
I hope he liked his week of being a house cat, and getting to sleep on the bed. Milo definitely thought that was his place. I liked having him around the house, but I have missed having him in the barn.
It won't be the same without him pestering me for food, dodging horses to make his way to sit with me in the area, and playing on the mule while I worked. He was a great barn cat.
Rest in peace Milo. You will be missed.
Karen
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
I thought all week was supposed to be warmer, but it sounds like Wednesday may still be nasty? This wind isn't much fun either! Highway 16 seems ok to drive, and so is out range road, but some of the off ramps and other roads have a lot of snow blowing across them, so please drive slowly!
I think this week's lessons will be working on 20m circles, a bounce, and adjusting number of strides in a line (mostly adding strides to keep the horse's slow/calm!).
Karen
I think this week's lessons will be working on 20m circles, a bounce, and adjusting number of strides in a line (mostly adding strides to keep the horse's slow/calm!).
Karen
Monday, January 17, 2011
Well it looks like lessons will be back to normal tomorrow, where you will all be riding fresh horses while snow falls off the roof. I need to come up with an easy lesson plan...I will post it tomorrow.
On a sad note, poor Milo is ill. He gave me a scare last Tuesday night when I could not find him. He always comes down to play with the hay bales as I feed...chasing the baling twine is fun apparently, so when he did not come, I went looking and could not find or hear him anywhere in the barn, so Rob came out and helped me look in the barn and out in the cold. I was scared he snuck into the truck that took Coda and Chris home. The next day I found him curled up in a dark corner upstairs. He hadn't touched any food since the afternoon before. He licked the soft food I brought him, but didn't eat, so I booked him in at the vet for Thursday. We spent 1.5 hours there! I guess I was lucky it was a slow day so they were thorough. Palpation revealed a lump in his belly, so thinking impaction (I was imagining a rolled up thread of baling twine), x-rays showed a shadow, but nothing clear, which supported the rolled up thread, but initial blood work added some confusion; it showed an odd mix of elevated globulin and some red and white blood counts were elevated, but ones showing long term infection and not something like an impaction. I mentioned his chronic ear infections, which the vet thought were also odd as cats tend to get mites, not infections, and hoped that is what was causing the blood to show it was fighting something.
Of course as soon as I got Milo home (we decided to move him into the house to keep a closer eye on him), he immediately went for the cat food!
We decided to send blood off to test for Feline Leukemia to be safe, but didn't get the results back until today. He does not have Feline Leukemia...he has Feline Aids. The shadows in the X-ray are likely a disease that can go with Aids where their internal organs start to stick together. Aids also explains why he gets so many ear infections.
Feline Aids is spread through direct contact with infected blood and saliva. It is possible he was born with it, or got it in a cat fight. Feline Aids is rare, and cannot be transmitted or carried by dogs, horses or humans, only cat to cat. Rob and I will have to decide if we want to test our other cats.
Maybe this explains why Kit Kat hates him so much?
Tomorrow I will pick up a facts sheet from our vet, as well as some medication for Milo. I will post the fact sheet in the barn for anyone who is interested.
Milo will be staying in the house at least until his current infection is cleared, and then we will decided where he is best off. Our neighbours don't have cats to risk infecting. Although he seems to like sleeping on the bed, he is restless in the house.
Karen
On a sad note, poor Milo is ill. He gave me a scare last Tuesday night when I could not find him. He always comes down to play with the hay bales as I feed...chasing the baling twine is fun apparently, so when he did not come, I went looking and could not find or hear him anywhere in the barn, so Rob came out and helped me look in the barn and out in the cold. I was scared he snuck into the truck that took Coda and Chris home. The next day I found him curled up in a dark corner upstairs. He hadn't touched any food since the afternoon before. He licked the soft food I brought him, but didn't eat, so I booked him in at the vet for Thursday. We spent 1.5 hours there! I guess I was lucky it was a slow day so they were thorough. Palpation revealed a lump in his belly, so thinking impaction (I was imagining a rolled up thread of baling twine), x-rays showed a shadow, but nothing clear, which supported the rolled up thread, but initial blood work added some confusion; it showed an odd mix of elevated globulin and some red and white blood counts were elevated, but ones showing long term infection and not something like an impaction. I mentioned his chronic ear infections, which the vet thought were also odd as cats tend to get mites, not infections, and hoped that is what was causing the blood to show it was fighting something.
Of course as soon as I got Milo home (we decided to move him into the house to keep a closer eye on him), he immediately went for the cat food!
We decided to send blood off to test for Feline Leukemia to be safe, but didn't get the results back until today. He does not have Feline Leukemia...he has Feline Aids. The shadows in the X-ray are likely a disease that can go with Aids where their internal organs start to stick together. Aids also explains why he gets so many ear infections.
Feline Aids is spread through direct contact with infected blood and saliva. It is possible he was born with it, or got it in a cat fight. Feline Aids is rare, and cannot be transmitted or carried by dogs, horses or humans, only cat to cat. Rob and I will have to decide if we want to test our other cats.
Maybe this explains why Kit Kat hates him so much?
Tomorrow I will pick up a facts sheet from our vet, as well as some medication for Milo. I will post the fact sheet in the barn for anyone who is interested.
Milo will be staying in the house at least until his current infection is cleared, and then we will decided where he is best off. Our neighbours don't have cats to risk infecting. Although he seems to like sleeping on the bed, he is restless in the house.
Karen
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Still cold
Looks like lessons might be on hold until Sunday, but we will see how today shapes up. Supposed to get to above -20, but with the windchill and snow not so sure how it will feel. It has been as while since we have had such a long extended cold period.
Yesterday I decided to bring horses in a little early, thinking they would be ready to come in and eat...but no, when I went out to get the geldings they were all running madly about, playing in the snow, oblivious to the fact that I was ready to bring them in to the warmth and/or feed them their afternoon meal. Goof balls.
Karen
Yesterday I decided to bring horses in a little early, thinking they would be ready to come in and eat...but no, when I went out to get the geldings they were all running madly about, playing in the snow, oblivious to the fact that I was ready to bring them in to the warmth and/or feed them their afternoon meal. Goof balls.
Karen
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Lessons Cancelled Today
Yikes! i have been lazy about posting on the blog! I think my creative side was damaged when I got kicked :(
Too cold today for lessons, and according to Rob, highway 16 on the way out here was pretty nasty this morning and I am thinking the snow falling now isn't going to help.
The horses seem happy enough though and are having fun playing in the deep snow. I just came in from giving them an extra flake of hay to help them stay warm; the mares just go over and eat quietly, whilst the boys warm up by chasing each other around in order to find the perfect flake...doofuses.
The marshmallows in instant hot chocolate do not last long enough; by the time the drink is cooled enough to drink they are gone..yet I still buy that kind. A few years back when I had a "real" job, I got some mass produced "home made" marshmallows at the office Christmas Party. At the time I thought "wow...how cheap" as there were only about a dozen of the things, but then I tried them....they created a gooey layer at the top of the hot chocolate and were so yummy....but I have never seen them in the stores. That is what I need today...gooey marshmallows on hot chocolate.
Stay warm and drive safe!
Karen
Too cold today for lessons, and according to Rob, highway 16 on the way out here was pretty nasty this morning and I am thinking the snow falling now isn't going to help.
The horses seem happy enough though and are having fun playing in the deep snow. I just came in from giving them an extra flake of hay to help them stay warm; the mares just go over and eat quietly, whilst the boys warm up by chasing each other around in order to find the perfect flake...doofuses.
The marshmallows in instant hot chocolate do not last long enough; by the time the drink is cooled enough to drink they are gone..yet I still buy that kind. A few years back when I had a "real" job, I got some mass produced "home made" marshmallows at the office Christmas Party. At the time I thought "wow...how cheap" as there were only about a dozen of the things, but then I tried them....they created a gooey layer at the top of the hot chocolate and were so yummy....but I have never seen them in the stores. That is what I need today...gooey marshmallows on hot chocolate.
Stay warm and drive safe!
Karen
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
So apparently when you hurt your neck or back you are supposed to keep using it to keep it from seizing or weakenning...but when you hurt your head you are supposed to let it rest. That means laying in the dark...no radio....no TV....no books....no boy asking you for dessert or tea....cats asking to be pet are ok though.
Of course here I am on my computer which I am sure is another no no...
So I am still teaching, but limiting lessons, and don't expect brilliance. This week we are working on bending lines; in particular jumping from a diagonal fence to a fence along the rail then straight to the end...last week I noticed that riders were continuing to turn over the second fence and then cutting the end off.
Karen
Of course here I am on my computer which I am sure is another no no...
So I am still teaching, but limiting lessons, and don't expect brilliance. This week we are working on bending lines; in particular jumping from a diagonal fence to a fence along the rail then straight to the end...last week I noticed that riders were continuing to turn over the second fence and then cutting the end off.
Karen
Monday, January 3, 2011
Brief update
I hope everyone had a nice Christmas break and is ready for 2011!
My neck is getting better, but my head is still a little fuzzy and I have trouble focusing for long periods. Ginger thinks I am defective and no fun....the cats think I am perfect as I have more time for them! Sad that it took a kick to the head to get a week more or less off! Poor Rob had to scrap his plans for his break though and was stuck keeping an eye on me and helping me with the horses.
Our stray cat (Rolo) has decided that I am not so much of a threat, and more of a lackey that can't be trusted. He now sits in the hay shed or under the grainery and meows at me to remind me that his stomach would like some kibble. Still won't stick around long enough to be touched, but doesn't run out of sight either. He seems to understand that humans are pathetic and can't climb very well.
Karen
My neck is getting better, but my head is still a little fuzzy and I have trouble focusing for long periods. Ginger thinks I am defective and no fun....the cats think I am perfect as I have more time for them! Sad that it took a kick to the head to get a week more or less off! Poor Rob had to scrap his plans for his break though and was stuck keeping an eye on me and helping me with the horses.
Our stray cat (Rolo) has decided that I am not so much of a threat, and more of a lackey that can't be trusted. He now sits in the hay shed or under the grainery and meows at me to remind me that his stomach would like some kibble. Still won't stick around long enough to be touched, but doesn't run out of sight either. He seems to understand that humans are pathetic and can't climb very well.
Karen
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