Evil subconcious

I get nervous before shows. Well...let's face it, I get nervous about many things...I am a nervous person. If I was a horse, I would be S'argent, but with a roman nose.

So usually before a big show, my subconscious plays evil games with me, and I end up with annoying dreams of forgetting my test, showing up late, or running out of time to braid. Yes, I know...all of the above would be life ending!

True to form, my subconscious had its fun with me last night, and I dreamed that anyone entered in a freestyle was supposed to do a presentation complete with costume and skit, to set the mood for the freestyle. I had neither prepared, so I ran about in a panic, before enlisting Amanda to help me come up with a costume, and come up with a presentation...only to find out that by the time I had it all done, everyone was gone.

Tonight I will likely dream I forgot my breaches or something...

Evil subconscious.

Karen

Reminder that next Saturday (the 29th), we will be having a theory clinic for Jumper showing from 2-4 pm. $15.00 to participate. IF the weather is nice, then anyone who wants to come out early can also help paint some jumps to help get ready for the show! Let me know if you want to come.

Amanda & Edgar, and Tango and myself are off to Amberlea this weekend for the first Gold Dressage show of the year. I am sure Tango is thrilled to be pulled out of her semi-retirement and put back into competition. It will be interesting to see how she does as a dressage horse. I am feeling some pressure as I need to get a qualifying score in my first three tests so I can compete in the Freestyle on Saturday afternoon. Of course with how much I suck at matching music to my horse, and editing the music, if I don't qualify I will take it as a sign that I wasn't meant to embarrass myself.

I seriously understand why people pay big bucks to have someone else make their freestyles...it is harder than it sounds, but I am too stubborn/cheap....and I figure if I keep plugging away at it, I will eventually get better!

Karen

Clones?

So I met someone today who owns a cloned horse! They cloned the horse for breeding purposes (it is a stallion).

Anyone want to guess what sport this horse participates in that warrents it being cloned?

No, not a race horse.

Not show jumping or dressage either...

Not a reiner, western pleasure horse, or cow horse.

So what made this horse clone worthy?

It's "original" version....is.....a BUCKING HORSE!!

I had no idea there is that sort of money in bucking horses!

........................

What a weird evening weather wise. I was optomistic and went ahead and built the jump course outside...but 5 minutes into the 6:30 lesson lightenning appeared right overhead...so into the indoor! Did that ever come up fast...fortunately it left quickly too, and we did a nice hack inside, and then were able to head back out to jump, so kind of recreating a show type setting.

I then got on Charmer to demo her to someone...and 10 minutes or so into that ride it started to rain and thunder. Charmer didn't seem to care about the weather though....which is impressive...I remember the first time I rode Dexter outside in the rain, he shoved his head to the ground, stuck his ears out to the side and only wanted to face away from the wind.\

Meanwhile all the horses that were still outside took turns stopping, dropping, and rolling, so be prepared for some muddy horses.

Karen

Hot

It is hot.

I will be teaching outside unless it is crazy windy or pouring rain.

Bring water/something to drink. Wear sunscreen.

There is sunscreen in the barn by the water cooler for pink horse noses, and for humans that have forgotten their own. It is supposed to be the kid's stuff that is purple when you apply it...but I can't see the purple....maybe only kids can see the colour?

I will likely be wearing shorts while teaching, so sunglasses are also recommended.

Hope you are having fun stuck in your stuffy office. The trails were lovely out here :)

Karen

So I have already decided to specialize by only boarding for people without penises who have fully grown brains...but perhaps I should specialize further. I am thinking that perhaps I should be a chestnut only barn. Think about the horses that cause me stress...Mr club foot, mr kicky stall, mr bucky pants., mr put his foot through the gate and stand on it..all non-chestnuts!

Then we can change the barn name to Chestnut Hill!

Sounds like a plan to me.

On another note, I have my first entry for the ride for red show! Some crazy lady with a german sounding horse.

Karen

It is nice to be able to teach outside this week! I do need to develop my outside voice again though. Just to warn you though...if the weather continues to be warm I may opt to teach in shorts....and wow, are my legs pale!

This week's special project was to wean Coregel from Piper. The two fillies have just gotten too attached, but every time I try to separate them Corey pitched such a fit I was worried for her safety so I would cave. This attempt seems to be going better though. Coregel seems to be comforted by Tango, and Tango seems to be using Coregel as a distraction from having her buddy Java go home.

Piper could care less, and is happy to be out with Carma and the QH fillies.


Entertainment for the day: http://www.welcomehomeveteran.org/DamBeavers.html

Hope you are enjoying the sun!

Karen

So yesterday was a long day, with people coming to try out horses, owners coming to see their training horses, and lessons. I had packed things in from 7am-9pm, and things HAD been going well/smoothly, with everyone showing up on time, being accommodating, and the horses behaving as expected...until one goofy chestnut mare decided she should put me in my place by acting like being mounted was terrifying! This, a horse that has never spooked at being mounted before. Doofus.

I think that is why God made chestnut mares though...to keep egos in check. All teenagers should own a chestnut mare.

For the dog lovers out there, check out this link: http://www.pawnation.com/2010/04/16/even-more-creative-dog-grooming-shots-12-new-images/

This is my attempt to create a unique logo for the Ride for Red Clear Round Classic:

Drawing in general is not my strong point, but drawing in Paint is definitely not my forte!

Entry forms/prize lists are available for the show now if you are interested.

Attache's Sugar Daddy

That is Zander's real name. Attache's Sugar Daddy. I think I will stick with Zander. Through an odd twist of fate, it turns out Zander was previously owned by Natalie's cousin, and they hadn't passed his papers to the person we bought him from...so now I have his papers!

Now the trick is to get his papers and Tommy's papers in our names...neither previous owner bothered to transfer the papers.

On another note; Amanda jumped Edgar today! He was amazingly light on his feet. Amanda may need a parachute if she wants to continue to jump him...he got higher and higher with each attempt. We are going to try to make Prix Caprilli an Olympic Event.

And lastly, with this stupid weather, and my stupid cold/flu, I haven't felt like doing much productive once I get in from the barn, and my phlegm filled brain couldn't handle a real book, so Rob suggested I read this Comic collection he bought....Pearls before Swine. I had never heard of it, but it is a great comic strip! Sometimes funny, sometimes insightful, and sometimes a little disturbing. If you haven't heard of it before, here is a link: http://comics.com/pearls_before_swine/

Hope you all have a great Thursday!

Karen

This stuffy nose is tiresome. I am so glad I invested in a few boxes of Kleenex tissues with Aloe lotion when Natalie got sick. No regular brand tissue for me!

Anyway, decided to get some photos of Coco out and about, including being ridden over the bridge of death:

I can't wait to be able to teach outside...but it doesn't look like that is going to happen this week after all :(

Karen

Sick...again!

Youtube is good when you are sick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE

I seem to have a cold. Perhaps the flu that Natalie had. Not sure. Why is Rob always out of town when I am sick? Smart man...but if he were here he would be making me tea and bringing horses in...the cat isn't nearly as good at either of those things as he is.

So of course, because i am sick, today is hectic. Started ok. Played with little Coco, took Java on a trail ride, lunged a horse...

Also sold both the TB mares today. Natalie bought Secret and took her home, and Shinaya bought Dixie (now named Willow!). Yea!

Then Lana called as she and Ryan were going to haul the new training horse in for me. Apparently Ryan was giving the horse boosters today or something, and so they figured they could haul at the same time...and while they were doing that, they could haul my girls back for me. So had to get a pen ready for my girls. Of course Lana was going to call when they were on there way...but got on a call about a colic and forgot...so they showed up midway through a lesson while Natalie was busy with something else...

But the girls settled in quickly, and the new training horse (Fonzie...yes, a gelding at last!) also settled in, so back to teaching. Then, someone comes out to try a horse we have for sale...the thing is we hadn't set a time, only loosely mentioned Saturday may be possible. Showing & jumping a horse when I can hardly breath is not my idea of a good plan...but I survived.

Of course the horse we advertised as green and needing to be in a program...was too green for them. Duh. That is why we have her advertised as green. What exactly were they expecting?

Have I mentioned before I lack patience when I am sick?

Karen

Feel better about your own riding...

and check out this website for some funny jumping critiques:

http://www4.ncsu.edu/~masupple/hillbilly/critique.html

Karen

Rain!

Rain Rain Rain! Lovely rain! Ok, I am a little sick of it as it is so flipping cold compared to not that long ago, but the horse's hooves (and the farrier!) needed the rain, as did the grass and hay fields!

The rain does seem to be making the horse's a little crazy....YJ kept doing his goofy "eeeee" sound while I rode and did this poppy little canter that felt reminiscent of the dime store ponies that Safeway used to have (does anyone else remember these?). Even Calvin tried to play a little at the canter...nutty Quarter Horses...peppy, but still just want to jog....

.......

On the white board in the barn I have listed which horses will go out on the grass pastures this year. I decided to put less horses on the geldings field this year to make sure it isn't over grazed, but if the grass picks up a bit more, them maybe one or two more can go out there. I will likely start putting them out on grass mid May.

I will also be moving some of the geldings around, so the most obnoxious horses are together, and the other horses can get a break from them....

We also plan to deworm the horses with Ivermectin during the first week of May. If you want me to deworm your horse, the cost is $10.00. I will put a sign up list on the white board. If you want to deworm your own horse, you can buy the dewormer from me for $8.00 (it is a paste), or you can buy your own of course!

I am very pleased with the new jumps, and the horse's aren't as worried about them as I thought they would be, even though they are bright yellow and green! I need a big duffle bag or similar to store the jump cups though...so if anyone has one hanging around that they would like to donate, I would appreciate it!

Karen

it is so windy out here today that i feel like I am one of the little pigs whose house is about to be blown down by the big bad wolf.

I rode Tango outside today, and there were a couple times when the wind was so strong I thought back to the clinic on Friday "pretend there is a strong wind pressing on your chest and stretch into it". It must have worked as Tango was GREAT despite the wind blowing grass and blue barrels.

Karen

The Clinics

The Tellington Jones clinic I rode in on Friday was great!

There were two of us in the clinic; Cassie on a 4 year old draft cross, and myself on Tango. We started off just riding around the indoor ring doing what ever, both to get our horses used to the ring and warmed up, and to allow the Tellington team time to assess us and our horses. Tango dealt with the scary ring and all the people much better than Dexter ever did! We had time to walk/trot and canter, and she felt reasonable in that ring, and more stretched down than at home.

So then they pulled is into the middle to dismount and untack so they could work on the horses; starting with a light massage to feel for sore areas, then moving the horse around to check for stiffness, and finally working through the labyrinth to work on flexibility. The handler for Tango had a wand she would stroke Tango's sides and front legs with, the idea being it would help her think about her entire body. As hokey as that might sound, she was halting square by the end of the work! Tango was slightly stiff, but didn't show any soreness or tension which is good for an old grey mare!

Meanwhile I had been pulled out of the ring so I could work on my position in the bleachers. I was sat down and told to put my hips/pelvis in "neutral", and then we tested the positioning by having me press forward and then down against her hand. I could tell when I had it right as I would then feel the pressure going down into my seat, rather than into my lower back, shoulders or crotch. I was able to find neutral easily as this is a concept I work on already...but key was finding neutral in my seat, and maintaining a softness and correctness in my upper body; I tend to get stiff to hold to pose.

So she put a hand on my lower back, and one on my chest, and wanted me to feel and stretch into the pressure, like I was walking into a wind (fortunately I have had lots of practice with strong winds lately!). She then also wanted me to imagine that between my spine and my skull, there was a space that my head could float above....this feeling of lightness and tallness in my head really helped lengthen my spine and felt great...so why do I keep letting my head push forward and look at Tango's ears?!?

Finally she had me jump up and down, and consider if I was thinking more about the up or the down. I was thinking more about the up, so she told me to think more about the down...and in doing so I realized I started to use my core more to control the down...which is exactly what I should be doing when posting...so time to start thinking about the down phase of my post to.

Ok, so finally I was allowed back in the arena, where we put a body wrap on Tango to try to connect her more front to back...and to try to get a more enthused walk out of her. Did seem to help much, so we decided to tack her up, and put the wrap on over the saddle for me to ride with.

Once on her back, we again went over the neutral pelvis, and the feeling of her hand on my chest and lower back. We discussed how I tend to lean too far back on Tango...even though it feels upright to me! So we worked on finding what was truly sitting tall...with my head floating on top. Next, she had me think about relaxing my inside thigh, and outside shoulder. The change was amazing! Tango really loosened up, and had a lovely walk (and later trot)!

Then we were attacked by birds...and the hitching ring started to fill with donkeys...so Tango started to get spooky....so I started to get grippy....but then I was corrected...and interestingly, but softening the inside thigh and outside shoulder, Tango softened and relaxed considerably! Interesting...I am going to have to play with that concept!

All too soon time ran out, and I had to get off Tango to take off the body wrap. At which point I was asked to summarize what I had been working on for the crowd (as Robin had been giving play by plays on the green horse, not on Tango). A pop quiz in front of a crowd speaking into a microphone?!? I am not a particularly shy person...but speaking into a mike on something I JUST learned is the edge of my comfort zone. I just started blurry eyed at the mike being handed to me...but somehow I managed to organize my thoughts and speak coherently...or at least I think it was coherent!

On Saturday i got an invite to come back to ride for a demo (for free), but as I was already home with Tango that would have been complicated, so I sadly had to decline.

I can't wait what I learned on Bliss and Dexter too!

Now the jumping clinic:

Watched the last 3/4 or so of the jumping clinic. I liked what I saw, but I think I missed some of the theory behind what he was having the riders do, but this is what I took from it:
- He had the riders do a lot in two point, both to work on their fitness, and to free up the horse's backs.
- Did a fair number of transitions to help connect the horse's front to back.
- Had the riders correct the horse very simply with an upward bump on the reins (with leg too), and then soften. Reminded me of western riding....which makes sense for a hunter as you want to ride on a loose/soft rein.
- Didn't like riders who couldn't control their bums and let themselves bump on the horse's backs for downwards transitions.
- for the jumping he discussed 5 parts:
1) A good approach with a square corner, straight line, and good gait.
2) Either a steady rhythm to the jump, or a slight increase in pace if needed to get a good distance (remember it was a hunter clinic, not jumpers...in hunters you want slightly long distances so the horse can jump "cute").
3) Rider then lets the horse jump and stays out of the way.
4) Horse lands, rider stays off the back
5) After the jump the rider either halts the horse (if needed for schooling) or half halts before the corner to re balance and prepare for the corner/lead change.

I think step 5 is the one most often forgotten. Often riders are just so focused on the jump itself, that after the jump is left to take care of itself...so the horse ends up careening around the corner, possibly not getting its lead change, and definitely not being set up as well as could be for the next jump. This lack of re balancing can also lead to the horse's stride getting longer and longer and longer and the horse getting further and further on the forehand as the round continues...does that sound familiar?

Wish I could have seen how the jumping clinic progressed for day 2 and 3, but the farm called me home!

Karen

Cute video

Rob sent me this video of Einstein; a baby mini that is in the running for world's smallest horse. He is much cuter than the current record holder who is a deformed dwarf mini. This guy is cute...albeit big headed!

Now a horse that size COULD live up North with Rob in his tiny room....because I know how much Rob hates being away from the horses :)

Karen

Mane Event Friday

I had a GREAT time at the Mane Event on Friday! I hope many of you managed to go as well.

The day started out with lots of puddles and mud, so apparently the key to rain was taking a grey horse to an event. Fortunately Tango was very patient with me as I figured out the new Anivac bathing system...which worked great once I figured it out! It uses very little water, and leaves the horse reasonably dry...and clean! Very cool. It will be available for others to use with some sort of rental fee to help pay for its maintenance, so let me know if you want to give it a try.

Natalie then met me at the barn, and we loaded Tango and headed on our way. We had one stop...to pick up the new jump standards; wow, are they BRIGHT! I am excited to start using them this week coming up and I hope they don't give the horse's too much of a shock!

We got to Red Deer to find it was sunny out, and got Tango settled in...and then went SHOPPING! That will teach Rob to not come with me... :)

Found some great deals; bought a new sheet for Tango to wear at shows, some cheap black riding gloves, a Arista light weight jacket, and the find of the year; sheep skin lined dressage pads in black and grey! I had only been able to find them in white, but white pads on a grey horse just don't look that good to me, so I was thrilled to find these...and even more thrilled to see that they are made perfectly for my saddle. One thing with my mono flap saddle is that the straps that are supposed to attach back to the billet straps are of no use...with these pads there is just a little Velcro piece that attaches back to the D-ring! Perfect! I bought the only two there.

I didn't find a bosal as I had hoped...I had no idea they were so expensive....$150 and up for just the nose piece, and about the same for the reins! Ouch!

The Tellington Jones clinic went great for Tango and I, and I will write more about that later...so much one on one attention compared to the other clinics and I felt a noticeable difference in Tango from beginning to end...and she survived the Donkey invasion!

After the clinic we met up with Clare, Laureen and Suzanne (who is doing well, although she and Quanta are still adjusting to being at a busy barn!). I also met up with Helen Interman; my Very FIRST riding instructor. She taught Clare at some point as well. She was a very good teacher as I recall. Patient and knowledgeable. She is now in Jasper.

Natalie, Clare and I then watched the jumping clinic. It was pretty good, but I was disappointed with the horse/rider combinations entered as I expected it to be more of a hunter clinic, yet the horses were for the most part NOT hunters. The clinician was very good, and stressed that the riders need to help the horse balance and use themselves, and otherwise stay out of the way of the horse. The didn't really do much jumping; mostly poles, and a line of little x rails. Both Clare and I found his voice quite soothing. He would be good at reading bed time stories!

Then it was time to load up and come home. Tired, but a very good day!

Karen

Wow, rain! At long last...not much so far, but hopefully enough to give the grass more of a start, and to keep the dust down. I am taking full credit for the rain; not only did I hang laundry outside to dry, I also made plans to take a grey horse to an event and did not put a blanket on her. As we all know rain+grey horses=copious rolling in any and all mud!

Karen

I went to visit Coregel and Piper today. They are now out with an older, Palomino QH mare. Corey and Piper came marching right over when they saw me and were thrilled to be brushed! Corey has almost completely shed out and is a lovely dark chestnut...but not quite liver. Piper is still very fuzzy, but I think she may be the same colour as Corey...which is odd as Coregel was so much more orange last year and over the winter.

The little Palomino just started at me while I tried to brush the two fillies at the same time (they were very demanding), but then started to inch her way over...until she finally wedged herself between the girls fully expecting to be brushed as well! So then I had three horses all demanding to be brushed... but only two arms, so one horse was always left out and pushing on me, or trying to wedge her head in front of me.

It really was very cute and a nice way to spend the afternoon.

There was someone there working their Standardbred on the track which seemed to be of great concern to the kids, so I was trying to convince them to stay close to the track while the sulky went thundering by...but they figured 10 meters away was the closest they were safe. I can't blame them...they FLEW by!

I hope to bring the girls home the next time Rob is in town. I miss them!

Janine sent me this picture of Animal Cruelty:

If it wasn't for the blaze I could see this being Edgar if Amanda was left alone with clippers....

Karen

Larry duck has migrated West for the summer. We had planned to facilitate his return by driving him over, but he seemed content in our dug out...then on Monday I couldn't find him...and was slightly worried he had become dinner. Fortunately that was not the case, and he has made it safe and sound across the road and past the new dog to the pond at Donver.

So he is safe and sound, and hopefully he doesn't regret his timing when the weather cools in the next few days!

Karen

Update on "the kids"

For those of you that have been following the fillies' progress:

Coco's first ride outside Because of COURSE you want their first ride outside to be when it is insanely windy... I have to say this mare is incredibly smooth. If anyone is looking for a fabulously cute western pleasure/eq prospect who can likely do some of the more athletically demanding events, this is a nice one to sit on.

And Charmer's first canter. Yes, I know, we got the wrong lead. Shame on us. I try to end the ride as quickly as possible after a big moment like the first canter so she knows that she did well! This is her second time outside, and she has really started to balance herself nicely. Charmer is really a people pleaser and a nice mare to train. I wish I had cows to try her on, as I have a feeling she is a cowy mare (that is a good thing), and may have some reining or cutting instincts in her.

The little morgan filly who came in little after the two QH mares also got her video taken today. It all uploads as it should, then the video should be here. She is still in the bitless bridle, but I will soon switch to a bit. She seems to think she is wearing one anyway...she always opens her mouth as if to drop a bit when I take the bitless bridle off.

Karen

A skill testing day...

I had some errands to run today, one of which included renewing my driver's license...because I would have hated to get that done before the very last moment. So along with ID, the lady asked some questions designed to test if I was who I said I was. Now really, questions meant to make sure I am me, should not be hard for me to answer...but they were! I even started to doubt myself! "What work number do we have for you?" (I can't even remember where I was working 5 years ago, much less what phone number! Jencess maybe?) "What Registry would you have last renewed your license?" (Seriously?)

What happened to the standard "What is your mother's maiden name". I finally passed with questions regarding my former car. Phew. I am who I say I am after all....good to know.

Then, a little later, as I stepped out of the bank, I saw a new Frozen Yogurt shop. Frozen Yogurt sounded good for a hot afternoon, and I figured it would limit my silly snack purchases when grocery shopping later, so I headed over.

There were two people sitting down, but no staff present at first glance. Then I noticed a big sign at the back explaining how it works; you get a bowl, server yourself the frozen yogurt, add any toppings, then weigh it all, and pay accordingly. For some reason the self serve caused me some anxiety, but I really wanted the frozen yogurt, so I headed to the back for a bowl, and the yogurt machines. I browsed the selections. Caramel something or other, Green Tea, and a few others that didn't catch my fancy. By then the last machine had Bubblegum, Blueberry, and Pomegranate. Blueberry and Pomegranate sounded like a nice mix, so I headed to that machine.

Now the labels were such that Bubblegum was on the top left, Blueberry on the top right, with pomegranate listed just below Blueberry. So in my mind, that meant that Bubblegum must be in the far left spigot, and then the other two in the middle and right hand spigots. As I was after a mix, it didn't seem to matter enough to wait for staff to wander out to clarify, so I went ahead and started to pour the flavour that was in the far right spigot. This appeared to be Pomegranate. Goody. So I stopped it at the halfway point, and went for the middle spigot, expecting blueberry....hmmm....should blueberry really be bright pink?

For the record, Pomegranate topped with Bubblegum is not a good flavour combo.

I made up for it though, by getting myself a Tortoise Cheesecake for my birthday. Yes, I am a sad person who buys my own Birthday cake. Well...that way I don't have to share it! So much for the frozen yogurt curbing my grocery purchases though. (I think the grocery check out clerk thought I was all of 19 or something the way she condescendingly called me sweety and kept asking if I needed help or more bags).

Karen

I know they teach it differently in school, but the real way to define stress starts with an "A" and ends with an "a". And has orangish hair.

On Saturday, after Edgar's first test, the drug tester came up to Amanda to test Edgar. I didn't know they tested at Bronze shows, but it is nice to see our fees put to work. So, no big deal, the tester got to stand in his stall waiting for him to pee, and Amanda and I got to get a break from Edgar trying to destroy his stall.

After he dutifully peed in the cup, the tester left, and I mentioned to Amanda "I hope none of his supplements test" to which she replied "no, I checked them all out, and they are all labeled as "will not test." They are vitamins, joint supplements, and a cough aid, so it seemed likely they would be legal, so all was good.

Then, on Sunday night, at a little after 9pm...I get this call "Camphor TESTS". Only it was said with more exclamation points and bolder letters.

The assumption on my part was immediately that if she is calling me to let me know Camphor tests, then it must be in one of his supplements, presumably his cough aid. I tried the best I could to end the conversation politely and not blurt out what I was really thinking which was basically a much less polite version of:

Frick.

Having a horse test positive for something like Camphor, would not be the end of the world, but Amanda and I would have to miss a large portion of the show season and get our names published on the "bad" list. This, understandably, caused me some stress, and left me trying to detangle myself from the blanket I had contentedly wrapped myself in. I then printed off the banned substances list, wedged on my shoes, and ran to the barn.

The cough aid does not have Camphor in it. Panic averted. Which really should never have been started as Amanda had checked that the things she gave her horse wouldn't test...but her stupid boyfriend made her worry and check the list of banned things and that one jumped out at her.

So, the moral of the story? Boys suck.

Karen

I am still trying to work out who is who in the dressage world. At this weekend's schooling show, there were some faces I didn't recognize; perhaps new people, perhaps people who don't normally show in dressage. In an effort to get to know the crowd, I try to watch the various trainers, and see which ones I respect and can learn from, and perhaps work with and which ones to avoid.

There was one trainer who I was curious about as I did not recognize . She was across from Edgar, and had a nice logo jacket. Her student was body clipping her horse on the Friday. Seemed odd, but kind considering the temperature change that hit for the show. She seemed to have a fair number of "people", so seemed like she may be a somebody. On the Saturday one of her clients brought by new show curtains she had ordered made. Apparently they were made incorrectly, so she was understandably frustrated and swearing. I am not keen on swearing in public, but that wasn't the worst of it. What made it worse was the racist comment she made regarding the store name of the curtain maker, and how that explained the poor work. (gee...its not that maybe you didn't explain it correctly). Ug. If you are going to be that obnoxious at least be quiet about it!

So today I watched her coach the clipped horse and a student. She seemed decent until she yelled across the ring to the parents/other clients "well, you have noticed that ALL the top placings have been to Amberlea students haven't you? That is just the way it is." And not said in a way that implied, "gee, the horses at this barn are nice and we should learn from them", but rather in a "our poor placing has nothing to do with how green this horse is, and everything to do with the favouring the barn owner".

Which came across as pathetic, poor sportsmanlike, and also a complete fabrication! There were plenty of top 3 placings and championships on the show stalls! It made me consider how kids like Alexis likely face that sort of comment often enough to be hurtful.

Then later she furthered annoyed us by allowing a clients little dog and little child to bark in the indoor arena while very green horses were competing for likely the first time of the year....(no typo, the child was also barking".

Fortunately the good riders/trainers/horse people far outnumbered the bad and the show was quite pleasant in general.

Edgar was MUCH mellower in the barn today, so apparently being ridden three times a day is the key to improving barn manners. Or perhaps it was the steady dripping of water at the back of his stall....equine water torture. He was also good in the ring, and Amanda once again got some respectable scores and placings. Her best score was Sunday morning and was in the high 60s%! It was good enough for second....she was beat out by a Ri look alike who scored in the 70s.

Apparently Edgar just needs to be empowered to do well....this mornings empowerment came in the form of an annoying rider who ignored her trainer's many warnings to stop riding up behind other horses....I think she learned why when Edgar finally had enough and did his best "killer dragon" impression complete with arched neck and crazed snorting/blowing!

So now we have to find a way to recreate that without putting anyone at risk...

After a successful weekend we brought Edgar home and put him in his pen. Poor fellow just wanted to roll....but Brax would NOT leave him alone! "Hey buddy, what's up, hey there, hey, how you doing?" Annoying young warmbloods!

On another note, assuming this weather holds, plan to start riding outside in lessons May 1!

Karen

The Bridge of Death

Now that it is warm and dry out, it is time for the training/sales horses to meet "The Bridge".

The bridge, in case you haven't met it, was made by Rob after we put in the outdoor arena. It is basically railway ties laid over a drainage ditch. A deep drainage ditch. It has many scare factors:

1) It is quite high over the ground.

2) it is narrow

3) It has cracks between the ties, where sand, and potentially entire horses could slip through.

Ebony, Kokanee and Calvin were introduced to the bridge last week. Today I led Charmer and Coco over it. I thought Coco would be the filly to have more issues with it, but she seemed so keen to stick close to me that she summoned the courage to go over it beside me. I wanted to get pictures of the two girls going over the bridge, but both wanted to go beside me, rather than after me, so they were too close for photos.

Leading young/green horses over the bridge is interesting as the bridge is narrow, and young horses tend to think that the only safe place to traverse frightening footing, is where the human is standing. This leads me to always worry that the horse will end up knocking me off the bridge, which would not go well. Fortunately (knock wood) this has not yet happened, with the horses seeming to understand that my demise would greatly affect the quantity and regularity with which they would get cookies.

A&E's First Show

As most of you know, Amanda took Edgar to their first show this weekend. The show is a two day EC Bronze show at Amberlea. We took them over on Friday; with Amanda tired from working evenings to pay to keep Edgar in the manner by which he feels he deserves, and me still sick with the stomach flu. Fortunately Rob came home in time to haul for us, and help with the heavy lifting :)

Now most of you know Edgar....or have heard about him. He is a sweet enough horse to ride, but rather...hmm....loud in the barn, and food is high on his list of priorities....so we were a little concerned how he would behave for an entire weekend in a stall at the show. As such, Amanda planned ahead and booked Edgar a stall in the far corner of the show barn. So we thought we have planned ahead to ensure Edgar being at peace in his stall...until I looked at Amanda and asked her "where did you put the hay?" and she answered "outside the barn door so we wouldn't forget it." At there it still sat.

Fortunately we were able to procure some flakes of very nice hay from Amberlea, and Edgar didn't break the stall down in the meantime.

So show day was today.It started with Amanda arriving at the show to hear her tire leaking air...and she watched as it flattened before her eyes. (Rob was kind enough to fix it for her! thanks honey!)

Amanda survived braiding her horse, and tacking him up...barely....but once she got on he was a very good boy. I took some photos of her warming up outside. (in the one photo I caught the front end of a little TB that was an anorexic version of Edgar...and who went right after Amanda).

Edgar was a good boy in the ring. A little looky at the spectators and the white dressage ring, but overall a good start to the show season. By the end of the day Amanda had two green and one yellow ribbon for her three efforts. The classes were crazy big for the walk/trot and training level and went for ever, so I only watched her first two classes, but tomorrow I will watch her training 2 class...and maybe bring them home.

The flu....

It seems I could only manage to avoid the flu for so long. Tuesday night I felt ill, but blamed it on riding Tango after eating chicken lasagna. Wednesday I felt fine, but as the day progressed I realized all was not well. Thank goodness for Natalie's help, as yesterday was a busy day with both the vet and farrier out! (Amanda, your passport is ready).

I thought a nap would put me right, and sure enough I was able to teach a couple lessons...but I only made it about 1 minute into my 7pm lesson before I had to abandon ship and go back to the house. I really do not like being physically ill in public, so my timing was good.

Thank you very much to all who helped out last night and fed the horses their hay!

When I went out around 9 to feed grain and rescue the dogs, I could hear Ginger's plaintive woofing : "This Is Not Right! There Are Still DOGS In The Barn! Hello!"

I thought the horses would start to fuss when I came in the barn and turned the lights on...but they were oddly quiet. It is as though they just assumed they weren't getting grain/beet pulp, and that the fact they were was a pleasant surprise that they should not ruin by pawing, kicking or fussing.

Or maybe they new my head was pounding, and that keeping quiet was much better.

Apparently the cure for the flu according to pets is that they must lay right on top of the victim. Thanks Ginger, Kit Kat and Snickers for your rotating attention that kept me awake all night. Maybe they were worried I would lapse into a coma?

Today I am a bit better, but I was really glad I got as many horses as I did ridden yesterday. Trotting on Dexter just about put me over the edge. A walking trail ride with Kokanee, and a little walk/jog outdoor ride with Ebony was more my speed. Worked on "the bridge" with Kok and Ebony, and took pictures of Ebony wandering over the bridge.

Glad the weather is kinder today too. Made it a bit easier to get out of bed, although I did abandon Natalie to clean the barn without me.

I fully blame Debbie for this flu, and have kicked her and her horse out, so Chance will be leaving today!

(just kidding...they planned to leave today all along....but will be back for lessons!)

Karen

So...where is the rain?

I am sure none of you will have enjoyed driving in to work today if it did happen to rain / snow overnight, but we really do need some rain on the ground...larry is complaining of the lack of puddles! Plus, no rain this spring, means not much hay this summer...

Charmer is coming along in training. I have finally switched her over to a bit...she does not appreciate the pretty bridle, and would much rather go back to the halter and rope! When Natalie first came in to video, I was already on Charmer happily wandering around...but as soon as Natalie came in, Charmer was following her like she was her mother duck. (or as Christine T would say, following her tighter than a drum....). She eventually realized I was in fact still in the room, and we continued on our ride.

http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd89/HillsideStable/Charmer/

It is interesting starting a horse at trot. A little less risky than the canter (that is when they are more likely to crow hop), but requires some subtlety. On the one hand you want to be light on their back, on the other hand you want to be secure in the saddle....but you also want to be the least bothersome as possible. This requires a kind of hover sit, to be light, yet secure. Some horses are ok with posting early on, such as Stellar, but Charmer is still finding it a little distracting, although by the end of today she let me post while continuing to trot.

I am very proud of Little Charmer; remember this is only her 18th day at the barn/in training!

Karen

Some of you may recognize the black mare with the hole in her side; Java is back for another spring tune up! What a great idea; give yourself and your horse a head start on the riding season by sending it for a few weeks of refresher training in the comfort of an indoor arena. Maggi will be taking lessons too.

it has been great having Natalie to help me with the horses and barns in the morning. Most of you likely haven't met her as she is out mostly in the morning during the week, but also out some Saturday mornings.

Ginger is a little less suspect of her driving the mule than she was Clare...but still keeps her eye on her.

I think that if the windy weather keeps up we will make the shift from horse stable to wind farm....we might have a hope of making money that way!

Karen

I spent the evening last night (Sunday) celebrating my dad's 73rd B-Day (which is today, Monday). It is an extra special birthday seeing as we were told 4 months ago that he only had 1-3 months to live...yet here he is, back at home, off of oxygen, and walking short distances without the aid of a walker. (The other thing that makes this birthday special is that his age is the reverse of his birth year, which is entertaining to an odd family like mine. Interesting, in 8 days I will also be having my reverse year birthday).

For his b-day he gets a blood transfusion. Fun I am sure.

I can understand that the doctors want to give people time to prepare and adjust when their prognosis no longer looks favourable; it encourages them to get their affairs in order, to say what they need to say, and to see who they want to see before the time comes. That I get. What I don't get, is how it helps to potentially remove hope with such a definitive statement. Would it not be better to word it so as to leave a glimmer of hope even in the most dire of situations? "Your condition is serious and you are not responding well to treatment. Typically people in this situation have another 1-3 months to live, but of course we will work with you to overcome the odds and regain your quality of life." or some such.

I think that this is a lesson that should be taken to other aspects of life as well. People can tend to be "dream killers" and to take away hope. "You can't possibly be a vet with marks like those", "you can't win in FEI dressage without a fancy warmblood and lots of $$$"

Wouldn't we be better to give comments that give hope within the confines of reality such as "Work hard towards your goals, and opportunities may present themselves that you can't foresee right now". Doesn't that sound better? Not only does it give you hope, it hopefully allows you to enjoy the journey.

Dad isn't sure that he will achieve his goal of taking mom to Hawaii, but he is taking it one day at a time to work towards that goal, and enjoying the journey along they way.

I hope I inherited his spirit.

Have a great Monday everyone!

Karen

Thursday night's weather was brought to you by Gloria who took her horse's lined rain sheets home earlier this week.

Poor horses. Not impressed by the sudden change! Edgar was shivering despite his rain sheet when I brought him in. Feeding hay in gale force winds and try to carry it to the horses so they could stay out of the wind by the shelters was loads of fun too.

I was just glad the storm waited until after I came home from the vets with Dexter; this is not weather I would want to haul in!

Dexter's vet visit went ok...still trying to figure out his slight, but persistent lameness behind. He looked off to me two days ago, but when I took him in to Lana's round pen, he took one look at the plastic horse in the corner of the building and just had to show off to it, and looked too sound to be able to try blocking areas of his back like we had planned. So I suggested I try riding him for her...and he was then sounder than she had ever seen him (he felt good too). Maybe I need plastic life sized horses outside the show ring to get him to posture and show off...

So we couldn't try freezing his back, but we still tried ultra sounding parts of his spine, and x-raying his withers and as much of his thoracic vertebra as we could. Lana tried her best to explain the squiggles on the ultra sound, but I will have to take her word for it! (the ultra sounding is why he has two shaved patches). The xrays I could understand, and fortunately they showed no evidence of arthritis or kissing spine. Ultrasound of his neck section was also normal. Just showed some fill in is SI area. So we decided to inject his withers and his SI to see if that helps him out. Hopefully I am back riding him in two days!

(my head got a lot of radiation pointed at it today holding those xray plates!)

After poking Dexter with many needles (and those SI needles are HUGE), I went to get Coregel to get her wolf teeth pulled. She and Piper were happy to see me and came right over. Coregel was less impressed to be taken from Piper though...and Piper who at home doesn't care if Corey leaves, started fussing...and then the mini donkey started braying....then the other patients in the barn started banging and neighing...and poor Corey lost it! Complete warmblood baby meltdown. Had to bring Piper in to get Coregel to stand long enough to tranq her. Poor kid. Got those pesky wolf teeth out though, so when she comes home I can start preparing her for in hand classes...and she is going to have to learn to be more independent from Piper, although she had been doing quite well at home.

......

I have more boring video for those of you trying to avoid actually working today:
My first "mounting" of Stellar: 3 year old morgan filly.

Stellar is the filly that came a week ago. She has a lovely trot on the lunge, and I think she will make a fantastic dressage or breed show horse when she gets trained.

Karen

Training Video: horse's first real trot.

Charmer learning to trot

This is Charmer's first real trot ride, after being in training for one and a half weeks. I REALLY like this mare and how hard she tries. Not to mention how pretty she is!

We trotted a few steps on Wednesday (her head shot up in shock, we stopped, and I told her how good she was and gave her the night to realize she was ok). She is in a halter because a) she just got her teeth done 2 hours after this was taken, and I won't put a bit in a horse until their teeth are done, b) If something goes wrong, I feel better pulling her up/correcting in a halter than in a bit, and c) I can feed cookies from her back easier!

First trot rides are rarely pretty...unless it is on an arab like Buddy or Beamer...then it looks like they have been doing it for years...but most horses struggle to balance and so put their heads in the air! So often I think magazine articles discussing starting a horse show pictures of horses who are already trained...or they only show the best of the best, so you don't get to see the "real story".

You can see that I am hover sitting; sitting, but slightly tipped forward with my weight in my feet. This is lighter on their back than sitting, but more stable than posting. Near the end I tried posting a few steps, but she broke to a walk in response, telling me she wanted me to stay still!

Charmer was a little distracted by Natalie videoing, but I want to try to record more of my training steps as many of you never get to see what goes in to getting a horse rideable, and I thought it may be interesting to look back on as well.

Karen

More on the subject of boobies

Do you ever wonder if something that happens to you, happens to everyone, or if you are just weird? Or, conversely, see a product and wonder why anyone would need it?

For example, the toilet paper ad, where they talk about "little white pieces" being stuck after wiping...does that really happen?

Tonight during lessons, somehow the discussion brought up an invention designed to rid women of the problem of boob wrinkles. There is a boob wrinkle prevention invention. Seriously? It helps prevent wrinkles from developing between/above boobies if you sleep on your side. At first I thought that maybe I was spared the boob wrinkles as I have never given birth, and have booblets, rather than full sized boobies, but apparently others of similar childless status and chest size did know about the chest wrinkles.

Of course it has never occurred to me to stare at myself in the mirror in the morning before I get dressed...and I definitely do not where low cut outfits to the barn....so maybe that is the better solution to boob/chest wrinkles.... of course now I feel I must check it out tomorrow morning....

And while we are on the subject of girl stuff....here are two ads that Amanda forwarded to me after seeing on TV....they are hilarious!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOM4AMV050A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRf35wCmzWw

Karen

Fun with numbers for Tuesday

12: The number of horses I got on today
9: The number of horses other people rode today
8: The number of emails I got that weren't "junk"
7: The number of horses that were neglected by their owners today.
6: The number of horses ridden "bitless" today.
5: The number of times a certain bay horse kicked his stall before I tied him up until hay time.
4: The number of different saddles I rode in today.
3: The number of horses that did something new today (Charmer trotted with me on her, Coco walked with me on her, and Dixie and I jumped for the first time).
2: The number of apples Rocket got (which is also the number of times he pooed in the arena...coincidence?)
1: The number of phone calls I got today that weren't Rob (which is a very low number for me!)

Look at Dixie Jump!

http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd89/HillsideStable/Dixie%202005%20TB%20mare%20started%20over%20fences/?action=view&current=Dixie_Jump1.flv

Ok, the jump is small, and she wiggles, but I thought she did awesome! This is my third ride on her after she more or less sat around at Lana's for a year and a half, and before that she was just track trained, but boy is she nice to ride. Doesn't get overly excited.

Hope to have time to jump Secret tomorrow.

Don't forget that tomorrow is vet day! Horses will be getting their shots and may be stiff in the neck for a day or two.

Karen

Lovely northern lights out tonight! Haven't seen the northern lights as much this year.

Hoping that the rain in the forecast for Thursday comes down in buckets...so PLEASE wash your cars, and leave windows open to tempt the rain Gods!

Rode Charmer and Coco for the first time today. I had sat on them previously, but today we actually had forward movement. They are both very sweet fillies.

This week in lessons we are working on longitudinal suppleness. It WILL be as fun as it sounds!

Karen

I hope everyone had a great Easter; one that included Easter dinner with family and some Easter chocolate. Does anyone paint and hide actual hard boiled eggs anymore?

If anyone found themselves the recipient of too much chocolate...keep me in mind!

My day started with cleaning stalls as usual, followed by a lovely ride on Tango, and then a trip to pick up more hay. I had planned to ride another horse after unloading the hay....but I made the mistake of coming back to the house to empty the hay from my underwear and decided a nap was in order.

I also had a lovely turkey dinner with my parents and my brother. My dad is doing quite well, and is able to walk about the house without his walker, and is no longer on oxygen. He still lacks an immune system so is concerned about germs and snow mold, but that is understandable...so hopefully we have a good rain to wash away the snow mold soon!

It angers me somewhat that a doctor told him he only had 1-3 months to live, and I am glad he made the decision that there is always hope and didn't just give in to that fate. How many of us allow ourselves to be held back by what someone says, or by a perceived limitation of our situation?

(oh, and the new black/bay mare in the wood pen is Ebony, she is just here for some fine tuning! She is likely a draft cross, and reminds me of Magic- Debbie's other horse).

Karen

japanese horse racing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ralPAqUsEfo

The race at about 4minutes was my favourite.

Karen

Oh my...I hope this comes to dressage

The racetrack at Hollywood Park is trying something new:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl9FHMlggFQ&feature=player_embedded

This would make showing a grey horse so much easier...

Of course in Dressage everyone wears the same colour saddle pad...so that may be a problem.

I wonder how how the paint would show up on a horse that isn't grey!

Karen

Thanks Amanda!

I just wanted to say thank you to Amanda for helping me go pick up, load, and stack some very nice square bales. It was fun! Thanks to, to Debbie for giving me the number for the hay. I have to go back for a few more bales if anyone has some free time on Sunday afternoon....

Another new training horse came today. A very classy looking Morgan filly named Stellar. She is in the wood pen tonight, but will move in with the QH fillies tomorrow.

It seems this year is all about the mares/fillies! All seven of the training horses that have come in so far this year are girls, and the next two booked to arrive are also mares! I wonder if that is a general trend or if I just attract the mare owners more as I have a "ladies only" barn?

I rode the two thoroughbred mares today, and it went quite well. They both have lovely trots. I also rode Charmer a bit...well...ride may be an exaggeration, most of the movement was going back or doing a turn on the forehand as she tried to figure out where I was! She is a pretty cool little mare.

If you are bored this long weekend and too stuffed with Easter dinner to come stack hay, this blog is moderately entertaining: http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/

Karen

Quanta left today....she (and Suzanne!) were one of our first boarders. Both were very easy going and will be missed, but it makes a lot of sense for Suzanne to keep her horse closer to home and hopefully the move means Quanta will get more attention!

Brax moved into her old stall...he seemed suspicious at first...but then he saw that there was complete feed and hay and all was good. I have a bad feeling he is NOT going to be as neat and tidy in his stall as Quanta was!

Karen

Happy April Fools Day!

It is April! The month when things are supposed to be getting green....time to start doing the rain dance people!

The vet will be out on the 7th to vaccinate and do whatever else is needed.

Karen

When training/working a horse, there are all sorts of "rules" out there, that can make your average horse owner who is training their own horse is little paranoid. One that bothers me, is the idea that "if you let your horse get away with that once, he will think he can always get away with that!". I think this makes people paranoid about not dealing with something that they know isn't good, even if they aren't sure what they should do....which can lead to riders making some desperate or poorly thought out techniques. And as we know, "violence begins where knowledge ends".

Here is an example; today I went out to catch the three new mares in the bottom field, to introduce them to the barn and brush them. I wanted to bring Charmer in first, as I feel an affinity to her, but when I approached her with the halter, she backed off, and said, "no thanks!". If I believed that allowing her to decide not to be caught this one time would ruin her forever, I would have chased her around in the mud, getting the other two worked up, and spent all sorts of time convincing her she couldn't escape me. Instead, I just went ahead and caught Cocoa. After grooming her, I again approached Charmer, but she was still not sure she wanted to be caught, so I put the halter on Dixie and brought her in, to start her make over (thoroughbreds should not have foot long manes!). So what happened when I put Dixie back out? Charmer walked right up to me and pretty much put her nose in the halter!

Hmmm....so why did that work? Because instead of chasing Charmer around like a predator and convincing her that resistance was futile, I respected her decision and allowed her curiosity to take hold, and I allowed her comfort level with me to increase as she saw me interact with the other two mares. This works because I believe, that at the base of it, the horses need to want to work, and if they don't want to interact with me, then that is my problem to resolve and not theirs to be forced into. Eventually I will build a level of trust, so that sometimes the horse will do something it isn't so sure about.

Another example is the panic some people seem to feel when a horse runs out at a jump; I must discipline the horse right away so it knows not to stop! Sure...or you could simply correct the issue that lead up to the stop, whether that be pace, approach, rider error, or that the horse was over faced...just lashing out with the whip won't tell the horse what it should have done, it will just get the horse worked up in a frenzy. Sometimes lashing out and making a big deal of the issue, makes it a bigger issue that it actually was, and will lock that moment more firmly in memory. Think about it...you tend to remember embarrassing or upsetting moments more if someone makes a big deal about them!

Now that said, I do think it is important to be consistent with a horse, and I do think that it is unfair to allow a horse to do something and then punish them for doing it later on....such as if you let your horse rub on you for years, it isn't fair to suddenly punish them for it later. I think that is where you need to be consistent, and be careful what you are teaching your horse, but I don't think riders need to be in a panic to discipline, or be made to feel guilty that they didn't get their horse to do something they wanted it to do. Instead I think riders should feel comfortable respecting their horse, and understanding their own limitations...and thinking rather than reacting.

And remember, horses actually can like people, and actually can like being ridden/worked!

Karen

Do you recognize the two peppy fillies terrorizing the sway backed gelding in the photo?

That is our very own Piper (right) and Coregel (left)! They are off seeing the world and being taught some manners by a grumpy old gelding who seemed VERY disappointed that he was given the task of baby sitter!

The two girls are going to be staying at Delaney vet for a bit to get some real world exposure so that hopefully they will be more adjustable to new things when they are older.

Coregel seemed very interested in the little Donkey next door, whereas Piper wanted to tour the edge of the racetrack.

To maintain the chestnut mare status quo, we had a few new mares come in the last couple days: two 5 year old thoroughbreds that are here to learn to jump and be sold (Secret and Dixie....Secret has the full blaze), and two Quarter Horse mares that are here to be started under saddle and hopefully sold as well (Cocoa is black, Charmer is a neat lightish chestnut).

Penny left today to start her life as a pony club mount. She went very well for her young rider, so I hope that works out well for all concerned! I am going to miss riding my little thoroughbred pony mount!

Karen

Calvin Jumping!

Clare came out in time to video me jumping her horse. It was my first time jumping him, but she had done some little stuff with him years ago. He seemed to remember how to do it!

Video of Calvin Jumping

Karen

I jumped YJ today! Well, not literally....to be technically correct YJ jumped a jump with me on his back encouraging him to do so. It was a 12" or so yellow cross pole and we cantered it once each way. He was great! I was fully expecting him to either break to a trot and waddle over it, or only jump with his front end and have poles scattered in our wake...but he jumped it well and cantered off politely after the jump!

He has mellowed a lot this year; last year he would poo 4 or 5 times each work out, and get anxious...but this year the only anxiety he seems to have is regarding the timing of the next cookie...

I think he will be a great lesson partner for Rocket, as they both have about the same length of stride, and the same gluttonous tendencies.

Perhaps by May he will have shed out enough that he can be worked long enough to be used in lessons...he is one woolly boy. I am quite excited/relieved that he seems to like to jump!

Karen

I rode Triton today for the first time. I hadn't planned to, I had only planned to lunge him lightly in the dressage saddle...but then I saw my helmet hanging on a standard and it was just too tempting.

Of course he was just in his halter, and the saddle had no stirrups...but hey, he's quiet and short...so what could go wrong?

So after attaching the lead rope to both sides of the halter, I leaned across the saddle a few times, then I heaved myself on proper. Usually when I first get on, I just let them do what they want to, whether that be sit there, or wander to the out gate (or the Beamer...wander all over the place!). Triton decided to be different...he decided to paw the mounting block....and get his leg stuck in it! Momentary concern (aka panic) on my part as I considered jumping off as he backed up trying to untangle himself, but he really seemed unphased, and got himself free all on his own, so I stayed on and we wandered around the ring. What a good boy! He didn't feel at all small under me either.

I think he will actually enjoy the attention of regular work!

Karen

Today I ventured into town to get my eyes checked in response to the reminder notice I got back in December. The Dr office is in the Sherwood Park Mall, so off I went, arriving just in time for my 11 am appointment.

Apparently 11am is when the mothers or day home "mothers" go to the mall with their children, as there seemed to be an oddly large number of toddlers wandering the halls. I loved the one laying on the ground in the entrance to a clothing store SCREAMING and pounding fists and legs, blocking the entrance. An older gentleman ended up walking over the child to escape the store. At first I thought perhaps he was related to the child, but he just kept walking...or maybe he was, but wanted to pretend he wasn't? No mother came to grab her kid out of the way in the time it took me to take in and pass by the scene.

Not much further was a young couple dragging their screaming child away from the brightly painted train ride.

So...parents of teenage girls? Take your daughters out of school one day and take them to the mall at around 11 am! That should help convince them to stay out of "trouble"!

After my appointment my eyes were all wonky from the weird light scan thing they started doing, so I decided to browse for shoes while my eyes recovered. First store looked at me like I was deformed for asking for a AAA width. The second one I went to didn't look to have much for runners, and I didn't see any staff, so I left quickly. But then I got to Athlete's World or something...two customers were in the store already, but left as I was browsing...I really just wanted to ask about sizing, as browsing seems pointless...but in the FIVE minutes I was there, NO staff person showed up!

I was half tempted to grab a security tagged garment and throw it out the door to set of the alarm in order to get some service, but I wasn't sure how well that would be taken, so I just left. So apparently the late morning is also a great time to be a shop lifter...

Ugh, I hate malls and shopping!

I hope you all are enjoying the snow though! This snow is for Laura and Courtney's relatives that are coming to town soon and wanted to ski...

Karen

It is funny, I usually avoid riding on Sundays as it can get busy, but it was actually fun to have so many people out today! Can you believe we actually have 5 people riding in the arena at the same time with none of them in a lesson? Wow. I was riding YJ who couldn't take his eyes of Brax for some reason. It was funny when Christine brought him in the barn and stood him beside YJ as she shut the door....poor YJ looked like a little pony!

I have officially started advertising Calvin for sale. Fortunately Clare was able to give me some "pre goat" photos!

Isn't he lovely?

I also have a video Natalie took of me riding him western. I think Calvin picked up that I was an english rider despite the chaps, but tried his best to humor me.

http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd89/HillsideStable/Calvin/

If anyone is looking for a very kind, well trained (albeit a little out of shape), and smooth gelding, Calvin might be your boy! We would love to find him a home with another young girl to love him.

Karen

Babies are silly

And by babies I mean the 2 year old warmblood kind. I went out to play with them today and noticed Tia was overly warm in her winter blanket, so I pulled the blanket off. But the babies have never seen her without her blanket, and they acted like her skin had been pulled off and she had become a monster horse! They snorted and her and flew back in terror. Then they saw the blanket hanging on the gate and thought that was even more exciting. Ah, to be young again!

I managed to make my way to the Tudor sale today too, some good deals, but I didn't end up buying much; half chaps I desperately needed, some new rubber curries for the lesson horses, and a new lunge line was all I bought for myself. I had hoped that by going around 6, it would be quiet, but I was wrong; it was still busy, so I didn't feel like browsing as I normally would! I think people went there for dinner and drinks as much as to shop. I refrained from eating or drinking, but in hindsight i am not sure why.

I do like the new lay out, and I am sure it will be even better without the catering stuff in the way. Good luck to the new owners and here is hoping for a prosperous 2010!

Karen

After months of waiting, Christine's new horse is here! Brax arrived safe and sound this afternoon. I am not sure what he thought of the long trailer ride, but he was definitely eager to roll in the arena. Bliss is NOT impressed with the new competition for cookies...

He is such a sweet boy, who does not at all give the impression of being a big horse...until you stand beside him; he is huge, and still growing! Very light on his feet when he trots and has a lovely way of carrying himself. I cannot wait to see Christine on him next week!

Karen

Snow!

Snow is Gods way of:
-doing a quick clean up before the in-laws come over...more or less like sweeping the dirt under the rug & cramming the loose ends in the closets. It does look pretty out right now though!
- Welcoming Christine and Claude back from their wedding in the Bahamas
- Punishing Laureen for considering taking her horse's winter blanket home as "it won't get cold again". If I recall correctly it was Amanda who took her winter blankets home last year and caused oodles of snow in April.
- Telling me I needed a nap this morning

On another note, Debbie, you were right! Triscuit Thin Crisps, Parmesan Garlic flavour are yummy! Easy replacement for chips or nachos!

Karen

Happy St. Paddy's dad everyone!

Did you remember to wear green?

This Saturday is Tudor Tack's St. Patrick's Day/Grand reopening sale. She tells me it is catered and will have some great deals, so likely best to get there early!

I am also very excited to have received my first two sponsorship cheques!
#1) $300 from ATSafety! Mr. McIver may also be providing us with a Safety Coordinator and possibly a paramedic! Thanks ATSaftey Training! ATSafety offers First Aid, Defensive Driving, ATV Safety, plus many other things. Check out their website for more information: http://www.atsafetytraining.ca/

I am not sure what their signature jump will look like...but it will have to be super safe and pass their inspection I am sure!

#2) $250 from "Ruby Enterprises" AKA Charity Engleking....aka YJ's previous owner. Ruby Enterprises is named after her faithful canine companions, so her signature jump should be fun to design with a canine motif.

Thank you to both Charity and Bob for kick starting the fund raising with your generous contributions!

Karen

I don't know what it is about farrier day, but it exhausts me. I think in part it is because I try to hurry to get the barn clean, and then ride a couple horses before Ken gets here...and of course there is the guessing game regarding WHEN he will get here....followed by two or more hours of fetching and holding horses. Today there were eleven on the list...which is over 40% of the entire equine population at Hillside, so it took until after 2pm to finish up....at which point I was very ready for a nap!

If anyone had been out at fiveish they would have been witness to just how out of it I still was; i brought Penny in to ride, and decided I would try her in the Happy Mouth snaffle...so I put that on her, took her in the arena, fixed a crooked pole...and then went to get on only to realize I didn't have a saddle! So back out to the barn to put on the saddle, then back in the ring to mount...only to then realize I only had half the lights on in the arena (I had only turned on half to build the course). Penny was suspicious of the light and dark spots, so maybe it was good for her.

Fortunately riding woke me up and the rest of the evening went well. Actually lessons went very well followed by no exuberant kicks from Edgar during feeding time! Possible he is learning? Maybe?

Karen

Good old kijiji....

Kijiji never ceases to entertain and frighten.

Entertaining: The "Exquisite" Dressage Sport Horse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai2gw9fT93AListed as "ready to take any level of rider to the winners circle in FEI competition" I didn't know the FEI had a wiggly head flipping class. To be fair, the ad doesn't list his age, so I suppose if he is a 4 year old, then MAYBE he could make it to the four year old classes with a talented pro this year...or maybe they just meant he is quiet enough you can use him as a taxi to get you to the edge of the winners circle so you can watch the presentations from his back?

To be fair he likely isn't all that bad a horse, but the ad just talks him up sooo much, I was expecting to see an older FEI school master, and not a very green, average moving gelding, whose lateral work involves pulling his head into the wall for a few strides...

Then, a little further on Kijiji, is someone whose foal has swollen hooves/fetlocks, doesn't want to walk, and is tipping in on her hooves....and they decide to post for advice on KIJIJI rather than say, call a vet! I imagine if they woke up with sore/swollen ankles and feet, and were unable to walk comfortably, they would do more than just post for help on a website...

Apparently the lack of 1 hour makes be bitchy....good thing I don't teach on Sundays!

Karen

Happy Daylight Savings Time day everyone!

Being sunny out make it a little easier to get up this morning...the horses seemed shocked to see me out so early.

Rob and I went over to check out the progress of the new building at Delaney vet. They have the basic frame up, so possible to imagine where everything will be in the end; very excited for them! The will likely have a grand opening sometime this summer so you can all take a tour.

I need a nap....

Karen

Ahhhh, life

So I thought I had hired an assistant. Set and ready to start tomorrow. But alas, her life circumstances took a turn in a somewhat foreseeable way, and she is no longer able to meet the hours I am looking for. Frustratingly the other person I liked already accepted another job.

Part of the reason I picked the person I did, despite the complications in her life, was that owning/running a barn, was something she dreamed of doing, but her life kept taking her away from that dream. Working here would have been a good step towards that reality, and if I can help someone along in that way, then I would like to.

Now it would be easy to take from this that I shouldn't have hired someone with her life complications, just like it would have been easy to forget about having students work off lessons after the initial few who let their sense of entitlement get in the way of the requirement that they actually WORK for their lessons....but if I had allowed those initial bunch of "spoiled" teens jade my opinion, then we wouldn't have Paige in our lives...if you can really call a world without Paige living.... but seriously, without Paige, I doubt Bugsy would have gotten the shot she did either, and having Paige around is helpful and enriching.

On a similar note, I was recently miffed by a recent Fugly blog post; the one about the three horses killed on a highway. Comments were all out to lynch this person who apparently had inadequate fencing and only fed her horses just enough to keep them from being taken.

But then the story fills in a bit; the horses didn't leave from her property, they were at a friends while she fixed her fencing....and that she lost her husband sometime in 2008.

Now my question was, why didn't Cathy (fugly blog writer) question why the community members who saw her fencing was falling apart, offer to help? Why, after loosing her husband, didn't the community help her see through this tough time? Help the horses AND the person so no rescue is needed!

Her answer was that 99 times out of a 100, the people just take the money and buy more horses....

But my point is even if her odds are accurate, isn't it worth putting yourself out there for that 1/100 chance you can make a positive difference and help someone achieve their dream (or in that case, hold on to their dream?)

Cathy's comment was that this lady should have sold her horses once her husband died. Seriously, if Rob dies, don't expect me to be thinking rationally for a while, and certainly don't think I would be able to make the decision to sell off my horsey friends at a time when I would likely feel very alone! What this lady likely needed was friends and helpful neighbours to hold things together for her so she didn't feel overwhelmed and alone.

The moral I am trying to pass on is this: sometimes doing the right thing doesn't always end with the "right" result, but it is still the right thing. Sometimes people take advantage of nice, but that doesn't mean being nice was the wrong way to be!

Karen

someone else's cool blog

Every once and a while, after saving my own blog, I click on the "Next Blog" button to see what I get. Often it is in a foreign language, or is just a family newsletter/photo album, but today I got this one: http://writingnriding.blogspot.com

A blog about writing, photography and horses! I liked her photo part way down called "gumption"...of the kitty considering the odds of being able to jump to the rafters.

I thought I would share.

Does anyone else click the Next Blog button?

Karen

Only $650.00 more to go and we have reached the target of $1000.00 of sponsor money for Ride for Red! How exciting! Thank you everyone! I will wait to make announcements of the sponsors until I have the cheques in hand.

Next is to set target goals for money raised and blood donations raised by Ride for Red, and then to make posters to advertise the shows.

On another note; I had my first lesson in a while today; Chris Collins came out to give me some feedback on Tango and my potential for shows this year. It was a positive lesson and definitely helps to have knowledgeable eyes on the ground. As well as the lesson, I rode Penny, rode Kokanee bareback, and then decided to work on Edgar the Giants canter....I think I am going to be sore tomorrow!

Karen