Before and after/plus rant!

Before

After one year

 

Before :

You can say something as simple as “I love blue breeches!”on a forum, any forum, even a forums labeled “This is the forum ONLY for people with sense and some form of accomplishment”, yes even on that forum you could post a benign little nothing quick sentence on your Iphone at the mall sipping a latte and completely happy and cheerful and someone will see the evil in it. The pure hatred you must have for every other breech? Are our breeches not good enough for you?

Are you a breech snob? I bet all of your blue breeches are expensive and dipped in gold! We like breeches that are different and unique and you must be judging our down to earth breeches. In fact I think personally that you have always been very small minded about breeches and from what I’ve read you can’t even wash them correctly…

So then you come home from your mall day to find a barrage of breech outrage and even if you try to diffuse it with, “I have cheap breeches too!” “I really have all kinds of colors.” “I actually think I clean them just fine?” but it’s too late… They have found out your nefarious hatred for heinous breeches everywhere… Sigh.

Anyway Im having some kind of nostalgia lately. Lots of reasons I won’t go into here but its making all kinds of things seem so mall in the scheme of things. For now I just want to enjoy my riding and be thankful for the different horses I get to use and work with J

So I promised to talk about some of the training Ive learned lately and one of them is a biggie to me of late. Change of figures. Do something a few times and move on. Figure 8’s? Great do a few each way. 20 meters? Get a good one and move on. Rail? Yes but come off and onto it a few times in small s’s and wide s’s and add circles sprinkled in. Change of direction often. If there is resistance longer than a few strides it’s not going to change by doing exactly the same thing for another few strides

Offering a bed before the horse is to the outside is pointless. Ask the horse onto the outside and then bend, even if it’s not perfect.

That’s all folks!

Happy New Year peeps!

 

 

 

So here are some pictures of the Walkaloosa J He is a joy to work with most days. Has a bolting issue whenever he has to work too much but luckily for me he is none too fast and very slow legged so it’s kind of like your fat Labrador at fetch vs. a greyhound. You think it’s cute when he tries to “run” because it’s a waddle.

 

Trouble is as he is getting fitter he is also a bit faster at ducking around when he does get loose from me a bit.

 

I try not to punish forward so I get run away with… A lot!

 

I have found some suppling work confuses him and makes for a mess of a ride so Ive tried to use big on the rail riding really forward and with lots of flexion down and then release once he gives.

Since these pictures I’ve had one really nice roundish ride but the TROT he does when he does it vaults me out of the saddle! He has some impulsion behind naturally which is nice but Im not used to it because my horses have been flattish of late.

Lately I have learned a few things about how horses should be “athletic” in every sense. Stretching, building muscle, and endurance.

 

 

 

 

Shut up dressage!!! I just need a facial! GOOOSH!

 Oh gads today I got some photos sent to me of my riding in great gloriously rolled detail. Somebody's been eating well this holiday and her name rhymes with Mrs. Off breed.

I bake cookies like everyday right now like some kind of crazy cookie monster who doesn’t have to ever ever fit inside of her jeans again? Let alone her brand new jean full seat breaches.

Blachhhh! Someone teach me how be finicky… Please? I want to whine and send things back at resteraunts. I want to pick at my meal and have people beg me to "Woulja just eat something skinny!"

Ah well back to running and pilates!

Once in a while I just want my dressage area of my brain to shut off so I can be girly for a while and simple minded for a minute.

I never hack out anymore. I never just go to ride but I DO enjoy myself a lot! But there is life in the saddle and then that other life in between that is only getting in the way of saddle time. I enjoy my family of course and love them dearly, but aside from them I get x amount of minutes for mommy self time. Its either spent on horses or horses for the most part but some days a gal just needs a break from everything EVEN SOMETHING SHE LOVES!

Happy Christmas EVERBODY!

 

And shut up dressage Im going to have a break!

 

Walk your own loosa.....

Meet my newest off breed member of the fam!

Soldier boy!

He is a (drumroll please) Walkaloosa!

Half Tennessee Walker and half Appaloosa :D

I have ridden him about 5 rides and they have varied from extra interesting to cant steer to a bit of bolting away in canter since he doesnt like the left lead to surprise surprise this boyo has some moves in him!

Very green, but has been hacked around on the trails so has some miles under his belt. Just dont ask for circles or steering!
He doesnt gait and he can trot with actually nice regularity.

Quick pics for your viewing pleasure!

 

 

Can't you cant- er -er - Basics in your face!

So I totally forgot to talk about some things I have learned along the way and so instead of doing it all in one post Ill talk a bit about each gait.

I have been smurfing along and rubbing shoulders with GP riders to try and steal some of their "ways" and though it doesnt magically make me wake up a female Edward Gal (Or a male Anky??) I have learned quite a bit!

Basics basics basics.

I go read about people hob nobbing (sp?) with those who get hob nobbed on and all I see are... Good. Solid. Basics.

Lack of fear of new things and hard things but in small bites, but really, essentially, boring smoring basics perfected.

Leg yeild seems to the be the current old new and yes even at canter.

But wait! Wont their legs tangle up and everyone die? Small bits and bites my cool reading friend. Tiny ones. Personally at canter I like to do it at a walk or trot first before canter to make sure all coordination is good and they are supple enough anyway.

Then once I am cantering I like to just use it a tiny bit like if Im at the rail and could inch a bit closer to start.

Of course spiral in and out using it a bit there on a circle.

Then after they show ability with this I will at a later point do a very straight canter asking for them to move laterally yes :)

These pics dont show any lateral just canter to share but that is one tidbit at this gait that Ive learned recently to use in my tool belt. Ill try to put more each time I think about as I go!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pilates struggle and some pics!

Sooooooo I always have some fad diet or some new workout I’m trying, because conventional things like denying myself cookies (which I’m eating some right now) and just doing basics like walking and jumping jacks don’t seem to cut it with me.

 

So I tried Pilates last night. Oh, no, not just any Pilates where you lay on the floor and have to hold different painful positions that have you checking your bday date to make sure you actually are not 90 years old because you must be if the gal on the screen can keep her leg in that position…. I call this the cat cleaning itself position, anyway if the gal is holding that position and not only are you NOT able to do it you are also very much obviously doing something else entirely. You cant even fake it…. Not even close.

No. I did the resistance Pilates with the stretchy thing should come with a date on it of expiration because I swear after too many stretches it WILL break and honest to goodness its going to happen when I’m in the worst position ever, with my eye lined up directly with its trajectory.

Have I told you that I am clumsy yet? Oh, well, let me just be sure you realize just how clumsy. Ive literally stepped into not one, two , but THREE items on my floor that COULD be stepped into since having a daughter. Oh well that happens you say. Not at the same time. Foot goes into little tiny wagon, I jump hop and trip into another foot into a box, the one in the wagon leaves the sliding plastic vehicle of death and steps into the play box. Imagine the stupidest stunt on a comedy you have seen? That was me. Only I was dead serious, and probably on my iphone.

My husband tells me all of the time I’m clumsy. Like whenever I’m carrying something fragile he says, “Are you sure about that?”

 

Anyway I simply cant tell you how stupid it was of an idea to give a clumsy person a stretchy thing and have her pull and wrap and pull it and supposedly try to do it all with a certain amount of grace. I looked like a bear that had just left hibernation and stepped into a trap.

 

Shwew.

 

Ok pics!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We wish you a merry counter canter and a happy square halt!

Have you ever just felt like the Holidays are going to suck the life out of your riding but its a really nice break?



Honestly I have been riding and working on my riding and reading up on my riding and posting on the boards about my riding and buying new stuff for my riding and dreaming about my riding and then well it is Thanksgiving/Christmas/New year and repeat, buuuu--- uuuut this year I just feel like taking some time to do the dang thing. Yep. Meals and all, tree and decor.

Seriously, this has nothing to do with my new status as a mother ( eye roll ). No really. Okay maybe a little teeny tiny stocking at the end of my non-existing-military issued imaginary chimney has something to do with it.

Instead, this year, I put the brakes on the whole rush towards I dunno what and decided it was time for a little break :)

If it goes anything like my riding I will have to take a few lessons in turkey basting, and probably forget to drop my heels while baking santas cookies.

Dashing through the snow, on a one horse open sleigh? Is he behind the verticle you ask?

Be happy if he has a bridle that fits I reply.

And just what in the North Pole is a jingle horse? (giddyup jingle horse pick up your feet)

Speaking of picking up your feet have you been on the boards lately? All of that new stuff going on there!? JUUUST kidding. Its still right were you left it mid mud slinging at anyone who can actually ride the jingle into their horses vs the shuffle into their buffalo.




So I have a new vid even if it is a bit choppy. My camera gal was too busy to really do it in the end and had to deal with kidlets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e9Vmrr4KCg


I will leave you with this. My daughter just got a new rocking horse from her Auntie from the west. It neighs and makes sounds. The first thing she did was try and check its teeth... Good girl.