Swamps fixin to be full! WARNING! Evil ponies, high water, and boot camp ahead! (Plus a nifty video update)

I did another bit of the ole Zumba class again and tried a lil short 30 minute deal called boot camp where they unfortunately attempt to remain as close to the real thing as the class area will allow… I was sore from the “boot camp” workout for like… Well till now a week or so later.

I am posting my new video… Old news to me since it has been rah rah raining! For like ever out here… Can’t really complain since last years drought made hay the price equivalent of an anniversary diamond…

Er well if people would stop using it as patriotic art… Feed some animals and paint on a real poster board like normal people (shakes fist without much effort cause I’m still sore).

Anywho, Ginger is really coming along, well was at least she was before the deluge. The weather has really put a damper on all of my best laid plans to be somebody in 6-12 months but we have about 2 years stationed here and I don’t have a ton of thought to show immediately so… (cue music for Jeopardy… there let that play - on loop).

The video shows the attack of the evil miniature… He is short fat and rarely moves but... – Detour here.

The Red Bullet gets thusly named by me because after we had a pig visit the farm for a while and then disappear (er they eat stuff around here at farms… sorry) Gin seems to feel like the miniature that’s enclosure shares a fence line on one side of the arena is somehow related to the pig that used to end up in her shed eating her food and basically scaring the poop out of her and her neighbor… When he (the miniature we are talking about him again as ole what's his name but he tastes delicious is in piggy heaven) dares to move around in his own pen being that he is knee level and as wide as a 4 wheeler - there must be some ulterior motive to all of that tiny mouth eating he does on the grass! When he is not in the same spot the next go around of arena rail she demands to be able to stare.. Only that seemingly adds to the nerves about said killer pony and a couple of times we have left that side of the arena race horse style… Hey, she was bred for it remember!

So we have sorted it out to a degree, but there was the rain making rides days even weeks in-between causing the pony issue to be more issue than pony lately …. Guffaw!

No biggie, I ride at the far end for now trying to just focus on our connection… Oops, can’t fool the Red bullet and that evil pony has been more alive then fat sleepy/dead lately, “Whats his deal? Why can’t he just stay in his shed?” The Red bullet snorts this at me every other ride.

I see this'

But she sees this '

 Sigh, “Look Ginger, he is a tiny menace to society. NO doubt he is planning the assignation of every quick and feisty redhead in the barn as well as something innocuous like world domination, BUT, and this is a big BUT! Ginger, are you listening? He is about the size of a golden retriever, and you have shown quite clearly I might add dear girl! That you can outrun him and with style.”

Another snort and we are in agreement moving forward, but it takes a few silent arguments of this nature to get the point made… ON both sides ;)

Now another phenomenon beside homicidal miniatures… My outward pointing toes (dun dun duuuuun Jaws music please). I am trying to remain loose in my seat but the parts that are supposed to tighten up seemingly are resistant to doing so much erm, work? And here I thought that my two Zumba classes would have put my riding level GP by now?!! Well at least PSG…. I mean I jumped around for an hour each for GOLDYLOCKSGYM sakes, and I demand results or I’m going to eat a cheeseburger right this instant! As well as last night.  

But alas, the muscles are not enough, and the loose is becoming better, hence the loose is out weighing the strength… In time, in time (sigh sigh sigh grrrrrr jump jump- bootcamp pushup pushup zumbaaaaaaaaa).

Video to include my entire blog but in 10 minutes… Yes, you could have skipped to this part instead of listening to me blather but you are either related to me or I have asked you recently to read my blog and you feel obligated in some way to actually do it.

Love you Grandma!

Greeks can Cha-cha too! (The chronicles of the Zumba rider continues)

I think every rider has seen the ancient horse statues as a symbol of partnership through the ages… Like crop circles in a field, they provide a certain validation. We are crazy… But we are not alone J Not in this world and not throughout history.

The greek’s have the horse thing covered… I mean Alexander the Great sets the war horse tone with his Bucephalus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucephalus from ancient times and his horsey relationship is well documented… Even the greek word praus is where we english speaking peeps get the word meek from - meaning power under control (in context with animals particularly the taming of a high spirited horse). 

One put it: Harnessed power but never forfeited.

I kinda like that!

An oh so interesting thing to think about, since we riders completely understand when we have more power then control and vice versa

We aim to find a balance, or at least a close version of it. The goal of a ride is to end up getting off on a good note… But some days we get off with a pasted smile while the inner child with Olympic dreams cry's a tiny yell of defeat and dies a little more.

Dramatic>?!???? Do you KNOW any actual riders? I think I am mellow… By standards (cough).

Anywho, I do have a new video of me and the Red bullet.

Preview

I’ll get to that…. For now I am updating you on the Zumba soggy bottom saga. Now say THAT ten times fast ! It’s cha-cha-riffic and the only way to get a room full of grown woman shaking their ta-ta’s in the name of health without having dollars thrown at them.

Don’t worry guys! (like guys read this)

We think we look like this

But actually we look like this

N—ooo --- ooo --- t pretty, eh?

Oh, I have so much to blog about lately. Klassical dressage, wessage, pony envy, and BB boards that need a “Stop the insanity clique”.

Alas, only so much time - back to the jiggling.

So the very same day I put my foot down (resounding jiggle), I checked my gym schedule to see that very eve there was a class… 2$? Who cares if I already pay a membership… Sold!

Now, my first instinct was to invite everyone I knew to come with because I hate doing these very social but awkwardly so events. I wanna meet you and see you sweat- in that order.

My friends were supportive:Last minute invite to go workout at the gym when I am supposed to be eating dinner with my family? Sure! You can guess how many people offered to come with me…. Zero or cero ? Spanish in the name of Zummmmmbbaaaaaaaaaaaa!

It doesn’t hurt that everytime I hear Zumba I think Simba from the Disney movie The Lion King where Mufasa yells SIMBA!!!!! Before falling to his death… Well I usually change my thoughts to the Hakuna Matata song at that point as I did when I was a child watching that horror scene blocking my thoughts subconsciously of my own death and that of my family with songs about “don’t worry for the rest of your days!” Lifes lessons in cartoon… Who thought of this?… Bambi anyone?

So the class begins with an energetic tiny woman who kills the lights (thank God) and hits the music…. Cha cha! Everybody! (rolled r’s)

Shake this and shake that, jump jump jump, and even turn around a lot of times so the people in the back of the room get their chance to be up front exactly where they DIDN’T want to be… Ugh! No winning with my stay at the back routine this time. Can’t fool you tiny energetic woman with hips that shake like a salt shaker!

Thankfully my previous dance classes helped me stay in time and in line… Er NOT! I was floundering around cha’s and ta’s since it is simply a follow along and eventually you will get it type class. Eventually.  IF not drop your 2$’s in the jar and hit the road jack.

Good thing was, I was so busy jumping around and around in the dark room to the actually pretty motivating music, I had no time to think about much else then the calories I was burning.

Bonus!

My horsey and her back will thank me!

But then the strangeness begins… The music changes and another person comes mysteriously to the center of the room... She begins a slower more sensuous dance… Belly dancing>? I am checking around to make sure one of the Zumbaist haven’t gone postal. Like maybe one of the suburbanites have finally cracked. One too many pop tart requests at the Smith house this afternoon and Mr. Smith is late from work again since that new receptionist with the body of a fourteen year old started, and she has decided to take it out on all of us Zumba enthusiast because we embody the sexy and foreign (obviously)…

Okay, anyway, no one is freaking, so she must be part of the regularly scheduled program, and apparently everyone gets these nifty jingly waste bands decorated with flashy jewelry and things that make bell sounds to put on for effect. Er… You all have them? Im the only one who does not? You want to know if I want to borrow your’s? Um, maybe next time, I’m still new at this (and incredibly unsure if I want to wear a harem girls outfit to work out, I mean I just met you people)… Besides it may clash with my nike wear?

So after a song or two of this it becomes okay, or maybe I am too tired to protest at this point, hence it being towards the end of the class. But then suddenly we went back to more jumping and sweating.

At the end of the class when you are partially delusional from your brain being sloshed around Zumba style you are able to purchase one of the fancy shmancy get ups to be your own private harem girl at home (nod).

Ohhh could I!???

Plenty to like and I will be returning as it is a very fun cardio class that keeps me moving-harem outfits notwithstanding J

Zumba for Black Beauty!! Video time... Er yay?

Did I promise the good the bad and the ugly? Yes, well yes I did.

So I set up the new camera in the arena… Pointed not quite right, and then ran a “test run” by hopping on directly without warm up or anything to just see what we would get.

No edit other than parts where I am completely missing from view…

Now mind you, for the Red bullets length of time back under saddle she is actually doing everything I could ask of her…. That was the not the problem.

Aside from my obvious inability to film myself without cutting half of the ride off, I noticed something.

Something kinda bouncy… Kinda opposite of firm… Kinda round…

Cue scary music.

THE DREADED HOLIDAY BOOTY!

Between weather/job pushing my riding back to weekends and my own sudden interest in cereal at midnight… I’ve have managed not only to pack on a few, but also to let it get as jiggly as a gummy bear on a hot day… Doing some hip hop.

More cushin for the pushin…. Well the red bullet would say leave all that rap video shake for the bedroom. If she has to carry me around on her back, then maybe I could do a sit up more than to get out of bed.

I joke, I joke, but let us take a little detour shall we?

Ginger came to me as the good ole gal. She is just kind and generous and even though she can be bit HIGH OCTANE at certain moments, her overdrive is hardly a shortcoming.

But the strangest thing is every time I say her name I am reminded of the Ginger in Black Beauty. That movie impacted my life at such a young age like none other. Horrified, I would still watch it… And the scene of the dead Ginger on the cart haunts me to this day…. Well that and the naughty pony and evil children with whips.

Years later to get a horse uncannily close to what the Gingers used look like, as well as have her be an older horse that’s had so much life before her (of course this Ginger was well cared for). Full circle I’d say, and for some reason it gives me such a soft spot for her, being that this is the life the fictional ginger should have had.

And we intend to keep it so ;)

Some quotes from the author:

“Oh! if people knew what a comfort to a horse a light hand is...” 
― Anna Sewell, Black Beauty

“we call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.” 
― Anna Sewell, Black Beauty

“My troubles are all over, and I am at home; and often before I am quite awake, I fancy I am still in the orchard at Birtwick, standing with my friends under the apple trees.” 
― Anna Sewell, Black Beauty [With Gold-Toned Horse Charm Necklace]

I choke up quite a bit at that last one… If you know the book or movie you do understand I would think.

Anyway… To make things happier again… Onto the Zumba part in all of this.

So since I am all about fair to the horse, fair to the rider… I needed to work on my seat, and not just by sitting on the poor beast some more (frowny face).

So diet? Yeah, I guess. Exercise? Okay sure but what?

I begrudgingly pull up my local gym calendar to find all sorts of fun classes that sound interested but really boil down into, “We have to make kicking, jumping, and laying on the floor in various dirty positions sound cool so we give it a foreign spin by using names like Pilates, Yoga, Kickboxing, and Zumba.”

Ohhhh Zumba.. That sounds foreign enough for me! Sign me up!

Video to include us settling into work at about 2 minutes if you want to skip that… Or to skip the entire parts where I remain jello and go to another thinner more refined rider video… Be my quest ;)

We don't always do the ride thing... Learning under fire!

So if you see (yay) in this post… Picture sarcastic  and monotone. (yay)

Okay so usually this comes with pictures, and an update on progress, but we have had rain… And I have had lots of coffee so musings is all ya get (yay)

But I did ride tonight so…. Imagine me, the lights (it was after 6 in the winter so it may as well have been midnight), and Ginger…. Oh and this is after two weeks of sitting so… (another yay)

We have been using a new fangled gadget (will do an entire post about that later with pics) and it has been doing lots on the lunge that I can see in terms of stretching… But I wanted to get on and do some stretchin–stretchy–stretcherton tonight…

That went from maybe, to a um after I warm up?, to a PROBABLY NOT BUD!

Basically my horse was rubbernecking at the rail like she’d seen an accident three car lengths ahead and if she was an eye witness to the carnage it wouldn’t haunt her or her kids in the back of the van for the next five years… Ten if she had a healthy vivid memory…

Sorry where was I?

Oh yeah, we would get a long thoroughbred neck to the left, then back to her regularly scheduled bending program, and back again. So I did whatever any good adoring dressage fan would and asked myself, “What would Carl Hester do?” I know it used to be Anky but she is out… I mean what was with that whole Rolkur thing right? Okay, okay, I know I would give half of my brain matter to be able to ride with a tenth of her ability… Helk I’d even Rolkur little puppies at the pound if it would mean… Kidding folks, kidding!

Wait where was I? Okay, so I was just going to stray away from my usual warm up tonight. The warm-up where I wander around on a long rein amelessly practicing bicycling backwards to loosen up.

Instead tonight we needed to get busy… Or we were going to end up with a “situation”.

So trotting off we go… A red pogo stick and the stiff paranoid rider on her back. The paranoid part comes from the fact that while my horse may be ignoring the shadows, noises, and various things unseen at the present… Because of her energy level I assume that if I spot the invisible ghost in the trees before she does, I’ll somehow be able to stop her from seeing and reacting to its malicious gaze.

Crazier things have happened… No really (yay)…. That one was just to make sure you were paying attention.

Okay so I am all about posting the trot… Especially because my horse is still fitting up…

Detour.

I’ve always felt that posting the trot is imperative to an unfit or young horses development. In reality it all boils down to this. My fat ammy booty is ½ of the time off of my developing horses back. Essentially it is a break from me 50% of the time at one gait. Any kind of break you can give the poor horse yolked into helping you learn is A okay in my book.

I crack myself up… Get it? Booty crack….(LOL!)

But tonight… I felt that any space between me and my horse would only create room for more error, error as in if she decided to leave the space we occupied, I would error in being able to transport with her… Don’t forget there are ghost (nod).

So I sat - Cue the pulling out of hair by every classical rider who is view this. I. am. Sorry.

Look I prayed to the core gods, and asked for super strength to sit as gently as possible… But I sat.

Shwew, now that I’ve shared that little nugget of insanity, I can continue.

The good news is that the giant man aka Ary the Friesian has really worked on my ability to find a nice balance without plop plop plopping on the surface of my saddle, and so even though you’d expect my horse to go super hollow, run for the hills, maybe even post about me on the dressage boards… She actually settled nicely into work after about 5-10 minutes of the tiny mince steps. I kept a very close leg and shorter reins then usual asking for forward into contact and just ready with an even more forward hand whenever she decided to stretch a little.

Reward, reward, reward…. Sometimes I say it allowed while riding that giving of the rein and I say good reward J

Now the tension I have found if you are brave enough…. Come on now, we all have had those MAN UP rides where we had to pull on big girl panties, or breeches what have you…. But if you are brave enough you can use the tension to spice things up a bit.

Walk to canter transitions? No problem. Shoulder ins with energy in the hind leg? Of course!

So we utilized the excitement…. But I wont lie… It took oh about every other stride of me remember to give my inside rein… And even then I felt EVERY mistake that I made with my heightened spidy senses alive and well when I expect my horse to go rocket pony at any minute J

So eventually I had to apply the leg a bunch at the canter as she burned all of her energy offering larger trots with more active steps and biting off more than she could chew essentially fitness wise.

So much so that her halts were on the forehand and lazy by the time we were done…. Had to address that little issue with a walk through the halt a few times…

Tada! Nice late night ride…. And you all thought the mighty TB didn’t have it in her J

Myth buster? - Or just a buster… The mighty Thoroughbred

Athletic, forward, made for endurance… They have it all in spades.

Myth: All thoroughbreds are spooky.

Fact: If you are riding a spooked thoroughbred he can run away faster than any of your other horses :D

They may not on average be an ammy riders dream come true straight off of the track, but look into the programs available and you might just find your horsey soul mate.

My advice as always is to get a good trainer to help you pick one if you decide that the speedier friend is just the right type of horse for you.

Intro: Ginger! Aka Gin, mama, and she pretty much answers any other name if you are holding a carrot. She is owned by yours truly ;)

Ginger is an unraced Thoroughbred mare, about 15.1. She seems to have speed whenever she gets her play on, but otherwise I don’t know if she ever was even tried under racing tack.

Anywho, she foaled last year and was off of riding for that year, starting back around oct-nov of 2011.

A restart from scratch! Fitness obviously is more of our focus at the moment, but we start all of ours in connection (lightly) and even though we try for a longer rein we don’t like “floating” them to the horse. Involved but not in the way if you catch my meaning…

Her current workout program is lots of little short rides… Shorter reps vs. endurance

Pictures to include three months along in training and we both are attempting to find some balance :) Hopefully I'll keep getting pics of this girl! We've snapped about 10 shots total to get these from start to finish so blurry ones included!

To the trot-mobile Batman! An off-breed that specializes in the Ta Ta TROT!

If you were wondering just WHAT in the swamps is going on with my seat... Well I will tell ya :)

(A little backwoods Louisiana humore there ;))

Ary has a fantastic trot.... Nuff said.

This boy makes the abflexorplus look like a walk in the park... On a sunny day... With ice cream (Mmm that sounds good).


SINCE beginning my adventure with the big black steed, I've tried a myriad of things to sit, post, even sway side to side, maybe jiggle, flail, shuffle, roll, snuggle, maybe even twitch this way and that to prevent the dreaded DEFENSE posture...

No, I know what you are thinking... Does that mean she is scared? Oh well bless her heart and get her a xanex and a cocktail!

No, not a scared defensive seat, though we will get to that eventually as I plan on riding some of the more nerve racking ones for my blog... Later... Much latter (bites nails).

No my dear hearts, this is the dreaded defensive seat that goes like this... "I do not like to sit this trot, I do not feel right in this spot, I do not like to post this step, I do not like it without prep, I was not prepared for what I got, and I now my toes point out and will not stop" Or something like that. I'm simply not FIT enough for this huge motion, nor do I have the ability from memory (since I've RARELY ridden such a big moving horse) to force the issue.

Shwew, now that THAT'S out of the way... Let's move on shall we? Well you move on and I'll continue shaking my head at my pictures.

So onto our work at the ta ta trot!

With this big ole man, you'd think that one could get away with really moving your hands around, or a strong connection... WRONG! I actually have to be lighter and send light little vibes to his big boned frame... Ya know, appeal to his feminine side (grin).

I think twinkle toes, and he thinks twinkle toes.... Very sensitive creatures these beauties are.

I also have to find that "happy" place in balance before really sending him forward because he is easily undone and has to focus on his balance, and feel secure. He does not like feeling rushed anymore than I do at  Walmart when I can't decide if the Walmart brand cereal really IS the same ingredients.

This horse appreciates the softer side of riding, and happy easy work with lots of allowances... Don't they all ;) Warm up to include bend in and out at the walk on a long rein.

Pictures to include lots of funky toe angles... Still working on that !

Ary makes huge strides in canter :) (With or without me!)

Warning this post will definitely make you want to buy a big hairy black horse and prance around in your back yard... Well any yard for that matter.

Ary is NOT my horse... But the lovely guy has been letting me ride him for the last month. My trainer started him about 5 months ago back into dressage (he had some very, very small amounts of training before she worked with him) and while he has some lovely moments, he SURE can get heavy fast as he is no more interested in lifting that huge head and neck than his rider.

Behind the leg is the name of the game and around we attempt to 'pull' him into a 'frame', and will flat out REFUSE TO canter if not on the aids. To start with he was like two parts of Halloween costume with one guy in front and one in the back... How DO they pick the rear person I've always wondered?

Folks this sturdy pony will say NO THANKS by trotting your teeth out of your good forsaken skull if you do not have him on the aids... Lucky for me, I needed to work on my issue with quickness (wink wink).

So, a few weeks ago we went for BIGGER canter departure from the walk... Well bigger as in not just sitting there listening to crickets. 

Any who, it wasn’t very pretty, and I had a closed throat latch and felt like I could use a launching pad as we sprung upwards like a horse in the Lipizzaner show case.... Can you say Klassical? But we controlled the outside shoulder and VOILA, problem solved... 

BUT! Now for some finesse!

Pics to include toes out and bad posture... I'm still an Ammy even if I have blogomania :D