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.

Ain't that a kick in the head...

After a fried onion and a baked chicken I ate myself full enough to start thinking too deeply for any good to come of it.

I started to think about what it I would actually do with all of this useless knowledge about leg yields and transitions if I ever decided to give up on my riding endeavors.

At three thousand visits someone has to be reading this so I ask this of you. Imagine if I decided to give my career the attention it deserves and I climbed the ladder up to the big high rises where I picture a far more likable boss.  I’m crossing the road fully dressed the part (I picture myself very thin in this scene), and as I go to step across the lines in the roadway suddenly I see a cavetti and feel that bounce the horse gives going over those manmade hazards (albeit effective) that they are.

Would it all be worth it? Naaah.

 I imagine that there a quite a few people overseas reading these and thinking, “Oh that fattish American, how can she ride in that unfashionable riding attire and crooked helmet?”

Well the boots are on order for the second time… So there.

Now onto business. I’ve been training with a new trainer for a couple of months. She is German and like a real German from Germany unlike my half breed German self that only really means I have big bones, feet, and have a forehead that just keeps going.

My seat is getting the overhaul it needs, and we are working towards some real sitting trot this round… Instead of that bouncing awful forcing it to work sitting trot that I was doing before.

 

Things are looking up. Really up and I don’t have much else to say. I want to wait to do an updated vid because honestly we are in that in between stage where I hate everything I tape because I know better.

 

I KNOW BETTER!