Top 26 lessons I've Learned...

What an educational year we've had! WOW!! Well guys we did it. I have been showing my horse for an entire year. I have dreamed of doing this since I was a little girl and I have actually done it!! And I might add that I did it fairly successfully considering my experience level and the horse I was riding! It has been a incredibly fun time and I have really learned some invaluable lessons this year. I wanted to make a list of these top things I've learned to share with you. Hopefully you can read this list and no matter your experience level, learn something yourself. Maybe you will read this and fondly remember when you learned some of these lessons with your horse. So here we go with my list...I really hope you enjoy it!

1. A "half halt" is really not a halt at all...it is more of a thing you do with your booty and hands...I am sure that many of my college friends would agree with this sentiment. I have actually done quite a bit of half halting in my college years....hehehe

2.Side Reins look NOTHING like real reins. They look more like some werido dominatrix tool than they do a horse training tool.

3. Launching yourself onto the back of a horse from the ground is much harder than it looks.

4Just because you think you deserved a 65% does NOT mean that the judge did.

5. Just because it is a "fancy" horse does not mean that it is a "fancy" rider.

6. YET, some of the most fancy horses have the most genuinely nice people.

7. Can't load a horse? Back your trailer in an alley way

8. A Swishing tail tells your trainer loads about what you are really doing in the saddle

9. Just because it is a safe horse does not mean that you will not be hurt.

10.Just because your interpretation of a 20 meter circle is more like a 20 meter egg does not mean that the judge will agree with you. Dressage is an art, but there is no room for personal interpretation.

11.Grey horses are unbelievably crazy hard to keep clean.

12. Yes, horses get sunburn

13.Sheath cleaning is probably more gross than cleaning teeth. Yeah its that bad.

14.You cannot compare someone that has ridden 1 year to someone that has ridden 20+. That's a very fast way to ruin confidence.

15.Sit the hell back already!

16.There is no sexual connotation when your trainer yells at you "Stick your Chest out!"

17.The barn is a true to life time warp. Every time I am out there time travels at a very fast rate.

18. Just because a horse is not "fancy" in the dressage way of thinking, does not mean that they are unable to teach you how to ride...and live.

19.You must crawl before you walk and walk before you run.

20. I am an amateur rider. End of story.

21.Big BIG difference in posting and bouncing...we are still working on this one :)

22.It is okay to make mistakes. We all do, especially when we are learning.

23.Making mistakes is the ONLY way to learn...how else would you know you learned anything??

24.After all of these years, Honesty is STILL the best policy. Never lie to yourself.

25. If you find yourself starting to get frustrated in the saddle, stop, take a deep breath and remind yourself that you are on an animal. His life's ambition is to eat hay all day long. He really could care less about getting in frame. And THEN and only then should you proceed.

and the most important lesson I have learned this year....

26.Riding should always be fun. If it is not, change something about what you are doing.

So there you have it. Those are my top 26 things I have learned this year. Some of these lessons were extremely hard for me to learn and I am still learning. But learning new things, I believe, is what keeps me going, and hoping for a new and better tomorrow. I will be a better rider tomorrow because of what I learned today. This whole game we play is like building a house-You gotta have that strong foundation first.

I really have to stop here and thank my trainer yet again for all of the hard work and dedication that she has put into me and my horse. She has pulled us right along this year and because of her we have had more fun than you could ever imagine! Not only have I gotten a fabulous trainer out of this deal, but a best friend. We have done lots of cursing, whacking, pushing, pulling, relaxing...tensing, yelling, flexing, joking, and most importantly laughing. And I must admit just even a little bit of crying :) but through it all, we survived and I'm a better rider for it. Thank you Katie.

So until we meet again friends, remember its not what you know, but where you are going and how you get there that really counts. Never stop learning and never under any circumstances ever think you know it all. Learning is what makes this sport fun, otherwise we'd all be in the Olympics! Ha!

Keep your hands soft and eyes up into the future. We'll make it there someday :) And I'll wait at X for you!

Motorcycles and Moving On...

So it's yet another Friday night at the house and these are the times that I can sit and reflect on all things me and Styx. I am positive that it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Torin is in the den watching yet another edition of Sports Center, and everything to do with I would much rather think of my sweet horse than wash another load of clothes...I can get to that later!

So as promised, I am going to write about last September. As hard as it is going to be to try and recall all that I felt when it happened, I am going to do it so you will all know how much it means to me that one day we are going to be able to ride into a dressage arena and win a blue ribbon together.

So lets start at the beginning....Monday September 22, 2008.

Styx and I were post-first show and starting to work on my seat a little more. I had one of my usual Monday afternoon lessons and we decide to put Styx on a lunge line and take my reins from me. Things were going great with that lesson and I was even to the point where I could post his huge trot with my hands out to my sides. I was very pleased with where things were going...but apparently he was not. So as we get going he starts to buck and I sat down on him and hung the hell on! But he bucked and bucked and bucked and bucked some more until I lost both stirrups and the saddle started slipping so I just decided to bail before it got really nasty. I took a little fall, but I was okay. Nothing horrible, you know it just kinda happens when you ride as much as we do. My first fall after 13 years. It almost was like being inducted back into an elite sorority. I could say to all of my peers, "yeah, my horse has bucked me off...so what??" You know, play the "I'm so tough and a really good rider card". Anyway, So I got back on and continued my work. I felt 100% afterwards. Not sore or stiff...nothing. I just knew that I would be sore about 30 minutes following the fall, but I wasn't! Until the next day that is....

Tuesday September 23, 2008

A day that will haunt my dreams for the rest of my life. I can remember the night before just having a nauseous feeling all night long. It was so weird. I could tell something wasn't right. We had thunderstorms roll through that night and maybe that was what unsettled me, but this was different. I woke up that morning feeling like...well, to be frank, shit. I was sore as all get out from my little fall, I was still nauseated, my head was stuffed up and I felt feverish. ICK!! I did manage to drag in to work, and Torin and I went to Julies Deli for lunch that day. I still didn't feel well as I tried to stomach down the potato soup, but I just felt that if I could get through my day I could go out to the barn, see my boy, and get home into bed ASAP. And that is when I got the text message from Katie. I will never ever forget what it read and where I was when I read it. "The horses got loose last night and Styx was hit by a motorcycle. I'm so sorry. Talking to the cops now." It was almost like an out of body experience...was she joking? "Ha Ha Mary Collin, I bet you wish he had been hit by a motorcycle because he threw you!" I mean lets face it, horse gets hit by a...motorcycle?!? What?? But as I read it and re-read it aloud to Torin it kinda started to sink in. So I called her. I can still hear her terrified voice explaining the situation to me. The horses got out... Styx had been hit...we still haven't found them....we still haven't found them...we still haven't found them....

5 words. Those 5 words are words no horse owner ever wants to hear. Not to mention, Your horse has been hit. That's when everything kinda went blurry for about 30 minutes or so. I vaguely remember calling my boss explaining the situation to him, him telling me to go take care of it, bawling my eyes out hysterically in Torins truck, hyperventilating uncontrollably, and mostly praying for God to take care of him until I found him.

I got in my Yukon and rushed to the barn at an extremely high rate of speed. I can recall passing several police cars on my way out, but to no avail they did not stop me. Thank goodness, because I don't know that I would have stopped or that they would be able to understand a word that came out of my mouth because of the on going hyperventilating.

I met Katie at the barn, and for those of you who do not know Katie she is a very collected person. I haven't seen her ever get very upset, even in a crisis situation. And with what we were presented, I definitely have to give her props for being a calming force for me. Once I got in her car and we were looking for horses it occurred to me that she was freaking out as much as I was. How bad was he? Is he alive? Is he walking? Will he be laying down? How hard could it be to find a huge grey horse in a neighborhood? Thousands of questions...Millions of what ifs...and one big certainty. My horse was hit by a MOTORCYCLE, Mary Collin, its going to be bad no matter what. Get ready for it.

After jetting around the neighborhood for about 20 minutes, someone tells us they had found them grazing in a backyard. So we drive up to where they had been found and I see Legend grazing fine and Spirit grazing...but where was Styx? My horse...my show horse....my best friend. And there he was grazing along with the rest of them. Who knew gray could blend into the scenery so well? We must have driven past this house 100 times!

We parked and grabbed the halters for them and then it occurred to me that I was fixing to get my verdict. Was I really ready for this? Did I want to see how bad it was? Here it is plain and simple. You will get a birds eye view of it. Take a deep breath and hold it together...he is depending on you for his care. As I was walking over to him he looked up at me...not the usual Styx way, but a "Who are you...are you going to hurt me?" way. I could tell he was not being my usual Styx that I could walk up to in the paddock and slip a halter on. As I continued to approach him he went back to grazing and I could get a good look at his body...and it looked fine! I mean he was still standing wasn't he? But what about the other side...what was it going to look like? Was I ready for this? Was there going to be a bone sticking out of the other side? Breathe...Breathe...Breathe....

Then I took my first look at it. All I can remember at first was seeing this red red blood on my perfectly gray horse. I never realized how red blood really is. I mean, I look at blood everyday, doesn't bother me a bit, but I never take the chance to just look at it, you know? But seeing the contrast on that beautiful gray coat was nothing short of gut wrenching. I could consciously feel my gut turn over. Not because of the gore, but because he was mine. This was my horse...my very first horse. That I had only had for 3 months. My instant best friend and my promise of perfect afternoons. My buddy that was going to tackle the dressage world with me! He was mine and here he was ripped wide open for the elements to invade and set up infection. My medical mind went straight to work and I knew we had to get him to a vet NOW. But before the vet came the trailer...he was in some strangers back yard after all. He had to get in a trailer so we could get him to the vet...but before the trailer came the walk. He had to walk to get on the trailer.

This was the moment of truth. Could he put weight on it? If not what do we do from there? I tugged on the lead rope but to no avail...he wasn't budging. Then the water works started...I couldn't help it. He wouldn't walk! I kissed at him and tugged on him, but he just stared back at me with his big dark eyes that seemed to say "I'm not sure what is going on, but I am in a lot of pain." I desperately looked to Katie for help and thank GOD for good friends, she came and took the lead from me and made him walk. He limped on it obviously but at least he was putting weight on it. I could breathe a little easier now, but I wanted to hear from the vet to see what he thought as well.

Trailering this horse is sadly not a fun part of owning him. He is very particular to what he rides in. Its almost like a spoilt rich kid saying "No mother, I will NOT be seen driving some regular run of the mill car. I MUST drive a BMW!" Yes, he has to have the room to move around in the trailer. He must be a tad claustrophobic. Long story short, he got on a stock trailer owned by some very dear friends of the Droske's. If it weren't for them, I am still not sure how he would have gotten to the vet.

The next few days and weeks were a bit touch and go for me. I can remember laying down at night time and silently crying myself to sleep as not to wake Torin. And the dreams...oh the horrible nightmares that I have had where I can see the accident actually happening. After he got to Dr. Morgan and he sewed him up, I was told that most likely he would eventually be okay. The motorcycle had made a nasty gash in his gaskin area where there was some muscle tearing, the cannon bone had a superficial gash in it, and the pastern had a puncture wound (where we learned later from Dr. Lewis in Bossier City) had a bone chip out of it just superior to the ankle joint. Thanks to the beautiful suturing by Dr Morgan, Styx has minimal scarring from the wounds and thanks to the digital radiography at Dr. Lewis and Shwartz in Bossier City we learned that the pastern injury should not cause major problems to the ankle. Worst case scenario, he would have arthritis...so we started him on a joint supplement that day! We are so fortunate to have such talented equine veterinarians in this area. Me and my Styx are thankful for that daily!

So that is our motorcycle story. It is a bit hard to think back and re-live the horror and potential devastation that I knew would be mine, but it is part of our story. All horse lovers can agree that it is a special bond between human and horse, and I really think this pain we went through together cemented the bond that we already had. Yes, some days I hate that horse. With a passion...but don't we all "hate" our best friends every once in a while? I am sure there are days when he really hates me too! :) But those days when I can go out to the barn and bury my face in his neck just to inhale his scent as he turns to gently nudge me in the side with his nose like he is saying "What the heck are you doin? Lets ride already!"...those are the days that I know without a shadow of a doubt that he loves me too and as much as I love him. That, my friends is what horse ownership is all about. It is about the moments....

So when I can trot him down a center line to X and proudly smile back at the judge, I am going to remember our motorcycle days and just be thankful he is alive. So what if the judge gives me a 55%...at least he is allowing me to sit on his back and ride him. The motorcycle story will just add to the glory and gratification of our first blue ribbon.

My wonderful friends, I hope I have not bored you, but enlightened you. Be thankful for each day in the saddle and take nothing for granted. Relish those wonderful rides, and dream bigger each time in the irons. Keep soft hands, stay positive and halt at X.

Inexperienced Rider and Inexperenced Horse=not good.

Well, as you can clearly guess, I had a fairly rough day riding today. Like with any sport we have our days of greatness that make us think we are ready for an Olympic trial, yet we also have those days that we feel the need to go back over basic riding instruction...yes, I had one of those days today.



It has been quite a while since my last post so please allow me to catch you up. Since our last ride Styx and I have been through quite a ringer! Near the end of January my poor darling horse came up with a sore back so I went to riding a horse that we have at the barn named Sassy. Cute little quarter horse, ex-barrel racer, and about as far from my world as you can possibly get! It was a constant argument with her, but we did have a good few weeks of fun together before I came down with my own illness. Yes, I had quite the scare with a blood clot in my right leg but to spare you the story and me time I will keep the details to myself. Lets just say that it wasn't fun being stuck on the ground for 6 weeks....in the midst of show season beginning...when my lovely darling horse is actually...CAN WE SAY IT??? STARTING TO LOOK LIKE A DRESSAGE HORSE!?!?!

The time I was forced to spend on the sidelines my talented trainer Katie seemed to turn this ex-racer/hunter extraordinaire into a dressage horse. He could actually get around the arena in a constant frame without throwing his head in her face. I was so ready to get back into the saddle! I couldn't believe that this was finally happening! He just looked so lovely and FUN! I couldn't believe that just a short few weeks prior to that I was considering selling him! Yes, that will have to be yet another blog...



So, the weeks finally turned into 6 and it was time for me to get back in the saddle. I was so ready to try out this new horse that was presented to me! So I took my first few rides on my new and improved horse and I couldn't be happier! Before his canter was wild and out of control, but now it seemed as if it were smooth and rhythmic. I had a horse in my bridle! It was AWESOME!!!!!



Well, key word...was. Like previously stated, our sport is one of ups and downs, and today was honestly the first time I can ever remember that after dismounting my horse I proceed to throw my *new* helmet across the pasture (away from my horse and trainer of course!) out of frustration. I have been known to get frustrated in a MAJOR way, but never have I ever thrown something in a fit, and it was my brand new never worn helmet.



Looking back on it I really don't know what all went wrong. It was just, wrong from the get go. I will add to my favor that I was wearing spurs today and I'm still not sure how to use them properly, so that added to my frustration. I never felt like he got in frame nicely, his canter departs were wacky and he was dieing constantly when I felt like I was spurring the SH*T out of him. I dunno...I really feel like it was mostly my fault because when Katie rode him he looked fantastic! I just finally got to a point where I was like screw this, and Katie got back on and schooled him again. AND then he started bucking in his canter departs! I teach this horse horrible habits and when she tries to correct them, he throws one of his tantrums! UGH!



It totally sucks being an inexperienced rider on an inexperienced horse! For the first time in my life I am being forced to actually RIDE. In the past I have ridden what one may call an "automatic" horse. One that you can just sit on and steer around the arena. Not have to do much but sit up straight and look pretty....Styx on the other hand, is anything but that. Which in hind sight is a good thing because on a daily basis it teaches me how to be a damn good rider. But I just haven't made it there yet...



I must keep telling myself that I have only been doing this for a year. I get caught up with my friends that have grown up doing this thing for 20+ years and I compare myself to them constantly, and that's not fair to me. I know that Katie gets frustrated with me, but I have to give kudos to her for putting up with my crap. Most trainers wouldn't understand, but I really feel like she knows where my breaking point is and doesn't push me beyond it. That, my friends, is the mark of an excellent trainer. She knows when to push and when to give. Thank God for her.



So, WHEW...I feel better now after a bitch fest! :) HA! I guess I will strap my spurs on and try again tomorrow. Quit worrying about messing up my horse...he is my horse after all and I bought him for me to ride. If that means I will screw some "buttons" up in the mean time than so be it. At least I can afford a great trainer that can fix that for me! Sit tall and be quiet and soft in the hand. Remember that I am a much better rider now than where I was a year ago....so I can actually see growth when I look at it that way!

Until next time guys, ride with confidence, search hard for those great days, and as always Halt at X...or G depending on your test.

Quit Bitching and Ride Your Horse

Well, I managed to get back in the saddle again today...finally!! The rain stopped momentarily so that we could finally get a ride in! Too bad the monsoon will be back tomorrow, because good Lord Mary Collin needs the WORK.



I haven't actually ridden since the 14th so it was a LONG break for me to be out of the saddle. Along with the fact that I feel like I live in Seattle here lately, Katie came down with a bad case of strep throat and mono (ugh!) so I haven't really had the chance to get out and ride until today...and lord it showed.



It really amazes me how fast I revert to bad habits when I don't ride on a set schedule. I guess in theory it is good thing that I realize I am bad and not at my best, but when you ride Styx you have to be on your "A" game every second. This horse isn't giving you an inch if you don't ask right...and apparently I wasn't asking right very much today.



With Katie having mono I wanted to take the reins (haha no pun intended) into my own hands and try to pick up some slack. So I did what she usually does for me and lunged him and rode him myself first today. This is the first time I have worked him with me riding him first since the "accident". I could tell an obvious difference in him too...and not in a good way :) I wasn't sure what exactly what it was at first that was throwing him off, and I'm not real sure that I can adequately describe what I was feeling that felt off, other than just saying that it felt...well...just off! Almost like he was a bit explosive underneath somewhere. Evidently he was not fully warmed up and it makes a much more difficult ride for me when he isn't warm. I can hardly ride him when he is warm haha!! Geez...



SO Katie got on and finished the warming up for me and he was just beautiful with her on his back as usual (I'm telling you this girl is a superstar rider). He had a few minor blow ups with her while he worked out his bugs, nothing major, but still Styx is usually fairly decent while he is still warming up.



Well, after her amazing display of what riding should look like I climb back on him...yes climb not mount. I say this simply because I managed to kick him in the haunches on my way up, dropped the stick on the ground, and plopped my round derriere down in the saddle like a bag of oats. It was almost as if the horse Gods were frowning on me from the get go today. I am certain that the kick on his rump and the plop in the saddle didn't please my beautiful pony so we take about 4 steps and my perfect sweet angel of a horse decides to throw a temper tantrum. TO him it is now 5:45 he is "like totally STARVING", the barn is in the other direction, and he still has to ride this sack of oats (me) around the arena while wildly bouncing in the saddle and tugging on the reins. I am positive that it wasn't nearly as bad from another persons point of view as it was from the saddle (it never is) but my God I thought that I was fixing to be killed by my perfect angel that quickly grew horns and was snorting fire. Someone may ask, "Well, just what did he do to you?" and I simply would say...hell, I'm not sure. I did feel like I was slaying a dragon and astride some wild stallion removed from the prairie by some rough smelly cowboy. But like I said, I am not really sure what happened other than when I would ask for him to move forward he would not really move forward but rather upward. Plainly I was a little bit intimidated by him (which in retrospect is exactly what he wanted) and then Katie told me to just go...walk it out. She says "Sit back...don't lean on his neck or hold on to the saddle pad." to my reply "What the hell am I to grab a hold of then?" and she simply stated "Nothing...just sit back and hold on with your legs." Ha...freakin Nazi.



SO I just stopped for a second and felt my heart rate pounding in my chest like a million drummers...and took a deep breath. I have always heard that a horse will know if you are scared of it. Hummm....After all wasn't it I that said "Successful horseback riding is the art of taking yourself outside of your comfort zone, reaching for goals that are attainable, and living in the glory and satisfaction of your success..."

So I took my own advice here and just chilled out. Took a good deep breath, slowed my heart rate and set into determination. I rode my horse. I stepped way beyond my comfort zone for the moment and made my horse go. Was it pretty...not even close, but this wasn't about pretty. This was about me being in control and making something happen that he so obviously did not want to happen. And it was really easy!

So we got through that blow up and things were pretty non-existent from there on. I could get maybe 2-4 nice strides from him and then it would fall apart again. I was so frustrated with everything that I wanted to just give up and call it a day. But my fabulous German-bred trainer kept me from quitting today. Some days I wonder if this blond haired blue eyed beauty really is related to Hitler. I am notorious for getting frustrated, then angry, and then just plain quitting because it goes no where FAST for me when I am angry at myself. But for the first time in my life...like EVER someone chilled me out, made me keep going, and made me believe that this could happen. So I continued to work him after I had decided that this was a disaster today and guess what. He did finally get some nice round pretty work in before we quit.

So all in all, was my riding beyond greatness today? Not by a mile. Was Styx the beautiful dressage horse that I wanted him to be? He came close, but still no go (not with me anyway...geez Katie...overachiever). But the main message here today is that I didn't quit. I will openly admit that I am a spoiled brat and all I usually have to do is complain and someone will fix it for me or sympathize with me and tell me "Yes, you can quit now" but my trainer (whom has allowed me to so graciously pick on her today in my blog) kept me moving. She believed in me and made me believe in myself. "Yes Mary Collin, you will quit bitching and NO you are not getting off yet." Like I tell her, I will hate you while we are training, but you can be my best bud when I am out of the saddle. And because of that I truly believe that I am going to make a pretty darn good rider someday. All it takes is a little bit of courage and a LOT of training :)

So until we meet again, which is likely to be another 2 weeks because of rain-ride strong and full of courage, expect the unexpected, and Halt at X.

P.S. I did get a square and straight halt out of a trot today! YEE HAW!

FORWARD WE GO!!!

Yeah I rode yesterday....sorry guys. I am only halfway through the month and I am already screwing up my resolution...Gah. That's bad. I am also sucking at dieting for a new year resolution. New Year resolutions are just always really hard to obtain I guess. (Sigh)

OH well...at least I am writing about it still, even if it is a day late.



Katie had a kiddo show up late to a lesson, so we had to squeeze him in but we did manage to get it done! Katie rode him Tuesday and that is the photo to the left. I was so excited when I saw his new photos. He really looks like a dressage horse to me! But I also wanted to get on his back again before all of the rain started in. I felt like all of this work would be for naught if we have to take 4 days off of riding. So I tacked him up as quick as I could, and yes...the tail was GOING. He has really learned to talk with the tail. It almost has taken on a life of its own. I am going to have to come up with a name for it...hummm.....


But I am certain that if he could talk that he would have been using 9 kinds of profanities with me. His back was a little sore from all of this work, but my goodness he looks so good because of all of it. Sadly for Styx, we had to do our riding at feeding time, so I am positive that the tail swishing had something to do with him working instead of eating. Yeah, I can kinda relate to that.


It was dusk when we started our work so this easily gave him a reason to be spooky to almost anything at all that moved (or not moved for that matter). Well, I use the term "spooky" loosely. Fortunately Styx has yet to spook big while I am on his back (and yes, I am knocking on wood as I type). But in Styx vocabulary, spooky means FORWARD...so I guess we need more spook in him? Weirdo.


However, just because he was forward does not mean he was pretty and round. In fact, I felt like he was doing everything except for listening to me, but at least he was forward and therefore his steering was better! Usually I feel as if I am riding a drunk horse. I was wondering if I needed to pick up drinking just so our "straight" lines would add up! But that is not so, I just need more oomph outta him! This just means forward, forward, forward!!!!!! PLEASE imprint that in my head already.....FORWARD!!!!

So I had him forward, and buddy when he is forward his movement is so big! I remember when I bought him thinking WOW...this is the biggest trot I have ever ridden (and it was) but I wanted nothing more than to be able to ride that trot nicely. I knew how pretty it was and I had this mental image of us trotting around the arena with our blue ribbon and everyone gasping at how beautiful he was. Well, I had a good old fashion dose of reality and quickly came to the realization that it would take work, and lots of it, to ride his trot at all (much less nicely!). Well, I can honestly say that yesterday I rode that big trot of his. I am most definitely my biggest critic and if I can say that I rode that big trot, I know I did...and did it well. I still need some more work before we get to "nicely", and I am certain that Katie will let us know when we get there, but I am well on my way. That was exactly what I needed to boost my confidence in myself and my riding. Like I said earlier, I am my biggest and worst critic. I constantly tear myself down and ask myself to do things that I cannot possibly adequately do, and therefore end up tearing myself up even more for failing at unattainable goals. But for some odd reason this only applies to my riding. Successful horseback riding is the art of taking yourself outside of your comfort zone, reaching for goals that are attainable, and living in the glory and satisfaction of your success...

So right now, for the next few days, I am going to enjoy the fact that I rode my horse the very best I could yesterday. Even if he wasn't at his best, I gave it my all, and that is all you can do! Give your horse your absolute very best every time you mount up, and success and happiness are inevitable. Never take what your horse has given you for granted. So until the rain stops...FORWARD WE GO FORWARD FORWARD but halt at X. :)

We need some GO-GO juice!

So I rode again today and it was SO nice outside! Finally it decided to get above the 50 degrees mark! WOW! Only problem is that Styx totally took that as an out to be lazy. Thank goodness that we took him off of the SmartCalm supplement!

However, he was great again today and I stayed in the saddle a bit longer than I usually do. Needless to say I can barely walk and my thighs are cursing me right now. Good call on skipping out on pilates tonight. But I needed it, and I still need much much more but we are taking these things a little at a time.

So here are our good points: He picked up his left canter leads perfectly today! His transition from trot to canter was beautiful, but now the transition from canter to trot needs some polishing. His right leads are pretty much always dead on, and that was no different today. It is really nice that every time I ride him here lately he is the same horse. Of course the warmer it is outside the slower he moves for some bizarre reason...seems like every other horse I have ridden up to him seemed to be more snotty along with the cold weather. Who knows...this horse has as many weird quirks, as do I! Haha

Oddly enough along with weird quirks and things to work on, his walk needs some attention. Fortunately I can do allot of this work myself when I am riding him. But usually people complain about their horse's trot or canter work...but the walk? Haha he just TOTALLY shuts down when he is walking. In his mind he is thinking "OH HECK yeah! I'm done!" when really I'm just giving myself time to catch my breath and slow my heart rate...like I mentioned earlier, riding him is a pretty darn good workout! So his walk is pretty lame and he is incredibly hard to steer when he is plodding along like a donkey. As long as I can keep him forward in the walk his steering is much better, but keeping him forward in the walk is like asking a freakin' miracle. Geez, I WHACKED him several times today (and no he didn't go wildly bucking towards the barn) and all I got was the infamous swish swish. But no walk. I sure wish I could get more from him other than tail talk. Oh Styx....

Generally I got another good day in. I think he likes wearing black. He feels like a fancy dressage horse now. SO black is officially his color. Not only does he look great in it (well, to me this horse looks great in anything!) but he seems to preform better in it. It's just karma I guess, and I do seem to be a bit superstitious sometimes :) we will go into this on another post.

So until my next ride (which I am guessing will be in a few days because I do have to go back into work tomorrow and the rain is imminently coming) remember to always love your buddy and as Jane Savioe says "Always keep a positive attitude, even if your horse is bucking wildly through the arena." I guess this means hold the heck on and cowgirl those bucks and guess what.....halt at X. (if you can hehehe)

We are HARDCORE!

Well, like a crazy people would, Katie and I braved the cold and rode today. The frigid temps finally made it up to a balmy 40 degrees, but yeah it was still pretty darn cold! Did I mention that it has been down in the teens at night here?? So we took several days off to wait on the warmer temperatures to arrive.

So we rode today and had a great time. I'm not sure if it is the cold weather that he really likes or if he has finally just decided that he wants to be a dressage horse now, but man he has been really nice for Katie and me lately! He knows now how to properly carry himself and get down on the bit and when he does, GAH it is nice! It just feels RIGHT...there is no other way to describe it other than pure joy. Its like YEAH I KNOW I LOOK GOOD NOW!!! His head tossing has also gotten A LOT better. For those of you that don't talk to me regularly, Styx and I went through a period when he tossed his head every time you attempted to take contact. Yeah, it totally sucked that every time I asked him to get round, his head ended up in my face filling my mouth with black mane. Thank GOD I didn't end up with a broken nose! Not to mention that he decided to start pulling this little trick about 3 days before our first show...OH man those were the days that I went to bed at night questioning my sanity on buying him. But here lately (since Katie figured out that he likes this HIDEOUS 6" bit...whatever) he has been so nice to work with. Like I said, he has finally given up and decided to be a dressage horse instead of this racehorse jumper extraordinaire. Yup, I didn't waste money on this horse :) (Phew!)

So today as usual Katie longed him with side reins first and then she always rides him first as well. Like I mentioned in my earlier post, Katie is an extremely talented equestrian. I say equestrian to include all things horses. Not only can she ride better than I have ever dreamed that I could, but she almost always has the answer for my questions. If it weren't for her expertise during our motorcycle escapade, I would not have made it to the other side. Not to mention that he looks like a totally diffrent horse now due to her training. Anywho, she has been working with him on his canter transitions. He can almost always pick up his right lead, but he has trouble getting his left lead (his left hind was the leg involved in the accident). He also has this thing about throwing his head in the air and running into the canter. It always looks great when he gets into the canter but his transitions are a bit rusty. I know this all comes with muslce development so I figure the more he works the better he will look. I can see that he is looking more and more like a dressage horse every day...and not so much like a hunter! I am so pleased at where his training is going.

So I rode after she schooled him and one of the biggest things I have been trying to over come is riding with a whip. With Styx being Styx (i.e. LAZY) he HAS to be ridden with a whip. I have issues with proper contact and rein length as is and it makes it a good bit harder for me to figure out these things with a whip in my hand...and I guess I will sheepishly admit that I am a little scared that he is going to go bucking wild when I wack him with it. But today I rode him successfully with the whip the entire time! Yay!! And he didn't go postal on me so that's two pluses for him! I know that I inadverdently whack him with it when I don't mean to, but luckily for me it doesn't seem to bother him much and the most he does is talk with his tail. I can hear that familiar swish swish when I tap him on the haunches...like every time I pop him with it. So I guess I can rely on his tail to know when I am hitting him with it. Also, I didn't even tire out as fast today! The past few times I have ridden it seemed like I could hardly trot him around the arena without loosing my breath, but today I did really well with keeping him forward and not dieing. Katie and I laughed at the barn not so long ago about people that say riding is not a cardio workout. HA...they haven't met Styx! Yeah I still need a good deal more work, but yeah buddy...I'm gonna look good in my breeches at shows this year...or not...whatever :) At least my horse is gonna look good!

I also did a little better with watching where I am going as opposed to watching my horses head. GEEZ I am bad about that! Styx's steering is not the greatest but he steers SO much better when I LOOK where I am going, especially through the turns...I also learned today to turn with my hips to help him know where we are going, and God knows that baby I have the hips to show him where to go. That is a good bit of weight up there steering him :) haha

Not to mention we did all of this today with jump standards IN the arena with us and he didn't try to go over them! Yay!!!

So all in all today, Styx and I had a really positive ride. I still need to work on controlling my posting and even contact on the reins as well as my position in the saddle. Sit back on your pockets, relax and hold those wine glasses with thumbs up! It sure is good to get a good blog in on him before the nasty ones start. I am certain that they will start when we start working on his cantering. Just to forewarn you, if I try to sell him to you for $500 please ignore me...I really don't mean it.

So until next ride, bundle up and remember to unconditionally love your horse no matter what they may do to you. I am so grateful to have such a beautiful animal and this sort of thing we ask them to do is not natural to them at all. So next time you are at the barn give your best buddy a good hug and remember how blessed we all truly are.

Hugs Hoofs...and Halt at X!