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!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
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. :)
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. :)
Monday, January 11, 2010
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)
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)
Sunday, January 10, 2010
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!
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!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Look out 2010...here comes Mary Collin and Styx!
So 2010 is finally here...wow. What a year 2009 was! Allot happened last year including the purchase of my first horse! I am constantly finding that I want to share stories with people about me and my horse so with this being the season of new beginnings, I thought what better resolution than to write about him every time I ride. Along with my fabulous trainer Katie, I realize that I am constantly beating myself up over silly things (his head tossing, too bouncy with my posting..etc.) so I need to write about it so that I can really realize how great he truly is and how blessed I am to be the owner of such a fun horse. It is time to stop, take a step back and look at where we are....
Just to catch you guys up on who we are...I am a full time dental hygienist. I wish I had the time and money to be a full time "professional" amateur dressage rider, but unfortunately I chose the "rich girl sport" with a poor girl budget. I grew up riding hunter jumpers...well...I'm not sure if riding is the proper term, but I sure tried! But the most important thing is that I loved it. I have always said that horses were my first love and how true that is for many people. I quit riding once I made it to high school and my old trainer moved away. I didn't ride for many many years until April 2009....
That gets us to the now. That's when Katie comes in the picture. How lucky I am to have such a talented trainer in this small town! Long story short, she talks me into trying out dressage...yeah...dressage. The first thing that I thought was "Is she serious? Why in the WORLD would I want to do nothing but trot around in a 20 meter circle? Isn't dressage for people who are scared to jump?" SO I go to my first few lessons and quickly learn that there is SO much more to dressage than 20 meter circles. (Chuckle Chuckle)
So my lessons progressed and my riding got better each day so we both decided that it was time for me to find a partner in this game we play. So the Internet was on fire with our searching and searching. We found several prospects but nothing was really sticking out in my mind as what I wanted for my dressage partner. Finally I found an ad for a lovely grey Thoroughbred and my heart was sold...the rest is history.
Granted that he had very little dressage training...but was trained hunter jumpers...he was off the track only a year...6 years old....and very silly. But he had my heart. I totally loved him at first sight. My husband about had a coronary when I told him what I spent on a horse with no training in the sport that I was perusing...but what could I say?? I was in love!
June 27th 2009 I bought my very first horse. His name is Styx and is pretty much my child. I love this horse like he is my own and my husband, family, and non-horse friends think I am insane. He bites, he kicks, he hates to be loved on and can be a naughty boy at times. But like I said, once you know...you just KNOW. (Sigh)
So 6 months, 1 show, being tossed the first time in years, a motorcycle accident (look for this blog later), and getting him back into work following the injury we find ourselves in 2010, and looking brightly into the future this show season. I know that we will have our roller coaster ride and hopefully you will enjoy reading about it as much as I am going to enjoy writing about it. We have allot in store for us this year and maybe...just maybe you can learn a little bit along with us. Until next time, heels down, soft hands, and halt at X.
Just to catch you guys up on who we are...I am a full time dental hygienist. I wish I had the time and money to be a full time "professional" amateur dressage rider, but unfortunately I chose the "rich girl sport" with a poor girl budget. I grew up riding hunter jumpers...well...I'm not sure if riding is the proper term, but I sure tried! But the most important thing is that I loved it. I have always said that horses were my first love and how true that is for many people. I quit riding once I made it to high school and my old trainer moved away. I didn't ride for many many years until April 2009....
That gets us to the now. That's when Katie comes in the picture. How lucky I am to have such a talented trainer in this small town! Long story short, she talks me into trying out dressage...yeah...dressage. The first thing that I thought was "Is she serious? Why in the WORLD would I want to do nothing but trot around in a 20 meter circle? Isn't dressage for people who are scared to jump?" SO I go to my first few lessons and quickly learn that there is SO much more to dressage than 20 meter circles. (Chuckle Chuckle)
So my lessons progressed and my riding got better each day so we both decided that it was time for me to find a partner in this game we play. So the Internet was on fire with our searching and searching. We found several prospects but nothing was really sticking out in my mind as what I wanted for my dressage partner. Finally I found an ad for a lovely grey Thoroughbred and my heart was sold...the rest is history.
Granted that he had very little dressage training...but was trained hunter jumpers...he was off the track only a year...6 years old....and very silly. But he had my heart. I totally loved him at first sight. My husband about had a coronary when I told him what I spent on a horse with no training in the sport that I was perusing...but what could I say?? I was in love!
June 27th 2009 I bought my very first horse. His name is Styx and is pretty much my child. I love this horse like he is my own and my husband, family, and non-horse friends think I am insane. He bites, he kicks, he hates to be loved on and can be a naughty boy at times. But like I said, once you know...you just KNOW. (Sigh)
So 6 months, 1 show, being tossed the first time in years, a motorcycle accident (look for this blog later), and getting him back into work following the injury we find ourselves in 2010, and looking brightly into the future this show season. I know that we will have our roller coaster ride and hopefully you will enjoy reading about it as much as I am going to enjoy writing about it. We have allot in store for us this year and maybe...just maybe you can learn a little bit along with us. Until next time, heels down, soft hands, and halt at X.
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