Whirlwind Weekend

So, I had an eventful weekend. Why, one may ask… Let me tell you.
On Saturday I rode. I did horse stuff all morning. In actuality, I didn’t ride nearly as much as I should have given the time that I spent out there. I started my day with feeding CZ’s barn (one horse, one pony and two goats). After that, I headed over to the jumper barn down the road. I had to pick up London’s bridle. He’s been using Opie’s bridle since he’s been home, and it really bothers me to share between horses. What if we wanted to ride Opie and London at the same time?
As it happens, I took London for a ride with my mom (she rode Opie… See? I can’t share). He’s much happier as a hunter jumper. No more third level dressage for that horse… He’d rather go in a training level frame, long and low. And you know what, it’s a lot more fun riding him when he’s happy. Who knows, I’m even toying with the Idea of taking hunter lessons on him. Why not try it when I have a horse who seems to enjoy it? Obviously, it would be beginner stuff, but then I don’t know how to jump so beginner stuff seems fine and dandy to me. And it would be really nice to actually show sometime in the next year or so….
After the barn, I went to the Poodle Rescue of Houston. Did I mean to come home with a dog? No. Did I come home with a dog? Yes. Oops… But honestly it’s not a surprise. So now my little ‘family’ consists of me, Tempi and now Ronnie (formerly Bison. Who would name a poodle Bison? Seriously?). Anyway, he is not a prime example of good poodle breeding. He’s a “meaty” poodle. His legs look a little short, or his body looks a little long, it’s hard to tell which. His tail and his dew claws weren’t docked. But he’s a silver phantom, so he looks distinguished. Of course, by getting a poodle from a rescue, I knew I would be signing up for a variety of behavioral issues. BUT so far he seems to be simply unexposed to situations. He doesn’t come to his name (either one), and he lifts his leg on any number of things (but he’s getting better about that). He seems so thrilled to be out of a cage, that he just runs when let outside. I’m kind of worried that he’ll run right out to a road. Thankfully my house is totally fences with mesh horse fence, so he has three acres to just run but I did have one episode of chasing him down Clapp road. I don’t know if he was scared that I was going to punish him, or just joining the game, but he wasn’t stopping. Fortunately riding several horses a day put me in better shape than a dog that’s lived in a kennel for nearly a year. Who would have thought, right?
Anyway, now I have a new ‘training project’ to add to my Blog. Say Hello to Ronnie. I’m sure I’ll have more to write about him.

All of this, and I haven't even touched on Sunday which was the Church auction with Ed and my Dad and RC's uber abscess. I was really worried about it being a tendon since his leg looked all blown up, but when I brought him to the vet on Monday, my favorite Doctor Will took a look at him, blocked his foot, took some x-rays and declared it the largest abscess he's seen in a while. Will dug the abcess out, which he described in detail when I came by to pick RC up in the evening (I know, I know... but now that i have a REAL job too, I have to be one of those owners that drops horses off and picks them up after work). Evidently it was the icky black true abscess type pus, not the watery liquid type pus. Thanks, Will... Now I have to wait before eating dinner.

No hoof, No horse....

A Day Off

So, I know it's been a while. There have been a few changes, but nothing drastic, to be sure. For one thing, I got a job! Now, before you get all excited, let it be known that it is not a full time engineering job so that search continues, but it is better than nothing and it gets me out of the house and around more people and all that jazz.
My job... I am volunteering at the Waller Equine Hospital as long as they need me, which has been about 5 days a week so far. I've been there for three weeks now and I can honestly say that I have seen something new every day that I go to work. The only real drawback is that on days that I go out to take care of the horses in the morning I have to be out at the barn by 5:30 AM. I am not really a fan on that aspect of things, but it is really calming to see all those hungry faces in the morning and do a little work with my own ponies before seeing all the sick or hurt horses.

I also have a not-so-small training project. His name is Wyatt, but I've called him Ike (Wyatt really didn't fit). He's a not-so-young green horse with a history of bucking in the canter. I've had him out at Pattison for a week or so now working with him to see if I can get him w-t-c broke in 30 days (hah). As it turns out, he also needs some lessons in basic ground manners as he has pretty much no respect for personal space... He also tends to panic a little when tied in the barn with no other horses. He might be quite the project, but he's progressed (a little) in a week... so I'll keep you posted on our progress.
Now for my own horses... Delight is recovering from a puncture wound in her shoulder. We brought her to the vet because there was an increased discharge (ew) and she was still limping on it nearly a week later. As it turns out, the stick or whatever she impaled herself with went all the way to the bone, killing a piece of it. I forget what it is called, but until the dead piece of bone flakes off and falls out the wound or it has to be removed surgically as the body will treat it as a foreign body and try to force it out. Can you imagine how annoying a splinter would be in your shoulder? Anyway, she has a vet appointment on Friday to remove the chip unless it's already fallen out (which it may have already done since she's running, bucking and rearing when turned out).
RC and London are doing well. They had their teeth floated on Monday, but other then that they are fat and happy. RC is even learning a new trick! Isn't he adorable?

Another Year, Another Show

So yesterday (that's Saturday), I took Opie and RC to the CAQHA Buckle show (no, we didn't win a buckle). It was Sam's first show, so we gave her the honor of riding RC, who has an extensive show history, if I might say so myself, even if that history isn't necessarily quarter horse stuff. I rode Opie, just for fun. Good thing too, because if I had taken it too seriously, I would have been a tad upset when she decimated the poles in the trail class. She was getting pissy, not to mention that she was in a flaming heat...
RC did his english classes like a champ (won english equitation, again), but had some issues going low and slow in the western classes... You live and you learn. Fortunately he placed in every pattern class, and I now have another pattern class convert. (Yes!)

Opie did trail and walk/trot (western). She placed in green horse walk trot, decimated the trail class and would have won green horse horsemanship, had I not messed it up for her. We did the pattern wonderfully (for her), but then I went stupid and touched the reins with my other hand (darn it). For just pulling her out of the pasture she did quite well. I wasn't disappointed in her in the least. And it was really fun to hear her name over the loud speaker...

A-Clinic-ing We Shall Go.....

So, over the weekendMD held a clinic here in the Houston area. Again, I realize that I have a long, long way to go.
On saturday, I rode RC. As it turns out, just lengthening his neck to get a nicer canter is not enough to get a nice dresage canter. But sitting him down for a few strides to engage his stifle and fetlock and every joint in between worked wonders. He sat down far enough so that he actually stood on his own tail bag (never fear, no tail hairs were harmed!) and pulled it out. His trot work was amazing, right from the start. MD and I got it slowed down and more engaged then did some shoulder-in, ten meter circles and half-passeswhich earned us the ellusive "Perfect!". Yay! My little dressage quarter horse is going to conquer all this year! Or, maybe more realisticly, second level.

London was the first to go of the Crew. He showed the most improvement since the last clinc (I know, thats not enitrely fair since RC had a whole summer's work with Martha). MD actually LIKED him this time. Evidently it's not all me (some of it is me) that causes him to think that collection=short. So after a breif wrestling match which resulted in sore calfs and arms, I was able to convince him to work with his shoulders UP. And when he decided that was OK, his work felt AMAZING. Day two was even better. On the second day I worked on collecting the canter and getting more jump in the working canter (use that huge butt). Again, with the shoulders. Now I know of his ability I suppose that means I need to school harder... darn.

And finally, Deli. Deli had a thirty minute lesson with martha. We worked on not running/falling through her right shoulder. One sided? Maybe. Even though she had a little temper tantrum near the end, she was really very very good for this being her first time out. She was quite look-y on the lunge and very nervous when taken out of the trailer, but she tied next to the trailer with no problem, and once lunged (working lunged, not running around like a moron lunged) she settled own to work... She was so adorable!!!! (Even if she had a little temper tantrum)

Championships Update

I know, it's nearly been a month since the region 2 championships in Wayne, IL but here is a little sneak into my championship experience. All in all I think that it was a wonderful show. Other then the cold and the rain and all the walking... It was amazing. Both of my boys did well. They handled the 8 hour drive to get there without a problem. My first mistake (though it wasn't all my fault) was getting there too late to have a warm up ride on Wednesday. As it turns out, Lamplight Equestrian Center does not have any lit arenas to allow for evening/night riding. My plan was to leave by 6 am, BUT I got an interview with NavAir at 8 am, which pushed my planned arrival time back about four hours. I got to the show grounds about an hour before my mom and sister showed up, so I got some stalls bedded, my boys unloaded and checked in before seeing Courtney and the Buckmeister. And Mr Scott, of course. Anyway, other then a few rider errors (some severe)I felt that my rides all went pretty well. On my third level open show ride, I totally forgot the test I was riding, and since I was without a reader, just continued on as best as I could. I knew I was off course by about the second move, but the judge did not ring the bell, so I just continued on. What I did was track right instead of left in the second move of the test, so my whole trot work was backwards. The judge rang the bell right before the second extended trot and just had me come down the centerline after the half pass word and track the other way. So pretty much the judges only saw the trot work to one direction. I don't know if they were as confused as I was... But my score was not so hot. Oh well, you live and you learn. My other sub par test was a first level open show test with RC. Mr. RC was a tad opinionated in that test (read: bucky). It was one of the most frustrating tests I have ever ridden, but the judges comments were pretty funny after the fact.
"Capable pair. Try to not let horse be so vocal in his opinions"
In hindsight, I probably would have done better in region 4, but it was worth it the spend a few days with Courtney (even if my ribbons aren't as pretty). There will always be another championships....
Anyway.Enjoy the video. It was fun to make, and I feel that it kind of captures the championships experience.

Baldy

So, the funny episode of the day was, once again, presented by RC.
As I was lunging then riding Deli, MD and I noticed RC squatting on his hocks (cutting horse style), knees bent, r-e-a-c-h-i-n-g under his fence trying to reach the seed pods that fall off the trees every night. At least now I know why he has an 8" bald spot...
Anyway, I took Deli out ona little trail ride, and MD commented that RC was on the wrong side of the fence. I misunderstood, so I untacked, washed and put Deli away all the while RC was gorging himself on seed pods. Great.
When I did walk over there, lead rope in hand, he kinda gave me a look and went back to eating. Only when I led him past the hay barn to put him back in his pen did he realize what could have been.... Poor RC.
Since he couldtn seem to figure out the proper combination of poor coordination and voodoo magic to make a repeat performance. Not to say he didnt try, but he spent the rest of the afternoon in a seedless state... Poor guy.
And since this fun little quote cam up to day, It'll be my parting quote:
"So what are we going to do tomorrow night, Brain?"
"The same thing we do every night, Pinky.... Try to take over the world!"
It's Pinky! It's Pinky! It's Pinky and the Brain, Brain, Brain....

Swine Flu

Ok, I have (a few) real and valid excuses for not posting.
First and foremost, I've been sick. For Friday and Saturday, my throught hurt so bad, that I went out and bought soup, cough drops, pop cicles, and hagen daaz. The ice cream is really what got me through.... I'm doing better now, i can eat and drink without wishing I was dead. I do feel a little stuffed up in my ears, but I figure I'm on the road to recovery. Swine flu-0, Alison-1
Next, we had an epic storm on Sunday. It kind of screwed with my social plans, since I wasn't going anywhere in that rain, not to mention that I'm not sure I could have made it out of the unpaved driveway. During this storm, I lost power in the apartment for about three hours. It felt like I was camping, until I realized that I was playing chess on my laptop and using my cell phone as a flash light and to text people because I was bored. Not quite roughing it...
But anyway, I'm here now to bring you a shiny new post. There is no video, but I figured I would drown you in picture I've taken. Turns out the wildlife comes out to play after a storm.
Anyway, RC was good again today. I think that we might be ready for the show, but probably not. MD said that I tend to throw him away when riding the tests. Great. At least I'm learning this now instead of after I show.
Deli keeps getting better and better. She's still got that balking habit, but it's not nearly as bad as it was. Now it's more of a thought then a plan or avoidance. As it turns out, she's best if I only lunge her a little bit, then ride for 20 minutes, or so. That was she's not too tired to walk/trot/canter with me on her. I've said it before (every time, actually), but I freaking love this horse.
Now for the pictures:

There were probably 5 butterflies around this plant....

This little guy was sitting next to me today while I was watching MD work a horse and tossing a piece of hoof for Tempi... It's not easy sneaking up on a lizard. Just call me Naturalist #1...

And the final picture is of freshly clipped... kinda... Tempi

A Real Dressage Horse

For all of you who have been following, you should know that RC has a love/hate relationship with what I'm trying to accomplish this summer, and as such, I have a love/hate relationship with RC (but mostly love). Yesterday RC was definitely hating it. We worked on canter pirouettes to get him to sit on his rump through his canter/walk transitions. Turns out, transitions are MUCH easier then pirouettes, as RC found out. He was doing everything his little mind could come up with to avoid sitting and actually (gasp!) using his butt, which mostly consisted of throwing his head. Once he figured out (and I actually did it) that every time he started to be fussy with his face, he had to go forward yet back. Not forward AND beck, forward YET back. Which means that he had all of the power and energy of a medium, but was sitting like a collected canter (no wonder RC hates me). So that was yesterday. I was expecting an angry Mr. Chompers to emerge today. Especially since I didn't work him first. Since MD was at the vet with Ami (she has a good feeling about this time...), I pulled Diva's mane then RC's mane then I rode RC. I was just warming up when MD pulled in, so RC and I didn't get to avoid a lesson. RC was Mr. Fabulous today! I have no idea where it came from, but he was like "you want me to sit, ok" and "you want a trot and canter half pass, ok". Now there is the work ethic that has been missing. I guess the answer is to really work him hard and ask for the advanced stuff one day, then he's more then happy to be a first level horse the next day. RC's good attitude prompted MD to tell me that "Now you have a first level horse" with the potential to show second THIS YEAR and maybe third next year! Obviously, I won't show him in second level this year since I'm trying to qualify at training and first but it's still cool to hear that RC is making so much progress from someone who isn't emotionally invested in the brat. After RC's wonder-ride, I took him for a little ride down the road. Because it seemed like it would be fun, I ran him down the racehorse track for a little while, maybe a quarter or half mile. it was so much fun! And he loved it, which I did not expect. He didn't set any land speed records, but he wasn't doing a little tiny canter either. I may have to do that again... Unbeknownst to me, I had a tail during my trail ride. Tempi followed me out this morning. Usually she turns around at the end of the driveway so imagine my surprise when I turned around and there was a little sand colored poodle meerkating about 100 yards back. I'm not sure what's worse, that I didn't know that my poodle was following me, or that RC only got a 100 yard lead while cantering out... Anyway, her tongue was nearly dragging the ground, and she laid down, belly up when I approached her. I felt bad so I dismounted and picked her up. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to mount a horse while holding a poodle? It's a good thing that RC is quiet and Tempi was dead tired... She sat like a little person in front of me, taking stock of the whole situation during the ride. I wish I had a picture of it.... After RC, I rode Diva for MD's sales video. I had her all fixed up: mane pulled, tail brushed out and conditioned, coat polished, white polos, the works. Evidently MD isn't as picky as Lyndon about turnout in sales videos, because she was actually surprised at how I had Diva prepared. Anyway, the video is attached (hopefully) so feel free to check it out. It's not MD's official video, I just played around with a few things on my computer. I hope you like it! After Diva, it was the cremello. She's starting to turn a corner. The progress is slooooooow but still there. She isn't trying to kill me anymore, so I'm counting it as a plus. She's letting my lay over the addle and awkwardly steer her and ask her to walk-whoa-walk-whoa without throwing a fit, so MD asked me to sit up on her without walking (since that's when she blew up last time). Evidently she can handle the weight, but looking back and seeing a person up above her really freaks her out. She's no Deli, but she's getting closer.... Then it was Deli. When i went out after lunch, I was actually worried that it was going to rain, since Deli doesn't do well in the rain (she has big ears that she doesn't like to get wet), but all it did was rumble. So the ride was all good to go. And she was very good. She had a major spook-jump-buck while I was lunging her and a mastoodle ran out from under the horse trailer, but other then that, I think that she didn't want to use up any more energy then necessary in this weather. Under saddle, she has developed a slight balking habit, which is usually corrected with a slap on the neck or shoulder. If I tap her butt, she wants to buck, so there is no sense in doing that. Yesterday the balking was so bad tha I got off her to lunge her again, so that she didn't get to stop working just because she was balky. Then MD saw what I was doing and stood in the center of the circle while I worked Deli holding a lunge whip and moving towards Deli every time she wanted to balk. Today, balking was much less of an issue. It's still there (which is why I bought a wonderful crop with my birthday money, I cant wait until it gets here!), but she is less likely to prop and buck then she is to give in and go forward. After cantering her both directions, I let her finish for the day. Even if she is being bratty, she is much further along then RC was at two (sorry Mom). She is even starting to drop her head to the contact and can trot in a straight line and change directions through a circle. Not bad for a two year old, huh? In other news... Deli and RC were both wormed today... MD was amazed that RC would be begging for peppermints with his moth full of wormer. That horse couldnt care less what you feed him, he just swallows it whole anyway.

Getting in the Swing

So, now that I've been here for about a month, every day is getting much more predictable. I usually work with 5-7 horses a day (depending on who MD doesn't want to works with), Take a lesson, scarf down lunch and sleep... Because let's face it, but 7 pm, I'm beat. But for the updates that my small but loyal group of followers are asking for... Tempi: She's all better. Tempi is up and running around, playing fetch, doing tricks and being all around adorable on all counts. (PS: Court, you need a poodle) MD, Dan and I all yell at her if she's even remotely near a horse though. I dont think that she remembers being squished, because she just looks at all of us like we're being paranoid mothers or something. She's settled into the life here now though. She walks to the arena, watches me work, walks back to the tack room, naps, rinse and repeat. I still think that it's nifty to have a dog that shadows me, even if I do get exasperated at her... RC: Well, today we worked on long and low, but he's been really developing his hind end and his back. His lengthenings are becoming mediums and he's actually getting a collected canter. Miracles DO happen, evidently. I suppose I shouldn't be feeling too confident, after all there are only two weeks til the show... And I'm still swinging between "I suck" and "I'm getting this shit!". We'll have to see which side wins out at the show, but I'm more confident about it then I was at lamplight. Deli: Well, I;m going to start this one by saying that you have no idea how COOL it is to be able to say that you broke your own horse. I mean, two weeks ago, I couldn't ride her, and how I lunge her for a few minutes, then I can walk trot and canter (not for long, but still) in the arena! Her steering is still kind of iffy, and she's not totally sure that she likes the concept of contact, but it is so amazing to be trotting around, doing 20 m circles, on a horse that has never been ridden by anyone else. I do believe that buying Deli was a great great thing!
I'll leave you with a little video of me on Sonnet (its NOT RC!) on a particularly windy ride...
And now I'm off to nurture my newly found social life in El Paso...