New Year's Prayer

I post this song/poem pretty much every year on whatever website I happen to be blogging at. I read it and listen to it every year. Jeff Buckley is one of my favorite musicians - a genius at that. If you have not heard his music, I would encourage you to do so - no matter what kind of music is your thing.

NEW YEAR'S PRAYER

You, my love, are allowed to forget
About the Christmas you just spent stressed out in your parents house.

You, my love, are allowed to shed
The weight of all the years before, like bad disco clothes,
Save them for a night of dancing, stoned with you lover.

You, my love, are allowed to let yourself drown
Every night in bottomless wild and naked symbolic dreams.


You, my love, in sleep can unlock
Your youth and your most terrifying magic and dreamings for the courageous.

You, my love, are allowed to grab my guitar
And sing me idiot love songs if you've lost your ability to speak.
Keep it down to two minutes.

You, my love, are allowed to rot and to die
And then live again, more alive and incandescent than before.

You, my love, are allowed to beat the shit out of your television.
Choke it's thoughts and corrupt its mind.
Kill! Kill! Kill! KILL The motherfucker before the song of zombiefied pain and panic and malaise and it's narrow right-winged vision and it's cheap commercial gang rape becomes the white noise of the world.
Turn about is fair play.

You, my love, are allowed to forgive and love your television.

You, my love, are allowed to speak in kisses to those around you and those up in heaven.

You, my love, are allowed to show your babies how to dance full bodied, starry eyed, audacious, supernatural and glorified.

You, my love, are allowed to suck in every single endeavor.

You, my love, are allowed to be soaked like a lovers' blanket in the New York summertime with the wonder of your own special gift.

You, my love, are allowed to receive praise,

You, my love, are allowed to have time,

You, my love, are allowed to understand,

You, my love, are allowed to love,

Woman disobey,
When little men believe,

That you, my love, are Rebellion.


**


Happy New Year everyone.

More 2010 photos

Here is another collection of various 2010 photos that may or may not have made into a blog post this year. :-)

March 2010. Wow. About 20 rides in.

"Dude, gimme that grass. You're going to waste it!"

Grover.

Horse show

Do we see a theme with Grover yet?

This girl was dumped in the mud earlier

"I'm not seeing any treats in that camera ..."

The Mystery of the Fat Lip

As I captured Hampton from the field today, I noticed what appeared to be a lump or wart-like thingy on his lip. Upon closer inspection, it is actually a slice? Bite? Not really sure exactly. It is sort of deep, but was not oozing or bleeding. He was eating just fine (more on that later), so I figured I'd swab it with a little antibiotic ointment and leave it alone. Not sure if someone bit him or what?

No, not herpes.

When I pulled up his lip (I wanted to see if this odd injury went any further in his mouth), I noticed that he is about to lose another cap very close to the sliced up spot. Maybe his tooth was bothering him and he was rubbing his mouth on the shelter or something? It is a mystery!

As I mentioned, he was eating just fine. Hampton has one of these buckets for his food:

As he was finishing up, I was puttering around and all of a sudden this bucket is AIRBORNE, nearly whacks me in the head. I mean I know these aren't the most secure buckets, but apparently Hampton has figure out how to fling it out of the stall with his nose. (only when it is basically empty).

Perhaps he is as bored as I am with this winter crap. SOMEONE needs to go back to work. I'm not naming names, but his initials are H.A.M.P.T.O.N.

Happy Holidays and thank you. :-)

I'd like to wish all my blog readers Happy Holidays (no matter which one you celebrate).

And Happy Holidays and a big thank you to all the people that help me keep Hampton in the best shape he can be in. I really do have a fantastic team of people behind me and my horse.

• The barn owner, Libby, for taking us both back at literally a moment's notice back in October. She also keeps an eye on Hampton on a daily basis and is also a great friend to go riding with. This all while working two "normal" jobs. I think she works too much but that's just me. :-)

• My farrier, Mike, for keeping Hampton's feet in tip-top shape. Not only is he great with horses, but he is on time for appointments! He also happens to be married to a friend of mine from college, so I would consider us friends, too.

• My instructor, Janelle, for guiding Hampton and I through this dressage journey. Her knowledge and experience have made both me and my horse better. She pushes me and challenges me. And my horse appreciates that, I think. I sure do. Plus she's just an awesome person.

• Vets Dr. Cathy and Dr. Frank for their expert care of Hampton this year. Thankfully, he hasn't seen these two awesome women very much, however, Dr. Cathy's chiro adjustment made a HUGE difference in Hampton.

• Equine dentist "FlatTop." For fixing Hampton's mouth. :-)

• ALL of my horse friends for the emotional support and friendship! You know who you are!

• My roomie, Adam, for helping me start Hampton (even though he knows nothing about horses, much less how to start one under saddle). Bless his heart for holding the lunge line earlier this spring while Hampton was learning stop and go.

• And of course family for every kind of support possible (emotional, financial, etc. etc)

Ch-ch-changes

I changed the name of this blog. "Opening up the Chord and Counting Strides" was annoyingly long and didn't really make sense to me anymore. So I changed the name to "Contact." Ah, a short name. Plus, it makes sense for a dressage blog. And Pluuuuuus it's the name of a really absurd Phish song. Double score.

Let's make it 2 in a row

Helloooooo 30 degree weather! :-)

I didn't have a buddy to ride out in the fields today so I just bopped around the roundpen for about 15 minutes. Hampton was again very very good, and the deep snow made him work a little. I must say that riding through deep snow is the rad. Although I look like a slob. Meh.

his tail is getting long hubba hubba!!

The streak is broken.

Yaaaay I finally got a ride in yesterday!

Both arenas are still icy, but the BO and I decided that a close to a month off from riding was just not acceptable. So, we tacked up and went riding off into the corn fields.

I must say that I am SO SO proud of Hampton. Here we are ... a big 3 year old getting fed quite well, hasn't been ridden in close to a month, it's a chilly day, no lunging and we ride straight out into open fields. (And, um, the last time I had Hampton out in the fields it didn't go well) A recipe for disaster for a lot of people. Hampton was a perfect angel. My BO's mare is a safe, sane trail horse so I knew having her along probably tipped the scales in my favor, too. And hey, we only walked but at least it was a ride!

We were out for maybe 40 minutes. Saw a coyote, a few hawks, plenty of tracks in the snow from various beasts. Sometimes, when we both quit talking, just the sound of the horse's walking in the snow was so peaceful. And for a few minutes, I forgot that I couldn't feel my toes an I just enjoyed the beautiful winter scenery .. and my horse.

We got a little too close to a perimeter fence at one point and I heard something growl. "Shit." I said outloud. I was expecting a coyote to appear or something but thankfully nothing happened. Whatever growled though meant business. Yikes.

A Year in (sometimes goofy) Photos

2010 is winding down. It has its moments, that's for sure.

JANUARY 2010. Hairy yak. 

FEBRUARY. Snouts.

MARCH. Nom nom nom

APRIL. 

MAY. Move to new farm.

JUNE. Phish in Chicago.

JULY. Darwin award. :-)

AUGUST. Phish at Deer Creek.

SEPTEMBER. I get a new phone. Test it on kitteh.

OCTOBER. Barn drama. Move back to first barn. Hampton adopts a cat.

NOVEMBER. Back having fun.

DECEMBER. 2010 can kiss my ass. :-)

It's an alien! .. it's ... uh, me.

Annnnnd it's still frigid outside.

This is also what I wear to pick up men.

That's me in my barn get-up. Don't hate. It's warm. :-) I am sure my neighbors must think I am a gas station attendant or mechanic. Possibly a serial killer.

I have nothing new to report. I've just been checking in on Hampton - checking his legs and putting my hand in his blanket to make sure he's still toasty. Everything is hunky-dorey.

The BO and I are getting pretty fed up with not being able to ride. She was talking about driving her car around in the small arena to try and break up the ice. In the meantime, I think I might teach Hampton to pull a sleigh. Remember, I live in hilljack Indiana. By "pull a sleigh" I do not mean this:

I mean this:




Or even better:

Oh, winter. How I hate thee.

So since winter is being a royal bitch this year, I haven't gotten to ride. The ground is just too frozen, or too slick. Stupid stupid stupid. It's frustrating, but I suppose I can get over it this year. I mean, Hampton is still just 3. A month off is good for him. Even if January sucks as well, it won't be so bad. He's still growing. We can pick back up in the spring and likely still be able to do the 4 year old tests.

Anyway, I thought I would share with you one of the most hilarious posts I have read in a long time.
THE MANY ADVENTURES OF LAUREN writes "How to Survive Winter With Horses." It is hilarious, complete with art.

Sole, horse

Here's the good thing about snow. It keeps hooves squeaky clean!

Since it was 14 degrees out today, I didn't ride. Although it was sunny and once I was out at the barn I wished I had dressed to ride because it really didn't feel THAT bad. Oh well.

So on days I don't ride, I just bring Hampton in for his lunch and ... watch him eat. Sometimes I'll find something productive to do, like organize my tack ... or pester a fellow boarder. Today I decided to analyze Hampton's feet. I would at least look busy so I wouldn't get suckered into petting a barn cat.

Anyway, which brings me to this photo:

This is his right front paw. Because his feet are usually dirty, I mostly just pick them out and move on. But the snow has cleaned them up so well that I have just now noticed these bruises! Gah! He's sound, but is this normal? There are a few on his back feet, and none on his left front that I can see at this point. This foot is for sure the worst. 

I've pondered shoes for the beast. If that happens, it will wait until spring. I tried to Google "hoof bruise" but most of the results were of people who had an unfortunate altercation with a hoof and were sporting some really gnarly bruises. ew.

It really needs to warm up so I can get back to riding and not overanalyzing!

Soul horse

Since it's so friggin cold I haven't been able to ride in about a week (boo!! hisss!) so I have been using this down time to send in paperwork, registrations, memberships for Hampton and I to compete at USDF shows next year - including the 4 year old tests. It has cost me an arm and a leg, but a couple of them are lifetime memberships so I won't have to pay them again. I've also had time to reflect on 2010, on my goals and my accomplishments.

Fellow blogger over at A YEAR WITH HORSES recently wrote the post "Are you like your horse, or is your horse who you want to be?"

I knew almost right away that Hampton was a "soul horse." I have ridden and worked with literally hundreds and hundreds of different horses in my short 31 years on this earth. And I have found probably 2-3 soul horses. Because of my calm nature, I tend to get along with just about any horse. For most of my childhood, I rode very hot, squirrley Morgans. I guess after them, anything seems calm and rational. But what Hampton has taught me, is that while I have the ability and skill to handle hot horses, I don't truly ENJOY working with them day after day.

T-Bone. Ugh ... bracing, no overtrack ...

Hampton ... as a young 3 year old ... swingy .. pleasant

Case in point: My previous horse, T-Bone. Don't get me wrong, he turned into a great horse. He was a great boy to start - not a buck or spook in him. But let me tell you. He has the most gnarly neck and rigid back ever. When I say he never bucked, I mean it. His back was so hollow 100% of the time that in the 5 years I owned him, I NEVER saw him buck even in the pasture. In true Morgan fashion, he was too smart to be naughty. He would be quietly evasive to avoid work. He would seem light in the bridle, but in reality he was just braced in the neck. He would go through the motions of lateral work, but his back legs would just shuffle along never really stepping under and pushing. If you used the whip? He would become so tense he would be impossible to ride. His brain would be gone. Horse shows were hell on earth. He would constantly scream, bolt, brace his neck act like he wanted to rear. I took him everywhere in hopes that milage would cure this.

It did not.

This was simply a case of our personalities did not click. However, he did tend to reflect how I was at that point in my life. I was tense, worried, unsure. And hey, aren't we all smart about avoiding work sometimes? I was frustrated with my life - and then frustrated by my horse. We were no longer a good fit, which made me feel better about selling him. Don't get me wrong, I loved the horse. He had a super personality and was really quite safe to ride. But once I started working with Hampton, I KNEW I had made the right choice. The joy came back to riding.

Hampton

Hampton is very much the "person" I hope to be. He has taught me how to live in the moment. He is calm and is not a "freak out" say in the case of spooks or moments of chaos. He is patient and forgiving. He will work for me, but really only as much as I ask him to. lol. When he gets punished, he accepts it and then it's over. He moves on and gets over it. This is a lesson I need to learn from him. He trusts me. I trust him. And he's no dud. He has a naughty streak, but it's funny and manageable. Instead of getting frustrating by his antics, he makes me laugh.

T-Bone (actually not too bad for him)

So there's my novel for today. Sorry for rambling. You should go read the blog post I linked to above as she has a better way of explaining things. Perhaps post your own ideas? I'd love to read them!

On good news - looks like it's going to warm up in the 30s for Friday and Saturday!! Good enough for me to slip in a few rides! YES!

Footing fail and Hampton becomes a nutcase.

Normal, sleepy, quiet Hampton ...

Was supposed to have a lesson today.

The barn I board at does not have an indoor. I can suck it up. But I don't expect my horse to suck it up when it comes to footing. But both arenas were frozen today. So much so that Hampton was sore when I started out lunging him. Not lame, but when he made a canter-trot transition, his back end did a little hippy-hop. Every time. It wasn't just "Oh he took a weird step." It was clearly a "he's sore and can't make the transition." So we (my awesome instructor and I) made the trek out to the hayfield to see if the footing might be better. I have ridden Hampton out there quite a few times and didn't think it would be a problem. FAMOUS LAST WORDS!

Hampton out in the field today.

He walked out to the field quiet and polite.

(cue scary music)

As soon as I sent him off on the lunge line, he began to snort. Then snort louder. Then passage. Then he tried bolting, bucking, running sideways, snorting, more passage, more bolting. The footing MIGHT have been ok if I had a quiet, steady horse. But it was muddy and thus slick for a wild creature who was basically out of control. It was about as wild and unglued as I have EVER seen Hampton. Normally, I would let him get that crap out of his system. But both me and my instructor were scared he would get hurt. And it's not worth it. We walked back and called it a day. Hey, guess he got a little exercise.

To be fair, the footing out in the pasture is also muddy and slick. So he probably hasn't been moving around much. Plus it's cold. Out in the middle of a open field. He's 3 and getting fed QUITE well. What a recipe for a wild poneh!!

I really, REALLY hope he did not hurt himself out there. His hind end slipped several times before I was able to reel him back in from his antics.

The BO is supposed to work on the smaller arena at some point, so hopefully it won't freeze so easy in the future. We won't get much work done if the arena footing is that terrible all winter. I plan to haul out to a nearby indoor for lessons but I can only do that maybe once a month.

I hate winter. Can't you tell?

Horse shows are not won in June

They are won in December, January and February.

Lady, what do I look like? A jungle gym?

Uh, so that's what I keep telling myself as the weather gets colder. And colder. Sunday I rode at about 10 a.m. and both arenas were still frozen. So, not the best footing. Hampton was a bit short strided and because we were both bundled up (me in my thick winter jacket and breeches, and him in his quarter sheet) ... we couldn't really "feel" each other and so it was mostly just a hack. No real work accomplished.

Today was much better. Yay for nice 50-degree days. Hampton was a bit fresh (as evidenced by a few bolts on the lunge line) but it was good because it made him very forward and responsive. Worked on trot-walk-trot transitions, then walk-canter. They were about the same as last time. As in, maybe 60% success rate. I either screw up and he ends up trotting off, or he LAUNCHES into the canter. Which I don't punish him for because hey, at least he's sitting and pushing off. lol. We did have several nice transitions in both directions. Then we worked on leg yields - making them steeper. Leg yielding right was great, to the left needs a bit more work. He gets somewhat above the bit. I suspect I'm taking up too much contact. Need to work on that.

More of the same planned for tomorrow with some shoulder-in thrown in. I'm thinking just a lunging day for Wednesday and then we have a lesson on Thursday. That will set us up great for a day off on Friday .. then I'll ride one day this weekend. Depending on the weather.

For him.

Thank you.

I try to walk away and I stumble

Here's some food for thought for the holiday weekend. :-)

Stumbling.

So, I'm not going to go into a philisophical post about how I am stumbling through life. I am talking literal stumbling. Tripping over your own feet.

Do you (or your trainer) punish your horse for stumbling? If so, how do you punish him or her? If not, why not? And do you ignore it?

Hampton stumbles a few times each riding session, usually. His toes aren't long and he doesn't even wear bellboots anymore, so I blame it on the fact that he's on the forehand and sort of lazy. My instructor says I should punish him for it - by half halting and using the stick. Up until now, I just ignore it. But I am going to try correcting him when he stumbles to see if it makes a difference. And to clarify, they are just minor little trips. And only in front. He never goes down to his knees or anything. It also helps to walk in shoulder-in.

So, how do you handle stumbles?

Stop being so peaceful

Hampton and I had a super lesson today. (It's been probably close to a month since we've had one). Here are some of the things we worked on:

• Bend. Bend. Bend. Going left it's easy, but going to the right he likes to make an "S" out of his body. Perhaps this is why I found renvers so easy a while back? lol! He will bulge his neck left, tilt his poll right and swing his haunches out. He can be tricky to straighten in this direction, but we worked it out for the most part.

• Canter transitions. While they have improved A LOT ... they still need work to nail the scores in dressage. We might get by at training level, but for first we will need better transitions. The issue is that he gets confused about how to strike off with his hind legs. Like, he sort of has to ponder it. So, we decided to can the trot-canter transitions for the most part, and start doing walk-canter. This will help him strike off with purpose, organize his feet and get his butt under him. I am so happy to say that we got a number of really super walk-canter transitions. Woot! A few were ... uh ... not great. And a few times he picked up the canter and then I stopped riding and then he broke back into trot. Derrrr. But doing those transitions made him really uphill and brought his poll up.

• Leg yields. He needs to be sharper and needs to cross his back legs better. He's got the concept now, so I need to start asking more. Which brings me to ...

• Stop being so peaceful. My instructor said that I like to ride in a very peaceful manner (this is true). This is good in that I create very sane, good-minded horses. They have confidence and don't turn into spazzes. However, there are times in training when you need to rock the boat. Or your progress isn't really going to happen. I need to ask more, jazz him up a little, ride him more like a 3rd level horse then letting him plod along.

So I've got some good homework for this week! I'm  not sure how much riding I'll get in since work is going to get in the way. UGH. Perhaps by the weekend.

Sometimes it's good to plummet

Hampton fall 2010

Thank you to everyone who commented with encouragement. :-) It does help. I took out a loan on my 401K and that will help a lot with getting some things caught up. Annnd buying gas and food. I will be looking for a part-time job to help make a little more money, and keep hunting for a better full-time job as well. You all are right - things do work themselves out.

I was watching this interview last night with Cher (can you believe she is 64?!?) .. and she said "Sometimes it's good to plummet. Because then you really appreciate it when you come back up."

**

I feel a little stupid for complaining about my life, when a fellow blogger is in a situation much worse. Please go to Denali's blog if you haven't already. Denali's owner has been through a LOT with her beloved mare, and now she is making a really tough decision. I'm not sure what is more heartbreaking that losing your horse ... except maybe a close family member.

Remember to hug your horse today.