On the subject of attractive boys on horses ...

Found this on Facebook. It's a little old, but I don't think I've seen it before.

This is Steffen Peters (Dressage rider, Olympian and Bronze medalist at the WEGS) and Ian Francis (reining master, many time champion. I believe from Australia). They swap ponies and take a spin.

I wish they had swapped outfits, too. Hahaha. Ok, I just want to see Steffen in a cowboy hat and chaps. SO. BAD. !!! Shame on me.

Enjoy.

A great confidence builder. Not really.

Hampton has been working great lately. We are tinkering on the edge of nailing a canter/walk transition and the trot lengthenings continue to get better and better.

So, looking forward to this weekend's show. I decided to keep things simple today. Especially since we worked quite hard on Sunday.

*sigh*

Naughty pony!!

Thing started out fine. He was fresh and spooky but I was able to redirect it. I asked for right lead canter from the trot and got hollow back, above the bit and crossfiring. WTF. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, since we have only been doing walk/canter transitions for quite some time. I have neglected trot/canter departs. I ask again. Same damn thing - and now he bulges against my inside leg. Oh bad poneh. So he got a mild scolding including more bending to the right and a few thumps with my leg.

Before I know it - we're up in the air. WTF again. He has NEVER reared with me before. And while it wasn't a dangerous -going-to-flip-over rear, it was high enough that he got a few lines on his fanny for that behavior.

After a few rounds of super-forward trotting. I asked for more canter transitions and while he came a little above the bit, it was ok. By the end we were back to our normal, obedient canter departs. Good grief.

I was really hoping to better my dressage score this weekend. But now I think my goals have changed to no rodeo moves staying on.

In light of today's antics, he will now be getting lunged before our riding sessions this week. Perhaps the cool weather lit a fire up his butt?

Boyd needs a beer.

I've been glued to Burghley coverage pretty much since Thursday. And this little clip of Boyd Martin has got to be one of my favorites so far. It's so candid and so human and frankly the boy and his team deserve every bit of success they have had so far.



Also, I think Boyd is about as handsome and gorgeous as you can get. Plus his has an accent. Plus he's a damn good rider. *swoon* I'd love to ride in a clinic with him someday but fear that I may spend most of the time drooling.

Sample in a Jar

Thank goodness that brief emo phase has left me. No damage was done (didn't dye my hair black, or purchase Fall Out Boy albums).

But I bring some fun news!

First - I made out like a bandit for my birthday! My parents, bless their souls, continue to enable support me and my horse habit. My mother took me to an Indy tack shop where she spent a small fortune on me.

Here's what I gots:

Black Tipperary vest!

EuroFit breeches - the sexeh purple ones on the right.

I also got one more pair of breeches - grey ones with a cute purple stripe down the side. They aren't EuroFit tho. I think my mother would have had a stroke if I got 2 pairs of those suckers.

So yay this means I am all set to start eventing. Woot woot! Hollar!

Which brings me to my next installment of fun news. We will be attending the Sept. 10 CAF show. Hampton will be showing in Green As Grass Combined Test, GAG Event Derby and then Training Level 1. I know this sounds like a lot, but I have learned that Hampton gets better the more he goes. I am not worried about him getting tired because he is fit and we're only going to trot the courses.

I'm also bringing another horse along to show dressage. He is actually a reining horse but has a secret talent for dressage. Wait until you see photos of him. ;)

SO ... depending on how things go at CAF, we may or may not enter the combined tests at OctoberFest at the Hoosier Horse Park. We may just stick to dressage. I don't want to overwhelm Hampton, we may need the winter to take more jumping lessons and develop confidence. Or, he may be totally game. The jumps are small, so I think we'll be ok. 

And in more news ... I'm getting another training horse in next week.

Here's a preview:

He's been modeling for his owner's marketing company recently 

Who are you? (who who who who)

I'm 5'7" with boots, by the way.

Some days I really don't know what I would do without my horse.

Is that even healthy?

Where would I have turned if horses never came into my life? Booze (errr ...), drugs? Stripping? Phone sex operator? Happy endings massage employee? God the possibilities are frightening!

I likely would not have turned to other people. I'm too damn shy and have always been. (unless you liquor me up)

Having a hobby is healthy. Having a life-consuming obsession passion? My life and days revolve around the next show, the next 20 meter circle, the next goal. The next thing Hampton needs (helloooooo fly bonnet). The next lesson, last week's lesson, how I can improve. I spend HOURS watching videos online. HOURS reading. When I could be out there making friends. *shrug* Healthy? Where would I be if I lost it all? WHO would I be?
___

This just in: Tomorrow's post will have some groovy news. Instead of a melodramatic snoozefest.

Whew!

Paradigm Power Surge

This is part of a "mini-series" on the horses who have influenced me and taught me the most. 


Paradigm Power Surge

After we spanked the competition in Indy.

"Wilson" as we called him was sired by Will Power - a son of I Will Command. I Will Command sired numerous champions in the Morgan breed. I don't really remember Wilson's mother or her lines ... bad me.

Anyway, Wilson came along when we still owned Sparkles. He was a 3 year old, brought right out of the field and thrown into life in a training stable. He knew NOTHING. Our trainer at the time convinced my father that Wilson would make a great investment and would be a money-maker.

The first time I saw him, we turned him loose in the indoor. He was without a doubt stunning. Dark, dark bay gelding. Long neck and a trot to die for (and he was barefoot). But he was skittish and did not trust people. I could not even catch him in a stall.

My sister and I continued to show Sparkles while Wilson was broke to drive. He started to come around slowly. We took him to Oklahoma (the Grand National) that year and our trainer showed him in 3 year old pleasure driving.

That year, he stepped off the van and was obviously sick. He ended up spending a day or two at the university large animal hospital - he was treated for pleurisy (sp?). He did end up showing in his class later in the week and I think he did OK, but no big ribbons.

The next season he was started under saddle. I was pretty pumped that I "got" to show him one year at the Indiana show. (as if it was some sort of honor to ride my own horse ... but I digress). I had not ridden him before, so I had a quick lesson at the show and then the next day was our class. I also had been attending the University of Findlay and had ridden nothing but hunter/jumpers for several years now. Saddleseat land was becoming more and more foreign to me. But what the heck - why not jump on a green 4 year old I've ridden once, hop back in a flat saddle and go show? (As you can tell from the photo, I had show clothes that didn't even really fit, too. Ah well)

Well, we rocked the Youth English pleasure class. He spooked once badly at the gate, but we recovered quickly and ended up winning! We even broke from the trot to the canter once IN FRONT OF THE JUDGE and still won! That's how awesome this horse was.

I went back to college, Sparkles retired to broodmare land, and my sister took over the ride. She did well with him in the junior ranks, and we sold him after Oklahoma.

Wilson was a pretty damn fancy saddleseat horse, but the people we sold him too turned him into a hunter pleasure horse. Which is where is ROCKED IT. He won numerous titles with his new young rider and I enjoyed watching him at shows. I'm not sure where he is now or if he is still showing, but he sure was a neat horse even though he was only ours for a short time.

For the rest of the series - see my sidebar.

Don't be scared, it's only love that we're falling in.

Don't be scared, it's only love mud that we're falling in.


Or, in which Hampton and I fall and go boom.


Prologue
After the quirky Indiana weather quit being a bitch on Sunday, we packed up 3 horses and 3 people andand headed up north to hit the trails. Unlike the last park we went to a few months ago, which was was 
sandy, and flat, these trails were not for the ball-less.
Hampton was kept quite busy by constantly staying challenged with obstacles such as logs, branches, 
rocks, hills, trees and questionable footing. Oh and many branches to snack on.
Our 3 ponies were great the entire time and not one is exactly an experienced trail horse.
At one point we arrived at a small river. I was really looking forward to playing in the water.
We came down a very very small hill, hardly muddy ... I had my eyes on that river ...


Uh oh
I felt Hampton's feet go out from underneath him and it was almost in that split 
second like he knew it too and decided "Oh hell I'll just lie down and save the both of us." 
He went down in slow motion and then I hit the dirt mud. He rolled gently 
onto my right ankle and leg, but thanks to the soft mud no harm was done.


He got up just as calmly and slowly as he went down. I was worried he may have
hurt himself, but he seemed fine. I was fine. He seemed totally unphased by it.
(No one has fallen off of him before). So off to the river we went.

Back on 4 feet and in the river.

Other than the one "incident" things went really well. Although I did have to
dismount and lead Hampton down one particularly nasty, muddy hill. 
I felt his confidence waver and I trusted his opinion and decided that if I needed
to let go of him and let him find his own, safe way down, so be it. But he did
fine. I got my boots muddy but such is life.

No gators in here? You sure mum?

We crossed creeks, walked in a creek bed, up and down hills, over logs, under 
logs, crossed the river, and picked our way through what seemed like areas
where there really was no trail. It was certainly my idea of a good time! I know
we had 3 tired ponies at the end of the day. I was proud of all of them.


It was a good practice run for the overnight trail ride we'll be going to
in mid-September.


Oh and I didn't take many photos because I was too busy 
1) drinking a beer or
2) hanging on for dear life


As for the rest of this week, Hampton deserves a day or 2 off. Then the chiro
comes on Thursday. Plus the farrier. 


I have show entries to do. Later gators!

All my favorites in one photo.