It's all about your "assets"

Yes, a post about Carson Kressley

You may know him from Dancing with the Stars and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy:

But did you know he also rides and shows Saddlebreds? Neat!
Here's a video from Louisville (2009)

Update (sorry, it's a snoozer)

"Grandma" bought him this bonnet. :) (for my birthday)

Hampton and I are plugging along. I've been doing my homework, making sure to give him plenty of breaks and days off in between for any sore muscles to recover. While he is a wonderful 4 year old, I do have to be careful because 1) He has the mental capacity to try anything I ask, even if his body is not ready and 2) since he is my only horse to play with (basically), I might be tempted to try things he isn't ready for. I have been keeping those things in mind so that he doesn't become sour. He's so cheerful when I ride him and so happy to work for me, I do not want to ruin that by pushing too hard.

But hey yesterday we had a good ride and to change things up I tried forward and back at the canter. I haven't done this in a while - we've only been doing that at the trot - because at the canter he would lose his balance and break into the trot. Much to my delight, he has a canter half-halt now and can lengthen and come back to me without breaking. Woot woot!

Sniffin the camera lady

I'm debating giving him a month off this winter. Just to grow and be a horse. Still just throwing the idea around, since he really seems to enjoy the work and all the attention - such as when I call him handsome and studly. Seeing as how we live in Indiana, it is likely that he will end up taking time off this winter anyway since Mother Nature around here can be testy.

Other than that I am looking forward to Octoberfest!

Wild poneh at a horse show!

Zippy for sale

The young App/Arab/Belgian cross I worked with in the past, Zippy, is for sale.

He is just too sensitive to be a therapy horse at the moment, so the owners want to move him along.

Here is is Craigslist ad.

He is located in central Indiana.

I have walk, trot, cantered him (both leads) with no problems. He has never been naughty, but he does need someone who is calm, balanced and confident or he becomes insecure. I would say he would be fine for a solid 4-Her. Still green about the bridle, but does lunge in loose side reins. Steers fine. Started with leg aids. I have ridden him out of the arena (the ad doesn't say so) and he was great.

Zippy is a really good character, just needs miles and someone who doesn't man-handle him. Baths, picks up his feet. I never tried to clip him.

He isn't blessed in the beauty department but with a little time he's going to make a wonderful little horse. I just want to see him find a good home.

I've never had an issue with him, but he does like to dance around a bit when tied. Obviously a therapy horse needs to be more quiet.

Panic at the Desk(o)

"Oh hei photographer lady!"

Octoberfest entries are SENT. Holla! I've decided to do Training Level tests 1 and 3, and then the Green As Grass combined test. That's max 18" height. Of course I also signed up to school cross country, which is probably what I'm most excited about.

This show will be our last horrah for the year. And maybe for a long while. I've been having such a friggin good time this summer with my horse and my horse friends, that I sort of pushed reality away. Well, it all came crashing down on me tonight at work. When I realized that come April, I won't have a job anymore. Cue panic attack. Cue meds to stop panic attack. Yay.

But I really should save some money up in case I do end up unemployed in the spring. So, no horse shows and no expensive clinics. A couple of lessons here and there, sure. I really thought I would have landed a new job by now ... but it hasn't happened. I refuse to let myself feel like a failure, or not good enough. That's not going to help. But for crying outloud - someone hire me!!

I've got one training horse at the moment and he's super cute. His owner is a very good friend of mine from grade school. She found him at a random auction in Missouri and sent him to me to have some buttons installed. My friend says he's a pull Percheron, but I don't really believe her. He's way too typey, and only about 16.3 hands. But I could be wrong, I know some Percherons are on the smaller side.

Sampson says "Why you put
this torture device on me?"

Anyhoo, his name is Sampson and he's still in the "oh yes we lunge in side reins and you do what I say" stage of training. This week I'm hoping to climb aboard. So far he's been quite sane, although a little worried about me and what I may do to him. This isn't a bad thing in my book.

He does sound like he has allergies or something because he wheezes - even at a standstill. I know it could be a million things, but his owner says it is mostly seasonal. Poor guy.

So that's what my week looks like. Work during the day, and try to work 2 horses before the sun goes down.

Oh yeah - and start packing up my sh*t to move to a new place. Good grief.

'Nobody makes us wait'

Because of some weird alignment of the planets, I had another day off work today. (Oh, don't get too excited for me. I now work the next 10 days in a row). Soooo I decided to haul Hampton over to Forrest Hill for a dressage lesson.

We got some great homework to focus on. Hampton was on his best behavior and worked his butt off for me. Almost literally. By the end of the lesson, his poor hocks were all wobbly and tired and he was sweating on his stifles.

Here is are some exercises we did:

• Walk. Block the forward a little, then sidepass. Yes, not leg yield. Not half pass. But sidepass. This is a tool that I haven't really used. I had thought it was mostly a western tool for trail classes, etc. Turns out, it's also a great stifle and hock strengthening exercise. At first, Hampton thought this question was a bit obnoxious (and hard!) but in the end, it really improved his trot and leg yields.

• Inside bend, but turn the shoulders with the outside aids while keeping inside bend. I have great control over his shoulders, but have been using counterbend to get that. Now it's time to keep the inside bend, but still turn off the outside aids. This went well at walk and trot, a bit more difficult at canter.

• Leg yield wall to center line. Pretty good at the trot. Canter is a bit tough, only made it to the quarter line. I think it's more coordination on his part. It will come in time.

• Leg yield head to the wall. Again, another tool I have neglected. Not anymore - this is a great exercise because it forces him to really cross his hind legs and step under, but I don't need to use a lot of rein because the wall acts as the barrier. He also thought this was hard but we worked through it. I need to remember to ask for more haunches.

• Trot lengthenings. I was blown away by what I saw in the mirror. Four months ago, he would just go faster. Probably break into the canter. After all this leg yield work, I pointed him across the diagonal, fluffed the reins, slid my legs back and POW he goes. I looked in mirror and actually said "holy sh*t" outloud. Helllloooo there sexeh floaty lengthened trot (which I will make into medium trot over the winer!). I wish I had that on video! Do I smell First Level for next year?!?

Overall comments were that he is way ahead of schedule for a 4 year old. My instructor said his canter was lovely and balanced, which made me snort because if she had seen his canter 2 years ago she probably would have told me to buy a different horse. I need to keep trying to ride him up in the poll. He's round, he accepts the contact, but now he needs to raise his poll more. Also, the "eggbeater" canter I speak of sometimes comes from stiffness in his stifles and hocks. He doesn't want to flex them very well, which leads to a downhill appearance sometimes (even though he is not built downhill at all). But the exercises she gave me should help with that. Basically - build strength.

I love lessons with her because she A) works both of us hard and B) gives me excellent homework. She's having a dressage camp mid October but I think I'll have to pass because of money. It's a lot to ask of a 4 year old anyway as there are 2 lessons a day. Perhaps in the spring we'll go.

And on another note, I've decided to go to Octoberfest for sure. Peer pressure. :) Dressage and a combined test ... and cross country schooling. Holla!

***

On other news, I found this video on YouTube. Look out young David Letterman is?!? LOL! Also, this band rocks. Don't care what anyone says.




My favorite Counting Crows song ... perhaps in my top 10 fav songs evah. The acoustic version will give you goosebumps. There's no video to this, just music. Enjoy. Beautiful!

Now what?

Hampton charmin'

I have finally emerged from my sickly, cold-medicine-induced haze.

I'm still have a minor horse show hangover. You know, when your muscles are really sore and you still want to sleep 12 hours a day. I have yet to unpack my trailer, too. Bad me.

I'm not sure where to go next. I am still eyeing Octoberfest, but there are a couple of shows closer to home that I could go to instead. That means less money to pour down my gas tank. No matter where we go, we'll do another combined test and a couple of plain dressage tests. Hampton has proven that he's not only confident about crossrails, but he likes it. The good thing about Octoberfest (at the Hoosier Horse Park) is that you can school on the cross country course.

Maybe this is a lofty goal but ... next year I really want to do a recognized horse trail. At beginner novice.

My long term goal - inspired by fellow blogger and friend Amy - to run a Novice 3 day event.

Of course it all depends. My job search situation is still a friggin hot mess. It seems like I can land interviews, and even second interviews ... but I'm just not good enough to land the job. I may have to start looking out of state again (I don't want to, I have good things going for me here ...). And we all know how moving and new jobs can thwart your horse show plans.

Good news is that I am moving Oct. 1 into a different house. It will be cheaper for me (yay!) so I'm hoping I won't have to struggle so much. I'm hoping I can have some extra cash to invest in lessons over the winter. I also need to go to the dentist.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out which "need" I'll pay for first.