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.

Big bad Burghley

Remember when I said that I might crap myself if I had to jump a 2'3" fence these days?

Well, go and check out the Burghley course preview HERE.

The first jump is a pretty normal, non-threatening little guy. Then I saw the second jump. Are you kidding me? I won't blame the riders who DO crap themselves at some of these jumps. They are terrifying.

I'll certainly be glued to the computer to watch the event (it's free!).

Long post (you may need a Zoloft)

Well, I didn't get that job I was hoping for.

I didn't get a raise at my current job either.

(Other people in the office ARE getting a raise, however. Did I not get one because I am a woman? Or because I am incompetent? If I am THAT incompetent - why haven't I been laid off or fired? I didn't get a raise ... again ... because they are assholes.) I'm getting really, really fed up with an environment of negative re-enforcement, constant bitching, cranky people, fights and passive aggressive, snarky e-mails. For what? I work so hard and have nothing to show for it.

I have sold almost everything I own to pay the bills. Sometimes I go an entire day and don't eat. I am constantly playing catch up with rent and bills. It's getting really, really old. I'm so tired of these people making me feel utterly inadequate and stupid. (I know I'm good at what I do!) Thank goodness I have my horse and a handful of really great friends. They keep me from turning to booze ... too much. haha.

Hampton and Janis, a mini-dwarf

In the midst of life really sucking, Hampton continues to come through for me. He has been beyond awesome lately - he doesn't even feel like a 4 year old anymore. I have worked a bit on counter-canter, which has made major progress. We can now counter canter a 20 meter circle in a nice balance. I'll probably leave that alone for a while until we start to think about learning changes.

This week we have been working on power. Lots of slow trot - BIG trot transitions. Also, leg yield to the rail and immediately power trot forward. He has really started to get the hang of trot lengthenings. He was so incredible yesterday that I decided oh what the hell, lets try a half-pass. Here's what I did:

Trot down the centerline. Make a 10-12 meter circle left. Back on the centerline, keep the idea of left bend, half pass left to the rail - ride the shoulders over. ... And he did it.

I immediately let him stretch, walk and praised him obnoxiously. Could we have had more bend? Yes. It wasn't perfect, but it was there. I guess that's what happens when your horse is on the bit and obedient to your leg aids - the "tricks" become simple. If the basics are there, then the rest will come. Half pass to the right was a little more difficult, which I expected, but he still gave a good effort. I lost the haunches a bit, but whatevs. I'm so excited about how he is coming along. And he is happy and healthy. That makes the rest of my life a lot more tolerable.

In other news (I told you this would be a long post),

In an effort to try and 1) get some extra income and 2) find a back up plan so I can escape this job, I have finally decided to develop my photography hobby. For now, it's going to stay a glorified hobby, but I'm taking steps to one day make it a full time job (I hope!). I have had numerous people nudge me in that direction. Plus, I took one of those expensive career tests and it, too, said photography is up my alley.

Check out THE BLOG here.
And if you Facebook, I also have a Facebook Page. (You can also Like it on the right hand side of this blog)

Any comments, advice, etc. is welcome. I love critiques, just don't write me a snarky, passive aggressive e-mail because I get enough of those in one week. :)

You wreck be, baby.

The horse loaded up fine Tuesday and off we went about 40 minutes away for our jumping lesson.

When we got there, I discovered that he had pawed and in the process his leadrope (which I usually just drop at the front of the trailer) was now underneath him - covered in poo and wetness. Ugh. I had no choice but to reach down and get the damn rope. For the rest of the day my hands smelled like poo.

Hampton stood like a gentleman in the wash rack to be tacked up and we quickly lunged outdoors before I hopped on to warm up. He was a little tense and wiggly, but in general was being quite good and only called back to another horse a couple of times.

Me and T-Bone. Noticed my jammed heel and braced legs.
(Notice how he is also braced.)

Our instructor is about the cutest, sweetest thing you'll ever meet. She was so nice to me and seemed to really like Hampton. (Who doesn't? He is a charmer.) We worked on keeping him straight and I was also really happy that she was picking on ME too. My dressage instructor is incredible but we focus much more on the horse. I know my bad habits, but sometimes you need reminders. The big one for me is to bend my knees. I tend to slam my heels down and brace in the knee. This is really obvious when my stirrups are shorter in my jumping saddle.

I also have really tight hips. "Shoulders of a princess, hips of a whore." Well, I guess I spent too much time studying in college and not whore-ing around because my hips are not so whore-ish. They are actually pretty tight and part of the reason I tend to brace with my legs. I guess I have hips of a prude. Geez.

We spent time time trotting over ground poles, and then a simple grid of 3 trot poles and a 4th one set at a distance as if it were to be a crossrail later on. Hampton motored right through. I was pretty proud of him and felt it was a good confident ride for him - even though it was bare bones basics and I knew he could do this anyway.

His douche-bag left lead canter transition did make an ugly appearance, however. (He hasn't done this since May) This of course after I raved about what a good boy my horse ALWAYS is and how he tries so hard to please me.

Me: "Ok Hamps, left lead canter now please."
Hamp: "F*** You."

(squirrly bucking, leaping, head toss)

Me: "Excuse me?"
(ask for left lead again)
Hamp: "Screw off lady! I have better things to do than use my hind end!"

(more bucking, another leap)

Proof we can produce a nice left lead canter thanks!

At this point my instructor is giggling. She said she could tell this wasn't normal behavior for him, but often times new environments and a little pressure bring out such antics. I did refrain from calling my horse bad names, smiled and we worked through it. He is so intelligent in that he knows just how naughty he can be and not unseat me. He doesn't want to toss me, he just wants to flip me the bird. Typical teenager.

Oh guess what we will be doing this week? Canter transitions!!! Congrats Hampton. Punk.

Also: 81 peeps are following my blog! That is super rad if you ask me. :) Thank you all!