Oopsies and jumping...

Hello everyone! I haven't posted for about two weeks, so I'll tell you about my last two riding lessons. Two weeks ago, i had a lesson where i jumped the highest I've ever gotten to. The jump was about 2 foot 9! The pony that I've been riding in lessons is really a lot of fun. Her name's Fancy, and she's a 14.2hh
TB mare. She's super athletic, but also very sensitive. If i sit too
heavy on her back she kicks up a stink. Anyways, we jumped two jumps in
a line, the first about 2 ft, the second 2'9. She really likes to jump,
and she just springs off the ground. It's really too bad she isn't
bigger, otherwise we'd probably buy her. We're still looking for a
horse, but we're not going to look at any more until afterChristmas . I
was really hoping we'd have found one by now, however none of the ones
we've looked at have worked out. Anyways, yesterday i had a lesson in
the morning. It was absolutely freezing! i couldn't feel my toes for
about an hour and a half! It was worth it, though. We didn't jump that
lesson, it was too cold. I had to work very hard to keep Fancy moving
evenly, she was quite fresh. She did break out in canter a few times
when we were supposed to be trotting, but it was nothing i couldn't
handle. We did however have one incident. We were just walking on a
loose rein up at the top half of the arena, me off in la la land, fancy
very alert. All of a sudden something spooked her, and she hopped up
and to the side. Well, i was ejected from the saddle to put it nicely.
As i was falling, she reared up a little bit, and her hoof hit my shin
quite hard. Luckily her hoof didn't land on my shin, however i do have
a big bruise now. Anyways, so i stand up and grab the reins, which i
had let go of because they were tangled around my hands. Looking
around, i saw that one girl was staring at me. I smiled, and headed
back over to the mounting block. My trainer looked up from where she
was helping another girl with her girth, looking quite surprised.
"Robyn, what are you doing?" She asked. I looked at her, puzzled. "I
fell off." I told her. Apparently, no one knew i had fallen off other
than the girl who was watching me. They hadn't heard me fall or
anything! At first i thought this was quite odd, but the more i thought
about it, the more it made sense. I hadn't made a single sound as i
fell, and the only noise i made when i was on the ground was whispers
as i tried to calm fancy down. It was still a bit odd, though. I got
back on and finished the lesson without any other incidents.

Horse Hunt

Hello everyone! I've been very buisy during the weekends, because as i mentioned in my earlire post, we're looking for a new horse. None of the horses I mentioned we went and looked at again, we had something against all of them that put them out of the running. After that, we looked at this Oldenburg mare that we really liked, except she has one really bad issue. When another horse is coming towards her, even just at the trot, she bolts sideways and panics. She was six years old, and had been to a few shows so this was not a temporary condition. We decided not to buy her. After that, we went to another stable to look at a jumper there. He was very beautiful, 16.3 hand high Thoroughbred that looked like a warmblood. He was a bit too hot for me, though, and he was a roarer. Later in the week, we went to look at this Canadian Warmblood that we plan to go back and see again. He's energetic, but has good ground manners and looks like a very good natured horse. We were planning on going to look at him again this weekend, but he's got a bit of a cold, so we're going to wait a while. Anyways, just today we looked at this nice Thoroughbred gelding. He seems like something we should go back and see again, so we probably will. Our only issues, are that his croup looks a bit on the weak side, his knees aren't the greatest, and he's a bit on the slow side. I think he might be better suited for the hunters, as opposed to the jumpers. We'll go back with my trainer though, and pop him over a few jumps just to see. We're going to look at this warmblood cross tomorrow, so i'll keep you posted on how that goes. We've started bleaching our boots after going anywhere new, because there's been a strangles outbreak in the area around us,(not right where we are) that we have to be careful of. Anyways, i'll keep you updated if anything new happens.

HELLO EVERYONE, I'M BACK!

Hello! I must appologize for taking so long to post, but i have a lot to say now. Let's start with the show, which was a few weeks ago. I was riding a horse i'd never ridden before, so naturally i was a bit worried. Everything turned out all right though, because he was a good natured nine year old QH named Chips. His look was very hunter, which was good because we were at a hunter show! My day started off at 5:30 in the morning, when I got out of bed and me and my mom took off to my trainers stable where Chips was kept. I braided his mane, (my first time doing that as well) and we loaded him up. We stopped by the stable where my trainer gives lessons during the winter (it has an indoor) and picked up my friend Danielle and the horse she rides, Chesapique. We headed to the show grounds, and it was then that I got to ride Chips. We got along well, and guess what? I GOT A TROPHY! I was so excited. A first and two seconds! (i also went in hunter hack, but let's not go there;) Danielle got a trophy too, so it was a good day for us. Danielles the one riding the pinto (chesapique). Im on the chestnut. Anyways, in other news, we're shopping for... wait for it... A NEW HORSE!!! So far we've looked at about six or seven, but we've just started this weekend. The first one we looked at was a Hanoverian gelding. He's about 15.3 hands high, Chestnut with a star and a snip. He's coming five, and he's something we might be interested in. He's got big, lofty movenents, I fit him well, he's a good jumper, and his personality is an A++. My trainer said he's the type of horse that I could get on whenever and safely ride him around a x country course without havting to worry about being able to controll him. There are a few things going against him, though. He's got a roached back, which we're worried about. We're thinking it may cause some issues as far as staying sound goes. His loin is also long and on the weak side, and last year he got x-rays that showed a spot on his navicular. We're thinking that we may want to get another set of x-rays done to determin whether or not the spot is getting bigger. We're thinking that it may never bother him, but we're not so sure. We're also thinking that when we go to re-sell him in four or five years, he would defidently be harder to sell because of his back. Because of these things, we're not eliminating him, however we want to look around a bit more. After looking at him, me, mom, our trainer and her friend proceeded to check out this nice swedish warmblood cross mare, but she was too green for what we were looking for. After that, we went up to an equestrian center and looked at three different horses. The first was a very pretty tb mare, but she was a bit stiff and lame, so we didn't have me get on. The second was a five year old SEVENTEEN hand high tb mare, again off the track. She'd only raced a few times though, because she was too slow. I hopped on her, and although she was beautiful, she wasn't experienced enough for what we wanted. I think I gave my mom a heart attack though, because When i asked her to wakl she started cantering. I eventually got her down to a walk, but im pretty sure my mom was crossing her fingers until the moment my feet touched the ground. The third horse i didn't get on because we could tell she wasn't what we wanted. So that concluded Saturday, and Sunday we looked at this Holsteiner/tb mare that we think may be a good match. She's better built than any of the other horses i'd tried, she had a good disposition, and she'd been to a few shows. Although i'd have to work hard to do any dressage on her, when she jumps she just launches herself over the obstacles you can tell it wouldn't even cross her mind to stop. The only thing we're thinking about her, is that she's a lot of horse, so we'd like to go back and try her a bit more before we commit to anything. She's a goregous horse with the potential to jump higher, but my trainer says the better quality the horse, the more horse you're getting. I wouldn't be doing any eventing on her this year, but i could do well at jumper shows and possibly event with her next year. The thing is, when she's trotting she just speed trots around unless you make her go slower, and i haven't gotten the hang of slowing steps on the scale that hers need to be slowed. We're defidently going to go back and look at her again, though. Well, that's pretty much it... i hope everyone's had a good week, and i'll post again when something happens!

sorry

hey everyone,

Sorry for the lack of updates, my life has been kinda hectic lately. I'll try to post more stuff soon, and i have a show this Sunday!

Scooter

Hello, everyone! I've had a very long day, to put things lightly. Last night, my friend Melissa (who is starting a blog) slept over, and then this morning I had a riding lesson! I did not, however, ride Thunder. Instead I rode a 15.2 hand high paint gelding named Scooter! He's for sale, so I was trying him out. We don't think we're going to buy him though, because we want something with more jumping and eventing experience. He was fun though, and I'm going to ride him in a few lessons. He was mainley used for running barrels and poles, so it'll be a good experience to get him collected more and slow his canter. I have to stand up in the stirrups when cantering for now, because if I sit down he takes it as a cue to speed up. We'll work on that though. After lesson, I cleaned out four stalls and four paddocks for my trainer because the girl who usually does it is sick. That took a while, and now i'm a bit sore. Oh well, it was worth it. We've started giving Java this powder that contains mainley bacteria that are supposed to keep the gut healthy. It seems to be working, and i'm hoping that she'll be back to normal fairly soon. It's getting a bit cold out at night, so we're bringing the horses in most of the time now. Other than that, not a lot has happened. I hope everyone had a happy haloween! I'll get some new pictures up soon!

Hey everyone! I have a lot to tell you... first of all, I didn't have a lesson today- I had one on Wednesday because there's a clinic going on at the stable my trainer teaches at. On Wednesday, Thunder and I were working well together. I kept him on the bit and using his hind end fairley steadily, which was a great sucess! I'm going to a show on November the sixteenth, which I hope i'll do well in. The only thing is, that it's a trophy show and I no longer ride at the stable that is putting it on, so who knows? I might get put last in every class because i'm no longer fianancially supporting them. I hope this will not be the case, though. Meagan, my trainer, says that we won't do any jumping until November the sixteenth so that i'll be well prepared for the flat classes. Next lesson, D and I are going to switch horses for an hour! I think that'll be fun, and it'll be a good learning experience because Thunder and Chesapique (the horse D rides) have very different strengths and faults. Anyways, mom and I are a little worried about Java. She seems bright and alert, but she's been having severe diarreah for a few days now. We can't identify anything new in her diet, so we're hoping it's just a bug that will pass through her system. In other news, we've been measuring out our property to see where we can put a new arena. We're thinking we're going to have it be about 75x100, which I think will be a good size. We're getting it redone in hog fuel. Well, that's pretty much it! The picture is of me at my first show earlier this year on a lesson pony I used to ride. Have a good weekend everyone!

Lesson and Horse Expo

Hello, everybody! I must say, i've had a great day. This morning, I had another lesson on Thunder which went very well. I started off by giving Meagen (my trainer, whose name is pronounced Megan) my paragraph on what I learned last lesson. Then, my trainer and I longed Thunder, who does NOT like being longed. He tends to throw hissy fits. Once I got on, we did some warm up work and trotting poles. I had to count Thunders stride between the poles out loud, which made me think about it more. The only thing I would really say was bad, is one of our transitions. I sort of chased him into his canter, and I should have been spongeing and adding leg to bring him up to a collected canter. Instead I just closed my leg and broke my connection. I corrected myself though, and everything else seemed to be good.Anyways, Meagen said that I did a good job of holding my connection, and that it was much better than last weeks! I was quite happy about this. After lesson, my mom took my friend D and I up to a horse expo for the day! We watched some clinics, one on jumping, one on dressage, and one on working with your horse from the ground. They were all pretty educational.We also watched demonstrations on Icelandic Horses and Miniature Horses. The Icelandic Horses were really neat, and we got to hear about their heritage and their gaits. I found out one very interesting fact: even to this day, once an Icelandic Horse leaves Iceland, they may never return. Isn't that odd? Anyways, we then watched the Minis go around. It was overwhelmingly cute. Some of those minis were jumping about two foot six! Apparently in some mini competitions, they jump up to THREE FOOT SIX! All in hand, of course. D and I then wandered through all of the booths, buying cotton candy and looking at trailers with living quarters. We also looked through books, saddles, a mini Greenhawk (My fave horse store) and literally about a thousand other booths. We're going back tomorrow to watch clinics, buy stuff, and watch the horse demos. There's an ANDALUSIAN demo tomorrow that I just can't wait to see! I'll report back with details! The cat is named Ash, ain't he cute?

Athena's New Pictures

Hello everybody! I know it's been a while, but life has been extremely buisy. I'm going to start off by giving you some background on the many photos that I have posted. They are all of Athena, who is now a year and five months old. It will be our one year anniversary of Athena belonging to us on October the nineteenth. We've been evaluating Athena's confirmation, however a lot of things could change. So far, though, she looks like she'll be a pretty good jumper! A few days ago, Java had an interesting experience. My friend Melissa came over after school, and we worked with Java. We started by longeingwalk trot and canter, then longeing Java, who is now two and eight months, over her very first crosspole! Java did a wonderful job, although she was a bit confused at first. She really wants to please people, though, so she came up to the jump, looked at it for a second, then gave a big hop over it! We then decided that I would ride Java bareback with Melissa leading. Java is totally fine with being ridden bareback, and I was wearing a helmet, so it was fairley safe. We did some walking and trotting, before I hopped off and gave Melissa a turn. This was Java's first time with someone other than me getting on and trotting her around! It was very exciting. Java seemed to handle it fine, which is good considering Melissa will be the one showing Java when it comes time because i'm a bit too tall. Anyways, this morning I had a riding lesson again, which went very well! After some warm up, Thunder and I did a figure eight at the trot, then cantering over poles. It really was a good exercise, because once you go over one pole, you do a lead change, then have to straighten out for the next pole. Even though we weren't actually jumping, Thunder still got very excited, and I had to sit tight and do some major spongeing and half-halting to keep him under controll. That's the only thing about Thunder, he does get very excited about jumping. It makes for a pretty fun ride, though! Once I got home from lessons, I groomed Athena, who is looking pretty good as far as weight goes. She might even be a bit chubby! I don't mind, though. Since she's a growing thoroughbred filly, going into winter with a little extra bulk won't hurt! Anyways, I hope you all have a good weekend, and for those of you up here with me in Canada, happy Thanksgiving!

An Interesting Day...

Hello, everyone! Today was a good day for me, however I did have to get up at 7:50 ON A SATURDAY! In order to make my 9:00 lesson. Me and my friend, (let's call her D because I don't have permission to use her name) had a pretty good lesson though. We did a lot of flatwork, and teardrop patterns. For all of you who don't kow what a teardrop pattern is, it's hard to explain, so just go with it. The only thing was that Thunder was having a bit of an excited day, so our transitions weren't exactly 'smooth' most of the time. I'm getting better at keeping my leg to hand connection, which is good! After, lesson, D came back to my house, and we groomed Athena and Java. Both were very good for their groomings. Athena is getting better at accepting the spray bottle without freaking out- mind you, freaking out for Athena is raising her head and taking three steps backward! I spent a while french braiding her mane, but just as I was about to put the tie on it, she shook madly and it all fell out. Oh well, she was patient while I braided her mane at the least. I need to take some new pictures of her to post, because she's starting to look like a horse! I'm serious, she's about 14.1 hands high, and she's fairley filled out! I'll take some more pictures in a few days, and post them up. As a comparison picture, I posted the picture of what she looked like the first day we got her, almost a year ago. (the third sunday in october 2007) she was five months old then. Anyways, after we groomed them, we put Athena away and I hopped on Java! She's really such an angel. No saddle, just me being lead by D around the yard at a walk and a trot. Java's really coming along, and I think she'll be a good pony for someone once her training is complete. She's a good size, too. 13.hh. Anyways, after putting Java away, D and I got all the stalls ready for horses, because the weather had turned windy and rainy. Fortunately though, the rain calmed down by the time it got dark. So that was my day! I hope yours was less tiring!

PROGRESS!

All right! I think that I should start off this post by formally appologizing for not posting in so long. The reason was simply this: there really hasn't been much to post about! We've been very buisy, and most days the weather wasn't great. Anyways, yesterday I had my lesson on Thunder, and I think it went very well! We're making great progress, and yesterday I managed to get him to round himself up more! Yay! It was quite a victory for me, but it came with a price. I was half halting and spongeing the reins so much, that I got a small and very painful blister on my finger. It was worth it, though! I've officially changed my lesson time to Saturday mornings, so I will have some company while I ride, and our Monday nights won't be so hectic! Hopefully all will go well in the next few months, and mom and I will be going horse shopping next year. How exciting! Anyways, I'm also excited because I'll be getting a part time job soon, so that I can pay for my new horses tack! I know it will be a lot of work, but i'm still quite excited as it means... MONEY! Anyeays, I leave you with a picture of my pony Whiskey proving that the grass really is greener on the other side.

The Show

Hello everyone! I have a few good stories to tell about the show. First of all, I should inform you that I placed 3rd in Equitation! Yay me! I am quite proud of myself, given the circumstances. We got to the showgrounds late, so I didn't really have time to warm up for my first class :( However, regardless of Thunders spooking at the sunflowers, logs, judge, etc... we managed to keep it together and make it to the warm-up arena unscathed. It's not that Thunder's a spooky horse, he was more looking for a reason to get upset because he hadn't been warmed up, let alone taken a walk around the arena. He's really a good boy. Anyways, we were better behaved for our next class, still not doing really well or anything, but we weren't having as much trouble as before. Things continued in that direction, and despite the challenges, it was a good day. Today at six thirty, I had a lesson on Thunder, which went well. We started out on the longe line, no stirrups or reins. It really does help your balance. We're trying to work on my leg to hand connection, which I seem to be having trouble with. I'llget it eventually, though. We also did lots of transition work, and i'm hoping to get some work done with Java sometime soon. For now, though, I'll end off this post with a mention of the kittens: they're doing well. I caught the last one the day before yesterday, and he/she seems to be adapting well!

Yes, I am alive!

Hello everyone! Im sorry I haven't posted, but life has been buisy. Let's start off with this: Thursday after school, I took out Java to train her. Unfortunately though, she felt a bit hot, and didn't quite seem herself. So, Instead of riding her, I just longed her and put her back in her paddock. Shortly after, the farrier came, and so the horses eventually ended up back in the barn. Well, the farrier did his thing, and left. Almost immediately after, mom and I heard short, small meows coming from one of the stalls not currently being used. Yup, you guessed it- kittens! There were six kittens, but we only caught four. All were about five weeks old, grey, and fluffy as dust bunnies. So naturally we have spent the past few days getting them used to people. They learn quite quickly at this age, and earlier today a friend of mine came over and we set up paint brushes for them to troddle over. So cute! In other news, I have a horse show this weekend, and it's about an hour away from my house! eek! I guess i'll just have to get up early. I promise to report back with pics and details once it's all over!

New Stable

I had a lesson on Thunder today, at a new location. It was very nice, mostly western but a few english girls like myself :) Anyways, all was going well, except that there was a steel gate open, I wasn't looking, and Thunder steered my knee (and his side) right into it! Wow, i'm gonna feel that in the morning. At least I was only walking, otherwise I could've broken my knee! (not kidding, 1250 pounds on one side of the kneecap, metal gate on the other side, you do the math.) Anyways, It hurt for a while, it feels fine now but I'm gonna guess that it'll flare up in the morning. I have a horse show this weekend, hunters. I can't wait to start jumpers next year, I'd like that a lot. (not to offend the hunter people, personal preference only. I have nothing against hunter people) But anyways, hopefully that will go well. I don't expect to do amazing, because I don't do much showing, but It should be good. I haven't had a tonne of time to do work with Java, but I'll have an update on her soon. Sorry this is so brief, i'm just extremely tired.

Java the Angel's Training

Well, I worked with Java today,(the one closest in the picture) and I must tell you that she's just an absolute angel. It started like this: I began by walking out to her field, and she willingly comes over to me right away- no running away, no playing tag... anyways, so I lead her into the barn and groom her- part of my grooming process is putting show sheen on the main and tail. I don'y usually do this with Java, though, I just do the basics. However, today me and mom sprayed some show sheen on her forelock, and she didn't even flinch! We could already tell it was going to be a good day. We began longework, and she did everything beautifully. Her walk was open and forward most of the time, and although she did rush her trot a bit, she had a nice, even canter, and always picked up the correct lead. Once we figured she was tired enough, I hopped on. We started by just walking around, and letting her get used to having me on her back again. Once she was balanced, mom longed us at the trot, and she was pretty good, other than being distracted by our audience. (the neighbors three cows that came up to the fence to watch) We're planning on getting her into some small shows in the spring and then selling her when she's three. She's born early in the year (Feb. 28) so we had the advantage of starting her a while earlier than most two-year-olds can be started. Anyways, I'm hoping I can get some more work done with her before the weather gets too bad. You know what's strange? Just the other day I was cleaning out Java and Athena's water bucket, and I found a huge prickle in it! It was actually kind of funny. I guess they found it somewhere, and it pricked them, so they dropped it! Anyways, I've got to go have lunch now. See Ya!

The Ponies

All right! I figured it was about time to have a discussion about our two Shetland ponies, Whiskey and Trigger. The two have shared a paddock ever since the second one, Whiskey, was born. When my mom bought them, Whiskey was four and Trigger was seven. Trigger was trained, but Whiskey? Um... not so much. So for the first while they lived with us, me and my sister could ride Trigger, but mom was training Whiskey. I didn'y really care that I couldn't ride Whiskey, because, well, she was my very own pony. I remember how huge they looked, even though they were only about 10 or 11 hands high. Ever since they first came to the farm, they shared a paddock with R.B. It didn't take long for a pecking order to establish. R.B was obviously at the top, with spunky little Whiskey in the middle and poor little Trigger at the bottom. That's how it started, and that's how it always was. I remember how I was absolutely terrified to trot on Whiskey once she was trained for the first while, because her trot was so bumpy. Eventually, though, I was taught how to post, and all was well. Every now and then, one of my friends would come over, and we would lead the ponies over jumps. Trigger seemed to really enjoy it, but Whiskey couldn't get past the fact that someone was touching her neck... I guess that shows their personalities- Trigger the human-a-holic, and Whiskey who often acts like she's allergict to people! Anyways, I enclosed a picture of Trigger up top, and I hope you all enjoy!

Lesson

Hello! I just got back from my lesson on Thunder, and it went pretty well. We did dressage again today, and apparently our canter was better today! Yay! We also did no stirrup work, which is fine unless I have to post (which I did.) We tried something new today: walking over jumps. It's pretty simple, but I kept looking back at the jump when we were over it because I was convinced he had knocked it over. (He only knocked it over once, but when he did he demolished it.) Yesteray, I took R.B out bareback, and we did some small jumping in the field. Although RB's not exactly a grand prix jumper, I did manage to get him over some itty bitty stuff without any major trauma. I really can't wait until Athena is old enough to ride. That's her showing her Thoroughbred side out in the field. Ain't she cute?

Horses Kindergarten

Hello, everyone. Just the other day, I was working in my fillie's paddock- you know, scrubbing buckets, cleaning their shelter, stuff like that. Well, the two of them for some reason found this absolutely fascinating. They stood beside me the entire time, mystified as to what I was doing. They even started licking the wheelbarrow! Isn't it strange how horses manage to stay intently focused on what you're doing on the ground, however some days they can't seem to concentrate for five minutes under saddle? I think in a way they're just like little kids- they could stay quiet through a two hour movie, but start looking around and daydreaming after five minutes in kindergarten. Anyways, that's about the stage i'm at with Athena- kindergarten. She's a good girl, she lets me pick up her feet and touch her ears and everything, however even though I have been using fly spray on her mane and tail since she was about 5 months, she's still wide-eyed and ancey for the first few minutes of my main-and-tail-grooming-extraveganda, which I do a few times a week! Hopefully she'll get over it at some point, because she's going to be a show horse when she's older. I have a riding lesson tomorrow on my trainer's horse, Thunder. He's a black and white pinto appendix i've been riding for the past few months, and a very fun horse to ride. The last few lessons we've been doing dressage, a lot of the time without stirrups. I don't mind going without stirrups though, becase it helps me stay balanced. I'll post about my lesson tomorrow, but for now i'm off !

Welcome to my Blog!

Hello everyone! My name is Robyn, and i'm going to use this blog to write about the following
*Training my yearling and two year old

* Riding my horse and my trainer's horse

*Showing

*And all other things that have to do with being with my beautiful horses and ponies.

I think i'll start off by introducing you to my horses and ponies. And no, this isn't in the order of how much i love them,.

a.) R.B- R.B is my mom's horse, a 21 year old QH gelding my mom has has for about 18 years. He's a good old boy, with a fair ammount of spunk left in him! He's the chestnut to the left.

b.) Trigger and Whiskey- Trigger and Whiskey are being described together because, well, they match! They are full brother and sister, 3 years apart. My sister and I got them when we were four and six. They are feisty little Shetlands, that are in looks practically the same, but inside complete opposites. Whiskey is super fast, and loves to race ahead of anyone else when being ridden, and Trigger is so slow that at times he almost falls asleep! I'll post pics of them in another post.

C.) Athena- Athena is my half thoroughbred filly that I bought at an auction when she was 5 months old. She is now one and a half, and I plan to keep her and train her. She's smart and has a good mind on her. Hopefully when she's old enough i'll do some jumping and eventing on her, but i'll have to see if she's good at it first.

d.)Java- Java is a half welsh filly that I bought in January as a project. She's about two and three quarters, and i've ridden her about 10 times. She's very nice and quite cute, and i'll probably sell her in the spring. She is pictured at the very top of the page!

So, I hope you will all check back with me often, as I will probably post quite a few times a week. Thanks for visiting, please come back soon!