Horseypants

Horseypants is Moving

2009-12-05T12:50:00.000-08:00

I'm making the move to Wordpress...new posts(as well as older ones--very easy to transfer everything). I did it because there are many more tools for bloggers, and because it can snow over there. That's right, it's snowing on my blog! Gotta check it. Please come visit me: http://horseypants.wordpress.com/.
Thanks!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

This is a little late, but I'm very thankful that in these difficult economic times I am able to keep Odie. I really do love that Gumby horse.

Horse Trailer Training Update

2009-11-08T07:06:00.000-08:00

For anyone who happens across this page looking for info about horse trailer training, take heart! When I started this process, I had no experience. My 10-y.o. gelding was scared, and looking back I now know that I WAS SCARED TOO. But if I can do it, you can do it.

The problem was my horse Odie was both fearful and smart. Fearful enough to refuse when he thought there was danger, and smart enough to refuse when he just didn't want to do it. This is where my inexperience was an obstacle--temporarily.

At first Odie honestly was so afraid he shook like a leaf--and that was with only his front feet in the trailer. Did he have a trailer accident with a past owner? If only he could tell me. Thus we began in ignorance: who knows what happened to him, and I'd never done this before.

I searched for help. Cherry Hill's book Trailering Your Horse is awesome. The Equispirit Trailers website is another great source of info. Another online article by Ron Meredith was a big help to me.
I also had a trailering lesson with my trainer to get started.

I spent several weeks working with Odie, with the goal of moving in and around the trailer as much as possible without stress. One foot? Good boy. Now two. In and out. Step left. Step right. (I have a slant load.) And time just tied to the trailer, grooming, whatever. This trailer will not eat you, Odie.

One foot into the trailer turned into two, then three, and then four. It was all about moving his feet, even just a little bit...and tons of praise. We had one setback which made me realize just how afraid I had been myself, never mind the horse. But we kept on.

So we continued to just move in and out of the trailer--mostly FOR ME and my comfort. Sometimes I just did groundwork with no trailer. This is embarrassing, but it was totally necessary and I hope other newbies out there will know that it is ok to be nervous, so take your time.

That said, at some point, you have to overcome the worry and let it become the kind of caution that you use whenever you are working with your horse. Take your time! Find the awareness that will keep you safe but NOT keep you (and your horse) from moving forward.

Sometimes moving forward happens by accident. I was lucky to receive some help from an experienced horse person at a key moment when Odie had already gone from the aforementioned "honestly afraid" stage to the "just didn't want to do it" stage, and I hadn't recognized the difference yet.

Yesterday I had the trailer out again for going to 4-H with my daughter and Chipper, the horse she is using for this purpose. Chipper trailers perfectly, by the way. While Chipper has been teaching Keara to ride, he's been teaching me how horses should trailer.

I planned to work with Odie in the trailer afterward. As it turned out, I didn't have much to do. He just got in. It was so beautiful! I walked in, he walked in after me--clop, clop, clop, clop. We got in and out about 6 times. Then he got treats. And I went home happy.

It's been several months since we started, and I have yet to drive him anywhere, but the progress we've made is solid. It's good to know that the building blocks are in place for the future. Next step: closing the door. I'll let you know what happens.

Note to self on the first 4-H ride: Keara enjoyed being able to ride with all those kids her own age, but noted that she liked dressage and jumping lessons in Pony Club. We've agreed to do both this year. She also mentioned riding Odie at a lesson someday. :)

Horsey Halloween Costume Class!

2009-10-26T06:04:00.000-07:00

The Definition of "Dumb-Butt"

2009-10-22T08:14:00.000-07:00

My horse doesn't give a hoot about "The Balloon Boy", and neither should you.

We had the excitement of sharing our riding arena with the entire fleet of local news helicopters last week. The family of Balloon Boy happens to live in our town. We're so proud.

Fortunately it turns out that both Chipper and Odie could care less about helicopters. (Did they know it was a hoax? Nah, horses can't be that smart.)

I still had my daughter ride Odie on the lunge line just in case. The teenage girl riding Chipper was just fine by herself. Odie actually started to fall asleep at one point.

Perhaps helicopter noise has a soporific effect on horses. (I believe I have correctly used another SAT word! The English-major nerd is happy. Go ahead, look it up.)

Anyway, for me all those helicopters were loud, annoying and a waste of resources. I say this today. At the time I was just as horrified as everyone else that some poor kid was floating around at 8,000 feet in a Jiffy-Pop.

Now I'm simply disgusted, knowing that his parents are just a couple of boneheads looking for attention. Setting a wonderful example for their children by lying, lying, lying.

We did get a teaching moment out of it, since my son had just read the book "Peter and the Wolf" in his first grade class. "They were like Peter," said my son. "They're dumb-butts," added his big sister. No argument there.

I think I will submit "dumb-butt" to Merriam-Webster for consideration. It has had so many uses around here. But with the parents of Balloon Boy, I think the word has finally found a home.

Whip It

2009-10-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

This evening I went to practice loading Odie in the trailer, again. I spent about 20 minutes moving him around between halfway in and halfway out. Before he spooked in there a couple of weeks ago, all four feet would go in. Since then only 2-3 feet.

Chipper was obliging me by standing nearby at the corner of the pasture, where I happened to park the trailer, so Odie could see him. Maybe he was really trying to tell me to get on with it so I would feed him, but horses can't be that smart.

So there I am, in the trailer watching the sun set, thinking that I am doing great because I got three feet in, when the old cowboy guy from across the road drives in with his beat pickup and the half-crippled dog in the back.

All the times I have ever seen this guy, he seemed to be cranky and even a little bit scary. To my surprise he comes walking over and says, "You still trying to load that horse?"

"Yes," I say sheepishly. "You got a whip?" he asks. "Well," I say, a little more assertively now, "he flipped out of a trailer once so I've been taking things kind of slow."

"All you need to do is tap him on the heels," he says, pointing, "I've done it a hundred times. I'm not going to beat on him." His voice is surprisingly kind, considering where I've pegged him.

"Look at him," he goes on, "He's not scared. He's just stubborn. If it doesn't work it doesn't work." The dog regards me with a cursory sniff. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I ran down to get my dressage whip.

I get back and hand over the whip. "Now you get in and don't pull on his head--just keep him pointed the right way if you need to..." and he begins tapping Odie on the heels--not hard, but like a metronome.

Odie is obviously feeling the need to remove himself from this situation. At first he looks totally shocked. Then the wheels start turning, and he's scooting left and right. Then it's like a light bulb goes on over his head--and he just plants himself.

Ol' cowboy is not fooled. He continues tapping, maybe just a hair harder. Tap, tap, tap, tap...and my horse jumps in the trailer, and stands there! I am about to yawp my joy to the heavens when I regain my senses and remember to praise Odie calmly.

After a few minutes, I back him out. My new personal hero is taking a call on his cell phone. He hangs up and says, "want to do it again?" "Is that ok?" I ask. "Yeah, normally I'd do this 10 or 15 times. But he knows now."

I ask Odie to walk back into the trailer, and the horse hops in. No tapping. "There's your whip," says the cowboy, tossing it in the road. He walks off back home and his dog follows. From inside the trailer I call out, "Thank you!"

GOALS

2009-10-09T08:59:00.001-07:00

Having written that warm fuzzy post about confidence and moving forward with my riding (and life) it's time to get real with the details. In other words, setting goals. Here are my goals for next year:

I have a balanced and independent seat that gives my horse confidence.

My horse feels safe and comfortable in his trailer.

I am calm and relaxed in competition. I win my personal best Training Level Championship in 2010 (three scores over 60%, but without any USDF/USEF memberships).

There you have it. Now I am supposed to copy these statements onto index cards and stick them all over the place. And a game plan for each of these goals has to be outlined as well.

For my balanced and independent seat, I'll be doing the following:
--eat healthy so I don't have sugar highs/lows, and stay slim
--do pilates 3x week to build core muscles
--watch videos of good dressage riders
--have a lesson on the lunge line, but not sure how often

For the trailer comfort goal, I'll do this:
--use bad weather days for practice loading/unloading and standing
--wrap my horse's legs with polos EVERY TIME just in case
--recruit someone to close the door and let Odie stay in there to get acclimated
--start driving short distances with some frequency, so it gets to be old hat

For the cool competitor goal, here's the plan:
--finish reading Jane Savoie book to get some sports psychology tools
--go to shows! and get used to going
--ride my horse regularly: practice!
--imagine myself looking like this:

Ha ha! Seriously, this still feels really warm and fuzzy. Well, I'm not going to complain; but I'll remember my work ethic. It's actually easy to do this now that I have my children. Whenever I get discouraged, I basically ask myself, "What would I tell my daughter?"

The right answer--the kind, supportive, firm answer--pops into my head every time. So however difficult it may sometimes be to juggle family, horse, work--it feels just right for me today.

My Winning Attitude

2009-10-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking alot about my last post...about the idea of getting better, of being a better rider.

For a while now I have been kind of conflicted about my riding...or is it my life? Self-confidence has been the main problem. I'm always writing about these introspective issues because it helps me.

My blog is not a service-oriented affair. It's a diary. If I can ask the questions & thoughts that knock around in my head here, then I am better prepared to do something about them.

Thought of the Day: Self-confidence. Do I have any? Of course. Does it wax and wane? Like everyone else, I am sure. But it's kind of low, I admit it. So, knowing that I could be better, do I make adjustments? Do I move forward?

I look at my riding, at my "horseylife", and I think the answer is: yes, but very slowly. Kind of like Odie learning to get into the trailer...one foot. At a time.

Looking back, horses have been my great escape. The one area in my life that my dysfunctional family didn't get involved in, horses gave me peace. As a young person, it was mainly a tremendous relief for me to go to the barn.

But now I am "a grown-up" and horses can no longer be an escape. It's something I love, but I am trying to fit it into my life in a more "normal" way since fortunately I'm enjoying a fairly happy existence now.

In other words, when I go to the barn, I used to stay there. For hours. With the house, kids, husband...that's not gonna work now. And I used to ride around without any real focus, to forget things...that won't get me any closer to my dressage goals.

It's somewhat humbling to be admitting these things since I'm nearly 40 years old. But I'm not going to give myself a hard time about my rate of enlightenment. It serves no purpose, and I'm reading Jane Savoie today; Jane would not like it.

Jane says: Enrich your Riding (and Life) with a Winning Attitude. If I've been going slowly up to this point, maybe self-help will get me out of first gear. How about you? There's no extra cash for much else anyway these days!

So I'm focusing on these mental self-improvement things in my riding now. Reading the book It's Not Just About the Ribbons. Next time: Setting Goals (lovely, positively worded ones)!

Letter B Game Show

2009-09-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

Odie had last week off from riding due to rain. Today was sunny and dry, and the kids are in school. "Time to get back to work," I thought as I saddled up this morning.

Earlier as I was driving the kids to school we played "The Letter B Game Show." It's based on a favorite Sesame Street book, in which Bert is a contestant on Guy Smiley's TV show.

I play Guy Smiley. The kids are the contestants. All along the route to school I think up clues for different words that begin with the letter B. They totally love it.

When I was walking down to the arena I thought I'd think up some B words to help me focus on my ride. B for Bending. Balance. Bouncing--no, no, NOT bouncing, and I can't remember the other one.

Actually, they all went out the window almost immediately because Odie was just not having any of getting back to work. It was like we'd regressed 6 months. Nose in the air, zooming around, spooking at any little thing.

What a B for Butthead! I just about lost my temper--sawing on my horse's mouth to get him to stop is not something I usually do. But I pulled it together and got a decent ride, mostly because I had the conviction that we could do B for Better.

Speaking of being better, Dressage Mom was recently writing about a fall: "if I were a better rider..." It just haunted me a little to hear her say it. What a set up for one's ego, and yet we all do it sometimes.

Funny how today, I just decided I would be better. I just knew I could do it. Other days, I think I'll never be any better. Never as good as someone else I might hold up above myself.

If I want to compete next summer, I need to get some sports psychology tools. No sense in spending the time and money on showing just to get hung up on a random B for Bad day.

That would be B for bullsh@#!

Hors ShOin Txt Msgs

2009-09-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

My friends have been texting me reports from Arabian Sport Horse Nationals in Lexington, KY this past week. I've also been spying the online results postings on AHA.com. Dressage Mom was there and she's posting video.

It's been a load of fun to follow the event via new technology. The texting--not something I usually get into, although I know I should be tweeting--has been hilarious. Now I understand why people follow this stuff on their phone.

Check it out below.

Wednesday 9/23, 8:51 a.m.: Rashad did awesome!

Wednesday 9/23, 9:56 a.m.: The judges only gave Rashad a 63 on T4 (Note: this refers to Dressage Training Level Test 4). 17 scores have been posted so far out of 53 and currently in sixth place.

Wednesday 9/23, 5:02 p.m.: Rashad finished 15th out of 53 horses! :)

Thursday 9/24, 12:58 p.m.: Well, Rashad and I didn't come in last place but we came in second to last with an in hand score of 58. On a good note, our score at Nationals is better...

Thursday 9/24, 12:59 p.m.: than our score from the Spring Show in Denver!

Friday 9/25 10:22 a.m.: Rashad was a brat! no ribbons unless other riders screw up worse. we'll be duking it out for last.

Sunday 9/27 7:52 a.m.: Rashad did his last class late last night he was a good boy and redeemed himself. not in the ribbons but we were happy with his performance. on our way home.

P.S. If you click over to Dressage Mom please say a kind word--she's also had ups and downs at this event.

Whiskers

2009-09-27T10:57:00.001-07:00

Trailer Training Sucks

2009-09-23T19:17:00.000-07:00

We have not actually gone anywhere yet. There has been lots of progress: now standing in the trailer--yes, all four feet in!--while eating hay.

This is what Odie was doing last Saturday when I decided to ask him to turn around and walk out. He's done that before. This time he bumped into the divider and spooked.

I think that would have been the end of it, had I stood there and asked him to whoa. I've just read a lot about trailer safety during the process of buying this trailer.

So I have also read a lot about trailer accidents. I don't want to be in one. So when he spooked, I hopped out of the way--out of the trailer.

Odie saw me jump out, and realized maybe there really WAS something to worry about, and free-hay-be-damned, he was not waiting around to find out what.

So Odie jumped out of the trailer too, and banged his right hind on the way out. He stood there with the leg up, and I stood there beating my head on a post.

I just read this over on A Year With Horses; she sums it up perfectly:

"...one of my favorite Mark Rashid sayings is 'your horse spooked, you spooked, and you ran off together.'"

Pony Club vs. 4-H

2009-09-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

This morning Keara rode in her second Pony Club lesson. Driving to and from was uneventful. She enjoyed herself and Chipper was a star as usual. I can still see her smiling face bobbing around the entire jumping course--she enjoyed it that much.

Yet I miss being able to go to 4-H with my friend and her daughter. We always had such fun together. I did nudge her to try Pony Club as much as was polite, meaning only 4-5 times :)...she was not convinced. They're still in 4-H.

I also miss the other kids. I miss seeing lots of other little girls on their horses. Today's lesson included two girls: Keara and one other not-overly-friendly teen. It turns out the other young girls in the club moved away at the end of the summer.

She will still do 4-H this year for another project. Keara has mentioned sewing or needlepoint. There were things about 4-H that made an impression, even through my crazed enthusiasm for my daughter's horse project.

Cooperation. Leadership. Community Service. Responsibility. Friendship. The real mission of 4-H is positive youth development as a result of the completion of individual projects and through other club activities. Not just kids with goats and sheep.

Pony Club is so far about riding and horses and that's wonderful, but I need to adjust my rose-colored glasses. Hopefully I can get it together so that as a family we can start experiencing the best of both organizations.

Why Horses?

2009-09-16T11:41:00.001-07:00

The Literary Horse recently requested a photographic answer to this question. It was not easy, considering that horses fly in the star-studded stratosphere of my imagination, and my photography skills idle somewhere under the sofa with a dust bunny.

This is my best answer. I enjoyed the challenge, even if it did bring me down to earth.

Amazing Young Rider

2009-09-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

When Keara and I went to Larimer County Fair, we got to see the advanced kids doing a musical freestyle competition. There were all kinds of costumes, types of riding (English, Western) and music. It was a blast to watch all the kids.

I will never forget the winner though, because she had such a bond with her horse. It was obvious that she had worked long and hard to achieve this level of performance. By chance I just came across a video of her routine.

There are pictures at the beginning. At about 5:39 you can watch her practice the routine at home, then the competition we attended, and the awards ceremony at the end. During the routine she goes bareback and bridleless. I just think it's nice to see the dedication, plus the love of a girl and her horse.

It's a little cut off in my allotted blog space below, but you can still see nearly everything. Otherwise check it out at http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=762d6ddaeb84f260acb49a&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Pony Club Lesson #1

2009-09-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

Dressage lesson! Keara worked on her leg position, including loosening her leg muscles and pointing her toes forward, at both walk and trot. There were three girls in the class. By the end they were trotting a serpentine to music. It was so cute!

Here's Keara at the start of the lesson:
Here she is again near the end:
Keara's favorite part of dressage? "Dancing with the horses." It was a great day. I'm very proud. She's very tired!

Chipper, Bad Cop

2009-09-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

Chipper is the boss of Odie. He is an older and wiser guy, and knows just how to keep Odie under wraps. With ears pinned, spring-step and the bare minimum of speed, Chipper eats first, drinks first, gets a treat first (and second and third) and says hello first.

Chipper shows Odie how to scratch itchy spots on the fence posts and on the edges of the barn. Chipper taught Odie how to check the hay-room door, and all the gates. Chipper seems to be instructing Odie lately on how to chomp himself to scratch bug bites.

Today I lunged Odie in his Vienna reins, out in the pasture. Chipper was grazing nearby, sniggering the whole time. "Hey Dumb-butt! You shoulda run as soon as she came out to get you like I do! Didn't I show ya? Didn't you see the halter? Aaah, fuggedaboutit."

Fall and Mom Is Riding

2009-09-10T11:36:00.000-07:00

I have been enjoying some quality time with Odie this week. The kids are in school. My son began first grade so both children are full time this year. I'm resisting the urge to crow about it like Peter Pan...as I fly through the air...on my prancing Arabian pony.

"I gotta crow! Er-er-er-ER!!" Did you know that an awesome recording of the old B-way production with Cathy Rigby is available thru Netflix? Gotta check it. Anyway, I did actually do some prancing today because I practiced sitting trot.

For short periods, I began to feel how it should be...light, comfortable and so wonderfully connected to my horse's back. At first Odie was kind of inverted, but eventually he got really round, and I think he even enjoyed it.

It seemed like it gave him confidence to have me sitting and so focused on my position. I was feeling really balanced. And I tried my hardest NOT to bounce. My goal was to just sit, never mind steer. Just focused on NOT bouncing. I wanted to get some muscle memory started.

So then I did a little bit of canter transitions. Then I went back to posting trot and it was like a whole new world had opened up for me...or a whole new kind of hip joint-flexibility had opened up for me.

And I was still so balanced! After a while I felt the old habits creeping back...like doing too much with my body, and getting unbalanced as a result. It's amazing what can happen in that little bit of time one's rear end is out of the saddle in posting trot.

Gotta keep practicing sitting trot! Goodbye excess movement/effort. Hello prancing!

Getting In The Trailer.

2009-08-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

My horse is getting in the trailer. Very. Slowly. One foot. At a time.

Odie has to be comfortable hanging out in there by himself, before we can begin going places, so Odie can begin doing his long-intended horsey job of being a dressage show pony. Addendum to the plan: afterward he will happily hop back in the trailer and go home.

So what we have been doing lately is working on this trailering thing. At first we had two feet solid, then three and now we're working on four. Four will go in, but they're not copacetic. Four need to get in and chillax.

It takes time and writing about it will seem about as exciting as it has been for me to stand around on the end of the rope so Odie can let his horsey brain process the idea that no monsters live in the trailer.

He needs this time because when my trainer Kathleen and I tried to load him the poor horse began shaking from head to toe. I am not exaggerating this for narrative effect.

He still tried to do what was being asked of him, God love him. But there he was with two feet propped up in the trailer and every muscle twitching like someone had just tasered him. Kathleen thinks he may have flipped out over a butt bar once.

Which brought to mind that although his previous owner did not seem to have a problem loading him, she wore her helmet to do it. Who knows what happened. Anyway, he's a smart enough horse. He's getting over it. Just very. Slowly.

Hot (Pink) Wheels

2009-08-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

I am glad I finally bought a horse trailer so I can stop looking at ads like this one:

2 horse would work great for sheep goats or hogs or smaller horses would also work great as a tool trailer has newer floor and trailer wiring 600 firm I will consider painting it to another color for you due to the fact that it is pink but then it will cost you an additional 300

Larimer County Fair -- Part 4

2009-08-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, Keara's final day at Fair, was for the gymkhana classes. The two walk-trot classes were barrels and pole-keyhole. I love the idea of the gymkhana day. It's the last of all the horsey events--a fun way to finish Fair.

Keara did a very respectable barrel pattern in the morning. She pushed her horse to go the fastest she had ever tried, and he actually started gaiting home (it's a Rocky Mountain Horse thang). She got another seventh place ribbon.

The pole-keyhole class was in the afternoon. My friend and I watched as they set the course. Four poles are placed in a square at the far end of the arena. The rider races down, passes through this "keyhole," makes a tight turn around a pole, then back through the keyhole to home. Fastest time wins.

The keyhole was looking really tight. We checked with the gate attendant to be sure they had measured it right. It was right, but it still looked like it was going to be a challenge, especially for walk-trot riders.

The first few riders gave it a try. This is totally one of those harder-than-it-looks games. Asking the horse to zip down to the keyhole was easy...getting through the keyhole was resulting in alot of problems.

Everybody was having trouble with horses ducking out at the last second. Most riders just circled back around to the keyhole, and finally got their horses through it on the second or third try. Then it was Keara's turn.

I walked her to the in-gate and off she went. Trot, trot, trot down to the other end of the arena. Slow to a walk, right through the keyhole, tight turn, back through, and before I knew it she was back! She did it, and what a ride! MY kid was the one who made it look easy!

As it turned out, she was the only rider to get through the keyhole on the first try. She won the class! I was so incredibly proud. "You do have a good relationship with your horse!" I said, "he was listening to you so well that you won!"

We had such a great time at Fair. Keara accomplished her goals. I had a blast as horse show Mom. We both did what we came to do...and now that Keara has just about finished her horse project, we're ready to move on from 4-H.

There are a bunch of reasons for this. First, Keara has been riding Odie in my dressage saddle, and has decided to try English riding and even mentioned doing dressage. And if she wants to do English riding...

Let me try to explain. 4-H is a great place to be for Western riding. But, 4-H English riding is not English riding. I grew up riding hunter-jumpers. There is no such thing as a "jog" in English riding. Enough said.

Second, Chipper's mom is taking a break from riding, and has generously offered Chipper to Keara, to do as much riding as she wants. So Keara now has another wonderful beginner horse to ride, and this horse can do dressage! But there is no dressage in 4-H.

But there is dressage in Pony Club...

Which brings me to the third reason we can switch. I finally took the plunge I have been working myself up to for more than a year now and bought a horse trailer. So if Keara wants to do Pony Club, we now have a way to get there!

Larimer County Fair -- Part 3

2009-08-02T05:04:00.000-07:00

Monday morning--our first show day! Keara had one class. This was my kind of showing: very low key, relaxed and nothing like the 14-hour day that we had last time.

Keara practiced her Western Horsemanship pattern in the kitchen during breakfast. Walk from cone A to cone B, halt, turn right, halt, trot a circle back to cone B, halt, back four steps and done. No worries there. I braided her hair with a pink ribbon to match her show shirt.

It was the old "getting into the car" that unhinged me. I ran around the house assembling the lunch, jug of ice water, sunscreen, hat, purse, keys. Then I had to get my son in gear. He's six years old. Asking him to do something may or may not get an immediate result. After two minutes of "putting his shoe on" I grabbed it and jammed his foot in. "Ow!" he yelled and then started to cry.

Oh Jesus. What was I doing? This was supposed to be relaxed and fun, and I was losing my cool over a sneaker. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I said. He got into the car. I drove off feeling sheepish. "Hey," I said, "this IS going to be a really fun day." "Can we get popcorn or ice cream?" came the voices from the back seat.

I thought about this for a moment. Usually concession-stand food was too expensive, not to mention crappy. But was I going to lighten up or not? "How about both!" I said cheerily. Why the hell not. They were thrilled. I felt like I had my head on straight again.

When we arrived Galahad was out with Alyssa. Perfect opportunity to take Prospect out to practice. We tacked him up quickly and headed off to the warm-up arena. Galahad was not there--yipee. Keara hopped on with instructions from me to do lots of walk-halts and circles.

She did, but also did plenty of trot-halt and backing! My brave girl. Prospect actually looked pretty good. Keara was riding him very calmly but firmly. She successfully avoided all the other riders working there, and managed to practice her pattern twice.

I got a call from my friend that it was time for our club to do our volunteer job. We headed back to the barn. "Prospect is being so good today! Not a whinny!" said Keara. "Hey you're right!" I said, impressed by her tendency to credit the horse first. "But you are riding him very well too," I added.

After operating the in-gate for a while as volunteers, everyone headed back to our stalls for a break before Keara's class. My friend had planned to keep the buddy-sour problem to a minimum by allowing both horses to hang out together near the in-gate.

It did and didn't work. I mean, as long as they were together, they were fine, but as soon as they were separated--even by a few feet!!--things got annoying. Dancing and snorting and whinnying and pawing. It was a pain in the butt. I wondered to myself how one might go about training to overcome this problem.

Still wondering about that one, because I had to focus on getting Keara through her class. She had dealt with Prospect's behavior at our first show of the summer, so it didn't seem to unglue her now. I just held the horse for her while she waited for her turn to go.

When her turn came, I walked her to the in-gate, said "Good luck, have fun!" and watched her ride out into the arena. She rode the pattern perfectly, until the trot-halt, which I then realized had the horse facing back towards the in-gate, which to him was obviously now the get-me-outta-here-gate.

It took a few steps past cone B for her to get the halt, but she did, backed the four steps, then returned to the lineup with the other kids, waiting for the rail portion of the class. In this, Keara rode beautifully. I was so proud watching her. She looked cool as a cucumber--but my heart was pounding. "Smile!" I said to her as she rode by, "nice and slow!" Prospect's trot can get speedy, but she handled him like a pro.

What a ride! My kid is good at this! It was a great moment, shattered only by the sound of my friend's voice shouting instructions from the stands. What the? It peeved me. Let the kid do it herself, I thought. But then it was over, and we waited for the results. Keara placed 7th out of 12.

I was surprised she didn't do better. Then my friend came over and told me Keara did the pattern wrong! There was no halting at cone B from walk to trot. I had given Keara the wrong instructions.

Well, you live and learn, I thought. I know she did great, she knows she did great, and this is something to build on. I told Keara I had read the pattern wrong but she didn't seem to mind, and was thrilled with a new color ribbon--light green.

To be continued...

Larimer County Fair -- Part 2

2009-07-31T09:10:00.000-07:00

After Prospect reared while my daughter was grazing him, I started to re-think my role as show Mom. Being a newbie to 4-H had me on the defensive. So did coming to the show with her riding teacher, who also happened to own the horse, who I also happen to like and is a good friend.

It was time for me to step up to the Mommy-plate. We walked back to the barn together and put the horse away. I sat down on a bale of hay and started to think about this situation. I didn't want to offend my friend or hurt Keara's chances for "all-around" awards, but there was no way I'd let her do Showmanship now.

I thought, why be so competitive? It's her first show. There is no need--in fact there should never be a need. It's not about the ribbons, as the saying goes. And why should I worry about hurting my friend's feelings? I wouldn't be rude, but I'd have to do what I thought was best for Keara.

"Keara", I said, "maybe you should skip Showmanship tomorrow. I want you to have fun and Prospect just seems like he's going to be difficult." Keara looked thoughtful for a minute, then said, "yeah, he's being a dumb-butt." Great, that was settled. Now to break the news to my friend and hope she doesn't take it as a slight against her horse.

Simple and straightforward was the plan. They returned with Galahad and came into our tack stall. "We're going to skip Showmanship tomorrow morning," I said, "we know it's not Prospect's favorite. Keara can focus on the things she does well with him. Plus, we won't have to get up at the crack of dawn now!"

"Oh," said my friend, "well, you'll just have to go to the show office and scratch." She reminded me that she had told me before that Prospect doesn't do well at Showmanship, which is why Alyssa always uses Galahad for that class.

Indeed she had told me about it, before the first time we tried Showmanship earlier in the summer. Keara practiced at Prospect's home, and I thought we were set to go. But I had no idea how pushy the horse could become when separated from Galahad at a show.

So now I understood better. Under saddle, Prospect would work for Keara, even under stress. On the ground was clearly a different story. We walked down to the show office, happily scratched the class and called it a day. Tomorrow would be a bit less hectic now, since Keara's Western Horsemanship class did not start until after lunch. Hopefully Prospect would behave better in the morning.

To be continued...

Larimer County Fair -- Part 1

2009-07-30T13:25:00.001-07:00

Our arrival at Fair was "easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy" as Keara says. The 4-H show management thoughtfully arranged for the arrival of equipment to be completely separate from the arrival of horses. This made the whole process much less chaotic than I had imagined. We unloaded and decorated on Saturday afternoon.

The size of some of these 4-H clubs became clear through the decorative displays in the barn. Our club has a grand total of two riders: Keara and Alyssa, who is the daughter of Propect's owner/Keara's teacher/my friend. Our display was bandanas, Western horse stickers, horse fact posters and a couple of stuffed mascots.

The two girls were having fun and had clearly bonded over the summer during lessons and practice rides. Alyssa is a talented rider with more experience, and she had been helping Keara quite a bit. Keara just hugged Alyssa about everything new or exciting.

This was going to be Keara's first year showing at Fair. In my new role as show Mom, I really wanted it to be a positive experience for her. Her goals for her horse project were 1. "Build a relationship with my horse" and 2. "Have more courage."

Back when Keara set these goals for herself, she was a timid rider. By the time we reached Fair, she had already done a brilliant job of accomplishing goal #2. To be honest, I'm not sure how she did it. Maybe it was the process of doing the horse project step-by-step, with the written test and the riding test and going to shows. She did have that light-bulb moment at the first show. Maybe it was something about turning 9, or finishing third grade.

At any rate, one of the first things we did was to go over to the show office. Would she be penalized for cantering in her Walk-Trot Barrels gymkhana class? Keara really wanted to know, because she wanted to canter, and she wanted to win. No, cantering in the walk-trot division was not okay.

So the "having more courage" issue was a done deal. Now the relationship with her horse was going to be put to the test. Did she truly have a connection with Prospect? I had been letting her ride Odie alot and wondered if that was a conflict somehow.

Also, Prospect had proven that he could be difficult at shows by pulling a buddy-sour routine. The last time we showed he was a bit better overall, but Keara's first attempt at showmanship with him in particular was pretty miserable.

The horse had fussed and pushed her around. Keara tried everything she had learned in groundwork lessons to gain control, but he simply out-muscled her. The poor kid was exhausted physically and mentally after that. I was determined to not set her up for failure in this regard....her first class was going to be Showmanship.

I talked to Prospect's owner about putting a chain through the halter, as I had seen many of the other kids do. Not that any of them were using it, mind you. Their horses stood quietly while Prospect did a freak dance in a 5-foot radius around my poor daughter's increasingly small frame that day.

She speculated that the horse would be better if Keara would insist that he stand, instead of allowing him to circle. I argued that the horse had been blowing her off, and Keara simply wasn't strong enough to stop him--the circles were actually the only leverage she had to control the horse. She agreed, and said that she had no problem with trying the chain. I would have to go out and get one sometime the next day.

On Sunday we delivered the horses. We met in the morning at the show grounds. Keara hopped out of the car with her record book for the check-in and Vet. We showed the horses their stalls. This all went smoothly and the girls set off to the indoor arena to practice. Keara worked on her pattern for her Walk-Trot Western Horsemanship (equitation) class.

The horses worked very well in the indoor arena. Both girls seemed satisfied with the ride, so we took a break, then proceeded to give the horses each a bath. Prospect went first. He was antsy in the wash rack. The water was cold. I didn't think much of his behavior.

It became clearer that Prospect was beginning to go buddy-sour when we left the barn to dry him off. My friend had requested that we not allow him to see Galahad now. She was well aware of the buddy-sour problem; so off we went.

Keara had helped to wash the horse and now walked him out into the sunlight and away from the barn. At Fair in particular, the 4-H kids are expected to step up to the horsey plate: clean, tack, feed, muck out. They are allowed to ask for help of course, but generally speaking, they are expected to be as self-sufficient as possible with the horses. I liked this idea.

But Prospect was starting to get really pushy and whiny. I suggested we head over to a grassy patch next to an outdoor arena. There were some horses working there, and I thought it would be a good idea to let the horse graze to help him relax. It didn't work.

One minute he was grazing, and the next, he reared. Instinctively, Keara crouched down. From my line of sight, this put the horse's front hooves right next to my kid's head. Keara dropped the lead rope and ran towards me. The horse just came down and took another bite.

I grabbed the lead rope and turned around to give my daughter a hug. She was shaken, plus hot and tired. So was I, as a matter of fact. I told her to sit down and decided to walk around with Prospect myself, and see what she was dealing with here.

The first thing I realized is that the whole idea of respect for my space was totally out the window for this horse. I thought, "Gee, Keara's been doing a hell of a job leading the horse around when he's like this."

My next thought was "she shouldn't have to do this again." At least not for a while. Maybe when she's older, I don't know, but I thought, definitely not at this show.

To be continued...

Getting Ready for Fair

2009-07-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

My daughter Keara and I are having so much fun getting ready for the Larimer County Fair. Even the chores that I thought would lose their gleam of horsey-specialness once we actually had to do them all in succession are still fun.

She finished her record book, which needed to be updated in order to check her horse into the barn at the fairgrounds. She completed a poster of head and leg markings to display on the dressing room stall.

We picked out some other decorations too. She's doing a scrapbook-style page with a picture of her and Prospect for his stall. Today I picked up a frame from Goodwill for this. Cleaning tack is also on the schedule. The show clothes are already ironed (by me).

We're going out to set up the stalls tomorrow afternoon, then we deliver the horses on Sunday morning. Keara also rode today and I actually had to tell her (firmly) to stop working the horse because he needed a break. I think I have created a horseyperson.

"Have a care!"

2009-07-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I rode Odie down to the arena to work, but we ran into a little problem. No, four little problems. Four teenage boys having a good ol' time.

There is a bench swing nearby, ostensibly placed there for people to sit by the pond, relax, and watch the ducks paddle serenely past. They found a new use for it.

Three stood on the back, holding on to the supporting pole that suspends the bench swing above the ground. The fourth kid sat in the seat. Then the three on top would send the bench careening back and forth using all their strength. The fourth hung on for the ride.

They were whooping and hollering. Odie was really good about the whole thing--the result, no doubt, of having two little kids who regularly make a loud ruckus while waiting for me to finish mucking.

But things got scary when the four of them decided to run full-tilt towards us for no apparent reason. Maybe they had no clue that the result might be intimidating to that lady over there on her horse. Anyway, Odie went scooting across the arena, and I just don't want to fall off, or even come close.

"Hey!" I yelled, "Have a care!" This is what came out of my mouth. I'm such a geek. But it worked anyway. "OK" they said, and left. Still, I hope I didn't offend them, considering I'm a boarder in the neighborhood. But they freaked me out, and I snapped in my geeky fashion.

The Upside: So, as I said, they leave...and Odie then decides to spook in turn at the four corners of the arena. Luckily, I was so pissed off at those kids, I had no qualms about working his butt off in each corner until he trotted past calmly. Worked again today, and he was a very, very good boy.

Keara Riding Odie

2009-07-19T06:57:00.000-07:00

She Wants to Canter

2009-07-18T05:55:00.001-07:00

Yesterday my daughter Keara announced she wanted to try cantering. "That is so exciting", I thought. "She'll probably try it once and then tuck the idea back on the shelf for 'when I'm older', as usual."

Picking up the canter took some work. Her teacher helped her by walking along behind and shooing Prospect at key moments. He was trotting, trotting, a little faster trotting, a little slower trotting...then it happened.

Two strides of canter and a huge smile and a "good boy!" Keara seemed prouder of the horse than of herself. But then she wanted to do it again. And again. Then the other direction.

She got a nice transition pretty much on her own, and went on for four or five strides. We urged her to stop on a good note, and she did. "Can I canter again tomorrow?" she asked.

Tomorrow is here, in more ways than one! My timid little girl is changing. This is new. It's great that she can handle speed, but how does the mom handle speed? Feeling a bit nervous now...

Honest Scrap Award

2009-07-17T12:17:00.001-07:00

Thank you Rocky Mountain Yankee for this award. Geez, I've been horsing around (literally, you know) this summer and didn't even notice right away. Here are the rules:
--Recognize your award presenter and link back to their blog in your post.
--List 10 honest things about yourself.
--Present this award to 10 admirable bloggers and link to their blogs.
--Leave a comment on your recipients' blogs to let them know to visit your post to retrieve their award.

I love reading RMY because she's also a mom of a young kid. Being a horseyperson and a mom has its own unique challenges. But I'm not the only one out there crazy enough to do it. And the insanity is all in print, so go read RMY too, if you dare!! She's a hoot.

Ok, speaking of those challenges I mentioned, I'm pushed for time as usual. So I'm going to fly in the face of my own advice to those young kids I'm raising and CHEAT.

Here is a list I wrote on my Facebook account shortly after my husband talked me into joining, and before the novelty wore off into my current Facebook visits, which are hardly ever anymore.

25 Things About Me

1. My favorite color is green.

2. I like to sleep 9 hours each night.

3. My favorite movies are "Caro Diario," "National Velvet" and "Howard's End."

4. I am not a coffee drinker. I am a peppermint tea drinker.

5. My passion in life is horses. Most of my free time is spent "at the barn."

6. I bought my own horse when I was 36. It was the second-best thing I ever did for myself. Working with my horse never fails to bring an elevated feeling of pure joy. I have no explanation for this.

7. Marrying my husband Chris was the best thing I ever did.

8. Sometimes I smell horsey but my husband still loves me, especially when I am wearing riding breeches, which he calls "horseypants."

9. After college I lived in a convent in Rome for six weeks with my sister Noel. This was the best travel experience of my life.

10. I am a good writer. I like to write.

11. When I was 22--after my father died from a heart attack that was purely a result of lifestyle factors--I became, and remain, kind of a health nut.

12. I was a "fishatarian" (no meat except fish) for 10 years.

13. The day before I gave birth to my son my body demanded a huge breakfast of steak and eggs. I will never forget that craving. After that I decided to eat meat again.

14. I still don't really like chicken.

15. I grew up in an alcoholic family. Even though I turn 40 this year, deep down I still deal with the consequences; but this process has ultimately been rewarding.

16. I can't believe that I am going to turn 40 this year!

17. I am not an alcoholic, but after I had my children I decided not to drink anymore.

18. Also after I had my children, my hair became straight. Before, it was curly. My hair made that decision entirely on its own.

19. I have rosacea.

20. Growing up I was a tomboy, yet as a stay-at-home-parent I often feel like I'm channeling Martha Stewart.

21. My other sister Colette is the real Martha Stewart. Her house is totally gorgeous and clean. I like to go there and relax.

22. I do cook pretty well. Making food for my family is one of my favorite things to do.

23. As healthy as I like to eat, show me a foodie mag with "Top 20 Chocolate Desserts" on the cover, and I will read it.

24. The older I get, the more I like to save money.

25. My children are the greatest blessings in my life.

Here are the blogs I would like to pass this award along to:
Happy Chronicle
A Year With Horses
A Good Horse
When Lilies Fly
Nuzzling Muzzles
A Horse Crazy American in Germany
Dressage in Jeans
A Horse and A Half
(Freelance) Riding Instructor's Diary
Half Pass Girl

There wasn't a meaning attached to this award when it was passed to me. I like honesty though--in people and horses. These blogs seemed to fit that part of the name. As for the scrap, well, drop the s, and you have the opposite of honesty, don't cha? So what the...

I still like reading these blogs. No crap.

Sweetheart Riders

2009-07-15T18:10:00.001-07:00

We had a great time last weekend at the Sweetheart Riders 4-H Club Show. Keara is really getting better--she came home with a 5th place ribbon in her walk/trot rail class. Then she did barrels and got a 6th.

But what a long day--we were there 14 hours! Not something I'd like to repeat. The reason for this total lack of better judgment was the desire to try showmanship, which of course was the very first class.

Prospect is not a fan of showmanship. The horse would rather do just about anything than stand there and wait for the judge to give him the once-over. Not that he doesn't think he's a handsome boy, he's just got better things to do.

Keara muddled through, although it left her almost in tears. She will probably not want to do it again with this particular horse.

So, back to the long day, it started at 7 a.m. for a miserably fidgety horse in showmanship, and ended around 8 p.m. for the super fun gymkhana. So at least it got better as the day got longer, but I was sooo tired after.

But I got to do a gymkhana class too! Adults were allowed to do poles and flags. Keara's friend's Mom did the poles; I took flags. She did great; I had a no-time for breaking pattern.

Well, what did you expect from a dressage rider who grew up riding hunters? But hearing my daughter yell, "Go, Mom go!!" was worth it. Plus I haven't galloped in a while--that was a blast.

Need to try galloping on Odie I think. I wonder what would happen...

Summer and The Kids Are Riding

2009-07-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

So, here we are in July. This summer has been weird so far. Lots of rain and cold (yep, heard that right) here in the high plains of Colorado. It finally stopped two days ago and switched to dry and HOT in a matter of hours. Meanwhile lots of horsey fun going on...

My daughter Keara attended her first horse show. She got all dressed up, which of course she loves--hair ribbons and all--and headed out to a 4-H Club event. The only classes for walk-trot were barrels and pole-keyhole.

This was the moment the light bulb went on for her. I could see she was putting it all together: skills learned from lessons, hanging out at the in-gate with friends, wearing the clothes, taking control of herself and her horse and basically showing her stuff.

She won fourth of four in barrels and second of two in pole-keyhole. But the pride on that kid's face as she hung her ribbons on her saddle horn. She's been a different rider since then. She's having fun.

Her horse--the leased one--was even being kind of a butthead. Whinnying and fidgeting because he came down with a case of separation anxiety from his stablemate. But Keara handled him like a pro. She just kept him busy and explained his deal to other kids, who joked "Your horse likes to talk alot."

After the show, I said to her, "you know Keara, if you can handle Prospect acting that way you can certainly handle Odie now." Odie, the horse she has been totally afraid to ride. She agreed, and has ridden a few times since then.

Today she rode Odie and my 6-year-old son rode the old trooper Chipper. My son, who doesn't really like horses, who has no interest in riding, except for when he decides he wants to, at which time the kid just gets on and goes. He totally does it by feel. Never had a lesson. Just goes.

We had a ball. I walked everyone down to the arena, then let them loose. First, some barrels practice. Keara almost trotted the whole thing, to impress the younger sibling, who had gone off trotting around with no fear. Then he trotted the barrel pattern too.

We played red-light, green-light. They loved it. Keara even let her little brother win a couple of times. Even though she is the more timid rider, she had the faster horse, not to mention the burning desire to keep the younger sibling in his place. But she let him win the last game. What a sweetie.

4-H Riding Test

2009-06-22T08:14:00.000-07:00

Keara took her riding test for 4-H last week. We all had to stand aside while she demonstrated her knowledge to the official 4-H test administrator (like a grandma and just as sweet as pie).

Keara loves dressing up in her show clothes. The greater part of the test focused on her ability to lead, tie, groom and tack safely. Then she hopped on; but her horse Prospect was worried about a cow on one side of the arena, and a lively foal w/ his mom on the other.

This was serious. I could see Keara was nervous about her horse looky-looing. But it lasted about 5 minutes, and she passed. The tester could see that she knew enough. It was such a relief. County Fair, here we come, for real now.

Yesterday we went to her first gymkhana. Keara did barrels and pole-keyhole--now THAT was fun! More about it later...

Good News

2009-06-02T05:36:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of my daughter! Last night she passed the written test for her 4-H horse project! What makes me truly happy is that she studied on her own by reading the horse project book. The book, which is not necessarily geared towards third-grade readers and has 20-something chapters. All I did was remind her to do it every day.

It's a real accomplishment. Now she must pass a riding test. That done, she will be able to show at the County Fair this summer. It's very exciting.

Before the written test, she rode her horse Prospect in a Western Riding clinic. I love going to these clinics anyway and watching all the kids ride. Brings back alot of happy memories on horses from my own childhood.

I just want to run out into the middle of the arena and shout, "Hey! Isn't this great? Horses ROCK! Now go trot around that blazin' orange cone with style!"

Hooray for Summer

2009-05-26T04:16:00.000-07:00

the field trip
the other field trip
the third field trip
the final soccer game
the birthday sleepover
the kindergarten graduation
the music recital
the class play
the academic awards ceremony
studying for the final test
studying for the other final test
the all-school picnic

IT'S ALL DONE!
Can I ride my horse now?

After the Show

2009-04-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

Quick summary, as my house is a disaster area because I spent Wed-Sat (with Friday off) last week practicing riding. After the soaking we got last weekend, which made the Arena Soup I wrote about last time, I really needed to get on and ride as much as I could before the show. So I did, and we went to the show yesterday!

The good news is the weather magically cooperated. In between rain, cold, snow (yep, it's still doing that here in Colorado) yesterday morning the skies cleared just for our warm up and tests. The sun was a welcome benefit to our riding. Odie and I felt solar-powered when those warm rays hit us! Then just after we were done, my least-favorite N. Colorado weather showed up: wind. But we were on our way out of there, so no worries.

The bad news is our Training Level Test 1 was terrible. My nerves totally got the better of me. We scored 49% with the following comments: "Elegant horse must be more dedicated to the contact. Be sure your hands aren't pressing down." The not-so-bad news is, our Training Level Test 2 was much better. 55% with the following comments: "Cute horse needs more forward thinking & connection over a more supple back." Plus she gave us one 7, for a free walk to medium walk transition.

Our Training Level Test 4 also came in with a 55% (plus a 3rd place ribbon to bring home to show my daughter Keara--she was thrilled) with these tough-love comments about the stretchy-chewy circle at the end: "This movement shows where the difficulty in the training is--your horse has a hard time stretching over his back and reaching to the bit. Work to improve."

And WE WILL...

Showing on a Shoestring

2009-04-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

This past week was a study in perseverence.

I really wanted to have a lesson before the schooling show next Sunday. But Kathleen (my trainer) was in Vegas at the World Cup. So I posted some pictures and got great feedback, especially from Dressage in Jeans. But still I wanted some real-time comments.

As it happens, the father of my son's best buddy in Kindergarten is a horseman. :)

When you meet a horsey person, you talk horses. I love talking horses. Keith began his career in England, then operated a training barn in California, then spent some time exporting horses to Japan (I think it was Japan). Really nice guy, but his stories seemed to put his experience very much 'out of our league.'

We're talking horses that sold for tens of thousands of dollars. I bought Odie at the 'reduced' price of $2500. But since I really needed to feel somewhat prepared for this schooling show, I decided to ask him for help. Would he mind coming out to watch and give a few comments?

This turned out to be a very good idea. On Wednesday we worked for about an hour. He really helped me to 1. Recognize that Odie has been running the show. 2. Use a simple tactic to take control of the situation. Basically, we trotted slowly. Really slow. For a long time. Slow. Slow. S-L-O-W.

When Odie seemed to be focused, we extended the trot and WOW what a feeling! And we worked on doing canter slow. And slow trot-canter and canter-trot transitions. And of course the walk, but not slow. Walk had to be marching right along.

It was great. Kathleen will find this all interesting I think. It's not really fair to say that she's been my regular trainer, since I could count the number of lessons I've had in the past year on one hand. So it's not her fault I've been letting my horse slack off lately.

I'm doing this with two little kids on a budget, so my dressage education has to come from whence the wind blows. Wish I had a money tree in my yard. Most of the time I just get out to relieve stress, so it's no wonder Odie has gotten used to taking the lead.

But it is a good feeling to get on with my riding. Love the good days, the good rides. Would like to go out and practice again! So what's been happening since?
Thurs: no Kindergarten, then RAIN
Fri: RAIN-SNOW
Sat: RAIN-SNOW
Today: SUN but arena is SOUP

Yesterday I was getting mopey, wondering how I was going to practice for the show in the neighborhood arena, knowing it was becoming soup. Then unfortunately Mary gave me the bad news that her back is really bothering her, so she's not showing next Sunday.

She said she will ask Kathleen to ride Chipper for her (and still give Odie a ride in her trailer), but this means no going out to practice at a local indoor. Horse trailer fever sets in again! Maybe I can swing a payment and not feel guilty that it could be money going to the college fund? No.

Came to my senses and decided to get on with things and at least take Odie for a walk on the lead rope around the neighborhood today. The kids rode their scooters. Then Mary asked me to take Chipper for a walk too, and the kids took turns sitting on his back.

Poor Chipper (the veteran 20+ Quarter Horse, and Odie's personal hero) had gotten really chilled on Friday night and on Sat. he looked terrible. I was worried about him all weekend, but today he was fine. I was happy to get him out to stretch.

But I think I walked for two or more hours! My piggly-wigglies feel like mashed potatoes. Came home and made a revised plan with my husband for buying a horse trailer. New Goal: Fall 2009.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T07:12:00.000-07:00

Training for Schooling Show

2009-04-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

Finally! Some pictures of Odie and me working. This is really going to help me; it's been a while since I've seen myself on the horse. Here are a few that I am not too embarrassed to post.
In nearly all of the other pictures, my hip joints still want to do hunter-jumpers, after nearly FIVE YEARS of dressage. In those shots the horse's stride is short and choppy, and his nose is gaining altitude, and the connection has gone down the toilet, but I'm NOT posting them!

Ahem, so, in these pictures, it seems the more I open my hip joints...
...the more Odie engages his rear end...
...and I get a better connection. At least I get it for 3 out of about 250 shots. :)

Comments are welcome. What else do I see? I see my hands need to give more. They seem to be holding him too tightly. My shoulders are rounded; it would help to lift and tuck them "into my back pockets." I also see Odie's bulging neck muscles that my trainer has been talking about.

The bulge in the middle is not good. I am supposed to be encouraging more bulge where the neck ties into the top of the shoulder.

Overall, I think I need to ask for more and trust my horse to offer something worthwhile. In these pictures I see myself trying to "make him do it." Half-halts come to mind...I need to let go!

Schooling Show This Month!

2009-04-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

I mailed my entry today, for the dressage schooling show on April 26. Yee-ha! Last year I didn't do any showing because I just didn't have the extra clams. This is so great, but of course now I'm nervous!

To kick Nervous Nellie in the shins from the get go, I devised a brilliant head fake. I signed up for Training Level Tests 1 and 2, but also First Level Test 1. Odie and I are ready for Training Level. First Level is going to be a stretch.

So I'm going to focus all my nervous energy on First Level Test 1. Even if I decide not to do it, the other two will seem like a breeze by comparison. Plus working on the First Level Test will be a great way to train for the show this month.

The other way I'm going to train for the show is by watching video of all three tests on Dressage Mom. Building a visual image through watching her will help me alot. Thanks DM!!

There is no way I am going to be sitting the trot as much as she does, though. :)

CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital

2009-04-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

Every spring Colorado State University hosts an open house at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. There are usually alot of children there. Although the hospital tour portion is a bit dry, there's also a vet-science fair with all kinds of activities.

Keara had a ball dressing up as a vet and performing surgery on a stuffed "patient." They also did a great job creating an "invisible horse." All the students were friendly and professional.

It's interesting to note that I have heard mixed reviews of CSU from horse people. Some folks wouldn't send their horses there if you paid them. Another swears CSU saved her horse's life.

Hopefully Odie will never provide an opportunity for me to form my own opinion.

Here's to Making It Work

2009-04-04T05:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was able to get out between spring snow storms and ride Odie in the (dry half) of the arena. Normally on a Friday I'd shoe-horn in a ride while my son Paul is at his short day of kindergarten so I can be back to pick him up on time.

At this time of year, with the horse shedding like crazy, and doing the mucking as well, I'm usually the mom over on the edges of the pickup area. Seriously, I try to stay downwind.

In this case Paul had a playdate after school, so that means I had time to ride and then pick him up showered and dressed in non-horsey clothes! Nice. My book club was also going out together last night so I had even put on some makeup.

A few days before I did the same thing--scrubbed up twice in one week! That day my husband documented the occasion with a picture. I thought I'd put it up here as a point of contrast. Or complement? Testimony to living well on a budget.

The Clothes: Goodwill
The Hair: Cut every six months
The Makeup: Leftover from a ballet recital
The Facial: Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask from Walmart, $3
The Accessories: Movado watch, a gift from my husband before we were married
The Nails: Au naturel
The Shoes: Only one small piece of manure wedged in the tread

The Mom: Happy, happy, happy. Horsey and happy.

If you could relive a "horseyday" of your life over again, what would it be?

2009-03-26T06:15:00.000-07:00

I rode Odie in a field next to the arena yesterday, while we took breaks to occasionally watch a couple of other riders practicing their dressage tests for the schooling show this weekend.

There is a first level test that looks like so much fun! It has a couple of half circles and also a change of rein from canter to the trot on the diagonal. I'm doing training level this year but I want to try that one.

As I rode out yesterday I couldn't help feeling a little nervous. Yes, Horseypants is a SCAREDYPANTS when it comes to riding out. I think it just comes from years of working in the arena. Plus Odie is still a new horse to me in this regard, and I don't know what to expect of him.

But he was a star. He was curious and watchful (manhole cover? in the middle of the field?), but he still listened and did some good work. The uneven ground made it necessary me to get the horse moving and forward so he could balance himself and get rounder.

So we did big walk, trot and canter circles. As I was cantering along in the middle of the field, controlled and relaxed, my worries melted away and I felt a HUGE smile on my face. What was that for? And I remembered something...

When I was 16 or 17, I did a "pair pace" with my riding school. This was in Connecticut. My horse was a medium sized blue roan mare named Nunnie; I think her real name was Blue Nun. I had never done a pace before, but Nunnie was a total pro at them and she loved it.

A little description: The pair pace is a team event in which you and a friend ride cross country over and around obstacles together. The obstacles vary according to ability level. The winner is not the fastest, rather the winning team is the pair that is closest to the "secret official time." This secret official time is determined by having several riders take the course before the show and average their times. It is not a race! It is just a great opportunity to have some fun outdoors for a change.

I remember getting dressed up in our show clothes, putting on our numbers, and warming up a bit in the field where the trailers were parked. A couple of fences had been set up for this purpose. Then our instructor pointed us in the direction of the first fence, said "follow the signs!" and off we went.

We cantered across the fields and flew over the jumps. There were walls and fences and hay bales. Some of the pace took us through woody trails covered with fall leaves. The occasional fallen tree that had been made into a jump kept things exciting for the jumping-mad teenager.

It just seemed to go on and on. We were out there a good long time. My friend's horse had a mild but chronic respiratory disease, so if he coughed we took walk breaks for him. This totally ruined our "pace time," but we didn't care one bit.

If I could relive any horseyday of my life over again, this would be it! I'd like to invite anyone who'd also like to share a story to post it on their blog. Leave me a note so I can be sure to come over and read it!

Spring Break Riding

2009-03-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

This year was a good spring break for riding. My daughter Keara rode her 4-H horse, Prospect, as you can see in these photos. She's totally happy and confident riding him and just needs additional "miles" this spring to prepare for her walk/trot level test in May.

Riding Odie this past week had its highs and lows. My husband took the second half of the week off work, so I was able to trailer out for a lesson on Thursday. Hitched a ride with Chipper again--I just keep counting my blessings on that one.

Someday (oh please someday) I will get my own trailer. But that's another post...

In my lesson I focused on getting a connection with Odie. Apparently there is connection, and there is connection. Once again I am struggling with this issue. The good news is I have a better understanding of what I have been missing.

The bad news is, as I have been riding "long and low" lately, Odie seems to have been developing a preference for either "long and flat" or "short and low". Either way he really isn't coming up through his back and connecting to the bit.

(Sigh) Skunked again! I will keep working on it...

And maybe SOMEDAY I will get the husband to come out and take those pictures of Odie and me, that he promised to take. So I can post them. Like I said I really wanted to. Last week, to the husband. Are you reading this?

From My Husband

2009-03-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Moving On

2009-03-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

I really missed posting over the last couple of weeks...I missed writing. We have been busy sorting out the horse lease situation for Keara, finishing up some projects--including painting her bedroom violet!--and just making it through to spring break.

There is good news about Keara's 4-H horse project. Galahad is no longer an option after the bucking incident, so we're leasing another horse. He's a 14 year-old Rocky Mountain gelding named Prospect. She's been riding him during the last couple of weeks and is doing so well.

Just in the past couple of days she's done more trotting than ever before. Yesterday we started steering while trotting. Her confidence is blooming. She's happy and growing as a young rider, which was the whole idea in the first place. And we've both learned something about dealing with adversity.

Keara is now working on passing her walk-trot level test. It's great to just stand by and watch her do everything from start to finish, from haltering, grooming, tacking (I put the saddle and bridle on, she narrates) riding, cooling out and putting him away. Kudos to 4-H for requiring such independence.

The bedroom project was long overdue so I feel very good about getting that done. The wall color is "simple violet" and we're doing a horsey theme. These pictures show how it looked after I put the furniture back. I'll get another one up when we've got all the horsey decor added!

On my end, I've been working on "long and low" with Odie. I was inspired to get back into this exercise by another blogger. Flakeout alert: of course I randomly surfed my way to that blog post one night and can't find my way back yet!! Help, anyone? I promised to post a picture of us doing long and low.

Anyway, there was a tip there about thinking of your reins as two long sticks. This image allows me to maintain contact while asking Odie to come up into the bit/bridle. He's loving it and so am I...been getting too short with the reins and kind of stuck lately...needed this work.

Odie has been such a good boy that I am hoping to take him to a schooling show next month. There is one on March 28 but that is my son's birthday. So I've been showing vicariously by reading posts by Dressage Mom about her latest dressage show, riding two Arabians.

Hopefully I'll get to show in April and post some pictures of Odie and me doing that. I'll add it to THE LIST. :) We're on spring break now as I mentioned but I've already got a long list of stuff I'd like to get done. Lord save me from my type A personality.

Things Happen

2009-03-03T08:20:00.001-08:00

This month my daughter Keara is beginning her horse lease for the cute little Arabian gelding named Galahad. This is an artsy photo I took of his eyeball. Does it look like a kind eye to you?

This is the big question for the day. It must be asked because yesterday instead of going out to visit Galahad for our first day of being his part-owner, we went to the hospital to visit the girl that he bucked off Sunday night.

She broke her ankle in three places. She had surgery to put it back together and now has a plate, some screws and a couple of pins. All the hardware will come out in 6 weeks or so. She will be able to walk, run, ride, etc. again eventually.

Ok, I'm freaking out. But then again, it would be very easy to say, "There is no way my daughter is getting on that horse now." And then we could find another horse to lease and assume that this new horse is "safer." BUT that would not necessarily be true.

Still, can Keara ride this horse effectively? Will he work for her in a controlled manner? Has he just learned a neat trick that he's going to try out again sometime in the future? He bucked at the end of a long ride, after cantering over a pole--something that Keara will not be doing this year--how should that be considered?

I don't want to blame the horse. But I don't want to make excuses for his behavior either. This afternoon we're going to visit him. Keara will do some ground work. I need to get eyeball-to-eyeball with this animal myself before I can decide anything.

What are YOUR Horseypants?

2009-02-24T10:08:00.000-08:00

I tried a poll on my blog recently and that was fun, so here's another one. It's over there -----> on the side. Just wondering, what are YOUR horseypants?

I wear full-seat breeches now that I started taking dressage lessons. They're fancy-schmancy, plus they hide panty lines way better than the knee-patch ones I wore for so many years as your typical English rider. I have a winter pair lined with fleece that I love.

One of my non-horsey friends loves to make fun of the magazine ads for full-seat breeches. It seriously cracks her up, and I can see why. It's all about the butt. Every photo just zooms right in on someone's rear end.

Aanyway, growing up I wore jeans with polo wraps on my calves, until I got together enough money for half-chaps. I bought those half-chaps on consignment 20+ years ago and still wear them. They needed a minor stitching repair last year. It's true that good leather lasts forever.

My husband is the one who calls riding breeches horseypants. Ha-ha. The man wears glorified long underwear to do his inline skating marathons. You can see way more than his panty lines. So who's laughing now, Mr. Winky?

But seriously, I have decided that I am my true self when I've got my horseypants on. The ones made today are so comfortable you can wear them all day, but I think Western riders lucked out in that department. Jeans are universal.

Breeches are conspicuous, especially with hair & poop on them. Flying Lilies posted a very funny photo about the horse hair issue...click & scroll down for a laugh.

An Award for Horseypants!

2009-02-21T15:49:00.001-08:00

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

Considering that I have not been blogging very long, I am honored to receive this friendship award. It's really special because it came from one of my favorite blogs that I've been reading for a while: MiKael's Mania - Arabian Horses.

Now, it did not seem likely that I would ever communicate with a blogger that has hundreds of posts about her busy Arabian Horse Farm, a map on her blog that shows readers from all over the WORLD, and is listed on the Top 100 Equestrian sites on the ENTIRE INTERNET.

But to my surprise and delight, she visited Horseypants and left comments. In particular she helped me get through some rather dark thoughts I was having about my competence as a parent to my horse-loving daughter. Those comments meant so much to me.

I could gush but it would just sound syrupy, so I'll say this: I first visited MiKael's Mania because I own an Arabian, but I continue to read it because she's an excellent writer with a big heart, and an insightful & knowledgeable horse person.

Thank you MiKael, for teaching me how the whole friendship aspect of the blogosphere works.

So now I get to share the love with:
Flying Lilies
A Good Horse
Glenshee Equestrian Centre
A Horse Crazy American in Germany
I is Roxie!
Rocky Mountain Yankee
Gypsy Mare
Lucky Kachina Dancer

Basically, these are people who have left comments or follow my blog. I'm sure you all know the feeling of writing a post, wondering if anyone besides your best friend will give a hoot, only to discover that someone, somewhere reads it. Thanks!

Blogging has been the most gratifying thing to come my way--on a personal level--in quite a while. Yes, I retain skills beyond making dinner and folding laundry. I can write, I can take decent pictures, I can use a computer...and I can express my joy and love for horses just because.

And I can make friends through the Internet with people who don't want to meet me in a dark alley for casual sex, or take my life savings and send it to Nigeria! Who knew?

Time to Work, Odie!

2009-02-21T15:30:00.000-08:00

"Hey, she's back!"

"Maybe she's got some of those horse cookies."

"Now you can admire my handsome bod. Yes, I am a hottie."

"Skunked again."

February's Dressage Lesson

2009-02-20T12:14:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday I went with Chipper's mom over to the training barn where I used to board Odie. She was scheduled for a lesson so invited us to come along and do a semi-private. Since both kids were in school I jumped at the chance.

Odie's attitude about trailering continues to improve. Last time he was in and out a bunch of times, then stood halfway for a while shaking like a leaf before finally getting into the trailer. This time he stood halfway for about 2 minutes, then hopped in.

The weather cooperated so we were able to ride outside...in February. I love Colorado! It was a great feeling to be back in the arena where Odie and I first began our relationship, yet older and wiser.

At the beginning of the lesson Kathleen asked what we've been working on. I talked about continuing to work on my lateral balance (trying NOT to lean in on turns) and asking Odie to move forward, through his back, and into my hands to improve our connection.

The lesson with Karen Whitman back in January has really helped me with the leaning. I've been practicing by taking her advice to look at his ears, especially on turns, when I'd otherwise be looking halfway around the arena, and consequently leaning in.

It just helps to get my balance back in the middle. Then I sort of try to imprint that feeling in my brain for a few minutes and then keep the feeling while looking up again. I think it's working.

The connection is getting better. Kathleen had me sort of test the boundaries by riding a serpentine. She says I tend to get a bit frozen when I establish a connection, basically because I don't want to mess it up. So I tried to ride messy. :) And still expect my horse to hang in there and, when I need to, make corrections more fluidly.

Then we played a little follow-the-leader on the serpentine. She rode Chipper and I follwed behind, while focusing on moving Odie away from my inside leg on the curves. It was actually alot of fun, and created an instant visual for me to try and copy.

Then we did some leg yielding at the walk. This is our homework. Also we talked about Odie's scar on his back. I decided get up onto the mounting block today and take a picture of it so I can track some progress. Here is how his back looks normally:

When I push the hair out of the way here is what you see:

I was worried about it as usual; Kathleen was not really concerned. Maybe I can chill out on this. She took a look before and after riding Odie. We both agreed he could care less if you press on it. She suggested I stop using Horseman's Dream on it (too moist) and see what happens. She also mentioned Vitamin E could help. Flying Lilies has suggested the same thing.

So I'm off to get some Vitamin E caps...

In the meantime, Odie would like to let you all know that he thinks the flax seed horse cookies are helping alot.

Odie's Oatie Horse Cookies

2009-02-09T10:24:00.001-08:00

I'm proud to say that this is an original recipe. You can whip out a batch of these in 10 minutes flat and they're delicious. Just ask Odie.

I have been feeding him a couple of these a day to improve his skin & coat. I hope that this will completely, finally, once and for all, heal the "naughty mare" bite on his back from last summer.

If anyone has ideas for other ways to help it, please let me know. I'm willing to try anything within reason! These cookies are just the "keep it simple" (and cheap) approach that I decided to do first before buying supplements.

The two clever ingredients in the cookies are bananas and ground flax seed. I added the bananas because I once read the results of a horsey taste-test in Equus magazine that rated banana flavor as a surprising favorite among horses.

The flax seed should benefit a horse's skin & coat. I came up with this idea thanks to the SmartPak catalog; most of the skin & coat supplements had flax seed as the active ingredient.

I buy flax seed in bulk at Whole Foods. We have a coffee/spice grinder that works well to grind it up. You could try using them whole but grinding them gives the digestive system better access to the oil inside the seeds.

Odie's Oatie Horse Cookies
2 c. oats
1 1/2 c. flour (whole wheat or white)
2 t. salt
1/4 c. olive oil (or any vegetable oil)
1/4 c. honey
1/2 c. water
2 mashed bananas
1/2 c. ground flax seed

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix everything in a large bowl. The back of a large spatula cuts through the sticky dough easily. Shape balls of dough and place on ungreased cookie sheets. If I'm making these with helpers, we do smaller balls on two sheets. If I'm in a hurry, I make about 20 larger balls on one sheet. Whatever works. Take a fork and press down carefully to flatten each ball; then turn the cookie sheet 90 degrees and do the same thing again so each cookie gets a criss-cross pattern like those old-fashioned peanut-butter cookies. This is not just for looks--it helps them bake evenly. Throw in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Turn oven off and let cookies sit for a few hours or whenever you remember to get them out. Pop cookies off the sheets with a metal spatula; store in a paper bag.

Bad Memories Have Long Shadows

2009-02-07T19:49:00.000-08:00

This past week my daughter Keara had her first lesson on the horse we're leasing for 4-H. She rode him again today but these pictures are from that first lesson.

His name is Sir Galahad and he's an Arabian gelding. Her riding teacher found him at the local livestock auction and wisely took him home. She has made him into a solid citizen for young riders. Plus he's incredibly cute.

As you can see from the pictures, Keara was nervous. Her hands were high and her left heel kept creeping up. She did not want to do any trotting. "What's the matter?" her teacher asked. "Galahad's an Arabian," she said, "and Odie's an Arabian."

The explanation for this is an embarrassing story.

When she was 5, I popped Keara onto Odie's back (with her helmet on) while I cooled him out after a ride. He tripped. Keara got scared and pulled up her knees. Odie didn't know what this meant, so he stepped to the side nervously. Keara got more scared and cried out. Odie got more confused kept stepping sideways. Keara jumped off into my arms and just had a meltdown.

She was crying and Odie stood with his head literally right next to her shoulder while I held her. Wondering what happened, I think. She saw him and I know she knew that he didn't mean to scare her. But she would not get back on. Another girl happened to be riding in the arena at the time and offered her older, very well-trained horse for Keara to continue her pony ride. She didn't want to get on him either. She wanted to go home.

It was a matter of seconds, and she wasn't hurt, but oh what I wouldn't give to turn back the clock on this one. The fact that Keara didn't swear off horses completely that day is a minor miracle to me. That was my immediate fear--that I had ruined horses for her.

Then some really dark thoughts crept in. She could have been hurt. It was one of those "bad mommy" moments, about which I used to think, "God gives moms a freebie." When I actually became a mom I learned that God gives moms lots of freebies. But this was different. I felt so irresponsible and stupid.

Other "bad mommy" moments had been things like falling off the swing at the playground. This was a direct result of my judgment. I should have known better than to put my kid on a young horse, no matter how sweet his disposition, even if I was leading him, and even if he was tired after a workout.

In my rational mindset I know the horse took three or four steps to the side. I know Keara panicked and bailed out. I simply should have never put her on anything but a bombproof horse, since she tends to be tentative about life in general.

In the "bad mommy" mindset I saw broken bones and broken spirits. I never wanted to live my horsey life through her. I purposely never pushed her towards horses. She was going there on her own. My daughter trusted me in this and I blew it!

But I got another freebie. Keara had enough love of horses to overcome this traumatic event. Yet I am actually realizing, as I write this, just how specific those memories are for her. What I had explained to her at the time must be burned in her brain: Odie didn't mean to scare her--it was an accident because he is young and he is an Arabian.

I told her that he was young and just didn't understand what she was asking him to do. Now I remember, when Keara finally did get back on a horse, she was adamant that the horse be older. She was always checking on that information. "How old is Flash? Is that old for a horse?"

I told her on that day that Odie is an Arabian, and Arabians are more sensitive than other horses, so that is why he moved to the side when she pulled her knees up. I said he could feel her boots way up by the seat of the saddle and probably thought she was asking him to do something, so he tried stepping to the side.

Just after Keara got on Galahad, her riding teacher pushed his head out of her way in the process of doing something else--moving the mounting block, I think--and Galahad lifted his head up and took a step to the side.

Keara yelped and her arms curled upwards (and pretty much stayed that way the rest of the lesson). That was when we asked her what was wrong. "Galahad's an Arabian, and Odie's an Arabian." His stepping to the side must have been a trigger to that bad memory.

She got over her fear once by telling herself that an older horse would be safe. Now she's going to have to get over her fear again some other way. Galahad may be older, but he's still an Arabian. When he steps to the side, I bet it feels alot like Odie.

I am trying very, very hard not to let the bad mommy thoughts get into my head so I can be supportive in a positive and non-judgmental way. We have talked about it and I said I know that she's feeling scared for a reason and that's ok, but Galahad only stepped to the side to move out of her teacher's way.

Then we talked about the fact that Galahad may indeed be an Arabian, but he is not Odie, and she needs to take some time to get to know him. Her teacher said this too, and added today that Galahad has never done anything that would make her worry about a rider's safety.

This is what Keara wrote in her 4-H journal this afternoon:

"Today I did some troting on a horse I realy did not know. I also did some paterns. Somethings like figger eights and some other things like that. It was a fun day. But I also learned that no horse is the same. P.S. I realy like hanging out with horses!"

4H Here We Come

2009-02-01T07:02:00.000-08:00

It's gonna be hard for me not to be goofball in this post.

HEE HEE HEE!

My daughter Keara and I attended a horse project meeting this past Wednesday evening.

HO HO!

She's got a beginner horse to lease and we're turning in our registration forms tomorrow.

TEE HEE!

She's also doing the dog project with our collie mix Kraytos. We adopted him off craigslist about 5 months ago. We are his third home. He is such a wonderful dog, I still feel lucky to have found him.

Ok, I calmed down a little with the gratitude of owning Kraytos. He came with that name, by the way; we have no idea what it means but he knows his name so there you have it.

But is it ok, once your child has decided on a hobby, and if the hobby happens to be something you totally love, to do that big parenting no-no of living vicariously through your kid just a little?

Uh-oh, I feel the giddy goofball horsey mom coming back! I AM SO PSYCHED TO DO THE HORSE PROJECT WITH KEARA!!! HA HA HA!!!

Oh my. Breathe now, and repeat after me: I will not be a horse show mom. I will not be a horse show mom. I will not...BUT I CAN STILL ENJOY IT CAN'T I? WE ARE GONNA HAVE HORSEY FUN ALL SUMMER! YIPEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Fitness and the Female Equestrian

2009-01-27T15:50:00.000-08:00

I don't really mean for this post to be like an advertisement, but I hope if someone is looking for a good fitness program to supplement their riding it will be helpful. My favorite fitness book is "Riding for Life: A Horsewoman's Guide to Lifetime Health & Fitness" by Rallie McAllister.

When I started dressage I had already given birth to two children. For many women no further explanation is needed. ;) For everyone else, here's the deal: the stomach muscles...they take a permanent vacation.

In my case I also had surgery to remove an ovarian cyst during my first pregnancy. This meant an incision right down the middle of my abdomen, then a notably dramatic expansion of said incision for several months.

My stomach looks totally weird now and I will never, never wear a bikini again, but I don't really care. For me the big deal was not the bikini, but the stomach muscles. They were so weak from being cleaved in two and then stretched out over my big baby belly.

I had decided to try dressage, and people always seemed to be talking about engaging the core muscles and pilates and lifting your ribcage and balancing evenly on the pelvic bones...I needed those stomach muscles back. Where oh where had they gone?

In my quest to find them again I came across this book; it really helped me get back in shape when I got back to riding and then really wanted to get back in shape. There is a whole series of easy exercises with free-weights in the chapter titled "Fitness and the Female Equestrian."

It's more of a total-body program, but after my childbearing years, when my best buddies at the end of a long day of puke and snot and diapers were two guys named Ben & Jerry, I needed the total body program.

Back to Dressage School

2009-01-26T11:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had a dressage lesson with Karen Whitman. It was great. The whole day was organized around lessons w/ Karen by my regular instructor, Kathleen. So there were many riders, and part of the fun was definitely just seeing people in the middle of winter.

Normally on a Sunday afternoon in January I'd be home tucked into a hot cocoa. With snow showers and a high of 20 degrees, this thought did cross my mind as I was getting ready to go out. Actually, the thought went like this: "What the hell was I thinking signing up for a clinic in January?" But I made a New Year's resolution to get back on my horse, plus nobody called to cancel so off I went.

Since Odie had his big boo boo this past summer, I haven't spent much time in the saddle. We have still done lots of work together, and I did get to ride earlier in the week since it was 60+ degrees. (I can hardly believe that weather happened myself, now that winter is back to its regularly scheduled programming.)

But anyway, as I was driving out w/ Chipper's mom, who had a lesson scheduled after me, I realized was nervous. What was I going to tell this person about me? Odie and I haven't been doing anything! We're both out of shape. Do I even remember how to do dressage? I've only had a handful of lessons with Kathleen over the past year.

But I eventually calmed down and just tried to be myself. No we're not competitive at the moment, but I do work with my horse nearly every day, even if it's not riding. One of my goals for Odie is really to just be a good "family horse" for myself and my daughter. Besides that I would like to show him, but it would be purely for fun.

Well, it was so wonderful. Karen was very kind to express her appreciation for Arabians (not always the case w/ dressage people) at the outset and she didn't sniff one bit at my rather casual approach to dressage. She sent us off to warm up,and I eventually started trotting a figure-8.

Then she jumped in with comments, the first of which was this: "Look at his head!" (Um, huh?) "Make sure it doesn't fall off! I know it sounds odd, but just keep doing it...look at his head...look at his head...keep watching it!" Sense of humor! Major points for Ms. Whitman. No more worries--I could tell it was going to be fun.

Also suddenly Odie became rounder. Karen explained that I have an old hunter-jumper habit of turning my head (and therefore leaning over) to look for the next jump, which of course is not there anymore. So looking at Odie's head almost instantly adjusted my balance, and then he became more balanced. I stopped leaning to the inside, so he stopped leaning to the inside.

So simple and effective! The rest of the lesson followed along these lines in mostly trot and canter. We worked on more steering and balance issues through the use of my weight and leg aids as primary functions, and allowing my hands to remain steady. She asked that I really slow him in the canter to trot transition, and said to expect that over time he will learn to balance himself better in this as well.

She tried to improve my sitting trot. I tried to use my stomach muscles. I tried to hold my upper body more steady. I tried to allow my hips to follow the motion more and let my lower back be fluid. So--oo--oo--oo--oo, this needs work. Karen just said not to worry and to watch other riders. She also noted later to let my hands follow my hips at the canter, as opposed to following his head, so I think I need to work on opening my hip joint and engaging my core muscles more in general.

Odie also really liked Karen. She commented that he's not the type of Arabian that can feel too good for his job, and therefore be difficult to handle. She said he could do many things, and would be a good fit for my daughter too. This totally matched my own opinion of Odie--he ALWAYS tries. Even if he doesn't get it, he's just a good guy who wants to please.

Overall, Karen felt that just a bit more working on communicating with Odie through my leg and weight, and asking him to balance himself more consistently, would yield big results for us. And she added that despite the "exorcist head" thing, my dressage position is looking pretty good.

Dare I think back on all the time I spent trying to get my leg out of the hunter-jumper muscle memory and into a longer dressage leg? What a pain in the rump!! Or ankles--all those lost stirrups. But I guess it worked, finally. Kathleen had also mentioned last year that we were close to getting over a plateau. So maybe we are!

So the whole thing was totally encouraging. It's also nice to have a smart horse that doesn't forget anything he's learned! Dressage work, here I come! Since it's snowing I'll have to do pilates instead of ride. I've got a great series of equestrian exercises that I'll write about tomorrow. :)

Weird Weather

2009-01-21T12:19:00.000-08:00

This past week, the weather here in Colorado has been a total departure from the rest of the nation. Most horses and their people have been suffering through freezing cold temperatures.

smellshorsey wrote that she felt bad complaining about it because she's in North Carolina. Apparently they've been kicking around in t-shirts this winter! But lately the lows were getting down to 8 degrees--that IS cold and worth grousing about in my book.

I feel a little bad because I have NO complaints. The last three days here: sunny and 60+ degrees. People actually were kicking around in t-shirts yesterday--I saw them. Everyone is taking advantage of the balmy temperatures. I've been getting on my horse and enjoying it.

In fact I was having such a good time riding on Monday and Tuesday, I kinda overdid it and today every muscle in my body was crying foul. Thinking Odie might be feeling the same way, we took it easy and hacked around the pasture for 25 minutes. It was still great.

The nice weather couldn't have come at a better time for us because we're scheduled to trailer out to a dressage lesson with a visiting trainer on Sunday. I'm very excited about this. So we're not in primo shape, but there has been some practice. I'm feeling better about showing up.

Chipper is coming with his mom too. It'll be the first time they're trailering together and I hope it goes smoothly. My goal for this lesson is to get some new input. I love my regular teacher Kathleen, but it will be nice to have a fresh outlook from someone who's never taught us before.

Plus it will be nice to get out! I hope Winter holds off just through this weekend. The forecast is for the 40's and that is fine with me, because working Odie the last couple of days was actually too hot.

Yes, I did just say "too hot" and I apologize to anyone from the Arctic-blast parts of the country. Hope you all thaw out soon.

I posted a picture of Odie that I took today. His winter coat has always made him look very orange. Reminds me of Gumby's horse Pokey. Thankfully I have no other reason to think of my horse as Pokey. He worked well for me as usual, good boy!

Big Thunder Draft Show

2009-01-18T18:18:00.001-08:00

As promised, here are some pictures from the Big Thunder Draft Show. Notice the garbage can--it's full of water for the horses. The bottom of my photo cuts off the wheels that are attached for easy transportation.

My daughter's favorite. Doesn't he look like he's smiling? See the folded wooden table on the right? That is what people stand on to do the horses' braids w/ those pretty ribbons.

Some of the "ladies carts."

A set of Belgians hitched and waiting for their class.

Showtime!

Mommy & Me w/ Horses

2009-01-18T06:37:00.000-08:00

My daughter Keara and I had the best horsey day yesterday!

First we visited the Big Thunder Draft Show. Keara loves draft horses. It was amazing to be up close and personal with these majestic animals. Oh, did I mention? Keara LOVES draft horses.

First we walked past some trunks of harness & tack. (Gasp) "Mom, look at the stuff!" Next we walked past a Belgian mare in an aisle. (Gasp) "Mom, look at their feet!" Then we caught a glimpse of the arena with horses and wagons, carts, etc. (Gasp) "Mom, let's go over there!"

Aside from the total pleasure of my daughter's joy, the people there were so nice. Everyone welcomed questions and was happy to chat. We had a ball. We're planning on going back today and taking some pictures so I can post those later.

So after eating our lunch there, we drove over to my friend Stephanie's place. Steph was Keara's first grade teacher who turned out to be a horsey person. Now she is Keara's riding teacher.

If there is one thing that is better than having a riding lesson, it's watching someone else having a riding lesson. When that person happens to be your daughter, it rocks!! I love watching her ride.

After that, we went over to Odie's barn to take care of him and Chipper. Mucking was easier than usual because the manure cart had just been emptied. Bonus! Then Keara announces that she would like to give me a riding lesson.

One thing you have to know about Keara is she has always loved pretend play. So picture my eight-year-old, perched on the mounting block, suddenly sounding very authoritative as she tells me to put my hands forward a bit so I don't catch my horse in the mouth as I ask him to trot.

And the kid was right!! I had decided to hop on bareback...haven't done that in a while. I guess should do it more often to test and improve my balance.

Then she casually walks over to the fence and leans her back against a post, crossing her arms. "Ok, Mom, now I want you to trot then halt...see if you can try that again and get him to halt right when you ask him...that's better, try it again...that was your best one!"

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

So, later we're driving home and I hear this from the back seat:

"So Mom, since I gave you a riding lesson, maybe you can help me clean my room."

Still Sick

2009-01-13T10:54:00.000-08:00

If there is one thing that puts the kibosh on my horse activities, it's when someone is sick.

If it's a weekend day and we have a sick child, my husband will pitch in, but I still try not to be gone to the barn for as long as I would otherwise prefer.

If my husband is sick, I can bring the kids with me. Sometimes they play, or I give pony rides on Odie...we have fun.

When I'm sick, I could use my limited energy to work with my horse, but then I'd feel bad if I'm conked out later in the day and my husband is left holding the hot dog pan again.

I'm the sick one this time. So I muck and go home. Bummer.

This is what I was thinking this morning when I came across a recent post at MiKael's Mania-Arabian Horses about Patrick Swayze.

Despite having been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer last year, Patrick Swayze has been working full time while undergoing chemo.

This man is a fighter. Yet he's also perfectly realistic about his situation. It was an amazing interview, and MiKael has all the video clips right there. (Note to Self: learn how to do video clips.)

Swayze talked about facing the cancer, tabloid rumors, working while undergoing chemotherapy treatment and his relationship with his wife.

He is honest and forthright. He is focused on living his life. He acknowledges death, but he is able to keep it at arm's length while he continues fighting to do the things he wants to do now.

So I was feeling pretty wimpy about my cold watching this interview. Then he says that while working during chemo, he missed 1 1/2 days on the set because he had "a sniffle."

Inspiring man, lots of footage of a beautiful ranch and Arabian horses, and even with everything that he is doing, he takes time off for a cold too?

There were other things he said that were very humble, but for me today this rang out like a bell.

I realized that he could have come off like Superman trying to beat cancer. Instead he is so grounded and honest. The way he is dealing with his situation is simply based on who he is, and has always been.

Very inspiring, but not intimidating at all. Great stuff. No wonder he is so successful. (Note #2 to Self: Be your true Self!)

Horsey Husbands Rule

2009-01-11T12:23:00.001-08:00

I am sick and my husband is going to the barn to muck out for me today. Need I say more?

How I Keep My Horse--Part Two

2009-01-06T18:34:00.000-08:00

Every time I went to get Odie from the pasture, there was his girlfriend. It was very sweet. Then she was sent off to a trainer for a month. I could swear that my horse was depressed. He just seemed kind of lost.

Then she came back and things were never the same. I don't really know what happened. Other horses were coming and going as well--one in particular was a real bully. But I do know for certain that my horse started getting his butt kicked on a daily basis.

It seemed like every time I went out there he had a new bite mark. His rear end was starting to look like distressed furniture, only not as stylish. This was not interfering with my riding however, so I just hoped he'd eventually fit in again.

Then one day I went out to get him and he had a bloody gash on his back that ran the gamut along its length from hair removal, to scraped skin, to NO skin, and back again. It was more than a foot long and the deepest part was right where the seat of my saddle normally sits.

That was the end of pasture board for us. Kathleen referred to Odie's injury as a "naughty mare" item, and that stupid light bulb went on again for me. Looking back, I can't help but question the wisdom putting all the mares and geldings together. It seems so obvious. They never did that at the barn where I grew up.

That incident marked a turning point from being a tentative new horse owner to being a more experienced horse person. Also it opened a new chapter in the history of my relationship with Odie. Call it "Groundwork: The Intensive Study."

I couldn't ride him for three months. Now I am able to ride him, but I'm still working on getting the hair to grow back in that one deepest spot. It's generally covered but if I push the hairs aside I can see a little bald spot. It does seem to be slowly improving. Thank goodness for sheepskin saddle pads and Horseman's Dream.

So the groundwork is so, so, so solid now. I really can kind of roll my eyeball and the horse snaps to attention. However, the real silver lining is that following the "naughty mare" incident, I called Kathleen and mentioned that I wanted to move my horse (again) and to keep me in mind if she heard of anything.

The result is I now have my horse five minutes (FIVE minutes!) from my house. Odie lives with a wonderful older Quarter Horse, Chipper, who keeps him in line without biting his butt every day. There is a small barn, paddocks, two pastures and an arena down the street.

Chipper's mom and I split the work. I do all the mucking, which fits my need for some flexibility around school schedules, sports, lessons, etc. She does all the feeding and turnout. It's the perfect situation for me right now. And it costs me $75/mo., plus the cost of hay.

How I Keep My Horse--Part One

2009-01-04T18:19:00.000-08:00

When I first bought Odie, I knew I needed the help of a trainer for two reasons. First, although I had ridden horses for more than 20 years, horse ownership was new to me. Second, my budget was enough for a horse that knew three gaits (occasionally) and from there it was up to me. I needed help.

Luckily, I was able to find a great boarding stable that featured a resident trainer who turned out to be just what I needed. Kathleen combined natural horsemanship teaching with classical dressage training. I don't know where Odie and I would be now if we hadn't found her!

The stable was 10 minutes from my house, offered full care, had indoor and outdoor arenas, a few trails, a heated barn (kinda missing that at this time of year!) and wonderful people. The owner was organized and conscientious. The barn manager was totally competent. The other boarders (with a few exceptions) were friendly and fun.

It cost $350 per month, plus about $200 for lessons. We could afford it, for about two years. Then in the middle of 2007, some business dried up for my husband and our income was reduced. Working with Kathleen had to put on hold. Then more business evaporated. I had to find a less expensive way to keep my horse. Looking back, this was a blessing in disguise.

Not only that, I think it was a sign of things to come. By January 2008, I had moved my horse to a friend's barn much farther away, but also $210/mo. Two months later, miserable after trying to fit in a daily drive of 50 miles to see my horse, I found a spot on pasture board at a place closer to home for $165/mo.

Meanwhile, food prices were going up, gas prices were going up, and I was thanking my lucky stars that I had found a less expensive way to keep Odie. Out in this pasture, about 30 horses (mares and geldings) sorted things out "naturally" through the pecking order of horsey herd dynamics.

I didn't know if Odie had ever lived in a pasture (I bought him as a six year-old), but I proudly hoped to myself that he'd be one of the "top dogs." On the day we arrived, the owner and I walked him out into the field to show him the automatic waterer; then I let him go.

He galloped wildly around the entire herd (looking totally gorgeous). A few horses gave him the evil eye, nothing major. But Odie high-tailed it (literally) to the opposite end of the pasture, to the gate where we came in...and stayed there. For two days. Naturally, I wondered if I had made a mistake.

But no, he settled in and in fact became one of the top dogs. Maybe he was number 4 or 5. "This is great," I thought, "my horse is hot shit." The place was closer to my house--about 20 minutes--and I had to walk another 10 minutes out to the pasture. Not as cushy as our beginning, but as I said, I was thankful to still have a horse.

Plus Odie seemed really happy. He was becoming fitter from all the exercise out in the pasture. So too, learning to live in the herd seemed to be good for his mind. My previously "sensitive" young Arabian seemed to be growing up and calming down.

Then one day, about two months later, I noticed Odie was hanging out with a pretty pinto mare. I walked up and put his halter on and she was right there next to me. I led him out of the pasture. When I turned to close the gate, I saw that she had followed us the whole way.

A light bulb went on over my head. Odie had a girlfriend. How cute! My boy was in love. But little did I know how things would change for him...

Horsekeeping and Housekeeping

2009-01-03T13:18:00.000-08:00

Housework sucks. I do it because it is my job. When my husband and I planned to raise a family, we agreed I'd stay home and he'd make the money. I knew I wanted to be there for my children full-time, and it's great. So I muddle through the housework.

Horsework, on the other hand, is so much fun. I mean it! I could scoop horse poop, get the cobwebs out of the barn, sweep up and clean tack until the sun sets and I'd have a big smile on my face.

It's still work either way, right? It doesn't make sense. Sometimes, I'll actually give myself the incentive of going to the barn--where many piles of manure await me and my manure fork--as a reward for doing some housework.

There's just something about being at the barn, smelling horsey smells, seeing my boy and his buddy--an older Quarter Horse Gelding named Chipper--doing horsey things. Even if I don't have time to ride, I love it.

Today, for example, I had about 15 extra minutes to do something with Odie, because my daughter has a cold and I needed to get home. So I free lunged him in his paddock. He gave me what my trainer calls the "horsey F U" almost immediately by kicking his hind end up in my direction when I asked him to trot. Nice. I hand-grazed this horse with my back to a cold wind yesterday.

So, I gave Odie the "Mommy F U" by chasing him into a corner until he finally turned around to face me. As one of my favorite Web stops, Horseproblems Australia, would say, "I love your ass, but it's your face I want!" So, worked him around a bit more until he acted more respectful, and bingo, we've accomplished something for the day.

I think it's just part of the juggling act all horse owners
must perform. The time, the expense, the occasional necessity of going into your kids' school with manure on your shoe and bits of hay on your clothing...it's all part of the horse-owning package.

Nonetheless, it's worth it. As a stay-at-home parent, I can work all day, but it's isolating and monotonous. I'm not complaining. These are just the natural drawbacks. By comparison, my horse just remains the bright spot in my day, no matter how much extra work he represents.

Horses are the most wonderful thing in the world to me! I couldn't live without them.

I'll write more about exactly how I keep horses in my life tomorrow...

Here's the clip from Horseproblems Australia I mentioned:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpLdoIpI9OY

Dream Horse

2009-01-02T13:32:00.000-08:00

This is my horse Odie. He is a 15.2h, 10 y.o., sweet and smart Arabian gelding. I found him on Dreamhorse in June 2005 and bought him with money from my incredibly supportive husband, even though he calls riding breeches "horseypants." Honey, you are the best!!

In my life, the calm at the eye of the storm is my horse. No matter what happens, if I go out to the barn, I find peace, happiness and the wonderful smell of manure. Only horse people will get that. This first post is dedicated to all the dream horses out there, for all that they give to us.