Just like old times

Today was fantastic!

It was so great to get back and do some work (sounds crazy huh?), but honestly no matter how much I might later regret saying this, I actually enjoyed doing frozen poop! Some nice brisk air entered my lungs and I could see me breath (it was chilly out there), my fingers were numb, but soon warmed up, I could feel my face turning pink and my hair slowly becoming crazy, but best of all I was with those I love! The ponies were all o so cute and o so fuzzy!

When Molly finished her lesson with Toby I groomed him with her, he was as cute as could be. I kept giving him kisses, and playing with his nose, but all he wanted was carrots! For a while he nuzzled me and searched for a treat of some sort, but finally gave up. I put on his sheet and Molly took him outside, I of course went to say my farewells and do my last smooches and hugs for the day! Then it was as if he finally remembered me! I started off to the ring to get some poles and he looked and me as if to say, "Wait a second, I remember you!" He waited there watching me until I came back and gave him a last hug of recognition... It touched me. But you know, I might be being just a tad over emotional because I haven't seen my guy for more than about 20 minutes in what seems like years!

Gotta love him. <3

Later when Rachel got back from her ride, I groomed Julio with her! We were laughing and chit-chatting from opposite sides of the pony, so fun...just like old times (I'm pretty nostalgic, aren't I?)! Finished up grooming, quick sweeping, some last giggles, then we went inside! Gee, I can't wait to ride!

The party was fun and the candy was great... As for the movie, I could watch it 1,000 times and still always feel so excited at every race, every touching scene, and every horsey moment! Wouldn't I love to have a horse like that!

Yep, I had a pretty crackalakin day!

...Did I mention that I've missed you all, and that I can't wait to get back??... I'm sure I have only about 100 times! Merry Christmas my dear old poopin' scoopin' friends!

Love to all,

Therese

Hey!

Hey Girls!
I'm missing all your stories...the ponies and I want the pleasure of your company and the excitement of your anecdotes....see you at the farm!

Country Girls

So college is fun. I'm involved with two music groups on campus and this is one of them. We started writing this song on Tuesday and had it done by Wednesday night. Recorded this video on Thursday. Off to the studio on Saturday. Check it out!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7-HlLofs1Q

Sorry this isn't horsey, but it's amazing...7 Year Old Sings an Absolutely Beautiful Version of Amazing Grace

Fuffy Ponies

All the ponies are so fluffy. Julio looks like a big fluffy teddy bear already! :) Sharkey looks like a small puffy pony with small fluffy ears. The Tbs are all fuzzy, and Oliver almost looks like a woolly mammoth. I love seeing our fluffy and fuzzy ponies! In the winter that is what makes me smile, i may not be warm when I get the farm, but when I see and ride those silly little fuzzy and fluffy ponies it warms me right up, inside and out!!!! :)

Pony Love

I got to see my pony today!!!! <3 <3 <3 I stopped by, groomed Chippy, and showered him with love. He's so fluffy I could DIE!! haha. He is like a giant, fluffy teddy bear and he's so stinkin' cute!! I took him for a little walk/trot/canter around the yard, I could tell that it felt good for him to get out and stretch his stubby little legs. Love my boy!!

Good Rides

So for those of you who may not know (this is directed at you, Therese ;) I have been working and riding at Dorothy's for the past month or so. So far I've ridden Toby three times, Oliver twice and Julio once (including today).

I had TWO good rides with Rachel today! The first time out we had a small lesson on the road with Dorothy, working on turns on the forehand and such and then went on a trail ride. I rode Julio and Rachel rode Toby...Julies is soooooo cute!!! And he's very comfy! But, he wasn't being too awfully cooperative when it came to doing turns on the forehand...granted I haven't really done them much before so I wasn't totally confident when doing them. When we went to canter on the trail for the first time, Rachel wanted to ride Toby in front so that he wouldn't take off trying to catch up with Julio. Well, Julio would have none of that. He took off and we passed Rachel and Toby in about 2 seconds flat...he didn't really want to canter....he wanted to gallop! hahaha. Then on the way home we decided to do a little canter again, and he REALLY went...I was trying so hard to hold him back that my fingers hurt really badly after we stopped! But, I still had fun...Julies has an awesome trot!!

We came back and then tacked up our second pair of horses: I was on Oliver, and Rachel was on Humor. It went very well, Oliver behaved himself quite nicely!! I am in LOVE with his canter! It's SOOOO much fun! Ollie got very sweaty, though, so when we got back I had to put his cooler on and walk him for quite a while. He kept looking out the barn door into the paddock as if to say "Can I pleeease go out????"...what a goof. All in all, it was a good day. I was at Dorothy's for 8 hours!!!! I am now thoroughly exhausted ;D

Animal Handling II

I have no horsey news to share but I still have animal stories!!! I am in Animal Handling II which is the class required of all freshman entering the Pre-Vet program here at Findlay. I am handling food animals. This means I work with pigs, sheep, goats, llamas, beef and dairy cattle, donkeys, and poultry. So far I have worked with piglets, lambs, sheep, goats, kids, and calves.

We began working with the sheep. The first thing I learned how to do was throw down a sheep or flipping sheep as we call it. It wasn't easy to catch the sheep because they are bound to their flock. But once you catch them you begin the process of, to put it quite frankly, sitting them on their butt. We started off with the small ewes. They only weighed about 100 pounds. Once we flipped them we trimmed their feet. Randy would be proud, I am an excellent hoof trimmer. LOL. The following week we moved onto another pen with much bigger ewes. They were about 250 pounds. And yes this girl can throw a 250 pound ewe no problemo. We did the same thing as we did with the smaller sheep.

Next we worked with piglets. There were 13 sows in the barn all who would farrow (give birth) in the next two months. The farrowing room has six pens and is kept at 80 degrees all the time. We each took a piglet and gave it two injections, clipped its needle teeth, docked its tail, notched its ears (this tells the farmer what litter the pig came from and which pig it is in the litter), and castrated the males. Just gonna let you know pigs smell. And a room kept at 80 degrees plus the pig smell is not nice. It sticks with you even after you shower and scrub your skin raw. It's worse than sheep smell.

We moved on to lambs because the ewes were lambing. We gave them injections for vitamin e and selenium deficiencies and tetanus shots. We also ear tagged. Gotta tell you that ear tagger is huge. I had to use two hands. hahaha I was the first in my class to volunteer to dock a lambs tail. Yes my face did get a little red because I was concentrating so much. But I did it!!!! Did my second tail docking yesterday. It was one big tail I'll tell you that. Dr. Kerns was yelling, "You go girl, you go girl!" LOL I got it done. This girl is beastly.

Working with the calves was fun too. We have about 18 bucket calves (the drink milk from buckets). All of them are dairy cows. We have holsteins, jerseys, and ayrshires. They are very cute but they spread disease called kryptosporidiosis so we have to be very careful when handling them and make sure we wash our hands afterwards. Anyways. We halter broke all the calves. They are so funny because they have never walked outside of their calf pen before so they fall down alot. We learned how to tie them using a "proper" safety release knot. And I learned how to do a butterfly knot. I'll explain when I get home. Need to demonstrate. We also learned the reef which is a rope we knot around the calves body and tighten causing them to lay down so we can restrain them for procedures. It's great fun. Wish it worked on people. We gave injections, tatooed, ear tagged, implanted (synthetic hormones that make the calf grow faster), and practiced the reef on them. Great fun.

That's all we've done for now. Next week we are gonna be finishing up the second set of piglets and castrating them. Then we will move on to castrating the dairy calves and dehorning them. Thought everyone would like to hear what I had been up to. I promise I will have lots of stories to tell when I come home. :)

My obsession

How many times do people ask you in a really absurd and rude way, "Why do you like horses?" You give them the same answer. Then they're like, "That sounds really easy, doesn't the horse do all the work?" But they're not really asking you, but rather accusing you of being a non-athletic, addicted, same old same old horse lover. And really isn't that what we are? (except for the non-athletic part). Not that it's boring to love horses, because we all love them in different ways. We are 100% addicted and in love with horses and everything about them. We all love different horses and we all can't stand being away from them. I mean isn't it crazy what we'll do for our dearest "pets" in the whole world?

Again, horses are just a bit different, don't you see by now that they're not just a pet, not just an animal, but a true friend. I've said in many other posts that they are a majestic and unique animal. They have they're own personalities, just like us humans. I'm not saying that they are like humans because they are different in many good ways. But honestly, do you every realize how many times we say (in baby voices), "He says, 'what's that'," or, "He says, can I have some too?," or, "He says, 'I love you too'!" Honestly, we are actually talking for our dear ponies because we understand what they say. We think and we might know exactly what he's saying and we talk for him. We say that to whomever is there with us. We truly understand what they are saying because we know and love them in such a special way. Just like when we have are closest friend, we can understand what they are thinking just by their body language or facial expression! Horses aren't any different, right? But they are different. They are the same as our closest friend because they are one of our dear friends or boyfriends (Clara & Oli)! But they are also different because even if we tell them an insult about someone or something, or we tell them our saddest meanest story of some sort, anything we tell them seems to just sink into they're sweat little/big hearts and they don't judge us, laugh at us, or say something hurtful; no, they just listen. It feels like they are that comforting mother-like, actually father-like figure. Such love as that between a horse and his rider will never be broken, or at least in my life it won't. I want to gallop off into the sunset, just my pony and me!

Too bad I can't ride, too bad I can't always be at the barn longing to take on new challenges and start doing exciting things with my dear friend and all my dear friends. I'll always know that my special pony, my special companion, my special go to person/pony, my partner in crime, and my true friend will always be there for me, even in my heart I know that he is always listening, especially if I have carrots!

Info...please!

How are you all doing? I need information! (clara and rachel get that a lot).

I am sad because cold weather is coming upon us! O ya, and my ankle has been killing me because I can feel the screws, the doc said this might happen and the uncomfortable feeling will never go away, which means another little surgery...gross huh?

Anyway, I don't have any horsey news (obviously) but hay (get it) I am always thinking about ponies and my dearest barn friends!

So, to conclude: most of you can depict my boredom from this post... so please please please give me some nice juicy stories about your darling equestrian lives!

This fall weather is so amazing. The fall always gives me a feeling of contentment thinking of the golden sunset as I gallop through lusciously colorful leaves that gently fall to the ground!

I hope you all are enjoying your riding time...

Imagine if one day the things you thanked God for that day became what you actually had...

Hay Queen of the Year Award

Rachel gets the Hay Queen of the Year award (soon as I figure out what that is!). She has gone on EVERY load of hay this season and helped load, unload, count, stack, tie down, feed out....anything hay related, even wearing it and sitting higher on top of it! THANK YOU! Today she was sitting atop the highest stack up on the one ton and waving the Queen wave like she was in a parade...gotta love it!

Where oh where has the Funny Boy gone?

Ok, so this must be the week for missing ponies....I have also had an episode of "where oh where" not counting Clara's....first it was Julio and Toby, who must have just been taking their sweet time from way down in the dark. But then when everyone was munching away, Humor - who is usually 3rd or 4th in - was still nowhere to be seen and I set out to look....as I rounded the corner through the gate I heard the nickers. And once again he had locked himself in the ring and couldn't get out. As if breaking and entering isn't enough, he gets himself locked in, too....I let him out, he went cantering to the barn, and I checked out the fence. Pretty obvious where he had broken in - middle tape busted on the far side, but nothing else disturbed, so he apparently got in between the top and bottom tapes and then couldn't figure out how to get out. Sigh....

Regionals!!!!!

Yesterday was Regionals for Quiz Bowl! NH came in third overall and Kendall from NH came first individually!!! It was a stressful yet fun competition. Just to let you know if the placings had been done points wise, NH would have cleaned house!!! Now we just have to prove ourselves at Nationals!!

My Day at the Barn

Since Therese has been dieing to hear about what has been going on at the barn (WE MISS U THERESE <3) I decided it was time for me to start blogging again. My day at the barn started out pretty ordinary, I got to the barn did some poop and other chores then I called the boys in for lunch. Well, that turned into a bigger ordeal than I thought it would. I called and called and nobody came. UH OH!! Then Sharkey came nickering around the corner. Ok found one pony. Then a minute later Humor came trotting up. But where is Jazzy? I called and called and called and he still didn't come. In the mean time Oliver thought it would be fun to run around and buck like a maniac(silly pony) Julio just looked at him like he was crazy. Why should you expend energy when you could be eating grass? Well I started to get concerned about Jazzy because he hadn't come up yet, so I walked out to the corner and called again and sure enough he was allllllll the way down in the lower pasture! When he finally heard me he came running up the hill bucking to his hearts desire. Sigh all of the boys are happily eating. Well, after the boys were fed I went for a ride with Rachel and Nick in the ring on Oliver. We had our moments but it was a very good and successful ride by the time we were done. After I was done with Oliver I brought Humor in. I had just enough time to do a little something with him. I decided that a 15 minute lunging session would do him good. Well he was AMAZING!!! I lunged him with sidereins for the first time ever and he loved it. He was a very good boy. Lovely trots and gorgeous collected canters all with his head down, back up, and tracking like no other. It was a great day at the barn!
P.S. Is that good enough for your Therese? HAHAHA

Exciting day tomorrow

I can't wait for a day full of horses tomorrow! UNH was awesome last year, so I'm hoping it's as great as it was then. I want to take some pictures, but usually my camera won't turn on... We'll see what happens.

I got my cast taken off yesterday and now I have a walking boot! Woohoo! I can put some weight on it, finally. It is such a relief to give my arms a little break from all that crutching! Tomorrow will be much easier to move around without getting exhausted so quickly... See you all tomorrow, bright and early!

Congratulations!

to all the Cheshire County and NH delegates to ESE...you guys were awesome, your ponies were amazing, you demonstrated your skills, sportsmanship, patience, perseverance, knowledge (yay! for the Quiz bowl team and judging scores) , team spirit, and all around horsemanship! A job well done!

Safe and Sound

It was one of those mornings....started way too early with ponies having to have breakfast before it was completely light. But the trip to ESE to retrieve Oliver and Clara began with no adventures. We were almost there and missed an exit - which brought us closer to our destination to pick up the truck and trailer, so that was good. And there it was, just waiting for us. Only the truck wouldn't start. Sigh. Jumper cables, security man, several attempts....still wouldn't start. Then Clara calls and everyone else is gone early, so she and Oliver are the only ones left beside one other girl and horse. Lots of details and phone calls and creativity later, we were fortunate and successful in reaching Deb and her crew who were not very far away and came back for us! Jill and Paul stay to deal with the truck, Clara and I stay with Oliver and make the trip home with the Newport crew...we arrive home, and Oliver is so anxious to be with his buds and hit the pasture. After a quick shower with the hose to get off all the lather, he runs down to see them, Jazz follows him, all have to touch noses and check each other out: Happy Reunion! A while later when I feed the boyz, Oliver resumes his favorite spot outside the door to wait for his friends (reminds me of a boy waiting in the school playground for his buddies to walk home!). Ah, but while he's waiting, that roll in the dirt he never had....all's well and life is normal on the farm again!

PS The truck and trailer are still in MA and will hopefully be retrieved in the next day or two, good as new!

Great Day!

Awesome day with the ponies....first some very fun lessons with folks who are progressing and learning and accomplishing new and fun things! Rachel and Therese came with me to watch two lessons and meet some cool ponies.... Then the most amazing ride, exploring and enjoying the scenery....flushed some birds and startled all of us! It doesn't get any better than this! :)

True beauty

4-H ride

So, today we had a little 4-H activities meeting. I had fun just being at the barn, but it was a little sad not being able to ride! I really miss my pony (and everyone at the barn). Rachel and I are both dying of separation depression.....whatever that is! Well, hopefully I'll get to jump a coarse before the winter! Rachel and I were talking about hunter jumper shows that we should enter in next fall! Wishful thinking.

Anyway, the 4-H meeting was fun and Toby seemed like he had fun too. Rachel looked great on him. Poor Julio, his big swollen eye! Hopefully Julies and Humor will get better soon! Speaking of Humor, he looks so good! His butt is nice and muscular and he has filled in really well!

The cutest thing happened when I first got to the barn today... So I got out of the car and went into the barn and saw Rachel and all that. Then, I went over by Julio's stall and peeked my head out the door. I loudly greeted all the ponies and started talking to them. As I said hello Jazzy perked his ears up and immediately left the pit and came around to the door! It was the cutest thing! I felt like he remembered me! Probably just checking for carrots.

I had a great time seeing everyone and I miss all the ponies so much I'll have to get back to the barn soon.

So cute....somewhat dangerous

Just a whisper....

so Rachel and I just got back from a very fun ride - quiet, but fun, though I did more talking , that is, whispering, than Rachel. :) Anyhow one of the Dads stopped by with a schedule question and after I spoke he also began whispering. I told him that he didn't have to whisper, too, but that it was supposed to help my voice....he said he "liked the quiet around here!" and continued to whisper to me the whole time. It was too cute!
Funny thing is everyone's been whispering to me some and it's been even quieter than usual. But I especially like the horses reaction to my voice (or lack thereof)...all the ears go up, the horse being addressed seems to really listen and they are being so sensitive and responsive to every command...without many words! It's forcing me to really think about communication and I love seeing the results. Even my opinionated boy was tuned in while being led in today...too funny!
So maybe we should become the silent barn! But none of us could do it!

ESE Excitement

Well, ESE is two weeks away and to tell you the truth I am really excited. Oliver and I have been working hard and I think we are ready for the challenge. But Oh My Goodness. There is soooo much to do. My pony and I are going to work on carrying flags because I think it would be really cool if we could carry the NH flag in the opening ceremony. That would be awsome. Next week I will start the cleaning and trimming process. Oh joy!!! Oliver will love that!!! And I will be covered in dirt and hair. Its what I get for being a horse girl though. I think we all know how that feels. I have to make my pre-show visit to Cheshire Horse. That is always fun. Hopefully I won't spend all my money. :) That store is so hard to go into and not spend all your money though. Sigh. Well I'm excited and ready to go show the Big E what me and Oliver have got. Yippee. I'M GOING TO ESE!!!!!!!

Crazy?

The sun is definitely out! My pony and I had the most lovely ride this morning with Clara and Oliver....and I am hoping to approximate that again on Humor with Rachel and Julio....just can't get enough....obsessed, addicted, crazy, call it what you like. But definitely one of the best feelings in the world!

Pony's Day Off

The ponies have been "banned" from the lower pasture all week due to wetness...this morning I went down to investigate, and as I opened the gate, the first horse watched and came...I only had to (hoarsely!) call "Ponies" and Jazz, come" once, and everyone followed Jazz trotting toward the newly open field. Mr. Sharkey was at the top of the hill, saw what was happening and came running, head high and tail up....he does NOT want to be 25! A perfect way to begin a day off for all of them and me

Go

GUESS WHAT?? I think that I have finally found Chipper's "go button" if I whip him in a certain place, he goes really fast (knock on wood)!! (well, fast for him) I'm super excited!! Hopefully it won't "wear out" haha.

I feel like I'm going to be obese after all this SITTING!!!

As most of you know, I broke my ankle... So I won't be able to ride for a while! Ughhh, very very very frustrating! Well ladies, I pretty much have sat on my couch since Wednesday watching movies. And I'll be in Hanover at the Dartmouth hospital for surgery on Tuesday... And after that I'll be home again sitting on the couch... So, every one of you needs to blog about your lovely equestrian lives and keep me updated!

I rode last at the Cheshire Fair. Nothing too too exciting, but it was fun. I was looking forward to practicing cantering a figure eight, but that won't be happening for a while.

Are all of you surviving the "Hurricane" ? I knew it was over-rated; it's just rain and wind, nothing too bad... Well, actually I just lost power, so we'll see what happens.

Okay, hopefully I'll see some new posts up soon!

S. Saddles Show

Is anyone doing the S. Saddles show on Saturday?? I am...I really need the riding experience. Wish me luck!!

PONIES, OF COURSE

Hey! I'm back in the saddle-fitting saga again, trying to make the Funny Boy comfortable....the good news is that i got to ride twice today. Once in the ring, which really was twice, because I opted to change my saddle half-way through to experiment....that was funny, because I guess the rider was pretty grumpy and it made everyone laugh when that got pointed out several times today (since she asked the horse what his problem was and it was quite clear that it was her! at least at the time!) Then, to try a new saddle adjustment, I went for what was supposed to be a short ride with Rachel and Julio, and we had so much fun we kept going and had a couple of lovely trots and canters....even cantered side by side with no racing involved! We were sooooo tired that coming home meant time for a NAP, which I did get for 10 minutes or so, on the porch in my fav spot while everyone was gone....
Can't wait for the next ride, or at least the next lesson, which is all my older girls for a last fling b4 Julie and Andria head off to greener pastures.....

GREAT JOB EVERY BODY WHO SHOWED AT THE CHESHIRE FAIR ON SUNDAY!
Great job winning the reserved championship and Andria winning the championship and Clara winning 3rd or 4th and reserved championship and Leah winning the reserved championship.
I am just going to say again Great Job!

Lesson

Soo...I had a lesson on Toby with Dorothy today. Wowsers! I have a lot to work on. But I LOVED taking a lesson with Dorothy, she's so helpful! I wish that I could take regular lessons with her. I think I'd do really well with that.

"My" Groom

My Lucky Groom :)

Thanks for your help, Julie.

States

Great job Clara at States for coming in 3rd!! All of us Cheshire County girls that are going to ESE should make ESE t-shirts with fabric paint...I've always wanted to do that

Great job to our grooms as well: Sage & Julie! (same to Maggie and Mekayla, but since they're not on the blog...)

One More Thing

Hey everyone,

I want to somehow motivate everyone to get back into the blogging spirit! Ya, I know I shouldn't be one to talk, but hey I wrote this post! :) Well, I know we all have something horse-ish to talk about.....so why not write it?!?! (at least comment)

"He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing....He cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds!"

Hay

So, today I did hay for my first time! It was Dorothy, Paul, Rachel, Lizzie, Charlie, and me. I actually enjoyed it, even though, in the end all of my clothes were filled with hay. I wore shorts... Despite the fact that I would get a million scratches I would rather the scratches then the headache from heat! And now, I sit here on my couch and look down at those once 'kind-of-lovely-legs' of mine.

p.s. I was sweating really badly and I noticed that when sweat dripped into my eye it stung...

haha (just throwing that out there) :P

Yesterdays Lesson

I had a great lesson with Andria yesterday. My pony (Oliver) was being responsive and respectful. Yippee!!! Most of our lesson was spent on canter work and jumping. So much fun. One of the freshly painted jumps had been put up and let me tell you Oliver thought that blue and yellow checkers were the scariest thing ever since red and white stripes. Not only were we practicing jumping we had some great reining practice too. Oliver has remarkable sliding stops. Wow! After our lesson Andria and I went out in the field and let the ponies run around it. Oli was so happy. When we were done he was so tired. He rubbed on me for what seemed like twenty minutes. He got a perfectly white tanktop very dirty. Its ok dirt comes out! I'm so excited for states next weekend. I think we are ready! Yay!!!

J.U.M.P.I.N.G.

Yesterday, Rachel and I finally started jumping! I was on Mr. T and she was on Julio! So fun.. We started with the teeny weeny cavalette and then we did a small small cross-rail, (Toby didn't jump either one, but Julio sure did!!!) Didn't he rachel?? :) He would come to it stop and Poppety boom over it! Finally we did a cross-rail that was about 1 ft 1/2 !!! And Toby finally jumped! We had lots of fun and there is still more to come!

p.s. I heard you all had to endure riding without irons too! I had my share of it yesterday!! My poor crotch is sore! :P

Amazing time!

I had such a fun time yesterday!!! I got to go ride Eliza again. First, we went out trail riding, then we galloped along a dirt road (SO much fun). Then, we went river tubing!! Except for some scrapes and bruises from all the rocks, it was pretty fun! When we got back from river tubing, we hopped on the horsies bareback. I got to jump and canter Eliza bareback, it was so awesome! And guess what...I'm going to show Eliza at the 4-H Fair show...only WTA because I want to play it safe for both me and the horse (don't make fun of me...I've never shown riding) and that way we don't have to put a tack hold on Hannah's (the girl that has the horses) class. AHHHHHHHHH! I think I'll FAIL equitation, but whatever, haha.

I have not been on for a long time so I thought that I should post about my ride on Julio yesterday. Ok here goes nothing, Dorothy was having the last day of her mini camp and Julie had ridden Julio right before I did and the kids had rode him all he did with the kids was walking and a little bit of trotting so he did not work hard at all for them. So Julie had just gotten of so I could have my ride, and Julio was such a good boy the entire ride. I hope he was that good for your ride Julie, I did not see it. :(

State Show

We went to the meeting for State Show tonight...so much has changed since last year, so many difficulties!!! Gosh! It's gonna be interesting, to say the least...especially since Chipper was limping again yesterday...YAY! We are having another meeting on the 11th, hopefully the by then the state office will have told us stall assignments and such...

...

Sorry...I couldn't resist...

Field Days

Great job to all of you who showed at Field Days yesterday! Sadly, I didn't get to see all of you ride,

Guess What?

GUESS WHAT I DID TODAY??? For 3 hours!! I rode!!!! I started out riding English on a black Tennessee Walker/Thoroughbred cross named Eliza and then I rode Western on a horse named Triscuit (SO much fun!!!He's a reiner). I'm going back on Wednesday!!!! :D Triscuit was at the Colts & Fillies show...here is a pic of him. I'm a bit out of practice, but it'll get better in time!

Field Days

So, guess what? Field Days is only going to be one day this year: Saturday. I just found out, although we had talked about the possibility of that at our club meeting on Friday. So no worries for those of you who are going to Teen Conference!!

I found a really funny video on YouTube....since we're posting videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9wh3kyMKJU&feature=mh_lolz&list=FLY4Cwcj5qMw0

The Cutest Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle EVER! Gals, I am becoming the annoying blogger who can't write and only posts videos. :P heehee

Don't know who he is or any thing about him, but his pony (horse) is cute! Mark Todd winning Badminton Horse Trials 2011.

Colts and Fillies

Leah, this is my favorite picture from C & F.

Cloliver

Cloliver - Clara & Oliver (lame, I know, just coming up with a name for this post). Okay, so there was this one picture that I took of Clara and Ollie that I just HAD to show everyone. I LOVE it!

Please go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/leahsshots/with/5802219942/ for more pics from the show.

Pole Bending

I did pole bending with Chippy today and we got 3rd!! If I had let him canter more, we probably would have gotten higher.

Great Job Girlies!

I just wanted to say that everybody who rode today at the Colts and Fillies show did absolutely fantastic! It was great to watch you guys ride and have fun. You all worked so hard to get ready for the season and it shows. Also, the ponies looked awesome. They are so clean and shiny and handsome all dooded up. And last, but not least, a shout out to Dorothy, Sonja, and the moms and dads that helped you all get there. Y'all are the best ever!!!

What's Your Sport?

I feel like I have people always telling me that riding isnt a sport. Now, I can understand that most of theses people saying that are completely unaware to what riding really is. But they see riding as just sitting there, not doing anything, having the horse do it all. So, instead of arguing with the person..I just say,"I can defiantly see where you are coming from..but it can be more intense than you think." and while I say that, I'm thinking.."Ohh, I'd love to see you ride my pony on a bad day..."

Anyways, the sport of riding to me is two completely different minds working together as one.Me and my pony are a team, just like any other basketball or soccer team. If one of us is off, we are both off. We have good days, and bad days. We fail, we succeed. We both practice the long hours of intense, sometimes frustrating training. We may get totally ticked at one another; but at the end of the day we are still best friends. Riding is my sport, always will be my sport.

What's your sport?

Riding...maybe

Well, as a few of you know, last fall and early winter I was riding a horse named Phoebe. I called her owner today (I haven't been in contact with her in quite a while) and asked if I could ride Phoebe again and she said that I could! Although Phoebe's not the best horse, (doesn't really canter or jump) she's still a horse! Her owner also said that I could show her, which I'd love to do, but I just can't afford all of the clothes that I would need for that (boots, breeches, show shirt and show coat), so that probably won't happen :( Oh well, at least I'll get to ride something!

Had a nice trail ride on the Funny boy (a.k.a Humor) with Toby and Andria. Humor was not happy to trot and canter on the rocks because he had no back shoes. He lived through it though. Humor still does his stupid little head thing but after I told him not to do it then he only did it one more time. Our ride was pretty fun.

Helmet

Leah: My stupid PC wouldn't let me comment on your post so..... The charles owen jr8 and IRH helmets are all in the $150 range. Troxel makes nice helmets too. Do you know what size you wear?

F.I.N.E.

I have something to say that doesn't have to do with horses...we just had a missionary family on deputation come to our house on Monday (LOVE them!) and the wife, Mrs. Jalowiec, gave me this awesome acronym for when a woman says she's fine.

Freaked out

Insecure

Neurotic and

Emotional

I love it!

WILD RIDE

Yesterday Andria and I had a very crazy and exciting ride in the rain. You all know that it rained and we had a thunderstorm. Well Andria and I were having a nice little relaxing ride and then BOOM! The thunderstorm started when we were riding! Julio and Toby jumped along with their riders. So we turned around and started home. When we got to a fat spot where we could trot we trotted as fast as the ponies could trot. Then when the thunder stopped we cantered and then trotted again when the thunder started again. When we were out of the woods we walk calmly home.
The good news is that we made it home safely and we got to go cantering in the huge puddles because of the fight with the sky and the hard rain it sent. It was fun, but not the kind of ride I would like to go on again. :)

Helmet

Hey Guys, haven't blogged in a while.

I need a new helmet (mine is border-line too small). Anybody have any suggestions for one that is relatively inexpensive, but still good quality and looks nice?

Mr. Sharkey

What has a mane and a tail?Who is fun, silly, and bouncy?
Always forgives?
And can't chew grass?

It's tricky I know! Here are some more clues.

He's fuzzy like a teddy bear and cuddly too.
He loves to take naps when you are giving him a new do. (grooming)
Whenever you want to go fast, he goes faster.
And, what more can you say, he's the cutest, most wonderful ton of fun ever to be found in 800 pounds.

Guess who?

Bummer with a ray of Sunshine

I had a bit of a depressing discovery yesterday when I went to ride: my poor Mr. T was missing a shoe. After a very emotional/hormonal week this was not exactly the thing I wanted to be seeing. A Well. C'est la vie. But, I also have the greatest little sister in the world and she offered to let me ride Julio while she rode Mr. Sharkey. I was pretty fun. The last time I sat my fat butt on Julio was about 3 years ago. It was a nostalgic sensation. There were a few times when I had some flashbacks to the first time I ever rode him. I was just a pipsqueak of a kid at, like, 10 years old. He kept eating grass and I couldn't get him to go. My legs were sticking out practically horizontal and I just kicked as hard as I could with my short legs. *shiver* I'm glad my legs are a little longer now, I don't have to work quite so hard at the kicking anymore. However, as fun as it was to ride Mr. Julio across the lovely countryside of Stoddard, New Hampshire, I do hope Mr. T's shoe gets put back on soon.

This has to do with my cat and thought you all should know what happened to him after I blogged my last post.
My cat had two teeth pulled and is so happy.He has no more pain in his mouth and is back to his old self! yippy!:) B-) :p ;)

FANTASTIC lesson

So...I was gone on a class trip in Quebec for three days and I got back at 12:00 and was extremely tired!

This morning my dad woke me up at 8:45 saying this, "You have to get moving because, you're supposed to be on a horse at 9:45." I had to sleepily hurry and get ready!

I got to the barn around 9:40 and went to get my happy pony munching on grass. Thankfully, he wasn't that dirty and I could groom and tack up quickly. I had an awesome lesson; getting back into the groove of things.

First, we worked on my posture, i.e. my seat bones sliding a little bit under me, not over bending my elbows etc... We then started working on my cantering, LOTS OF FUN. And last, we worked on some cavalettis! I haven't had so much fun in a long time! I have to start stretching my pony even when I don't ride because, when I was stretching him today he was very tight.

It is so nice to be instructed again!!!

I drove Magic and Chippy yesterday. Magic was fairly good. I drove him a little ways down the road and after I turned around I saw a kid running after us, so I let Magic trot down the road away from him (I know, I'm awful! I just didn't want to stop and Magic was being a brat, and I didn't want the kid to get bitten). HOLY MACRAL!! Magic can trot SO fast! That was the fastest I've ever seen him trot! It. Was. Awesome! Haha. But then when we get to the standing part, he fights. Bigtime. He'll stand still for a moment and then a)pivot to the left b)back up or c) go forward. When I try to steer him back to where he should be or to make him stand still, he fights, and then he keeps moving and then he usually ends up rearing or almost rearing. I don't envy Mikaela at all (except for Magic's speed).

Then I drove Chippy and boy, did I miss him! He is so much more responsive than Magic and he will stand still as long as you want him too! He is still cracking a little bit, but he's definitely not in any pain. I figured out that it is his front right knee that is cracking. I think that part of his issue is that he doesn't drink much water, since water helps lubricate the joints. They have a salt block, but he still doesn't drink that much. But Mikaela & I will be showing Magic & Chippy at the Colts & Fillies show on the 5th. Is anybody else showing there?

Now this is going to break the rule about only writing about horsey things,but I thought you guys should know this.
When we got home yesterday we fond our cat on the couch, with his eye swollen shut. my mom called the vet today and they are going to look at him today and see what they can do. In case some of you guys don't know my cat has a tooth infection, a cold, starting to lose his hearing, and has arthritis in his right hip. My mom thinks that the tooth infection has to do with the eye swollen. pour little guy. :(

Fun ride

I had a short yet fun ride today in the ring, some nice trots with some nice head down stuff! Our canters could be better, just need practice! I think the ponies would say the best part was the 12 minutes of chomping on some lusciously green and tasty grass! I had fun, it is so much nicer to be riding in warm weather!

Cootie Shot

I am going against my own rule of only posting horsesy stuff. It will never happen again. Bear with me.

I learned how to give a Cootie Shot!!! Sadly, I learned it from the Big Bang Theory. But that's beside the point. Ok, so basically you take the persons arm. You draw an imaginary circle twice, then make two dots. During this you say - circle, circle, dot, dot, now you've got a cootie shot. Hahahaha. That was hilarious. Love it!!!! Don't worry I was innoculated in first grade. I will never have to suffer with Cooties. Hahahahaha.

Sunny.......... good........ ring........ good....... lesson....... good..........Sharkey not listening to me or my legs..........bad!!!!! So this is how it happened, Dorothy gave Andria, Julie, Clara,and I a lesson yesterday and we were in the finally. We were just walking around the ring and i asked for a bigger walk then i already had, but he would not go bigger so a gave him a tap with my crop, but he still would not go bigger. ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then we trotted and he was going so slow, so I asked for a faster trot but he would not do it and I'm sure you know what i did then. No matter what I did he would not do what I asked him.

So I drove Magic today. It started off bad, but ended well. When I first got into the cart he went forward and backed up like he normally does. Then he started rearing. He reared like 4 times. I was scared for a minute that he was going to tip over backwards! Then he stopped after my dad walked around with us for a couple minutes and he was fine. He actually put his head down and tucked it a little bit, I was SO excited. As he got more tired though, his head went up.

After I put Magic away, I walked Chipper around. He was clicking again. This time, I could see it. His pastern is like snapping into place when he puts his foot down. UNGH! Why can't he heal? I'm thinking that maybe a joint lubricant would help. The vet is away until Wednesday, so we can't contact him right now.

I'm back!!

What up Pooper Scoopers? I havn't been on here in ever!!!!!! So my pony adventures havn't been exciting latetly. Other than getting absolutly downpoured on on Friday ( We did not appreciate that one) things have been pretty slow. The ponies have decided that spring is actually hear so it's really not worth wasting there energy on silly stuff. Thank God!! I'm just glad I lived through all of the fireworks. Well maybe when I'm at the barn tomorrow something exciting will happen and then I can blog about it! That would be a turn of events!:)

Chipper & Magic

Take a look at these pics of them freshly clipped!

Chippy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/leahsshots/5680029826/in/photostream

Magic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/leahsshots/5680561970/in/photostream/

Guess what I did yesterday? I clipped a horse for the first time! Brad showed me how to clip when he did Chippy and then I clipped almost all of Magic! Brad had to do his legs though, because he just wouldn't stand still for me. But he looked great!! I actually kind of liked it except for the fact that we were in direct sunlight and it was about 90 degrees in the sun and I was covered with hair!!

They both look great, though. Magic looks better right after he's clipped than Chippy does. He's a gray color, (he's grulla) and he's very cool looking. His head doesn't look quite as stupid now, haha.

I sorta thought of a show name for Chippy: He's a Chipperdoodledandy. The reason I thought of that is because my mom always calls him Chipper doodle. I'm not sure if I like or not. I kind of wanted to do something that had to do with poker and had the word chip in it...anyone know any poker terms?

Chipper is doing a lot better, his leg cracks every once in a while (not every step) and it's not very loud anymore. *knock on wood* I think he's gonna be alright.

Where are Clara & Sage? We miss them!

Friday's Ride

Hey y'all, wow...Finally blogging again! I really have nothing exciting to write about, but my trail ride. On Friday I went for a trail ride with Oliver, Rachel & Sharkey (omg).

We started by squelching through the giant mud ocean (the paddock), then proceeding to groom a dusty and wet/dry mud-covered horse! I kept inhaling dust and my eyes watered several times (also because of dust)! We tacked up, and buckled our helmets...AND THEY'RE OFF!

...NO just kidding, we literally crawled down the driveway.

Walked, walked, walked. Had a nice excited trot! OK...let's calm down. Good, back to a normal trot! As we went along a flat area I asked for his head to go down (don't worry clara.. No se-sawing)! Oliver starts thinking about it... Well then, to my disgust and surprise; Oliver starts swinging his head side to side!

I am used of his head tossing: up & down! But not this flinging side to side.

I then walked, and started with a fresh trot, that was the end of the weird tossing; and also the end of Oliver putting his head down. I was quite frustrated! He was a Not-So-Cool-Pooper!

He insisted on doing whatever he wanted to do exactly when he wanted it! I soon told him otherwise, but just as that stopped he decided to start an extremely hipper trot again.

After an interesting cater up the big hill, we galumphed to hubbard. (prolly didn't spell that right). I had another nice trot. We then started our decent back down the hill.

Now, I wanted to trot again, but no no no Sharkey took off at the bottom of the hill. He wouldn't move his choppy butt out of the middle of the trail! Oliver is faster than old Mr. Sharkers, so we began to pass them. Instead of being a gentle-horse Sharkey cut us off! (notice I haven't mentioned Rachel, that is because Sharkey didn't even consider listening to her)...I almost had a heart attack, because we nearly fell off the trail!

We then stopped and had a normal canter....... And finally made our way back to the big red barn!

Ya sounded pretty interesting? Didn't it? Don't worry Rachel & I aren't that crazy! (But our ponies might be)...

Better News

Julie I have something for you to :) about. I just went and saw Chipper and we may not be out of the woods yet, but I bent all of his legs and they seemed fine, no cracking or anything. He was shut in his stall because their paddock is excessively muddy, so I couldn't tell for sure if he wasn't limping, but he didn't seem to be. So (fingers crossed!) I'll be able to show him! :D Thank you, Lord!

This has nothing to do with horses but it was so much fun!
My family knows someone who comes to Stoddard in the summer and he does a Jazz concert every year and gets tickets for my family every year, so last night we went to the Jazz concert. It was so much fun. Oh I almost forgot to you that he directed the music for the Little Mermaid and almost all the Disney movie!!! He is so nice and funny too!

I should have blogged this on Tuesday but i was so busy, because my brother just came home from the army and i have been catching up with school. Anyway back to the topic, I went on a trail ride with Dorothy and Clara. We had Jazz, Oliver, and Julio (the one who thinks he has to be on a horses butt all the time). I had Julio behind Jazz and Oliver and some times he pulls a lot but on Tuesday he was SO good. Then we had a canter up a hill and he was good, he was happy too. He did two flying lead changes up the hill!!!! It was such a nice ride!!!! :)

Crazy

Hope you like it!!! I changed the background of the blog. Comment.

A Stranger on the Blog

So it seems that no one is really posting anything important except Leah. (Way to go Leah!!) This blog is about horse lovers talking about stuff they love - horses. Let's try to keep it that way.

So my important blog....

I haven't posted anything intersting in awhile bc. well... I haven't done anything intersting horse related or related to anything really. I will post about something frustrating then.

I had my first lesson in the ring this spring and Julio was a poophead. And a really big poophead. No joke. He hasn't really been asked to bend in a circle for ...... 5 months...... so he was wicked ticked off when I began asking him to move around and off and away from my leg. Urgh. He was halfway good the first way. The second way was a nightmare. My inside leg and lift-and-shift hand were dying. Urgh. Would he just figure it out and move under himself and carry his own head around. Urgh. It was a frustrating ride.

On a happy note, I was glad to get into the ring and do some real work. ie. circles and laterals. Yay!!!

No more pouting. or complaining or whining or more whining. :)

Can't wait to ride tomorrow!!!

I had an idea for a show name: LMC's Moonlight Sonata. Whaddaya think? The Moonlight Sonata is a gorgeous song composed by Beethoven. LMC=Leah, Mikaela, Carson. That kind of has a ring to it, huh? LMC's Moonlight Sonata. As much as I want it to fit Chipper, it fits Magic better I think.

Still nothing that fits Chipper (if I'll be able to show him, because of his injury), I only have two and they're super LAME: Sweet Serendipity and Nothin' But Trouble. Help! I want to get a really good name that fits him well, but I have yet to find one!

How do you go about using a new show name, anyway? Do you write it in the entry form? The only thing I was wondering is with 4-H, you have the approval forms, which will have their regular names on it.

Please comment. :)

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY I want to on a nice sunny and warm trail ride today but i guess that is not going to happen today because it is going to rain and we are going to get a thunder storm today and tonight:( I want to have to ring back so i can have some body work done on me. I also want the ring so WE CAN START JUMPING AGAIN!!!!!!!



A canter is a cure for every evil.~Benjamin Disraelli

A horse gallops with his lungs,
Perseveres with his heart,
And wins with his character.~Tesio

Drafts make your butt look smaller.~Author Unknown

Chipper Problems

So I just found out that Chipper may have a condition called upward fixation of the patella or locked stifle. I don't know if I'll be able to use him or not for showing, depending on if that's indeed the diagnosis or not. We can't walk him or drive him for a least a week and then see how he is. I was so excited that I was starting to work with him early this year, to get a head start! Why, oh, why is this year not going well so far in the horsey world?

OH MY GOSH I have not blogged in so long i don't even remember the last time i blogged.
Now down to business, I just watched Voyage of the Dawn treader. Like OMG Prince Caspian is so cute! Edmund is so cute to but not as much. So I had some good laughs and i almost cried at the end. It was such a good movie!!!!! For those famous pooper scoopers who have not seen it yet you should watch it.

Depression :(

I am really upset. I just found out that Dusty Dog is no longer doing their working student program, and so I have nowhere to ride now. I was really improving because they have great instruction and great horses, and I absolutely LOVED being there. But I can't afford to pay for lessons. I don't know what I'm gonna do...I'm back to square one, where I started before Dusty Dog. I just can't believe that this is actually happening, I was really looking forward to starting to ride again and to improve...I'm so sad...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaXhh0XRVr8&NR=1&feature=fvwp

watch this video it's cute

So, I am taking Chipper to Field Days this year and I am trying to come up with a new show name for him. Crescendo's Chipper is just so...lame! Any ideas? Chippy is chestnut, about 33", built round (as in, even when he's in shape, his belly is round), full of attitude, obsessed with food, goofy, dorky, cute, and loyal. Also, my friend is bringing Magic to Field Days and his show name is Crescendo's Blue Moon Spirit, which isn't too bad, but if you have any suggestions for him, we would be open to them!! Magic is a dark grulla, about 33 3/4" tall ;), malformed (haha, meaning he has a block head, a monkey mouth and just not great conformation), he's (somewhat) unreliable, a bit feminine (he had his manhood taken away at a young age), acts like he's innocent, cuddly, etc. (Can you tell that I like Chipper better?) Thank ya!

Here is a link to a pic of Chippy in all his show stuff: http://www.flickr.com/photos/leahsshots/4739126233/in/set-72157625731033370

I think I have a picture of Magic with his harness on and stuff, but it's on an external hard drive, so unless I build up the ambition to get it out, this is the best picture I have:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leahsshots/5563105438/

PLEASE COMMENT AND GIVE ME YOUR NAME SUGGESTIONS! THANK YOU! :D

Start up again~~~

Let's get the fun posts going again, the recent ones are all short and dull! Pump up your fingers all you super duper pooper scoopers and type up something amazing!

ok~ I want everyone to comment and list the following:

1. your fav. horse breed (obviously) mine-Irish sport horse
2. your fav. saddle ever ?? never tried that many out
3. your fav. boot brand ?? but I like Clara's tall boots
4. your fav. pro-rider ?
5. your fav. horse-related sport to watch on tv hmmmmm....eventing

Shopathon!

Ok, so since lots of us are wanting to do more shows this summer; we should all go on a big show shopping date! Who's with me???

GR8 Ride

OMG I havn't blogged in ever!!!So today Julie and I went on a trail ride with Oliver and Julio. We had alot of fun. The boys felt great and were very enthusiastic to go somewhere other than the rode. Oliver behaved himself like a gentlman, no head tossing, no bucking. He was actually putting his head down, SUPRISE, SUPRISE!!!!

I have a question for my fellow Super Duper Pooper Scoopers, How many of you have seen Lord Of The Rings?

My dad went on Facebook today and he day a new Lord Of The Rings movie! Not the hobbit This was the Hunt or Gullom. That is not ok with me because it is not even one of the books. Well what are you going to do?

Please............. comment

Okay, this has nothing to do with horses, but it's awesome!!

Check out this video that I found on YouTube, I was grinning the whole time I watched it!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

A question constantly asked

Do you ever randomly ask yourself, "Why do I like horses?" (I realize that most of you reading this are thinking what an idiotic question and a pointless one too. But seriously, it is a cool thing to think about.......O! Correction! The correct question for all of us is, "Why do I love horses?").

I sometimes am just like, "Therese shut up! Don't even listen to yourself!" Although I do say that sometimes; I more often say this, "Horses are animals that love to be loved, and love to love back!" Don't you fellow S.D.P.S agree with me?

Horses aren't just this animal that can produce such fantastic ability and do amazing things. They are animals that show off God's artistic talents :).... Horses are truly a magnificent and majestic being, (take it, they do produce a ridiculous amount manure and throw temper-tantrums sometimes), but they add so much to my world. Giving me a beautiful amount of self esteem when in their presence, I find how miraculous it is to have such incredible animals. Horses are not always perfect, but because they have unique and quite substantial personalities, they are great teachers. Once I have learned what they have taught me, there is this feeling of pride and a glorious contentment. The feeling of being able to hold something so magical, gallant, noble, proud, regal, splendid, stately, and phenomenal in your hands gives me the most fabulous and compelling feeling. Indeed horses are so much more than what many people think.

I am convinced that horses know they are something special...................................I hope you know that too!

please comment

A real ride!

We just had our very first real ride in months(it feels likes years). Anyway it is so exciting that i thought i should blog it just for good measure! On our real first ride today Andria and I were just trotting side by side and all of a sudden they stop died in their tracks! Then all these kids about 8 or 9 came running out of the woods! So our nice little trot was done. :(
So now Jazz and Sharkey are going crazy because some boys were still running around the woods, but all the girls came and watched us walk by. So then we come to the huge puddle that is in the middle of the road and Jazz stops and will not go. Andria tells me to go and see if Jazz will follow, so Sharkey goes through the puddle and I tell him to stop and wait and Jazz still will not go then finely Jazz goes and we just walk away like nothing happened.
Then when we are almost home we run into the kids again and the horses get scared at the backpacks on the ground, and Paul was in the bushes getting things ready for summer.
The good news is that we made it home alive!!! :D

HAPPY BIRTHDAY THERESE! HOPE THAT TODAY IS SUNNY IN YOUR MIND(BECAUSE IT IS RAINING OUTSIDE)! ALL THE PONIES WISH YOU A HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALSO!
THIS IS WHAT I HOPE YOUR BIRTHDAY IS LIKE!!!

Camp Rd

Hey Guys it's almost..... Spring. I went for a short ride on the Camp Rd. on Oliver. Even though there was still some snow and icy spots it was great to get out beyond the roads. Can't wait to get all the way to the parking lot or Copeland Rd!!!!

Chipper & Gigi

So, today I went and saw the foal. OH MY GOSH!!! She is the CUTEST thing EVER!! Her name is Gevalia, and her barn name is Gigi. She was super friendly and she came up to me and let me pet her!! The horse whisperer guy was actually just a guy that was really good at natural horsemanship, I really liked him, he was very nice! His name was Rotty. For pictures of Gigi and other doings at the barn go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/leahsshots/.

So I just got back from driving Chipper for the first time this year. He was SOOOOOO good!! It was like we never stopped! He was super responsive to the bit, no bucks or anything and he even picked up the trot with just a voice command!! Hopefully that is a sign of the good things to come this year!

Love Triangle

A love triangle takes 3. Well there's me, Julio, and Humor. Except it's not really a love triangle becuase .... well it's not really at all. But whatever. Yesterday was gorgeous. Was it not, my fellow Pooper Scoppers? Julio and I had a fantastic ride. Boy oh boy he was round and forward and duddeee the boy was working hard. We had a beautiful canter that just oooozzzzzed Grand Prix qualitiy. (Even though he is slow and sometimes fat, I swear Julio does two-tempis in his spare time) Anyways.

Today was just as gorgeous, but this time the beast of choice was Humor. (Sonja and I swapped horses) Hehehehehe. I told Julio he had to be a perfect gentleman just like yesterday. Humor was great. Forward, head down, trucking, then WHOH G what happened!!!! Sharkey fell off a cliff and OOOOO nOOOOO I might be next. Setting: Trotting up the Camp Rd. with Sharkey who happens to slide into the mucky edge of the Rd. So you guessed it. Humor exploded in crazy fear. Only a few bucks and huge galloping strides later, he settled back down. Back to work........

Few minutes later. We were working in our half seat, finding our hips and seat behind the motion to begin and then slide right into perfect position. BUHHHHAAAAAA. We rock. Silly pony canters SIDEWAYS. (which is possible you giant dressage kings! I can even do it in circles just like you!!!!) Humor got scared again. He jumped the trotting poles instead and then proceeded to buck, jump, half spin, bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbboooooooooooooolllllllllllllllllllllltttttttttttttttttttttttt. Yeah. the TB thing out of the gate just came right into play. TB's don't think outside of the box. They think outside of the gate. Mini's think outside of the fence. HAHAHAHAAHA. I decided that I would call it quits before he decided to jump the moon and send me to mars.

Riding Spring (literally) is kinda a fun experience. Love the feeling of a horse that just is ready for summer almost as much as I am. Just going to prove that Spring comes with consequences and wonderful results be summer. Can't wait. :)

Did y'all hear??? It's supposed to be MID 70's ON MONDAY!!!!!! I'm UBER excited!! :D:D:D:D:D

I can't wait until Field Days it is so exciting!!!! Just can't wait. I hope that Julio is a good boy when we get there and when we are showing. I am sure he will be fine!!!!:P I <3 Field Days

Foals!

Okay, so my dad's friend's wife owns a few elite jumper horses, I think two of which were #1 and #2 in the country at some point last year (I've already met them). Two of her horses are pregnant, one foaled a few days ago and the other is due sometime this week. On Saturday, I get to go see them and take pictures!!!!!

This weekend they're having a clinic at her barn with this horse whisperer guy. When I heard that, I had this really funny picture in my head. Imagine all of those gorgeous, sleek, tall hunter/jumper horses, probably most of them bay, lined up for this clinic. Now, picture me walk through the door leading Chipper. Chipper the 33" chestnut mini, with a big attitude, an isatiable hunger for grass and about three inches of hair. Now further picture the horse whisperer saying to me "There's no hope for you." Well, when my dad & I pictured it, it was hilarious!

I have nothing better to do right now so i am just going to blog this.

I love this picture i took at the barn!!! is that not a good pic?


I also love this one!

Thank you Kevin Warren for helping us with the pictures! it was a blast!!! :P

Ok so rain, rain, rain, and some more rain i am ok with that but i want some sun shine my way!!!!

Does anyone know if we are going to get more snow? I hope not because i want summer now!!!!!!!!!!

4 Letter Word Game

BEAD is the next word. :D

4 Letter Word!!!!

k ya'll. we are gonna play a game. it's called the 4-letter game. (not what you are thinking). here's how it goes.

i post the word BAND

u change one letter of the word i posted making BEND or some other word

this is how the game is played. join me!!!!

first official word is BEND

c what you can create with only four letters!!!

Dressage Vs. Western

Ok found this one awhile ago. hahahaha. it is really good though. check it out.

Sky View

This is the lovely mare I used to ride. She was the one. The one and only. I know I sound like I am talking about a boyfriend or something, but really she was my favorite horse ever. The video is of her owner riding her for a sale video. So sad :( I remember the day Jess had to say goodbye to Sky. There is something about separating a great horse and rider that is just heart wrenching. Anyways enjoy the video.

warm weather

The warm weather is here at last!!!!! It is about time, we have been waiting for it for so long.

Successful Ride!!!!!!

OMG!!!!I had a great ride on Oliver today! He didn't head toss once and picked up the right lead. YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I have figured part of his problem out! I think he doesn't like mud and puddles. Because the roads were dry today and we didn't have a problem whereas in the past week it has been really mucky out on the roads. He has never liked water that much. He thinks it is just for drinking! Yippee! I had a good ride!

Can't Help But Feel the Wiggles

Right, so, riding ponies in the spring is a fun, challenging, and silly experience. Being stuck in the snow all winter drives a pony wild (litterly).  I have enjoyed riding the silly ponies so far. I cannot wait for spring to really be here. :)

Lunging...again

Hey, everybody! I had a great lunging session with Karen today, a good refresher! Then I went and lunged the boys, both VERY good. I think we made good progress, just in the amount of time that I worked them, I'm very excited!

Better Lunging

I lunged the boys again today. MUCH better! Magic was actually really good! Chipper on the other hand, was back to his old self, he will not walk on the lunge line, he's either trot, canter or stop and eat grass. And when he puts his head down to eat grass, no matter how hard I whip him, he won't budge! I have to rip his head off the ground (I have a chain on his nose) and then whip him! He's so fat and lazy, haha. But he's really cute and fluffy, too. Anyway, just wanted to share.

By the way, congrats to Sage and Clara, for having the top demo at 4-H Day, it was really really well done and was LOADED with info! Great job, you guys! Also, congratulations to Julie, who's demo was very good and to Therese and Rachel, whose demo I didn't see:(, but I heard did really well!

Lunging Adventure

So I just had quite the adventure!! Well, Chipper and Magic don't really know how to lunge, to start off with. But I wanted to work them today, so I lunged them both. I started with Chipper, he was pretty good, he bucked, but I thought it was funny.

THEN I took Magic out. Oh. My. Gosh. Can you say "jerk"?? I started him out at the top of my driveway. First, he would just buck like crazy and kick at me, gallop for a second and then stop and look at me. Then he started to take off more and he took off down the driveway! The leadline was getting longer and I was pulling with all my might to get him to stop and he was still going! I was almost to the point of letting go so I wouldn't get hurt but I really didn't want to because of hte danger that that would put him in. But he finally stopped, thankfully! Then he jumped onto the yard (we have a small curb separating the lawn and the driveway) and proceeded to run around it for a second and then he caprioled off the lawn onto the driveway and then he finally stopped.

I told myself that I can't leave it like that. So I lunged him on the yard for a while after that. He kept on bucking and galloping and everytime he went near the driveway he would try to run down it again and he turn his butt to me so I didn't have much pull with the lunge line, he would move until I whipped him which sent him into another gallop-and-buck frenzy. However, I kept him going until he was tired enough to only trot, then I made him canter because if he wanted to be a jerk he was gonna pay for it!! He gets me so mad!!

Irish Sport Horse

So, my goal is: (drums please!) to buy and Irish sport horse that is 16 hh. or more. He (a gelding) must be either bay, or silver dappled! I will buy him when I am 14 (my goal since I was 10)then I will train for cross country, show jumping and dressage etc... We will go to the Olympics and win!

Now... as you all know I have to start working if I want my dream to come true!

Word of the week is HIPPOS!!!!! Can any of you guys out there guess what that says?

Now we need summer to come.

Approval Forms

I am very proud of myself! I am going to get my approval and lease forms into the office by the deadline this year! They're all set, I just have to actually turn them in, haha.
Last year at States, Becky got mad at me because I hadn't gotten my forms in by the ESE deadlline, so I couldn't go...even though the thought of going is a little intimidating, haha. So now this year if I want to go, I can. :)
To be honest, I just really wanted to post something, and this was what I was doing right now... :b

ok this is so frustrating. the 4-h office thought that i was born in 1999 but i was born in 1998 so i called the 4-h office today and got it all sorted out with them so Therese and I are now in the right group for 4h day! =)

OK Day

So today with all that yucky snow we got I was unable to ride because of the footing.): So I improvised, Oliver and I enjoyed( maybe not enjoyed) eachothers company in the confines of the driceway with a very long line attaching us(AKA lunging). He was really sore while I was grooming him(ON HIS LEFT SIDE) I lunged him with side reins and guess what NO HEAD TOSSING AT ALL!!!!!!! The wierd thing is that while we were lunging Dorothy checked him and he wasn't sore but after he was sore on his right side. I'm so confused.

Hurry Summer and get here so we don't have to have the snow anymore. Spring was just here and now winter is back what happened to the nice weather we just had.

So the weather is cold and it is snowing does anyone find something wrong with this picture? because i do. it is spring it is not supposed to snow:( i just want all the snow to go away and summer to come so we can jump again!!!!!!!!!!!! can't wait to jump again.

Can you guys believe that it is Spring and we are getting snow today. that is not ok with me i was enjoying to warm weather that we were having. what ever happened to the 60 degree weather we were having just yesterday?
Bring on the heat!!!! :P

So this morning i got to the store and just as soon as I was going to eat my breakfast my dad tells me that we have to go get wood from our house and bring it to the store. =( The good thing is that i could heat my breakfast up again and it was yuuuuummmmmmyyyyyyy!!!!!!!

While assisting with a clinic, I had the most amazing lesson with Mitzi Summers on Friday, then a fun time at the judging clinic in Croyden at Oak Hill Farm, and then today spent more time at Southmowing with Lucile, a group of hoping-to-be-new-instructors, and Mitzi Summers again. Ok, so I'm exhausted, but couldn't wait to see my own ponies, so I scooped some poop when I got home (thanks, Sonja for helping!) and I'm counting on the snow predicted for tomorrow to be WRONG so I can ride and practice what I learned! We can actually see grass in the ring now, so snow go away (though we might take the rain they mentioned as a possibility!) Bring on summer!

Unreal Jump Course

So yeah I know that I already shared this with most of you, but I had to post it because I really loved it.

Hey everyone!
This is my first official blog of the year. I just wanted to share my deepest feelings about the title of this blogging site. Whoever thought of "Super Duper Pooper Scoopers" was a genius! I would like all of you to know that I scooped 7 wheelbarrows full of hay and poop out of the barnyard today. And that was only half of it. Another day in horsey paradise. Gotta love it! And as sad as it is to say, I do love it. All part of the gig, and I can't get enough. So all you horse-loving-poop-scooping people out there, raise your pitchforks/shovels/rakes high and salute the greatness of manure!

Judging Clinic

I am so excited for the judging clinic! Last year at field days I had no idea what I was doing. I am glad that I am going to learn about judging, because it isn't only a great skill to have when you ride horses, but also if I ever get a horse I want to be able to tell if the horse is going to have physical problems etc. See you all there!

(THIS PONY IS CUTE)

I LOVE THE WEATHER!

Today at the barn the sun was out the sky was blue, the snow is almost gone and there were birds singing! SPRING is 2 days away! So exciting! We should make huge plans for summer! (rachel told me about the water gun fight!) sounds like fun!

Throwing Down Hay!

 O my gosh! I had to throw down 10 bales of hay today and I had the complete incorrect clothes on! I had my stretchy riding pants on. Rachel had to endure my yells throughout the 'hay-throwing' process. She was down under me putting all the hay in the stall. I had to climb up to the top and I kept falling in the holes while holding hay bales! Then, I had my little acquaintance with a nice fat spider! :P I of course screamed and jumped away continuing to trip off the top of all the hay. Rachel then came up knowing me well enough, that I would probably have randomly stepped of into Jazzy's stall if I didn't have proper supervision. By the end of my hay job, I was full of, covered in, and completely bathed in hay. My ride home was very uncomfortable and itchy!

Floundering

Julio was a good boy today. He was full of the monkey's though. I was telling Dorothy yesterday, Julio is so great because he matches his rider's energy. You are feeling lazy - he trots really slow, you are hyper - he is prancy and dancy, and you are nervous and a little insecure - powersteering fails. He is a wonderful teacher. Gota love him. Well today we had an interesting experience. Clara and I headed out on Jules and Ollie. Oliver was full of himself as usual, and Julio was jiggy. We had some amazing trots. When he gets excited or jumpy, he sticks his head down, his back comes up, and his trot gets beautifully long and FLASHY! (Rachel, use that in Hunter Under Saddle @ Field Days!) Anyways, Clara decided to trot up Queen St. In recent years, Julio and I have become separated at the bottom of Queen St. (i.e. I fell off or bailed). Last spring the horse that never bucks, threw the biggest, baddest, highest buck I have ever seen, well I saw it as I was bailing off the side. But whatever, back to today. Oliver proceeded to trot/canter/buck/whatever he does up the hill. Julio missed the turn and went squirelly. He was in the driveway and Oliver was on Queen St!!!! UhhhOOOOOOO. He decided to jump the little peninsula in between them. (That's an easy 10 ft. spread) Needless to say. He failed. There was snow on the other side of the pen. The unseen part was that the snow was covering a 4 ft ditch, which he fell into. At this point he was up to his chest, half laying in the snow, and floundering to get up. I landed in the snow unhurt but a little squished by his LARGE belly. I was very worried that he was going to hurt himself becuase he was stuck in all that snow and was struggleing to get up. He did get out and seemed to be alright. This time he didn't leave me in the dirt and waited patiently for me to get back on. Such a good pony. I was more concerned that he was hurt than I was about me. Something about seeing an animal struggle to regain balance when jumping is difficult to watch. Like when you are watching a cross-country ride gone wrong. Lucky for us, we remained unscathed. And darn, why am I always the first one to fall off in the Spring!

ps Don't worry Dorothy he wasn't lame or hurt. We went on to PRACTICE walking up Queen St. and trotting up and down the camp rd. There was no hitch to his gait and he was standing on all fours when I put him out in the paddock. Checked him for any cuts or scrapes. Didn't find any.  If anything he might be sore tomorrow. You will see at the end of the driveway where our ice-jump failed.

Chipper the Dork

So, I just got back from a walk with Chipper ("my" mini) around my hill on this GORGEOUS day. It's funny how much attention I get when I bring him along! If I watch, I can see people just staring as we walk by, lol. One time, last year when I was walking him, we almost caused an accident! There was someone driving by and she stopped dead in the middle of the road and squealed "Oh, what a cute pony!!" Of course, there was someone right behind her who was not expecting that, and they had to slam on their brakes. It was pretty funny! I can honestly say that Chipper stops traffic!
He was good the almost the entire way, except for the fact that he was SOOO slow! I had to drag him up our hill, haha. The one time he spooked was when a loud truck went by, and he did a little jump/prance after it went by, haha, SUCH A DORK!
There's one other story that I have to tell about Chipper, haha. Well, you know how on winter boots you have a cinch, and a piece of plastic that stops the cinch from coming off? Well, I was in his paddock one day and I was looking away and he grabbed the stopper in his mouth and pulled, so the elastic was stretched out like two feet (no lie!!) and then it finally came off in his mouth and the elastic snapped back on my leg (ow!). I got most of it out of his mouth before he swallowed it, and I was just like, "Chipper, you are SUCH a dork!!"
Anyway, Happy Frolicking in this lovely weather!

Pretty Bumpy Ride

Today Julie and I went out for a ride on the road(AGAIN)with Oliver and Julio. We had some serious bucky fits and lots of head tossing. I was having this problem that every time I put my left leg on to do anything he would explode, but I could use my right leg just fine without him reacting at all. Wierd Huh? So I'm stumped!!!! If any of you a slightest idea about what it could be, PLEASE let me know.(: Other than that the rest of the ride was about the same, lots of bucks and kicks and would you believe it the Clydesdale is capable of SQUEELING. That was really funny!!!

Hi my name is Kristin. I am new to this so I don't really know how all of this works yet. With a little time I will get it. I am a fast learner. I love horses and I am leasing a minnie right now. I plan to do some showing with her this year. I also take lessons to. I love Hunt seat. I have a dog and two cats but horses are my thing. I can't wait to blog and tell people all about my love for animals.

Todays events

So today I had two really good rides. When I got to the barn I raked up a ton(not even kidding) of pony slop and then I took Oliver for a ride. We are still stuck with riding on the road.We are all getting really board. So I rode Oli!! He was OK. He was tossing his head ALOT and had about a bajillion bucky fits. He got really ticked off when I asked for a certain lead and kindo super-exploded. Thats when I decided to quit! Smart Idea! When I got done cooling him out I took Humor out for a ride. He was really good! We had alot of nice trots and quite a few lovely canters. He was feeling good but he controled and used his energy well.Well thats pretty much what happened today. Byebye!!! TTYL

The lovable guy~

Hi y'all! I love blogging! I have my own blog, but it is pretty pathetic and I seldom blog! Probably better that I don't, because I am stinky at writing. Well, I don't have much to write about except Toby. I can't claim him as mine like Clara can Oliver and Julie can Julio, but I love him even though he really truly belongs to Andrea! I feel so stupid right now because I am searching through an empty brain for some words :)

Well, I guess I'll have to begin from the beginning of my story with Toby. (NO ONE get your hopes up, here comes some grammatically incorrect mumbo jumbo)!

I started riding at Dorothy's about 3 years ago and only really rode Sharky. I began to ride Toby as the year went by. Toby has a very sweet, gentle, obedient and sometimes hipper personality. In one word I think Toby is very enjoyable. I have had my fears of horses, but ever since I rode Toby I felt like horses aren't out to get you, they are out to love and be loved. Sometimes I wonder how idiotic I must have been to think horses were so evil, when I meat Toby. My fear began when one horse, named Danny, tried to roll with me on his back.

Any way, last summer I was in my first horse show (Field days for 4-H) and I had a great time. I am really grateful to Toby for giving me his best effort and making me have my first show such a great experience, despite what a wreched mess I was the day before the show. I am not quite sure if Toby had the best of times; he had to endure hives and a small case of eeby jeebies! When all the ponies got home from field days they all were jumping 3 feet of the ground and bucking like crazy, Toby was definitely one of them!