Happy New Year

I got to the barn after some much needed sushi and shopping to get in a ride on my day off. It wasn't perfect because Spyder was a grump, and he decided needed to kick out. I am angry with the weather and a grump about it so I can't blame him! He was a bit up, but not when it came to cantering. He didn't want to go so I didn't push him too much. Again, I was the only one at the farm riding and I didn't want to get hurt. We worked through his one episode, but that didn't stop the pinned ears and obnoxious grunts. We did some sitting trot to change the work a bit.

We worked through some transitions and didn't push to keep moving at the canter. We worked down to a trot from the canter, and we did a lot of w/t transitions. From there, we moved on to jumping. Spyder wasn't nearly as peppy as he acted when I first got on so we worked on picking his feet up over fences. I really need to get off his face, but his rushing is so frustrating so I sit back as far as I can. Since he wasn't too enthusiastic, we went out to the track. I did a lot of trotting in two-point and was trying to get him into an extended trot. Clucking, ears back, squeezing, ears back... he wasn't happy. I think he may have thrown in a few steps of pace to be spiteful, but I got him right back to trot. It was feeding time so I decided to leave it on a good note as he was actually listening (even though he wasn't happy about it). We went on a mini trail through the middle of his old paddock and the new muddy paddock, and I think he liked changing it up.

We cooled out around the barn, and he went in his stall to eat while I cleaned up the dried mud all over his legs. He was actually looking decent because I got off most of the dirt. I waited for him to finish to turn him out because the sun was starting to set, and I knew it would be the last of the sun for a bit. Our temperatures are dropping, and we are getting a snow storm tonight into tomorrow. GREAT! I hope everyone and all of the horses stay warm! I posted a picture below of our crazy changes in temperature. If you remember, I had a post about the 60's... now this! 22 one day, and 50's a few days later.

On another note, I completed a few of my "wish list" items from my page above. I ordered new boots because I found a great deal from a site where you could get a giftcard, and they would add 20% to the amount. That was like getting them for 20% off (but they were also the cheapest I had found so far), so I ordered riding gloves while I was at it! Chris cleaned up the garage so I have a crate to use as a mounting block for the trailer, and I found a hay bag on clearance from the same site. :) Happy New Year!

These changes are crazy.

Back to Once a Week

This time of year is tough with rides coming down to once a week, if I'm lucky. I've been trying to keep busy and pass the time, but I can say that I'm excited the days are getting longer from here on out. I really can't believe it's already January, and we just have to get through February after that... I mean March, too (but hopefully we'll get some warm days). So far, this winter has been brutal and it looks like it'll only be getting colder.

He's certainly thrilled

I was happy to get in a ride in the sun on Saturday before all of our rain Sunday. I don't even want to know what the paddock looks like since we got about 2" in just a day. I was lucky to get to the barn during feeding time so Spyder came right to the gate, and I gave him a good brushing which he really needed because his coat wasn't able to fluff with the weather. It was caked with mud, poop, and sand. This is as cold of a time of year as it is dirty! I hadn't ridden for a week, but I decided to head out to the big jumping ring since it seemed to be mostly dried up.

Warming up around the perimeter was really nice, and there was a whole family of deer to watch our great ride. W/t/c were all good so I did a little bit of jumping. I was looking to keep the pace and sit back so that we didn't rush the fences like last time which worked out nicely. We did some cross rails and verticals. I want to up the jumps, but riding alone doesn't make for a good first try for anything. I am a bit nervous that if I fell and got hurt, I'd be out there a while. I created a group on Facebook for the barn, but it doesn't seem like people want to contribute much. I thought it'd be nice to post about items for sale, events, benefits, riding times, etc, but people aren't interested. I'd like to be able to find a riding partner as it's just getting old riding alone and doing the same old things. I'm hoping people start to participate.

I ended the ride with two-point up and down the track as well as getting Spyder past a cone that he didn't like at first. We've been working through things, and it makes me so happy. My only issue is where to start with cantering straight since we go so nicely in a circle. The leaning and bending really helps him find his balance to pick it up, but when we go straight, we fall apart. I am thinking "BIG circles" where Spyder is kept bent will push out into being straighter. We're no where near ready for a canter class, and I wonder if we ever will be.

I'm excited for this new year, the trailer, and all that is going to come of traveling on the horse end of things! 2013 has been such a wonderful year, and I hope that 2014 brings that same cheer!

This close to a deer.

Weekend of Riding

Tacking Up

OK, I did other things, too... like took the dog to Petsmart, completed homework, rented two movies (which never happens), cleaned up around the house, and raked the whole yard (Chris did most), BUT I ACTUALLY rode both days of the weekend for once! I decided against the combined event at the farm, but instead, I went trail riding with a friend. We went back to the same place where the hunter pace was. It was a bit foggy in the morning and it rained a bit, but it ended up being a decent day to ride less the dampness that made it feel colder than it was. The ride was great, but there were a few spots that were a bit mucky and slippery due to the rain. We rode about 8 miles in two-hours and it was great to get out. Spyder was an angel (and wasn't ridden for a week), and the two got along nicely!

One of the wider trails

I got up early to ride on Sunday because it was set to be almost 70! I think it got up to about 60 during my ride, and Spyder had a little bit of a sweat going for once. We rode about an hour with w/t to warm up (after we went up and down the long side of the track with me in two-point... ouch!) and moved to canter with a crop. Man is my life easier just holding it! We had two kicking out episodes which were controllable with the smack of the crop, and it seemed that he was more responsive throughout the ride because of it... take that! We moved to jumping, and it was decent (except he hit his toe once). We started with just an x-rail turning left then taking the same x-rail and turning right. It's AMAZING thinking back to when we could hardly steer. Now, we're steering over jumps... I'd say it's a plus! From that jump, we kept going right to go over a small vertical - from there, we went left, then right. We added a third jump - right over x-rail, left over vertical, small white fence. We took this jump to the left, and so there was a fourth added that was in that direction the next time around. X-rail, vertical, fence, brush box thing. We weren't all that straight going to the brush box so we went over that a few more times until it was nice. Finally, some jumping!

I am almost positive that I'm going to school xc in Maryland this coming weekend, and I am both excited and nervous being that we haven't done many xc jumps yet. They have elementary jumps so we'll start there, but the facility is beautiful in itself to even work on water and banks if all else fails. Oh, and I finally snapped a photo of the stall name plaque that Chris's dad made me for Christmas last year. We stopped by the farm with the pup and Chris put it up for me. It looks great on his stall!

Following the leader

New name sign

Two-Point: Feel the Burn

Last night, I rode figuring I'd get things in order for the 4-h open show Sunday. Spyder had a decent consistent pace at the trot, but wanted to keep stopping and being lazy (until two-point came). Again, no spurs, but he was moving off of leg, and he was forced to listen per my "I'm not putting up with this" attitude. We did circles until he wanted to stay in "go", and then we moved on to two-point exercises (go is exciting to him here). I REALLY need to work on my leg as my right leg is SO must weaker. If I ride and tell myself to step down in to it, it can come close to my left heel, but it's still a bit off.

Trotting in two-point helped a lot and proved to me that I am out of shape. Trotting for three strides posting then two-point for three strides is not the most fun, but it's a great way to get your heels down. You would think that Spyder was a TB in his previous life because every time I would get in two-point, he would canter. I'm not sure if that's because he was like, "Oh, you're doing something different, I guess this is what I do?" OR if he was just like, "Yay, you're off my face, let me go." He was VERY good about his canter, and it was quite controlled. I would sit up in two-point to get him to slow rather than pulling on the reins, and it worked well! He figured out that I wasn't asking him to canter and was very happy to keep on trotting. That transition is definitely coming along, but I wish the canter was better so we didn't have to stick to walk/trot classes. We'll get there, I just have to be patient.

Tonight, I am going to ride with a girl that feeds at the barn that trailers in to ride. She borrows a pony from the woman that helped me get the equestrian club going at college, and I even looked at the pony to free lease out for a while. She's a cute little thing that will jump the moon. I rode her in a judged trail ride (last year? maybe the year before?), and her name, Sassy, fits her attitude at times. We might be swapping so that K can ride a standardbred and I can canter on a "normal horse." I'm excited that it seems to be working out for me in terms of getting new types of rides in, and this trailer is going to really open a whole new window of fun.