tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75777214364857284142024-03-13T10:42:57.592-07:00Life with RomeoKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-66512138874370229782011-06-16T09:58:00.000-07:002011-06-16T09:58:35.942-07:00Results!!!Let me begin by saying I LOVE my horse:-) He is fantastic, amazing, beautiful, hard-working, and I couldn't of been more proud of him this weekend:-) Trainer M was so excited with our results!!! So was everyone else who knows our backstory:)<br />
<br />
Because of Romeo's history was to have a relaxed outing with no major incidents, to stay in the ring, to stay on the horse, and to have a relaxed and rhythmical ride. M said to forget about flexion, forget about collection and just relax and stay steady. Both of us are just starting to work on flexing and collecting so forget that stuff and aim for one-and-two-and-three-and-breathe-ect......<br />
<br />
Well we did just that!! Except for turning his head to look at the judge's box every time we passed it He was great!! No spooking, no bucking, and very relaxed!! Goal accomplished!!!! Yeah for Romeo!!!!!<br />
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We scored a 60.85 on both tests. I thought the judge scored generously. I felt that our first test would be high 50's but we got 60! I did feel as though our second test was better but felt the score was fair. All her remarks were about his accepting the bit and that is what we expected.<br />
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She absolutely loved Romeo... who doesn't love a golden boy:) and made comments on our turn-out and even said that he was a lovely and expressive horse. He clearly thought the show ring was meant for him!! We had an awesome time, even though we were there ALL day!!!<br />
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Roomie's first test was at 8 am and my last test was at 4:30, add the temperature in the 90's you get three very tired horses and 2 very tired humans. The July show is going to be even hotter!!! And I can't even imagine how awful the August one will be :-/<br />
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Here are a few pics....<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a58w0vqT6YQ/Tfo0-DZVXYI/AAAAAAAAAPg/Uael8iLwGV4/s1600/decor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a58w0vqT6YQ/Tfo0-DZVXYI/AAAAAAAAAPg/Uael8iLwGV4/s320/decor.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All dressed up and ready to shine:-)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--gOJGD7x6yU/Tfo1AmKorDI/AAAAAAAAAPk/-gADjhUKiDU/s1600/in+the+ring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--gOJGD7x6yU/Tfo1AmKorDI/AAAAAAAAAPk/-gADjhUKiDU/s320/in+the+ring.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qhfAbyX_ZLA/Tfo1CXedhKI/AAAAAAAAAPo/rGl_gS016BE/s1600/more+trotting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qhfAbyX_ZLA/Tfo1CXedhKI/AAAAAAAAAPo/rGl_gS016BE/s320/more+trotting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KowbOmvcKcg/Tfo1EvA3r9I/AAAAAAAAAPs/m-ZiGnItPco/s1600/trotting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KowbOmvcKcg/Tfo1EvA3r9I/AAAAAAAAAPs/m-ZiGnItPco/s320/trotting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1K9H9CBfPZ4/Tfo1G0ckf4I/AAAAAAAAAPw/93KFSq1Oogk/s1600/very+happy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1K9H9CBfPZ4/Tfo1G0ckf4I/AAAAAAAAAPw/93KFSq1Oogk/s320/very+happy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M telling me how awesome my horse is!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DJQ5Pv0NkS4/Tfo1IG9p8QI/AAAAAAAAAP0/74o87CE6nYI/s1600/good+boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DJQ5Pv0NkS4/Tfo1IG9p8QI/AAAAAAAAAP0/74o87CE6nYI/s320/good+boy.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a good boy!!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Well now that we have our first show under our belts it's time to get back to work. No slacking at the Flying Solo!!!!! The goal is to figure out this whole on the bit thing ;) Tuesday's ride was great and hopefully he looked as great as he felt. I am tapping tonight ride to make sure!! I HAVE to nail down my elbow position at the trot!!! That's my goal for the next week!!!<br />
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Stayed tuned for more updates on how Jo and Ria did with Roomie and maybe.... if I can figure it out... a video or two!!!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-18135730369640923012011-06-11T11:58:00.000-07:002011-06-11T11:58:15.919-07:00Tomorrow is the BIG dayWell I haven't updated in awhile... so sorry!! I've been quite busy preparing for this show. It seems that all I have done for the past 2 weeks is ride, ride, ride!! Not that I'm complaining.... really there are few places that I would rather be then in the saddle.<br />
<br />
So to recap the past 2 weeks. First off the week before our"clinic" with trainer M it rained and rained here in AR. So I felt that I was not as well prepared as I would have like to be but what can you do about the weather?? The weekend was soooooo much fun!!! We left early Friday morning and rode that afternoon. M is an awesome trainer... no time limit. She rides till your horse is done... note I did not say the rider, lol. So encouraging. She said that Romeo looked and acted like a different horse, such a great compliment, and many more would follow throughout the weekend so I was beaming for most of it. Such a great feeling to know that all that hard work has done some sort of good :)<br />
<br />
Saturday M had to work (she is an RN and works the weekend shift and runs the farm during the week). But that didn't stop rommie and I from working. She rode Ria and I rode Romeo. I didn't ride to long but wanted to work on the things we had worked in the lesson. I figured it I was paying for 4 lessons, plus the gas, and the food, I was going to get as much out of it as I could!!! Romeo felt tense and most likely he was sore from the previous lesson, but worked through it during the ride.<br />
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That evening we had another lesson and spent most of it going over the two tests we will ride at the show, we also rode through them and M and her man D loved it!!! Said that if we rode like that we would be hard to beat!!! WOW, what a compliment. M said that his movement was awesome and combine the relaxation with his nice rhythm and then add that gold coat, she said the judge was going to LOVE us :) I was sooooo soooo excited to hear that.<br />
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That evening after our ride I made dinner for everyone and we just sat around and talked.<br />
<br />
Oh, I completely forgot about our "theory" sessions with D. He is a former reiner/4th level dressage rider. He just recently purchased the beautiful Bree and is starting to get back into the dressage world. The man has amazing stories and is a great teacher himself. Him and M make the perfect pair and are so much fun to hang with!! So during the day while M worked, D sat and gave us tips, and told stories. Roomie and I learned so much that are heads where exploding!!!<br />
<br />
Sunday morning I rode again, and was lucky enough to get a "lesson" from D. He was out doing chores and stopped to watch my ride and ended up giving me a short lesson. I was forever grateful!!! That evening's lessons was the only one that was not-so-nice. Romeo was just not there and I think I finally had the boy tired. It was a good lesson for me though because I got to get some great advice on dealing with him when he gets moody.<br />
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Monday was sad as the vacation was over :( but the lesson went great and M was sooo excited about us showing. She has lots of confidence in all 3 the horses.... probably more so then we are!!!<br />
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Wish the show had been last weekend:-/ because after 2 weeks of training on my own I feel the need for a trainer again.<br />
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Here are some pics from the weekend<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JGFyYn88cHM/TfO5LGr52kI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/gXpWeoawNqk/s1600/251730_10150211356673164_537003163_7198902_3025195_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JGFyYn88cHM/TfO5LGr52kI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/gXpWeoawNqk/s320/251730_10150211356673164_537003163_7198902_3025195_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-veFv3h8t8z4/TfO5MOnIMeI/AAAAAAAAAPU/x9lwLhAOTOk/s1600/252106_10150211356728164_537003163_7198904_4516806_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-veFv3h8t8z4/TfO5MOnIMeI/AAAAAAAAAPU/x9lwLhAOTOk/s320/252106_10150211356728164_537003163_7198904_4516806_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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*****note: a video camera is the best investment the Flying Solo has ever made!!!!<br />
<br />
Roomie bought a camera for her bday and so we now tape most of our rides. It has been real nice to be able to watch the ride right after getting off.<br />
<br />
But now the wait is over.... tomorrow is the show!!! Roomie rides Jo at 8 am!!!! and then again around 9:40. Then I ride next.... at 3!!! That's a long time in between rides. And then Ria does her test, then I go again at 4:47. So we will be there at least 12 hours. The good news is that since I will be there before anyone rides I get to introduce Romeo to the judge's box!! So I do have some motivation to get up at 4:30 am!!!!<br />
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Already a tad nervous so all prayers welcomed!!!! My goal: to stay in arena and on the horse!!! lol, we should be able to do that ;)Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-55933777627191947462011-05-25T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-25T08:00:02.652-07:00Day 17: Your equestrian idolHmmm... that's an interesting question. As a child I LOVED the O'Conners and still do. I remember David getting "lost" on the jump course on Custom Made and was so sad when He stopped competing. Karen's pony Teddy was my inspiration as I trained my 15 h AQHA mare to jump and dreamed of someday eventing her.<br />
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Today I love keeping up with Karen and her team, but I also love Philip and Boyd!! In the dressage world the Netherlands riders have always been my fav.Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-62798176746929428572011-05-24T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-24T11:13:45.866-07:00Day 16: Your most recent fallOh I remember my last fall.... like it was yesterday.... but I wrote about it <a href="http://livingforhisrenown.blogspot.com/2010/07/hard-fall.html">here</a>, so go read it over at my other blog:-)Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-90034039378029553442011-05-20T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-20T08:00:02.461-07:00Day 15: Helmet or no helmet?HELMET.... every single time I get on any horse.... no matter what!!! I am a big stickler for this. I have first hand experience as to just how important this is, as I have cracked open a few helmets on a bomb-proof horse and have also found that one rock in that no-rocks-anywhere-in-the-vicinity pasture. I sometimes ride with a handful of western riders and always get the your-a-weirdo looks but really who cares? It is an essential riding element... not an optional one in my book. Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-90618965346813633732011-05-19T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-19T08:00:07.827-07:00Day 14: Your dream barn/farm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>SO I had a little fun with this one:-)<br />
<br />
First off I need some land.... preferably in the lovely state of Virginia located near the Blue Ridge Mountains so I can look at them every day:-)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AOQh01SNavA/Tc7CTxNbE3I/AAAAAAAAAOU/ieZXfE_HNlk/s1600/BJNJGECB5G7CNGVQSXYR7FHTZVJUX557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AOQh01SNavA/Tc7CTxNbE3I/AAAAAAAAAOU/ieZXfE_HNlk/s320/BJNJGECB5G7CNGVQSXYR7FHTZVJUX557.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Found<a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://virginialandforsale.net/uploads/1000001711/100000022338465/BJNJGECB5G7CNGVQSXYR7FHTZVJUX557.jpg&imgrefurl=http://virginialandforsale.net/&usg=__VKFqykJ5HkRofYQD3_hmni6UcEI=&h=427&w=640&sz=29&hl=en&start=110&zoom=1&tbnid=d3XB8mjQr4Fw1M:&tbnh=141&tbnw=188&ei=fr_OTarMIqe30gGF1rHgDQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dvirginia%2Bpasture%2Bland%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D768%26tbm%3Disch0%2C3648&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=408&page=6&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:23,s:110&tx=76&ty=75&biw=1280&bih=768"> here</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>And of course some pastures that have lots of green grass...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fpXrVmmfqe4/Tc7CU3LQx9I/AAAAAAAAAOY/xX-qJvSArq4/s1600/Concord-d833c72766c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fpXrVmmfqe4/Tc7CU3LQx9I/AAAAAAAAAOY/xX-qJvSArq4/s320/Concord-d833c72766c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Found <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.zaglist.com/PropertyImages/Concord-d833c72766c.jpg&imgrefurl=http://concord.virginia.freemls.us/&usg=__NCbYuQRSWbldSZbkG0qWlA_CNdI=&h=267&w=401&sz=14&hl=en&start=203&zoom=1&tbnid=gOafyKY27XVVbM:&tbnh=114&tbnw=171&ei=mb_OTb-rB8Pn0QHYofzmDQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dvirginia%2Bpasture%2Bland%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D768%26tbm%3Disch0%2C5757&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=240&page=10&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:203&tx=90&ty=34&biw=1280&bih=768">here</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>And it would be nice to have a few acres of trails through trees like this...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j1dAZzEA8CQ/Tc7CSVIPWNI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/jiieoDbvJ98/s1600/8161861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j1dAZzEA8CQ/Tc7CSVIPWNI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/jiieoDbvJ98/s1600/8161861.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Found <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cowboy.com/user_images/8161861.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cowboy.com/category/213/Real_Estate/2.html&usg=__hxIPexqIUMRFzIYm9kxECLSqmv8=&h=188&w=250&sz=11&hl=en&start=14&zoom=1&tbnid=WwbNpMXi1J2G3M:&tbnh=83&tbnw=111&ei=gb_OTeeBFMa3twezloTkDQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dvirginia%2Bpasture%2Bland%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D768%26tbm%3Disch0%2C3306&um=1&itbs=1&biw=1280&bih=768">here</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Next we need fences for the pasture...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ASkr-fg5TvY/Tc7DYwMet2I/AAAAAAAAAOc/RcKWYw6093s/s1600/horse3rail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ASkr-fg5TvY/Tc7DYwMet2I/AAAAAAAAAOc/RcKWYw6093s/s320/horse3rail.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Found<a href="http://www.alliedfence.net/vinylpics/horse3rail.jpg"> here</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>How about some pastures that look like this??<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w8G4QejfW1k/Tc7FeJwVoAI/AAAAAAAAAOg/qUDrkOkREBo/s1600/Aerial-of-White-Fences-on-Farm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w8G4QejfW1k/Tc7FeJwVoAI/AAAAAAAAAOg/qUDrkOkREBo/s320/Aerial-of-White-Fences-on-Farm.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Found <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000V68XHOYITyg/s/600/Aerial-of-White-Fences-on-Farm&imgrefurl=http://olsonfarlow.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Travel-North-America/G0000p8BuoNzLmGU/I0000V68XHOYITyg&usg=__sJTJRo5yFF0TN_t18DMrCxVRc18=&h=600&w=399&sz=229&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=ALPkNGXb4CRgeM:&tbnh=145&tbnw=96&ei=RMXOTePnBM2Dtgfs-snqDQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhorse%2Bfence%2Baerial%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D768%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=264&page=1&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&tx=69&ty=72">here</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Okay so now on to the barn:-)<br />
This one would work....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ydNMKLxMddw/Tc7HWWotWZI/AAAAAAAAAOk/DEzp00we-lc/s1600/stable-stone-beige-749x356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ydNMKLxMddw/Tc7HWWotWZI/AAAAAAAAAOk/DEzp00we-lc/s320/stable-stone-beige-749x356.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Found <a href="http://www.cbequinebarns.com/buildings/">here</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>With a large tack room...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4WXfOe7dLQs/Tc7IdAyou8I/AAAAAAAAAO0/20NcxPT87PA/s1600/tack-room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4WXfOe7dLQs/Tc7IdAyou8I/AAAAAAAAAO0/20NcxPT87PA/s320/tack-room.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Found <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.oakhavenpartners.com/images/barn-photos/tack-room.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.oakhavenpartners.com/facility.html&usg=__Dahy1lX-IOBhQdcrv7uUif8aNfc=&h=401&w=502&sz=61&hl=en&start=9&zoom=1&tbnid=GPwYiDpGc7pIiM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=130&ei=v8fOTd7mBo6CtgeSjOXrDQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dtack%2Broom%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D768%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1">here</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>And a heated wash room...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aWpkael7u7Q/Tc7IXZOUzGI/AAAAAAAAAOw/7J0kMzsp304/s1600/stalls-indoorwash-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aWpkael7u7Q/Tc7IXZOUzGI/AAAAAAAAAOw/7J0kMzsp304/s1600/stalls-indoorwash-sm.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Found <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.rivendellfarm.net/images/stalls-indoorwash-sm.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.rivendellfarm.net/boarding.html&usg=__m4rcK1lHBkw2QWvnvelLpnlpUoY=&h=133&w=200&sz=37&hl=en&start=10&zoom=1&tbnid=XhDOED258eRdXM:&tbnh=69&tbnw=104&ei=L8jOTdHkCZHAtgerwKXpDQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhorse%2Bindoor%2Bwash%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D768%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1">here</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>With big and classy looking stalls...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jNZkWAWgKHw/Tc7K0Tyy8mI/AAAAAAAAAPI/LOzabcK8JYI/s1600/3_inside-barn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jNZkWAWgKHw/Tc7K0Tyy8mI/AAAAAAAAAPI/LOzabcK8JYI/s320/3_inside-barn.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Found <a href="http://www.riverrunranch.com/facilities.html">here</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Of course since this is my dream farm it is an eventing farm so we need a dressage arena...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_DXfIGisdYk/Tc7J9rNaCtI/AAAAAAAAAO4/Od8fWyxiojU/s1600/4_outside-arena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_DXfIGisdYk/Tc7J9rNaCtI/AAAAAAAAAO4/Od8fWyxiojU/s320/4_outside-arena.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Found <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.riverrunranch.com/images/facilities/4_outside-arena.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.riverrunranch.com/facilities.html&usg=__TKXkw4vFWLw8Jpb-nL5nOWJ-MXs=&h=500&w=750&sz=216&hl=en&start=22&zoom=1&tbnid=zCa1z_scWbbaQM:&tbnh=94&tbnw=141&ei=88jOTaTLJdGltweV6fHwDQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Doutdoor%2Bdressage%2Barena%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D768%26tbm%3Disch0%2C1653&um=1&itbs=1&biw=1280&bih=768">here</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>And a jump arena....<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RqCiDcizB8w/Tc7KBi-Bn4I/AAAAAAAAAPA/-r5Dhuu1BDg/s1600/jumps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RqCiDcizB8w/Tc7KBi-Bn4I/AAAAAAAAAPA/-r5Dhuu1BDg/s320/jumps.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Found <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.playlandequestriancenter.com/images/jumps.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.playlandequestriancenter.com/facility.html&usg=__s4mtmHW8t67pjhXHqsbxmKtr9ss=&h=345&w=504&sz=40&hl=en&start=1&zoom=1&tbnid=o0G2txE2it2PHM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=130&ei=IsnOTYe_C9OftgfTo9SSDg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Doutdoor%2Bjump%2Barena%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D768%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1">here</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>And since it gets cold in VA... it is necessary to have one large indoor....<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pqoI3hMZcQw/Tc7KD9jSfhI/AAAAAAAAAPE/UUsqFVlZ4dM/s1600/lakestone_photo_facility_arena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pqoI3hMZcQw/Tc7KD9jSfhI/AAAAAAAAAPE/UUsqFVlZ4dM/s320/lakestone_photo_facility_arena.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Found <a href="http://www.riverrunranch.com/facilities.html">here</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>or maybe two...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YsJn9_8Iqdc/Tc7LKTvoFmI/AAAAAAAAAPM/VBl_QsYDeI8/s1600/6_covered_arena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="104" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YsJn9_8Iqdc/Tc7LKTvoFmI/AAAAAAAAAPM/VBl_QsYDeI8/s320/6_covered_arena.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Found <a href="http://www.riverrunranch.com/facilities.html">here</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lets not forget about a cross country course:-)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rG2H3nA7wq8/Tc7J_Iz6WeI/AAAAAAAAAO8/XhzMHz4sbD8/s1600/Cross_country_of_Pompadour_800X600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rG2H3nA7wq8/Tc7J_Iz6WeI/AAAAAAAAAO8/XhzMHz4sbD8/s320/Cross_country_of_Pompadour_800X600.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Found <a href="http://www.horseflashes.com/cross_country_art1.html">here</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>So there you have it.... my dream farm:-)<br />
<br />
But honestly.... I really like the place I am it. It is definitely a place I have dreamed of living at. I have my horse in my back yard... property for the dogs to run on.... an arena... arena lights.... jumps... close to a trainer... and I have a friend to ride and train with. Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-58160234935709871222011-05-18T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-18T08:00:09.558-07:00Day 13: Favorite place you have riddenWell my favorite place I have ridden would have to be the week I spend on an island off the coast of Spain. My grandma told each of us grandchildren that when we graduated hs we could go on a vacation of our choice with her. I really wanted to go to the summer Olympics in Athan which happened to be that year but travel and lodging was going to be very difficult and expensive so we choose Spain instead. One of my dreams had always been to ride and Andalusian and to ride on the beach so we found an equestrian vacation that would make both of those dreams come true.<br />
<br />
The week consisted of 5 days guided trail riding around the island, 2 riding lessons, and a tour of one of the stud farms that was located there on the island. My horse for the week was a dapple gray (one of my favs!!) and he was a very large and muscled up half Andalusian half some french bred. I fell in love with him!! wanted to bring him home:-) but of course I couldn't :-( One of the days we transported the horses out to the beach and spent the whole day riding and galloping along the beaches on the Mediterranean. It was simply the best feeling in the whole world and someday I hope to do it again!!!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-47066074230495801262011-05-17T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-17T08:00:02.667-07:00Day 12: Favorite horse colorumm.... duh.... it's PALOMINO of course :-)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ubp942DpteE/TD9SUpdIq6I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/LLzmRZMQ7lQ/s1600/IMG_2953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ubp942DpteE/TD9SUpdIq6I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/LLzmRZMQ7lQ/s320/IMG_2953.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really need some updated pics of him... I'll get on that this month.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>But I also LOVE a dappled gray.....<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4-OWHGigLc/Tc2THsaBogI/AAAAAAAAAOA/wEzRpVY3LN8/s1600/Dapple+Grey+Cantering+Left+-+640x480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4-OWHGigLc/Tc2THsaBogI/AAAAAAAAAOA/wEzRpVY3LN8/s320/Dapple+Grey+Cantering+Left+-+640x480.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found <a href="http://forums.horsecity.com/index.php?showtopic=47020102">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
And a shiny black horse is pretty too.....<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e_C7eXBTMlY/Tc2TOct8IxI/AAAAAAAAAOE/z0i9E5WPaSs/s1600/friesian-horse+2.jpg.opt351x303o0%252C0s351x303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e_C7eXBTMlY/Tc2TOct8IxI/AAAAAAAAAOE/z0i9E5WPaSs/s320/friesian-horse+2.jpg.opt351x303o0%252C0s351x303.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">found <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://idratherberiding.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/friesian-horse.jpg&imgrefurl=http://idratherberiding.wordpress.com/2009/09/30/post-4-ranch-tonight/friesian-horse/&usg=__pBB4zX67fbbHa1CXKHvv83Ycy14=&h=778&w=900&sz=160&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=eKzIX2eM9CUiWM:&tbnh=139&tbnw=182&ei=6JHNTcKyEYO-tgeSz7z-DQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3DFriesian%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D768%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=410&page=1&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0&tx=88&ty=61">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
And a sharp looking bay doesn't look so bad either.....<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bh3sYVlc-Ps/Tc2VOIX_AHI/AAAAAAAAAOM/6Kc3Pokaoao/s1600/18797-1-x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bh3sYVlc-Ps/Tc2VOIX_AHI/AAAAAAAAAOM/6Kc3Pokaoao/s320/18797-1-x.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found <a href="http://www.horseclicks.com/horses/y9qjr4/">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
Oh and I really like black and white paints:-)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_p9jVxbDGE/Tc2T3oDosKI/AAAAAAAAAOI/Er8DrIoBVBc/s1600/Orca+hh+8556crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="309" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_p9jVxbDGE/Tc2T3oDosKI/AAAAAAAAAOI/Er8DrIoBVBc/s320/Orca+hh+8556crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.friesianheritage.com/images/Thumbnails/Orca%2520hh%25208556crop.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.friesianheritage.com/Stallion_Fund%2520Raiser.htm&usg=__yoBjtICProoSr-dovZdnTbWaww4=&h=384&w=397&sz=45&hl=en&start=25&zoom=1&tbnid=wktOtyFrafvFbM:&tbnh=139&tbnw=124&ei=ZpPNTdLaHMmutweH-p2KDg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dblack%2Band%2Bwhite%2Bpaint%2Bhorse%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D768%26tbm%3Disch0%2C798&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=206&page=2&ndsp=27&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:25&tx=90&ty=64&biw=1280&bih=768">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-48499376660231116502011-05-16T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-16T08:00:02.673-07:00Day 11: Find a sale horse online that you want to buyHehehe... I'm going to have some fun with this one.<br />
<br />
Lets start with the extremely unrealistic options....<br />
<br />
How about a baby out of this guy??<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gr1sNYSKe-w/Tc17zjlYOlI/AAAAAAAAANs/gmNVaLB9p_A/s1600/000833_000164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gr1sNYSKe-w/Tc17zjlYOlI/AAAAAAAAANs/gmNVaLB9p_A/s1600/000833_000164.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erik from Iron Springs Farm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Friesians have always been one of my favorite breeds and Iron Springs Farm is definitely known for breeding some fantastic Friesians!!<br />
<br />
Oh yeah and they have some decent Warmbloods too :-)<br />
<br />
But really I would love to have a Palomino Andalusian like this guy..... <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yVuGlq9BIvM/Tc1-k5hTQHI/AAAAAAAAANw/aDdkackkXUM/s1600/22470_310106442189_310078812189_4070019_6094194_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yVuGlq9BIvM/Tc1-k5hTQHI/AAAAAAAAANw/aDdkackkXUM/s1600/22470_310106442189_310078812189_4070019_6094194_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dorado R</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fYNiojfnGP8/Tc1-mnvIpkI/AAAAAAAAAN0/vB4YkkbYeHo/s1600/224654_10150185944391962_634456961_7491308_7436456_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fYNiojfnGP8/Tc1-mnvIpkI/AAAAAAAAAN0/vB4YkkbYeHo/s320/224654_10150185944391962_634456961_7491308_7436456_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pics found of his FB page</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> How about a few that more realistic.... well seeing as how I am broke buying a horse is completely unrealistic and I barely have time for the two I currently own but anyways this is question for today so here are few that are for sale. Here are two that I found.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1163308534"><br />
</a></div><a href="http://www.dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?form_horse_id=1671210">Fidelia</a>- a 2 yr old PRE filly in my 2nd fav color gray!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7MFhhIm688c/Tc2LBLTjf4I/AAAAAAAAAN4/p7EXAaRvU3M/s1600/1671210b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7MFhhIm688c/Tc2LBLTjf4I/AAAAAAAAAN4/p7EXAaRvU3M/s320/1671210b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
and then there is <a href="http://www.dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?form_horse_id=1675663">Andre</a> - a 3 yr old Friesian stallion who is simply gorgeous and would def look nice grazing beside my Romeo.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0-LD3P93qNY/Tc2LSNfuP6I/AAAAAAAAAN8/ByBXGEvE9N8/s1600/1675663d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0-LD3P93qNY/Tc2LSNfuP6I/AAAAAAAAAN8/ByBXGEvE9N8/s320/1675663d.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-41697529773636725832011-05-15T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-15T08:00:06.691-07:00Day 10: How does your family and friends feel about your riding?Hmmmm.... you know that's a good question. First off, and I'm sure you can relate.... you can't really explain nor expect those who don't have it to understand what it is like to have a love for horses. It is not just some hobby... nor is it a phase one goes through. If you truly have the "horse bug" then you understand. Horses are not a hobby... they are a lifestyle and it is very hard for others to understand this. My family has always been supportive. While they don't understand it they do understand that horses are a part of my life. I have a few friends that try to understand that but most just think of them in the way one thinks of a friend owning a pet. My ex didn't like them and that would be one of the reasons why he is an ex... lol. While they may not always play a central part in my life as they do now I know they will always be there.Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-54764671811589899622011-05-14T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-14T08:00:02.923-07:00Day 9: Any injuries you’ve gotten from ridingLol.... where to start.<br />
<br />
1. a broken wrist in jr high (cast for 8 weeks) from my lovely horse Dutch, she was a former barrel horse and I was a dressage rider in training... lets just say I wasn't used to sharp turns<br />
<br />
2. a twisted knee (crutches for 6 weeks)... see comment above<br />
<br />
3. a busted shoulder (no treatment, I hid it because my parents weren't fans of a horse who did 1. and 2. so they said the next time she threw me and injured me she was gone, so I hid it... and yes it was hard because it really hurt... for weeks!!) (oh and yeah and she threw me the same way as 1 and 2, you would think I would of learned by then.... but every once in awhile I foolishly let down my guard)<br />
<br />
4. at a jump show she stopped at a fence I fell off and landed on my rear... not the most painful injury however it has never gone away... even with PT :-/<br />
<br />
5. a deep muscle bruise, this time from Romeo, the first fall, er launch from him. Oh and the first time I've ever been bucked off :-/ So a pretty big bruised ego as well. This so far has been the most painful injury to date.Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-6430737103699303952011-05-13T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-13T10:53:11.459-07:00Day 8: A little about the barn/stable you are atIt's fantastic!!! I live there :-) The place I live at is also where I board at. There is a small barn and a good size arena with lights!! The tack room is in the house and the only other person who uses the property is the owner/my roommate. She rides Dressage and is a few levels ahead of me, so not only do I have a great place to school at I have someone to school with. The pastures are currently in process as we are trying to reseed Bermuda grass and split up the large pastures so we can have rotational grazing. It's pretty much amazing!!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-45174295828416206122011-05-12T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-13T11:37:16.206-07:00Day 7: Your best ribbonThat would be the first blue ribbon I got. It was on Dutch, my I-hate-Dressage-mare. The key to getting her to preform in the Dressage ring I found out at the last show of the season before college consumed my life. My parents (where she was and still lives) is about a mile and a half from the barn I grew up riding at and the place where the show was being held. I did not and still do not own a horse trailer. My friend who usually trailered me was unable to come pick me up and so I decided to ride her to the show. I packed up backpack and saddled up my little mare and off we went. Turns out that was the best idea ever!! The path there is pretty straight so there was room for some cantering and even a few "natural" jumps. She was loving it!! So by the time we reached the show grounds she was happy ans can be and willing to enter the ring and do what I asked of her.Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-80003739101937552582011-05-11T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-11T08:00:07.164-07:00Day 6: Your most accomplished horseI am going to look into the future here and say Romeo. While we have yet to set foot in the show ring I foresee this handsome blond being my most successful horse. Now the other horse that I have owned and shown is Dutchess and we just did a little bit of this and that. We only did intro in Dressage and 18 inches in the hunter world. I ended up going to school during her prime and unfortunately I didn't let her reach her potential. So here's to hoping that Romeo and I at least make it to training level and maybe even make it to a 3-day trial.Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-83795561835887355062011-05-10T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-10T08:00:09.715-07:00Day 5: Your first fallI remember this moment very clearly. I was 8 or 9 and it was at the barn I took lessons at all throughout my childhood. It was our yearly barn "show" and I was riding Dr. Kool. We were doing our trot portion of the test and we were coming around the corner up to the side that had the big open door/window that lead to the back pasture. As we past by the opening a horse in the pasture breathed (not kidding) and Dr. Kool leaped to the center of the arena and I stayed on track. It was awful... it was embarrassing... it was my life changing moment (maybe this is the one ride that impacted my life). It was on that day that I mastered the lesson of "if you fall off, get back on" little did I know just how important that lesson was. So I did get back on and finish the test and got a huge round of applause.Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-42260823258042327632011-05-09T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-09T08:00:10.947-07:00Day 4: A ride that impacted your lifeI don't really have an answer to this question. I can't think of one single ride that had a huge impact on my life. I can think on one that had a negative impact and that would be the time I came off at a hunter show. I landed on my rear and injured by back and still fight that injury on a daily basis. I really don't think that is what this question is asking, but that is all I can come up with at this moment.Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-78374742907382659672011-05-08T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-08T08:00:06.059-07:00Day 3: Favorite Horse (own/lease/ride) with description about the relationshipFavorite horse, well that's a tough one because the two I own are my favorites but for completely different reasons.<br />
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Dutchess is my first horse and will forever be my best friend/my-favorite/my-dream-come-true/the-best-first-horse-ever and that is that my friends. She and I have such a special relationship that I can't even begin to describe it. She has been with me since April after I turned 12... which is now 13 years ago and that means we have spent over half our lives together... I consider that to be quite a feat in the horse world. I can't imagine my life without her and thank God that He gave me such an amazing animal to care for me (she does a far better job at taking care of me then I do of her). She has been there through everything.... been to all the colleges with me.... all the different cities I have lived in. She saw it her duty to teach me all the important things such as:<br />
"look up and sit back" when your horse bucks<br />
"if you fall, get back on" even if the wrist is broken, the knee is twisted, or the shoulder is busted<br />
to "breathe" before every jump<br />
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She is the reason why I love to jump, I rather disliked it before owning her. She "carried" me around my first jump course at our first jump show. She won me my first blue ribbon, my first reserve champion, and took me on numerous trail rides. She was the first horse my nephew ever sat on, ever rode around on, and the first for many other kids. She always greets me with a nicker and can put a smile on my face faster then anyone. She is the trusted old friend who I call on when I just want to ride, and I know I will never experience another relationship like ours in my lifetime.<br />
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Romeo is my boy. I have always wanted a Palomino, from the time I was a small child Trigger was my horse of choice. My favorite lesson horse at the barn was a Palomino and in college the Palomino therapy horse at the barn I worked at was my best bud. I also have always wanted a horse that could be a decent dressage horse but also be able to jump.... someday fulfilling my dream to event. Enter Romeo :-) Although he is a AQHA, I always told myself my next horse would be a giant warmblood, he is tall and can move. He is young, was 4 when I purchased him, and my first horse to train. We just started our training last fall and our first show is in a month... YIKES!!! He is my current ride as Dutch is in semi-retirement giving pony rides and lessons to beginners. He is the one all my energy (and money). He has the potential to be the horse I have always dreamed of owning and I am very excited to see where the years lead us. Plus he is as handsome as they come :-)Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-5493284386882924542011-05-07T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-07T08:00:01.105-07:00Day 2: The last time you rode and what you didThe last time I rode (at the time of writing this on Thursday) was last Saturday night right before the torrential rains came that would threaten to sweep central AR off the map... not even lying!!<br />
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It was the day after our lesson with P and I hurried home and through chores to get in the saddle so that the lesson would be cemented in both mine and Romeo's brain. We worked on 1 thing.... flexion on the circle... mostly at the walk and some at the trot. Tracking left in was decent... tracking to the right.... ummm lets just say Romeo and I disagreed on which way his nose should be flexed and spent a good 20 minutes <strike>arguing</strike> discussing it.Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-35571797790709322082011-05-06T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-06T08:00:05.679-07:0030 day challange, day 1: When and why you started ridingI follow this <a href="http://solitairemare.blogspot.com/">blog</a> and have really enjoyed reading the 30 day challenge she is participating in. So I have decided to try and complete the challenge myself. I'm not sure I can do it in 30 days since I don't blog on a daily basis but I will try and write a few at a time and stay on top of this.... but warning.... it probably won't happen :-) <br />
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On to the day's question: When and why did you start riding?<br />
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Let's start with the why.... that would be because, duh, I umm LOVE horses!! No really.... since my parents can remember I have always loved horses. They have always been my favorite animal and my whole childhood revolved around them... or at least the areas I could control, lol. The toys I played with the most were my horses, every birthday and Christmas all I wanted was a horse... although at 7 I settled for lessons twice a month (my parents thought that would solve it...lol).<br />
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So I guess you could say that I started riding at age 7... actually at age 6. My first lesson was the Monday before I turned 7 :-) But I had already been on numerous trail rides seated in front of my dad and on one of our family vacations (back when as the first born the whole world revolved around me, lol) we went to this ranch were we had a cabin right next to the horse pasture where I would go and feed them carrots throughout the day and we even rented a pony for a day.Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-35896702685012598482011-05-05T09:54:00.000-07:002011-05-05T09:54:48.607-07:00A quick updateWell it has been a bit crazy around the lovely state of AR the past few weeks. We have had several of these...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sFpOtan2uME/TcLNiT7JRXI/AAAAAAAAANY/Rwu6kF519ug/s1600/Tornado_Chicot_County_Arkansas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sFpOtan2uME/TcLNiT7JRXI/AAAAAAAAANY/Rwu6kF519ug/s320/Tornado_Chicot_County_Arkansas.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://theheatmag.com/live-stream-of-tornado-in-arkansas/</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Which caused lots of damage, thankfully all the tornadoes went around me (although far too close for comfort).<br />
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Then we had more rain, and more rain, and even more rain. The rain started Saturday night (right after I dismounted) and didn't stop till late Monday evening... so just one week after the tornadoes went through we now had to deal with this....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6F-8vsVWezQ/TcLQkyat9AI/AAAAAAAAANc/ySoIlaUio3g/s1600/floodaerial01_t598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6F-8vsVWezQ/TcLQkyat9AI/AAAAAAAAANc/ySoIlaUio3g/s320/floodaerial01_t598.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2011/may/04/floods-congest-county-traffic-20110504/</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The month of April and the first few days of May have been extremely wet... which makes it kinda hard to ride when all you have is an outdoor arena.<br />
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We did get a short break last week and Thursday evening I hopped on for a short ride as we had a lesson schedule for the next day and I wanted to remind myself what we needed to work on. Boy was that ride frustrating!!!!! So glad I hopped on... as I knew exactly what I wanted to work on in my lesson!!!<br />
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This trainer was a new one, M is over an hour away and P is only 20 min away so roomie and I decided to give her a go.<br />
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It was a great lesson. I loved it and walked away feeling very satisfied with the lesson. Since this was mine and the roomie's first lesson with P it's hard to tell how training with her over the next few months will go. M has worked with roomie for years and since she only makes it there every few months M gives several exercises to work on. P spent the whole time on one. I loved this!! Maybe that's because the exercise was for the issue that has had be so frustrated that sometimes I just give up and get off :-/<br />
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That would be flexion. In our lesson with M we worked on rhythm, as that is the first step in training a dressage horse. We have also been doing lots of work at the halt with flexing and turn-on-the-forehands. Well over the last few months we have decent rhythm and our halt work is great. So now it is time to put the things together... but I had no clue how to do that..... insert P.<br />
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The lesson was extremely frustrating!! She had me working on a circle at the walk and as we went along I had to use outside rein and inside leg to push him out, the inside rein told him to flex to the inside. For a horse that understands this it is no big deal, but to a green horse it is frustrating. <br />
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Green horse + inexperienced-at-training-a-green-horse = extreme frustration<br />
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This exercise was hard for me as I forget that Romeo is further along then I think he is. And I also forget that my horse has a nasty side to him and also likes to play dumb. P would point out throughout the lesson that he does understand what I want he just doesn't like to do it because it is hard. So the whole lesson was a fight with some brilliance thrown in. <br />
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Thankfully Saturday the rain held off for a few hours after I got off work so I could get in a ride to reinforce the lesson. Tracking to the right (which ironically was the one that was terrible before the lesson) was great!! However, tracking to the left (previously our "good" side) was awful!! So we fought again for a little while and eventually got some good things to end on.<br />
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One thing I have to remind myself is to not get into a pulling match with him... both of us are stubborn and strong willed and sometimes I forget to remain soft (old habits die hard). But we are getting there and have both come such a long way!!! I can't wait till our first show in June!!!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-60531536030893110462011-04-14T11:24:00.000-07:002011-04-14T11:24:25.905-07:00Back in the saddle..... FINALLY!!Yes, you read that correctly.... the Flying Solo is finally getting back in the saddle!!!!!!<br />
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The fields are planet.... YIPPEE!!! Now all we can do is sit back and hope it grows!!!<br />
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All the other projects left can be done slowly so a little bit of work here and there should get it done in the next few weeks. It's hard work running a farm!!!<br />
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But enough about that and on to the riding part....<br />
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Good news..... I remembered how to saddle a horse!!!<br />
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Bad news..... while my mind remembered how to ride, my body didn't really corporate. One of my problems is my problematic lower back. My hips like to get out of whack and when that happens it makes riding slightly difficult. So I need to make an appointment with my pt friend to get them even again. It is so bad right now that I can feel a drastic difference in weight on my seat bones.... I can't imagine how it feels to Romeo!!!! <br />
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Romeo was excellent!!!! He was actually somewhat quiet.... very unusual for him but I was grateful. I think part of it is that now that he is by himself he enjoys any attention I give him. Works well for me;-)<br />
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We took it really slow on Tues and will for the rest of the week. Mostly due to the fact that since I can tell my hips are off I do not think it is fair to work him really hard when it it near impossible to ride correctly. Lots of walk work and just a little of trot work. I am hoping to get everything straightened out this weekend so we can get back to some hard work next week. Roomie's b-day is over memorial day weekend so we talked to trainer M about the possibility of doing a mini clinic with her for the whole weekend!!!! That would be 2 weeks before our first show and would really kick us into high gear!!!! I really hope it works out!!!<br />
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The weather has been great this week so hopefully I will get to ride tonight, tomorrow night, and maybe even Saturday night:-)Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-78586891950597199722011-03-29T10:10:00.000-07:002011-04-14T10:26:59.683-07:00Spring project pt 2Ok so the spring project has turned into a HUGE project. Turns out reseeding pastures is expensive and time-consuming. There has been little to almost no riding this month:-/ most of the free-time that we have had, which hasn't been much, has been spent on tractors, pounding t-post, and running hot fence. So, so glad we are doing this in March and not in August... but still.... it is hard work and sorta depressing that we have no time to ride.<br />
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Good news is that we only have 4 horses on the property, which makes tearing up pastures easier. Blue and Gator went off to roomie's friends place, Dutch is at my parents, and it looks like JB is headed to a new career as a therapy horse (which will be fantastic for him). Looks like we will soon be down to only 3 horses!!! OMG what will we do with only 3 horses!!! The farm already looks weird with 4. Although it is still wild as Jo and Romeo like to keep their owners on their toes at all times. Ria is definitely enjoying having her own pasture away for the annoying boys, however Romeo and Jo think that this whole solo turnout thing sucks!! I will say that I very much enjoy my accident-prone horse being all by himself. It's amazing how torn up they get when turned out together.<br />
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So the pastures are all ready for planting and we have the 5 acres around the house divided up into the planned 5 paddocks. The big 5 acre lot is not yet fenced but since the whole thing is being reseeded it is not on the priority list to be fenced. We are hoping to turn the eventually 2 small 1-horse paddocks and the 1 3-horse paddock into an area for boarders (so this farm can make some money!!!) at some point, but first we need some good grass in there.<br />
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The whole not riding thing is getting pretty depressing. The weather here in AR is so unpredictable at this time of the year. Plus it rains and rains and rains which puts off fence building and tractor work and of course riding:-/<br />
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I am so ready to get back in the saddle and gear up for the up coming show season (roomie and I's season doesn't start till June because of all the farm work). Although I might not remember how to saddle up a horse... much less ride after all this time off.Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-84277534646361568862011-03-02T09:26:00.000-08:002011-04-14T10:10:41.780-07:00Spring projectI'll start with the sad news.... Dutch is gone:-( She didn't go very far.... just down the street to live at her favorite place.... my parents backyard. She was so excited she literally jumped off the trailer and dragged me down the drive into the pasture. It makes me happy to know she was so excited to be there.... it sure is weird to not see her in the pasture with Romeo. I still see her everyday... the deal with dad is that I get free board but I do all the work. So.... I go by twice a day to feed her, which is kind of a pain but I do enjoy seeing her everyday, that sweet nicker I get every time she sees me just makes my heart smile:-) <br />
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So why did I move her? First off, my friend who has been taking lessons hasn't been coming regularly so Dutch is not longer earning her board, and it really doesn't make sense to spend that money on her when it needs to be spent on lessons for Romeo. It's part of the whole getting-your-prioritizes-straight lesson that I'm learning. So Dutch is at her retirement home for now.... :-(<br />
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As far as riding goes...... well it hasn't!!! This month has been cold and rainy which makes the arena a mess. I can't wait for the day that we can put in all weather footing!! Roomie was thinking it would be this summer however our pasture project will take all the arena footing money and then some so footing has been put off for more important things:-(<br />
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So what is the pasture project??? So glad you asked:-) We are dividing the ten acres, which currently has 1 large 5 acre pasture, 1 maybe 3 acre pasture and 3 other small pastures, into 10 small pastures. Oh and we are reseeding about 7 of the acres.<br />
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Sounds like a lot of work, doesn't it!! We are currently working on a game-plan to get it all done in a timely fashion.... we will see if it can be done!!!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-59810382116774504862011-02-10T08:00:00.000-08:002011-04-14T09:25:52.798-07:00Ready for lesson #2Well fortunately the weather held up for a weeks worth of hard work right after our first lesson. Romeo is a quick learner... much quicker then I am!!! Rhythm is coming along well for both of us and Romeo is starting search for contact. It's so much fun to see just how much we have improved in the last 6 months. I am hoping that we can get another lesson real soon, although the next week looks like a nasty, no-riding, week:-/ Also roomie and I have some major spring projects planned that we have to get started on soon which will take away from our riding time.Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577721436485728414.post-2819751000596738392011-02-01T12:39:00.000-08:002011-02-01T12:39:25.515-08:00Romeo's first lessonThursday evening roomie and I loaded up Romeo, Ria, and Jo and drove south for 2 hours. Roomie is good friends with trainer M so we stay at her house that night. Friday morning we all got up and fed the farm and had a leisurely morning talking about horses of course, lol.<br />
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Mid-morning roomie saddled up miss priss for the first lesson of the day. We had the video camera, but only 30 min of tape... for 3 lessons:-/ So we had to be very selective with taping the lessons. I taped the first part of the lesson and the last part. M is great at stopping and waiting for the camera to start rolling before launching into an explanation of an exercise. Since we really had no time frame the lessons went on till horse and rider were both tired... M is A-Mazing!!!! Roomie and Ria had a fantastic lesson, roomie was told that Ria is no longer a green horse (i've been telling her that) and she needs to stop riding her like one. Time to step up and have more expectations from her.<br />
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Next up were Romeo and I..... my first "official" lesson in a looooong time and Romeo's first ever lesson:-o I was a little nervous. I had no idea what to expect from him. He really is a calm traveler, and I can def tell he is starting to grow up a bit. At times he even acts like a steady QH and not like some crazy Thoroughbred (which he is not!) But he is 90% of the time hot under saddle. I got him saddled and let M know i was going to go lunge him for a bit before the lesson. Roomie and M made there way out to the arena shortly after and M took over.<br />
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I have only had a few lunging lessons and so I have never been extremely confident with it, so I was grateful for the advice. I too was told to treat my horse different;y. I've been treating him more like a baby but since he is almost 7 I need to realize that he is ready for hard work. M gave me some great exercises to turn this into a pivotal part of our training. 30 minutes later he was hot and sweaty and ready for riding... have I mentioned that it <strike>is</strike> was January and 60 degrees out?? Today is the first of February and freezing!! Arkansas has crazy weather!!<br />
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So I got on and it's amazing what that 30 min of lunging did... it was like riding a different horse. He was focused and ready to work. We didn't work on much, but the little things that we did work on have helped us tremendously. She gave me some great tips on encouraging correct flexion and listening to the leg aids. She worked on my position which with the inconsistent riding I had slipped into some old habits. Although some bad habits came back some are, hopefully, gone for good. She said I had great hands... wait, what??? Me, good hands??? Roomie and I had to pause and laugh, after all that is what a previous trainer said was horrible and "un-fixable".... I like to prove people wrong, lol!! She also said I had a great seat with good follow. Our walk work was really good.<br />
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The latter part of the lesson we did some trot work, now hands aren't quite as good as they are at the walk but they are getting there. Still have trouble consistently posting through the hands and out the knee. We worked on rhythm and more rhythm and more rhythm. Lol, the first layer of the dressage foundation. Towards the end M said, "quiet your brain!" That was it... it clicked and we slowed down, finally settling into a decent rhythm. Roomie said the trot at the end of the lesson was amazing and I got lots of great comments from M on his wonderful movement. Who says QH can't have great movement??? (lol I did before meeting Romeo)<br />
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2 hours later and both horse and rider dripping in sweat we headed back to the barn. Then we went to lunch and back for the last lesson. Roomie and Jo had an alright lesson. Jo acted up for most of it so she was pretty frustrated with him. M worked on her position a whole lot in both lessons so she still got a lot out of it.<br />
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The good news is that the last 4 days have been perfect riding weather so lesson on Friday followed by rides Sat, Sun and Mon. Romeo and I are doing fantastic!!!! Although I think we will need another lesson soon. He learns so quickly and I know so little about what to do next. With the new lunging exercises we usually end up working for at least an hour and a half. It feels great to accomplish so much in such a short amount of time. I think we will def be ready for a show come June. Maybe even a training level test at the end of the season:-)<br />
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Bad news is winter is back.... it has poured all day and the temperature is currently dropping fast:-/ Looks like no riding for the rest of the week.Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094384816874668091noreply@blogger.com0