Wednesday, August 26, 2009

As the saying goes "No hoof, No horse"

Or in my case no shoe, no barrel racing. :( So yesterday I took Satin to go barrel racing at the local farm I wrote about in my last post and I unloaded her off the trailer to find she had thrown a shoe. I was disappointed to say the least especially because she is the kind of horse that never loses a shoe! She is due to be shod in 4 days though and the mud doesn't help. Luckily my farrier was able to run out this afternoon and get her shoe on so I can take my lesson tomorrow because we have not had a lesson in quite a while between my schedule and my trainer's. Anyway I was lucky enough to catch a ride last night on my barn owner's mare doing the poles. The mare shoots off like a rocket as soon as she get anywhere near the vicinity of the ring at barrel shows and poles is her best event I think. It was my first time gaming on her and we did well got it in 28 seconds.

Anyway now I will back up to where I left off last Tuesday when I was taking Satin barrel racing. As I predicated she was ready and raring to go! She was really on top of her game. Our barrels were awesome! It was the best she has ever run the barrel pattern. She did it in 19 seconds, not to shabby for what many would call an old lady, if I do say so myself :) Not only did she have a great time, but her turns were also great! Then we had barrel dash which is Satin and I's best and favorite event. We did it in 9 seconds and ended up winning money in it! We were first place in 2D! It may have only been $12, but I couldn't have been happier or prouder of my little mare. Then we finished up with the poles. Satin has awesome changes which is great for poles, but she doesn't go as quickly through them as others. We did it in 30 seconds which is pretty much our usual time. The poles at this farm are pretty tight and running them in the direction of home Satin just wanted to rocket through the line instead of weave through LOL! But we made it work and I was happy with her performance. So all in all I had a great night and was really happy and proud of our runs. Now we are looking forward to going next week (with both shoes on!).

So in between last Tuesday and this Tuesday there isn't too much too tell. We have mostly been riding in the back of the farm where there is a path that is like a small loop through the trees behind the paddocks. It is nice in this heat because our ring is like the Sahara desert so it is about ten degrees cooler under the trees. I have mostly been riding her bareback or in the bareback saddle so tomorrow in our lesson will be her first time doing real work and being in the ring in 2 or 3 weeks so that should be interesting, but is definitely needed. I wanted to work her in the ring today, but I couldn't ride her because she did not get her shoe back on til sometime this afternoon and my only time to ride was in the morning. So I rode one of my barn owner's horses instead bareback on that path. The mare is blind in one eye, but very calm and well behaved and not the least bit spooky. She has the MOST comfortable trot ever! She can be in a super extended, fast trot and you can still sit it with no problem whatsoever, its nuts! She is even more comfortable at the trot than our friend Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse, who is a gaited horse made for being able to sit to a comfy trot, and this horse I rode is a QH! My friend was riding one of our barn owner's other horses, a chestnut appendix gelding who I love. He is my buddy, but I had never really ridden him before except once for like 2 minutes. So in the end we switched for a few minutes. He has lactic acid build up which causes him to suck back and be very lazy, so he can be a pain in the butt about moving forward and what not, but he is generally a good boy.

On the non-horsey front, this past weekend I had to go up to New Hampshire for my cousin's 2nd bridal shower since I am a bridesmaid. The shower went well and NH was very nice though it was a very long drive. The wedding is right around the corner now, only about 6 weeks away. I am excited, it should be lots of fun. Unfortunately school is right around the corner as well. Classes start September 1st and my question is where did the summer go? I feel like it went by so quickly. Ughh :( I am sad that my friends are all leaving to go back up to school, but we are already planning lots of visits.

Tomorrow I am looking forward to my lesson and this weekend we have the big National Standardbred show and the Horsepark. Last year I rode my friend R's stb Larry in the western, but because of a few different reasons we were unable to get the riding practice in he needs so I won't be riding him this year. I am just going to relax and enjoy the show this year. Though I doubt I will do much relaxing. I already promised to play show mommy to 2 of my friends that will be showing in quite a few classes that day, plus playing photographer to them as well and I am sure I will be helping in the set up and running of the show since I am friends with everyone in charge and an extra hand is always needed. That show is Sunday and the night before they are holding a Battle of the Breeds, the Standardbreds vs. the Thoroughbreds with a bbq to follow. So it should be a fun weekend and I am looking forward to it.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Busy, Busy, Busy

Max


Flo




So I have been such a busy bee lately it has caused me to become a slacker on here and for that I apologize, but I am going to attempt to do some catching up now. Anyway so last time I wrote I was filling you guys in on my upcoming western pleasure, horsemanship, trail show. Unfortunately the show ended up being rained out. I was there all morning and around noon they closed the park down because extreme lightning storms were heading our way. They hit just as we began unloading the horses back at home so lucky we left when we did!

Anyway, in other news I spent all of last week upstate at my friend J's house. J is the one who gave me my horse and she has a beautiful farm in upstate N.Y. My family was up with me for most of the week and we spent most of our days at the dude ranch we have been vacationing at for years that is coincidentally right around the corner from J's house. So I spent my days going on the trail rides at the ranch all day as much as possible, which I do enjoy. I am friends with most of the people working the rides there so we goof around and have a good time. A lot of the people there ask me if I really enjoy it since I ride all the time, but I said yes it is still a vacation for me. At home if I want to ride I have to groom and tack up the horse myself, plus un-tack, hose, spray, etc. when I am done. Plus I don't trail ride everyday we have to work some days and when I do trail ride if she acts up or whatever I have to correct her. At the ranch I just get on and ride no grooming and tacking and go and do whatever.

While I was up there I also spent time riding J's horses. J has a 3 year old palomino, paint, QH filly. She picked her out based on her ad site unseen and she was to be our little project. J just wanted a nice horse to mostly trail ride, but this filly is just way to fancy to not show so she said I would show her since she is not interested in showing. She is a born and bred western pleasure and english pleasure filly (obviously the western pleasure aspect being my focus). She will also do well in halter, showmanship, trail, and horsemanship. Anyway now she is 3 and has had some training in her knows her leads, working on changes, etc. She is in that growing stage so since I only see her every few months she grows so much in between. She has really filled out and looks like a horse now compared to the way she looked when she first came as a just barely 2 year old. J has a trainer working with her and a girl riding her to keep her in shape since J is always super busy with one project or another like building her new barn so she doesn't have enough time to give her the riding she needs right now. The girl rides her English and took her to a show and she looks cute, but I can't wait to get her really working on western pleasure. The trainer has been riding her both. I rode her in the ring a little while I was up there and she seems to be coming along nicely. She is very, very good for a 3 year old. J and I took her and our friend's gelding Max out on some trail rides on roads and what not and she was very good about it. She is a sweet and quiet baby.







While at J's I also rode our friend's horse Max. He is a 9 year old grey gelding. He is a little green, but our friend who owned before began training him for reining and he knows a lot. His sidepass is awesome! He moved right off stayed perfectly straight and even all the way across and moving with nice momentum, none of that start-stop stuff. While The filly will be my next pleasure horse this horse is going to be my next reining/barrel horse. I did the barrel pattern with him and his turns were awesome. You don't really even need to use your hands, if you just use your leg in the right spot he moved around it perfectly. I only did it at a trot since he is pretty out of shape, but still. I also did the poles which he did nicely as well. I wish his owner C would send him down here or I had more time to go up there and work with him and the filly too of course. They are both going to be really awesome horses in their respective disciplines with some more riding.

Anyway though I enjoyed my time upstate I did miss my girl so it was nice to get home to her. Tomorrow we are going to a local farm that does jackpot barrels, poles, and dash every Tuesday, so I am excited about that. Satin has been very hyperactive since having a few days off so she should be ready to go Lol! I will let you know how it goes ... stay tuned :)