I've Discovered the World of Instagram

Yes, I signed up for an Instagram account devoted solely to my horsey friends. You can find me over there as myhorsenextdoor or https://www.instagram.com/myhorsenextdoor/

I'd love to follow you back! 

Riding in My First Clinic

I had a bit of an interesting experience last week.

I rode in my first clinic.

Not that that was weird or anything, on the contrary, it was quite exciting. Mostly just to be invited to ride in the clinic in the first place was exciting, since I'd only been riding at this barn for about a month.

The barn was hosting a schooling show, and the judge was sticking around to teach a clinic the next day. There were a variety of sessions. I decided to go with a group session since I never really get to ride with other people. There ended up being three of us in my session.

I rode the adorable grey pony I talked about in my last post. Apparently I get along with her really well or so I'm told. I do like her. I have a thing for ponies and mares. Weird, right? Most people avoid that category like the plague.

Anyway, the clinician had us start out my demonstrating what we knew about the rising and sitting trot and two-point. I've pretty much got my bases covered there so I did not receive a whole lot of instruction. Mostly just some stuff about learning to feel the correct diagonal instead of looking down for it. So Anna and I worked on completing some nice circles at the rising trot whole the instructor focused on the other two girls.

Then the instructor decided to work over some cavaletti next. Which I had not done with the horse I was riding. This was only my 3rd ride on her after all. But I was incredibly impressed with Anna because she took it like a pro. And honestly working over cavaletties is honestly one of my favorite things to do. It's fun. I don't know why.

But then the instructor decides to work us at the canter. Only, here's the thing, Anna doesn't canter. At least none of them had ever cantered her before. So they did not know if she could canter. But, alas, me being the willing brave soul that I am, decided to give it a go and try cantering the horse. Sometimes I think I'm crazy. But, hey! Guess what! She actually picked up a very poor but nevertheless real canter! Everyone gave a cheer for the pony. You couldn't help but be proud of the girl.

But this wasn't the end to this clinicians madness. She then decides that we ought to try cross-rails. I'm sure you already imagine my response. "This horse doesn't jump. At least I've never seen her jump...But its only like a foot off the ground, so it can't be that bad, right? Why not. We'll give it a go." Now in Anna's defense, she took the cross rail the first two times absolutely beautifully. But the third time around, well, she nearly face-plants over the thing. Said pony got a little bit clumsy. She trips over the jump, catches herself at the last minute, and it I instead who face-plant into the dirt. I'll admit. It was rather comical. She kinda just stopped and stared at me with this expression of "what happened to you?" on her face. You really can't blame her. She tries her best. So I climb back into the saddle, and we try it again. She is a good girl and remembers to pick her feet up this time. So in the end there was no harm done. Except for maybe my pride. After all I did fall of in the middle of a clinic with some wheres around fifteen people watching. Yeah, mildly embarrassing... But I reckon I'll live.

In the end, though, I learned a ton, and it was a lot of fun. Even though I fell off I'd still call the clinic a success.

Anna: New Lesson Horse

I had another lesson on Tuesday, and this time I rode a different horse that I had never ridden before. I got along a lot better with this mare than I did with the other gelding I had ridden. I think I've come to the conclusion that I just like riding mares better!

This mare's name is Anna. She's around 14.2hh I think and is in her late teens. She had the most adorable trot! Seeing as I had never ridden her before I thought our ride went really well. I was told she didn't listen to riders very well and liked to cut corners, but I thought we actually communicated pretty good together.

We mostly just did trot work, stirrup-less work, a little experimenting with two-point, and those annoying posting trot exercises...

I enjoyed riding this mare. This lesson went a lot better than the one before. So I actually felt like I accomplished something. Hoping I'll get to ride her again next week!

Back to Taking Lessons Again

Its been a good long while since I've taken riding lessons.

Actually, its been a good long while since I've even ridden.

But I figured it was time to get back in the saddle again.

I did a little internet research and decided on a new barn to try out. And after visiting and meeting the various peoples and horses, I decided I like the place! I decided to come back a week later for my first lesson.

In that first lesson it was pretty much an evaluation to see where I was. I rode a darling of a horse. A 1994 Warmblood mare named Tara. She was honestly so good she made me look good. A little too good actually. I ended up looking like I knew more about proper riding than I actually did. Woops. But an all together wonderful horse.

For my second lesson the trainer had me ride a different horse, and a little bit more of a horse than I'm used to. Ya... We actually couldn't get a trot, it was all walk to canter. That lesson was honestly a complete fail on my part. But, hey, what can you expect when I really haven't ridden in over a year?

The third lesson which was this past Tuesday, I rode the same horse. He's a quarter horse gelding named Dude. This lesson went a lot better. We actually managed a trot by the end, though we still did have several wild canters before we got there... But we did end on a good note this time.

At this point I don't really know where this is going to take me. Its been so long since I've really done anything like this. I haven't had a decent horse to work with going on close to two years. I currently feel really behind on everything, and I kind of feel like I've failed the horse world. But I've decided to give it one last shot this summer. So we'll see where that takes me.

And if anyone is wondering, Lady is happy as can be. Pretty much permanently only pasture sound. But she spends her days in the field and is a happy pony. 

The Sassy Lady Returns

Its been ages since I've written. I'm in college now so I really haven't had time to do anything worth writing about.

But Lady is doing well. She just keeps plodding away at life. She's a brave mare.

This weekend I am attending a huge Horse Expo. So maybe I'll have something interesting to report after that!

In the meantime I'll just leave you with some cute pictures of Lady Lou being as sassy and adorable as always!

I Miss My Horse

I told a friend, the other day, that I missed my horse.

Being at college that statement is not a very surprising one. A lot of students around here state that they miss their pets.

My friend smiled at me and told me that break is coming up, and that means I should get to see her soon!

I nodded.

She then added knowingly, "That's not the horse you were referring to, was it?"

She was right.

I do miss Lady. I have not spent nearly as much time at home with my pony as I would like. I miss her sassy glares and her tolerance of my presence. I like to imagine she misses me as well. Though its far more likely she just misses the treats I bring...

But when I stated I missed my horse. Well.

Mya.

Honestly this is a relatively new emotion. You can imagine for awhile the thing I felt when I thought of her was sadness mixed with pain.

Grief.

But I was also relieved that she was no longer suffering. It is so hard to watch your pet suffer.

But now, I feel like those feelings have started to diminish.

Now I just miss her.

I walk through a tack store and I end up saying things like, "Oh hey! Mya's loves those brand of treats! I should get a bag," or "That color would look great on Mya." I miss spoiling her.

Mya was truly "my" horse. Perhaps it is the connection we have with our first horse, or perhaps she was just truly special. But I miss that connection. With Mya sometimes it felt like we had almost a telepathic connection. In all reality we were just in tune with the way each other worked and moved.

She was truly my horse.

And I miss that.

I'm not saying she didn't have her flaws. She did. I had mine too. I regret not doing so many things with her. If I let myself I would just beat myself up in side about so much of that. But the past is the past and I cannot change it. For all our flaws, I think the few short years we spent together were remarkable. She taught me so much. I honestly due believe she made me a better person. I thank her for that. She was a gift to me. She was a beautiful gift.

Sorry if this post was horribly depressing. I was just feeling very nostalgic! I'm hoping to write up another post very soon to let you all know how Lady is doing. I ordered her a new winter blanket the other day which I am dying to try on her. If she ends up looking as adorable (and slightly annoyed) as I think she will, it should make for a great picture! 

Boots and Blues

Writing on this blog has gotten a bit harder these days. The reason is quite obvious I suppose. But I also sometimes feel like I just don't do anything worth while with horses these days to write about.

I feel like I've lost touch.

I haven't really ridden in months. I haven't really ridden a horse I own in about a year.

But what I have come to realize these last few weeks is that my calling with horses wasn't to be an Olympic rider or even a good rider. But what if my calling with these animals was simply to give unwanted horses a loving home. I don't know what would have happened to Mya if I hadn't taken her. And while we only had three short years together and I made a lot of mistakes, I like to think that I gave her a happy place to live out her final days.

And that thought makes me more content. I am not here to be a great trainer or rider. I am here to provide a horse who no one else wanted with an environment suited to a happy content horse. And knowing I made a difference in at least one horse's life makes it worth it.

Mya taught me a lot. More than any horse ever has. And I am still learning from her. I truly believe that one feisty bay mare has made me a better person. Maybe that was her purpose.

The mistakes I made with my first horse have taught me a lot of lessons. And I think Lady is happy to benefit from those mistakes.

She has now been wearing the boots for several weeks and I have seen a huge improvement. It has made THAT much of a difference. Just the other day I went to let her out into a different pasture (like many of you I'm sure, I rotate pastures) and she went through the gate and took of galloping. I was astonished! I have never seen her gallop before! Complete with bucking head tossing and the works! I was kind of afraid she was going to hurt herself. But nope! She was just happy!

Here is what they look like on her.

So let me say, if you have a severely foundered horse that normal shoeing is not helping, hoof boots work.

Pasture pony looking shiny! :D

The only downside to these is that they get wet easily and they tend to rub their legs. Because they get wet you have to take them off every day to clean them out. You want to make sure now fungus or anything grows in there and infects the hoof. I've dealt with white line disease before and I am avoiding it at all costs. I put gold bond medicated foot powder inside the boots and that seems to be working well. The rubbing has been a bit of an issue though. I try to keep a close eye on it and even put vet wrap around her legs most days to protect them. I did some research and actually found pastern wraps that are specifically for that and I ordered them. (but my package appears to be lost in the mail so we're still working on that...) But over all using hoof boots has been the best thing for Lady yet. I've been happy with the results.

Her eyes aren't running, that's where I applied roll-on fly spray a few minute before.