Outdoor is dry!!

 

 

There is officially 6 days left before my first show of the season.

Prep for this has been a true struggle. First of all, my knee injury really knocked my confidence that I could do this. Miss Tea is not exactly an easy ride and had a pretty big winter break. She has a strong tendency towards bucking at the canter if not kept in constant work.

Miss Tea as a 7-month-old, back when all of the "show" business was just a future dream. <3

 Second, weather. Ugh. Stupid slippery snow (from which my knee was injured in the first place) then on to slippery mud in my outdoor arena at home. Trailering over to my coach's arena was my only option (fabulous but expensive).

This weekend my outdoor arena at home was finally dry enough to ride! Oh my god, it was so wonderful to just work on things at home. We cantered and there was no bucking and I even started popping over a little half cross rail.



 

I will continue with trotting over poles and looking for the soft canter on correct lead after the cross rails. I am so pleased with how she is going right now! She has a tough time in spring with the whole being a mare thing, but everything seems manageable at the moment.

My goal for this show is to just take in the Hunter/Jumper experience and give Miss Tea some exposure to a new venue over some very tiny cross rails and loads of flat classes. I'm starting to get excited about this! :)

The Psychology of People and Horses

We all have our unique personalities, quirks and patterns of behavior that knit together to make us a one of kind. Anyone who has spent a reasonable amount of time around horses has discovered each horse's personality can be just as distinctive.

When we begin the search for a horse, I am sure we all have a pretty similar list: Sound, sane, conformation suitable to our preferred discipline, etc.

And handsome of course

But what makes that one special horse and you "click"?

I have been noticing an interesting trend around the barns I have ridden at. Many of the horse/human relationships seem to have something in common...like each other! Is it just coincidence or something deeper?



Artist: Doug Grundy

 If you are lucky enough to have that heart horse, have you noticed any similarities between you and your horse's personality?

These possible "coincidences" got me thinking. Miss Tea is definitely a horse I click with and have a very good relationship with. She feels like part of the family and I know she is here to stay. So what is it that holds my heart while other horses have been easy to say goodbye to?

After going over my personality and hers, it didn't take long to see we are a lot a like...

Me:
1. Pretty easy going, but I really have a deep seeded bossiness. If you ask for my opinion, watch out because I will have all sorts of thoughts and ideas for you!
2. Anxious. I was born slightly on edge. I am jumpy. I worry. This will be a life-long struggle. :(
3. I like to attack a problem methodically in small steps and avoid looking at the big picture so I don't get overwhelmed (see anxious above!).
4. I am nice. For real. Not a people pleaser but kind and I worry about other people's feelings.
Obviously so much more to me, but these are the top four you might pick up if you met me.

Now for Miss Tea:
1. Lead mare in any herd she is put in with. Always.
2. Spooky. Always has that look in her eye saying "You want me to do what?!" even if it is just stepping over a pole she just walked over yesterday, 20 times.
3. Needs to not be over challenged or will seriously melt down. She will do pretty much anything for me, but I have to take it slowly, in small pieces and build up to what I am wanting.
4. She is nice. For real. <3 <3  Ask her farrier--she says she is one of the most gentle, cuddly horses she ever met.

Has anyone else noticed similarities? I'd love to hear it!

Love this horse.

Sleepless in show season

This is the time of year a lot of us are thinking about all the shows we are hoping to go to this year, filling out entry forms and writing a lot of cheques. When the first entry form of the year showed up in my email forwarded from a friend I was thrilled (Shows!! Right?).

Now I have a stack of show entry forms with the first show being 33 days away.

33 days away!

I haven't ridden all winter, and the one time I was on, I got hurt. Badly. I still can't bend my knee.

But this is what I do. Eternal optimist or simply a total fool.

Seriously though, this first show really is a unique opportunity that will allow me to show at a venue that I have always wanted to go to and it offers a lot of flat classes which I know I can totally handle (if my knee can by then), no matter what brain comes with my horse that day. I am entering two jumping classes: X-rail Hunter and 2'0" Hunter.

I emailed my entry yesterday, and last night I had my first sleepless night of the show season.

Spring is in the air!

This feeling is like an electric current running from the top of my head to each finger tip and toes and it is heaven! Something amazing is happening in my back yard. Snow is MELTING, birds are SINGING! I cannot contain my joy that I have quite nearly made it through another winter!

With the melt has come the idea that yes indeed I will ride again and I want to trailer to ALL the arenas and I am compiling a list of ALL the shows I will take my girl to.

I have not done any real riding since December of last year (holy crap/how did I live without my horse) but I have been getting in horse time with my almost-2-year-old filly, Shiraz. She has been learning to lounge, yield to pressure, wear a saddle and basically hang out with me and learn her job in a horse/human relationship.

Looks mas, I cans bes a ridding horse too! -Shiraz

My first attempt at riding Miss Tea last week ended in a bit of an injury for me. My girl was so amazing for not being ridden in so long and as I was just riding along, beaming from ear to ear on our awesomeness, she suddenly slipped in the snow and went down so hard, we both had the wind knocked out of us. She then got up slowly and proceeded to just stand there while I rolled around on the ground, lamenting over the unbelievable pain coming from my knee. Shock got me through to get her put away and get myself to the house. I called hubby and begged him to come home early from work and either put me out of my misery with compassionate euthanization or magically make me better with his love. :P

But not even injuries can dampen my spirits these days with warm temps and that incredible smell of horses in spring time. This is going to be a great year with Miss Tea!

Say wha? I am going where and doing what? Haha! we'll see ;) -Madam T.
 

Blog hop!

A blog hop I can relate too!

I’m A Loser, Baby

Let’s talk about your horse’s biggest fail.  What did Thunderhooves do that embarrassed you, scared you, shocked you or just annoyed the hell out of you?

To all those brave souls out there working their way through young/green horse crap, I commend your efforts. Take comfort in knowing you are not alone in that feeling when your horse leaves you lying in the dirt, sand up your nose, wrist may be broken, wondering why is my horse running around, jumping all the jumps now when I am here and NOT when I was up in the saddle. We have all at one point or another been through humiliating/terrifying moments with our horses and we all pray that the fewer people around to witness it the better.

I was not so lucky on the witness count a few years ago at Miss Tea's first horse show. It was early June and one of the first shows in our area. She was five years old but not totally broke...I knew she needed to get out and see the world before she became a yard ornament but I was certainly worried we were not ready for public scrutiny.

Our one and only class was walk/trot and yes, I was the oldest competitor. The class was scheduled for after lunch so I had tons of time to warm up and settle in. It was an outdoor show and had a great turn out. I realized quickly that walking around other horses that were trotting, cantering and coming too close was a problem - we did not have much experience with that. I survived the morning ride in the warm up area and after lunch, saddled up again for another go before my class.

Miss Tea had not settled one bit by then though. I was out in the field planning to mount. I tried to mount but the saddle slipped a little, perhaps a bit further than she was used to. She was just so clean for the show, it must have added to saddle movement. No problem, I thought. Just slip the saddle back up a bit and tighten the girth.

Everything here on in went in slow motion. I attempted to straighten the saddle. Miss Tea panicked at the feeling of it. She bolted backwards and sideways and I felt the reins slip through my fingers one millimeter at a time - and she was gone.

She first bolted towards the crowd of people, bucking and then the saddle was completely under her. She spun and ran the other way towards the open field. OH-MY-GOD the OPEN field flanked by NO fence beside a busy highway. In the middle of this open field was the warm up arena - fenced with a gate. It is quite possible she ran into the arena instead of off into the sunset because that is where we had been earlier that day to ride. I ran and closed the gate behind her and a couple people helped me retrieve her.

With the moment of terror over came the embarrassment, #Many onlookers, #Someone just kill me.

She fortunately had no injuries to her legs despite all the stirrup flopping/galloping/bucking.

And, I went in my walk/trot class. #Badass!

Miss Tea's Christmas Wish List

Contrary to what my mom says, I am a simple horse. I don't want that many things...

But there are a few items that would be nice to see Christmas morning!

So I have made a list:

1. I want a new moving box of death. You know those things. Yet get in, mom closes door, (shake-shake-shake) and POOF! You're somewhere different. I hear from my friends there are nicer, quieter, less shaky ones.

My blender on wheels.

How about this mom! Then we can see each other while we shake-shake-POOF!

Well, mom says that doesn't exist in Canada (whatever Canada is) so hooves crossed for anything better.

2. Now this one I know my mom can do. My mom helped me learn all my human/horse manners and I think I am quite a good girl. Now how about mom shows my sister some of these manners? Really, she is such a brat. Now I love her and all, but she just doesn't know when to quit!

Out of my space, sis!

I said MOVE!

Such a pain in the hindquarters.

Please mom! Give her some lessons!

3. My next wish would be for a large bowl of scrumptious, mouth-watering, brain-exploding OATS!

Mom won't let me near the stuff! She says it makes my brain fall out. But, just. one. bowl!!

4. My last item (yes, just four things. I told you I was easy to please!) is kind of for both me and my mom. You see, sometimes she's scared. I know she tries to hide it, but I can tell. My wish is for her to be brave and trust us. When she's brave, I feel like I can do anything and it feels so great! So mom, like our T says, "Ride me like you stole me!".

Won't Do's Blog Hop!

Equestrian Journey Hop: What won't you do?

Blog Hop topic from Equestrian Journey: 

        "We all like to share on our blogs what we do with our horses and what we would like to do, but I want to know what you will NOT do.  For example I will not carry a bag of feed into the middle of a herd of horses, especially if I don't know some of them.  I will not teach my horse to rear on purpose.  I will not ride my horse into a field full of loose horses that could kick me in the leg and break it.  Things like that.  I look forward to hearing what you have to share!"

 

When I first read this I laughed and thought more like what will I do because that would be the shorter list! After a bit of consideration though, I realize perhaps I have come further than I thought and that blasted list of things I won't do (or can't yet) is getting a smidgeon shorter.

 

I did not always have a huge list of "won't do's". When I was a kid growing up on a farm with my super little pony, I did everything. In fact, all the things that would give parents heart attacks and lived to ride another day.

 

As a teen, I still had that fearless nature and had no trouble working with difficult horses in all sorts of riding situations and the "won't do" list was non-existent.

 

Enter adulthood, a couple of very unsuitable horse purchases equaling is some very scary riding situations. Add on top of that a knowledge that my bones are indeed breakable and my family needs me around (at least they seem to need me when a school lunch needs to be made or the laundry hamper is full) and then you have a pretty big "won't do" list in your midst. BUT, I'm working on making it smaller!

 

So here is a look at my list two years ago (at the height of my fear) and now. Let's see just how much progress I made! 

 

My "won't do" list - THEN:

• Lead a young horse out of the fenced-in yard area.
• Ride on windy/chilly days (because horses be crazy!)
• Allow the horses to run around in the pasture without panicking inside and running to throw them some hay to stop that dangerous shit!
• Ride out in my hay field.
• Take my horse on the trailer, anywhere.

Okay, you get the idea. I was officially completely terrified. I almost quit horses at that time. But I didn't. After mucho work at concurring my issues, here is my list today:

 

• Canter in the hay field is still a firm no. I got over my fear of being out there in the open with my spooky mare. We can now walk, trot and do somewhat concentrated work out there relatively calmly without thinking I am going to die.
• Heading to a jump without a nice good warmup over at least one pole first to see where my girl's brain is at.
• Jump when I am shaking afraid. I firmly know my limits now and know when to push myself. 
• Finally, I WON'T let a coach push me to do anything I know I am not ready for. Only I can know my own limits and even though most coaches are amazing, I know myself best!

That's it for my list! That "then" list is pulverized! I can't wait to see where I am at in the future. Here's to dreaming of safe canters in an open field...:)