Rain, Rain, go away.......oh i give up

no post is complete without a picture of India!!

Ok so it's been raining here a lot, like someone dumped a bucket of water on us. The indoor has been under construction and last time i looked at the outdoor a pirahanna almost got my foot and India spooked at a shark......sooo the only available place is the indoor roundpen. Don't get me wrong i like our roundpen its just that after a week of not being able to ride because of school then when i do get the chance all we have is the roundpen....frustrating. There is a lot of stuff we can do in the round pen but i can't work on anything thats not in circle, that includes working on simple changes which we almost had down to three steps...once again frustrating. India also can't go outside because it's so wet, now when most of you think "oh the field is wet and there is some standing water but mostly puddles" ok, no, when i say wet i mean there is almost 1 foot of water in that field. So i'm going to introduce you guys to some of my fav animals that happen to reside in barns that i am in or used to be in

Enjoy!!

so this is Lovey, who is a thirteen hand pony and is the sweetest pony ever....not even kidding.....ever and she has been on here before!! if anyone remembers the escaping pony?? yep thats her.

this is Rosetta and Baron, we used to own Rosetta, and got two HOT babies from her. and the other is Baron, we think he was abused and has people issues, so he only really likes his owner, who does equine massage!! So Rosetta and Baron are two lucky ponies!!

so this is roxi, Rosettas daughter, who we own, but is now for sale, because she is really really HOT. Incredibly sensitive.

This Prissy, and she lives up to her name. She also likes to be scratched on the butt with a pitchfork :)

And so without further ado...meet the horse that taught me shoulder-in!!!
This is Viki who my mom used to ride, but she has navicular and she is just more comfortable not being ridden.

This is sage, i took some lessons on her and she is great!!

(that's not me riding her)

Hope you guys enjoyed!!

Harmony Farm Show

Sorry for not writing about this sooner.....my bad!!

Anyways i did training level test 3 and 4, because this was Indie's first show in a year and i wanted to do something easy. I really enjoy these two test because i can really see how USDF (or whoever makes the tests) is really trying to ease riders up to the next level. While i was learning them, i was thinking "oh that sets you up for a lengthening, and this is for leg-yield" Very cool realization. So when we got there i went to school in the ring with some others from my level, and india spazzed out the entire time. She was spooking at everything. I could see the wheels turning in the other riders minds "wow look at that paint.....if it gets any closer i'm gonna die...........AHHHHH!!!!!"

But Yeah.......anyways we eventually worked all the energy out of her till she was puffing. Then the next day me and M walked over to the jumper show next door, because the jumper always have the cool stuff. There were two mobile tack shops, not one but two!! I got some sexy tall boots that were about $200, but i got them on sale for $35, Go Me!!

Then the Trainer wanna-be rode her fourth level test.....it was painful to watch. She had this poor horses head almost on his chest. I would have given her a piece of my mind if number one: i was a legal adult and number two: i spoke dutch.

damn language barrier

Back to my ride. First was test three and India was really good, i however was a basket case. I pulled it together long enough to pull a 60% out of a hat. Then another girl did test three, after her was me...again.

Note: i HATE being first, i like to watch someone do the test before me so i know i'm about to do the right one.

Test Four i was a lot less nervous and India was more impulsed so we pulled off a 67%

i was so proud of her!! i don't know if anyone remembers but last show we got a 53% and 58%

Next Show i'm going to be doing first level test one and might be doing test two also.

We ended up winning JR high point and JR training level champion, and as i was walking back to my stall all at once thousands of fans that wanted my autograph desended on me!!!..........just kidding! :)

Happy Holidays!!

Here's a video for you vultures ;)

Yep me and indie!! you can mute the video, it won't hurt my feelings :)
I however would just like to point out that India was a bit tired before i got on, because she had decided to run around in the pasture like a neurotic show jumper and her pasture antics were not going to hamper my plans for riding.

Ok i'm going to shut up and let you watch the video.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I Was Sickly :(

I'm so sorry guys, i was sick for about two weeks and just didn't ride at all, and by the way that's a really bad picture but it's the only one my friend took that wasn't on the other side of the arena (which is huge by the way, picture doesn't do it justice) making us look like little flys over there.

After i got better though we started progressing leaps and bounds!! :D
We started working on more serious lengthenings and......drum roll please........haunches-in.
Its at the same time one of the the most difficult movements and one of the easiest movements i've ever ridden. It takes so much work to get her correct with her haunches in towards the inside, but once i get it its like we've been doing it our whole lives. Of course one side is easier than the other, but that's to be expected.
We also started working on sitting down and really elavating her front end, before she was almost level with some moments of downhill. No more will downhill ever be acceptable, it's uphill all the way!! :D

And shoulder-in has been confirmed!! yeah!! so i have about 1/4th of second level....and about 2/3rds of first level (darn lengthenings!!)

AND!! i have unofficially been offered a working student position at the big fancy dressage barn down the lane!!! The trainer i'll be getting lessons from is a Grand Prix rider who is fantabulous!!
I'm also now riding another ladies horse, named Austa. Who is a second level drop out, she was injured and kind of has selective listening abilities and her owner, bless her heart only walks and really doesn't know how to ride dressage yet, she's getting there though. So Austa needs some tuning up.

Cantersss.........THEN WALK!!!

i had a lesson today with awesome trainer (that should be her official name) who is going to be giving clinics at my barn :D once a month and guess who's the ideal demo rider......oh yeah!!
although that might be because awesome trainer is also my madre....but whateva
and we might be putting on a dressage show some time (i personally think we should name it after India.....but that's my thought). I'm really excited this would be the first dressage show ever at a mainly western/hunter jumper barn......this should be interesting
so back to the lesson it was in the indoor arena because it was raining cats and dogs outside. and India was really good during warm up and if horses could speak it would have sounded like this "yes ma'am........yes ma'am.........ummm not a chance... *WHOMP*.....yes ma'am"
yeah...she needs some tough love every once in while.
then my lesson got started and it was quick-rapid-fire-drill-Sergent-trainer, each command came two seconds after the last one. and it sounded like this shoulder-in...half-halt... walk...trot...shoulder-in...lengthen...what!!! did i hear that right?? Yep India did her first baby lengthening today!!! Yeah!!! and if i might add, she did really well. It only took us three tries to get it right.
then we moved on to canter work, and did a couple walk canters then back down to trot. Then trainer announces (loudly i might add) that we are going to be working on canter-walks, the epitome of awesomeness. This one took longer than the lengthenings did about 6 tries before we got two really amazing ones. she was cantering then boom we're walking. i am so happy!!!
ever since the last mary clinic when i saw ms. A do one, its been my ultimate goal to do a canter-walk...and i just did one!!! i'm so excited!!!.......can you tell??

my expectations are low ok?? that way i'm never dissapointed, but this one was high...at least for me anyway......YEAH!!!!

Really short post :)

so i have finally narrowed down some names for Indies show name.

first: Taa Halona= seed of good fortune in Navajo (i think)

second: Nova Mika= smart raccoon chases butterfly's in Cherokee

third: Soyala= winter solstice in a native American language that escapes me at the moment

It would be super great if you guys could tell me which you like better, because i just can't decide :)

so please bear with my indecisiveness, i'll probably decide eventually :D

Witchy Pony

OK so on Saturday Bad Pony cocked an attitude, and basically went "SCREW YOU!!!"
what she was doing was flipping her head up then getting stiff to the point where i couldn't steer. My hand was behind my saddle and her neck hadn't even turned toward the direction she needed to go to avoid hitting said hard metal fence (i would know, I've been run into it on numerous occasions).
Seeing as it was getting dangerous i asked my trainer to get on, and she couldn't steer her either, that's when you know it's really bad. By this time she was literally running into the wall , so awesome trainer went and got some twine and we made some Vienna Reins.
Or sliding side reins, i have provided you guys with a model complete with indie colored horse.

Basically what they do is when her head is down she feels nothing, they could be on or off makes no difference, but when she flips her head up she gives herself a jerk in the mouth. She figured it out really quickly and i had control back!!
On Sunday when i rode her (still in vienna reins) she was a perfect angel, and we even went outside!! It's been so muddy here was no point in even going outside.
So the show in Sept. is tempararily back on!!
I'm still waiting to see what she feels like closer to time, i really don't want to go then have no control. that. would. suck.

The Give

So i have been seeing a lot of debates about getting the horse into a frame. First of all i HATE that word with a passion. That is what gets people into trouble, because it implys that the horse puts their head in one spot and never moves from that spot no matter what. It is impossible to do that while riding dressage, the horse has to move their head, it's essential.
What i was taught was to do the give, which is thousands of minute adjustments.
The give is by John Lyons, in his book Lyons on horses (hehe lions on horses :)
First you apply steady pressure on one rein. keep the pressure the same, don't increase or decrease. When the horse gives to the pressure, you should see a loop in the reins. Release the pressure IMMEDATLY, that part is really important, it has to be the second they give to pressure. Keep increasing how far they have to turn their head to release the pressure, do this until they give and almost touch your knee.
Now you can start the down part of the give. Put as much pressure as you did in the beginning on the inside rein and put a little less pressure on the outside rein.
In this situation the horse has two options A: hold on to the bit and not let go and keep the annoying pressure in his mouth or B: put his head down.The reason they have to put their head down is because the inside rein says give and the outside says don't turn your head, the only option is down. Some horses when they first start this go up, if they do just keep the pressure until they go down, then release all the pressure immediatly.

Don't expect them to keep it there in the sweet spot as we call it at my barn, really great riders might do the give or some form of it thousands of times in a ride, it's so small you don't see it. Thats where the myth of the frame came about, people saw the horses head seemingly not moving and assumed that the rider had taught the horse not to move his head.
This is also where Rolkur came from people struggling to get something that doesn't exist, so they just started pulling their horse's mouth. If your horse has a "frame" it's wrong

Totally Estactic!!!

Indie is such a good girl, she has been listening to me so well. And for the first time i let someone else besides the the three people i trust on her. Now it's not that i don't trust the human, it's the horse i'm worried about. Like last time, she took off and refused to stop. Not. A. Pretty. Day.

I let the resisdent western/dressage convertee who just started taking lessons from my trainer, on indie to feel what a dressage horse is supposed to feel like (she rides an exworking cowhorse/dressage horse convertee, that is as stiff as a board)

I got on Cocoa while she was on Indie, and tried to get her to give and relax and stretch, it was like she had swallowed a broomstick. We made some progress and then switched horses.

Indie was good for me too, and we kinda tweaked with her canter transitions, to get them more clear cut.

And we have officially (thats right its official) been told we can do training level with our eyes shut and first level with a little more difficulty, yea!!......can we do second yet?? Apparently not judging by trainers face when i asked.

I swear i need to get her one of those hats that says "the trainer has spoken"

It fits her perfectly

This same day i also got to ride Austa, a second level drop out, who has absolutly no muscle mass what so ever (or as K says "flabby Mcflabbers") But she was a cool ride, she remembers leg yield, and sorta kinda shoulder-in, she even cantered a little. Cantering was a big deal,because when i say no muscle mass what so ever, i mean theres none, i was feeling her when i groomed her, nothing. Absolutly nothing. It's like fat and bones, and thats it.

Big collective ewwws followed that discovery

OMG I DID IT........

from this




to




this...
i did it, i finally relaxed enough to let India really shine. i mean come on look at that she is gorgeous and the first picture is just blechh
she looks just like her daddy :)
except cuter...
and prettier...
and more compact...
and more colorful...
and......more huggable :)
and i el-oh-vee-ee her
she's amazing
i knew she was the whole time but now everyone can see it and i don't think I've gotten more compliments on her ever
all i heard was "she is so relaxed and happy she must really like dressage"
and "she is so pretty"
oh yes that she is

now what was i saying about FEI junior test??

...


oh yeah

watch out

there's a storm coming

there's a storm

practically a hurricane

but smaller
so i guess more like a tropical storm

see ya in 6 days :)

i love you indie <3

Canter Issues

I swear it's not me!!......help me

OK i feel really dumb
but this happens every time we have an issue
so what's really wrong is me (darn it...)
i have been shifting her to the outside to ask for canter and putting weight on her inside leg
which is the one i was trying to get *smackshead*
OK new plan
shift to the inside and keep her straighter

And did i mention that we rode in the indoor??
yes we did!!
and India was supah!!!
we did some seriously awesome shoulder-in, and leg-yields

Her trot is finally where i want it, she is listening to my half-halts and is staying with me
before it almost felt like she was trotting out from under me (not a good feeling)
so just hang in there with us we are gettin closer every ride

OK show schedule 2009

July: cancelled :P

September: Harmony Farm schooling show

October: Tala Lake schooling show

November: Harmony Farm schooling show numero dos

December: Tala Lake Schooling show numero dos

Which one, which one?? :]
i think it's gonna be the november Harmony farm and the december tala lake
India just needs some more show experience before we start doing first level shows and rated shows

What do you guys think??

Theory Numba Two

Alright time for a second theory :)


i know way too many theories (she's probably just being bitchy, but i like this theory





Get ready for it.......








.........





India is tired of doing dressage all the time


(frankly so am i, i love dressage but sometimes i get really tense and it doesn't end well)





i know you are all wondering how i came up with this brilliant theory





aren't you??





OK well we went on a really long and mud filled trail ride









See?? lots of mud


and i asked India to canter (in the only non-mud filled area)


and off we go cantering away (on the right lead!!!)





F you, horse





F you





and then i jumped a little log!!


i would show you guys a picture but my friends were laughing too hard to take one


it was about 18 inches and wasn't even a real cross country jump, it was a limb that fell next to a cross-country jump. But I'm telling you i thought i was gonna die!! (from laughing so hard)

and once again off we go cantering on the right lead

thanks horse




(you never said i had to canter in the arena, i thought you meant a little later)





so on that note India's gonna get a visit from the vet to see if she can officially start to jump again

yea!! vet visits!! :(

I blame the turnout!!

I do. I blame the turnout situation, for india's canter issues.

Here's my logic (so far.......)

A: india is not being turned out enough

B: paddock was disgusting

C: india goes crazy when i try to canter

so..... A+B+C= India is going crazy because she is not being turned out and has too much energy

That's my logic and i'm sticking to it......unless of course turning her out doesn't help, then i'll have to come up with another plan.

Let me explain exactly what she is doing. I ask for canter and she trots faster, i try again and use stronger aids again she trots faster, this continues until she explodes and canters around like an idiot. I am asking just like i did before: inside seat bone goes forward outside goes back, let her have a little rein and kick.

you know on second thought...........i think my logic might be flawed...........a little bit

But i still want to rule it out, so i'm going to try.

FEI junior test HERE WE COME!!!!

Wow India was amazing today!!
i started with walk halts then moved on to leg-yield halt leg-yield then did some stretchy trot swoops (many circles/serpentine....like things) and by this time she was already waiting for me and soft AND moving off my left leg about as well as she ever has....it's still not perfect...but I'll save that for a later date.
So i started sitting trot and it was effortless!!, sitting trot has always been really easy for me but today effortless, i could have sat her trot for hours (if it hadn't been 97 degrees) And for about two weeks i have been trying to get her to listen to me better. No not to go forward, but to BRAKE!!
And today i felt like i really OWNED IT!! that's right half-halts i OWN YOU!!! and whoa i OWN YOU TOO!!! MUHAHAHA!!!!!
*coughs*
sorry :]

Just give me about two years to conquer the gate into the indoor arena and we will be kicking their FEI ASSES!!!!!

So on to lateral work......whats there to say besides stunning!! :)

she even did shoulder-in going right AND canter leg-yields.......in the SAME ride!!!

speaking of canter we did it both directions (yea!!!) we've been having trouble picking up the correct leads

( i keep wanting to say right lead as in the correct lead but then i realize that right is also a direction *smackshead*)

so today we just kept at it until she got it, then got praised profusely by that crazy midget on her back that insists on the correct lead ;)

And to top it off i was looking at the USDF directory first level test one and realized with the exception of lengthenings i could do that test in my sleep!! (depending on if india wants to canter that day O_0)

(and now some lyrics from the musical Chicago)

There's really nothing to it!!! i just simply cannot do it alone!!!!

Another OTTB

Sinduda isn't that the coolest name, 5yo dark bay gelding yea!!! the gelding bus has made another stop!!, 15.3hh yea!!! playful personality, sound yea!! don't see that to often , too slow to be a successful racehorse.Asking $2000 Horse is located at Pleasanton Track, Pleasanton umm.....where is pleasanton, CA pretty pony, pretty pony, why liveth so far away, pretty pony??

ok as always

red is bad bad bad

green is oh goody!!

pink is kinda not good

blue is my comments

isn't he a cutie?? i think i like this one better than the last one. (at least he's gelded)

and the price would be about the same as the last one after you gelded the other one, so price isn't a big deal, wow the only bad thing i found was he lives in california (too far away if you ask me)

i REALLY want this one!! look how cute he is!! does anyone want to buy him for me for my birthday?? .................................................no takers?? thanks guys, love you too :P

BUT!!! (theres the BIG BUTT!!!! *snickers* sorry inside joke......moving right along)

if YOU, yes you want to buy him or check him out you can call Owner/Trainer Ron Wallace 510-307-6719

OR go to this website http://www.canterusa.org/california/norcallistings.htm

(ps: to find him scroll ALL the way to the bottom, i promise he is down there.....somewhere)

Hot as H-e double L

It was so hot today. And the temperature thingy was lying to me it said 86 degrees.....LIES!!!! It was not 86 DEGREES today it was more like 205 degrees, i know what 86 feels like, NOT 86.

I am working a horse camp this summer, so i was at the barn from 8:00 to 5:30 (half of that was watching chillens and eating Popsicles :). there was one little boy who couldn't get his pony to move and just about cried! He is my little man :). We kept telling him to kick her and get mad but he couldn't reach her sides so he just sat there flapping around. I love that little kid, and another pony that combined are my little men!! I love them.

So on with India, i rode in the dressage arena (it was really hot...) and we did some really slow canter :) that is exciting because i recently got India to GO!! darn it!! she's tracking up!!..............now she just won't slow down, it's the recurrence of that stupid pendulum...but we did a ten meter circle stop before the rail and it worked!! YEA!!!!

i'm tired night-night :)

Rain Rot, Mud Fever, Scratches....whatever you want to call it

OK imagine this on all four of India's pasterns, the reason for this??
the ridiculous amount of mud in all the pastures (except the lesson horse's that boarders aren't allowed to use....typical) all of the horses are getting it. As soon as one clears up another gets it

and i think i will permanently smell like Budeaux's butt paste.(did i spell that right??)
After i cleaned her pasterns with antibiotic soap, i put the butt paste on to keep it clean. hopefully it will work

PS: i HATE rain rot!!!!

We got RUN OVER

I really wish someone had taken a video of it. it must have looked like the video of the harness horses where they all run into each other.

there was a hunter/jumper show at my barn, i wasn't in it but i snuck into the warm-up ring, just to ride in the hectic warm-up ring, good show experience. India was being a very good girl, even though NONE of the people could turn their horses without using a fence. They were all up in my space!!

There was one poor girl, i don't know who put her on this horse, but they should have been slapped upside their head. She couldn't make him turn, trot, canter, stop, or jump. She had NO control at all. All this horse did was bolt, rear, buck, and refuse to go.

They had to lunge him for an hour, attempt to ride him for another hour, just to do an equitation class where he bolted four times and threatened to rear. She was obviously a green rider too. Didn't know what to do when he refused. Didn't know how to canter properly. And the only advice the trainer gave her was put your hand on your butt and kick him as hard as you can. Which only made him flip around in a circle.

So i was on Indie talking to my trainer, when she did that flipping thing RIGHT BEHIND me, ok well suprise suprise he was so wigged out, that he started to canter sideways(dunno how he did it, it wasn't a leg yield, it was sideways, cantering SIDEWAYS)

He ran right into India's butt, India almost fell down, but recovered and took off cantering. Lucky i didn't fall off, cause when i got india to stop he was still cantering sideways. I'm serious it was one of the scaryiest things ever. If India had fallen down i'm pretty sure he would have run right over us and made a Paige and India flavored pancake. (i think we would have tasted pretty good honestly, yum....pancakes :)


So other than nearly dieing, it was a pretty good day :)

India Updates

ok so some updates......

Numero Uno: we are officially moving India to TLEC tomorrow!!! i have picked out my stall and everything, all we need to do is move the gear and pony. it is a really nice Equestrian center

it has (get ready) three arenas, one outdoor jumping arena, one outdoor dressage arena, and one indoor arena. it has a cross country course

by the way here are some pictures of it (up there)

Numero Dos: India is wearing the dreaded muzzle again!!.....because someone asked me when her foal was due 0_O

Numero.....threeo: i got her a snazzy new halter, thats plaid!! it's maroon and black with some grey accents and it's a break-away!!!

But i Can't Help it!!!!! Look at Him!!!!

Baby Rusch

Baby Rusch,(that would have to change, i'm thinking Chimera) black bay colt(drool), 16.0(do you think i would look like a pea up there??) hands, 6 years old. Hubba, hubba(a what???) – this horse is a HUNK(I AGREE!!), absolutely gorgeous! Beautifully put together(i love his butt), this boy looks like a power house, but with the elegance for which Thoroughbreds are bred. Baby Rusch is still intact (SAY WHAT!?!?!???)so he could be sought after for breeding (umm...no)or he could easily be gelded(gelding bus here we come!!) and you’d end up with a horse who has the looks of a stallion(a verryy sexy stallion) and the personality of a pet. This horse is super sweet and respectful(i could use some of that!!) with a very intelligent, but soft eye. His trainer describes the horse as a VERY good mover and from what we saw, we fully agree(me too!!!). The trainer only has the horse’s best interest in mind(awww) and wants to see him go to someone who values the boy the way he does(aawww....again). Unfortunately, he had a suspensory injury last week and full diagnostics have not yet been completed. Based on this type of injury, he will most likely be looking for a non-jumping home (not really an issue i can't jump anyway)and a certain amount of layup(don't you have to do this anyway??) will be required, but this horse is clearly worth it. This horse is STUNNING(swoons), you will not be disappointed! $500,(are they for serious??? i'll pick him up next week!!!) with special considerations to the perfect home.(me!!! right here!!! pick me!!!)

pink= kinda bad

red= bad bad bad

green=yea!!

blue= my comments

ok i don't need another horse and i'll never ever in a million years convince my parents to get another horse.....BUT HE'S SOOOO PRETTY!!!!!!! *pouts*

i discovered this boy yesterday and so far no progress has been made toward convinceing the parents to go see him (believe me i have been trying) but i'm not too hopeful with the economy and all, i don't think it's gonna happen (but don't worry if i do get him i will definatly tell you guys ;)

since i probably won't be getting him i really hope someone else will and blog about him (so we can ALL drool over his gorgous pictures!!!)

after seeing this horse i think i'm hooked on OTTBs <3

does anyone want to buy him and let me ride him???

seriously if you want to buy him contact Jeremiah Englehart 516-770-0085

and he will set you up with your own DROOLWORTHY STUD!!!!!

maybe i should post an available OTTB every (what day is it??)...........OH!!!! thursday!!!

(many pretty horses to drool over!!)

i was feeling left out.....

*wow i really underestimated how much fun that would be*

1. How old were you when you first started riding?

ummm..... about two

2. First horse ridden:

a pony named Noel

3. First horse trotted on:

a QH horse named T Joe

4. First horse cantered on:

my mom's friend's rocky mountain spotted pony, lacy

5. First Horse fallen off of:

Lacy (second time cantering)

6. Most recent horse fallen off of

india (there was a deadly plant intruding into the arena)

7. Most terrifying fall:

i was riding cappachino and he bolted and jumped over the chain around the arena and i lost my stirrups. he raced around half the arena, nearly took out the judge (a 55, i'll show you what we do to judges who give out 55s!!!) and when i finally fell off he kicked my head and killed my helmet (really chino?? that was $75) then i got attacked by a paramedic

8. First horse jumped with:

ponyta, nasty little thing

9. First horse who ran away with you:

lacy

10. First horse that scared the crap out of you:

india, she likes to bolt......into trees

11. First horse shown :!)

lacy, we got fourth overall!!

12. First horse to win a class with:

india!! the class only had one person in it, me

13. Do you/have you taken lessons:

yep about once a week

14. First horse you ever rode bareback:

lacy.......bad idea

15. First horse trail ridden with:

lacy, our pastere was a fenced in forest with a pond, so i guess that counts

16. Current Barn name:

doesn't have one, but soon we shall be moving to TLEC!!

17. Do you ride English or western?:

english, i've tried western.....it was ok

18. First Horse to place at a show with:

Lacy (see question #11)

19. Ever been to horse camp?:

yep......hated it......all we did was walk in an arena

20. Ever been to a riding clinic?

yes!! i love clinics!!!! mary wanless is my fav!! :)

21. Ridden sidesaddle?

uhhhh......no

22. First horse leased:

never leased one......unless riding someone elses counts

23. Last Horse Leased:

none

24. Highest ribbon in a show:

first!!! on indie!!

25. Ever been to an 'A' rated show?:

some might call me stupid but..........whats an A rated show???

26. Ever competed in pony games/relay races?:

yess, on stormy who hadn't been riden in three years and acted like a stallion

27. Ever fallen off at a show

Oh Yes!!! most memorable was on Chino

28. Do you ride Hunter/Jumpers?:

nope

29. Have you ever barrel raced?

nope

30. Ever done pole bending?:

no...

31. Favorite gait:

do i have to pick just one???

32. Ever cantered bareback?:

unintetionally

33. Have you ever done dressage?:

heck yes!!!!

34. Have you ever evented?:

no, but i might be soon

35. Have you ever mucked a stall?:

What kind of stupid question is that?!?!?!?

36. Ever been bucked off?:

yes, indie also likes to buck..........but not anymore....hehehe

37. Ever been on a horse that reared

yep, guess who............indie

38. Horses or ponies.

well it kinda depends on the equine

39. Do you wear a helmet?:

heck yes

40. What's the highest you've jumped:

two feet :) over a dressage arena chain

41. Have you ever ridden at night?:

haha yes!! bareback trailriding is much fun!!

42. Do you watch horsey television shows?:

yup! mostly animal cops and the whole time i scream at the tv that the punishments are not harsh enough

43. Have you ever been seriously hurt/injured from a fall?:

nope *knocks on wood*

44. Most falls in one lesson:

twice, india was PISSED

45. Do you ride in an arena/ring?:

yes i do

46. Have you ever been trampled by a horse?:

ummm......who hasn't???

47. Have you ever been bitten?:

yes, on the butt

48. Ever had your foot stepped on by a horse?:

almost everytime i see one

49: Favorite riding moment:

when i did a shoulder-in for the first time :)

50. Most fun horse you've ridden:

definatly india!!! but Sage comes close ;)

Shoulder-ins and Leg-yields

you know those days when you just know something is going to happen?? yea i just knew today i was going to have a good ride, i just knew it!! so today india felt wonderful and reminded me why i ride dressage :) when i asked her to do anything she just said "how much ma'am? and would you like a massage with that?" she kept her head in the right spot and when i asked her to move it it happened immediatly.

we also did a shoulder- in!! the elusive shoulder-in has finally been conquered!! and might i mention that it was done all the way down the long side. i figured out (finally) what the angle for the shoulder-in is, and that i was really over doing it *smacks head* and that i was trying to keep her on the rail with the wrong hand *headdesk* i needed to let her move toward the rail with my outside hand and i was trying to do that with my inside hand *headdoor* and now that i have my hands right i don't have to use so much leg. go figure *headfishtank*

i also did some canter leg-yields which aren't as elusive as shoulder-in, but still pretty elusive, india just cantered right on over to the rail

now that my self-confidense has returned, we focus on more important things like paige is starving, paige needs to eat, india is starving too, paige needs to feed her :)

Mary Wanless Clinic

(yea!! i'm back!! iv'e been really busy lately)

ok so Mary Wanless was a lot of fun and i learned so much. like how i have to anchor my knee and lighten my bum on the saddle so i don't crush indies long back mucles (sorry indie) and i even have a video of me running my mom over with my horse :) and guess what else happened..............sorry just for suspence........................Mary Wanless told me that when i graduate high school i should come and be one of her working students!!!! is that amazing or what!!!

We Miss you Badger

This is Badger

i just found out that Badger was put down a couple of days ago. He was 28 and had problems keeping weight on (lack of teeth). His owner was thinking of putting him down anyway but had trouble actually making the call, but a couple days ago he fell and fractured his leg. Badger was a showjumper and routinely jumped over 4 feet (before he was retired) and got his name because he was as stubborn as a Badger. All he could eat for the past few months was mushed up senior feed and we had to give him an entire bucket full of it. Badger stayed in the mare pasture and had his girlfriends (indie, Vacara, and prissy) to keep him company. He was the horse that little kids when they came with their parents would pet. He was a really good boy and will be sorely missed. Love you Badger.

Bath Time!!

OK so normally indie doesn't get a bath unless we are going somewhere like a show or the Mary Wanless Clinic :D (gonna be there in 4 days!!) but good Lord in heaven she was FILTHY!!!! i didn't take a picture but i seriously i thought someone had stolen indie and replaced her with a bay (a hairy bay) so after i rode she got a bath (the ride was pretty uneventful) and the whole time was thinking " there had better be carrots after this, normally i don't let people take pictures of me in the shower but my carrot senses are tingling i can SMELL you carrots, i KNOW they are there, they CANNOT be hidden" so after indie got clean i had to give her some of the giant carrots! modeled by annie to give you a picture of how big these things were, indie, i'm pretty sure would have sold her soul for that bag. she also told me that parelli would get results faster if he used these carrot sticks :P

dang i love this horse <3

Oh the noodleiocy continues

yep i own a racehorse............... :)

ok so today i walk out into the pasture and take out the halter which the horses failed to report was the starting signal and OFF THEY GO!!!!! around and around and.....around and the whole time trying to take out the photographer. so after about 5 minutes of playing seabiscut and war admiral (india was seabiscut seeing as she is the 14.2 paint and viki is the 15.2 danish warmblood) tom smith (me) finally tames the crazy racehorses and leads them into their stalls where tom smith suddenly has an identity crisis and switches to the mean evil rider over stepping her bounds and actually trying to do Dressage after the Belmont!!!! what an awful owner i am.......XP

so today aunt annie (she's not really my aunt but what eva) got on india and gave india her new nickname Noodle!! by in the middle of the ride yelling at me "how do you keep her straight she's like riding a wet noodle!!!" haha!!! i must be a better rider than i thought!!!!

so i have once again i have that whole deal you know "two steps foreward.......backward so many steps you fall on your bum" yeah it happened again Back to trying to do a correct leg yeild......again. lets see if i survive long enough to get to mardi gras break (yep whole week off for mardi gras!! be jealous be very jealous)

Dorothy's here everybody make sure your circles are perfect!!

don't i just have the loverlyest horse ever!!

ok so dorothy came today and everytime dorothy comes everybody pulls out all the dressage books that tell you how to make perfect circles cause if you don't your gonna get your behind whipped!! the reason for this dorothy is a hilda gurney student.....nuff said. if you don't respond immediatly she makes the most horrible noise kinda like NANANAAAA!!!!! and trust me after that your halts improve A LOT. now i know a lot of people who won't take a lesson from her because she does yell but what can i say i'm a fifteen year old gutten for punishment i can't get enough!! i just feel like with the nicer trainers my brain congeals into soft moldy cheese and then ADD kicks in and i start fantasizing about how one day i'm going to own a 17 hand oldenburg stallion named Cataclismoes (just to annoy show annoucers hehe..) and we shall dominant dressage beat the germans (no offence) and be champion cross-countryers (cross-countryettes???) AND race against the best racehorses and run the pants off their jockeys and........well you get it. (yea ADD is that bad)

so anyway india was a very tolerent girl and our trot work improved a lot but one thing i did not forsee was india trying to be a rolkur horse i even let the reins out all the way and she would just scrunch in tighter idk very strange. well dorothy fixed that everytime indie does that she gets some bigass spurs scraped up her gut (well maybe not THAT bigass more like, you have spurs on??? *leans in closer* ohhh now i see them!!) although we did have some issues with canter so TEN METER CIRCLES HERE WE COME!!!! and did i mention that you have to canter before the circles done?? otherwise a very good lesson!!!

Long-Reining

(top left: mmaaaammmmmaaaaa i wanna quit!!!) (top right: maybe if i put my head down she won't make me canter....(unfortunatly that one worked)

so today mrs. annie and me decided to long rein indie and as you can see she was a very good girl although she did try and convince me that long reining wasn't nessecary and i should just go feed her. my job was to run behind her and tap her with the whip when she got lazy and i can tell you right now running behind lazy horse with a whip and trying to take pictures is REALLY hard, heres how you do it #1 have camera in one hand and whip in the other #2 run really fast while tapping horse on butt #3 stop and take a couple pictures #4 run really fast again to catch up

i swear i saw indie roll her eyes at me!!

(dorothys coming tomarrow)