I really should become a hermit

My barn rents out the indoor (currently the only place to ride) to people for a fee and they can do whatever the heck they want to and we aren't allowed in. i'm okay with that in fact i love walking indie around them and soaking up some good ole atmospere. but yesterday it just went too far.

they were ropers, i love ropers two of my best friends are ropers and i love them to death, these guys?? not so much. So i'm watching them warm-up and this one young guy looks really good all he had to do was switch saddles and he was doing dressage. And then another guy started riding and he was smoking on his horse. first red flag. then his horse spooked and he started using his rope to beat his horse up for a good five minutes while his horse is flailing around in a panic. second red flag. then another guys horse bolts and he gets him in the shute and starts giving his horse a royal beating for a good five minutes. this happens about three times. third red flag. then second guy (who i have officially re-named jerkwad) goes after a cow and misses and beats his horse up again except this time over its head, just my thought beating a horse who is already in panic mode with a rope over the head is not a good idea. fourth red flag.
After a couple of decent guys go, i hear something that sounds like metal hitting metal very loudly, so i look toward said sound and see jerkwad jerking his horse in the mouth with a bit that would make a knight of camelot proud, i could hear the sound of the bit hitting the horses teeth all the way across the arena. This is about the point where i was so angry i was shaking. Next thing that happens young guy, the one that can ride gets on the bolter and guess what happens?
nothing. the horse is calm and behaves himself. Just goes to show what good riding can do for you. After this i left, i really couldn't watch anymore.
Now i really wish i had gotten it on tape, hind-sight is 20/20.

But wait it gets better!! today i was in the arena and ride around the outside and guess what i find??
Beer, lots and lots of beer. The jerkwad and his cronies brought beer and were probably wasted the whole time.
Thats just great.
As soon as the barn manager finds out, she is going to transform into evil rabid barn manager from hell. I will not be sticking around for that one, i choose life.

And to top it all off Indie was a butt today. She bucked reared shied bolted, and just plain ignored me.
So now that i've ruined everyones day, i suggest intense self-renewal and meditation (preferably served on favorite sofa with a movie and ice cream....mmmm ice cream!!)

Need........MARY!!!........to.......ride!!

i'm about to have a complete brain meltdown over here.

why you ask??

because the mary wanless clinic was cancelled. i can't afford the heather clinic. i don't have a trailer thats useable to get to david. and i NEED HELP!!!!!

.....*dies*.......





as soon as indie starts the cool stuff we get marooned on our little dressage island, so i'm going to peace out to curl up in a ball and slowly rock back and forth.

0_O

Some smart people and some really really dumb ones...

As many of you know i am very VERY against Rolkur.

and me and  my mom found a great magazine that expresses lots of views on Rolkur and other articles that relate to the riders aids, equipment, and relationships between horse and rider, with the added bonus of great pictures of lippizans and other absolutly stunning horses. Most of the articles are on training, which i think is amazing, because most of us riding dressage and other disaplines don't have horses that are already trained to grand prix or whatever level you aspire to. I would read this magazine even if you don't do dressage it has great techniques in it that apply to all kinds of riding. And for you dressage people it has all the great masters like Nuno Olivera (my personal favorite) and an assortment of spanish riding school gurus.

here is the link

http://www.horsesforlife.com/

So i know most of you have seen the blue-tongue video and if not here it is

in all its blue-tongued glory, i chose the un-cut version because some people think he only rode like that for maybe a minute, however that 9 minutes was nothing, that horse was ridden like this for TWO HOURS STRAIGHT

how anyone can even think this is ok is absolutly beyond me, and he even has the balls to put that poor horses tongue back in his mouth. There is a list of people i really want to drop-kick one day, this guy just made the list right under Monty Merola. This is just sick. sick. sick.

This guy has obviously put winning a 99 cent ribbon ahead of his horses well-being.  

just. sick.

rant over

New year, New look

Yep i decided that everything was gonna be new on this blog.
Notice the header??

yep, i made that :)

notice the side pictures??

yep made those too

notice the footer??

that too

i think it turned out quite well!!

So India update, not much going on in India land....except that we still can't use the paddocks. And i can't use the big pasture because they had to make a waiting list!!

that is beyond ridiculous

and they won't let boarders use the TLEC paddocks (even though they don't use them)

don't get me wrong, i understand the reason behind it, mixing too many horses = strangles *collective shiver*  but when the boarders don't have any place to turn their horses out, it becomes an issue.

Oh well no place is perfect

other than that Indie got two new saddle pads that i found at the bottom of my mothers riding trunk (yeah free saddle pads!!)

.....

..

.

yep so that's about it

see you guys later!!

2010???..........I THINK SO!!!

Since the new year has started, i have given in to peer pressure and am making a Goals for 2010.
These will be very difficult........nope thats not the word.

ummm.......

take us out of our comfort box????
okaayy well that will have to do for now.
so on to the goals!!

Goals for 2010
Number One:
Half-Pass
(doesn't have to be pretty.....just git 'er done)


Number Two:
Walk Pirouette
(this must be pretty, however)


Number Three:
Get a real pretty Legit lenghening


Number Four:
Conquer simple changes


Number Five:
Go to atleast two shows
(this should be easy, but i have failed in the past, so you never know)


Number Six:
Show first level


Number Seven:
Get summer job related to horses


Number Eight:
Apply for riding scholarship from local dressage club


Number Nine:
Attend Dressage Rally


Number Ten:
Plaid Breeches <3


So now for some updates

Shoulder-in: (that evil movement) is down pat, can do that in my sleep

Collected canter: could still use some work (and collection)

Lengthenings: India can hold it twice as long as she could before so now about half way across the diagonal. Then it kind of falls apart, she just isn't strong enough to hold it that long yet.

Haunches-in: we can go half-way down the long side before falling apart. My seat bones won't behave, and India still thinks that i've lost my mind and that i should be asking for a leg yield

Simple Changes: are down to four steps of trot and three steps of walk (which reminds me i need to work on canter-walk)

Turn on the forehand: got it. own it.

Turn on the haunches: getting better needs work

Walk pirouette: Slowly but surely getting better, and smaller, not quite there yet.

I'm going to risk bragging a little here, but screw it, its my blog!!
The last time India picked up the wrong lead was exactly one month ago (i've been counting)
Do i have the best pony ever?? Yes, i think so.

Mobile Shout-out to Dorothy M.
Come back!!! We miss you!!! (and i need help!!!!)
India.....however is quite happy that you haven't been around in a while
don't listen to the bad pony Dorothy!!!

What did you say puny human???

I'm sorry india


Happy 2010 everybody!!! :D

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!!