Peep Peep!

The little baby is now a rootin tootin two year old and is currently getting started. She's been tied to the wall and has been roped for a month or so. She's also getting saddle pads thrown at her to sack her out. (It's not nearly as bad as it sounds, actually.)

I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing - but I've been told that she's prone to kicking when she's tied to the wall. It's not so much that she won't stand, or tolerate people, it's that she HATES having the other horses being schooled come around behind her. She'll even wheel herself around so she can fire at will. Hopefully it'll be something she grows out of. Kicking isn't something I'm very tolerant of. Luckily for me, neither is my trainer. :)

The other one, Chickaletta Pachetta, is maturing quite nicely. She's only one year away from officially getting her brain. Last year was her first year in the bridle (meaning, carrying a curb bit) and she did really well. She's also calmed down a bunch, and is starting to act like a "been there, done that" type of horse. It seems to me this is the perfect time to crawl on and start showing her myself.

And away we'll go!

And Hell Hath Frozen Over!

So, I haven't been on my pony since oh, say, MARCH!

I've been way too busy with school, and work, and kids, and my boyfriend to even think about getting to the farm. Yes, for the first time since I started riding, I haven't even been out to the barn for a matter of months. Sad, huh?

The last time I was out of the saddle this long I had good reason - my son. I was pregnant, and I couldn't ride because I was on blood thinners. It wasn't the riding that was the problem. It was the possibility of bleeding to death if I fell that sealed that deal. My friend stepped in to ride for me, and it was an amazing summer.

This time I let the blonde go out and show with my trainer. They did Regionals. They did Canadian Nationals. They did very well. I watched from the sidelines.

I rode again today. Even months later, the barn is exactly as I left it. There's something comforting in that thought.

And a Top Five it is!

I'm happy to say that Chicky brought home a Top Five at regionals. It's her first Top Five. She only has a Regional Championship to her credit as a four year old, in Region 6. Miss Hesa Bar, Hidden Agenda, and Dixie Chick all got Top Five awards. They're all full sisters. Appropriately, the twins, Agenda and Chicky ended up tied. LOL.

It's Regionals Time!

On my way home from work today I passed by the fairgrounds where Regionals will be held this weekend. I saw the posting on the billboard for the show, and it dawned on me. I haven't talked to my poor horse trainer since the show over Memorial Day weekend! Oops! I called up the farm, talked to my friend who works there, and found out that the horses and my trainer had already moved in to the fairgrounds this afternoon! A slight u-turn later and I was on my way to check in with my horse trainer and a few friends to see how things were going.

Not too long after I arrived, I got to talk to my wonderful boyfriend who was supposed to be attending class tonight. He found out that unexpectedly he didn't have to attend his first class. Now, this is the same guy who wrote the post a couple of posts ago about rediscovering riding. I'm sure you can figure out his next move.

Yup! My sweet, amazing, incredible boyfriend made a bee-line for the horse show to come watch a little bit of schooling with me! Granted, he couldn't stay for very long due to his second class of the night. However, he got to sit and people watch with me, and then we got a chance to run to get some fast food dinner together.

What a treat!!!

Not only did I get to go watch some schooling today unexpectedly, but I also got to share the occasion with my wonderful, amazing, sweet boyfriend who is really eager to be able to begin showing horses too!!!

What more could a girl ask for?!

Okay... maybe a regional championship... but I'm not gonna push my luck! LOL!

Show season is upon us...

A decision has been made. Chicky is going to go to Canadian Nationals to be shown by her trainer. She's been going good, and I don't have time to show her at the show I was aiming for as my amateur reining debut. It turns out her trainer and I were both on the same wavelength about it. She's going great, so why wreck it?

This way he gets an open horse at Nationals, and I have until April to get ready to go in the ring. Everyone wins. She's been schooling like a fiend, and showing like a rock star, so hopefully she'll keep it up between now and August.

Now... to figure out how my boyfriend and I can get up to Canada to watch her with our busy work and school schedules...

Hey baby wanna go for a ride?

Almost 2 years ago I had spent some time on the back of a wonderful paint pleasure horse by the name of Trudy, which was owned by a friend of mine I worked with. I had a blast the few times I saw and rode her and just being around the big ole critters made me happy. Since that moment forward I knew that horses would be in my life to some degree regardless of the cost. Confronting the wife about starting a new hobby went over about like the rest of my life desires with her and to say that it was the last straw would be a pretty close assessment. So after hearing her convulse over the very idea of starting into a hobby that I didn't know anything about and that she didn't want to pay for, a very hard yet rewarding decision was made....

Meet Howie everyone!

You will notice that he does have some of the same traits as the ex including that big block head and the wide ass. The best part about this one is (and I know people who know Howie's personality will be amazed at this) he doesn't bitch and moan nearly as much as old Precious did. Seriously though hes not mine. I just get to learn how to not die on him which seems sort of odd since he is the biggest bastard in the barn. Hes HUGE yet gentle and ornery at the same time. Hes not graceful and his canter to the right is about as smooth as a freight train with square wheels.

In all honesty and the joking aside I am so grateful to have been introduced to him through the most wonderful woman in the world and I love the way she has opened up a part of me that was always there but never allowed to escape.

Hey baby lets ride!!

And then there's the wall - literally.

So I went to ride the horse this weekend. That was fun. Not.

We've been having some problems loping to the right. She's falling out of it, stringing out, and getting choppy. That leads to a break of gait, which is frustrating for both of us. Well, that would be fine, but I know a few ways to stop what's happening, and I can't get her pushed up to her face to keep her round, and I can't keep her behind the bridle to get her to move her hip over to power up and keep round yet, and whacking her in the ass with a rein tail is only going to get her scared. Add to it that it's mostly on the end of the arena where she gets to stop to fence and get mounted and dismounted, so I feel like she's being a fucktard about that end just to be a pain in the ass - and I'm frustrated.

My trainer finally started helping me on Saturday, but not until AFTER I got the "What's up with this attitude?!" speech from him, and the "You're taking this too personally." speech too.

UGH!!!!!