Day Off

I love Florida. The weather has done amazing things for my overall mood, appearance (the ghost-white blonde has a tan!), and overall outlook on everything. One thing I still have yet to learn, however, is an appreciation for is the stupid hot weather. 

Now, I am not at all complaining. Many of you reading this I'm sure are my friends and family from the northern part of this country that had to deal with Nemo. Three feet of snow for you was a day of rain for me. I'll take a day of rain over snow ANY day of the week.Unfortunately though, I am still not acclimated to the heat. 80 degrees isn't so bad on it's own, I must admit. BUT! Add into it a high percentage of humidity, aaaand I am quickly a puddle in the sand. Therefore, shortly after arriving at the barn, I decided that the girls deserved a day off. This might be partially... ok, entirely, due to aforementioned heat. Ellie has cantered for me the past two days in a row, and Tiger jumped a gymnastic yesterday on top of a few courses the day before that... so I left the girls in their shady paddock with some pats and quickly retreated back to my nicely air conditioned house. 

On a side note - I'm not one to sit around idly. I just can't. It literally drives me nuts. Anyone who has watched a movie with me before will attest that if it doesn't hold my attention (or possibly if it's not one of my absolute favorites or I've seen it a thousand times before) I'm off puttering around or playing on my phone. It is just not in my nature to sit and do something that doesn't require a whole lot of brain function. Therefore a good portion of the afternoon today was focused on show schedules!!! 

Besides a single fundraising show back in 2009 (in which ribbons were not even issued), I haven't shown seriously since the summer of 2008 when I was doing my last show season with my old horse AJ. 

New Hampshire Hunter Jumper Summer Festival 2008 - I won this class

The prospect of showing this year is very exciting to me. Until this year I have either A. not had a suitable mount, B. not had the money, or C. been hugely pregnant or dealing with a newborn. Life has just stacked against my showing prospects the past few years. I've been doing a fair bit of research into the local show circuits (H.I.T.S. is just too expensive and I don't feel I've done nearly enough prep work with Tiger yet to even think about dropping that kind of cash, even if it is right down the street) and I've decided on the Horse Show in the Park series and the small shows put on by Sumter Equestrian Center. Both have year end awards and a local following to get my name out there and (hopefully) noticed. Tiger and I will be doing the three foot "training jumper" division (which is cake for her) and I'm crossing my fingers we will do well. Schooling this height at home we are doing very well and getting to know each other better each day. Only time will tell. 

As for Ellie, I've decided to do at least one, hopefully two, in hand shows before her inspection in October. The idea is that I'd like her to get some experience away from home, as well as get my name and face into the eyes and ears of a different crowd. The USDF offers classes for maiden broodmares, which is what I'm hoping to enter Ellie into. These classes judge the mare on her suitability to produce quality sporthorses, and she would be judged on much of the same things she will be at her inspection (hence why I'm interested in bringing her to these shows). There are two shows at the Canterbury Equestrian Showplace (one of the two venues for the Horse Show in the Park series, however part of a completely different series hosted by the farm) that have these classes and aren't too far away. Again, crossing our fingers that works out. Poor miss Ellie will be getting fewer and fewer days off in the coming future. In hand work starts ASAP. 

So, that's the plan for now. Fingers crossed all things go well financially (showing is bloody expensive!!!) and we can stick to this plan. It would mean about two shows a month starting mid-March, but I'd have both girls out in a total of three different circuits. Here's to hoping. For now, signing off. Heels down my friends. 

Apologies, apologies

First and foremost I would like to apologize for the lack of updates lately. There are a few reasons for this, first and foremost being I have been lacking in the interwebs. While I can write posts all night long, posting them without internet is somewhat problematic. I am still lacking a "T" key, but I've learned to use the keyboard to the extent where trying to hit the key in the middle is no longer really an issue.

So, with that being said, let's move on to what's been going on in my absence. Besides becoming an official Ellie-owner, training has also been progressing amazingly well. We had a bit of a hiccup for about a week when she was in heat where she was doing a lovely spinning act. Add to that ducking her head down to the dirt so low she was coming back with orange clay mustaches... it was a rough week.

HowEVER! We have moved past said speed bump (the pony gods must have been in cahoots with the proverbial Murphy that week) and we are now working regular five to six day work weeks. Ellie is blossoming under this work load, and a lot of the fat that was still lying around on her belly and topline is slowly melting away and leaving an even more beautiful mare behind.

Have I mentioned I love this mare? 

The picture on the left was taken a week before I met Ellie back in December. The one on the right was taken almost exactly 60 days later, with 30 days of training under saddle in her. I realize they were taken on different sides, but the sun was working against us. I will hopefully get another picture at 60 days under saddle and I can put up another comparison. 

Continuing on about her training, currently we are working on being flexible and straight under saddle. Currently she has a lovely habit of tiling her head and hindquarters into towards the center of the ring, which we are working to rectify. Each day she understands better and better that if she's soft and straight, I'm soft and quiet. Today we ended our trot work with a nice relaxed trot with a slight contact. 

Now... if you caught the segue... We are now doing more than just trot work!

As of yesterday Ellie is now officially under saddle W-T-C. At the end of our ride yesterday she was being so quiet and supple that I decided to ask for a canter. At first she was confused as to what I was asking, but after a little guidance with my seat she took the cue and cantered for about six strides. Hooray! I asked again, guiding her into the canter with a rhythm from my seat and legs, and volia! We have a cantering pony. A few circles at one end of the ring and we call it quits for the day. 

Today we did the same, a lot of trot work, and then I asked for a canter in the opposite direction from yesterday. She picked up the canter much quicker, and cantered around the circle a few times for me. 

Ellie is turning out to be a quick study, and I can't say enough great things about her. Currently though, I hear a toddler bouncing on his bed, so I must be off. I promise posts won't be so far between any more!

Promised Update

Ok, I promised a longer update when I got the time. This post still isn't going to be overly long, as I returned the Rent-a-Center laptop I had and am now borrowing the boyfriend's laptop. While the 'guts' as you may say of this computer are much stronger and faster than the RaC laptop, it is missing one crucial thing... the "T" key. As you can see, I am still able to use said major consonant, however, if I do not hit the key directly on top of the rather small little rubber nub I do not get the desired letter on my scree, which makes typing for any length of time rather irritating.

I promise a longer, in-depth post regarding Ellie's progress under saddle is coming. For now a short progress report on our lives will have to do.

As of Monday our little family (including the four legged, two legged, and goober faced members) are relocating to the farm! We did not purchase, or even rent, a farm itself, but rather one of the homes on Andrea's property in Williston. Now (thank the Goddess) we won't be traveling for close to two hours a day! Hooray! A short four-wheeler drive across the property and I'm in the barn. To top it all off, there are paddocks and a fire pit within feet of my new home. Paradise in four bedrooms.

In other news...



Wait for it...




A little longer now...

ELLIE IS OFFICIALLY MINE!!!

Andrea and I crossed the "T's", dotted the "I's" and Ellie is, as of four o'clock this afternoon, mine. I have her papers, (she was born eleven days before my birthday, FYI. You may not find this as awesome as I do, but I don't care.) the registration forms for myself, and the transfer of ownership papers. I. Am. Excited. 

For now, dear readers, that is all. Again, I promise a longer post in due time. Until then, signing off.