I've come to a realization that I need to suck a little more and be awesome just a little less.
I would get paid more.
See, I get paid hourly at the barn. More than minimum wage, so thats pretty nice. There are 17 horses there and I have to do the usual: bring in, feed, turn out, clean stalls, waters, hay, drag rings and sweep. It sounds like a lot...and it kind of is.
My problem is not the amount of work, but how efficient I am. Its kind of ridiculous. I've always been the kind of person to make one trip and do as many things as possible and have it be difficult/annoying than make several small, easy trips. In anything- school, errands...barn. I take pride in it actually. I feel like its one of my "sellable" skills (resume lingo?).
Its proving to be detrimental to my wallet.
Whereas the other workers rack up 4-5 hours every shift, I'm there 3 or less. AND I do just as good a job, sometimes better.
Multitasking here is not my friend and being efficient is cramping mah style. I've come to the conclusion I need to dial the boss meter back a few notches and maybe I will start to see a little more cash flow.
Tried it yesterday and it was painful. I hated it. I felt so awkward taking my time, walking slower, not piling the manure precariously (to make less trips), not making giant trips stacking hay on sawdust, not taking 2 horses out to pasture at a time, etc etc...but I ended up being there for 4 hours. Better than 2.5? Maybe. But I don't think I can do it long term.
It sucks being legit.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Friday, December 28, 2012
Scallywags!
I have an entertaining tale to spin for you all today. It of course has to do with horses. Some very perplexing and sneaky beasts called ponies.
I have a job working at the barn 3 days a week (sometimes more if I pick up shifts), feeding and caring for all the horses that live on the farm. Full and self care. Its quite a lot to deal with at 6:30 in the a.m. and I'm usually there until 10-11am. Sometimes later if I do extra chores like bring up hay or drag the rings, but nothing really out of the ordinary happens. They all know the drill and it goes smoothly. It actually gets really monotonous.
Today, I headed out assuming everything would be the same per usual.
First odd thing I noticed was a big pile of poop at the end of the driveway (where it meets the road). Odd, since the girls and I are the only ones who ride down the driveway to go on the road and we had all been gone for four days for Christmas. I kept driving up towards the barn.
To my absolute surprise, after I rounded the turn, my headlights hit two massive brown lumps in the driveway. I slammed on the brakes, adjusted my eyes and out blinked two sleepy ponies.Literally laying down in the driveway. First thing I thought was, "well, that can't be comfortable." Then I was like..."OH SHIT THEY GOT OUT!!!"
This was curious, since they were OUTSIDE the farm gate. Guess that explains the poop.
I was so shocked by the fact that I almost ran over two horses, that I just sat there in my car for about 30 seconds before I realized I needed to do something.
Luckily neither of them spooked, I opened the gate and they marched in single file like they had been waiting all night for me. Justin scoffed at me and gave me this look that said, "you're late lady".
I caught them and returned them to their stalls, absolutely baffled as to how they managed to escape.
They had been turned out all night in a pasture with 3 other horses, and they were still in the field. I checked all fencing, gates, latches. All fine.
Another boarder and I tossed around ideas but they all involved a lot of work. They would've had to be exceptionally motivated to leave. i.e-jumping the fence...and that did not seem plausible as they would've had to jump not one, not two, but 4 fence lines since all the pastures are connected. Mind you they are ponies...so, very short.
We scratched our heads for an hour and still nothing.
We got a bunch of houdinis on our hands!
I'm just glad they stayed in the property and didnt wander too far in the night!
I have a job working at the barn 3 days a week (sometimes more if I pick up shifts), feeding and caring for all the horses that live on the farm. Full and self care. Its quite a lot to deal with at 6:30 in the a.m. and I'm usually there until 10-11am. Sometimes later if I do extra chores like bring up hay or drag the rings, but nothing really out of the ordinary happens. They all know the drill and it goes smoothly. It actually gets really monotonous.
Today, I headed out assuming everything would be the same per usual.
First odd thing I noticed was a big pile of poop at the end of the driveway (where it meets the road). Odd, since the girls and I are the only ones who ride down the driveway to go on the road and we had all been gone for four days for Christmas. I kept driving up towards the barn.
To my absolute surprise, after I rounded the turn, my headlights hit two massive brown lumps in the driveway. I slammed on the brakes, adjusted my eyes and out blinked two sleepy ponies.Literally laying down in the driveway. First thing I thought was, "well, that can't be comfortable." Then I was like..."OH SHIT THEY GOT OUT!!!"
This was curious, since they were OUTSIDE the farm gate. Guess that explains the poop.
I was so shocked by the fact that I almost ran over two horses, that I just sat there in my car for about 30 seconds before I realized I needed to do something.
Luckily neither of them spooked, I opened the gate and they marched in single file like they had been waiting all night for me. Justin scoffed at me and gave me this look that said, "you're late lady".
I caught them and returned them to their stalls, absolutely baffled as to how they managed to escape.
They had been turned out all night in a pasture with 3 other horses, and they were still in the field. I checked all fencing, gates, latches. All fine.
Another boarder and I tossed around ideas but they all involved a lot of work. They would've had to be exceptionally motivated to leave. i.e-jumping the fence...and that did not seem plausible as they would've had to jump not one, not two, but 4 fence lines since all the pastures are connected. Mind you they are ponies...so, very short.
We scratched our heads for an hour and still nothing.
We got a bunch of houdinis on our hands!
I'm just glad they stayed in the property and didnt wander too far in the night!
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Le Massive Update
Oh man, where to begin & end without seeming boring.
This might be a little discombobulated since I need to get back in the writing groove, and being home in OH, stuck in a snowstorm is throwing me way off. Just thinking about all the time off work I am getting and not happy about it, horses to feed, shifts at work to cover, bills to pay...ANXIETY GIRL AWAY!!!
The end of this year has been without fail, again, a dreadful time. I thought after my dog died last year, it was the signal that things would start fresh and anew. But no, the same old shit. When one thing seems to work, another fails and I get screwed. I wonder what I did in a previous life to piss off the universe. I would give naything just to catch a break since I work so hard trying to cover my bases.
Anyways,
I left off with Yank's mysterious headtossing. Well. Figured that out two days later, much worrying later. It turned out to be the worlds most inconvienantly placed abcess. Apparently it had been festering for a few weeks. I never even dreamed of an abcess being the cause of his issues since he hadn't taken a lame step in his life, minus the time Pronto kicked him.
THAT was a fun experience. One night, Emma texted me saying that Yankee was pretty off in the front and had looked him over, couldnt find the agressor and just put him to bed. I would've done the same thing. Horses bang their legs all the time and like anyone, might just be ouchy for a few days. I was never one to run to the vet for every little thing. I find it a waste of money and time since most issues tend to work themselves out.
Found myself eating my foot the next morning though when I got to the barn for his farrier appointment and his whole leg was massively swollen & hot. He was also refusing to put weight on it. Great. I texted the farrier, flipping shit, tinking the worst, per usual and spent the meantime coaxing pony into the aisle. Dead. hopping. lame. Literally...hopping. I felt SO bad. Luckily, right after farrier man lanced it, Yanks was immediately able to stand on it. RELIEF.
Then, I had to aftercare to worry about. This thing was the mother of all abcesses, and right at the tip of the frog. Fantastic. Cue baby diapers, duct tape, poultices and stall rest for my little grumpy TB, I only kept him in 3 days before I was like, fuck this, he needs to go out, and just used half a roll of tape on his foot instead. He healed in less than a week, so I guess that was nice and all was well again.
Soon after we got back into work. We have a nice show schedule planned (if I can eventually make enough money to have some extra to blow) that starts in February with the showjumper 3'3'-3'9 division. Soon after, the girls and I want ot head to Kansas to do some XC schooling. GOD how I wish I still lived so close to the KY Horse Park. To all you spoiled people that have XC near you...I hate you. The first Event is in early May, then about one per month. I would seriously shit myself if we could move up to Prelim FINALLY. Years later.
Yankee had been doing well jump schooling the past few weeks after the abcess, and was enjoying his dressage and hack sessions as well.
The night after hte free jumping though was possibly one of the worst nights of my life. No horse mom EVER wants to get the call that their horse is possibly dying and the vet has been called and you need to rush out to the barn immediately. The exact words from the girl who called me were, "your horse is falling everywhere, he looks weird, he can't walk and we think its neuro. He looks like he's dying. We called the vet"
If there ever was a situation to freak out, this was one and I did it in stellar fashion. Every single horrible thought that could race through my mind did. Neuro. Broken leg. Broken hip. Stabbed in the brain with a nail.
I seized up and froze for a solid 3 minutes. Not sure what to do. I was supposed to be at work in 10 minutes. I had exactly $88. My baby was possibly dying. And I felt totally helpless. Cue mental breakdown. Like literally, I'm pretty sure my brain exploded. I sat on the couch and cried harder than I ever have before. Snot, coughing, rocking like a baby in fetal position...all the wonderful moments I've ever shared with this beast was running through my head and all I could picture was his dead face hanging out of a truck bed. Limp and dead.
Of course, this was all before I knew what was ACTUALLY happening, but I'm Anxiety Girl. Its what I do. I recovered, barely. And 40 minutes after the initial call, I was at the barn. I beat the vet, and I drove up to a perfectly healthy, non dying horse getting hand walked in the driveway. Um...did I come to the wrong barn?
We never did figure out what happened. Apparently he hadn't been able to move when Emma came to ride, sorta fell over, couldn't get up, and they all freaked out. As would I. But in reality, I think all that happened was that he tied up, badly, after free jumping for the first time in a year, and after he got the cricks out, he was fine. He was absolutely fine.
Just makes you thankful though, I thought I lost my horse that night and I was devastated to the point of debilitation. Which worries me for when something truly awful might happen to him and I will be again, useless.
Soon after (I gave him a few days off and few slow works after that) that ridiculousness, he was back up and running normally and we reconviened with his workout program. Which included....
Gallops!!! Man this was fun :) Kind of a pain in the ass, since we have to take 2 horses up the road, sort of trail ride fashion, to the field where its safe enough to gallop. Takes a while, but its absolutely worth it. Yankee had a blast, as you can tell, and Jackie & I almost died from excitement. Neither of us have galloped in ages.
Speaking of Jackie, she is back from KC, Kansas and is actually moving Miss mare next week to MO. She is healing quite nicely from her awful accident that tore into her butt muscle, and should be 95%-100%. She already is being ridden at the walk and trotted on the lunge with no touch of lameness. I'm so happy for Jackie :D
More posts to come, now that we are back into work!
This might be a little discombobulated since I need to get back in the writing groove, and being home in OH, stuck in a snowstorm is throwing me way off. Just thinking about all the time off work I am getting and not happy about it, horses to feed, shifts at work to cover, bills to pay...ANXIETY GIRL AWAY!!!
The end of this year has been without fail, again, a dreadful time. I thought after my dog died last year, it was the signal that things would start fresh and anew. But no, the same old shit. When one thing seems to work, another fails and I get screwed. I wonder what I did in a previous life to piss off the universe. I would give naything just to catch a break since I work so hard trying to cover my bases.
Anyways,
I left off with Yank's mysterious headtossing. Well. Figured that out two days later, much worrying later. It turned out to be the worlds most inconvienantly placed abcess. Apparently it had been festering for a few weeks. I never even dreamed of an abcess being the cause of his issues since he hadn't taken a lame step in his life, minus the time Pronto kicked him.
THAT was a fun experience. One night, Emma texted me saying that Yankee was pretty off in the front and had looked him over, couldnt find the agressor and just put him to bed. I would've done the same thing. Horses bang their legs all the time and like anyone, might just be ouchy for a few days. I was never one to run to the vet for every little thing. I find it a waste of money and time since most issues tend to work themselves out.
Found myself eating my foot the next morning though when I got to the barn for his farrier appointment and his whole leg was massively swollen & hot. He was also refusing to put weight on it. Great. I texted the farrier, flipping shit, tinking the worst, per usual and spent the meantime coaxing pony into the aisle. Dead. hopping. lame. Literally...hopping. I felt SO bad. Luckily, right after farrier man lanced it, Yanks was immediately able to stand on it. RELIEF.
Then, I had to aftercare to worry about. This thing was the mother of all abcesses, and right at the tip of the frog. Fantastic. Cue baby diapers, duct tape, poultices and stall rest for my little grumpy TB, I only kept him in 3 days before I was like, fuck this, he needs to go out, and just used half a roll of tape on his foot instead. He healed in less than a week, so I guess that was nice and all was well again.
Soon after we got back into work. We have a nice show schedule planned (if I can eventually make enough money to have some extra to blow) that starts in February with the showjumper 3'3'-3'9 division. Soon after, the girls and I want ot head to Kansas to do some XC schooling. GOD how I wish I still lived so close to the KY Horse Park. To all you spoiled people that have XC near you...I hate you. The first Event is in early May, then about one per month. I would seriously shit myself if we could move up to Prelim FINALLY. Years later.
Yankee had been doing well jump schooling the past few weeks after the abcess, and was enjoying his dressage and hack sessions as well.
 |
| Me umping him 3'3 |
 |
| Jackie taking him through some line excercises |
 |
| Me taking him through some lines |
 |
| Some free jumping, like a boss |
The night after hte free jumping though was possibly one of the worst nights of my life. No horse mom EVER wants to get the call that their horse is possibly dying and the vet has been called and you need to rush out to the barn immediately. The exact words from the girl who called me were, "your horse is falling everywhere, he looks weird, he can't walk and we think its neuro. He looks like he's dying. We called the vet"
If there ever was a situation to freak out, this was one and I did it in stellar fashion. Every single horrible thought that could race through my mind did. Neuro. Broken leg. Broken hip. Stabbed in the brain with a nail.
I seized up and froze for a solid 3 minutes. Not sure what to do. I was supposed to be at work in 10 minutes. I had exactly $88. My baby was possibly dying. And I felt totally helpless. Cue mental breakdown. Like literally, I'm pretty sure my brain exploded. I sat on the couch and cried harder than I ever have before. Snot, coughing, rocking like a baby in fetal position...all the wonderful moments I've ever shared with this beast was running through my head and all I could picture was his dead face hanging out of a truck bed. Limp and dead.
Of course, this was all before I knew what was ACTUALLY happening, but I'm Anxiety Girl. Its what I do. I recovered, barely. And 40 minutes after the initial call, I was at the barn. I beat the vet, and I drove up to a perfectly healthy, non dying horse getting hand walked in the driveway. Um...did I come to the wrong barn?
We never did figure out what happened. Apparently he hadn't been able to move when Emma came to ride, sorta fell over, couldn't get up, and they all freaked out. As would I. But in reality, I think all that happened was that he tied up, badly, after free jumping for the first time in a year, and after he got the cricks out, he was fine. He was absolutely fine.
Just makes you thankful though, I thought I lost my horse that night and I was devastated to the point of debilitation. Which worries me for when something truly awful might happen to him and I will be again, useless.
Soon after (I gave him a few days off and few slow works after that) that ridiculousness, he was back up and running normally and we reconviened with his workout program. Which included....
 |
| Myself on the beast... |
 |
| ...and Jackie taking him for a spin |
Gallops!!! Man this was fun :) Kind of a pain in the ass, since we have to take 2 horses up the road, sort of trail ride fashion, to the field where its safe enough to gallop. Takes a while, but its absolutely worth it. Yankee had a blast, as you can tell, and Jackie & I almost died from excitement. Neither of us have galloped in ages.
Speaking of Jackie, she is back from KC, Kansas and is actually moving Miss mare next week to MO. She is healing quite nicely from her awful accident that tore into her butt muscle, and should be 95%-100%. She already is being ridden at the walk and trotted on the lunge with no touch of lameness. I'm so happy for Jackie :D
More posts to come, now that we are back into work!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Because Pictures Suck
I'm having issues getting pictures to load...AGAIN.
Thus why I havent blogged in eons. And I hate blogging without pictures because no one likes words on words on words.
Instead, I found this 'article' while perusing facebook during one of my sleepless nights and it really hit a chord. Its so very accurate about my life, though I never really thought to articulate it in the words the way this man did. It really is an interesting read, and I'm sure many of you can relate as well.
Its called, "A Fathers Explanation of Why He Had Horses For His Children". The link is here.
Real quick, a highlight of the next few posts, when I get pics to work, geez.
* Jumping
* Yankee's horrible abcess
* Yankee tying up somthin awful, causing met o panic and almost die and costing me more $$
* Show plans
* Jackie returning! :D
* Emma leaving :(
Until then!
Thus why I havent blogged in eons. And I hate blogging without pictures because no one likes words on words on words.
Instead, I found this 'article' while perusing facebook during one of my sleepless nights and it really hit a chord. Its so very accurate about my life, though I never really thought to articulate it in the words the way this man did. It really is an interesting read, and I'm sure many of you can relate as well.
Its called, "A Fathers Explanation of Why He Had Horses For His Children". The link is here.
Real quick, a highlight of the next few posts, when I get pics to work, geez.
* Jumping
* Yankee's horrible abcess
* Yankee tying up somthin awful, causing met o panic and almost die and costing me more $$
* Show plans
* Jackie returning! :D
* Emma leaving :(
Until then!
Saturday, November 24, 2012
A Question and An Update
Hey all, hope everyone had a fantabulous thanksgiving! Even though I was away from my family and pretty down about that, my boyfriend invited me to his dinner. It was an experience for sure; we went black friday shopping from 8pm-3am (first time ever), and then I drove home at 4am from STL...and went to work at 6:30am. I was tired to say the least.
I loved hearing all of your answers about horse costs! I can say it varies a little but in general seems to be about the same overall. Very interesting indeed :)
Now I have another question, and this is a new concern of mine. I would love opinions/help/etc on the matter.
As of 2 weeks ago, Yankee has been incessantly twitching/nodding his head. It is a mystery and very peculiar. He has never displayed this kind of behavior before and I have changed nothing in his routine. Nothing. Turnout, grain, rides, stall time, etc are all consistent and he gets out from 8am-4pm everyday so I know he is not bored. Ponyface is very used to (and prefers) partial turnout.
Its starting to bug me since I'm begining to think its neurological. The twitch is weird- he will be standing cross tied or out in the pasture and every 10-15 seconds he will jerk his head up. Like a nervous twitch...but he's standing perfectly still. No pawing...no nervous poops. Just twitching.
In addition, he will toss his head over and over and over. He just stands there, flipping it. Not only is it ANNOYING but I want to know WHY.
Observe.
So odd. He doesn't do it while being ridden, which is great. But he obviously does it while tacked up, and will do it when we are just standing (mounted) and in the pasture like a friggin retard.. It is DRIVING ME INSANE.
HELP preese. Anyone know why this is happening??
Other than that malarky we've had some good ride this week. It was exceptionally warm in the early par tof the week but then dropped to about 20. Missouri.
And did one little dressage sesh. He's been mighty good, loose and responsive to everything and is jumping better than he ever has before. Longer warm-ups in dressage help him be perfect in our schools (stay connected, loose, relaxed). Wish I had time to spend 3 hours at the barn though. Our jumping practice has been absolutely fabulous. He's getting better at landing on his leads (thanks to my overexaggerated asking) and coming away from the jumps more balanced and ready for the next. I'm also getter better about waiting for the jump to come and not overjumping. Too bad theres not another jump competition till January :(
I can't wait until the days stop warming up, so I can stop switching blankets from night to day. Its getting insane.
I loved hearing all of your answers about horse costs! I can say it varies a little but in general seems to be about the same overall. Very interesting indeed :)
Now I have another question, and this is a new concern of mine. I would love opinions/help/etc on the matter.
As of 2 weeks ago, Yankee has been incessantly twitching/nodding his head. It is a mystery and very peculiar. He has never displayed this kind of behavior before and I have changed nothing in his routine. Nothing. Turnout, grain, rides, stall time, etc are all consistent and he gets out from 8am-4pm everyday so I know he is not bored. Ponyface is very used to (and prefers) partial turnout.
Its starting to bug me since I'm begining to think its neurological. The twitch is weird- he will be standing cross tied or out in the pasture and every 10-15 seconds he will jerk his head up. Like a nervous twitch...but he's standing perfectly still. No pawing...no nervous poops. Just twitching.
In addition, he will toss his head over and over and over. He just stands there, flipping it. Not only is it ANNOYING but I want to know WHY.
Observe.
So odd. He doesn't do it while being ridden, which is great. But he obviously does it while tacked up, and will do it when we are just standing (mounted) and in the pasture like a friggin retard.. It is DRIVING ME INSANE.
HELP preese. Anyone know why this is happening??
Other than that malarky we've had some good ride this week. It was exceptionally warm in the early par tof the week but then dropped to about 20. Missouri.
We've been on a few hacks...
And jumped a little bit...
....you know, the usual badassery.
And did one little dressage sesh. He's been mighty good, loose and responsive to everything and is jumping better than he ever has before. Longer warm-ups in dressage help him be perfect in our schools (stay connected, loose, relaxed). Wish I had time to spend 3 hours at the barn though. Our jumping practice has been absolutely fabulous. He's getting better at landing on his leads (thanks to my overexaggerated asking) and coming away from the jumps more balanced and ready for the next. I'm also getter better about waiting for the jump to come and not overjumping. Too bad theres not another jump competition till January :(
I can't wait until the days stop warming up, so I can stop switching blankets from night to day. Its getting insane.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Inspired by Interwebz
I was going through my daily checklist of sites to visit...FB, pinterest, dogshaming, failbook, MSN news...you get the idea, I waste lots of time at work. Anyways.
I stumbled upon an article on MSN about "Equestrian Estates" and was wowed by the $25 million price tags on a home in Ocala. Oh to be swimming in monies. Then, in the bottom corner I saw a tiny little link to another article, "How Much Does a Horse Cost?". Intrigued, mostly because the MSN writers are wildly misinformed and I enjoy reading their garbage in my free time, but also because I wanted to see their numbers.
It was....mostly accurate in my opinion...surprisingly, considering the massive variation in horse care costs. Their averages I felt were on the low end, but still mostly accurate, unless you live in a coastal region. The only thing I felt they underrepresented was farrier cost..they said minimum $100/maximum $500...IN WHAT STATE?? I want to live there!
I stumbled upon an article on MSN about "Equestrian Estates" and was wowed by the $25 million price tags on a home in Ocala. Oh to be swimming in monies. Then, in the bottom corner I saw a tiny little link to another article, "How Much Does a Horse Cost?". Intrigued, mostly because the MSN writers are wildly misinformed and I enjoy reading their garbage in my free time, but also because I wanted to see their numbers.
It was....mostly accurate in my opinion...surprisingly, considering the massive variation in horse care costs. Their averages I felt were on the low end, but still mostly accurate, unless you live in a coastal region. The only thing I felt they underrepresented was farrier cost..they said minimum $100/maximum $500...IN WHAT STATE?? I want to live there!
What I'm interested in, coasters and southerners, is how much do YOU pay for things? No need to detail it out, but I AM curious!
For me, my horsey costs (not including anything extra, like tack or shows) has significantly decreased since I moved from Ohio to Missouri. I really have no clue as to why though, perhaps less of a demand for horsey services, since I am certain there are less (especially competitive) horses here in the BF of nowhere, than in other states.
The only that increased for me, was board, even though the price is significantly less here. I had my horses at home in OH, so the additional cost of boarding pinches my wallet a bit more than I'm used to.
The Breakdown, MO
* Board- $200 mo/ $2400 yr
*Farrier- $97 every other month/ $582 yr
* Board- $200 mo/ $2400 yr
*Farrier- $97 every other month/ $582 yr
*Vet- $400/yr
*Grain- $65 mo/ $780 yr
*Hay- This year I will have spent $497, last year I spent $250
----->$4400
In comparison to OH
* Board- $0
*Hay- This year I will have spent $497, last year I spent $250
----->$4400
In comparison to OH
* Board- $0
*Farrier- $195/ $1170 yr
*Vet- $600 yr
*Grain- $300 mo/ $3600 yr
*Hay-On average, $600 yr
*Hay-On average, $600 yr
------> $6000 PER HORSE....
and I had anywhere from 3-5 at one time.
Even with boarding in MO, its cheaper. I know in OH, a good full care boarding place (indoor, jump field, nice stalls, good hay and grain) was $660...upwards of $800. Here in MO, full care in my area is $350-$475, with all of the niceness included. I know its more expensive in STL and KC but those are bigger cities.
Anyways, too many words. What do you all pay?
Monday, November 12, 2012
Reunited And it Feels So Good
This week has been quite uplifting. SO many good things finally aligned for me...been a long time coming. Not over the hill yet, but I can honestly say I feel 100% relieved already.
That being said, it got wicked cold here pretty fast, (considering it was 60-70 degrees a few days ago) low 20s-30s at night and 40s during the day so its making me not want to brave the freezing wind to ride. GAH.
Few points of news to note:
-Signed up for a schooling show for this Sunday
-Sold my sweet pony- she needed a job and I needed the money. Byebye baby Zephyr :( bittersweet.
-Got a few pieces of new tack (see below :D)
-Jackie came to visit
-We've made plans for next show season
- I still need hay...like bad.
-JACKIE IS MOVING BACK TO COMO :D
Jackie came to visit a few days ago so OF COURSE we had to jump! I think Jackie jumps Yankee better than anyone, including myself. She's so fearless. I'm getting better, but I still get anxious over large, single oxers sometimes. Lines are no big deal and really not many jumps are. It takes tiem to get over an accident though and I had 2 within a year. A certain Stacey (:P) won't let me post the picture, but it was pretty jarring to my fearlessness. I also had a pony that would jump anything wihtout question (RIP Spirit), and Yanks is a little more tricky than that.
Spirit would put up with any bad riding and still jump over 4 ft. Yankee requires a mediocre ride, but if you drop him or are nervous, he knows and will refuse. Otherwise, he's the easiest guy to jump in the whole world. Funnily enough, only 2 other people have jumped him over a course (Jackie and Emma) and 2 others jumped him over a few fences.
I digress.
That being said, it got wicked cold here pretty fast, (considering it was 60-70 degrees a few days ago) low 20s-30s at night and 40s during the day so its making me not want to brave the freezing wind to ride. GAH.
Few points of news to note:
-Signed up for a schooling show for this Sunday
-Sold my sweet pony- she needed a job and I needed the money. Byebye baby Zephyr :( bittersweet.
-Got a few pieces of new tack (see below :D)
-Jackie came to visit
-We've made plans for next show season
- I still need hay...like bad.
-JACKIE IS MOVING BACK TO COMO :D
Jackie came to visit a few days ago so OF COURSE we had to jump! I think Jackie jumps Yankee better than anyone, including myself. She's so fearless. I'm getting better, but I still get anxious over large, single oxers sometimes. Lines are no big deal and really not many jumps are. It takes tiem to get over an accident though and I had 2 within a year. A certain Stacey (:P) won't let me post the picture, but it was pretty jarring to my fearlessness. I also had a pony that would jump anything wihtout question (RIP Spirit), and Yanks is a little more tricky than that.
Spirit would put up with any bad riding and still jump over 4 ft. Yankee requires a mediocre ride, but if you drop him or are nervous, he knows and will refuse. Otherwise, he's the easiest guy to jump in the whole world. Funnily enough, only 2 other people have jumped him over a course (Jackie and Emma) and 2 others jumped him over a few fences.
I digress.
Dis is happy Jackie. Her Isis is still out of commission so she was happy to have Mr. Yankee back for a little while
And look at this gem she dug up for me. A FIVE WAY BREASTPLATE. We are toats legit eventers now. Like, really. S'fo freeee.
Aint that sexual.
We did a few courses with 2-3 stride combos, a bounce to the oxer below and some tricky rollbacks. Yankee was eating it up. Wish we had video for you! And look at those knees! Getting better and better.
Barely trying.
Jackie has also decided to move back to CoMo so we hope to team up again and help each other with our next show season. I plan on saving all winter (I'm working 3 jobs) so that we can do at least 5 shows in hope to FINALLY get our damn NQRs so we can move up to Prelim. We are MORE than ready. Yankee has improved so much over the last 2 years that I KNOW he is ready, it just sucks that I never had the money this year to show because even in the first outing with a bad XC round, we still ended up 7th. Sucks we have no XC jumps to practice over...so that is our downfall, even though its our favorite phase.
Anyways, Jackie wants to work the ponies (Isis ad Yankee) jumping and I'll do more dressage, especially with Isis. We will both work our own, but I think collaborating will help all 4 of us. I'm excited about the prospect of a new season.
As for Zephyr, I sold her last week. I never really planned on it, but I needed the money and she needed a job. Shes turning 5 and is broke to drive, but I never did anything with her. Her new owner plans to show her in tandem harness with another chesnut. I hope she's happy there :)
So for this week, I plan on doing some dressage work in prep for the schooling show Sunday. Hopefully we still got it ;)
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Jomping Feets
Finally back in the swing of things. Motivated. Steady job. Plans made......after the show season ends. Whats wrong with me D:
Pushing that thought aside, Emma and Yankee did some boss work over a tricky gymnastic set yesterday. Yankee was having a blast and Emma was doing a really good job sitting quiet and eating him figure the grid out himself. This is as high as the set got, but we ran through it maybe 10-15 times at lower height.
The setup was 3 raised trot poles, x-rail bounce, baby vertical bounce, 1 stride, 1 stride, 2 stride to oxer.
For your viewing pleasure. (Also, weather is drunnk again, it was 75 after being being 40 for a few solid days.)
I just love his enthusiasm!! His feeds are just the cutest, he bounds over the jumps!
In this pic, he's basically taking huge canter stride
Look at his ears! He's so happy to be back in the swing of things I think :)
Beasting out the bounces like a boss. Yay alliteration.
And this one, is my favorite of the day...PERFECT KNEES!!! That rarely happens. Yanks tends to jump with one knee just slightly lower but the gris I think made him think and rocked him back, thus freeing his shoulders up more and producing this gorgeous jump!!
I realize I'm being lackluster with my words here, but I like to let the pictures speak for themselves sometimes.
Pushing that thought aside, Emma and Yankee did some boss work over a tricky gymnastic set yesterday. Yankee was having a blast and Emma was doing a really good job sitting quiet and eating him figure the grid out himself. This is as high as the set got, but we ran through it maybe 10-15 times at lower height.
The setup was 3 raised trot poles, x-rail bounce, baby vertical bounce, 1 stride, 1 stride, 2 stride to oxer.
For your viewing pleasure. (Also, weather is drunnk again, it was 75 after being being 40 for a few solid days.)
I just love his enthusiasm!! His feeds are just the cutest, he bounds over the jumps!
In this pic, he's basically taking huge canter stride
Look at his ears! He's so happy to be back in the swing of things I think :)
He's like, so ancy to jump!!
Beasting out the bounces like a boss. Yay alliteration.
And this one, is my favorite of the day...PERFECT KNEES!!! That rarely happens. Yanks tends to jump with one knee just slightly lower but the gris I think made him think and rocked him back, thus freeing his shoulders up more and producing this gorgeous jump!!
I realize I'm being lackluster with my words here, but I like to let the pictures speak for themselves sometimes.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Everyone's Doing It.
Before I get to the meat of this post, just wanted to let everyone know Isis is doing pretty good for having her butt torn apart. Its infected, as to be expected, but Jackie is doing all she can to speed the healing process. Thank you for your well wishes!!
And now.
You all should know by now that my ponyface is adopted.
I got him from New Vocations as a wittle bebe TB off the track, aka OTTB. I know some of you are opposed to the breed, but with him and numerous others, I can find nothing better and I've owned and ridden almost every common breed out there.
There's just something about the OTTBs that are so special and if you talk to anyone who has adopted I'm sure their story is the same. Loyal, affectionate, powerful, graceful, smart, athletic, beautiful...all of it. They are everything. To me, the perfect breed.
A fellow blogger started making T-shirts for us OTTB lovers, and her company has since exploded into a multinational business. I saw the other day someone from Europe wanted her shirts! She even has the MOST adorable jackets (UM, CHRISTMAS LIST, k thanks.) and coolers for the horses. So awesome. I love it. Its called OTTB Tee's and you can find her on Etsy and FB.
The link for Etsy is here!
She is also having a contest to win some merchandise and I live for free things. Problem is, I'm down by like...60 votes. There is no way they are getting that many votes without asking for them. I'm caving under peer pressure and asking you guys to vote for Mr. Yankee and I so I can win some free stuff! YAY FREE THINGS. ALL THE FREE THINGS!
The contest is to submit a picture of you and your OTTB with ONE word to describe "you" (Yanks an I). I picked 'quirky' because I feel that is the epitome of our relationship together. He is a major goofball and I'm a wild child.
The link is HERE to vote. Just "like" it on FB!
If you guys wanna help me out, that'd be pretty sweet. The contest goes till November 19, (very fitting that it is also election month) so head to the polls preese :D It'll only tai a hot second ;)
I realize I'm up against Ms. Lucy and Mr. Cuna...I might lose. haha.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Moments When We Want To Die.
**WARNING**
This post is more than exceptionally gory. Like really, if you have a weak stomach I'd advise you to go no further. But if you have morbid curiosity like me, please do go on.
Now that I've baited your minds, I shall distract you for a moment by asking if you remember Ms. Isis, Jackie's babygirl.
I'm assuming you all remember Jackie. Pure badass. Yankees second mom. Hot betch.
Anyways, Isis.
Yeah, she's pretty sexual. I have a thing for greys too so I find her even more beautiful. That, and her tail kicks Yankees tail's ass by like a million strands.
Jackie has been diligently working with Ms. Mare for 3 months, since she was all kinds of cray cray and barely knew anything. That and she threw some mean temper tantrums. I probably would've given up ages ago on her but Jackie didn't and now hot mess is hot mare.
But we all know that when the stars are seemingly aligning, its just a false sense of security.
You know something bad is about to happen don't you?
Yeah.
(AGAIN, SQUEAMISH LOOK AWAY!!)
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Doomsday dropped this bomb on poor Jackie this weekend through text message, informing her that her horse had a "cut" on her hindquarters....
Upon seeing this on my horse, I think I would've done 1 of 3 things
1. Bawl
2. Faint
3. Die
Lets look at this from a different angle...
Yeah, just a flesh wound, no worries. Minor scratch. That must just be blood covering up the wound. Aren't we always told it looks worse than it is?
Meanwhile, Jackie is seemingly keeping her shit together on the way to the barn, while I'm furiously texting her asking what the fuck over and over.
NOPE. IT IS MUCH WORSE THAN IT LOOKS. Much much much much....is that...a flap of flesh?! Is this real life? How the? What the???
Anyways, I'm over here more than 2 hours away dually grossed out and sickly curious as to how the eff this silly mare could've done this in a STALL. Repeat....stall.
Turns out, the horse next to her decided he hated her and provoked Isis and they started fighting through the stall. Other horse kicked out, broke a board and Isis ripped her flesh on it.
That is one massive splinter in the ass.
Cue late night emergency vet call $$$$$$$
 |
| Like...I can't even. |
All bedder? Maybe? Jackie told me that the vet literally had his arm up the stabbing and pulled handfuls of wood out of her body. Also that he had to sedate her with the amount that would knock out a Budweiser Clydesdale. Bitch did not want any human messing with her butt. I can't imagine why.
Her actual words "Yeah I saw bone. All muscle just mangled. He literally had to stuff the red muscle back in her body and stitch the white muscle over it hoping it would hold. He then told me the stitches wouldn't hold and I should expect that. Also that she may never jump again, so thats awesome. Oh and she needs 2 months off, possibly more."
Death.
The epic wound today.
So friends. Count your blessings that your horses didn't tear their ass apart. I would die.
DIE.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Weather, You Are Drunk.
So just as it was getting gorgeous outside and I was getting in the mood to ride and Yankee got all bedder, the weather decided to eff all the shit up and make it unbearable to go outside.
I have sweaty boobs. This is not okay.
But really.
Like, once it gets below freezing at night, all critters internal temperatures change...including mine. Horses hair grows long, people put on sweaters and boots, inhale hot beverages and liquid dinners, and curl up on the couch at night with doggies and stuffs to stay warm.
The weather goes to a bar and gets as drunk as freshman frat boys at a keggar.
And its all like, "HERRO I'm the weather and I'm here to fuck your world by being blazing hot outside just as your body was getting used to the cold. MWAH HAHAHA."
We are all miserable.
I just want to ride.
And wear sweatpants.
Weather is not done being wasty pants though.
So then, after these next two days of upper 80s it supposed to drop to 45...for like a solid 4 days. I guess weather will be very hungover from its binge drinking session.
*WHOMP WHOMP*
I almost questioned the purchase of a second turn out for the pony yesterday. Cuz, you know, I don't need to eat or anything. But it is absolutely necessary to have a back up turn out. We all know this.
Don't worry guys. I got this kick ass blanket for $40. Retails for $200+
YEAH. I win today.
(Sorry no pictures....blogger must also be drunk because it refuses to upload them)
I have sweaty boobs. This is not okay.
But really.
Like, once it gets below freezing at night, all critters internal temperatures change...including mine. Horses hair grows long, people put on sweaters and boots, inhale hot beverages and liquid dinners, and curl up on the couch at night with doggies and stuffs to stay warm.
The weather goes to a bar and gets as drunk as freshman frat boys at a keggar.
And its all like, "HERRO I'm the weather and I'm here to fuck your world by being blazing hot outside just as your body was getting used to the cold. MWAH HAHAHA."
We are all miserable.
I just want to ride.
And wear sweatpants.
Weather is not done being wasty pants though.
So then, after these next two days of upper 80s it supposed to drop to 45...for like a solid 4 days. I guess weather will be very hungover from its binge drinking session.
*WHOMP WHOMP*
I almost questioned the purchase of a second turn out for the pony yesterday. Cuz, you know, I don't need to eat or anything. But it is absolutely necessary to have a back up turn out. We all know this.
Don't worry guys. I got this kick ass blanket for $40. Retails for $200+
YEAH. I win today.
(Sorry no pictures....blogger must also be drunk because it refuses to upload them)
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Ummm...I Feel Famous
So I finally made it onto Eventing Nation....sort of.
I mean, I feel REALLY special here.
Its too bad my Eventing badassery never really made it to EN but I will totally count this as a win, reppin' my TB love.
ALSO, this is on their Pinterest.
GAH, fame.
This did. Which I made. From a post in Feb of this year.
I mean, I feel REALLY special here.
Its too bad my Eventing badassery never really made it to EN but I will totally count this as a win, reppin' my TB love.
ALSO, this is on their Pinterest.
GAH, fame.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Western Clothes
Waddup blogettes.
I noticed a trend when the weather get cooler.....NO ONE BLOGS. Sup' with dat.
Anyways, yesterday was unseasonablly warm for Missouri...wait, the weather is normally psycho bipolar. Duh.
Anyways. Warm. So I asked H if I could ride Pronto & Emma if she wanted to take Yankee out for a trail ride. I wanted to show her the loop so she could go on her own if she wanted.
We were feeling squirrely and decided to dress Yankee up in western clothes....
Oh my fuq.
That is just....I can't even. He pulls off the pink though doesn't he?
Sadly, Mr. Pronto accidentally nailed Yankee good right above the knee less than halfway through our ride. Mr. P and Yankee both share the pussy gene, in that they hate flies and overreact to all bugs. This was Pronto, kicking out at a fly...and nailing poor Yanks.
I was mortified because it started pouring blood immediately....and I thought he gouged an artery. But he didn't.
It didn't even swell, just bled forever and he wasn't lame, but I wanted to play it on the safe side, so we took him home to bed.
I also figured out how to get a bandage to stay on the upper leg. Polo wrap and vet wrap over the top of that. Didnt budge. WIN.
It was fine this morning...just hella deep. Eeek.
He's getting shaved monday! Its supposed to be like 75 all week. GAY. Especially since the nights have already crept below freezing here and now all the ponies will be all kinds of confused.
TTFN.
I noticed a trend when the weather get cooler.....NO ONE BLOGS. Sup' with dat.
Anyways, yesterday was unseasonablly warm for Missouri...wait, the weather is normally psycho bipolar. Duh.
Anyways. Warm. So I asked H if I could ride Pronto & Emma if she wanted to take Yankee out for a trail ride. I wanted to show her the loop so she could go on her own if she wanted.
We were feeling squirrely and decided to dress Yankee up in western clothes....
HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA....ahahahaaaa
Oh my fuq.
That is just....I can't even. He pulls off the pink though doesn't he?
They are just adorable. Gah.
Sadly, Mr. Pronto accidentally nailed Yankee good right above the knee less than halfway through our ride. Mr. P and Yankee both share the pussy gene, in that they hate flies and overreact to all bugs. This was Pronto, kicking out at a fly...and nailing poor Yanks.
I was mortified because it started pouring blood immediately....and I thought he gouged an artery. But he didn't.
It didn't even swell, just bled forever and he wasn't lame, but I wanted to play it on the safe side, so we took him home to bed.
I also figured out how to get a bandage to stay on the upper leg. Polo wrap and vet wrap over the top of that. Didnt budge. WIN.
It was fine this morning...just hella deep. Eeek.
He's getting shaved monday! Its supposed to be like 75 all week. GAY. Especially since the nights have already crept below freezing here and now all the ponies will be all kinds of confused.
TTFN.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Say Herro to Emma
This is Emma, Bloggers.
She is a badass. I shall explain more in a moment.
This was her first time riding Yanks, and he hasn't been in regular work since like...June.
I realize I've been not blogging very much. Its because we live a very unexciting life and I'm sure you've all heard me go round the horn a million times and just don't want to hear it anymore. So while you all are wrapping up your show seasons and having funsies and doing things and being badasses, we've just been over here getting fat.
FAT.
In my desperate search for a leaser to help me pay for Yankee so I won't have to sell him, I found Emma. Not exactly what I was looking for since she can't pay at all....but she is a phenomenal rider. Like seriously. And I'm sure Yankee would like to be ridden, and in my depressive state, I don't want to, so....welcome to the team Emma! :)
She's been riding since forever, is a freshman in college and is basically a beast. I think she rides better than me actually and I'm like....not sure if impressed...or jealous. Hopefully she will be able to keep the beast in some work while I'm over here eating my anxiety and rocking back and forth in fetal position because apparently bachelors degrees in Business don't mean shit anymore.
But I digress.
She's been riding since forever, is a freshman in college and is basically a beast. I think she rides better than me actually and I'm like....not sure if impressed...or jealous. Hopefully she will be able to keep the beast in some work while I'm over here eating my anxiety and rocking back and forth in fetal position because apparently bachelors degrees in Business don't mean shit anymore.
But I digress.
Saintly Beasts.
In other news. Its officially fall and I shall be clipping the Yankee soon. Luckily its been cool enough that I've had a light sheet on him for almost 2 weeks, and I think its stunted his hair growth, for once. Normally he's like a mammoth and its ridiculous.
Pretty black pony beast.
So until then, Bloggers.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Workin' on That Swag
Yesterday was just dreamy.
I took a nap.
It was 72 degrees.
And I rode my horse.
Since he hasn't been in regular work for about 7 weeks, I have to remind myself not to jump into the workouts we used to have. Instead, my friend and I went for hack down the country road.
This road is amazing for hacking! Hilly, fine gravel (great for winter) and shaded. The horses really seem to like it too.
Mostly for this ride I was focused on Yankee keeping relaxed, but still staying engaged through his body. He was absolutely perfect. Long and low the whole time and really working forward through his hind end.
It was quite a pleasant ride, and I was impressed with the amount energy he seemed to have going AWAY from the barn. I think the weather was getting to the horses :)
Afterwards, with a very loose and forward pony, I took him in the indoor to have a quick canter both directions.
Fantastic impulsion, relaxation, and transitions. Overall a very productive, but short ride.
Hopefully today he maintains the same amount of goodness in our flat school! Sunday, jumping!
I took a nap.
It was 72 degrees.
And I rode my horse.
Since he hasn't been in regular work for about 7 weeks, I have to remind myself not to jump into the workouts we used to have. Instead, my friend and I went for hack down the country road.
This road is amazing for hacking! Hilly, fine gravel (great for winter) and shaded. The horses really seem to like it too.
Mostly for this ride I was focused on Yankee keeping relaxed, but still staying engaged through his body. He was absolutely perfect. Long and low the whole time and really working forward through his hind end.
Afterwards, with a very loose and forward pony, I took him in the indoor to have a quick canter both directions.
Fantastic impulsion, relaxation, and transitions. Overall a very productive, but short ride.
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