F*** YOU HOCKS I HATE YOU?

Yankee has been a dream lately.

...on the flat.

He's turned into a monster over fences.

Yankee...such  asshole. WHAT  HAPPENING.

He's starting to buck when I ask for the canter, chips at every fence, stops, or bunny hops. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Its like he is doing it on purpose and its INFURIATING. He refuses to even jump 2'6 oxers and I'm like

The last time we jumped I was so annoyed I threw my hands up in frustration and just let him walk for 10 minutes so I could cool off and then flatted him. Whats worse is every time I jump it seems like there are a hundred people watching and I'm always embarrassed my dumb horse won't even jump two feet.

The only moderately decent jump/picture all day.

 I wasn't sure last time if it was because of the heatwave or what, but he's like me, in that we melt in heat. Then I was like, well maybe he is hurting. Is it the saddle? I stopped using a half pad with the jump saddle and only use my thinline pad now. Thought maybe that was it. Or am I riding badly? Probably. BUT he always takes me over anyways-whether it be 2 ft or 4ft. Was he distracted by the amount of people hanging around? Maybe.

Then I remembered its been almost a year since he got his hocks done.

So there's that.

But it doesn't make sense to me. The vet thinks he should be good for three years. Definitely more than one. AND he's fab on the flat. Like, amazing.

HELLO FORWARD

DAT TROT DOH

And thats in a hackamore! He's engaged, through, and forward. His flying  changes are getting better too. And that requires a lot of hock action.

For now, since I can't afford to guess and get a vet out to test his hocks again when he is NOT showing lameness like last time,  I will use the half pad again with my saddle and see if that fixes things.

The Most News

GUESS WHAAAAAAT.

I'm moving.

In 14 days.

No but really, I haven't felt this good about a decision in a LONG time. (I love love love EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. who has been supportive of me on this blog. LOVE you guys!)

At first was going to wait until my lease ends in August...but why. 

Minus my best horse friends, I will have my family, FREE room and board, freedom to make VERY important decisions, my horse, my dog, my beautiful childhood farm, a social life with my old friends, the kentucky horse park and all its shows, my old trainer, lessons and a job.

I really am going to miss my WONDERFUL Missouri family, but they can't pay my bills.

It saddens me to leave them and my network of horse people I have met here, but I think I really need this in my life. I've been here FIVE years and have nothign to show for it but a college degree that is useless in a college town.

ALSO.

I HAVE to get another horse. So, like, if anyone knows of something...Yankee needs a friend in Ohio. Because herd animal.

Thats all for now since I just worked an 11 hour shift and am dead, but here's a preview of my next post...

"Stripping, On Horses!"

Haha, jk. It was just REALLY hot.

LIFE, HOW DO. MUCH DECISIONS.

Since my breakup (which was for the better) I have been in deep pondering thought.

I have graduated. I am still a waitress and bartender (while its ballin money, it gets old and is SO undignified). All of my friends graduate GRAD SCHOOL THIS YEAR and I'm over here like hurr hurr hurr durr. Single and FREE. The shows here BLOW. I miss Kentucky so hard. I miss lessons.

Nothing is keeping me here past friend graduation and the end of my lease.

So.

Do I move back home with the parentals to grand old Ohio?

FOR SHAME WHAT COLLEGE GRADUATE MOVES BACK HOME WHO DOES THAT

Um. Almost all of them.

With good reason.

My stubborn ass was like

And now I'm like

and my parents are all like

 and I'm like

OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE I'VE FUCKED AROUND FOR TWO WHOLE YEARS

But really, they are offering free room and board for myself AND my horse...which like, how can I pass that up when I don't know what I want to do.

Grad school. Start own business. Train and event. ???

Living at home would give me few months of no bills and some time to save money and make decisions that will affect the rest of my life while not hemorrhaging money.

Because lets be real, I'm a baby at 23. I graduated college when I had just turned 21 and thats TOO EARLY.

I hate Ohio, like alot. BUT free rent/board means I can save AND be closer to better/more shows.

And my parents would love it.

Fail Friday

On so many levels.

Not only did we have some fabulous fails last week while jumping, but I got broken up with (over it, baiiiii) AND forgot to send a check for Longview HT next weekend so uh, we won't be attending...

In addition Missouri continues to be insane and allergies have kicked in on top of random ridiculous 50* temperature changes. I feel like I'm dying half the time. 

Last week Jessie and I thought it'd be cool to jump the beast until we failed. Why. 

Basically a Yankee puissiance. Please don't try this at home. We shouldn't have. 

Bad idea. We got some sick pictures though. Including some epic fails 

Remember how I have anxiety about jumping sometimes? Add to that a five foot over and a squirrely bitch of an OTTB. Near disaster. 

I would like to point out that I did not fall and am truly astonished as to how this happened. I really should've died with some of the refusals Yankee threw my way. He did me dirty. 

After that fuckery which bashed my face into his skull and knocked the wind out of me, I quit riding and braced and he either slid to a stop or bunny hopped like a banshee. I'm pretty sure I broke my pelvis. 

Sorted it out a few jumps later and it was smoothe sailing after that for a bit. 

We might be successful at Grand Prix if we weren't both so bat shit cray. 

It's okay, I've lost 10lbs and he's gained like 50 and we both look bangin, fails aside.

(I wish theses pictures would behave and do the right things but  my mac is being difficult at the moment)

GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER

Depending on where you live, you may be the most frustrated with mothernature's bitchy attitude as of late.

I left you all last time with all the excitement of going XC schooling.

Yeah, that didn't happen.

Rain cancelled it.

Probably for the best, since I'm broke and that trip would've sucked me dry until the next payday. NEVER FEAR. A woman here with a small XC course is going to let me school before I go off to Longview. Better than nothin!

In addition to some INSANE thunderstorms and torrential rain a few days ago, we were blessed with a beautiful snowstorm exactly 24 hours after we were laying out on decks, sipping cocktails, enjoying the EIGHTY FUCKING DEGREE WEATHER.

GET IT TOGETHER MOTHERNATURE. Jesus.

I froze my ass off yesterday at the barn. Like, I'm pretty sure I have frostbite.  And I'm almost positive the horses were close to colic since their poor bodies were being thrashed around with the insane weather fluctuations.

I really loathe the midwest.

Sweating in shorts yesterday...freezing in jackets today. WTF

To add to the fun, we played musical horses and I failed miserably at attempting to ride another beast.

Us, on our own horses at first

I'm pretty sure I looked like a sack of fat potatoes on this beautiful beast I rode, and I could not FOR THE LIFE OF ME get my shit together. I don't think he was on the bit once, and his transition were shit. Oh the flopping. Luckily we didn't get pictures of me on him.

I blame his massive size and ridiculously huge stride. (Yankee looks bigger in the above pic, but thats an illusion. This horse is like, 17.2, and big and beautiful. Also an OTTB)

The owner of the beast of course made Yankee look amaze balls and I was like stahp it.

Luckily Yankee was a darling for me too and we worked on stretchy trot and self carriage. HEY-O

I've never felt uber comfortable on other horses, partially because I've always owned and ridden my own exclusively for long periods of time. They put up with my shit and vice versa. Comfort zoned.

Whenever I ride/rode Isis, Fancy or Pronto I feel/felt awkward and floppy. Mutiply by ten on this horse I rode yesterday.

Actually very jealous of people like Jackie and Jessie who are superstars at catch riding. They can ride ANYTHING. I wish I had had more chances to catch ride and be more versatile. I felt most confident in my riding when I owned 5 horses and rode them all each day. I was very practiced at switching my riding style and of course was insanely fit. Even when I rode for NSF with all the babies, they made me mrs conscious and ultimately a better rider.

But for the most part, I've been exclusively riding Spirit or Yankee for the last 10 years.

Crazy.

Hurry UP Sunday Funday

I think I've slightly recovered from my hangover and you can view a blogpost about the show shortly over at the New Vocations webisite under my ambassador page :D It seems redundant to post on my blog and theirs, so I will give a link once it up if anyone cares to read about the dressage show frivolity.

I also filed my taxes so I feel accomplished. And did errands. And cleaned my house. And bought new tires for my car. And got an oil change. BE ALL THE ADULT THINGS. I'm choosing to ignore that I owe almost $500 in state and property tax though...one day I'll pay that....

So I don't know about any of you guys but winter has FINALLY left the building.

The grass has sprouted. Trees and flowers are blooming and bugs are bursting forth with energy. Not to mention the horses are getting sleek.

Yankee just looks mildly stupid at the moment since he was shaved and grows his hair in all spotty.

Human, I am le tired. No work for meh.

I think he kind of looks like a leopard, haha. A new fashion statement.

We are in full horse show mode and I've actually been doing well riding him almost everyday AND working out. I look rather slim compared to a month ago. Its nice my breeches are falling off. And are those ARM MUSCLES I'M SEEING?

Say hai to my giraffe and dingo

YAY SHOPPING *insert evil grin* *bank account cries*

So after feeling good that I went out and practiced dressage at a show, it is now time to burst forth with happiness and drive 2 hours to Kansas to school CROSS COUNTRY. But first, a jump school.

I am so SO excited. Like I almost can't function this week. Its been  A YEAR. A whole friggn year since I've jumped a single XC fence. The last time he was a boss (see Blog banner) so I know he will rock out. Even though there is no need to school prelim or even training since I am (sadly) only doing Novice (UGH) at Longview since we haven't evented in a year (trust me I am really pissed about it but I feel its safest than to go training after a year off), we are still going to jump the big fences because YOLO why not I'm paying to be there.

#eventermentality

I set up a fun "course" (I didn't mean it to tun into one, it just did) that consisted of two BIG verticals, a fan, the skinny and a wide oxer.

The plan was to warm up like Jessie taught us then school each fence one at a time before stringing them together. Then let Jessie take him for a joy ride, since she is mainly a dressage gal.

He jumps single fences like no other, but we forever have problems making a course happen without falling apart in the middle. ESPECIALLY if there are verticals. BIG ones. SO I made big ones. They were almost four feet but he only knocked a rail one time out of like 18 jumps. YAY Yankee.

I HATE reading blogs with too many words, so I will now post le pics of le beast being one.

The fan is such a cool jump!

The fan!

Why so serious

3'9 aint but a thang anymore

Adorable

Dem knees

DAT TROT DOH

I love this horse like, so much.

He tries SO hard for his rider and he makes it SO easy. If I didn't have him to save my bum I don't know where I'd be! Crazy to think I trained him and now his ability almost surpasses mine. However, I am getting stronger and my position isn't so bad anymore.

SO READY TO GET EVENTING.

Hungover AF

I want to write a post about our show but I am so horse showing thunder storming babysitting stray dog finding bills paying working long hours hungover that I can barely function so I will sneak a few pics and leave it at that until I maybe recover. 

Had some mildly good work put in, with an OTTB tantrum about leg yielding, but otherwise a solid show that let us know what we need to work on. Lost to the girl at my barn who creams everyone with ridiculously unheard of high scores, BUT we snagged a first in first level 2 and nabbed the TIP (thoroughbred incentive program) award for the highest scoring thoroughbred at first level (64.5). Yay Jockey Club for sweet show swag! The judge was super harsh and in second level Jessie got third...the winning score was a 59....wut.

Sweet JC swag :)

XC schooling this Sunday!! Hopefully I make it to Sunday....