WW

Almost WW - Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

(Didn't I mention we were taking the summer off. No? I could have sworn...)

All good here - be back soon!

Drum roll please - and the Liebster goes to...

[Quick clarifications about the last post:

That big 'ol branch did not land on us - I used that phrase in the title to acknowledge Val's version of events. His speedy violent avoidance of the branch surely saved us him from the imminent danger.

I hopped on and rode right after the fall so Val wouldn't get the idea that ditching me leads to easy street. It was the last thing I wanted to do, though I was hoping it might keep things circulating, or from stiffening up. Or something. Wrong - it probably just made things worse.

It's been three weeks since the incident. Things are just now healed up enough in the area in question that I would even consider riding.]

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Awards season has rolled around blogland again. I dig awards (and prizes). Pretty sure Val does too. We've been chosen for the Liebster award.

The Liebster Blog Award is a way to recognize blogs who have less than 200 followers.  Liebster is a German word that means beloved and valued.  Here are the rules for accepting the award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and include a link back to their blog.
2. List 11 random facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions given to you.
4. Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate.
5. Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or fewer followers to nominate and include links to their blogs.
6. Go to each blogger's page and let them know you have nominated them. 

Artwork courtesy of honeysuckle faire

                                                 

DIsclaimer!! Because I'm a little late to this party, I may modify the conditions somewhat. If you get nominated and don't feel like fooling with it - more power to you. Awards should be fun, not stress inducing. ;D

 1. Thanks ever so to Mona from Panic and the Pony. I relate to the honest posts about struggling to learn dressage with her partner Tessa. Very inspiring. Also thanks to Allison over at Adventures with Shyloh. First of all, who doesn't love a darling, smart-alecky, haflinger pony mare? Seriously, the pictures alone are enough, but Allison's dry sense of humor keeps me coming back. 

2. 11 random facts:

• I can tell what time it is from the angle of the sun - within a few minutes, every time. Ask my Dad. (not useful on cloudy days)
• There was a ten year period where I had no car or television. By choice. The no t.v. part made me smarter, but was probably canceled out by a number of head injuries due to bike wrecks.
• I have skinny dipped in the ocean at night when there were phosphorescent critters in the water... super beautiful but also scary.
• In another life I could see myself as a veterinarian... (think of the savings!)
• There's a bit of an issue with procrastination.
• I have champagne tastes and a PBR budget. *sniff* I can do a lot with a little, but hopefully things will be different one day. I likes me some County saddles...
• Fifteen years ago I moved from Brooklyn to the far hinterlands. I ♥ BKLN, but the middle of nowhere has it's good points.
• I was in a little band while living in Texas, called Fertile Crescent. I suppose we were hippies. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
• My love of gardening came from many summers of child labor on my grandmother's farm. I fondly remember the delicious smell of tobacco hanging in the curing barns. And sweating my a$$ off weeding endless vegetable rows.
• I've only ever driven standard transmissions. Now that I tow trailers regularly, I understand the virtues of an automatic.
• I have found over a hundred four leaf clovers.. maybe closer to two hundred. I don't search for them. They just stick out to my eyes. I'm saving them pressed for a future project. Hoping the luck part is true.

3. Answer the eleven questions given to you (picking from both lists)

How did I get into horses / were there horses in my childhood?

My grandma had a rank pony stallion that I braved barbed wire to get next to. I was smitten. My grandma tanned my hide. I read every horse book known to man and begged for lessons until my parents broke down.

What's the weirdest lesson / clinic you've ever done on horseback?

The clinic was with Erik Herbermann. It took place two days after I bought Val, was a week long and seven hours away. I'd ridden him two or three times, never trailered a horse before, and was absolutely petrified. A great experience nonetheless.

Do you board or keep your horse at home?

I can see Val out of my bedroom window first thing in every morning. That's the best.

What nicknames do you have for your horse?

Mr. Man, Mr. Manteo, dude-man, buddy... (slightly embarrassed now)

What scares you most about riding / horses?

Not being able to work if I get hurt. Trying to perfect my hitting the dirt technique ;D

Describe your horse in three words...

my ♥ horse

Barefoot, boots or shoes?

Barefoot baby! 

What is your best skill round horses?

Wish I could say riding, but probably horse-keeping. My guy is very healthy and very happy.

What is the weirdest thing you've ever tried to feed your horse? Did he like it?

I was surprised that he liked iced (unsweetened) blackberry pomegranate green tea. The only thing he outright rejects is bute from a tube.

What other animals do you have?

Q the jack russell terrorist + three cats - Seven (possesses twenty four toes), Lucky Barnett (grumpy hunter extraordinaire and boss of the farm) and Alex (named after the hurricane he arrived with and was just about as welcome as).

What is your dream pony vacation? 

Either the Spanish Riding school in Vienna, or an Andalusian farm in Spain. Or both.

4. I'm passing along the same questions I answered above... call me a cheater.

5. This award is making the rounds so I've just picked a couple of blogs that hopefully haven't gotten multiple nominations yet... in no particular order:

Bay State Brumby

Sweet Horses Breath

Contact

honeysuckle faire

News from Aspen Meadows

Bakersfield Dressage

In the Arena #147 - Back down to earth, or "HOLY CRAP IT ALMOST FELL ON US!!"

'I probably shouldn't let him do that' was the thought that slowly (and too late) went through my mind while Val uncharacteristically reached up to snack on some grape vines cloaking a willow bough. A willow bough that had recently begun to hang down into our arena under its daily increasing weight. 'Damn - I shouldn't have put off cutting that branch down!" was the next thought.

In a heartbeat Val had snatched the vines. Then branch snapped, cracking like a gunshot over our heads. Not wanting to stay in the danger zone - besides the falling tree limb big around as my arm we were right next to my super hot electric fence - Val bolted. He was clear across the arena before either the branch or I had hit the ground, safety first being his motto.

In my defense, if I had been riding bareback instead of on my saddle, for the first time in many months, I'd have stuck with my pony. Or maybe if I had chosen to tighten my girth to the fifth hole as I always do, instead of mulling over whether the it might be squeezing Val's belly, causing his highness discomfort, and therefore leaving it one hole looser. Gravity always wins. Once the saddle slipped we went past the point of no return.

I didn't have the option of snatching his mouth because I was riding on the buckle, having a great post first lesson in forever warmup. And there were no worries about getting caught in the irons because I was managing my position, particular attention on not putting all my weight into them. So those parts were good.

Unfortunately I hurt myself pretty badly.

I landed on directly on my a$$. Smack dab in the middle of the left side to be exact. Too small of an area to cope with the all that force. I have never ever felt pain quite like that before, and I've broken numerous bones as well as smacked my head into pavement a few times. It was an excruciating combination of burning, stinging, stabbing and then numbness. At first I couldn't really move my leg. Bummer.

At this point I looked over at Val, who had the saddle hanging under his belly and was getting a little agitated. I calmed him down, pulled out my cell phone, and started assessing the situation. If I said I didn't start having a bit of a pity party, I'd be lying. Tears were shed. And there was cussing.

After dithering about whether I needed help for a few minutes, I stood up and tried to walk it off. Val was patiently waiting where he had stopped with an unsure look on his face. He stayed perfectly still as I re-saddled him. We headed back over to the fence, so I could remove the branch and vines to the other side, reassuring him that everything was cool now. He wasn't totally convinced, but really was an angel about the whole thing considering.

My pelvis felt super wonky, but I knew I had to get back on. I remounted, and we proceeded to have an excellent ride, other than pain and nausea, including a breakthrough on steering with my seat of all things.

So for those of you that have asked how my rides have been since the lesson - there you go. There's been one. It had it's ups and downs.

Nearest I can tell, what happened to my backside is that all my weight sent my pelvis trying to crash through the meaty part of my rear. I apparently burst a decent sized blood vessel, which immediately began to inflate an enormous hematoma, as well as create the mother of all bruises. At least I didn't hit my head (again), or try to catch myself and break my arm. Yay.

Picture taken that afternoon. Way bigger than my hand... the not colored middle part turned into the half orange. Yes, I really did post this picture. How could I not? ;D

What seems like thousands of  ibuprofren + arnica + ice + heat + massage + three weeks later, and the half a warm and very firm orange stuck to my butt is greatly reduced. (not a good look by the way)  My hips finally feel even and somewhat normal again. This weekend is going to be cool and breezy, perfect for riding. I think I'm ready...

WW

(may or may not reflect today's mood)

In the Arena #146 - Serendipity, or You can get there from here...

Sometimes the very best things come out of a seemingly random chain of events.

Last year I ran across Mary Wanless' name in a comment on a blog. I googled her. The book excerpts on Amazon were enticing, so I ordered Ride With Your Mind - An Illustrated Masterclass In Right Brain Riding.  A life changing book.

Round about the same time, my partner in crime N - we rode with the same trainer for years - attended a clinic in Va. N was noncommittal about her initial clinic experience with this trainer, who as it happened, focused on biomechanics and was a student of Mary Wanless.

For her birthday, I sent N a copy of Ride With Your Mind. It blew her away too. At some point the book rang a bell, and she remembered the clinician and found her website. N set up a lesson early this year, which was super helpful. So have the subsequent visits. As it turns out, L has been a student of Mark Rashid for many years as well. Bonus!

Two weeks ago (a birthday present to myself), I drove to N's home in Va. We caught up, shopped and had a nice dinner out. Hit the road Sunday at o' dark thirty for (another) three and a half hour ride to Maryland.

At this point you could be thinking "she must be crazy driving fourteen hours round trip for a riding lesson." And you would be right. About the crazy part. But - ever since delving into biomechanics, I've been overwhelmed by a feeling that this is the right path for my riding education. The key to unlocking dressage for me. I think have a good understanding of what I should be doing and the outcome I want, but the signal often gets lost or disconnected between me and my horse.

Some people, especially you young bendy ones, naturally have correct position. And some trainers, while they might be terrific riders, aren't always the best at conveying knowledge about position and the body on horseback. No fault of their own, they just haven't had to think about how they do what they do. In RWYM, Mary mentions a BNT at a clinic of international riders where the frustrated clinician eventually resorted to yelling "Ride better!"

Back to the story. We arrived at L's tidy farm. Well kept premises and horses are always a good sign. The first part of my lesson involved assessing body and position. Tom Terrific, a patient grey ottb, was my mount. Oddly, I wasn't nervous or anxious at all.

Once L had gotten me sorted - legs under me, core engaged, hips rotated in, thighs bearing weight, kneeling feeling in my knees, calves with feather contact, feet pressed toward the outside of the stirrup and almost no weight in my stirrups... sound like a lot? It was. The core engaging part is complex. There are inner abs, and outer abs. The inner abs push out while the outer abs push in - kind of a core sandwich. Pardon the very unscientific explanation, but that's what it felt like to me.

L helped me pinpoint the affected anatomy and how it felt, and then it was time to ride. To try to ride. Of course things went to hell in a handbasket once I focused on anything in addition to position...

While bringing my attention to the moments when I coordinated everything and how it felt, L urged me to come up with key words that I could associate with the feeling when my body cooperated - a shorthand checklist for examining / correcting my position. She frequently had me assess how much (percentage) of my attention maintaining position took up. That was enlightening and needs improvement.

N was up next. It was so helpful to watch her ride. She worked on influencing her mount's stride with her seat and refining her posting technique. As usual - the horse never lies. When N got herself together, her mount immediately responded by picking up his back, reaching into his (bitless) bridle and producing a lovely and visibly higher quality trot.

At this point I had the epiphany that the seat is everything, there is so much more to the seat than I ever realized, and my seat needs an overhaul, stat.

The lessons concluded with an exercise designed to bring attention to the engagement of the core + breathing. We blew up a (new) balloon held in our mouths (no hands or teeth) and kept it inflated using our core, while also inhaling and exhaling. Now either I am a stone cold champion at this bizarre skill, or was cheating and didn't know it. We'll have to wait and see at the next lesson. ;D

N and I are planning monthly visits through the summer, and then hopefully caravaning our trailers up for a three day weekend or two this fall. L was so fun and comfortable to work with. I can see myself learning a lot with her. Well worth the journey.

In the Arena #145 - Someday is today...

I've kept up with your blogs dear readers, but have neglected my own. I have taken stacks of pictures and written numerous posts that stayed in the draft pile, but stopped short of hitting the publish button. The day to day details seemed trivial while I've been wrestling with the bigger picture.

Here's my attempt at catching up. Organized somewhat randomly, and hopefully not too incoherent.

Gardening requires lots of water, most of it in the form of perspiration...

The time I haven't spent in the saddle this spring, I have spent in the garden. I attempt to grow organically, so keeping everything weed and bug free is time super consuming. Plus "we" make all the dirt. The garden beds are filled solely with composted manure that I haul, turn and rotate in and out of four giant composting piles. It is good dirt - for reals.

The proudest accomplishment of this year's garden efforts so far is (drum roll....) carrots.

carrots are the feathery ones

Miniscule seeds sprout into delicate seedlings which must be thinned repeatedly (are un-transplantable) and the darn things can't tolerate any weeds. These better be the best (insert the f-bomb here) carrots in the history of the world. They're already the most expensive.

Also planted squashes, gourds,  cantelopes, eggplants, cucumbers, beans, sugar snaps, greens, beets, radishes, peppers, herbs and of course tomatoes. The tomato total is eighteen, a considerable cut back from years past. All heirlooms - red, yellow, chocolate, purple and green. (!)

various beans

sugar snaps... yum - vegetable candy

squashes, cukes, cantelopes - hoping for vertical growth

greens, tomatoes, basil - all waiting for the sun

Still in the honeymoon phase of this years efforts - check back in when the temperature manages to stay above 70 degrees and the mosquitoes arrive.

Putting our best foot forward...

The farrier was here not too long ago. Great news - my interim trimming minimized Val's usual flare, and the white line / separation issues have resolved. Success ! :D

my trim

I got more instruction from W - this time focusing on hoof balance. My conclusion is that you can read all the books you want about how to trim hooves, but every horse is different. Their anatomy, conformation and movement habits are individual. Experience is so important when deciding how to trim. So is knowing your horse well.

Thankfully - W is very encouraging. I have so much appreciation now for what a difficult job being a farrier is. Working on Val, I get all trembly, my back cramps up,  and I pour out sweat, as much from nerves as anything. Can't imagine trimming multiple horses every day...

We also found the exit hole from the abscess. Bonus! It was located underneath (caused by?) a large toe callous. What a relief to know the source of the mystery lameness. What a relief to not be an abscess virgin any longer. I can whip out a duct tape - diaper booty with the best of them now.

 If you haven't got anything nice to say... (an excuse for not posting)

Val was out of commission for six weeks from his mystery lameness (now not so mysterious.) Then it rained for most of six weeks. Lack of sunshine and persistent cold windy conditions had me losing my mind just a little. I might have gotten in touch with my inner Haagen Daz lover. Bad news for rocking my breeches. Hello power walks.

Last year this time we were riding so much. The last month it's been hard to get two rides in per week. Now I have to build Val back up - slowly. The lack of work decimates his topline. He gets hollow behind the withers and our saddle fit goes to hell. It's like we're starting over, again. I get discouraged and feel like whining... then I think about friends, blogging and real world, who are facing serious illnesses, loss of soundness and end of the life decisions with their partners.

Recently I got the sad news that Teddy, a favorite tb schoolmaster from my former trainer's barn, is not long for the world. He's thirty now, and not coming into the spring well, after a move to upstate New York from SE Virginia. Medical issues plagued him over the winter, and he's getting bullied in turn out. Breaks my heart.

I learned more from Teddums than any other horse I've ever sat on. A plain bay 14.3 thoroughbred, too little for the track, he was kind and unflappable, but infuriating. He would not respond to anything except the correct aid. Unless he heard my trainer and she didn't spell the request. I spent many lessons (nearly in tears) where getting him out of the arena corner by the gate (staring longingly at his mares) was the only accomplishment. I also sat my first (and likely only) piaffe on him.

If that wasn't enough - my former boarder, sweet, funny handsome Cowboy, suffered a serious colic last week, likely a casualty of the crazy inappropriate weather. His gut twisted, and the six hour long trip to emergency medical care came too late. He had to be put down at NC State.

RIP Cowboy. I hope you are enjoying top herd status, first dibs on the eats, and freedom from cruelty, ignorance and neglect. After everything you went through down here, you deserve it.

These events have forced me to reassess my equestrian goals and priorities. Top of the list is take nothing for granted. To enjoy and make the most of the time I have with my horse, because none of it is guaranteed. To get out of my comfort zone and overcome the fears that are holding me back.

Someday is today.

Light at the end of the tunnel...

I spent my birthday (so old now...) last Sunday doing something very exciting and thankfully horse related - the culmination of eighteen months of researching and organizing. Details to come in my next post.

there has been some saddle time

(((♡♡♡)))

WW - April showers bring May flowers...

Cross-post for a fun contest!!

The time for spring cleaning is here. Don't I know it. :D

Check out the super contest over at She Moved to Texas. You could win an Absorbine Show Sheen Try-pack!

In the Arena #144 - Up to my ass in alligators...

Not literally.

That's my dad's phrase for way too busy. Days full to the brim and can't hit the hay soon enough in the evenings. Lots to tell about - will post over the weekend. In the meantime...

Half the garden planted now that it's warmish...

Took this during a post ride rinse, sorry it's sandy. I've trimmed Val weekly for an entire cycle now... Both of us are liking the results :D

We've had some stellar rides lately. Bareback, while we continue the never ending quest to build Val's topline back up so his saddle will fit again. We've been having a great time. Love my horse (((♥♥♥)))